the tin woodman of oz a faithful story of the astonishing adventure undertaken by the tin woodman, assisted by woot the wanderer, the scarecrow of oz, and polychrome, the rainbow's daughter by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" author of all the oz books illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & britton co. chicago [illustration: copyright by l. frank baum _all rights reserved_] _made in u. s. a._ [illustration: this book is dedicated to the son of my son =frank alden baum=] [illustration: ozma] [illustration] to my readers i know that some of you have been waiting for this story of the tin woodman, because many of my correspondents have asked me, time and again, what ever became of the "pretty munchkin girl" whom nick chopper was engaged to marry before the wicked witch enchanted his axe and he traded his flesh for tin. i, too, have wondered what became of her, but until woot the wanderer interested himself in the matter the tin woodman knew no more than we did. however, he found her, after many thrilling adventures, as you will discover when you have read this story. i am delighted at the continued interest of both young and old in the oz stories. a learned college professor recently wrote me to ask: "for readers of what age are your books intended?" it puzzled me to answer that properly, until i had looked over some of the letters i have received. one says: "i'm a little boy years old, and i just love your oz stories. my sister, who is writing this for me, reads me the oz books, but i wish i could read them myself." another letter says: "i'm a great girl years old, so you'll be surprised when i tell you i am not too old yet for the oz stories." here's another letter: "since i was a young girl i've never missed getting a baum book for christmas. i'm married, now, but am as eager to get and read the oz stories as ever." and still another writes: "my good wife and i, both more than years of age, believe that we find more real enjoyment in your oz books than in any other books we read." considering these statements, i wrote the college professor that my books are intended for all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be. and while on this subject of letters i am reminded that a good many of my correspondents neglect to slip a -cent postage-stamp into their letters, for the answer. you are sending but one letter, you know, while i get so many hundreds of letters that to prepay postage on all the answers to them would be no small burden to me. i think i am justified in promising that there will be some astonishing revelations about the magic of oz in my book for . always your loving and grateful friend, l. frank baum, royal historian of oz. "ozcot" at hollywood in california . list of chapters [illustration] woot the wanderer the heart of the tin woodman roundabout the loons of loonville mrs. yoop, the giantess the magic of a yookoohoo the lace apron the menace of the forest the quarrelsome dragons tommy kwikstep jinjur's ranch ozma and dorothy the restoration the green monkey the man of tin captain fyter the workshop of ku-klip the tin woodman talks to himself the invisible country over night polychrome's magic nimmie amee through the tunnel the curtain falls [illustration: woot _in court dress_] woot the wanderer [illustration] chapter the tin woodman sat on his glittering tin throne in the handsome tin hall of his splendid tin castle in the winkie country of the land of oz. beside him, in a chair of woven straw, sat his best friend, the scarecrow of oz. at times they spoke to one another of curious things they had seen and strange adventures they had known since first they two had met and become comrades. but at times they were silent, for these things had been talked over many times between them, and they found themselves contented in merely being together, speaking now and then a brief sentence to prove they were wide awake and attentive. but then, these two quaint persons never slept. why should they sleep, when they never tired? and now, as the brilliant sun sank low over the winkie country of oz, tinting the glistening tin towers and tin minarets of the tin castle with glorious sunset hues, there approached along a winding pathway woot the wanderer, who met at the castle entrance a winkie servant. the servants of the tin woodman all wore tin helmets and tin breastplates and uniforms covered with tiny tin discs sewed closely together on silver cloth, so that their bodies sparkled as beautifully as did the tin castle--and almost as beautifully as did the tin woodman himself. woot the wanderer looked at the man servant--all bright and glittering--and at the magnificent castle--all bright and glittering--and as he looked his eyes grew big with wonder. for woot was not very big and not very old and, wanderer though he was, this proved the most gorgeous sight that had ever met his boyish gaze. "who lives here?" he asked. "the emperor of the winkies, who is the famous tin woodman of oz," replied the servant, who had been trained to treat all strangers with courtesy. "a tin woodman? how queer!" exclaimed the little wanderer. "well, perhaps our emperor is queer," admitted the servant; "but he is a kind master and as honest and true as good tin can make him; so we, who gladly serve him, are apt to forget that he is not like other people." "may i see him?" asked woot the wanderer, after a moment's thought. "if it please you to wait a moment, i will go and ask him," said the servant, and then he went into the hall where the tin woodman sat with his friend the scarecrow. both were glad to learn that a stranger had arrived at the castle, for this would give them something new to talk about, so the servant was asked to admit the boy at once. by the time woot the wanderer had passed through the grand corridors--all lined with ornamental tin--and under stately tin archways and through the many tin rooms all set with beautiful tin furniture, his eyes had grown bigger than ever and his whole little body thrilled with amazement. but, astonished though he was, he was able to make a polite bow before the throne and to say in a respectful voice: "i salute your illustrious majesty and offer you my humble services." "very good!" answered the tin woodman in his accustomed cheerful manner. "tell me who you are, and whence you come." "i am known as woot the wanderer," answered the boy, "and i have come, through many travels and by roundabout ways, from my former home in a far corner of the gillikin country of oz." "to wander from one's home," remarked the scarecrow, "is to encounter dangers and hardships, especially if one is made of meat and bone. had you no friends in that corner of the gillikin country? was it not homelike and comfortable?" to hear a man stuffed with straw speak, and speak so well, quite startled woot, and perhaps he stared a bit rudely at the scarecrow. but after a moment he replied: "i had home and friends, your honorable strawness, but they were so quiet and happy and comfortable that i found them dismally stupid. nothing in that corner of oz interested me, but i believed that in other parts of the country i would find strange people and see new sights, and so i set out upon my wandering journey. i have been a wanderer for nearly a full year, and now my wanderings have brought me to this splendid castle." "i suppose," said the tin woodman, "that in this year you have seen so much that you have become very wise." "no," replied woot, thoughtfully, "i am not at all wise, i beg to assure your majesty. the more i wander the less i find that i know, for in the land of oz much wisdom and many things may be learned." "to learn is simple. don't you ask questions?" inquired the scarecrow. "yes; i ask as many questions as i dare; but some people refuse to answer questions." "that is not kind of them," declared the tin woodman. "if one does not ask for information he seldom receives it; so i, for my part, make it a rule to answer any civil question that is asked me." "so do i," added the scarecrow, nodding. "i am glad to hear this," said the wanderer, "for it makes me bold to ask for something to eat." [illustration] "bless the boy!" cried the emperor of the winkies; "how careless of me not to remember that wanderers are usually hungry. i will have food brought you at once." saying this he blew upon a tin whistle that was suspended from his tin neck, and at the summons a servant appeared and bowed low. the tin woodman ordered food for the stranger, and in a few minutes the servant brought in a tin tray heaped with a choice array of good things to eat, all neatly displayed on tin dishes that were polished till they shone like mirrors. the tray was set upon a tin table drawn before the throne, and the servant placed a tin chair before the table for the boy to seat himself. "eat, friend wanderer," said the emperor cordially, "and i trust the feast will be to your liking. i, myself, do not eat, being made in such manner that i require no food to keep me alive. neither does my friend the scarecrow. but all my winkie people eat, being formed of flesh, as you are, and so my tin cupboard is never bare, and strangers are always welcome to whatever it contains." the boy ate in silence for a time, being really hungry, but after his appetite was somewhat satisfied, he said: "how happened your majesty to be made of tin, and still be alive?" "that," replied the tin man, "is a long story." [illustration] "the longer the better," said the boy. "won't you please tell me the story?" "if you desire it," promised the tin woodman, leaning back in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs. "i haven't related my history in a long while, because everyone here knows it nearly as well as i do. but you, being a stranger, are no doubt curious to learn how i became so beautiful and prosperous, so i will recite for your benefit my strange adventures." "thank you," said woot the wanderer, still eating. "i was not always made of tin," began the emperor, "for in the beginning i was a man of flesh and bone and blood and lived in the munchkin country of oz. there i was, by trade, a woodchopper, and contributed my share to the comfort of the oz people by chopping up the trees of the forest to make firewood, with which the women would cook their meals while the children warmed themselves about the fires. for my home i had a little hut by the edge of the forest, and my life was one of much content until i fell in love with a beautiful munchkin girl who lived not far away." "what was the munchkin girl's name?" asked woot. "nimmie amee. this girl, so fair that the sunsets blushed when their rays fell upon her, lived with a powerful witch who wore silver shoes and who had made the poor child her slave. nimmie amee was obliged to work from morning till night for the old witch of the east, scrubbing and sweeping her hut and cooking her meals and washing her dishes. she had to cut firewood, too, until i found her one day in the forest and fell in love with her. after that, i always brought plenty of firewood to nimmie amee and we became very friendly. finally i asked her to marry me, and she agreed to do so, but the witch happened to overhear our conversation and it made her very angry, for she did not wish her slave to be taken away from her. the witch commanded me never to come near nimmie amee again, but i told her i was my own master and would do as i pleased, not realizing that this was a careless way to speak to a witch. "the next day, as i was cutting wood in the forest, the cruel witch enchanted my axe, so that it slipped and cut off my right leg." "how dreadful!" cried woot the wanderer. "yes, it was a seeming misfortune," agreed the tin man, "for a one-legged woodchopper is of little use in his trade. but i would not allow the witch to conquer me so easily. i knew a very skillful mechanic at the other side of the forest, who was my friend, so i hopped on one leg to him and asked him to help me. he soon made me a new leg out of tin and fastened it cleverly to my meat body. it had joints at the knee and at the ankle and was almost as comfortable as the leg i had lost." "your friend must have been a wonderful workman!" exclaimed woot. "he was, indeed," admitted the emperor. "he was a tinsmith by trade and could make anything out of tin. when i returned to nimmie amee, the girl was delighted and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me, declaring she was proud of me. the witch saw the kiss and was more angry than before. when i went to work in the forest, next day, my axe, being still enchanted, slipped and cut off my other leg. again i hopped--on my tin leg--to my friend the tinsmith, who kindly made me another tin leg and fastened it to my body. so i returned joyfully to nimmie amee, who was much pleased with my glittering legs and promised that when we were wed she would always keep them oiled and polished. but the witch was more furious than ever, and as soon as i raised my axe to chop, it twisted around and cut off one of my arms. the tinsmith made me a tin arm and i was not much worried, because nimmie amee declared she still loved me." [illustration] the heart of the tin woodman [illustration] chapter the emperor of the winkies paused in his story to reach for an oil-can, with which he carefully oiled the joints in his tin throat, for his voice had begun to squeak a little. woot the wanderer, having satisfied his hunger, watched this oiling process with much curiosity, but begged the tin man to go on with his tale. "the witch with the silver shoes hated me for having defied her," resumed the emperor, his voice now sounding clear as a bell, "and she insisted that nimmie amee should never marry me. therefore she made the enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and the tinsmith also replaced that member with tin, including these finely-jointed hands that you see me using. but, alas! after that, the axe, still enchanted by the cruel witch, cut my body in two, so that i fell to the ground. then the witch, who was watching from a near-by bush, rushed up and seized the axe and chopped my body into several small pieces, after which, thinking that at last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in wicked glee. "but nimmie amee found me. she picked up my arms and legs and head, and made a bundle of them and carried them to the tinsmith, who set to work and made me a fine body of pure tin. when he had joined the arms and legs to the body, and set my head in the tin collar, i was a much better man than ever, for my body could not ache or pain me, and i was so beautiful and bright that i had no need of clothing. clothing is always a nuisance, because it soils and tears and has to be replaced; but my tin body only needs to be oiled and polished. [illustration] "nimmie amee still declared she would marry me, as she still loved me in spite of the witch's evil deeds. the girl declared i would make the brightest husband in all the world, which was quite true. however, the wicked witch was not yet defeated. when i returned to my work the axe slipped and cut off my head, which was the only meat part of me then remaining. moreover, the old woman grabbed up my severed head and carried it away with her and hid it. but nimmie amee came into the forest and found me wandering around helplessly, because i could not see where to go, and she led me to my friend the tinsmith. the faithful fellow at once set to work to make me a tin head, and he had just completed it when nimmie amee came running up with my old head, which she had stolen from the witch. but, on reflection, i considered the tin head far superior to the meat one--i am wearing it yet, so you can see its beauty and grace of outline--and the girl agreed with me that a man all made of tin was far more perfect than one formed of different materials. the tinsmith was as proud of his workmanship as i was, and for three whole days, all admired me and praised my beauty. "being now completely formed of tin, i had no more fear of the wicked witch, for she was powerless to injure me. nimmie amee said we must be married at once, for then she could come to my cottage and live with me and keep me bright and sparkling. "'i am sure, my dear nick,' said the brave and beautiful girl--my name was then nick chopper, you should be told--'that you will make the best husband any girl could have. i shall not be obliged to cook for you, for now you do not eat; i shall not have to make your bed, for tin does not tire or require sleep; when we go to a dance, you will not get weary before the music stops and say you want to go home. all day long, while you are chopping wood in the forest, i shall be able to amuse myself in my own way--a privilege few wives enjoy. there is no temper in your new head, so you will not get angry with me. finally, i shall take pride in being the wife of the only live tin woodman in all the world!' which shows that nimmie amee was as wise as she was brave and beautiful." "i think she was a very nice girl," said woot the wanderer. "but, tell me, please, why were you not killed when you were chopped to pieces?" "in the land of oz," replied the emperor, "no one can ever be killed. a man with a wooden leg or a tin leg is still the same man; and, as i lost parts of my meat body by degrees, i always remained the same person as in the beginning, even though in the end i was all tin and no meat." "i see," said the boy, thoughtfully. "and did you marry nimmie amee?" "no," answered the tin woodman, "i did not. she said she still loved me, but i found that i no longer loved her. my tin body contained no heart, and without a heart no one can love. so the wicked witch conquered in the end, and when i left the munchkin country of oz, the poor girl was still the slave of the witch and had to do her bidding day and night." "where did you go?" asked woot. "well, i first started out to find a heart, so i could love nimmie amee again; but hearts are more scarce than one would think. one day, in a big forest that was strange to me, my joints suddenly became rusted, because i had forgotten to oil them. there i stood, unable to move hand or foot. and there i continued to stand--while days came and went--until dorothy and the scarecrow came along and rescued me. they oiled my joints and set me free, and i've taken good care never to rust again." "who was this dorothy?" questioned the wanderer. "a little girl who happened to be in a house when it was carried by a cyclone all the way from kansas to the land of oz. when the house fell, in the munchkin country, it fortunately landed on the wicked witch and smashed her flat. it was a big house, and i think the witch is under it yet." "no," said the scarecrow, correcting him, "dorothy says the witch turned to dust, and the wind scattered the dust in every direction." "well," continued the tin woodman, "after meeting the scarecrow and dorothy, i went with them to the emerald city, where the wizard of oz gave me a heart. but the wizard's stock of hearts was low, and he gave me a kind heart instead of a loving heart, so that i could not love nimmie amee any more than i did when i was heartless." "couldn't the wizard give you a heart that was both kind and loving?" asked the boy. "no; that was what i asked for, but he said he was so short on hearts, just then, that there was but one in stock, and i could take that or none at all. so i accepted it, and i must say that for its kind it is a very good heart indeed." "it seems to me," said woot, musingly, "that the wizard fooled you. it can't be a very kind heart, you know." "why not?" demanded the emperor. "because it was unkind of you to desert the girl who loved you, and who had been faithful and true to you when you were in trouble. had the heart the wizard gave you been a kind heart, you would have gone back home and made the beautiful munchkin girl your wife, and then brought her here to be an empress and live in your splendid tin castle." the tin woodman was so surprised at this frank speech that for a time he did nothing but stare hard at the boy wanderer. but the scarecrow wagged his stuffed head and said in a positive tone: "this boy is right. i've often wondered, myself, why you didn't go back and find that poor munchkin girl." then the tin woodman stared hard at his friend the scarecrow. but finally he said in a serious tone of voice: "i must admit that never before have i thought of such a thing as finding nimmie amee and making her empress of the winkies. but it is surely not too late, even now, to do this, for the girl must still be living in the munchkin country. and, since this strange wanderer has reminded me of nimmie amee, i believe it is my duty to set out and find her. surely it is not the girl's fault that i no longer love her, and so, if i can make her happy, it is proper that i should do so, and in this way reward her for her faithfulness." [illustration] "quite right, my friend!" agreed the scarecrow. "will you accompany me on this errand?" asked the tin emperor. "of course," said the scarecrow. "and will you take me along?" pleaded woot the wanderer in an eager voice. "to be sure," said the tin woodman, "if you care to join our party. it was you who first told me it was my duty to find and marry nimmie amee, and i'd like you to know that nick chopper, the tin emperor of the winkies, is a man who never shirks his duty, once it is pointed out to him." "it ought to be a pleasure, as well as a duty, if the girl is so beautiful," said woot, well pleased with the idea of the adventure. "beautiful things may be admired, if not loved," asserted the tin man. "flowers are beautiful, for instance, but we are not inclined to marry them. duty, on the contrary, is a bugle call to action, whether you are inclined to act, or not. in this case, i obey the bugle call of duty." "when shall we start?" inquired the scarecrow, who was always glad to embark upon a new adventure. "i don't hear any bugle, but when do we go?" "as soon as we can get ready," answered the emperor. "i'll call my servants at once and order them to make preparations for our journey." roundabout [illustration] chapter woot the wanderer slept that night in the tin castle of the emperor of the winkies and found his tin bed quite comfortable. early the next morning he rose and took a walk through the gardens, where there were tin fountains and beds of curious tin flowers, and where tin birds perched upon the branches of tin trees and sang songs that sounded like the notes of tin whistles. all these wonders had been made by the clever winkie tinsmiths, who wound the birds up every morning so that they would move about and sing. after breakfast the boy went into the throne room, where the emperor was having his tin joints carefully oiled by a servant, while other servants were stuffing sweet, fresh straw into the body of the scarecrow. woot watched this operation with much interest, for the scarecrow's body was only a suit of clothes filled with straw. the coat was buttoned tight to keep the packed straw from falling out and a rope was tied around the waist to hold it in shape and prevent the straw from sagging down. the scarecrow's head was a gunnysack filled with bran, on which the eyes, nose and mouth had been painted. his hands were white cotton gloves stuffed with fine straw. woot noticed that even when carefully stuffed and patted into shape, the straw man was awkward in his movements and decidedly wobbly on his feet, so the boy wondered if the scarecrow would be able to travel with them all the way to the forests of the munchkin country of oz. the preparations made for this important journey were very simple. a knapsack was filled with food and given woot the wanderer to carry upon his back, for the food was for his use alone. the tin woodman shouldered an axe which was sharp and brightly polished, and the scarecrow put the emperor's oil-can in his pocket, that he might oil his friend's joints should they need it. [illustration: i don't hear any bugle] "who will govern the winkie country during your absence?" asked the boy. "why, the country will run itself," answered the emperor. "as a matter of fact, my people do not need an emperor, for ozma of oz watches over the welfare of all her subjects, including the winkies. like a good many kings and emperors, i have a grand title, but very little real power, which allows me time to amuse myself in my own way. the people of oz have but one law to obey, which is: 'behave yourself,' so it is easy for them to abide by this law, and you'll notice they behave very well. but it is time for us to be off, and i am eager to start because i suppose that that poor munchkin girl is anxiously awaiting my coming." "she's waited a long time already, seems to me," remarked the scarecrow, as they left the grounds of the castle and followed a path that led eastward. "true," replied the tin woodman; "but i've noticed that the last end of a wait, however long it has been, is the hardest to endure; so i must try to make nimmie amee happy as soon as possible." "ah; that proves you have a kind heart," remarked the scarecrow, approvingly. "it's too bad he hasn't a loving heart," said woot. "this tin man is going to marry a nice girl through kindness, and not because he loves her, and somehow that doesn't seem quite right." "even so, i am not sure it isn't best for the girl," said the scarecrow, who seemed very intelligent for a straw man, "for a loving husband is not always kind, while a kind husband is sure to make any girl content." "nimmie amee will become an empress!" announced the tin woodman, proudly. "i shall have a tin gown made for her, with tin ruffles and tucks on it, and she shall have tin slippers, and tin earrings and bracelets, and wear a tin crown on her head. i am sure that will delight nimmie amee, for all girls are fond of finery." "are we going to the munchkin country by way of the emerald city?" inquired the scarecrow, who looked upon the tin woodman as the leader of the party. "i think not," was the reply. "we are engaged upon a rather delicate adventure, for we are seeking a girl who fears her former lover has forgotten her. it will be rather hard for me, you must admit, when i confess to nimmie amee that i have come to marry her because it is my duty to do so, and therefore the fewer witnesses there are to our meeting the better for both of us. after i have found nimmie amee and she has managed to control her joy at our reunion, i shall take her to the emerald city and introduce her to ozma and dorothy, and to betsy bobbin and tiny trot, and all our other friends; but, if i remember rightly, poor nimmie amee has a sharp tongue when angry, and she may be a trifle angry with me, at first, because i have been so long in coming to her." "i can understand that," said woot gravely. "but how can we get to that part of the munchkin country where you once lived without passing through the emerald city?" "why, that is easy," the tin man assured him. "i have a map of oz in my pocket," persisted the boy, "and it shows that the winkie country, where we now are, is at the west of oz, and the munchkin country at the east, while directly between them lies the emerald city." "true enough; but we shall go toward the north, first of all, into the gillikin country, and so pass around the emerald city," explained the tin woodman. "that may prove a dangerous journey," replied the boy. "i used to live in one of the top corners of the gillikin country, near to oogaboo, and i have been told that in this northland country are many people whom it is not pleasant to meet. i was very careful to avoid them during my journey south." "a wanderer should have no fear," observed the scarecrow, who was wabbling along in a funny, haphazard manner, but keeping pace with his friends. [illustration] "fear does not make one a coward," returned woot, growing a little red in the face, "but i believe it is more easy to avoid danger than to overcome it. the safest way is the best way, even for one who is brave and determined." "do not worry, for we shall not go far to the north," said the emperor. "my one idea is to avoid the emerald city without going out of our way more than is necessary. once around the emerald city we will turn south into the munchkin country, where the scarecrow and i are well acquainted and have many friends." "i have traveled some in the gillikin country," remarked the scarecrow, "and while i must say i have met some strange people there at times, i have never yet been harmed by them." "well, it's all the same to me," said woot, with assumed carelessness. "dangers, when they cannot be avoided, are often quite interesting, and i am willing to go wherever you two venture to go." so they left the path they had been following and began to travel toward the northeast, and all that day they were in the pleasant winkie country, and all the people they met saluted the emperor with great respect and wished him good luck on his journey. at night they stopped at a house where they were well entertained and where woot was given a comfortable bed to sleep in. "were the scarecrow and i alone," said the tin woodman, "we would travel by night as well as by day; but with a meat person in our party, we must halt at night to permit him to rest." [illustration] "meat tires, after a day's travel," added the scarecrow, "while straw and tin never tire at all. which proves," said he, "that we are somewhat superior to people made in the common way." woot could not deny that he was tired, and he slept soundly until morning, when he was given a good breakfast, smoking hot. "you two miss a great deal by not eating," he said to his companions. "it is true," responded the scarecrow. "we miss suffering from hunger, when food cannot be had, and we miss a stomach-ache, now and then." as he said this, the scarecrow glanced at the tin woodman, who nodded his assent. all that second day they traveled steadily, entertaining one another the while with stories of adventures they had formerly met and listening to the scarecrow recite poetry. he had learned a great many poems from professor wogglebug and loved to repeat them whenever anybody would listen to him. of course woot and the tin woodman now listened, because they could not do otherwise--unless they rudely ran away from their stuffed comrade. one of the scarecrow's recitations was like this: "what sound is so sweet as the straw from the wheat when it crunkles so tender and low? it is yellow and bright, so it gives me delight to crunkle wherever i go. "sweet, fresh, golden straw! there is surely no flaw in a stuffing so clean and compact. it creaks when i walk, and it thrills when i talk, and its fragrance is fine, for a fact. "to cut me don't hurt, for i've no blood to squirt, and i therefore can suffer no pain; the straw that i use doesn't lump up or bruise, though it's pounded again and again! "i know it is said that my beautiful head has brains of mixed wheat-straw and bran, but my thoughts are so good i'd not change, if i could, for the brains of a common meat man. "content with my lot, i'm glad that i'm not like others i meet day by day; if my insides get musty, or mussed-up, or dusty, i get newly stuffed right away." [illustration] the loons of loonville [illustration] chapter toward evening, the travelers found there was no longer a path to guide them, and the purple hues of the grass and trees warned them that they were now in the country of the gillikins, where strange peoples dwelt in places that were quite unknown to the other inhabitants of oz. the fields were wild and uncultivated and there were no houses of any sort to be seen. but our friends kept on walking even after the sun went down, hoping to find a good place for woot the wanderer to sleep; but when it grew quite dark and the boy was weary with his long walk, they halted right in the middle of a field and allowed woot to get his supper from the food he carried in his knapsack. then the scarecrow laid himself down, so that woot could use his stuffed body as a pillow, and the tin woodman stood up beside them all night, so the dampness of the ground might not rust his joints or dull his brilliant polish. whenever the dew settled on his body he carefully wiped it off with a cloth, and so in the morning the emperor shone as brightly as ever in the rays of the rising sun. they wakened the boy at daybreak, the scarecrow saying to him: "we have discovered something queer, and therefore we must counsel together what to do about it." "what have you discovered?" asked woot, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his knuckles and giving three wide yawns to prove he was fully awake. "a sign," said the tin woodman. "a sign, and another path." "what does the sign say?" inquired the boy. "it says that 'all strangers are warned not to follow this path to loonville,'" answered the scarecrow, who could read very well when his eyes had been freshly painted. [illustration: all strangers are warned not to follow this path to loonville] "in that case," said the boy, opening his knapsack to get some breakfast, "let us travel in some other direction." but this did not seem to please either of his companions. "i'd like to see what loonville looks like," remarked the tin woodman. "when one travels, it is foolish to miss any interesting sight," added the scarecrow. "but a warning means danger," protested woot the wanderer, "and i believe it sensible to keep out of danger whenever we can." they made no reply to this speech for a while. then said the scarecrow: "i have escaped so many dangers, during my lifetime, that i am not much afraid of anything that can happen." "nor am i!" exclaimed the tin woodman, swinging his glittering axe around his tin head, in a series of circles. "few things can injure tin, and my axe is a powerful weapon to use against a foe. but our boy friend," he continued, looking solemnly at woot, "might perhaps be injured if the people of loonville are really dangerous; so i propose he waits here while you and i, friend scarecrow, visit the forbidden city of loonville." "don't worry about me," advised woot, calmly. "wherever you wish to go, i will go, and share your dangers. during my wanderings i have found it more wise to keep out of danger than to venture in, but at that time i was alone, and now i have two powerful friends to protect me." so, when he had finished his breakfast, they all set out along the path that led to loonville. "it is a place i have never heard of before," remarked the scarecrow, as they approached a dense forest. "the inhabitants may be people, of some sort, or they may be animals, but whatever they prove to be, we will have an interesting story to relate to dorothy and ozma on our return." the path led into the forest, but the big trees grew so closely together and the vines and underbrush were so thick and matted that they had to clear a path at each step in order to proceed. in one or two places the tin man, who went first to clear the way, cut the branches with a blow of his axe. woot followed next, and last of the three came the scarecrow, who could not have kept the path at all had not his comrades broken the way for his straw-stuffed body. presently the tin woodman pushed his way through some heavy underbrush, and almost tumbled headlong into a vast cleared space in the forest. the clearing was circular, big and roomy, yet the top branches of the tall trees reached over and formed a complete dome or roof for it. strangely enough, it was not dark in this immense natural chamber in the woodland, for the place glowed with a soft, white light that seemed to come from some unseen source. in the chamber were grouped dozens of queer creatures, and these so astonished the tin man that woot had to push his metal body aside, that he might see, too. and the scarecrow pushed woot aside, so that the three travelers stood in a row, staring with all their eyes. the creatures they beheld were round and ball-like; round in body, round in legs and arms, round in hands and feet and round of head. the only exception to the roundness was a slight hollow on the top of each head, making it saucer-shaped instead of dome-shaped. they wore no clothes on their puffy bodies, nor had they any hair. their skins were all of a light gray color, and their eyes were mere purple spots. their noses were as puffy as the rest of them. "are they rubber, do you think?" asked the scarecrow, who noticed that the creatures bounded, as they moved, and seemed almost as light as air. "it is difficult to tell what they are," answered woot, "they seem to be covered with warts." the loons--for so these folks were called--had been doing many things, some playing together, some working at tasks and some gathered in groups to talk; but at the sound of strange voices, which echoed rather loudly through the clearing, all turned in the direction of the intruders. then, in a body, they all rushed forward, running and bounding with tremendous speed. the tin woodman was so surprised by this sudden dash that he had no time to raise his axe before the loons were on them. the creatures swung their puffy hands, which looked like boxing-gloves, and pounded the three travelers as hard as they could, on all sides. the blows were quite soft and did not hurt our friends at all, but the onslaught quite bewildered them, so that in a brief period all three were knocked over and fell flat upon the ground. once down, many of the loons held them, to prevent their getting up again, while others wound long tendrils of vines about them, binding their arms and legs to their bodies and so rendering them helpless. "aha!" cried the biggest loon of all; "we've got 'em safe; so let's carry 'em to king bal and have 'em tried, and condemned and perforated!" they had to drag their captives to the center of the domed chamber, for their weight, as compared with that of the loons, prevented their being carried. even the scarecrow was much heavier than the puffy loons. but finally the party halted before a raised platform, on which stood a sort of throne, consisting of a big, wide chair with a string tied to one arm of it. this string led upward to the roof of the dome. arranged before the platform, the prisoners were allowed to sit up, facing the empty throne. "good!" said the big loon who had commanded the party. "now to get king bal to judge these terrible creatures we have so bravely captured." as he spoke he took hold of the string and began to pull as hard as he could. one or two of the others helped him and pretty soon, as they drew in the cord, the leaves above them parted and a loon appeared at the other end of the string. it didn't take long to draw him down to the throne, where he seated himself and was tied in, so he wouldn't float upward again. "hello," said the king, blinking his purple eyes at his followers; "what's up now!" "strangers, your majesty--strangers and captives," replied the big loon, pompously. "dear me! i see 'em. i see 'em very plainly," exclaimed the king, his purple eyes bulging out as he looked at the three prisoners. "what curious animals! are they dangerous, do you think, my good panta?" "i'm 'fraid so, your majesty. of course, they may _not_ be dangerous, but we mustn't take chances. enough accidents happen to us poor loons as it is, and my advice is to condemn and perforate 'em as quickly as possible." "keep your advice to yourself," said the monarch, in a peeved tone. "who's king here, anyhow? you or me?" "we made you our king because you have less common sense than the rest of us," answered panta loon, indignantly. "i could have been king myself, had i wanted to, but i didn't care for the hard work and responsibility." as he said this, the big loon strutted back and forth in the space between the throne of king bal and the prisoners, and the other loons seemed much impressed by his defiance. but suddenly there came a sharp report and panta loon instantly disappeared, to the great astonishment of the scarecrow, the tin woodman and woot the wanderer, who saw on the spot where the big fellow had stood a little heap of flabby, wrinkled skin that looked like a collapsed rubber balloon. "there!" exclaimed the king; "i expected that would happen. the conceited rascal wanted to puff himself up until he was bigger than the rest of you, and this is the result of his folly. get the pump working, some of you, and blow him up again." "we will have to mend the puncture first, your majesty," suggested one of the loons, and the prisoners noticed that none of them seemed surprised or shocked at the sad accident to panta. "all right," grumbled the king. "fetch til to mend him." one or two ran away and presently returned, followed by a lady loon wearing huge, puffed-up rubber skirts. also she had a purple feather fastened to a wart on the top of her head, and around her waist was a sash of fibre-like vines, dried and tough, that looked like strings. "get to work, til," commanded king bal. "panta has just exploded." the lady loon picked up the bunch of skin and examined it carefully until she discovered a hole in one foot. then she pulled a strand of string from her sash, and drawing the edges of the hole together, she tied them fast with the string, thus making one of those curious warts which the strangers had noticed on so many loons. having done this, til loon tossed the bit of skin to the other loons and was about to go away when she noticed the prisoners and stopped to inspect them. "dear me!" said til; "what dreadful creatures. where did they come from?" "we captured them," replied one of the loons. "and what are we going to do with them?" inquired the girl loon. "perhaps we'll condemn 'em and puncture 'em," answered the king. "well," said she, still eyeing the captives, "i'm not sure they'll puncture. let's try it, and see." one of the loons ran to the forest's edge and quickly returned with a long, sharp thorn. he glanced at the king, who nodded his head in assent, and then he rushed forward and stuck the thorn into the leg of the scarecrow. the scarecrow merely smiled and said nothing, for the thorn didn't hurt him at all. then the loon tried to prick the tin woodman's leg, but the tin only blunted the point of the thorn. [illustration] "just as i thought," said til, blinking her purple eyes and shaking her puffy head; but just then the loon stuck the thorn into the leg of woot the wanderer, and while it had been blunted somewhat, it was still sharp enough to hurt. "ouch!" yelled woot, and kicked out his leg with so much energy that the frail bonds that tied him burst apart. his foot caught the loon--who was leaning over him--full on his puffy stomach, and sent him shooting up into the air. when he was high over their heads he exploded with a loud "pop" and his skin fell to the ground. "i really believe," said the king, rolling his spot-like eyes in a frightened way, "that panta was right in claiming these prisoners are dangerous. is the pump ready?" some of the loons had wheeled a big machine in front of the throne and now took panta's skin and began to pump air into it. slowly it swelled out until the king cried "stop!" "no, no!" yelled panta, "i'm not big enough yet." "you're as big as you're going to be," declared the king. "before you exploded you were bigger than the rest of us, and that caused you to be proud and overbearing. now you're a little smaller than the rest, and you will last longer and be more humble." "pump me up--pump me up!" wailed panta. "if you don't you'll break my heart." "if we do we'll break your skin," replied the king. so the loons stopped pumping air into panta, and pushed him away from the pump. he was certainly more humble than before his accident, for he crept into the background and said nothing more. [illustration] "now pump up the other one," ordered the king. til had already mended him, and the loons set to work to pump him full of air. during these last few moments none had paid much attention to the prisoners, so woot, finding his legs free, crept over to the tin woodman and rubbed the bonds that were still around his arms and body against the sharp edge of the axe, which quickly cut them. the boy was now free, and the thorn which the loon had stuck into his leg was lying unnoticed on the ground, where the creature had dropped it when he exploded. woot leaned forward and picked up the thorn, and while the loons were busy watching the pump, the boy sprang to his feet and suddenly rushed upon the group. "pop"--"pop"--"pop!" went three of the loons, when the wanderer pricked them with his thorn, and at the sounds the others looked around and saw their danger. with yells of fear they bounded away in all directions, scattering about the clearing, with woot the wanderer in full chase. while they could run much faster than the boy, they often stumbled and fell, or got in one another's way, so he managed to catch several and prick them with his thorn. it astonished him to see how easily the loons exploded. when the air was let out of them they were quite helpless. til loon was one of those who ran against his thorn and many others suffered the same fate. the creatures could not escape from the enclosure, but in their fright many bounded upward and caught branches of the trees, and then climbed out of reach of the dreaded thorn. woot was getting pretty tired chasing them, so he stopped and came over, panting, to where his friends were sitting, still bound. "very well done, my wanderer," said the tin woodman. "it is evident that we need fear these puffed-up creatures no longer, so be kind enough to unfasten our bonds and we will proceed upon our journey." woot untied the bonds of the scarecrow and helped him to his feet. then he freed the tin woodman, who got up without help. looking around them, they saw that the only loon now remaining within reach was bal loon, the king, who had remained seated in his throne, watching the punishment of his people with a bewildered look in his purple eyes. "shall i puncture the king?" the boy asked his companions. [illustration] king bal must have overheard the question, for he fumbled with the cord that fastened him to the throne and managed to release it. then he floated upward until he reached the leafy dome, and parting the branches he disappeared from sight. but the string that was tied to his body was still connected with the arm of the throne, and they knew they could pull his majesty down again, if they wanted to. "let him alone," suggested the scarecrow. "he seems a good enough king for his peculiar people, and after we are gone, the loons will have something of a job to pump up all those whom woot has punctured." "every one of them ought to be exploded," declared woot, who was angry because his leg still hurt him. "no," said the tin woodman, "that would not be just fair. they were quite right to capture us, because we had no business to intrude here, having been warned to keep away from loonville. this is their country, not ours, and since the poor things can't get out of the clearing, they can harm no one save those who venture here out of curiosity, as we did." "well said, my friend," agreed the scarecrow. "we really had no right to disturb their peace and comfort; so let us go away." they easily found the place where they had forced their way into the enclosure, so the tin woodman pushed aside the underbrush and started first along the path. the scarecrow followed next and last came woot, who looked back and saw that the loons were still clinging to their perches on the trees and watching their former captives with frightened eyes. "i guess they're glad to see the last of us," remarked the boy, and laughing at the happy ending of the adventure, he followed his comrades along the path. [illustration] mrs. yoop, the giantess [illustration] chapter when they had reached the end of the path, where they had first seen the warning sign, they set off across the country in an easterly direction. before long they reached rolling lands, which were a succession of hills and valleys where constant climbs and descents were required, and their journey now became tedious, because on climbing each hill, they found before them nothing in the valley below it--except grass, or weeds or stones. up and down they went for hours, with nothing to relieve the monotony of the landscape, until finally, when they had topped a higher hill than usual, they discovered a cup-shaped valley before them in the center of which stood an enormous castle, built of purple stone. the castle was high and broad and long, but had no turrets and towers. so far as they could see, there was but one small window and one big door on each side of the great building. "this is strange!" mused the scarecrow. "i'd no idea such a big castle existed in this gillikin country. i wonder who lives here?" "it seems to me, from this distance," remarked the tin woodman, "that it's the biggest castle i ever saw. it is really too big for any use, and no one could open or shut those big doors without a stepladder." "perhaps, if we go nearer, we shall find out whether anybody lives there or not," suggested woot. "looks to me as if nobody lived there." on they went, and when they reached the center of the valley, where the great stone castle stood, it was beginning to grow dark. so they hesitated as to what to do. "if friendly people happen to live here," said woot, "i shall be glad of a bed; but should enemies occupy the place, i prefer to sleep upon the ground." "and if no one at all lives here," added the scarecrow, "we can enter, and take possession, and make ourselves at home." while speaking he went nearer to one of the great doors, which was three times as high and broad as any he had ever seen in a house before, and then he discovered, engraved in big letters upon a stone over the doorway, the words: "yoop castle" "oho!" he exclaimed; "i know the place now. this was probably the home of mr. yoop, a terrible giant whom i have seen confined in a cage, a long way from here. therefore this castle is likely to be empty and we may use it in any way we please." "yes, yes," said the tin emperor, nodding; "i also remember mr. yoop. but how are we to get into his deserted castle? the latch of the door is so far above our heads that none of us can reach it." they considered this problem for a while, and then woot said to the tin man: [illustration] "if i stand upon your shoulders, i think i can unlatch the door." "climb up, then," was the reply, and when the boy was perched upon the tin shoulders of nick chopper, he was just able to reach the latch and raise it. at once the door swung open, its great hinges making a groaning sound as if in protest, so woot leaped down and followed his companions into a big, bare hallway. scarcely were the three inside, however, when they heard the door slam shut behind them, and this astonished them because no one had touched it. it had closed of its own accord, as if by magic. moreover, the latch was on the outside, and the thought occurred to each one of them that they were now prisoners in this unknown castle. "however," mumbled the scarecrow, "we are not to blame for what cannot be helped; so let us push bravely ahead and see what may be seen." it was quite dark in the hallway, now that the outside door was shut, so as they stumbled along a stone passage they kept close together, not knowing what danger was likely to befall them. suddenly a soft glow enveloped them. it grew brighter, until they could see their surroundings distinctly. they had reached the end of the passage and before them was another huge door. this noiselessly swung open before them, without the help of anyone, and through the doorway they observed a big chamber, the walls of which were lined with plates of pure gold, highly polished. this room was also lighted, although they could discover no lamps, and in the center of it was a great table at which sat an immense woman. she was clad in silver robes embroidered with gay floral designs, and wore over this splendid raiment a short apron of elaborate lace-work. such an apron was no protection, and was not in keeping with the handsome gown, but the huge woman wore it, nevertheless. the table at which she sat was spread with a white cloth and had golden dishes upon it, so the travelers saw that they had surprised the giantess while she was eating her supper. she had her back toward them and did not even turn around, but taking a biscuit from a dish she began to butter it and said in a voice that was big and deep but not especially unpleasant: "why don't you come in and allow the door to shut? you're causing a draught, and i shall catch cold and sneeze. when i sneeze, i get cross, and when i get cross i'm liable to do something wicked. come in, you foolish strangers; come in!" being thus urged, they entered the room and approached the table, until they stood where they faced the great giantess. she continued eating, but smiled in a curious way as she looked at them. woot noticed that the door had closed silently after they had entered, and that didn't please him at all. "well," said the giantess, "what excuse have you to offer?" "we didn't know anyone lived here, madam," explained the scarecrow; "so, being travelers and strangers in these parts, and wishing to find a place for our boy friend to sleep, we ventured to enter your castle." "you knew it was private property, i suppose?" said she, buttering another biscuit. "we saw the words, 'yoop castle,' over the door, but we knew that mr. yoop is a prisoner in a cage in a far-off part of the land of oz, so we decided there was no one now at home and that we might use the castle for the night." "i see," remarked the giantess, nodding her head and smiling again in that curious way--a way that made woot shudder. "you didn't know that mr. yoop was married, or that after he was cruelly captured his wife still lived in his castle, and ran it to suit herself." "who captured mr. yoop?" asked woot, looking gravely at the big woman. "wicked enemies. people who selfishly objected to yoop's taking their cows and sheep for his food. i must admit, however, that yoop had a bad temper, and had the habit of knocking over a few houses, now and then, when he was angry. so one day the little folks came in a great crowd and captured mr. yoop, and carried him away to a cage somewhere in the mountains. i don't know where it is, and i don't care, for my husband treated me badly at times, forgetting the respect a giant owes to a giantess. often he kicked me on my shins, when i wouldn't wait on him. so i'm glad he is gone." "it's a wonder the people didn't capture you, too," remarked woot. "well, i was too clever for them," said she, giving a sudden laugh that caused such a breeze that the wobbly scarecrow was almost blown off his feet and had to grab his friend nick chopper to steady himself. "i saw the people coming," continued mrs. yoop, "and knowing they meant mischief i transformed myself into a mouse and hid in a cupboard. after they had gone away, carrying my shin-kicking husband with them, i transformed myself back to my former shape again, and here i've lived in peace and comfort ever since." "are you a witch, then?" inquired woot. "well, not exactly a witch," she replied, "but i'm an artist in transformations. in other words, i'm more of a yookoohoo than a witch, and of course you know that the yookoohoos are the cleverest magic-workers in the world." the travelers were silent for a time, uneasily considering this statement and the effect it might have on their future. no doubt the giantess had wilfully made them her prisoners; yet she spoke so cheerfully, in her big voice, that until now they had not been alarmed in the least. by and by the scarecrow, whose mixed brains had been working steadily, asked the woman: "are we to consider you our friend, mrs. yoop, or do you intend to be our enemy?" "i never have friends," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, "because friends get too familiar and always forget to mind their own business. but i am not your enemy; not yet, anyhow. indeed, i'm glad you've come, for my life here is rather lonely. i've had no one to talk to since i transformed polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow, into a canary-bird." "how did you manage to do that?" asked the tin woodman, in amazement. "polychrome is a powerful fairy!" "she _was_," said the giantess; "but now she's a canary-bird. one day after a rain, polychrome danced off the rainbow and fell asleep on a little mound in this valley, not far from my castle. the sun came out and drove the rainbow away, and before poly wakened, i stole out and transformed her into a canary-bird in a gold cage studded with diamonds. the cage was so she couldn't fly away. i expected she'd sing and talk and we'd have good times together; but she has proved no company for me at all. ever since the moment of her transformation, she has refused to speak a single word." "where is she now?" inquired woot, who had heard tales of lovely polychrome and was much interested in her. "the cage is hanging up in my bedroom," said the giantess, eating another biscuit. the travelers were now more uneasy and suspicious of the giantess than before. if polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, who was a real fairy, had been transformed and enslaved by this huge woman, who claimed to be a yookoohoo, what was liable to happen to _them_? said the scarecrow, twisting his stuffed head around in mrs. yoop's direction: "do you know, ma'am, who we are?" "of course," said she; "a straw man, a tin man and a boy." "we are very important people," declared the tin woodman. "all the better," she replied. "i shall enjoy your society the more on that account. for i mean to keep you here as long as i live, to amuse me when i get lonely. and," she added slowly, "in this valley no one ever dies." they didn't like this speech at all, so the scarecrow frowned in a way that made mrs. yoop smile, while the tin woodman looked so fierce that mrs. yoop laughed. the scarecrow suspected she was going to laugh, so he slipped behind his friends to escape the wind from her breath. from this safe position he said warningly: "we have powerful friends who will soon come to rescue us." [illustration] "let them come," she returned, with an accent of scorn. "when they get here they will find neither a boy, nor a tin man, nor a scarecrow, for tomorrow morning i intend to transform you all into other shapes, so that you cannot be recognized." this threat filled them with dismay. the good-natured giantess was more terrible than they had imagined. she could smile and wear pretty clothes and at the same time be even more cruel than her wicked husband had been. both the scarecrow and the tin woodman tried to think of some way to escape from the castle before morning, but she seemed to read their thoughts and shook her head. "don't worry your poor brains," said she. "you can't escape me, however hard you try. but why should you wish to escape? i shall give you new forms that are much better than the ones you now have. be contented with your fate, for discontent leads to unhappiness, and unhappiness, in any form, is the greatest evil that can befall you." "what forms do you intend to give us?" asked woot earnestly. "i haven't decided, as yet. i'll dream over it tonight, so in the morning i shall have made up my mind how to transform you. perhaps you'd prefer to choose your own transformations?" "no," said woot, "i prefer to remain as i am." "that's funny," she retorted. "you are little, and you're weak; as you are, you're not much account, anyhow. the best thing about you is that you're alive, for i shall be able to make of you some sort of live creature which will be a great improvement on your present form." [illustration] she took another biscuit from a plate and dipped it in a pot of honey and calmly began eating it. the scarecrow watched her thoughtfully. "there are no fields of grain in your valley," said he; "where, then, did you get the flour to make your biscuits?" "mercy me! do you think i'd bother to make biscuits out of flour?" she replied. "that is altogether too tedious a process for a yookoohoo. i set some traps this afternoon and caught a lot of field-mice, but as i do not like to eat mice, i transformed them into hot biscuits for my supper. the honey in this pot was once a wasp's nest, but since being transformed it has become sweet and delicious. all i need do, when i wish to eat, is to take something i don't care to keep, and transform it into any sort of food i like, and eat it. are you hungry?" "i don't eat, thank you," said the scarecrow. "nor do i," said the tin woodman. "i have still a little natural food in my knapsack," said woot the wanderer, "and i'd rather eat that than any wasp's nest." "every one to his taste," said the giantess carelessly, and having now finished her supper she rose to her feet, clapped her hands together, and the supper table at once disappeared. the magic of a yookoohoo [illustration] chapter woot had seen very little of magic during his wanderings, while the scarecrow and the tin woodman had seen a great deal of many sorts in their lives, yet all three were greatly impressed by mrs. yoop's powers. she did not affect any mysterious airs or indulge in chants or mystic rites, as most witches do, nor was the giantess old and ugly or disagreeable in face or manner. nevertheless, she frightened her prisoners more than any witch could have done. "please be seated," she said to them, as she sat herself down in a great arm-chair and spread her beautiful embroidered skirts for them to admire. but all the chairs in the room were so high that our friends could not climb to the seats of them. mrs. yoop observed this and waved her hand, when instantly a golden ladder appeared leaning against a chair opposite her own. "climb up," said she, and they obeyed, the tin man and the boy assisting the more clumsy scarecrow. when they were all seated in a row on the cushion of the chair, the giantess continued: "now tell me how you happened to travel in this direction, and where you came from and what your errand is." so the tin woodman told her all about nimmie amee, and how he had decided to find her and marry her, although he had no loving heart. the story seemed to amuse the big woman, who then began to ask the scarecrow questions and for the first time in her life heard of ozma of oz, and of dorothy and jack pumpkinhead and dr. pipt and tik-tok and many other oz people who are well known in the emerald city. also woot had to tell his story, which was very simple and did not take long. the giantess laughed heartily when the boy related their adventure at loonville, but said she knew nothing of the loons because she never left her valley. "there are wicked people who would like to capture me, as they did my giant husband, mr. yoop," said she; "so i stay at home and mind my own business." "if ozma knew that you dared to work magic without her consent, she would punish you severely," declared the scarecrow, "for this castle is in the land of oz, and no persons in the land of oz are permitted to work magic except glinda the good and the little wizard who lives with ozma in the emerald city." "_that_ for your ozma!" exclaimed the giantess, snapping her fingers in derision. "what do i care for a girl whom i have never seen and who has never seen me?" "but ozma is a fairy," said the tin woodman, "and therefore she is very powerful. also, we are under ozma's protection, and to injure us in any way would make her extremely angry." "what i do here, in my own private castle in this secluded valley--where no one comes but fools like you--can never be known to your fairy ozma," returned the giantess. "do not seek to frighten me from my purpose, and do not allow yourselves to be frightened, for it is best to meet bravely what cannot be avoided. i am now going to bed, and in the morning i will give you all new forms, such as will be more interesting to me than the ones you now wear. good night, and pleasant dreams." saying this, mrs. yoop rose from her chair and walked through a doorway into another room. so heavy was the tread of the giantess that even the walls of the big stone castle trembled as she stepped. she closed the door of her bedroom behind her, and then suddenly the light went out and the three prisoners found themselves in total darkness. the tin woodman and the scarecrow didn't mind the dark at all, but woot the wanderer felt worried to be left in this strange place in this strange manner, without being able to see any danger that might threaten. "the big woman might have given me a bed, anyhow," he said to his companions, and scarcely had he spoken when he felt something press against his legs, which were then dangling from the seat of the chair. leaning down, he put out his hand and found that a bedstead had appeared, with mattress, sheets and covers, all complete. he lost no time in slipping down upon the bed and was soon fast asleep. during the night the scarecrow and the emperor talked in low tones together, and they got out of the chair and moved all about the room, feeling for some hidden spring that might open a door or window and permit them to escape. morning found them still unsuccessful in the quest and as soon as it was daylight woot's bed suddenly disappeared, and he dropped to the floor with a thump that quickly wakened him. and after a time the giantess came from her bedroom, wearing another dress that was quite as elaborate as the one in which she had been attired the evening before, and also wearing the pretty lace apron. having seated herself in a chair, she said: "i'm hungry; so i'll have breakfast at once." she clapped her hands together and instantly the table appeared before her, spread with snowy linen and laden with golden dishes. but there was no food upon the table, nor anything else except a pitcher of water, a bundle of weeds and a handful of pebbles. but the giantess poured some water into her coffee-pot, patted it once or twice with her hand, and then poured out a cupful of steaming hot coffee. "would you like some?" she asked woot. he was suspicious of magic coffee, but it smelled so good that he could not resist it; so he answered: "if you please, madam." the giantess poured out another cup and set it on the floor for woot. it was as big as a tub, and the golden spoon in the saucer beside the cup was so heavy the boy could scarcely lift it. but woot managed to get a sip of the coffee and found it delicious. mrs. yoop next transformed the weeds into a dish of oatmeal, which she ate with good appetite. "now, then," said she, picking up the pebbles, "i'm wondering whether i shall have fish-balls or lamb-chops to complete my meal. which would you prefer, woot the wanderer?" "if you please, i'll eat the food in my knapsack," answered the boy. "your magic food might taste good, but i'm afraid of it." the woman laughed at his fears and transformed the pebbles into fish-balls. [illustration] "i suppose you think that after you had eaten this food it would turn to stones again and make you sick," she remarked; "but that would be impossible. _nothing i transform ever gets back to its former shape again_, so these fish-balls can never more be pebbles. that is why i have to be careful of my transformations," she added, busily eating while she talked, "for while i can change forms at will i can never change them back again--which proves that even the powers of a clever yookoohoo are limited. when i have transformed you three people, you must always wear the shapes that i have given you." "then please don't transform us," begged woot, "for we are quite satisfied to remain as we are." "i am not expecting to satisfy you, but intend to please myself," she declared, "and my pleasure is to give you new shapes. for, if by chance your friends came in search of you, not one of them would be able to recognize you." her tone was so positive that they knew it would be useless to protest. the woman was not unpleasant to look at; her face was not cruel; her voice was big but gracious in tone; but her words showed that she possessed a merciless heart and no pleadings would alter her wicked purpose. mrs. yoop took ample time to finish her breakfast and the prisoners had no desire to hurry her, but finally the meal was concluded and she folded her napkin and made the table disappear by clapping her hands together. then she turned to her captives and said: "the next thing on the programme is to change your forms." "have you decided what forms to give us?" asked the scarecrow, uneasily. "yes; i dreamed it all out while i was asleep. this tin man seems a very solemn person"--indeed, the tin woodman _was_ looking solemn, just then, for he was greatly disturbed--"so i shall change him into an owl." all she did was to point one finger at him as she spoke, but immediately the form of the tin woodman began to change and in a few seconds nick chopper, the emperor of the winkies, had been transformed into an owl, with eyes as big as saucers and a hooked beak and strong claws. but he was still tin. he was a tin owl, with tin legs and beak and eyes and feathers. when he flew to the back of a chair and perched upon it, his tin feathers rattled against one another with a tinny clatter. the giantess seemed much amused by the tin owl's appearance, for her laugh was big and jolly. "you're not liable to get lost," said she, "for your wings and feathers will make a racket wherever you go. and, on my word, a tin owl is so rare and pretty that it is an improvement on the ordinary bird. i did not intend to make you tin, but i forgot to wish you to be meat. however, tin you were, and tin you are, and as it's too late to change you, that settles it." until now the scarecrow had rather doubted the possibility of mrs. yoop's being able to transform him, or his friend the tin woodman, for they were not made as ordinary people are. he had worried more over what might happen to woot than to himself, but now he began to worry about himself. "madam," he said hastily, "i consider this action very impolite. it may even be called rude, considering we are your guests." "you are not guests, for i did not invite you here," she replied. "perhaps not; but we craved hospitality. we threw ourselves upon your mercy, so to speak, and we now find you have no mercy. therefore, if you will excuse the expression, i must say it is downright wicked to take our proper forms away from us and give us others that we do not care for." "are you trying to make me angry?" she asked, frowning. "by no means," said the scarecrow; "i'm just trying to make you act more ladylike." [illustration] "oh, indeed! in _my_ opinion, mr. scarecrow, you are now acting like a bear--so a bear you shall be!" again the dreadful finger pointed, this time in the scarecrow's direction, and at once his form began to change. in a few seconds he had become a small brown bear, but he was stuffed with straw as he had been before, and when the little brown bear shuffled across the floor he was just as wobbly as the scarecrow had been and moved just as awkwardly. woot was amazed, but he was also thoroughly frightened. "did it hurt?" he asked the little brown bear. "no, of course not," growled the scarecrow in the bear's form; "but i don't like walking on four legs; it's undignified." "consider _my_ humiliation!" chirped the tin owl, trying to settle its tin feathers smoothly with its tin beak. "and i can't see very well, either. the light seems to hurt my eyes." "that's because you are an owl," said woot. "i think you will see better in the dark." "well," remarked the giantess, "i'm very well pleased with these new forms, for my part, and i'm sure you will like them better when you get used to them. so now," she added, turning to the boy, "it is _your_ turn." "don't you think you'd better leave me as i am?" asked woot in a trembling voice. "no," she replied, "i'm going to make a monkey of you. i love monkeys--they're so cute!--and i think a green monkey will be lots of fun and amuse me when i am sad." woot shivered, for again the terrible magic finger pointed, and pointed directly his way. he felt himself changing; not so very much, however, and it didn't hurt him a bit. he looked down at his limbs and body and found that his clothes were gone and his skin covered with a fine, silk-like green fur. his hands and feet were now those of a monkey. he realized he really _was_ a monkey, and his first feeling was one of anger. he began to chatter as monkeys do. he bounded to the seat of a giant chair, and then to its back and with a wild leap sprang upon the laughing giantess. his idea was to seize her hair and pull it out by the roots, and so have revenge for her wicked transformations. but she raised her hand and said: "gently, my dear monkey--gently! you're not angry; you're happy as can be!" woot stopped short. no; he wasn't a bit angry now; he felt as good-humored and gay as ever he did when a boy. instead of pulling mrs. yoop's hair, he perched on her shoulder and smoothed her soft cheek with his hairy paw. in return, she smiled at the funny green animal and patted his head. "very good," said the giantess. "let us all become friends and be happy together. how is my tin owl feeling?" "quite comfortable," said the owl. "i don't like it, to be sure, but i'm not going to allow my new form to make me unhappy. but, tell me, please: what is a tin owl good for?" "you are only good to make me laugh," replied the giantess. "will a stuffed bear also make you laugh?" inquired the scarecrow, sitting back on his haunches to look up at her. "of course," declared the giantess; "and i have added a little magic to your transformations to make you all contented with wearing your new forms. i'm sorry i didn't think to do that when i transformed polychrome into a canary-bird. but perhaps, when she sees how cheerful you are, she will cease to be silent and sullen and take to singing. i will go get the bird and let you see her." with this, mrs. yoop went into the next room and soon returned bearing a golden cage in which sat upon a swinging perch a lovely yellow canary. [illustration] "polychrome," said the giantess, "permit me to introduce to you a green monkey, which used to be a boy called woot the wanderer, and a tin owl, which used to be a tin woodman named nick chopper, and a straw-stuffed little brown bear which used to be a live scarecrow." "we already know one another," declared the scarecrow. "the bird is polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, and she and i used to be good friends." "are you really my old friend, the scarecrow?" asked the bird, in a sweet, low voice. "there!" cried mrs. yoop; "that's the first time she has spoken since she was transformed." "i am really your old friend," answered the scarecrow; "but you must pardon me for appearing just now in this brutal form." "i am a bird, as you are, dear poly," said the tin woodman; "but, alas! a tin owl is not as beautiful as a canary-bird." "how dreadful it all is!" sighed the canary. "couldn't you manage to escape from this terrible yookoohoo?" "no," answered the scarecrow, "we tried to escape, but failed. she first made us her prisoners and then transformed us. but how did she manage to get _you_, polychrome?" "i was asleep, and she took unfair advantage of me," answered the bird sadly. "had i been awake, i could easily have protected myself." "tell me," said the green monkey earnestly, as he came close to the cage, "what must we do, daughter of the rainbow, to escape from these transformations? can't you help us, being a fairy?" [illustration] "at present i am powerless to help even myself," replied the canary. "that's the exact truth!" exclaimed the giantess, who seemed pleased to hear the bird talk, even though it complained; "you are all helpless and in my power, so you may as well make up your minds to accept your fate and be content. remember that you are transformed for good, since no magic on earth can break your enchantments. i am now going out for my morning walk, for each day after breakfast i walk sixteen times around my castle for exercise. amuse yourselves while i am gone, and when i return i hope to find you all reconciled and happy." so the giantess walked to the door by which our friends had entered the great hall and spoke one word: "open!" then the door swung open and after mrs. yoop had passed out it closed again with a snap as its powerful bolts shot into place. the green monkey had rushed toward the opening, hoping to escape, but he was too late and only got a bump on his nose as the door slammed shut. the lace apron [illustration] chapter "now," said the canary, in a tone more brisk than before, "we may talk together more freely, as mrs. yoop cannot hear us. perhaps we can figure out a way to escape." "open!" said woot the monkey, still facing the door; but his command had no effect and he slowly rejoined the others. "you cannot open any door or window in this enchanted castle unless you are wearing the magic apron," said the canary. "what magic apron do you mean?" asked the tin owl, in a curious voice. "the lace one, which the giantess always wears. i have been her prisoner, in this cage, for several weeks, and she hangs my cage in her bedroom every night, so that she can keep her eye on me," explained polychrome the canary. "therefore i have discovered that it is the magic apron that opens the doors and windows, and nothing else can move them. when she goes to bed, mrs. yoop hangs her apron on the bedpost, and one morning she forgot to put it on when she commanded the door to open, and the door would not move. so then she put on the lace apron and the door obeyed her. that was how i learned the magic power of the apron." "i see--i see!" said the little brown bear, wagging his stuffed head. "then, if we could get the apron from mrs. yoop, we could open the doors and escape from our prison." "that is true, and it is the plan i was about to suggest," replied polychrome the canary-bird. "however, i don't believe the owl could steal the apron, or even the bear, but perhaps the monkey could hide in her room at night and get the apron while she is asleep." "i'll try it!" cried woot the monkey. "i'll try it this very night, if i can manage to steal into her bedroom." "you mustn't think about it, though," warned the bird, "for she can read your thoughts whenever she cares to do so. and do not forget, before you escape, to take me with you. once i am out of the power of the giantess, i may discover a way to save us all." "we won't forget our fairy friend," promised the boy; "but perhaps you can tell me how to get into the bedroom." "no," declared polychrome, "i cannot advise you as to that. you must watch for a chance, and slip in when mrs. yoop isn't looking." they talked it over for a while longer and then mrs. yoop returned. when she entered, the door opened suddenly, at her command, and closed as soon as her huge form had passed through the doorway. during that day she entered her bedroom several times, on one errand or another, but always she commanded the door to close behind her and her prisoners found not the slightest chance to leave the big hall in which they were confined. the green monkey thought it would be wise to make a friend of the big woman, so as to gain her confidence, so he sat on the back of her chair and chattered to her while she mended her stockings and sewed silver buttons on some golden shoes that were as big as row-boats. this pleased the giantess and she would pause at times to pat the monkey's head. the little brown bear curled up in a corner and lay still all day. the owl and the canary found they could converse together in the bird language, which neither the giantess nor the bear nor the monkey could understand; so at times they twittered away to each other and passed the long, dreary day quite cheerfully. after dinner mrs. yoop took a big fiddle from a big cupboard and played such loud and dreadful music that her prisoners were all thankful when at last she stopped and said she was going to bed. [illustration] after cautioning the monkey and bear and owl to behave themselves during the night, she picked up the cage containing the canary and, going to the door of her bedroom, commanded it to open. just then, however, she remembered she had left her fiddle lying upon a table, so she went back for it and put it away in the cupboard, and while her back was turned the green monkey slipped through the open door into her bedroom and hid underneath the bed. the giantess, being sleepy, did not notice this, and entering her room she made the door close behind her and then hung the bird-cage on a peg by the window. then she began to undress, first taking off the lace apron and laying it over the bedpost, where it was within easy reach of her hand. as soon as mrs. yoop was in bed the lights all went out, and woot the monkey crouched under the bed and waited patiently until he heard the giantess snoring. then he crept out and in the dark felt around until he got hold of the apron, which he at once tied around his own waist. next, woot tried to find the canary, and there was just enough moonlight showing through the window to enable him to see where the cage hung; but it was out of his reach. at first he was tempted to leave polychrome and escape with his other friends, but remembering his promise to the rainbow's daughter woot tried to think how to save her. a chair stood near the window, and this--showing dimly in the moonlight--gave him an idea. by pushing against it with all his might, he found he could move the giant chair a few inches at a time. so he pushed and pushed until the chair was beneath the bird-cage, and then he sprang noiselessly upon the seat--for his monkey form enabled him to jump higher than he could do as a boy--and from there to the back of the chair, and so managed to reach the cage and take it off the peg. then down he sprang to the floor and made his way to the door. [illustration] "open!" he commanded, and at once the door obeyed and swung open. but his voice wakened mrs. yoop, who gave a wild cry and sprang out of bed with one bound. the green monkey dashed through the doorway, carrying the cage with him, and before the giantess could reach the door it slammed shut and imprisoned her in her own bed-chamber! the noise she made, pounding upon the door, and her yells of anger and dreadful threats of vengeance, filled all our friends with terror, and woot the monkey was so excited that in the dark he could not find the outer door of the hall. but the tin owl could see very nicely in the dark, so he guided his friends to the right place and when all were grouped before the door woot commanded it to open. the magic apron proved as powerful as when it had been worn by the giantess, so a moment later they had rushed through the passage and were standing in the fresh night air outside the castle, free to go wherever they willed. the menace of the forest [illustration] chapter "quick!" cried polychrome the canary; "we must hurry, or mrs. yoop may find some way to recapture us, even now. let us get out of her valley as soon as possible." so they set off toward the east, moving as swiftly as they could, and for a long time they could hear the yells and struggles of the imprisoned giantess. the green monkey could run over the ground very swiftly, and he carried with him the bird-cage containing polychrome the rainbow's daughter. also the tin owl could skip and fly along at a good rate of speed, his feathers rattling against one another with a tinkling sound as he moved. but the little brown bear, being stuffed with straw, was a clumsy traveler and the others had to wait for him to follow. however, they were not very long in reaching the ridge that led out of mrs. yoop's valley, and when they had passed this ridge and descended into the next valley they stopped to rest, for the green monkey was tired. "i believe we are safe, now," said polychrome, when her cage was set down and the others had all gathered around it, "for mrs. yoop dares not go outside of her own valley, for fear of being captured by her enemies. so we may take our time to consider what to do next." "i'm afraid poor mrs. yoop will starve to death, if no one lets her out of her bedroom," said woot, who had a heart as kind as that of the tin woodman. "we've taken her magic apron away, and now the doors will never open." "don't worry about that," advised polychrome. "mrs. yoop has plenty of magic left to console her." "are you sure of that?" asked the green monkey. "yes, for i've been watching her for weeks," said the canary. "she has six magic hairpins, which she wears in her hair, and a magic ring which she wears on her thumb and which is invisible to all eyes except those of a fairy, and magic bracelets on both her ankles. so i am positive that she will manage to find a way out of her prison." "she might transform the door into an archway," suggested the little brown bear. "that would be easy for her," said the tin owl; "but i'm glad she was too angry to think of that before we got out of her valley." "well, we have escaped the big woman, to be sure," remarked the green monkey, "but we still wear the awful forms the cruel yookoohoo gave us. how are we going to get rid of these shapes, and become ourselves again?" none could answer that question. they sat around the cage, brooding over the problem, until the monkey fell asleep. seeing this, the canary tucked her head under her wing and also slept, and the tin owl and the brown bear did not disturb them until morning came and it was broad daylight. "i'm hungry," said woot, when he wakened, for his knapsack of food had been left behind at the castle. "then let us travel on until we can find something for you to eat," returned the scarecrow bear. "there is no use in your lugging my cage any farther," declared the canary. "let me out, and throw the cage away. then i can fly with you and find my own breakfast of seeds. also i can search for water, and tell you where to find it." so the green monkey unfastened the door of the golden cage and the canary hopped out. at first she flew high in the air and made great circles overhead, but after a time she returned and perched beside them. "at the east, in the direction we were following," announced the canary, "there is a fine forest, with a brook running through it. in the forest there may be fruits or nuts growing, or berry bushes at its edge, so let us go that way." [illustration] they agreed to this and promptly set off, this time moving more deliberately. the tin owl, which had guided their way during the night, now found the sunshine very trying to his big eyes, so he shut them tight and perched upon the back of the little brown bear, which carried the owl's weight with ease. the canary sometimes perched upon the green monkey's shoulder and sometimes fluttered on ahead of the party, and in this manner they traveled in good spirits across that valley and into the next one to the east of it. this they found to be an immense hollow, shaped like a saucer, and on its farther edge appeared the forest which polychrome had seen from the sky. "come to think of it," said the tin owl, waking up and blinking comically at his friends, "there's no object, now, in our traveling to the munchkin country. my idea in going there was to marry nimmie amee, but however much the munchkin girl may have loved a tin woodman, i cannot reasonably expect her to marry a tin owl." "there is some truth in that, my friend," remarked the brown bear. "and to think that i, who was considered the handsomest scarecrow in the world, am now condemned to be a scrubby, no-account beast, whose only redeeming feature is that he is stuffed with straw!" "consider _my_ case, please," said woot. "the cruel giantess has made a monkey of a boy, and that is the most dreadful deed of all!" "your color is rather pretty," said the brown bear, eyeing woot critically. "i have never seen a pea-green monkey before, and it strikes me you are quite gorgeous." "it isn't so bad to be a bird," asserted the canary, fluttering from one to another with a free and graceful motion, "but i long to enjoy my own shape again." "as polychrome, you were the loveliest maiden i have ever seen--except, of course, ozma," said the tin owl; "so the giantess did well to transform you into the loveliest of all birds, if you were to be transformed at all. but tell me, since you are a fairy, and have a fairy wisdom: do you think we shall be able to break these enchantments?" "queer things happen in the land of oz," replied the canary, again perching on the green monkey's shoulder and turning one bright eye thoughtfully toward her questioner. "mrs. yoop has declared that none of her transformations can ever be changed, even by herself, but i believe that if we could get to glinda, the good sorceress, she might find a way to restore us to our natural shapes. glinda, as you know, is the most powerful sorceress in the world, and there are few things she cannot do if she tries." "in that case," said the little brown bear, "let us return southward and try to get to glinda's castle. it lies in the quadling country, you know, so it is a good way from here." "first, however, let us visit the forest and search for something to eat," pleaded woot. so they continued on to the edge of the forest, which consisted of many tall and beautiful trees. they discovered no fruit trees, at first, so the green monkey pushed on into the forest depths and the others followed close behind him. they were traveling quietly along, under the shade of the trees, when suddenly an enormous jaguar leaped upon them from a limb and with one blow of his paw sent the little brown bear tumbling over and over until he was stopped by a tree-trunk. instantly they all took alarm. the tin owl shrieked: "hoot--hoot!" and flew straight up to the branch of a tall tree, although he could scarcely see where he was going. the canary swiftly darted to a place beside the owl, and the green monkey sprang up, caught a limb, and soon scrambled to a high perch of safety. the jaguar crouched low and with hungry eyes regarded the little brown bear, which slowly got upon its feet and asked reproachfully: "for goodness' sake, beast, what were you trying to do?" "trying to get my breakfast," answered the jaguar with a snarl, "and i believe i've succeeded. you ought to make a delicious meal--unless you happen to be old and tough." "i'm worse than that, considered as a breakfast," said the bear, "for i'm only a skin stuffed with straw, and therefore not fit to eat." "indeed!" cried the jaguar, in a disappointed voice; "then you must be a magic bear, or enchanted, and i must seek my breakfast from among your companions." with this he raised his lean head to look up at the tin owl and the canary and the monkey, and he lashed his tail upon the ground and growled as fiercely as any jaguar could. "my friends are enchanted, also," said the little brown bear. "all of them?" asked the jaguar. "yes. the owl is tin, so you couldn't possibly eat him. the canary is a fairy--polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow--and you never could catch her because she can easily fly out of your reach." "there still remains the green monkey," remarked the jaguar hungrily. "he is neither made of tin nor stuffed with straw, nor can he fly. i'm pretty good at climbing trees, myself, so i think i'll capture the monkey and eat him for my breakfast." woot the monkey, hearing this speech from his perch on the tree, became much frightened, for he knew the nature of jaguars and realized they could climb trees and leap from limb to limb with the agility of cats. so he at once began to scamper through the forest as fast as he could go, catching at a branch with his long monkey arms and swinging his green body through space to grasp another branch in a neighboring tree, and so on, while the jaguar followed him from below, his eyes fixed steadfastly on his prey. but presently woot got his feet tangled in the lace apron, which he was still wearing, and that tripped him in his flight and made him fall to the ground, where the jaguar placed one huge paw upon him and said grimly: "i've got you, now!" the fact that the apron had tripped him made woot remember its magic powers, and in his terror he cried out: "open!" without stopping to consider how this command might save him. but, at the word, the earth opened at the exact spot where he lay under the jaguar's paw, and his body sank downward, the earth closing over it again. the last thing woot the monkey saw, as he glanced upward, was the jaguar peering into the hole in astonishment. [illustration] "he's gone!" cried the beast, with a long-drawn sigh of disappointment; "he's gone, and now i shall have no breakfast." the clatter of the tin owl's wings sounded above him, and the little brown bear came trotting up and asked: "where is the monkey? have you eaten him so quickly?" "no, indeed," answered the jaguar. "he disappeared into the earth before i could take one bite of him!" and now the canary perched upon a stump, a little way from the forest beast, and said: "i am glad our friend has escaped you; but, as it is natural for a hungry beast to wish his breakfast, i will try to give you one." "thank you," replied the jaguar. "you're rather small for a full meal, but it's kind of you to sacrifice yourself to my appetite." "oh, i don't intend to be eaten, i assure you," said the canary, "but as i am a fairy i know something of magic, and though i am now transformed into a bird's shape, i am sure i can conjure up a breakfast that will satisfy you." "if you can work magic, why don't you break the enchantment you are under and return to your proper form?" inquired the beast doubtingly. "i haven't the power to do that," answered the canary, "for mrs. yoop, the giantess who transformed me, used a peculiar form of yookoohoo magic that is unknown to me. however, she could not deprive me of my own fairy knowledge, so i will try to get you a breakfast." "do you think a magic breakfast would taste good, or relieve the pangs of hunger i now suffer?" asked the jaguar. "i am sure it would. what would you like to eat?" "give me a couple of fat rabbits," said the beast. "rabbits! no, indeed. i'd not allow you to eat the dear little things," declared polychrome the canary. "well, three or four squirrels, then," pleaded the jaguar. "do you think me so cruel?" demanded the canary, indignantly. "the squirrels are my especial friends." "how about a plump owl?" asked the beast. "not a tin one, you know, but a real meat owl." "neither beast nor bird shall you have," said polychrome in a positive voice. "give me a fish, then; there's a river a little way off," proposed the jaguar. "no living thing shall be sacrificed to feed you," returned the canary. "then what in the world do you expect me to eat?" said the jaguar in a scornful tone. "how would mush-and-milk do?" asked the canary. the jaguar snarled in derision and lashed his tail against the ground angrily. [illustration] "give him some scrambled eggs on toast, poly," suggested the bear scarecrow. "he ought to like that." "i will," responded the canary, and fluttering her wings she made a flight of three circles around the stump. then she flew up to a tree and the bear and the owl and the jaguar saw that upon the stump had appeared a great green leaf upon which was a large portion of scrambled eggs on toast, smoking hot. "there!" said the bear; "eat your breakfast, friend jaguar, and be content." the jaguar crept closer to the stump and sniffed the fragrance of the scrambled eggs. they smelled so good that he tasted them, and they tasted so good that he ate the strange meal in a hurry, proving he had been really hungry. "i prefer rabbits," he muttered, licking his chops, "but i must admit the magic breakfast has filled my stomach full, and brought me comfort. so i'm much obliged for the kindness, little fairy, and i'll now leave you in peace." saying this, he plunged into the thick underbrush and soon disappeared, although they could hear his great body crashing through the bushes until he was far distant. "that was a good way to get rid of the savage beast, poly," said the tin woodman to the canary; "but i'm surprised that you didn't give our friend woot a magic breakfast, when you knew he was hungry." "the reason for that," answered polychrome, "was that my mind was so intent on other things that i quite forgot my power to produce food by magic. but where _is_ the monkey boy?" "gone!" said the scarecrow bear, solemnly. "the earth has swallowed him up." [illustration] the quarrelsome dragons [illustration] chapter the green monkey sank gently into the earth for a little way and then tumbled swiftly through space, landing on a rocky floor with a thump that astonished him. then he sat up, found that no bones were broken, and gazed around him. he seemed to be in a big underground cave, which was dimly lighted by dozens of big round discs that looked like moons. they were not moons, however, as woot discovered when he had examined the place more carefully. they were eyes. the eyes were in the heads of enormous beasts whose bodies trailed far behind them. each beast was bigger than an elephant, and three times as long, and there were a dozen or more of the creatures scattered here and there about the cavern. on their bodies were big scales, as round as pie-plates, which were beautifully tinted in shades of green, purple and orange. on the ends of their long tails were clusters of jewels. around the great, moon-like eyes were circles of diamonds which sparkled in the subdued light that glowed from the eyes. woot saw that the creatures had wide mouths and rows of terrible teeth and, from tales he had heard of such beings, he knew he had fallen into a cavern inhabited by the great dragons that had been driven from the surface of the earth and were only allowed to come out once in a hundred years to search for food. of course he had never seen dragons before, yet there was no mistaking them, for they were unlike any other living creatures. woot sat upon the floor where he had fallen, staring around, and the owners of the big eyes returned his look, silently and motionless. finally one of the dragons which was farthest away from him asked, in a deep, grave voice: "what was that?" and the greatest dragon of all, who was just in front of the green monkey, answered in a still deeper voice: "it is some foolish animal from outside." "is it good to eat?" inquired a smaller dragon beside the great one. "i'm hungry." "hungry!" exclaimed all the dragons, in a reproachful chorus; and then the great one said chidingly: "tut-tut, my son! you've no reason to be hungry at _this_ time." "why not?" asked the little dragon. "i haven't eaten anything in eleven years." "eleven years is nothing," remarked another dragon, sleepily opening and closing his eyes; "_i_ haven't feasted for eighty-seven years, and i dare not get hungry for a dozen or so years to come. children who eat between meals should be broken of the habit." "all i had, eleven years ago, was a rhinoceros, and that's not a full meal at all," grumbled the young one. "and, before that, i had waited sixty-two years to be fed; so it's no wonder i'm hungry." "how old are you now?" asked woot, forgetting his own dangerous position in his interest in the conversation. "why, i'm--i'm-- how old am i, father?" asked the little dragon. "goodness gracious! what a child to ask questions. do you want to keep me thinking all the time? don't you know that thinking is very bad for dragons?" returned the big one, impatiently. "how old am i, father?" persisted the small dragon. "about six hundred and thirty, i believe. ask your mother." "no; don't!" said an old dragon in the background; "haven't i enough worries, what with being wakened in the middle of a nap, without being obliged to keep track of my children's ages?" "you've been fast asleep for over sixty years, mother," said the child dragon. "how long a nap do you wish?" "i should have slept forty years longer. and this strange little green beast should be punished for falling into our cavern and disturbing us." "i didn't know you were here, and i didn't know i was going to fall in," explained woot. "nevertheless, here you are," said the great dragon, "and you have carelessly wakened our entire tribe; so it stands to reason you must be punished." "in what way?" inquired the green monkey, trembling a little. "give me time and i'll think of a way. you're in no hurry, are you?" asked the great dragon. "no, indeed," cried woot. "take your time. i'd much rather you'd all go to sleep again, and punish me when you wake up in a hundred years or so." "let me eat him!" pleaded the littlest dragon. "he is too small," said the father. "to eat this one green monkey would only serve to make you hungry for more, and there _are_ no more." "quit this chatter and let me get to sleep," protested another dragon, yawning in a fearful manner, for when he opened his mouth a sheet of flame leaped forth from it and made woot jump back to get out of its way. [illustration] in his jump he bumped against the nose of a dragon behind him, which opened its mouth to growl and shot another sheet of flame at him. the flame was bright, but not very hot, yet woot screamed with terror and sprang forward with a great bound. this time he landed on the paw of the great chief dragon, who angrily raised his other front paw and struck the green monkey a fierce blow. woot went sailing through the air and fell sprawling upon the rocky floor far beyond the place where the dragon tribe was grouped. all the great beasts were now thoroughly wakened and aroused, and they blamed the monkey for disturbing their quiet. the littlest dragon darted after woot and the others turned their unwieldy bodies in his direction and followed, flashing from their eyes and mouths flames which lighted up the entire cavern. woot almost gave himself up for lost, at that moment, but he scrambled to his feet and dashed away to the farthest end of the cave, the dragons following more leisurely because they were too clumsy to move fast. perhaps they thought there was no need of haste, as the monkey could not escape from the cave. but, away up at the end of the place, the cavern floor was heaped with tumbled rocks, so woot, with an agility born of fear, climbed from rock to rock until he found himself crouched against the cavern roof. there he waited, for he could go no farther, while on over the tumbled rocks slowly crept the dragons--the littlest one coming first because he was hungry as well as angry. the beasts had almost reached him when woot, remembering his lace apron--now sadly torn and soiled--recovered his wits and shouted: "open!" at the cry a hole appeared in the roof of the cavern, just over his head, and through it the sunlight streamed full upon the green monkey. the dragons paused, astonished at the magic and blinking at the sunlight, and this gave woot time to climb through the opening. as soon as he reached the surface of the earth the hole closed again, and the boy monkey realized, with a thrill of joy, that he had seen the last of the dangerous dragon family. he sat upon the ground, still panting hard from his exertions, when the bushes before him parted and his former enemy, the jaguar, appeared. "don't run," said the woodland beast, as woot sprang up; "you are perfectly safe, so far as i am concerned, for since you so mysteriously disappeared i have had my breakfast. i am now on my way home, to sleep the rest of the day." "oh, indeed!" returned the green monkey, in a tone both sorry and startled. "which of my friends did you manage to eat?" "none of them," returned the jaguar, with a sly grin. "i had a dish of magic scrambled eggs--on toast--and it wasn't a bad feast, at all. there isn't room in me for even you, and i don't regret it because i judge, from your green color, that you are not ripe, and would make an indifferent meal. we jaguars have to be careful of our digestions. farewell, friend monkey. follow the path i made through the bushes and you will find your friends." with this the jaguar marched on his way and woot took his advice and followed the trail he had made until he came to the place where the little brown bear, and the tin owl, and the canary were conferring together and wondering what had become of their comrade, the green monkey. [illustration] tommy kwikstep [illustration] chapter "our best plan," said the scarecrow bear, when the green monkey had related the story of his adventure with the dragons, "is to get out of this gillikin country as soon as we can and try to find our way to the castle of glinda, the good sorceress. there are too many dangers lurking here to suit me, and glinda may be able to restore us to our proper forms." "if we turn south now," the tin owl replied, "we might go straight into the emerald city. that's a place i wish to avoid, for i'd hate to have my friends see me in this sad plight," and he blinked his eyes and fluttered his tin wings mournfully. "but i am certain we have passed _beyond_ emerald city," the canary assured him, sailing lightly around their heads. "so, should we turn south from here, we would pass into the munchkin country, and continuing south we would reach the quadling country where glinda's castle is located." "well, since you're sure of that, let's start right away," proposed the bear. "it's a long journey, at the best, and i'm getting tired of walking on four legs." "i thought you never tired, being stuffed with straw," said woot. "i mean that it annoys me, to be obliged to go on all fours, when two legs are my proper walking equipment," replied the scarecrow. "i consider it beneath my dignity. in other words, my remarkable brains can tire, through humiliation, although my body cannot tire." "that is one of the penalties of having brains," remarked the tin owl with a sigh. "i have had no brains since i was a man of meat, and so i never worry. nevertheless, i prefer my former manly form to this owl's shape and would be glad to break mrs. yoop's enchantment as soon as possible. i am so noisy, just now, that i disturb myself," and he fluttered his wings with a clatter that echoed throughout the forest. so, being all of one mind, they turned southward, traveling steadily on until the woods were left behind and the landscape turned from purple tints to blue tints, which assured them they had entered the country of the munchkins. "now i feel myself more safe," said the scarecrow bear. "i know this country pretty well, having been made here by a munchkin farmer and having wandered over these lovely blue lands many times. seems to me, indeed, that i even remember that group of three tall trees ahead of us; and, if i do, we are not far from the home of my friend jinjur." "who is jinjur?" asked woot, the green monkey. "haven't you heard of jinjur?" exclaimed the scarecrow, in surprise. "no," said woot. "is jinjur a man, a woman, a beast or a bird?" "jinjur is a girl," explained the scarecrow bear. "she's a fine girl, too, although a bit restless and liable to get excited. once, a long time ago, she raised an army of girls and called herself 'general jinjur.' with her army she captured the emerald city, and drove me out of it, because i insisted that an army in oz was highly improper. but ozma punished the rash girl, and afterward jinjur and i became fast friends. now jinjur lives peacefully on a farm, near here, and raises fields of cream-puffs, chocolate-caramels and macaroons. they say she's a pretty good farmer, and in addition to that she's an artist, and paints pictures so perfect that one can scarcely tell them from nature. she often repaints my face for me, when it gets worn or mussy, and the lovely expression i wore when the giantess transformed me was painted by jinjur only a month or so ago." "it was certainly a pleasant expression," agreed woot. "jinjur can paint anything," continued the scarecrow bear, with enthusiasm, as they walked along together. "once, when i came to her house, my straw was old and crumpled, so that my body sagged dreadfully. i needed new straw to replace the old, but jinjur had no straw on all her ranch and i was really unable to travel farther until i had been restuffed. when i explained this to jinjur, the girl at once painted a straw-stack which was so natural that i went to it and secured enough straw to fill all my body. it was a good quality of straw, too, and lasted me a long time." this seemed very wonderful to woot, who knew that such a thing could never happen in any place but a fairy country like oz. the munchkin country was much nicer than the gillikin country, and all the fields were separated by blue fences, with grassy lanes and paths of blue ground, and the land seemed well cultivated. they were on a little hill looking down upon this favored country, but had not quite reached the settled parts, when on turning a bend in the path they were halted by a form that barred their way. a more curious creature they had seldom seen, even in the land of oz, where curious creatures abound. it had the head of a young man--evidently a munchkin--with a pleasant face and hair neatly combed. but the body was very long, for it had twenty legs--ten legs on each side--and this caused the body to stretch out and lie in a horizontal position, so that all the legs could touch the ground and stand firm. from the shoulders extended two small arms; at least, they seemed small beside so many legs. this odd creature was dressed in the regulation clothing of the munchkin people, a dark blue coat neatly fitting the long body and each pair of legs having a pair of sky-blue trousers, with blue-tinted stockings and blue leather shoes turned up at the pointed toes. "i wonder who you are?" said polychrome the canary, fluttering above the strange creature, who had probably been asleep on the path. "i sometimes wonder, myself, who i am," replied the many-legged young man; "but, in reality, i am tommy kwikstep, and i live in a hollow tree that fell to the ground with age. i have polished the inside of it, and made a door at each end, and that's a very comfortable residence for me because it just fits my shape." "how did you happen to have such a shape?" asked the scarecrow bear, sitting on his haunches and regarding tommy kwikstep with a serious look. "is the shape natural?" [illustration] "no; it was wished on me," replied tommy, with a sigh. "i used to be very active and loved to run errands for anyone who needed my services. that was how i got my name of tommy kwikstep. i could run an errand more quickly than any other boy, and so i was very proud of myself. one day, however, i met an old lady who was a fairy, or a witch, or something of the sort, and she said if i would run an errand for her--to carry some magic medicine to another old woman--she would grant me just one wish, whatever the wish happened to be. of course i consented and, taking the medicine, i hurried away. it was a long distance, mostly up hill, and my legs began to grow weary. without thinking what i was doing i said aloud: 'dear me; i wish i had twenty legs!' and in an instant i became the unusual creature you see beside you. twenty legs! twenty on one man! you may count them, if you doubt my word." "you've got 'em, all right," said woot the monkey, who had already counted them. "after i had delivered the magic medicine to the old woman, i returned and tried to find the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, who had given me the unlucky wish, so she could take it away again. i've been searching for her ever since, but never can i find her," continued poor tommy kwikstep, sadly. "i suppose," said the tin owl, blinking at him, "you can travel very fast, with those twenty legs." "at first i was able to," was the reply; "but i traveled so much, searching for the fairy, or witch, or whatever she was, that i soon got corns on my toes. now, a corn on one toe is not so bad, but when you have a hundred toes--as i have--and get corns on most of them, it is far from pleasant. instead of running, i now painfully crawl, and although i try not to be discouraged i do hope i shall find that witch or fairy, or whatever she was, before long." "i hope so, too," said the scarecrow. "but, after all, you have the pleasure of knowing you are unusual, and therefore remarkable among the people of oz. to be just like other persons is small credit to one, while to be unlike others is a mark of distinction." "that _sounds_ very pretty," returned tommy kwikstep, "but if you had to put on ten pair of trousers every morning, and tie up twenty shoes, you would prefer not to be so distinguished." "was the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, an old person, with wrinkled skin, and half her teeth gone?" inquired the tin owl. "no," said tommy kwikstep. "then she wasn't old mombi," remarked the transformed emperor. "i'm not interested in who it _wasn't_, so much as i am in who it _was_," said the twenty-legged young man. "and, whatever or whomsoever she was, she has managed to keep out of my way." "if you found her, do you suppose she'd change you back into a two-legged boy?" asked woot. "perhaps so, if i could run another errand for her and so earn another wish." "would you really like to be as you were before?" asked polychrome the canary, perching upon the green monkey's shoulder to observe tommy kwikstep more attentively. "i would, indeed," was the earnest reply. "then i will see what i can do for you," promised the rainbow's daughter, and flying to the ground she took a small twig in her bill and with it made several mystic figures on each side of tommy kwikstep. "are _you_ a witch, or fairy, or something of the sort?" he asked as he watched her wonderingly. the canary made no answer, for she was busy, but the scarecrow bear replied: "yes; she's something of the sort, and a bird of a magician." [illustration] the twenty-legged boy's transformation happened so queerly that they were all surprised at its method. first, tommy kwikstep's last two legs disappeared; then the next two, and the next, and as each pair of legs vanished his body shortened. all this while polychrome was running around him and chirping mystical words, and when all the young man's legs had disappeared but two he noticed that the canary was still busy and cried out in alarm: "stop--stop! leave me _two_ of my legs, or i shall be worse off than before." "i know," said the canary. "i'm only removing with my magic the corns from your last ten toes." "thank you for being so thoughtful," he said gratefully, and now they noticed that tommy kwikstep was quite a nice looking young fellow. "what will you do now?" asked woot the monkey. "first," he answered, "i must deliver a note which i've carried in my pocket ever since the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, granted my foolish wish. and i am resolved never to speak again without taking time to think carefully on what i am going to say, for i realize that speech without thought is dangerous. and after i've delivered the note, i shall run errands again for anyone who needs my services." so he thanked polychrome again and started away in a different direction from their own, and that was the last they saw of tommy kwikstep. jinjur's ranch [illustration] chapter as they followed a path down the blue-grass hillside, the first house that met the view of the travelers was joyously recognized by the scarecrow bear as the one inhabited by his friend jinjur, so they increased their speed and hurried toward it. on reaching the place, however, they found the house deserted. the front door stood open, but no one was inside. in the garden surrounding the house were neat rows of bushes bearing cream-puffs and macaroons, some of which were still green, but others ripe and ready to eat. farther back were fields of caramels, and all the land seemed well cultivated and carefully tended. they looked through the fields for the girl farmer, but she was nowhere to be seen. "well," finally remarked the little brown bear, "let us go into the house and make ourselves at home. that will be sure to please my friend jinjur, who happens to be away from home just now. when she returns, she will be greatly surprised." "would she care if i ate some of those ripe cream-puffs?" asked the green monkey. "no, indeed; jinjur is very generous. help yourself to all you want," said the scarecrow bear. so woot gathered a lot of the cream-puffs that were golden yellow and filled with a sweet, creamy substance, and ate until his hunger was satisfied. then he entered the house with his friends and sat in a rocking-chair--just as he was accustomed to do when a boy. the canary perched herself upon the mantel and daintily plumed her feathers; the tin owl sat on the back of another chair; the scarecrow squatted on his hairy haunches in the middle of the room. "i believe i remember the girl jinjur," remarked the canary, in her sweet voice. "she cannot help us very much, except to direct us on our way to glinda's castle, for she does not understand magic. but she's a good girl, honest and sensible, and i'll be glad to see her." [illustration] "all our troubles," said the owl with a deep sigh, "arose from my foolish resolve to seek nimmie amee and make her empress of the winkies, and while i wish to reproach no one, i must say that it was woot the wanderer who put the notion into my head." "well, for my part, i am glad he did," responded the canary. "your journey resulted in saving me from the giantess, and had you not traveled to the yoop valley, i would still be mrs. yoop's prisoner. it is much nicer to be free, even though i still bear the enchanted form of a canary-bird." "do you think we shall ever be able to get our proper forms back again?" asked the green monkey earnestly. polychrome did not make reply at once to this important question, but after a period of thoughtfulness she said: "i have been taught to believe that there is an antidote for every magic charm, yet mrs. yoop insists that no power can alter her transformations. i realize that my own fairy magic cannot do it, although i have thought that we sky fairies have more power than is accorded to earth fairies. the yookoohoo magic is admitted to be very strange in its workings and different from the magic usually practiced, but perhaps glinda or ozma may understand it better than i. in them lies our only hope. unless they can help us, we must remain forever as we are." "a canary-bird on a rainbow wouldn't be so bad," asserted the tin owl, winking and blinking with his round tin eyes, "so if you can manage to find your rainbow again you need have little to worry about." "that's nonsense, friend chopper," exclaimed woot. "i know just how polychrome feels. a beautiful girl is much superior to a little yellow bird, and a boy--such as i was--far better than a green monkey. neither of us can be happy again unless we recover our rightful forms." "i feel the same way," announced the stuffed bear. "what do you suppose my friend the patchwork girl would think of me, if she saw me wearing this beastly shape?" "she'd laugh till she cried," admitted the tin owl. "for my part, i'll have to give up the notion of marrying nimmie amee, but i'll try not to let that make me unhappy. if it's my duty, i'd like to do my duty, but if magic prevents my getting married i'll flutter along all by myself and be just as contented." their serious misfortunes made them all silent for a time, and as their thoughts were busy in dwelling upon the evils with which fate had burdened them, none noticed that jinjur had suddenly appeared in the doorway and was looking at them in astonishment. the next moment her astonishment changed to anger, for there, in her best rocking-chair, sat a green monkey. a great shiny owl perched upon another chair and a brown bear squatted upon her parlor rug. jinjur did not notice the canary, but she caught up a broomstick and dashed into the room, shouting as she came: "get out of here, you wild creatures! how dare you enter my house?" with a blow of her broom she knocked the brown bear over, and the tin owl tried to fly out of her reach and made a great clatter with his tin wings. the green monkey was so startled by the sudden attack that he sprang into the fireplace--where there was fortunately no fire--and tried to escape by climbing up the chimney. but he found the opening too small, and so was forced to drop down again. then he crouched trembling in the fireplace, his pretty green hair all blackened with soot and covered with ashes. from this position woot watched to see what would happen next. "stop, jinjur--stop!" cried the brown bear, when the broom again threatened him. "don't you know me? i'm your old friend the scarecrow?" "you're trying to deceive me, you naughty beast! i can see plainly that you are a bear, and a mighty poor specimen of a bear, too," retorted the girl. "that's because i'm not properly stuffed," he assured her. "when mrs. yoop transformed me, she didn't realize i should have more stuffing." "who is mrs. yoop?" inquired jinjur, pausing with the broom still upraised. "a giantess in the gillikin country." "oh; i begin to understand. and mrs. yoop transformed you? you are really the famous scarecrow of oz?" "i _was_, jinjur. just now i'm as you see me--a miserable little brown bear with a poor quality of stuffing. that tin owl is none other than our dear tin woodman--nick chopper, the emperor of the winkies--while this green monkey is a nice little boy we recently became acquainted with, woot the wanderer." "and i," said the canary, flying close to jinjur, "am polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow, in the form of a bird." "goodness me!" cried jinjur, amazed; "that giantess must be a powerful sorceress, and as wicked as she is powerful." [illustration] "she's a yookoohoo," said polychrome. "fortunately, we managed to escape from her castle, and we are now on our way to glinda the good to see if she possesses the power to restore us to our former shapes." "then i must beg your pardons; all of you must forgive me," said jinjur, putting away the broom. "i took you to be a lot of wild, unmannerly animals, as was quite natural. you are very welcome to my home and i'm sorry i haven't the power to help you out of your troubles. please use my house and all that i have, as if it were your own." at this declaration of peace, the bear got upon his feet and the owl resumed his perch upon the chair and the monkey crept out of the fireplace. jinjur looked at woot critically, and scowled. "for a green monkey," said she, "you're the blackest creature i ever saw. and you'll get my nice clean room all dirty with soot and ashes. whatever possessed you to jump up the chimney?" "i--i was scared," explained woot, somewhat ashamed. "well, you need renovating, and that's what will happen to you, right away. come with me!" she commanded. [illustration] "what are you going to do?" asked woot. "give you a good scrubbing," said jinjur. now, neither boys nor monkeys relish being scrubbed, so woot shrank away from the energetic girl, trembling fearfully. but jinjur grabbed him by his paw and dragged him out to the back yard, where, in spite of his whines and struggles, she plunged him into a tub of cold water and began to scrub him with a stiff brush and a cake of yellow soap. this was the hardest trial that woot had endured since he became a monkey, but no protest had any influence with jinjur, who lathered and scrubbed him in a business-like manner and afterward dried him with a coarse towel. the bear and the owl gravely watched this operation and nodded approval when woot's silky green fur shone clear and bright in the afternoon sun. the canary seemed much amused and laughed a silvery ripple of laughter as she said: "very well done, my good jinjur; i admire your energy and judgment. but i had no idea a monkey could look so comical as this monkey did while he was being bathed." "i'm _not_ a monkey!" declared woot, resentfully; "i'm just a boy in a monkey's shape, that's all." "if you can explain to me the difference," said jinjur, "i'll agree not to wash you again--that is, unless you foolishly get into the fireplace. all persons are usually judged by the shapes in which they appear to the eyes of others. look at _me_, woot; what am _i_?" woot looked at her. "you're as pretty a girl as i've ever seen," he replied. jinjur frowned. that is, she tried hard to frown. "come out into the garden with me," she said, "and i'll give you some of the most delicious caramels you ever ate. they're a new variety, that no one can grow but me, and they have a heliotrope flavor." ozma and dorothy [illustration] chapter in her magnificent palace in the emerald city, the beautiful girl ruler of all the wonderful land of oz sat in her dainty boudoir with her friend princess dorothy beside her. ozma was studying a roll of manuscript which she had taken from the royal library, while dorothy worked at her embroidery and at times stooped to pat a shaggy little black dog that lay at her feet. the little dog's name was toto, and he was dorothy's faithful companion. to judge ozma of oz by the standards of our world, you would think her very young--perhaps fourteen or fifteen years of age--yet for years she had ruled the land of oz and had never seemed a bit older. dorothy appeared much younger than ozma. she had been a little girl when first she came to the land of oz, and she was a little girl still, and would never seem to be a day older while she lived in this wonderful fairyland. oz was not always a fairyland, i am told. once it was much like other lands, except it was shut in by a dreadful desert of sandy wastes that lay all around it, thus preventing its people from all contact with the rest of the world. seeing this isolation, the fairy band of queen lurline, passing over oz while on a journey, enchanted the country and so made it a fairyland. and queen lurline left one of her fairies to rule this enchanted land of oz, and then passed on and forgot all about it. from that moment no one in oz ever died. those who were old remained old; those who were young and strong did not change as years passed them by; the children remained children always, and played and romped to their hearts' content, while all the babies lived in their cradles and were tenderly cared for and never grew up. so people in oz stopped counting how old they were in years, for years made no difference in their appearance and could not alter their station. they did not get sick, so there were no doctors among them. accidents might happen to some, on rare occasions, it is true, and while no one could die naturally, as other people do, it was possible that one might be totally destroyed. such incidents, however, were very unusual, and so seldom was there anything to worry over that the oz people were as happy and contented as can be. another strange thing about this fairy land of oz was that whoever managed to enter it from the outside world came under the magic spell of the place and did not change in appearance as long as they lived there. so dorothy, who now lived with ozma, seemed just the same sweet little girl she had been when first she came to this delightful fairyland. perhaps all parts of oz might not be called truly delightful, but it was surely delightful in the neighborhood of the emerald city, where ozma reigned. her loving influence was felt for many miles around, but there were places in the mountains of the gillikin country, and the forests of the quadling country, and perhaps in far-away parts of the munchkin and winkie countries, where the inhabitants were somewhat rude and uncivilized and had not yet come under the spell of ozma's wise and kindly rule. also, when oz first became a fairyland, it harbored several witches and magicians and sorcerers and necromancers, who were scattered in various parts, but most of these had been deprived of their magic powers, and ozma had issued a royal edict forbidding anyone in her dominions to work magic except glinda the good and the wizard of oz. ozma herself, being a real fairy, knew a lot of magic, but she only used it to benefit her subjects. this little explanation will help you to understand better the story you are reading, but most of it is already known to those who are familiar with the oz people whose adventures they have followed in other oz books. ozma and dorothy were fast friends and were much together. everyone in oz loved dorothy almost as well as they did their lovely ruler, for the little kansas girl's good fortune had not spoiled her or rendered her at all vain. she was just the same brave and true and adventurous child as before she lived in a royal palace and became the chum of the fairy ozma. in the room in which the two sat--which was one of ozma's private suite of apartments--hung the famous magic picture. this was the source of constant interest to little dorothy. one had but to stand before it and wish to see what any person was doing, and at once a scene would flash upon the magic canvas which showed exactly where that person was, and like our own moving pictures would reproduce the actions of that person as long as you cared to watch them. so today, when dorothy tired of her embroidery, she drew the curtains from before the magic picture and wished to see what her friend button bright was doing. button bright, she saw, was playing ball with ojo, the munchkin boy, so dorothy next wished to see what her aunt em was doing. the picture showed aunt em quietly engaged in darning socks for uncle henry, so dorothy wished to see what her old friend the tin woodman was doing. the tin woodman was then just leaving his tin castle in the company of the scarecrow and woot the wanderer. dorothy had never seen this boy before, so she wondered who he was. also she was curious to know where the three were going, for she noticed woot's knapsack and guessed they had started on a long journey. she asked ozma about it, but ozma did not know. that afternoon dorothy again saw the travelers in the magic picture, but they were merely tramping through the country and dorothy was not much interested in them. a couple of days later, however, the girl, being again with ozma, wished to see her friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman in the magic picture, and on this occasion found them in the great castle of mrs. yoop, the giantess, who was at the time about to transform them. both dorothy and ozma now became greatly interested and watched the transformations with indignation and horror. "what a wicked giantess!" exclaimed dorothy. "yes," answered ozma, "she must be punished for this cruelty to our friends, and to the poor boy who is with them." after this they followed the adventure of the little brown bear and the tin owl and the green monkey with breathless interest, and were delighted when they escaped from mrs. yoop. they did not know, then, who the canary was, but realized it must be the transformation of some person of consequence, whom the giantess had also enchanted. [illustration] when, finally, the day came when the adventurers headed south into the munchkin country, dorothy asked anxiously: "can't something be done for them, ozma? can't you change 'em back into their own shapes? they've suffered enough from these dreadful transformations, seems to me." "i've been studying ways to help them, ever since they were transformed," replied ozma. "mrs. yoop is now the only yookoohoo in my dominions, and the yookoohoo magic is very peculiar and hard for others to understand, yet i am resolved to make the attempt to break these enchantments. i may not succeed, but i shall do the best i can. from the directions our friends are taking, i believe they are going to pass by jinjur's ranch, so if we start now we may meet them there. would you like to go with me, dorothy?" "of course," answered the little girl; "i wouldn't miss it for anything." "then order the red wagon," said ozma of oz, "and we will start at once." dorothy ran to do as she was bid, while ozma went to her magic room to make ready the things she believed she would need. in half an hour the red wagon stood before the grand entrance of the palace, and before it was hitched the wooden sawhorse, which was ozma's favorite steed. [illustration] this sawhorse, while made of wood, was very much alive and could travel swiftly and without tiring. to keep the ends of his wooden legs from wearing down short, ozma had shod the sawhorse with plates of pure gold. his harness was studded with brilliant emeralds and other jewels and so, while he himself was not at all handsome, his outfit made a splendid appearance. since the sawhorse could understand her spoken words, ozma used no reins to guide him. she merely told him where to go. when she came from the palace with dorothy, they both climbed into the red wagon and then the little dog, toto, ran up and asked: "are you going to leave me behind, dorothy?" dorothy looked at ozma, who smiled in return and said: "toto may go with us, if you wish him to." so dorothy lifted the little dog into the wagon, for, while he could run fast, he could not keep up with the speed of the wonderful sawhorse. away they went, over hills and through meadows, covering the ground with astonishing speed. it is not surprising, therefore, that the red wagon arrived before jinjur's house just as that energetic young lady had finished scrubbing the green monkey and was about to lead him to the caramel patch. the restoration [illustration] chapter the tin owl gave a hoot of delight when he saw the red wagon draw up before jinjur's house, and the brown bear grunted and growled with glee and trotted toward ozma as fast as he could wobble. as for the canary, it flew swiftly to dorothy's shoulder and perched there, saying in her ear: "thank goodness you have come to our rescue!" "but who are you?" asked dorothy. "don't you know?" returned the canary. "no; for the first time we noticed you in the magic picture, you were just a bird, as you are now. but we've guessed that the giant woman had transformed you, as she did the others." "yes; i'm polychrome, the rainbow's daughter," announced the canary. "goodness me!" cried dorothy. "how dreadful." "well, i make a rather pretty bird, i think," returned polychrome, "but of course i'm anxious to resume my own shape and get back upon my rainbow." "ozma will help you, i'm sure," said dorothy. "how does it feel, scarecrow, to be a bear?" she asked, addressing her old friend. "i don't like it," declared the scarecrow bear. "this brutal form is quite beneath the dignity of a wholesome straw man." "and think of me," said the owl, perching upon the dashboard of the red wagon with much noisy clattering of his tin feathers. "don't i look horrid, dorothy, with eyes several sizes too big for my body, and so weak that i ought to wear spectacles?" "well," said dorothy critically, as she looked him over, "you're nothing to brag of, i must confess. but ozma will soon fix you up again." the green monkey had hung back, bashful at meeting two lovely girls while in the form of a beast; but jinjur now took his hand and led him forward while she introduced him to ozma, and woot managed to make a low bow, not really ungraceful, before her girlish majesty, the ruler of oz. "you have all been forced to endure a sad experience," said ozma, "and so i am anxious to do all in my power to break mrs. yoop's enchantments. but first tell me how you happened to stray into that lonely valley where yoop castle stands." between them they related the object of their journey, the scarecrow bear telling of the tin woodman's resolve to find nimmie amee and marry her, as a just reward for her loyalty to him. woot told of their adventures with the loons of loonville, and the tin owl described the manner in which they had been captured and transformed by the giantess. then polychrome related her story, and when all had been told, and dorothy had several times reproved toto for growling at the tin owl, ozma remained thoughtful for a while, pondering upon what she had heard. finally she looked up, and with one of her delightful smiles, said to the anxious group: "i am not sure my magic will be able to restore every one of you, because your transformations are of such a strange and unusual character. indeed, mrs. yoop was quite justified in believing no power could alter her enchantments. however, i am sure i can restore the scarecrow to his original shape. he was stuffed with straw from the beginning, and even the yookoohoo magic could not alter that. the giantess was merely able to make a bear's shape of a man's shape, but the bear is stuffed with straw, just as the man was. so i feel confident i can make a man of the bear again." "hurrah!" cried the brown bear, and tried clumsily to dance a jig of delight. "as for the tin woodman, his case is much the same," resumed ozma, still smiling. "the power of the giantess could not make him anything but a tin creature, whatever shape she transformed him into, so it will not be impossible to restore him to his manly form. anyhow, i shall test my magic at once, and see if it will do what i have promised." [illustration] she drew from her bosom a small silver wand and, making passes with the wand over the head of the bear, she succeeded in the brief space of a moment in breaking his enchantment. the original scarecrow of oz again stood before them, well stuffed with straw and with his features nicely painted upon the bag which formed his head. the scarecrow was greatly delighted, as you may suppose, and he strutted proudly around while the powerful fairy, ozma of oz, broke the enchantment that had transformed the tin woodman and made a tin owl into a tin man again. "now, then," chirped the canary, eagerly; "i'm next, ozma!" "but your case is different," replied ozma, no longer smiling but wearing a grave expression on her sweet face. "i shall have to experiment on you, polychrome, and i may fail in all my attempts." she then tried two or three different methods of magic, hoping one of them would succeed in breaking polychrome's enchantment, but still the rainbow's daughter remained a canary-bird. finally, however, she experimented in another way. she transformed the canary into a dove, and then transformed the dove into a speckled hen, and then changed the speckled hen into a rabbit, and then the rabbit into a fawn. and at the last, after mixing several powders and sprinkling them upon the fawn, the yookoohoo enchantment was suddenly broken and before them stood one of the daintiest and loveliest creatures in any fairyland in the world. polychrome was as sweet and merry in disposition as she was beautiful, and when she danced and capered around in delight, her beautiful hair floated around her like a golden mist and her many-hued raiment, as soft as cobwebs, reminded one of drifting clouds in a summer sky. woot was so awed by the entrancing sight of this exquisite sky fairy that he quite forgot his own sad plight until he noticed ozma gazing upon him with an intent expression that denoted sympathy and sorrow. dorothy whispered in her friend's ear, but the ruler of oz shook her head sadly. jinjur, noticing this and understanding ozma's looks, took the paw of the green monkey in her own hand and patted it softly. "never mind," she said to him. "you are a very beautiful color, and a monkey can climb better than a boy and do a lot of other things no boy can ever do." "what's the matter?" asked woot, a sinking feeling at his heart. "is ozma's magic all used up?" [illustration] ozma herself answered him. "your form of enchantment, my poor boy," she said pityingly, "is different from that of the others. indeed, it is a form that is impossible to alter by any magic known to fairies or yookoohoos. the wicked giantess was well aware, when she gave you the form of a green monkey, that the green monkey must exist in the land of oz for all future time." woot drew a long sigh. "well, that's pretty hard luck," he said bravely, "but if it can't be helped i must endure it; that's all. i don't like being a monkey, but what's the use of kicking against my fate?" they were all very sorry for him, and dorothy anxiously asked ozma: "couldn't glinda save him?" "no," was the reply. "glinda's power in transformations is no greater than my own. before i left my palace i went to my magic room and studied woot's case very carefully. i found that no power can do away with the green monkey. he might transfer, or exchange his form with some other person, it is true; but the green monkey we cannot get rid of by any magic arts known to science." "but--see here," said the scarecrow, who had listened intently to this explanation, "why not put the monkey's form on some one else?" "who would agree to make the change?" asked ozma. "if by force we caused anyone else to become a green monkey, we would be as cruel and wicked as mrs. yoop. and what good would an exchange do?" she continued. "suppose, for instance, we worked the enchantment, and made toto into a green monkey. at the same moment woot would become a little dog." "leave me out of your magic, please," said toto, with a reproachful growl. "i wouldn't become a green monkey for anything." "and i wouldn't become a dog," said woot. "a green monkey is much better than a dog, it seems to me." "that is only a matter of opinion," answered toto. "now, here's another idea," said the scarecrow. "my brains are working finely today, you must admit. why not transform toto into woot the wanderer, and then have them exchange forms? the dog would become a green monkey and the monkey would have his own natural shape again." "to be sure!" cried jinjur. "that's a fine idea." "leave me out of it," said toto. "i won't do it." "wouldn't you be willing to become a green monkey--see what a pretty color it is--so that this poor boy could be restored to his own shape?" asked jinjur, pleadingly. "no," said toto. "i don't like that plan the least bit," declared dorothy, "for then i wouldn't have any little dog." "but you'd have a green monkey in his place," persisted jinjur, who liked woot and wanted to help him. "i don't want a green monkey," said dorothy positively. "don't speak of this again, i beg of you," said woot. "this is my own misfortune and i would rather suffer it alone than deprive princess dorothy of her dog, or deprive the dog of his proper shape. and perhaps even her majesty, ozma of oz, might not be able to transform anyone else into the shape of woot the wanderer." "yes; i believe i might do that," ozma returned; "but woot is quite right; we are not justified in inflicting upon anyone--man or dog--the form of a green monkey. also it is certain that in order to relieve the boy of the form he now wears, we must give it to someone else, who would be forced to wear it always." "i wonder," said dorothy, thoughtfully, "if we couldn't find someone in the land of oz who would be willing to become a green monkey? seems to me a monkey is active and spry, and he can climb trees and do a lot of clever things, and green isn't a bad color for a monkey--it makes him unusual." "i wouldn't ask anyone to take this dreadful form," said woot; "it wouldn't be right, you know. i've been a monkey for some time, now, and i don't like it. it makes me ashamed to be a beast of this sort when by right of birth i'm a boy; so i'm sure it would be wicked to ask anyone else to take my place." they were all silent, for they knew he spoke the truth. dorothy was almost ready to cry with pity and ozma's sweet face was sad and disturbed. the scarecrow rubbed and patted his stuffed head to try to make it think better, while the tin woodman went into the house and began to oil his tin joints so that the sorrow of his friends might not cause him to weep. weeping is liable to rust tin, and the emperor prided himself upon his highly polished body--now doubly dear to him because for a time he had been deprived of it. polychrome had danced down the garden paths and back again a dozen times, for she was seldom still a moment, yet she had heard ozma's speech and understood very well woot's unfortunate position. but the rainbow's daughter, even while dancing, could think and reason very clearly, and suddenly she solved the problem in the nicest possible way. coming close to ozma, she said: "your majesty, all this trouble was caused by the wickedness of mrs. yoop, the giantess. yet even now that cruel woman is living in her secluded castle, enjoying the thought that she has put this terrible enchantment on woot the wanderer. even now she is laughing at our despair because we can find no way to get rid of the green monkey. very well, we do not wish to get rid of it. let the woman who created the form wear it herself, as a just punishment for her wickedness. i am sure your fairy power can give to mrs. yoop the form of woot the wanderer--even at this distance from her--and then it will be possible to exchange the two forms. mrs. yoop will become the green monkey, and woot will recover his own form again." [illustration] ozma's face brightened as she listened to this clever proposal. "thank you, polychrome," said she. "the task you propose is not so easy as you suppose, but i will make the attempt, and perhaps i may succeed." [illustration] the green monkey [illustration] chapter they now entered the house, and as an interested group, watched jinjur, at ozma's command, build a fire and put a kettle of water over to boil. the ruler of oz stood before the fire silent and grave, while the others, realizing that an important ceremony of magic was about to be performed, stood quietly in the background so as not to interrupt ozma's proceedings. only polychrome kept going in and coming out, humming softly to herself as she danced, for the rainbow's daughter could not keep still for long, and the four walls of a room always made her nervous and ill at ease. she moved so noiselessly, however, that her movements were like the shifting of sunbeams and did not annoy anyone. when the water in the kettle bubbled, ozma drew from her bosom two tiny packets containing powders. these powders she threw into the kettle and after briskly stirring the contents with a branch from a macaroon bush, ozma poured the mystic broth upon a broad platter which jinjur had placed upon the table. as the broth cooled it became as silver, reflecting all objects from its smooth surface like a mirror. while her companions gathered around the table, eagerly attentive--and dorothy even held little toto in her arms that he might see--ozma waved her wand over the mirror-like surface. at once it reflected the interior of yoop castle, and in the big hall sat mrs. yoop, in her best embroidered silken robes, engaged in weaving a new lace apron to replace the one she had lost. [illustration] the giantess seemed rather uneasy, as if she had a faint idea that someone was spying upon her, for she kept looking behind her and this way and that, as though expecting danger from an unknown source. perhaps some yookoohoo instinct warned her. woot saw that she had escaped from her room by some of the magical means at her disposal, after her prisoners had escaped her. she was now occupying the big hall of her castle as she used to do. also woot thought, from the cruel expression on the face of the giantess, that she was planning revenge on them, as soon as her new magic apron was finished. but ozma was now making passes over the platter with her silver wand, and presently the form of the giantess began to shrink in size and to change its shape. and now, in her place sat the form of woot the wanderer, and as if suddenly realizing her transformation mrs. yoop threw down her work and rushed to a looking-glass that stood against the wall of her room. when she saw the boy's form reflected as her own, she grew violently angry and dashed her head against the mirror, smashing it to atoms. just then ozma was busy with her magic wand, making strange figures, and she had also placed her left hand firmly upon the shoulder of the green monkey. so now, as all eyes were turned upon the platter, the form of mrs. yoop gradually changed again. she was slowly transformed into the green monkey, and at the same time woot slowly regained his natural form. it was quite a surprise to them all when they raised their eyes from the platter and saw woot the wanderer standing beside ozma. and, when they glanced at the platter again, it reflected nothing more than the walls of the room in jinjur's house in which they stood. the magic ceremonial was ended, and ozma of oz had triumphed over the wicked giantess. "what will become of her, i wonder?" said dorothy, as she drew a long breath. "she will always remain a green monkey," replied ozma, "and in that form she will be unable to perform any magical arts whatsoever. she need not be unhappy, however, and as she lives all alone in her castle she probably won't mind the transformation very much after she gets used to it." "anyhow, it serves her right," declared dorothy, and all agreed with her. "but," said the kind hearted tin woodman, "i'm afraid the green monkey will starve, for mrs. yoop used to get her food by magic, and now that the magic is taken away from her, what can she eat?" "why, she'll eat what other monkeys do," returned the scarecrow. "even in the form of a green monkey, she's a very clever person, and i'm sure her wits will show her how to get plenty to eat." "don't worry about her," advised dorothy. "she didn't worry about you, and her condition is no worse than the condition she imposed on poor woot. she can't starve _to death_ in the land of oz, that's certain, and if she gets hungry at times it's no more than the wicked thing deserves. let's forget mrs. yoop; for, in spite of her being a yookoohoo, our fairy friends have broken all of her transformations." [illustration] the man of tin [illustration] chapter ozma and dorothy were quite pleased with woot the wanderer, whom they found modest and intelligent and very well mannered. the boy was truly grateful for his release from the cruel enchantment, and he promised to love, revere and defend the girl ruler of oz forever afterward, as a faithful subject. "you may visit me at my palace, if you wish," said ozma, "where i will be glad to introduce you to two other nice boys, ojo the munchkin and button-bright." "thank your majesty," replied woot, and then he turned to the tin woodman and inquired: "what are your further plans, mr. emperor? will you still seek nimmie amee and marry her, or will you abandon the quest and return to the emerald city and your own castle?" the tin woodman, now as highly polished and well-oiled as ever, reflected a while on this question and then answered: "well, i see no reason why i should not find nimmie amee. we are now in the munchkin country, where we are perfectly safe, and if it was right for me, before our enchantment, to marry nimmie amee and make her empress of the winkies, it must be right now, when the enchantment has been broken and i am once more myself. am i correct, friend scarecrow?" "you are, indeed," answered the scarecrow. "no one can oppose such logic." "but i'm afraid you don't love nimmie amee," suggested dorothy. "that is just because i can't love anyone," replied the tin woodman. "but, if i cannot love my wife, i can at least be kind to her, and all husbands are not able to do that." "do you s'pose nimmie amee still loves you, after all these years?" asked dorothy. "i'm quite sure of it, and that is why i am going to her to make her happy. woot the wanderer thinks i ought to reward her for being faithful to me after my meat body was chopped to pieces and i became tin. what do _you_ think, ozma?" ozma smiled as she said: "i do not know your nimmie amee, and so i cannot tell what she most needs to make her happy. but there is no harm in your going to her and asking her if she still wishes to marry you. if she does, we will give you a grand wedding at the emerald city and, afterward, as empress of the winkies, nimmie amee would become one of the most important ladies in all oz." so it was decided that the tin woodman would continue his journey, and that the scarecrow and woot the wanderer should accompany him, as before. polychrome also decided to join their party, somewhat to the surprise of all. "i hate to be cooped up in a palace," she said to ozma, "and of course the first time i meet my rainbow i shall return to my own dear home in the skies, where my fairy sisters are even now awaiting me and my father is cross because i get lost so often. but i can find my rainbow just as quickly while traveling in the munchkin country as i could if living in the emerald city--or any other place in oz--so i shall go with the tin woodman and help him woo nimmie amee." dorothy wanted to go, too, but as the tin woodman did not invite her to join his party, she felt she might be intruding if she asked to be taken. she hinted, but she found he didn't take the hint. it is quite a delicate matter for one to ask a girl to marry him, however much she loves him, and perhaps the tin woodman did not desire to have too many looking on when he found his old sweetheart, nimmie amee. so dorothy contented herself with the thought that she would help ozma prepare a splendid wedding feast, to be followed by a round of parties and festivities when the emperor of the winkies reached the emerald city with his bride. ozma offered to take them all in the red wagon to a place as near to the great munchkin forest as a wagon could get. the red wagon was big enough to seat them all, and so, bidding good-bye to jinjur, who gave woot a basket of ripe cream-puffs and caramels to take with him, ozma commanded the wooden sawhorse to start, and the strange creature moved swiftly over the lanes and presently came to the road of yellow bricks. this road led straight to a dense forest, where the path was too narrow for the red wagon to proceed farther, so here the party separated. ozma and dorothy and toto returned to the emerald city, after wishing their friends a safe and successful journey, while the tin woodman, the scarecrow, woot the wanderer and polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, prepared to push their way through the thick forest. however, these forest paths were well known to the tin man and the scarecrow, who felt quite at home among the trees. "i was born in this grand forest," said nick chopper, the tin emperor, speaking proudly, "and it was here that the witch enchanted my axe and i lost different parts of my meat body until i became all tin. here, also--for it is a big forest--nimmie amee lived with the wicked witch, and at the other edge of the trees stands the cottage of my friend ku-klip, the famous tinsmith who made my present beautiful form." "he must be a clever workman," declared woot, admiringly. "he is simply wonderful," declared the tin woodman. "i shall be glad to make his acquaintance," said woot. "if you wish to meet with real cleverness," remarked the scarecrow, "you should visit the munchkin farmer who first made _me_. i won't say that my friend the emperor isn't all right for a tin man, but any judge of beauty can understand that a scarecrow is far more artistic and refined." "you are too soft and flimsy," said the tin woodman. "you are too hard and stiff," said the scarecrow, and this was as near to quarreling as the two friends ever came. polychrome laughed at them both, as well she might, and woot hastened to change the subject. at night they all camped underneath the trees. the boy ate cream-puffs for supper and offered polychrome some, but she preferred other food and at daybreak sipped the dew that was clustered thick on the forest flowers. then they tramped onward again, and presently the scarecrow paused and said: "it was on this very spot that dorothy and i first met the tin woodman, who was rusted so badly that none of his joints would move. but after we had oiled him up, he was as good as new and accompanied us to the emerald city." "ah, that was a sad experience," asserted the tin woodman soberly. "i was caught in a rainstorm while chopping down a tree for exercise, and before i realized it, i was firmly rusted in every joint. there i stood, axe in hand, but unable to move, for days and weeks and months! indeed, i have never known exactly how long the time was; but finally along came dorothy and i was saved. see! this is the very tree i was chopping at the time i rusted." "you cannot be far from your old home, in that case," said woot. "no; my little cabin stands not a great way off, but there is no occasion for us to visit it. our errand is with nimmie amee, and her house is somewhat farther away, to the left of us." "didn't you say she lives with a wicked witch, who makes her a slave?" asked the boy. "she did, but she doesn't," was the reply. "i am told the witch was destroyed when dorothy's house fell on her, so now nimmie amee must live all alone. i haven't seen her, of course, since the witch was crushed, for at that time i was standing rusted in the forest and had been there a long time, but the poor girl must have felt very happy to be free from her cruel mistress." "well," said the scarecrow, "let's travel on and find nimmie amee. lead on, your majesty, since you know the way, and we will follow." so the tin woodman took a path that led through the thickest part of the forest, and they followed it for some time. the light was dim here, because vines and bushes and leafy foliage were all about them, and often the tin man had to push aside the branches that obstructed their way, or cut them off with his axe. after they had proceeded some distance, the emperor suddenly stopped short and exclaimed: "good gracious!" the scarecrow, who was next, first bumped into his friend and then peered around his tin body, and said in a tone of wonder: "well, i declare!" woot the wanderer pushed forward to see what was the matter, and cried out in astonishment: [illustration] "for goodness' sake!" then the three stood motionless, staring hard, until polychrome's merry laughter rang out behind them and aroused them from their stupor. in the path before them stood a tin man who was the exact duplicate of the tin woodman. he was of the same size, he was jointed in the same manner, and he was made of shining tin from top to toe. but he stood immovable, with his tin jaws half parted and his tin eyes turned upward. in one of his hands was held a long, gleaming sword. yes, _there_ was the difference, the only thing that distinguished him from the emperor of the winkies. this tin man bore a sword, while the tin woodman bore an axe. "it's a dream; it _must_ be a dream!" gasped woot. "that's it, of course," said the scarecrow; "there couldn't be _two_ tin woodmen." "no," agreed polychrome, dancing nearer to the stranger, "this one is a tin soldier. don't you see his sword?" the tin woodman cautiously put out one tin hand and felt of his double's arm. then he said in a voice that trembled with emotion: "who are you, friend?" there was no reply. "can't you see he's rusted, just as you were once?" asked polychrome, laughing again. "here, nick chopper, lend me your oil-can a minute!" the tin woodman silently handed her his oil-can, without which he never traveled, and polychrome first oiled the stranger's tin jaws and then worked them gently to and fro until the tin soldier said: "that's enough. thank you. i can now talk. but please oil my other joints." woot seized the oil-can and did this, but all the others helped wiggle the soldier's joints as soon as they were oiled, until they moved freely. the tin soldier seemed highly pleased at his release. he strutted up and down the path, saying in a high, thin voice: "the soldier is a splendid man when marching on parade, and when he meets the enemy he never is afraid. he rights the wrongs of nations, his country's flag defends, the foe he'll fight with great delight, but seldom fights his friends." captain fyter [illustration] chapter "are you really a soldier?" asked woot, when they had all watched this strange tin person parade up and down the path and proudly flourish his sword. "i _was_ a soldier," was the reply, "but i've been a prisoner to mr. rust so long that i don't know exactly _what_ i am." "but--dear me!" cried the tin woodman, sadly perplexed; "how came you to be made of tin?" "that," answered the soldier, "is a sad, sad story. i was in love with a beautiful munchkin girl, who lived with a wicked witch. the witch did not wish me to marry the girl, so she enchanted my sword, which began hacking me to pieces. when i lost my legs i went to the tinsmith, ku-klip, and he made me some tin legs. when i lost my arms, ku-klip made me tin arms, and when i lost my head he made me this fine one out of tin. it was the same way with my body, and finally i was all tin. but i was not unhappy, for ku-klip made a good job of me, having had experience in making another tin man before me." "yes," observed the tin woodman, "it was ku-klip who made me. but, tell me, what was the name of the munchkin girl you were in love with?" "she is called nimmie amee," said the tin soldier. hearing this, they were all so astonished that they were silent for a time, regarding the stranger with wondering looks. finally the tin woodman ventured to ask: "and did nimmie amee return your love?" "not at first," admitted the soldier. "when first i marched into the forest and met her, she was weeping over the loss of her former sweetheart, a woodman whose name was nick chopper." "that is me," said the tin woodman. "she told me he was nicer than a soldier, because he was all made of tin and shone beautifully in the sun. she said a tin man appealed to her artistic instincts more than an ordinary meat man, as i was then. but i did not despair, because her tin sweetheart had disappeared, and could not be found. and finally nimmie amee permitted me to call upon her and we became friends. it was then that the wicked witch discovered me and became furiously angry when i said i wanted to marry the girl. she enchanted my sword, as i said, and then my troubles began. when i got my tin legs, nimmie amee began to take an interest in me; when i got my tin arms, she began to like me better than ever, and when i was all made of tin, she said i looked like her dear nick chopper and she would be willing to marry me. "the day of our wedding was set, and it turned out to be a rainy day. nevertheless i started out to get nimmie amee, because the witch had been absent for some time, and we meant to elope before she got back. as i traveled the forest paths the rain wetted my joints, but i paid no attention to this because my thoughts were all on my wedding with beautiful nimmie amee and i could think of nothing else until suddenly my legs stopped moving. then my arms rusted at the joints and i became frightened and cried for help, for now i was unable to oil myself. no one heard my calls and before long my jaws rusted, and i was unable to utter another sound. so i stood helpless in this spot, hoping some wanderer would come my way and save me. but this forest path is seldom used, and i have been standing here so long that i have lost all track of time. in my mind i composed poetry and sang songs, but not a sound have i been able to utter. but this desperate condition has now been relieved by your coming my way and i must thank you for my rescue." "this is wonderful!" said the scarecrow, heaving a stuffy, long sigh. "i think ku-klip was wrong to make two tin men, just alike, and the strangest thing of all is that both you tin men fell in love with the same girl." "as for that," returned the soldier, seriously, "i must admit i lost my ability to love when i lost my meat heart. ku-klip gave me a tin heart, to be sure, but it doesn't love anything, as far as i can discover, and merely rattles against my tin ribs, which makes me wish i had no heart at all." "yet, in spite of this condition, you were going to marry nimmie amee?" "well, you see i had promised to marry her, and i am an honest man and always try to keep my promises. i didn't like to disappoint the poor girl, who had been disappointed by one tin man already." "that was not my fault," declared the emperor of the winkies, and then he related how he, also, had rusted in the forest and after a long time had been rescued by dorothy and the scarecrow and had traveled with them to the emerald city in search of a heart that could love. "if you have found such a heart, sir," said the soldier, "i will gladly allow you to marry nimmie amee in my place." "if she loves you best, sir," answered the woodman, "i shall not interfere with your wedding her. for, to be quite frank with you, i cannot yet love nimmie amee as i did before i became tin." "still, one of you ought to marry the poor girl," remarked woot; "and, if she likes tin men, there is not much choice between you. why don't you draw lots for her?" "that wouldn't be right," said the scarecrow. "the girl should be permitted to choose her own husband," asserted polychrome. "you should both go to her and allow her to take her choice. then she will surely be happy." "that, to me, seems a very fair arrangement," said the tin soldier. "i agree to it," said the tin woodman, shaking the hand of his twin to show the matter was settled. "may i ask your name, sir?" he continued. "before i was so cut up," replied the other, "i was known as captain fyter, but afterward i was merely called 'the tin soldier.'" "well, captain, if you are agreeable, let us now go to nimmie amee's house and let her choose between us." "very well; and if we meet the witch, we will both fight her--you with your axe and i with my sword." "the witch is destroyed," announced the scarecrow, and as they walked away he told the tin soldier of much that had happened in the land of oz since he had stood rusted in the forest. "i must have stood there longer than i had imagined," he said thoughtfully. the workshop of ku-klip [illustration] chapter it was not more than a two hours' journey to the house where nimmie amee had lived, but when our travelers arrived there they found the place deserted. the door was partly off its hinges, the roof had fallen in at the rear and the interior of the cottage was thick with dust. not only was the place vacant, but it was evident that no one had lived there for a long time. [illustration] "i suppose," said the scarecrow, as they all stood looking wonderingly at the ruined house, "that after the wicked witch was destroyed, nimmie amee became lonely and went somewhere else to live." "one could scarcely expect a young girl to live all alone in a forest," added woot. "she would want company, of course, and so i believe she has gone where other people live." "and perhaps she is still crying her poor little heart out because no tin man comes to marry her," suggested polychrome. "well, in that case, it is the clear duty of you two tin persons to seek nimmie amee until you find her," declared the scarecrow. "i do not know where to look for the girl," said the tin soldier, "for i am almost a stranger to this part of the country." "i was born here," said the tin woodman, "but the forest has few inhabitants except the wild beasts. i cannot think of anyone living near here with whom nimmie amee might care to live." "why not go to ku-klip and ask him what has become of the girl?" proposed polychrome. that struck them all as being a good suggestion, so once more they started to tramp through the forest, taking the direct path to ku-klip's house, for both the tin twins knew the way, having followed it many times. ku-klip lived at the far edge of the great forest, his house facing the broad plains of the munchkin country that lay to the eastward. but, when they came to this residence by the forest's edge, the tinsmith was not at home. it was a pretty place, all painted dark blue with trimmings of lighter blue. there was a neat blue fence around the yard and several blue benches had been placed underneath the shady blue trees which marked the line between forest and plain. there was a blue lawn before the house, which was a good sized building. ku-klip lived in the front part of the house and had his work-shop in the back part, where he had also built a lean-to addition, in order to give him more room. although they found the tinsmith absent on their arrival, there was smoke coming out of his chimney, which proved that he would soon return. "and perhaps nimmie amee will be with him," said the scarecrow in a cheerful voice. while they waited, the tin woodman went to the door of the workshop and, finding it unlocked, entered and looked curiously around the room where he had been made. "it seems almost like home to me," he told his friends, who had followed him in. "the first time i came here i had lost a leg, so i had to carry it in my hand while i hopped on the other leg all the way from the place in the forest where the enchanted axe cut me. i remember that old ku-klip carefully put my meat leg into a barrel--i think that is the same barrel, still standing in the corner yonder--and then at once he began to make a tin leg for me. he worked fast and with skill, and i was much interested in the job." "my experience was much the same," said the tin soldier. "i used to bring all the parts of me, which the enchanted sword had cut away, here to the tinsmith, and ku-klip would put them into the barrel." "i wonder," said woot, "if those cast-off parts of you two unfortunates are still in that barrel in the corner?" "i suppose so," replied the tin woodman. "in the land of oz no part of a living creature can ever be destroyed." "if that is true, how was that wicked witch destroyed?" inquired woot. "why, she was very old and was all dried up and withered before oz became a fairyland," explained the scarecrow. "only her magic arts had kept her alive so long, and when dorothy's house fell upon her she just turned to dust, and was blown away and scattered by the wind. i do not think, however, that the parts cut away from these two young men could ever be entirely destroyed and, if they are still in those barrels, they are likely to be just the same as when the enchanted axe or sword severed them." "it doesn't matter, however," said the tin woodman; "our tin bodies are more brilliant and durable, and quite satisfy us." "yes, the tin bodies are best," agreed the tin soldier. "nothing can hurt them." "unless they get dented or rusted," said woot, but both the tin men frowned on him. scraps of tin, of all shapes and sizes, lay scattered around the workshop. also there were hammers and anvils and soldering irons and a charcoal furnace and many other tools such as a tinsmith works with. against two of the side walls had been built stout work-benches and in the center of the room was a long table. at the end of the shop, which adjoined the dwelling, were several cupboards. after examining the interior of the workshop until his curiosity was satisfied, woot said: "i think i will go outside until ku-klip comes. it does not seem quite proper for us to take possession of his house while he is absent." "that is true," agreed the scarecrow, and they were all about to leave the room when the tin woodman said: "wait a minute," and they halted in obedience to the command. [illustration] the tin woodman talks to himself [illustration] chapter the tin woodman had just noticed the cupboards and was curious to know what they contained, so he went to one of them and opened the door. there were shelves inside, and upon one of the shelves which was about on a level with his tin chin the emperor discovered a head--it looked like a doll's head, only it was larger, and he soon saw it was the head of some person. it was facing the tin woodman and as the cupboard door swung back, the eyes of the head slowly opened and looked at him. the tin woodman was not at all surprised, for in the land of oz one runs into magic at every turn. "dear me!" said the tin woodman, staring hard. "it seems as if i had met you, somewhere, before. good morning, sir!" "you have the advantage of me," replied the head. "i never saw you before in my life." "still, your face is very familiar," persisted the tin woodman. "pardon me, but may i ask if you--eh--eh--if you ever had a body?" "yes, at one time," answered the head, "but that is so long ago i can't remember it. did you think," with a pleasant smile, "that i was born just as i am? that a head would be created without a body?" "no, of course not," said the other. "but how came you to lose your body?" "well, i can't recollect the details; you'll have to ask ku-klip about it," returned the head. "for, curious as it may seem to you, my memory is not good since my separation from the rest of me. i still possess my brains and my intellect is as good as ever, but my memory of some of the events i formerly experienced is quite hazy." [illustration] "how long have you been in this cupboard?" asked the emperor. "i don't know." "haven't you a name?" "oh, yes," said the head; "i used to be called nick chopper, when i was a woodman and cut down trees for a living." "good gracious!" cried the tin woodman in astonishment. "if you are nick chopper's head, then you are _me_--or i'm _you_--or--or-- what relation _are_ we, anyhow?" "don't ask me," replied the head. "for my part, i'm not anxious to claim relationship with any common, manufactured article, like you. you may be all right in your class, but your class isn't my class. you're tin." the poor emperor felt so bewildered that for a time he could only stare at his old head in silence. then he said: "i must admit that i wasn't at all bad looking before i became tin. you're almost handsome--for meat. if your hair was combed, you'd be quite attractive." "how do you expect me to comb my hair without help?" demanded the head, indignantly. "i used to keep it smooth and neat, when i had arms, but after i was removed from the rest of me, my hair got mussed, and old ku-klip never has combed it for me." "i'll speak to him about it," said the tin woodman. "do you remember loving a pretty munchkin girl named nimmie amee?" "no," answered the head. "that is a foolish question. the heart in my body--when i had a body--might have loved someone, for all i know, but a head isn't made to love; it's made to think." "oh; do you think, then?" "i used to think." "you must have been shut up in this cupboard for years and years. what have you thought about, in all that time?" "nothing. that's another foolish question. a little reflection will convince you that i have had nothing to think about, except the boards on the inside of the cupboard door, and it didn't take me long to think of everything about those boards that could be thought of. then, of course, i quit thinking." "and are you happy?" "happy? what's that?" "don't you know what happiness is?" inquired the tin woodman. "i haven't the faintest idea whether it's round or square, or black or white, or what it is. and, if you will pardon my lack of interest in it, i will say that i don't care." the tin woodman was much puzzled by these answers. his traveling companions had grouped themselves at his back, and had fixed their eyes on the head and listened to the conversation with much interest, but until now, they had not interrupted because they thought the tin woodman had the best right to talk to his own head and renew acquaintance with it. but now the tin soldier remarked: "i wonder if _my_ old head happens to be in any of these cupboards," and he proceeded to open all the cupboard doors. but no other head was to be found on any of the shelves. "oh, well; never mind," said woot the wanderer; "i can't imagine what anyone wants of a cast-off head, anyhow." "i can understand the soldier's interest," asserted polychrome, dancing around the grimy workshop until her draperies formed a cloud around her dainty form. "for sentimental reasons a man might like to see his old head once more, just as one likes to revisit an old home." "and then to kiss it good-bye," added the scarecrow. "i hope that tin thing won't try to kiss _me_ goodbye!" exclaimed the tin woodman's former head. "and i don't see what right you folks have to disturb my peace and comfort, either." "you belong to me," the tin woodman declared. "i do not!" "you and i are one." "we've been parted," asserted the head. "it would be unnatural for me to have any interest in a man made of tin. please close the door and leave me alone." "i did not think that my old head could be so disagreeable," said the emperor. "i--i'm quite ashamed of myself; meaning _you_." "you ought to be glad that i've enough sense to know what my rights are," retorted the head. "in this cupboard i am leading a simple life, peaceful and dignified, and when a mob of people in whom i am not interested disturb me, _they_ are the disagreeable ones; not i." with a sigh the tin woodman closed and latched the cupboard door and turned away. "well," said the tin soldier, "if my old head would have treated me as coldly and in so unfriendly a manner as your old head has treated you, friend chopper, i'm glad i could not find it." "yes; i'm rather surprised at my head, myself," replied the tin woodman, thoughtfully. "i thought i had a more pleasant disposition when i was made of meat." but just then old ku-klip the tinsmith arrived, and he seemed surprised to find so many visitors. ku-klip was a stout man and a short man. he had his sleeves rolled above his elbows, showing muscular arms, and he wore a leathern apron that covered all the front of him, and was so long that woot was surprised he didn't step on it and trip whenever he walked. and ku-klip had a gray beard that was almost as long as his apron, and his head was bald on top and his ears stuck out from his head like two fans. over his eyes, which were bright and twinkling, he wore big spectacles. it was easy to see that the tinsmith was a kind hearted man, as well as a merry and agreeable one. "oh-ho!" he cried in a joyous bass voice; "here are both my tin men come to visit me, and they and their friends are welcome indeed. i'm very proud of you two characters, i assure you, for you are so perfect that you are proof that i'm a good workman. sit down. sit down, all of you--if you can find anything to sit on--and tell me why you are here." so they found seats and told him all of their adventures that they thought he would like to know. ku-klip was glad to learn that nick chopper, the tin woodman, was now emperor of the winkies and a friend of ozma of oz, and the tinsmith was also interested in the scarecrow and polychrome. he turned the straw man around, examining him curiously, and patted him on all sides, and then said: "you are certainly wonderful, but i think you would be more durable and steady on your legs if you were made of tin. would you like me to--" "no, indeed!" interrupted the scarecrow hastily; "i like myself better as i am." but to polychrome the tinsmith said: "nothing could improve _you_, my dear, for you are the most beautiful maiden i have ever seen. it is pure happiness just to look at you." [illustration] "that is praise, indeed, from so skillful a workman," returned the rainbow's daughter, laughing and dancing in and out the room. "then it must be this boy you wish me to help," said ku-klip, looking at woot. "no," said woot, "we are not here to seek your skill, but have merely come to you for information." then, between them, they related their search for nimmie amee, whom the tin woodman explained he had resolved to marry, yet who had promised to become the bride of the tin soldier before he unfortunately became rusted. and when the story was told, they asked ku-klip if he knew what had become of nimmie amee. "not exactly," replied the old man, "but i know that she wept bitterly when the tin soldier did not come to marry her, as he had promised to do. the old witch was so provoked at the girl's tears that she beat nimmie amee with her crooked stick and then hobbled away to gather some magic herbs, with which she intended to transform the girl into an old hag, so that no one would again love her or care to marry her. it was while she was away on this errand that dorothy's house fell on the wicked witch, and she turned to dust and blew away. when i heard this good news, i sent nimmie amee to find the silver shoes which the witch had worn, but dorothy had taken them with her to the emerald city." [illustration] "yes, we know all about those silver shoes," said the scarecrow. "well," continued ku-klip, "after that, nimmie amee decided to go away from the forest and live with some people she was acquainted with who had a house on mount munch. i have never seen the girl since." "do you know the name of the people on mount munch, with whom she went to live?" asked the tin woodman. "no, nimmie amee did not mention her friend's name, and i did not ask her. she took with her all that she could carry of the goods that were in the witch's house, and she told me i could have the rest. but when i went there i found nothing worth taking except some magic powders that i did not know how to use, and a bottle of magic glue." "what is magic glue?" asked woot. "it is a magic preparation with which to mend people when they cut themselves. one time, long ago, i cut off one of my fingers by accident, and i carried it to the witch, who took down her bottle and glued it on again for me. see!" showing them his finger, "it is as good as ever it was. no one else that i ever heard of had this magic glue, and of course when nick chopper cut himself to pieces with his enchanted axe and captain fyter cut himself to pieces with his enchanted sword, the witch would not mend them, or allow me to glue them together, because she had herself wickedly enchanted the axe and sword. nothing remained but for me to make them new parts out of tin; but, as you see, tin answered the purpose very well, and i am sure their tin bodies are a great improvement on their meat bodies." "very true," said the tin soldier. "i quite agree with you," said the tin woodman. "i happened to find my old head in your cupboard, a while ago, and certainly it is not as desirable a head as the tin one i now wear." "by the way," said the tin soldier, "what ever became of _my_ old head, ku-klip?" "and of the different parts of our bodies?" added the tin woodman. "let me think a minute," replied ku-klip. "if i remember right, you two boys used to bring me most of your parts, when they were cut off, and i saved them in that barrel in the corner. you must not have brought me all the parts, for when i made chopfyt i had hard work finding enough pieces to complete the job. i finally had to finish him with one arm." "who is chopfyt?" inquired woot. "oh, haven't i told you about chopfyt?" exclaimed ku-klip. "of course not! and he's quite a curiosity, too. you'll be interested in hearing about chopfyt. this is how he happened: "one day, after the witch had been destroyed and nimmie amee had gone to live with her friends on mount munch, i was looking around the shop for something and came upon the bottle of magic glue which i had brought from the old witch's house. it occurred to me to piece together the odds and ends of you two people, which of course were just as good as ever, and see if i couldn't make a man out of them. if i succeeded, i would have an assistant to help me with my work, and i thought it would be a clever idea to put to some practical use the scraps of nick chopper and captain fyter. there were two perfectly good heads in my cupboard, and a lot of feet and legs and parts of bodies in the barrel, so i set to work to see what i could do. "first, i pieced together a body, gluing it with the witch's magic glue, which worked perfectly. that was the hardest part of my job, however, because the bodies didn't match up well and some parts were missing. but by using a piece of captain fyter here and a piece of nick chopper there, i finally got together a very decent body, with heart and all the trimmings complete." "whose heart did you use in making the body?" asked the tin woodman anxiously. [illustration: meat glue] "i can't tell, for the parts had no tags on them and one heart looks much like another. after the body was completed, i glued two fine legs and feet onto it. one leg was nick chopper's and one was captain fyter's and, finding one leg longer than the other, i trimmed it down to make them match. i was much disappointed to find that i had but one arm. there was an extra leg in the barrel, but i could find only one arm. having glued this onto the body, i was ready for the head, and i had some difficulty in making up my mind which head to use. finally i shut my eyes and reached out my hand toward the cupboard shelf, and the first head i touched i glued upon my new man." "it was mine!" declared the tin soldier, gloomily. "no, it was mine," asserted ku-klip, "for i had given you another in exchange for it--the beautiful tin head you now wear. when the glue had dried, my man was quite an interesting fellow. i named him chopfyt, using a part of nick chopper's name and a part of captain fyter's name, because he was a mixture of both your cast-off parts. chopfyt was interesting, as i said, but he did not prove a very agreeable companion. he complained bitterly because i had given him but one arm--as if it were my fault!--and he grumbled because the suit of blue munchkin clothes, which i got for him from a neighbor, did not fit him perfectly." [illustration] "ah, that was because he was wearing my old head," remarked the tin soldier. "i remember that head used to be very particular about its clothes." "as an assistant," the old tinsmith continued, "chopfyt was not a success. he was awkward with tools and was always hungry. he demanded something to eat six or eight times a day, so i wondered if i had fitted his insides properly. indeed, chopfyt ate so much that little food was left for myself; so, when he proposed, one day, to go out into the world and seek adventures, i was delighted to be rid of him. i even made him a tin arm to take the place of the missing one, and that pleased him very much, so that we parted good friends." "what became of chopfyt after that?" the scarecrow inquired. "i never heard. he started off toward the east, into the plains of the munchkin country, and that was the last i ever saw of him." "it seems to me," said the tin woodman reflectively, "that you did wrong in making a man out of our cast-off parts. it is evident that chopfyt could, with justice, claim relationship with both of us." "don't worry about that," advised ku-klip cheerfully; "it is not likely that you will ever meet the fellow. and, if you should meet him, he doesn't know who he is made of, for i never told him the secret of his manufacture. indeed, you are the only ones who know of it, and you may keep the secret to yourselves, if you wish to." "never mind chopfyt," said the scarecrow. "our business now is to find poor nimmie amee and let her choose her tin husband. to do that, it seems, from the information ku-klip has given us, we must travel to mount munch." "if that's the programme, let us start at once," suggested woot. so they all went outside, where they found polychrome dancing about among the trees and talking with the birds and laughing as merrily as if she had not lost her rainbow and so been separated from all her fairy sisters. they told her they were going to mount munch, and she replied: "very well; i am as likely to find my rainbow there as here, and any other place is as likely as there. it all depends on the weather. do you think it looks like rain?" they shook their heads, and polychrome laughed again and danced on after them when they resumed their journey. the invisible country [illustration] chapter they were proceeding so easily and comfortably on their way to mount munch that woot said in a serious tone of voice: "i'm afraid something is going to happen." "why?" asked polychrome, dancing around the group of travelers. "because," said the boy, thoughtfully, "i've noticed that when we have the least reason for getting into trouble, something is sure to go wrong. just now the weather is delightful; the grass is beautifully blue and quite soft to our feet; the mountain we are seeking shows clearly in the distance and there is no reason anything should happen to delay us in getting there. our troubles all seem to be over, and--well, that's why i'm afraid," he added, with a sigh. "dear me!" remarked the scarecrow, "what unhappy thoughts you have, to be sure. this is proof that born brains cannot equal manufactured brains, for _my_ brains dwell only on facts and never borrow trouble. when there is occasion for my brains to think, they think, but i would be ashamed of my brains if they kept shooting out thoughts that were merely fears and imaginings, such as do no good, but are likely to do harm." "for my part," said the tin woodman, "i do not think at all, but allow my velvet heart to guide me at all times." "the tinsmith filled my hollow head with scraps and clippings of tin," said the soldier, "and he told me they would do nicely for brains, but when i begin to think, the tin scraps rattle around and get so mixed that i'm soon bewildered. so i try not to think. my tin heart is almost as useless to me, for it is hard and cold, so i'm sure the red velvet heart of my friend nick chopper is a better guide." "thoughtless people are not unusual," observed the scarecrow, "but i consider them more fortunate than those who have useless or wicked thoughts and do not try to curb them. your oil can, friend woodman, is filled with oil, but you only apply the oil to your joints, drop by drop, as you need it, and do not keep spilling it where it will do no good. thoughts should be restrained in the same way as your oil, and only applied when necessary, and for a good purpose. if used carefully, thoughts are good things to have." polychrome laughed at him, for the rainbow's daughter knew more about thoughts than the scarecrow did. but the others were solemn, feeling they had been rebuked, and tramped on in silence. suddenly woot, who was in the lead, looked around and found that all his comrades had mysteriously disappeared. but where could they have gone to? the broad plain was all about him and there were neither trees nor bushes that could hide even a rabbit, nor any hole for one to fall into. yet there he stood, alone. surprise had caused him to halt, and with a thoughtful and puzzled expression on his face he looked down at his feet. it startled him anew to discover that he had no feet. he reached out his hands, but he could not see them. he could feel his hands and arms and body; he stamped his feet on the grass and knew they were there, but in some strange way they had become invisible. while woot stood, wondering, a crash of metal sounded in his ears and he heard two heavy bodies tumble to the earth just beside him. "good gracious!" exclaimed the voice of the tin woodman. "mercy me!" cried the voice of the tin soldier. "why didn't you look where you were going?" asked the tin woodman reproachfully. "i did, but i couldn't see you," said the tin soldier. "something has happened to my tin eyes. i can't see you, even now, nor can i see anyone else!" "it's the same way with me," admitted the tin woodman. [illustration] woot couldn't see either of them, although he heard them plainly, and just then something smashed against him unexpectedly and knocked him over; but it was only the straw-stuffed body of the scarecrow that fell upon him and while he could not see the scarecrow he managed to push him off and rose to his feet just as polychrome whirled against him and made him tumble again. sitting upon the ground, the boy asked: "can _you_ see us, poly?" "no, indeed," answered the rainbow's daughter; "we've all become invisible." "how did it happen, do you suppose?" inquired the scarecrow, lying where he had fallen. "we have met with no enemy," answered polychrome, "so it must be that this part of the country has the magic quality of making people invisible--even fairies falling under the charm. we can see the grass, and the flowers, and the stretch of plain before us, and we can still see mount munch in the distance; but we cannot see ourselves or one another." "well, what are we to do about it?" demanded woot. "i think this magic affects only a small part of the plain," replied polychrome; "perhaps there is only a streak of the country where an enchantment makes people become invisible. so, if we get together and hold hands, we can travel toward mount munch until the enchanted streak is passed." "all right," said woot, jumping up, "give me your hand, polychrome. where are you?" "here," she answered. "whistle, woot, and keep whistling until i come to you." so woot whistled, and presently polychrome found him and grasped his hand. "someone must help me up," said the scarecrow, lying near them; so they found the straw man and sat him upon his feet, after which he held fast to polychrome's other hand. nick chopper and the tin soldier had managed to scramble up without assistance, but it was awkward for them and the tin woodman said: "i don't seem to stand straight, somehow. but my joints all work, so i guess i can walk." guided by his voice, they reached his side, where woot grasped his tin fingers so they might keep together. the tin soldier was standing near by and the scarecrow soon touched him and took hold of his arm. "i hope you're not wobbly," said the straw man, "for if two of us walk unsteadily we will be sure to fall." "i'm not wobbly," the tin soldier assured him, "but i'm certain that one of my legs is shorter than the other. i can't see it, to tell what's gone wrong, but i'll limp on with the rest of you until we are out of this enchanted territory." they now formed a line, holding hands, and turning their faces toward mount munch resumed their journey. they had not gone far, however, when a terrible growl saluted their ears. the sound seemed to come from a place just in front of them, so they halted abruptly and remained silent, listening with all their ears. "i smell straw!" cried a hoarse, harsh voice, with more growls and snarls. "i smell straw, and i'm a hip-po-gy-raf who loves straw and eats all he can find. i want to eat _this_ straw! where is it? where is it?" the scarecrow, hearing this, trembled but kept silent. all the others were silent, too, hoping that the invisible beast would be unable to find them. but the creature sniffed the odor of the straw and drew nearer and nearer to them until he reached the tin woodman, on one end of the line. it was a big beast and it smelled of the tin woodman and grated two rows of enormous teeth against the emperor's tin body. "bah! that's not straw," said the harsh voice, and the beast advanced along the line to woot. "meat! pooh, you're no good! i can't eat meat," grumbled the beast, and passed on to polychrome. "sweetmeats and perfume--cobwebs and dew! nothing to eat in a fairy like you," said the creature. now, the scarecrow was next to polychrome in the line, and he realized if the beast devoured his straw he would be helpless for a long time, because the last farmhouse was far behind them and only grass covered the vast expanse of plain. so in his fright he let go of polychrome's hand and put the hand of the tin soldier in that of the rainbow's daughter. then he slipped back of the line and went to the other end, where he silently seized the tin woodman's hand. meantime, the beast had smelled the tin soldier and found he was the last of the line. "that's funny!" growled the hip-po-gy-raf; "i can smell straw, but i can't find it. well, it's here, somewhere, and i must hunt around until i _do_ find it, for i'm hungry." his voice was now at the left of them, so they started on, hoping to avoid him, and traveled as fast as they could in the direction of mount munch. "i don't like this invisible country," said woot with a shudder. "we can't tell how many dreadful, invisible beasts are roaming around us, or what danger we'll come to next." "quit thinking about danger, please," said the scarecrow, warningly. "why?" asked the boy. "if you think of some dreadful thing, it's liable to happen, but if you don't think of it, and no one else thinks of it, it just _can't_ happen. do you see?" "no," answered woot. "i won't be able to see much of anything until we escape from this enchantment." but they got out of the invisible strip of country as suddenly as they had entered it, and the instant they got out they stopped short, for just before them was a deep ditch, running at right angles as far as their eyes could see and stopping all further progress toward mount munch. "it's not so very wide," said woot, "but i'm sure none of us can jump across it." polychrome began to laugh, and the scarecrow said: "what's the matter?" "look at the tin men!" she said, with another burst of merry laughter. woot and the scarecrow looked, and the tin men looked at themselves. "it was the collision," said the tin woodman regretfully. "i knew something was wrong with me, and now i can see that my side is dented in so that i lean over toward the left. it was the soldier's fault; he shouldn't have been so careless." "it is your fault that my right leg is bent, making it shorter than the other, so that i limp badly," retorted the soldier. "you shouldn't have stood where i was walking." "you shouldn't have walked where i was standing," replied the tin woodman. it was almost a quarrel, so polychrome said soothingly: "never mind, friends; as soon as we have time i am sure we can straighten the soldier's leg and get the dent out of the woodman's body. the scarecrow needs patting into shape, too, for he had a bad tumble, but our first task is to get over this ditch." "yes, the ditch is the most important thing, just now," added woot. they were standing in a row, looking hard at the unexpected barrier, when a fierce growl from behind them made them all turn quickly. out of the invisible country marched a huge beast with a thick, leathery skin and a surprisingly long neck. the head on the top of this neck was broad and flat and the eyes and mouth were very big and the nose and ears very small. when the head was drawn down toward the beast's shoulders, the neck was all wrinkles, but the head could shoot up very high indeed, if the creature wished it to. "dear me!" exclaimed the scarecrow, "this must be the hip-po-gy-raf." "quite right," said the beast; "and you're the straw which i'm to eat for my dinner. oh, how i love straw! i hope you don't resent my affectionate appetite?" with its four great legs it advanced straight toward the scarecrow, but the tin woodman and the tin soldier both sprang in front of their friend and flourished their weapons. "keep off!" said the tin woodman, warningly, "or i'll chop you with my axe." "keep off!" said the tin soldier, "or i'll cut you with my sword." "would you really do that?" asked the hip-po-gy-raf, in a disappointed voice. [illustration] [illustration] "we would," they both replied, and the tin woodman added: "the scarecrow is our friend, and he would be useless without his straw stuffing. so, as we are comrades, faithful and true, we will defend our friend's stuffing against all enemies." the hip-po-gy-raf sat down and looked at them sorrowfully. "when one has made up his mind to have a meal of delicious straw, and then finds he can't have it, it is certainly hard luck," he said. "and what good is the straw man to you, or to himself, when the ditch keeps you from going any further?" "well, we can go back again," suggested woot. "true," said the hip-po; "and if you do, you'll be as disappointed as i am. that's some comfort, anyhow." the travelers looked at the beast, and then they looked across the ditch at the level plain beyond. on the other side the grass had grown tall, and the sun had dried it, so there was a fine crop of hay that only needed to be cut and stacked. "why don't you cross over and eat hay?" the boy asked the beast. "i'm not fond of hay," replied the hip-po-gy-raf; "straw is much more delicious, to my notion, and it's more scarce in this neighborhood, too. also i must confess that i can't get across the ditch, for my body is too heavy and clumsy for me to jump the distance. i can stretch my neck across, though, and you will notice that i've nibbled the hay on the farther edge--not because i liked it, but because one must eat, and if one can't get the sort of food he desires, he must take what is offered or go hungry." "ah, i see you are a philosopher," remarked the scarecrow. "no, i'm just a hip-po-gy-raf," was the reply. polychrome was not afraid of the big beast. she danced close to him and said: "if you can stretch your neck across the ditch, why not help us over? we can sit on your big head, one at a time, and then you can lift us across." "yes; i _can_, it is true," answered the hip-po; "but i refuse to do it. unless--" he added, and stopped short. "unless what?" asked polychrome. "unless you first allow me to eat the straw with which the scarecrow is stuffed." "no," said the rainbow's daughter, "that is too high a price to pay. our friend's straw is nice and fresh, for he was restuffed only a little while ago." "i know," agreed the hip-po-gy-raf. "that's why i want it. if it was old, musty straw, i wouldn't care for it." "_please_ lift us across," pleaded polychrome. "no," replied the beast; "since you refuse my generous offer, i can be as stubborn as you are." after that they were all silent for a time, but then the scarecrow said bravely: "friends, let us agree to the beast's terms. give him my straw, and carry the rest of me with you across the ditch. once on the other side, the tin soldier can cut some of the hay with his sharp sword, and you can stuff me with that material until we reach a place where there is straw. it is true i have been stuffed with straw all my life and it will be somewhat humiliating to be filled with common hay, but i am willing to sacrifice my pride in a good cause. moreover, to abandon our errand and so deprive the great emperor of the winkies--or this noble soldier--of his bride, would be equally humiliating, if not more so." "you're a very honest and clever man!" exclaimed the hip-po-gy-raf, admiringly. "when i have eaten your head, perhaps i also will become clever." "you're not to eat my head, you know," returned the scarecrow hastily. "my head isn't stuffed with straw and i cannot part with it. when one loses his head he loses his brains." "very well, then; you may keep your head," said the beast. the scarecrow's companions thanked him warmly for his loyal sacrifice to their mutual good, and then he laid down and permitted them to pull the straw from his body. as fast as they did this, the hip-po-gy-raf ate up the straw, and when all was consumed polychrome made a neat bundle of the clothes and boots and gloves and hat and said she would carry them, while woot tucked the scarecrow's head under his arm and promised to guard its safety. "now, then," said the tin woodman, "keep your promise, beast, and lift us over the ditch." "m-m-m-mum, but that was a fine dinner!" said the hip-po, smacking his thick lips in satisfaction, "and i'm as good as my word. sit on my head, one at a time, and i'll land you safely on the other side." he approached close to the edge of the ditch and squatted down. polychrome climbed over his big body and sat herself lightly upon the flat head, holding the bundle of the scarecrow's raiment in her hand. slowly the elastic neck stretched out until it reached the far side of the ditch, when the beast lowered his head and permitted the beautiful fairy to leap to the ground. woot made the queer journey next, and then the tin soldier and the tin woodman went over, and all were well pleased to have overcome this serious barrier to their progress. "now, soldier, cut the hay," said the scarecrow's head, which was still held by woot the wanderer. "i'd like to, but i can't stoop over, with my bent leg, without falling," replied captain fyter. "what can we do about that leg, anyhow?" asked woot, appealing to polychrome. she danced around in a circle several times without replying, and the boy feared she had not heard him; but the rainbow's daughter was merely thinking upon the problem, and presently she paused beside the tin soldier and said: "i've been taught a little fairy magic, but i've never before been asked to mend tin legs with it, so i'm not sure i can help you. it all depends on the good will of my unseen fairy guardians, so i'll try, and if i fail, you will be no worse off than you are now." [illustration] she danced around the circle again, and then laid both hands upon the twisted tin leg and sang in her sweet voice: "fairy powers, come to my aid! this bent leg of tin is made; make it straight and strong and true, and i'll render thanks to you." "ah!" murmured captain fyter in a glad voice, as she withdrew her hands and danced away, and they saw he was standing straight as ever, because his leg was as shapely and strong as it had been before his accident. the tin woodman had watched polychrome with much interest, and he now said: "please take the dent out of my side, poly, for i am more crippled than was the soldier." so the rainbow's daughter touched his side lightly and sang: "here's a dent by accident; such a thing was never meant. fairy powers, so wondrous great, make our dear tin woodman straight!" "good!" cried the emperor, again standing erect and strutting around to show his fine figure. "your fairy magic may not be able to accomplish all things, sweet polychrome, but it works splendidly on tin. thank you very much." "the hay--the hay!" pleaded the scarecrow's head. "oh, yes; the hay," said woot. "what are you waiting for, captain fyter?" at once the tin soldier set to work cutting hay with his sword and in a few minutes there was quite enough with which to stuff the scarecrow's body. woot and polychrome did this and it was no easy task because the hay packed together more than straw and as they had little experience in such work their job, when completed, left the scarecrow's arms and legs rather bunchy. also there was a hump on his back which made woot laugh and say it reminded him of a camel, but it was the best they could do and when the head was fastened on to the body they asked the scarecrow how he felt. "a little heavy, and not quite natural," he cheerfully replied; "but i'll get along somehow until we reach a straw-stack. don't laugh at me, please, because i'm a little ashamed of myself and i don't want to regret a good action." they started at once in the direction of mount munch, and as the scarecrow proved very clumsy in his movements, woot took one of his arms and the tin woodman the other and so helped their friend to walk in a straight line. and the rainbow's daughter, as before, danced ahead of them and behind them and all around them, and they never minded her odd ways, because to them she was like a ray of sunshine. [illustration] over night [illustration] chapter the land of the munchkins is full of surprises, as our travelers had already learned, and although mount munch was constantly growing larger as they advanced toward it, they knew it was still a long way off and were not certain, by any means, that they had escaped all danger or encountered their last adventure. the plain was broad, and as far as the eye could see, there seemed to be a level stretch of country between them and the mountain, but toward evening they came upon a hollow, in which stood a tiny blue munchkin dwelling with a garden around it and fields of grain filling in all the rest of the hollow. they did not discover this place until they came close to the edge of it, and they were astonished at the sight that greeted them because they had imagined that this part of the plain had no inhabitants. "it's a very small house," woot declared. "i wonder who lives there?" "the way to find out is to knock on the door and ask," replied the tin woodman. "perhaps it is the home of nimmie amee." "is she a dwarf?" asked the boy. "no, indeed; nimmie amee is a full sized woman." "then i'm sure she couldn't live in that little house," said woot. "let's go down," suggested the scarecrow. "i'm almost sure i can see a straw-stack in the back yard." they descended the hollow, which was rather steep at the sides, and soon came to the house, which was indeed rather small. woot knocked upon a door that was not much higher than his waist, but got no reply. he knocked again, but not a sound was heard. "smoke is coming out of the chimney," announced polychrome, who was dancing lightly through the garden, where cabbages and beets and turnips and the like were growing finely. "then someone surely lives here," said woot, and knocked again. now a window at the side of the house opened and a queer head appeared. it was white and hairy and had a long snout and little round eyes. the ears were hidden by a blue sunbonnet tied under the chin. "oh; it's a pig!" exclaimed woot. "pardon me; i am mrs. squealina swyne, wife of professor grunter swyne, and this is our home," said the one in the window. "what do you want?" "what sort of a professor is your husband?" inquired the tin woodman curiously. "he is professor of cabbage culture and corn perfection. he is very famous in his own family, and would be the wonder of the world if he went abroad," said mrs. swyne in a voice that was half proud and half irritable. "i must also inform you intruders that the professor is a dangerous individual, for he files his teeth every morning until they are sharp as needles. if you are butchers, you'd better run away and avoid trouble." "we are not butchers," the tin woodman assured her. "then what are you doing with that axe? and why has the other tin man a sword?" "they are the only weapons we have to defend our friends from their enemies," explained the emperor of the winkies, and woot added: "do not be afraid of us, mrs. swyne, for we are harmless travelers. the tin men and the scarecrow never eat anything and polychrome feasts only on dewdrops. as for me, i'm rather hungry, but there is plenty of food in your garden to satisfy me." professor swyne now joined his wife at the window, looking rather scared in spite of the boy's assuring speech. he wore a blue munchkin hat, with pointed crown and broad brim, and big spectacles covered his eyes. he peeked around from behind his wife and after looking hard at the strangers, he said: "my wisdom assures me that you are merely travelers, as you say, and not butchers. butchers have reason to be afraid of me, but you are safe. we cannot invite you in, for you are too big for our house, but the boy who eats is welcome to all the carrots and turnips he wants. make yourselves at home in the garden and stay all night, if you like; but in the morning you must go away, for we are quiet people and do not care for company." "may i have some of your straw?" asked the scarecrow. "help yourself," replied professor swyne. "for pigs, they're quite respectable," remarked woot, as they all went toward the straw-stack. "i'm glad they didn't invite us in," said captain fyter. "i hope i'm not too particular about my associates, but i draw the line at pigs." the scarecrow was glad to be rid of his hay, for during the long walk it had sagged down and made him fat and squatty and more bumpy than at first. "i'm not specially proud," he said, "but i love a manly figure, such as only straw stuffing can create. i've not felt like myself since that hungry hip-po ate my last straw." polychrome and woot set to work removing the hay and then they selected the finest straw, crisp and golden, and with it stuffed the scarecrow anew. he certainly looked better after the operation, and he was so pleased at being reformed that he tried to dance a little jig, and almost succeeded. [illustration] "i shall sleep under the straw-stack tonight," woot decided, after he had eaten some of the vegetables from the garden, and in fact he slept very well, with the two tin men and the scarecrow sitting silently beside him and polychrome away somewhere in the moonlight dancing her fairy dances. at daybreak the tin woodman and the tin soldier took occasion to polish their bodies and oil their joints, for both were exceedingly careful of their personal appearance. they had forgotten the quarrel due to their accidental bumping of one another in the invisible country, and being now good friends the tin woodman polished the tin soldier's back for him and then the tin soldier polished the tin woodman's back. for breakfast the wanderer ate crisp lettuce and radishes, and the rainbow's daughter, who had now returned to her friends, sipped the dewdrops that had formed on the petals of the wild-flowers. as they passed the little house to renew their journey, woot called out: "good-bye, mr. and mrs. swyne!" the window opened and the two pigs looked out. "a pleasant journey," said the professor. "have you any children?" asked the scarecrow, who was a great friend of children. "we have nine," answered the professor; "but they do not live with us, for when they were tiny piglets the wizard of oz came here and offered to care for them and to educate them. so we let him have our nine tiny piglets, for he's a good wizard and can be relied upon to keep his promises." "i know the nine tiny piglets," said the tin woodman. "so do i," said the scarecrow. "they still live in the emerald city, and the wizard takes good care of them and teaches them to do all sorts of tricks." "did they ever grow up?" inquired mrs. squealina swyne, in an anxious voice. "no," answered the scarecrow; "like all other children in the land of oz, they will always remain children, and in the case of the tiny piglets that is a good thing, because they would not be nearly so cute and cunning if they were bigger." "but are they happy?" asked mrs. swyne. "everyone in the emerald city is happy," said the tin woodman. "they can't help it." then the travelers said good-bye, and climbed the side of the basin that was toward mount munch. polychrome's magic [illustration] chapter on this morning, which ought to be the last of this important journey, our friends started away as bright and cheery as could be, and woot whistled a merry tune so that polychrome could dance to the music. on reaching the top of the hill, the plain spread out before them in all its beauty of blue grasses and wildflowers, and mount munch seemed much nearer than it had the previous evening. they trudged on at a brisk pace, and by noon the mountain was so close that they could admire its appearance. its slopes were partly clothed with pretty evergreens, and its foot-hills were tufted with a slender waving bluegrass that had a tassel on the end of every blade. and, for the first time, they perceived, near the foot of the mountain, a charming house, not of great size but neatly painted and with many flowers surrounding it and vines climbing over the doors and windows. it was toward this solitary house that our travelers now directed their steps, thinking to inquire of the people who lived there where nimmie amee might be found. there were no paths, but the way was quite open and clear, and they were drawing near to the dwelling when woot the wanderer, who was then in the lead of the little party, halted with such an abrupt jerk that he stumbled over backward and lay flat on his back in the meadow. the scarecrow stopped to look at the boy. "why did you do that?" he asked in surprise. woot sat up and gazed around him in amazement. "i--i don't know!" he replied. the two tin men, arm in arm, started to pass them, when both halted and tumbled, with a great clatter, into a heap beside woot. polychrome, laughing at the absurd sight, came dancing up and she, also, came to a sudden stop, but managed to save herself from falling. everyone of them was much astonished, and the scarecrow said with a puzzled look: "i don't see anything." "nor i," said woot; "but something hit me, just the same." "some invisible person struck me a heavy blow," declared the tin woodman, struggling to separate himself from the tin soldier, whose legs and arms were mixed with his own. "i'm not sure it was a person," said polychrome, looking more grave than usual. "it seems to me that i merely ran into some hard substance which barred my way. in order to make sure of this, let me try another place." she ran back a way and then with much caution advanced in a different place, but when she reached a position on a line with the others she halted, her arms outstretched before her. [illustration] "i can feel something hard--something smooth as glass," she said, "but i'm sure it is not glass." "let me try," suggested woot, getting up; but when he tried to go forward, he discovered the same barrier that polychrome had encountered. "no," he said, "it isn't glass. but what is it?" "air," replied a small voice beside him. "solid air; that's all." they all looked downward and found a sky-blue rabbit had stuck his head out of a burrow in the ground. the rabbit's eyes were a deeper blue than his fur, and the pretty creature seemed friendly and unafraid. "air!" exclaimed woot, staring in astonishment into the rabbit's blue eyes; "whoever heard of air so solid that one cannot push it aside?" "you can't push _this_ air aside," declared the rabbit, "for it was made hard by powerful sorcery, and it forms a wall that is intended to keep people from getting to that house yonder." "oh; it's a wall, is it?" said the tin woodman. "yes, it is really a wall," answered the rabbit, "and it is fully six feet thick." "how high is it?" inquired captain fyter, the tin soldier. "oh, ever so high; perhaps a mile," said the rabbit. "couldn't we go around it?" asked woot. "of course, for the wall is a circle," explained the rabbit. "in the center of the circle stands the house, so you may walk around the wall of solid air, but you can't get to the house." "who put the air wall around the house?" was the scarecrow's question. "nimmie amee did that." "nimmie amee!" they all exclaimed in surprise. "yes," answered the rabbit. "she used to live with an old witch, who was suddenly destroyed, and when nimmie amee ran away from the witch's house, she took with her just one magic formula--pure sorcery it was--which enabled her to build this air wall around her house--the house yonder. it was quite a clever idea, i think, for it doesn't mar the beauty of the landscape, solid air being invisible, and yet it keeps all strangers away from the house." "does nimmie amee live there now?" asked the tin woodman anxiously. "yes, indeed," said the rabbit. "and does she weep and wail from morning till night?" continued the emperor. "no; she seems quite happy," asserted the rabbit. the tin woodman seemed quite disappointed to hear this report of his old sweetheart, but the scarecrow reassured his friend, saying: [illustration] "never mind, your majesty; however happy nimmie amee is now, i'm sure she will be much happier as empress of the winkies." "perhaps," said captain fyter, somewhat stiffly, "she will be still more happy to become the bride of a tin soldier." "she shall choose between us, as we have agreed," the tin woodman promised; "but how shall we get to the poor girl?" polychrome, although dancing lightly back and forth, had listened to every word of the conversation. now she came forward and sat herself down just in front of the blue rabbit, her many-hued draperies giving her the appearance of some beautiful flower. the rabbit didn't back away an inch. instead, he gazed at the rainbow's daughter admiringly. "does your burrow go underneath this wall of air?" asked polychrome. "to be sure," answered the blue rabbit; "i dug it that way so i could roam in these broad fields, by going out one way, or eat the cabbages in nimmie amee's garden by leaving my burrow at the other end. i don't think nimmie amee ought to mind the little i take from her garden, or the hole i've made under her magic wall. a rabbit may go and come as he pleases, but no one who is bigger than i am could get through my burrow." "will you allow us to pass through it, if we are able to?" inquired polychrome. "yes, indeed," answered the blue rabbit. "i'm no especial friend of nimmie amee, for once she threw stones at me, just because i was nibbling some lettuce, and only yesterday she yelled 'shoo!' at me, which made me nervous. you're welcome to use my burrow in any way you choose." "but this is all nonsense!" declared woot the wanderer. "we are every one too big to crawl through a rabbit's burrow." "we are too big _now_," agreed the scarecrow, "but you must remember that polychrome is a fairy, and fairies have many magic powers." woot's face brightened as he turned to the lovely daughter of the rainbow. "could you make us all as small as that rabbit?" he asked eagerly. "i can try," answered polychrome, with a smile. and presently she did it--so easily that woot was not the only one astonished. as the now tiny people grouped themselves before the rabbit's burrow the hole appeared to them like the entrance to a tunnel, which indeed it was. "i'll go first," said wee polychrome, who had made herself grow as small as the others, and into the tunnel she danced without hesitation. a tiny scarecrow went next and then the two funny little tin men. "walk in; it's your turn," said the blue rabbit to woot the wanderer. "i'm coming after, to see how you get along. this will be a regular surprise party to nimmie amee." so woot entered the hole and felt his way along its smooth sides in the dark until he finally saw the glimmer of daylight ahead and knew the journey was almost over. had he remained his natural size, the distance could have been covered in a few steps, but to a thumb-high woot it was quite a promenade. when he emerged from the burrow he found himself but a short distance from the house, in the center of the vegetable garden, where the leaves of rhubarb waving above his head seemed like trees. outside the hole, and waiting for him, he found all his friends. "so far, so good!" remarked the scarecrow cheerfully. "yes; _so far_, but no farther," returned the tin woodman in a plaintive and disturbed tone of voice. "i am now close to nimmie amee, whom i have come ever so far to seek, but i cannot ask the girl to marry such a little man as i am now." "i'm no bigger than a toy soldier!" said captain fyter, sorrowfully. "unless polychrome can make us big again, there is little use in our visiting nimmie amee at all, for i'm sure she wouldn't care for a husband she might carelessly step on and ruin." polychrome laughed merrily. "if i make you big, you can't get out of here again," said she, "and if you remain little nimmie amee will laugh at you. so make your choice." "i think we'd better go back," said woot seriously. "no," said the tin woodman, stoutly, "i have decided that it's my duty to make nimmie amee happy, in case she wishes to marry me." "so have i," announced captain fyter. "a good soldier never shrinks from doing his duty." "as for that," said the scarecrow, "tin doesn't shrink any to speak of, under any circumstances. but woot and i intend to stick to our comrades, whatever they decide to do, so we will ask polychrome to make us as big as we were before." polychrome agreed to this request and in half a minute all of them, including herself, had been enlarged again to their natural sizes. they then thanked the blue rabbit for his kind assistance, and at once approached the house of nimmie amee. nimmie amee [illustration] chapter we may be sure that at this moment our friends were all anxious to see the end of the adventure that had caused them so many trials and troubles. perhaps the tin woodman's heart did not beat any faster, because it was made of red velvet and stuffed with sawdust, and the tin soldier's heart was made of tin and reposed in his tin bosom without a hint of emotion. however, there is little doubt that they both knew that a critical moment in their lives had arrived, and that nimmie amee's decision was destined to influence the future of one or the other. as they assumed their natural sizes and the rhubarb leaves that had before towered above their heads now barely covered their feet, they looked around the garden and found that no person was visible save themselves. no sound of activity came from the house, either, but they walked to the front door, which had a little porch built before it, and there the two tinmen stood side by side while both knocked upon the door with their tin knuckles. as no one seemed eager to answer the summons they knocked again; and then again. finally they heard a stir from within and someone coughed. "who's there?" called a girl's voice. "it's i!" cried the tin twins, together. "how did you get there?" asked the voice. they hesitated how to reply, so woot answered for them: "by means of magic." "oh," said the unseen girl. "are you friends, or foes?" "friends!" they all exclaimed. then they heard footsteps approach the door, which slowly opened and revealed a very pretty munchkin girl standing in the doorway. "nimmie amee!" cried the tin twins. "that's my name," replied the girl, looking at them in cold surprise. "but who can _you_ be?" "don't you know me, nimmie?" said the tin woodman. "i'm your old sweetheart, nick chopper!" "don't you know _me_, my dear?" said the tin soldier. "i'm your old sweetheart, captain fyter!" nimmie amee smiled at them both. then she looked beyond them at the rest of the party and smiled again. however, she seemed more amused than pleased. "come in," she said, leading the way inside. "even sweethearts are forgotten after a time, but you and your friends are welcome." the room they now entered was cosy and comfortable, being neatly furnished and well swept and dusted. but they found someone there besides nimmie amee. a man dressed in the attractive munchkin costume was lazily reclining in an easy chair, and he sat up and turned his eyes on the visitors with a cold and indifferent stare that was almost insolent. he did not even rise from his seat to greet the strangers, but after glaring at them he looked away with a scowl, as if they were of too little importance to interest him. the tin men returned this man's stare with interest, but they did not look away from him because neither of them seemed able to take his eyes off this munchkin, who was remarkable in having one tin arm--quite like their own tin arms. "seems to me," said captain fyter, in a voice that sounded harsh and indignant, "that you, sir, are a vile impostor!" "gently--gently!" cautioned the scarecrow; "don't be rude to strangers, captain." "rude?" shouted the tin soldier, now very much provoked; "why, he's a scoundrel--a thief! _the villain is wearing my own head!_" "yes," added the tin woodman, "and he's wearing my right arm! i can recognize it by the two warts on the little finger." "good gracious!" exclaimed woot. "then this must be the man whom old ku-klip patched together and named chopfyt." the man now turned toward them, still scowling. [illustration] "yes, that is my name," he said in a voice like a growl, "and it is absurd for you tin creatures, or for anyone else, to claim my head, or arm, or any part of me, for they are my personal property." "you? you're a nobody!" shouted captain fyter. [illustration] "you're just a mix-up," declared the emperor. "now, now, gentlemen," interrupted nimmie amee, "i must ask you to be more respectful to poor chopfyt. for, being my guests, it is not polite for you to insult my husband." "your husband!" the tin twins exclaimed in dismay. "yes," said she. "i married chopfyt a long time ago, because my other two sweethearts had deserted me." this reproof embarrassed both nick chopper and captain fyter. they looked down, shamefaced, for a moment, and then the tin woodman explained in an earnest voice: "i rusted." "so did i," said the tin soldier. "i could not know that, of course," asserted nimmie amee. "all i knew was that neither of you came to marry me, as you had promised to do. but men are not scarce in the land of oz. after i came here to live, i met mr. chopfyt, and he was the more interesting because he reminded me strongly of both of you, as you were before you became tin. he even had a tin arm, and that reminded me of you the more." "no wonder!" remarked the scarecrow. "but, listen, nimmie amee!" said the astonished woot; "he really _is_ both of them, for he is made of their cast-off parts." "oh, you're quite wrong," declared polychrome, laughing, for she was greatly enjoying the confusion of the others. "the tin men are still themselves, as they will tell you, and so chopfyt must be someone else." they looked at her bewildered, for the facts in the case were too puzzling to be grasped at once. "it is all the fault of old ku-klip," muttered the tin woodman. "he had no right to use our cast-off parts to make another man with." "it seems he did it, however," said nimmie amee calmly, "and i married him because he resembled you both. i won't say he is a husband to be proud of, because he has a mixed nature and isn't always an agreeable companion. there are times when i have to chide him gently, both with my tongue and with my broomstick. but he is my husband, and i must make the best of him." "if you don't like him," suggested the tin woodman, "captain fyter and i can chop him up with our axe and sword, and each take such parts of the fellow as belong to him. then we are willing for you to select one of us as your husband." "that is a good idea," approved captain fyter, drawing his sword. "no," said nimmie amee; "i think i'll keep the husband i now have. he is now trained to draw the water and carry in the wood and hoe the cabbages and weed the flower-beds and dust the furniture and perform many tasks of a like character. a new husband would have to be scolded--and gently chided--until he learns my ways. so i think it will be better to keep my chopfyt, and i see no reason why you should object to him. you two gentlemen threw him away when you became tin, because you had no further use for him, so you cannot justly claim him now. i advise you to go back to your own homes and forget me, as i have forgotten you." "good advice!" laughed polychrome, dancing. "are you happy?" asked the tin soldier. "of course i am," said nimmie amee; "i'm the mistress of all i survey--the queen of my little domain." "wouldn't you like to be the empress of the winkies?" asked the tin woodman. "mercy, no," she answered. "that would be a lot of bother. i don't care for society, or pomp, or posing. all i ask is to be left alone and not to be annoyed by visitors." the scarecrow nudged woot the wanderer. "that sounds to me like a hint," he said. "looks as if we'd had our journey for nothing," remarked woot, who was a little ashamed and disappointed because he had proposed the journey. "i am glad, however," said the tin woodman, "that i have found nimmie amee, and discovered that she is already married and happy. it will relieve me of any further anxiety concerning her." "for my part," said the tin soldier, "i am not sorry to be free. the only thing that really annoys me is finding my head upon chopfyt's body." "as for that, i'm pretty sure it is _my_ body, or a part of it, anyway," remarked the emperor of the winkies. "but never mind, friend soldier; let us be willing to donate our cast-off members to insure the happiness of nimmie amee, and be thankful it is not our fate to hoe cabbages and draw water--and be chided--in the place of this creature chopfyt." "yes," agreed the soldier, "we have much to be thankful for." polychrome, who had wandered outside, now poked her pretty head through an open window and exclaimed in a pleased voice: "it's getting cloudy. perhaps it is going to rain!" through the tunnel [illustration] chapter it didn't rain just then, although the clouds in the sky grew thicker and more threatening. polychrome hoped for a thunder-storm, followed by her rainbow, but the two tin men did not relish the idea of getting wet. they even preferred to remain in nimmie amee's house, although they felt they were not welcome there, rather than go out and face the coming storm. but the scarecrow, who was a very thoughtful person, said to his friends: "if we remain here until after the storm, and polychrome goes away on her rainbow, then we will be prisoners inside the wall of solid air; so it seems best to start upon our return journey at once. if i get wet, my straw stuffing will be ruined, and if you two tin gentlemen get wet, you may perhaps rust again, and become useless. but even that is better than to stay here. once we are free of the barrier, we have woot the wanderer to help us, and he can oil your joints and restuff my body, if it becomes necessary, for the boy is made of meat, which neither rusts nor gets soggy or moldy." "come along, then!" cried polychrome from the window, and the others, realizing the wisdom of the scarecrow's speech, took leave of nimmie amee, who was glad to be rid of them, and said good-bye to her husband, who merely scowled and made no answer, and then they hurried from the house. "your old parts are not very polite, i must say," remarked the scarecrow, when they were in the garden. "no," said woot, "chopfyt is a regular grouch. he might have wished us a pleasant journey, at the very least." "i beg you not to hold us responsible for that creature's actions," pleaded the tin woodman. "we are through with chopfyt and shall have nothing further to do with him." polychrome danced ahead of the party and led them straight to the burrow of the blue rabbit, which they might have had some difficulty in finding without her. there she lost no time in making them all small again. the blue rabbit was busy nibbling cabbage leaves in nimmie amee's garden, so they did not ask his permission but at once entered the burrow. even now the raindrops were beginning to fall, but it was quite dry inside the tunnel and by the time they had reached the other end, outside the circular wall of solid air, the storm was at its height and the rain was coming down in torrents. "let us wait here," proposed polychrome, peering out of the hole and then quickly retreating. "the rainbow won't appear until after the storm and i can make you big again in a jiffy, before i join my sisters on our bow." "that's a good plan," said the scarecrow approvingly. "it will save me from getting soaked and soggy." "it will save me from rusting," said the tin soldier. "it will enable me to remain highly polished," said the tin woodman. "oh, as for that, i myself prefer not to get my pretty clothes wet," laughed the rainbow's daughter. "but while we wait i will bid you all adieu. i must also thank you for saving me from that dreadful giantess, mrs. yoop. you have been good and patient comrades and i have enjoyed our adventures together, but i am never so happy as when on my dear rainbow." "will your father scold you for getting left on the earth?" asked woot. "i suppose so," said polychrome gaily; "i'm always getting scolded for my mad pranks, as they are called. my sisters are so sweet and lovely and proper that they never dance off our rainbow, and so they never have any adventures. adventures to me are good fun, only i never like to stay too long on earth, because i really don't belong here. i shall tell my father the rainbow that i'll try not to be so careless again, and he will forgive me because in our sky mansions there is always joy and happiness." they were indeed sorry to part with their dainty and beautiful companion and assured her of their devotion if they ever chanced to meet again. she shook hands with the scarecrow and the tin men and kissed woot the wanderer lightly upon his forehead. and then the rain suddenly ceased, and as the tiny people left the burrow of the blue rabbit, a glorious big rainbow appeared in the sky and the end of its arch slowly descended and touched the ground just where they stood. woot was so busy watching a score of lovely maidens--sisters of polychrome--who were leaning over the edge of the bow, and another score who danced gaily amid the radiance of the splendid hues, that he did not notice he was growing big again. but now polychrome joined her sisters on the rainbow and the huge arch lifted and slowly melted away as the sun burst from the clouds and sent its own white beams dancing over the meadows. "why, she's gone!" exclaimed the boy, and turned to see his companions still waving their hands in token of adieu to the vanished polychrome. [illustration] the curtain falls [illustration] chapter well, the rest of the story is quickly told, for the return journey of our adventurers was without any important incident. the scarecrow was so afraid of meeting the hip-po-gy-raf, and having his straw eaten again, that he urged his comrades to select another route to the emerald city, and they willingly consented, so that the invisible country was wholly avoided. of course, when they reached the emerald city their first duty was to visit ozma's palace, where they were royally entertained. the tin soldier and woot the wanderer were welcomed as warmly as any strangers might be who had been the traveling companions of ozma's dear old friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman. at the banquet table that evening they related the manner in which they had discovered nimmie amee, and told how they had found her happily married to chopfyt, whose relationship to nick chopper and captain fyter was so bewildering that they asked ozma's advice what to do about it. "you need not consider chopfyt at all," replied the beautiful girl ruler of oz. "if nimmie amee is content with that misfit man for a husband, we have not even just cause to blame ku-klip for gluing him together." "i think it was a very good idea," added little dorothy, "for if ku-klip hadn't used up your cast-off parts, they would have been wasted. it's wicked to be wasteful, isn't it?" "well, anyhow," said woot the wanderer, "chopfyt, being kept a prisoner by his wife, is too far away from anyone to bother either of you tin men in any way. if you hadn't gone where he is and discovered him, you would never have worried about him." "what do you care, anyhow," betsy bobbin asked the tin woodman, "so long as nimmie amee is satisfied?" "and just to think," remarked tiny trot, "that any girl would rather live with a mixture like chopfyt, on far-away mount munch, than to be the empress of the winkies!" "it is her own choice," said the tin woodman contentedly; "and, after all, i'm not sure the winkies would care to have an empress." it puzzled ozma, for a time, to decide what to do with the tin soldier. if he went with the tin woodman to the emperor's castle, she felt that the two tin men might not be able to live together in harmony, and moreover the emperor would not be so distinguished if he had a double constantly beside him. so she asked captain fyter if he was willing to serve her as a soldier, and he promptly declared that nothing would please him more. after he had been in her service for some time, ozma sent him into the gillikin country, with instructions to keep order among the wild people who inhabit some parts of that unknown country of oz. as for woot, being a wanderer by profession, he was allowed to wander wherever he desired, and ozma promised to keep watch over his future journeys and to protect the boy as well as she was able, in case he ever got into more trouble. all this having been happily arranged, the tin woodman returned to his tin castle, and his chosen comrade, the scarecrow, accompanied him on the way. the two friends were sure to pass many pleasant hours together in talking over their recent adventures, for as they neither ate nor slept they found their greatest amusement in conversation. the end [illustration] [illustration: book end] [illustration: book cover] [illustration: this book belongs to] [illustration: the road to oz] [illustration: calling on jack pumpkinhead see chapter ] the road to oz by l. frank baum author of the land of oz, ozma of oz, dorothy and the wizard in oz, etc. [illustration] illustrated by john r. neill chicago the reilly & britton co. publishers [illustration: copyright by l frank baum all rights reserved] [illustration: _l'istesso tempo_ to my first grandson joslyn stanton baum] to my readers: well, my dears, here is what you have asked for: another "oz book" about dorothy's strange adventures. toto is in this story, because you wanted him to be there, and many other characters which you will recognize are in the story, too. indeed, the wishes of my little correspondents have been considered as carefully as possible, and if the story is not exactly as you would have written it yourselves, you must remember that a story has to be a story before it can be written down, and the writer cannot change it much without spoiling it. in the preface to "dorothy and the wizard in oz" i said i would like to write some stories that were not "oz" stories, because i thought i had written about oz long enough; but since that volume was published i have been fairly deluged with letters from children imploring me to "write more about dorothy," and "more about oz," and since i write only to please the children i shall try to respect their wishes. there are some new characters in this book that ought to win your love. i'm very fond of the shaggy man myself, and i think you will like him, too. as for polychrome--the rainbow's daughter--and stupid little button-bright, they seem to have brought a new element of fun into these oz stories, and i am glad i discovered them. yet i am anxious to have you write and tell me how you like them. since this book was written i have received some very remarkable news from the land of oz, which has greatly astonished me. i believe it will astonish you, too, my dears, when you hear it. but it is such a long and exciting story that it must be saved for another book--and perhaps that book will be the last story that will ever be told about the land of oz. l frank baum. _coronado, ._ [illustration] list of chapters the way to butterfield dorothy meets button-bright a queer village king dox the rainbow's daughter the city of beasts the shaggy man's transformation the musicker facing the scoodlers escaping the soup-kettle johnny doit does it the deadly desert crossed the truth pond tik-tok and billina the emperor's tin castle visiting the pumpkin field the royal chariot arrives the emerald city the shaggy man's welcome princess ozma of oz dorothy receives the guests important arrivals the grand banquet the birthday celebration [illustration] the way to butterfield [illustration] "please, miss," said the shaggy man, "can you tell me the road to butterfield?" dorothy looked him over. yes, he was shaggy, all right; but there was a twinkle in his eye that seemed pleasant. "oh, yes," she replied; "i can tell you. but it isn't this road at all." "no?" "you cross the ten-acre lot, follow the lane to the highway, go north to the five branches, and take--let me see--" "to be sure, miss; see as far as butterfield, if you like," said the shaggy man. "you take the branch next the willow stump, i b'lieve; or else the branch by the gopher holes; or else----" "won't any of 'em do, miss?" "'course not, shaggy man. you must take the right road to get to butterfield." "and is that the one by the gopher stump, or----" "dear me!" cried dorothy; "i shall have to show you the way; you're so stupid. wait a minute till i run in the house and get my sunbonnet." the shaggy man waited. he had an oat-straw in his mouth, which he chewed slowly as if it tasted good; but it didn't. there was an apple-tree beside the house, and some apples had fallen to the ground. the shaggy man thought they would taste better than the oat-straw, so he walked over to get some. a little black dog with bright brown eyes dashed out of the farm-house and ran madly toward the shaggy man, who had already picked up three apples and put them in one of the big wide pockets of his shaggy coat. the little dog barked, and made a dive for the shaggy man's leg; but he grabbed the dog by the neck and put it in his big pocket along with the apples. he took more apples, afterward, for many were on the ground; and each one that he tossed into his pocket hit the little dog somewhere upon the head or back, and made him growl. the little dog's name was toto, and he was sorry he had been put in the shaggy man's pocket. [illustration] pretty soon dorothy came out of the house with her sunbonnet, and she called out: "come on, shaggy man, if you want me to show you the road to butterfield." she climbed the fence into the ten-acre lot and he followed her, walking slowly and stumbling over the little hillocks in the pasture as if he was thinking of something else and did not notice them. "my, but you're clumsy!" said the little girl. "are your feet tired?" "no, miss; it's my whiskers; they tire very easily this warm weather," said he. "i wish it would snow; don't you?" "'course not, shaggy man," replied dorothy, giving him a severe look. "if it snowed in august it would spoil the corn and the oats and the wheat; and then uncle henry wouldn't have any crops; and that would make him poor; and----" "never mind," said the shaggy man. "it won't snow, i guess. is this the lane?" "yes," replied dorothy, climbing another fence; "i'll go as far as the highway with you." "thankee, miss; you're very kind for your size, i'm sure," said he gratefully. "it isn't everyone who knows the road to butterfield," dorothy remarked as she tripped along the lane; "but i've driven there many a time with uncle henry, and so i b'lieve i could find it blindfolded." "don't do that, miss," said the shaggy man, earnestly; "you might make a mistake." "i won't," she answered, laughing. "here's the highway. now, it's the second--no, the third turn to the left--or else it's the fourth. let's see. the first one is by the elm tree; and the second is by the gopher holes; and then----" "then what?" he inquired, putting his hands in his coat pockets. toto grabbed a finger and bit it; the shaggy man took his hand out of that pocket quickly, and said "oh!" dorothy did not notice. she was shading her eyes from the sun with her arm, looking anxiously down the road. "come on," she commanded. "it's only a little way farther, so i may as well show you." after a while they came to the place where five roads branched in different directions; dorothy pointed to one, and said: "that's it, shaggy man." "i'm much obliged, miss," he said, and started along another road. "not that one!" she cried; "you're going wrong." he stopped. "i thought you said that other was the road to butterfield," said he, running his fingers through his shaggy whiskers in a puzzled way. "so it is." "but i don't want to go to butterfield, miss." "you don't?" "of course not. i wanted you to show me the road, so i shouldn't go there by mistake." "oh! where _do_ you want to go to, then?" "i'm not particular, miss." this answer astonished the little girl; and it made her provoked, too, to think she had taken all this trouble for nothing. "there are a good many roads here," observed the shaggy man, turning slowly around, like a human windmill. "seems to me a person could go 'most anywhere, from this place." dorothy turned around too, and gazed in surprise. there _were_ a good many roads; more than she had ever seen before. she tried to count them, knowing there ought to be five; but when she had counted seventeen she grew bewildered and stopped, for the roads were as many as the spokes of a wheel and ran in every direction from the place where they stood; so if she kept on counting she was likely to count some of the roads twice. "dear me!" she exclaimed. "there used to be only five roads, highway and all. and now--why, where's the highway, shaggy man?" "can't say, miss," he responded, sitting down upon the ground as if tired with standing. "wasn't it here a minute ago?" "i thought so," she answered, greatly perplexed. "and i saw the gopher holes, too, and the dead stump; but they're not here now. these roads are all strange--and what a lot of them there are! where do you suppose they all go to?" "roads," observed the shaggy man, "don't go anywhere. they stay in one place, so folks can walk on them." he put his hand in his side-pocket and drew out an apple--quick, before toto could bite him again. the little dog got his head out this time and said "bow-wow!" so loudly that it made dorothy jump. "o toto!" she cried; "where did you come from?" "i brought him along," said the shaggy man. "what for?" she asked. "to guard these apples in my pocket, miss, so no one would steal them." with one hand the shaggy man held the apple, which he began eating, while with the other hand he pulled toto out of his pocket and dropped him to the ground. of course toto made for dorothy at once, barking joyfully at his release from the dark pocket. when the child had patted his head lovingly, he sat down before her, his red tongue hanging out one side of his mouth, and looked up into her face with his bright brown eyes, as if asking her what they should do next. dorothy didn't know. she looked around her anxiously for some familiar landmark; but everything was strange. between the branches of the many roads were green meadows and a few shrubs and trees, but she couldn't see anywhere the farm-house from which she had just come, or anything she had ever seen before--except the shaggy man and toto. besides this, she had turned around and around so many times, trying to find out where she was, that now she couldn't even tell which direction the farm-house ought to be in; and this began to worry her and make her feel anxious. "i'm 'fraid, shaggy man," she said, with a sigh, "that we're lost!" "that's nothing to be afraid of," he replied, throwing away the core of his apple and beginning to eat another one. "each of these roads must lead somewhere, or it wouldn't be here. so what does it matter?" "i want to go home again," she said. "well, why don't you?" said he. "i don't know which road to take." "that is too bad," he said, shaking his shaggy head gravely. "i wish i could help you; but i can't. i'm a stranger in these parts." "seems as if i were, too," she said, sitting down beside him. "it's funny. a few minutes ago i was home, and i just came to show you the way to butterfield----" "so i shouldn't make a mistake and go there----" "and now i'm lost myself and don't now how to get home!" "have an apple," suggested the shaggy man, handing her one with pretty red cheeks. "i'm not hungry," said dorothy, pushing it away. "but you may be, to-morrow; then you'll be sorry you didn't eat the apple," said he. "if i am, i'll eat the apple then," promised dorothy. "perhaps there won't be any apple then," he returned, beginning to eat the red-cheeked one himself. "dogs sometimes can find their way home better than people," he went on; "perhaps your dog can lead you back to the farm." "will you, toto?" asked dorothy. toto wagged his tail vigorously. "all right," said the girl; "let's go home." toto looked around a minute, and dashed up one of the roads. "good-bye, shaggy man," called dorothy, and ran after toto. the little dog pranced briskly along for some distance; when he turned around and looked at his mistress questioningly. "oh, don't 'spect _me_ to tell you anything; i don't know the way," she said. "you'll have to find it yourself." but toto couldn't. he wagged his tail, and sneezed, and shook his ears, and trotted back where they had left the shaggy man. from here he started along another road; then came back and tried another; but each time he found the way strange and decided it would not take them to the farm house. finally, when dorothy had begun to tire with chasing after him, toto sat down panting beside the shaggy man and gave up. dorothy sat down, too, very thoughtful. the little girl had encountered some queer adventures since she came to live at the farm; but this was the queerest of them all. to get lost in fifteen minutes, so near to her home and in the unromantic state of kansas, was an experience that fairly bewildered her. "will your folks worry?" asked the shaggy man, his eyes twinkling in a pleasant way. "i s'pose so," answered dorothy, with a sigh. "uncle henry says there's _always_ something happening to me; but i've always come home safe at the last. so perhaps he'll take comfort and think i'll come home safe this time." "i'm sure you will," said the shaggy man, smilingly nodding at her. "good little girls never come to any harm, you know. for my part, i'm good, too; so nothing ever hurts me." dorothy looked at him curiously. his clothes were shaggy, his boots were shaggy and full of holes, and his hair and whiskers were shaggy. but his smile was sweet and his eyes were kind. "why didn't you want to go to butterfield?" she asked. "because a man lives there who owes me fifteen cents, and if i went to butterfield and he saw me he'd want to pay me the money. i don't want money, my dear." "why not?" she inquired. "money," declared the shaggy man, "makes people proud and haughty; i don't want to be proud and haughty. all i want is to have people love me; and as long as i own the love magnet everyone i meet is sure to love me dearly." [illustration: "this, my dear, is the wonderful love magnet."] "the love magnet! why, what's that?" "i'll show you, if you won't tell anyone," he answered, in a low, mysterious voice. "there isn't any one to tell, 'cept toto," said the girl. the shaggy man searched in one pocket, carefully; and in another pocket; and in a third. at last he drew out a small parcel wrapped in crumpled paper and tied with a cotton string. he unwound the string, opened the parcel, and took out a bit of metal shaped like a horseshoe. it was dull and brown, and not very pretty. "this, my dear," said he, impressively, "is the wonderful love magnet. it was given me by an eskimo in the sandwich islands--where there are no sandwiches at all--and as long as i carry it every living thing i meet will love me dearly." "why didn't the eskimo keep it?" she asked, looking at the magnet with interest. "he got tired being loved and longed for some one to hate him. so he gave me the magnet and the very next day a grizzly bear ate him." "wasn't he sorry then?" she inquired. "he didn't say," replied the shaggy man, wrapping and tying the love magnet with great care and putting it away in another pocket. "but the bear didn't seem sorry a bit," he added. "did you know the bear?" asked dorothy. [illustration] "yes; we used to play ball together in the caviar islands. the bear loved me because i had the love magnet. i couldn't blame him for eating the eskimo, because it was his nature to do so." "once," said dorothy, "i knew a hungry tiger who longed to eat fat babies, because it was his nature to; but he never ate any because he had a conscience." "this bear," replied the shaggy man, with a sigh, "had no conscience, you see." the shaggy man sat silent for several minutes, apparently considering the cases of the bear and the tiger, while toto watched him with an air of great interest. the little dog was doubtless thinking of his ride in the shaggy man's pocket and planning to keep out of reach in the future. at last the shaggy man turned and inquired, "what's your name, little girl?" "my name's dorothy," said she, jumping up again, "but what are we going to do? we can't stay here forever, you know." "let's take the seventh road," he suggested. "seven is a lucky number for little girls named dorothy." "the seventh from where?" "from where you begin to count." so she counted seven roads, and the seventh looked just like all the others; but the shaggy man got up from the ground where he had been sitting and started down this road as if sure it was the best way to go; and dorothy and toto followed him. dorothy meets button-bright [illustration] the seventh road was a good road, and curved this way and that--winding through green meadows and fields covered with daisies and buttercups and past groups of shady trees. there were no houses of any sort to be seen, and for some distance they met with no living creature at all. dorothy began to fear they were getting a good way from the _farm-house_, since here everything was strange to her; but it would do no good at all to go back where the other roads all met, because the next one they chose might lead her just as far from home. she kept on beside the shaggy man, who whistled cheerful tunes to beguile the journey, until by-and-by they followed a turn in the road and saw before them a big chestnut tree making a shady spot over the highway. in the shade sat a little boy dressed in sailor clothes, who was digging a hole in the earth with a bit of wood. he must have been digging some time, because the hole was already big enough to drop a foot-ball into. dorothy and toto and the shaggy man came to a halt before the little boy, who kept on digging in a sober and persistent fashion. "who are you?" asked the girl. he looked up at her calmly. his face was round and chubby and his eyes were big, blue, and earnest. "i'm button-bright," said he. "but what's you real name?" she inquired. "button-bright." "that isn't a really-truly name!" she exclaimed. "isn't it?" he asked, still digging. "'course not. it's just a--a thing to call you by. you must have a name." "must i?" "to be sure. what does your mamma call you?" he paused in his digging and tried to think. "papa always said i was bright as a button; so mamma always called me button-bright," he said. "what is your papa's name?" "just papa." "what else?" "don't know." "never mind," said the shaggy man, smiling. "we'll call the boy button-bright, as his mamma does. that name is as good as any, and better than some." dorothy watched the boy dig. "where do you live?" she asked. "don't know," was the reply. "how did you come here?" "don't know," he said again. "don't you know where you came from?" "no," said he. "why, he must be lost," she said to the shaggy man. she turned to the boy once more. "what are you going to do?" she inquired. "dig," said he. "but you can't dig forever; and what are you going to do then?" she persisted. "don't know," said the boy. "but you _must_ know _something_," declared dorothy, getting provoked. "must i?" he asked, looking up in surprise. "of course you must." "what must i know?" "what's going to become of you, for one thing," she answered. "do _you_ know what's going to become of me?" he asked. "not--not 'zactly," she admitted. "do you know what's going to become of _you_?" he continued, earnestly. [illustration] "i can't say i do," replied dorothy, remembering her present difficulties. the shaggy man laughed. "no one knows everything, dorothy," he said. "but button-bright doesn't seem to know _anything_," she declared. "do you, button-bright?" he shook his head, which had pretty curls all over it, and replied with perfect calmness: "don't know." never before had dorothy met with any one who could give her so little information. the boy was evidently lost, and his people would be sure to worry about him. he seemed two or three years younger than dorothy, and was prettily dressed, as if some one loved him dearly and took much pains to make him look well. how, then, did he come to be in this lonely road? she wondered. near button-bright, on the ground, lay a sailor hat with a gilt anchor on the band. his sailor trousers were long and wide at the bottom, and the broad collar of his blouse had gold anchors sewed on its corners. the boy was still digging at his hole. "have you ever been to sea?" asked dorothy. "to see what?" answered button-bright. "i mean have you ever been where there's water?" "yes," said button-bright; "there's a well in our back yard." "you don't understand," cried dorothy. "i mean, have you ever been on a big ship floating on a big ocean?" "don't know," said he. "then why do you wear sailor clothes?" "don't know," he answered, again. dorothy was in despair. "you're just _awful_ stupid, button-bright," she said. "am i?" he asked. "yes, you are." "why?" looking up at her with big eyes. she was going to say: "don't know," but stopped herself in time. "that's for you to answer," she replied. "it's no use asking button-bright questions," said the shaggy man, who had been eating another apple; "but some one ought to take care of the poor little chap, don't you think? so he'd better come along with us." toto had been looking with great curiosity into the hole which the boy was digging, and growing more and more excited every minute, perhaps thinking that button-bright was after some wild animal. the little dog began barking loudly and jumped into the hole himself, where he began to dig with his tiny paws, making the earth fly in all directions. it spattered over the boy. dorothy seized him and raised him to his feet, brushing his clothes with her hand. "stop that, toto!" she called. "there aren't any mice or woodchucks in that hole, so don't be foolish." toto stopped, sniffed at the hole suspiciously, and jumped out of it, wagging his tail as if he had done something important. "well," said the shaggy man, "let's start on, or we won't get anywhere before night comes." "where do you expect to get to?" asked dorothy. "i'm like button-bright; i don't know," answered the shaggy man, with a laugh. "but i've learned from long experience that every road leads somewhere, or there wouldn't be any road; so it's likely that if we travel long enough, my dear, we will come to some place or another in the end. what place it will be we can't even guess at this moment, but we're sure to find out when we get there." "why, yes," said dorothy; "that seems reas'n'ble, shaggy man." [illustration] a queer village [illustration] button-bright took the shaggy man's hand willingly; for the shaggy man had the love magnet, you know, which was the reason button-bright had loved him at once. they started on, with dorothy on one side, and toto on the other, the little party trudging along more cheerfully than you might have supposed. the girl was getting used to queer adventures, which interested her very much. wherever dorothy went toto was sure to go, like mary's little lamb. button-bright didn't seem a bit afraid or worried because he was lost, and the shaggy man had no home, perhaps, and was as happy in one place as in another. before long they saw ahead of them a fine big arch spanning the road, and when they came nearer they found that the arch was beautifully carved and decorated with rich colors. a row of peacocks with spread tails ran along the top of it, and all the feathers were gorgeously painted. in the center was a large fox's head, and the fox wore a shrewd and knowing expression and had large spectacles over its eyes and a small golden crown with shiny points on top of its head. while the travellers were looking with curiosity at this beautiful arch there suddenly marched out of it a company of soldiers--only the soldiers were all foxes dressed in uniforms. they wore green jackets and yellow pantaloons, and their little round caps and their high boots were a bright red color. also there was a big red bow tied about the middle of each long, bushy tail. each soldier was armed with a wooden sword having an edge of sharp teeth set in a row, and the sight of these teeth at first caused dorothy to shudder. a captain marched in front of the company of fox-soldiers, his uniform embroidered with gold braid to make it handsomer than the others. almost before our friends realized it the soldiers had surrounded them on all sides, and the captain was calling out in a harsh voice: "surrender! you are our prisoners." "what's a pris'ner?" asked button-bright. "a prisoner is a captive," replied the fox-captain, strutting up and down with much dignity. "what's a captive?" asked button-bright. "you're one," said the captain. that made the shaggy man laugh. "good afternoon, captain," he said, bowing politely to all the foxes and very low to their commander. "i trust you are in good health, and that your families are all well?" the fox-captain looked at the shaggy man, and his sharp features grew pleasant and smiling. "we're pretty well, thank you, shaggy man," said he; and dorothy knew that the love magnet was working and that all the foxes now loved the shaggy man because of it. but toto didn't know this, for he began barking angrily and tried to bite the captain's hairy leg where it showed between his red boots and his yellow pantaloons. "stop, toto!" cried the little girl, seizing the dog in her arms. "these are our friends." "why, so we are!" remarked the captain in tones of astonishment. "i thought at first we were enemies, but it seems you are friends, instead. you must come with me to see king dox." "who's he?" asked button-bright, with earnest eyes. "king dox of foxville; the great and wise sovereign who rules over our community." [illustration] "what's sov'rin, and what's c'u'nity?" inquired button-bright. "don't ask so many questions, little boy." "why?" "ah, why, indeed?" exclaimed the captain, looking at button-bright admiringly. "if you don't ask questions you will learn nothing. true enough. i was wrong. you're a very clever little boy, come to think of it--very clever indeed. but now, friends, please come with me, for it is my duty to escort you at once to the royal palace." the soldiers marched back through the arch again, and with them marched the shaggy man, dorothy, toto, and button-bright. once through the opening they found a fine, big city spread out before them, all the houses of carved marble in beautiful colors. the decorations were mostly birds and other fowl, such as peacocks, pheasants, turkeys, prairie-chickens, ducks, and geese. over each doorway was carved a head representing the fox who lived in that house, this effect being quite pretty and unusual. as our friends marched along, some of the foxes came out on the porches and balconies to get a view of the strangers. these foxes were all handsomely dressed, the girl-foxes and women-foxes wearing gowns of feathers woven together effectively and colored in bright hues which dorothy thought were quite artistic and decidedly attractive. button-bright stared until his eyes were big and round, and he would have stumbled and fallen more than once had not the shaggy man grasped his hand tightly. they were all interested, and toto was so excited he wanted to bark every minute and to chase and fight every fox he caught sight of; but dorothy held his little wiggling body fast in her arms and commanded him to be good and behave himself. so he finally quieted down, like a wise doggy, deciding there were too many foxes in foxville to fight at one time. by-and-bye they came to a big square, and in the center of the square stood the royal palace. dorothy knew it at once because it had over its great door the carved head of a fox just like the one she had seen on the arch, and this fox was the only one who wore a golden crown. there were many fox-soldiers guarding the door, but they bowed to the captain and admitted him without question. the captain led them through many rooms, where richly dressed foxes were sitting on beautiful chairs or sipping tea, which was being passed around by fox-servants in white aprons. they came to a big doorway covered with heavy curtains of cloth of gold. beside this doorway stood a huge drum. the fox-captain went to this drum and knocked his knees against it--first one knee and then the other--so that the drum said; "boom-boom." "you must all do exactly what i do," ordered the captain; so the shaggy man pounded the drum with his knees, and so did dorothy and so did button-bright. the boy wanted to keep on pounding it with his little fat knees, because he liked the sound of it; but the captain stopped him. toto couldn't pound the drum with his knees and he didn't know enough to wag his tail against it, so dorothy pounded the drum for him and that made him bark, and when the little dog barked the fox-captain scowled. the golden curtains drew back far enough to make an opening, through which marched the captain with the others. the broad, long room they entered was decorated in gold with stained-glass windows of splendid colors. in the center of the room, upon a richly carved golden throne, sat the fox-king, surrounded by a group of other foxes, all of whom wore great spectacles over their eyes, making them look solemn and important. [illustration] dorothy knew the king at once, because she had seen his head carved on the arch and over the doorway of the palace. having met with several other kings in her travels she knew what to do, and at once made a low bow before the throne. the shaggy man bowed, too, and button-bright bobbed his head and said "hello." "most wise and noble potentate of foxville," said the captain, addressing the king in a pompous voice, "i humbly beg to report that i found these strangers on the road leading to your foxy majesty's dominions, and have therefore brought them before you, as is my duty." "so--so," said the king, looking at them keenly. "what brought you here, strangers?" "our legs, may it please your royal hairiness," replied the shaggy man. "what is your business here?" was the next question. "to get away as soon as possible," said the shaggy man. the king didn't know about the magnet, of course; but it made him love the shaggy man at once. "do just as you please about going away," he said; "but i'd like to _show you_ the sights of my city and to entertain your party while you are here. we feel highly honored to have little dorothy with us, i assure you, and we appreciate her kindness in making us a visit. for whatever country dorothy visits is sure to become famous." this speech greatly surprised the little girl, who asked: "how did your majesty know my name?" "why, everybody knows you, my dear," said the fox-king. "don't you realize that? you are quite an important personage since princess ozma of oz made you her friend." "do you know ozma?" she asked, wondering. "i regret to say that i do not," he answered, sadly; "but i hope to meet her soon. you know the princess ozma is to celebrate her birthday on the twenty-first of this month." "is she?" said dorothy. "i didn't know that." "yes; it is to be the most brilliant royal ceremony ever held in any city in fairyland, and i hope you will try to get me an invitation." dorothy thought a moment. "i'm sure ozma would invite you if i asked her," she said; "but how could you get to the land of oz and the emerald city? it's a good way from kansas." "kansas!" he exclaimed, surprised. "why, yes; we are in kansas now, aren't we?" she returned. [illustration] "what a queer notion!" cried the fox-king, beginning to laugh. "whatever made you think this is kansas?" "i left uncle henry's farm only about two hours ago; that's the reason," she said, rather perplexed. "but, tell me, my dear, did you ever see so wonderful a city as foxville in kansas?" he questioned. "no, your majesty." "and haven't you traveled from oz to kansas in less than half a jiffy, by means of the silver shoes and the magic belt?" "yes, your majesty," she acknowledged. "then why do you wonder that an hour or two could bring you to foxville, which is nearer to oz than it is to kansas?" "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy; "is this another fairy adventure?" "it seems to be," said the fox-king, smiling. dorothy turned to the shaggy man, and her face was grave and reproachful. "are you a magician? or a fairy in disguise?" she asked. "did you enchant me when you asked the way to butterfield?" the shaggy man shook his head. "who ever heard of a shaggy fairy?" he replied. "no, dorothy, my dear; i'm not to blame for this journey in any way, i assure you. there's been something strange about me ever since i owned the love magnet; but i don't know what it is any more than you do. i didn't try to get you away from home, at all. if you want to find your way back to the farm i'll go with you willingly, and do my best to help you." "never mind," said the little girl, thoughtfully. "there isn't so much to see in kansas as there is here, and i guess aunt em won't be _very_ much worried; that is, if i don't stay away too long." [illustration: his royal foxiness] "that's right," declared the fox-king, nodding approval. "be contented with your lot, whatever it happens to be, if you are wise. which reminds me that you have a new companion on this adventure--he looks very clever and bright." "he is," said dorothy; and the shaggy man added: "that's his name, your royal foxiness--button bright." king dox [illustration] it was amusing to note the expression on the face of king dox as he looked the boy over, from his sailor hat to his stubby shoes; and it was equally diverting to watch button-bright stare at the king in return. no fox ever beheld a fresher, fairer child's face, and no child had ever before heard a fox talk, or met with one who dressed so handsomely and ruled so big a city. i am sorry to say that no one had ever told the little boy much about fairies of any kind; this being the case, it is easy to understand how much this strange experience startled and astonished him. "how do you like us?" asked the king. "don't know," said button-bright. "of course you don't. it's too short an acquaintance," returned his majesty. "what do you suppose my name is?" "don't know," said button-bright. "how should you? well, i'll tell you. my private name is dox, but a king can't be called by his private name; he has to take one that is official. therefore my official name is king renard the fourth. ren-ard with the accent on the 'ren'." "what's 'ren'?" asked button-bright. "how clever!" exclaimed the king, turning a pleased face toward his counselors. "this boy is indeed remarkably bright. 'what's 'ren''? he asks; and of course 'ren' is nothing at all, all by itself. yes; he's very bright indeed." "that question is what your majesty might call foxy," said one of the counselors, an old grey fox. "so it is," declared the king. turning again to button-bright, he asked: "having told you my name, what would you call me?" "king dox," said the boy. "why?" "'cause 'ren''s nothing at all," was the reply. "good! very good indeed! you certainly have a brilliant mind. do you know why two and two make four?" "no," said button-bright. "clever! clever indeed. of course you don't know. nobody knows why; we only know it's so, and can't tell why it's so. button-bright, those curls and blue eyes do not go well with so much wisdom. they make you look too youthful, and hide your real cleverness. therefore, i will do you a great favor. i will confer upon you the head of a fox, so that you may hereafter look as bright as you really are." [illustration] as he spoke the king waved his paw toward the boy, and at once the pretty curls and fresh round face and big blue eyes were gone, while in their place a fox's head appeared upon button-bright's shoulders--a hairy head with a sharp nose, pointed ears, and keen little eyes. "oh, don't do that!" cried dorothy, shrinking back from her transformed companion with a shocked and dismayed face. "too late, my dear; it's done. but you also shall have a fox's head if you can prove you're as clever as button-bright." "i don't want it; it's dreadful!" she exclaimed; and, hearing this verdict, button-bright began to boo-hoo just as if he were still a little boy. "how can you call that lovely head dreadful?" asked the king. "it's a much prettier face than he had before, to my notion, and my wife says i'm a good judge of beauty. don't cry, little fox-boy. laugh and be proud, because you are so highly favored. how do you like the new head, button-bright?" "d-d-don't n-n-n-know!" sobbed the child. "please, _please_ change him back again, your majesty!" begged dorothy. king renard iv shook his head. "i can't do that," he said; "i haven't the power, even if i wanted to. no, button-bright must wear his fox head, and he'll be sure to love it dearly as soon as he gets used to it." both the shaggy man and dorothy looked grave and anxious, for they were sorrowful that such a misfortune had overtaken their little companion. toto barked at the fox-boy once or twice, not realizing it was his former friend who now wore the animal head; but dorothy cuffed the dog and made him stop. as for the foxes, they all seemed to think button-bright's new head very becoming and that their king had conferred a great honor on this little stranger. it was funny to see the boy reach up to feel of his sharp nose and wide mouth, and wail afresh with grief. he wagged his ears in a comical manner and tears were in his little black eyes. but dorothy couldn't laugh at her friend just yet, because she felt so sorry. just then three little fox-princesses, daughters of the king, entered the room, and when they saw button-bright one exclaimed: "how lovely he is!" and the next one cried in delight: "how sweet he is!" and the third princess clapped her hands with pleasure and said, "how beautiful he is!" button-bright stopped crying and asked timidly: "am i?" "in all the world there is not another face so pretty," declared the biggest fox-princess. "you must live with us always, and be our brother," said the next. "we shall all love you dearly," the third said. this praise did much to comfort the boy, and he looked around and tried to smile. it was a pitiful attempt, because the fox face was new and stiff, and dorothy thought his expression more stupid than before the transformation. "i think we ought to be going now," said the shaggy man, uneasily, for he didn't know what the king might take into his head to do next. "don't leave us yet, i beg of you," pleaded king renard. "i intend to have several days of feasting and merrymaking, in honor of your visit." "have it after we're gone, for we can't wait," said dorothy, decidedly. but seeing this displeased the king, she added: "if i'm going to get ozma to invite you to her party i'll have to find her as soon as poss'ble, you know." in spite of all the beauty of foxville and the gorgeous dresses of its inhabitants, both the girl and the shaggy man felt they were not quite safe there, and would be glad to see the last of it. "but it is now evening," the king reminded them, "and you must stay with us until morning, anyhow. therefore i invite you to be my guests at dinner, and to attend the theater afterward and sit in the royal box. to-morrow morning, if you really insist upon it, you may resume your journey." they consented to this, and some of the fox-servants led them to a suite of lovely rooms in the big palace. button-bright was afraid to be left alone, so dorothy took him into her own room. while a maid-fox dressed the little girl's hair--which was a bit tangled--and put some bright, fresh ribbons in it, another maid-fox combed the hair on poor button-bright's face and head and brushed it carefully, tying a pink bow to each of his pointed ears. the maids wanted to dress the children in fine costumes of woven feathers, such as all the foxes wore; but neither of them consented to that. [illustration] "a sailor suit and a fox head do not go well together," said one of the maids; "for no fox was ever a sailor that i can remember." "i'm not a fox!" cried button-bright. "alas, no," agreed the maid. "but you've got a lovely fox head on your skinny shoulders, and that's _almost_ as good as being a fox." the boy, reminded of his misfortune, began to cry again. dorothy petted and comforted him and promised to find some way to restore him his own head. "if we can manage to get to ozma," she said, "the princess will change you back to yourself in half a second; so you just wear that fox head as comf't'bly as you can, dear, and don't worry about it at all. it isn't nearly as pretty as your own head, no matter what the foxes say; but you can get along with it for a little while longer, can't you?" "don't know," said button-bright, doubtfully; but he didn't cry any more after that. dorothy let the maids pin ribbons to her shoulders, after which they were ready for the king's dinner. when they met the shaggy man in the splendid drawing-room of the palace they found him just the same as before. he had refused to give up his shaggy clothes for new ones, because if he did that he would no longer be the shaggy man, he said, and he might have to get acquainted with himself all over again. he told dorothy he had brushed his shaggy hair and whiskers; but she thought he must have brushed them the wrong way, for they were quite as shaggy as before. as for the company of foxes assembled to dine with the strangers, they were most beautifully costumed, and their rich dresses made dorothy's simple gown and button-bright's sailor suit and the shaggy man's shaggy clothes look commonplace. but they treated their guests with great respect and the king's dinner was a very good dinner indeed. foxes, as you know, are fond of chicken and other fowl; so they served chicken soup and roasted turkey and stewed duck and fried grouse and broiled quail and goose pie, and as the cooking was excellent the king's guests enjoyed the meal and ate heartily of the various dishes. the party went to the theater, where they saw a play acted by foxes dressed in costumes of brilliantly colored feathers. the play was about a fox-girl who was stolen by some wicked wolves and carried to their cave; and just as they were about to kill her and eat her a company of fox-soldiers marched up, saved the girl, and put all the wicked wolves to death. "how do you like it?" the king asked dorothy. "pretty well," she answered. "it reminds me of one of mr. aesop's fables." "don't mention aesop to me, i beg of you!" exclaimed king dox. "i hate that man's name. he wrote a good deal about foxes, but always made them out cruel and wicked, whereas we are gentle and kind, as you may see." "but his fables showed you to be wise and clever, and more shrewd than other animals," said the shaggy man, thoughtfully. [illustration] "so we are. there is no question about our knowing more than men do," replied the king, proudly. "but we employ our wisdom to do good, instead of harm; so that horrid aesop did not know what he was talking about." they did not like to contradict him, because they felt he ought to know the nature of foxes better than men did; so they sat still and watched the play, and button-bright became so interested that for the time he forgot he wore a fox head. afterward they went back to the palace and slept in soft beds stuffed with feathers; for the foxes raised many fowl for food, and used their feathers for clothing and to sleep upon. dorothy wondered why the animals living in foxville did not wear just their own hairy skins, as wild foxes do; when she mentioned it to king dox he said they clothed themselves because they were civilized. "but you were born without clothes," she observed, "and you don't seem to me to need them." "so were human beings born without clothes," he replied; "and until they became civilized they wore only their natural skins. but to become civilized means to dress as elaborately and prettily as possible, and to make a show of your clothes so your neighbors will envy you, and for that reason both civilized foxes and civilized humans spend most of their time dressing themselves." "i don't," declared the shaggy man. "that is true," said the king, looking at him carefully: "but perhaps you are not civilized." after a sound sleep and a good night's rest they had their breakfast with the king and then bade his majesty good-bye. "you've been kind to us--'cept poor button-bright," said dorothy, "and we've had a nice time in foxville." "then," said king dox, "perhaps you'll be good enough to get me an invitation to princess ozma's birthday celebration." "i'll try," she promised; "if i see her in time." "it's on the twenty-first, remember," he continued; "and if you'll just see that i'm invited i'll find a way to cross the dreadful desert into the marvelous land of oz. i've always wanted to visit the emerald city, so i'm sure it was fortunate you arrived here just when you did, you being princess ozma's friend and able to assist me in getting the invitation." "if i see ozma i'll ask her to invite you," she replied. the fox-king had a delightful luncheon put up for them, which the shaggy man shoved in his pocket, and the fox-captain escorted them to an arch at the side of the village opposite the one by which they had entered. here they found more soldiers guarding the road. "are you afraid of enemies?" asked dorothy. "no; because we are watchful and able to protect ourselves," answered the captain. "but this road leads to another village peopled by big, stupid beasts who might cause us trouble if they thought we were afraid of them." "what beasts are they?" asked the shaggy man. the captain hesitated to answer. finally he said: "you will learn all about them when you arrive at their city. but do not be afraid of them. button-bright is so wonderfully clever and has now such an intelligent face that i'm sure he will manage to find a way to protect you." this made dorothy and the shaggy man rather uneasy, for they had not so much confidence in the fox-boy's wisdom as the captain seemed to have. but as their escort would say no more about the beasts, they bade him good-bye and proceeded on their journey. [illustration] the rainbow's daughter [illustration] toto, now allowed to run about as he pleased, was glad to be free again and able to bark at the birds and chase the butterflies. the country around them was charming, yet in the pretty fields of wild-flowers and groves of leafy trees were no houses whatever, or sign of any inhabitants. birds flew through the air and cunning white rabbits darted amongst the tall grasses and green bushes; dorothy noticed even the ants toiling busily along the roadway, bearing gigantic loads of clover seed; but of people there were none at all. they walked briskly on for an hour or two, for even little button-bright was a good walker and did not tire easily. at length as they turned a curve in the road they beheld just before them a curious sight. a little girl, radiant and beautiful, shapely as a fairy and exquisitely dressed, was dancing gracefully in the middle of the lonely road, whirling slowly this way and that, her dainty feet twinkling in sprightly fashion. she was clad in flowing, fluffy robes of soft material that reminded dorothy of woven cobwebs, only it was colored in soft tintings of violet, rose, topaz, olive, azure, and white, mingled together most harmoniously in stripes which melted one into the other with soft blendings. her hair was like spun gold and floated around her in a cloud, no strand being fastened or confined by either pin or ornament or ribbon. filled with wonder and admiration our friends approached and stood watching this fascinating dance. the girl was no taller than dorothy, although more slender; nor did she seem any older than our little heroine. suddenly she paused and abandoned the dance, as if for the first time observing the presence of strangers. as she faced them, shy as a frightened fawn, poised upon one foot as if to fly the next instant, dorothy was astonished to see tears flowing from her violet eyes and trickling down her lovely rose-hued cheeks. that the dainty maiden should dance and weep at the same time was indeed surprising; so dorothy asked in a soft, sympathetic voice: [illustration: polychrome--the rainbow's daughter] "are you unhappy, little girl?" "very!" was the reply; "i am lost." "why, so are we," said dorothy, smiling; "but we don't cry about it." "don't you? why not?" "'cause i've been lost before, and always got found again," answered dorothy, simply. "but i've never been lost before," murmured the dainty maiden, "and i'm worried and afraid." "you were dancing," remarked dorothy, in a puzzled tone of voice. "oh, that was just to keep warm," explained the maiden, quickly. "it was not because i felt happy or gay, i assure you." dorothy looked at her closely. her gauzy flowing robes might not be very warm, yet the weather wasn't at all chilly, but rather mild and balmy, like a spring day. "who are you, dear?" she asked, gently. "i'm polychrome," was the reply. "polly whom?" "polychrome. i'm the daughter of the rainbow." "oh!" said dorothy, with a gasp; "i didn't know the rainbow had children. but i _might_ have known it, before you spoke. you couldn't really be anything else." "why not?" inquired polychrome, as if surprised. "because you're so lovely and sweet." the little maiden smiled through her tears, came up to dorothy, and placed her slender fingers in the kansas girl's chubby hand. "you'll be my friend--won't you?" she said, pleadingly. [illustration] "of course." "and what is your name?" "i'm dorothy; and this is my friend shaggy man, who owns the love magnet; and this is button-bright--only you don't see him as he really is because the fox-king carelessly changed his head into a fox head. but the real button-bright is good to look at, and i hope to get him changed back to himself, some time." the rainbow's daughter nodded cheerfully, no longer afraid of her new companions. "but who is this?" she asked, pointing to toto, who was sitting before her wagging his tail in the most friendly manner and admiring the pretty maid with his bright eyes. "is this, also, some enchanted person?" "oh no, polly--i may call you polly, mayn't i? your whole name's awful hard to say." "call me polly if you wish, dorothy." "well, polly, toto's just a dog; but he has more sense than button-bright, to tell the truth; and i'm very fond of him." "so am i," said polychrome, bending gracefully to pat toto's head. "but how did the rainbow's daughter ever get on this lonely road, and become lost?" asked the shaggy man, who had listened wonderingly to all this. "why, my father stretched his rainbow over here this morning, so that one end of it touched this road," was the reply; "and i was dancing upon the pretty rays, as i love to do, and never noticed i was getting too far over the bend in the circle. suddenly i began to slide, and i went faster and faster until at last i bumped on the ground, at the very end. just then father lifted the rainbow again, without noticing me at all, and though i tried to seize the end of it and hold fast, it melted away entirely and i was left alone and helpless on the cold, hard earth!" "it doesn't seem cold to me, polly," said dorothy; "but perhaps you're not warmly dressed." "i'm so used to living nearer the sun," replied the rainbow's daughter, "that at first i feared i would freeze down here. but my dance has warmed me some, and now i wonder how i am ever to get home again." "won't your father miss you, and look for you, and let down another rainbow for you?" [illustration] "perhaps so; but he's busy just now because it rains in so many parts of the world at this season, and he has to set his rainbow in a lot of different places. what would you advise me to do, dorothy?" "come with us," was the answer. "i'm going to try to find my way to the emerald city, which is in the fairy land of oz. the emerald city is ruled by a friend of mine, the princess ozma, and if we can manage to get there i'm sure she will know a way to send you home to your father again." "do you really think so?" asked polychrome, anxiously. "i'm pretty sure." "then i'll go with you," said the little maid; "for travel will help keep me warm, and father can find me in one part of the world as well as another--if he gets time to look for me." "come along, then," said the shaggy man, cheerfully; and they started on once more. polly walked beside dorothy a while, holding her new friend's hand as if she feared to let it go; but her nature seemed as light and buoyant as her fleecy robes, for suddenly she darted ahead and whirled round in a giddy dance. then she tripped back to them with sparkling eyes and smiling cheeks, having regained her usual happy mood and forgotten all her worry about being lost. they found her a charming companion, and her dancing and laughter--for she laughed at times like the tinkling of a silver bell--did much to enliven their journey and keep them contented. the city of beasts [illustration] when noon came they opened the fox-king's basket of luncheon, and found a nice roasted turkey with cranberry sauce and some slices of bread and butter. as they sat on the grass by the roadside the shaggy man cut up the turkey with his pocket-knife and passed slices of it around. "haven't you any dewdrops, or mist-cakes, or cloud-buns?" asked polychrome, longingly. "'course not," replied dorothy. "we eat solid things, down here on the earth. but there's a bottle of cold tea. try some, won't you?" the rainbow's daughter watched button-bright devour one leg of the turkey. "is it good?" she asked. he nodded. "do you think i could eat it?" "not this," said button-bright. "but i mean another piece?" "don't know," he replied. "well, i'm going to try, for i'm very hungry," she decided, and took a thin slice of the white breast of turkey which the shaggy man cut for her, as well as a bit of bread and butter. when she tasted it polychrome thought the turkey was good--better even than mist-cakes; but a little satisfied her hunger and she finished with a tiny sip of cold tea. "that's about as much as a fly would eat," said dorothy, who was making a good meal herself. "but i know some people in oz who eat nothing at all." "who are they?" inquired the shaggy man. "one is a scarecrow who's stuffed with straw, and the other a woodman made out of tin. they haven't any appetites inside of 'em, you see; so they never eat anything at all." "are they alive?" asked button-bright. "oh yes," replied dorothy; "and they're very clever and very nice, too. if we get to oz i'll introduce them to you." "do you really expect to get to oz?" inquired the shaggy man, taking a drink of cold tea. [illustration: polly sipped a little cold tea] "i don't know just what to 'spect," answered the child, seriously; "but i've noticed if i happen to get lost i'm almost sure to come to the land of oz in the end, somehow 'r other; so i may get there this time. but i can't promise, you know; all i can do is wait and see." "will the scarecrow scare me?" asked button-bright. "no; 'cause you're not a crow," she returned. "he has the loveliest smile you ever saw--only it's painted on and he can't help it." luncheon being over they started again upon their journey, the shaggy man, dorothy and button-bright walking soberly along, side by side, and the rainbow's daughter dancing merrily before them. sometimes she darted along the road so swiftly that she was nearly out of sight, then she came tripping back to greet them with her silvery laughter. but once she came back more sedately, to say: "there's a city a little way off." "i 'spected that," returned dorothy; "for the fox-people warned us there was one on this road. it's filled with stupid beasts of some sort, but we mustn't be afraid of 'em 'cause they won't hurt us." "all right," said button-bright; but polychrome didn't know whether it was all right or not. "it's a big city," she said, "and the road runs straight through it." "never mind," said the shaggy man; "as long as i carry the love magnet every living thing will love me, and you may be sure i shan't allow any of my friends to be harmed in any way." this comforted them somewhat, and they moved on again. pretty soon they came to a sign-post that read: "haf a myle to dunkiton." "oh," said the shaggy man, "if they're donkeys we've nothing to fear at all." "they may kick," said dorothy, doubtfully. "then we will cut some switches, and make them behave," he replied. at the first tree he cut himself a long, slender switch from one of the branches, and shorter switches for the others. "don't be afraid to order the beasts around," he said; "they're used to it." before long the road brought them to the gates of the city. there was a high wall all around, which had been whitewashed, and the gate just before our travelers was a mere opening in the wall, with no bars across it. no towers or steeples or domes showed above the enclosure, nor was any living thing to be seen as our friends drew near. suddenly, as they were about to boldly enter through the opening, there arose a harsh clamor of sound that swelled and echoed on every side, until they were nearly deafened by the racket and had to put their fingers to their ears to keep the noise out. it was like the firing of many cannon, only there were no cannon-balls or other missiles to be seen; it was like the rolling of mighty thunder, only not a cloud was in the sky; it was like the roar of countless breakers on a rugged seashore, only there was no sea or other water anywhere about. they hesitated to advance; but, as the noise did no harm, they entered through the whitewashed wall and quickly discovered the cause of the turmoil. inside were suspended many sheets of tin or thin iron, and against these metal sheets a row of donkeys were pounding their heels with vicious kicks. [illustration] the shaggy man ran up to the nearest donkey and gave the beast a sharp blow with his switch. "stop that noise!" he shouted; and the donkey stopped kicking the metal sheet and turned its head to look with surprise at the shaggy man. he switched the next donkey, and made him stop, and then the next, so that gradually the rattling of heels ceased and the awful noise subsided. the donkeys stood in a group and eyed the strangers with fear and trembling. "what do you mean by making such a racket?" asked the shaggy man, sternly. "we were scaring away the foxes," said one of the donkeys, meekly. "usually they run fast enough when they hear the noise, which makes them afraid." "there are no foxes here," said the shaggy man. "i beg to differ with you. there's one, anyhow," replied the donkey, sitting upright on its haunches and waving a hoof toward button-bright. "we saw him coming and thought the whole army of foxes was marching to attack us." "button-bright isn't a fox," explained the shaggy man. "he's only wearing a fox head for a time, until he can get his own head back." "oh, i see," remarked the donkey, waving its left ear reflectively. "i'm sorry we made such a mistake, and had all our work and worry for nothing." the other donkeys by this time were sitting up and examining the strangers with big, glassy eyes. they made a queer picture, indeed; for they wore wide, white collars around their necks and the collars had many scallops and points. the gentlemen-donkeys wore high pointed caps set between their great ears, and the lady-donkeys wore sunbonnets with holes cut in the top for the ears to stick through. but they had no other clothing except their hairy skins, although many wore gold and silver bangles on their front wrists and bands of different metals on their rear ankles. when they were kicking they had braced themselves with their front legs, but now they all stood or sat upright on their hind legs and used their front ones as arms. having no fingers or hands the beasts were rather clumsy, as you may guess; but dorothy was surprised to observe how many things they could do with their stiff, heavy hoofs. some of the donkeys were white, some were brown, or gray, or black, or spotted; but their hair was sleek and smooth and their broad collars and caps gave them a neat, if whimsical, appearance. "this is a nice way to welcome visitors, i must say!" remarked the shaggy man, in a reproachful tone. "oh, we did not mean to be impolite," replied a grey donkey which had not spoken before. "but you were not expected, nor did you send in your visiting cards, as it is proper to do." "there is some truth in that," admitted the shaggy man; "but, now you are informed that we are important and distinguished travelers, i trust you will accord us proper consideration." these big words delighted the donkeys, and made them bow to the shaggy man with great respect. said the grey one: "you shall be taken before his great and glorious majesty king kik-a-bray, who will greet you as becomes your exalted stations." "that's right," answered dorothy. "take us to some one who knows something." [illustration] "oh, we all know something, my child, or we shouldn't be donkeys," asserted the grey one, with dignity. "the word 'donkey' means 'clever,' you know." "i didn't know it," she replied. "i thought it meant 'stupid'." "not at all, my child. if you will look in the encyclopedia donkaniara you will find i'm correct. but come; i will myself lead you before our splendid, exalted, and most intellectual ruler." all donkeys love big words, so it is no wonder the grey one used so many of them. the shaggy man's transformation [illustration] they found the houses of the town all low and square and built of bricks, neatly whitewashed inside and out. the houses were not set in rows, forming regular streets, but placed here and there in a haphazard manner which made it puzzling for a stranger to find his way. "stupid people must have streets and numbered houses in their cities, to guide them where to go," observed the grey donkey, as he walked before the visitors on his hind legs, in an awkward but comical manner; "but clever donkeys know their way about without such absurd marks. moreover, a mixed city is much prettier than one with straight streets." dorothy did not agree with this, but she said nothing to contradict it. presently she saw a sign on a house that read: "madam de fayke, hoofist," and she asked their conductor: "what's a 'hoofist,' please?" "one who reads your fortune in your hoofs," replied the grey donkey. "oh, i see," said the little girl. "you are quite civilized here." "dunkiton," he replied, "is the center of the world's highest civilization." they came to a house where two youthful donkeys were whitewashing the wall, and dorothy stopped a moment to watch them. they dipped the ends of their tails, which were much like paint-brushes, into a pail of whitewash, backed up against the house, and wagged their tails right and left until the whitewash was rubbed on the wall, after which they dipped these funny brushes in the pail again and repeated the performance. "that must be fun," said button-bright. "no; it's work," replied the old donkey; "but we make our youngsters do all the whitewashing, to keep them out of mischief." "don't they go to school?" asked dorothy. "all donkeys are born wise," was the reply, "so the only school we need is the school of experience. books are only fit for those who know nothing, and so are obliged to learn things from other people." [illustration] "in other words, the more stupid one is the more he thinks he knows," observed the shaggy man. the grey donkey paid no attention to this speech because he had just stopped before a house which had painted over the doorway a pair of hoofs, with a donkey tail between them and a rude crown and sceptre above. "i'll see if his magnificent majesty king kik-a-bray is at home," said he. he lifted his head and called "whee-haw! whee-haw! whee-haw!" three times, in a shocking voice, turning about and kicking with his heels against the panel of the door. for a time there was no reply; then the door opened far enough to permit a donkey's head to stick out and look at them. it was a white head, with big, awful ears and round, solemn eyes. "have the foxes gone?" it asked, in a trembling voice. "they haven't been here, most stupendous majesty," replied the grey one. "the new arrivals prove to be travelers of distinction." "oh," said the king, in a relieved tone of voice. "let them come in." he opened the door wide, and the party marched into a big room, which, dorothy thought, looked quite unlike a king's palace. there were mats of woven grasses on the floor and the place was clean and neat; but his majesty had no other furniture at all--perhaps because he didn't need it. he squatted down in the center of the room and a little brown donkey ran and brought a big gold crown which it placed on the monarch's head, and a golden staff with a jeweled ball at the end of it, which the king held between his front hoofs as he sat upright. "now, then," said his majesty, waving his long ears gently to and fro, "tell me why you are here, and what you expect me to do for you." he eyed button-bright rather sharply, as if afraid of the little boy's queer head, though it was the shaggy man who undertook to reply. [illustration] "most noble and supreme ruler of dunkiton," he said, trying not to laugh in the solemn king's face, "we are strangers traveling through your dominions, and have entered your magnificent city because the road led through it, and there was no way to go around. all we desire is to pay our respects to your majesty--the cleverest king in all the world, i'm sure--and then to continue on our way." this polite speech pleased the king very much; indeed, it pleased him so much that it proved an unlucky speech for the shaggy man. perhaps the love magnet helped to win his majesty's affection as well as the flattery, but however this may be the white donkey looked kindly upon the speaker and said: "only a donkey should be able to use such fine, big words, and you are too wise and admirable in all ways to be a mere man. also i feel that i love you as well as i do my own favored people, so i will bestow upon you the greatest gift within my power--a donkey's head." as he spoke he waved his jeweled staff. although the shaggy man cried out and tried to leap backward and escape, it proved of no use. suddenly his own head was gone and a donkey head appeared in its place--a brown, shaggy head so absurd and droll that dorothy and polly both broke into merry laughter, and even button-bright's fox face wore a smile. "dear me! dear me!" cried the shaggy man, feeling of his shaggy new head and his long ears. "what a misfortune--what a great misfortune! give me back my own head, you stupid king--if you love me at all!" "don't you like it?" asked the king, surprised. "hee-haw! i hate it! take it away--quick!" said the shaggy man. [illustration: king kick-a-bray works magic on the shaggy man] "but i can't do that," was the reply. '"my magic works only one way. i can _do_ things, but i can't _un_ do them. you'll have to find the truth pond, and bathe in its water, in order to get back your own head. but i advise you not to do that. this head is much more beautiful than the old one." "that's a matter of taste," said dorothy. "where is the truth pond?" asked the shaggy man, earnestly. "somewhere in the land of oz; but just the exact location of it i can not tell," was the answer. "don't worry, shaggy man," said dorothy, smiling because her friend wagged his new ears so comically. "if the truth pond is in oz we'll be sure to find it when we get there." "oh! are you going to the land of oz?" asked king kik-a-bray. "i don't know," she replied; "but we've been told we are nearer the land of oz than to kansas, and if that's so the quickest way for me to get home is to find ozma." "haw-haw! do you know the mighty princess ozma?" asked the king, his tone both surprised and eager. "'course i do; she's my friend," said dorothy. "then perhaps you'll do me a favor," continued the white donkey, much excited. "what is it?" she asked. "perhaps you can get me an invitation to princess ozma's birthday celebration, which will be the grandest royal function ever held in fairyland. i'd love to go." "hee-haw! you deserve punishment, rather than reward, for giving me this dreadful head," said the shaggy man, sorrowfully. "i wish you wouldn't say 'hee-haw' so much," polychrome begged him; "it makes cold chills run down my back." "but i can't help it, my dear; my donkey head wants to bray continually," he replied. "doesn't your fox head want to yelp every minute?" he asked button-bright. "don't know," said the boy, still staring at the shaggy man's ears. these seemed to interest him greatly, and the sight also made him forget his own fox head, which was a comfort. "what do you think, polly? shall i promise the donkey king an invitation to ozma's party?" asked dorothy of the rainbow's daughter, who was flitting about the room like a sunbeam because she could never keep still. "do as you please, dear," answered polychrome. "he might help to amuse the guests of the princess." "then, if you will give us some supper and a place to sleep to-night, and let us get started on our journey early tomorrow morning," said dorothy to the king, "i'll ask ozma to invite you--if i happen to get to oz." "good! hee-haw! excellent!" cried kik-a-bray, much pleased. "you shall all have fine suppers and good beds. what food would you prefer, a bran mash or ripe oats in the shell?" [illustration] "neither one," replied dorothy, promptly. "perhaps plain hay, or some sweet juicy grass would suit you better," suggested kik-a-bray, musingly. "is that all you have to eat?" asked the girl. "what more do you desire?" "well, you see we're not donkeys," she explained, "and so we're used to other food. the foxes gave us a nice supper in foxville." "we'd like some dewdrops and mist-cakes," said polychrome. "i'd prefer apples and a ham sandwich," declared the shaggy man; "for although i've a donkey head i still have my own particular stomach." "i want pie," said button-bright. "i think some beefsteak and chocolate layer-cake would taste best," said dorothy. "hee-haw! i declare!" exclaimed the king. "it seems each one of you wants a different food. how queer all living creatures are, except donkeys!" "and donkeys like you are queerest of all," laughed polychrome. "well," decided the king, "i suppose my magic staff will produce the things you crave; if you are lacking in good taste it is not my fault." with this he waved his staff with the jeweled ball, and before them instantly appeared a tea-table, set with linen and pretty dishes, and on the table were the very things each had wished for. dorothy's beefsteak was smoking hot, and the shaggy man's apples were plump and rosy-cheeked. the king had not thought to provide chairs, so they all stood in their places around the table and ate with good appetite, being hungry. the rainbow's daughter found three tiny dewdrops on a crystal plate, and button-bright had a big slice of apple-pie, which he devoured eagerly. afterward the king called the brown donkey, which was his favorite servant, and bade it lead his guests to the vacant house where they were to pass the night. it had only one room and no furniture except beds of clean straw and a few mats of woven grasses; but our travelers were contented with these simple things because they realized it was the best the donkey-king had to offer them. as soon as it was dark they lay down on the mats and slept comfortably until morning. at daybreak there was a dreadful noise throughout the city. every donkey in the place brayed. when he heard this the shaggy man woke up and called out "hee-haw!" as loud as he could. [illustration] "stop that!" said button-bright, in a cross voice. both dorothy and polly looked at the shaggy man reproachfully. "i couldn't help it, my dears," he said, as if ashamed of his bray; "but i'll try not to do it again." of course they forgave him, for as he still had the love magnet in his pocket they were all obliged to love him as much as ever. they did not see the king again, but kik-a-bray remembered them; for a table appeared again in their room with the same food upon it as on the night before. "don't want pie for breakfus'," said button-bright. "i'll give you some of my beefsteak," proposed dorothy; "there's plenty for us all." that suited the boy better, but the shaggy man said he was content with his apples and sandwiches, although he ended the meal by eating button-bright's pie. polly liked her dewdrops and mist-cakes better than any other food, so they all enjoyed an excellent breakfast. toto had the scraps left from the beefsteak, and he stood up nicely on his hind legs while dorothy fed them to him. breakfast ended, they passed through the village to the side opposite that by which they had entered, the brown servant-donkey guiding them through the maze of scattered houses. there was the road again, leading far away into the unknown country beyond. "king kik-a-bray says you must not forget his invitation," said the brown donkey, as they passed through the opening in the wall. "i shan't," promised dorothy. [illustration] perhaps no one ever beheld a more strangely assorted group than the one which now walked along the road, through pretty green fields and past groves of feathery pepper-trees and fragrant mimosa. polychrome, her beautiful gauzy robes floating around her like a rainbow cloud, went first, dancing back and forth and darting now here to pluck a wild-flower or there to watch a beetle crawl across the path. toto ran after her at times, barking joyously the while, only to become sober again and trot along at dorothy's heels. the little kansas girl walked holding button-bright's hand clasped in her own, and the wee boy with his fox head covered by the sailor hat presented an odd appearance. strangest of all, perhaps, was the shaggy man, with his shaggy donkey head, who shuffled along in the rear with his hands thrust deep in his big pockets. none of the party was really unhappy. all were straying in an unknown land and had suffered more or less annoyance and discomfort; but they realized they were having a fairy adventure in a fairy country, and were much interested in finding out what would happen next. the musicker [illustration] about the middle of the forenoon they began to go up a long hill. by-and-by this hill suddenly dropped down into a pretty valley, where the travelers saw to their surprise, a small house standing by the roadside. it was the first house they had seen, and they hastened into the valley to discover who lived there. no one was in sight as they approached, but when they began to get nearer the house they heard queer sounds coming from it. they could not make these out at first, but as they became louder our friends thought they heard a sort of music like that made by a wheezy hand-organ; the music fell upon their ears in this way: _tiddle-widdle-iddle, oom pom-pom!_ _oom, pom-pom! oom, pom-pom!_ _tiddle-tiddle-tiddle, oom pom-pom!_ _oom, pom-pom--pah!_ "what is it, a band or a mouth-organ?" asked dorothy. "don't know," said button-bright. "sounds to me like a played-out phonograph," said the shaggy man, lifting his enormous ears to listen. "oh, there just _couldn't_ be a funnygraf in fairyland!" cried dorothy. "it's rather pretty, isn't it?" asked polychrome, trying to dance to the strains. _tiddle-widdle-iddle, oom pom-pom,_ _oom pom-pom; oom pom-pom!_ came the music to their ears, more distinctly as they drew nearer the house. presently they saw a little fat man sitting on a bench before the door. he wore a red, braided jacket that reached to his waist, a blue waistcoat, and white trousers with gold stripes down the sides. on his bald head was perched a little, round, red cap held in place by a rubber elastic underneath his chin. his face was round, his eyes a faded blue, and he wore white cotton gloves. the man leaned on a stout gold-headed cane, bending forward on his seat to watch his visitors approach. [illustration] singularly enough, the musical sounds they had heard seemed to come from the inside of the fat man himself; for he was playing no instrument nor was any to be seen near him. they came up and stood in a row, staring at him, and he stared back while the queer sounds came from him as before: _tiddle-iddle-iddle, oom pom-pom,_ _oom, pom-pom; oom pom-pom!_ _tiddle-widdle-iddle, oom pom-pom,_ _oom, pom-pom--pah!_ "why, he's a reg'lar musicker!" said button-bright. "what's a musicker?" asked dorothy. "him!" said the boy. hearing this the fat man sat up a little stiffer than before, as if he had received a compliment, and still came the sounds: _tiddle-widdle-iddle, oom pom-pom,_ _oom pom-pom, oom---- _ "stop it!" cried the shaggy man, earnestly. "stop that dreadful noise!" the fat man looked at him sadly and began his reply. when he spoke the music changed and the words seemed to accompany the notes. he said--or rather sang: _it isn't a noise that you hear,_ _but music, harmonic and clear._ _my breath makes me play_ _like an organ, all day--_ _that bass note is in my left ear._ "how funny!" exclaimed dorothy; "he says his breath makes the music." "that's all nonsense," declared the shaggy man; but now the music began again, and they all listened carefully. _my lungs are full of reeds like those_ _in organs, therefore i suppose,_ _if i breathe in or out my nose,_ _the reeds are bound to play._ _so, as i breathe to live, you know,_ _i squeeze out music as i go;_ _i'm very sorry this is so---- _ _forgive my piping, pray!_ [illustration] "poor man," said polychrome; "he can't help it. what a great misfortune it is!" "yes," replied the shaggy man; "we are only obliged to hear this music a short time, until we leave him and go away; but the poor fellow must listen to himself as long as he lives, and that is enough to drive him crazy. don't you think so?" "don't know," said button-bright. toto said "bow-wow!" and the others laughed. "perhaps that's why he lives all alone," suggested dorothy. "yes; if he had neighbors they might do him an injury," responded the shaggy man. all this while the little fat musicker was breathing the notes: _tiddle-tiddle-iddle, oom, pom-pom,_ and they had to speak loud in order to hear themselves. the shaggy man said: "who are you, sir?" the reply came in the shape of this sing-song: _i'm allegro da capo, a very famous man;_ _just find another, high or low, to match me if you can._ _some people try, but can't, to play_ _and have to practice every day;_ _but i've been musical alway, since first my life began._ "why, i b'lieve he's proud of it," exclaimed dorothy, "and seems to me i've heard worse music than he makes." "where?" asked button-bright. "i've forgotten, just now. but mr. da capo is certainly a strange person--isn't he?--and p'r'aps he's the only one of his kind in all the world." this praise seemed to please the little fat musicker, for he swelled out his chest, looked important and sang as follows: _i wear no band around me,_ _and yet i am a band!_ _i do not strain to make my strains_ _but, on the other hand,_ _my toot is always destitute_ _of flats or other errors;_ _to see sharp and be natural are_ _for me but minor terrors._ "i don't quite understand that," said polychrome, with a puzzled look; "but perhaps it's because i'm accustomed only to the music of the spheres." "what's that?" asked button-bright. "oh, polly means the atmosphere and hemisphere, i s'pose," explained dorothy. "oh," said button-bright. "bow-wow!" said toto. [illustration] but the musicker was still breathing his constant _oom, pom-pom; oom, pom-pom---- _ and it seemed to jar on the shaggy man's nerves. "stop it, can't you?" he cried, angrily; "or breathe in a whisper; or put a clothes-pin on your nose. do something, anyhow!" but the fat one, with a sad look, sang this answer: _"music hath charms, and it may_ _soothe even the savage, they say;_ _so if savage you feel_ _just list to my reel,_ _for sooth to say that's the real way."_ the shaggy man had to laugh at this, and when he laughed he stretched his donkey mouth wide open. said dorothy: "i don't know how good his poetry is, but it seems to fit the notes, so that's all that can be 'xpected." "i like it," said button-bright, who was staring hard at the musicker, his little legs spread wide apart. to the surprise of his companions, the boy asked this long question: "if i swallowed a mouth-organ, what would i be?" "an organette," said the shaggy man. "but come, my dears; i think the best thing we can do is to continue on our journey before button-bright swallows anything. we must try to find that land of oz, you know." hearing this speech the musicker sang, quickly: _if you go to the hand of oz_ _please take me along, because_ _on ozma's birthday_ _i'm anxious to play_ _the loveliest song ever was._ "no, thank you," said dorothy; "we prefer to travel alone. but if i see ozma i'll tell her you want to come to her birthday party." "let's be going," urged the shaggy man, anxiously. polly was already dancing along the road, far in advance, and the others turned to follow her. toto did not like the fat musicker and made a grab for his chubby leg. dorothy quickly caught up the growling little dog and hurried after her companions, who were walking faster than usual in order to get out of hearing. they had to climb a hill, and until they got to the top they could not escape the musicker's monotonous piping: _"oom, pom-pom; oom, pom-pom;_ _tiddle-iddle-widdle, oom, pom-pom;_ _oom, pom-pom--pah!"_ as they passed the brow of the hill, however, and descended on the other side, the sounds gradually died away, whereat they all felt much relieved. [illustration] "i'm glad i don't have to live with the organ-man; aren't you, polly?" said dorothy. "yes, indeed," answered the rainbow's daughter. "he's nice," declared button-bright, soberly. "i hope your princess ozma won't invite him to her birthday celebration," remarked the shaggy man; "for the fellow's music would drive her guests all crazy. you've given me an idea, button-bright; i believe the musicker must have swallowed an accordeon in his youth." "what's 'cordeon?" asked the boy. "it's a kind of pleating," explained dorothy, putting down the dog. "bow-wow!" said toto, and ran away at a mad gallop to chase a bumble-bee. facing the scoodlers [illustration] the country wasn't so pretty now. before the travelers appeared a rocky plain covered with hills on which grew nothing green. they were nearing some low mountains, too, and the road, which before had been smooth and pleasant to walk upon, grew rough and uneven. button-bright's little feet stumbled more than once, and polychrome ceased her dancing because the walking was now so difficult that she had no trouble to keep warm. it had become afternoon, yet there wasn't a thing for their luncheon except two apples which the shaggy man had taken from the breakfast table. he divided these into four pieces and gave a portion to each of his companions. dorothy and button-bright were glad to get theirs; but polly was satisfied with a small bite, and toto did not like apples. "do you know," asked the rainbow's daughter, "if this is the right road to the emerald city?" "no, i don't," replied dorothy; "but it's the only road in this part of the country, so we may as well go to the end of it." "it looks now as if it might end pretty soon," remarked the shaggy man; "and what shall we do if it does?" "don't know," said button-bright. "if i had my magic belt," replied dorothy, thoughtfully, "it could do us a lot of good just now." "what is your magic belt?" asked polychrome. "it's a thing i captured from the nome king one day, and it can do 'most any wonderful thing. but i left it with ozma, you know; 'cause magic won't work in kansas, but only in fairy countries." "is this a fairy country?" asked button-bright. "i should think you'd know," said the little girl, gravely. "if it wasn't a fairy country you couldn't have a fox head and the shaggy man couldn't have a donkey head, and the rainbow's daughter would be invis'ble." "what's that?" asked the boy. "you don't seem to know anything, button-bright. invis'ble is a thing you can't see." "then toto's invisible," declared the boy, and dorothy found he was right. toto had disappeared from view, but they could hear him barking furiously among the heaps of grey rock ahead of them. [illustration] they moved forward a little faster to see what the dog was barking at, and found perched upon a point of rock by the roadside a curious creature. it had the form of a man, middle-sized and rather slender and graceful; but as it sat silent and motionless upon the peak they could see that its face was black as ink, and it wore a black cloth costume made like a union suit and fitting tight to its skin. its hands were black, too, and its toes curled down, like a bird's. the creature was black all over except its hair, which was fine, and yellow, banged in front across the black forehead and cut close at the sides. the eyes, which were fixed steadily upon the barking dog, were small and sparkling and looked like the eyes of a weasel. "what in the world do you s'pose that is?" asked dorothy in a hushed voice, as the little group of travelers stood watching the strange creature. "don't know," said button-bright. the thing gave a jump and turned half around, sitting in the same place but with the other side of its body facing them. instead of being black, it was now pure white, with a face like that of a clown in a circus and hair of a brilliant purple. the creature could bend either way, and its white toes now curled the same way the black ones on the other side had done. "it has a face both front and back," whispered dorothy, wonderingly; "only there's no back at all, but two fronts." having made the turn, the being sat motionless as before, while toto barked louder at the white man than he had done at the black one. "once," said the shaggy man, "i had a jumping-jack like that, with two faces." "was it alive?" asked button-bright. "no," replied the shaggy man; "it worked on strings, and was made of wood." "wonder if this works with strings," said dorothy; but polychrome cried "look!" for another creature just like the first had suddenly appeared sitting on another rock, its black side toward them. the two twisted their heads around and showed a black face on the white side of one and a white face on the black side of the other. [illustration] "how curious," said polychrome; "and how loose their heads seem to be! are they friendly to us, do you think?" "can't tell, polly," replied dorothy. "let's ask 'em." the creatures flopped first one way and then the other, showing black or white by turns; and now another joined them, appearing on another rock. our friends had come to a little hollow in the hills, and the place where they now stood was surrounded by jagged peaks of rock, except where the road ran through. "now there are four of them," said the shaggy man. "five," declared polychrome. "six," said dorothy. "lots of 'em!" cried button-bright; and so there were--quite a row of the two-sided black and white creatures sitting on the rocks all around. toto stopped barking and ran between dorothy's feet, where he crouched down as if afraid. the creatures did not look pleasant or friendly, to be sure, and the shaggy man's donkey face became solemn, indeed. "ask 'em who they are, and what they want," whispered dorothy; so the shaggy man called out in a loud voice: "who are you?" "scoodlers!" they yelled in chorus, their voices sharp and shrill. "what do you want?" called the shaggy man. "you!" they yelled, pointing their thin fingers at the group; and they all flopped around, so they were white, and then all flopped back again, so they were black. "but what do you want us for?" asked the shaggy man, uneasily. "soup!" they all shouted, as if with one voice. [illustration: "you!" they yelled] "goodness me!" said dorothy, trembling a little; "the scoodlers must be reg'lar cannibals." "don't want to be soup," protested button-bright, beginning to cry. "hush, dear," said the little girl, trying to comfort him; "we don't any of us want to be soup. but don't worry; the shaggy man will take care of us." "will he?" asked polychrome, who did not like the scoodlers at all, and kept close to dorothy. "i'll try," promised the shaggy man; but he looked worried. happening just then to feel the love magnet in his pocket, he said to the creatures, with more confidence: "don't you love me?" "yes!" they shouted, all together. "then you mustn't harm me, or my friends," said the shaggy man, firmly. "we love you in soup!" they yelled, and in a flash turned their white sides to the front. "how dreadful!" said dorothy. "this is a time, shaggy man, when you get loved too much." "don't want to be soup!" wailed button-bright again; and toto began to whine dismally, as if he didn't want to be soup, either. "the only thing to do," said the shaggy man to his friends, in a low tone, "is to get out of this pocket in the rocks as soon as we can, and leave the scoodlers behind us. follow me, my dears, and don't pay any attention to what they do or say." with this he began to march along the road to the opening in the rocks ahead, and the others kept close behind him. but the scoodlers closed up in front, as if to bar their way, and so the shaggy man stooped down and picked up a loose stone, which he threw at the creatures to scare them from the path. at this the scoodlers raised a howl. two of them picked their heads from their shoulders and hurled them at the shaggy man with such force that he fell over in a heap, greatly astonished. the two now ran forward with swift leaps, caught up their heads, and put them on again, after which they sprang back to their positions on the rocks. [illustration] escaping the soup-kettle [illustration] the shaggy man got up and felt of himself to see if he was hurt; but he was not. one of the heads had struck his breast and the other his left shoulder; yet though they had knocked him down the heads were not hard enough to bruise him. "come on," he said, firmly; "we've got to get out of here some way," and forward he started again. the scoodlers began yelling and throwing their heads in great numbers at our frightened friends. the shaggy man was knocked over again, and so was button-bright, who kicked his heels against the ground and howled as loud as he could, although he was not hurt a bit. one head struck toto, who first yelped and then grabbed the head by an ear and started running away with it. the scoodlers who had thrown their heads began to scramble down and run to pick them up, with wonderful quickness; but the one whose head toto had stolen found it hard to get it back again. the head couldn't see the body with either pair of its eyes, because the dog was in the way, so the headless scoodler stumbled around over the rocks and tripped on them more than once in its effort to regain its top. toto was trying to get outside the rocks and roll the head down the hill; but some of the other scoodlers came to the rescue of their unfortunate comrade and pelted the dog with their own heads until he was obliged to drop his burden and hurry back to dorothy. the little girl and the rainbow's daughter had both escaped the shower of heads, but they saw now that it would be useless to try to run away from the dreadful scoodlers. "we may as well submit," declared the shaggy man, in a rueful voice, as he got upon his feet again. he turned toward their foes and asked: "what do you want us to do?" "come!" they cried, in a triumphant chorus, and at once sprang from the rocks and surrounded their captives on all sides. one funny thing about the scoodlers was they could walk in either direction, coming or going, without turning around; because they had two faces and, as dorothy said, "two front sides," and their feet were shaped like the letter t upside down (_|_). they moved with great rapidity and there was something about their glittering eyes and contrasting colors and removable heads that inspired the poor prisoners with horror, and made them long to escape. [illustration] but the creatures led their captives away from the rocks and the road, down the hill by a side path until they came before a low mountain of rock that looked like a huge bowl turned upside down. at the edge of this mountain was a deep gulf--so deep that when you looked into it there was nothing but blackness below. across the gulf was a narrow bridge of rock, and at the other end of the bridge was an arched opening that led into the mountain. over this bridge the scoodlers led their prisoners, through the opening into the mountain, which they found to be an immense hollow dome lighted by several holes in the roof. all around the circular space were built rock houses, set close together, each with a door in the front wall. none of these houses was more than six feet wide, but the scoodlers were thin people sidewise and did not need much room. so vast was the dome that there was a large space in the middle of the cave, in front of all these houses, where the creatures might congregate as in a great hall. it made dorothy shudder to see a huge iron kettle suspended by a stout chain in the middle of the place, and underneath the kettle a great heap of kindling wood and shavings, ready to light. "what's that?" asked the shaggy man, drawing back as they approached this place, so that they were forced to push him forward. "the soup kettle!" yelled the scoodlers; and then they shouted in the next breath: "we're hungry!" button-bright, holding dorothy's hand in one chubby fist and polly's hand in the other, was so affected by this shout that he began to cry again, repeating the protest: "don't want to be soup, i don't!" "never mind," said the shaggy man, consolingly; "i ought to make enough soup to feed them all, i'm so big; so i'll ask them to put me in the kettle first." "all right," said button-bright, more cheerfully. but the scoodlers were not ready to make soup yet. they led the captives into a house at the farthest side of the cave--a house somewhat wider than the others. "who lives here?" asked the rainbow's daughter. the scoodlers nearest her replied: "the queen." it made dorothy hopeful to learn that a woman ruled over these fierce creatures, but a moment later they were ushered by two or three of the escort into a gloomy, bare room--and her hope died away. for the queen of the scoodlers proved to be much more dreadful in appearance than any of her people. one side of her was fiery red, with jet-black hair and green eyes and the other side of her was bright yellow, with crimson hair and black eyes. she wore a short skirt of red and yellow and her hair, instead of being banged, was a tangle of short curls upon which rested a circular crown of silver--much dented and twisted because the queen had thrown her head at so many things so many times. her form was lean and bony and both her faces were deeply wrinkled. "what have we here?" asked the queen, sharply, as our friends were made to stand before her. "soup!" cried the guard of scoodlers, speaking together. "we're not!" said dorothy, indignantly; "we're nothing of the sort." [illustration] "ah, but you will be soon," retorted the queen, a grim smile making her look more dreadful than before. "pardon me, most beautiful vision," said the shaggy man, bowing before the queen politely. "i must request your serene highness to let us go our way without being made into soup. for i own the love magnet, and whoever meets me must love me and all my friends." "true," replied the queen. "we love you very much; so much that we intend to eat your broth with real pleasure. but tell me, do you think i am so beautiful?" "you won't be at all beautiful if you eat me," he said, shaking his head sadly. "handsome is as handsome does, you know." the queen turned to button-bright. "do _you_ think i'm beautiful?" she asked. "no," said the boy; "you're ugly." "_i_ think you're a fright," said dorothy. "if you could see yourself you'd be terribly scared," added polly. the queen scowled at them and flopped from her red side to her yellow side. "take them away," she commanded the guard, "and at six o'clock run them through the meat chopper and start the soup kettle boiling. and put plenty of salt in the broth this time, or i'll punish the cooks severely." "any onions, your majesty?" asked one of the guard. "plenty of onions and garlic and a dash of red pepper. now, go!" the scoodlers led the captives away and shut them up in one of the houses, leaving only a single scoodler to keep guard. the place was a sort of store-house; containing bags of potatoes and baskets of carrots, onions, and turnips. "these," said their guard, pointing to the vegetables, "we use to flavor our soups with." the prisoners were rather disheartened by this time, for they saw no way to escape and did not know how soon it would be six o'clock and time for the meat-chopper to begin work. but the shaggy man was brave and did not intend to submit to such a horrid fate without a struggle. "i'm going to fight for our lives," he whispered to the children, "for if i fail we will be no worse off than before, and to sit here quietly until we are made into soup would be foolish and cowardly." [illustration] the scoodler on guard stood near the doorway, turning first his white side toward them and then his black side, as if he wanted to show to all of his greedy four eyes the sight of so many fat prisoners. the captives sat in a sorrowful group at the other end of the room--except polychrome, who danced back and forth in the little place to keep herself warm, for she felt the chill of the cave. whenever she approached the shaggy man he would whisper something in her ear, and polly would nod her pretty head as if she understood. the shaggy man told dorothy and button-bright to stand before him while he emptied the potatoes out of one of the sacks. when this had been secretly done little polychrome, dancing near to the guard, suddenly reached out her hand and slapped his face, the next instant whirling away from him quickly to rejoin her friends. the angry scoodler at once picked off his head and hurled it at the rainbow's daughter; but the shaggy man was expecting that, and caught the head very neatly, putting it in the sack, which he tied at the mouth. the body of the guard, not having the eyes of its head to guide it, ran here and there in an aimless manner, and the shaggy man easily dodged it and opened the door. fortunately there was no one in the big cave at that moment, so he told dorothy and polly to run as fast as they could for the entrance, and out across the narrow bridge. [illustration: the shaggy man caught the heads and tossed them into the gulf below] "i'll carry button-bright," he said, for he knew the little boy's legs were too short to run fast. dorothy picked up toto, and then seized polly's hand and ran swiftly toward the entrance to the cave. the shaggy man perched button-bright on his shoulders and ran after them. they moved so quickly and their escape was so wholly unexpected that they had almost reached the bridge when one of the scoodlers looked out of his house and saw them. the creature raised a shrill cry that brought all its fellows bounding out of the numerous doors, and at once they started in chase. dorothy and polly had reached the bridge and crossed it when the scoodlers began throwing their heads. one of the queer missiles struck the shaggy man on his back and nearly knocked him over; but he was at the mouth of the cave now, so he set down button-bright and told the boy to run across the bridge to dorothy. then the shaggy man turned around and faced his enemies, standing just outside the opening, and as fast as they threw their heads at him he caught them and tossed them into the black gulf below. the headless bodies of the foremost scoodlers kept the others from running close up, but they also threw their heads in an effort to stop the escaping prisoners. the shaggy man caught them all and sent them whirling down into the black gulf. among them he noticed the crimson and yellow head of the queen, and this he tossed after the others with right good will. presently every scoodler of the lot had thrown its head, and every head was down in the deep gulf, and now the helpless bodies of the creatures were mixed together in the cave and wriggling around in a vain attempt to discover what had become of their heads. the shaggy man laughed and walked across the bridge to rejoin his companions. [illustration] "it's lucky i learned to play base-ball when i was young," he remarked, "for i caught all those heads easily, and never missed one. but come along, little ones; the scoodlers will never bother us or anyone else any more." button-bright was still frightened and kept insisting, "i don't want to be soup!" for the victory had been gained so suddenly that the boy could not realize they were free and safe. but the shaggy man assured him that all danger of their being made into soup was now past, as the scoodlers would be unable to eat soup for some time to come. so now, anxious to get away from the horrid gloomy cave as soon as possible, they hastened up the hillside and regained the road just beyond the place where they had first met the scoodlers; and you may be sure they were glad to find their feet on the old familiar path again. johnny dooit does it [illustration] "it's getting awful rough walking," said dorothy, as they trudged along. button-bright gave a deep sigh and said he was hungry. indeed, all were hungry, and thirsty, too; for they had eaten nothing but the apples since breakfast; so their steps lagged and they grew silent and weary. at last they slowly passed over the crest of a barren hill and saw before them a line of green trees with a strip of grass at their feet. an agreeable fragrance was wafted toward them. our travelers, hot and tired, ran forward on beholding this refreshing sight and were not long in coming to the trees. here they found a spring of pure bubbling water, around which the grass was full of wild strawberry plants, their pretty red berries ripe and ready to eat. some of the trees bore yellow oranges and some russet pears, so the hungry adventurers suddenly found themselves provided with plenty to eat and to drink. they lost no time in picking the biggest strawberries and ripest oranges and soon had feasted to their hearts' content. walking beyond the line of trees they saw before them a fearful, dismal desert, everywhere grey sand. at the edge of this awful waste was a large white sign with black letters neatly painted upon it; and the letters made these words: all persons are warned not to venture upon this desert for the deadly sands will turn any living flesh to dust in an instant. beyond this barrier is the land of oz but no one can reach that beautiful country because of these destroying sands "oh," said dorothy, when the shaggy man had read this sign aloud; "i've seen this desert before, and it's true no one can live who tries to walk upon the sands." "then we mustn't try it," answered the shaggy man, thoughtfully. "but as we can't go ahead and there's no use going back, what shall we do next?" [illustration] "don't know," said button-bright. "i'm sure i don't know, either," added dorothy, despondently. "i wish father would come for me," sighed the pretty rainbow's daughter, "i would take you all to live upon the rainbow, where you could dance along its rays from morning till night, without a care or worry of any sort. but i suppose father's too busy just now to search the world for me." "don't want to dance," said button-bright, sitting down wearily upon the soft grass. "it's very good of you, polly," said dorothy; "but there are other things that would suit me better than dancing on rainbows. i'm 'fraid they'd be kind of soft an' squnshy under foot, anyhow, although they're so pretty to look at." this didn't help to solve the problem, and they all fell silent and looked at one another questioningly. "really, i don't know what to do," muttered the shaggy man, gazing hard at toto; and the little dog wagged his tail and said "bow-wow!" just as if he could not tell, either, what to do. button-bright got a stick and began to dig in the earth, and the others watched him for a while in deep thought. finally the shaggy man said: "it's nearly evening, now; so we may well sleep in this pretty place and get rested; perhaps by morning we can decide what is best to be done." there was little chance to make beds for the children, but the leaves of the trees grew thickly and would serve to keep off the night dews, so the shaggy man piled soft grasses in the thickest shade and when it was dark they lay down and slept peacefully until morning. long after the others were asleep, however, the shaggy man sat in the starlight by the spring, gazing thoughtfully into its bubbling waters. suddenly he smiled and nodded to himself as if he had found a good thought, after which he, too, laid himself down under a tree and was soon lost in slumber. [illustration] in the bright morning sunshine, as they ate of the strawberries and sweet juicy pears, dorothy said: "polly, can you do any magic?" "no, dear," answered polychrome, shaking her dainty head. "you ought to know _some_ magic, being the rainbow's daughter," continued dorothy, earnestly. "but we who live on the rainbow among the fleecy clouds have no use for magic," replied polychrome. "what i'd like," said dorothy, "is to find some way to cross the desert to the land of oz and its emerald city. i've crossed it already, you know, more than once. first a cyclone carried my house over, and some silver shoes brought me back again--in half a second. then ozma took me over on her magic carpet, and the nome king's magic belt took me home that time. you see it was magic that did it every time 'cept the first, and we can't 'spect a cyclone to happen along and take us to the emerald city now." "no, indeed," returned polly, with a shudder; "i hate cyclones, anyway." "that's why i wanted to find out if you could do any magic," said the little kansas girl. "i'm sure i can't; and i'm sure button-bright can't; and the only magic the shaggy man has is the love magnet, which won't help us much." "don't be too sure of that, my dear," spoke the shaggy man, a smile on his donkey face. "i may not be able to do magic myself, but i can call to us a powerful friend who loves me because i own the love magnet, and this friend surely will be able to help us." "who is your friend?" asked dorothy. "johnny dooit." "what can johnny do?" "anything," answered the shaggy man, with confidence. "ask him to come," she exclaimed, eagerly. the shaggy man took the love magnet from his pocket and unwrapped the paper that surrounded it. holding the charm in the palm of his hand he looked at it steadily and said these words: _"dear johnny dooit, come to me._ _i need you bad as bad can be."_ "well, here i am," said a cheery little voice; "but you shouldn't say you need me bad, 'cause i'm always, _always_ good." at this they quickly whirled around to find a funny little man sitting on a big copper chest, puffing smoke from a long pipe. his hair was grey, his whiskers were grey; and these whiskers were so long that he had wound the ends of them around his waist and tied them in a hard knot underneath the leather apron that reached from his chin nearly to his feet, and which was soiled and scratched as if it had been used a long time. his nose was broad, and stuck up a little; but his eyes were twinkling and merry. the little man's hands and arms were as hard and tough as the leather in his apron, and dorothy thought johnny dooit looked as if he had done a lot of hard work in his lifetime. [illustration] "good morning, johnny," said the shaggy man. "thank you for coming to me so quickly." "i never waste time," said the newcomer, promptly. "but what's happened to you? where did you get that donkey head? really, i wouldn't have known you at all, shaggy man, if i hadn't looked at your feet." the shaggy man introduced johnny dooit to dorothy and toto and button-bright and the rainbow's daughter, and told him the story of their adventures, adding that they were anxious now to reach the emerald city in the land of oz, where dorothy had friends who would take care of them and send them safe home again. "but," said he, "we find that we can't cross this desert, which turns all living flesh that touches it into dust; so i have asked you to come and help us." johnny dooit puffed his pipe and looked carefully at the dreadful desert in front of them--stretching so far away they could not see its end. "you must ride," he said, briskly. "what in?" asked the shaggy man. "in a sand-boat, which has runners like a sled and sails like a ship. the wind will blow you swiftly across the desert and the sand cannot touch your flesh to turn it into dust." "good!" cried dorothy, clapping her hands delightedly. "that was the way the magic carpet took us across. we didn't have to touch the horrid sand at all." "but where is the sand-boat?" asked the shaggy man, looking all around him. "i'll make you one," said johnny dooit. as he spoke he knocked the ashes from his pipe and put it in his pocket. then he unlocked the copper chest and lifted the lid, and dorothy saw it was full of shining tools of all sorts and shapes. johnny dooit moved quickly now--so quickly that they were astonished at the work he was able to accomplish. he had in his chest a tool for everything he wanted to do, and these must have been magic tools because they did their work so fast and so well. the man hummed a little song as he worked, and dorothy tried to listen to it. she thought the words were something like these: _the only way to do a thing is do it when you can, and do it cheerfully, and sing and work and think and plan. the only real unhappy one is he who dares to shirk; the only really happy one is he who cares to work._ whatever johnny dooit was singing he was certainly doing things, and they all stood by and watched him in amazement. he seized an axe and in a couple of chops felled a tree. next he took a saw and in a few minutes sawed the tree-trunk into broad long boards. he then nailed the boards together into the shape of a boat, about twelve feet long and four feet wide. he cut from another tree a long, slender pole which, when trimmed of its branches and fastened upright in the center of the boat, served as a mast. from the chest he drew a coil of rope and a big bundle of canvas, and with these--still humming his song--he rigged up a sail, arranging it so it could be raised or lowered upon the mast. dorothy fairly gasped with wonder to see the thing grow so speedily before her eyes, and both button-bright and polly looked on with the same absorbed interest. [illustration] "it ought to be painted," said johnny dooit, tossing his tools back into the chest, "for that would make it look prettier. but 'though i can paint it for you in three seconds it would take an hour to dry, and that's a waste of time." "we don't care how it looks," said the shaggy man, "if only it will take us across the desert." "it will do that," declared johnny dooit. "all you need worry about is tipping over. did you ever sail a ship?" "i've seen one sailed," said the shaggy man. "good. sail this boat the way you've seen a ship sailed, and you'll be across the sands before you know it." with this he slammed down the lid of the chest, and the noise made them all wink. while they were winking the workman disappeared, tools and all. the deadly desert crossed [illustration] "oh, that's too bad!" cried dorothy; "i wanted to thank johnny dooit for all his kindness to us." "he hasn't time to listen to thanks," replied the shaggy man; "but i'm sure he knows we are grateful. i suppose he is already at work in some other part of the world." they now looked more carefully at the sand-boat, and saw that the bottom was modelled with two sharp runners which would glide through the sand. the front of the sand-boat was pointed like the bow of a ship, and there was a rudder at the stern to steer by. it had been built just at the edge of the desert, so that all its length lay upon the grey sand except the after part, which still rested on the strip of grass. "get in, my dears," said the shaggy man; "i'm sure i can manage this boat as well as any sailor. all you need do is sit still in your places." [illustration] dorothy got in, toto in her arms, and sat on the bottom of the boat just in front of the mast. button-bright sat in front of dorothy, while polly leaned over the bow. the shaggy man knelt behind the mast. when all were ready he raised the sail half way. the wind caught it. at once the sand-boat started forward--slowly at first, then with added speed. the shaggy man pulled the sail way up, and they flew so fast over the deadly desert that every one held fast to the sides of the boat and scarcely dared to breathe. the sand lay in billows, and was in places very uneven, so that the boat rocked dangerously from side to side; but it never quite tipped over, and the speed was so great that the shaggy man himself became frightened and began to wonder how he could make the ship go slower. "if we're spilled in this sand, in the middle of the desert," dorothy thought to herself, "we'll be nothing but dust in a few minutes, and that will be the end of us." but they were not spilled, and by-and-bye polychrome, who was clinging to the bow and looking straight ahead, saw a dark line before them and wondered what it was. it grew plainer every second, until she discovered it to be a row of jagged rocks at the end of the desert, while high above these rocks she could see a tableland of green grass and beautiful trees. "look out!" she screamed to the shaggy man. "go slowly, or we shall smash into the rocks." he heard her, and tried to pull down the sail; but the wind would not let go of the broad canvas and the ropes had become tangled. nearer and nearer they drew to the great rocks, and the shaggy man was in despair because he could do nothing to stop the wild rush of the sand-boat. [illustration: "look out!" screamed polychrome] they reached the edge of the desert and bumped squarely into the rocks. there was a crash as dorothy, button-bright, toto and polly flew up in the air in a curve like a skyrocket's, one after another landing high upon the grass, where they rolled and tumbled for a time before they could stop themselves. the shaggy man flew after them, head first, and lighted in a heap beside toto, who, being much excited at the time, seized one of the donkey ears between his teeth and shook and worried it as hard as he could, growling angrily. the shaggy man made the little dog let go, and sat up to look around him. dorothy was feeling one of her front teeth, which was loosened by knocking against her knee as she fell. polly was looking sorrowfully at a rent in her pretty gauze gown, and button-bright's fox head had stuck fast in a gopher hole and he was wiggling his little fat legs frantically in an effort to get free. otherwise they were unhurt by the adventure; so the shaggy man stood up and pulled button-bright out of the hole and went to the edge of the desert to look at the sand-boat. it was a mere mass of splinters now, crushed out of shape against the rocks. the wind had torn away the sail and carried it to the top of a tall tree, where the fragments of it fluttered like a white flag. "well," he said, cheerfully, "we're here; but where the here is i don't know." "it must be some part of the land of oz," observed dorothy, coming to his side. "must it?" "'course it must. we're across the desert, aren't we? and somewhere in the middle of oz is the emerald city." "to be sure," said the shaggy man, nodding. "let's go there." "but i don't see any people about, to show us the way," she continued. "let's hunt for them," he suggested. "there must be people somewhere; but perhaps they did not expect us, and so are not at hand to give us a welcome." [illustration] the truth pond [illustration] they now made a more careful examination of the country around them. all was fresh and beautiful after the sultriness of the desert, and the sunshine and sweet, crisp air were delightful to the wanderers. little mounds of yellowish green were away at the right, while on the left waved a group of tall leafy trees bearing yellow blossoms that looked like tassels and pompoms. among the grasses carpeting the ground were pretty buttercups and cowslips and marigolds. after looking at these a moment dorothy said reflectively: "we must be in the country of the winkies, for the color of that country is yellow, and you will notice that 'most everything here is yellow that has any color at all." "but i thought this was the land of oz," replied the shaggy man, as if greatly disappointed. "so it is," she declared; "but there are four parts to the land of oz. the north country is purple, and it's the country of the gillikins. the east country is blue, and that's the country of the munchkins. down at the south is the red country of the quadlings, and here, in the west, the yellow country of the winkies. this is the part that is ruled by the tin woodman, you know." "who's he?" asked button-bright. "why, he's the tin man i told you about. his name is nick chopper, and he has a lovely heart given him by the wonderful wizard." "where does _he_ live?" asked the boy. "the wizard? oh, he lives in the emerald city, which is just in the middle of oz, where the corners of the four countries meet." "oh," said button-bright, puzzled by this explanation. "we must be some distance from the emerald city," remarked the shaggy man. "that's true," she replied; "so we'd better start on and see if we can find any of the winkies. they're nice people," she continued, as the little party began walking toward the group of trees, "and i came here once with my friends the scarecrow, and the tin woodman, and the cowardly lion, to fight a wicked witch who had made all the winkies her slaves." [illustration] "did you conquer her?" asked polly. "why, i melted her with a bucket of water, and that was the end of her," replied dorothy. "after that the people were free, you know, and they made nick chopper--that's the tin woodman--their emp'ror." "what's that?" asked button-bright. "emp'ror? oh, it's something like an alderman, i guess." "oh," said the boy. "but i thought princess ozma ruled oz," said the shaggy man. "so she does; she rules the emerald city and all the four countries of oz; but each country has another little ruler, not so big as ozma. it's like the officers of an army, you see; the little rulers are all captains, and ozma's the general." by this time they had reached the trees, which stood in a perfect circle and just far enough apart so that their thick branches touched--or "shook hands," as button-bright remarked. under the shade of the trees they found, in the center of the circle, a crystal pool, its water as still as glass. it must have been deep, too, for when polychrome bent over it she gave a little sigh of pleasure. "why, it's a mirror!" she cried; for she could see all her pretty face and fluffy, rainbow-tinted gown reflected in the pool, as natural as life. dorothy bent over, too, and began to arrange her hair, blown by the desert wind into straggling tangles. button-bright leaned over the edge next, and then began to cry, for the sight of his fox head frightened the poor little fellow. "i guess i won't look," remarked the shaggy man, sadly, for he didn't like his donkey head, either. while polly and dorothy tried to comfort button-bright, the shaggy man sat down near the edge of the pool, where his image could not be reflected, and stared at the water thoughtfully. as he did this he noticed a silver plate fastened to a rock just under the surface of the water, and on the silver plate was engraved these words: [illustration: the truth pond] "ah!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet with eager joy; "we've found it at last." "found what?" asked dorothy, running to him. "the truth pond. now, at last, i may get rid of this frightful head; for we were told, you remember, that only the truth pond could restore to me my proper face." "me, too!" shouted button-bright, trotting up to them. "of course," said dorothy. "it will cure you both of your bad heads, i guess. isn't it lucky we found it?" [illustration] "it is, indeed," replied the shaggy man. "i hated dreadfully to go to princess ozma looking like this; and she's to have a birthday celebration, too." just then a splash startled them, for button-bright, in his anxiety to see the pool that would "cure" him, had stepped too near the edge and tumbled heels over head into the water. down he went, out of sight entirely, so that only his sailor hat floated on the top of the truth pond. he soon bobbed up, and the shaggy man seized him by his sailor collar and dragged him to the shore, dripping and gasping for breath. they all looked upon the boy wonderingly, for the fox head with its sharp nose and pointed ears was gone, and in its place appeared the chubby round face and blue eyes and pretty curls that had belonged to button-bright before king dox of foxville transformed him. "oh, what a darling!" cried polly, and would have hugged the little one had he not been so wet. their joyful exclamations made the child rub the water out of his eyes and look at his friends questioningly. "you're all right now, dear," said dorothy. "come and look at yourself." she led him to the pool, and although there were still a few ripples on the surface of the water he could see his reflection plainly. "it's me!" he said, in a pleased yet awed whisper. [illustration: the shaggy man's own head restored] "'course it is," replied the girl; "and we're all as glad as you are, button-bright." "well," announced the shaggy man, "it's my turn next." he took off his shaggy coat and laid it on the grass and dived head first into the truth pond. [illustration] when he came up the donkey head had disappeared, and the shaggy man's own shaggy head was in its place, with the water dripping in little streams from his shaggy whiskers. he scrambled ashore and shook himself to get off some of the wet, and then leaned over the pool to look admiringly at his reflected face. "i may not be strictly beautiful, even now," he said to his companions, who watched him with smiling faces; "but i'm so much handsomer than any donkey that i feel as proud as i can be." "you're all right, shaggy man," declared dorothy. "and button-bright is all right, too. so let's thank the truth pond for being so nice, and start on our journey to the emerald city." "i hate to leave it," murmured the shaggy man, with a sigh. "a truth pond wouldn't be a bad thing to carry around with us." but he put on his coat and started with the others in search of some one to direct them on their way. tik-tok and billina [illustration] they had not walked far across the flower-strewn meadows when they came upon a fine road leading toward the northwest and winding gracefully among the pretty yellow hills. "that way," said dorothy, "must be the direction of the emerald city. we'd better follow the road until we meet some one or come to a house." the sun soon dried button-bright's sailor suit and the shaggy man's shaggy clothes, and so pleased were they at regaining their own heads that they did not mind at all the brief discomfort of getting wet. "it's good to be able to whistle again," remarked the shaggy man, "for those donkey lips were so thick i could not whistle a note with them." he warbled a tune as merrily as any bird. "you'll look more natural at the birthday celebration, too," said dorothy, happy in seeing her friends so happy. polychrome was dancing ahead in her usual sprightly manner, whirling gaily along the smooth, level road, until she passed from sight around the curve of one of the mounds. suddenly they heard her exclaim "oh!" and she appeared again, running toward them at full speed. "what's the matter, polly?" asked dorothy, perplexed. there was no need for the rainbow's daughter to answer, for turning the bend in the road there came advancing slowly toward them a funny round man made of burnished copper, gleaming brightly in the sun. perched on the copper man's shoulder sat a yellow hen, with fluffy feathers and a pearl necklace around her throat. "oh, tik-tok!" cried dorothy, running forward. when she came to him the copper man lifted the little girl in his copper arms and kissed her cheek with his copper lips. "oh, billina!" cried dorothy, in a glad voice, and the yellow hen flew to her arms, to be hugged and petted by turns. the others were curiously crowding around the group, and the girl said to them: "it's tik-tok and billina; and oh! i'm so glad to see them again." "wel-come to oz," said the copper man, in a monotonous voice. [illustration] dorothy sat right down in the road, the yellow hen in her arms, and began to stroke billina's back. said the hen: "dorothy, dear, i've some wonderful news to tell you." "tell it quick, billina!" said the girl. just then toto, who had been growling to himself in a cross way gave a sharp bark and flew at the yellow hen, who ruffled her feathers and let out such an angry screech that dorothy was startled. "stop, toto! stop that this minute!" she commanded. "can't you see that billina is my friend?" in spite of this warning had she not grabbed toto quickly by the neck the little dog would have done the yellow hen a mischief, and even now he struggled madly to escape dorothy's grasp. she slapped his cars once or twice and told him to behave, and the yellow hen flew to tik-tok's shoulder again, where she was safe. "what a brute!" croaked billina, glaring down at the little dog. "toto isn't a brute," replied dorothy; "but at home uncle henry has to whip him sometimes for chasing the chickens. now, look here, toto," she added, holding up her finger and speaking sternly to him, "you've got to understand that billina is one of my dearest friends, and mustn't be hurt--now or ever." toto wagged his tail as if he understood. "the miserable thing can't talk," said billina, with a sneer. "yes, he can," replied dorothy; "he talks with his tail, and i know everything he says. if you could wag your tail, billina, you wouldn't need words to talk with." "nonsense!" said billina. "it isn't nonsense at all. just now toto says he's sorry, and that he'll try to love you for my sake. don't you, toto?" "bow-wow!" said toto, wagging his tail again. "but i've such wonderful news for you; dorothy," cried the yellow hen; "i've----" "wait a minute, dear," interrupted the little girl; "i've got to introduce you all, first. that's manners, billina. this," turning to her traveling companions, "is mr. tik-tok, who works by machinery, 'cause his thoughts wind up, and his talk winds up, and his action winds up--like a clock." "do they all wind up together?" asked the shaggy man. "no; each one separate. but he works just lovely, and tik-tok was a good friend to me once, and saved my life--and billina's life, too." "is he alive?" asked button-bright, looking hard at the copper man. "oh, no, but his machinery makes him just as good as alive." she turned to the copper man and said politely: "mr. tik-tok, these are my new friends: the shaggy man, and polly the rainbow's daughter, and button-bright, and toto. only toto isn't a new friend, 'cause he's been to oz before." the copper man bowed low, removing his copper hat as he did so. "i'm ve-ry pleased to meet dor-o-thy's fr-r-r-r-r----" here he stopped short. "oh, i guess his speech needs winding!" said the little girl, running behind the copper man to get the key off a hook at his back. she wound him up at a place under his right arm and he went on to say: "par-don me for run-ning down. i was a-bout to say i am pleased to meet dor-o-thy's friends, who must be my friends." the words were somewhat jerky, but plain to understand. "and this is billina," continued dorothy, introducing the yellow hen, and they all bowed to her in turn. "i've such wonderful news," said the hen, turning her head so that one bright eye looked full at dorothy. "what is it, dear?" asked the girl. "i've hatched out ten of the loveliest chicks you ever saw." "oh, how nice! and where are they, billina?" "i left them at home. but they're beauties, i assure you, and all wonderfully clever. i've named them dorothy." "which one?" asked the girl. "all of them," replied billina. "that's funny. why did you name them all with the same name?" "it was so hard to tell them apart," explained the hen. "now, when i call 'dorothy,' they all come running to me in a bunch; it's much easier, after all, than having a separate name for each." "i'm just dying to see 'em, billina," said dorothy, eagerly. "but tell me, my friends, how did you happen to be here, in the country of the winkies, the first of all to meet us?" "i'll tell you," answered tik-tok, in his monotonous voice, all the sounds of his words being on one level--"prin-cess oz-ma saw you in her mag-ic pic-ture, and knew you were com-ing here; so she sent bil-lin-a and me to wel-come you, as she could not come her-self; so that--fiz-i-dig-le cum-so-lut-ing hy-ber-gobble in-tu-zib-ick----" "good gracious! whatever's the matter now?" cried dorothy, as the copper man continued to babble these unmeaning words, which no one could understand at all because they had no sense. "don't know," said button-bright, who was half scared. polly whirled away to a distance and turned to look at the copper man in a fright. [illustration] "his thoughts have run down, this time," remarked billina composedly, as she sat on tik-tok's shoulder and pruned her sleek feathers. "when he can't think he can't talk properly, any more than you can. you'll have to wind up his thoughts, dorothy, or else i'll have to finish his story myself." dorothy ran around and got the key again and wound up tik-tok under his left arm, after which he could speak plainly again. "par-don me," he said, "but when my thoughts run down my speech has no mean-ing, for words are formed on-ly by thought. i was a-bout to say that oz-ma sent us to wel-come you and in-vite you to come straight to the em-er-ald ci-ty. she was too bus-y to come her-self, for she is pre-par-ing for her birth-day cel-e-bra-tion, which is to be a grand af-fair." "i've heard of it," said dorothy, "and i'm glad we've come in time to attend. is it far from here to the emerald city?" "not ve-ry far," answered tik-tok, "and we have plen-ty of time. to-night we will stop at the pal-ace of the tin wood-man, and to-mor-row night we will ar-rive at the em-er-ald ci-ty." "goody!" cried dorothy. "i'd like to see dear nick chopper again. how's his heart?" "it's fine," said billina; "the tin woodman says it gets softer and kindlier every day. he's waiting at his castle to welcome you, dorothy; but he couldn't come with us because he 'is getting polished as bright as possible for ozma's party." "well, then," said dorothy, "let's start on, and we can talk more as we go." they proceeded on their journey in a friendly group, for polychrome had discovered that the copper man was harmless and was no longer afraid of him. button-bright was also reassured, and took quite a fancy to tik-tok. he wanted the clockwork man to open himself, so that he might see the wheels go round; but that was a thing tik-tok could not do. button-bright then wanted to wind up the copper man, and dorothy promised he should do so as soon as any part of the machinery ran down. this pleased button-bright, who held fast to one of tik-tok's copper hands as he trudged along the road, while dorothy walked on the other side of her old friend and billina perched by turns upon his shoulder or his copper hat. polly once more joyously danced ahead and toto ran after her, barking with glee. the shaggy man was left to walk behind; but he didn't seem to mind that a bit, and whistled merrily or looked curiously upon the pretty scenes they passed. at last they came to a hilltop from which the tin castle of nick chopper could plainly be seen, its towers glistening magnificently under the rays of the declining sun. "how pretty!" exclaimed dorothy. "i've never seen the emp'ror's new house before." "he built it because the old castle was damp, and likely to rust his tin body," said billina. "all those towers and steeples and domes and gables took a lot of tin, as you can see." "is it a toy?" asked button-bright, softly. "no, dear," answered dorothy; "it's better than that. it's the fairy dwelling of a fairy prince." [illustration] the emperor's tin castle [illustration] the grounds around nick chopper's new house were laid out in pretty flower-beds, with fountains of crystal water and statues of tin representing the emperor's personal friends. dorothy was astonished and delighted to find a tin statue of herself standing on a tin pedestal at a bend in the avenue leading up to the entrance. it was life-size and showed her in her sunbonnet with her basket on her arm, just as she had first appeared in the land of oz. "oh, toto--you're there too!" she exclaimed; and sure enough there was the tin figure of toto lying at the tin dorothy's feet. also dorothy saw figures of the scarecrow, and the wizard, and ozma, and of many others, including tik-tok. they reached the grand tin entrance to the tin castle, and the tin woodman himself came running out of the door to embrace little dorothy and give her a glad welcome. he welcomed her friends as well, and the rainbow's daughter he declared to be the loveliest vision his tin eyes had ever beheld. he patted button-bright's curly head tenderly, for he was fond of children, and turned to the shaggy man and shook both his hands at the same time. [illustration] nick chopper, the emperor of the winkies, who was also known throughout the land of oz as the tin woodman, was certainly a remarkable person. he was neatly made, all of tin, nicely soldered at the joints, and his various limbs were cleverly hinged to his body so that he could use them nearly as well as if they had been common flesh. once, he told the shaggy man, he had been made all of flesh and bones, as others people are, and then he chopped wood in the forests to earn his living. but the axe slipped so often and cut off parts of him--which he had replaced with tin--that finally there was no flesh left, nothing but tin; so he became a real tin woodman. the wonderful wizard of oz had given him an excellent heart to replace his old one, and he didn't at all mind being tin. every one loved him, he loved every one; and he was therefore as happy as the day was long. the emperor was proud of his new tin castle, and showed his visitors through all the rooms. every bit of the furniture was made of brightly polished tin--the tables, chairs, beds, and all--even the floors and walls were of tin. "i suppose," said he, "that there are no cleverer tinsmiths in all the world than the winkies. it would be hard to match this castle in kansas; wouldn't it, little dorothy?" "very hard," replied the child, gravely. "it must have cost a lot of money," remarked the shaggy man. "money! money in oz!" cried the tin woodman. "what a queer idea! did you suppose we are so vulgar as to use money here?" "why not?" asked the shaggy man. "if we used money to buy things with, instead of love and kindness and the desire to please one another, then we should be no better than the rest of the world," declared the tin woodman. "fortunately money is not known in the land of oz at all. we have no rich, and no poor; for what one wishes the others all try to give him, in order to make him happy, and no one in all oz cares to have more than he can use." "good!" cried the shaggy man, greatly pleased to hear this. "i also despise money--a man in butterfield owes me fifteen cents, and i will not take it from him. the land of oz is surely the most favored land in all the world, and its people the happiest. i should like to live here always." the tin woodman listened with respectful attention. already he loved the shaggy man, although he did not yet know of the love magnet. so he said: "if you can prove to the princess ozma that you are honest and true and worthy of our friendship, you may indeed live here all your days, and be as happy as we are." "i'll try to prove that," said the shaggy man, earnestly. "and now," continued the emperor, "you must all go to your rooms and prepare for dinner, which will presently be served in the grand tin dining-hall. i am sorry, shaggy man, that i can not offer you a change of clothing; but i dress only in tin, myself, and i suppose that would not suit you." "i care little about dress," said the shaggy man, indifferently. "so i should imagine," replied the emperor, with true politeness. they were shown to their rooms and permitted to make such toilets as they could, and soon they assembled again in the grand tin dining-hall, even toto being present. for the emperor was fond of dorothy's little dog, and the girl explained to her friends that in oz all animals were treated with as much consideration as the people--"if they behave themselves," she added. toto behaved himself, and sat in a tin high-chair beside dorothy and ate his dinner from a tin platter. indeed, they all ate from tin dishes, but these were of pretty shapes and brightly polished; dorothy thought they were just as good as silver. button-bright looked curiously at the man who had "no appetite inside him," for the tin woodman, although he had prepared so fine a feast for his guests, ate not a mouthful himself, sitting patiently in his place to see that all built so they could eat were well and plentifully served. [illustration: polychrome danced gracefully to the music] what pleased button-bright most about the dinner was the tin orchestra that played sweet music while the company ate. the players were not tin, being just ordinary winkies; but the instruments they played upon were all tin--tin trumpets, tin fiddles, tin drums and cymbals and flutes and horns and all. they played so nicely the "shining emperor waltz," composed expressly in honor of the tin woodman by mr. h. m. wogglebug, t. e., that polly could not resist dancing to it. after she had tasted a few dewdrops, freshly gathered for her, she danced gracefully to the music while the others finished their repast; and when she whirled until her fleecy draperies of rainbow hues enveloped her like a cloud, the tin woodman was so delighted that he clapped his tin hands until the noise of them drowned the sound of the cymbals. altogether it was a merry meal, although polychrome ate little and the host nothing at all. "i'm sorry the rainbow's daughter missed her mist-cakes," said the tin woodman to dorothy; "but by a mistake miss polly's mist-cakes were mislaid and not missed until now. i'll try to have some for her breakfast." they spent the evening telling stories, and the next morning left the splendid tin castle and set out upon the road to the emerald city. the tin woodman went with them, of course, having by this time been so brightly polished that he sparkled like silver. his axe, which he always carried with him, had a steel blade that was tin plated and a handle covered with tin plate beautifully engraved and set with diamonds. the winkies assembled before the castle gates and cheered their emperor as he marched away, and it was easy to see that they all loved him dearly. [illustration] visiting the pumpkin-field [illustration] dorothy let button-bright wind up the clock-work in the copper man this morning--his thinking machine first, then his speech, and finally his action; so he would doubtless run perfectly until they had reached the emerald city. the copper man and the tin man were good friends, and not so much alike as you might think. for one was alive and the other moved by means of machinery; one was tall and angular and the other short and round. you could love the tin woodman because he had a fine nature, kindly and simple; but the machine man you could only admire without loving, since to love such a thing as he was as impossible as to love a sewing-machine or an automobile. yet tik-tok was popular with the people of oz because he was so trustworthy, reliable and true; he was sure to do exactly what he was wound up to do, at all times and in all circumstances. perhaps it is better to be a machine that does its duty than a flesh-and-blood person who will not, for a dead truth is better than a live falsehood. about noon the travelers reached a large field of pumpkins--a vegetable quite appropriate to the yellow country of the winkies--and some of the pumpkins which grew there were of remarkable size. just before they entered upon this field they saw three little mounds that looked like graves, with a pretty headstone to each one of them. [illustration] "what is this?" asked dorothy, in wonder. "it's jack pumpkinhead's private graveyard," replied the tin woodman. "but i thought nobody ever died in oz," she said. "nor do they; although if one is bad, he may be condemned and killed by the good citizens," he answered. dorothy ran over to the little graves and read the words engraved upon the tombstones. the first one said: here lies the mortal part of jack pumpkinhead which spoiled april th. she then went to the next stone, which read: here lies the mortal part of jack pumpkinhead which spoiled october nd. on the third stone were carved these words: here lies the mortal part of jack pumpkinhead which spoiled january th. "poor jack!" sighed dorothy. "i'm sorry he had to die in three parts, for i hoped to see him again." "so you shall," declared the tin woodman, "since he is still alive. come with me to his house, for jack is now a farmer and lives in this very pumpkin field." they walked over to a monstrous big, hollow pumpkin which had a door and windows cut through the rind. there was a stovepipe running through the stem, and six steps had been built leading up to the front door. they walked up to this door and looked in. seated on a bench was a man clothed in a spotted shirt, a red vest, and faded blue trousers, whose body was merely sticks of wood, jointed clumsily together. on his neck was set a round, yellow pumpkin, with a face carved on it such as a boy often carves on a jack-lantern. this queer man was engaged in snapping slippery pumpkin-seeds with his wooden fingers, trying to hit a target on the other side of the room with them. he did not know he had visitors until dorothy exclaimed: "why, it's jack pumpkinhead himself!" he turned and saw them, and at once came forward to greet the little kansas girl and nick chopper, and to be introduced to their new friends. button-bright was at first rather shy with the quaint pumpkinhead, but jack's face was so jolly and smiling--being carved that way--that the boy soon grew to like him. "i thought, a while ago, that you were buried in three parts," said dorothy; "but now i see you're just the same as ever." "not quite the same, my dear, for my mouth is a little more one-sided than it used to be; but pretty nearly the same. i've a new head, and this is the fourth one i've owned since ozma first made me and brought me to life by sprinkling me with the magic powder." "what became of the other heads, jack?" "they spoiled and i buried them, for they were not even fit for pies. each time ozma has carved me a new head just like the old one, and as my body is by far the largest part of me i am still jack pumpkinhead, no matter how often i change my upper end. once we had a dreadful time to find another pumpkin, as they were out of season, and so i was obliged to wear my old head a little longer than was strictly healthy. but after this sad experience i resolved to raise pumpkins myself, so as never to be caught again without one handy; and now i have this fine field that you see before you. some grow pretty big--too big to be used for heads--so i dug out this one and use it for a house." "isn't it damp?" asked dorothy. "not very. there isn't much left but the shell, you see, and it will last a long time yet." "i think you are brighter than you used to be, jack," said the tin woodman. "your last head was a stupid one." "the seeds in this one are better," was the reply. "are you going to ozma's party?" asked dorothy. "yes," said he; "i wouldn't miss it for anything. ozma's my parent, you know, because she built my body and carved my pumpkin head. i'll follow you to the emerald city to-morrow, where we shall meet again. i can't go to-day, because i have to plant fresh pumpkin-seeds and water the young vines. but give my love to ozma, and tell her i'll be there in time for the jubilation." "we will," she promised; and then they all left him and resumed their journey. [illustration] the royal chariot arrives [illustration] the neat yellow houses of the winkies were now to be seen standing here and there along the roadway, giving the country a more cheerful and civilized look. they were farm-houses, though, and set far apart; for in the land of oz there were no towns or villages except the magnificent emerald city in its center. hedges of evergreen or of yellow roses bordered the broad highway and the farms showed the care of their industrious inhabitants. the nearer the travelers came to the great city the more prosperous the country became, and they crossed many bridges over the sparkling streams and rivulets that watered the lands. as they walked leisurely along the shaggy man said to the tin woodman: "what sort of a magic powder was it, that made your friend the pumpkinhead live?" "it was called the powder of life," was the answer; "and it was invented by a crooked sorcerer who lived in the mountains of the north country. a witch named mombi got some of this powder from the crooked sorcerer and took it home with her. ozma lived with the witch then, for it was before she became our princess, while mombi had transformed her into the shape of a boy. well, while mombi was gone to the crooked sorcerer's, the boy made this pumpkin-headed man to amuse himself, and also with the hope of frightening the witch with it when she returned. but mombi was not scared, and she sprinkled the pumpkinhead with her magic powder of life, to see if the powder would work. ozma was watching, and saw the pumpkinhead come to life; so that night she took the pepper-box containing the powder and ran away with it and with jack, in search of adventures." "next day they found a wooden saw-horse standing by the roadside, and sprinkled it with the powder. it came to life at once, and jack pumpkinhead rode the saw-horse to the emerald city." "what became of the saw-horse, afterward?" asked the shaggy man, much interested in this story. [illustration] "oh, it's alive yet, and you will probably meet it presently in the emerald city. afterward ozma used the last of the powder to bring the flying gump to life; but as soon as it had carried her away from her enemies the gump was taken apart, so it doesn't exist any more." "it's too bad the powder of life was all used up," remarked the shaggy man; "it would be a handy thing to have around." "i am not so sure of that, sir," answered the tin woodman. "a while ago the crooked sorcerer who invented the magic powder fell down a precipice and was killed. all his possessions went to a relative--an old woman named dyna, who lives in the emerald city. she went to the mountains where the sorcerer had lived and brought away everything she thought of value. among them was a small bottle of the powder of life; but of course dyna didn't know it was a magic powder, at all. it happened she had once had a big blue bear for a pet; but the bear choked to death on a fishbone one day, and she loved it so dearly that dyna made a rug of its skin, leaving the head and four paws on the hide. she kept the rug on the floor of her front parlor." "i've seen rugs like that," said the shaggy man, nodding, "but never one made from a blue bear." "well," continued the tin woodman, "the old woman had an idea that the powder in the bottle must be moth-powder, because it smelled something like moth-powder; so one day she sprinkled it on her bear rug to keep the moths out of it. she said, looking lovingly at the skin: 'i wish my dear bear were alive again!' to her horror the bear rug at once came to life, having been sprinkled with the magic powder; and now this live bear rug is a great trial to her, and makes her a lot of trouble." "why?" asked the shaggy man. "well, it stands up on its four feet and walks all around, and gets in the way; and that spoils it for a rug. it can't speak, although it is alive; for, while its head might say words, it has no breath in a solid body to push the words out of its mouth. it's a very slimpsy affair altogether, that bear rug, and the old woman is sorry it came to life. every day she has to scold it, and make it lie down flat on the parlor floor to be walked upon; but sometimes when she goes to market the rug will hump up its back skin, and stand on its four feet, and trot along after her." [illustration] "i should think dyna would like that," said dorothy. "well, she doesn't; because every one knows it isn't a real bear, but just a hollow skin, and so of no actual use in the world except for a rug," answered the tin woodman. "therefore i believe it is a good thing that all the magic powder of life is now used up, as it cannot cause any more trouble." "perhaps you're right," said the shaggy man, thoughtfully. at noon they stopped at a farm-house, where it delighted the farmer and his wife to be able to give them a good luncheon. the farm people knew dorothy, having seen her when she was in the country before, and they treated the little girl with as much respect as they did the emperor, because she was a friend of the powerful princess ozma. they had not proceeded far after leaving this farm-house before coming to a high bridge over a broad river. this river, the tin woodman informed them, was the boundary between the country of the winkies and the territory of the emerald city. the city itself was still a long way off, but all around it was a green meadow, as pretty as a well-kept lawn, and in this were neither houses nor farms to spoil the beauty of the scene. from the top of the high bridge they could see far away the magnificent spires and splendid domes of the superb city, sparkling like brilliant jewels as they towered above the emerald walls. the shaggy man drew a deep breath of awe and amazement, for never had he dreamed that such a grand and beautiful place could exist--even in the fairyland of oz. polly was so pleased that her violet eyes sparkled like amethysts, and she danced away from her companions across the bridge and into a group of feathery trees lining both the roadsides. these trees she stopped to look at with pleasure and surprise, for their leaves were shaped like ostrich plumes, their feather edges beautifully curled; and all the plumes were tinted in the same dainty rainbow hues that appeared in polychrome's own pretty gauze gown. "father ought to see these trees," she murmured; "they are almost as lovely as his own rainbows." then she gave a start of terror, for beneath the trees came stalking two great beasts, either one big enough to crush the little daughter of the rainbow with one blow of his paws, or to eat her up with one snap of his enormous jaws. one was a tawny lion, as tall as a horse, nearly; the other a striped tiger almost the same size. polly was too frightened to scream or to stir; she stood still with a wildly beating heart until dorothy rushed past her and with a glad cry threw her arms around the huge lion's neck, hugging and kissing the beast with evident joy. "oh, i'm _so_ glad to see you again!" cried the little kansas girl. "and the hungry tiger, too! how fine you're both looking. are you well and happy?" [illustration: dorothy threw her arms around the lion's neck] "we certainly are, dorothy," answered the lion, in a deep voice that sounded pleasant and kind; "and we are greatly pleased that you have come to ozma's party. it's going to be a grand affair, i promise you." "there will be lots of fat babies at the celebration, i hear," remarked the hungry tiger, yawning so that his mouth opened dreadfully wide and showed all his big, sharp teeth; "but of course i can't eat any of 'em." "is your conscience still in good order?" asked dorothy, anxiously. "yes; it rules me like a tyrant," answered the tiger, sorrowfully. "i can imagine nothing more unpleasant than to own a conscience," and he winked slyly at his friend the lion. "you're fooling me!" said dorothy, with a laugh. "i don't b'lieve you'd eat a baby if you lost your conscience. come here, polly," she called, "and be introduced to my friends." polly advanced rather shyly. "you have some queer friends, dorothy," she said. "the queerness doesn't matter, so long as they're friends," was the answer. "this is the cowardly lion, who isn't a coward at all, but just thinks he is. the wizard gave him some courage once, and he has part of it left." the lion bowed with great dignity to polly. "you are very lovely, my dear," said he. "i hope we shall be friends when we are better acquainted." "and this is the hungry tiger," continued dorothy. "he says he longs to eat fat babies; but the truth is he is never hungry at all, 'cause he gets plenty to eat; and i don't s'pose he'd hurt anybody even if he was hungry." "hush, dorothy," whispered the tiger; "you'll ruin my reputation if you are not more discreet. it isn't what we are, but what folks think we are, that counts in this world. and come to think of it miss polly would make a fine variegated breakfast, i'm sure." [illustration] the emerald city [illustration] the others now came up, and the tin woodman greeted the lion and the tiger cordially. button-bright yelled with fear when dorothy first took his hand and led him toward the great beasts; but the girl insisted they were kind and good, and so the boy mustered up courage enough to pat their heads; after they had spoken to him gently and he had looked into their intelligent eyes his fear vanished entirely and he was so delighted with the animals that he wanted to keep close to them and stroke their soft fur every minute. as for the shaggy man, he might have been afraid if he had met the beasts alone, or in any other country; but so many were the marvels in the land of oz that he was no longer easily surprised, and dorothy's friendship for the lion and tiger was enough to assure him they were safe companions. toto barked at the cowardly lion in joyous greeting, for he knew the beast of old and loved him, and it was funny to see how gently the lion raised his huge paw to pat toto's head. the little dog smelled of the tiger's nose and the tiger politely shook paws with him; so they were quite likely to become firm friends. tik-tok and billina knew the beasts well, so merely bade them good day and asked after their healths and inquired about the princess ozma. now it was seen that the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were drawing behind them a splendid golden chariot, to which they were harnessed by golden cords. the body of the chariot was decorated on the outside with designs in clusters of sparkling emeralds, while inside it was lined with a green and gold satin, and the cushions of the seats were of green plush embroidered in gold with a crown, underneath which was a monogram. "why, it's ozma's own royal chariot!" exclaimed dorothy. "yes," said the cowardly lion; "ozma sent us to meet you here, for she feared you would be weary with your long walk and she wished you to enter the city in a style becoming your exalted rank." "what!" cried polly, looking at dorothy curiously. "do you belong to the nobility?" [illustration] "just in oz i do," said the child, "'cause ozma made me a princess, you know. but when i'm home in kansas i'm only a country girl, and have to help with the churning and wipe the dishes while aunt em washes 'em. do you have to help wash dishes on the rainbow, polly?" "no, dear," answered polychrome, smiling. "well, i don't have to work any in oz, either," said dorothy. "it's kind of fun to be a princess once in a while; don't you think so?" "dorothy and polychrome and button-bright are all to ride in the chariot," said the lion. "so get in, my dears, and be careful not to mar the gold or put your dusty feet on the embroidery." button-bright was delighted to ride behind such a superb team, and he told dorothy it made him feel like an actor in a circus. as the strides of the animals brought them nearer to the emerald city every one bowed respectfully to the children, as well as to the tin woodman, tik-tok, and the shaggy man, who were following behind. the yellow hen had perched upon the back of the chariot, where she could tell dorothy more about her wonderful chickens as they rode. and so the grand chariot came finally to the high wall surrounding the city, and paused before the magnificent jewel-studded gates. these were opened by a cheerful looking little man who wore green spectacles over his eyes. dorothy introduced him to her friends as the guardian of the gates, and they noticed a big bunch of keys suspended on the golden chain that hung around his neck. the chariot passed through the outer gates into a fine arched chamber built in the thick wall, and through the inner gates into the streets of the emerald city. polychrome exclaimed in rapture at the wondrous beauty that met her eyes on every side as they rode through this stately and imposing city, the equal of which has never been discovered, even in fairyland. button-bright could only say "my!" so amazing was the sight; but his eyes were wide open and he tried to look in every direction at the same time, so as not to miss anything. [illustration] the shaggy man was fairly astounded at what he saw, for the graceful and handsome buildings were covered with plates of gold and set with emeralds so splendid and valuable that in any other part of the world any one of them would have been worth a fortune to its owner. the sidewalks were superb marble slabs polished as smooth as glass, and the curbs that separated the walks from the broad street were also set thick with clustered emeralds. there were many people on these walks--men, women, and children--all dressed in handsome garments of silk or satin or velvet, with beautiful jewels. better even than this: all seemed happy and contented, for their faces were smiling and free from care, and music and laughter might be heard on every side. "don't they work, at all?" asked the shaggy man. "to be sure they work," replied the tin woodman; "this fair city could not be built or cared for without labor, nor could the fruit and vegetables and other food be provided for the inhabitants to eat. but no one works more than half his time, and the people of oz enjoy their labors as much as they do their play." "it's wonderful!" declared the shaggy man. "i do hope ozma will let me live here." the chariot, winding through many charming streets, paused before a building so vast and noble and elegant that even button-bright guessed at once that it was the royal palace. its gardens and ample grounds were surrounded by a separate wall, not so high or thick as the wall around the city, but more daintily designed and built all of green marble. the gates flew open as the chariot appeared before them, and the cowardly lion and hungry tiger trotted up a jeweled driveway to the front door of the palace and stopped short. "here we are!" said dorothy, gaily, and helped button-bright from the chariot. polychrome leaped out lightly after them, and they were greeted by a crowd of gorgeously dressed servants who bowed low as the visitors mounted the marble steps. at their head was a pretty little maid with dark hair and eyes, dressed all in green embroidered with silver. dorothy ran up to her with evident pleasure, and exclaimed: "o jellia jamb! i'm so glad to see you again. where's ozma?" "in her room, your highness," replied the little maid demurely, for this was ozma's favorite attendant. "she wishes you to come to her as soon as you have rested and changed your dress, princess dorothy. and you and your friends are to dine with her this evening." "when is her birthday, jellia?" asked the girl. "day after to-morrow, your highness." "and where's the scarecrow?" "he's gone into the munchkin country to get some fresh straw to stuff himself with, in honor of ozma's celebration," replied the maid. "he returns to the emerald city to-morrow, he said." by this time tik-tok, the tin woodman, and the shaggy man had arrived and the chariot had gone around to the back of the palace, billina going with the lion and tiger to see her chickens after her absence from them. but toto stayed close beside dorothy. [illustration: "o, jellia jamb! i'm so glad to see you"] "come in, please," said jellia jamb; "it shall be our pleasant duty to escort all of you to the rooms prepared for your use." the shaggy man hesitated. dorothy had never known him to be ashamed of his shaggy looks before, but now that he was surrounded by so much magnificence and splendor the shaggy man felt sadly out of place. dorothy assured him that all her friends were welcome at ozma's palace, so he carefully dusted his shaggy shoes with his shaggy handkerchief and entered the grand hall after the others. [illustration] tik-tok lived at the royal palace and the tin woodman always had the same room whenever he visited ozma, so these two went at once to remove the dust of the journey from their shining bodies. dorothy also had a pretty suite of rooms which she always occupied when in the emerald city; but several servants walked ahead politely to show the way, although she was quite sure she could find the rooms herself. she took button-bright with her, because he seemed too small to be left alone in such a big palace; but jellia jamb herself ushered the beautiful daughter of the rainbow to her apartments, because it was easy to see that polychrome was used to splendid palaces and was therefore entitled to especial attention. the shaggy man's welcome [illustration] the shaggy man stood in the great hall, his shaggy hat in his hands, wondering what would become of him. he had never been a guest in a fine palace before; perhaps he had never been a guest anywhere. in the big, cold, outside world people did not invite shaggy men to their homes, and this shaggy man of ours had slept more in hay-lofts and stables than in comfortable rooms. when the others left the great hall he eyed the splendidly dressed servants of the princess ozma as if he expected to be ordered out; but one of them bowed before him as respectfully as if he had been a prince, and said: "permit me, sir, to conduct you to your apartments." the shaggy man drew a long breath and took courage. "very well," he answered; "i'm ready." [illustration] through the big hall they went, up the grand staircase carpeted thick with velvet, and so along a wide corridor to a carved doorway. here the servant paused, and opening the door said with polite deference: "be good enough to enter, sir, and make yourself at home in the rooms our royal ozma has ordered prepared for you. whatever you see is for you to use and enjoy, as if your own. the princess dines at seven, and i shall be here in time to lead you to the drawing-room, where you will be privileged to meet the lovely ruler of oz. is there any command, in the meantime, with which you desire to honor me?" "no," said the shaggy man; "but i'm much obliged." he entered the room and shut the door, and for a time stood in bewilderment, admiring the grandeur before him. he had been given one of the handsomest apartments in the most magnificent palace in the world, and you can not wonder that his good fortune astonished and awed him until he grew used to his surroundings. the furniture was upholstered in cloth of gold, with the royal crown embroidered upon it in scarlet. the rug upon the marble floor was so thick and soft that he could not hear the sound of his own footsteps, and upon the walls were splendid tapestries woven with scenes from the land of oz. books and ornaments were scattered about in profusion, and the shaggy man thought he had never seen so many pretty things in one place before. in one corner played a tinkling fountain of perfumed water, and in another was a table bearing a golden tray loaded with freshly gathered fruit, including several of the red-cheeked apples that the shaggy man loved. at the farther end of this charming room was an open doorway, and he crossed over to find himself in a bedroom containing more comforts than the shaggy man had ever before imagined. the bedstead was of gold and set with many brilliant diamonds, and the coverlet had designs of pearls and rubies sewed upon it. at one side of the bedroom was a dainty dressing-room, with closets containing a large assortment of fresh clothing; and beyond this was the bath--a large room having a marble pool big enough to swim in, with white marble steps leading down to the water. around the edge of the pool were set rows of fine emeralds as large as door-knobs, while the water of the bath was clear as crystal. [illustration: the shaggy man admires his new clothes] for a time the shaggy man gazed upon all this luxury with silent amazement. then he decided, being wise in his way, to take advantage of his good fortune. he removed his shaggy boots and his shaggy clothing, and bathed in the pool with rare enjoyment. after he had dried himself with the soft towels he went into the dressing-room and took fresh linen from the drawers and put it on, finding that everything fitted him exactly. he examined the contents of the closets and selected an elegant suit of clothing. strangely enough, everything about it was shaggy, although so new and beautiful, and he sighed with contentment to realize that he could now be finely dressed and still be the shaggy man. his coat was of rose-colored velvet, trimmed with shags and bobtails, with buttons of blood-red rubies and golden shags around the edges. his vest was a shaggy satin of a delicate cream color, and his knee-breeches of rose velvet trimmed like the coat. shaggy creamy stockings of silk, and shaggy slippers of rose leather with ruby buckles, completed his costume, and when he was thus attired the shaggy man looked at himself in a long mirror with great admiration. on a table he found a mother-of-pearl chest decorated with delicate silver vines and flowers of clustered rubies, and on the cover was a silver plate engraved with these words: the shaggy man: his box of ornaments the chest was not locked, so he opened it and was almost dazzled by the brilliance of the rich jewels it contained. after admiring the pretty things, he took out a fine golden watch with a big chain, several handsome finger-rings, and an ornament of rubies to pin upon the breast of his shaggy shirt-bosom. having carefully brushed his hair and whiskers all the wrong way, to make them look as shaggy as possible, the shaggy man breathed a deep sigh of joy and decided he was ready to meet the royal princess as soon as she sent for him. while he waited he returned to the beautiful sitting room and ate several of the red-cheeked apples to pass away the time. meanwhile dorothy had dressed herself in a pretty gown of soft grey embroidered with silver, and put a blue-and-gold suit of satin upon little button-bright, who looked as sweet as a cherub in it. followed by the boy and toto--the dog with a new green ribbon around his neck--she hastened down to the splendid drawing-room of the palace, where, seated upon an exquisite throne of carved malachite and nestled amongst its green satin cushions was the lovely princess ozma, waiting eagerly to welcome her friend. [illustration] princess ozma of oz [illustration] the royal historians of oz, who are fine writers and know any number of big words, have often tried to describe the rare beauty of ozma and failed because the words were not good enough. so of course i can not hope to tell you how great was the charm of this little princess, or how her loveliness put to shame all the sparkling jewels and magnificent luxury that surrounded her in this her royal palace. whatever else was beautiful or dainty or delightful of itself faded to dullness when contrasted with ozma's bewitching face, and it has often been said by those who know that no other ruler in all the world can ever hope to equal the gracious charm of her manner. everything about ozma attracted one, and she inspired love and the sweetest affection rather than awe or ordinary admiration. dorothy threw her arms around her little friend and hugged and kissed her rapturously, and toto barked joyfully and button-bright smiled a happy smile and consented to sit on the soft cushions close beside the princess. "why didn't you send me word you were going to have a birthday party?" asked the little kansas girl, when the first greetings were over. "didn't i?" asked ozma, her pretty eyes dancing with merriment. "did you?" replied dorothy, trying to think. "who do you imagine, dear, mixed up those roads, so as to start you wandering in the direction of oz?" inquired the princess. "oh! i never 'spected _you_ of that," cried dorothy. "i've watched you in my magic picture all the way here," declared ozma, "and twice i thought i should have to use the magic belt to save you and transport you to the emerald city. once was when the scoodlers caught you, and again when you reached the deadly desert. but the shaggy man was able to help you out both times, so i did not interfere." "do you know who button-bright is?" asked dorothy. [illustration] "no; i never saw him until you found him in the road, and then only in my magic picture." "and did you send polly to us?" "no, dear; the rainbow's daughter slid from her father's pretty arch just in time to meet you." "well," said dorothy, "i've promised king dox of foxville and king kik-a-bray of dunkiton that i'd ask you to invite them to your party." "i have already done that," returned ozma, "because i thought it would please you to favor them." "did you 'vite the musicker?" asked button-bright. "no; because he would be too noisy, and might interfere with the comfort of others. when music is not very good, and is indulged in all the time, it is better that the performer should be alone," said the princess. "i like the musicker's music," declared the boy, gravely. "but i don't," said dorothy. "well, there will be plenty of music at my celebration," promised ozma; "so i've an idea button-bright won't miss the musicker at all." just then polychrome danced in, and ozma rose to greet the rainbow's daughter in her sweetest and most cordial manner. dorothy thought she had never seen two prettier creatures together than these lovely maidens; but polly knew at once her own dainty beauty could not match that of ozma, yet was not a bit jealous because this was so. the wizard of oz was announced, and a dried-up, little, old man, clothed all in black, entered the drawing-room. his face was cheery and his eyes twinkling with humor, so polly and button-bright were not at all afraid of the wonderful personage whose fame as a humbug magician had spread throughout the world. after greeting dorothy with much affection, he stood modestly behind ozma's throne and listened to the lively prattle of the young people. now the shaggy man appeared, and so startling was his appearance, all clad in shaggy new raiment, that dorothy cried "oh!" and clasped her hands impulsively as she examined her friend with pleased eyes. [illustration] "he's still shaggy, all right," remarked button-bright; and ozma nodded brightly because she had meant the shaggy man to remain shaggy when she provided his new clothes for him. dorothy led him toward the throne, as he was shy in such fine company, and presented him gracefully to the princess, saying: "this, your highness, is my friend, the shaggy man, who owns the love magnet." "you are welcome to oz," said the girl ruler, in gracious accents. "but tell me, sir, where did you get the love magnet which you say you own?" the shaggy man grew red and looked downcast, as he answered in a low voice: "i stole it, your majesty." "oh, shaggy man!" cried dorothy. "how dreadful! and you told me the eskimo gave you the love magnet." he shuffled first on one foot and then on the other, much embarrassed. "i told you a falsehood, dorothy," he said; "but now, having bathed in the truth pond, i must tell nothing but the truth." "why did you steal it?" asked ozma, gently. "because no one loved me, or cared for me," said the shaggy man, "and i wanted to be loved a great deal. it was owned by a girl in butterfield who was loved too much, so that the young men quarreled over her, which made her unhappy. after i had stolen the magnet from her, only one young man continued to love the girl, and she married him and regained her happiness." "are you sorry you stole it?" asked the princess. "no, your highness; i'm glad," he answered; "for it has pleased me to be loved, and if dorothy had not cared for me i could not have accompanied her to this beautiful land of oz, or met its kind-hearted ruler. now that i'm here, i hope to remain, and to become one of your majesty's most faithful subjects." [illustration: in the royal palace of oz] "but in oz we are loved for ourselves alone, and for our kindness to one another, and for our good deeds," she said. "i'll give up the love magnet," said the shaggy man, eagerly; "dorothy shall have it." "but every one loves dorothy already," declared the wizard. "then button-bright shall have it." "don't want it," said the boy, promptly. "then i'll give it to the wizard, for i'm sure the lovely princess ozma does not need it." "all my people love the wizard, too," announced the princess, laughing; "so we will hang the love magnet over the gates of the emerald city, that whoever shall enter or leave the gates may be loved and loving." "that is a good idea," said the shaggy man; "i agree to it most willingly." those assembled now went in to dinner, which you may imagine was a grand affair; and afterward ozma asked the wizard to give them an exhibition of his magic. the wizard took eight tiny white piglets from an inside pocket and set them on the table. one was dressed like a clown, and performed funny antics, and the others leaped over the spoons and dishes and ran around the table like racehorses, and turned hand-springs and were so sprightly and amusing that they kept the company in one roar of merry laughter. the wizard had trained these pets to do many curious things, and they were so little and so cunning and soft that polychrome loved to pick them up as they passed near her place and fondle them as if they were kittens. it was late when the entertainment ended, and they separated to go to their rooms. [illustration] "to-morrow," said ozma, "my invited guests will arrive, and you will find among them some interesting and curious people, i promise you. the next day will be my birthday, and the festivities will be held on the broad green just outside the gates of the city, where all my people can assemble without being crowded." "i hope the scarecrow won't be late," said dorothy, anxiously. "oh, he is sure to return to-morrow," answered ozma. "he wanted new straw to stuff himself with, so he went to the munchkin country, where straw is plentiful." with this the princess bade her guests good night and went to her own room. dorothy receives the guests [illustration] next morning dorothy's breakfast was served in her own pretty sitting room, and she sent to invite polly and the shaggy man to join her and button-bright at the meal. they came gladly, and toto also had breakfast with them, so that the little party that had traveled together to oz was once more reunited. no sooner had they finished eating than they heard the distant blast of many trumpets, and the sound of a brass band playing martial music; so they all went out upon the balcony. this was at the front of the palace and overlooked the streets of the city, being higher than the wall that shut in the palace grounds. they saw approaching down the street a band of musicians, playing as hard and loud as they could, while the people of the emerald city crowded the sidewalks and cheered so lustily that they almost drowned the noise of the drums and horns. [illustration] dorothy looked to see what they were cheering at, and discovered that behind the band was the famous scarecrow, riding proudly upon the back of a wooden saw-horse which pranced along the street almost as gracefully as if it had been made of flesh. its hoofs, or rather the ends of its wooden legs, were shod with plates of solid gold, and the saddle strapped to the wooden body was richly embroidered and glittered with jewels. as he reached the palace the scarecrow looked up and saw dorothy, and at once waved his peaked hat at her in greeting. he rode up to the front door and dismounted, and the band stopped playing and went away and the crowds of people returned to their dwellings. by the time dorothy and her friends had re-entered her room the scarecrow was there, and he gave the girl a hearty embrace and shook the hands of the others with his own squashy hands, which were white gloves filled with straw. the shaggy man, button-bright, and polychrome stared hard at this celebrated person, who was acknowledged to be the most popular and most beloved man in all the land of oz. "why, your face has been newly painted!" exclaimed dorothy, when the first greetings were over. "i had it touched up a bit by the munchkin farmer who first made me," answered the scarecrow, pleasantly. "my complexion had become a bit grey and faded, you know, and the paint had peeled off one end of my mouth, so i couldn't talk quite straight. now i feel like myself again, and i may say without immodesty that my body is stuffed with the loveliest oat-straw in all oz." he pushed against his chest. "hear me crunkle?" he asked. "yes," said dorothy; "you sound fine." button-bright was wonderfully attracted by the straw man, and so was polly. the shaggy man treated him with great respect, because he was so queerly made. jellia jamb now came to say that ozma wanted princess dorothy to receive the invited guests in the throne-room, as they arrived. the ruler was herself busy ordering the preparations for the morrow's festivities, so she wished her friend to act in her place. dorothy willingly agreed, being the only other princess in the emerald city; so she went to the great throne-room and sat in ozma's seat, placing polly on one side of her and button-bright on the other. the scarecrow stood at the left of the throne and the tin woodman at the right, while the wonderful wizard and the shaggy man stood behind. the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger came in, with bright new bows of ribbon on their collars and tails. after greeting dorothy affectionately the huge beasts lay down at the foot of the throne. while they waited, the scarecrow, who was near the little boy, asked: "why are you called button-bright?" "don't know," was the answer. "oh yes, you do, dear," said dorothy. "tell the scarecrow how you got your name." "papa always said i was bright as a button, so mamma always called me button-bright," announced the boy. "where is your mamma?" asked the scarecrow. "don't know," said button-bright. "where is your home?" asked the scarecrow. "don't know," said button-bright. "don't you want to find your mamma again?" asked the scarecrow. "don't know," said button-bright, calmly. the scarecrow looked thoughtful. "your papa may have been right," he observed; "but there are many kinds of buttons, you see. there are silver and gold buttons, which are highly polished and glitter brightly. there are pearl and rubber buttons, and other kinds, with surfaces more or less bright. but there is still another sort of button which is covered with dull cloth, and that must be the sort your papa meant when he said you were bright as a button. don't you think so?" "don't know," said button-bright. jack pumpkinhead arrived, wearing a pair of new white kid gloves; and he brought a birthday present for ozma consisting of a necklace of pumpkin-seeds. in each seed was set a sparkling carolite, which is considered the rarest and most beautiful gem that exists. the necklace was in a plush case and jellia jamb put it on a table with the princess ozma's other presents. next came a tall, beautiful woman clothed in a splendid trailing gown, trimmed with exquisite lace as fine as cobweb. this was the important sorceress known as glinda the good, who had been of great assistance to both ozma and dorothy. there was no humbug about her magic, you may be sure, and glinda was as kind as she was powerful. she greeted dorothy most lovingly, and kissed button-bright and polly, and smiled upon the shaggy man, after which jellia jamb led the sorceress to one of the most magnificent rooms of the royal palace and appointed fifty servants to wait upon her. [illustration] the next arrival was mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e.; the "h. m." meaning highly magnified and the "t. e." meaning thoroughly educated. the woggle-bug was head professor at the royal college of oz, and he had composed a fine ode in honor of ozma's birthday. this he wanted to read to them; but the scarecrow wouldn't let him. soon they heard a clucking sound and a chorus of "cheep! cheep!" and a servant threw open the door to allow billina and her ten fluffy chicks to enter the throne-room. as the yellow hen marched proudly at the head of her family, dorothy cried, "oh, you lovely things!" and ran down from her seat to pet the little yellow downy balls. billina wore a pearl necklace, and around the neck of each chicken was a tiny gold chain holding a locket with the letter "d" engraved upon the outside. "open the lockets, dorothy," said billina. the girl obeyed and found a picture of herself in each locket. "they were named after you, my dear," continued the yellow hen, "so i wanted all my chickens to wear your picture. cluck--cluck! come here, dorothy--this minute!" she cried, for the chickens were scattered and wandering all around the big room. they obeyed the call at once, and came running as fast as they could, fluttering their fluffy wings in a laughable way. it was lucky that billina gathered the little ones under her soft breast just then, for tik-tok came in and tramped up to the throne on his flat copper feet. "i am all wound up and work-ing fine-ly," said the clockwork man to dorothy. "i can hear him tick," declared button-bright. "you are quite the polished gentleman," said the tin woodman. "stand up here beside the shaggy man, tik-tok, and help receive the company." dorothy placed soft cushions in a corner for billina and her chicks, and had just returned to the throne and seated herself when the playing of the royal band outside the palace announced the approach of distinguished guests. and my, how they did stare when the high chamberlain threw open the doors and the visitors entered the throne-room! first walked a gingerbread man, neatly formed and baked to a lovely brown tint. he wore a silk hat and carried a candy cane prettily striped with red and yellow. his shirt-front and cuffs were white frosting, and the buttons on his coat were licorice drops. behind the gingerbread man came a child with flaxen hair and merry blue eyes, dressed in white pajamas, with sandals on the soles of its pretty bare feet. the child looked around smiling and thrust its hands into the pockets of the pajamas. close after it came a big rubber bear, walking erect on its hind feet. the bear had twinkling black eyes and its body looked as if it had been pumped full of air. following these curious visitors were two tall, thin men and two short, fat men, all four dressed in gorgeous uniforms. [illustration: king dough, the head booleywag, and para bruin] ozma's high chamberlain now hurried forward to announce the names of the new arrivals, calling out in a loud voice: "his gracious and most edible majesty, king dough the first, ruler of the two kingdoms of hiland and loland. also the head booleywag of his majesty, known as chick the cherub, and their faithful friend para bruin, the rubber bear." these great personages bowed low as their names were called, and dorothy hastened to introduce them to the assembled company. they were the first foreign arrivals, and the friends of princess ozma were polite to them and tried to make them feel that they were welcome. chick the cherub shook hands with every one, including billina, and was so joyous and frank and full of good spirits that john dough's head booleywag at once became a prime favorite. "is it a boy or a girl?" whispered dorothy. "don't know," said button-bright. "goodness me! what a queer lot of people you are," exclaimed the rubber bear, looking at the assembled company. "so're you," said button-bright, gravely. "is king dough good to eat?" "he's too good to eat," laughed chick the cherub. "i hope none of you are fond of gingerbread," said the king, rather anxiously. "we should never think of eating our visitors, if we were," declared the scarecrow; "so please do not worry, for you will be perfectly safe while you remain in oz." "why do they call you chick?" the yellow hen asked the child. "because i'm an incubator baby, and never had any parents," replied the head booleywag. "my chicks have a parent, and i'm it," said billina. "i'm glad of that," answered the cherub, "because they'll have more fun worrying you than if they were brought up in an incubator. the incubator never worries, you know." [illustration] king john dough had brought for ozma's birthday present a lovely gingerbread crown, with rows of small pearls around it and a fine big pearl in each of its five points. after this had been received by dorothy with proper thanks and placed on the table with the other presents, the visitors from hiland and loland were escorted to their rooms by the high chamberlain. they had no sooner departed than the band before the palace began to play again, announcing more arrivals, and as these were doubtless from foreign parts the high chamberlain hurried back to receive them in his most official manner. important arrivals [illustration] first entered a band of ryls from the happy valley, all merry little sprites like fairy elves. a dozen crooked knooks followed from the great forest of burzee. they had long whiskers and pointed caps and curling toes, yet were no taller than button-bright's shoulder. with this group came a man so easy to recognize and so important and dearly beloved throughout the known world, that all present rose to their feet and bowed their heads in respectful homage, even before the high chamberlain knelt to announce his name. "the most mighty and loyal friend of children, his supreme highness--santa claus!" said the chamberlain, in an awed voice. "well, well, well! glad to see you--glad to meet you all!" cried santa claus, briskly, as he trotted up the long room. he was round as an apple, with a fresh rosy face, laughing eyes, and a bushy beard as white as snow. a red cloak trimmed with beautiful ermine hung from his shoulders and upon his back was a basket filled with pretty presents for the princess ozma. "hello, dorothy; still having adventures?" he asked in his jolly way, as he took the girl's hand in both his own. "how did you know my name, santa?" she replied, feeling more shy in the presence of this immortal saint than she ever had before in her young life. "why, don't i see you every christmas eve, when you're asleep?" he rejoined, pinching her blushing cheek. "oh; do you?" "and here's button-bright, i declare!" cried santa claus, holding up the boy to kiss him. "what a long way from home you are; dear me!" "do you know button-bright, too?" questioned dorothy, eagerly. "indeed i do. i've visited his home several christmas eves." "and do you know his father?" asked the girl. [illustration: merry ryls and crooked knooks] "certainly, my dear. who else do you suppose brings him his christmas neckties and stockings?" with a sly wink at the wizard. "then where does he live? we're just crazy to know, 'cause button-bright's lost," she said. santa laughed and laid his finger aside of his nose as if thinking what to reply. he leaned over and whispered something in the wizard's ear, at which the wizard smiled and nodded as if he understood. now santa claus spied polychrome, and trotted over to where she stood. "seems to me the rainbow's daughter is farther from home than any of you," he observed, looking at the pretty maiden admiringly. "i'll have to tell your father where you are, polly, and send him to get you." "please do, dear santa claus," implored the little maid, beseechingly. "but just now we must all have a jolly good time at ozma's party," said the old gentlemen, turning to put his presents on the table with the others already there. "it isn't often i find time to leave my castle, as you know; but ozma invited me and i just couldn't help coming to celebrate the happy occasion." "i'm so glad!" exclaimed dorothy. "these are my ryls," pointing to the little sprites squatting around him. "their business is to paint the colors of the flowers when they bud and bloom; but i brought the merry fellows along to see oz, and they've left their paint-pots behind them. also i brought these crooked knooks, whom i love. my dears, the knooks are much nicer than they look, for their duty is to water and care for the young trees of the forest, and they do their work faithfully and well. it's hard work, though, and it makes my knooks crooked and gnarled, like the trees themselves; but their hearts are big and kind, as are the hearts of all who do good in our beautiful world." "i've read of the ryls and knooks," said dorothy, looking upon these little workers with interest. santa claus turned to talk with the scarecrow and the tin woodman, and he also said a kind word to the shaggy man, and afterward went away to ride the saw-horse around the emerald city. "for," said he, "i must see all the grand sights while i am here and have the chance, and ozma has promised to let me ride the saw-horse because i'm getting fat and short of breath." "where are your reindeer?" asked polychrome. "i left them at home, for it is too warm for them in this sunny country," he answered. "they're used to winter weather when they travel." in a flash he was gone, and the ryls and knooks with him; but they could all hear the golden hoofs of the saw-horse ringing on the marble pavement outside, as he pranced away with his noble rider. presently the band played again, and the high chamberlain announced: [illustration] "her gracious majesty, the queen of merryland." they looked earnestly to discover whom this queen might be, and saw advancing up the room an exquisite wax doll, dressed in dainty fluffs and ruffles and spangled gown. she was almost as big as button-bright, and her cheeks and mouth and eyebrow were prettily painted in delicate colors. her blue eyes stared a bit, being of glass, yet the expression upon her majesty's face was quite pleasant and decidedly winning. with the queen of merryland were four wooden soldiers, two stalking ahead of her with much dignity and two following behind, like a royal bodyguard. the soldiers were painted in bright colors and carried wooden guns, and after them came a fat little man who attracted attention at once, although he seemed modest and retiring. for he was made of candy, and carried a tin sugar-sifter filled with powdered sugar, with which he dusted himself frequently so that he wouldn't stick to things if he touched them. the high chamberlain had called him "the candy man of merryland," and dorothy saw that one of his thumbs looked as if it had been bitten off by some who was fond of candy and couldn't resist the temptation. the wax doll queen spoke prettily to dorothy and the others, and sent her loving greetings to ozma before she retired to the rooms prepared for her. she had brought a birthday present wrapped in tissue paper and tied with pink and blue ribbons, and one of the wooden soldiers placed it on the table with the other gifts. but the candy man did not go to his room, because he said he preferred to stay and talk with the scarecrow and tik-tok and the wizard and tin woodman, whom he declared the queerest people he had ever met. button-bright was glad the candy man stayed in the throne-room, because the boy thought this guest smelled deliciously of wintergreen and maple sugar. the braided man now entered the room, having been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the princess ozma's party. he was from a cave halfway between the invisible valley and the country of the gargoyles, and his hair and whiskers were so long that he was obliged to plait them into many braids that hung to his feet, and every braid was tied with a bow of colored ribbon. "i've brought princess ozma a box of flutters for her birthday," said the braided man, earnestly; "and i hope she will like them, for they are the finest quality i have ever made." [illustration] "i'm sure she will be greatly pleased," said dorothy, who remembered the braided man well; and the wizard introduced the guest to the rest of the company and made him sit down in a chair and keep quiet, for, if allowed, he would talk continually about his flutters. the band then played a welcome to another set of guests, and into the throne-room swept the handsome and stately queen of ev. beside her was young king evardo, and following them came the entire royal family of five princesses and four princes of ev. the kingdom of ev lay just across the deadly desert to the north of oz, and once ozma and her people had rescued the queen of ev and her ten children from the nome king, who had enslaved them. dorothy had been present on this adventure, so she greeted the royal family cordially; and all the visitors were delighted to meet the little kansas girl again. they knew tik-tok and billina, too, and the scarecrow and tin woodman, as well as the lion and tiger; so there was a joyful reunion, as you may imagine, and it was fully an hour before the queen and her train retired to their rooms. perhaps they would not have gone then had not the band begun to play to announce new arrivals; but before they left the great throne-room king evardo added to ozma's birthday presents a diadem of diamonds set in radium. the next comer proved to be king renard of foxville; or king dox, as he preferred to be called. he was magnificently dressed in a new feather costume and wore white kid mittens over his paws and a flower in his button-hole and had his hair parted in the middle. king dox thanked dorothy fervently for getting him the invitation to come to oz, which he had all his life longed to visit. he strutted around rather absurdly as he was introduced to all the famous people assembled in the throne-room, and when he learned that dorothy was a princess of oz the fox king insisted on kneeling at her feet and afterward retired backward--a dangerous thing to do, as he might have stubbed his paw and tumbled over. no sooner was he gone than the blasts of bugles and clatter of drums and cymbals announced important visitors, and the high chamberlain assumed his most dignified tone as he threw open the door and said proudly: "her sublime and resplendent majesty, queen zixi of ix! his serene and tremendous majesty, king bud of noland. her royal highness, the princess fluff." [illustration: her majesty, queen zixi of ix] that three such high and mighty royal personages should arrive at once was enough to make dorothy and her companions grow solemn and assume their best company manners; but when the exquisite beauty of queen zixi met their eyes they thought they had never beheld anything so charming. dorothy decided that zixi must be about sixteen years old, but the wizard whispered to her that this wonderful queen had lived thousands of years, but knew the secret of remaining always fresh and beautiful. king bud of noland and his dainty fair-haired sister, the princess fluff, were friends of zixi, as their kingdoms were adjoining, so they had traveled together from their far-off domains to do honor to ozma of oz on the occasion of her birthday. they brought many splendid gifts; so the table was now fairly loaded down with presents. dorothy and polly loved the princess fluff the moment they saw her, and little king bud was so frank and boyish that button-bright accepted him as a chum at once and did not want him to go away. but it was after noon now, and the royal guests must prepare their toilets for the grand banquet at which they were to assemble that evening to meet the reigning princess of this fairyland; so queen zixi was shown to her room by a troop of maidens led by jellia jamb, and bud and fluff presently withdrew to their own apartments. "my! what a big party ozma is going to have," exclaimed dorothy. "i guess the palace will be chock full, button-bright; don't you think so?" "don't know," said the boy. "but we must go to our rooms, pretty soon, to dress for the banquet," continued the girl. "i don't have to dress," said the candy man from merryland. "all i need do is to dust myself with fresh sugar." [illustration] "tik-tok and i always wear the same suits of clothes," said the tin woodman; "and so does our friend the scarecrow." "my feathers are good enough for any occasion," cried billina, from her corner. "then i shall leave you four to welcome any new guests that come," said dorothy; "for button-bright and i must look our very best at ozma's banquet." "who is still to come?" asked the scarecrow. "well, there's king kika-bray of dunkiton, and johnny dooit, and the good witch of the north. but johnny dooit may not get here until late, he's so very busy." "we will receive them and give them a proper welcome," promised the scarecrow. "so run along, little dorothy, and get yourself dressed." [illustration] the grand banquet [illustration] i wish i could tell you how fine the company was that assembled that evening at ozma's royal banquet. a long table was spread in the center of the great dining-hall of the palace and the splendor of the decorations and the blaze of lights and jewels was acknowledged to be the most magnificent sight that any of the guests had ever seen. the jolliest person present, as well as the most important, was of course, old santa claus; so he was given the seat of honor at one end of the table while at the other end sat princess ozma, the hostess. john dough, queen zixi, king bud, the queen of ev and her son evardo, and the queen of merryland had golden thrones to sit in, while the others were supplied with beautiful chairs. [illustration] at the upper end of the banquet room was a separate table provided for the animals. toto sat at one end of this table, with a bib tied around his neck and a silver platter to eat from. at the other end was placed a small stand, with a low rail around the edge of it, for billina and her chicks. the rail kept the ten little dorothys from falling off the stand, while the yellow hen could easily reach over and take her food from her tray upon the table. at other places sat the hungry tiger, the cowardly lion, the saw-horse, the rubber bear, the fox king and the donkey king; they made quite a company of animals. at the lower end of the great room was another table, at which sat the ryls and knooks who had come with santa claus, the wooden soldiers who had come with the queen of merryland, and the hilanders and lolanders who had come with john dough. here were also seated the officers of the royal palace and of ozma's army. the splendid costumes of those at the three tables made a gorgeous and glittering display that no one present was ever likely to forget; perhaps there has never been in any part of the world at any time another assemblage of such wonderful people as that which gathered this evening to honor the birthday of the ruler of oz. when all the members of the company were in their places an orchestra of five hundred pieces, in a balcony overlooking the banquet room, began to play sweet and delightful music. then a door draped with royal green opened, and in came the fair and girlish princess ozma, who now greeted her guests in person for the first time. as she stood by her throne at the head of the banquet table every eye was turned eagerly upon the lovely princess, who was as dignified as she was bewitching, and who smiled upon all her old and new friends in a way that touched their hearts and brought an answering smile to every face. each guest had been served with a crystal goblet filled with lacasa, which is a sort of nectar famous in oz and nicer to drink than soda-water or lemonade. santa now made a pretty speech in verse, congratulating ozma on having a birthday, and asking every one present to drink to the health and happiness of their dearly beloved hostess. this was done with great enthusiasm by those who were made so they could drink at all, and those who could not drink politely touched the rims of their goblets to their lips. all seated themselves at the tables and the servants of the princess began serving the feast. i am quite sure that only in fairyland could such a delicious repast be prepared. the dishes were of precious metals set with brilliant jewels and the good things to eat which were placed upon them were countless in number and of exquisite flavor. several present, such as the candy man, the rubber bear, tik-tok, and the scarecrow, were not made so they could eat, and the queen of merryland contented herself with a small dish of sawdust; but these enjoyed the pomp and glitter of the gorgeous scene as much as did those who feasted. [illustration: drinking the health of princess ozma of oz] the woggle-bug read his "ode to ozma," which was written in very good rhythm and was well received by the company. the wizard added to the entertainment by making a big pie appear before dorothy, and when the little girl cut the pie the nine tiny piglets leaped out of it and danced around the table, while the orchestra played a merry tune. this amused the company very much, but they were even more pleased when polychrome, whose hunger had been easily satisfied, rose from the table and performed her graceful and bewildering rainbow dance for them. when it was ended the people clapped their hands and the animals clapped their paws, while billina cackled and the donkey king brayed approval. johnny dooit was present, and of course he proved he could do wonders in the way of eating, as well as in everything else that he undertook to do; the tin woodman sang a love song, every one joining in the chorus; and the wooden soldiers from merryland gave an exhibition of a lightning drill with their wooden muskets; the ryls and knooks danced the fairy circle; and the rubber bear bounced himself all around the room. there was laughter and merriment on every side, and everybody was having a royal good time. button-bright was so excited and interested that he paid little attention to his fine dinner and a great deal of attention to his queer companions; and perhaps he was wise to do this, because he could eat at any other time. the feasting and merrymaking continued until late in the evening, when they separated to meet again the next morning and take part in the birthday celebration, to which this royal banquet was merely the introduction. [illustration] the birthday celebration [illustration] a clear, perfect day, with a gentle breeze and a sunny sky, greeted princess ozma as she wakened next morning, the anniversary of her birth. while it was yet early all the city was astir and crowds of people came from all parts of the land of oz to witness the festivities in honor of their girl ruler's birthday. the noted visitors from foreign countries, who had all been transported to the emerald city by means of the magic belt, were as much a show to the ozites as were their own familiar celebrities, and the streets leading from the royal palace to the jeweled gates were thronged with men, women, and children to see the procession as it passed out to the green fields where the ceremonies were to take place. and what a great procession it was! first came a thousand young girls--the prettiest in the land--dressed in white muslin, with green sashes and hair ribbons, bearing great baskets of red roses. as they walked they scattered these flowers upon the marble pavements, so that the way was carpeted thick with roses for the procession to walk upon. then came the rulers of the four kingdoms of oz; the emperor of the winkies, the monarch of the munchkins, the king of the quadlings and the sovereign of the gillikins, each wearing a long chain of emeralds around his neck to show that he was a vassal of the ruler of the emerald city. next marched the emerald city cornet band, clothed in green-and-gold uniforms and playing the "ozma two-step." the royal army of oz followed, consisting of twenty-seven officers, from the captain-general down to the lieutenants. there were no privates in ozma's army because soldiers were not needed to fight battles, but only to look important, and an officer always looks more imposing than a private. while the people cheered and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, there came walking the royal princess ozma, looking so pretty and sweet that it is no wonder her people love her so dearly. she had decided she would not ride in her chariot that day, as she preferred to walk in the procession with her favored subjects and her guests. just in front of her trotted the living blue bear rug owned by old dyna, which wobbled clumsily on its four feet because there was nothing but the skin to support them, with a stuffed head at one end and a stubby tail at the other. but whenever ozma paused in her walk the bear rug would flop down flat upon the ground for the princess to stand upon until she resumed her progress. following the princess stalked her two enormous beasts, the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, and even if the army had not been there these two would have been powerful enough to guard their mistress from any harm. next marched the invited guests, who were loudly cheered by the people of oz along the road, and were therefore obliged to bow to right and left almost every step of the way. first was santa claus, who, because he was fat and not used to walking, rode the wonderful saw-horse. the merry old gentleman had a basket of small toys with him, and he tossed the toys one by one to the children as he passed by. his ryls and knooks marched close behind him. queen zixi of ix came after; then john dough and the cherub, with the rubber bear named para bruin strutting between them on its hind legs; then the queen of merryland, escorted by her wooden soldiers; then king bud of noland and his sister, the princess fluff; then the queen of ev and her ten royal children; then the braided man and the candy man, side by side; then king dox of foxville and king kik-a-bray of dunkiton, who by this time had become good friends; and finally johnny dooit, in his leather apron, smoking his long pipe. [illustration:] these wonderful personages were not more heartily cheered by the people than were those who followed after them in the procession. dorothy was a general favorite, and she walked arm in arm with the scarecrow, who was beloved by all. then came polychrome and button-bright, and the people loved the rainbow's pretty daughter and the beautiful blue-eyed boy as soon as they saw them. the shaggy man in his shaggy new suit attracted much attention because he was such a novelty. with regular steps tramped the machine-man tik-tok, and there was more cheering when the wizard of oz followed in the procession. the woggle-bug and jack pumpkinhead were next, and behind them glinda the sorceress and the good witch of the north. finally came billina, with her brood of chickens to whom she clucked anxiously to keep them together and to hasten them along so they would not delay the procession. another band followed, this time the tin band of the emperor of the winkies, playing a beautiful march called, "there's no plate like tin." then came the servants of the royal palace, in a long line, and behind them all the people joined the procession and marched away through the emerald gates and out upon the broad green. here had been erected a splendid pavilion, with a grandstand big enough to seat all the royal party and those who had taken part in the procession. over the pavilion, which was of green silk and cloth of gold, countless banners waved in the breeze. just in front of this, and connected with it by a runway, had been built a broad platform, so that all the spectators could see plainly the entertainment provided for them. the wizard now became master of ceremonies, as ozma had placed the conduct of the performance in his hands. after the people had all congregated about the platform and the royal party and the visitors were seated in the grandstand, the wizard skillfully performed some feats of juggling glass balls and lighted candles. he tossed a dozen or so of them high in the air and caught them one by one as they came down, without missing any. then he introduced the scarecrow, who did a sword-swallowing act that aroused much interest. after this the tin woodman gave an exhibition of swinging the axe, which he made to whirl around him so rapidly that the eye could scarcely follow the motion of the gleaming blade. glinda the sorceress then stepped upon the platform, and by her magic made a big tree grow in the middle of the space, made blossoms appear upon the tree, and made the blossoms become delicious fruit called tamornas; and so great was the quantity of fruit thus produced that when the servants climbed the tree and tossed it down to the crowd, there was enough to satisfy every person present. para bruin, the rubber bear, climbed to a limb of the big tree, rolled himself into a ball, and dropped to the platform, whence he bounded up again to the limb. he repeated this bouncing act several times, to the great delight of all the children present. after he had finished, and bowed, and returned to his seat, glinda waved her wand and the tree disappeared; but its fruit still remained to be eaten. the good witch of the north amused the people by transforming ten stones into ten birds, the ten birds into ten lambs, and the ten lambs into ten little girls, who gave a pretty dance and were then transformed into ten stones again, just as they were in the beginning. johnny dooit next came on the platform with his tool-chest, and in a few minutes built a great flying machine; then put his chest in the machine and the whole thing flew away together--johnny and all--after he had bid good-bye to those present and thanked the princess for her hospitality. [illustration] the wizard then announced the last act of all, which was considered really wonderful. he had invented a machine to blow huge soap-bubbles, as big as balloons, and this machine was hidden under the platform so that only the rim of the big clay pipe to produce the bubbles showed above the flooring. the tank of soap-suds, and the air-pumps to inflate the bubbles, were out of sight beneath, so that when the bubbles began to grow upon the floor of the platform it really seemed like magic to the people of oz, who knew nothing about even the common soap-bubbles that our children blow with a penny clay pipe and a basin of soap-and-water. the wizard had invented another thing. usually soap-bubbles are frail and burst easily, lasting only a few moments as they float in the air; but the wizard added a sort of glue to his soapsuds, which made his bubbles tough; and, as the glue dried rapidly when exposed to the air, the wizard's bubbles were strong enough to float for hours without breaking. he began by blowing--by means of his machinery and air-pumps--several large bubbles which he allowed to float upward into the sky, where the sunshine fell upon them and gave them iridescent hues that were most beautiful. this aroused much wonder and delight, because it was a new amusement to every one present--except perhaps dorothy and button-bright, and even they had never seen such big, strong bubbles before. [illustration: the wizard blew a bubble around santa claus] the wizard then blew a bunch of small bubbles and afterward blew a big bubble around them so they were left in the center of it; then he allowed the whole mass of pretty globes to float into the air and disappear in the far distant sky. "that is really fine!" declared santa claus, who loved toys and pretty things. "i think, mr. wizard, i shall have you blow a bubble around me; then i can float away home and see the country spread out beneath me as i travel. there isn't a spot on earth that i haven't visited, but i usually go in the night-time, riding behind my swift reindeer. here is a good chance to observe the country by daylight, while i am riding slowly and at my ease." "do you think you will be able to guide the bubble?" asked the wizard. "oh yes; i know enough magic to do that," replied santa claus. "you blow the bubble, with me inside of it, and i'll be sure to get home in safety." "please send me home in a bubble, too!" begged the queen of merryland. "very well, madam; you shall try the journey first," politely answered old santa. the pretty wax doll bade good-bye to the princess ozma and the others, and stood on the platform while the wizard blew a big soap-bubble around her. when completed he allowed the bubble to float slowly upward, and there could be seen the little queen of merryland standing in the middle of it and blowing kisses from her fingers to those below. the bubble took a southerly direction, quickly floating out of sight. "that's a very nice way to travel," said princess fluff. "i'd like to go home in a bubble, too." so the wizard blew a big bubble around princess fluff, and another around king bud, her brother, and a third one around queen zixi; and soon these three bubbles had mounted into the sky and were floating off in a group in the direction of the kingdom of noland. the success of these ventures induced the other guests from foreign lands to undertake bubble journeys, also; so the wizard put them one by one inside his bubbles, and santa claus directed the way they should go, because he knew exactly where everybody lived. finally button-bright said: "i want to go home, too." "why, so you shall!" cried santa; "for i'm sure your father and mother will be glad to see you again. mr. wizard, please blow a big, fine bubble for button-bright to ride in, and i'll agree to send him home to his family as safe as safe can be." "i'm sorry," said dorothy with a sigh, for she was fond of her little comrade; "but p'raps it's best for button-bright to get home; 'cause his folks must be worrying just dreadful." she kissed the boy, and ozma kissed him, too, and all the others waved their hands and said good-bye and wished him a pleasant journey. "are you glad to leave us, dear?" asked dorothy, a little wistfully. "don't know," said button-bright. he sat down cross-legged on the platform, with his sailor hat tipped back on his head, and the wizard blew a beautiful bubble all around him. a minute later it had mounted into the sky, sailing toward the west, and the last they saw of button-bright he was still sitting in the middle of the shining globe and waving his sailor-hat at those below. "will you ride in a bubble, or shall i send you and toto home by means of the magic belt?" the princess asked dorothy. "guess i'll use the belt," replied the little girl. "i'm sort of 'fraid of those bubbles." "bow-wow!" said toto, approvingly. he loved to bark at the bubbles as they sailed away, but he didn't care to ride in one. santa claus decided to go next. he thanked ozma for her hospitality and wished her many happy returns of the day. then the wizard blew a bubble around his chubby little body and smaller bubbles around each of his ryls and knooks. as the kind and generous friend of children mounted into the air the people all cheered at the top of their voices, for they loved santa claus dearly; and the little man heard them through the walls of the bubble and waved his hands in return as he smiled down upon them. the band played bravely while every one watched the bubble until it was completely out of sight. "how 'bout you, polly?" dorothy asked her friend. "are you 'fraid of bubbles, too?" "no," answered polychrome, smiling; "but santa claus promised to speak to my father as he passed through the sky. so perhaps i shall get home an easier way." indeed, the little maid had scarcely made this speech when a sudden radiance filled the air, and while the people looked on in wonder the end of a gorgeous rainbow slowly settled down upon the platform. with a glad cry the rainbow's daughter sprang from her seat and danced along the curve of the bow, mounting gradually upward, while the folds of her gauzy gown whirled and floated around her like a cloud and blended with the colors of the rainbow itself. [illustration: "good-bye, ozma! good-bye, dorothy!"] "good-bye, ozma! good-bye, dorothy!" cried a voice they knew belonged to polychrome; but now the little maiden's form had melted wholly into the rainbow, and their eyes could no longer see her. suddenly the end of the rainbow lifted and its colors slowly faded like mist before a breeze. dorothy sighed deeply and turned to ozma. "i'm sorry to lose polly," she said; "but i guess she's better off with her father; 'cause even the land of oz couldn't be like home to a cloud fairy." "no, indeed," replied the princess; "but it has been delightful for us to know polychrome for a little while, and--who knows?--perhaps we may meet the rainbow's daughter again, some day." the entertainment being now ended, all left the pavilion and formed their gay procession back to the emerald city again. of dorothy's recent traveling companions only toto and the shaggy man remained, and ozma had decided to allow the latter to live in oz for a time, at least. if he proved honest and true she promised to let him live there always, and the shaggy man was anxious to earn this reward. they had a nice quiet dinner together and passed a pleasant evening with the scarecrow, the tin woodman, tik-tok, and the yellow hen for company. when dorothy bade them good-night she kissed them all good-bye at the same time. for ozma had agreed that while dorothy slept she and toto should be transported by means of the magic belt to her own little bed in the kansas farmhouse and the little girl laughed as she thought how astonished uncle henry and aunt em would be when she came down to breakfast with them next morning. quite content to have had so pleasant an adventure, and a little tired by all the day's busy scenes, dorothy clasped toto in her arms and lay down upon the pretty white bed in her room in ozma's royal palace. presently she was sound asleep. [illustration: the end] the twinkle tales by laura bancroft _each volume, x inches, with full pages in colors, and other illustrations by_ maginel wright enright prince mud turtle in this story twinkle, a little girl, captures a mud turtle who turns out to be a fairy prince. mr. woodchuck twinkle is taken underground to visit mr. woodchuck's family and neighbors, and discovers what they think of traps and people who set them. bandit jim crow jim crow, twinkle's pet, escapes and becomes a robber among the birds. he gets his punishment from them. twinkle's enchantment twinkle becomes enchanted and meets a dancing bear, prince grasshopper, and others. sugar loaf mountain on entering a hole in the mountain twinkle and chubbins find themselves in a land where all the people are made of candy. prairie dog town twinkle and chubbins are made small by a magician and are escorted through prairie dog town by its mayor. _each volume with different cover design, cloth, stamped in colors, cents_ policeman bluejay by laura bancroft _with many beautiful pictures in color and line by_ maginel wright enright in this delightful fairy tale and nature story combined, twinkle and chubbins, two children, after having been transformed into little birds with human heads, become friends with a number of birds and learn many curious and true things about them. _size - / x inches. eight full-page colored illustrations and dozens of headings, tail pieces and decorations. cloth back, with decorated paper sides. price $ . ._ books by l. frank baum illustrated by john r. neill _uniform with this volume_ _each book, handsomely bound in artistic pictorial cover. $ . per volume._ the land of oz an account of the adventures of the scarecrow, the tin woodman, jack pumpkinhead, the animated saw-horse, the highly magnified woggle-bug, the gump and many other delightful characters. nearly black-and-white illustrations and sixteen full-page pictures in colors. ozma of oz the story tells "more about dorothy," as well as those famous characters, the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion, and something of several new creations equally delightful, including tik-tok the machine man, the yellow hen, the nome king and the hungry tiger. forty-one full-page colored pictures; twenty-two half pages in color and fifty black-and-white text pictures; special end sheets, title page, copyright page, book plate, etc, etc. dorothy and the wizard of oz in this book dorothy, with zeb, a little boy friend, and jim, the cab horse, are swallowed up in an earthquake and reach a strange vegetable land, whence they escape to the land of oz, and meet all their old friends. among the new characters are eureka, dorothy's pink kitten, and the nine tiny piglets. gorgeously illustrated with sixteen full color pages and numerous black-and-white pictures, besides head and tail pieces, ornaments, etc. john dough and the cherub a whimsical tale portraying the exciting adventures of the gingerbread man and his comrade chick the cherub in the "palace of romance," the "land of the mifkets," "highland and lowland," and other places. forty full-page colored pictures; twenty colored pictorial chapter headings; black-and-white text pictures, special end sheets, title page, etc. [illustration: endpiece] [illustration: endpiece] [illustration: back cover] [illustration: dorothy and the wizard] [illustration: picking the princess.] dorothy and the wizard in oz by l. frank baum author of the wizard of oz, the land of oz, ozma of oz, etc. illustrated by john r. neill books of wonder william morrow & co., inc. new york [illustration] copyright by l. frank baum all rights reserved * * * * * [illustration] dedicated to harriet a. b. neal. * * * * * to my readers it's no use; no use at all. the children won't let me stop telling tales of the land of oz. i know lots of other stories, and i hope to tell them, some time or another; but just now my loving tyrants won't allow me. they cry: "oz--oz! more about oz, mr. baum!" and what can i do but obey their commands? this is our book--mine and the children's. for they have flooded me with thousands of suggestions in regard to it, and i have honestly tried to adopt as many of these suggestions as could be fitted into one story. after the wonderful success of "ozma of oz" it is evident that dorothy has become a firm fixture in these oz stories. the little ones all love dorothy, and as one of my small friends aptly states: "it isn't a real oz story without her." so here she is again, as sweet and gentle and innocent as ever, i hope, and the heroine of another strange adventure. there were many requests from my little correspondents for "more about the wizard." it seems the jolly old fellow made hosts of friends in the first oz book, in spite of the fact that he frankly acknowledged himself "a humbug." the children had heard how he mounted into the sky in a balloon and they were all waiting for him to come down again. so what could i do but tell "what happened to the wizard afterward"? you will find him in these pages, just the same humbug wizard as before. there was one thing the children demanded which i found it impossible to do in this present book: they bade me introduce toto, dorothy's little black dog, who has many friends among my readers. but you will see, when you begin to read the story, that toto was in kansas while dorothy was in california, and so she had to start on her adventure without him. in this book dorothy had to take her kitten with her instead of her dog; but in the next oz book, if i am permitted to write one, i intend to tell a good deal about toto's further history. princess ozma, whom i love as much as my readers do, is again introduced in this story, and so are several of our old friends of oz. you will also become acquainted with jim the cab-horse, the nine tiny piglets, and eureka, the kitten. i am sorry the kitten was not as well behaved as she ought to have been; but perhaps she wasn't brought up properly. dorothy found her, you see, and who her parents were nobody knows. i believe, my dears, that i am the proudest story-teller that ever lived. many a time tears of pride and joy have stood in my eyes while i read the tender, loving, appealing letters that come to me in almost every mail from my little readers. to have pleased you, to have interested you, to have won your friendship, and perhaps your love, through my stories, is to my mind as great an achievement as to become president of the united states. indeed, i would much rather be your story-teller, under these conditions, than to be the president. so you have helped me to fulfill my life's ambition, and i am more grateful to you, my dears, than i can express in words. i try to answer every letter of my young correspondents; yet sometimes there are so many letters that a little time must pass before you get your answer. but be patient, friends, for the answer will surely come, and by writing to me you more than repay me for the pleasant task of preparing these books. besides, i am proud to acknowledge that the books are partly yours, for your suggestions often guide me in telling the stories, and i am sure they would not be half so good without your clever and thoughtful assistance. l. frank baum coronado, . list of chapters chapter page the earthquake the glass city the arrival of the wizard the vegetable kingdom dorothy picks the princess the mangaboos prove dangerous into the black pit and out again the valley of voices they fight the invisible bears the braided man of pyramid mt they meet the wooden gargoyles a wonderful escape the den of the dragonettes ozma uses the magic belt old friends are reunited jim, the cab-horse the nine tiny piglets the trial of eureka, the kitten the wizard performs another trick zeb returns to the ranch [illustration] chapter . the earthquake the train from 'frisco was very late. it should have arrived at hugson's siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled up to the open shed that served for the station-house. as it came to a stop the conductor called out in a loud voice: "hugson's siding!" at once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked under her arm. the conductor helped her off the car and then the engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and moved slowly away up the track. the reason he was so late was because all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers. so he moved the cars slowly and with caution. the little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared around a curve; then she turned to see where she was. the shed at hugson's siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and did not look very inviting. as she peered through the soft gray light not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away. she walked toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless, with its head hanging down almost to the ground. it was a big horse, tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet. she could count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body, and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it did not fit. his tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits of wire. the buggy seemed almost new, for it had a shiny top and side curtains. getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep. she set down the bird-cage and poked the boy with her parasol. presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes briskly. "hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you dorothy gale?" "yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking gray eyes. "have you come to take me to hugson's ranch?" "of course," he answered. "train in?" "i couldn't be here if it wasn't," she said. he laughed at that, and his laugh was merry and frank. jumping out of the buggy he put dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage on the floor in front. "canary-birds?" he asked. "oh, no; it's just eureka, my kitten. i thought that was the best way to carry her." the boy nodded. "eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked. "i named my kitten that because i found it," she explained. "uncle henry says 'eureka' means 'i have found it.'" "all right; hop in." she climbed into the buggy and he followed her. then the boy picked up the reins, shook them, and said "gid-dap!" the horse did not stir. dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his drooping ears, but that was all. "gid-dap!" called the boy, again. the horse stood still. "perhaps," said dorothy, "if you untied him, he would go." the boy laughed cheerfully and jumped out. "guess i'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse. "but jim knows his business all right--don't you, jim?" patting the long nose of the animal. then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light. "thought that train would never come," observed the boy. "i've waited at that station for five hours." "we had a lot of earthquakes," said dorothy. "didn't you feel the ground shake?" "yes; but we're used to such things in california," he replied. "they don't scare us much." [illustration: dorothy poked the boy with her parasol.] "the conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew." "did he? then it must have happened while i was asleep," he said, thoughtfully. "how is uncle henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the horse continued to trot with long, regular strides. "he's pretty well. he and uncle hugson have been having a fine visit." "is mr. hugson your uncle?" she asked. "yes. uncle bill hugson married your uncle henry's wife's sister; so we must be second cousins," said the boy, in an amused tone. "i work for uncle bill on his ranch, and he pays me six dollars a month and my board." "isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully. "why, it's a great deal for uncle hugson, but not for me. i'm a splendid worker. i work as well as i sleep," he added, with a laugh. "what is your name?" asked dorothy, thinking she liked the boy's manner and the cheery tone of his voice. "not a very pretty one," he answered, as if a little ashamed. "my whole name is zebediah; but folks just call me 'zeb.' you've been to australia, haven't you?" "yes; with uncle henry," she answered. "we got to san francisco a week ago, and uncle henry went right on to hugson's ranch for a visit while i stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met." "how long will you be with us?" he asked. "only a day. tomorrow uncle henry and i must start back for kansas. we've been away for a long time, you know, and so we're anxious to get home again." the boy flicked the big, boney horse with his whip and looked thoughtful. then he started to say something to his little companion, but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them. next minute there was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side dorothy saw the ground open in a wide crack and then come together again. "goodness!" she cried, grasping the iron rail of the seat. "what was that?" "that was an awful big quake," replied zeb, with a white face. "it almost got us that time, dorothy." the horse had stopped short, and stood firm as a rock. zeb shook the reins and urged him to go, but jim was stubborn. then the boy cracked his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan of protest jim stepped slowly along the road. neither the boy nor the girl spoke again for some minutes. there was a breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would shake violently. jim's ears were standing erect upon his head and every muscle of his big body was tense as he trotted toward home. he was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf. the sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds as it swept over the valley. suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing. with a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit, drawing the buggy and its occupants after him. dorothy grabbed fast hold of the buggy top and the boy did the same. the sudden rush into space confused them so that they could not think. blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its dreadful depths. the horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying noises, proved more than dorothy could endure and for a few moments the little girl lost consciousness. zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip, expecting every moment would be his last. [illustration] [illustration] chapter . the glass city when dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so fast. the top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to bear. the worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to overtake them at any moment. crash after crash echoed far above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side. these they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and struck his boney body. they did not really hurt the poor horse, because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more frightened than he was injured. how long this state of things continued dorothy could not even guess, she was so greatly bewildered. but bye and bye, as she stared ahead into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the form of the horse jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space. also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself. dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier. she began to realize that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and unusual as were those she had before encountered. with this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from. far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air. the central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun. around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one blue and one orange. this splendid group of colored suns sent rays darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with dorothy and zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly illuminated. dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of jim's big ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the stripes of a zebra. then she looked at zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous. "isn't it funny?" she said. the boy was startled and his eyes were big. dorothy had a green streak through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright. "i--i don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered. [illustration: horse, buggy and all fell slowly.] just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the horse tipping also. but they continued to fall, all together, and the boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they were before. then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll slowly over until they were right side up again. during this time jim struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of voice: "well, that's better!" dorothy and zeb looked at one another in wonder. "can your horse talk?" she asked. "never knew him to, before," replied the boy. "those were the first words i ever said," called out the horse, who had overheard them, "and i can't explain why i happened to speak then. this is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?" "as for that, we are in the same scrape ourselves," answered dorothy, cheerfully. "but never mind; something will happen pretty soon." "of course," growled the horse; "and then we shall be sorry it happened." zeb gave a shiver. all this was so terrible and unreal that he could not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid. swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close beside them. the light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes, and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded. there was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again. "we've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked zeb, with a deep sigh. "we can't keep falling forever, you know." "of course not," said dorothy. "we are somewhere in the middle of the earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before long. but it's a big hollow, isn't it?" "awful big!" answered the boy. "we're coming to something now," announced the horse. at this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked down. yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either. but they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it could no longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart and look about them. they saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. here and there were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they sparkled so brightly. "i'm sure we are in no danger," said dorothy, in a sober voice. "we are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty." "we'll never get home again, though!" declared zeb, with a groan. "oh, i'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "but don't let us worry over such things, zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you know, and i've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble." the boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out below them. they seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and sharp-pointed spires. these spires were like great spear-points, and if they tumbled upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious injury. jim the horse had seen these spires, also, and his ears stood straight up with fear, while dorothy and zeb held their breaths in suspense. but no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a stop at last. when jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but zeb at once leaped out of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he kicked over dorothy's birdcage, which rolled out upon the roof so that the bottom came off. at once a pink kitten crept out of the upset cage, sat down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round eyes. "oh," said dorothy. "there's eureka." "first time i ever saw a pink cat," said zeb. "eureka isn't pink; she's white. it's this queer light that gives her that color." "where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into dorothy's face. "i'm 'most starved to death." "oh, eureka! can you talk?" "talk! am i talking? good gracious, i believe i am. isn't it funny?" asked the kitten. "it's all wrong," said zeb, gravely. "animals ought not to talk. but even old jim has been saying things since we had our accident." "i can't see that it's wrong," remarked jim, in his gruff tones. "at least, it isn't as wrong as some other things. what's going to become of us now?" "i don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously. the houses of the city were all made of glass, so clear and transparent that one could look through the walls as easily as though a window. dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms. the roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of glass were lying scattered in every direction. a near by steeple had been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it. other buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them; but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had happened to mar their perfection. the rainbow tints from the colored suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see. but not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had arrived, except that of their own voices. they began to wonder if there were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner world. suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they were on and stepped into plain view. he was not a very large man, but was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face of a fine portrait. his clothing fitted his form snugly and was gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays. the man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly. there was no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had rested upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked rapidly to the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his shoulder to gaze at the strange animal. "look out!" cried dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!" but he paid no attention to her warning. he reached the edge of the tall roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as calmly as if he were on firm ground. the girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof, and saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground. soon he reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into one of the glass buildings. "how strange!" she exclaimed, drawing a long breath. "yes; but it's lots of fun, if it _is_ strange," remarked the small voice of the kitten, and dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a foot or so away from the edge of the roof. "come back, eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be killed." "i have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but i can't lose even one of them by falling in this country, because i really couldn't manage to fall if i wanted to." "does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl. "of course; can't you see?" and again the kitten wandered into the air and back to the edge of the roof. "it's wonderful!" said dorothy. "suppose we let eureka go down to the street and get some one to help us," suggested zeb, who had been even more amazed than dorothy at these strange happenings. "perhaps we can walk on the air ourselves," replied the girl. zeb drew back with a shiver. "i wouldn't dare try," he said. "may be jim will go," continued dorothy, looking at the horse. "and may be he won't!" answered jim. "i've tumbled through the air long enough to make me contented on this roof." "but we didn't tumble to the roof," said the girl; "by the time we reached here we were floating very slowly, and i'm almost sure we could float down to the street without getting hurt. eureka walks on the air all right." "eureka weighs only about half a pound," replied the horse, in a scornful tone, "while i weigh about half a ton." "you don't weigh as much as you ought to, jim," remarked the girl, shaking her head as she looked at the animal. "you're dreadfully skinny." "oh, well; i'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently, "and i've had lots of trouble in my day, little one. for a good many years i drew a public cab in chicago, and that's enough to make anyone skinny." "he eats enough to get fat, i'm sure," said the boy, gravely. "do i? can you remember any breakfast that i've had today?" growled jim, as if he resented zeb's speech. "none of us has had breakfast," said the boy; "and in a time of danger like this it's foolish to talk about eating." "nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the horse, with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at present no one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer country or not. if there are, they are liable to be glass oats!" [illustration: "come on, jim! it's all right."] "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy. "i can see plenty of nice gardens and fields down below us, at the edge of this city. but i wish we could find a way to get to the ground." "why don't you walk down?" asked eureka. "i'm as hungry as the horse is, and i want my milk." "will you try it, zeb" asked the girl, turning to her companion. zeb hesitated. he was still pale and frightened, for this dreadful adventure had upset him and made him nervous and worried. but he did not wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly to the edge of the roof. dorothy stretched out a hand to him and zeb put one foot out and let it rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof. it seemed firm enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot. dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them. "come on, jim!" called the boy. "it's all right." jim had crept to the edge of the roof to look over, and being a sensible horse and quite experienced, he made up his mind that he could go where the others did. so, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of his short tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began floating downward to the street. his great weight made him fall faster than the children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when he came to the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was not even jarred. "well, well!" said dorothy, drawing a long breath, "what a strange country this is." people began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new arrivals, and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled. there were men and women, but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully formed and attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces. there was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet dorothy was not especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their features had no more expression than the faces of dolls. they did not smile nor did they frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity or friendliness. they simply stared at the strangers, paying most attention to jim and eureka, for they had never before seen either a horse or a cat and the children bore an outward resemblance to themselves. pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the dark hair just over his forehead. he seemed to be a person of authority, for the others pressed back to give him room. after turning his composed eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he said to zeb, who was a little taller than dorothy: "tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the rain of stones?" for a moment the boy did not know what he meant by this question. then, remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them long before they had reached this place, he answered: "no, sir; we didn't cause anything. it was the earthquake." the man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this speech. then he asked: "what is an earthquake?" "i don't know," said zeb, who was still confused. but dorothy, seeing his perplexity, answered: "it's a shaking of the earth. in this quake a big crack opened and we fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and came down with us." the man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes. "the rain of stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence." "how can we do that?" asked the girl. "that i am not prepared to say. it is your affair, not mine. you must go to the house of the sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth." "where is the house of the sorcerer?" the girl enquired. "i will lead you to it. come!" he turned and walked down the street, and after a moment's hesitation dorothy caught eureka in her arms and climbed into the buggy. the boy took his seat beside her and said: "gid-dap, jim." as the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear. slowly they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each corner. [illustration] chapter . the arrival of the wizard the doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and buggy to enter, so zeb drove straight through it and the children found themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful. the people at once followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room, leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the center of the hall. "come to us, oh, gwig!" called the man, in a loud voice. instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange personage seated upon a glass throne just before jim's nose. he was formed just as were the other inhabitants of this land and his clothing only differed from theirs in being bright yellow. but he had no hair at all, and all over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his hands grew sharp thorns like those found on the branches of rose-bushes. there was even a thorn upon the tip of his nose and he looked so funny that dorothy laughed when she saw him. the sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant. "why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded land of the mangaboos?" he asked, sternly. "'cause we couldn't help it," said dorothy. "why did you wickedly and viciously send the rain of stones to crack and break our houses?" he continued. "we didn't," declared the girl. "prove it!" cried the sorcerer. "we don't have to prove it," answered dorothy, indignantly. "if you had any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake." "we only know that yesterday came a rain of stones upon us, which did much damage and injured some of our people. today came another rain of stones, and soon after it you appeared among us." "by the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second rain of stones. yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the first. what is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?" "my sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "i said there would be but one rain of stones. this second one was a rain of people-and-horse-and-buggy. and some stones came with them." "will there be any more rains?" asked the man with the star. "no, my prince." "neither stones nor people?" "no, my prince." "are you sure?" "quite sure, my prince. my sorcery tells me so." just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the prince after making a low bow. "more wonders in the air, my lord," said he. immediately the prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. dorothy and zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the sorcerer remained calmly in his throne. far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. it was not so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to move. the throng stood still and waited. it was all they could do, for to go away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry its fall in any way. the earth children were not noticed, being so near the average size of the mangaboos, and the horse had remained in the house of the sorcerer, with eureka curled up asleep on the seat of the buggy. gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling down upon the land of the mangaboos. dorothy was surprised to find how patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly with excitement. a balloon meant to her some other arrival from the surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist her and zeb out of their difficulties. in an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass pavement. then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and bowed very gracefully to the crowd of mangaboos around him. he was quite an old little man, and his head was long and entirely bald. "why," cried dorothy, in amazement, "it's oz!" the little man looked toward her and seemed as much surprised as she was. but he smiled and bowed as he answered: "yes, my dear; i am oz, the great and terrible. eh? and you are little dorothy, from kansas. i remember you very well." "who did you say it was?" whispered zeb to the girl. "it's the wonderful wizard of oz. haven't you heard of him?" just then the man with the star came and stood before the wizard. "sir," said he, "why are you here, in the land of the mangaboos?" "didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, i didn't mean to visit you when i started out. i live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far better than living inside it; but yesterday i went up in a balloon, and when i came down i fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an earthquake. i had let so much gas out of my balloon that i could not rise again, and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head. so i continued to descend until i reached this place, and if you will show me a way to get out of it, i'll go with pleasure. sorry to have troubled you; but it couldn't be helped." the prince had listened with attention. said he: "this child, who is from the crust of the earth, like yourself, called you a wizard. is not a wizard something like a sorcerer?" "it's better," replied oz, promptly. "one wizard is worth three sorcerers." "ah, you shall prove that," said the prince. "we mangaboos have, at the present time, one of the most wonderful sorcerers that ever was picked from a bush; but he sometimes makes mistakes. do you ever make mistakes?" "never!" declared the wizard, boldly. "oh, oz!" said dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in the marvelous land of oz." "nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray of violet sunlight was on his round face. "come with me," said the prince to him. "i wish you to meet our sorcerer." the wizard did not like this invitation, but he could not refuse to accept it. so he followed the prince into the great domed hall, and dorothy and zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in also. there sat the thorny sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the wizard saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles. "what an absurd creature!" he exclaimed. "he may look absurd," said the prince, in his quiet voice; "but he is an excellent sorcerer. the only fault i find with him is that he is so often wrong." "i am never wrong," answered the sorcerer. "only a short time ago you told me there would be no more rain of stones or of people," said the prince. "well, what then?" "here is another person descended from the air to prove you were wrong." "one person cannot be called 'people,'" said the sorcerer. "if two should come out of the sky you might with justice say i was wrong; but unless more than this one appears i will hold that i was right." "very clever," said the wizard, nodding his head as if pleased. "i am delighted to find humbugs inside the earth, just the same as on top of it. were you ever with a circus, brother?" "no," said the sorcerer. "you ought to join one," declared the little man seriously. "i belong to bailum & barney's great consolidated shows--three rings in one tent and a menagerie on the side. it's a fine aggregation, i assure you." "what do you do?" asked the sorcerer. "i go up in a balloon, usually, to draw the crowds to the circus. but i've just had the bad luck to come out of the sky, skip the solid earth, and land lower down than i intended. but never mind. it isn't everybody who gets a chance to see your land of the gabazoos." "mangaboos," said the sorcerer, correcting him. "if you are a wizard you ought to be able to call people by their right names." "oh, i'm a wizard; you may be sure of that. just as good a wizard as you are a sorcerer." "that remains to be seen," said the other. "if you are able to prove that you are better," said the prince to the little man, "i will make you the chief wizard of this domain. otherwise--" "what will happen otherwise?" asked the wizard. "i will stop you from living, and forbid you to be planted," returned the prince. "that does not sound especially pleasant," said the little man, looking at the one with the star uneasily. "but never mind. i'll beat old prickly, all right." "my name is gwig," said the sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes upon his rival. "let me see you equal the sorcery i am about to perform." he waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard, playing sweet music. yet, look where she would, dorothy could discover no bells at all in the great glass hall. the mangaboo people listened, but showed no great interest. it was one of the things gwig usually did to prove he was a sorcerer. now was the wizard's turn, so he smiled upon the assemblage and asked: "will somebody kindly loan me a hat?" no one did, because the mangaboos did not wear hats, and zeb had lost his, somehow, in his flight through the air. "ahem!" said the wizard, "will somebody please loan me a handkerchief?" but they had no handkerchiefs, either. "very good," remarked the wizard. "i'll use my own hat, if you please. now, good people, observe me carefully. you see, there is nothing up my sleeve and nothing concealed about my person. also, my hat is quite empty." he took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it briskly. "let me see it," said the sorcerer. he took the hat and examined it carefully, returning it afterward to the wizard. "now," said the little man, "i will create something out of nothing." he placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal in a tiny, shrill voice. the people watched it intently, for they had never seen a pig before, big or little. the wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant. he placed one upon the floor, so that it could run around, and pulled apart the other, making three piglets in all; and then one of these was pulled apart, making four piglets. the wizard continued this surprising performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at his feet, all squealing and grunting in a very comical way. "now," said the wizard of oz, "having created something from nothing, i will make something nothing again." with this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so that the two were one. then he caught up another piglet and pushed it into the first, where it disappeared. and so, one by one, the nine tiny piglets were pushed together until but a single one of the creatures remained. this the wizard placed underneath his hat and made a mystic sign above it. when he removed his hat the last piglet had disappeared entirely. the little man gave a bow to the silent throng that had watched him, and then the prince said, in his cold, calm voice: "you are indeed a wonderful wizard, and your powers are greater than those of my sorcerer." "he will not be a wonderful wizard long," remarked gwig. "why not?" enquired the wizard. "because i am going to stop your breath," was the reply. "i perceive that you are curiously constructed, and that if you cannot breathe you cannot keep alive." the little man looked troubled. "how long will it take you to stop my breath?" he asked. "about five minutes. i'm going to begin now. watch me carefully." he began making queer signs and passes toward the wizard; but the little man did not watch him long. instead, he drew a leathern case from his pocket and took from it several sharp knives, which he joined together, one after another, until they made a long sword. by the time he had attached a handle to this sword he was having much trouble to breathe, as the charm of the sorcerer was beginning to take effect. so the wizard lost no more time, but leaping forward he raised the sharp sword, whirled it once or twice around his head, and then gave a mighty stroke that cut the body of the sorcerer exactly in two. dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two halves of the sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato. "why, he's vegetable!" cried the wizard, astonished. "of course," said the prince. "we are all vegetable, in this country. are you not vegetable, also?" "no," answered the wizard. "people on top of the earth are all meat. will your sorcerer die?" "certainly, sir. he is really dead now, and will wither very quickly. so we must plant him at once, that other sorcerers may grow upon his bush," continued the prince. "what do you mean by that?" asked the little wizard, greatly puzzled. "if you will accompany me to our public gardens," replied the prince, "i will explain to you much better than i can here the mysteries of our vegetable kingdom." [illustration: the wizard cut the sorcerer exactly in two.] chapter . the vegetable kingdom after the wizard had wiped the dampness from his sword and taken it apart and put the pieces into their leathern case again, the man with the star ordered some of his people to carry the two halves of the sorcerer to the public gardens. jim pricked up his ears when he heard they were going to the gardens, and wanted to join the party, thinking he might find something proper to eat; so zeb put down the top of the buggy and invited the wizard to ride with them. the seat was amply wide enough for the little man and the two children, and when jim started to leave the hall the kitten jumped upon his back and sat there quite contentedly. so the procession moved through the streets, the bearers of the sorcerer first, the prince next, then jim drawing the buggy with the strangers inside of it, and last the crowd of vegetable people who had no hearts and could neither smile nor frown. the glass city had several fine streets, for a good many people lived there; but when the procession had passed through these it came upon a broad plain covered with gardens and watered by many pretty brooks that flowed through it. there were paths through these gardens, and over some of the brooks were ornamental glass bridges. dorothy and zeb now got out of the buggy and walked beside the prince, so that they might see and examine the flowers and plants better. "who built these lovely bridges?" asked the little girl. "no one built them," answered the man with the star. "they grow." "that's queer," said she. "did the glass houses in your city grow, too?" "of course," he replied. "but it took a good many years for them to grow as large and fine as they are now. that is why we are so angry when a rain of stones comes to break our towers and crack our roofs." "can't you mend them?" she enquired. "no; but they will grow together again, in time, and we must wait until they do." they first passed through many beautiful gardens of flowers, which grew nearest the city; but dorothy could hardly tell what kind of flowers they were, because the colors were constantly changing under the shifting lights of the six suns. a flower would be pink one second, white the next, then blue or yellow; and it was the same way when they came to the plants, which had broad leaves and grew close to the ground. when they passed over a field of grass jim immediately stretched down his head and began to nibble. "a nice country this is," he grumbled, "where a respectable horse has to eat pink grass!" "it's violet," said the wizard, who was in the buggy. "now it's blue," complained the horse. "as a matter of fact, i'm eating rainbow grass." "how does it taste?" asked the wizard. "not bad at all," said jim. "if they give me plenty of it i'll not complain about its color." by this time the party had reached a freshly plowed field, and the prince said to dorothy: "this is our planting-ground." several mangaboos came forward with glass spades and dug a hole in the ground. then they put the two halves of the sorcerer into it and covered him up. after that other people brought water from a brook and sprinkled the earth. "he will sprout very soon," said the prince, "and grow into a large bush, from which we shall in time be able to pick several very good sorcerers." "do all your people grow on bushes?" asked the boy. "certainly," was the reply. "do not all people grow upon bushes where you came from, on the outside of the earth." "not that i ever heard of." "how strange! but if you will come with me to one of our folk gardens i will show you the way we grow in the land of the mangaboos." it appeared that these odd people, while they were able to walk through the air with ease, usually moved upon the ground in the ordinary way. there were no stairs in their houses, because they did not need them, but on a level surface they generally walked just as we do. the little party of strangers now followed the prince across a few more of the glass bridges and along several paths until they came to a garden enclosed by a high hedge. jim had refused to leave the field of grass, where he was engaged in busily eating; so the wizard got out of the buggy and joined zeb and dorothy, and the kitten followed demurely at their heels. inside the hedge they came upon row after row of large and handsome plants with broad leaves gracefully curving until their points nearly reached the ground. in the center of each plant grew a daintily dressed mangaboo, for the clothing of all these creatures grew upon them and was attached to their bodies. the growing mangaboos were of all sizes, from the blossom that had just turned into a wee baby to the full-grown and almost ripe man or woman. on some of the bushes might be seen a bud, a blossom, a baby, a half-grown person and a ripe one; but even those ready to pluck were motionless and silent, as if devoid of life. this sight explained to dorothy why she had seen no children among the mangaboos, a thing she had until now been unable to account for. "our people do not acquire their real life until they leave their bushes," said the prince. "you will notice they are all attached to the plants by the soles of their feet, and when they are quite ripe they are easily separated from the stems and at once attain the powers of motion and speech. so while they grow they cannot be said to really live, and they must be picked before they can become good citizens." "how long do you live, after you are picked?" asked dorothy. "that depends upon the care we take of ourselves," he replied. "if we keep cool and moist, and meet with no accidents, we often live for five years. i've been picked over six years, but our family is known to be especially long lived." "do you eat?" asked the boy. "eat! no, indeed. we are quite solid inside our bodies, and have no need to eat, any more than does a potato." "but the potatoes sometimes sprout," said zeb. "and sometimes we do," answered the prince; "but that is considered a great misfortune, for then we must be planted at once." "where did you grow?" asked the wizard. "i will show you," was the reply. "step this way, please." he led them within another but smaller circle of hedge, where grew one large and beautiful bush. "this," said he, "is the royal bush of the mangaboos. all of our princes and rulers have grown upon this one bush from time immemorial." they stood before it in silent admiration. on the central stalk stood poised the figure of a girl so exquisitely formed and colored and so lovely in the expression of her delicate features that dorothy thought she had never seen so sweet and adorable a creature in all her life. the maiden's gown was soft as satin and fell about her in ample folds, while dainty lace-like traceries trimmed the bodice and sleeves. her flesh was fine and smooth as polished ivory, and her poise expressed both dignity and grace. "who is this?" asked the wizard, curiously. the prince had been staring hard at the girl on the bush. now he answered, with a touch of uneasiness in his cold tones: "she is the ruler destined to be my successor, for she is a royal princess. when she becomes fully ripe i must abandon the sovereignty of the mangaboos to her." "isn't she ripe now?" asked dorothy. he hesitated. "not quite," said he, finally. "it will be several days before she needs to be picked, or at least that is my judgment. i am in no hurry to resign my office and be planted, you may be sure." "probably not," declared the wizard, nodding. "this is one of the most unpleasant things about our vegetable lives," continued the prince, with a sigh, "that while we are in our full prime we must give way to another, and be covered up in the ground to sprout and grow and give birth to other people." "i'm sure the princess is ready to be picked," asserted dorothy, gazing hard at the beautiful girl on the bush. "she's as perfect as she can be." "never mind," answered the prince, hastily, "she will be all right for a few days longer, and it is best for me to rule until i can dispose of you strangers, who have come to our land uninvited and must be attended to at once." "what are you going to do with us?" asked zeb. "that is a matter i have not quite decided upon," was the reply. "i think i shall keep this wizard until a new sorcerer is ready to pick, for he seems quite skillful and may be of use to us. but the rest of you must be destroyed in some way, and you cannot be planted, because i do not wish horses and cats and meat people growing all over our country." "you needn't worry," said dorothy. "we wouldn't grow under ground, i'm sure." "but why destroy my friends?" asked the little wizard. "why not let them live?" "they do not belong here," returned the prince. "they have no right to be inside the earth at all." "we didn't ask to come down here; we fell," said dorothy. "that is no excuse," declared the prince, coldly. the children looked at each other in perplexity, and the wizard sighed. eureka rubbed her paw on her face and said in her soft, purring voice: "he won't need to destroy _me_, for if i don't get something to eat pretty soon i shall starve to death, and so save him the trouble." "if he planted you, he might grow some cat-tails," suggested the wizard. "oh, eureka! perhaps we can find you some milk-weeds to eat," said the boy. "phoo!" snarled the kitten; "i wouldn't touch the nasty things!" "you don't need milk, eureka," remarked dorothy; "you are big enough now to eat any kind of food." "if i can get it," added eureka. "i'm hungry myself," said zeb. "but i noticed some strawberries growing in one of the gardens, and some melons in another place. these people don't eat such things, so perhaps on our way back they will let us get them." "never mind your hunger," interrupted the prince. "i shall order you destroyed in a few minutes, so you will have no need to ruin our pretty melon vines and berry bushes. follow me, please, to meet your doom." chapter . dorothy picks the princess the words of the cold and moist vegetable prince were not very comforting, and as he spoke them he turned away and left the enclosure. the children, feeling sad and despondent, were about to follow him when the wizard touched dorothy softly on her shoulder. "wait!" he whispered. "what for?" asked the girl. "suppose we pick the royal princess," said the wizard. "i'm quite sure she's ripe, and as soon as she comes to life she will be the ruler, and may treat us better than that heartless prince intends to." "all right!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly. "let's pick her while we have the chance, before the man with the star comes back." so together they leaned over the great bush and each of them seized one hand of the lovely princess. "pull!" cried dorothy, and as they did so the royal lady leaned toward them and the stems snapped and separated from her feet. she was not at all heavy, so the wizard and dorothy managed to lift her gently to the ground. the beautiful creature passed her hands over her eyes an instant, tucked in a stray lock of hair that had become disarranged, and after a look around the garden made those present a gracious bow and said, in a sweet but even toned voice: "i thank you very much." "we salute your royal highness!" cried the wizard, kneeling and kissing her hand. just then the voice of the prince was heard calling upon them to hasten, and a moment later he returned to the enclosure, followed by a number of his people. instantly the princess turned and faced him, and when he saw that she was picked the prince stood still and began to tremble. "sir," said the royal lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged me greatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangers come to my rescue. i have been ready for picking all the past week, but because you were selfish and desired to continue your unlawful rule, you left me to stand silent upon my bush." "i did not know that you were ripe," answered the prince, in a low voice. "give me the star of royalty!" she commanded. slowly he took the shining star from his own brow and placed it upon that of the princess. then all the people bowed low to her, and the prince turned and walked away alone. what became of him afterward our friends never knew. the people of mangaboo now formed themselves into a procession and marched toward the glass city to escort their new ruler to her palace and to perform those ceremonies proper to the occasion. but while the people in the procession walked upon the ground the princess walked in the air just above their heads, to show that she was a superior being and more exalted than her subjects. no one now seemed to pay any attention to the strangers, so dorothy and zeb and the wizard let the train pass on and then wandered by themselves into the vegetable gardens. they did not bother to cross the bridges over the brooks, but when they came to a stream they stepped high and walked in the air to the other side. this was a very interesting experience to them, and dorothy said: "i wonder why it is that we can walk so easily in the air." "perhaps," answered the wizard, "it is because we are close to the center of the earth, where the attraction of gravitation is very slight. but i've noticed that many queer things happen in fairy countries." "is this a fairy country?" asked the boy. "of course it is," returned dorothy, promptly. "only a fairy country could have veg'table people; and only in a fairy country could eureka and jim talk as we do." "that's true," said zeb, thoughtfully. in the vegetable gardens they found the strawberries and melons, and several other unknown but delicious fruits, of which they ate heartily. but the kitten bothered them constantly by demanding milk or meat, and called the wizard names because he could not bring her a dish of milk by means of his magical arts. as they sat upon the grass watching jim, who was still busily eating, eureka said: "i don't believe you are a wizard at all!" "no," answered the little man, "you are quite right. in the strict sense of the word i am not a wizard, but only a humbug." "the wizard of oz has always been a humbug," agreed dorothy. "i've known him for a long time." "if that is so," said the boy, "how could he do that wonderful trick with the nine tiny piglets?" "don't know," said dorothy, "but it must have been humbug." "very true," declared the wizard, nodding at her. "it was necessary to deceive that ugly sorcerer and the prince, as well as their stupid people; but i don't mind telling you, who are my friends, that the thing was only a trick." "but i saw the little pigs with my own eyes!" exclaimed zeb. "so did i," purred the kitten. "to be sure," answered the wizard. "you saw them because they were there. they are in my inside pocket now. but the pulling of them apart and pushing them together again was only a sleight-of-hand trick." "let's see the pigs," said eureka, eagerly. the little man felt carefully in his pocket and pulled out the tiny piglets, setting them upon the grass one by one, where they ran around and nibbled the tender blades. "they're hungry, too," he said. "oh, what cunning things!" cried dorothy, catching up one and petting it. "be careful!" said the piglet, with a squeal, "you're squeezing me!" "dear me!" murmured the wizard, looking at his pets in astonishment. "they can actually talk!" "may i eat one of them?" asked the kitten, in a pleading voice. "i'm awfully hungry." "why, eureka," said dorothy, reproachfully, "what a cruel question! it would be dreadful to eat these dear little things." "i should say so!" grunted another of the piglets, looking uneasily at the kitten; "cats are cruel things." "i'm not cruel," replied the kitten, yawning. "i'm just hungry." "you cannot eat my piglets, even if you are starving," declared the little man, in a stern voice. "they are the only things i have to prove i'm a wizard." "how did they happen to be so little?" asked dorothy. "i never saw such small pigs before." "they are from the island of teenty-weent," said the wizard, "where everything is small because it's a small island. a sailor brought them to los angeles and i gave him nine tickets to the circus for them." "but what am i going to eat?" wailed the kitten, sitting in front of dorothy and looking pleadingly into her face. "there are no cows here to give milk; or any mice, or even grasshoppers. and if i can't eat the piglets you may as well plant me at once and raise catsup." "i have an idea," said the wizard, "that there are fishes in these brooks. do you like fish?" "fish!" cried the kitten. "do i like fish? why, they're better than piglets--or even milk!" "then i'll try to catch you some," said he. "but won't they be veg'table, like everything else here?" asked the kitten. "i think not. fishes are not animals, and they are as cold and moist as the vegetables themselves. there is no reason, that i can see, why they may not exist in the waters of this strange country." then the wizard bent a pin for a hook and took a long piece of string from his pocket for a fish-line. the only bait he could find was a bright red blossom from a flower; but he knew fishes are easy to fool if anything bright attracts their attention, so he decided to try the blossom. having thrown the end of his line in the water of a nearby brook he soon felt a sharp tug that told him a fish had bitten and was caught on the bent pin; so the little man drew in the string and, sure enough, the fish came with it and was landed safely on the shore, where it began to flop around in great excitement. [illustration: in the garden of the mangaboos.] the fish was fat and round, and its scales glistened like beautifully cut jewels set close together; but there was no time to examine it closely, for eureka made a jump and caught it between her claws, and in a few moments it had entirely disappeared. "oh, eureka!" cried dorothy, "did you eat the bones?" "if it had any bones, i ate them," replied the kitten, composedly, as it washed its face after the meal. "but i don't think that fish had any bones, because i didn't feel them scratch my throat." "you were very greedy," said the girl. "i was very hungry," replied the kitten. the little pigs had stood huddled in a group, watching this scene with frightened eyes. "cats are dreadful creatures!" said one of them. "i'm glad we are not fishes!" said another. "don't worry," dorothy murmured, soothingly, "i'll not let the kitten hurt you." then she happened to remember that in a corner of her suit-case were one or two crackers that were left over from her luncheon on the train, and she went to the buggy and brought them. eureka stuck up her nose at such food, but the tiny piglets squealed delightedly at the sight of the crackers and ate them up in a jiffy. "now let us go back to the city," suggested the wizard. "that is, if jim has had enough of the pink grass." the cab-horse, who was browsing near, lifted his head with a sigh. "i've tried to eat a lot while i had the chance," said he, "for it's likely to be a long while between meals in this strange country. but i'm ready to go, now, at any time you wish." so, after the wizard had put the piglets back into his inside pocket, where they cuddled up and went to sleep, the three climbed into the buggy and jim started back to the town. "where shall we stay?" asked the girl. "i think i shall take possession of the house of the sorcerer," replied the wizard; "for the prince said in the presence of his people that he would keep me until they picked another sorcerer, and the new princess won't know but that we belong there." they agreed to this plan, and when they reached the great square jim drew the buggy into the big door of the domed hall. "it doesn't look very homelike," said dorothy, gazing around at the bare room. "but it's a place to stay, anyhow." "what are those holes up there?" enquired the boy, pointing to some openings that appeared near the top of the dome. "they look like doorways," said dorothy; "only there are no stairs to get to them." "you forget that stairs are unnecessary," observed the wizard. "let us walk up, and see where the doors lead to." with this he began walking in the air toward the high openings, and dorothy and zeb followed him. it was the same sort of climb one experiences when walking up a hill, and they were nearly out of breath when they came to the row of openings, which they perceived to be doorways leading into halls in the upper part of the house. following these halls they discovered many small rooms opening from them, and some were furnished with glass benches, tables and chairs. but there were no beds at all. "i wonder if these people never sleep," said the girl. "why, there seems to be no night at all in this country," zeb replied. "those colored suns are exactly in the same place they were when we came, and if there is no sunset there can be no night." "very true," agreed the wizard. "but it is a long time since i have had any sleep, and i'm tired. so i think i shall lie down upon one of these hard glass benches and take a nap." "i will, too," said dorothy, and chose a little room at the end of the hall. zeb walked down again to unharness jim, who, when he found himself free, rolled over a few times and then settled down to sleep, with eureka nestling comfortably beside his big, boney body. then the boy returned to one of the upper rooms, and in spite of the hardness of the glass bench was soon deep in slumberland. [illustration] chapter . the mangaboos prove dangerous when the wizard awoke the six colored suns were shining down upon the land of the mangaboos just as they had done ever since his arrival. the little man, having had a good sleep, felt rested and refreshed, and looking through the glass partition of the room he saw zeb sitting up on his bench and yawning. so the wizard went in to him. "zeb," said he, "my balloon is of no further use in this strange country, so i may as well leave it on the square where it fell. but in the basket-car are some things i would like to keep with me. i wish you would go and fetch my satchel, two lanterns, and a can of kerosene oil that is under the seat. there is nothing else that i care about." so the boy went willingly upon the errand, and by the time he had returned dorothy was awake. then the three held a counsel to decide what they should do next, but could think of no way to better their condition. "i don't like these veg'table people," said the little girl. "they're cold and flabby, like cabbages, in spite of their prettiness." "i agree with you. it is because there is no warm blood in them," remarked the wizard. "and they have no hearts; so they can't love anyone--not even themselves," declared the boy. "the princess is lovely to look at," continued dorothy, thoughtfully; "but i don't care much for her, after all. if there was any other place to go, i'd like to go there." "but _is_ there any other place?" asked the wizard. "i don't know," she answered. just then they heard the big voice of jim the cab-horse calling to them, and going to the doorway leading to the dome they found the princess and a throng of her people had entered the house of the sorcerer. so they went down to greet the beautiful vegetable lady, who said to them: "i have been talking with my advisors about you meat people, and we have decided that you do not belong in the land of the mangaboos and must not remain here." "how can we go away?" asked dorothy. "oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed," was the answer. "in what way?" enquired the wizard. "we shall throw you three people into the garden of the twining vines," said the princess, "and they will soon crush you and devour your bodies to make themselves grow bigger. the animals you have with you we will drive to the mountains and put into the black pit. then our country will be rid of all its unwelcome visitors." "but you are in need of a sorcerer," said the wizard, "and not one of those growing is yet ripe enough to pick. i am greater than any thorn-covered sorcerer that ever grew in your garden. why destroy me?" "it is true we need a sorcerer," acknowledged the princess, "but i am informed that one of our own will be ready to pick in a few days, to take the place of gwig, whom you cut in two before it was time for him to be planted. let us see your arts, and the sorceries you are able to perform. then i will decide whether to destroy you with the others or not." at this the wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. he did it very cleverly, indeed, and the princess looked at the strange piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person could be. but afterward she said: "i have heard of this wonderful magic. but it accomplishes nothing of value. what else can you do?" the wizard tried to think. then he jointed together the blades of his sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. but even that did not satisfy the princess. just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil which zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever idea from those commonplace things. "your highness," said he, "i will now proceed to prove my magic by creating two suns that you have never seen before; also i will exhibit a destroyer much more dreadful than your clinging vines." so he placed dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other and set a lantern upon each of their heads. "don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of my magic." [illustration: "now, princess," exclaimed the wizard.] then, with much dignity and a look of vast importance upon his wrinkled face, the wizard got out his match-box and lighted the two lanterns. the glare they made was very small when compared with the radiance of the six great colored suns; but still they gleamed steadily and clearly. the mangaboos were much impressed because they had never before seen any light that did not come directly from their suns. next the wizard poured a pool of oil from the can upon the glass floor, where it covered quite a broad surface. when he lighted the oil a hundred tongues of flame shot up, and the effect was really imposing. "now, princess," exclaimed the wizard, "those of your advisors who wished to throw us into the garden of clinging vines must step within this circle of light. if they advised you well, and were in the right, they will not be injured in any way. but if any advised you wrongly, the light will wither him." the advisors of the princess did not like this test; but she commanded them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that of baked potatoes. some of the mangaboos fell down and had to be dragged from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be necessary to plant them at once. "sir," said the princess to the wizard, "you are greater than any sorcerer we have ever known. as it is evident that my people have advised me wrongly, i will not cast you three people into the dreadful garden of the clinging vines; but your animals must be driven into the black pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them around." the wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself that he said nothing against this decree; but when the princess had gone both jim and eureka protested they did not want to go to the black pit, and dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them from such a fate. for two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends were not disturbed in any way. they were even permitted to occupy the house of the sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to wander in the gardens in search of food. once they came near to the enclosed garden of the clinging vines, and walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. they saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and twisting around like a nest of great snakes. everything the vines touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have escaped being cast among them. whenever the wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom part of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as eureka could. they knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to where she lay beside jim and commenced to frisk and play with her. the cab-horse, who never slept long at a time, sat upon his haunches and watched the tiny piglets and the kitten with much approval. "don't be rough!" he would call out, if eureka knocked over one of the round, fat piglets with her paw; but the pigs never minded, and enjoyed the sport very greatly. suddenly they looked up to find the room filled with the silent, solemn-eyed mangaboos. each of the vegetable folks bore a branch covered with sharp thorns, which was thrust defiantly toward the horse, the kitten and the piglets. "here--stop this foolishness!" jim roared, angrily; but after being pricked once or twice he got upon his four legs and kept out of the way of the thorns. the mangaboos surrounded them in solid ranks, but left an opening to the doorway of the hall; so the animals slowly retreated until they were driven from the room and out upon the street. here were more of the vegetable people with thorns, and silently they urged the now frightened creatures down the street. jim had to be careful not to step upon the tiny piglets, who scampered under his feet grunting and squealing, while eureka, snarling and biting at the thorns pushed toward her, also tried to protect the pretty little things from injury. slowly but steadily the heartless mangaboos drove them on, until they had passed through the city and the gardens and come to the broad plains leading to the mountain. "what does all this mean, anyhow?" asked the horse, jumping to escape a thorn. "why, they are driving us toward the black pit, into which they threatened to cast us," replied the kitten. "if i were as big as you are, jim, i'd fight these miserable turnip-roots!" "what would you do?" enquired jim. "i'd kick out with those long legs and iron-shod hoofs." "all right," said the horse; "i'll do it." an instant later he suddenly backed toward the crowd of mangaboos and kicked out his hind legs as hard as he could. a dozen of them smashed together and tumbled to the ground, and seeing his success jim kicked again and again, charging into the vegetable crowd, knocking them in all directions and sending the others scattering to escape his iron heels. eureka helped him by flying into the faces of the enemy and scratching and biting furiously, and the kitten ruined so many vegetable complexions that the mangaboos feared her as much as they did the horse. but the foes were too many to be repulsed for long. they tired jim and eureka out, and although the field of battle was thickly covered with mashed and disabled mangaboos, our animal friends had to give up at last and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain. [illustration] chapter . into the black pit and out again when they came to the mountain it proved to be a rugged, towering chunk of deep green glass, and looked dismal and forbidding in the extreme. half way up the steep was a yawning cave, black as night beyond the point where the rainbow rays of the colored suns reached into it. the mangaboos drove the horse and the kitten and the piglets into this dark hole and then, having pushed the buggy in after them--for it seemed some of them had dragged it all the way from the domed hall--they began to pile big glass rocks within the entrance, so that the prisoners could not get out again. "this is dreadful!" groaned jim. "it will be about the end of our adventures, i guess." "if the wizard was here," said one of the piglets, sobbing bitterly, "he would not see us suffer so." "we ought to have called him and dorothy when we were first attacked," added eureka. "but never mind; be brave, my friends, and i will go and tell our masters where you are, and get them to come to your rescue." the mouth of the hole was nearly filled up now, but the kitten gave a leap through the remaining opening and at once scampered up into the air. the mangaboos saw her escape, and several of them caught up their thorns and gave chase, mounting through the air after her. eureka, however, was lighter than the mangaboos, and while they could mount only about a hundred feet above the earth the kitten found she could go nearly two hundred feet. so she ran along over their heads until she had left them far behind and below and had come to the city and the house of the sorcerer. there she entered in at dorothy's window in the dome and aroused her from her sleep. as soon as the little girl knew what had happened she awakened the wizard and zeb, and at once preparations were made to go to the rescue of jim and the piglets. the wizard carried his satchel, which was quite heavy, and zeb carried the two lanterns and the oil can. dorothy's wicker suit-case was still under the seat of the buggy, and by good fortune the boy had also placed the harness in the buggy when he had taken it off from jim to let the horse lie down and rest. so there was nothing for the girl to carry but the kitten, which she held close to her bosom and tried to comfort, for its little heart was still beating rapidly. some of the mangaboos discovered them as soon as they left the house of the sorcerer; but when they started toward the mountain the vegetable people allowed them to proceed without interference, yet followed in a crowd behind them so that they could not go back again. before long they neared the black pit, where a busy swarm of mangaboos, headed by their princess, was engaged in piling up glass rocks before the entrance. "stop, i command you!" cried the wizard, in an angry tone, and at once began pulling down the rocks to liberate jim and the piglets. instead of opposing him in this they stood back in silence until he had made a good-sized hole in the barrier, when by order of the princess they all sprang forward and thrust out their sharp thorns. [illustration: through the black pit.] dorothy hopped inside the opening to escape being pricked, and zeb and the wizard, after enduring a few stabs from the thorns, were glad to follow her. at once the mangaboos began piling up the rocks of glass again, and as the little man realized that they were all about to be entombed in the mountain he said to the children: "my dears, what shall we do? jump out and fight?" "what's the use?" replied dorothy. "i'd as soon die here as live much longer among those cruel and heartless people." "that's the way i feel about it," remarked zeb, rubbing his wounds. "i've had enough of the mangaboos." "all right," said the wizard; "i'm with you, whatever you decide. but we can't live long in this cavern, that's certain." noticing that the light was growing dim he picked up his nine piglets, patted each one lovingly on its fat little head, and placed them carefully in his inside pocket. zeb struck a match and lighted one of the lanterns. the rays of the colored suns were now shut out from them forever, for the last chinks had been filled up in the wall that separated their prison from the land of the mangaboos. "how big is this hole?" asked dorothy. "i'll explore it and see," replied the boy. so he carried the lantern back for quite a distance, while dorothy and the wizard followed at his side. the cavern did not come to an end, as they had expected it would, but slanted upward through the great glass mountain, running in a direction that promised to lead them to the side opposite the mangaboo country. "it isn't a bad road," observed the wizard, "and if we followed it it might lead us to some place that is more comfortable than this black pocket we are now in. i suppose the vegetable folk were always afraid to enter this cavern because it is dark; but we have our lanterns to light the way, so i propose that we start out and discover where this tunnel in the mountain leads to." the others agreed readily to this sensible suggestion, and at once the boy began to harness jim to the buggy. when all was in readiness the three took their seats in the buggy and jim started cautiously along the way, zeb driving while the wizard and dorothy each held a lighted lantern so the horse could see where to go. sometimes the tunnel was so narrow that the wheels of the buggy grazed the sides; then it would broaden out as wide as a street; but the floor was usually smooth, and for a long time they travelled on without any accident. jim stopped sometimes to rest, for the climb was rather steep and tiresome. "we must be nearly as high as the six colored suns, by this time," said dorothy. "i didn't know this mountain was so tall." "we are certainly a good distance away from the land of the mangaboos," added zeb; "for we have slanted away from it ever since we started." but they kept steadily moving, and just as jim was about tired out with his long journey the way suddenly grew lighter, and zeb put out the lanterns to save the oil. to their joy they found it was a white light that now greeted them, for all were weary of the colored rainbow lights which, after a time, had made their eyes ache with their constantly shifting rays. the sides of the tunnel showed before them like the inside of a long spy-glass, and the floor became more level. jim hastened his lagging steps at this assurance of a quick relief from the dark passage, and in a few moments more they had emerged from the mountain and found themselves face to face with a new and charming country. [illustration] chapter . the valley of voices by journeying through the glass mountain they had reached a delightful valley that was shaped like the hollow of a great cup, with another rugged mountain showing on the other side of it, and soft and pretty green hills at the ends. it was all laid out into lovely lawns and gardens, with pebble paths leading through them and groves of beautiful and stately trees dotting the landscape here and there. there were orchards, too, bearing luscious fruits that are all unknown in our world. alluring brooks of crystal water flowed sparkling between their flower-strewn banks, while scattered over the valley were dozens of the quaintest and most picturesque cottages our travelers had ever beheld. none of them were in clusters, such as villages or towns, but each had ample grounds of its own, with orchards and gardens surrounding it. as the new arrivals gazed upon this exquisite scene they were enraptured by its beauties and the fragrance that permeated the soft air, which they breathed so gratefully after the confined atmosphere of the tunnel. several minutes were consumed in silent admiration before they noticed two very singular and unusual facts about this valley. one was that it was lighted from some unseen source; for no sun or moon was in the arched blue sky, although every object was flooded with a clear and perfect light. the second and even more singular fact was the absence of any inhabitant of this splendid place. from their elevated position they could overlook the entire valley, but not a single moving object could they see. all appeared mysteriously deserted. the mountain on this side was not glass, but made of a stone similar to granite. with some difficulty and danger jim drew the buggy over the loose rocks until he reached the green lawns below, where the paths and orchards and gardens began. the nearest cottage was still some distance away. "isn't it fine?" cried dorothy, in a joyous voice, as she sprang out of the buggy and let eureka run frolicking over the velvety grass. "yes, indeed!" answered zeb. "we were lucky to get away from those dreadful vegetable people." "it wouldn't be so bad," remarked the wizard, gazing around him, "if we were obliged to live here always. we couldn't find a prettier place, i'm sure." he took the piglets from his pocket and let them run on the grass, and jim tasted a mouthful of the green blades and declared he was very contented in his new surroundings. "we can't walk in the air here, though," called eureka, who had tried it and failed; but the others were satisfied to walk on the ground, and the wizard said they must be nearer the surface of the earth than they had been in the mangaboo country, for everything was more homelike and natural. "but where are the people?" asked dorothy. the little man shook his bald head. "can't imagine, my dear," he replied. they heard the sudden twittering of a bird, but could not find the creature anywhere. slowly they walked along the path toward the nearest cottage, the piglets racing and gambolling beside them and jim pausing at every step for another mouthful of grass. presently they came to a low plant which had broad, spreading leaves, in the center of which grew a single fruit about as large as a peach. the fruit was so daintily colored and so fragrant, and looked so appetizing and delicious that dorothy stopped and exclaimed: "what is it, do you s'pose?" the piglets had smelled the fruit quickly, and before the girl could reach out her hand to pluck it every one of the nine tiny ones had rushed in and commenced to devour it with great eagerness. "it's good, anyway," said zeb, "or those little rascals wouldn't have gobbled it up so greedily." "where are they?" asked dorothy, in astonishment. they all looked around, but the piglets had disappeared. "dear me!" cried the wizard; "they must have run away. but i didn't see them go; did you?" "no!" replied the boy and the girl, together. "here,--piggy, piggy, piggy!" called their master, anxiously. several squeals and grunts were instantly heard at his feet, but the wizard could not discover a single piglet. "where are you?" he asked. "why, right beside you," spoke a tiny voice. "can't you see us?" [illustration: "are there really people in this room?"] "no," answered the little man, in a puzzled tone. "we can see you," said another of the piglets. the wizard stooped down and put out his hand, and at once felt the small fat body of one of his pets. he picked it up, but could not see what he held. "it is very strange," said he, soberly. "the piglets have become invisible, in some curious way." "i'll bet it's because they ate that peach!" cried the kitten. "it wasn't a peach, eureka," said dorothy. "i only hope it wasn't poison." "it was fine, dorothy," called one of the piglets. "we'll eat all we can find of them," said another. "but _we_ mus'n't eat them," the wizard warned the children, "or we too may become invisible, and lose each other. if we come across another of the strange fruit we must avoid it." calling the piglets to him he picked them all up, one by one, and put them away in his pocket; for although he could not see them he could feel them, and when he had buttoned his coat he knew they were safe for the present. the travellers now resumed their walk toward the cottage, which they presently reached. it was a pretty place, with vines growing thickly over the broad front porch. the door stood open and a table was set in the front room, with four chairs drawn up to it. on the table were plates, knives and forks, and dishes of bread, meat and fruits. the meat was smoking hot and the knives and forks were performing strange antics and jumping here and there in quite a puzzling way. but not a single person appeared to be in the room. "how funny!" exclaimed dorothy, who with zeb and the wizard now stood in the doorway. a peal of merry laughter answered her, and the knives and forks fell to the plates with a clatter. one of the chairs pushed back from the table, and this was so astonishing and mysterious that dorothy was almost tempted to run away in fright. "here are strangers, mama!" cried the shrill and childish voice of some unseen person. "so i see, my dear," answered another voice, soft and womanly. "what do you want?" demanded a third voice, in a stern, gruff accent. "well, well!" said the wizard; "are there really people in this room?" "of course," replied the man's voice. "and--pardon me for the foolish question--but, are you all invisible?" "surely," the woman answered, repeating her low, rippling laughter. "are you surprised that you are unable to see the people of voe?" "why, yes," stammered the wizard. "all the people i have ever met before were very plain to see." "where do you come from, then?" asked the woman, in a curious tone. "we belong upon the face of the earth," explained the wizard, "but recently, during an earthquake, we fell down a crack and landed in the country of the mangaboos." "dreadful creatures!" exclaimed the woman's voice. "i've heard of them." "they walled us up in a mountain," continued the wizard; "but we found there was a tunnel through to this side, so we came here. it is a beautiful place. what do you call it?" "it is the valley of voe." "thank you. we have seen no people since we arrived, so we came to this house to enquire our way." "are you hungry?" asked the woman's voice. "i could eat something," said dorothy. "so could i," added zeb. "but we do not wish to intrude, i assure you," the wizard hastened to say. "that's all right," returned the man's voice, more pleasantly than before. "you are welcome to what we have." as he spoke the voice came so near to zeb that he jumped back in alarm. two childish voices laughed merrily at this action, and dorothy was sure they were in no danger among such light-hearted folks, even if those folks couldn't be seen. "what curious animal is that which is eating the grass on my lawn?" enquired the man's voice. "that's jim," said the girl. "he's a horse." "what is he good for?" was the next question. "he draws the buggy you see fastened to him, and we ride in the buggy instead of walking," she explained. "can he fight?" asked the man's voice. "no! he can kick pretty hard with his heels, and bite a little; but jim can't 'zactly fight," she replied. "then the bears will get him," said one of the children's voices. "bears!" exclaimed dorothy. "are these bears here?" "that is the one evil of our country," answered the invisible man. "many large and fierce bears roam in the valley of voe, and when they can catch any of us they eat us up; but as they cannot see us, we seldom get caught." "are the bears invis'ble, too?" asked the girl. "yes; for they eat of the dama-fruit, as we all do, and that keeps them from being seen by any eye, whether human or animal." "does the dama-fruit grow on a low bush, and look something like a peach?" asked the wizard. "yes," was the reply. "if it makes you invis'ble, why do you eat it?" dorothy enquired. "for two reasons, my dear," the woman's voice answered. "the dama-fruit is the most delicious thing that grows, and when it makes us invisible the bears cannot find us to eat us up. but now, good wanderers, your luncheon is on the table, so please sit down and eat as much as you like." [illustration] chapter . they fight the invisible bears the strangers took their seats at the table willingly enough, for they were all hungry and the platters were now heaped with good things to eat. in front of each place was a plate bearing one of the delicious dama-fruit, and the perfume that rose from these was so enticing and sweet that they were sorely tempted to eat of them and become invisible. but dorothy satisfied her hunger with other things, and her companions did likewise, resisting the temptation. "why do you not eat the damas?" asked the woman's voice. "we don't want to get invis'ble," answered the girl. "but if you remain visible the bears will see you and devour you," said a girlish young voice, that belonged to one of the children. "we who live here much prefer to be invisible; for we can still hug and kiss one another, and are quite safe from the bears." "and we do not have to be so particular about our dress," remarked the man. "and mama can't tell whether my face is dirty or not!" added the other childish voice, gleefully. "but i make you wash it, every time i think of it," said the mother; "for it stands to reason your face is dirty, ianu, whether i can see it or not." dorothy laughed and stretched out her hands. "come here, please--ianu and your sister--and let me feel of you," she requested. they came to her willingly, and dorothy passed her hands over their faces and forms and decided one was a girl of about her own age and the other a boy somewhat smaller. the girl's hair was soft and fluffy and her skin as smooth as satin. when dorothy gently touched her nose and ears and lips they seemed to be well and delicately formed. "if i could see you i am sure you would be beautiful," she declared. the girl laughed, and her mother said: "we are not vain in the valley of voe, because we can not display our beauty, and good actions and pleasant ways are what make us lovely to our companions. yet we can see and appreciate the beauties of nature, the dainty flowers and trees, the green fields and the clear blue of the sky." "how about the birds and beasts and fishes?" asked zeb. "the birds we cannot see, because they love to eat of the damas as much as we do; yet we hear their sweet songs and enjoy them. neither can we see the cruel bears, for they also eat the fruit. but the fishes that swim in our brooks we can see, and often we catch them to eat." "it occurs to me you have a great deal to make you happy, even while invisible," remarked the wizard. "nevertheless, we prefer to remain visible while we are in your valley." just then eureka came in, for she had been until now wandering outside with jim; and when the kitten saw the table set with food she cried out: "now you must feed me, dorothy, for i'm half starved." the children were inclined to be frightened by the sight of the small animal, which reminded them of the bears; but dorothy reassured them by explaining that eureka was a pet and could do no harm even if she wished to. then, as the others had by this time moved away from the table, the kitten sprang upon the chair and put her paws upon the cloth to see what there was to eat. to her surprise an unseen hand clutched her and held her suspended in the air. eureka was frantic with terror, and tried to scratch and bite, so the next moment she was dropped to the floor. "did you see that, dorothy?" she gasped. "yes, dear," her mistress replied; "there are people living in this house, although we cannot see them. and you must have better manners, eureka, or something worse will happen to you." she placed a plate of food upon the floor and the kitten ate greedily. "give me that nice-smelling fruit i saw on the table," she begged, when she had cleaned the plate. "those are damas," said dorothy, "and you must never even taste them, eureka, or you'll get invis'ble, and then we can't see you at all." the kitten gazed wistfully at the forbidden fruit. "does it hurt to be invis'ble?" she asked. "i don't know," dorothy answered; "but it would hurt me dre'fully to lose you." "very well, i won't touch it," decided the kitten; "but you must keep it away from me, for the smell is very tempting." "can you tell us, sir or ma'am," said the wizard, addressing the air because he did not quite know where the unseen people stood, "if there is any way we can get out of your beautiful valley, and on top of the earth again." "oh, one can leave the valley easily enough," answered the man's voice; "but to do so you must enter a far less pleasant country. as for reaching the top of the earth, i have never heard that it is possible to do that, and if you succeeded in getting there you would probably fall off." "oh, no," said dorothy, "we've been there, and we know." "the valley of voe is certainly a charming place," resumed the wizard; "but we cannot be contented in any other land than our own, for long. even if we should come to unpleasant places on our way it is necessary, in order to reach the earth's surface, to keep moving on toward it." "in that case," said the man, "it will be best for you to cross our valley and mount the spiral staircase inside the pyramid mountain. the top of that mountain is lost in the clouds, and when you reach it you will be in the awful land of naught, where the gargoyles live." "what are gargoyles?" asked zeb. "i do not know, young sir. our greatest champion, overman-anu, once climbed the spiral stairway and fought nine days with the gargoyles before he could escape them and come back; but he could never be induced to describe the dreadful creatures, and soon afterward a bear caught him and ate him up." the wanderers were rather discouraged by this gloomy report, but dorothy said with a sigh: "if the only way to get home is to meet the gurgles, then we've got to meet 'em. they can't be worse than the wicked witch or the nome king." "but you must remember you had the scarecrow and the tin woodman to help you conquer those enemies," suggested the wizard. "just now, my dear, there is not a single warrior in your company." "oh, i guess zeb could fight if he had to. couldn't you, zeb?" asked the little girl. "perhaps; if i had to," answered zeb, doubtfully. "and you have the jointed sword that you chopped the veg'table sorcerer in two with," the girl said to the little man. "true," he replied; "and in my satchel are other useful things to fight with." "what the gargoyles most dread is a noise," said the man's voice. "our champion told me that when he shouted his battle-cry the creatures shuddered and drew back, hesitating to continue the combat. but they were in great numbers, and the champion could not shout much because he had to save his breath for fighting." "very good," said the wizard; "we can all yell better than we can fight, so we ought to defeat the gargoyles." "but tell me," said dorothy, "how did such a brave champion happen to let the bears eat him? and if he was invis'ble, and the bears invis'ble, who knows that they really ate him up?" "the champion had killed eleven bears in his time," returned the unseen man; "and we know this is true because when any creature is dead the invisible charm of the dama-fruit ceases to be active, and the slain one can be plainly seen by all eyes. when the champion killed a bear everyone could see it; and when the bears killed the champion we all saw several pieces of him scattered about, which of course disappeared again when the bears devoured them." they now bade farewell to the kind but unseen people of the cottage, and after the man had called their attention to a high, pyramid-shaped mountain on the opposite side of the valley, and told them how to travel in order to reach it, they again started upon their journey. they followed the course of a broad stream and passed several more pretty cottages; but of course they saw no one, nor did any one speak to them. fruits and flowers grew plentifully all about, and there were many of the delicious damas that the people of voe were so fond of. about noon they stopped to allow jim to rest in the shade of a pretty orchard, and while they plucked and ate some of the cherries and plums that grew there a soft voice suddenly said to them: "there are bears near by. be careful." the wizard got out his sword at once, and zeb grabbed the horse-whip. dorothy climbed into the buggy, although jim had been unharnessed from it and was grazing some distance away. the owner of the unseen voice laughed lightly and said: "you cannot escape the bears that way." "how _can_ we 'scape?" asked dorothy, nervously, for an unseen danger is always the hardest to face. "you must take to the river," was the reply. "the bears will not venture upon the water." "but we would be drowned!" exclaimed the girl. "oh, there is no need of that," said the voice, which from its gentle tones seemed to belong to a young girl. "you are strangers in the valley of voe, and do not seem to know our ways; so i will try to save you." the next moment a broad-leaved plant was jerked from the ground where it grew and held suspended in the air before the wizard. [illustration: escaping the invisible bears.] "sir," said the voice, "you must rub these leaves upon the soles of all your feet, and then you will be able to walk upon the water without sinking below the surface. it is a secret the bears do not know, and we people of voe usually walk upon the water when we travel, and so escape our enemies." "thank you!" cried the wizard, joyfully, and at once rubbed a leaf upon the soles of dorothy's shoes and then upon his own. the girl took a leaf and rubbed it upon the kitten's paws, and the rest of the plant was handed to zeb, who, after applying it to his own feet, carefully rubbed it upon all four of jim's hoofs and then upon the tires of the buggy-wheels. he had nearly finished this last task when a low growling was suddenly heard and the horse began to jump around and kick viciously with his heels. "quick! to the water, or you are lost!" cried their unseen friend, and without hesitation the wizard drew the buggy down the bank and out upon the broad river, for dorothy was still seated in it with eureka in her arms. they did not sink at all, owing to the virtues of the strange plant they had used, and when the buggy was in the middle of the stream the wizard returned to the bank to assist zeb and jim. the horse was plunging madly about, and two or three deep gashes appeared upon its flanks, from which the blood flowed freely. "run for the river!" shouted the wizard, and jim quickly freed himself from his unseen tormenters by a few vicious kicks and then obeyed. as soon as he trotted out upon the surface of the river he found himself safe from pursuit, and zeb was already running across the water toward dorothy. as the little wizard turned to follow them he felt a hot breath against his cheek and heard a low, fierce growl. at once he began stabbing at the air with his sword, and he knew that he had struck some substance because when he drew back the blade it was dripping with blood. the third time that he thrust out the weapon there was a loud roar and a fall, and suddenly at his feet appeared the form of a great red bear, which was nearly as big as the horse and much stronger and fiercer. the beast was quite dead from the sword thrusts, and after a glance at its terrible claws and sharp teeth the little man turned in a panic and rushed out upon the water, for other menacing growls told him more bears were near. on the river, however, the adventurers seemed to be perfectly safe. dorothy and the buggy had floated slowly down stream with the current of the water, and the others made haste to join her. the wizard opened his satchel and got out some sticking-plaster with which he mended the cuts jim had received from the claws of the bears. "i think we'd better stick to the river, after this," said dorothy. "if our unknown friend hadn't warned us, and told us what to do, we would all be dead by this time." "that is true," agreed the wizard, "and as the river seems to be flowing in the direction of the pyramid mountain it will be the easiest way for us to travel." zeb hitched jim to the buggy again, and the horse trotted along and drew them rapidly over the smooth water. the kitten was at first dreadfully afraid of getting wet, but dorothy let her down and soon eureka was frisking along beside the buggy without being scared a bit. once a little fish swam too near the surface, and the kitten grabbed it in her mouth and ate it up as quick as a wink; but dorothy cautioned her to be careful what she ate in this valley of enchantments, and no more fishes were careless enough to swim within reach. after a journey of several hours they came to a point where the river curved, and they found they must cross a mile or so of the valley before they came to the pyramid mountain. there were few houses in this part, and few orchards or flowers; so our friends feared they might encounter more of the savage bears, which they had learned to dread with all their hearts. "you'll have to make a dash, jim," said the wizard, "and run as fast as you can go." "all right," answered the horse; "i'll do my best. but you must remember i'm old, and my dashing days are past and gone." all three got into the buggy and zeb picked up the reins, though jim needed no guidance of any sort. the horse was still smarting from the sharp claws of the invisible bears, and as soon as he was on land and headed toward the mountain the thought that more of those fearsome creatures might be near acted as a spur and sent him galloping along in a way that made dorothy catch her breath. then zeb, in a spirit of mischief, uttered a growl like that of the bears, and jim pricked up his ears and fairly flew. his boney legs moved so fast they could scarcely be seen, and the wizard clung fast to the seat and yelled "whoa!" at the top of his voice. "i--i'm 'fraid he's--he's running away!" gasped dorothy. "i _know_ he is," said zeb; "but no bear can catch him if he keeps up that gait--and the harness or the buggy don't break." jim did not make a mile a minute; but almost before they were aware of it he drew up at the foot of the mountain, so suddenly that the wizard and zeb both sailed over the dashboard and landed in the soft grass--where they rolled over several times before they stopped. dorothy nearly went with them, but she was holding fast to the iron rail of the seat, and that saved her. she squeezed the kitten, though, until it screeched; and then the old cab-horse made several curious sounds that led the little girl to suspect he was laughing at them all. [illustration] chapter . the braided man of pyramid mountain the mountain before them was shaped like a cone and was so tall that its point was lost in the clouds. directly facing the place where jim had stopped was an arched opening leading to a broad stairway. the stairs were cut in the rock inside the mountain, and they were broad and not very steep, because they circled around like a cork-screw, and at the arched opening where the flight began the circle was quite big. at the foot of the stairs was a sign reading: warning. these steps lead to the land of the gargoyles. danger! keep out. "i wonder how jim is ever going to draw the buggy up so many stairs," said dorothy, gravely. "no trouble at all," declared the horse, with a contemptuous neigh. "still, i don't care to drag any passengers. you'll all have to walk." "suppose the stairs get steeper?" suggested zeb, doubtfully. "then you'll have to boost the buggy-wheels, that's all," answered jim. "we'll try it, anyway," said the wizard. "it's the only way to get out of the valley of voe." so they began to ascend the stairs, dorothy and the wizard first, jim next, drawing the buggy, and then zeb to watch that nothing happened to the harness. the light was dim, and soon they mounted into total darkness, so that the wizard was obliged to get out his lanterns to light the way. but this enabled them to proceed steadily until they came to a landing where there was a rift in the side of the mountain that let in both light and air. looking through this opening they could see the valley of voe lying far below them, the cottages seeming like toy houses from that distance. after resting a few moments they resumed their climb, and still the stairs were broad and low enough for jim to draw the buggy easily after him. the old horse panted a little, and had to stop often to get his breath. at such times they were all glad to wait for him, for continually climbing up stairs is sure to make one's legs ache. they wound about, always going upward, for some time. the lights from the lanterns dimly showed the way, but it was a gloomy journey, and they were pleased when a broad streak of light ahead assured them they were coming to a second landing. here one side of the mountain had a great hole in it, like the mouth of a cavern, and the stairs stopped at the near edge of the floor and commenced ascending again at the opposite edge. the opening in the mountain was on the side opposite to the valley of voe, and our travellers looked out upon a strange scene. below them was a vast space, at the bottom of which was a black sea with rolling billows, through which little tongues of flame constantly shot up. just above them, and almost on a level with their platform, were banks of rolling clouds which constantly shifted position and changed color. the blues and greys were very beautiful, and dorothy noticed that on the cloud banks sat or reclined fleecy, shadowy forms of beautiful beings who must have been the cloud fairies. mortals who stand upon the earth and look up at the sky cannot often distinguish these forms, but our friends were now so near to the clouds that they observed the dainty fairies very clearly. "are they real?" asked zeb, in an awed voice. "of course," replied dorothy, softly. "they are the cloud fairies." "they seem like open-work," remarked the boy, gazing intently. "if i should squeeze one, there wouldn't be anything left of it." in the open space between the clouds and the black, bubbling sea far beneath, could be seen an occasional strange bird winging its way swiftly through the air. these birds were of enormous size, and reminded zeb of the rocs he had read about in the arabian nights. they had fierce eyes and sharp talons and beaks, and the children hoped none of them would venture into the cavern. "well, i declare!" suddenly exclaimed the little wizard. "what in the world is this?" they turned around and found a man standing on the floor in the center of the cave, who bowed very politely when he saw he had attracted their attention. he was a very old man, bent nearly double; but the queerest thing about him was his white hair and beard. these were so long that they reached to his feet, and both the hair and the beard were carefully plaited into many braids, and the end of each braid fastened with a bow of colored ribbon. "where did you come from?" asked dorothy, wonderingly. "no place at all," answered the man with the braids; "that is, not recently. once i lived on top the earth, but for many years i have had my factory in this spot--half way up pyramid mountain." "are we only half way up?" enquired the boy, in a discouraged tone. "i believe so, my lad," replied the braided man. "but as i have never been in either direction, down or up, since i arrived, i cannot be positive whether it is exactly half way or not." "have you a factory in this place?" asked the wizard, who had been examining the strange personage carefully. "to be sure," said the other. "i am a great inventor, you must know, and i manufacture my products in this lonely spot." "what are your products?" enquired the wizard. "well, i make assorted flutters for flags and bunting, and a superior grade of rustles for ladies' silk gowns." "i thought so," said the wizard, with a sigh. "may we examine some of these articles?" [illustration: the cloud fairies.] [illustration: the braided man.] "yes, indeed; come into my shop, please," and the braided man turned and led the way into a smaller cave, where he evidently lived. here, on a broad shelf, were several card-board boxes of various sizes, each tied with cotton cord. "this," said the man, taking up a box and handling it gently, "contains twelve dozen rustles--enough to last any lady a year. will you buy it, my dear?" he asked, addressing dorothy. "my gown isn't silk," she said, smiling. "never mind. when you open the box the rustles will escape, whether you are wearing a silk dress or not," said the man, seriously. then he picked up another box. "in this," he continued, "are many assorted flutters. they are invaluable to make flags flutter on a still day, when there is no wind. you, sir," turning to the wizard, "ought to have this assortment. once you have tried my goods i am sure you will never be without them." "i have no money with me," said the wizard, evasively. "i do not want money," returned the braided man, "for i could not spend it in this deserted place if i had it. but i would like very much a blue hair-ribbon. you will notice my braids are tied with yellow, pink, brown, red, green, white and black; but i have no blue ribbons." "i'll get you one!" cried dorothy, who was sorry for the poor man; so she ran back to the buggy and took from her suit-case a pretty blue ribbon. it did her good to see how the braided man's eyes sparkled when he received this treasure. "you have made me very, very happy, my dear!" he exclaimed; and then he insisted on the wizard taking the box of flutters and the little girl accepting the box of rustles. "you may need them, some time," he said, "and there is really no use in my manufacturing these things unless somebody uses them." "why did you leave the surface of the earth?" enquired the wizard. "i could not help it. it is a sad story, but if you will try to restrain your tears i will tell you about it. on earth i was a manufacturer of imported holes for american swiss cheese, and i will acknowledge that i supplied a superior article, which was in great demand. also i made pores for porous plasters and high-grade holes for doughnuts and buttons. finally i invented a new adjustable post-hole, which i thought would make my fortune. i manufactured a large quantity of these post-holes, and having no room in which to store them i set them all end to end and put the top one in the ground. that made an extraordinary long hole, as you may imagine, and reached far down into the earth; and, as i leaned over it to try to see to the bottom, i lost my balance and tumbled in. unfortunately, the hole led directly into the vast space you see outside this mountain; but i managed to catch a point of rock that projected from this cavern, and so saved myself from tumbling headlong into the black waves beneath, where the tongues of flame that dart out would certainly have consumed me. here, then, i made my home; and although it is a lonely place i amuse myself making rustles and flutters, and so get along very nicely." when the braided man had completed this strange tale dorothy nearly laughed, because it was all so absurd; but the wizard tapped his forehead significantly, to indicate that he thought the poor man was crazy. so they politely bade him good day, and went back to the outer cavern to resume their journey. [illustration] chapter . they meet the wooden gargoyles another breathless climb brought our adventurers to a third landing where there was a rift in the mountain. on peering out all they could see was rolling banks of clouds, so thick that they obscured all else. but the travellers were obliged to rest, and while they were sitting on the rocky floor the wizard felt in his pocket and brought out the nine tiny piglets. to his delight they were now plainly visible, which proved that they had passed beyond the influence of the magical valley of voe. "why, we can see each other again!" cried one, joyfully. "yes," sighed eureka; "and i also can see you again, and the sight makes me dreadfully hungry. please, mr. wizard, may i eat just one of the fat little piglets? you'd never miss _one_ of them, i'm sure!" "what a horrid, savage beast!" exclaimed a piglet; "and after we've been such good friends, too, and played with one another!" "when i'm not hungry, i love to play with you all," said the kitten, demurely; "but when my stomach is empty it seems that nothing would fill it so nicely as a fat piglet." "and we trusted you so!" said another of the nine, reproachfully. "and thought you were respectable!" said another. "it seems we were mistaken," declared a third, looking at the kitten timorously, "no one with such murderous desires should belong to our party, i'm sure." "you see, eureka," remarked dorothy, reprovingly, "you are making yourself disliked. there are certain things proper for a kitten to eat; but i never heard of a kitten eating a pig, under _any_ cir'stances." "did you ever see such little pigs before?" asked the kitten. "they are no bigger than mice, and i'm sure mice are proper for me to eat." "it isn't the bigness, dear; its the variety," replied the girl. "these are mr. wizard's pets, just as you are my pet, and it wouldn't be any more proper for you to eat them than it would be for jim to eat you." "and that's just what i shall do if you don't let those little balls of pork alone," said jim, glaring at the kitten with his round, big eyes. "if you injure any one of them i'll chew you up instantly." the kitten looked at the horse thoughtfully, as if trying to decide whether he meant it or not. "in that case," she said, "i'll leave them alone. you haven't many teeth left, jim, but the few you have are sharp enough to make me shudder. so the piglets will be perfectly safe, hereafter, as far as i am concerned." "that is right, eureka," remarked the wizard, earnestly. "let us all be a happy family and love one another." eureka yawned and stretched herself. "i've always loved the piglets," she said; "but they don't love me." "no one can love a person he's afraid of," asserted dorothy. "if you behave, and don't scare the little pigs, i'm sure they'll grow very fond of you." the wizard now put the nine tiny ones back into his pocket and the journey was resumed. "we must be pretty near the top, now," said the boy, as they climbed wearily up the dark, winding stairway. "the country of the gurgles can't be far from the top of the earth," remarked dorothy. "it isn't very nice down here. i'd like to get home again, i'm sure." no one replied to this, because they found they needed all their breath for the climb. the stairs had become narrower and zeb and the wizard often had to help jim pull the buggy from one step to another, or keep it from jamming against the rocky walls. at last, however, a dim light appeared ahead of them, which grew clearer and stronger as they advanced. "thank goodness we're nearly there!" panted the little wizard. jim, who was in advance, saw the last stair before him and stuck his head above the rocky sides of the stairway. then he halted, ducked down and began to back up, so that he nearly fell with the buggy onto the others. "let's go down again!" he said, in his hoarse voice. "nonsense!" snapped the tired wizard. "what's the matter with you, old man?" "everything," grumbled the horse. "i've taken a look at this place, and it's no fit country for real creatures to go to. everything's dead, up there--no flesh or blood or growing thing anywhere." "never mind; we can't turn back," said dorothy; "and we don't intend to stay there, anyhow." "it's dangerous," growled jim, in a stubborn tone. "see here, my good steed," broke in the wizard, "little dorothy and i have been in many queer countries in our travels, and always escaped without harm. we've even been to the marvelous land of oz--haven't we, dorothy?--so we don't much care what the country of the gargoyles is like. go ahead, jim, and whatever happens we'll make the best of it." "all right," answered the horse; "this is your excursion, and not mine; so if you get into trouble don't blame me." with this speech he bent forward and dragged the buggy up the remaining steps. the others followed and soon they were all standing upon a broad platform and gazing at the most curious and startling sight their eyes had ever beheld. "the country of the gargoyles is all wooden!" exclaimed zeb; and so it was. the ground was sawdust and the pebbles scattered around were hard knots from trees, worn smooth in course of time. there were odd wooden houses, with carved wooden flowers in the front yards. the tree-trunks were of coarse wood, but the leaves of the trees were shavings. the patches of grass were splinters of wood, and where neither grass nor sawdust showed was a solid wooden flooring. wooden birds fluttered among the trees and wooden cows were browsing upon the wooden grass; but the most amazing things of all were the wooden people--the creatures known as gargoyles. these were very numerous, for the palace was thickly inhabited, and a large group of the queer people clustered near, gazing sharply upon the strangers who had emerged from the long spiral stairway. the gargoyles were very small of stature, being less than three feet in height. their bodies were round, their legs short and thick and their arms extraordinarily long and stout. their heads were too big for their bodies and their faces were decidedly ugly to look upon. some had long, curved noses and chins, small eyes and wide, grinning mouths. others had flat noses, protruding eyes, and ears that were shaped like those of an elephant. there were many types, indeed, scarcely two being alike; but all were equally disagreeable in appearance. the tops of their heads had no hair, but were carved into a variety of fantastic shapes, some having a row of points or balls around the top, other designs resembling flowers or vegetables, and still others having squares that looked like waffles cut criss-cross on their heads. they all wore short wooden wings which were fastened to their wooden bodies by means of wooden hinges with wooden screws, and with these wings they flew swiftly and noiselessly here and there, their legs being of little use to them. this noiseless motion was one of the most peculiar things about the gargoyles. they made no sounds at all, either in flying or trying to speak, and they conversed mainly by means of quick signals made with their wooden fingers or lips. neither was there any sound to be heard anywhere throughout the wooden country. the birds did not sing, nor did the cows moo; yet there was more than ordinary activity everywhere. the group of these queer creatures which was discovered clustered near the stairs at first remained staring and motionless, glaring with evil eyes at the intruders who had so suddenly appeared in their land. in turn the wizard and the children, the horse and the kitten, examined the gargoyles with the same silent attention. "there's going to be trouble, i'm sure," remarked the horse. "unhitch those tugs, zeb, and set me free from the buggy, so i can fight comfortably." "jim's right," sighed the wizard. "there's going to be trouble, and my sword isn't stout enough to cut up those wooden bodies--so i shall have to get out my revolvers." he got his satchel from the buggy and, opening it, took out two deadly looking revolvers that made the children shrink back in alarm just to look at. "what harm can the gurgles do?" asked dorothy. "they have no weapons to hurt us with." "each of their arms is a wooden club," answered the little man, "and i'm sure the creatures mean mischief, by the looks of their eyes. even these revolvers can merely succeed in damaging a few of their wooden bodies, and after that we will be at their mercy." "but why fight at all, in that case?" asked the girl. "so i may die with a clear conscience," returned the wizard, gravely. "it's every man's duty to do the best he knows how; and i'm going to do it." "wish i had an axe," said zeb, who by now had unhitched the horse. "if we had known we were coming we might have brought along several other useful things," responded the wizard. "but we dropped into this adventure rather unexpectedly." the gargoyles had backed away a distance when they heard the sound of talking, for although our friends had spoken in low tones their words seemed loud in the silence surrounding them. but as soon as the conversation ceased the grinning, ugly creatures arose in a flock and flew swiftly toward the strangers, their long arms stretched out before them like the bowsprits of a fleet of sail-boats. the horse had especially attracted their notice, because it was the biggest and strangest creature they had ever seen; so it became the center of their first attack. but jim was ready for them, and when he saw them coming he turned his heels toward them and began kicking out as hard as he could. crack! crash! bang! went his iron-shod hoofs against the wooden bodies of the gargoyles, and they were battered right and left with such force that they scattered like straws in the wind. but the noise and clatter seemed as dreadful to them as jim's heels, for all who were able swiftly turned and flew away to a great distance. the others picked themselves up from the ground one by one and quickly rejoined their fellows, so for a moment the horse thought he had won the fight with ease. but the wizard was not so confident. "those wooden things are impossible to hurt," he said, "and all the damage jim has done to them is to knock a few splinters from their noses and ears. that cannot make them look any uglier, i'm sure, and it is my opinion they will soon renew the attack." "what made them fly away?" asked dorothy. "the noise, of course. don't you remember how the champion escaped them by shouting his battle-cry?" "suppose we escape down the stairs, too," suggested the boy. "we have time, just now, and i'd rather face the invis'ble bears than those wooden imps." "no," returned dorothy, stoutly, "it won't do to go back, for then we would never get home. let's fight it out." "that is what i advise," said the wizard. "they haven't defeated us yet, and jim is worth a whole army." but the gargoyles were clever enough not to attack the horse the next time. they advanced in a great swarm, having been joined by many more of their kind, and they flew straight over jim's head to where the others were standing. the wizard raised one of his revolvers and fired into the throng of his enemies, and the shot resounded like a clap of thunder in that silent place. some of the wooden beings fell flat upon the ground, where they quivered and trembled in every limb; but most of them managed to wheel and escape again to a distance. zeb ran and picked up one of the gargoyles that lay nearest to him. the top of its head was carved into a crown and the wizard's bullet had struck it exactly in the left eye, which was a hard wooden knot. half of the bullet stuck in the wood and half stuck out, so it had been the jar and the sudden noise that had knocked the creature down, more than the fact that it was really hurt. before this crowned gargoyle had recovered himself zeb had wound a strap several times around its body, confining its wings and arms so that it could not move. then, having tied the wooden creature securely, the boy buckled the strap and tossed his prisoner into the buggy. by that time the others had all retired. [illustration] chapter . a wonderful escape for a while the enemy hesitated to renew the attack. then a few of them advanced until another shot from the wizard's revolver made them retreat. "that's fine," said zeb. "we've got 'em on the run now, sure enough." "but only for a time," replied the wizard, shaking his head gloomily. "these revolvers are good for six shots each, but when those are gone we shall be helpless." the gargoyles seemed to realize this, for they sent a few of their band time after time to attack the strangers and draw the fire from the little man's revolvers. in this way none of them was shocked by the dreadful report more than once, for the main band kept far away and each time a new company was sent into the battle. when the wizard had fired all of his twelve bullets he had caused no damage to the enemy except to stun a few by the noise, and so he was no nearer to victory than in the beginning of the fray. [illustration: the wizard fired into the throng.] "what shall we do now?" asked dorothy, anxiously. "let's yell--all together," said zeb. "and fight at the same time," added the wizard. "we will get near jim, so that he can help us, and each one must take some weapon and do the best he can. i'll use my sword, although it isn't much account in this affair. dorothy must take her parasol and open it suddenly when the wooden folks attack her. i haven't anything for you, zeb." "i'll use the king," said the boy, and pulled his prisoner out of the buggy. the bound gargoyle's arms extended far out beyond its head, so by grasping its wrists zeb found the king made a very good club. the boy was strong for one of his years, having always worked upon a farm; so he was likely to prove more dangerous to the enemy than the wizard. when the next company of gargoyles advanced, our adventurers began yelling as if they had gone mad. even the kitten gave a dreadfully shrill scream and at the same time jim the cab-horse neighed loudly. this daunted the enemy for a time, but the defenders were soon out of breath. perceiving this, as well as the fact that there were no more of the awful "bangs" to come from the revolvers, the gargoyles advanced in a swarm as thick as bees, so that the air was filled with them. dorothy squatted upon the ground and put up her parasol, which nearly covered her and proved a great protection. the wizard's sword-blade snapped into a dozen pieces at the first blow he struck against the wooden people. zeb pounded away with the gargoyle he was using as a club until he had knocked down dozens of foes; but at the last they clustered so thickly about him that he no longer had room in which to swing his arms. the horse performed some wonderful kicking and even eureka assisted when she leaped bodily upon the gargoyles and scratched and bit at them like a wild-cat. but all this bravery amounted to nothing at all. the wooden things wound their long arms around zeb and the wizard and held them fast. dorothy was captured in the same way, and numbers of the gargoyles clung to jim's legs, so weighting him down that the poor beast was helpless. eureka made a desperate dash to escape and scampered along the ground like a streak; but a grinning gargoyle flew after her and grabbed her before she had gone very far. all of them expected nothing less than instant death; but to their surprise the wooden creatures flew into the air with them and bore them far away, over miles and miles of wooden country, until they came to a wooden city. the houses of this city had many corners, being square and six-sided and eight-sided. they were tower-like in shape and the best of them seemed old and weather-worn; yet all were strong and substantial. to one of these houses which had neither doors nor windows, but only one broad opening far up underneath the roof, the prisoners were brought by their captors. the gargoyles roughly pushed them into the opening, where there was a platform, and then flew away and left them. as they had no wings the strangers could not fly away, and if they jumped down from such a height they would surely be killed. the creatures had sense enough to reason that way, and the only mistake they made was in supposing the earth people were unable to overcome such ordinary difficulties. jim was brought with the others, although it took a good many gargoyles to carry the big beast through the air and land him on the high platform, and the buggy was thrust in after him because it belonged to the party and the wooden folks had no idea what it was used for or whether it was alive or not. when eureka's captor had thrown the kitten after the others the last gargoyle silently disappeared, leaving our friends to breathe freely once more. "what an awful fight!" said dorothy, catching her breath in little gasps. "oh, i don't know," purred eureka, smoothing her ruffled fur with her paw; "we didn't manage to hurt anybody, and nobody managed to hurt us." "thank goodness we are together again, even if we are prisoners," sighed the little girl. "i wonder why they didn't kill us on the spot," remarked zeb, who had lost his king in the struggle. "they are probably keeping us for some ceremony," the wizard answered, reflectively; "but there is no doubt they intend to kill us as dead as possible in a short time." "as dead as poss'ble would be pretty dead, wouldn't it?" asked dorothy. "yes, my dear. but we have no need to worry about that just now. let us examine our prison and see what it is like." the space underneath the roof, where they stood, permitted them to see on all sides of the tall building, and they looked with much curiosity at the city spread out beneath them. everything visible was made of wood, and the scene seemed stiff and extremely unnatural. from their platform a stair descended into the house, and the children and the wizard explored it after lighting a lantern to show them the way. several stories of empty rooms rewarded their search, but nothing more; so after a time they came back to the platform again. had there been any doors or windows in the lower rooms, or had not the boards of the house been so thick and stout, escape would have been easy; but to remain down below was like being in a cellar or the hold of a ship, and they did not like the darkness or the damp smell. in this country, as in all others they had visited underneath the earth's surface, there was no night, a constant and strong light coming from some unknown source. looking out, they could see into some of the houses near them, where there were open windows in abundance, and were able to mark the forms of the wooden gargoyles moving about in their dwellings. "this seems to be their time of rest," observed the wizard. "all people need rest, even if they are made of wood, and as there is no night here they select a certain time of the day in which to sleep or doze." "i feel sleepy myself," remarked zeb, yawning. "why, where's eureka?" cried dorothy, suddenly. they all looked around, but the kitten was no place to be seen. "she's gone out for a walk," said jim, gruffly. "where? on the roof?" asked the girl. "no; she just dug her claws into the wood and climbed down the sides of this house to the ground." "she couldn't climb _down_, jim," said dorothy. "to climb means to go up." "who said so?" demanded the horse. "my school-teacher said so; and she knows a lot, jim." "to 'climb down' is sometimes used as a figure of speech," remarked the wizard. "well, this was a figure of a cat," said jim, "and she _went_ down, anyhow, whether she climbed or crept." "dear me! how careless eureka is," exclaimed the girl, much distressed. "the gurgles will get her, sure!" "ha, ha!" chuckled the old cab-horse; "they're not 'gurgles,' little maid; they're gargoyles." "never mind; they'll get eureka, whatever they're called." "no they won't," said the voice of the kitten, and eureka herself crawled over the edge of the platform and sat down quietly upon the floor. "wherever have you been, eureka?" asked dorothy, sternly. "watching the wooden folks. they're too funny for anything, dorothy. just now they are all going to bed, and--what do you think?--they unhook the hinges of their wings and put them in a corner until they wake up again." "what, the hinges?" "no; the wings." "that," said zeb, "explains why this house is used by them for a prison. if any of the gargoyles act badly, and have to be put in jail, they are brought here and their wings unhooked and taken away from them until they promise to be good." the wizard had listened intently to what eureka had said. "i wish we had some of those loose wings," he said. "could we fly with them?" asked dorothy. "i think so. if the gargoyles can unhook the wings then the power to fly lies in the wings themselves, and not in the wooden bodies of the people who wear them. so, if we had the wings, we could probably fly as well as they do--at least while we are in their country and under the spell of its magic." "but how would it help us to be able to fly?" questioned the girl. "come here," said the little man, and took her to one of the corners of the building. "do you see that big rock standing on the hillside yonder?" he continued, pointing with his finger. "yes; it's a good way off, but i can see it," she replied. "well, inside that rock, which reaches up into the clouds, is an archway very much like the one we entered when we climbed the spiral stairway from the valley of voe. i'll get my spy-glass, and then you can see it more plainly." he fetched a small but powerful telescope, which had been in his satchel, and by its aid the little girl clearly saw the opening. "where does it lead to?" she asked. "that i cannot tell," said the wizard; "but we cannot now be far below the earth's surface, and that entrance may lead to another stairway that will bring us on top of our world again, where we belong. so, if we had the wings, and could escape the gargoyles, we might fly to that rock and be saved." "i'll get you the wings," said zeb, who had thoughtfully listened to all this. "that is, if the kitten will show me where they are." "but how can you get down?" enquired the girl, wonderingly. for answer zeb began to unfasten jim's harness, strap by strap, and to buckle one piece to another until he had made a long leather strip that would reach to the ground. [illustration: the fight with the gargoyles.] "i can climb down that, all right," he said. "no you can't," remarked jim, with a twinkle in his round eyes. "you may _go_ down, but you can only _climb_ up." "well, i'll climb up when i get back, then," said the boy, with a laugh. "now, eureka, you'll have to show me the way to those wings." "you must be very quiet," warned the kitten; "for if you make the least noise the gargoyles will wake up. they can hear a pin drop." "i'm not going to drop a pin," said zeb. he had fastened one end of the strap to a wheel of the buggy, and now he let the line dangle over the side of the house. "be careful," cautioned dorothy, earnestly. "i will," said the boy, and let himself slide over the edge. the girl and the wizard leaned over and watched zeb work his way carefully downward, hand over hand, until he stood upon the ground below. eureka clung with her claws to the wooden side of the house and let herself down easily. then together they crept away to enter the low doorway of a neighboring dwelling. the watchers waited in breathless suspense until the boy again appeared, his arms now full of the wooden wings. when he came to where the strap was hanging he tied the wings all in a bunch to the end of the line, and the wizard drew them up. then the line was let down again for zeb to climb up by. eureka quickly followed him, and soon they were all standing together upon the platform, with eight of the much prized wooden wings beside them. the boy was no longer sleepy, but full of energy and excitement. he put the harness together again and hitched jim to the buggy. then, with the wizard's help, he tried to fasten some of the wings to the old cab-horse. this was no easy task, because half of each one of the hinges of the wings was missing, it being still fastened to the body of the gargoyle who had used it. however, the wizard went once more to his satchel--which seemed to contain a surprising variety of odds and ends--and brought out a spool of strong wire, by means of which they managed to fasten four of the wings to jim's harness, two near his head and two near his tail. they were a bit wiggley, but secure enough if only the harness held together. the other four wings were then fastened to the buggy, two on each side, for the buggy must bear the weight of the children and the wizard as it flew through the air. [illustration: jim fluttered and floundered through the air.] these preparations had not consumed a great deal of time, but the sleeping gargoyles were beginning to wake up and move around, and soon some of them would be hunting for their missing wings. so the prisoners resolved to leave their prison at once. they mounted into the buggy, dorothy holding eureka safe in her lap. the girl sat in the middle of the seat, with zeb and the wizard on each side of her. when all was ready the boy shook the reins and said: "fly away, jim!" "which wings must i flop first?" asked the cab-horse, undecidedly. "flop them all together," suggested the wizard. "some of them are crooked," objected the horse. "never mind; we will steer with the wings on the buggy," said zeb. "just you light out and make for that rock, jim; and don't waste any time about it, either." so the horse gave a groan, flopped its four wings all together, and flew away from the platform. dorothy was a little anxious about the success of their trip, for the way jim arched his long neck and spread out his bony legs as he fluttered and floundered through the air was enough to make anybody nervous. he groaned, too, as if frightened, and the wings creaked dreadfully because the wizard had forgotten to oil them; but they kept fairly good time with the wings of the buggy, so that they made excellent progress from the start. the only thing that anyone could complain of with justice was the fact that they wobbled first up and then down, as if the road were rocky instead of being as smooth as the air could make it. the main point, however, was that they flew, and flew swiftly, if a bit unevenly, toward the rock for which they had headed. some of the gargoyles saw them, presently, and lost no time in collecting a band to pursue the escaping prisoners; so that when dorothy happened to look back she saw them coming in a great cloud that almost darkened the sky. [illustration] chapter . the den of the dragonettes our friends had a good start and were able to maintain it, for with their eight wings they could go just as fast as could the gargoyles. all the way to the great rock the wooden people followed them, and when jim finally alighted at the mouth of the cavern the pursuers were still some distance away. "but, i'm afraid they'll catch us yet," said dorothy, greatly excited. "no; we must stop them," declared the wizard. "quick zeb, help me pull off these wooden wings!" they tore off the wings, for which they had no further use, and the wizard piled them in a heap just outside the entrance to the cavern. then he poured over them all the kerosene oil that was left in his oil-can, and lighting a match set fire to the pile. the flames leaped up at once and the bonfire began to smoke and roar and crackle just as the great army of wooden gargoyles arrived. the creatures drew back at once, being filled with fear and horror; for such a dreadful thing as a fire they had never before known in all the history of their wooden land. inside the archway were several doors, leading to different rooms built into the mountain, and zeb and the wizard lifted these wooden doors from their hinges and tossed them all on the flames. "that will prove a barrier for some time to come," said the little man, smiling pleasantly all over his wrinkled face at the success of their stratagem. "perhaps the flames will set fire to all that miserable wooden country, and if it does the loss will be very small and the gargoyles never will be missed. but come, my children; let us explore the mountain and discover which way we must go in order to escape from this cavern, which is getting to be almost as hot as a bake-oven." to their disappointment there was within this mountain no regular flight of steps by means of which they could mount to the earth's surface. a sort of inclined tunnel led upward for a way, and they found the floor of it both rough and steep. then a sudden turn brought them to a narrow gallery where the buggy could not pass. this delayed and bothered them for a while, because they did not wish to leave the buggy behind them. it carried their baggage and was useful to ride in wherever there were good roads, and since it had accompanied them so far in their travels they felt it their duty to preserve it. so zeb and the wizard set to work and took off the wheels and the top, and then they put the buggy edgewise, so it would take up the smallest space. in this position they managed, with the aid of the patient cab-horse, to drag the vehicle through the narrow part of the passage. it was not a great distance, fortunately, and when the path grew broader they put the buggy together again and proceeded more comfortably. but the road was nothing more than a series of rifts or cracks in the mountain, and it went zig-zag in every direction, slanting first up and then down until they were puzzled as to whether they were any nearer to the top of the earth than when they had started, hours before. "anyhow," said dorothy, "we've 'scaped those awful gurgles, and that's _one_ comfort!" [illustration: "why it's a dragon!"] "probably the gargoyles are still busy trying to put out the fire," returned the wizard. "but even if they succeeded in doing that it would be very difficult for them to fly amongst these rocks; so i am sure we need fear them no longer." once in a while they would come to a deep crack in the floor, which made the way quite dangerous; but there was still enough oil in the lanterns to give them light, and the cracks were not so wide but that they were able to jump over them. sometimes they had to climb over heaps of loose rock, where jim could scarcely drag the buggy. at such times dorothy, zeb and the wizard all pushed behind, and lifted the wheels over the roughest places; so they managed, by dint of hard work, to keep going. but the little party was both weary and discouraged when at last, on turning a sharp corner, the wanderers found themselves in a vast cave arching high over their heads and having a smooth, level floor. the cave was circular in shape, and all around its edge, near to the ground, appeared groups of dull yellow lights, two of them being always side by side. these were motionless at first, but soon began to flicker more brightly and to sway slowly from side to side and then up and down. "what sort of a place is this?" asked the boy, trying to see more clearly through the gloom. "i cannot imagine, i'm sure," answered the wizard, also peering about. "woogh!" snarled eureka, arching her back until her hair stood straight on end; "it's a den of alligators, or crocodiles, or some other dreadful creatures! don't you see their terrible eyes?" "eureka sees better in the dark than we can," whispered dorothy. "tell us, dear, what do the creatures look like?" she asked, addressing her pet. "i simply can't describe 'em," answered the kitten, shuddering. "their eyes are like pie-plates and their mouths like coal-scuttles. but their bodies don't seem very big." "where are they?" enquired the girl. "they are in little pockets all around the edge of this cavern. oh, dorothy--you can't imagine what horrid things they are! they're uglier than the gargoyles." "tut-tut! be careful how you criticise your neighbors," spoke a rasping voice near by. "as a matter of fact you are rather ugly-looking creatures yourselves, and i'm sure mother has often told us we were the loveliest and prettiest things in all the world." hearing these words our friends turned in the direction of the sound, and the wizard held his lanterns so that their light would flood one of the little pockets in the rock. "why, it's a dragon!" he exclaimed. "no," answered the owner of the big yellow eyes which were blinking at them so steadily; "you are wrong about that. we hope to grow to be dragons some day, but just now we're only dragonettes." "what's that?" asked dorothy, gazing fearfully at the great scaley head, the yawning mouth and the big eyes. "young dragons, of course; but we are not allowed to call ourselves real dragons until we get our full growth," was the reply. "the big dragons are very proud, and don't think children amount to much; but mother says that some day we will all be very powerful and important." "where is your mother?" asked the wizard, anxiously looking around. "she has gone up to the top of the earth to hunt for our dinner. if she has good luck she will bring us an elephant, or a brace of rhinoceri, or perhaps a few dozen people to stay our hunger." "oh; are you hungry?" enquired dorothy, drawing back. "very," said the dragonette, snapping its jaws. "and--and--do you eat people?" "to be sure, when we can get them. but they've been very scarce for a few years and we usually have to be content with elephants or buffaloes," answered the creature, in a regretful tone. "how old are you?" enquired zeb, who stared at the yellow eyes as if fascinated. "quite young, i grieve to say; and all of my brothers and sisters that you see here are practically my own age. if i remember rightly, we were sixty-six years old the day before yesterday." "but that isn't young!" cried dorothy, in amazement. "no?" drawled the dragonette; "it seems to me very babyish." "how old is your mother?" asked the girl. "mother's about two thousand years old; but she carelessly lost track of her age a few centuries ago and skipped several hundreds. she's a little fussy, you know, and afraid of growing old, being a widow and still in her prime." "i should think she would be," agreed dorothy. then, after a moment's thought, she asked: "are we friends or enemies? i mean, will you be good to us, or do you intend to eat us?" "as for that, we dragonettes would love to eat you, my child; but unfortunately mother has tied all our tails around the rocks at the back of our individual caves, so that we can not crawl out to get you. if you choose to come nearer we will make a mouthful of you in a wink; but unless you do you will remain quite safe." there was a regretful accent in the creature's voice, and at the words all the other dragonettes sighed dismally. dorothy felt relieved. presently she asked: "why did your mother tie your tails?" "oh, she is sometimes gone for several weeks on her hunting trips, and if we were not tied we would crawl all over the mountain and fight with each other and get into a lot of mischief. mother usually knows what she is about, but she made a mistake this time; for you are sure to escape us unless you come too near, and you probably won't do that." "no, indeed!" said the little girl. "we don't wish to be eaten by such awful beasts." "permit me to say," returned the dragonette, "that you are rather impolite to call us names, knowing that we cannot resent your insults. we consider ourselves very beautiful in appearance, for mother has told us so, and she knows. and we are of an excellent family and have a pedigree that i challenge any humans to equal, as it extends back about twenty thousand years, to the time of the famous green dragon of atlantis, who lived in a time when humans had not yet been created. can you match that pedigree, little girl?" "well," said dorothy, "i was born on a farm in kansas, and i guess that's being just as 'spectable and haughty as living in a cave with your tail tied to a rock. if it isn't i'll have to stand it, that's all." "tastes differ," murmured the dragonette, slowly drooping its scaley eyelids over its yellow eyes, until they looked like half-moons. being reassured by the fact that the creatures could not crawl out of their rock-pockets, the children and the wizard now took time to examine them more closely. the heads of the dragonettes were as big as barrels and covered with hard, greenish scales that glittered brightly under the light of the lanterns. their front legs, which grew just back of their heads, were also strong and big; but their bodies were smaller around than their heads, and dwindled away in a long line until their tails were slim as a shoe-string. dorothy thought, if it had taken them sixty-six years to grow to this size, that it would be fully a hundred years more before they could hope to call themselves dragons, and that seemed like a good while to wait to grow up. "it occurs to me," said the wizard, "that we ought to get out of this place before the mother dragon comes back." "don't hurry," called one of the dragonettes; "mother will be glad to meet you, i'm sure." "you may be right," replied the wizard, "but we're a little particular about associating with strangers. will you kindly tell us which way your mother went to get on top the earth?" "that is not a fair question to ask us," declared another dragonette. "for, if we told you truly, you might escape us altogether; and if we told you an untruth we would be naughty and deserve to be punished." "then," decided dorothy, "we must find our way out the best we can." they circled all around the cavern, keeping a good distance away from the blinking yellow eyes of the dragonettes, and presently discovered that there were two paths leading from the wall opposite to the place where they had entered. they selected one of these at a venture and hurried along it as fast as they could go, for they had no idea when the mother dragon would be back and were very anxious not to make her acquaintance. [illustration] chapter . ozma uses the magic belt for a considerable distance the way led straight upward in a gentle incline, and the wanderers made such good progress that they grew hopeful and eager, thinking they might see sunshine at any minute. but at length they came unexpectedly upon a huge rock that shut off the passage and blocked them from proceeding a single step farther. this rock was separate from the rest of the mountain and was in motion, turning slowly around and around as if upon a pivot. when first they came to it there was a solid wall before them; but presently it revolved until there was exposed a wide, smooth path across it to the other side. this appeared so unexpectedly that they were unprepared to take advantage of it at first, and allowed the rocky wall to swing around again before they had decided to pass over. but they knew now that there was a means of escape and so waited patiently until the path appeared for the second time. the children and the wizard rushed across the moving rock and sprang into the passage beyond, landing safely though a little out of breath. jim the cab-horse came last, and the rocky wall almost caught him; for just as he leaped to the floor of the further passage the wall swung across it and a loose stone that the buggy wheels knocked against fell into the narrow crack where the rock turned, and became wedged there. they heard a crunching, grinding sound, a loud snap, and the turn-table came to a stop with its broadest surface shutting off the path from which they had come. "never mind," said zeb, "we don't want to get back, anyhow." "i'm not so sure of that," returned dorothy. "the mother dragon may come down and catch us here." "it is possible," agreed the wizard, "if this proves to be the path she usually takes. but i have been examining this tunnel, and i do not see any signs of so large a beast having passed through it." "then we're all right," said the girl, "for if the dragon went the other way she can't poss'bly get to us now." "of course not, my dear. but there is another thing to consider. the mother dragon probably knows the road to the earth's surface, and if she went the other way then we have come the wrong way," said the wizard, thoughtfully. "dear me!" cried dorothy. "that would be unlucky, wouldn't it?" "very. unless this passage also leads to the top of the earth," said zeb. "for my part, if we manage to get out of here i'll be glad it isn't the way the dragon goes." "so will i," returned dorothy. "it's enough to have your pedigree flung in your face by those saucy dragonettes. no one knows what the mother might do." they now moved on again, creeping slowly up another steep incline. the lanterns were beginning to grow dim, and the wizard poured the remaining oil from one into the other, so that the one light would last longer. but their journey was almost over, for in a short time they reached a small cave from which there was no further outlet. they did not realize their ill fortune at first, for their hearts were gladdened by the sight of a ray of sunshine coming through a small crack in the roof of the cave, far overhead. that meant that their world--the real world--was not very far away, and that the succession of perilous adventures they had encountered had at last brought them near the earth's surface, which meant home to them. but when the adventurers looked more carefully around them they discovered that they were in a strong prison from which there was no hope of escape. "but we're _almost_ on earth again," cried dorothy, "for there is the sun--the most _beau'ful_ sun that shines!" and she pointed eagerly at the crack in the distant roof. "almost on earth isn't being there," said the kitten, in a discontented tone. "it wouldn't be possible for even me to get up to that crack--or through it if i got there." "it appears that the path ends here," announced the wizard, gloomily. "and there is no way to go back," added zeb, with a low whistle of perplexity. "i was sure it would come to this, in the end," remarked the old cab-horse. "folks don't fall into the middle of the earth and then get back again to tell of their adventures--not in real life. and the whole thing has been unnatural because that cat and i are both able to talk your language, and to understand the words you say." "and so can the nine tiny piglets," added eureka. "don't forget them, for i may have to eat them, after all." "i've heard animals talk before," said dorothy, "and no harm came of it." "were you ever before shut up in a cave, far under the earth, with no way of getting out?" enquired the horse, seriously. "no," answered dorothy. "but don't you lose heart, jim, for i'm sure this isn't the end of our story, by any means." the reference to the piglets reminded the wizard that his pets had not enjoyed much exercise lately, and must be tired of their prison in his pocket. so he sat down upon the floor of the cave, brought the piglets out one by one, and allowed them to run around as much as they pleased. "my dears," he said to them, "i'm afraid i've got you into a lot of trouble, and that you will never again be able to leave this gloomy cave." "what's wrong?" asked a piglet. "we've been in the dark quite a while, and you may as well explain what has happened." the wizard told them of the misfortune that had overtaken the wanderers. "well," said another piglet, "you are a wizard, are you not?" "i am," replied the little man. "then you can do a few wizzes and get us out of this hole," declared the tiny one, with much confidence. "i could if i happened to be a real wizard," returned the master sadly. "but i'm not, my piggy-wees; i'm a humbug wizard." "nonsense!" cried several of the piglets, together. "you can ask dorothy," said the little man, in an injured tone. "it's true enough," returned the girl, earnestly. "our friend oz is merely a humbug wizard, for he once proved it to me. he can do several very wonderful things--if he knows how. but he can't wiz a single thing if he hasn't the tools and machinery to work with." "thank you, my dear, for doing me justice," responded the wizard, gratefully. "to be accused of being a real wizard, when i'm not, is a slander i will not tamely submit to. but i am one of the greatest humbug wizards that ever lived, and you will realize this when we have all starved together and our bones are scattered over the floor of this lonely cave." "i don't believe we'll realize anything, when it comes to that," remarked dorothy, who had been deep in thought. "but i'm not going to scatter my bones just yet, because i need them, and you prob'ly need yours, too." "we are helpless to escape," sighed the wizard. "_we_ may be helpless," answered dorothy, smiling at him, "but there are others who can do more than we can. cheer up, friends. i'm sure ozma will help us." "ozma!" exclaimed the wizard. "who is ozma?" "the girl that rules the marvelous land of oz," was the reply. "she's a friend of mine, for i met her in the land of ev, not long ago, and went to oz with her." "for the second time?" asked the wizard, with great interest. "yes. the first time i went to oz i found you there, ruling the emerald city. after you went up in a balloon, and escaped us, i got back to kansas by means of a pair of magical silver shoes." "i remember those shoes," said the little man, nodding. "they once belonged to the wicked witch. have you them here with you?" "no; i lost them somewhere in the air," explained the child. "but the second time i went to the land of oz i owned the nome king's magic belt, which is much more powerful than were the silver shoes." "where is that magic belt?" enquired the wizard, who had listened with great interest. "ozma has it; for its powers won't work in a common, ordinary country like the united states. anyone in a fairy country like the land of oz can do anything with it; so i left it with my friend the princess ozma, who used it to wish me in australia with uncle henry." "and were you?" asked zeb, astonished at what he heard. "of course; in just a jiffy. and ozma has an enchanted picture hanging in her room that shows her the exact scene where any of her friends may be, at any time she chooses. all she has to do is to say: 'i wonder what so-and-so is doing,' and at once the picture shows where her friend is and what the friend is doing. that's _real_ magic, mr. wizard; isn't it? well, every day at four o'clock ozma has promised to look at me in that picture, and if i am in need of help i am to make her a certain sign and she will put on the nome king's magic belt and wish me to be with her in oz." "do you mean that princess ozma will see this cave in her enchanted picture, and see all of us here, and what we are doing?" demanded zeb. "of course; when it is four o'clock," she replied, with a laugh at his startled expression. "and when you make a sign she will bring you to her in the land of oz?" continued the boy. "that's it, exactly; by means of the magic belt." "then," said the wizard, "you will be saved, little dorothy; and i am very glad of it. the rest of us will die much more cheerfully when we know you have escaped our sad fate." "_i_ won't die cheerfully!" protested the kitten. "there's nothing cheerful about dying that i could ever see, although they say a cat has nine lives, and so must die nine times." "have you ever died yet?" enquired the boy. "no, and i'm not anxious to begin," said eureka. "don't worry, dear," dorothy exclaimed, "i'll hold you in my arms, and take you with me." "take us, too!" cried the nine tiny piglets, all in one breath. "perhaps i can," answered dorothy. "i'll try." "couldn't you manage to hold me in your arms?" asked the cab-horse. dorothy laughed. "i'll do better than that," she promised, "for i can easily save you all, once i am myself in the land of oz." "how?" they asked. "by using the magic belt. all i need do is to wish you with me, and there you'll be--safe in the royal palace!" "good!" cried zeb. "i built that palace, and the emerald city, too," remarked the wizard, in a thoughtful tone, "and i'd like to see them again, for i was very happy among the munchkins and winkies and quadlings and gillikins." "who are they?" asked the boy. "the four nations that inhabit the land of oz," was the reply. "i wonder if they would treat me nicely if i went there again." "of course they would!" declared dorothy. "they are still proud of their former wizard, and often speak of you kindly." "do you happen to know whatever became of the tin woodman and the scarecrow?" he enquired. "they live in oz yet," said the girl, "and are very important people." "and the cowardly lion?" "oh, he lives there too, with his friend the hungry tiger; and billina is there, because she liked the place better than kansas, and wouldn't go with me to australia." "i'm afraid i don't know the hungry tiger and billina," said the wizard, shaking his head. "is billina a girl?" "no; she's a yellow hen, and a great friend of mine. you're sure to like billina, when you know her," asserted dorothy. "your friends sound like a menagerie," remarked zeb, uneasily. "couldn't you wish me in some safer place than oz." "don't worry," replied the girl. "you'll just love the folks in oz, when you get acquainted. what time is it, mr. wizard?" the little man looked at his watch--a big silver one that he carried in his vest pocket. "half-past three," he said. "then we must wait for half an hour," she continued; "but it won't take long, after that, to carry us all to the emerald city." they sat silently thinking for a time. then jim suddenly asked: "are there any horses in oz?" "only one," replied dorothy, "and he's a sawhorse." "a what?" "a sawhorse. princess ozma once brought him to life with a witch-powder, when she was a boy." "was ozma once a boy?" asked zeb, wonderingly. "yes; a wicked witch enchanted her, so she could not rule her kingdom. but she's a girl now, and the sweetest, loveliest girl in all the world." "a sawhorse is a thing they saw boards on," remarked jim, with a sniff. "it is when it's not alive," acknowledged the girl. "but this sawhorse can trot as fast as you can, jim; and he's very wise, too." "pah! i'll race the miserable wooden donkey any day in the week!" cried the cab-horse. dorothy did not reply to that. she felt that jim would know more about the saw-horse later on. the time dragged wearily enough to the eager watchers, but finally the wizard announced that four o'clock had arrived, and dorothy caught up the kitten and began to make the signal that had been agreed upon to the far-away, invisible ozma. "nothing seems to happen," said zeb, doubtfully. "oh, we must give ozma time to put on the magic belt," replied the girl. she had scarcely spoken the words when she suddenly disappeared from the cave, and with her went the kitten. there had been no sound of any kind and no warning. one moment dorothy sat beside them with the kitten in her lap, and a moment later the horse, the piglets, the wizard and the boy were all that remained in the underground prison. [illustration: dorothy made the signal.] "i believe we will soon follow her," announced the wizard, in a tone of great relief; "for i know something about the magic of the fairyland that is called the land of oz. let us be ready, for we may be sent for any minute." he put the piglets safely away in his pocket again and then he and zeb got into the buggy and sat expectantly upon the seat. "will it hurt?" asked the boy, in a voice that trembled a little. "not at all," replied the wizard. "it will all happen as quick as a wink." and that was the way it did happen. the cab-horse gave a nervous start and zeb began to rub his eyes to make sure he was not asleep. for they were in the streets of a beautiful emerald-green city, bathed in a grateful green light that was especially pleasing to their eyes, and surrounded by merry faced people in gorgeous green-and-gold costumes of many extraordinary designs. before them were the jewel-studded gates of a magnificent palace, and now the gates opened slowly as if inviting them to enter the courtyard, where splendid flowers were blooming and pretty fountains shot their silvery sprays into the air. zeb shook the reins to rouse the cab-horse from his stupor of amazement, for the people were beginning to gather around and stare at the strangers. "gid-dap!" cried the boy, and at the word jim slowly trotted into the courtyard and drew the buggy along the jewelled driveway to the great entrance of the royal palace. [illustration] chapter . old friends are reunited many servants dressed in handsome uniforms stood ready to welcome the new arrivals, and when the wizard got out of the buggy a pretty girl in a green gown cried out in surprise: "why, it's oz, the wonderful wizard, come back again!" the little man looked at her closely and then took both the maiden's hands in his and shook them cordially. "on my word," he exclaimed, "it's little jellia jamb--as pert and pretty as ever!" "why not, mr. wizard?" asked jellia, bowing low. "but i'm afraid you cannot rule the emerald city, as you used to, because we now have a beautiful princess whom everyone loves dearly." "and the people will not willingly part with her," added a tall soldier in a captain-general's uniform. the wizard turned to look at him. "did you not wear green whiskers at one time?" he asked. "yes," said the soldier; "but i shaved them off long ago, and since then i have risen from a private to be the chief general of the royal armies." "that's nice," said the little man. "but i assure you, my good people, that i do not wish to rule the emerald city," he added, earnestly. "in that case you are very welcome!" cried all the servants, and it pleased the wizard to note the respect with which the royal retainers bowed before him. his fame had not been forgotten in the land of oz, by any means. "where is dorothy?" enquired zeb, anxiously, as he left the buggy and stood beside his friend the little wizard. "she is with the princess ozma, in the private rooms of the palace," replied jellia jamb. "but she has ordered me to make you welcome and to show you to your apartments." the boy looked around him with wondering eyes. such magnificence and wealth as was displayed in this palace was more than he had ever dreamed of, and he could scarcely believe that all the gorgeous glitter was real and not tinsel. "what's to become of me?" asked the horse, uneasily. he had seen considerable of life in the cities in his younger days, and knew that this regal palace was no place for him. it perplexed even jellia jamb, for a time, to know what to do with the animal. the green maiden was much astonished at the sight of so unusual a creature, for horses were unknown in this land; but those who lived in the emerald city were apt to be astonished by queer sights, so after inspecting the cab-horse and noting the mild look in his big eyes the girl decided not to be afraid of him. "there are no stables here," said the wizard, "unless some have been built since i went away." "we have never needed them before," answered jellia; "for the sawhorse lives in a room of the palace, being much smaller and more natural in appearance than this great beast you have brought with you." "do you mean that i'm a freak?" asked jim, angrily. "oh, no," she hastened to say, "there may be many more like you in the place you came from, but in oz any horse but a sawhorse is unusual." this mollified jim a little, and after some thought the green maiden decided to give the cab-horse a room in the palace, such a big building having many rooms that were seldom in use. so zeb unharnessed jim, and several of the servants then led the horse around to the rear, where they selected a nice large apartment that he could have all to himself. then jellia said to the wizard: "your own room--which was back of the great throne room--has been vacant ever since you left us. would you like it again?" "yes, indeed!" returned the little man. "it will seem like being at home again, for i lived in that room for many, many years." he knew the way to it, and a servant followed him, carrying his satchel. zeb was also escorted to a room--so grand and beautiful that he almost feared to sit in the chairs or lie upon the bed, lest he might dim their splendor. in the closets he discovered many fancy costumes of rich velvets and brocades, and one of the attendants told him to dress himself in any of the clothes that pleased him and to be prepared to dine with the princess and dorothy in an hour's time. opening from the chamber was a fine bath-room having a marble tub with perfumed water; so the boy, still dazed by the novelty of his surroundings, indulged in a good bath and then selected a maroon velvet costume with silver buttons to replace his own soiled and much worn clothing. there were silk stockings and soft leather slippers with diamond buckles to accompany his new costume, and when he was fully dressed zeb looked much more dignified and imposing than ever before in his life. he was all ready when an attendant came to escort him to the presence of the princess; he followed bashfully and was ushered into a room more dainty and attractive than it was splendid. here he found dorothy seated beside a young girl so marvelously beautiful that the boy stopped suddenly with a gasp of admiration. but dorothy sprang up and ran to seize her friend's hand, drawing him impulsively toward the lovely princess, who smiled most graciously upon her guest. then the wizard entered, and his presence relieved the boy's embarrassment. the little man was clothed in black velvet, with many sparkling emerald ornaments decorating his breast; but his bald head and wrinkled features made him appear more amusing than impressive. ozma had been quite curious to meet the famous man who had built the emerald city and united the munchkins, gillikins, quadlings and winkies into one people; so when they were all four seated at the dinner table the princess said: "please tell me, mr. wizard, whether you called yourself oz after this great country, or whether you believe my country is called oz after you. it is a matter that i have long wished to enquire about, because you are of a strange race and my own name is ozma. no one, i am sure, is better able to explain this mystery than you." "that is true," answered the little wizard; "therefore it will give me pleasure to explain my connection with your country. in the first place, i must tell you that i was born in omaha, and my father, who was a politician, named me oscar zoroaster phadrig isaac norman henkle emmannuel ambroise diggs, diggs being the last name because he could think of no more to go before it. taken altogether, it was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons i ever learned was to remember my own name. when i grew up i just called myself o. z., because the other initials were p-i-n-h-e-a-d; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection on my intelligence." "surely no one could blame you for cutting your name short," said ozma, sympathetically. "but didn't you cut it almost too short?" "perhaps so," replied the wizard. "when a young man i ran away from home and joined a circus. i used to call myself a wizard, and do tricks of ventriloquism." "what does that mean?" asked the princess. "throwing my voice into any object i pleased, to make it appear that the object was speaking instead of me. also i began to make balloon ascensions. on my balloon and on all the other articles i used in the circus i painted the two initials: 'o. z.', to show that those things belonged to me. "one day my balloon ran away with me and brought me across the deserts to this beautiful country. when the people saw me come from the sky they naturally thought me some superior creature, and bowed down before me. i told them i was a wizard, and showed them some easy tricks that amazed them; and when they saw the initials painted on the balloon they called me oz." "now i begin to understand," said the princess, smiling. "at that time," continued the wizard, busily eating his soup while talking, "there were four separate countries in this land, each one of the four being ruled by a witch. but the people thought my power was greater than that of the witches; and perhaps the witches thought so too, for they never dared oppose me. i ordered the emerald city to be built just where the four countries cornered together, and when it was completed i announced myself the ruler of the land of oz, which included all the four countries of the munchkins, the gillikins, the winkies and the quadlings. over this land i ruled in peace for many years, until i grew old and longed to see my native city once again. so when dorothy was first blown to this place by a cyclone i arranged to go away with her in a balloon; but the balloon escaped too soon and carried me back alone. after many adventures i reached omaha, only to find that all my old friends were dead or had moved away. so, having nothing else to do, i joined a circus again, and made my balloon ascensions until the earthquake caught me." "that is quite a history," said ozma; "but there is a little more history about the land of oz that you do not seem to understand--perhaps for the reason that no one ever told it you. many years before you came here this land was united under one ruler, as it is now, and the ruler's name was always 'oz', which means in our language 'great and good'; or, if the ruler happened to be a woman, her name was always 'ozma.' but once upon a time four witches leagued together to depose the king and rule the four parts of the kingdom themselves; so when the ruler, my grandfather, was hunting one day, one wicked witch named mombi stole him and carried him away, keeping him a close prisoner. then the witches divided up the kingdom, and ruled the four parts of it until you came here. that was why the people were so glad to see you, and why they thought from your initials that you were their rightful ruler." "but, at that time," said the wizard, thoughtfully, "there were two good witches and two wicked witches ruling in the land." "yes," replied ozma, "because a good witch had conquered mombi in the north and glinda the good had conquered the evil witch in the south. but mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my father's jailor. when i was born she transformed me into a boy, hoping that no one would ever recognize me and know that i was the rightful princess of the land of oz. but i escaped from her and am now the ruler of my people." "i am very glad of that," said the wizard, "and hope you will consider me one of your most faithful and devoted subjects." "we owe a great deal to the wonderful wizard," continued the princess, "for it was you who built this splendid emerald city." "your people built it," he answered. "i only bossed the job, as we say in omaha." "but you ruled it wisely and well for many years," said she, "and made the people proud of your magical art. so, as you are now too old to wander abroad and work in a circus, i offer you a home here as long as you live. you shall be the official wizard of my kingdom, and be treated with every respect and consideration." "i accept your kind offer with gratitude, gracious princess," the little man said, in a soft voice, and they could all see that tear-drops were standing in his keen old eyes. it meant a good deal to him to secure a home like this. "he's only a humbug wizard, though," said dorothy, smiling at him. "and that is the safest kind of a wizard to have," replied ozma, promptly. "oz can do some good tricks, humbug or no humbug," announced zeb, who was now feeling more at ease. "he shall amuse us with his tricks tomorrow," said the princess. "i have sent messengers to summon all of dorothy's old friends to meet her and give her welcome, and they ought to arrive very soon, now." indeed, the dinner was no sooner finished than in rushed the scarecrow, to hug dorothy in his padded arms and tell her how glad he was to see her again. the wizard was also most heartily welcomed by the straw man, who was an important personage in the land of oz. "how are your brains?" enquired the little humbug, as he grasped the soft, stuffed hands of his old friend. "working finely," answered the scarecrow. "i'm very certain, oz, that you gave me the best brains in the world, for i can think with them day and night, when all other brains are fast asleep." [illustration: dorothy and ozma.] "how long did you rule the emerald city, after i left here?" was the next question. "quite awhile, until i was conquered by a girl named general jinjur. but ozma soon conquered her, with the help of glinda the good, and after that i went to live with nick chopper, the tin woodman." just then a loud cackling was heard outside; and, when a servant threw open the door with a low bow, a yellow hen strutted in. dorothy sprang forward and caught the fluffy fowl in her arms, uttering at the same time a glad cry. "oh, billina!" she said; "how fat and sleek you've grown." "why shouldn't i?" asked the hen, in a sharp, clear voice. "i live on the fat of the land--don't i, ozma?" "you have everything you wish for," said the princess. around billina's neck was a string of beautiful pearls, and on her legs were bracelets of emeralds. she nestled herself comfortably in dorothy's lap until the kitten gave a snarl of jealous anger and leaped up with a sharp claw fiercely bared to strike billina a blow. but the little girl gave the angry kitten such a severe cuff that it jumped down again without daring to scratch. "how horrid of you, eureka!" cried dorothy. "is that the way to treat my friends?" "you have queer friends, seems to me," replied the kitten, in a surly tone. "seems to me the same way," said billina, scornfully, "if that beastly cat is one of them." "look here!" said dorothy, sternly. "i won't have any quarrelling in the land of oz, i can tell you! everybody lives in peace here, and loves everybody else; and unless you two, billina and eureka, make up and be friends, i'll take my magic belt and wish you both home again, _immejitly_. so, there!" they were both much frightened at the threat, and promised meekly to be good. but it was never noticed that they became very warm friends, for all of that. and now the tin woodman arrived, his body most beautifully nickle-plated, so that it shone splendidly in the brilliant light of the room. the tin woodman loved dorothy most tenderly, and welcomed with joy the return of the little old wizard. "sir," said he to the latter, "i never can thank you enough for the excellent heart you once gave me. it has made me many friends, i assure you, and it beats as kindly and lovingly today as it ever did." "i'm glad to hear that," said the wizard. "i was afraid it would get moldy in that tin body of yours." "not at all," returned nick chopper. "it keeps finely, being preserved in my air-tight chest." zeb was a little shy when first introduced to these queer people; but they were so friendly and sincere that he soon grew to admire them very much, even finding some good qualities in the yellow hen. but he became nervous again when the next visitor was announced. "this," said princess ozma, "is my friend mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e., who assisted me one time when i was in great distress, and is now the dean of the royal college of athletic science." "ah," said the wizard; "i'm pleased to meet so distinguished a personage." "h. m.," said the woggle-bug, pompously, "means highly magnified; and t. e. means thoroughly educated. i am, in reality, a very big bug, and doubtless the most intelligent being in all this broad domain." "how well you disguise it," said the wizard. "but i don't doubt your word in the least." "nobody doubts it, sir," replied the woggle-bug, and drawing a book from its pocket the strange insect turned its back on the company and sat down in a corner to read. nobody minded this rudeness, which might have seemed more impolite in one less thoroughly educated; so they straightway forgot him and joined in a merry conversation that kept them well amused until bed-time arrived. [illustration] chapter . jim, the cab-horse jim the cab-horse found himself in possession of a large room with a green marble floor and carved marble wainscoting, which was so stately in its appearance that it would have awed anyone else. jim accepted it as a mere detail, and at his command the attendants gave his coat a good rubbing, combed his mane and tail, and washed his hoofs and fetlocks. then they told him dinner would be served directly and he replied that they could not serve it too quickly to suit his convenience. first they brought him a steaming bowl of soup, which the horse eyed in dismay. "take that stuff away!" he commanded. "do you take me for a salamander?" they obeyed at once, and next served a fine large turbot on a silver platter, with drawn gravey poured over it. "fish!" cried jim, with a sniff. "do you take me for a tom-cat? away with it!" the servants were a little discouraged, but soon they brought in a great tray containing two dozen nicely roasted quail on toast. "well, well!" said the horse, now thoroughly provoked. "do you take me for a weasel? how stupid and ignorant you are, in the land of oz, and what dreadful things you feed upon! is there nothing that is decent to eat in this palace?" the trembling servants sent for the royal steward, who came in haste and said: "what would your highness like for dinner?" "highness!" repeated jim, who was unused to such titles. "you are at least six feet high, and that is higher than any other animal in this country," said the steward. "well, my highness would like some oats," declared the horse. "oats? we have no whole oats," the steward replied, with much defference. "but there is any quantity of oatmeal, which we often cook for breakfast. oatmeal is a breakfast dish," added the steward, humbly. "i'll make it a dinner dish," said jim. "fetch it on, but don't cook it, as you value your life." you see, the respect shown the worn-out old cab-horse made him a little arrogant, and he forgot he was a guest, never having been treated otherwise than as a servant since the day he was born, until his arrival in the land of oz. but the royal attendants did not heed the animal's ill temper. they soon mixed a tub of oatmeal with a little water, and jim ate it with much relish. then the servants heaped a lot of rugs upon the floor and the old horse slept on the softest bed he had ever known in his life. in the morning, as soon as it was daylight, he resolved to take a walk and try to find some grass for breakfast; so he ambled calmly through the handsome arch of the doorway, turned the corner of the palace, wherein all seemed asleep, and came face to face with the sawhorse. jim stopped abruptly, being startled and amazed. the sawhorse stopped at the same time and stared at the other with its queer protruding eyes, which were mere knots in the log that formed its body. the legs of the sawhorse were four sticks driven into holes bored in the log; its tail was a small branch that had been left by accident and its mouth a place chopped in one end of the body which projected a little and served as a head. the ends of the wooden legs were shod with plates of solid gold, and the saddle of the princess ozma, which was of red leather set with sparkling diamonds, was strapped to the clumsy body. [illustration: "for goodness sake, what sort of a being are you?"] jim's eyes stuck out as much as those of the sawhorse, and he stared at the creature with his ears erect and his long head drawn back until it rested against his arched neck. in this comical position the two horses circled slowly around each other for a while, each being unable to realize what the singular thing might be which it now beheld for the first time. then jim exclaimed: "for goodness sake, what sort of a being are you?" "i'm a sawhorse," replied the other. "oh; i believe i've heard of you," said the cab-horse; "but you are unlike anything that i expected to see." "i do not doubt it," the sawhorse observed, with a tone of pride. "i am considered quite unusual." "you are, indeed. but a rickety wooden thing like you has no right to be alive." "i couldn't help it," returned the other, rather crestfallen. "ozma sprinkled me with a magic powder, and i just had to live. i know i'm not much account; but i'm the only horse in all the land of oz, so they treat me with great respect." "you, a horse!" "oh, not a real one, of course. there are no real horses here at all. but i'm a splendid imitation of one." jim gave an indignant neigh. "look at me!" he cried. "behold a real horse!" the wooden animal gave a start, and then examined the other intently. "is it possible that you are a real horse?" he murmured. "not only possible, but true," replied jim, who was gratified by the impression he had created. "it is proved by my fine points. for example, look at the long hairs on my tail, with which i can whisk away the flies." "the flies never trouble me," said the saw-horse. "and notice my great strong teeth, with which i nibble the grass." "it is not necessary for me to eat," observed the saw-horse. "also examine my broad chest, which enables me to draw deep, full breaths," said jim, proudly. "i have no need to breathe," returned the other. "no; you miss many pleasures," remarked the cab-horse, pityingly. "you do not know the relief of brushing away a fly that has bitten you, nor the delight of eating delicious food, nor the satisfaction of drawing a long breath of fresh, pure air. you may be an imitation of a horse, but you're a mighty poor one." "oh, i cannot hope ever to be like you," sighed the sawhorse. "but i am glad to meet at last a real horse. you are certainly the most beautiful creature i ever beheld." this praise won jim completely. to be called beautiful was a novelty in his experience. said he: "your chief fault, my friend, is in being made of wood, and that i suppose you cannot help. real horses, like myself, are made of flesh and blood and bones." "i can see the bones all right," replied the sawhorse, "and they are admirable and distinct. also i can see the flesh. but the blood, i suppose, is tucked away inside." "exactly," said jim. "what good is it?" asked the sawhorse. jim did not know, but he would not tell the sawhorse that. "if anything cuts me," he replied, "the blood runs out to show where i am cut. you, poor thing! cannot even bleed when you are hurt." "but i am never hurt," said the sawhorse. "once in a while i get broken up some, but i am easily repaired and put in good order again. and i never feel a break or a splinter in the least." jim was almost tempted to envy the wooden horse for being unable to feel pain; but the creature was so absurdly unnatural that he decided he would not change places with it under any circumstances. "how did you happen to be shod with gold?" he asked. "princess ozma did that," was the reply; "and it saves my legs from wearing out. we've had a good many adventures together, ozma and i, and she likes me." the cab-horse was about to reply when suddenly he gave a start and a neigh of terror and stood trembling like a leaf. for around the corner had come two enormous savage beasts, treading so lightly that they were upon him before he was aware of their presence. jim was in the act of plunging down the path to escape when the sawhorse cried out: "stop, my brother! stop, real horse! these are friends, and will do you no harm." jim hesitated, eyeing the beasts fearfully. one was an enormous lion with clear, intelligent eyes, a tawney mane bushy and well kept, and a body like yellow plush. the other was a great tiger with purple stripes around his lithe body, powerful limbs, and eyes that showed through the half closed lids like coals of fire. the huge forms of these monarchs of the forest and jungle were enough to strike terror to the stoutest heart, and it is no wonder jim was afraid to face them. but the sawhorse introduced the stranger in a calm tone, saying, "this, noble horse, is my friend the cowardly lion, who is the valiant king of the forest, but at the same time a faithful vassal of princess ozma. and this is the hungry tiger, the terror of the jungle, who longs to devour fat babies but is prevented by his conscience from doing so. these royal beasts are both warm friends of little dorothy and have come to the emerald city this morning to welcome her to our fairyland." hearing these words jim resolved to conquer his alarm. he bowed his head with as much dignity as he could muster toward the savage looking beasts, who in return nodded in a friendly way. "is not the real horse a beautiful animal?" asked the sawhorse admiringly. "that is doubtless a matter of taste," returned the lion. "in the forest he would be thought ungainly, because his face is stretched out and his neck is uselessly long. his joints, i notice, are swollen and overgrown, and he lacks flesh and is old in years." "and dreadfully tough," added the hungry tiger, in a sad voice. "my conscience would never permit me to eat so tough a morsel as the real horse." "i'm glad of that," said jim; "for i, also, have a conscience, and it tells me not to crush in your skull with a blow of my powerful hoof." if he thought to frighten the striped beast by such language he was mistaken. the tiger seemed to smile, and winked one eye slowly. "you have a good conscience, friend horse," it said, "and if you attend to its teachings it will do much to protect you from harm. some day i will let you try to crush in my skull, and afterward you will know more about tigers than you do now." "any friend of dorothy," remarked the cowardly lion, "must be our friend, as well. so let us cease this talk of skull crushing and converse upon more pleasant subjects. have you breakfasted, sir horse?" "not yet," replied jim. "but here is plenty of excellent clover, so if you will excuse me i will eat now." "he's a vegetarian," remarked the tiger, as the horse began to munch the clover. "if i could eat grass i would not need a conscience, for nothing could then tempt me to devour babies and lambs." just then dorothy, who had risen early and heard the voices of the animals, ran out to greet her old friends. she hugged both the lion and the tiger with eager delight, but seemed to love the king of beasts a little better than she did his hungry friend, having known him longer. by the time they had indulged in a good talk and dorothy had told them all about the awful earthquake and her recent adventures, the breakfast bell rang from the palace and the little girl went inside to join her human comrades. as she entered the great hall a voice called out, in a rather harsh tone: "what! are _you_ here again?" "yes, i am," she answered, looking all around to see where the voice came from. "what brought you back?" was the next question, and dorothy's eye rested on an antlered head hanging on the wall just over the fireplace, and caught its lips in the act of moving. "good gracious!" she exclaimed. "i thought you were stuffed." "so i am," replied the head. "but once on a time i was part of the gump, which ozma sprinkled with the powder of life. i was then for a time the head of the finest flying machine that was ever known to exist, and we did many wonderful things. afterward the gump was taken apart and i was put back on this wall; but i can still talk when i feel in the mood, which is not often." "it's very strange," said the girl. "what were you when you were first alive?" "that i have forgotten," replied the gump's head, "and i do not think it is of much importance. but here comes ozma; so i'd better hush up, for the princess doesn't like me to chatter since she changed her name from tip to ozma." just then the girlish ruler of oz opened the door and greeted dorothy with a good-morning kiss. the little princess seemed fresh and rosy and in good spirits. "breakfast is served, dear," she said, "and i am hungry. so don't let us keep it waiting a single minute." [illustration] [illustration: jim stood trembling like a leaf.] chapter . the nine tiny piglets after breakfast ozma announced that she had ordered a holiday to be observed throughout the emerald city, in honor of her visitors. the people had learned that their old wizard had returned to them and all were anxious to see him again, for he had always been a rare favorite. so first there was to be a grand procession through the streets, after which the little old man was requested to perform some of his wizardries in the great throne room of the palace. in the afternoon there were to be games and races. the procession was very imposing. first came the imperial cornet band of oz, dressed in emerald velvet uniforms with slashes of pea-green satin and buttons of immense cut emeralds. they played the national air called "the oz spangled banner," and behind them were the standard bearers with the royal flag. this flag was divided into four quarters, one being colored sky-blue, another pink, a third lavender and a fourth white. in the center was a large emerald-green star, and all over the four quarters were sewn spangles that glittered beautifully in the sunshine. the colors represented the four countries of oz, and the green star the emerald city. just behind the royal standard-bearers came the princess ozma in her royal chariot, which was of gold encrusted with emeralds and diamonds set in exquisite designs. the chariot was drawn on this occasion by the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, who were decorated with immense pink and blue bows. in the chariot rode ozma and dorothy, the former in splendid raiment and wearing her royal coronet, while the little kansas girl wore around her waist the magic belt she had once captured from the nome king. following the chariot came the scarecrow mounted on the sawhorse, and the people cheered him almost as loudly as they did their lovely ruler. behind him stalked with regular, jerky steps, the famous machine-man called tik-tok, who had been wound up by dorothy for the occasion. tik-tok moved by clockwork, and was made all of burnished copper. he really belonged to the kansas girl, who had much respect for his thoughts after they had been properly wound and set going; but as the copper man would be useless in any place but a fairy country dorothy had left him in charge of ozma, who saw that he was suitably cared for. there followed another band after this, which was called the royal court band, because the members all lived in the palace. they wore white uniforms with real diamond buttons and played "what is oz without ozma" very sweetly. then came professor woggle-bug, with a group of students from the royal college of scientific athletics. the boys wore long hair and striped sweaters and yelled their college yell every other step they took, to the great satisfaction of the populace, which was glad to have this evidence that their lungs were in good condition. the brilliantly polished tin woodman marched next, at the head of the royal army of oz which consisted of twenty-eight officers, from generals down to captains. there were no privates in the army because all were so courageous and skillful that they had been promoted one by one until there were no privates left. jim and the buggy followed, the old cab-horse being driven by zeb while the wizard stood up on the seat and bowed his bald head right and left in answer to the cheers of the people, who crowded thick about him. taken altogether the procession was a grand success, and when it had returned to the palace the citizens crowded into the great throne room to see the wizard perform his tricks. the first thing the little humbug did was to produce a tiny white piglet from underneath his hat and pretend to pull it apart, making two. this act he repeated until all of the nine tiny piglets were visible, and they were so glad to get out of his pocket that they ran around in a very lively manner. the pretty little creatures would have been a novelty anywhere, so the people were as amazed and delighted at their appearance as even the wizard could have desired. when he had made them all disappear again ozma declared she was sorry they were gone, for she wanted one of them to pet and play with. so the wizard pretended to take one of the piglets out of the hair of the princess (while really he slyly took it from his inside pocket) and ozma smiled joyously as the creature nestled in her arms, and she promised to have an emerald collar made for its fat neck and to keep the little squealer always at hand to amuse her. afterward it was noticed that the wizard always performed his famous trick with eight piglets, but it seemed to please the people just as well as if there had been nine of them. in his little room back of the throne room the wizard had found a lot of things he had left behind him when he went away in the balloon, for no one had occupied the apartment in his absence. there was enough material there to enable him to prepare several new tricks which he had learned from some of the jugglers in the circus, and he had passed part of the night in getting them ready. so he followed the trick of the nine tiny piglets with several other wonderful feats that greatly delighted his audience and the people did not seem to care a bit whether the little man was a humbug wizard or not, so long as he succeeded in amusing them. they applauded all his tricks and at the end of the performance begged him earnestly not to go away again and leave them. "in that case," said the little man, gravely, "i will cancel all of my engagements before the crowned heads of europe and america and devote myself to the people of oz, for i love you all so well that i can deny you nothing." after the people had been dismissed with this promise our friends joined princess ozma at an elaborate luncheon in the palace, where even the tiger and the lion were sumptuously fed and jim the cab-horse ate his oatmeal out of a golden bowl with seven rows of rubies, sapphires and diamonds set around the rim of it. in the afternoon they all went to a great field outside the city gates where the games were to be held. there was a beautiful canopy for ozma and her guests to sit under and watch the people run races and jump and wrestle. you may be sure the folks of oz did their best with such a distinguished company watching them, and finally zeb offered to wrestle with a little munchkin who seemed to be the champion. in appearance he was twice as old as zeb, for he had long pointed whiskers and wore a peaked hat with little bells all around the brim of it, which tinkled gaily as he moved. but although the munchkin was hardly tall enough to come to zeb's shoulder he was so strong and clever that he laid the boy three times on his back with apparent ease. zeb was greatly astonished at his defeat, and when the pretty princess joined her people in laughing at him he proposed a boxing-match with the munchkin, to which the little ozite readily agreed. but the first time that zeb managed to give him a sharp box on the ears the munchkin sat down upon the ground and cried until the tears ran down his whiskers, because he had been hurt. this made zeb laugh, in turn, and the boy felt comforted to find that ozma laughed as merrily at her weeping subject as she had at him. just then the scarecrow proposed a race between the sawhorse and the cab-horse; and although all the others were delighted at the suggestion the sawhorse drew back, saying: "such a race would not be fair." "of course not," added jim, with a touch of scorn; "those little wooden legs of yours are not half as long as my own." "it isn't that," said the sawhorse, modestly; "but i never tire, and you do." "bah!" cried jim, looking with great disdain at the other; "do you imagine for an instant that such a shabby imitation of a horse as you are can run as fast as i?" "i don't know, i'm sure," replied the sawhorse. "that is what we are trying to find out," remarked the scarecrow. "the object of a race is to see who can win it--or at least that is what my excellent brains think." "once, when i was young," said jim, "i was a race horse, and defeated all who dared run against me. i was born in kentucky, you know, where all the best and most aristocratic horses come from." "but you're old, now, jim," suggested zeb. "old! why, i feel like a colt today," replied jim. "i only wish there was a real horse here for me to race with. i'd show the people a fine sight, i can tell you." "then why not race with the sawhorse?" enquired the scarecrow. "he's afraid," said jim. "oh, no," answered the sawhorse. "i merely said it wasn't fair. but if my friend the real horse is willing to undertake the race i am quite ready." so they unharnessed jim and took the saddle off the sawhorse, and the two queerly matched animals were stood side by side for the start. "when i say 'go!'" zeb called to them, "you must dig out and race until you reach those three trees you see over yonder. then circle 'round them and come back again. the first one that passes the place where the princess sits shall be named the winner. are you ready?" "i suppose i ought to give the wooden dummy a good start of me," growled jim. "never mind that," said the sawhorse. "i'll do the best i can." "go!" cried zeb; and at the word the two horses leaped forward and the race was begun. [illustration: the wizard took a piglet from ozma's hair.] jim's big hoofs pounded away at a great rate, and although he did not look very graceful he ran in a way to do credit to his kentucky breeding. but the sawhorse was swifter than the wind. its wooden legs moved so fast that their twinkling could scarcely be seen, and although so much smaller than the cab-horse it covered the ground much faster. before they had reached the trees the sawhorse was far ahead, and the wooden animal returned to the starting place and was being lustily cheered by the ozites before jim came panting up to the canopy where the princess and her friends were seated. [illustration: the hungry tiger teaches jim a lesson.] i am sorry to record the fact that jim was not only ashamed of his defeat but for a moment lost control of his temper. as he looked at the comical face of the sawhorse he imagined that the creature was laughing at him; so in a fit of unreasonable anger he turned around and made a vicious kick that sent his rival tumbling head over heels upon the ground, and broke off one of its legs and its left ear. an instant later the tiger crouched and launched its huge body through the air swift and resistless as a ball from a cannon. the beast struck jim full on his shoulder and sent the astonished cab-horse rolling over and over, amid shouts of delight from the spectators, who had been horrified by the ungracious act he had been guilty of. when jim came to himself and sat upon his haunches he found the cowardly lion crouched on one side of him and the hungry tiger on the other, and their eyes were glowing like balls of fire. "i beg your pardon, i'm sure," said jim, meekly. "i was wrong to kick the sawhorse, and i am sorry i became angry at him. he has won the race, and won it fairly; but what can a horse of flesh do against a tireless beast of wood?" hearing this apology the tiger and the lion stopped lashing their tails and retreated with dignified steps to the side of the princess. "no one must injure one of our friends in our presence," growled the lion; and zeb ran to jim and whispered that unless he controlled his temper in the future he would probably be torn to pieces. then the tin woodman cut a straight and strong limb from a tree with his gleaming axe and made a new leg and a new ear for the sawhorse; and when they had been securely fastened in place princess ozma took the coronet from her own head and placed it upon that of the winner of the race. said she: "my friend, i reward you for your swiftness by proclaiming you prince of horses, whether of wood or of flesh; and hereafter all other horses--in the land of oz, at least--must be considered imitations, and you the real champion of your race." there was more applause at this, and then ozma had the jewelled saddle replaced upon the sawhorse and herself rode the victor back to the city at the head of the grand procession. "i ought to be a fairy," grumbled jim, as he slowly drew the buggy home; "for to be just an ordinary horse in a fairy country is to be of no account whatever. it's no place for us, zeb." "it's lucky we got here, though," said the boy; and jim thought of the dark cave, and agreed with him. [illustration] chapter . the trial of eureka the kitten several days of festivity and merry-making followed, for such old friends did not often meet and there was much to be told and talked over between them, and many amusements to be enjoyed in this delightful country. ozma was happy to have dorothy beside her, for girls of her own age with whom it was proper for the princess to associate were very few, and often the youthful ruler of oz was lonely for lack of companionship. it was the third morning after dorothy's arrival, and she was sitting with ozma and their friends in a reception room, talking over old times, when the princess said to her maid: "please go to my boudoir, jellia, and get the white piglet i left on the dressing-table. i want to play with it." jellia at once departed on the errand, and she was gone so long that they had almost forgotten her mission when the green robed maiden returned with a troubled face. "the piglet is not there, your highness," said she. "not there!" exclaimed ozma. "are you sure?" "i have hunted in every part of the room," the maid replied. "was not the door closed?" asked the princess. "yes, your highness; i am sure it was; for when i opened it dorothy's white kitten crept out and ran up the stairs." hearing this, dorothy and the wizard exchanged startled glances, for they remembered how often eureka had longed to eat a piglet. the little girl jumped up at once. "come, ozma," she said, anxiously; "let us go ourselves to search for the piglet." so the two went to the dressing-room of the princess and searched carefully in every corner and among the vases and baskets and ornaments that stood about the pretty boudoir. but not a trace could they find of the tiny creature they sought. dorothy was nearly weeping, by this time, while ozma was angry and indignant. when they returned to the others the princess said: "there is little doubt that my pretty piglet has been eaten by that horrid kitten, and if that is true the offender must be punished." "i don't b'lieve eureka would do such a dreadful thing!" cried dorothy, much distressed. "go and get my kitten, please, jellia, and we'll hear what she has to say about it." the green maiden hastened away, but presently returned and said: "the kitten will not come. she threatened to scratch my eyes out if i touched her." "where is she?" asked dorothy. "under the bed in your own room," was the reply. so dorothy ran to her room and found the kitten under the bed. "come here, eureka!" she said. "i won't," answered the kitten, in a surly voice. "oh, eureka! why are you so bad?" the kitten did not reply. "if you don't come to me, right away," continued dorothy, getting provoked, "i'll take my magic belt and wish you in the country of the gurgles." "why do you want me?" asked eureka, disturbed by this threat. "you must go to princess ozma. she wants to talk to you." "all right," returned the kitten, creeping out. "i'm not afraid of ozma--or anyone else." dorothy carried her in her arms back to where the others sat in grieved and thoughtful silence. "tell me, eureka," said the princess, gently: "did you eat my pretty piglet?" "i won't answer such a foolish question," asserted eureka, with a snarl. "oh, yes you will, dear," dorothy declared. "the piglet is gone, and you ran out of the room when jellia opened the door. so, if you are innocent, eureka, you must tell the princess how you came to be in her room, and what has become of the piglet." "who accuses me?" asked the kitten, defiantly. "no one," answered ozma. "your actions alone accuse you. the fact is that i left my little pet in my dressing-room lying asleep upon the table; and you must hove stolen in without my knowing it. when next the door was opened you ran out and hid yourself--and the piglet was gone." "that's none of my business," growled the kitten. "don't be impudent, eureka," admonished dorothy. "it is you who are impudent," said eureka, "for accusing me of such a crime when you can't prove it except by guessing." ozma was now greatly incensed by the kitten's conduct. she summoned her captain-general, and when the long, lean officer appeared she said: "carry this cat away to prison, and keep her in safe confinement until she is tried by law for the crime of murder." so the captain-general took eureka from the arms of the now weeping dorothy and in spite of the kitten's snarls and scratches carried it away to prison. "what shall we do now?" asked the scarecrow, with a sigh, for such a crime had cast a gloom over all the company. "i will summon the court to meet in the throne room at three o'clock," replied ozma. "i myself will be the judge, and the kitten shall have a fair trial." "what will happen if she is guilty?" asked dorothy. "she must die," answered the princess. "nine times?" enquired the scarecrow. "as many times as is necessary," was the reply. "i will ask the tin woodman to defend the prisoner, because he has such a kind heart i am sure he will do his best to save her. and the woggle-bug shall be the public accuser, because he is so learned that no one can deceive him." "who will be the jury?" asked the tin woodman. [illustration: portrait of the wizard of oz.] "there ought to be several animals on the jury," said ozma, "because animals understand each other better than we people understand them. so the jury shall consist of the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, jim the cab-horse, the yellow hen, the scarecrow, the wizard, tik-tok the machine man, the sawhorse and zeb of hugson's ranch. that makes the nine which the law requires, and all my people shall be admitted to hear the testimony." they now separated to prepare for the sad ceremony; for whenever an appeal is made to law sorrow is almost certain to follow--even in a fairyland like oz. but it must be stated that the people of that land were generally so well-behaved that there was not a single lawyer amongst them, and it had been years since any ruler had sat in judgment upon an offender of the law. the crime of murder being the most dreadful crime of all, tremendous excitement prevailed in the emerald city when the news of eureka's arrest and trial became known. the wizard, when he returned to his own room, was exceedingly thoughtful. he had no doubt eureka had eaten his piglet, but he realized that a kitten cannot be depended upon at all times to act properly, since its nature is to destroy small animals and even birds for food, and the tame cat that we keep in our houses today is descended from the wild cat of the jungle--a very ferocious creature, indeed. the wizard knew that if dorothy's pet was found guilty and condemned to death the little girl would be made very unhappy; so, although he grieved over the piglet's sad fate as much as any of them, he resolved to save eureka's life. sending for the tin woodman the wizard took him into a corner and whispered: "my friend, it is your duty to defend the white kitten and try to save her, but i fear you will fail because eureka has long wished to eat a piglet, to my certain knowledge, and my opinion is that she has been unable to resist the temptation. yet her disgrace and death would not bring back the piglet, but only serve to make dorothy unhappy. so i intend to prove the kitten's innocence by a trick." he drew from his inside pocket one of the eight tiny piglets that were remaining and continued: "this creature you must hide in some safe place, and if the jury decides that eureka is guilty you may then produce this piglet and claim it is the one that was lost. all the piglets are exactly alike, so no one can dispute your word. this deception will save eureka's life, and then we may all be happy again." "i do not like to deceive my friends," replied the tin woodman; "still, my kind heart urges me to save eureka's life, and i can usually trust my heart to do the right thing. so i will do as you say, friend wizard." after some thought he placed the little pig inside his funnel-shaped hat, and then put the hat upon his head and went back to his room to think over his speech to the jury. chapter . the wizard performs another trick at three o'clock the throne room was crowded with citizens, men, women and children being eager to witness the great trial. princess ozma, dressed in her most splendid robes of state, sat in the magnificent emerald throne, with her jewelled sceptre in her hand and her sparkling coronet upon her fair brow. behind her throne stood the twenty-eight officers of her army and many officials of the royal household. at her right sat the queerly assorted jury--animals, animated dummies and people--all gravely prepared to listen to what was said. the kitten had been placed in a large cage just before the throne, where she sat upon her haunches and gazed through the bars at the crowds around her, with seeming unconcern. and now, at a signal from ozma, the woggle-bug arose and addressed the jury. his tone was pompous and he strutted up and down in an absurd attempt to appear dignified. "your royal highness and fellow citizens," he began; "the small cat you see a prisoner before you is accused of the crime of first murdering and then eating our esteemed ruler's fat piglet--or else first eating and then murdering it. in either case a grave crime has been committed which deserves a grave punishment." "do you mean my kitten must be put in a grave?" asked dorothy. "don't interrupt, little girl," said the woggle-bug. "when i get my thoughts arranged in good order i do not like to have anything upset them or throw them into confusion." "if your thoughts were any good they wouldn't become confused," remarked the scarecrow, earnestly. "my thoughts are always----" "is this a trial of thoughts, or of kittens?" demanded the woggle-bug. "it's a trial of one kitten," replied the scarecrow; "but your manner is a trial to us all." "let the public accuser continue," called ozma from her throne, "and i pray you do not interrupt him." "the criminal who now sits before the court licking her paws," resumed the woggle-bug, "has long desired to unlawfully eat the fat piglet, which was no bigger than a mouse. and finally she made a wicked plan to satisfy her depraved appetite for pork. i can see her, in my mind's eye----" "what's that?" asked the scarecrow. "i say i can see her in my mind's eye----" "the mind has no eye," declared the scarecrow. "it's blind." "your highness," cried the woggle-bug, appealing to ozma, "have i a mind's eye, or haven't i?" "if you have, it is invisible," said the princess. "very true," returned the woggle-bug, bowing. "i say i see the criminal, in my mind's eye, creeping stealthily into the room of our ozma and secreting herself, when no one was looking, until the princess had gone away and the door was closed. then the murderer was alone with her helpless victim, the fat piglet, and i see her pounce upon the innocent creature and eat it up----" "are you still seeing with your mind's eye?" enquired the scarecrow. "of course; how else could i see it? and we know the thing is true, because since the time of that interview there is no piglet to be found anywhere." [illustration: eureka in court.] "i suppose, if the cat had been gone, instead of the piglet, your mind's eye would see the piglet eating the cat," suggested the scarecrow. "very likely," acknowledged the woggle-bug. "and now, fellow citizens and creatures of the jury, i assert that so awful a crime deserves death, and in the case of the ferocious criminal before you--who is now washing her face--the death penalty should be inflicted nine times." there was great applause when the speaker sat down. then the princess spoke in a stern voice: "prisoner, what have you to say for yourself? are you guilty, or not guilty?" "why, that's for you to find out," replied eureka. "if you can prove i'm guilty, i'll be willing to die nine times, but a mind's eye is no proof, because the woggle-bug has no mind to see with." "never mind, dear," said dorothy. then the tin woodman arose and said: "respected jury and dearly beloved ozma, i pray you not to judge this feline prisoner unfeelingly. i do not think the innocent kitten can be guilty, and surely it is unkind to accuse a luncheon of being a murder. eureka is the sweet pet of a lovely little girl whom we all admire, and gentleness and innocence are her chief virtues. look at the kitten's intelligent eyes;" (here eureka closed her eyes sleepily) "gaze at her smiling countenance!" (here eureka snarled and showed her teeth) "mark the tender pose of her soft, padded little hands!" (here eureka bared her sharp claws and scratched at the bars of the cage.) "would such a gentle animal be guilty of eating a fellow creature? no; a thousand times, no!" "oh, cut it short," said eureka; "you've talked long enough." "i'm trying to defend you," remonstrated the tin woodman. "then say something sensible," retorted the kitten. "tell them it would be foolish for me to eat the piglet, because i had sense enough to know it would raise a row if i did. but don't try to make out i'm too innocent to eat a fat piglet if i could do it and not be found out. i imagine it would taste mighty good." "perhaps it would, to those who eat," remarked the tin woodman. "i myself, not being built to eat, have no personal experience in such matters. but i remember that our great poet once said: "'to eat is sweet when hunger's seat demands a treat of savory meat.' "take this into consideration, friends of the jury, and you will readily decide that the kitten is wrongfully accused and should be set at liberty." when the tin woodman sat down no one applauded him, for his arguments had not been very convincing and few believed that he had proved eureka's innocence. as for the jury, the members whispered to each other for a few minutes and then they appointed the hungry tiger their spokesman. the huge beast slowly arose and said: "kittens have no consciences, so they eat whatever pleases them. the jury believes the white kitten known as eureka is guilty of having eaten the piglet owned by princess ozma, and recommends that she be put to death in punishment of the crime." the judgment of the jury was received with great applause, although dorothy was sobbing miserably at the fate of her pet. the princess was just about to order eureka's head chopped off with the tin woodman's axe when that brilliant personage once more arose and addressed her. "your highness," said he, "see how easy it is for a jury to be mistaken. the kitten could not have eaten your piglet--for here it is!" he took off his funnel hat and from beneath it produced a tiny white piglet, which he held aloft that all might see it clearly. ozma was delighted and exclaimed, eagerly: "give me my pet, nick chopper!" and all the people cheered and clapped their hands, rejoicing that the prisoner had escaped death and been proved to be innocent. as the princess held the white piglet in her arms and stroked its soft hair she said: "let eureka out of the cage, for she is no longer a prisoner, but our good friend. where did you find my missing pet, nick chopper?" "in a room of the palace," he answered. "justice," remarked the scarecrow, with a sigh, "is a dangerous thing to meddle with. if you hadn't happened to find the piglet, eureka would surely have been executed." "but justice prevailed at the last," said ozma, "for here is my pet, and eureka is once more free." "i refuse to be free," cried the kitten, in a sharp voice, "unless the wizard can do his trick with eight piglets. if he can produce but seven, then this it not the piglet that was lost, but another one." "hush, eureka!" warned the wizard. "don't be foolish," advised the tin woodman, "or you may be sorry for it." "the piglet that belonged to the princess wore an emerald collar," said eureka, loudly enough for all to hear. "so it did!" exclaimed ozma. "this cannot be the one the wizard gave me." "of course not; he had nine of them, altogether," declared eureka; "and i must say it was very stingy of him not to let me eat just a few. but now that this foolish trial is ended, i will tell you what really became of your pet piglet." at this everyone in the throne room suddenly became quiet, and the kitten continued, in a calm, mocking tone of voice: "i will confess that i intended to eat the little pig for my breakfast; so i crept into the room where it was kept while the princess was dressing and hid myself under a chair. when ozma went away she closed the door and left her pet on the table. at once i jumped up and told the piglet not to make a fuss, for he would be inside of me in half a second; but no one can teach one of these creatures to be reasonable. instead of keeping still, so i could eat him comfortably, he trembled so with fear that he fell off the table into a big vase that was standing on the floor. the vase had a very small neck, and spread out at the top like a bowl. at first the piglet stuck in the neck of the vase and i thought i should get him, after all, but he wriggled himself through and fell down into the deep bottom part--and i suppose he's there yet." all were astonished at this confession, and ozma at once sent an officer to her room to fetch the vase. when he returned the princess looked down the narrow neck of the big ornament and discovered her lost piglet, just as eureka had said she would. there was no way to get the creature out without breaking the vase, so the tin woodman smashed it with his axe and set the little prisoner free. then the crowd cheered lustily and dorothy hugged the kitten in her arms and told her how delighted she was to know that she was innocent. "but why didn't you tell us at first?" she asked. "it would have spoiled the fun," replied the kitten, yawning. ozma gave the wizard back the piglet he had so kindly allowed nick chopper to substitute for the lost one, and then she carried her own into the apartments of the palace where she lived. and now, the trial being over, the good citizens of the emerald city scattered to their homes, well content with the day's amusement. chapter . zeb returns to the ranch eureka was much surprised to find herself in disgrace; but she was, in spite of the fact that she had not eaten the piglet. for the folks of oz knew the kitten had tried to commit the crime, and that only an accident had prevented her from doing so; therefore even the hungry tiger preferred not to associate with her. eureka was forbidden to wander around the palace and was made to stay in confinement in dorothy's room; so she began to beg her mistress to send her to some other place where she could enjoy herself better. dorothy was herself anxious to get home, so she promised eureka they would not stay in the land of oz much longer. the next evening after the trial the little girl begged ozma to allow her to look in the enchanted picture, and the princess readily consented. she took the child to her room and said: "make your wish, dear, and the picture will show the scene you desire to behold." then dorothy found, with the aid of the enchanted picture, that uncle henry had returned to the farm in kansas, and she also saw that both he and aunt em were dressed in mourning, because they thought their little niece had been killed by the earthquake. "really," said the girl, anxiously, "i must get back as soon as poss'ble to my own folks." zeb also wanted to see his home, and although he did not find anyone mourning for him, the sight of hugson's ranch in the picture made him long to get back there. "this is a fine country, and i like all the people that live in it," he told dorothy. "but the fact is, jim and i don't seem to fit into a fairyland, and the old horse has been begging me to go home again ever since he lost the race. so, if you can find a way to fix it, we'll be much obliged to you." "ozma can do it, easily," replied dorothy. "tomorrow morning i'll go to kansas and you can go to californy." [illustration: "i'm much obliged for all your kindness."] that last evening was so delightful that the boy will never forget it as long as he lives. they were all together (except eureka) in the pretty rooms of the princess, and the wizard did some new tricks, and the scarecrow told stories, and the tin woodman sang a love song in a sonorous, metallic voice, and everybody laughed and had a good time. then dorothy wound up tik-tok and he danced a jig to amuse the company, after which the yellow hen related some of her adventures with the nome king in the land of ev. the princess served delicious refreshments to those who were in the habit of eating, and when dorothy's bed time arrived the company separated after exchanging many friendly sentiments. next morning they all assembled for the final parting, and many of the officials and courtiers came to look upon the impressive ceremonies. dorothy held eureka in her arms and bade her friends a fond good-bye. "you must come again, some time," said the little wizard; and she promised she would if she found it possible to do so. "but uncle henry and aunt em need me to help them," she added, "so i can't ever be very long away from the farm in kansas." ozma wore the magic belt; and, when she had kissed dorothy farewell and had made her wish, the little girl and her kitten disappeared in a twinkling. "where is she?" asked zeb, rather bewildered by the suddenness of it. "greeting her uncle and aunt in kansas, by this time," returned ozma, with a smile. then zeb brought out jim, all harnessed to the buggy, and took his seat. "i'm much obliged for all your kindness," said the boy, "and very grateful to you for saving my life and sending me home again after all the good times i've had. i think this is the loveliest country in the world; but not being fairies jim and i feel we ought to be where we belong--and that's at the ranch. good-bye, everybody!" he gave a start and rubbed his eyes. jim was trotting along the well-known road, shaking his ears and whisking his tail with a contented motion. just ahead of them were the gates of hugson's ranch, and uncle hugson now came out and stood with uplifted arms and wide open mouth, staring in amazement. "goodness gracious! it's zeb--and jim, too!" he exclaimed. "where in the world have you been, my lad?" "why, in the world, uncle," answered zeb, with a laugh. the end [illustration] the royal book of oz in which the scarecrow goes to search for his family tree and discovers that he is the long lost emperor of the silver island, and how he was rescued and brought back to oz by dorothy and the cowardly lion by l. frank baum enlarged and edited by ruth plumly thompson illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago _printed in the united states of america_ copyright, by the reilly & britton co. all rights reserved dear children: you will remember that, in the front part of glinda of oz, the publishers told you that when mr. baum went away from this world he left behind some unfinished notes about the princess ozma and dorothy and the jolly people of the wonderful land of oz. the publishers promised that they would try to put these notes together into a new oz book for you. well, here it is--the royal book of oz. i am sure that mr. baum would be pleased that ruth plumly thompson, who has known and loved the oz stories ever since she was a little girl, has made this new oz story, with all the oz folks in it and true to life. you see i am mrs. baum, the wife of the royal historian of oz, and so i know how he feels about everything. now, about the story: of course, we all knew the scarecrow was a very fine fellow, but surely we never guessed he ascended from an emperor. most of us descend from our ancestors, but the scarecrow really ascended. the scarecrow had a most exciting and adventurous time on the silver isle and dorothy and the cowardly lion just ran out of one adventure into another trying to rescue him. they made some charming new friends in their travels--sir hokus of pokes, the doubtful dromedary, and the comfortable camel. you'll find them very unusual and likable. they have the same peculiar, delightful and informal natures that we love in all the queer oz people. of course every one of us is happy that john r. neill has drawn the funny and lovely pictures for the new book. mr. neill surely is the royal painter of oz. this note is intended for all the children of america, who knew and loved mr. baum, and it goes to each of you with his love and mine. maud g. baum. ozcot hollywood, california in the spring, list of chapters professor wogglebug's great idea the scarecrow's family tree down the magic bean pole dorothy's lonely breakfast sir hokus of pokes singing their way out of pokes the scarecrow is hailed as emperor! the scarecrow studies the silver island "save us with your magic, exalted one!" princess ozma and betsy bobbin talk it over sir hokus overcometh the giant dorothy and sir hokus come to fix city dancing beds and the road that unrolled sons and grandsons greet the scarecrow the three princes plot to undo the emperor dorothy and her guardians meet new friends doubty and camy vanish into space dorothy finds the scarecrow! planning to fly from the silver island dorothy upsets the ceremony of the island the escape from the silver island the flight of the parasol safe at last in the land of oz homeward bound to the emerald city chapter professor wogglebug's great idea "the very thing!" exclaimed professor wogglebug, bounding into the air and upsetting his gold inkwell. "the very next idea!" "who--me?" a round-faced little munchkin boy stuck his head in the door and regarded professor wogglebug solemnly. he was working his way through the professor's athletic college, and one of his duties was to wait upon this eminent educator of oz. "certainly not!" snapped professor wogglebug. "you're a nobody or a nothing. stop gaping and fetch me my hat. i'm off to the emerald city. and mind the pupils take their history pills regularly while i'm gone," he added, clapping his tall hat zif held out to him on the back of his head. "yes, sir!" said the little munchkin respectfully. "don't hurry back, sir!" this last remark the professor did not hear, for he was already half way down the college steps. "ozma will be delighted with the idea. how clever i am!" he murmured, twirling his antennae and walking rapidly down the pleasant blue lane. the professor, whose college of art and athletic perfection is in the southwestern part of the munchkin country, is the biggest bug in oz, or in anyplace else, for that matter. he has made education painless by substituting school pills for books. his students take latin, history and spelling pills; they swallow knowledge of every kind with ease and pleasure and spend the rest of their time in sport. no wonder he is so well thought of in oz! no wonder he thinks so well of himself! swinging his cane jauntily, the professor hurried toward the yellow brick road that leads to the emerald city, and by nightfall had reached the lovely capital of oz. oz!--that marvelous country where no one grows old--where animals and birds talk as sensibly as people, and adventures happen every day. indeed, of all fairylands in the world, oz is the most delightful, and of all fairy cities, the emerald city is the most beautiful. a soft green light shone for miles about, and the gemmed turrets and spires of the palace flashed more brightly than the stars. but its loveliness was familiar to professor wogglebug, and without a pause he proceeded to ozma's palace and was at once admitted to the great hall. a roar of merriment greeted his ears. ozma, the lovely girl ruler of oz, was having a party, and the room was full of most surprising people--surprising to some, that is, but old friends to most of us. jack, holding tightly to his pumpkin head, was running as fast as his wooden feet and wobbly legs would take him from dorothy. a game of blind-man's-buff was in full swing, and scraps and tik-tok, the scarecrow and nick chopper, the glass cat and the cowardly lion, the wizard of oz and the wooden sawhorse, cap'n bill and betsy bobbin, billina and the hungry tiger were tumbling over each other in an effort to keep away from the blindfolded little girl. but dorothy was too quick for them. with a sudden whirl, she spun 'round and grasped a coatsleeve. "the scarecrow!" she laughed triumphantly. "i can tell by the way he skwoshes--and now _he's_ it!" "i'm always _it!"_ chuckled the droll person. "but--hah! behold the learned professor standing so aloofly in our midst." no one had noticed professor wogglebug, who had been quietly watching the game. "i don't like to interrupt the party," he began, approaching ozma's throne apologetically, "but i've just had a most brilliant idea!" "what? another?" murmured the scarecrow, rolling up his eyes. "where did you lose it?" asked jack pumpkinhead, edging forward anxiously. "lose it! who said i'd lost it?" snapped the professor, glaring at poor jack. "well, you said you'd had it, and had is the past tense, so--" jack's voice trailed off uncertainly, and ozma, seeing he was embarrassed, begged the professor to explain. "your highness!" began professor wogglebug, while the company settled down in a resigned circle on the floor, "as oz is the most interesting and delightful country on the continent of imagination and its people the most unusual and talented, i am about to compile a royal book which will give the names and history of all our people. in other words, i am to be the great, grand genealogist of oz!" "whatever that is," the scarecrow whispered in dorothy's ear. "and," the professor frowned severely on the scarecrow, "with your majesty's permission, i shall start at once!" "please do," said the scarecrow with a wave toward the door, "and we will go on with the party!" scraps, the patchwork girl, who had been staring fixedly at the professor with her silver suspender-button eyes, now sprang to her feet: "what is a genealogist? it's something no one here has missed; what puts such notions in your head? turn out your toes--or go to bed!" she shouted gaily, then, catching ozma's disapproving glance, fell over backwards. "i don't understand it at all," said jack pumpkinhead in a depressed voice. "i'm afraid my head's too ripe." "nor i," said tik-tok, the copper clockwork man. "please wind me up a lit-tle tight-er dor-o-thy, i want to think!" dorothy obligingly took a key suspended from a hook on his back and wound him up under his left arm. everybody began to talk at once, and what with the cowardly lion's deep growl and tik-tok's squeaky voice and all the rest of the tin and meat and wooden voices, the confusion was terrible. "wait!" cried ozma, clapping her hands. immediately the room grew so still that one could hear tik-tok's machinery whirring 'round. "now!" said ozma, "one at a time, please, and let us hear from the scarecrow first." the scarecrow rose. "i think, your highness," he said modestly, "that anyone who has studied his geozify already knows who we are and--" "who you are?" broke in the wogglebug scornfully--"of course they do--but _i_ shall tell them who you _were!"_ "who i were?" gasped the scarecrow in a dazed voice, raising his cotton glove to his forehead. "who i were? well, who were i?" "that's just the point," said professor wogglebug. "who were you? who were your ancestors? where is your family? where is your family tree? from what did you descend?" at each question, the scarecrow looked more embarrassed. he repeated the last one several times. "from what did i descend? from what did i descend? why, from a bean pole!" he cried. this was perfectly true, for dorothy, a little girl blown by a kansas cyclone to the kingdom of oz, had discovered the scarecrow in a farmer's cornfield and had lifted him down from his pole. together they had made the journey to the emerald city, where the wizard of oz had fitted him out with a fine set of brains. at one time, he had ruled oz and was generally considered its cleverest citizen. before he could reply further, the patchwork girl, who was simply irrepressible, burst out: "an ex-straw-ordinary man is he! a bean pole for his family tree, a cornishman, upon my soul, descended from a tall, thin pole!" "nonsense!" said professor wogglebug sharply, "being stuffed with straw may make him extraordinary, but it is quite plain that the scarecrow was nobody before he was himself. he has no ancestors, no family; only a bean pole for a family tree, and is therefore entitled to the merest mention in the royal book of oz!" "how about my brains?" asked the scarecrow in a hurt voice. "aren't they enough?" "brains have simply nothing to do with royalty!" professor wogglebug waved his fountain pen firmly. "now--" "but see here, wasn't i ruler of oz?" put in the scarecrow anxiously. "a ruler but _never_ a royalty!" snapped out the professor. "now, if you will all answer my questions as i call your names, i'll get the necessary data and be off." he took out a small memorandum book. "your highness," he bowed to ozma, "need not bother. i have already entered your name at the head of the list. being descended as you are from a long line of fairies, your family tree is the oldest and most illustrious in oz." "princess dorothy!" at the sound of her name, the little girl stood up. "i know you are from kansas and were created a princess of oz by our gracious ruler, but can you tell me anything of your ancestors in america?" demanded the professor, staring over the top of his thick glasses. "you'll have to ask uncle henry and aunt em," said dorothy rather sulkily. the professor had hurt the feelings of her best friend, the scarecrow, and ancestors did not interest her one little bit. "very well," said the professor, writing industriously in his book. "i'll just enter you as 'dorothy, princess of oz and sixth cousin to a president!'" "i'm not!" dorothy shook her head positively. "oh, everyone in america can claim that!" said the professor easily. "nick chopper!" now up rose our old friend the tin woodman, who had also been discovered by dorothy on her first trip to the fairyland of oz. "you were a man of meat at one time and a woodman by trade?" queried professor wogglebug, poising his pen in the air. "i am a tin woodman, and you may enter me in your book under the name of smith, for a tin smith made me, and as royal emperor of the winkies, i do not care to go back to my meat connections," said the tin woodman in a dignified voice. the company applauded, and the cowardly lion thumped the floor with his tail. "smith is a very good name. i can work up a whole chapter on that," smiled the professor. the tin woodman _had_ once been a regular person, but a wicked witch enchanted his ax, and first it chopped off one leg, then the other, and next both arms and his head. after each accident, nick went to a tinsmith for repairs, and finally was entirely made of tin. nowhere but in oz could such a thing happen. but no one can be killed in this marvelous country, and nick, with his tin body, went gaily on living and was considered so distinguished that the winkies had begged him to be their emperor. "scraps!" called the professor as nick sat stiffly down beside dorothy. the patchwork girl pirouetted madly to the front. putting one finger in her mouth, she sang: "i'm made of patches, as you see. a clothes tree is my family tree but, pshaw! it's all the same to me!" a clothes tree? even professor wogglebug grinned. who could help laughing at scraps? made of odd pieces of goods and brought to life by the powder of life, the comical girl was the jolliest person imaginable. "put me down as a man of me-tal!" drawled tik-tok the copper man as the laugh following scraps' rhyme had subsided. tik-tok was still another of dorothy's discoveries, and this marvelous machine man, guaranteed to last a thousand years, could think, walk, and talk when properly wound. the cowardly lion was entered as a king in his own right. one after the other, the celebrities of oz came forward to answer professor wogglebug's questions. the professor wrote rapidly in his little book. ozma listened attentively to each one, and they all seemed interested except the scarecrow. slumped down beside dorothy, he stared morosely at the ceiling, his jolly face all wrinkled down on one side. "if i only knew who i were!" he muttered over and over. "i must think!" "don't you mind." dorothy patted his shoulder kindly. "royalties are out of date, and i'll bet the professor's family tree was a milkweed!" but the scarecrow refused to be comforted, and long after the company had retired he sat hunched sadly in his corner. "i'll do it! i'll do it!" he exclaimed at last, rising unsteadily to his feet. jellia jamb, ozma's little waiting maid, returning somewhat later to fetch a handkerchief her mistress had dropped, was surprised to see him running through the long hall. "why, where are you going?" asked jellia. "to find my family tree!" said the scarecrow darkly, and drawing himself up to his full height, he fell through the doorway. chapter the scarecrow's family tree the moon shone brightly, but everyone in the emerald city was fast asleep! through the deserted streets hurried the scarecrow. for the first time since his discovery by little dorothy, he was really unhappy. living as he did in a fairyland, he had taken many things for granted and had rather prided himself on his unusual appearance. indeed, not until professor wogglebug's rude remarks concerning his family had he given his past a thought. "i am the only person in oz without a family!" he reflected sorrowfully. "even the cowardly lion has kingly parents and a palm tree! but i must keep thinking. my brains have never failed me yet. who was i? who were i? who were i?" often he thought so hard that he forgot to look where he was going and ran headlong into fences, stumbled down gutters, and over stiles. but fortunately, the dear fellow could not hurt himself, and he would struggle up, pat his straw into shape, and walk straightway into something else. he made good time in between falls, however, and was soon well on his way down the yellow brick road that ran through the munchkin country. for he had determined to return to the munchkin farm where dorothy had first discovered him and try to find some traces of his family. now being stuffed with straw had many advantages, for requiring neither food nor sleep the scarecrow could travel night and day without interruption. the stars winked out one by one, and by the time the cocks of the munchkin farmers began to crow, he had come to the banks of a broad blue river! the scarecrow took off his hat and scratched his head thoughtfully. crossing rivers is no easy matter in oz, for there isn't a ferry in the kingdom, and unless one is a good swimmer or equipped with some of the wizard's magic it is mighty troublesome. water does not agree with the scarecrow at all, and as for swimming, he can no more swim than a bag of meal. but he was too wise a person to give up merely because a thing appeared to be impossible. it was for just such emergencies that his excellent brains had been given to him. "if nick chopper were here, he would build a raft in no time," murmured the scarecrow, "but as he is not, i must think of another way!" turning his back on the river, which distracted his mind, he began to think with all his might. before he could collect his thoughts, there was a tremendous crash, and next minute he was lying face down in the mud. several little crashes followed, and a shower of water. then a wet voice called out with a cheerful chuckle: "come on out, my dear rattles. not a bad place at all, and here's breakfast already waiting!" "breakfast!" the scarecrow turned over cautiously. a huge and curious creature was slashing through the grass toward him. a smaller and still more curious one followed. both were extremely damp and had evidently just come out of the river. "good morning!" quavered the scarecrow, sitting up with a jerk and at the same time reaching for a stick that lay just behind him. "i won't eat it if it talks--so there!" the smaller creature stopped and stared fixedly at the scarecrow. the scarecrow, hearing this, tried to think of something else to say, but the appearance of the two was so amazing that, as he told dorothy afterwards, he was struck dumb. the larger was at least two hundred feet long and made entirely of blocks of wood. on each block was a letter of the alphabet. the head was a huge square block with a serpent's face and long, curling, tape-measure tongue. the little one was very much smaller and seemed to consist of hundreds of rattles, wood, celluloid, and rubber, fastened together with wires. every time it moved, the rattles tinkled. its face, however, was not unpleasant, so the scarecrow took heart and made a deep bow. "and i'm not going to eat anything that squirms." this time it was the big serpent who spoke. "thank you!" said the scarecrow, bowing several times more. "you relieve my mind. i've never been a breakfast yet, and i'd rather not begin. but if i cannot be your breakfast, let me be your friend!" he extended his arms impulsively. there was something so jolly about the scarecrow's smile that the two creatures became friendly at once, and moreover told him the story of their lives. "as you have doubtless noted," began the larger creature, "i am an a-b-sea serpent. i am employed in the nursery of the mer children to teach them their letters. my friend, here, is a rattlesnake, and it is his business to amuse the mer babies while the mermaids are mer-marketing. once a year, we take a vacation, and proceeding from the sea depths up a strange river, we came out upon this shore. perhaps you, sir, will be able to tell us where we are?" "you are in the munchkin country of the land of oz," explained the scarecrow politely. "it is a charming place for a vacation. i would show you about myself if i were not bound on an important mission." here the scarecrow sighed deeply. "have you a family?" he asked the a-b-sea serpent curiously. "yes, indeed," replied the monster, snapping its tape-measure tongue in and out, "i have five great-grandmothers, twenty-one grandnieces, seven brothers, and six sisters-in-law!" "ah!" murmured the scarecrow, clasping his hands tragically, "how i envy you. i have no one--no aunts--no ancestors--no family--no family tree but a bean pole. i am, alas, a man without a _past!"_ the scarecrow looked so dejected that the rattlesnake thought he was going to cry. "oh, cheer up!" it begged in a distressed voice. "think of your _presence_--here--i give you permission to shake me!" the scarecrow was so affected by this kind offer that he cheered up immediately. "no past but a presence--i'll remember that!" he swelled out his straw chest complacently, and leaning over, stroked the rattlesnake on the head. "are you good at riddles?" asked the rattlesnake timidly. "well," answered the scarecrow judiciously, "i have very good brains, given me by the famous wizard of oz." "then why is the a-b-sea serpent like a city?" asked the rattlesnake promptly. the scarecrow thought hard for several seconds. "because it is made up of blocks!" he roared triumphantly. "that's easy; now it's my turn. why is the a-b-sea serpent such a slow talker?" "give it up!" said the rattlesnake after shaking himself several times. "because his tongue is a tape measure, and he has to measure his words!" cried the scarecrow, snapping his clumsy fingers. "and that's a good one, if i did make it myself. i must remember to tell it to dorothy!" then he sobered quite suddenly, for the thought of dorothy brought back the purpose of his journey. interrupting the rattlesnake in the midst of a new riddle, he explained how anxious he was to return to the little farm where he had been discovered and try to find some traces of his family. "and the real riddle," he sighed with a wave of his hand, "is how to cross this river." "that's easy and no riddle at all," rumbled the a-b-sea serpent, who had been listening attentively to the scarecrow's remarks. "i'll stretch across, and you can walk over." suiting the action to the word, he began backing very cautiously toward the river so as not to shake the scarecrow off his feet. "mind your p's and q's!" called the rattlesnake warningly. it was well that he spoke, for the a-b-sea serpent had doubled the p and q blocks under, and they were ready to snap off. finally, however, he managed to make a bridge of himself, and the scarecrow stepped easily over the blocks, the huge serpent holding himself rigid. just as he reached y, the unfortunate creature sneezed, and all the blocks rattled together. up flew the scarecrow and escaped falling into the stream only by the narrowest margin. "blockhead!" shrilled the rattlesnake, who had taken a great fancy to the scarecrow. "i'm all right," cried the scarecrow rather breathlessly. "thank you very much!" he sprang nimbly up the bank. "hope you have a pleasant vacation!" "can't, with a rattlepate like that." the a-b-sea serpent nodded glumly in the rattlesnake's direction. "now don't quarrel," begged the scarecrow. "you are both charming and unusual, and if you follow that yellow road, you will come to the emerald city, and ozma will be delighted to welcome you." "the emerald city! we must see that, my dear rattles." forgetting his momentary displeasure, the a-b-sea serpent pulled himself out of the river, and waving his x y z blocks in farewell to the scarecrow, went clattering down the road, the little rattlesnake rattling along behind him. as for the scarecrow, he continued his journey, and the day was so delightful and the country so pleasant that he almost forgot he had no family. he was treated everywhere with the greatest courtesy and had innumerable invitations from the hospitable munchkins. he was anxious to reach his destination, however, so he refused them all, and traveling night and day came without further mishap or adventure late on the second evening to the little munchkin farm where dorothy had first discovered him. he was curious to know whether the pole on which he had been hoisted to scare away the crows still stood in the cornfield and whether the farmer who had made him could tell him anything further about his history. "it is a shame to waken him," thought the kind scarecrow. "i'll just take a look in the cornfield." the moon shone so brightly that he had no trouble finding his way about. with a little cry of pleasure, he pushed his way through the dry cornstalks. there in the center of the field stood a tall pole--the very identical bean pole from which he had descended. "all the family or family tree i've got!" cried the scarecrow, running toward it with emotion. "what's that?" a window in the farmhouse was thrown up, and a sleepy munchkin thrust out his head. "what are you doing?" he called crossly. "thinking!" said the scarecrow, leaning heavily against the bean pole. "well, don't do it out loud," snapped the farmer. then, catching a better view of the scarecrow, he cried in surprise: "why, it's you!-- come right in, my dear fellow, and give us the latest news from the emerald city. i'll fetch a candle!" the farmer was very proud of the scarecrow. he had made him long ago by stuffing one of his old suits with straw, painting a jolly face on a sack, stuffing that, and fastening the two together. red boots, a hat, and yellow gloves had finished his man--and nothing could have been jollier than the result. later on, when the scarecrow had run off with dorothy and got his brains from the wizard of oz and become ruler of the emerald city, the little farmer had felt highly gratified. the scarecrow, however, was not in a humor for conversation. he wanted to think in peace. "don't bother!" he called up. "i'm going to spend the night here. i'll see you in the morning." "all right! take care of yourself," yawned the farmer, and drew in his head. for a long time the scarecrow stood perfectly still beside the bean pole--thinking. then he got a spade from the shed and began clearing away the cornstalks and dried leaves from around the base of the pole. it was slow work, for his fingers were clumsy, but he persevered. then a wonderful idea came to him. "perhaps if i dig down a bit, i may discover--" he got no further, for at the word "discover," he pushed the spade down with all his might. there was a loud crash. the bottom dropped out of things, and the scarecrow fell through. "gr-eat cornstalks!" cried the scarecrow, throwing up his arms. to his surprise, they came in contact with a stout pole, which he embraced. it was a lifesaver, for he was shooting down into the darkness at a great rate. "why!" he gasped as soon as he regained his breath, for he was falling at a terrific rate of speed, "why, i believe i'm sliding down the _bean pole!"_ chapter down the magic bean pole hugging the bean pole for dear life, the scarecrow slid rapidly downward, everything was dark, but at times a confused roaring sounded in his ears. "father, i hear something falling past!" shouted a gruff voice all at once. "then reach out and pull it in," growled a still deeper voice. there was a flash of light, a door opened suddenly, and a giant hand snatched the air just above the scarecrow's head. "it's a good thing i haven't a heart to fail me," murmured the scarecrow, glancing up fearfully and clinging more tightly to the pole. "though i fall, i shall not falter. but where under the earth am i falling to?" at that minute, a door opened far below, and someone called up: "who are you? have out your toll and be ready to salute the royal ruler of the middlings!" the scarecrow had learned in the course of his many and strange adventures that it was best to accede to every request that was reasonable or possible. realizing that unless he answered at once he would fall past his strange questioners, he shouted amiably: "i am the scarecrow of oz, sliding down my family tree!" the words echoed oddly in the narrow passageway, and by the time he reached the word "tree" the scarecrow could make out two large brown men leaning from a door somewhere below. next minute he came to a sharp stop. a board had shot out and closed off the passageway. so sudden was the stop that the scarecrow was tossed violently upward. while he endeavored to regain his balance, the two middlings eyed him curiously. "so this is the kind of thing they grow on top," said one, holding a lantern close to the scarecrow's head. "toll, toll!" droned the other, holding out a horribly twisted hand. "one moment, your royal middleness!" cried the scarecrow, backing as far away from the lantern as he could, for with a straw stuffing one cannot be too careful of fire. he felt in his pocket for an emerald he had picked up in the emerald city a few days before and handed it gingerly to the muddy monarch. "why do you call me middleness?" the king demanded angrily, taking the emerald. "is your kingdom not in the middle of the earth, and are you not royalty? what could be more proper than royal middleness?" asked the scarecrow, flecking the dust from his hat. now that he had a better view, he saw that _the two were entirely men of mud,_ and very roughly put together. dried grass hair stood erect upon each head, and their faces were large and lumpy and had a disconcerting way of changing shape. indeed, when the king leaned over to examine the scarecrow, his features were so soft they seemed to run into his cheek, which hung down alarmingly, while his nose turned sideways and lengthened at least an inch! muddle pushed the king's nose back and began spreading his cheek into place. instead of hands and feet, the middlings had gnarled and twisted roots which curled up in a perfectly terrifying manner. their teeth were gold, and their eyes shone like small electric lights. they wore stiff coats of dried mud, buttoned clumsily with lumps of coal, and the king had a tall mud crown. altogether, the scarecrow thought he had never seen more disagreeable looking creatures. "what he needs," spluttered the king, fingering the jewel greedily, "is a coat of mud! shall we pull him in, muddle?" "he's very poorly made, your mudjesty. can you work, carescrow?" asked muddle, thumping him rudely in the chest. "scarecrow, if you please!" the scarecrow drew himself up and spoke with great difficulty. "i can work with my head!" he added proudly. "your head!" roared the king. "did you hear that, muddle? he works with his head. what's the matter with your hands?" again the king lunged forward, and this time his face fell on the other side and had bulged enormously before muddle could pat it into shape. they began whispering excitedly together, but the scarecrow made no reply, for looking over their shoulder he glimpsed a dark, forbidding cavern lighted only by the flashing red eyes of thousands of middlings. they appeared to be digging, and above the rattle of the shovels and picks came the hoarse voice of one of them singing the middling national air. or so the scarecrow gathered from the words: "oh, chop the brown clods as they fall with a thud! three croaks for the middlings, who stick in the mud. oh, mud, rich and wormy! oh, mud, sweet and squirmy! oh what is so lovely as mud! oh what is so lovely as mud! three croaks for the middlings, who delve all the day in their beautiful kingdom of soft mud and clay!" the croaks that came at the end of the song were so terrifying that the scarecrow shivered in spite of himself. "ugh! hardly a place for a pleasant visit!" he gasped, flattening himself against the wall of the passage. feeling that matters had gone far enough, he repeated in a loud voice: "i am the scarecrow of oz and desire to continue my fall. i have paid my toll and unless your royal middleness release me--" "might as well drop him--a useless creature!" whispered muddle, and before the king had time to object, he jerked the board back. "fall on!" he screeched maliciously, and the scarecrow shot down into the darkness, the hoarse screams of the two middlings echoing after him through the gloom. no use trying to think! the poor scarecrow bumped and banged from side to side of the passage. it was all he could do to keep hold of the bean pole, so swiftly was he falling. "a good thing i'm not made of meat like little dorothy," he wheezed breathlessly. his gloves were getting worn through from friction with the pole, and the rush of air past his ears was so confusing that he gave up all idea of thinking. even magic brains refuse to work under such conditions. down--down--down he plunged till he lost all count of time. down--down--down--hours and hours! would he never stop? then suddenly it grew quite light, and he flashed through what appeared to be a hole in the roof of a huge silver palace, whirled down several stories and landed in a heap on the floor of a great hall. in one hand he clutched a small fan, and in the other a parasol that had snapped off the beanstalk just before he reached the palace roof. shaken and bent over double though he was, the scarecrow could see that he had fallen into a company of great magnificence. he had a confused glimpse of silken clad courtiers, embroidered screens, inlaid floors, and flashing silver lanterns, when there was a thundering bang that hurled him halfway to the roof again. falling to a sitting position and still clinging to the bean pole, he saw two giant kettle drums nearby, still vibrating from the terrible blows they had received. the company were staring at him solemnly, and as he attempted to rise, they fell prostrate on their faces. up flew the poor flimsy scarecrow again, such was the draught, and this time landed on his face. he was beginning to feel terribly annoyed, but before he could open his mouth or stand up, a deep voice boomed: "he has come!" "he has come!" shrilled the rest of the company, thumping their heads on the stone floor. the language seemed strange to the scarecrow, but oddly enough, he could understand it perfectly. keeping a tight grasp on the bean pole, he gazed at the prostrate assemblage, too astonished to speak. they looked exactly like the pictures of some chinamen he had seen in one of dorothy's picture books back in oz, but instead of being yellow, their skin was a curious gray, and the hair of old and young alike was silver and worn in long, stiff queues. before he had time to observe any more, an old, old courtier hobbled forward and beckoned imperiously to a page at the door. the page immediately unfurled a huge silk umbrella and, running forward, held it over the scarecrow's head. "welcome home, sublime and noble ancestor! welcome, honorable and exalted sir." the old gentleman made several deep salaams. "welcome, immortal and illustrious ancestor! welcome, ancient and serene father!" cried the others, banging their heads hard on the floor--so hard that their queues flew into the air. "ancestor! father!" mumbled the scarecrow in a puzzled voice. then, collecting himself somewhat, he made a deep bow, and sweeping off his hat with a truly royal gesture began: "i am indeed honored--" but he got no farther. the silken clad courtiers sprang to their feet in a frenzy of joy. a dozen seized him bodily and carried him to a great silver throne room. "the same beautiful voice!" cried the ancient gentleman, clasping his hands in an ecstasy of feeling. "it is he! the emperor! the emperor has returned! long live the emperor!" shouted everyone at once. the confusion grew worse and worse. "ancestor! father! emperor!" the scarecrow could scarcely believe his ears. "for a fallen man, i am rising like yeast!" he murmured to himself. half a dozen courtiers had run outdoors to spread the wonderful news, and soon silver gongs and bells began ringing all over the kingdom, and cries of "the emperor! the emperor!" added to the general excitement. holding fast to the sides of the throne and still grasping the little fan and parasol, the scarecrow sat blinking with embarrassment. "if they would just stop emperoring, i could ask them who i am," thought the poor scarecrow. as if in answer to his thoughts, the tottery old nobleman raised his long arm, and at once the hall became absolutely silent. "now!" sighed the scarecrow, leaning forward. "now i shall hear something of interest." chapter dorothy's lonely breakfast dorothy, who occupied one of the coziest apartments in ozma's palace, wakened the morning after the party with a feeling of great uneasiness. at breakfast, the scarecrow was missing. although he, the tin woodman and scraps did not require food, they always livened up the table with their conversation. ordinarily dorothy would have thought nothing of the scarecrow's absence, but she could not forget his distressed expression when professor wogglebug had so rudely remarked on his family tree. the professor himself had left before breakfast, and everybody but dorothy had forgotten all about the royal book of oz. already many of ozma's guests who did not live in the palace were preparing to depart, but dorothy could not get over her feeling of uneasiness. the scarecrow was her very best friend, and it was not like him to go without saying goodbye. so she hunted through the gardens and in every room of the palace and questioned all the servants. unfortunately, jellia jamb, who was the only one who had seen the scarecrow go, was with her mistress. ozma always breakfasted alone and spent the morning over state matters. knowing how busy she was, dorothy did not like to disturb her. betsy bobbin and trot, real little girls like dorothy, also lived in the fairy palace, and ozma was a great chum for them. but the kingdom of oz had to be governed in between times, and they all knew that unless ozma had the mornings to herself, she could not play with them in the afternoons. so dorothy searched by herself. "perhaps i didn't look hard enough," thought the little girl, and searched the palace all over again. "don't worry," advised the tin woodman, who was playing checkers with scraps. "he's probably gone home." "he is a man of brains; why worry because he's left us in a hurry?" chuckled scraps with a careless wave of her hand, and dorothy, laughing in spite of herself, ran out to have another look in the garden. "that is just what he has done, and if i hurry, i may overtake him. anyway, i believe i'll go and pay him a visit," thought dorothy. trot and betsy bobbin were swinging in one of the royal hammocks, and when dorothy invited them to go along, they explained that they were going on a picnic with the tin woodman. so without waiting to ask anyone else or even whistling for toto, her little dog, dorothy skipped out of the garden. the cowardly lion, half asleep under a rose bush, caught a glimpse of her blue dress flashing by, and bounding to his feet thudded after her. "where are you going?" he asked, stifling a giant yawn. "to visit the scarecrow," explained dorothy. "he looked so unhappy last night. i am afraid he is worrying about his family tree, and i thought p'raps i could cheer him up." the cowardly lion stretched luxuriously. "i'll go too," he rumbled, giving himself a shake. "but it's the first time i ever heard of the scarecrow worrying." "but you see," dorothy said gently, "professor wogglebug told him he had no family." "family! family fiddlesticks! hasn't he got us?" the cowardly lion stopped and waved his tail indignantly. "why, you dear old thing!" dorothy threw her arms around his neck. "you've given me a lovely idea!" the cowardly lion tried not to look pleased. "well, as long as i've given it to you, you might tell me what it is," he suggested mildly. "why," said dorothy, skipping along happily, "we'll let him adopt us and be his really relations. i'll be his sister, and you'll be--" "his cousin--that is, if you think he wouldn't mind having a great coward like me for a cousin," finished the cowardly lion in an anxious voice. "do you still feel as cowardly as ever?" asked dorothy sympathetically. "more so!" sighed the great beast, glancing apprehensively over his shoulder. this made dorothy laugh, for although the lion trembled like a cup custard at the approach of danger, he always managed to fight with great valor, and the little girl felt safer with him than with the whole army of oz, who never were frightened but who always ran away. now anyone who is at all familiar with his geozify knows that the fairyland of oz is divided into four parts, exactly like a parchesi board, with the emerald city in the very center, the purple gillikin country to the north, the red quadling country to the south, the blue munchkin country to the east, and the yellow country of the winkies to the west. it was toward the west that dorothy and the cowardly lion turned their steps, for it was in the winkie country that the scarecrow had built his gorgeous golden tower in exactly the shape of a huge ear of corn. dorothy ran along beside the cowardly lion, chatting over their many adventures in oz, and stopping now and then to pick buttercups and daisies that dotted the roadside. she tied a big bunch to the tip of her friend's tail and twined some more in his mane, so that he presented a very festive appearance indeed. then, when she grew tired, she climbed on his big back, and swiftly they jogged through the pleasant land of the winkies. the people waved to them from windows and fields, for everyone loved little dorothy and the big lion, and as they passed a neat yellow cottage, a little winkie lady came running down the path with a cup of tea in one hand and a bucket in the other. "i saw you coming and thought you might be thirsty," she called hospitably. dorothy drank her cup without alighting. "we're in an awful hurry; we're visiting the scarecrow," she exclaimed apologetically. the lion drank his bucket of tea at one gulp. it was so hot that it made his eyes water. "how i loathe tea! if i hadn't been such a coward, i'd have upset the bucket," groaned the lion as the little winkie lady went back into her house. "but no, i was afraid of hurting her feelings. ugh, what a terrible thing it is to be a coward!" "nonsense!" said dorothy, wiping her eyes with her handkerchief. "you're not a coward, you're just polite. but let's run very fast so we can reach the scarecrow's in time for lunch." so like the wind away raced the cowardly lion, dorothy holding fast to his mane, with her curls blowing straight out behind, and in exactly two oz hours and seventeen winkie minutes they came to the dazzling corn-ear residence of their old friend. hurrying through the cornfields that surrounded his singular mansion, dorothy and the cowardly lion rushed through the open door. "we've come for lunch," announced dorothy. "and i'm hungry enough to eat crow," rumbled the lion. then both stopped in dismay, for the big reception room was empty. from a room above came a shuffling of feet, and blink, the scarecrow's gentlemanly housekeeper, came running down the stairs. "where's the scarecrow?" asked dorothy anxiously. "isn't he here?" "here! isn't he there? isn't he in the emerald city?" gasped the little winkie, putting his specs on upside down. "no--at least, i don't think so. oh, dear, i just felt that something had happened to him!" wailed dorothy, sinking into an ebony armchair and fanning herself with a silk sofa cushion. "now don't be alarmed." the cowardly lion rushed to dorothy's side and knocked three vases and a clock off a little table, just to show how calm he was. "think of his brains! the scarecrow has never come to harm yet, and all we have to do is to return to the emerald city and look in ozma's magic picture. then, when we know where he is, we can go and find him and tell him about our little adoption plan," he added, looking hopefully at dorothy. "the scarecrow himself couldn't have spoken more sensibly," observed blink with a great sigh of relief, and even dorothy felt better. in ozma's palace, as many of you know, there is a magic picture, and when ozma or dorothy want to see any of their friends, they have merely to wish to see them, and instantly the picture shows the person wished for and exactly what he is doing at that certain time. "of course!" sighed dorothy. "why didn't i think of it myself?" "better have some lunch before you start back," suggested blink, and bustling about had soon set out an appetizing repast. dorothy was too busy worrying about the scarecrow to have much appetite, but the cowardly lion swallowed seventeen roasts and a bucket of corn syrup. "to give me courage!" he explained to dorothy, licking his chops. "there's nothing that makes me so cowardly as an empty stomach!" it was quite late in the afternoon before they could get away. blink insisted on putting up a lunch, and it took some time to make enough sandwiches for the cowardly lion. but at last it was ready and packed into an old hat box belonging to mops, the scarecrow's cook. then dorothy, balancing the box carefully on her lap, climbed on the cowardly lion's back, and assuring blink that they would return in a few days with his master, they bade him farewell. blink almost spoiled things by bursting into tears, but he managed to restrain himself long enough to say goodbye, and dorothy and the cowardly lion, feeling a little solemn themselves, started toward the emerald city. "my, but it's growing dark," said dorothy after they had gone several miles. "i believe it's going to storm." scarcely had she finished speaking before there was a terrific crash of thunder. the cowardly lion promptly sat down. off of his back bounced the sandwich box and into the sandwich box rolled dorothy, head first. "how terribly upsetting," coughed the cowardly lion. "i should say it was!" dorothy crawled indignantly out of the hat box and began wiping the butter from her nose. "you've simply ruined the supper!" "it was my heart," explained the cowardly lion sorrowfully. "it jumped so hard that it upset me, but climb on my back again, and i'll run very fast to some place of shelter." "but where are you?" dorothy asked in real alarm, for it had grown absolutely dark. "here," quavered the cowardly lion, and guided by his voice, dorothy stumbled over to him and climbed again on his back. one crash of thunder followed another, and at each crash the cowardly lion leapt forward a bit faster until they fairly flew through the dark. "it won't take us long to reach the emerald city at this rate!" called dorothy, but the wind tossed the words far behind her, and seeing that conversation was impossible, she clung fast to the lion's mane and began thinking about the scarecrow. the thunder continued at frequent intervals, but there was no rain, and after they had been running for what seemed to dorothy hours and hours, a sudden terrific bump sent her flying over the lion's head into a bush. too breathless to speak, she felt herself carefully all over. then, finding that she was still in one piece, she called to the cowardly lion. she could hear him moaning and muttering about his heart. "any bones broken?" she asked anxiously. "only my head," groaned the lion dismally. just then the darkness lifted as suddenly as it had fallen, and dorothy saw him leaning against a tree with his eyes closed. there was a big bump on his head. with a little cry of sympathy, dorothy hurried toward him, when all at once something strange about their surroundings struck her. "why, where are we?" cried the little girl, stopping short. the lion's eyes flew open, and forgetting all about his bump, he looked around in dismay. no sign of the emerald city anywhere. indeed, they were in a great, dim forest, and considering the number of trees, it is a wonder that they had not run into one long ago. "i must have run the wrong way," faltered the cowardly lion in a distressed voice. "you couldn't help that; anyone would lose his way in the dark," said dorothy generously. "but i wish we hadn't fallen in the sandwiches. i'm hungry!" "so am i. do you think anyone lives in this forest, dorothy?" dorothy did not answer, for just then she caught sight of a big sign nailed to one of the trees. "turn to the right," directed the sign. "oh, come on!" cried dorothy, cheering up immediately. "i believe we're going to have another adventure." "i'd rather have some supper," sighed the cowardly lion wistfully, "but unless we want to spend the night here, we might as well move along. i'm to be fed up on adventure, i suppose." "turn to the left," advised the next sign, and the two turned obediently and hurried on, trying to keep a straight course through the trees. in a fairyland like oz, where there are no trains or trolleys or even horses for traveling ('cepting ozma's sawhorse), there are bound to be unexplored portions. and though dorothy had been at one time or another in almost every part of oz, the country through which they were now passing was totally unfamiliar to her. night was coming on, and it was growing so dark that she could hardly read the third sign when they presently came upon it. "don't sing," directed the sign sternly. "sing!" snapped dorothy indignantly, "who wants to sing?" "we might as well keep to the left," said the cowardly lion in a resigned voice, and they walked along for some time in silence. the trees were thinning out, and as they came to the edge of the forest, another sign confronted them. "slow down," read dorothy with great difficulty. "what nonsense! if we slow down, how shall we ever get anywhere?" "wait a minute," mused the cowardly lion, half closing his eyes. "aren't there two roads just ahead, one going up and one going down? we're to take the down road, i suppose. 'slow down,' isn't that what it says?" slow down it surely was, for the road was so steep and full of stones that dorothy and the cowardly lion had to pick their way with utmost care. but even bad roads must end somewhere, and coming suddenly to the edge of the woods, they saw a great city lying just below. a dim light burned over the main gate, and toward this the cowardly lion and dorothy hurried as fast as they could. this was not very fast, for an unaccountable drowsiness was stealing over them. slowly and more slowly, the tired little girl and her great four-footed companion advanced toward the dimly lighted gate. they were so drowsy that they had ceased to talk. but they dragged on. "hah, hoh, hum!" yawned the cowardly lion. "what makes my feet so heavy?" he stopped short and examined each of his four feet sleepily. dorothy swallowed a yawn and tried to run, but a walk was all she could manage. "hah, hoh, hum!" she gaped, stumbling along with her eyes closed. by the time they had reached the gate, they were yawning so hard that the cowardly lion had nearly dislocated his jaw, and dorothy was perfectly breathless. holding to the lion's mane to steady herself, dorothy blinked up uncertainly at the sign over the gate. "hah--here we are--hoh!" she held her hand wearily before her mouth. then, with a great effort, she read the words of the sign. "um--great--grand and mighty slow kingdom of pokes! uh-hah--pokes! do you hear? hah, hoh, hu, uum!" dorothy looked about in alarm, despite her sleepiness. "do you hear?" she repeated anxiously as no answer came through the gloom. the cowardly lion did not hear. he had fallen down and was fast asleep, and so in another minute was dorothy, her head pillowed against his kind, comfortable, cowardly heart. fast asleep at the gates of a strange gray city! chapter sir hokus of pokes it was long past sunup before dorothy awoke. she rubbed her eyes, yawned once or twice, and then shook the cowardly lion. the gates of the city were open, and although it looked even grayer in the daytime than it looked at night, the travelers were too hungry to be particular. a large placard was posted just inside: this is pokes! don't run! don't sing! talk slowly! don't whistle! _order of the chief poker._ read dorothy. "how cheerful! hah, hoh, hum-mm!" "don't!" begged the cowardly lion with tears in his eyes. "if i yawn again, i'll swallow my tail, and if i don't have something to eat soon, i'll do it anyway. let's hurry! there's something queer about this place, dorothy! ah, hah, hoh, hum-mm!" stifling their yawns, the two started down the long, narrow street. the houses were of gray stone, tall and stiff with tiny barred windows. it was absolutely quiet, and not a person was in sight. but when they turned the corner, they saw a crowd of queer-looking people creeping toward them. these singular individuals stopped between each step and stood perfectly still, and dorothy was so surprised at their unusual appearance that she laughed right in the middle of a yawn. in the first place, they never lifted their feet, but pushed them along like skates. the women were dressed in gray polka-dot dresses with huge poke bonnets that almost hid their fat, sleepy, wide-mouthed faces. most of them had pet snails on strings, and so slowly did they move that it looked as though the snails were tugging them along. the men were dressed like a party of congressmen, but instead of high hats wore large red nightcaps, and they were all as solemn as owls. it seemed impossible for them to keep both eyes open at the same time, and at first dorothy thought they were winking at her. but as the whole company continued to stare fixedly with one open eye, she burst out laughing. at the unexpected sound (for no one had ever laughed in pokes before), the women picked up their snails in a great fright, and the men clapped their fingers to their ears or to the places where their ears were under the red nightcaps. "these must be the slow pokes," giggled dorothy, nudging the cowardly lion. "let's go to meet them, for they'll never reach us at the rate they are coming!" "there's something wrong with my feet," rumbled the cowardly lion without looking up. "hah, hoh, hum! what's the use of hurrying?" the fact of the matter was that they couldn't hurry if they tried. indeed, they could hardly lift their feet at all. "i wish the scarecrow were with us," sighed the cowardly lion, shuffling along unhappily. "he never grows sleepy, and he always knows what to do." "no use wishing," yawned dorothy. "i only hope he's not as lost as we are." by struggling hard, they just managed to keep moving, and by the time they came up with the slow pokes, they were completely worn out. a cross-looking poke held up his arm threateningly, and dorothy and the cowardly lion stopped. "you--" said the poke; then closed his mouth and stood staring vacantly for a whole minute. "are--" he brought out the word with a perfectly enormous yawn, and dorothy began fanning the cowardly lion with her hat, for he showed signs of falling asleep again. "what?" she asked crossly. "under--" sighed the poke after a long pause, and dorothy, seeing that there was no hurrying him, began counting to herself. just as she reached sixty, the poke pushed back his red nightcap and shouted: "arrest!" "arrest!" shouted all the other pokes so loud that the cowardly lion roused himself with a start, and the pet snails stuck out their heads. "a rest? a rest is not what we want! we want breakfast!" growled the lion irritably and started to roar, but a yawn spoiled it. (one simply cannot look fierce by yawning.) "you--" began the poke. but dorothy could not stand hearing the same slow speech again. putting her fingers in her ears, she shouted back: "what for?" the pokes regarded her sternly. some even opened both eyes. then the one who had first addressed them, covering a terrific gape with one hand, pointed with the other to a sign on a large post at the corner of the street. "speed limit / mile an hour" said the sign. "we're arrested for speeding!" shouted dorothy in the cowardly lion's ear. "did you say feeding?" asked the poor lion, waking up with a start. "if i go to sleep again before i'm fed, i'll starve to death!" "then keep awake," yawned dorothy. by this time, the pokes had surrounded them and were waving them imperiously ahead. they looked so threatening that dorothy and the cowardly lion began to creep in the direction of a gloomy, gray castle. of the journey neither of them remembered a thing, for with the gaping and yawning pokes it was almost impossible to keep awake. but they must have walked in their sleep, for the next thing dorothy knew, a harsh voice called slowly: "poke--him!" greatly alarmed, dorothy opened her eyes. they were in a huge stone hall hung all over with rusty armor, and seated on a great stone chair, snoring so loudly that all the steel helmets rattled, was a knight. the tallest and crossest of the pokes rushed at him with a long poker, giving him such a shove that he sprawled to the floor. "so--" yawned the cowardly lion, awakened by the clatter, "knight has fallen!" "prisoners--sir hokus!" shouted the chief poker, lifting the knight's plume and speaking into the helmet as if he were telephoning. the knight arose with great dignity, and after straightening his armor, let down his visor, and dorothy saw a kind, timid face with melancholy blue eyes--not at all pokish, as she explained to ozma later. "what means this unwonted clamor?" asked sir hokus, peering curiously at the prisoners. "we're sorry to waken you," said dorothy politely, "but could you please give us some breakfast?" "a lot!" added the cowardly lion, licking his chops. "it's safer for me to sing," said the knight mournfully, and throwing back his head, he roared in a high, hoarse voice: "don't yawn! don't yawn! we're out of breath-- begone--begone or die the death!" the cowardly lion growled threateningly and began lashing his tail. "if he weren't in a can, i'd eat him," he rumbled, "but i never could abide tinned meat." "he's not in a can, he's in armor," explained dorothy, too interested to pay much attention to the cowardly lion, for at the first note of the knight's song, the pokes began scowling horribly, and by the time he had finished they were backing out of the room faster than dorothy ever imagined they could go. "so that's why the sign said don't sing," thought dorothy to herself. the air seemed clearer somehow, and she no longer felt sleepy. when the last poke had disappeared, the knight sighed and climbed gravely back on his stone chair. "my singing makes them very wroth. in faith, they cannot endure music; it wakens them," explained sir hokus. "but hold, 'twas food you asked of me. breakfast, i believe you called it." with an uneasy glance at the cowardly lion, who was sniffing the air hungrily, the knight banged on his steel armor with his sword, and a fat, lazy poke shuffled slowly into the hall. "pid, bring the stew," roared sir hokus as the poke stood blinking at them dully. "stew, pid!" he repeated loudly, and began to hum under his breath, at which pid fairly ran out of the room, returning in a few minutes with a large yellow bowl. this he handed ungraciously to dorothy. then he brought a great copper tub of the stuff for the cowardly lion and retired sulkily. dorothy thought she had never tasted anything more delicious. the cowardly lion was gulping down his share with closed eyes, and both, i am very sorry to say, forgot even to thank sir hokus. "are you perchance a damsel in distress?" quite startled, dorothy looked up from her bowl and saw the knight regarding her wistfully. "she's in pokes, and that's the same thing," said the cowardly lion without opening his eyes. "we're lost," began the little girl, "but--" there was something so quaint and gentle about the knight, that she soon found herself talking to him like an old friend. she told him all of their adventures since leaving the emerald city and even told about the disappearance of the scarecrow. "passing strange, yet how refreshing," murmured sir hokus. "and if i seem a little behind times, you must not blame me. for centuries, i have dozed in this gray castle, and it cometh over me that things have greatly changed. this beast now, he talks quite manfully, and this kingdom that you mention, this oz? never heard of it!" "never heard of oz?" gasped the little girl. "why, you're a subject of oz, and pokes is in oz, though i don't know just where." here dorothy gave him a short history of the fairy country, and of the many adventures she had had since she had come there. sir hokus listened with growing melancholy. "to think," he sighed mournfully, "that i was prisoner here while all that was happening!" "are _you_ a prisoner?" asked dorothy in surprise. "i thought you were king of the pokes!" "uds daggers!" thundered sir hokus so suddenly that dorothy jumped. "i am a _knight!"_ seeing her startled expression, he controlled himself. "i was a knight," he continued brokenly. "long centuries ago, mounted on my goodly steed, i fared from my father's castle to offer my sword to a mighty king. his name?" sir hokus tapped his forehead uncertainly. "go to, i have forgot." "could it have been king arthur?" exclaimed dorothy, wide-eyed with interest. "why, just think of your being still alive!" "that's just the point," choked the knight. "i've been alive--still, so still that i've forgotten everything. why, i can't even remember how i used to talk," he confessed miserably. "but how did you get here?" rumbled the cowardly lion, who did not like being left out of the conversation. "i had barely left my father's castle before i met a stranger," said sir hokus, sitting up very straight, "who challenged me to battle. i spurred my horse forward, our lances met, and the stranger was unseated. but by my faith, 'twas no mortal knight." sir hokus sighed deeply and lapsed into silence. "what happened?" asked dorothy curiously, for sir hokus seemed to have forgotten them. "the knight," said he with another mighty sigh, "struck the ground with his lance and cried, 'live wretch, for centuries in the stupidest country out of the world,' and disappeared. and here--here i am!" with a despairing gesture, sir hokus arose, big tears splashing down his armor. "i feel that i am brave, very brave, but how am i to know until i have encountered danger? ah, friends, behold in me a knight who has never had a real adventure, never killed a dragon, nor championed a lady, nor gone on a quest!" dropping on his knees before the little girl, sir hokus took her hand. "let me go with you on this quest for the valiant scarecrow. let me be your good night!" he begged eagerly. "good night," coughed the cowardly lion, who, to tell the truth, was feeling a bit jealous. but dorothy was thrilled, and as sir hokus continued to look at her pleadingly, she took off her hair ribbon and bound it 'round his arm. "you shall be my own true knight, and i your lady fair!" she announced solemnly, and exactly as she had read in books. at this interesting juncture the cowardly lion gave a tremendous yawn, and sir hokus with an exclamation of alarm jumped to his feet. the pokes had returned to the hall, and dorothy felt herself falling asleep again. up, up, my lieges and away! we take the field again-- for ladies fair we fight today and king! up, up, my merry men! shrilled the knight as if he were leading an army to battle. the pokes opened both eyes, but did not immediately retire. sir hokus bravely swallowed a yawn and hastily clearing his throat shouted another song, which he evidently made up on the spur of the moment: avaunt! be off! be gone--methinks we'll be asleep in forty winks! this time the pokes left sullenly, but the effect of their presence had thrown dorothy, the cowardly lion, and the knight into a violent fit of the gapes. "if i fall asleep, nothing can save you," said sir hokus in an agitated voice. "hah, hoh, hum! hah--!" the knight's eyes closed. "don't do it, don't do it!" begged dorothy, shaking him violently. "can't we run away?" "i've been trying for five centuries," wailed the knight in a discouraged voice, "but i always fall asleep before i reach the gate, and they bring me back here. they're rather fond of me in their slow way," he added apologetically. "couldn't you keep singing?" asked the cowardly lion anxiously, for the prospect of a five-century stay in pokes was more than he could bear. "couldn't we _all_ sing?" suggested dorothy. "surely all three of us won't fall asleep at once." "i'm not much of a singer," groaned the cowardly lion, beginning to tremble, "but i'm willing to do my share!" "i like you," said sir hokus, going over and thumping the cowardly lion approvingly on the back. "you ought to be knighted!" the lion blinked his eyes, for sir hokus' iron fist bruised him severely, but knowing it was kindly meant, he bore it bravely. "i am henceforth a beknighted lion," he whispered to dorothy while sir hokus was straightening his armor. next the knight took down an iron poker, which he handed to dorothy. "to wake us up with," he explained. "and now, lady dorothy, if you are ready, we will start on the quest for the honorable scarecrow, and remember, everybody sing--_sing for your life!"_ chapter singing their way out of pokes taking a deep breath, sir hokus, the cowardly lion and dorothy burst out of the hall singing at the top of their voices. "three blind mice--!" sang dorothy. "across the plain!" shouted sir hokus. "i am the cowardly lion of oz!" roared the lion. the pokes were so taken aback at the horrid sounds that they ran scurrying right and left. in another minute the three were out of the castle and singing their way through the gloomy garden. dorothy stuck to the three blind mice. sir hokus sang verse after verse of an old english ballad, and the cowardly lion roared and gurgled a song of his own making, which, considering it was a first attempt, was not so bad: i am the cowardly lion of oz! be good! begone! beware! becoz when i am scared full fierce i be; br--rah--grr--ruff, look out for me! the pokes stumbled this way and that, and all went well until they rushed into a company of pokes who were playing croquet. the slowness with which they raised their mallets fascinated dorothy, and she stopped to watch them in spite of herself. "don't stop! sing!" growled the cowardly lion in the middle of a line. to make up for lost time, dorothy closed her eyes and sang harder than ever, but alas! next instant she fell over a wicket, which so deprived her of breath that she could barely scramble up, let alone sing. as soon as she stopped singing, the pokes paused in their flight, and as soon as they paused dorothy began to gape. singing for dear life, sir hokus jerked dorothy by the arm, and the cowardly lion roared so loud that the pokes covered their ears and began backing away. "there was a knight! come on, come on!" sang sir hokus, and dorothy came, and in a few minutes was able to take up the "three blind mice" again. but running and singing at the same time is not an easy task. and running through pokes is like trying to run through water. (you know how hard that is?) "three blind mice--uh--hah--three blind--mice--uh-hah--i can't sing another note! thu--ree--!" gasped poor dorothy, stumbling along, while the cowardly lion was puffing like an engine. the pokes in the garden had recovered from their first alarm and were following at a safe distance. the gates of the city were only a short distance off, but it seemed to dorothy that she could not go another step. a large group of pokes had gathered at the gates, and unless they could sing their way through, they would fall asleep and be carried ignominiously back to the castle. "now!" wheezed sir hokus, "remember, it is for the scarecrow!" all of them swallowed, took a deep breath, and put their last remaining strength into their voices. but a wily poke who had stuffed some cotton in his ears now approached pushing a little cart. "take--!" he drawled, and before dorothy realized what she was doing, she had accepted a cone from the poke. "hah, hoh, hum! why, it's hokey pokey!" spluttered dorothy, and with a deep sigh of delight she took a large bite of the pink ice cream. how cool it felt on her dry throat! she opened her mouth for a second taste, yawned terrifically, and fell with a thud to the stone pavement. "dorothy!" wailed sir hokus, stopping short in his song and bending over the little girl. the poor cowardly lion gave a gulp of despair and began running around the two, roaring and singing in a choked voice. the pokes nodded to each other in a pleased fashion, and the chief poker started cautiously toward them with a long, thick rope. the cowardly lion redoubled his efforts. then, seeing sir hokus about to fall, he jumped on the knight with all his strength. down crashed sir hokus, his armor clanging against the stones that paved the gateway. "sing!" roared the cowardly lion, glaring at him fiercely. the fall wakened the poor knight, but he had not the strength to rise. sitting on the hard stones and looking reproachfully at the cowardly lion, he began his ballad in a half-hearted fashion. the cowardly lion's heart was like to burst between lack of breath and fear, but making one last tremendous effort and still roaring his song, he bounded at the chief poker, seized the rope, and was back before the stupid creature had time to yawn. "tie it around your waist; take dorothy in your arms!" gasped the cowardly lion out of the corner of his mouth. sir hokus, though completely dazed, had just enough presence of mind to obey, and the next minute the cowardly lion, growling between his teeth like a good fellow, was dashing through the group of pokes, the other end of the rope in his mouth. bumpety bump--bump--bump! bangety-bang-bang! went sir hokus over the cobbles, holding his helmet with one hand and dorothy fast in the other arm. the pokes fell this way and that, and such was the determination of the cowardly lion that he never stopped till he was out of the gate and halfway up the rough road they had so recently traveled. then with a mighty sigh, he dropped the rope, rolled over and over down the hill, and lay panting with exhaustion at the bottom. the bumping over the cobbles had wakened sir hokus thoroughly. indeed, the poor knight was black and blue, and his armor dented and scraped frightfully in important places. dorothy, considerably shaken, opened her eyes and began feebly singing "three blind mice." "no need," puffed sir hokus, lifting her off his lap and rising stiffly. "yon noble beast has rescued us." "won't the pokes come up here?" asked dorothy, staring around a bit dizzily. "they cannot live out of the kingdom," said the knight, and dorothy drew a big sigh of relief. sir hokus, however, was looking very grave. "i have failed on my first adventure. had it not been for the cowardly lion, we would now be prisoners in pokes," he murmured sadly. then he unfastened the plume from his helmet. "it beseemeth me not to wear it," sighed the knight mournfully, and though dorothy tried her best to comfort him, he refused to put it back. finally, she fastened the plume to her dress, and they went down to the cowardly lion. there was a little spring nearby, and after they had poured six helmets of water over his head, the lion opened his eyes. "been in a good many fights," gasped the lion, "but i never fought one like this. singing, bah!" "noble sir, how can i ever repay you?" faltered the knight. "alas, that i have failed in the hour of trial!" "why, it wasn't a question of courage at all," rumbled the cowardly lion, greatly embarrassed. "i had the loudest voice and the most breath, that's all! you got the rough end of it." sir hokus looked ruefully at his armor. the back was entirely squashed. "never mind!" said the knight bravely. "it is the front one presents to the foe." "now you're talking like a real knight," said dorothy. "a while ago you said, 'yon' and 'beseemeth,' and first thing you know the talk will all come back to you." sir hokus' honest face shone with pleasure. "odds bludgeons and truncheons! the little maid is right!" he exclaimed, striking an attitude. "and once it does, the rest will be easy." "don't say rest to me," begged the cowardly lion, getting slowly to his feet. "hah, hoh, hum! just to think of it makes me yawn. now don't you think we had better start off?" "if you're rested," began dorothy. the cowardly lion put his paw over his ear and looked so comical that both dorothy and sir hokus laughed heartily. "if you're ready," amended dorothy, and the three adventurers started up the steep road. "the first thing to do," said the little girl, "is to get back to the emerald city as quickly as we can." at this very minute glinda, the good sorceress of oz, in her palace in the quadling country, was puzzling over an entry in the magic record book. this book tells everything that is happening in the world and out, and while it does not give details, it is a very useful possession. "the emperor of the silver islands," read glinda, "has returned to his people." "now who is the emperor of the silver islands?" she asked herself. she puzzled about it for a long while, and then, deciding that it had nothing to do with the fairy kingdom of oz, she closed the book and went for a walk in the palace garden. dorothy and sir hokus and the cowardly lion had meanwhile reached the first sign in the dim forest, the sign directing travelers to pokes. two roads branched out through the forest, and after much debating they took the wider. "do you 'spose this leads to the emerald city?" asked cowardly lion dubiously. "time will tell, time will tell," said sir hokus cheerfully. "yes," murmured the cowardly lion, "time will tell. but what?" chapter the scarecrow is hailed as emperor! leaning forward on the great throne, the scarecrow waited impatiently for the ancient gentleman to speak. the gray-skinned courtiers were eyeing him expectantly, and just as the suspense became almost unendurable, the old man threw up his arms and cried sharply: "the prophecy of the magic beanstalk has been fulfilled. in this radiant and sublime scarecrowcus, the spirit of chang wang woe, the mighty, has returned. and i, the grand chew chew of the realm, prostrate myself before this wonderful scarecrowcus, emperor of the silver islands." so, likewise, did all the company present, and the scarecrow, taken unawares, flew up several feet and landed in a heap on the steps leading to the throne. he climbed back hurriedly, picking up the fan and parasol that he had plucked from the beanstalk. "i wish professor wogglebug could hear this," said the scarecrow, settling himself complacently. "but i must watch out, and remember to hold on." the grand chew chew was the first to rise, and folding his arms, he asked solemnly: "what are your commands, ancient and honorable scarecrowcus?" "if you'd just omit the cus," begged the scarecrow in an embarrassed voice, "i believe i could think better. am i in china, or where? are you chinamen, or what?" "we are silvermen," said the grand chew chew impressively, "and a much older race than our chinese cousins. they are people of the sun. we are people of the stars. has your highness so soon forgotten?" "i am afraid," said the scarecrow, rubbing his chin reflectively, "that i have." he gazed slowly around the great throne room. ozma's palace itself was not more dazzling. the floor of dull silver blocks was covered with rich blue rugs. furniture, chairs, screens and everything were made of silver inlaid with precious stones. filigreed silver lanterns hung from the high ceilings, and tall silver vases filled with pink and blue blossoms filled the rooms with their perfume. blue flags embroidered with silver stars fluttered from the walls and the tips of the pikebearers' spears, and silver seemed to be so plentiful that even shoes were fashioned of it. faintly through the windows came the sweet tones of a hundred silver chimes, and altogether the scarecrow was quite dazed by his apparent good fortune. surely they had called him emperor, but how could that be? he turned to address the grand chew chew; then as he saw out of the corner of his eye that the assemblage were making ready to fall upon their faces, he exclaimed in a hoarse whisper: "may i speak to you alone?" the grand chew chew waved his hand imperiously, and the courtiers with a great crackling of silver brocade backed from the hall. "very kind of them to bow, but i wish they wouldn't," sighed the scarecrow, sinking back on the great throne. "it blows one about so. i declare, if another person falls at my feet, i'll have nervous prostration." again he took a long survey of the hall, then turned to the grand chew chew. "would you mind," he asked simply, "telling me again who i am and how?" "who and how? who--you are, illustrious sir, the emperor chang wang woe, or to be more exact, his spirit!" "i have always been a spirited person," observed the scarecrow dubiously, "but never a spirit without a person. i must insist on being a person." "how?" the grand chew chew proceeded without noticing the scarecrow's remarks. "fifty years ago--after your extreme highness had defeated in battle the king of the golden islands--a magician entered the realm. this magician, in the employ of this wicked king, entered a room in the palace where your highness lay sleeping and by an act of necromancy changed you to a crocus!" "ouch!" exclaimed the scarecrow, shuddering involuntarily. "and had it not been for the empress, your faithful wife, you would have been lost forever to the empire." "wife?" gasped the scarecrow faintly. "have i a wife?" "if your highness will permit me to finish," begged the grand chew chew with great dignity. the scarecrow nodded. "your wife, tsing tsing, the beautiful, took the crocus, which was fading rapidly, and planted it in a silver bowl in the center of this very hall and for three days kept it fresh with her tears. waking on the third morning, the empress was amazed to see in place of the crocus a giant bean pole that extended to the roof of the palace and disappeared among the clouds." "ah!" murmured the scarecrow, looking up, "my family tree!" "beside the bean pole lay a crumpled parchment." the grand chew chew felt in the sleeve of his kimono and brought out a bit of crumpled silver paper, and adjusting his horn spectacles, read slowly. "into the first being who touches this magic pole--on the other side of the world--the spirit of emperor chang wang woe will enter. and fifty years from this day, he will return--to save his people." the grand chew chew took off his specs and folded up the paper. "the day has come! you have come down the bean pole, and are undoubtedly that being who has gone from emperor to crocus to scarecrowcus. i have ruled the islands these fifty years; have seen to the education of your sons and grandsons. and now, gracious and exalted master, as i am an old man i ask you to relieve me from the cares of state." "sons! grandsons!" choked the scarecrow, beginning to feel very much alarmed indeed. "how old am i?" "your highness," said the grand chew chew with a deep salaam, "is as old as i. in other words, you are in the ripe and glorious eighty-fifth year of your majesty's illustrious and useful age." "eighty five!" gasped the scarecrow, staring in dismay at the gray, wrinkled face of the old silverman. "now see here, chew chew, are you sure of that?" "quite sure, immortal and honored master!" the scarecrow could not help but be convinced of the truth of the grand chew chew's story. the pole in the munchkin farmer's cornfield was none other than the magic beanstalk, and he, thrust on the pole by the farmer to scare away the crows, had received the spirit of the emperor chang wang woe. "which accounts for my cleverness," he thought gloomily. now, surely he should have been pleased, for he had come in search of a family, but the acquisition of an empire, sons and grandsons, and old age, all in a trice, fairly took his breath away. "does the prophecy say anything about restoring my imperial person?" he asked anxiously, for the thought of looking like chew chew was not a cheerful one. "alas, no!" sighed the grand chew chew sorrowfully. "but we have very clever wizards on the island, and i shall set them at work on the problem at once." "now don't be in such a rush," begged the scarecrow, secretly determined to lock up the wizards at the first opportunity. "i'm rather fond of this shape. you see, it requires no food and never grows tired--or old!" "the royal robes will in a measure conceal it," murmured the grand chew chew politely, and clapped his hands. a little servitor bounced into the hall. "a royal robe, quick silver, for his radiant highness," snapped the grand chew chew. in a moment quick silver had returned with a magnificent purple satin robe embroidered in silver threads and heavy with jewels, and a hat of silver cloth with upturned brim. the scarecrow wrapped himself in the purple robe, took off his old munchkin hat, and substituted the imperial headpiece. "how do i look, chew?" he asked anxiously. "quite like your old imperial self, except--" the old prime minister ran unsteadily out of the room. there was a muffled scream from the hall, and the next instant he returned with a long, shiny, silver queue which he had evidently clipped from the head of one of the servants. removing the scarecrow's hat, he pinned the queue to the back, set it on the scarecrow's head, and stood regarding him with great satisfaction. "ah, if the empress could only see you!" he murmured rapturously. "where--where is she?" asked the scarecrow, looking around nervously. his long, care-free life in oz had somewhat unfitted him, he reflected, for family life. "alas!" sighed the grand chew chew, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his kimono, "she has returned to her silver ancestors." "then show me her picture," commanded the scarecrow, visibly affected. the grand chew chew stepped to a side wall, and pulling on a silken cord, disclosed the picture of a large, gray lady with curiously small eyes and a curiously large nose. "is she not beautiful?" asked the grand chew chew, bowing his head. "beautiful--er--er, beautiful!" gulped the scarecrow. he thought of lovely little ozma and dear little dorothy, and all at once felt terribly upset and homesick. he had no recollection of the silver island or his life here whatever. who was he, anyway--the scarecrow of oz or emperor chang wang woe? he couldn't be both. "ah!" whispered the grand chew chew, seeing his agitation. "you remember her?" the scarecrow shook his head, with an inward shudder. "now show me myself, chew," he asked curiously. pulling the cord of a portrait beside the empress, chew chew revealed the picture of chang wang woe as he had been fifty years ago. his face was bland and jolly, and to be perfectly truthful, quite like the scarecrow's in shape and expression. "i am beside myself," murmured the scarecrow dazedly--which in truth he was. "you were--er--are a very royal and handsome person," stammered the grand chew chew. the scarecrow, stepping off the throne to examine himself more closely, dropped the little fan and parasol. he had really not had time to examine them since they snapped off the beanstalk, and now, looking at them carefully, he found them extremely pretty. "dorothy will like these," thought the scarecrow, slipping them into a large inside pocket of his robe. already, in the back of his head, was a queer notion that he would at some time or other return to oz. he started to give the grand chew chew a spirited description of that wonderful country, but the ancient gentleman yawned and, waving his hands toward the door, interrupted him with: "would not your supreme highness care to inspect your present dominions?" "i suppose i may as well!" with a deep sigh, the scarecrow took the grand chew chew's arm and, holding up his royal kimono (which was rather long) with the other hand, walked unsteadily down the great salon. they were about to pass into the garden when a little fat silverman slid around the door, a huge silver drumstick upraised in his right hand and a great drum hung about his neck. the drummer beamed on the scarecrow. chang wang woe, the beautiful, the beautiful has come! sublime and silver scarecrow, let sound the royal drum! chanted the little man in a high, thin voice, and started to bring the drumstick down upon the huge head of his noisy instrument. "no you don't!" cried the scarecrow, leaping forward and catching his arm. "i positively forbid it!" "then i shall have no work!" screamed the drummer, falling on his face. "ah, gracious master, don't you remember me?" "yes," said the scarecrow kindly, "who are you?" "oh, don't you remember little happy toko?" wheezed the little man, the tears rolling down his cheeks. "i was only a boy, but you used to be fond of me." "why, of course, my dear tappy," said the scarecrow, not liking to hurt the little fellow's feelings. "but why do you beat the drum?" "it is customary to sound the drum at the approach of your royal highness," put in the grand chew chew importantly. "was customary," said the scarecrow firmly. "my dear tappy oko, never sound it in my presence again; it is too upsetting." which was true enough, for one blow of the drum sent the flimsy scarecrow flying into the air. "you're dismissed, happy," snapped the grand chew chew. at this, the little silver islander began weeping and roaring with distress. "stop! what else can you do besides beat a drum?" asked the scarecrow kindly. "i can sing, stand on my head, and tell jokes," sniffed happy toko, shuffling from one foot to the other. "very good," said the scarecrow. "you are henceforth imperial punster to my person. come along, we're going to look over the island." the grand chew chew frowned so terribly that happy toko's knees shook with terror. "it is not fitting for a slave to accompany the grand chew chew and the emperor," he hissed angrily. the scarecrow looked surprised, for the kingdom of oz is quite democratic, and no one is considered better than another. but seeing this was not the time to argue, he winked broadly behind the grand chew chew's back. "i'll see you again, tappy my boy," he called genially, and passed out into the garden, where a magnificent silver palanquin, surrounded by pikemen and shieldbearers, awaited him. chapter the scarecrow studies the silver island two days had passed since the scarecrow had fallen into his kingdom. he was not finding his royal duties as pleasant as he had anticipated. the country was beautiful enough, but being emperor of the silver islands was not the simple affair that ruling oz had been. the pigtail on the back of his hat was terribly distracting, and he was always tripping over his kimono, to which he could not seem to accustom himself. his subjects were extremely quarrelsome, always pulling one another's queues or stealing fruit, umbrellas, and silver polish. his ministers, the grand chew chew, the chief chow chow, and general mugwump, were no better, and keeping peace in the palace took all the scarecrow's cleverness. in the daytime he tried culprits in the royal court, interviewed his seventeen secretaries, rode out in the royal palanquin, and made speeches to visiting princes. at night he sat in the great silver salon and by the light of the lanterns studied the book of ceremonies. his etiquette, the grand chew chew informed him, was shocking. he was always doing something wrong, dodging the imperial umbrella, speaking kindly to a palace servant, or walking unattended in the gardens. the royal palace itself was richly furnished, and the scarecrow had more than five hundred robes of state. the gardens, with their sparkling waterfalls, glowing orange trees, silver temples, towers and bridges, were too lovely for words. poppies, roses, lotus and other lilies perfumed the air, and at night a thousand silver lanterns turned them to a veritable fairyland. the grass and trees were green as in other lands, but the sky as always full of tiny silver clouds, the waters surrounding the island were of a lovely liquid silver, and as all the houses and towers were of this gleaming metal, the effect was bewildering and beautiful. but the silver islanders themselves were too stupid to appreciate this beauty. "and what use is it all when i have no one to enjoy it with me," sighed the scarecrow. "and no time to _play!"_ in oz no one thought it queer if ozma, the little queen, jumped rope with dorothy or betsy bobbin, or had a quiet game of croquet with the palace cook. but here, alas, everything was different. if the scarecrow so much as ventured a game of ball with the gardener's boy, the whole court was thrown into an uproar. at first, the scarecrow tried to please everybody, but finding that nothing pleased the people in the palace, he decided to please himself. "i don't care a kinkajou if i am the emperor, i'm going to talk to whom i please!" he exclaimed on the second night, and shaking his glove at a bronze statue, he threw the book of ceremonies into the fountain. the next morning, therefore, he ascended the throne with great firmness. immediately, the courtiers prostrated themselves, and the scarecrow's arms and legs blew about wildly. "stand up at once," puffed the scarecrow when he had regained his balance. "you are giving me nervous prostration. chew, kindly issue an edict forbidding prostrations. anyone caught bowing in my presence again shall lose--" the courtiers looked alarmed "--his pigtail!" finished the scarecrow. "and now, chew, you will take my place, please. i am going for a walk with tappy oko." the grand chew chew's mouth fell open with surprise, but seeing the scarecrow's determined expression, he dared not disobey, and he immediately began making strange marks on a long, red parchment. happy toko trembled as the scarecrow emperor took his arm, and the courtiers stared at one another in dismay as the two walked quietly out into the garden. nothing happened, however, and tappy, regaining his composure, took out a little silver flute and started a lively tune. "i had to take matters into my own hands, tappy," said the scarecrow, listening to the music with a pleased expression. "are there any words to that song?" "yes, illustrious and supreme sir!" two spoons went down a por-ce-lane, to meet a china saucer, a 'talking china in a way to break a white man's jaw, sir! sang happy, and finished by standing gravely on his head. "your majesty used to be very fond of this song," spluttered happy. (it is difficult to speak while upside down, and if you don't think so, try it!) "ah!" said the scarecrow, beginning to feel more cheerful, "tell me something about myself and my family, tappy oko." "happy toko, if it pleases your supreme amiability," corrected the little silver man, somersaulting to a standstill beside the scarecrow. "it does and it doesn't," murmured the scarecrow. "there is something about you that reminds me of a pudding, and you tapped the drum, didn't you? i believe i shall call you tappy oko, if you don't mind!" the scarecrow seated himself on a silver bench and motioned for the imperial punster to sit down beside him. tappy oko sat down fearfully, first making sure that he was not observed. "saving your imperial presence, this is not permitted," said tappy uneasily. "never mind about my imperial presence," chuckled the scarecrow. "tell me about my imperial past." "ah!" said tappy oko, rolling up his eyes, "you were one of the most magnificent and magnanimous of monarchs." "was i?" asked the scarecrow in a pleased voice. "you distributed rice among the poor, and advice among the rich, and fought many glorious battles," continued the little man. "i composed a little song about you. perhaps you would like to hear it?" the scarecrow nodded, and tappy, throwing back his head, chanted with a will: chang wang woe did draw the bow-- and twist the queues of a thousand foe! "in oz," murmured the scarecrow reflectively as tappy finished, "i twisted the necks of a flock of wild crows--that was before i had my excellent brains, too. oh, i'm a fighting man, there's no doubt about it. but tell me, tappy, where did i meet my wife?" "in the water!" chuckled tappy oko, screwing up his eyes. "never!" the scarecrow looked out over the harbor and then down at his lumpy figure. "your majesty forgets you were then a man like me--er--not stuffed with straw, i mean," exclaimed happy, looking embarrassed. "she was fishing," continued the little punster, "when a huge silver fish became entangled in her line. she stood up, the fish gave a mighty leap and pulled her out of the boat. your majesty, having seen the whole affair from the bank, plunged bravely into the water and, swimming out, rescued her, freed the fish, and in due time made her your bride. i've made a song about that, also." "let's hear it," said the scarecrow. and this is what happy sung: tsing tsing, a silver fisher's daughter, was fishing in the silver water. the moon shone on her silver hair and there were fishes everywhere! then came a mighty silver fish, it seized her line and with a swish of silver fins upset her boat. tsing tsing could neither swim nor float. she raised her silver voice in fear and who her call of help should hear but chang wang woe, the emperor, who saved and married her, what's more! "did i really?" asked the scarecrow, feeling quite flattered by happy's song. "yes," said happy positively, "and invited me to the wedding, though i was only a small boy." "was chew chew there?" the scarecrow couldn't help wondering how the old nobleman had taken his marriage with a poor fisherman's daughter. happy chuckled at the memory. "he had a princess all picked out for you," he confided merrily: and there he stood in awful pride and scorned the father of the bride! "hoh!" roared the scarecrow, falling off the bench. "that's the ozziest thing i've heard since i landed in the silver islands. tappy, my boy, i believe we are going to be friends! but let's forget the past and think of the present!" the scarecrow embraced his imperial punster on the spot. "let's find something jolly to do," he suggested. "would your extreme highness care for kites?" asked happy. "'tis a favorite sport here!" "would i! but wait, i will disguise myself." hiding his royal hat under the bench, he put on happy toko's broad-rimmed peasant hat. it turned down all 'round and almost hid his face. then he turned his robe inside out and declared himself ready. they passed through a small silver town before they reached the field where the kites were to be flown, and the scarecrow was delighted with its picturesque and quaint appearance. the streets were narrow and full of queer shops. silver lanterns and little pennants hung from each door, the merchants and maidens in their gay sedans and the people afoot made a bright and lively picture. "if i could just live here instead of in the palace," mused the scarecrow, pausing before a modest rice shop. it is dangerous to stop in the narrow streets, and happy jerked his master aside just in time to prevent his being trodden on by a huge camel. it sniffed at the scarecrow suspiciously, and they were forced to flatten themselves against a wall to let it pass. happy anxiously hurried the emperor through the town, and they soon arrived at the kite flying field. a great throng had gathered to watch the exhibition, and there were more kites than one would see in a lifetime here. huge fish, silver paper dragons, birds--every sort and shape of kite was tugging at its string, and hundreds of silver islanders--boys, girls and grown-ups-- were looking on. "how interesting," said the scarecrow, fascinated by a huge dragon that floated just over his head. "i wish dorothy could see this, i do indeed!" but the dragon kite seemed almost alive, and horrors! just as it swooped down, a hook in the tail caught in the scarecrow's collar, and before happy toko could even wink, the emperor of the silver islands was sailing towards the clouds. the scarecrow, as you must know, weighs almost nothing, and the people shouted with glee, for they thought him a dummy man and part of the performance. but happy toko ran after the kite as fast as his fat little legs would carry him. "alas, alas, i shall lose my position!" wailed happy toko, quite convinced that the scarecrow would be dashed to pieces on the rocks. "oh, putty head that i am to set myself against the grand chew chew!" the scarecrow, however, after recovering from the first shock, began to enjoy himself. holding fast to the dragon's tail, he looked down with great interest upon his dominions. rocks, mountains, tall silver pagodas, drooping willow trees, flashed beneath him. truly a beautiful island! his gaze strayed over the silver waters surrounding the island, and he was astonished to see a great fleet sailing into the harbor--a great fleet of singular vessels with silken sails. "what's this?" thought the scarecrow. but just then the dragon kite became suddenly possessed. it jerked him up, it jerked him down, and shook him this way and that. his hat flew off, his arms and legs whirled wildly, and pieces of straw began to float downward. then the hook ripped and tore through his coat and, making a terrible slit in his back, came out. down, down, down flashed the scarecrow and landed in a heap on the rocks. poor happy toko rushed toward him with streaming eyes. "oh radiant and immortal scarecrowcus, what have they done to you?" he moaned, dropping on his knees beside the flimsy shape of the emperor. "merely knocked out my honorable stuffing," mumbled the scarecrow. "now tappy, my dear fellow, will you just turn me over? there's a rock in my eye that keeps me from thinking." happy toko, at the sound of a voice from the rumpled heap of clothing, gave a great leap. "is there any straw about?" asked the scarecrow anxiously. "why don't you turn me over?" "it's his ghost," moaned happy toko, and because he dared not disobey a royal ghost, he turned the scarecrow over with trembling hands. "don't be alarmed," said the scarecrow, smiling reassuringly. "i'm not breakable like you meat people. a little straw will make me good as new. a little straw--straw, do you hear?" for happy's pigtail was still on end, and he was shaking so that his silver shoes clattered on the rocks. "i command you to fetch straw!" cried the scarecrow at last, in an angry voice. happy dashed away. when he returned with an arm full of straw, the scarecrow managed to convince him that he was quite alive. "it is impossible to kill a person from oz," he explained proudly, "and that is why my present figure is so much more satisfactory than yours. i do not have to eat or sleep and can always be repaired. have you some safety pins?" happy produced several and under the scarecrow's direction stuffed out his chest and pinned up his rents. "let us return," said the scarecrow. "i've had enough pleasure for one day, and can't you sing something, tappy?" running and fright had somewhat affected happy's voice, but he squeaked out a funny little song, and the two, keeping time to the tune, came without further mishap to the imperial gardens. happy had just set the royal hat upon the scarecrow's head and brushed off his robes when a company of courtiers dashed out of the palace door and came running toward them. "great cornstarch!" exclaimed the scarecrow, sitting heavily down on the silver bench. "what's the matter now? here are all the pig-heads on the island, and look how old chew chew is puffing!" "one would expect a chew chew to puff," observed happy slyly. "one would--" but he got no further, for the whole company was upon them. "save us! save us!" wailed the courtiers, forgetting the royal edict and falling on their faces. "what from?" asked the scarecrow, holding fast to the silver bench. "the king--the king of the golden islands!" shrieked the grand chew chew. "ah yes!" murmured the scarecrow, frowning thoughtfully. "was that his fleet coming into the harbor?" the grand chew chew jumped up in astonishment. "how could your highness see the fleet from here?" he stuttered. "not from here--there," said the scarecrow, pointing upward and winking at happy toko. "my highness goes very high, you see!" "your majesty does not seem to realize the seriousness of the matter," choked the grand chew chew. "he will set fire to the island and make us all slaves." at this, the courtiers began banging their heads distractedly on the grass. "set fire to the island!" exclaimed the scarecrow, jumping to his feet. "then peace to _my_ ashes! tappy, will you see that they are sent back to oz?" "save us! save us!" screamed the frightened silvermen. "the prophecy of the beanstalk has promised that you would save us. you are the emperor chang wang woe," persisted the grand chew chew, waving his long arms. "woe is me," murmured the scarecrow, clasping his yellow gloves. "but let me think." chapter "save us with your magic, exalted one!" for several minutes, the scarecrow sat perfectly still while the company stood shaking in their shoes. then he asked loudly, "where is the imperial army?" "it has retired to the caves at the end of the island," quavered the grand chew chew. "i thought as much," said the scarecrow. "but never mind, there are quite a lot of us." "us!" spluttered a tall silverman indignantly. "we are not common soldiers." "no, very uncommon ones, but you have hard heads and long nails, and i dare say will manage somehow. come on, let's go. chew, you may take the lead." "go!" shrieked the grand chew chew. "us?" the courtiers began backing away in alarm. "where--er--what--are your highness' plans?" "why, just to conquer the king of the golden islands and send him back home," said the scarecrow, smiling engagingly. "that's what you wanted, isn't it?" "but it is not honorable for noblemen to fight. it--" "oh, of course, if you prefer burning--" the scarecrow rose unsteadily and started for the garden gates. not a person stirred. the scarecrow looked back, and his reproachful face was too much for happy toko. "i'll come, exalted and radiant scarecrowcus! wait, honorable and valiant sir!" "bring a watering can, if you love me," called the scarecrow over his shoulder, and happy, snatching one from a frightened gardener, dashed after his master. "if things get too hot, i'd like to know that you can put me out," said the scarecrow, his voice quivering with emotion. "you shall be rewarded for this, my brave tappy." happy did not answer, for his teeth were chattering so he could not speak. the harbor lay just below the imperial palace, and the scarecrow and happy hurried on through the crowds of fleeing silvermen, their household goods packed upon their heads. some cheered faintly for chang wang woe, but none offered to follow, save the faithful happy. "is this king old?" asked the scarecrow, looking anxiously at the small boats full of warriors that were putting out from the fleet. "he is the son of the king whom your majesty conquered fifty years ago," gulped happy. "ha--has your imperial highness any--plan?" "not yet," said the scarecrow cheerfully, "but i'm thinking very hard." "then, goodbye to silver island!" choked happy toko, dropping the watering can with a crash. "never mind," said the scarecrow kindly. "if they shoot me and i catch fire, i'll jump in the water and you must fish me out, tappy. now please don't talk any more. i must think!" poor happy toko had nothing else to say, for he considered his day finished. the first of the invaders were already landing on the beach, and standing up in a small boat, encased in glittering gold armor, was the king of the golden islands, himself. the sun was quite hot, and there was a smell of gunpowder in the air. now the scarecrow had encountered many dangers in oz and had usually thought his way out of them, but as they came nearer and nearer to the shore and no idea presented itself, he began to feel extremely nervous. a bullet fired from the king's boat tore through his hat, and the smoke made him more anxious than ever about his straw stuffing. he felt hurriedly in his pocket, and his clumsy fingers closed over the little fan he had plucked from the bean pole. partly from agitation and partly because he did not know what else to do, the scarecrow flipped the fan open. at that minute, a mighty roar went up from the enemy, for at the first motion of the fan they had been jerked fifty feet into the air, and there they hung suspended over their ships, kicking and squealing for dear life. the scarecrow was as surprised as they, and as for happy toko, he fell straightway on his nose! "magic!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "someone is helping us," and he began fanning himself gently with the little fan, waiting to see what would happen next. at each wave of the fan, the king of the golden islands and his men flew higher until at last not one of them could be seen from the shore. "the fan. the magic is in the fan!" gasped happy toko, jumping up and embracing the scarecrow. "why, what do you mean?" asked the scarecrow, closing the fan with a snap. happy's answer was drowned in a huge splash. as soon as the fan was closed, down whirled the king's army into the sea, and each man struck the water with such force that the spray rose high as a skyscraper. and not till then did the scarecrow realize the power of the little fan he had been saving for dorothy. "saved!" screamed happy toko, dancing up and down. "hurrah for the emperor!" the emperor, without a plan, has won the victory with a fan. the silver islanders had paused in their flight at the queer noises coming from the harbor, and now all of them, hearing tappy oko's cries, came crowding down to the shore and were soon cheering themselves hoarse. no wonder! the drenched soldiers of the king were climbing swiftly back into their boats, and when they were all aboard, the scarecrow waved his fan sidewise (he did not want to blow them up again), and the ships swept out of the harbor so fast that the water churned to silver suds behind them, and they soon were out of sight. "ah!" cried the grand chew chew, arriving breathlessly at this point, "we have won the day!" "so we have!" chuckled the scarecrow, putting his arm around happy toko. "call the brave army and decorate the generals!" "it shall be done," said the grand chew chew, frowning at happy. "there shall be a great celebration, a feast, and fireworks." "fireworks," quavered the scarecrow, clutching his imperial punster. by this time, the silver islanders were crowding around the emperor, shouting and squealing for joy, and before he could prevent it, they had placed him on their shoulders and carried him in triumph to the palace. he managed to signal happy, and happy nodded reassuringly and ran off as fast as his fat little legs could patter. he arrived at the palace almost as soon as the scarecrow, lugging a giant silver watering can, and, sitting calmly on the steps of the throne, fanned himself with his hat. the scarecrow eyed the watering can with satisfaction. "now let them have their old fireworks," he muttered under his breath, and settled himself comfortably. the grand chew chew was hopping about like a ditched kite, arranging for the celebration. the courtiers were shaking hands with themselves and forming in a long line. a great table was being set in the hall. "what a fuss they are making over nothing," said the scarecrow to happy toko. "now in oz when we win a victory, we all play some jolly game and sit down to dinner with ozma. why, they haven't even set a place for you, happy!" "i'd rather sit here, amiable master," sighed happy toko happily. "is the little fan safely closed?" the scarecrow felt in his pocket to make sure, then leaned forward in surprise. the royal silver army were marching stiffly into the hall, and the courtiers were bobbing and bowing and cheering like mad. the general came straight to the great silver throne, clicked his silver heels, bowed, and stood at attention. "well," said the scarecrow, surveying this splendid person curiously, "what is it?" "they have come for their decorations," announced the grand chew chew, stepping up with a large silver platter full of medals. "but i thought tappy oko and i saved the island," chuckled the scarecrow, nudging the imperial punster. "had the imperial army not retired and left the field to you, there would have been no victory," faltered the general in a timid voice. "therefore, in a way we are responsible for the victory. a great general always knows when to retire." "there's something in that," admitted the scarecrow, scratching his head thoughtfully. "go ahead and decorate 'em, chew chew!" this the grand chew chew proceeded to do, making such a long speech to each soldier that half of the court fell asleep and the scarecrow fidgeted uncomfortably. "they remind me of the army of oz," he confided to happy toko, "but we never have long speeches in oz. i declare, i wish i could go to sleep, too, and that's something i have never seen any use in before." "they've just begun," yawned happy toko, nearly rolling down the steps of the throne, and happy was not far wrong, for all afternoon one after the other of the courtiers arose and droned about the great victory, and as they all addressed themselves to the scarecrow, he was forced to listen politely. when the speeches were over, there was still the grand banquet to be got through, and as the silver islanders ate much the same fare as their chinese cousins, you can imagine the poor scarecrow's feelings. "ugh!" shivered the scarecrow as the strange dishes appeared, "i'm glad none of my friends are here. how fortunate that i'm stuffed with straw!" the broiled mice, the stewed shark fins and the bird nest soup made him stare. he had ordered happy toko to be placed at his side, and to watch him happily at work with his silver chopsticks and porcelain spoon was the only satisfaction he got out of the feast. "and what is that?" he asked, pointing to a steaming bowl that had just been placed before happy. "minced cat, your highness," replied happy, sprinkling it generously with silver polish. "cat?" shrieked the scarecrow, pouncing to his feet in horror. "do you mean to tell me you are eating a poor, innocent, little cat?" "not a poor one at all. a very rich one, i should say," replied happy toko with his mouth full. "ah, had your highness only your old body, how you would enjoy this!" "never!" shouted the scarecrow so loudly that all of the courtiers looked up in surprise. "how dare you eat innocent cats?" indignantly he thought of dorothy's pet kitten back in oz. oz--why had he ever left that wonderful country? "your highness has eaten hundreds," announced the grand chew chew calmly. "hundreds!" the scarecrow dropped back into his chair, too shocked for speech. he, the scarecrow of oz, had eaten hundreds of cats! what would dorothy say to that? ugh! this was his first experience with silver island fare. he had always spent the dinner hours in the garden. he sighed, and looked wistfully at the bean pole in the center of the hall. every minute he was feeling less and less like the emperor of the silver island and more and more like the plain scarecrow of oz. "your majesty seems out of spirits," said happy toko as he placed himself and the huge watering can beside the emperor's bench in the garden later in the evening. "i wish i were," said the scarecrow. "to have an emperor's spirit wished on you is no joke, my dear tappy. it's a blinking bore!" at that moment, the fireworks commenced. the garden, ablaze with many shaped silver lanterns, looked more like fairyland than ever. but each rocket made the scarecrow wince. showers of stars and butterflies fell 'round his head, fiery dragons leaped over the trees, and in all the fourth of july celebrations you could imagine there were never such marvelous fireworks as these. no wonder happy toko, gazing in delight, forgot his promises to his royal master. soon the scarecrow's fears were realized, and his straw stuffing began to smoke. "put me out! put me out!" cried the scarecrow, as a shower of sparks settled in his lap. the royal band made such a din and the courtiers such a clatter that happy did not hear. all of the silver islanders were intent on the display, and they forgot all about their unhappy and smoking emperor. "help! water! water! fire!" screamed the scarecrow, jumping off his throne and knocking happy head over heels. thus brought to his senses, happy hurriedly seized the watering can and sprinkled its contents on the smoking emperor. "am i out?" gasped the emperor anxiously. "a fine way to celebrate a victory, lighting me up like a roman candle!" "yes, dear master," said the repentant happy, helping the dripping scarecrow to his feet, "it only scorched your royal robe. and it's all over, anyway. let us go in." the dripping emperor was quite ready to follow his imperial punster's advice. "now that i am put out, let us by all means go in," said the scarecrow gloomily, and the two slipped off without anyone noticing their departure. "i'm afraid i'll have to have some new stuffing tomorrow," observed the scarecrow, sinking dejectedly on his throne. "tappy, my dear boy, after this never leave me alone, do you hear?" happy toko made no reply. he had fallen asleep beside the imperial throne. the scarecrow might have called his court, but he was in no mood for more of the silver islanders' idea of a good time. he longed for the dear friends of his loved land of oz. one by one the lights winked out in the gardens, and the noisy company dispersed, and soon no one in the palace was awake but the scarecrow. his straw was wet and soggy, and even his excellent brains felt damp and dull. "if it weren't for tappy oko, how lonely i should be." he stared through the long, dim, empty hall with its shimmering silver screens and vases. "i wonder what little dorothy is doing," sighed the scarecrow wistfully. chapter princess ozma and betsy bobbin talk it over "dorothy must be having a lovely time at the scarecrow's," remarked betsy bobbin to ozma one afternoon as they sat reading in the royal gardens several days after dorothy's departure from the emerald city of oz. "one always has a jolly time at the scarecrow's," laughed the little queen of oz. "i must look in my magic picture and see what they are doing. too bad she missed the a-b-sea serpent and rattlesnakes. weren't they the funniest creatures?" both the little girls (for ozma is really just a little girl) went off into a gale of laughter. the two queer creatures had followed the scarecrow's advice and had spent their vacation in the emerald city, and partly because they were so dazzled by their surroundings and partly because they have no sort of memories whatever, they never mentioned the scarecrow himself or said anything about his plan to hunt his family tree. they talked incessantly of the mer city and told innumerable a-b-sea stories to scraps and the tin woodman and the children of the emerald city. when they were ready to go, the a-b-sea serpent snapped off its x block for ozma. x, he said, meant almost everything, and pretty well expressed his gratitude to the lovely little ruler of oz. ozma in turn gave each of the visitors an emerald collar, and that very morning they had started back to the munchkin river, and all the celebrities of oz had gotten up to see them off. "maybe they'll come again some time," said betsy bobbin, swinging her feet. "but look, ozma, here comes a messenger." a messenger it surely was, dressed in the quaint red costume of the quadlings. it was from glinda, the good sorceress, and caused the princess to sigh with vexation. "tell jack pumpkinhead to harness the sawhorse to the red wagon," said ozma after glancing hastily at the little note. "the horners and hoppers are at war again. and tell the wizard to make ready for a journey." "may i come, too,?" asked betsy. ozma nodded with a troubled little frown, and betsy bustled off importantly. not many little girls are called upon to help settle wars and rule a country as wonderful as oz. the horners and hoppers are a quarrelsome and curious folk living in the quadling mountains, and soon ozma, jack pumpkinhead, betsy and the wizard of oz were rattling off at the best speed the sawhorse could manage. this was pretty fast, for the little horse, being made of wood and magically brought to life, never tires and could outrun anything on legs in the fairy kingdom of oz. but the fact that interests us is that ozma did not look in the magic picture or see what exciting adventures the scarecrow and dorothy really were having! as for professor wogglebug, who had caused all the trouble, he was busily at work on the twelfth chapter of the royal book of oz, which he had modestly headed: h. m. wogglebug t.e., prince of bugs, cultured and eminent educator and also great grand and general genealogist of oz. chapter sir hokus overcometh the giant "i don't believe we'll ever find the way out of this forest." dorothy stopped with a discouraged little sigh and leaned against a tree. they had followed the road for several hours. first it had been fine and wide, but it had gradually dwindled to a crooked little path that wound crazily in and out through the trees. although it was almost noonday, not a ray of sun penetrated through the dim green depths. "methinks," said sir hokus, peering into the gloom ahead, "that a great adventure is at hand." the cowardly lion put back his ears. "what makes you methink so?" he rumbled anxiously. "hark thee!" said sir hokus, holding up his finger warningly. from a great way off sounded a curious thumping. it was coming nearer and nearer. "good gracious!" cried dorothy, catching hold of the cowardly lion's mane. "this is worse than pokes!" "perchance it is a dragon," exulted the knight, drawing his short sword. "ah, how it would refresh me to slay a dragon!" "i don't relish dragons myself. scorched my tongue on one once," said the cowardly lion huskily. "but i'll fight with you, brother hokus. stand back, dorothy dear." as the thuds grew louder, the knight fairly danced up and down with excitement. "approach, villain!" he roared lustily. "approach till i impale thee on my lance. ah, had i but a horse!" "i'd let you ride on my back if it weren't for that hard tin suit," said the cowardly lion. "but cheer up, my dear hokus, your voice is a little hoarse." dorothy giggled nervously, then seized hold of a small tree, for the whole forest was rocking. "how now!" gasped the knight. there was a terrific quake that threw sir hokus on his face and sent every hair in the lion's mane on end, and then a great foot came crashing down through the treetops not three paces from the little party. before they could even swallow, a giant hand flashed down-ward, jerked up a handful of trees by the roots, and disappeared, while a voice from somewhere way above shouted: what are little humans for? to feed the giant bangladore. broiled or toasted, baked or roasted, i smell three or maybe four! "you hear that?" quavered the cowardly lion. sir hokus did not answer. his helmet had been jammed down by his fall, and he was tugging it upward with both hands. frightened though dorothy was, she ran to the knight's assistance. "have at you!" cried sir hokus as soon as the opening in his helmet was opposite his eyes. "forward!" "my heart is beating a retreat," gulped the cowardly lion, but he bounded boldly after sir hokus. "varlet!" hissed the knight, and raising his sword gave a mighty slash at the giant's ankle, which was broad as three tree trunks, while the cowardly lion gave a great spring and sank his teeth in the giant's huge leg. "ouch!" roared the giant in a voice that shook every leaf in the forest. "you stop, or i'll tell my father!" with that, he gave a hop that sent sir hokus flying into the treetops, stumbled over a huge rock, and came crashing to the earth, smashing trees like grass blades. at the giant's first scream, dorothy shut her eyes and, putting her hands over her ears, had run as far and as fast as she could. at the awful crash, she stopped short, opened her eyes, and stared 'round giddily. the giant was flat on his back, but as he was stretched as far as four city blocks, only half of him was visible. the cowardly lion still clung to his leg, and he was gurgling and struggling in a way dorothy could not understand. she looked around in a panic for the knight. just then, sir hokus dropped from the branch of a tree. "uds daggers!" he puffed, looking ruefully at his sword, which had snapped off at the handle, "'tis a pretty rogue!" "don't you think we'd better run?" shiver dorothy, thinking of the giant's song. "not while i wear these colors!" exclaimed sir hokus, proudly touching dorothy's hair ribbon, which still adorned his arm. "come, my good lion, let us dispatch this braggart and saucy monster." "father!" screamed the giant, making no attempt to move. "he seems to be frightened, himself," whispered dorothy to the knight. "but whatever is the matter with the cowardly lion?" at that minute, the cowardly lion gave a great jerk and began backing with his four feet braced. the piece of giant leg that he had hold of stretched and stretched, and while sir hokus and dorothy stared in amazement, it snapped off and the cowardly lion rolled head over paws. "taffy!" roared the cowardly lion, sitting up and trying to open his jaws, which were firmly stuck together. "taffy!" at this, sir hokus sprang nimbly on the giant's leg, ran up his chest, and perched bravely on his peppermint collar. "surrender, knave!" he demanded threateningly. dorothy, seeing she could do nothing to help the cowardly lion, followed. on her way up, she broke off a tiny piece of his coat and found it most delicious chocolate. "why, he's all made of candy!" she cried excitedly. "oh, hush!" sobbed the giant, rolling his great sourball eyes. "i'd be eaten in a minute if it were known." "you were mighty anxious to eat us a while ago," said dorothy, looking longingly at the giant's coat buttons. they seemed to be large marshmallows. "go away!" screamed the giant, shaking so that dorothy slid into his vest pocket. "no one under forty feet is allowed in this forest!" dorothy climbed crossly out of the giant's pocket. "we didn't come because we wanted to," she assured him, wiping the chocolate off her nose. "odds bodikins! i cannot fight a great baby like this," sighed sir hokus, dodging just in time a great, sugary tear that had rolled down the giant's nose. "he's got to apologize for that song, though." "wait!" cried dorothy suddenly. "i have an idea. if you set us down on the edge of the forest and give us all your vest buttons for lunch, we won't tell anyone you're made of candy. we'll let you go," she called loudly, for the giant had begun to sob again. "won't you? will you?" sniffed the foolish giant. "never sing that song again!" commanded the knight sternly. "no, sir," answered the giant meekly. "did your dog chew much of my leg, sir?" then, before dorothy or sir hokus had time to way a word, they were snatched up in sticky fingers and next minute were dropped with a thump in a large field of daisies. "oh!" spluttered dorothy as the giant made off on his taffy legs. "oh, we've forgotten the cowardly lion!" but at that minute, the giant reappeared, and the lion was dropped beside them. "what's this? what's this?" growled the cowardly lion, looking around wildly. "we got him to lift us out of the forest," explained dorothy. "have you swallowed the taffy?" the lion was still dizzy from his ride and only shook his head feebly. sir hokus sighed and sat heavily down on a large rock. "there is no sort of honor, methinks, in overcoming a candy giant," he observed, looking wistfully at the plume still pinned to dorothy's dress. "ah, had it but been a proper fight!" "you didn't know he was candy. i think you were just splendid." jumping up, dorothy fastened the plume in the knight's helmet. "and you're talking just beautifully, more like a knight every minute," she added with conviction. sir hokus tried not to look pleased. "give me a meat enemy! my teeth ache yet! first singing, then candy-leg pulling! gr-ugh! what next?" growled the cowardly lion. "why, lunch, if you feel like eating," said dorothy, beginning to give out the vest buttons which the giant had obediently ripped off and left for them. they _were_ marshmallows, the size of pie plates, and dorothy and sir hokus found them quite delicious. the cowardly lion, however, after a doubtful sniff and sneeze from the powdered sugar, declined and went off to find something more to his taste. "we had better take some of these along," said dorothy when she and sir hokus had eaten several. "we may need them later." "everything is yellow, so we must be in the winkie country," announced the cowardly lion, who had just returned from his lunch. "there's a road, too." "mayhap it will take us to the jeweled city of your gracious queen." sir hokus shaded his eyes and stared curiously at the long lane stretching invitingly ahead of them. "well, anyway, we're out of the forest and pokes, and maybe we'll meet someone who will tell us about the scarecrow. come on!" cried dorothy gaily. "i think we're on the right track this time." chapter dorothy and sir hokus come to fix city the afternoon went pleasantly for the three travelers. the road was wide and shady and really seemed a bit familiar. dorothy rode comfortably on the cowardly lion's back and to pass the time told sir hokus all about oz. he was particularly interested in the scarecrow. "grammercy! he should be knighted!" he exclaimed, slapping his knee, as dorothy told how the clever straw man had helped outwit the gnome king when that wicked little rascal had tried to keep them prisoners in his underground kingdom. "but, go to! where is the gallant man now?" the knight sobered quickly. "mayhap in need of a strong arm! mayhap at the mercy of some terrible monster!" "oh, i hope not!" cried dorothy, dismayed at so dark a picture. "why, oh why, did he bother about his family tree?" "trust the scarecrow to take care of himself," said the cowardly lion in a gruff voice. nevertheless, he quickened his steps. "the sooner we reach the emerald city, the sooner we'll know where he is!" the country through which they were passing was beautiful, but quite deserted. about five o'clock, they came to a clear little stream, and after dorothy and sir hokus had washed their faces and the cowardly lion had taken a little plunge, they all felt refreshed. later they came to a fine pear orchard, and as no one was about they helped themselves generously. the more dorothy and the cowardly lion saw of sir hokus, the fonder of him they grew. he was so kind-hearted and so polite. "he'll be great company for us back in the emerald city," whispered the cowardly lion as the knight went off to get dorothy a drink from a little spring. "that is, if he forgets this grammercy, bludgeon stuff." "i think it sounds lovely," said dorothy, "and he's remembering more of it all the time. but i wonder why there are no people here. i do hope we meet some before night." but no person did they meet. as it grew darker, sir hokus' armor began to creak in a quite frightful manner. armor is not meant for walking, and the poor knight was stiff and tired, but he made no complaint. "need oiling, don't you?" asked the cowardly lion, peering anxiously at him through the gloom. "joints in my armor a bit rusty," puffed sir hokus, easing one foot and then the other. "ah, had i my good horse!" he expressively waved a piece of the giant's button at which he had been nibbling. "better climb up behind dorothy," advised the cowardly lion, but sir hokus shook his head, for he knew the lion was tired, too. "i'll manage famously. this very night i may find me a steed!" "how?" asked the lion with a yawn. "if i sleep beneath these trees, i may have a knight mare," chuckled sir hokus triumphantly. "br-rrr!" roared the cowardly lion while dorothy clapped her hands. but they were not to sleep beneath the trees after all, for a sudden turn in the road brought them right to the gates of another city. they knew it must be a city because a huge, lighted sign hung over the gate. "fix city," read dorothy. "what a funny name!" "maybe they can fix us up," rumbled the lion, winking at sir hokus. "perchance we shall hear news of the valiant scarecrow!" cried the knight, and limping forward he thumped on the gate with his mailed fist. dorothy and the cowardly lion pressed close behind him and waited impatiently for someone to open the gate. a bell rang loud back in the town. the next instant, the gates flew open so suddenly that the three adventurers were flung violently on their faces. "out upon them!" blustered sir hokus, getting up stiffly and running to help dorothy. "what way is this to welcome strangers?" he pulled the little girl hastily to her feet, then they all ran forward, for the gates were swinging shut again. it was almost as light as day, for lanterns were everywhere, but strangely enough they seemed to dart about like huge fireflies, and dorothy ducked involuntarily as a red one bobbed down almost in her face. then she gasped in real earnest and caught hold of sir hokus. "uds daggers!" wheezed the knight. two large bushes were running down the path, and right in front of dorothy the larger caught the smaller and began pulling out its leaves. "leave off! leave off!" screamed the little bush. "that's what i'm doing," said the big bush savagely. "there won't be a leaf on when i get through with you." "unhand him, villain!" cried sir hokus, waving his sword at the large bush. the two bushes looked up in surprise, and when they saw dorothy, the cowardly lion and sir hokus, they fell into each other's branches and burst into the most uproarious laughter. "my dear magnolia, this is rich! oh, dear fellow, wait till sit sees this; he will be convulsed!" quite forgetting their furious quarrel, the two went rollicking down the path together, stopping every few minutes to look back and laugh at the three strangers. "is this usual?" asked sir hokus, looking quite dazed. "i never heard of bushes talking or running around, but i confess i'm a few centuries behind times!" "neither did i!" exclaimed dorothy. "but then--almost anything's likely to happen in oz." "if these lanterns don't look out something will happen. i'll break 'em to bits," growled the cowardly lion, who had been dodging half a dozen at once. "how would we look--out?" sniffed one, flying at dorothy. "you could light out--or go out," giggled the little girl. "we never go out unless we're put out," cried another, but as the cowardly lion made a few springs, they flew high into the air and began talking indignantly among themselves. by this time, the three had become accustomed to the changing lights. "i wonder where the people are," said dorothy, peering down a wide avenue. "there don't seem to be any houses. oh, look!" three tables set for dinner with the most appetizing viands were walking jauntily down the street, talking fluent china. "there must be people!" cried dorothy. "one dinner for each of us," rumbled the cowardly lion, licking his chops. "come on!" "perchance they will invite us. if we follow the dinners, we'll come to the diners," said sir hokus mildly. "right--as usual." the cowardly lion looked embarrassed, for he had intended pouncing on the tables without further ceremony. "hush! let's go quietly. if they hear us, they may run and upset the dishes," warned dorothy. so the three walked softly after the dinner tables, their curiosity about the people of fix growing keener at every step. several chairs, a sofa and a clothes tree rushed past them, but as dorothy said later to ozma, after talking bushes, nothing surprised them. the tables turned the corner at the end of the avenue three abreast, and the sight that greeted dorothy and her comrades was strange indeed. down each side of a long street as far as they could see stood rows and rows of people. each one was in the exact center of a chalked circle, and they were so still that dorothy thought they must be statues. but no sooner had the three tables made their appearance than bells began ringing furiously all up and down the street, and dinner tables and chairs came running from every direction. all the inhabitants of fix city looked alike. they had large, round heads, broad placid faces, double chins, and no waists whatever. their feet were flat and about three times as long as the longest you have ever seen. the women wore plain mother hubbard dresses and straw sailor hats, and the men gingham suits. while the three friends were observing all this, the tables had been taking their places. one stopped before each fix, and the chairs, after much bumping and quarreling, placed themselves properly. at a signal from the fix in the center, the whole company sat down without so much as moving their feet. dorothy, sir hokus and the cowardly lion had been too interested to speak, but at this minute a whole flock of the mischievous lanterns clustered over their heads, and at the sudden blare of light the whole street stopped eating and stared. "oh!" cried the fix nearest them, pointing with his fork, "look at the runabouts!" "this way, please! this way, please! don't bark your shins. don't take any more steps than you can help!" boomed an important voice from the middle of the street. so down the center marched the three, feeling--as the cowardly lion put it--exactly like a circus. "stop! names, please!" the fix next to the center put up his knife commandingly. sir hokus stepped forward with a bow: "princess dorothy of oz, the cowardly lion of oz." "and sir hokus of pokes," roared the lion as the knight modestly stepped back without announcing himself. "sir pokus of hoax, howardly kion of boz, and little girl beginning with d," bellowed the fix, "meet his royal highness, king fix it, and the noble fixitives." "little girl beginning with d! that's too long," complained the king, who, with the exception of his crown, looked like all the rest of them, "i'll leave out the middle. what do you want, little with d?" "my name is dorothy, and if your highness could give us some dinner and tell us something about the scarecrow and--" "one thing at a time, please," said the king reprovingly. "what does poker want, and boz? have they anything to spend?" "only the night, an' it please your gracious highness," said sir hokus with his best bow. "it doesn't please me especially," said the king, taking a sip of water. "and there! you've brought up another question. how do you want to spend it?" he folded his hands helplessly on the table and looked appealingly at the fix next to him. "how am i to settle all these questions, sticken? first they come running around like crazy chairs, and--" "you might ring for a settle," suggested sticken, looking curiously at sir hokus. the king leaned back with a sigh of relief, then touched a bell. there were at least twenty bells set on a high post at his right hand, and all of the fixes seemed to have similar bell posts. "he's talking perfect nonsense," said dorothy angrily. the cowardly lion began to roll his eyes ominously. "let me handle this, my dear. i'm used to kings," whispered sir hokus. "most of 'em talk nonsense. but if he grows wroth, we'll have all the furniture in the place around our ears. now just--" bump! sir hokus and dorothy sat down quite suddenly. the settle had arrived and hit them smartly behind the knees. the cowardly lion dodged just in time and lay down with a growl beside it. "now that you're settled," began the king in a resigned voice, "we might try again. what is your motto?" this took even sir hokus by surprise, but before he could answer, the king snapped out: "come late and stay early! how's that?" "very good," said sir hokus with a wink at dorothy. "next time, don't come at all," mumbled sticken plaster, his mouth full of biscuit. "and you wanted?" the king asked uneasily. "dinner for three," said the knight promptly and with another bow. "now that's talking." the king looked admiringly at sir hokus. "this little with d had matters all tangled up. one time at a thing! that's my motto!" leaning over, the king pressed another button. by this time, the fixes had lost interest in the visitors and went calmly on with their dinners. three tables came pattering up, and the settle drew itself up of its own accord. dorothy placed the cowardly lion's dinner on the ground, and then she and sir hokus enjoyed the first good meal they had had since they left pokes. they were gradually becoming used to their strange surroundings. "you ask him about the scarecrow," begged dorothy. everybody had finished, and the tables were withdrawing in orderly groups. the king was leaning sleepily back in his chair. "ahem," began the knight, rising stiffly, "has your majesty seen aught of a noble scarecrow? and could your supreme fixity tell us aught--" the king's eyes opened. "you're out of turn," he interrupted crossly. "we're only to the second question. how will you spend the night?" "in sleep," answered sir hokus promptly, "if your majesty permits." "i do," said the king solemnly. "that gets me out of entertaining. early to bed and late to rise, that's my motto. next! it's your turn," he added irritably as sir hokus did not immediately answer. "have you seen aught of the noble scarecrow?" asked sir hokus, and all of them waited anxiously for the king's reply. "i don't know about _the_ scarecrow. i've seen _a_ scarecrow, and a sensible chap he was, hanging still like a reasonable person and letting chairs and tables chase themselves 'round." "where was he?" asked sir hokus in great agitation. "in a picture," said the king. "wait, i'll ring for it." "no use," said the knight in a disappointed voice. "we're looking for a man." "would you mind telling me why you are all so still, and why all your furniture runs around?" asked dorothy, who was growing a little restless. "you forget where you are, and you're out of turn. but i'll overlook it this once," said the king. "have you ever noticed, little with d, that furniture lasts longer than people?" "why, yes," admitted dorothy. "well, there you are!" king fix sit folded his hands and regarded her complacently. "here we manage things better. we stand still and let the furniture run around and wear itself out. how does it strike you?" "it seem sensible," acknowledged dorothy. "but don't you ever grow tired of standing still?" "i've heard of growing hair and flowers and corn, but never of growing tired. what is it?" asked sticken plaster, leaning toward dorothy. "i think she's talked enough," said the king, closing his eyes. sir hokus had been staring anxiously at the king for some time. now he came close to the monarch's side, and standing on tiptoe whispered hoarsely: "hast any dragons here?" "did you say wagons?" asked the king, opening his eyes with a terrible yawn. "dragons!" hissed the knight. "never heard of 'em," said the king. the cowardly lion chuckled behind his whiskers, and sir hokus in great confusion stepped back. "what time is it?" demanded the king suddenly. he touched a bell, and next minute a whole company of clocks came running down the street. the big ones pushed the little ones, and a grandfather clock ran so fast that it tripped over a cobblestone and fell on its face, which cracked all the way across. "you've plenty of time; why don't you take it?" called the king angrily, while two clothes trees helped the clock to its feet. "they're all different," giggled dorothy, nudging the cowardly lion. some pointed to eight o'clock, some to nine, and others to half past ten. "why shouldn't they be different?" asked sticken haughtily. "some run faster than others!" "pass the time, please," said the king, looking hard at dorothy. "the lazy lump!" growled the cowardly lion. but dorothy picked up the nearest little clock and handed it to king fix sit. "i thought so," yawned the king, pointing at the clock. at this, everybody began ringing bells till dorothy was obliged to cover her ears. in an instant, the whole street was filled with beds, "rolling up just as if they were taxis," laughed dorothy to sir hokus. the knight smiled faintly, but as he had never seen a taxi, he could not appreciate dorothy's remark. "here come your beds," said the king shortly. "tell them to take you around the corner. i can't abide snoring." "i don't snore, thank you," said dorothy angrily, but the king had stepped into his bed and drawn the curtains tight. "we might as well go to bed, i 'spose," said the little girl. "i'm so tired!" the three beds were swaying restlessly in the middle of the street. they were tall, four-post affairs with heavy chintz hangings. dorothy chose the blue one, and sir hokus lifted her up carefully and then went off to catch his bed, which had gotten into an argument with a lamppost. when he spoke to it sharply, it left off and came trotting over to him. the cowardly lion, contrary to his usual custom, leaped into his bed, and soon the three four-posters were walking quietly down the street, evidently following the king's instructions. dorothy slipped off her shoes and dress and nestled comfortably down among the soft covers. "just like sleeping in a train," she thought drowsily. "what a lot i shall have to tell the scarecrow and ozma when i get home." "good night!" said the bed politely. "good night!" said dorothy, too nearly asleep to even think it strange for a bed to talk. "good night!" chapter dancing beds and the roads that unrolled "it must be a shipwreck," thought dorothy, sitting up in alarm. she seemed to be tossing about wildly. "time for little girls to get up," grumbled a harsh voice that seemed to come from the pillows. dorothy rubbed her eyes. one of the bedposts was addressing her, and the big four-poster itself was dancing a regular jig. "oh, stop!" cried dorothy, holding on to the post to keep from bouncing out. "can't you see i'm awake?" "well, i go off duty now, and you'll have to hurry," said the bed sulkily. "i'm due at the lecture at nine." "lecture?" gasped dorothy. "what's so queer about that?" demanded the bed coldly. "i've got to keep well posted, haven't i? i belong to a polished set, i do. hurry up, little girl, or i'll throw you out." "i'm glad my bed doesn't talk to me in this impertinent fashion," thought dorothy, slipping into her dress and combing her hair with her side comb. "imagine being ordered about by a bed! i wonder if sir hokus is up." parting the curtains, she jumped down, and the bed, without even saying goodbye, took itself off. sir hokus was sitting on a stile, polishing his armor with a pillowslip he had taken from his bed, and the cowardly lion was lying beside him lazily thumping his tail and making fun of the passing furniture. "have you had breakfast?" asked dorothy, joining her friends. "we were waiting for your ladyship," chuckled the cowardly lion. "would you mind ordering two for me, hokus? i find one quite insufficient." sir hokus threw away the pillowslip, and talking cheerfully they walked toward king fix sit's circle. the beds had been replaced by breakfast tables, and the whole street was eating busily. "good morning, king," said sir hokus. "four breakfasts, please." the king rang a bell four times without looking up from his oatmeal. seeing that he did not wish to be disturbed, the three waited quietly for their tables. "in some ways," said dorothy, contentedly munching a hot roll, "in some ways this is a very comfortable place." "in sooth 'tis that," mumbled sir hokus, his mouth full of baked apple. as for the cowardly lion, he finished his two breakfasts in no time. "and now," said sir hokus as the tables walked off, "let us continue our quest. could'st tell us the way to the emerald city, my good king fix?" "if you go, go away. and if you stay, stay away. that's my motto," answered king fix shortly. "i can't have people running around here like common furniture," he added in a grieved voice. all the fix its nodded vigorously. "let them take their stand or their departure," said sticken plaster firmly. the king felt in his pocket and brought out three pieces of chalk. "go to the end of the street. choose a place and draw your circle. in five minutes you will find it impossible to move out of the circle, and you will be saved all this unnecessary motion." "but we don't want to come to a standstill," objected dorothy. "no, by my good sword!" spluttered the knight, glaring around nervously. then, seeing the king looked displeased, he made a low bow. "if your highness could graciously direct us out of the city--" "buy a piece of road and go where it takes you," snapped the king. seeing no more was to be got out of him, they started down the long street. "i wonder what they do when it rains?" said dorothy, looking curiously at the solemn rows of people. "call for roofs, silly!" snapped a fix, staring at her rudely. "if you would spend your time thinking instead of walking, you'd know more." "go to, and swallow a gooseberry!" roared the knight, waving his sword at the fix, and dorothy, fearing an encounter, begged him to come on, which he did--though with many backward glances. fix city seemed to consist of one long street, and they had soon come to the very end. "uds daggers!" gasped sir hokus. "great palm trees," roared the cowardly lion. as for dorothy, she could do nothing but stare. the street ended surely enough, and beyond there was nothing at all. that is, nothing but air. "well," said the cowardly lion, backing a few paces, "this is a pretty fix." "glad you like it," said a wheezy voice. the three travelers turned in surprise. a huge fix was regarding them with interest. his circle, which was the last in the row, was about twenty times as large as the other circles, and on the edge stood a big sign:' "don't you remember, the king said something about buying a road," said dorothy in an excited undertone to the knight. "can'st direct us to a road, my good man?" asked sir hokus with a bow. the fix jerked his thumb back at the sign. "what kind of a road to you want?" he asked hoarsely. "a road that will take us back to the emerald city, please," said dorothy. "i can't guarantee anything like that," declared the fix, shaking his head. "our roads go where they please, and you'll have to go where they take you. do you want to go on or off?" "on," shivered the cowardly lion, looking with a shudder over the precipice at the end of the street. "what kind of a road will you have? make up your minds, please. i am busy." "what kind of roads have you?" asked dorothy timidly. it was her first experience at buying roads, and she felt a bit perplexed. "sunny, shady, straight, crooked, and cross-roads," snapped the fix. "we wouldn't want a cross one," said dorothy positively. "have you any with trees at both sides and water at the end?" "how many yards?" asked the fix, taking a pair of shears as large as himself off a long counter beside him. "five miles," said sir hokus as dorothy looked confused. "that ought to take us somewhere!" the fix rang one of the bells in the counter. the next minute, a big trap door in the ground opened, and a perfectly huge roll bounced out at his feet. "get on," commanded the fix in such a sharp tone that the three jumped to obey. holding fast to sir hokus, dorothy stepped on the piece of road that had already unrolled. the cowardly lion, looking very anxious, followed. no sooner had they done so than the road gave a terrific leap forward that stretched the three flat upon their backs and started unwinding from its spool at a terrifying speed. as it unrolled, tall trees snapped erect on each side and began laughing derisively at the three travelers huddled together in the middle. "g-g-glad we only took five miles," stuttered dorothy to the knight, whose armor was rattling like a ford. the cowardly lion had wound his tail around a tree and dug his claws into the road, for he had no intention of falling off into nothingness. as for the road, it snapped along at about a mile a minute, and before they had time to grow accustomed to this singular mode of travel, it gave a final jump that sent them circling into the air, and began rapidly winding itself up. down, down, down whirled dorothy, falling with a resounding splash into a broad stream of water. then down, down, down again, almost to the bottom. "help!" screamed dorothy as her head rose above water, and she began striking out feebly. but the fall through the air had taken all her breath. "what do you want?" a thin, neat little man was watching her anxiously from the bank, making careful notes in a book that he held in one hand. "help! save me!" choked dorothy, feeling herself going down in the muddy stream again. "wait! i'll look it up under the 'h's," called the little man, making a trumpet of his hands. "are you an island? an island is a body of land entirely surrounded by water, but this seems to be a some-body," dorothy heard him mutter as he whipped over several pages of his book. "sorry," he called back, shaking his head slowly, "but this is the wrong day. i only save lives on monday." "stand aside, mem, you villain!" a second little man exactly like the first except that he was exceedingly untidy plunged into the stream. "it's no use," thought dorothy, closing her eyes, for he had jumped in far below the spot where she had fallen and was making no progress whatever. the waters rushed over her head the second time. then she felt herself being dragged upward. when she opened her eyes, the cowardly lion was standing over her. "are you all right?" he rumbled anxiously. "i came as soon as i could. fell in way upstream. seen hokus?" "oh, he'll drown," cried dorothy, forgetting her own narrow escape. "he can't swim in that heavy armor!" "never fear, i'll get him," puffed the cowardly lion, and without waiting to catch his breath he plunged back into the stream. the little man who only saved lives on monday now approached timidly. "i'd like to get a statement from you, if you don't mind. it might help me in the future." "you might have helped me in the present," said dorothy, wringing out her dress. "you ought to be ashamed of yourself." "i'll make a note of that," said the little man earnestly. "but how did you feel when you went down?" he waited, his pencil poised over the little book. "go away," cried dorothy in disgust. "but my dear young lady--" "i'm not your dear young lady. oh, dear, why doesn't the cowardly lion come back?" "go away, mem." the second little man, dripping wet, came up hurriedly. "i was only trying to get a little information," grumbled mem sulkily. "i'm sorry i couldn't swim faster," said the wet little man, approaching dorothy apologetically. "well, thank you for trying," said dorothy. "is he your brother? and could you tell me where you are? you're dressed in yellow, so i 'spose it must be somewhere in the winkie country." "right in both cases," chuckled the little fellow. "my name is ran and his name is memo." he jerked his thumb at the retiring twin. "randum and memo--see?" "i think i do," said dorothy, half closing her eyes. "is that why he's always taking notes?" "exactly," said ran. "i do everything at random, and he does everything at memorandum." "it must be rather confusing," said dorothy. then as she caught sight of the cowardly lion dragging sir hokus, she jumped up excitedly. ran, however, took one look at the huge beast and then fled, calling for mem at the top of his voice. and that is the last dorothy saw of these singular twins. the lion dropped sir hokus in a limp heap. when dorothy unfastened his armor, gallons of water rushed out. "sho good of--of--you," choked the poor knight, trying to straighten up. "save your breath, old fellow," said the cowardly lion, regarding him affectionately. "oh, why did i ask for water on the end of the road?" sighed dorothy. "but, anyway, we're in some part of the winkie country." sir hokus, though still spluttering, was beginning to revive. "yon noble bheast shall be knighted. uds daggers! that's the shecond time he's shaved my life!" rising unsteadily, he tottered over to the lion and struck him a sharp blow on the shoulder. "rishe, shir cowardly lion," he cried hoarsely, and fell headlong, and before dorothy or the lion had recovered from their surprise he was fast asleep, mumbling happily of dragons and bludgeons. "we'll have to wait till he gets rested," said dorothy. "and until i get dry." she began running up and down, then stopped suddenly before the lion. "and there's something else for professor wogglebug to put in his book, sir cowardly lion." "oh, that!" mumbled the cowardly lion, looking terribly embarrassed. "whoever heard of a cowardly knight? nonsense!" "no, it isn't nonsense," said dorothy stoutly. "you're a knight from now on. won't the scarecrow be pleased?" "if we ever find him," sighed the lion, settling himself beside sir hokus. "we will," said dorothy gaily. "i just feel it." chapter sons and grandsons greet the scarecrow although the scarecrow had been on silver island only a few days, he had already instituted many reforms, and thanks to his cleverness the people were more prosperous than ever before. cheers greeted him wherever he went, and even old chew chew was more agreeable and no longer made bitter remarks to happy toko. the scarecrow himself, however, had four new wrinkles and was exceedingly melancholy. he missed the carefree life in oz, and every minute that he was not ruling the island he was thinking about his old home and dear, jolly comrades in the emerald city. "i almost hope they will look in the magic picture and wish me back again," he mused pensively. "but it is my duty to stay here. i have a family to support." so he resolved to put the best face he could on the matter, and happy toko did his utmost to cheer up his royal master. the second morning after the great victory, he came running into the silver throne room in a great state of excitement. "the honorable offspring have arriven!" announced happy, turning a somersault. "come, ancient and amiable sir, and gaze upon your sons and grandsons!" the scarecrow sprang joyously from his silver throne, upsetting a bowl of silver fish and three silver vases. at last a real family! ever since his arrival, the three princes and their fifteen little sons had been cruising on the royal pleasure barge, so that the scarecrow had not caught a glimpse of them. "this is the happiest moment of my life!" he exclaimed, clasping his yellow gloves and watching the door intently. happy looked a little uneasy, for he knew the three princes to be exceedingly haughty and overbearing, but he said nothing, and next minute the scarecrow's family stepped solemnly into the royal presence. "children!" cried the scarecrow, and with his usual impetuousness rushed forward and flung his arms around the first richly clad prince. "take care! take care, ancient and honorable papa!" cried the young silverman, backing away. "such excitement is not good for one of your advanced years." he drew himself away firmly and, adjusting a huge pair of silver spectacles, regarded the scarecrow attentively. "ah, how you have changed!" "he looks very feeble, too fang, but may he live long to rule this flowery island and our humble selves!" said the second prince, bowing stiffly. "do you not find the affairs of state fatiguing, darling papa?" inquired the third prince, fingering a jeweled chain that hung around his neck. "i, as your eldest son, shall be delighted to relieve you should you wish to retire. get back ten paces, you!" he roared at happy toko. the poor scarecrow had been so taken aback by this cool reception that he just stared in disbelief. "if the three honorable princes will retire themselves, i will speak with my grandsons," he said dryly, bowing in his most royal manner. the three princes exchanged startled glances. then, with three low salaams, they retired backward from the hall. "and now, my dears--!" the scarecrow looked wistfully at his fifteen silken-clad little grandsons. their silver hair, plaited tightly into little queues, stood out stiffly on each side of their heads and gave them a very curious appearance. at his first word, the fifteen fell dutifully on their noses. as soon as they were right side up, the scarecrow, beginning at the end of the row, addressed a joking question to each in his most approved oz style. but over they went again, and answered merely: "yes, gracious grand-papapapah!" or "no honorable grandpapapapah!" and the constant bobbing up and down and papahing so confused the poor scarecrow that he nearly gave up the conversation. "it's no use trying to talk to these children," he wailed in disgust, "they're so solemn. don't you ever laugh?" he cried in exasperation, for he had told them stories that would have sent the oz youngsters into hysterics. "it is not permissible for a prince to laugh at the remarks of his honorable grandparent," whispered happy toko, while the fifteen little princes banged their heads solemnly on the floor. "honorable fiddlesticks!" exclaimed the scarecrow, slumping back on his throne. "bring cushions." happy toko ran off nimbly, and soon the fifteen little princes were seated in a circle at the scarecrow's feet. "to prevent prostrations," said the scarecrow. "yes, old grandpapapapapah!" chorused the princes, bending over as far as they could. "wait!" said the scarecrow hastily, "i'll tell you a story. once upon a time, to a beautiful country called oz, which is surrounded on all sides by a deadly desert, there came a little girl named dorothy. a terrible gale--well, what's the matter now?" the scarecrow stopped short, for the oldest prince had jerked a book out of his sleeve and was flipping over the pages industriously. "it is not on the map, great grand papapapah," he announced solemnly, and all of the other little princes shook their heads and said dully, "not on the map." "not on the map--oz? of course it's not. do you suppose we want all the humans in creation coming there?" calming down, the scarecrow tried to continue his story, but every time he mentioned oz, the little princes shook their heads stubbornly and whispered, "not on the map," till the usually good-tempered scarecrow flew into perfect passion. "not on the map, you little villains!" he screamed, forgetting they were his grandsons. "what difference does that make? are your heads solid silver?" "we do not believe in oz," announced the oldest prince serenely. "there is no such place." "no such place as oz--happy, do you hear that?" the scarecrow's voice fairly crackled with indignation. "why, i thought everybody believed in oz!" "perhaps your highness can convince them later," suggested the imperial punster. "this way, offspring." his master, he felt, had had enough family for one day. so the fifteen little princes, with fifteen stiff little bows, took themselves back to the royal nursery. as for the scarecrow, he paced disconsolately up and down his magnificent throne room, tripping over his kimona at every other step. "you're a good boy, tappy," said the scarecrow as happy returned, "but i tell you being a grandparent is not what i thought it would be. did you hear them tell me right to my face they did not believe in oz? and my sons--ugh!" "fault of their bringing up," said happy toko comfortingly. "if your serene highness would just tell me more of that illustrious country!" happy knew that nothing cheered the scarecrow like talking of oz, and to tell the truth happy himself never tired of the scarecrow's marvelous stories. so the two slipped quietly into the palace gardens, and the scarecrow related for the fourteenth time the story of his discovery by dorothy and the story of ozma, and almost forgot that he was an emperor. "your highness knows the history of oz by heart," said happy admiringly as the scarecrow paused. "i couldn't do that," said the scarecrow gently, "for you see, happy, i have no heart." "then i wish we all had none!" exclaimed happy toko, rolling up his eyes. the scarecrow looked embarrassed, so the little punster threw back his head and sang a song he had been making up while the scarecrow had been telling his stories: the scarecrow was standing alone in a field, inviting the crows to keep off, when the straw in his chest began tickling his vest and he couldn't resist a loud cough. the noise that was heard so surprised ev'ry bird, that the flock flew away in a fright, but the scarecrow looked pleased, and he said "if i'd sneezed it wouldn't have been so polite." "ho!" roared the scarecrow, "you're almost as good at making verses as scraps, write that down for me, tappy. i'd like to show it to her." "hush!" whispered happy, holding up his finger warningly. the scarecrow turned so suddenly that the silver pigtail pinned to the back of his hat wound itself tightly around his neck. no wonder! on the other side of the hedge the three princes were walking up and down, conversing in indignant whispers. "what a horrible shape our honorable papa has reappeared in. i hear that it never wears out," muttered one. "he may continue just as he is for years and years. how am i ever to succeed him, i'd like to know. why, he may outlive us all!" "we might throw him into the silver river," said the second hopefully. "no use," choked the third. "i was just talking to the imperial soothsayer, and he tells me that no one from this miserable kingdom of oz can be destroyed. but i have a plan. incline your royal ears-- listen." the voices dropped to such a low whisper that neither happy nor the scarecrow could hear one word. "treason!" spluttered happy, making ready to spring through the hedge, but the scarecrow seized him by the arm and drew him away. "i don't believe they like their poor papa," exclaimed the scarecrow when they were safely back in the throne room. "i'm feeling older than a kinkajou. ah, happy oko, why did i ever slide down my family tree? it has brought me nothing but unhappiness." chapter the three princes plot to undo the emperor "let me help your imperial serenity!" "bring a cane!" "carefully, now!" the three royal princes, with every show of affection, were supporting the scarecrow to the silver bench in the garden where he usually sat during luncheon. "are you quite comfortable?" asked the elder. "here, happy, you rogue, fetch a scarf for his imperial highness. you must be careful, dear papa scarecrow. at your age, drafts are dangerous." the rascally prince wound the scarf about the scarecrow's neck. "what do you suppose they are up to?" asked the scarecrow, staring after the three suspiciously. "why this sudden devotion? it upsets my imperial serenity a lot." "trying to make you feel old," grumbled happy. several hours had passed since they had overheard the conversation in the garden. the scarecrow had decided to watch his sons closely and fall in with any plan they suggested so they would suspect nothing. then, when the time came, he would act. just what he would do he did not know, but his excellent brains would not, he felt sure, desert him. happy toko sat as close to the scarecrow as he could and scowled terribly whenever the princes approached, which was every minute or so during the afternoon. "how is the scarecrow's celestial old head?" "does he suffer from honorable gout?" "should they fetch the imperial doctor?" the scarecrow, who had never thought of age in his whole straw life, became extremely nervous. was he really old? did his head ache? when no one was looking, he felt himself carefully all over. then something of his old time oz spirit returned. seizing the cushion that his eldest son was placing at his back, he hurled it over his head. leaping from his throne, he began turning handsprings in a careless and sprightly manner. "don't you worry about your honorable old papa," chuckled the scarecrow, winking at happy toko. "he's good for a couple of centuries!" the three princes stared sourly at this exhibition of youth. "but your heart," objected the eldest prince. "have none," laughed the scarecrow. snatching off the silver cord from around his waist, he began skipping rope up and down the hall. the princes, tapping their foreheads significantly, retired, and the scarecrow, throwing his arm around happy toko, began whispering in his ear. he had a plan himself. they would see! * * * * * meanwhile, off in his dark cave in one of the silver mountains, the grand gheewizard of the silver island was stirring a huge kettle of magic. every few moments he paused to read out of a great yellow book that he had propped up on the mantle. the fire in the huge grate leaped fiercely under the big, black pot, and the sputtering candles on each side of the book sent creepy shadows into the dark cave. dark chests, books, bundles of herbs, and heaps of gold and silver were everywhere. whenever the gheewizard turned his back, a rheumatic silver-scaled old dragon would crawl toward the fire and swallow a mouthful of coals, until the old gheewizard caught him in the act and chained him to a ring in the corner of the cave. "be patient, little joy of my heart! our fortune is about to be made," hissed the wizened little man, waving a long iron spoon at the dragon. "you shall have a bucket of red-hot coals every hour and i a silver cap with a tassel. have not the royal princes promised it?" the dragon shuffled about and finally went to sleep, smoking sulkily. "is it finished, son of a yellow dog?" through the narrow opening of the cave, the youngest prince stuck his head. "i am working as fast as i can, honorable prince, but the elixir must boil yet one more night. tomorrow, when the sun shines on the first bar of your celestial window, come, and all will be ready." "are you sure you have found it?" asked the prince, withdrawing his head, for the smoking dragon and steam from the kettle made him cough. "quite sure," wheezed the grand gheewizard, and fell to stirring the kettle with all his might. * * * * * the scarecrow, although busy with trials in the great courtroom of the palace, felt that something unusual was in the air. the princes kept nodding to one another, and the grand chew chew and general mugwump had their heads together at every opportunity. "something's going to happen, tappy. i feel it in my straw," whispered the scarecrow as he finished trying the last case. at that very minute, the grand chew chew arose and held up his hand for silence. everybody paused in their way to the exits and looked with surprise at the old silverman. "i have to announce," said the grand chew chew in a solemn voice, "that the great and imperial chang wang woe will tomorrow be restored to his own rightful shape. the grand gheewizard of the realm has discovered a magic formula to break the enchantment and free him from this distressing scarecrow body. behold for the last the scarecrow of oz. tomorrow he will be our old and glorious emperor!" "old and glorious?" gasped the scarecrow, nearly falling from his throne. "tappy! i forgot to lock up the wizards. great cornstarch! tomorrow i will be eighty-five years old." such cheers greeted the grand chew chew's announcement that no one even noticed the scarecrow's distress. "i, also, have an announcement!" cried the eldest prince, standing up proudly. "to make the celebration of my royal papa's restoration complete, we have chosen the lovely and charming orange blossom for his bride." "bride!" gulped the scarecrow. "but i do not approve of second marriages. i refuse to--" no one paid the slightest attention to the scarecrow's remarks. "hold my hand, tappy," sighed the scarecrow weakly. "it may be your last chance." then he sat up and stared in good earnest, for the prince was leading forward a tall, richly clad lady. "orange blossom!" muttered the scarecrow under his breath. "he means lemon peel! silver grandmother, tappy!" orange blossom was a cross-looking princess of seventy-five, at least. "she is a sister of the king of the golden islands," whispered general mugwump. "of a richness surpassing your own. let me felicitate your highness." "fan me, tappy! fan me!" gasped the scarecrow. then he straightened himself suddenly. the time had come for action. he would say nothing to anyone, but that night he would escape and try to find his way back to oz, family or no family! he bowed graciously to princess orange blossom, to the grand chew chew, and to his sons. "let everything be made ready for the ceremony, and may tomorrow indeed bring me to myself," he repeated solemnly. nothing was talked of that evening but the emperor's impending marriage and the grand gheewizard's discovery. the scarecrow seemed the least excited person in the palace. sitting on his throne, he pretended to read the royal silver journal, but he was really waiting impatiently for the courtiers to retire. finally, when the last one had bowed himself out and only happy toko remained in the throne room, the scarecrow began making his plans. "it's no use, tappy," said he, tying up a few little trinkets for dorothy in a silk handkerchief, "i'd rather be straw than meat. i'd rather be a plain scarecrow in oz than emperor of the earth! they may be my sons, but all they want is my death. i'm going back to my old friends. i'd rather--". he got no farther. a huge slave seized him suddenly from behind, while another caught happy toko around his fat little waist. "tie them fast," said the eldest prince, smiling wickedly at the scarecrow. "here, tie him to the beanstalk. merely a part of the grand gheewizard's formula," he exclaimed maliciously as the struggling scarecrow was bound securely to his family tree. "good night, dear papa scarecrow. tomorrow you will be your old self again, and in a few short years _i_ will be emperor of the silver islands!" "this rather upsets our plans, eh tappy?" wheezed the scarecrow after a struggle with his bonds. "pigs! weasels!" choked tappy. "what are we to do?" "alas!" groaned the scarecrow. "tomorrow there will be no scarecrow in oz. what will dorothy and ozma think? and once i am changed into my old imperial self, i can never make the journey to the emerald city. eighty-six is too old for traveling." "has your majesty forgotten the wonderful brains given to you by the wizard of oz?" "i had--for a moment," confessed the scarecrow. "be quiet, tappy, while i think." pressing his head against the magic beanpole, the scarecrow thought and thought, harder than he had ever done in the course of his adventurous life, and in the great, silent hall happy toko struggled to set himself free. chapter dorothy and her guardians meet new friends while all these exciting things were happening to the poor scarecrow, dorothy, sir hokus and the cowardly lion had been having adventures of their own. for three days, they had wandered through a deserted part of the winkie country, subsisting largely on berries, sleeping under trees, and looking in vain for a road to lead them back to the emerald city. on the second day, they had encountered an ancient woodsman, too old and deaf to give them any information. he did, however, invite them into his hut and give them a good dinner and a dozen sandwiches to carry away with them. "but, oh, for a good old pasty!" sighed sir hokus late on the third afternoon as they finished the last of the crumbly sandwiches. "do you know," said dorothy, looking through the straggly fields and woods ahead, "i believe we've been going in the wrong direction again." "again!" choked the cowardly lion. "you mean still. i've been in a good many parts of oz, but this--this is the worst." "not even one little dragon!" sir hokus shook his head mournfully. then, seeing that dorothy was tired and discouraged, he pretended to strum on a guitar and sang in his high-pitched voice: a rusty knight in steel bedite and lady dot, so fair, sir lion bold, with mane of gold and might besides to spa--ha--hare! and might beside to spare! the dauntless three, a company of wit and bravery are, who seek the valiant scarecrow man, who seek him near and fa--har--har, who seek him near and fa--har! "oh, i like that!" cried dorothy, jumping up and giving sir hokus a little squeeze. "only you should have said trusty knight." the cowardly lion shook his golden mane. "let's do a little reconnoitering, hokus," he said carelessly. he felt he must live up to the song somehow. "perhaps we'll find a sign." "i don't believe in signs anymore," laughed dorothy, "but i'm coming too." sir hokus' song had cheered them all, and it wasn't the first time the knight had helped make the best of a tiresome journey. "the air seemeth to grow very hot," observed sir hokus after they had walked along silently for a time. "hast noticed it, sir cowardly?" "no, but i've swallowed some of it," coughed the cowardly lion, looking suspiciously through the trees. "i'll just step forward and see what it is," said the knight. as he disappeared, the truth dawned on dorothy. "wait! wait! don't go! please, please, sir hokus, come back, come back!" cried the little girl, running after him as fast as she could. "what's the matter?" rumbled the cowardly lion, thudding behind her. then both, coming suddenly out of the woods, gave a terrible scream, which so startled sir hokus that he fell over backwards. just in time, too, for another step would have taken him straight on to the deadly desert, which destroys every living thing and keeps all intruders away from oz. "what befell?" puffed sir hokus, getting to his feet. naturally, he knew nothing of the poisonous sands. "you did," wheezed the cowardly lion in an agitated voice. "was it a dragon?" asked the knight, limping toward them hopefully. "sit down!" the cowardly lion mopped his brow with his tail. "one step on that desert and it would have been one long goodnight." "i should say it would!" shuddered dorothy, and explained to sir hokus the deadly nature of the sands. "and do you know what this means?" dorothy was nearer to tears than even i like to think about. "it means we've come in exactly the wrong direction and are farther away from the emerald city than we were when we started." "and seek him near and fa--hah--har," mumbled sir hokus with a very troubled light in his kindly blue eyes. "and seek him near and far." "fah--har--har! i should say it was," said the cowardly lion bitterly. "but you needn't sing it." "no, i s'pose not. uds helmets and hauberks! i s'pose not!" the knight lapsed into a discouraged silence, and all three sat and stared drearily at the stretch of desert before them and thought gloomily of the rough country behind. "it's a caravan," wheezed a hoarse voice. "i doubt that, camy, i doubt it very much." the shrill nasal voices so startled the three travelers that they swung about in astonishment. "great dates and deserts!" burst out the cowardly lion, jumping up. and on the whole, this exclamation was entirely suitable, for ambling toward them were a long-legged camel and a wobbly-necked dromedary. "at last! a steed!" cried the knight, bounding to his feet. "i doubt that." the dromedary stopped and looked at him coldly. "try me," said the camel amiably. "i'm more comfortable." "i doubt that, too." "the doubtful dromedary wept, as o'er the desert sands he stept, association with the sphinx has made him doubtful, so he thinks!" chortled the knight with his head on one side. "how did you know?" asked the dromedary, opening his eyes wide. "it just occurred to me," admitted sir hokus, clearing his throat modestly. "i doubt that. somebody told you," said the doubtful dromedary bitterly. "pon my honor," said sir hokus. "i doubt it, i doubt it very much," persisted the dromedary, wagging his head sorrowfully. "you seem to doubt everything!" dorothy laughed in spite of herself, and the dromedary regarded her sulkily. "he does," said the camel. "it makes him very doubtful company. now, i like to be comfortable and happy, and you can't be if you're always doubting things and people and places. eh, my dear?" "where did you comfortable and doubtful parties come from?" asked the cowardly lion. "strangers here?" "well, yes," admitted the camel, nibbling the branch of a tree. "there was a terrific sandstorm, and after blowing and blowing and blowing, we found ourselves in this little wood. the odd part of it is that you talk in our language. never knew a two-leg to understand a word of camelia before." "you're not talking camelia, you're talking ozish," laughed dorothy. "all animals can talk here." "well, now, that's very comfortable, i must say," sighed the camel, "and if you'd just tell me where to go, it would be more comfortable still." "i doubt that," snapped the dromedary. "they're no caravan." "where do you want to go?" asked the cowardly lion, ignoring the doubtful dromedary. "anywhere, just so we keep moving. we're used to being told when to start and stop, and life is mighty lonely without our karwan bashi," sighed the comfortable camel. "why, i didn't know you smoked!" exclaimed dorothy in surprise. she thought the camel was referring to a brand of tobacco. "he means his camel driver," whispered sir hokus, eyeing the soft, pillowed seat on the camel's back longingly. besides the seat, great sacks and bales of goods hung from its sides. the doubtful dromedary was similarly loaded. "goodness!" exclaimed dorothy. a sudden idea had struck her. "you haven't anything to eat in those sacks, have you?" "plenty, my child--plenty!" answered the camel calmly. "three cheers for the comfortable camel!" roared the cowardly lion, while sir hokus, following the camel's directions, carefully unfastened a large, woven basket from one of the sacks on its side. "you may be my karwan bashi," announced the comfortable camel judiciously as sir hokus paused for breath. "hear that, lady dot?" sir hokus swept the camel a bow and fairly beamed with pleasure. dorothy, meanwhile, had set out an appetizing repast on a small, rocky ledge--a regular feast, it appeared to the hungry travelers. there were loaves of black bread, figs, dates, cheese, and a curious sort of dried meat which the cowardly lion swallowed in great quantities. "isn't this cozy?" said dorothy, forgetting the long, weary way ahead. "my, i'm glad we met you!" "very comforting to us, too, my dear," said the camel, swaying complacently. "isn't it, doubty?" "there are some silk cushions in my right-hand saddle sack, but i doubt very much whether you'll like 'em," mumbled the dromedary gruffly. "out with them!" cried sir hokus, pouncing on the doubtful dromedary, and in a minute each of the party had a cushion and was as snug as possible. "could anything have been more fortunate?" exulted the knight. "we can now resume our journey properly mounted." "i think i'll ride the cowardly lion," said dorothy, looking uneasily at the high seat on the camel's back. "let's start before it grows any darker." they had eaten to heart's content, and now, packing up the remainder of the feast, the little party made ready to start. sir hokus, using the cowardly lion as a footstool, mounted the camel, and then dorothy climbed on her old friend's back, and the little caravan moved slowly through the forest. "there's a tent in my left-hand saddle sack, but i doubt very much whether you can put it up," said the doubtful dromedary, falling in behind the comfortable camel. "i doubt it very much indeed." "how now, what means this doubting?" called sir hokus from his perilous seat. "i'll pitch it when the time comes." "mind you don't pitch out when the camel goes!" called the cowardly lion, who would have his little joke. sir hokus, to tell the truth, was feeling tossed about and dizzy, but he was too polite to mention the fact. as they proceeded, dorothy told the comfortable camel all about the scarecrow and oz. an occasional word jolted down from above told her that the knight was singing. they had gone possibly a mile when dorothy pointed in excitement to a road just ahead. "we must have missed it before! wait, i'll see what it's like." jumping down from the cowardly lion's back, she peered curiously at the narrow, tree-lined path. "why, here's a sign!" "what of?" asked the comfortable camel, lurching forward eagerly and nearly unseating the knight. w i s h w a y read dorothy in a puzzled voice. "looks like a pretty good road," said the comfortable camel, squinting up its eyes. "i doubt it, camy, i doubt it very much," said the doubtful dromedary tremulously. "what does my dear karwan bashi think?" asked the comfortable camel, looking adoringly back at the knight. "it is unwise to go back when the journey lieth forward," said the knight, and immediately returned to his song. so, single file, the little company turned in at the narrow path, the comfortable camel advancing with timid steps and the doubtful dromedary bobbing his head dubiously. chapter doubty and camy vanish into space for a short time, everything went well. then dorothy, turning to see how sir hokus was getting along, discovered that the doubtful dromedary had disappeared. "why, where in the world?" exclaimed dorothy. the comfortable camel craned his wobbly neck and, when he saw that his friend was gone, burst into tears. his sobs heaved sir hokus clear out of his seat and flung him, helmet first, into the dust. "go to!" exploded the knight, sitting up. "if i were a bird, riding in yon nest would be easier." the last of his sentence ended in a hoarse croak. sir hokus vanished, and a great raven flopped down in the center of the road. "oh, where is my dear karwan bashi? oh, where is doubty?" screamed the comfortable camel, running around in frenzied circles. "i wish i'd never come on this path!" "magic!" gasped dorothy, clutching the cowardly lion's mane. the comfortable camel had melted into air before their very eyes. "i doubt it, i doubt it very much!" coughed a faint voice close to her ear. dorothy ducked her head involuntarily as a big yellow butterfly settled on the cowardly lion's ear. "our doubtful friend," whispered the lion weakly. "oh, be careful, dorothy dear. we may turn into frogs or something worse any minute." dorothy and the cowardly lion had had experiences with magic transformations, and the little girl, pressing her fingers to her eyes, tried to think of something to do. the raven was making awkward attempts to fly and cawing "go to, now!" every other second. "oh, i wish dear sir hokus were himself again," wailed dorothy after trying in vain to recall some magic sentences. presto! the knight stood before them, a bit breathless from flying, but hearty as ever. "i see! i see!" said the cowardly lion with a little prance. "every wish you make on this road comes true. remember the sign: 'wish way.' i wish the comfortable camel were back. i wish the doubtful dromedary were himself again," muttered the cowardly lion rapidly, and in an instant the two creatures were standing in the path. "uds bodikins! so i did wish myself a bird!" gasped the knight, rubbing his gauntlets together excitedly. "there you are! there you are!" cried the comfortable camel, stumbling toward him and resting his foolish head on his shoulder. "dear, dear karwan bashi! and doubty, old fellow, there you are too! ah, how comfortable this all is." "not two--one," wheezed the doubtful dromedary. "and camy, i doubt very much whether i'd care for butterflying. i just happened to wish myself one!" "don't make any more wishes," said the cowardly lion sternly. "methinks a proper wish might serve us well," observed sir hokus. he had been pacing up and down in great excitement. "why not wish--" "oh, stop!" begged dorothy. "wait till we've thought it all out. wishing's awfully particular work!" "one person better speak for the party," said the cowardly lion. "now, i suggest--" "oh, be careful!" screamed dorothy again. "i wish you would all stop wishing!" sir hokus looked at her reproachfully. no wonder. at dorothy's words, they all found themselves unable to speak. the doubtful dromedary's eyes grew rounder and rounder. for the first time in its life, it was unable to doubt anything. "now i'll have to do it all," thought dorothy, and closing her eyes she tried to think of the very best wish for everybody concerned. it was night and growing darker. the cowardly lion, the camel and dromedary and sir hokus peered anxiously at the little girl, wondering what in the world was going to happen. being wished around is no joke. for five minutes dorothy thought and thought. then, standing in the middle of the road, she made her wish in a clear, distinct voice. it was not a very long wish. to be exact, it had only eight words. eight--short--little words! but stars! no sooner were they out of dorothy's mouth than the earth opened with a splintering crash and swallowed up the whole company! chapter dorothy finds the scarecrow! the next thing dorothy knew, she was sitting on the hard floor of a great, dark hall. one lantern burned feebly, and in the dim, silvery light she could just make out the comfortable camel scrambling awkwardly to his feet. "i smell straw," sniffed the camel softly. "i doubt very much whether i am going to like this place." the voice of the doubtful dromedary came hesitatingly through the gloom. "by sword and scepter!" gasped the knight, "are you there, sir cowardly?" "thank goodness, they are!" said dorothy. wishing other people about is a risky and responsible business. "they're all here, but i wonder where here is." she jumped up, but at a shuffle of feet drew back. "pigs! weasels!" shrilled an angry voice, and a fat little man hurled himself at sir hokus, who happened to have fallen in the lead. "uds trudgeons and bludgeons and maugre thy head!" roared the knight, shaking him off like a fly. "tappy, tappy, my dear boy. caution! what's all this?" at the sound of that dear, familiar voice dorothy's heart gave a skip of joy, and without stopping to explain she rushed forward. "dorothy!" cried the scarecrow, stepping on his kimona and falling off his silvery throne. "lights, tappy! more lights, at once!" but tappy was too busy backing away from sir hokus of pokes. "approach, vassal!" thundered the knight, who under-stood not a word of tappy's speech. "approach! i think i've been insulted!" he drew his sword and glared angrily through the darkness, and tappy, having backed as far as possible, fell heels over pigtail into the silver fountain. at the loud splash, dorothy hastened to the rescue. "they're friends, and we've found the scarecrow, we've found the scarecrow!" she seized sir hokus and shook him till his armor rattled. "tappy! tappy!" called the scarecrow. "where in the world did he pagota?" that's exactly what he said, but to dorothy it sounded like no language at all. "why," she cried in dismay, "it's the scarecrow, but i can't understand a word he's saying!" "i think he must be talking turkey," droned the comfortable camel, "or donkey! i knew a donkey once, a very uncomfortable party, i--" "i doubt it's donkey," put in the dromedary importantly, but no one paid any attention to the two beasts. for happy toko had at last dragged himself out of the fountain and set fifteen lanterns glowing. "oh!" gasped dorothy as the magnificent silver throne room was flooded with light, "where are we?" the scarecrow had picked himself up, and with outstretched arms came running toward her talking a perfect niagara of silver islandish. "have you forgotten your ozish so soon?" rumbled the cowardly lion reproachfully as dorothy flung her arms around the scarecrow. the scarecrow, seeing the cowardly lion for the first time, fairly fell upon his neck. then he brushed his clumsy hand across his forehead. "wasn't i talking ozish?" he asked in a puzzled voice. "oh, now you are!" exclaimed dorothy. and sure enough, the scarecrow was talking plain ozish again. (which i don't mind telling you is also plain english.) the knight had been watching this little reunion with hardly repressed emotion. advancing hastily, he dropped on one knee. "my good sword and lance are ever at thy service, my lord scarecrow!" he exclaimed feelingly. "who is this impulsive person?" gulped the scarecrow, staring in undisguised astonishment at the kneeling figure of the sir hokus of pokes. "he's my knight errant, and he's taken such good care of me," explained dorothy eagerly. "splendid fellow," hissed the cowardly lion in the scarecrow's other painted ear, "if he does talk odds and ends." "any friend of little dorothy's is my friend," said the scarecrow, shaking hands with sir hokus warmly. "but what i want to know is how you all got here." "first tell us where we are," begged the little girl, for the scarecrow's silver hat and queue filled her with alarm. "you are on the silver island," said the scarecrow slowly. "and i am the emperor--or his good-for-nothing spirit--and tomorrow," the scarecrow glared around wildly, "tomorrow i'll be eighty-five going on eighty-six." his voice broke and ended in a barely controlled sob. "doubt that," drawled the doubtful dromedary sleepily. "eighty-five years old!" gasped dorothy. "why, no one in oz grows any older!" "we are no longer in oz." the scarecrow shook his head sadly. then, fixing the group with a puzzled stare, he exclaimed, "but how did you get here?" "on a _wish_," said the knight in a hollow voice. "yes," said dorothy, "we've been hunting you all over oz, and at last we came to wish way, and i said 'i wish we were all with the scarecrow,' just like that--and next minute--" "we fell and fell--and fell--and fell," wheezed the comfortable camel. "and fell--and fell--and fell--and fell," droned the dromedary, "and--" "here you are," finished the scarecrow hastily, for the dromedary showed signs of going on forever. "now tell us every single thing that has happened to you," demanded dorothy eagerly. happy toko had recognized dorothy and the cowardly lion from the scarecrow's description, and he now approached with an arm full of cushions. these he set in a circle on the floor, with one for the scarecrow in the center, and with a warning finger on his lips placed himself behind his master. "tappy is right!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "we must be as quiet as possible, for a great danger hangs over me." without more ado, he told them of his amazing fall down the beanstalk; of his adventures on silver island; of his sons and grandsons and the gheewizard's elixir which would turn him from a lively scarecrow into an old, old emperor. all that i have told you, he told dorothy, up to the very point where his eldest son had bound him to the bean pole and tied up poor, faithful happy toko. happy, it seems, had at last managed to free himself, and they were about to make their escape when dorothy and her party had fallen into the throne room. the comfortable camel and doubtful dromedary lis-tened politely at first, but worn out by their exciting adventures, fell asleep in the middle of the story. nothing could have exceeded dorothy's dismay to learn that the jolly scarecrow of oz, whom she had discovered herself, was in reality chang wang woe, emperor of silver island. "oh, this spoils everything!" wailed the little girl. (the thought of oz without the scarecrow was unthinkable.) "it spoils everything! we were going to adopt you and be your truly family. weren't we?" the cowardly lion nodded. "i was going to be your cousin," he mumbled in a choked voice, "but now that you have a family of your own--" the lion miserably slunk down beside dorothy. sir hokus looked fierce and rattled his sword, but he could think of nothing that would help them out of their trouble. "to-morrow there won't be any scarecrow in oz!" wailed dorothy. "oh, dear! oh, dear!" and the little girl began to cry as if her heart would break. "stop! stop!" begged the scarecrow, while sir hokus awkwardly patted dorothy on the back. "i'd rather have you for my family any day. i don't care a kinkajou for being emperor, and as for my sons, they are unnatural villains who make my life miserable by telling me how old i am!" "just like a poem i once read," said dorothy, brightening up: "you are old, father william," the young man said, "and your hair has become very white, and yet you incessantly stand on your head! do you think, at your age, it is right?" "that's it, that's it exactly!" exclaimed the scarecrow as dorothy finished repeating the verse. "'you are old, father scarecrow!' that's all i hear. i did stand on my head, too. and dorothy, i can't seem to get used to being a grandparent," added the scarecrow in a melancholy voice. "it's turning my straws gray." he plucked several from his chest and held them out to her. "why, those little villains don't even believe in oz! 'it's not on the map, old grandpapapapapah!'" he mumbled, imitating the tones of his little grandsons so cleverly that dorothy laughed in spite of herself. "this is what becomes of pride!" the scarecrow extended his hands expressively. "most people who hunt up their family trees are in for a fall, and i've had mine." "but who do you want to be?" asked the knight gravely. "a scarecrow in oz--or the--er--emperor that you were?" "i don't care who i were!" in his excitement, the scarecrow lost his grammar completely. "i want to be who i am. i want to be myself." "but which one?" asked the cowardly lion, who was still a bit confused. "why, my best self, of course," said the scarecrow with a bright smile. the sight of his old friends had quite restored his cheerfulness. "i've been here long enough to know that i am a better scarecrow than an emperor." "why, how simple it is!" sighed dorothy contentedly. "professor wogglebug was all wrong. it's not what you were, but what you are-- it's being yourself that counts." "by my halidom, the little maid is right!" said sir hokus, slapping his knee in delight. "let your gheewizard but try his transformations! out on him! but what says yon honest henchman?" happy toko, although he understood no word of the conversation, had been watching the discussion with great interest. he had been trying to attract the scarecrow's attention for some time, but the knight was the only one who had noticed him. "what is it, tappy?" asked the scarecrow, dropping easily back into silver islandish. "honored master, the dawn approaches and with it the royal princes and the grand gheewizard--and your bride!" happy paused significantly. the scarecrow shuddered. "let's go back to oz!" said the cowardly lion uneasily. the scarecrow was feeling in the pocket of his old munchkin suit which he always wore under his robes of state. "here!" said he, giving a little pill to happy toko. "it's one of professor wogglebug's language pills," he exclaimed to dorothy, "and will enable him to speak and understand ozish." happy swallowed the pill gravely. "greetings, honorable ozites!" he said politely as soon as the pill was down. dorothy clapped her hands in delight, for it was so comfortable to have him speak their own language. "i could never have stood it here without tappy oko!" the scarecrow looked fondly at his imperial punster. "queer name he has," rumbled the cowardly lion, looking at happy toko as if he had thoughts of eating him. "methinks he should be knighted," rumbled sir hokus, beaming on the little silverman. "rise, sir pudding!" "the sun will do that in a minute or more, and then, then we shall all be thrown into prison!" wailed happy toko dismally. "we were going to escape in a small boat," explained the scarecrow, "but--" it was not necessary for him to finish. a boat large enough to hold dorothy, the cowardly lion, the scarecrow, happy toko, the camel and the dromedary could not very well be launched in secret. "oh, dear!" sighed dorothy, "if i'd only wished you and all of us back in the emerald city!" "you wished very well, lady dot," said the knight. "when i think of what i was going to wish for--" "what were you going to wish, hokus?" asked the cowardly lion curiously. "for a dragon!" faltered the knight, looking terribly ashamed. "a dragon!" gasped dorothy. "why, what good would that have done us?" "wait!" interrupted the scarecrow. "i have thought of something! why not climb my family tree? it is a long, long way, but at the top lies oz!" "grammercy, a pretty plan!" exclaimed sir hokus, peering up at the bean pole. "wouldn't that be social climbing?" chuckled happy toko, recovering his spirits with a bound. the cowardly lion said nothing, but heaved a mighty sigh which no one heard, for they were all running toward the bean pole. it was a good family tree to climb, sure enough, for there were handy little notches in the stalk. "you go first!" sir hokus helped dorothy up. when she had gone a few steps, the scarecrow, holding his robes carefully, followed, then honest happy toko. "i'll go last," said sir hokus bravely, and had just set his foot on the first notch when a hoarse scream rang through the hall. chapter planning to fly from the silver island it was the comfortable camel. waking suddenly, he found himself deserted. "oh, where is my dear karwan bashi?" he roared dismally. "come back! come back!" "hush up, can't you?" rumbled the cowardly lion. "do you want dorothy and everybody to be thrown into prison on our account? we can't climb the bean pole and will have to wait here and face it out." "but how uncomfortable," wailed the camel. he began to sob heavily. dorothy, although highest up the bean pole, heard all of this distinctly. "oh," she cried remorsefully, "we can't desert the cowardly lion like this. i never thought about him." "spoken like the dear little maid you are," said the knight. "the good beast never reminded us of it, either. there's bravery for you!" "let us descend at once, i'll not move a step without the cowardly lion!" in his agitation, the scarecrow lost his balance and fell headlong to the ground, knocking sir hokus's helmet terribly askew as he passed. the others made haste to follow him and were soon gathered gravely at the foot of the beanstalk. "i'll have to think of some other plan," said the scarecrow, looking nervously at the sky, which showed, through the long windows, the first streaks of dawn. the comfortable camel controlled its sobs with difficulty and pressed as close to sir hokus as it could. the doubtful dromedary was still asleep. "it would have been a terrible climb," mused the scarecrow, thinking of his long, long fall down the pole. "ah, i have it!" "what?" asked dorothy anxiously. "i wonder i did not think of it before. ah, my brains are working better! i will abdicate," exclaimed the scarecrow triumphantly. "i will abdicate, make a farewell speech, and return with you to oz!" "what if they refuse to let your radiant highness go?" put in happy toko tremulously. "what if the gheewizard should work his magic before you finished your speech?" "then we'll make a dash for it!" said sir hokus, twirling his sword recklessly. "i'm with you," said the cowardly lion huskily, "but you needn't have come back for me." "all right!" said the scarecrow cheerfully. "and now that everything's settled so nicely, we might as well enjoy the little time left. put out the lights, tappy. dorothy and i will sit on the throne, and the rest of you come as close as possible." sir hokus wakened the doubtful dromedary and pulled and tugged it across the hall, where it immediately fell down asleep again. the comfortable camel ambled about eating the flowers out of the vases. the cowardly lion had placed himself at dorothy's feet, and sir hokus and happy toko seated themselves upon the first step of the gorgeous silver throne. then, while they waited for morning, dorothy told the scarecrow all about the pokes and fix city, and the scarecrow told once again of his victory over the king of the golden islands. "where is the magic fan now?" asked dorothy at the end of the story. the scarecrow smiled broadly, and feeling in a deep pocket brought out the little fan and also the parasol he had plucked from the beanstalk. "do you know," he said smiling, "so much has happened i haven't thought of them since the battle. i was saving them for you, dorothy." "for me!" exclaimed the little girl in delight. "let me see them!" the scarecrow handed them over obligingly, but happy toko trembled so violently that he rolled down the steps of the throne. "i beg of you!" he scrambled to his feet and held up his hands in terror. "i beg of you, don't open that fan!" "she's used to magic, tappy. you needn't worry," said the scarecrow easily. "of course i am," said dorothy with great dignity. "but this'll be mighty useful if anyone tries to conquer oz again. we can just fan 'em away." dorothy pulled a hair from the cowardly lion's mane, and winding it around the little fan, put it carefully in the pocket of her dress. the parasol she hung by its ribbon to her arm. "perhaps ozma will look in the magic picture and wish us all back again," said the little girl after they had sat for a time in silence. "i doubt it." the dromedary stirred and mumbled in its sleep. "singular beast, that!" ejaculated the knight. "doubting never gets one anywhere." "hush!" warned the scarecrow. "i hear footsteps!" "come here." sir hokus called hoarsely to the camel, who was eating a paper lantern at the other end of the room. the beast ran awkwardly over to the throne, and swallowing the lantern with a convulsive gulp, settled down beside the dromedary. "whatever happens, we must stick together," said the knight emphatically. "ah--!" dorothy held fast to the scarecrow with one hand and to the throne with the other. the sun had risen at last. there was a loud crash of drums and trumpets, a rush of feet, and into the hall marched the most splendid company dorothy had seen in her whole life of adventures. chapter dorothy upsets the ceremony of the island "a caravan!" whistled the comfortable camel, lurching to his feet. "how nice!" "i doubt that!" the dromedary's eyes flew open, and he stared sleepily at the magnificent procession of silver islanders. first came the musicians, playing their shining silver trumpets and flutes. the grand chew chew and general mugwump followed, attired in brilliant silk robes of state. then came the three princes, glittering with jeweled chains and medals, and the fifteen little princes, like so many silver butterflies in their satin kimonas. next appeared a palanquin bearing the veiled princess orange blossom, followed by a whole company of splendid courtiers and after them as many of the everyday silver islanders as the hall would hold. there was a moment of silence. then the whole assemblage, contrary to the scarecrow's edict, fell upon their faces. "my!" exclaimed dorothy, impressed in spite of herself. "are you sure you want to give up all this?" "great emperor, beautiful as the sun, wise as the stars, and radiant as the clouds, the ceremony of restoration is about to begin!" quavered the grand chew chew, rising slowly. then he paused, for he was suddenly confused by the strange company around the scarecrow's throne. "treachery!" hissed the eldest prince to the others. "we left him tied to the bean pole. ancient papa scarecrow needs watching! who are these curious objects he has gathered about him, pray?" now by some magic which even i cannot explain, the people from oz found they could understand all that was being said. when dorothy heard herself called an object and saw the wicked faces of the three princes and the stupid little grandsons, she no longer wondered at the scarecrow's decision. the scarecrow himself bowed calmly. "first," said he cheerfully, "let me introduce my friends and visitors from oz." the silver islanders, who really loved the scarecrow, bowed politely as he called out the names of dorothy and the others. but the three silver princes scowled and whispered indignantly among themselves. "i am growing very wroth!" choked sir hokus to the cowardly lion. "let the ceremony proceed!" called the eldest prince harshly, before the scarecrow had finished his introductions. "let the proper body of his serene highness be immediately restored. way for the grand gheewizard! way for the grand gheewizard!" "one moment," put in the scarecrow in a dignified voice. "i have something to say." the silver islanders clapped loudly at this, and dorothy felt a bit reassured. perhaps they would listen to reason after all and let the scarecrow depart peacefully. how they were ever to escape if they didn't, the little girl could not see. "my dear children," began the scarecrow in his jolly voice, "nothing could have been more wonderful than my return to this lovely island, but in the years i have been away from you i have changed very much, and i find i no longer care for being emperor. so with your kind permission, i will keep the excellent body i now have and will abdicate in favor of my eldest son and return with my friends to oz. for in oz i really belong." a dead silence followed the scarecrow's speech--then perfect pandemonium. "no! no! you are a good emperor! we will not let you go!" shrieked the people. "you are our honorable little father. the prince shall be emperor after you have peacefully returned to your ancestors, but not now. no! no! we will not have it!" "i feared this!" quavered happy toko. "it is not the emperor, but the scarecrow who speaks!" shrilled the grand chew chew craftily. "he knows not what he says. but after the transformation--ah, you shall see!" the company calmed down at this. "let the ceremony proceed! way for the grand gheewizard!" they cried exultantly. "chew chew," wailed the scarecrow, "you're off the track!" but it was too late. no one would listen. "i'll have to think of something else," muttered the scarecrow, sinking dejectedly back on his throne. "oh!" shuddered dorothy, clutching the scarecrow, "here he comes!" "way for the grand gheewizard! way for the grand gheewizard!" the crowd parted. hobbling toward the throne came the ugly little gheewizard of the silver island holding a large silver vase high above his head, and after him--! when sir hokus caught a glimpse of what came after, he leaped clean over the comfortable camel. "uds daggers!" roared the knight. "_at last!"_ he rushed forward violently. there was a sharp thrust of his good sword, then an explosion like twenty giant firecrackers in one, and the room became quite black with smoke. before anyone realized what had happened, sir hokus was back, dragging something after him and shouting exuberantly, "a dragon! i have slain a dragon! what happiness!" everyone was coughing and spluttering from the smoke, but as it cleared dorothy saw that it was indeed a dragon sir hokus had slain, the rheumatic dragon of the old gheewizard himself. "why didn't you get the wizard?" rumbled the cowardly lion angrily. "must have exploded," said the comfortable camel, sniffing the skin daintily. "treason!" yelled the three princes, while the grand gheewizard flung himself on the stone floor and began tearing strand after strand from his silver pigtail. "he has killed the little joy of my hearth!" screeched the old man. "i will turn him to a cat, a miserable yellow cat, and roast him for dinner!" "oh!" cried dorothy, looking at sir hokus sorrowfully. "how could you?" the slaying of the dragon had thrown the whole hall into utmost confusion. sir hokus turned a little pale under his armor, but faced the angry mob without flinching. "oh, my dear karwan bashi, this is so uncomfortable!" wheezed the camel, glancing back of him with frightened eyes. "there's a shiny dagger in my left-hand saddlesack. i doubt very much whether they would like it," coughed the doubtful dromedary, pressing close to the knight. "on with the ceremony!" cried the eldest prince, seeing that the excitement was giving the scarecrow's friends too much time to think. "the son of an iron pot shall be punished later!" "that's right!" cried a voice from the crowd. "let the emperor be restored!" "i guess it's all over," gulped the scarecrow. "give my love to ozma and tell her i tried to come back." in helpless terror, the little company watched the gheewizard approach. one could fight real enemies, but _magic!_ even sir hokus, brave as he was, felt that nothing could be done. "one move and you shall be so many prunes," shrilled the angry old man, fixing the people from oz with his wicked little eyes. the great room was so still you could have heard a pin drop. even the doubtful dromedary had not the heart to doubt the wizard's power, but stood rigid as a statue. the wizard advanced slowly, holding the sealed vase carefully over his head. the poor scarecrow regarded it with gloomy fascination. one more moment and he would be an old, old silverman. better to be lost forever! he held convulsively to dorothy. as for dorothy herself, she was trembling with fright and grief. when the grand gheewizard raised the vase higher and higher and made ready to hurl it at the scarecrow, disregarding his dire threat she gave a shrill scream and threw up both hands. "great grandmothers!" gasped the scarecrow, jumping to his feet. as dorothy had thrown up her arms, the little parasol swinging at her wrist had jerked open. up, up, up, and out through the broken skylight in the roof sailed the little princess of oz! the grand gheewizard, startled as anyone, failed to throw the vase. every neck was craned upward, and everyone was gasping with astonishment. the oldest prince, as usual, was the first to recover. "don't stand staring like an idiot! now's your chance!" he hissed angrily in the gheewizard's ear. "i didn't come here to be harried and hurried by foreigners," sobbed the little man. "how is one to work magic when interrupted every other minute? i want my little dragon." "oh, come on now, just throw it. i'll get you another dragon," begged the prince, his hands trembling with excitement. in the face of this new disaster, the scarecrow had forgotten all about the gheewizard. he and the cowardly lion and sir hokus were running distractedly around the great throne trying to think up a way to rescue dorothy. as for the doubtful dromedary, he was doubting everything in a loud, bitter voice, while the comfortable camel fairly snorted with sorrow. "there! now's your chance," whispered the prince. the scarecrow, with his back to the crowd, was gesturing frantically. taking a firm hold on the neck of the vase and with a long incantation which there is no use at all in repeating, the gheewizard flung the bottle straight at the scarecrow's head. but scarcely had it left his hand before there was a flash and a flutter and down came dorothy and the magic parasol right on top of the vase. zip! the vase flew in quite another direction, and next minute had burst over the luckless heads of the three plotting princes, while dorothy floated gently to earth. sir hokus embraced the scarecrow, and the scarecrow hugged the cowardly lion, and i don't wonder at all. for no sooner had the magic elixir touched the princes, than two of them became silver pigs and the eldest a weasel. they had been turned to their true shapes instead of the scarecrow. and while the company hopped about in alarm, they ran squealing from the hall and disappeared in the gardens. "seize the gheewizard and take him to his cave," ordered the scarecrow, asserting his authority for the first time since the proceedings has started. he had noticed the old man making queer signs and passes toward sir hokus. a dozen took hold of the struggling gheewizard and hurried him out of the hall. sir hokus, at the request of the scarecrow, clapped his iron gauntlets for silence. "you will agree with me, i'm sure," said the scarecrow in a slightly unsteady voice, "that magic is a serious matter to meddle with. if you will all return quietly to your homes, i will try to find a way out of our difficulties." the silver islanders listened respectfully and after a little arguing among themselves backed out of the throne room. to tell the truth, they were anxious to spread abroad the tale of the morning's happenings. princess orange blossom, however, refused to depart. magic or no magic, she had come to marry the emperor, and she would not leave till the ceremony had been performed. "but my dear old lady, would you wish to marry a scarecrow?" coaxed the emperor. "all men are scarecrows," snapped the princess sourly. "then why marry at all?" rumbled the cowardly lion, making a playful leap at her palanquin. this was too much. the princess swooned on the spot, and the scarecrow, taking advantage of her unconscious condition, ordered her chair bearers to carry her away as far and as fast as they could run. "now," said the scarecrow when the last of the company had disappeared, "let us talk this over." chapter the escape from the silver island "well!" gasped dorothy, fanning herself with her hat, "i never was so s'prised in my life!" "nor i," exclaimed the scarecrow. "the grand gheewizard will be suing you for parassault and battery. but how did it happen?" "well," began dorothy, "as soon as the parasol opened, i flew up so fast that i could hardly breathe. then, after i'd gone ever so far, it came to me that if the parasol went up when it was up, it would come down when it was down. i couldn't leave you all in such a fix-- so i closed it, and--" "came down!" finished the scarecrow with a wave of his hand. "you always do the right thing in the right place, my dear." "it was lucky i hit the vase, wasn't it?" sighed dorothy. "but i'm rather sorry about the princes." "served 'em right," growled the cowardly lion. "they'll make very good pigs!" "but who's to rule the island?" demanded sir hokus, turning his gaze reluctantly from the smoking dragonskin. "this will require thought," said the scarecrow pensively. "let us all think." "i doubt that i can ever think again." the doubtful dromedary wagged his head from side to side in a dazed fashion. "just leave it to our dear karwan bashi." the comfortable camel nodded complacently at the knight and began plucking sly wisps from the scarecrow's boot top. for a short time there was absolute silence. then sir hokus, who had been thinking tremendously with his elbows on his knees, burst out, "why not sir pudding, here? why not this honest punster? who but happy toko deserves the throne?" "the very person!" cried the scarecrow, clasping his yellow gloves, and taking off his silver hat, he set it impulsively upon the head of the fat little silver islander. "he'll make a lovely emperor," said dorothy. "he's so kind-hearted and jolly. and now the scarecrow can abdicate and come home to oz." they all looked triumphantly at the imperial punster, but happy toko, snatching off the royal hat, burst into tears. "don't leave me behind, amiable master!" he sobbed disconsolately. "oh, how i shall miss you!" "but don't you see," coaxed dorothy, "the scarecrow needs you here more than anyplace, and think of all the fine clothes you will have and how rich you will be!" "and tappy, my dear boy," said the scarecrow, putting his arm around happy toko, "you might not like oz any more than i like silver island. then think--if everything goes well, you can visit me--just as one emperor visits another!" "and you won't forget me?" sniffed happy, beginning to like the idea of being emperor. "never!" cried the scarecrow with an impressive wave. "and if anything goes wrong, will you help me out?" questioned happy uncertainly. "we'll look in the magic picture of oz every month," declared dorothy, "and if you need us we'll surely find some way to help you." "an' you ever require a trusty sword, odds bodikins!" exclaimed sir hokus, pressing tappy's hand, "i'm your man!" "all right, dear master!" happy slowly picked up the imperial hat and set it sideways on his head. "i'll do my best." "i don't doubt it at all," said the doubtful dromedary to everyone's surprise. "three cheers for the emperor! long live the emperor of the silver island," rumbled the cowardly lion, and everybody from oz, even the camel and dromedary, fell upon their knees before happy toko. "you may have my bride, too, tappy," chuckled the scarecrow with a wink at dorothy. "and tappy," he asked, sobering suddenly, "will you have my grandsons brought up like real children? just as soon as i return, i shall send them all the books of oz." happy bowed, too confused and excited for speech. "now," said the scarecrow, seizing dorothy's hand, "i can return to oz with an easy mind." "doubt that," said the doubtful dromedary. "you needn't!" announced dorothy. "i've thought it all out." in a few short sentences she outlined her plan. "bravo!" roared the cowardly lion, and now the little party began in real earnest the preparation for the journey back to oz. first, happy brought them a delicious luncheon, with plenty of twigs and hay for the camel and dromedary and meat for the cowardly lion. the scarecrow packed into the camel's sacks a few little souvenirs for the people of oz. then they dressed happy toko in the scarecrow's most splendid robe and ordered him to sit upon the throne. next, the scarecrow rang for one of the palace servants and ordered the people of the silver islands to assemble in the hall. presently the silvermen began to come trooping in, packing the great throne room until it could hold no more. everyone was chattering excitedly. it was quite a different company that greeted them. the scarecrow, cheerful and witty in his old munchkin suit, dorothy and sir hokus smiling happily, and the three animal members of the party fairly blinking with contentment. "this," said the scarecrow pleasantly when everyone was quiet, "is your new emperor, to whom i ask you to pledge allegiance." he waved proudly in the direction of happy toko, who, to tell the truth, presented a truly royal appearance. "it is not possible for me to remain with you, but i shall always watch over this delightful island and with the magic fan vanquish all its enemies and punish all offenders." happy toko bowed to his subjects. the silver islanders exchanged startled glances, then, as the scarecrow carelessly lifted the fan, they fell prostrate to the earth. "ah!" said the scarecrow with a broad wink at happy. "this is delightful. you agree with me, i see. now then, three cheers for tappy oko, imperial emperor of the silver island." the cheers were given with a will, and happy in acknowledgement made a speech that has since been written into the royal book of state as a masterpiece of eloquence. having arranged affairs so satisfactorily, the scarecrow embraced happy toko with deep emotion. dorothy and sir hokus shook hands with him and wished him every success and happiness. then the little party from oz walked deliberately to the bean pole in the center of the hall. the silver islanders were still a bit dazed by the turn affairs had taken and stared in astonishment as the scarecrow and sir hokus fastened thick ropes around the cowardly lion, the doubtful dromedary and the comfortable camel. similar ropes they tied around their own waists and dorothy's, and the ends of all were fastened securely to the handle of the magic parasol, which dorothy held carefully. "goodbye, everybody!" called the little girl, suddenly opening the parasol. "goodbye!" cried the genial scarecrow, waving his hand. too stupefied for speech, the assemblage gaped with amazement as the party floated gently upward. up--up--and out of sight whirled the entire party. chapter the flight of the parasol holding the handle of the parasol, dorothy steered it with all the skill of an aviator, and in several minutes after their start the party had entered the deep, black passage down which the scarecrow had fallen. each one of the adventurers was fastened to the parasol with ropes of different length so that none of them bumped together, but even with all the care in the world it was not possible to keep them from bumping the sides of the tube. the comfortable camel grunted plaintively from time to time, and dorothy could hear the doubtful dromedary complaining bitterly in the darkness. it was pitch dark, but by keeping one hand in touch with the bean pole, dorothy managed to hold the parasol in the center. "how long will it take?" she called breathlessly to the scarecrow, who was dangling just below. "hours!" wheezed the scarecrow, holding fast to his hat. "i hope none of the parties on this line hear us," he added nervously, thinking of the middlings. "what recks it?" blustered sir hokus. "hast forgotten my trusty sword?" but his words were completely drowned in the rattle of his armor. "hush!" warned the scarecrow, "or we'll be pulled in." so for almost an hour, they flew up the dark, chimney-like tube with only an occasional groan as one or another scraped against the rough sides of the passage. then, before they knew what was happening, the parasol crashed into something, half closed, and the whole party started to fall head over heels over helmets. "o!" gasped dorothy, turning a complete somersault, "catch hold of the bean pole, somebody!" "put up the parasol!" shrieked the scarecrow. just then dorothy, finding herself right side up, grasped the pole herself and snapped the parasol wide open. up, up, up they soared again, faster than ever! "we're flying up much faster than i fell down. we must be at the top!" called the scarecrow hoarsely, "and somebody has closed the opening!" chapter safe at last in the land of oz "must we keep bumping until we bump through?" panted dorothy anxiously. "no, by my hilts!" roared sir hokus, and setting his foot in a notch of the beanstalk, he cut with his sword the rope that bound him to the parasol. "put the parasol down half way, and i'll climb ahead and cut an opening." with great difficulty dorothy partially lowered the parasol, and instantly their speed diminished. indeed, they barely moved at all, and the knight had soon passed them on his climb to the top. "are you there?" rumbled the cowardly lion anxiously. a great clod of earth landed on his head, filling his eyes and mouth with mud. "ugh!" roared the lion. "it's getting light! it's getting light!" screamed dorothy, and in her excitement snapped the parasol up. sir hokus, having cut with his sword a large circular hole in the thin crust of earth covering the tube, was about to step out when the parasol, hurling up from below, caught him neatly on its top, and out burst the whole party and sailed up almost to the clouds! "welcome to oz!" cried dorothy, looking down happily on the dear familiar munchkin landscape. "home at last!" exulted the scarecrow, wafting a kiss downward. "let's get down to earth before we knock the sun into a cocked hat," gasped the cowardly lion, for dorothy, in her excitement, had forgotten to lower the parasol. now the little girl lowered the parasol carefully at first, then faster and faster and finally shut it altogether. sir hokus took a high dive from the top. down tumbled the others, over and over. but fortunately for all, there was a great haystack below, and upon this they landed in a jumbled heap close to the magic bean pole. as it happened, there was no one in sight. up they jumped in a trice, and while the comfortable camel and doubtful dromedary munched contentedly at the hay, sir hokus and the scarecrow placed some loose boards over the opening around the bean pole and covered them with dirt and cornstalks. "i will get ozma to close it properly with the magic belt," said the scarecrow gravely. "it wouldn't do to have people sliding down my family tree and scaring poor tappy. as for me, i shall never leave oz again!" "i hope not," growled the cowardly lion, tenderly examining his scratched hide. "but if you hadn't, i'd never have had such lovely adventures or found sir hokus and the comfortable camel and doubtful dromedary," said dorothy. "and what a lot i have to tell ozma! let's go straight to the emerald city." "it's quite a journey," explained the scarecrow to sir hokus, who was cleaning off his armor with a handful of straw. "i go where lady dot goes," replied the knight, smiling affectionately at the little girl and straightening the ragged hair ribbon which he still wore on his arm. "don't forget me, dear karwan bashi," wheezed the comfortable camel, putting his head on the knight's shoulder. "you're a sentimental dunce, camy. i doubt whether they'll take us at all!" the doubtful dromedary looked wistfully at dorothy. "go to, now!" cried sir hokus, putting an arm around each neck. "you're just like two of the family!" "it will be very comfortable to go to now," sighed the camel. "we're all a big, jolly family here," said the scarecrow, smiling brightly, "and oz is the friendliest country in the world." "right," said the cowardly lion, "but let's get started!" he stretched his tired muscles and began limping stiffly toward the yellow brick road. "wait," cried dorothy, "have you forgotten the parasol?" "i wish i could," groaned the cowardly lion, rolling his eyes. sir hokus, with folded arms, was gazing regretfully at the bean pole. "it has been a brave quest," he sighed, "but now, i take it, our adventures are over!" absently, the knight felt in his boot-top and drawing out a small red bean popped it into his mouth. just before reaching the top of the tube, he had pulled a handful of them from the beanstalk, but the others had fallen out when he dove into the hay. "shall we use the parasol again, lady dot?" he asked, still staring pensively at the bean pole. "shall--?" he got no farther, nor did dorothy answer his question. instead, she gave a loud scream and clutched the scarecrow's arm. the scarecrow, taken by surprise, fell over backward, and the comfortable camel, raising his head inquiringly, gave a bellow of terror. from the knight's shoulders a green branch had sprung, and while the company gazed in round-eyed amazement it stretched toward the bean pole, attached itself firmly, and then shot straight up into the air, the knight kicking and struggling on the end. in another second, he was out of sight. "come back! come back!" screamed the comfortable camel, running around distractedly. "i doubt we'll ever see him again!" groaned the doubtful dromedary, craning his neck upward. "do something! do something!" begged dorothy. at which the scarecrow jumped up and dashed toward the little farmhouse. "i'll get an ax," he called over his shoulder, "and chop down the bean pole." "no, don't do that!" roared the cowardly lion, starting after him. "do you want to break him to pieces?" "oh! oh! can't you think of something else?" cried dorothy. "and hurry, or he'll be up to the moon!" the scarecrow put both hands to his head and stared around wildly. then, with a triumphant wave of his hat, declared himself ready to act. "the parasol!" cried the late emperor of silver island. "quick, dorothy, put up the parasol!" snatching the parasol, which lay at the foot of the bean pole, dorothy snapped it open, and the scarecrow just had time to make a flying leap and seize the handle before it soared upward, and in a trice they, too, had disappeared. "doubty! doubty!" wailed the comfortable camel, crowding up to his humpbacked friend, "we're having a pack of trouble. my knees are all a-tremble!" "now don't you worry," advised the cowardly lion, sitting down resignedly. "i'm frightened myself, but that's because i'm so cowardly. queer things happen in oz, but they usually turn out all right. why, hokus is just growing up with the country, that's all, just growing up with the country." "doubt that," sniffed the doubtful dromedary faintly. "he was grown up in the beginning." "but think of the scarecrow's brains. you leave things to the scarecrow." but it was no use. both beasts began to roar dismally. "i don't want a plant. i want my karwan bashi," sobbed the comfortable camel broken-heartedly. "well, don't drown me," begged the cowardly lion, moving out of the way of the camel's tears. "say, what's that draft?" what indeed? in the trees overhead, a very cyclone whistled, and before the three had even time to catch their breath, they were blown high into the air and the next instant were hurtling toward the emerald city like three furry cannonballs, faster and faster. chapter homeward bound to the emerald city dorothy and the scarecrow, clinging fast to the magic parasol, had followed the knight almost to the clouds. at first, it looked as if they would never catch up with him, so swiftly was the branch growing, but it was not long before the little umbrella began to gain, and in several minutes more they were beside sir hokus himself. "beshrew me, now!" gasped the knight, stretching out his hand toward dorothy. "can'st stop this reckless plant?" "give me your sword," commanded the scarecrow, "and i'll cut you off." dorothy, with great difficulty, kept the parasol close to the knight while the scarecrow reached for the sword. but sir hokus backed away in alarm. "'tis part of me, an' you cut it off, i will be cut off, too. 'tis rooted in my back," he puffed. "what shall we do?" cried dorothy in distress. "maybe if we take hold of his hands we can keep him from going any higher." the scarecrow, jamming down his hat so it wouldn't blow off, nodded approvingly, and each holding the parasol with one hand gave the other to the knight. and when dorothy pointed the parasol down, to her great delight sir hokus came also, the thin green branch growing just about as fast as they moved. just then the little fan, which had been rolling around merrily in dorothy's pocket, slipped out and fell straight down toward the three unsuspecting beasts below. draft! no wonder! but dorothy never missed it, and quite unconscious of such a calamity anxiously talked over the knight's predicament with the scarecrow. they both decided that the best plan was to fly straight to the emerald city and have ozma release the knight from the enchanted beanstalk. "i'm sorry you got tangled up in my family tree, old fellow," said the scarecrow after they had flown some time in silence, "but this makes us relations, doesn't it?" he winked broadly at the knight. "so it does," said sir hokus jovially. "i'm a branch of your family now. yet methinks i should not have swallowed that bean." "bean?" questioned dorothy. "what bean?" the knight carefully explained how he had plucked a handful of red beans from the beanstalk just before reaching the top of the tube and how he had eaten one. "so that's what started you growing!" exclaimed dorothy in surprise. "alas, yes!" admitted the knight. "i've never felt more grown-up in my life," he finished solemnly. "an adventurous country, this oz!" "i should say it was," chuckled the scarecrow. "but isn't it almost time we were reaching the emerald city, dorothy?" "i think i'm going in the right direction," answered the little girl, "but i'll fly a little lower to be sure." "not too fast! not too fast!" warned sir hokus, looking nervously over his shoulder at his long, wriggling stem. "there's ozma's palace!" cried the scarecrow all at once. "and there's ozma!" screamed dorothy, peering down delightedly. "and scraps and tik-tok and everybody!" she pointed the parasol straight down, when a sharp tug from sir hokus jerked them all back. they were going faster than the poor knight was growing, so dorothy lowered the parasol half way, and slowly they floated toward the earth, landing gently in one of the flower beds of ozma's lovely garden. "come along and meet the folks," said the scarecrow as dorothy closed the parasol. but sir hokus clutched him in alarm. "hold! hold!" gasped the knight. "i've stopped growing, but if you leave me i'll shoot up into the air again." the scarecrow and dorothy looked at each other in dismay. sure enough, the knight had stopped growing, and it was all they could do to hold him down to earth, for the stubborn branch of beanstalk was trying to straighten up. they had fallen quite a distance from the palace itself, and all the people of oz had their backs turned, so had not seen their singular arrival. "hello!" called the scarecrow loudly. then "help! help!" as the knight jerked him twice into the air. but ozma, trot, jack pumpkinhead and all the rest were staring upward and talking so busily among themselves that they did not hear either dorothy's or the scarecrow's cries. first one, then the other was snatched off his feet, and although sir hokus, with tears in his eyes, begged them to leave him to his fate, they held on with all their might. just as it looked as if they all three would fly into the air again, the little wizard of oz happened to turn around. "look! look!" he cried, tugging ozma's sleeve. "why, it's dorothy!" gasped ozma, rubbing her eyes. "it's dorothy and--" "help! help!" screamed the scarecrow, waving one arm wildly. without waiting another second, all the celebrities of oz came running toward the three adventurers. "somebody heavy come take hold!" puffed dorothy, out of breath with her efforts to keep sir hokus on the ground. the ozites, seeing that help was needed at once, suppressed their curiosity. "i'm heavy," said tik-tok solemnly, clasping the knight's arm. the tin woodman seized his other hand, and dorothy sank down exhausted on the grass. princess ozma pressed forward. "what does it all mean? where did you come from?" asked the little queen of oz, staring in amazement at the strange spectacle before her. "and who is this medieval person?" asked professor wogglebug, pushing forward importantly. (he had returned to the palace to collect more data for the royal book of oz.) "he doesn't look evil to me," giggled scraps, dancing up to sir hokus, her suspender button eyes snapping with fun. "he isn't," said dorothy indignantly, for sir hokus was too shaken about to answer. "he's my knight errant." "ah, i see," replied professor wogglebug. "a case of 'when knighthood was in flower.'" and would you believe it--the beanstalk at that minute burst into a perfect shower of red blossoms that came tumbling down over everyone. before they had recovered from their surprise, the branch snapped off close to the knight's armor, and tik-tok, the tin woodman and sir hokus rolled over in a heap. the branch itself whistled through the air and disappeared. "oh," cried dorothy, hugging the knight impulsively, "i'm so glad." "are you all right?" asked the scarecrow anxiously. "good as ever!" announced sir hokus, and indeed all traces of the magic stalk had disappeared from his shoulders. "dorothy!" cried ozma again. "what does it all mean?" "merely that i slid down my family tree and that dorothy and this knight rescued me," said the scarecrow calmly. "and he's a real royalty--so there!" cried dorothy with a wave at the scarecrow and making a little face at professor wogglebug. "meet his supreme highness, chang wang woe of silver island, who had abdicated his throne and returned to be a plain scarecrow in oz!" then, as the eminent educator of oz stood gaping at the scarecrow, "oh, ozma, i've so much to tell you!" "begin! begin!" cried the little wizard. "for everything's mighty mysterious. first, the cowardly lion and two unknown beasts shoot through the air and stop just outside the third-story windows, and there they hang although i've tried all my magic to get them down. then you and the scarecrow drop in with a strange knight!" "oh, the poor cowardly lion!" gasped dorothy as the wizard finished speaking. "the magic fan!" she felt hurriedly in her pocket. "it's gone!" "it must have slipped out of your pocket and blown them here, and they'll never come down till that fan is closed," cried the scarecrow in an agitated voice. all of this was greek to ozma and the others, but when dorothy begged the little queen to send for her magic belt, she did it without question. this belt dorothy had captured from the gnome king, and it enabled the wearer to wish people and objects wherever one wanted them. "i wish the magic fan to close and to come safely back to me," said dorothy as soon as she had clasped the belt around her waist. no sooner were the words out before there was a loud crash and a series of roars and groans. everybody started on a run for the palace, sir hokus ahead of all the rest. the fan had mysteriously returned to dorothy's pocket. the three animals had fallen into a huge cluster of rose bushes and, though badly scratched and frightened, were really unhurt. "i doubt that i'll like oz," quavered the doubtful dromedary, lurching toward sir hokus. "you might have been more careful of that fan," growled the cowardly lion reproachfully, plucking thorns from his hide. the comfortable camel was so overjoyed to see the knight that he rested his head on sir hokus's shoulder and began weeping down his armor. and now that their adventures seemed really over, what explanations were to be made! sitting on the top step of the palace with all of them around her, dorothy told the whole wonderful story of the scarecrow's family tree. when her breath gave out, the scarecrow took up the tale himself, and as they all realized how nearly they had lost their jolly comrade, many of the party shed real tears. indeed, nick chopper hugged the scarecrow till there was not a whole straw in his body. "never leave us again," begged ozma, and the scarecrow, crossing nick chopper's heart (he had none of his own), promised that he never would. and what a welcome they gave sir hokus, the doubtful dromedary and the comfortable camel! only professor wogglebug seemed disturbed. during the strange recital, he had grown quieter and quieter and finally, with an embarrassed cough, had excused himself and hurried into the palace. he went directly to the study, and seating himself at a desk opened a large book, none other than _the royal book of oz_. dipping an emerald pen in the ink, he began a new chapter headed thus: his imperial majesty, the scarecrow late emperor and imperial sovereign of silver island then, flipping over several pages to a chapter headed "princess dorothy!", he wrote carefully at the end, "dorothy, princess and royal discoverer of oz." meanwhile, below stairs, the scarecrow was distributing his gifts. there were silver chains for everyone in the palace and shining silver slippers for ozma, betsy bobbin, trot and dorothy, and a bottle of silver polish for nick chopper. dorothy presented ozma with the magic fan and parasol, and they were safely put away by jellia jamb with the other magic treasures of oz. next, because they were all curious to see the scarecrow's wonderful kingdom, they hurried upstairs to look in the magic picture. "show us the emperor of silver island," commanded ozma. immediately the beautiful silver throne room appeared. happy toko had removed his imperial hat and was standing on his head to the great delight of the whole court, and a host of little silver islander boys were peeking in at the windows. "now doesn't that look cheerful?" asked the scarecrow delightedly. "i knew he'd make a good emperor." "i wish we would hear what he's saying," said dorothy. "oh, do look at chew chew!" the grand chew chew was standing beside the throne scowling horribly. "i think i can arrange for you to hear," muttered the wizard of oz, and taking a queer magic instrument from his pocket, he whispered "aohbeeobbuy." instantly they heard the jolly voice of happy toko singing: oh shine his shoes of silver, and brush his silver queue, for i am but an emperor and he's the grand chew chew! ozma laughed heartily as the picture faded away, and so did the others. indeed, there was so much to ask and wonder about that it seemed as if they never would finish talking. "let's have a party--an old-fashioned oz party," proposed ozma when the excitement had calmed down a bit. and an old-fashioned party it was, with places for everybody and a special table for the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, toto, the glass cat, the comfortable camel, the doubtful dromedary and all the other dear creatures of that amazing kingdom. sir hokus insisted upon stirring up a huge pasty for the occasion, and there were songs, speeches and cheers for everyone, not forgetting the doubtful dromedary. at the cheering he rose with an embarrassed jerk of his long neck. "in my left-hand saddle-sack," he said gruffly, "there is a quantity of silken shawls and jewels. i doubt whether they are good enough, but i would like dorothy and queen ozma to have them." "hear! hear!" cried the scarecrow, pounding on the table with his knife. then everything grew quiet as ozma told how she, with the help of glinda, the good sorceress, had stopped the war between the horners and hoppers. when she had finished, sir hokus sprang up impulsively. "i prithee, lovely lady, never trouble your royal head about wars again. from now on, i will do battle for you and little dorothy and oz, and _i_ will be your good knight every day." at this, the applause was tremendous. ye good knight of oz, full of courage and vim, will do battle for us, and we'll take care of him! shouted scraps, who was becoming more excited every minute. "i'll lend you some of my polish for your armor, old fellow," said nick chopper as the knight sat down, beaming with pleasure. "well," said ozma with a smile when everyone had feasted and talked to heart's content, "is everybody happy?" "i am!" cried the comfortable camel. "for here i am perfectly comfortable." "i am!" cried dorothy, putting her arm around the scarecrow, who sat next to her. "for i have found my old friend and made some new ones." "i'm happy!" cried the scarecrow, waving his glass, "because there is no age in oz, and i am still my old ozish self." "as for me," said the knight, "i am happy, for i have served a lady, gone on a quest, and _slain a dragon! ozma, and oz forever!_ none none none dorothy and the wizard in oz a faithful record of their amazing adventures in an underground world; and how with the aid of their friends zeb hugson, eureka the kitten, and jim the cab-horse, they finally reached the wonderful land of oz by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" --to my readers-- . the earthquake . the glass city . the arrival of the wizard . the vegetable kingdom . dorothy picks the princess . the mangaboos prove dangerous . into the black pit and out again . the valley of voices . they fight the invisible bears . the braided man of pyramid mountain . they meet the wooden gargoyles . a wonderful escape . the den of the dragonettes . ozma uses the magic belt . old friends are reunited . jim, the cab-horse . the nine tiny piglets . the trial of eureka, the kitten . the wizard performs another trick . zeb returns to the ranch to my readers it's no use; no use at all. the children won't let me stop telling tales of the land of oz. i know lots of other stories, and i hope to tell them, some time or another; but just now my loving tyrants won't allow me. they cry: "oz--oz! more about oz, mr. baum!" and what can i do but obey their commands? this is our book--mine and the children's. for they have flooded me with thousands of suggestions in regard to it, and i have honestly tried to adopt as many of these suggestions as could be fitted into one story. after the wonderful success of "ozma of oz" it is evident that dorothy has become a firm fixture in these oz stories. the little ones all love dorothy, and as one of my small friends aptly states: "it isn't a real oz story without her." so here she is again, as sweet and gentle and innocent as ever, i hope, and the heroine of another strange adventure. there were many requests from my little correspondents for "more about the wizard." it seems the jolly old fellow made hosts of friends in the first oz book, in spite of the fact that he frankly acknowledged himself "a humbug." the children had heard how he mounted into the sky in a balloon and they were all waiting for him to come down again. so what could i do but tell "what happened to the wizard afterward"? you will find him in these pages, just the same humbug wizard as before. there was one thing the children demanded which i found it impossible to do in this present book: they bade me introduce toto, dorothy's little black dog, who has many friends among my readers. but you will see, when you begin to read the story, that toto was in kansas while dorothy was in california, and so she had to start on her adventure without him. in this book dorothy had to take her kitten with her instead of her dog; but in the next oz book, if i am permitted to write one, i intend to tell a good deal about toto's further history. princess ozma, whom i love as much as my readers do, is again introduced in this story, and so are several of our old friends of oz. you will also become acquainted with jim the cab-horse, the nine tiny piglets, and eureka, the kitten. i am sorry the kitten was not as well behaved as she ought to have been; but perhaps she wasn't brought up properly. dorothy found her, you see, and who her parents were nobody knows. i believe, my dears, that i am the proudest story-teller that ever lived. many a time tears of pride and joy have stood in my eyes while i read the tender, loving, appealing letters that came to me in almost every mail from my little readers. to have pleased you, to have interested you, to have won your friendship, and perhaps your love, through my stories, is to my mind as great an achievement as to become president of the united states. indeed, i would much rather be your story-teller, under these conditions, than to be the president. so you have helped me to fulfill my life's ambition, and i am more grateful to you, my dears, than i can express in words. i try to answer every letter of my young correspondents; yet sometimes there are so many letters that a little time must pass before you get your answer. but be patient, friends, for the answer will surely come, and by writing to me you more than repay me for the pleasant task of preparing these books. besides, i am proud to acknowledge that the books are partly yours, for your suggestions often guide me in telling the stories, and i am sure they would not be half so good without your clever and thoughtful assistance. l. frank baum coronado, . . the earthquake the train from 'frisco was very late. it should have arrived at hugson's siding at midnight, but it was already five o'clock and the gray dawn was breaking in the east when the little train slowly rumbled up to the open shed that served for the station-house. as it came to a stop the conductor called out in a loud voice: "hugson's siding!" at once a little girl rose from her seat and walked to the door of the car, carrying a wicker suit-case in one hand and a round bird-cage covered up with newspapers in the other, while a parasol was tucked under her arm. the conductor helped her off the car and then the engineer started his train again, so that it puffed and groaned and moved slowly away up the track. the reason he was so late was because all through the night there were times when the solid earth shook and trembled under him, and the engineer was afraid that at any moment the rails might spread apart and an accident happen to his passengers. so he moved the cars slowly and with caution. the little girl stood still to watch until the train had disappeared around a curve; then she turned to see where she was. the shed at hugson's siding was bare save for an old wooden bench, and did not look very inviting. as she peered through the soft gray light not a house of any sort was visible near the station, nor was any person in sight; but after a while the child discovered a horse and buggy standing near a group of trees a short distance away. she walked toward it and found the horse tied to a tree and standing motionless, with its head hanging down almost to the ground. it was a big horse, tall and bony, with long legs and large knees and feet. she could count his ribs easily where they showed through the skin of his body, and his head was long and seemed altogether too big for him, as if it did not fit. his tail was short and scraggly, and his harness had been broken in many places and fastened together again with cords and bits of wire. the buggy seemed almost new, for it had a shiny top and side curtains. getting around in front, so that she could look inside, the girl saw a boy curled up on the seat, fast asleep. she set down the bird-cage and poked the boy with her parasol. presently he woke up, rose to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes briskly. "hello!" he said, seeing her, "are you dorothy gale?" "yes," she answered, looking gravely at his tousled hair and blinking gray eyes. "have you come to take me to hugson's ranch?" "of course," he answered. "train in?" "i couldn't be here if it wasn't," she said. he laughed at that, and his laugh was merry and frank. jumping out of the buggy he put dorothy's suit-case under the seat and her bird-cage on the floor in front. "canary-birds?" he asked. "oh no; it's just eureka, my kitten. i thought that was the best way to carry her." the boy nodded. "eureka's a funny name for a cat," he remarked. "i named my kitten that because i found it," she explained. "uncle henry says 'eureka' means 'i have found it.'" "all right; hop in." she climbed into the buggy and he followed her. then the boy picked up the reins, shook them, and said "gid-dap!" the horse did not stir. dorothy thought he just wiggled one of his drooping ears, but that was all. "gid-dap!" called the boy, again. the horse stood still. "perhaps," said dorothy, "if you untied him, he would go." the boy laughed cheerfully and jumped out. "guess i'm half asleep yet," he said, untying the horse. "but jim knows his business all right--don't you, jim?" patting the long nose of the animal. then he got into the buggy again and took the reins, and the horse at once backed away from the tree, turned slowly around, and began to trot down the sandy road which was just visible in the dim light. "thought that train would never come," observed the boy. "i've waited at that station for five hours." "we had a lot of earthquakes," said dorothy. "didn't you feel the ground shake?" "yes; but we're used to such things in california," he replied. "they don't scare us much." "the conductor said it was the worst quake he ever knew." "did he? then it must have happened while i was asleep," he said thoughtfully. "how is uncle henry?" she enquired, after a pause during which the horse continued to trot with long, regular strides. "he's pretty well. he and uncle hugson have been having a fine visit." "is mr. hugson your uncle?" she asked. "yes. uncle bill hugson married your uncle henry's wife's sister; so we must be second cousins," said the boy, in an amused tone. "i work for uncle bill on his ranch, and he pays me six dollars a month and my board." "isn't that a great deal?" she asked, doubtfully. "why, it's a great deal for uncle hugson, but not for me. i'm a splendid worker. i work as well as i sleep," he added, with a laugh. "what is your name?" said dorothy, thinking she liked the boy's manner and the cheery tone of his voice. "not a very pretty one," he answered, as if a little ashamed. "my whole name is zebediah; but folks just call me 'zeb.' you've been to australia, haven't you?" "yes; with uncle henry," she answered. "we got to san francisco a week ago, and uncle henry went right on to hugson's ranch for a visit while i stayed a few days in the city with some friends we had met." "how long will you be with us?" he asked. "only a day. tomorrow uncle henry and i must start back for kansas. we've been away for a long time, you know, and so we're anxious to get home again." the boy flicked the big, boney horse with his whip and looked thoughtful. then he started to say something to his little companion, but before he could speak the buggy began to sway dangerously from side to side and the earth seemed to rise up before them. next minute there was a roar and a sharp crash, and at her side dorothy saw the ground open in a wide crack and then come together again. "goodness!" she cried, grasping the iron rail of the seat. "what was that?" "that was an awful big quake," replied zeb, with a white face. "it almost got us that time, dorothy." the horse had stopped short, and stood firm as a rock. zeb shook the reins and urged him to go, but jim was stubborn. then the boy cracked his whip and touched the animal's flanks with it, and after a low moan of protest jim stepped slowly along the road. neither the boy nor the girl spoke again for some minutes. there was a breath of danger in the very air, and every few moments the earth would shake violently. jim's ears were standing erect upon his head and every muscle of his big body was tense as he trotted toward home. he was not going very fast, but on his flanks specks of foam began to appear and at times he would tremble like a leaf. the sky had grown darker again and the wind made queer sobbing sounds as it swept over the valley. suddenly there was a rending, tearing sound, and the earth split into another great crack just beneath the spot where the horse was standing. with a wild neigh of terror the animal fell bodily into the pit, drawing the buggy and its occupants after him. dorothy grabbed fast hold of the buggy top and the boy did the same. the sudden rush into space confused them so that they could not think. blackness engulfed them on every side, and in breathless silence they waited for the fall to end and crush them against jagged rocks or for the earth to close in on them again and bury them forever in its dreadful depths. the horrible sensation of falling, the darkness and the terrifying noises, proved more than dorothy could endure and for a few moments the little girl lost consciousness. zeb, being a boy, did not faint, but he was badly frightened, and clung to the buggy seat with a tight grip, expecting every moment would be his last. . the glass city when dorothy recovered her senses they were still falling, but not so fast. the top of the buggy caught the air like a parachute or an umbrella filled with wind, and held them back so that they floated downward with a gentle motion that was not so very disagreeable to bear. the worst thing was their terror of reaching the bottom of this great crack in the earth, and the natural fear that sudden death was about to overtake them at any moment. crash after crash echoed far above their heads, as the earth came together where it had split, and stones and chunks of clay rattled around them on every side. these they could not see, but they could feel them pelting the buggy top, and jim screamed almost like a human being when a stone overtook him and struck his boney body. they did not really hurt the poor horse, because everything was falling together; only the stones and rubbish fell faster than the horse and buggy, which were held back by the pressure of the air, so that the terrified animal was actually more frightened than he was injured. how long this state of things continued dorothy could not even guess, she was so greatly bewildered. but bye and bye, as she stared ahead into the black chasm with a beating heart, she began to dimly see the form of the horse jim--his head up in the air, his ears erect and his long legs sprawling in every direction as he tumbled through space. also, turning her head, she found that she could see the boy beside her, who had until now remained as still and silent as she herself. dorothy sighed and commenced to breathe easier. she began to realize that death was not in store for her, after all, but that she had merely started upon another adventure, which promised to be just as queer and unusual as were those she had before encountered. with this thought in mind the girl took heart and leaned her head over the side of the buggy to see where the strange light was coming from. far below her she found six great glowing balls suspended in the air. the central and largest one was white, and reminded her of the sun. around it were arranged, like the five points of a star, the other five brilliant balls; one being rose colored, one violet, one yellow, one blue and one orange. this splendid group of colored suns sent rays darting in every direction, and as the horse and buggy--with dorothy and zeb--sank steadily downward and came nearer to the lights, the rays began to take on all the delicate tintings of a rainbow, growing more and more distinct every moment until all the space was brilliantly illuminated. dorothy was too dazed to say much, but she watched one of jim's big ears turn to violet and the other to rose, and wondered that his tail should be yellow and his body striped with blue and orange like the stripes of a zebra. then she looked at zeb, whose face was blue and whose hair was pink, and gave a little laugh that sounded a bit nervous. "isn't it funny?" she said. the boy was startled and his eyes were big. dorothy had a green streak through the center of her face where the blue and yellow lights came together, and her appearance seemed to add to his fright. "i--i don't s-s-see any-thing funny--'bout it!" he stammered. just then the buggy tipped slowly over upon its side, the body of the horse tipping also. but they continued to fall, all together, and the boy and girl had no difficulty in remaining upon the seat, just as they were before. then they turned bottom side up, and continued to roll slowly over until they were right side up again. during this time jim struggled frantically, all his legs kicking the air; but on finding himself in his former position the horse said, in a relieved tone of voice: "well, that's better!" dorothy and zeb looked at one another in wonder. "can your horse talk?" she asked. "never knew him to, before," replied the boy. "those were the first words i ever said," called out the horse, who had overheard them, "and i can't explain why i happened to speak then. this is a nice scrape you've got me into, isn't it?" "as for that, we are in the same scrape ourselves," answered dorothy, cheerfully. "but never mind; something will happen pretty soon." "of course," growled the horse, "and then we shall be sorry it happened." zeb gave a shiver. all this was so terrible and unreal that he could not understand it at all, and so had good reason to be afraid. swiftly they drew near to the flaming colored suns, and passed close beside them. the light was then so bright that it dazzled their eyes, and they covered their faces with their hands to escape being blinded. there was no heat in the colored suns, however, and after they had passed below them the top of the buggy shut out many of the piercing rays so that the boy and girl could open their eyes again. "we've got to come to the bottom some time," remarked zeb, with a deep sigh. "we can't keep falling forever, you know." "of course not," said dorothy. "we are somewhere in the middle of the earth, and the chances are we'll reach the other side of it before long. but it's a big hollow, isn't it?" "awful big!" answered the boy. "we're coming to something now," announced the horse. at this they both put their heads over the side of the buggy and looked down. yes; there was land below them; and not so very far away, either. but they were floating very, very slowly--so slowly that it could no longer be called a fall--and the children had ample time to take heart and look about them. they saw a landscape with mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, very like those upon the earth's surface; but all the scene was splendidly colored by the variegated lights from the six suns. here and there were groups of houses that seemed made of clear glass, because they sparkled so brightly. "i'm sure we are in no danger," said dorothy, in a sober voice. "we are falling so slowly that we can't be dashed to pieces when we land, and this country that we are coming to seems quite pretty." "we'll never get home again, though!" declared zeb, with a groan. "oh, i'm not so sure of that," replied the girl. "but don't let us worry over such things, zeb; we can't help ourselves just now, you know, and i've always been told it's foolish to borrow trouble." the boy became silent, having no reply to so sensible a speech, and soon both were fully occupied in staring at the strange scenes spread out below them. they seemed to be falling right into the middle of a big city which had many tall buildings with glass domes and sharp-pointed spires. these spires were like great spear-points, and if they tumbled upon one of them they were likely to suffer serious injury. jim the horse had seen these spires, also, and his ears stood straight up with fear, while dorothy and zeb held their breaths in suspense. but no; they floated gently down upon a broad, flat roof, and came to a stop at last. when jim felt something firm under his feet the poor beast's legs trembled so much that he could hardly stand; but zeb at once leaped out of the buggy to the roof, and he was so awkward and hasty that he kicked over dorothy's bird-cage, which rolled out upon the roof so that the bottom came off. at once a pink kitten crept out of the upset cage, sat down upon the glass roof, and yawned and blinked its round eyes. "oh," said dorothy. "there's eureka." "first time i ever saw a pink cat," said zeb. "eureka isn't pink; she's white. it's this queer light that gives her that color." "where's my milk?" asked the kitten, looking up into dorothy's face. "i'm 'most starved to death." "oh, eureka! can you talk?" "talk! am i talking? good gracious, i believe i am. isn't it funny?" asked the kitten. "it's all wrong," said zeb, gravely. "animals ought not to talk. but even old jim has been saying things since we had our accident." "i can't see that it's wrong," remarked jim, in his gruff tones. "at least, it isn't as wrong as some other things. what's going to become of us now?" "i don't know," answered the boy, looking around him curiously. the houses of the city were all made of glass, so clear and transparent that one could look through the walls as easily as through a window. dorothy saw, underneath the roof on which she stood, several rooms used for rest chambers, and even thought she could make out a number of queer forms huddled into the corners of these rooms. the roof beside them had a great hole smashed through it, and pieces of glass were lying scattered in every direction. a nearby steeple had been broken off short and the fragments lay heaped beside it. other buildings were cracked in places or had corners chipped off from them; but they must have been very beautiful before these accidents had happened to mar their perfection. the rainbow tints from the colored suns fell upon the glass city softly and gave to the buildings many delicate, shifting hues which were very pretty to see. but not a sound had broken the stillness since the strangers had arrived, except that of their own voices. they began to wonder if there were no people to inhabit this magnificent city of the inner world. suddenly a man appeared through a hole in the roof next to the one they were on and stepped into plain view. he was not a very large man, but was well formed and had a beautiful face--calm and serene as the face of a fine portrait. his clothing fitted his form snugly and was gorgeously colored in brilliant shades of green, which varied as the sunbeams touched them but was not wholly influenced by the solar rays. the man had taken a step or two across the glass roof before he noticed the presence of the strangers; but then he stopped abruptly. there was no expression of either fear or surprise upon his tranquil face, yet he must have been both astonished and afraid; for after his eyes had rested upon the ungainly form of the horse for a moment he walked rapidly to the furthest edge of the roof, his head turned back over his shoulder to gaze at the strange animal. "look out!" cried dorothy, who noticed that the beautiful man did not look where he was going; "be careful, or you'll fall off!" but he paid no attention to her warning. he reached the edge of the tall roof, stepped one foot out into the air, and walked into space as calmly as if he were on firm ground. the girl, greatly astonished, ran to lean over the edge of the roof, and saw the man walking rapidly through the air toward the ground. soon he reached the street and disappeared through a glass doorway into one of the glass buildings. "how strange!" she exclaimed, drawing a long breath. "yes; but it's lots of fun, if it is strange," remarked the small voice of the kitten, and dorothy turned to find her pet walking in the air a foot or so away from the edge of the roof. "come back, eureka!" she called, in distress, "you'll certainly be killed." "i have nine lives," said the kitten, purring softly as it walked around in a circle and then came back to the roof; "but i can't lose even one of them by falling in this country, because i really couldn't manage to fall if i wanted to." "does the air bear up your weight?" asked the girl. "of course; can't you see?" and again the kitten wandered into the air and back to the edge of the roof. "it's wonderful!" said dorothy. "suppose we let eureka go down to the street and get some one to help us," suggested zeb, who had been even more amazed than dorothy at these strange happenings. "perhaps we can walk on the air ourselves," replied the girl. zeb drew back with a shiver. "i wouldn't dare try," he said. "maybe jim will go," continued dorothy, looking at the horse. "and maybe he won't!" answered jim. "i've tumbled through the air long enough to make me contented on this roof." "but we didn't tumble to the roof," said the girl; "by the time we reached here we were floating very slowly, and i'm almost sure we could float down to the street without getting hurt. eureka walks on the air all right." "eureka weights only about half a pound," replied the horse, in a scornful tone, "while i weigh about half a ton." "you don't weigh as much as you ought to, jim," remarked the girl, shaking her head as she looked at the animal. "you're dreadfully skinny." "oh, well; i'm old," said the horse, hanging his head despondently, "and i've had lots of trouble in my day, little one. for a good many years i drew a public cab in chicago, and that's enough to make anyone skinny." "he eats enough to get fat, i'm sure," said the boy, gravely. "do i? can you remember any breakfast that i've had today?" growled jim, as if he resented zeb's speech. "none of us has had breakfast," said the boy; "and in a time of danger like this it's foolish to talk about eating." "nothing is more dangerous than being without food," declared the horse, with a sniff at the rebuke of his young master; "and just at present no one can tell whether there are any oats in this queer country or not. if there are, they are liable to be glass oats!" "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy. "i can see plenty of nice gardens and fields down below us, at the edge of this city. but i wish we could find a way to get to the ground." "why don't you walk down?" asked eureka. "i'm as hungry as the horse is, and i want my milk." "will you try it, zeb?" asked the girl, turning to her companion. zeb hesitated. he was still pale and frightened, for this dreadful adventure had upset him and made him nervous and worried. but he did not wish the little girl to think him a coward, so he advanced slowly to the edge of the roof. dorothy stretched out a hand to him and zeb put one foot out and let it rest in the air a little over the edge of the roof. it seemed firm enough to walk upon, so he took courage and put out the other foot. dorothy kept hold of his hand and followed him, and soon they were both walking through the air, with the kitten frisking beside them. "come on, jim!" called the boy. "it's all right." jim had crept to the edge of the roof to look over, and being a sensible horse and quite experienced, he made up his mind that he could go where the others did. so, with a snort and a neigh and a whisk of his short tail he trotted off the roof into the air and at once began floating downward to the street. his great weight made him fall faster than the children walked, and he passed them on the way down; but when he came to the glass pavement he alighted upon it so softly that he was not even jarred. "well, well!" said dorothy, drawing a long breath, "what a strange country this is." people began to come out of the glass doors to look at the new arrivals, and pretty soon quite a crowd had assembled. there were men and women, but no children at all, and the folks were all beautifully formed and attractively dressed and had wonderfully handsome faces. there was not an ugly person in all the throng, yet dorothy was not especially pleased by the appearance of these people because their features had no more expression than the faces of dolls. they did not smile nor did they frown, or show either fear or surprise or curiosity or friendliness. they simply started at the strangers, paying most attention to jim and eureka, for they had never before seen either a horse or a cat and the children bore an outward resemblance to themselves. pretty soon a man joined the group who wore a glistening star in the dark hair just over his forehead. he seemed to be a person of authority, for the others pressed back to give him room. after turning his composed eyes first upon the animals and then upon the children he said to zeb, who was a little taller than dorothy: "tell me, intruder, was it you who caused the rain of stones?" for a moment the boy did not know what he meant by this question. then, remembering the stones that had fallen with them and passed them long before they had reached this place, he answered: "no, sir; we didn't cause anything. it was the earthquake." the man with the star stood for a time quietly thinking over this speech. then he asked: "what is an earthquake?" "i don't know," said zeb, who was still confused. but dorothy, seeing his perplexity, answered: "it's a shaking of the earth. in this quake a big crack opened and we fell through--horse and buggy, and all--and the stones got loose and came down with us." the man with the star regarded her with his calm, expressionless eyes. "the rain of stones has done much damage to our city," he said; "and we shall hold you responsible for it unless you can prove your innocence." "how can we do that?" asked the girl. "that i am not prepared to say. it is your affair, not mine. you must go to the house of the sorcerer, who will soon discover the truth." "where is the house of the sorcerer?" the girl enquired. "i will lead you to it. come!" he turned and walked down the street, and after a moment's hesitation dorothy caught eureka in her arms and climbed into the buggy. the boy took his seat beside her and said: "gid-dap jim." as the horse ambled along, drawing the buggy, the people of the glass city made way for them and formed a procession in their rear. slowly they moved down one street and up another, turning first this way and then that, until they came to an open square in the center of which was a big glass palace having a central dome and four tall spires on each corner. . the arrival of the wizard the doorway of the glass palace was quite big enough for the horse and buggy to enter, so zeb drove straight through it and the children found themselves in a lofty hall that was very beautiful. the people at once followed and formed a circle around the sides of the spacious room, leaving the horse and buggy and the man with the star to occupy the center of the hall. "come to us, oh, gwig!" called the man, in a loud voice. instantly a cloud of smoke appeared and rolled over the floor; then it slowly spread and ascended into the dome, disclosing a strange personage seated upon a glass throne just before jim's nose. he was formed just as were the other inhabitants of this land and his clothing only differed from theirs in being bright yellow. but he had no hair at all, and all over his bald head and face and upon the backs of his hands grew sharp thorns like those found on the branches of rose-bushes. there was even a thorn upon the tip of his nose and he looked so funny that dorothy laughed when she saw him. the sorcerer, hearing the laugh, looked toward the little girl with cold, cruel eyes, and his glance made her grow sober in an instant. "why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded land of the mangaboos?" he asked, sternly. "'cause we couldn't help it," said dorothy. "why did you wickedly and viciously send the rain of stones to crack and break our houses?" he continued. "we didn't," declared the girl. "prove it!" cried the sorcerer. "we don't have to prove it," answered dorothy, indignantly. "if you had any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake." "we only know that yesterday came a rain of stones upon us, which did much damage and injured some of our people. today came another rain of stones, and soon after it you appeared among us." "by the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second rain of stones. yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the first. what is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?" "my sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "i said there would be but one rain of stones. this second one was a rain of people-and-horse-and-buggy. and some stones came with them." "will there be any more rains?" asked the man with the star. "no, my prince." "neither stones nor people?" "no, my prince." "are you sure?" "quite sure, my prince. my sorcery tells me so." just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the prince after making a low bow. "more wonders in the air, my lord," said he. immediately the prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. dorothy and zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the sorcerer remained calmly in his throne. far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. it was not so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to move. the throng stood still and waited. it was all they could do, for to go away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry its fall in any way. the earth children were not noticed, being so near the average size of the mangaboos, and the horse had remained in the house of the sorcerer, with eureka curled up asleep on the seat of the buggy. gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling down upon the land of the mangaboos. dorothy was surprised to find how patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly with excitement. a balloon meant to her some other arrival from the surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist her and zeb out of their difficulties. in an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass pavement. then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and bowed very gracefully to the crowd of mangaboos around him. he was quite an old little man and his head was long and entirely bald. "why," cried dorothy, in amazement, "it's oz!" the little man looked toward her and seemed as much surprised as she was. but he smiled and bowed as he answered: "yes, my dear; i am oz, the great and terrible. eh? and you are little dorothy, from kansas. i remember you very well." "who did you say it was?" whispered zeb to the girl. "it's the wonderful wizard of oz. haven't you heard of him?" just then the man with the star came and stood before the wizard. "sir," said he, "why are you here, in the land of the mangaboos?" "didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, i didn't mean to visit you when i started out. i live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far better than living inside it; but yesterday i went up in a balloon, and when i came down i fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an earthquake. i had let so much gas out of my balloon that i could not rise again, and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head. so i continued to descend until i reached this place, and if you will show me a way to get out of it, i'll go with pleasure. sorry to have troubled you; but it couldn't be helped." the prince had listened with attention. said he: "this child, who is from the crust of the earth, like yourself, called you a wizard. is not a wizard something like a sorcerer?" "it's better," replied oz, promptly. "one wizard is worth three sorcerers." "ah, you shall prove that," said the prince. "we mangaboos have, at the present time, one of the most wonderful sorcerers that ever was picked from a bush; but he sometimes makes mistakes. do you ever make mistakes?" "never!" declared the wizard, boldly. "oh, oz!" said dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in the marvelous land of oz." "nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray of violet sunlight was on his round face. "come with me," said the prince to him. "i wish to meet our sorcerer." the wizard did not like this invitation, but he could not refuse to accept it. so he followed the prince into the great domed hall, and dorothy and zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in also. there sat the thorny sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the wizard saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles. "what an absurd creature!" he exclaimed. "he may look absurd," said the prince, in his quiet voice; "but he is an excellent sorcerer. the only fault i find with him is that he is so often wrong." "i am never wrong," answered the sorcerer. "only a short time ago you told me there would be no more rain of stones or of people," said the prince. "well, what then?" "here is another person descended from the air to prove you were wrong." "one person cannot be called 'people,'" said the sorcerer. "if two should come out of the sky you might with justice say i was wrong; but unless more than this one appears i will hold that i was right." "very clever," said the wizard, nodding his head as if pleased. "i am delighted to find humbugs inside the earth, just the same as on top of it. were you ever with a circus, brother?" "no," said the sorcerer. "you ought to join one," declared the little man seriously. "i belong to bailum & barney's great consolidated shows--three rings in one tent and a menagerie on the side. it's a fine aggregation, i assure you." "what do you do?" asked the sorcerer. "i go up in a balloon, usually, to draw the crowds to the circus. but i've just had the bad luck to come out of the sky, skip the solid earth, and land lower down than i intended. but never mind. it isn't everybody who gets a chance to see your land of the gabazoos." "mangaboos," said the sorcerer, correcting him. "if you are a wizard you ought to be able to call people by their right names." "oh, i'm a wizard; you may be sure of that. just as good a wizard as you are a sorcerer." "that remains to be seen," said the other. "if you are able to prove that you are better," said the prince to the little man, "i will make you the chief wizard of this domain. otherwise--" "what will happen otherwise?" asked the wizard. "i will stop you from living and forbid you to be planted," returned the prince. "that does not sound especially pleasant," said the little man, looking at the one with the star uneasily. "but never mind. i'll beat old prickly, all right." "my name is gwig," said the sorcerer, turning his heartless, cruel eyes upon his rival. "let me see you equal the sorcery i am about to perform." he waved a thorny hand and at once the tinkling of bells was heard, playing sweet music. yet, look where she would, dorothy could discover no bells at all in the great glass hall. the mangaboo people listened, but showed no great interest. it was one of the things gwig usually did to prove he was a sorcerer. now was the wizard's turn, so he smiled upon the assemblage and asked: "will somebody kindly loan me a hat?" no one did, because the mangaboos did not wear hats, and zeb had lost his, somehow, in his flight through the air. "ahem!" said the wizard, "will somebody please loan me a handkerchief?" but they had no handkerchiefs, either. "very good," remarked the wizard. "i'll use my own hat, if you please. now, good people, observe me carefully. you see, there is nothing up my sleeve and nothing concealed about my person. also, my hat is quite empty." he took off his hat and held it upside down, shaking it briskly. "let me see it," said the sorcerer. he took the hat and examined it carefully, returning it afterward to the wizard. "now," said the little man, "i will create something out of nothing." he placed the hat upon the glass floor, made a pass with his hand, and then removed the hat, displaying a little white piglet no bigger than a mouse, which began to run around here and there and to grunt and squeal in a tiny, shrill voice. the people watched it intently, for they had never seen a pig before, big or little. the wizard reached out, caught the wee creature in his hand, and holding its head between one thumb and finger and its tail between the other thumb and finger he pulled it apart, each of the two parts becoming a whole and separate piglet in an instant. he placed one upon the floor, so that it could run around, and pulled apart the other, making three piglets in all; and then one of these was pulled apart, making four piglets. the wizard continued this surprising performance until nine tiny piglets were running about at his feet, all squealing and grunting in a very comical way. "now," said the wizard of oz, "having created something from nothing, i will make something nothing again." with this he caught up two of the piglets and pushed them together, so that the two were one. then he caught up another piglet and pushed it into the first, where it disappeared. and so, one by one, the nine tiny piglets were pushed together until but a single one of the creatures remained. this the wizard placed underneath his hat and made a mystic sign above it. when he removed his hat the last piglet had disappeared entirely. the little man gave a bow to the silent throng that had watched him, and then the prince said, in his cold, calm voice: "you are indeed a wonderful wizard, and your powers are greater than those of my sorcerer." "he will not be a wonderful wizard long," remarked gwig. "why not?" enquired the wizard. "because i am going to stop your breath," was the reply. "i perceive that you are curiously constructed, and that if you cannot breathe you cannot keep alive." the little man looked troubled. "how long will it take you to stop my breath?" he asked. "about five minutes. i'm going to begin now. watch me carefully." he began making queer signs and passes toward the wizard; but the little man did not watch him long. instead, he drew a leathern case from his pocket and took from it several sharp knives, which he joined together, one after another, until they made a long sword. by the time he had attached a handle to this sword he was having much trouble to breathe, as the charm of the sorcerer was beginning to take effect. so the wizard lost no more time, but leaping forward he raised the sharp sword, whirled it once or twice around his head, and then gave a mighty stroke that cut the body of the sorcerer exactly in two. dorothy screamed and expected to see a terrible sight; but as the two halves of the sorcerer fell apart on the floor she saw that he had no bones or blood inside of him at all, and that the place where he was cut looked much like a sliced turnip or potato. "why, he's vegetable!" cried the wizard, astonished. "of course," said the prince. "we are all vegetable, in this country. are you not vegetable, also?" "no," answered the wizard. "people on top of the earth are all meat. will your sorcerer die?" "certainly, sir. he is really dead now, and will wither very quickly. so we must plant him at once, that other sorcerers may grow upon his bush," continued the prince. "what do you mean by that?" asked the little wizard, greatly puzzled. "if you will accompany me to our public gardens," replied the prince, "i will explain to you much better than i can here the mysteries of our vegetable kingdom." . the vegetable kingdom after the wizard had wiped the dampness from his sword and taken it apart and put the pieces into their leathern case again, the man with the star ordered some of his people to carry the two halves of the sorcerer to the public gardens. jim pricked up his ears when he heard they were going to the gardens, and wanted to join the party, thinking he might find something proper to eat; so zeb put down the top of the buggy and invited the wizard to ride with them. the seat was amply wide enough for the little man and the two children, and when jim started to leave the hall the kitten jumped upon his back and sat there quite contentedly. so the procession moved through the streets, the bearers of the sorcerer first, the prince next, then jim drawing the buggy with the strangers inside of it, and last the crowd of vegetable people who had no hearts and could neither smile nor frown. the glass city had several fine streets, for a good many people lived there; but when the procession had passed through these it came upon a broad plain covered with gardens and watered by many pretty brooks that flowed through it. there were paths through these gardens, and over some of the brooks were ornamental glass bridges. dorothy and zeb now got out of the buggy and walked beside the prince, so that they might see and examine the flowers and plants better. "who built these lovely bridges?" asked the little girl. "no one built them," answered the man with the star. "they grow." "that's queer," said she. "did the glass houses in your city grow, too?" "of course," he replied. "but it took a good many years for them to grow as large and fine as they are now. that is why we are so angry when a rain of stones comes to break our towers and crack our roofs." "can't you mend them?" she enquired. "no; but they will grow together again, in time, and we must wait until they do." they first passed through many beautiful gardens of flowers, which grew nearest the city; but dorothy could hardly tell what kind of flowers they were, because the colors were constantly changing under the shifting lights of the six suns. a flower would be pink one second, white the next, then blue or yellow; and it was the same way when they came to the plants, which had broad leaves and grew close to the ground. when they passed over a field of grass jim immediately stretched down his head and began to nibble. "a nice country this is," he grumbled, "where a respectable horse has to eat pink grass!" "it's violet," said the wizard, who was in the buggy. "now it's blue," complained the horse. "as a matter of fact, i'm eating rainbow grass." "how does it taste?" asked the wizard. "not bad at all," said jim. "if they give me plenty of it i'll not complain about its color." by this time the party had reached a freshly plowed field, and the prince said to dorothy: "this is our planting-ground." several mangaboos came forward with glass spades and dug a hole in the ground. then they put the two halves of the sorcerer into it and covered him up. after that other people brought water from a brook and sprinkled the earth. "he will sprout very soon," said the prince, "and grow into a large bush, from which we shall in time be able to pick several very good sorcerers." "do all your people grow on bushes?" asked the boy. "certainly," was the reply. "do not all people grow upon bushes where you came from, on the outside of the earth?" "not that i ever hear of." "how strange! but if you will come with me to one of our folk gardens i will show you the way we grow in the land of the mangaboos." it appeared that these odd people, while they were able to walk through the air with ease, usually moved upon the ground in the ordinary way. there were no stairs in their houses, because they did not need them, but on a level surface they generally walked just as we do. the little party of strangers now followed the prince across a few more of the glass bridges and along several paths until they came to a garden enclosed by a high hedge. jim had refused to leave the field of grass, where he was engaged in busily eating; so the wizard got out of the buggy and joined zeb and dorothy, and the kitten followed demurely at their heels. inside the hedge they came upon row after row of large and handsome plants with broad leaves gracefully curving until their points nearly reached the ground. in the center of each plant grew a daintily dressed mangaboo, for the clothing of all these creatures grew upon them and was attached to their bodies. the growing mangaboos were of all sizes, from the blossom that had just turned into a wee baby to the full-grown and almost ripe man or woman. on some of the bushes might be seen a bud, a blossom, a baby, a half-grown person and a ripe one; but even those ready to pluck were motionless and silent, as if devoid of life. this sight explained to dorothy why she had seen no children among the mangaboos, a thing she had until now been unable to account for. "our people do not acquire their real life until they leave their bushes," said the prince. "you will notice they are all attached to the plants by the soles of their feet, and when they are quite ripe they are easily separated from the stems and at once attain the powers of motion and speech. so while they grow they cannot be said to really live, and they must be picked before they can become good citizens." "how long do you live, after you are picked?" asked dorothy. "that depends upon the care we take of ourselves," he replied. "if we keep cool and moist, and meet with no accidents, we often live for five years. i've been picked over six years, but our family is known to be especially long lived." "do you eat?" asked the boy. "eat! no, indeed. we are quite solid inside our bodies, and have no need to eat, any more than does a potato." "but the potatoes sometimes sprout," said zeb. "and sometimes we do," answered the prince; "but that is considered a great misfortune, for then we must be planted at once." "where did you grow?" asked the wizard. "i will show you," was the reply. "step this way, please." he led them within another but smaller circle of hedge, where grew one large and beautiful bush. "this," said he, "is the royal bush of the mangaboos. all of our princes and rulers have grown upon this one bush from time immemorial." they stood before it in silent admiration. on the central stalk stood poised the figure of a girl so exquisitely formed and colored and so lovely in the expression of her delicate features that dorothy thought she had never seen so sweet and adorable a creature in all her life. the maiden's gown was soft as satin and fell about her in ample folds, while dainty lace-like traceries trimmed the bodice and sleeves. her flesh was fine and smooth as polished ivory, and her poise expressed both dignity and grace. "who is this?" asked the wizard, curiously. the prince had been staring hard at the girl on the bush. now he answered, with a touch of uneasiness in his cold tones: "she is the ruler destined to be my successor, for she is a royal princess. when she becomes fully ripe i must abandon the sovereignty of the mangaboos to her." "isn't she ripe now?" asked dorothy. he hesitated. "not quite," said he, finally. "it will be several days before she needs to be picked, or at least that is my judgment. i am in no hurry to resign my office and be planted, you may be sure." "probably not," declared the wizard, nodding. "this is one of the most unpleasant things about our vegetable lives," continued the prince, with a sigh, "that while we are in our full prime we must give way to another, and be covered up in the ground to sprout and grow and give birth to other people." "i'm sure the princess is ready to be picked," asserted dorothy, gazing hard at the beautiful girl on the bush. "she's as perfect as she can be." "never mind," answered the prince, hastily, "she will be all right for a few days longer, and it is best for me to rule until i can dispose of you strangers, who have come to our land uninvited and must be attended to at once." "what are you going to do with us?" asked zeb. "that is a matter i have not quite decided upon," was the reply. "i think i shall keep this wizard until a new sorcerer is ready to pick, for he seems quite skillful and may be of use to us. but the rest of you must be destroyed in some way, and you cannot be planted, because i do not wish horses and cats and meat people growing all over our country." "you needn't worry," said dorothy. "we wouldn't grow under ground, i'm sure." "but why destroy my friends?" asked the little wizard. "why not let them live?" "they do not belong here," returned the prince. "they have no right to be inside the earth at all." "we didn't ask to come down here; we fell," said dorothy. "that is no excuse," declared the prince, coldly. the children looked at each other in perplexity, and the wizard sighed. eureka rubbed her paw on her face and said in her soft, purring voice: "he won't need to destroy me, for if i don't get something to eat pretty soon i shall starve to death, and so save him the trouble." "if he planted you, he might grow some cat-tails," suggested the wizard. "oh, eureka! perhaps we can find you some milk-weeds to eat," said the boy. "phoo!" snarled the kitten; "i wouldn't touch the nasty things!" "you don't need milk, eureka," remarked dorothy; "you are big enough now to eat any kind of food." "if i can get it," added eureka. "i'm hungry myself," said zeb. "but i noticed some strawberries growing in one of the gardens, and some melons in another place. these people don't eat such things, so perhaps on our way back they will let us get them." "never mind your hunger," interrupted the prince. "i shall order you destroyed in a few minutes, so you will have no need to ruin our pretty melon vines and berry bushes. follow me, please, to meet your doom." . dorothy picks the princess the words of the cold and moist vegetable prince were not very comforting, and as he spoke them he turned away and left the enclosure. the children, feeling sad and despondent, were about to follow him when the wizard touched dorothy softly on her shoulder. "wait!" he whispered. "what for?" asked the girl. "suppose we pick the royal princess," said the wizard. "i'm quite sure she's ripe, and as soon as she comes to life she will be the ruler, and may treat us better than that heartless prince intends to." "all right!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly. "let's pick her while we have the chance, before the man with the star comes back." so together they leaned over the great bush and each of them seized one hand of the lovely princess. "pull!" cried dorothy, and as they did so the royal lady leaned toward them and the stems snapped and separated from her feet. she was not at all heavy, so the wizard and dorothy managed to lift her gently to the ground. the beautiful creature passed her hands over her eyes an instant, tucked in a stray lock of hair that had become disarranged, and after a look around the garden made those present a gracious bow and said, in a sweet but even toned voice: "i thank you very much." "we salute your royal highness!" cried the wizard, kneeling and kissing her hand. just then the voice of the prince was heard calling upon them to hasten, and a moment later he returned to the enclosure, followed by a number of his people. instantly the princess turned and faced him, and when he saw that she was picked the prince stood still and began to tremble. "sir," said the royal lady, with much dignity, "you have wronged me greatly, and would have wronged me still more had not these strangers come to my rescue. i have been ready for picking all the past week, but because you were selfish and desired to continue your unlawful rule, you left me to stand silent upon my bush." "i did not know that you were ripe," answered the prince, in a low voice. "give me the star of royalty!" she commanded. slowly he took the shining star from his own brow and placed it upon that of the princess. then all the people bowed low to her, and the prince turned and walked away alone. what became of him afterward our friends never knew. the people of mangaboo now formed themselves into a procession and marched toward the glass city to escort their new ruler to her palace and to perform those ceremonies proper to the occasion. but while the people in the procession walked upon the ground the princess walked in the air just above their heads, to show that she was a superior being and more exalted than her subjects. no one now seemed to pay any attention to the strangers, so dorothy and zeb and the wizard let the train pass on and then wandered by themselves into the vegetable gardens. they did not bother to cross the bridges over the brooks, but when they came to a stream they stepped high and walked in the air to the other side. this was a very interesting experience to them, and dorothy said: "i wonder why it is that we can walk so easily in the air." "perhaps," answered the wizard, "it is because we are close to the center of the earth, where the attraction of gravitation is very slight. but i've noticed that many queer things happen in fairy countries." "is this a fairy country?" asked the boy. "of course it is," returned dorothy promptly. "only a fairy country could have veg'table people; and only in a fairy country could eureka and jim talk as we do." "that's true," said zeb, thoughtfully. in the vegetable gardens they found the strawberries and melons, and several other unknown but delicious fruits, of which they ate heartily. but the kitten bothered them constantly by demanding milk or meat, and called the wizard names because he could not bring her a dish of milk by means of his magical arts. as they sat upon the grass watching jim, who was still busily eating, eureka said: "i don't believe you are a wizard at all!" "no," answered the little man, "you are quite right. in the strict sense of the word i am not a wizard, but only a humbug." "the wizard of oz has always been a humbug," agreed dorothy. "i've known him for a long time." "if that is so," said the boy, "how could he do that wonderful trick with the nine tiny piglets?" "don't know," said dorothy, "but it must have been humbug." "very true," declared the wizard, nodding at her. "it was necessary to deceive that ugly sorcerer and the prince, as well as their stupid people; but i don't mind telling you, who are my friends, that the thing was only a trick." "but i saw the little pigs with my own eyes!" exclaimed zeb. "so did i," purred the kitten. "to be sure," answered the wizard. "you saw them because they were there. they are in my inside pocket now. but the pulling of them apart and pushing them together again was only a sleight-of-hand trick." "let's see the pigs," said eureka, eagerly. the little man felt carefully in his pocket and pulled out the tiny piglets, setting them upon the grass one by one, where they ran around and nibbled the tender blades. "they're hungry, too," he said. "oh, what cunning things!" cried dorothy, catching up one and petting it. "be careful!" said the piglet, with a squeal, "you're squeezing me!" "dear me!" murmured the wizard, looking at his pets in astonishment. "they can actually talk!" "may i eat one of them?" asked the kitten, in a pleading voice. "i'm awfully hungry." "why, eureka," said dorothy, reproachfully, "what a cruel question! it would be dreadful to eat these dear little things." "i should say so!" grunted another of the piglets, looking uneasily at the kitten; "cats are cruel things." "i'm not cruel," replied the kitten, yawning. "i'm just hungry." "you cannot eat my piglets, even if you are starving," declared the little man, in a stern voice. "they are the only things i have to prove i'm a wizard." "how did they happen to be so little?" asked dorothy. "i never saw such small pigs before." "they are from the island of teenty-weent," said the wizard, "where everything is small because it's a small island. a sailor brought them to los angeles and i gave him nine tickets to the circus for them." "but what am i going to eat?" wailed the kitten, sitting in front of dorothy and looking pleadingly into her face. "there are no cows here to give milk; or any mice, or even grasshoppers. and if i can't eat the piglets you may as well plant me at once and raise catsup." "i have an idea," said the wizard, "that there are fishes in these brooks. do you like fish?" "fish!" cried the kitten. "do i like fish? why, they're better than piglets--or even milk!" "then i'll try to catch you some," said he. "but won't they be veg'table, like everything else here?" asked the kitten. "i think not. fishes are not animals, and they are as cold and moist as the vegetables themselves. there is no reason, that i can see, why they may not exist in the waters of this strange country." then the wizard bent a pin for a hook and took a long piece of string from his pocket for a fish-line. the only bait he could find was a bright red blossom from a flower; but he knew fishes are easy to fool if anything bright attracts their attention, so he decided to try the blossom. having thrown the end of his line in the water of a nearby brook he soon felt a sharp tug that told him a fish had bitten and was caught on the bent pin; so the little man drew in the string and, sure enough, the fish came with it and was landed safely on the shore, where it began to flop around in great excitement. the fish was fat and round, and its scales glistened like beautifully cut jewels set close together; but there was no time to examine it closely, for eureka made a jump and caught it between her claws, and in a few moments it had entirely disappeared. "oh, eureka!" cried dorothy, "did you eat the bones?" "if it had any bones, i ate them," replied the kitten, composedly, as it washed its face after the meal. "but i don't think that fish had any bones, because i didn't feel them scratch my throat." "you were very greedy," said the girl. "i was very hungry," replied the kitten. the little pigs had stood huddled in a group, watching this scene with frightened eyes. "cats are dreadful creatures!" said one of them. "i'm glad we are not fishes!" said another. "don't worry," dorothy murmured, soothingly, "i'll not let the kitten hurt you." then she happened to remember that in a corner of her suit-case were one or two crackers that were left over from her luncheon on the train, and she went to the buggy and brought them. eureka stuck up her nose at such food, but the tiny piglets squealed delightedly at the sight of the crackers and ate them up in a jiffy. "now let us go back to the city," suggested the wizard. "that is, if jim has had enough of the pink grass." the cab-horse, who was browsing near, lifted his head with a sigh. "i've tried to eat a lot while i had the chance," said he, "for it's likely to be a long while between meals in this strange country. but i'm ready to go, now, at any time you wish." so, after the wizard had put the piglets back into his inside pocket, where they cuddled up and went to sleep, the three climbed into the buggy and jim started back to the town. "where shall we stay?" asked the girl. "i think i shall take possession of the house of the sorcerer," replied the wizard; "for the prince said in the presence of his people that he would keep me until they picked another sorcerer, and the new princess won't know but that we belong there." they agreed to this plan, and when they reached the great square jim drew the buggy into the big door of the domed hall. "it doesn't look very homelike," said dorothy, gazing around at the bare room. "but it's a place to stay, anyhow." "what are those holes up there?" enquired the boy, pointing to some openings that appeared near the top of the dome. "they look like doorways," said dorothy; "only there are no stairs to get to them." "you forget that stairs are unnecessary," observed the wizard. "let us walk up, and see where the doors lead to." with this he began walking in the air toward the high openings, and dorothy and zeb followed him. it was the same sort of climb one experiences when walking up a hill, and they were nearly out of breath when they came to the row of openings, which they perceived to be doorways leading into halls in the upper part of the house. following these halls they discovered many small rooms opening from them, and some were furnished with glass benches, tables and chairs. but there were no beds at all. "i wonder if these people never sleep," said the girl. "why, there seems to be no night at all in this country," zeb replied. "those colored suns are exactly in the same place they were when we came, and if there is no sunset there can be no night." "very true," agreed the wizard. "but it is a long time since i have had any sleep, and i'm tired. so i think i shall lie down upon one of these hard glass benches and take a nap." "i will, too," said dorothy, and chose a little room at the end of the hall. zeb walked down again to unharness jim, who, when he found himself free, rolled over a few times and then settled down to sleep, with eureka nestling comfortably beside his big, boney body. then the boy returned to one of the upper rooms, and in spite of the hardness of the glass bench was soon deep in slumberland. . the mangaboos prove dangerous when the wizard awoke the six colored suns were shining down upon the land of the mangaboos just as they had done ever since his arrival. the little man, having had a good sleep, felt rested and refreshed, and looking through the glass partition of the room he saw zeb sitting up on his bench and yawning. so the wizard went in to him. "zeb," said he, "my balloon is of no further use in this strange country, so i may as well leave it on the square where it fell. but in the basket-car are some things i would like to keep with me. i wish you would go and fetch my satchel, two lanterns, and a can of kerosene oil that is under the seat. there is nothing else that i care about." so the boy went willingly upon the errand, and by the time he had returned dorothy was awake. then the three held a counsel to decide what they should do next, but could think of no way to better their condition. "i don't like these veg'table people," said the little girl. "they're cold and flabby, like cabbages, in spite of their prettiness." "i agree with you. it is because there is no warm blood in them," remarked the wizard. "and they have no hearts; so they can't love anyone--not even themselves," declared the boy. "the princess is lovely to look at," continued dorothy, thoughtfully; "but i don't care much for her, after all. if there was any other place to go, i'd like to go there." "but is there any other place?" asked the wizard. "i don't know," she answered. just then they heard the big voice of jim the cab-horse calling to them, and going to the doorway leading to the dome they found the princess and a throng of her people had entered the house of the sorcerer. so they went down to greet the beautiful vegetable lady, who said to them: "i have been talking with my advisors about you meat people, and we have decided that you do not belong in the land of the mangaboos and must not remain here." "how can we go away?" asked dorothy. "oh, you cannot go away, of course; so you must be destroyed," was the answer. "in what way?" enquired the wizard. "we shall throw you three people into the garden of the twining vines," said the princess, "and they will soon crush you and devour your bodies to make themselves grow bigger. the animals you have with you we will drive to the mountains and put into the black pit. then our country will be rid of all its unwelcome visitors." "but you are in need of a sorcerer," said the wizard, "and not one of those growing is yet ripe enough to pick. i am greater than any thorn-covered sorcerer that every grew in your garden. why destroy me?" "it is true we need a sorcerer," acknowledged the princess, "but i am informed that one of our own will be ready to pick in a few days, to take the place of gwig, whom you cut in two before it was time for him to be planted. let us see your arts, and the sorceries you are able to perform. then i will decide whether to destroy you with the others or not." at this the wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. he did it very cleverly, indeed, and the princess looked at the strange piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person could be. but afterward she said: "i have heard of this wonderful magic. but it accomplishes nothing of value. what else can you do?" the wizard tried to think. then he jointed together the blades of his sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. but even that did not satisfy the princess. just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil which zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever idea from those commonplace things. "your highness," said he, "i will now proceed to prove my magic by creating two suns that you have never seen before; also i will exhibit a destroyer much more dreadful that your clinging vines." so he placed dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other and set a lantern upon each of their heads. "don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of my magic." then, with much dignity and a look of vast importance upon his wrinkled face, the wizard got out his match-box and lighted the two lanterns. the glare they made was very small when compared with the radiance of the six great colored suns; but still they gleamed steadily and clearly. the mangaboos were much impressed because they had never before seen any light that did not come directly from their suns. next the wizard poured a pool of oil from the can upon the glass floor, where it covered quite a broad surface. when he lighted the oil a hundred tongues of flame shot up, and the effect was really imposing. "now, princess," exclaimed the wizard, "those of your advisors who wished to throw us into the garden of clinging vines must step within this circle of light. if they advised you well, and were in the right, they will not be injured in any way. but if any advised you wrongly, the light will wither him." the advisors of the princess did not like this test; but she commanded them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that of baked potatoes. some of the mangaboos fell down and had to be dragged from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be necessary to plant them at once. "sir," said the princess to the wizard, "you are greater than any sorcerer we have ever known. as it is evident that my people have advised me wrongly, i will not cast you three people into the dreadful garden of the clinging vines; but your animals must be driven into the black pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them around." the wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself that he said nothing against this decree; but when the princess had gone both jim and eureka protested they did not want to go to the black pit, and dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them from such a fate. for two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends were not disturbed in any way. they were even permitted to occupy the house of the sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to wander in the gardens in search of food. once they came near to the enclosed garden of the clinging vines, and walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. they saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and twisting around like a nest of great snakes. everything the vines touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have escaped being cast among them. whenever the wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom part of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as eureka could. they knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to where she lay beside jim and commenced to frisk and play with her. the cab-horse, who never slept long at a time, sat upon his haunches and watched the tiny piglets and the kitten with much approval. "don't be rough!" he would call out, if eureka knocked over one of the round, fat piglets with her paw; but the pigs never minded, and enjoyed the sport very greatly. suddenly they looked up to find the room filled with the silent, solemn-eyed mangaboos. each of the vegetable folks bore a branch covered with sharp thorns, which was thrust defiantly toward the horse, the kitten and the piglets. "here--stop this foolishness!" jim roared, angrily; but after being pricked once or twice he got upon his four legs and kept out of the way of the thorns. the mangaboos surrounded them in solid ranks, but left an opening to the doorway of the hall; so the animals slowly retreated until they were driven from the room and out upon the street. here were more of the vegetable people with thorns, and silently they urged the now frightened creatures down the street. jim had to be careful not to step upon the tiny piglets, who scampered under his feet grunting and squealing, while eureka, snarling and biting at the thorns pushed toward her, also tried to protect the pretty little things from injury. slowly but steadily the heartless mangaboos drove them on, until they had passed through the city and the gardens and come to the broad plains leading to the mountain. "what does all this mean, anyhow?" asked the horse, jumping to escape a thorn. "why, they are driving us toward the black pit, into which they threatened to cast us," replied the kitten. "if i were as big as you are, jim, i'd fight these miserable turnip-roots!" "what would you do?" enquired jim. "i'd kick out with those long legs and iron-shod hoofs." "all right," said the horse; "i'll do it." an instant later he suddenly backed toward the crowd of mangaboos and kicked out his hind legs as hard as he could. a dozen of them smashed together and tumbled to the ground, and seeing his success jim kicked again and again, charging into the vegetable crowd, knocking them in all directions and sending the others scattering to escape his iron heels. eureka helped him by flying into the faces of the enemy and scratching and biting furiously, and the kitten ruined so many vegetable complexions that the mangaboos feared her as much as they did the horse. but the foes were too many to be repulsed for long. they tired jim and eureka out, and although the field of battle was thickly covered with mashed and disabled mangaboos, our animal friends had to give up at last and allow themselves to be driven to the mountain. . into the black pit and out again when they came to the mountain it proved to be a rugged, towering chunk of deep green glass, and looked dismal and forbidding in the extreme. half way up the steep was a yawning cave, black as night beyond the point where the rainbow rays of the colored suns reached into it. the mangaboos drove the horse and the kitten and the piglets into this dark hole and then, having pushed the buggy in after them--for it seemed some of them had dragged it all the way from the domed hall--they began to pile big glass rocks within the entrance, so that the prisoners could not get out again. "this is dreadful!" groaned jim. "it will be about the end of our adventures, i guess." "if the wizard was here," said one of the piglets, sobbing bitterly, "he would not see us suffer so." "we ought to have called him and dorothy when we were first attacked," added eureka. "but never mind; be brave, my friends, and i will go and tell our masters where you are, and get them to come to your rescue." the mouth of the hole was nearly filled up now, but the kitten gave a leap through the remaining opening and at once scampered up into the air. the mangaboos saw her escape, and several of them caught up their thorns and gave chase, mounting through the air after her. eureka, however, was lighter than the mangaboos, and while they could mount only about a hundred feet above the earth the kitten found she could go nearly two hundred feet. so she ran along over their heads until she had left them far behind and below and had come to the city and the house of the sorcerer. there she entered in at dorothy's window in the dome and aroused her from her sleep. as soon as the little girl knew what had happened she awakened the wizard and zeb, and at once preparations were made to go to the rescue of jim and the piglets. the wizard carried his satchel, which was quite heavy, and zeb carried the two lanterns and the oil can. dorothy's wicker suit-case was still under the seat of the buggy, and by good fortune the boy had also placed the harness in the buggy when he had taken it off from jim to let the horse lie down and rest. so there was nothing for the girl to carry but the kitten, which she held close to her bosom and tried to comfort, for its little heart was still beating rapidly. some of the mangaboos discovered them as soon as they left the house of the sorcerer; but when they started toward the mountain the vegetable people allowed them to proceed without interference, yet followed in a crowd behind them so that they could not go back again. before long they neared the black pit, where a busy swarm of mangaboos, headed by their princess, was engaged in piling up glass rocks before the entrance. "stop, i command you!" cried the wizard, in an angry tone, and at once began pulling down the rocks to liberate jim and the piglets. instead of opposing him in this they stood back in silence until he had made a good-sized hole in the barrier, when by order of the princess they all sprang forward and thrust out their sharp thorns. dorothy hopped inside the opening to escape being pricked, and zeb and the wizard, after enduring a few stabs from the thorns, were glad to follow her. at once the mangaboos began piling up the rocks of glass again, and as the little man realized that they were all about to be entombed in the mountain he said to the children: "my dears, what shall we do? jump out and fight?" "what's the use?" replied dorothy. "i'd as soon die here as live much longer among these cruel and heartless people." "that's the way i feel about it," remarked zeb, rubbing his wounds. "i've had enough of the mangaboos." "all right," said the wizard; "i'm with you, whatever you decide. but we can't live long in this cavern, that's certain." noticing that the light was growing dim he picked up his nine piglets, patted each one lovingly on its fat little head, and placed them carefully in his inside pocket. zeb struck a match and lighted one of the lanterns. the rays of the colored suns were now shut out from them forever, for the last chinks had been filled up in the wall that separated their prison from the land of the mangaboos. "how big is this hole?" asked dorothy. "i'll explore it and see," replied the boy. so he carried the lantern back for quite a distance, while dorothy and the wizard followed at his side. the cavern did not come to an end, as they had expected it would, but slanted upward through the great glass mountain, running in a direction that promised to lead them to the side opposite the mangaboo country. "it isn't a bad road," observed the wizard, "and if we followed it it might lead us to some place that is more comfortable than this black pocket we are now in. i suppose the vegetable folk were always afraid to enter this cavern because it is dark; but we have our lanterns to light the way, so i propose that we start out and discover where this tunnel in the mountain leads to." the others agreed readily to this sensible suggestion, and at once the boy began to harness jim to the buggy. when all was in readiness the three took their seats in the buggy and jim started cautiously along the way, zeb driving while the wizard and dorothy each held a lighted lantern so the horse could see where to go. sometimes the tunnel was so narrow that the wheels of the buggy grazed the sides; then it would broaden out as wide as a street; but the floor was usually smooth, and for a long time they travelled on without any accident. jim stopped sometimes to rest, for the climb was rather steep and tiresome. "we must be nearly as high as the six colored suns, by this time," said dorothy. "i didn't know this mountain was so tall." "we are certainly a good distance away from the land of the mangaboos," added zeb; "for we have slanted away from it ever since we started." but they kept steadily moving, and just as jim was about tired out with his long journey the way suddenly grew lighter, and zeb put out the lanterns to save the oil. to their joy they found it was a white light that now greeted them, for all were weary of the colored rainbow lights which, after a time, had made their eyes ache with their constantly shifting rays. the sides of the tunnel showed before them like the inside of a long spy-glass, and the floor became more level. jim hastened his lagging steps at this assurance of a quick relief from the dark passage, and in a few moments more they had emerged from the mountain and found themselves face to face with a new and charming country. . the valley of voices by journeying through the glass mountain they had reached a delightful valley that was shaped like the hollow of a great cup, with another rugged mountain showing on the other side of it, and soft and pretty green hills at the ends. it was all laid out into lovely lawns and gardens, with pebble paths leading through them and groves of beautiful and stately trees dotting the landscape here and there. there were orchards, too, bearing luscious fruits that are all unknown in our world. alluring brooks of crystal water flowed sparkling between their flower-strewn banks, while scattered over the valley were dozens of the quaintest and most picturesque cottages our travelers had ever beheld. none of them were in clusters, such as villages or towns, but each had ample grounds of its own, with orchards and gardens surrounding it. as the new arrivals gazed upon this exquisite scene they were enraptured by its beauties and the fragrance that permeated the soft air, which they breathed so gratefully after the confined atmosphere of the tunnel. several minutes were consumed in silent admiration before they noticed two very singular and unusual facts about this valley. one was that it was lighted from some unseen source; for no sun or moon was in the arched blue sky, although every object was flooded with a clear and perfect light. the second and even more singular fact was the absence of any inhabitant of this splendid place. from their elevated position they could overlook the entire valley, but not a single moving object could they see. all appeared mysteriously deserted. the mountain on this side was not glass, but made of a stone similar to granite. with some difficulty and danger jim drew the buggy over the loose rocks until he reached the green lawns below, where the paths and orchards and gardens began. the nearest cottage was still some distance away. "isn't it fine?" cried dorothy, in a joyous voice, as she sprang out of the buggy and let eureka run frolicking over the velvety grass. "yes, indeed!" answered zeb. "we were lucky to get away from those dreadful vegetable people." "it wouldn't be so bad," remarked the wizard, gazing around him, "if we were obliged to live here always. we couldn't find a prettier place, i'm sure." he took the piglets from his pocket and let them run on the grass, and jim tasted a mouthful of the green blades and declared he was very contented in his new surroundings. "we can't walk in the air here, though," called eureka, who had tried it and failed; but the others were satisfied to walk on the ground, and the wizard said they must be nearer the surface of the earth then they had been in the mangaboo country, for everything was more homelike and natural. "but where are the people?" asked dorothy. the little man shook his bald head. "can't imagine, my dear," he replied. they heard the sudden twittering of a bird, but could not find the creature anywhere. slowly they walked along the path toward the nearest cottage, the piglets racing and gambolling beside them and jim pausing at every step for another mouthful of grass. presently they came to a low plant which had broad, spreading leaves, in the center of which grew a single fruit about as large as a peach. the fruit was so daintily colored and so fragrant, and looked so appetizing and delicious that dorothy stopped and exclaimed: "what is it, do you s'pose?" the piglets had smelled the fruit quickly, and before the girl could reach out her hand to pluck it every one of the nine tiny ones had rushed in and commenced to devour it with great eagerness. "it's good, anyway," said zeb, "or those little rascals wouldn't have gobbled it up so greedily." "where are they?" asked dorothy, in astonishment. they all looked around, but the piglets had disappeared. "dear me!" cried the wizard; "they must have run away. but i didn't see them go; did you?" "no!" replied the boy and the girl, together. "here,--piggy, piggy, piggy!" called their master, anxiously. several squeals and grunts were instantly heard at his feet, but the wizard could not discover a single piglet. "where are you?" he asked. "why, right beside you," spoke a tiny voice. "can't you see us?" "no," answered the little man, in a puzzled tone. "we can see you," said another of the piglets. the wizard stooped down and put out his hand, and at once felt the small fat body of one of his pets. he picked it up, but could not see what he held. "it is very strange," said he, soberly. "the piglets have become invisible, in some curious way." "i'll bet it's because they ate that peach!" cried the kitten. "it wasn't a peach, eureka," said dorothy. "i only hope it wasn't poison." "it was fine, dorothy," called one of the piglets. "we'll eat all we can find of them," said another. "but we mus'n't eat them," the wizard warned the children, "or we too may become invisible, and lose each other. if we come across another of the strange fruit we must avoid it." calling the piglets to him he picked them all up, one by one, and put them away in his pocket; for although he could not see them he could feel them, and when he had buttoned his coat he knew they were safe for the present. the travellers now resumed their walk toward the cottage, which they presently reached. it was a pretty place, with vines growing thickly over the broad front porch. the door stood open and a table was set in the front room, with four chairs drawn up to it. on the table were plates, knives and forks, and dishes of bread, meat and fruits. the meat was smoking hot and the knives and forks were performing strange antics and jumping here and there in quite a puzzling way. but not a single person appeared to be in the room. "how funny!" exclaimed dorothy, who with zeb and the wizard now stood in the doorway. a peal of merry laughter answered her, and the knives and forks fell to the plates with a clatter. one of the chairs pushed back from the table, and this was so astonishing and mysterious that dorothy was almost tempted to run away in fright. "here are strangers, mama!" cried the shrill and childish voice of some unseen person. "so i see, my dear," answered another voice, soft and womanly. "what do you want?" demanded a third voice, in a stern, gruff accent. "well, well!" said the wizard; "are there really people in this room?" "of course," replied the man's voice. "and--pardon me for the foolish question--but, are you all invisible?" "surely," the woman answered, repeating her low, rippling laughter. "are you surprised that you are unable to see the people of voe?" "why, yes," stammered the wizard. "all the people i have ever met before were very plain to see." "where do you come from, then?" asked the woman, in a curious tone. "we belong upon the face of the earth," explained the wizard, "but recently, during an earthquake, we fell down a crack and landed in the country of the mangaboos." "dreadful creatures!" exclaimed the woman's voice. "i've heard of them." "they walled us up in a mountain," continued the wizard; "but we found there was a tunnel through to this side, so we came here. it is a beautiful place. what do you call it?" "it is the valley of voe." "thank you. we have seen no people since we arrived, so we came to this house to enquire our way." "are you hungry?" asked the woman's voice. "i could eat something," said dorothy. "so could i," added zeb. "but we do not wish to intrude, i assure you," the wizard hastened to say. "that's all right," returned the man's voice, more pleasantly than before. "you are welcome to what we have." as he spoke the voice came so near to zeb that he jumped back in alarm. two childish voices laughed merrily at this action, and dorothy was sure they were in no danger among such light-hearted folks, even if those folks couldn't be seen. "what curious animal is that which is eating the grass on my lawn?" enquired the man's voice. "that's jim," said the girl. "he's a horse." "what is he good for?" was the next question. "he draws the buggy you see fastened to him, and we ride in the buggy instead of walking," she explained. "can he fight?" asked the man's voice. "no! he can kick pretty hard with his heels, and bite a little; but jim can't 'zactly fight," she replied. "then the bears will get him," said one of the children's voices. "bears!" exclaimed dorothy. "are these bears here?" "that is the one evil of our country," answered the invisible man. "many large and fierce bears roam in the valley of voe, and when they can catch any of us they eat us up; but as they cannot see us, we seldom get caught." "are the bears invis'ble, too?" asked the girl. "yes; for they eat of the dama-fruit, as we all do, and that keeps them from being seen by any eye, whether human or animal." "does the dama-fruit grow on a low bush, and look something like a peach?" asked the wizard. "yes," was the reply. "if it makes you invis'ble, why do you eat it?" dorothy enquired. "for two reasons, my dear," the woman's voice answered. "the dama-fruit is the most delicious thing that grows, and when it makes us invisible the bears cannot find us to eat us up. but now, good wanderers, your luncheon is on the table, so please sit down and eat as much as you like." . they fight the invisible bears the strangers took their seats at the table willingly enough, for they were all hungry and the platters were now heaped with good things to eat. in front of each place was a plate bearing one of the delicious dama-fruit, and the perfume that rose from these was so enticing and sweet that they were sorely tempted to eat of them and become invisible. but dorothy satisfied her hunger with other things, and her companions did likewise, resisting the temptation. "why do you not eat the damas?" asked the woman's voice. "we don't want to get invis'ble," answered the girl. "but if you remain visible the bears will see you and devour you," said a girlish young voice, that belonged to one of the children. "we who live here much prefer to be invisible; for we can still hug and kiss one another, and are quite safe from the bears." "and we do not have to be so particular about our dress," remarked the man. "and mama can't tell whether my face is dirty or not!" added the other childish voice, gleefully. "but i make you wash it, every time i think of it," said the mother; "for it stands to reason your face is dirty, ianu, whether i can see it or not." dorothy laughed and stretched out her hands. "come here, please--ianu and your sister--and let me feel of you," she requested. they came to her willingly, and dorothy passed her hands over their faces and forms and decided one was a girl of about her own age and the other a boy somewhat smaller. the girl's hair was soft and fluffy and her skin as smooth as satin. when dorothy gently touched her nose and ears and lips they seemed to be well and delicately formed. "if i could see you i am sure you would be beautiful," she declared. the girl laughed, and her mother said: "we are not vain in the valley of voe, because we can not display our beauty, and good actions and pleasant ways are what make us lovely to our companions. yet we can see and appreciate the beauties of nature, the dainty flowers and trees, the green fields and the clear blue of the sky." "how about the birds and beasts and fishes?" asked zeb. "the birds we cannot see, because they love to eat of the damas as much as we do; yet we hear their sweet songs and enjoy them. neither can we see the cruel bears, for they also eat the fruit. but the fishes that swim in our brooks we can see, and often we catch them to eat." "it occurs to me you have a great deal to make you happy, even while invisible," remarked the wizard. "nevertheless, we prefer to remain visible while we are in your valley." just then eureka came in, for she had been until now wandering outside with jim; and when the kitten saw the table set with food she cried out: "now you must feed me, dorothy, for i'm half starved." the children were inclined to be frightened by the sight of the small animal, which reminded them of the bears; but dorothy reassured them by explaining that eureka was a pet and could do no harm even if she wished to. then, as the others had by this time moved away from the table, the kitten sprang upon the chair and put her paws upon the cloth to see what there was to eat. to her surprise an unseen hand clutched her and held her suspended in the air. eureka was frantic with terror, and tried to scratch and bite, so the next moment she was dropped to the floor. "did you see that, dorothy?" she gasped. "yes, dear," her mistress replied; "there are people living in this house, although we cannot see them. and you must have better manners, eureka, or something worse will happen to you." she placed a plate of food upon the floor and the kitten ate greedily. "give me that nice-smelling fruit i saw on the table," she begged, when she had cleaned the plate. "those are damas," said dorothy, "and you must never even taste them, eureka, or you'll get invis'ble, and then we can't see you at all." the kitten gazed wistfully at the forbidden fruit. "does it hurt to be invis'ble?" she asked. "i don't know," dorothy answered; "but it would hurt me dre'fully to lose you." "very well, i won't touch it," decided the kitten; "but you must keep it away from me, for the smell is very tempting." "can you tell us, sir or ma'am," said the wizard, addressing the air because he did not quite know where the unseen people stood, "if there is any way we can get out of your beautiful valley, and on top of the earth again." "oh, one can leave the valley easily enough," answered the man's voice; "but to do so you must enter a far less pleasant country. as for reaching the top of the earth, i have never heard that it is possible to do that, and if you succeeded in getting there you would probably fall off." "oh, no," said dorothy, "we've been there, and we know." "the valley of voe is certainly a charming place," resumed the wizard; "but we cannot be contented in any other land than our own, for long. even if we should come to unpleasant places on our way it is necessary, in order to reach the earth's surface, to keep moving on toward it." "in that case," said the man, "it will be best for you to cross our valley and mount the spiral staircase inside the pyramid mountain. the top of that mountain is lost in the clouds, and when you reach it you will be in the awful land of naught, where the gargoyles live." "what are gargoyles?" asked zeb. "i do not know, young sir. our greatest champion, overman-anu, once climbed the spiral stairway and fought nine days with the gargoyles before he could escape them and come back; but he could never be induced to describe the dreadful creatures, and soon afterward a bear caught him and ate him up." the wanders were rather discouraged by this gloomy report, but dorothy said with a sigh: "if the only way to get home is to meet the gurgles, then we've got to meet 'em. they can't be worse than the wicked witch or the nome king." "but you must remember you had the scarecrow and the tin woodman to help you conquer those enemies," suggested the wizard. "just now, my dear, there is not a single warrior in your company." "oh, i guess zeb could fight if he had to. couldn't you, zeb?" asked the little girl. "perhaps; if i had to," answered zeb, doubtfully. "and you have the jointed sword that you chopped the veg'table sorcerer in two with," the girl said to the little man. "true," he replied; "and in my satchel are other useful things to fight with." "what the gargoyles most dread is a noise," said the man's voice. "our champion told me that when he shouted his battle-cry the creatures shuddered and drew back, hesitating to continue the combat. but they were in great numbers, and the champion could not shout much because he had to save his breath for fighting." "very good," said the wizard; "we can all yell better than we can fight, so we ought to defeat the gargoyles." "but tell me," said dorothy, "how did such a brave champion happen to let the bears eat him? and if he was invis'ble, and the bears invis'ble, who knows that they really ate him up?" "the champion had killed eleven bears in his time," returned the unseen man; "and we know this is true because when any creature is dead the invisible charm of the dama-fruit ceases to be active, and the slain one can be plainly seen by all eyes. when the champion killed a bear everyone could see it; and when the bears killed the champion we all saw several pieces of him scattered about, which of course disappeared again when the bears devoured them." they now bade farewell to the kind but unseen people of the cottage, and after the man had called their attention to a high, pyramid-shaped mountain on the opposite side of the valley, and told them how to travel in order to reach it, they again started upon their journey. they followed the course of a broad stream and passed several more pretty cottages; but of course they saw no one, nor did any one speak to them. fruits and flowers grew plentifully all about, and there were many of the delicious damas that the people of voe were so fond of. about noon they stopped to allow jim to rest in the shade of a pretty orchard, and while they plucked and ate some of the cherries and plums that grew there a soft voice suddenly said to them: "there are bears near by. be careful." the wizard got out his sword at once, and zeb grabbed the horse-whip. dorothy climbed into the buggy, although jim had been unharnessed from it and was grazing some distance away. the owner of the unseen voice laughed lightly and said: "you cannot escape the bears that way." "how can we 'scape?" asked dorothy, nervously, for an unseen danger is always the hardest to face. "you must take to the river," was the reply. "the bears will not venture upon the water." "but we would be drowned!" exclaimed the girl. "oh, there is no need of that," said the voice, which from its gentle tones seemed to belong to a young girl. "you are strangers in the valley of voe, and do not seem to know our ways; so i will try to save you." the next moment a broad-leaved plant was jerked from the ground where it grew and held suspended in the air before the wizard. "sir," said the voice, "you must rub these leaves upon the soles of all your feet, and then you will be able to walk upon the water without sinking below the surface. it is a secret the bears do not know, and we people of voe usually walk upon the water when we travel, and so escape our enemies." "thank you!" cried the wizard, joyfully, and at once rubbed a leaf upon the soles of dorothy's shoes and then upon his own. the girl took a leaf and rubbed it upon the kitten's paws, and the rest of the plant was handed to zeb, who, after applying it to his own feet, carefully rubbed it upon all four of jim's hoofs and then upon the tires of the buggy-wheels. he had nearly finished this last task when a low growling was suddenly heard and the horse began to jump around and kick viciously with his heels. "quick! to the water or you are lost!" cried their unseen friend, and without hesitation the wizard drew the buggy down the bank and out upon the broad river, for dorothy was still seated in it with eureka in her arms. they did not sink at all, owing to the virtues of the strange plant they had used, and when the buggy was in the middle of the stream the wizard returned to the bank to assist zeb and jim. the horse was plunging madly about, and two or three deep gashes appeared upon its flanks, from which the blood flowed freely. "run for the river!" shouted the wizard, and jim quickly freed himself from his unseen tormenters by a few vicious kicks and then obeyed. as soon as he trotted out upon the surface of the river he found himself safe from pursuit, and zeb was already running across the water toward dorothy. as the little wizard turned to follow them he felt a hot breath against his cheek and heard a low, fierce growl. at once he began stabbing at the air with his sword, and he knew that he had struck some substance because when he drew back the blade it was dripping with blood. the third time that he thrust out the weapon there was a loud roar and a fall, and suddenly at his feet appeared the form of a great red bear, which was nearly as big as the horse and much stronger and fiercer. the beast was quite dead from the sword thrusts, and after a glance at its terrible claws and sharp teeth the little man turned in a panic and rushed out upon the water, for other menacing growls told him more bears were near. on the river, however, the adventurers seemed to be perfectly safe. dorothy and the buggy had floated slowly down stream with the current of the water, and the others made haste to join her. the wizard opened his satchel and got out some sticking-plaster with which he mended the cuts jim had received from the claws of the bears. "i think we'd better stick to the river, after this," said dorothy. "if our unknown friend hadn't warned us, and told us what to do, we would all be dead by this time." "that is true," agreed the wizard, "and as the river seems to be flowing in the direction of the pyramid mountain it will be the easiest way for us to travel." zeb hitched jim to the buggy again, and the horse trotted along and drew them rapidly over the smooth water. the kitten was at first dreadfully afraid of getting wet, but dorothy let her down and soon eureka was frisking along beside the buggy without being scared a bit. once a little fish swam too near the surface, and the kitten grabbed it in her mouth and ate it up as quick as a wink; but dorothy cautioned her to be careful what she ate in this valley of enchantments, and no more fishes were careless enough to swim within reach. after a journey of several hours they came to a point where the river curved, and they found they must cross a mile or so of the valley before they came to the pyramid mountain. there were few houses in this part, and few orchards or flowers; so our friends feared they might encounter more of the savage bears, which they had learned to dread with all their hearts. "you'll have to make a dash, jim," said the wizard, "and run as fast as you can go." "all right," answered the horse; "i'll do my best. but you must remember i'm old, and my dashing days are past and gone." all three got into the buggy and zeb picked up the reins, though jim needed no guidance of any sort. the horse was still smarting from the sharp claws of the invisible bears, and as soon as he was on land and headed toward the mountain the thought that more of those fearsome creatures might be near acted as a spur and sent him galloping along in a way that made dorothy catch her breath. then zeb, in a spirit of mischief, uttered a growl like that of the bears, and jim pricked up his ears and fairly flew. his boney legs moved so fast they could scarcely be seen, and the wizard clung fast to the seat and yelled "whoa!" at the top of his voice. "i--i'm 'fraid he's--he's running away!" gasped dorothy. "i know he is," said zeb; "but no bear can catch him if he keeps up that gait--and the harness or the buggy don't break." jim did not make a mile a minute; but almost before they were aware of it he drew up at the foot of the mountain, so suddenly that the wizard and zeb both sailed over the dashboard and landed in the soft grass--where they rolled over several times before they stopped. dorothy nearly went with them, but she was holding fast to the iron rail of the seat, and that saved her. she squeezed the kitten, though, until it screeched; and then the old cab-horse made several curious sounds that led the little girl to suspect he was laughing at them all. . the braided man of pyramid mountain the mountain before them was shaped like a cone and was so tall that its point was lost in the clouds. directly facing the place where jim had stopped was an arched opening leading to a broad stairway. the stairs were cut in the rock inside the mountain, and they were broad and not very steep, because they circled around like a cork-screw, and at the arched opening where the flight began the circle was quite big. at the foot of the stairs was a sign reading: warning. these steps lead to the land of the gargoyles. danger! keep out. "i wonder how jim is ever going to draw the buggy up so many stairs," said dorothy, gravely. "no trouble at all," declared the horse, with a contemptuous neigh. "still, i don't care to drag any passengers. you'll all have to walk." "suppose the stairs get steeper?" suggested zeb, doubtfully. "then you'll have to boost the buggy-wheels, that's all," answered jim. "we'll try it, anyway," said the wizard. "it's the only way to get out of the valley of voe." so they began to ascend the stairs, dorothy and the wizard first, jim next, drawing the buggy, and then zeb to watch that nothing happened to the harness. the light was dim, and soon they mounted into total darkness, so that the wizard was obliged to get out his lanterns to light the way. but this enabled them to proceed steadily until they came to a landing where there was a rift in the side of the mountain that let in both light and air. looking through this opening they could see the valley of voe lying far below them, the cottages seeming like toy houses from that distance. after resting a few moments they resumed their climb, and still the stairs were broad and low enough for jim to draw the buggy easily after him. the old horse panted a little, and had to stop often to get his breath. at such times they were all glad to wait for him, for continually climbing up stairs is sure to make one's legs ache. they wound about, always going upward, for some time. the lights from the lanterns dimly showed the way, but it was a gloomy journey, and they were pleased when a broad streak of light ahead assured them they were coming to a second landing. here one side of the mountain had a great hole in it, like the mouth of a cavern, and the stairs stopped at the near edge of the floor and commenced ascending again at the opposite edge. the opening in the mountain was on the side opposite to the valley of voe, and our travellers looked out upon a strange scene. below them was a vast space, at the bottom of which was a black sea with rolling billows, through which little tongues of flame constantly shot up. just above them, and almost on a level with their platform, were banks of rolling clouds which constantly shifted position and changed color. the blues and greys were very beautiful, and dorothy noticed that on the cloud banks sat or reclined fleecy, shadowy forms of beautiful beings who must have been the cloud fairies. mortals who stand upon the earth and look up at the sky cannot often distinguish these forms, but our friends were now so near to the clouds that they observed the dainty fairies very clearly. "are they real?" asked zeb, in an awed voice. "of course," replied dorothy, softly. "they are the cloud fairies." "they seem like open-work," remarked the boy, gazing intently. "if i should squeeze one, there wouldn't be anything left of it." in the open space between the clouds and the black, bubbling sea far beneath, could be seen an occasional strange bird winging its way swiftly through the air. these birds were of enormous size, and reminded zeb of the rocs he had read about in the arabian nights. they had fierce eyes and sharp talons and beaks, and the children hoped none of them would venture into the cavern. "well, i declare!" suddenly exclaimed the little wizard. "what in the world is this?" they turned around and found a man standing on the floor in the center of the cave, who bowed very politely when he saw he had attracted their attention. he was a very old man, bent nearly double; but the queerest thing about him was his white hair and beard. these were so long that they reached to his feet, and both the hair and the beard were carefully plaited into many braids, and the end of each braid fastened with a bow of colored ribbon. "where did you come from?" asked dorothy, wonderingly. "no place at all," answered the man with the braids; "that is, not recently. once i lived on top the earth, but for many years i have had my factory in this spot--half way up pyramid mountain." "are we only half way up?" enquired the boy, in a discouraged tone. "i believe so, my lad," replied the braided man. "but as i have never been in either direction, down or up, since i arrived, i cannot be positive whether it is exactly half way or not." "have you a factory in this place?" asked the wizard, who had been examining the strange personage carefully. "to be sure," said the other. "i am a great inventor, you must know, and i manufacture my products in this lonely spot." "what are your products?" enquired the wizard. "well, i make assorted flutters for flags and bunting, and a superior grade of rustles for ladies' silk gowns." "i thought so," said the wizard, with a sigh. "may we examine some of these articles?" "yes, indeed; come into my shop, please," and the braided man turned and led the way into a smaller cave, where he evidently lived. here, on a broad shelf, were several card-board boxes of various sizes, each tied with cotton cord. "this," said the man, taking up a box and handling it gently, "contains twelve dozen rustles--enough to last any lady a year. will you buy it, my dear?" he asked, addressing dorothy. "my gown isn't silk," she said, smiling. "never mind. when you open the box the rustles will escape, whether you are wearing a silk dress or not," said the man, seriously. then he picked up another box. "in this," he continued, "are many assorted flutters. they are invaluable to make flags flutter on a still day, when there is no wind. you, sir," turning to the wizard, "ought to have this assortment. once you have tried my goods i am sure you will never be without them." "i have no money with me," said the wizard, evasively. "i do not want money," returned the braided man, "for i could not spend it in this deserted place if i had it. but i would like very much a blue hair-ribbon. you will notice my braids are tied with yellow, pink, brown, red, green, white and black; but i have no blue ribbons." "i'll get you one!" cried dorothy, who was sorry for the poor man; so she ran back to the buggy and took from her suit-case a pretty blue ribbon. it did her good to see how the braided man's eyes sparkled when he received this treasure. "you have made me very, very happy, my dear!" he exclaimed; and then he insisted on the wizard taking the box of flutters and the little girl accepting the box of rustles. "you may need them, some time," he said, "and there is really no use in my manufacturing these things unless somebody uses them." "why did you leave the surface of the earth?" enquired the wizard. "i could not help it. it is a sad story, but if you will try to restrain your tears i will tell you about it. on earth i was a manufacturer of imported holes for american swiss cheese, and i will acknowledge that i supplied a superior article, which was in great demand. also i made pores for porous plasters and high-grade holes for doughnuts and buttons. finally i invented a new adjustable post-hole, which i thought would make my fortune. i manufactured a large quantity of these post-holes, and having no room in which to store them i set them all end to end and put the top one in the ground. that made an extraordinary long hole, as you may imagine, and reached far down into the earth; and, as i leaned over it to try to see to the bottom, i lost my balance and tumbled in. unfortunately, the hole led directly into the vast space you see outside this mountain; but i managed to catch a point of rock that projected from this cavern, and so saved myself from tumbling headlong into the black waves beneath, where the tongues of flame that dart out would certainly have consumed me. here, then, i made my home; and although it is a lonely place i amuse myself making rustles and flutters, and so get along very nicely." when the braided man had completed this strange tale dorothy nearly laughed, because it was all so absurd; but the wizard tapped his forehead significantly, to indicate that he thought the poor man was crazy. so they politely bade him good day, and went back to the outer cavern to resume their journey. . they meet the wooden gargoyles another breathless climb brought our adventurers to a third landing where there was a rift in the mountain. on peering out all they could see was rolling banks of clouds, so thick that they obscured all else. but the travellers were obliged to rest, and while they were sitting on the rocky floor the wizard felt in his pocket and brought out the nine tiny piglets. to his delight they were now plainly visible, which proved that they had passed beyond the influence of the magical valley of voe. "why, we can see each other again!" cried one, joyfully. "yes," sighed eureka; "and i also can see you again, and the sight makes me dreadfully hungry. please, mr. wizard, may i eat just one of the fat little piglets? you'd never miss one of them, i'm sure!" "what a horrid, savage beast!" exclaimed a piglet; "and after we've been such good friends, too, and played with one another!" "when i'm not hungry, i love to play with you all," said the kitten, demurely; "but when my stomach is empty it seems that nothing would fill it so nicely as a fat piglet." "and we trusted you so!" said another of the nine, reproachfully. "and thought you were respectable!" said another. "it seems we were mistaken," declared a third, looking at the kitten timorously, "no one with such murderous desires should belong to our party, i'm sure." "you see, eureka," remarked dorothy, reprovingly, "you are making yourself disliked. there are certain things proper for a kitten to eat; but i never heard of a kitten eating a pig, under any cir'stances." "did you ever see such little pigs before?" asked the kitten. "they are no bigger than mice, and i'm sure mice are proper for me to eat." "it isn't the bigness, dear; its the variety," replied the girl. "these are mr. wizard's pets, just as you are my pet, and it wouldn't be any more proper for you to eat them than it would be for jim to eat you." "and that's just what i shall do if you don't let those little balls of pork alone," said jim, glaring at the kitten with his round, big eyes. "if you injure any one of them i'll chew you up instantly." the kitten looked at the horse thoughtfully, as if trying to decide whether he meant it or not. "in that case," she said, "i'll leave them alone. you haven't many teeth left, jim, but the few you have are sharp enough to make me shudder. so the piglets will be perfectly safe, hereafter, as far as i am concerned." "that is right, eureka," remarked the wizard, earnestly. "let us all be a happy family and love one another." eureka yawned and stretched herself. "i've always loved the piglets," she said; "but they don't love me." "no one can love a person he's afraid of," asserted dorothy. "if you behave, and don't scare the little pigs, i'm sure they'll grow very fond of you." the wizard now put the nine tiny ones back into his pocket and the journey was resumed. "we must be pretty near the top, now," said the boy, as they climbed wearily up the dark, winding stairway. "the country of the gurgles can't be far from the top of the earth," remarked dorothy. "it isn't very nice down here. i'd like to get home again, i'm sure." no one replied to this, because they found they needed all their breath for the climb. the stairs had become narrower and zeb and the wizard often had to help jim pull the buggy from one step to another, or keep it from jamming against the rocky walls. at last, however, a dim light appeared ahead of them, which grew clearer and stronger as they advanced. "thank goodness we're nearly there!" panted the little wizard. jim, who was in advance, saw the last stair before him and stuck his head above the rocky sides of the stairway. then he halted, ducked down and began to back up, so that he nearly fell with the buggy onto the others. "let's go down again!" he said, in his hoarse voice. "nonsense!" snapped the tired wizard. "what's the matter with you, old man?" "everything," grumbled the horse. "i've taken a look at this place, and it's no fit country for real creatures to go to. everything's dead, up there--no flesh or blood or growing thing anywhere." "never mind; we can't turn back," said dorothy; "and we don't intend to stay there, anyhow." "it's dangerous," growled jim, in a stubborn tone. "see here, my good steed," broke in the wizard, "little dorothy and i have been in many queer countries in our travels, and always escaped without harm. we've even been to the marvelous land of oz--haven't we, dorothy?--so we don't much care what the country of the gargoyles is like. go ahead, jim, and whatever happens we'll make the best of it." "all right," answered the horse; "this is your excursion, and not mine; so if you get into trouble don't blame me." with this speech he bent forward and dragged the buggy up the remaining steps. the others followed and soon they were all standing upon a broad platform and gazing at the most curious and startling sight their eyes had ever beheld. "the country of the gargoyles is all wooden!" exclaimed zeb; and so it was. the ground was sawdust and the pebbles scattered around were hard knots from trees, worn smooth in course of time. there were odd wooden houses, with carved wooden flowers in the front yards. the tree-trunks were of coarse wood, but the leaves of the trees were shavings. the patches of grass were splinters of wood, and where neither grass nor sawdust showed was a solid wooden flooring. wooden birds fluttered among the trees and wooden cows were browsing upon the wooden grass; but the most amazing things of all were the wooden people--the creatures known as gargoyles. these were very numerous, for the place was thickly inhabited, and a large group of the queer people clustered near, gazing sharply upon the strangers who had emerged from the long spiral stairway. the gargoyles were very small of stature, being less than three feet in height. their bodies were round, their legs short and thick and their arms extraordinarily long and stout. their heads were too big for their bodies and their faces were decidedly ugly to look upon. some had long, curved noses and chins, small eyes and wide, grinning mouths. others had flat noses, protruding eyes, and ears that were shaped like those of an elephant. there were many types, indeed, scarcely two being alike; but all were equally disagreeable in appearance. the tops of their heads had no hair, but were carved into a variety of fantastic shapes, some having a row of points or balls around the top, others designs resembling flowers or vegetables, and still others having squares that looked like waffles cut criss-cross on their heads. they all wore short wooden wings which were fastened to their wooden bodies by means of wooden hinges with wooden screws, and with these wings they flew swiftly and noiselessly here and there, their legs being of little use to them. this noiseless motion was one of the most peculiar things about the gargoyles. they made no sounds at all, either in flying or trying to speak, and they conversed mainly by means of quick signals made with their wooden fingers or lips. neither was there any sound to be heard anywhere throughout the wooden country. the birds did not sing, nor did the cows moo; yet there was more than ordinary activity everywhere. the group of these queer creatures which was discovered clustered near the stairs at first remained staring and motionless, glaring with evil eyes at the intruders who had so suddenly appeared in their land. in turn the wizard and the children, the horse and the kitten, examined the gargoyles with the same silent attention. "there's going to be trouble, i'm sure," remarked the horse. "unhitch those tugs, zeb, and set me free from the buggy, so i can fight comfortably." "jim's right," sighed the wizard. "there's going to be trouble, and my sword isn't stout enough to cut up those wooden bodies--so i shall have to get out my revolvers." he got his satchel from the buggy and, opening it, took out two deadly looking revolvers that made the children shrink back in alarm just to look at. "what harm can the gurgles do?" asked dorothy. "they have no weapons to hurt us with." "each of their arms is a wooden club," answered the little man, "and i'm sure the creatures mean mischief, by the looks of their eyes. even these revolvers can merely succeed in damaging a few of their wooden bodies, and after that we will be at their mercy." "but why fight at all, in that case?" asked the girl. "so i may die with a clear conscience," returned the wizard, gravely. "it's every man's duty to do the best he knows how; and i'm going to do it." "wish i had an axe," said zeb, who by now had unhitched the horse. "if we had known we were coming we might have brought along several other useful things," responded the wizard. "but we dropped into this adventure rather unexpectedly." the gargoyles had backed away a distance when they heard the sound of talking, for although our friends had spoken in low tones their words seemed loud in the silence surrounding them. but as soon as the conversation ceased, the grinning, ugly creatures arose in a flock and flew swiftly toward the strangers, their long arms stretched out before them like the bowsprits of a fleet of sail-boats. the horse had especially attracted their notice, because it was the biggest and strangest creature they had ever seen; so it became the center of their first attack. but jim was ready for them, and when he saw them coming he turned his heels toward them and began kicking out as hard as he could. crack! crash! bang! went his iron-shod hoofs against the wooden bodies of the gargoyles, and they were battered right and left with such force that they scattered like straws in the wind. but the noise and clatter seemed as dreadful to them as jim's heels, for all who were able swiftly turned and flew away to a great distance. the others picked themselves up from the ground one by one and quickly rejoined their fellows, so for a moment the horse thought he had won the fight with ease. but the wizard was not so confident. "those wooden things are impossible to hurt," he said, "and all the damage jim has done to them is to knock a few splinters from their noses and ears. that cannot make them look any uglier, i'm sure, and it is my opinion they will soon renew the attack." "what made them fly away?" asked dorothy. "the noise, of course. don't you remember how the champion escaped them by shouting his battle-cry?" "suppose we escape down the stairs, too," suggested the boy. "we have time, just now, and i'd rather face the invis'ble bears than those wooden imps." "no," returned dorothy, stoutly, "it won't do to go back, for then we would never get home. let's fight it out." "that is what i advise," said the wizard. "they haven't defeated us yet, and jim is worth a whole army." but the gargoyles were clever enough not to attack the horse the next time. they advanced in a great swarm, having been joined by many more of their kind, and they flew straight over jim's head to where the others were standing. the wizard raised one of his revolvers and fired into the throng of his enemies, and the shot resounded like a clap of thunder in that silent place. some of the wooden beings fell flat upon the ground, where they quivered and trembled in every limb; but most of them managed to wheel and escape again to a distance. zeb ran and picked up one of the gargoyles that lay nearest to him. the top of its head was carved into a crown and the wizard's bullet had struck it exactly in the left eye, which was a hard wooden knot. half of the bullet stuck in the wood and half stuck out, so it had been the jar and the sudden noise that had knocked the creature down, more than the fact that it was really hurt. before this crowned gargoyle had recovered himself zeb had wound a strap several times around its body, confining its wings and arms so that it could not move. then, having tied the wooden creature securely, the boy buckled the strap and tossed his prisoner into the buggy. by that time the others had all retired. . a wonderful escape for a while the enemy hesitated to renew the attack. then a few of them advanced until another shot from the wizard's revolver made them retreat. "that's fine," said zeb. "we've got 'em on the run now, sure enough." "but only for a time," replied the wizard, shaking his head gloomily. "these revolvers are good for six shots each, but when those are gone we shall be helpless." the gargoyles seemed to realize this, for they sent a few of their band time after time to attack the strangers and draw the fire from the little man's revolvers. in this way none of them was shocked by the dreadful report more than once, for the main band kept far away and each time a new company was sent into the battle. when the wizard had fired all of his twelve bullets he had caused no damage to the enemy except to stun a few by the noise, and so be as no nearer to victory than in the beginning of the fray. "what shall we do now?" asked dorothy, anxiously. "let's yell--all together," said zeb. "and fight at the same time," added the wizard. "we will get near jim, so that he can help us, and each one must take some weapon and do the best he can. i'll use my sword, although it isn't much account in this affair. dorothy must take her parasol and open it suddenly when the wooden folks attack her. i haven't anything for you, zeb." "i'll use the king," said the boy, and pulled his prisoner out of the buggy. the bound gargoyle's arms extended far out beyond its head, so by grasping its wrists zeb found the king made a very good club. the boy was strong for one of his years, having always worked upon a farm; so he was likely to prove more dangerous to the enemy than the wizard. when the next company of gargoyles advanced, our adventurers began yelling as if they had gone mad. even the kitten gave a dreadfully shrill scream and at the same time jim the cab-horse neighed loudly. this daunted the enemy for a time, but the defenders were soon out of breath. perceiving this, as well as the fact that there were no more of the awful "bangs" to come from the revolvers, the gargoyles advanced in a swarm as thick as bees, so that the air was filled with them. dorothy squatted upon the ground and put up her parasol, which nearly covered her and proved a great protection. the wizard's sword-blade snapped into a dozen pieces at the first blow he struck against the wooden people. zeb pounded away with the gargoyle he was using as a club until he had knocked down dozens of foes; but at the last they clustered so thickly about him that he no longer had room in which to swing his arms. the horse performed some wonderful kicking and even eureka assisted when she leaped bodily upon the gargoyles and scratched and bit at them like a wild-cat. but all this bravery amounted to nothing at all. the wooden things wound their long arms around zeb and the wizard and held them fast. dorothy was captured in the same way, and numbers of the gargoyles clung to jim's legs, so weighting him down that the poor beast was helpless. eureka made a desperate dash to escape and scampered along the ground like a streak; but a grinning gargoyle flew after her and grabbed her before she had gone very far. all of them expected nothing less than instant death; but to their surprise the wooden creatures flew into the air with them and bore them far away, over miles and miles of wooden country, until they came to a wooden city. the houses of this city had many corners, being square and six-sided and eight-sided. they were tower-like in shape and the best of them seemed old and weather-worn; yet all were strong and substantial. to one of these houses which had neither doors nor windows, but only one broad opening far up underneath the roof, the prisoners were brought by their captors. the gargoyles roughly pushed them into the opening, where there was a platform, and then flew away and left them. as they had no wings the strangers could not fly away, and if they jumped down from such a height they would surely be killed. the creatures had sense enough to reason that way, and the only mistake they made was in supposing the earth people were unable to overcome such ordinary difficulties. jim was brought with the others, although it took a good many gargoyles to carry the big beast through the air and land him on the high platform, and the buggy was thrust in after him because it belonged to the party and the wooden folks had no idea what it was used for or whether it was alive or not. when eureka's captor had thrown the kitten after the others the last gargoyle silently disappeared, leaving our friends to breathe freely once more. "what an awful fight!" said dorothy, catching her breath in little gasps. "oh, i don't know," purred eureka, smoothing her ruffled fur with her paw; "we didn't manage to hurt anybody, and nobody managed to hurt us." "thank goodness we are together again, even if we are prisoners," sighed the little girl. "i wonder why they didn't kill us on the spot," remarked zeb, who had lost his king in the struggle. "they are probably keeping us for some ceremony," the wizard answered, reflectively; "but there is no doubt they intend to kill us as dead as possible in a short time." "as dead as poss'ble would be pretty dead, wouldn't it?" asked dorothy. "yes, my dear. but we have no need to worry about that just now. let us examine our prison and see what it is like." the space underneath the roof, where they stood, permitted them to see on all sides of the tall building, and they looked with much curiosity at the city spread out beneath them. everything visible was made of wood, and the scene seemed stiff and extremely unnatural. from their platform a stair descended into the house, and the children and the wizard explored it after lighting a lantern to show them the way. several stories of empty rooms rewarded their search, but nothing more; so after a time they came back to the platform again. had there been any doors or windows in the lower rooms, or had not the boards of the house been so thick and stout, escape could have been easy; but to remain down below was like being in a cellar or the hold of a ship, and they did not like the darkness or the damp smell. in this country, as in all others they had visited underneath the earth's surface, there was no night, a constant and strong light coming from some unknown source. looking out, they could see into some of the houses near them, where there were open windows in abundance, and were able to mark the forms of the wooden gargoyles moving about in their dwellings. "this seems to be their time of rest," observed the wizard. "all people need rest, even if they are made of wood, and as there is no night here they select a certain time of the day in which to sleep or doze." "i feel sleepy myself," remarked zeb, yawning. "why, where's eureka?" cried dorothy, suddenly. they all looked around, but the kitten was no place to be seen. "she's gone out for a walk," said jim, gruffly. "where? on the roof?" asked the girl. "no; she just dug her claws into the wood and climbed down the sides of this house to the ground." "she couldn't climb down, jim," said dorothy. "to climb means to go up." "who said so?" demanded the horse. "my school-teacher said so; and she knows a lot, jim." "to 'climb down' is sometimes used as a figure of speech," remarked the wizard. "well, this was a figure of a cat," said jim, "and she went down, anyhow, whether she climbed or crept." "dear me! how careless eureka is," exclaimed the girl, much distressed. "the gurgles will get her, sure!" "ha, ha!" chuckled the old cab-horse; "they're not 'gurgles,' little maid; they're gargoyles." "never mind; they'll get eureka, whatever they're called." "no they won't," said the voice of the kitten, and eureka herself crawled over the edge of the platform and sat down quietly upon the floor. "wherever have you been, eureka?" asked dorothy, sternly. "watching the wooden folks. they're too funny for anything, dorothy. just now they are all going to bed, and--what do you think?--they unhook the hinges of their wings and put them in a corner until they wake up again." "what, the hinges?" "no; the wings." "that," said zeb, "explains why this house is used by them for a prison. if any of the gargoyles act badly, and have to be put in jail, they are brought here and their wings unhooked and taken away from them until they promise to be good." the wizard had listened intently to what eureka had said. "i wish we had some of those loose wings," he said. "could we fly with them?" asked dorothy. "i think so. if the gargoyles can unhook the wings then the power to fly lies in the wings themselves, and not in the wooden bodies of the people who wear them. so, if we had the wings, we could probably fly as well as they do--as least while we are in their country and under the spell of its magic." "but how would it help us to be able to fly?" questioned the girl. "come here," said the little man, and took her to one of the corners of the building. "do you see that big rock standing on the hillside yonder?" he continued, pointing with his finger. "yes; it's a good way off, but i can see it," she replied. "well, inside that rock, which reaches up into the clouds, is an archway very much like the one we entered when we climbed the spiral stairway from the valley of voe. i'll get my spy-glass, and then you can see it more plainly." he fetched a small but powerful telescope, which had been in his satchel, and by its aid the little girl clearly saw the opening. "where does it lead to?" she asked. "that i cannot tell," said the wizard; "but we cannot now be far below the earth's surface, and that entrance may lead to another stairway that will bring us on top of our world again, where we belong. so, if we had the wings, and could escape the gargoyles, we might fly to that rock and be saved." "i'll get you the wings," said zeb, who had thoughtfully listened to all this. "that is, if the kitten will show me where they are." "but how can you get down?" enquired the girl, wonderingly. for answer zeb began to unfasten jim's harness, strap by strap, and to buckle one piece to another until he had made a long leather strip that would reach to the ground. "i can climb down that, all right," he said. "no you can't," remarked jim, with a twinkle in his round eyes. "you may go down, but you can only climb up." "well, i'll climb up when i get back, then," said the boy, with a laugh. "now, eureka, you'll have to show me the way to those wings." "you must be very quiet," warned the kitten; "for if you make the least noise the gargoyles will wake up. they can hear a pin drop." "i'm not going to drop a pin," said zeb. he had fastened one end of the strap to a wheel of the buggy, and now he let the line dangle over the side of the house. "be careful," cautioned dorothy, earnestly. "i will," said the boy, and let himself slide over the edge. the girl and the wizard leaned over and watched zeb work his way carefully downward, hand over hand, until he stood upon the ground below. eureka clung with her claws to the wooden side of the house and let herself down easily. then together they crept away to enter the low doorway of a neighboring dwelling. the watchers waited in breathless suspense until the boy again appeared, his arms now full of the wooden wings. when he came to where the strap was hanging he tied the wings all in a bunch to the end of the line, and the wizard drew them up. then the line was let down again for zeb to climb up by. eureka quickly followed him, and soon they were all standing together upon the platform, with eight of the much prized wooden wings beside them. the boy was no longer sleepy, but full of energy and excitement. he put the harness together again and hitched jim to the buggy. then, with the wizard's help, he tried to fasten some of the wings to the old cab-horse. this was no easy task, because half of each one of the hinges of the wings was missing, it being still fastened to the body of the gargoyle who had used it. however, the wizard went once more to his satchel--which seemed to contain a surprising variety of odds and ends--and brought out a spool of strong wire, by means of which they managed to fasten four of the wings to jim's harness, two near his head and two near his tail. they were a bit wiggley, but secure enough if only the harness held together. the other four wings were then fastened to the buggy, two on each side, for the buggy must bear the weight of the children and the wizard as it flew through the air. these preparations had not consumed a great deal of time, but the sleeping gargoyles were beginning to wake up and move around, and soon some of them would be hunting for their missing wings. so the prisoners resolved to leave their prison at once. they mounted into the buggy, dorothy holding eureka safe in her lap. the girl sat in the middle of the seat, with zeb and the wizard on each side of her. when all was ready the boy shook the reins and said: "fly away, jim!" "which wings must i flop first?" asked the cab-horse, undecidedly. "flop them all together," suggested the wizard. "some of them are crooked," objected the horse. "never mind; we will steer with the wings on the buggy," said zeb. "just you light out and make for that rock, jim; and don't waste any time about it, either." so the horse gave a groan, flopped its four wings all together, and flew away from the platform. dorothy was a little anxious about the success of their trip, for the way jim arched his long neck and spread out his bony legs as he fluttered and floundered through the air was enough to make anybody nervous. he groaned, too, as if frightened, and the wings creaked dreadfully because the wizard had forgotten to oil them; but they kept fairly good time with the wings of the buggy, so that they made excellent progress from the start. the only thing that anyone could complain of with justice was the fact that they wobbled first up and then down, as if the road were rocky instead of being as smooth as the air could make it. the main point, however, was that they flew, and flew swiftly, if a bit unevenly, toward the rock for which they had headed. some of the gargoyles saw them, presently, and lost no time in collecting a band to pursue the escaping prisoners; so that when dorothy happened to look back she saw them coming in a great cloud that almost darkened the sky. . the den of the dragonettes our friends had a good start and were able to maintain it, for with their eight wings they could go just as fast as could the gargoyles. all the way to the great rock the wooden people followed them, and when jim finally alighted at the mouth of the cavern the pursuers were still some distance away. "but, i'm afraid they'll catch us yet," said dorothy, greatly excited. "no; we must stop them," declared the wizard. "quick zeb, help me pull off these wooden wings!" they tore off the wings, for which they had no further use, and the wizard piled them in a heap just outside the entrance to the cavern. then he poured over them all the kerosene oil that was left in his oil-can, and lighting a match set fire to the pile. the flames leaped up at once and the bonfire began to smoke and roar and crackle just as the great army of wooden gargoyles arrived. the creatures drew back at once, being filled with fear and horror; for such as dreadful thing as a fire they had never before known in all the history of their wooden land. inside the archway were several doors, leading to different rooms built into the mountain, and zeb and the wizard lifted these wooden doors from their hinges and tossed them all on the flames. "that will prove a barrier for some time to come," said the little man, smiling pleasantly all over his wrinkled face at the success of their stratagem. "perhaps the flames will set fire to all that miserable wooden country, and if it does the loss will be very small and the gargoyles never will be missed. but come, my children; let us explore the mountain and discover which way we must go in order to escape from this cavern, which is getting to be almost as hot as a bake-oven." to their disappointment there was within this mountain no regular flight of steps by means of which they could mount to the earth's surface. a sort of inclined tunnel led upward for a way, and they found the floor of it both rough and steep. then a sudden turn brought them to a narrow gallery where the buggy could not pass. this delayed and bothered them for a while, because they did not wish to leave the buggy behind them. it carried their baggage and was useful to ride in wherever there were good roads, and since it had accompanied them so far in their travels they felt it their duty to preserve it. so zeb and the wizard set to work and took off the wheels and the top, and then they put the buggy edgewise, so it would take up the smallest space. in this position they managed, with the aid of the patient cab-horse, to drag the vehicle through the narrow part of the passage. it was not a great distance, fortunately, and when the path grew broader they put the buggy together again and proceeded more comfortably. but the road was nothing more than a series of rifts or cracks in the mountain, and it went zig-zag in every direction, slanting first up and then down until they were puzzled as to whether they were any nearer to the top of the earth than when they had started, hours before. "anyhow," said dorothy, "we've 'scaped those awful gurgles, and that's one comfort!" "probably the gargoyles are still busy trying to put out the fire," returned the wizard. "but even if they succeeded in doing that it would be very difficult for them to fly amongst these rocks; so i am sure we need fear them no longer." once in a while they would come to a deep crack in the floor, which made the way quite dangerous; but there was still enough oil in the lanterns to give them light, and the cracks were not so wide but that they were able to jump over them. sometimes they had to climb over heaps of loose rock, where jim could scarcely drag the buggy. at such times dorothy, zeb and the wizard all pushed behind, and lifted the wheels over the roughest places; so they managed, by dint of hard work, to keep going. but the little party was both weary and discouraged when at last, on turning a sharp corner, the wanderers found themselves in a vast cave arching high over their heads and having a smooth, level floor. the cave was circular in shape, and all around its edge, near to the ground, appeared groups of dull yellow lights, two of them being always side by side. these were motionless at first, but soon began to flicker more brightly and to sway slowly from side to side and then up and down. "what sort of place is this?" asked the boy, trying to see more clearly through the gloom. "i cannot imagine, i'm sure," answered the wizard, also peering about. "woogh!" snarled eureka, arching her back until her hair stood straight on end; "it's den of alligators, or crocodiles, or some other dreadful creatures! don't you see their terrible eyes?" "eureka sees better in the dark than we can," whispered dorothy. "tell us, dear, what do the creatures look like?" she asked, addressing her pet. "i simply can't describe 'em," answered the kitten, shuddering. "their eyes are like pie-plates and their mouths like coal-scuttles. but their bodies don't seem very big." "where are they?" enquired the girl. "they are in little pockets all around the edge of this cavern. oh, dorothy--you can't imagine what horrid things they are! they're uglier than the gargoyles." "tut-tut! be careful how you criticise your neighbors," spoke a rasping voice near by. "as a matter of fact you are rather ugly-looking creatures yourselves, and i'm sure mother has often told us we were the loveliest and prettiest things in all the world." hearing these words our friends turned in the direction of the sound, and the wizard held his lanterns so that their light would flood one of the little pockets in the rock. "why, it's a dragon!" he exclaimed. "no," answered the owner of the big yellow eyes which were blinking at them so steadily; "you are wrong about that. we hope to grow to be dragons some day, but just now we're only dragonettes." "what's that?" asked dorothy, gazing fearfully at the great scaley head, the yawning mouth and the big eyes. "young dragons, of course; but we are not allowed to call ourselves real dragons until we get our full growth," was the reply. "the big dragons are very proud, and don't think children amount to much; but mother says that some day we will all be very powerful and important." "where is your mother?" asked the wizard, anxiously looking around. "she has gone up to the top of the earth to hunt for our dinner. if she has good luck she will bring us an elephant, or a brace of rhinoceri, or perhaps a few dozen people to stay our hunger." "oh; are you hungry?" enquired dorothy, drawing back. "very," said the dragonette, snapping its jaws. "and--and--do you eat people?" "to be sure, when we can get them. but they've been very scarce for a few years and we usually have to be content with elephants or buffaloes," answered the creature, in a regretful tone. "how old are you?" enquired zeb, who stared at the yellow eyes as if fascinated. "quite young, i grieve to say; and all of my brothers and sisters that you see here are practically my own age. if i remember rightly, we were sixty-six years old the day before yesterday." "but that isn't young!" cried dorothy, in amazement. "no?" drawled the dragonette; "it seems to me very babyish." "how old is your mother?" asked the girl. "mother's about two thousand years old; but she carelessly lost track of her age a few centuries ago and skipped several hundreds. she's a little fussy, you know, and afraid of growing old, being a widow and still in her prime." "i should think she would be," agreed dorothy. then, after a moment's thought, she asked: "are we friends or enemies? i mean, will you be good to us, or do you intend to eat us?" "as for that, we dragonettes would love to eat you, my child; but unfortunately mother has tied all our tails around the rocks at the back of our individual caves, so that we can not crawl out to get you. if you choose to come nearer we will make a mouthful of you in a wink; but unless you do you will remain quite safe." there was a regretful accent in the creature's voice, and at the words all the other dragonettes sighed dismally. dorothy felt relieved. presently she asked: "why did your mother tie your tails?" "oh, she is sometimes gone for several weeks on her hunting trips, and if we were not tied we would crawl all over the mountain and fight with each other and get into a lot of mischief. mother usually knows what she is about, but she made a mistake this time; for you are sure to escape us unless you come too near, and you probably won't do that." "no, indeed!" said the little girl. "we don't wish to be eaten by such awful beasts." "permit me to say," returned the dragonette, "that you are rather impolite to call us names, knowing that we cannot resent your insults. we consider ourselves very beautiful in appearance, for mother has told us so, and she knows. and we are of an excellent family and have a pedigree that i challenge any humans to equal, as it extends back about twenty thousand years, to the time of the famous green dragon of atlantis, who lived in a time when humans had not yet been created. can you match that pedigree, little girl?" "well," said dorothy, "i was born on a farm in kansas, and i guess that's being just as 'spectable and haughty as living in a cave with your tail tied to a rock. if it isn't i'll have to stand it, that's all." "tastes differ," murmured the dragonette, slowly drooping its scaley eyelids over its yellow eyes, until they looked like half-moons. being reassured by the fact that the creatures could not crawl out of their rock-pockets, the children and the wizard now took time to examine them more closely. the heads of the dragonettes were as big as barrels and covered with hard, greenish scales that glittered brightly under the light of the lanterns. their front legs, which grew just back of their heads, were also strong and big; but their bodies were smaller around than their heads, and dwindled away in a long line until their tails were slim as a shoe-string. dorothy thought, if it had taken them sixty-six years to grow to this size, that it would be fully a hundred years more before they could hope to call themselves dragons, and that seemed like a good while to wait to grow up. "it occurs to me," said the wizard, "that we ought to get out of this place before the mother dragon comes back." "don't hurry," called one of the dragonettes; "mother will be glad to meet you, i'm sure." "you may be right," replied the wizard, "but we're a little particular about associating with strangers. will you kindly tell us which way your mother went to get on top the earth?" "that is not a fair question to ask us," declared another dragonette. "for, if we told you truly, you might escape us altogether; and if we told you an untruth we would be naughty and deserve to be punished." "then," decided dorothy, "we must find our way out the best we can." they circled all around the cavern, keeping a good distance away from the blinking yellow eyes of the dragonettes, and presently discovered that there were two paths leading from the wall opposite to the place where they had entered. they selected one of these at a venture and hurried along it as fast as they could go, for they had no idea when the mother dragon would be back and were very anxious not to make her acquaintance. . ozma uses the magic belt for a considerable distance the way led straight upward in a gentle incline, and the wanderers made such good progress that they grew hopeful and eager, thinking they might see sunshine at any minute. but at length they came unexpectedly upon a huge rock that shut off the passage and blocked them from proceeding a single step farther. this rock was separate from the rest of the mountain and was in motion, turning slowly around and around as if upon a pivot. when first they came to it there was a solid wall before them; but presently it revolved until there was exposed a wide, smooth path across it to the other side. this appeared so unexpectedly that they were unprepared to take advantage of it at first, and allowed the rocky wall to swing around again before they had decided to pass over. but they knew now that there was a means of escape and so waited patiently until the path appeared for the second time. the children and the wizard rushed across the moving rock and sprang into the passage beyond, landing safely though a little out of breath. jim the cab-horse came last, and the rocky wall almost caught him; for just as he leaped to the floor of the further passage the wall swung across it and a loose stone that the buggy wheels knocked against fell into the narrow crack where the rock turned, and became wedged there. they heard a crunching, grinding sound, a loud snap, and the turn-table came to a stop with its broadest surface shutting off the path from which they had come. "never mind," said zeb, "we don't want to get back, anyhow." "i'm not so sure of that," returned dorothy. "the mother dragon may come down and catch us here." "it is possible," agreed the wizard, "if this proves to be the path she usually takes. but i have been examining this tunnel, and i do not see any signs of so large a beast having passed through it." "then we're all right," said the girl, "for if the dragon went the other way she can't poss'bly get to us now." "of course not, my dear. but there is another thing to consider. the mother dragon probably knows the road to the earth's surface, and if she went the other way then we have come the wrong way," said the wizard, thoughtfully. "dear me!" cried dorothy. "that would be unlucky, wouldn't it?" "very. unless this passage also leads to the top of the earth," said zeb. "for my part, if we manage to get out of here i'll be glad it isn't the way the dragon goes." "so will i," returned dorothy. "it's enough to have your pedigree flung in your face by those saucy dragonettes. no one knows what the mother might do." they now moved on again, creeping slowly up another steep incline. the lanterns were beginning to grow dim, and the wizard poured the remaining oil from one into the other, so that the one light would last longer. but their journey was almost over, for in a short time they reached a small cave from which there was no further outlet. they did not realize their ill fortune at first, for their hearts were gladdened by the sight of a ray of sunshine coming through a small crack in the roof of the cave, far overhead. that meant that their world--the real world--was not very far away, and that the succession of perilous adventures they had encountered had at last brought them near the earth's surface, which meant home to them. but when the adventurers looked more carefully around them they discovered that there were in a strong prison from which there was no hope of escape. "but we're almost on earth again," cried dorothy, "for there is the sun--the most beau'ful sun that shines!" and she pointed eagerly at the crack in the distant roof. "almost on earth isn't being there," said the kitten, in a discontented tone. "it wouldn't be possible for even me to get up to that crack--or through it if i got there." "it appears that the path ends here," announced the wizard, gloomily. "and there is no way to go back," added zeb, with a low whistle of perplexity. "i was sure it would come to this, in the end," remarked the old cab-horse. "folks don't fall into the middle of the earth and then get back again to tell of their adventures--not in real life. and the whole thing has been unnatural because that cat and i are both able to talk your language, and to understand the words you say." "and so can the nine tiny piglets," added eureka. "don't forget them, for i may have to eat them, after all." "i've heard animals talk before," said dorothy, "and no harm came of it." "were you ever before shut up in a cave, far under the earth, with no way of getting out?" enquired the horse, seriously. "no," answered dorothy. "but don't you lose heart, jim, for i'm sure this isn't the end of our story, by any means." the reference to the piglets reminded the wizard that his pets had not enjoyed much exercise lately, and must be tired of their prison in his pocket. so he sat down upon the floor of the cave, brought the piglets out one by one, and allowed them to run around as much as they pleased. "my dears," he said to them, "i'm afraid i've got you into a lot of trouble, and that you will never again be able to leave this gloomy cave." "what's wrong?" asked a piglet. "we've been in the dark quite a while, and you may as well explain what has happened." the wizard told them of the misfortune that had overtaken the wanderers. "well," said another piglet, "you are a wizard, are you not?" "i am," replied the little man. "then you can do a few wizzes and get us out of this hole," declared the tiny one, with much confidence. "i could if i happened to be a real wizard," returned the master sadly. "but i'm not, my piggy-wees; i'm a humbug wizard." "nonsense!" cried several of the piglets, together. "you can ask dorothy," said the little man, in an injured tone. "it's true enough," returned the girl, earnestly. "our friend oz is merely a humbug wizard, for he once proved it to me. he can do several very wonderful things--if he knows how. but he can't wiz a single thing if he hasn't the tools and machinery to work with." "thank you, my dear, for doing me justice," responded the wizard, gratefully. "to be accused of being a real wizard, when i'm not, is a slander i will not tamely submit to. but i am one of the greatest humbug wizards that ever lived, and you will realize this when we have all starved together and our bones are scattered over the floor of this lonely cave." "i don't believe we'll realize anything, when it comes to that," remarked dorothy, who had been deep in thought. "but i'm not going to scatter my bones just yet, because i need them, and you prob'ly need yours, too." "we are helpless to escape," sighed the wizard. "we may be helpless," answered dorothy, smiling at him, "but there are others who can do more than we can. cheer up, friends. i'm sure ozma will help us." "ozma!" exclaimed the wizard. "who is ozma?" "the girl that rules the marvelous land of oz," was the reply. "she's a friend of mine, for i met her in the land of ev, not long ago, and went to oz with her." "for the second time?" asked the wizard, with great interest. "yes. the first time i went to oz i found you there, ruling the emerald city. after you went up in a balloon, and escaped us, i got back to kansas by means of a pair of magical silver shoes." "i remember those shoes," said the little man, nodding. "they once belonged to the wicked witch. have you them here with you?" "no; i lost them somewhere in the air," explained the child. "but the second time i went to the land of oz i owned the nome king's magic belt, which is much more powerful than were the silver shoes." "where is that magic belt?" enquired the wizard, who had listened with great interest. "ozma has it; for its powers won't work in a common, ordinary country like the united states. anyone in a fairy country like the land of oz can do anything with it; so i left it with my friend the princess ozma, who used it to wish me in australia with uncle henry." "and were you?" asked zeb, astonished at what he heard. "of course; in just a jiffy. and ozma has an enchanted picture hanging in her room that shows her the exact scene where any of her friends may be, at any time she chooses. all she has to do is to say: 'i wonder what so-and-so is doing,' and at once the picture shows where her friend is and what the friend is doing. that's real magic, mr. wizard; isn't it? well, every day at four o'clock ozma has promised to look at me in that picture, and if i am in need of help i am to make her a certain sign and she will put on the nome king's magic belt and wish me to be with her in oz." "do you mean that princess ozma will see this cave in her enchanted picture, and see all of us here, and what we are doing?" demanded zeb. "of course; when it is four o'clock," she replied, with a laugh at his startled expression. "and when you make a sign she will bring you to her in the land of oz?" continued the boy. "that's it, exactly; by means of the magic belt." "then," said the wizard, "you will be saved, little dorothy; and i am very glad of it. the rest of us will die much more cheerfully when we know you have escaped our sad fate." "i won't die cheerfully!" protested the kitten. "there's nothing cheerful about dying that i could ever see, although they say a cat has nine lives, and so must die nine times." "have you ever died yet?" enquired the boy. "no, and i'm not anxious to begin," said eureka. "don't worry, dear," dorothy exclaimed, "i'll hold you in my arms, and take you with me." "take us, too!" cried the nine tiny piglets, all in one breath. "perhaps i can," answered dorothy. "i'll try." "couldn't you manage to hold me in your arms?" asked the cab-horse. dorothy laughed. "i'll do better than that," she promised, "for i can easily save you all, once i am myself in the land of oz." "how?" they asked. "by using the magic belt. all i need do is to wish you with me, and there you'll be--safe in the royal palace!" "good!" cried zeb. "i built that palace, and the emerald city, too," remarked the wizard, in a thoughtful tone, "and i'd like to see them again, for i was very happy among the munchkins and winkies and quadlings and gillikins." "who are they?" asked the boy. "the four nations that inhabit the land of oz," was the reply. "i wonder if they would treat me nicely if i went there again." "of course they would!" declared dorothy. "they are still proud of their former wizard, and often speak of you kindly." "do you happen to know whatever became of the tin woodman and the scarecrow?" he enquired. "they live in oz yet," said the girl, "and are very important people." "and the cowardly lion?" "oh, he lives there too, with his friend the hungry tiger; and billina is there, because she liked the place better than kansas, and wouldn't go with me to australia." "i'm afraid i don't know the hungry tiger and billina," said the wizard, shaking his head. "is billina a girl?" "no; she's a yellow hen, and a great friend of mine. you're sure to like billina, when you know her," asserted dorothy. "your friends sound like a menagerie," remarked zeb, uneasily. "couldn't you wish me in some safer place than oz." "don't worry," replied the girl. "you'll just love the folks in oz, when you get acquainted. what time is it, mr. wizard?" the little man looked at his watch--a big silver one that he carried in his vest pocket. "half-past three," he said. "then we must wait for half an hour," she continued; "but it won't take long, after that, to carry us all to the emerald city." they sat silently thinking for a time. then jim suddenly asked: "are there any horses in oz?" "only one," replied dorothy, "and he's a sawhorse." "a what?" "a sawhorse. princess ozma once brought him to life with a witch-powder, when she was a boy." "was ozma once a boy?" asked zeb, wonderingly. "yes; a wicked witch enchanted her, so she could not rule her kingdom. but she's a girl now, and the sweetest, loveliest girl in all the world." "a sawhorse is a thing they saw boards on," remarked jim, with a sniff. "it is when it's not alive," acknowledged the girl. "but this sawhorse can trot as fast as you can, jim; and he's very wise, too." "pah! i'll race the miserable wooden donkey any day in the week!" cried the cab-horse. dorothy did not reply to that. she felt that jim would know more about the saw-horse later on. the time dragged wearily enough to the eager watchers, but finally the wizard announced that four o'clock had arrived, and dorothy caught up the kitten and began to make the signal that had been agreed upon to the far-away invisible ozma. "nothing seems to happen," said zeb, doubtfully. "oh, we must give ozma time to put on the magic belt," replied the girl. she had scarcely spoken the words then she suddenly disappeared from the cave, and with her went the kitten. there had been no sound of any kind and no warning. one moment dorothy sat beside them with the kitten in her lap, and a moment later the horse, the piglets, the wizard and the boy were all that remained in the underground prison. "i believe we will soon follow her," announced the wizard, in a tone of great relief; "for i know something about the magic of the fairyland that is called the land of oz. let us be ready, for we may be sent for any minute." he put the piglets safely away in his pocket again and then he and zeb got into the buggy and sat expectantly upon the seat. "will it hurt?" asked the boy, in a voice that trembled a little. "not at all," replied the wizard. "it will all happen as quick as a wink." and that was the way it did happen. the cab-horse gave a nervous start and zeb began to rub his eyes to make sure he was not asleep. for they were in the streets of a beautiful emerald-green city, bathed in a grateful green light that was especially pleasing to their eyes, and surrounded by merry faced people in gorgeous green-and-gold costumes of many extraordinary designs. before them were the jewel-studded gates of a magnificent palace, and now the gates opened slowly as if inviting them to enter the courtyard, where splendid flowers were blooming and pretty fountains shot their silvery sprays into the air. zeb shook the reins to rouse the cab-horse from his stupor of amazement, for the people were beginning to gather around and stare at the strangers. "gid-dap!" cried the boy, and at the word jim slowly trotted into the courtyard and drew the buggy along the jewelled driveway to the great entrance of the royal palace. . old friends are reunited many servants dressed in handsome uniforms stood ready to welcome the new arrivals, and when the wizard got out of the buggy a pretty girl in a green gown cried out in surprise: "why, it's oz, the wonderful wizard, come back again!" the little man looked at her closely and then took both the maiden's hands in his and shook them cordially. "on my word," he exclaimed, "it's little jellia jamb--as pert and pretty as ever!" "why not, mr. wizard?" asked jellia, bowing low. "but i'm afraid you cannot rule the emerald city, as you used to, because we now have a beautiful princess whom everyone loves dearly." "and the people will not willingly part with her," added a tall soldier in a captain-general's uniform. the wizard turned to look at him. "did you not wear green whiskers at one time?" he asked. "yes," said the soldier; "but i shaved them off long ago, and since then i have risen from a private to be the chief general of the royal armies." "that's nice," said the little man. "but i assure you, my good people, that i do not wish to rule the emerald city," he added, earnestly. "in that case you are very welcome!" cried all the servants, and it pleased the wizard to note the respect with which the royal retainers bowed before him. his fame had not been forgotten in the land of oz, by any means. "where is dorothy?" enquired zeb, anxiously, as he left the buggy and stood beside his friend the little wizard. "she is with the princess ozma, in the private rooms of the palace," replied jellia jamb. "but she has ordered me to make you welcome and to show you to your apartments." the boy looked around him with wondering eyes. such magnificence and wealth as was displayed in this palace was more than he had ever dreamed of, and he could scarcely believe that all the gorgeous glitter was real and not tinsel. "what's to become of me?" asked the horse, uneasily. he had seen considerable of life in the cities in his younger days, and knew that this regal palace was no place for him. it perplexed even jellia jamb, for a time, to know what to do with the animal. the green maiden was much astonished at the sight of so unusual a creature, for horses were unknown in this land; but those who lived in the emerald city were apt to be astonished by queer sights, so after inspecting the cab-horse and noting the mild look in his big eyes the girl decided not to be afraid of him. "there are no stables here," said the wizard, "unless some have been built since i went away." "we have never needed them before," answered jellia; "for the sawhorse lives in a room of the palace, being much smaller and more natural in appearance than this great beast you have brought with you." "do you mean that i'm a freak?" asked jim, angrily. "oh, no," she hastened to say, "there may be many more like you in the place you came from, but in oz any horse but a sawhorse is unusual." this mollified jim a little, and after some thought the green maiden decided to give the cab-horse a room in the palace, such a big building having many rooms that were seldom in use. so zeb unharnessed jim, and several of the servants then led the horse around to the rear, where they selected a nice large apartment that he could have all to himself. then jellia said to the wizard: "your own room--which was back of the great throne room--has been vacant ever since you left us. would you like it again?" "yes, indeed!" returned the little man. "it will seem like being at home again, for i lived in that room for many, many years." he knew the way to it, and a servant followed him, carrying his satchel. zeb was also escorted to a room--so grand and beautiful that he almost feared to sit in the chairs or lie upon the bed, lest he might dim their splendor. in the closets he discovered many fancy costumes of rich velvets and brocades, and one of the attendants told him to dress himself in any of the clothes that pleased him and to be prepared to dine with the princess and dorothy in an hour's time. opening from the chamber was a fine bathroom having a marble tub with perfumed water; so the boy, still dazed by the novelty of his surroundings, indulged in a good bath and then selected a maroon velvet costume with silver buttons to replace his own soiled and much worn clothing. there were silk stockings and soft leather slippers with diamond buckles to accompany his new costume, and when he was fully dressed zeb looked much more dignified and imposing than ever before in his life. he was all ready when an attendant came to escort him to the presence of the princess; he followed bashfully and was ushered into a room more dainty and attractive than it was splendid. here he found dorothy seated beside a young girl so marvelously beautiful that the boy stopped suddenly with a gasp of admiration. but dorothy sprang up and ran to seize her friend's hand drawing him impulsively toward the lovely princess, who smiled most graciously upon her guest. then the wizard entered, and his presence relieved the boy's embarrassment. the little man was clothed in black velvet, with many sparkling emerald ornaments decorating his breast; but his bald head and wrinkled features made him appear more amusing than impressive. ozma had been quite curious to meet the famous man who had built the emerald city and united the munchkins, gillikins, quadlings and winkies into one people; so when they were all four seated at the dinner table the princess said: "please tell me, mr. wizard, whether you called yourself oz after this great country, or whether you believe my country is called oz after you. it is a matter that i have long wished to enquire about, because you are of a strange race and my own name is ozma. no, one, i am sure, is better able to explain this mystery than you." "that is true," answered the little wizard; "therefore it will give me pleasure to explain my connection with your country. in the first place, i must tell you that i was born in omaha, and my father, who was a politician, named me oscar zoroaster phadrig isaac norman henkle emmannuel ambroise diggs, diggs being the last name because he could think of no more to go before it. taken altogether, it was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons i ever learned was to remember my own name. when i grew up i just called myself o. z., because the other initials were p-i-n-h-e-a-d; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection on my intelligence." "surely no one could blame you for cutting your name short," said ozma, sympathetically. "but didn't you cut it almost too short?" "perhaps so," replied the wizard. "when a young man i ran away from home and joined a circus. i used to call myself a wizard, and do tricks of ventriloquism." "what does that mean?" asked the princess. "throwing my voice into any object i pleased, to make it appear that the object was speaking instead of me. also i began to make balloon ascensions. on my balloon and on all the other articles i used in the circus i painted the two initials: 'o. z.', to show that those things belonged to me. "one day my balloon ran away with me and brought me across the deserts to this beautiful country. when the people saw me come from the sky they naturally thought me some superior creature, and bowed down before me. i told them i was a wizard, and showed them some easy tricks that amazed them; and when they saw the initials painted on the balloon they called me oz." "now i begin to understand," said the princess, smiling. "at that time," continued the wizard, busily eating his soup while talking, "there were four separate countries in this land, each one of the four being ruled by a witch. but the people thought my power was greater than that of the witches; and perhaps the witches thought so too, for they never dared oppose me. i ordered the emerald city to be built just where the four countries cornered together, and when it was completed i announced myself the ruler of the land of oz, which included all the four countries of the munchkins, the gillikins, the winkies and the quadlings. over this land i ruled in peace for many years, until i grew old and longed to see my native city once again. so when dorothy was first blown to this place by a cyclone i arranged to go away with her in a balloon; but the balloon escaped too soon and carried me back alone. after many adventures i reached omaha, only to find that all my old friends were dead or had moved away. so, having nothing else to do, i joined a circus again, and made my balloon ascensions until the earthquake caught me." "that is quite a history," said ozma; "but there is a little more history about the land of oz that you do not seem to understand--perhaps for the reason that no one ever told it you. many years before you came here this land was united under one ruler, as it is now, and the ruler's name was always 'oz,' which means in our language 'great and good'; or, if the ruler happened to be a woman, her name was always 'ozma.' but once upon a time four witches leagued together to depose the king and rule the four parts of the kingdom themselves; so when the ruler, my grandfather, was hunting one day, one wicked witch named mombi stole him and carried him away, keeping him a close prisoner. then the witches divided up the kingdom, and ruled the four parts of it until you came here. that was why the people were so glad to see you, and why they thought from your initials that you were their rightful ruler." "but, at that time," said the wizard, thoughtfully, "there were two good witches and two wicked witches ruling in the land." "yes," replied ozma, "because a good witch had conquered mombi in the north and glinda the good had conquered the evil witch in the south. but mombi was still my grandfather's jailor, and afterward my father's jailor. when i was born she transformed me into a boy, hoping that no one would ever recognize me and know that i was the rightful princess of the land of oz. but i escaped from her and am now the ruler of my people." "i am very glad of that," said the wizard, "and hope you will consider me one of your most faithful and devoted subjects." "we owe a great deal to the wonderful wizard," continued the princess, "for it was you who built this splendid emerald city." "your people built it," he answered. "i only bossed the job, as we say in omaha." "but you ruled it wisely and well for many years," said she, "and made the people proud of your magical art. so, as you are now too old to wander abroad and work in a circus, i offer you a home here as long as you live. you shall be the official wizard of my kingdom, and be treated with every respect and consideration." "i accept your kind offer with gratitude, gracious princess," the little man said, in a soft voice, and they could all see that tear-drops were standing in his keen old eyes. it meant a good deal to him to secure a home like this. "he's only a humbug wizard, though," said dorothy, smiling at him. "and that is the safest kind of a wizard to have," replied ozma, promptly. "oz can do some good tricks, humbug or no humbug," announced zeb, who was now feeling more at ease. "he shall amuse us with his tricks tomorrow," said the princess. "i have sent messengers to summon all of dorothy's old friends to meet her and give her welcome, and they ought to arrive very soon, now." indeed, the dinner was no sooner finished than in rushed the scarecrow, to hug dorothy in his padded arms and tell her how glad he was to see her again. the wizard was also most heartily welcomed by the straw man, who was an important personage in the land of oz. "how are your brains?" enquired the little humbug, as he grasped the soft, stuffed hands of his old friend. "working finely," answered the scarecrow. "i'm very certain, oz, that you gave me the best brains in the world, for i can think with them day and night, when all other brains are fast asleep." "how long did you rule the emerald city, after i left here?" was the next question. "quite awhile, until i was conquered by a girl named general jinjur. but ozma soon conquered her, with the help of glinda the good, and after that i went to live with nick chopper, the tin woodman." just then a loud cackling was heard outside; and, when a servant threw open the door with a low bow, a yellow hen strutted in. dorothy sprang forward and caught the fluffy fowl in her arms, uttering at the same time a glad cry. "oh, billina!" she said; "how fat and sleek you've grown." "why shouldn't i?" asked the hen, in a sharp, clear voice. "i live on the fat of the land--don't i, ozma?" "you have everything you wish for," said the princess. around billina's neck was a string of beautiful pearls, and on her legs were bracelets of emeralds. she nestled herself comfortably in dorothy's lap until the kitten gave a snarl of jealous anger and leaped up with a sharp claw fiercely bared to strike billina a blow. but the little girl gave the angry kitten such a severe cuff that it jumped down again without daring to scratch. "how horrid of you, eureka!" cried dorothy. "is that the way to treat my friends?" "you have queer friends, seems to me," replied the kitten, in a surly tone. "seems to me the same way," said billina, scornfully, "if that beastly cat is one of them." "look here!" said dorothy, sternly. "i won't have any quarrelling in the land of oz, i can tell you! everybody lives in peace here, and loves everybody else; and unless you two, billina and eureka, make up and be friends, i'll take my magic belt and wish you both home again, immejitly. so, there!" they were both much frightened at the threat, and promised meekly to be good. but it was never noticed that they became very warm friends, for all of that. and now the tin woodman arrived, his body most beautifully nickle-plated, so that it shone splendidly in the brilliant light of the room. the tin woodman loved dorothy most tenderly, and welcomed with joy the return of the little old wizard. "sir," said he to the latter, "i never can thank you enough for the excellent heart you once gave me. it has made me many friends, i assure you, and it beats as kindly and lovingly today as it every did." "i'm glad to hear that," said the wizard. "i was afraid it would get moldy in that tin body of yours." "not at all," returned nick chopper. "it keeps finely, being preserved in my air-tight chest." zeb was a little shy when first introduced to these queer people; but they were so friendly and sincere that he soon grew to admire them very much, even finding some good qualities in the yellow hen. but he became nervous again when the next visitor was announced. "this," said princess ozma, "is my friend mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e., who assisted me one time when i was in great distress, and is now the dean of the royal college of athletic science." "ah," said the wizard; "i'm pleased to meet so distinguished a personage." "h. m.," said the woggle-bug, pompously, "means highly magnified; and t. e. means thoroughly educated. i am, in reality, a very big bug, and doubtless the most intelligent being in all this broad domain." "how well you disguise it," said the wizard. "but i don't doubt your word in the least." "nobody doubts it, sir," replied the woggle-bug, and drawing a book from its pocket the strange insect turned its back on the company and sat down in a corner to read. nobody minded this rudeness, which might have seemed more impolite in one less thoroughly educated; so they straightway forgot him and joined in a merry conversation that kept them well amused until bed-time arrived. . jim, the cab-horse jim the cab-horse found himself in possession of a large room with a green marble floor and carved marble wainscoting, which was so stately in its appearance that it would have awed anyone else. jim accepted it as a mere detail, and at his command the attendants gave his coat a good rubbing, combed his mane and tail, and washed his hoofs and fetlocks. then they told him dinner would be served directly and he replied that they could not serve it too quickly to suit his convenience. first they brought him a steaming bowl of soup, which the horse eyed in dismay. "take that stuff away!" he commanded. "do you take me for a salamander?" they obeyed at once, and next served a fine large turbot on a silver platter, with drawn gravy poured over it. "fish!" cried jim, with a sniff. "do you take me for a tom-cat? away with it!" the servants were a little discouraged, but soon they brought in a great tray containing two dozen nicely roasted quail on toast. "well, well!" said the horse, now thoroughly provoked. "do you take me for a weasel? how stupid and ignorant you are, in the land of oz, and what dreadful things you feed upon! is there nothing that is decent to eat in this palace?" the trembling servants sent for the royal steward, who came in haste and said: "what would your highness like for dinner?" "highness!" repeated jim, who was unused to such titles. "you are at least six feet high, and that is higher than any other animal in this country," said the steward. "well, my highness would like some oats," declared the horse. "oats? we have no whole oats," the steward replied, with much deference. "but there is any quantity of oatmeal, which we often cook for breakfast. oatmeal is a breakfast dish," added the steward, humbly. "i'll make it a dinner dish," said jim. "fetch it on, but don't cook it, as you value your life." you see, the respect shown the worn-out old cab-horse made him a little arrogant, and he forgot he was a guest, never having been treated otherwise than as a servant since the day he was born, until his arrival in the land of oz. but the royal attendants did not heed the animal's ill temper. they soon mixed a tub of oatmeal with a little water, and jim ate it with much relish. then the servants heaped a lot of rugs upon the floor and the old horse slept on the softest bed he had ever known in his life. in the morning, as soon as it was daylight, he resolved to take a walk and try to find some grass for breakfast; so he ambled calmly through the handsome arch of the doorway, turned the corner of the palace, wherein all seemed asleep, and came face to face with the sawhorse. jim stopped abruptly, being startled and amazed. the sawhorse stopped at the same time and stared at the other with its queer protruding eyes, which were mere knots in the log that formed its body. the legs of the sawhorse were four sticks driving into holes bored in the log; its tail was a small branch that had been left by accident and its mouth a place chopped in one end of the body which projected a little and served as a head. the ends of the wooden legs were shod with plates of solid gold, and the saddle of the princess ozma, which was of red leather set with sparkling diamonds, was strapped to the clumsy body. jim's eyes stuck out as much as those of the sawhorse, and he stared at the creature with his ears erect and his long head drawn back until it rested against his arched neck. in this comical position the two horses circled slowly around each other for a while, each being unable to realize what the singular thing might be which it now beheld for the first time. then jim exclaimed: "for goodness sake, what sort of a being are you?" "i'm a sawhorse," replied the other. "oh; i believe i've heard of you," said the cab-horse; "but you are unlike anything that i expected to see." "i do not doubt it," the sawhorse observed, with a tone of pride. "i am considered quite unusual." "you are, indeed. but a rickety wooden thing like you has no right to be alive." "i couldn't help it," returned the other, rather crestfallen. "ozma sprinkled me with a magic powder, and i just had to live. i know i'm not much account; but i'm the only horse in all the land of oz, so they treat me with great respect." "you, a horse!" "oh, not a real one, of course. there are no real horses here at all. but i'm a splendid imitation of one." jim gave an indignant neigh. "look at me!" he cried. "behold a real horse!" the wooden animal gave a start, and then examined the other intently. "is it possible that you are a real horse?" he murmured. "not only possible, but true," replied jim, who was gratified by the impression he had created. "it is proved by my fine points. for example, look at the long hairs on my tail, with which i can whisk away the flies." "the flies never trouble me," said the saw-horse. "and notice my great strong teeth, with which i nibble the grass." "it is not necessary for me to eat," observed the sawhorse. "also examine my broad chest, which enables me to draw deep, full breaths," said jim, proudly. "i have no need to breathe," returned the other. "no; you miss many pleasures," remarked the cab-horse, pityingly. "you do not know the relief of brushing away a fly that has bitten you, nor the delight of eating delicious food, nor the satisfaction of drawing a long breath of fresh, pure air. you may be an imitation of a horse, but you're a mighty poor one." "oh, i cannot hope ever to be like you," sighed the sawhorse. "but i am glad to meet a last a real horse. you are certainly the most beautiful creature i ever beheld." this praise won jim completely. to be called beautiful was a novelty in his experience. said he: "your chief fault, my friend, is in being made of wood, and that i suppose you cannot help. real horses, like myself, are made of flesh and blood and bones." "i can see the bones all right," replied the sawhorse, "and they are admirable and distinct. also i can see the flesh. but the blood, i suppose is tucked away inside." "exactly," said jim. "what good is it?" asked the sawhorse. jim did not know, but he would not tell the sawhorse that. "if anything cuts me," he replied, "the blood runs out to show where i am cut. you, poor thing! cannot even bleed when you are hurt." "but i am never hurt," said the sawhorse. "once in a while i get broken up some, but i am easily repaired and put in good order again. and i never feel a break or a splinter in the least." jim was almost tempted to envy the wooden horse for being unable to feel pain; but the creature was so absurdly unnatural that he decided he would not change places with it under any circumstances. "how did you happen to be shod with gold?" he asked. "princess ozma did that," was the reply; "and it saves my legs from wearing out. we've had a good many adventures together, ozma and i, and she likes me." the cab-horse was about to reply when suddenly he gave a start and a neigh of terror and stood trembling like a leaf. for around the corner had come two enormous savage beasts, treading so lightly that they were upon him before he was aware of their presence. jim was in the act of plunging down the path to escape when the sawhorse cried out: "stop, my brother! stop, real horse! these are friends, and will do you no harm." jim hesitated, eyeing the beasts fearfully. one was an enormous lion with clear, intelligent eyes, a tawney mane bushy and well kept, and a body like yellow plush. the other was a great tiger with purple stripes around his lithe body, powerful limbs, and eyes that showed through the half closed lids like coals of fire. the huge forms of these monarchs of the forest and jungle were enough to strike terror to the stoutest heart, and it is no wonder jim was afraid to face them. but the sawhorse introduced the stranger in a calm tone, saying: "this, noble horse, is my friend the cowardly lion, who is the valiant king of the forest, but at the same time a faithful vassal of princess ozma. and this is the hungry tiger, the terror of the jungle, who longs to devour fat babies but is prevented by his conscience from doing so. these royal beasts are both warm friends of little dorothy and have come to the emerald city this morning to welcome her to our fairyland." hearing these words jim resolved to conquer his alarm. he bowed his head with as much dignity as he could muster toward the savage looking beasts, who in return nodded in a friendly way. "is not the real horse a beautiful animal?" asked the sawhorse admiringly. "that is doubtless a matter of taste," returned the lion. "in the forest he would be thought ungainly, because his face is stretched out and his neck is uselessly long. his joints, i notice, are swollen and overgrown, and he lacks flesh and is old in years." "and dreadfully tough," added the hungry tiger, in a sad voice. "my conscience would never permit me to eat so tough a morsel as the real horse." "i'm glad of that," said jim; "for i, also, have a conscience, and it tells me not to crush in your skull with a blow of my powerful hoof." if he thought to frighten the striped beast by such language he was mistaken. the tiger seemed to smile, and winked one eye slowly. "you have a good conscience, friend horse," it said, "and if you attend to its teachings it will do much to protect you from harm. some day i will let you try to crush in my skull, and afterward you will know more about tigers than you do now." "any friend of dorothy," remarked the cowardly lion, "must be our friend, as well. so let us cease this talk of skull crushing and converse upon more pleasant subjects. have you breakfasted, sir horse?" "not yet," replied jim. "but here is plenty of excellent clover, so if you will excuse me i will eat now." "he's a vegetarian," remarked the tiger, as the horse began to munch the clover. "if i could eat grass i would not need a conscience, for nothing could then tempt me to devour babies and lambs." just then dorothy, who had risen early and heard the voices of the animals, ran out to greet her old friends. she hugged both the lion and the tiger with eager delight, but seemed to love the king of beasts a little better than she did his hungry friend, having known him longer. by this time they had indulged in a good talk and dorothy had told them all about the awful earthquake and her recent adventures, the breakfast bell rang from the palace and the little girl went inside to join her human comrades. as she entered the great hall a voice called out, in a rather harsh tone: "what! are you here again?" "yes, i am," she answered, looking all around to see where the voice came from. "what brought you back?" was the next question, and dorothy's eye rested on an antlered head hanging on the wall just over the fireplace, and caught its lips in the act of moving. "good gracious!" she exclaimed. "i thought you were stuffed." "so i am," replied the head. "but once on a time i was part of the gump, which ozma sprinkled with the powder of life. i was then for a time the head of the finest flying machine that was ever known to exist, and we did many wonderful things. afterward the gump was taken apart and i was put back on this wall; but i can still talk when i feel in the mood, which is not often." "it's very strange," said the girl. "what were you when you were first alive?" "that i have forgotten," replied the gump's head, "and i do not think it is of much importance. but here comes ozma; so i'd better hush up, for the princess doesn't like me to chatter since she changed her name from tip to ozma." just then the girlish ruler of oz opened the door and greeted dorothy with a good-morning kiss. the little princess seemed fresh and rosy and in good spirits. "breakfast is served, dear," she said, "and i am hungry. so don't let us keep it waiting a single minute." . the nine tiny piglets after breakfast ozma announced that she had ordered a holiday to be observed throughout the emerald city, in honor of her visitors. the people had learned that their old wizard had returned to them and all were anxious to see him again, for he had always been a rare favorite. so first there was to be a grand procession through the streets, after which the little old man was requested to perform some of his wizardries in the great throne room of the palace. in the afternoon there were to be games and races. the procession was very imposing. first came the imperial cornet band of oz, dressed in emerald velvet uniforms with slashes of pea-green satin and buttons of immense cut emeralds. they played the national air called "the oz spangled banner," and behind them were the standard bearers with the royal flag. this flag was divided into four quarters, one being colored sky-blue, another pink, a third lavender and a fourth white. in the center was a large emerald-green star, and all over the four quarters were sewn spangles that glittered beautifully in the sunshine. the colors represented the four countries of oz, and the green star the emerald city. just behind the royal standard-bearers came the princess ozma in her royal chariot, which was of gold encrusted with emeralds and diamonds set in exquisite designs. the chariot was drawn on this occasion by the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, who were decorated with immense pink and blue bows. in the chariot rode ozma and dorothy, the former in splendid raiment and wearing her royal coronet, while the little kansas girl wore around her waist the magic belt she had once captured from the nome king. following the chariot came the scarecrow mounted on the sawhorse, and the people cheered him almost as loudly as they did their lovely ruler. behind him stalked with regular, jerky steps, the famous machine-man called tik-tok, who had been wound up by dorothy for the occasion. tik-tok moved by clockwork, and was made all of burnished copper. he really belonged to the kansas girl, who had much respect for his thoughts after they had been properly wound and set going; but as the copper man would be useless in any place but a fairy country dorothy had left him in charge of ozma, who saw that he was suitably cared for. there followed another band after this, which was called the royal court band, because the members all lived in the palace. they wore white uniforms with real diamond buttons and played "what is oz without ozma" very sweetly. then came professor woggle-bug, with a group of students from the royal college of scientific athletics. the boys wore long hair and striped sweaters and yelled their college yell every other step they took, to the great satisfaction of the populace, which was glad to have this evidence that their lungs were in good condition. the brilliantly polished tin woodman marched next, at the head of the royal army of oz which consisted of twenty-eight officers, from generals down to captains. there were no privates in the army because all were so courageous and skillful that they had been promoted one by one until there were no privates left. jim and the buggy followed, the old cab-horse being driven by zeb while the wizard stood up on the seat and bowed his bald head right and left in answer to the cheers of the people, who crowded thick about him. taken altogether the procession was a grand success, and when it had returned to the palace the citizens crowded into the great throne room to see the wizard perform his tricks. the first thing the little humbug did was to produce a tiny white piglet from underneath his hat and pretend to pull it apart, making two. this act he repeated until all of the nine tiny piglets were visible, and they were so glad to get out of his pocket that they ran around in a very lively manner. the pretty little creatures would have been a novelty anywhere, so the people were as amazed and delighted at their appearance as even the wizard could have desired. when he had made them all disappear again ozma declared she was sorry they were gone, for she wanted one of them to pet and play with. so the wizard pretended to take one of the piglets out of the hair of the princess (while really he slyly took it from his inside pocket) and ozma smiled joyously as the creature nestled in her arms, and she promised to have an emerald collar made for its fat neck and to keep the little squealer always at hand to amuse her. afterward it was noticed that the wizard always performed his famous trick with eight piglets, but it seemed to please the people just as well as if there had been nine of them. in his little room back of the throne room the wizard had found a lot of things he had left behind him when he went away in the balloon, for no one had occupied the apartment in his absence. there was enough material there to enable him to prepare several new tricks which he had learned from some of the jugglers in the circus, and he had passed part of the night in getting them ready. so he followed the trick of the nine tiny piglets with several other wonderful feats that greatly delighted his audience and the people did not seem to care a bit whether the little man was a humbug wizard or not, so long as he succeeded in amusing them. they applauded all his tricks and at the end of the performance begged him earnestly not to go away again and leave them. "in that case," said the little man, gravely, "i will cancel all of my engagements before the crowned heads of europe and america and devote myself to the people of oz, for i love you all so well that i can deny you nothing." after the people had been dismissed with this promise our friends joined princess ozma at an elaborate luncheon in the palace, where even the tiger and the lion were sumptuously fed and jim the cab-horse ate his oatmeal out of a golden bowl with seven rows of rubies, sapphires and diamonds set around the rim of it. in the afternoon they all went to a great field outside the city gates where the games were to be held. there was a beautiful canopy for ozma and her guests to sit under and watch the people run races and jump and wrestle. you may be sure the folks of oz did their best with such a distinguished company watching them, and finally zeb offered to wrestle with a little munchkin who seemed to be the champion. in appearance he was twice as old as zeb, for he had long pointed whiskers and wore a peaked hat with little bells all around the brim of it, which tinkled gaily as he moved. but although the munchkin was hardly tall enough to come to zeb's shoulder he was so strong and clever that he laid the boy three times on his back with apparent ease. zeb was greatly astonished at his defeat, and when the pretty princess joined her people in laughing at him he proposed a boxing-match with the munchkin, to which the little ozite readily agreed. but the first time that zeb managed to give him a sharp box on the ears the munchkin sat down upon the ground and cried until the tears ran down his whiskers, because he had been hurt. this made zeb laugh, in turn, and the boy felt comforted to find that ozma laughed as merrily at her weeping subject as she had at him. just then the scarecrow proposed a race between the sawhorse and the cab-horse; and although all the others were delighted at the suggestion the sawhorse drew back, saying: "such a race would not be fair." "of course not," added jim, with a touch of scorn; "those little wooden legs of yours are not half as long as my own." "it isn't that," said the sawhorse, modestly; "but i never tire, and you do." "bah!" cried jim, looking with great disdain at the other; "do you imagine for an instant that such a shabby imitation of a horse as you are can run as fast as i?" "i don't know, i'm sure," replied the sawhorse. "that is what we are trying to find out," remarked the scarecrow. "the object of a race is to see who can win it--or at least that is what my excellent brains think." "once, when i was young," said jim, "i was a race horse, and defeated all who dared run against me. i was born in kentucky, you know, where all the best and most aristocratic horses come from." "but you're old, now, jim," suggested zeb. "old! why, i feel like a colt today," replied jim. "i only wish there was a real horse here for me to race with. i'd show the people a fine sight, i can tell you." "then why not race with the sawhorse?" enquired the scarecrow. "he's afraid," said jim. "oh, no," answered the sawhorse. "i merely said it wasn't fair. but if my friend the real horse is willing to undertake the race i am quite ready." so they unharnessed jim and took the saddle off the sawhorse, and the two queerly matched animals were stood side by side for the start. "when i say 'go!'" zeb called to them, "you must dig out and race until you reach those three trees you see over yonder. then circle 'round them and come back again. the first one that passes the place where the princess sits shall be named the winner. are you ready?" "i suppose i ought to give the wooden dummy a good start of me," growled jim. "never mind that," said the sawhorse. "i'll do the best i can." "go!" cried zeb; and at the word the two horses leaped forward and the race was begun. jim's big hoofs pounded away at a great rate, and although he did not look very graceful he ran in a way to do credit to his kentucky breeding. but the sawhorse was swifter than the wind. its wooden legs moved so fast that their twinkling could scarcely be seen, and although so much smaller than the cab-horse it covered the ground much faster. before they had reached the trees the sawhorse was far ahead, and the wooden animal returned to the starting place as was being lustily cheered by the ozites before jim came panting up to the canopy where the princess and her friends were seated. i am sorry to record the fact that jim was not only ashamed of his defeat but for a moment lost control of his temper. as he looked at the comical face of the sawhorse he imagined that the creature was laughing at him; so in a fit of unreasonable anger he turned around and made a vicious kick that sent his rival tumbling head over heels upon the ground, and broke off one of its legs and its left ear. an instant later the tiger crouched and launched its huge body through the air swift and resistless as a ball from a cannon. the beast struck jim full on his shoulder and sent the astonished cab-horse rolling over and over, amid shouts of delight from the spectators, who had been horrified by the ungracious act he had been guilty of. when jim came to himself and sat upon his haunches he found the cowardly lion crouched on one side of him and the hungry tiger on the other, and their eyes were glowing like balls of fire. "i beg your pardon, i'm sure," said jim, meekly. "i was wrong to kick the sawhorse, and i am sorry i became angry at him. he has won the race, and won it fairly; but what can a horse of flesh do against a tireless beast of wood?" hearing this apology the tiger and the lion stopped lashing their tails and retreated with dignified steps to the side of the princess. "no one must injure one of our friends in our presence," growled the lion; and zeb ran to jim and whispered that unless he controlled his temper in the future he would probably be torn to pieces. then the tin woodman cut a straight and strong limb from a tree with his gleaming axe and made a new leg and a new ear for the sawhorse; and when they had been securely fastened in place princess ozma took the coronet from her own head and placed it upon that of the winner of the race. said she: "my friend, i reward you for your swiftness by proclaiming you prince of horses, whether of wood or of flesh; and hereafter all other horses--in the land of oz, at least--must be considered imitations, and you the real champion of your race." there was more applause at this, and then ozma had the jewelled saddle replaced upon the sawhorse and herself rode the victor back to the city at the head of the grand procession. "i ought to be a fairy," grumbled jim, as he slowly drew the buggy home; "for to be just an ordinary horse in a fairy country is to be of no account whatever. it's no place for us, zeb." "it's lucky we got here, though," said the boy; and jim thought of the dark cave, and agreed with him. . the trial of eureka the kitten several days of festivity and merry-making followed, for such old friends did not often meet and there was much to be told and talked over between them, and many amusements to be enjoyed in this delightful country. ozma was happy to have dorothy beside her, for girls of her own age with whom it was proper for the princess to associate were very few, and often the youthful ruler of oz was lonely for lack of companionship. it was the third morning after dorothy's arrival, and she was sitting with ozma and their friends in a reception room, talking over old times, when the princess said to her maid: "please go to my boudoir, jellia, and get the white piglet i left on the dressing-table. i want to play with it." jellia at once departed on the errand, and she was gone so long that they had almost forgotten her mission when the green robed maiden returned with a troubled face. "the piglet is not there, your highness," said she. "not there!" exclaimed ozma. "are you sure?" "i have hunted in every part of the room," the maid replied. "was not the door closed?" asked the princess. "yes, your highness; i am sure it was; for when i opened it dorothy's white kitten crept out and ran up the stairs." hearing this, dorothy and the wizard exchanged startled glances, for they remembered how often eureka had longed to eat a piglet. the little girl jumped up at once. "come, ozma," she said, anxiously; "let us go ourselves to search for the piglet." so the two went to the dressing-room of the princess and searched carefully in every corner and among the vases and baskets and ornaments that stood about the pretty boudoir. but not a trace could they find of the tiny creature they sought. dorothy was nearly weeping, by this time, while ozma was angry and indignant. when they returned to the others the princess said: "there is little doubt that my pretty piglet has been eaten by that horrid kitten, and if that is true the offender must be punished." "i don't b'lieve eureka would do such a dreadful thing!" cried dorothy, much distressed. "go and get my kitten, please, jellia, and we'll hear what she has to say about it." the green maiden hastened away, but presently returned and said: "the kitten will not come. she threatened to scratch my eyes out if i touched her." "where is she?" asked dorothy. "under the bed in your own room," was the reply. so dorothy ran to her room and found the kitten under the bed. "come here, eureka!" she said. "i won't," answered the kitten, in a surly voice. "oh, eureka! why are you so bad?" the kitten did not reply. "if you don't come to me, right away," continued dorothy, getting provoked, "i'll take my magic belt and wish you in the country of the gurgles." "why do you want me?" asked eureka, disturbed by this threat. "you must go to princess ozma. she wants to talk to you." "all right," returned the kitten, creeping out. "i'm not afraid of ozma--or anyone else." dorothy carried her in her arms back to where the others sat in grieved and thoughtful silence. "tell me, eureka," said the princess, gently: "did you eat my pretty piglet?" "i won't answer such a foolish question," asserted eureka, with a snarl. "oh, yes you will, dear," dorothy declared. "the piglet is gone, and you ran out of the room when jellia opened the door. so, if you are innocent, eureka, you must tell the princess how you came to be in her room, and what has become of the piglet." "who accuses me?" asked the kitten, defiantly. "no one," answered ozma. "your actions alone accuse you. the fact is that i left my little pet in my dressing-room lying asleep upon the table; and you must have stolen in without my knowing it. when next the door was opened you ran out and hid yourself--and the piglet was gone." "that's none of my business," growled the kitten. "don't be impudent, eureka," admonished dorothy. "it is you who are impudent," said eureka, "for accusing me of such a crime when you can't prove it except by guessing." ozma was now greatly incensed by the kitten's conduct. she summoned her captain-general, and when the long, lean officer appeared she said: "carry this cat away to prison, and keep her in safe confinement until she is tried by law for the crime of murder." so the captain-general took eureka from the arms of the now weeping dorothy and in spite of the kitten's snarls and scratches carried it away to prison. "what shall we do now?" asked the scarecrow, with a sigh, for such a crime had cast a gloom over all the company. "i will summon the court to meet in the throne room at three o'clock," replied ozma. "i myself will be the judge, and the kitten shall have a fair trial." "what will happen if she is guilty?" asked dorothy. "she must die," answered the princess. "nine times?" enquired the scarecrow. "as many times as is necessary," was the reply. "i will ask the tin woodman to defend the prisoner, because he has such a kind heart i am sure he will do his best to save her. and the woggle-bug shall be the public accuser, because he is so learned that no one can deceive him." "who will be the jury?" asked the tin woodman. "there ought to be several animals on the jury," said ozma, "because animals understand each other better than we people understand them. so the jury shall consist of the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, jim the cab-horse, the yellow hen, the scarecrow, the wizard, tik-tok the machine man, the sawhorse and zeb of hugson's ranch. that makes the nine which the law requires, and all my people shall be admitted to hear the testimony." they now separated to prepare for the sad ceremony; for whenever an appeal is made to law sorrow is almost certain to follow--even in a fairyland like oz. but is must be stated that the people of that land were generally so well-behaved that there was not a single lawyer amongst them, and it had been years since any ruler had sat in judgment upon an offender of the law. the crime of murder being the most dreadful crime of all, tremendous excitement prevailed in the emerald city when the news of eureka's arrest and trial became known. the wizard, when he returned to his own room, was exceedingly thoughtful. he had no doubt eureka had eaten his piglet, but he realized that a kitten cannot be depended upon at all times to act properly, since its nature is to destroy small animals and even birds for food, and the tame cat that we keep in our houses today is descended from the wild cat of the jungle--a very ferocious creature, indeed. the wizard knew that if dorothy's pet was found guilty and condemned to death the little girl would be made very unhappy; so, although he grieved over the piglet's sad fate as much as any of them, he resolved to save eureka's life. sending for the tin woodman the wizard took him into a corner and whispered: "my friend, it is your duty to defend the white kitten and try to save her, but i fear you will fail because eureka has long wished to eat a piglet, to my certain knowledge, and my opinion is that she has been unable to resist the temptation. yet her disgrace and death would not bring back the piglet, but only serve to make dorothy unhappy. so i intend to prove the kitten's innocence by a trick." he drew from his inside pocket one of the eight tiny piglets that were remaining and continued: "this creature you must hide in some safe place, and if the jury decides that eureka is guilty you may then produce this piglet and claim it is the one that was lost. all the piglets are exactly alike, so no one can dispute your word. this deception will save eureka's life, and then we may all be happy again." "i do not like to deceive my friends," replied the tin woodman; "still, my kind heart urges me to save eureka's life, and i can usually trust my heart to do the right thing. so i will do as you say, friend wizard." after some thought he placed the little pig inside his funnel-shaped hat, and then put the hat upon his head and went back to his room to think over his speech to the jury. . the wizard performs another trick at three o'clock the throne room was crowded with citizens, men, women and children being eager to witness the great trial. princess ozma, dressed in her most splendid robes of state, sat in the magnificent emerald throne, with her jewelled sceptre in her hand and her sparkling coronet upon her fair brow. behind her throne stood the twenty-eight officers of her army and many officials of the royal household. at her right sat the queerly assorted jury--animals, animated dummies and people--all gravely prepared to listen to what was said. the kitten had been placed in a large cage just before the throne, where she sat upon her haunches and gazed through the bars at the crowds around her, with seeming unconcern. and now, at a signal from ozma, the woggle-bug arose and addressed the jury. his tone was pompous and he strutted up and down in an absurd attempt to appear dignified. "your royal highness and fellow citizens," he began; "the small cat you see a prisoner before you is accused of the crime of first murdering and then eating our esteemed ruler's fat piglet--or else first eating and then murdering it. in either case a grave crime has been committed which deserves a grave punishment." "do you mean my kitten must be put in a grave?" asked dorothy. "don't interrupt, little girl," said the woggle-bug. "when i get my thoughts arranged in good order i do not like to have anything upset them or throw them into confusion." "if your thoughts were any good they wouldn't become confused," remarked the scarecrow, earnestly. "my thoughts are always--" "is this a trial of thoughts, or of kittens?" demanded the woggle-bug. "it's a trial of one kitten," replied the scarecrow; "but your manner is a trial to us all." "let the public accuser continue," called ozma from her throne, "and i pray you do not interrupt him." "the criminal who now sits before the court licking her paws," resumed the woggle-bug, "has long desired to unlawfully eat the fat piglet, which was no bigger than a mouse. and finally she made a wicked plan to satisfy her depraved appetite for pork. i can see her, in my mind's eye--" "what's that?" asked the scarecrow. "i say i can see her in my mind's eye--" "the mind has no eye," declared the scarecrow. "it's blind." "your highness," cried the woggle-bug, appealing to ozma, "have i a mind's eye, or haven't i?" "if you have, it is invisible," said the princess. "very true," returned the woggle-bug, bowing. "i say i see the criminal, in my mind's eye, creeping stealthily into the room of our ozma and secreting herself, when no one was looking, until the princess had gone away and the door was closed. then the murderer was alone with her helpless victim, the fat piglet, and i see her pounce upon the innocent creature and eat it up--" "are you still seeing with your mind's eye?" enquired the scarecrow. "of course; how else could i see it? and we know the thing is true, because since the time of that interview there is no piglet to be found anywhere." "i suppose, if the cat had been gone, instead of the piglet, your mind's eye would see the piglet eating the cat," suggested the scarecrow. "very likely," acknowledged the woggle-bug. "and now, fellow citizens and creatures of the jury, i assert that so awful a crime deserves death, and in the case of the ferocious criminal before you--who is now washing her face--the death penalty should be inflicted nine times." there was great applause when the speaker sat down. then the princess spoke in a stern voice: "prisoner, what have you to say for yourself? are you guilty, or not guilty?" "why, that's for you to find out," replied eureka. "if you can prove i'm guilty, i'll be willing to die nine times, but a mind's eye is no proof, because the woggle-bug has no mind to see with." "never mind, dear," said dorothy. then the tin woodman arose and said: "respected jury and dearly beloved ozma, i pray you not to judge this feline prisoner unfeelingly. i do not think the innocent kitten can be guilty, and surely it is unkind to accuse a luncheon of being a murder. eureka is the sweet pet of a lovely little girl whom we all admire, and gentleness and innocence are her chief virtues. look at the kitten's intelligent eyes;" (here eureka closed her eyes sleepily) "gaze at her smiling countenance!" (here eureka snarled and showed her teeth) "mark the tender pose of her soft, padded little hands!" (here eureka bared her sharp claws and scratched at the bars of the cage.) "would such a gentle animal be guilty of eating a fellow creature? no; a thousand times, no!" "oh, cut it short," said eureka; "you've talked long enough." "i'm trying to defend you," remonstrated the tin woodman. "then say something sensible," retorted the kitten. "tell them it would be foolish for me to eat the piglet, because i had sense enough to know it would raise a row if i did. but don't try to make out i'm too innocent to eat a fat piglet if i could do it and not be found out. i imagine it would taste mighty good." "perhaps it would, to those who eat," remarked the tin woodman. "i myself, not being built to eat, have no personal experience in such matters. but i remember that our great poet once said: 'to eat is sweet when hunger's seat demands a treat of savory meat.'" "take this into consideration, friends of the jury, and you will readily decide that the kitten is wrongfully accused and should be set at liberty." when the tin woodman sat down no one applauded him, for his arguments had not been very convincing and few believed that he had proved eureka's innocence. as for the jury, the members whispered to each other for a few minutes and then they appointed the hungry tiger their spokesman. the huge beast slowly arose and said: "kittens have no consciences, so they eat whatever pleases them. the jury believes the white kitten known as eureka is guilty of having eaten the piglet owned by princess ozma, and recommends that she be put to death in punishment of the crime." the judgment of the jury was received with great applause, although dorothy was sobbing miserably at the fate of her pet. the princess was just about to order eureka's head chopped off with the tin woodman's axe when that brilliant personage once more arose and addressed her. "your highness," said he, "see how easy it is for a jury to be mistaken. the kitten could not have eaten your piglet--for here it is!" he took off his funnel hat and from beneath it produced a tiny white piglet, which he held aloft that all might see it clearly. ozma was delighted and exclaimed, eagerly: "give me my pet, nick chopper!" and all the people cheered and clapped their hands, rejoicing that the prisoner had escaped death and been proved to be innocent. as the princess held the white piglet in her arms and stroked its soft hair she said: "let eureka out of the cage, for she is no longer a prisoner, but our good friend. where did you find my missing pet, nick chopper?" "in a room of the palace," he answered. "justice," remarked the scarecrow, with a sigh, "is a dangerous thing to meddle with. if you hadn't happened to find the piglet, eureka would surely have been executed." "but justice prevailed at the last," said ozma, "for here is my pet, and eureka is once more free." "i refuse to be free," cried the kitten, in a sharp voice, "unless the wizard can do his trick with eight piglets. if he can produce but seven, then this is not the piglet that was lost, but another one." "hush, eureka!" warned the wizard. "don't be foolish," advised the tin woodman, "or you may be sorry for it." "the piglet that belonged to the princess wore an emerald collar," said eureka, loudly enough for all to hear. "so it did!" exclaimed ozma. "this cannot be the one the wizard gave me." "of course not; he had nine of them, altogether," declared eureka; "and i must say it was very stingy of him not to let me eat just a few. but now that this foolish trial is ended, i will tell you what really became of your pet piglet." at this everyone in the throne room suddenly became quiet, and the kitten continued, in a calm, mocking tone of voice: "i will confess that i intended to eat the little pig for my breakfast; so i crept into the room where it was kept while the princess was dressing and hid myself under a chair. when ozma went away she closed the door and left her pet on the table. at once i jumped up and told the piglet not to make a fuss, for he would be inside of me in half a second; but no one can teach one of these creatures to be reasonable. instead of keeping still, so i could eat him comfortably, he trembled so with fear that he fell off the table into a big vase that was standing on the floor. the vase had a very small neck, and spread out at the top like a bowl. at first the piglet stuck in the neck of the vase and i thought i should get him, after all, but he wriggled himself through and fell down into the deep bottom part--and i suppose he's there yet." all were astonished at this confession, and ozma at once sent an officer to her room to fetch the vase. when he returned the princess looked down the narrow neck of the big ornament and discovered her lost piglet, just as eureka had said she would. there was no way to get the creature out without breaking the vase, so the tin woodman smashed it with his axe and set the little prisoner free. then the crowd cheered lustily and dorothy hugged the kitten in her arms and told her how delighted she was to know that she was innocent. "but why didn't you tell us at first?" she asked. "it would have spoiled the fun," replied the kitten, yawning. ozma gave the wizard back the piglet he had so kindly allowed nick chopper to substitute for the lost one, and then she carried her own into the apartments of the palace where she lived. and now, the trial being over, the good citizens of the emerald city scattered to their homes, well content with the day's amusement. . zeb returns to the ranch eureka was much surprised to find herself in disgrace; but she was, in spite of the fact that she had not eaten the piglet. for the folks of oz knew the kitten had tried to commit the crime, and that only an accident had prevented her from doing so; therefore even the hungry tiger preferred not to associate with her. eureka was forbidden to wander around the palace and was made to stay in confinement in dorothy's room; so she began to beg her mistress to send her to some other place where she could enjoy herself better. dorothy was herself anxious to get home, so she promised eureka they would not stay in the land of oz much longer. the next evening after the trial the little girl begged ozma to allow her to look in the enchanted picture, and the princess readily consented. she took the child to her room and said: "make your wish, dear, and the picture will show the scene you desire to behold." then dorothy found, with the aid of the enchanted picture, that uncle henry had returned to the farm in kansas, and she also saw that both he and aunt em were dressed in mourning, because they thought their little niece had been killed by the earthquake. "really," said the girl, anxiously, "i must get back as soon as poss'ble to my own folks." zeb also wanted to see his home, and although he did not find anyone morning for him, the sight of hugson's ranch in the picture made him long to get back there. "this is a fine country, and i like all the people that live in it," he told dorothy. "but the fact is, jim and i don't seem to fit into a fairyland, and the old horse has been begging me to go home again ever since he lost the race. so, if you can find a way to fix it, we'll be much obliged to you." "ozma can do it, easily," replied dorothy. "tomorrow morning i'll go to kansas and you can go to californy." that last evening was so delightful that the boy will never forget it as long as he lives. they were all together (except eureka) in the pretty rooms of the princess, and the wizard did some new tricks, and the scarecrow told stories, and the tin woodman sang a love song in a sonorous, metallic voice, and everybody laughed and had a good time. then dorothy wound up tik-tok and he danced a jig to amuse the company, after which the yellow hen related some of her adventures with the nome king in the land of ev. the princess served delicious refreshments to those who were in the habit of eating, and when dorothy's bed time arrived the company separated after exchanging many friendly sentiments. next morning they all assembled for the final parting, and many of the officials and courtiers came to look upon the impressive ceremonies. dorothy held eureka in her arms and bade her friends a fond good-bye. "you must come again, some time," said the little wizard; and she promised she would if she found it possible to do so. "but uncle henry and aunt em need me to help them," she added, "so i can't ever be very long away from the farm in kansas." ozma wore the magic belt; and, when she had kissed dorothy farewell and had made her wish, the little girl and her kitten disappeared in a twinkling. "where is she?" asked zeb, rather bewildered by the suddenness of it. "greeting her uncle and aunt in kansas, by this time," returned ozma, with a smile. then zeb brought out jim, all harnessed to the buggy, and took his seat. "i'm much obliged for all your kindness," said the boy, "and very grateful to you for saving my life and sending me home again after all the good times i've had. i think this is the loveliest country in the world; but not being fairies jim and i feel we ought to be where we belong--and that's at the ranch. good-bye, everybody!" he gave a start and rubbed his eyes. jim was trotting along the well-known road, shaking his ears and whisking his tail with a contented motion. just ahead of them were the gates of hugson's ranch, and uncle hugson now came out and stood with uplifted arms and wide open mouth, staring in amazement. "goodness gracious! it's zeb--and jim, too!" he exclaimed. "where in the world have you been, my lad?" "why, in the world, uncle," answered zeb, with a laugh. the magic of oz a faithful record of the remarkable adventures of dorothy and trot and the wizard of oz, together with the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger and cap'n bill, in their successful search for a magical and beautiful birthday present for princess ozma of oz by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" contents --to my readers-- . mount munch . the hawk . two bad ones . conspirators . a happy corner of oz . ozma's birthday presents . the forest of gugu . the li-mon-eags make trouble . the isle of the magic flower . stuck fast . the beasts of the forest of gugu . kiki uses his magic . the loss of the black bag . the wizard learns the magic word . the lonesome duck . the glass cat finds the black bag . a remarkable journey . the magic of the wizard . dorothy and the bumble bees . the monkeys have trouble . the college of athletic arts . ozma's birthday party . the fountain of oblivion to my readers curiously enough, in the events which have taken place in the last few years in our "great outside world," we may find incidents so marvelous and inspiring that i cannot hope to equal them with stories of the land of oz. however, "the magic of oz" is really more strange and unusual than anything i have read or heard about on our side of the great sandy desert which shuts us off from the land of oz, even during the past exciting years, so i hope it will appeal to your love of novelty. a long and confining illness has prevented my answering all the good letters sent me--unless stamps were enclosed--but from now on i hope to be able to give prompt attention to each and every letter with which my readers favor me. assuring you that my love for you has never faltered and hoping the oz books will continue to give you pleasure as long as i am able to write them, i am yours affectionately, l. frank baum, "royal historian of oz." "ozcot" at hollywood in california . mount munch on the east edge of the land of oz, in the munchkin country, is a big, tall hill called mount munch. one one side, the bottom of this hill just touches the deadly sandy desert that separates the fairyland of oz from all the rest of the world, but on the other side, the hill touches the beautiful, fertile country of the munchkins. the munchkin folks, however, merely stand off and look at mount munch and know very little about it; for, about a third of the way up, its sides become too steep to climb, and if any people live upon the top of that great towering peak that seems to reach nearly to the skies, the munchkins are not aware of the fact. but people do live there, just the same. the top of mount munch is shaped like a saucer, broad and deep, and in the saucer are fields where grains and vegetables grow, and flocks are fed, and brooks flow and trees bear all sorts of things. there are houses scattered here and there, each having its family of hyups, as the people call themselves. the hyups seldom go down the mountain, for the same reason that the munchkins never climb up: the sides are too steep. in one of the houses lived a wise old hyup named bini aru, who used to be a clever sorcerer. but ozma of oz, who rules everyone in the land of oz, had made a decree that no one should practice magic in her dominions except glinda the good and the wizard of oz, and when glinda sent this royal command to the hyups by means of a strong-winged eagle, old bini aru at once stopped performing magical arts. he destroyed many of his magic powders and tools of magic, and afterward honestly obeyed the law. he had never seen ozma, but he knew she was his ruler and must be obeyed. there was only one thing that grieved him. he had discovered a new and secret method of transformations that was unknown to any other sorcerer. glinda the good did not know it, nor did the little wizard of oz, nor dr. pipt nor old mombi, nor anyone else who dealt in magic arts. it was bini aru's own secret. by its means, it was the simplest thing in the world to transform anyone into beast, bird or fish, or anything else, and back again, once you know how to pronounce the mystical word: "pyrzqxgl." bini aru had used this secret many times, but not to cause evil or suffering to others. when he had wandered far from home and was hungry, he would say: "i want to become a cow--pyrzqxgl!" in an instant he would be a cow, and then he would eat grass and satisfy his hunger. all beasts and birds can talk in the land of oz, so when the cow was no longer hungry, it would say: "i want to be bini aru again: pyrzqxgl!" and the magic word, properly pronounced, would instantly restore him to his proper form. now, of course, i would not dare to write down this magic word so plainly if i thought my readers would pronounce it properly and so be able to transform themselves and others, but it is a fact that no one in all the world except bini aru, had ever (up to the time this story begins) been able to pronounce "pyrzqxgl!" the right way, so i think it is safe to give it to you. it might be well, however, in reading this story aloud, to be careful not to pronounce pyrzqxgl the proper way, and thus avoid all danger of the secret being able to work mischief. bini aru, having discovered the secret of instant transformation, which required no tools or powders or other chemicals or herbs and always worked perfectly, was reluctant to have such a wonderful discovery entirely unknown or lost to all human knowledge. he decided not to use it again, since ozma had forbidden him to do so, but he reflected that ozma was a girl and some time might change her mind and allow her subjects to practice magic, in which case bini aru could again transform himself and others at will,--unless, of course, he forgot how to pronounce pyrzqxgl in the meantime. after giving the matter careful thought, he decided to write the word, and how it should be pronounced, in some secret place, so that he could find it after many years, but where no one else could ever find it. that was a clever idea, but what bothered the old sorcerer was to find a secret place. he wandered all over the saucer at the top of mount munch, but found no place in which to write the secret word where others might not be likely to stumble upon it. so finally he decided it must be written somewhere in his own house. bini aru had a wife named mopsi aru who was famous for making fine huckleberry pies, and he had a son named kiki aru who was not famous at all. he was noted as being cross and disagreeable because he was not happy, and he was not happy because he wanted to go down the mountain and visit the big world below and his father would not let him. no one paid any attention to kiki aru, because he didn't amount to anything, anyway. once a year there was a festival on mount munch which all the hyups attended. it was held in the center of the saucer-shaped country, and the day was given over to feasting and merry-making. the young folks danced and sang songs; the women spread the tables with good things to eat, and the men played on musical instruments and told fairy tales. kiki aru usually went to these festivals with his parents, and then sat sullenly outside the circle and would not dance or sing or even talk to the other young people. so the festival did not make him any happier than other days, and this time he told bini aru and mopsi aru that he would not go. he would rather stay at home and be unhappy all by himself, he said, and so they gladly let him stay. but after he was left alone kiki decided to enter his father's private room, where he was forbidden to go, and see if he could find any of the magic tools bini aru used to work with when he practiced sorcery. as he went in kiki stubbed his toe on one of the floor boards. he searched everywhere but found no trace of his father's magic. all had been destroyed. much disappointed, he started to go out again when he stubbed his toe on the same floor board. that set him thinking. examining the board more closely, kiki found it had been pried up and then nailed down again in such a manner that it was a little higher than the other boards. but why had his father taken up the board? had he hidden some of his magic tools underneath the floor? kiki got a chisel and pried up the board, but found nothing under it. he was just about to replace the board when it slipped from his hand and turned over, and he saw something written on the underside of it. the light was rather dim, so he took the board to the window and examined it, and found that the writing described exactly how to pronounce the magic word pyrzqxgl, which would transform anyone into anything instantly, and back again when the word was repeated. now, at first, kiki aru didn't realize what a wonderful secret he had discovered; but he thought it might be of use to him and so he took a piece of paper and made on it an exact copy of the instructions for pronouncing pyrzqxgl. then he folded the paper and put it in his pocket, and replaced the board in the floor so that no one would suspect it had been removed. after this kiki went into the garden and sitting beneath a tree made a careful study of the paper. he had always wanted to get away from mount munch and visit the big world--especially the land of oz--and the idea now came to him that if he could transform himself into a bird, he could fly to any place he wished to go and fly back again whenever he cared to. it was necessary, however, to learn by heart the way to pronounce the magic word, because a bird would have no way to carry a paper with it, and kiki would be unable to resume his proper shape if he forgot the word or its pronunciation. so he studied it a long time, repeating it a hundred times in his mind until he was sure he would not forget it. but to make safety doubly sure he placed the paper in a tin box in a neglected part of the garden and covered the box with small stones. by this time it was getting late in the day and kiki wished to attempt his first transformation before his parents returned from the festival. so he stood on the front porch of his home and said: "i want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawk--pyrzqxgl!" he pronounced it the right way, so in a flash he felt that he was completely changed in form. he flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said: "caw-oo! caw-oo!" then he laughed and said half aloud: "i suppose that's the funny sound this sort of a bird makes. but now let me try my wings and see if i'm strong enough to fly across the desert." for he had decided to make his first trip to the country outside the land of oz. he had stolen this secret of transformation and he knew he had disobeyed the law of oz by working magic. perhaps glinda or the wizard of oz would discover him and punish him, so it would be good policy to keep away from oz altogether. slowly kiki rose into the air, and resting on his broad wings, floated in graceful circles above the saucer-shaped mountain-top. from his height, he could see, far across the burning sands of the deadly desert, another country that might be pleasant to explore, so he headed that way, and with strong, steady strokes of his wings, began the long flight. . the hawk even a hawk has to fly high in order to cross the deadly desert, from which poisonous fumes are constantly rising. kiki aru felt sick and faint by the time he reached good land again, for he could not quite escape the effects of the poisons. but the fresh air soon restored him and he alighted in a broad table-land which is called hiland. just beyond it is a valley known as loland, and these two countries are ruled by the gingerbread man, john dough, with chick the cherub as his prime minister. the hawk merely stopped here long enough to rest, and then he flew north and passed over a fine country called merryland, which is ruled by a lovely wax doll. then, following the curve of the desert, he turned north and settled on a tree-top in the kingdom of noland. kiki was tired by this time, and the sun was now setting, so he decided to remain here till morning. from his tree-top he could see a house near by, which looked very comfortable. a man was milking a cow in the yard and a pleasant-faced woman came to the door and called him to supper. that made kiki wonder what sort of food hawks ate. he felt hungry, but didn't know what to eat or where to get it. also he thought a bed would be more comfortable than a tree-top for sleeping, so he hopped to the ground and said: "i want to become kiki aru again--pyrzqxgl!" instantly he had resumed his natural shape, and going to the house, he knocked upon the door and asked for some supper. "who are you?" asked the man of the house. "a stranger from the land of oz," replied kiki aru. "then you are welcome," said the man. kiki was given a good supper and a good bed, and he behaved very well, although he refused to answer all the questions the good people of noland asked him. having escaped from his home and found a way to see the world, the young man was no longer unhappy, and so he was no longer cross and disagreeable. the people thought him a very respectable person and gave him breakfast next morning, after which he started on his way feeling quite contented. having walked for an hour or two through the pretty country that is ruled by king bud, kiki aru decided he could travel faster and see more as a bird, so he transformed himself into a white dove and visited the great city of nole and saw the king's palace and gardens and many other places of interest. then he flew westward into the kingdom of ix, and after a day in queen zixi's country went on westward into the land of ev. every place he visited he thought was much more pleasant than the saucer-country of the hyups, and he decided that when he reached the finest country of all he would settle there and enjoy his future life to the utmost. in the land of ev he resumed his own shape again, for the cities and villages were close together and he could easily go on foot from one to another of them. toward evening he came to a good inn and asked the inn-keeper if he could have food and lodging. "you can if you have the money to pay," said the man, "otherwise you must go elsewhere." this surprised kiki, for in the land of oz they do not use money at all, everyone being allowed to take what he wishes without price. he had no money, therefore, and so he turned away to seek hospitality elsewhere. looking through an open window into one of the rooms of the inn, as he passed along, he saw an old man counting on a table a big heap of gold pieces, which kiki thought to be money. one of these would buy him supper and a bed, he reflected, so he transformed himself into a magpie and, flying through the open window, caught up one of the gold pieces in his beak and flew out again before the old man could interfere. indeed, the old man who was robbed was quite helpless, for he dared not leave his pile of gold to chase the magpie, and before he could place the gold in a sack in his pocket the robber bird was out of sight and to seek it would be folly. kiki aru flew to a group of trees and, dropping the gold piece to the ground, resumed his proper shape, and then picked up the money and put it in his pocket. "you'll be sorry for this!" exclaimed a small voice just over his head. kiki looked up and saw that a sparrow, perched upon a branch, was watching him. "sorry for what?" he demanded. "oh, i saw the whole thing," asserted the sparrow. "i saw you look in the window at the gold, and then make yourself into a magpie and rob the poor man, and then i saw you fly here and make the bird into your former shape. that's magic, and magic is wicked and unlawful; and you stole money, and that's a still greater crime. you'll be sorry, some day." "i don't care," replied kiki aru, scowling. "aren't you afraid to be wicked?" asked the sparrow. "no, i didn't know i was being wicked," said kiki, "but if i was, i'm glad of it. i hate good people. i've always wanted to be wicked, but i didn't know how." "haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad! i'm glad i've met you; shake hands." the sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away. . two bad ones kiki turned around and saw a queer old man standing near. he didn't stand straight, for he was crooked. he had a fat body and thin legs and arms. he had a big, round face with bushy, white whiskers that came to a point below his waist, and white hair that came to a point on top of his head. he wore dull-gray clothes that were tight fitting, and his pockets were all bunched out as if stuffed full of something. "i didn't know you were here," said kiki. "i didn't come until after you did," said the queer old man. "who are you?" asked kiki. "my name's ruggedo. i used to be the nome king; but i got kicked out of my country, and now i'm a wanderer." "what made them kick you out?" inquired the hyup boy. "well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays. i was a pretty good king--to myself--but those dreadful oz people wouldn't let me alone. so i had to abdicate." "what does that mean?" "it means to be kicked out. but let's talk about something pleasant. who are you and where did you come from?" "i'm called kiki aru. i used to live on mount munch in the land of oz, but now i'm a wanderer like yourself." the nome king gave him a shrewd look. "i heard that bird say that you transformed yourself into a magpie and back again. is that true?" kiki hesitated, but saw no reason to deny it. he felt that it would make him appear more important. "well--yes," he said. "then you're a wizard?" "no; i only understand transformations," he admitted. "well, that's pretty good magic, anyhow," declared old ruggedo. "i used to have some very fine magic, myself, but my enemies took it all away from me. where are you going now?" "i'm going into the inn, to get some supper and a bed," said kiki. "have you the money to pay for it?" asked the nome. "i have one gold piece." "which you stole. very good. and you're glad that you're wicked. better yet. i like you, young man, and i'll go to the inn with you if you'll promise not to eat eggs for supper." "don't you like eggs?" asked kiki. "i'm afraid of 'em; they're dangerous!" said ruggedo, with a shudder. "all right," agreed kiki; "i won't ask for eggs." "then come along," said the nome. when they entered the inn, the landlord scowled at kiki and said: "i told you i would not feed you unless you had money." kiki showed him the gold piece. "and how about you?" asked the landlord, turning to ruggedo. "have you money?" "i've something better," answered the old nome, and taking a bag from one of his pockets he poured from it upon the table a mass of glittering gems--diamonds, rubies and emeralds. the landlord was very polite to the strangers after that. he served them an excellent supper, and while they ate it, the hyup boy asked his companion: "where did you get so many jewels?" "well, i'll tell you," answered the nome. "when those oz people took my kingdom away from me--just because it was my kingdom and i wanted to run it to suit myself--they said i could take as many precious stones as i could carry. so i had a lot of pockets made in my clothes and loaded them all up. jewels are fine things to have with you when you travel; you can trade them for anything." "are they better than gold pieces?" asked kiki. "the smallest of these jewels is worth a hundred gold pieces such as you stole from the old man." "don't talk so loud," begged kiki, uneasily. "some one else might hear what you are saying." after supper they took a walk together, and the former nome king said: "do you know the shaggy man, and the scarecrow, and the tin woodman, and dorothy, and ozma and all the other oz people?" "no," replied the boy, "i have never been away from mount munch until i flew over the deadly desert the other day in the shape of a hawk." "then you've never seen the emerald city of oz?" "never." "well," said the nome, "i knew all the oz people, and you can guess i do not love them. all during my wanderings i have brooded on how i can be revenged on them. now that i've met you i can see a way to conquer the land of oz and be king there myself, which is better than being king of the nomes." "how can you do that?" inquired kiki aru, wonderingly. "never mind how. in the first place, i'll make a bargain with you. tell me the secret of how to perform transformations and i will give you a pocketful of jewels, the biggest and finest that i possess." "no," said kiki, who realized that to share his power with another would be dangerous to himself. "i'll give you two pocketsful of jewels," said the nome. "no," answered kiki. "i'll give you every jewel i possess." "no, no, no!" said kiki, who was beginning to be frightened. "then," said the nome, with a wicked look at the boy, "i'll tell the inn-keeper that you stole that gold piece and he will have you put in prison." kiki laughed at the threat. "before he can do that," said he, "i will transform myself into a lion and tear him to pieces, or into a bear and eat him up, or into a fly and fly away where he could not find me." "can you really do such wonderful transformations?" asked the old nome, looking at him curiously. "of course," declared kiki. "i can transform you into a stick of wood, in a flash, or into a stone, and leave you here by the roadside." "the wicked nome shivered a little when he heard that, but it made him long more than ever to possess the great secret. after a while he said: "i'll tell you what i'll do. if you will help me to conquer oz and to transform the oz people, who are my enemies, into sticks or stones, by telling me your secret, i'll agree to make you the ruler of all oz, and i will be your prime minister and see that your orders are obeyed." "i'll help do that," said kiki, "but i won't tell you my secret." the nome was so furious at this refusal that he jumped up and down with rage and spluttered and choked for a long time before he could control his passion. but the boy was not at all frightened. he laughed at the wicked old nome, which made him more furious than ever. "let's give up the idea," he proposed, when ruggedo had quieted somewhat. "i don't know the oz people you mention and so they are not my enemies. if they've kicked you out of your kingdom, that's your affair--not mine." "wouldn't you like to be king of that splendid fairyland?" asked ruggedo. "yes, i would," replied kiki aru; "but you want to be king yourself, and we would quarrel over it." "no," said the nome, trying to deceive him. "i don't care to be king of oz, come to think it over. i don't even care to live in that country. what i want first is revenge. if we can conquer oz, i'll get enough magic then to conquer my own kingdom of the nomes, and i'll go back and live in my underground caverns, which are more home-like than the top of the earth. so here's my proposition: help me conquer oz and get revenge, and help me get the magic away from glinda and the wizard, and i'll let you be king of oz forever afterward." "i'll think it over," answered kiki, and that is all he would say that evening. in the night when all in the inn were asleep but himself, old ruggedo the nome rose softly from his couch and went into the room of kiki aru the hyup, and searched everywhere for the magic tool that performed his transformations. of course, there was no such tool, and although ruggedo searched in all the boy's pockets, he found nothing magical whatever. so he went back to his bed and began to doubt that kiki could perform transformations. next morning he said: "which way do you travel to-day?" "i think i shall visit the rose kingdom," answered the boy. "that is a long journey," declared the nome. "i shall transform myself into a bird," said kiki, "and so fly to the rose kingdom in an hour." "then transform me, also, into a bird, and i will go with you," suggested ruggedo. "but, in that case, let us fly together to the land of oz, and see what it looks like." kiki thought this over. pleasant as were the countries he had visited, he heard everywhere that the land of oz was more beautiful and delightful. the land of oz was his own country, too, and if there was any possibility of his becoming its king, he must know something about it. while kiki the hyup thought, ruggedo the nome was also thinking. this boy possessed a marvelous power, and although very simple in some ways, he was determined not to part with his secret. however, if ruggedo could get him to transport the wily old nome to oz, which he could reach in no other way, he might then induce the boy to follow his advice and enter into the plot for revenge, which he had already planned in his wicked heart. "there are wizards and magicians in oz," remarked kiki, after a time. "they might discover us, in spite of our transformations." "not if we are careful," ruggedo assured him. "ozma has a magic picture, in which she can see whatever she wishes to see; but ozma will know nothing of our going to oz, and so she will not command her magic picture to show where we are or what we are doing. glinda the good has a great book called the book of records, in which is magically written everything that people do in the land of oz, just the instant they do it." "then," said kiki, "there is no use our attempting to conquer the country, for glinda would read in her book all that we do, and as her magic is greater than mine, she would soon put a stop to our plans." "i said 'people,' didn't i?" retorted the nome. "the book doesn't make a record of what birds do, or beasts. it only tells the doings of people. so, if we fly into the country as birds, glinda won't know anything about it." "two birds couldn't conquer the land of oz," asserted the boy, scornfully. "no; that's true," admitted ruggedo, and then he rubbed his forehead and stroked his long pointed beard and thought some more. "ah, now i have the idea!" he declared. "i suppose you can transform us into beasts as well as birds?" "of course." "and can you make a bird a beast, and a beast a bird again, without taking a human form in between?" "certainly," said kiki. "i can transform myself or others into anything that can talk. there's a magic word that must be spoken in connection with the transformations, and as beasts and birds and dragons and fishes can talk in oz, we may become any of these we desire to. however, if i transformed myself into a tree, i would always remain a tree, because then i could not utter the magic word to change the transformation." "i see; i see," said ruggedo, nodding his bushy, white head until the point of his hair waved back and forth like a pendulum. "that fits in with my idea, exactly. now, listen, and i'll explain to you my plan. we'll fly to oz as birds and settle in one of the thick forests in the gillikin country. there you will transform us into powerful beasts, and as glinda doesn't keep any track of the doings of beasts we can act without being discovered." "but how can two beasts raise an army to conquer the powerful people of oz?" inquired kiki. "that's easy. but not an army of people, mind you. that would be quickly discovered. and while we are in oz you and i will never resume our human forms until we've conquered the country and destroyed glinda, and ozma, and the wizard, and dorothy, and all the rest, and so have nothing more to fear from them." "it is impossible to kill anyone in the land of oz," declared kiki. "it isn't necessary to kill the oz people," rejoined ruggedo. "i'm afraid i don't understand you," objected the boy. "what will happen to the oz people, and what sort of an army could we get together, except of people?" "i'll tell you. the forests of oz are full of beasts. some of them, in the far-away places, are savage and cruel, and would gladly follow a leader as savage as themselves. they have never troubled the oz people much, because they had no leader to urge them on, but we will tell them to help us conquer oz and as a reward we will transform all the beasts into men and women, and let them live in the houses and enjoy all the good things; and we will transform all the people of oz into beasts of various sorts, and send them to live in the forests and the jungles. that is a splendid idea, you must admit, and it's so easy that we won't have any trouble at all to carry it through to success." "will the beasts consent, do you think?" asked the boy. "to be sure they will. we can get every beast in oz on our side--except a few who live in ozma's palace, and they won't count." . conspirators kiki aru didn't know much about oz and didn't know much about the beasts who lived there, but the old nome's plan seemed to him to be quite reasonable. he had a faint suspicion that ruggedo meant to get the best of him in some way, and he resolved to keep a close watch on his fellow-conspirator. as long as he kept to himself the secret word of the transformations, ruggedo would not dare to harm him, and he promised himself that as soon as they had conquered oz, he would transform the old nome into a marble statue and keep him in that form forever. ruggedo, on his part, decided that he could, by careful watching and listening, surprise the boy's secret, and when he had learned the magic word he would transform kiki aru into a bundle of faggots and burn him up and so be rid of him. this is always the way with wicked people. they cannot be trusted even by one another. ruggedo thought he was fooling kiki, and kiki thought he was fooling ruggedo; so both were pleased. "it's a long way across the desert," remarked the boy, "and the sands are hot and send up poisonous vapors. let us wait until evening and then fly across in the night when it will be cooler." the former nome king agreed to this, and the two spent the rest of that day in talking over their plans. when evening came they paid the inn-keeper and walked out to a little grove of trees that stood near by. "remain here for a few minutes and i'll soon be back," said kiki, and walking swiftly away, he left the nome standing in the grove. ruggedo wondered where he had gone, but stood quietly in his place until, all of a sudden, his form changed to that of a great eagle, and he uttered a piercing cry of astonishment and flapped his wings in a sort of panic. at once his eagle cry was answered from beyond the grove, and another eagle, even larger and more powerful than the transformed ruggedo, came sailing through the trees and alighted beside him. "now we are ready for the start," said the voice of kiki, coming from the eagle. ruggedo realized that this time he had been outwitted. he had thought kiki would utter the magic word in his presence, and so he would learn what it was, but the boy had been too shrewd for that. as the two eagles mounted high into the air and began their flight across the great desert that separates the land of oz from all the rest of the world, the nome said: "when i was king of the nomes i had a magic way of working transformations that i thought was good, but it could not compare with your secret word. i had to have certain tools and make passes and say a lot of mystic words before i could transform anybody." "what became of your magic tools?" inquired kiki. "the oz people took them all away from me--that horrid girl, dorothy, and that terrible fairy, ozma, the ruler of oz--at the time they took away my underground kingdom and kicked me upstairs into the cold, heartless world." "why did you let them do that?" asked the boy. "well," said ruggedo, "i couldn't help it. they rolled eggs at me--eggs--dreadful eggs!--and if an egg even touches a nome, he is ruined for life." "is any kind of an egg dangerous to a nome?" "any kind and every kind. an egg is the only thing i'm afraid of." . a happy corner of oz there is no other country so beautiful as the land of oz. there are no other people so happy and contented and prosperous as the oz people. they have all they desire; they love and admire their beautiful girl ruler, ozma of oz, and they mix work and play so justly that both are delightful and satisfying and no one has any reason to complain. once in a while something happens in oz to disturb the people's happiness for a brief time, for so rich and attractive a fairyland is sure to make a few selfish and greedy outsiders envious, and therefore certain evil-doers have treacherously plotted to conquer oz and enslave its people and destroy its girl ruler, and so gain the wealth of oz for themselves. but up to the time when the cruel and crafty nome, ruggedo, conspired with kiki aru, the hyup, all such attempts had failed. the oz people suspected no danger. life in the world's nicest fairyland was one round of joyous, happy days. in the center of the emerald city of oz, the capital city of ozma's dominions, is a vast and beautiful garden, surrounded by a wall inlaid with shining emeralds, and in the center of this garden stands ozma's royal palace, the most splendid building ever constructed. from a hundred towers and domes floated the banners of oz, which included the ozmies, the munchkins, the gillikins, the winkies and the quadlings. the banner of the munchkins is blue, that of the winkies yellow; the gillikin banner is purple, and the quadling's banner is red. the colors of the emerald city are of course green. ozma's own banner has a green center, and is divided into four quarters. these quarters are colored blue, purple, yellow and red, indicating that she rules over all the countries of the land of oz. this fairyland is so big, however, that all of it is not yet known to its girl ruler, and it is said that in some far parts of the country, in forests and mountain fastnesses, in hidden valleys and thick jungles, are people and beasts that know as little about ozma as she knows of them. still, these unknown subjects are not nearly so numerous as the known inhabitants of oz, who occupy all the countries near to the emerald city. indeed, i'm sure it will not be long until all parts of the fairyland of oz are explored and their peoples made acquainted with their ruler, for in ozma's palace are several of her friends who are so curious that they are constantly discovering new and extraordinary places and inhabitants. one of the most frequent discoverers of these hidden places in oz is a little kansas girl named dorothy, who is ozma's dearest friend and lives in luxurious rooms in the royal palace. dorothy is, indeed, a princess of oz, but she does not like to be called a princess, and because she is simple and sweet and does not pretend to be anything but an ordinary little girl, she is called just "dorothy" by everybody and is the most popular person, next to ozma, in all the land of oz. one morning dorothy crossed the hall of the palace and knocked on the door of another girl named trot, also a guest and friend of ozma. when told to enter, dorothy found that trot had company, an old sailor-man with one wooden leg and one meat leg, who was sitting by the open window puffing smoke from a corn-cob pipe. this sailor-man was named cap'n bill, and he had accompanied trot to the land of oz and was her oldest and most faithful comrade and friend. dorothy liked cap'n bill, too, and after she had greeted him, she said to trot: "you know, ozma's birthday is next month, and i've been wondering what i can give here as a birthday present. she's so good to us all that we certainly ought to remember her birthday." "that's true," agreed trot. "i've been wondering, too, what i could give ozma. it's pretty hard to decide, 'cause she's got already all she wants, and as she's a fairy and knows a lot about magic, she could satisfy any wish." "i know," returned dorothy, "but that isn't the point. it isn't that ozma needs anything, but that it will please her to know we've remembered her birthday. but what shall we give her?" trot shook her head in despair. "i've tried to think and i can't," she declared. "it's the same way with me," said dorothy. "i know one thing that 'ud please her," remarked cap'n bill, turning his round face with its fringe of whiskers toward the two girls and staring at them with his big, light-blue eyes wide open. "what is it, cap'n bill?" "it's an enchanted flower," said he. "it's a pretty plant that stands in a golden flower-pot an' grows all sorts o' flowers, one after another. one minute a fine rose buds an' blooms, an' then a tulip, an' next a chrys--chrys--" "--anthemum," said dorothy, helping him. "that's it; and next a dahlia, an' then a daffydil, an' on all through the range o' posies. jus' as soon as one fades away, another comes, of a different sort, an' the perfume from 'em is mighty snifty, an' they keeps bloomin' night and day, year in an' year out." "that's wonderful!" exclaimed dorothy. "i think ozma would like it." "but where is the magic flower, and how can we get it?" asked trot. "dun'no, zac'ly," slowly replied cap'n bill. "the glass cat tol' me about it only yesterday, an' said it was in some lonely place up at the nor'east o' here. the glass cat goes travelin' all around oz, you know, an' the little critter sees a lot o' things no one else does." "that's true," said dorothy, thoughtfully. "northeast of here must be in the munchkin country, and perhaps a good way off, so let's ask the glass cat to tell us how to get to the magic flower." so the two girls, with cap'n bill stumping along on his wooden leg after them, went out into the garden, and after some time spent in searching, they found the glass cat curled up in the sunshine beside a bush, fast sleep. the glass cat is one of the most curious creatures in all oz. it was made by a famous magician named dr. pipt before ozma had forbidden her subjects to work magic. dr. pipt had made the glass cat to catch mice, but the cat refused to catch mice and was considered more curious than useful. this astonished cat was made all of glass and was so clear and transparent that you could see through it as easily as through a window. in the top of its head, however, was a mass of delicate pink balls which looked like jewels but were intended for brains. it had a heart made of blood-red ruby. the eyes were two large emeralds. but, aside from these colors, all the rest of the animal was of clear glass, and it had a spun-glass tail that was really beautiful. "here, wake up," said cap'n bill. "we want to talk to you." slowly the glass cat got upon its feed, yawned and then looked at the three who stood before it. "how dare you disturb me?" it asked in a peevish voice. "you ought to be ashamed of yourselves." "never mind that," returned the sailor. "do you remember tellin' me yesterday 'bout a magic flower in a gold pot?" "do you think i'm a fool? look at my brains--you can see 'em work. of course i remember!" said the cat. "well, where can we find it?" "you can't. it's none of your business, anyhow. go away and let me sleep," advised the glass cat. "now, see here," said dorothy; "we want the magic flower to give to ozma on her birthday. you'd be glad to please ozma, wouldn't you?" "i'm not sure," replied the creature. "why should i want to please anybody?" "you've got a heart, 'cause i can see it inside of you," said trot. "yes; it's a pretty heart, and i'm fond of it," said the cat, twisting around to view its own body. "but it's made from a ruby, and it's hard as nails." "aren't you good for anything?" asked trot. "yes, i'm pretty to look at, and that's more than can be said of you," retorted the creature. trot laughed at this, and dorothy, who understood the glass cat pretty well, said soothingly: "you are indeed beautiful, and if you can tell cap'n bill where to find the magic flower, all the people in oz will praise your cleverness. the flower will belong to ozma, but everyone will know the glass cat discovered it." this was the kind of praise the crystal creature liked. "well," it said, while the pink brains rolled around, "i found the magic flower way up in the north of the munchkin country where few people live or ever go. there's a river there that flows through a forest, and in the middle of the forest there is a small island on which stands the gold pot in which grows the magic flower." "how did you get to the island?" asked dorothy. "glass cats can't swim." "no, but i'm not afraid of water," was the reply. "i just walked across the river on the bottom." "under the water?" exclaimed trot. the cat gave her a scornful look. "how could i walk over the water on the bottom of the river? if you were transparent, anyone could see your brains were not working. but i'm sure you could never find the place alone. it has always been hidden from the oz people." "but you, with your fine pink brains, could find it again, i s'pose," remarked dorothy. "yes; and if you want that magic flower for ozma, i'll go with you and show you the way." "that's lovely of you!" declared dorothy. "trot and cap'n bill will go with you, for this is to be their birthday present to ozma. while you're gone i'll have to find something else to give her." "all right. come on, then, cap'n," said the glass cat, starting to move away. "wait a minute," begged trot. "how long will we be gone?" "oh, about a week." "then i'll put some things in a basket to take with us," said the girl, and ran into the palace to make her preparations for the journey. . ozma's birthday presents when cap'n bill and trot and the glass cat had started for the hidden island in the far-off river to get the magic flower, dorothy wondered again what she could give ozma on her birthday. she met the patchwork girl and said: "what are you going to give ozma for a birthday present?" "i've written a song for her," answered the strange patchwork girl, who went by the name of "scraps," and who, through stuffed with cotton, had a fair assortment of mixed brains. "it's a splendid song and the chorus runs this way: i am crazy; you're a daisy, ozma dear; i'm demented; you're contented, ozma dear; i am patched and gay and glary; you're a sweet and lovely fairy; may your birthdays all be happy, ozma dear!" "how do you like it, dorothy?" inquired the patchwork girl. "is it good poetry, scraps?" asked dorothy, doubtfully. "it's as good as any ordinary song," was the reply. "i have given it a dandy title, too. i shall call the song: 'when ozma has a birthday, everybody's sure to be gay, for she cannot help the fact that she was born.'" "that's a pretty long title, scraps," said dorothy. "that makes it stylish," replied the patchwork girl, turning a somersault and alighting on one stuffed foot. "now-a-days the titles are sometimes longer than the songs." dorothy left her and walked slowly toward the place, where she met the tin woodman just going up the front steps. "what are you going to give ozma on her birthday?" she asked. "it's a secret, but i'll tell you," replied the tin woodman, who was emperor of the winkies. "i am having my people make ozma a lovely girdle set with beautiful tin nuggets. each tin nugget will be surrounded by a circle of emeralds, just to set it off to good advantage. the clasp of the girdle will be pure tin! won't that be fine?" "i'm sure she'll like it," said dorothy. "do you know what i can give her?" "i haven't the slightest idea, dorothy. it took me three months to think of my own present for ozma." the girl walked thoughtfully around to the back of the palace, and presently came upon the famous scarecrow of oz, who has having two of the palace servants stuff his legs with fresh straw. "what are you going to give ozma on her birthday?" asked dorothy. "i want to surprise her," answered the scarecrow. "i won't tell," promised dorothy. "well, i'm having some straw slippers made for her--all straw, mind you, and braided very artistically. ozma has always admired my straw filling, so i'm sure she'll be pleased with these lovely straw slippers." "ozma will be pleased with anything her loving friends give her," said the girl. "what i'm worried about, scarecrow, is what to give ozma that she hasn't got already." "that's what worried me, until i thought of the slippers," said the scarecrow. "you'll have to think, dorothy; that's the only way to get a good idea. if i hadn't such wonderful brains, i'd never have thought of those straw foot-decorations." dorothy left him and went to her room, where she sat down and tried to think hard. a pink kitten was curled up on the window-sill and dorothy asked her: "what can i give ozma for her birthday present?" "oh, give her some milk," replied the pink kitten; "that's the nicest thing i know of." a fuzzy little black dog had squatted down at dorothy's feet and now looked up at her with intelligent eyes. "tell me, toto," said the girl; "what would ozma like best for a birthday present?" the little black dog wagged his tail. "your love," said he. "ozma wants to be loved more than anything else." "but i already love her, toto!" "then tell her you love her twice as much as you ever did before." "that wouldn't be true," objected dorothy, "for i've always loved her as much as i could, and, really, toto, i want to give ozma some present, 'cause everyone else will give her a present." "let me see," said toto. "how would it be to give her that useless pink kitten?" "no, toto; that wouldn't do." "then six kisses." "no; that's no present." "well, i guess you'll have to figure it out for yourself, dorothy," said the little dog. "to my notion you're more particular than ozma will be." dorothy decided that if anyone could help her it would be glinda the good, the wonderful sorceress of oz who was ozma's faithful subject and friend. but glinda's castle was in the quadling country and quite a journey from the emerald city. so the little girl went to ozma and asked permission to use the wooden sawhorse and the royal red wagon to pay a visit to glinda, and the girl ruler kissed princess dorothy and graciously granted permission. the wooden sawhorse was one of the most remarkable creatures in oz. its body was a small log and its legs were limbs of trees stuck in the body. its eyes were knots, its mouth was sawed in the end of the log and its ears were two chips. a small branch had been left at the rear end of the log to serve as a tail. ozma herself, during one of her early adventures, had brought this wooden horse to life, and so she was much attached to the queer animal and had shod the bottoms of its wooden legs with plates of gold so they would not wear out. the sawhorse was a swift and willing traveler, and though it could talk if need arose, it seldom said anything unless spoken to. when the sawhorse was harnessed to the red wagon there were no reins to guide him because all that was needed was to tell him where to go. dorothy now told him to go to glinda's castle and the sawhorse carried her there with marvelous speed. "glinda," said dorothy, when she had been greeted by the sorceress, who was tall and stately, with handsome and dignified features and dressed in a splendid and becoming gown, "what are you going to give ozma for a birthday present?" the sorceress smiled and answered: "come into my patio and i will show you." so they entered a place that was surrounded by the wings of the great castle but had no roof, and was filled with flowers and fountains and exquisite statuary and many settees and chairs of polished marble or filigree gold. here there were gathered fifty beautiful young girls, glinda's handmaids, who had been selected from all parts of the land of oz on account of their wit and beauty and sweet dispositions. it was a great honor to be made one of glinda's handmaidens. when dorothy followed the sorceress into this delightful patio all the fifty girls were busily weaving, and their shuttles were filled with a sparkling green spun glass such as the little girl had never seen before. "what is it, glinda?" she asked. "one of my recent discoveries," explained the sorceress. "i have found a way to make threads from emeralds, by softening the stones and then spinning them into long, silken strands. with these emerald threads we are weaving cloth to make ozma a splendid court gown for her birthday. you will notice that the threads have all the beautiful glitter and luster of the emeralds from which they are made, and so ozma's new dress will be the most magnificent the world has ever seen, and quite fitting for our lovely ruler of the fairyland of oz." dorothy's eyes were fairly dazed by the brilliance of the emerald cloth, some of which the girls had already woven. "i've never seen anything so beautiful!" she said, with a sigh. "but tell me, glinda, what can i give our lovely ozma on her birthday?" the good sorceress considered this question for a long time before she replied. finally she said: "of course there will be a grand feast at the royal palace on ozma's birthday, and all our friends will be present. so i suggest that you make a fine big birthday cake of ozma, and surround it with candles." "oh, just a cake!" exclaimed dorothy, in disappointment. "nothing is nicer for a birthday," said the sorceress. "how many candles should there be on the cake?" asked the girl. "just a row of them," replied glinda, "for no one knows how old ozma is, although she appears to us to be just a young girl--as fresh and fair as if she had lived but a few years." "a cake doesn't seem like much of a present," dorothy asserted. "make it a surprise cake," suggested the sorceress. "don't you remember the four and twenty blackbirds that were baked in a pie? well, you need not use live blackbirds in your cake, but you could have some surprise of a different sort." "like what?" questioned dorothy, eagerly. "if i told you, it wouldn't be your present to ozma, but mine," answered the sorceress, with a smile. "think it over, my dear, and i am sure you can originate a surprise that will add greatly to the joy and merriment of ozma's birthday banquet." dorothy thanked her friend and entered the red wagon and told the sawhorse to take her back home to the palace in the emerald city. on the way she thought the matter over seriously of making a surprise birthday cake and finally decided what to do. as soon as she reached home, she went to the wizard of oz, who had a room fitted up in one of the high towers of the palace, where he studied magic so as to be able to perform such wizardry as ozma commanded him to do for the welfare of her subjects. the wizard and dorothy were firm friends and had enjoyed many strange adventures together. he was a little man with a bald head and sharp eyes and a round, jolly face, and because he was neither haughty nor proud he had become a great favorite with the oz people. "wizard," said dorothy, "i want you to help me fix up a present for ozma's birthday." "i'll be glad to do anything for you and for ozma," he answered. "what's on your mind, dorothy?" "i'm going to make a great cake, with frosting and candles, and all that, you know." "very good," said the wizard. "in the center of this cake i'm going to leave a hollow place, with just a roof of the frosting over it," continued the girl. "very good," repeated the wizard, nodding his bald head. "in that hollow place," said dorothy, "i want to hide a lot of monkeys about three inches high, and after the cake is placed on the banquet table, i want the monkeys to break through the frosting and dance around on the table-cloth. then, i want each monkey to cut out a piece of cake and hand it to a guest." "mercy me!" cried the little wizard, as he chuckled with laughter. "is that all you want, dorothy?" "almost," said she. "can you think of anything more the little monkeys can do, wizard?" "not just now," he replied. "but where will you get such tiny monkeys?" "that's where you're to help me," said dorothy. "in some of those wild forests in the gillikin country are lots of monkeys." "big ones," said the wizard. "well, you and i will go there, and we'll get some of the big monkeys, and you will make them small--just three inches high--by means of your magic, and we'll put the little monkeys all in a basket and bring them home with us. then you'll train them to dance--up here in your room, where no one can see them--and on ozma's birthday we'll put 'em into the cake and they'll know by that time just what to do." the wizard looked at dorothy with admiring approval, and chuckled again. "that's really clever, my dear," he said, "and i see no reason why we can't do it, just the way you say, if only we can get the wild monkeys to agree to it." "do you think they'll object?" asked the girl. "yes; but perhaps we can argue them into it. anyhow it's worth trying, and i'll help you if you'll agree to let this surprise cake be a present to ozma from you and me together. i've been wondering what i could give ozma, and as i've got to train the monkeys as well as make them small, i think you ought to make me your partner." "of course," said dorothy; "i'll be glad to do so." "then it's a bargain," declared the wizard. "we must go to seek those monkeys at once, however, for it will take time to train them and we'll have to travel a good way to the gillikin forests where they live." "i'm ready to go any time," agreed dorothy. "shall we ask ozma to let us take the sawhorse?" the wizard did not answer that at once. he took time to think of the suggestion. "no," he answered at length, "the red wagon couldn't get through the thick forests and there's some danger to us in going into the wild places to search for monkeys. so i propose we take the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger. we can ride on their backs as well as in the red wagon, and if there is danger to us from other beasts, these two friendly champions will protect us from all harm." "that's a splendid idea!" exclaimed dorothy. "let's go now and ask the hungry tiger and the cowardly lion if they will help us. shall we ask ozma if we can go?" "i think not," said the wizard, getting his hat and his black bag of magic tools. "this is to be a surprise for her birthday, and so she mustn't know where we're going. we'll just leave word, in case ozma inquires for us, that we'll be back in a few days." . the forest of gugu in the central western part of the gillikin country is a great tangle of trees called gugu forest. it is the biggest forest in all oz and stretches miles and miles in every direction--north, south, east and west. adjoining it on the east side is a range of rugged mountains covered with underbrush and small twisted trees. you can find this place by looking at the map of the land of oz. gugu forest is the home of most of the wild beasts that inhabit oz. these are seldom disturbed in their leafy haunts because there is no reason why oz people should go there, except on rare occasions, and most parts of the forest have never been seen by any eyes but the eyes of the beasts who make their home there. the biggest beasts inhabit the great forest, while the smaller ones live mostly in the mountain underbrush at the east. now, you must know that there are laws in the forests, as well as in every other place, and these laws are made by the beasts themselves, and are necessary to keep them from fighting and tearing one another to pieces. in gugu forest there is a king--an enormous yellow leopard called "gugu"--after whom the forest is named. and this king has three other beasts to advise him in keeping the laws and maintaining order--bru the bear, loo the unicorn and rango the gray ape--who are known as the king's counselors. all these are fierce and ferocious beasts, and hold their high offices because they are more intelligent and more feared then their fellows. since oz became a fairyland, no man, woman or child ever dies in that land nor is anyone ever sick. likewise the beasts of the forests never die, so that long years add to their cunning and wisdom, as well as to their size and strength. it is possible for beasts--or even people--to be destroyed, but the task is so difficult that it is seldom attempted. because it is free from sickness and death is one reason why oz is a fairyland, but it is doubtful whether those who come to oz from the outside world, as dorothy and button-bright and trot and cap'n bill and the wizard did, will live forever or cannot be injured. even ozma is not sure about this, and so the guests of ozma from other lands are always carefully protected from any danger, so as to be on the safe side. in spite of the laws of the forests there are often fights among the beasts; some of them have lost an eye or an ear or even had a leg torn off. the king and the king's counselors always punish those who start a fight, but so fierce is the nature of some beasts that they will at times fight in spite of laws and punishment. over this vast, wild forest of gugu flew two eagles, one morning, and near the center of the jungle the eagles alighted on a branch of a tall tree. "here is the place for us to begin our work," said one, who was ruggedo, the nome. "do many beasts live here?" asked kiki aru, the other eagle. "the forest is full of them," said the nome. "there are enough beasts right here to enable us to conquer the people of oz, if we can get them to consent to join us. to do that, we must go among them and tell them our plans, so we must now decide on what shapes we had better assume while in the forest." "i suppose we must take the shapes of beasts?" said kiki. "of course. but that requires some thought. all kinds of beasts live here, and a yellow leopard is king. if we become leopards, the king will be jealous of us. if we take the forms of some of the other beasts, we shall not command proper respect." "i wonder if the beasts will attack us?" asked kiki. "i'm a nome, and immortal, so nothing can hurt me," replied ruggedo. "i was born in the land of oz, so nothing can hurt me," said kiki. "but, in order to carry out our plans, we must win the favor of all the animals of the forest." "then what shall we do?" asked kiki. "let us mix the shapes of several beasts, so we will not look like any one of them," proposed the wily old nome. "let us have the heads of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and the tails of wild asses, with knobs of gold on the end of them instead of bunches of hair." "won't that make a queer combination?" inquired kiki. "the queerer the better," declared ruggedo. "all right," said kiki. "you stay here, and i'll fly away to another tree and transform us both, and then we'll climb down our trees and meet in the forest." "no," said the nome, "we mustn't separate. you must transform us while we are together." "i won't do that," asserted kiki, firmly. "you're trying to get my secret, and i won't let you." the eyes of the other eagle flashed angrily, but ruggedo did not dare insist. if he offended this boy, he might have to remain an eagle always and he wouldn't like that. some day he hoped to be able to learn the secret word of the magical transformations, but just now he must let kiki have his own way. "all right," he said gruffly; "do as you please." so kiki flew to a tree that was far enough distant so that ruggedo could not overhear him and said: "i want ruggedo, the nome, and myself to have the heads of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and the tails of wild asses, with knobs of gold on the ends of them instead of bunches of hair--pyrzqxgl!" he pronounced the magic word in the proper manner and at once his form changed to the one he had described. he spread his eagle's wings and finding they were strong enough to support his monkey body and lion head he flew swiftly to the tree where he had left ruggedo. the nome was also transformed and was climbing down the tree because the branches all around him were so thickly entwined that there was no room between them to fly. kiki quickly joined his comrade and it did not take them long to reach the ground. . the li-mon-eags make trouble there had been trouble in the forest of gugu that morning. chipo the wild boar had bitten the tail off arx the giraffe while the latter had his head among the leaves of a tree, eating his breakfast. arx kicked with his heels and struck tirrip, the great kangaroo, who had a new baby in her pouch. tirrip knew it was the wild boar's fault, so she knocked him over with one powerful blow and then ran away to escape chipo's sharp tusks. in the chase that followed a giant porcupine stuck fifty sharp quills into the boar and a chimpanzee in a tree threw a cocoanut at the porcupine that jammed its head into its body. all this was against the laws of the forest, and when the excitement was over, gugu the leopard king called his royal counselors together to decide how best to punish the offenders. the four lords of the forest were holding solemn council in a small clearing when they saw two strange beasts approaching them--beasts the like of which they had never seen before. not one of the four, however, relaxed his dignity or showed by a movement that he was startled. the great leopard crouched at full length upon a fallen tree-trunk. bru the bear sat on his haunches before the king; rango the gray ape stood with his muscular arms folded, and loo the unicorn reclined, much as a horse does, between his fellow-councillors. with one consent they remained silent, eyeing with steadfast looks the intruders, who were making their way into their forest domain. "well met, brothers!" said one of the strange beasts, coming to a halt beside the group, while his comrade with hesitation lagged behind. "we are not brothers," returned the gray ape, sternly. "who are you, and how came you in the forest of gugu?" "we are two li-mon-eags," said ruggedo, inventing the name. "our home is in sky island, and we have come to earth to warn the forest beasts that the people of oz are about to make war upon them and enslave them, so that they will become beasts of burden forever after and obey only the will of their two-legged masters." a low roar of anger arose from the council of beasts. "who's going to do that?" asked loo the unicorn, in a high, squeaky voice, at the same time rising to his feet. "the people of oz," said ruggedo. "but what will we be doing?" inquired the unicorn. "that's what i've come to talk to you about." "you needn't talk! we'll fight the oz people!" screamed the unicorn. "we'll smash 'em; we'll trample 'em; we'll gore 'em; we'll--" "silence!" growled gugu the king, and loo obeyed, although still trembling with wrath. the cold, steady gaze of the leopard wandered over the two strange beasts. "the people of oz," said he, "have not been our friends; they have not been our enemies. they have let us alone, and we have let them alone. there is no reason for war between us. they have no slaves. they could not use us as slaves if they should conquer us. i think you are telling us lies, you strange li-mon-eag--you mixed-up beast who are neither one thing nor another." "oh, on my word, it's the truth!" protested the nome in the beast's shape. "i wouldn't lie for the world; i--" "silence!" again growled gugu the king; and somehow, even ruggedo was abashed and obeyed the edict. "what do you say, bru?" asked the king, turning to the great bear, who had until now said nothing. "how does the mixed beast know that what he says is true?" asked the bear. "why, i can fly, you know, having the wings of an eagle," explained the nome. "i and my comrade yonder," turning to kiki, "flew to a grove in oz, and there we heard the people telling how they will make many ropes to snare you beasts, and then they will surround this forest, and all other forests, and make you prisoners. so we came here to warn you, for being beasts ourselves, although we live in the sky, we are your friends." the leopard's lip curled and showed his enormous teeth, sharp as needles. he turned to the gray ape. "what do you think, rango?" he asked. "send these mixed beasts away, your majesty," replied the gray ape. "they are mischief-makers." "don't do that--don't do that!" cried the unicorn, nervously. "the stranger said he would tell us what to do. let him tell us, then. are we fools, not to heed a warning?" gugu the king turned to ruggedo. "speak, stranger," he commanded. "well," said the nome, "it's this way: the land of oz is a fine country. the people of oz have many good things--houses with soft beds, all sorts of nice-tasting food, pretty clothes, lovely jewels, and many other things that beasts know nothing of. here in the dark forests the poor beasts have hard work to get enough to eat and to find a bed to rest in. but the beasts are better than the people, and why should they not have all the good things the people have? so i propose that before the oz people have the time to make all those ropes to snare you with, that all we beasts get together and march against the oz people and capture them. then the beasts will become the masters and the people their slaves." "what good would that do us?" asked bru the bear. "it would save you from slavery, for one thing, and you could enjoy all the fine things of oz people have." "beasts wouldn't know what to do with the things people use," said the gray ape. "but this is only part of my plan," insisted the nome. "listen to the rest of it. we two li-mon-eags are powerful magicians. when you have conquered the oz people we will transform them all into beasts, and send them to the forests to live, and we will transform all the beasts into people, so they can enjoy all the wonderful delights of the emerald city." for a moment no beast spoke. then the king said: "prove it." "prove what?" asked ruggedo. "prove that you can transform us. if you are a magician transform the unicorn into a man. then we will believe you. if you fail, we will destroy you." "all right," said the nome. "but i'm tired, so i'll let my comrade make the transformation." kiki aru had stood back from the circle, but he had heard all that was said. he now realized that he must make good ruggedo's boast, so he retreated to the edge of the clearing and whispered the magic word. instantly the unicorn became a fat, chubby little man, dressed in the purple gillikin costume, and it was hard to tell which was the more astonished, the king, the bear, the ape or the former unicorn. "it's true!" shorted the man-beast. "good gracious, look what i am! it's wonderful!" the king of beasts now addressed ruggedo in a more friendly tone. "we must believe your story, since you have given us proof of your power," said he. "but why, if you are so great a magician, cannot you conquer the oz people without our help, and so save us the trouble?" "alas!" replied the crafty old nome, "no magician is able to do everything. the transformations are easy to us because we are li-mon-eags, but we cannot fight, or conquer even such weak creatures as the oz people. but we will stay with you and advise and help you, and we will transform all the oz people into beasts, when the time comes, and all the beasts into people." gugu the king turned to his counselors. "how shall we answer this friendly stranger?" he asked. loo the former unicorn was dancing around and cutting capers like a clown. "on my word, your majesty," he said, "this being a man is more fun than being a unicorn." "you look like a fool," said the gray ape. "well, i feel fine!" declared the man-beast. "i think i prefer to be a bear," said big bru. "i was born a bear, and i know a bear's ways. so i am satisfied to live as a bear lives." "that," said the old nome, "is because you know nothing better. when we have conquered the oz people, and you become a man, you'll be glad of it." the immense leopard rested his chin on the log and seemed thoughtful. "the beasts of the forest must decide this matter for themselves," he said. "go you, rango the gray ape, and tell your monkey tribe to order all the forest beasts to assemble in the great clearing at sunrise to-morrow. when all are gathered together, this mixed-up beast who is a magician shall talk to them and tell them what he has told us. then, if they decide to fight the oz people, who have declared war on us, i will lead the beasts to battle." rango the gray ape turned at once and glided swiftly through the forest on his mission. the bear gave a grunt and walked away. gugu the king rose and stretched himself. then he said to ruggedo: "meet us at sunrise to-morrow," and with stately stride vanished among the trees. the man-unicorn, left alone with the strangers, suddenly stopped his foolish prancing. "you'd better make me a unicorn again," he said. "i like being a man, but the forest beasts won't know i'm their friend, loo, and they might tear me in pieces before morning." so kiki changed him back to his former shape, and the unicorn departed to join his people. ruggedo the nome was much pleased with his success. "to-morrow," he said to kiki aru, "we'll win over these beasts and set them to fight and conquer the oz people. then i will have my revenge on ozma and dorothy and all the rest of my enemies." "but i am doing all the work," said kiki. "never mind; you're going to be king of oz," promised ruggedo. "will the big leopard let me be king?" asked the boy anxiously. the nome came close to him and whispered: "if gugu the leopard opposes us, you will transform him into a tree, and then he will be helpless." "of course," agreed kiki, and he said to himself: "i shall also transform this deceitful nome into a tree, for he lies and i cannot trust him." . the isle of the magic flower the glass cat was a good guide and led trot and cap'n bill by straight and easy paths through all the settled part of the munchkin country, and then into the north section where there were few houses, and finally through a wild country where there were no houses or paths at all. but the walking was not difficult and at last they came to the edge of a forest and stopped there to make camp and sleep until morning. from branches of trees cap'n bill made a tiny house that was just big enough for the little girl to crawl into and lie down. but first they ate some of the food trot had carried in the basket. "don't you want some, too?" she asked the glass cat. "no," answered the creature. "i suppose you'll hunt around an' catch a mouse," remarked cap'n bill. "me? catch a mouse! why should i do that?" inquired the glass cat. "why, then you could eat it," said the sailor-man. "i beg to inform you," returned the crystal tabby, "that i do not eat mice. being transparent, so anyone can see through me, i'd look nice, wouldn't i, with a common mouse inside me? but the fact is that i haven't any stomach or other machinery that would permit me to eat things. the careless magician who made me didn't think i'd need to eat, i suppose." "don't you ever get hungry or thirsty?" asked trot. "never. i don't complain, you know, at the way i'm made, for i've never yet seen any living thing as beautiful as i am. i have the handsomest brains in the world. they're pink, and you can see 'em work." "i wonder," said trot thoughtfully, as she ate her bread and jam, "if my brains whirl around in the same way yours do." "no; not the same way, surely," returned the glass cat; "for, in that case, they'd be as good as my brains, except that they're hidden under a thick, boney skull." "brains," remarked cap'n bill, "is of all kinds and work different ways. but i've noticed that them as thinks that their brains is best is often mistook." trot was a little disturbed by sounds from the forest, that night, for many beasts seemed prowling among the trees, but she was confident cap'n bill would protect her from harm. and in fact, no beast ventured from the forest to attack them. at daybreak they were up again, and after a simple breakfast cap'n bill said to the glass cat: "up anchor, mate, and let's forge ahead. i don't suppose we're far from that magic flower, are we?" "not far," answered the transparent one, as it led the way into the forest, "but it may take you some time to get to it." before long they reached the bank of a river. it was not very wide, at this place, but as they followed the banks in a northerly direction it gradually broadened. suddenly the blue-green leaves of the trees changed to a purple hue, and trot noticed this and said: "i wonder what made the colors change like that?" "it's because we have left the munchkin country and entered the gillikin country," explained the glass cat. "also it's a sign our journey is nearly ended." the river made a sudden turn, and after the travelers had passed around the bend, they saw that the stream had now become as broad as a small lake, and in the center of the lake they beheld a little island, not more than fifty feet in extent, either way. something glittered in the middle of this tiny island, and the glass cat paused on the bank and said: "there is the gold flower-pot containing the magic flower, which is very curious and beautiful. if you can get to the island, your task is ended--except to carry the thing home with you." cap'n bill looked at the broad expanse of water and began to whistle a low, quavering tune. trot knew that the whistle meant that cap'n bill was thinking, and the old sailor didn't look at the island as much as he looked at the trees upon the bank where they stood. presently he took from the big pocket of his coat an axe-blade, wound in an old cloth to keep the sharp edge from cutting his clothing. then, with a large pocket knife, he cut a small limb from a tree and whittled it into a handle for his axe. "sit down, trot," he advised the girl, as he worked. "i've got quite a job ahead of me now, for i've got to build us a raft." "what do we need a raft for, cap'n?" "why, to take us to the island. we can't walk under water, in the river bed, as the glass cat did, so we must float atop the water." "can you make a raft, cap'n bill?" "o' course, trot, if you give me time." the little girl sat down on a log and gazed at the island of the magic flower. nothing else seemed to grow on the tiny isle. there was no tree, no shrub, no grass, even, as far as she could make out from that distance. but the gold pot glittered in the rays of the sun, and trot could catch glimpses of glowing colors above it, as the magic flower changed from one sort to another. "when i was here before," remarked the glass cat, lazily reclining at the girl's feet, "i saw two kalidahs on this very bank, where they had come to drink." "what are kalidahs?" asked the girl. "the most powerful and ferocious beasts in all oz. this forest is their especial home, and so there are few other beasts to be found except monkeys. the monkeys are spry enough to keep out of the way of the fierce kalidahs, which attack all other animals and often fight among themselves." "did they try to fight you when you saw 'em?" asked trot, getting very much excited. "yes. they sprang upon me in an instant; but i lay flat on the ground, so i wouldn't get my legs broken by the great weight of the beasts, and when they tried to bite me i laughed at them and jeered them until they were frantic with rage, for they nearly broke their teeth on my hard glass. so, after a time, they discovered they could not hurt me, and went away. it was great fun." "i hope they don't come here again to drink,--not while we're here, anyhow," returned the girl, "for i'm not made of glass, nor is cap'n bill, and if those bad beasts bit us, we'd get hurt." cap'n bill was cutting from the trees some long stakes, making them sharp at one end and leaving a crotch at the other end. these were to bind the logs of his raft together. he had fashioned several and was just finishing another when the glass cat cried: "look out! there's a kalidah coming toward us." trot jumped up, greatly frightened, and looked at the terrible animal as if fascinated by its fierce eyes, for the kalidah was looking at her, too, and its look wasn't at all friendly. but cap'n bill called to her: "wade into the river, trot, up to your knees--an' stay there!" and she obeyed him at once. the sailor-man hobbled forward, the stake in one hand and his axe in the other, and got between the girl and the beast, which sprang upon him with a growl of defiance. cap'n bill moved pretty slowly, sometimes, but now he was quick as could be. as the kalidah sprang toward him he stuck out his wooden leg and the point of it struck the beast between the eyes and sent it rolling upon the ground. before it could get upon its feet again the sailor pushed the sharp stake right through its body and then with the flat side of the axe he hammered the stake as far into the ground as it would go. by this means he captured the great beast and made it harmless, for try as it would, it could not get away from the stake that held it. cap'n bill knew he could not kill the kalidah, for no living thing in oz can be killed, so he stood back and watched the beast wriggle and growl and paw the earth with its sharp claws, and then, satisfied it could not escape, he told trot to come out of the water again and dry her wet shoes and stockings in the sun. "are you sure he can't get away?" she asked. "i'd bet a cookie on it," said cap'n bill, so trot came ashore and took off her shoes and stockings and laid them on the log to dry, while the sailor-man resumed his work on the raft. the kalidah, realizing after many struggles that it could not escape, now became quiet, but it said in a harsh, snarling voice: "i suppose you think you're clever, to pin me to the ground in this manner. but when my friends, the other kalidahs, come here, they'll tear you to pieces for treating me this way." "p'raps," remarked cap'n bill, coolly, as he chopped at the logs, "an' p'raps not. when are your folks comin' here?" "i don't know," admitted the kalidah. "but when they do come, you can't escape them." "if they hold off long enough, i'll have my raft ready," said cap'n bill. "what are you going to do with a raft?" inquired the beast. "we're goin' over to that island, to get the magic flower." the huge beast looked at him in surprise a moment, and then it began to laugh. the laugh was a good deal like a roar, and it had a cruel and derisive sound, but it was a laugh nevertheless. "good!" said the kalidah. "good! very good! i'm glad you're going to get the magic flower. but what will you do with it?" "we're going to take it to ozma, as a present on her birthday." the kalidah laughed again; then it became sober. "if you get to the land on your raft before my people can catch you," it said, "you will be safe from us. we can swim like ducks, so the girl couldn't have escaped me by getting into the water; but kalidahs don't go to that island over there." "why not?" asked trot. the beast was silent. "tell us the reason," urged cap'n bill. "well, it's the isle of the magic flower," answered the kalidah, "and we don't care much for magic. if you hadn't had a magic leg, instead of a meat one, you couldn't have knocked me over so easily and stuck this wooden pin through me." "i've been to the magic isle," said the glass cat, "and i've watched the magic flower bloom, and i'm sure it's too pretty to be left in that lonely place where only beasts prowl around it and no else sees it. so we're going to take it away to the emerald city." "i don't care," the beast replied in a surly tone. "we kalidahs would be just as contented if there wasn't a flower in our forest. what good are the things anyhow?" "don't you like pretty things?" asked trot. "no." "you ought to admire my pink brains, anyhow," declared the glass cat. "they're beautiful and you can see 'em work." the beast only growled in reply, and cap'n bill, having now cut all his logs to a proper size, began to roll them to the water's edge and fasten them together. . stuck fast the day was nearly gone when, at last, the raft was ready. "it ain't so very big," said the old sailor, "but i don't weigh much, an' you, trot, don't weigh half as much as i do, an' the glass pussy don't count." "but it's safe, isn't it?" inquired the girl. "yes; it's good enough to carry us to the island an' back again, an' that's about all we can expect of it." saying this, cap'n bill pushed the raft into the water, and when it was afloat, stepped upon it and held out his hand to trot, who quickly followed him. the glass cat boarded the raft last of all. the sailor had cut a long pole, and had also whittled a flat paddle, and with these he easily propelled the raft across the river. as they approached the island, the wonderful flower became more plainly visible, and they quickly decided that the glass cat had not praised it too highly. the colors of the flowers that bloomed in quick succession were strikingly bright and beautiful, and the shapes of the blossoms were varied and curious. indeed, they did not resemble ordinary flowers at all. so intently did trot and cap'n bill gaze upon the golden flower-pot that held the magic flower that they scarcely noticed the island itself until the raft beached upon its sands. but then the girl exclaimed: "how funny it is, cap'n bill, that nothing else grows here excep' the magic flower." then the sailor glanced at the island and saw that it was all bare ground, without a weed, a stone or a blade of grass. trot, eager to examine the flower closer, sprang from the raft and ran up the bank until she reached the golden flower-pot. then she stood beside it motionless and filled with wonder. cap'n bill joined her, coming more leisurely, and he, too, stood in silent admiration for a time. "ozma will like this," remarked the glass cat, sitting down to watch the shifting hues of the flowers. "i'm sure she won't have as fine a birthday present from anyone else." "do you 'spose it's very heavy, cap'n? and can we get it home without breaking it?" asked trot anxiously. "well, i've lifted many bigger things than that," he replied; "but let's see what it weighs." he tried to take a step forward, but could not lift his meat foot from the ground. his wooden leg seemed free enough, but the other would not budge. "i seem stuck, trot," he said, with a perplexed look at his foot. "it ain't mud, an' it ain't glue, but somethin's holdin' me down." the girl attempted to lift her own feet, to go nearer to her friend, but the ground held them as fast as it held cap'n bill's foot. she tried to slide them, or to twist them around, but it was no use; she could not move either foot a hair's breadth. "this is funny!" she exclaimed. "what do you 'spose has happened to us, cap'n bill?" "i'm tryin' to make out," he answered. "take off your shoes, trot. p'raps it's the leather soles that's stuck to the ground." she leaned down and unlaced her shoes, but found she could not pull her feet out of them. the glass cat, which was walking around as naturally as ever, now said: "your foot has got roots to it, cap'n, and i can see the roots going into the ground, where they spread out in all directions. it's the same way with trot. that's why you can't move. the roots hold you fast." cap'n bill was rather fat and couldn't see his own feet very well, but he squatted down and examined trot's feet and decided that the glass cat was right. "this is hard luck," he declared, in a voice that showed he was uneasy at the discovery. "we're pris'ners, trot, on this funny island, an' i'd like to know how we're ever goin' to get loose, so's we can get home again." "now i know why the kalidah laughed at us," said the girl, "and why he said none of the beasts ever came to this island. the horrid creature knew we'd be caught, and wouldn't warn us." in the meantime, the kalidah, although pinned fast to the earth by cap'n bill's stake, was facing the island, and now the ugly expression which passed over its face when it defied and sneered at cap'n bill and trot, had changed to one of amusement and curiosity. when it saw the adventurers had actually reached the island and were standing beside the magic flower, it heaved a breath of satisfaction--a long, deep breath that swelled its deep chest until the beast could feel the stake that held him move a little, as if withdrawing itself from the ground. "ah ha!" murmured the kalidah, "a little more of this will set me free and allow me to escape!" so he began breathing as hard as he could, puffing out his chest as much as possible with each indrawing breath, and by doing this he managed to raise the stake with each powerful breath, until at last the kalidah--using the muscles of his four legs as well as his deep breaths--found itself free of the sandy soil. the stake was sticking right through him, however, so he found a rock deeply set in the bank and pressed the sharp point of the stake upon the surface of this rock until he had driven it clear through his body. then, by getting the stake tangled among some thorny bushes, and wiggling his body, he managed to draw it out altogether. "there!" he exclaimed, "except for those two holes in me, i'm as good as ever; but i must admit that that old wooden-legged fellow saved both himself and the girl by making me a prisoner." now the kalidahs, although the most disagreeable creatures in the land of oz, were nevertheless magical inhabitants of a magical fairyland, and in their natures a certain amount of good was mingled with the evil. this one was not very revengeful, and now that his late foes were in danger of perishing, his anger against them faded away. "our own kalidah king," he reflected, "has certain magical powers of his own. perhaps he knows how to fill up these two holes in my body." so without paying any more attention to trot and cap'n bill than they were paying to him, he entered the forest and trotted along a secret path that led to the hidden lair of all the kalidahs. while the kalidah was making good its escape cap'n bill took his pipe from his pocket and filled it with tobacco and lighted it. then, as he puffed out the smoke, he tried to think what could be done. "the glass cat seems all right," he said, "an' my wooden leg didn't take roots and grow, either. so it's only flesh that gets caught." "it's magic that does it, cap'n!" "i know, trot, and that's what sticks me. we're livin' in a magic country, but neither of us knows any magic an' so we can't help ourselves." "couldn't the wizard of oz help us--or glinda the good?" asked the little girl. "ah, now we're beginnin' to reason," he answered. "i'd probably thought o' that, myself, in a minute more. by good luck the glass cat is free, an' so it can run back to the emerald city an' tell the wizard about our fix, an' ask him to come an' help us get loose." "will you go?" trot asked the cat, speaking very earnestly. "i'm no messenger, to be sent here and there," asserted the curious animal in a sulky tone of voice. "well," said cap'n bill, "you've got to go home, anyhow, 'cause you don't want to stay here, i take it. and, when you get home, it wouldn't worry you much to tell the wizard what's happened to us." "that's true," said the cat, sitting on its haunches and lazily washing its face with one glass paw. "i don't mind telling the wizard--when i get home." "won't you go now?" pleaded trot. "we don't want to stay here any longer than we can help, and everybody in oz will be interested in you, and call you a hero, and say nice things about you because you helped your friends out of trouble." that was the best way to manage the glass cat, which was so vain that it loved to be praised. "i'm going home right away," said the creature, "and i'll tell the wizard to come and help you." saying this, it walked down to the water and disappeared under the surface. not being able to manage the raft alone, the glass cat walked on the bottom of the river as it had done when it visited the island before, and soon they saw it appear on the farther bank and trot into the forest, where it was quickly lost to sight among the trees. then trot heaved a deep sigh. "cap'n," said she, "we're in a bad fix. there's nothing here to eat, and we can't even lie down to sleep. unless the glass cat hurries, and the wizard hurries, i don't know what's going to become of us!" . the beasts of the forest of gugu that was a wonderful gathering of wild animals in the forest of gugu next sunrise. rango, the gray ape, had even called his monkey sentinels away from the forest edge, and every beast, little and big, was in the great clearing where meetings were held on occasions of great importance. in the center of the clearing stood a great shelving rock, having a flat, inclined surface, and on this sat the stately leopard gugu, who was king of the forest. on the ground beneath him squatted bru the bear, loo the unicorn, and rango the gray ape, the king's three counselors, and in front of them stood the two strange beasts who had called themselves li-mon-eags, but were really the transformations of ruggedo the nome, and kiki aru the hyup. then came the beasts--rows and rows and rows of them! the smallest beasts were nearest the king's rock throne; then there were wolves and foxes, lynxes and hyenas, and the like; behind them were gathered the monkey tribes, who were hard to keep in order because they teased the other animals and were full of mischievous tricks. back of the monkeys were the pumas, jaguars, tigers and lions, and their kind; next the bears, all sizes and colors; after them bisons, wild asses, zebras and unicorns; farther on the rhinoceri and hippopotami, and at the far edge of the forest, close to the trees that shut in the clearing, was a row of thick-skinned elephants, still as statues but with eyes bright and intelligent. many other kinds of beasts, too numerous to mention, were there, and some were unlike any beasts we see in the menageries and zoos in our country. some were from the mountains west of the forest, and some from the plains at the east, and some from the river; but all present acknowledged the leadership of gugu, who for many years had ruled them wisely and forced all to obey the laws. when the beasts had taken their places in the clearing and the rising sun was shooting its first bright rays over the treetops, king gugu rose on his throne. the leopard's giant form, towering above all the others, caused a sudden hush to fall on the assemblage. "brothers," he said in his deep voice, "a stranger has come among us, a beast of curious form who is a great magician and is able to change the shapes of men or beasts at his will. this stranger has come to us, with another of his kind, from out of the sky, to warn us of a danger which threatens us all, and to offer us a way to escape from that danger. he says he is our friend, and he has proved to me and to my counselors his magic powers. will you listen to what he has to say to you--to the message he has brought from the sky?" "let him speak!" came in a great roar from the great company of assembled beasts. so ruggedo the nome sprang upon the flat rock beside gugu the king, and another roar, gentle this time, showed how astonished the beasts were at the sight of his curious form. his lion's face was surrounded by a mane of pure white hair; his eagle's wings were attached to the shoulders of his monkey body and were so long that they nearly touched the ground; he had powerful arms and legs in addition to the wings, and at the end of his long, strong tail was a golden ball. never had any beast beheld such a curious creature before, and so the very sight of the stranger, who was said to be a great magician, filled all present with awe and wonder. kiki stayed down below and, half hidden by the shelf of rock, was scarcely noticed. the boy realized that the old nome was helpless without his magic power, but he also realized that ruggedo was the best talker. so he was willing the nome should take the lead. "beasts of the forest of gugu," began ruggedo the nome, "my comrade and i are your friends. we are magicians, and from our home in the sky we can look down into the land of oz and see everything that is going on. also we can hear what the people below us are saying. that is how we heard ozma, who rules the land of oz, say to her people: 'the beasts in the forest of gugu are lazy and are of no use to us. let us go to their forest and make them all our prisoners. let us tie them with ropes, and beat them with sticks, until they work for us and become our willing slaves.' and when the people heard ozma of oz say this, they were glad and raised a great shout and said: 'we will do it! we will make the beasts of the forest of gugu our slaves!'" the wicked old nome could say no more, just then, for such a fierce roar of anger rose from the multitude of beasts that his voice was drowned by the clamor. finally the roar died away, like distant thunder, and ruggedo the nome went on with his speech. "having heard the oz people plot against your liberty, we watched to see what they would do, and saw them all begin making ropes--ropes long and short--with which to snare our friends the beasts. you are angry, but we also were angry, for when the oz people became the enemies of the beasts they also became our enemies; for we, too, are beasts, although we live in the sky. and my comrade and i said: 'we will save our friends and have revenge on the oz people,' and so we came here to tell you of your danger and of our plan to save you." "we can save ourselves," cried an old elephant. "we can fight." "the oz people are fairies, and you can't fight against magic unless you also have magic," answered the nome. "tell us your plan!" shouted the huge tiger, and the other beasts echoed his words, crying: "tell us your plan." "my plan is simple," replied ruggedo. "by our magic we will transform all you animals into men and women--like the oz people--and we will transform all the oz people into beasts. you can then live in the fine houses of the land of oz, and eat the fine food of the oz people, and wear their fine clothes, and sing and dance and be happy. and the oz people, having become beasts, will have to live here in the forest and hunt and fight for food, and often go hungry, as you now do, and have no place to sleep but a bed of leaves or a hole in the ground. having become men and women, you beasts will have all the comforts you desire, and having become beasts, the oz people will be very miserable. that is our plan, and if you agree to it, we will all march at once into the land of oz and quickly conquer our enemies." when the stranger ceased speaking, a great silence fell on the assemblage, for the beasts were thinking of what he had said. finally one of the walruses asked: "can you really transform beasts into men, and men into beasts?" "he can--he can!" cried loo the unicorn, prancing up and down in an excited manner. "he transformed me, only last evening, and he can transform us all." gugu the king now stepped forward. "you have heard the stranger speak," said he, "and now you must answer him. it is for you to decide. shall we agree to this plan, or not?" "yes!" shouted some of the animals. "no!" shouted others. and some were yet silent. gugu looked around the great circle. "take more time to think," he suggested. "your answer is very important. up to this time we have had no trouble with the oz people, but we are proud and free, and never will become slaves. think carefully, and when you are ready to answer, i will hear you." . kiki uses his magic then arose a great confusion of sounds as all the animals began talking to their fellows. the monkeys chattered and the bears growled and the voices of the jaguars and lions rumbled, and the wolves yelped and the elephants had to trumpet loudly to make their voices heard. such a hubbub had never been known in the forest before, and each beast argued with his neighbor until it seemed the noise would never cease. ruggedo the nome waved his arms and fluttered his wings to try to make them listen to him again, but the beasts paid no attention. some wanted to fight the oz people, some wanted to be transformed, and some wanted to do nothing at all. the growling and confusion had grown greater than ever when in a flash silence fell on all the beasts present, the arguments were hushed, and all gazed in astonishment at a strange sight. for into the circle strode a great lion--bigger and more powerful than any other lion there--and on his back rode a little girl who smiled fearlessly at the multitude of beasts. and behind the lion and the little girl came another beast--a monstrous tiger, who bore upon his back a funny little man carrying a black bag. right past the rows of wondering beasts the strange animals walked, advancing until they stood just before the rock throne of gugu. then the little girl and the funny little man dismounted, and the great lion demanded in a loud voice: "who is king in this forest?" "i am!" answered gugu, looking steadily at the other. "i am gugu the leopard, and i am king of this forest." "then i greet your majesty with great respect," said the lion. "perhaps you have heard of me, gugu. i am called the 'cowardly lion,' and i am king of all beasts, the world over." gugu's eyes flashed angrily. "yes," said he, "i have heard of you. you have long claimed to be king of beasts, but no beast who is a coward can be king over me." "he isn't a coward, your majesty," asserted the little girl, "he's just cowardly, that's all." gugu looked at her. all the other beasts were looking at her, too. "who are you?" asked the king. "me? oh, i'm just dorothy," she answered. "how dare you come here?" demanded the king. "why, i'm not afraid to go anywhere, if the cowardly lion is with me," she said. "i know him pretty well, and so i can trust him. he's always afraid, when we get into trouble, and that's why he's cowardly; but he's a terrible fighter, and that's why he isn't a coward. he doesn't like to fight, you know, but when he has to, there isn't any beast living that can conquer him." gugu the king looked at the big, powerful form of the cowardly lion, and knew she spoke the truth. also the other lions of the forest now came forward and bowed low before the strange lion. "we welcome your majesty," said one. "we have known you many years ago, before you went to live at the emerald city, and we have seen you fight the terrible kalidahs and conquer them, so we know you are the king of all beasts." "it is true," replied the cowardly lion; "but i did not come here to rule the beasts of this forest. gugu is king here, and i believe he is a good king and just and wise. i come, with my friends, to be the guest of gugu, and i hope we are welcome." that pleased the great leopard, who said very quickly: "yes; you, at least, are welcome to my forest. but who are these strangers with you?" "dorothy has introduced herself," replied the lion, "and you are sure to like her when you know her better. this man is the wizard of oz, a friend of mine who can do wonderful tricks of magic. and here is my true and tried friend, the hungry tiger, who lives with me in the emerald city." "is he always hungry?" asked loo the unicorn. "i am," replied the tiger, answering the question himself. "i am always hungry for fat babies." "can't you find any fat babies in oz to eat?" inquired loo, the unicorn. "there are plenty of them, of course," said the tiger, "but unfortunately i have such a tender conscience that it won't allow me to eat babies. so i'm always hungry for 'em and never can eat 'em, because my conscience won't let me." now of all the surprised beasts in that clearing, not one was so much surprised at the sudden appearance of these four strangers as ruggedo the nome. he was frightened, too, for he recognized them as his most powerful enemies; but he also realized that they could not know he was the former king of the nomes, because of the beast's form he wore, which disguised him so effectually. so he took courage and resolved that the wizard and dorothy should not defeat his plans. it was hard to tell, just yet, what the vast assemblage of beasts thought of the new arrivals. some glared angrily at them, but more of them seemed to be curious and wondering. all were interested, however, and they kept very quiet and listened carefully to all that was said. kiki aru, who had remained unnoticed in the shadow of the rock, was at first more alarmed by the coming of the strangers than even ruggedo was, and the boy told himself that unless he acted quickly and without waiting to ask the advice of the old nome, their conspiracy was likely to be discovered and all their plans to conquer and rule oz be defeated. kiki didn't like the way ruggedo acted either, for the former king of the nomes wanted to do everything his own way, and made the boy, who alone possessed the power of transformations, obey his orders as if he were a slave. another thing that disturbed kiki aru was the fact that a real wizard had arrived, who was said to possess many magical powers, and this wizard carried his tools in a black bag, and was the friend of the oz people, and so would probably try to prevent war between the beasts of the forest and the people of oz. all these things passed through the mind of the hyup boy while the cowardly lion and gugu the king were talking together, and that was why he now began to do several strange things. he had found a place, near to the point where he stood, where there was a deep hollow in the rock, so he put his face into this hollow and whispered softly, so he would not be heard: "i want the wizard of oz to become a fox--pyrzqxgl!" the wizard, who had stood smilingly beside his friends, suddenly felt his form change to that of a fox, and his black bag fell to the ground. kiki reached out an arm and seized the bag, and the fox cried as loud as it could: "treason! there's a traitor here with magic powers!" everyone was startled at this cry, and dorothy, seeing her old friend's plight, screamed and exclaimed: "mercy me!" but the next instant the little girl's form had changed to that of a lamb with fleecy white wool, and dorothy was too bewildered to do anything but look around her in wonder. the cowardly lion's eyes now flashed fire; he crouched low and lashed the ground with his tail and gazed around to discover who the treacherous magician might be. but kiki, who had kept his face in the hollow rock, again whispered the magic word, and the great lion disappeared and in his place stood a little boy dressed in munchkin costume. the little munchkin boy was as angry as the lion had been, but he was small and helpless. ruggedo the nome saw what was happening and was afraid kiki would spoil all his plans, so he leaned over the rock and shouted: "stop, kiki--stop!" kiki would not stop, however. instead, he transformed the nome into a goose, to ruggedo's horror and dismay. but the hungry tiger had witnessed all these transformations, and he was watching to see which of those present was to blame for them. when ruggedo spoke to kiki, the hungry tiger knew that he was the magician, so he made a sudden spring and hurled his great body full upon the form of the li-mon-eag crouching against the rock. kiki didn't see the tiger coming because his face was still in the hollow, and the heavy body of the tiger bore him to the earth just as he said "pyrzqxgl!" for the fifth time. so now the tiger which was crushing him changed to a rabbit, and relieved of its weight, kiki sprang up and, spreading his eagle's wings, flew into the branches of a tree, where no beast could easily reach him. he was not an instant too quick in doing this, for gugu the king had crouched on the rock's edge and was about to spring on the boy. from his tree kiki transformed gugu into a fat gillikin woman, and laughed aloud to see how the woman pranced with rage, and how astonished all the beasts were at their king's new shape. the beasts were frightened, too, fearing they would share the fate of gugu, so a stampede began when rango the gray ape sprang into the forest, and bru the bear and loo the unicorn followed as quickly as they could. the elephants backed into the forest, and all the other animals, big and little, rushed after them, scattering through the jungles until the clearing was far behind. the monkeys scrambled into the trees and swung themselves from limb to limb, to avoid being trampled upon by the bigger beasts, and they were so quick that they distanced all the rest. a panic of fear seemed to have overtaken the forest people and they got as far away from the terrible magician as they possibly could. but the transformed ones stayed in the clearing, being so astonished and bewildered by their new shapes that they could only look at one another in a dazed and helpless fashion, although each one was greatly annoyed at the trick that had been played on him. "who are you?" the munchkin boy asked the rabbit; and "who are you?" the fox asked the lamb; and "who are you?" the rabbit asked the fat gillikin woman. "i'm dorothy," said the woolly lamb. "i'm the wizard," said the fox. "i'm the cowardly lion," said the munchkin boy. "i'm the hungry tiger," said the rabbit. "i'm gugu the king," said the fat woman. but when they asked the goose who he was, ruggedo the nome would not tell them. "i'm just a goose," he replied, "and what i was before, i cannot remember." . the loss of the black bag kiki aru, in the form of the li-mon-eag, had scrambled into the high, thick branches of the tree, so no one could see him, and there he opened the wizard's black bag, which he had carried away in his flight. he was curious to see what the wizard's magic tools looked like, and hoped he could use some of them and so secure more power; but after he had taken the articles, one by one, from the bag, he had to admit they were puzzles to him. for, unless he understood their uses, they were of no value whatever. kiki aru, the hyup boy, was no wizard or magician at all, and could do nothing unusual except to use the magic word he had stolen from his father on mount munch. so he hung the wizard's black bag on a branch of the tree and then climbed down to the lower limbs that he might see what the victims of his transformations were doing. they were all on top of the flat rock, talking together in tones so low that kiki could not hear what they said. "this is certainly a misfortune," remarked the wizard in the fox's form, "but our transformations are a sort of enchantment which is very easy to break--when you know how and have the tools to do it with. the tools are in my black bag; but where is the bag?" no one knew that, for none had seen kiki aru fly away with it. "let's look and see if we can find it," suggested dorothy the lamb. so they left the rock, and all of them searched the clearing high and low without finding the bag of magic tools. the goose searched as earnestly as the others, for if he could discover it, he meant to hide it where the wizard could never find it, because if the wizard changed him back to his proper form, along with the others, he would then be recognized as ruggedo the nome, and they would send him out of the land of oz and so ruin all his hopes of conquest. ruggedo was not really sorry, now that he thought about it, that kiki had transformed all these oz folks. the forest beasts, it was true, had been so frightened that they would now never consent to be transformed into men, but kiki could transform them against their will, and once they were all in human forms, it would not be impossible to induce them to conquer the oz people. so all was not lost, thought the old nome, and the best thing for him to do was to rejoin the hyup boy who had the secret of the transformations. so, having made sure the wizard's black bag was not in the clearing, the goose wandered away through the trees when the others were not looking, and when out of their hearing, he began calling, "kiki aru! kiki aru! quack--quack! kiki aru!" the boy and the woman, the fox, the lamb, and the rabbit, not being able to find the bag, went back to the rock, all feeling exceedingly strange. "where's the goose?" asked the wizard. "he must have run away," replied dorothy. "i wonder who he was?" "i think," said gugu the king, who was the fat woman, "that the goose was the stranger who proposed that we make war upon the oz people. if so, his transformation was merely a trick to deceive us, and he has now gone to join his comrade, that wicked li-mon-eag who obeyed all his commands." "what shall we do now?" asked dorothy. "shall we go back to the emerald city, as we are, and then visit glinda the good and ask her to break the enchantments?" "i think so," replied the wizard fox. "and we can take gugu the king with us, and have glinda restore him to his natural shape. but i hate to leave my bag of magic tools behind me, for without it i shall lose much of my power as a wizard. also, if i go back to the emerald city in the shape of a fox, the oz people will think i'm a poor wizard and will lose their respect for me." "let us make still another search for your tools," suggested the cowardly lion, "and then, if we fail to find the black bag anywhere in this forest, we must go back home as we are." "why did you come here, anyway?" inquired gugu. "we wanted to borrow a dozen monkeys, to use on ozma's birthday," explained the wizard. "we were going to make them small, and train them to do tricks, and put them inside ozma's birthday cake." "well," said the forest king, "you would have to get the consent of rango the gray ape, to do that. he commands all the tribes of monkeys." "i'm afraid it's too late, now," said dorothy, regretfully. "it was a splendid plan, but we've got troubles of our own, and i don't like being a lamb at all." "you're nice and fuzzy," said the cowardly lion. "that's nothing," declared dorothy. "i've never been 'specially proud of myself, but i'd rather be the way i was born than anything else in the whole world." the glass cat, although it had some disagreeable ways and manners, nevertheless realized that trot and cap'n bill were its friends and so was quite disturbed at the fix it had gotten them into by leading them to the isle of the magic flower. the ruby heart of the glass cat was cold and hard, but still it was a heart, and to have a heart of any sort is to have some consideration for others. but the queer transparent creature didn't want trot and cap'n bill to know it was sorry for them, and therefore it moved very slowly until it had crossed the river and was out of sight among the trees of the forest. then it headed straight toward the emerald city, and trotted so fast that it was like a crystal streak crossing the valleys and plains. being glass, the cat was tireless, and with no reason to delay its journey, it reached ozma's palace in wonderfully quick time. "where's the wizard?" it asked the pink kitten, which was curled up in the sunshine on the lowest step of the palace entrance. "don't bother me," lazily answered the pink kitten, whose name was eureka. "i must find the wizard at once!" said the glass cat. "then find him," advised eureka, and went to sleep again. the glass cat darted up the stairway and came upon toto, dorothy's little black dog. "where's the wizard?" asked the cat. "gone on a journey with dorothy," replied toto. "when did they go, and where have they gone?" demanded the cat. "they went yesterday, and i heard them say they would go to the great forest in the munchkin country." "dear me," said the glass cat; "that is a long journey." "but they rode on the hungry tiger and the cowardly lion," explained toto, "and the wizard carried his black bag of magic tools." the glass cat knew the great forest of gugu well, for it had traveled through this forest many times in its journeys through the land of oz. and it reflected that the forest of gugu was nearer to the isle of the magic flower than the emerald city was, and so, if it could manage to find the wizard, it could lead him across the gillikin country to where trot and cap'n bill were prisoned. it was a wild country and little traveled, but the glass cat knew every path. so very little time need be lost, after all. without stopping to ask any more questions the cat darted out of the palace and away from the emerald city, taking the most direct route to the forest of gugu. again the creature flashed through the country like a streak of light, and it would surprise you to know how quickly it reached the edge of the great forest. there were no monkey guards among the trees to cry out a warning, and this was so unusual that it astonished the glass cat. going farther into the forest it presently came upon a wolf, which at first bounded away in terror. but then, seeing it was only a glass cat, the wolf stopped, and the cat could see it was trembling, as if from a terrible fright. "what's the matter?" asked the cat. "a dreadful magician has come among us!" exclaimed the wolf, "and he's changing the forms of all the beasts--quick as a wink--and making them all his slaves." the glass cat smiled and said: "why, that's only the wizard of oz. he may be having some fun with you forest people, but the wizard wouldn't hurt a beast for anything." "i don't mean the wizard," explained the wolf. "and if the wizard of oz is that funny little man who rode a great tiger into the clearing, he's been transformed himself by the terrible magician." "the wizard transformed? why, that's impossible," declared the glass cat. "no; it isn't. i saw him with my own eyes, changed into the form of a fox, and the girl who was with him was changed to a woolly lamb." the glass cat was indeed surprised. "when did that happen?" it asked. "just a little while ago in the clearing. all the animals had met there, but they ran away when the magician began his transformations, and i'm thankful i escaped with my natural shape. but i'm still afraid, and i'm going somewhere to hide." with this the wolf ran on, and the glass cat, which knew where the big clearing was, went toward it. but now it walked more slowly, and its pink brains rolled and tumbled around at a great rate because it was thinking over the amazing news the wolf had told it. when the glass cat reached the clearing, it saw a fox, a lamb, a rabbit, a munchkin boy and a fat gillikin woman, all wandering around in an aimless sort of way, for they were again searching for the black bag of magic tools. the cat watched them a moment and then it walked slowly into the open space. at once the lamb ran toward it, crying: "oh, wizard, here's the glass cat!" "where, dorothy?" asked the fox. "here!" the boy and the woman and the rabbit now joined the fox and the lamb, and they all stood before the glass cat and speaking together, almost like a chorus, asked: "have you seen the black bag?" "often," replied the glass cat, "but not lately." "it's lost," said the fox, "and we must find it." "are you the wizard?" asked the cat. "yes." "and who are these others?" "i'm dorothy," said the lamb. "i'm the cowardly lion," said the munchkin boy. "i'm the hungry tiger," said the rabbit. "i'm gugu, king of the forest," said the fat woman. the glass cat sat on its hind legs and began to laugh. "my, what a funny lot!" exclaimed the creature. "who played this joke on you?" "it's no joke at all," declared the wizard. "it was a cruel, wicked transformation, and the magician that did it has the head of a lion, the body of a monkey, the wings of an eagle and a round ball on the end of his tail." the glass cat laughed again. "that magician must look funnier than you do," it said. "where is he now?" "somewhere in the forest," said the cowardly lion. "he just jumped into that tall maple tree over there, for he can climb like a monkey and fly like an eagle, and then he disappeared in the forest." "and there was another magician, just like him, who was his friend," added dorothy, "but they probably quarreled, for the wickedest one changed his friend into the form of a goose." "what became of the goose?" asked the cat, looking around. "he must have gone away to find his friend," answered gugu the king. "but a goose can't travel very fast, so we could easily find him if we wanted to." "the worst thing of all," said the wizard, "is that my black bag is lost. it disappeared when i was transformed. if i could find it i could easily break these enchantments by means of my magic, and we would resume our own forms again. will you help us search for the black bag, friend cat?" "of course," replied the glass cat. "but i expect the strange magician carried it away with him. if he's a magician, he knows you need that bag, and perhaps he's afraid of your magic. so he's probably taken the bag with him, and you won't see it again unless you find the magician." "that sounds reasonable," remarked the lamb, which was dorothy. "those pink brains of yours seem to be working pretty well to-day." "if the glass cat is right," said the wizard in a solemn voice, "there's more trouble ahead of us. that magician is dangerous, and if we go near him he may transform us into shapes not as nice as these." "i don't see how we could be any worse off," growled gugu, who was indignant because he was forced to appear in the form of a fat woman. "anyway," said the cowardly lion, "our best plan is to find the magician and try to get the black bag from him. we may manage to steal it, or perhaps we can argue him into giving it to us." "why not find the goose, first?" asked dorothy. "the goose will be angry at the magician, and he may be able to help us." "that isn't a bad idea," returned the wizard. "come on, friends; let's find that goose. we will separate and search in different directions, and the first to find the goose must bring him here, where we will all meet again in an hour." . the wizard learns the magic word now, the goose was the transformation of old ruggedo, who was at one time king of the nomes, and he was even more angry at kiki aru than were the others who shapes had been changed. the nome detested anything in the way of a bird, because birds lay eggs and eggs are feared by all the nomes more than anything else in the world. a goose is a foolish bird, too, and ruggedo was dreadfully ashamed of the shape he was forced to wear. and it would make him shudder to reflect that the goose might lay an egg! so the nome was afraid of himself and afraid of everything around him. if an egg touched him he could then be destroyed, and almost any animal he met in the forest might easily conquer him. and that would be the end of old ruggedo the nome. aside from these fears, however, he was filled with anger against kiki, whom he had meant to trap by cleverly stealing from him the magic word. the boy must have been crazy to spoil everything the way he did, but ruggedo knew that the arrival of the wizard had scared kiki, and he was not sorry the boy had transformed the wizard and dorothy and made them helpless. it was his own transformation that annoyed him and made him indignant, so he ran about the forest hunting for kiki, so that he might get a better shape and coax the boy to follow his plans to conquer the land of oz. kiki aru hadn't gone very far away, for he had surprised himself as well as the others by the quick transformations and was puzzled as to what to do next. ruggedo the nome was overbearing and tricky, and kiki knew he was not to be depended on; but the nome could plan and plot, which the hyup boy was not wise enough to do, and so, when he looked down through the branches of a tree and saw a goose waddling along below and heard it cry out, "kiki aru! quack--quack! kiki aru!" the boy answered in a low voice, "here i am," and swung himself down to the lowest limb of the tree. the goose looked up and saw him. "you've bungled things in a dreadful way!" exclaimed the goose. "why did you do it?" "because i wanted to," answered kiki. "you acted as if i was your slave, and i wanted to show these forest people that i am more powerful than you." the goose hissed softly, but kiki did not hear that. old ruggedo quickly recovered his wits and muttered to himself: "this boy is the goose, although it is i who wear the goose's shape. i will be gentle with him now, and fierce with him when i have him in my power." then he said aloud to kiki: "well, hereafter i will be content to acknowledge you the master. you bungled things, as i said, but we can still conquer oz." "how?" asked the boy. "first give me back the shape of the li-mon-eag, and then we can talk together more conveniently," suggested the nome. "wait a moment, then," said kiki, and climbed higher up the tree. there he whispered the magic word and the goose became a li-mon-eag, as he had been before. "good!" said the nome, well pleased, as kiki joined him by dropping down from the tree. "now let us find a quiet place where we can talk without being overheard by the beasts." so the two started away and crossed the forest until they came to a place where the trees were not so tall nor so close together, and among these scattered trees was another clearing, not so large as the first one, where the meeting of the beasts had been held. standing on the edge of this clearing and looking across it, they saw the trees on the farther side full of monkeys, who were chattering together at a great rate of the sights they had witnessed at the meeting. the old nome whispered to kiki not to enter the clearing or allow the monkeys to see them. "why not?" asked the boy, drawing back. "because those monkeys are to be our army--the army which will conquer oz," said the nome. "sit down here with me, kiki, and keep quiet, and i will explain to you my plan." now, neither kiki aru nor ruggedo had noticed that a sly fox had followed them all the way from the tree where the goose had been transformed to the li-mon-eag. indeed, this fox, who was none other than the wizard of oz, had witnessed the transformation of the goose and now decided he would keep watch on the conspirators and see what they would do next. a fox can move through a forest very softly, without making any noise, and so the wizard's enemies did not suspect his presence. but when they sat down by the edge of the clearing, to talk, with their backs toward him, the wizard did not know whether to risk being seen, by creeping closer to hear what they said, or whether it would be better for him to hide himself until they moved on again. while he considered this question he discovered near him a great tree which had a hollow trunk, and there was a round hole in this tree, about three feet above the ground. the wizard fox decided it would be safer for him to hide inside the hollow tree, so he sprang into the hole and crouched down in the hollow, so that his eyes just came to the edge of the hole by which he had entered, and from here he watched the forms of the two li-mon-eags. "this is my plan," said the nome to kiki, speaking so low that the wizard could only hear the rumble of his voice. "since you can transform anything into any form you wish, we will transform these monkeys into an army, and with that army we will conquer the oz people." "the monkeys won't make much of an army," objected kiki. "we need a great army, but not a numerous one," responded the nome. "you will transform each monkey into a giant man, dressed in a fine uniform and armed with a sharp sword. there are fifty monkeys over there and fifty giants would make as big an army as we need." "what will they do with the swords?" asked kiki. "nothing can kill the oz people." "true," said ruggedo. "the oz people cannot be killed, but they can be cut into small pieces, and while every piece will still be alive, we can scatter the pieces around so that they will be quite helpless. therefore, the oz people will be afraid of the swords of our army, and we will conquer them with ease." "that seems like a good idea," replied the boy, approvingly. "and in such a case, we need not bother with the other beasts of the forest." "no; you have frightened the beasts, and they would no longer consent to assist us in conquering oz. but those monkeys are foolish creatures, and once they are transformed to giants, they will do just as we say and obey our commands. can you transform them all at once?" "no, i must take one at a time," said kiki. "but the fifty transformations can be made in an hour or so. stay here, ruggedo, and i will change the first monkey--that one at the left, on the end of the limb--into a giant with a sword." "where are you going?" asked the nome. "i must not speak the magic word in the presence of another person," declared kiki, who was determined not to allow his treacherous companion to learn his secret, "so i will go where you cannot hear me." ruggedo the nome was disappointed, but he hoped still to catch the boy unawares and surprise the magic word. so he merely nodded his lion head, and kiki got up and went back into the forest a short distance. here he spied a hollow tree, and by chance it was the same hollow tree in which the wizard of oz, now in the form of a fox, had hidden himself. as kiki ran up to the tree the fox ducked its head, so that it was out of sight in the dark hollow beneath the hole, and then kiki put his face into the hole and whispered: "i want that monkey on the branch at the left to become a giant man fifty feet tall, dressed in a uniform and with a sharp sword--pyrzqxgl!" then he ran back to ruggedo, but the wizard fox had heard quite plainly every word that he had said. the monkey was instantly transformed into the giant, and the giant was so big that as he stood on the ground his head was higher than the trees of the forest. the monkeys raised a great chatter but did not seem to understand that the giant was one of themselves. "good!" cried the nome. "hurry, kiki, and transform the others." so kiki rushed back to the tree and putting his face to the hollow, whispered: "i want the next monkey to be just like the first--pyrzqxgl!" again the wizard fox heard the magic word, and just how it was pronounced. but he sat still in the hollow and waited to hear it again, so it would be impressed on his mind and he would not forget it. kiki kept running to the edge of the forest and back to the hollow tree again until he had whispered the magic word six times and six monkeys had been changed to six great giants. then the wizard decided he would make an experiment and use the magic word himself. so, while kiki was running back to the nome, the fox stuck his head out of the hollow and said softly: "i want that creature who is running to become a hickory-nut--pyrzqxgl!" instantly the li-mon-eag form of kiki aru the hyup disappeared and a small hickory-nut rolled upon the ground a moment and then lay still. the wizard was delighted, and leaped from the hollow just as ruggedo looked around to see what had become of kiki. the nome saw the fox but no kiki, so he hastily rose to his feet. the wizard did not know how powerful the queer beast might be, so he resolved to take no chances. "i want this creature to become a walnut--pyrzqxgl!" he said aloud. but he did not pronounce the magic word in quite the right way, and ruggedo's form did not change. but the nome knew at once that "pyrzqxgl!" was the magic word, so he rushed at the fox and cried: "i want you to become a goose--pyrzqxgl!" but the nome did not pronounce the word aright, either, having never heard it spoken but once before, and then with a wrong accent. so the fox was not transformed, but it had to run away to escape being caught by the angry nome. ruggedo now began pronouncing the magic word in every way he could think of, hoping to hit the right one, and the fox, hiding in a bush, was somewhat troubled by the fear that he might succeed. however, the wizard, who was used to magic arts, remained calm and soon remembered exactly how kiki aru had pronounced the word. so he repeated the sentence he had before uttered and ruggedo the nome became an ordinary walnut. the wizard now crept out from the bush and said: "i want my own form again--pyrzqxgl!" instantly he was the wizard of oz, and after picking up the hickory-nut and the walnut, and carefully placing them in his pocket, he ran back to the big clearing. dorothy the lamb uttered a bleat of delight when she saw her old friend restored to his natural shape. the others were all there, not having found the goose. the fat gillikin woman, the munchkin boy, the rabbit and the glass cat crowded around the wizard and asked what had happened. before he explained anything of his adventure, he transformed them all--except, of course, the glass cat--into their natural shapes, and when their joy permitted them to quiet somewhat, he told how he had by chance surprised the magician's secret and been able to change the two li-mon-eags into shapes that could not speak, and therefore would be unable to help themselves. and the little wizard showed his astonished friends the hickory-nut and the walnut to prove that he had spoken the truth. "but--see here!"--exclaimed dorothy. "what has become of those giant soldiers who used to be monkeys?" "i forgot all about them!" admitted the wizard; "but i suppose they are still standing there in the forest." . the lonesome duck trot and cap'n bill stood before the magic flower, actually rooted to the spot. "aren't you hungry, cap'n?" asked the little girl, with a long sigh, for she had been standing there for hours and hours. "well," replied the sailor-man, "i ain't sayin' as i couldn't eat, trot--if a dinner was handy--but i guess old folks don't get as hungry as young folks do." "i'm not sure 'bout that, cap'n bill," she said thoughtfully. "age might make a diff'rence, but seems to me size would make a bigger diff'rence. seeing you're twice as big as me, you ought to be twice as hungry." "i hope i am," he rejoined, "for i can stand it a while longer. i do hope the glass cat will hurry, and i hope the wizard won't waste time a-comin' to us." trot sighed again and watched the wonderful magic flower, because there was nothing else to do. just now a lovely group of pink peonies budded and bloomed, but soon they faded away, and a mass of deep blue lilies took their place. then some yellow chrysanthemums blossomed on the plant, and when they had opened all their petals and reached perfection, they gave way to a lot of white floral balls spotted with crimson--a flower trot had never seen before. "but i get awful tired watchin' flowers an' flowers an' flowers," she said impatiently. "they're might pretty," observed cap'n bill. "i know; and if a person could come and look at the magic flower just when she felt like it, it would be a fine thing, but to have to stand and watch it, whether you want to or not, isn't so much fun. i wish, cap'n bill, the thing would grow fruit for a while instead of flowers." scarcely had she spoken when the white balls with crimson spots faded away and a lot of beautiful ripe peaches took their place. with a cry of mingled surprise and delight trot reached out and plucked a peach from the bush and began to eat it, finding it delicious. cap'n bill was somewhat dazed at the girl's wish being granted so quickly, so before he could pick a peach they had faded away and bananas took their place. "grab one, cap'n!" exclaimed trot, and even while eating the peach she seized a banana with her other hand and tore it from the bush. the old sailor was still bewildered. he put out a hand indeed, but he was too late, for now the bananas disappeared and lemons took their place. "pshaw!" cried trot. "you can't eat those things; but watch out, cap'n, for something else." cocoanuts next appeared, but cap'n bill shook his head. "ca'n't crack 'em," he remarked, "'cause we haven't anything handy to smash 'em with." "well, take one, anyhow," advised trot; but the cocoanuts were gone now, and a deep, purple, pear-shaped fruit which was unknown to them took their place. again cap'n bill hesitated, and trot said to him: "you ought to have captured a peach and a banana, as i did. if you're not careful, cap'n, you'll miss all your chances. here, i'll divide my banana with you." even as she spoke, the magic plant was covered with big red apples, growing on every branch, and cap'n bill hesitated no longer. he grabbed with both hands and picked two apples, while trot had only time to secure one before they were gone. "it's curious," remarked the sailor, munching his apple, "how these fruits keep good when you've picked 'em, but dis'pear inter thin air if they're left on the bush." "the whole thing is curious," declared the girl, "and it couldn't exist in any country but this, where magic is so common. those are limes. don't pick 'em, for they'd pucker up your mouth and--ooo! here come plums!" and she tucked her apple in her apron pocket and captured three plums--each one almost as big as an egg--before they disappeared. cap'n bill got some too, but both were too hungry to fast any longer, so they began eating their apples and plums and let the magic bush bear all sorts of fruits, one after another. the cap'n stopped once to pick a fine cantaloupe, which he held under his arm, and trot, having finished her plums, got a handful of cherries and an orange; but when almost every sort of fruit had appeared on the bush, the crop ceased and only flowers, as before, bloomed upon it. "i wonder why it changed back," mused trot, who was not worried because she had enough fruit to satisfy her hunger. "well, you only wished it would bear fruit 'for a while,'" said the sailor, "and it did. p'raps if you'd said 'forever,' trot, it would have always been fruit." "but why should my wish be obeyed?" asked the girl. "i'm not a fairy or a wizard or any kind of a magic-maker." "i guess," replied cap'n bill, "that this little island is a magic island, and any folks on it can tell the bush what to produce, an' it'll produce it." "do you think i could wish for anything else, cap'n and get it?" she inquired anxiously. "what are you thinkin' of, trot?" "i'm thinking of wishing that these roots on our feet would disappear, and let us free." "try it, trot." so she tried it, and the wish had no effect whatever. "try it yourself, cap'n," she suggested. then cap'n bill made the wish to be free, with no better result. "no," said he, "it's no use; the wishes only affect the magic plant; but i'm glad we can make it bear fruit, 'cause now we know we won't starve before the wizard gets to us." "but i'm gett'n' tired standing here so long," complained the girl. "if i could only lift one foot, and rest it, i'd feel better." "same with me, trot. i've noticed that if you've got to do a thing, and can't help yourself, it gets to be a hardship mighty quick." "folks that can raise their feet don't appreciate what a blessing it is," said trot thoughtfully. "i never knew before what fun it is to raise one foot, an' then another, any time you feel like it." "there's lots o' things folks don't 'preciate," replied the sailor-man. "if somethin' would 'most stop your breath, you'd think breathin' easy was the finest thing in life. when a person's well, he don't realize how jolly it is, but when he gets sick he 'members the time he was well, an' wishes that time would come back. most folks forget to thank god for givin' 'em two good legs, till they lose one o' 'em, like i did; and then it's too late, 'cept to praise god for leavin' one." "your wooden leg ain't so bad, cap'n," she remarked, looking at it critically. "anyhow, it don't take root on a magic island, like our meat legs do." "i ain't complainin'," said cap'n bill. "what's that swimmin' towards us, trot?" he added, looking over the magic flower and across the water. the girl looked, too, and then she replied. "it's a bird of some sort. it's like a duck, only i never saw a duck have so many colors." the bird swam swiftly and gracefully toward the magic isle, and as it drew nearer its gorgeously colored plumage astonished them. the feathers were of many hues of glistening greens and blues and purples, and it had a yellow head with a red plume, and pink, white and violet in its tail. when it reached the isle, it came ashore and approached them, waddling slowly and turning its head first to one side and then to the other, so as to see the girl and the sailor better. "you're strangers," said the bird, coming to a halt near them, "and you've been caught by the magic isle and made prisoners." "yes," returned trot, with a sigh; "we're rooted. but i hope we won't grow." "you'll grow small," said the bird. "you'll keep growing smaller every day, until bye and bye there'll be nothing left of you. that's the usual way, on this magic isle." "how do you know about it, and who are you, anyhow?" asked cap'n bill. "i'm the lonesome duck," replied the bird. "i suppose you've heard of me?" "no," said trot, "i can't say i have. what makes you lonesome?" "why, i haven't any family or any relations," returned the duck. "haven't you any friends?" "not a friend. and i've nothing to do. i've lived a long time, and i've got to live forever, because i belong in the land of oz, where no living thing dies. think of existing year after year, with no friends, no family, and nothing to do! can you wonder i'm lonesome?" "why don't you make a few friends, and find something to do?" inquired cap'n bill. "i can't make friends because everyone i meet--bird, beast, or person--is disagreeable to me. in a few minutes i shall be unable to bear your society longer, and then i'll go away and leave you," said the lonesome duck. "and, as for doing anything, there's no use in it. all i meet are doing something, so i have decided it's common and uninteresting and i prefer to remain lonesome." "don't you have to hunt for your food?" asked trot. "no. in my diamond palace, a little way up the river, food is magically supplied me; but i seldom eat, because it is so common." "you must be a magician duck," remarked cap'n bill. "why so?" "well, ordinary ducks don't have diamond palaces an' magic food, like you do." "true; and that's another reason why i'm lonesome. you must remember i'm the only duck in the land of oz, and i'm not like any other duck in the outside world." "seems to me you like bein' lonesome," observed cap'n bill. "i can't say i like it, exactly," replied the duck, "but since it seems to be my fate, i'm rather proud of it." "how do you s'pose a single, solitary duck happened to be in the land of oz?" asked trot, wonderingly. "i used to know the reason, many years ago, but i've quite forgotten it," declared the duck. "the reason for a thing is never so important as the thing itself, so there's no use remembering anything but the fact that i'm lonesome." "i guess you'd be happier if you tried to do something," asserted trot. "if you can't do anything for yourself, you can do things for others, and then you'd get lots of friends and stop being lonesome." "now you're getting disagreeable," said the lonesome duck, "and i shall have to go and leave you." "can't you help us any," pleaded the girl. "if there's anything magic about you, you might get us out of this scrape." "i haven't any magic strong enough to get you off the magic isle," replied the lonesome duck. "what magic i possess is very simple, but i find it enough for my own needs." "if we could only sit down a while, we could stand it better," said trot, "but we have nothing to sit on." "then you will have to stand it," said the lonesome duck. "p'raps you've enough magic to give us a couple of stools," suggested cap'n bill. "a duck isn't supposed to know what stools are," was the reply. "but you're diff'rent from all other ducks." "that is true." the strange creature seemed to reflect for a moment, looking at them sharply from its round black eyes. then it said: "sometimes, when the sun is hot, i grow a toadstool to shelter me from its rays. perhaps you could sit on toadstools." "well, if they were strong enough, they'd do," answered cap'n bill. "then, before i do i'll give you a couple," said the lonesome duck, and began waddling about in a small circle. it went around the circle to the right three times, and then it went around to the left three times. then it hopped backward three times and forward three times. "what are you doing?" asked trot. "don't interrupt. this is an incantation," replied the lonesome duck, but now it began making a succession of soft noises that sounded like quacks and seemed to mean nothing at all. and it kept up these sounds so long that trot finally exclaimed: "can't you hurry up and finish that 'cantation? if it takes all summer to make a couple of toadstools, you're not much of a magician." "i told you not to interrupt," said the lonesome duck, sternly. "if you get too disagreeable, you'll drive me away before i finish this incantation." trot kept quiet, after the rebuke, and the duck resumed the quacky muttering. cap'n bill chuckled a little to himself and remarked to trot in a whisper: "for a bird that ain't got anything to do, this lonesome duck is makin' consider'ble fuss. an' i ain't sure, after all, as toadstools would be worth sittin' on." even as he spoke, the sailor-man felt something touch him from behind and, turning his head, he found a big toadstool in just the right place and of just the right size to sit upon. there was one behind trot, too, and with a cry of pleasure the little girl sank back upon it and found it a very comfortable seat--solid, yet almost like a cushion. even cap'n bill's weight did not break his toadstool down, and when both were seated, they found that the lonesome duck had waddled away and was now at the water's edge. "thank you, ever so much!" cried trot, and the sailor called out: "much obliged!" but the lonesome duck paid no attention. without even looking in their direction again, the gaudy fowl entered the water and swam gracefully away. . the glass cat finds the black bag when the six monkeys were transformed by kiki aru into six giant soldiers fifty feet tall, their heads came above the top of the trees, which in this part of the forest were not so high as in some other parts; and, although the trees were somewhat scattered, the bodies of the giant soldiers were so big that they quite filled the spaces in which they stood and the branches pressed them on every side. of course, kiki was foolish to have made his soldiers so big, for now they could not get out of the forest. indeed, they could not stir a step, but were imprisoned by the trees. even had they been in the little clearing they could not have made their way out of it, but they were a little beyond the clearing. at first, the other monkeys who had not been enchanted were afraid of the soldiers, and hastily quitted the place; but soon finding that the great men stood stock still, although grunting indignantly at their transformation, the band of monkeys returned to the spot and looked at them curiously, not guessing that they were really monkeys and their own friends. the soldiers couldn't see them, their heads being above the trees; they could not even raise their arms or draw their sharp swords, so closely were they held by the leafy branches. so the monkeys, finding the giants helpless, began climbing up their bodies, and presently all the band were perched on the shoulders of the giants and peering into their faces. "i'm ebu, your father," cried one soldier to a monkey who had perched upon his left ear, "but some cruel person has enchanted me." "i'm your uncle peeker," said another soldier to another monkey. so, very soon all the monkeys knew the truth and were sorry for their friends and relations and angry at the person--whoever it was--who had transformed them. there was a great chattering among the tree-tops, and the noise attracted other monkeys, so that the clearing and all the trees around were full of them. rango the gray ape, who was the chief of all the monkey tribes of the forest, heard the uproar and came to see what was wrong with his people. and rango, being wiser and more experienced, at once knew that the strange magician who looked like a mixed-up beast was responsible for the transformations. he realized that the six giant soldiers were helpless prisoners, because of their size, and knew he was powerless to release them. so, although he feared to meet the terrible magician, he hurried away to the great clearing to tell gugu the king what had happened and to try to find the wizard of oz and get him to save his six enchanted subjects. rango darted into the great clearing just as the wizard had restored all the enchanted ones around him to their proper shapes, and the gray ape was glad to hear that the wicked magician-beast had been conquered. "but now, o mighty wizard, you must come with me to where six of my people are transformed into six great giant men," he said, "for if they are allowed to remain there, their happiness and their future lives will be ruined." the wizard did not reply at once, for he was thinking this a good opportunity to win rango's consent to his taking some monkeys to the emerald city for ozma's birthday cake. "it is a great thing you ask of me, o rango the gray ape," said he, "for the bigger the giants are the more powerful their enchantment, and the more difficult it will be to restore them to their natural forms. however, i will think it over." then the wizard went to another part of the clearing and sat on a log and appeared to be in deep thought. the glass cat had been greatly interested in the gray ape's story and was curious to see what the giant soldiers looked like. hearing that their heads extended above the tree-tops, the glass cat decided that if it climbed the tall avocado tree that stood at the side of the clearing, it might be able to see the giants' heads. so, without mentioning her errand, the crystal creature went to the tree and, by sticking her sharp glass claws in the bark, easily climbed the tree to its very top and, looking over the forest, saw the six giant heads, although they were now a long way off. it was, indeed, a remarkable sight, for the huge heads had immense soldier caps on them, with red and yellow plumes and looked very fierce and terrible, although the monkey hearts of the giants were at that moment filled with fear. having satisfied her curiosity, the glass cat began to climb down from the tree more slowly. suddenly she discerned the wizard's black bag hanging from a limb of the tree. she grasped the black bag in her glass teeth, and although it was rather heavy for so small an animal, managed to get it free and to carry it safely down to the ground. then she looked around for the wizard and seeing him seated upon the stump she hid the black bag among some leaves and then went over to where the wizard sat. "i forgot to tell you," said the glass cat, "that trot and cap'n bill are in trouble, and i came here to hunt you up and get you to go and rescue them." "good gracious, cat! why didn't you tell me before?" exclaimed the wizard. "for the reason that i found so much excitement here that i forgot trot and cap'n bill." "what's wrong with them?" asked the wizard. then the glass cat explained how they had gone to get the magic flower for ozma's birthday gift and had been trapped by the magic of the queer island. the wizard was really alarmed, but he shook his head and said sadly: "i'm afraid i can't help my dear friends, because i've lost my black bag." "if i find it, will you go to them?" asked the creature. "of course," replied the wizard. "but i do not think that a glass cat with nothing but pink brains can succeed when all the rest of us have failed." "don't you admire my pink brains?" demanded the cat. "they're pretty," admitted the wizard, "but they're not regular brains, you know, and so we don't expect them to amount to much." "but if i find your black bag--and find it inside of five minutes--will you admit my pink brains are better than your common human brains?" "well, i'll admit they're better hunters," said the wizard, reluctantly, "but you can't do it. we've searched everywhere, and the black bag isn't to be found." "that shows how much you know!" retorted the glass cat, scornfully. "watch my brains a minute, and see them whirl around." the wizard watched, for he was anxious to regain his black bag, and the pink brains really did whirl around in a remarkable manner. "now, come with me," commanded the glass cat, and led the wizard straight to the spot where it had covered the bag with leaves. "according to my brains," said the creature, "your black bag ought to be here." then it scratched at the leaves and uncovered the bag, which the wizard promptly seized with a cry of delight. now that he had regained his magic tools, he felt confident he could rescue trot and cap'n bill. rango the gray ape was getting impatient. he now approached the wizard and said: "well, what do you intend to do about those poor enchanted monkeys?" "i'll make a bargain with you, rango," replied the little man. "if you will let me take a dozen of your monkeys to the emerald city, and keep them until after ozma's birthday, i'll break the enchantment of the six giant soldiers and return them to their natural forms." but the gray ape shook his head. "i can't do it," he declared. "the monkeys would be very lonesome and unhappy in the emerald city and your people would tease them and throw stones at them, which would cause them to fight and bite." "the people won't see them till ozma's birthday dinner," promised the wizard. "i'll make them very small--about four inches high, and i'll keep them in a pretty cage in my own room, where they will be safe from harm. i'll feed them the nicest kind of food, train them to do some clever tricks, and on ozma's birthday i'll hide the twelve little monkeys inside a cake. when ozma cuts the cake the monkeys will jump out on to the table and do their tricks. the next day i will bring them back to the forest and make them big as ever, and they'll have some exciting stories to tell their friends. what do you say, rango?" "i say no!" answered the gray ape. "i won't have my monkeys enchanted and made to do tricks for the oz people." "very well," said the wizard calmly; "then i'll go. come, dorothy," he called to the little girl, "let's start on our journey." "aren't you going to save those six monkeys who are giant soldiers?" asked rango, anxiously. "why should i?" returned the wizard. "if you will not do me the favor i ask, you cannot expect me to favor you." "wait a minute," said the gray ape. "i've changed my mind. if you will treat the twelve monkeys nicely and bring them safely back to the forest, i'll let you take them." "thank you," replied the wizard, cheerfully. "we'll go at once and save those giant soldiers." so all the party left the clearing and proceeded to the place where the giants still stood among the trees. hundreds of monkeys, apes, baboons and orangoutangs had gathered round, and their wild chatter could be heard a mile away. but the gray ape soon hushed the babel of sounds, and the wizard lost no time in breaking the enchantments. first one and then another giant soldier disappeared and became an ordinary monkey again, and the six were shortly returned to their friends in their proper forms. this action made the wizard very popular with the great army of monkeys, and when the gray ape announced that the wizard wanted to borrow twelve monkeys to take to the emerald city for a couple of weeks, and asked for volunteers, nearly a hundred offered to go, so great was their confidence in the little man who had saved their comrades. the wizard selected a dozen that seemed intelligent and good-tempered, and then he opened his black bag and took out a queerly shaped dish that was silver on the outside and gold on the inside. into this dish he poured a powder and set fire to it. it made a thick smoke that quite enveloped the twelve monkeys, as well as the form of the wizard, but when the smoke cleared away the dish had been changed to a golden cage with silver bars, and the twelve monkeys had become about three inches high and were all seated comfortably inside the cage. the thousands of hairy animals who had witnessed this act of magic were much astonished and applauded the wizard by barking aloud and shaking the limbs of the trees in which they sat. dorothy said: "that was a fine trick, wizard!" and the gray ape remarked: "you are certainly the most wonderful magician in all the land of oz!" "oh, no," modestly replied the little man. "glinda's magic is better than mine, but mine seems good enough to use on ordinary occasions. and now, rango, we will say good-bye, and i promise to return your monkeys as happy and safe as they are now." the wizard rode on the back of the hungry tiger and carried the cage of monkeys very carefully, so as not to joggle them. dorothy rode on the back of the cowardly lion, and the glass cat trotted, as before, to show them the way. gugu the king crouched upon a log and watched them go, but as he bade them farewell, the enormous leopard said: "i know now that you are the friends of beasts and that the forest people may trust you. whenever the wizard of oz and princess dorothy enter the forest of gugu hereafter, they will be as welcome and as safe with us as ever they are in the emerald city." . a remarkable journey "you see," explained the glass cat, "that magic isle where trot and cap'n bill are stuck is also in this gillikin country--over at the east side of it, and it's no farther to go across-lots from here than it is from here to the emerald city. so we'll save time by cutting across the mountains." "are you sure you know the way?" asked dorothy. "i know all the land of oz better than any other living creature knows it," asserted the glass cat. "go ahead, then, and guide us," said the wizard. "we've left our poor friends helpless too long already, and the sooner we rescue them the happier they'll be." "are you sure you can get 'em out of their fix?" the little girl inquired. "i've no doubt of it," the wizard assured her. "but i can't tell what sort of magic i must use until i get to the place and discover just how they are enchanted." "i've heard of that magic isle where the wonderful flower grows," remarked the cowardly lion. "long ago, when i used to live in the forests, the beasts told stories about the isle and how the magic flower was placed there to entrap strangers--men or beasts." "is the flower really wonderful?" questioned dorothy. "i have heard it is the most beautiful plant in the world," answered the lion. "i have never seen it myself, but friendly beasts have told me that they have stood on the shore of the river and looked across at the plant in the gold flower-pot and seen hundreds of flowers, of all sorts and sizes, blossom upon it in quick succession. it is said that if one picks the flowers while they are in bloom they will remain perfect for a long time, but if they are not picked they soon disappear and are replaced by other flowers. that, in my opinion, make the magic plant the most wonderful in existence." "but these are only stories," said the girl. "has any of your friends ever picked a flower from the wonderful plant?" "no," admitted the cowardly lion, "for if any living thing ventures upon the magic isle, where the golden flower-pot stands, that man or beast takes root in the soil and cannot get away again." "what happens to them, then?" asked dorothy. "they grow smaller, hour by hour and day by day, and finally disappear entirely." "then," said the girl anxiously, "we must hurry up, or cap'n bill an' trot will get too small to be comf'table." they were proceeding at a rapid pace during this conversation, for the hungry tiger and the cowardly lion were obliged to move swiftly in order to keep pace with the glass cat. after leaving the forest of gugu they crossed a mountain range, and then a broad plain, after which they reached another forest, much smaller than that where gugu ruled. "the magic isle is in this forest," said the glass cat, "but the river is at the other side of the forest. there is no path through the trees, but if we keep going east, we will find the river, and then it will be easy to find the magic isle." "have you ever traveled this way before?" inquired the wizard. "not exactly," admitted the cat, "but i know we shall reach the river if we go east through the forest." "lead on, then," said the wizard. the glass cat started away, and at first it was easy to pass between the trees; but before long the underbrush and vines became thick and tangled, and after pushing their way through these obstacles for a time, our travelers came to a place where even the glass cat could not push through. "we'd better go back and find a path," suggested the hungry tiger. "i'm s'prised at you," said dorothy, eyeing the glass cat severely. "i'm surprised, myself," replied the cat. "but it's a long way around the forest to where the river enters it, and i thought we could save time by going straight through." "no one can blame you," said the wizard, "and i think, instead of turning back, i can make a path that will allow us to proceed." he opened his black bag and after searching among his magic tools drew out a small axe, made of some metal so highly polished that it glittered brightly even in the dark forest. the wizard laid the little axe on the ground and said in a commanding voice: "chop, little axe, chop clean and true; a path for our feet you must quickly hew. chop till this tangle of jungle is passed; chop to the east, little axe--chop fast!" then the little axe began to move and flashed its bright blade right and left, clearing a way through vine and brush and scattering the tangled barrier so quickly that the lion and the tiger, carrying dorothy and the wizard and the cage of monkeys on their backs, were able to stride through the forest at a fast walk. the brush seemed to melt away before them and the little axe chopped so fast that their eyes only saw a twinkling of the blade. then, suddenly, the forest was open again, and the little axe, having obeyed its orders, lay still upon the ground. the wizard picked up the magic axe and after carefully wiping it with his silk handkerchief put it away in his black bag. then they went on and in a short time reached the river. "let me see," said the glass cat, looking up and down the stream, "i think we are below the magic isle; so we must go up the stream until we come to it." so up the stream they traveled, walking comfortably on the river bank, and after a while the water broadened and a sharp bend appeared in the river, hiding all below from their view. they walked briskly along, however, and had nearly reached the bend when a voice cried warningly: "look out!" the travelers halted abruptly and the wizard said: "look out for what?" "you almost stepped on my diamond palace," replied the voice, and a duck with gorgeously colored feathers appeared before them. "beasts and men are terribly clumsy," continued the duck in an irritated tone, "and you've no business on this side of the river, anyway. what are you doing here?" "we've come to rescue some friends of ours who are stuck fast on the magic isle in this river," explained dorothy. "i know 'em," said the duck. "i've been to see 'em, and they're stuck fast, all right. you may as well go back home, for no power can save them." "this is the wonderful wizard of oz," said dorothy, pointing to the little man. "well, i'm the lonesome duck," was the reply, as the fowl strutted up and down to show its feathers to best advantage. "i'm the great forest magician, as any beast can tell you, but even i have no power to destroy the dreadful charm of the magic isle." "are you lonesome because you're a magician?" inquired dorothy. "no; i'm lonesome because i have no family and no friends. but i like to be lonesome, so please don't offer to be friendly with me. go away, and try not to step on my diamond palace." "where is it?" asked the girl. "behind this bush." dorothy hopped off the lion's back and ran around the bush to see the diamond palace of the lonesome duck, although the gaudy fowl protested in a series of low quacks. the girl found, indeed, a glistening dome formed of clearest diamonds, neatly cemented together, with a doorway at the side just big enough to admit the duck. "where did you find so many diamonds?" asked dorothy, wonderingly. "i know a place in the mountains where they are thick as pebbles," said the lonesome duck, "and i brought them here in my bill, one by one and put them in the river and let the water run over them until they were brightly polished. then i built this palace, and i'm positive it's the only diamond palace in all the world." "it's the only one i know of," said the little girl; "but if you live in it all alone, i don't see why it's any better than a wooden palace, or one of bricks or cobble-stones." "you're not supposed to understand that," retorted the lonesome duck. "but i might tell you, as a matter of education, that a home of any sort should be beautiful to those who live in it, and should not be intended to please strangers. the diamond palace is my home, and i like it. so i don't care a quack whether you like it or not." "oh, but i do!" exclaimed dorothy. "it's lovely on the outside, but--" then she stopped speaking, for the lonesome duck had entered his palace through the little door without even saying good-bye. so dorothy returned to her friends and they resumed their journey. "do you think, wizard, the duck was right in saying no magic can rescue trot and cap'n bill?" asked the girl in a worried tone of voice. "no, i don't think the lonesome duck was right in saying that," answered the wizard, gravely, "but it is possible that their enchantment will be harder to overcome than i expected. i'll do my best, of course, and no one can do more than his best." that didn't entirely relieve dorothy's anxiety, but she said nothing more, and soon, on turning the bend in the river, they came in sight of the magic isle. "there they are!" exclaimed dorothy eagerly. "yes, i see them," replied the wizard, nodding. "they are sitting on two big toadstools." "that's queer," remarked the glass cat. "there were no toadstools there when i left them." "what a lovely flower!" cried dorothy in rapture, as her gaze fell on the magic plant. "never mind the flower, just now," advised the wizard. "the most important thing is to rescue our friends." by this time they had arrived at a place just opposite the magic isle, and now both trot and cap'n bill saw the arrival of their friends and called to them for help. "how are you?" shouted the wizard, putting his hands to his mouth so they could hear him better across the water. "we're in hard luck," shouted cap'n bill, in reply. "we're anchored here and can't move till you find a way to cut the hawser." "what does he mean by that?" asked dorothy. "we can't move our feet a bit!" called trot, speaking as loud as she could. "why not?" inquired dorothy. "they've got roots on 'em," explained trot. it was hard to talk from so great a distance, so the wizard said to the glass cat: "go to the island and tell our friends to be patient, for we have come to save them. it may take a little time to release them, for the magic of the isle is new to me and i shall have to experiment. but tell them i'll hurry as fast as i can." so the glass cat walked across the river under the water to tell trot and cap'n bill not to worry, and the wizard at once opened his black bag and began to make his preparations. . the magic of the wizard he first set up a small silver tripod and placed a gold basin at the top of it. into this basin he put two powders--a pink one and a sky-blue one--and poured over them a yellow liquid from a crystal vial. then he mumbled some magic words, and the powders began to sizzle and burn and send out a cloud of violet smoke that floated across the river and completely enveloped both trot and cap'n bill, as well as the toadstools on which they sat, and even the magic plant in the gold flower-pot. then, after the smoke had disappeared into air, the wizard called out to the prisoners: "are you free?" both trot and cap'n bill tried to move their feet and failed. "no!" they shouted in answer. the wizard rubbed his bald head thoughtfully and then took some other magic tools from the bag. first he placed a little black ball in a silver pistol and shot it toward the magic isle. the ball exploded just over the head of trot and scattered a thousand sparks over the little girl. "oh!" said the wizard, "i guess that will set her free." but trot's feet were still rooted in the ground of the magic isle, and the disappointed wizard had to try something else. for almost an hour he worked hard, using almost every magic tool in his black bag, and still cap'n bill and trot were not rescued. "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy, "i'm 'fraid we'll have to go to glinda, after all." that made the little wizard blush, for it shamed him to think that his magic was not equal to that of the magic isle. "i won't give up yet, dorothy," he said, "for i know a lot of wizardry that i haven't yet tried. i don't know what magician enchanted this little island, or what his powers were, but i do know that i can break any enchantment known to the ordinary witches and magicians that used to inhabit the land of oz. it's like unlocking a door; all you need is to find the right key." "but 'spose you haven't the right key with you." suggested dorothy; "what then?" "then we'll have to make the key," he answered. the glass cat now came back to their side of the river, walking under the water, and said to the wizard: "they're getting frightened over there on the island because they're both growing smaller every minute. just now, when i left them, both trot and cap'n bill were only about half their natural sizes." "i think," said the wizard reflectively, "that i'd better go to the shore of the island, where i can talk to them and work to better advantage. how did trot and cap'n bill get to the island?" "on a raft," answered the glass cat. "it's over there now on the beach." "i suppose you're not strong enough to bring the raft to this side, are you?" "no; i couldn't move it an inch," said the cat. "i'll try to get it for you," volunteered the cowardly lion. "i'm dreadfully scared for fear the magic isle will capture me, too; but i'll try to get the raft and bring it to this side for you." "thank you, my friend," said the wizard. so the lion plunged into the river and swam with powerful strokes across to where the raft was beached upon the island. placing one paw on the raft, he turned and struck out with his other three legs and so strong was the great beast that he managed to drag the raft from off the beach and propel it slowly to where the wizard stood on the river bank. "good!" exclaimed the little man, well pleased. "may i go across with you?" asked dorothy. the wizard hesitated. "if you'll take care not to leave the raft or step foot on the island, you'll be quite safe," he decided. so the wizard told the hungry tiger and the cowardly lion to guard the cage of monkeys until he returned, and then he and dorothy got upon the raft. the paddle which cap'n bill had made was still there, so the little wizard paddled the clumsy raft across the water and ran it upon the beach of the magic isle as close to the place where cap'n bill and trot were rooted as he could. dorothy was shocked to see how small the prisoners had become, and trot said to her friends: "if you can't save us soon, there'll be nothing left of us." "be patient, my dear," counseled the wizard, and took the little axe from his black bag. "what are you going to do with that?" asked cap'n bill. "it's a magic axe," replied the wizard, "and when i tell it to chop, it will chop those roots from your feet and you can run to the raft before they grow again." "don't!" shouted the sailor in alarm. "don't do it! those roots are all flesh roots, and our bodies are feeding 'em while they're growing into the ground." "to cut off the roots," said trot, "would be like cutting off our fingers and toes." the wizard put the little axe back in the black bag and took out a pair of silver pincers. "grow--grow--grow!" he said to the pincers, and at once they grew and extended until they reached from the raft to the prisoners. "what are you going to do now?" demanded cap'n bill, fearfully eyeing the pincers. "this magic tool will pull you up, roots and all, and land you on this raft," declared the wizard. "don't do it!" pleaded the sailor, with a shudder. "it would hurt us awfully." "it would be just like pulling teeth to pull us up by the roots," explained trot. "grow small!" said the wizard to the pincers, and at once they became small and he threw them into the black bag. "i guess, friends, it's all up with us, this time," remarked cap'n bill, with a dismal sigh. "please tell ozma, dorothy," said trot, "that we got into trouble trying to get her a nice birthday present. then she'll forgive us. the magic flower is lovely and wonderful, but it's just a lure to catch folks on this dreadful island and then destroy them. you'll have a nice birthday party, without us, i'm sure; and i hope, dorothy, that none of you in the emerald city will forget me--or dear ol' cap'n bill." . dorothy and the bumble bees dorothy was greatly distressed and had hard work to keep the tears from her eyes. "is that all you can do, wizard?" she asked the little man. "it's all i can think of just now," he replied sadly. "but i intend to keep on thinking as long--as long--well, as long as thinking will do any good." they were all silent for a time, dorothy and the wizard sitting thoughtfully on the raft, and trot and cap'n bill sitting thoughtfully on the toadstools and growing gradually smaller and smaller in size. suddenly dorothy said: "wizard, i've thought of something!" "what have you thought of?" he asked, looking at the little girl with interest. "can you remember the magic word that transforms people?" she asked. "of course," said he. "then you can transform trot and cap'n bill into birds or bumblebees, and they can fly away to the other shore. when they're there, you can transform 'em into their reg'lar shapes again!" "can you do that, wizard?" asked cap'n bill, eagerly. "i think so." "roots an' all?" inquired trot. "why, the roots are now a part of you, and if you were transformed to a bumblebee the whole of you would be transformed, of course, and you'd be free of this awful island." "all right; do it!" cried the sailor-man. so the wizard said slowly and distinctly: "i want trot and cap'n bill to become bumblebees--pyrzqxgl!" fortunately, he pronounced the magic word in the right way, and instantly trot and cap'n bill vanished from view, and up from the places where they had been flew two bumblebees. "hooray!" shouted dorothy in delight; "they're saved!" "i guess they are," agreed the wizard, equally delighted. the bees hovered over the raft an instant and then flew across the river to where the lion and the tiger waited. the wizard picked up the paddle and paddled the raft across as fast as he could. when it reached the river bank, both dorothy and the wizard leaped ashore and the little man asked excitedly: "where are the bees?" "the bees?" inquired the lion, who was half asleep and did not know what had happened on the magic isle. "yes; there were two of them." "two bees?" said the hungry tiger, yawning. "why, i ate one of them and the cowardly lion ate the other." "goodness gracious!" cried dorothy horrified. "it was little enough for our lunch," remarked the tiger, "but the bees were the only things we could find." "how dreadful!" wailed dorothy, wringing her hands in despair. "you've eaten trot and cap'n bill." but just then she heard a buzzing overhead and two bees alighted on her shoulder. "here we are," said a small voice in her ear. "i'm trot, dorothy." "and i'm cap'n bill," said the other bee. dorothy almost fainted, with relief, and the wizard, who was close by and had heard the tiny voices, gave a laugh and said: "you are not the only two bees in the forest, it seems, but i advise you to keep away from the lion and the tiger until you regain your proper forms." "do it now, wizard!" advised dorothy. "they're so small that you never can tell what might happen to 'em." so the wizard gave the command and pronounced the magic word, and in the instant trot and cap'n bill stood beside them as natural as before they had met their fearful adventure. for they were no longer small in size, because the wizard had transformed them from bumblebees into the shapes and sizes that nature had formerly given them. the ugly roots on their feet had disappeared with the transformation. while dorothy was hugging trot, and trot was softly crying because she was so happy, the wizard shook hands with cap'n bill and congratulated him on his escape. the old sailor-man was so pleased that he also shook the lion's paw and took off his hat and bowed politely to the cage of monkeys. then cap'n bill did a curious thing. he went to a big tree and, taking out his knife, cut away a big, broad piece of thick bark. then he sat down on the ground and after taking a roll of stout cord from his pocket--which seemed to be full of all sorts of things--he proceeded to bind the flat piece of bark to the bottom of his good foot, over the leather sole. "what's that for?" inquired the wizard. "i hate to be stumped," replied the sailor-man; "so i'm goin' back to that island." "and get enchanted again?" exclaimed trot, with evident disapproval. "no; this time i'll dodge the magic of the island. i noticed that my wooden leg didn't get stuck, or take root, an' neither did the glass feet of the glass cat. it's only a thing that's made of meat--like man an' beasts--that the magic can hold an' root to the ground. our shoes are leather, an' leather comes from a beast's hide. our stockin's are wool, an' wool comes from a sheep's back. so, when we walked on the magic isle, our feet took root there an' held us fast. but not my wooden leg. so now i'll put a wooden bottom on my other foot an' the magic can't stop me." "but why do you wish to go back to the island?" asked dorothy. "didn't you see the magic flower in the gold flower-pot?" returned cap'n bill. "of course i saw it, and it's lovely and wonderful." "well, trot an' i set out to get the magic plant for a present to ozma on her birthday, and i mean to get it an' take it back with us to the emerald city." "that would be fine," cried trot eagerly, "if you think you can do it, and it would be safe to try!" "i'm pretty sure it is safe, the way i've fixed my foot," said the sailor, "an' if i should happen to get caught, i s'pose the wizard could save me again." "i suppose i could," agreed the wizard. "anyhow, if you wish to try it, cap'n bill, go ahead and we'll stand by and watch what happens." so the sailor-man got upon the raft again and paddled over to the magic isle, landing as close to the golden flower-pot as he could. they watched him walk across the land, put both arms around the flower-pot and lift it easily from its place. then he carried it to the raft and set it down very gently. the removal did not seem to affect the magic flower in any way, for it was growing daffodils when cap'n bill picked it up and on the way to the raft it grew tulips and gladioli. during the time the sailor was paddling across the river to where his friends awaited him, seven different varieties of flowers bloomed in succession on the plant. "i guess the magician who put it on the island never thought that any one would carry it off," said dorothy. "he figured that only men would want the plant, and any man who went upon the island to get it would be caught by the enchantment," added the wizard. "after this," remarked trot, "no one will care to go on the island, so it won't be a trap any more." "there," exclaimed cap'n bill, setting down the magic plant in triumph upon the river bank, "if ozma gets a better birthday present than that, i'd like to know what it can be!" "it'll s'prise her, all right," declared dorothy, standing in awed wonder before the gorgeous blossoms and watching them change from yellow roses to violets. "it'll s'prise ev'rybody in the em'rald city," trot asserted in glee, "and it'll be ozma's present from cap'n bill and me." "i think i ought to have a little credit," objected the glass cat. "i discovered the thing, and led you to it, and brought the wizard here to save you when you got caught." "that's true," admitted trot, "and i'll tell ozma the whole story, so she'll know how good you've been." . the monkeys have trouble "now," said the wizard, "we must start for home. but how are we going to carry that big gold flower-pot? cap'n bill can't lug it all the way, that's certain." "no," acknowledged the sailor-man; "it's pretty heavy. i could carry it for a little while, but i'd have to stop to rest every few minutes." "couldn't we put it on your back?" dorothy asked the cowardly lion, with a good-natured yawn. "i don't object to carrying it, if you can fasten it on," answered the lion. "if it falls off," said trot, "it might get smashed an' be ruined." "i'll fix it," promised cap'n bill. "i'll make a flat board out of one of these tree trunks, an' tie the board on the lion's back, an' set the flower-pot on the board." he set to work at once to do this, but as he only had his big knife for a tool his progress was slow. so the wizard took from his black bag a tiny saw that shone like silver and said to it: "saw, little saw, come show your power; make us a board for the magic flower." and at once the little saw began to move and it sawed the log so fast that those who watched it work were astonished. it seemed to understand, too, just what the board was to be used for, for when it was completed it was flat on top and hollowed beneath in such a manner that it exactly fitted the lion's back. "that beats whittlin'!" exclaimed cap'n bill, admiringly. "you don't happen to have two o' them saws; do you, wizard?" "no," replied the wizard, wiping the magic saw carefully with his silk handkerchief and putting it back in the black bag. "it's the only saw of its kind in the world; and if there were more like it, it wouldn't be so wonderful." they now tied the board on the lion's back, flat side up, and cap'n bill carefully placed the magic flower on the board. "for fear o' accidents," he said, "i'll walk beside the lion and hold onto the flower-pot." trot and dorothy could both ride on the back of the hungry tiger, and between them they carried the cage of monkeys. but this arrangement left the wizard, as well as the sailor, to make the journey on foot, and so the procession moved slowly and the glass cat grumbled because it would take so long to get to the emerald city. the cat was sour-tempered and grumpy, at first, but before they had journeyed far, the crystal creature had discovered a fine amusement. the long tails of the monkeys were constantly sticking through the bars of their cage, and when they did, the glass cat would slyly seize the tails in her paws and pull them. that made the monkeys scream, and their screams pleased the glass cat immensely. trot and dorothy tried to stop this naughty amusement, but when they were not looking the cat would pull the tails again, and the creature was so sly and quick that the monkeys could seldom escape. they scolded the cat angrily and shook the bars of their cage, but they could not get out and the cat only laughed at them. after the party had left the forest and were on the plains of the munchkin country, it grew dark, and they were obliged to make camp for the night, choosing a pretty place beside a brook. by means of his magic the wizard created three tents, pitched in a row on the grass and nicely fitted with all that was needful for the comfort of his comrades. the middle tent was for dorothy and trot, and had in it two cosy white beds and two chairs. another tent, also with beds and chairs, was for the wizard and cap'n bill, while the third tent was for the hungry tiger, the cowardly lion, the cage of monkeys and the glass cat. outside the tents the wizard made a fire and placed over it a magic kettle from which he presently drew all sorts of nice things for their supper, smoking hot. after they had eaten and talked together for a while under the twinkling stars, they all went to bed and the people were soon asleep. the lion and the tiger had almost fallen asleep, too, when they were roused by the screams of the monkeys, for the glass cat was pulling their tails again. annoyed by the uproar, the hungry tiger cried: "stop that racket!" and getting sight of the glass cat, he raised his big paw and struck at the creature. the cat was quick enough to dodge the blow, but the claws of the hungry tiger scraped the monkey's cage and bent two of the bars. then the tiger lay down again to sleep, but the monkeys soon discovered that the bending of the bars would allow them to squeeze through. they did not leave the cage, however, but after whispering together they let their tails stick out and all remained quiet. presently the glass cat stole near the cage again and gave a yank to one of the tails. instantly the monkeys leaped through the bars, one after another, and although they were so small the entire dozen of them surrounded the glass cat and clung to her claws and tail and ears and made her a prisoner. then they forced her out of the tent and down to the banks of the stream. the monkeys had noticed that these banks were covered with thick, slimy mud of a dark blue color, and when they had taken the cat to the stream, they smeared this mud all over the glass body of the cat, filling the creature's ears and eyes with it, so that she could neither see nor hear. she was no longer transparent and so thick was the mud upon her that no one could see her pink brains or her ruby heart. in this condition they led the pussy back to the tent and then got inside their cage again. by morning the mud had dried hard on the glass cat and it was a dull blue color throughout. dorothy and trot were horrified, but the wizard shook his head and said it served the glass cat right for teasing the monkeys. cap'n bill, with his strong hands, soon bent the golden wires of the monkeys' cage into the proper position and then he asked the wizard if he should wash the glass cat in the water of the brook. "not just yet," answered the wizard. "the cat deserves to be punished, so i think i'll leave that blue mud--which is as bad as paint--upon her body until she gets to the emerald city. the silly creature is so vain that she will be greatly shamed when the oz people see her in this condition, and perhaps she'll take the lesson to heart and leave the monkeys alone hereafter." however, the glass cat could not see or hear, and to avoid carrying her on the journey the wizard picked the mud out of her eyes and ears and dorothy dampened her handkerchief and washed both the eyes and ears clean. as soon as she could speak the glass cat asked indignantly: "aren't you going to punish those monkeys for playing such a trick on me?" "no," answered the wizard. "you played a trick on them by pulling their tails, so this is only tit-for-tat, and i'm glad the monkeys had their revenge." he wouldn't allow the glass cat to go near the water, to wash herself, but made her follow them when they resumed their journey toward the emerald city. "this is only part of your punishment," said the wizard, severely. "ozma will laugh at you, when we get to her palace, and so will the scarecrow, and the tin woodman, and tik-tok, and the shaggy man, and button-bright, and the patchwork girl, and--" "and the pink kitten," added dorothy. that suggestion hurt the glass cat more than anything else. the pink kitten always quarreled with the glass cat and insisted that flesh was superior to glass, while the glass cat would jeer at the pink kitten, because it had no pink brains. but the pink brains were all daubed with blue mud, just now, and if the pink kitten should see the glass cat in such a condition, it would be dreadfully humiliating. for several hours the glass cat walked along very meekly, but toward noon it seized an opportunity when no one was looking and darted away through the long grass. it remembered that there was a tiny lake of pure water near by, and to this lake the cat sped as fast as it could go. the others never missed her until they stopped for lunch, and then it was too late to hunt for her. "i s'pect she's gone somewhere to clean herself," said dorothy. "never mind," replied the wizard. "perhaps this glass creature has been punished enough, and we must not forget she saved both trot and cap'n bill." "after first leading 'em onto an enchanted island," added dorothy. "but i think, as you do, that the glass cat is punished enough, and p'raps she won't try to pull the monkeys' tails again." the glass cat did not rejoin the party of travelers. she was still resentful, and they moved too slowly to suit her, besides. when they arrived at the royal palace, one of the first things they saw was the glass cat curled up on a bench as bright and clean and transparent as ever. but she pretended not to notice them, and they passed her by without remark. . the college of athletic arts dorothy and her friends arrived at the royal palace at an opportune time, for ozma was holding high court in her throne room, where professor h. m. wogglebug, t.e., was appealing to her to punish some of the students of the royal athletic college, of which he was the principal. this college is located in the munchkin country, but not far from the emerald city. to enable the students to devote their entire time to athletic exercises, such as boating, foot-ball, and the like, professor wogglebug had invented an assortment of tablets of learning. one of these tablets, eaten by a scholar after breakfast, would instantly enable him to understand arithmetic or algebra or any other branch of mathematics. another tablet eaten after lunch gave a student a complete knowledge of geography. another tablet made it possible for the eater to spell the most difficult words, and still another enabled him to write a beautiful hand. there were tablets for history, mechanics, home cooking and agriculture, and it mattered not whether a boy or a girl was stupid or bright, for the tablets taught them everything in the twinkling of an eye. this method, which is patented in the land of oz by professor wogglebug, saves paper and books, as well as the tedious hours devoted to study in some of our less favored schools, and it also allows the students to devote all their time to racing, base-ball, tennis and other manly and womanly sports, which are greatly interfered with by study in those temples of learning where tablets of learning are unknown. but it so happened that professor wogglebug (who had invented so much that he had acquired the habit) carelessly invented a square-meal tablet, which was no bigger than your little finger-nail but contained, in condensed form, the equal of a bowl of soup, a portion of fried fish, a roast, a salad and a dessert, all of which gave the same nourishment as a square meal. the professor was so proud of these square-meal tablets that he began to feed them to the students at his college, instead of other food, but the boys and girls objected because they wanted food that they could enjoy the taste of. it was no fun at all to swallow a tablet, with a glass of water, and call it a dinner; so they refused to eat the square-meal tablets. professor wogglebug insisted, and the result was that the senior class seized the learned professor one day and threw him into the river--clothes and all. everyone knows that a wogglebug cannot swim, and so the inventor of the wonderful square-meal tablets lay helpless on the bottom of the river for three days before a fisherman caught one of his legs on a fishhook and dragged him out upon the bank. the learned professor was naturally indignant at such treatment, and so he brought the entire senior class to the emerald city and appealed to ozma of oz to punish them for their rebellion. i do not suppose the girl ruler was very severe with the rebellious boys and girls, because she had herself refused to eat the square-meal tablets in place of food, but while she was listening to the interesting case in her throne room, cap'n bill managed to carry the golden flower-pot containing the magic flower up to trot's room without it being seen by anyone except jellia jamb, ozma's chief maid of honor, and jellia promised not to tell. also the wizard was able to carry the cage of monkeys up to one of the top towers of the palace, where he had a room of his own, to which no one came unless invited. so trot and dorothy and cap'n bill and the wizard were all delighted at the successful end of their adventure. the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger went to the marble stables behind the royal palace, where they lived while at home, and they too kept the secret, even refusing to tell the wooden sawhorse, and hank the mule, and the yellow hen, and the pink kitten where they had been. trot watered the magic flower every day and allowed no one in her room to see the beautiful blossoms except her friends, betsy bobbin and dorothy. the wonderful plant did not seem to lose any of its magic by being removed from its island, and trot was sure that ozma would prize it as one of her most delightful treasures. up in his tower the little wizard of oz began training his twelve tiny monkeys, and the little creatures were so intelligent that they learned every trick the wizard tried to teach them. the wizard treated them with great kindness and gentleness and gave them the food that monkeys love best, so they promised to do their best on the great occasion of ozma's birthday. . ozma's birthday party it seems odd that a fairy should have a birthday, for fairies, they say, were born at the beginning of time and live forever. yet, on the other hand, it would be a shame to deprive a fairy, who has so many other good things, of the delights of a birthday. so we need not wonder that the fairies keep their birthdays just as other folks do, and consider them occasions for feasting and rejoicing. ozma, the beautiful girl ruler of the fairyland of oz, was a real fairy, and so sweet and gentle in caring for her people that she was greatly beloved by them all. she lived in the most magnificent palace in the most magnificent city in the world, but that did not prevent her from being the friend of the most humble person in her dominions. she would mount her wooden sawhorse, and ride out to a farm house and sit in the kitchen to talk with the good wife of the farmer while she did her family baking; or she would play with the children and give them rides on her famous wooden steed; or she would stop in a forest to speak to a charcoal burner and ask if he was happy or desired anything to make him more content; or she would teach young girls how to sew and plan pretty dresses, or enter the shops where the jewelers and craftsmen were busy and watch them at their work, giving to each and all a cheering word or sunny smile. and then ozma would sit in her jeweled throne, with her chosen courtiers all about her, and listen patiently to any complaint brought to her by her subjects, striving to accord equal justice to all. knowing she was fair in her decisions, the oz people never murmured at her judgments, but agreed, if ozma decided against them, she was right and they wrong. when dorothy and trot and betsy bobbin and ozma were together, one would think they were all about of an age, and the fairy ruler no older and no more "grown up" than the other three. she would laugh and romp with them in regular girlish fashion, yet there was an air of quiet dignity about ozma, even in her merriest moods, that, in a manner, distinguished her from the others. the three girls loved her devotedly, but they were never able to quite forget that ozma was the royal ruler of the wonderful fairyland of oz, and by birth belonged to a powerful race. ozma's palace stood in the center of a delightful and extensive garden, where splendid trees and flowering shrubs and statuary and fountains abounded. one could walk for hours in this fascinating park and see something interesting at every step. in one place was an aquarium, where strange and beautiful fish swam; at another spot all the birds of the air gathered daily to a great feast which ozma's servants provided for them, and were so fearless of harm that they would alight upon one's shoulders and eat from one's hand. there was also the fountain of the water of oblivion, but it was dangerous to drink of this water, because it made one forget everything he had ever before known, even to his own name, and therefore ozma had placed a sign of warning upon the fountain. but there were also fountains that were delightfully perfumed, and fountains of delicious nectar, cool and richly flavored, where all were welcome to refresh themselves. around the palace grounds was a great wall, thickly encrusted with glittering emeralds, but the gates stood open and no one was forbidden entrance. on holidays the people of the emerald city often took their children to see the wonders of ozma's gardens, and even entered the royal palace, if they felt so inclined, for they knew that they and their ruler were friends, and that ozma delighted to give them pleasure. when all this is considered, you will not be surprised that the people throughout the land of oz, as well as ozma's most intimate friends and her royal courtiers, were eager to celebrate her birthday, and made preparations for the festival weeks in advance. all the brass bands practiced their nicest tunes, for they were to march in the numerous processions to be made in the winkie country, the gillikin country, the munchkin country and the quadling country, as well as in the emerald city. not all the people could go to congratulate their ruler, but all could celebrate her birthday, in one way or another, however far distant from her palace they might be. every home and building throughout the land of oz was to be decorated with banners and bunting, and there were to be games, and plays, and a general good time for every one. it was ozma's custom on her birthday to give a grand feast at the palace, to which all her closest friends were invited. it was a queerly assorted company, indeed, for there are more quaint and unusual characters in oz than in all the rest of the world, and ozma was more interested in unusual people than in ordinary ones--just as you and i are. on this especial birthday of the lovely girl ruler, a long table was set in the royal banquet hall of the palace, at which were place-cards for the invited guests, and at one end of the great room was a smaller table, not so high, for ozma's animal friends, whom she never forgot, and at the other end was a big table where all of the birthday gifts were to be arranged. when the guests arrived, they placed their gifts on this table and then found their places at the banquet table. and, after the guests were all placed, the animals entered in a solemn procession and were placed at their table by jellia jamb. then, while an orchestra hidden by a bank of roses and ferns played a march composed for the occasion, the royal ozma entered the banquet hall, attended by her maids of honor, and took her seat at the head of the table. she was greeted by a cheer from all the assembled company, the animals adding their roars and growls and barks and mewing and cackling to swell the glad tumult, and then all seated themselves at their tables. at ozma's right sat the famous scarecrow of oz, whose straw-stuffed body was not beautiful, but whose happy nature and shrewd wit had made him a general favorite. on the left of the ruler was placed the tin woodman, whose metal body had been brightly polished for this event. the tin woodman was the emperor of the winkie country and one of the most important persons in oz. next to the scarecrow, dorothy was seated, and next to her was tik-tok, the clockwork man, who had been wound up as tightly as his clockwork would permit, so he wouldn't interrupt the festivities by running down. then came aunt em and uncle henry, dorothy's own relations, two kindly old people who had a cozy home in the emerald city and were very happy and contented there. then betsy bobbin was seated, and next to her the droll and delightful shaggy man, who was a favorite wherever he went. on the other side of the table, opposite the tin woodman was placed trot, and next to her, cap'n bill. then was seated button-bright and ojo the lucky, and dr. pipt and his good wife margalot, and the astonishing frogman, who had come from the yip country to be present at ozma's birthday feast. at the foot of the table, facing ozma, was seated the queenly glinda, the good sorceress of oz, for this was really the place of honor next to the head of the table where ozma herself sat. on glinda's right was the little wizard of oz, who owed to glinda all of the magical arts he knew. then came jinjur, a pretty girl farmer of whom ozma and dorothy were quite fond. the adjoining seat was occupied by the tin soldier, and next to him was professor h. m. wogglebug, t.e., of the royal athletic college. on glinda's left was placed the jolly patchwork girl, who was a little afraid of the sorceress and so was likely to behave herself pretty well. the shaggy man's brother was beside the patchwork girl, and then came that interesting personage, jack pumpkinhead, who had grown a splendid big pumpkin for a new head to be worn on ozma's birthday, and had carved a face on it that was even jollier in expression than the one he had last worn. new heads were not unusual with jack, for the pumpkins did not keep long, and when the seeds--which served him as brains--began to get soft and mushy, he realized his head would soon spoil, and so he procured a new one from his great field of pumpkins--grown by him so that he need never lack a head. you will have noticed that the company at ozma's banquet table was somewhat mixed, but every one invited was a tried and trusted friend of the girl ruler, and their presence made her quite happy. no sooner had ozma seated herself, with her back to the birthday table, than she noticed that all present were eyeing with curiosity and pleasure something behind her, for the gorgeous magic flower was blooming gloriously and the mammoth blossoms that quickly succeeded one another on the plant were beautiful to view and filled the entire room with their delicate fragrance. ozma wanted to look, too, to see what all were staring at, but she controlled her curiosity because it was not proper that she should yet view her birthday gifts. so the sweet and lovely ruler devoted herself to her guests, several of whom, such as the scarecrow, the tin woodman, the patchwork girl, tik-tok, jack pumpkinhead and the tin soldier, never ate anything but sat very politely in their places and tried to entertain those of the guests who did eat. and, at the animal table, there was another interesting group, consisting of the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, toto--dorothy's little shaggy black dog--hank the mule, the pink kitten, the wooden sawhorse, the yellow hen, and the glass cat. all of these had good appetites except the sawhorse and the glass cat, and each was given a plentiful supply of the food it liked best. finally, when the banquet was nearly over and the ice-cream was to be served, four servants entered bearing a huge cake, all frosted and decorated with candy flowers. around the edge of the cake was a row of lighted candles, and in the center were raised candy letters that spelled the words: ozma's birthday cake from dorothy and the wizard "oh, how beautiful!" cried ozma, greatly delighted, and dorothy said eagerly: "now you must cut the cake, ozma, and each of us will eat a piece with our ice-cream." jellia jamb brought a large golden knife with a jeweled handle, and ozma stood up in her place and attempted to cut the cake. but as soon as the frosting in the center broke under the pressure of the knife there leaped from the cake a tiny monkey three inches high, and he was followed by another and another, until twelve monkeys stood on the tablecloth and bowed low to ozma. "congratulations to our gracious ruler!" they exclaimed in a chorus, and then they began a dance, so droll and amusing that all the company roared with laughter and even ozma joined in the merriment. but after the dance the monkeys performed some wonderful acrobatic feats, and then they ran to the hollow of the cake and took out some band instruments of burnished gold--cornets, horns, drums, and the like--and forming into a procession the monkeys marched up and down the table playing a jolly tune with the ease of skilled musicians. dorothy was delighted with the success of her "surprise cake," and after the monkeys had finished their performance, the banquet came to an end. now was the time for ozma to see her other presents, so glinda the good rose and, taking the girl ruler by her hand, led her to the table where all her gifts were placed in magnificent array. the magic flower of course attracted her attention first, and trot had to tell her the whole story of their adventures in getting it. the little girl did not forget to give due credit to the glass cat and the little wizard, but it was really cap'n bill who had bravely carried the golden flower-pot away from the enchanted isle. ozma thanked them all, and said she would place the magic flower in her boudoir where she might enjoy its beauty and fragrance continually. but now she discovered the marvelous gown woven by glinda and her maidens from strands drawn from pure emeralds, and being a girl who loved pretty clothes, ozma's ecstasy at being presented with this exquisite gown may well be imagined. she could hardly wait to put it on, but the table was loaded with other pretty gifts and the night was far spent before the happy girl ruler had examined all her presents and thanked those who had lovingly donated them. . the fountain of oblivion the morning after the birthday fete, as the wizard and dorothy were walking in the grounds of the palace, ozma came out and joined them, saying: "i want to hear more of your adventures in the forest of gugu, and how you were able to get those dear little monkeys to use in dorothy's surprise cake." so they sat down on a marble bench near to the fountain of the water of oblivion, and between them dorothy and the wizard related their adventures. "i was dreadfully fussy while i was a woolly lamb," said dorothy, "for it didn't feel good, a bit. and i wasn't quite sure, you know, that i'd ever get to be a girl again." "you might have been a woolly lamb yet, if i hadn't happened to have discovered that magic transformation word," declared the wizard. "but what became of the walnut and the hickory-nut into which you transformed those dreadful beast magicians?" inquired ozma. "why, i'd almost forgotten them," was the reply; "but i believe they are still here in my pocket." then he searched in his pockets and brought out the two nuts and showed them to her. ozma regarded them thoughtfully. "it isn't right to leave any living creatures in such helpless forms," said she. "i think, wizard, you ought to transform them into their natural shapes again." "but i don't know what their natural shapes are," he objected, "for of course the forms of mixed animals which they had assumed were not natural to them. and you must not forget, ozma, that their natures were cruel and mischievous, so if i bring them back to life they might cause us a great deal of trouble." "nevertheless," said the ruler of oz, "we must free them from their present enchantments. when you restore them to their natural forms we will discover who they really are, and surely we need not fear any two people, even though they prove to be magicians and our enemies." "i am not so sure of that," protested the wizard, with a shake of his bald head. "the one bit of magic i robbed them of--which was the word of transformation--is so simple, yet so powerful, that neither glinda nor i can equal it. it isn't all in the word, you know, it's the way the word is pronounced. so if the two strange magicians have other magic of the same sort, they might prove very dangerous to us, if we liberated them." "i've an idea!" exclaimed dorothy. "i'm no wizard, and no fairy, but if you do as i say, we needn't fear these people at all." "what is your thought, my dear?" asked ozma. "well," replied the girl, "here is this fountain of the water of oblivion, and that's what put the notion into my head. when the wizard speaks that ter'ble word that will change 'em back to their real forms, he can make 'em dreadful thirsty, too, and we'll put a cup right here by the fountain, so it'll be handy. then they'll drink the water and forget all the magic they ever knew--and everything else, too." "that's not a bad idea," said the wizard, looking at dorothy approvingly. "it's a very good idea," declared ozma. "run for a cup, dorothy." so dorothy ran to get a cup, and while she was gone the wizard said: "i don't know whether the real forms of these magicians are those of men or beasts. if they're beasts, they would not drink from a cup but might attack us at once and drink afterward. so it might be safer for us to have the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger here to protect us if necessary." ozma drew out a silver whistle which was attached to a slender gold chain and blew upon the whistle two shrill blasts. the sound, though not harsh, was very penetrating, and as soon as it reached the ears of the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, the two huge beasts quickly came bounding toward them. ozma explained to them what the wizard was about to do, and told them to keep quiet unless danger threatened. so the two powerful guardians of the ruler of oz crouched beside the fountain and waited. dorothy returned and set the cup on the edge of the fountain. then the wizard placed the hickory-nut beside the fountain and said in a solemn voice: "i want you to resume your natural form, and to be very thirsty--pyrzqxgl!" in an instant there appeared, in the place of the hickory-nut, the form of kiki aru, the hyup boy. he seemed bewildered, at first, as if trying to remember what had happened to him and why he was in this strange place. but he was facing the fountain, and the bubbling water reminded him that he was thirsty. without noticing ozma, the wizard and dorothy, who were behind him, he picked up the cup, filled it with the water of oblivion, and drank it to the last drop. he was now no longer thirsty, but he felt more bewildered than ever, for now he could remember nothing at all--not even his name or where he came from. he looked around the beautiful garden with a pleased expression, and then, turning, he beheld ozma and the wizard and dorothy regarding him curiously and the two great beasts crouching behind them. kiki aru did not know who they were, but he thought ozma very lovely and dorothy very pleasant. so he smiled at them--the same innocent, happy smile that a baby might have indulged in, and that pleased dorothy, who seized his hand and led him to a seat beside her on the bench. "why, i thought you were a dreadful magician," she exclaimed, "and you're only a boy!" "what is a magician?" he asked, "and what is a boy?" "don't you know?" inquired the girl. kiki shook his head. then he laughed. "i do not seem to know anything," he replied. "it's very curious," remarked the wizard. "he wears the dress of the munchkins, so he must have lived at one time in the munchkin country. of course the boy can tell us nothing of his history or his family, for he has forgotten all that he ever knew." "he seems a nice boy, now that all the wickedness has gone from him," said ozma. "so we will keep him here with us and teach him our ways--to be true and considerate of others." "why, in that case, it's lucky for him he drank the water of oblivion," said dorothy. "it is indeed," agreed the wizard. "but the remarkable thing, to me, is how such a young boy ever learned the secret of the magic word of transformation. perhaps his companion, who is at present this walnut, was the real magician, although i seem to remember that it was this boy in the beast's form who whispered the magic word into the hollow tree, where i overheard it." "well, we will soon know who the other is," suggested ozma. "he may prove to be another munchkin boy." the wizard placed the walnut near the fountain and said, as slowly and solemnly as before: "i want you to resume your natural form, and to be very thirsty--pyrzqxgl!" then the walnut disappeared and ruggedo the nome stood in its place. he also was facing the fountain, and he reached for the cup, filled it, and was about to drink when dorothy exclaimed: "why, it's the old nome king!" ruggedo swung around and faced them, the cup still in his hand. "yes," he said in an angry voice, "it's the old nome king, and i'm going to conquer all oz and be revenged on you for kicking me out of my throne." he looked around a moment, and then continued: "there isn't an egg in sight, and i'm stronger than all of you people put together! i don't know how i came here, but i'm going to fight the fight of my life--and i'll win!" his long white hair and beard waved in the breeze; his eyes flashed hate and vengeance, and so astonished and shocked were they by the sudden appearance of this old enemy of the oz people that they could only stare at him in silence and shrink away from his wild glare. ruggedo laughed. he drank the water, threw the cup on the ground and said fiercely: "and now--and now--and--" his voice grew gentle. he rubbed his forehead with a puzzled air and stroked his long beard. "what was i going to say?" he asked, pleadingly. "don't you remember?" said the wizard. "no; i've forgotten." "who are you?" asked dorothy. he tried to think. "i--i'm sure i don't know," he stammered. "don't you know who we are, either?" questioned the girl. "i haven't the slightest idea," said the nome. "tell us who this munchkin boy is," suggested ozma. ruggedo looked at the boy and shook his head. "he's a stranger to me. you are all strangers. i--i'm a stranger to myself," he said. then he patted the lion's head and murmured, "good doggie!" and the lion growled indignantly. "what shall we do with him?" asked the wizard, perplexed. "once before the wicked old nome came here to conquer us, and then, as now, he drank of the water of oblivion and became harmless. but we sent him back to the nome kingdom, where he soon learned the old evil ways again. "for that reason," said ozma, "we must find a place for him in the land of oz, and keep him here. for here he can learn no evil and will always be as innocent of guile as our own people." and so the wandering ex-king of the nomes found a new home, a peaceful and happy home, where he was quite content and passed his days in innocent enjoyment. the emerald city of oz by l. frank baum author of the road to oz, dorothy and the wizard in oz, the land of oz, etc. contents --author's note-- . how the nome king became angry . how uncle henry got into trouble . how ozma granted dorothy's request . how the nome king planned revenge . how dorothy became a princess . how guph visited the whimsies . how aunt em conquered the lion . how the grand gallipoot joined the nomes . how the wogglebug taught athletics . how the cuttenclips lived . how the general met the first and foremost . how they matched the fuddles . how the general talked to the king . how the wizard practiced sorcery . how dorothy happened to get lost . how dorothy visited utensia . how they came to bunbury . how ozma looked into the magic picture . how bunnybury welcomed the strangers . how dorothy lunched with a king . how the king changed his mind . how the wizard found dorothy . how they encountered the flutterbudgets . how the tin woodman told the sad news . how the scarecrow displayed his wisdom . how ozma refused to fight for her kingdom . how the fierce warriors invaded oz . how they drank at the forbidden fountain . how glinda worked a magic spell . how the story of oz came to an end author's note perhaps i should admit on the title page that this book is "by l. frank baum and his correspondents," for i have used many suggestions conveyed to me in letters from children. once on a time i really imagined myself "an author of fairy tales," but now i am merely an editor or private secretary for a host of youngsters whose ideas i am requestsed to weave into the thread of my stories. these ideas are often clever. they are also logical and interesting. so i have used them whenever i could find an opportunity, and it is but just that i acknowledge my indebtedness to my little friends. my, what imaginations these children have developed! sometimes i am fairly astounded by their daring and genius. there will be no lack of fairy-tale authors in the future, i am sure. my readers have told me what to do with dorothy, and aunt em and uncle henry, and i have obeyed their mandates. they have also given me a variety of subjects to write about in the future: enough, in fact, to keep me busy for some time. i am very proud of this alliance. children love these stories because children have helped to create them. my readers know what they want and realize that i try to please them. the result is very satisfactory to the publishers, to me, and (i am quite sure) to the children. i hope, my dears, it will be a long time before we are obliged to dissolve partnership. l. frank baum. coronado, . how the nome king became angry the nome king was in an angry mood, and at such times he was very disagreeable. every one kept away from him, even his chief steward kaliko. therefore the king stormed and raved all by himself, walking up and down in his jewel-studded cavern and getting angrier all the time. then he remembered that it was no fun being angry unless he had some one to frighten and make miserable, and he rushed to his big gong and made it clatter as loud as he could. in came the chief steward, trying not to show the nome king how frightened he was. "send the chief counselor here!" shouted the angry monarch. kaliko ran out as fast as his spindle legs could carry his fat, round body, and soon the chief counselor entered the cavern. the king scowled and said to him: "i'm in great trouble over the loss of my magic belt. every little while i want to do something magical, and find i can't because the belt is gone. that makes me angry, and when i'm angry i can't have a good time. now, what do you advise?" "some people," said the chief counselor, "enjoy getting angry." "but not all the time," declared the king. "to be angry once in a while is really good fun, because it makes others so miserable. but to be angry morning, noon and night, as i am, grows monotonous and prevents my gaining any other pleasure in life. now what do you advise?" "why, if you are angry because you want to do magical things and can't, and if you don't want to get angry at all, my advice is not to want to do magical things." hearing this, the king glared at his counselor with a furious expression and tugged at his own long white whiskers until he pulled them so hard that he yelled with pain. "you are a fool!" he exclaimed. "i share that honor with your majesty," said the chief counselor. the king roared with rage and stamped his foot. "ho, there, my guards!" he cried. "ho" is a royal way of saying, "come here." so, when the guards had hoed, the king said to them: "take this chief counselor and throw him away." then the guards took the chief counselor, and bound him with chains to prevent his struggling, and threw him away. and the king paced up and down his cavern more angry than before. finally he rushed to his big gong and made it clatter like a fire alarm. kaliko appeared again, trembling and white with fear. "fetch my pipe!" yelled the king. "your pipe is already here, your majesty," replied kaliko. "then get my tobacco!" roared the king. "the tobacco is in your pipe, your majesty," returned the steward. "then bring a live coal from the furnace!" commanded the king. "the tobacco is lighted, and your majesty is already smoking your pipe," answered the steward. "why, so i am!" said the king, who had forgotten this fact; "but you are very rude to remind me of it." "i am a lowborn, miserable villain," declared the chief steward, humbly. the nome king could think of nothing to say next, so he puffed away at his pipe and paced up and down the room. finally, he remembered how angry he was, and cried out: "what do you mean, kaliko, by being so contented when your monarch is unhappy?" "what makes you unhappy?" asked the steward. "i've lost my magic belt. a little girl named dorothy, who was here with ozma of oz, stole my belt and carried it away with her," said the king, grinding his teeth with rage. "she captured it in a fair fight," kaliko ventured to say. "but i want it! i must have it! half my power is gone with that belt!" roared the king. "you will have to go to the land of oz to recover it, and your majesty can't get to the land of oz in any possible way," said the steward, yawning because he had been on duty ninety-six hours, and was sleepy. "why not?" asked the king. "because there is a deadly desert all around that fairy country, which no one is able to cross. you know that fact as well as i do, your majesty. never mind the lost belt. you have plenty of power left, for you rule this underground kingdom like a tyrant, and thousands of nomes obey your commands. i advise you to drink a glass of melted silver, to quiet your nerves, and then go to bed." the king grabbed a big ruby and threw it at kaliko's head. the steward ducked to escape the heavy jewel, which crashed against the door just over his left ear. "get out of my sight! vanish! go away--and send general blug here," screamed the nome king. kaliko hastily withdrew, and the nome king stamped up and down until the general of his armies appeared. this nome was known far and wide as a terrible fighter and a cruel, desperate commander. he had fifty thousand nome soldiers, all well drilled, who feared nothing but their stern master. yet general blug was a trifle uneasy when he arrived and saw how angry the nome king was. "ha! so you're here!" cried the king. "so i am," said the general. "march your army at once to the land of oz, capture and destroy the emerald city, and bring back to me my magic belt!" roared the king. "you're crazy," calmly remarked the general. "what's that? what's that? what's that?" and the nome king danced around on his pointed toes, he was so enraged. "you don't know what you're talking about," continued the general, seating himself upon a large cut diamond. "i advise you to stand in a corner and count sixty before you speak again. by that time you may be more sensible." the king looked around for something to throw at general blug, but as nothing was handy he began to consider that perhaps the man was right and he had been talking foolishly. so he merely threw himself into his glittering throne and tipped his crown over his ear and curled his feet up under him and glared wickedly at blug. "in the first place," said the general, "we cannot march across the deadly desert to the land of oz. and if we could, the ruler of that country, princess ozma, has certain fairy powers that would render my army helpless. had you not lost your magic belt we might have some chance of defeating ozma; but the belt is gone." "i want it!" screamed the king. "i must have it." "well, then, let us try in a sensible way to get it," replied the general. "the belt was captured by a little girl named dorothy, who lives in kansas, in the united states of america." "but she left it in the emerald city, with ozma," declared the king. "how do you know that?" asked the general. "one of my spies, who is a blackbird, flew over the desert to the land of oz, and saw the magic belt in ozma's palace," replied the king with a groan. "now that gives me an idea," said general blug, thoughtfully. "there are two ways to get to the land of oz without traveling across the sandy desert." "what are they?" demanded the king, eagerly. "one way is over the desert, through the air; and the other way is under the desert, through the earth." hearing this the nome king uttered a yell of joy and leaped from his throne, to resume his wild walk up and down the cavern. "that's it, blug!" he shouted. "that's the idea, general! i'm king of the under world, and my subjects are all miners. i'll make a secret tunnel under the desert to the land of oz--yes! right up to the emerald city--and you will march your armies there and capture the whole country!" "softly, softly, your majesty. don't go too fast," warned the general. "my nomes are good fighters, but they are not strong enough to conquer the emerald city." "are you sure?" asked the king. "absolutely certain, your majesty." "then what am i to do?" "give up the idea and mind your own business," advised the general. "you have plenty to do trying to rule your underground kingdom." "but i want the magic belt--and i'm going to have it!" roared the nome king. "i'd like to see you get it," replied the general, laughing maliciously. the king was by this time so exasperated that he picked up his scepter, which had a heavy ball, made from a sapphire, at the end of it, and threw it with all his force at general blug. the sapphire hit the general upon his forehead and knocked him flat upon the ground, where he lay motionless. then the king rang his gong and told his guards to drag out the general and throw him away; which they did. this nome king was named roquat the red, and no one loved him. he was a bad man and a powerful monarch, and he had resolved to destroy the land of oz and its magnificent emerald city, to enslave princess ozma and little dorothy and all the oz people, and recover his magic belt. this same belt had once enabled roquat the red to carry out many wicked plans; but that was before ozma and her people marched to the underground cavern and captured it. the nome king could not forgive dorothy or princess ozma, and he had determined to be revenged upon them. but they, for their part, did not know they had so dangerous an enemy. indeed, ozma and dorothy had both almost forgotten that such a person as the nome king yet lived under the mountains of the land of ev--which lay just across the deadly desert to the south of the land of oz. an unsuspected enemy is doubly dangerous. . how uncle henry got into trouble dorothy gale lived on a farm in kansas, with her aunt em and her uncle henry. it was not a big farm, nor a very good one, because sometimes the rain did not come when the crops needed it, and then everything withered and dried up. once a cyclone had carried away uncle henry's house, so that he was obliged to build another; and as he was a poor man he had to mortgage his farm to get the money to pay for the new house. then his health became bad and he was too feeble to work. the doctor ordered him to take a sea voyage and he went to australia and took dorothy with him. that cost a lot of money, too. uncle henry grew poorer every year, and the crops raised on the farm only bought food for the family. therefore the mortgage could not be paid. at last the banker who had loaned him the money said that if he did not pay on a certain day, his farm would be taken away from him. this worried uncle henry a good deal, for without the farm he would have no way to earn a living. he was a good man, and worked in the field as hard as he could; and aunt em did all the housework, with dorothy's help. yet they did not seem to get along. this little girl, dorothy, was like dozens of little girls you know. she was loving and usually sweet-tempered, and had a round rosy face and earnest eyes. life was a serious thing to dorothy, and a wonderful thing, too, for she had encountered more strange adventures in her short life than many other girls of her age. aunt em once said she thought the fairies must have marked dorothy at her birth, because she had wandered into strange places and had always been protected by some unseen power. as for uncle henry, he thought his little niece merely a dreamer, as her dead mother had been, for he could not quite believe all the curious stories dorothy told them of the land of oz, which she had several times visited. he did not think that she tried to deceive her uncle and aunt, but he imagined that she had dreamed all of those astonishing adventures, and that the dreams had been so real to her that she had come to believe them true. whatever the explanation might be, it was certain that dorothy had been absent from her kansas home for several long periods, always disappearing unexpectedly, yet always coming back safe and sound, with amazing tales of where she had been and the unusual people she had met. her uncle and aunt listened to her stories eagerly and in spite of their doubts began to feel that the little girl had gained a lot of experience and wisdom that were unaccountable in this age, when fairies are supposed no longer to exist. most of dorothy's stories were about the land of oz, with its beautiful emerald city and a lovely girl ruler named ozma, who was the most faithful friend of the little kansas girl. when dorothy told about the riches of this fairy country uncle henry would sigh, for he knew that a single one of the great emeralds that were so common there would pay all his debts and leave his farm free. but dorothy never brought any jewels home with her, so their poverty became greater every year. when the banker told uncle henry that he must pay the money in thirty days or leave the farm, the poor man was in despair, as he knew he could not possibly get the money. so he told his wife, aunt em, of his trouble, and she first cried a little and then said that they must be brave and do the best they could, and go away somewhere and try to earn an honest living. but they were getting old and feeble and she feared that they could not take care of dorothy as well as they had formerly done. probably the little girl would also be obliged to go to work. they did not tell their niece the sad news for several days, not wishing to make her unhappy; but one morning the little girl found aunt em softly crying while uncle henry tried to comfort her. then dorothy asked them to tell her what was the matter. "we must give up the farm, my dear," replied her uncle sadly, "and wander away into the world to work for our living." the girl listened quite seriously, for she had not known before how desperately poor they were. "we don't mind for ourselves," said her aunt, stroking the little girl's head tenderly; "but we love you as if you were our own child, and we are heart-broken to think that you must also endure poverty, and work for a living before you have grown big and strong." "what could i do to earn money?" asked dorothy. "you might do housework for some one, dear, you are so handy; or perhaps you could be a nurse-maid to little children. i'm sure i don't know exactly what you can do to earn money, but if your uncle and i are able to support you we will do it willingly, and send you to school. we fear, though, that we shall have much trouble in earning a living for ourselves. no one wants to employ old people who are broken down in health, as we are." dorothy smiled. "wouldn't it be funny," she said, "for me to do housework in kansas, when i'm a princess in the land of oz?" "a princess!" they both exclaimed, astonished. "yes; ozma made me a princess some time ago, and she has often begged me to come and live always in the emerald city," said the child. her uncle and aunt looked at her in amazement. then the man said: "do you suppose you could manage to return to your fairyland, my dear?" "oh yes," replied dorothy; "i could do that easily." "how?" asked aunt em. "ozma sees me every day at four o'clock, in her magic picture. she can see me wherever i am, no matter what i am doing. and at that time, if i make a certain secret sign, she will send for me by means of the magic belt, which i once captured from the nome king. then, in the wink of an eye, i shall be with ozma in her palace." the elder people remained silent for some time after dorothy had spoken. finally, aunt em said, with another sigh of regret: "if that is the case, dorothy, perhaps you'd better go and live in the emerald city. it will break our hearts to lose you from our lives, but you will be so much better off with your fairy friends that it seems wisest and best for you to go." "i'm not so sure about that," remarked uncle henry, shaking his gray head doubtfully. "these things all seem real to dorothy, i know; but i'm afraid our little girl won't find her fairyland just what she had dreamed it to be. it would make me very unhappy to think that she was wandering among strangers who might be unkind to her." dorothy laughed merrily at this speech, and then she became very sober again, for she could see how all this trouble was worrying her aunt and uncle, and knew that unless she found a way to help them their future lives would be quite miserable and unhappy. she knew that she could help them. she had thought of a way already. yet she did not tell them at once what it was, because she must ask ozma's consent before she would be able to carry out her plans. so she only said: "if you will promise not to worry a bit about me, i'll go to the land of oz this very afternoon. and i'll make a promise, too; that you shall both see me again before the day comes when you must leave this farm." "the day isn't far away, now," her uncle sadly replied. "i did not tell you of our trouble until i was obliged to, dear dorothy, so the evil time is near at hand. but if you are quite sure your fairy friends will give you a home, it will be best for you to go to them, as your aunt says." that was why dorothy went to her little room in the attic that afternoon, taking with her a small dog named toto. the dog had curly black hair and big brown eyes and loved dorothy very dearly. the child had kissed her uncle and aunt affectionately before she went upstairs, and now she looked around her little room rather wistfully, gazing at the simple trinkets and worn calico and gingham dresses, as if they were old friends. she was tempted at first to make a bundle of them, yet she knew very well that they would be of no use to her in her future life. she sat down upon a broken-backed chair--the only one the room contained--and holding toto in her arms waited patiently until the clock struck four. then she made the secret signal that had been agreed upon between her and ozma. uncle henry and aunt em waited downstairs. they were uneasy and a good deal excited, for this is a practical humdrum world, and it seemed to them quite impossible that their little niece could vanish from her home and travel instantly to fairyland. so they watched the stairs, which seemed to be the only way that dorothy could get out of the farmhouse, and they watched them a long time. they heard the clock strike four but there was no sound from above. half-past four came, and now they were too impatient to wait any longer. softly, they crept up the stairs to the door of the little girl's room. "dorothy! dorothy!" they called. there was no answer. they opened the door and looked in. the room was empty. . how ozma granted dorothy's request i suppose you have read so much about the magnificent emerald city that there is little need for me to describe it here. it is the capital city of the land of oz, which is justly considered the most attractive and delightful fairyland in all the world. the emerald city is built all of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. there are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. but in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the emerald city of oz. it has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens. all the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of oz who preferred country to city life. altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of oz--although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous. no disease of any sort was ever known among the ozites, and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. this happened very seldom, indeed. there were no poor people in the land of oz, because there was no such thing as money, and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. the people were her children, and she cared for them. each person was given freely by his neighbors whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. there were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the person, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbors with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. if by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed. every one worked half the time and played half the time, and the people enjoyed the work as much as they did the play, because it is good to be occupied and to have something to do. there were no cruel overseers set to watch them, and no one to rebuke them or to find fault with them. so each one was proud to do all he could for his friends and neighbors, and was glad when they would accept the things he produced. you will know by what i have here told you, that the land of oz was a remarkable country. i do not suppose such an arrangement would be practical with us, but dorothy assures me that it works finely with the oz people. oz being a fairy country, the people were, of course, fairy people; but that does not mean that all of them were very unlike the people of our own world. there were all sorts of queer characters among them, but not a single one who was evil, or who possessed a selfish or violent nature. they were peaceful, kind hearted, loving and merry, and every inhabitant adored the beautiful girl who ruled them and delighted to obey her every command. in spite of all i have said in a general way, there were some parts of the land of oz not quite so pleasant as the farming country and the emerald city which was its center. far away in the south country there lived in the mountains a band of strange people called hammer-heads, because they had no arms and used their flat heads to pound any one who came near them. their necks were like rubber, so that they could shoot out their heads to quite a distance, and afterward draw them back again to their shoulders. the hammer-heads were called the "wild people," but never harmed any but those who disturbed them in the mountains where they lived. in some of the dense forests there lived great beasts of every sort; yet these were for the most part harmless and even sociable, and conversed agreeably with those who visited their haunts. the kalidahs--beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers--had once been fierce and bloodthirsty, but even they were now nearly all tamed, although at times one or another of them would get cross and disagreeable. not so tame were the fighting trees, which had a forest of their own. if any one approached them these curious trees would bend down their branches, twine them around the intruders, and hurl them away. but these unpleasant things existed only in a few remote parts of the land of oz. i suppose every country has some drawbacks, so even this almost perfect fairyland could not be quite perfect. once there had been wicked witches in the land, too; but now these had all been destroyed; so, as i said, only peace and happiness reigned in oz. for some time ozma had ruled over this fair country, and never was ruler more popular or beloved. she is said to be the most beautiful girl the world has ever known, and her heart and mind are as lovely as her person. dorothy gale had several times visited the emerald city and experienced adventures in the land of oz, so that she and ozma had now become firm friends. the girl ruler had even made dorothy a princess of oz, and had often implored her to come to ozma's stately palace and live there always; but dorothy had been loyal to her aunt em and uncle henry, who had cared for her since she was a baby, and she had refused to leave them because she knew they would be lonely without her. however, dorothy now realized that things were going to be different with her uncle and aunt from this time forth, so after giving the matter deep thought she decided to ask ozma to grant her a very great favor. a few seconds after she had made the secret signal in her little bedchamber, the kansas girl was seated in a lovely room in ozma's palace in the emerald city of oz. when the first loving kisses and embraces had been exchanged, the fair ruler inquired: "what is the matter, dear? i know something unpleasant has happened to you, for your face was very sober when i saw it in my magic picture. and whenever you signal me to transport you to this safe place, where you are always welcome, i know you are in danger or in trouble." dorothy sighed. "this time, ozma, it isn't i," she replied. "but it's worse, i guess, for uncle henry and aunt em are in a heap of trouble, and there seems no way for them to get out of it--anyhow, not while they live in kansas." "tell me about it, dorothy," said ozma, with ready sympathy. "why, you see uncle henry is poor; for the farm in kansas doesn't 'mount to much, as farms go. so one day uncle henry borrowed some money, and wrote a letter saying that if he didn't pay the money back they could take his farm for pay. course he 'spected to pay by making money from the farm; but he just couldn't. an' so they're going to take the farm, and uncle henry and aunt em won't have any place to live. they're pretty old to do much hard work, ozma; so i'll have to work for them, unless--" ozma had been thoughtful during the story, but now she smiled and pressed her little friend's hand. "unless what, dear?" she asked. dorothy hesitated, because her request meant so much to them all. "well," said she, "i'd like to live here in the land of oz, where you've often 'vited me to live. but i can't, you know, unless uncle henry and aunt em could live here too." "of course not," exclaimed the ruler of oz, laughing gaily. "so, in order to get you, little friend, we must invite your uncle and aunt to live in oz, also." "oh, will you, ozma?" cried dorothy, clasping her chubby little hands eagerly. "will you bring them here with the magic belt, and give them a nice little farm in the munchkin country, or the winkie country--or some other place?" "to be sure," answered ozma, full of joy at the chance to please her little friend. "i have long been thinking of this very thing, dorothy dear, and often i have had it in my mind to propose it to you. i am sure your uncle and aunt must be good and worthy people, or you would not love them so much; and for your friends, princess, there is always room in the land of oz." dorothy was delighted, yet not altogether surprised, for she had clung to the hope that ozma would be kind enough to grant her request. when, indeed, had her powerful and faithful friend refused her anything? "but you must not call me 'princess'," she said; "for after this i shall live on the little farm with uncle henry and aunt em, and princesses ought not to live on farms." "princess dorothy will not," replied ozma with her sweet smile. "you are going to live in your own rooms in this palace, and be my constant companion." "but uncle henry--" began dorothy. "oh, he is old, and has worked enough in his lifetime," interrupted the girl ruler; "so we must find a place for your uncle and aunt where they will be comfortable and happy and need not work more than they care to. when shall we transport them here, dorothy?" "i promised to go and see them again before they were turned out of the farmhouse," answered dorothy; "so--perhaps next saturday--" "but why wait so long?" asked ozma. "and why make the journey back to kansas again? let us surprise them, and bring them here without any warning." "i'm not sure that they believe in the land of oz," said dorothy, "though i've told 'em 'bout it lots of times." "they'll believe when they see it," declared ozma; "and if they are told they are to make a magical journey to our fairyland, it may make them nervous. i think the best way will be to use the magic belt without warning them, and when they have arrived you can explain to them whatever they do not understand." "perhaps that's best," decided dorothy. "there isn't much use in their staying at the farm until they are put out, 'cause it's much nicer here." "then to-morrow morning they shall come here," said princess ozma. "i will order jellia jamb, who is the palace housekeeper, to have rooms all prepared for them, and after breakfast we will get the magic belt and by its aid transport your uncle and aunt to the emerald city." "thank you, ozma!" cried dorothy, kissing her friend gratefully. "and now," ozma proposed, "let us take a walk in the gardens before we dress for dinner. come, dorothy dear!" . how the nome king planned revenge the reason most people are bad is because they do not try to be good. now, the nome king had never tried to be good, so he was very bad indeed. having decided to conquer the land of oz and to destroy the emerald city and enslave all its people, king roquat the red kept planning ways to do this dreadful thing, and the more he planned the more he believed he would be able to accomplish it. about the time dorothy went to ozma the nome king called his chief steward to him and said: "kaliko, i think i shall make you the general of my armies." "i think you won't," replied kaliko, positively. "why not?" inquired the king, reaching for his scepter with the big sapphire. "because i'm your chief steward and know nothing of warfare," said kaliko, preparing to dodge if anything were thrown at him. "i manage all the affairs of your kingdom better than you could yourself, and you'll never find another steward as good as i am. but there are a hundred nomes better fitted to command your army, and your generals get thrown away so often that i have no desire to be one of them." "ah, there is some truth in your remarks, kaliko," remarked the king, deciding not to throw the scepter. "summon my army to assemble in the great cavern." kaliko bowed and retired, and in a few minutes returned to say that the army was assembled. so the king went out upon a balcony that overlooked the great cavern, where fifty thousand nomes, all armed with swords and pikes, stood marshaled in military array. when they were not required as soldiers all these nomes were metal workers and miners, and they had hammered so much at the forges and dug so hard with pick and shovel that they had acquired great muscular strength. they were strangely formed creatures, rather round and not very tall. their toes were curly and their ears broad and flat. in time of war every nome left his forge or mine and became part of the great army of king roquat. the soldiers wore rock-colored uniforms and were excellently drilled. the king looked upon this tremendous army, which stood silently arrayed before him, and a cruel smile curled the corners of his mouth, for he saw that his legions were very powerful. then he addressed them from the balcony, saying: "i have thrown away general blug, because he did not please me. so i want another general to command this army. who is next in command?" "i am," replied colonel crinkle, a dapper-looking nome, as he stepped forward to salute his monarch. the king looked at him carefully and said: "i want you to march this army through an underground tunnel, which i am going to bore, to the emerald city of oz. when you get there i want you to conquer the oz people, destroy them and their city, and bring all their gold and silver and precious stones back to my cavern. also you are to recapture my magic belt and return it to me. will you do this, general crinkle?" "no, your majesty," replied the nome; "for it can't be done." "oh indeed!" exclaimed the king. then he turned to his servants and said: "please take general crinkle to the torture chamber. there you will kindly slice him into thin slices. afterward you may feed him to the seven-headed dogs." "anything to oblige your majesty," replied the servants, politely, and led the condemned man away. when they had gone, the king addressed the army again. "listen!" said he. "the general who is to command my armies must promise to carry out my orders. if he fails he will share the fate of poor crinkle. now, then, who will volunteer to lead my hosts to the emerald city?" for a time no one moved and all were silent. then an old nome with white whiskers so long that they were tied around his waist to prevent their tripping him up, stepped out of the ranks and saluted the king. "i'd like to ask a few questions, your majesty," he said. "go ahead," replied the king. "these oz people are quite good, are they not?" "as good as apple pie," said the king. "and they are happy, i suppose?" continued the old nome. "happy as the day is long," said the king. "and contented and prosperous?" inquired the nome. "very much so," said the king. "well, your majesty," remarked he of the white whiskers, "i think i should like to undertake the job, so i'll be your general. i hate good people; i detest happy people; i'm opposed to any one who is contented and prosperous. that is why i am so fond of your majesty. make me your general and i'll promise to conquer and destroy the oz people. if i fail i'm ready to be sliced thin and fed to the seven-headed dogs." "very good! very good, indeed! that's the way to talk!" cried roquat the red, who was greatly pleased. "what is your name, general?" "i'm called guph, your majesty." "well, guph, come with me to my private cave, and we'll talk it over." then he turned to the army. "nomes and soldiers," said he, "you are to obey the commands of general guph until he becomes dog-feed. any man who fails to obey his new general will be promptly thrown away. you are now dismissed." guph went to the king's private cave and sat down upon an amethyst chair and put his feet on the arm of the king's ruby throne. then he lighted his pipe and threw the live coal he had taken from his pocket upon the king's left foot and puffed the smoke into the king's eyes and made himself comfortable. for he was a wise old nome, and he knew that the best way to get along with roquat the red was to show that he was not afraid of him. "i'm ready for the talk, your majesty," he said. the king coughed and looked at his new general fiercely. "do you not tremble to take such liberties with your monarch?" he asked. "oh no," replied guph, calmly, and he blew a wreath of smoke that curled around the king's nose and made him sneeze. "you want to conquer the emerald city, and i'm the only nome in all your dominions who can conquer it. so you will be very careful not to hurt me until i have carried out your wishes. after that--" "well, what then?" inquired the king. "then you will be so grateful to me that you won't care to hurt me," replied the general. "that is a very good argument," said roquat. "but suppose you fail?" "then it's the slicing machine. i agree to that," announced guph. "but if you do as i tell you there will be no failure. the trouble with you, roquat, is that you don't think carefully enough. i do. you would go ahead and march through your tunnel into oz, and get defeated and driven back. i won't. and the reason i won't is because when i march i'll have all my plans made, and a host of allies to assist my nomes." "what do you mean by that?" asked the king. "i'll explain, king roquat. you're going to attack a fairy country, and a mighty fairy country, too. they haven't much of an army in oz, but the princess who ruled them has a fairy wand; and the little girl dorothy has your magic belt; and at the north of the emerald city lives a clever sorceress called glinda the good, who commands the spirits of the air. also i have heard that there is a wonderful wizard in ozma's palace, who is so skillful that people used to pay him money in america to see him perform. so you see it will be no easy thing to overcome all this magic." "we have fifty thousand soldiers!" cried the king proudly. "yes; but they are nomes," remarked guph, taking a silk handkerchief from the king's pocket and wiping his own pointed shoes with it. "nomes are immortals, but they are not strong on magic. when you lost your famous belt the greater part of your own power was gone from you. against ozma you and your nomes would have no show at all." roquat's eyes flashed angrily. "then away you go to the slicing machine!" he cried. "not yet," said the general, filling his pipe from the king's private tobacco pouch. "what do you propose to do?" asked the monarch. "i propose to obtain the power we need," answered guph. "there are a good many evil creatures who have magic powers sufficient to destroy and conquer the land of oz. we will get them on our side, band them all together, and then take ozma and her people by surprise. it's all very simple and easy when you know how. alone, we should be helpless to injure the ruler of oz, but with the aid of the evil powers we can summon we shall easily succeed." king roquat was delighted with this idea, for he realized how clever it was. "surely, guph, you are the greatest general i have ever had!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with joy. "you must go at once and make arrangements with the evil powers to assist us, and meantime i'll begin to dig the tunnel." "i thought you'd agree with me, roquat," replied the new general. "i'll start this very afternoon to visit the chief of the whimsies." . how dorothy became a princess when the people of the emerald city heard that dorothy had returned to them every one was eager to see her, for the little girl was a general favorite in the land of oz. from time to time some of the folk from the great outside world had found their way into this fairyland, but all except one had been companions of dorothy and had turned out to be very agreeable people. the exception i speak of was the wonderful wizard of oz, a sleight-of-hand performer from omaha who went up in a balloon and was carried by a current of air to the emerald city. his queer and puzzling tricks made the people of oz believe him a great wizard for a time, and he ruled over them until dorothy arrived on her first visit and showed the wizard to be a mere humbug. he was a gentle, kind-hearted little man, and dorothy grew to like him afterward. when, after an absence, the wizard returned to the land of oz, ozma received him graciously and gave him a home in a part of the palace. in addition to the wizard two other personages from the outside world had been allowed to make their home in the emerald city. the first was a quaint shaggy man, whom ozma had made the governor of the royal storehouses, and the second a yellow hen named billina, who had a fine house in the gardens back of the palace, where she looked after a large family. both these had been old comrades of dorothy, so you see the little girl was quite an important personage in oz, and the people thought she had brought them good luck, and loved her next best to ozma. during her several visits this little girl had been the means of destroying two wicked witches who oppressed the people, and she had discovered a live scarecrow who was now one of the most popular personages in all the fairy country. with the scarecrow's help she had rescued nick chopper, a tin woodman, who had rusted in a lonely forest, and the tin man was now the emperor of the country of the winkies and much beloved because of his kind heart. no wonder the people thought dorothy had brought them good luck! yet, strange as it may seem, she had accomplished all these wonders not because she was a fairy or had any magical powers whatever, but because she was a simple, sweet and true little girl who was honest to herself and to all whom she met. in this world in which we live simplicity and kindness are the only magic wands that work wonders, and in the land of oz dorothy found these same qualities had won for her the love and admiration of the people. indeed, the little girl had made many warm friends in the fairy country, and the only real grief the ozites had ever experienced was when dorothy left them and returned to her kansas home. now she received a joyful welcome, although no one except ozma knew at first that she had finally come to stay for good and all. that evening dorothy had many callers, and among them were such important people as tiktok, a machine man who thought and spoke and moved by clockwork; her old companion the genial shaggy man; jack pumpkinhead, whose body was brush-wood and whose head was a ripe pumpkin with a face carved upon it; the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, two great beasts from the forest, who served princess ozma, and professor h. m. wogglebug, t.e. this wogglebug was a remarkable creature. he had once been a tiny little bug, crawling around in a school-room, but he was discovered and highly magnified so that he could be seen more plainly, and while in this magnified condition he had escaped. he had always remained big, and he dressed like a dandy and was so full of knowledge and information (which are distinct acquirements) that he had been made a professor and the head of the royal college. dorothy had a nice visit with these old friends, and also talked a long time with the wizard, who was little and old and withered and dried up, but as merry and active as a child. afterward, she went to see billina's fast-growing family of chicks. toto, dorothy's little black dog, also met with a cordial reception. toto was an especial friend of the shaggy man, and he knew every one else. being the only dog in the land of oz, he was highly respected by the people, who believed animals entitled to every consideration if they behaved themselves properly. dorothy had four lovely rooms in the palace, which were always reserved for her use and were called "dorothy's rooms." these consisted of a beautiful sitting room, a dressing room, a dainty bedchamber and a big marble bathroom. and in these rooms were everything that heart could desire, placed there with loving thoughtfulness by ozma for her little friend's use. the royal dressmakers had the little girl's measure, so they kept the closets in her dressing room filled with lovely dresses of every description and suitable for every occasion. no wonder dorothy had refrained from bringing with her her old calico and gingham dresses! here everything that was dear to a little girl's heart was supplied in profusion, and nothing so rich and beautiful could ever have been found in the biggest department stores in america. of course dorothy enjoyed all these luxuries, and the only reason she had heretofore preferred to live in kansas was because her uncle and aunt loved her and needed her with them. now, however, all was to be changed, and dorothy was really more delighted to know that her dear relatives were to share in her good fortune and enjoy the delights of the land of oz, than she was to possess such luxury for herself. next morning, at ozma's request, dorothy dressed herself in a pretty sky-blue gown of rich silk, trimmed with real pearls. the buckles of her shoes were set with pearls, too, and more of these priceless gems were on a lovely coronet which she wore upon her forehead. "for," said her friend ozma, "from this time forth, my dear, you must assume your rightful rank as a princess of oz, and being my chosen companion you must dress in a way befitting the dignity of your position." dorothy agreed to this, although she knew that neither gowns nor jewels could make her anything else than the simple, unaffected little girl she had always been. as soon as they had breakfasted--the girls eating together in ozma's pretty boudoir--the ruler of oz said: "now, dear friend, we will use the magic belt to transport your uncle and aunt from kansas to the emerald city. but i think it would be fitting, in receiving such distinguished guests, for us to sit in my throne room." "oh, they're not very 'stinguished, ozma," said dorothy. "they're just plain people, like me." "being your friends and relatives, princess dorothy, they are certainly distinguished," replied the ruler, with a smile. "they--they won't hardly know what to make of all your splendid furniture and things," protested dorothy, gravely. "it may scare 'em to see your grand throne room, an' p'raps we'd better go into the back yard, ozma, where the cabbages grow an' the chickens are playing. then it would seem more natural to uncle henry and aunt em." "no; they shall first see me in my throne room," replied ozma, decidedly; and when she spoke in that tone dorothy knew it was not wise to oppose her, for ozma was accustomed to having her own way. so together they went to the throne room, an immense domed chamber in the center of the palace. here stood the royal throne, made of solid gold and encrusted with enough precious stones to stock a dozen jewelry stores in our country. ozma, who was wearing the magic belt, seated herself in the throne, and dorothy sat at her feet. in the room were assembled many ladies and gentlemen of the court, clothed in rich apparel and wearing fine jewelry. two immense animals squatted, one on each side of the throne--the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger. in a balcony high up in the dome an orchestra played sweet music, and beneath the dome two electric fountains sent sprays of colored perfumed water shooting up nearly as high as the arched ceiling. "are you ready, dorothy?" asked the ruler. "i am," replied dorothy; "but i don't know whether aunt em and uncle henry are ready." "that won't matter," declared ozma. "the old life can have very little to interest them, and the sooner they begin the new life here the happier they will be. here they come, my dear!" as she spoke, there before the throne appeared uncle henry and aunt em, who for a moment stood motionless, glaring with white and startled faces at the scene that confronted them. if the ladies and gentlemen present had not been so polite i am sure they would have laughed at the two strangers. aunt em had her calico dress skirt "tucked up," and she wore a faded, blue-checked apron. her hair was rather straggly and she had on a pair of uncle henry's old slippers. in one hand she held a dish-towel and in the other a cracked earthenware plate, which she had been engaged in wiping when so suddenly transported to the land of oz. uncle henry, when the summons came, had been out in the barn "doin' chores." he wore a ragged and much soiled straw hat, a checked shirt without any collar and blue overalls tucked into the tops of his old cowhide boots. "by gum!" gasped uncle henry, looking around as if bewildered. "well, i swan!" gurgled aunt em in a hoarse, frightened voice. then her eyes fell upon dorothy, and she said: "d-d-d-don't that look like our little girl--our dorothy, henry?" "hi, there--look out, em!" exclaimed the old man, as aunt em advanced a step; "take care o' the wild beastses, or you're a goner!" but now dorothy sprang forward and embraced and kissed her aunt and uncle affectionately, afterward taking their hands in her own. "don't be afraid," she said to them. "you are now in the land of oz, where you are to live always, and be comfer'ble an' happy. you'll never have to worry over anything again, 'cause there won't be anything to worry about. and you owe it all to the kindness of my friend princess ozma." here she led them before the throne and continued: "your highness, this is uncle henry. and this is aunt em. they want to thank you for bringing them here from kansas." aunt em tried to "slick" her hair, and she hid the dish-towel and dish under her apron while she bowed to the lovely ozma. uncle henry took off his straw hat and held it awkwardly in his hands. but the ruler of oz rose and came from her throne to greet her newly arrived guests, and she smiled as sweetly upon them as if they had been a king and queen. "you are very welcome here, where i have brought you for princess dorothy's sake," she said, graciously, "and i hope you will be quite happy in your new home." then she turned to her courtiers, who were silently and gravely regarding the scene, and added: "i present to my people our princess dorothy's beloved uncle henry and aunt em, who will hereafter be subjects of our kingdom. it will please me to have you show them every kindness and honor in your power, and to join me in making them happy and contented." hearing this, all those assembled bowed low and respectfully to the old farmer and his wife, who bobbed their own heads in return. "and now," said ozma to them, "dorothy will show you the rooms prepared for you. i hope you will like them, and shall expect you to join me at luncheon." so dorothy led her relatives away, and as soon as they were out of the throne room and alone in the corridor, aunt em squeezed dorothy's hand and said: "child, child! how in the world did we ever get here so quick? and is it all real? and are we to stay here, as she says? and what does it all mean, anyhow?" dorothy laughed. "why didn't you tell us what you were goin' to do?" inquired uncle henry, reproachfully. "if i'd known about it, i'd 'a put on my sunday clothes." "i'll 'splain ever'thing as soon as we get to your rooms," promised dorothy. "you're in great luck, uncle henry and aunt em; an' so am i! and oh! i'm so happy to have got you here, at last!" as he walked by the little girl's side, uncle henry stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. "'pears to me, dorothy, we won't make bang-up fairies," he remarked. "an' my back hair looks like a fright!" wailed aunt em. "never mind," returned the little girl, reassuringly. "you won't have anything to do now but to look pretty, aunt em; an' uncle henry won't have to work till his back aches, that's certain." "sure?" they asked, wonderingly, and in the same breath. "course i'm sure," said dorothy. "you're in the fairyland of oz, now; an' what's more, you belong to it!" . how guph visited the whimsies the new general of the nome king's army knew perfectly well that to fail in his plans meant death for him. yet he was not at all anxious or worried. he hated every one who was good and longed to make all who were happy unhappy. therefore he had accepted this dangerous position as general quite willingly, feeling sure in his evil mind that he would be able to do a lot of mischief and finally conquer the land of oz. yet guph determined to be careful, and to lay his plans well, so as not to fail. he argued that only careless people fail in what they attempt to do. the mountains underneath which the nome king's extensive caverns were located lay grouped just north of the land of ev, which lay directly across the deadly desert to the east of the land of oz. as the mountains were also on the edge of the desert the nome king found that he had only to tunnel underneath the desert to reach ozma's dominions. he did not wish his armies to appear above ground in the country of the winkies, which was the part of the land of oz nearest to king roquat's own country, as then the people would give the alarm and enable ozma to fortify the emerald city and assemble an army. he wanted to take all the oz people by surprise; so he decided to run the tunnel clear through to the emerald city, where he and his hosts could break through the ground without warning and conquer the people before they had time to defend themselves. roquat the red began work at once upon his tunnel, setting a thousand miners at the task and building it high and broad enough for his armies to march through it with ease. the nomes were used to making tunnels, as all the kingdom in which they lived was under ground; so they made rapid progress. while this work was going on general guph started out alone to visit the chief of the whimsies. these whimsies were curious people who lived in a retired country of their own. they had large, strong bodies, but heads so small that they were no bigger than door-knobs. of course, such tiny heads could not contain any great amount of brains, and the whimsies were so ashamed of their personal appearance and lack of commonsense that they wore big heads made of pasteboard, which they fastened over their own little heads. on these pasteboard heads they sewed sheep's wool for hair, and the wool was colored many tints--pink, green and lavender being the favorite colors. the faces of these false heads were painted in many ridiculous ways, according to the whims of the owners, and these big, burly creatures looked so whimsical and absurd in their queer masks that they were called "whimsies." they foolishly imagined that no one would suspect the little heads that were inside the imitation ones, not knowing that it is folly to try to appear otherwise than as nature has made us. the chief of the whimsies had as little wisdom as the others, and had been chosen chief merely because none among them was any wiser or more capable of ruling. the whimsies were evil spirits and could not be killed. they were hated and feared by every one and were known as terrible fighters because they were so strong and muscular and had not sense enough to know when they were defeated. general guph thought the whimsies would be a great help to the nomes in the conquest of oz, for under his leadership they could be induced to fight as long so they could stand up. so he traveled to their country and asked to see the chief, who lived in a house that had a picture of his grotesque false head painted over the doorway. the chief's false head had blue hair, a turned-up nose, and a mouth that stretched half across the face. big green eyes had been painted upon it, but in the center of the chin were two small holes made in the pasteboard, so that the chief could see through them with his own tiny eyes; for when the big head was fastened upon his shoulders the eyes in his own natural head were on a level with the false chin. said general guph to the chief of the whimsies: "we nomes are going to conquer the land of oz and capture our king's magic belt, which the oz people stole from him. then we are going to plunder and destroy the whole country. and we want the whimsies to help us." "will there be any fighting?" asked the chief. "plenty," replied guph. that must have pleased the chief, for he got up and danced around the room three times. then he seated himself again, adjusted his false head, and said: "we have no quarrel with ozma of oz." "but you whimsies love to fight, and here is a splendid chance to do so," urged guph. "wait till i sing a song," said the chief. then he lay back in his chair and sang a foolish song that did not seem to the general to mean anything, although he listened carefully. when he had finished, the chief whimsie looked at him through the holes in his chin and asked: "what reward will you give us if we help you?" the general was prepared for this question, for he had been thinking the matter over on his journey. people often do a good deed without hope of reward, but for an evil deed they always demand payment. "when we get our magic belt," he made reply, "our king, roquat the red, will use its power to give every whimsie a natural head as big and fine as the false head he now wears. then you will no longer be ashamed because your big strong bodies have such teenty-weenty heads." "oh! will you do that?" asked the chief, eagerly. "we surely will," promised the general. "i'll talk to my people," said the chief. so he called a meeting of all the whimsies and told them of the offer made by the nomes. the creatures were delighted with the bargain, and at once agreed to fight for the nome king and help him to conquer oz. one whimsie alone seemed to have a glimmer of sense, for he asked: "suppose we fail to capture the magic belt? what will happen then, and what good will all our fighting do?" but they threw him into the river for asking foolish questions, and laughed when the water ruined his pasteboard head before he could swim out again. so the compact was made and general guph was delighted with his success in gaining such powerful allies. but there were other people, too, just as important as the whimsies, whom the clever old nome had determined to win to his side. . how aunt em conquered the lion "these are your rooms," said dorothy, opening a door. aunt em drew back at the sight of the splendid furniture and draperies. "ain't there any place to wipe my feet?" she asked. "you will soon change your slippers for new shoes," replied dorothy. "don't be afraid, aunt em. here is where you are to live, so walk right in and make yourself at home." aunt em advanced hesitatingly. "it beats the topeka hotel!" she cried admiringly. "but this place is too grand for us, child. can't we have some back room in the attic, that's more in our class?" "no," said dorothy. "you've got to live here, 'cause ozma says so. and all the rooms in this palace are just as fine as these, and some are better. it won't do any good to fuss, aunt em. you've got to be swell and high-toned in the land of oz, whether you want to or not; so you may as well make up your mind to it." "it's hard luck," replied her aunt, looking around with an awed expression; "but folks can get used to anything, if they try. eh, henry?" "why, as to that," said uncle henry, slowly, "i b'lieve in takin' what's pervided us, an' askin' no questions. i've traveled some, em, in my time, and you hain't; an' that makes a difference atween us." then dorothy showed them through the rooms. the first was a handsome sitting-room, with windows opening upon the rose gardens. then came separate bedrooms for aunt em and uncle henry, with a fine bathroom between them. aunt em had a pretty dressing room, besides, and dorothy opened the closets and showed several exquisite costumes that had been provided for her aunt by the royal dressmakers, who had worked all night to get them ready. everything that aunt em could possibly need was in the drawers and closets, and her dressing-table was covered with engraved gold toilet articles. uncle henry had nine suits of clothes, cut in the popular munchkin fashion, with knee-breeches, silk stockings, and low shoes with jeweled buckles. the hats to match these costumes had pointed tops and wide brims with small gold bells around the edges. his shirts were of fine linen with frilled bosoms, and his vests were richly embroidered with colored silks. uncle henry decided that he would first take a bath and then dress himself in a blue satin suit that had caught his fancy. he accepted his good fortune with calm composure and refused to have a servant to assist him. but aunt em was "all of a flutter," as she said, and it took dorothy and jellia jamb, the housekeeper, and two maids a long time to dress her and do up her hair and get her "rigged like a popinjay," as she quaintly expressed it. she wanted to stop and admire everything that caught her eye, and she sighed continually and declared that such finery was too good for an old country woman, and that she never thought she would have to "put on airs" at her time of life. finally she was dressed, and when she went into the sitting-room there was uncle henry in his blue satin, walking gravely up and down the room. he had trimmed his beard and mustache and looked very dignified and respectable. "tell me, dorothy," he said; "do all the men here wear duds like these?" "yes," she replied; "all 'cept the scarecrow and the shaggy man--and of course the tin woodman and tiktok, who are made of metal. you'll find all the men at ozma's court dressed just as you are--only perhaps a little finer." "henry, you look like a play-actor," announced aunt em, looking at her husband critically. "an' you, em, look more highfalutin' than a peacock," he replied. "i guess you're right," she said regretfully; "but we're helpless victims of high-toned royalty." dorothy was much amused. "come with me," she said, "and i'll show you 'round the palace." she took them through the beautiful rooms and introduced them to all the people they chanced to meet. also she showed them her own pretty rooms, which were not far from their own. "so it's all true," said aunt em, wide-eyed with amazement, "and what dorothy told us of this fairy country was plain facts instead of dreams! but where are all the strange creatures you used to know here?" "yes, where's the scarecrow?" inquired uncle henry. "why, he's just now away on a visit to the tin woodman, who is emp'ror of the winkie country," answered the little girl. "you'll see him when he comes back, and you're sure to like him." "and where's the wonderful wizard?" asked aunt em. "you'll see him at ozma's luncheon, for he lives here in this palace," was the reply. "and jack pumpkinhead?" "oh, he lives a little way out of town, in his own pumpkin field. we'll go there some time and see him, and we'll call on professor wogglebug, too. the shaggy man will be at the luncheon, i guess, and tiktok. and now i'll take you out to see billina, who has a house of her own." so they went into the back yard, and after walking along winding paths some distance through the beautiful gardens they came to an attractive little house where the yellow hen sat on the front porch sunning herself. "good morning, my dear mistress," called billina, fluttering down to meet them. "i was expecting you to call, for i heard you had come back and brought your uncle and aunt with you." "we're here for good and all, this time, billina," cried dorothy, joyfully. "uncle henry and aunt em belong to oz now as much as i do!" "then they are very lucky people," declared billina; "for there couldn't be a nicer place to live. but come, my dear; i must show you all my dorothys. nine are living and have grown up to be very respectable hens; but one took cold at ozma's birthday party and died of the pip, and the other two turned out to be horrid roosters, so i had to change their names from dorothy to daniel. they all had the letter 'd' engraved upon their gold lockets, you remember, with your picture inside, and 'd' stands for daniel as well as for dorothy." "did you call both the roosters daniel?" asked uncle henry. "yes, indeed. i've nine dorothys and two daniels; and the nine dorothys have eighty-six sons and daughters and over three hundred grandchildren," said billina, proudly. "what names do you give 'em all, dear?" inquired the little girl. "oh, they are all dorothys and daniels, some being juniors and some double-juniors. dorothy and daniel are two good names, and i see no object in hunting for others," declared the yellow hen. "but just think, dorothy, what a big chicken family we've grown to be, and our numbers increase nearly every day! ozma doesn't know what to do with all the eggs we lay, and we are never eaten or harmed in any way, as chickens are in your country. they give us everything to make us contented and happy, and i, my dear, am the acknowledged queen and governor of every chicken in oz, because i'm the eldest and started the whole colony." "you ought to be very proud, ma'am," said uncle henry, who was astonished to hear a hen talk so sensibly. "oh, i am," she replied. "i've the loveliest pearl necklace you ever saw. come in the house and i'll show it to you. and i've nine leg bracelets and a diamond pin for each wing. but i only wear them on state occasions." they followed the yellow hen into the house, which aunt em declared was neat as a pin. they could not sit down, because all billina's chairs were roosting-poles made of silver; so they had to stand while the hen fussily showed them her treasures. then they had to go into the back rooms occupied by billina's nine dorothys and two daniels, who were all plump yellow chickens and greeted the visitors very politely. it was easy to see that they were well bred and that billina had looked after their education. in the yards were all the children and grandchildren of these eleven elders and they were of all sizes, from well-grown hens to tiny chickens just out of the shell. about fifty fluffy yellow youngsters were at school, being taught good manners and good grammar by a young hen who wore spectacles. they sang in chorus a patriotic song of the land of oz, in honor of their visitors, and aunt em was much impressed by these talking chickens. dorothy wanted to stay and play with the young chickens for awhile, but uncle henry and aunt em had not seen the palace grounds and gardens yet and were eager to get better acquainted with the marvelous and delightful land in which they were to live. "i'll stay here, and you can go for a walk," said dorothy. "you'll be perfec'ly safe anywhere, and may do whatever you want to. when you get tired, go back to the palace and find your rooms, and i'll come to you before luncheon is ready." so uncle henry and aunt em started out alone to explore the grounds, and dorothy knew that they couldn't get lost, because all the palace grounds were enclosed by a high wall of green marble set with emeralds. it was a rare treat to these simple folk, who had lived in the country all their lives and known little enjoyment of any sort, to wear beautiful clothes and live in a palace and be treated with respect and consideration by all around them. they were very happy indeed as they strolled up the shady walks and looked upon the gorgeous flowers and shrubs, feeling that their new home was more beautiful than any tongue could describe. suddenly, as they turned a corner and walked through a gap in a high hedge, they came face to face with an enormous lion, which crouched upon the green lawn and seemed surprised by their appearance. they stopped short, uncle henry trembling with horror and aunt em too terrified to scream. next moment the poor woman clasped her husband around the neck and cried: "save me, henry, save me!" "can't even save myself, em," he returned, in a husky voice, "for the animile looks as if it could eat both of us an' lick its chops for more! if i only had a gun--" "haven't you, henry? haven't you?" she asked anxiously. "nary gun, em. so let's die as brave an' graceful as we can. i knew our luck couldn't last!" "i won't die. i won't be eaten by a lion!" wailed aunt em, glaring upon the huge beast. then a thought struck her, and she whispered, "henry, i've heard as savage beastses can be conquered by the human eye. i'll eye that lion out o' countenance an' save our lives." "try it, em," he returned, also in a whisper. "look at him as you do at me when i'm late to dinner." aunt em turned upon the lion a determined countenance and a wild dilated eye. she glared at the immense beast steadily, and the lion, who had been quietly blinking at them, began to appear uneasy and disturbed. "is anything the matter, ma'am?" he asked, in a mild voice. at this speech from the terrible beast aunt em and uncle henry both were startled, and then uncle henry remembered that this must be the lion they had seen in ozma's throne room. "hold on, em!" he exclaimed. "quit the eagle eye conquest an' take courage. i guess this is the same cowardly lion dorothy has told us about." "oh, is it?" she cried, much relieved. "when he spoke, i got the idea; and when he looked so 'shamed like, i was sure of it," uncle henry continued. aunt em regarded the animal with new interest. "are you the cowardly lion?" she inquired. "are you dorothy's friend?" "yes'm," answered the lion, meekly. "dorothy and i are old chums and are very fond of each other. i'm the king of beasts, you know, and the hungry tiger and i serve princess ozma as her body guards." "to be sure," said aunt em, nodding. "but the king of beasts shouldn't be cowardly." "i've heard that said before," remarked the lion, yawning till he showed two great rows of sharp white teeth; "but that does not keep me from being frightened whenever i go into battle." "what do you do, run?" asked uncle henry. "no; that would be foolish, for the enemy would run after me," declared the lion. "so i tremble with fear and pitch in as hard as i can; and so far i have always won my fight." "ah, i begin to understand," said uncle henry. "were you scared when i looked at you just now?" inquired aunt em. "terribly scared, madam," answered the lion, "for at first i thought you were going to have a fit. then i noticed you were trying to overcome me by the power of your eye, and your glance was so fierce and penetrating that i shook with fear." this greatly pleased the lady, and she said quite cheerfully: "well, i won't hurt you, so don't be scared any more. i just wanted to see what the human eye was good for." "the human eye is a fearful weapon," remarked the lion, scratching his nose softly with his paw to hide a smile. "had i not known you were dorothy's friends i might have torn you both into shreds in order to escape your terrible gaze." aunt em shuddered at hearing this, and uncle henry said hastily: "i'm glad you knew us. good morning, mr. lion; we'll hope to see you again--by and by--some time in the future." "good morning," replied the lion, squatting down upon the lawn again. "you are likely to see a good deal of me, if you live in the land of oz." . how the grand gallipoot joined the nomes after leaving the whimsies, guph continued on his journey and penetrated far into the northwest. he wanted to get to the country of the growleywogs, and in order to do that he must cross the ripple land, which was a hard thing to do. for the ripple land was a succession of hills and valleys, all very steep and rocky, and they changed places constantly by rippling. while guph was climbing a hill it sank down under him and became a valley, and while he was descending into a valley it rose up and carried him to the top of a hill. this was very perplexing to the traveler, and a stranger might have thought he could never cross the ripple land at all. but guph knew that if he kept steadily on he would get to the end at last; so he paid no attention to the changing hills and valleys and plodded along as calmly as if walking upon the level ground. the result of this wise persistence was that the general finally reached firmer soil and, after penetrating a dense forest, came to the dominion of the growleywogs. no sooner had he crossed the border of this domain when two guards seized him and carried him before the grand gallipoot of the growleywogs, who scowled upon him ferociously and asked him why he dared intrude upon his territory. "i'm the lord high general of the invincible army of the nomes, and my name is guph," was the reply. "all the world trembles when that name is mentioned." the growleywogs gave a shout of jeering laughter at this, and one of them caught the nome in his strong arms and tossed him high into the air. guph was considerably shaken when he fell upon the hard ground, but he appeared to take no notice of the impertinence and composed himself to speak again to the grand gallipoot. "my master, king roquat the red, has sent me here to confer with you. he wishes your assistance to conquer the land of oz." here the general paused, and the grand gallipoot scowled upon him more terribly than ever and said: "go on!" the voice of the grand gallipoot was partly a roar and partly a growl. he mumbled his words badly and guph had to listen carefully in order to understand him. these growleywogs were certainly remarkable creatures. they were of gigantic size, yet were all bone and skin and muscle, there being no meat or fat upon their bodies at all. their powerful muscles lay just underneath their skins, like bunches of tough rope, and the weakest growleywog was so strong that he could pick up an elephant and toss it seven miles away. it seems unfortunate that strong people are usually so disagreeable and overbearing that no one cares for them. in fact, to be different from your fellow creatures is always a misfortune. the growleywogs knew that they were disliked and avoided by every one, so they had become surly and unsociable even among themselves. guph knew that they hated all people, including the nomes; but he hoped to win them over, nevertheless, and knew that if he succeeded they would afford him very powerful assistance. "the land of oz is ruled by a namby-pamby girl who is disgustingly kind and good," he continued. "her people are all happy and contented and have no care or worries whatever." "go on!" growled the grand gallipoot. "once the nome king enslaved the royal family of ev--another goody-goody lot that we detest," said the general. "but ozma interfered, although it was none of her business, and marched her army against us. with her was a kansas girl named dorothy, and a yellow hen, and they marched directly into the nome king's cavern. there they liberated our slaves from ev and stole king roquat's magic belt, which they carried away with them. so now our king is making a tunnel under the deadly desert, so we can march through it to the emerald city. when we get there we mean to conquer and destroy all the land and recapture the magic belt." again he paused, and again the grand gallipoot growled: "go on!" guph tried to think what to say next, and a happy thought soon occurred to him. "we want you to help us in this conquest," he announced, "for we need the mighty aid of the growleywogs in order to make sure that we shall not be defeated. you are the strongest people in all the world, and you hate good and happy creatures as much as we nomes do. i am sure it will be a real pleasure to you to tear down the beautiful emerald city, and in return for your valuable assistance we will allow you to bring back to your country ten thousand people of oz, to be your slaves." "twenty thousand!" growled the grand gallipoot. "all right, we promise you twenty thousand," agreed the general. the gallipoot made a signal and at once his attendants picked up general guph and carried him away to a prison, where the jailer amused himself by sticking pins in the round fat body of the old nome, to see him jump and hear him yell. but while this was going on the grand gallipoot was talking with his counselors, who were the most important officials of the growleywogs. when he had stated to them the proposition of the nome king, he said: "my advice is to offer to help them. then, when we have conquered the land of oz, we will take not only our twenty thousand prisoners but all the gold and jewels we want." "let us take the magic belt, too," suggested one counselor. "and rob the nome king and make him our slave," said another. "that is a good idea," declared the grand gallipoot. "i'd like king roquat for my own slave. he could black my boots and bring me my porridge every morning while i am in bed." "there is a famous scarecrow in oz. i'll take him for my slave," said a counselor. "i'll take tiktok, the machine man," said another. "give me the tin woodman," said a third. they went on for some time, dividing up the people and the treasure of oz in advance of the conquest. for they had no doubt at all that they would be able to destroy ozma's domain. were they not the strongest people in all the world? "the deadly desert has kept us out of oz before," remarked the grand gallipoot, "but now that the nome king is building a tunnel we shall get into the emerald city very easily. so let us send the little fat general back to his king with our promise to assist him. we will not say that we intend to conquer the nomes after we have conquered oz, but we will do so, just the same." this plan being agreed upon, they all went home to dinner, leaving general guph still in prison. the nome had no idea that he had succeeded in his mission, for finding himself in prison he feared the growleywogs intended to put him to death. by this time the jailer had tired of sticking pins in the general, and was amusing himself by carefully pulling the nome's whiskers out by the roots, one at a time. this enjoyment was interrupted by the grand gallipoot sending for the prisoner. "wait a few hours," begged the jailer. "i haven't pulled out a quarter of his whiskers yet." "if you keep the grand gallipoot waiting, he'll break your back," declared the messenger. "perhaps you're right," sighed the jailer. "take the prisoner away, if you will, but i advise you to kick him at every step he takes. it will be good fun, for he is as soft as a ripe peach." so guph was led away to the royal castle, where the grand gallipoot told him that the growleywogs had decided to assist the nomes in conquering the land of oz. "whenever you are ready," he added, "send me word and i will march with eighteen thousand of my most powerful warriors to your aid." guph was so delighted that he forgot all the smarting caused by the pins and the pulling of whiskers. he did not even complain of the treatment he had received, but thanked the grand gallipoot and hurried away upon his journey. he had now secured the assistance of the whimsies and the growleywogs; but his success made him long for still more allies. his own life depended upon his conquering oz, and he said to himself: "i'll take no chances. i'll be certain of success. then, when oz is destroyed, perhaps i shall be a greater man than old roquat, and i can throw him away and be king of the nomes myself. why not? the whimsies are stronger than the nomes, and they also are my friends. there are some people still stronger than the growleywogs, and if i can but induce them to aid me i shall have nothing more to fear." . how the wogglebug taught athletics it did not take dorothy long to establish herself in her new home, for she knew the people and the manners and customs of the emerald city just as well as she knew the old kansas farm. but uncle henry and aunt em had some trouble in getting used to the finery and pomp and ceremony of ozma's palace, and felt uneasy because they were obliged to be "dressed up" all the time. yet every one was very courteous and kind to them and endeavored to make them happy. ozma, especially, made much of dorothy's relatives, for her little friend's sake, and she well knew that the awkwardness and strangeness of their new mode of life would all wear off in time. the old people were chiefly troubled by the fact that there was no work for them to do. "ev'ry day is like sunday, now," declared aunt em, solemnly, "and i can't say i like it. if they'd only let me do up the dishes after meals, or even sweep an' dust my own rooms, i'd be a deal happier. henry don't know what to do with himself either, and once when he stole out an' fed the chickens billina scolded him for letting 'em eat between meals. i never knew before what a hardship it is to be rich and have everything you want." these complaints began to worry dorothy; so she had a long talk with ozma upon the subject. "i see i must find them something to do," said the girlish ruler of oz, seriously. "i have been watching your uncle and aunt, and i believe they will be more contented if occupied with some light tasks. while i am considering this matter, dorothy, you might make a trip with them through the land of oz, visiting some of the odd corners and introducing your relatives to some of our curious people." "oh, that would be fine!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly. "i will give you an escort befitting your rank as a princess," continued ozma; "and you may go to some of the places you have not yet visited yourself, as well as some others that you know. i will mark out a plan of the trip for you and have everything in readiness for you to start to-morrow morning. take your time, dear, and be gone as long as you wish. by the time you return i shall have found some occupation for uncle henry and aunt em that will keep them from being restless and dissatisfied." dorothy thanked her good friend and kissed the lovely ruler gratefully. then she ran to tell the joyful news to her uncle and aunt. next morning, after breakfast, everything was found ready for their departure. the escort included omby amby, the captain general of ozma's army, which consisted merely of twenty-seven officers besides the captain general. once omby amby had been a private soldier--the only private in the army--but as there was never any fighting to do ozma saw no need of a private, so she made omby amby the highest officer of them all. he was very tall and slim and wore a gay uniform and a fierce mustache. yet the mustache was the only fierce thing about omby amby, whose nature was as gentle as that of a child. the wonderful wizard had asked to join the party, and with him came his friend the shaggy man, who was shaggy but not ragged, being dressed in fine silks with satin shags and bobtails. the shaggy man had shaggy whiskers and hair, but a sweet disposition and a soft, pleasant voice. there was an open wagon, with three seats for the passengers, and the wagon was drawn by the famous wooden sawhorse which had once been brought to life by ozma by means of a magic powder. the sawhorse wore wooden shoes to keep his wooden legs from wearing away, and he was strong and swift. as this curious creature was ozma's own favorite steed, and very popular with all the people of the emerald city, dorothy knew that she had been highly favored by being permitted to use the sawhorse on her journey. in the front seat of the wagon sat dorothy and the wizard. uncle henry and aunt em sat in the next seat and the shaggy man and omby amby in the third seat. of course toto was with the party, curled up at dorothy's feet, and just as they were about to start, billina came fluttering along the path and begged to be taken with them. dorothy readily agreed, so the yellow hen flew up and perched herself upon the dashboard. she wore her pearl necklace and three bracelets upon each leg, in honor of the occasion. dorothy kissed ozma good-bye, and all the people standing around waved their handkerchiefs, and the band in an upper balcony struck up a military march. then the wizard clucked to the sawhorse and said: "gid-dap!" and the wooden animal pranced away and drew behind him the big red wagon and all the passengers, without any effort at all. a servant threw open a gate of the palace enclosure, that they might pass out; and so, with music and shouts following them, the journey was begun. "it's almost like a circus," said aunt em, proudly. "i can't help feelin' high an' mighty in this kind of a turn-out." indeed, as they passed down the street, all the people cheered them lustily, and the shaggy man and the wizard and the captain general all took off their hats and bowed politely in acknowledgment. when they came to the great wall of the emerald city, the gates were opened by the guardian who always tended them. over the gateway hung a dull-colored metal magnet shaped like a horse-shoe, placed against a shield of polished gold. "that," said the shaggy man, impressively, "is the wonderful love magnet. i brought it to the emerald city myself, and all who pass beneath this gateway are both loving and beloved." "it's a fine thing," declared aunt em, admiringly. "if we'd had it in kansas i guess the man who held a mortgage on the farm wouldn't have turned us out." "then i'm glad we didn't have it," returned uncle henry. "i like oz better than kansas, even; an' this little wood sawhorse beats all the critters i ever saw. he don't have to be curried, or fed, or watered, an' he's strong as an ox. can he talk, dorothy?" "yes, uncle," replied the child. "but the sawhorse never says much. he told me once that he can't talk and think at the same time, so he prefers to think." "which is very sensible," declared the wizard, nodding approvingly. "which way do we go, dorothy?" "straight ahead into the quadling country," she answered. "i've got a letter of interduction to miss cuttenclip." "oh!" exclaimed the wizard, much interested. "are we going there? then i'm glad i came, for i've always wanted to meet the cuttenclips." "who are they?" inquired aunt em. "wait till we get there," replied dorothy, with a laugh; "then you'll see for yourself. i've never seen the cuttenclips, you know, so i can't 'zactly 'splain 'em to you." once free of the emerald city the sawhorse dashed away at tremendous speed. indeed, he went so fast that aunt em had hard work to catch her breath, and uncle henry held fast to the seat of the red wagon. "gently--gently, my boy!" called the wizard, and at this the sawhorse slackened his speed. "what's wrong?" asked the animal, slightly turning his wooden head to look at the party with one eye, which was a knot of wood. "why, we wish to admire the scenery, that's all," answered the wizard. "some of your passengers," added the shaggy man, "have never been out of the emerald city before, and the country is all new to them." "if you go too fast you'll spoil all the fun," said dorothy. "there's no hurry." "very well; it is all the same to me," observed the sawhorse; and after that he went at a more moderate pace. uncle henry was astonished. "how can a wooden thing be so intelligent?" he asked. "why, i gave him some sawdust brains the last time i fitted his head with new ears," explained the wizard. "the sawdust was made from hard knots, and now the sawhorse is able to think out any knotty problem he meets with." "i see," said uncle henry. "i don't," remarked aunt em; but no one paid any attention to this statement. before long they came to a stately building that stood upon a green plain with handsome shade trees grouped here and there. "what is that?" asked uncle henry. "that," replied the wizard, "is the royal athletic college of oz, which is directed by professor h. m. wogglebug, t.e." "let's stop and make a call," suggested dorothy. so the sawhorse drew up in front of the great building and they were met at the door by the learned wogglebug himself. he seemed fully as tall as the wizard, and was dressed in a red and white checked vest and a blue swallow-tailed coat, and had yellow knee breeches and purple silk stockings upon his slender legs. a tall hat was jauntily set upon his head and he wore spectacles over his big bright eyes. "welcome, dorothy," said the wogglebug; "and welcome to all your friends. we are indeed pleased to receive you at this great temple of learning." "i thought it was an athletic college," said the shaggy man. "it is, my dear sir," answered the wogglebug, proudly. "here it is that we teach the youth of our great land scientific college athletics--in all their purity." "don't you teach them anything else?" asked dorothy. "don't they get any reading, writing and 'rithmetic?" "oh, yes; of course. they get all those, and more," returned the professor. "but such things occupy little of their time. please follow me and i will show you how my scholars are usually occupied. this is a class hour and they are all busy." they followed him to a big field back of the college building, where several hundred young ozites were at their classes. in one place they played football, in another baseball. some played tennis, some golf; some were swimming in a big pool. upon a river which wound through the grounds several crews in racing boats were rowing with great enthusiasm. other groups of students played basketball and cricket, while in one place a ring was roped in to permit boxing and wrestling by the energetic youths. all the collegians seemed busy and there was much laughter and shouting. "this college," said professor wogglebug, complacently, "is a great success. its educational value is undisputed, and we are turning out many great and valuable citizens every year." "but when do they study?" asked dorothy. "study?" said the wogglebug, looking perplexed at the question. "yes; when do they get their 'rithmetic, and jogerfy, and such things?" "oh, they take doses of those every night and morning," was the reply. "what do you mean by doses?" dorothy inquired, wonderingly. "why, we use the newly invented school pills, made by your friend the wizard. these pills we have found to be very effective, and they save a lot of time. please step this way and i will show you our laboratory of learning." he led them to a room in the building where many large bottles were standing in rows upon shelves. "these are the algebra pills," said the professor, taking down one of the bottles. "one at night, on retiring, is equal to four hours of study. here are the geography pills--one at night and one in the morning. in this next bottle are the latin pills--one three times a day. then we have the grammar pills--one before each meal--and the spelling pills, which are taken whenever needed." "your scholars must have to take a lot of pills," remarked dorothy, thoughtfully. "how do they take 'em, in applesauce?" "no, my dear. they are sugar-coated and are quickly and easily swallowed. i believe the students would rather take the pills than study, and certainly the pills are a more effective method. you see, until these school pills were invented we wasted a lot of time in study that may now be better employed in practicing athletics." "seems to me the pills are a good thing," said omby amby, who remembered how it used to make his head ache as a boy to study arithmetic. "they are, sir," declared the wogglebug, earnestly. "they give us an advantage over all other colleges, because at no loss of time our boys become thoroughly conversant with greek and latin, mathematics and geography, grammar and literature. you see they are never obliged to interrupt their games to acquire the lesser branches of learning." "it's a great invention, i'm sure," said dorothy, looking admiringly at the wizard, who blushed modestly at this praise. "we live in an age of progress," announced professor wogglebug, pompously. "it is easier to swallow knowledge than to acquire it laboriously from books. is it not so, my friends?" "some folks can swallow anything," said aunt em, "but to me this seems too much like taking medicine." "young men in college always have to take their medicine, one way or another," observed the wizard, with a smile; "and, as our professor says, these school pills have proved to be a great success. one day while i was making them i happened to drop one of them, and one of billina's chickens gobbled it up. a few minutes afterward this chick got upon a roost and recited 'the boy stood on the burning deck' without making a single mistake. then it recited 'the charge of the light brigade' and afterwards 'excelsior.' you see, the chicken had eaten an elocution pill." they now bade good-bye to the professor, and thanking him for his kind reception mounted again into the red wagon and continued their journey. . how the cuttenclips lived the travelers had taken no provisions with them because they knew that they would be welcomed wherever they might go in the land of oz, and that the people would feed and lodge them with genuine hospitality. so about noon they stopped at a farm-house and were given a delicious luncheon of bread and milk, fruits and wheat cakes with maple syrup. after resting a while and strolling through the orchards with their host--a round, jolly farmer--they got into the wagon and again started the sawhorse along the pretty, winding road. there were signposts at all the corners, and finally they came to one which read: take this road to the cuttenclips there was also a hand pointing in the right direction, so they turned the sawhorse that way and found it a very good road, but seemingly little traveled. "i've never seen the cuttenclips before," remarked dorothy. "nor i," said the captain general. "nor i," said the wizard. "nor i," said billina. "i've hardly been out of the emerald city since i arrived in this country," added the shaggy man. "why, none of us has been there, then," exclaimed the little girl. "i wonder what the cuttenclips are like." "we shall soon find out," said the wizard, with a sly laugh. "i've heard they are rather flimsy things." the farm-houses became fewer as they proceeded, and the path was at times so faint that the sawhorse had hard work to keep in the road. the wagon began to jounce, too; so they were obliged to go slowly. after a somewhat wearisome journey they came in sight of a high wall, painted blue with pink ornaments. this wall was circular, and seemed to enclose a large space. it was so high that only the tops of the trees could be seen above it. the path led up to a small door in the wall, which was closed and latched. upon the door was a sign in gold letters reading as follows: visitors are requested to move slowly and carefully, and to avoid coughing or making any breeze or draught. "that's strange," said the shaggy man, reading the sign aloud. "who are the cuttenclips, anyhow?" "why, they're paper dolls," answered dorothy. "didn't you know that?" "paper dolls! then let's go somewhere else," said uncle henry. "we're all too old to play with dolls, dorothy." "but these are different," declared the girl. "they're alive." "alive!" gasped aunt em, in amazement. "yes. let's go in," said dorothy. so they all got out of the wagon, since the door in the wall was not big enough for them to drive the sawhorse and wagon through it. "you stay here, toto!" commanded dorothy, shaking her finger at the little dog. "you're so careless that you might make a breeze if i let you inside." toto wagged his tail as if disappointed at being left behind; but he made no effort to follow them. the wizard unlatched the door, which opened outward, and they all looked eagerly inside. just before the entrance was drawn up a line of tiny soldiers, with uniforms brightly painted and paper guns upon their shoulders. they were exactly alike, from one end of the line to the other, and all were cut out of paper and joined together in the centers of their bodies. as the visitors entered the enclosure the wizard let the door swing back into place, and at once the line of soldiers tumbled over, fell flat upon their backs, and lay fluttering upon the ground. "hi there!" called one of them; "what do you mean by slamming the door and blowing us over?" "i beg your pardon, i'm sure," said the wizard, regretfully. "i didn't know you were so delicate." "we're not delicate!" retorted another soldier, raising his head from the ground. "we are strong and healthy; but we can't stand draughts." "may i help you up?" asked dorothy. "if you please," replied the end soldier. "but do it gently, little girl." dorothy carefully stood up the line of soldiers, who first dusted their painted clothes and then saluted the visitors with their paper muskets. from the end it was easy to see that the entire line had been cut out of paper, although from the front the soldiers looked rather solid and imposing. "i've a letter of introduction from princess ozma to miss cuttenclip," announced dorothy. "very well," said the end soldier, and blew upon a paper whistle that hung around his neck. at once a paper soldier in a captain's uniform came out of a paper house near by and approached the group at the entrance. he was not very big, and he walked rather stiffly and uncertainly on his paper legs; but he had a pleasant face, with very red cheeks and very blue eyes, and he bowed so low to the strangers that dorothy laughed, and the breeze from her mouth nearly blew the captain over. he wavered and struggled and finally managed to remain upon his feet. "take care, miss!" he said, warningly. "you're breaking the rules, you know, by laughing." "oh, i didn't know that," she replied. "to laugh in this place is nearly as dangerous as to cough," said the captain. "you'll have to breathe very quietly, i assure you." "we'll try to," promised the girl. "may we see miss cuttenclip, please?" "you may," promptly returned the captain. "this is one of her reception days. be good enough to follow me." he turned and led the way up a path, and as they followed slowly, because the paper captain did not move very swiftly, they took the opportunity to gaze around them at this strange paper country. beside the path were paper trees, all cut out very neatly and painted a brilliant green color. and back of the trees were rows of cardboard houses, painted in various colors but most of them having green blinds. some were large and some small, and in the front yards were beds of paper flowers quite natural in appearance. over some of the porches paper vines were twined, giving them a cozy and shady look. as the visitors passed along the street a good many paper dolls came to the doors and windows of their houses to look at them curiously. these dolls were nearly all the same height, but were cut into various shapes, some being fat and some lean. the girl dolls wore many beautiful costumes of tissue paper, making them quite fluffy; but their heads and hands were no thicker than the paper of which they were made. some of the paper people were on the street, walking along or congregated in groups and talking together; but as soon as they saw the strangers they all fluttered into the houses as fast as they could go, so as to be out of danger. "excuse me if i go edgewise," remarked the captain as they came to a slight hill. "i can get along faster that way and not flutter so much." "that's all right," said dorothy. "we don't mind how you go, i'm sure." at one side of the street was a paper pump, and a paper boy was pumping paper water into a paper pail. the yellow hen happened to brush against this boy with her wing, and he flew into the air and fell into a paper tree, where he stuck until the wizard gently pulled him out. at the same time, the pail went into the air, spilling the paper water, while the paper pump bent nearly double. "goodness me!" said the hen. "if i should flop my wings i believe i'd knock over the whole village!" "then don't flop them--please don't!" entreated the captain. "miss cuttenclip would be very much distressed if her village was spoiled." "oh, i'll be careful," promised billina. "are not all these paper girls and women named miss cuttenclips?" inquired omby amby. "no indeed," answered the captain, who was walking better since he began to move edgewise. "there is but one miss cuttenclip, who is our queen, because she made us all. these girls are cuttenclips, to be sure, but their names are emily and polly and sue and betty and such things. only the queen is called miss cuttenclip." "i must say that this place beats anything i ever heard of," observed aunt em. "i used to play with paper dolls myself, an' cut 'em out; but i never thought i'd ever see such things alive." "i don't see as it's any more curious than hearing hens talk," returned uncle henry. "you're likely to see many queer things in the land of oz, sir," said the wizard. "but a fairy country is extremely interesting when you get used to being surprised." "here we are!" called the captain, stopping before a cottage. this house was made of wood, and was remarkably pretty in design. in the emerald city it would have been considered a tiny dwelling, indeed; but in the midst of this paper village it seemed immense. real flowers were in the garden and real trees grew beside it. upon the front door was a sign reading: miss cuttenclip. just as they reached the porch the front door opened and a little girl stood before them. she appeared to be about the same age as dorothy, and smiling upon her visitors she said, sweetly: "you are welcome." all the party seemed relieved to find that here was a real girl, of flesh and blood. she was very dainty and pretty as she stood there welcoming them. her hair was a golden blonde and her eyes turquoise blue. she had rosy cheeks and lovely white teeth. over her simple white lawn dress she wore an apron with pink and white checks, and in one hand she held a pair of scissors. "may we see miss cuttenclip, please?" asked dorothy. "i am miss cuttenclip," was the reply. "won't you come in?" she held the door open while they all entered a pretty sitting-room that was littered with all sorts of paper--some stiff, some thin, and some tissue. the sheets and scraps were of all colors. upon a table were paints and brushes, while several pair of scissors, of different sizes, were lying about. "sit down, please," said miss cuttenclip, clearing the paper scraps off some of the chairs. "it is so long since i have had any visitors that i am not properly prepared to receive them. but i'm sure you will pardon my untidy room, for this is my workshop." "do you make all the paper dolls?" inquired dorothy. "yes; i cut them out with my scissors, and paint the faces and some of the costumes. it is very pleasant work, and i am happy making my paper village grow." "but how do the paper dolls happen to be alive?" asked aunt em. "the first dolls i made were not alive," said miss cuttenclip. "i used to live near the castle of a great sorceress named glinda the good, and she saw my dolls and said they were very pretty. i told her i thought i would like them better if they were alive, and the next day the sorceress brought me a lot of magic paper. 'this is live paper,' she said, 'and all the dolls you cut out of it will be alive, and able to think and to talk. when you have used it all up, come to me and i will give you more.' "of course i was delighted with this present," continued miss cuttenclip, "and at once set to work and made several paper dolls, which, as soon as they were cut out, began to walk around and talk to me. but they were so thin that i found that any breeze would blow them over and scatter them dreadfully; so glinda found this lonely place for me, where few people ever come. she built the wall to keep any wind from blowing away my people, and told me i could build a paper village here and be its queen. that is why i came here and settled down to work and started the village you now see. it was many years ago that i built the first houses, and i've kept pretty busy and made my village grow finely; and i need not tell you that i am very happy in my work." "many years ago!" exclaimed aunt em. "why, how old are you, child?" "i never keep track of the years," said miss cuttenclip, laughing. "you see, i don't grow up at all, but stay just the same as i was when first i came here. perhaps i'm older even than you are, madam; but i couldn't say for sure." they looked at the lovely little girl wonderingly, and the wizard asked: "what happens to your paper village when it rains?" "it does not rain here," replied miss cuttenclip. "glinda keeps all the rain storms away; so i never worry about my dolls getting wet. but now, if you will come with me, it will give me pleasure to show you over my paper kingdom. of course you must go slowly and carefully, and avoid making any breeze." they left the cottage and followed their guide through the various streets of the village. it was indeed an amazing place, when one considered that it was all made with scissors, and the visitors were not only greatly interested but full of admiration for the skill of little miss cuttenclip. in one place a large group of especially nice paper dolls assembled to greet their queen, whom it was easy to see they loved early. these dolls marched and danced before the visitors, and then they all waved their paper handkerchiefs and sang in a sweet chorus a song called "the flag of our native land." at the conclusion of the song they ran up a handsome paper flag on a tall flagpole, and all of the people of the village gathered around to cheer as loudly as they could--although, of course, their voices were not especially strong. miss cuttenclip was about to make her subjects a speech in reply to this patriotic song, when the shaggy man happened to sneeze. he was a very loud and powerful sneezer at any time, and he had tried so hard to hold in this sneeze that when it suddenly exploded the result was terrible. the paper dolls were mowed down by dozens, and flew and fluttered in wild confusion in every direction, tumbling this way and that and getting more or less wrinkled and bent. a wail of terror and grief came from the scattered throng, and miss cuttenclip exclaimed: "dear me! dear me!" and hurried at once to the rescue of her overturned people. "oh, shaggy man! how could you?" asked dorothy, reproachfully. "i couldn't help it--really i couldn't," protested the shaggy man, looking quite ashamed. "and i had no idea it took so little to upset these paper dolls." "so little!" said dorothy. "why, it was 'most as bad as a kansas cyclone." and then she helped miss cuttenclip rescue the paper folk and stand them on their feet again. two of the cardboard houses had also tumbled over, and the little queen said she would have to repair them and paste them together before they could be lived in again. and now, fearing they might do more damage to the flimsy paper people, they decided to go away. but first they thanked miss cuttenclip very warmly for her courtesy and kindness to them. "any friend of princess ozma is always welcome here--unless he sneezes," said the queen with a rather severe look at the shaggy man, who hung his head. "i like to have visitors admire my wonderful village, and i hope you will call again." miss cuttenclip herself led them to the door in the wall, and as they passed along the street the paper dolls peeped at them half fearfully from the doors and windows. perhaps they will never forget the shaggy man's awful sneeze, and i am sure they were all glad to see the meat people go away. . how the general met the first and foremost on leaving the growleywogs general guph had to recross the ripple lands, and he did not find it a pleasant thing to do. perhaps having his whiskers pulled out one by one and being used as a pin-cushion for the innocent amusement of a good natured jailer had not improved the quality of guph's temper, for the old nome raved and raged at the recollection of the wrongs he had suffered, and vowed to take vengeance upon the growleywogs after he had used them for his purposes and oz had been conquered. he went on in this furious way until he was half across the ripple land. then he became seasick, and the rest of the way this naughty nome was almost as miserable as he deserved to be. but when he reached the plains again and the ground was firm under his feet he began to feel better, and instead of going back home he turned directly west. a squirrel, perched in a tree, saw him take this road and called to him warningly: "look out!" but he paid no attention. an eagle paused in its flight through the air to look at him wonderingly and say: "look out!" but on he went. no one can say that guph was not brave, for he had determined to visit those dangerous creatures the phanfasms, who resided upon the very top of the dread mountain of phantastico. the phanfasms were erbs, and so dreaded by mortals and immortals alike that no one had been near their mountain home for several thousand years. yet general guph hoped to induce them to join in his proposed warfare against the good and happy oz people. guph knew very well that the phanfasms would be almost as dangerous to the nomes as they would to the ozites, but he thought himself so clever that he believed he could manage these strange creatures and make them obey him. and there was no doubt at all that if he could enlist the services of the phanfasms, their tremendous power, united to the strength of the growleywogs and the cunning of the whimsies would doom the land of oz to absolute destruction. so the old nome climbed the foothills and trudged along the wild mountain paths until he came to a big gully that encircled the mountain of phantastico and marked the boundary line of the dominion of the phanfasms. this gully was about a third of the way up the mountain, and it was filled to the brim with red-hot molten lava in which swam fire-serpents and poisonous salamanders. the heat from this mass and its poisonous smell were both so unbearable that even birds hesitated to fly over the gully, but circled around it. all living things kept away from the mountain. now guph had heard, during his long lifetime, many tales of these dreaded phanfasms; so he had heard of this barrier of melted lava, and also he had been told that there was a narrow bridge that spanned it in one place. so he walked along the edge until he found the bridge. it was a single arch of gray stone, and lying flat upon the bridge was a scarlet alligator, seemingly fast asleep. when guph stumbled over the rocks in approaching the bridge the creature opened its eyes, from which tiny flames shot in all directions, and after looking at the intruder very wickedly the scarlet alligator closed its eyelids again and lay still. guph saw there was no room for him to pass the alligator on the narrow bridge, so he called out to it: "good morning, friend. i don't wish to hurry you, but please tell me if you are coming down, or going up?" "neither," snapped the alligator, clicking its cruel jaws together. the general hesitated. "are you likely to stay there long?" he asked. "a few hundred years or so," said the alligator. guph softly rubbed the end of his nose and tried to think what to do. "do you know whether the first and foremost phanfasm of phantastico is at home or not?" he presently inquired. "i expect he is, seeing he is always at home," replied the alligator. "ah; who is that coming down the mountain?" asked the nome, gazing upward. the alligator turned to look over its shoulder, and at once guph ran to the bridge and leaped over the sentinel's back before it could turn back again. the scarlet monster made a snap at the nome's left foot, but missed it by fully an inch. "ah ha!" laughed the general, who was now on the mountain path. "i fooled you that time." "so you did; and perhaps you fooled yourself," retorted the alligator. "go up the mountain, if you dare, and find out what the first and foremost will do to you!" "i will," declared guph, boldly; and on he went up the path. at first the scene was wild enough, but gradually it grew more and more awful in appearance. all the rocks had the shapes of frightful beings and even the tree trunks were gnarled and twisted like serpents. suddenly there appeared before the nome a man with the head of an owl. his body was hairy like that of an ape, and his only clothing was a scarlet scarf twisted around his waist. he bore a huge club in his hand and his round owl eyes blinked fiercely upon the intruder. "what are you doing here?" he demanded, threatening guph with his club. "i've come to see the first and foremost phanfasm of phantastico," replied the general, who did not like the way this creature looked at him, but still was not afraid. "ah; you shall see him!" the man said, with a sneering laugh. "the first and foremost shall decide upon the best way to punish you." "he will not punish me," returned guph, calmly, "for i have come here to do him and his people a rare favor. lead on, fellow, and take me directly to your master." the owl-man raised his club with a threatening gesture. "if you try to escape," he said, "beware--" but here the general interrupted him. "spare your threats," said he, "and do not be impertinent, or i will have you severely punished. lead on, and keep silent!" this guph was really a clever rascal, and it seems a pity he was so bad, for in a good cause he might have accomplished much. he realized that he had put himself into a dangerous position by coming to this dreadful mountain, but he also knew that if he showed fear he was lost. so he adopted a bold manner as his best defense. the wisdom of this plan was soon evident, for the phanfasm with the owl's head turned and led the way up the mountain. at the very top was a level plain upon which were heaps of rock that at first glance seemed solid. but on looking closer guph discovered that these rock heaps were dwellings, for each had an opening. not a person was to be seen outside the rock huts. all was silent. the owl-man led the way among the groups of dwellings to one standing in the center. it seemed no better and no worse than any of the others. outside the entrance to this rock heap the guide gave a low wail that sounded like "lee-ow-ah!" suddenly there bounded from the opening another hairy man. this one wore the head of a bear. in his hand he bore a brass hoop. he glared at the stranger in evident surprise. "why have you captured this foolish wanderer and brought him here?" he demanded, addressing the owl-man. "i did not capture him," was the answer. "he passed the scarlet alligator and came here of his own free will and accord." the first and foremost looked at the general. "have you tired of life, then?" he asked. "no indeed," answered guph. "i am a nome, and the chief general of king roquat the red's great army of nomes. i come of a long-lived race, and i may say that i expect to live a long time yet. sit down, you phanfasms--if you can find a seat in this wild haunt--and listen to what i have to say." with all his knowledge and bravery general guph did not know that the steady glare from the bear eyes was reading his inmost thoughts as surely as if they had been put into words. he did not know that these despised rock heaps of the phanfasms were merely deceptions to his own eyes, nor could he guess that he was standing in the midst of one of the most splendid and luxurious cities ever built by magic power. all that he saw was a barren waste of rock heaps, a hairy man with an owl's head and another with a bear's head. the sorcery of the phanfasms permitted him to see no more. suddenly the first and foremost swung his brass hoop and caught guph around the neck with it. the next instant, before the general could think what had happened to him, he was dragged inside the rock hut. here, his eyes still blinded to realities, he perceived only a dim light, by which the hut seemed as rough and rude inside as it was outside. yet he had a strange feeling that many bright eyes were fastened upon him and that he stood in a vast and extensive hall. the first and foremost now laughed grimly and released his prisoner. "if you have anything to say that is interesting," he remarked, "speak out, before i strangle you." so guph spoke out. he tried not to pay any attention to a strange rustling sound that he heard, as of an unseen multitude drawing near to listen to his words. his eyes could see only the fierce bear-man, and to him he addressed his speech. first he told of his plan to conquer the land of oz and plunder the country of its riches and enslave its people, who, being fairies, could not be killed. after relating all this, and telling of the tunnel the nome king was building, he said he had come to ask the first and foremost to join the nomes, with his band of terrible warriors, and help them to defeat the oz people. the general spoke very earnestly and impressively, but when he had finished the bear-man began to laugh as if much amused, and his laughter seemed to be echoed by a chorus of merriment from an unseen multitude. then, for the first time, guph began to feel a trifle worried. "who else has promised to help you?" finally asked the first and foremost. "the whimsies," replied the general. again the bear-headed phanfasm laughed. "any others?" he inquired. "only the growleywogs," said guph. this answer set the first and foremost laughing anew. "what share of the spoils am i to have?" was the next question. "anything you like, except king roquat's magic belt," replied guph. at this the phanfasm set up a roar of laughter, which had its echo in the unseen chorus, and the bear-man seemed so amused that he actually rolled upon the ground and shouted with merriment. "oh, these blind and foolish nomes!" he said. "how big they seem to themselves and how small they really are!" suddenly he arose and seized guph's neck with one hairy paw, dragging him out of the hut into the open. here he gave a curious wailing cry, and, as if in answer, from all the rocky huts on the mountain-top came flocking a horde of phanfasms, all with hairy bodies, but wearing heads of various animals, birds and reptiles. all were ferocious and repulsive-looking to the deceived eyes of the nome, and guph could not repress a shudder of disgust as he looked upon them. the first and foremost slowly raised his arms, and in a twinkling his hairy skin fell from him and he appeared before the astonished nome as a beautiful woman, clothed in a flowing gown of pink gauze. in her dark hair flowers were entwined, and her face was noble and calm. at the same instant the entire band of phanfasms was transformed into a pack of howling wolves, running here and there as they snarled and showed their ugly yellow fangs. the woman now raised her arms, even as the man-bear had done, and in a twinkling the wolves became crawling lizards, while she herself changed into a huge butterfly. guph had only time to cry out in fear and take a step backward to avoid the lizards when another transformation occurred, and all returned instantly to the forms they had originally worn. then the first and foremost, who had resumed his hairy body and bear head, turned to the nome and asked: "do you still demand our assistance?" "more than ever," answered the general, firmly. "then tell me: what can you offer the phanfasms that they have not already?" inquired the first and foremost. guph hesitated. he really did not know what to say. the nome king's vaunted magic belt seemed a poor thing compared to the astonishing magical powers of these people. gold, jewels and slaves they might secure in any quantity without especial effort. he felt that he was dealing with powers greatly beyond him. there was but one argument that might influence the phanfasms, who were creatures of evil. "permit me to call your attention to the exquisite joy of making the happy unhappy," said he at last. "consider the pleasure of destroying innocent and harmless people." "ah! you have answered me," cried the first and foremost. "for that reason alone we will aid you. go home, and tell your bandy-legged king that as soon as his tunnel is finished the phanfasms will be with him and lead his legions to the conquest of oz. the deadly desert alone has kept us from destroying oz long ago, and your underground tunnel is a clever thought. go home, and prepare for our coming!" guph was very glad to be permitted to go with this promise. the owl-man led him back down the mountain path and ordered the scarlet alligator to crawl away and allow the nome to cross the bridge in safety. after the visitor had gone a brilliant and gorgeous city appeared upon the mountain top, clearly visible to the eyes of the gaily dressed multitude of phanfasms that lived there. and the first and foremost, beautifully arrayed, addressed the others in these words: "it is time we went into the world and brought sorrow and dismay to its people. too long have we remained for ourselves upon this mountain top, for while we are thus secluded many nations have grown happy and prosperous, and the chief joy of the race of phanfasms is to destroy happiness. so i think it is lucky that this messenger from the nomes arrived among us just now, to remind us that the opportunity has come for us to make trouble. we will use king roquat's tunnel to conquer the land of oz. then we will destroy the whimsies, the growleywogs and the nomes, and afterward go out to ravage and annoy and grieve the whole world." the multitude of evil phanfasms eagerly applauded this plan, which they fully approved. i am told that the erbs are the most powerful and merciless of all the evil spirits, and the phanfasms of phantastico belong to the race of erbs. . how they matched the fuddles dorothy and her fellow travelers rode away from the cuttenclip village and followed the indistinct path as far as the sign-post. here they took the main road again and proceeded pleasantly through the pretty farming country. when evening came they stopped at a dwelling and were joyfully welcomed and given plenty to eat and good beds for the night. early next morning, however, they were up and eager to start, and after a good breakfast they bade their host good-bye and climbed into the red wagon, to which the sawhorse had been hitched all night. being made of wood, this horse never got tired nor cared to lie down. dorothy was not quite sure whether he ever slept or not, but it was certain that he never did when anybody was around. the weather is always beautiful in oz, and this morning the air was cool and refreshing and the sunshine brilliant and delightful. in about an hour they came to a place where another road branched off. there was a sign-post here which read: this way to fuddlecumjig "oh, here is where we turn," said dorothy, observing the sign. "what! are we going to fuddlecumjig?" asked the captain general. "yes; ozma thought we might enjoy the fuddles. they are said to be very interesting," she replied. "no one would suspect it from their name," said aunt em. "who are they, anyhow? more paper things?" "i think not," answered dorothy, laughing; "but i can't say 'zactly, aunt em, what they are. we'll find out when we get there." "perhaps the wizard knows," suggested uncle henry. "no; i've never been there before," said the wizard. "but i've often heard of fuddlecumjig and the fuddles, who are said to be the most peculiar people in all the land of oz." "in what way?" asked the shaggy man. "i don't know, i'm sure," said the wizard. just then, as they rode along the pretty green lane toward fuddlecumjig, they espied a kangaroo sitting by the roadside. the poor animal had its face covered with both its front paws and was crying so bitterly that the tears coursed down its cheeks in two tiny streams and trickled across the road, where they formed a pool in a small hollow. the sawhorse stopped short at this pitiful sight, and dorothy cried out, with ready sympathy: "what's the matter, kangaroo?" "boo-hoo! boo-hoo!" wailed the kangaroo; "i've lost my mi--mi--mi--oh, boo-hoo! boo-hoo!"-- "poor thing," said the wizard, "she's lost her mister. it's probably her husband, and he's dead." "no, no, no!" sobbed the kangaroo. "it--it isn't that. i've lost my mi--mi--oh, boo, boo-hoo!" "i know," said the shaggy man; "she's lost her mirror." "no; it's my mi--mi--mi--boo-hoo! my mi--oh, boo-hoo!" and the kangaroo cried harder than ever. "it must be her mince-pie," suggested aunt em. "or her milk-toast," proposed uncle henry. "i've lost my mi--mi--mittens!" said the kangaroo, getting it out at last. "oh!" cried the yellow hen, with a cackle of relief. "why didn't you say so before?" "boo-hoo! i--i--couldn't," answered the kangaroo. "but, see here," said dorothy, "you don't need mittens in this warm weather." "yes, indeed i do," replied the animal, stopping her sobs and removing her paws from her face to look at the little girl reproachfully. "my hands will get all sunburned and tanned without my mittens, and i've worn them so long that i'll probably catch cold without them." "nonsense!" said dorothy. "i never heard of any kangaroo wearing mittens." "didn't you?" asked the animal, as if surprised. "never!" repeated the girl. "and you'll probably make yourself sick if you don't stop crying. where do you live?" "about two miles beyond fuddlecumjig," was the answer. "grandmother gnit made me the mittens, and she's one of the fuddles." "well, you'd better go home now, and perhaps the old lady will make you another pair," suggested dorothy. "we're on our way to fuddlecumjig, and you may hop along beside us." so they rode on, and the kangaroo hopped beside the red wagon and seemed quickly to have forgotten her loss. by and by the wizard said to the animal: "are the fuddles nice people?" "oh, very nice," answered the kangaroo; "that is, when they're properly put together. but they get dreadfully scattered and mixed up, at times, and then you can't do anything with them." "what do you mean by their getting scattered?" inquired dorothy. "why, they're made in a good many small pieces," explained the kangaroo; "and whenever any stranger comes near them they have a habit of falling apart and scattering themselves around. that's when they get so dreadfully mixed, and it's a hard puzzle to put them together again." "who usually puts them together?" asked omby amby. "any one who is able to match the pieces. i sometimes put grandmother gnit together myself, because i know her so well i can tell every piece that belongs to her. then, when she's all matched, she knits for me, and that's how she made my mittens. but it took a good many days hard knitting, and i had to put grandmother together a good many times, because every time i came near, she'd scatter herself." "i should think she would get used to your coming, and not be afraid," said dorothy. "it isn't that," replied the kangaroo. "they're not a bit afraid, when they're put together, and usually they're very jolly and pleasant. it's just a habit they have, to scatter themselves, and if they didn't do it they wouldn't be fuddles." the travelers thought upon this quite seriously for a time, while the sawhorse continued to carry them rapidly forward. then aunt em remarked: "i don't see much use our visitin' these fuddles. if we find them scattered, all we can do is to sweep 'em up, and then go about our business." "oh, i b'lieve we'd better go on," replied dorothy. "i'm getting hungry, and we must try to get some luncheon at fuddlecumjig. perhaps the food won't be scattered as badly as the people." "you'll find plenty to eat there," declared the kangaroo, hopping along in big bounds because the sawhorse was going so fast; "and they have a fine cook, too, if you can manage to put him together. there's the town now--just ahead of us!" they looked ahead and saw a group of very pretty houses standing in a green field a little apart from the main road. "some munchkins came here a few days ago and matched a lot of people together," said the kangaroo. "i think they are together yet, and if you go softly, without making any noise, perhaps they won't scatter." "let's try it," suggested the wizard. so they stopped the sawhorse and got out of the wagon, and, after bidding good bye to the kangaroo, who hopped away home, they entered the field and very cautiously approached the group of houses. so silently did they move that soon they saw through the windows of the houses, people moving around, while others were passing to and fro in the yards between the buildings. they seemed much like other people from a distance, and apparently they did not notice the little party so quietly approaching. they had almost reached the nearest house when toto saw a large beetle crossing the path and barked loudly at it. instantly a wild clatter was heard from the houses and yards. dorothy thought it sounded like a sudden hailstorm, and the visitors, knowing that caution was no longer necessary, hurried forward to see what had happened. after the clatter an intense stillness reigned in the town. the strangers entered the first house they came to, which was also the largest, and found the floor strewn with pieces of the people who lived there. they looked much like fragments of wood neatly painted, and were of all sorts of curious and fantastic shapes, no two pieces being in any way alike. they picked up some of these pieces and looked at them carefully. on one which dorothy held was an eye, which looked at her pleasantly but with an interested expression, as if it wondered what she was going to do with it. quite near by she discovered and picked up a nose, and by matching the two pieces together found that they were part of a face. "if i could find the mouth," she said, "this fuddle might be able to talk, and tell us what to do next." "then let us find it," replied the wizard, and so all got down on their hands and knees and began examining the scattered pieces. "i've found it!" cried the shaggy man, and ran to dorothy with a queer-shaped piece that had a mouth on it. but when they tried to fit it to the eye and nose they found the parts wouldn't match together. "that mouth belongs to some other person," said dorothy. "you see we need a curve here and a point there, to make it fit the face." "well, it must be here some place," declared the wizard; "so if we search long enough we shall find it." dorothy fitted an ear on next, and the ear had a little patch of red hair above it. so while the others were searching for the mouth she hunted for pieces with red hair, and found several of them which, when matched to the other pieces, formed the top of a man's head. she had also found the other eye and the ear by the time omby amby in a far corner discovered the mouth. when the face was thus completed, all the parts joined together with a nicety that was astonishing. "why, it's like a picture puzzle!" exclaimed the little girl. "let's find the rest of him, and get him all together." "what's the rest of him like?" asked the wizard. "here are some pieces of blue legs and green arms, but i don't know whether they are his or not." "look for a white shirt and a white apron," said the head which had been put together, speaking in a rather faint voice. "i'm the cook." "oh, thank you," said dorothy. "it's lucky we started you first, for i'm hungry, and you can be cooking something for us to eat while we match the other folks together." it was not so very difficult, now that they had a hint as to how the man was dressed, to find the other pieces belonging to him, and as all of them now worked on the cook, trying piece after piece to see if it would fit, they finally had the cook set up complete. when he was finished he made them a low bow and said: "i will go at once to the kitchen to prepare your dinner. you will find it something of a job to get all the fuddles together, so i advise you to begin on the lord high chigglewitz, whose first name is larry. he's a bald-headed fat man and is dressed in a blue coat with brass buttons, a pink vest and drab breeches. a piece of his left knee is missing, having been lost years ago when he scattered himself too carelessly. that makes him limp a little, but he gets along very well with half a knee. as he is the chief personage in this town of fuddlecumjig, he will be able to welcome you and assist you with the others. so it will be best to work on him while i'm getting your dinner." "we will," said the wizard; "and thank you very much, cook, for the suggestion." aunt em was the first to discover a piece of the lord high chigglewitz. "it seems to me like a fool business, this matching folks together," she remarked; "but as we haven't anything to do till dinner's ready, we may as well get rid of some of this rubbish. here, henry, get busy and look for larry's bald head. i've got his pink vest, all right." they worked with eager interest, and billina proved a great help to them. the yellow hen had sharp eyes and could put her head close to the various pieces that lay scattered around. she would examine the lord high chigglewitz and see which piece of him was next needed, and then hunt around until she found it. so before an hour had passed old larry was standing complete before them. "i congratulate you, my friends," he said, speaking in a cheerful voice. "you are certainly the cleverest people who ever visited us. i was never matched together so quickly in my life. i'm considered a great puzzle, usually." "well," said dorothy, "there used to be a picture puzzle craze in kansas, and so i've had some 'sperience matching puzzles. but the pictures were flat, while you are round, and that makes you harder to figure out." "thank you, my dear," replied old larry, greatly pleased. "i feel highly complimented. were i not a really good puzzle, there would be no object in my scattering myself." "why do you do it?" asked aunt em, severely. "why don't you behave yourself, and stay put together?" the lord high chigglewitz seemed annoyed by this speech; but he replied, politely: "madam, you have perhaps noticed that every person has some peculiarity. mine is to scatter myself. what your own peculiarity is i will not venture to say; but i shall never find fault with you, whatever you do." "now you've got your diploma, em," said uncle henry, with a laugh, "and i'm glad of it. this is a queer country, and we may as well take people as we find them." "if we did, we'd leave these folks scattered," she returned, and this retort made everybody laugh good-naturedly. just then omby amby found a hand with a knitting needle in it, and they decided to put grandmother gnit together. she proved an easier puzzle than old larry, and when she was completed they found her a pleasant old lady who welcomed them cordially. dorothy told her how the kangaroo had lost her mittens, and grandmother gnit promised to set to work at once and make the poor animal another pair. then the cook came to call them to dinner, and they found an inviting meal prepared for them. the lord high chigglewitz sat at the head of the table and grandmother gnit at the foot, and the guests had a merry time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. after dinner they went out into the yard and matched several other people together, and this work was so interesting that they might have spent the entire day at fuddlecumjig had not the wizard suggested that they resume their journey. "but i don't like to leave all these poor people scattered," said dorothy, undecided what to do. "oh, don't mind us, my dear," returned old larry. "every day or so some of the gillikins, or munchkins, or winkies come here to amuse themselves by matching us together, so there will be no harm in leaving these pieces where they are for a time. but i hope you will visit us again, and if you do you will always be welcome, i assure you." "don't you ever match each other?" she inquired. "never; for we are no puzzles to ourselves, and so there wouldn't be any fun in it." they now said goodbye to the queer fuddles and got into their wagon to continue their journey. "those are certainly strange people," remarked aunt em, thoughtfully, as they drove away from fuddlecumjig, "but i really can't see what use they are, at all." "why, they amused us all for several hours," replied the wizard. "that is being of use to us, i'm sure." "i think they're more fun than playing solitaire or mumbletypeg," declared uncle henry, soberly. "for my part, i'm glad we visited the fuddles." . how the general talked to the king when general guph returned to the cavern of the nome king his majesty asked: "well, what luck? will the whimsies join us?" "they will," answered the general. "they will fight for us with all their strength and cunning." "good!" exclaimed the king. "what reward did you promise them?" "your majesty is to use the magic belt to give each whimsie a large, fine head, in place of the small one he is now obliged to wear." "i agree to that," said the king. "this is good news, guph, and it makes me feel more certain of the conquest of oz." "but i have other news for you," announced the general. "good or bad?" "good, your majesty." "then i will hear it," said the king, with interest. "the growleywogs will join us." "no!" cried the astonished king. "yes, indeed," said the general. "i have their promise." "but what reward do they demand?" inquired the king, suspiciously, for he knew how greedy the growleywogs were. "they are to take a few of the oz people for their slaves," replied guph. he did not think it necessary to tell roquat that the growleywogs demanded twenty thousand slaves. it would be time enough for that when oz was conquered. "a very reasonable request, i'm sure," remarked the king. "i must congratulate you, guph, upon the wonderful success of your journey." "but that is not all," said the general, proudly. the king seemed astonished. "speak out, sir!" he commanded. "i have seen the first and foremost phanfasm of the mountain of phantastico, and he will bring his people to assist us." "what!" cried the king. "the phanfasms! you don't mean it, guph!" "it is true," declared the general, proudly. the king became thoughtful, and his brows wrinkled. "i'm afraid, guph," he said rather anxiously, "that the first and foremost may prove as dangerous to us as to the oz people. if he and his terrible band come down from the mountain they may take the notion to conquer the nomes!" "pah! that is a foolish idea," retorted guph, irritably, but he knew in his heart that the king was right. "the first and foremost is a particular friend of mine, and will do us no harm. why, when i was there, he even invited me into his house." the general neglected to tell the king how he had been jerked into the hut of the first and foremost by means of the brass hoop. so roquat the red looked at his general admiringly and said: "you are a wonderful nome, guph. i'm sorry i did not make you my general before. but what reward did the first and foremost demand?" "nothing at all," answered guph. "even the magic belt itself could not add to his powers of sorcery. all the phanfasms wish is to destroy the oz people, who are good and happy. this pleasure will amply repay them for assisting us." "when will they come?" asked roquat, half fearfully. "when the tunnel is completed," said the general. "we are nearly halfway under the desert now," announced the king; "and that is fast work, because the tunnel has to be drilled through solid rock. but after we have passed the desert it will not take us long to extend the tunnel to the walls of the emerald city." "well, whenever you are ready, we shall be joined by the whimsies, the growleywogs and the phanfasms," said guph; "so the conquest of oz is assured without a doubt." again, the king seemed thoughtful. "i'm almost sorry we did not undertake the conquest alone," said he. "all of these allies are dangerous people, and they may demand more than you have promised them. it might have been better to have conquered oz without any outside assistance." "we could not do it," said the general, positively. "why not, guph?" "you know very well. you have had one experience with the oz people, and they defeated you." "that was because they rolled eggs at us," replied the king, with a shudder. "my nomes cannot stand eggs, any more than i can myself. they are poison to all who live underground." "that is true enough," agreed guph. "but we might have taken the oz people by surprise, and conquered them before they had a chance to get any eggs. our former defeat was due to the fact that the girl dorothy had a yellow hen with her. i do not know what ever became of that hen, but i believe there are no hens at all in the land of oz, and so there could be no eggs there." "on the contrary," said guph, "there are now hundreds of chickens in oz, and they lay heaps of those dangerous eggs. i met a goshawk on my way home, and the bird informed me that he had lately been to oz to capture and devour some of the young chickens. but they are protected by magic, so the hawk did not get a single one of them." "that is a very bad report," said the king, nervously. "very bad, indeed. my nomes are willing to fight, but they simply can't face hen's eggs--and i don't blame them." "they won't need to face them," replied guph. "i'm afraid of eggs myself, and don't propose to take any chances of being poisoned by them. my plan is to send the whimsies through the tunnel first, and then the growleywogs and the phanfasms. by the time we nomes get there the eggs will all be used up, and we may then pursue and capture the inhabitants at our leisure." "perhaps you are right," returned the king, with a dismal sigh. "but i want it distinctly understood that i claim ozma and dorothy as my own prisoners. they are rather nice girls, and i do not intend to let any of those dreadful creatures hurt them, or make them their slaves. when i have captured them i will bring them here and transform them into china ornaments to stand on my mantle. they will look very pretty--dorothy on one end of the mantle and ozma on the other--and i shall take great care to see they are not broken when the maids dust them." "very well, your majesty. do what you will with the girls for all i care. now that our plans are arranged, and we have the three most powerful bands of evil spirits in the world to assist us, let us make haste to get the tunnel finished as soon as possible." "it will be ready in three days," promised the king, and hurried away to inspect the work and see that the nomes kept busy. . how the wizard practiced sorcery "where next?" asked the wizard when they had left the town of fuddlecumjig and the sawhorse had started back along the road. "why, ozma laid out this trip," replied dorothy, "and she 'vised us to see the rigmaroles next, and then visit the tin woodman." "that sounds good," said the wizard. "but what road do we take to get to the rigmaroles?" "i don't know, 'zactly," returned the little girl; "but it must be somewhere just southwest from here." "then why need we go way back to the crossroads?" asked the shaggy man. "we might save a lot of time by branching off here." "there isn't any path," asserted uncle henry. "then we'd better go back to the signposts, and make sure of our way," decided dorothy. but after they had gone a short distance farther the sawhorse, who had overheard their conversation, stopped and said: "here is a path." sure enough, a dim path seemed to branch off from the road they were on, and it led across pretty green meadows and past leafy groves, straight toward the southwest. "that looks like a good path," said omby amby. "why not try it?" "all right," answered dorothy. "i'm anxious to see what the rigmaroles are like, and this path ought to take us there the quickest way." no one made any objection to this plan, so the sawhorse turned into the path, which proved to be nearly as good as the one they had taken to get to the fuddles. as first they passed a few retired farm houses, but soon these scattered dwellings were left behind and only the meadows and the trees were before them. but they rode along in cheerful contentment, and aunt em got into an argument with billina about the proper way to raise chickens. "i do not care to contradict you," said the yellow hen, with dignity, "but i have an idea i know more about chickens than human beings do." "pshaw!" replied aunt em. "i've raised chickens for nearly forty years, billina, and i know you've got to starve 'em to make 'em lay lots of eggs, and stuff 'em if you want good broilers." "broilers!" exclaimed billina, in horror. "broil my chickens!" "why, that's what they're for, ain't it?" asked aunt em, astonished. "no, aunt, not in oz," said dorothy. "people do not eat chickens here. you see, billina was the first hen that was ever seen in this country, and i brought her here myself. everybody liked her an' respected her, so the oz people wouldn't any more eat her chickens than they would eat billina." "well, i declare," gasped aunt em. "how about the eggs?" "oh, if we have more eggs than we want to hatch, we allow people to eat them," said billina. "indeed, i am very glad the oz folks like our eggs, for otherwise they would spoil." "this certainly is a queer country," sighed aunt em. "excuse me," called the sawhorse, "the path has ended and i'd like to know which way to go." they looked around and sure enough there was no path to be seen. "well," said dorothy, "we're going southwest, and it seems just as easy to follow that direction without a path as with one." "certainly," answered the sawhorse. "it is not hard to draw the wagon over the meadow. i only want to know where to go." "there's a forest over there across the prairie," said the wizard, "and it lies in the direction we are going. make straight for the forest, sawhorse, and you're bound to go right." so the wooden animal trotted on again and the meadow grass was so soft under the wheels that it made easy riding. but dorothy was a little uneasy at losing the path, because now there was nothing to guide them. no houses were to be seen at all, so they could not ask their way of any farmer; and although the land of oz was always beautiful, wherever one might go, this part of the country was strange to all the party. "perhaps we're lost," suggested aunt em, after they had proceeded quite a way in silence. "never mind," said the shaggy man; "i've been lost many a time--and so has dorothy--and we've always been found again." "but we may get hungry," remarked omby amby. "that is the worst of getting lost in a place where there are no houses near." "we had a good dinner at the fuddle town," said uncle henry, "and that will keep us from starving to death for a long time." "no one ever starved to death in oz," declared dorothy, positively; "but people may get pretty hungry sometimes." the wizard said nothing, and he did not seem especially anxious. the sawhorse was trotting along briskly, yet the forest seemed farther away than they had thought when they first saw it. so it was nearly sundown when they finally came to the trees; but now they found themselves in a most beautiful spot, the wide-spreading trees being covered with flowering vines and having soft mosses underneath them. "this will be a good place to camp," said the wizard, as the sawhorse stopped for further instructions. "camp!" they all echoed. "certainly," asserted the wizard. "it will be dark before very long and we cannot travel through this forest at night. so let us make a camp here, and have some supper, and sleep until daylight comes again." they all looked at the little man in astonishment, and aunt em said, with a sniff: "a pretty camp we'll have, i must say! i suppose you intend us to sleep under the wagon." "and chew grass for our supper," added the shaggy man, laughing. but dorothy seemed to have no doubts and was quite cheerful "it's lucky we have the wonderful wizard with us," she said; "because he can do 'most anything he wants to." "oh, yes; i forgot we had a wizard," said uncle henry, looking at the little man curiously. "i didn't," chirped billina, contentedly. the wizard smiled and climbed out of the wagon, and all the others followed him. "in order to camp," said he, "the first thing we need is tents. will some one please lend me a handkerchief?" the shaggy man offered him one, and aunt em another. he took them both and laid them carefully upon the grass near to the edge of the forest. then he laid his own handkerchief down, too, and standing a little back from them he waved his left hand toward the handkerchiefs and said: "tents of canvas, white as snow, let me see how fast you grow!" then, lo and behold! the handkerchiefs became tiny tents, and as the travelers looked at them the tents grew bigger and bigger until in a few minutes each one was large enough to contain the entire party. "this," said the wizard, pointing to the first tent, "is for the accommodation of the ladies. dorothy, you and your aunt may step inside and take off your things." every one ran to look inside the tent, and they saw two pretty white beds, all ready for dorothy and aunt em, and a silver roost for billina. rugs were spread upon the grassy floor and some camp chairs and a table completed the furniture. "well, well, well! this beats anything i ever saw or heard of!" exclaimed aunt em, and she glanced at the wizard almost fearfully, as if he might be dangerous because of his great powers. "oh, mr. wizard! how did you manage to do it?" asked dorothy. "it's a trick glinda the sorceress taught me, and it is much better magic than i used to practice in omaha, or when i first came to oz," he answered. "when the good glinda found i was to live in the emerald city always, she promised to help me, because she said the wizard of oz ought really to be a clever wizard, and not a humbug. so we have been much together and i am learning so fast that i expect to be able to accomplish some really wonderful things in time." "you've done it now!" declared dorothy. "these tents are just wonderful!" "but come and see the men's tent," said the wizard. so they went to the second tent, which had shaggy edges because it has been made from the shaggy man's handkerchief, and found that completely furnished also. it contained four neat beds for uncle henry, omby amby, the shaggy man and the wizard. also there was a soft rug for toto to lie upon. "the third tent," explained the wizard, "is our dining room and kitchen." they visited that next, and found a table and dishes in the dining tent, with plenty of those things necessary to use in cooking. the wizard carried out a big kettle and set it swinging on a crossbar before the tent. while he was doing this omby amby and the shaggy man brought a supply of twigs from the forest and then they built a fire underneath the kettle. "now, dorothy," said the wizard, smiling, "i expect you to cook our supper." "but there is nothing in the kettle," she cried. "are you sure?" inquired the wizard. "i didn't see anything put in, and i'm almost sure it was empty when you brought it out," she replied. "nevertheless," said the little man, winking slyly at uncle henry, "you will do well to watch our supper, my dear, and see that it doesn't boil over." then the men took some pails and went into the forest to search for a spring of water, and while they were gone aunt em said to dorothy: "i believe the wizard is fooling us. i saw the kettle myself, and when he hung it over the fire there wasn't a thing in it but air." "don't worry," remarked billina, confidently, as she nestled in the grass before the fire. "you'll find something in the kettle when it's taken off--and it won't be poor, innocent chickens, either." "your hen has very bad manners, dorothy," said aunt em, looking somewhat disdainfully at billina. "it seems too bad she ever learned how to talk." there might have been another unpleasant quarrel between aunt em and billina had not the men returned just then with their pails filled with clear, sparkling water. the wizard told dorothy that she was a good cook and he believed their supper was ready. so uncle henry lifted the kettle from the fire and poured its contents into a big platter which the wizard held for him. the platter was fairly heaped with a fine stew, smoking hot, with many kinds of vegetables and dumplings and a rich, delicious gravy. the wizard triumphantly placed the platter upon the table in the dining tent and then they all sat down in camp chairs to the feast. there were several other dishes on the table, all carefully covered, and when the time came to remove these covers they found bread and butter, cakes, cheese, pickles and fruits--including some of the luscious strawberries of oz. no one ventured to ask a question as to how these things came there. they contented themselves by eating heartily the good things provided, and toto and billina had their full share, you may be sure. after the meal was over, aunt em whispered to dorothy: "that may have been magic food, my dear, and for that reason perhaps it won't be very nourishing; but i'm willing to say it tasted as good as anything i ever et." then she added, in a louder voice: "who's going to do the dishes?" "no one, madam," answered the wizard. "the dishes have 'done' themselves." "la sakes!" ejaculated the good lady, holding up her hands in amazement. for, sure enough, when she looked at the dishes they had a moment before left upon the table, she found them all washed and dried and piled up into neat stacks. . how dorothy happened to get lost it was a beautiful evening, so they drew their camp chairs in a circle before one of the tents and began to tell stories to amuse themselves and pass away the time before they went to bed. pretty soon a zebra was seen coming out of the forest, and he trotted straight up to them and said politely: "good evening, people." the zebra was a sleek little animal and had a slender head, a stubby mane and a paint-brush tail--very like a donkey's. his neatly shaped white body was covered with regular bars of dark brown, and his hoofs were delicate as those of a deer. "good evening, friend zebra," said omby amby, in reply to the creature's greeting. "can we do anything for you?" "yes," answered the zebra. "i should like you to settle a dispute that has long been a bother to me, as to whether there is more water or land in the world." "who are you disputing with?" asked the wizard. "with a soft-shell crab," said the zebra. "he lives in a pool where i go to drink every day, and he is a very impertinent crab, i assure you. i have told him many times that the land is much greater in extent than the water, but he will not be convinced. even this very evening, when i told him he was an insignificant creature who lived in a small pool, he asserted that the water was greater and more important than the land. so, seeing your camp, i decided to ask you to settle the dispute for once and all, that i may not be further annoyed by this ignorant crab." when they had listened to this explanation dorothy inquired: "where is the soft-shell crab?" "not far away," replied the zebra. "if you will agree to judge between us i will run and get him." "run along, then," said the little girl. so the animal pranced into the forest and soon came trotting back to them. when he drew near they found a soft-shell crab clinging fast to the stiff hair of the zebra's head, where it held on by one claw. "now then, mr. crab," said the zebra, "here are the people i told you about; and they know more than you do, who lives in a pool, and more than i do, who lives in a forest. for they have been travelers all over the world, and know every part of it." "there is more of the world than oz," declared the crab, in a stubborn voice. "that is true," said dorothy; "but i used to live in kansas, in the united states, and i've been to california and to australia and so has uncle henry." "for my part," added the shaggy man, "i've been to mexico and boston and many other foreign countries." "and i," said the wizard, "have been to europe and ireland." "so you see," continued the zebra, addressing the crab, "here are people of real consequence, who know what they are talking about." "then they know there's more water in the world than there is land," asserted the crab, in a shrill, petulant voice. "they know you are wrong to make such an absurd statement, and they will probably think you are a lobster instead of a crab," retorted the animal. at this taunt the crab reached out its other claw and seized the zebra's ear, and the creature gave a cry of pain and began prancing up and down, trying to shake off the crab, which clung fast. "stop pinching!" cried the zebra. "you promised not to pinch if i would carry you here!" "and you promised to treat me respectfully," said the crab, letting go the ear. "well, haven't i?" demanded the zebra. "no; you called me a lobster," said the crab. "ladies and gentlemen," continued the zebra, "please pardon my poor friend, because he is ignorant and stupid, and does not understand. also the pinch of his claw is very annoying. so pray tell him that the world contains more land than water, and when he has heard your judgment i will carry him back and dump him into his pool, where i hope he will be more modest in the future." "but we cannot tell him that," said dorothy, gravely, "because it would not be true." "what!" exclaimed the zebra, in astonishment; "do i hear you aright?" "the soft-shell crab is correct," declared the wizard. "there is considerably more water than there is land in the world." "impossible!" protested the zebra. "why, i can run for days upon the land, and find but little water." "did you ever see an ocean?" asked dorothy. "never," admitted the zebra. "there is no such thing as an ocean in the land of oz." "well, there are several oceans in the world," said dorothy, "and people sail in ships upon these oceans for weeks and weeks, and never see a bit of land at all. and the joggerfys will tell you that all the oceans put together are bigger than all the land put together." at this the crab began laughing in queer chuckles that reminded dorothy of the way billina sometimes cackled. "now will you give up, mr. zebra?" it cried, jeeringly; "now will you give up?" the zebra seemed much humbled. "of course i cannot read geographys," he said. "you could take one of the wizard's school pills," suggested billina, "and that would make you learned and wise without studying." the crab began laughing again, which so provoked the zebra that he tried to shake the little creature off. this resulted in more ear-pinching, and finally dorothy told them that if they could not behave they must go back to the forest. "i'm sorry i asked you to decide this question," said the zebra, crossly. "so long as neither of us could prove we were right we quite enjoyed the dispute; but now i can never drink at that pool again without the soft-shell crab laughing at me. so i must find another drinking place." "do! do, you ignoramus!" shouted the crab, as loudly as his little voice would carry. "rile some other pool with your clumsy hoofs, and let your betters alone after this!" then the zebra trotted back to the forest, bearing the crab with him, and disappeared amid the gloom of the trees. and as it was now getting dark the travelers said good night to one another and went to bed. dorothy awoke just as the light was beginning to get strong next morning, and not caring to sleep any later she quietly got out of bed, dressed herself, and left the tent where aunt em was yet peacefully slumbering. outside she noticed billina busily pecking around to secure bugs or other food for breakfast, but none of the men in the other tent seemed awake. so the little girl decided to take a walk in the woods and try to discover some path or road that they might follow when they again started upon their journey. she had reached the edge of the forest when the yellow hen came fluttering along and asked where she was going. "just to take a walk, billina; and maybe i'll find some path," said dorothy. "then i'll go along," decided billina, and scarcely had she spoken when toto ran up and joined them. toto and the yellow hen had become quite friendly by this time, although at first they did not get along well together. billina had been rather suspicious of dogs, and toto had had an idea that it was every dog's duty to chase a hen on sight. but dorothy had talked to them and scolded them for not being agreeable to one another until they grew better acquainted and became friends. i won't say they loved each other dearly, but at least they had stopped quarreling and now managed to get on together very well. the day was growing lighter every minute and driving the black shadows out of the forest; so dorothy found it very pleasant walking under the trees. she went some distance in one direction, but not finding a path, presently turned in a different direction. there was no path here, either, although she advanced quite a way into the forest, winding here and there among the trees and peering through the bushes in an endeavor to find some beaten track. "i think we'd better go back," suggested the yellow hen, after a time. "the people will all be up by this time and breakfast will be ready." "very well," agreed dorothy. "let's see--the camp must be over this way." she had probably made a mistake about that, for after they had gone far enough to have reached the camp they still found themselves in the thick of the woods. so the little girl stopped short and looked around her, and toto glanced up into her face with his bright little eyes and wagged his tail as if he knew something was wrong. he couldn't tell much about direction himself, because he had spent his time prowling among the bushes and running here and there; nor had billina paid much attention to where they were going, being interested in picking bugs from the moss as they passed along. the yellow hen now turned one eye up toward the little girl and asked: "have you forgotten where the camp is, dorothy?" "yes," she admitted; "have you, billina?" "i didn't try to remember," returned billina. "i'd no idea you would get lost, dorothy." "it's the thing we don't expect, billina, that usually happens," observed the girl, thoughtfully. "but it's no use standing here. let's go in that direction," pointing a finger at random. "it may be we'll get out of the forest over there." so on they went again, but this way the trees were closer together, and the vines were so tangled that often they tripped dorothy up. suddenly a voice cried sharply: "halt!" at first, dorothy could see nothing, although she looked around very carefully. but billina exclaimed: "well, i declare!" "what is it?" asked the little girl: for toto began barking at something, and following his gaze she discovered what it was. a row of spoons had surrounded the three, and these spoons stood straight up on their handles and carried swords and muskets. their faces were outlined in the polished bowls and they looked very stern and severe. dorothy laughed at the queer things. "who are you?" she asked. "we're the spoon brigade," said one. "in the service of his majesty king kleaver," said another. "and you are our prisoners," said a third. dorothy sat down on an old stump and looked at them, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "what would happen," she inquired, "if i should set my dog on your brigade?" "he would die," replied one of the spoons, sharply. "one shot from our deadly muskets would kill him, big as he is." "don't risk it, dorothy," advised the yellow hen. "remember this is a fairy country, yet none of us three happens to be a fairy." dorothy grew sober at this. "p'raps you're right, billina," she answered. "but how funny it is, to be captured by a lot of spoons!" "i do not see anything very funny about it," declared a spoon. "we're the regular military brigade of the kingdom." "what kingdom?" she asked. "utensia," said he. "i never heard of it before," asserted dorothy. then she added thoughtfully, "i don't believe ozma ever heard of utensia, either. tell me, are you not subjects of ozma of oz?" "we have never heard of her," retorted a spoon. "we are subjects of king kleaver, and obey only his orders, which are to bring all prisoners to him as soon as they are captured. so step lively, my girl, and march with us, or we may be tempted to cut off a few of your toes with our swords." this threat made dorothy laugh again. she did not believe she was in any danger; but here was a new and interesting adventure, so she was willing to be taken to utensia that she might see what king kleaver's kingdom was like. . how dorothy visited utensia there must have been from six to eight dozen spoons in the brigade, and they marched away in the shape of a hollow square, with dorothy, billina and toto in the center of the square. before they had gone very far toto knocked over one of the spoons by wagging his tail, and then the captain of the spoons told the little dog to be more careful, or he would be punished. so toto was careful, and the spoon brigade moved along with astonishing swiftness, while dorothy really had to walk fast to keep up with it. by and by they left the woods and entered a big clearing, in which was the kingdom of utensia. standing all around the clearing were a good many cookstoves, ranges and grills, of all sizes and shapes, and besides these there were several kitchen cabinets and cupboards and a few kitchen tables. these things were crowded with utensils of all sorts: frying pans, sauce pans, kettles, forks, knives, basting and soup spoons, nutmeg graters, sifters, colanders, meat saws, flat irons, rolling pins and many other things of a like nature. when the spoon brigade appeared with the prisoners a wild shout arose and many of the utensils hopped off their stoves or their benches and ran crowding around dorothy and the hen and the dog. "stand back!" cried the captain, sternly, and he led his captives through the curious throng until they came before a big range that stood in the center of the clearing. beside this range was a butcher block upon which lay a great cleaver with a keen edge. it rested upon the flat of its back, its legs were crossed and it was smoking a long pipe. "wake up, your majesty," said the captain. "here are prisoners." hearing this, king kleaver sat up and looked at dorothy sharply. "gristle and fat!" he cried. "where did this girl come from?" "i found her in the forest and brought her here a prisoner," replied the captain. "why did you do that?" inquired the king, puffing his pipe lazily. "to create some excitement," the captain answered. "it is so quiet here that we are all getting rusty for want of amusement. for my part, i prefer to see stirring times." "naturally," returned the cleaver, with a nod. "i have always said, captain, without a bit of irony, that you are a sterling officer and a solid citizen, bowled and polished to a degree. but what do you expect me to do with these prisoners?" "that is for you to decide," declared the captain. "you are the king." "to be sure; to be sure," muttered the cleaver, musingly. "as you say, we have had dull times since the steel and grindstone eloped and left us. command my counselors and the royal courtiers to attend me, as well as the high priest and the judge. we'll then decide what can be done." the captain saluted and retired and dorothy sat down on an overturned kettle and asked: "have you anything to eat in your kingdom?" "here! get up! get off from me!" cried a faint voice, at which his majesty the cleaver said: "excuse me, but you're sitting on my friend the ten-quart kettle." dorothy at once arose, and the kettle turned right side up and looked at her reproachfully. "i'm a friend of the king, so no one dares sit on me," said he. "i'd prefer a chair, anyway," she replied. "sit on that hearth," commanded the king. so dorothy sat on the hearth-shelf of the big range, and the subjects of utensia began to gather around in a large and inquisitive throng. toto lay at dorothy's feet and billina flew upon the range, which had no fire in it, and perched there as comfortably as she could. when all the counselors and courtiers had assembled--and these seemed to include most of the inhabitants of the kingdom--the king rapped on the block for order and said: "friends and fellow utensils! our worthy commander of the spoon brigade, captain dipp, has captured the three prisoners you see before you and brought them here for--for--i don't know what for. so i ask your advice how to act in this matter, and what fate i should mete out to these captives. judge sifter, stand on my right. it is your business to sift this affair to the bottom. high priest colender, stand on my left and see that no one testifies falsely in this matter." as these two officials took their places, dorothy asked: "why is the colander the high priest?" "he's the holiest thing we have in the kingdom," replied king kleaver. "except me," said a sieve. "i'm the whole thing when it comes to holes." "what we need," remarked the king, rebukingly, "is a wireless sieve. i must speak to marconi about it. these old-fashioned sieves talk too much. now, it is the duty of the king's counselors to counsel the king at all times of emergency, so i beg you to speak out and advise me what to do with these prisoners." "i demand that they be killed several times, until they are dead!" shouted a pepperbox, hopping around very excitedly. "compose yourself, mr. paprica," advised the king. "your remarks are piquant and highly-seasoned, but you need a scattering of commonsense. it is only necessary to kill a person once to make him dead; but i do not see that it is necessary to kill this little girl at all." "i don't, either," said dorothy. "pardon me, but you are not expected to advise me in this matter," replied king kleaver. "why not?" asked dorothy. "you might be prejudiced in your own favor, and so mislead us," he said. "now then, good subjects, who speaks next?" "i'd like to smooth this thing over, in some way," said a flatiron, earnestly. "we are supposed to be useful to mankind, you know." "but the girl isn't mankind! she's womankind!" yelled a corkscrew. "what do you know about it?" inquired the king. "i'm a lawyer," said the corkscrew, proudly. "i am accustomed to appear at the bar." "but you're crooked," retorted the king, "and that debars you. you may be a corking good lawyer, mr. popp, but i must ask you to withdraw your remarks." "very well," said the corkscrew, sadly; "i see i haven't any pull at this court." "permit me," continued the flatiron, "to press my suit, your majesty. i do not wish to gloss over any fault the prisoner may have committed, if such a fault exists; but we owe her some consideration, and that's flat!" "i'd like to hear from prince karver," said the king. at this a stately carvingknife stepped forward and bowed. "the captain was wrong to bring this girl here, and she was wrong to come," he said. "but now that the foolish deed is done let us all prove our mettle and have a slashing good time." "that's it! that's it!" screamed a fat choppingknife. "we'll make mincemeat of the girl and hash of the chicken and sausage of the dog!" there was a shout of approval at this and the king had to rap again for order. "gentlemen, gentlemen!" he said, "your remarks are somewhat cutting and rather disjointed, as might be expected from such acute intellects. but you give me no reasons for your demands." "see here, kleaver; you make me tired," said a saucepan, strutting before the king very impudently. "you're about the worst king that ever reigned in utensia, and that's saying a good deal. why don't you run things yourself, instead of asking everybody's advice, like the big, clumsy idiot you are?" the king sighed. "i wish there wasn't a saucepan in my kingdom," he said. "you fellows are always stewing, over something, and every once in a while you slop over and make a mess of it. go hang yourself, sir--by the handle--and don't let me hear from you again." dorothy was much shocked by the dreadful language the utensils employed, and she thought that they must have had very little proper training. so she said, addressing the king, who seemed very unfit to rule his turbulent subjects: "i wish you'd decide my fate right away. i can't stay here all day, trying to find out what you're going to do with me." "this thing is becoming a regular broil, and it's time i took part in it," observed a big gridiron, coming forward. "what i'd like to know," said a can-opener, in a shrill voice, "is why the little girl came to our forest anyhow and why she intruded upon captain dipp--who ought to be called dippy--and who she is, and where she came from, and where she is going, and why and wherefore and therefore and when." "i'm sorry to see, sir jabber," remarked the king to the can-opener, "that you have such a prying disposition. as a matter of fact, all the things you mention are none of our business." having said this the king relighted his pipe, which had gone out. "tell me, please, what is our business?" inquired a potato-masher, winking at dorothy somewhat impertinently. "i'm fond of little girls, myself, and it seems to me she has as much right to wander in the forest as we have." "who accuses the little girl, anyway?" inquired a rolling-pin. "what has she done?" "i don't know," said the king. "what has she done, captain dipp?" "that's the trouble, your majesty. she hasn't done anything," replied the captain. "what do you want me to do?" asked dorothy. this question seemed to puzzle them all. finally, a chafingdish, exclaimed irritably: "if no one can throw any light on this subject you must excuse me if i go out." at this, a big kitchen fork pricked up its ears and said in a tiny voice: "let's hear from judge sifter." "that's proper," returned the king. so judge sifter turned around slowly several times and then said: "we have nothing against the girl except the stove-hearth upon which she sits. therefore i order her instantly discharged." "discharged!" cried dorothy. "why, i never was discharged in my life, and i don't intend to be. if it's all the same to you, i'll resign." "it's all the same," declared the king. "you are free--you and your companions--and may go wherever you like." "thank you," said the little girl. "but haven't you anything to eat in your kingdom? i'm hungry." "go into the woods and pick blackberries," advised the king, lying down upon his back again and preparing to go to sleep. "there isn't a morsel to eat in all utensia, that i know of." so dorothy jumped up and said: "come on, toto and billina. if we can't find the camp, we may find some blackberries." the utensils drew back and allowed them to pass without protest, although captain dipp marched the spoon brigade in close order after them until they had reached the edge of the clearing. there the spoons halted; but dorothy and her companions entered the forest again and began searching diligently for a way back to the camp, that they might rejoin their party. . how they came to bunbury wandering through the woods, without knowing where you are going or what adventure you are about to meet next, is not as pleasant as one might think. the woods are always beautiful and impressive, and if you are not worried or hungry you may enjoy them immensely; but dorothy was worried and hungry that morning, so she paid little attention to the beauties of the forest, and hurried along as fast as she could go. she tried to keep in one direction and not circle around, but she was not at all sure that the direction she had chosen would lead her to the camp. by and by, to her great joy, she came upon a path. it ran to the right and to the left, being lost in the trees in both directions, and just before her, upon a big oak, were fastened two signs, with arms pointing both ways. one sign read: take the other road to bunbury and the second sign read: take the other road to bunnybury "well!" exclaimed billina, eyeing the signs, "this looks as if we were getting back to civilization again." "i'm not sure about the civil'zation, dear," replied the little girl; "but it looks as if we might get somewhere, and that's a big relief, anyhow." "which path shall we take?" inquired the yellow hen. dorothy stared at the signs thoughtfully. "bunbury sounds like something to eat," she said. "let's go there." "it's all the same to me," replied billina. she had picked up enough bugs and insects from the moss as she went along to satisfy her own hunger, but the hen knew dorothy could not eat bugs; nor could toto. the path to bunbury seemed little traveled, but it was distinct enough and ran through the trees in a zigzag course until it finally led them to an open space filled with the queerest houses dorothy had ever seen. they were all made of crackers laid out in tiny squares, and were of many pretty and ornamental shapes, having balconies and porches with posts of bread-sticks and roofs shingled with wafer-crackers. there were walks of bread-crusts leading from house to house and forming streets, and the place seemed to have many inhabitants. when dorothy, followed by billina and toto, entered the place, they found people walking the streets or assembled in groups talking together, or sitting upon the porches and balconies. and what funny people they were! men, women and children were all made of buns and bread. some were thin and others fat; some were white, some light brown and some very dark of complexion. a few of the buns, which seemed to form the more important class of the people, were neatly frosted. some had raisins for eyes and currant buttons on their clothes; others had eyes of cloves and legs of stick cinnamon, and many wore hats and bonnets frosted pink and green. there was something of a commotion in bunbury when the strangers suddenly appeared among them. women caught up their children and hurried into their houses, shutting the cracker doors carefully behind them. some men ran so hastily that they tumbled over one another, while others, more brave, assembled in a group and faced the intruders defiantly. dorothy at once realized that she must act with caution in order not to frighten these shy people, who were evidently unused to the presence of strangers. there was a delightful fragrant odor of fresh bread in the town, and this made the little girl more hungry than ever. she told toto and billina to stay back while she slowly advanced toward the group that stood silently awaiting her. "you must 'scuse me for coming unexpected," she said, softly, "but i really didn't know i was coming here until i arrived. i was lost in the woods, you know, and i'm as hungry as anything." "hungry!" they murmured, in a horrified chorus. "yes; i haven't had anything to eat since last night's supper," she exclaimed. "are there any eatables in bunbury?" they looked at one another undecidedly, and then one portly bun man, who seemed a person of consequence, stepped forward and said: "little girl, to be frank with you, we are all eatables. everything in bunbury is eatable to ravenous human creatures like you. but it is to escape being eaten and destroyed that we have secluded ourselves in this out-of-the-way place, and there is neither right nor justice in your coming here to feed upon us." dorothy looked at him longingly. "you're bread, aren't you?" she asked. "yes; bread and butter. the butter is inside me, so it won't melt and run. i do the running myself." at this joke all the others burst into a chorus of laughter, and dorothy thought they couldn't be much afraid if they could laugh like that. "couldn't i eat something besides people?" she asked. "couldn't i eat just one house, or a side-walk or something? i wouldn't mind much what it was, you know." "this is not a public bakery, child," replied the man, sternly. "it's private property." "i know mr.--mr.--" "my name is c. bunn, esquire," said the man. "'c' stands for cinnamon, and this place is called after my family, which is the most aristocratic in the town." "oh, i don't know about that," objected another of the queer people. "the grahams and the browns and whites are all excellent families, and there is none better of their kind. i'm a boston brown, myself." "i admit you are all desirable citizens," said mr. bunn rather stiffly; "but the fact remains that our town is called bunbury." "'scuse me," interrupted dorothy; "but i'm getting hungrier every minute. now, if you're polite and kind, as i'm sure you ought to be, you'll let me eat something. there's so much to eat here that you will never miss it." then a big, puffed-up man, of a delicate brown color, stepped forward and said: "i think it would be a shame to send this child away hungry, especially as she agrees to eat whatever we can spare and not touch our people." "so do i, pop," replied a roll who stood near. "what, then, do you suggest, mr. over?" inquired mr. bunn. "why, i'll let her eat my back fence, if she wants to. it's made of waffles, and they're very crisp and nice." "she may also eat my wheelbarrow," added a pleasant looking muffin. "it's made of nabiscos with a zuzu wheel." "very good; very good," remarked mr. bunn. "that is certainly very kind of you. go with pop over and mr. muffin, little girl, and they will feed you." "thank you very much," said dorothy, gratefully. "may i bring my dog toto, and the yellow hen? they're hungry, too." "will you make them behave?" asked the muffin. "of course," promised dorothy. "then come along," said pop over. so dorothy and billina and toto walked up the street and the people seemed no longer to be at all afraid of them. mr. muffin's house came first, and as his wheelbarrow stood in the front yard the little girl ate that first. it didn't seem very fresh, but she was so hungry that she was not particular. toto ate some, too, while billina picked up the crumbs. while the strangers were engaged in eating, many of the people came and stood in the street curiously watching them. dorothy noticed six roguish looking brown children standing all in a row, and she asked: "who are you, little ones?" "we're the graham gems," replied one; "and we're all twins." "i wonder if your mother could spare one or two of you?" asked billina, who decided that they were fresh baked; but at this dangerous question the six little gems ran away as fast as they could go. "you musn't say such things, billina," said dorothy, reprovingly. "now let's go into pop over's back yard and get the waffles." "i sort of hate to let that fence go," remarked mr. over, nervously, as they walked toward his house. "the neighbors back of us are soda biscuits, and i don't care to mix with them." "but i'm hungry yet," declared the girl. "that wheelbarrow wasn't very big." "i've got a shortcake piano, but none of my family can play on it," he said, reflectively. "suppose you eat that." "all right," said dorothy; "i don't mind. anything to be accommodating." so mr. over led her into the house, where she ate the piano, which was of an excellent flavor. "is there anything to drink here?" she asked. "yes; i've a milk pump and a water pump; which will you have?" he asked. "i guess i'll try 'em both," said dorothy. so mr. over called to his wife, who brought into the yard a pail made of some kind of baked dough, and dorothy pumped the pail full of cool, sweet milk and drank it eagerly. the wife of pop over was several shades darker than her husband. "aren't you overdone?" the little girl asked her. "no indeed," answered the woman. "i'm neither overdone nor done over; i'm just mrs. over, and i'm the president of the bunbury breakfast band." dorothy thanked them for their hospitality and went away. at the gate mr. cinnamon bunn met her and said he would show her around the town. "we have some very interesting inhabitants," he remarked, walking stiffly beside her on his stick-cinnamon legs; "and all of us who are in good health are well bred. if you are no longer hungry we will call upon a few of the most important citizens." toto and billina followed behind them, behaving very well, and a little way down the street they came to a handsome residence where aunt sally lunn lived. the old lady was glad to meet the little girl and gave her a slice of white bread and butter which had been used as a door-mat. it was almost fresh and tasted better than anything dorothy had eaten in the town. "where do you get the butter?" she inquired. "we dig it out of the ground, which, as you may have observed, is all flour and meal," replied mr. bunn. "there is a butter mine just at the opposite side of the village. the trees which you see here are all doughleanders and doughderas, and in the season we get quite a crop of dough-nuts off them." "i should think the flour would blow around and get into your eyes," said dorothy. "no," said he; "we are bothered with cracker dust sometimes, but never with flour." then he took her to see johnny cake, a cheerful old gentleman who lived near by. "i suppose you've heard of me," said old johnny, with an air of pride. "i'm a great favorite all over the world." "aren't you rather yellow?" asked dorothy, looking at him critically. "maybe, child. but don't think i'm bilious, for i was never in better health in my life," replied the old gentleman. "if anything ailed me, i'd willingly acknowledge the corn." "johnny's a trifle stale," said mr. bunn, as they went away; "but he's a good mixer and never gets cross-grained. i will now take you to call upon some of my own relatives." they visited the sugar bunns, the currant bunns and the spanish bunns, the latter having a decidedly foreign appearance. then they saw the french rolls, who were very polite to them, and made a brief call upon the parker h. rolls, who seemed a bit proud and overbearing. "but they're not as stuck up as the frosted jumbles," declared mr. bunn, "who are people i really can't abide. i don't like to be suspicious or talk scandal, but sometimes i think the jumbles have too much baking powder in them." just then a dreadful scream was heard, and dorothy turned hastily around to find a scene of great excitement a little way down the street. the people were crowding around toto and throwing at him everything they could find at hand. they pelted the little dog with hard-tack, crackers, and even articles of furniture which were hard baked and heavy enough for missiles. toto howeled a little as the assortment of bake stuff struck him; but he stood still, with head bowed and tail between his legs, until dorothy ran up and inquired what the matter was. "matter!" cried a rye loafer, indignantly, "why the horrid beast has eaten three of our dear crumpets, and is now devouring a salt-rising biscuit!" "oh, toto! how could you?" exclaimed dorothy, much distressed. toto's mouth was full of his salt-rising victim; so he only whined and wagged his tail. but billina, who had flown to the top of a cracker house to be in a safe place, called out: "don't blame him, dorothy; the crumpets dared him to do it." "yes, and you pecked out the eyes of a raisin bunn--one of our best citizens!" shouted a bread pudding, shaking its fist at the yellow hen. "what's that! what's that?" wailed mr. cinnamon bunn, who had now joined them. "oh, what a misfortune--what a terrible misfortune!" "see here," said dorothy, determined to defend her pets, "i think we've treated you all pretty well, seeing you're eatables an' reg'lar food for us. i've been kind to you and eaten your old wheelbarrows and pianos and rubbish, an' not said a word. but toto and billina can't be 'spected to go hungry when the town's full of good things they like to eat, 'cause they can't understand your stingy ways as i do." "you must leave here at once!" said mr. bunn, sternly. "suppose we won't go?" said dorothy, who was now much provoked. "then," said he, "we will put you into the great ovens where we are made, and bake you." dorothy gazed around and saw threatening looks upon the faces of all. she had not noticed any ovens in the town, but they might be there, nevertheless, for some of the inhabitants seemed very fresh. so she decided to go, and calling to toto and billina to follow her she marched up the street with as much dignity as possible, considering that she was followed by the hoots and cries of the buns and biscuits and other bake stuff. . how ozma looked into the magic picture princess ozma was a very busy little ruler, for she looked carefully after the comfort and welfare of her people and tried to make them happy. if any quarrels arose she decided them justly; if any one needed counsel or advice she was ready and willing to listen to them. for a day or two after dorothy and her companions had started on their trip, ozma was occupied with the affairs of her kingdom. then she began to think of some manner of occupation for uncle henry and aunt em that would be light and easy and yet give the old people something to do. she soon decided to make uncle henry the keeper of the jewels, for some one really was needed to count and look after the bins and barrels of emeralds, diamonds, rubies and other precious stones that were in the royal storehouses. that would keep uncle henry busy enough, but it was harder to find something for aunt em to do. the palace was full of servants, so there was no detail of housework that aunt em could look after. while ozma sat in her pretty room engaged in thought she happened to glance at her magic picture. this was one of the most important treasures in all the land of oz. it was a large picture, set in a beautiful gold frame, and it hung in a prominent place upon a wall of ozma's private room. usually this picture seemed merely a country scene, but whenever ozma looked at it and wished to know what any of her friends or acquaintances were doing, the magic of this wonderful picture was straightway disclosed. for the country scene would gradually fade away and in its place would appear the likeness of the person or persons ozma might wish to see, surrounded by the actual scenes in which they were then placed. in this way the princess could view any part of the world she wished, and watch the actions of any one in whom she was interested. ozma had often seen dorothy in her kansas home by this means, and now, having a little leisure, she expressed a desire to see her little friend again. it was while the travelers were at fuddlecumjig, and ozma laughed merrily as she watched in the picture her friends trying to match the pieces of grandmother gnit. "they seem happy and are doubtless having a good time," the girl ruler said to herself; and then she began to think of the many adventures she herself had encountered with dorothy. the image of her friends now faded from the magic picture and the old landscape slowly reappeared. ozma was thinking of the time when with dorothy and her army she marched to the nome king's underground cavern, beyond the land of ev, and forced the old monarch to liberate his captives, who belonged to the royal family of ev. that was the time when the scarecrow nearly frightened the nome king into fits by throwing one of billina's eggs at him, and dorothy had captured king roquat's magic belt and brought it away with her to the land of oz. the pretty princess smiled at the recollection of this adventure, and then she wondered what had become of the nome king since then. merely because she was curious and had nothing better to do, ozma glanced at the magic picture and wished to see in it the king of the nomes. roquat the red went every day into his tunnel to see how the work was getting along and to hurry his workmen as much as possible. he was there now, and ozma saw him plainly in the magic picture. she saw the underground tunnel, reaching far underneath the deadly desert which separated the land of oz from the mountains beneath which the nome king had his extensive caverns. she saw that the tunnel was being made in the direction of the emerald city, and knew at once it was being dug so that the army of nomes could march through it and attack her own beautiful and peaceful country. "i suppose king roquat is planning revenge against us," she said, musingly, "and thinks he can surprise us and make us his captives and slaves. how sad it is that any one can have such wicked thoughts! but i must not blame king roquat too severely, for he is a nome, and his nature is not so gentle as my own." then she dismissed from her mind further thought of the tunnel, for that time, and began to wonder if aunt em would not be happy as royal mender of the stockings of the ruler of oz. ozma wore few holes in her stockings; still, they sometimes needed mending. aunt em ought to be able to do that very nicely. next day, the princess watched the tunnel again in her magic picture, and every day afterward she devoted a few minutes to inspecting the work. it was not especially interesting, but she felt that it was her duty. slowly but surely the big, arched hole crept through the rocks underneath the deadly desert, and day by day it drew nearer and nearer to the emerald city. . how bunnybury welcomed the strangers dorothy left bunbury the same way she had entered it and when they were in the forest again she said to billina: "i never thought that things good to eat could be so dis'gree'ble." "often i've eaten things that tasted good but were disagreeable afterward," returned the yellow hen. "i think, dorothy, if eatables are going to act badly, it's better before than after you eat them." "p'raps you're right," said the little girl, with a sigh. "but what shall we do now?" "let us follow the path back to the signpost," suggested billina. "that will be better than getting lost again." "why, we're lost anyhow," declared dorothy; "but i guess you're right about going back to that signpost, billina." they returned along the path to the place where they had first found it, and at once took "the other road" to bunnybury. this road was a mere narrow strip, worn hard and smooth but not wide enough for dorothy's feet to tread. still, it was a guide, and the walking through the forest was not at all difficult. before long they reached a high wall of solid white marble, and the path came to an end at this wall. at first dorothy thought there was no opening at all in the marble, but on looking closely she discovered a small square door about on a level with her head, and underneath this closed door was a bell-push. near the bell-push a sign was painted in neat letters upon the marble, and the sign read: no admittance except on business this did not discourage dorothy, however, and she rang the bell. pretty soon a bolt was cautiously withdrawn and the marble door swung slowly open. then she saw it was not really a door, but a window, for several brass bars were placed across it, being set fast in the marble and so close together that the little girl's fingers might barely go between them. back of the bars appeared the face of a white rabbit--a very sober and sedate face--with an eye-glass held in his left eye and attached to a cord in his button-hole. "well! what is it?" asked the rabbit, sharply. "i'm dorothy," said the girl, "and i'm lost, and--" "state your business, please," interrupted the rabbit. "my business," she replied, "is to find out where i am, and to--" "no one is allowed in bunnybury without an order or a letter of introduction from either ozma of oz or glinda the good," announced the rabbit; "so that settles the matter," and he started to close the window. "wait a minute!" cried dorothy. "i've got a letter from ozma." "from the ruler of oz?" asked the rabbit, doubtingly. "of course. ozma's my best friend, you know; and i'm a princess myself," she announced, earnestly. "hum--ha! let me see your letter," returned the rabbit, as if he still doubted her. so she hunted in her pocket and found the letter ozma had given her. then she handed it through the bars to the rabbit, who took it in his paws and opened it. he read it aloud in a pompous voice, as if to let dorothy and billina see that he was educated and could read writing. the letter was as follows: "it will please me to have my subjects greet princess dorothy, the bearer of this royal missive, with the same courtesy and consideration they would extend to me." "ha--hum! it is signed 'ozma of oz,'" continued the rabbit, "and is sealed with the great seal of the emerald city. well, well, well! how strange! how remarkable!" "what are you going to do about it?" inquired dorothy, impatiently. "we must obey the royal mandate," replied the rabbit. "we are subjects of ozma of oz, and we live in her country. also we are under the protection of the great sorceress glinda the good, who made us promise to respect ozma's commands." "then may i come in?" she asked. "i'll open the door," said the rabbit. he shut the window and disappeared, but a moment afterward a big door in the wall opened and admitted dorothy to a small room, which seemed to be a part of the wall and built into it. here stood the rabbit she had been talking with, and now that she could see all of him, she gazed at the creature in surprise. he was a good sized white rabbit with pink eyes, much like all other white rabbits. but the astonishing thing about him was the manner in which he was dressed. he wore a white satin jacket embroidered with gold, and having diamond buttons. his vest was rose-colored satin, with tourmaline buttons. his trousers were white, to correspond with the jacket, and they were baggy at the knees--like those of a zouave--being tied with knots of rose ribbons. his shoes were of white plush with diamond buckles, and his stockings were rose silk. the richness and even magnificence of the rabbit's clothing made dorothy stare at the little creature wonderingly. toto and billina had followed her into the room and when he saw them the rabbit ran to a table and sprang upon it nimbly. then he looked at the three through his monocle and said: "these companions, princess, cannot enter bunnybury with you." "why not?" asked dorothy. "in the first place they would frighten our people, who dislike dogs above all things on earth; and, secondly, the letter of the royal ozma does not mention them." "but they're my friends," persisted dorothy, "and go wherever i go." "not this time," said the rabbit, decidedly. "you, yourself, princess, are a welcome visitor, since you come so highly recommended; but unless you consent to leave the dog and the hen in this room i cannot permit you to enter the town." "never mind us, dorothy," said billina. "go inside and see what the place is like. you can tell us about it afterward, and toto and i will rest comfortably here until you return." this seemed the best thing to do, for dorothy was curious to see how the rabbit people lived and she was aware of the fact that her friends might frighten the timid little creatures. she had not forgotten how toto and billina had misbehaved in bunbury, and perhaps the rabbit was wise to insist on their staying outside the town. "very well," she said, "i'll go in alone. i s'pose you're the king of this town, aren't you?" "no," answered the rabbit, "i'm merely the keeper of the wicket, and a person of little importance, although i try to do my duty. i must now inform you, princess, that before you enter our town you must consent to reduce." "reduce what?" asked dorothy. "your size. you must become the size of the rabbits, although you may retain your own form." "wouldn't my clothes be too big for me?" she inquired. "no; they will reduce when your body does." "can you make me smaller?" asked the girl. "easily," returned the rabbit. "and will you make me big again, when i'm ready to go away?" "i will," said he. "all right, then; i'm willing," she announced. the rabbit jumped from the table and ran--or rather hopped--to the further wall, where he opened a door so tiny that even toto could scarcely have crawled through it. "follow me," he said. now, almost any other little girl would have declared that she could not get through so small a door; but dorothy had already encountered so many fairy adventures that she believed nothing was impossible in the land of oz. so she quietly walked toward the door, and at every step she grew smaller and smaller until, by the time the opening was reached, she could pass through it with ease. indeed, as she stood beside the rabbit, who sat upon his hind legs and used his paws as hands, her head was just about as high as his own. then the keeper of the wicket passed through and she followed, after which the door swung shut and locked itself with a sharp click. dorothy now found herself in a city so strange and beautiful that she gave a gasp of surprise. the high marble wall extended all around the place and shut out all the rest of the world. and here were marble houses of curious forms, most of them resembling overturned kettles but with delicate slender spires and minarets running far up into the sky. the streets were paved with white marble and in front of each house was a lawn of rich green clover. everything was as neat as wax, the green and white contrasting prettily together. but the rabbit people were, after all, the most amazing things dorothy saw. the streets were full of them, and their costumes were so splendid that the rich dress of the keeper of the wicket was commonplace when compared with the others. silks and satins of delicate hues seemed always used for material, and nearly every costume sparkled with exquisite gems. but the lady rabbits outshone the gentlemen rabbits in splendor, and the cut of their gowns was really wonderful. they wore bonnets, too, with feathers and jewels in them, and some wheeled baby carriages in which the girl could see wee bunnies. some were lying asleep while others lay sucking their paws and looking around them with big pink eyes. as dorothy was no bigger in size than the grown-up rabbits she had a chance to observe them closely before they noticed her presence. then they did not seem at all alarmed, although the little girl naturally became the center of attraction and regarded her with great curiosity. "make way!" cried the keeper of the wicket, in a pompous voice; "make way for princess dorothy, who comes from ozma of oz." hearing this announcement, the throng of rabbits gave place to them on the walks, and as dorothy passed along they all bowed their heads respectfully. walking thus through several handsome streets they came to a square in the center of the city. in this square were some pretty trees and a statue in bronze of glinda the good, while beyond it were the portals of the royal palace--an extensive and imposing building of white marble covered with a filigree of frosted gold. . how dorothy lunched with a king a line of rabbit soldiers was drawn up before the palace entrance, and they wore green and gold uniforms with high shakos upon their heads and held tiny spears in their hands. the captain had a sword and a white plume in his shako. "salute!" called the keeper of the wicket. "salute princess dorothy, who comes from ozma of oz!" "salute!" yelled the captain, and all the soldiers promptly saluted. they now entered the great hall of the palace, where they met a gaily dressed attendant, from whom the keeper of the wicket inquired if the king were at leisure. "i think so," was the reply. "i heard his majesty blubbering and wailing as usual only a few minutes ago. if he doesn't stop acting like a cry-baby i'm going to resign my position here and go to work." "what's the matter with your king?" asked dorothy, surprised to hear the rabbit attendant speak so disrespectfully of his monarch. "oh, he doesn't want to be king, that's all; and he simply has to," was the reply. "come!" said the keeper of the wicket, sternly; "lead us to his majesty; and do not air our troubles before strangers, i beg of you." "why, if this girl is going to see the king, he'll air his own troubles," returned the attendant. "that is his royal privilege," declared the keeper. so the attendant led them into a room all draped with cloth-of-gold and furnished with satin-covered gold furniture. there was a throne in this room, set on a dais and having a big, cushioned seat, and on this seat reclined the rabbit king. he was lying on his back, with his paws in the air, and whining very like a puppy-dog. "your majesty! your majesty! get up. here's a visitor," called out the attendant. the king rolled over and looked at dorothy with one watery pink eye. then he sat up and wiped his eyes carefully with a silk handkerchief and put on his jeweled crown, which had fallen off. "excuse my grief, fair stranger," he said, in a sad voice. "you behold in me the most miserable monarch in all the world. what time is it, blinkem?" "one o'clock, your majesty," replied the attendant to whom the question was addressed. "serve luncheon at once!" commanded the king. "luncheon for two--that's for my visitor and me--and see that the human has some sort of food she's accustomed to." "yes, your majesty," answered the attendant, and went away. "tie my shoe, bristle," said the king to the keeper of the wicket. "ah me! how unhappy i am!" "what seems to be worrying your majesty?" asked dorothy. "why, it's this king business, of course," he returned, while the keeper tied his shoe. "i didn't want to be king of bunnybury at all, and the rabbits all knew it. so they elected me--to save themselves from such a dreadful fate, i suppose--and here i am, shut up in a palace, when i might be free and happy." "seems to me," said dorothy, "it's a great thing to be a king." "were you ever a king?" inquired the monarch. "no," she answered, laughing. "then you know nothing about it," he said. "i haven't inquired who you are, but it doesn't matter. while we're at luncheon, i'll tell you all my troubles. they're a great deal more interesting than anything you can say about yourself." "perhaps they are, to you," replied dorothy. "luncheon is served!" cried blinkem, throwing open the door, and in came a dozen rabbits in livery, all bearing trays which they placed upon the table, where they arranged the dishes in an orderly manner. "now clear out--all of you!" exclaimed the king. "bristle, you may wait outside, in case i want you." when they had gone and the king was alone with dorothy he came down from his throne, tossed his crown into a corner and kicked his ermine robe under the table. "sit down," he said, "and try to be happy. it's useless for me to try, because i'm always wretched and miserable. but i'm hungry, and i hope you are." "i am," said dorothy. "i've only eaten a wheelbarrow and a piano to-day--oh, yes! and a slice of bread and butter that used to be a door-mat." "that sounds like a square meal," remarked the king, seating himself opposite her; "but perhaps it wasn't a square piano. eh?" dorothy laughed. "you don't seem so very unhappy now," she said. "but i am," protested the king, fresh tears gathering in his eyes. "even my jokes are miserable. i'm wretched, woeful, afflicted, distressed and dismal as an individual can be. are you not sorry for me?" "no," answered dorothy, honestly, "i can't say i am. seems to me that for a rabbit you're right in clover. this is the prettiest little city i ever saw." "oh, the city is good enough," he admitted. "glinda, the good sorceress, made it for us because she was fond of rabbits. i don't mind the city so much, although i wouldn't live here if i had my choice. it is being king that has absolutely ruined my happiness." "why wouldn't you live here by choice?" she asked. "because it is all unnatural, my dear. rabbits are out of place in such luxury. when i was young i lived in a burrow in the forest. i was surrounded by enemies and often had to run for my life. it was hard getting enough to eat, at times, and when i found a bunch of clover i had to listen and look for danger while i ate it. wolves prowled around the hole in which i lived and sometimes i didn't dare stir out for days at a time. oh, how happy and contented i was then! i was a real rabbit, as nature made me--wild and free!--and i even enjoyed listening to the startled throbbing of my own heart!" "i've often thought," said dorothy, who was busily eating, "that it would be fun to be a rabbit." "it is fun--when you're the genuine article," agreed his majesty. "but look at me now! i live in a marble palace instead of a hole in the ground. i have all i want to eat, without the joy of hunting for it. every day i must dress in fine clothes and wear that horrible crown till it makes my head ache. rabbits come to me with all sorts of troubles, when my own troubles are the only ones i care about. when i walk out i can't hop and run; i must strut on my rear legs and wear an ermine robe! and the soldiers salute me and the band plays and the other rabbits laugh and clap their paws and cry out: 'hail to the king!' now let me ask you, as a friend and a young lady of good judgment: isn't all this pomp and foolishness enough to make a decent rabbit miserable?" "once," said dorothy, reflectively, "men were wild and unclothed and lived in caves and hunted for food as wild beasts do. but they got civ'lized, in time, and now they'd hate to go back to the old days." "that is an entirely different case," replied the king. "none of you humans were civilized in one lifetime. it came to you by degrees. but i have known the forest and the free life, and that is why i resent being civilized all at once, against my will, and being made a king with a crown and an ermine robe. pah!" "if you don't like it, why don't you resign?" she asked. "impossible!" wailed the rabbit, wiping his eyes again with his handkerchief. "there's a beastly law in this town that forbids it. when one is elected a king, there's no getting out of it." "who made the laws?" inquired dorothy. "the same sorceress who made the town--glinda the good. she built the wall, and fixed up the city, and gave us several valuable enchantments, and made the laws. then she invited all the pink-eyed white rabbits of the forest to come here, after which she left us to our fate." "what made you 'cept the invitation, and come here?" asked the child. "i didn't know how dreadful city life was, and i'd no idea i would be elected king," said he, sobbing bitterly. "and--and--now i'm it--with a capital i--and can't escape!" "i know glinda," remarked dorothy, eating for dessert a dish of charlotte russe, "and when i see her again, i'll ask her to put another king in your place." "will you? will you, indeed?" asked the king, joyfully. "i will if you want me to," she replied. "hurroo--huray!" shouted the king; and then he jumped up from the table and danced wildly about the room, waving his napkin like a flag and laughing with glee. after a time he managed to control his delight and returned to the table. "when are you likely to see glinda?" he inquired. "oh, p'raps in a few days," said dorothy. "and you won't forget to ask her?" "of course not." "princess," said the rabbit king, earnestly, "you have relieved me of a great unhappiness, and i am very grateful. therefore i propose to entertain you, since you are my guest and i am the king, as a slight mark of my appreciation. come with me to my reception hall." he then summoned bristle and said to him: "assemble all the nobility in the great reception hall, and also tell blinkem that i want him immediately." the keeper of the wicket bowed and hurried away, and his majesty turned to dorothy and continued: "we'll have time for a walk in the gardens before the people get here." the gardens were back of the palace and were filled with beautiful flowers and fragrant shrubs, with many shade and fruit trees and marble-paved walks running in every direction. as they entered this place blinkem came running to the king, who gave him several orders in a low voice. then his majesty rejoined dorothy and led her through the gardens, which she admired very much. "what lovely clothes your majesty wears!" she said, glancing at the rich blue satin costume, embroidered, with pearls in which the king was dressed. "yes," he returned, with an air of pride, "this is one of my favorite suits; but i have a good many that are even more elaborate. we have excellent tailors in bunnybury, and glinda supplies all the material. by the way, you might ask the sorceress, when you see her, to permit me to keep my wardrobe." "but if you go back to the forest you will not need clothes," she said. "n--o!" he faltered; "that may be so. but i've dressed up so long that i'm used to it, and i don't imagine i'd care to run around naked again. so perhaps the good glinda will let me keep the costumes." "i'll ask her," agreed dorothy. then they left the gardens and went into a fine, big reception hall, where rich rugs were spread upon the tiled floors and the furniture was exquisitely carved and studded with jewels. the king's chair was an especially pretty piece of furniture, being in the shape of a silver lily with one leaf bent over to form the seat. the silver was everywhere thickly encrusted with diamonds and the seat was upholstered in white satin. "oh, what a splendid chair!" cried dorothy, clasping her hands admiringly. "isn't it?" answered the king, proudly. "it is my favorite seat, and i think it especially becoming to my complexion. while i think of it, i wish you'd ask glinda to let me keep this lily chair when i go away." "it wouldn't look very well in a hole in the ground, would it?" she suggested. "maybe not; but i'm used to sitting in it and i'd like to take it with me," he answered. "but here come the ladies and gentlemen of the court; so please sit beside me and be presented." . how the king changed his mind just then a rabbit band of nearly fifty pieces marched in, playing upon golden instruments and dressed in neat uniforms. following the band came the nobility of bunnybury, all richly dressed and hopping along on their rear legs. both the ladies and the gentlemen wore white gloves upon their paws, with their rings on the outside of the gloves, as this seemed to be the fashion here. some of the lady rabbits carried lorgnettes, while many of the gentlemen rabbits wore monocles in their left eyes. the courtiers and their ladies paraded past the king, who introduced princess dorothy to each couple in a very graceful manner. then the company seated themselves in chairs and on sofas and looked expectantly at their monarch. "it is our royal duty, as well as our royal pleasure," he said, "to provide fitting entertainment for our distinguished guest. we will now present the royal band of whiskered friskers." as he spoke the musicians, who had arranged themselves in a corner, struck up a dance melody while into the room pranced the whiskered friskers. they were eight pretty rabbits dressed only in gauzy purple skirts fastened around their waists with diamond bands. their whiskers were colored a rich purple, but otherwise they were pure white. after bowing before the king and dorothy the friskers began their pranks, and these were so comical that dorothy laughed with real enjoyment. they not only danced together, whirling and gyrating around the room, but they leaped over one another, stood upon their heads and hopped and skipped here and there so nimbly that it was hard work to keep track of them. finally, they all made double somersaults and turned handsprings out of the room. the nobility enthusiastically applauded, and dorothy applauded with them. "they're fine!" she said to the king. "yes, the whiskered friskers are really very clever," he replied. "i shall hate to part with them when i go away, for they have often amused me when i was very miserable. i wonder if you would ask glinda--" "no, it wouldn't do at all," declared dorothy, positively. "there wouldn't be room in your hole in the ground for so many rabbits, 'spec'ly when you get the lily chair and your clothes there. don't think of such a thing, your majesty." the king sighed. then he stood up and announced to the company: "we will now hold a military drill by my picked bodyguard of royal pikemen." now the band played a march and a company of rabbit soldiers came in. they wore green and gold uniforms and marched very stiffly but in perfect time. their spears, or pikes, had slender shafts of polished silver with golden heads, and during the drill they handled these weapons with wonderful dexterity. "i should think you'd feel pretty safe with such a fine bodyguard," remarked dorothy. "i do," said the king. "they protect me from every harm. i suppose glinda wouldn't--" "no," interrupted the girl; "i'm sure she wouldn't. it's the king's own bodyguard, and when you are no longer king you can't have 'em." the king did not reply, but he looked rather sorrowful for a time. when the soldiers had marched out he said to the company: "the royal jugglers will now appear." dorothy had seen many jugglers in her lifetime, but never any so interesting as these. there were six of them, dressed in black satin embroidered with queer symbols in silver--a costume which contrasted strongly with their snow-white fur. first, they pushed in a big red ball and three of the rabbit jugglers stood upon its top and made it roll. then two of them caught up a third and tossed him into the air, all vanishing, until only the two were left. then one of these tossed the other upward and remained alone of all his fellows. this last juggler now touched the red ball, which fell apart, being hollow, and the five rabbits who had disappeared in the air scrambled out of the hollow ball. next they all clung together and rolled swiftly upon the floor. when they came to a stop only one fat rabbit juggler was seen, the others seeming to be inside him. this one leaped lightly into the air and when he came down he exploded and separated into the original six. then four of them rolled themselves into round balls and the other two tossed them around and played ball with them. these were but a few of the tricks the rabbit jugglers performed, and they were so skillful that all the nobility and even the king applauded as loudly as did dorothy. "i suppose there are no rabbit jugglers in all the world to compare with these," remarked the king. "and since i may not have the whiskers friskers or my bodyguard, you might ask glinda to let me take away just two or three of these jugglers. will you?" "i'll ask her," replied dorothy, doubtfully. "thank you," said the king; "thank you very much. and now you shall listen to the winsome waggish warblers, who have often cheered me in my moments of anguish." the winsome waggish warblers proved to be a quartette of rabbit singers, two gentlemen and two lady rabbits. the gentlemen warblers wore full-dress swallow-tailed suits of white satin, with pearls for buttons, while the lady warblers were gowned in white satin dresses with long trails. the first song they sang began in this way: "when a rabbit gets a habit of living in a city and wearing clothes and furbelows and jewels rare and pretty, he scorns the bun who has to run and burrow in the ground and pities those whose watchful foes are man and gun and hound." dorothy looked at the king when she heard this song and noticed that he seemed disturbed and ill at ease. "i don't like that song," he said to the warblers. "give us something jolly and rollicking." so they sang to a joyous, tinkling melody as follows: "bunnies gay delight to play in their fairy town secure; ev'ry frisker flirts his whisker at a pink-eyed girl demure. ev'ry maid in silk arrayed at her partner shyly glances, paws are grasped, waists are clasped as they whirl in giddy dances. then together through the heather 'neath the moonlight soft they stroll; each is very blithe and merry, gamboling with laughter droll. life is fun to ev'ry one guarded by our magic charm for to dangers we are strangers, safe from any thought of harm." "you see," said dorothy to the king, when the song ended, "the rabbits all seem to like bunnybury except you. and i guess you're the only one that ever has cried or was unhappy and wanted to get back to your muddy hole in the ground." his majesty seemed thoughtful, and while the servants passed around glasses of nectar and plates of frosted cakes their king was silent and a bit nervous. when the refreshments had been enjoyed by all and the servants had retired dorothy said: "i must go now, for it's getting late and i'm lost. i've got to find the wizard and aunt em and uncle henry and all the rest sometime before night comes, if i poss'bly can." "won't you stay with us?" asked the king. "you will be very welcome." "no, thank you," she replied. "i must get back to my friends. and i want to see glinda just as soon as i can, you know." so the king dismissed his court and said he would himself walk with dorothy to the gate. he did not weep nor groan any more, but his long face was quite solemn and his big ears hung dejectedly on each side of it. he still wore his crown and his ermine and walked with a handsome gold-headed cane. when they arrived at the room in the wall the little girl found toto and billina waiting for her very patiently. they had been liberally fed by some of the attendants and were in no hurry to leave such comfortable quarters. the keeper of the wicket was by this time back in his old place, but he kept a safe distance from toto. dorothy bade good bye to the king as they stood just inside the wall. "you've been good to me," she said, "and i thank you ever so much. as soon as poss'ble i'll see glinda and ask her to put another king in your place and send you back into the wild forest. and i'll ask her to let you keep some of your clothes and the lily chair and one or two jugglers to amuse you. i'm sure she will do it, 'cause she's so kind she doesn't like any one to be unhappy." "ahem!" said the king, looking rather downcast. "i don't like to trouble you with my misery; so you needn't see glinda." "oh, yes i will," she replied. "it won't be any trouble at all." "but, my dear," continued the king, in an embarrassed way, "i've been thinking the subject over carefully, and i find there are a lot of pleasant things here in bunnybury that i would miss if i went away. so perhaps i'd better stay." dorothy laughed. then she looked grave. "it won't do for you to be a king and a cry-baby at the same time," she said. "you've been making all the other rabbits unhappy and discontented with your howls about being so miserable. so i guess it's better to have another king." "oh, no indeed!" exclaimed the king, earnestly. "if you won't say anything to glinda i'll promise to be merry and gay all the time, and never cry or wail again." "honor bright?" she asked. "on the royal word of a king i promise it!" he answered. "all right," said dorothy. "you'd be a reg'lar lunatic to want to leave bunnybury for a wild life in the forest, and i'm sure any rabbit outside the city would be glad to take your place." "forget it, my dear; forget all my foolishness," pleaded the king, earnestly. "hereafter i'll try to enjoy myself and do my duty by my subjects." so then she left him and entered through the little door into the room in the wall, where she grew gradually bigger and bigger until she had resumed her natural size. the keeper of the wicket let them out into the forest and told dorothy that she had been of great service to bunnybury because she had brought their dismal king to a realization of the pleasure of ruling so beautiful a city. "i shall start a petition to have your statue erected beside glinda's in the public square," said the keeper. "i hope you will come again, some day, and see it." "perhaps i shall," she replied. then, followed by toto and billina, she walked away from the high marble wall and started back along the narrow path toward the sign-post. . how the wizard found dorothy when they came to the signpost, there, to their joy, were the tents of the wizard pitched beside the path and the kettle bubbling merrily over the fire. the shaggy man and omby amby were gathering firewood while uncle henry and aunt em sat in their camp chairs talking with the wizard. they all ran forward to greet dorothy, as she approached, and aunt em exclaimed: "goodness gracious, child! where have you been?" "you've played hookey the whole day," added the shaggy man, reproachfully. "well, you see, i've been lost," explained the little girl, "and i've tried awful hard to find the way back to you, but just couldn't do it." "did you wander in the forest all day?" asked uncle henry. "you must be a'most starved!" said aunt em. "no," said dorothy, "i'm not hungry. i had a wheelbarrow and a piano for breakfast, and lunched with a king." "ah!" exclaimed the wizard, nodding with a bright smile. "so you've been having adventures again." "she's stark crazy!" cried aunt em. "whoever heard of eating a wheelbarrow?" "it wasn't very big," said dorothy; "and it had a zuzu wheel." "and i ate the crumbs," said billina, soberly. "sit down and tell us about it," begged the wizard. "we've hunted for you all day, and at last i noticed your footsteps in this path--and the tracks of billina. we found the path by accident, and seeing it only led to two places i decided you were at either one or the other of those places. so we made camp and waited for you to return. and now, dorothy, tell us where you have been--to bunbury or to bunnybury?" "why, i've been to both," she replied; "but first i went to utensia, which isn't on any path at all." she then sat down and related the day's adventures, and you may be sure aunt em and uncle henry were much astonished at the story. "but after seeing the cuttenclips and the fuddles," remarked her uncle, "we ought not to wonder at anything in this strange country." "seems like the only common and ordinary folks here are ourselves," rejoined aunt em, diffidently. "now that we're together again, and one reunited party," observed the shaggy man, "what are we to do next?" "have some supper and a night's rest," answered the wizard promptly, "and then proceed upon our journey." "where to?" asked the captain general. "we haven't visited the rigmaroles or the flutterbudgets yet," said dorothy. "i'd like to see them--wouldn't you?" "they don't sound very interesting," objected aunt em. "but perhaps they are." "and then," continued the little wizard, "we will call upon the tin woodman and jack pumpkinhead and our old friend the scarecrow, on our way home." "that will be nice!" cried dorothy, eagerly. "can't say they sound very interesting, either," remarked aunt em. "why, they're the best friends i have!" asserted the little girl, "and you're sure to like them, aunt em, 'cause ever'body likes them." by this time twilight was approaching, so they ate the fine supper which the wizard magically produced from the kettle and then went to bed in the cozy tents. they were all up bright and early next morning, but dorothy didn't venture to wander from the camp again for fear of more accidents. "do you know where there's a road?" she asked the little man. "no, my dear," replied the wizard; "but i'll find one." after breakfast he waved his hand toward the tents and they became handkerchiefs again, which were at once returned to the pockets of their owners. then they all climbed into the red wagon and the sawhorse inquired: "which way?" "never mind which way," replied the wizard. "just go as you please and you're sure to be right. i've enchanted the wheels of the wagon, and they will roll in the right direction, never fear." as the sawhorse started away through the trees dorothy said: "if we had one of those new-fashioned airships we could float away over the top of the forest, and look down and find just the places we want." "airship? pah!" retorted the little man, scornfully. "i hate those things, dorothy, although they are nothing new to either you or me. i was a balloonist for many years, and once my balloon carried me to the land of oz, and once to the vegetable kingdom. and once ozma had a gump that flew all over this kingdom and had sense enough to go where it was told to--which airships won't do. the house which the cyclone brought to oz all the way from kansas, with you and toto in it--was a real airship at the time; so you see we've got plenty of experience flying with the birds." "airships are not so bad, after all," declared dorothy. "some day they'll fly all over the world, and perhaps bring people even to the land of oz." "i must speak to ozma about that," said the wizard, with a slight frown. "it wouldn't do at all, you know, for the emerald city to become a way-station on an airship line." "no," said dorothy, "i don't s'pose it would. but what can we do to prevent it?" "i'm working out a magic recipe to fuddle men's brains, so they'll never make an airship that will go where they want it to go," the wizard confided to her. "that won't keep the things from flying, now and then, but it'll keep them from flying to the land of oz." just then the sawhorse drew the wagon out of the forest and a beautiful landscape lay spread before the travelers' eyes. moreover, right before them was a good road that wound away through the hills and valleys. "now," said the wizard, with evident delight, "we are on the right track again, and there is nothing more to worry about." "it's a foolish thing to take chances in a strange country," observed the shaggy man. "had we kept to the roads we never would have been lost. roads always lead to some place, else they wouldn't be roads." "this road," added the wizard, "leads to rigmarole town. i'm sure of that because i enchanted the wagon wheels." sure enough, after riding along the road for an hour or two they entered a pretty valley where a village was nestled among the hills. the houses were munchkin shaped, for they were all domes, with windows wider than they were high, and pretty balconies over the front doors. aunt em was greatly relieved to find this town "neither paper nor patch-work," and the only surprising thing about it was that it was so far distant from all other towns. as the sawhorse drew the wagon into the main street the travelers noticed that the place was filled with people, standing in groups and seeming to be engaged in earnest conversation. so occupied with themselves were the inhabitants that they scarcely noticed the strangers at all. so the wizard stopped a boy and asked: "is this rigmarole town?" "sir," replied the boy, "if you have traveled very much you will have noticed that every town differs from every other town in one way or another and so by observing the methods of the people and the way they live as well as the style of their dwelling places it ought not to be a difficult thing to make up your mind without the trouble of asking questions whether the town bears the appearance of the one you intended to visit or whether perhaps having taken a different road from the one you should have taken you have made an error in your way and arrived at some point where--" "land sakes!" cried aunt em, impatiently; "what's all this rigmarole about?" "that's it!" said the wizard, laughing merrily. "it's a rigmarole because the boy is a rigmarole and we've come to rigmarole town." "do they all talk like that?" asked dorothy, wonderingly. "he might have said 'yes' or 'no' and settled the question," observed uncle henry. "not here," said omby amby. "i don't believe the rigmaroles know what 'yes' or 'no' means." while the boy had been talking several other people had approached the wagon and listened intently to his speech. then they began talking to one another in long, deliberate speeches, where many words were used but little was said. but when the strangers criticized them so frankly one of the women, who had no one else to talk to, began an address to them, saying: "it is the easiest thing in the world for a person to say 'yes' or 'no' when a question that is asked for the purpose of gaining information or satisfying the curiosity of the one who has given expression to the inquiry has attracted the attention of an individual who may be competent either from personal experience or the experience of others to answer it with more or less correctness or at least an attempt to satisfy the desire for information on the part of the one who has made the inquiry by--" "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy, interrupting the speech. "i've lost all track of what you are saying." "don't let her begin over again, for goodness sake!" cried aunt em. but the woman did not begin again. she did not even stop talking, but went right on as she had begun, the words flowing from her mouth in a stream. "i'm quite sure that if we waited long enough and listened carefully, some of these people might be able to tell us something, in time," said the wizard. "let's don't wait," returned dorothy. "i've heard of the rigmaroles, and wondered what they were like; but now i know, and i'm ready to move on." "so am i," declared uncle henry; "we're wasting time here." "why, we're all ready to go," said the shaggy man, putting his fingers to his ears to shut out the monotonous babble of those around the wagon. so the wizard spoke to the sawhorse, who trotted nimbly through the village and soon gained the open country on the other side of it. dorothy looked back, as they rode away, and noticed that the woman had not yet finished her speech but was talking as glibly as ever, although no one was near to hear her. "if those people wrote books," omby amby remarked with a smile, "it would take a whole library to say the cow jumped over the moon." "perhaps some of 'em do write books," asserted the little wizard. "i've read a few rigmaroles that might have come from this very town." "some of the college lecturers and ministers are certainly related to these people," observed the shaggy man; "and it seems to me the land of oz is a little ahead of the united states in some of its laws. for here, if one can't talk clearly, and straight to the point, they send him to rigmarole town; while uncle sam lets him roam around wild and free, to torture innocent people." dorothy was thoughtful. the rigmaroles had made a strong impression upon her. she decided that whenever she spoke, after this, she would use only enough words to express what she wanted to say. . how they encountered the flutterbudgets they were soon among the pretty hills and valleys again, and the sawhorse sped up hill and down at a fast and easy pace, the roads being hard and smooth. mile after mile was speedily covered, and before the ride had grown at all tiresome they sighted another village. the place seemed even larger than rigmarole town, but was not so attractive in appearance. "this must be flutterbudget center," declared the wizard. "you see, it's no trouble at all to find places if you keep to the right road." "what are the flutterbudgets like?" inquired dorothy. "i do not know, my dear. but ozma has given them a town all their own, and i've heard that whenever one of the people becomes a flutterbudget he is sent to this place to live." "that is true," omby amby added; "flutterbudget center and rigmarole town are called 'the defensive settlements of oz.'" the village they now approached was not built in a valley, but on top of a hill, and the road they followed wound around the hill, like a corkscrew, ascending the hill easily until it came to the town. "look out!" screamed a voice. "look out, or you'll run over my child!" they gazed around and saw a woman standing upon the sidewalk nervously wringing her hands as she gazed at them appealingly. "where is your child?" asked the sawhorse. "in the house," said the woman, bursting into tears; "but if it should happen to be in the road, and you ran over it, those great wheels would crush my darling to jelly. oh dear! oh dear! think of my darling child being crushed into jelly by those great wheels!" "gid-dap!" said the wizard sharply, and the sawhorse started on. they had not gone far before a man ran out of a house shouting wildly, "help! help!" the sawhorse stopped short and the wizard and uncle henry and the shaggy man and omby amby jumped out of the wagon and ran to the poor man's assistance. dorothy followed them as quickly as she could. "what's the matter?" asked the wizard. "help! help!" screamed the man; "my wife has cut her finger off and she's bleeding to death!" then he turned and rushed back to the house, and all the party went with him. they found a woman in the front dooryard moaning and groaning as if in great pain. "be brave, madam!" said the wizard, consolingly. "you won't die just because you have cut off a finger, you may be sure." "but i haven't cut off a finger!" she sobbed. "then what has happened?" asked dorothy. "i--i pricked my finger with a needle while i was sewing, and--and the blood came!" she replied. "and now i'll have blood-poisoning, and the doctors will cut off my finger, and that will give me a fever and i shall die!" "pshaw!" said dorothy; "i've pricked my finger many a time, and nothing happened." "really?" asked the woman, brightening and wiping her eyes upon her apron. "why, it's nothing at all," declared the girl. "you're more scared than hurt." "ah, that's because she's a flutterbudget," said the wizard, nodding wisely. "i think i know now what these people are like." "so do i," announced dorothy. "oh, boo-hoo-hoo!" sobbed the woman, giving way to a fresh burst of grief. "what's wrong now?" asked the shaggy man. "oh, suppose i had pricked my foot!" she wailed. "then the doctors would have cut my foot off, and i'd be lamed for life!" "surely, ma'am," replied the wizard, "and if you'd pricked your nose they might cut your head off. but you see you didn't." "but i might have!" she exclaimed, and began to cry again. so they left her and drove away in their wagon. and her husband came out and began calling "help!" as he had before; but no one seemed to pay any attention to him. as the travelers turned into another street they found a man walking excitedly up and down the pavement. he appeared to be in a very nervous condition and the wizard stopped him to ask: "is anything wrong, sir?" "everything is wrong," answered the man, dismally. "i can't sleep." "why not?" inquired omby amby. "if i go to sleep i'll have to shut my eyes," he explained; "and if i shut my eyes they may grow together, and then i'd be blind for life!" "did you ever hear of any one's eyes growing together?" asked dorothy. "no," said the man, "i never did. but it would be a dreadful thing, wouldn't it? and the thought of it makes me so nervous i'm afraid to go to sleep." "there's no help for this case," declared the wizard; and they went on. at the next street corner a woman rushed up to them crying: "save my baby! oh, good, kind people, save my baby!" "is it in danger?" asked dorothy, noticing that the child was clasped in her arms and seemed sleeping peacefully. "yes, indeed," said the woman, nervously. "if i should go into the house and throw my child out of the window, it would roll way down to the bottom of the hill; and then if there were a lot of tigers and bears down there, they would tear my darling babe to pieces and eat it up!" "are there any tigers and bears in this neighborhood?" the wizard asked. "i've never heard of any," admitted the woman, "but if there were--" "have you any idea of throwing your baby out of the window?" questioned the little man. "none at all," she said; "but if--" "all your troubles are due to those 'ifs'," declared the wizard. "if you were not a flutterbudget you wouldn't worry." "there's another 'if'," replied the woman. "are you a flutterbudget, too?" "i will be, if i stay here long," exclaimed the wizard, nervously. "another 'if'!" cried the woman. but the wizard did not stop to argue with her. he made the sawhorse canter all the way down the hill, and only breathed easily when they were miles away from the village. after they had ridden in silence for a while dorothy turned to the little man and asked: "do 'ifs' really make flutterbudgets?" "i think the 'ifs' help," he answered seriously. "foolish fears, and worries over nothing, with a mixture of nerves and ifs, will soon make a flutterbudget of any one." then there was another long silence, for all the travelers were thinking over this statement, and nearly all decided it must be true. the country they were now passing through was everywhere tinted purple, the prevailing color of the gillikin country; but as the sawhorse ascended a hill they found that upon the other side everything was of a rich yellow hue. "aha!" cried the captain general; "here is the country of the winkies. we are just crossing the boundary line." "then we may be able to lunch with the tin woodman," announced the wizard, joyfully. "must we lunch on tin?" asked aunt em. "oh, no;" replied dorothy. "nick chopper knows how to feed meat people, and he will give us plenty of good things to eat, never fear. i've been to his castle before." "is nick chopper the tin woodman's name?" asked uncle henry. "yes; that's one of his names," answered the little girl; "and another of his names is 'emp'ror of the winkies.' he's the king of this country, you know, but ozma rules over all the countries of oz." "does the tin woodman keep any flutterbudgets or rigmaroles at his castle?" inquired aunt em, uneasily. "no indeed," said dorothy, positively. "he lives in a new tin castle, all full of lovely things." "i should think it would rust," said uncle henry. "he has thousands of winkies to keep it polished for him," explained the wizard. "his people love to do anything in their power for their beloved emperor, so there isn't a particle of rust on all the big castle." "i suppose they polish their emperor, too," said aunt em. "why, some time ago he had himself nickel-plated," the wizard answered; "so he only needs rubbing up once in a while. he's the brightest man in all the world, is dear nick chopper; and the kindest-hearted." "i helped find him," said dorothy, reflectively. "once the scarecrow and i found the tin woodman in the woods, and he was just rusted still, that time, an' no mistake. but we oiled his joints an' got 'em good and slippery, and after that he went with us to visit the wizard at the em'rald city." "was that the time the wizard scared you?" asked aunt em. "he didn't treat us well, at first," acknowledged dorothy; "for he made us go away and destroy the wicked witch. but after we found out he was only a humbug wizard we were not afraid of him." the wizard sighed and looked a little ashamed. "when we try to deceive people we always make mistakes," he said. "but i'm getting to be a real wizard now, and glinda the good's magic, that i am trying to practice, can never harm any one." "you were always a good man," declared dorothy, "even when you were a bad wizard." "he's a good wizard now," asserted aunt em, looking at the little man admiringly. "the way he made those tents grow out of handkerchiefs was just wonderful! and didn't he enchant the wagon wheels so they'd find the road?" "all the people of oz," said the captain general, "are very proud of their wizard. he once made some soap-bubbles that astonished the world." the wizard blushed at this praise, yet it pleased him. he no longer looked sad, but seemed to have recovered his usual good humor. the country through which they now rode was thickly dotted with farmhouses, and yellow grain waved in all the fields. many of the winkies could be seen working on their farms and the wild and unsettled parts of oz were by this time left far behind. these winkies appeared to be happy, light-hearted folk, and all removed their caps and bowed low when the red wagon with its load of travelers passed by. it was not long before they saw something glittering in the sunshine far ahead. "see!" cried dorothy; "that's the tin castle, aunt em!" and the sawhorse, knowing his passengers were eager to arrive, broke into a swift trot that soon brought them to their destination. . how the tin woodman told the sad news the tin woodman received princess dorothy's party with much grace and cordiality, yet the little girl decided that something must be worrying with her old friend, because he was not so merry as usual. but at first she said nothing about this, for uncle henry and aunt em were fairly bubbling over with admiration for the beautiful tin castle and its polished tin owner. so her suspicion that something unpleasant had happened was for a time forgotten. "where is the scarecrow?" she asked, when they had all been ushered into the big tin drawing-room of the castle, the sawhorse being led around to the tin stable in the rear. "why, our old friend has just moved into his new mansion," explained the tin woodman. "it has been a long time in building, although my winkies and many other people from all parts of the country have been busily working upon it. at last, however, it is completed, and the scarecrow took possession of his new home just two days ago." "i hadn't heard that he wanted a home of his own," said dorothy. "why doesn't he live with ozma in the emerald city? he used to, you know; and i thought he was happy there." "it seems," said the tin woodman, "that our dear scarecrow cannot be contented with city life, however beautiful his surroundings might be. originally he was a farmer, for he passed his early life in a cornfield, where he was supposed to frighten away the crows." "i know," said dorothy, nodding. "i found him, and lifted him down from his pole." "so now, after a long residence in the emerald city, his tastes have turned to farm life again," continued the tin man. "he feels that he cannot be happy without a farm of his own, so ozma gave him some land and every one helped him build his mansion, and now he is settled there for good." "who designed his house?" asked the shaggy man. "i believe it was jack pumpkinhead, who is also a farmer," was the reply. they were now invited to enter the tin dining room, where luncheon was served. aunt em found, to her satisfaction, that dorothy's promise was more than fulfilled; for, although the tin woodman had no appetite of his own, he respected the appetites of his guests and saw that they were bountifully fed. they passed the afternoon in wandering through the beautiful gardens and grounds of the palace. the walks were all paved with sheets of tin, brightly polished, and there were tin fountains and tin statues here and there among the trees. the flowers were mostly natural flowers and grew in the regular way; but their host showed them one flower bed which was his especial pride. "you see, all common flowers fade and die in time," he explained, "and so there are seasons when the pretty blooms are scarce. therefore i decided to make one tin flower bed all of tin flowers, and my workmen have created them with rare skill. here you see tin camelias, tin marigolds, tin carnations, tin poppies and tin hollyhocks growing as naturally as if they were real." indeed, they were a pretty sight, and glistened under the sunlight like spun silver. "isn't this tin hollyhock going to seed?" asked the wizard, bending over the flowers. "why, i believe it is!" exclaimed the tin woodman, as if surprised. "i hadn't noticed that before. but i shall plant the tin seeds and raise another bed of tin hollyhocks." in one corner of the gardens nick chopper had established a fish-pond in which they saw swimming and disporting themselves many pretty tin fishes. "would they bite on hooks?" asked aunt em, curiously. the tin woodman seemed hurt at this question. "madam," said he, "do you suppose i would allow anyone to catch my beautiful fishes, even if they were foolish enough to bite on hooks? no, indeed! every created thing is safe from harm in my domain, and i would as soon think of killing my little friend dorothy as killing one of my tin fishes." "the emperor is very kind-hearted, ma'am," explained the wizard. "if a fly happens to light upon his tin body he doesn't rudely brush it off, as some people might do; he asks it politely to find some other resting place." "what does the fly do then?" enquired aunt em. "usually it begs his pardon and goes away," said the wizard, gravely. "flies like to be treated politely as well as other creatures, and here in oz they understand what we say to them, and behave very nicely." "well," said aunt em, "the flies in kansas, where i came from, don't understand anything but a swat. you have to smash 'em to make 'em behave; and it's the same way with 'skeeters. do you have 'skeeters in oz?" "we have some very large mosquitoes here, which sing as beautifully as song birds," replied the tin woodman. "but they never bite or annoy our people, because they are well fed and taken care of. the reason they bite people in your country is because they are hungry--poor things!" "yes," agreed aunt em; "they're hungry, all right. an' they ain't very particular who they feed on. i'm glad you've got the 'skeeters educated in oz." that evening after dinner they were entertained by the emperor's tin cornet band, which played for them several sweet melodies. also the wizard did a few sleight-of-hand tricks to amuse the company; after which they all retired to their cozy tin bedrooms and slept soundly until morning. after breakfast dorothy said to the tin woodman: "if you'll tell us which way to go we'll visit the scarecrow on our way home." "i will go with you, and show you the way," replied the emperor; "for i must journey to-day to the emerald city." he looked so anxious, as he said this, that the little girl asked: "there isn't anything wrong with ozma, is there?" "not yet," said he; "but i'm afraid the time has come when i must tell you some very bad news, little friend." "oh, what is it?" cried dorothy. "do you remember the nome king?" asked the tin woodman. "i remember him very well," she replied. "the nome king has not a kind heart," said the emperor, sadly, "and he has been harboring wicked thoughts of revenge, because we once defeated him and liberated his slaves and you took away his magic belt. so he has ordered his nomes to dig a long tunnel underneath the deadly desert, so that he may march his hosts right into the emerald city. when he gets there he intends to destroy our beautiful country." dorothy was much surprised to hear this. "how did ozma find out about the tunnel?" she asked. "she saw it in her magic picture." "of course," said dorothy; "i might have known that. and what is she going to do?" "i cannot tell," was the reply. "pooh!" cried the yellow hen. "we're not afraid of the nomes. if we roll a few of our eggs down the tunnel they'll run away back home as fast as they can go." "why, that's true enough!" exclaimed dorothy. "the scarecrow once conquered all the nome king's army with some of billina's eggs." "but you do not understand all of the dreadful plot," continued the tin woodman. "the nome king is clever, and he knows his nomes would run from eggs; so he has bargained with many terrible creatures to help him. these evil spirits are not afraid of eggs or anything else, and they are very powerful. so the nome king will send them through the tunnel first, to conquer and destroy, and then the nomes will follow after to get their share of the plunder and slaves." they were all startled to hear this, and every face wore a troubled look. "is the tunnel all ready?" asked dorothy. "ozma sent me word yesterday that the tunnel was all completed except for a thin crust of earth at the end. when our enemies break through this crust, they will be in the gardens of the royal palace, in the heart of the emerald city. i offered to arm all my winkies and march to ozma's assistance; but she said no." "i wonder why?" asked dorothy. "she answered that all the inhabitants of oz, gathered together, were not powerful enough to fight and overcome the evil forces of the nome king. therefore she refuses to fight at all." "but they will capture and enslave us, and plunder and ruin all our lovely land!" exclaimed the wizard, greatly disturbed by this statement. "i fear they will," said the tin woodman, sorrowfully. "and i also fear that those who are not fairies, such as the wizard, and dorothy, and her uncle and aunt, as well as toto and billina, will be speedily put to death by the conquerors." "what can be done?" asked dorothy, shuddering a little at the prospect of this awful fate. "nothing can be done!" gloomily replied the emperor of the winkies. "but since ozma refuses my army i will go myself to the emerald city. the least i may do is to perish beside my beloved ruler." . how the scarecrow displayed his wisdom this amazing news had saddened every heart and all were now anxious to return to the emerald city and share ozma's fate. so they started without loss of time, and as the road led past the scarecrow's new mansion they determined to make a brief halt there and confer with him. "the scarecrow is probably the wisest man in all oz," remarked the tin woodman, when they had started upon their journey. "his brains are plentiful and of excellent quality, and often he has told me things i might never have thought of myself. i must say i rely a great deal upon the scarecrow's brains in this emergency." the tin woodman rode on the front seat of the wagon, where dorothy sat between him and the wizard. "has the scarecrow heard of ozma's trouble?" asked the captain general. "i do not know, sir," was the reply. "when i was a private," said omby amby, "i was an excellent army, as i fully proved in our war against the nomes. but now there is not a single private left in our army, since ozma made me the captain general, so there is no one to fight and defend our lovely ruler." "true," said the wizard. "the present army is composed only of officers, and the business of an officer is to order his men to fight. since there are no men there can be no fighting." "poor ozma!" whispered dorothy, with tears in her sweet eyes. "it's dreadful to think of all her lovely fairy country being destroyed. i wonder if we couldn't manage to escape and get back to kansas by means of the magic belt? and we might take ozma with us and all work hard to get money for her, so she wouldn't be so very lonely and unhappy about the loss of her fairyland." "do you think there would be any work for me in kansas?" asked the tin woodman. "if you are hollow, they might use you in a canning factory," suggested uncle henry. "but i can't see the use of your working for a living. you never eat or sleep or need a new suit of clothes." "i was not thinking of myself," replied the emperor, with dignity. "i merely wondered if i could not help to support dorothy and ozma." as they indulged in these sad plans for the future they journeyed in sight of the scarecrow's new mansion, and even though filled with care and worry over the impending fate of oz, dorothy couldn't help a feeling of wonder at the sight she saw. the scarecrow's new house was shaped like an immense ear of corn. the rows of kernels were made of solid gold, and the green upon which the ear stood upright was a mass of sparkling emeralds. upon the very top of the structure was perched a figure representing the scarecrow himself, and upon his extended arms, as well as upon his head, were several crows carved out of ebony and having ruby eyes. you may imagine how big this ear of corn was when i tell you that a single gold kernel formed a window, swinging outward upon hinges, while a row of four kernels opened to make the front entrance. inside there were five stories, each story being a single room. the gardens around the mansion consisted of cornfields, and dorothy acknowledged that the place was in all respects a very appropriate home for her good friend the scarecrow. "he would have been very happy here, i'm sure," she said, "if only the nome king had left us alone. but if oz is destroyed of course this place will be destroyed too." "yes," replied the tin woodman, "and also my beautiful tin castle, that has been my joy and pride." "jack pumpkinhead's house will go too," remarked the wizard, "as well as professor wogglebug's athletic college, and ozma's royal palace, and all our other handsome buildings." "yes, oz will indeed become a desert when the nome king gets through with it," sighed omby amby. the scarecrow came out to meet them and gave them all a hearty welcome. "i hear you have decided always to live in the land of oz, after this," he said to dorothy; "and that will delight my heart, for i have greatly disliked our frequent partings. but why are you all so downcast?" "have you heard the news?" asked the tin woodman. "no news to make me sad," replied the scarecrow. then nick chopper told his friend of the nome king's tunnel, and how the evil creatures of the north had allied themselves with the underground monarch for the purpose of conquering and destroying oz. "well," said the scarecrow, "it certainly looks bad for ozma, and all of us. but i believe it is wrong to worry over anything before it happens. it is surely time enough to be sad when our country is despoiled and our people made slaves. so let us not deprive ourselves of the few happy hours remaining to us." "ah! that is real wisdom," declared the shaggy man, approvingly. "after we become really unhappy we shall regret these few hours that are left to us, unless we enjoy them to the utmost." "nevertheless," said the scarecrow, "i shall go with you to the emerald city and offer ozma my services." "she says we can do nothing to oppose our enemies," announced the tin woodman. "and doubtless she is right, sir," answered the scarecrow. "still, she will appreciate our sympathy, and it is the duty of ozma's friends to stand by her side when the final disaster occurs." he then led them into his queer mansion and showed them the beautiful rooms in all the five stories. the lower room was a grand reception hall, with a hand-organ in one corner. this instrument the scarecrow, when alone, could turn to amuse himself, as he was very fond of music. the walls were hung with white silk, upon which flocks of black crows were embroidered in black diamonds. some of the chairs were made in the shape of big crows and upholstered with cushions of corn-colored silk. the second story contained a fine banquet room, where the scarecrow might entertain his guests, and the three stories above that were bed-chambers exquisitely furnished and decorated. "from these rooms," said the scarecrow, proudly, "one may obtain fine views of the surrounding cornfields. the corn i grow is always husky, and i call the ears my regiments, because they have so many kernels. of course i cannot ride my cobs, but i really don't care shucks about that. taken altogether, my farm will stack up with any in the neighborhood." the visitors partook of some light refreshment and then hurried away to resume the road to the emerald city. the scarecrow found a seat in the wagon between omby amby and the shaggy man, and his weight did not add much to the load because he was stuffed with straw. "you will notice i have one oat-field on my property," he remarked, as they drove away. "oat-straw is, i have found, the best of all straws to re-stuff myself with when my interior gets musty or out of shape." "are you able to re-stuff yourself without help?" asked aunt em. "i should think that after the straw was taken out of you there wouldn't be anything left but your clothes." "you are almost correct, madam," he answered. "my servants do the stuffing, under my direction. for my head, in which are my excellent brains, is a bag tied at the bottom. my face is neatly painted upon one side of the bag, as you may see. my head does not need re-stuffing, as my body does, for all that it requires is to have the face touched up with fresh paint occasionally." it was not far from the scarecrow's mansion to the farm of jack pumpkinhead, and when they arrived there both uncle henry and aunt em were much impressed. the farm was one vast pumpkin field, and some of the pumpkins were of enormous size. in one of them, which had been neatly hollowed out, jack himself lived, and he declared that it was a very comfortable residence. the reason he grew so many pumpkins was in order that he might change his head as often as it became wrinkled or threatened to spoil. the pumpkin-headed man welcomed his visitors joyfully and offered them several delicious pumpkin pies to eat. "i don't indulge in pumpkin pies myself, for two reasons," he said. "one reason is that were i to eat pumpkins i would become a cannibal, and the other reason is that i never eat, not being hollow inside." "very good reasons," agreed the scarecrow. they told jack pumpkinhead of the dreadful news about the nome king, and he decided to go with them to the emerald city and help comfort ozma. "i had expected to live here in ease and comfort for many centuries," said jack, dolefully; "but of course if the nome king destroys everything in oz i shall be destroyed too. really, it seems too bad, doesn't it?" they were soon on their journey again, and so swiftly did the sawhorse draw the wagon over the smooth roads that before twilight fell they had reached the royal palace in the emerald city, and were at their journey's end. . how ozma refused to fight for her kingdom ozma was in her rose garden picking a bouquet when the party arrived, and she greeted all her old and new friends as smilingly and sweetly as ever. dorothy's eyes were full of tears as she kissed the lovely ruler of oz, and she whispered to her: "oh, ozma, ozma! i'm so sorry!" ozma seemed surprised. "sorry for what, dorothy?" she asked. "for all your trouble about the nome king," was the reply. ozma laughed with genuine amusement. "why, that has not troubled me a bit, dear princess," she replied. then, looking around at the sad faces of her friends, she added: "have you all been worrying about this tunnel?" "we have!" they exclaimed in a chorus. "well, perhaps it is more serious than i imagined," admitted the fair ruler; "but i haven't given the matter much thought. after dinner we will all meet together and talk it over." so they went to their rooms and prepared for dinner, and dorothy dressed herself in her prettiest gown and put on her coronet, for she thought that this might be the last time she would ever appear as a princess of oz. the scarecrow, the tin woodman and jack pumpkinhead all sat at the dinner table, although none of them was made so he could eat. usually they served to enliven the meal with their merry talk, but to-night all seemed strangely silent and uneasy. as soon as the dinner was finished ozma led the company to her own private room in which hung the magic picture. when they had seated themselves the scarecrow was the first to speak. "is the nome king's tunnel finished, ozma?" he asked. "it was completed to-day," she replied. "they have built it right under my palace grounds, and it ends in front of the forbidden fountain. nothing but a crust of earth remains to separate our enemies from us, and when they march here, they will easily break through this crust and rush upon us." "who will assist the nome king?" inquired the scarecrow. "the whimsies, the growleywogs and the phanfasms," she replied. "i watched to-day in my magic picture the messengers whom the nome king sent to all these people to summon them to assemble in his great caverns." "let us see what they are doing now," suggested the tin woodman. so ozma wished to see the nome king's cavern, and at once the landscape faded from the magic picture and was replaced by the scene then being enacted in the jeweled cavern of king roquat. a wild and startling scene it was which the oz people beheld. before the nome king stood the chief of the whimsies and the grand gallipoot of the growleywogs, surrounded by their most skillful generals. very fierce and powerful they looked, so that even the nome king and general guph, who stood beside his master, seemed a bit fearful in the presence of their allies. now a still more formidable creature entered the cavern. it was the first and foremost of the phanfasms and he proudly sat down in king roquat's own throne and demanded the right to lead his forces through the tunnel in advance of all the others. the first and foremost now appeared to all eyes in his hairy skin and the bear's head. what his real form was even roquat did not know. through the arches leading into the vast series of caverns that lay beyond the throne room of king roquat could be seen ranks upon ranks of the invaders--thousands of phanfasms, growleywogs and whimsies standing in serried lines, while behind them were massed the thousands upon thousands of general guph's own army of nomes. "listen!" whispered ozma. "i think we can hear what they are saying." so they kept still and listened. "is all ready?" demanded the first and foremost, haughtily. "the tunnel is finally completed," replied general guph. "how long will it take us to march to the emerald city?" asked the grand gallipoot of the growleywogs. "if we start at midnight," replied the nome king, "we shall arrive at the emerald city by daybreak. then, while all the oz people are sleeping, we will capture them and make them our slaves. after that we will destroy the city itself and march through the land of oz, burning and devastating as we go." "good!" cried the first and foremost. "when we get through with oz it will be a desert wilderness. ozma shall be my slave." "she shall be my slave!" shouted the grand gallipoot, angrily. "we'll decide that by and by," said king roquat hastily. "don't let us quarrel now, friends. first let us conquer oz, and then we will divide the spoils of war in a satisfactory manner." the first and foremost smiled wickedly; but he only said: "i and my phanfasms go first, for nothing on earth can oppose our power." they all agreed to that, knowing the phanfasms to be the mightiest of the combined forces. king roquat now invited them to attend a banquet he had prepared, where they might occupy themselves in eating and drinking until midnight arrived. as they had now seen and heard all of the plot against them that they cared to, ozma allowed her magic picture to fade away. then she turned to her friends and said: "our enemies will be here sooner than i expected. what do you advise me to do?" "it is now too late to assemble our people," said the tin woodman, despondently. "if you had allowed me to arm and drill my winkies, we might have put up a good fight and destroyed many of our enemies before we were conquered." "the munchkins are good fighters, too," said omby amby; "and so are the gillikins." "but i do not wish to fight," declared ozma, firmly. "no one has the right to destroy any living creatures, however evil they may be, or to hurt them or make them unhappy. i will not fight, even to save my kingdom." "the nome king is not so particular," remarked the scarecrow. "he intends to destroy us all and ruin our beautiful country." "because the nome king intends to do evil is no excuse for my doing the same," replied ozma. "self-preservation is the first law of nature," quoted the shaggy man. "true," she said, readily. "i would like to discover a plan to save ourselves without fighting." that seemed a hopeless task to them, but realizing that ozma was determined not to fight, they tried to think of some means that might promise escape. "couldn't we bribe our enemies, by giving them a lot of emeralds and gold?" asked jack pumpkinhead. "no, because they believe they are able to take everything we have," replied the ruler. "i have thought of something," said dorothy. "what is it, dear?" asked ozma. "let us use the magic belt to wish all of us in kansas. we will put some emeralds in our pockets, and can sell them in topeka for enough to pay off the mortgage on uncle henry's farm. then we can all live together and be happy." "a clever idea!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "kansas is a very good country. i've been there," said the shaggy man. "that seems to me an excellent plan," approved the tin woodman. "no!" said ozma, decidedly. "never will i desert my people and leave them to so cruel a fate. i will use the magic belt to send the rest of you to kansas, if you wish, but if my beloved country must be destroyed and my people enslaved i will remain and share their fate." "quite right," asserted the scarecrow, sighing. "i will remain with you." "and so will i," declared the tin woodman and the shaggy man and jack pumpkinhead, in turn. tiktok, the machine man, also said he intended to stand by ozma. "for," said he, "i should be of no use at all in kan-sas." "for my part," announced dorothy, gravely, "if the ruler of oz must not desert her people, a princess of oz has no right to run away, either. i'm willing to become a slave with the rest of you; so all we can do with the magic belt is to use it to send uncle henry and aunt em back to kansas." "i've been a slave all my life," aunt em replied, with considerable cheerfulness, "and so has henry. i guess we won't go back to kansas, anyway. i'd rather take my chances with the rest of you." ozma smiled upon them all gratefully. "there is no need to despair just yet," she said. "i'll get up early to-morrow morning and be at the forbidden fountain when the fierce warriors break through the crust of the earth. i will speak to them pleasantly and perhaps they won't be so very bad, after all." "why do they call it the forbidden fountain?" asked dorothy, thoughtfully. "don't you know, dear?" returned ozma, surprised. "no," said dorothy. "of course i've seen the fountain in the palace grounds, ever since i first came to oz; and i've read the sign which says: 'all persons are forbidden to drink at this fountain.' but i never knew why they were forbidden. the water seems clear and sparkling and it bubbles up in a golden basin all the time." "that water," declared ozma, gravely, "is the most dangerous thing in all the land of oz. it is the water of oblivion." "what does that mean?" asked dorothy. "whoever drinks at the forbidden fountain at once forgets everything he has ever known," ozma asserted. "it wouldn't be a bad way to forget our troubles," suggested uncle henry. "that is true; but you would forget everything else, and become as ignorant as a baby," returned ozma. "does it make one crazy?" asked dorothy. "no; it only makes one forget," replied the girl ruler. "it is said that once--long, long ago--a wicked king ruled oz, and made himself and all his people very miserable and unhappy. so glinda, the good sorceress, placed this fountain here, and the king drank of its water and forgot all his wickedness. his mind became innocent and vacant, and when he learned the things of life again they were all good things. but the people remembered how wicked their king had been, and were still afraid of him. therefore, he made them all drink of the water of oblivion and forget everything they had known, so that they became as simple and innocent as their king. after that, they all grew wise together, and their wisdom was good, so that peace and happiness reigned in the land. but for fear some one might drink of the water again, and in an instant forget all he had learned, the king put that sign upon the fountain, where it has remained for many centuries up to this very day." they had all listened intently to ozma's story, and when she finished speaking there was a long period of silence while all thought upon the curious magical power of the water of oblivion. finally the scarecrow's painted face took on a broad smile that stretched the cloth as far as it would go. "how thankful i am," he said, "that i have such an excellent assortment of brains!" "i gave you the best brains i ever mixed," declared the wizard, with an air of pride. "you did, indeed!" agreed the scarecrow, "and they work so splendidly that they have found a way to save oz--to save us all!" "i'm glad to hear that," said the wizard. "we never needed saving more than we do just now." "do you mean to say you can save us from those awful phanfasms, and growleywogs and whimsies?" asked dorothy eagerly. "i'm sure of it, my dear," asserted the scarecrow, still smiling genially. "tell us how!" cried the tin woodman. "not now," said the scarecrow. "you may all go to bed, and i advise you to forget your worries just as completely as if you had drunk of the water of oblivion in the forbidden fountain. i'm going to stay here and tell my plan to ozma alone, but if you will all be at the forbidden fountain at daybreak, you'll see how easily we will save the kingdom when our enemies break through the crust of earth and come from the tunnel." so they went away and let the scarecrow and ozma alone; but dorothy could not sleep a wink all night. "he is only a scarecrow," she said to herself, "and i'm not sure that his mixed brains are as clever as he thinks they are." but she knew that if the scarecrow's plan failed they were all lost; so she tried to have faith in him. . how the fierce warriors invaded oz the nome king and his terrible allies sat at the banquet table until midnight. there was much quarreling between the growleywogs and phanfasms, and one of the wee-headed whimsies got angry at general guph and choked him until he nearly stopped breathing. yet no one was seriously hurt, and the nome king felt much relieved when the clock struck twelve and they all sprang up and seized their weapons. "aha!" shouted the first and foremost. "now to conquer the land of oz!" he marshaled his phanfasms in battle array and at his word of command they marched into the tunnel and began the long journey through it to the emerald city. the first and foremost intended to take all the treasures of oz for himself; to kill all who could be killed and enslave the rest; to destroy and lay waste the whole country, and afterward to conquer and enslave the nomes, the growleywogs and the whimsies. and he knew his power was sufficient to enable him to do all these things easily. next marched into the tunnel the army of gigantic growleywogs, with their grand gallipoot at their head. they were dreadful beings, indeed, and longed to get to oz that they might begin to pilfer and destroy. the grand gallipoot was a little afraid of the first and foremost, but had a cunning plan to murder or destroy that powerful being and secure the wealth of oz for himself. mighty little of the plunder would the nome king get, thought the grand gallipoot. the chief of the whimsies now marched his false-headed forces into the tunnel. in his wicked little head was a plot to destroy both the first and foremost and the grand gallipoot. he intended to let them conquer oz, since they insisted on going first; but he would afterward treacherously destroy them, as well as king roquat, and keep all the slaves and treasure of ozma's kingdom for himself. after all his dangerous allies had marched into the tunnel the nome king and general guph started to follow them, at the head of fifty thousand nomes, all fully armed. "guph," said the king, "those creatures ahead of us mean mischief. they intend to get everything for themselves and leave us nothing." "i know," replied the general; "but they are not as clever as they think they are. when you get the magic belt you must at once wish the whimsies and growleywogs and phanfasms all back into their own countries--and the belt will surely take them there." "good!" cried the king. "an excellent plan, guph. i'll do it. while they are conquering oz i'll get the magic belt, and then only the nomes will remain to ravage the country." so you see there was only one thing that all were agreed upon--that oz should be destroyed. on, on, on the vast ranks of invaders marched, filling the tunnel from side to side. with a steady tramp, tramp, they advanced, every step taking them nearer to the beautiful emerald city. "nothing can save the land of oz!" thought the first and foremost, scowling until his bear face was as black as the tunnel. "the emerald city is as good as destroyed already!" muttered the grand gallipoot, shaking his war club fiercely. "in a few hours oz will be a desert!" said the chief of the whimsies, with an evil laugh. "my dear guph," remarked the nome king to his general, "at last my vengeance upon ozma of oz and her people is about to be accomplished." "you are right!" declared the general. "ozma is surely lost." and now the first and foremost, who was in advance and nearing the emerald city, began to cough and to sneeze. "this tunnel is terribly dusty," he growled, angrily. "i'll punish that nome king for not having it swept clean. my throat and eyes are getting full of dust and i'm as thirsty as a fish!" the grand gallipoot was coughing too, and his throat was parched and dry. "what a dusty place!" he cried. "i'll be glad when we reach oz, where we can get a drink." "who has any water?" asked the whimsie chief, gasping and choking. but none of his followers carried a drop of water, so he hastened on to get through the dusty tunnel to the land of oz. "where did all this dust come from?" demanded general guph, trying hard to swallow but finding his throat so dry he couldn't. "i don't know," answered the nome king. "i've been in the tunnel every day while it was being built, but i never noticed any dust before." "let's hurry!" cried the general. "i'd give half the gold in oz for a drink of water." the dust grew thicker and thicker, and the throats and eyes and noses of the invaders were filled with it. but not one halted or turned back. they hurried forward more fierce and vengeful than ever. . how they drank at the forbidden fountain the scarecrow had no need to sleep; neither had the tin woodman or tiktok or jack pumpkinhead. so they all wandered out into the palace grounds and stood beside the sparkling water of the forbidden fountain until daybreak. during this time they indulged in occasional conversation. "nothing could make me forget what i know," remarked the scarecrow, gazing into the fountain, "for i cannot drink the water of oblivion or water of any kind. and i am glad that this is so, for i consider my wisdom unexcelled." "you are cer-tain-ly ve-ry wise," agreed tiktok. "for my part, i can on-ly think by ma-chin-er-y, so i do not pre-tend to know as much as you do." "my tin brains are very bright, but that is all i claim for them," said nick chopper, modestly. "yet i do not aspire to being very wise, for i have noticed that the happiest people are those who do not let their brains oppress them." "mine never worry me," jack pumpkinhead acknowledged. "there are many seeds of thought in my head, but they do not sprout easily. i am glad that it is so, for if i occupied my days in thinking i should have no time for anything else." in this cheery mood they passed the hours until the first golden streaks of dawn appeared in the sky. then ozma joined them, as fresh and lovely as ever and robed in one of her prettiest gowns. "our enemies have not yet arrived," said the scarecrow, after greeting affectionately the sweet and girlish ruler. "they will soon be here," she said, "for i have just glanced at my magic picture, and have seen them coughing and choking with the dust in the tunnel." "oh, is there dust in the tunnel?" asked the tin woodman. "yes; ozma placed it there by means of the magic belt," explained the scarecrow, with one of his broad smiles. then dorothy came to them, uncle henry and aunt em following close after her. the little girl's eyes were heavy because she had had a sleepless and anxious night. toto walked by her side, but the little dog's spirits were very much subdued. billina, who was always up by daybreak, was not long in joining the group by the fountain. the wizard and the shaggy man next arrived, and soon after appeared omby amby, dressed in his best uniform. "there lies the tunnel," said ozma, pointing to a part of the ground just before the forbidden fountain, "and in a few moments the dreadful invaders will break through the earth and swarm over the land. let us all stand on the other side of the fountain and watch to see what happens." at once they followed her suggestion and moved around the fountain of the water of oblivion. there they stood silent and expectant until the earth beyond gave way with a sudden crash and up leaped the powerful form of the first and foremost, followed by all his grim warriors. as the leader sprang forward his gleaming eyes caught the play of the fountain and he rushed toward it and drank eagerly of the sparkling water. many of the other phanfasms drank, too, in order to clear their dry and dusty throats. then they stood around and looked at one another with simple, wondering smiles. the first and foremost saw ozma and her companions beyond the fountain, but instead of making an effort to capture her he merely stared at her in pleased admiration of her beauty--for he had forgotten where he was and why he had come there. but now the grand gallipoot arrived, rushing from the tunnel with a hoarse cry of mingled rage and thirst. he too saw the fountain and hastened to drink of its forbidden waters. the other growleywogs were not slow to follow suit, and even before they had finished drinking the chief of the whimsies and his people came to push them away, while they one and all cast off their false heads that they might slake their thirst at the fountain. when the nome king and general guph arrived they both made a dash to drink, but the general was so mad with thirst that he knocked his king over, and while roquat lay sprawling upon the ground the general drank heartily of the water of oblivion. this rude act of his general made the nome king so angry that for a moment he forgot he was thirsty and rose to his feet to glare upon the group of terrible warriors he had brought here to assist him. he saw ozma and her people, too, and yelled out: "why don't you capture them? why don't you conquer oz, you idiots? why do you stand there like a lot of dummies?" but the great warriors had become like little children. they had forgotten all their enmity against ozma and against oz. they had even forgotten who they themselves were, or why they were in this strange and beautiful country. as for the nome king, they did not recognize him, and wondered who he was. the sun came up and sent its flood of silver rays to light the faces of the invaders. the frowns and scowls and evil looks were all gone. even the most monstrous of the creatures there assembled smiled innocently and seemed light-hearted and content merely to be alive. not so with roquat, the nome king. he had not drunk from the forbidden fountain and all his former rage against ozma and dorothy now inflamed him as fiercely as ever. the sight of general guph babbling like a happy child and playing with his hands in the cool waters of the fountain astonished and maddened red roquat. seeing that his terrible allies and his own general refused to act, the nome king turned to order his great army of nomes to advance from the tunnel and seize the helpless oz people. but the scarecrow suspected what was in the king's mind and spoke a word to the tin woodman. together they ran at roquat and grabbing him up tossed him into the great basin of the fountain. the nome king's body was round as a ball, and it bobbed up and down in the water of oblivion while he spluttered and screamed with fear lest he should drown. and when he cried out, his mouth filled with water, which ran down his throat, so that straightway he forgot all he had formerly known just as completely as had all the other invaders. ozma and dorothy could not refrain from laughing to see their dreaded enemies become as harmless as babies. there was no danger now that oz would be destroyed. the only question remaining to solve was how to get rid of this horde of intruders. the shaggy man kindly pulled the nome king out of the fountain and set him upon his thin legs. roquat was dripping wet, but he chattered and laughed and wanted to drink more of the water. no thought of injuring any person was now in his mind. before he left the tunnel he had commanded his fifty thousand nomes to remain there until he ordered them to advance, as he wished to give his allies time to conquer oz before he appeared with his own army. ozma did not wish all these nomes to overrun her land, so she advanced to king roquat and taking his hand in her own said gently: "who are you? what is your name?" "i don't know," he replied, smiling at her. "who are you, my dear?" "my name is ozma," she said; "and your name is roquat." "oh, is it?" he replied, seeming pleased. "yes; you are king of the nomes," she said. "ah; i wonder what the nomes are!" returned the king, as if puzzled. "they are underground elves, and that tunnel over there is full of them," she answered. "you have a beautiful cavern at the other end of the tunnel, so you must go to your nomes and say: 'march home!' then follow after them and in time you will reach the pretty cavern where you live." the nome king was much pleased to learn this, for he had forgotten he had a cavern. so he went to the tunnel and said to his army: 'march home!' at once the nomes turned and marched back through the tunnel, and the king followed after them, laughing with delight to find his orders so readily obeyed. the wizard went to general guph, who was trying to count his fingers, and told him to follow the nome king, who was his master. guph meekly obeyed, and so all the nomes quitted the land of oz forever. but there were still the phanfasms and whimsies and growleywogs standing around in groups, and they were so many that they filled the gardens and trampled upon the flowers and grass because they did not know that the tender plants would be injured by their clumsy feet. but in all other respects they were perfectly harmless and played together like children or gazed with pleasure upon the pretty sights of the royal gardens. after counseling with the scarecrow ozma sent omby amby to the palace for the magic belt, and when the captain general returned with it the ruler of oz at once clasped the precious belt around her waist. "i wish all these strange people--the whimsies and the growleywogs and the phanfasms--safe back in their own homes!" she said. it all happened in a twinkling, for of course the wish was no sooner spoken than it was granted. all the hosts of the invaders were gone, and only the trampled grass showed that they had ever been in the land of oz. . how glinda worked a magic spell "that was better than fighting," said ozma, when all our friends were assembled in the palace after the exciting events of the morning; and each and every one agreed with her. "no one was hurt," said the wizard, delightedly. "and no one hurt us," added aunt em. "but, best of all," said dorothy, "the wicked people have all forgotten their wickedness, and will not wish to hurt any one after this." "true, princess," declared the shaggy man. "it seems to me that to have reformed all those evil characters is more important than to have saved oz." "nevertheless," remarked the scarecrow, "i am glad oz is saved. i can now go back to my new mansion and live happily." "and i am glad and grateful that my pumpkin farm is saved," said jack. "for my part," added the tin woodman, "i cannot express my joy that my lovely tin castle is not to be demolished by wicked enemies." "still," said tiktok, "o-ther en-e-mies may come to oz some day." "why do you allow your clock-work brains to interrupt our joy?" asked omby amby, frowning at the machine man. "i say what i am wound up to say," answered tiktok. "and you are right," declared ozma. "i myself have been thinking of this very idea, and it seems to me there are entirely too many ways for people to get to the land of oz. we used to think the deadly desert that surrounds us was enough protection; but that is no longer the case. the wizard and dorothy have both come here through the air, and i am told the earth people have invented airships that can fly anywhere they wish them to go." "why, sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't," asserted dorothy. "but in time the airships may cause us trouble," continued ozma, "for if the earth folk learn how to manage them we would be overrun with visitors who would ruin our lovely, secluded fairyland." "that is true enough," agreed the wizard. "also the desert fails to protect us in other ways," ozma went on, thoughtfully. "johnny dooit once made a sand-boat that sailed across it, and the nome king made a tunnel under it. so i believe something ought to be done to cut us off from the rest of the world entirely, so that no one in the future will ever be able to intrude upon us." "how will you do that?" asked the scarecrow. "i do not know; but in some way i am sure it can be accomplished. to-morrow i will make a journey to the castle of glinda the good, and ask her advice." "may i go with you?" asked dorothy, eagerly. "of course, my dear princess; and i also invite any of our friends here who would like to undertake the journey." they all declared they wished to accompany their girl ruler, for this was indeed an important mission, since the future of the land of oz to a great extent depended upon it. so ozma gave orders to her servants to prepare for the journey on the morrow. that day she watched her magic picture, and when it showed her that all the nomes had returned through the tunnel to their underground caverns, ozma used the magic belt to close up the tunnel, so that the earth underneath the desert sands became as solid as it was before the nomes began to dig. early the following morning a gay cavalcade set out to visit the famous sorceress, glinda the good. ozma and dorothy rode in a chariot drawn by the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, while the sawhorse drew the red wagon in which rode the rest of the party. with hearts light and free from care they traveled merrily along through the lovely and fascinating land of oz, and in good season reached the stately castle in which resided the sorceress. glinda knew that they were coming. "i have been reading about you in my magic book," she said, as she greeted them in her gracious way. "what is your magic book like?" inquired aunt em, curiously. "it is a record of everything that happens," replied the sorceress. "as soon as an event takes place, anywhere in the world, it is immediately found printed in my magic book. so when i read its pages i am well informed." "did it tell you how our enemies drank the water of 'blivion?" asked dorothy. "yes, my dear; it told all about it. and also it told me you were all coming to my castle, and why." "then," said ozma, "i suppose you know what is in my mind, and that i am seeking a way to prevent any one in the future from discovering the land of oz." "yes; i know that. and while you were on your journey i have thought of a way to accomplish your desire. for it seems to me unwise to allow too many outside people to come here. dorothy, with her uncle and aunt, has now returned to oz to live always, and there is no reason why we should leave any way open for others to travel uninvited to our fairyland. let us make it impossible for any one ever to communicate with us in any way, after this. then we may live peacefully and contentedly." "your advice is wise," returned ozma. "i thank you, glinda, for your promise to assist me." "but how can you do it?" asked dorothy. "how can you keep every one from ever finding oz?" "by making our country invisible to all eyes but our own," replied the sorceress, smiling. "i have a magic charm powerful enough to accomplish that wonderful feat, and now that we have been warned of our danger by the nome king's invasion, i believe we must not hesitate to separate ourselves forever from all the rest of the world." "i agree with you," said the ruler of oz. "won't it make any difference to us?" asked dorothy, doubtfully. "no, my dear," glinda answered, assuringly. "we shall still be able to see each other and everything in the land of oz. it won't affect us at all; but those who fly through the air over our country will look down and see nothing at all. those who come to the edge of the desert, or try to cross it, will catch no glimpse of oz, or know in what direction it lies. no one will try to tunnel to us again because we cannot be seen and therefore cannot be found. in other words, the land of oz will entirely disappear from the knowledge of the rest of the world." "that's all right," said dorothy, cheerfully. "you may make oz invis'ble as soon as you please, for all i care." "it is already invisible," glinda stated. "i knew ozma's wishes, and performed the magic spell before you arrived." ozma seized the hand of the sorceress and pressed it gratefully. "thank you!" she said. . how the story of oz came to an end the writer of these oz stories has received a little note from princess dorothy of oz which, for a time, has made him feel rather disconcerted. the note was written on a broad, white feather from a stork's wing, and it said: "you will never hear anything more about oz, because we are now cut off forever from all the rest of the world. but toto and i will always love you and all the other children who love us. "dorothy gale." this seemed to me too bad, at first, for oz is a very interesting fairyland. still, we have no right to feel grieved, for we have had enough of the history of the land of oz to fill six story books, and from its quaint people and their strange adventures we have been able to learn many useful and amusing things. so good luck to little dorothy and her companions. may they live long in their invisible country and be very happy! the patchwork girl of oz by l. frank baum affectionately dedicated to my young friend sumner hamilton britton of chicago prologue through the kindness of dorothy gale of kansas, afterward princess dorothy of oz, an humble writer in the united states of america was once appointed royal historian of oz, with the privilege of writing the chronicle of that wonderful fairyland. but after making six books about the adventures of those interesting but queer people who live in the land of oz, the historian learned with sorrow that by an edict of the supreme ruler, ozma of oz, her country would thereafter be rendered invisible to all who lived outside its borders and that all communication with oz would, in the future, be cut off. the children who had learned to look for the books about oz and who loved the stories about the gay and happy people inhabiting that favored country, were as sorry as their historian that there would be no more books of oz stories. they wrote many letters asking if the historian did not know of some adventures to write about that had happened before the land of oz was shut out from all the rest of the world. but he did not know of any. finally one of the children inquired why we couldn't hear from princess dorothy by wireless telegraph, which would enable her to communicate to the historian whatever happened in the far-off land of oz without his seeing her, or even knowing just where oz is. that seemed a good idea; so the historian rigged up a high tower in his back yard, and took lessons in wireless telegraphy until he understood it, and then began to call "princess dorothy of oz" by sending messages into the air. now, it wasn't likely that dorothy would be looking for wireless messages or would heed the call; but one thing the historian was sure of, and that was that the powerful sorceress, glinda, would know what he was doing and that he desired to communicate with dorothy. for glinda has a big book in which is recorded every event that takes place anywhere in the world, just the moment that it happens, and so of course the book would tell her about the wireless message. and that was the way dorothy heard that the historian wanted to speak with her, and there was a shaggy man in the land of oz who knew how to telegraph a wireless reply. the result was that the historian begged so hard to be told the latest news of oz, so that he could write it down for the children to read, that dorothy asked permission of ozma and ozma graciously consented. that is why, after two long years of waiting, another oz story is now presented to the children of america. this would not have been possible had not some clever man invented the "wireless" and an equally clever child suggested the idea of reaching the mysterious land of oz by its means. l. frank baum. "ozcot" at hollywood in california list of chapters - ojo and unc nunkie - the crooked magician - the patchwork girl - the glass cat - a terrible accident - the journey - the troublesome phonograph - the foolish owl and the wise donkey - they meet the woozy - shaggy man to the rescue - a good friend - the giant porcupine - scraps and the scarecrow - ojo breaks the law - ozma's prisoner - princess dorothy - ozma and her friends - ojo is forgiven - trouble with the tottenhots - the captive yoop - hip hopper the champion - the joking horners - peace is declared - ojo finds the dark well - they bribe the lazy quadling - the trick river - the tin woodman objects - the wonderful wizard of oz the patchwork girl of oz chapter one ojo and unc nunkie "where's the butter, unc nunkie?" asked ojo. unc looked out of the window and stroked his long beard. then he turned to the munchkin boy and shook his head. "isn't," said he. "isn't any butter? that's too bad, unc. where's the jam then?" inquired ojo, standing on a stool so he could look through all the shelves of the cupboard. but unc nunkie shook his head again. "gone," he said. "no jam, either? and no cake--no jelly--no apples--nothing but bread?" "all," said unc, again stroking his beard as he gazed from the window. the little boy brought the stool and sat beside his uncle, munching the dry bread slowly and seeming in deep thought. "nothing grows in our yard but the bread tree," he mused, "and there are only two more loaves on that tree; and they're not ripe yet. tell me, unc; why are we so poor?" the old munchkin turned and looked at ojo. he had kindly eyes, but he hadn't smiled or laughed in so long that the boy had forgotten that unc nunkie could look any other way than solemn. and unc never spoke any more words than he was obliged to, so his little nephew, who lived alone with him, had learned to understand a great deal from one word. "why are we so poor, unc?" repeated the boy. "not," said the old munchkin. "i think we are," declared ojo. "what have we got?" "house," said unc nunkie. "i know; but everyone in the land of oz has a place to live. what else, unc?" "bread." "i'm eating the last loaf that's ripe. there; i've put aside your share, unc. it's on the table, so you can eat it when you get hungry. but when that is gone, what shall we eat, unc?" the old man shifted in his chair but merely shook his head. "of course," said ojo, who was obliged to talk because his uncle would not, "no one starves in the land of oz, either. there is plenty for everyone, you know; only, if it isn't just where you happen to be, you must go where it is." the aged munchkin wriggled again and stared at his small nephew as if disturbed by his argument. "by to-morrow morning," the boy went on, "we must go where there is something to eat, or we shall grow very hungry and become very unhappy." "where?" asked unc. "where shall we go? i don't know, i'm sure," replied ojo. "but you must know, unc. you must have traveled, in your time, because you're so old. i don't remember it, because ever since i could remember anything we've lived right here in this lonesome, round house, with a little garden back of it and the thick woods all around. all i've ever seen of the great land of oz, unc dear, is the view of that mountain over at the south, where they say the hammerheads live--who won't let anybody go by them--and that mountain at the north, where they say nobody lives." "one," declared unc, correcting him. "oh, yes; one family lives there, i've heard. that's the crooked magician, who is named dr. pipt, and his wife margolotte. one year you told me about them; i think it took you a whole year, unc, to say as much as i've just said about the crooked magician and his wife. they live high up on the mountain, and the good munchkin country, where the fruits and flowers grow, is just the other side. it's funny you and i should live here all alone, in the middle of the forest, isn't it?" "yes," said unc. "then let's go away and visit the munchkin country and its jolly, good-natured people. i'd love to get a sight of something besides woods, unc nunkie." "too little," said unc. "why, i'm not so little as i used to be," answered the boy earnestly. "i think i can walk as far and as fast through the woods as you can, unc. and now that nothing grows in our back yard that is good to eat, we must go where there is food." unc nunkie made no reply for a time. then he shut down the window and turned his chair to face the room, for the sun was sinking behind the tree-tops and it was growing cool. by and by ojo lighted the fire and the logs blazed freely in the broad fireplace. the two sat in the firelight a long time--the old, white-bearded munchkin and the little boy. both were thinking. when it grew quite dark outside, ojo said: "eat your bread, unc, and then we will go to bed." but unc nunkie did not eat the bread; neither did he go directly to bed. long after his little nephew was sound asleep in the corner of the room the old man sat by the fire, thinking. chapter two the crooked magician just at dawn next morning unc nunkie laid his hand tenderly on ojo's head and awakened him. "come," he said. ojo dressed. he wore blue silk stockings, blue knee pants with gold buckles, a blue ruffled waist and a jacket of bright blue braided with gold. his shoes were of blue leather and turned up at the toes, which were pointed. his hat had a peaked crown and a flat brim, and around the brim was a row of tiny golden bells that tinkled when he moved. this was the native costume of those who inhabited the munchkin country of the land of oz, so unc nunkie's dress was much like that of his nephew. instead of shoes, the old man wore boots with turnover tops and his blue coat had wide cuffs of gold braid. the boy noticed that his uncle had not eaten the bread, and supposed the old man had not been hungry. ojo was hungry, though; so he divided the piece of bread upon the table and ate his half for breakfast, washing it down with fresh, cool water from the brook. unc put the other piece of bread in his jacket pocket, after which he again said, as he walked out through the doorway: "come." ojo was well pleased. he was dreadfully tired of living all alone in the woods and wanted to travel and see people. for a long time he had wished to explore the beautiful land of oz in which they lived. when they were outside, unc simply latched the door and started up the path. no one would disturb their little house, even if anyone came so far into the thick forest while they were gone. at the foot of the mountain that separated the country of the munchkins from the country of the gillikins, the path divided. one way led to the left and the other to the right--straight up the mountain. unc nunkie took this right-hand path and ojo followed without asking why. he knew it would take them to the house of the crooked magician, whom he had never seen but who was their nearest neighbor. all the morning they trudged up the mountain path and at noon unc and ojo sat on a fallen tree-trunk and ate the last of the bread which the old munchkin had placed in his pocket. then they started on again and two hours later came in sight of the house of dr. pipt. it was a big house, round, as were all the munchkin houses, and painted blue, which is the distinctive color of the munchkin country of oz. there was a pretty garden around the house, where blue trees and blue flowers grew in abundance and in one place were beds of blue cabbages, blue carrots and blue lettuce, all of which were delicious to eat. in dr. pipt's garden grew bun-trees, cake-trees, cream-puff bushes, blue buttercups which yielded excellent blue butter and a row of chocolate-caramel plants. paths of blue gravel divided the vegetable and flower beds and a wider path led up to the front door. the place was in a clearing on the mountain, but a little way off was the grim forest, which completely surrounded it. unc knocked at the door of the house and a chubby, pleasant-faced woman, dressed all in blue, opened it and greeted the visitors with a smile. "ah," said ojo; "you must be dame margolotte, the good wife of dr. pipt." "i am, my dear, and all strangers are welcome to my home." "may we see the famous magician, madam?" "he is very busy just now," she said, shaking her head doubtfully. "but come in and let me give you something to eat, for you must have traveled far in order to get our lonely place." "we have," replied ojo, as he and unc entered the house. "we have come from a far lonelier place than this." "a lonelier place! and in the munchkin country?" she exclaimed. "then it must be somewhere in the blue forest." "it is, good dame margolotte." "dear me!" she said, looking at the man, "you must be unc nunkie, known as the silent one." then she looked at the boy. "and you must be ojo the unlucky," she added. "yes," said unc. "i never knew i was called the unlucky," said ojo, soberly; "but it is really a good name for me." "well," remarked the woman, as she bustled around the room and set the table and brought food from the cupboard, "you were unlucky to live all alone in that dismal forest, which is much worse than the forest around here; but perhaps your luck will change, now you are away from it. if, during your travels, you can manage to lose that 'un' at the beginning of your name 'unlucky,' you will then become ojo the lucky, which will be a great improvement." "how can i lose that 'un,' dame margolotte?" "i do not know how, but you must keep the matter in mind and perhaps the chance will come to you," she replied. ojo had never eaten such a fine meal in all his life. there was a savory stew, smoking hot, a dish of blue peas, a bowl of sweet milk of a delicate blue tint and a blue pudding with blue plums in it. when the visitors had eaten heartily of this fare the woman said to them: "do you wish to see dr. pipt on business or for pleasure?" unc shook his head. "we are traveling," replied ojo, "and we stopped at your house just to rest and refresh ourselves. i do not think unc nunkie cares very much to see the famous crooked magician; but for my part i am curious to look at such a great man." the woman seemed thoughtful. "i remember that unc nunkie and my husband used to be friends, many years ago," she said, "so perhaps they will be glad to meet again. the magician is very busy, as i said, but if you will promise not to disturb him you may come into his workshop and watch him prepare a wonderful charm." "thank you," replied the boy, much pleased. "i would like to do that." she led the way to a great domed hall at the back of the house, which was the magician's workshop. there was a row of windows extending nearly around the sides of the circular room, which rendered the place very light, and there was a back door in addition to the one leading to the front part of the house. before the row of windows a broad seat was built and there were some chairs and benches in the room besides. at one end stood a great fireplace, in which a blue log was blazing with a blue flame, and over the fire hung four kettles in a row, all bubbling and steaming at a great rate. the magician was stirring all four of these kettles at the same time, two with his hands and two with his feet, to the latter, wooden ladles being strapped, for this man was so very crooked that his legs were as handy as his arms. unc nunkie came forward to greet his old friend, but not being able to shake either his hands or his feet, which were all occupied in stirring, he patted the magician's bald head and asked: "what?" "ah, it's the silent one," remarked dr. pipt, without looking up, "and he wants to know what i'm making. well, when it is quite finished this compound will be the wonderful powder of life, which no one knows how to make but myself. whenever it is sprinkled on anything, that thing will at once come to life, no matter what it is. it takes me several years to make this magic powder, but at this moment i am pleased to say it is nearly done. you see, i am making it for my good wife margolotte, who wants to use some of it for a purpose of her own. sit down and make yourself comfortable, unc nunkie, and after i've finished my task i will talk to you." "you must know," said margolotte, when they were all seated together on the broad window-seat, "that my husband foolishly gave away all the powder of life he first made to old mombi the witch, who used to live in the country of the gillikins, to the north of here. mombi gave to dr. pipt a powder of perpetual youth in exchange for his powder of life, but she cheated him wickedly, for the powder of youth was no good and could work no magic at all." "perhaps the powder of life couldn't either," said ojo. "yes; it is perfection," she declared. "the first lot we tested on our glass cat, which not only began to live but has lived ever since. she's somewhere around the house now." "a glass cat!" exclaimed ojo, astonished. "yes; she makes a very pleasant companion, but admires herself a little more than is considered modest, and she positively refuses to catch mice," explained margolotte. "my husband made the cat some pink brains, but they proved to be too high-bred and particular for a cat, so she thinks it is undignified in her to catch mice. also she has a pretty blood-red heart, but it is made of stone--a ruby, i think--and so is rather hard and unfeeling. i think the next glass cat the magician makes will have neither brains nor heart, for then it will not object to catching mice and may prove of some use to us." "what did old mombi the witch do with the powder of life your husband gave her?" asked the boy. "she brought jack pumpkinhead to life, for one thing," was the reply. "i suppose you've heard of jack pumpkinhead. he is now living near the emerald city and is a great favorite with the princess ozma, who rules all the land of oz." "no; i've never heard of him," remarked ojo. "i'm afraid i don't know much about the land of oz. you see, i've lived all my life with unc nunkie, the silent one, and there was no one to tell me anything." "that is one reason you are ojo the unlucky," said the woman, in a sympathetic tone. "the more one knows, the luckier he is, for knowledge is the greatest gift in life." "but tell me, please, what you intend to do with this new lot of the powder of life, which dr. pipt is making. he said his wife wanted it for some especial purpose." "so i do," she answered. "i want it to bring my patchwork girl to life." "oh! a patchwork girl? what is that?" ojo asked, for this seemed even more strange and unusual than a glass cat. "i think i must show you my patchwork girl," said margolotte, laughing at the boy's astonishment, "for she is rather difficult to explain. but first i will tell you that for many years i have longed for a servant to help me with the housework and to cook the meals and wash the dishes. no servant will come here because the place is so lonely and out-of-the-way, so my clever husband, the crooked magician, proposed that i make a girl out of some sort of material and he would make her live by sprinkling over her the powder of life. this seemed an excellent suggestion and at once dr. pipt set to work to make a new batch of his magic powder. he has been at it a long, long while, and so i have had plenty of time to make the girl. yet that task was not so easy as you may suppose. at first i couldn't think what to make her of, but finally in searching through a chest i came across an old patchwork quilt, which my grandmother once made when she was young." "what is a patchwork quilt?" asked ojo. "a bed-quilt made of patches of different kinds and colors of cloth, all neatly sewed together. the patches are of all shapes and sizes, so a patchwork quilt is a very pretty and gorgeous thing to look at. sometimes it is called a 'crazy-quilt,' because the patches and colors are so mixed up. we never have used my grandmother's many-colored patchwork quilt, handsome as it is, for we munchkins do not care for any color other than blue, so it has been packed away in the chest for about a hundred years. when i found it, i said to myself that it would do nicely for my servant girl, for when she was brought to life she would not be proud nor haughty, as the glass cat is, for such a dreadful mixture of colors would discourage her from trying to be as dignified as the blue munchkins are." "is blue the only respectable color, then?" inquired ojo. "yes, for a munchkin. all our country is blue, you know. but in other parts of oz the people favor different colors. at the emerald city, where our princess ozma lives, green is the popular color. but all munchkins prefer blue to anything else and when my housework girl is brought to life she will find herself to be of so many unpopular colors that she'll never dare be rebellious or impudent, as servants are sometimes liable to be when they are made the same way their mistresses are." unc nunkie nodded approval. "good i-dea," he said; and that was a long speech for unc nunkie because it was two words. "so i cut up the quilt," continued margolotte, "and made from it a very well-shaped girl, which i stuffed with cotton-wadding. i will show you what a good job i did," and she went to a tall cupboard and threw open the doors. then back she came, lugging in her arms the patchwork girl, which she set upon the bench and propped up so that the figure would not tumble over. chapter three the patchwork girl ojo examined this curious contrivance with wonder. the patchwork girl was taller than he, when she stood upright, and her body was plump and rounded because it had been so neatly stuffed with cotton. margolotte had first made the girl's form from the patchwork quilt and then she had dressed it with a patchwork skirt and an apron with pockets in it--using the same gay material throughout. upon the feet she had sewn a pair of red leather shoes with pointed toes. all the fingers and thumbs of the girl's hands had been carefully formed and stuffed and stitched at the edges, with gold plates at the ends to serve as finger-nails. "she will have to work, when she comes to life," said margolotte. the head of the patchwork girl was the most curious part of her. while she waited for her husband to finish making his powder of life the woman had found ample time to complete the head as her fancy dictated, and she realized that a good servant's head must be properly constructed. the hair was of brown yarn and hung down on her neck in several neat braids. her eyes were two silver suspender-buttons cut from a pair of the magician's old trousers, and they were sewed on with black threads, which formed the pupils of the eyes. margolotte had puzzled over the ears for some time, for these were important if the servant was to hear distinctly, but finally she had made them out of thin plates of gold and attached them in place by means of stitches through tiny holes bored in the metal. gold is the most common metal in the land of oz and is used for many purposes because it is soft and pliable. the woman had cut a slit for the patchwork girl's mouth and sewn two rows of white pearls in it for teeth, using a strip of scarlet plush for a tongue. this mouth ojo considered very artistic and lifelike, and margolotte was pleased when the boy praised it. there were almost too many patches on the face of the girl for her to be considered strictly beautiful, for one cheek was yellow and the other red, her chin blue, her forehead purple and the center, where her nose had been formed and padded, a bright yellow. "you ought to have had her face all pink," suggested the boy. "i suppose so; but i had no pink cloth," replied the woman. "still, i cannot see as it matters much, for i wish my patchwork girl to be useful rather than ornamental. if i get tired looking at her patched face i can whitewash it." "has she any brains?" asked ojo. "no; i forgot all about the brains!" exclaimed the woman. "i am glad you reminded me of them, for it is not too late to supply them, by any means. until she is brought to life i can do anything i please with this girl. but i must be careful not to give her too much brains, and those she has must be such as are fitted to the station she is to occupy in life. in other words, her brains mustn't be very good." "wrong," said unc nunkie. "no; i am sure i am right about that," returned the woman. "he means," explained ojo, "that unless your servant has good brains she won't know how to obey you properly, nor do the things you ask her to do." "well, that may be true," agreed margolotte; "but, on the contrary, a servant with too much brains is sure to become independent and high-and-mighty and feel above her work. this is a very delicate task, as i said, and i must take care to give the girl just the right quantity of the right sort of brains. i want her to know just enough, but not too much." with this she went to another cupboard which was filled with shelves. all the shelves were lined with blue glass bottles, neatly labeled by the magician to show what they contained. one whole shelf was marked: "brain furniture," and the bottles on this shelf were labeled as follows: "obedience," "cleverness," "judgment," "courage," "ingenuity," "amiability," "learning," "truth," "poesy," "self reliance." "let me see," said margolotte; "of those qualities she must have 'obedience' first of all," and she took down the bottle bearing that label and poured from it upon a dish several grains of the contents. "'amiability' is also good and 'truth.'" she poured into the dish a quantity from each of these bottles. "i think that will do," she continued, "for the other qualities are not needed in a servant." unc nunkie, who with ojo stood beside her, touched the bottle marked "cleverness." "little," said he. "a little 'cleverness'? well, perhaps you are right, sir," said she, and was about to take down the bottle when the crooked magician suddenly called to her excitedly from the fireplace. "quick, margolotte! come and help me." she ran to her husband's side at once and helped him lift the four kettles from the fire. their contents had all boiled away, leaving in the bottom of each kettle a few grains of fine white powder. very carefully the magician removed this powder, placing it all together in a golden dish, where he mixed it with a golden spoon. when the mixture was complete there was scarcely a handful, all told. "that," said dr. pipt, in a pleased and triumphant tone, "is the wonderful powder of life, which i alone in the world know how to make. it has taken me nearly six years to prepare these precious grains of dust, but the little heap on that dish is worth the price of a kingdom and many a king would give all he has to possess it. when it has become cooled i will place it in a small bottle; but meantime i must watch it carefully, lest a gust of wind blow it away or scatter it." unc nunkie, margolotte and the magician all stood looking at the marvelous powder, but ojo was more interested just then in the patchwork girl's brains. thinking it both unfair and unkind to deprive her of any good qualities that were handy, the boy took down every bottle on the shelf and poured some of the contents in margolotte's dish. no one saw him do this, for all were looking at the powder of life; but soon the woman remembered what she had been doing, and came back to the cupboard. "let's see," she remarked; "i was about to give my girl a little 'cleverness,' which is the doctor's substitute for 'intelligence'--a quality he has not yet learned how to manufacture." taking down the bottle of "cleverness" she added some of the powder to the heap on the dish. ojo became a bit uneasy at this, for he had already put quite a lot of the "cleverness" powder in the dish; but he dared not interfere and so he comforted himself with the thought that one cannot have too much cleverness. margolotte now carried the dish of brains to the bench. ripping the seam of the patch on the girl's forehead, she placed the powder within the head and then sewed up the seam as neatly and securely as before. "my girl is all ready for your powder of life, my dear," she said to her husband. but the magician replied: "this powder must not be used before to-morrow morning; but i think it is now cool enough to be bottled." he selected a small gold bottle with a pepper-box top, so that the powder might be sprinkled on any object through the small holes. very carefully he placed the powder of life in the gold bottle and then locked it up in a drawer of his cabinet. "at last," said he, rubbing his hands together gleefully, "i have ample leisure for a good talk with my old friend unc nunkie. so let us sit down cosily and enjoy ourselves. after stirring those four kettles for six years i am glad to have a little rest." "you will have to do most of the talking," said ojo, "for unc is called the silent one and uses few words." "i know; but that renders your uncle a most agreeable companion and gossip," declared dr. pipt. "most people talk too much, so it is a relief to find one who talks too little." ojo looked at the magician with much awe and curiosity. "don't you find it very annoying to be so crooked?" he asked. "no; i am quite proud of my person," was the reply. "i suppose i am the only crooked magician in all the world. some others are accused of being crooked, but i am the only genuine." he was really very crooked and ojo wondered how he managed to do so many things with such a twisted body. when he sat down upon a crooked chair that had been made to fit him, one knee was under his chin and the other near the small of his back; but he was a cheerful man and his face bore a pleasant and agreeable expression. "i am not allowed to perform magic, except for my own amusement," he told his visitors, as he lighted a pipe with a crooked stem and began to smoke. "too many people were working magic in the land of oz, and so our lovely princess ozma put a stop to it. i think she was quite right. there were several wicked witches who caused a lot of trouble; but now they are all out of business and only the great sorceress, glinda the good, is permitted to practice her arts, which never harm anybody. the wizard of oz, who used to be a humbug and knew no magic at all, has been taking lessons of glinda, and i'm told he is getting to be a pretty good wizard; but he is merely the assistant of the great sorceress. i've the right to make a servant girl for my wife, you know, or a glass cat to catch our mice--which she refuses to do--but i am forbidden to work magic for others, or to use it as a profession." "magic must be a very interesting study," said ojo. "it truly is," asserted the magician. "in my time i've performed some magical feats that were worthy of the skill of glinda the good. for instance, there's the powder of life, and my liquid of petrifaction, which is contained in that bottle on the shelf yonder--over the window." "what does the liquid of petrifaction do?" inquired the boy. "turns everything it touches to solid marble. it's an invention of my own, and i find it very useful. once two of those dreadful kalidahs, with bodies like bears and heads like tigers, came here from the forest to attack us; but i sprinkled some of that liquid on them and instantly they turned to marble. i now use them as ornamental statuary in my garden. this table looks to you like wood, and once it really was wood; but i sprinkled a few drops of the liquid of petrifaction on it and now it is marble. it will never break nor wear out." "fine!" said unc nunkie, wagging his head and stroking his long gray beard. "dear me; what a chatterbox you're getting to be, unc," remarked the magician, who was pleased with the compliment. but just then there came a scratching at the back door and a shrill voice cried: "let me in! hurry up, can't you? let me in!" margolotte got up and went to the door. "ask like a good cat, then," she said. "mee-ee-ow-w-w! there; does that suit your royal highness?" asked the voice, in scornful accents. "yes; that's proper cat talk," declared the woman, and opened the door. at once a cat entered, came to the center of the room and stopped short at the sight of strangers. ojo and unc nunkie both stared at it with wide open eyes, for surely no such curious creature had ever existed before--even in the land of oz. chapter four the glass cat the cat was made of glass, so clear and transparent that you could see through it as easily as through a window. in the top of its head, however, was a mass of delicate pink balls which looked like jewels, and it had a heart made of a blood-red ruby. the eyes were two large emeralds, but aside from these colors all the rest of the animal was clear glass, and it had a spun-glass tail that was really beautiful. "well, doc pipt, do you mean to introduce us, or not?" demanded the cat, in a tone of annoyance. "seems to me you are forgetting your manners." "excuse me," returned the magician. "this is unc nunkie, the descendant of the former kings of the munchkins, before this country became a part of the land of oz." "he needs a haircut," observed the cat, washing its face. "true," replied unc, with a low chuckle of amusement. "but he has lived alone in the heart of the forest for many years," the magician explained; "and, although that is a barbarous country, there are no barbers there." "who is the dwarf?" asked the cat. "that is not a dwarf, but a boy," answered the magician. "you have never seen a boy before. he is now small because he is young. with more years he will grow big and become as tall as unc nunkie." "oh. is that magic?" the glass animal inquired. "yes; but it is nature's magic, which is more wonderful than any art known to man. for instance, my magic made you, and made you live; and it was a poor job because you are useless and a bother to me; but i can't make you grow. you will always be the same size--and the same saucy, inconsiderate glass cat, with pink brains and a hard ruby heart." "no one can regret more than i the fact that you made me," asserted the cat, crouching upon the floor and slowly swaying its spun-glass tail from side to side. "your world is a very uninteresting place. i've wandered through your gardens and in the forest until i'm tired of it all, and when i come into the house the conversation of your fat wife and of yourself bores me dreadfully." "that is because i gave you different brains from those we ourselves possess--and much too good for a cat," returned dr. pipt. "can't you take 'em out, then, and replace 'em with pebbles, so that i won't feel above my station in life?" asked the cat, pleadingly. "perhaps so. i'll try it, after i've brought the patchwork girl to life," he said. the cat walked up to the bench on which the patchwork girl reclined and looked at her attentively. "are you going to make that dreadful thing live?" she asked. the magician nodded. "it is intended to be my wife's servant maid," he said. "when she is alive she will do all our work and mind the house. but you are not to order her around, bungle, as you do us. you must treat the patchwork girl respectfully." "i won't. i couldn't respect such a bundle of scraps under any circumstances." "if you don't, there will be more scraps than you will like," cried margolotte, angrily. "why didn't you make her pretty to look at?" asked the cat. "you made me pretty--very pretty, indeed--and i love to watch my pink brains roll around when they're working, and to see my precious red heart beat." she went to a long mirror, as she said this, and stood before it, looking at herself with an air of much pride. "but that poor patched thing will hate herself, when she's once alive," continued the cat. "if i were you i'd use her for a mop, and make another servant that is prettier." "you have a perverted taste," snapped margolotte, much annoyed at this frank criticism. "i think the patchwork girl is beautiful, considering what she's made of. even the rainbow hasn't as many colors, and you must admit that the rainbow is a pretty thing." the glass cat yawned and stretched herself upon the floor. "have your own way," she said. "i'm sorry for the patchwork girl, that's all." ojo and unc nunkie slept that night in the magician's house, and the boy was glad to stay because he was anxious to see the patchwork girl brought to life. the glass cat was also a wonderful creature to little ojo, who had never seen or known anything of magic before, although he had lived in the fairyland of oz ever since he was born. back there in the woods nothing unusual ever happened. unc nunkie, who might have been king of the munchkins, had not his people united with all the other countries of oz in acknowledging ozma as their sole ruler, had retired into this forgotten forest nook with his baby nephew and they had lived all alone there. only that the neglected garden had failed to grow food for them, they would always have lived in the solitary blue forest; but now they had started out to mingle with other people, and the first place they came to proved so interesting that ojo could scarcely sleep a wink all night. margolotte was an excellent cook and gave them a fine breakfast. while they were all engaged in eating, the good woman said: "this is the last meal i shall have to cook for some time, for right after breakfast dr. pipt has promised to bring my new servant to life. i shall let her wash the breakfast dishes and sweep and dust the house. what a relief it will be!" "it will, indeed, relieve you of much drudgery," said the magician. "by the way, margolotte, i thought i saw you getting some brains from the cupboard, while i was busy with my kettles. what qualities have you given your new servant?" "only those that an humble servant requires," she answered. "i do not wish her to feel above her station, as the glass cat does. that would make her discontented and unhappy, for of course she must always be a servant." ojo was somewhat disturbed as he listened to this, and the boy began to fear he had done wrong in adding all those different qualities of brains to the lot margolotte had prepared for the servant. but it was too late now for regret, since all the brains were securely sewn up inside the patchwork girl's head. he might have confessed what he had done and thus allowed margolotte and her husband to change the brains; but he was afraid of incurring their anger. he believed that unc had seen him add to the brains, and unc had not said a word against it; but then, unc never did say anything unless it was absolutely necessary. as soon as breakfast was over they all went into the magician's big workshop, where the glass cat was lying before the mirror and the patchwork girl lay limp and lifeless upon the bench. "now, then," said dr. pipt, in a brisk tone, "we shall perform one of the greatest feats of magic possible to man, even in this marvelous land of oz. in no other country could it be done at all. i think we ought to have a little music while the patchwork girl comes to life. it is pleasant to reflect that the first sounds her golden ears will hear will be delicious music." as he spoke he went to a phonograph, which screwed fast to a small table, and wound up the spring of the instrument and adjusted the big gold horn. "the music my servant will usually hear," remarked margolotte, "will be my orders to do her work. but i see no harm in allowing her to listen to this unseen band while she wakens to her first realization of life. my orders will beat the band, afterward." the phonograph was now playing a stirring march tune and the magician unlocked his cabinet and took out the gold bottle containing the powder of life. they all bent over the bench on which the patchwork girl reclined. unc nunkie and margolotte stood behind, near the windows, ojo at one side and the magician in front, where he would have freedom to sprinkle the powder. the glass cat came near, too, curious to watch the important scene. "all ready?" asked dr. pipt. "all is ready," answered his wife. so the magician leaned over and shook from the bottle some grains of the wonderful powder, and they fell directly on the patchwork girl's head and arms. chapter five a terrible accident "it will take a few minutes for this powder to do its work," remarked the magician, sprinkling the body up and down with much care. but suddenly the patchwork girl threw up one arm, which knocked the bottle of powder from the crooked man's hand and sent it flying across the room. unc nunkie and margolotte were so startled that they both leaped backward and bumped together, and unc's head joggled the shelf above them and upset the bottle containing the liquid of petrifaction. the magician uttered such a wild cry that ojo jumped away and the patchwork girl sprang after him and clasped her stuffed arms around him in terror. the glass cat snarled and hid under the table, and so it was that when the powerful liquid of petrifaction was spilled it fell only upon the wife of the magician and the uncle of ojo. with these two the charm worked promptly. they stood motionless and stiff as marble statues, in exactly the positions they were in when the liquid struck them. ojo pushed the patchwork girl away and ran to unc nunkie, filled with a terrible fear for the only friend and protector he had ever known. when he grasped unc's hand it was cold and hard. even the long gray beard was solid marble. the crooked magician was dancing around the room in a frenzy of despair, calling upon his wife to forgive him, to speak to him, to come to life again! the patchwork girl, quickly recovering from her fright, now came nearer and looked from one to another of the people with deep interest. then she looked at herself and laughed. noticing the mirror, she stood before it and examined her extraordinary features with amazement--her button eyes, pearl bead teeth and puffy nose. then, addressing her reflection in the glass, she exclaimed: "whee, but there's a gaudy dame! makes a paint-box blush with shame. razzle-dazzle, fizzle-fazzle! howdy-do, miss what's-your-name?" she bowed, and the reflection bowed. then she laughed again, long and merrily, and the glass cat crept out from under the table and said: "i don't blame you for laughing at yourself. aren't you horrid?" "horrid?" she replied. "why, i'm thoroughly delightful. i'm an original, if you please, and therefore incomparable. of all the comic, absurd, rare and amusing creatures the world contains, i must be the supreme freak. who but poor margolotte could have managed to invent such an unreasonable being as i? but i'm glad--i'm awfully glad!--that i'm just what i am, and nothing else." "be quiet, will you?" cried the frantic magician; "be quiet and let me think! if i don't think i shall go mad." "think ahead," said the patchwork girl, seating herself in a chair. "think all you want to. i don't mind." "gee! but i'm tired playing that tune," called the phonograph, speaking through its horn in a brazen, scratchy voice. "if you don't mind, pipt, old boy, i'll cut it out and take a rest." the magician looked gloomily at the music-machine. "what dreadful luck!" he wailed, despondently. "the powder of life must have fallen on the phonograph." he went up to it and found that the gold bottle that contained the precious powder had dropped upon the stand and scattered its life-giving grains over the machine. the phonograph was very much alive, and began dancing a jig with the legs of the table to which it was attached, and this dance so annoyed dr. pipt that he kicked the thing into a corner and pushed a bench against it, to hold it quiet. "you were bad enough before," said the magician, resentfully; "but a live phonograph is enough to drive every sane person in the land of oz stark crazy." "no insults, please," answered the phonograph in a surly tone. "you did it, my boy; don't blame me." "you've bungled everything, dr. pipt," added the glass cat, contemptuously. "except me," said the patchwork girl, jumping up to whirl merrily around the room. "i think," said ojo, almost ready to cry through grief over unc nunkie's sad fate, "it must all be my fault, in some way. i'm called ojo the unlucky, you know." "that's nonsense, kiddie," retorted the patchwork girl cheerfully. "no one can be unlucky who has the intelligence to direct his own actions. the unlucky ones are those who beg for a chance to think, like poor dr. pipt here. what's the row about, anyway, mr. magic-maker?" "the liquid of petrifaction has accidentally fallen upon my dear wife and unc nunkie and turned them into marble," he sadly replied. "well, why don't you sprinkle some of that powder on them and bring them to life again?" asked the patchwork girl. the magician gave a jump. "why, i hadn't thought of that!" he joyfully cried, and grabbed up the golden bottle, with which he ran to margolotte. said the patchwork girl: "higgledy, piggledy, dee-- what fools magicians be! his head's so thick he can't think quick, so he takes advice from me." standing upon the bench, for he was so crooked he could not reach the top of his wife's head in any other way, dr. pipt began shaking the bottle. but not a grain of powder came out. he pulled off the cover, glanced within, and then threw the bottle from him with a wail of despair. "gone--gone! every bit gone," he cried. "wasted on that miserable phonograph when it might have saved my dear wife!" then the magician bowed his head on his crooked arms and began to cry. ojo was sorry for him. he went up to the sorrowful man and said softly: "you can make more powder of life, dr. pipt." "yes; but it will take me six years--six long, weary years of stirring four kettles with both feet and both hands," was the agonized reply. "six years! while poor margolotte stands watching me as a marble image." "can't anything else be done?" asked the patchwork girl. the magician shook his head. then he seemed to remember something and looked up. "there is one other compound that would destroy the magic spell of the liquid of petrifaction and restore my wife and unc nunkie to life," said he. "it may be hard to find the things i need to make this magic compound, but if they were found i could do in an instant what will otherwise take six long, weary years of stirring kettles with both hands and both feet." "all right; let's find the things, then," suggested the patchwork girl. "that seems a lot more sensible than those stirring times with the kettles." "that's the idea, scraps," said the glass cat, approvingly. "i'm glad to find you have decent brains. mine are exceptionally good. you can see 'em work; they're pink." "scraps?" repeated the girl. "did you call me 'scraps'? is that my name?" "i--i believe my poor wife had intended to name you 'angeline,'" said the magician. "but i like 'scraps' best," she replied with a laugh. "it fits me better, for my patchwork is all scraps, and nothing else. thank you for naming me, miss cat. have you any name of your own?" "i have a foolish name that margolotte once gave me, but which is quite undignified for one of my importance," answered the cat. "she called me 'bungle.'" "yes," sighed the magician; "you were a sad bungle, taken all in all. i was wrong to make you as i did, for a more useless, conceited and brittle thing never before existed." "i'm not so brittle as you think," retorted the cat. "i've been alive a good many years, for dr. pipt experimented on me with the first magic powder of life he ever made, and so far i've never broken or cracked or chipped any part of me." "you seem to have a chip on your shoulder," laughed the patchwork girl, and the cat went to the mirror to see. "tell me," pleaded ojo, speaking to the crooked magician, "what must we find to make the compound that will save unc nunkie?" "first," was the reply, "i must have a six-leaved clover. that can only be found in the green country around the emerald city, and six-leaved clovers are very scarce, even there." "i'll find it for you," promised ojo. "the next thing," continued the magician, "is the left wing of a yellow butterfly. that color can only be found in the yellow country of the winkies, west of the emerald city." "i'll find it," declared ojo. "is that all?" "oh, no; i'll get my book of recipes and see what comes next." saying this, the magician unlocked a drawer of his cabinet and drew out a small book covered with blue leather. looking through the pages he found the recipe he wanted and said: "i must have a gill of water from a dark well." "what kind of a well is that, sir?" asked the boy. "one where the light of day never penetrates. the water must be put in a gold bottle and brought to me without any light ever reaching it." "i'll get the water from the dark well," said ojo. "then i must have three hairs from the tip of a woozy's tail, and a drop of oil from a live man's body." ojo looked grave at this. "what is a woozy, please?" he inquired. "some sort of an animal. i've never seen one, so i can't describe it," replied the magician. "if i can find a woozy, i'll get the hairs from its tail," said ojo. "but is there ever any oil in a man's body?" the magician looked in the book again, to make sure. "that's what the recipe calls for," he replied, "and of course we must get everything that is called for, or the charm won't work. the book doesn't say 'blood'; it says 'oil,' and there must be oil somewhere in a live man's body or the book wouldn't ask for it." "all right," returned ojo, trying not to feel discouraged; "i'll try to find it." the magician looked at the little munchkin boy in a doubtful way and said: "all this will mean a long journey for you; perhaps several long journeys; for you must search through several of the different countries of oz in order to get the things i need." "i know it, sir; but i must do my best to save unc nunkie." "and also my poor wife margolotte. if you save one you will save the other, for both stand there together and the same compound will restore them both to life. do the best you can, ojo, and while you are gone i shall begin the six years job of making a new batch of the powder of life. then, if you should unluckily fail to secure any one of the things needed, i will have lost no time. but if you succeed you must return here as quickly as you can, and that will save me much tiresome stirring of four kettles with both feet and both hands." "i will start on my journey at once, sir," said the boy. "and i will go with you," declared the patchwork girl. "no, no!" exclaimed the magician. "you have no right to leave this house. you are only a servant and have not been discharged." scraps, who had been dancing up and down the room, stopped and looked at him. "what is a servant?" she asked. "one who serves. a--a sort of slave," he explained. "very well," said the patchwork girl, "i'm going to serve you and your wife by helping ojo find the things you need. you need a lot, you know, such as are not easily found." "it is true," sighed dr. pipt. "i am well aware that ojo has undertaken a serious task." scraps laughed, and resuming her dance she said: "here's a job for a boy of brains: a drop of oil from a live man's veins; a six-leaved clover; three nice hairs from a woozy's tail, the book declares are needed for the magic spell, and water from a pitch-dark well. the yellow wing of a butterfly to find must ojo also try, and if he gets them without harm, doc pipt will make the magic charm; but if he doesn't get 'em, unc will always stand a marble chunk." the magician looked at her thoughtfully. "poor margolotte must have given you some of the quality of poesy, by mistake," he said. "and, if that is true, i didn't make a very good article when i prepared it, or else you got an overdose or an underdose. however, i believe i shall let you go with ojo, for my poor wife will not need your services until she is restored to life. also i think you may be able to help the boy, for your head seems to contain some thoughts i did not expect to find in it. but be very careful of yourself, for you're a souvenir of my dear margolotte. try not to get ripped, or your stuffing may fall out. one of your eyes seems loose, and you may have to sew it on tighter. if you talk too much you'll wear out your scarlet plush tongue, which ought to have been hemmed on the edges. and remember you belong to me and must return here as soon as your mission is accomplished." "i'm going with scraps and ojo," announced the glass cat. "you can't," said the magician. "why not?" "you'd get broken in no time, and you couldn't be a bit of use to the boy and the patchwork girl." "i beg to differ with you," returned the cat, in a haughty tone. "three heads are better than two, and my pink brains are beautiful. you can see 'em work." "well, go along," said the magician, irritably. "you're only an annoyance, anyhow, and i'm glad to get rid of you." "thank you for nothing, then," answered the cat, stiffly. dr. pipt took a small basket from a cupboard and packed several things in it. then he handed it to ojo. "here is some food and a bundle of charms," he said. "it is all i can give you, but i am sure you will find friends on your journey who will assist you in your search. take care of the patchwork girl and bring her safely back, for she ought to prove useful to my wife. as for the glass cat--properly named bungle--if she bothers you i now give you my permission to break her in two, for she is not respectful and does not obey me. i made a mistake in giving her the pink brains, you see." then ojo went to unc nunkie and kissed the old man's marble face very tenderly. "i'm going to try to save you, unc," he said, just as if the marble image could hear him; and then he shook the crooked hand of the crooked magician, who was already busy hanging the four kettles in the fireplace, and picking up his basket left the house. the patchwork girl followed him, and after them came the glass cat. chapter six the journey ojo had never traveled before and so he only knew that the path down the mountainside led into the open munchkin country, where large numbers of people dwelt. scraps was quite new and not supposed to know anything of the land of oz, while the glass cat admitted she had never wandered very far away from the magician's house. there was only one path before them, at the beginning, so they could not miss their way, and for a time they walked through the thick forest in silent thought, each one impressed with the importance of the adventure they had undertaken. suddenly the patchwork girl laughed. it was funny to see her laugh, because her cheeks wrinkled up, her nose tipped, her silver button eyes twinkled and her mouth curled at the corners in a comical way. "has something pleased you?" asked ojo, who was feeling solemn and joyless through thinking upon his uncle's sad fate. "yes," she answered. "your world pleases me, for it's a queer world, and life in it is queerer still. here am i, made from an old bedquilt and intended to be a slave to margolotte, rendered free as air by an accident that none of you could foresee. i am enjoying life and seeing the world, while the woman who made me is standing helpless as a block of wood. if that isn't funny enough to laugh at, i don't know what is." "you're not seeing much of the world yet, my poor, innocent scraps," remarked the cat. "the world doesn't consist wholly of the trees that are on all sides of us." "but they're part of it; and aren't they pretty trees?" returned scraps, bobbing her head until her brown yarn curls fluttered in the breeze. "growing between them i can see lovely ferns and wild-flowers, and soft green mosses. if the rest of your world is half as beautiful i shall be glad i'm alive." "i don't know what the rest of the world is like, i'm sure," said the cat; "but i mean to find out." "i have never been out of the forest," ojo added; "but to me the trees are gloomy and sad and the wild-flowers seem lonesome. it must be nicer where there are no trees and there is room for lots of people to live together." "i wonder if any of the people we shall meet will be as splendid as i am," said the patchwork girl. "all i have seen, so far, have pale, colorless skins and clothes as blue as the country they live in, while i am of many gorgeous colors--face and body and clothes. that is why i am bright and contented, ojo, while you are blue and sad." "i think i made a mistake in giving you so many sorts of brains," observed the boy. "perhaps, as the magician said, you have an overdose, and they may not agree with you." "what had you to do with my brains?" asked scraps. "a lot," replied ojo. "old margolotte meant to give you only a few--just enough to keep you going--but when she wasn't looking i added a good many more, of the best kinds i could find in the magician's cupboard." "thanks," said the girl, dancing along the path ahead of ojo and then dancing back to his side. "if a few brains are good, many brains must be better." "but they ought to be evenly balanced," said the boy, "and i had no time to be careful. from the way you're acting, i guess the dose was badly mixed." "scraps hasn't enough brains to hurt her, so don't worry," remarked the cat, which was trotting along in a very dainty and graceful manner. "the only brains worth considering are mine, which are pink. you can see 'em work." after walking a long time they came to a little brook that trickled across the path, and here ojo sat down to rest and eat something from his basket. he found that the magician had given him part of a loaf of bread and a slice of cheese. he broke off some of the bread and was surprised to find the loaf just as large as it was before. it was the same way with the cheese: however much he broke off from the slice, it remained exactly the same size. "ah," said he, nodding wisely; "that's magic. dr. pipt has enchanted the bread and the cheese, so it will last me all through my journey, however much i eat." "why do you put those things into your mouth?" asked scraps, gazing at him in astonishment. "do you need more stuffing? then why don't you use cotton, such as i am stuffed with?" "i don't need that kind," said ojo. "but a mouth is to talk with, isn't it?" "it is also to eat with," replied the boy. "if i didn't put food into my mouth, and eat it, i would get hungry and starve. "ah, i didn't know that," she said. "give me some." ojo handed her a bit of the bread and she put it in her mouth. "what next?" she asked, scarcely able to speak. "chew it and swallow it," said the boy. scraps tried that. her pearl teeth were unable to chew the bread and beyond her mouth there was no opening. being unable to swallow she threw away the bread and laughed. "i must get hungry and starve, for i can't eat," she said. "neither can i," announced the cat; "but i'm not fool enough to try. can't you understand that you and i are superior people and not made like these poor humans?" "why should i understand that, or anything else?" asked the girl. "don't bother my head by asking conundrums, i beg of you. just let me discover myself in my own way." with this she began amusing herself by leaping across the brook and back again. "be careful, or you'll fall in the water," warned ojo. "never mind." "you'd better. if you get wet you'll be soggy and can't walk. your colors might run, too," he said. "don't my colors run whenever i run?" she asked. "not in the way i mean. if they get wet, the reds and greens and yellows and purples of your patches might run into each other and become just a blur--no color at all, you know." "then," said the patchwork girl, "i'll be careful, for if i spoiled my splendid colors i would cease to be beautiful." "pah!" sneered the glass cat, "such colors are not beautiful; they're ugly, and in bad taste. please notice that my body has no color at all. i'm transparent, except for my exquisite red heart and my lovely pink brains--you can see 'em work." "shoo--shoo--shoo!" cried scraps, dancing around and laughing. "and your horrid green eyes, miss bungle! you can't see your eyes, but we can, and i notice you're very proud of what little color you have. shoo, miss bungle, shoo--shoo--shoo! if you were all colors and many colors, as i am, you'd be too stuck up for anything." she leaped over the cat and back again, and the startled bungle crept close to a tree to escape her. this made scraps laugh more heartily than ever, and she said: "whoop-te-doodle-doo! the cat has lost her shoe. her tootsie's bare, but she don't care, so what's the odds to you?" "dear me, ojo," said the cat; "don't you think the creature is a little bit crazy?" "it may be," he answered, with a puzzled look. "if she continues her insults i'll scratch off her suspender-button eyes," declared the cat. "don't quarrel, please," pleaded the boy, rising to resume the journey. "let us be good comrades and as happy and cheerful as possible, for we are likely to meet with plenty of trouble on our way." it was nearly sundown when they came to the edge of the forest and saw spread out before them a delightful landscape. there were broad blue fields stretching for miles over the valley, which was dotted everywhere with pretty, blue domed houses, none of which, however, was very near to the place where they stood. just at the point where the path left the forest stood a tiny house covered with leaves from the trees, and before this stood a munchkin man with an axe in his hand. he seemed very much surprised when ojo and scraps and the glass cat came out of the woods, but as the patchwork girl approached nearer he sat down upon a bench and laughed so hard that he could not speak for a long time. this man was a woodchopper and lived all alone in the little house. he had bushy blue whiskers and merry blue eyes and his blue clothes were quite old and worn. "mercy me!" exclaimed the woodchopper, when at last he could stop laughing. "who would think such a funny harlequin lived in the land of oz? where did you come from, crazy-quilt?" "do you mean me?" asked the patchwork girl. "of course," he replied. "you misjudge my ancestry. i'm not a crazy-quilt; i'm patchwork," she said. "there's no difference," he replied, beginning to laugh again. "when my old grandmother sews such things together she calls it a crazy-quilt; but i never thought such a jumble could come to life." "it was the magic powder that did it," explained ojo. "oh, then you have come from the crooked magician on the mountain. i might have known it, for--well, i declare! here's a glass cat. but the magician will get in trouble for this; it's against the law for anyone to work magic except glinda the good and the royal wizard of oz. if you people--or things--or glass spectacles--or crazy-quilts--or whatever you are, go near the emerald city, you'll be arrested." "we're going there, anyhow," declared scraps, sitting upon the bench and swinging her stuffed legs. "if any of us takes a rest, we'll be arrested sure, and get no restitution 'cause the rest we must endure." "i see," said the woodchopper, nodding; "you're as crazy as the crazy-quilt you're made of." "she really is crazy," remarked the glass cat. "but that isn't to be wondered at when you remember how many different things she's made of. for my part, i'm made of pure glass--except my jewel heart and my pretty pink brains. did you notice my brains, stranger? you can see 'em work." "so i can," replied the woodchopper; "but i can't see that they accomplish much. a glass cat is a useless sort of thing, but a patchwork girl is really useful. she makes me laugh, and laughter is the best thing in life. there was once a woodchopper, a friend of mine, who was made all of tin, and i used to laugh every time i saw him." "a tin woodchopper?" said ojo. "that is strange." "my friend wasn't always tin," said the man, "but he was careless with his axe, and used to chop himself very badly. whenever he lost an arm or a leg he had it replaced with tin; so after a while he was all tin." "and could he chop wood then?" asked the boy. "he could if he didn't rust his tin joints. but one day he met dorothy in the forest and went with her to the emerald city, where he made his fortune. he is now one of the favorites of princess ozma, and she has made him the emperor of the winkies--the country where all is yellow." "who is dorothy?" inquired the patchwork girl. "a little maid who used to live in kansas, but is now a princess of oz. she's ozma's best friend, they say, and lives with her in the royal palace." "is dorothy made of tin?" inquired ojo. "is she patchwork, like me?" inquired scraps. "no," said the man; "dorothy is flesh, just as i am. i know of only one tin person, and that is nick chopper, the tin woodman; and there will never be but one patchwork girl, for any magician that sees you will refuse to make another one like you." "i suppose we shall see the tin woodman, for we are going to the country of the winkies," said the boy. "what for?" asked the woodchopper. "to get the left wing of a yellow butterfly." "it is a long journey," declared the man, "and you will go through lonely parts of oz and cross rivers and traverse dark forests before you get there." "suits me all right," said scraps. "i'll get a chance to see the country." "you're crazy, girl. better crawl into a rag-bag and hide there; or give yourself to some little girl to play with. those who travel are likely to meet trouble; that's why i stay at home." the woodchopper then invited them all to stay the night at his little hut, but they were anxious to get on and so left him and continued along the path, which was broader, now, and more distinct. they expected to reach some other house before it grew dark, but the twilight was brief and ojo soon began to fear they had made a mistake in leaving the woodchopper. "i can scarcely see the path," he said at last. "can you see it, scraps?" "no," replied the patchwork girl, who was holding fast to the boy's arm so he could guide her. "i can see," declared the glass cat. "my eyes are better than yours, and my pink brains--" "never mind your pink brains, please," said ojo hastily; "just run ahead and show us the way. wait a minute and i'll tie a string to you; for then you can lead us." he got a string from his pocket and tied it around the cat's neck, and after that the creature guided them along the path. they had proceeded in this way for about an hour when a twinkling blue light appeared ahead of them. "good! there's a house at last," cried ojo. "when we reach it the good people will surely welcome us and give us a night's lodging." but however far they walked the light seemed to get no nearer, so by and by the cat stopped short, saying: "i think the light is traveling, too, and we shall never be able to catch up with it. but here is a house by the roadside, so why go farther?" "where is the house, bungle?" "just here beside us, scraps." ojo was now able to see a small house near the pathway. it was dark and silent, but the boy was tired and wanted to rest, so he went up to the door and knocked. "who is there?" cried a voice from within. "i am ojo the unlucky, and with me are miss scraps patchwork and the glass cat," he replied. "what do you want?" asked the voice. "a place to sleep," said ojo. "come in, then; but don't make any noise, and you must go directly to bed," returned the voice. ojo unlatched the door and entered. it was very dark inside and he could see nothing at all. but the cat exclaimed: "why, there's no one here!" "there must be," said the boy. "some one spoke to me." "i can see everything in the room," replied the cat, "and no one is present but ourselves. but here are three beds, all made up, so we may as well go to sleep." "what is sleep?" inquired the patchwork girl. "it's what you do when you go to bed," said ojo. "but why do you go to bed?" persisted the patchwork girl. "here, here! you are making altogether too much noise," cried the voice they had heard before. "keep quiet, strangers, and go to bed." the cat, which could see in the dark, looked sharply around for the owner of the voice, but could discover no one, although the voice had seemed close beside them. she arched her back a little and seemed afraid. then she whispered to ojo: "come!" and led him to a bed. with his hands the boy felt of the bed and found it was big and soft, with feather pillows and plenty of blankets. so he took off his shoes and hat and crept into the bed. then the cat led scraps to another bed and the patchwork girl was puzzled to know what to do with it. "lie down and keep quiet," whispered the cat, warningly. "can't i sing?" asked scraps. "no." "can't i whistle?" asked scraps. "no." "can't i dance till morning, if i want to?" asked scraps. "you must keep quiet," said the cat, in a soft voice. "i don't want to," replied the patchwork girl, speaking as loudly as usual. "what right have you to order me around? if i want to talk, or yell, or whistle--" before she could say anything more an unseen hand seized her firmly and threw her out of the door, which closed behind her with a sharp slam. she found herself bumping and rolling in the road and when she got up and tried to open the door of the house again she found it locked. "what has happened to scraps?" asked ojo. "never mind. let's go to sleep, or something will happen to us," answered the glass cat. so ojo snuggled down in his bed and fell asleep, and he was so tired that he never wakened until broad daylight. chapter seven the troublesome phonograph when the boy opened his eyes next morning he looked carefully around the room. these small munchkin houses seldom had more than one room in them. that in which ojo now found himself had three beds, set all in a row on one side of it. the glass cat lay asleep on one bed, ojo was in the second, and the third was neatly made up and smoothed for the day. on the other side of the room was a round table on which breakfast was already placed, smoking hot. only one chair was drawn up to the table, where a place was set for one person. no one seemed to be in the room except the boy and bungle. ojo got up and put on his shoes. finding a toilet stand at the head of his bed he washed his face and hands and brushed his hair. then he went to the table and said: "i wonder if this is my breakfast?" "eat it!" commanded a voice at his side, so near that ojo jumped. but no person could he see. he was hungry, and the breakfast looked good; so he sat down and ate all he wanted. then, rising, he took his hat and wakened the glass cat. "come on, bungle," said he; "we must go." he cast another glance about the room and, speaking to the air, he said: "whoever lives here has been kind to me, and i'm much obliged." there was no answer, so he took his basket and went out the door, the cat following him. in the middle of the path sat the patchwork girl, playing with pebbles she had picked up. "oh, there you are!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "i thought you were never coming out. it has been daylight a long time." "what did you do all night?" asked the boy. "sat here and watched the stars and the moon," she replied. "they're interesting. i never saw them before, you know." "of course not," said ojo. "you were crazy to act so badly and get thrown outdoors," remarked bungle, as they renewed their journey. "that's all right," said scraps. "if i hadn't been thrown out i wouldn't have seen the stars, nor the big gray wolf." "what wolf?" inquired ojo. "the one that came to the door of the house three times during the night." "i don't see why that should be," said the boy, thoughtfully; "there was plenty to eat in that house, for i had a fine breakfast, and i slept in a nice bed." "don't you feel tired?" asked the patchwork girl, noticing that the boy yawned. "why, yes; i'm as tired as i was last night; and yet i slept very well." "and aren't you hungry?" "it's strange," replied ojo. "i had a good breakfast, and yet i think i'll now eat some of my crackers and cheese." scraps danced up and down the path. then she sang: "kizzle-kazzle-kore; the wolf is at the door, there's nothing to eat but a bone without meat, and a bill from the grocery store." "what does that mean?" asked ojo. "don't ask me," replied scraps. "i say what comes into my head, but of course i know nothing of a grocery store or bones without meat or--very much else." "no," said the cat; "she's stark, staring, raving crazy, and her brains can't be pink, for they don't work properly." "bother the brains!" cried scraps. "who cares for 'em, anyhow? have you noticed how beautiful my patches are in this sunlight?" just then they heard a sound as of footsteps pattering along the path behind them and all three turned to see what was coming. to their astonishment they beheld a small round table running as fast as its four spindle legs could carry it, and to the top was screwed fast a phonograph with a big gold horn. "hold on!" shouted the phonograph. "wait for me!" "goodness me; it's that music thing which the crooked magician scattered the powder of life over," said ojo. "so it is," returned bungle, in a grumpy tone of voice; and then, as the phonograph overtook them, the glass cat added sternly: "what are you doing here, anyhow?" "i've run away," said the music thing. "after you left, old dr. pipt and i had a dreadful quarrel and he threatened to smash me to pieces if i didn't keep quiet. of course i wouldn't do that, because a talking-machine is supposed to talk and make a noise--and sometimes music. so i slipped out of the house while the magician was stirring his four kettles and i've been running after you all night. now that i've found such pleasant company, i can talk and play tunes all i want to." ojo was greatly annoyed by this unwelcome addition to their party. at first he did not know what to say to the newcomer, but a little thought decided him not to make friends. "we are traveling on important business," he declared, "and you'll excuse me if i say we can't be bothered." "how very impolite!" exclaimed the phonograph. "i'm sorry; but it's true," said the boy. "you'll have to go somewhere else." "this is very unkind treatment, i must say," whined the phonograph, in an injured tone. "everyone seems to hate me, and yet i was intended to amuse people." "it isn't you we hate, especially," observed the glass cat; "it's your dreadful music. when i lived in the same room with you i was much annoyed by your squeaky horn. it growls and grumbles and clicks and scratches so it spoils the music, and your machinery rumbles so that the racket drowns every tune you attempt." "that isn't my fault; it's the fault of my records. i must admit that i haven't a clear record," answered the machine. "just the same, you'll have to go away," said ojo. "wait a minute," cried scraps. "this music thing interests me. i remember to have heard music when i first came to life, and i would like to hear it again. what is your name, my poor abused phonograph?" "victor columbia edison," it answered. "well, i shall call you 'vic' for short," said the patchwork girl. "go ahead and play something." "it'll drive you crazy," warned the cat. "i'm crazy now, according to your statement. loosen up and reel out the music, vic." "the only record i have with me," explained the phonograph, "is one the magician attached just before we had our quarrel. it's a highly classical composition." "a what?" inquired scraps. "it is classical music, and is considered the best and most puzzling ever manufactured. you're supposed to like it, whether you do or not, and if you don't, the proper thing is to look as if you did. understand?" "not in the least," said scraps. "then, listen!" at once the machine began to play and in a few minutes ojo put his hands to his ears to shut out the sounds and the cat snarled and scraps began to laugh. "cut it out, vic," she said. "that's enough." but the phonograph continued playing the dreary tune, so ojo seized the crank, jerked it free and threw it into the road. however, the moment the crank struck the ground it bounded back to the machine again and began winding it up. and still the music played. "let's run!" cried scraps, and they all started and ran down the path as fast as they could go. but the phonograph was right behind them and could run and play at the same time. it called out, reproachfully: "what's the matter? don't you love classical music?" "no, vic," said scraps, halting. "we will passical the classical and preserve what joy we have left. i haven't any nerves, thank goodness, but your music makes my cotton shrink." "then turn over my record. there's a rag-time tune on the other side," said the machine. "what's rag-time?" "the opposite of classical." "all right," said scraps, and turned over the record. the phonograph now began to play a jerky jumble of sounds which proved so bewildering that after a moment scraps stuffed her patchwork apron into the gold horn and cried: "stop--stop! that's the other extreme. it's extremely bad!" muffled as it was, the phonograph played on. "if you don't shut off that music i'll smash your record," threatened ojo. the music stopped, at that, and the machine turned its horn from one to another and said with great indignation: "what's the matter now? is it possible you can't appreciate rag-time?" "scraps ought to, being rags herself," said the cat; "but i simply can't stand it; it makes my whiskers curl." "it is, indeed, dreadful!" exclaimed ojo, with a shudder. "it's enough to drive a crazy lady mad," murmured the patchwork girl. "i'll tell you what, vic," she added as she smoothed out her apron and put it on again, "for some reason or other you've missed your guess. you're not a concert; you're a nuisance." "music hath charms to soothe the savage breast," asserted the phonograph sadly. "then we're not savages. i advise you to go home and beg the magician's pardon." "never! he'd smash me." "that's what we shall do, if you stay here," ojo declared. "run along, vic, and bother some one else," advised scraps. "find some one who is real wicked, and stay with him till he repents. in that way you can do some good in the world." the music thing turned silently away and trotted down a side path, toward a distant munchkin village. "is that the way we go?" asked bungle anxiously. "no," said ojo; "i think we shall keep straight ahead, for this path is the widest and best. when we come to some house we will inquire the way to the emerald city." chapter eight the foolish owl and the wise donkey on they went, and half an hour's steady walking brought them to a house somewhat better than the two they had already passed. it stood close to the roadside and over the door was a sign that read: "miss foolish owl and mr. wise donkey: public advisers." when ojo read this sign aloud scraps said laughingly: "well, here is a place to get all the advice we want, maybe more than we need. let's go in." the boy knocked at the door. "come in!" called a deep bass voice. so they opened the door and entered the house, where a little light-brown donkey, dressed in a blue apron and a blue cap, was engaged in dusting the furniture with a blue cloth. on a shelf over the window sat a great blue owl with a blue sunbonnet on her head, blinking her big round eyes at the visitors. "good morning," said the donkey, in his deep voice, which seemed bigger than he was. "did you come to us for advice?" "why, we came, anyhow," replied scraps, "and now we are here we may as well have some advice. it's free, isn't it?" "certainly," said the donkey. "advice doesn't cost anything--unless you follow it. permit me to say, by the way, that you are the queerest lot of travelers that ever came to my shop. judging you merely by appearances, i think you'd better talk to the foolish owl yonder." they turned to look at the bird, which fluttered its wings and stared back at them with its big eyes. "hoot-ti-toot-ti-toot!" cried the owl. "fiddle-cum-foo, howdy-do? riddle-cum, tiddle-cum, too-ra-la-loo!" "that beats your poetry, scraps," said ojo. "it's just nonsense!" declared the glass cat. "but it's good advice for the foolish," said the donkey, admiringly. "listen to my partner, and you can't go wrong." said the owl in a grumbling voice: "patchwork girl has come to life; no one's sweetheart, no one's wife; lacking sense and loving fun, she'll be snubbed by everyone." "quite a compliment! quite a compliment, i declare," exclaimed the donkey, turning to look at scraps. "you are certainly a wonder, my dear, and i fancy you'd make a splendid pincushion. if you belonged to me, i'd wear smoked glasses when i looked at you." "why?" asked the patchwork girl. "because you are so gay and gaudy." "it is my beauty that dazzles you," she asserted. "you munchkin people all strut around in your stupid blue color, while i--" "you are wrong in calling me a munchkin," interrupted the donkey, "for i was born in the land of mo and came to visit the land of oz on the day it was shut off from all the rest of the world. so here i am obliged to stay, and i confess it is a very pleasant country to live in." "hoot-ti-toot!" cried the owl; "ojo's searching for a charm, 'cause unc nunkie's come to harm. charms are scarce; they're hard to get; ojo's got a job, you bet!" "is the owl so very foolish?" asked the boy. "extremely so," replied the donkey. "notice what vulgar expressions she uses. but i admire the owl for the reason that she is positively foolish. owls are supposed to be so very wise, generally, that a foolish one is unusual, and you perhaps know that anything or anyone unusual is sure to be interesting to the wise." the owl flapped its wings again, muttering these words: "it's hard to be a glassy cat-- no cat can be more hard than that; she's so transparent, every act is clear to us, and that's a fact." "have you noticed my pink brains?" inquired bungle, proudly. "you can see 'em work." "not in the daytime," said the donkey. "she can't see very well by day, poor thing. but her advice is excellent. i advise you all to follow it." "the owl hasn't given us any advice, as yet," the boy declared. "no? then what do you call all those sweet poems?" "just foolishness," replied ojo. "scraps does the same thing." "foolishness! of course! to be sure! the foolish owl must be foolish or she wouldn't be the foolish owl. you are very complimentary to my partner, indeed," asserted the donkey, rubbing his front hoofs together as if highly pleased. "the sign says that you are wise," remarked scraps to the donkey. "i wish you would prove it." "with great pleasure," returned the beast. "put me to the test, my dear patches, and i'll prove my wisdom in the wink of an eye." "what is the best way to get to the emerald city?" asked ojo. "walk," said the donkey. "i know; but what road shall i take?" was the boy's next question. "the road of yellow bricks, of course. it leads directly to the emerald city." "and how shall we find the road of yellow bricks?" "by keeping along the path you have been following. you'll come to the yellow bricks pretty soon, and you'll know them when you see them because they're the only yellow things in the blue country." "thank you," said the boy. "at last you have told me something." "is that the extent of your wisdom?" asked scraps. "no," replied the donkey; "i know many other things, but they wouldn't interest you. so i'll give you a last word of advice: move on, for the sooner you do that the sooner you'll get to the emerald city of oz." "hoot-ti-toot-ti-toot-ti-too!" screeched the owl; "off you go! fast or slow, where you're going you don't know. patches, bungle, munchkin lad, facing fortunes good and bad, meeting dangers grave and sad, sometimes worried, sometimes glad-- where you're going you don't know, nor do i, but off you go!" "sounds like a hint, to me," said the patchwork girl. "then let's take it and go," replied ojo. they said good-bye to the wise donkey and the foolish owl and at once resumed their journey. chapter nine they meet the woozy "there seem to be very few houses around here, after all," remarked ojo, after they had walked for a time in silence. "never mind," said scraps; "we are not looking for houses, but rather the road of yellow bricks. won't it be funny to run across something yellow in this dismal blue country?" "there are worse colors than yellow in this country," asserted the glass cat, in a spiteful tone. "oh; do you mean the pink pebbles you call your brains, and your red heart and green eyes?" asked the patchwork girl. "no; i mean you, if you must know it," growled the cat. "you're jealous!" laughed scraps. "you'd give your whiskers for a lovely variegated complexion like mine." "i wouldn't!" retorted the cat. "i've the clearest complexion in the world, and i don't employ a beauty-doctor, either." "i see you don't," said scraps. "please don't quarrel," begged ojo. "this is an important journey, and quarreling makes me discouraged. to be brave, one must be cheerful, so i hope you will be as good-tempered as possible." they had traveled some distance when suddenly they faced a high fence which barred any further progress straight ahead. it ran directly across the road and enclosed a small forest of tall trees, set close together. when the group of adventurers peered through the bars of the fence they thought this forest looked more gloomy and forbidding than any they had ever seen before. they soon discovered that the path they had been following now made a bend and passed around the enclosure, but what made ojo stop and look thoughtful was a sign painted on the fence which read: "beware of the woozy!" "that means," he said, "that there's a woozy inside that fence, and the woozy must be a dangerous animal or they wouldn't tell people to beware of it." "let's keep out, then," replied scraps. "that path is outside the fence, and mr. woozy may have all his little forest to himself, for all we care." "but one of our errands is to find a woozy," ojo explained. "the magician wants me to get three hairs from the end of a woozy's tail." "let's go on and find some other woozy," suggested the cat. "this one is ugly and dangerous, or they wouldn't cage him up. maybe we shall find another that is tame and gentle." "perhaps there isn't any other, at all," answered ojo. "the sign doesn't say: 'beware a woozy'; it says: 'beware the woozy,' which may mean there's only one in all the land of oz." "then," said scraps, "suppose we go in and find him? very likely if we ask him politely to let us pull three hairs out of the tip of his tail he won't hurt us." "it would hurt him, i'm sure, and that would make him cross," said the cat. "you needn't worry, bungle," remarked the patchwork girl; "for if there is danger you can climb a tree. ojo and i are not afraid; are we, ojo?" "i am, a little," the boy admitted; "but this danger must be faced, if we intend to save poor unc nunkie. how shall we get over the fence?" "climb," answered scraps, and at once she began climbing up the rows of bars. ojo followed and found it more easy than he had expected. when they got to the top of the fence they began to get down on the other side and soon were in the forest. the glass cat, being small, crept between the lower bars and joined them. here there was no path of any sort, so they entered the woods, the boy leading the way, and wandered through the trees until they were nearly in the center of the forest. they now came upon a clear space in which stood a rocky cave. so far they had met no living creature, but when ojo saw the cave he knew it must be the den of the woozy. it is hard to face any savage beast without a sinking of the heart, but still more terrifying is it to face an unknown beast, which you have never seen even a picture of. so there is little wonder that the pulses of the munchkin boy beat fast as he and his companions stood facing the cave. the opening was perfectly square, and about big enough to admit a goat. "i guess the woozy is asleep," said scraps. "shall i throw in a stone, to waken him?" "no; please don't," answered ojo, his voice trembling a little. "i'm in no hurry." but he had not long to wait, for the woozy heard the sound of voices and came trotting out of his cave. as this is the only woozy that has ever lived, either in the land of oz or out of it, i must describe it to you. the creature was all squares and flat surfaces and edges. its head was an exact square, like one of the building-blocks a child plays with; therefore it had no ears, but heard sounds through two openings in the upper corners. its nose, being in the center of a square surface, was flat, while the mouth was formed by the opening of the lower edge of the block. the body of the woozy was much larger than its head, but was likewise block-shaped--being twice as long as it was wide and high. the tail was square and stubby and perfectly straight, and the four legs were made in the same way, each being four-sided. the animal was covered with a thick, smooth skin and had no hair at all except at the extreme end of its tail, where there grew exactly three stiff, stubby hairs. the beast was dark blue in color and his face was not fierce nor ferocious in expression, but rather good-humored and droll. seeing the strangers, the woozy folded his hind legs as if they had been hinged and sat down to look his visitors over. "well, well," he exclaimed; "what a queer lot you are! at first i thought some of those miserable munchkin farmers had come to annoy me, but i am relieved to find you in their stead. it is plain to me that you are a remarkable group--as remarkable in your way as i am in mine--and so you are welcome to my domain. nice place, isn't it? but lonesome--dreadfully lonesome." "why did they shut you up here?" asked scraps, who was regarding the queer, square creature with much curiosity. "because i eat up all the honey-bees which the munchkin farmers who live around here keep to make them honey." "are you fond of eating honey-bees?" inquired the boy. "very. they are really delicious. but the farmers did not like to lose their bees and so they tried to destroy me. of course they couldn't do that." "why not?" "my skin is so thick and tough that nothing can get through it to hurt me. so, finding they could not destroy me, they drove me into this forest and built a fence around me. unkind, wasn't it?" "but what do you eat now?" asked ojo. "nothing at all. i've tried the leaves from the trees and the mosses and creeping vines, but they don't seem to suit my taste. so, there being no honey-bees here, i've eaten nothing for years. "you must be awfully hungry," said the boy. "i've got some bread and cheese in my basket. would you like that kind of food?" "give me a nibble and i will try it; then i can tell you better whether it is grateful to my appetite," returned the woozy. so the boy opened his basket and broke a piece off the loaf of bread. he tossed it toward the woozy, who cleverly caught it in his mouth and ate it in a twinkling. "that's rather good," declared the animal. "any more?" "try some cheese," said ojo, and threw down a piece. the woozy ate that, too, and smacked its long, thin lips. "that's mighty good!" it exclaimed. "any more?" "plenty," replied ojo. so he sat down on a stump and fed the woozy bread and cheese for a long time; for, no matter how much the boy broke off, the loaf and the slice remained just as big. "that'll do," said the woozy, at last; "i'm quite full. i hope the strange food won't give me indigestion." "i hope not," said ojo. "it's what i eat." "well, i must say i'm much obliged, and i'm glad you came," announced the beast. "is there anything i can do in return for your kindness?" "yes," said ojo earnestly, "you have it in your power to do me a great favor, if you will." "what is it?" asked the woozy. "name the favor and i will grant it." "i--i want three hairs from the tip of your tail," said ojo, with some hesitation. "three hairs! why, that's all i have--on my tail or anywhere else," exclaimed the beast. "i know; but i want them very much." "they are my sole ornaments, my prettiest feature," said the woozy, uneasily. "if i give up those three hairs i--i'm just a blockhead." "yet i must have them," insisted the boy, firmly, and he then told the woozy all about the accident to unc nunkie and margolotte, and how the three hairs were to be a part of the magic charm that would restore them to life. the beast listened with attention and when ojo had finished the recital it said, with a sigh: "i always keep my word, for i pride myself on being square. so you may have the three hairs, and welcome. i think, under such circumstances, it would be selfish in me to refuse you." "thank you! thank you very much," cried the boy, joyfully. "may i pull out the hairs now?" "any time you like," answered the woozy. so ojo went up to the queer creature and taking hold of one of the hairs began to pull. he pulled harder. he pulled with all his might; but the hair remained fast. "what's the trouble?" asked the woozy, which ojo had dragged here and there all around the clearing in his endeavor to pull out the hair. "it won't come," said the boy, panting. "i was afraid of that," declared the beast. "you'll have to pull harder." "i'll help you," exclaimed scraps, coming to the boy's side. "you pull the hair, and i'll pull you, and together we ought to get it out easily." "wait a jiffy," called the woozy, and then it went to a tree and hugged it with its front paws, so that its body couldn't be dragged around by the pull. "all ready, now. go ahead!" ojo grasped the hair with both hands and pulled with all his strength, while scraps seized the boy around his waist and added her strength to his. but the hair wouldn't budge. instead, it slipped out of ojo's hands and he and scraps both rolled upon the ground in a heap and never stopped until they bumped against the rocky cave. "give it up," advised the glass cat, as the boy arose and assisted the patchwork girl to her feet. "a dozen strong men couldn't pull out those hairs. i believe they're clinched on the under side of the woozy's thick skin." "then what shall i do?" asked the boy, despairingly. "if on our return i fail to take these three hairs to the crooked magician, the other things i have come to seek will be of no use at all, and we cannot restore unc nunkie and margolotte to life." "they're goners, i guess," said the patchwork girl. "never mind," added the cat. "i can't see that old unc and margolotte are worth all this trouble, anyhow." but ojo did not feel that way. he was so disheartened that he sat down upon a stump and began to cry. the woozy looked at the boy thoughtfully. "why don't you take me with you?" asked the beast. "then, when at last you get to the magician's house, he can surely find some way to pull out those three hairs." ojo was overjoyed at this suggestion. "that's it!" he cried, wiping away the tears and springing to his feet with a smile. "if i take the three hairs to the magician, it won't matter if they are still in your body." "it can't matter in the least," agreed the woozy. "come on, then," said the boy, picking up his basket; "let us start at once. i have several other things to find, you know." but the glass cat gave a little laugh and inquired in her scornful way: "how do you intend to get the beast out of this forest?" that puzzled them all for a time. "let us go to the fence, and then we may find a way," suggested scraps. so they walked through the forest to the fence, reaching it at a point exactly opposite that where they had entered the enclosure. "how did you get in?" asked the woozy. "we climbed over," answered ojo. "i can't do that," said the beast. "i'm a very swift runner, for i can overtake a honey-bee as it flies; and i can jump very high, which is the reason they made such a tall fence to keep me in. but i can't climb at all, and i'm too big to squeeze between the bars of the fence." ojo tried to think what to do. "can you dig?" he asked. "no," answered the woozy, "for i have no claws. my feet are quite flat on the bottom of them. nor can i gnaw away the boards, as i have no teeth." "you're not such a terrible creature, after all," remarked scraps. "you haven't heard me growl, or you wouldn't say that," declared the woozy. "when i growl, the sound echoes like thunder all through the valleys and woodlands, and children tremble with fear, and women cover their heads with their aprons, and big men run and hide. i suppose there is nothing in the world so terrible to listen to as the growl of a woozy." "please don't growl, then," begged ojo, earnestly. "there is no danger of my growling, for i am not angry. only when angry do i utter my fearful, ear-splitting, soul-shuddering growl. also, when i am angry, my eyes flash fire, whether i growl or not." "real fire?" asked ojo. "of course, real fire. do you suppose they'd flash imitation fire?" inquired the woozy, in an injured tone. "in that case, i've solved the riddle," cried scraps, dancing with glee. "those fence-boards are made of wood, and if the woozy stands close to the fence and lets his eyes flash fire, they might set fire to the fence and burn it up. then he could walk away with us easily, being free." "ah, i have never thought of that plan, or i would have been free long ago," said the woozy. "but i cannot flash fire from my eyes unless i am very angry." "can't you get angry 'bout something, please?" asked ojo. "i'll try. you just say 'krizzle-kroo' to me." "will that make you angry?" inquired the boy. "terribly angry." "what does it mean?" asked scraps. "i don't know; that's what makes me so angry," replied the woozy. he then stood close to the fence, with his head near one of the boards, and scraps called out "krizzle-kroo!" then ojo said "krizzle-kroo!" and the glass cat said "krizzle-kroo!" the woozy began to tremble with anger and small sparks darted from his eyes. seeing this, they all cried "krizzle-kroo!" together, and that made the beast's eyes flash fire so fiercely that the fence-board caught the sparks and began to smoke. then it burst into flame, and the woozy stepped back and said triumphantly: "aha! that did the business, all right. it was a happy thought for you to yell all together, for that made me as angry as i have ever been. fine sparks, weren't they?" "reg'lar fireworks," replied scraps, admiringly. in a few moments the board had burned to a distance of several feet, leaving an opening big enough for them all to pass through. ojo broke some branches from a tree and with them whipped the fire until it was extinguished. "we don't want to burn the whole fence down," said he, "for the flames would attract the attention of the munchkin farmers, who would then come and capture the woozy again. i guess they'll be rather surprised when they find he's escaped." "so they will," declared the woozy, chuckling gleefully. "when they find i'm gone the farmers will be badly scared, for they'll expect me to eat up their honey-bees, as i did before." "that reminds me," said the boy, "that you must promise not to eat honey-bees while you are in our company." "none at all?" "not a bee. you would get us all into trouble, and we can't afford to have any more trouble than is necessary. i'll feed you all the bread and cheese you want, and that must satisfy you." "all right; i'll promise," said the woozy, cheerfully. "and when i promise anything you can depend on it, 'cause i'm square." "i don't see what difference that makes," observed the patchwork girl, as they found the path and continued their journey. "the shape doesn't make a thing honest, does it?" "of course it does," returned the woozy, very decidedly. "no one could trust that crooked magician, for instance, just because he is crooked; but a square woozy couldn't do anything crooked if he wanted to." "i am neither square nor crooked," said scraps, looking down at her plump body. "no; you're round, so you're liable to do anything," asserted the woozy. "do not blame me, miss gorgeous, if i regard you with suspicion. many a satin ribbon has a cotton back." scraps didn't understand this, but she had an uneasy misgiving that she had a cotton back herself. it would settle down, at times, and make her squat and dumpy, and then she had to roll herself in the road until her body stretched out again. chapter ten shaggy man to the rescue they had not gone very far before bungle, who had run on ahead, came bounding back to say that the road of yellow bricks was just before them. at once they hurried forward to see what this famous road looked like. it was a broad road, but not straight, for it wandered over hill and dale and picked out the easiest places to go. all its length and breadth was paved with smooth bricks of a bright yellow color, so it was smooth and level except in a few places where the bricks had crumbled or been removed, leaving holes that might cause the unwary to stumble. "i wonder," said ojo, looking up and down the road, "which way to go." "where are you bound for?" asked the woozy. "the emerald city," he replied. "then go west," said the woozy. "i know this road pretty well, for i've chased many a honey-bee over it." "have you ever been to the emerald city?" asked scraps. "no. i am very shy by nature, as you may have noticed, so i haven't mingled much in society." "are you afraid of men?" inquired the patchwork girl. "me? with my heart-rending growl--my horrible, shudderful growl? i should say not. i am not afraid of anything," declared the woozy. "i wish i could say the same," sighed ojo. "i don't think we need be afraid when we get to the emerald city, for unc nunkie has told me that ozma, our girl ruler, is very lovely and kind, and tries to help everyone who is in trouble. but they say there are many dangers lurking on the road to the great fairy city, and so we must be very careful." "i hope nothing will break me," said the glass cat, in a nervous voice. "i'm a little brittle, you know, and can't stand many hard knocks." "if anything should fade the colors of my lovely patches it would break my heart," said the patchwork girl. "i'm not sure you have a heart," ojo reminded her. "then it would break my cotton," persisted scraps. "do you think they are all fast colors, ojo?" she asked anxiously. "they seem fast enough when you run," he replied; and then, looking ahead of them, he exclaimed: "oh, what lovely trees!" they were certainly pretty to look upon and the travelers hurried forward to observe them more closely. "why, they are not trees at all," said scraps; "they are just monstrous plants." that is what they really were: masses of great broad leaves which rose from the ground far into the air, until they towered twice as high as the top of the patchwork girl's head, who was a little taller than ojo. the plants formed rows on both sides of the road and from each plant rose a dozen or more of the big broad leaves, which swayed continually from side to side, although no wind was blowing. but the most curious thing about the swaying leaves was their color. they seemed to have a general groundwork of blue, but here and there other colors glinted at times through the blue--gorgeous yellows, turning to pink, purple, orange and scarlet, mingled with more sober browns and grays--each appearing as a blotch or stripe anywhere on a leaf and then disappearing, to be replaced by some other color of a different shape. the changeful coloring of the great leaves was very beautiful, but it was bewildering, as well, and the novelty of the scene drew our travelers close to the line of plants, where they stood watching them with rapt interest. suddenly a leaf bent lower than usual and touched the patchwork girl. swiftly it enveloped her in its embrace, covering her completely in its thick folds, and then it swayed back upon its stem. "why, she's gone!" gasped ojo, in amazement, and listening carefully he thought he could hear the muffled screams of scraps coming from the center of the folded leaf. but, before he could think what he ought to do to save her, another leaf bent down and captured the glass cat, rolling around the little creature until she was completely hidden, and then straightening up again upon its stem. "look out," cried the woozy. "run! run fast, or you are lost." ojo turned and saw the woozy running swiftly up the road. but the last leaf of the row of plants seized the beast even as he ran and instantly he disappeared from sight. the boy had no chance to escape. half a dozen of the great leaves were bending toward him from different directions and as he stood hesitating one of them clutched him in its embrace. in a flash he was in the dark. then he felt himself gently lifted until he was swaying in the air, with the folds of the leaf hugging him on all sides. at first he struggled hard to escape, crying out in anger: "let me go! let me go!" but neither struggles nor protests had any effect whatever. the leaf held him firmly and he was a prisoner. then ojo quieted himself and tried to think. despair fell upon him when he remembered that all his little party had been captured, even as he was, and there was none to save them. "i might have expected it," he sobbed, miserably. "i'm ojo the unlucky, and something dreadful was sure to happen to me." he pushed against the leaf that held him and found it to be soft, but thick and firm. it was like a great bandage all around him and he found it difficult to move his body or limbs in order to change their position. the minutes passed and became hours. ojo wondered how long one could live in such a condition and if the leaf would gradually sap his strength and even his life, in order to feed itself. the little munchkin boy had never heard of any person dying in the land of oz, but he knew one could suffer a great deal of pain. his greatest fear at this time was that he would always remain imprisoned in the beautiful leaf and never see the light of day again. no sound came to him through the leaf; all around was intense silence. ojo wondered if scraps had stopped screaming, or if the folds of the leaf prevented his hearing her. by and by he thought he heard a whistle, as of some one whistling a tune. yes; it really must be some one whistling, he decided, for he could follow the strains of a pretty munchkin melody that unc nunkie used to sing to him. the sounds were low and sweet and, although they reached ojo's ears very faintly, they were clear and harmonious. could the leaf whistle, ojo wondered? nearer and nearer came the sounds and then they seemed to be just the other side of the leaf that was hugging him. suddenly the whole leaf toppled and fell, carrying the boy with it, and while he sprawled at full length the folds slowly relaxed and set him free. he scrambled quickly to his feet and found that a strange man was standing before him--a man so curious in appearance that the boy stared with round eyes. he was a big man, with shaggy whiskers, shaggy eyebrows, shaggy hair--but kindly blue eyes that were gentle as those of a cow. on his head was a green velvet hat with a jeweled band, which was all shaggy around the brim. rich but shaggy laces were at his throat; a coat with shaggy edges was decorated with diamond buttons; the velvet breeches had jeweled buckles at the knees and shags all around the bottoms. on his breast hung a medallion bearing a picture of princess dorothy of oz, and in his hand, as he stood looking at ojo, was a sharp knife shaped like a dagger. "oh!" exclaimed ojo, greatly astonished at the sight of this stranger; and then he added: "who has saved me, sir?" "can't you see?" replied the other, with a smile; "i'm the shaggy man." "yes; i can see that," said the boy, nodding. "was it you who rescued me from the leaf?" "none other, you may be sure. but take care, or i shall have to rescue you again." ojo gave a jump, for he saw several broad leaves leaning toward him; but the shaggy man began to whistle again, and at the sound the leaves all straightened up on their stems and kept still. the man now took ojo's arm and led him up the road, past the last of the great plants, and not till he was safely beyond their reach did he cease his whistling. "you see, the music charms 'em," said he. "singing or whistling--it doesn't matter which--makes 'em behave, and nothing else will. i always whistle as i go by 'em and so they always let me alone. to-day as i went by, whistling, i saw a leaf curled and knew there must be something inside it. i cut down the leaf with my knife and--out you popped. lucky i passed by, wasn't it?" "you were very kind," said ojo, "and i thank you. will you please rescue my companions, also?" "what companions?" asked the shaggy man. "the leaves grabbed them all," said the boy. "there's a patchwork girl and--" "a what?" "a girl made of patchwork, you know. she's alive and her name is scraps. and there's a glass cat--" "glass?" asked the shaggy man. "all glass." "and alive?" "yes," said ojo; "she has pink brains. and there's a woozy--" "what's a woozy?" inquired the shaggy man. "why, i--i--can't describe it," answered the boy, greatly perplexed. "but it's a queer animal with three hairs on the tip of its tail that won't come out and--" "what won't come out?" asked the shaggy man; "the tail?" "the hairs won't come out. but you'll see the woozy, if you'll please rescue it, and then you'll know just what it is." "of course," said the shaggy man, nodding his shaggy head. and then he walked back among the plants, still whistling, and found the three leaves which were curled around ojo's traveling companions. the first leaf he cut down released scraps, and on seeing her the shaggy man threw back his shaggy head, opened wide his mouth and laughed so shaggily and yet so merrily that scraps liked him at once. then he took off his hat and made her a low bow, saying: "my dear, you're a wonder. i must introduce you to my friend the scarecrow." when he cut down the second leaf he rescued the glass cat, and bungle was so frightened that she scampered away like a streak and soon had joined ojo, when she sat beside him panting and trembling. the last plant of all the row had captured the woozy, and a big bunch in the center of the curled leaf showed plainly where he was. with his sharp knife the shaggy man sliced off the stem of the leaf and as it fell and unfolded out trotted the woozy and escaped beyond the reach of any more of the dangerous plants. chapter eleven a good friend soon the entire party was gathered on the road of yellow bricks, quite beyond the reach of the beautiful but treacherous plants. the shaggy man, staring first at one and then at the other, seemed greatly pleased and interested. "i've seen queer things since i came to the land of oz," said he, "but never anything queerer than this band of adventurers. let us sit down a while, and have a talk and get acquainted." "haven't you always lived in the land of oz?" asked the munchkin boy. "no; i used to live in the big, outside world. but i came here once with dorothy, and ozma let me stay." "how do you like oz?" asked scraps. "isn't the country and the climate grand?" "it's the finest country in all the world, even if it is a fairyland, and i'm happy every minute i live in it," said the shaggy man. "but tell me something about yourselves." so ojo related the story of his visit to the house of the crooked magician, and how he met there the glass cat, and how the patchwork girl was brought to life and of the terrible accident to unc nunkie and margolotte. then he told how he had set out to find the five different things which the magician needed to make a charm that would restore the marble figures to life, one requirement being three hairs from a woozy's tail. "we found the woozy," explained the boy, "and he agreed to give us the three hairs; but we couldn't pull them out. so we had to bring the woozy along with us." "i see," returned the shaggy man, who had listened with interest to the story. "but perhaps i, who am big and strong, can pull those three hairs from the woozy's tail." "try it, if you like," said the woozy. so the shaggy man tried it, but pull as hard as he could he failed to get the hairs out of the woozy's tail. so he sat down again and wiped his shaggy face with a shaggy silk handkerchief and said: "it doesn't matter. if you can keep the woozy until you get the rest of the things you need, you can take the beast and his three hairs to the crooked magician and let him find a way to extract 'em. what are the other things you are to find?" "one," said ojo, "is a six-leaved clover." "you ought to find that in the fields around the emerald city," said the shaggy man. "there is a law against picking six-leaved clovers, but i think i can get ozma to let you have one." "thank you," replied ojo. "the next thing is the left wing of a yellow butterfly." "for that you must go to the winkie country," the shaggy man declared. "i've never noticed any butterflies there, but that is the yellow country of oz and it's ruled by a good friend of mine, the tin woodman." "oh, i've heard of him!" exclaimed ojo. "he must be a wonderful man." "so he is, and his heart is wonderfully kind. i'm sure the tin woodman will do all in his power to help you to save your unc nunkie and poor margolotte." "the next thing i must find," said the munchkin boy, "is a gill of water from a dark well." "indeed! well, that is more difficult," said the shaggy man, scratching his left ear in a puzzled way. "i've never heard of a dark well; have you?" "no," said ojo. "do you know where one may be found?" inquired the shaggy man. "i can't imagine," said ojo. "then we must ask the scarecrow." "the scarecrow! but surely, sir, a scarecrow can't know anything." "most scarecrows don't, i admit," answered the shaggy man. "but this scarecrow of whom i speak is very intelligent. he claims to possess the best brains in all oz." "better than mine?" asked scraps. "better than mine?" echoed the glass cat. "mine are pink, and you can see 'em work." "well, you can't see the scarecrow's brains work, but they do a lot of clever thinking," asserted the shaggy man. "if anyone knows where a dark well is, it's my friend the scarecrow." "where does he live?" inquired ojo. "he has a splendid castle in the winkie country, near to the palace of his friend the tin woodman, and he is often to be found in the emerald city, where he visits dorothy at the royal palace." "then we will ask him about the dark well," said ojo. "but what else does this crooked magician want?" asked the shaggy man. "a drop of oil from a live man's body." "oh; but there isn't such a thing." "that is what i thought," replied ojo; "but the crooked magician said it wouldn't be called for by the recipe if it couldn't be found, and therefore i must search until i find it." "i wish you good luck," said the shaggy man, shaking his head doubtfully; "but i imagine you'll have a hard job getting a drop of oil from a live man's body. there's blood in a body, but no oil." "there's cotton in mine," said scraps, dancing a little jig. "i don't doubt it," returned the shaggy man admiringly. "you're a regular comforter and as sweet as patchwork can be. all you lack is dignity." "i hate dignity," cried scraps, kicking a pebble high in the air and then trying to catch it as it fell. "half the fools and all the wise folks are dignified, and i'm neither the one nor the other." "she's just crazy," explained the glass cat. the shaggy man laughed. "she's delightful, in her way," he said. "i'm sure dorothy will be pleased with her, and the scarecrow will dote on her. did you say you were traveling toward the emerald city?" "yes," replied ojo. "i thought that the best place to go, at first, because the six-leaved clover may be found there." "i'll go with you," said the shaggy man, "and show you the way." "thank you," exclaimed ojo. "i hope it won't put you out any." "no," said the other, "i wasn't going anywhere in particular. i've been a rover all my life, and although ozma has given me a suite of beautiful rooms in her palace i still get the wandering fever once in a while and start out to roam the country over. i've been away from the emerald city several weeks, this time, and now that i've met you and your friends i'm sure it will interest me to accompany you to the great city of oz and introduce you to my friends." "that will be very nice," said the boy, gratefully. "i hope your friends are not dignified," observed scraps. "some are, and some are not," he answered; "but i never criticise my friends. if they are really true friends, they may be anything they like, for all of me." "there's some sense in that," said scraps, nodding her queer head in approval. "come on, and let's get to the emerald city as soon as possible." with this she ran up the path, skipping and dancing, and then turned to await them. "it is quite a distance from here to the emerald city," remarked the shaggy man, "so we shall not get there to-day, nor to-morrow. therefore let us take the jaunt in an easy manner. i'm an old traveler and have found that i never gain anything by being in a hurry. 'take it easy' is my motto. if you can't take it easy, take it as easy as you can." after walking some distance over the road of yellow bricks ojo said he was hungry and would stop to eat some bread and cheese. he offered a portion of the food to the shaggy man, who thanked him but refused it. "when i start out on my travels," said he, "i carry along enough square meals to last me several weeks. think i'll indulge in one now, as long as we're stopping anyway." saying this, he took a bottle from his pocket and shook from it a tablet about the size of one of ojo's finger-nails. "that," announced the shaggy man, "is a square meal, in condensed form. invention of the great professor woggle-bug, of the royal college of athletics. it contains soup, fish, roast meat, salad, apple-dumplings, ice cream and chocolate-drops, all boiled down to this small size, so it can be conveniently carried and swallowed when you are hungry and need a square meal." "i'm square," said the woozy. "give me one, please." so the shaggy man gave the woozy a tablet from his bottle and the beast ate it in a twinkling. "you have now had a six course dinner," declared the shaggy man. "pshaw!" said the woozy, ungratefully, "i want to taste something. there's no fun in that sort of eating." "one should only eat to sustain life," replied the shaggy man, "and that tablet is equal to a peck of other food." "i don't care for it. i want something i can chew and taste," grumbled the woozy. "you are quite wrong, my poor beast," said the shaggy man in a tone of pity. "think how tired your jaws would get chewing a square meal like this, if it were not condensed to the size of a small tablet--which you can swallow in a jiffy." "chewing isn't tiresome; it's fun," maintained the woozy. "i always chew the honey-bees when i catch them. give me some bread and cheese, ojo." "no, no! you've already eaten a big dinner!" protested the shaggy man. "may be," answered the woozy; "but i guess i'll fool myself by munching some bread and cheese. i may not be hungry, having eaten all those things you gave me, but i consider this eating business a matter of taste, and i like to realize what's going into me." ojo gave the beast what he wanted, but the shaggy man shook his shaggy head reproachfully and said there was no animal so obstinate or hard to convince as a woozy. at this moment a patter of footsteps was heard, and looking up they saw the live phonograph standing before them. it seemed to have passed through many adventures since ojo and his comrades last saw the machine, for the varnish of its wooden case was all marred and dented and scratched in a way that gave it an aged and disreputable appearance. "dear me!" exclaimed ojo, staring hard. "what has happened to you?" "nothing much," replied the phonograph in a sad and depressed voice. "i've had enough things thrown at me, since i left you, to stock a department store and furnish half a dozen bargain-counters." "are you so broken up that you can't play?" asked scraps. "no; i still am able to grind out delicious music. just now i've a record on tap that is really superb," said the phonograph, growing more cheerful. "that is too bad," remarked ojo. "we've no objection to you as a machine, you know; but as a music-maker we hate you." "then why was i ever invented?" demanded the machine, in a tone of indignant protest. they looked at one another inquiringly, but no one could answer such a puzzling question. finally the shaggy man said: "i'd like to hear the phonograph play." ojo sighed. "we've been very happy since we met you, sir," he said. "i know. but a little misery, at times, makes one appreciate happiness more. tell me, phony, what is this record like, which you say you have on tap?" "it's a popular song, sir. in all civilized lands the common people have gone wild over it." "makes civilized folks wild folks, eh? then it's dangerous." "wild with joy, i mean," explained the phonograph. "listen. this song will prove a rare treat to you, i know. it made the author rich--for an author. it is called 'my lulu.'" then the phonograph began to play. a strain of odd, jerky sounds was followed by these words, sung by a man through his nose with great vigor of expression: "ah wants mah lulu, mah coal-black lulu; ah wants mah loo-loo, loo-loo, loo-loo, lu! ah loves mah lulu, mah coal-black lulu, there ain't nobody else loves loo-loo, lu!" "here--shut that off!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet. "what do you mean by such impertinence?" "it's the latest popular song," declared the phonograph, speaking in a sulky tone of voice. "a popular song?" "yes. one that the feeble-minded can remember the words of and those ignorant of music can whistle or sing. that makes a popular song popular, and the time is coming when it will take the place of all other songs." "that time won't come to us, just yet," said the shaggy man, sternly: "i'm something of a singer myself, and i don't intend to be throttled by any lulus like your coal-black one. i shall take you all apart, mr. phony, and scatter your pieces far and wide over the country, as a matter of kindness to the people you might meet if allowed to run around loose. having performed this painful duty i shall--" but before he could say more the phonograph turned and dashed up the road as fast as its four table-legs could carry it, and soon it had entirely disappeared from their view. the shaggy man sat down again and seemed well pleased. "some one else will save me the trouble of scattering that phonograph," said he; "for it is not possible that such a music-maker can last long in the land of oz. when you are rested, friends, let us go on our way." during the afternoon the travelers found themselves in a lonely and uninhabited part of the country. even the fields were no longer cultivated and the country began to resemble a wilderness. the road of yellow bricks seemed to have been neglected and became uneven and more difficult to walk upon. scrubby under-brush grew on either side of the way, while huge rocks were scattered around in abundance. but this did not deter ojo and his friends from trudging on, and they beguiled the journey with jokes and cheerful conversation. toward evening they reached a crystal spring which gushed from a tall rock by the roadside and near this spring stood a deserted cabin. said the shaggy man, halting here: "we may as well pass the night here, where there is shelter for our heads and good water to drink. road beyond here is pretty bad; worst we shall have to travel; so let's wait until morning before we tackle it." they agreed to this and ojo found some brushwood in the cabin and made a fire on the hearth. the fire delighted scraps, who danced before it until ojo warned her she might set fire to herself and burn up. after that the patchwork girl kept at a respectful distance from the darting flames, but the woozy lay down before the fire like a big dog and seemed to enjoy its warmth. for supper the shaggy man ate one of his tablets, but ojo stuck to his bread and cheese as the most satisfying food. he also gave a portion to the woozy. when darkness came on and they sat in a circle on the cabin floor, facing the firelight--there being no furniture of any sort in the place--ojo said to the shaggy man: "won't you tell us a story?" "i'm not good at stories," was the reply; "but i sing like a bird." "raven, or crow?" asked the glass cat. "like a song bird. i'll prove it. i'll sing a song i composed myself. don't tell anyone i'm a poet; they might want me to write a book. don't tell 'em i can sing, or they'd want me to make records for that awful phonograph. haven't time to be a public benefactor, so i'll just sing you this little song for your own amusement." they were glad enough to be entertained, and listened with interest while the shaggy man chanted the following verses to a tune that was not unpleasant: "i'll sing a song of ozland, where wondrous creatures dwell and fruits and flowers and shady bowers abound in every dell, where magic is a science and where no one shows surprise if some amazing thing takes place before his very eyes. our ruler's a bewitching girl whom fairies love to please; she's always kept her magic sceptre to enforce decrees to make her people happy, for her heart is kind and true and to aid the needy and distressed is what she longs to do. and then there's princess dorothy, as sweet as any rose, a lass from kansas, where they don't grow fairies, i suppose; and there's the brainy scarecrow, with a body stuffed with straw, who utters words of wisdom rare that fill us all with awe. i'll not forget nick chopper, the woodman made of tin, whose tender heart thinks killing time is quite a dreadful sin, nor old professor woggle-bug, who's highly magnified and looks so big to everyone that he is filled with pride. jack pumpkinhead's a dear old chum who might be called a chump, but won renown by riding round upon a magic gump; the sawhorse is a splendid steed and though he's made of wood he does as many thrilling stunts as any meat horse could. and now i'll introduce a beast that ev'ryone adores-- the cowardly lion shakes with fear 'most ev'ry time he roars, and yet he does the bravest things that any lion might, because he knows that cowardice is not considered right. there's tik-tok--he's a clockwork man and quite a funny sight-- he talks and walks mechanically, when he's wound up tight; and we've a hungry tiger who would babies love to eat but never does because we feed him other kinds of meat. it's hard to name all of the freaks this noble land's acquired; 'twould make my song so very long that you would soon be tired; but give attention while i mention one wise yellow hen and nine fine tiny piglets living in a golden pen. just search the whole world over--sail the seas from coast to coast-- no other nation in creation queerer folk can boast; and now our rare museum will include a cat of glass, a woozy, and--last but not least--a crazy patchwork lass." ojo was so pleased with this song that he applauded the singer by clapping his hands, and scraps followed suit by clapping her padded fingers together, although they made no noise. the cat pounded on the floor with her glass paws--gently, so as not to break them--and the woozy, which had been asleep, woke up to ask what the row was about. "i seldom sing in public, for fear they might want me to start an opera company," remarked the shaggy man, who was pleased to know his effort was appreciated. "voice, just now, is a little out of training; rusty, perhaps." "tell me," said the patchwork girl earnestly, "do all those queer people you mention really live in the land of oz?" "every one of 'em. i even forgot one thing: dorothy's pink kitten." "for goodness sake!" exclaimed bungle, sitting up and looking interested. "a pink kitten? how absurd! is it glass?" "no; just ordinary kitten." "then it can't amount to much. i have pink brains, and you can see 'em work." "dorothy's kitten is all pink--brains and all--except blue eyes. name's eureka. great favorite at the royal palace," said the shaggy man, yawning. the glass cat seemed annoyed. "do you think a pink kitten--common meat--is as pretty as i am?" she asked. "can't say. tastes differ, you know," replied the shaggy man, yawning again. "but here's a pointer that may be of service to you: make friends with eureka and you'll be solid at the palace." "i'm solid now; solid glass." "you don't understand," rejoined the shaggy man, sleepily. "anyhow, make friends with the pink kitten and you'll be all right. if the pink kitten despises you, look out for breakers." "would anyone at the royal palace break a glass cat?" "might. you never can tell. advise you to purr soft and look humble--if you can. and now i'm going to bed." bungle considered the shaggy man's advice so carefully that her pink brains were busy long after the others of the party were fast asleep. chapter twelve the giant porcupine next morning they started out bright and early to follow the road of yellow bricks toward the emerald city. the little munchkin boy was beginning to feel tired from the long walk, and he had a great many things to think of and consider besides the events of the journey. at the wonderful emerald city, which he would presently reach, were so many strange and curious people that he was half afraid of meeting them and wondered if they would prove friendly and kind. above all else, he could not drive from his mind the important errand on which he had come, and he was determined to devote every energy to finding the things that were necessary to prepare the magic recipe. he believed that until dear unc nunkie was restored to life he could feel no joy in anything, and often he wished that unc could be with him, to see all the astonishing things ojo was seeing. but alas unc nunkie was now a marble statue in the house of the crooked magician and ojo must not falter in his efforts to save him. the country through which they were passing was still rocky and deserted, with here and there a bush or a tree to break the dreary landscape. ojo noticed one tree, especially, because it had such long, silky leaves and was so beautiful in shape. as he approached it he studied the tree earnestly, wondering if any fruit grew on it or if it bore pretty flowers. suddenly he became aware that he had been looking at that tree a long time--at least for five minutes--and it had remained in the same position, although the boy had continued to walk steadily on. so he stopped short, and when he stopped, the tree and all the landscape, as well as his companions, moved on before him and left him far behind. ojo uttered such a cry of astonishment that it aroused the shaggy man, who also halted. the others then stopped, too, and walked back to the boy. "what's wrong?" asked the shaggy man. "why, we're not moving forward a bit, no matter how fast we walk," declared ojo. "now that we have stopped, we are moving backward! can't you see? just notice that rock." scraps looked down at her feet and said: "the yellow bricks are not moving." "but the whole road is," answered ojo. "true; quite true," agreed the shaggy man. "i know all about the tricks of this road, but i have been thinking of something else and didn't realize where we were." "it will carry us back to where we started from," predicted ojo, beginning to be nervous. "no," replied the shaggy man; "it won't do that, for i know a trick to beat this tricky road. i've traveled this way before, you know. turn around, all of you, and walk backward." "what good will that do?" asked the cat. "you'll find out, if you obey me," said the shaggy man. so they all turned their backs to the direction in which they wished to go and began walking backward. in an instant ojo noticed they were gaining ground and as they proceeded in this curious way they soon passed the tree which had first attracted his attention to their difficulty. "how long must we keep this up, shags?" asked scraps, who was constantly tripping and tumbling down, only to get up again with a laugh at her mishap. "just a little way farther," replied the shaggy man. a few minutes later he called to them to turn about quickly and step forward, and as they obeyed the order they found themselves treading solid ground. "that task is well over," observed the shaggy man. "it's a little tiresome to walk backward, but that is the only way to pass this part of the road, which has a trick of sliding back and carrying with it anyone who is walking upon it." with new courage and energy they now trudged forward and after a time came to a place where the road cut through a low hill, leaving high banks on either side of it. they were traveling along this cut, talking together, when the shaggy man seized scraps with one arm and ojo with another and shouted: "stop!" "what's wrong now?" asked the patchwork girl. "see there!" answered the shaggy man, pointing with his finger. directly in the center of the road lay a motionless object that bristled all over with sharp quills, which resembled arrows. the body was as big as a ten-bushel-basket, but the projecting quills made it appear to be four times bigger. "well, what of it?" asked scraps. "that is chiss, who causes a lot of trouble along this road," was the reply. "chiss! what is chiss? "i think it is merely an overgrown porcupine, but here in oz they consider chiss an evil spirit. he's different from a reg'lar porcupine, because he can throw his quills in any direction, which an american porcupine cannot do. that's what makes old chiss so dangerous. if we get too near, he'll fire those quills at us and hurt us badly." "then we will be foolish to get too near," said scraps. "i'm not afraid," declared the woozy. "the chiss is cowardly, i'm sure, and if it ever heard my awful, terrible, frightful growl, it would be scared stiff." "oh; can you growl?" asked the shaggy man. "that is the only ferocious thing about me," asserted the woozy with evident pride. "my growl makes an earthquake blush and the thunder ashamed of itself. if i growled at that creature you call chiss, it would immediately think the world had cracked in two and bumped against the sun and moon, and that would cause the monster to run as far and as fast as its legs could carry it." "in that case," said the shaggy man, "you are now able to do us all a great favor. please growl." "but you forget," returned the woozy; "my tremendous growl would also frighten you, and if you happen to have heart disease you might expire." "true; but we must take that risk," decided the shaggy man, bravely. "being warned of what is to occur we must try to bear the terrific noise of your growl; but chiss won't expect it, and it will scare him away." the woozy hesitated. "i'm fond of you all, and i hate to shock you," it said. "never mind," said ojo. "you may be made deaf." "if so, we will forgive you." "very well, then," said the woozy in a determined voice, and advanced a few steps toward the giant porcupine. pausing to look back, it asked: "all ready?" "all ready!" they answered. "then cover up your ears and brace yourselves firmly. now, then--look out!" the woozy turned toward chiss, opened wide its mouth and said: "quee-ee-ee-eek." "go ahead and growl," said scraps. "why, i--i did growl!" retorted the woozy, who seemed much astonished. "what, that little squeak?" she cried. "it is the most awful growl that ever was heard, on land or sea, in caverns or in the sky," protested the woozy. "i wonder you stood the shock so well. didn't you feel the ground tremble? i suppose chiss is now quite dead with fright." the shaggy man laughed merrily. "poor wooz!" said he; "your growl wouldn't scare a fly." the woozy seemed to be humiliated and surprised. it hung its head a moment, as if in shame or sorrow, but then it said with renewed confidence: "anyhow, my eyes can flash fire; and good fire, too; good enough to set fire to a fence!" "that is true," declared scraps; "i saw it done myself. but your ferocious growl isn't as loud as the tick of a beetle--or one of ojo's snores when he's fast asleep." "perhaps," said the woozy, humbly, "i have been mistaken about my growl. it has always sounded very fearful to me, but that may have been because it was so close to my ears." "never mind," ojo said soothingly; "it is a great talent to be able to flash fire from your eyes. no one else can do that." as they stood hesitating what to do chiss stirred and suddenly a shower of quills came flying toward them, almost filling the air, they were so many. scraps realized in an instant that they had gone too near to chiss for safety, so she sprang in front of ojo and shielded him from the darts, which stuck their points into her own body until she resembled one of those targets they shoot arrows at in archery games. the shaggy man dropped flat on his face to avoid the shower, but one quill struck him in the leg and went far in. as for the glass cat, the quills rattled off her body without making even a scratch, and the skin of the woozy was so thick and tough that he was not hurt at all. when the attack was over they all ran to the shaggy man, who was moaning and groaning, and scraps promptly pulled the quill out of his leg. then up he jumped and ran over to chiss, putting his foot on the monster's neck and holding it a prisoner. the body of the great porcupine was now as smooth as leather, except for the holes where the quills had been, for it had shot every single quill in that one wicked shower. "let me go!" it shouted angrily. "how dare you put your foot on chiss?" "i'm going to do worse than that, old boy," replied the shaggy man. "you have annoyed travelers on this road long enough, and now i shall put an end to you." "you can't!" returned chiss. "nothing can kill me, as you know perfectly well." "perhaps that is true," said the shaggy man in a tone of disappointment. "seems to me i've been told before that you can't be killed. but if i let you go, what will you do?" "pick up my quills again," said chiss in a sulky voice. "and then shoot them at more travelers? no; that won't do. you must promise me to stop throwing quills at people." "i won't promise anything of the sort," declared chiss. "why not?" "because it is my nature to throw quills, and every animal must do what nature intends it to do. it isn't fair for you to blame me. if it were wrong for me to throw quills, then i wouldn't be made with quills to throw. the proper thing for you to do is to keep out of my way." "why, there's some sense in that argument," admitted the shaggy man, thoughtfully; "but people who are strangers, and don't know you are here, won't be able to keep out of your way." "tell you what," said scraps, who was trying to pull the quills out of her own body, "let's gather up all the quills and take them away with us; then old chiss won't have any left to throw at people." "ah, that's a clever idea. you and ojo must gather up the quills while i hold chiss a prisoner; for, if i let him go, he will get some of his quills and be able to throw them again." so scraps and ojo picked up all the quills and tied them in a bundle so they might easily be carried. after this the shaggy man released chiss and let him go, knowing that he was harmless to injure anyone. "it's the meanest trick i ever heard of," muttered the porcupine gloomily. "how would you like it, shaggy man, if i took all your shags away from you?" "if i threw my shags and hurt people, you would be welcome to capture them," was the reply. then they walked on and left chiss standing in the road sullen and disconsolate. the shaggy man limped as he walked, for his wound still hurt him, and scraps was much annoyed because the quills had left a number of small holes in her patches. when they came to a flat stone by the roadside the shaggy man sat down to rest, and then ojo opened his basket and took out the bundle of charms the crooked magician had given him. "i am ojo the unlucky," he said, "or we would never have met that dreadful porcupine. but i will see if i can find anything among these charms which will cure your leg." soon he discovered that one of the charms was labelled: "for flesh wounds," and this the boy separated from the others. it was only a bit of dried root, taken from some unknown shrub, but the boy rubbed it upon the wound made by the quill and in a few moments the place was healed entirely and the shaggy man's leg was as good as ever. "rub it on the holes in my patches," suggested scraps, and ojo tried it, but without any effect. "the charm you need is a needle and thread," said the shaggy man. "but do not worry, my dear; those holes do not look badly, at all." "they'll let in the air, and i don't want people to think i'm airy, or that i've been stuck up," said the patchwork girl. "you were certainly stuck up until we pulled out those quills," observed ojo, with a laugh. so now they went on again and coming presently to a pond of muddy water they tied a heavy stone to the bundle of quills and sunk it to the bottom of the pond, to avoid carrying it farther. chapter thirteen scraps and the scarecrow from here on the country improved and the desert places began to give way to fertile spots; still no houses were yet to be seen near the road. there were some hills, with valleys between them, and on reaching the top of one of these hills the travelers found before them a high wall, running to the right and the left as far as their eyes could reach. immediately in front of them, where the wall crossed the roadway, stood a gate having stout iron bars that extended from top to bottom. they found, on coming nearer, that this gate was locked with a great padlock, rusty through lack of use. "well," said scraps, "i guess we'll stop here." "it's a good guess," replied ojo. "our way is barred by this great wall and gate. it looks as if no one had passed through in many years." "looks are deceiving," declared the shaggy man, laughing at their disappointed faces, "and this barrier is the most deceiving thing in all oz." "it prevents our going any farther, anyhow," said scraps. "there is no one to mind the gate and let people through, and we've no key to the padlock." "true," replied ojo, going a little nearer to peep through the bars of the gate. "what shall we do, shaggy man? if we had wings we might fly over the wall, but we cannot climb it and unless we get to the emerald city i won't be able to find the things to restore unc nunkie to life." "all very true," answered the shaggy man, quietly; "but i know this gate, having passed through it many times." "how?" they all eagerly inquired. "i'll show you how," said he. he stood ojo in the middle of the road and placed scraps just behind him, with her padded hands on his shoulders. after the patchwork girl came the woozy, who held a part of her skirt in his mouth. then, last of all, was the glass cat, holding fast to the woozy's tail with her glass jaws. "now," said the shaggy man, "you must all shut your eyes tight, and keep them shut until i tell you to open them." "i can't," objected scraps. "my eyes are buttons, and they won't shut." so the shaggy man tied his red handkerchief over the patchwork girl's eyes and examined all the others to make sure they had their eyes fast shut and could see nothing. "what's the game, anyhow--blind-man's-buff?" asked scraps. "keep quiet!" commanded the shaggy man, sternly. "all ready? then follow me." he took ojo's hand and led him forward over the road of yellow bricks, toward the gate. holding fast to one another they all followed in a row, expecting every minute to bump against the iron bars. the shaggy man also had his eyes closed, but marched straight ahead, nevertheless, and after he had taken one hundred steps, by actual count, he stopped and said: "now you may open your eyes." they did so, and to their astonishment found the wall and the gateway far behind them, while in front the former blue country of the munchkins had given way to green fields, with pretty farm-houses scattered among them. "that wall," explained the shaggy man, "is what is called an optical illusion. it is quite real while you have your eyes open, but if you are not looking at it the barrier doesn't exist at all. it's the same way with many other evils in life; they seem to exist, and yet it's all seeming and not true. you will notice that the wall--or what we thought was a wall--separates the munchkin country from the green country that surrounds the emerald city, which lies exactly in the center of oz. there are two roads of yellow bricks through the munchkin country, but the one we followed is the best of the two. dorothy once traveled the other way, and met with more dangers than we did. but all our troubles are over for the present, as another day's journey will bring us to the great emerald city." they were delighted to know this, and proceeded with new courage. in a couple of hours they stopped at a farmhouse, where the people were very hospitable and invited them to dinner. the farm folk regarded scraps with much curiosity but no great astonishment, for they were accustomed to seeing extraordinary people in the land of oz. the woman of this house got her needle and thread and sewed up the holes made by the porcupine quills in the patchwork girl's body, after which scraps was assured she looked as beautiful as ever. "you ought to have a hat to wear," remarked the woman, "for that would keep the sun from fading the colors of your face. i have some patches and scraps put away, and if you will wait two or three days i'll make you a lovely hat that will match the rest of you." "never mind the hat," said scraps, shaking her yarn braids; "it's a kind offer, but we can't stop. i can't see that my colors have faded a particle, as yet; can you?" "not much," replied the woman. "you are still very gorgeous, in spite of your long journey." the children of the house wanted to keep the glass cat to play with, so bungle was offered a good home if she would remain; but the cat was too much interested in ojo's adventures and refused to stop. "children are rough playmates," she remarked to the shaggy man, "and although this home is more pleasant than that of the crooked magician i fear i would soon be smashed to pieces by the boys and girls." after they had rested themselves they renewed their journey, finding the road now smooth and pleasant to walk upon and the country growing more beautiful the nearer they drew to the emerald city. by and by ojo began to walk on the green grass, looking carefully around him. "what are you trying to find?" asked scraps. "a six-leaved clover," said he. "don't do that!" exclaimed the shaggy man, earnestly. "it's against the law to pick a six-leaved clover. you must wait until you get ozma's consent." "she wouldn't know it," declared the boy. "ozma knows many things," said the shaggy man. "in her room is a magic picture that shows any scene in the land of oz where strangers or travelers happen to be. she may be watching the picture of us even now, and noticing everything that we do." "does she always watch the magic picture?" asked ojo. "not always, for she has many other things to do; but, as i said, she may be watching us this very minute." "i don't care," said ojo, in an obstinate tone of voice; "ozma's only a girl." the shaggy man looked at him in surprise. "you ought to care for ozma," said he, "if you expect to save your uncle. for, if you displease our powerful ruler, your journey will surely prove a failure; whereas, if you make a friend of ozma, she will gladly assist you. as for her being a girl, that is another reason why you should obey her laws, if you are courteous and polite. everyone in oz loves ozma and hates her enemies, for she is as just as she is powerful." ojo sulked a while, but finally returned to the road and kept away from the green clover. the boy was moody and bad tempered for an hour or two afterward, because he could really see no harm in picking a six-leaved clover, if he found one, and in spite of what the shaggy man had said he considered ozma's law to be unjust. they presently came to a beautiful grove of tall and stately trees, through which the road wound in sharp curves--first one way and then another. as they were walking through this grove they heard some one in the distance singing, and the sounds grew nearer and nearer until they could distinguish the words, although the bend in the road still hid the singer. the song was something like this: "here's to the hale old bale of straw that's cut from the waving grain, the sweetest sight man ever saw in forest, dell or plain. it fills me with a crunkling joy a straw-stack to behold, for then i pad this lucky boy with strands of yellow gold." "ah!" exclaimed the shaggy man; "here comes my friend the scarecrow." "what, a live scarecrow?" asked ojo. "yes; the one i told you of. he's a splendid fellow, and very intelligent. you'll like him, i'm sure." just then the famous scarecrow of oz came around the bend in the road, riding astride a wooden sawhorse which was so small that its rider's legs nearly touched the ground. the scarecrow wore the blue dress of the munchkins, in which country he was made, and on his head was set a peaked hat with a flat brim trimmed with tinkling bells. a rope was tied around his waist to hold him in shape, for he was stuffed with straw in every part of him except the top of his head, where at one time the wizard of oz had placed sawdust, mixed with needles and pins, to sharpen his wits. the head itself was merely a bag of cloth, fastened to the body at the neck, and on the front of this bag was painted the face--ears, eyes, nose and mouth. the scarecrow's face was very interesting, for it bore a comical and yet winning expression, although one eye was a bit larger than the other and ears were not mates. the munchkin farmer who had made the scarecrow had neglected to sew him together with close stitches and therefore some of the straw with which he was stuffed was inclined to stick out between the seams. his hands consisted of padded white gloves, with the fingers long and rather limp, and on his feet he wore munchkin boots of blue leather with broad turns at the tops of them. the sawhorse was almost as curious as its rider. it had been rudely made, in the beginning, to saw logs upon, so that its body was a short length of a log, and its legs were stout branches fitted into four holes made in the body. the tail was formed by a small branch that had been left on the log, while the head was a gnarled bump on one end of the body. two knots of wood formed the eyes, and the mouth was a gash chopped in the log. when the sawhorse first came to life it had no ears at all, and so could not hear; but the boy who then owned him had whittled two ears out of bark and stuck them in the head, after which the sawhorse heard very distinctly. this queer wooden horse was a great favorite with princess ozma, who had caused the bottoms of its legs to be shod with plates of gold, so the wood would not wear away. its saddle was made of cloth-of-gold richly encrusted with precious gems. it had never worn a bridle. as the scarecrow came in sight of the party of travelers, he reined in his wooden steed and dismounted, greeting the shaggy man with a smiling nod. then he turned to stare at the patchwork girl in wonder, while she in turn stared at him. "shags," he whispered, drawing the shaggy man aside, "pat me into shape, there's a good fellow!" while his friend punched and patted the scarecrow's body, to smooth out the humps, scraps turned to ojo and whispered: "roll me out, please; i've sagged down dreadfully from walking so much and men like to see a stately figure." she then fell upon the ground and the boy rolled her back and forth like a rolling-pin, until the cotton had filled all the spaces in her patchwork covering and the body had lengthened to its fullest extent. scraps and the scarecrow both finished their hasty toilets at the same time, and again they faced each other. "allow me, miss patchwork," said the shaggy man, "to present my friend, the right royal scarecrow of oz. scarecrow, this is miss scraps patches; scraps, this is the scarecrow. scarecrow--scraps; scraps--scarecrow." they both bowed with much dignity. "forgive me for staring so rudely," said the scarecrow, "but you are the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever beheld." "that is a high compliment from one who is himself so beautiful," murmured scraps, casting down her suspender-button eyes by lowering her head. "but, tell me, good sir, are you not a trifle lumpy?" "yes, of course; that's my straw, you know. it bunches up, sometimes, in spite of all my efforts to keep it even. doesn't your straw ever bunch?" "oh, i'm stuffed with cotton," said scraps. "it never bunches, but it's inclined to pack down and make me sag." "but cotton is a high-grade stuffing. i may say it is even more stylish, not to say aristocratic, than straw," said the scarecrow politely. "still, it is but proper that one so entrancingly lovely should have the best stuffing there is going. i--er--i'm so glad i've met you, miss scraps! introduce us again, shaggy." "once is enough," replied the shaggy man, laughing at his friend's enthusiasm. "then tell me where you found her, and--dear me, what a queer cat! what are you made of--gelatine?" "pure glass," answered the cat, proud to have attracted the scarecrow's attention. "i am much more beautiful than the patchwork girl. i'm transparent, and scraps isn't; i've pink brains--you can see 'em work; and i've a ruby heart, finely polished, while scraps hasn't any heart at all." "no more have i," said the scarecrow, shaking hands with scraps, as if to congratulate her on the fact. "i've a friend, the tin woodman, who has a heart, but i find i get along pretty well without one. and so--well, well! here's a little munchkin boy, too. shake hands, my little man. how are you?" ojo placed his hand in the flabby stuffed glove that served the scarecrow for a hand, and the scarecrow pressed it so cordially that the straw in his glove crackled. meantime, the woozy had approached the sawhorse and begun to sniff at it. the sawhorse resented this familiarity and with a sudden kick pounded the woozy squarely on its head with one gold-shod foot. "take that, you monster!" it cried angrily. the woozy never even winked. "to be sure," he said; "i'll take anything i have to. but don't make me angry, you wooden beast, or my eyes will flash fire and burn you up." the sawhorse rolled its knot eyes wickedly and kicked again, but the woozy trotted away and said to the scarecrow: "what a sweet disposition that creature has! i advise you to chop it up for kindling-wood and use me to ride upon. my back is flat and you can't fall off." "i think the trouble is that you haven't been properly introduced," said the scarecrow, regarding the woozy with much wonder, for he had never seen such a queer animal before. "the sawhorse is the favorite steed of princess ozma, the ruler of the land of oz, and he lives in a stable decorated with pearls and emeralds, at the rear of the royal palace. he is swift as the wind, untiring, and is kind to his friends. all the people of oz respect the sawhorse highly, and when i visit ozma she sometimes allows me to ride him--as i am doing to-day. now you know what an important personage the sawhorse is, and if some one--perhaps yourself--will tell me your name, your rank and station, and your history, it will give me pleasure to relate them to the sawhorse. this will lead to mutual respect and friendship." the woozy was somewhat abashed by this speech and did not know how to reply. but ojo said: "this square beast is called the woozy, and he isn't of much importance except that he has three hairs growing on the tip of his tail." the scarecrow looked and saw that this was true. "but," said he, in a puzzled way, "what makes those three hairs important? the shaggy man has thousands of hairs, but no one has ever accused him of being important." so ojo related the sad story of unc nunkie's transformation into a marble statue, and told how he had set out to find the things the crooked magician wanted, in order to make a charm that would restore his uncle to life. one of the requirements was three hairs from a woozy's tail, but not being able to pull out the hairs they had been obliged to take the woozy with them. the scarecrow looked grave as he listened and he shook his head several times, as if in disapproval. "we must see ozma about this matter," he said. "that crooked magician is breaking the law by practicing magic without a license, and i'm not sure ozma will allow him to restore your uncle to life." "already i have warned the boy of that," declared the shaggy man. at this ojo began to cry. "i want my unc nunkie!" he exclaimed. "i know how he can be restored to life, and i'm going to do it--ozma or no ozma! what right has this girl ruler to keep my unc nunkie a statue forever?" "don't worry about that just now," advised the scarecrow. "go on to the emerald city, and when you reach it have the shaggy man take you to see dorothy. tell her your story and i'm sure she will help you. dorothy is ozma's best friend, and if you can win her to your side your uncle is pretty safe to live again." then he turned to the woozy and said: "i'm afraid you are not important enough to be introduced to the sawhorse, after all." "i'm a better beast than he is," retorted the woozy, indignantly. "my eyes can flash fire, and his can't." "is this true?" inquired the scarecrow, turning to the munchkin boy. "yes," said ojo, and told how the woozy had set fire to the fence. "have you any other accomplishments?" asked the scarecrow. "i have a most terrible growl--that is, sometimes," said the woozy, as scraps laughed merrily and the shaggy man smiled. but the patchwork girl's laugh made the scarecrow forget all about the woozy. he said to her: "what an admirable young lady you are, and what jolly good company! we must be better acquainted, for never before have i met a girl with such exquisite coloring or such natural, artless manners." "no wonder they call you the wise scarecrow," replied scraps. "when you arrive at the emerald city i will see you again," continued the scarecrow. "just now i am going to call upon an old friend--an ordinary young lady named jinjur--who has promised to repaint my left ear for me. you may have noticed that the paint on my left ear has peeled off and faded, which affects my hearing on that side. jinjur always fixes me up when i get weather-worn." "when do you expect to return to the emerald city?" asked the shaggy man. "i'll be there this evening, for i'm anxious to have a long talk with miss scraps. how is it, sawhorse; are you equal to a swift run?" "anything that suits you suits me," returned the wooden horse. so the scarecrow mounted to the jeweled saddle and waved his hat, when the sawhorse darted away so swiftly that they were out of sight in an instant. chapter fourteen ojo breaks the law "what a queer man," remarked the munchkin boy, when the party had resumed its journey. "and so nice and polite," added scraps, bobbing her head. "i think he is the handsomest man i've seen since i came to life." "handsome is as handsome does," quoted the shaggy man; "but we must admit that no living scarecrow is handsomer. the chief merit of my friend is that he is a great thinker, and in oz it is considered good policy to follow his advice." "i didn't notice any brains in his head," observed the glass cat. "you can't see 'em work, but they're there, all right," declared the shaggy man. "i hadn't much confidence in his brains myself, when first i came to oz, for a humbug wizard gave them to him; but i was soon convinced that the scarecrow is really wise; and, unless his brains make him so, such wisdom is unaccountable." "is the wizard of oz a humbug?" asked ojo. "not now. he was once, but he has reformed and now assists glinda the good, who is the royal sorceress of oz and the only one licensed to practice magic or sorcery. glinda has taught our old wizard a good many clever things, so he is no longer a humbug." they walked a little while in silence and then ojo said: "if ozma forbids the crooked magician to restore unc nunkie to life, what shall i do?" the shaggy man shook his head. "in that case you can't do anything," he said. "but don't be discouraged yet. we will go to princess dorothy and tell her your troubles, and then we will let her talk to ozma. dorothy has the kindest little heart in the world, and she has been through so many troubles herself that she is sure to sympathize with you." "is dorothy the little girl who came here from kansas?" asked the boy. "yes. in kansas she was dorothy gale. i used to know her there, and she brought me to the land of oz. but now ozma has made her a princess, and dorothy's aunt em and uncle henry are here, too." here the shaggy man uttered a long sigh, and then he continued: "it's a queer country, this land of oz; but i like it, nevertheless." "what is queer about it?" asked scraps. "you, for instance," said he. "did you see no girls as beautiful as i am in your own country?" she inquired. "none with the same gorgeous, variegated beauty," he confessed. "in america a girl stuffed with cotton wouldn't be alive, nor would anyone think of making a girl out of a patchwork quilt." "what a queer country america must be!" she exclaimed in great surprise. "the scarecrow, whom you say is wise, told me i am the most beautiful creature he has ever seen." "i know; and perhaps you are--from a scarecrow point of view," replied the shaggy man; but why he smiled as he said it scraps could not imagine. as they drew nearer to the emerald city the travelers were filled with admiration for the splendid scenery they beheld. handsome houses stood on both sides of the road and each had a green lawn before it as well as a pretty flower garden. "in another hour," said the shaggy man, "we shall come in sight of the walls of the royal city." he was walking ahead, with scraps, and behind them came the woozy and the glass cat. ojo had lagged behind, for in spite of the warnings he had received the boy's eyes were fastened on the clover that bordered the road of yellow bricks and he was eager to discover if such a thing as a six-leaved clover really existed. suddenly he stopped short and bent over to examine the ground more closely. yes; here at last was a clover with six spreading leaves. he counted them carefully, to make sure. in an instant his heart leaped with joy, for this was one of the important things he had come for--one of the things that would restore dear unc nunkie to life. he glanced ahead and saw that none of his companions was looking back. neither were any other people about, for it was midway between two houses. the temptation was too strong to be resisted. "i might search for weeks and weeks, and never find another six-leaved clover," he told himself, and quickly plucking the stem from the plant he placed the prized clover in his basket, covering it with the other things he carried there. then, trying to look as if nothing had happened, he hurried forward and overtook his comrades. the emerald city, which is the most splendid as well as the most beautiful city in any fairyland, is surrounded by a high, thick wall of green marble, polished smooth and set with glistening emeralds. there are four gates, one facing the munchkin country, one facing the country of the winkies, one facing the country of the quadlings and one facing the country of the gillikins. the emerald city lies directly in the center of these four important countries of oz. the gates had bars of pure gold, and on either side of each gateway were built high towers, from which floated gay banners. other towers were set at distances along the walls, which were broad enough for four people to walk abreast upon. this enclosure, all green and gold and glittering with precious gems, was indeed a wonderful sight to greet our travelers, who first observed it from the top of a little hill; but beyond the wall was the vast city it surrounded, and hundreds of jeweled spires, domes and minarets, flaunting flags and banners, reared their crests far above the towers of the gateways. in the center of the city our friends could see the tops of many magnificent trees, some nearly as tall as the spires of the buildings, and the shaggy man told them that these trees were in the royal gardens of princess ozma. they stood a long time on the hilltop, feasting their eyes on the splendor of the emerald city. "whee!" exclaimed scraps, clasping her padded hands in ecstacy, "that'll do for me to live in, all right. no more of the munchkin country for these patches--and no more of the crooked magician!" "why, you belong to dr. pipt," replied ojo, looking at her in amazement. "you were made for a servant, scraps, so you are personal property and not your own mistress." "bother dr. pipt! if he wants me, let him come here and get me. i'll not go back to his den of my own accord; that's certain. only one place in the land of oz is fit to live in, and that's the emerald city. it's lovely! it's almost as beautiful as i am, ojo." "in this country," remarked the shaggy man, "people live wherever our ruler tells them to. it wouldn't do to have everyone live in the emerald city, you know, for some must plow the land and raise grains and fruits and vegetables, while others chop wood in the forests, or fish in the rivers, or herd the sheep and the cattle." "poor things!" said scraps. "i'm not sure they are not happier than the city people," replied the shaggy man. "there's a freedom and independence in country life that not even the emerald city can give one. i know that lots of the city people would like to get back to the land. the scarecrow lives in the country, and so do the tin woodman and jack pumpkinhead; yet all three would be welcome to live in ozma's palace if they cared to. too much splendor becomes tiresome, you know. but, if we're to reach the emerald city before sundown, we must hurry, for it is yet a long way off." the entrancing sight of the city had put new energy into them all and they hurried forward with lighter steps than before. there was much to interest them along the roadway, for the houses were now set more closely together and they met a good many people who were coming or going from one place or another. all these seemed happy-faced, pleasant people, who nodded graciously to the strangers as they passed, and exchanged words of greeting. at last they reached the great gateway, just as the sun was setting and adding its red glow to the glitter of the emeralds on the green walls and spires. somewhere inside the city a band could be heard playing sweet music; a soft, subdued hum, as of many voices, reached their ears; from the neighboring yards came the low mooing of cows waiting to be milked. they were almost at the gate when the golden bars slid back and a tall soldier stepped out and faced them. ojo thought he had never seen so tall a man before. the soldier wore a handsome green and gold uniform, with a tall hat in which was a waving plume, and he had a belt thickly encrusted with jewels. but the most peculiar thing about him was his long green beard, which fell far below his waist and perhaps made him seem taller than he really was. "halt!" said the soldier with the green whiskers, not in a stern voice but rather in a friendly tone. they halted before he spoke and stood looking at him. "good evening, colonel," said the shaggy man. "what's the news since i left? anything important?" "billina has hatched out thirteen new chickens," replied the soldier with the green whiskers, "and they're the cutest little fluffy yellow balls you ever saw. the yellow hen is mighty proud of those children, i can tell you." "she has a right to be," agreed the shaggy man. "let me see; that's about seven thousand chicks she has hatched out; isn't it, general?" "that, at least," was the reply. "you will have to visit billina and congratulate her." "it will give me pleasure to do that," said the shaggy man. "but you will observe that i have brought some strangers home with me. i am going to take them to see dorothy." "one moment, please," said the soldier, barring their way as they started to enter the gate. "i am on duty, and i have orders to execute. is anyone in your party named ojo the unlucky?" "why, that's me!" cried ojo, astonished at hearing his name on the lips of a stranger. the soldier with the green whiskers nodded. "i thought so," said he, "and i am sorry to announce that it is my painful duty to arrest you." "arrest me!" exclaimed the boy. "what for?" "i haven't looked to see," answered the soldier. then he drew a paper from his breast pocket and glanced at it. "oh, yes; you are to be arrested for willfully breaking one of the laws of oz." "breaking a law!" said scraps. "nonsense, soldier; you're joking." "not this time," returned the soldier, with a sigh. "my dear child--what are you, a rummage sale or a guess-me-quick?--in me you behold the body-guard of our gracious ruler, princess ozma, as well as the royal army of oz and the police force of the emerald city." "and only one man!" exclaimed the patchwork girl. "only one, and plenty enough. in my official positions i've had nothing to do for a good many years--so long that i began to fear i was absolutely useless--until to-day. an hour ago i was called to the presence of her highness, ozma of oz, and told to arrest a boy named ojo the unlucky, who was journeying from the munchkin country to the emerald city and would arrive in a short time. this command so astonished me that i nearly fainted, for it is the first time anyone has merited arrest since i can remember. you are rightly named ojo the unlucky, my poor boy, since you have broken a law of oz. "but you are wrong," said scraps. "ozma is wrong--you are all wrong--for ojo has broken no law." "then he will soon be free again," replied the soldier with the green whiskers. "anyone accused of crime is given a fair trial by our ruler and has every chance to prove his innocence. but just now ozma's orders must be obeyed." with this he took from his pocket a pair of handcuffs made of gold and set with rubies and diamonds, and these he snapped over ojo's wrists. chapter fifteen ozma's prisoner the boy was so bewildered by this calamity that he made no resistance at all. he knew very well he was guilty, but it surprised him that ozma also knew it. he wondered how she had found out so soon that he had picked the six-leaved clover. he handed his basket to scraps and said: "keep that, until i get out of prison. if i never get out, take it to the crooked magician, to whom it belongs." the shaggy man had been gazing earnestly in the boy's face, uncertain whether to defend him or not; but something he read in ojo's expression made him draw back and refuse to interfere to save him. the shaggy man was greatly surprised and grieved, but he knew that ozma never made mistakes and so ojo must really have broken the law of oz. the soldier with the green whiskers now led them all through the gate and into a little room built in the wall. here sat a jolly little man, richly dressed in green and having around his neck a heavy gold chain to which a number of great golden keys were attached. this was the guardian of the gate and at the moment they entered his room he was playing a tune upon a mouth-organ. "listen!" he said, holding up his hand for silence. "i've just composed a tune called 'the speckled alligator.' it's in patch-time, which is much superior to rag-time, and i've composed it in honor of the patchwork girl, who has just arrived." "how did you know i had arrived?" asked scraps, much interested. "it's my business to know who's coming, for i'm the guardian of the gate. keep quiet while i play you 'the speckled alligator.'" it wasn't a very bad tune, nor a very good one, but all listened respectfully while he shut his eyes and swayed his head from side to side and blew the notes from the little instrument. when it was all over the soldier with the green whiskers said: "guardian, i have here a prisoner." "good gracious! a prisoner?" cried the little man, jumping up from his chair. "which one? not the shaggy man?" "no; this boy." "ah; i hope his fault is as small as himself," said the guardian of the gate. "but what can he have done, and what made him do it?" "can't say," replied the soldier. "all i know is that he has broken the law." "but no one ever does that!" "then he must be innocent, and soon will be released. i hope you are right, guardian. just now i am ordered to take him to prison. get me a prisoner's robe from your official wardrobe." the guardian unlocked a closet and took from it a white robe, which the soldier threw over ojo. it covered him from head to foot, but had two holes just in front of his eyes, so he could see where to go. in this attire the boy presented a very quaint appearance. as the guardian unlocked a gate leading from his room into the streets of the emerald city, the shaggy man said to scraps: "i think i shall take you directly to dorothy, as the scarecrow advised, and the glass cat and the woozy may come with us. ojo must go to prison with the soldier with the green whiskers, but he will be well treated and you need not worry about him." "what will they do with him?" asked scraps. "that i cannot tell. since i came to the land of oz no one has ever been arrested or imprisoned--until ojo broke the law." "seems to me that girl ruler of yours is making a big fuss over nothing," remarked scraps, tossing her yarn hair out of her eyes with a jerk of her patched head. "i don't know what ojo has done, but it couldn't be anything very bad, for you and i were with him all the time." the shaggy man made no reply to this speech and presently the patchwork girl forgot all about ojo in her admiration of the wonderful city she had entered. they soon separated from the munchkin boy, who was led by the soldier with the green whiskers down a side street toward the prison. ojo felt very miserable and greatly ashamed of himself, but he was beginning to grow angry because he was treated in such a disgraceful manner. instead of entering the splendid emerald city as a respectable traveler who was entitled to a welcome and to hospitality, he was being brought in as a criminal, handcuffed and in a robe that told all he met of his deep disgrace. ojo was by nature gentle and affectionate and if he had disobeyed the law of oz it was to restore his dear unc nunkie to life. his fault was more thoughtless than wicked, but that did not alter the fact that he had committed a fault. at first he had felt sorrow and remorse, but the more he thought about the unjust treatment he had received--unjust merely because he considered it so--the more he resented his arrest, blaming ozma for making foolish laws and then punishing folks who broke them. only a six-leaved clover! a tiny green plant growing neglected and trampled under foot. what harm could there be in picking it? ojo began to think ozma must be a very bad and oppressive ruler for such a lovely fairyland as oz. the shaggy man said the people loved her; but how could they? the little munchkin boy was so busy thinking these things--which many guilty prisoners have thought before him--that he scarcely noticed all the splendor of the city streets through which they passed. whenever they met any of the happy, smiling people, the boy turned his head away in shame, although none knew who was beneath the robe. by and by they reached a house built just beside the great city wall, but in a quiet, retired place. it was a pretty house, neatly painted and with many windows. before it was a garden filled with blooming flowers. the soldier with the green whiskers led ojo up the gravel path to the front door, on which he knocked. a woman opened the door and, seeing ojo in his white robe, exclaimed: "goodness me! a prisoner at last. but what a small one, soldier." "the size doesn't matter, tollydiggle, my dear. the fact remains that he is a prisoner," said the soldier. "and, this being the prison, and you the jailer, it is my duty to place the prisoner in your charge." "true. come in, then, and i'll give you a receipt for him." they entered the house and passed through a hall to a large circular room, where the woman pulled the robe off from ojo and looked at him with kindly interest. the boy, on his part, was gazing around him in amazement, for never had he dreamed of such a magnificent apartment as this in which he stood. the roof of the dome was of colored glass, worked into beautiful designs. the walls were paneled with plates of gold decorated with gems of great size and many colors, and upon the tiled floor were soft rugs delightful to walk upon. the furniture was framed in gold and upholstered in satin brocade and it consisted of easy chairs, divans and stools in great variety. also there were several tables with mirror tops and cabinets filled with rare and curious things. in one place a case filled with books stood against the wall, and elsewhere ojo saw a cupboard containing all sorts of games. "may i stay here a little while before i go to prison?" asked the boy, pleadingly. "why, this is your prison," replied tollydiggle, "and in me behold your jailor. take off those handcuffs, soldier, for it is impossible for anyone to escape from this house." "i know that very well," replied the soldier and at once unlocked the handcuffs and released the prisoner. the woman touched a button on the wall and lighted a big chandelier that hung suspended from the ceiling, for it was growing dark outside. then she seated herself at a desk and asked: "what name?" "ojo the unlucky," answered the soldier with the green whiskers. "unlucky? ah, that accounts for it," said she. "what crime?" "breaking a law of oz." "all right. there's your receipt, soldier; and now i'm responsible for the prisoner. i'm glad of it, for this is the first time i've ever had anything to do, in my official capacity," remarked the jailer, in a pleased tone. "it's the same with me, tollydiggle," laughed the soldier. "but my task is finished and i must go and report to ozma that i've done my duty like a faithful police force, a loyal army and an honest body-guard--as i hope i am." saying this, he nodded farewell to tollydiggle and ojo and went away. "now, then," said the woman briskly, "i must get you some supper, for you are doubtless hungry. what would you prefer: planked whitefish, omelet with jelly or mutton-chops with gravy?" ojo thought about it. then he said: "i'll take the chops, if you please." "very well; amuse yourself while i'm gone; i won't be long," and then she went out by a door and left the prisoner alone. ojo was much astonished, for not only was this unlike any prison he had ever heard of, but he was being treated more as a guest than a criminal. there were many windows and they had no locks. there were three doors to the room and none were bolted. he cautiously opened one of the doors and found it led into a hallway. but he had no intention of trying to escape. if his jailor was willing to trust him in this way he would not betray her trust, and moreover a hot supper was being prepared for him and his prison was very pleasant and comfortable. so he took a book from the case and sat down in a big chair to look at the pictures. this amused him until the woman came in with a large tray and spread a cloth on one of the tables. then she arranged his supper, which proved the most varied and delicious meal ojo had ever eaten in his life. tollydiggle sat near him while he ate, sewing on some fancy work she held in her lap. when he had finished she cleared the table and then read to him a story from one of the books. "is this really a prison?" he asked, when she had finished reading. "indeed it is," she replied. "it is the only prison in the land of oz." "and am i a prisoner?" "bless the child! of course." "then why is the prison so fine, and why are you so kind to me?" he earnestly asked. tollydiggle seemed surprised by the question, but she presently answered: "we consider a prisoner unfortunate. he is unfortunate in two ways--because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of his liberty. therefore we should treat him kindly, because of his misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not be sorry he had done wrong. ozma thinks that one who has committed a fault did so because he was not strong and brave; therefore she puts him in prison to make him strong and brave. when that is accomplished he is no longer a prisoner, but a good and loyal citizen and everyone is glad that he is now strong enough to resist doing wrong. you see, it is kindness that makes one strong and brave; and so we are kind to our prisoners." ojo thought this over very carefully. "i had an idea," said he, "that prisoners were always treated harshly, to punish them." "that would be dreadful!" cried tollydiggle. "isn't one punished enough in knowing he has done wrong? don't you wish, ojo, with all your heart, that you had not been disobedient and broken a law of oz?" "i--i hate to be different from other people," he admitted. "yes; one likes to be respected as highly as his neighbors are," said the woman. "when you are tried and found guilty, you will be obliged to make amends, in some way. i don't know just what ozma will do to you, because this is the first time one of us has broken a law; but you may be sure she will be just and merciful. here in the emerald city people are too happy and contented ever to do wrong; but perhaps you came from some faraway corner of our land, and having no love for ozma carelessly broke one of her laws." "yes," said ojo, "i've lived all my life in the heart of a lonely forest, where i saw no one but dear unc nunkie." "i thought so," said tollydiggle. "but now we have talked enough, so let us play a game until bedtime." chapter sixteen princess dorothy dorothy gale was sitting in one of her rooms in the royal palace, while curled up at her feet was a little black dog with a shaggy coat and very bright eyes. she wore a plain white frock, without any jewels or other ornaments except an emerald-green hair-ribbon, for dorothy was a simple little girl and had not been in the least spoiled by the magnificence surrounding her. once the child had lived on the kansas prairies, but she seemed marked for adventure, for she had made several trips to the land of oz before she came to live there for good. her very best friend was the beautiful ozma of oz, who loved dorothy so well that she kept her in her own palace, so as to be near her. the girl's uncle henry and aunt em--the only relatives she had in the world--had also been brought here by ozma and given a pleasant home. dorothy knew almost everybody in oz, and it was she who had discovered the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion, as well as tik-tok the clockwork man. her life was very pleasant now, and although she had been made a princess of oz by her friend ozma she did not care much to be a princess and remained as sweet as when she had been plain dorothy gale of kansas. dorothy was reading in a book this evening when jellia jamb, the favorite servant-maid of the palace, came to say that the shaggy man wanted to see her. "all right," said dorothy; "tell him to come right up." "but he has some queer creatures with him--some of the queerest i've ever laid eyes on," reported jellia. "never mind; let 'em all come up," replied dorothy. but when the door opened to admit not only the shaggy man, but scraps, the woozy and the glass cat, dorothy jumped up and looked at her strange visitors in amazement. the patchwork girl was the most curious of all and dorothy was uncertain at first whether scraps was really alive or only a dream or a nightmare. toto, her dog, slowly uncurled himself and going to the patchwork girl sniffed at her inquiringly; but soon he lay down again, as if to say he had no interest in such an irregular creation. "you're a new one to me," dorothy said reflectively, addressing the patchwork girl. "i can't imagine where you've come from." "who, me?" asked scraps, looking around the pretty room instead of at the girl. "oh, i came from a bed-quilt, i guess. that's what they say, anyhow. some call it a crazy-quilt and some a patchwork quilt. but my name is scraps--and now you know all about me." "not quite all," returned dorothy with a smile. "i wish you'd tell me how you came to be alive." "that's an easy job," said scraps, sitting upon a big upholstered chair and making the springs bounce her up and down. "margolotte wanted a slave, so she made me out of an old bed-quilt she didn't use. cotton stuffing, suspender-button eyes, red velvet tongue, pearl beads for teeth. the crooked magician made a powder of life, sprinkled me with it and--here i am. perhaps you've noticed my different colors. a very refined and educated gentleman named the scarecrow, whom i met, told me i am the most beautiful creature in all oz, and i believe it." "oh! have you met our scarecrow, then?" asked dorothy, a little puzzled to understand the brief history related. "yes; isn't he jolly?" "the scarecrow has many good qualities," replied dorothy. "but i'm sorry to hear all this 'bout the crooked magician. ozma'll be mad as hops when she hears he's been doing magic again. she told him not to." "he only practices magic for the benefit of his own family," explained bungle, who was keeping at a respectful distance from the little black dog. "dear me," said dorothy; "i hadn't noticed you before. are you glass, or what?" "i'm glass, and transparent, too, which is more than can be said of some folks," answered the cat. "also i have some lovely pink brains; you can see 'em work." "oh; is that so? come over here and let me see." the glass cat hesitated, eyeing the dog. "send that beast away and i will," she said. "beast! why, that's my dog toto, an' he's the kindest dog in all the world. toto knows a good many things, too; 'most as much as i do, i guess." "why doesn't he say anything?" asked bungle. "he can't talk, not being a fairy dog," explained dorothy. "he's just a common united states dog; but that's a good deal; and i understand him, and he understands me, just as well as if he could talk." toto, at this, got up and rubbed his head softly against dorothy's hand, which she held out to him, and he looked up into her face as if he had understood every word she had said. "this cat, toto," she said to him, "is made of glass, so you mustn't bother it, or chase it, any more than you do my pink kitten. it's prob'ly brittle and might break if it bumped against anything." "woof!" said toto, and that meant he understood. the glass cat was so proud of her pink brains that she ventured to come close to dorothy, in order that the girl might "see 'em work." this was really interesting, but when dorothy patted the cat she found the glass cold and hard and unresponsive, so she decided at once that bungle would never do for a pet. "what do you know about the crooked magician who lives on the mountain?" asked dorothy. "he made me," replied the cat; "so i know all about him. the patchwork girl is new--three or four days old--but i've lived with dr. pipt for years; and, though i don't much care for him, i will say that he has always refused to work magic for any of the people who come to his house. he thinks there's no harm in doing magic things for his own family, and he made me out of glass because the meat cats drink too much milk. he also made scraps come to life so she could do the housework for his wife margolotte." "then why did you both leave him?" asked dorothy. "i think you'd better let me explain that," interrupted the shaggy man, and then he told dorothy all of ojo's story and how unc nunkie and margolotte had accidentally been turned to marble by the liquid of petrifaction. then he related how the boy had started out in search of the things needed to make the magic charm, which would restore the unfortunates to life, and how he had found the woozy and taken him along because he could not pull the three hairs out of its tail. dorothy listened to all this with much interest, and thought that so far ojo had acted very well. but when the shaggy man told her of the munchkin boy's arrest by the soldier with the green whiskers, because he was accused of wilfully breaking a law of oz, the little girl was greatly shocked. "what do you s'pose he's done?" she asked. "i fear he has picked a six-leaved clover," answered the shaggy man, sadly. "i did not see him do it, and i warned him that to do so was against the law; but perhaps that is what he did, nevertheless." "i'm sorry 'bout that," said dorothy gravely, "for now there will be no one to help his poor uncle and margolotte 'cept this patchwork girl, the woozy and the glass cat." "don't mention it," said scraps. "that's no affair of mine. margolotte and unc nunkie are perfect strangers to me, for the moment i came to life they came to marble." "i see," remarked dorothy with a sigh of regret; "the woman forgot to give you a heart." "i'm glad she did," retorted the patchwork girl. "a heart must be a great annoyance to one. it makes a person feel sad or sorry or devoted or sympathetic--all of which sensations interfere with one's happiness." "i have a heart," murmured the glass cat. "it's made of a ruby; but i don't imagine i shall let it bother me about helping unc nunkie and margolotte." "that's a pretty hard heart of yours," said dorothy. "and the woozy, of course--" "why, as for me," observed the woozy, who was reclining on the floor with his legs doubled under him, so that he looked much like a square box, "i have never seen those unfortunate people you are speaking of, and yet i am sorry for them, having at times been unfortunate myself. when i was shut up in that forest i longed for some one to help me, and by and by ojo came and did help me. so i'm willing to help his uncle. i'm only a stupid beast, dorothy, but i can't help that, and if you'll tell me what to do to help ojo and his uncle, i'll gladly do it." dorothy walked over and patted the woozy on his square head. "you're not pretty," she said, "but i like you. what are you able to do; anything 'special?" "i can make my eyes flash fire--real fire--when i'm angry. when anyone says: 'krizzle-kroo' to me i get angry, and then my eyes flash fire." "i don't see as fireworks could help ojo's uncle," remarked dorothy. "can you do anything else?" "i--i thought i had a very terrifying growl," said the woozy, with hesitation; "but perhaps i was mistaken." "yes," said the shaggy man, "you were certainly wrong about that." then he turned to dorothy and added: "what will become of the munchkin boy?" "i don't know," she said, shaking her head thoughtfully. "ozma will see him 'bout it, of course, and then she'll punish him. but how, i don't know, 'cause no one ever has been punished in oz since i knew anything about the place. too bad, shaggy man, isn't it?" while they were talking scraps had been roaming around the room and looking at all the pretty things it contained. she had carried ojo's basket in her hand, until now, when she decided to see what was inside it. she found the bread and cheese, which she had no use for, and the bundle of charms, which were curious but quite a mystery to her. then, turning these over, she came upon the six-leaved clover which the boy had plucked. scraps was quick-witted, and although she had no heart she recognized the fact that ojo was her first friend. she knew at once that because the boy had taken the clover he had been imprisoned, and she understood that ojo had given her the basket so they would not find the clover in his possession and have proof of his crime. so, turning her head to see that no one noticed her, she took the clover from the basket and dropped it into a golden vase that stood on dorothy's table. then she came forward and said to dorothy: "i wouldn't care to help ojo's uncle, but i will help ojo. he did not break the law--no one can prove he did--and that green-whiskered soldier had no right to arrest him." "ozma ordered the boy's arrest," said dorothy, "and of course she knew what she was doing. but if you can prove ojo is innocent they will set him free at once." "they'll have to prove him guilty, won't they?'' asked scraps. "i s'pose so." "well, they can't do that," declared the patchwork girl. as it was nearly time for dorothy to dine with ozma, which she did every evening, she rang for a servant and ordered the woozy taken to a nice room and given plenty of such food as he liked best. "that's honey-bees," said the woozy. "you can't eat honey-bees, but you'll be given something just as nice," dorothy told him. then she had the glass cat taken to another room for the night and the patchwork girl she kept in one of her own rooms, for she was much interested in the strange creature and wanted to talk with her again and try to understand her better. chapter seventeen ozma and her friends the shaggy man had a room of his own in the royal palace, so there he went to change his shaggy suit of clothes for another just as shaggy but not so dusty from travel. he selected a costume of pea-green and pink satin and velvet, with embroidered shags on all the edges and iridescent pearls for ornaments. then he bathed in an alabaster pool and brushed his shaggy hair and whiskers the wrong way to make them still more shaggy. this accomplished, and arrayed in his splendid shaggy garments, he went to ozma's banquet hall and found the scarecrow, the wizard and dorothy already assembled there. the scarecrow had made a quick trip and returned to the emerald city with his left ear freshly painted. a moment later, while they all stood in waiting, a servant threw open a door, the orchestra struck up a tune and ozma of oz entered. much has been told and written concerning the beauty of person and character of this sweet girl ruler of the land of oz--the richest, the happiest and most delightful fairyland of which we have any knowledge. yet with all her queenly qualities ozma was a real girl and enjoyed the things in life that other real girls enjoy. when she sat on her splendid emerald throne in the great throne room of her palace and made laws and settled disputes and tried to keep all her subjects happy and contented, she was as dignified and demure as any queen might be; but when she had thrown aside her jeweled robe of state and her sceptre, and had retired to her private apartments, the girl--joyous, light-hearted and free--replaced the sedate ruler. in the banquet hall to-night were gathered only old and trusted friends, so here ozma was herself--a mere girl. she greeted dorothy with a kiss, the shaggy man with a smile, the little old wizard with a friendly handshake and then she pressed the scarecrow's stuffed arm and cried merrily: "what a lovely left ear! why, it's a hundred times better than the old one." "i'm glad you like it," replied the scarecrow, well pleased. "jinjur did a neat job, didn't she? and my hearing is now perfect. isn't it wonderful what a little paint will do, if it's properly applied?" "it really is wonderful," she agreed, as they all took their seats; "but the sawhorse must have made his legs twinkle to have carried you so far in one day. i didn't expect you back before to-morrow, at the earliest." "well," said the scarecrow, "i met a charming girl on the road and wanted to see more of her, so i hurried back." ozma laughed. "i know," she returned; "it's the patchwork girl. she is certainly bewildering, if not strictly beautiful." "have you seen her, then?" the straw man eagerly asked. "only in my magic picture, which shows me all scenes of interest in the land of oz." "i fear the picture didn't do her justice," said the scarecrow. "it seemed to me that nothing could be more gorgeous," declared ozma. "whoever made that patchwork quilt, from which scraps was formed, must have selected the gayest and brightest bits of cloth that ever were woven." "i am glad you like her," said the scarecrow in a satisfied tone. although the straw man did not eat, not being made so he could, he often dined with ozma and her companions, merely for the pleasure of talking with them. he sat at the table and had a napkin and plate, but the servants knew better than to offer him food. after a little while he asked: "where is the patchwork girl now?" "in my room," replied dorothy. "i've taken a fancy to her; she's so queer and--and--uncommon." "she's half crazy, i think," added the shaggy man. "but she is so beautiful!" exclaimed the scarecrow, as if that fact disarmed all criticism. they all laughed at his enthusiasm, but the scarecrow was quite serious. seeing that he was interested in scraps they forbore to say anything against her. the little band of friends ozma had gathered around her was so quaintly assorted that much care must be exercised to avoid hurting their feelings or making any one of them unhappy. it was this considerate kindness that held them close friends and enabled them to enjoy one another's society. another thing they avoided was conversing on unpleasant subjects, and for that reason ojo and his troubles were not mentioned during the dinner. the shaggy man, however, related his adventures with the monstrous plants which had seized and enfolded the travelers, and told how he had robbed chiss, the giant porcupine, of the quills which it was accustomed to throw at people. both dorothy and ozma were pleased with this exploit and thought it served chiss right. then they talked of the woozy, which was the most remarkable animal any of them had ever before seen--except, perhaps, the live sawhorse. ozma had never known that her dominions contained such a thing as a woozy, there being but one in existence and this being confined in his forest for many years. dorothy said she believed the woozy was a good beast, honest and faithful; but she added that she did not care much for the glass cat. "still," said the shaggy man, "the glass cat is very pretty and if she were not so conceited over her pink brains no one would object to her as a companion." the wizard had been eating silently until now, when he looked up and remarked: "that powder of life which is made by the crooked magician is really a wonderful thing. but dr. pipt does not know its true value and he uses it in the most foolish ways." "i must see about that," said ozma, gravely. then she smiled again and continued in a lighter tone: "it was dr. pipt's famous powder of life that enabled me to become the ruler of oz." "i've never heard that story," said the shaggy man, looking at ozma questioningly. "well, when i was a baby girl i was stolen by an old witch named mombi and transformed into a boy," began the girl ruler. "i did not know who i was and when i grew big enough to work, the witch made me wait upon her and carry wood for the fire and hoe in the garden. one day she came back from a journey bringing some of the powder of life, which dr. pipt had given her. i had made a pumpkin-headed man and set it up in her path to frighten her, for i was fond of fun and hated the witch. but she knew what the figure was and to test her powder of life she sprinkled some of it on the man i had made. it came to life and is now our dear friend jack pumpkinhead. that night i ran away with jack to escape punishment, and i took old mombi's powder of life with me. during our journey we came upon a wooden sawhorse standing by the road and i used the magic powder to bring it to life. the sawhorse has been with me ever since. when i got to the emerald city the good sorceress, glinda, knew who i was and restored me to my proper person, when i became the rightful ruler of this land. so you see had not old mombi brought home the powder of life i might never have run away from her and become ozma of oz, nor would we have had jack pumpkinhead and the sawhorse to comfort and amuse us." that story interested the shaggy man very much, as well as the others, who had often heard it before. the dinner being now concluded, they all went to ozma's drawing-room, where they passed a pleasant evening before it came time to retire. chapter eighteen ojo is forgiven the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers went to the prison and took ojo away to the royal palace, where he was summoned to appear before the girl ruler for judgment. again the soldier put upon the boy the jeweled handcuffs and white prisoner's robe with the peaked top and holes for the eyes. ojo was so ashamed, both of his disgrace and the fault he had committed, that he was glad to be covered up in this way, so that people could not see him or know who he was. he followed the soldier with the green whiskers very willingly, anxious that his fate might be decided as soon as possible. the inhabitants of the emerald city were polite people and never jeered at the unfortunate; but it was so long since they had seen a prisoner that they cast many curious looks toward the boy and many of them hurried away to the royal palace to be present during the trial. when ojo was escorted into the great throne room of the palace he found hundreds of people assembled there. in the magnificent emerald throne, which sparkled with countless jewels, sat ozma of oz in her robe of state, which was embroidered with emeralds and pearls. on her right, but a little lower, was dorothy, and on her left the scarecrow. still lower, but nearly in front of ozma, sat the wonderful wizard of oz and on a small table beside him was the golden vase from dorothy's room, into which scraps had dropped the stolen clover. at ozma's feet crouched two enormous beasts, each the largest and most powerful of its kind. although these beasts were quite free, no one present was alarmed by them; for the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were well known and respected in the emerald city and they always guarded the ruler when she held high court in the throne room. there was still another beast present, but this one dorothy held in her arms, for it was her constant companion, the little dog toto. toto knew the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger and often played and romped with them, for they were good friends. seated on ivory chairs before ozma, with a clear space between them and the throne, were many of the nobility of the emerald city, lords and ladies in beautiful costumes, and officials of the kingdom in the royal uniforms of oz. behind these courtiers were others of less importance, filling the great hall to the very doors. at the same moment that the soldier with the green whiskers arrived with ojo, the shaggy man entered from a side door, escorting the patchwork girl, the woozy and the glass cat. all these came to the vacant space before the throne and stood facing the ruler. "hullo, ojo," said scraps; "how are you?" "all right," he replied; but the scene awed the boy and his voice trembled a little with fear. nothing could awe the patchwork girl, and although the woozy was somewhat uneasy in these splendid surroundings the glass cat was delighted with the sumptuousness of the court and the impressiveness of the occasion--pretty big words but quite expressive. at a sign from ozma the soldier removed ojo's white robe and the boy stood face to face with the girl who was to decide his punishment. he saw at a glance how lovely and sweet she was, and his heart gave a bound of joy, for he hoped she would be merciful. ozma sat looking at the prisoner a long time. then she said gently: "one of the laws of oz forbids anyone to pick a six-leaved clover. you are accused of having broken this law, even after you had been warned not to do so." ojo hung his head and while he hesitated how to reply the patchwork girl stepped forward and spoke for him. "all this fuss is about nothing at all," she said, facing ozma unabashed. "you can't prove he picked the six-leaved clover, so you've no right to accuse him of it. search him, if you like, but you won't find the clover; look in his basket and you'll find it's not there. he hasn't got it, so i demand that you set this poor munchkin boy free." the people of oz listened to this defiance in amazement and wondered at the queer patchwork girl who dared talk so boldly to their ruler. but ozma sat silent and motionless and it was the little wizard who answered scraps. "so the clover hasn't been picked, eh?" he said. "i think it has. i think the boy hid it in his basket, and then gave the basket to you. i also think you dropped the clover into this vase, which stood in princess dorothy's room, hoping to get rid of it so it would not prove the boy guilty. you're a stranger here, miss patches, and so you don't know that nothing can be hidden from our powerful ruler's magic picture--nor from the watchful eyes of the humble wizard of oz. look, all of you!" with these words he waved his hands toward the vase on the table, which scraps now noticed for the first time. from the mouth of the vase a plant sprouted, slowly growing before their eyes until it became a beautiful bush, and on the topmost branch appeared the six-leaved clover which ojo had unfortunately picked. the patchwork girl looked at the clover and said: "oh, so you've found it. very well; prove he picked it, if you can." ozma turned to ojo. "did you pick the six-leaved clover?" she asked. "yes," he replied. "i knew it was against the law, but i wanted to save unc nunkie and i was afraid if i asked your consent to pick it you would refuse me." "what caused you to think that?" asked the ruler. "why, it seemed to me a foolish law, unjust and unreasonable. even now i can see no harm in picking a six-leaved clover. and i--i had not seen the emerald city, then, nor you, and i thought a girl who would make such a silly law would not be likely to help anyone in trouble." ozma regarded him musingly, her chin resting upon her hand; but she was not angry. on the contrary she smiled a little at her thoughts and then grew sober again. "i suppose a good many laws seem foolish to those people who do not understand them," she said; "but no law is ever made without some purpose, and that purpose is usually to protect all the people and guard their welfare. as you are a stranger, i will explain this law which to you seems so foolish. years ago there were many witches and magicians in the land of oz, and one of the things they often used in making their magic charms and transformations was a six-leaved clover. these witches and magicians caused so much trouble among my people, often using their powers for evil rather than good, that i decided to forbid anyone to practice magic or sorcery except glinda the good and her assistant, the wizard of oz, both of whom i can trust to use their arts only to benefit my people and to make them happier. since i issued that law the land of oz has been far more peaceful and quiet; but i learned that some of the witches and magicians were still practicing magic on the sly and using the six-leaved clovers to make their potions and charms. therefore i made another law forbidding anyone from plucking a six-leaved clover or from gathering other plants and herbs which the witches boil in their kettles to work magic with. that has almost put an end to wicked sorcery in our land, so you see the law was not a foolish one, but wise and just; and, in any event, it is wrong to disobey a law." ojo knew she was right and felt greatly mortified to realize he had acted and spoken so ridiculously. but he raised his head and looked ozma in the face, saying: "i am sorry i have acted wrongly and broken your law. i did it to save unc nunkie, and thought i would not be found out. but i am guilty of this act and whatever punishment you think i deserve i will suffer willingly." ozma smiled more brightly, then, and nodded graciously. "you are forgiven," she said. "for, although you have committed a serious fault, you are now penitent and i think you have been punished enough. soldier, release ojo the lucky and--" "i beg your pardon; i'm ojo the unlucky," said the boy. "at this moment you are lucky," said she. "release him, soldier, and let him go free." the people were glad to hear ozma's decree and murmured their approval. as the royal audience was now over, they began to leave the throne room and soon there were none remaining except ojo and his friends and ozma and her favorites. the girl ruler now asked ojo to sit down and tell her all his story, which he did, beginning at the time he had left his home in the forest and ending with his arrival at the emerald city and his arrest. ozma listened attentively and was thoughtful for some moments after the boy had finished speaking. then she said: "the crooked magician was wrong to make the glass cat and the patchwork girl, for it was against the law. and if he had not unlawfully kept the bottle of liquid of petrifaction standing on his shelf, the accident to his wife margolotte and to unc nunkie could not have occurred. i can understand, however, that ojo, who loves his uncle, will be unhappy unless he can save him. also i feel it is wrong to leave those two victims standing as marble statues, when they ought to be alive. so i propose we allow dr. pipt to make the magic charm which will save them, and that we assist ojo to find the things he is seeking. what do you think, wizard?" "that is perhaps the best thing to do," replied the wizard. "but after the crooked magician has restored those poor people to life you must take away his magic powers." "i will," promised ozma. "now tell me, please, what magic things must you find?" continued the wizard, addressing ojo. "the three hairs from the woozy's tail i have," said the boy. "that is, i have the woozy, and the hairs are in his tail. the six-leaved clover i--i--" "you may take it and keep it," said ozma. "that will not be breaking the law, for it is already picked, and the crime of picking it is forgiven." "thank you!" cried ojo gratefully. then he continued: "the next thing i must find is a gill of water from a dark well." the wizard shook his head. "that," said he, "will be a hard task, but if you travel far enough you may discover it." "i am willing to travel for years, if it will save unc nunkie," declared ojo, earnestly. "then you'd better begin your journey at once," advised the wizard. dorothy had been listening with interest to this conversation. now she turned to ozma and asked: "may i go with ojo, to help him?" "would you like to?" returned ozma. "yes. i know oz pretty well, but ojo doesn't know it at all. i'm sorry for his uncle and poor margolotte and i'd like to help save them. may i go?" "if you wish to," replied ozma. "if dorothy goes, then i must go to take care of her," said the scarecrow, decidedly. "a dark well can only be discovered in some out-of-the-way place, and there may be dangers there." "you have my permission to accompany dorothy," said ozma. "and while you are gone i will take care of the patchwork girl." "i'll take care of myself," announced scraps, "for i'm going with the scarecrow and dorothy. i promised ojo to help him find the things he wants and i'll stick to my promise." "very well," replied ozma. "but i see no need for ojo to take the glass cat and the woozy." "i prefer to remain here," said the cat. "i've nearly been nicked half a dozen times, already, and if they're going into dangers it's best for me to keep away from them." "let jellia jamb keep her till ojo returns," suggested dorothy. "we won't need to take the woozy, either, but he ought to be saved because of the three hairs in his tail." "better take me along," said the woozy. "my eyes can flash fire, you know, and i can growl--a little." "i'm sure you'll be safer here," ozma decided, and the woozy made no further objection to the plan. after consulting together they decided that ojo and his party should leave the very next day to search for the gill of water from a dark well, so they now separated to make preparations for the journey. ozma gave the munchkin boy a room in the palace for that night and the afternoon he passed with dorothy--getting acquainted, as she said--and receiving advice from the shaggy man as to where they must go. the shaggy man had wandered in many parts of oz, and so had dorothy, for that matter, yet neither of them knew where a dark well was to be found. "if such a thing is anywhere in the settled parts of oz," said dorothy, "we'd prob'ly have heard of it long ago. if it's in the wild parts of the country, no one there would need a dark well. p'raps there isn't such a thing." "oh, there must be!" returned ojo, positively; "or else the recipe of dr. pipt wouldn't call for it." "that's true," agreed dorothy; "and, if it's anywhere in the land of oz, we're bound to find it." "well, we're bound to search for it, anyhow," said the scarecrow. "as for finding it, we must trust to luck." "don't do that," begged ojo, earnestly. "i'm called ojo the unlucky, you know." chapter nineteen trouble with the tottenhots a day's journey from the emerald city brought the little band of adventurers to the home of jack pumpkinhead, which was a house formed from the shell of an immense pumpkin. jack had made it himself and was very proud of it. there was a door, and several windows, and through the top was stuck a stovepipe that led from a small stove inside. the door was reached by a flight of three steps and there was a good floor on which was arranged some furniture that was quite comfortable. it is certain that jack pumpkinhead might have had a much finer house to live in had he wanted it, for ozma loved the stupid fellow, who had been her earliest companion; but jack preferred his pumpkin house, as it matched himself very well, and in this he was not so stupid, after all. the body of this remarkable person was made of wood, branches of trees of various sizes having been used for the purpose. this wooden framework was covered by a red shirt--with white spots in it--blue trousers, a yellow vest, a jacket of green-and-gold and stout leather shoes. the neck was a sharpened stick on which the pumpkin head was set, and the eyes, ears, nose and mouth were carved on the skin of the pumpkin, very like a child's jack-o'-lantern. the house of this interesting creation stood in the center of a vast pumpkin-field, where the vines grew in profusion and bore pumpkins of extraordinary size as well as those which were smaller. some of the pumpkins now ripening on the vines were almost as large as jack's house, and he told dorothy he intended to add another pumpkin to his mansion. the travelers were cordially welcomed to this quaint domicile and invited to pass the night there, which they had planned to do. the patchwork girl was greatly interested in jack and examined him admiringly. "you are quite handsome," she said; "but not as really beautiful as the scarecrow." jack turned, at this, to examine the scarecrow critically, and his old friend slyly winked one painted eye at him. "there is no accounting for tastes," remarked the pumpkinhead, with a sigh. "an old crow once told me i was very fascinating, but of course the bird might have been mistaken. yet i have noticed that the crows usually avoid the scarecrow, who is a very honest fellow, in his way, but stuffed. i am not stuffed, you will observe; my body is good solid hickory." "i adore stuffing," said the patchwork girl. "well, as for that, my head is stuffed with pumpkin-seeds," declared jack. "i use them for brains, and when they are fresh i am intellectual. just now, i regret to say, my seeds are rattling a bit, so i must soon get another head." "oh; do you change your head?" asked ojo. "to be sure. pumpkins are not permanent, more's the pity, and in time they spoil. that is why i grow such a great field of pumpkins--that i may select a new head whenever necessary." "who carves the faces on them?" inquired the boy. "i do that myself. i lift off my old head, place it on a table before me, and use the face for a pattern to go by. sometimes the faces i carve are better than others--more expressive and cheerful, you know--but i think they average very well." before she had started on the journey dorothy had packed a knapsack with the things she might need, and this knapsack the scarecrow carried strapped to his back. the little girl wore a plain gingham dress and a checked sunbonnet, as she knew they were best fitted for travel. ojo also had brought along his basket, to which ozma had added a bottle of "square meal tablets" and some fruit. but jack pumpkinhead grew a lot of things in his garden besides pumpkins, so he cooked for them a fine vegetable soup and gave dorothy, ojo and toto, the only ones who found it necessary to eat, a pumpkin pie and some green cheese. for beds they must use the sweet dried grasses which jack had strewn along one side of the room, but that satisfied dorothy and ojo very well. toto, of course, slept beside his little mistress. the scarecrow, scraps and the pumpkinhead were tireless and had no need to sleep, so they sat up and talked together all night; but they stayed outside the house, under the bright stars, and talked in low tones so as not to disturb the sleepers. during the conversation the scarecrow explained their quest for a dark well, and asked jack's advice where to find it. the pumpkinhead considered the matter gravely. "that is going to be a difficult task," said he, "and if i were you i'd take any ordinary well and enclose it, so as to make it dark." "i fear that wouldn't do," replied the scarecrow. "the well must be naturally dark, and the water must never have seen the light of day, for otherwise the magic charm might not work at all." "how much of the water do you need?" asked jack. "a gill." "how much is a gill?" "why--a gill is a gill, of course," answered the scarecrow, who did not wish to display his ignorance. "i know!" cried scraps. "jack and jill went up the hill to fetch--" "no, no; that's wrong," interrupted the scarecrow. "there are two kinds of gills, i think; one is a girl, and the other is--" "a gillyflower," said jack. "no; a measure." "how big a measure?" "well, i'll ask dorothy." so next morning they asked dorothy, and she said: "i don't just know how much a gill is, but i've brought along a gold flask that holds a pint. that's more than a gill, i'm sure, and the crooked magician may measure it to suit himself. but the thing that's bothering us most, jack, is to find the well." jack gazed around the landscape, for he was standing in the doorway of his house. "this is a flat country, so you won't find any dark wells here," said he. "you must go into the mountains, where rocks and caverns are." "and where is that?" asked ojo. "in the quadling country, which lies south of here," replied the scarecrow. "i've known all along that we must go to the mountains." "so have i," said dorothy. "but--goodness me!--the quadling country is full of dangers," declared jack. "i've never been there myself, but--" "i have," said the scarecrow. "i've faced the dreadful hammerheads, which have no arms and butt you like a goat; and i've faced the fighting trees, which bend down their branches to pound and whip you, and had many other adventures there." "it's a wild country," remarked dorothy, soberly, "and if we go there we're sure to have troubles of our own. but i guess we'll have to go, if we want that gill of water from the dark well." so they said good-bye to the pumpkinhead and resumed their travels, heading now directly toward the south country, where mountains and rocks and caverns and forests of great trees abounded. this part of the land of oz, while it belonged to ozma and owed her allegiance, was so wild and secluded that many queer peoples hid in its jungles and lived in their own way, without even a knowledge that they had a ruler in the emerald city. if they were left alone, these creatures never troubled the inhabitants of the rest of oz, but those who invaded their domains encountered many dangers from them. it was a two days journey from jack pumkinhead's house to the edge of the quadling country, for neither dorothy nor ojo could walk very fast and they often stopped by the wayside to rest. the first night they slept on the broad fields, among the buttercups and daisies, and the scarecrow covered the children with a gauze blanket taken from his knapsack, so they would not be chilled by the night air. toward evening of the second day they reached a sandy plain where walking was difficult; but some distance before them they saw a group of palm trees, with many curious black dots under them; so they trudged bravely on to reach that place by dark and spend the night under the shelter of the trees. the black dots grew larger as they advanced and although the light was dim dorothy thought they looked like big kettles turned upside down. just beyond this place a jumble of huge, jagged rocks lay scattered, rising to the mountains behind them. our travelers preferred to attempt to climb these rocks by daylight, and they realized that for a time this would be their last night on the plains. twilight had fallen by the time they came to the trees, beneath which were the black, circular objects they had marked from a distance. dozens of them were scattered around and dorothy bent near to one, which was about as tall as she was, to examine it more closely. as she did so the top flew open and out popped a dusky creature, rising its length into the air and then plumping down upon the ground just beside the little girl. another and another popped out of the circular, pot-like dwelling, while from all the other black objects came popping more creatures--very like jumping-jacks when their boxes are unhooked--until fully a hundred stood gathered around our little group of travelers. by this time dorothy had discovered they were people, tiny and curiously formed, but still people. their skins were dusky and their hair stood straight up, like wires, and was brilliant scarlet in color. their bodies were bare except for skins fastened around their waists and they wore bracelets on their ankles and wrists, and necklaces, and great pendant earrings. toto crouched beside his mistress and wailed as if he did not like these strange creatures a bit. scraps began to mutter something about "hoppity, poppity, jumpity, dump!" but no one paid any attention to her. ojo kept close to the scarecrow and the scarecrow kept close to dorothy; but the little girl turned to the queer creatures and asked: "who are you?" they answered this question all together, in a sort of chanting chorus, the words being as follows: "we're the jolly tottenhots; we do not like the day, but in the night 'tis our delight to gambol, skip and play. "we hate the sun and from it run, the moon is cool and clear, so on this spot each tottenhot waits for it to appear. "we're ev'ry one chock full of fun, and full of mischief, too; but if you're gay and with us play we'll do no harm to you. "glad to meet you, tottenhots," said the scarecrow solemnly. "but you mustn't expect us to play with you all night, for we've traveled all day and some of us are tired." "and we never gamble," added the patchwork girl. "it's against the law." these remarks were greeted with shouts of laughter by the impish creatures and one seized the scarecrow's arm and was astonished to find the straw man whirl around so easily. so the tottenhot raised the scarecrow high in the air and tossed him over the heads of the crowd. some one caught him and tossed him back, and so with shouts of glee they continued throwing the scarecrow here and there, as if he had been a basket-ball. presently another imp seized scraps and began to throw her about, in the same way. they found her a little heavier than the scarecrow but still light enough to be tossed like a sofa-cushion, and they were enjoying the sport immensely when dorothy, angry and indignant at the treatment her friends were receiving, rushed among the tottenhots and began slapping and pushing them until she had rescued the scarecrow and the patchwork girl and held them close on either side of her. perhaps she would not have accomplished this victory so easily had not toto helped her, barking and snapping at the bare legs of the imps until they were glad to flee from his attack. as for ojo, some of the creatures had attempted to toss him, also, but finding his body too heavy they threw him to the ground and a row of the imps sat on him and held him from assisting dorothy in her battle. the little brown folks were much surprised at being attacked by the girl and the dog, and one or two who had been slapped hardest began to cry. then suddenly they gave a shout, all together, and disappeared in a flash into their various houses, the tops of which closed with a series of pops that sounded like a bunch of firecrackers being exploded. the adventurers now found themselves alone, and dorothy asked anxiously: "is anybody hurt?" "not me," answered the scarecrow. "they have given my straw a good shaking up and taken all the lumps out of it. i am now in splendid condition and am really obliged to the tottenhots for their kind treatment." "i feel much the same way," said scraps. "my cotton stuffing had sagged a good deal with the day's walking and they've loosened it up until i feel as plump as a sausage. but the play was a little rough and i'd had quite enough of it when you interfered." "six of them sat on me," said ojo, "but as they are so little they didn't hurt me much." just then the roof of the house in front of them opened and a tottenhot stuck his head out, very cautiously, and looked at the strangers. "can't you take a joke?" he asked, reproachfully; "haven't you any fun in you at all?" "if i had such a quality," replied the scarecrow, "your people would have knocked it out of me. but i don't bear grudges. i forgive you." "so do i," added scraps. "that is, if you behave yourselves after this." "it was just a little rough-house, that's all," said the tottenhot. "but the question is not if we will behave, but if you will behave? we can't be shut up here all night, because this is our time to play; nor do we care to come out and be chewed up by a savage beast or slapped by an angry girl. that slapping hurts like sixty; some of my folks are crying about it. so here's the proposition: you let us alone and we'll let you alone." "you began it," declared dorothy. "well, you ended it, so we won't argue the matter. may we come out again? or are you still cruel and slappy?" "tell you what we'll do," said dorothy. "we're all tired and want to sleep until morning. if you'll let us get into your house, and stay there until daylight, you can play outside all you want to." "that's a bargain!" cried the tottenhot eagerly, and he gave a queer whistle that brought his people popping out of their houses on all sides. when the house before them was vacant, dorothy and ojo leaned over the hole and looked in, but could see nothing because it was so dark. but if the tottenhots slept there all day the children thought they could sleep there at night, so ojo lowered himself down and found it was not very deep. "there's a soft cushion all over," said he. "come on in." dorothy handed toto to the boy and then climbed in herself. after her came scraps and the scarecrow, who did not wish to sleep but preferred to keep out of the way of the mischievous tottenhots. there seemed no furniture in the round den, but soft cushions were strewn about the floor and these they found made very comfortable beds. they did not close the hole in the roof but left it open to admit air. it also admitted the shouts and ceaseless laughter of the impish tottenhots as they played outside, but dorothy and ojo, being weary from their journey, were soon fast asleep. toto kept an eye open, however, and uttered low, threatening growls whenever the racket made by the creatures outside became too boisterous; and the scarecrow and the patchwork girl sat leaning against the wall and talked in whispers all night long. no one disturbed the travelers until daylight, when in popped the tottenhot who owned the place and invited them to vacate his premises. chapter twenty the captive yoop as they were preparing to leave, dorothy asked: "can you tell us where there is a dark well?" "never heard of such a thing," said the tottenhot. "we live our lives in the dark, mostly, and sleep in the daytime; but we've never seen a dark well, or anything like one." "does anyone live on those mountains beyond here?" asked the scarecrow. "lots of people. but you'd better not visit them. we never go there," was the reply. "what are the people like?" dorothy inquired. "can't say. we've been told to keep away from the mountain paths, and so we obey. this sandy desert is good enough for us, and we're not disturbed here," declared the tottenhot. so they left the man snuggling down to sleep in his dusky dwelling, and went out into the sunshine, taking the path that led toward the rocky places. they soon found it hard climbing, for the rocks were uneven and full of sharp points and edges, and now there was no path at all. clambering here and there among the boulders they kept steadily on, gradually rising higher and higher until finally they came to a great rift in a part of the mountain, where the rock seemed to have split in two and left high walls on either side. "s'pose we go this way," suggested dorothy; "it's much easier walking than to climb over the hills." "how about that sign?" asked ojo. "what sign?" she inquired. the munchkin boy pointed to some words painted on the wall of rock beside them, which dorothy had not noticed. the words read: "look out for yoop." the girl eyed this sign a moment and turned to the scarecrow, asking: "who is yoop; or what is yoop?" the straw man shook his head. then looked at toto and the dog said "woof!" "only way to find out is to go on," said scraps. this being quite true, they went on. as they proceeded, the walls of rock on either side grew higher and higher. presently they came upon another sign which read: "beware the captive yoop." "why, as for that," remarked dorothy, "if yoop is a captive there's no need to beware of him. whatever yoop happens to be, i'd much rather have him a captive than running around loose." "so had i," agreed the scarecrow, with a nod of his painted head. "still," said scraps, reflectively: "yoop-te-hoop-te-loop-te-goop! who put noodles in the soup? we may beware but we don't care, and dare go where we scare the yoop." "dear me! aren't you feeling a little queer, just now?" dorothy asked the patchwork girl. "not queer, but crazy," said ojo. "when she says those things i'm sure her brains get mixed somehow and work the wrong way. "i don't see why we are told to beware the yoop unless he is dangerous," observed the scarecrow in a puzzled tone. "never mind; we'll find out all about him when we get to where he is," replied the little girl. the narrow canyon turned and twisted this way and that, and the rift was so small that they were able to touch both walls at the same time by stretching out their arms. toto had run on ahead, frisking playfully, when suddenly he uttered a sharp bark of fear and came running back to them with his tail between his legs, as dogs do when they are frightened. "ah," said the scarecrow, who was leading the way, "we must be near yoop." just then, as he rounded a sharp turn, the straw man stopped so suddenly that all the others bumped against him. "what is it?" asked dorothy, standing on tip-toes to look over his shoulder. but then she saw what it was and cried "oh!" in a tone of astonishment. in one of the rock walls--that at their left--was hollowed a great cavern, in front of which was a row of thick iron bars, the tops and bottoms being firmly fixed in the solid rock. over this cavern was a big sign, which dorothy read with much curiosity, speaking the words aloud that all might know what they said: "mister yoop--his cave the largest untamed giant in captivity. height, feet.--(and yet he has but feet.) weight, pounds.--(but he waits all the time.) age, years 'and up' (as they say in the department store advertisements). temper, fierce and ferocious.--(except when asleep.) appetite, ravenous.--(prefers meat people and orange marmalade.) strangers approaching this cave do so at their own peril! p.s.--don't feed the giant yourself." "very well," said ojo, with a sigh; "let's go back." "it's a long way back," declared dorothy. "so it is," remarked the scarecrow, "and it means a tedious climb over those sharp rocks if we can't use this passage. i think it will be best to run by the giant's cave as fast as we can go. mister yoop seems to be asleep just now." but the giant wasn't asleep. he suddenly appeared at the front of his cavern, seized the iron bars in his great hairy hands and shook them until they rattled in their sockets. yoop was so tall that our friends had to tip their heads way back to look into his face, and they noticed he was dressed all in pink velvet, with silver buttons and braid. the giant's boots were of pink leather and had tassels on them and his hat was decorated with an enormous pink ostrich feather, carefully curled. "yo-ho!" he said in a deep bass voice; "i smell dinner." "i think you are mistaken," replied the scarecrow. "there is no orange marmalade around here." "ah, but i eat other things," asserted mister yoop. "that is, i eat them when i can get them. but this is a lonely place, and no good meat has passed by my cave for many years; so i'm hungry." "haven't you eaten anything in many years?" asked dorothy. "nothing except six ants and a monkey. i thought the monkey would taste like meat people, but the flavor was different. i hope you will taste better, for you seem plump and tender." "oh, i'm not going to be eaten," said dorothy. "why not?" "i shall keep out of your way," she answered. "how heartless!" wailed the giant, shaking the bars again. "consider how many years it is since i've eaten a single plump little girl! they tell me meat is going up, but if i can manage to catch you i'm sure it will soon be going down. and i'll catch you if i can." with this the giant pushed his big arms, which looked like tree-trunks (except that tree-trunks don't wear pink velvet) between the iron bars, and the arms were so long that they touched the opposite wall of the rock passage. then he extended them as far as he could reach toward our travelers and found he could almost touch the scarecrow--but not quite. "come a little nearer, please," begged the giant. "i'm a scarecrow." "a scarecrow? ugh! i don't care a straw for a scarecrow. who is that bright-colored delicacy behind you?" "me?" asked scraps. "i'm a patchwork girl, and i'm stuffed with cotton." "dear me," sighed the giant in a disappointed tone; "that reduces my dinner from four to two--and the dog. i'll save the dog for dessert." toto growled, keeping a good distance away. "back up," said the scarecrow to those behind him. "let us go back a little way and talk this over." so they turned and went around the bend in the passage, where they were out of sight of the cave and mister yoop could not hear them. "my idea," began the scarecrow, when they had halted, "is to make a dash past the cave, going on a run." "he'd grab us," said dorothy. "well, he can't grab but one at a time, and i'll go first. as soon as he grabs me the rest of you can slip past him, out of his reach, and he will soon let me go because i am not fit to eat." they decided to try this plan and dorothy took toto in her arms, so as to protect him. she followed just after the scarecrow. then came ojo, with scraps the last of the four. their hearts beat a little faster than usual as they again approached the giant's cave, this time moving swiftly forward. it turned out about the way the scarecrow had planned. mister yoop was quite astonished to see them come flying toward him, and thrusting his arms between the bars he seized the scarecrow in a firm grip. in the next instant he realized, from the way the straw crunched between his fingers, that he had captured the non-eatable man, but during that instant of delay dorothy and ojo had slipped by the giant and were out of reach. uttering a howl of rage the monster threw the scarecrow after them with one hand and grabbed scraps with the other. the poor scarecrow went whirling through the air and so cleverly was he aimed that he struck ojo's back and sent the boy tumbling head over heels, and he tripped dorothy and sent her, also, sprawling upon the ground. toto flew out of the little girl's arms and landed some distance ahead, and all were so dazed that it was a moment before they could scramble to their feet again. when they did so they turned to look toward the giant's cave, and at that moment the ferocious mister yoop threw the patchwork girl at them. down went all three again, in a heap, with scraps on top. the giant roared so terribly that for a time they were afraid he had broken loose; but he hadn't. so they sat in the road and looked at one another in a rather bewildered way, and then began to feel glad. "we did it!" exclaimed the scarecrow, with satisfaction. "and now we are free to go on our way." "mister yoop is very impolite," declared scraps. "he jarred me terribly. it's lucky my stitches are so fine and strong, for otherwise such harsh treatment might rip me up the back." "allow me to apologize for the giant," said the scarecrow, raising the patchwork girl to her feet and dusting her skirt with his stuffed hands. "mister yoop is a perfect stranger to me, but i fear, from the rude manner in which he has acted, that he is no gentleman." dorothy and ojo laughed at this statement and toto barked as if he understood the joke, after which they all felt better and resumed the journey in high spirits. "of course," said the little girl, when they had walked a way along the passage, "it was lucky for us the giant was caged; for, if he had happened to be loose, he--he--" "perhaps, in that case, he wouldn't be hungry any more," said ojo gravely. chapter twenty-one hip hopper the champion they must have had good courage to climb all those rocks, for after getting out of the canyon they encountered more rock hills to be surmounted. toto could jump from one rock to another quite easily, but the others had to creep and climb with care, so that after a whole day of such work dorothy and ojo found themselves very tired. as they gazed upward at the great mass of tumbled rocks that covered the steep incline, dorothy gave a little groan and said: "that's going to be a ter'ble hard climb, scarecrow. i wish we could find the dark well without so much trouble." "suppose," said ojo, "you wait here and let me do the climbing, for it's on my account we're searching for the dark well. then, if i don't find anything, i'll come back and join you." "no," replied the little girl, shaking her head positively, "we'll all go together, for that way we can help each other. if you went alone, something might happen to you, ojo." so they began the climb and found it indeed difficult, for a way. but presently, in creeping over the big crags, they found a path at their feet which wound in and out among the masses of rock and was quite smooth and easy to walk upon. as the path gradually ascended the mountain, although in a roundabout way, they decided to follow it. "this must be the road to the country of the hoppers," said the scarecrow. "who are the hoppers?" asked dorothy. "some people jack pumpkinhead told me about," he replied. "i didn't hear him," replied the girl. "no; you were asleep," explained the scarecrow. "but he told scraps and me that the hoppers and the horners live on this mountain." "he said in the mountain," declared scraps; "but of course he meant on it." "didn't he say what the hoppers and horners were like?" inquired dorothy. "no; he only said they were two separate nations, and that the horners were the most important." "well, if we go to their country we'll find out all about 'em," said the girl. "but i've never heard ozma mention those people, so they can't be very important." "is this mountain in the land of oz?" asked scraps. "course it is," answered dorothy. "it's in the south country of the quadlings. when one comes to the edge of oz, in any direction, there is nothing more to be seen at all. once you could see sandy desert all around oz; but now it's diff'rent, and no other people can see us, any more than we can see them." "if the mountain is under ozma's rule, why doesn't she know about the hoppers and the horners?" ojo asked. "why, it's a fairyland," explained dorothy, "and lots of queer people live in places so tucked away that those in the emerald city never even hear of 'em. in the middle of the country it's diff'rent, but when you get around the edges you're sure to run into strange little corners that surprise you. i know, for i've traveled in oz a good deal, and so has the scarecrow." "yes," admitted the straw man, "i've been considerable of a traveler, in my time, and i like to explore strange places. i find i learn much more by traveling than by staying at home." during this conversation they had been walking up the steep pathway and now found themselves well up on the mountain. they could see nothing around them, for the rocks beside their path were higher than their heads. nor could they see far in front of them, because the path was so crooked. but suddenly they stopped, because the path ended and there was no place to go. ahead was a big rock lying against the side of the mountain, and this blocked the way completely. "there wouldn't be a path, though, if it didn't go somewhere," said the scarecrow, wrinkling his forehead in deep thought. "this is somewhere, isn't it?" asked the patchwork girl, laughing at the bewildered looks of the others. "the path is locked, the way is blocked, yet here we've innocently flocked; and now we're here it's rather queer there's no front door that can be knocked." "please don't, scraps," said ojo. "you make me nervous." "well," said dorothy, "i'm glad of a little rest, for that's a drea'ful steep path." as she spoke she leaned against the edge of the big rock that stood in their way. to her surprise it slowly swung backward and showed behind it a dark hole that looked like the mouth of a tunnel. "why, here's where the path goes to!" she exclaimed. "so it is," answered the scarecrow. "but the question is, do we want to go where the path does?" "it's underground; right inside the mountain," said ojo, peering into the dark hole. "perhaps there's a well there; and, if there is, it's sure to be a dark one." "why, that's true enough!" cried dorothy with eagerness. "let's go in, scarecrow; 'cause, if others have gone, we're pretty safe to go, too." toto looked in and barked, but he did not venture to enter until the scarecrow had bravely gone first. scraps followed closely after the straw man and then ojo and dorothy timidly stepped inside the tunnel. as soon as all of them had passed the big rock, it slowly turned and filled up the opening again; but now they were no longer in the dark, for a soft, rosy light enabled them to see around them quite distinctly. it was only a passage, wide enough for two of them to walk abreast--with toto in between them--and it had a high, arched roof. they could not see where the light which flooded the place so pleasantly came from, for there were no lamps anywhere visible. the passage ran straight for a little way and then made a bend to the right and another sharp turn to the left, after which it went straight again. but there were no side passages, so they could not lose their way. after proceeding some distance, toto, who had gone on ahead, began to bark loudly. they ran around a bend to see what was the matter and found a man sitting on the floor of the passage and leaning his back against the wall. he had probably been asleep before toto's barks aroused him, for he was now rubbing his eyes and staring at the little dog with all his might. there was something about this man that toto objected to, and when he slowly rose to his foot they saw what it was. he had but one leg, set just below the middle of his round, fat body; but it was a stout leg and had a broad, flat foot at the bottom of it, on which the man seemed to stand very well. he had never had but this one leg, which looked something like a pedestal, and when toto ran up and made a grab at the man's ankle he hopped first one way and then another in a very active manner, looking so frightened that scraps laughed aloud. toto was usually a well behaved dog, but this time he was angry and snapped at the man's leg again and again. this filled the poor fellow with fear, and in hopping out of toto's reach he suddenly lost his balance and tumbled heel over head upon the floor. when he sat up he kicked toto on the nose and made the dog howl angrily, but dorothy now ran forward and caught toto's collar, holding him back. "do you surrender?" she asked the man. "who? me?" asked the hopper. "yes; you," said the little girl. "am i captured?" he inquired. "of course. my dog has captured you," she said. "well," replied the man, "if i'm captured i must surrender, for it's the proper thing to do. i like to do everything proper, for it saves one a lot of trouble." "it does, indeed," said dorothy. "please tell us who you are." "i'm hip hopper--hip hopper, the champion." "champion what?" she asked in surprise. "champion wrestler. i'm a very strong man, and that ferocious animal which you are so kindly holding is the first living thing that has ever conquered me." "and you are a hopper?" she continued. "yes. my people live in a great city not far from here. would you like to visit it?" "i'm not sure," she said with hesitation. "have you any dark wells in your city?" "i think not. we have wells, you know, but they're all well lighted, and a well lighted well cannot well be a dark well. but there may be such a thing as a very dark well in the horner country, which is a black spot on the face of the earth." "where is the horner country?" ojo inquired. "the other side of the mountain. there's a fence between the hopper country and the horner country, and a gate in the fence; but you can't pass through just now, because we are at war with the horners." "that's too bad," said the scarecrow. "what seems to be the trouble?" "why, one of them made a very insulting remark about my people. he said we were lacking in understanding, because we had only one leg to a person. i can't see that legs have anything to do with understanding things. the horners each have two legs, just as you have. that's one leg too many, it seems to me." "no," declared dorothy, "it's just the right number." "you don't need them," argued the hopper, obstinately. "you've only one head, and one body, and one nose and mouth. two legs are quite unnecessary, and they spoil one's shape." "but how can you walk, with only one leg?" asked ojo. "walk! who wants to walk?" exclaimed the man. "walking is a terribly awkward way to travel. i hop, and so do all my people. it's so much more graceful and agreeable than walking." "i don't agree with you," said the scarecrow. "but tell me, is there any way to get to the horner country without going through the city of the hoppers?" "yes; there is another path from the rocky lowlands, outside the mountain, that leads straight to the entrance of the horner country. but it's a long way around, so you'd better come with me. perhaps they will allow you to go through the gate; but we expect to conquer them this afternoon, if we get time, and then you may go and come as you please." they thought it best to take the hopper's advice, and asked him to lead the way. this he did in a series of hops, and he moved so swiftly in this strange manner that those with two legs had to run to keep up with him. chapter twenty-two the joking horners it was not long before they left the passage and came to a great cave, so high that it must have reached nearly to the top of the mountain within which it lay. it was a magnificent cave, illumined by the soft, invisible light, so that everything in it could be plainly seen. the walls were of polished marble, white with veins of delicate colors running through it, and the roof was arched and fantastic and beautiful. built beneath this vast dome was a pretty village--not very large, for there seemed not more than fifty houses altogether--and the dwellings were of marble and artistically designed. no grass nor flowers nor trees grew in this cave, so the yards surrounding the houses carved in designs both were smooth and bare and had low walls around them to mark their boundaries. in the streets and the yards of the houses were many people all having one leg growing below their bodies and all hopping here and there whenever they moved. even the children stood firmly upon their single legs and never lost their balance. "all hail, champion!" cried a man in the first group of hoppers they met; "whom have you captured?" "no one," replied the champion in a gloomy voice; "these strangers have captured me." "then," said another, "we will rescue you, and capture them, for we are greater in number." "no," answered the champion, "i can't allow it. i've surrendered, and it isn't polite to capture those you've surrendered to." "never mind that," said dorothy. "we will give you your liberty and set you free." "really?" asked the champion in joyous tones. "yes," said the little girl; "your people may need you to help conquer the horners." at this all the hoppers looked downcast and sad. several more had joined the group by this time and quite a crowd of curious men, women and children surrounded the strangers. "this war with our neighbors is a terrible thing," remarked one of the women. "some one is almost sure to get hurt." "why do you say that, madam?" inquired the scarecrow. "because the horns of our enemies are sharp, and in battle they will try to stick those horns into our warriors," she replied. "how many horns do the horners have?" asked dorothy. "each has one horn in the center of his forehead," was the answer. "oh, then they're unicorns," declared the scarecrow. "no; they're horners. we never go to war with them if we can help it, on account of their dangerous horns; but this insult was so great and so unprovoked that our brave men decided to fight, in order to be revenged," said the woman. "what weapons do you fight with?" the scarecrow asked. "we have no weapons," explained the champion. "whenever we fight the horners, our plan is to push them back, for our arms are longer than theirs." "then you are better armed," said scraps. "yes; but they have those terrible horns, and unless we are careful they prick us with the points," returned the champion with a shudder. "that makes a war with them dangerous, and a dangerous war cannot be a pleasant one." "i see very clearly," remarked the scarecrow, "that you are going to have trouble in conquering those horners--unless we help you." "oh!" cried the hoppers in a chorus; "can you help us? please do! we will be greatly obliged! it would please us very much!" and by these exclamations the scarecrow knew that his speech had met with favor. "how far is it to the horner country?" he asked. "why, it's just the other side of the fence," they answered, and the champion added: "come with me, please, and i'll show you the horners." so they followed the champion and several others through the streets and just beyond the village came to a very high picket fence, built all of marble, which seemed to divide the great cave into two equal parts. but the part inhabited by the horners was in no way as grand in appearance as that of the hoppers. instead of being marble, the walls and roof were of dull gray rock and the square houses were plainly made of the same material. but in extent the city was much larger than that of the hoppers and the streets were thronged with numerous people who busied themselves in various ways. looking through the open pickets of the fence our friends watched the horners, who did not know they were being watched by strangers, and found them very unusual in appearance. they were little folks in size and had bodies round as balls and short legs and arms. their heads were round, too, and they had long, pointed ears and a horn set in the center of the forehead. the horns did not seem very terrible, for they were not more than six inches long; but they were ivory white and sharp pointed, and no wonder the hoppers feared them. the skins of the horners were light brown, but they wore snow-white robes and were bare-footed. dorothy thought the most striking thing about them was their hair, which grew in three distinct colors on each and every head--red, yellow and green. the red was at the bottom and sometimes hung over their eyes; then came a broad circle of yellow and the green was at the top and formed a brush-shaped top-knot. none of the horners was yet aware of the presence of strangers, who watched the little brown people for a time and then went to the big gate in the center of the dividing fence. it was locked on both sides and over the latch was a sign reading: "war is declared" "can't we go through?" asked dorothy. "not now," answered the champion. "i think," said the scarecrow, "that if i could talk with those horners they would apologize to you, and then there would be no need to fight." "can't you talk from this side?" asked the champion. "not so well," replied the scarecrow. "do you suppose you could throw me over that fence? it is high, but i am very light." "we can try it," said the hopper. "i am perhaps the strongest man in my country, so i'll undertake to do the throwing. but i won't promise you will land on your feet." "no matter about that," returned the scarecrow. "just toss me over and i'll be satisfied." so the champion picked up the scarecrow and balanced him a moment, to see how much he weighed, and then with all his strength tossed him high into the air. perhaps if the scarecrow had been a trifle heavier he would have been easier to throw and would have gone a greater distance; but, as it was, instead of going over the fence he landed just on top of it, and one of the sharp pickets caught him in the middle of his back and held him fast prisoner. had he been face downward the scarecrow might have managed to free himself, but lying on his back on the picket his hands waved in the air of the horner country while his feet kicked the air of the hopper country; so there he was. "are you hurt?" called the patchwork girl anxiously. "course not," said dorothy. "but if he wiggles that way he may tear his clothes. how can we get him down, mr. champion?" the champion shook his head. "i don't know," he confessed. "if he could scare horners as well as he does crows, it might be a good idea to leave him there." "this is terrible," said ojo, almost ready to cry. "i s'pose it's because i am ojo the unlucky that everyone who tries to help me gets into trouble." "you are lucky to have anyone to help you," declared dorothy. "but don't worry. we'll rescue the scarecrow somehow." "i know how," announced scraps. "here, mr. champion; just throw me up to the scarecrow. i'm nearly as light as he is, and when i'm on top the fence i'll pull our friend off the picket and toss him down to you." "all right," said the champion, and he picked up the patchwork girl and threw her in the same manner he had the scarecrow. he must have used more strength this time, however, for scraps sailed far over the top of the fence and, without being able to grab the scarecrow at all, tumbled to the ground in the horner country, where her stuffed body knocked over two men and a woman and made a crowd that had collected there run like rabbits to get away from her. seeing the next moment that she was harmless, the people slowly returned and gathered around the patchwork girl, regarding her with astonishment. one of them wore a jeweled star in his hair, just above his horn, and this seemed a person of importance. he spoke for the rest of his people, who treated him with great respect. "who are you, unknown being?" he asked. "scraps," she said, rising to her feet and patting her cotton wadding smooth where it had bunched up. "and where did you come from?" he continued. "over the fence. don't be silly. there's no other place i could have come from," she replied. he looked at her thoughtfully. "you are not a hopper," said he, "for you have two legs. they're not very well shaped, but they are two in number. and that strange creature on top the fence--why doesn't he stop kicking?--must be your brother, or father, or son, for he also has two legs." "you must have been to visit the wise donkey," said scraps, laughing so merrily that the crowd smiled with her, in sympathy. "but that reminds me, captain--or king--" "i am chief of the horners, and my name is jak." "of course; little jack horner; i might have known it. but the reason i volplaned over the fence was so i could have a talk with you about the hoppers." "what about the hoppers?" asked the chief, frowning. "you've insulted them, and you'd better beg their pardon," said scraps. "if you don't, they'll probably hop over here and conquer you." "we're not afraid--as long as the gate is locked," declared the chief. "and we didn't insult them at all. one of us made a joke that the stupid hoppers couldn't see." the chief smiled as he said this and the smile made his face look quite jolly. "what was the joke?" asked scraps. "a horner said they have less understanding than we, because they've only one leg. ha, ha! you see the point, don't you? if you stand on your legs, and your legs are under you, then--ha, ha, ha!--then your legs are your under-standing. hee, hee, hee! ho, ho! my, but that's a fine joke. and the stupid hoppers couldn't see it! they couldn't see that with only one leg they must have less under-standing than we who have two legs. ha, ha, ha! hee, hee! ho, ho!" the chief wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes with the bottom hem of his white robe, and all the other horners wiped their eyes on their robes, for they had laughed just as heartily as their chief at the absurd joke. "then," said scraps, "their understanding of the understanding you meant led to the misunderstanding." "exactly; and so there's no need for us to apologize," returned the chief. "no need for an apology, perhaps, but much need for an explanation," said scraps decidedly. "you don't want war, do you?" "not if we can help it," admitted jak horner. "the question is, who's going to explain the joke to the horners? you know it spoils any joke to be obliged to explain it, and this is the best joke i ever heard." "who made the joke?" asked scraps. "diksey horner. he is working in the mines, just now, but he'll be home before long. suppose we wait and talk with him about it? maybe he'll be willing to explain his joke to the hoppers." "all right," said scraps. "i'll wait, if diksey isn't too long." "no, he's short; he's shorter than i am. ha, ha, ha! say! that's a better joke than diksey's. he won't be too long, because he's short. hee, hee, ho!" the other horners who were standing by roared with laughter and seemed to like their chief's joke as much as he did. scraps thought it was odd that they could be so easily amused, but decided there could be little harm in people who laughed so merrily. chapter twenty-three peace is declared "come with me to my dwelling and i'll introduce you to my daughters," said the chief. "we're bringing them up according to a book of rules that was written by one of our leading old bachelors, and everyone says they're a remarkable lot of girls." so scraps accompanied him along the street to a house that seemed on the outside exceptionally grimy and dingy. the streets of this city were not paved nor had any attempt been made to beautify the houses or their surroundings, and having noticed this condition scraps was astonished when the chief ushered her into his home. here was nothing grimy or faded, indeed. on the contrary, the room was of dazzling brilliance and beauty, for it was lined throughout with an exquisite metal that resembled translucent frosted silver. the surface of this metal was highly ornamented in raised designs representing men, animals, flowers and trees, and from the metal itself was radiated the soft light which flooded the room. all the furniture was made of the same glorious metal, and scraps asked what it was. "that's radium," answered the chief. "we horners spend all our time digging radium from the mines under this mountain, and we use it to decorate our homes and make them pretty and cosy. it is a medicine, too, and no one can ever be sick who lives near radium." "have you plenty of it?" asked the patchwork girl. "more than we can use. all the houses in this city are decorated with it, just the same as mine is." "why don't you use it on your streets, then, and the outside of your houses, to make them as pretty as they are within?" she inquired. "outside? who cares for the outside of anything?" asked the chief. "we horners don't live on the outside of our homes; we live inside. many people are like those stupid hoppers, who love to make an outside show. i suppose you strangers thought their city more beautiful than ours, because you judged from appearances and they have handsome marble houses and marble streets; but if you entered one of their stiff dwellings you would find it bare and uncomfortable, as all their show is on the outside. they have an idea that what is not seen by others is not important, but with us the rooms we live in are our chief delight and care, and we pay no attention to outside show." "seems to me," said scraps, musingly, "it would be better to make it all pretty--inside and out." "seems? why, you're all seams, my girl!" said the chief; and then he laughed heartily at his latest joke and a chorus of small voices echoed the chorus with "tee-hee-hee! ha, ha!" scraps turned around and found a row of girls seated in radium chairs ranged along one wall of the room. there were nineteen of them, by actual count, and they were of all sizes from a tiny child to one almost a grown woman. all were neatly dressed in spotless white robes and had brown skins, horns on their foreheads and three-colored hair. "these," said the chief, "are my sweet daughters. my dears, i introduce to you miss scraps patchwork, a lady who is traveling in foreign parts to increase her store of wisdom." the nineteen horner girls all arose and made a polite curtsey, after which they resumed their seats and rearranged their robes properly. "why do they sit so still, and all in a row?" asked scraps. "because it is ladylike and proper," replied the chief. "but some are just children, poor things! don't they ever run around and play and laugh, and have a good time?" "no, indeed," said the chief. "that would be improper in young ladies, as well as in those who will sometime become young ladies. my daughters are being brought up according to the rules and regulations laid down by a leading bachelor who has given the subject much study and is himself a man of taste and culture. politeness is his great hobby, and he claims that if a child is allowed to do an impolite thing one cannot expect the grown person to do anything better." "is it impolite to romp and shout and be jolly?" asked scraps. "well, sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't," replied the horner, after considering the question. "by curbing such inclinations in my daughters we keep on the safe side. once in a while i make a good joke, as you have heard, and then i permit my daughters to laugh decorously; but they are never allowed to make a joke themselves." "that old bachelor who made the rules ought to be skinned alive!" declared scraps, and would have said more on the subject had not the door opened to admit a little horner man whom the chief introduced as diksey. "what's up, chief?" asked diksey, winking nineteen times at the nineteen girls, who demurely cast down their eyes because their father was looking. the chief told the man that his joke had not been understood by the dull hoppers, who had become so angry that they had declared war. so the only way to avoid a terrible battle was to explain the joke so they could understand it. "all right," replied diksey, who seemed a good-natured man; "i'll go at once to the fence and explain. i don't want any war with the hoppers, for wars between nations always cause hard feelings." so the chief and diksey and scraps left the house and went back to the marble picket fence. the scarecrow was still stuck on the top of his picket but had now ceased to struggle. on the other side of the fence were dorothy and ojo, looking between the pickets; and there, also, were the champion and many other hoppers. diksey went close to the fence and said: "my good hoppers, i wish to explain that what i said about you was a joke. you have but one leg each, and we have two legs each. our legs are under us, whether one or two, and we stand on them. so, when i said you had less understanding than we, i did not mean that you had less understanding, you understand, but that you had less standundering, so to speak. do you understand that?" the hoppers thought it over carefully. then one said: "that is clear enough; but where does the joke come in?'" dorothy laughed, for she couldn't help it, although all the others were solemn enough. "i'll tell you where the joke comes in," she said, and took the hoppers away to a distance, where the horners could not hear them. "you know," she then explained, "those neighbors of yours are not very bright, poor things, and what they think is a joke isn't a joke at all--it's true, don't you see?" "true that we have less understanding?" asked the champion. "yes; it's true because you don't understand such a poor joke; if you did, you'd be no wiser than they are." "ah, yes; of course," they answered, looking very wise. "so i'll tell you what to do," continued dorothy. "laugh at their poor joke and tell 'em it's pretty good for a horner. then they won't dare say you have less understanding, because you understand as much as they do." the hoppers looked at one another questioningly and blinked their eyes and tried to think what it all meant; but they couldn't figure it out. "what do you think, champion?" asked one of them. "i think it is dangerous to think of this thing any more than we can help," he replied. "let us do as this girl says and laugh with the horners, so as to make them believe we see the joke. then there will be peace again and no need to fight." they readily agreed to this and returned to the fence laughing as loud and as hard as they could, although they didn't feel like laughing a bit. the horners were much surprised. "that's a fine joke--for a horner--and we are much pleased with it," said the champion, speaking between the pickets. "but please don't do it again." "i won't," promised diksey. "if i think of another such joke i'll try to forget it." "good!" cried the chief horner. "the war is over and peace is declared." there was much joyful shouting on both sides of the fence and the gate was unlocked and thrown wide open, so that scraps was able to rejoin her friends. "what about the scarecrow?" she asked dorothy. "we must get him down, somehow or other," was the reply. "perhaps the horners can find a way," suggested ojo. so they all went through the gate and dorothy asked the chief horner how they could get the scarecrow off the fence. the chief didn't know how, but diksey said: "a ladder's the thing." "have you one?" asked dorothy. "to be sure. we use ladders in our mines," said he. then he ran away to get the ladder, and while he was gone the horners gathered around and welcomed the strangers to their country, for through them a great war had been avoided. in a little while diksey came back with a tall ladder which he placed against the fence. ojo at once climbed to the top of the ladder and dorothy went about halfway up and scraps stood at the foot of it. toto ran around it and barked. then ojo pulled the scarecrow away from the picket and passed him down to dorothy, who in turn lowered him to the patchwork girl. as soon as he was on his feet and standing on solid ground the scarecrow said: "much obliged. i feel much better. i'm not stuck on that picket any more." the horners began to laugh, thinking this was a joke, but the scarecrow shook himself and patted his straw a little and said to dorothy: "is there much of a hole in my back?" the little girl examined him carefully. "there's quite a hole," she said. "but i've got a needle and thread in the knapsack and i'll sew you up again." "do so," he begged earnestly, and again the hoppers laughed, to the scarecrow's great annoyance. while dorothy was sewing up the hole in the straw man's back scraps examined the other parts of him. "one of his legs is ripped, too!" she exclaimed. "oho!" cried little diksey; "that's bad. give him the needle and thread and let him mend his ways." "ha, ha, ha!" laughed the chief, and the other horners at once roared with laughter. "what's funny?" inquired the scarecrow sternly. "don't you see?" asked diksey, who had laughed even harder than the others. "that's a joke. it's by odds the best joke i ever made. you walk with your legs, and so that's the way you walk, and your legs are the ways. see? so, when you mend your legs, you mend your ways. ho, ho, ho! hee, hee! i'd no idea i could make such a fine joke!" "just wonderful!" echoed the chief. "how do you manage to do it, diksey?" "i don't know," said diksey modestly. "perhaps it's the radium, but i rather think it's my splendid intellect." "if you don't quit it," the scarecrow told him, "there'll be a worse war than the one you've escaped from." ojo had been deep in thought, and now he asked the chief: "is there a dark well in any part of your country?" "a dark well? none that ever i heard of," was the answer. "oh, yes," said diksey, who overheard the boy's question. "there's a very dark well down in my radium mine." "is there any water in it?" ojo eagerly asked. "can't say; i've never looked to see. but we can find out." so, as soon as the scarecrow was mended, they decided to go with diksey to the mine. when dorothy had patted the straw man into shape again he declared he felt as good as new and equal to further adventures. "still," said he, "i prefer not to do picket duty again. high life doesn't seem to agree with my constitution." and then they hurried away to escape the laughter of the horners, who thought this was another joke. chapter twenty-four ojo finds the dark well they now followed diksey to the farther end of the great cave, beyond the horner city, where there were several round, dark holes leading into the ground in a slanting direction. diksey went to one of these holes and said: "here is the mine in which lies the dark well you are seeking. follow me and step carefully and i'll lead you to the place." he went in first and after him came ojo, and then dorothy, with the scarecrow behind her. the patchwork girl entered last of all, for toto kept close beside his little mistress. a few steps beyond the mouth of the opening it was pitch dark. "you won't lose your way, though," said the horner, "for there's only one way to go. the mine's mine and i know every step of the way. how's that for a joke, eh? the mine's mine." then he chuckled gleefully as they followed him silently down the steep slant. the hole was just big enough to permit them to walk upright, although the scarecrow, being much the taller of the party, often had to bend his head to keep from hitting the top. the floor of the tunnel was difficult to walk upon because it had been worn smooth as glass, and pretty soon scraps, who was some distance behind the others, slipped and fell head foremost. at once she began to slide downward, so swiftly that when she came to the scarecrow she knocked him off his feet and sent him tumbling against dorothy, who tripped up ojo. the boy fell against the horner, so that all went tumbling down the slide in a regular mix-up, unable to see where they were going because of the darkness. fortunately, when they reached the bottom the scarecrow and scraps were in front, and the others bumped against them, so that no one was hurt. they found themselves in a vast cave which was dimly lighted by the tiny grains of radium that lay scattered among the loose rocks. "now," said diksey, when they had all regained their feet, "i will show you where the dark well is. this is a big place, but if we hold fast to each other we won't get lost." they took hold of hands and the horner led them into a dark corner, where he halted. "be careful," said he warningly. "the well is at your feet." "all right," replied ojo, and kneeling down he felt in the well with his hand and found that it contained a quantity of water. "where's the gold flask, dorothy?" he asked, and the little girl handed him the flask, which she had brought with her. ojo knelt again and by feeling carefully in the dark managed to fill the flask with the unseen water that was in the well. then he screwed the top of the flask firmly in place and put the precious water in his pocket. "all right!" he said again, in a glad voice; "now we can go back." they returned to the mouth of the tunnel and began to creep cautiously up the incline. this time they made scraps stay behind, for fear she would slip again; but they all managed to get up in safety and the munchkin boy was very happy when he stood in the horner city and realized that the water from the dark well, which he and his friends had traveled so far to secure, was safe in his jacket pocket. chapter twenty-five they bribe the lazy quadling "now," said dorothy, as they stood on the mountain path, having left behind them the cave in which dwelt the hoppers and the horners, "i think we must find a road into the country of the winkies, for there is where ojo wants to go next." "is there such a road?" asked the scarecrow. "i don't know," she replied. "i s'pose we can go back the way we came, to jack pumpkinhead's house, and then turn into the winkie country; but that seems like running 'round a haystack, doesn't it?" "yes," said the scarecrow. "what is the next thing ojo must get?" "a yellow butterfly," answered the boy. "that means the winkie country, all right, for it's the yellow country of oz," remarked dorothy. "i think, scarecrow, we ought to take him to the tin woodman, for he's the emp'ror of the winkies and will help us to find what ojo wants." "of course," replied the scarecrow, brightening at the suggestion. "the tin woodman will do anything we ask him, for he's one of my dearest friends. i believe we can take a crosscut into his country and so get to his castle a day sooner than if we travel back the way we came." "i think so, too," said the girl; "and that means we must keep to the left." they were obliged to go down the mountain before they found any path that led in the direction they wanted to go, but among the tumbled rocks at the foot of the mountain was a faint trail which they decided to follow. two or three hours walk along this trail brought them to a clear, level country, where there were a few farms and some scattered houses. but they knew they were still in the country of the quadlings, because everything had a bright red color. not that the trees and grasses were red, but the fences and houses were painted that color and all the wild-flowers that bloomed by the wayside had red blossoms. this part of the quadling country seemed peaceful and prosperous, if rather lonely, and the road was more distinct and easier to follow. but just as they were congratulating themselves upon the progress they had made they came upon a broad river which swept along between high banks, and here the road ended and there was no bridge of any sort to allow them to cross. "this is queer," mused dorothy, looking at the water reflectively. "why should there be any road, if the river stops everyone walking along it?" "wow!" said toto, gazing earnestly into her face. "that's the best answer you'll get," declared the scarecrow, with his comical smile, "for no one knows any more than toto about this road." said scraps: "ev'ry time i see a river, i have chills that make me shiver, for i never can forget all the water's very wet. if my patches get a soak it will be a sorry joke; so to swim i'll never try till i find the water dry." "try to control yourself, scraps," said ojo; "you're getting crazy again. no one intends to swim that river." "no," decided dorothy, "we couldn't swim it if we tried. it's too big a river, and the water moves awful fast." "there ought to be a ferryman with a boat," said the scarecrow; "but i don't see any." "couldn't we make a raft?" suggested ojo. "there's nothing to make one of," answered dorothy. "wow!" said toto again, and dorothy saw he was looking along the bank of the river. "why, he sees a house over there!" cried the little girl. "i wonder we didn't notice it ourselves. let's go and ask the people how to get 'cross the river." a quarter of a mile along the bank stood a small, round house, painted bright red, and as it was on their side of the river they hurried toward it. a chubby little man, dressed all in red, came out to greet them, and with him were two children, also in red costumes. the man's eyes were big and staring as he examined the scarecrow and the patchwork girl, and the children shyly hid behind him and peeked timidly at toto. "do you live here, my good man?" asked the scarecrow. "i think i do, most mighty magician," replied the quadling, bowing low; "but whether i'm awake or dreaming i can't be positive, so i'm not sure where i live. if you'll kindly pinch me i'll find out all about it!" "you're awake," said dorothy, "and this is no magician, but just the scarecrow." "but he's alive," protested the man, "and he oughtn't to be, you know. and that other dreadful person--the girl who is all patches--seems to be alive, too." "very much so," declared scraps, making a face at him. "but that isn't your affair, you know." "i've a right to be surprised, haven't i?" asked the man meekly. "i'm not sure; but anyhow you've no right to say i'm dreadful. the scarecrow, who is a gentleman of great wisdom, thinks i'm beautiful," retorted scraps. "never mind all that," said dorothy. "tell us, good quadling, how we can get across the river." "i don't know," replied the quadling. "don't you ever cross it?" asked the girl. "never." "don't travelers cross it?" "not to my knowledge," said he. they were much surprised to hear this, and the man added: "it's a pretty big river, and the current is strong. i know a man who lives on the opposite bank, for i've seen him there a good many years; but we've never spoken because neither of us has ever crossed over." "that's queer," said the scarecrow. "don't you own a boat?" the man shook his head. "nor a raft?" "where does this river go to?" asked dorothy. "that way," answered the man, pointing with one hand, "it goes into the country of the winkies, which is ruled by the tin emperor, who must be a mighty magician because he's all made of tin, and yet he's alive. and that way," pointing with the other hand, "the river runs between two mountains where dangerous people dwell." the scarecrow looked at the water before them. "the current flows toward the winkie country," said he; "and so, if we had a boat, or a raft, the river would float us there more quickly and more easily than we could walk." "that is true," agreed dorothy; and then they all looked thoughtful and wondered what could be done. "why can't the man make us a raft?" asked ojo. "will you?" inquired dorothy, turning to the quadling. the chubby man shook his head. "i'm too lazy," he said. "my wife says i'm the laziest man in all oz, and she is a truthful woman. i hate work of any kind, and making a raft is hard work." "i'll give you my em'rald ring," promised the girl. "no; i don't care for emeralds. if it were a ruby, which is the color i like best, i might work a little while." "i've got some square meal tablets," said the scarecrow. "each one is the same as a dish of soup, a fried fish, a mutton pot-pie, lobster salad, charlotte russe and lemon jelly--all made into one little tablet that you can swallow without trouble." "without trouble!" exclaimed the quadling, much interested; "then those tablets would be fine for a lazy man. it's such hard work to chew when you eat." "i'll give you six of those tablets if you'll help us make a raft," promised the scarecrow. "they're a combination of food which people who eat are very fond of. i never eat, you know, being straw; but some of my friends eat regularly. what do you say to my offer, quadling?" "i'll do it," decided the man. "i'll help, and you can do most of the work. but my wife has gone fishing for red eels to-day, so some of you will have to mind the children." scraps promised to do that, and the children were not so shy when the patchwork girl sat down to play with them. they grew to like toto, too, and the little dog allowed them to pat him on his head, which gave the little ones much joy. there were a number of fallen trees near the house and the quadling got his axe and chopped them into logs of equal length. he took his wife's clothesline to bind these logs together, so that they would form a raft, and ojo found some strips of wood and nailed them along the tops of the logs, to render them more firm. the scarecrow and dorothy helped roll the logs together and carry the strips of wood, but it took so long to make the raft that evening came just as it was finished, and with evening the quadling's wife returned from her fishing. the woman proved to be cross and bad-tempered, perhaps because she had only caught one red eel during all the day. when she found that her husband had used her clothesline, and the logs she had wanted for firewood, and the boards she had intended to mend the shed with, and a lot of gold nails, she became very angry. scraps wanted to shake the woman, to make her behave, but dorothy talked to her in a gentle tone and told the quadling's wife she was a princess of oz and a friend of ozma and that when she got back to the emerald city she would send them a lot of things to repay them for the raft, including a new clothesline. this promise pleased the woman and she soon became more pleasant, saying they could stay the night at her house and begin their voyage on the river next morning. this they did, spending a pleasant evening with the quadling family and being entertained with such hospitality as the poor people were able to offer them. the man groaned a good deal and said he had overworked himself by chopping the logs, but the scarecrow gave him two more tablets than he had promised, which seemed to comfort the lazy fellow. chapter twenty-six the trick river next morning they pushed the raft into the water and all got aboard. the quadling man had to hold the log craft fast while they took their places, and the flow of the river was so powerful that it nearly tore the raft from his hands. as soon as they were all seated upon the logs he let go and away it floated and the adventurers had begun their voyage toward the winkie country. the little house of the quadlings was out of sight almost before they had cried their good-byes, and the scarecrow said in a pleased voice: "it won't take us long to get to the winkie country, at this rate." they had floated several miles down the stream and were enjoying the ride when suddenly the raft slowed up, stopped short, and then began to float back the way it had come. "why, what's wrong?" asked dorothy, in astonishment; but they were all just as bewildered as she was and at first no one could answer the question. soon, however, they realized the truth: that the current of the river had reversed and the water was now flowing in the opposite direction--toward the mountains. they began to recognize the scenes they had passed, and by and by they came in sight of the little house of the quadlings again. the man was standing on the river bank and he called to them: "how do you do? glad to see you again. i forgot to tell you that the river changes its direction every little while. sometimes it flows one way, and sometimes the other." they had no time to answer him, for the raft was swept past the house and a long distance on the other side of it. "we're going just the way we don't want to go," said dorothy, "and i guess the best thing we can do is to get to land before we're carried any farther." but they could not get to land. they had no oars, nor even a pole to guide the raft with. the logs which bore them floated in the middle of the stream and were held fast in that position by the strong current. so they sat still and waited and, even while they were wondering what could be done, the raft slowed down, stopped, and began drifting the other way--in the direction it had first followed. after a time they repassed the quadling house and the man was still standing on the bank. he cried out to them: "good day! glad to see you again. i expect i shall see you a good many times, as you go by, unless you happen to swim ashore." by that time they had left him behind and were headed once more straight toward the winkie country. "this is pretty hard luck," said ojo in a discouraged voice. "the trick river keeps changing, it seems, and here we must float back and forward forever, unless we manage in some way to get ashore." "can you swim?" asked dorothy. "no; i'm ojo the unlucky." "neither can i. toto can swim a little, but that won't help us to get to shore." "i don't know whether i could swim, or not," remarked scraps; "but if i tried it i'd surely ruin my lovely patches." "my straw would get soggy in the water and i would sink," said the scarecrow. so there seemed no way out of their dilemma and being helpless they simply sat still. ojo, who was on the front of the raft, looked over into the water and thought he saw some large fishes swimming about. he found a loose end of the clothesline which fastened the logs together, and taking a gold nail from his pocket he bent it nearly double, to form a hook, and tied it to the end of the line. having baited the hook with some bread which he broke from his loaf, he dropped the line into the water and almost instantly it was seized by a great fish. they knew it was a great fish, because it pulled so hard on the line that it dragged the raft forward even faster than the current of the river had carried it. the fish was frightened, and it was a strong swimmer. as the other end of the clothesline was bound around the logs he could not get it away, and as he had greedily swallowed the gold hook at the first bite he could not get rid of that, either. when they reached the place where the current had before changed, the fish was still swimming ahead in its wild attempt to escape. the raft slowed down, yet it did not stop, because the fish would not let it. it continued to move in the same direction it had been going. as the current reversed and rushed backward on its course it failed to drag the raft with it. slowly, inch by inch, they floated on, and the fish tugged and tugged and kept them going. "i hope he won't give up," said ojo anxiously. "if the fish can hold out until the current changes again, we'll be all right." the fish did not give up, but held the raft bravely on its course, till at last the water in the river shifted again and floated them the way they wanted to go. but now the captive fish found its strength failing. seeking a refuge, it began to drag the raft toward the shore. as they did not wish to land in this place the boy cut the rope with his pocket-knife and set the fish free, just in time to prevent the raft from grounding. the next time the river backed up the scarecrow managed to seize the branch of a tree that overhung the water and they all assisted him to hold fast and prevent the raft from being carried backward. while they waited here, ojo spied a long broken branch lying upon the bank, so he leaped ashore and got it. when he had stripped off the side shoots he believed he could use the branch as a pole, to guide the raft in case of emergency. they clung to the tree until they found the water flowing the right way, when they let go and permitted the raft to resume its voyage. in spite of these pauses they were really making good progress toward the winkie country and having found a way to conquer the adverse current their spirits rose considerably. they could see little of the country through which they were passing, because of the high banks, and they met with no boats or other craft upon the surface of the river. once more the trick river reversed its current, but this time the scarecrow was on guard and used the pole to push the raft toward a big rock which lay in the water. he believed the rock would prevent their floating backward with the current, and so it did. they clung to this anchorage until the water resumed its proper direction, when they allowed the raft to drift on. floating around a bend they saw ahead a high bank of water, extending across the entire river, and toward this they were being irresistibly carried. there being no way to arrest the progress of the raft they clung fast to the logs and let the river sweep them on. swiftly the raft climbed the bank of water and slid down on the other side, plunging its edge deep into the water and drenching them all with spray. as again the raft righted and drifted on, dorothy and ojo laughed at the ducking they had received; but scraps was much dismayed and the scarecrow took out his handkerchief and wiped the water off the patchwork girl's patches as well as he was able to. the sun soon dried her and the colors of her patches proved good, for they did not run together nor did they fade. after passing the wall of water the current did not change or flow backward any more but continued to sweep them steadily forward. the banks of the river grew lower, too, permitting them to see more of the country, and presently they discovered yellow buttercups and dandelions growing amongst the grass, from which evidence they knew they had reached the winkie country. "don't you think we ought to land?" dorothy asked the scarecrow. "pretty soon," he replied. "the tin woodman's castle is in the southern part of the winkie country, and so it can't be a great way from here." fearing they might drift too far, dorothy and ojo now stood up and raised the scarecrow in their arms, as high as they could, thus allowing him a good view of the country. for a time he saw nothing he recognized, but finally he cried: "there it is! there it is!" "what?" asked dorothy. "the tin woodman's tin castle. i can see its turrets glittering in the sun. it's quite a way off, but we'd better land as quickly as we can." they let him down and began to urge the raft toward the shore by means of the pole. it obeyed very well, for the current was more sluggish now, and soon they had reached the bank and landed safely. the winkie country was really beautiful, and across the fields they could see afar the silvery sheen of the tin castle. with light hearts they hurried toward it, being fully rested by their long ride on the river. by and by they began to cross an immense field of splendid yellow lilies, the delicate fragrance of which was very delightful. "how beautiful they are!" cried dorothy, stopping to admire the perfection of these exquisite flowers. "yes," said the scarecrow, reflectively, "but we must be careful not to crush or injure any of these lilies." "why not?" asked ojo. "the tin woodman is very kind-hearted," was the reply, "and he hates to see any living thing hurt in any way." "are flowers alive?" asked scraps. "yes, of course. and these flowers belong to the tin woodman. so, in order not to offend him, we must not tread on a single blossom." "once," said dorothy, "the tin woodman stepped on a beetle and killed the little creature. that made him very unhappy and he cried until his tears rusted his joints, so he couldn't move 'em." "what did he do then?" asked ojo. "put oil on them, until the joints worked smooth again." "oh!" exclaimed the boy, as if a great discovery had flashed across his mind. but he did not tell anybody what the discovery was and kept the idea to himself. it was a long walk, but a pleasant one, and they did not mind it a bit. late in the afternoon they drew near to the wonderful tin castle of the emperor of the winkies, and ojo and scraps, who had never seen it before, were filled with amazement. tin abounded in the winkie country and the winkies were said to be the most skillful tinsmiths in all the world. so the tin woodman had employed them in building his magnificent castle, which was all of tin, from the ground to the tallest turret, and so brightly polished that it glittered in the sun's rays more gorgeously than silver. around the grounds of the castle ran a tin wall, with tin gates; but the gates stood wide open because the emperor had no enemies to disturb him. when they entered the spacious grounds our travelers found more to admire. tin fountains sent sprays of clear water far into the air and there were many beds of tin flowers, all as perfectly formed as any natural flowers might be. there were tin trees, too, and here and there shady bowers of tin, with tin benches and chairs to sit upon. also, on the sides of the pathway leading up to the front door of the castle, were rows of tin statuary, very cleverly executed. among these ojo recognized statues of dorothy, toto, the scarecrow, the wizard, the shaggy man, jack pumpkinhead and ozma, all standing upon neat pedestals of tin. toto was well acquainted with the residence of the tin woodman and, being assured a joyful welcome, he ran ahead and barked so loudly at the front door that the tin woodman heard him and came out in person to see if it were really his old friend toto. next moment the tin man had clasped the scarecrow in a warm embrace and then turned to hug dorothy. but now his eye was arrested by the strange sight of the patchwork girl, and he gazed upon her in mingled wonder and admiration. chapter twenty-seven the tin woodman objects the tin woodman was one of the most important personages in all oz. though emperor of the winkies, he owed allegiance to ozma, who ruled all the land, and the girl and the tin man were warm personal friends. he was something of a dandy and kept his tin body brilliantly polished and his tin joints well oiled. also he was very courteous in manner and so kind and gentle that everyone loved him. the emperor greeted ojo and scraps with cordial hospitality and ushered the entire party into his handsome tin parlor, where all the furniture and pictures were made of tin. the walls were paneled with tin and from the tin ceiling hung tin chandeliers. the tin woodman wanted to know, first of all, where dorothy had found the patchwork girl, so between them the visitors told the story of how scraps was made, as well as the accident to margolotte and unc nunkie and how ojo had set out upon a journey to procure the things needed for the crooked magician's magic charm. then dorothy told of their adventures in the quadling country and how at last they succeeded in getting the water from a dark well. while the little girl was relating these adventures the tin woodman sat in an easy chair listening with intense interest, while the others sat grouped around him. ojo, however, had kept his eyes fixed upon the body of the tin emperor, and now he noticed that under the joint of his left knee a tiny drop of oil was forming. he watched this drop of oil with a fast-beating heart, and feeling in his pocket brought out a tiny vial of crystal, which he held secreted in his hand. presently the tin woodman changed his position, and at once ojo, to the astonishment of all, dropped to the floor and held his crystal vial under the emperor's knee joint. just then the drop of oil fell, and the boy caught it in his bottle and immediately corked it tight. then, with a red face and embarrassed manner, he rose to confront the others. "what in the world were you doing?" asked the tin woodman. "i caught a drop of oil that fell from your knee-joint," confessed ojo. "a drop of oil!" exclaimed the tin woodman. "dear me, how careless my valet must have been in oiling me this morning. i'm afraid i shall have to scold the fellow, for i can't be dropping oil wherever i go." "never mind," said dorothy. "ojo seems glad to have the oil, for some reason." "yes," declared the munchkin boy, "i am glad. for one of the things the crooked magician sent me to get was a drop of oil from a live man's body. i had no idea, at first, that there was such a thing; but it's now safe in the little crystal vial." "you are very welcome to it, indeed," said the tin woodman. "have you now secured all the things you were in search of?" "not quite all," answered ojo. "there were five things i had to get, and i have found four of them. i have the three hairs in the tip of a woozy's tail, a six-leaved clover, a gill of water from a dark well and a drop of oil from a live man's body. the last thing is the easiest of all to get, and i'm sure that my dear unc nunkie--and good margolotte, as well--will soon be restored to life." the munchkin boy said this with much pride and pleasure. "good!" exclaimed the tin woodman; "i congratulate you. but what is the fifth and last thing you need, in order to complete the magic charm?" "the left wing of a yellow butterfly," said ojo. "in this yellow country, and with your kind assistance, that ought to be very easy to find." the tin woodman stared at him in amazement. "surely you are joking!" he said. "no," replied ojo, much surprised; "i am in earnest." "but do you think for a moment that i would permit you, or anyone else, to pull the left wing from a yellow butterfly?" demanded the tin woodman sternly. "why not, sir?" "why not? you ask me why not? it would be cruel--one of the most cruel and heartless deeds i ever heard of," asserted the tin woodman. "the butterflies are among the prettiest of all created things, and they are very sensitive to pain. to tear a wing from one would cause it exquisite torture and it would soon die in great agony. i would not permit such a wicked deed under any circumstances!" ojo was astounded at hearing this. dorothy, too, looked grave and disconcerted, but she knew in her heart that the tin woodman was right. the scarecrow nodded his head in approval of his friend's speech, so it was evident that he agreed with the emperor's decision. scraps looked from one to another in perplexity. "who cares for a butterfly?" she asked. "don't you?" inquired the tin woodman. "not the snap of a finger, for i have no heart," said the patchwork girl. "but i want to help ojo, who is my friend, to rescue the uncle whom he loves, and i'd kill a dozen useless butterflies to enable him to do that." the tin woodman sighed regretfully. "you have kind instincts," he said, "and with a heart you would indeed be a fine creature. i cannot blame you for your heartless remark, as you cannot understand the feelings of those who possess hearts. i, for instance, have a very neat and responsive heart which the wonderful wizard of oz once gave me, and so i shall never--never--never permit a poor yellow butterfly to be tortured by anyone." "the yellow country of the winkies," said ojo sadly, "is the only place in oz where a yellow butterfly can be found." "i'm glad of that," said the tin woodman. "as i rule the winkie country, i can protect my butterflies." "unless i get the wing--just one left wing--" said ojo miserably, "i can't save unc nunkie." "then he must remain a marble statue forever," declared the tin emperor, firmly. ojo wiped his eyes, for he could not hold back the tears. "i'll tell you what to do," said scraps. "we'll take a whole yellow butterfly, alive and well, to the crooked magician, and let him pull the left wing off." "no, you won't," said the tin woodman. "you can't have one of my dear little butterflies to treat in that way." "then what in the world shall we do?" asked dorothy. they all became silent and thoughtful. no one spoke for a long time. then the tin woodman suddenly roused himself and said: "we must all go back to the emerald city and ask ozma's advice. she's a wise little girl, our ruler, and she may find a way to help ojo save his unc nunkie." so the following morning the party started on the journey to the emerald city, which they reached in due time without any important adventure. it was a sad journey for ojo, for without the wing of the yellow butterfly he saw no way to save unc nunkie--unless he waited six years for the crooked magician to make a new lot of the powder of life. the boy was utterly discouraged, and as he walked along he groaned aloud. "is anything hurting you?" inquired the tin woodman in a kindly tone, for the emperor was with the party. "i'm ojo the unlucky," replied the boy. "i might have known i would fail in anything i tried to do." "why are you ojo the unlucky?" asked the tin man. "because i was born on a friday." "friday is not unlucky," declared the emperor. "it's just one of seven days. do you suppose all the world becomes unlucky one-seventh of the time?" "it was the thirteenth day of the month," said ojo. "thirteen! ah, that is indeed a lucky number," replied the tin woodman. "all my good luck seems to happen on the thirteenth. i suppose most people never notice the good luck that comes to them with the number , and yet if the least bit of bad luck falls on that day, they blame it to the number, and not to the proper cause." "thirteen's my lucky number, too," remarked the scarecrow. "and mine," said scraps. "i've just thirteen patches on my head." "but," continued ojo, "i'm left-handed." "many of our greatest men are that way," asserted the emperor. "to be left-handed is usually to be two-handed; the right-handed people are usually one-handed." "and i've a wart under my right arm," said ojo. "how lucky!" cried the tin woodman. "if it were on the end of your nose it might be unlucky, but under your arm it is luckily out of the way." "for all those reasons," said the munchkin boy, "i have been called ojo the unlucky." "then we must turn over a new leaf and call you henceforth ojo the lucky," declared the tin man. "every reason you have given is absurd. but i have noticed that those who continually dread ill luck and fear it will overtake them, have no time to take advantage of any good fortune that comes their way. make up your mind to be ojo the lucky." "how can i?" asked the boy, "when all my attempts to save my dear uncle have failed?" "never give up, ojo," advised dorothy. "no one ever knows what's going to happen next." ojo did not reply, but he was so dejected that even their arrival at the emerald city failed to interest him. the people joyfully cheered the appearance of the tin woodman, the scarecrow and dorothy, who were all three general favorites, and on entering the royal palace word came to them from ozma that she would at once grant them an audience. dorothy told the girl ruler how successful they had been in their quest until they came to the item of the yellow butterfly, which the tin woodman positively refused to sacrifice to the magic potion. "he is quite right," said ozma, who did not seem a bit surprised. "had ojo told me that one of the things he sought was the wing of a yellow butterfly i would have informed him, before he started out, that he could never secure it. then you would have been saved the troubles and annoyances of your long journey." "i didn't mind the journey at all," said dorothy; "it was fun." "as it has turned out," remarked ojo, "i can never get the things the crooked magician sent me for; and so, unless i wait the six years for him to make the powder of life, unc nunkie cannot be saved." ozma smiled. "dr. pipt will make no more powder of life, i promise you," said she. "i have sent for him and had him brought to this palace, where he now is, and his four kettles have been destroyed and his book of recipes burned up. i have also had brought here the marble statues of your uncle and of margolotte, which are standing in the next room." they were all greatly astonished at this announcement. "oh, let me see unc nunkie! let me see him at once, please!" cried ojo eagerly. "wait a moment," replied ozma, "for i have something more to say. nothing that happens in the land of oz escapes the notice of our wise sorceress, glinda the good. she knew all about the magic-making of dr. pipt, and how he had brought the glass cat and the patchwork girl to life, and the accident to unc nunkie and margolotte, and of ojo's quest and his journey with dorothy. glinda also knew that ojo would fail to find all the things he sought, so she sent for our wizard and instructed him what to do. something is going to happen in this palace, presently, and that 'something' will, i am sure, please you all. and now," continued the girl ruler, rising from her chair, "you may follow me into the next room." chapter twenty-eight the wonderful wizard of oz when ojo entered the room he ran quickly to the statue of unc nunkie and kissed the marble face affectionately. "i did my best, unc," he said, with a sob, "but it was no use!" then he drew back and looked around the room, and the sight of the assembled company quite amazed him. aside from the marble statues of unc nunkie and margolotte, the glass cat was there, curled up on a rug; and the woozy was there, sitting on its square hind legs and looking on the scene with solemn interest; and there was the shaggy man, in a suit of shaggy pea-green satin, and at a table sat the little wizard, looking quite important and as if he knew much more than he cared to tell. last of all, dr. pipt was there, and the crooked magician sat humped up in a chair, seeming very dejected but keeping his eyes fixed on the lifeless form of his wife margolotte, whom he fondly loved but whom he now feared was lost to him forever. ozma took a chair which jellia jamb wheeled forward for the ruler, and back of her stood the scarecrow, the tin woodman and dorothy, as well as the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger. the wizard now arose and made a low bow to ozma and another less deferent bow to the assembled company. "ladies and gentlemen and beasts," he said, "i beg to announce that our gracious ruler has permitted me to obey the commands of the great sorceress, glinda the good, whose humble assistant i am proud to be. we have discovered that the crooked magician has been indulging in his magical arts contrary to law, and therefore, by royal edict, i hereby deprive him of all power to work magic in the future. he is no longer a crooked magician, but a simple munchkin; he is no longer even crooked, but a man like other men." as he pronounced these words the wizard waved his hand toward dr. pipt and instantly every crooked limb straightened out and became perfect. the former magician, with a cry of joy, sprang to his feet, looked at himself in wonder, and then fell back in his chair and watched the wizard with fascinated interest. "the glass cat, which dr. pipt lawlessly made," continued the wizard, "is a pretty cat, but its pink brains made it so conceited that it was a disagreeable companion to everyone. so the other day i took away the pink brains and replaced them with transparent ones, and now the glass cat is so modest and well behaved that ozma has decided to keep her in the palace as a pet." "i thank you," said the cat, in a soft voice. "the woozy has proved himself a good woozy and a faithful friend," the wizard went on, "so we will send him to the royal menagerie, where he will have good care and plenty to eat all his life." "much obliged," said the woozy. "that beats being fenced up in a lonely forest and starved." "as for the patchwork girl," resumed the wizard, "she is so remarkable in appearance, and so clever and good tempered, that our gracious ruler intends to preserve her carefully, as one of the curiosities of the curious land of oz. scraps may live in the palace, or wherever she pleases, and be nobody's servant but her own." "that's all right," said scraps. "we have all been interested in ojo," the little wizard continued, "because his love for his unfortunate uncle has led him bravely to face all sorts of dangers, in order that he might rescue him. the munchkin boy has a loyal and generous heart and has done his best to restore unc nunkie to life. he has failed, but there are others more powerful than the crooked magician, and there are more ways than dr. pipt knew of to destroy the charm of the liquid of petrifaction. glinda the good has told me of one way, and you shall now learn how great is the knowledge and power of our peerless sorceress." as he said this the wizard advanced to the statue of margolote and made a magic pass, at the same time muttering a magic word that none could hear distinctly. at once the woman moved, turned her head wonderingly this way and that, to note all who stood before her, and seeing dr. pipt, ran forward and threw herself into her husband's outstretched arms. then the wizard made the magic pass and spoke the magic word before the statue of unc nunkie. the old munchkin immediately came to life and with a low bow to the wizard said: "thanks." but now ojo rushed up and threw his arms joyfully about his uncle, and the old man hugged his little nephew tenderly and stroked his hair and wiped away the boy's tears with a handkerchief, for ojo was crying from pure happiness. ozma came forward to congratulate them. "i have given to you, my dear ojo and unc nunkie, a nice house just outside the walls of the emerald city," she said, "and there you shall make your future home and be under my protection." "didn't i say you were ojo the lucky?" asked the tin woodman, as everyone crowded around to shake ojo's hand. "yes; and it is true!" replied ojo, gratefully. tik-tok of oz by l. frank baum to louis f. gottschalk, whose sweet and dainty melodies breathe the true spirit of fairyland, this book is affectionately dedicated to my readers the very marked success of my last year's fairy book, "the patchwork girl of oz," convinces me that my readers like the oz stories "best of all," as one little girl wrote me. so here, my dears, is a new oz story in which is introduced ann soforth, the queen of oogaboo, whom tik-tok assisted in conquering our old acquaintance, the nome king. it also tells of betsy bobbin and how, after many adventures, she finally reached the marvelous land of oz. there is a play called "the tik-tok man of oz," but it is not like this story of "tik-tok of oz," although some of the adventures recorded in this book, as well as those in several other oz books, are included in the play. those who have seen the play and those who have read the other oz books will find in this story a lot of strange characters and adventures that they have never heard of before. in the letters i receive from children there has been an urgent appeal for me to write a story that will take trot and cap'n bill to the land of oz, where they will meet dorothy and ozma. also they think button-bright ought to get acquainted with ojo the lucky. as you know, i am obliged to talk these matters over with dorothy by means of the "wireless," for that is the only way i can communicate with the land of oz. when i asked her about this idea, she replied: "why, haven't you heard?" i said "no." "well," came the message over the wireless, "i'll tell you all about it, by and by, and then you can make a book of that story for the children to read." so, if dorothy keeps her word and i am permitted to write another oz book, you will probably discover how all these characters came together in the famous emerald city. meantime, i want to tell all my little friends--whose numbers are increasing by many thousands every year--that i am very grateful for the favor they have shown my books and for the delightful little letters i am constantly receiving. i am almost sure that i have as many friends among the children of america as any story writer alive; and this, of course, makes me very proud and happy. l. frank baum. "ozcot" at hollywood in california, . list of chapters - ann's army - out of oogaboo - magic mystifies the marchers - betsy braves the bellows - the roses repulse the refugees - shaggy seeks his stray brother - polychrome's pitiful plight - tik-tok tackles a tough task - ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless - a terrible tumble through a tube - the famous fellowship of fairies - the lovely lady of light - the jinjin's just judgment - the long-eared hearer learns by listening - the dragon defies danger - the naughty nome - a tragic transformation - a clever conquest - king kaliko - quox quietly quits - a bashful brother - kindly kisses - ruggedo reforms - dorothy is delighted - the land of love tik-tok of oz chapter one ann's army "i won't!" cried ann; "i won't sweep the floor. it is beneath my dignity." "some one must sweep it," replied ann's younger sister, salye; "else we shall soon be wading in dust. and you are the eldest, and the head of the family." "i'm queen of oogaboo," said ann, proudly. "but," she added with a sigh, "my kingdom is the smallest and the poorest in all the land of oz." this was quite true. away up in the mountains, in a far corner of the beautiful fairyland of oz, lies a small valley which is named oogaboo, and in this valley lived a few people who were usually happy and contented and never cared to wander over the mountain pass into the more settled parts of the land. they knew that all of oz, including their own territory, was ruled by a beautiful princess named ozma, who lived in the splendid emerald city; yet the simple folk of oogaboo never visited ozma. they had a royal family of their own--not especially to rule over them, but just as a matter of pride. ozma permitted the various parts of her country to have their kings and queens and emperors and the like, but all were ruled over by the lovely girl queen of the emerald city. the king of oogaboo used to be a man named jol jemkiph soforth, who for many years did all the drudgery of deciding disputes and telling his people when to plant cabbages and pickle onions. but the king's wife had a sharp tongue and small respect for the king, her husband; therefore one night king jol crept over the pass into the land of oz and disappeared from oogaboo for good and all. the queen waited a few years for him to return and then started in search of him, leaving her eldest daughter, ann soforth, to act as queen. now, ann had not forgotten when her birthday came, for that meant a party and feasting and dancing, but she had quite forgotten how many years the birthdays marked. in a land where people live always, this is not considered a cause for regret, so we may justly say that queen ann of oogaboo was old enough to make jelly--and let it go at that. but she didn't make jelly, or do any more of the housework than she could help. she was an ambitious woman and constantly resented the fact that her kingdom was so tiny and her people so stupid and unenterprising. often she wondered what had become of her father and mother, out beyond the pass, in the wonderful land of oz, and the fact that they did not return to oogaboo led ann to suspect that they had found a better place to live. so, when salye refused to sweep the floor of the living room in the palace, and ann would not sweep it, either, she said to her sister: "i'm going away. this absurd kingdom of oogaboo tires me." "go, if you want to," answered salye; "but you are very foolish to leave this place." "why?" asked ann. "because in the land of oz, which is ozma's country, you will be a nobody, while here you are a queen." "oh, yes! queen over eighteen men, twenty-seven women and forty-four children!" returned ann bitterly. "well, there are certainly more people than that in the great land of oz," laughed salye. "why don't you raise an army and conquer them, and be queen of all oz?" she asked, trying to taunt ann and so to anger her. then she made a face at her sister and went into the back yard to swing in the hammock. her jeering words, however, had given queen ann an idea. she reflected that oz was reported to be a peaceful country and ozma a mere girl who ruled with gentleness to all and was obeyed because her people loved her. even in oogaboo the story was told that ozma's sole army consisted of twenty-seven fine officers, who wore beautiful uniforms but carried no weapons, because there was no one to fight. once there had been a private soldier, besides the officers, but ozma had made him a captain-general and taken away his gun for fear it might accidentally hurt some one. the more ann thought about the matter the more she was convinced it would be easy to conquer the land of oz and set herself up as ruler in ozma's place, if she but had an army to do it with. afterward she could go out into the world and conquer other lands, and then perhaps she could find a way to the moon, and conquer that. she had a warlike spirit that preferred trouble to idleness. it all depended on an army, ann decided. she carefully counted in her mind all the men of her kingdom. yes; there were exactly eighteen of them, all told. that would not make a very big army, but by surprising ozma's unarmed officers her men might easily subdue them. "gentle people are always afraid of those that bluster," ann told herself. "i don't wish to shed any blood, for that would shock my nerves and i might faint; but if we threaten and flash our weapons i am sure the people of oz will fall upon their knees before me and surrender." this argument, which she repeated to herself more than once, finally determined the queen of oogaboo to undertake the audacious venture. "whatever happens," she reflected, "can make me no more unhappy than my staying shut up in this miserable valley and sweeping floors and quarreling with sister salye; so i will venture all, and win what i may." that very day she started out to organize her army. the first man she came to was jo apple, so called because he had an apple orchard. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i want you to join my army." "don't ask me to do such a fool thing, for i must politely refuse your majesty," said jo apple. "i have no intention of asking you. i shall command you, as queen of oogaboo, to join," said ann. "in that case, i suppose i must obey," the man remarked, in a sad voice. "but i pray you to consider that i am a very important citizen, and for that reason am entitled to an office of high rank." "you shall be a general," promised ann. "with gold epaulets and a sword?" he asked. "of course," said the queen. then she went to the next man, whose name was jo bunn, as he owned an orchard where graham-buns and wheat-buns, in great variety, both hot and cold, grew on the trees. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i command you to join my army." "impossible!" he exclaimed. "the bun crop has to be picked." "let your wife and children do the picking," said ann. "but i'm a man of great importance, your majesty," he protested. "for that reason you shall be one of my generals, and wear a cocked hat with gold braid, and curl your mustaches and clank a long sword," she promised. so he consented, although sorely against his will, and the queen walked on to the next cottage. here lived jo cone, so called because the trees in his orchard bore crops of excellent ice-cream cones. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and you must join my army." "excuse me, please," said jo cone. "i am a bad fighter. my good wife conquered me years ago, for she can fight better than i. take her, your majesty, instead of me, and i'll bless you for the favor." "this must be an army of men--fierce, ferocious warriors," declared ann, looking sternly upon the mild little man. "and you will leave my wife here in oogaboo?" he asked. "yes; and make you a general." "i'll go," said jo cone, and ann went on to the cottage of jo clock, who had an orchard of clock-trees. this man at first insisted that he would not join the army, but queen ann's promise to make him a general finally won his consent. "how many generals are there in your army?" he asked. "four, so far," replied ann. "and how big will the army be?" was his next question. "i intend to make every one of the eighteen men in oogaboo join it," she said. "then four generals are enough," announced jo clock. "i advise you to make the rest of them colonels." ann tried to follow his advice. the next four men she visited--who were jo plum, jo egg, jo banjo and jo cheese, named after the trees in their orchards--she made colonels of her army; but the fifth one, jo nails, said colonels and generals were getting to be altogether too common in the army of oogaboo and he preferred to be a major. so jo nails, jo cake, jo ham and jo stockings were all four made majors, while the next four--jo sandwich, jo padlocks, jo sundae and jo buttons--were appointed captains of the army. but now queen ann was in a quandary. there remained but two other men in all oogaboo, and if she made these two lieutenants, while there were four captains, four majors, four colonels and four generals, there was likely to be jealousy in her army, and perhaps mutiny and desertions. one of these men, however, was jo candy, and he would not go at all. no promises could tempt him, nor could threats move him. he said he must remain at home to harvest his crop of jackson-balls, lemon-drops, bonbons and chocolate-creams. also he had large fields of crackerjack and buttered pop corn to be mowed and threshed, and he was determined not to disappoint the children of oogaboo by going away to conquer the world and so let the candy crop spoil. finding jo candy so obstinate, queen ann let him have his own way and continued her journey to the house of the eighteenth and last man in oogaboo, who was a young fellow named jo files. this files had twelve trees which bore steel files of various sorts; but also he had nine book-trees, on which grew a choice selection of story-books. in case you have never seen books growing upon trees, i will explain that those in jo files' orchard were enclosed in broad green husks which, when fully ripe, turned to a deep red color. then the books were picked and husked and were ready to read. if they were picked too soon, the stories were found to be confused and uninteresting and the spelling bad. however, if allowed to ripen perfectly, the stories were fine reading and the spelling and grammar excellent. files freely gave his books to all who wanted them, but the people of oogaboo cared little for books and so he had to read most of them himself, before they spoiled. for, as you probably know, as soon as the books were read the words disappeared and the leaves withered and faded--which is the worst fault of all books which grow upon trees. when queen ann spoke to this young man files, who was both intelligent and ambitious, he said he thought it would be great fun to conquer the world. but he called her attention to the fact that he was far superior to the other men of her army. therefore, he would not be one of her generals or colonels or majors or captains, but claimed the honor of being sole private. ann did not like this idea at all. "i hate to have a private soldier in my army," she said; "they're so common. i am told that princess ozma once had a private soldier, but she made him her captain-general, which is good evidence that the private was unnecessary." "ozma's army doesn't fight," returned files; "but your army must fight like fury in order to conquer the world. i have read in my books that it is always the private soldiers who do the fighting, for no officer is ever brave enough to face the foe. also, it stands to reason that your officers must have some one to command and to issue their orders to; therefore i'll be the one. i long to slash and slay the enemy and become a hero. then, when we return to oogaboo, i'll take all the marbles away from the children and melt them up and make a marble statue of myself for all to look upon and admire." ann was much pleased with private files. he seemed indeed to be such a warrior as she needed in her enterprise, and her hopes of success took a sudden bound when files told her he knew where a gun-tree grew and would go there at once and pick the ripest and biggest musket the tree bore. chapter two out of oogaboo three days later the grand army of oogaboo assembled in the square in front of the royal palace. the sixteen officers were attired in gorgeous uniforms and carried sharp, glittering swords. the private had picked his gun and, although it was not a very big weapon, files tried to look fierce and succeeded so well that all his commanding officers were secretly afraid of him. the women were there, protesting that queen ann soforth had no right to take their husbands and fathers from them; but ann commanded them to keep silent, and that was the hardest order to obey they had ever received. the queen appeared before her army dressed in an imposing uniform of green, covered with gold braid. she wore a green soldier-cap with a purple plume in it and looked so royal and dignified that everyone in oogaboo except the army was glad she was going. the army was sorry she was not going alone. "form ranks!" she cried in her shrill voice. salye leaned out of the palace window and laughed. "i believe your army can run better than it can fight," she observed. "of course," replied general bunn, proudly. "we're not looking for trouble, you know, but for plunder. the more plunder and the less fighting we get, the better we shall like our work." "for my part," said files, "i prefer war and carnage to anything. the only way to become a hero is to conquer, and the story-books all say that the easiest way to conquer is to fight." "that's the idea, my brave man!" agreed ann. "to fight is to conquer and to conquer is to secure plunder and to secure plunder is to become a hero. with such noble determination to back me, the world is mine! good-bye, salye. when we return we shall be rich and famous. come, generals; let us march." at this the generals straightened up and threw out their chests. then they swung their glittering swords in rapid circles and cried to the colonels: "for-ward march!" then the colonels shouted to the majors: "for-ward march!" and the majors yelled to the captains: "for-ward march!" and the captains screamed to the private: "for-ward march!" so files shouldered his gun and began to march, and all the officers followed after him. queen ann came last of all, rejoicing in her noble army and wondering why she had not decided long ago to conquer the world. in this order the procession marched out of oogaboo and took the narrow mountain pass which led into the lovely fairyland of oz. chapter three magic mystifies the marchers princess ozma was all unaware that the army of oogaboo, led by their ambitious queen, was determined to conquer her kingdom. the beautiful girl ruler of oz was busy with the welfare of her subjects and had no time to think of ann soforth and her disloyal plans. but there was one who constantly guarded the peace and happiness of the land of oz and this was the official sorceress of the kingdom, glinda the good. in her magnificent castle, which stands far north of the emerald city where ozma holds her court, glinda owns a wonderful magic record book, in which is printed every event that takes place anywhere, just as soon as it happens. the smallest things and the biggest things are all recorded in this book. if a child stamps its foot in anger, glinda reads about it; if a city burns down, glinda finds the fact noted in her book. the sorceress always reads her record book every day, and so it was she knew that ann soforth, queen of oogaboo, had foolishly assembled an army of sixteen officers and one private soldier, with which she intended to invade and conquer the land of oz. there was no danger but that ozma, supported by the magic arts of glinda the good and the powerful wizard of oz--both her firm friends--could easily defeat a far more imposing army than ann's; but it would be a shame to have the peace of oz interrupted by any sort of quarreling or fighting. so glinda did not even mention the matter to ozma, or to anyone else. she merely went into a great chamber of her castle, known as the magic room, where she performed a magical ceremony which caused the mountain pass that led from oogaboo to make several turns and twists. the result was that when ann and her army came to the end of the pass they were not in the land of oz at all, but in an adjoining territory that was quite distinct from ozma's domain and separated from oz by an invisible barrier. as the oogaboo people emerged into this country, the pass they had traversed disappeared behind them and it was not likely they would ever find their way back into the valley of oogaboo. they were greatly puzzled, indeed, by their surroundings and did not know which way to go. none of them had ever visited oz, so it took them some time to discover they were not in oz at all, but in an unknown country. "never mind," said ann, trying to conceal her disappointment; "we have started out to conquer the world, and here is part of it. in time, as we pursue our victorious journey, we will doubtless come to oz; but, until we get there, we may as well conquer whatever land we find ourselves in." "have we conquered this place, your majesty?" anxiously inquired major cake. "most certainly," said ann. "we have met no people, as yet, but when we do, we will inform them that they are our slaves." "and afterward we will plunder them of all their possessions," added general apple. "they may not possess anything," objected private files; "but i hope they will fight us, just the same. a peaceful conquest wouldn't be any fun at all." "don't worry," said the queen. "_we_ can fight, whether our foes do or not; and perhaps we would find it more comfortable to have the enemy surrender promptly." it was a barren country and not very pleasant to travel in. moreover, there was little for them to eat, and as the officers became hungry they became fretful. many would have deserted had they been able to find their way home, but as the oogaboo people were now hopelessly lost in a strange country they considered it more safe to keep together than to separate. queen ann's temper, never very agreeable, became sharp and irritable as she and her army tramped over the rocky roads without encountering either people or plunder. she scolded her officers until they became surly, and a few of them were disloyal enough to ask her to hold her tongue. others began to reproach her for leading them into difficulties and in the space of three unhappy days every man was mourning for his orchard in the pretty valley of oogaboo. files, however, proved a different sort. the more difficulties he encountered the more cheerful he became, and the sighs of the officers were answered by the merry whistle of the private. his pleasant disposition did much to encourage queen ann and before long she consulted the private soldier more often than she did his superiors. it was on the third day of their pilgrimage that they encountered their first adventure. toward evening the sky was suddenly darkened and major nails exclaimed: "a fog is coming toward us." "i do not think it is a fog," replied files, looking with interest at the approaching cloud. "it seems to me more like the breath of a rak." "what is a rak?" asked ann, looking about fearfully. "a terrible beast with a horrible appetite," answered the soldier, growing a little paler than usual. "i have never seen a rak, to be sure, but i have read of them in the story-books that grew in my orchard, and if this is indeed one of those fearful monsters, we are not likely to conquer the world." hearing this, the officers became quite worried and gathered closer about their soldier. "what is the thing like?" asked one. "the only picture of a rak that i ever saw in a book was rather blurred," said files, "because the book was not quite ripe when it was picked. but the creature can fly in the air and run like a deer and swim like a fish. inside its body is a glowing furnace of fire, and the rak breathes in air and breathes out smoke, which darkens the sky for miles around, wherever it goes. it is bigger than a hundred men and feeds on any living thing." the officers now began to groan and to tremble, but files tried to cheer them, saying: "it may not be a rak, after all, that we see approaching us, and you must not forget that we people of oogaboo, which is part of the fairyland of oz, cannot be killed." "nevertheless," said captain buttons, "if the rak catches us, and chews us up into small pieces, and swallows us--what will happen then?" "then each small piece will still be alive," declared files. "i cannot see how that would help us," wailed colonel banjo. "a hamburger steak is a hamburger steak, whether it is alive or not!" "i tell you, this may not be a rak," persisted files. "we will know, when the cloud gets nearer, whether it is the breath of a rak or not. if it has no smell at all, it is probably a fog; but if it has an odor of salt and pepper, it is a rak and we must prepare for a desperate fight." they all eyed the dark cloud fearfully. before long it reached the frightened group and began to envelop them. every nose sniffed the cloud--and every one detected in it the odor of salt and pepper. "the rak!" shouted private files, and with a howl of despair the sixteen officers fell to the ground, writhing and moaning in anguish. queen ann sat down upon a rock and faced the cloud more bravely, although her heart was beating fast. as for files, he calmly loaded his gun and stood ready to fight the foe, as a soldier should. they were now in absolute darkness, for the cloud which covered the sky and the setting sun was black as ink. then through the gloom appeared two round, glowing balls of red, and files at once decided these must be the monster's eyes. he raised his gun, took aim and fired. there were several bullets in the gun, all gathered from an excellent bullet-tree in oogaboo, and they were big and hard. they flew toward the monster and struck it, and with a wild, weird cry the rak came fluttering down and its huge body fell plump upon the forms of the sixteen officers, who thereupon screamed louder than before. "badness me!" moaned the rak. "see what you've done with that dangerous gun of yours!" "i can't see," replied files, "for the cloud formed by your breath darkens my sight!" "don't tell me it was an accident," continued the rak, reproachfully, as it still flapped its wings in a helpless manner. "don't claim you didn't know the gun was loaded, i beg of you!" "i don't intend to," replied files. "did the bullets hurt you very badly?" "one has broken my jaw, so that i can't open my mouth. you will notice that my voice sounds rather harsh and husky, because i have to talk with my teeth set close together. another bullet broke my left wing, so that i can't fly; and still another broke my right leg, so that i can't walk. it was the most careless shot i ever heard of!" "can't you manage to lift your body off from my commanding officers?" inquired files. "from their cries i'm afraid your great weight is crushing them." "i hope it is," growled the rak. "i want to crush them, if possible, for i have a bad disposition. if only i could open my mouth, i'd eat all of you, although my appetite is poorly this warm weather." with this the rak began to roll its immense body sidewise, so as to crush the officers more easily; but in doing this it rolled completely off from them and the entire sixteen scrambled to their feet and made off as fast as they could run. private files could not see them go but he knew from the sound of their voices that they had escaped, so he ceased to worry about them. "pardon me if i now bid you good-bye," he said to the rak. "the parting is caused by our desire to continue our journey. if you die, do not blame me, for i was obliged to shoot you as a matter of self-protection." "i shall not die," answered the monster, "for i bear a charmed life. but i beg you not to leave me!" "why not?" asked files. "because my broken jaw will heal in about an hour, and then i shall be able to eat you. my wing will heal in a day and my leg will heal in a week, when i shall be as well as ever. having shot me, and so caused me all this annoyance, it is only fair and just that you remain here and allow me to eat you as soon as i can open my jaws." "i beg to differ with you," returned the soldier firmly. "i have made an engagement with queen ann of oogaboo to help her conquer the world, and i cannot break my word for the sake of being eaten by a rak." "oh; that's different," said the monster. "if you've an engagement, don't let me detain you." so files felt around in the dark and grasped the hand of the trembling queen, whom he led away from the flapping, sighing rak. they stumbled over the stones for a way but presently began to see dimly the path ahead of them, as they got farther and farther away from the dreadful spot where the wounded monster lay. by and by they reached a little hill and could see the last rays of the sun flooding a pretty valley beyond, for now they had passed beyond the cloudy breath of the rak. here were huddled the sixteen officers, still frightened and panting from their run. they had halted only because it was impossible for them to run any farther. queen ann gave them a severe scolding for their cowardice, at the same time praising files for his courage. "we are wiser than he, however," muttered general clock, "for by running away we are now able to assist your majesty in conquering the world; whereas, had files been eaten by the rak, he would have deserted your army." after a brief rest they descended into the valley, and as soon as they were out of sight of the rak the spirits of the entire party rose quickly. just at dusk they came to a brook, on the banks of which queen ann commanded them to make camp for the night. each officer carried in his pocket a tiny white tent. this, when placed upon the ground, quickly grew in size until it was large enough to permit the owner to enter it and sleep within its canvas walls. files was obliged to carry a knapsack, in which was not only his own tent but an elaborate pavilion for queen ann, besides a bed and chair and a magic table. this table, when set upon the ground in ann's pavilion, became of large size, and in a drawer of the table was contained the queen's supply of extra clothing, her manicure and toilet articles and other necessary things. the royal bed was the only one in the camp, the officers and private sleeping in hammocks attached to their tent poles. there was also in the knapsack a flag bearing the royal emblem of oogaboo, and this flag files flew upon its staff every night, to show that the country they were in had been conquered by the queen of oogaboo. so far, no one but themselves had seen the flag, but ann was pleased to see it flutter in the breeze and considered herself already a famous conqueror. chapter four betsy braves the billows the waves dashed and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled and the ship struck a rock. betsy bobbin was running across the deck and the shock sent her flying through the air until she fell with a splash into the dark blue water. the same shock caught hank, a thin little, sad-faced mule, and tumbled him also into the sea, far from the ship's side. when betsy came up, gasping for breath because the wet plunge had surprised her, she reached out in the dark and grabbed a bunch of hair. at first she thought it was the end of a rope, but presently she heard a dismal "hee-haw!" and knew she was holding fast to the end of hank's tail. suddenly the sea was lighted up by a vivid glare. the ship, now in the far distance, caught fire, blew up and sank beneath the waves. betsy shuddered at the sight, but just then her eye caught a mass of wreckage floating near her and she let go the mule's tail and seized the rude raft, pulling herself up so that she rode upon it in safety. hank also saw the raft and swam to it, but he was so clumsy he never would have been able to climb upon it had not betsy helped him to get aboard. they had to crowd close together, for their support was only a hatch-cover torn from the ship's deck; but it floated them fairly well and both the girl and the mule knew it would keep them from drowning. the storm was not over, by any means, when the ship went down. blinding bolts of lightning shot from cloud to cloud and the clamor of deep thunderclaps echoed far over the sea. the waves tossed the little raft here and there as a child tosses a rubber ball and betsy had a solemn feeling that for hundreds of watery miles in every direction there was no living thing besides herself and the small donkey. perhaps hank had the same thought, for he gently rubbed his nose against the frightened girl and said "hee-haw!" in his softest voice, as if to comfort her. "you'll protect me, hank dear, won't you?" she cried helplessly, and the mule said "hee-haw!" again, in tones that meant a promise. on board the ship, during the days that preceded the wreck, when the sea was calm, betsy and hank had become good friends; so, while the girl might have preferred a more powerful protector in this dreadful emergency, she felt that the mule would do all in a mule's power to guard her safety. all night they floated, and when the storm had worn itself out and passed away with a few distant growls, and the waves had grown smaller and easier to ride, betsy stretched herself out on the wet raft and fell asleep. hank did not sleep a wink. perhaps he felt it his duty to guard betsy. anyhow, he crouched on the raft beside the tired sleeping girl and watched patiently until the first light of dawn swept over the sea. the light wakened betsy bobbin. she sat up, rubbed her eyes and stared across the water. "oh, hank; there's land ahead!" she exclaimed. "hee-haw!" answered hank in his plaintive voice. the raft was floating swiftly toward a very beautiful country and as they drew near betsy could see banks of lovely flowers showing brightly between leafy trees. but no people were to be seen at all. chapter five the roses repulse the refugees gently the raft grated on the sandy beach. then betsy easily waded ashore, the mule following closely behind her. the sun was now shining and the air was warm and laden with the fragrance of roses. "i'd like some breakfast, hank," remarked the girl, feeling more cheerful now that she was on dry land; "but we can't eat the flowers, although they do smell mighty good." "hee-haw!" replied hank and trotted up a little pathway to the top of the bank. betsy followed and from the eminence looked around her. a little way off stood a splendid big greenhouse, its thousands of crystal panes glittering in the sunlight. "there ought to be people somewhere 'round," observed betsy thoughtfully; "gardeners, or somebody. let's go and see, hank. i'm getting hungrier ev'ry minute." so they walked toward the great greenhouse and came to its entrance without meeting with anyone at all. a door stood ajar, so hank went in first, thinking if there was any danger he could back out and warn his companion. but betsy was close at his heels and the moment she entered was lost in amazement at the wonderful sight she saw. the greenhouse was filled with magnificent rosebushes, all growing in big pots. on the central stem of each bush bloomed a splendid rose, gorgeously colored and deliciously fragrant, and in the center of each rose was the face of a lovely girl. as betsy and hank entered, the heads of the roses were drooping and their eyelids were closed in slumber; but the mule was so amazed that he uttered a loud "hee-haw!" and at the sound of his harsh voice the rose leaves fluttered, the roses raised their heads and a hundred startled eyes were instantly fixed upon the intruders. "i--i beg your pardon!" stammered betsy, blushing and confused. "o-o-o-h!" cried the roses, in a sort of sighing chorus; and one of them added: "what a horrid noise!" "why, that was only hank," said betsy, and as if to prove the truth of her words the mule uttered another loud "hee-haw!" at this all the roses turned on their stems as far as they were able and trembled as if some one were shaking their bushes. a dainty moss rose gasped: "dear me! how dreadfully dreadful!" "it isn't dreadful at all," said betsy, somewhat indignant. "when you get used to hank's voice it will put you to sleep." the roses now looked at the mule less fearfully and one of them asked: "is that savage beast named hank?" "yes; hank's my comrade, faithful and true," answered the girl, twining her arms around the little mule's neck and hugging him tight. "aren't you, hank?" hank could only say in reply: "hee-haw!" and at his bray the roses shivered again. "please go away!" begged one. "can't you see you're frightening us out of a week's growth?" "go away!" echoed betsy. "why, we've no place to go. we've just been wrecked." "wrecked?" asked the roses in a surprised chorus. "yes; we were on a big ship and the storm came and wrecked it," explained the girl. "but hank and i caught hold of a raft and floated ashore to this place, and--we're tired and hungry. what country _is_ this, please?" "this is the rose kingdom," replied the moss rose, haughtily, "and it is devoted to the culture of the rarest and fairest roses grown." "i believe it," said betsy, admiring the pretty blossoms. "but only roses are allowed here," continued a delicate tea rose, bending her brows in a frown; "therefore you must go away before the royal gardener finds you and casts you back into the sea." "oh! is there a royal gardener, then?" inquired betsy. "to be sure." "and is he a rose, also?" "of course not; he's a man--a wonderful man," was the reply. "well, i'm not afraid of a man," declared the girl, much relieved, and even as she spoke the royal gardener popped into the greenhouse--a spading fork in one hand and a watering pot in the other. he was a funny little man, dressed in a rose-colored costume, with ribbons at his knees and elbows, and a bunch of ribbons in his hair. his eyes were small and twinkling, his nose sharp and his face puckered and deeply lined. "o-ho!" he exclaimed, astonished to find strangers in his greenhouse, and when hank gave a loud bray the gardener threw the watering pot over the mule's head and danced around with his fork, in such agitation that presently he fell over the handle of the implement and sprawled at full length upon the ground. betsy laughed and pulled the watering pot off from hank's head. the little mule was angry at the treatment he had received and backed toward the gardener threateningly. "look out for his heels!" called betsy warningly and the gardener scrambled to his feet and hastily hid behind the roses. "you are breaking the law!" he shouted, sticking out his head to glare at the girl and the mule. "what law?" asked betsy. "the law of the rose kingdom. no strangers are allowed in these domains." "not when they're shipwrecked?" she inquired. "the law doesn't except shipwrecks," replied the royal gardener, and he was about to say more when suddenly there was a crash of glass and a man came tumbling through the roof of the greenhouse and fell plump to the ground. chapter six shaggy seeks his stray brother this sudden arrival was a queer looking man, dressed all in garments so shaggy that betsy at first thought he must be some animal. but the stranger ended his fall in a sitting position and then the girl saw it was really a man. he held an apple in his hand, which he had evidently been eating when he fell, and so little was he jarred or flustered by the accident that he continued to munch this apple as he calmly looked around him. "good gracious!" exclaimed betsy, approaching him. "who _are_ you, and where did you come from?" "me? oh, i'm shaggy man," said he, taking another bite of the apple. "just dropped in for a short call. excuse my seeming haste." "why, i s'pose you couldn't help the haste," said betsy. "no. i climbed an apple tree, outside; branch gave way and--here i am." as he spoke the shaggy man finished his apple, gave the core to hank--who ate it greedily--and then stood up to bow politely to betsy and the roses. the royal gardener had been frightened nearly into fits by the crash of glass and the fall of the shaggy stranger into the bower of roses, but now he peeped out from behind a bush and cried in his squeaky voice: "you're breaking the law! you're breaking the law!" shaggy stared at him solemnly. "is the glass the law in this country?" he asked. "breaking the glass is breaking the law," squeaked the gardener, angrily. "also, to intrude in any part of the rose kingdom is breaking the law." "how do you know?" asked shaggy. "why, it's printed in a book," said the gardener, coming forward and taking a small book from his pocket. "page thirteen. here it is: 'if any stranger enters the rose kingdom he shall at once be condemned by the ruler and put to death.' so you see, strangers," he continued triumphantly, "it's death for you all and your time has come!" but just here hank interposed. he had been stealthily backing toward the royal gardener, whom he disliked, and now the mule's heels shot out and struck the little man in the middle. he doubled up like the letter "u" and flew out of the door so swiftly--never touching the ground--that he was gone before betsy had time to wink. but the mule's attack frightened the girl. "come," she whispered, approaching the shaggy man and taking his hand; "let's go somewhere else. they'll surely kill us if we stay here!" "don't worry, my dear," replied shaggy, patting the child's head. "i'm not afraid of anything, so long as i have the love magnet." "the love magnet! why, what is that?" asked betsy. "it's a charming little enchantment that wins the heart of everyone who looks upon it," was the reply. "the love magnet used to hang over the gateway to the emerald city, in the land of oz; but when i started on this journey our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, allowed me to take it with me." "oh!" cried betsy, staring hard at him; "are you really from the wonderful land of oz?" "yes. ever been there, my dear?" "no; but i've heard about it. and do you know princess ozma?" "very well indeed." "and--and princess dorothy?" "dorothy's an old chum of mine," declared shaggy. "dear me!" exclaimed betsy. "and why did you ever leave such a beautiful land as oz?" "on an errand," said shaggy, looking sad and solemn. "i'm trying to find my dear little brother." "oh! is he lost?" questioned betsy, feeling very sorry for the poor man. "been lost these ten years," replied shaggy, taking out a handkerchief and wiping a tear from his eye. "i didn't know it until lately, when i saw it recorded in the magic record book of the sorceress glinda, in the land of oz. so now i'm trying to find him." "where was he lost?" asked the girl sympathetically. "back in colorado, where i used to live before i went to oz. brother was a miner, and dug gold out of a mine. one day he went into his mine and never came out. they searched for him, but he was not there. disappeared entirely," shaggy ended miserably. "for goodness sake! what do you s'pose became of him?" she asked. "there is only one explanation," replied shaggy, taking another apple from his pocket and eating it to relieve his misery. "the nome king probably got him." "the nome king! who is he?" "why, he's sometimes called the metal monarch, and his name is ruggedo. lives in some underground cavern. claims to own all the metals hidden in the earth. don't ask me why." "why?" "'cause i don't know. but this ruggedo gets wild with anger if anyone digs gold out of the earth, and my private opinion is that he captured brother and carried him off to his underground kingdom. no--don't ask me why. i see you're dying to ask me why. but i don't know." "but--dear me!--in that case you will never find your lost brother!" exclaimed the girl. "maybe not; but it's my duty to try," answered shaggy. "i've wandered so far without finding him, but that only proves he is not where i've been looking. what i seek now is the hidden passage to the underground cavern of the terrible metal monarch." "well," said betsy doubtfully, "it strikes me that if you ever manage to get there the metal monarch will make you, too, his prisoner." "nonsense!" answered shaggy, carelessly. "you mustn't forget the love magnet." "what about it?" she asked. "when the fierce metal monarch sees the love magnet, he will love me dearly and do anything i ask." "it must be wonderful," said betsy, with awe. "it is," the man assured her. "shall i show it to you?" "oh, do!" she cried; so shaggy searched in his shaggy pocket and drew out a small silver magnet, shaped like a horseshoe. the moment betsy saw it she began to like the shaggy man better than before. hank also saw the magnet and crept up to shaggy to rub his head lovingly against the man's knee. but they were interrupted by the royal gardener, who stuck his head into the greenhouse and shouted angrily: "you are all condemned to death! your only chance to escape is to leave here instantly." this startled little betsy, but the shaggy man merely waved the magnet toward the gardener, who, seeing it, rushed forward and threw himself at shaggy's feet, murmuring in honeyed words: "oh, you lovely, lovely man! how fond i am of you! every shag and bobtail that decorates you is dear to me--all i have is yours! but for goodness' sake get out of here before you die the death." "i'm not going to die," declared shaggy man. "you must. it's the law," exclaimed the gardener, beginning to weep real tears. "it breaks my heart to tell you this bad news, but the law says that all strangers must be condemned by the ruler to die the death." "no ruler has condemned us yet," said betsy. "of course not," added shaggy. "we haven't even seen the ruler of the rose kingdom." "well, to tell the truth," said the gardener, in a perplexed tone of voice, "we haven't any real ruler, just now. you see, all our rulers grow on bushes in the royal gardens, and the last one we had got mildewed and withered before his time. so we had to plant him, and at this time there is no one growing on the royal bushes who is ripe enough to pick." "how do you know?" asked betsy. "why, i'm the royal gardener. plenty of royalties are growing, i admit; but just now they are all green. until one ripens, i am supposed to rule the rose kingdom myself, and see that its laws are obeyed. therefore, much as i love you, shaggy, i must put you to death." "wait a minute," pleaded betsy. "i'd like to see those royal gardens before i die." "so would i," added shaggy man. "take us there, gardener." "oh, i can't do that," objected the gardener. but shaggy again showed him the love magnet and after one glance at it the gardener could no longer resist. he led shaggy, betsy and hank to the end of the great greenhouse and carefully unlocked a small door. passing through this they came into the splendid royal garden of the rose kingdom. it was all surrounded by a tall hedge and within the enclosure grew several enormous rosebushes having thick green leaves of the texture of velvet. upon these bushes grew the members of the royal family of the rose kingdom--men, women and children in all stages of maturity. they all seemed to have a light green hue, as if unripe or not fully developed, their flesh and clothing being alike green. they stood perfectly lifeless upon their branches, which swayed softly in the breeze, and their wide open eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing and unintelligent. while examining these curious growing people, betsy passed behind a big central bush and at once uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure. for there, blooming in perfect color and shape, stood a royal princess, whose beauty was amazing. "why, she's ripe!" cried betsy, pushing aside some of the broad leaves to observe her more clearly. "well, perhaps so," admitted the gardener, who had come to the girl's side; "but she's a girl, and so we can't use her for a ruler." "no, indeed!" came a chorus of soft voices, and looking around betsy discovered that all the roses had followed them from the greenhouse and were now grouped before the entrance. "you see," explained the gardener, "the subjects of rose kingdom don't want a girl ruler. they want a king." "a king! we want a king!" repeated the chorus of roses. "isn't she royal?" inquired shaggy, admiring the lovely princess. "of course, for she grows on a royal bush. this princess is named ozga, as she is a distant cousin of ozma of oz; and, were she but a man, we would joyfully hail her as our ruler." the gardener then turned away to talk with his roses and betsy whispered to her companion: "let's pick her, shaggy." "all right," said he. "if she's royal, she has the right to rule this kingdom, and if we pick her she will surely protect us and prevent our being hurt, or driven away." so betsy and shaggy each took an arm of the beautiful rose princess and a little twist of her feet set her free of the branch upon which she grew. very gracefully she stepped down from the bush to the ground, where she bowed low to betsy and shaggy and said in a delightfully sweet voice: "i thank you." but at the sound of these words the gardener and the roses turned and discovered that the princess had been picked, and was now alive. over every face flashed an expression of resentment and anger, and one of the roses cried aloud. "audacious mortals! what have you done?" "picked a princess for you, that's all," replied betsy, cheerfully. "but we won't have her! we want a king!" exclaimed a jacque rose, and another added with a voice of scorn: "no girl shall rule over us!" the newly-picked princess looked from one to another of her rebellious subjects in astonishment. a grieved look came over her exquisite features. "have i no welcome here, pretty subjects?" she asked gently. "have i not come from my royal bush to be your ruler?" "you were picked by mortals, without our consent," replied the moss rose, coldly; "so we refuse to allow you to rule us." "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" cried the tea rose. "just a second, please!" called shaggy, taking the love magnet from his pocket. "i guess this will win their love, princess. here--take it in your hand and let the roses see it." princess ozga took the magnet and held it poised before the eyes of her subjects; but the roses regarded it with calm disdain. "why, what's the matter?" demanded shaggy in surprise. "the magnet never failed to work before!" "i know," said betsy, nodding her head wisely. "these roses have no hearts." "that's it," agreed the gardener. "they're pretty, and sweet, and alive; but still they are roses. their stems have thorns, but no hearts." the princess sighed and handed the magnet to the shaggy man. "what shall i do?" she asked sorrowfully. "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" commanded the roses. "we will have no ruler until a man-rose--a king--is ripe enough to pick." "very well," said the gardener meekly. "you must excuse me, my dear shaggy, for opposing your wishes, but you and the others, including ozga, must get out of rose kingdom immediately, if not before." "don't you love me, gardy?" asked shaggy, carelessly displaying the magnet. "i do. i dote on thee!" answered the gardener earnestly; "but no true man will neglect his duty for the sake of love. my duty is to drive you out, so--out you go!" with this he seized a garden fork and began jabbing it at the strangers, in order to force them to leave. hank the mule was not afraid of the fork and when he got his heels near to the gardener the man fell back to avoid a kick. but now the roses crowded around the outcasts and it was soon discovered that beneath their draperies of green leaves were many sharp thorns which were more dangerous than hank's heels. neither betsy nor ozga nor shaggy nor the mule cared to brave those thorns and when they pressed away from them they found themselves slowly driven through the garden door into the greenhouse. from there they were forced out at the entrance and so through the territory of the flower-strewn rose kingdom, which was not of very great extent. the rose princess was sobbing bitterly; betsy was indignant and angry; hank uttered defiant "hee-haws" and the shaggy man whistled softly to himself. the boundary of the rose kingdom was a deep gulf, but there was a drawbridge in one place and this the royal gardener let down until the outcasts had passed over it. then he drew it up again and returned with his roses to the greenhouse, leaving the four queerly assorted comrades to wander into the bleak and unknown country that lay beyond. "i don't mind, much," remarked shaggy, as he led the way over the stony, barren ground. "i've got to search for my long-lost little brother, anyhow, so it won't matter where i go." "hank and i will help you find your brother," said betsy in her most cheerful voice. "i'm so far away from home now that i don't s'pose i'll ever find my way back; and, to tell the truth, it's more fun traveling around and having adventures than sticking at home. don't you think so, hank?" "hee-haw!" said hank, and the shaggy man thanked them both. "for my part," said princess ozga of roseland, with a gentle sigh, "i must remain forever exiled from my kingdom. so i, too, will be glad to help the shaggy man find his lost brother." "that's very kind of you, ma'am," said shaggy. "but unless i can find the underground cavern of ruggedo, the metal monarch, i shall never find poor brother." (this king was formerly named "roquat," but after he drank of the "waters of oblivion" he forgot his own name and had to take another.) "doesn't anyone know where it is?" inquired betsy. "_some_ one must know, of course," was shaggy's reply. "but we are not the ones. the only way to succeed is for us to keep going until we find a person who can direct us to ruggedo's cavern." "we may find it ourselves, without any help," suggested betsy. "who knows?" "no one knows that, except the person who's writing this story," said shaggy. "but we won't find anything--not even supper--unless we travel on. here's a path. let's take it and see where it leads to." chapter seven polychrome's pitiful plight the rain king got too much water in his basin and spilled some over the brim. that made it rain in a certain part of the country--a real hard shower, for a time--and sent the rainbow scampering to the place to show the gorgeous colors of his glorious bow as soon as the mist of rain had passed and the sky was clear. the coming of the rainbow is always a joyous event to earth folk, yet few have ever seen it close by. usually the rainbow is so far distant that you can observe its splendid hues but dimly, and that is why we seldom catch sight of the dancing daughters of the rainbow. in the barren country where the rain had just fallen there appeared to be no human beings at all; but the rainbow appeared, just the same, and dancing gayly upon its arch were the rainbow's daughters, led by the fairylike polychrome, who is so dainty and beautiful that no girl has ever quite equalled her in loveliness. polychrome was in a merry mood and danced down the arch of the bow to the ground, daring her sisters to follow her. laughing and gleeful, they also touched the ground with their twinkling feet; but all the daughters of the rainbow knew that this was a dangerous pastime, so they quickly climbed upon their bow again. all but polychrome. though the sweetest and merriest of them all, she was likewise the most reckless. moreover, it was an unusual sensation to pat the cold, damp earth with her rosy toes. before she realized it the bow had lifted and disappeared in the billowy blue sky, and here was polychrome standing helpless upon a rock, her gauzy draperies floating about her like brilliant cobwebs and not a soul--fairy or mortal--to help her regain her lost bow! "dear me!" she exclaimed, a frown passing across her pretty face, "i'm caught again. this is the second time my carelessness has left me on earth while my sisters returned to our sky palaces. the first time i enjoyed some pleasant adventures, but this is a lonely, forsaken country and i shall be very unhappy until my rainbow comes again and i can climb aboard. let me think what is best to be done." she crouched low upon the flat rock, drew her draperies about her and bowed her head. it was in this position that betsy bobbin spied polychrome as she came along the stony path, followed by hank, the princess and shaggy. at once the girl ran up to the radiant daughter of the rainbow and exclaimed: "oh, what a lovely, lovely creature!" polychrome raised her golden head. there were tears in her blue eyes. "i'm the most miserable girl in the whole world!" she sobbed. the others gathered around her. "tell us your troubles, pretty one," urged the princess. "i--i've lost my bow!" wailed polychrome. "take me, my dear," said shaggy man in a sympathetic tone, thinking she meant "beau" instead of "bow." "i don't want you!" cried polychrome, stamping her foot imperiously; "i want my _rain_bow." "oh; that's different," said shaggy. "but try to forget it. when i was young i used to cry for the rainbow myself, but i couldn't have it. looks as if _you_ couldn't have it, either; so please don't cry." polychrome looked at him reproachfully. "i don't like you," she said. "no?" replied shaggy, drawing the love magnet from his pocket; "not a little bit?--just a wee speck of a like?" "yes, yes!" said polychrome, clasping her hands in ecstasy as she gazed at the enchanted talisman; "i love you, shaggy man!" "of course you do," said he calmly; "but i don't take any credit for it. it's the love magnet's powerful charm. but you seem quite alone and friendless, little rainbow. don't you want to join our party until you find your father and sisters again?" "where are you going?" she asked. "we don't just know that," said betsy, taking her hand; "but we're trying to find shaggy's long-lost brother, who has been captured by the terrible metal monarch. won't you come with us, and help us?" polychrome looked from one to another of the queer party of travelers and a bewitching smile suddenly lighted her face. "a donkey, a mortal maid, a rose princess and a shaggy man!" she exclaimed. "surely you need help, if you intend to face ruggedo." "do you know him, then?" inquired betsy. "no, indeed. ruggedo's caverns are beneath the earth's surface, where no rainbow can ever penetrate. but i've heard of the metal monarch. he is also called the nome king, you know, and he has made trouble for a good many people--mortals and fairies--in his time," said polychrome. "do you fear him, then?" asked the princess, anxiously. "no one can harm a daughter of the rainbow," said polychrome proudly. "i'm a sky fairy." "then," said betsy, quickly, "you will be able to tell us the way to ruggedo's cavern." "no," returned polychrome, shaking her head, "that is one thing i cannot do. but i will gladly go with you and help you search for the place." this promise delighted all the wanderers and after the shaggy man had found the path again they began moving along it in a more happy mood. the rainbow's daughter danced lightly over the rocky trail, no longer sad, but with her beautiful features wreathed in smiles. shaggy came next, walking steadily and now and then supporting the rose princess, who followed him. betsy and hank brought up the rear, and if she tired with walking the girl got upon hank's back and let the stout little donkey carry her for awhile. at nightfall they came to some trees that grew beside a tiny brook and here they made camp and rested until morning. then away they tramped, finding berries and fruits here and there which satisfied the hunger of betsy, shaggy and hank, so that they were well content with their lot. it surprised betsy to see the rose princess partake of their food, for she considered her a fairy; but when she mentioned this to polychrome, the rainbow's daughter explained that when ozga was driven out of her rose kingdom she ceased to be a fairy and would never again be more than a mere mortal. polychrome, however, was a fairy wherever she happened to be, and if she sipped a few dewdrops by moonlight for refreshment no one ever saw her do it. as they continued their wandering journey, direction meant very little to them, for they were hopelessly lost in this strange country. shaggy said it would be best to go toward the mountains, as the natural entrance to ruggedo's underground cavern was likely to be hidden in some rocky, deserted place; but mountains seemed all around them except in the one direction that they had come from, which led to the rose kingdom and the sea. therefore it mattered little which way they traveled. by and by they espied a faint trail that looked like a path and after following this for some time they reached a crossroads. here were many paths, leading in various directions, and there was a signpost so old that there were now no words upon the sign. at one side was an old well, with a chain windlass for drawing water, yet there was no house or other building anywhere in sight. while the party halted, puzzled which way to proceed, the mule approached the well and tried to look into it. "he's thirsty," said betsy. "it's a dry well," remarked shaggy. "probably there has been no water in it for many years. but, come; let us decide which way to travel." no one seemed able to decide that. they sat down in a group and tried to consider which road might be the best to take. hank, however, could not keep away from the well and finally he reared up on his hind legs, got his head over the edge and uttered a loud "hee-haw!" betsy watched her animal friend curiously. "i wonder if he sees anything down there?" she said. at this, shaggy rose and went over to the well to investigate, and betsy went with him. the princess and polychrome, who had become fast friends, linked arms and sauntered down one of the roads, to find an easy path. "really," said shaggy, "there does seem to be something at the bottom of this old well." "can't we pull it up, and see what it is?" asked the girl. there was no bucket at the end of the windlass chain, but there was a big hook that at one time was used to hold a bucket. shaggy let down this hook, dragged it around on the bottom and then pulled it up. an old hoopskirt came with it, and betsy laughed and threw it away. the thing frightened hank, who had never seen a hoopskirt before, and he kept a good distance away from it. several other objects the shaggy man captured with the hook and drew up, but none of these was important. "this well seems to have been the dump for all the old rubbish in the country," he said, letting down the hook once more. "i guess i've captured everything now. no--the hook has caught again. help me, betsy! whatever this thing is, it's heavy." she ran up and helped him turn the windlass and after much effort a confused mass of copper came in sight. "good gracious!" exclaimed shaggy. "here is a surprise, indeed!" "what is it?" inquired betsy, clinging to the windlass and panting for breath. for answer the shaggy man grasped the bundle of copper and dumped it upon the ground, free of the well. then he turned it over with his foot, spread it out, and to betsy's astonishment the thing proved to be a copper man. "just as i thought," said shaggy, looking hard at the object. "but unless there are two copper men in the world this is the most astonishing thing i ever came across." at this moment the rainbow's daughter and the rose princess approached them, and polychrome said: "what have you found, shaggy one?" "either an old friend, or a stranger," he replied. "oh, here's a sign on his back!" cried betsy, who had knelt down to examine the man. "dear me; how funny! listen to this." then she read the following words, engraved upon the copper plates of the man's body: smith & tinker's patent double-action, extra-responsive, thought-creating, perfect-talking mechanical man fitted with our special clockwork attachment. thinks, speaks, acts, and does everything but live. "isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed the princess. "yes; but here's more," said betsy, reading from another engraved plate: directions for using: for thinking:--wind the clockwork man under his left arm, (marked no. ). for speaking:--wind the clockwork man under his right arm, (marked no. ). for walking and action:--wind clockwork man in the middle of his back, (marked no. ). n. b.--this mechanism is guaranteed to work perfectly for a thousand years. "if he's guaranteed for a thousand years," said polychrome, "he ought to work yet." "of course," replied shaggy. "let's wind him up." in order to do this they were obliged to set the copper man upon his feet, in an upright position, and this was no easy task. he was inclined to topple over, and had to be propped again and again. the girls assisted shaggy, and at last tik-tok seemed to be balanced and stood alone upon his broad feet. "yes," said shaggy, looking at the copper man carefully, "this must be, indeed, my old friend tik-tok, whom i left ticking merrily in the land of oz. but how he came to this lonely place, and got into that old well, is surely a mystery." "if we wind him, perhaps he will tell us," suggested betsy. "here's the key, hanging to a hook on his back. what part of him shall i wind up first?" "his thoughts, of course," said polychrome, "for it requires thought to speak or move intelligently." so betsy wound him under his left arm, and at once little flashes of light began to show in the top of his head, which was proof that he had begun to think. "now, then," said shaggy, "wind up his phonograph." "what's that?" she asked. "why, his talking-machine. his thoughts may be interesting, but they don't tell us anything." so betsy wound the copper man under his right arm, and then from the interior of his copper body came in jerky tones the words: "ma-ny thanks!" "hurrah!" cried shaggy, joyfully, and he slapped tik-tok upon the back in such a hearty manner that the copper man lost his balance and tumbled to the ground in a heap. but the clockwork that enabled him to speak had been wound up and he kept saying: "pick-me-up! pick-me-up! pick-me-up!" until they had again raised him and balanced him upon his feet, when he added politely: "ma-ny thanks!" "he won't be self-supporting until we wind up his action," remarked shaggy; so betsy wound it, as tight as she could--for the key turned rather hard--and then tik-tok lifted his feet, marched around in a circle and ended by stopping before the group and making them all a low bow. "how in the world did you happen to be in that well, when i left you safe in oz?" inquired shaggy. "it is a long sto-ry," replied tik-tok, "but i'll tell it in a few words. af-ter you had gone in search of your broth-er, oz-ma saw you wan-der-ing in strange lands when-ev-er she looked in her mag-ic pic-ture, and she also saw your broth-er in the nome king's cavern; so she sent me to tell you where to find your broth-er and told me to help you if i could. the sor-cer-ess, glin-da the good, trans-port-ed me to this place in the wink of an eye; but here i met the nome king him-self--old rug-ge-do, who is called in these parts the met-al mon-arch. rug-ge-do knew what i had come for, and he was so an-gry that he threw me down the well. af-ter my works ran down i was help-less un-til you came a-long and pulled me out a-gain. ma-ny thanks." "this is, indeed, good news," said shaggy. "i suspected that my brother was the prisoner of ruggedo; but now i know it. tell us, tik-tok, how shall we get to the nome king's underground cavern?" "the best way is to walk," said tik-tok. "we might crawl, or jump, or roll o-ver and o-ver until we get there; but the best way is to walk." "i know; but which road shall we take?" "my ma-chin-er-y is-n't made to tell that," replied tik-tok. "there is more than one entrance to the underground cavern," said polychrome; "but old ruggedo has cleverly concealed every opening, so that earth dwellers can not intrude in his domain. if we find our way underground at all, it will be by chance." "then," said betsy, "let us select any road, haphazard, and see where it leads us." "that seems sensible," declared the princess. "it may require a lot of time for us to find ruggedo, but we have more time than anything else." "if you keep me wound up," said tik-tok, "i will last a thou-sand years." "then the only question to decide is which way to go," added shaggy, looking first at one road and then at another. but while they stood hesitating, a peculiar sound reached their ears--a sound like the tramping of many feet. "what's coming?" cried betsy; and then she ran to the left-hand road and glanced along the path. "why, it's an army!" she exclaimed. "what shall we do, hide or run?" "stand still," commanded shaggy. "i'm not afraid of an army. if they prove to be friendly, they can help us; if they are enemies, i'll show them the love magnet." chapter eight tik-tok tackles a tough task while shaggy and his companions stood huddled in a group at one side, the army of oogaboo was approaching along the pathway, the tramp of their feet being now and then accompanied by a dismal groan as one of the officers stepped on a sharp stone or knocked his funnybone against his neighbor's sword-handle. then out from among the trees marched private files, bearing the banner of oogaboo, which fluttered from a long pole. this pole he stuck in the ground just in front of the well and then he cried in a loud voice: "i hereby conquer this territory in the name of queen ann soforth of oogaboo, and all the inhabitants of the land i proclaim her slaves!" some of the officers now stuck their heads out of the bushes and asked: "is the coast clear, private files?" "there is no coast here," was the reply, "but all's well." "i hope there's water in it," said general cone, mustering courage to advance to the well; but just then he caught a glimpse of tik-tok and shaggy and at once fell upon his knees, trembling and frightened and cried out: "mercy, kind enemies! mercy! spare us, and we will be your slaves forever!" the other officers, who had now advanced into the clearing, likewise fell upon their knees and begged for mercy. files turned around and, seeing the strangers for the first time, examined them with much curiosity. then, discovering that three of the party were girls, he lifted his cap and made a polite bow. "what's all this?" demanded a harsh voice, as queen ann reached the place and beheld her kneeling army. "permit us to introduce ourselves," replied shaggy, stepping forward. "this is tik-tok, the clockwork man--who works better than some meat people. and here is princess ozga of roseland, just now unfortunately exiled from her kingdom of roses. i next present polychrome, a sky fairy, who lost her bow by an accident and can't find her way home. the small girl here is betsy bobbin, from some unknown earthly paradise called oklahoma, and with her you see mr. hank, a mule with a long tail and a short temper." "puh!" said ann, scornfully; "a pretty lot of vagabonds you are, indeed; all lost or strayed, i suppose, and not worth a queen's plundering. i'm sorry i've conquered you." "but you haven't conquered us yet," called betsy indignantly. "no," agreed files, "that is a fact. but if my officers will kindly command me to conquer you, i will do so at once, after which we can stop arguing and converse more at our ease." the officers had by this time risen from their knees and brushed the dust from their trousers. to them the enemy did not look very fierce, so the generals and colonels and majors and captains gained courage to face them and began strutting in their most haughty manner. "you must understand," said ann, "that i am the queen of oogaboo, and this is my invincible army. we are busy conquering the world, and since you seem to be a part of the world, and are obstructing our journey, it is necessary for us to conquer you--unworthy though you may be of such high honor." "that's all right," replied shaggy. "conquer us as often as you like. we don't mind." "but we won't be anybody's slaves," added betsy, positively. "we'll see about that," retorted the queen, angrily. "advance, private files, and bind the enemy hand and foot!" but private files looked at pretty betsy and fascinating polychrome and the beautiful rose princess and shook his head. "it would be impolite, and i won't do it," he asserted. "you must!" cried ann. "it is your duty to obey orders." "i haven't received any orders from my officers," objected the private. but the generals now shouted: "forward, and bind the prisoners!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command, yelling it as loud as they could. all this noise annoyed hank, who had been eyeing the army of oogaboo with strong disfavor. the mule now dashed forward and began backing upon the officers and kicking fierce and dangerous heels at them. the attack was so sudden that the officers scattered like dust in a whirlwind, dropping their swords as they ran and trying to seek refuge behind the trees and bushes. betsy laughed joyously at the comical rout of the "noble army," and polychrome danced with glee. but ann was furious at this ignoble defeat of her gallant forces by one small mule. "private files, i command you to do your duty!" she cried again, and then she herself ducked to escape the mule's heels--for hank made no distinction in favor of a lady who was an open enemy. betsy grabbed her champion by the forelock, however, and so held him fast, and when the officers saw that the mule was restrained from further attacks they crept fearfully back and picked up their discarded swords. "private files, seize and bind these prisoners!" screamed the queen. "no," said files, throwing down his gun and removing the knapsack which was strapped to his back, "i resign my position as the army of oogaboo. i enlisted to fight the enemy and become a hero, but if you want some one to bind harmless girls you will have to hire another private." then he walked over to the others and shook hands with shaggy and tik-tok. "treason!" shrieked ann, and all the officers echoed her cry. "nonsense," said files. "i've the right to resign if i want to." "indeed you haven't!" retorted the queen. "if you resign it will break up my army, and then i cannot conquer the world." she now turned to the officers and said: "i must ask you to do me a favor. i know it is undignified in officers to fight, but unless you immediately capture private files and force him to obey my orders there will be no plunder for any of us. also it is likely you will all suffer the pangs of hunger, and when we meet a powerful foe you are liable to be captured and made slaves." the prospect of this awful fate so frightened the officers that they drew their swords and rushed upon files, who stood beside shaggy, in a truly ferocious manner. the next instant, however, they halted and again fell upon their knees; for there, before them, was the glistening love magnet, held in the hand of the smiling shaggy man, and the sight of this magic talisman at once won the heart of every oogabooite. even ann saw the love magnet, and forgetting all enmity and anger threw herself upon shaggy and embraced him lovingly. quite disconcerted by this unexpected effect of the magnet, shaggy disengaged himself from the queen's encircling arms and quickly hid the talisman in his pocket. the adventurers from oogaboo were now his firm friends, and there was no more talk about conquering and binding any of his party. "if you insist on conquering anyone," said shaggy, "you may march with me to the underground kingdom of ruggedo. to conquer the world, as you have set out to do, you must conquer everyone under its surface as well as those upon its surface, and no one in all the world needs conquering so much as ruggedo." "who is he?" asked ann. "the metal monarch, king of the nomes." "is he rich?" inquired major stockings in an anxious voice. "of course," answered shaggy. "he owns all the metal that lies underground--gold, silver, copper, brass and tin. he has an idea he also owns all the metals above ground, for he says all metal was once a part of his kingdom. so, by conquering the metal monarch, you will win all the riches in the world." "ah!" exclaimed general apple, heaving a deep sigh, "that would be plunder worth our while. let's conquer him, your majesty." the queen looked reproachfully at files, who was sitting next to the lovely princess and whispering in her ear. "alas," said ann, "i have no longer an army. i have plenty of brave officers, indeed, but no private soldier for them to command. therefore i cannot conquer ruggedo and win all his wealth." "why don't you make one of your officers the private?" asked shaggy; but at once every officer began to protest and the queen of oogaboo shook her head as she replied: "that is impossible. a private soldier must be a terrible fighter, and my officers are unable to fight. they are exceptionally brave in commanding others to fight, but could not themselves meet the enemy and conquer." "very true, your majesty," said colonel plum, eagerly. "there are many kinds of bravery and one cannot be expected to possess them all. i myself am brave as a lion in all ways until it comes to fighting, but then my nature revolts. fighting is unkind and liable to be injurious to others; so, being a gentleman, i never fight." "nor i!" shouted each of the other officers. "you see," said ann, "how helpless i am. had not private files proved himself a traitor and a deserter, i would gladly have conquered this ruggedo; but an army without a private soldier is like a bee without a stinger." "i am not a traitor, your majesty," protested files. "i resigned in a proper manner, not liking the job. but there are plenty of people to take my place. why not make shaggy man the private soldier?" "he might be killed," said ann, looking tenderly at shaggy, "for he is mortal, and able to die. if anything happened to him, it would break my heart." "it would hurt me worse than that," declared shaggy. "you must admit, your majesty, that i am commander of this expedition, for it is my brother we are seeking, rather than plunder. but i and my companions would like the assistance of your army, and if you help us to conquer ruggedo and to rescue my brother from captivity we will allow you to keep all the gold and jewels and other plunder you may find." this prospect was so tempting that the officers began whispering together and presently colonel cheese said: "your majesty, by combining our brains we have just evolved a most brilliant idea. we will make the clockwork man the private soldier!" "who? me?" asked tik-tok. "not for a sin-gle sec-ond! i can-not fight, and you must not for-get that it was rug-ge-do who threw me in the well." "at that time you had no gun," said polychrome. "but if you join the army of oogaboo you will carry the gun that mr. files used." "a sol-dier must be a-ble to run as well as to fight," protested tik-tok, "and if my works run down, as they of-ten do, i could nei-ther run nor fight." "i'll keep you wound up, tik-tok," promised betsy. "why, it isn't a bad idea," said shaggy. "tik-tok will make an ideal soldier, for nothing can injure him except a sledge hammer. and, since a private soldier seems to be necessary to this army, tik-tok is the only one of our party fitted to undertake the job." "what must i do?" asked tik-tok. "obey orders," replied ann. "when the officers command you to do anything, you must do it; that is all." "and that's enough, too," said files. "do i get a salary?" inquired tik-tok. "you get your share of the plunder," answered the queen. "yes," remarked files, "one-half of the plunder goes to queen ann, the other half is divided among the officers, and the private gets the rest." "that will be sat-is-fac-tor-y," said tik-tok, picking up the gun and examining it wonderingly, for he had never before seen such a weapon. then ann strapped the knapsack to tik-tok's copper back and said: "now we are ready to march to ruggedo's kingdom and conquer it. officers, give the command to march." "fall--in!" yelled the generals, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" cried the colonels, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" shouted the majors, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" bawled the captains, drawing their swords. tik-tok looked at them and then around him in surprise. "fall in what? the well?" he asked. "no," said queen ann, "you must fall in marching order." "can-not i march without fall-ing in-to it?" asked the clockwork man. "shoulder your gun and stand ready to march," advised files; so tik-tok held the gun straight and stood still. "what next?" he asked. the queen turned to shaggy. "which road leads to the metal monarch's cavern?" "we don't know, your majesty," was the reply. "but this is absurd!" said ann with a frown. "if we can't get to ruggedo, it is certain that we can't conquer him." "you are right," admitted shaggy; "but i did not say we could not get to him. we have only to discover the way, and that was the matter we were considering when you and your magnificent army arrived here." "well, then, get busy and discover it," snapped the queen. that was no easy task. they all stood looking from one road to another in perplexity. the paths radiated from the little clearing like the rays of the midday sun, and each path seemed like all the others. files and the rose princess, who had by this time become good friends, advanced a little way along one of the roads and found that it was bordered by pretty wild flowers. "why don't you ask the flowers to tell you the way?" he said to his companion. "the flowers?" returned the princess, surprised at the question. "of course," said files. "the field-flowers must be second-cousins to a rose princess, and i believe if you ask them they will tell you." she looked more closely at the flowers. there were hundreds of white daisies, golden buttercups, bluebells and daffodils growing by the roadside, and each flower-head was firmly set upon its slender but stout stem. there were even a few wild roses scattered here and there and perhaps it was the sight of these that gave the princess courage to ask the important question. she dropped to her knees, facing the flowers, and extended both her arms pleadingly toward them. "tell me, pretty cousins," she said in her sweet, gentle voice, "which way will lead us to the kingdom of ruggedo, the nome king?" at once all the stems bent gracefully to the right and the flower heads nodded once--twice--thrice in that direction. "that's it!" cried files joyfully. "now we know the way." ozga rose to her feet and looked wonderingly at the field-flowers, which had now resumed their upright position. "was it the wind, do you think?" she asked in a low whisper. "no, indeed," replied files. "there is not a breath of wind stirring. but these lovely blossoms are indeed your cousins and answered your question at once, as i knew they would." chapter nine ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless the way taken by the adventurers led up hill and down dale and wound here and there in a fashion that seemed aimless. but always it drew nearer to a range of low mountains and files said more than once that he was certain the entrance to ruggedo's cavern would be found among these rugged hills. in this he was quite correct. far underneath the nearest mountain was a gorgeous chamber hollowed from the solid rock, the walls and roof of which glittered with thousands of magnificent jewels. here, on a throne of virgin gold, sat the famous nome king, dressed in splendid robes and wearing a superb crown cut from a single blood-red ruby. ruggedo, the monarch of all the metals and precious stones of the underground world, was a round little man with a flowing white beard, a red face, bright eyes and a scowl that covered all his forehead. one would think, to look at him, that he ought to be jolly; one might think, considering his enormous wealth, that he ought to be happy; but this was not the case. the metal monarch was surly and cross because mortals had dug so much treasure out of the earth and kept it above ground, where all the power of ruggedo and his nomes was unable to recover it. he hated not only the mortals but also the fairies who live upon the earth or above it, and instead of being content with the riches he still possessed he was unhappy because he did not own all the gold and jewels in the world. ruggedo had been nodding, half asleep, in his chair when suddenly he sat upright, uttered a roar of rage and began pounding upon a huge gong that stood beside him. the sound filled the vast cavern and penetrated to many caverns beyond, where countless thousands of nomes were working at their unending tasks, hammering out gold and silver and other metals, or melting ores in great furnaces, or polishing glittering gems. the nomes trembled at the sound of the king's gong and whispered fearfully to one another that something unpleasant was sure to happen; but none dared pause in his task. the heavy curtains of cloth-of-gold were pushed aside and kaliko, the king's high chamberlain, entered the royal presence. "what's up, your majesty?" he asked, with a wide yawn, for he had just wakened. "up?" roared ruggedo, stamping his foot viciously. "those foolish mortals are up, that's what! and they want to come down." "down here?" inquired kaliko. "yes!" "how do you know?" continued the chamberlain, yawning again. "i feel it in my bones," said ruggedo. "i can always feel it when those hateful earth-crawlers draw near to my kingdom. i am positive, kaliko, that mortals are this very minute on their way here to annoy me--and i hate mortals more than i do catnip tea!" "well, what's to be done?" demanded the nome. "look through your spyglass, and see where the invaders are," commanded the king. so kaliko went to a tube in the wall of rock and put his eye to it. the tube ran from the cavern up to the side of the mountain and turned several curves and corners, but as it was a magic spyglass kaliko was able to see through it just as easily as if it had been straight. "ho--hum," said he. "i see 'em, your majesty." "what do they look like?" inquired the monarch. "that's a hard question to answer, for a queerer assortment of creatures i never yet beheld," replied the nome. "however, such a collection of curiosities may prove dangerous. there's a copper man, worked by machinery--" "bah! that's only tik-tok," said ruggedo. "i'm not afraid of him. why, only the other day i met the fellow and threw him down a well." "then some one must have pulled him out again," said kaliko. "and there's a little girl--" "dorothy?" asked ruggedo, jumping up in fear. "no; some other girl. in fact, there are several girls, of various sizes; but dorothy is not with them, nor is ozma." "that's good!" exclaimed the king, sighing in relief. kaliko still had his eye to the spyglass. "i see," said he, "an army of men from oogaboo. they are all officers and carry swords. and there is a shaggy man--who seems very harmless--and a little donkey with big ears." "pooh!" cried ruggedo, snapping his fingers in scorn. "i've no fear of such a mob as that. a dozen of my nomes can destroy them all in a jiffy." "i'm not so sure of that," said kaliko. "the people of oogaboo are hard to destroy, and i believe the rose princess is a fairy. as for polychrome, you know very well that the rainbow's daughter cannot be injured by a nome." "polychrome! is she among them?" asked the king. "yes; i have just recognized her." "then these people are coming here on no peaceful errand," declared ruggedo, scowling fiercely. "in fact, no one ever comes here on a peaceful errand. i hate everybody, and everybody hates me!" "very true," said kaliko. "i must in some way prevent these people from reaching my dominions. where are they now?" "just now they are crossing the rubber country, your majesty." "good! are your magnetic rubber wires in working order?" "i think so," replied kaliko. "is it your royal will that we have some fun with these invaders?" "it is," answered ruggedo. "i want to teach them a lesson they will never forget." now, shaggy had no idea that he was in a rubber country, nor had any of his companions. they noticed that everything around them was of a dull gray color and that the path upon which they walked was soft and springy, yet they had no suspicion that the rocks and trees were rubber and even the path they trod was made of rubber. presently they came to a brook where sparkling water dashed through a deep channel and rushed away between high rocks far down the mountain-side. across the brook were stepping-stones, so placed that travelers might easily leap from one to another and in that manner cross the water to the farther bank. tik-tok was marching ahead, followed by his officers and queen ann. after them came betsy bobbin and hank, polychrome and shaggy, and last of all the rose princess with files. the clockwork man saw the stream and the stepping-stones and, without making a pause, placed his foot upon the first stone. the result was astonishing. first he sank down in the soft rubber, which then rebounded and sent tik-tok soaring high in the air, where he turned a succession of flip-flops and alighted upon a rubber rock far in the rear of the party. general apple did not see tik-tok bound, so quickly had he disappeared; therefore he also stepped upon the stone (which you will guess was connected with kaliko's magnetic rubber wire) and instantly shot upward like an arrow. general cone came next and met with a like fate, but the others now noticed that something was wrong and with one accord they halted the column and looked back along the path. there was tik-tok, still bounding from one rubber rock to another, each time rising a less distance from the ground. and there was general apple, bounding away in another direction, his three-cornered hat jammed over his eyes and his long sword thumping him upon the arms and head as it swung this way and that. and there, also, appeared general cone, who had struck a rubber rock headforemost and was so crumpled up that his round body looked more like a bouncing-ball than the form of a man. betsy laughed merrily at the strange sight and polychrome echoed her laughter. but ozga was grave and wondering, while queen ann became angry at seeing the chief officers of the army of oogaboo bounding around in so undignified a manner. she shouted to them to stop, but they were unable to obey, even though they would have been glad to do so. finally, however, they all ceased bounding and managed to get upon their feet and rejoin the army. "why did you do that?" demanded ann, who seemed greatly provoked. "don't ask them why," said shaggy earnestly. "i knew you would ask them why, but you ought not to do it. the reason is plain. those stones are rubber; therefore they are not stones. those rocks around us are rubber, and therefore they are not rocks. even this path is not a path; it's rubber. unless we are very careful, your majesty, we are all likely to get the bounce, just as your poor officers and tik-tok did." "then let's be careful," remarked files, who was full of wisdom; but polychrome wanted to test the quality of the rubber, so she began dancing. every step sent her higher and higher into the air, so that she resembled a big butterfly fluttering lightly. presently she made a great bound and bounded way across the stream, landing lightly and steadily on the other side. "there is no rubber over here," she called to them. "suppose you all try to bound over the stream, without touching the stepping-stones." ann and her officers were reluctant to undertake such a risky adventure, but betsy at once grasped the value of the suggestion and began jumping up and down until she found herself bounding almost as high as polychrome had done. then she suddenly leaned forward and the next bound took her easily across the brook, where she alighted by the side of the rainbow's daughter. "come on, hank!" called the girl, and the donkey tried to obey. he managed to bound pretty high but when he tried to bound across the stream he misjudged the distance and fell with a splash into the middle of the water. "hee-haw!" he wailed, struggling toward the far bank. betsy rushed forward to help him out, but when the mule stood safely beside her she was amazed to find he was not wet at all. "it's dry water," said polychrome, dipping her hand into the stream and showing how the water fell from it and left it perfectly dry. "in that case," returned betsy, "they can all walk through the water." she called to ozga and shaggy to wade across, assuring them the water was shallow and would not wet them. at once they followed her advice, avoiding the rubber stepping stones, and made the crossing with ease. this encouraged the entire party to wade through the dry water, and in a few minutes all had assembled on the bank and renewed their journey along the path that led to the nome king's dominions. when kaliko again looked through his magic spyglass he exclaimed: "bad luck, your majesty! all the invaders have passed the rubber country and now are fast approaching the entrance to your caverns." ruggedo raved and stormed at the news and his anger was so great that several times, as he strode up and down his jeweled cavern, he paused to kick kaliko upon his shins, which were so sensitive that the poor nome howled with pain. finally the king said: "there's no help for it; we must drop these audacious invaders down the hollow tube." kaliko gave a jump, at this, and looked at his master wonderingly. "if you do that, your majesty," he said, "you will make tititi-hoochoo very angry." "never mind that," retorted ruggedo. "tititi-hoochoo lives on the other side of the world, so what do i care for his anger?" kaliko shuddered and uttered a little groan. "remember his terrible powers," he pleaded, "and remember that he warned you, the last time you slid people through the hollow tube, that if you did it again he would take vengeance upon you." the metal monarch walked up and down in silence, thinking deeply. "of two dangers," said he, "it is wise to choose the least. what do you suppose these invaders want?" "let the long-eared hearer listen to them," suggested kaliko. "call him here at once!" commanded ruggedo eagerly. so in a few minutes there entered the cavern a nome with enormous ears, who bowed low before the king. "strangers are approaching," said ruggedo, "and i wish to know their errand. listen carefully to their talk and tell me why they are coming here, and what for." the nome bowed again and spread out his great ears, swaying them gently up and down and back and forth. for half an hour he stood silent, in an attitude of listening, while both the king and kaliko grew impatient at the delay. at last the long-eared hearer spoke: "shaggy man is coming here to rescue his brother from captivity," said he. "ha, the ugly one!" exclaimed ruggedo. "well, shaggy man may have his ugly brother, for all i care. he's too lazy to work and is always getting in my way. where is the ugly one now, kaliko?" "the last time your majesty stumbled over the prisoner you commanded me to send him to the metal forest, which i did. i suppose he is still there." "very good. the invaders will have a hard time finding the metal forest," said the king, with a grin of malicious delight, "for half the time i can't find it myself. yet i created the forest and made every tree, out of gold and silver, so as to keep the precious metals in a safe place and out of the reach of mortals. but tell me, hearer, do the strangers want anything else?" "yes, indeed they do!" returned the nome. "the army of oogaboo is determined to capture all the rich metals and rare jewels in your kingdom, and the officers and their queen have arranged to divide the spoils and carry them away." when he heard this ruggedo uttered a bellow of rage and began dancing up and down, rolling his eyes, clicking his teeth together and swinging his arms furiously. then, in an ecstasy of anger he seized the long ears of the hearer and pulled and twisted them cruelly; but kaliko grabbed up the king's sceptre and rapped him over the knuckles with it, so that ruggedo let go the ears and began to chase his royal chamberlain around the throne. the hearer took advantage of this opportunity to slip away from the cavern and escape, and after the king had tired himself out chasing kaliko he threw himself into his throne and panted for breath, while he glared wickedly at his defiant subject. "you'd better save your strength to fight the enemy," suggested kaliko. "there will be a terrible battle when the army of oogaboo gets here." "the army won't get here," said the king, still coughing and panting. "i'll drop 'em down the hollow tube--every man jack and every girl jill of 'em!" "and defy tititi-hoochoo?" asked kaliko. "yes. go at once to my chief magician and order him to turn the path toward the hollow tube, and to make the tip of the tube invisible, so they'll all fall into it." kaliko went away shaking his head, for he thought ruggedo was making a great mistake. he found the magician and had the path twisted so that it led directly to the opening of the hollow tube, and this opening he made invisible. having obeyed the orders of his master, the royal chamberlain went to his private room and began to write letters of recommendation of himself, stating that he was an honest man, a good servant and a small eater. "pretty soon," he said to himself, "i shall have to look for another job, for it is certain that ruggedo has ruined himself by this reckless defiance of the mighty tititi-hoochoo. and in seeking a job nothing is so effective as a letter of recommendation." chapter ten a terrible tumble through a tube i suppose that polychrome, and perhaps queen ann and her army, might have been able to dispel the enchantment of ruggedo's chief magician had they known that danger lay in their pathway; for the rainbow's daughter was a fairy and as oogaboo is a part of the land of oz its inhabitants cannot easily be deceived by such common magic as the nome king could command. but no one suspected any especial danger until after they had entered ruggedo's cavern, and so they were journeying along in quite a contented manner when tik-tok, who marched ahead, suddenly disappeared. the officers thought he must have turned a corner, so they kept on their way and all of them likewise disappeared--one after another. queen ann was rather surprised at this, and in hastening forward to learn the reason she also vanished from sight. betsy bobbin had tired her feet by walking, so she was now riding upon the back of the stout little mule, facing backward and talking to shaggy and polychrome, who were just behind. suddenly hank pitched forward and began falling and betsy would have tumbled over his head had she not grabbed the mule's shaggy neck with both arms and held on for dear life. all around was darkness, and they were not falling directly downward but seemed to be sliding along a steep incline. hank's hoofs were resting upon some smooth substance over which he slid with the swiftness of the wind. once betsy's heels flew up and struck a similar substance overhead. they were, indeed, descending the "hollow tube" that led to the other side of the world. "stop, hank--stop!" cried the girl; but hank only uttered a plaintive "hee-haw!" for it was impossible for him to obey. after several minutes had passed and no harm had befallen them, betsy gained courage. she could see nothing at all, nor could she hear anything except the rush of air past her ears as they plunged downward along the tube. whether she and hank were alone, or the others were with them, she could not tell. but had some one been able to take a flash-light photograph of the tube at that time a most curious picture would have resulted. there was tik-tok, flat upon his back and sliding headforemost down the incline. and there were the officers of the army of oogaboo, all tangled up in a confused crowd, flapping their arms and trying to shield their faces from the clanking swords, which swung back and forth during the swift journey and pommeled everyone within their reach. now followed queen ann, who had struck the tube in a sitting position and went flying along with a dash and abandon that thoroughly bewildered the poor lady, who had no idea what had happened to her. then, a little distance away, but unseen by the others in the inky darkness, slid betsy and hank, while behind them were shaggy and polychrome and finally files and the princess. when first they tumbled into the tube all were too dazed to think clearly, but the trip was a long one, because the cavity led straight through the earth to a place just opposite the nome king's dominions, and long before the adventurers got to the end they had begun to recover their wits. "this is awful, hank!" cried betsy in a loud voice, and queen ann heard her and called out: "are you safe, betsy?" "mercy, no!" answered the little girl. "how could anyone be safe when she's going about sixty miles a minute?" then, after a pause, she added: "but where do you s'pose we're going to, your maj'sty?" "don't ask her that, please don't!" said shaggy, who was not too far away to overhear them. "and please don't ask me why, either." "why?" said betsy. "no one can tell where we are going until we get there," replied shaggy, and then he yelled "ouch!" for polychrome had overtaken him and was now sitting on his head. the rainbow's daughter laughed merrily, and so infectious was this joyous laugh that betsy echoed it and hank said "hee haw!" in a mild and sympathetic tone of voice. "i'd like to know where and when we'll arrive, just the same," exclaimed the little girl. "be patient and you'll find out, my dear," said polychrome. "but isn't this an odd experience? here am i, whose home is in the skies, making a journey through the center of the earth--where i never expected to be!" "how do you know we're in the center of the earth?" asked betsy, her voice trembling a little through nervousness. "why, we can t be anywhere else," replied polychrome. "i have often heard of this passage, which was once built by a magician who was a great traveler. he thought it would save him the bother of going around the earth's surface, but he tumbled through the tube so fast that he shot out at the other end and hit a star in the sky, which at once exploded." "the star exploded?" asked betsy wonderingly. "yes; the magician hit it so hard." "and what became of the magician?" inquired the girl. "no one knows that," answered polychrome. "but i don't think it matters much." "it matters a good deal, if we also hit the stars when we come out," said queen ann, with a moan. "don't worry," advised polychrome. "i believe the magician was going the other way, and probably he went much faster than we are going." "it's fast enough to suit me," remarked shaggy, gently removing polychrome's heel from his left eye. "couldn't you manage to fall all by yourself, my dear?" "i'll try," laughed the rainbow's daughter. all this time they were swiftly falling through the tube, and it was not so easy for them to talk as you may imagine when you read their words. but although they were so helpless and altogether in the dark as to their fate, the fact that they were able to converse at all cheered them, considerably. files and ozga were also conversing as they clung tightly to one another, and the young fellow bravely strove to reassure the princess, although he was terribly frightened, both on her account and on his own. an hour, under such trying circumstances, is a very long time, and for more than an hour they continued their fearful journey. then, just as they began to fear the tube would never end, tik-tok popped out into broad daylight and, after making a graceful circle in the air, fell with a splash into a great marble fountain. out came the officers, in quick succession, tumbling heels over head and striking the ground in many undignified attitudes. "for the love of sassafras!" exclaimed a peculiar person who was hoeing pink violets in a garden. "what can all this mean?" for answer, queen ann sailed up from the tube, took a ride through the air as high as the treetops, and alighted squarely on top of the peculiar person's head, smashing a jeweled crown over his eyes and tumbling him to the ground. the mule was heavier and had betsy clinging to his back, so he did not go so high up. fortunately for his little rider he struck the ground upon his four feet. betsy was jarred a trifle but not hurt and when she looked around her she saw the queen and the peculiar person struggling together upon the ground, where the man was trying to choke ann and she had both hands in his bushy hair and was pulling with all her might. some of the officers, when they got upon their feet, hastened to separate the combatants and sought to restrain the peculiar person so that he could not attack their queen again. by this time, shaggy, polychrome, ozga and files had all arrived and were curiously examining the strange country in which they found themselves and which they knew to be exactly on the opposite side of the world from the place where they had fallen into the tube. it was a lovely place, indeed, and seemed to be the garden of some great prince, for through the vistas of trees and shrubbery could be seen the towers of an immense castle. but as yet the only inhabitant to greet them was the peculiar person just mentioned, who had shaken off the grasp of the officers without effort and was now trying to pull the battered crown from off his eyes. shaggy, who was always polite, helped him to do this and when the man was free and could see again he looked at his visitors with evident amazement. "well, well, well!" he exclaimed. "where did you come from and how did you get here?" betsy tried to answer him, for queen ann was surly and silent. "i can't say, exac'ly where we came from, 'cause i don't know the name of the place," said the girl, "but the way we got here was through the hollow tube." "don't call it a 'hollow' tube, please," exclaimed the peculiar person in an irritated tone of voice. "if it's a tube, it's sure to be hollow." "why?" asked betsy. "because all tubes are made that way. but this tube is private property and everyone is forbidden to fall into it." "we didn't do it on purpose," explained betsy, and polychrome added: "i am quite sure that ruggedo, the nome king, pushed us down that tube." "ha! ruggedo! did you say ruggedo?" cried the man, becoming much excited. "that is what she said," replied shaggy, "and i believe she is right. we were on our way to conquer the nome king when suddenly we fell into the tube." "then you are enemies of ruggedo?" inquired the peculiar person. "not exac'ly enemies," said betsy, a little puzzled by the question, "'cause we don't know him at all; but we started out to conquer him, which isn't as friendly as it might be." "true," agreed the man. he looked thoughtfully from one to another of them for a while and then he turned his head over his shoulder and said: "never mind the fire and pincers, my good brothers. it will be best to take these strangers to the private citizen." "very well, tubekins," responded a voice, deep and powerful, that seemed to come out of the air, for the speaker was invisible. all our friends gave a jump, at this. even polychrome was so startled that her gauze draperies fluttered like a banner in a breeze. shaggy shook his head and sighed; queen ann looked very unhappy; the officers clung to each other, trembling violently. but soon they gained courage to look more closely at the peculiar person. as he was a type of all the inhabitants of this extraordinary land whom they afterward met, i will try to tell you what he looked like. his face was beautiful, but lacked expression. his eyes were large and blue in color and his teeth finely formed and white as snow. his hair was black and bushy and seemed inclined to curl at the ends. so far no one could find any fault with his appearance. he wore a robe of scarlet, which did not cover his arms and extended no lower than his bare knees. on the bosom of the robe was embroidered a terrible dragon's head, as horrible to look at as the man was beautiful. his arms and legs were left bare and the skin of one arm was bright yellow and the skin of the other arm a vivid green. he had one blue leg and one pink one, while both his feet--which showed through the open sandals he wore--were jet black. betsy could not decide whether these gorgeous colors were dyes or the natural tints of the skin, but while she was thinking it over the man who had been called "tubekins" said: "follow me to the residence--all of you!" but just then a voice exclaimed: "here's another of them, tubekins, lying in the water of the fountain." "gracious!" cried betsy; "it must be tik-tok, and he'll drown." "water is a bad thing for his clockworks, anyhow," agreed shaggy, as with one accord they all started for the fountain. but before they could reach it, invisible hands raised tik-tok from the marble basin and set him upon his feet beside it, water dripping from every joint of his copper body. "ma--ny tha--tha--tha--thanks!" he said; and then his copper jaws clicked together and he could say no more. he next made an attempt to walk but after several awkward trials found he could not move his joints. peals of jeering laughter from persons unseen greeted tik-tok's failure, and the new arrivals in this strange land found it very uncomfortable to realize that there were many creatures around them who were invisible, yet could be heard plainly. "shall i wind him up?" asked betsy, feeling very sorry for tik-tok. "i think his machinery is wound; but he needs oiling," replied shaggy. at once an oil-can appeared before him, held on a level with his eyes by some unseen hand. shaggy took the can and tried to oil tik-tok's joints. as if to assist him, a strong current of warm air was directed against the copper man which quickly dried him. soon he was able to say "ma-ny thanks!" quite smoothly and his joints worked fairly well. "come!" commanded tubekins, and turning his back upon them he walked up the path toward the castle. "shall we go?" asked queen ann, uncertainly; but just then she received a shove that almost pitched her forward on her head; so she decided to go. the officers who hesitated received several energetic kicks, but could not see who delivered them; therefore they also decided--very wisely--to go. the others followed willingly enough, for unless they ventured upon another terrible journey through the tube they must make the best of the unknown country they were in, and the best seemed to be to obey orders. chapter eleven the famous fellowship of fairies after a short walk through very beautiful gardens they came to the castle and followed tubekins through the entrance and into a great domed chamber, where he commanded them to be seated. from the crown which he wore, betsy had thought this man must be the king of the country they were in, yet after he had seated all the strangers upon benches that were ranged in a semicircle before a high throne, tubekins bowed humbly before the vacant throne and in a flash became invisible and disappeared. the hall was an immense place, but there seemed to be no one in it beside themselves. presently, however, they heard a low cough near them, and here and there was the faint rustling of a robe and a slight patter as of footsteps. then suddenly there rang out the clear tone of a bell and at the sound all was changed. gazing around the hall in bewilderment they saw that it was filled with hundreds of men and women, all with beautiful faces and staring blue eyes and all wearing scarlet robes and jeweled crowns upon their heads. in fact, these people seemed exact duplicates of tubekins and it was difficult to find any mark by which to tell them apart. "my! what a lot of kings and queens!" whispered betsy to polychrome, who sat beside her and appeared much interested in the scene but not a bit worried. "it is certainly a strange sight," was polychrome's reply; "but i cannot see how there can be more than one king, or queen, in any one country, for were these all rulers, no one could tell who was master." one of the kings who stood near and overheard this remark turned to her and said: "one who is master of himself is always a king, if only to himself. in this favored land all kings and queens are equal, and it is our privilege to bow before one supreme ruler--the private citizen." "who's he?" inquired betsy. as if to answer her, the clear tones of the bell again rang out and instantly there appeared seated in the throne the man who was lord and master of all these royal ones. this fact was evident when with one accord they fell upon their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor. the private citizen was not unlike the others, except that his eyes were black instead of blue and in the centers of the black irises glowed red sparks that seemed like coals of fire. but his features were very beautiful and dignified and his manner composed and stately. instead of the prevalent scarlet robe, he wore one of white, and the same dragon's head that decorated the others was embroidered upon its bosom. "what charge lies against these people, tubekins?" he asked in quiet, even tones. "they came through the forbidden tube, o mighty citizen," was the reply. "you see, it was this way," said betsy. "we were marching to the nome king, to conquer him and set shaggy's brother free, when on a sudden--" "who are you?" demanded the private citizen sternly. "me? oh, i'm betsy bobbin, and--" "who is the leader of this party?" asked the citizen. "sir, i am queen ann of oogaboo, and--" "then keep quiet," said the citizen. "who is the leader?" no one answered for a moment. then general bunn stood up. "sit down!" commanded the citizen. "i can see that sixteen of you are merely officers, and of no account." "but we have an army," said general clock, blusteringly, for he didn't like to be told he was of no account. "where is your army?" asked the citizen. "it's me," said tik-tok, his voice sounding a little rusty. "i'm the on-ly pri-vate sol-dier in the par-ty." hearing this, the citizen rose and bowed respectfully to the clockwork man. "pardon me for not realizing your importance before," said he. "will you oblige me by taking a seat beside me on my throne?" tik-tok rose and walked over to the throne, all the kings and queens making way for him. then with clanking steps he mounted the platform and sat on the broad seat beside the citizen. ann was greatly provoked at this mark of favor shown to the humble clockwork man, but shaggy seemed much pleased that his old friend's importance had been recognized by the ruler of this remarkable country. the citizen now began to question tik-tok, who told in his mechanical voice about shaggy's quest of his lost brother, and how ozma of oz had sent the clockwork man to assist him, and how they had fallen in with queen ann and her people from oogaboo. also he told how betsy and hank and polychrome and the rose princess had happened to join their party. "and you intended to conquer ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes?" asked the citizen. "yes. that seemed the on-ly thing for us to do," was tik-tok's reply. "but he was too clev-er for us. when we got close to his cav-ern he made our path lead to the tube, and made the op-en-ing in-vis-i-ble, so that we all fell in-to it be-fore we knew it was there. it was an eas-y way to get rid of us and now rug-gedo is safe and we are far a-way in a strange land." the citizen was silent a moment and seemed to be thinking. then he said: "most noble private soldier, i must inform you that by the laws of our country anyone who comes through the forbidden tube must be tortured for nine days and ten nights and then thrown back into the tube. but it is wise to disregard laws when they conflict with justice, and it seems that you and your followers did not disobey our laws willingly, being forced into the tube by ruggedo. therefore the nome king is alone to blame, and he alone must be punished." "that suits me," said tik-tok. "but rug-ge-do is on the o-ther side of the world where he is a-way out of your reach." the citizen drew himself up proudly. "do you imagine anything in the world or upon it can be out of the reach of the great jinjin?" he asked. "oh! are you, then, the great jinjin?" inquired tik-tok. "i am." "then your name is ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo?" "it is." queen ann gave a scream and began to tremble. shaggy was so disturbed that he took out a handkerchief and wiped the perspiration from his brow. polychrome looked sober and uneasy for the first time, while files put his arms around the rose princess as if to protect her. as for the officers, the name of the great jinjin set them moaning and weeping at a great rate and every one fell upon his knees before the throne, begging for mercy. betsy was worried at seeing her companions so disturbed, but did not know what it was all about. only tik-tok was unmoved at the discovery. "then," said he, "if you are ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo, and think rug-ge-do is to blame, i am sure that some-thing queer will hap-pen to the king of the nomes." "i wonder what 'twill be," said betsy. the private citizen--otherwise known as tititi-hoochoo, the great jinjin--looked at the little girl steadily. "i will presently decide what is to happen to ruggedo," said he in a hard, stern voice. then, turning to the throng of kings and queens, he continued: "tik-tok has spoken truly, for his machinery will not allow him to lie, nor will it allow his thoughts to think falsely. therefore these people are not our enemies and must be treated with consideration and justice. take them to your palaces and entertain them as guests until to-morrow, when i command that they be brought again to my residence. by then i shall have formed my plans." no sooner had tititi-hoochoo spoken than he disappeared from sight. immediately after, most of the kings and queens likewise disappeared. but several of them remained visible and approached the strangers with great respect. one of the lovely queens said to betsy: "i trust you will honor me by being my guest. i am erma, queen of light." "may hank come with me?" asked the girl. "the king of animals will care for your mule," was the reply. "but do not fear for him, for he will be treated royally. all of your party will be reunited on the morrow." "i--i'd like to have _some_ one with me," said betsy, pleadingly. queen erma looked around and smiled upon polychrome. "will the rainbow's daughter be an agreeable companion?" she asked. "oh, yes!" exclaimed the girl. so polychrome and betsy became guests of the queen of light, while other beautiful kings and queens took charge of the others of the party. the two girls followed erma out of the hall and through the gardens of the residence to a village of pretty dwellings. none of these was so large or imposing as the castle of the private citizen, but all were handsome enough to be called palaces--as, in fact, they really were. chapter twelve the lovely lady of light the palace of the queen of light stood on a little eminence and was a mass of crystal windows, surmounted by a vast crystal dome. when they entered the portals erma was greeted by six lovely maidens, evidently of high degree, who at once aroused betsy's admiration. each bore a wand in her hand, tipped with an emblem of light, and their costumes were also emblematic of the lights they represented. erma introduced them to her guests and each made a graceful and courteous acknowledgment. first was sunlight, radiantly beautiful and very fair; the second was moonlight, a soft, dreamy damsel with nut-brown hair; next came starlight, equally lovely but inclined to be retiring and shy. these three were dressed in shimmering robes of silvery white. the fourth was daylight, a brilliant damsel with laughing eyes and frank manners, who wore a variety of colors. then came firelight, clothed in a fleecy flame-colored robe that wavered around her shapely form in a very attractive manner. the sixth maiden, electra, was the most beautiful of all, and betsy thought from the first that both sunlight and daylight regarded electra with envy and were a little jealous of her. but all were cordial in their greetings to the strangers and seemed to regard the queen of light with much affection, for they fluttered around her in a flashing, radiant group as she led the way to her regal drawing-room. this apartment was richly and cosily furnished, the upholstery being of many tints, and both betsy and polychrome enjoyed resting themselves upon the downy divans after their strenuous adventures of the day. the queen sat down to chat with her guests, who noticed that daylight was the only maiden now seated beside erma. the others had retired to another part of the room, where they sat modestly with entwined arms and did not intrude themselves at all. the queen told the strangers all about this beautiful land, which is one of the chief residences of fairies who minister to the needs of mankind. so many important fairies lived there that, to avoid rivalry, they had elected as their ruler the only important personage in the country who had no duties to mankind to perform and was, in effect, a private citizen. this ruler, or jinjin, as was his title, bore the name of tititi-hoochoo, and the most singular thing about him was that he had no heart. but instead of this he possessed a high degree of reason and justice and while he showed no mercy in his judgments he never punished unjustly or without reason. to wrong-doers tititi-hoochoo was as terrible as he was heartless, but those who were innocent of evil had nothing to fear from him. all the kings and queens of this fairyland paid reverence to jinjin, for as they expected to be obeyed by others they were willing to obey the one in authority over them. the inhabitants of the land of oz had heard many tales of this fearfully just jinjin, whose punishments were always equal to the faults committed. polychrome also knew of him, although this was the first time she had ever seen him face to face. but to betsy the story was all new, and she was greatly interested in tititi-hoochoo, whom she no longer feared. time sped swiftly during their talk and suddenly betsy noticed that moonlight was sitting beside the queen of light, instead of daylight. "but tell me, please," she pleaded, "why do you all wear a dragon's head embroidered on your gowns?" erma's pleasant face became grave as she answered: "the dragon, as you must know, was the first living creature ever made; therefore the dragon is the oldest and wisest of living things. by good fortune the original dragon, who still lives, is a resident of this land and supplies us with wisdom whenever we are in need of it. he is old as the world and remembers everything that has happened since the world was created." "did he ever have any children?" inquired the girl. "yes, many of them. some wandered into other lands, where men, not understanding them, made war upon them; but many still reside in this country. none, however, is as wise as the original dragon, for whom we have great respect. as he was the first resident here, we wear the emblem of the dragon's head to show that we are the favored people who alone have the right to inhabit this fairyland, which in beauty almost equals the fairyland of oz, and in power quite surpasses it." "i understand about the dragon, now," said polychrome, nodding her lovely head. betsy did not quite understand, but she was at present interested in observing the changing lights. as daylight had given way to moonlight, so now starlight sat at the right hand of erma the queen, and with her coming a spirit of peace and content seemed to fill the room. polychrome, being herself a fairy, had many questions to ask about the various kings and queens who lived in this far-away, secluded place, and before erma had finished answering them a rosy glow filled the room and firelight took her place beside the queen. betsy liked firelight, but to gaze upon her warm and glowing features made the little girl sleepy, and presently she began to nod. thereupon erma rose and took betsy's hand gently in her own. "come," said she; "the feast time has arrived and the feast is spread." "that's nice," exclaimed the small mortal. "now that i think of it, i'm awful hungry. but p'raps i can't eat your fairy food." the queen smiled and led her to a doorway. as she pushed aside a heavy drapery a flood of silvery light greeted them, and betsy saw before her a splendid banquet hall, with a table spread with snowy linen and crystal and silver. at one side was a broad, throne-like seat for erma and beside her now sat the brilliant maid electra. polychrome was placed on the queen's right hand and betsy upon her left. the other five messengers of light now waited upon them, and each person was supplied with just the food she liked best. polychrome found her dish of dewdrops, all fresh and sparkling, while betsy was so lavishly served that she decided she had never in her life eaten a dinner half so good. "i s'pose," she said to the queen, "that miss electra is the youngest of all these girls." "why do you suppose that?" inquired erma, with a smile. "'cause electric'ty is the newest light we know of. didn't mr. edison discover it?" "perhaps he was the first mortal to discover it," replied the queen. "but electricity was a part of the world from its creation, and therefore my electra is as old as daylight or moonlight, and equally beneficent to mortals and fairies alike." betsy was thoughtful for a time. then she remarked, as she looked at the six messengers of light: "we couldn't very well do without any of 'em; could we?" erma laughed softly. "_i_ couldn't, i'm sure," she replied, "and i think mortals would miss any one of my maidens, as well. daylight cannot take the place of sunlight, which gives us strength and energy. moonlight is of value when daylight, worn out with her long watch, retires to rest. if the moon in its course is hidden behind the earth's rim, and my sweet moonlight cannot cheer us, starlight takes her place, for the skies always lend her power. without firelight we should miss much of our warmth and comfort, as well as much cheer when the walls of houses encompass us. but always, when other lights forsake us, our glorious electra is ready to flood us with bright rays. as queen of light, i love all my maidens, for i know them to be faithful and true." "i love 'em, too!" declared betsy. "but sometimes, when i'm _real_ sleepy, i can get along without any light at all." "are you sleepy now?" inquired erma, for the feast had ended. "a little," admitted the girl. so electra showed her to a pretty chamber where there was a soft, white bed, and waited patiently until betsy had undressed and put on a shimmery silken nightrobe that lay beside her pillow. then the light-maid bade her good night and opened the door. when she closed it after her betsy was in darkness. in six winks the little girl was fast asleep. chapter thirteen the jinjin's just judgment all the adventurers were reunited next morning when they were brought from various palaces to the residence of tititi-hoochoo and ushered into the great hall of state. as before, no one was visible except our friends and their escorts until the first bell sounded. then in a flash the room was seen to be filled with the beautiful kings and queens of the land. the second bell marked the appearance in the throne of the mighty jinjin, whose handsome countenance was as composed and expressionless as ever. all bowed low to the ruler. their voices softly murmured: "we greet the private citizen, mightiest of rulers, whose word is law and whose law is just." tititi-hoochoo bowed in acknowledgment. then, looking around the brilliant assemblage, and at the little group of adventurers before him, he said: "an unusual thing has happened. inhabitants of other lands than ours, who are different from ourselves in many ways, have been thrust upon us through the forbidden tube, which one of our people foolishly made years ago and was properly punished for his folly. but these strangers had no desire to come here and were wickedly thrust into the tube by a cruel king on the other side of the world, named ruggedo. this king is an immortal, but he is not good. his magic powers hurt mankind more than they benefit them. because he had unjustly kept the shaggy man's brother a prisoner, this little band of honest people, consisting of both mortals and immortals, determined to conquer ruggedo and to punish him. fearing they might succeed in this, the nome king misled them so that they fell into the tube. "now, this same ruggedo has been warned by me, many times, that if ever he used this forbidden tube in any way he would be severely punished. i find, by referring to the fairy records, that this king's servant, a nome named kaliko, begged his master not to do such a wrong act as to drop these people into the tube and send them tumbling into our country. but ruggedo defied me and my orders. "therefore these strangers are innocent of any wrong. it is only ruggedo who deserves punishment, and i will punish him." he paused a moment and then continued in the same cold, merciless voice: "these strangers must return through the tube to their own side of the world; but i will make their fall more easy and pleasant than it was before. also i shall send with them an instrument of vengeance, who in my name will drive ruggedo from his underground caverns, take away his magic powers and make him a homeless wanderer on the face of the earth--a place he detests." there was a little murmur of horror from the kings and queens at the severity of this punishment, but no one uttered a protest, for all realized that the sentence was just. "in selecting my instrument of vengeance," went on tititi-hoochoo, "i have realized that this will be an unpleasant mission. therefore no one of us who is blameless should be forced to undertake it. in this wonderful land it is seldom one is guilty of wrong, even in the slightest degree, and on examining the records i found no king or queen had erred. nor had any among their followers or servants done any wrong. but finally i came to the dragon family, which we highly respect, and then it was that i discovered the error of quox. "quox, as you well know, is a young dragon who has not yet acquired the wisdom of his race. because of this lack, he has been disrespectful toward his most ancient ancestor, the original dragon, telling him once to mind his own business and again saying that the ancient one had grown foolish with age. we are aware that dragons are not the same as fairies and cannot be altogether guided by our laws, yet such disrespect as quox has shown should not be unnoticed by us. therefore i have selected quox as my royal instrument of vengeance and he shall go through the tube with these people and inflict upon ruggedo the punishment i have decreed." all had listened quietly to this speech and now the kings and queens bowed gravely to signify their approval of the jinjin's judgment. tititi-hoochoo turned to tubekins. "i command you," said he, "to escort these strangers to the tube and see that they all enter it." the king of the tube, who had first discovered our friends and brought them to the private citizen, stepped forward and bowed. as he did so, the jinjin and all the kings and queens suddenly disappeared and only tubekins remained visible. "all right," said betsy, with a sigh; "i don't mind going back so _very_ much, 'cause the jinjin promised to make it easy for us." indeed, queen ann and her officers were the only ones who looked solemn and seemed to fear the return journey. one thing that bothered ann was her failure to conquer this land of tititi-hoochoo. as they followed their guide through the gardens to the mouth of the tube she said to shaggy: "how can i conquer the world, if i go away and leave this rich country unconquered?" "you can't," he replied. "don't ask me why, please, for if you don't know i can't inform you." "why not?" said ann; but shaggy paid no attention to the question. this end of the tube had a silver rim and around it was a gold railing to which was attached a sign that read. "if you are out, stay there. if you are in, don't come out." on a little silver plate just inside the tube was engraved the words: "burrowed and built by hiergargo the magician, in the year of the world for his own exclusive uses." "he was some builder, i must say," remarked betsy, when she had read the inscription; "but if he had known about that star i guess he'd have spent his time playing solitaire." "well, what are we waiting for?" inquired shaggy, who was impatient to start. "quox," replied tubekins. "but i think i hear him coming." "is the young dragon invisible?" asked ann, who had never seen a live dragon and was a little fearful of meeting one. "no, indeed," replied the king of the tube. "you'll see him in a minute; but before you part company i'm sure you'll wish he _was_ invisible." "is he dangerous, then?" questioned files. "not at all. but quox tires me dreadfully," said tubekins, "and i prefer his room to his company." at that instant a scraping sound was heard, drawing nearer and nearer until from between two big bushes appeared a huge dragon, who approached the party, nodded his head and said: "good morning." had quox been at all bashful i am sure he would have felt uncomfortable at the astonished stare of every eye in the group--except tubekins, of course, who was not astonished because he had seen quox so often. betsy had thought a "young" dragon must be a small dragon, yet here was one so enormous that the girl decided he must be full grown, if not overgrown. his body was a lovely sky-blue in color and it was thickly set with glittering silver scales, each one as big as a serving-tray. around his neck was a pink ribbon with a bow just under his left ear, and below the ribbon appeared a chain of pearls to which was attached a golden locket about as large around as the end of a bass drum. this locket was set with many large and beautiful jewels. the head and face of quox were not especially ugly, when you consider that he was a dragon; but his eyes were so large that it took him a long time to wink and his teeth seemed very sharp and terrible when they showed, which they did whenever the beast smiled. also his nostrils were quite large and wide, and those who stood near him were liable to smell brimstone--especially when he breathed out fire, as it is the nature of dragons to do. to the end of his long tail was attached a big electric light. perhaps the most singular thing about the dragon's appearance at this time was the fact that he had a row of seats attached to his back, one seat for each member of the party. these seats were double, with curved backs, so that two could sit in them, and there were twelve of these double seats, all strapped firmly around the dragon's thick body and placed one behind the other, in a row that extended from his shoulders nearly to his tail. "aha!" exclaimed tubekins; "i see that tititi-hoochoo has transformed quox into a carryall." "i'm glad of that," said betsy. "i hope, mr. dragon, you won't mind our riding on your back." "not a bit," replied quox. "i'm in disgrace just now, you know, and the only way to redeem my good name is to obey the orders of the jinjin. if he makes me a beast of burden, it is only a part of my punishment, and i must bear it like a dragon. i don't blame you people at all, and i hope you'll enjoy the ride. hop on, please. all aboard for the other side of the world!" silently they took their places. hank sat in the front seat with betsy, so that he could rest his front hoofs upon the dragon's head. behind them were shaggy and polychrome, then files and the princess, and queen ann and tik-tok. the officers rode in the rear seats. when all had mounted to their places the dragon looked very like one of those sightseeing wagons so common in big cities--only he had legs instead of wheels. "all ready?" asked quox, and when they said they were he crawled to the mouth of the tube and put his head in. "good-bye, and good luck to you!" called tubekins; but no one thought to reply, because just then the dragon slid his great body into the tube and the journey to the other side of the world had begun. at first they went so fast that they could scarcely catch their breaths, but presently quox slowed up and said with a sort of cackling laugh: "my scales! but that is some tumble. i think i shall take it easy and fall slower, or i'm likely to get dizzy. is it very far to the other side of the world?" "haven't you ever been through this tube before?" inquired shaggy. "never. nor has anyone else in our country; at least, not since i was born." "how long ago was that?" asked betsy. "that i was born? oh, not very long ago. i'm only a mere child. if i had not been sent on this journey, i would have celebrated my three thousand and fifty-sixth birthday next thursday. mother was going to make me a birthday cake with three thousand and fifty-six candles on it; but now, of course, there will be no celebration, for i fear i shall not get home in time for it." "three thousand and fifty-six years!" cried betsy. "why, i had no idea anything could live that long!" "my respected ancestor, whom i would call a stupid old humbug if i had not reformed, is so old that i am a mere baby compared with him," said quox. "he dates from the beginning of the world, and insists on telling us stories of things that happened fifty thousand years ago, which are of no interest at all to youngsters like me. in fact, grandpa isn't up to date. he lives altogether in the past, so i can't see any good reason for his being alive to-day.... are you people able to see your way, or shall i turn on more light?" "oh, we can see very nicely, thank you; only there's nothing to see but ourselves," answered betsy. this was true. the dragon's big eyes were like headlights on an automobile and illuminated the tube far ahead of them. also he curled his tail upward so that the electric light on the end of it enabled them to see one another quite clearly. but the tube itself was only dark metal, smooth as glass but exactly the same from one of its ends to the other. therefore there was no scenery of interest to beguile the journey. they were now falling so gently that the trip was proving entirely comfortable, as the jinjin had promised it would be; but this meant a longer journey and the only way they could make time pass was to engage in conversation. the dragon seemed a willing and persistent talker and he was of so much interest to them that they encouraged him to chatter. his voice was a little gruff but not unpleasant when one became used to it. "my only fear," said he presently, "is that this constant sliding over the surface of the tube will dull my claws. you see, this hole isn't straight down, but on a steep slant, and so instead of tumbling freely through the air i must skate along the tube. fortunately, there is a file in my tool-kit, and if my claws get dull they can be sharpened again." "why do you want sharp claws?" asked betsy. "they are my natural weapons, and you must not forget that i have been sent to conquer ruggedo." "oh, you needn't mind about that," remarked queen ann, in her most haughty manner; "for when we get to ruggedo i and my invincible army can conquer him without your assistance." "very good," returned the dragon, cheerfully. "that will save me a lot of bother--if you succeed. but i think i shall file my claws, just the same." he gave a long sigh, as he said this, and a sheet of flame, several feet in length, shot from his mouth. betsy shuddered and hank said "hee-haw!" while some of the officers screamed in terror. but the dragon did not notice that he had done anything unusual. "is there fire inside of you?" asked shaggy. "of course," answered quox. "what sort of a dragon would i be if my fire went out?" "what keeps it going?" betsy inquired. "i've no idea. i only know it's there," said quox. "the fire keeps me alive and enables me to move; also to think and speak." "ah! you are ver-y much like my-self," said tik-tok. "the on-ly dif-fer-ence is that i move by clock-work, while you move by fire." "i don't see a particle of likeness between us, i must confess," retorted quox, gruffly. "you are not a live thing; you're a dummy." "but i can do things, you must ad-mit," said tik-tok. "yes, when you are wound up," sneered the dragon. "but if you run down, you are helpless." "what would happen to you, quox, if you ran out of gasoline?" inquired shaggy, who did not like this attack upon his friend. "i don't use gasoline." "well, suppose you ran out of fire." "what's the use of supposing that?" asked quox. "my great-great-great-grandfather has lived since the world began, and he has never once run out of fire to keep him going. but i will confide to you that as he gets older he shows more smoke and less fire. as for tik-tok, he's well enough in his way, but he's merely copper. and the metal monarch knows copper through and through. i wouldn't be surprised if ruggedo melted tik-tok in one of his furnaces and made copper pennies of him." "in that case, i would still keep going," remarked tik-tok, calmly. "pennies do," said betsy regretfully. "this is all nonsense," said the queen, with irritation. "tik-tok is my great army--all but the officers--and i believe he will be able to conquer ruggedo with ease. what do you think, polychrome?" "you might let him try," answered the rainbow's daughter, with her sweet ringing laugh, that sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. "and if tik-tok fails, you have still the big fire-breathing dragon to fall back on." "ah!" said the dragon, another sheet of flame gushing from his mouth and nostrils; "it's a wise little girl, this polychrome. anyone would know she is a fairy." chapter fourteen the long-eared hearer learns by listening during this time ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes, was trying to amuse himself in his splendid jeweled cavern. it was hard work for ruggedo to find amusement to-day, for all the nomes were behaving well and there was no one to scold or to punish. the king had thrown his sceptre at kaliko six times, without hitting him once. not that kaliko had done anything wrong. on the contrary, he had obeyed the king in every way but one: he would not stand still, when commanded to do so, and let the heavy sceptre strike him. we can hardly blame kaliko for this, and even the cruel ruggedo forgave him; for he knew very well that if he mashed his royal chamberlain he could never find another so intelligent and obedient. kaliko could make the nomes work when their king could not, for the nomes hated ruggedo and there were so many thousands of the quaint little underground people that they could easily have rebelled and defied the king had they dared to do so. sometimes, when ruggedo abused them worse than usual, they grew sullen and threw down their hammers and picks. then, however hard the king scolded or whipped them, they would not work until kaliko came and begged them to. for kaliko was one of themselves and was as much abused by the king as any nome in the vast series of caverns. but to-day all the little people were working industriously at their tasks and ruggedo, having nothing to do, was greatly bored. he sent for the long-eared hearer and asked him to listen carefully and report what was going on in the big world. "it seems," said the hearer, after listening for awhile, "that the women in america have clubs." "are there spikes in them?" asked ruggedo, yawning. "i cannot hear any spikes, your majesty," was the reply. "then their clubs are not as good as my sceptre. what else do you hear?' "there's a war. "bah! there's always a war. what else?" for a time the hearer was silent, bending forward and spreading out his big ears to catch the slightest sound. then suddenly he said: "here is an interesting thing, your majesty. these people are arguing as to who shall conquer the metal monarch, seize his treasure and drive him from his dominions." "what people?" demanded ruggedo, sitting up straight in his throne. "the ones you threw down the hollow tube." "where are they now?" "in the same tube, and coming back this way," said the hearer. ruggedo got out of his throne and began to pace up and down the cavern. "i wonder what can be done to stop them," he mused. "well," said the hearer, "if you could turn the tube upside down, they would be falling the other way, your majesty." ruggedo glared at him wickedly, for it was impossible to turn the tube upside down and he believed the hearer was slyly poking fun at him. presently he asked: "how far away are those people now?" "about nine thousand three hundred and six miles, seventeen furlongs, eight feet and four inches--as nearly as i can judge from the sound of their voices," replied the hearer. "aha! then it will be some time before they arrive," said ruggedo, "and when they get here i shall be ready to receive them." he rushed to his gong and pounded upon it so fiercely that kaliko came bounding into the cavern with one shoe off and one shoe on, for he was just dressing himself after a swim in the hot bubbling lake of the underground kingdom. "kaliko, those invaders whom we threw down the tube are coming back again!" he exclaimed. "i thought they would," said the royal chamberlain, pulling on the other shoe. "tititi-hoochoo would not allow them to remain in his kingdom, of course, and so i've been expecting them back for some time. that was a very foolish action of yours, rug." "what, to throw them down the tube?" "yes. tititi-hoochoo has forbidden us to throw even rubbish into the tube." "pooh! what do i care for the jinjin?" asked ruggedo scornfully. "he never leaves his own kingdom, which is on the other side of the world." "true; but he might send some one through the tube to punish you," suggested kaliko. "i'd like to see him do it! who could conquer my thousands of nomes?" "why, they've been conquered before, if i remember aright," answered kaliko with a grin. "once i saw you running from a little girl named dorothy, and her friends, as if you were really afraid." "well, i _was_ afraid, that time," admitted the nome king, with a deep sigh, "for dorothy had a yellow hen that laid eggs!" the king shuddered as he said "eggs," and kaliko also shuddered, and so did the long-eared hearer; for eggs are the only things that the nomes greatly dread. the reason for this is that eggs belong on the earth's surface, where birds and fowl of all sorts live, and there is something about a hen's egg, especially, that fills a nome with horror. if by chance the inside of an egg touches one of these underground people, he withers up and blows away and that is the end of him--unless he manages quickly to speak a magical word which only a few of the nomes know. therefore ruggedo and his followers had very good cause to shudder at the mere mention of eggs. "but dorothy," said the king, "is not with this band of invaders; nor is the yellow hen. as for tititi-hoochoo, he has no means of knowing that we are afraid of eggs." "you mustn't be too sure of that," kaliko warned him. "tititi-hoochoo knows a great many things, being a fairy, and his powers are far superior to any we can boast." ruggedo shrugged impatiently and turned to the hearer. "listen," said he, "and tell me if you hear any eggs coming through the tube." the long-eared one listened and then shook his head. but kaliko laughed at the king. "no one can hear an egg, your majesty," said he. "the only way to discover the truth is to look through the magic spyglass." "that's it!" cried the king. "why didn't i think of it before? look at once, kaliko!" so kaliko went to the spyglass and by uttering a mumbled charm he caused the other end of it to twist around, so that it pointed down the opening of the tube. then he put his eye to the glass and was able to gaze along all the turns and windings of the magic spyglass and then deep into the tube, to where our friends were at that time falling. "dear me!" he exclaimed. "here comes a dragon." "a big one?" asked ruggedo. "a monster. he has an electric light on the end of his tail, so i can see him very plainly. and the other people are all riding upon his back." "how about the eggs?" inquired the king. kaliko looked again. "i can see no eggs at all," said he; "but i imagine that the dragon is as dangerous as eggs. probably tititi-hoochoo has sent him here to punish you for dropping those strangers into the forbidden tube. i warned you not to do it, your majesty." this news made the nome king anxious. for a few minutes he paced up and down, stroking his long beard and thinking with all his might. after this he turned to kaliko and said: "all the harm a dragon can do is to scratch with his claws and bite with his teeth." "that is not all, but it's quite enough," returned kaliko earnestly. "on the other hand, no one can hurt a dragon, because he's the toughest creature alive. one flop of his huge tail could smash a hundred nomes to pancakes, and with teeth and claws he could tear even you or me into small bits, so that it would be almost impossible to put us together again. once, a few hundred years ago, while wandering through some deserted caverns, i came upon a small piece of a nome lying on the rocky floor. i asked the piece of nome what had happened to it. fortunately the mouth was a part of this piece--the mouth and the left eye--so it was able to tell me that a fierce dragon was the cause. it had attacked the poor nome and scattered him in every direction, and as there was no friend near to collect his pieces and put him together, they had been separated for a great many years. so you see, your majesty, it is not in good taste to sneer at a dragon." the king had listened attentively to kaliko. said he: "it will only be necessary to chain this dragon which tititi-hoochoo has sent here, in order to prevent his reaching us with his claws and teeth." "he also breathes flames," kaliko reminded him. "my nomes are not afraid of fire, nor am i," said ruggedo. "well, how about the army of oogaboo?" "sixteen cowardly officers and tik-tok! why, i could defeat them single-handed; but i won't try to. i'll summon my army of nomes to drive the invaders out of my territory, and if we catch any of them i intend to stick needles into them until they hop with pain." "i hope you won't hurt any of the girls," said kaliko. "i'll hurt 'em all!" roared the angry metal monarch. "and that braying mule i'll make into hoof-soup, and feed it to my nomes, that it may add to their strength." "why not be good to the strangers and release your prisoner, the shaggy man's brother?" suggested kaliko. "never!" "it may save you a lot of annoyance. and you don't want the ugly one." "i don't want him; that's true. but i won't allow anybody to order me around. i'm king of the nomes and i'm the metal monarch, and i shall do as i please and what i please and when i please!" with this speech ruggedo threw his sceptre at kaliko's head, aiming it so well that the royal chamberlain had to fall flat upon the floor in order to escape it. but the hearer did not see the sceptre coming and it swept past his head so closely that it broke off the tip of one of his long ears. he gave a dreadful yell that quite startled ruggedo, and the king was sorry for the accident because those long ears of the hearer were really valuable to him. so the nome king forgot to be angry with kaliko and ordered his chamberlain to summon general guph and the army of nomes and have them properly armed. they were then to march to the mouth of the tube, where they could seize the travelers as soon as they appeared. chapter fifteen the dragon defies danger although the journey through the tube was longer, this time, than before, it was so much more comfortable that none of our friends minded it at all. they talked together most of the time and as they found the dragon good-natured and fond of the sound of his own voice they soon became well acquainted with him and accepted him as a companion. "you see," said shaggy, in his frank way, "quox is on our side, and therefore the dragon is a good fellow. if he happened to be an enemy, instead of a friend, i am sure i should dislike him very much, for his breath smells of brimstone, he is very conceited and he is so strong and fierce that he would prove a dangerous foe." "yes, indeed," returned quox, who had listened to this speech with pleasure; "i suppose i am about as terrible as any living thing. i am glad you find me conceited, for that proves i know my good qualities. as for my breath smelling of brimstone, i really can't help it, and i once met a man whose breath smelled of onions, which i consider far worse." "i don't," said betsy; "i love onions. "and i love brimstone," declared the dragon, "so don't let us quarrel over one another's peculiarities." saying this, he breathed a long breath and shot a flame fifty feet from his mouth. the brimstone made betsy cough, but she remembered about the onions and said nothing. they had no idea how far they had gone through the center of the earth, nor when to expect the trip to end. at one time the little girl remarked: "i wonder when we'll reach the bottom of this hole. and isn't it funny, shaggy man, that what is the bottom to us now, was the top when we fell the other way?" "what puzzles me," said files, "is that we are able to fall both ways." "that," announced tik-tok, "is be-cause the world is round." "exactly," responded shaggy. "the machinery in your head is in fine working order, tik-tok. you know, betsy, that there is such a thing as the attraction of gravitation, which draws everything toward the center of the earth. that is why we fall out of bed, and why everything clings to the surface of the earth." "then why doesn't everything go on down to the center of the earth?" inquired the little girl. "i was afraid you were going to ask me that," replied shaggy in a sad tone. "the reason, my dear, is that the earth is so solid that other solid things can't get through it. but when there's a hole, as there is in this case, we drop right down to the center of the world." "why don't we stop there?" asked betsy. "because we go so fast that we acquire speed enough to carry us right up to the other end." "i don't understand that, and it makes my head ache to try to figure it out," she said after some thought. "one thing draws us to the center and another thing pushes us away from it. but--" "don't ask me why, please," interrupted the shaggy man. "if you can't understand it, let it go at that." "do _you_ understand it?" she inquired. "all the magic isn't in fairyland," he said gravely. "there's lots of magic in all nature, and you may see it as well in the united states, where you and i once lived, as you can here." "i never did," she replied. "because you were so used to it all that you didn't realize it was magic. is anything more wonderful than to see a flower grow and blossom, or to get light out of the electricity in the air? the cows that manufacture milk for us must have machinery fully as remarkable as that in tik-tok's copper body, and perhaps you've noticed that--" and then, before shaggy could finish his speech, the strong light of day suddenly broke upon them, grew brighter, and completely enveloped them. the dragon's claws no longer scraped against the metal tube, for he shot into the open air a hundred feet or more and sailed so far away from the slanting hole that when he landed it was on the peak of a mountain and just over the entrance to the many underground caverns of the nome king. some of the officers tumbled off their seats when quox struck the ground, but most of the dragon's passengers only felt a slight jar. all were glad to be on solid earth again and they at once dismounted and began to look about them. queerly enough, as soon as they had left the dragon, the seats that were strapped to the monster's back disappeared, and this probably happened because there was no further use for them and because quox looked far more dignified in just his silver scales. of course he still wore the forty yards of ribbon around his neck, as well as the great locket, but these only made him look "dressed up," as betsy remarked. now the army of nomes had gathered thickly around the mouth of the tube, in order to be ready to capture the band of invaders as soon as they popped out. there were, indeed, hundreds of nomes assembled, and they were led by guph, their most famous general. but they did not expect the dragon to fly so high, and he shot out of the tube so suddenly that it took them by surprise. when the nomes had rubbed the astonishment out of their eyes and regained their wits, they discovered the dragon quietly seated on the mountainside far above their heads, while the other strangers were standing in a group and calmly looking down upon them. general guph was very angry at the escape, which was no one's fault but his own. "come down here and be captured!" he shouted, waving his sword at them. "come up here and capture us--if you dare!" replied queen ann, who was winding up the clockwork of her private soldier, so he could fight more briskly. guph's first answer was a roar of rage at the defiance; then he turned and issued a command to his nomes. these were all armed with sharp spears and with one accord they raised these spears and threw them straight at their foes, so that they rushed through the air in a perfect cloud of flying weapons. some damage might have been done had not the dragon quickly crawled before the others, his body being so big that it shielded every one of them, including hank. the spears rattled against the silver scales of quox and then fell harmlessly to the ground. they were magic spears, of course, and all straightway bounded back into the hands of those who had thrown them, but even guph could see that it was useless to repeat the attack. it was now queen ann's turn to attack, so the generals yelled "for--ward march!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command and the valiant army of oogaboo, which seemed to be composed mainly of tik-tok, marched forward in single column toward the nomes, while betsy and polychrome cheered and hank gave a loud "hee-haw!" and shaggy shouted "hooray!" and queen ann screamed: "at 'em, tik-tok--at 'em!" the nomes did not await the clockwork man's attack but in a twinkling disappeared into the underground caverns. they made a great mistake in being so hasty, for tik-tok had not taken a dozen steps before he stubbed his copper toe on a rock and fell flat to the ground, where he cried: "pick me up! pick me up! pick me up!" until shaggy and files ran forward and raised him to his feet again. the dragon chuckled softly to himself as he scratched his left ear with his hind claw, but no one was paying much attention to quox just then. it was evident to ann and her officers that there could be no fighting unless the enemy was present, and in order to find the enemy they must boldly enter the underground kingdom of the nomes. so bold a step demanded a council of war. "don't you think i'd better drop in on ruggedo and obey the orders of the jinjin?" asked quox. "by no means!" returned queen ann. "we have already put the army of nomes to flight and all that yet remains is to force our way into those caverns, and conquer the nome king and all his people." "that seems to me something of a job," said the dragon, closing his eyes sleepily. "but go ahead, if you like, and i'll wait here for you. don't be in any hurry on my account. to one who lives thousands of years the delay of a few days means nothing at all, and i shall probably sleep until the time comes for me to act." ann was provoked at this speech. "you may as well go back to tititi-hoochoo now," she said, "for the nome king is as good as conquered already." but quox shook his head. "no," said he; "i'll wait." chapter sixteen the naughty nome shaggy man had said nothing during the conversation between queen ann and quox, for the simple reason that he did not consider the matter worth an argument. safe within his pocket reposed the love magnet, which had never failed to win every heart. the nomes, he knew, were not like the heartless roses and therefore could be won to his side as soon as he exhibited the magic talisman. shaggy's chief anxiety had been to reach ruggedo's kingdom and now that the entrance lay before him he was confident he would be able to rescue his lost brother. let ann and the dragon quarrel as to who should conquer the nomes, if they liked; shaggy would let them try, and if they failed he had the means of conquest in his own pocket. but ann was positive she could not fail, for she thought her army could do anything. so she called the officers together and told them how to act, and she also instructed tik-tok what to do and what to say. "please do not shoot your gun except as a last resort," she added, "for i do not wish to be cruel or to shed any blood--unless it is absolutely necessary." "all right," replied tik-tok; "but i do not think rug-ge-do would bleed if i filled him full of holes and put him in a ci-der press." then the officers fell in line, the four generals abreast and then the four colonels and the four majors and the four captains. they drew their glittering swords and commanded tik-tok to march, which he did. twice he fell down, being tripped by the rough rocks, but when he struck the smooth path he got along better. into the gloomy mouth of the cavern entrance he stepped without hesitation, and after him proudly pranced the officers and queen ann. the others held back a little, waiting to see what would happen. of course the nome king knew they were coming and was prepared to receive them. just within the rocky passage that led to the jeweled throne-room was a deep pit, which was usually covered. ruggedo had ordered the cover removed and it now stood open, scarcely visible in the gloom. the pit was so large around that it nearly filled the passage and there was barely room for one to walk around it by pressing close to the rock walls. this tik-tok did, for his copper eyes saw the pit clearly and he avoided it; but the officers marched straight into the hole and tumbled in a heap on the bottom. an instant later queen ann also walked into the pit, for she had her chin in the air and was careless where she placed her feet. then one of the nomes pulled a lever which replaced the cover on the pit and made the officers of oogaboo and their queen fast prisoners. as for tik-tok, he kept straight on to the cavern where ruggedo sat in his throne and there he faced the nome king and said: "i here-by con-quer you in the name of queen ann so-forth of oo-ga-boo, whose ar-my i am, and i de-clare that you are her pris-on-er!" ruggedo laughed at him. "where is this famous queen?" he asked. "she'll be here in a min-ute," said tik-tok. "per-haps she stopped to tie her shoe-string." "now, see here, tik-tok," began the nome king, in a stern voice, "i've had enough of this nonsense. your queen and her officers are all prisoners, having fallen into my power, so perhaps you'll tell me what you mean to do." "my or-ders were to con-quer you," replied tik-tok, "and my ma-chin-er-y has done the best it knows how to car-ry out those or-ders." ruggedo pounded on his gong and kaliko appeared, followed closely by general guph. "take this copper man into the shops and set him to work hammering gold," commanded the king. "being run by machinery he ought to be a steady worker. he ought never to have been made, but since he exists i shall hereafter put him to good use." "if you try to cap-ture me," said tik-tok, "i shall fight." "don't do that!" exclaimed general guph, earnestly, "for it will be useless to resist and you might hurt some one." but tik-tok raised his gun and took aim and not knowing what damage the gun might do the nomes were afraid to face it. while he was thus defying the nome king and his high officials, betsy bobbin rode calmly into the royal cavern, seated upon the back of hank the mule. the little girl had grown tired of waiting for "something to happen" and so had come to see if ruggedo had been conquered. "nails and nuggets!" roared the king; "how dare you bring that beast here and enter my presence unannounced?" "there wasn't anybody to announce me," replied betsy. "i guess your folks were all busy. are you conquered yet?" "no!" shouted the king, almost beside himself with rage. "then please give me something to eat, for i'm awful hungry," said the girl. "you see, this conquering business is a good deal like waiting for a circus parade; it takes a long time to get around and don't amount to much anyhow." the nomes were so much astonished at this speech that for a time they could only glare at her silently, not finding words to reply. the king finally recovered the use of his tongue and said: "earth-crawler! this insolence to my majesty shall be your death-warrant. you are an ordinary mortal, and to stop a mortal from living is so easy a thing to do that i will not keep you waiting half so long as you did for my conquest." "i'd rather you wouldn't stop me from living," remarked betsy, getting off hank's back and standing beside him. "and it would be a pretty cheap king who killed a visitor while she was hungry. if you'll give me something to eat, i'll talk this killing business over with you afterward; only, i warn you now that i don't approve of it, and never will." her coolness and lack of fear impressed the nome king, although he bore an intense hatred toward all mortals. "what do you wish to eat?" he asked gruffly. "oh, a ham-sandwich would do, or perhaps a couple of hard-boiled eggs--" "eggs!" shrieked the three nomes who were present, shuddering till their teeth chattered. "what's the matter?" asked betsy wonderingly. "are eggs as high here as they are at home?" "guph," said the king in an agitated voice, turning to his general, "let us destroy this rash mortal at once! seize her and take her to the slimy cave and lock her in." guph glanced at tik-tok, whose gun was still pointed, but just then kaliko stole softly behind the copper man and kicked his knee-joints so that they suddenly bent forward and tumbled tik-tok to the floor, his gun falling from his grasp. then guph, seeing tik-tok helpless, made a grab at betsy. at the same time hank's heels shot out and caught the general just where his belt was buckled. he rose into the air swift as a cannon-ball, struck the nome king fairly and flattened his majesty against the wall of rock on the opposite side of the cavern. together they fell to the floor in a dazed and crumpled condition, seeing which kaliko whispered to betsy: "come with me--quick!--and i will save you." she looked into kaliko's face inquiringly and thought he seemed honest and good-natured, so she decided to follow him. he led her and the mule through several passages and into a small cavern very nicely and comfortably furnished. "this is my own room," said he, "but you are quite welcome to use it. wait here a minute and i'll get you something to eat." when kaliko returned he brought a tray containing some broiled mushrooms, a loaf of mineral bread and some petroleum-butter. the butter betsy could not eat, but the bread was good and the mushrooms delicious. "here's the door key," said kaliko, "and you'd better lock yourself in." "won't you let polychrome and the rose princess come here, too?" she asked. "i'll see. where are they?" "i don't know. i left them outside," said betsy. "well, if you hear three raps on the door, open it," said kaliko; "but don't let anyone in unless they give the three raps." "all right," promised betsy, and when kaliko left the cosy cavern she closed and locked the door. in the meantime ann and her officers, finding themselves prisoners in the pit, had shouted and screamed until they were tired out, but no one had come to their assistance. it was very dark and damp in the pit and they could not climb out because the walls were higher than their heads and the cover was on. the queen was first angry and then annoyed and then discouraged; but the officers were only afraid. every one of the poor fellows heartily wished he was back in oogaboo caring for his orchard, and some were so unhappy that they began to reproach ann for causing them all this trouble and danger. finally the queen sat down on the bottom of the pit and leaned her back against the wall. by good luck her sharp elbow touched a secret spring in the wall and a big flat rock swung inward. ann fell over backward, but the next instant she jumped up and cried to the others: "a passage! a passage! follow me, my brave men, and we may yet escape." then she began to crawl through the passage, which was as dark and dank as the pit, and the officers followed her in single file. they crawled, and they crawled, and they kept on crawling, for the passage was not big enough to allow them to stand upright. it turned this way and twisted that, sometimes like a corkscrew and sometimes zigzag, but seldom ran for long in a straight line. "it will never end--never!" moaned the officers, who were rubbing all the skin off their knees on the rough rocks. "it _must_ end," retorted ann courageously, "or it never would have been made. we don't know where it will lead us to, but any place is better than that loathsome pit." so she crawled on, and the officers crawled on, and while they were crawling through this awful underground passage polychrome and shaggy and files and the rose princess, who were standing outside the entrance to ruggedo's domains, were wondering what had become of them. chapter seventeen a tragic transformation "don't let us worry," said shaggy to his companions, "for it may take the queen some time to conquer the metal monarch, as tik-tok has to do everything in his slow, mechanical way." "do you suppose they are likely to fail?" asked the rose princess. "i do, indeed," replied shaggy. "this nome king is really a powerful fellow and has a legion of nomes to assist him, whereas our bold queen commands a clockwork man and a band of faint-hearted officers." "she ought to have let quox do the conquering," said polychrome, dancing lightly upon a point of rock and fluttering her beautiful draperies. "but perhaps the dragon was wise to let her go first, for when she fails to conquer ruggedo she may become more modest in her ambitions." "where is the dragon now?" inquired ozga. "up there on the rocks," replied files. "look, my dear; you may see him from here. he said he would take a little nap while we were mixing up with ruggedo, and he added that after we had gotten into trouble he would wake up and conquer the nome king in a jiffy, as his master the jinjin has ordered him to do." "quox means well," said shaggy, "but i do not think we shall need his services; for just as soon as i am satisfied that queen ann and her army have failed to conquer ruggedo, i shall enter the caverns and show the king my love magnet. that he cannot resist; therefore the conquest will be made with ease." this speech of shaggy man's was overheard by the long-eared hearer, who was at that moment standing by ruggedo's side. for when the king and guph had recovered from hank's kick and had picked themselves up, their first act was to turn tik-tok on his back and put a heavy diamond on top of him, so that he could not get up again. then they carefully put his gun in a corner of the cavern and the king sent guph to fetch the long-eared hearer. the hearer was still angry at ruggedo for breaking his ear, but he acknowledged the nome king to be his master and was ready to obey his commands. therefore he repeated shaggy's speech to the king, who at once realized that his kingdom was in grave danger. for ruggedo knew of the love magnet and its powers and was horrified at the thought that shaggy might show him the magic talisman and turn all the hatred in his heart into love. ruggedo was proud of his hatred and abhorred love of any sort. "really," said he, "i'd rather be conquered and lose my wealth and my kingdom than gaze at that awful love magnet. what can i do to prevent the shaggy man from taking it out of his pocket?" kaliko returned to the cavern in time to overhear this question, and being a loyal nome and eager to serve his king, he answered by saying: "if we can manage to bind the shaggy man's arms, tight to his body, he could not get the love magnet out of his pocket." "true!" cried the king in delight at this easy solution of the problem. "get at once a dozen nomes, with ropes, and place them in the passage where they can seize and bind shaggy as soon as he enters." this kaliko did, and meanwhile the watchers outside the entrance were growing more and more uneasy about their friends. "i don't worry so much about the oogaboo people," said polychrome, who had grown sober with waiting, and perhaps a little nervous, "for they could not be killed, even though ruggedo might cause them much suffering and perhaps destroy them utterly. but we should not have allowed betsy and hank to go alone into the caverns. the little girl is mortal and possesses no magic powers whatever, so if ruggedo captures her she will be wholly at his mercy." "that is indeed true," replied shaggy. "i wouldn't like to have anything happen to dear little betsy, so i believe i'll go in right away and put an end to all this worry." "we may as well go with you," asserted files, "for by means of the love magnet, you can soon bring the nome king to reason." so it was decided to wait no longer. shaggy walked through the entrance first, and after him came the others. they had no thought of danger to themselves, and shaggy, who was going along with his hands thrust into his pockets, was much surprised when a rope shot out from the darkness and twined around his body, pinning down his arms so securely that he could not even withdraw his hands from the pockets. then appeared several grinning nomes, who speedily tied knots in the ropes and then led the prisoner along the passage to the cavern. no attention was paid to the others, but files and the princess followed on after shaggy, determined not to desert their friend and hoping that an opportunity might arise to rescue him. as for polychrome, as soon as she saw that trouble had overtaken shaggy she turned and ran lightly back through the passage and out of the entrance. then she easily leaped from rock to rock until she paused beside the great dragon, who lay fast asleep. "wake up, quox!" she cried. "it is time for you to act." but quox did not wake up. he lay as one in a trance, absolutely motionless, with his enormous eyes tight closed. the eyelids had big silver scales on them, like all the rest of his body. polychrome might have thought quox was dead had she not known that dragons do not die easily or had she not observed his huge body swelling as he breathed. she picked up a piece of rock and pounded against his eyelids with it, saying: "wake up, quox--wake up!" but he would not waken. "dear me, how unfortunate!" sighed the lovely rainbow's daughter. "i wonder what is the best and surest way to waken a dragon. all our friends may be captured and destroyed while this great beast lies asleep." she walked around quox two or three times, trying to discover some tender place on his body where a thump or a punch might be felt; but he lay extended along the rocks with his chin flat upon the ground and his legs drawn underneath his body, and all that one could see was his thick sky-blue skin--thicker than that of a rhinoceros--and his silver scales. then, despairing at last of wakening the beast, and worried over the fate of her friends, polychrome again ran down to the entrance and hurried along the passage into the nome king's cavern. here she found ruggedo lolling in his throne and smoking a long pipe. beside him stood general guph and kaliko, and ranged before the king were the rose princess, files and the shaggy man. tik-tok still lay upon the floor, weighted down by the big diamond. ruggedo was now in a more contented frame of mind. one by one he had met the invaders and easily captured them. the dreaded love magnet was indeed in shaggy's pocket, only a few feet away from the king, but shaggy was powerless to show it and unless ruggedo's eyes beheld the talisman it could not affect him. as for betsy bobbin and her mule, he believed kaliko had placed them in the slimy cave, while ann and her officers he thought safely imprisoned in the pit. ruggedo had no fear of files or ozga, but to be on the safe side he had ordered golden handcuffs placed upon their wrists. these did not cause them any great annoyance but prevented them from making an attack, had they been inclined to do so. the nome king, thinking himself wholly master of the situation, was laughing and jeering at his prisoners when polychrome, exquisitely beautiful and dancing like a ray of light, entered the cavern. "oho!" cried the king; "a rainbow under ground, eh?" and then he stared hard at polychrome, and still harder, and then he sat up and pulled the wrinkles out of his robe and arranged his whiskers. "on my word," said he, "you are a very captivating creature; moreover, i perceive you are a fairy." "i am polychrome, the rainbow's daughter," she said proudly. "well," replied ruggedo, "i like you. the others i hate. i hate everybody--but you! wouldn't you like to live always in this beautiful cavern, polychrome? see! the jewels that stud the walls have every tint and color of your rainbow--and they are not so elusive. i'll have fresh dewdrops gathered for your feasting every day and you shall be queen of all my nomes and pull kaliko's nose whenever you like." "no, thank you," laughed polychrome. "my home is in the sky, and i'm only on a visit to this solid, sordid earth. but tell me, ruggedo, why my friends have been wound with cords and bound with chains?" "they threatened me," answered ruggedo. "the fools did not know how powerful i am." "then, since they are now helpless, why not release them and send them back to the earth's surface?" "because i hate 'em and mean to make 'em suffer for their invasion. but i'll make a bargain with you, sweet polly. remain here and live with me and i'll set all these people free. you shall be my daughter or my wife or my aunt or grandmother--whichever you like--only stay here to brighten my gloomy kingdom and make me happy!" polychrome looked at him wonderingly. then she turned to shaggy and asked: "are you sure he hasn't seen the love magnet?" "i'm positive," answered shaggy. "but you seem to be something of a love magnet yourself, polychrome." she laughed again and said to ruggedo: "not even to rescue my friends would i live in your kingdom. nor could i endure for long the society of such a wicked monster as you." "you forget," retorted the king, scowling darkly, "that you also are in my power." "not so, ruggedo. the rainbow's daughter is beyond the reach of your spite or malice." "seize her!" suddenly shouted the king, and general guph sprang forward to obey. polychrome stood quite still, yet when guph attempted to clutch her his hands met in air, and now the rainbow's daughter was in another part of the room, as smiling and composed as before. several times guph endeavored to capture her and ruggedo even came down from his throne to assist his general; but never could they lay hands upon the lovely sky fairy, who flitted here and there with the swiftness of light and constantly defied them with her merry laughter as she evaded their efforts. so after a time they abandoned the chase and ruggedo returned to his throne and wiped the perspiration from his face with a finely-woven handkerchief of cloth-of-gold. "well," said polychrome, "what do you intend to do now?" "i'm going to have some fun, to repay me for all my bother," replied the nome king. then he said to kaliko: "summon the executioners." kaliko at once withdrew and presently returned with a score of nomes, all of whom were nearly as evil looking as their hated master. they bore great golden pincers, and prods of silver, and clamps and chains and various wicked-looking instruments, all made of precious metals and set with diamonds and rubies. "now, pang," said ruggedo, addressing the leader of the executioners, "fetch the army of oogaboo and their queen from the pit and torture them here in my presence--as well as in the presence of their friends. it will be great sport." "i hear your majesty, and i obey your majesty," answered pang, and went with his nomes into the passage. in a few minutes he returned and bowed to ruggedo. "they're all gone," said he. "gone!" exclaimed the nome king. "gone where?" "they left no address, your majesty; but they are not in the pit." "picks and puddles!" roared the king; "who took the cover off?" "no one," said pang. "the cover was there, but the prisoners were not under it." "in that case," snarled the king, trying to control his disappointment, "go to the slimy cave and fetch hither the girl and the donkey. and while we are torturing them kaliko must take a hundred nomes and search for the escaped prisoners--the queen of oogaboo and her officers. if he does not find them, i will torture kaliko." kaliko went away looking sad and disturbed, for he knew the king was cruel and unjust enough to carry out this threat. pang and the executioners also went away, in another direction, but when they came back betsy bobbin was not with them, nor was hank. "there is no one in the slimy cave, your majesty," reported pang. "jumping jellycakes!" screamed the king. "another escape? are you sure you found the right cave?" "there is but one slimy cave, and there is no one in it," returned pang positively. ruggedo was beginning to be alarmed as well as angry. however, these disappointments but made him the more vindictive and he cast an evil look at the other prisoners and said: "never mind the girl and the donkey. here are four, at least, who cannot escape my vengeance. let me see; i believe i'll change my mind about tik-tok. have the gold crucible heated to a white, seething heat, and then we'll dump the copper man into it and melt him up." "but, your majesty," protested kaliko, who had returned to the room after sending a hundred nomes to search for the oogaboo people, "you must remember that tik-tok is a very curious and interesting machine. it would be a shame to deprive the world of such a clever contrivance." "say another word, and you'll go into the furnace with him!" roared the king. "i'm getting tired of you, kaliko, and the first thing you know i'll turn you into a potato and make saratoga-chips of you! the next to consider," he added more mildly, "is the shaggy man. as he owns the love magnet, i think i'll transform him into a dove, and then we can practice shooting at him with tik-tok's gun. now, this is a very interesting ceremony and i beg you all to watch me closely and see that i've nothing up my sleeve." he came out of his throne to stand before the shaggy man, and then he waved his hands, palms downward, in seven semicircles over his victim's head, saying in a low but clear tone of voice the magic wugwa: "adi, edi, idi, odi, udi, oo-i-oo! idu, ido, idi, ide, ida, woo!" the effect of this well-known sorcery was instantaneous. instead of the shaggy man, a pretty dove lay fluttering upon the floor, its wings confined by tiny cords wound around them. ruggedo gave an order to pang, who cut the cords with a pair of scissors. being freed, the dove quickly flew upward and alighted on the shoulder of the rose princess, who stroked it tenderly. "very good! very good!" cried ruggedo, rubbing his hands gleefully together. "one enemy is out of my way, and now for the others." (perhaps my readers should be warned not to attempt the above transformation; for, although the exact magical formula has been described, it is unlawful in all civilized countries for anyone to transform a person into a dove by muttering the words ruggedo used. there were no laws to prevent the nome king from performing this transformation, but if it should be attempted in any other country, and the magic worked, the magician would be severely punished.) when polychrome saw shaggy man transformed into a dove and realized that ruggedo was about to do something as dreadful to the princess and files, and that tik-tok would soon be melted in a crucible, she turned and ran from the cavern, through the passage and back to the place where quox lay asleep. chapter eighteen a clever conquest the great dragon still had his eyes closed and was even snoring in a manner that resembled distant thunder; but polychrome was now desperate, because any further delay meant the destruction of her friends. she seized the pearl necklace, to which was attached the great locket, and jerked it with all her strength. the result was encouraging. quox stopped snoring and his eyelids flickered. so polychrome jerked again--and again--till slowly the great lids raised and the dragon looked at her steadily. said he, in a sleepy tone: "what's the matter, little rainbow?" "come quick!" exclaimed polychrome. "ruggedo has captured all our friends and is about to destroy them." "well, well," said quox, "i suspected that would happen. step a little out of my path, my dear, and i'll make a rush for the nome king's cavern." she fell back a few steps and quox raised himself on his stout legs, whisked his long tail and in an instant had slid down the rocks and made a dive through the entrance. along the passage he swept, nearly filling it with his immense body, and now he poked his head into the jeweled cavern of ruggedo. but the king had long since made arrangements to capture the dragon, whenever he might appear. no sooner did quox stick his head into the room than a thick chain fell from above and encircled his neck. then the ends of the chain were drawn tight--for in an adjoining cavern a thousand nomes were pulling on them--and so the dragon could advance no further toward the king. he could not use his teeth or his claws and as his body was still in the passage he had not even room to strike his foes with his terrible tail. ruggedo was delighted with the success of his stratagem. he had just transformed the rose princess into a fiddle and was about to transform files into a fiddle bow, when the dragon appeared to interrupt him. so he called out: "welcome, my dear quox, to my royal entertainment. since you are here, you shall witness some very neat magic, and after i have finished with files and tik-tok i mean to transform you into a tiny lizard--one of the chameleon sort--and you shall live in my cavern and amuse me." "pardon me for contradicting your majesty," returned quox in a quiet voice, "but i don't believe you'll perform any more magic." "eh? why not?" asked the king in surprise. "there's a reason," said quox. "do you see this ribbon around my neck?" "yes; and i'm astonished that a dignified dragon should wear such a silly thing." "do you see it plainly?" persisted the dragon, with a little chuckle of amusement. "i do," declared ruggedo. "then you no longer possess any magical powers, and are as helpless as a clam," asserted quox. "my great master, tititi-hoochoo, the jinjin, enchanted this ribbon in such a way that whenever your majesty looked upon it all knowledge of magic would desert you instantly, nor will any magical formula you can remember ever perform your bidding." "pooh! i don't believe a word of it!" cried ruggedo, half frightened, nevertheless. then he turned toward files and tried to transform him into a fiddle bow. but he could not remember the right words or the right pass of the hands and after several trials he finally gave up the attempt. by this time the nome king was so alarmed that he was secretly shaking in his shoes. "i told you not to anger tititi-hoochoo," grumbled kaliko, "and now you see the result of your disobedience." ruggedo promptly threw his sceptre at his royal chamberlain, who dodged it with his usual cleverness, and then he said with an attempt to swagger: "never mind; i don't need magic to enable me to destroy these invaders; fire and the sword will do the business and i am still king of the nomes and lord and master of my underground kingdom!" "again i beg to differ with your majesty," said quox. "the great jinjin commands you to depart instantly from this kingdom and seek the earth's surface, where you will wander for all time to come, without a home or country, without a friend or follower, and without any more riches than you can carry with you in your pockets. the great jinjin is so generous that he will allow you to fill your pockets with jewels or gold, but you must take nothing more." ruggedo now stared at the dragon in amazement. "does tititi-hoochoo condemn me to such a fate?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "he does," said quox. "and just for throwing a few strangers down the forbidden tube?" "just for that," repeated quox in a stern, gruff voice. "well, i won't do it. and your crazy old jinjin can't make me do it, either!" declared ruggedo. "i intend to remain here, king of the nomes, until the end of the world, and i defy your tititi-hoochoo and all his fairies--as well as his clumsy messenger, whom i have been obliged to chain up!" the dragon smiled again, but it was not the sort of smile that made ruggedo feel very happy. instead, there was something so cold and merciless in the dragon's expression that the condemned nome king trembled and was sick at heart. there was little comfort for ruggedo in the fact that the dragon was now chained, although he had boasted of it. he glared at the immense head of quox as if fascinated and there was fear in the old king's eyes as he watched his enemy's movements. for the dragon was now moving; not abruptly, but as if he had something to do and was about to do it. very deliberately he raised one claw, touched the catch of the great jeweled locket that was suspended around his neck, and at once it opened wide. nothing much happened at first; half a dozen hen's eggs rolled out upon the floor and then the locket closed with a sharp click. but the effect upon the nomes of this simple thing was astounding. general guph, kaliko, pang and his band of executioners were all standing close to the door that led to the vast series of underground caverns which constituted the dominions of the nomes, and as soon as they saw the eggs they raised a chorus of frantic screams and rushed through the door, slamming it in ruggedo's face and placing a heavy bronze bar across it. ruggedo, dancing with terror and uttering loud cries, now leaped upon the seat of his throne to escape the eggs, which had rolled steadily toward him. perhaps these eggs, sent by the wise and crafty tititi-hoochoo, were in some way enchanted, for they all rolled directly after ruggedo and when they reached the throne where he had taken refuge they began rolling up the legs to the seat. this was too much for the king to bear. his horror of eggs was real and absolute and he made a leap from the throne to the center of the room and then ran to a far corner. the eggs followed, rolling slowly but steadily in his direction. ruggedo threw his sceptre at them, and then his ruby crown, and then he drew off his heavy golden sandals and hurled these at the advancing eggs. but the eggs dodged every missile and continued to draw nearer. the king stood trembling, his eyes staring in terror, until they were but half a yard distant; then with an agile leap he jumped clear over them and made a rush for the passage that led to the outer entrance. of course the dragon was in his way, being chained in the passage with his head in the cavern, but when he saw the king making toward him he crouched as low as he could and dropped his chin to the floor, leaving a small space between his body and the roof of the passage. ruggedo did not hesitate an instant. impelled by fear, he leaped to the dragon's nose and then scrambled to his back, where he succeeded in squeezing himself through the opening. after the head was passed there was more room and he slid along the dragon's scales to his tail and then ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the entrance. not pausing here, so great was his fright, the king dashed on down the mountain path, but before he had gone very far he stumbled and fell. when he picked himself up he observed that no one was following him, and while he recovered his breath he happened to think of the decree of the jinjin--that he should be driven from his kingdom and made a wanderer on the face of the earth. well, here he was, driven from his cavern in truth; driven by those dreadful eggs; but he would go back and defy them; he would not submit to losing his precious kingdom and his tyrannical powers, all because tititi-hoochoo had said he must. so, although still afraid, ruggedo nerved himself to creep back along the path to the entrance, and when he arrived there he saw the six eggs lying in a row just before the arched opening. at first he paused a safe distance away to consider the case, for the eggs were now motionless. while he was wondering what could be done, he remembered there was a magical charm which would destroy eggs and render them harmless to nomes. there were nine passes to be made and six verses of incantation to be recited; but ruggedo knew them all. now that he had ample time to be exact, he carefully went through the entire ceremony. but nothing happened. the eggs did not disappear, as he had expected; so he repeated the charm a second time. when that also failed, he remembered, with a moan of despair, that his magic power had been taken away from him and in the future he could do no more than any common mortal. and there were the eggs, forever barring him from the kingdom which he had ruled so long with absolute sway! he threw rocks at them, but could not hit a single egg. he raved and scolded and tore his hair and beard, and danced in helpless passion, but that did nothing to avert the just judgment of the jinjin, which ruggedo's own evil deeds had brought upon him. from this time on he was an outcast--a wanderer upon the face of the earth--and he had even forgotten to fill his pockets with gold and jewels before he fled from his former kingdom! chapter nineteen king kaliko after the king had made good his escape files said to the dragon, in a sad voice: "alas! why did you not come before? because you were sleeping instead of conquering, the lovely rose princess has become a fiddle without a bow, while poor shaggy sits there a cooing dove!" "don't worry," replied quox. "tititi-hoochoo knows his business, and i have my orders from the great jinjin himself. bring the fiddle here and touch it lightly to my pink ribbon." files obeyed and at the moment of contact with the ribbon the nome king's charm was broken and the rose princess herself stood before them as sweet and smiling as ever. the dove, perched on the back of the throne, had seen and heard all this, so without being told what to do it flew straight to the dragon and alighted on the ribbon. next instant shaggy was himself again and quox said to him grumblingly: "please get off my left toe, shaggy man, and be more particular where you step." "i beg your pardon!" replied shaggy, very glad to resume his natural form. then he ran to lift the heavy diamond off tik-tok's chest and to assist the clockwork man to his feet. "ma-ny thanks!" said tik-tok. "where is the wicked king who want-ed to melt me in a cru-ci-ble?" "he has gone, and gone for good," answered polychrome, who had managed to squeeze into the room beside the dragon and had witnessed the occurrences with much interest. "but i wonder where betsy bobbin and hank can be, and if any harm has befallen them." "we must search the cavern until we find them," declared shaggy; but when he went to the door leading to the other caverns he found it shut and barred. "i've a pretty strong push in my forehead," said quox, "and i believe i can break down that door, even though it's made of solid gold." "but you are a prisoner, and the chains that hold you are fastened in some other room, so that we cannot release you," files said anxiously. "oh, never mind that," returned the dragon. "i have remained a prisoner only because i wished to be one," and with this he stepped forward and burst the stout chains as easily as if they had been threads. but when he tried to push in the heavy metal door, even his mighty strength failed, and after several attempts he gave it up and squatted himself in a corner to think of a better way. "i'll o-pen the door," asserted tik-tok, and going to the king's big gong he pounded upon it until the noise was almost deafening. kaliko, in the next cavern, was wondering what had happened to ruggedo and if he had escaped the eggs and outwitted the dragon. but when he heard the sound of the gong, which had so often called him into the king's presence, he decided that ruggedo had been victorious; so he took away the bar, threw open the door and entered the royal cavern. great was his astonishment to find the king gone and the enchantments removed from the princess and shaggy. but the eggs were also gone and so kaliko advanced to the dragon, whom he knew to be tititi-hoochoo's messenger, and bowed humbly before the beast. "what is your will?" he inquired. "where is betsy?" demanded the dragon. "safe in my own private room," said kaliko. "go and get her!" commanded quox. so kaliko went to betsy's room and gave three raps upon the door. the little girl had been asleep, but she heard the raps and opened the door. "you may come out now," said kaliko. "the king has fled in disgrace and your friends are asking for you." so betsy and hank returned with the royal chamberlain to the throne cavern, where she was received with great joy by her friends. they told her what had happened to ruggedo and she told them how kind kaliko had been to her. quox did not have much to say until the conversation was ended, but then he turned to kaliko and asked: "do you suppose you could rule your nomes better than ruggedo has done?" "me?" stammered the chamberlain, greatly surprised by the question. "well, i couldn't be a worse king, i'm sure." "would the nomes obey you?" inquired the dragon. "of course," said kaliko. "they like me better than ever they did ruggedo." "then hereafter you shall be the metal monarch, king of the nomes, and tititi-hoochoo expects you to rule your kingdom wisely and well," said quox. "hooray!" cried betsy; "i'm glad of that. king kaliko, i salute your majesty and wish you joy in your gloomy old kingdom!" "we all wish him joy," said polychrome; and then the others made haste to congratulate the new king. "will you release my dear brother?" asked shaggy. "the ugly one? very willingly," replied kaliko. "i begged ruggedo long ago to send him away, but he would not do so. i also offered to help your brother to escape, but he would not go." "he's so conscientious!" said shaggy, highly pleased. "all of our family have noble natures. but is my dear brother well?" he added anxiously. "he eats and sleeps very steadily," replied the new king. "i hope he doesn't work too hard," said shaggy. "he doesn't work at all. in fact, there is nothing he can do in these dominions as well as our nomes, whose numbers are so great that it worries us to keep them all busy. so your brother has only to amuse himself." "why, it's more like visiting, than being a prisoner," asserted betsy. "not exactly," returned kaliko. "a prisoner cannot go where or when he pleases, and is not his own master." "where is my brother now?" inquired shaggy. "in the metal forest." "where is that?" "the metal forest is in the great domed cavern, the largest in all our dominions," replied kaliko. "it is almost like being out of doors, it is so big, and ruggedo made the wonderful forest to amuse himself, as well as to tire out his hard-working nomes. all the trees are gold and silver and the ground is strewn with precious stones, so it is a sort of treasury." "let us go there at once and rescue my dear brother," pleaded shaggy earnestly. kaliko hesitated. "i don't believe i can find the way," said he. "ruggedo made three secret passages to the metal forest, but he changes the location of these passages every week, so that no one can get to the metal forest without his permission. however, if we look sharp, we may be able to discover one of these secret ways." "that reminds me to ask what has become of queen ann and the officers of oogaboo," said files. "i'm sure i can't say," replied kaliko. "do you suppose ruggedo destroyed them?" "oh, no; i'm quite sure he didn't. they fell into the big pit in the passage, and we put the cover on to keep them there; but when the executioners went to look for them they had all disappeared from the pit and we could find no trace of them." "that's funny," remarked betsy thoughtfully. "i don't believe ann knew any magic, or she'd have worked it before. but to disappear like that _seems_ like magic; now, doesn't it?" they agreed that it did, but no one could explain the mystery. "however," said shaggy, "they are gone, that is certain, so we cannot help them or be helped by them. and the important thing just now is to rescue my dear brother from captivity." "why do they call him the ugly one?" asked betsy. "i do not know," confessed shaggy. "i cannot remember his looks very well, it is so long since i have seen him; but all of our family are noted for their handsome faces." betsy laughed and shaggy seemed rather hurt; but polychrome relieved his embarrassment by saying softly: "one can be ugly in looks, but lovely in disposition." "our first task," said shaggy, a little comforted by this remark, "is to find one of those secret passages to the metal forest." "true," agreed kaliko. "so i think i will assemble the chief nomes of my kingdom in this throne room and tell them that i am their new king. then i can ask them to assist us in searching for the secret passages. "that's a good idea," said the dragon, who seemed to be getting sleepy again. kaliko went to the big gong and pounded on it just as ruggedo used to do; but no one answered the summons. "of course not," said he, jumping up from the throne, where he had seated himself. "that is my call, and i am still the royal chamberlain, and will be until i appoint another in my place." so he ran out of the room and found guph and told him to answer the summons of the king's gong. having returned to the royal cavern, kaliko first pounded the gong and then sat in the throne, wearing ruggedo's discarded ruby crown and holding in his hand the sceptre which ruggedo had so often thrown at his head. when guph entered he was amazed. "better get out of that throne before old ruggedo comes back," he said warningly. "he isn't coming back, and i am now the king of the nomes, in his stead," announced kaliko. "all of which is quite true," asserted the dragon, and all of those who stood around the throne bowed respectfully to the new king. seeing this, guph also bowed, for he was glad to be rid of such a hard master as ruggedo. then kaliko, in quite a kingly way, informed guph that he was appointed the royal chamberlain, and promised not to throw the sceptre at his head unless he deserved it. all this being pleasantly arranged, the new chamberlain went away to tell the news to all the nomes of the underground kingdom, every one of whom would be delighted with the change in kings. chapter twenty quox quietly quits when the chief nomes assembled before their new king they joyfully saluted him and promised to obey his commands. but, when kaliko questioned them, none knew the way to the metal forest, although all had assisted in its making. so the king instructed them to search carefully for one of the passages and to bring him the news as soon as they had found it. meantime quox had managed to back out of the rocky corridor and so regain the open air and his old station on the mountain-side, and there he lay upon the rocks, sound asleep, until the next day. the others of the party were all given as good rooms as the caverns of the nomes afforded, for king kaliko felt that he was indebted to them for his promotion and was anxious to be as hospitable as he could. much wonderment had been caused by the absolute disappearance of the sixteen officers of oogaboo and their queen. not a nome had seen them, nor were they discovered during the search for the passages leading to the metal forest. perhaps no one was unhappy over their loss, but all were curious to know what had become of them. on the next day, when our friends went to visit the dragon, quox said to them: "i must now bid you good-bye, for my mission here is finished and i must depart for the other side of the world, where i belong." "will you go through the tube again?" asked betsy. "to be sure. but it will be a lonely trip this time, with no one to talk to, and i cannot invite any of you to go with me. therefore, as soon as i slide into the hole i shall go to sleep, and when i pop out at the other end i will wake up at home." they thanked the dragon for befriending them and wished him a pleasant journey. also they sent their thanks to the great jinjin, whose just condemnation of ruggedo had served their interests so well. then quox yawned and stretched himself and ambled over to the tube, into which he slid headforemost and disappeared. they really felt as if they had lost a friend, for the dragon had been both kind and sociable during their brief acquaintance with him; but they knew it was his duty to return to his own country. so they went back to the caverns to renew the search for the hidden passages that led to the forest, but for three days all efforts to find them proved in vain. it was polychrome's custom to go every day to the mountain and watch for her father, the rainbow, for she was growing tired with wandering upon the earth and longed to rejoin her sisters in their sky palaces. and on the third day, while she sat motionless upon a point of rock, whom should she see slyly creeping up the mountain but ruggedo! the former king looked very forlorn. his clothes were soiled and torn and he had no sandals upon his feet or hat upon his head. having left his crown and sceptre behind when he fled, the old nome no longer seemed kingly, but more like a beggerman. several times had ruggedo crept up to the mouth of the caverns, only to find the six eggs still on guard. he knew quite well that he must accept his fate and become a homeless wanderer, but his chief regret now was that he had neglected to fill his pockets with gold and jewels. he was aware that a wanderer with wealth at his command would fare much better than one who was a pauper, so he still loitered around the caverns wherein he knew so much treasure was stored, hoping for a chance to fill his pockets. that was how he came to recollect the metal forest. "aha!" said he to himself, "i alone know the way to that forest, and once there i can fill my pockets with the finest jewels in all the world." he glanced at his pockets and was grieved to find them so small. perhaps they might be enlarged, so that they would hold more. he knew of a poor woman who lived in a cottage at the foot of the mountain, so he went to her and begged her to sew pockets all over his robe, paying her with the gift of a diamond ring which he had worn upon his finger. the woman was delighted to possess so valuable a ring and she sewed as many pockets on ruggedo's robe as she possibly could. then he returned up the mountain and, after gazing cautiously around to make sure he was not observed, he touched a spring in a rock and it swung slowly backward, disclosing a broad passageway. this he entered, swinging the rock in place behind him. however, ruggedo had failed to look as carefully as he might have done, for polychrome was seated only a little distance off and her clear eyes marked exactly the manner in which ruggedo had released the hidden spring. so she rose and hurried into the cavern, where she told kaliko and her friends of her discovery. "i've no doubt that that is a way to the metal forest," exclaimed shaggy. "come, let us follow ruggedo at once and rescue my poor brother!" they agreed to this and king kaliko called together a band of nomes to assist them by carrying torches to light their way. "the metal forest has a brilliant light of its own," said he, "but the passage across the valley is likely to be dark." polychrome easily found the rock and touched the spring, so in less than an hour after ruggedo had entered they were all in the passage and following swiftly after the former king. "he means to rob the forest, i'm sure," said kaliko; "but he will find he is no longer of any account in this kingdom and i will have my nomes throw him out." "then please throw him as hard as you can," said betsy, "for he deserves it. i don't mind an honest, out-an'-out enemy, who fights square; but changing girls into fiddles and ordering 'em put into slimy caves is mean and tricky, and ruggedo doesn't deserve any sympathy. but you'll have to let him take as much treasure as he can get in his pockets, kaliko." "yes, the jinjin said so; but we won't miss it much. there is more treasure in the metal forest than a million nomes could carry in their pockets." it was not difficult to walk through this passage, especially when the torches lighted the way, so they made good progress. but it proved to be a long distance and betsy had tired herself with walking and was seated upon the back of the mule when the passage made a sharp turn and a wonderful and glorious light burst upon them. the next moment they were all standing upon the edge of the marvelous metal forest. it lay under another mountain and occupied a great domed cavern, the roof of which was higher than a church steeple. in this space the industrious nomes had built, during many years of labor, the most beautiful forest in the world. the trees--trunks, branches and leaves--were all of solid gold, while the bushes and underbrush were formed of filigree silver, virgin pure. the trees towered as high as natural live oaks do and were of exquisite workmanship. on the ground were thickly strewn precious gems of every hue and size, while here and there among the trees were paths pebbled with cut diamonds of the clearest water. taken all together, more treasure was gathered in this metal forest than is contained in all the rest of the world--if we except the land of oz, where perhaps its value is equalled in the famous emerald city. our friends were so amazed at the sight that for a while they stood gazing in silent wonder. then shaggy exclaimed. "my brother! my dear lost brother! is he indeed a prisoner in this place?" "yes," replied kaliko. "the ugly one has been here for two or three years, to my positive knowledge." "but what could he find to eat?" inquired betsy. "it's an awfully swell place to live in, but one can't breakfast on rubies and di'monds, or even gold." "one doesn't need to, my dear," kaliko assured her. "the metal forest does not fill all of this great cavern, by any means. beyond these gold and silver trees are other trees of the real sort, which bear foods very nice to eat. let us walk in that direction, for i am quite sure we will find shaggy's brother in that part of the cavern, rather than in this." so they began to tramp over the diamond-pebbled paths, and at every step they were more and more bewildered by the wondrous beauty of the golden trees with their glittering foliage. suddenly they heard a scream. jewels scattered in every direction as some one hidden among the bushes scampered away before them. then a loud voice cried: "halt!" and there was the sound of a struggle. chapter twenty-one a bashful brother with fast beating hearts they all rushed forward and, beyond a group of stately metal trees, came full upon a most astonishing scene. there was ruggedo in the hands of the officers of oogaboo, a dozen of whom were clinging to the old nome and holding him fast in spite of his efforts to escape. there also was queen ann, looking grimly upon the scene of strife; but when she observed her former companions approaching she turned away in a shamefaced manner. for ann and her officers were indeed a sight to behold. her majesty's clothing, once so rich and gorgeous, was now worn and torn into shreds by her long crawl through the tunnel, which, by the way, had led her directly into the metal forest. it was, indeed, one of the three secret passages, and by far the most difficult of the three. ann had not only torn her pretty skirt and jacket, but her crown had become bent and battered and even her shoes were so cut and slashed that they were ready to fall from her feet. the officers had fared somewhat worse than their leader, for holes were worn in the knees of their trousers, while sharp points of rock in the roof and sides of the tunnel had made rags of every inch of their once brilliant uniforms. a more tattered and woeful army never came out of a battle, than these harmless victims of the rocky passage. but it had seemed their only means of escape from the cruel nome king; so they had crawled on, regardless of their sufferings. when they reached the metal forest their eyes beheld more plunder than they had ever dreamed of; yet they were prisoners in this huge dome and could not escape with the riches heaped about them. perhaps a more unhappy and homesick lot of "conquerors" never existed than this band from oogaboo. after several days of wandering in their marvelous prison they were frightened by the discovery that ruggedo had come among them. rendered desperate by their sad condition, the officers exhibited courage for the first time since they left home and, ignorant of the fact that ruggedo was no longer king of the nomes, they threw themselves upon him and had just succeeded in capturing him when their fellow adventurers reached the spot. "goodness gracious!" cried betsy. "what has happened to you all?" ann came forward to greet them, sorrowful and indignant. "we were obliged to escape from the pit through a small tunnel, which was lined with sharp and jagged rocks," said she, "and not only was our clothing torn to rags but our flesh is so bruised and sore that we are stiff and lame in every joint. to add to our troubles we find we are still prisoners; but now that we have succeeded in capturing the wicked metal monarch we shall force him to grant us our liberty." "ruggedo is no longer metal monarch, or king of the nomes," files informed her. "he has been deposed and cast out of his kingdom by quox; but here is the new king, whose name is kaliko, and i am pleased to assure your majesty that he is our friend." "glad to meet your majesty, i'm sure," said kaliko, bowing as courteously as if the queen still wore splendid raiment. the officers, having heard this explanation, now set ruggedo free; but, as he had no place to go, he stood by and faced his former servant, who was now king in his place, in a humble and pleading manner. "what are you doing here?" asked kaliko sternly. "why, i was promised as much treasure as i could carry in my pockets," replied ruggedo; "so i came here to get it, not wishing to disturb your majesty." "you were commanded to leave the country of the nomes forever!" declared kaliko. "i know; and i'll go as soon as i have filled my pockets," said ruggedo, meekly. "then fill them, and be gone," returned the new king. ruggedo obeyed. stooping down, he began gathering up jewels by the handful and stuffing them into his many pockets. they were heavy things, these diamonds and rubies and emeralds and amethysts and the like, so before long ruggedo was staggering with the weight he bore, while the pockets were not yet filled. when he could no longer stoop over without falling, betsy and polychrome and the rose princess came to his assistance, picking up the finest gems and tucking them into his pockets. at last these were all filled and ruggedo presented a comical sight, for surely no man ever before had so many pockets, or any at all filled with such a choice collection of precious stones. he neglected to thank the young ladies for their kindness, but gave them a surly nod of farewell and staggered down the path by the way he had come. they let him depart in silence, for with all he had taken, the masses of jewels upon the ground seemed scarcely to have been disturbed, so numerous were they. also they hoped they had seen the last of the degraded king. "i'm awful glad he's gone," said betsy, sighing deeply. "if he doesn't get reckless and spend his wealth foolishly, he's got enough to start a bank when he gets to oklahoma." "but my brother--my dear brother! where is he?" inquired shaggy anxiously. "have you seen him, queen ann?" "what does your brother look like?" asked the queen. shaggy hesitated to reply, but betsy said: "he's called the ugly one. perhaps you'll know him by that." "the only person we have seen in this cavern," said ann, "has run away from us whenever we approached him. he hides over yonder, among the trees that are not gold, and we have never been able to catch sight of his face. so i cannot tell whether he is ugly or not." "that must be my dear brother!" exclaimed shaggy. "yes, it must be," assented kaliko. "no one else inhabits this splendid dome, so there can be no mistake." "but why does he hide among those green trees, instead of enjoying all these glittery golden ones?" asked betsy. "because he finds food among the natural trees," replied kaliko, "and i remember that he has built a little house there, to sleep in. as for these glittery golden trees, i will admit they are very pretty at first sight. one cannot fail to admire them, as well as the rich jewels scattered beneath them; but if one has to look at them always, they become pretty tame." "i believe that is true," declared shaggy. "my dear brother is very wise to prefer real trees to the imitation ones. but come; let us go there and find him." shaggy started for the green grove at once, and the others followed him, being curious to witness the final rescue of his long-sought, long-lost brother. not far from the edge of the grove they came upon a small hut, cleverly made of twigs and golden branches woven together. as they approached the place they caught a glimpse of a form that darted into the hut and slammed the door tight shut after him. shaggy man ran to the door and cried aloud: "brother! brother!" "who calls," demanded a sad, hollow voice from within. "it is shaggy--your own loving brother--who has been searching for you a long time and has now come to rescue you." "too late!" replied the gloomy voice. "no one can rescue me now." "oh, but you are mistaken about that," said shaggy. "there is a new king of the nomes, named kaliko, in ruggedo's place, and he has promised you shall go free." "free! i dare not go free!" said the ugly one, in a voice of despair. "why not, brother?" asked shaggy, anxiously. "do you know what they have done to me?" came the answer through the closed door. "no. tell me, brother, what have they done?" "when ruggedo first captured me i was very handsome. don't you remember, shaggy?" "not very well, brother; you were so young when i left home. but i remember that mother thought you were beautiful." "she was right! i am sure she was right," wailed the prisoner. "but ruggedo wanted to injure me--to make me ugly in the eyes of all the world--so he performed a wicked enchantment. i went to bed beautiful--or you might say handsome--to be very modest i will merely claim that i was good-looking--and i wakened the next morning the homeliest man in all the world! i am so repulsive that when i look in a mirror i frighten myself." "poor brother!" said shaggy softly, and all the others were silent from sympathy. "i was so ashamed of my looks," continued the voice of shaggy's brother, "that i tried to hide; but the cruel king ruggedo forced me to appear before all the legion of nomes, to whom he said: 'behold the ugly one!' but when the nomes saw my face they all fell to laughing and jeering, which prevented them from working at their tasks. seeing this, ruggedo became angry and pushed me into a tunnel, closing the rock entrance so that i could not get out. i followed the length of the tunnel until i reached this huge dome, where the marvelous metal forest stands, and here i have remained ever since." "poor brother!" repeated shaggy. "but i beg you now to come forth and face us, who are your friends. none here will laugh or jeer, however unhandsome you may be." "no, indeed," they all added pleadingly. but the ugly one refused the invitation. "i cannot," said he; "indeed, i cannot face strangers, ugly as i am." shaggy man turned to the group surrounding him. "what shall i do?" he asked in sorrowful tones. "i cannot leave my dear brother here, and he refuses to come out of that house and face us." "i'll tell you," replied betsy. "let him put on a mask." "the very idea i was seeking!" exclaimed shaggy joyfully; and then he called out: "brother, put a mask over your face, and then none of us can see what your features are like." "i have no mask," answered the ugly one. "look here," said betsy; "he can use my handkerchief." shaggy looked at the little square of cloth and shook his head. "it isn't big enough," he objected; "i'm sure it isn't big enough to hide a man's face. but he can use mine." saying this he took from his pocket his own handkerchief and went to the door of the hut. "here, my brother," he called, "take this handkerchief and make a mask of it. i will also pass you my knife, so that you may cut holes for the eyes, and then you must tie it over your face." the door slowly opened, just far enough for the ugly one to thrust out his hand and take the handkerchief and the knife. then it closed again. "don't forget a hole for your nose," cried betsy. "you must breathe, you know." for a time there was silence. queen ann and her army sat down upon the ground to rest. betsy sat on hank's back. polychrome danced lightly up and down the jeweled paths while files and the princess wandered through the groves arm in arm. tik-tok, who never tired, stood motionless. by and by a noise sounded from within the hut. "are you ready?" asked shaggy. "yes, brother," came the reply and the door was thrown open to allow the ugly one to step forth. betsy might have laughed aloud had she not remembered how sensitive to ridicule shaggy's brother was, for the handkerchief with which he had masked his features was a red one covered with big white polka dots. in this two holes had been cut--in front of the eyes--while two smaller ones before the nostrils allowed the man to breathe freely. the cloth was then tightly drawn over the ugly one's face and knotted at the back of his neck. he was dressed in clothes that had once been good, but now were sadly worn and frayed. his silk stockings had holes in them, and his shoes were stub-toed and needed blackening. "but what can you expect," whispered betsy, "when the poor man has been a prisoner for so many years?" shaggy had darted forward, and embraced his newly found brother with both his arms. the brother also embraced shaggy, who then led him forward and introduced him to all the assembled company. "this is the new nome king," he said when he came to kaliko. "he is our friend, and has granted you your freedom." "that is a kindly deed," replied ugly in a sad voice, "but i dread to go back to the world in this direful condition. unless i remain forever masked, my dreadful face would curdle all the milk and stop all the clocks." "can't the enchantment be broken in some way?" inquired betsy. shaggy looked anxiously at kaliko, who shook his head. "i am sure i can't break the enchantment," he said. "ruggedo was fond of magic, and learned a good many enchantments that we nomes know nothing of." "perhaps ruggedo himself might break his own enchantment," suggested ann; "but unfortunately we have allowed the old king to escape." "never mind, my dear brother," said shaggy consolingly; "i am very happy to have found you again, although i may never see your face. so let us make the most of this joyful reunion." the ugly one was affected to tears by this tender speech, and the tears began to wet the red handkerchief; so shaggy gently wiped them away with his coat sleeve. chapter twenty-two kindly kisses "won't you be dreadful sorry to leave this lovely place?" betsy asked the ugly one. "no, indeed," said he. "jewels and gold are cold and heartless things, and i am sure i would presently have died of loneliness had i not found this natural forest at the edge of the artificial one. anyhow, without these real trees i should soon have starved to death." betsy looked around at the quaint trees. "i don't just understand that," she admitted. "what could you find to eat here?" "the best food in the world," ugly answered. "do you see that grove at your left?" he added, pointing it out; "well, such trees as those do not grow in your country, or in any other place but this cavern. i have named them 'hotel trees,' because they bear a certain kind of table d'hote fruit called 'three-course nuts.'" "that's funny!" said betsy. "what are the 'three-course nuts' like?" "something like cocoanuts, to look at," explained the ugly one. "all you have to do is to pick one of them and then sit down and eat your dinner. you first unscrew the top part and find a cupfull of good soup. after you've eaten that, you unscrew the middle part and find a hollow filled with meat and potatoes, vegetables and a fine salad. eat that, and unscrew the next section, and you come to the dessert in the bottom of the nut. that is, pie and cake, cheese and crackers, and nuts and raisins. the three-course nuts are not all exactly alike in flavor or in contents, but they are all good and in each one may be found a complete three-course dinner." "but how about breakfasts?" inquired betsy. "why, there are breakfast trees for that, which grow over there at the right. they bear nuts, like the others, only the nuts contain coffee or chocolate, instead of soup; oatmeal instead of meat-and-potatoes, and fruits instead of dessert. sad as has been my life in this wonderful prison, i must admit that no one could live more luxuriously in the best hotel in the world than i have lived here; but i will be glad to get into the open air again and see the good old sun and the silvery moon and the soft green grass and the flowers that are kissed by the morning dew. ah, how much more lovely are those blessed things than the glitter of gems or the cold gleam of gold!" "of course," said betsy. "i once knew a little boy who wanted to catch the measles, because all the little boys in his neighborhood but him had had 'em, and he was really unhappy 'cause he couldn't catch 'em, try as he would. so i'm pretty certain that the things we want, and can't have, are not good for us. isn't that true, shaggy?" "not always, my dear," he gravely replied. "if we didn't want anything, we would never get anything, good or bad. i think our longings are natural, and if we act as nature prompts us we can't go far wrong." "for my part," said queen ann, "i think the world would be a dreary place without the gold and jewels." "all things are good in their way," said shaggy; "but we may have too much of any good thing. and i have noticed that the value of anything depends upon how scarce it is, and how difficult it is to obtain." "pardon me for interrupting you," said king kaliko, coming to their side, "but now that we have rescued shaggy's brother i would like to return to my royal cavern. being the king of the nomes, it is my duty to look after my restless subjects and see that they behave themselves." so they all turned and began walking through the metal forest to the other side of the great domed cave, where they had first entered it. shaggy and his brother walked side by side and both seemed rejoiced that they were together after their long separation. betsy didn't dare look at the polka dot handkerchief, for fear she would laugh aloud; so she walked behind the two brothers and led hank by holding fast to his left ear. when at last they reached the place where the passage led to the outer world, queen ann said, in a hesitating way that was unusual with her: "i have not conquered this nome country, nor do i expect to do so; but i would like to gather a few of these pretty jewels before i leave this place." "help yourself, ma'am," said king kaliko, and at once the officers of the army took advantage of his royal permission and began filling their pockets, while ann tied a lot of diamonds in a big handkerchief. this accomplished, they all entered the passage, the nomes going first to light the way with their torches. they had not proceeded far when betsy exclaimed: "why, there are jewels here, too!" all eyes were turned upon the ground and they found a regular trail of jewels strewn along the rock floor. "this is queer!" said kaliko, much surprised. "i must send some of my nomes to gather up these gems and replace them in the metal forest, where they belong. i wonder how they came to be here?" all the way along the passage they found this trail of jewels, but when they neared the end the mystery was explained. for there, squatted upon the floor with his back to the rock wall, sat old ruggedo, puffing and blowing as if he was all tired out. then they realized it was he who had scattered the jewels, from his many pockets, which one by one had burst with the weight of their contents as he had stumbled along the passage. "but i don't mind," said ruggedo, with a deep sigh. "i now realize that i could not have carried such a weighty load very far, even had i managed to escape from this passage with it. the woman who sewed the pockets on my robe used poor thread, for which i shall thank her." "have you any jewels left?" inquired betsy. he glanced into some of the remaining pockets. "a few," said he, "but they will be sufficient to supply my wants, and i no longer have any desire to be rich. if some of you will kindly help me to rise, i'll get out of here and leave you, for i know you all despise me and prefer my room to my company." shaggy and kaliko raised the old king to his feet, when he was confronted by shaggy's brother, whom he now noticed for the first time. the queer and unexpected appearance of the ugly one so startled ruggedo that he gave a wild cry and began to tremble, as if he had seen a ghost. "wh--wh--who is this?" he faltered. "i am that helpless prisoner whom your cruel magic transformed from a handsome man into an ugly one!" answered shaggy's brother, in a voice of stern reproach. "really, ruggedo," said betsy, "you ought to be ashamed of that mean trick." "i am, my dear," admitted ruggedo, who was now as meek and humble as formerly he had been cruel and vindictive. "then," returned the girl, "you'd better do some more magic and give the poor man his own face again." "i wish i could," answered the old king; "but you must remember that tititi-hoochoo has deprived me of all my magic powers. however, i never took the trouble to learn just how to break the charm i cast over shaggy's brother, for i intended he should always remain ugly." "every charm," remarked pretty polychrome, "has its antidote; and, if you knew this charm of ugliness, ruggedo, you must have known how to dispel it." he shook his head. "if i did, i--i've forgotten," he stammered regretfully. "try to think!" pleaded shaggy, anxiously. "_please_ try to think!" ruggedo ruffled his hair with both hands, sighed, slapped his chest, rubbed his ear, and stared stupidly around the group. "i've a faint recollection that there _was_ one thing that would break the charm," said he; "but misfortune has so addled my brain that i can't remember what it was." "see here, ruggedo," said betsy, sharply, "we've treated you pretty well, so far, but we won't stand for any nonsense, and if you know what's good for yourself you'll think of that charm!" "why?" he demanded, turning to look wonderingly at the little girl. "because it means so much to shaggy's brother. he's dreadfully ashamed of himself, the way he is now, and you're to blame for it. fact is, ruggedo, you've done so much wickedness in your life that it won't hurt you to do a kind act now." ruggedo blinked at her, and sighed again, and then tried very hard to think. "i seem to remember, dimly," said he, "that a certain kind of a kiss will break the charm of ugliness." "what kind of a kiss?" "what kind? why, it was--it was--it was either the kiss of a mortal maid; or--or--the kiss of a mortal maid who had once been a fairy; or--or the kiss of one who is still a fairy. i can't remember which. but of course no maid, mortal or fairy, would ever consent to kiss a person so ugly--so dreadfully, fearfully, terribly ugly--as shaggy's brother." "i'm not so sure of that," said betsy, with admirable courage; "i'm a mortal maid, and if it is _my_ kiss that will break this awful charm, i--i'll do it!" "oh, you really couldn't," protested ugly. "i would be obliged to remove my mask, and when you saw my face, nothing could induce you to kiss me, generous as you are." "well, as for that," said the little girl, "i needn't see your face at all. here's my plan: you stay in this dark passage, and we'll send away the nomes with their torches. then you'll take off the handkerchief, and i--i'll kiss you." "this is awfully kind of you, betsy!" said shaggy, gratefully. "well, it surely won't kill me," she replied; "and, if it makes you and your brother happy, i'm willing to take some chances." so kaliko ordered the torch-bearers to leave the passage, which they did by going through the rock opening. queen ann and her army also went out; but the others were so interested in betsy's experiment that they remained grouped at the mouth of the passageway. when the big rock swung into place, closing tight the opening, they were left in total darkness. "now, then," called betsy in a cheerful voice, "have you got that handkerchief off your face, ugly?" "yes," he replied. "well, where are you, then?" she asked, reaching out her arms. "here," said he. "you'll have to stoop down, you know." he found her hands and clasping them in his own stooped until his face was near to that of the little girl. the others heard a clear, smacking kiss, and then betsy exclaimed: "there! i've done it, and it didn't hurt a bit!" "tell me, dear brother; is the charm broken?" asked shaggy. "i do not know," was the reply. "it may be, or it may not be. i cannot tell." "has anyone a match?" inquired betsy. "i have several," said shaggy. "then let ruggedo strike one of them and look at your brother's face, while we all turn our backs. ruggedo made your brother ugly, so i guess he can stand the horror of looking at him, if the charm isn't broken." agreeing to this, ruggedo took the match and lighted it. he gave one look and then blew out the match. "ugly as ever!" he said with a shudder. "so it wasn't the kiss of a mortal maid, after all." "let me try," proposed the rose princess, in her sweet voice. "i am a mortal maid who was once a fairy. perhaps my kiss will break the charm." files did not wholly approve of this, but he was too generous to interfere. so the rose princess felt her way through the darkness to shaggy's brother and kissed him. ruggedo struck another match, while they all turned away. "no," announced the former king; "that didn't break the charm, either. it must be the kiss of a fairy that is required--or else my memory has failed me altogether." "polly," said betsy, pleadingly, "won't _you_ try?" "of course i will!" answered polychrome, with a merry laugh. "i've never kissed a mortal man in all the thousands of years i have existed, but i'll do it to please our faithful shaggy man, whose unselfish affection for his ugly brother deserves to be rewarded." even as polychrome was speaking she tripped lightly to the side of the ugly one and quickly touched his cheek with her lips. "oh, thank you--thank you!" he fervently cried. "i've changed, this time, i know. i can feel it! i'm different. shaggy--dear shaggy--i am myself again!" files, who was near the opening, touched the spring that released the big rock and it suddenly swung backward and let in a flood of daylight. everyone stood motionless, staring hard at shaggy's brother, who, no longer masked by the polka-dot handkerchief, met their gaze with a glad smile. "well," said shaggy man, breaking the silence at last and drawing a long, deep breath of satisfaction, "you are no longer the ugly one, my dear brother; but, to be entirely frank with you, the face that belongs to you is no more handsome than it ought to be." "i think he's rather good looking," remarked betsy, gazing at the man critically. "in comparison with what he was," said king kaliko, "he is really beautiful. you, who never beheld his ugliness, may not understand that; but it was my misfortune to look at the ugly one many times, and i say again that, in comparison with what he was, the man is now beautiful." "all right," returned betsy, briskly, "we'll take your word for it, kaliko. and now let us get out of this tunnel and into the world again." chapter twenty-three ruggedo reforms it did not take them long to regain the royal cavern of the nome king, where kaliko ordered served to them the nicest refreshments the place afforded. ruggedo had come trailing along after the rest of the party and while no one paid any attention to the old king they did not offer any objection to his presence or command him to leave them. he looked fearfully to see if the eggs were still guarding the entrance, but they had now disappeared; so he crept into the cavern after the others and humbly squatted down in a corner of the room. there betsy discovered him. all of the little girl's companions were now so happy at the success of shaggy's quest for his brother, and the laughter and merriment seemed so general, that betsy's heart softened toward the friendless old man who had once been their bitter enemy, and she carried to him some of the food and drink. ruggedo's eyes filled with tears at this unexpected kindness. he took the child's hand in his own and pressed it gratefully. "look here, kaliko," said betsy, addressing the new king, "what's the use of being hard on ruggedo? all his magic power is gone, so he can't do any more harm, and i'm sure he's sorry he acted so badly to everybody." "are you?" asked kaliko, looking down at his former master. "i am," said ruggedo. "the girl speaks truly. i'm sorry and i'm harmless. i don't want to wander through the wide world, on top of the ground, for i'm a nome. no nome can ever be happy any place but underground." "that being the case," said kaliko, "i will let you stay here as long as you behave yourself; but, if you try to act badly again, i shall drive you out, as tititi-hoochoo has commanded, and you'll have to wander." "never fear. i'll behave," promised ruggedo. "it is hard work being a king, and harder still to be a good king. but now that i am a common nome i am sure i can lead a blameless life." they were all pleased to hear this and to know that ruggedo had really reformed. "i hope he'll keep his word," whispered betsy to shaggy; "but if he gets bad again we will be far away from the nome kingdom and kaliko will have to 'tend to the old nome himself." polychrome had been a little restless during the last hour or two. the lovely daughter of the rainbow knew that she had now done all in her power to assist her earth friends, and so she began to long for her sky home. "i think," she said, after listening intently, "that it is beginning to rain. the rain king is my uncle, you know, and perhaps he has read my thoughts and is going to help me. anyway i must take a look at the sky and make sure." so she jumped up and ran through the passage to the outer entrance, and they all followed after her and grouped themselves on a ledge of the mountain-side. sure enough, dark clouds had filled the sky and a slow, drizzling rain had set in. "it can't last for long," said shaggy, looking upward, "and when it stops we shall lose the sweet little fairy we have learned to love. alas," he continued, after a moment, "the clouds are already breaking in the west, and--see!--isn't that the rainbow coming?" betsy didn't look at the sky; she looked at polychrome, whose happy, smiling face surely foretold the coming of her father to take her to the cloud palaces. a moment later a gleam of sunshine flooded the mountain and a gorgeous rainbow appeared. with a cry of gladness polychrome sprang upon a point of rock and held out her arms. straightway the rainbow descended until its end was at her very feet, when with a graceful leap she sprang upon it and was at once clasped in the arms of her radiant sisters, the daughters of the rainbow. but polychrome released herself to lean over the edge of the glowing arch and nod, and smile and throw a dozen kisses to her late comrades. "good-bye!" she called, and they all shouted "good-bye!" in return and waved their hands to their pretty friend. slowly the magnificent bow lifted and melted into the sky, until the eyes of the earnest watchers saw only fleecy clouds flitting across the blue. "i'm dreadful sorry to see polychrome go," said betsy, who felt like crying; "but i s'pose she'll be a good deal happier with her sisters in the sky palaces." "to be sure," returned shaggy, nodding gravely. "it's her home, you know, and those poor wanderers who, like ourselves, have no home, can realize what that means to her." "once," said betsy, "i, too, had a home. now, i've only--only--dear old hank!" she twined her arms around her shaggy friend who was not human, and he said: "hee-haw!" in a tone that showed he understood her mood. and the shaggy friend who was human stroked the child's head tenderly and said: "you're wrong about that, betsy, dear. i will never desert you." "nor i!" exclaimed shaggy's brother, in earnest tones. the little girl looked up at them gratefully, and her eyes smiled through their tears. "all right," she said. "it's raining again, so let's go back into the cavern." rather soberly, for all loved polychrome and would miss her, they reentered the dominions of the nome king. chapter twenty-four dorothy is delighted "well," said queen ann, when all were again seated in kaliko's royal cavern, "i wonder what we shall do next. if i could find my way back to oogaboo i'd take my army home at once, for i'm sick and tired of these dreadful hardships." "don't you want to conquer the world?" asked betsy. "no; i've changed my mind about that," admitted the queen. "the world is too big for one person to conquer and i was happier with my own people in oogaboo. i wish--oh, how earnestly i wish--that i was back there this minute!" "so do i!" yelled every officer in a fervent tone. now, it is time for the reader to know that in the far-away land of oz the lovely ruler, ozma, had been following the adventures of her shaggy man, and tik-tok, and all the others they had met. day by day ozma, with the wonderful wizard of oz seated beside her, had gazed upon a magic picture in a radium frame, which occupied one side of the ruler's cosy boudoir in the palace of the emerald city. the singular thing about this magic picture was that it showed whatever scene ozma wished to see, with the figures all in motion, just as it was taking place. so ozma and the wizard had watched every action of the adventurers from the time shaggy had met shipwrecked betsy and hank in the rose kingdom, at which time the rose princess, a distant cousin of ozma, had been exiled by her heartless subjects. when ann and her people so earnestly wished to return to oogaboo, ozma was sorry for them and remembered that oogaboo was a corner of the land of oz. she turned to her attendant and asked: "can not your magic take these unhappy people to their old home, wizard?" "it can, your highness," replied the little wizard. "i think the poor queen has suffered enough in her misguided effort to conquer the world," said ozma, smiling at the absurdity of the undertaking, "so no doubt she will hereafter be contented in her own little kingdom. please send her there, wizard, and with her the officers and files." "how about the rose princess?" asked the wizard. "send her to oogaboo with files," answered ozma. "they have become such good friends that i am sure it would make them unhappy to separate them." "very well," said the wizard, and without any fuss or mystery whatever he performed a magical rite that was simple and effective. therefore those seated in the nome king's cavern were both startled and amazed when all the people of oogaboo suddenly disappeared from the room, and with them the rose princess. at first they could not understand it at all; but presently shaggy suspected the truth, and believing that ozma was now taking an interest in the party he drew from his pocket a tiny instrument which he placed against his ear. ozma, observing this action in her magic picture, at once caught up a similar instrument from a table beside her and held it to her own ear. the two instruments recorded the same delicate vibrations of sound and formed a wireless telephone, an invention of the wizard. those separated by any distance were thus enabled to converse together with perfect ease and without any wire connection. "do you hear me, shaggy man?" asked ozma. "yes, your highness," he replied. "i have sent the people of oogaboo back to their own little valley," announced the ruler of oz; "so do not worry over their disappearance." "that was very kind of you," said shaggy. "but your highness must permit me to report that my own mission here is now ended. i have found my lost brother, and he is now beside me, freed from the enchantment of ugliness which ruggedo cast upon him. tik-tok has served me and my comrades faithfully, as you requested him to do, and i hope you will now transport the clockwork man back to your fairyland of oz." "i will do that," replied ozma. "but how about yourself, shaggy?" "i have been very happy in oz," he said, "but my duty to others forces me to exile myself from that delightful land. i must take care of my new-found brother, for one thing, and i have a new comrade in a dear little girl named betsy bobbin, who has no home to go to, and no other friends but me and a small donkey named hank. i have promised betsy never to desert her as long as she needs a friend, and so i must give up the delights of the land of oz forever." he said this with a sigh of regret, and ozma made no reply but laid the tiny instrument on her table, thus cutting off all further communication with the shaggy man. but the lovely ruler of oz still watched her magic picture, with a thoughtful expression upon her face, and the little wizard of oz watched ozma and smiled softly to himself. in the cavern of the nome king shaggy replaced the wireless telephone in his pocket and turning to betsy said in as cheerful a voice as he could muster: "well, little comrade, what shall we do next?" "i don't know, i'm sure," she answered with a puzzled face. "i'm kind of sorry our adventures are over, for i enjoyed them, and now that queen ann and her people are gone, and polychrome is gone, and--dear me!--where's tik-tok, shaggy?" "he also has disappeared," said shaggy, looking around the cavern and nodding wisely. "by this time he is in ozma's palace in the land of oz, which is his home." "isn't it your home, too?" asked betsy. "it used to be, my dear; but now my home is wherever you and my brother are. we are wanderers, you know, but if we stick together i am sure we shall have a good time." "then," said the girl, "let us get out of this stuffy, underground cavern and go in search of new adventures. i'm sure it has stopped raining." "i'm ready," said shaggy, and then they bade good-bye to king kaliko, and thanked him for his assistance, and went out to the mouth of the passage. the sky was now clear and a brilliant blue in color; the sun shone brightly and even this rugged, rocky country seemed delightful after their confinement underground. there were but four of them now--betsy and hank, and shaggy and his brother--and the little party made their way down the mountain and followed a faint path that led toward the southwest. during this time ozma had been holding a conference with the wizard, and later with tik-tok, whom the magic of the wizard had quickly transported to ozma's palace. tik-tok had only words of praise for betsy bobbin, "who," he said, "is al-most as nice as dor-o-thy her-self." "let us send for dorothy," said ozma, and summoning her favorite maid, who was named jellia jamb, she asked her to request princess dorothy to attend her at once. so a few moments later dorothy entered ozma's room and greeted her and the wizard and tik-tok with the same gentle smile and simple manner that had won for the little girl the love of everyone she met. "did you want to see me, ozma?" she asked. "yes, dear. i am puzzled how to act, and i want your advice." "i don't b'lieve it's worth much," replied dorothy, "but i'll do the best i can. what is it all about, ozma?" "you all know," said the girl ruler, addressing her three friends, "what a serious thing it is to admit any mortals into this fairyland of oz. it is true i have invited several mortals to make their home here, and all of them have proved true and loyal subjects. indeed, no one of you three was a native of oz. dorothy and the wizard came here from the united states, and tik-tok came from the land of ev. but of course he is not a mortal. shaggy is another american, and he is the cause of all my worry, for our dear shaggy will not return here and desert the new friends he has found in his recent adventures, because he believes they need his services." "shaggy man was always kind-hearted," remarked dorothy. "but who are these new friends he has found?" "one is his brother, who for many years has been a prisoner of the nome king, our old enemy ruggedo. this brother seems a kindly, honest fellow, but he has done nothing to entitle him to a home in the land of oz." "who else?" asked dorothy. "i have told you about betsy bobbin, the little girl who was shipwrecked--in much the same way you once were--and has since been following the shaggy man in his search for his lost brother. you remember her, do you not?" "oh, yes!" exclaimed dorothy. "i've often watched her and hank in the magic picture, you know. she's a dear little girl, and old hank is a darling! where are they now?" "look and see," replied ozma with a smile at her friend's enthusiasm. dorothy turned to the picture, which showed betsy and hank, with shaggy and his brother, trudging along the rocky paths of a barren country. "seems to me," she said, musingly, "that they're a good way from any place to sleep, or any nice things to eat." "you are right," said tik-tok. "i have been in that coun-try, and it is a wil-der-ness." "it is the country of the nomes," explained the wizard, "who are so mischievous that no one cares to live near them. i'm afraid shaggy and his friends will endure many hardships before they get out of that rocky place, unless--" he turned to ozma and smiled. "unless i ask you to transport them all here?" she asked. "yes, your highness." "could your magic do that?" inquired dorothy. "i think so," said the wizard. "well," said dorothy, "as far as betsy and hank are concerned, i'd like to have them here in oz. it would be such fun to have a girl playmate of my own age, you see. and hank is such a dear little mule!" ozma laughed at the wistful expression in the girl's eyes, and then she drew dorothy to her and kissed her. "am i not your friend and playmate?" she asked. dorothy flushed. "you know how dearly i love you, ozma!" she cried. "but you're so busy ruling all this land of oz that we can't always be together." "i know, dear. my first duty is to my subjects, and i think it would be a delight to us all to have betsy with us. there's a pretty suite of rooms just opposite your own where she can live, and i'll build a golden stall for hank in the stable where the sawhorse lives. then we'll introduce the mule to the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, and i'm sure they will soon become firm friends. but i cannot very well admit betsy and hank into oz unless i also admit shaggy's brother." "and, unless you admit shaggy's brother, you will keep out poor shaggy, whom we are all very fond of," said the wizard. "well, why not ad-mit him?" demanded tik-tok. "the land of oz is not a refuge for all mortals in distress," explained ozma. "i do not wish to be unkind to shaggy man, but his brother has no claim on me." "the land of oz isn't crowded," suggested dorothy. "then you advise me to admit shaggy's brother?" inquired ozma. "well, we can't afford to lose our shaggy man, can we?" "no, indeed!" returned ozma. "what do you say, wizard?" "i'm getting my magic ready to transport them all." "and you, tik-tok?" "shag-gy's broth-er is a good fel-low, and we can't spare shag-gy." "so, then; the question is settled," decided ozma. "perform your magic, wizard!" he did so, placing a silver plate upon a small standard and pouring upon the plate a small quantity of pink powder which was contained in a crystal vial. then he muttered a rather difficult incantation which the sorceress glinda the good had taught him, and it all ended in a puff of perfumed smoke from the silver plate. this smoke was so pungent that it made both ozma and dorothy rub their eyes for a moment. "you must pardon these disagreeable fumes," said the wizard. "i assure you the smoke is a very necessary part of my wizardry." "look!" cried dorothy, pointing to the magic picture; "they're gone! all of them are gone." indeed, the picture now showed the same rocky landscape as before, but the three people and the mule had disappeared from it. "they are gone," said the wizard, polishing the silver plate and wrapping it in a fine cloth, "because they are here." at that moment jellia jamb entered the room. "your highness," she said to ozma, "the shaggy man and another man are in the waiting room and ask to pay their respects to you. shaggy is crying like a baby, but he says they are tears of joy." "send them here at once, jellia!" commanded ozma. "also," continued the maid, "a girl and a small-sized mule have mysteriously arrived, but they don't seem to know where they are or how they came here. shall i send them here, too?" "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly jumping up from her chair; "i'll go to meet betsy myself, for she'll feel awful strange in this big palace." and she ran down the stairs two at a time to greet her new friend, betsy bobbin. chapter twenty-five the land of love "well, is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" inquired the sawhorse, as he examined hank with his knot eyes and slowly wagged the branch that served him for a tail. they were in a beautiful stable in the rear of ozma's palace, where the wooden sawhorse--very much alive--lived in a gold-paneled stall, and where there were rooms for the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, which were filled with soft cushions for them to lie upon and golden troughs for them to eat from. beside the stall of the sawhorse had been placed another for hank, the mule. this was not quite so beautiful as the other, for the sawhorse was ozma's favorite steed; but hank had a supply of cushions for a bed (which the sawhorse did not need because he never slept) and all this luxury was so strange to the little mule that he could only stand still and regard his surroundings and his queer companions with wonder and amazement. the cowardly lion, looking very dignified, was stretched out upon the marble floor of the stable, eyeing hank with a calm and critical gaze, while near by crouched the huge hungry tiger, who seemed equally interested in the new animal that had just arrived. the sawhorse, standing stiffly before hank, repeated his question: "is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" hank moved his ears in an embarrassed manner. "i have never said anything else, until now," he replied; and then he began to tremble with fright to hear himself talk. "i can well understand that," remarked the lion, wagging his great head with a swaying motion. "strange things happen in this land of oz, as they do everywhere else. i believe you came here from the cold, civilized, outside world, did you not?" "i did," replied hank. "one minute i was outside of oz--and the next minute i was inside! that was enough to give me a nervous shock, as you may guess; but to find myself able to talk, as betsy does, is a marvel that staggers me." "that is because you are in the land of oz," said the sawhorse. "all animals talk, in this favored country, and you must admit it is more sociable than to bray your dreadful 'hee-haw,' which nobody can understand." "mules understand it very well," declared hank. "oh, indeed! then there must be other mules in your outside world," said the tiger, yawning sleepily. "there are a great many in america," said hank. "are you the only tiger in oz?" "no," acknowledged the tiger, "i have many relatives living in the jungle country; but i am the only tiger living in the emerald city." "there are other lions, too," said the sawhorse; "but i am the only horse, of any description, in this favored land." "that is why this land is favored," said the tiger. "you must understand, friend hank, that the sawhorse puts on airs because he is shod with plates of gold, and because our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, likes to ride upon his back." "betsy rides upon _my_ back," declared hank proudly. "who is betsy?" "the dearest, sweetest girl in all the world!" the sawhorse gave an angry snort and stamped his golden feet. the tiger crouched and growled. slowly the great lion rose to his feet, his mane bristling. "friend hank," said he, "either you are mistaken in judgment or you are willfully trying to deceive us. the dearest, sweetest girl in the world is our dorothy, and i will fight anyone--animal or human--who dares to deny it!" "so will i!" snarled the tiger, showing two rows of enormous white teeth. "you are all wrong!" asserted the sawhorse in a voice of scorn. "no girl living can compare with my mistress, ozma of oz!" hank slowly turned around until his heels were toward the others. then he said stubbornly: "i am not mistaken in my statement, nor will i admit there can be a sweeter girl alive than betsy bobbin. if you want to fight, come on--i'm ready for you!" while they hesitated, eyeing hank's heels doubtfully, a merry peal of laughter startled the animals and turning their heads they beheld three lovely girls standing just within the richly carved entrance to the stable. in the center was ozma, her arms encircling the waists of dorothy and betsy, who stood on either side of her. ozma was nearly half a head taller than the two other girls, who were almost of one size. unobserved, they had listened to the talk of the animals, which was a very strange experience indeed to little betsy bobbin. "you foolish beasts!" exclaimed the ruler of oz, in a gentle but chiding tone of voice. "why should you fight to defend us, who are all three loving friends and in no sense rivals? answer me!" she continued, as they bowed their heads sheepishly. "i have the right to express my opinion, your highness," pleaded the lion. "and so have the others," replied ozma. "i am glad you and the hungry tiger love dorothy best, for she was your first friend and companion. also i am pleased that my sawhorse loves me best, for together we have endured both joy and sorrow. hank has proved his faith and loyalty by defending his own little mistress; and so you are all right in one way, but wrong in another. our land of oz is a land of love, and here friendship outranks every other quality. unless you can all be friends, you cannot retain our love." they accepted this rebuke very meekly. "all right," said the sawhorse, quite cheerfully; "shake hoofs, friend mule." hank touched his hoof to that of the wooden horse. "let us be friends and rub noses," said the tiger. so hank modestly rubbed noses with the big beast. the lion merely nodded and said, as he crouched before the mule: "any friend of a friend of our beloved ruler is a friend of the cowardly lion. that seems to cover your case. if ever you need help or advice, friend hank, call on me." "why, this is as it should be," said ozma, highly pleased to see them so fully reconciled. then she turned to her companions: "come, my dears, let us resume our walk." as they turned away betsy said wonderingly: "do all the animals in oz talk as we do?" "almost all," answered dorothy. "there's a yellow hen here, and she can talk, and so can her chickens; and there's a pink kitten upstairs in my room who talks very nicely; but i've a little fuzzy black dog, named toto, who has been with me in oz a long time, and he's never said a single word but 'bow-wow!'" "do you know why?" asked ozma. "why, he's a kansas dog; so i s'pose he's different from these fairy animals," replied dorothy. "hank isn't a fairy animal, any more than toto," said ozma, "yet as soon as he came under the spell of our fairyland he found he could talk. it was the same way with billina, the yellow hen whom you brought here at one time. the same spell has affected toto, i assure you; but he's a wise little dog and while he knows everything that is said to him he prefers not to talk." "goodness me!" exclaimed dorothy. "i never s'pected toto was fooling me all this time." then she drew a small silver whistle from her pocket and blew a shrill note upon it. a moment later there was a sound of scurrying footsteps, and a shaggy black dog came running up the path. dorothy knelt down before him and shaking her finger just above his nose she said: "toto, haven't i always been good to you?" toto looked up at her with his bright black eyes and wagged his tail. "bow-wow!" he said, and betsy knew at once that meant yes, as well as dorothy and ozma knew it, for there was no mistaking the tone of toto's voice. "that's a dog answer," said dorothy. "how would you like it, toto, if i said nothing to you but 'bow-wow'?" toto's tail was wagging furiously now, but otherwise he was silent. "really, dorothy," said betsy, "he can talk with his bark and his tail just as well as we can. don't you understand such dog language?" "of course i do," replied dorothy. "but toto's got to be more sociable. see here, sir!" she continued, addressing the dog, "i've just learned, for the first time, that you can say words--if you want to. don't you want to, toto?" "woof!" said toto, and that meant "no." "not just one word, toto, to prove you're as any other animal in oz?" "woof!" "just one word, toto--and then you may run away." he looked at her steadily a moment. "all right. here i go!" he said, and darted away as swift as an arrow. dorothy clapped her hands in delight, while betsy and ozma both laughed heartily at her pleasure and the success of her experiment. arm in arm they sauntered away through the beautiful gardens of the palace, where magnificent flowers bloomed in abundance and fountains shot their silvery sprays far into the air. and by and by, as they turned a corner, they came upon shaggy man and his brother, who were seated together upon a golden bench. the two arose to bow respectfully as the ruler of oz approached them. "how are you enjoying our land of oz?" ozma asked the stranger. "i am very happy here, your highness," replied shaggy's brother. "also i am very grateful to you for permitting me to live in this delightful place." "you must thank shaggy for that," said ozma. "being his brother, i have made you welcome here." "when you know brother better," said shaggy earnestly, "you will be glad he has become one of your loyal subjects. i am just getting acquainted with him myself and i find much in his character to admire." leaving the brothers, ozma and the girls continued their walk. presently betsy exclaimed: "shaggy's brother can't ever be as happy in oz as _i_ am. do you know, dorothy, i didn't believe any girl could ever have such a good time--_anywhere_--as i'm having now?" "i know," answered dorothy. "i've felt that way myself, lots of times." "i wish," continued betsy, dreamily, "that every little girl in the world could live in the land of oz; and every little boy, too!" ozma laughed at this. "it is quite fortunate for us, betsy, that your wish cannot be granted," said she, "for all that army of girls and boys would crowd us so that we would have to move away." "yes," agreed betsy, after a little thought, "i guess that's true." the end the wonderful oz books by l. frank baum the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz rinkitink in oz by l. frank baum wherein is recorded the perilous quest of prince inga of pingaree and king rinkitink in the magical isles that lie beyond the borderland of oz by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" introducing this story here is a story with a boy hero, and a boy of whom you have never before heard. there are girls in the story, too, including our old friend dorothy, and some of the characters wander a good way from the land of oz before they all assemble in the emerald city to take part in ozma's banquet. indeed, i think you will find this story quite different from the other histories of oz, but i hope you will not like it the less on that account. if i am permitted to write another oz book it will tell of some thrilling adventures encountered by dorothy, betsy bobbin, trot and the patchwork girl right in the land of oz, and how they discovered some amazing creatures that never could have existed outside a fairy-land. i have an idea that about the time you are reading this story of rinkitink i shall be writing that story of adventures in oz. don't fail to write me often and give me your advice and suggestions, which i always appreciate. i get a good many letters from my readers, but every one is a joy to me and i answer them as soon as i can find time to do so. "ozcot" at hollywood in california, . l. frank baum royal historian of oz list of chapters the prince of pingaree the coming of king rinkitink the warriors from the north the deserted island the three pearls the magic boat the twin islands rinkitink makes a great mistake a present for zella the cunning of queen cor zella goes to coregos the excitement of bilbil the goat zella saves the prince the escape the flight of the rulers nikobob refuses a crown the nome king inga parts with his pink pearl rinkitink chuckles dorothy to the rescue the wizard finds an enchantment ozma's banquet the pearl kingdom the captive king chapter one the prince of pingaree if you have a map of the land of oz handy, you will find that the great nonestic ocean washes the shores of the kingdom of rinkitink, between which and the land of oz lies a strip of the country of the nome king and a sandy desert. the kingdom of rinkitink isn't very big and lies close to the ocean, all the houses and the king's palace being built near the shore. the people live much upon the water, boating and fishing, and the wealth of rinkitink is gained from trading along the coast and with the islands nearest it. four days' journey by boat to the north of rinkitink is the island of pingaree, and as our story begins here i must tell you something about this island. at the north end of pingaree, where it is widest, the land is a mile from shore to shore, but at the south end it is scarcely half a mile broad; thus, although pingaree is four miles long, from north to south, it cannot be called a very big island. it is exceedingly pretty, however, and to the gulls who approach it from the sea it must resemble a huge green wedge lying upon the waters, for its grass and trees give it the color of an emerald. the grass came to the edge of the sloping shores; the beautiful trees occupied all the central portion of pingaree, forming a continuous grove where the branches met high overhead and there was just space beneath them for the cosy houses of the inhabitants. these houses were scattered everywhere throughout the island, so that there was no town or city, unless the whole island might be called a city. the canopy of leaves, high overhead, formed a shelter from sun and rain, and the dwellers in the grove could all look past the straight tree-trunks and across the grassy slopes to the purple waters of the nonestic ocean. at the big end of the island, at the north, stood the royal palace of king kitticut, the lord and ruler of pingaree. it was a beautiful palace, built entirely of snow-white marble and capped by domes of burnished gold, for the king was exceedingly wealthy. all along the coast of pingaree were found the largest and finest pearls in the whole world. these pearls grew within the shells of big oysters, and the people raked the oysters from their watery beds, sought out the milky pearls and carried them dutifully to their king. therefore, once every year his majesty was able to send six of his boats, with sixty rowers and many sacks of the valuable pearls, to the kingdom of rinkitink, where there was a city called gilgad, in which king rinkitink's palace stood on a rocky headland and served, with its high towers, as a lighthouse to guide sailors to the harbor. in gilgad the pearls from pingaree were purchased by the king's treasurer, and the boats went back to the island laden with stores of rich merchandise and such supplies of food as the people and the royal family of pingaree needed. the pingaree people never visited any other land but that of rinkitink, and so there were few other lands that knew there was such an island. to the southwest was an island called the isle of phreex, where the inhabitants had no use for pearls. and far north of pingaree--six days' journey by boat, it was said--were twin islands named regos and coregos, inhabited by a fierce and warlike people. many years before this story really begins, ten big boatloads of those fierce warriors of regos and coregos visited pingaree, landing suddenly upon the north end of the island. there they began to plunder and conquer, as was their custom, but the people of pingaree, although neither so big nor so strong as their foes, were able to defeat them and drive them all back to the sea, where a great storm overtook the raiders from regos and coregos and destroyed them and their boats, not a single warrior returning to his own country. this defeat of the enemy seemed the more wonderful because the pearl-fishers of pingaree were mild and peaceful in disposition and seldom quarreled even among themselves. their only weapons were their oyster rakes; yet the fact remains that they drove their fierce enemies from regos and coregos from their shores. king kitticut was only a boy when this remarkable battle was fought, and now his hair was gray; but he remembered the day well and, during the years that followed, his one constant fear was of another invasion of his enemies. he feared they might send a more numerous army to his island, both for conquest and revenge, in which case there could be little hope of successfully opposing them. this anxiety on the part of king kitticut led him to keep a sharp lookout for strange boats, one of his men patrolling the beach constantly, but he was too wise to allow any fear to make him or his subjects unhappy. he was a good king and lived very contentedly in his fine palace, with his fair queen garee and their one child, prince inga. the wealth of pingaree increased year by year; and the happiness of the people increased, too. perhaps there was no place, outside the land of oz, where contentment and peace were more manifest than on this pretty island, hidden in the besom of the nonestic ocean. had these conditions remained undisturbed, there would have been no need to speak of pingaree in this story. prince inga, the heir to all the riches and the kingship of pingaree, grew up surrounded by every luxury; but he was a manly little fellow, although somewhat too grave and thoughtful, and he could never bear to be idle a single minute. he knew where the finest oysters lay hidden along the coast and was as successful in finding pearls as any of the men of the island, although he was so slight and small. he had a little boat of his own and a rake for dragging up the oysters and he was very proud indeed when he could carry a big white pearl to his father. there was no school upon the island, as the people of pingaree were far removed from the state of civilization that gives our modern children such advantages as schools and learned professors, but the king owned several manuscript books, the pages being made of sheepskin. being a man of intelligence, he was able to teach his son something of reading, writing and arithmetic. when studying his lessons prince inga used to go into the grove near his father's palace and climb into the branches of a tall tree, where he had built a platform with a comfortable seat to rest upon, all hidden by the canopy of leaves. there, with no one to disturb him, he would pore over the sheepskin on which were written the queer characters of the pingarese language. king kitticut was very proud of his little son, as well he might be, and he soon felt a high respect for inga's judgment and thought that he was worthy to be taken into the confidence of his father in many matters of state. he taught the boy the needs of the people and how to rule them justly, for some day he knew that inga would be king in his place. one day he called his son to his side and said to him: "our island now seems peaceful enough, inga, and we are happy and prosperous, but i cannot forget those terrible people of regos and coregos. my constant fear is that they will send a fleet of boats to search for those of their race whom we defeated many years ago, and whom the sea afterwards destroyed. if the warriors come in great numbers we may be unable to oppose them, for my people are little trained to fighting at best; they surely would cause us much injury and suffering." "are we, then, less powerful than in my grandfather's day?" asked prince inga. the king shook his head thoughtfully. "it is not that," said he. "that you may fully understand that marvelous battle, i must confide to, you a great secret. i have in my possession three magic talismans, which i have ever guarded with utmost care, keeping the knowledge of their existence from anyone else. but, lest i should die, and the secret be lost, i have decided to tell you what these talismans are and where they are hidden. come with me, my son." he led the way through the rooms of the palace until they came to the great banquet hall. there, stopping in the center of the room, he stooped down and touched a hidden spring in the tiled floor. at once one of the tiles sank downward and the king reached within the cavity and drew out a silken bag. this bag he proceeded to open, showing inga that it contained three great pearls, each one as big around as a marble. one had a blue tint and one was of a delicate rose color, but the third was pure white. "these three pearls," said the king, speaking in a solemn, impressive voice, "are the most wonderful the world has ever known. they were gifts to one of my ancestors from the mermaid queen, a powerful fairy whom he once had the good fortune to rescue from her enemies. in gratitude for this favor she presented him with these pearls. each of the three possesses an astonishing power, and whoever is their owner may count himself a fortunate man. this one having the blue tint will give to the person who carries it a strength so great that no power can resist him. the one with the pink glow will protect its owner from all dangers that may threaten him, no matter from what source they may come. the third pearl--this one of pure white--can speak, and its words are always wise and helpful." "what is this, my father!" exclaimed the prince, amazed; "do you tell me that a pearl can speak? it sounds impossible." "your doubt is due to your ignorance of fairy powers," returned the king, gravely. "listen, my son, and you will know that i speak the truth." he held the white pearl to inga's ear and the prince heard a small voice say distinctly: "your father is right. never question the truth of what you fail to understand, for the world is filled with wonders." "i crave your pardon, dear father," said the prince, "for clearly i heard the pearl speak, and its words were full of wisdom." "the powers of the other pearls are even greater," resumed the king. "were i poor in all else, these gems would make me richer than any other monarch the world holds." "i believe that," replied inga, looking at the beautiful pearls with much awe. "but tell me, my father, why do you fear the warriors of regos and coregos when these marvelous powers are yours?" "the powers are mine only while i have the pearls upon my person," answered king kitticut, "and i dare not carry them constantly for fear they might be lost. therefore, i keep them safely hidden in this recess. my only danger lies in the chance that my watchmen might fail to discover the approach of our enemies and allow the warrior invaders to seize me before i could secure the pearls. i should, in that case, be quite powerless to resist. my father owned the magic pearls at the time of the great fight, of which you have so often heard, and the pink pearl protected him from harm, while the blue pearl enabled him and his people to drive away the enemy. often have i suspected that the destroying storm was caused by the fairy mermaids, but that is a matter of which i have no proof." "i have often wondered how we managed to win that battle," remarked inga thoughtfully. "but the pearls will assist us in case the warriors come again, will they not?" "they are as powerful as ever," declared the king. "really, my son, i have little to fear from any foe. but lest i die and the secret be lost to the next king, i have now given it into your keeping. remember that these pearls are the rightful heritage of all kings of pingaree. if at any time i should be taken from you, inga, guard this treasure well and do not forget where it is hidden." "i shall not forget," said inga. then the king returned the pearls to their hiding place and the boy went to his own room to ponder upon the wonderful secret his father had that day confided to his care. chapter two the coming of king rinkitink a few days after this, on a bright and sunny morning when the breeze blew soft and sweet from the ocean and the trees waved their leaf-laden branches, the royal watchman, whose duty it was to patrol the shore, came running to the king with news that a strange boat was approaching the island. at first the king was sore afraid and made a step toward the hidden pearls, but the next moment he reflected that one boat, even if filled with enemies, would be powerless to injure him, so he curbed his fear and went down to the beach to discover who the strangers might be. many of the men of pingaree assembled there also, and prince inga followed his father. arriving at the water's edge, they all stood gazing eagerly at the oncoming boat. it was quite a big boat, they observed, and covered with a canopy of purple silk, embroidered with gold. it was rowed by twenty men, ten on each side. as it came nearer, inga could see that in the stern, seated upon a high, cushioned chair of state, was a little man who was so very fat that he was nearly as broad as he was high this man was dressed in a loose silken robe of purple that fell in folds to his feet, while upon his head was a cap of white velvet curiously worked with golden threads and having a circle of diamonds sewn around the band. at the opposite end of the boat stood an oddly shaped cage, and several large boxes of sandalwood were piled near the center of the craft. as the boat approached the shore the fat little man got upon his feet and bowed several times in the direction of those who had assembled to greet him, and as he bowed he flourished his white cap in an energetic manner. his face was round as an apple and nearly as rosy. when he stopped bowing he smiled in such a sweet and happy way that inga thought he must be a very jolly fellow. the prow of the boat grounded on the beach, stopping its speed so suddenly that the little man was caught unawares and nearly toppled headlong into the sea. but he managed to catch hold of the chair with one hand and the hair of one of his rowers with the other, and so steadied himself. then, again waving his jeweled cap around his head, he cried in a merry voice: "well, here i am at last!" "so i perceive," responded king kitticut, bowing with much dignity. the fat man glanced at all the sober faces before him and burst into a rollicking laugh. perhaps i should say it was half laughter and half a chuckle of merriment, for the sounds he emitted were quaint and droll and tempted every hearer to laugh with him. "heh, heh--ho, ho, ho!" he roared. "didn't expect me, i see. keek-eek-eek-eek! this is funny--it's really funny. didn't know i was coming, did you? hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo! this is certainly amusing. but i'm here, just the same." "hush up!" said a deep, growling voice. "you're making yourself ridiculous." everyone looked to see where this voice came from; but none could guess who had uttered the words of rebuke. the rowers of the boat were all solemn and silent and certainly no one on the shore had spoken. but the little man did not seem astonished in the least, or even annoyed. king kitticut now addressed the stranger, saying courteously: "you are welcome to the kingdom of pingaree. perhaps you will deign to come ashore and at your convenience inform us whom we have the honor of receiving as a guest." "thanks; i will," returned the little fat man, waddling from his place in the boat and stepping, with some difficulty, upon the sandy beach. "i am king rinkitink, of the city of gilgad in the kingdom of rinkitink, and i have come to pingaree to see for myself the monarch who sends to my city so many beautiful pearls. i have long wished to visit this island; and so, as i said before, here i am!" "i am pleased to welcome you," said king kitticut. "but why has your majesty so few attendants? is it not dangerous for the king of a great country to make distant journeys in one frail boat, and with but twenty men?" "oh, i suppose so," answered king rinkitink, with a laugh. "but what else could i do? my subjects would not allow me to go anywhere at all, if they knew it. so i just ran away." "ran away!" exclaimed king kitticut in surprise. "funny, isn't it? heh, heh, heh--woo, hoo!" laughed rinkitink, and this is as near as i can spell with letters the jolly sounds of his laughter. "fancy a king running away from his own ple--hoo, hoo--keek, eek, eek, eek! but i had to, don't you see!" "why?" asked the other king. "they're afraid i'll get into mischief. they don't trust me. keek-eek-eek--oh, dear me! don't trust their own king. funny, isn't it?" "no harm can come to you on this island," said kitticut, pretending not to notice the odd ways of his guest. "and, whenever it pleases you to return to your own country, i will send with you a fitting escort of my own people. in the meantime, pray accompany me to my palace, where everything shall be done to make you comfortable and happy." "much obliged," answered rinkitink, tipping his white cap over his left ear and heartily shaking the hand of his brother monarch. "i'm sure you can make me comfortable if you've plenty to eat. and as for being happy--ha, ha, ha, ha!--why, that's my trouble. i'm too happy. but stop! i've brought you some presents in those boxes. please order your men to carry them up to the palace." "certainly," answered king kitticut, well pleased, and at once he gave his men the proper orders. "and, by the way," continued the fat little king, "let them also take my goat from his cage." "a goat!" exclaimed the king of pingaree. "exactly; my goat bilbil. i always ride him wherever i go, for i'm not at all fond of walking, being a trifle stout--eh, kitticut?--a trifle stout! hoo, hoo, hoo-keek, eek!" the pingaree people started to lift the big cage out of the boat, but just then a gruff voice cried: "be careful, you villains!" and as the words seemed to come from the goat's mouth the men were so astonished that they dropped the cage upon the sand with a sudden jar. "there! i told you so!" cried the voice angrily. "you've rubbed the skin off my left knee. why on earth didn't you handle me gently?" "there, there, bilbil," said king rinkitink soothingly; "don't scold, my boy. remember that these are strangers, and we their guests." then he turned to kitticut and remarked: "you have no talking goats on your island, i suppose." "we have no goats at all," replied the king; "nor have we any animals, of any sort, who are able to talk." "i wish my animal couldn't talk, either," said rinkitink, winking comically at inga and then looking toward the cage. "he is very cross at times, and indulges in language that is not respectful. i thought, at first, it would be fine to have a talking goat, with whom i could converse as i rode about my city on his back; but--keek-eek-eek-eek!--the rascal treats me as if i were a chimney sweep instead of a king. heh, heh, heh, keek, eek! a chimney sweep-hoo, hoo, hoo!--and me a king! funny, isn't it?" this last was addressed to prince inga, whom he chucked familiarly under the chin, to the boy's great embarrassment. "why do you not ride a horse?" asked king kitticut. "i can't climb upon his back, being rather stout; that's why. kee, kee, keek, eek!--rather stout--hoo, hoo, hoo!" he paused to wipe the tears of merriment from his eyes and then added: "but i can get on and off bilbil's back with ease." he now opened the cage and the goat deliberately walked out and looked about him in a sulky manner. one of the rowers brought from the boat a saddle made of red velvet and beautifully embroidered with silver thistles, which he fastened upon the goat's back. the fat king put his leg over the saddle and seated himself comfortably, saying: "lead on, my noble host, and we will follow." "what! up that steep hill?" cried the goat. "get off my back at once, rinkitink, or i won't budge a step. "but-consider, bilbil," remonstrated the king. "how am i to get up that hill unless i ride?" "walk!" growled bilbil. "but i'm too fat. really, bilbil, i'm surprised at you. haven't i brought you all this distance so you may see something of the world and enjoy life? and now you are so ungrateful as to refuse to carry me! turn about is fair play, my boy. the boat carried you to this shore, because you can't swim, and now you must carry me up the hill, because i can't climb. eh, bilbil, isn't that reasonable?" "well, well, well," said the goat, surlily, "keep quiet and i'll carry you. but you make me very tired, rinkitink, with your ceaseless chatter." after making this protest bilbil began walking up the hill, carrying the fat king upon his back with no difficulty whatever. prince inga and his father and all the men of pingaree were much astonished to overhear this dispute between king rinkitink and his goat; but they were too polite to make critical remarks in the presence of their guests. king kitticut walked beside the goat and the prince followed after, the men coming last with the boxes of sandalwood. when they neared the palace, the queen and her maidens came out to meet them and the royal guest was escorted in state to the splendid throne room of the palace. here the boxes were opened and king rinkitink displayed all the beautiful silks and laces and jewelry with which they were filled. every one of the courtiers and ladies received a handsome present, and the king and queen had many rich gifts and inga not a few. thus the time passed pleasantly until the chamberlain announced that dinner was served. bilbil the goat declared that he preferred eating of the sweet, rich grass that grew abundantly in the palace grounds, and rinkitink said that the beast could never bear being shut up in a stable; so they removed the saddle from his back and allowed him to wander wherever he pleased. during the dinner inga divided his attention between admiring the pretty gifts he had received and listening to the jolly sayings of the fat king, who laughed when he was not eating and ate when he was not laughing and seemed to enjoy himself immensely. "for four days i have lived in that narrow boat," said he, "with no other amusement than to watch the rowers and quarrel with bilbil; so i am very glad to be on land again with such friendly and agreeable people." "you do us great honor," said king kitticut, with a polite bow. "not at all--not at all, my brother. this pingaree must be a wonderful island, for its pearls are the admiration of all the world; nor will i deny the fact that my kingdom would be a poor one without the riches and glory it derives from the trade in your pearls. so i have wished for many years to come here to see you, but my people said: 'no! stay at home and behave yourself, or we'll know the reason why.'" "will they not miss your majesty from your palace at gilgad?" inquired kitticut. "i think not," answered rinkitink. "you see, one of my clever subjects has written a parchment entitled 'how to be good,' and i believed it would benefit me to study it, as i consider the accomplishment of being good one of the fine arts. i had just scolded severely my lord high chancellor for coming to breakfast without combing his eyebrows, and was so sad and regretful at having hurt the poor man's feelings that i decided to shut myself up in my own room and study the scroll until i knew how to be good--hee, heek, keek, eek, eek!--to be good! clever idea, that, wasn't it? mighty clever! and i issued a decree that no one should enter my room, under pain of my royal displeasure, until i was ready to come out. they're awfully afraid of my royal displeasure, although not a bit afraid of me. then i put the parchment in my pocket and escaped through the back door to my boat--and here i am. oo, hoo-hoo, keek-eek! imagine the fuss there would be in gilgad if my subjects knew where i am this very minute!" "i would like to see that parchment," said the solemn-eyed prince inga, "for if it indeed teaches one to be good it must be worth its weight in pearls." "oh, it's a fine essay," said rinkitink, "and beautifully written with a goosequill. listen to this: you'll enjoy it--tee, hee, hee!--enjoy it." he took from his pocket a scroll of parchment tied with a black ribbon, and having carefully unrolled it, he proceeded to read as follows: "'a good man is one who is never bad.' how's that, eh? fine thought, what? 'therefore, in order to be good, you must avoid those things which are evil.' oh, hoo-hoo-hoo!--how clever! when i get back i shall make the man who wrote that a royal hippolorum, for, beyond question, he is the wisest man in my kingdom--as he has often told me himself." with this, rinkitink lay back in his chair and chuckled his queer chuckle until he coughed, and coughed until he choked and choked until he sneezed. and he wrinkled his face in such a jolly, droll way that few could keep from laughing with him, and even the good queen was forced to titter behind her fan. when rinkitink had recovered from his fit of laughter and had wiped his eyes upon a fine lace handkerchief, prince inga said to him: "the parchment speaks truly." "yes, it is true beyond doubt," answered rinkitink, "and if i could persuade bilbil to read it he would be a much better goat than he is now. here is another selection: 'to avoid saying unpleasant things, always speak agreeably.' that would hit bilbil, to a dot. and here is one that applies to you, my prince: 'good children are seldom punished, for the reason that they deserve no punishment.' now, i think that is neatly put, and shows the author to be a deep thinker. but the advice that has impressed me the most is in the following paragraph: 'you may not find it as pleasant to be good as it is to be bad, but other people will find it more pleasant.' haw-hoo-ho! keek-eek! 'other people will find it more pleasant!'--hee, hee, heek, keek!--'more pleasant.' dear me--dear me! therein lies a noble incentive to be good, and whenever i get time i'm surely going to try it." then he wiped his eyes again with the lace handkerchief and, suddenly remembering his dinner, seized his knife and fork and began eating. chapter three the warriors from the north king rinkitink was so much pleased with the island of pingaree that he continued his stay day after day and week after week, eating good dinners, talking with king kitticut and sleeping. once in a while he would read from his scroll. "for," said he, "whenever i return home, my subjects will be anxious to know if i have learned 'how to be good,' and i must not disappoint them." the twenty rowers lived on the small end of the island, with the pearl fishers, and seemed not to care whether they ever returned to the kingdom of rinkitink or not. bilbil the goat wandered over the grassy slopes, or among the trees, and passed his days exactly as he pleased. his master seldom cared to ride him. bilbil was a rare curiosity to the islanders, but since there was little pleasure in talking with the goat they kept away from him. this pleased the creature, who seemed well satisfied to be left to his own devices. once prince inga, wishing to be courteous, walked up to the goat and said: "good morning, bilbil." "it isn't a good morning," answered bilbil grumpily. "it is cloudy and damp, and looks like rain." "i hope you are contented in our kingdom," continued the boy, politely ignoring the other's harsh words. "i'm not," said bilbil. "i'm never contented; so it doesn't matter to me whether i'm in your kingdom or in some other kingdom. go away--will you?" "certainly," answered the prince, and after this rebuff he did not again try to make friends with bilbil. now that the king, his father, was so much occupied with his royal guest, inga was often left to amuse himself, for a boy could not be allowed to take part in the conversation of two great monarchs. he devoted himself to his studies, therefore, and day after day he climbed into the branches of his favorite tree and sat for hours in his "tree-top rest," reading his father's precious manuscripts and thinking upon what he read. you must not think that inga was a molly-coddle or a prig, because he was so solemn and studious. being a king's son and heir to a throne, he could not play with the other boys of pingaree, and he lived so much in the society of the king and queen, and was so surrounded by the pomp and dignity of a court, that he missed all the jolly times that boys usually have. i have no doubt that had he been able to live as other boys do, he would have been much like other boys; as it was, he was subdued by his surroundings, and more grave and thoughtful than one of his years should be. inga was in his tree one morning when, without warning, a great fog enveloped the island of pingaree. the boy could scarcely see the tree next to that in which he sat, but the leaves above him prevented the dampness from wetting him, so he curled himself up in his seat and fell fast asleep. all that forenoon the fog continued. king kitticut, who sat in his palace talking with his merry visitor, ordered the candles lighted, that they might be able to see one another. the good queen, inga's mother, found it was too dark to work at her embroidery, so she called her maidens together and told them wonderful stories of bygone days, in order to pass away the dreary hours. but soon after noon the weather changed. the dense fog rolled away like a heavy cloud and suddenly the sun shot his bright rays over the island. "very good!" exclaimed king kitticut. "we shall have a pleasant afternoon, i am sure," and he blew out the candles. then he stood a moment motionless, as if turned to stone, for a terrible cry from without the palace reached his ears--a cry so full of fear and horror that the king's heart almost stopped beating. immediately there was a scurrying of feet as every one in the palace, filled with dismay, rushed outside to see what had happened. even fat little rinkitink sprang from his chair and followed his host and the others through the arched vestibule. after many years the worst fears of king kitticut were realized. landing upon the beach, which was but a few steps from the palace itself, were hundreds of boats, every one filled with a throng of fierce warriors. they sprang upon the land with wild shouts of defiance and rushed to the king's palace, waving aloft their swords and spears and battleaxes. king kitticut, so completely surprised that he was bewildered, gazed at the approaching host with terror and grief. "they are the men of regos and coregos!" he groaned. "we are, indeed, lost!" then he bethought himself, for the first time, of his wonderful pearls. turning quickly, he ran back into the palace and hastened to the hall where the treasures were hidden. but the leader of the warriors had seen the king enter the palace and bounded after him, thinking he meant to escape. just as the king had stooped to press the secret spring in the tiles, the warrior seized him from the rear and threw him backward upon the floor, at the same time shouting to his men to fetch ropes and bind the prisoner. this they did very quickly and king kitticut soon found himself helplessly bound and in the power of his enemies. in this sad condition he was lifted by the warriors and carried outside, when the good king looked upon a sorry sight. the queen and her maidens, the officers and servants of the royal household and all who had inhabited this end of the island of pingaree had been seized by the invaders and bound with ropes. at once they began carrying their victims to the boats, tossing them in as unceremoniously as if they had been bales of merchandise. the king looked around for his son inga, but failed to find the boy among the prisoners. nor was the fat king, rinkitink, to be seen anywhere about. the warriors were swarming over the palace like bees in a hive, seeking anyone who might be in hiding, and after the search had been prolonged for some time the leader asked impatiently: "do you find anyone else?" "no," his men told him. "we have captured them all." "then," commanded the leader, "remove everything of value from the palace and tear down its walls and towers, so that not one stone remains upon another!" while the warriors were busy with this task we will return to the boy prince, who, when the fog lifted and the sun came out, wakened from his sleep and began to climb down from his perch in the tree. but the terrifying cries of the people, mingled with the shouts of the rude warriors, caused him to pause and listen eagerly. then he climbed rapidly up the tree, far above his platform, to the topmost swaying branches. this tree, which inga called his own, was somewhat taller than the other trees that surrounded it, and when he had reached the top he pressed aside the leaves and saw a great fleet of boats upon the shore--strange boats, with banners that he had never seen before. turning to look upon his father's palace, he found it surrounded by a horde of enemies. then inga knew the truth: that the island had been invaded by the barbaric warriors from the north. he grew so faint from the terror of it all that he might have fallen had he not wound his arms around a limb and clung fast until the dizzy feeling passed away. then with his sash he bound himself to the limb and again ventured to look out through the leaves. the warriors were now engaged in carrying king kitticut and queen garee and all their other captives down to the boats, where they were thrown in and chained one to another. it was a dreadful sight for the prince to witness, but he sat very still, concealed from the sight of anyone below by the bower of leafy branches around him. inga knew very well that he could do nothing to help his beloved parents, and that if he came down he would only be forced to share their cruel fate. now a procession of the northmen passed between the boats and the palace, bearing the rich furniture, splendid draperies and rare ornaments of which the royal palace had been robbed, together with such food and other plunder as they could lay their hands upon. after this, the men of regos and coregos threw ropes around the marble domes and towers and hundreds of warriors tugged at these ropes until the domes and towers toppled and fell in ruins upon the ground. then the walls themselves were torn down, till little remained of the beautiful palace but a vast heap of white marble blocks tumbled and scattered upon the ground. prince inga wept bitter tears of grief as he watched the ruin of his home; yet he was powerless to avert the destruction. when the palace had been demolished, some of the warriors entered their boats and rowed along the coast of the island, while the others marched in a great body down the length of the island itself. they were so numerous that they formed a line stretching from shore to shore and they destroyed every house they came to and took every inhabitant prisoner. the pearl fishers who lived at the lower end of the island tried to escape in their boats, but they were soon overtaken and made prisoners, like the others. nor was there any attempt to resist the foe, for the sharp spears and pikes and swords of the invaders terrified the hearts of the defenseless people of pingaree, whose sole weapons were their oyster rakes. when night fell the whole of the island of pingaree had been conquered by the men of the north, and all its people were slaves of the conquerors. next morning the men of regos and coregos, being capable of no further mischief, departed from the scene of their triumph, carrying their prisoners with them and taking also every boat to be found upon the island. many of the boats they had filled with rich plunder, with pearls and silks and velvets, with silver and gold ornaments and all the treasure that had made pingaree famed as one of the richest kingdoms in the world. and the hundreds of slaves they had captured would be set to work in the mines of regos and the grain fields of coregos. so complete was the victory of the northmen that it is no wonder the warriors sang songs of triumph as they hastened back to their homes. great rewards were awaiting them when they showed the haughty king of regos and the terrible queen of coregos the results of their ocean raid and conquest. chapter four the deserted island all through that terrible night prince inga remained hidden in his tree. in the morning he watched the great fleet of boats depart for their own country, carrying his parents and his countrymen with them, as well as everything of value the island of pingaree had contained. sad, indeed, were the boy's thoughts when the last of the boats had become a mere speck in the distance, but inga did not dare leave his perch of safety until all of the craft of the invaders had disappeared beyond the horizon. then he came down, very slowly and carefully, for he was weak from hunger and the long and weary watch, as he had been in the tree for twenty-four hours without food. the sun shone upon the beautiful green isle as brilliantly as if no ruthless invader had passed and laid it in ruins. the birds still chirped among the trees and the butterflies darted from flower to flower as happily as when the land was filled with a prosperous and contented people. inga feared that only he was left of all his nation. perhaps he might be obliged to pass his life there alone. he would not starve, for the sea would give him oysters and fish, and the trees fruit; yet the life that confronted him was far from enticing. the boy's first act was to walk over to where the palace had stood and search the ruins until he found some scraps of food that had been overlooked by the enemy. he sat upon a block of marble and ate of this, and tears filled his eyes as he gazed upon the desolation around him. but inga tried to bear up bravely, and having satisfied his hunger he walked over to the well, intending to draw a bucket of drinking water. fortunately, this well had been overlooked by the invaders and the bucket was still fastened to the chain that wound around a stout wooden windlass. inga took hold of the crank and began letting the bucket down into the well, when suddenly he was startled by a muffled voice crying out: "be careful, up there!" the sound and the words seemed to indicate that the voice came from the bottom of the well, so inga looked down. nothing could be seen, on account of the darkness. "who are you?" he shouted. "it's i--rinkitink," came the answer, and the depths of the well echoed: "tink-i-tink-i-tink!" in a ghostly manner. "are you in the well?" asked the boy, greatly surprised. "yes, and nearly drowned. i fell in while running from those terrible warriors, and i've been standing in this damp hole ever since, with my head just above the water. it's lucky the well was no deeper, for had my head been under water, instead of above it--hoo, hoo, hoo, keek, eek!--under instead of over, you know--why, then i wouldn't be talking to you now! ha, hoo, hee!" and the well dismally echoed: "ha, hoo, hee!" which you must imagine was a laugh half merry and half sad. "i'm awfully sorry," cried the boy, in answer. "i wonder you have the heart to laugh at all. but how am i to get you out?" "i've been considering that all night," said rinkitink, "and i believe the best plan will be for you to let down the bucket to me, and i'll hold fast to it while you wind up the chain and so draw me to the top." "i will try to do that," replied inga, and he let the bucket down very carefully until he heard the king call out: "i've got it! now pull me up--slowly, my boy, slowly--so i won't rub against the rough sides." inga began winding up the chain, but king rinkitink was so fat that he was very heavy and by the time the boy had managed to pull him halfway up the well his strength was gone. he clung to the crank as long as possible, but suddenly it slipped from his grasp and the next minute he heard rinkitink fall "plump!" into the water again. "that's too bad!" called inga, in real distress; "but you were so heavy i couldn't help it." "dear me!" gasped the king, from the darkness below, as he spluttered and coughed to get the water out of his mouth. "why didn't you tell me you were going to let go?" "i hadn't time," said inga, sorrowfully. "well, i'm not suffering from thirst," declared the king, "for there's enough water inside me to float all the boats of regos and coregos or at least it feels that way. but never mind! so long as i'm not actually drowned, what does it matter?" "what shall we do next?" asked the boy anxiously. "call someone to help you," was the reply. "there is no one on the island but myself," said the boy; "--excepting you," he added, as an afterthought. "i'm not on it--more's the pity!--but in it," responded rinkitink. "are the warriors all gone?" "yes," said inga, "and they have taken my father and mother, and all our people, to be their slaves," he added, trying in vain to repress a sob. "so--so!" said rinkitink softly; and then he paused a moment, as if in thought. finally he said: "there are worse things than slavery, but i never imagined a well could be one of them. tell me, inga, could you let down some food to me? i'm nearly starved, and if you could manage to send me down some food i'd be well fed--hoo, hoo, heek, keek, eek!--well fed. do you see the joke, inga?" "do not ask me to enjoy a joke just now, your majesty," begged inga in a sad voice; "but if you will be patient i will try to find something for you to eat." he ran back to the ruins of the palace and began searching for bits of food with which to satisfy the hunger of the king, when to his surprise he observed the goat, bilbil, wandering among the marble blocks. "what!" cried inga. "didn't the warriors get you, either?" "if they had," calmly replied bilbil, "i shouldn't be here." "but how did you escape?" asked the boy. "easily enough. i kept my mouth shut and stayed away from the rascals," said the goat. "i knew that the soldiers would not care for a skinny old beast like me, for to the eye of a stranger i seem good for nothing. had they known i could talk, and that my head contained more wisdom than a hundred of their own noddles, i might not have escaped so easily." "perhaps you are right," said the boy. "i suppose they got the old man?" carelessly remarked bilbil. "what old man?" "rinkitink." "oh, no! his majesty is at the bottom of the well," said inga, "and i don't know how to get him out again." "then let him stay there," suggested the goat. "that would be cruel. i am sure, bilbil, that you are fond of the good king, your master, and do not mean what you say. together, let us find some way to save poor king rinkitink. he is a very jolly companion, and has a heart exceedingly kind and gentle." "oh, well; the old boy isn't so bad, taken altogether," admitted bilbil, speaking in a more friendly tone. "but his bad jokes and fat laughter tire me dreadfully, at times." prince inga now ran back to the well, the goat following more leisurely. "here's bilbil!" shouted the boy to the king. "the enemy didn't get him, it seems." "that's lucky for the enemy," said rinkitink. "but it's lucky for me, too, for perhaps the beast can assist me out of this hole. if you can let a rope down the well, i am sure that you and bilbil, pulling together, will be able to drag me to the earth's surface." "be patient and we will make the attempt," replied inga encouragingly, and he ran to search the ruins for a rope. presently he found one that had been used by the warriors in toppling over the towers, which in their haste they had neglected to remove, and with some difficulty he untied the knots and carried the rope to the mouth of the well. bilbil had lain down to sleep and the refrain of a merry song came in muffled tones from the well, proving that rinkitink was making a patient endeavor to amuse himself. "i've found a rope!" inga called down to him; and then the boy proceeded to make a loop in one end of the rope, for the king to put his arms through, and the other end he placed over the drum of the windlass. he now aroused bilbil and fastened the rope firmly around the goat's shoulders. "are you ready?" asked the boy, leaning over the well. "i am," replied the king. "and i am not," growled the goat, "for i have not yet had my nap out. old rinki will be safe enough in the well until i've slept an hour or two longer." "but it is damp in the well," protested the boy, "and king rinkitink may catch the rheumatism, so that he will have to ride upon your back wherever he goes." hearing this, bilbil jumped up at once. "let's get him out," he said earnestly. "hold fast!" shouted inga to the king. then he seized the rope and helped bilbil to pull. they soon found the task more difficult than they had supposed. once or twice the king's weight threatened to drag both the boy and the goat into the well, to keep rinkitink company. but they pulled sturdily, being aware of this danger, and at last the king popped out of the hole and fell sprawling full length upon the ground. for a time he lay panting and breathing hard to get his breath back, while inga and bilbil were likewise worn out from their long strain at the rope; so the three rested quietly upon the grass and looked at one another in silence. finally bilbil said to the king: "i'm surprised at you. why were you so foolish as to fall down that well? don't you know it's a dangerous thing to do? you might have broken your neck in the fall, or been drowned in the water." "bilbil," replied the king solemnly, "you're a goat. do you imagine i fell down the well on purpose?" "i imagine nothing," retorted bilbil. "i only know you were there." "there? heh-heh-heek-keek-eek! to be sure i was there," laughed rinkitink. "there in a dark hole, where there was no light; there in a watery well, where the wetness soaked me through and through--keek-eek-eek-eek!--through and through!" "how did it happen?" inquired inga. "i was running away from the enemy," explained the king, "and i was carelessly looking over my shoulder at the same time, to see if they were chasing me. so i did not see the well, but stepped into it and found myself tumbling down to the bottom. i struck the water very neatly and began struggling to keep myself from drowning, but presently i found that when i stood upon my feet on the bottom of the well, that my chin was just above the water. so i stood still and yelled for help; but no one heard me." "if the warriors had heard you," said bilbil, "they would have pulled you out and carried you away to be a slave. then you would have been obliged to work for a living, and that would be a new experience." "work!" exclaimed rinkitink. "me work? hoo, hoo, heek-keek-eek! how absurd! i'm so stout--not to say chubby--not to say fat--that i can hardly walk, and i couldn't earn my salt at hard work. so i'm glad the enemy did not find me, bilbil. how many others escaped?" "that i do not know," replied the boy, "for i have not yet had time to visit the other parts of the island. when you have rested and satisfied your royal hunger, it might be well for us to look around and see what the thieving warriors of regos and coregos have left us." "an excellent idea," declared rinkitink. "i am somewhat feeble from my long confinement in the well, but i can ride upon bilbil's back and we may as well start at once." hearing this, bilbil cast a surly glance at his master but said nothing, since it was really the goat's business to carry king rinkitink wherever he desired to go. they first searched the ruins of the palace, and where the kitchen had once been they found a small quantity of food that had been half hidden by a block of marble. this they carefully placed in a sack to preserve it for future use, the little fat king having first eaten as much as he cared for. this consumed some time, for rinkitink had been exceedingly hungry and liked to eat in a leisurely manner. when he had finished the meal he straddled bilbil's back and set out to explore the island, prince inga walking by his side. they found on every hand ruin and desolation. the houses of the people had been pilfered of all valuables and then torn down or burned. not a boat had been left upon the shore, nor was there a single person, man or woman or child, remaining upon the island, save themselves. the only inhabitants of pingaree now consisted of a fat little king, a boy and a goat. even rinkitink, merry hearted as he was, found it hard to laugh in the face of this mighty disaster. even the goat, contrary to its usual habit, refrained from saying anything disagreeable. as for the poor boy whose home was now a wilderness, the tears came often to his eyes as he marked the ruin of his dearly loved island. when, at nightfall, they reached the lower end of pingaree and found it swept as bare as the rest, inga's grief was almost more than he could bear. everything had been swept from him--parents, home and country--in so brief a time that his bewilderment was equal to his sorrow. since no house remained standing, in which they might sleep, the three wanderers crept beneath the overhanging branches of a cassa tree and curled themselves up as comfortably as possible. so tired and exhausted were they by the day's anxieties and griefs that their troubles soon faded into the mists of dreamland. beast and king and boy slumbered peacefully together until wakened by the singing of the birds which greeted the dawn of a new day. chapter five the three pearls when king rinkitink and prince inga had bathed themselves in the sea and eaten a simple breakfast, they began wondering what they could do to improve their condition. "the poor people of gilgad," said rinkitink cheerfully, "are little likely ever again to behold their king in the flesh, for my boat and my rowers are gone with everything else. let us face the fact that we are imprisoned for life upon this island, and that our lives will be short unless we can secure more to eat than is in this small sack." "i'll not starve, for i can eat grass," remarked the goat in a pleasant tone--or a tone as pleasant as bilbil could assume. "true, quite true," said the king. then he seemed thoughtful for a moment and turning to inga he asked: "do you think, prince, that if the worst comes, we could eat bilbil?" the goat gave a groan and cast a reproachful look at his master as he said: "monster! would you, indeed, eat your old friend and servant?" "not if i can help it, bilbil," answered the king pleasantly. "you would make a remarkably tough morsel, and my teeth are not as good as they once were." while this talk was in progress inga suddenly remembered the three pearls which his father had hidden under the tiled floor of the banquet hall. without doubt king kitticut had been so suddenly surprised by the invaders that he had found no opportunity to get the pearls, for otherwise the fierce warriors would have been defeated and driven out of pingaree. so they must still be in their hiding place, and inga believed they would prove of great assistance to him and his comrades in this hour of need. but the palace was a mass of ruins; perhaps he would be unable now to find the place where the pearls were hidden. he said nothing of this to rinkitink, remembering that his father had charged him to preserve the secret of the pearls and of their magic powers. nevertheless, the thought of securing the wonderful treasures of his ancestors gave the boy new hope. he stood up and said to the king: "let us return to the other end of pingaree. it is more pleasant than here in spite of the desolation of my father's palace. and there, if anywhere, we shall discover a way out of our difficulties." this suggestion met with rinkitink's approval and the little party at once started upon the return journey. as there was no occasion to delay upon the way, they reached the big end of the island about the middle of the day and at once began searching the ruins of the palace. they found, to their satisfaction, that one room at the bottom of a tower was still habitable, although the roof was broken in and the place was somewhat littered with stones. the king was, as he said, too fat to do any hard work, so he sat down on a block of marble and watched inga clear the room of its rubbish. this done, the boy hunted through the ruins until he discovered a stool and an armchair that had not been broken beyond use. some bedding and a mattress were also found, so that by nightfall the little room had been made quite comfortable. the following morning, while rinkitink was still sound asleep and bilbil was busily cropping the dewy grass that edged the shore, prince inga began to search the tumbled heaps of marble for the place where the royal banquet hall had been. after climbing over the ruins for a time he reached a flat place which he recognized, by means of the tiled flooring and the broken furniture scattered about, to be the great hall he was seeking. but in the center of the floor, directly over the spot where the pearls were hidden, lay several large and heavy blocks of marble, which had been torn from the dismantled walls. this unfortunate discovery for a time discouraged the boy, who realized how helpless he was to remove such vast obstacles; but it was so important to secure the pearls that he dared not give way to despair until every human effort had been made, so he sat him down to think over the matter with great care. meantime rinkitink had risen from his bed and walked out upon the lawn, where he found bilbil reclining at ease upon the greensward. "where is inga?" asked rinkitink, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles because their vision was blurred with too much sleep. "don't ask me," said the goat, chewing with much satisfaction a cud of sweet grasses. "bilbil," said the king, squatting down beside the goat and resting his fat chin upon his hands and his elbows on his knees, "allow me to confide to you the fact that i am bored, and need amusement. my good friend kitticut has been kidnapped by the barbarians and taken from me, so there is no one to converse with me intelligently. i am the king and you are the goat. suppose you tell me a story. "suppose i don't," said bilbil, with a scowl, for a goat's face is very expressive. "if you refuse, i shall be more unhappy than ever, and i know your disposition is too sweet to permit that. tell me a story, bilbil." the goat looked at him with an expression of scorn. said he: "one would think you are but four years old, rinkitink! but there--i will do as you command. listen carefully, and the story may do you some good--although i doubt if you understand the moral." "i am sure the story will do me good," declared the king, whose eyes were twinkling. "once on a time," began the goat. "when was that, bilbil?" asked the king gently. "don't interrupt; it is impolite. once on a time there was a king with a hollow inside his head, where most people have their brains, and--" "is this a true story, bilbil?" "and the king with a hollow head could chatter words, which had no sense, and laugh in a brainless manner at senseless things. that part of the story is true enough, rinkitink." "then proceed with the tale, sweet bilbil. yet it is hard to believe that any king could be brainless--unless, indeed, he proved it by owning a talking goat." bilbil glared at him a full minute in silence. then he resumed his story: "this empty-headed man was a king by accident, having been born to that high station. also the king was empty-headed by the same chance, being born without brains." "poor fellow!" quoth the king. "did he own a talking goat?" "he did," answered bilbil. "then he was wrong to have been born at all. cheek-eek-eek-eek, oo, hoo!" chuckled rinkitink, his fat body shaking with merriment. "but it's hard to prevent oneself from being born; there's no chance for protest, eh, bilbil?" "who is telling this story, i'd like to know," demanded the goat, with anger. "ask someone with brains, my boy; i'm sure i can't tell," replied the king, bursting into one of his merry fits of laughter. bilbil rose to his hoofs and walked away in a dignified manner, leaving rinkitink chuckling anew at the sour expression of the animal's face. "oh, bilbil, you'll be the death of me, some day--i'm sure you will!" gasped the king, taking out his lace handkerchief to wipe his eyes; for, as he often did, he had laughed till the tears came. bilbil was deeply vexed and would not even turn his head to look at his master. to escape from rinkitink he wandered among the ruins of the palace, where he came upon prince inga. "good morning, bilbil," said the boy. "i was just going to find you, that i might consult you upon an important matter. if you will kindly turn back with me i am sure your good judgment will be of great assistance." the angry goat was quite mollified by the respectful tone in which he was addressed, but he immediately asked: "are you also going to consult that empty-headed king over yonder?" "i am sorry to hear you speak of your kind master in such a way," said the boy gravely. "all men are deserving of respect, being the highest of living creatures, and kings deserve respect more than others, for they are set to rule over many people." "nevertheless," said bilbil with conviction, "rinkitink's head is certainly empty of brains." "that i am unwilling to believe," insisted inga. "but anyway his heart is kind and gentle and that is better than being wise. he is merry in spite of misfortunes that would cause others to weep and he never speaks harsh words that wound the feelings of his friends." "still," growled bilbil, "he is--" "let us forget everything but his good nature, which puts new heart into us when we are sad," advised the boy. "but he is--" "come with me, please," interrupted inga, "for the matter of which i wish to speak is very important." bilbil followed him, although the boy still heard the goat muttering that the king had no brains. rinkitink, seeing them turn into the ruins, also followed, and upon joining them asked for his breakfast. inga opened the sack of food and while he and the king ate of it the boy said: "if i could find a way to remove some of the blocks of marble which have fallen in the banquet hall, i think i could find means for us to escape from this barren island." "then," mumbled rinkitink, with his mouth full, "let us move the blocks of marble." "but how?" inquired prince inga. "they are very heavy." "ah, how, indeed?" returned the king, smacking his lips contentedly. "that is a serious question. but--i have it! let us see what my famous parchment says about it." he wiped his fingers upon a napkin and then, taking the scroll from a pocket inside his embroidered blouse, he unrolled it and read the following words: 'never step on another man's toes.' the goat gave a snort of contempt; inga was silent; the king looked from one to the other inquiringly. "that's the idea, exactly!" declared rinkitink. "to be sure," said bilbil scornfully, "it tells us exactly how to move the blocks of marble." "oh, does it?" responded the king, and then for a moment he rubbed the top of his bald head in a perplexed manner. the next moment he burst into a peal of joyous laughter. the goat looked at inga and sighed. "what did i tell you?" asked the creature. "was i right, or was i wrong?" "this scroll," said rinkitink, "is indeed a masterpiece. its advice is of tremendous value. 'never step on another man's toes.' let us think this over. the inference is that we should step upon our own toes, which were given us for that purpose. therefore, if i stepped upon another man's toes, i would be the other man. hoo, hoo, hoo!--the other man--hee, hee, heek-keek-eek! funny, isn't it?" "didn't i say--" began bilbil. "no matter what you said, my boy," roared the king. "no fool could have figured that out as nicely as i did." "we have still to decide how to remove the blocks of marble," suggested inga anxiously. "fasten a rope to them, and pull," said bilbil. "don't pay any more attention to rinkitink, for he is no wiser than the man who wrote that brainless scroll. just get the rope, and we'll fasten rinkitink to one end of it for a weight and i'll help you pull." "thank you, bilbil," replied the boy. "i'll get the rope at once." bilbil found it difficult to climb over the ruins to the floor of the banquet hall, but there are few places a goat cannot get to when it makes the attempt, so bilbil succeeded at last, and even fat little rinkitink finally joined them, though much out of breath. inga fastened one end of the rope around a block of marble and then made a loop at the other end to go over bilbil's head. when all was ready the boy seized the rope and helped the goat to pull; yet, strain as they might, the huge block would not stir from its place. seeing this, king rinkitink came forward and lent his assistance, the weight of his body forcing the heavy marble to slide several feet from where it had lain. but it was hard work and all were obliged to take a long rest before undertaking the removal of the next block. "admit, bilbil," said the king, "that i am of some use in the world." "your weight was of considerable help," acknowledged the goat, "but if your head were as well filled as your stomach the task would be still easier." when inga went to fasten the rope a second time he was rejoiced to discover that by moving one more block of marble he could uncover the tile with the secret spring. so the three pulled with renewed energy and to their joy the block moved and rolled upon its side, leaving inga free to remove the treasure when he pleased. but the boy had no intention of allowing bilbil and the king to share the secret of the royal treasures of pingaree; so, although both the goat and its master demanded to know why the marble blocks had been moved, and how it would benefit them, inga begged them to wait until the next morning, when he hoped to be able to satisfy them that their hard work had not been in vain. having little confidence in this promise of a mere boy, the goat grumbled and the king laughed; but inga paid no heed to their ridicule and set himself to work rigging up a fishing rod, with line and hook. during the afternoon he waded out to some rocks near the shore and fished patiently until he had captured enough yellow perch for their supper and breakfast. "ah," said rinkitink, looking at the fine catch when inga returned to the shore; "these will taste delicious when they are cooked; but do you know how to cook them?" "no," was the reply. "i have often caught fish, but never cooked them. perhaps your majesty understands cooking." "cooking and majesty are two different things," laughed the little king. "i could not cook a fish to save me from starvation." "for my part," said bilbil, "i never eat fish, but i can tell you how to cook them, for i have often watched the palace cooks at their work." and so, with the goat's assistance, the boy and the king managed to prepare the fish and cook them, after which they were eaten with good appetite. that night, after rinkitink and bilbil were both fast asleep, inga stole quietly through the moonlight to the desolate banquet hall. there, kneeling down, he touched the secret spring as his father had instructed him to do and to his joy the tile sank downward and disclosed the opening. you may imagine how the boy's heart throbbed with excitement as he slowly thrust his hand into the cavity and felt around to see if the precious pearls were still there. in a moment his fingers touched the silken bag and, without pausing to close the recess, he pressed the treasure against his breast and ran out into the moonlight to examine it. when he reached a bright place he started to open the bag, but he observed bilbil lying asleep upon the grass near by. so, trembling with the fear of discovery, he ran to another place, and when he paused he heard rinkitink snoring lustily. again he fled and made his way to the seashore, where he squatted under a bank and began to untie the cords that fastened the mouth of the bag. but now another fear assailed him. "if the pearls should slip from my hand," he thought, "and roll into the water, they might be lost to me forever. i must find some safer place." here and there he wandered, still clasping the silken bag in both hands, and finally he went to the grove and climbed into the tall tree where he had made his platform and seat. but here it was pitch dark, so he found he must wait patiently until morning before he dared touch the pearls. during those hours of waiting he had time for reflection and reproached himself for being so frightened by the possession of his father's treasures. "these pearls have belonged to our family for generations," he mused, "yet no one has ever lost them. if i use ordinary care i am sure i need have no fears for their safety." when the dawn came and he could see plainly, inga opened the bag and took out the blue pearl. there was no possibility of his being observed by others, so he took time to examine it wonderingly, saying to himself: "this will give me strength." taking off his right shoe he placed the blue pearl within it, far up in the pointed toe. then he tore a piece from his handkerchief and stuffed it into the shoe to hold the pearl in place. inga's shoes were long and pointed, as were all the shoes worn in pingaree, and the points curled upward, so that there was quite a vacant space beyond the place where the boy's toes reached when the shoe was upon his foot. after he had put on the shoe and laced it up he opened the bag and took out the pink pearl. "this will protect me from danger," said inga, and removing the shoe from his left foot he carefully placed the pearl in the hollow toe. this, also, he secured in place by means of a strip torn from his handkerchief. having put on the second shoe and laced it up, the boy drew from the silken bag the third pearl--that which was pure white--and holding it to his ear he asked. "will you advise me what to do, in this my hour of misfortune?" clearly the small voice of the pearl made answer: "i advise you to go to the islands of regos and coregos, where you may liberate your parents from slavery." "how could i do that?" exclaimed prince inga, amazed at receiving such advice. "to-night," spoke the voice of the pearl, "there will be a storm, and in the morning a boat will strand upon the shore. take this boat and row to regos and coregos." "how can i, a weak boy, pull the boat so far?" he inquired, doubting the possibility. "the blue pearl will give you strength," was the reply. "but i may be shipwrecked and drowned, before ever i reach regos and coregos," protested the boy. "the pink pearl will protect you from harm," murmured the voice, soft and low but very distinct. "then i shall act as you advise me," declared inga, speaking firmly because this promise gave him courage, and as he removed the pearl from his ear it whispered: "the wise and fearless are sure to win success." restoring the white pearl to the depths of the silken bag, inga fastened it securely around his neck and buttoned his waist above it to hide the treasure from all prying eyes. then he slowly climbed down from the tree and returned to the room where king rinkitink still slept. the goat was browsing upon the grass but looked cross and surly. when the boy said good morning as he passed, bilbil made no response whatever. as inga entered the room the king awoke and asked: "what is that mysterious secret of yours? i've been dreaming about it, and i haven't got my breath yet from tugging at those heavy blocks. tell me the secret." "a secret told is no longer a secret," replied inga, with a laugh. "besides, this is a family secret, which it is proper i should keep to myself. but i may tell you one thing, at least: we are going to leave this island to-morrow morning." the king seemed puzzled' by this statement. "i'm not much of a swimmer," said he, "and, though i'm fat enough to float upon the surface of the water, i'd only bob around and get nowhere at all." "we shall not swim, but ride comfortably in a boat," promised inga. "there isn't a boat on this island!" declared rinkitink, looking upon the boy with wonder. "true," said inga. "but one will come to us in the morning." he spoke positively, for he had perfect faith in the promise of the white pearl; but rinkitink, knowing nothing of the three marvelous jewels, began to fear that the little prince had lost his mind through grief and misfortune. for this reason the king did not question the boy further but tried to cheer him by telling him witty stories. he laughed at all the stories himself, in his merry, rollicking way, and inga joined freely in the laughter because his heart had been lightened by the prospect of rescuing his dear parents. not since the fierce warriors had descended upon pingaree had the boy been so hopeful and happy. with rinkitink riding upon bilbil's back, the three made a tour of the island and found in the central part some bushes and trees bearing ripe fruit. they gathered this freely, for--aside from the fish which inga caught--it was the only food they now had, and the less they had, the bigger rinkitink's appetite seemed to grow. "i am never more happy," said he with a sigh, "than when i am eating." toward evening the sky became overcast and soon a great storm began to rage. prince inga and king rinkitink took refuge within the shelter of the room they had fitted up and there bilbil joined them. the goat and the king were somewhat disturbed by the violence of the storm, but inga did not mind it, being pleased at this evidence that the white pearl might be relied upon. all night the wind shrieked around the island; thunder rolled, lightning flashed and rain came down in torrents. but with morning the storm abated and when the sun arose no sign of the tempest remained save a few fallen trees. chapter six the magic boat prince inga was up with the sun and, accompanied by bilbil, began walking along the shore in search of the boat which the white pearl had promised him. never for an instant did he doubt that he would find it and before he had walked any great distance a dark object at the water's edge caught his eye. "it is the boat, bilbil!" he cried joyfully, and running down to it he found it was, indeed, a large and roomy boat. although stranded upon the beach, it was in perfect order and had suffered in no way from the storm. inga stood for some moments gazing upon the handsome craft and wondering where it could have come from. certainly it was unlike any boat he had ever seen. on the outside it was painted a lustrous black, without any other color to relieve it; but all the inside of the boat was lined with pure silver, polished so highly that the surface resembled a mirror and glinted brilliantly in the rays of the sun. the seats had white velvet cushions upon them and the cushions were splendidly embroidered with threads of gold. at one end, beneath the broad seat, was a small barrel with silver hoops, which the boy found was filled with fresh, sweet water. a great chest of sandalwood, bound and ornamented with silver, stood in the other end of the boat. inga raised the lid and discovered the chest filled with sea-biscuits, cakes, tinned meats and ripe, juicy melons; enough good and wholesome food to last the party a long time. lying upon the bottom of the boat were two shining oars, and overhead, but rolled back now, was a canopy of silver cloth to ward off the heat of the sun. it is no wonder the boy was delighted with the appearance of this beautiful boat; but on reflection he feared it was too large for him to row any great distance. unless, indeed, the blue pearl gave him unusual strength. while he was considering this matter, king rinkitink came waddling up to him and said: "well, well, well, my prince, your words have come true! here is the boat, for a certainty, yet how it came here--and how you knew it would come to us--are puzzles that mystify me. i do not question our good fortune, however, and my heart is bubbling with joy, for in this boat i will return at once to my city of gilgad, from which i have remained absent altogether too long a time." "i do not wish to go to gilgad," said inga. "that is too bad, my friend, for you would be very welcome. but you may remain upon this island, if you wish," continued rinkitink, "and when i get home i will send some of my people to rescue you." "it is my boat, your majesty," said inga quietly. "may be, may be," was the careless answer, "but i am king of a great country, while you are a boy prince without any kingdom to speak of. therefore, being of greater importance than you, it is just and right that i take, your boat and return to my own country in it." "i am sorry to differ from your majesty's views," said inga, "but instead of going to gilgad i consider it of greater importance that we go to the islands of regos and coregos." "hey? what!" cried the astounded king. "to regos and coregos! to become slaves of the barbarians, like the king, your father? no, no, my boy! your uncle rinki may have an empty noddle, as bilbil claims, but he is far too wise to put his head in the lion's mouth. it's no fun to be a slave." "the people of regos and coregos will not enslave us," declared inga. "on the contrary, it is my intention to set free my dear parents, as well as all my people, and to bring them back again to pingaree." "cheek-eek-eek-eek-eek! how funny!" chuckled rinkitink, winking at the goat, which scowled in return. "your audacity takes my breath away, inga, but the adventure has its charm, i must, confess. were i not so fat, i'd agree to your plan at once, and could probably conquer that horde of fierce warriors without any assistance at all--any at all--eh, bilbil? but i grieve to say that i am fat, and not in good fighting trim. as for your determination to do what i admit i can't do, inga, i fear you forget that you are only a boy, and rather small at that." "no, i do not forget that," was inga's reply. "then please consider that you and i and bilbil are not strong enough, as an army, to conquer a powerful nation of skilled warriors. we could attempt it, of course, but you are too young to die, while i am too old. come with me to my city of gilgad, where you will be greatly honored. i'll have my professors teach you how to be good. eh? what do you say?" inga was a little embarrassed how to reply to these arguments, which he knew king rinkitink considered were wise; so, after a period of thought, he said: "i will make a bargain with your majesty, for i do not wish to fail in respect to so worthy a man and so great a king as yourself. this boat is mine, as i have said, and in my father's absence you have become my guest; therefore i claim that i am entitled to some consideration, as well as you." "no doubt of it," agreed rinkitink. "what is the bargain you propose, inga?" "let us both get into the boat, and you shall first try to row us to gilgad. if you succeed, i will accompany you right willingly; but should you fail, i will then row the boat to regos, and you must come with me without further protest." "a fair and just bargain!" cried the king, highly pleased. "yet, although i am a man of mighty deeds, i do not relish the prospect of rowing so big a boat all the way to gilgad. but i will do my best and abide by the result." the matter being thus peaceably settled, they prepared to embark. a further supply of fruits was placed in the boat and inga also raked up a quantity of the delicious oysters that abounded on the coast of pingaree but which he had before been unable to reach for lack of a boat. this was done at the suggestion of the ever-hungry rinkitink, and when the oysters had been stowed in their shells behind the water barrel and a plentiful supply of grass brought aboard for bilbil, they decided they were ready to start on their voyage. it proved no easy task to get bilbil into the boat, for he was a remarkably clumsy goat and once, when rinkitink gave him a push, he tumbled into the water and nearly drowned before they could get him out again. but there was no thought of leaving the quaint animal behind. his power of speech made him seem almost human in the eyes of the boy, and the fat king was so accustomed to his surly companion that nothing could have induced him to part with him. finally bilbil fell sprawling into the bottom of the boat, and inga helped him to get to the front end, where there was enough space for him to lie down. rinkitink now took his seat in the silver-lined craft and the boy came last, pushing off the boat as he sprang aboard, so that it floated freely upon the water. "well, here we go for gilgad!" exclaimed the king, picking up the oars and placing them in the row-locks. then he began to row as hard as he could, singing at the same time an odd sort of a song that ran like this: "the way to gilgad isn't bad for a stout old king and a brave young lad, for a cross old goat with a dripping coat, and a silver boat in which to float. so our hearts are merry, light and glad as we speed away to fair gilgad!" "don't, rinkitink; please don't! it makes me seasick," growled bilbil. rinkitink stopped rowing, for by this time he was all out of breath and his round face was covered with big drops of perspiration. and when he looked over his shoulder he found to his dismay that the boat had scarcely moved a foot from its former position. inga said nothing and appeared not to notice the king's failure. so now rinkitink, with a serious look on his fat, red face, took off his purple robe and rolled up the sleeves of his tunic and tried again. however, he succeeded no better than before and when he heard bilbil give a gruff laugh and saw a smile upon the boy prince's face, rinkitink suddenly dropped the oars and began shouting with laughter at his own defeat. as he wiped his brow with a yellow silk handkerchief he sang in a merry voice: "a sailor bold am i, i hold, but boldness will not row a boat. so i confess i'm in distress and just as useless as the goat." "please leave me out of your verses," said bilbil with a snort of anger. "when i make a fool of myself, bilbil, i'm a goat," replied rinkitink. "not so," insisted bilbil. "nothing could make you a member of my superior race." "superior? why, bilbil, a goat is but a beast, while i am a king!" "i claim that superiority lies in intelligence," said the goat. rinkitink paid no attention to this remark, but turning to inga he said: "we may as well get back to the shore, for the boat is too heavy to row to gilgad or anywhere else. indeed, it will be hard for us to reach land again." "let me take the oars," suggested inga. "you must not forget our bargain." "no, indeed," answered rinkitink. "if you can row us to regos, or to any other place, i will go with you without protest." so the king took inga's place at the stern of the boat and the boy grasped the oars and commenced to row. and now, to the great wonder of rinkitink--and even to inga's surprise--the oars became light as feathers as soon as the prince took hold of them. in an instant the boat began to glide rapidly through the water and, seeing this, the boy turned its prow toward the north. he did not know exactly where regos and coregos were located, but he did know that the islands lay to the north of pingaree, so he decided to trust to luck and the guidance of the pearls to carry him to them. gradually the island of pingaree became smaller to their view as the boat sped onward, until at the end of an hour they had lost sight of it altogether and were wholly surrounded by the purple waters of the nonestic ocean. prince inga did not tire from the labor of rowing; indeed, it seemed to him no labor at all. once he stopped long enough to place the poles of the canopy in the holes that had been made for them, in the edges of the boat, and to spread the canopy of silver over the poles, for rinkitink had complained of the sun's heat. but the canopy shut out the hot rays and rendered the interior of the boat cool and pleasant. "this is a glorious ride!" cried rinkitink, as he lay back in the shade. "i find it a decided relief to be away from that dismal island of pingaree. "it may be a relief for a short time," said bilbil, "but you are going to the land of your enemies, who will probably stick your fat body full of spears and arrows." "oh, i hope not!" exclaimed inga, distressed at the thought. "never mind," said the king calmly, "a man can die but once, you know, and when the enemy kills me i shall beg him to kill bilbil, also, that we may remain together in death as in life." "they may be cannibals, in which case they will roast and eat us," suggested bilbil, who wished to terrify his master. "who knows?" answered rinkitink, with a shudder. "but cheer up, bilbil; they may not kill us after all, or even capture us; so let us not borrow trouble. do not look so cross, my sprightly quadruped, and i will sing to amuse you." "your song would make me more cross than ever," grumbled the goat. "quite impossible, dear bilbil. you couldn't be more surly if you tried. so here is a famous song for you." while the boy rowed steadily on and the boat rushed fast over the water, the jolly king, who never could be sad or serious for many minutes at a time, lay back on his embroidered cushions and sang as follows: "a merry maiden went to sea-- sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do! she sat upon the captain's knee and looked around the sea to see what she could see, but she couldn't see me-- sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do! "how do you like that, bilbil?" "i don't like it," complained the goat. "it reminds me of the alligator that tried to whistle." "did he succeed, bilbil?" asked the king. "he whistled as well as you sing." "ha, ha, ha, ha, heek, keek, eek!" chuckled the king. "he must have whistled most exquisitely, eh, my friend?" "i am not your friend," returned the goat, wagging his ears in a surly manner. "i am yours, however," was the king's cheery reply; "and to prove it i'll sing you another verse." "don't, i beg of you!" but the king sang as follows: "the wind blew off the maiden's shoe-- sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do! and the shoe flew high to the sky so blue and the maiden knew 'twas a new shoe, too; but she couldn't pursue the shoe, 'tis true-- sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do! "isn't that sweet, my pretty goat?" "sweet, do you ask?" retorted bilbil. "i consider it as sweet as candy made from mustard and vinegar." "but not as sweet as your disposition, i admit. ah, bilbil, your temper would put honey itself to shame." "do not quarrel, i beg of you," pleaded inga. "are we not sad enough already?" "but this is a jolly quarrel," said the king, "and it is the way bilbil and i often amuse ourselves. listen, now, to the last verse of all: "the maid who shied her shoe now cried-- sing too-ral-oo-ral-i-do! her tears were fried for the captain's bride who ate with pride her sobs, beside, and gently sighed 'i'm satisfied'-- sing to-ral-oo-ral-i-do!" "worse and worse!" grumbled bilbil, with much scorn. "i am glad that is the last verse, for another of the same kind might cause me to faint." "i fear you have no ear for music," said the king. "i have heard no music, as yet," declared the goat. "you must have a strong imagination, king rinkitink, if you consider your songs music. do you remember the story of the bear that hired out for a nursemaid?" "i do not recall it just now," said rinkitink, with a wink at inga. "well, the bear tried to sing a lullaby to put the baby to sleep." "and then?" said the king. "the bear was highly pleased with its own voice, but the baby was nearly frightened to death." "heh, heb, heh, heh, whoo, hoo, hoo! you are a merry rogue, bilbil," laughed the king; "a merry rogue in spite of your gloomy features. however, if i have not amused you, i have at least pleased myself, for i am exceedingly fond of a good song. so let us say no more about it." all this time the boy prince was rowing the boat. he was not in the least tired, for the oars he held seemed to move of their own accord. he paid little heed to the conversation of rinkitink and the goat, but busied his thoughts with plans of what he should do when he reached the islands of regos and coregos and confronted his enemies. when the others finally became silent, inga inquired. "can you fight, king rinkitink?" "i have never tried," was the answer. "in time of danger i have found it much easier to run away than to face the foe." "but could you fight?" asked the boy. "i might try, if there was no chance to escape by running. have you a proper weapon for me to fight with?" "i have no weapon at all," confessed inga. "then let us use argument and persuasion instead of fighting. for instance, if we could persuade the warriors of regos to lie down, and let me step on them, they would be crushed with ease." prince inga had expected little support from the king, so he was not discouraged by this answer. after all, he reflected, a conquest by battle would be out of the question, yet the white pearl would not have advised him to go to regos and coregos had the mission been a hopeless one. it seemed to him, on further reflection, that he must rely upon circumstances to determine his actions when he reached the islands of the barbarians. by this time inga felt perfect confidence in the magic pearls. it was the white pearl that had given him the boat, and the blue pearl that had given him strength to row it. he believed that the pink pearl would protect him from any danger that might arise; so his anxiety was not for himself, but for his companions. king rinkitink and the goat had no magic to protect them, so inga resolved to do all in his power to keep them from harm. for three days and three nights the boat with the silver lining sped swiftly over the ocean. on the morning of the fourth day, so quickly had they traveled, inga saw before him the shores of the two great islands of regos and coregos. "the pearls have guided me aright!" he whispered to himself. "now, if i am wise, and cautious, and brave, i believe i shall be able to rescue my father and mother and my people." chapter seven the twin islands the island of regos was ten miles wide and forty miles long and it was ruled by a big and powerful king named gos. near to the shores were green and fertile fields, but farther back from the sea were rugged hills and mountains, so rocky that nothing would grow there. but in these mountains were mines of gold and silver, which the slaves of the king were forced to work, being confined in dark underground passages for that purpose. in the course of time huge caverns had been hollowed out by the slaves, in which they lived and slept, never seeing the light of day. cruel overseers with whips stood over these poor people, who had been captured in many countries by the raiding parties of king cos, and the overseers were quite willing to lash the slaves with their whips if they faltered a moment in their work. between the green shores and the mountains were forests of thick, tangled trees, between which narrow paths had been cut to lead up to the caves of the mines. it was on the level green meadows, not far from the ocean, that the great city of regos had been built, wherein was located the palace of the king. this city was inhabited by thousands of the fierce warriors of gos, who frequently took to their boats and spread over the sea to the neighboring islands to conquer and pillage, as they had done at pingaree. when they were not absent on one of these expeditions, the city of regos swarmed with them and so became a dangerous place for any peaceful person to live in, for the warriors were as lawless as their king. the island of coregos lay close beside the island of regos; so close, indeed, that one might have thrown a stone from one shore to another. but coregos was only half the size of regos and instead of being mountainous it was a rich and pleasant country, covered with fields of grain. the fields of coregos furnished food for the warriors and citizens of both countries, while the mines of regos made them all rich. coregos was ruled by queen cor, who was wedded to king gos; but so stern and cruel was the nature of this queen that the people could not decide which of their sovereigns they dreaded most. queen cor lived in her own city of coregos, which lay on that side of her island facing regos, and her slaves, who were mostly women, were made to plow the land and to plant and harvest the grain. from regos to coregos stretched a bridge of boats, set close together, with planks laid across their edges for people to walk upon. in this way it was easy to pass from one island to the other and in times of danger the bridge could be quickly removed. the native inhabitants of regos and coregos consisted of the warriors, who did nothing but fight and ravage, and the trembling servants who waited on them. king gos and queen cor were at war with all the rest of the world. other islanders hated and feared them, for their slaves were badly treated and absolutely no mercy was shown to the weak or ill. when the boats that had gone to pingaree returned loaded with rich plunder and a host of captives, there was much rejoicing in regos and coregos and the king and queen gave a fine feast to the warriors who had accomplished so great a conquest. this feast was set for the warriors in the grounds of king gos's palace, while with them in the great throne room all the captains and leaders of the fighting men were assembled with king gos and queen cor, who had come from her island to attend the ceremony. then all the goods that had been stolen from the king of pingaree were divided according to rank, the king and queen taking half, the captains a quarter, and the rest being divided amongst the warriors. the day following the feast king gos sent king kitticut and all the men of pingaree to work in his mines under the mountains, having first chained them together so they could not escape. the gentle queen of pingaree and all her women, together with the captured children, were given to queen cor, who set them to work in her grain fields. then the rulers and warriors of these dreadful islands thought they had done forever with pingaree. despoiled of all its wealth, its houses torn down, its boats captured and all its people enslaved, what likelihood was there that they might ever again hear of the desolated island? so the people of regos and coregos were surprised and puzzled when one morning they observed approaching their shores from the direction of the south a black boat containing a boy, a fat man and a goat. the warriors asked one another who these could be, and where they had come from? no one ever came to those islands of their own accord, that was certain. prince inga guided his boat to the south end of the island of regos, which was the landing place nearest to the city, and when the warriors saw this action they went down to the shore to meet him, being led by a big captain named buzzub. "those people surely mean us no good," said rinkitink uneasily to the boy. "without doubt they intend to capture us and make us their slaves." "do not fear, sir," answered inga, in a calm voice. "stay quietly in the boat with bilbil until i have spoken with these men." he stopped the boat a dozen feet from the shore, and standing up in his place made a grave bow to the multitude confronting him. said the big captain buzzub in a gruff voice: "well, little one, who may you be? and how dare you come, uninvited and all alone, to the island of regos?" "i am inga, prince of pingaree," returned the boy, "and i have come here to free my parents and my people, whom you have wrongfully enslaved." when they heard this bold speech a mighty laugh arose from the band of warriors, and when it had subsided the captain said: "you love to jest, my baby prince, and the joke is fairly good. but why did you willingly thrust your head into the lion's mouth? when you were free, why did you not stay free? we did not know we had left a single person in pingaree! but since you managed to escape us then, it is really kind of you to come here of your own free will, to be our slave. who is the funny fat person with you?" "it is his majesty, king rinkitink, of the great city of gilgad. he has accompanied me to see that you render full restitution for all you have stolen from pingaree." "better yet!" laughed buzzub. "he will make a fine slave for queen cor, who loves to tickle fat men, and see them jump." king rinkitink was filled with horror when he heard this, but the prince answered as boldly as before, saying: "we are not to be frightened by bluster, believe me; nor are we so weak as you imagine. we have magic powers so great and terrible that no host of warriors can possibly withstand us, and therefore i call upon you to surrender your city and your island to us, before we crush you with our mighty powers." the boy spoke very gravely and earnestly, but his words only aroused another shout of laughter. so while the men of regos were laughing inga drove the boat we'll up onto the sandy beach and leaped out. he also helped rinkitink out, and when the goat had unaided sprung to the sands, the king got upon bilbil's back, trembling a little internally, but striving to look as brave as possible. there was a bunch of coarse hair between the goat's ears, and this inga clutched firmly in his left hand. the boy knew the pink pearl would protect not only himself, but all whom he touched, from any harm, and as rinkitink was astride the goat and inga had his hand upon the animal, the three could not be injured by anything the warriors could do. but captain buzzub did not know this, and the little group of three seemed so weak and ridiculous that he believed their capture would be easy. so he turned to his men and with a wave of his hand said: "seize the intruders!" instantly two or three of the warriors stepped forward to obey, but to their amazement they could not reach any of the three; their hands were arrested as if by an invisible wall of iron. without paying any attention to these attempts at capture, inga advanced slowly and the goat kept pace with him. and when rinkitink saw that he was safe from harm he gave one of his big, merry laughs, and it startled the warriors and made them nervous. captain buzzub's eyes grew big with surprise as the three steadily advanced and forced his men backward; nor was he free from terror himself at the magic that protected these strange visitors. as for the warriors, they presently became terror-stricken and fled in a panic up the slope toward the city, and buzzub was obliged to chase after them and shout threats of punishment before he could halt them and form them into a line of battle. all the men of regos bore spears and bows-and-arrows, and some of the officers had swords and battle-axes; so buzzub ordered them to stand their ground and shoot and slay the strangers as they approached. this they tried to do. inga being in advance, the warriors sent a flight of sharp arrows straight at the boy's breast, while others cast their long spears at him. it seemed to rinkitink that the little prince must surely perish as he stood facing this hail of murderous missiles; but the power of the pink pearl did not desert him, and when the arrows and spears had reached to within an inch of his body they bounded back again and fell harmlessly at his feet. nor were rinkitink or bilbil injured in the least, although they stood close beside inga. buzzub stood for a moment looking upon the boy in silent wonder. then, recovering himself, he shouted in a loud voice: "once again! all together, my men. no one shall ever defy our might and live!" again a flight of arrows and spears sped toward the three, and since many more of the warriors of regos had by this time joined their fellows, the air was for a moment darkened by the deadly shafts. but again all fell harmless before the power of the pink pearl, and bilbil, who had been growing very angry at the attempts to injure him and his party, suddenly made a bolt forward, casting off inga's hold, and butted into the line of warriors, who were standing amazed at their failure to conquer. taken by surprise at the goat's attack, a dozen big warriors tumbled in a heap, yelling with fear, and their comrades, not knowing what had happened but imagining that their foes were attacking them, turned about and ran to the city as hard as they could go. bilbil, still angry, had just time to catch the big captain as he turned to follow his men, and buzzub first sprawled headlong upon the ground, then rolled over two or three times, and finally jumped up and ran yelling after his defeated warriors. this butting on the part of the goat was very hard upon king rinkitink, who nearly fell off bilbil's back at the shock of encounter; but the little fat king wound his arms around the goat's neck and shut his eyes and clung on with all his might. it was not until he heard inga say triumphantly, "we have won the fight without striking a blow!" that rinkitink dared open his eyes again. then he saw the warriors rushing into the city of regos and barring the heavy gates, and he was very much relieved at the sight. "without striking a blow!" said bilbil indignantly. "that is not quite true, prince inga. you did not fight, i admit, but i struck a couple of times to good purpose, and i claim to have conquered the cowardly warriors unaided." "you and i together, bilbil," said rinkitink mildly. "but the next time you make a charge, please warn me in time, so that i may dismount and give you all the credit for the attack." there being no one now to oppose their advance, the three walked to the gates of the city, which had been closed against them. the gates were of iron and heavily barred, and upon the top of the high walls of the city a host of the warriors now appeared armed with arrows and spears and other weapons. for buzzub had gone straight to the palace of king cos and reported his defeat, relating the powerful magic of the boy, the fat king and the goat, and had asked what to do next. the big captain still trembled with fear, but king gos did not believe in magic, and called buzzub a coward and a weakling. at once the king took command of his men personally, and he ordered the walls manned with warriors and instructed them to shoot to kill if any of the three strangers approached the gates. of course, neither rinkitink nor bilbil knew how they had been protected from harm and so at first they were inclined to resent the boy's command that the three must always keep together and touch one another at all times. but when inga explained that his magic would not otherwise save them from injury, they agreed to obey, for they had now seen enough to convince them that the prince was really protected by some invisible power. as they came before the gates another shower of arrows and spears descended upon them, and as before not a single missile touched their bodies. king gos, who was upon the wall, was greatly amazed and somewhat worried, but he depended upon the strength of his gates and commanded his men to continue shooting until all their weapons were gone. inga let them shoot as much as they wished, while he stood before the great gates and examined them carefully. "perhaps bilbil can batter down the gates, suggested rinkitink. "no," replied the goat; "my head is hard, but not harder than iron." "then," returned the king, "let us stay outside; especially as we can't get in." but inga was not at all sure they could not get in. the gates opened inward, and three heavy bars were held in place by means of stout staples riveted to the sheets of steel. the boy had been told that the power of the blue pearl would enable him to accomplish any feat of strength, and he believed that this was true. the warriors, under the direction of king gos, continued to hurl arrows and darts and spears and axes and huge stones upon the invaders, all without avail. the ground below was thickly covered with weapons, yet not one of the three before the gates had been injured in the slightest manner. when everything had been cast that was available and not a single weapon of any sort remained at hand, the amazed warriors saw the boy put his shoulder against the gates and burst asunder the huge staples that held the bars in place. a thousand of their men could not have accomplished this feat, yet the small, slight boy did it with seeming ease. the gates burst open, and inga advanced into the city street and called upon king gos to surrender. but gos was now as badly frightened as were his warriors. he and his men were accustomed to war and pillage and they had carried terror into many countries, but here was a small boy, a fat man and a goat who could not be injured by all his skill in warfare, his numerous army and thousands of death-dealing weapons. moreover, they not only defied king gos's entire army but they had broken in the huge gates of the city--as easily as if they had been made of paper--and such an exhibition of enormous strength made the wicked king fear for his life. like all bullies and marauders, gos was a coward at heart, and now a panic seized him and he turned and fled before the calm advance of prince inga of pingaree. the warriors were like their master, and having thrown all their weapons over the wall and being helpless to oppose the strangers, they all swarmed after gos, who abandoned his city and crossed the bridge of boats to the island of coregos. there was a desperate struggle among these cowardly warriors to get over the bridge, and many were pushed into the water and obliged to swim; but finally every fighting man of regos had gained the shore of coregos and then they tore away the bridge of boats and drew them up on their own side, hoping the stretch of open water would prevent the magic invaders from following them. the humble citizens and serving people of regos, who had been terrified and abused by the rough warriors all their lives, were not only greatly astonished by this sudden conquest of their masters but greatly delighted. as the king and his army fled to coregos, the people embraced one another and danced for very joy, and then they turned to see what the conquerors of regos were like. chapter eight rinkitink makes a great mistake the fat king rode his goat through the streets of the conquered city and the boy prince walked proudly beside him, while all the people bent their heads humbly to their new masters, whom they were prepared to serve in the same manner they had king gos. not a warrior remained in all regos to oppose the triumphant three; the bridge of boats had been destroyed; inga and his companions were free from danger--for a time, at least. the jolly little king appreciated this fact and rejoiced that he had escaped all injury during the battle. how it had all happened he could not tell, nor even guess, but he was content in being safe and free to take possession of the enemy's city. so, as they passed through the lines of respectful civilians on their way to the palace, the king tipped his crown back on his bald head and folded his arms and sang in his best voice the following lines: "oh, here comes the army of king rinkitink! it isn't a big one, perhaps you may think, but it scattered the warriors quicker than wink-- rink-i-tink, tink-i-tink, tink! our bilbil's a hero and so is his king; our foemen have vanished like birds on the wing; i guess that as fighters we're quite the real thing-- rink-i-tink, tink-i-tink, tink!" "why don't you give a little credit to inga?" inquired the goat. "if i remember aright, he did a little of the conquering himself." "so he did," responded the king, "and that's the reason i'm sounding our own praise, bilbil. those who do the least, often shout the loudest and so get the most glory. inga did so much that there is danger of his becoming more important than we are, and so we'd best say nothing about him." when they reached the palace, which was an immense building, furnished throughout in regal splendor, inga took formal possession and ordered the majordomo to show them the finest rooms the building contained. there were many pleasant apartments, but rinkitink proposed to inga that they share one of the largest bedrooms together. "for," said he, "we are not sure that old gos will not return and try to recapture his city, and you must remember that i have no magic to protect me. in any danger, were i alone, i might be easily killed or captured, while if you are by my side you can save me from injury." the boy realized the wisdom of this plan, and selected a fine big bedroom on the second floor of the palace, in which he ordered two golden beds placed and prepared for king rinkitink and himself. bilbil was given a suite of rooms on the other side of the palace, where servants brought the goat fresh-cut grass to eat and made him a soft bed to lie upon. that evening the boy prince and the fat king dined in great state in the lofty-domed dining hall of the palace, where forty servants waited upon them. the royal chef, anxious to win the favor of the conquerors of regos, prepared his finest and most savory dishes for them, which rinkitink ate with much appetite and found so delicious that he ordered the royal chef brought into the banquet hall and presented him with a gilt button which the king cut from his own jacket. "you are welcome to it," said he to the chef, "because i have eaten so much that i cannot use that lower button at all." rinkitink was mightily pleased to live in a comfortable palace again and to dine at a well spread table. his joy grew every moment, so that he came in time to be as merry and cheery as before pingaree was despoiled. and, although he had been much frightened during inga's defiance of the army of king gos, he now began to turn the matter into a joke. "why, my boy," said he, "you whipped the big black-bearded king exactly as if he were a schoolboy, even though you used no warlike weapon at all upon him. he was cowed through fear of your magic, and that reminds me to demand from you an explanation. how did you do it, inga? and where did the wonderful magic come from?" perhaps it would have been wise for the prince to have explained about the magic pearls, but at that moment he was not inclined to do so. instead, he replied: "be patient, your majesty. the secret is not my own, so please do not ask me to divulge it. is it not enough, for the present, that the magic saved you from death to-day?" "do not think me ungrateful," answered the king earnestly. "a million spears fell on me from the wall, and several stones as big as mountains, yet none of them hurt me!" "the stones were not as big as mountains, sire," said the prince with a smile. "they were, indeed, no larger than your head." "are you sure about that?" asked rinkitink. "quite sure, your majesty." "how deceptive those things are!" sighed the king. "this argument reminds me of the story of tom tick, which my father used to tell." "i have never heard that story," inga answered. "well, as he told it, it ran like this: "when tom walked out, the sky to spy, a naughty gnat flew in his eye; but tom knew not it was a gnat-- he thought, at first, it was a cat. "and then, it felt so very big, he thought it surely was a pig till, standing still to hear it grunt, he cried: 'why, it's an elephunt!' "but--when the gnat flew out again and tom was free from all his pain, he said: 'there flew into my eye a leetle, teenty-tiny fly.'" "indeed," said inga, laughing, "the gnat was much like your stones that seemed as big as mountains." after their dinner they inspected the palace, which was filled with valuable goods stolen by king gos from many nations. but the day's events had tired them and they retired early to their big sleeping apartment. "in the morning," said the boy to rinkitink, as he was undressing for bed, "i shall begin the search for my father and mother and the people of pingaree. and, when they are found and rescued, we will all go home again, and be as happy as we were before." they carefully bolted the door of their room, that no one might enter, and then got into their beds, where rinkitink fell asleep in an instant. the boy lay awake for a while thinking over the day's adventures, but presently he fell sound asleep also, and so weary was he that nothing disturbed his slumber until he awakened next morning with a ray of sunshine in his eyes, which had crept into the room through the open window by king rinkitink's bed. resolving to begin the search for his parents without any unnecessary delay, inga at once got out of bed and began to dress himself, while rinkitink, in the other bed, was still sleeping peacefully. but when the boy had put on both his stockings and began looking for his shoes, he could find but one of them. the left shoe, that containing the pink pearl, was missing. filled with anxiety at this discovery, inga searched through the entire room, looking underneath the beds and divans and chairs and behind the draperies and in the corners and every other possible place a shoe might be. he tried the door, and found it still bolted; so, with growing uneasiness, the boy was forced to admit that the precious shoe was not in the room. with a throbbing heart he aroused his companion. "king rinkitink," said he, "do you know what has become of my left shoe?" "your shoe!" exclaimed the king, giving a wide yawn and rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them. "have you lost a shoe?" "yes," said inga. "i have searched everywhere in the room, and cannot find it." "but why bother me about such a small thing?" inquired rinkitink. "a shoe is only a shoe, and you can easily get another one. but, stay! perhaps it was your shoe which i threw at the cat last night." "the cat!" cried inga. "what do you mean?" "why, in the night," explained rinkitink, sitting up and beginning to dress himself, "i was wakened by the mewing of a cat that sat upon a wall of the palace, just outside my window. as the noise disturbed me, i reached out in the dark and caught up something and threw it at the cat, to frighten the creature away. i did not know what it was that i threw, and i was too sleepy to care; but probably it was your shoe, since it is now missing." "then," said the boy, in a despairing tone of voice, "your carelessness has ruined me, as well as yourself, king rinkitink, for in that shoe was concealed the magic power which protected us from danger." the king's face became very serious when he heard this and he uttered a low whistle of surprise and regret. "why on earth did you not warn me of this?" he demanded. "and why did you keep such a precious power in an old shoe? and why didn't you put the shoe under a pillow? you were very wrong, my lad, in not confiding to me, your faithful friend, the secret, for in that case the shoe would not now be lost." to all this inga had no answer. he sat on the side of his bed, with hanging head, utterly disconsolate, and seeing this, rinkitink had pity for his sorrow. "come!" cried the king; "let us go out at once and look for the shoe which i threw at the cat. it must even now be lying in the yard of the palace." this suggestion roused the boy to action. he at once threw open the door and in his stocking feet rushed down the staircase, closely followed by rinkitink. but although they looked on both sides of the palace wall and in every possible crack and corner where a shoe might lodge, they failed to find it. after a half hour's careful search the boy said sorrowfully: "someone must have passed by, as we slept, and taken the precious shoe, not knowing its value. to us, king rinkitink, this will be a dreadful misfortune, for we are surrounded by dangers from which we have now no protection. luckily i have the other shoe left, within which is the magic power that gives me strength; so all is not lost." then he told rinkitink, in a few words, the secret of the wonderful pearls, and how he had recovered them from the ruins and hidden them in his shoes, and how they had enabled him to drive king gos and his men from regos and to capture the city. the king was much astonished, and when the story was concluded he said to inga: "what did you do with the other shoe?" "why, i left it in our bedroom," replied the boy. "then i advise you to get it at once," continued rinkitink, "for we can ill afford to lose the second shoe, as well as the one i threw at the cat." "you are right!" cried inga, and they hastened back to their bedchamber. on entering the room they found an old woman sweeping and raising a great deal of dust. "where is my shoe?" asked the prince, anxiously. the old woman stopped sweeping and looked at him in a stupid way, for she was not very intelligent. "do you mean the one odd shoe that was lying on the floor when i came in?" she finally asked. "yes--yes!" answered the boy. "where is it? tell me where it is!" "why, i threw it on the dust-heap, outside the back gate," said she, "for, it being but a single shoe, with no mate, it can be of no use to anyone." "show us the way to the dust-heap--at once!" commanded the boy, sternly, for he was greatly frightened by this new misfortune which threatened him. the old woman hobbled away and they followed her, constantly urging her to hasten; but when they reached the dust-heap no shoe was to be seen. "this is terrible!" wailed the young prince, ready to weep at his loss. "we are now absolutely ruined, and at the mercy of our enemies. nor shall i be able to liberate my dear father and mother." "well," replied rinkitink, leaning against an old barrel and looking quite solemn, "the thing is certainly unlucky, any way we look at it. i suppose someone has passed along here and, seeing the shoe upon the dust-heap, has carried it away. but no one could know the magic power the shoe contains and so will not use it against us. i believe, inga, we must now depend upon our wits to get us out of the scrape we are in." with saddened hearts they returned to the palace, and entering a small room where no one could observe them or overhear them, the boy took the white pearl from its silken bag and held it to his ear, asking: "what shall i do now?" "tell no one of your loss," answered the voice of the pearl. "if your enemies do not know that you are powerless, they will fear you as much as ever. keep your secret, be patient, and fear not!" inga heeded this advice and also warned rinkitink to say nothing to anyone of the loss of the shoes and the powers they contained. he sent for the shoemaker of king gos, who soon brought him a new pair of red leather shoes that fitted him quite well. when these had been put upon his feet, the prince, accompanied by the king, started to walk through the city. wherever they went the people bowed low to the conqueror, although a few, remembering inga's terrible strength, ran away in fear and trembling. they had been used to severe masters and did not yet know how they would be treated by king gos's successor. there being no occasion for the boy to exercise the powers he had displayed the previous day, his present helplessness was not suspected by any of the citizens of regos, who still considered him a wonderful magician. inga did not dare to fight his way to the mines, at present, nor could he try to conquer the island of coregos, where his mother was enslaved; so he set about the regulation of the city of regos, and having established himself with great state in the royal palace he began to govern the people by kindness, having consideration for the most humble. the king of regos and his followers sent spies across to the island they had abandoned in their flight, and these spies returned with the news that the terrible boy conqueror was still occupying the city. therefore none of them ventured to go back to regos but continued to live upon the neighboring island of coregos, where they passed the days in fear and trembling and sought to plot and plan ways how they might overcome the prince of pingaree and the fat king of gilgad. chapter nine a present for zella now it so happened that on the morning of that same day when the prince of pingaree suffered the loss of his priceless shoes, there chanced to pass along the road that wound beside the royal palace a poor charcoal-burner named nikobob, who was about to return to his home in the forest. nikobob carried an ax and a bundle of torches over his shoulder and he walked with his eyes to the ground, being deep in thought as to the strange manner in which the powerful king gos and his city had been conquered by a boy prince who had come from pingaree. suddenly the charcoal-burner espied a shoe lying upon the ground, just beyond the high wall of the palace and directly in his path. he picked it up and, seeing it was a pretty shoe, although much too small for his own foot, he put it in his pocket. soon after, on turning a corner of the wall, nikobob came to a dust-heap where, lying amidst a mass of rubbish, was another shoe--the mate to the one he had before found. this also he placed in his pocket, saying to himself: "i have now a fine pair of shoes for my daughter zella, who will be much pleased to find i have brought her a present from the city." and while the charcoal-burner turned into the forest and trudged along the path toward his home, inga and rinkitink were still searching for the missing shoes. of course, they could not know that nikobob had found them, nor did the honest man think he had taken anything more than a pair of cast-off shoes which nobody wanted. nikobob had several miles to travel through the forest before he could reach the little log cabin where his wife, as well as his little daughter zella, awaited his return, but he was used to long walks and tramped along the path whistling cheerfully to beguile the time. few people, as i said before, ever passed through the dark and tangled forests of regos, except to go to the mines in the mountain beyond, for many dangerous creatures lurked in the wild jungles, and king gos never knew, when he sent a messenger to the mines, whether he would reach there safely or not. the charcoal-burner, however, knew the wild forest well, and especially this part of it lying between the city and his home. it was the favorite haunt of the ferocious beast choggenmugger, dreaded by every dweller in the island of regos. choggenmugger was so old that everyone thought it must have been there since the world was made, and each year of its life the huge scales that covered its body grew thicker and harder and its jaws grew wider and its teeth grew sharper and its appetite grew more keen than ever. in former ages there had been many dragons in regos, but choggenmugger was so fond of dragons that he had eaten all of them long ago. there had also been great serpents and crocodiles in the forest marshes, but all had gone to feed the hunger of choggenmugger. the people of regos knew well there was no use opposing the great beast, so when one unfortunately met with it he gave himself up for lost. all this nikobob knew well, but fortune had always favored him in his journey through the forest, and although he had at times met many savage beasts and fought them with his sharp ax, he had never to this day encountered the terrible choggenmugger. indeed, he was not thinking of the great beast at all as he walked along, but suddenly he heard a crashing of broken trees and felt a trembling of the earth and saw the immense jaws of choggenmugger opening before him. then nikobob gave himself up for lost and his heart almost ceased to beat. he believed there was no way of escape. no one ever dared oppose choggenmugger. but nikobob hated to die without showing the monster, in some way, that he was eaten only under protest. so he raised his ax and brought it down upon the red, protruding tongue of the monster--and cut it clean off! for a moment the charcoal-burner scarcely believed what his eyes saw, for he knew nothing of the pearls he carried in his pocket or the magic power they lent his arm. his success, however, encouraged him to strike again, and this time the huge scaly jaw of choggenmugger was severed in twain and the beast howled in terrified rage. nikobob took off his coat, to give himself more freedom of action, and then he earnestly renewed the attack. but now the ax seemed blunted by the hard scales and made no impression upon them whatever. the creature advanced with glaring, wicked eyes, and nikobob seized his coat under his arm and turned to flee. that was foolish, for choggenmugger could run like the wind. in a moment it overtook the charcoal-burner and snapped its four rows of sharp teeth together. but they did not touch nikobob, because he still held the coat in his grasp, close to his body, and in the coat pocket were inga's shoes, and in the points of the shoes were the magic pearls. finding himself uninjured, nikobob put on his coat, again seized his ax, and in a short time had chopped choggenmugger into many small pieces--a task that proved not only easy but very agreeable. "i must be the strongest man in all the world!" thought the charcoal-burner, as he proudly resumed his way, "for choggenmugger has been the terror of regos since the world began, and i alone have been able to destroy the beast. yet it is singular' that never before did i discover how powerful a man i am." he met no further adventure and at midday reached a little clearing in the forest where stood his humble cabin. "great news! i have great news for you," he shouted, as his wife and little daughter came to greet him. "king gos has been conquered by a boy prince from the far island of pingaree, and i have this day--unaided--destroyed choggenmugger by the might of my strong arm." this was, indeed, great news. they brought nikobob into the house and set him in an easy chair and made him tell everything he knew about the prince of pingaree and the fat king of gilgad, as well as the details of his wonderful fight with mighty choggenmugger. "and now, my daughter," said the charcoalburner, when all his news had been related for at least the third time, "here is a pretty present i have brought you from the city." with this he drew the shoes from the pocket of his coat and handed them to zella, who gave him a dozen kisses in payment and was much pleased with her gift. the little girl had never worn shoes before, for her parents were too poor to buy her such luxuries, so now the possession of these, which were not much worn, filled the child's heart with joy. she admired the red leather and the graceful curl of the pointed toes. when she tried them on her feet, they fitted as well as if made for her. all the afternoon, as she helped her mother with the housework, zella thought of her pretty shoes. they seemed more important to her than the coming to regos of the conquering prince of pingaree, or even the death of choggenmugger. when zella and her mother were not working in the cabin, cooking or sewing, they often searched the neighboring forest for honey which the wild bees cleverly hid in hollow trees. the day after nikobob's return, as they were starting out after honey, zella decided to put on her new shoes, as they would keep the twigs that covered the ground from hurting her feet. she was used to the twigs, of course, but what is the use of having nice, comfortable shoes, if you do not wear them? so she danced along, very happily, followed by her mother, and presently they came to a tree in which was a deep hollow. zella thrust her hand and arm into the space and found that the tree was full of honey, so she began to dig it out with a wooden paddle. her mother, who held the pail, suddenly cried in warning: "look out, zella; the bees are coming!" and then the good woman ran fast toward the house to escape. zella, however, had no more than time to turn her head when a thick swarm of bees surrounded her, angry because they had caught her stealing their honey and intent on stinging the girl as a punishment. she knew her danger and expected to be badly injured by the multitude of stinging bees, but to her surprise the little creatures were unable to fly close enough to her to stick their dart-like stingers into her flesh. they swarmed about her in a dark cloud, and their angry buzzing was terrible to hear, yet the little girl remained unharmed. when she realized this, zella was no longer afraid but continued to ladle out the honey until she had secured all that was in the tree. then she returned to the cabin, where her mother was weeping and bemoaning the fate of her darling child, and the good woman was greatly astonished to find zella had escaped injury. again they went to the woods to search for honey, and although the mother always ran away whenever the bees came near them, zella paid no attention to the creatures but kept at her work, so that before supper time came the pails were again filled to overflowing with delicious honey. "with such good fortune as we have had this day," said her mother, "we shall soon gather enough honey for you to carry to queen cor." for it seems the wicked queen was very fond of honey and it had been zella's custom to go, once every year, to the city of coregos, to carry the queen a supply of sweet honey for her table. usually she had but one pail. "but now," said zella, "i shall be able to carry two pailsful to the queen, who will, i am sure, give me a good price for it." "true," answered her mother, "and, as the boy prince may take it into his head to conquer coregos, as well as regos, i think it best for you to start on your journey to queen cor tomorrow morning. do you not agree with me, nikobob?" she added, turning to her husband, the charcoal-burner, who was eating his supper. "i agree with you," he replied. "if zella must go to the city of coregos, she may as well start to-morrow morning." chapter ten the cunning of queen cor you may be sure the queen of coregos was not well pleased to have king gos and all his warriors living in her city after they had fled from their own. they were savage natured and quarrelsome men at all times, and their tempers had not improved since their conquest by the prince of pingaree. moreover, they were eating up queen cor's provisions and crowding the houses of her own people, who grumbled and complained until their queen was heartily tired. "shame on you!" she said to her husband, king gos, "to be driven out of your city by a boy, a roly-poly king and a billy goat! why do you not go back and fight them?" "no human can fight against the powers of magic," returned the king in a surly voice. "that boy is either a fairy or under the protection of fairies. we escaped with our lives only because we were quick to run away; but, should we return to regos, the same terrible power that burst open the city gates would crush us all to atoms." "bah! you are a coward," cried the queen, tauntingly. "i am not a coward," said the big king. "i have killed in battle scores of my enemies; by the might of my sword and my good right arm i have conquered many nations; all my life people have feared me. but no one would dare face the tremendous power of the prince of pingaree, boy though he is. it would not be courage, it would be folly, to attempt it." "then meet his power with cunning," suggested the queen. "take my advice, and steal over to regos at night, when it is dark, and capture or destroy the boy while he sleeps." "no weapon can touch his body," was the answer. "he bears a charmed life and cannot be injured." "does the fat king possess magic powers, or the goat?" inquired cor. "i think not," said gos. "we could not injure them, indeed, any more than we could the boy, but they did not seem to have any unusual strength, although the goat's head is harder than a battering-ram." "well," mused the queen, "there is surely some way to conquer that slight boy. if you are afraid to undertake the job, i shall go myself. by some stratagem i shall manage to make him my prisoner. he will not dare to defy a queen, and no magic can stand against a woman's cunning." "go ahead, if you like," replied the king, with an evil grin, "and if you are hung up by the thumbs or cast into a dungeon, it will serve you right for thinking you can succeed where a skilled warrior dares not make the attempt." "i'm not afraid," answered the queen. "it is only soldiers and bullies who are cowards." in spite of this assertion, queen cor was not so brave as she was cunning. for several days she thought over this plan and that, and tried to decide which was most likely to succeed. she had never seen the boy prince but had heard so many tales of him from the defeated warriors, and especially from captain buzzub, that she had learned to respect his power. spurred on by the knowledge that she would never get rid of her unwelcome guests until prince inga was overcome and regos regained for king gos, the queen of coregos finally decided to trust to luck and her native wit to defeat a simple-minded boy, however powerful he might be. inga could not suspect what she was going to do, because she did not know herself. she intended to act boldly and trust to chance to win. it is evident that had the cunning queen known that inga had lost all his magic, she would not have devoted so much time to the simple matter of capturing him, but like all others she was impressed by the marvelous exhibition of power he had shown in capturing regos, and had no reason to believe the boy was less powerful now. one morning queen cor boldly entered a boat, and, taking four men with her as an escort and bodyguard, was rowed across the narrow channel to regos. prince inga was sitting in the palace playing checkers with king rinkitink when a servant came to him, saying that queen cor had arrived and desired an audience with him. with many misgivings lest the wicked queen discover that he had now lost his magic powers, the boy ordered her to be admitted, and she soon entered the room and bowed low before him, in mock respect. cor was a big woman, almost as tall as king gos. she had flashing black eyes and the dark complexion you see on gypsies. her temper, when irritated, was something dreadful, and her face wore an evil expression which she tried to cover by smiling sweetly--often when she meant the most mischief. "i have come," said she in a low voice, "to render homage to the noble prince of pingaree. i am told that your highness is the strongest person in the world, and invincible in battle, and therefore i wish you to become my friend, rather than my enemy." now inga did not know how to reply to this speech. he disliked the appearance of the woman and was afraid of her and he was unused to deception and did not know how to mask his real feelings. so he took time to think over his answer, which he finally made in these words: "i have no quarrel with your majesty, and my only reason for coming here is to liberate my father and mother, and my people, whom you and your husband have made your slaves, and to recover the goods king gos has plundered from the island of pingaree. this i hope soon to accomplish, and if you really wish to be my friend, you can assist me greatly." while he was speaking queen cor had been studying the boy's face stealthily, from the corners of her eyes, and she said to herself: "he is so small and innocent that i believe i can capture him alone, and with ease. he does not seem very terrible and i suspect that king gos and his warriors were frightened at nothing." then, aloud, she said to inga: "i wish to invite you, mighty prince, and your friend, the great king of gilgad, to visit my poor palace at coregos, where all my people shall do you honor. will you come?" "at present," replied inga, uneasily, "i must refuse your kind invitation." "there will be feasting, and dancing girls, and games and fireworks," said the queen, speaking as if eager to entice him and at each word coming a step nearer to where he stood. "i could not enjoy them while my poor parents are slaves," said the boy, sadly. "are you sure of that?" asked queen cor, and by that time she was close beside inga. suddenly she leaned forward and threw both of her long arms around inga's body, holding him in a grasp that was like a vise. now rinkitink sprang forward to rescue his friend, but cor kicked out viciously with her foot and struck the king squarely on his stomach--a very tender place to be kicked, especially if one is fat. then, still hugging inga tightly, the queen called aloud: "i've got him! bring in the ropes." instantly the four men she had brought with her sprang into the room and bound the boy hand and foot. next they seized rinkitink, who was still rubbing his stomach, and bound him likewise. with a laugh of wicked triumph, queen cor now led her captives down to the boat and returned with them to coregos. great was the astonishment of king gos and his warriors when they saw that the mighty prince of pingaree, who had put them all to flight, had been captured by a woman. cowards as they were, they now crowded around the boy and jeered at him, and some of them would have struck him had not the queen cried out: "hands off! he is my prisoner, remember not yours." "well, cor, what are you going to do with him?" inquired king gos. "i shall make him my slave, that he may amuse my idle hours. for he is a pretty boy, and gentle, although he did frighten all of you big warriors so terribly." the king scowled at this speech, not liking to be ridiculed, but he said nothing more. he and his men returned that same day to regos, after restoring the bridge of boats. and they held a wild carnival of rejoicing, both in the king's palace and in the city, although the poor people of regos who were not warriors were all sorry that the kind young prince had been captured by his enemies and could rule them no longer. when her unwelcome guests had all gone back to regos and the queen was alone in her palace, she ordered inga and rinkitink brought before her and their bonds removed. they came sadly enough, knowing they were in serious straits and at the mercy of a cruel mistress. inga had taken counsel of the white pearl, which had advised him to bear up bravely under his misfortune, promising a change for the better very soon. with this promise to comfort him, inga faced the queen with a dignified bearing that indicated both pride and courage. "well, youngster," said she, in a cheerful tone because she was pleased with her success, "you played a clever trick on my poor husband and frightened him badly, but for that prank i am inclined to forgive you. hereafter i intend you to be my page, which means that you must fetch and carry for me at my will. and let me advise you to obey my every whim without question or delay, for when i am angry i become ugly, and when i am ugly someone is sure to feel the lash. do you understand me?" inga bowed, but made no answer. then she turned to rinkitink and said: "as for you, i cannot decide how to make you useful to me, as you are altogether too fat and awkward to work in the fields. it may be, however, that i can use you as a pincushion. "what!" cried rinkitink in horror, "would you stick pins into the king of gilgad?" "why not?" returned queen cor. "you are as fat as a pincushion, as you must yourself admit, and whenever i needed a pin i could call you to me." then she laughed at his frightened look and asked: "by the way, are you ticklish?" this was the question rinkitink had been dreading. he gave a moan of despair and shook his head. "i should love to tickle the bottom of your feet with a feather," continued the cruel woman. "please take off your shoes." "oh, your majesty!" pleaded poor rinkitink, "i beg you to allow me to amuse you in some other way. i can dance, or i can sing you a song." "well," she answered, shaking with laughter, "you may sing a song--if it be a merry one. but you do not seem in a merry mood." "i feel merry--indeed, your majesty, i do!" protested rinkitink, anxious to escape the tickling. but even as he professed to "feel merry" his round, red face wore an expression of horror and anxiety that was really comical. "sing, then!" commanded queen cor, who was greatly amused. rinkitink gave a sigh of relief and after clearing his throat and trying to repress his sobs he began to sing this song-gently, at first, but finally roaring it out at the top of his voice: "oh! there was a baby tiger lived in a men-ag-er-ie-- fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--they wouldn't set him free; and ev'rybody thought that he was gentle as could be-- fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--ba-by ti-ger! "oh! they patted him upon his head and shook him by the paw-- fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--he had a bone to gnaw; but soon he grew the biggest tiger that you ever saw-- fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy--what a ti-ger! "oh! one day they came to pet the brute and he began to fight-- fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy-how he did scratch and bite! he broke the cage and in a rage he darted out of sight-- fizzy-fezzy-fuzzy was a ti-ger!" "and is there a moral to the song?" asked queen cor, when king rinkitink had finished his song with great spirit. "if there is," replied rinkitink, "it is a warning not to fool with tigers." the little prince could not help smiling at this shrewd answer, but queen cor frowned and gave the king a sharp look. "oh," said she; "i think i know the difference between a tiger and a lapdog. but i'll bear the warning in mind, just the same." for, after all her success in capturing them, she was a little afraid of these people who had once displayed such extraordinary powers. chapter eleven zella goes to coregos the forest in which nikobob lived with his wife and daughter stood between the mountains and the city of regos, and a well-beaten path wound among the trees, leading from the city to the mines. this path was used by the king's messengers, and captured prisoners were also sent by this way from regos to work in the underground caverns. nikobob had built his cabin more than a mile away from this path, that he might not be molested by the wild and lawless soldiers of king gos, but the family of the charcoal-burner was surrounded by many creatures scarcely less dangerous to encounter, and often in the night they could hear savage animals growling and prowling about the cabin. because nikobob minded his own business and never hunted the wild creatures to injure them, the beasts had come to regard him as one of the natural dwellers in the forest and did not molest him or his family. still zella and her mother seldom wandered far from home, except on such errands as carrying honey to coregos, and at these times nikobob cautioned them to be very careful. so when zella set out on her journey to queen cor, with the two pails of honey in her hands, she was undertaking a dangerous adventure and there was no certainty that she would return safely to her loving parents. but they were poor, and queen cor's money, which they expected to receive for the honey, would enable them to purchase many things that were needed; so it was deemed best that zella should go. she was a brave little girl and poor people are often obliged to take chances that rich ones are spared. a passing woodchopper had brought news to nikobob's cabin that queen cor had made a prisoner of the conquering prince of pingaree and that gos and his warriors were again back in their city of regos; but these struggles and conquests were matters which, however interesting, did not concern the poor charcoal-burner or his family. they were more anxious over the report that the warriors had become more reckless than ever before, and delighted in annoying all the common people; so zella was told to keep away from the beaten path as much as possible, that she might not encounter any of the king's soldiers. "when it is necessary to choose between the warriors and the wild beasts," said nikobob, "the beasts will be found the more merciful." the little girl had put on her best attire for the journey and her mother threw a blue silk shawl over her head and shoulders. upon her feet were the pretty red shoes her father had brought her from regos. thus prepared, she kissed her parents good-bye and started out with a light heart, carrying the pails of honey in either hand. it was necessary for zella to cross the path that led from the mines to the city, but once on the other side she was not likely to meet with anyone, for she had resolved to cut through the forest and so reach the bridge of boats without entering the city of regos, where she might be interrupted. for an hour or two she found the walking easy enough, but then the forest, which in this part was unknown to her, became badly tangled. the trees were thicker and creeping vines intertwined between them. she had to turn this way and that to get through at all, and finally she came to a place where a network of vines and branches effectually barred her farther progress. zella was dismayed, at first, when she encountered this obstacle, but setting down her pails she made an endeavor to push the branches aside. at her touch they parted as if by magic, breaking asunder like dried twigs, and she found she could pass freely. at another place a great log had fallen across her way, but the little girl lifted it easily and cast it aside, although six ordinary men could scarcely have moved it. the child was somewhat worried at this evidence of a strength she had heretofore been ignorant that she possessed. in order to satisfy herself that it was no delusion, she tested her new-found power in many ways, finding that nothing was too big nor too heavy for her to lift. and, naturally enough, the girl gained courage from these experiments and became confident that she could protect herself in any emergency. when, presently, a wild boar ran toward her, grunting horribly and threatening her with its great tusks, she did not climb a tree to escape, as she had always done before on meeting such creatures, but stood still and faced the boar. when it had come quite close and zella saw that it could not injure her--a fact that astonished both the beast and the girl--she suddenly reached down and seizing it by one ear threw the great beast far off amongst the trees, where it fell headlong to the earth, grunting louder than ever with surprise and fear. the girl laughed merrily at this incident and, picking up her pails, resumed her journey through the forest. it is not recorded whether the wild boar told his adventure to the other beasts or they had happened to witness his defeat, but certain it is that zella was not again molested. a brown bear watched her pass without making any movement in her direction and a great puma--a beast much dreaded by all men--crept out of her path as she approached, and disappeared among the trees. thus everything favored the girl's journey and she made such good speed that by noon she emerged from the forest's edge and found she was quite near to the bridge of boats that led to coregos. this she crossed safely and without meeting any of the rude warriors she so greatly feared, and five minutes later the daughter of the charcoal-burner was seeking admittance at the back door of queen cor's palace. chapter twelve the excitement of bilbil the goat our story must now return to one of our characters whom we have been forced to neglect. the temper of bilbil the goat was not sweet under any circumstances, and whenever he had a grievance he was inclined to be quite grumpy. so, when his master settled down in the palace of king gos for a quiet life with the boy prince, and passed his time in playing checkers and eating and otherwise enjoying himself, he had no use whatever for bilbil, and shut the goat in an upstairs room to prevent his wandering through the city and quarreling with the citizens. but this bilbil did not like at all. he became very cross and disagreeable at being left alone and he did not speak nicely to the servants who came to bring him food; therefore those people decided not to wait upon him any more, resenting his conversation and not liking to be scolded by a lean, scraggly goat, even though it belonged to a conqueror. the servants kept away from the room and bilbil grew more hungry and more angry every hour. he tried to eat the rugs and ornaments, but found them not at all nourishing. there was no grass to be had unless he escaped from the palace. when queen cor came to capture inga and rinkitink, both the prisoners were so filled with despair at their own misfortune that they gave no thought whatever to the goat, who was left in his room. nor did bilbil know anything of the changed fortunes of his comrades until he heard shouts and boisterous laughter in the courtyard below. looking out of a window, with the intention of rebuking those who dared thus to disturb him, bilbil saw the courtyard quite filled with warriors and knew from this that the palace had in some way again fallen into the hands of the enemy. now, although bilbil was often exceedingly disagreeable to king rinkitink, as well as to the prince, and sometimes used harsh words in addressing them, he was intelligent enough to know them to be his friends, and to know that king gos and his people were his foes. in sudden anger, provoked by the sight of the warriors and the knowledge that he was in the power of the dangerous men of regos, bilbil butted his head against the door of his room and burst it open. then he ran to the head of the staircase and saw king gos coming up the stairs followed by a long line of his chief captains and warriors. the goat lowered his head, trembling with rage and excitement, and just as the king reached the top stair the animal dashed forward and butted his majesty so fiercely that the big and powerful king, who did not expect an attack, doubled up and tumbled backward. his great weight knocked over the man just behind him and he in turn struck the next warrior and upset him, so that in an instant the whole line of bilbil's foes was tumbling heels over head to the bottom of the stairs, where they piled up in a heap, struggling and shouting and in the mixup hitting one another with their fists, until every man of them was bruised and sore. finally king gos scrambled out of the heap and rushed up the stairs again, very angry indeed. bilbil was ready for him and a second time butted the king down the stairs; but now the goat also lost his balance and followed the king, landing full upon the confused heap of soldiers. then he kicked out so viciously with his heels that he soon freed himself and dashed out of the doorway of the palace. "stop him!" cried king gos, running after. but the goat was now so wild and excited that it was not safe for anyone to stand in his way. none of the men were armed and when one or two tried to head off the goat, bilbil sent them sprawling upon the ground. most of the warriors, however, were wise enough not to attempt to interfere with his flight. coursing down the street, bilbil found himself approaching the bridge of boats and without pausing to think where it might lead him he crossed over and proceeded on his way. a few moments later a great stone building blocked his path. it was the palace of queen cor, and seeing the gates of the courtyard standing wide open, bilbil rushed through them without slackening his speed. chapter thirteen zella saves the prince the wicked queen of coregos was in a very bad humor this morning, for one of her slave drivers had come from the fields to say that a number of slaves had rebelled and would not work. "bring them here to me!" she cried savagely. "a good whipping may make them change their minds." so the slave driver went to fetch the rebellious ones and queen cor sat down to eat her breakfast, an ugly look on her face. prince inga had been ordered to stand behind his new mistress with a big fan of peacock's feathers, but he was so unused to such service that he awkwardly brushed her ear with the fan. at once she flew into a terrible rage and slapped the prince twice with her hand-blows that tingled, too, for her hand was big and hard and she was not inclined to be gentle. inga took the blows without shrinking or uttering a cry, although they stung his pride far more than his body. but king rinkitink, who was acting as the queen's butler and had just brought in her coffee, was so startled at seeing the young prince punished that he tipped over the urn and the hot coffee streamed across the lap of the queen's best morning gown. cor sprang from her seat with a scream of anger and poor rinkitink would doubtless have been given a terrible beating had not the slave driver returned at this moment and attracted the woman's attention. the overseer had brought with him all of the women slaves from pingaree, who had been loaded down with chains and were so weak and ill they could scarcely walk, much less work in the fields. prince inga's eyes were dimmed with sorrowful tears when he discovered how his poor people had been abused, but his own plight was so helpless that he was unable to aid them. fortunately the boy's mother, queen garee, was not among these slaves, for queen cor had placed her in the royal dairy to make butter. "why do you refuse to work?" demanded cor in a harsh voice, as the slaves from pingaree stood before her, trembling and with downcast eyes. "because we lack strength to perform the tasks your overseers demand," answered one of the women. "then you shall be whipped until your strength returns!" exclaimed the queen, and turning to inga, she commanded: "get me the whip with the seven lashes." as the boy left the room, wondering how he might manage to save the unhappy women from their undeserved punishment, he met a girl entering by the back way, who asked: "can you tell me where to find her majesty, queen cor?" "she is in the chamber with the red dome, where green dragons are painted upon the walls," replied inga; "but she is in an angry and ungracious mood to-day. why do you wish to see her?" "i have honey to sell," answered the girl, who was zella, just come from the forest. "the queen is very fond of my honey." "you may go to her, if you so desire," said the boy, "but take care not to anger the cruel queen, or she may do you a mischief." "why should she harm me, who brings her the honey she so dearly loves?" inquired the child innocently. "but i thank you for your warning; and i will try not to anger the queen." as zella started to go, inga's eyes suddenly fell upon her shoes and instantly he recognized them as his own. for only in pingaree were shoes shaped in this manner: high at the heel and pointed at the toes. "stop!" he cried in an excited voice, and the girl obeyed, wonderingly. "tell me," he continued, more gently, "where did you get those shoes?" "my father brought them to me from regos," she answered. "from regos!" "yes. are they not pretty?" asked zella, looking down at her feet to admire them. "one of them my father found by the palace wall, and the other on an ash-heap. so he brought them to me and they fit me perfectly." by this time inga was trembling with eager joy, which of course the girl could not understand. "what is your name, little maid?" he asked. "i am called zella, and my father is nikobob, the charcoal-burner." "zella is a pretty name. i am inga, prince of pingaree," said he, "and the shoes you are now wearing, zella, belong to me. they were not cast away, as your father supposed, but were lost. will you let me have them again?" zella's eyes filled with tears. "must i give up my pretty shoes, then?" she asked. "they are the only ones i have ever owned." inga was sorry for the poor child, but he knew how important it was that he regain possession of the magic pearls. so he said, pleadingly: "please let me have them, zella. see! i will exchange for them the shoes i now have on, which are newer and prettier than the others." the girl hesitated. she wanted to please the boy prince, yet she hated to exchange the shoes which her father had brought her as a present. "if you will give me the shoes," continued the boy, anxiously, "i will promise to make you and your father and mother rich and prosperous. indeed, i will promise to grant any favors you may ask of me," and he sat down upon the floor and drew off the shoes he was wearing and held them toward the girl. "i'll see if they will fit me," said zella, taking off her left shoe--the one that contained the pink pearl--and beginning to put on one of inga's. just then queen cor, angry at being made to wait for her whip with the seven lashes, rushed into the room to find inga. seeing the boy sitting upon the floor beside zella, the woman sprang toward him to beat him with her clenched fists; but inga had now slipped on the shoe and the queen's blows could not reach his body. then cor espied the whip lying beside inga and snatching it up she tried to lash him with it--all to no avail. while zella sat horrified by this scene, the prince, who realized he had no time to waste, reached out and pulled the right shoe from the girl's foot, quickly placing it upon his own. then he stood up and, facing the furious but astonished queen, said to her in a quiet voice: "madam, please give me that whip." "i won't!" answered cor. "i'm going to lash those pingaree women with it." the boy seized hold of the whip and with irresistible strength drew it from the queen's hand. but she drew from her bosom a sharp dagger and with the swiftness of lightning aimed a blow at inga's heart. he merely stood still and smiled, for the blade rebounded and fell clattering to the floor. then, at last, queen cor understood the magic power that had terrified her husband but which she had ridiculed in her ignorance, not believing in it. she did not know that inga's power had been lost, and found again, but she realized the boy was no common foe and that unless she could still manage to outwit him her reign in the island of coregos was ended. to gain time, she went back to the red-domed chamber and seated herself in her throne, before which were grouped the weeping slaves from pingaree. inga had taken zella's hand and assisted her to put on the shoes he had given her in exchange for his own. she found them quite comfortable and did not know she had lost anything by the transfer. "come with me," then said the boy prince, and led her into the presence of queen cor, who was giving rinkitink a scolding. to the overseer inga said. "give me the keys which unlock these chains, that i may set these poor women at liberty." "don't you do it!" screamed queen cor. "if you interfere, madam," said the boy, "i will put you into a dungeon." by this rinkitink knew that inga had recovered his magic pearls and the little fat king was so overjoyed that he danced and capered all around the room. but the queen was alarmed at the threat and the slave driver, fearing the conqueror of regos, tremblingly gave up the keys. inga quickly removed all the shackles from the women of his country and comforted them, telling them they should work no more but would soon be restored to their homes in pingaree. then he commanded the slave driver to go and get all the children who had been made slaves, and to bring them to their mothers. the man obeyed and left at once to perform his errand, while queen cor, growing more and more uneasy, suddenly sprang from her throne and before inga could stop her had rushed through the room and out into the courtyard of the palace, meaning to make her escape. rinkitink followed her, running as fast as he could go. it was at this moment that bilbil, in his mad dash from regos, turned in at the gates of the courtyard, and as he was coming one way and queen cor was going the other they bumped into each other with great force. the woman sailed through the air, over bilbil's head, and landed on the ground outside the gates, where her crown rolled into a ditch and she picked herself up, half dazed, and continued her flight. bilbil was also somewhat dazed by the unexpected encounter, but he continued his rush rather blindly and so struck poor rinkitink, who was chasing after queen cor. they rolled over one another a few times and then rinkitink sat up and bilbil sat up and they looked at each other in amazement. "bilbil," said the king, "i'm astonished at you!" "your majesty," said bilbil, "i expected kinder treatment at your hands." "you interrupted me," said rinkitink. "there was plenty of room without your taking my path," declared the goat. and then inga came running out and said. "where is the queen?" "gone," replied rinkitink, "but she cannot go far, as this is an island. however, i have found bilbil, and our party is again reunited. you have recovered your magic powers, and again we are masters of the situation. so let us be thankful." saying this, the good little king got upon his feet and limped back into the throne room to help comfort the women. presently the children of pingaree, who had been gathered together by the overseer, were brought in and restored to their mothers, and there was great rejoicing among them, you may be sure. "but where is queen garee, my dear mother?" questioned inga; but the women did not know and it was some time before the overseer remembered that one of the slaves from pingaree had been placed in the royal dairy. perhaps this was the woman the boy was seeking. inga at once commanded him to lead the way to the butter house, but when they arrived there queen garee was nowhere in the place, although the boy found a silk scarf which he recognized as one that his mother used to wear. then they began a search throughout the island of coregos, but could not find inga's mother anywhere. when they returned to the palace of queen cor, rinkitink discovered that the bridge of boats had again been removed, separating them from regos, and from this they suspected that queen cor had fled to her husband's island and had taken queen garee with her. inga was much perplexed what to do and returned with his friends to the palace to talk the matter over. zella was now crying because she had not sold her honey and was unable to return to her parents on the island of regos, but the boy prince comforted her and promised she should be protected until she could be restored to her home. rinkitink found queen cor's purse, which she had had no time to take with her, and gave zella several gold pieces for the honey. then inga ordered the palace servants to prepare a feast for all the women and children of pingaree and to prepare for them beds in the great palace, which was large enough to accommodate them all. then the boy and the goat and rinkitink and zella went into a private room to consider what should be done next. chapter fourteen the escape "our fault," said rinkitink, "is that we conquer only one of these twin islands at a time. when we conquered regos, our foes all came to coregos, and now that we have conquered coregos, the queen has fled to regos. and each time they removed the bridge of boats, so that we could not follow them." "what has become of our own boat, in which we came from pingaree?" asked bilbil. "we left it on the shore of regos," replied the prince, "but i wonder if we could not get it again." "why don't you ask the white pearl?" suggested rinkitink. "that is a good idea," returned the boy, and at once he drew the white pearl from its silken bag and held it to his ear. then he asked: "how may i regain our boat?" the voice of the pearl replied: "go to the south end of the island of coregos, and clap your hands three times and the boat will come to you. "very good!" cried inga, and then he turned to his companions and said: "we shall be able to get our boat whenever we please; but what then shall we do?" "take me home in it!" pleaded zella. "come with me to my city of gilgad," said the king, "where you will be very welcome to remain forever." "no," answered inga, "i must rescue my father and mother, as well as my people. already i have the women and children of pingaree, but the men are with my father in the mines of regos, and my dear mother has been taken away by queen cor. not until all are rescued will i consent to leave these islands." "quite right!" exclaimed bilbil. "on second thought," said rinkitink, "i agree with you. if you are careful to sleep in your shoes, and never take them off again, i believe you will be able to perform the task you have undertaken." they counseled together for a long time as to their mode of action and it was finally considered best to make the attempt to liberate king kitticut first of all, and with him the men from pingaree. this would give them an army to assist them and afterward they could march to regos and compel queen cor to give up the queen of pingaree. zella told them that they could go in their boat along the shore of regos to a point opposite the mines, thus avoiding any conflict with the warriors of king gos. this being considered the best course to pursue, they resolved to start on the following morning, as night was even now approaching. the servants being all busy in caring for the women and children, zella undertook to get a dinner for inga and rinkitink and herself and soon prepared a fine meal in the palace kitchen, for she was a good little cook and had often helped her mother. the dinner was served in a small room overlooking the gardens and rinkitink thought the best part of it was the sweet honey, which he spread upon the biscuits that zella had made. as for bilbil, he wandered through the palace grounds and found some grass that made him a good dinner. during the evening inga talked with the women and cheered them, promising soon to reunite them with their husbands who were working in the mines and to send them back to their own island of pingaree. next morning the boy rose bright and early and found that zella had already prepared a nice breakfast. and after the meal they went to the most southern point of the island, which was not very far away, rinkitink riding upon bilbil's back and inga and zella following behind them, hand in hand. when they reached the water's edge the boy advanced and clapped his hands together three times, as the white pearl had told him to do. and in a few moments they saw in the distance the black boat with the silver lining, coming swiftly toward them from the sea. presently it grounded on the beach and they all got into it. zella was delighted with the boat, which was the most beautiful she had ever seen, and the marvel of its coming to them through the water without anyone to row it, made her a little afraid of the fairy craft. but inga picked up the oars and began to row and at once the boat shot swiftly in the direction of regos. they rounded the point of that island where the city was built and noticed that the shore was lined with warriors who had discovered their boat but seemed undecided whether to pursue it or not. this was probably because they had received no commands what to do, or perhaps they had learned to fear the magic powers of these adventurers from pingaree and were unwilling to attack them unless their king ordered them to. the coast on the western side of the island of regos was very uneven and zella, who knew fairly well the location of the mines from the inland forest path, was puzzled to decide which mountain they now viewed from the sea was the one where the entrance to the underground caverns was located. first she thought it was this peak, and then she guessed it was that; so considerable time was lost through her uncertainty. they finally decided to land and explore the country, to see where they were, so inga ran the boat into a little rocky cove where they all disembarked. for an hour they searched for the path without finding any trace of it and now zella believed they had gone too far to the north and must return to another mountain that was nearer to the city. once again they entered the boat and followed the winding coast south until they thought they had reached the right place. by this time, however, it was growing dark, for the entire day had been spent in the search for the entrance to the mines, and zella warned them that it would be safer to spend the night in the boat than on the land, where wild beasts were sure to disturb them. none of them realized at this time how fatal this day of search had been to their plans and perhaps if inga had realized what was going on he would have landed and fought all the wild beasts in the forest rather than quietly remain in the boat until morning. however, knowing nothing of the cunning plans of queen cor and king gos, they anchored their boat in a little bay and cheerfully ate their dinner, finding plenty of food and drink in the boat's lockers. in the evening the stars came out in the sky and tipped the waves around their boat with silver. all around them was delightfully still save for the occasional snarl of a beast on the neighboring shore. they talked together quietly of their adventures and their future plans and zella told them her simple history and how hard her poor father was obliged to work, burning charcoal to sell for enough money to support his wife and child. nikobob might be the humblest man in all regos, but zella declared he was a good man, and honest, and it was not his fault that his country was ruled by so wicked a king. then rinkitink, to amuse them, offered to sing a song, and although bilbil protested in his gruff way, claiming that his master's voice was cracked and disagreeable, the little king was encouraged by the others to sing his song, which he did. "a red-headed man named ned was dead; sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! in battle he had lost his head; sing fiddle-cum-faddl-cum-fi-do! 'alas, poor ned,' to him i said, 'how did you lose your head so red?' sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! "said ned: 'i for my country bled,' sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! 'instead of dying safe in bed', sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! 'if i had only fled, instead, i then had been a head ahead.' sing fiddle-cum-faddle-cum-fi-do! "i said to ned--" "do stop, your majesty!" pleaded bilbil. "you're making my head ache." "but the song isn't finished," replied rinkitink, "and as for your head aching, think of poor ned, who hadn't any head at all!" "i can think of nothing but your dismal singing," retorted bilbil. "why didn't you choose a cheerful subject, instead of telling how a man who was dead lost his red head? really, rinkitink, i'm surprised at you. "i know a splendid song about a live man, said the king. "then don't sing it," begged bilbil. zella was both astonished and grieved by the disrespectful words of the goat, for she had quite enjoyed rinkitink's singing and had been taught a proper respect for kings and those high in authority. but as it was now getting late they decided to go to sleep, that they might rise early the following morning, so they all reclined upon the bottom of the big boat and covered themselves with blankets which they found stored underneath the seats for just such occasions. they were not long in falling asleep and did not waken until daybreak. after a hurried breakfast, for inga was eager to liberate his father, the boy rowed the boat ashore and they all landed and began searching for the path. zella found it within the next half hour and declared they must be very close to the entrance to the mines; so they followed the path toward the north, inga going first, and then zella following him, while rinkitink brought up the rear riding upon bilbil's back. before long they saw a great wall of rock towering before them, in which was a low arched entrance, and on either side of this entrance stood a guard, armed with a sword and a spear. the guards of the mines were not so fierce as the warriors of king gos, their duty being to make the slaves work at their tasks and guard them from escaping; but they were as cruel as their cruel master wished them to be, and as cowardly as they were cruel. inga walked up to the two men at the entrance and said: "does this opening lead to the mines of king gos?" "it does," replied one of the guards, "but no one is allowed to pass out who once goes in." "nevertheless," said the boy, "we intend to go in and we shall come out whenever it pleases us to do so. i am the prince of pingaree, and i have come to liberate my people, whom king gos has enslaved." now when the two guards heard this speech they looked at one another and laughed, and one of them said: "the king was right, for he said the boy was likely to come here and that he would try to set his people free. also the king commanded that we must keep the little prince in the mines, and set him to work, together with his companions." "then let us obey the king," replied the other man. inga was surprised at hearing this, and asked: "when did king gos give you this order?" "his majesty was here in person last night," replied the man, "and went away again but an hour ago. he suspected you were coming here and told us to capture you if we could." this report made the boy very anxious, not for himself but for his father, for he feared the king was up to some mischief. so he hastened to enter the mines and the guards did nothing to oppose him or his companions, their orders being to allow him to go in but not to come out. the little group of adventurers passed through a long rocky corridor and reached a low, wide cavern where they found a dozen guards and a hundred slaves, the latter being hard at work with picks and shovels digging for gold, while the guards stood over them with long whips. inga found many of the men from pingaree among these slaves, but king kitticut was not in this cavern; so they passed through it and entered another corridor that led to a second cavern. here also hundreds of men were working, but the boy did not find his father amongst them, and so went on to a third cavern. the corridors all slanted downward, so that the farther they went the lower into the earth they descended, and now they found the air hot and close and difficult to breathe. flaming torches were stuck into the walls to give light to the workers, and these added to the oppressive heat. the third and lowest cavern was the last in the mines, and here were many scores of slaves and many guards to keep them at work. so far, none of the guards had paid any attention to inga's party, but allowed them to proceed as they would, and while the slaves cast curious glances at the boy and girl and man and goat, they dared say nothing. but now the boy walked up to some of the men of pingaree and asked news of his father, telling them not to fear the guards as he would protect them from the whips. then he teamed that king kitticut had indeed been working in this very cavern until the evening before, when king gos had come and taken him away--still loaded with chains. "seems to me," said king rinkitink, when he heard this report, "that gos has carried your father away to regos, to prevent us from rescuing him. he may hide poor kitticut in a dungeon, where we cannot find him." "perhaps you are right," answered the boy, "but i am determined to find him, wherever he may be." inga spoke firmly and with courage, but he was greatly disappointed to find that king gos had been before him at the mines and had taken his father away. however, he tried not to feel disheartened, believing he would succeed in the end, in spite of all opposition. turning to the guards, he said: "remove the chains from these slaves and set them free." the guards laughed at this order, and one of them brought forward a handful of chains, saying: "his majesty has commanded us to make you, also, a slave, for you are never to leave these caverns again." then he attempted to place the chains on inga, but the boy indignantly seized them and broke them apart as easily as if they had been cotton cords. when a dozen or more of the guards made a dash to capture him, the prince swung the end of the chain like a whip and drove them into a corner, where they cowered and begged for mercy. stories of the marvelous strength of the boy prince had already spread to the mines of regos, and although king gos had told them that inga had been deprived of all his magic power, the guards now saw this was not true, so they deemed it wise not to attempt to oppose him. the chains of the slaves had all been riveted fast to their ankles and wrists, but inga broke the bonds of steel with his hands and set the poor men free--not only those from pingaree but all who had been captured in the many wars and raids of king gos. they were very grateful, as you may suppose, and agreed to support prince inga in whatever action he commanded. he led them to the middle cavern, where all the guards and overseers fled in terror at his approach, and soon he had broken apart the chains of the slaves who had been working in that part of the mines. then they approached the first cavern and liberated all there. the slaves had been treated so cruelly by the servants of king gos that they were eager to pursue and slay them, in revenge; but inga held them back and formed them into companies, each company having its own leader. then he called the leaders together and instructed them to march in good order along the path to the city of regos, where he would meet them and tell them what to do next. they readily agreed to obey him, and, arming themselves with iron bars and pick-axes which they brought from the mines, the slaves began their march to the city. zella at first wished to be left behind, that she might make her way to her home, but neither rinkitink nor inga thought it was safe for her to wander alone through the forest, so they induced her to return with them to the city. the boy beached his boat this time at the same place as when he first landed at regos, and while many of the warriors stood on the shore and before the walls of the city, not one of them attempted to interfere with the boy in any way. indeed, they seemed uneasy and anxious, and when inga met captain buzzub the boy asked if anything had happened in his absence. "a great deal has happened," replied buzzub. "our king and queen have run away and left us, and we don't know what to do." "run away!" exclaimed inga. "where did they go to?" "who knows?" said the man, shaking his head despondently. "they departed together a few hours ago, in a boat with forty rowers, and they took with them the king and queen of pingaree!" chapter fifteen the flight of the rulers now it seems that when queen cor fled from her island to regos, she had wit enough, although greatly frightened, to make a stop at the royal dairy, which was near to the bridge, and to drag poor queen garee from the butter-house and across to regos with her. the warriors of king gos had never before seen the terrible queen cor frightened, and therefore when she came running across the bridge of boats, dragging the queen of pingaree after her by one arm, the woman's great fright had the effect of terrifying the waiting warriors. "quick!" cried cor. "destroy the bridge, or we are lost." while the men were tearing away the bridge of boats the queen ran up to the palace of gos, where she met her husband. "that boy is a wizard!" she gasped. "there is no standing against him." "oh, have you discovered his magic at last?" replied gos, laughing in her face. "who, now, is the coward?" "don't laugh!" cried queen cor. "it is no laughing matter. both our islands are as good as conquered, this very minute. what shall we do, gos?" "come in," he said, growing serious, "and let us talk it over." so they went into a room of the palace and talked long and earnestly. "the boy intends to liberate his father and mother, and all the people of pingaree, and to take them back to their island," said cor. "he may also destroy our palaces and make us his slaves. i can see but one way, gos, to prevent him from doing all this, and whatever else he pleases to do." "what way is that?" asked king gos. "we must take the boy's parents away from here as quickly as possible. i have with me the queen of pingaree, and you can run up to the mines and get the king. then we will carry them away in a boat and hide them where the boy cannot find them, with all his magic. we will use the king and queen of pingaree as hostages, and send word to the boy wizard that if he does not go away from our islands and allow us to rule them undisturbed, in our own way, we will put his father and mother to death. also we will say that as long as we are let alone his parents will be safe, although still safely hidden. i believe, gos, that in this way we can compel prince ingato obey us, for he seems very fond of his parents." "it isn't a bad idea," said gos, reflectively; "but where can we hide the king and queen, so that the boy cannot find them?" "in the country of the nome king, on the mainland away at the south," she replied. "the nomes are our friends, and they possess magic powers that will enable them to protect the prisoners from discovery. if we can manage to get the king and queen of pingaree to the nome kingdom before the boy knows what we are doing, i am sure our plot will succeed." gos gave the plan considerable thought in the next five minutes, and the more he thought about it the more clever and reasonable it seemed. so he agreed to do as queen cor suggested and at once hurried away to the mines, where he arrived before prince inga did. the next morning he carried king kitticut back to regos. while gos was gone, queen cor busied herself in preparing a large and swift boat for the journey. she placed in it several bags of gold and jewels with which to bribe the nomes, and selected forty of the strongest oarsmen in regos to row the boat. the instant king gos returned with his royal prisoner all was ready for departure. they quickly entered the boat with their two important captives and without a word of explanation to any of their people they commanded the oarsmen to start, and were soon out of sight upon the broad expanse of the nonestic ocean. inga arrived at the city some hours later and was much distressed when he learned that his father and mother had been spirited away from the islands. "i shall follow them, of course," said the boy to rinkitink, "and if i cannot overtake them on the ocean i will search the world over until i find them. but before i leave here i must arrange to send our people back to pingaree." chapter sixteen nikobob refuses a crown almost the first persons that zella saw when she landed from the silver-lined boat at regos were her father and mother. nikobob and his wife had been greatly worried when their little daughter failed to return from coregos, so they had set out to discover what had become of her. when they reached the city of regos, that very morning, they were astonished to hear news of all the strange events that had taken place; still, they found comfort when told that zella had been seen in the boat of prince inga, which had gone to the north. then, while they wondered what this could mean, the silver-lined boat appeared again, with their daughter in it, and they ran down to the shore to give her a welcome and many joyful kisses. inga invited the good people to the palace of king gos, where he conferred with them, as well as with rinkitink and bilbil. "now that the king and queen of regos and coregos have run away," he said, "there is no one to rule these islands. so it is my duty to appoint a new ruler, and as nikobob, zella's father, is an honest and worthy man, i shall make him the king of the twin islands." "me?" cried nikobob, astounded by this speech. "i beg your highness, on my bended knees, not to do so cruel a thing as to make me king!" "why not?" inquired rinkitink. "i'm a king, and i know how it feels. i assure you, good nikobob, that i quite enjoy my high rank, although a jeweled crown is rather heavy to wear in hot weather." "with you, noble sir, it is different," said nikobob, "for you are far from your kingdom and its trials and worries and may do as you please. but to remain in regos, as king over these fierce and unruly warriors, would be to live in constant anxiety and peril, and the chances are that they would murder me within a month. as i have done no harm to anyone and have tried to be a good and upright man, i do not think that i should be condemned to such a dreadful fate." "very well," replied inga, "we will say no more about your being king. i merely wanted to make you rich and prosperous, as i had promised zella." "please forget that promise," pleaded the charcoal-burner, earnestly; "i have been safe from molestation for many years, because i was poor and possessed nothing that anyone else could envy. but if you make me rich and prosperous i shall at once become the prey of thieves and marauders and probably will lose my life in the attempt to protect my fortune." inga looked at the man in surprise. "what, then, can i do to please you?" he inquired. "nothing more than to allow me to go home to my poor cabin," said nikobob. "perhaps," remarked king rinkitink, "the charcoal-burner has more wisdom concealed in that hard head of his than we gave him credit for. but let us use that wisdom, for the present, to counsel us what to do in this emergency." "what you call my wisdom," said nikobob, "is merely common sense. i have noticed that some men become rich, and are scorned by some and robbed by others. other men become famous, and are mocked at and derided by their fellows. but the poor and humble man who lives unnoticed and unknown escapes all these troubles and is the only one who can appreciate the joy of living." "if i had a hand, instead of a cloven hoof, i'd like to shake hands with you, nikobob," said bilbil the goat. "but the poor man must not have a cruel master, or he is undone." during the council they found, indeed, that the advice of the charcoal-burner was both shrewd and sensible, and they profited much by his words. inga gave captain buzzub the command of the warriors and made him promise to keep his men quiet and orderly--if he could. then the boy allowed all of king gos's former slaves, except those who came from pingaree, to choose what boats they required and to stock them with provisions and row away to their own countries. when these had departed, with grateful thanks and many blessings showered upon the boy prince who had set them free, inga made preparations to send his own people home, where they were told to rebuild their houses and then erect a new royal palace. they were then to await patiently the coming of king kitticut or prince inga. "my greatest worry," said the boy to his friends, "is to know whom to appoint to take charge of this work of restoring pingaree to its former condition. my men are all pearl fishers, and although willing and honest, have no talent for directing others how to work." while the preparations for departure were being made, nikobob offered to direct the men of pingaree, and did so in a very capable manner. as the island had been despoiled of all its valuable furniture and draperies and rich cloths and paintings and statuary and the like, as well as gold and silver and ornaments, inga thought it no more than just that they be replaced by the spoilers. so he directed his people to search through the storehouses of king gos and to regain all their goods and chattels that could be found. also he instructed them to take as much else as they required to make their new homes comfortable, so that many boats were loaded full of goods that would enable the people to restore pingaree to its former state of comfort. for his father's new palace the boy plundered the palaces of both queen cor and king gos, sending enough wares away with his people to make king kitticut's new residence as handsomely fitted and furnished as had been the one which the ruthless invaders from regos had destroyed. it was a great fleet of boats that set out one bright, sunny morning on the voyage to pingaree, carrying all the men, women and children and all the goods for refitting their homes. as he saw the fleet depart, prince inga felt that he had already successfully accomplished a part of his mission, but he vowed he would never return to pingaree in person until he could take his father and mother there with him; unless, indeed, king gos wickedly destroyed his beloved parents, in which case inga would become the king of pingaree and it would be his duty to go to his people and rule over them. it was while the last of the boats were preparing to sail for pingaree that nikobob, who had been of great service in getting them ready, came to inga in a thoughtful mood and said: "your highness, my wife and my daughter zella have been urging me to leave regos and settle down in your island, in a new home. from what your people have told me, pingaree is a better place to live than regos, and there are no cruel warriors or savage beasts there to keep one in constant fear for the safety of those he loves. therefore, i have come to ask to go with my family in one of the boats." inga was much pleased with this proposal and not only granted nikobob permission to go to pingaree to live, but instructed him to take with him sufficient goods to furnish his new home in a comfortable manner. in addition to this, he appointed nikobob general manager of the buildings and of the pearl fisheries, until his father or he himself arrived, and the people approved this order because they liked nikobob and knew him to be just and honest. soon as the last boat of the great flotilla had disappeared from the view of those left at regos, inga and rinkitink prepared to leave the island themselves. the boy was anxious to overtake the boat of king gos, if possible, and rinkitink had no desire to remain in regos. buzzub and the warriors stood silently on the shore and watched the black boat with its silver lining depart, and i am sure they were as glad to be rid of their unwelcome visitors as inga and rinkitink and bilbil were to leave. the boy asked the white pearl what direction the boat of king gos had taken and then he followed after it, rowing hard and steadily for eight days without becoming at all weary. but, although the black boat moved very swiftly, it failed to overtake the barge which was rowed by queen cor's forty picked oarsmen. chapter seventeen the nome king the kingdom of the nomes does not border on the nonestic ocean, from which it is separated by the kingdom of rinkitink and the country of the wheelers, which is a part of the land of ev. rinkitink's country is separated from the country of the nomes by a row of high and steep mountains, from which it extends to the sea. the country of the wheelers is a sandy waste that is open on one side to the nonestic ocean and on the other side has no barrier to separate it from the nome country, therefore it was on the coast of the wheelers that king cos landed--in a spot quite deserted by any of the curious inhabitants of that country. the nome country is very large in extent, and is only separated from the land of oz, on its eastern borders, by a deadly desert that can not be crossed by mortals, unless they are aided by the fairies or by magic. the nomes are a numerous and mischievous people, living in underground caverns of wide extent, connected one with another by arches and passages. the word "nome" means "one who knows," and these people are so called because they know where all the gold and silver and precious stones are hidden in the earth--a knowledge that no other living creatures share with them. the nomes are busy people, constantly digging up gold in one place and taking it to another place, where they secretly bury it, and perhaps this is the reason they alone know where to find it. the nomes were ruled, at the time of which i write, by a king named kaliko. king gos had expected to be pursued by inga in his magic boat, so he made all the haste possible, urging his forty rowers to their best efforts night and day. to his joy he was not overtaken but landed on the sandy beach of the wheelers on the morning of the eighth day. the forty rowers were left with the boat, while queen cor and king cos, with their royal prisoners, who were still chained, began the journey to the nome king. it was not long before they passed the sands and reached the rocky country belonging to the nomes, but they were still a long way from the entrance to the underground caverns in which lived the nome king. there was a dim path, winding between stones and boulders, over which the walking was quite difficult, especially as the path led up hills that were small mountains, and then down steep and abrupt slopes where any misstep might mean a broken leg. therefore it was the second day of their journey before they climbed halfway up a rugged mountain and found themselves at the entrance of the nome king's caverns. on their arrival, the entrance seemed free and unguarded, but gos and cor had been there before, and they were too wise to attempt to enter without announcing themselves, for the passage to the caves was full of traps and pitfalls. so king gos stood still and shouted, and in an instant they were surrounded by a group of crooked nomes, who seemed to have sprung from the ground. one of these had very long ears and was called the long-eared hearer. he said: "i heard you coming early this morning." another had eyes that looked in different directions at the same time and were curiously bright and penetrating. he could look over a hill or around a corner and was called the lookout. said he: "i saw you coming yesterday." "then," said king gos, "perhaps king kaliko is expecting us." "it is true," replied another nome, who wore a gold collar around his neck and carried a bunch of golden keys. "the mighty nome king expects you, and bids you follow me to his presence." with this he led the way into the caverns and gos and cor followed, dragging their weary prisoners with them, for poor king kitticut and his gentle queen had been obliged to carry, all through the tedious journey, the bags of gold and jewels which were to bribe the nome king to accept them as slaves. through several long passages the guide led them and at last they entered a small cavern which was beautifully decorated and set with rare jewels that flashed from every part of the wall, floor and ceiling. this was a waiting-room for visitors, and there their guide left them while he went to inform king kaliko of their arrival. before long they were ushered into a great domed chamber, cut from the solid rock and so magnificent that all of them--the king and queen of pingaree and the king and queen of regos and coregos--drew long breaths of astonishment and opened their eyes as wide as they could. in an ivory throne sat a little round man who had a pointed beard and hair that rose to a tall curl on top of his head. he was dressed in silken robes, richly embroidered, which had large buttons of cut rubies. on his head was a diamond crown and in his hand he held a golden sceptre with a big jeweled ball at one end of it. this was kaliko, the king and ruler of all the nomes. he nodded pleasantly enough to his visitors and said in a cheery voice: "well, your majesties, what can i do for you?" "it is my desire," answered king gos, respectfully, "to place in your care two prisoners, whom you now see before you. they must be carefully guarded, to prevent them from escaping, for they have the cunning of foxes and are not to be trusted. in return for the favor i am asking you to grant, i have brought your majesty valuable presents of gold and precious gems." he then commanded kitticut and garee to lay before the nome king the bags of gold and jewels, and they obeyed, being helpless. "very good," said king kaliko, nodding approval, for like all the nomes he loved treasures of gold and jewels. "but who are the prisoners you have brought here, and why do you place them in my charge instead of guarding them, yourself? they seem gentle enough, i'm sure." "the prisoners," returned king gos, "are the king and queen of pingaree, a small island north of here. they are very evil people and came to our islands of regos and coregos to conquer them and slay our poor people. also they intended to plunder us of all our riches, but by good fortune we were able to defeat and capture them. however, they have a son who is a terrible wizard and who by magic art is trying to find this awful king and queen of pingaree, and to set them free, that they may continue their wicked deeds. therefore, as we have no magic to defend ourselves with, we have brought the prisoners to you for safe keeping." "your majesty," spoke up king kitticut, addressing the nome king with great indignation, "do not believe this tale, i implore you. it is all a lie!" "i know it," said kaliko. "i consider it a clever lie, though, because it is woven without a thread of truth. however, that is none of my business. the fact remains that my good friend king gos wishes to put you in my underground caverns, so that you will be unable to escape. and why should i not please him in this little matter? gos is a mighty king and a great warrior, while your island of pingaree is desolated and your people scattered. in my heart, king kitticut, i sympathize with you, but as a matter of business policy we powerful kings must stand together and trample the weaker ones under our feet." king kitticut was surprised to find the king of the nomes so candid and so well informed, and he tried to argue that he and his gentle wife did not deserve their cruel fate and that it would be wiser for kaliko to side with them than with the evil king of regos. but kaliko only shook his head and smiled, saying: "the fact that you are a prisoner, my poor kitticut, is evidence that you are weaker than king cos, and i prefer to deal with the strong. by the way," he added, turning to the king of regos, "have these prisoners any connection with the land of oz?" "why do you ask?" said gos. "because i dare not offend the oz people," was the reply. "i am very powerful, as you know, but ozma of oz is far more powerful than i; therefore, if this king and queen of pingaree happened to be under ozma's protection, i would have nothing to do with them." "i assure your majesty that the prisoners have nothing to do with the oz people," gos hastened to say. and kitticut, being questioned, admitted that this was true. "but how about that wizard you mentioned?" asked the nome king. "oh, he is merely a boy; but he is very ferocious and obstinate and he is assisted by a little fat sorcerer called rinkitink and a talking goat." "oho! a talking goat, do you say? that certainly sounds like magic; and it also sounds like the land of oz, where all the animals talk," said kaliko, with a doubtful expression. but king gos assured him the talking goat had never been to oz. "as for rinkitink, whom you call a sorcerer," continued the nome king, "he is a neighbor of mine, you must know, but as we are cut off from each other by high mountains beneath which a powerful river runs, i have never yet met king rinkitink. but i have heard of him, and from all reports he is a jolly rogue, and perfectly harmless. however, in spite of your false statements and misrepresentations, i will earn the treasure you have brought me, by keeping your prisoners safe in my caverns. "make them work," advised queen cor. "they are rather delicate, and to make them work will make them suffer delightfully." "i'll do as i please about that," said the nome king sternly. "be content that i agree to keep them safe." the bargain being thus made and concluded, kaliko first examined the gold and jewels and then sent it away to his royal storehouse, which was well filled with like treasure. next the captives were sent away in charge of the nome with the golden collar and keys, whose name was klik, and he escorted them to a small cavern and gave them a good supper. "i shall lock your door," said klik, "so there is no need of your wearing those heavy chains any longer." he therefore removed the chains and left king kitticut and his queen alone. this was the first time since the northmen had carried them away from pingaree that the good king and queen had been alone together and free of all bonds, and as they embraced lovingly and mingled their tears over their sad fate they were also grateful that they had passed from the control of the heartless king gos into the more considerate care of king kaliko. they were still captives but they believed they would be happier in the underground caverns of the nomes than in regos and coregos. meantime, in the king's royal cavern a great feast had been spread. king gos and queen cor, having triumphed in their plot, were so well pleased that they held high revelry with the jolly nome king until a late hour that night. and the next morning, having cautioned kaliko not to release the prisoners under any consideration without their orders, the king and queen of regos and coregos left the caverns of the nomes to return to the shore of the ocean where they had left their boat. chapter eighteen inga parts with his pink pearl the white pearl guided inga truly in his pursuit of the boat of king gos, but the boy had been so delayed in sending his people home to pingaree that it was a full day after gos and cor landed on the shore of the wheeler country that inga's boat arrived at the same place. there he found the forty rowers guarding the barge of queen cor, and although they would not or could not tell the boy where the king and queen had taken his father and mother, the white pearl advised him to follow the path to the country and the caverns of the nomes. rinkitink didn't like to undertake the rocky and mountainous journey, even with bilbil to carry him, but he would not desert inga, even though his own kingdom lay just beyond a range of mountains which could be seen towering southwest of them. so the king bravely mounted the goat, who always grumbled but always obeyed his master, and the three set off at once for the caverns of the nomes. they traveled just as slowly as queen cor and king gos had done, so when they were about halfway they discovered the king and queen coming back to their boat. the fact that gos and cor were now alone proved that they had left inga's father and mother behind them; so, at the suggestion of rinkitink, the three hid behind a high rock until the king of regos and the queen of coregos, who had not observed them, had passed them by. then they continued their journey, glad that they had not again been forced to fight or quarrel with their wicked enemies. "we might have asked them, however, what they had done with your poor parents," said rinkitink. "never mind," answered inga. "i am sure the white pearl will guide us aright." for a time they proceeded in silence and then rinkitink began to chuckle with laughter in the pleasant way he was wont to do before his misfortunes came upon him. "what amuses your majesty?" inquired the boy. "the thought of how surprised my dear subjects would be if they realized how near to them i am, and yet how far away. i have always wanted to visit the nome country, which is full of mystery and magic and all sorts of adventures, but my devoted subjects forbade me to think of such a thing, fearing i would get hurt or enchanted." "are you afraid, now that you are here?" asked inga. "a little, but not much, for they say the new nome king is not as wicked as the old king used to be. still, we are undertaking a dangerous journey and i think you ought to protect me by lending me one of your pearls." inga thought this over and it seemed a reasonable request. "which pearl would you like to have?" asked the boy. "well, let us see," returned rinkitink; "you may need strength to liberate your captive parents, so you must keep the blue pearl. and you will need the advice of the white pearl, so you had best keep that also. but in case we should be separated i would have nothing to protect me from harm, so you ought to lend me the pink pearl." "very well," agreed inga, and sitting down upon a rock he removed his right shoe and after withdrawing the cloth from the pointed toe took out the pink pearl--the one which protected from any harm the person who carried it. "where can you put it, to keep it safely?" he asked. "in my vest pocket," replied the king. "the pocket has a flap to it and i can pin it down in such a way that the pearl cannot get out and become lost. as for robbery, no one with evil intent can touch my person while i have the pearl." so inga gave rinkitink the pink pearl and the little king placed it in the pocket of his red-and-green brocaded velvet vest, pinning the flap of the pocket down tightly. they now resumed their journey and finally reached the entrance to the nome king's caverns. placing the white pearl to his ear, inga asked: "what shall i do now?" and the voice of the pearl replied: "clap your hands together four times and call aloud the word 'klik.' then allow yourselves to be conducted to the nome king, who is now holding your father and mother captive." inga followed these instructions and when klik appeared in answer to his summons the boy requested an audience of the nome king. so klik led them into the presence of king kaliko, who was suffering from a severe headache, due to his revelry the night before, and therefore was unusually cross and grumpy. "i know what you've come for," said he, before inga could speak. "you want to get the captives from regos away from me; but you can't do it, so you'd best go away again." "the captives are my father and mother, and i intend to liberate them," said the boy firmly. the king stared hard at inga, wondering at his audacity. then he turned to look at king rinkitink and said: "i suppose you are the king of gilgad, which is in the kingdom of rinkitink." "you've guessed it the first time," replied rinkitink. "how round and fat you are!" exclaimed kaliko. "i was just thinking how fat and round you are," said rinkitink. "really, king kaliko, we ought to be friends, we're so much alike in everything but disposition and intelligence." then he began to chuckle, while kaliko stared hard at him, not knowing whether to accept his speech as a compliment or not. and now the nome's eyes wandered to bilbil, and he asked: "is that your talking goat?" bilbil met the nome king's glowering look with a gaze equally surly and defiant, while rinkitink answered: "it is, your majesty." "can he really talk?" asked kaliko, curiously. "he can. but the best thing he does is to scold. talk to his majesty, bilbil." but bilbil remained silent and would not speak. "do you always ride upon his back?" continued kaliko, questioning rinkitink. "yes," was the answer, "because it is difficult for a fat man to walk far, as perhaps you know from experience. "that is true," said kaliko. "get off the goat's back and let me ride him a while, to see how i like it. perhaps i'll take him away from you, to ride through my caverns." rinkitink chuckled softly as he heard this, but at once got off bilbil's back and let kaliko get on. the nome king was a little awkward, but when he was firmly astride the saddle he called in a loud voice: "giddap!" when bilbil paid no attention to the command and refused to stir, kaliko kicked his heels viciously against the goat's body, and then bilbil made a sudden start. he ran swiftly across the great cavern, until he had almost reached the opposite wall, when he stopped so abruptly that king kaliko sailed over his head and bumped against the jeweled wall. he bumped so hard that the points of his crown were all mashed out of shape and his head was driven far into the diamond-studded band of the crown, so that it covered one eye and a part of his nose. perhaps this saved kaliko's head from being cracked against the rock wall, but it was hard on the crown. bilbil was highly pleased at the success of his feat and rinkitink laughed merrily at the nome king's comical appearance; but kaliko was muttering and growling as he picked himself up and struggled to pull the battered crown from his head, and it was evident that he was not in the least amused. indeed, inga could see that the king was very angry, and the boy knew that the incident was likely to turn kaliko against the entire party. the nome king sent klik for another crown and ordered his workmen to repair the one that was damaged. while he waited for the new crown he sat regarding his visitors with a scowling face, and this made inga more uneasy than ever. finally, when the new crown was placed upon his head, king kaliko said: "follow me, strangers!" and led the way to a small door at one end of the cavern. inga and rinkitink followed him through the doorway and found themselves standing on a balcony that overlooked an enormous domed cave--so extensive that it seemed miles to the other side of it. all around this circular cave, which was brilliantly lighted from an unknown source, were arches connected with other caverns. kaliko took a gold whistle from his pocket and blew a shrill note that echoed through every part of the cave. instantly nomes began to pour in through the side arches in great numbers, until the immense space was packed with them as far as the eye could reach. all were armed with glittering weapons of polished silver and gold, and inga was amazed that any king could command so great an army. they began marching and countermarching in very orderly array until another blast of the gold whistle sent them scurrying away as quickly as they had appeared. and as soon as the great cave was again empty kaliko returned with his visitors to his own royal chamber, where he once more seated himself upon his ivory throne. "i have shown you," said he to inga, "a part of my bodyguard. the royal armies, of which this is only a part, are as numerous as the sands of the ocean, and live in many thousands of my underground caverns. you have come here thinking to force me to give up the captives of king gos and queen cor, and i wanted to convince you that my power is too mighty for anyone to oppose. i am told that you are a wizard, and depend upon magic to aid you; but you must know that the nomes are not mortals, and understand magic pretty well themselves, so if we are obliged to fight magic with magic the chances are that we are a hundred times more powerful than you can be. think this over carefully, my boy, and try to realize that you are in my power. i do not believe you can force me to liberate king kitticut and queen garee, and i know that you cannot coax me to do so, for i have given my promise to king gos. therefore, as i do not wish to hurt you, i ask you to go away peaceably and let me alone." "forgive me if i do not agree with you, king kaliko," answered the boy. "however difficult and dangerous my task may be, i cannot leave your dominions until every effort to release my parents has failed and left me completely discouraged." "very well," said the king, evidently displeased. "i have warned you, and now if evil overtakes you it is your own fault. i've a headache to-day, so i cannot entertain you properly, according to your rank; but klik will attend you to my guest chambers and to-morrow i will talk with you again." this seemed a fair and courteous way to treat one's declared enemies, so they politely expressed the wish that kaliko's headache would be better, and followed their guide, klik, down a well-lighted passage and through several archways until they finally reached three nicely furnished bedchambers which were cut from solid gray rock and well lighted and aired by some mysterious method known to the nomes. the first of these rooms was given king rinkitink, the second was inga's and the third was assigned to bilbil the goat. there was a swinging rock door between the third and second rooms and another between the second and first, which also had a door that opened upon the passage. rinkitink's room was the largest, so it was here that an excellent dinner was spread by some of the nome servants, who, in spite of their crooked shapes, proved to be well trained and competent. "you are not prisoners, you know," said klik; "neither are you welcome guests, having declared your purpose to oppose our mighty king and all his hosts. but we bear you no ill will, and you are to be well fed and cared for as long as you remain in our caverns. eat hearty, sleep tight, and pleasant dreams to you." saying this, he left them alone and at once rinkitink and inga began to counsel together as to the best means to liberate king kitticut and queen garee. the white pearl's advice was rather unsatisfactory to the boy, just now, for all that the voice said in answer to his questions was: "be patient, brave and determined." rinkitink suggested that they try to discover in what part of the series of underground caverns inga's parents had been confined, as that knowledge was necessary before they could take any action; so together they started out, leaving bilbil asleep in his room, and made their way unopposed through many corridors and caverns. in some places were great furnaces, where gold dust was being melted into bricks. in other rooms workmen were fashioning the gold into various articles and ornaments. in one cavern immense wheels revolved which polished precious gems, and they found many caverns used as storerooms, where treasure of every sort was piled high. also they came to the barracks of the army and the great kitchens. there were nomes everywhere--countless thousands of them--but none paid the slightest heed to the visitors from the earth's surface. yet, although inga and rinkitink walked until they were weary, they were unable to locate the place where the boy's father and mother had been confined, and when they tried to return to their own rooms they found that they had hopelessly lost themselves amid the labyrinth of passages. however, klik presently came to them, laughing at their discomfiture, and led them back to their bedchambers. before they went to sleep they carefully barred the door from rinkitink's room to the corridor, but the doors that connected the three rooms one with another were left wide open. in the night inga was awakened by a soft grating sound that filled him with anxiety because he could not account for it. it was dark in his room, the light having disappeared as soon as he got into bed, but he managed to feel his way to the door that led to rinkitink's room and found it tightly closed and immovable. then he made his way to the opposite door, leading to bilbil's room, to discover that also had been closed and fastened. the boy had a curious sensation that all of his room--the walls, floor and ceiling--was slowly whirling as if on a pivot, and it was such an uncomfortable feeling that he got into bed again, not knowing what else to do. and as the grating noise had ceased and the room now seemed stationary, he soon fell asleep again. when the boy wakened, after many hours, he found the room again light. so he dressed himself and discovered that a small table, containing a breakfast that was smoking hot, had suddenly appeared in the center of his room. he tried the two doors, but finding that he could not open them he ate some breakfast, thoughtfully wondering who had locked him in and why he had been made a prisoner. then he again went to the door which he thought led to rinkitink's chamber and to his surprise the latch lifted easily and the door swung open. before him was a rude corridor hewn in the rock and dimly lighted. it did not look inviting, so inga closed the door, puzzled to know what had become of rinkitink's room and the king, and went to the opposite door. opening this, he found a solid wall of rock confronting him, which effectually prevented his escape in that direction. the boy now realized that king kaliko had tricked him, and while professing to receive him as a guest had plotted to separate him from his comrades. one way had been left, however, by which he might escape and he decided to see where it led to. so, going to the first door, he opened it and ventured slowly into the dimly lighted corridor. when he had advanced a few steps he heard the door of his room slam shut behind him. he ran back at once, but the door of rock fitted so closely into the wall that he found it impossible to open it again. that did not matter so much, however, for the room was a prison and the only way of escape seemed ahead of him. along the corridor he crept until, turning a corner, he found himself in a large domed cavern that was empty and deserted. here also was a dim light that permitted him to see another corridor at the opposite side; so he crossed the rocky floor of the cavern and entered a second corridor. this one twisted and turned in every direction but was not very long, so soon the boy reached a second cavern, not so large as the first. this he found vacant also, but it had another corridor leading out of it, so inga entered that. it was straight and short and beyond was a third cavern, which differed little from the others except that it had a strong iron grating at one side of it. all three of these caverns had been roughly hewn from the rock and it seemed they had never been put to use, as had all the other caverns of the nomes he had visited. standing in the third cavern, inga saw what he thought was still another corridor at its farther side, so he walked toward it. this opening was dark, and that fact, and the solemn silence all around him, made him hesitate for a while to enter it. upon reflection, however, he realized that unless he explored the place to the very end he could not hope to escape from it, so he boldly entered the dark corridor and felt his way cautiously as he moved forward. scarcely had he taken two paces when a crash resounded back of him and a heavy sheet of steel closed the opening into the cavern from which he had just come. he paused a moment, but it still seemed best to proceed, and as inga advanced in the dark, holding his hands outstretched before him to feel his way, handcuffs fell upon his wrists and locked themselves with a sharp click, and an instant later he found he was chained to a stout iron post set firmly in the rock floor. the chains were long enough to permit him to move a yard or so in any direction and by feeling the walls he found he was in a small circular room that had no outlet except the passage by which he had entered, and that was now closed by the door of steel. this was the end of the series of caverns and corridors. it was now that the horror of his situation occurred to the boy with full force. but he resolved not to submit to his fate without a struggle, and realizing that he possessed the blue pearl, which gave him marvelous strength, he quickly broke the chains and set himself free of the handcuffs. next he twisted the steel door from its hinges, and creeping along the short passage, found himself in the third cave. but now the dim light, which had before guided him, had vanished; yet on peering into the gloom of the cave he saw what appeared to be two round disks of flame, which cast a subdued glow over the floor and walls. by this dull glow he made out the form of an enormous man, seated in the center of the cave, and he saw that the iron grating had been removed, permitting the man to enter. the giant was unclothed and its limbs were thickly covered with coarse red hair. the round disks of flame were its two eyes and when it opened its mouth to yawn inga saw that its jaws were wide enough to crush a dozen men between the great rows of teeth. presently the giant looked up and perceived the boy crouching at the other side of the cavern, so he called out in a hoarse, rude voice: "come hither, my pretty one. we will wrestle together, you and i, and if you succeed in throwing me i will let you pass through my cave." the boy made no reply to the challenge. he realized he was in dire peril and regretted that he had lent the pink pearl to king rinkitink. but it was now too late for vain regrets, although he feared that even his great strength would avail him little against this hairy monster. for his arms were not long enough to span a fourth of the giant's huge body, while the monster's powerful limbs would be likely to crush out inga's life before he could gain the mastery. therefore the prince resolved to employ other means to combat this foe, who had doubtless been placed there to bar his return. retreating through the passage he reached the room where he had been chained and wrenched the iron post from its socket. it was a foot thick and four feet long, and being of solid iron was so heavy that three ordinary men would have found it hard to lift. returning to the cavern, the boy swung the great bar above his head and dashed it with mighty force full at the giant. the end of the bar struck the monster upon its forehead, and with a single groan it fell full length upon the floor and lay still. when the giant fell, the glow from its eyes faded away, and all was dark. cautiously, for inga was not sure the giant was dead, the boy felt his way toward the opening that led to the middle cavern. the entrance was narrow and the darkness was intense, but, feeling braver now, the boy stepped boldly forward. instantly the floor began to sink beneath him and in great alarm he turned and made a leap that enabled him to grasp the rocky sides of the wall and regain a footing in the passage through which he had just come. scarcely had he obtained this place of refuge when a mighty crash resounded throughout the cavern and the sound of a rushing torrent came from far below. inga felt in his pocket and found several matches, one of which he lighted and held before him. while it flickered he saw that the entire floor of the cavern had fallen away, and knew that had he not instantly regained his footing in the passage he would have plunged into the abyss that lay beneath him. by the light of another match he saw the opening at the other side of the cave and the thought came to him that possibly he might leap across the gulf. of course, this could never be accomplished without the marvelous strength lent him by the blue pearl, but inga had the feeling that one powerful spring might carry him over the chasm into safety. he could not stay where he was, that was certain, so he resolved to make the attempt. he took a long run through the first cave and the short corridor; then, exerting all his strength, he launched himself over the black gulf of the second cave. swiftly he flew and, although his heart stood still with fear, only a few seconds elapsed before his feet touched the ledge of the opposite passageway and he knew he had safely accomplished the wonderful feat. only pausing to draw one long breath of relief, inga quickly traversed the crooked corridor that led to the last cavern of the three. but when he came in sight of it he paused abruptly, his eyes nearly blinded by a glare of strong light which burst upon them. covering his face with his hands, inga retreated behind a projecting corner of rock and by gradually getting his eyes used to the light he was finally able to gaze without blinking upon the strange glare that had so quickly changed the condition of the cavern. when he had passed through this vault it had been entirely empty. now the flat floor of rock was covered everywhere with a bed of glowing coals, which shot up little tongues of red and white flames. indeed, the entire cave was one monster furnace and the heat that came from it was fearful. inga's heart sank within him as he realized the terrible obstacle placed by the cunning nome king between him and the safety of the other caverns. there was no turning back, for it would be impossible for him again to leap over the gulf of the second cave, the corridor at this side being so crooked that he could get no run before he jumped. neither could he leap over the glowing coals of the cavern that faced him, for it was much larger than the middle cavern. in this dilemma he feared his great strength would avail him nothing and he bitterly reproached himself for parting with the pink pearl, which would have preserved him from injury. however, it was not in the nature of prince inga to despair for long, his past adventures having taught him confidence and courage, sharpened his wits and given him the genius of invention. he sat down and thought earnestly on the means of escape from his danger and at last a clever idea came to his mind. this is the way to get ideas: never to let adverse circumstances discourage you, but to believe there is a way out of every difficulty, which may be found by earnest thought. there were many points and projections of rock in the walls of the crooked corridor in which inga stood and some of these rocks had become cracked and loosened, although still clinging to their places. the boy picked out one large piece, and, exerting all his strength, tore it away from the wall. he then carried it to the cavern and tossed it upon the burning coals, about ten feet away from the end of the passage. then he returned for another fragment of rock, and wrenching it free from its place, he threw it ten feet beyond the first one, toward the opposite side of the cave. the boy continued this work until he had made a series of stepping-stones reaching straight across the cavern to the dark passageway beyond, which he hoped would lead him back to safety if not to liberty. when his work had been completed, inga did not long hesitate to take advantage of his stepping-stones, for he knew his best chance of escape lay in his crossing the bed of coals before the rocks became so heated that they would burn his feet. so he leaped to the first rock and from there began jumping from one to the other in quick succession. a withering wave of heat at once enveloped him, and for a time he feared he would suffocate before he could cross the cavern; but he held his breath, to keep the hot air from his lungs, and maintained his leaps with desperate resolve. then, before he realized it, his feet were pressing the cooler rocks of the passage beyond and he rolled helpless upon the floor, gasping for breath. his skin was so red that it resembled the shell of a boiled lobster, but his swift motion had prevented his being burned, and his shoes had thick soles, which saved his feet. after resting a few minutes, the boy felt strong enough to go on. he went to the end of the passage and found that the rock door by which he had left his room was still closed, so he returned to about the middle of the corridor and was thinking what he should do next, when suddenly the solid rock before him began to move and an opening appeared through which shone a brilliant light. shielding his eyes, which were somewhat dazzled, inga sprang through the opening and found himself in one of the nome king's inhabited caverns, where before him stood king kaliko, with a broad grin upon his features, and klik, the king's chamberlain, who looked surprised, and king rinkitink seated astride bilbil the goat, both of whom seemed pleased that inga had rejoined them. chapter nineteen rinkitink chuckles we will now relate what happened to rinkitink and bilbil that morning, while inga was undergoing his trying experience in escaping the fearful dangers of the three caverns. the king of gilgad wakened to find the door of inga's room fast shut and locked, but he had no trouble in opening his own door into the corridor, for it seems that the boy's room, which was the middle one, whirled around on a pivot, while the adjoining rooms occupied by bilbil and rinkitink remained stationary. the little king also found a breakfast magically served in his room, and while he was eating it, klik came to him and stated that his majesty, king kaliko, desired his presence in the royal cavern. so rinkitink, having first made sure that the pink pearl was still in his vest pocket, willingly followed klik, who ran on some distance ahead. but no sooner had rinkitink set foot in the passage than a great rock, weighing at least a ton, became dislodged and dropped from the roof directly over his head. of course, it could not harm him, protected as he was by the pink pearl, and it bounded aside and crashed upon the floor, where it was shattered by its own weight. "how careless!" exclaimed the little king, and waddled after klik, who seemed amazed at his escape. presently another rock above rinkitink plunged downward, and then another, but none touched his body. klik seemed much perplexed at these continued escapes and certainly kaliko was surprised when rinkitink, safe and sound, entered the royal cavern. "good morning," said the king of gilgad. "your rocks are getting loose, kaliko, and you'd better have them glued in place before they hurt someone." then he began to chuckle: "hoo, hoo, hoo-hee, hee-heek, keek, eek!" and kaliko sat and frowned because he realized that the little fat king was poking fun at him. "i asked your majesty to come here," said the nome king, "to show you a curious skein of golden thread which my workmen have made. if it pleases you, i will make you a present of it." with this he held out a small skein of glittering gold twine, which was really pretty and curious. rinkitink took it in his hand and at once the golden thread began to unwind--so swiftly that the eye could not follow its motion. and, as it unwound, it coiled itself around rinkitink's body, at the same time weaving itself into a net, until it had enveloped the little king from head to foot and placed him in a prison of gold. "aha!" cried kaliko; "this magic worked all right, it seems. "oh, did it?" replied rinkitink, and stepping forward he walked right through the golden net, which fell to the floor in a tangled mass. kaliko rubbed his chin thoughtfully and stared hard at rinkitink. "i understand a good bit of magic," said he, "but your majesty has a sort of magic that greatly puzzles me, because it is unlike anything of the sort that i ever met with before." "now, see here, kaliko," said rinkitink; "if you are trying to harm me or my companions, give it up, for you will never succeed. we're harm-proof, so to speak, and you are merely wasting your time trying to injure us. "you may be right, and i hope i am not so impolite as to argue with a guest," returned the nome king. "but you will pardon me if i am not yet satisfied that you are stronger than my famous magic. however, i beg you to believe that i bear you no ill will, king rinkitink; but it is my duty to destroy you, if possible, because you and that insignificant boy prince have openly threatened to take away my captives and have positively refused to go back to the earth's surface and let me alone. i'm very tender-hearted, as a matter of fact, and i like you immensely, and would enjoy having you as a friend, but--" here he pressed a button on the arm of his throne chair and the section of the floor where rinkitink stood suddenly opened and disclosed a black pit beneath, which was a part of 'the terrible bottomless gulf. but rinkitink did not fall into the pit; his body remained suspended in the air until he put out his foot and stepped to the solid floor, when the opening suddenly closed again. "i appreciate your majesty's friendship," remarked rinkitink, as calmly as if nothing had happened, "but i am getting tired with standing. will you kindly send for my goat, bilbil, that i may sit upon his back to rest?" "indeed i will!" promised kaliko. "i have not yet completed my test of your magic, and as i owe that goat a slight grudge for bumping my head and smashing my second-best crown, i will be glad to discover if the beast can also escape my delightful little sorceries." so klik was sent to fetch bilbil and presently returned with the goat, which was very cross this morning because it had not slept well in the underground caverns. rinkitink lost no time in getting upon the red velvet saddle which the goat constantly wore, for he feared the nome king would try to destroy bilbil and knew that as long as his body touched that of the goat the pink pearl would protect them both; whereas, if bilbil stood alone, there was no magic to save him. bilbil glared wickedly at king kaliko, who moved uneasily in his ivory throne. then the nome king whispered a moment in the ear of klik, who nodded and left the room. "please make yourselves at home here for a few minutes, while i attend to an errand," said the nome king, getting up from the throne. "i shall return pretty soon, when i hope to find you pieceful--ha, ha, ha!--that's a joke you can't appreciate now but will later. be pieceful--that's the idea. ho, ho, ho! how funny." then he waddled from the cavern, closing the door behind him. "well, why didn't you laugh when kaliko laughed?" demanded the goat, when they were left alone in the cavern. "because he means mischief of some sort," replied rinkitink, "and we'll laugh after the danger is over, bilbil. there's an old adage that says: 'he laughs best who laughs last,' and the only way to laugh last is to give the other fellow a chance. where did that knife come from, i wonder." for a long, sharp knife suddenly appeared in the air near them, twisting and turning from side to side and darting here and there in a dangerous manner, without any support whatever. then another knife became visible--and another and another--until all the space in the royal cavern seemed filled with them. their sharp points and edges darted toward rinkitink and bilbil perpetually and nothing could have saved them from being cut to pieces except the protecting power of the pink pearl. as it was, not a knife touched them and even bilbil gave a gruff laugh at the failure of kaliko's clever magic. the goat wandered here and there in the cavern, carrying rinkitink upon his back, and neither of them paid the slightest heed to the knives, although the glitter of the hundreds of polished blades was rather trying to their eyes. perhaps for ten minutes the knives darted about them in bewildering fury; then they disappeared as suddenly as they had appeared. kaliko cautiously stuck his head through the doorway and found the goat chewing the embroidery of his royal cloak, which he had left lying over the throne, while rinkitink was reading his manuscript on "how to be good" and chuckling over its advice. the nome king seemed greatly disappointed as he came in and resumed his seat on the throne. said rinkitink with a chuckle: "we've really had a peaceful time, kaliko, although not the pieceful time you expected. forgive me if i indulge in a laugh--hoo, hoo, hoo-hee, heek-keek-eek! and now, tell me; aren't you getting tired of trying to injure us?" "eh--heh," said the nome king. "i see now that your magic can protect you from all my arts. but is the boy inga as, well protected as your majesty and the goat?' "why do you ask?" inquired rinkitink, uneasy at the question because he remembered he had not seen the little prince of pingaree that morning. "because," said kaliko, "the boy has been undergoing trials far greater and more dangerous than any you have encountered, and it has been hundreds of years since anyone has been able to escape alive from the perils of my three trick caverns." king rinkitink was much alarmed at hearing this, for although he knew that inga possessed the blue pearl, that would only give to him marvelous strength, and perhaps strength alone would not enable him to escape from danger. but he would not let kaliko see the fear he felt for inga's safety, so he said in a careless way: "you're a mighty poor magician, kaliko, and i'll give you my crown if inga hasn't escaped any danger you have threatened him with." "your whole crown is not worth one of the valuable diamonds in my crown," answered the nome king, "but i'll take it. let us go at once, therefore, and see what has become of the boy prince, for if he is not destroyed by this time i will admit he cannot be injured by any of the magic arts which i have at my command." he left the room, accompanied by klik, who had now rejoined his master, and by rinkitink riding upon bilbil. after traversing several of the huge caverns they entered one that was somewhat more bright and cheerful than the others, where the nome king paused before a wall of rock. then klik pressed a secret spring and a section of the wall opened and disclosed the corridor where prince inga stood facing them. "tarts and tadpoles!" cried kaliko in surprise. "the boy is still alive!" chapter twenty dorothy to the rescue one day when princess dorothy of oz was visiting glinda the good, who is ozma's royal sorceress, she was looking through glinda's great book of records--wherein is inscribed all important events that happen in every part of the world--when she came upon the record of the destruction of pingaree, the capture of king kitticut and queen garee and all their people, and the curious escape of inga, the boy prince, and of king rinkitink and the talking goat. turning over some of the following pages, dorothy read how inga had found the magic pearls and was rowing the silver-lined boat to regos to try to rescue his parents. the little girl was much interested to know how well inga succeeded, but she returned to the palace of ozma at the emerald city of oz the next day and other events made her forget the boy prince of pingaree for a time. however, she was one day idly looking at ozma's magic picture, which shows any scene you may wish to see, when the girl thought of inga and commanded the magic picture to show what the boy was doing at that moment. it was the time when inga and rinkitink had followed the king of regos and queen of coregos to the nome king's country and she saw them hiding behind the rock as cor and gos passed them by after having placed the king and queen of pingaree in the keeping of the nome king. from that time dorothy followed, by means of the magic picture, the adventures of inga and his friend in the nome king's caverns, and the danger and helplessness of the poor boy aroused the little girl's pity and indignation. so she went to ozma and told the lovely girl ruler of oz all about inga and rinkitink. "i think kaliko is treating them dreadfully mean," declared dorothy, "and i wish you'd let me go to the nome country and help them out of their troubles." "go, my dear, if you wish to," replied ozma, "but i think it would be best for you to take the wizard with you." "oh, i'm not afraid of the nomes," said dorothy, "but i'll be glad to take the wizard, for company. and may we use your magic carpet, ozma?" "of course. put the magic carpet in the red wagon and have the sawhorse take you and the wizard to the edge of the desert. while you are gone, dorothy, i'll watch you in the magic picture, and if any danger threatens you i'll see you are not harmed." dorothy thanked the ruler of oz and kissed her good-bye, for she was determined to start at once. she found the wizard of oz, who was planting shoetrees in the garden, and when she told him inga's story he willingly agreed to accompany the little girl to the nome king's caverns. they had both been there before and had conquered the nomes with ease, so they were not at all afraid. the wizard, who was a cheery little man with a bald head and a winning smile, harnessed the wooden sawhorse to the red wagon and loaded on ozma's magic carpet. then he and dorothy climbed to the seat and the sawhorse started off and carried them swiftly through the beautiful land of oz to the edge of the deadly desert that separated their fairyland from the nome country. even dorothy and the clever wizard would not have dared to cross this desert without the aid of the magic carpet, for it would have quickly destroyed them; but when the roll of carpet had been placed upon the edge of the sands, leaving just enough lying flat for them to stand upon, the carpet straightway began to unroll before them and as they walked on it continued to unroll, until they had safely passed over the stretch of deadly desert and were on the border of the nome king's dominions. this journey had been accomplished in a few minutes, although such a distance would have required several days travel had they not been walking on the magic carpet. on arriving they at once walked toward the entrance to the caverns of the nomes. the wizard carried a little black bag containing his tools of wizardry, while dorothy carried over her arm a covered basket in which she had placed a dozen eggs, with which to conquer the nomes if she had any trouble with them. eggs may seem to you to be a queer weapon with which to fight, but the little girl well knew their value. the nomes are immortal; that is, they do not perish, as mortals do, unless they happen to come in contact with an egg. if an egg touches them--either the outer shell or the inside of the egg--the nomes lose their charm of perpetual life and thereafter are liable to die through accident or old age, just as all humans are. for this reason the sight of an egg fills a nome with terror and he will do anything to prevent an egg from touching him, even for an instant. so, when dorothy took her basket of eggs with her, she knew that she was more powerfully armed than if she had a regiment of soldiers at her back. chapter twenty-one the wizard finds an enchantment after kaliko had failed in his attempts to destroy his guests, as has been related, the nome king did nothing more to injure them but treated them in a friendly manner. he refused, however, to permit inga to see or to speak with his father and mother, or even to know in what part of the underground caverns they were confined. "you are able to protect your lives and persons, i freely admit," said kaliko; "but i firmly believe you have no power, either of magic or otherwise, to take from me the captives i have agreed to keep for king gos." inga would not agree to this. he determined not to leave the caverns until he had liberated his father and mother, although he did not then know how that could be accomplished. as for rinkitink, the jolly king was well fed and had a good bed to sleep upon, so he was not worrying about anything and seemed in no hurry to go away. kaliko and rinkitink were engaged in pitching a game with solid gold quoits, on the floor of the royal chamber, and inga and bilbil were watching them, when klik came running in, his hair standing on end with excitement, and cried out that the wizard of oz and dorothy were approaching. kaliko turned pale on hearing this unwelcome news and, abandoning his game, went to sit in his ivory throne and try to think what had brought these fearful visitors to his domain. "who is dorothy?" asked inga. "she is a little girl who once lived in kansas," replied klik, with a shudder, "but she now lives in ozma's palace at the emerald city and is a princess of oz--which means that she is a terrible foe to deal with." "doesn't she like the nomes?" inquired the boy. "it isn't that," said king kaliko, with a groan, "but she insists on the nomes being goody-goody, which is contrary to their natures. dorothy gets angry if i do the least thing that is wicked, and tries to make me stop it, and that naturally makes me downhearted. i can't imagine why she has come here just now, for i've been behaving very well lately. as for that wizard of oz, he's chock-full of magic that i can't overcome, for he learned it from glinda, who is the most powerful sorceress in the world. woe is me! why didn't dorothy and the wizard stay in oz, where they belong?" inga and rinkitink listened to this with much joy, for at once the idea came to them both to plead with dorothy to help them. even bilbil pricked up his ears when he heard the wizard of oz mentioned, and the goat seemed much less surly, and more thoughtful than usual. a few minutes later a nome came to say that dorothy and the wizard had arrived and demanded admittance, so klik was sent to usher them into the royal presence of the nome king. as soon as she came in the little girl ran up to the boy prince and seized both his hands. "oh, inga!" she exclaimed, "i'm so glad to find you alive and well." inga was astonished at so warm a greeting. making a low bow he said: "i don't think we have met before, princess." "no, indeed," replied dorothy, "but i know all about you and i've come to help you and king rinkitink out of your troubles." then she turned to the nome king and continued: "you ought to be ashamed of yourself, king kaliko, to treat an honest prince and an honest king so badly." "i haven't done anything to them," whined kaliko, trembling as her eyes flashed upon him. "no; but you tried to, an' that's just as bad, if not worse," said dorothy, who was very indignant. "and now i want you to send for the king and queen of pingaree and have them brought here immejitly!" "i won't," said kaliko. "yes, you will!" cried dorothy, stamping her foot at him. "i won't have those poor people made unhappy any longer, or separated from their little boy. why, it's dreadful, kaliko, an' i'm su'prised at you. you must be more wicked than i thought you were." "i can't do it, dorothy," said the nome king, almost weeping with despair. "i promised king gos i'd keep them captives. you wouldn't ask me to break my promise, would you?" "king gos was a robber and an outlaw," she said, "and p'r'aps you don't know that a storm at sea wrecked his boat, while he was going back to regos, and that he and queen cor were both drowned." "dear me!" exclaimed kaliko. "is that so?" "i saw it in glinda's record book," said dorothy. "so now you trot out the king and queen of pingaree as quick as you can." "no," persisted the contrary nome king, shaking his head. "i won't do it. ask me anything else and i'll try to please you, but i can't allow these friendly enemies to triumph over me. "in that case," said dorothy, beginning to remove the cover from her basket, "i'll show you some eggs." "eggs!" screamed the nome king in horror. "have you eggs in that basket?" "a dozen of 'em," replied dorothy. "then keep them there--i beg--i implore you!--and i'll do anything you say," pleaded kaliko, his teeth chattering so that he could hardly speak. "send for the king and queen of pingaree," said dorothy. "go, klik," commanded the nome king, and klik ran away in great haste, for he was almost as much frightened as his master. it was an affecting scene when the unfortunate king and queen of pingaree entered the chamber and with sobs and tears of joy embraced their brave and adventurous son. all the others stood silent until greetings and kisses had been exchanged and inga had told his parents in a few words of his vain struggles to rescue them and how princess dorothy had finally come to his assistance. then king kitticut shook the hands of his friend king rinkitink and thanked him for so loyally supporting his son inga, and queen garee kissed little dorothy's forehead and blessed her for restoring her husband and herself to freedom. the wizard had been standing near bilbil the goat and now he was surprised to hear the animal say: "joyful reunion, isn't it? but it makes me tired to see grown people cry like children." "oho!" exclaimed the wizard. "how does it happen, mr. goat, that you, who have never been to the land of oz, are able to talk?" "that's my business," returned bilbil in a surly tone. the wizard stooped down and gazed fixedly into the animal's eyes. then he said, with a pitying sigh: "i see; you are under an enchantment. indeed, i believe you to be prince bobo of boboland." bilbil made no reply but dropped his head as if ashamed. "this is a great discovery," said the wizard, addressing dorothy and the others of the party. "a good many years ago a cruel magician transformed the gallant prince of boboland into a talking goat, and this goat, being ashamed of his condition, ran away and was never after seen in boboland, which is a country far to the south of here but bordering on the deadly desert, opposite the land of oz. i heard of this story long ago and know that a diligent search has been made for the enchanted prince, without result. but i am well assured that, in the animal you call bilbil, i have discovered the unhappy prince of boboland." "dear me, bilbil," said rinkitink, "why have you never told me this?" "what would be the use?" asked bilbil in a low voice and still refusing to look up. "the use?" repeated rinkitink, puzzled. "yes, that's the trouble," said the wizard. "it is one of the most powerful enchantments ever accomplished, and the magician is now dead and the secret of the anti-charm lost. even i, with all my skill, cannot restore prince bobo to his proper form. but i think glinda might be able to do so and if you will all return with dorothy and me to the land of oz, where ozma will make you welcome, i will ask glinda to try to break this enchantment." this was willingly agreed to, for they all welcomed the chance to visit the famous land of oz. so they bade good-bye to king kaliko, whom dorothy warned not to be wicked any more if he could help it, and the entire party returned over the magic carpet to the land of oz. they filled the red wagon, which was still waiting for them, pretty full; but the sawhorse didn't mind that and with wonderful speed carried them safely to the emerald city. chapter twenty two ozma's banquet ozma had seen in her magic picture the liberation of inga's parents and the departure of the entire party for the emerald city, so with her usual hospitality she ordered a splendid banquet prepared and invited all her quaint friends who were then in the emerald city to be present that evening to meet the strangers who were to become her guests. glinda, also, in her wonderful record book had learned of the events that had taken place in the caverns of the nome king and she became especially interested in the enchantment of the prince of boboland. so she hastily prepared several of her most powerful charms and then summoned her flock of sixteen white storks, which swiftly bore her to ozma's palace. she arrived there before the red wagon did and was warmly greeted by the girl ruler. realizing that the costume of queen garee of pingaree must have become sadly worn and frayed, owing to her hardships and adventures, ozma ordered a royal outfit prepared for the good queen and had it laid in her chamber ready for her to put on as soon as she arrived, so she would not be shamed at the banquet. new costumes were also provided for king kitticut and king rinkitink and prince inga, all cut and made and embellished in the elaborate and becoming style then prevalent in the land of oz, and as soon as the party arrived at the palace ozma's guests were escorted by her servants to their rooms, that they might bathe and dress themselves. glinda the sorceress and the wizard of oz took charge of bilbil the goat and went to a private room where they were not likely to be interrupted. glinda first questioned bilbil long and earnestly about the manner of his enchantment and the ceremony that had been used by the magician who enchanted him. at first bilbil protested that he did not want to be restored to his natural shape, saying that he had been forever disgraced in the eyes of his people and of the entire world by being obliged to exist as a scrawny, scraggly goat. but glinda pointed out that any person who incurred the enmity of a wicked magician was liable to suffer a similar fate, and assured him that his misfortune would make him better beloved by his subjects when he returned to them freed from his dire enchantment. bilbil was finally convinced of the truth of this assertion and agreed to submit to the experiments of glinda and the wizard, who knew they had a hard task before them and were not at all sure they could succeed. we know that glinda is the most complete mistress of magic who has ever existed, and she was wise enough to guess that the clever but evil magician who had enchanted prince bobo had used a spell that would puzzle any ordinary wizard or sorcerer to break; therefore she had given the matter much shrewd thought and hoped she had conceived a plan that would succeed. but because she was not positive of success she would have no one present at the incantation except her assistant, the wizard of oz. first she transformed bilbil the goat into a lamb, and this was done quite easily. next she transformed the lamb into an ostrich, giving it two legs and feet instead of four. then she tried to transform the ostrich into the original prince bobo, but this incantation was an utter failure. glinda was not discouraged, however, but by a powerful spell transformed the ostrich into a tottenhot--which is a lower form of a man. then the tottenhot was transformed into a mifket, which was a great step in advance and, finally, glinda transformed the mifket into a handsome young man, tall and shapely, who fell on his knees before the great sorceress and gratefully kissed her hand, admitting that he had now recovered his proper shape and was indeed prince bobo of boboland. this process of magic, successful though it was in the end, had required so much time that the banquet was now awaiting their presence. bobo was already dressed in princely raiment and although he seemed very much humbled by his recent lowly condition, they finally persuaded him to join the festivities. when rinkitink saw that his goat had now become a prince, he did not know whether to be sorry or glad, for he felt that he would miss the companionship of the quarrelsome animal he had so long been accustomed to ride upon, while at the same time he rejoiced that poor bilbil had come to his own again. prince bobo humbly begged rinkitink's forgiveness for having been so disagreeable to him, at times, saying that the nature of a goat had influenced him and the surly disposition he had shown was a part of his enchantment. but the jolly king assured the prince that he had really enjoyed bilbil's grumpy speeches and forgave him readily. indeed, they all discovered the young prince bobo to be an exceedingly courteous and pleasant person, although he was somewhat reserved and dignified. ah, but it was a great feast that ozma served in her gorgeous banquet hall that night and everyone was as happy as could be. the shaggy man was there, and so was jack pumpkinhead and the tin woodman and cap'n bill. beside princess dorothy sat tiny trot and betsy bobbin, and the three little girls were almost as sweet to look upon as was ozma, who sat at the head of her table and outshone all her guests in loveliness. king rinkitink was delighted with the quaint people of oz and laughed and joked with the tin man and the pumpkin-headed man and found cap'n bill a very agreeable companion. but what amused the jolly king most were the animal guests, which ozma always invited to her banquets and seated at a table by themselves, where they talked and chatted together as people do but were served the sort of food their natures required. the hungry tiger and cowardly lion and the glass cat were much admired by rinkitink, but when he met a mule named hank, which betsy bobbin had brought to oz, the king found the creature so comical that he laughed and chuckled until his friends thought he would choke. then while the banquet was still in progress, rinkitink composed and sang a song to the mule and they all joined in the chorus, which was something like this: "it's very queer how big an ear is worn by mr. donkey; and yet i fear he could not hear if it were on a monkey. 'tis thick and strong and broad and long and also very hairy; it's quite becoming to our hank but might disgrace a fairy!" this song was received with so much enthusiasm that rinkitink was prevailed upon to sing another. they gave him a little time to compose the rhyme, which he declared would be better if he could devote a month or two to its composition, but the sentiment he expressed was so admirable that no one criticized the song or the manner in which the jolly little king sang it. dorothy wrote down the words on a piece of paper, and here they are: "we're merry comrades all, to-night, because we've won a gallant fight and conquered all our foes. we're not afraid of anything, so let us gayly laugh and sing until we seek repose. "we've all our grateful hearts can wish; king gos has gone to feed the fish, queen cor has gone, as well; king kitticut has found his own, prince bobo soon will have a throne relieved of magic spell. "so let's forget the horrid strife that fell upon our peaceful life and caused distress and pain; for very soon across the sea we'll all be sailing merrily to pingaree again." chapter twenty three the pearl kingdom it was unfortunate that the famous scarecrow--the most popular person in all oz, next to ozma--was absent at the time of the banquet, for he happened just then to be making one of his trips through the country; but the scarecrow had a chance later to meet rinkitink and inga and the king and queen of pingaree and prince bobo, for the party remained several weeks at the emerald city, where they were royally entertained, and where both the gentle queen garee and the noble king kitticut recovered much of their good spirits and composure and tried to forget their dreadful experiences. at last, however, the king and queen desired to return to their own pingaree, as they longed to be with their people again and see how well they had rebuilt their homes. inga also was anxious to return, although he had been very happy in oz, and king rinkitink, who was happy anywhere except at gilgad, decided to go with his former friends to pingaree. as for prince bobo, he had become so greatly attached to king rinkitink that he was loth to leave him. on a certain day they all bade good-bye to ozma and dorothy and glinda and the wizard and all their good friends in oz, and were driven in the red wagon to the edge of the deadly desert, which they crossed safely on the magic carpet. they then made their way across the nome kingdom and the wheeler country, where no one molested them, to the shores of the nonestic ocean. there they found the boat with the silver lining still lying undisturbed on the beach. there were no important adventures during the trip and on their arrival at the pearl kingdom they were amazed at the beautiful appearance of the island they had left in ruins. all the houses of the people had been rebuilt and were prettier than before, with green lawns before them and flower gardens in the back yards. the marble towers of king kitticut's new palace were very striking and impressive, while the palace itself proved far more magnificent than it had been before the warriors from regos destroyed it. nikobob had been very active and skillful in directing all this work, and he had also built a pretty cottage for himself, not far from the king's palace, and there inga found zella, who was living very happy and contented in her new home. not only had nikobob accomplished all this in a comparatively brief space of time, but he had started the pearl fisheries again and when king kitticut returned to pingaree he found a quantity of fine pearls already in the royal treasury. so pleased was kitticut with the good judgment, industry and honesty of the former charcoal-burner of regos, that he made nikobob his lord high chamberlain and put him in charge of the pearl fisheries and all the business matters of the island kingdom. they all settled down very comfortably in the new palace and the queen gathered her maids about her once more and set them to work embroidering new draperies for the royal throne. inga placed the three magic pearls in their silken bag and again deposited them in the secret cavity under the tiled flooring of the banquet hall, where they could be quickly secured if danger ever threatened the now prosperous island. king rinkitink occupied a royal guest chamber built especially for his use and seemed in no hurry to leave his friends in pingaree. the fat little king had to walk wherever he went and so missed bilbil more and more; but he seldom walked far and he was so fond of prince bobo that he never regretted bilbil's disenchantment. indeed, the jolly monarch was welcome to remain forever in pingaree, if he wished to, for his merry disposition set smiles on the faces of all his friends and made everyone near him as jolly as he was himself. when king kitticut was not too busy with affairs of state he loved to join his guest and listen to his brother monarch's songs and stories. for he found rinkitink to be, with all his careless disposition, a shrewd philosopher, and in talking over their adventures one day the king of gilgad said: "the beauty of life is its sudden changes. no one knows what is going to happen next, and so we are constantly being surprised and entertained. the many ups and downs should not discourage us, for if we are down, we know that a change is coming and we will go up again; while those who are up are almost certain to go down. my grandfather had a song which well expresses this and if you will listen i will sing it." "of course i will listen to your song," returned kitticut, "for it would be impolite not to." so rinkitink sang his grandfather's song: "a mighty king once ruled the land-- but now he's baking pies. a pauper, on the other hand, is ruling, strong and wise. a tiger once in jungles raged-- but now he's in a zoo; a lion, captive-born and caged, now roams the forest through. a man once slapped a poor boy's pate and made him weep and wail. the boy became a magistrate and put the man in jail. a sunny day succeeds the night; it's summer--then it snows! right oft goes wrong and wrong comes right, as ev'ry wise man knows." chapter twenty-four the captive king one morning, just as the royal party was finishing breakfast, a servant came running to say that a great fleet of boats was approaching the island from the south. king kitticut sprang up at once, in great alarm, for he had much cause to fear strange boats. the others quickly followed him to the shore to see what invasion might be coming upon them. inga was there with the first, and nikobob and zella soon joined the watchers. and presently, while all were gazing eagerly at the approaching fleet, king rinkitink suddenly cried out: "get your pearls, prince inga--get them quick!" "are these our enemies, then?" asked the boy, looking with surprise upon the fat little king, who had begun to tremble violently. "they are my people of gilgad!" answered rinkitink, wiping a tear from his eye. "i recognize my royal standards flying from the boats. so, please, dear inga, get out your pearls to protect me!" "what can you fear at the hands of your own subjects?" asked kitticut, astonished. but before his frightened guest could answer the question prince bobo, who was standing beside his friend, gave an amused laugh and said: "you are caught at last, dear rinkitink. your people will take you home again and oblige you to reign as king." rinkitink groaned aloud and clasped his hands together with a gesture of despair, an attitude so comical that the others could scarcely forbear laughing. but now the boats were landing upon the beach. they were fifty in number, beautifully decorated and upholstered and rowed by men clad in the gay uniforms of the king of gilgad. one splendid boat had a throne of gold in the center, over which was draped the king's royal robe of purple velvet, embroidered with gold buttercups. rinkitink shuddered when he saw this throne; but now a tall man, handsomely dressed, approached and knelt upon the grass before his king, while all the other occupants of the boats shouted joyfully and waved their plumed hats in the air. "thanks to our good fortune," said the man who kneeled, "we have found your majesty at last!" "pinkerbloo," answered rinkitink sternly, "i must have you hanged, for thus finding me against my will." "you think so now, your majesty, but you will never do it," returned pinkerbloo, rising and kissing the king's hand. "why won't i?" asked rinkitink. "because you are much too tender-hearted, your majesty." "it may be--it may be," agreed rinkitink, sadly. "it is one of my greatest failings. but what chance brought you here, my lord pinkerbloo?" "we have searched for you everywhere, sire, and all the people of gilgad have been in despair since you so mysteriously disappeared. we could not appoint a new king, because we did not know but that you still lived; so we set out to find you, dead or alive. after visiting many islands of the nonestic ocean we at last thought of pingaree, from where come the precious pearls; and now our faithful quest has been rewarded." "and what now?" asked rinkitink. "now, your majesty, you must come home with us, like a good and dutiful king, and rule over your people," declared the man in a firm voice. "i will not." "but you must--begging your majesty's pardon for the contradiction." "kitticut," cried poor rinkitink, "you must save me from being captured by these, my subjects. what! must i return to gilgad and be forced to reign in splendid state when i much prefer to eat and sleep and sing in my own quiet way? they will make me sit in a throne three hours a day and listen to dry and tedious affairs of state; and i must stand up for hours at the court receptions, till i get corns on my heels; and forever must i listen to tiresome speeches and endless petitions and complaints!" "but someone must do this, your majesty," said pinkerbloo respectfully, "and since you were born to be our king you cannot escape your duty." "'tis a horrid fate!" moaned rinkitink. "i would die willingly, rather than be a king--if it did not hurt so terribly to die." "you will find it much more comfortable to reign than to die, although i fully appreciate your majesty's difficult position and am truly sorry for you," said pinkerbloo. king kitticut had listened to this conversation thoughtfully, so now he said to his friend: "the man is right, dear rinkitink. it is your duty to reign, since fate has made you a king, and i see no honorable escape for you. i shall grieve to lose your companionship, but i feel the separation cannot be avoided." rinkitink sighed. "then," said he, turning to lord pinkerbloo, "in three days i will depart with you for gilgad; but during those three days i propose to feast and make merry with my good friend king kitticut." then all the people of gilgad shouted with delight and eagerly scrambled ashore to take their part in the festival. those three days were long remembered in pingaree, for never--before nor since--has such feasting and jollity been known upon that island. rinkitink made the most of his time and everyone laughed and sang with him by day and by night. then, at last, the hour of parting arrived and the king of gilgad and ruler of the dominion of rinkitink was escorted by a grand procession to his boat and seated upon his golden throne. the rowers of the fifty boats paused, with their glittering oars pointed into the air like gigantic uplifted sabres, while the people of pingaree--men, women and children--stood upon the shore shouting a royal farewell to the jolly king. then came a sudden hush, while rinkitink stood up and, with a bow to those assembled to witness his departure, sang the following song, which he had just composed for the occasion. "farewell, dear isle of pingaree-- the fairest land in all the sea! no living mortals, kings or churls, would scorn to wear thy precious pearls. "king kitticut, 'tis with regret i'm forced to say farewell; and yet abroad no longer can i roam when fifty boats would drag me home. "good-bye, my prince of pingaree; a noble king some time you'll be and long and wisely may you reign and never face a foe again!" they cheered him from the shore; they cheered him from the boats; and then all the oars of the fifty boats swept downward with a single motion and dipped their blades into the purple-hued waters of the nonestic ocean. as the boats shot swiftly over the ripples of the sea rinkitink turned to prince bobo, who had decided not to desert his former master and his present friend, and asked anxiously: "how did you like that song, bilbil--i mean bobo? is it a masterpiece, do you think?" and bobo replied with a smile: "like all your songs, dear rinkitink, the sentiment far excels the poetry." the wonderful oz books by l. frank baum the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz the scarecrow of oz by l. frank baum dedicated to "the uplifters" of los angeles, california, in grateful appreciation of the pleasure i have derived from association with them, and in recognition of their sincere endeavor to uplift humanity through kindness, consideration and good-fellowship. they are big men--all of them--and all with the generous hearts of little children. l. frank baum 'twixt you and me the army of children which besieged the postoffice, conquered the postmen and delivered to me its imperious commands, insisted that trot and cap'n bill be admitted to the land of oz, where trot could enjoy the society of dorothy, betsy bobbin and ozma, while the one-legged sailor-man might become a comrade of the tin woodman, the shaggy man, tik-tok and all the other quaint people who inhabit this wonderful fairyland. it was no easy task to obey this order and land trot and cap'n bill safely in oz, as you will discover by reading this book. indeed, it required the best efforts of our dear old friend, the scarecrow, to save them from a dreadful fate on the journey; but the story leaves them happily located in ozma's splendid palace and dorothy has promised me that button-bright and the three girls are sure to encounter, in the near future, some marvelous adventures in the land of oz, which i hope to be permitted to relate to you in the next oz book. meantime, i am deeply grateful to my little readers for their continued enthusiasm over the oz stories, as evinced in the many letters they send me, all of which are lovingly cherished. it takes more and more oz books every year to satisfy the demands of old and new readers, and there have been formed many "oz reading societies," where the oz books owned by different members are read aloud. all this is very gratifying to me and encourages me to write more stories. when the children have had enough of them, i hope they will let me know, and then i'll try to write something different. l. frank baum "royal historian of oz." "ozcot" at hollywood in california, . list of chapters - the great whirlpool - the cavern under the sea - the ork - daylight at last - the little old man of the island - the flight of the midgets - the bumpy man - button-bright is lost, and found again - the kingdom of jinxland - pon, the gardener's boy - the wicked king and googly-goo - the wooden-legged grass-hopper - glinda the good and the scarecrow of oz - the frozen heart - trot meets the scarecrow - pon summons the king to surrender - the ork rescues button-bright - the scarecrow meets an enemy - the conquest of the witch - queen gloria - dorothy, betsy and ozma - the waterfall - the land of oz - the royal reception chapter one the great whirlpool "seems to me," said cap'n bill, as he sat beside trot under the big acacia tree, looking out over the blue ocean, "seems to me, trot, as how the more we know, the more we find we don't know." "i can't quite make that out, cap'n bill," answered the little girl in a serious voice, after a moment's thought, during which her eyes followed those of the old sailor-man across the glassy surface of the sea. "seems to me that all we learn is jus' so much gained." "i know; it looks that way at first sight," said the sailor, nodding his head; "but those as knows the least have a habit of thinkin' they know all there is to know, while them as knows the most admits what a turr'ble big world this is. it's the knowing ones that realize one lifetime ain't long enough to git more'n a few dips o' the oars of knowledge." trot didn't answer. she was a very little girl, with big, solemn eyes and an earnest, simple manner. cap'n bill had been her faithful companion for years and had taught her almost everything she knew. he was a wonderful man, this cap'n bill. not so very old, although his hair was grizzled--what there was of it. most of his head was bald as an egg and as shiny as oilcloth, and this made his big ears stick out in a funny way. his eyes had a gentle look and were pale blue in color, and his round face was rugged and bronzed. cap'n bill's left leg was missing, from the knee down, and that was why the sailor no longer sailed the seas. the wooden leg he wore was good enough to stump around with on land, or even to take trot out for a row or a sail on the ocean, but when it came to "runnin' up aloft" or performing active duties on shipboard, the old sailor was not equal to the task. the loss of his leg had ruined his career and the old sailor found comfort in devoting himself to the education and companionship of the little girl. the accident to cap'n bill's leg bad happened at about the time trot was born, and ever since that he had lived with trot's mother as "a star boarder," having enough money saved up to pay for his weekly "keep." he loved the baby and often held her on his lap; her first ride was on cap'n bill's shoulders, for she had no baby-carriage; and when she began to toddle around, the child and the sailor became close comrades and enjoyed many strange adventures together. it is said the fairies had been present at trot's birth and had marked her forehead with their invisible mystic signs, so that she was able to see and do many wonderful things. the acacia tree was on top of a high bluff, but a path ran down the bank in a zigzag way to the water's edge, where cap'n bill's boat was moored to a rock by means of a stout cable. it had been a hot, sultry afternoon, with scarcely a breath of air stirring, so cap'n bill and trot had been quietly sitting beneath the shade of the tree, waiting for the sun to get low enough for them to take a row. they had decided to visit one of the great caves which the waves had washed out of the rocky coast during many years of steady effort. the caves were a source of continual delight to both the girl and the sailor, who loved to explore their awesome depths. "i b'lieve, cap'n," remarked trot, at last, "that it's time for us to start." the old man cast a shrewd glance at the sky, the sea and the motionless boat. then he shook his head. "mebbe it's time, trot," he answered, "but i don't jes' like the looks o' things this afternoon." "what's wrong?" she asked wonderingly. "can't say as to that. things is too quiet to suit me, that's all. no breeze, not a ripple a-top the water, nary a gull a-flyin' anywhere, an' the end o' the hottest day o' the year. i ain't no weather-prophet, trot, but any sailor would know the signs is ominous." "there's nothing wrong that i can see," said trot. "if there was a cloud in the sky even as big as my thumb, we might worry about it; but--look, cap'n!--the sky is as clear as can be." he looked again and nodded. "p'r'aps we can make the cave, all right," he agreed, not wishing to disappoint her. "it's only a little way out, an' we'll be on the watch; so come along, trot." together they descended the winding path to the beach. it was no trouble for the girl to keep her footing on the steep way, but cap'n bill, because of his wooden leg, had to hold on to rocks and roots now and then to save himself from tumbling. on a level path he was as spry as anyone, but to climb up hill or down required some care. they reached the boat safely and while trot was untying the rope cap'n bill reached into a crevice of the rock and drew out several tallow candles and a box of wax matches, which he thrust into the capacious pockets of his "sou'wester." this sou'wester was a short coat of oilskin which the old sailor wore on all occasions--when he wore a coat at all--and the pockets always contained a variety of objects, useful and ornamental, which made even trot wonder where they all came from and why cap'n bill should treasure them. the jackknives--a big one and a little one--the bits of cord, the fishhooks, the nails: these were handy to have on certain occasions. but bits of shell, and tin boxes with unknown contents, buttons, pincers, bottles of curious stones and the like, seemed quite unnecessary to carry around. that was cap'n bill's business, however, and now that he added the candles and the matches to his collection trot made no comment, for she knew these last were to light their way through the caves. the sailor always rowed the boat, for he handled the oars with strength and skill. trot sat in the stern and steered. the place where they embarked was a little bight or circular bay, and the boat cut across a much larger bay toward a distant headland where the caves were located, right at the water's edge. they were nearly a mile from shore and about halfway across the bay when trot suddenly sat up straight and exclaimed: "what's that, cap'n?" he stopped rowing and turned half around to look. "that, trot," he slowly replied, "looks to me mighty like a whirlpool." "what makes it, cap'n?" "a whirl in the air makes the whirl in the water. i was afraid as we'd meet with trouble, trot. things didn't look right. the air was too still." "it's coming closer," said the girl. the old man grabbed the oars and began rowing with all his strength. "'tain't comin' closer to us, trot," he gasped; "it's we that are comin' closer to the whirlpool. the thing is drawin' us to it like a magnet!" trot's sun-bronzed face was a little paler as she grasped the tiller firmly and tried to steer the boat away; but she said not a word to indicate fear. the swirl of the water as they came nearer made a roaring sound that was fearful to listen to. so fierce and powerful was the whirlpool that it drew the surface of the sea into the form of a great basin, slanting downward toward the center, where a big hole had been made in the ocean--a hole with walls of water that were kept in place by the rapid whirling of the air. the boat in which trot and cap'n bill were riding was just on the outer edge of this saucer-like slant, and the old sailor knew very well that unless he could quickly force the little craft away from the rushing current they would soon be drawn into the great black hole that yawned in the middle. so he exerted all his might and pulled as he had never pulled before. he pulled so hard that the left oar snapped in two and sent cap'n bill sprawling upon the bottom of the boat. he scrambled up quickly enough and glanced over the side. then he looked at trot, who sat quite still, with a serious, far-away look in her sweet eyes. the boat was now speeding swiftly of its own accord, following the line of the circular basin round and round and gradually drawing nearer to the great hole in the center. any further effort to escape the whirlpool was useless, and realizing this fact cap'n bill turned toward trot and put an arm around her, as if to shield her from the awful fate before them. he did not try to speak, because the roar of the waters would have drowned the sound of his voice. these two faithful comrades had faced dangers before, but nothing to equal that which now faced them. yet cap'n bill, noting the look in trot's eyes and remembering how often she had been protected by unseen powers, did not quite give way to despair. the great hole in the dark water--now growing nearer and nearer--looked very terrifying; but they were both brave enough to face it and await the result of the adventure. chapter two the cavern under the sea the circles were so much smaller at the bottom of the basin, and the boat moved so much more swiftly, that trot was beginning to get dizzy with the motion, when suddenly the boat made a leap and dived headlong into the murky depths of the hole. whirling like tops, but still clinging together, the sailor and the girl were separated from their boat and plunged down--down--down--into the farthermost recesses of the great ocean. at first their fall was swift as an arrow, but presently they seemed to be going more moderately and trot was almost sure that unseen arms were about her, supporting her and protecting her. she could see nothing, because the water filled her eyes and blurred her vision, but she clung fast to cap'n bill's sou'wester, while other arms clung fast to her, and so they gradually sank down and down until a full stop was made, when they began to ascend again. but it seemed to trot that they were not rising straight to the surface from where they had come. the water was no longer whirling them and they seemed to be drawn in a slanting direction through still, cool ocean depths. and then--in much quicker time than i have told it--up they popped to the surface and were cast at full length upon a sandy beach, where they lay choking and gasping for breath and wondering what had happened to them. trot was the first to recover. disengaging herself from cap'n bill's wet embrace and sitting up, she rubbed the water from her eyes and then looked around her. a soft, bluish-green glow lighted the place, which seemed to be a sort of cavern, for above and on either side of her were rugged rocks. they had been cast upon a beach of clear sand, which slanted upward from the pool of water at their feet--a pool which doubtless led into the big ocean that fed it. above the reach of the waves of the pool were more rocks, and still more and more, into the dim windings and recesses of which the glowing light from the water did not penetrate. the place looked grim and lonely, but trot was thankful that she was still alive and had suffered no severe injury during her trying adventure under water. at her side cap'n bill was sputtering and coughing, trying to get rid of the water he had swallowed. both of them were soaked through, yet the cavern was warm and comfortable and a wetting did not dismay the little girl in the least. she crawled up the slant of sand and gathered in her hand a bunch of dried seaweed, with which she mopped the face of cap'n bill and cleared the water from his eyes and ears. presently the old man sat up and stared at her intently. then he nodded his bald head three times and said in a gurgling voice: "mighty good, trot; mighty good! we didn't reach davy jones's locker that time, did we? though why we didn't, an' why we're here, is more'n i kin make out." "take it easy, cap'n," she replied. "we're safe enough, i guess, at least for the time being." he squeezed the water out of the bottoms of his loose trousers and felt of his wooden leg and arms and head, and finding he had brought all of his person with him he gathered courage to examine closely their surroundings. "where d'ye think we are, trot?" he presently asked. "can't say, cap'n. p'r'aps in one of our caves." he shook his head. "no," said he, "i don't think that, at all. the distance we came up didn't seem half as far as the distance we went down; an' you'll notice there ain't any outside entrance to this cavern whatever. it's a reg'lar dome over this pool o' water, and unless there's some passage at the back, up yonder, we're fast pris'ners." trot looked thoughtfully over her shoulder. "when we're rested," she said, "we will crawl up there and see if there's a way to get out." cap'n bill reached in the pocket of his oilskin coat and took out his pipe. it was still dry, for he kept it in an oilskin pouch with his tobacco. his matches were in a tight tin box, so in a few moments the old sailor was smoking contentedly. trot knew it helped him to think when he was in any difficulty. also, the pipe did much to restore the old sailor's composure, after his long ducking and his terrible fright--a fright that was more on trot's account than his own. the sand was dry where they sat, and soaked up the water that dripped from their clothing. when trot had squeezed the wet out of her hair she began to feel much like her old self again. by and by they got upon their feet and crept up the incline to the scattered boulders above. some of these were of huge size, but by passing between some and around others, they were able to reach the extreme rear of the cavern. "yes," said trot, with interest, "here's a round hole." "and it's black as night inside it," remarked cap'n bill. "just the same," answered the girl, "we ought to explore it, and see where it goes, 'cause it's the only poss'ble way we can get out of this place." cap'n bill eyed the hole doubtfully "it may be a way out o' here, trot," he said, "but it may be a way into a far worse place than this. i'm not sure but our best plan is to stay right here." trot wasn't sure, either, when she thought of it in that light. after awhile she made her way back to the sands again, and cap'n bill followed her. as they sat down, the child looked thoughtfully at the sailor's bulging pockets. "how much food have we got, cap'n?" she asked. "half a dozen ship's biscuits an' a hunk o' cheese," he replied. "want some now, trot?" she shook her head, saying: "that ought to keep us alive 'bout three days if we're careful of it." "longer'n that, trot," said cap'n bill, but his voice was a little troubled and unsteady. "but if we stay here we're bound to starve in time," continued the girl, "while if we go into the dark hole--" "some things are more hard to face than starvation," said the sailor-man, gravely. "we don't know what's inside that dark hole: trot, nor where it might lead us to." "there's a way to find that out," she persisted. instead of replying, cap'n bill began searching in his pockets. he soon drew out a little package of fish-hooks and a long line. trot watched him join them together. then he crept a little way up the slope and turned over a big rock. two or three small crabs began scurrying away over the sands and the old sailor caught them and put one on his hook and the others in his pocket. coming back to the pool he swung the hook over his shoulder and circled it around his head and cast it nearly into the center of the water, where he allowed it to sink gradually, paying out the line as far as it would go. when the end was reached, he began drawing it in again, until the crab bait was floating on the surface. trot watched him cast the line a second time, and a third. she decided that either there were no fishes in the pool or they would not bite the crab bait. but cap'n bill was an old fisherman and not easily discouraged. when the crab got away he put another on the hook. when the crabs were all gone he climbed up the rocks and found some more. meantime trot tired of watching him and lay down upon the sands, where she fell fast asleep. during the next two hours her clothing dried completely, as did that of the old sailor. they were both so used to salt water that there was no danger of taking cold. finally the little girl was wakened by a splash beside her and a grunt of satisfaction from cap'n bill. she opened her eyes to find that the cap'n had landed a silver-scaled fish weighing about two pounds. this cheered her considerably and she hurried to scrape together a heap of seaweed, while cap'n bill cut up the fish with his jackknife and got it ready for cooking. they had cooked fish with seaweed before. cap'n bill wrapped his fish in some of the weed and dipped it in the water to dampen it. then he lighted a match and set fire to trot's heap, which speedily burned down to a glowing bed of ashes. then they laid the wrapped fish on the ashes, covered it with more seaweed, and allowed this to catch fire and burn to embers. after feeding the fire with seaweed for some time, the sailor finally decided that their supper was ready, so he scattered the ashes and drew out the bits of fish, still encased in their smoking wrappings. when these wrappings were removed, the fish was found thoroughly cooked and both trot and cap'n bill ate of it freely. it had a slight flavor of seaweed and would have been better with a sprinkling of salt. the soft glow which until now had lighted the cavern, began to grow dim, but there was a great quantity of seaweed in the place, so after they had eaten their fish they kept the fire alive for a time by giving it a handful of fuel now and then. from an inner pocket the sailor drew a small flask of battered metal and unscrewing the cap handed it to trot. she took but one swallow of the water although she wanted more, and she noticed that cap'n bill merely wet his lips with it. "s'pose," said she, staring at the glowing seaweed fire and speaking slowly, "that we can catch all the fish we need; how 'bout the drinking-water, cap'n?" he moved uneasily but did not reply. both of them were thinking about the dark hole, but while trot had little fear of it the old man could not overcome his dislike to enter the place. he knew that trot was right, though. to remain in the cavern, where they now were, could only result in slow but sure death. it was nighttime up on the earth's surface, so the little girl became drowsy and soon fell asleep. after a time the old sailor slumbered on the sands beside her. it was very still and nothing disturbed them for hours. when at last they awoke the cavern was light again. they had divided one of the biscuits and were munching it for breakfast when they were startled by a sudden splash in the pool. looking toward it they saw emerging from the water the most curious creature either of them had ever beheld. it wasn't a fish, trot decided, nor was it a beast. it had wings, though, and queer wings they were: shaped like an inverted chopping-bowl and covered with tough skin instead of feathers. it had four legs--much like the legs of a stork, only double the number--and its head was shaped a good deal like that of a poll parrot, with a beak that curved downward in front and upward at the edges, and was half bill and half mouth. but to call it a bird was out of the question, because it had no feathers whatever except a crest of wavy plumes of a scarlet color on the very top of its head. the strange creature must have weighed as much as cap'n bill, and as it floundered and struggled to get out of the water to the sandy beach it was so big and unusual that both trot and her companion stared at it in wonder--in wonder that was not unmixed with fear. chapter three the ork the eyes that regarded them, as the creature stood dripping before them, were bright and mild in expression, and the queer addition to their party made no attempt to attack them and seemed quite as surprised by the meeting as they were. "i wonder," whispered trot, "what it is." "who, me?" exclaimed the creature in a shrill, high-pitched voice. "why, i'm an ork." "oh!" said the girl. "but what is an ork?" "i am," he repeated, a little proudly, as he shook the water from his funny wings; "and if ever an ork was glad to be out of the water and on dry land again, you can be mighty sure that i'm that especial, individual ork!" "have you been in the water long?" inquired cap'n bill, thinking it only polite to show an interest in the strange creature. "why, this last ducking was about ten minutes, i believe, and that's about nine minutes and sixty seconds too long for comfort," was the reply. "but last night i was in an awful pickle, i assure you. the whirlpool caught me, and--" "oh, were you in the whirlpool, too?" asked trot eagerly. he gave her a glance that was somewhat reproachful. "i believe i was mentioning the fact, young lady, when your desire to talk interrupted me," said the ork. "i am not usually careless in my actions, but that whirlpool was so busy yesterday that i thought i'd see what mischief it was up to. so i flew a little too near it and the suction of the air drew me down into the depths of the ocean. water and i are natural enemies, and it would have conquered me this time had not a bevy of pretty mermaids come to my assistance and dragged me away from the whirling water and far up into a cavern, where they deserted me." "why, that's about the same thing that happened to us," cried trot. "was your cavern like this one?" "i haven't examined this one yet," answered the ork; "but if they happen to be alike i shudder at our fate, for the other one was a prison, with no outlet except by means of the water. i stayed there all night, however, and this morning i plunged into the pool, as far down as i could go, and then swam as hard and as far as i could. the rocks scraped my back, now and then, and i barely escaped the clutches of an ugly sea-monster; but by and by i came to the surface to catch my breath, and found myself here. that's the whole story, and as i see you have something to eat i entreat you to give me a share of it. the truth is, i'm half starved." with these words the ork squatted down beside them. very reluctantly cap'n bill drew another biscuit from his pocket and held it out. the ork promptly seized it in one of its front claws and began to nibble the biscuit in much the same manner a parrot might have done. "we haven't much grub," said the sailor-man, "but we're willin' to share it with a comrade in distress." "that's right," returned the ork, cocking its head sidewise in a cheerful manner, and then for a few minutes there was silence while they all ate of the biscuits. after a while trot said: "i've never seen or heard of an ork before. are there many of you?" "we are rather few and exclusive, i believe," was the reply. "in the country where i was born we are the absolute rulers of all living things, from ants to elephants." "what country is that?" asked cap'n bill. "orkland." "where does it lie?" "i don't know, exactly. you see, i have a restless nature, for some reason, while all the rest of my race are quiet and contented orks and seldom stray far from home. from childhood days i loved to fly long distances away, although father often warned me that i would get into trouble by so doing. "'it's a big world, flipper, my son,' he would say, 'and i've heard that in parts of it live queer two-legged creatures called men, who war upon all other living things and would have little respect for even an ork.' "this naturally aroused my curiosity and after i had completed my education and left school i decided to fly out into the world and try to get a glimpse of the creatures called men. so i left home without saying good-bye, an act i shall always regret. adventures were many, i found. i sighted men several times, but have never before been so close to them as now. also i had to fight my way through the air, for i met gigantic birds, with fluffy feathers all over them, which attacked me fiercely. besides, it kept me busy escaping from floating airships. in my rambling i had lost all track of distance or direction, so that when i wanted to go home i had no idea where my country was located. i've now been trying to find it for several months and it was during one of my flights over the ocean that i met the whirlpool and became its victim." trot and cap'n bill listened to this recital with much interest, and from the friendly tone and harmless appearance of the ork they judged he was not likely to prove so disagreeable a companion as at first they had feared he might be. the ork sat upon its haunches much as a cat does, but used the finger-like claws of its front legs almost as cleverly as if they were hands. perhaps the most curious thing about the creature was its tail, or what ought to have been its tail. this queer arrangement of skin, bones and muscle was shaped like the propellers used on boats and airships, having fan-like surfaces and being pivoted to its body. cap'n bill knew something of mechanics, and observing the propeller-like tail of the ork he said: "i s'pose you're a pretty swift flyer?" "yes, indeed; the orks are admitted to be kings of the air." "your wings don't seem to amount to much," remarked trot. "well, they are not very big," admitted the ork, waving the four hollow skins gently to and fro, "but they serve to support my body in the air while i speed along by means of my tail. still, taken altogether, i'm very handsomely formed, don't you think?" trot did not like to reply, but cap'n bill nodded gravely. "for an ork," said he, "you're a wonder. i've never seen one afore, but i can imagine you're as good as any." that seemed to please the creature and it began walking around the cavern, making its way easily up the slope. while it was gone, trot and cap'n bill each took another sip from the water-flask, to wash down their breakfast. "why, here's a hole--an exit--an outlet!" exclaimed the ork from above. "we know," said trot. "we found it last night." "well, then, let's be off," continued the ork, after sticking its head into the black hole and sniffing once or twice. "the air seems fresh and sweet, and it can't lead us to any worse place than this." the girl and the sailor-man got up and climbed to the side of the ork. "we'd about decided to explore this hole before you came," explained cap'n bill; "but it's a dangerous place to navigate in the dark, so wait till i light a candle." "what is a candle?" inquired the ork. "you'll see in a minute," said trot. the old sailor drew one of the candles from his right-side pocket and the tin matchbox from his left-side pocket. when he lighted the match the ork gave a startled jump and eyed the flame suspiciously; but cap'n bill proceeded to light the candle and the action interested the ork very much. "light," it said, somewhat nervously, "is valuable in a hole of this sort. the candle is not dangerous, i hope?" "sometimes it burns your fingers," answered trot, "but that's about the worst it can do--'cept to blow out when you don't want it to." cap'n bill shielded the flame with his hand and crept into the hole. it wasn't any too big for a grown man, but after he had crawled a few feet it grew larger. trot came close behind him and then the ork followed. "seems like a reg'lar tunnel," muttered the sailor-man, who was creeping along awkwardly because of his wooden leg. the rocks, too, hurt his knees. for nearly half an hour the three moved slowly along the tunnel, which made many twists and turns and sometimes slanted downward and sometimes upward. finally cap'n bill stopped short, with an exclamation of disappointment, and held the flickering candle far ahead to light the scene. "what's wrong?" demanded trot, who could see nothing because the sailor's form completely filled the hole. "why, we've come to the end of our travels, i guess," he replied. "is the hole blocked?" inquired the ork. "no; it's wuss nor that," replied cap'n bill sadly. "i'm on the edge of a precipice. wait a minute an' i'll move along and let you see for yourselves. be careful, trot, not to fall." then he crept forward a little and moved to one side, holding the candle so that the girl could see to follow him. the ork came next and now all three knelt on a narrow ledge of rock which dropped straight away and left a huge black space which the tiny flame of the candle could not illuminate. "h-m!" said the ork, peering over the edge; "this doesn't look very promising, i'll admit. but let me take your candle, and i'll fly down and see what's below us." "aren't you afraid?" asked trot. "certainly i'm afraid," responded the ork. "but if we intend to escape we can't stay on this shelf forever. so, as i notice you poor creatures cannot fly, it is my duty to explore the place for you." cap'n bill handed the ork the candle, which had now burned to about half its length. the ork took it in one claw rather cautiously and then tipped its body forward and slipped over the edge. they heard a queer buzzing sound, as the tail revolved, and a brisk flapping of the peculiar wings, but they were more interested just then in following with their eyes the tiny speck of light which marked the location of the candle. this light first made a great circle, then dropped slowly downward and suddenly was extinguished, leaving everything before them black as ink. "hi, there! how did that happen?" cried the ork. "it blew out, i guess," shouted cap'n bill. "fetch it here." "i can't see where you are," said the ork. so cap'n bill got out another candle and lighted it, and its flame enabled the ork to fly back to them. it alighted on the edge and held out the bit of candle. "what made it stop burning?" asked the creature. "the wind," said trot. "you must be more careful, this time." "what's the place like?" inquired cap'n bill. "i don't know, yet; but there must be a bottom to it, so i'll try to find it." with this the ork started out again and this time sank downward more slowly. down, down, down it went, till the candle was a mere spark, and then it headed away to the left and trot and cap'n bill lost all sight of it. in a few minutes, however, they saw the spark of light again, and as the sailor still held the second lighted candle the ork made straight toward them. it was only a few yards distant when suddenly it dropped the candle with a cry of pain and next moment alighted, fluttering wildly, upon the rocky ledge. "what's the matter?" asked trot. "it bit me!" wailed the ork. "i don't like your candles. the thing began to disappear slowly as soon as i took it in my claw, and it grew smaller and smaller until just now it turned and bit me--a most unfriendly thing to do. oh--oh! ouch, what a bite!" "that's the nature of candles, i'm sorry to say," explained cap'n bill, with a grin. "you have to handle 'em mighty keerful. but tell us, what did you find down there?" "i found a way to continue our journey," said the ork, nursing tenderly the claw which had been burned. "just below us is a great lake of black water, which looked so cold and wicked that it made me shudder; but away at the left there's a big tunnel, which we can easily walk through. i don't know where it leads to, of course, but we must follow it and find out." "why, we can't get to it," protested the little girl. "we can't fly, as you do, you must remember." "no, that's true," replied the ork musingly. "your bodies are built very poorly, it seems to me, since all you can do is crawl upon the earth's surface. but you may ride upon my back, and in that way i can promise you a safe journey to the tunnel." "are you strong enough to carry us?" asked cap'n bill, doubtfully. "yes, indeed; i'm strong enough to carry a dozen of you, if you could find a place to sit," was the reply; "but there's only room between my wings for one at a time, so i'll have to make two trips." "all right; i'll go first," decided cap'n bill. he lit another candle for trot to hold while they were gone and to light the ork on his return to her, and then the old sailor got upon the ork's back, where he sat with his wooden leg sticking straight out sidewise. "if you start to fall, clasp your arms around my neck," advised the creature. "if i start to fall, it's good night an' pleasant dreams," said cap'n bill. "all ready?" asked the ork. "start the buzz-tail," said cap'n bill, with a tremble in his voice. but the ork flew away so gently that the old man never even tottered in his seat. trot watched the light of cap'n bill's candle till it disappeared in the far distance. she didn't like to be left alone on this dangerous ledge, with a lake of black water hundreds of feet below her; but she was a brave little girl and waited patiently for the return of the ork. it came even sooner than she had expected and the creature said to her: "your friend is safe in the tunnel. now, then, get aboard and i'll carry you to him in a jiffy." i'm sure not many little girls would have cared to take that awful ride through the huge black cavern on the back of a skinny ork. trot didn't care for it, herself, but it just had to be done and so she did it as courageously as possible. her heart beat fast and she was so nervous she could scarcely hold the candle in her fingers as the ork sped swiftly through the darkness. it seemed like a long ride to her, yet in reality the ork covered the distance in a wonderfully brief period of time and soon trot stood safely beside cap'n bill on the level floor of a big arched tunnel. the sailor-man was very glad to greet his little comrade again and both were grateful to the ork for his assistance. "i dunno where this tunnel leads to," remarked cap'n bill, "but it surely looks more promisin' than that other hole we crept through." "when the ork is rested," said trot, "we'll travel on and see what happens." "rested!" cried the ork, as scornfully as his shrill voice would allow. "that bit of flying didn't tire me at all. i'm used to flying days at a time, without ever once stopping." "then let's move on," proposed cap'n bill. he still held in his hand one lighted candle, so trot blew out the other flame and placed her candle in the sailor's big pocket. she knew it was not wise to burn two candles at once. the tunnel was straight and smooth and very easy to walk through, so they made good progress. trot thought that the tunnel began about two miles from the cavern where they had been cast by the whirlpool, but now it was impossible to guess the miles traveled, for they walked steadily for hours and hours without any change in their surroundings. finally cap'n bill stopped to rest. "there's somethin' queer about this 'ere tunnel, i'm certain," he declared, wagging his head dolefully. "here's three candles gone a'ready, an' only three more left us, yet the tunnel's the same as it was when we started. an' how long it's goin' to keep up, no one knows." "couldn't we walk without a light?" asked trot. "the way seems safe enough." "it does right now," was the reply, "but we can't tell when we are likely to come to another gulf, or somethin' jes' as dangerous. in that case we'd be killed afore we knew it." "suppose i go ahead?" suggested the ork. "i don't fear a fall, you know, and if anything happens i'll call out and warn you." "that's a good idea," declared trot, and cap'n bill thought so, too. so the ork started off ahead, quite in the dark, and hand in band the two followed him. when they had walked in this way for a good long time the ork halted and demanded food. cap'n bill had not mentioned food because there was so little left--only three biscuits and a lump of cheese about as big as his two fingers--but he gave the ork half of a biscuit, sighing as he did so. the creature didn't care for the cheese, so the sailor divided it between himself and trot. they lighted a candle and sat down in the tunnel while they ate. "my feet hurt me," grumbled the ork. "i'm not used to walking and this rocky passage is so uneven and lumpy that it hurts me to walk upon it." "can't you fly along?" asked trot. "no; the roof is too low," said the ork. after the meal they resumed their journey, which trot began to fear would never end. when cap'n bill noticed how tired the little girl was, he paused and lighted a match and looked at his big silver watch. "why, it's night!" he exclaimed. "we've tramped all day, an' still we're in this awful passage, which mebbe goes straight through the middle of the world, an' mebbe is a circle--in which case we can keep walkin' till doomsday. not knowin' what's before us so well as we know what's behind us, i propose we make a stop, now, an' try to sleep till mornin'." "that will suit me," asserted the ork, with a groan. "my feet are hurting me dreadfully and for the last few miles i've been limping with pain." "my foot hurts, too," said the sailor, looking for a smooth place on the rocky floor to sit down. "your foot!" cried the ork. "why, you've only one to hurt you, while i have four. so i suffer four times as much as you possibly can. here; hold the candle while i look at the bottoms of my claws. i declare," he said, examining them by the flickering light, "there are bunches of pain all over them!" "p'r'aps," said trot, who was very glad to sit down beside her companions, "you've got corns." "corns? nonsense! orks never have corns," protested the creature, rubbing its sore feet tenderly. "then mebbe they're--they're-- what do you call 'em, cap'n bill? something 'bout the pilgrim's progress, you know." "bunions," said cap'n bill. "oh, yes; mebbe you've got bunions." "it is possible," moaned the ork. "but whatever they are, another day of such walking on them would drive me crazy." "i'm sure they'll feel better by mornin'," said cap'n bill, encouragingly. "go to sleep an' try to forget your sore feet." the ork cast a reproachful look at the sailor-man, who didn't see it. then the creature asked plaintively: "do we eat now, or do we starve?" "there's only half a biscuit left for you," answered cap'n bill. "no one knows how long we'll have to stay in this dark tunnel, where there's nothing whatever to eat; so i advise you to save that morsel o' food till later." "give it me now!" demanded the ork. "if i'm going to starve, i'll do it all at once--not by degrees." cap'n bill produced the biscuit and the creature ate it in a trice. trot was rather hungry and whispered to cap'n bill that she'd take part of her share; but the old man secretly broke his own half-biscuit in two, saving trot's share for a time of greater need. he was beginning to be worried over the little girl's plight and long after she was asleep and the ork was snoring in a rather disagreeable manner, cap'n bill sat with his back to a rock and smoked his pipe and tried to think of some way to escape from this seemingly endless tunnel. but after a time he also slept, for hobbling on a wooden leg all day was tiresome, and there in the dark slumbered the three adventurers for many hours, until the ork roused itself and kicked the old sailor with one foot. "it must be another day," said he. chapter four daylight at last cap'n bill rubbed his eyes, lit a match and consulted his watch. "nine o'clock. yes, i guess it's another day, sure enough. shall we go on?" he asked. "of course," replied the ork. "unless this tunnel is different from everything else in the world, and has no end, we'll find a way out of it sooner or later." the sailor gently wakened trot. she felt much rested by her long sleep and sprang to her feet eagerly. "let's start, cap'n," was all she said. they resumed the journey and had only taken a few steps when the ork cried "wow!" and made a great fluttering of its wings and whirling of its tail. the others, who were following a short distance behind, stopped abruptly. "what's the matter?" asked cap'n bill. "give us a light," was the reply. "i think we've come to the end of the tunnel." then, while cap'n bill lighted a candle, the creature added: "if that is true, we needn't have wakened so soon, for we were almost at the end of this place when we went to sleep." the sailor-man and trot came forward with a light. a wall of rock really faced the tunnel, but now they saw that the opening made a sharp turn to the left. so they followed on, by a narrower passage, and then made another sharp turn this time to the right. "blow out the light, cap'n," said the ork, in a pleased voice. "we've struck daylight." daylight at last! a shaft of mellow light fell almost at their feet as trot and the sailor turned the corner of the passage, but it came from above, and raising their eyes they found they were at the bottom of a deep, rocky well, with the top far, far above their heads. and here the passage ended. for a while they gazed in silence, at least two of them being filled with dismay at the sight. but the ork merely whistled softly and said cheerfully: "that was the toughest journey i ever had the misfortune to undertake, and i'm glad it's over. yet, unless i can manage to fly to the top of this pit, we are entombed here forever." "do you think there is room enough for you to fly in?" asked the little girl anxiously; and cap'n bill added: "it's a straight-up shaft, so i don't see how you'll ever manage it." "were i an ordinary bird--one of those horrid feathered things--i wouldn't even make the attempt to fly out," said the ork. "but my mechanical propeller tail can accomplish wonders, and whenever you're ready i'll show you a trick that is worth while." "oh!" exclaimed trot; "do you intend to take us up, too?" "why not?" "i thought," said cap'n bill, "as you'd go first, an' then send somebody to help us by lettin' down a rope." "ropes are dangerous," replied the ork, "and i might not be able to find one to reach all this distance. besides, it stands to reason that if i can get out myself i can also carry you two with me." "well, i'm not afraid," said trot, who longed to be on the earth's surface again. "s'pose we fall?" suggested cap'n bill, doubtfully. "why, in that case we would all fall together," returned the ork. "get aboard, little girl; sit across my shoulders and put both your arms around my neck." trot obeyed and when she was seated on the ork, cap'n bill inquired: "how 'bout me, mr. ork?" "why, i think you'd best grab hold of my rear legs and let me carry you up in that manner," was the reply. cap'n bill looked way up at the top of the well, and then he looked at the ork's slender, skinny legs and heaved a deep sigh. "it's goin' to be some dangle, i guess; but if you don't waste too much time on the way up, i may be able to hang on," said he. "all ready, then!" cried the ork, and at once his whirling tail began to revolve. trot felt herself rising into the air; when the creature's legs left the ground cap'n bill grasped two of them firmly and held on for dear life. the ork's body was tipped straight upward, and trot had to embrace the neck very tightly to keep from sliding off. even in this position the ork had trouble in escaping the rough sides of the well. several times it exclaimed "wow!" as it bumped its back, or a wing hit against some jagged projection; but the tail kept whirling with remarkable swiftness and the daylight grew brighter and brighter. it was, indeed, a long journey from the bottom to the top, yet almost before trot realized they had come so far, they popped out of the hole into the clear air and sunshine and a moment later the ork alighted gently upon the ground. the release was so sudden that even with the creature's care for its passengers cap'n bill struck the earth with a shock that sent him rolling heel over head; but by the time trot had slid down from her seat the old sailor-man was sitting up and looking around him with much satisfaction. "it's sort o' pretty here," said he. "earth is a beautiful place!" cried trot. "i wonder where on earth we are?" pondered the ork, turning first one bright eye and then the other to this side and that. trees there were, in plenty, and shrubs and flowers and green turf. but there were no houses; there were no paths; there was no sign of civilization whatever. "just before i settled down on the ground i thought i caught a view of the ocean," said the ork. "let's see if i was right." then he flew to a little hill, near by, and trot and cap'n bill followed him more slowly. when they stood on the top of the hill they could see the blue waves of the ocean in front of them, to the right of them, and at the left of them. behind the hill was a forest that shut out the view. "i hope it ain't an island, trot," said cap'n bill gravely. "if it is, i s'pose we're prisoners," she replied. "ezzackly so, trot." "but, 'even so, it's better than those terr'ble underground tunnels and caverns," declared the girl. "you are right, little one," agreed the ork. "anything above ground is better than the best that lies under ground. so let's not quarrel with our fate but be thankful we've escaped." "we are, indeed!" she replied. "but i wonder if we can find something to eat in this place?" "let's explore an' find out," proposed cap'n bill. "those trees over at the left look like cherry-trees." on the way to them the explorers had to walk through a tangle of vines and cap'n bill, who went first, stumbled and pitched forward on his face. "why, it's a melon!" cried trot delightedly, as she saw what had caused the sailor to fall. cap'n bill rose to his foot, for he was not at all hurt, and examined the melon. then he took his big jackknife from his pocket and cut the melon open. it was quite ripe and looked delicious; but the old man tasted it before he permitted trot to eat any. deciding it was good he gave her a big slice and then offered the ork some. the creature looked at the fruit somewhat disdainfully, at first, but once he had tasted its flavor he ate of it as heartily as did the others. among the vines they discovered many other melons, and trot said gratefully: "well, there's no danger of our starving, even if this is an island." "melons," remarked cap'n bill, "are both food an' water. we couldn't have struck anything better." farther on they came to the cherry trees, where they obtained some of the fruit, and at the edge of the little forest were wild plums. the forest itself consisted entirely of nut trees--walnuts, filberts, almonds and chestnuts--so there would be plenty of wholesome food for them while they remained there. cap'n bill and trot decided to walk through the forest, to discover what was on the other side of it, but the ork's feet were still so sore and "lumpy" from walking on the rocks that the creature said he preferred to fly over the tree-tops and meet them on the other side. the forest was not large, so by walking briskly for fifteen minutes they reached its farthest edge and saw before them the shore of the ocean. "it's an island, all right," said trot, with a sigh. "yes, and a pretty island, too," said cap'n bill, trying to conceal his disappointment on trot's account. "i guess, partner, if the wuss comes to the wuss, i could build a raft--or even a boat--from those trees, so's we could sail away in it." the little girl brightened at this suggestion. "i don't see the ork anywhere," she remarked, looking around. then her eyes lighted upon something and she exclaimed: "oh, cap'n bill! isn't that a house, over there to the left?" cap'n bill, looking closely, saw a shed-like structure built at one edge of the forest. "seems like it, trot. not that i'd call it much of a house, but it's a buildin', all right. let's go over an' see if it's occypied." chapter five the little old man of the island a few steps brought them to the shed, which was merely a roof of boughs built over a square space, with some branches of trees fastened to the sides to keep off the wind. the front was quite open and faced the sea, and as our friends came nearer they observed a little man, with a long pointed beard, sitting motionless on a stool and staring thoughtfully out over the water. "get out of the way, please," he called in a fretful voice. "can't you see you are obstructing my view?" "good morning," said cap'n bill, politely. "it isn't a good morning!" snapped the little man. "i've seen plenty of mornings better than this. do you call it a good morning when i'm pestered with such a crowd as you?" trot was astonished to hear such words from a stranger whom they had greeted quite properly, and cap'n bill grew red at the little man's rudeness. but the sailor said, in a quiet tone of voice: "are you the only one as lives on this 'ere island?" "your grammar's bad," was the reply. "but this is my own exclusive island, and i'll thank you to get off it as soon as possible." "we'd like to do that," said trot, and then she and cap'n bill turned away and walked down to the shore, to see if any other land was in sight. the little man rose and followed them, although both were now too provoked to pay any attention to him. "nothin' in sight, partner," reported cap'n bill, shading his eyes with his hand; "so we'll have to stay here for a time, anyhow. it isn't a bad place, trot, by any means." "that's all you know about it!" broke in the little man. "the trees are altogether too green and the rocks are harder than they ought to be. i find the sand very grainy and the water dreadfully wet. every breeze makes a draught and the sun shines in the daytime, when there's no need of it, and disappears just as soon as it begins to get dark. if you remain here you'll find the island very unsatisfactory." trot turned to look at him, and her sweet face was grave and curious. "i wonder who you are," she said. "my name is pessim," said he, with an air of pride. "i'm called the observer." "oh. what do you observe?" asked the little girl. "everything i see," was the reply, in a more surly tone. then pessim drew back with a startled exclamation and looked at some footprints in the sand. "why, good gracious me!" he cried in distress. "what's the matter now?" asked cap'n bill. "someone has pushed the earth in! don't you see it? "it isn't pushed in far enough to hurt anything," said trot, examining the footprints. "everything hurts that isn't right," insisted the man. "if the earth were pushed in a mile, it would be a great calamity, wouldn't it?" "i s'pose so," admitted the little girl. "well, here it is pushed in a full inch! that's a twelfth of a foot, or a little more than a millionth part of a mile. therefore it is one-millionth part of a calamity--oh, dear! how dreadful!" said pessim in a wailing voice. "try to forget it, sir," advised cap'n bill, soothingly. "it's beginning to rain. let's get under your shed and keep dry." "raining! is it really raining?" asked pessim, beginning to weep. "it is," answered cap'n bill, as the drops began to descend, "and i don't see any way to stop it--although i'm some observer myself." "no; we can't stop it, i fear," said the man. "are you very busy just now?" "i won't be after i get to the shed," replied the sailor-man. "then do me a favor, please," begged pessim, walking briskly along behind them, for they were hastening to the shed. "depends on what it is," said cap'n bill. "i wish you would take my umbrella down to the shore and hold it over the poor fishes till it stops raining. i'm afraid they'll get wet," said pessim. trot laughed, but cap'n bill thought the little man was poking fun at him and so he scowled upon pessim in a way that showed he was angry. they reached the shed before getting very wet, although the rain was now coming down in big drops. the roof of the shed protected them and while they stood watching the rainstorm something buzzed in and circled around pessim's head. at once the observer began beating it away with his hands, crying out: "a bumblebee! a bumblebee! the queerest bumblebee i ever saw!" cap'n bill and trot both looked at it and the little girl said in surprise: "dear me! it's a wee little ork!" "that's what it is, sure enough," exclaimed cap'n bill. really, it wasn't much bigger than a big bumblebee, and when it came toward trot she allowed it to alight on her shoulder. "it's me, all right," said a very small voice in her ear; "but i'm in an awful pickle, just the same!" "what, are you our ork, then?" demanded the girl, much amazed. "no, i'm my own ork. but i'm the only ork you know," replied the tiny creature. "what's happened to you?" asked the sailor, putting his head close to trot's shoulder in order to hear the reply better. pessim also put his head close, and the ork said: "you will remember that when i left you i started to fly over the trees, and just as i got to this side of the forest i saw a bush that was loaded down with the most luscious fruit you can imagine. the fruit was about the size of a gooseberry and of a lovely lavender color. so i swooped down and picked off one in my bill and ate it. at once i began to grow small. i could feel myself shrinking, shrinking away, and it frightened me terribly, so that i lighted on the ground to think over what was happening. in a few seconds i had shrunk to the size you now see me; but there i remained, getting no smaller, indeed, but no larger. it is certainly a dreadful affliction! after i had recovered somewhat from the shock i began to search for you. it is not so easy to find one's way when a creature is so small, but fortunately i spied you here in this shed and came to you at once." cap'n bill and trot were much astonished at this story and felt grieved for the poor ork, but the little man pessim seemed to think it a good joke. he began laughing when he heard the story and laughed until he choked, after which he lay down on the ground and rolled and laughed again, while the tears of merriment coursed down his wrinkled cheeks. "oh, dear! oh, dear!" he finally gasped, sitting up and wiping his eyes. "this is too rich! it's almost too joyful to be true." "i don't see anything funny about it," remarked trot indignantly. "you would if you'd had my experience," said pessim, getting upon his feet and gradually resuming his solemn and dissatisfied expression of countenance. "the same thing happened to me." "oh, did it? and how did you happen to come to this island?" asked the girl. "i didn't come; the neighbors brought me," replied the little man, with a frown at the recollection. "they said i was quarrelsome and fault-finding and blamed me because i told them all the things that went wrong, or never were right, and because i told them how things ought to be. so they brought me here and left me all alone, saying that if i quarreled with myself, no one else would be made unhappy. absurd, wasn't it?" "seems to me," said cap'n bill, "those neighbors did the proper thing." "well," resumed pessim, "when i found myself king of this island i was obliged to live upon fruits, and i found many fruits growing here that i had never seen before. i tasted several and found them good and wholesome. but one day i ate a lavender berry--as the ork did--and immediately i grew so small that i was scarcely two inches high. it was a very unpleasant condition and like the ork i became frightened. i could not walk very well nor very far, for every lump of earth in my way seemed a mountain, every blade of grass a tree and every grain of sand a rocky boulder. for several days i stumbled around in an agony of fear. once a tree toad nearly gobbled me up, and if i ran out from the shelter of the bushes the gulls and cormorants swooped down upon me. finally i decided to eat another berry and become nothing at all, since life, to one as small as i was, had become a dreary nightmare. "at last i found a small tree that i thought bore the same fruit as that i had eaten. the berry was dark purple instead of light lavender, but otherwise it was quite similar. being unable to climb the tree, i was obliged to wait underneath it until a sharp breeze arose and shook the limbs so that a berry fell. instantly i seized it and taking a last view of the world--as i then thought--i ate the berry in a twinkling. then, to my surprise, i began to grow big again, until i became of my former stature, and so i have since remained. needless to say, i have never eaten again of the lavender fruit, nor do any of the beasts or birds that live upon this island eat it." they had all three listened eagerly to this amazing tale, and when it was finished the ork exclaimed: "do you think, then, that the deep purple berry is the antidote for the lavender one?" "i'm sure of it," answered pessim. "then lead me to the tree at once!" begged the ork, "for this tiny form i now have terrifies me greatly." pessim examined the ork closely "you are ugly enough as you are," said he. "were you any larger you might be dangerous." "oh, no," trot assured him; "the ork has been our good friend. please take us to the tree." then pessim consented, although rather reluctantly. he led them to the right, which was the east side of the island, and in a few minutes brought them near to the edge of the grove which faced the shore of the ocean. here stood a small tree bearing berries of a deep purple color. the fruit looked very enticing and cap'n bill reached up and selected one that seemed especially plump and ripe. the ork had remained perched upon trot's shoulder but now it flew down to the ground. it was so difficult for cap'n bill to kneel down, with his wooden leg, that the little girl took the berry from him and held it close to the ork's head. "it's too big to go into my mouth," said the little creature, looking at the fruit sidewise. "you'll have to make sev'ral mouthfuls of it, i guess," said trot; and that is what the ork did. he pecked at the soft, ripe fruit with his bill and ate it up very quickly, because it was good. even before he had finished the berry they could see the ork begin to grow. in a few minutes he had regained his natural size and was strutting before them, quite delighted with his transformation. "well, well! what do you think of me now?" he asked proudly. "you are very skinny and remarkably ugly," declared pessim. "you are a poor judge of orks," was the reply. "anyone can see that i'm much handsomer than those dreadful things called birds, which are all fluff and feathers." "their feathers make soft beds," asserted pessim. "and my skin would make excellent drumheads," retorted the ork. "nevertheless, a plucked bird or a skinned ork would be of no value to himself, so we needn't brag of our usefulness after we are dead. but for the sake of argument, friend pessim, i'd like to know what good you would be, were you not alive?" "never mind that," said cap'n bill. "he isn't much good as he is." "i am king of this island, allow me to say, and you're intruding on my property," declared the little man, scowling upon them. "if you don't like me--and i'm sure you don't, for no one else does--why don't you go away and leave me to myself?" "well, the ork can fly, but we can't," explained trot, in answer. "we don't want to stay here a bit, but i don't see how we can get away." "you can go back into the hole you came from." cap'n bill shook his head; trot shuddered at the thought; the ork laughed aloud. "you may be king here," the creature said to pessim, "but we intend to run this island to suit ourselves, for we are three and you are one, and the balance of power lies with us." the little man made no reply to this, although as they walked back to the shed his face wore its fiercest scowl. cap'n bill gathered a lot of leaves and, assisted by trot, prepared two nice beds in opposite corners of the shed. pessim slept in a hammock which he swung between two trees. they required no dishes, as all their food consisted of fruits and nuts picked from the trees; they made no fire, for the weather was warm and there was nothing to cook; the shed had no furniture other than the rude stool which the little man was accustomed to sit upon. he called it his "throne" and they let him keep it. so they lived upon the island for three days, and rested and ate to their hearts' content. still, they were not at all happy in this life because of pessim. he continually found fault with them, and all that they did, and all their surroundings. he could see nothing good or admirable in all the world and trot soon came to understand why the little man's former neighbors had brought him to this island and left him there, all alone, so he could not annoy anyone. it was their misfortune that they had been led to this place by their adventures, for often they would have preferred the company of a wild beast to that of pessim. on the fourth day a happy thought came to the ork. they had all been racking their brains for a possible way to leave the island, and discussing this or that method, without finding a plan that was practical. cap'n bill had said he could make a raft of the trees, big enough to float them all, but he had no tools except those two pocketknives and it was not possible to chop down tree with such small blades. "and s'pose we got afloat on the ocean," said trot, "where would we drift to, and how long would it take us to get there?" cap'n bill was forced to admit he didn't know. the ork could fly away from the island any time it wished to, but the queer creature was loyal to his new friends and refused to leave them in such a lonely, forsaken place. it was when trot urged him to go, on this fourth morning, that the ork had his happy thought. "i will go," said he, "if you two will agree to ride upon my back." "we are too heavy; you might drop us," objected cap'n bill. "yes, you are rather heavy for a long journey," acknowledged the ork, "but you might eat of those lavender berries and become so small that i could carry you with ease." this quaint suggestion startled trot and she looked gravely at the speaker while she considered it, but cap'n bill gave a scornful snort and asked: "what would become of us afterward? we wouldn't be much good if we were some two or three inches high. no, mr. ork, i'd rather stay here, as i am, than be a hop-o'-my-thumb somewhere else." "why couldn't you take some of the dark purple berries along with you, to eat after we had reached our destination?" inquired the ork. "then you could grow big again whenever you pleased." trot clapped her hands with delight. "that's it!" she exclaimed. "let's do it, cap'n bill." the old sailor did not like the idea at first, but he thought it over carefully and the more he thought the better it seemed. "how could you manage to carry us, if we were so small?" he asked. "i could put you in a paper bag, and tie the bag around my neck." "but we haven't a paper bag," objected trot. the ork looked at her. "there's your sunbonnet," it said presently, "which is hollow in the middle and has two strings that you could tie around my neck." trot took off her sunbonnet and regarded it critically. yes, it might easily hold both her and cap'n bill, after they had eaten the lavender berries and been reduced in size. she tied the strings around the ork's neck and the sunbonnet made a bag in which two tiny people might ride without danger of falling out. so she said: "i b'lieve we'll do it that way, cap'n." cap'n bill groaned but could make no logical objection except that the plan seemed to him quite dangerous--and dangerous in more ways than one. "i think so, myself," said trot soberly. "but nobody can stay alive without getting into danger sometimes, and danger doesn't mean getting hurt, cap'n; it only means we might get hurt. so i guess we'll have to take the risk." "let's go and find the berries," said the ork. they said nothing to pessim, who was sitting on his stool and scowling dismally as he stared at the ocean, but started at once to seek the trees that bore the magic fruits. the ork remembered very well where the lavender berries grew and led his companions quickly to the spot. cap'n bill gathered two berries and placed them carefully in his pocket. then they went around to the east side of the island and found the tree that bore the dark purple berries. "i guess i'll take four of these," said the sailor-man, "so in case one doesn't make us grow big we can eat another." "better take six," advised the ork. "it's well to be on the safe side, and i'm sure these trees grow nowhere else in all the world." so cap'n bill gathered six of the purple berries and with their precious fruit they returned to the shed to big good-bye to pessim. perhaps they would not have granted the surly little man this courtesy had they not wished to use him to tie the sunbonnet around the ork's neck. when pessim learned they were about to leave him he at first looked greatly pleased, but he suddenly recollected that nothing ought to please him and so began to grumble about being left alone. "we knew it wouldn't suit you," remarked cap'n bill. "it didn't suit you to have us here, and it won't suit you to have us go away." "that is quite true," admitted pessim. "i haven't been suited since i can remember; so it doesn't matter to me in the least whether you go or stay." he was interested in their experiment, however, and willingly agreed to assist, although he prophesied they would fall out of the sunbonnet on their way and be either drowned in the ocean or crushed upon some rocky shore. this uncheerful prospect did not daunt trot, but it made cap'n bill quite nervous. "i will eat my berry first," said trot, as she placed her sunbonnet on the ground, in such manner that they could get into it. then she ate the lavender berry and in a few seconds became so small that cap'n bill picked her up gently with his thumb and one finger and placed her in the middle of the sunbonnet. then he placed beside her the six purple berries--each one being about as big as the tiny trot's head--and all preparations being now made the old sailor ate his lavender berry and became very small--wooden leg and all! cap'n bill stumbled sadly in trying to climb over the edge of the sunbonnet and pitched in beside trot headfirst, which caused the unhappy pessim to laugh with glee. then the king of the island picked up the sunbonnet--so rudely that he shook its occupants like peas in a pod--and tied it, by means of its strings, securely around the ork's neck. "i hope, trot, you sewed those strings on tight," said cap'n bill anxiously. "why, we are not very heavy, you know," she replied, "so i think the stitches will hold. but be careful and not crush the berries, cap'n." "one is jammed already," he said, looking at them. "all ready?" asked the ork. "yes!" they cried together, and pessim came close to the sunbonnet and called out to them: "you'll be smashed or drowned, i'm sure you will! but farewell, and good riddance to you." the ork was provoked by this unkind speech, so he turned his tail toward the little man and made it revolve so fast that the rush of air tumbled pessim over backward and he rolled several times upon the ground before he could stop himself and sit up. by that time the ork was high in the air and speeding swiftly over the ocean. chapter six the flight of the midgets cap'n bill and trot rode very comfortably in the sunbonnet. the motion was quite steady, for they weighed so little that the ork flew without effort. yet they were both somewhat nervous about their future fate and could not help wishing they were safe on land and their natural size again. "you're terr'ble small, trot," remarked cap'n bill, looking at his companion. "same to you, cap'n," she said with a laugh; "but as long as we have the purple berries we needn't worry about our size." "in a circus," mused the old man, "we'd be curiosities. but in a sunbonnet--high up in the air--sailin' over a big, unknown ocean--they ain't no word in any booktionary to describe us." "why, we're midgets, that's all," said the little girl. the ork flew silently for a long time. the slight swaying of the sunbonnet made cap'n bill drowsy, and he began to doze. trot, however, was wide awake, and after enduring the monotonous journey as long as she was able she called out: "don't you see land anywhere, mr. ork?" "not yet," he answered. "this is a big ocean and i've no idea in which direction the nearest land to that island lies; but if i keep flying in a straight line i'm sure to reach some place some time." that seemed reasonable, so the little people in the sunbonnet remained as patient as possible; that is, cap'n bill dozed and trot tried to remember her geography lessons so she could figure out what land they were likely to arrive at. for hours and hours the ork flew steadily, keeping to the straight line and searching with his eyes the horizon of the ocean for land. cap'n bill was fast asleep and snoring and trot had laid her head on his shoulder to rest it when suddenly the ork exclaimed: "there! i've caught a glimpse of land, at last." at this announcement they roused themselves. cap'n bill stood up and tried to peek over the edge of the sunbonnet. "what does it look like?" he inquired. "looks like another island," said the ork; "but i can judge it better in a minute or two." "i don't care much for islands, since we visited that other one," declared trot. soon the ork made another announcement. "it is surely an island, and a little one, too," said he. "but i won't stop, because i see a much bigger land straight ahead of it." "that's right," approved cap'n bill. "the bigger the land, the better it will suit us." "it's almost a continent," continued the ork after a brief silence, during which he did not decrease the speed of his flight. "i wonder if it can be orkland, the place i have been seeking so long?" "i hope not," whispered trot to cap'n bill--so softly that the ork could not hear her--"for i shouldn't like to be in a country where only orks live. this one ork isn't a bad companion, but a lot of him wouldn't be much fun." after a few more minutes of flying the ork called out in a sad voice: "no! this is not my country. it's a place i have never seen before, although i have wandered far and wide. it seems to be all mountains and deserts and green valleys and queer cities and lakes and rivers--mixed up in a very puzzling way." "most countries are like that," commented cap'n bill. "are you going to land?" "pretty soon," was the reply. "there is a mountain peak just ahead of me. what do you say to our landing on that?" "all right," agreed the sailor-man, for both he and trot were getting tired of riding in the sunbonnet and longed to set foot on solid ground again. so in a few minutes the ork slowed down his speed and then came to a stop so easily that they were scarcely jarred at all. then the creature squatted down until the sunbonnet rested on the ground, and began trying to unfasten with its claws the knotted strings. this proved a very clumsy task, because the strings were tied at the back of the ork's neck, just where his claws would not easily reach. after much fumbling he said: "i'm afraid i can't let you out, and there is no one near to help me." this was at first discouraging, but after a little thought cap'n bill said: "if you don't mind, trot, i can cut a slit in your sunbonnet with my knife." "do," she replied. "the slit won't matter, 'cause i can sew it up again afterward, when i am big." so cap'n bill got out his knife, which was just as small, in proportion, as he was, and after considerable trouble managed to cut a long slit in the sunbonnet. first he squeezed through the opening himself and then helped trot to get out. when they stood on firm ground again their first act was to begin eating the dark purple berries which they had brought with them. two of these trot had guarded carefully during the long journey, by holding them in her lap, for their safety meant much to the tiny people. "i'm not very hungry," said the little girl as she handed a berry to cap'n bill, "but hunger doesn't count, in this case. it's like taking medicine to make you well, so we must manage to eat 'em, somehow or other." but the berries proved quite pleasant to taste and as cap'n bill and trot nibbled at their edges their forms began to grow in size--slowly but steadily. the bigger they grew the easier it was for them to eat the berries, which of course became smaller to them, and by the time the fruit was eaten our friends had regained their natural size. the little girl was greatly relieved when she found herself as large as she had ever been, and cap'n bill shared her satisfaction; for, although they had seen the effect of the berries on the ork, they had not been sure the magic fruit would have the same effect on human beings, or that the magic would work in any other country than that in which the berries grew. "what shall we do with the other four berries?" asked trot, as she picked up her sunbonnet, marveling that she had ever been small enough to ride in it. "they're no good to us now, are they, cap'n?" "i'm not sure as to that," he replied. "if they were eaten by one who had never eaten the lavender berries, they might have no effect at all; but then, contrarywise, they might. one of 'em has got badly jammed, so i'll throw it away, but the other three i b'lieve i'll carry with me. they're magic things, you know, and may come handy to us some time." he now searched in his big pockets and drew out a small wooden box with a sliding cover. the sailor had kept an assortment of nails, of various sizes, in this box, but those he now dumped loosely into his pocket and in the box placed the three sound purple berries. when this important matter was attended to they found time to look about them and see what sort of place the ork had landed them in. chapter seven the bumpy man the mountain on which they had alighted was not a barren waste, but had on its sides patches of green grass, some bushes, a few slender trees and here and there masses of tumbled rocks. the sides of the slope seemed rather steep, but with care one could climb up or down them with ease and safety. the view from where they now stood showed pleasant valleys and fertile hills lying below the heights. trot thought she saw some houses of queer shapes scattered about the lower landscape, and there were moving dots that might be people or animals, yet were too far away for her to see them clearly. not far from the place where they stood was the top of the mountain, which seemed to be flat, so the ork proposed to his companions that he would fly up and see what was there. "that's a good idea," said trot, "'cause it's getting toward evening and we'll have to find a place to sleep." the ork had not been gone more than a few minutes when they saw him appear on the edge of the top which was nearest them. "come on up!" he called. so trot and cap'n bill began to ascend the steep slope and it did not take them long to reach the place where the ork awaited them. their first view of the mountain top pleased them very much. it was a level space of wider extent than they had guessed and upon it grew grass of a brilliant green color. in the very center stood a house built of stone and very neatly constructed. no one was in sight, but smoke was coming from the chimney, so with one accord all three began walking toward the house. "i wonder," said trot, "in what country we are, and if it's very far from my home in california." "can't say as to that, partner," answered cap'n bill, "but i'm mighty certain we've come a long way since we struck that whirlpool." "yes," she agreed, with a sigh, "it must be miles and miles!" "distance means nothing," said the ork. "i have flown pretty much all over the world, trying to find my home, and it is astonishing how many little countries there are, hidden away in the cracks and corners of this big globe of earth. if one travels, he may find some new country at every turn, and a good many of them have never yet been put upon the maps." "p'raps this is one of them," suggested trot. they reached the house after a brisk walk and cap'n bill knocked upon the door. it was at once opened by a rugged looking man who had "bumps all over him," as trot afterward declared. there were bumps on his head, bumps on his body and bumps on his arms and legs and hands. even his fingers had bumps on the ends of them. for dress he wore an old gray suit of fantastic design, which fitted him very badly because of the bumps it covered but could not conceal. but the bumpy man's eyes were kind and twinkling in expression and as soon as he saw his visitors he bowed low and said in a rather bumpy voice: "happy day! come in and shut the door, for it grows cool when the sun goes down. winter is now upon us." "why, it isn't cold a bit, outside," said trot, "so it can't be winter yet." "you will change your mind about that in a little while," declared the bumpy man. "my bumps always tell me the state of the weather, and they feel just now as if a snowstorm was coming this way. but make yourselves at home, strangers. supper is nearly ready and there is food enough for all." inside the house there was but one large room, simply but comfortably furnished. it had benches, a table and a fireplace, all made of stone. on the hearth a pot was bubbling and steaming, and trot thought it had a rather nice smell. the visitors seated themselves upon the benches--except the ork. which squatted by the fireplace--and the bumpy man began stirring the kettle briskly. "may i ask what country this is, sir?" inquired cap'n bill. "goodness me--fruit-cake and apple-sauce!--don't you know where you are?" asked the bumpy man, as he stopped stirring and looked at the speaker in surprise. "no," admitted cap'n bill. "we've just arrived." "lost your way?" questioned the bumpy man. "not exactly," said cap'n bill. "we didn't have any way to lose." "ah!" said the bumpy man, nodding his bumpy head. "this," he announced, in a solemn, impressive voice, "is the famous land of mo." "oh!" exclaimed the sailor and the girl, both in one breath. but, never having heard of the land of mo, they were no wiser than before. "i thought that would startle you," remarked the bumpy man, well pleased, as he resumed his stirring. the ork watched him a while in silence and then asked: "who may you be?" "me?" answered the bumpy man. "haven't you heard of me? gingerbread and lemon-juice! i'm known, far and wide, as the mountain ear." they all received this information in silence at first, for they were trying to think what he could mean. finally trot mustered up courage to ask: "what is a mountain ear, please?" for answer the man turned around and faced them, waving the spoon with which he had been stirring the kettle, as he recited the following verses in a singsong tone of voice: "here's a mountain, hard of hearing, that's sad-hearted and needs cheering, so my duty is to listen to all sounds that nature makes, so the hill won't get uneasy-- get to coughing, or get sneezy-- for this monster bump, when frightened, is quite liable to quakes. "you can hear a bell that's ringing; i can feel some people's singing; but a mountain isn't sensible of what goes on, and so when i hear a blizzard blowing or it's raining hard, or snowing, i tell it to the mountain and the mountain seems to know. "thus i benefit all people while i'm living on this steeple, for i keep the mountain steady so my neighbors all may thrive. with my list'ning and my shouting i prevent this mount from spouting, and that makes me so important that i'm glad that i'm alive." when he had finished these lines of verse the bumpy man turned again to resume his stirring. the ork laughed softly and cap'n bill whistled to himself and trot made up her mind that the mountain ear must be a little crazy. but the bumpy man seemed satisfied that he had explained his position fully and presently he placed four stone plates upon the table and then lifted the kettle from the fire and poured some of its contents on each of the plates. cap'n bill and trot at once approached the table, for they were hungry, but when she examined her plate the little girl exclaimed: "why, it's molasses candy!" "to be sure," returned the bumpy man, with a pleasant smile. "eat it quick, while it's hot, for it cools very quickly this winter weather." with this he seized a stone spoon and began putting the hot molasses candy into his mouth, while the others watched him in astonishment. "doesn't it burn you?" asked the girl. "no indeed," said he. "why don't you eat? aren't you hungry?" "yes," she replied, "i am hungry. but we usually eat our candy when it is cold and hard. we always pull molasses candy before we eat it." "ha, ha, ha!" laughed the mountain ear. "what a funny idea! where in the world did you come from?" "california," she said. "california! pooh! there isn't any such place. i've heard of every place in the land of mo, but i never before heard of california." "it isn't in the land of mo," she explained. "then it isn't worth talking about," declared the bumpy man, helping himself again from the steaming kettle, for he had been eating all the time he talked. "for my part," sighed cap'n bill, "i'd like a decent square meal, once more, just by way of variety. in the last place there was nothing but fruit to eat, and here it's worse, for there's nothing but candy." "molasses candy isn't so bad," said trot. "mine's nearly cool enough to pull, already. wait a bit, cap'n, and you can eat it." a little later she was able to gather the candy from the stone plate and begin to work it back and forth with her hands. the mountain ear was greatly amazed at this and watched her closely. it was really good candy and pulled beautifully, so that trot was soon ready to cut it into chunks for eating. cap'n bill condescended to eat one or two pieces and the ork ate several, but the bumpy man refused to try it. trot finished the plate of candy herself and then asked for a drink of water. "water?" said the mountain ear wonderingly. "what is that?" "something to drink. don't you have water in mo?" "none that ever i heard of," said he. "but i can give you some fresh lemonade. i caught it in a jar the last time it rained, which was only day before yesterday." "oh, does it rain lemonade here?" she inquired. "always; and it is very refreshing and healthful." with this he brought from a cupboard a stone jar and a dipper, and the girl found it very nice lemonade, indeed. cap'n bill liked it, too; but the ork would not touch it. "if there is no water in this country, i cannot stay here for long," the creature declared. "water means life to man and beast and bird." "there must be water in lemonade," said trot. "yes," answered the ork, "i suppose so; but there are other things in it, too, and they spoil the good water." the day's adventures had made our wanderers tired, so the bumpy man brought them some blankets in which they rolled themselves and then lay down before the fire, which their host kept alive with fuel all through the night. trot wakened several times and found the mountain ear always alert and listening intently for the slightest sound. but the little girl could hear no sound at all except the snores of cap'n bill. chapter eight button-bright is lost and found again "wake up--wake up!" called the voice of the bumpy man. "didn't i tell you winter was coming? i could hear it coming with my left ear, and the proof is that it is now snowing hard outside." "is it?" said trot, rubbing her eyes and creeping out of her blanket. "where i live, in california, i have never seen snow, except far away on the tops of high mountains." "well, this is the top of a high mountain," returned the bumpy one, "and for that reason we get our heaviest snowfalls right here." the little girl went to the window and looked out. the air was filled with falling white flakes, so large in size and so queer in form that she was puzzled. "are you certain this is snow?" she asked. "to be sure. i must get my snow-shovel and turn out to shovel a path. would you like to come with me?" "yes," she said, and followed the bumpy man out when he opened the door. then she exclaimed: "why, it isn't cold a bit!" "of course not," replied the man. "it was cold last night, before the snowstorm; but snow, when it falls, is always crisp and warm." trot gathered a handful of it. "why, it's popcorn?" she cried. "certainly; all snow is popcorn. what did you expect it to be?" "popcorn is not snow in my country." "well, it is the only snow we have in the land of mo, so you may as well make the best of it," said he, a little impatiently. "i'm not responsible for the absurd things that happen in your country, and when you're in mo you must do as the momen do. eat some of our snow, and you will find it is good. the only fault i find with our snow is that we get too much of it at times." with this the bumpy man set to work shoveling a path and he was so quick and industrious that he piled up the popcorn in great banks on either side of the trail that led to the mountain-top from the plains below. while he worked, trot ate popcorn and found it crisp and slightly warm, as well as nicely salted and buttered. presently cap'n bill came out of the house and joined her. "what's this?" he asked. "mo snow," said she. "but it isn't real snow, although it falls from the sky. it's popcorn." cap'n bill tasted it; then he sat down in the path and began to eat. the ork came out and pecked away with its bill as fast as it could. they all liked popcorn and they all were hungry this morning. meantime the flakes of "mo snow" came down so fast that the number of them almost darkened the air. the bumpy man was now shoveling quite a distance down the mountain-side, while the path behind him rapidly filled up with fresh-fallen popcorn. suddenly trot heard him call out: "goodness gracious--mince pie and pancakes!--here is some one buried in the snow." she ran toward him at once and the others followed, wading through the corn and crunching it underneath their feet. the mo snow was pretty deep where the bumpy man was shoveling and from beneath a great bank of it he had uncovered a pair of feet. "dear me! someone has been lost in the storm," said cap'n bill. "i hope he is still alive. let's pull him out and see." he took hold of one foot and the bumpy man took hold of the other. then they both pulled and out from the heap of popcorn came a little boy. he was dressed in a brown velvet jacket and knickerbockers, with brown stockings, buckled shoes and a blue shirt-waist that had frills down its front. when drawn from the heap the boy was chewing a mouthful of popcorn and both his hands were full of it. so at first he couldn't speak to his rescuers but lay quite still and eyed them calmly until he had swallowed his mouthful. then he said: "get my cap," and stuffed more popcorn into his mouth. while the bumpy man began shoveling into the corn-bank to find the boy's cap, trot was laughing joyfully and cap'n bill had a broad grin on his face. the ork looked from one to another and asked: "who is this stranger?" "why, it's button-bright, of course," answered trot. "if anyone ever finds a lost boy, he can make up his mind it's button-bright. but how he ever came to be lost in this far-away country is more'n i can make out." "where does he belong?" inquired the ork. "his home used to be in philadelphia, i think; but i'm quite sure button-bright doesn't belong anywhere." "that's right," said the boy, nodding his head as he swallowed the second mouthful. "everyone belongs somewhere," remarked the ork. "not me," insisted button-bright. "i'm half way round the world from philadelphia, and i've lost my magic umbrella, that used to carry me anywhere. stands to reason that if i can't get back i haven't any home. but i don't care much. this is a pretty good country, trot. i've had lots of fun here." by this time the mountain ear had secured the boy's cap and was listening to the conversation with much interest. "it seems you know this poor, snow-covered cast-away," he said. "yes, indeed," answered trot. "we made a journey together to sky island, once, and were good friends." "well, then i'm glad i saved his life," said the bumpy man. "much obliged, mr. knobs," said button-bright, sitting up and staring at him, "but i don't believe you've saved anything except some popcorn that i might have eaten had you not disturbed me. it was nice and warm in that bank of popcorn, and there was plenty to eat. what made you dig me out? and what makes you so bumpy everywhere?" "as for the bumps," replied the man, looking at himself with much pride, "i was born with them and i suspect they were a gift from the fairies. they make me look rugged and big, like the mountain i serve." "all right," said button-bright and began eating popcorn again. it had stopped snowing, now, and great flocks of birds were gathering around the mountain-side, eating the popcorn with much eagerness and scarcely noticing the people at all. there were birds of every size and color, most of them having gorgeous feathers and plumes. "just look at them!" exclaimed the ork scornfully. "aren't they dreadful creatures, all covered with feathers?" "i think they're beautiful," said trot, and this made the ork so indignant that he went back into the house and sulked. button-bright reached out his hand and caught a big bird by the leg. at once it rose into the air and it was so strong that it nearly carried the little boy with it. he let go the leg in a hurry and the bird flew down again and began to eat of the popcorn, not being frightened in the least. this gave cap'n bill an idea. he felt in his pocket and drew out several pieces of stout string. moving very quietly, so as to not alarm the birds, he crept up to several of the biggest ones and tied cords around their legs, thus making them prisoners. the birds were so intent on their eating that they did not notice what had happened to them, and when about twenty had been captured in this manner cap'n bill tied the ends of all the strings together and fastened them to a huge stone, so they could not escape. the bumpy man watched the old sailor's actions with much curiosity. "the birds will be quiet until they've eaten up all the snow," he said, "but then they will want to fly away to their homes. tell me, sir, what will the poor things do when they find they can't fly?" "it may worry 'em a little," replied cap'n bill, "but they're not going to be hurt if they take it easy and behave themselves." our friends had all made a good breakfast of the delicious popcorn and now they walked toward the house again. button-bright walked beside trot and held her hand in his, because they were old friends and he liked the little girl very much. the boy was not so old as trot, and small as she was he was half a head shorter in height. the most remarkable thing about button-bright was that he was always quiet and composed, whatever happened, and nothing was ever able to astonish him. trot liked him because he was not rude and never tried to plague her. cap'n bill liked him because he had found the boy cheerful and brave at all times, and willing to do anything he was asked to do. when they came to the house trot sniffed the air and asked "don't i smell perfume?" "i think you do," said the bumpy man. "you smell violets, and that proves there is a breeze springing up from the south. all our winds and breezes are perfumed and for that reason we are glad to have them blow in our direction. the south breeze always has a violet odor; the north breeze has the fragrance of wild roses; the east breeze is perfumed with lilies-of-the-valley and the west wind with lilac blossoms. so we need no weathervane to tell us which way the wind is blowing. we have only to smell the perfume and it informs us at once." inside the house they found the ork, and button-bright regarded the strange, birdlike creature with curious interest. after examining it closely for a time he asked: "which way does your tail whirl?" "either way," said the ork. button-bright put out his hand and tried to spin it. "don't do that!" exclaimed the ork. "why not?" inquired the boy. "because it happens to be my tail, and i reserve the right to whirl it myself," explained the ork. "let's go out and fly somewhere," proposed button-bright. "i want to see how the tail works." "not now," said the ork. "i appreciate your interest in me, which i fully deserve; but i only fly when i am going somewhere, and if i got started i might not stop." "that reminds me," remarked cap'n bill, "to ask you, friend ork, how we are going to get away from here?" "get away!" exclaimed the bumpy man. "why don't you stay here? you won't find any nicer place than mo." "have you been anywhere else, sir?" "no; i can't say that i have," admitted the mountain ear. "then permit me to say you're no judge," declared cap'n bill. "but you haven't answered my question, friend ork. how are we to get away from this mountain?" the ork reflected a while before he answered. "i might carry one of you--the boy or the girl--upon my back," said he, "but three big people are more than i can manage, although i have carried two of you for a short distance. you ought not to have eaten those purple berries so soon." "p'r'aps we did make a mistake," cap'n bill acknowledged. "or we might have brought some of those lavender berries with us, instead of so many purple ones," suggested trot regretfully. cap'n bill made no reply to this statement, which showed he did not fully agree with the little girl; but he fell into deep thought, with wrinkled brows, and finally he said: "if those purple berries would make anything grow bigger, whether it'd eaten the lavender ones or not, i could find a way out of our troubles." they did not understand this speech and looked at the old sailor as if expecting him to explain what he meant. but just then a chorus of shrill cries rose from outside. "here! let me go--let me go!" the voices seemed to say. "why are we insulted in this way? mountain ear, come and help us!" trot ran to the window and looked out. "it's the birds you caught, cap'n," she said. "i didn't know they could talk." "oh, yes; all the birds in mo are educated to talk," said the bumpy man. then he looked at cap'n bill uneasily and added: "won't you let the poor things go?" "i'll see," replied the sailor, and walked out to where the birds were fluttering and complaining because the strings would not allow them to fly away. "listen to me!" he cried, and at once they became still. "we three people who are strangers in your land want to go to some other country, and we want three of you birds to carry us there. we know we are asking a great favor, but it's the only way we can think of--excep' walkin', an' i'm not much good at that because i've a wooden leg. besides, trot an' button-bright are too small to undertake a long and tiresome journey. now, tell me: which three of you birds will consent to carry us?" the birds looked at one another as if greatly astonished. then one of them replied: "you must be crazy, old man. not one of us is big enough to fly with even the smallest of your party." "i'll fix the matter of size," promised cap'n bill. "if three of you will agree to carry us, i'll make you big an' strong enough to do it, so it won't worry you a bit." the birds considered this gravely. living in a magic country, they had no doubt but that the strange one-legged man could do what he said. after a little, one of them asked: "if you make us big, would we stay big always?" "i think so," replied cap'n bill. they chattered a while among themselves and then the bird that had first spoken said: "i'll go, for one." "so will i," said another; and after a pause a third said: "i'll go, too." perhaps more would have volunteered, for it seemed that for some reason they all longed to be bigger than they were; but three were enough for cap'n bill's purpose and so he promptly released all the others, who immediately flew away. the three that remained were cousins, and all were of the same brilliant plumage and in size about as large as eagles. when trot questioned them she found they were quite young, having only abandoned their nests a few weeks before. they were strong young birds, with clear, brave eyes, and the little girl decided they were the most beautiful of all the feathered creatures she had ever seen. cap'n bill now took from his pocket the wooden box with the sliding cover and removed the three purple berries, which were still in good condition. "eat these," he said, and gave one to each of the birds. they obeyed, finding the fruit very pleasant to taste. in a few seconds they began to grow in size and grew so fast that trot feared they would never stop. but they finally did stop growing, and then they were much larger than the ork, and nearly the size of full-grown ostriches. cap'n bill was much pleased by this result. "you can carry us now, all right," said he. the birds strutted around with pride, highly pleased with their immense size. "i don't see, though," said trot doubtfully, "how we're going to ride on their backs without falling off." "we're not going to ride on their backs," answered cap'n bill. "i'm going to make swings for us to ride in." he then asked the bumpy man for some rope, but the man had no rope. he had, however, an old suit of gray clothes which he gladly presented to cap'n bill, who cut the cloth into strips and twisted it so that it was almost as strong as rope. with this material he attached to each bird a swing that dangled below its feet, and button-bright made a trial flight in one of them to prove that it was safe and comfortable. when all this had been arranged one of the birds asked: "where do you wish us to take you?" "why, just follow the ork," said cap'n bill. "he will be our leader, and wherever the ork flies you are to fly, and wherever the ork lands you are to land. is that satisfactory?" the birds declared it was quite satisfactory, so cap'n bill took counsel with the ork. "on our way here," said that peculiar creature, "i noticed a broad, sandy desert at the left of me, on which was no living thing." "then we'd better keep away from it," replied the sailor. "not so," insisted the ork. "i have found, on my travels, that the most pleasant countries often lie in the midst of deserts; so i think it would be wise for us to fly over this desert and discover what lies beyond it. for in the direction we came from lies the ocean, as we well know, and beyond here is this strange land of mo, which we do not care to explore. on one side, as we can see from this mountain, is a broad expanse of plain, and on the other the desert. for my part, i vote for the desert." "what do you say, trot?" inquired cap'n bill. "it's all the same to me," she replied. no one thought of asking button-bright's opinion, so it was decided to fly over the desert. they bade good-bye to the bumpy man and thanked him for his kindness and hospitality. then they seated themselves in the swings--one for each bird--and told the ork to start away and they would follow. the whirl of the ork's tail astonished the birds at first, but after he had gone a short distance they rose in the air, carrying their passengers easily, and flew with strong, regular strokes of their great wings in the wake of their leader. chapter nine the kingdom of jinxland trot rode with more comfort than she had expected, although the swing swayed so much that she had to hold on tight with both hands. cap'n bill's bird followed the ork, and trot came next, with button-bright trailing behind her. it was quite an imposing procession, but unfortunately there was no one to see it, for the ork had headed straight for the great sandy desert and in a few minutes after starting they were flying high over the broad waste, where no living thing could exist. the little girl thought this would be a bad place for the birds to lose strength, or for the cloth ropes to give way; but although she could not help feeling a trifle nervous and fidgety she had confidence in the huge and brilliantly plumaged bird that bore her, as well as in cap'n bill's knowledge of how to twist and fasten a rope so it would hold. that was a remarkably big desert. there was nothing to relieve the monotony of view and every minute seemed an hour and every hour a day. disagreeable fumes and gases rose from the sands, which would have been deadly to the travelers had they not been so high in the air. as it was, trot was beginning to feel sick, when a breath of fresher air filled her nostrils and on looking ahead she saw a great cloud of pink-tinted mist. even while she wondered what it could be, the ork plunged boldly into the mist and the other birds followed. she could see nothing for a time, nor could the bird which carried her see where the ork had gone, but it kept flying as sturdily as ever and in a few moments the mist was passed and the girl saw a most beautiful landscape spread out below her, extending as far as her eye could reach. she saw bits of forest, verdure clothed hills, fields of waving grain, fountains, rivers and lakes; and throughout the scene were scattered groups of pretty houses and a few grand castles and palaces. over all this delightful landscape--which from trot's high perch seemed like a magnificent painted picture--was a rosy glow such as we sometimes see in the west at sunset. in this case, however, it was not in the west only, but everywhere. no wonder the ork paused to circle slowly over this lovely country. the other birds followed his action, all eyeing the place with equal delight. then, as with one accord, the four formed a group and slowly sailed downward. this brought them to that part of the newly-discovered land which bordered on the desert's edge; but it was just as pretty here as anywhere, so the ork and the birds alighted and the three passengers at once got out of their swings. "oh, cap'n bill, isn't this fine an' dandy?" exclaimed trot rapturously. "how lucky we were to discover this beautiful country!" "the country seems rather high class, i'll admit, trot," replied the old sailor-man, looking around him, "but we don't know, as yet, what its people are like." "no one could live in such a country without being happy and good--i'm sure of that," she said earnestly. "don't you think so, button-bright?" "i'm not thinking, just now," answered the little boy. "it tires me to think, and i never seem to gain anything by it. when we see the people who live here we will know what they are like, and no 'mount of thinking will make them any different." "that's true enough," said the ork. "but now i want to make a proposal. while you are getting acquainted with this new country, which looks as if it contains everything to make one happy, i would like to fly along--all by myself--and see if i can find my home on the other side of the great desert. if i do, i will stay there, of course. but if i fail to find orkland i will return to you in a week, to see if i can do anything more to assist you." they were sorry to lose their queer companion, but could offer no objection to the plan; so the ork bade them good-bye and rising swiftly in the air, he flew over the country and was soon lost to view in the distance. the three birds which had carried our friends now begged permission to return by the way they had come, to their own homes, saying they were anxious to show their families how big they had become. so cap'n bill and trot and button-bright all thanked them gratefully for their assistance and soon the birds began their long flight toward the land of mo. being now left to themselves in this strange land, the three comrades selected a pretty pathway and began walking along it. they believed this path would lead them to a splendid castle which they espied in the distance, the turrets of which towered far above the tops of the trees which surrounded it. it did not seem very far away, so they sauntered on slowly, admiring the beautiful ferns and flowers that lined the pathway and listening to the singing of the birds and the soft chirping of the grasshoppers. presently the path wound over a little hill. in a valley that lay beyond the hill was a tiny cottage surrounded by flower beds and fruit trees. on the shady porch of the cottage they saw, as they approached, a pleasant faced woman sitting amidst a group of children, to whom she was telling stories. the children quickly discovered the strangers and ran toward them with exclamations of astonishment, so that trot and her friends became the center of a curious group, all chattering excitedly. cap'n bill's wooden leg seemed to arouse the wonder of the children, as they could not understand why he had not two meat legs. this attention seemed to please the old sailor, who patted the heads of the children kindly and then, raising his hat to the woman, he inquired: "can you tell us, madam, just what country this is?" she stared hard at all three of the strangers as she replied briefly: "jinxland." "oh!" exclaimed cap'n bill, with a puzzled look. "and where is jinxland, please?" "in the quadling country," said she. "what!" cried trot, in sudden excitement. "do you mean to say this is the quadling country of the land of oz?" "to be sure i do," the woman answered. "every bit of land that is surrounded by the great desert is the land of oz, as you ought to know as well as i do; but i'm sorry to say that jinxland is separated from the rest of the quadling country by that row of high mountains you see yonder, which have such steep sides that no one can cross them. so we live here all by ourselves, and are ruled by our own king, instead of by ozma of oz." "i've been to the land of oz before," said button-bright, "but i've never been here." "did you ever hear of jinxland before?" asked trot. "no," said button-bright. "it is on the map of oz, though," asserted the woman, "and it's a fine country, i assure you. if only," she added, and then paused to look around her with a frightened expression. "if only--" here she stopped again, as if not daring to go on with her speech. "if only what, ma'am?" asked cap'n bill. the woman sent the children into the house. then she came closer to the strangers and whispered: "if only we had a different king, we would be very happy and contented." "what's the matter with your king?" asked trot, curiously. but the woman seemed frightened to have said so much. she retreated to her porch, merely saying: "the king punishes severely any treason on the part of his subjects." "what's treason?" asked button-bright. "in this case," replied cap'n bill, "treason seems to consist of knockin' the king; but i guess we know his disposition now as well as if the lady had said more." "i wonder," said trot, going up to the woman, "if you could spare us something to eat. we haven't had anything but popcorn and lemonade for a long time." "bless your heart! of course i can spare you some food," the woman answered, and entering her cottage she soon returned with a tray loaded with sandwiches, cakes and cheese. one of the children drew a bucket of clear, cold water from a spring and the three wanderers ate heartily and enjoyed the good things immensely. when button-bright could eat no more he filled the pockets of his jacket with cakes and cheese, and not even the children objected to this. indeed they all seemed pleased to see the strangers eat, so cap'n bill decided that no matter what the king of jinxland was like, the people would prove friendly and hospitable. "whose castle is that, yonder, ma'am?" he asked, waving his hand toward the towers that rose above the trees. "it belongs to his majesty, king krewl." she said. "oh, indeed; and does he live there?" "when he is not out hunting with his fierce courtiers and war captains," she replied. "is he hunting now?" trot inquired. "i do not know, my dear. the less we know about the king's actions the safer we are." it was evident the woman did not like to talk about king krewl and so, having finished their meal, they said good-bye and continued along the pathway. "don't you think we'd better keep away from that king's castle, cap'n?" asked trot. "well," said he, "king krewl would find out, sooner or later, that we are in his country, so we may as well face the music now. perhaps he isn't quite so bad as that woman thinks he is. kings aren't always popular with their people, you know, even if they do the best they know how." "ozma is pop'lar," said button-bright. "ozma is diff'rent from any other ruler, from all i've heard," remarked trot musingly, as she walked beside the boy. "and, after all, we are really in the land of oz, where ozma rules ev'ry king and ev'rybody else. i never heard of anybody getting hurt in her dominions, did you, button-bright?" "not when she knows about it," he replied. "but those birds landed us in just the wrong place, seems to me. they might have carried us right on, over that row of mountains, to the em'rald city." "true enough," said cap'n bill; "but they didn't, an' so we must make the best of jinxland. let's try not to be afraid." "oh, i'm not very scared," said button-bright, pausing to look at a pink rabbit that popped its head out of a hole in the field near by. "nor am i," added trot. "really, cap'n, i'm so glad to be anywhere at all in the wonderful fairyland of oz that i think i'm the luckiest girl in all the world. dorothy lives in the em'rald city, you know, and so does the scarecrow and the tin woodman and tik-tok and the shaggy man--and all the rest of 'em that we've heard so much about--not to mention ozma, who must be the sweetest and loveliest girl in all the world!" "take your time, trot," advised button-bright. "you don't have to say it all in one breath, you know. and you haven't mentioned half of the curious people in the em'rald city." "that 'ere em'rald city," said cap'n bill impressively, "happens to be on the other side o' those mountains, that we're told no one is able to cross. i don't want to discourage of you, trot, but we're a'most as much separated from your ozma an' dorothy as we were when we lived in californy." there was so much truth in this statement that they all walked on in silence for some time. finally they reached the grove of stately trees that bordered the grounds of the king's castle. they had gone halfway through it when the sound of sobbing, as of someone in bitter distress, reached their ears and caused them to halt abruptly. chapter ten pon, the gardener's boy it was button-bright who first discovered, lying on his face beneath a broad spreading tree near the pathway, a young man whose body shook with the force of his sobs. he was dressed in a long brown smock and had sandals on his feet, betokening one in humble life. his head was bare and showed a shock of brown, curly hair. button-bright looked down on the young man and said: "who cares, anyhow?" "i do!" cried the young man, interrupting his sobs to roll over, face upward, that he might see who had spoken. "i care, for my heart is broken!" "can't you get another one?" asked the little boy. "i don't want another!" wailed the young man. by this time trot and cap'n bill arrived at the spot and the girl leaned over and said in a sympathetic voice: "tell us your troubles and perhaps we may help you." the youth sat up, then, and bowed politely. afterward he got upon his feet, but still kept wringing his hands as he tried to choke down his sobs. trot thought he was very brave to control such awful agony so well. "my name is pon," he began. "i'm the gardener's boy." "then the gardener of the king is your father, i suppose," said trot. "not my father, but my master," was the reply "i do the work and the gardener gives the orders. and it was not my fault, in the least, that the princess gloria fell in love with me." "did she, really?" asked the little girl. "i don't see why," remarked button-bright, staring at the youth. "and who may the princess gloria be?" inquired cap'n bill. "she is the niece of king krewl, who is her guardian. the princess lives in the castle and is the loveliest and sweetest maiden in all jinxland. she is fond of flowers and used to walk in the gardens with her attendants. at such times, if i was working at my tasks, i used to cast down my eyes as gloria passed me; but one day i glanced up and found her gazing at me with a very tender look in her eyes. the next day she dismissed her attendants and, coming to my side, began to talk with me. she said i had touched her heart as no other young man had ever done. i kissed her hand. just then the king came around a bend in the walk. he struck me with his fist and kicked me with his foot. then he seized the arm of the princess and rudely dragged her into the castle." "wasn't he awful!" gasped trot indignantly. "he is a very abrupt king," said pon, "so it was the least i could expect. up to that time i had not thought of loving princess gloria, but realizing it would be impolite not to return her love, i did so. we met at evening, now and then, and she told me the king wanted her to marry a rich courtier named googly-goo, who is old enough to be gloria's father. she has refused googly-goo thirty-nine times, but he still persists and has brought many rich presents to bribe the king. on that account king krewl has commanded his niece to marry the old man, but the princess has assured me, time and again, that she will wed only me. this morning we happened to meet in the grape arbor and as i was respectfully saluting the cheek of the princess, two of the king's guards seized me and beat me terribly before the very eyes of gloria, whom the king himself held back so she could not interfere." "why, this king must be a monster!" cried trot. "he is far worse than that," said pon, mournfully. "but, see here," interrupted cap'n bill, who had listened carefully to pon. "this king may not be so much to blame, after all. kings are proud folks, because they're so high an' mighty, an' it isn't reasonable for a royal princess to marry a common gardener's boy." "it isn't right," declared button-bright. "a princess should marry a prince." "i'm not a common gardener's boy," protested pon. "if i had my rights i would be the king instead of krewl. as it is, i'm a prince, and as royal as any man in jinxland." "how does that come?" asked cap'n bill. "my father used to be the king and krewl was his prime minister. but one day while out hunting, king phearse--that was my father's name--had a quarrel with krewl and tapped him gently on the nose with the knuckles of his closed hand. this so provoked the wicked krewl that he tripped my father backward, so that he fell into a deep pond. at once krewl threw in a mass of heavy stones, which so weighted down my poor father that his body could not rise again to the surface. it is impossible to kill anyone in this land, as perhaps you know, but when my father was pressed down into the mud at the bottom of the deep pool and the stones held him so he could never escape, he was of no more use to himself or the world than if he had died. knowing this, krewl proclaimed himself king, taking possession of the royal castle and driving all my father's people out. i was a small boy, then, but when i grew up i became a gardener. i have served king krewl without his knowing that i am the son of the same king phearse whom he so cruelly made away with." "my, but that's a terr'bly exciting story!" said trot, drawing a long breath. "but tell us, pon, who was gloria's father?" "oh, he was the king before my father," replied pon. "father was prime minister for king kynd, who was gloria's father. she was only a baby when king kynd fell into the great gulf that lies just this side of the mountains--the same mountains that separate jinxland from the rest of the land of oz. it is said the great gulf has no bottom; but, however that may be, king kynd has never been seen again and my father became king in his place." "seems to me," said trot, "that if gloria had her rights she would be queen of jinxland." "well, her father was a king," admitted pon, "and so was my father; so we are of equal rank, although she's a great lady and i'm a humble gardener's boy. i can't see why we should not marry if we want to except that king krewl won't let us." "it's a sort of mixed-up mess, taken altogether," remarked cap'n bill. "but we are on our way to visit king krewl, and if we get a chance, young man, we'll put in a good word for you." "do, please!" begged pon. "was it the flogging you got that broke your heart?" inquired button-bright. "why, it helped to break it, of course," said pon. "i'd get it fixed up, if i were you," advised the boy, tossing a pebble at a chipmunk in a tree. "you ought to give gloria just as good a heart as she gives you." "that's common sense," agreed cap'n bill. so they left the gardener's boy standing beside the path, and resumed their journey toward the castle. chapter eleven the wicked king and googly-goo when our friends approached the great doorway of the castle they found it guarded by several soldiers dressed in splendid uniforms. they were armed with swords and lances. cap'n bill walked straight up to them and asked: "does the king happen to be at home?" "his magnificent and glorious majesty, king krewl, is at present inhabiting his royal castle," was the stiff reply. "then i guess we'll go in an' say how-d'ye-do," continued cap'n bill, attempting to enter the doorway. but a soldier barred his way with a lance. "who are you, what are your names, and where do you come from?" demanded the soldier. "you wouldn't know if we told you," returned the sailor, "seein' as we're strangers in a strange land." "oh, if you are strangers you will be permitted to enter," said the soldier, lowering his lance. "his majesty is very fond of strangers." "do many strangers come here?" asked trot. "you are the first that ever came to our country," said the man. "but his majesty has often said that if strangers ever arrived in jinxland he would see that they had a very exciting time." cap'n bill scratched his chin thoughtfully. he wasn't very favorably impressed by this last remark. but he decided that as there was no way of escape from jinxland it would be wise to confront the king boldly and try to win his favor. so they entered the castle, escorted by one of the soldiers. it was certainly a fine castle, with many large rooms, all beautifully furnished. the passages were winding and handsomely decorated, and after following several of these the soldier led them into an open court that occupied the very center of the huge building. it was surrounded on every side by high turreted walls, and contained beds of flowers, fountains and walks of many colored marbles which were matched together in quaint designs. in an open space near the middle of the court they saw a group of courtiers and their ladies, who surrounded a lean man who wore upon his head a jeweled crown. his face was hard and sullen and through the slits of his half-closed eyelids the eyes glowed like coals of fire. he was dressed in brilliant satins and velvets and was seated in a golden throne-chair. this personage was king krewl, and as soon as cap'n bill saw him the old sailor knew at once that he was not going to like the king of jinxland. "hello! who's here?" said his majesty, with a deep scowl. "strangers, sire," answered the soldier, bowing so low that his forehead touched the marble tiles. "strangers, eh? well, well; what an unexpected visit! advance, strangers, and give an account of yourselves." the king's voice was as harsh as his features. trot shuddered a little but cap'n bill calmly replied: "there ain't much for us to say, 'cept as we've arrived to look over your country an' see how we like it. judgin' from the way you speak, you don't know who we are, or you'd be jumpin' up to shake hands an' offer us seats. kings usually treat us pretty well, in the great big outside world where we come from, but in this little kingdom--which don't amount to much, anyhow--folks don't seem to 'a' got much culchure." the king listened with amazement to this bold speech, first with a frown and then gazing at the two children and the old sailor with evident curiosity. the courtiers were dumb with fear, for no one had ever dared speak in such a manner to their self-willed, cruel king before. his majesty, however, was somewhat frightened, for cruel people are always cowards, and he feared these mysterious strangers might possess magic powers that would destroy him unless he treated them well. so he commanded his people to give the new arrivals seats, and they obeyed with trembling haste. after being seated, cap'n bill lighted his pipe and began puffing smoke from it, a sight so strange to them that it filled them all with wonder. presently the king asked: "how did you penetrate to this hidden country? did you cross the desert or the mountains?" "desert," answered cap'n bill, as if the task were too easy to be worth talking about. "indeed! no one has ever been able to do that before," said the king. "well, it's easy enough, if you know how," asserted cap'n bill, so carelessly that it greatly impressed his hearers. the king shifted in his throne uneasily. he was more afraid of these strangers than before. "do you intend to stay long in jinxland?" was his next anxious question. "depends on how we like it," said cap'n bill. "just now i might suggest to your majesty to order some rooms got ready for us in your dinky little castle here. and a royal banquet, with some fried onions an' pickled tripe, would set easy on our stomicks an' make us a bit happier than we are now." "your wishes shall be attended to," said king krewl, but his eyes flashed from between their slits in a wicked way that made trot hope the food wouldn't be poisoned. at the king's command several of his attendants hastened away to give the proper orders to the castle servants and no sooner were they gone than a skinny old man entered the courtyard and bowed before the king. this disagreeable person was dressed in rich velvets, with many furbelows and laces. he was covered with golden chains, finely wrought rings and jeweled ornaments. he walked with mincing steps and glared at all the courtiers as if he considered himself far superior to any or all of them. "well, well, your majesty; what news--what news?" he demanded, in a shrill, cracked voice. the king gave him a surly look. "no news, lord googly-goo, except that strangers have arrived," he said. googly-goo cast a contemptuous glance at cap'n bill and a disdainful one at trot and button-bright. then he said: "strangers do not interest me, your majesty. but the princess gloria is very interesting--very interesting, indeed! what does she say, sire? will she marry me?" "ask her," retorted the king. "i have, many times; and every time she has refused." "well?" said the king harshly. "well," said googly-goo in a jaunty tone, "a bird that can sing, and won't sing, must be made to sing." "huh!" sneered the king. "that's easy, with a bird; but a girl is harder to manage." "still," persisted googly-goo, "we must overcome difficulties. the chief trouble is that gloria fancies she loves that miserable gardener's boy, pon. suppose we throw pon into the great gulf, your majesty?" "it would do you no good," returned the king. "she would still love him." "too bad, too bad!" sighed googly-goo. "i have laid aside more than a bushel of precious gems--each worth a king's ransom--to present to your majesty on the day i wed gloria." the king's eyes sparkled, for he loved wealth above everything; but the next moment he frowned deeply again. "it won't help us to kill pon," he muttered. "what we must do is kill gloria's love for pon." "that is better, if you can find a way to do it," agreed googly-goo. "everything would come right if you could kill gloria's love for that gardener's boy. really, sire, now that i come to think of it, there must be fully a bushel and a half of those jewels!" just then a messenger entered the court to say that the banquet was prepared for the strangers. so cap'n bill, trot and button-bright entered the castle and were taken to a room where a fine feast was spread upon the table. "i don't like that lord googly-goo," remarked trot as she was busily eating. "nor i," said cap'n bill. "but from the talk we heard i guess the gardener's boy won't get the princess." "perhaps not," returned the girl; "but i hope old googly doesn't get her, either." "the king means to sell her for all those jewels," observed button-bright, his mouth half full of cake and jam. "poor princess!" sighed trot. "i'm sorry for her, although i've never seen her. but if she says no to googly-goo, and means it, what can they do?" "don't let us worry about a strange princess," advised cap'n bill. "i've a notion we're not too safe, ourselves, with this cruel king." the two children felt the same way and all three were rather solemn during the remainder of the meal. when they had eaten, the servants escorted them to their rooms. cap'n bill's room was way to one end of the castle, very high up, and trot's room was at the opposite end, rather low down. as for button-bright, they placed him in the middle, so that all were as far apart as they could possibly be. they didn't like this arrangement very well, but all the rooms were handsomely furnished and being guests of the king they dared not complain. after the strangers had left the courtyard the king and googly-goo had a long talk together, and the king said: "i cannot force gloria to marry you just now, because those strangers may interfere. i suspect that the wooden-legged man possesses great magical powers, or he would never have been able to carry himself and those children across the deadly desert." "i don't like him; he looks dangerous," answered googly-goo. "but perhaps you are mistaken about his being a wizard. why don't you test his powers?" "how?" asked the king. "send for the wicked witch. she will tell you in a moment whether that wooden-legged person is a common man or a magician." "ha! that's a good idea," cried the king. "why didn't i think of the wicked witch before? but the woman demands rich rewards for her services." "never mind; i will pay her," promised the wealthy googly-goo. so a servant was dispatched to summon the wicked witch, who lived but a few leagues from king krewl's castle. while they awaited her, the withered old courtier proposed that they pay a visit to princess gloria and see if she was not now in a more complaisant mood. so the two started away together and searched the castle over without finding gloria. at last googly-goo suggested she might be in the rear garden, which was a large park filled with bushes and trees and surrounded by a high wall. and what was their anger, when they turned a corner of the path, to find in a quiet nook the beautiful princess, and kneeling before her, pon, the gardener's boy! with a roar of rage the king dashed forward; but pon had scaled the wall by means of a ladder, which still stood in its place, and when he saw the king coming he ran up the ladder and made good his escape. but this left gloria confronted by her angry guardian, the king, and by old googly-goo, who was trembling with a fury he could not express in words. seizing the princess by her arm the king dragged her back to the castle. pushing her into a room on the lower floor he locked the door upon the unhappy girl. and at that moment the arrival of the wicked witch was announced. hearing this, the king smiled, as a tiger smiles, showing his teeth. and googly-goo smiled, as a serpent smiles, for he had no teeth except a couple of fangs. and having frightened each other with these smiles the two dreadful men went away to the royal council chamber to meet the wicked witch. chapter twelve the wooden-legged grass-hopper now it so happened that trot, from the window of her room, had witnessed the meeting of the lovers in the garden and had seen the king come and drag gloria away. the little girl's heart went out in sympathy for the poor princess, who seemed to her to be one of the sweetest and loveliest young ladies she had ever seen, so she crept along the passages and from a hidden niche saw gloria locked in her room. the key was still in the lock, so when the king had gone away, followed by googly-goo, trot stole up to the door, turned the key and entered. the princess lay prone upon a couch, sobbing bitterly. trot went up to her and smoothed her hair and tried to comfort her. "don't cry," she said. "i've unlocked the door, so you can go away any time you want to." "it isn't that," sobbed the princess. "i am unhappy because they will not let me love pon, the gardener's boy!" "well, never mind; pon isn't any great shakes, anyhow, seems to me," said trot soothingly. "there are lots of other people you can love." gloria rolled over on the couch and looked at the little girl reproachfully. "pon has won my heart, and i can't help loving him," she explained. then with sudden indignation she added: "but i'll never love googly-goo--never, as long as i live!" "i should say not!" replied trot. "pon may not be much good, but old googly is very, very bad. hunt around, and i'm sure you'll find someone worth your love. you're very pretty, you know, and almost anyone ought to love you." "you don't understand, my dear," said gloria, as she wiped the tears from her eyes with a dainty lace handkerchief bordered with pearls. "when you are older you will realize that a young lady cannot decide whom she will love, or choose the most worthy. her heart alone decides for her, and whomsoever her heart selects, she must love, whether he amounts to much or not." trot was a little puzzled by this speech, which seemed to her unreasonable; but she made no reply and presently gloria's grief softened and she began to question the little girl about herself and her adventures. trot told her how they had happened to come to jinxland, and all about cap'n bill and the ork and pessim and the bumpy man. while they were thus conversing together, getting more and more friendly as they became better acquainted, in the council chamber the king and googly-goo were talking with the wicked witch. this evil creature was old and ugly. she had lost one eye and wore a black patch over it, so the people of jinxland had named her "blinkie." of course witches are forbidden to exist in the land of oz, but jinxland was so far removed from the center of ozma's dominions, and so absolutely cut off from it by the steep mountains and the bottomless gulf, that the laws of oz were not obeyed very well in that country. so there were several witches in jinxland who were the terror of the people, but king krewl favored them and permitted them to exercise their evil sorcery. blinkie was the leader of all the other witches and therefore the most hated and feared. the king used her witchcraft at times to assist him in carrying out his cruelties and revenge, but he was always obliged to pay blinkie large sums of money or heaps of precious jewels before she would undertake an enchantment. this made him hate the old woman almost as much as his subjects did, but to-day lord googly-goo had agreed to pay the witch's price, so the king greeted her with gracious favor. "can you destroy the love of princess gloria for the gardener's boy?" inquired his majesty. the wicked witch thought about it before she replied: "that's a hard question to answer. i can do lots of clever magic, but love is a stubborn thing to conquer. when you think you've killed it, it's liable to bob up again as strong as ever. i believe love and cats have nine lives. in other words, killing love is a hard job, even for a skillful witch, but i believe i can do something that will answer your purpose just as well." "what is that?" asked the king. "i can freeze the girl's heart. i've got a special incantation for that, and when gloria's heart is thoroughly frozen she can no longer love pon." "just the thing!" exclaimed googly-goo, and the king was likewise much pleased. they bargained a long time as to the price, but finally the old courtier agreed to pay the wicked witch's demands. it was arranged that they should take gloria to blinkie's house the next day, to have her heart frozen. then king krewl mentioned to the old hag the strangers who had that day arrived in jinxland, and said to her: "i think the two children--the boy and the girl--are unable to harm me, but i have a suspicion that the wooden-legged man is a powerful wizard." the witch's face wore a troubled look when she heard this. "if you are right," she said, "this wizard might spoil my incantation and interfere with me in other ways. so it will be best for me to meet this stranger at once and match my magic against his, to decide which is the stronger." "all right," said the king. "come with me and i will lead you to the man's room." googly-goo did not accompany them, as he was obliged to go home to get the money and jewels he had promised to pay old blinkie, so the other two climbed several flights of stairs and went through many passages until they came to the room occupied by cap'n bill. the sailor-man, finding his bed soft and inviting, and being tired with the adventures he had experienced, had decided to take a nap. when the wicked witch and the king softly opened his door and entered, cap'n bill was snoring with such vigor that he did not hear them at all. blinkie approached the bed and with her one eye anxiously stared at the sleeping stranger. "ah," she said in a soft whisper, "i believe you are right, king krewl. the man looks to me like a very powerful wizard. but by good luck i have caught him asleep, so i shall transform him before he wakes up, giving him such a form that he will be unable to oppose me." "careful!" cautioned the king, also speaking low. "if he discovers what you are doing he may destroy you, and that would annoy me because i need you to attend to gloria." but the wicked witch realized as well as he did that she must be careful. she carried over her arm a black bag, from which she now drew several packets carefully wrapped in paper. three of these she selected, replacing the others in the bag. two of the packets she mixed together, and then she cautiously opened the third. "better stand back, your majesty," she advised, "for if this powder falls on you you might be transformed yourself." the king hastily retreated to the end of the room. as blinkie mixed the third powder with the others she waved her hands over it, mumbled a few words, and then backed away as quickly as she could. cap'n bill was slumbering peacefully, all unconscious of what was going on. puff! a great cloud of smoke rolled over the bed and completely hid him from view. when the smoke rolled away, both blinkie and the king saw that the body of the stranger had quite disappeared, while in his place, crouching in the middle of the bed, was a little gray grasshopper. one curious thing about this grasshopper was that the last joint of its left leg was made of wood. another curious thing--considering it was a grasshopper--was that it began talking, crying out in a tiny but sharp voice: "here--you people! what do you mean by treating me so? put me back where i belong, at once, or you'll be sorry!" the cruel king turned pale at hearing the grasshopper's threats, but the wicked witch merely laughed in derision. then she raised her stick and aimed a vicious blow at the grasshopper, but before the stick struck the bed the tiny hopper made a marvelous jump--marvelous, indeed, when we consider that it had a wooden leg. it rose in the air and sailed across the room and passed right through the open window, where it disappeared from their view. "good!" shouted the king. "we are well rid of this desperate wizard." and then they both laughed heartily at the success of the incantation, and went away to complete their horrid plans. after trot had visited a time with princess gloria, the little girl went to button-bright's room but did not find him there. then she went to cap'n bill's room, but he was not there because the witch and the king had been there before her. so she made her way downstairs and questioned the servants. they said they had seen the little boy go out into the garden, some time ago, but the old man with the wooden leg they had not seen at all. therefore trot, not knowing what else to do, rambled through the great gardens, seeking for button-bright or cap'n bill and not finding either of them. this part of the garden, which lay before the castle, was not walled in, but extended to the roadway, and the paths were open to the edge of the forest; so, after two hours of vain search for her friends, the little girl returned to the castle. but at the doorway a soldier stopped her. "i live here," said trot, "so it's all right to let me in. the king has given me a room." "well, he has taken it back again," was the soldier's reply. "his majesty's orders are to turn you away if you attempt to enter. i am also ordered to forbid the boy, your companion, to again enter the king's castle." "how 'bout cap'n bill?" she inquired. "why, it seems he has mysteriously disappeared," replied the soldier, shaking his head ominously. "where he has gone to, i can't make out, but i can assure you he is no longer in this castle. i'm sorry, little girl, to disappoint you. don't blame me; i must obey my master's orders." now, all her life trot had been accustomed to depend on cap'n bill, so when this good friend was suddenly taken from her she felt very miserable and forlorn indeed. she was brave enough not to cry before the soldier, or even to let him see her grief and anxiety, but after she was turned away from the castle she sought a quiet bench in the garden and for a time sobbed as if her heart would break. it was button-bright who found her, at last, just as the sun had set and the shades of evening were falling. he also had been turned away from the king's castle, when he tried to enter it, and in the park he came across trot. "never mind," said the boy. "we can find a place to sleep." "i want cap'n bill," wailed the girl. "well, so do i," was the reply. "but we haven't got him. where do you s'pose he is, trot? "i don't s'pose anything. he's gone, an' that's all i know 'bout it." button-bright sat on the bench beside her and thrust his hands in the pockets of his knickerbockers. then he reflected somewhat gravely for him. "cap'n bill isn't around here," he said, letting his eyes wander over the dim garden, "so we must go somewhere else if we want to find him. besides, it's fast getting dark, and if we want to find a place to sleep we must get busy while we can see where to go." he rose from the bench as he said this and trot also jumped up, drying her eyes on her apron. then she walked beside him out of the grounds of the king's castle. they did not go by the main path, but passed through an opening in a hedge and found themselves in a small but well-worn roadway. following this for some distance, along a winding way, they came upon no house or building that would afford them refuge for the night. it became so dark that they could scarcely see their way, and finally trot stopped and suggested that they camp under a tree. "all right," said button-bright, "i've often found that leaves make a good warm blanket. but--look there, trot!--isn't that a light flashing over yonder?" "it certainly is, button-bright. let's go over and see if it's a house. whoever lives there couldn't treat us worse than the king did." to reach the light they had to leave the road, so they stumbled over hillocks and brushwood, hand in hand, keeping the tiny speck of light always in sight. they were rather forlorn little waifs, outcasts in a strange country and forsaken by their only friend and guardian, cap'n bill. so they were very glad when finally they reached a small cottage and, looking in through its one window, saw pon, the gardener's boy, sitting by a fire of twigs. as trot opened the door and walked boldly in, pon sprang up to greet them. they told him of cap'n bill's disappearance and how they had been turned out of the king's castle. as they finished the story pon shook his head sadly. "king krewl is plotting mischief, i fear," said he, "for to-day he sent for old blinkie, the wicked witch, and with my own eyes i saw her come from the castle and hobble away toward her hut. she had been with the king and googly-goo, and i was afraid they were going to work some enchantment on gloria so she would no longer love me. but perhaps the witch was only called to the castle to enchant your friend, cap'n bill." "could she do that?" asked trot, horrified by the suggestion. "i suppose so, for old blinkie can do a lot of wicked magical things." "what sort of an enchantment could she put on cap'n bill?" "i don't know. but he has disappeared, so i'm pretty certain she has done something dreadful to him. but don't worry. if it has happened, it can't be helped, and if it hasn't happened we may be able to find him in the morning." with this pon went to the cupboard and brought food for them. trot was far too worried to eat, but button-bright made a good supper from the simple food and then lay down before the fire and went to sleep. the little girl and the gardener's boy, however, sat for a long time staring into the fire, busy with their thoughts. but at last trot, too, became sleepy and pon gently covered her with the one blanket he possessed. then he threw more wood on the fire and laid himself down before it, next to button-bright. soon all three were fast asleep. they were in a good deal of trouble; but they were young, and sleep was good to them because for a time it made them forget. chapter thirteen glinda the good and the scarecrow of oz that country south of the emerald city, in the land of oz, is known as the quadling country, and in the very southernmost part of it stands a splendid palace in which lives glinda the good. glinda is the royal sorceress of oz. she has wonderful magical powers and uses them only to benefit the subjects of ozma's kingdom. even the famous wizard of oz pays tribute to her, for glinda taught him all the real magic he knows, and she is his superior in all sorts of sorcery everyone loves glinda, from the dainty and exquisite ruler, ozma, down to the humblest inhabitant of oz, for she is always kindly and helpful and willing to listen to their troubles, however busy she may be. no one knows her age, but all can see how beautiful and stately she is. her hair is like red gold and finer than the finest silken strands. her eyes are blue as the sky and always frank and smiling. her cheeks are the envy of peach-blows and her mouth is enticing as a rosebud. glinda is tall and wears splendid gowns that trail behind her as she walks. she wears no jewels, for her beauty would shame them. for attendants glinda has half a hundred of the loveliest girls in oz. they are gathered from all over oz, from among the winkies, the munchkins, the gillikins and the quadlings, as well as from ozma's magnificent emerald city, and it is considered a great favor to be allowed to serve the royal sorceress. among the many wonderful things in glinda's palace is the great book of records. in this book is inscribed everything that takes place in all the world, just the instant it happens; so that by referring to its pages glinda knows what is taking place far and near, in every country that exists. in this way she learns when and where she can help any in distress or danger, and although her duties are confined to assisting those who inhabit the land of oz, she is always interested in what takes place in the unprotected outside world. so it was that on a certain evening glinda sat in her library, surrounded by a bevy of her maids, who were engaged in spinning, weaving and embroidery, when an attendant announced the arrival at the palace of the scarecrow. this personage was one of the most famous and popular in all the land of oz. his body was merely a suit of munchkin clothes stuffed with straw, but his head was a round sack filled with bran, with which the wizard of oz had mixed some magic brains of a very superior sort. the eyes, nose and mouth of the scarecrow were painted upon the front of the sack, as were his ears, and since this quaint being had been endowed with life, the expression of his face was very interesting, if somewhat comical. the scarecrow was good all through, even to his brains, and while he was naturally awkward in his movements and lacked the neat symmetry of other people, his disposition was so kind and considerate and he was so obliging and honest, that all who knew him loved him, and there were few people in oz who had not met our scarecrow and made his acquaintance. he lived part of the time in ozma's palace at the emerald city, part of the time in his own corncob castle in the winkie country, and part of the time he traveled over all oz, visiting with the people and playing with the children, whom he dearly loved. it was on one of his wandering journeys that the scarecrow had arrived at glinda's palace, and the sorceress at once made him welcome. as he sat beside her, talking of his adventures, he asked: "what's new in the way of news?" glinda opened her great book of records and read some of the last pages. "here is an item quite curious and interesting," she announced, an accent of surprise in her voice. "three people from the big outside world have arrived in jinxland." "where is jinxland?" inquired the scarecrow. "very near here, a little to the east of us," she said. "in fact, jinxland is a little slice taken off the quadling country, but separated from it by a range of high mountains, at the foot of which lies a wide, deep gulf that is supposed to be impassable." "then jinxland is really a part of the land of oz," said he. "yes," returned glinda, "but oz people know nothing of it, except what is recorded here in my book." "what does the book say about it?" asked the scarecrow. "it is ruled by a wicked man called king krewl, although he has no right to the title. most of the people are good, but they are very timid and live in constant fear of their fierce ruler. there are also several wicked witches who keep the inhabitants of jinxland in a state of terror." "do those witches have any magical powers?" inquired the scarecrow. "yes, they seem to understand witchcraft in its most evil form, for one of them has just transformed a respectable and honest old sailor--one of the strangers who arrived there--into a grasshopper. this same witch, blinkie by name, is also planning to freeze the heart of a beautiful jinxland girl named princess gloria." "why, that's a dreadful thing to do!" exclaimed the scarecrow. glinda's face was very grave. she read in her book how trot and button-bright were turned out of the king's castle, and how they found refuge in the hut of pon, the gardener's boy. "i'm afraid those helpless earth people will endure much suffering in jinxland, even if the wicked king and the witches permit them to live," said the good sorceress, thoughtfully. "i wish i might help them." "can i do anything?" asked the scarecrow, anxiously. "if so, tell me what to do, and i'll do it." for a few moments glinda did not reply, but sat musing over the records. then she said: "i am going to send you to jinxland, to protect trot and button-bright and cap'n bill." "all right," answered the scarecrow in a cheerful voice. "i know button-bright already, for he has been in the land of oz before. you remember he went away from the land of oz in one of our wizard's big bubbles." "yes," said glinda, "i remember that." then she carefully instructed the scarecrow what to do and gave him certain magical things which he placed in the pockets of his ragged munchkin coat. "as you have no need to sleep," said she, "you may as well start at once." "the night is the same as day to me," he replied, "except that i cannot see my way so well in the dark." "i will furnish a light to guide you," promised the sorceress. so the scarecrow bade her good-bye and at once started on his journey. by morning he had reached the mountains that separated the quadling country from jinxland. the sides of these mountains were too steep to climb, but the scarecrow took a small rope from his pocket and tossed one end upward, into the air. the rope unwound itself for hundreds of feet, until it caught upon a peak of rock at the very top of a mountain, for it was a magic rope furnished him by glinda. the scarecrow climbed the rope and, after pulling it up, let it down on the other side of the mountain range. when he descended the rope on this side he found himself in jinxland, but at his feet yawned the great gulf, which must be crossed before he could proceed any farther. the scarecrow knelt down and examined the ground carefully, and in a moment he discovered a fuzzy brown spider that had rolled itself into a ball. so he took two tiny pills from his pocket and laid them beside the spider, which unrolled itself and quickly ate up the pills. then the scarecrow said in a voice of command: "spin!" and the spider obeyed instantly. in a few moments the little creature had spun two slender but strong strands that reached way across the gulf, one being five or six feet above the other. when these were completed the scarecrow started across the tiny bridge, walking upon one strand as a person walks upon a rope, and holding to the upper strand with his hands to prevent him from losing his balance and toppling over into the gulf. the tiny threads held him safely, thanks to the strength given them by the magic pills. presently he was safe across and standing on the plains of jinxland. far away he could see the towers of the king's castle and toward this he at once began to walk. chapter fourteen the frozen heart in the hut of pon, the gardener's boy, button-bright was the first to waken in the morning. leaving his companions still asleep, he went out into the fresh morning air and saw some blackberries growing on bushes in a field not far away. going to the bushes he found the berries ripe and sweet, so he began eating them. more bushes were scattered over the fields, so the boy wandered on, from bush to bush, without paying any heed to where he was wandering. then a butterfly fluttered by. he gave chase to it and followed it a long way. when finally he paused to look around him, button-bright could see no sign of pon's house, nor had he the slightest idea in which direction it lay. "well, i'm lost again," he remarked to himself. "but never mind; i've been lost lots of times. someone is sure to find me." trot was a little worried about button-bright when she awoke and found him gone. knowing how careless he was, she believed that he had strayed away, but felt that he would come back in time, because he had a habit of not staying lost. pon got the little girl some food for her breakfast and then together they went out of the hut and stood in the sunshine. pon's house was some distance off the road, but they could see it from where they stood and both gave a start of surprise when they discovered two soldiers walking along the roadway and escorting princess gloria between them. the poor girl had her hands bound together, to prevent her from struggling, and the soldiers rudely dragged her forward when her steps seemed to lag. behind this group came king krewl, wearing his jeweled crown and swinging in his hand a slender golden staff with a ball of clustered gems at one end. "where are they going?" asked trot. "to the house of the wicked witch, i fear," pon replied. "come, let us follow them, for i am sure they intend to harm my dear gloria." "won't they see us?" she asked timidly. "we won't let them. i know a short cut through the trees to blinkie's house," said he. so they hurried away through the trees and reached the house of the witch ahead of the king and his soldiers. hiding themselves in the shrubbery, they watched the approach of poor gloria and her escort, all of whom passed so near to them that pon could have put out a hand and touched his sweetheart, had he dared to. blinkie's house had eight sides, with a door and a window in each side. smoke was coming out of the chimney and as the guards brought gloria to one of the doors it was opened by the old witch in person. she chuckled with evil glee and rubbed her skinny hands together to show the delight with which she greeted her victim, for blinkie was pleased to be able to perform her wicked rites on one so fair and sweet as the princess. gloria struggled to resist when they bade her enter the house, so the soldiers forced her through the doorway and even the king gave her a shove as he followed close behind. pon was so incensed at the cruelty shown gloria that he forgot all caution and rushed forward to enter the house also; but one of the soldiers prevented him, pushing the gardener's boy away with violence and slamming the door in his face. "never mind," said trot soothingly, as pon rose from where he had fallen. "you couldn't do much to help the poor princess if you were inside. how unfortunate it is that you are in love with her!" "true," he answered sadly, "it is indeed my misfortune. if i did not love her, it would be none of my business what the king did to his niece gloria; but the unlucky circumstance of my loving her makes it my duty to defend her." "i don't see how you can, duty or no duty," observed trot. "no; i am powerless, for they are stronger than i. but we might peek in through the window and see what they are doing." trot was somewhat curious, too, so they crept up to one of the windows and looked in, and it so happened that those inside the witch's house were so busy they did not notice that pon and trot were watching them. gloria had been tied to a stout post in the center of the room and the king was giving the wicked witch a quantity of money and jewels, which googly-goo had provided in payment. when this had been done the king said to her: "are you perfectly sure you can freeze this maiden's heart, so that she will no longer love that low gardener's boy?" "sure as witchcraft, your majesty," the creature replied. "then get to work," said the king. "there may be some unpleasant features about the ceremony that would annoy me, so i'll bid you good day and leave you to carry out your contract. one word, however: if you fail, i shall burn you at the stake!" then he beckoned to his soldiers to follow him, and throwing wide the door of the house walked out. this action was so sudden that king krewl almost caught trot and pon eavesdropping, but they managed to run around the house before he saw them. away he marched, up the road, followed by his men, heartlessly leaving gloria to the mercies of old blinkie. when they again crept up to the window, trot and pon saw blinkie gloating over her victim. although nearly fainting from fear, the proud princess gazed with haughty defiance into the face of the wicked creature; but she was bound so tightly to the post that she could do no more to express her loathing. pretty soon blinkie went to a kettle that was swinging by a chain over the fire and tossed into it several magical compounds. the kettle gave three flashes, and at every flash another witch appeared in the room. these hags were very ugly but when one-eyed blinkie whispered her orders to them they grinned with joy as they began dancing around gloria. first one and then another cast something into the kettle, when to the astonishment of the watchers at the window all three of the old women were instantly transformed into maidens of exquisite beauty, dressed in the daintiest costumes imaginable. only their eyes could not be disguised, and an evil glare still shone in their depths. but if the eyes were cast down or hidden, one could not help but admire these beautiful creatures, even with the knowledge that they were mere illusions of witchcraft. trot certainly admired them, for she had never seen anything so dainty and bewitching, but her attention was quickly drawn to their deeds instead of their persons, and then horror replaced admiration. into the kettle old blinkie poured another mess from a big brass bottle she took from a chest, and this made the kettle begin to bubble and smoke violently. one by one the beautiful witches approached to stir the contents of the kettle and to mutter a magic charm. their movements were graceful and rhythmic and the wicked witch who had called them to her aid watched them with an evil grin upon her wrinkled face. finally the incantation was complete. the kettle ceased bubbling and together the witches lifted it from the fire. then blinkie brought a wooden ladle and filled it from the contents of the kettle. going with the spoon to princess gloria she cried: "love no more! magic art now will freeze your mortal heart!" with this she dashed the contents of the ladle full upon gloria's breast. trot saw the body of the princess become transparent, so that her beating heart showed plainly. but now the heart turned from a vivid red to gray, and then to white. a layer of frost formed about it and tiny icicles clung to its surface. then slowly the body of the girl became visible again and the heart was hidden from view. gloria seemed to have fainted, but now she recovered and, opening her beautiful eyes, stared coldly and without emotion at the group of witches confronting her. blinkie and the others knew by that one cold look that their charm had been successful. they burst into a chorus of wild laughter and the three beautiful ones began dancing again, while blinkie unbound the princess and set her free. trot rubbed her eyes to prove that she was wide awake and seeing clearly, for her astonishment was great when the three lovely maidens turned into ugly, crooked hags again, leaning on broomsticks and canes. they jeered at gloria, but the princess regarded them with cold disdain. being now free, she walked to a door, opened it and passed out. and the witches let her go. trot and pon had been so intent upon this scene that in their eagerness they had pressed quite hard against the window. just as gloria went out of the house the window-sash broke loose from its fastenings and fell with a crash into the room. the witches uttered a chorus of screams and then, seeing that their magical incantation had been observed, they rushed for the open window with uplifted broomsticks and canes. but pon was off like the wind, and trot followed at his heels. fear lent them strength to run, to leap across ditches, to speed up the hills and to vault the low fences as a deer would. the band of witches had dashed through the window in pursuit; but blinkie was so old, and the others so crooked and awkward, that they soon realized they would be unable to overtake the fugitives. so the three who had been summoned by the wicked witch put their canes or broomsticks between their legs and flew away through the air, quickly disappearing against the blue sky. blinkie, however, was so enraged at pon and trot that she hobbled on in the direction they had taken, fully determined to catch them, in time, and to punish them terribly for spying upon her witchcraft. when pon and trot had run so far that they were confident they had made good their escape, they sat down near the edge of a forest to get their breath again, for both were panting hard from their exertions. trot was the first to recover speech, and she said to her companion: "my! wasn't it terr'ble?" "the most terrible thing i ever saw," pon agreed. "and they froze gloria's heart; so now she can't love you any more." "well, they froze her heart, to be sure," admitted pon, "but i'm in hopes i can melt it with my love." "where do you s'pose gloria is?" asked the girl, after a pause. "she left the witch's house just before we did. perhaps she has gone back to the king's castle," he said. "i'm pretty sure she started off in a diff'rent direction," declared trot. "i looked over my shoulder, as i ran, to see how close the witches were, and i'm sure i saw gloria walking slowly away toward the north." "then let us circle around that way," proposed pon, "and perhaps we shall meet her." trot agreed to this and they left the grove and began to circle around toward the north, thus drawing nearer and nearer to old blinkie's house again. the wicked witch did not suspect this change of direction, so when she came to the grove she passed through it and continued on. pon and trot had reached a place less than half a mile from the witch's house when they saw gloria walking toward them. the princess moved with great dignity and with no show of haste whatever, holding her head high and looking neither to right nor left. pon rushed forward, holding out his arms as if to embrace her and calling her sweet names. but gloria gazed upon him coldly and repelled him with a haughty gesture. at this the poor gardener's boy sank upon his knees and hid his face in his arms, weeping bitter tears; but the princess was not at all moved by his distress. passing him by, she drew her skirts aside, as if unwilling they should touch him, and then she walked up the path a way and hesitated, as if uncertain where to go next. trot was grieved by pon's sobs and indignant because gloria treated him so badly. but she remembered why. "i guess your heart is frozen, all right," she said to the princess. gloria nodded gravely, in reply, and then turned her back upon the little girl. "can't you like even me?" asked trot, half pleadingly. "no," said gloria. "your voice sounds like a refrig'rator," sighed the little girl. "i'm awful sorry for you, 'cause you were sweet an' nice to me before this happened. you can't help it, of course; but it's a dreadful thing, jus' the same." "my heart is frozen to all mortal loves," announced gloria, calmly. "i do not love even myself." "that's too bad," said trot, "for, if you can't love anybody, you can't expect anybody to love you." "i do!" cried pon. "i shall always love her." "well, you're just a gardener's boy," replied trot, "and i didn't think you 'mounted to much, from the first. i can love the old princess gloria, with a warm heart an' nice manners, but this one gives me the shivers." "it's her icy heart, that's all," said pon. "that's enough," insisted trot. "seeing her heart isn't big enough to skate on, i can't see that she's of any use to anyone. for my part, i'm goin' to try to find button-bright an' cap'n bill." "i will go with you," decided pon. "it is evident that gloria no longer loves me and that her heart is frozen too stiff for me to melt it with my own love; therefore i may as well help you to find your friends." as trot started off, pon cast one more imploring look at the princess, who returned it with a chilly stare. so he followed after the little girl. as for the princess, she hesitated a moment and then turned in the same direction the others had taken, but going far more slowly. soon she heard footsteps pattering behind her, and up came googly-goo, a little out of breath with running. "stop, gloria!" he cried. "i have come to take you back to my mansion, where we are to be married." she looked at him wonderingly a moment, then tossed her head disdainfully and walked on. but googly-goo kept beside her. "what does this mean?" he demanded. "haven't you discovered that you no longer love that gardener's boy, who stood in my way?" "yes; i have discovered it," she replied. "my heart is frozen to all mortal loves. i cannot love you, or pon, or the cruel king my uncle, or even myself. go your way, googly-goo, for i will wed no one at all." he stopped in dismay when he heard this, but in another minute he exclaimed angrily: "you must wed me, princess gloria, whether you want to or not! i paid to have your heart frozen; i also paid the king to permit our marriage. if you now refuse me it will mean that i have been robbed--robbed--robbed of my precious money and jewels!" he almost wept with despair, but she laughed a cold, bitter laugh and passed on. googly-goo caught at her arm, as if to restrain her, but she whirled and dealt him a blow that sent him reeling into a ditch beside the path. here he lay for a long time, half covered by muddy water, dazed with surprise. finally the old courtier arose, dripping, and climbed from the ditch. the princess had gone; so, muttering threats of vengeance upon her, upon the king and upon blinkie, old googly-goo hobbled back to his mansion to have the mud removed from his costly velvet clothes. chapter fifteen trot meets the scarecrow trot and pon covered many leagues of ground, searching through forests, in fields and in many of the little villages of jinxland, but could find no trace of either cap'n bill or button-bright. finally they paused beside a cornfield and sat upon a stile to rest. pon took some apples from his pocket and gave one to trot. then he began eating another himself, for this was their time for luncheon. when his apple was finished pon tossed the core into the field. "tchuk-tchuk!" said a strange voice. "what do you mean by hitting me in the eye with an apple-core?" then rose up the form of the scarecrow, who had hidden himself in the cornfield while he examined pon and trot and decided whether they were worthy to be helped. "excuse me," said pon. "i didn't know you were there." "how did you happen to be there, anyhow?" asked trot. the scarecrow came forward with awkward steps and stood beside them. "ah, you are the gardener's boy," he said to pon. then he turned to trot. "and you are the little girl who came to jinxland riding on a big bird, and who has had the misfortune to lose her friend, cap'n bill, and her chum, button-bright." "why, how did you know all that?" she inquired. "i know a lot of things," replied the scarecrow, winking at her comically. "my brains are the carefully-assorted, double-distilled, high-efficiency sort that the wizard of oz makes. he admits, himself, that my brains are the best he ever manufactured." "i think i've heard of you," said trot slowly, as she looked the scarecrow over with much interest; "but you used to live in the land of oz." "oh, i do now," he replied cheerfully. "i've just come over the mountains from the quadling country to see if i can be of any help to you." "who, me?" asked pon. "no, the strangers from the big world. it seems they need looking after." "i'm doing that myself," said pon, a little ungraciously. "if you will pardon me for saying so, i don't see how a scarecrow with painted eyes can look after anyone." "if you don't see that, you are more blind than the scarecrow," asserted trot. "he's a fairy man, pon, and comes from the fairyland of oz, so he can do 'most anything. i hope," she added, turning to the scarecrow, "you can find cap'n bill for me." "i will try, anyhow," he promised. "but who is that old woman who is running toward us and shaking her stick at us?" trot and pon turned around and both uttered an exclamation of fear. the next instant they took to their heels and ran fast up the path. for it was old blinkie, the wicked witch, who had at last traced them to this place. her anger was so great that she was determined not to abandon the chase of pon and trot until she had caught and punished them. the scarecrow understood at once that the old woman meant harm to his new friends, so as she drew near he stepped before her. his appearance was so sudden and unexpected that blinkie ran into him and toppled him over, but she tripped on his straw body and went rolling in the path beside him. the scarecrow sat up and said: "i beg your pardon!" but she whacked him with her stick and knocked him flat again. then, furious with rage, the old witch sprang upon her victim and began pulling the straw out of his body. the poor scarecrow was helpless to resist and in a few moments all that was left of him was an empty suit of clothes and a heap of straw beside it. fortunately, blinkie did not harm his head, for it rolled into a little hollow and escaped her notice. fearing that pon and trot would escape her, she quickly resumed the chase and disappeared over the brow of a hill, following the direction in which she had seen them go. only a short time elapsed before a gray grasshopper with a wooden leg came hopping along and lit directly on the upturned face of the scarecrow's head. "pardon me, but you are resting yourself upon my nose," remarked the scarecrow. "oh! are you alive?" asked the grasshopper. "that is a question i have never been able to decide," said the scarecrow's head. "when my body is properly stuffed i have animation and can move around as well as any live person. the brains in the head you are now occupying as a throne, are of very superior quality and do a lot of very clever thinking. but whether that is being alive, or not, i cannot prove to you; for one who lives is liable to death, while i am only liable to destruction." "seems to me," said the grasshopper, rubbing his nose with his front legs, "that in your case it doesn't matter--unless you're destroyed already." "i am not; all i need is re-stuffing," declared the scarecrow; "and if pon and trot escape the witch, and come back here, i am sure they will do me that favor." "tell me! are trot and pon around here?" inquired the grasshopper, its small voice trembling with excitement. the scarecrow did not answer at once, for both his eyes were staring straight upward at a beautiful face that was slightly bent over his head. it was, indeed, princess gloria, who had wandered to this spot, very much surprised when she heard the scarecrow's head talk and the tiny gray grasshopper answer it. "this," said the scarecrow, still staring at her, "must be the princess who loves pon, the gardener's boy." "oh, indeed!" exclaimed the grasshopper--who of course was cap'n bill--as he examined the young lady curiously. "no," said gloria frigidly, "i do not love pon, or anyone else, for the wicked witch has frozen my heart." "what a shame!" cried the scarecrow. "one so lovely should be able to love. but would you mind, my dear, stuffing that straw into my body again?" the dainty princess glanced at the straw and at the well-worn blue munchkin clothes and shrank back in disdain. but she was spared from refusing the scarecrow's request by the appearance of trot and pon, who had hidden in some bushes just over the brow of the hill and waited until old blinkie had passed them by. their hiding place was on the same side as the witch's blind eye, and she rushed on in the chase of the girl and the youth without being aware that they had tricked her. trot was shocked at the scarecrow's sad condition and at once began putting the straw back into his body. pon, at sight of gloria, again appealed to her to take pity on him, but the frozen-hearted princess turned coldly away and with a sigh the gardener's boy began to assist trot. neither of them at first noticed the small grasshopper, which at their appearance had skipped off the scarecrow's nose and was now clinging to a wisp of grass beside the path, where he was not likely to be stepped upon. not until the scarecrow had been neatly restuffed and set upon his feet again--when he bowed to his restorers and expressed his thanks--did the grasshopper move from his perch. then he leaped lightly into the path and called out: "trot--trot! look at me. i'm cap'n bill! see what the wicked witch has done to me." the voice was small, to be sure, but it reached trot's ears and startled her greatly. she looked intently at the grasshopper, her eyes wide with fear at first; then she knelt down and, noticing the wooden leg, she began to weep sorrowfully. "oh, cap'n bill--dear cap'n bill! what a cruel thing to do!" she sobbed. "don't cry, trot," begged the grasshopper. "it didn't hurt any, and it doesn't hurt now. but it's mighty inconvenient an' humiliatin', to say the least." "i wish," said the girl indignantly, while trying hard to restrain her tears, "that i was big 'nough an' strong 'nough to give that horrid witch a good beating. she ought to be turned into a toad for doing this to you, cap'n bill!" "never mind," urged the scarecrow, in a comforting voice, "such a transformation doesn't last always, and as a general thing there's some way to break the enchantment. i'm sure glinda could do it, in a jiffy." "who is glinda?" inquired cap'n bill. then the scarecrow told them all about glinda, not forgetting to mention her beauty and goodness and her wonderful powers of magic. he also explained how the royal sorceress had sent him to jinxland especially to help the strangers, whom she knew to be in danger because of the wiles of the cruel king and the wicked witch. chapter sixteen pon summons the king to surrender gloria had drawn near to the group to listen to their talk, and it seemed to interest her in spite of her frigid manner. they knew, of course, that the poor princess could not help being cold and reserved, so they tried not to blame her. "i ought to have come here a little sooner," said the scarecrow, regretfully; "but glinda sent me as soon as she discovered you were here and were likely to get into trouble. and now that we are all together--except button-bright, over whom it is useless to worry--i propose we hold a council of war, to decide what is best to be done." that seemed a wise thing to do, so they all sat down upon the grass, including gloria, and the grasshopper perched upon trot's shoulder and allowed her to stroke him gently with her hand. "in the first place," began the scarecrow, "this king krewl is a usurper and has no right to rule this kingdom of jinxland." "that is true," said pon, eagerly. "my father was king before him, and i--" "you are a gardener's boy," interrupted the scarecrow. "your father had no right to rule, either, for the rightful king of this land was the father of princess gloria, and only she is entitled to sit upon the throne of jinxland." "good!" exclaimed trot. "but what'll we do with king krewl? i s'pose he won't give up the throne unless he has to." "no, of course not," said the scarecrow. "therefore it will be our duty to make him give up the throne." "how?" asked trot. "give me time to think," was the reply. "that's what my brains are for. i don't know whether you people ever think, or not, but my brains are the best that the wizard of oz ever turned out, and if i give them plenty of time to work, the result usually surprises me." "take your time, then," suggested trot. "there's no hurry." "thank you," said the straw man, and sat perfectly still for half an hour. during this interval the grasshopper whispered in trot's ear, to which he was very close, and trot whispered back to the grasshopper sitting upon her shoulder. pon cast loving glances at gloria, who paid not the slightest heed to them. finally the scarecrow laughed aloud. "brains working?" inquired trot. "yes. they seem in fine order to-day. we will conquer king krewl and put gloria upon his throne as queen of jinxland." "fine!" cried the little girl, clapping her hands together gleefully. "but how?" "leave the how to me," said the scarecrow proudly. "as a conqueror i'm a wonder. we will, first of all, write a message to send to king krewl, asking him to surrender. if he refuses, then we will make him surrender." "why ask him, when we know he'll refuse?" inquired pon. "why, we must be polite, whatever we do," explained the scarecrow. "it would be very rude to conquer a king without proper notice." they found it difficult to write a message without paper, pen and ink, none of which was at hand; so it was decided to send pon as a messenger, with instructions to ask the king, politely but firmly, to surrender. pon was not anxious to be the messenger. indeed, he hinted that it might prove a dangerous mission. but the scarecrow was now the acknowledged head of the army of conquest, and he would listen to no refusal. so off pon started for the king's castle, and the others accompanied him as far as his hut, where they had decided to await the gardener's boy's return. i think it was because pon had known the scarecrow such a short time that he lacked confidence in the straw man's wisdom. it was easy to say: "we will conquer king krewl," but when pon drew near to the great castle he began to doubt the ability of a straw-stuffed man, a girl, a grasshopper and a frozen-hearted princess to do it. as for himself, he had never thought of defying the king before. that was why the gardener's boy was not very bold when he entered the castle and passed through to the enclosed court where the king was just then seated, with his favorite courtiers around him. none prevented pon's entrance, because he was known to be the gardener's boy, but when the king saw him he began to frown fiercely. he considered pon to be to blame for all his trouble with princess gloria, who since her heart had been frozen had escaped to some unknown place, instead of returning to the castle to wed googly-goo, as she had been expected to do. so the king bared his teeth angrily as he demanded: "what have you done with princess gloria?" "nothing, your majesty! i have done nothing at all," answered pon in a faltering voice. "she does not love me any more and even refuses to speak to me." "then why are you here, you rascal?" roared the king. pon looked first one way and then another, but saw no means of escape; so he plucked up courage. "i am here to summon your majesty to surrender." "what!" shouted the king. "surrender? surrender to whom?" pon's heart sank to his boots. "to the scarecrow," he replied. some of the courtiers began to titter, but king krewl was greatly annoyed. he sprang up and began to beat poor pon with the golden staff he carried. pon howled lustily and would have run away had not two of the soldiers held him until his majesty was exhausted with punishing the boy. then they let him go and he left the castle and returned along the road, sobbing at every step because his body was so sore and aching. "well," said the scarecrow, "did the king surrender?" "no; but he gave me a good drubbing!" sobbed poor pon. trot was very sorry for pon, but gloria did not seem affected in any way by her lover's anguish. the grasshopper leaped to the scarecrow's shoulder and asked him what he was going to do next. "conquer," was the reply. "but i will go alone, this time, for beatings cannot hurt me at all; nor can lance thrusts--or sword cuts--or arrow pricks." "why is that?" inquired trot. "because i have no nerves, such as you meat people possess. even grasshoppers have nerves, but straw doesn't; so whatever they do--except just one thing--they cannot injure me. therefore i expect to conquer king krewl with ease." "what is that one thing you excepted?" asked trot. "they will never think of it, so never mind. and now, if you will kindly excuse me for a time, i'll go over to the castle and do my conquering." "you have no weapons," pon reminded him. "true," said the scarecrow. "but if i carried weapons i might injure someone--perhaps seriously--and that would make me unhappy. i will just borrow that riding-whip, which i see in the corner of your hut, if you don't mind. it isn't exactly proper to walk with a riding-whip, but i trust you will excuse the inconsistency." pon handed him the whip and the scarecrow bowed to all the party and left the hut, proceeding leisurely along the way to the king's castle. chapter seventeen the ork rescues button-bright i must now tell you what had become of button-bright since he wandered away in the morning and got lost. this small boy, as perhaps you have discovered, was almost as destitute of nerves as the scarecrow. nothing ever astonished him much; nothing ever worried him or made him unhappy. good fortune or bad fortune he accepted with a quiet smile, never complaining, whatever happened. this was one reason why button-bright was a favorite with all who knew him--and perhaps it was the reason why he so often got into difficulties, or found himself lost. to-day, as he wandered here and there, over hill and down dale, he missed trot and cap'n bill, of whom he was fond, but nevertheless he was not unhappy. the birds sang merrily and the wildflowers were beautiful and the breeze had a fragrance of new-mown hay. "the only bad thing about this country is its king," he reflected; "but the country isn't to blame for that." a prairie-dog stuck its round head out of a mound of earth and looked at the boy with bright eyes. "walk around my house, please," it said, "and then you won't harm it or disturb the babies." "all right," answered button-bright, and took care not to step on the mound. he went on, whistling merrily, until a petulant voice cried: "oh, stop it! please stop that noise. it gets on my nerves." button-bright saw an old gray owl sitting in the crotch of a tree, and he replied with a laugh: "all right, old fussy," and stopped whistling until he had passed out of the owl's hearing. at noon he came to a farmhouse where an aged couple lived. they gave him a good dinner and treated him kindly, but the man was deaf and the woman was dumb, so they could answer no questions to guide him on the way to pon's house. when he left them he was just as much lost as he had been before. every grove of trees he saw from a distance he visited, for he remembered that the king's castle was near a grove of trees and pon's hut was near the king's castle; but always he met with disappointment. finally, passing through one of these groves, he came out into the open and found himself face to face with the ork. "hello!" said button-bright. "where did you come from?" "from orkland," was the reply. "i've found my own country, at last, and it is not far from here, either. i would have come back to you sooner, to see how you are getting along, had not my family and friends welcomed my return so royally that a great celebration was held in my honor. so i couldn't very well leave orkland again until the excitement was over." "can you find your way back home again?" asked the boy. "yes, easily; for now i know exactly where it is. but where are trot and cap'n bill?" button-bright related to the ork their adventures since it had left them in jinxland, telling of trot's fear that the king had done something wicked to cap'n bill, and of pon's love for gloria, and how trot and button-bright had been turned out of the king's castle. that was all the news that the boy had, but it made the ork anxious for the safety of his friends. "we must go to them at once, for they may need us," he said. "i don't know where to go," confessed button-bright. "i'm lost." "well, i can take you back to the hut of the gardener's boy," promised the ork, "for when i fly high in the air i can look down and easily spy the king's castle. that was how i happened to spy you, just entering the grove; so i flew down and waited until you came out." "how can you carry me?" asked the boy. "you'll have to sit straddle my shoulders and put your arms around my neck. do you think you can keep from falling off?" "i'll try," said button-bright. so the ork squatted down and the boy took his seat and held on tight. then the skinny creature's tail began whirling and up they went, far above all the tree-tops. after the ork had circled around once or twice, its sharp eyes located the towers of the castle and away it flew, straight toward the place. as it hovered in the air, near by the castle, button-bright pointed out pon's hut, so they landed just before it and trot came running out to greet them. gloria was introduced to the ork, who was surprised to find cap'n bill transformed into a grasshopper. "how do you like it?" asked the creature. "why, it worries me good deal," answered cap'n bill, perched upon trot's shoulder. "i'm always afraid o' bein' stepped on, and i don't like the flavor of grass an' can't seem to get used to it. it's my nature to eat grass, you know, but i begin to suspect it's an acquired taste." "can you give molasses?" asked the ork. "i guess i'm not that kind of a grasshopper," replied cap'n bill. "but i can't say what i might do if i was squeezed--which i hope i won't be." "well," said the ork, "it's a great pity, and i'd like to meet that cruel king and his wicked witch and punish them both severely. you're awfully small, cap'n bill, but i think i would recognize you anywhere by your wooden leg." then the ork and button-bright were told all about gloria's frozen heart and how the scarecrow had come from the land of oz to help them. the ork seemed rather disturbed when it learned that the scarecrow had gone alone to conquer king krewl. "i'm afraid he'll make a fizzle of it," said the skinny creature, "and there's no telling what that terrible king might do to the poor scarecrow, who seems like a very interesting person. so i believe i'll take a hand in this conquest myself." "how?" asked trot. "wait and see," was the reply. "but, first of all, i must fly home again--back to my own country--so if you'll forgive my leaving you so soon, i'll be off at once. stand away from my tail, please, so that the wind from it, when it revolves, won't knock you over." they gave the creature plenty of room and away it went like a flash and soon disappeared in the sky. "i wonder," said button-bright, looking solemnly after the ork, "whether he'll ever come back again." "of course he will!" returned trot. "the ork's a pretty good fellow, and we can depend on him. an' mark my words, button-bright, whenever our ork does come back, there's one cruel king in jinxland that'll wish he hadn't." chapter eighteen the scarecrow meets an enemy the scarecrow was not a bit afraid of king krewl. indeed, he rather enjoyed the prospect of conquering the evil king and putting gloria on the throne of jinxland in his place. so he advanced boldly to the royal castle and demanded admittance. seeing that he was a stranger, the soldiers allowed him to enter. he made his way straight to the throne room, where at that time his majesty was settling the disputes among his subjects. "who are you?" demanded the king. "i'm the scarecrow of oz, and i command you to surrender yourself my prisoner." "why should i do that?" inquired the king, much astonished at the straw man's audacity. "because i've decided you are too cruel a king to rule so beautiful a country. you must remember that jinxland is a part of oz, and therefore you owe allegiance to ozma of oz, whose friend and servant i am." now, when he heard this, king krewl was much disturbed in mind, for he knew the scarecrow spoke the truth. but no one had ever before come to jinxland from the land of oz and the king did not intend to be put out of his throne if he could help it. therefore he gave a harsh, wicked laugh of derision and said: "i'm busy, now. stand out of my way, scarecrow, and i'll talk with you by and by." but the scarecrow turned to the assembled courtiers and people and called in a loud voice: "i hereby declare, in the name of ozma of oz, that this man is no longer ruler of jinxland. from this moment princess gloria is your rightful queen, and i ask all of you to be loyal to her and to obey her commands." the people looked fearfully at the king, whom they all hated in their hearts, but likewise feared. krewl was now in a terrible rage and he raised his golden sceptre and struck the scarecrow so heavy a blow that he fell to the floor. but he was up again, in an instant, and with pon's riding-whip he switched the king so hard that the wicked monarch roared with pain as much as with rage, calling on his soldiers to capture the scarecrow. they tried to do that, and thrust their lances and swords into the straw body, but without doing any damage except to make holes in the scarecrow's clothes. however, they were many against one and finally old googly-goo brought a rope which he wound around the scarecrow, binding his legs together and his arms to his sides, and after that the fight was over. the king stormed and danced around in a dreadful fury, for he had never been so switched since he was a boy--and perhaps not then. he ordered the scarecrow thrust into the castle prison, which was no task at all because one man could carry him easily, bound as he was. even after the prisoner was removed the king could not control his anger. he tried to figure out some way to be revenged upon the straw man, but could think of nothing that could hurt him. at last, when the terrified people and the frightened courtiers had all slunk away, old googly-goo approached the king with a malicious grin upon his face. "i'll tell you what to do," said he. "build a big bonfire and burn the scarecrow up, and that will be the end of him." the king was so delighted with this suggestion that he hugged old googly-goo in his joy. "of course!" he cried. "the very thing. why did i not think of it myself?" so he summoned his soldiers and retainers and bade them prepare a great bonfire in an open space in the castle park. also he sent word to all his people to assemble and witness the destruction of the scarecrow who had dared to defy his power. before long a vast throng gathered in the park and the servants had heaped up enough fuel to make a fire that might be seen for miles away--even in the daytime. when all was prepared, the king had his throne brought out for him to sit upon and enjoy the spectacle, and then he sent his soldiers to fetch the scarecrow. now the one thing in all the world that the straw man really feared was fire. he knew he would burn very easily and that his ashes wouldn't amount to much afterward. it wouldn't hurt him to be destroyed in such a manner, but he realized that many people in the land of oz, and especially dorothy and the royal ozma, would feel sad if they learned that their old friend the scarecrow was no longer in existence. in spite of this, the straw man was brave and faced his fiery fate like a hero. when they marched him out before the concourse of people he turned to the king with great calmness and said: "this wicked deed will cost you your throne, as well as much suffering, for my friends will avenge my destruction." "your friends are not here, nor will they know what i have done to you, when you are gone and can-not tell them," answered the king in a scornful voice. then he ordered the scarecrow bound to a stout stake that he had had driven into the ground, and the materials for the fire were heaped all around him. when this had been done, the king's brass band struck up a lively tune and old googly-goo came forward with a lighted match and set fire to the pile. at once the flames shot up and crept closer and closer toward the scarecrow. the king and all his people were so intent upon this terrible spectacle that none of them noticed how the sky grew suddenly dark. perhaps they thought that the loud buzzing sound--like the noise of a dozen moving railway trains--came from the blazing fagots; that the rush of wind was merely a breeze. but suddenly down swept a flock of orks, half a hundred of them at the least, and the powerful currents of air caused by their revolving tails sent the bonfire scattering in every direction, so that not one burning brand ever touched the scarecrow. but that was not the only effect of this sudden tornado. king krewl was blown out of his throne and went tumbling heels over head until he landed with a bump against the stone wall of his own castle, and before he could rise a big ork sat upon him and held him pressed flat to the ground. old googly-goo shot up into the air like a rocket and landed on a tree, where he hung by the middle on a high limb, kicking the air with his feet and clawing the air with his hands, and howling for mercy like the coward he was. the people pressed back until they were jammed close together, while all the soldiers were knocked over and sent sprawling to the earth. the excitement was great for a few minutes, and every frightened inhabitant of jinxland looked with awe and amazement at the great orks whose descent had served to rescue the scarecrow and conquer king krewl at one and the same time. the ork, who was the leader of the band, soon had the scarecrow free of his bonds. then he said: "well, we were just in time to save you, which is better than being a minute too late. you are now the master here, and we are determined to see your orders obeyed." with this the ork picked up krewl's golden crown, which had fallen off his head, and placed it upon the head of the scarecrow, who in his awkward way then shuffled over to the throne and sat down in it. seeing this, a rousing cheer broke from the crowd of people, who tossed their hats and waved their handkerchiefs and hailed the scarecrow as their king. the soldiers joined the people in the cheering, for now they fully realized that their hated master was conquered and it would be wise to show their good will to the conqueror. some of them bound krewl with ropes and dragged him forward, dumping his body on the ground before the scarecrow's throne. googly-goo struggled until he finally slid off the limb of the tree and came tumbling to the ground. he then tried to sneak away and escape, but the soldiers seized and bound him beside krewl. "the tables are turned," said the scarecrow, swelling out his chest until the straw within it crackled pleasantly, for he was highly pleased; "but it was you and your people who did it, friend ork, and from this time you may count me your humble servant." chapter nineteen the conquest of the witch now as soon as the conquest of king krewl had taken place, one of the orks had been dispatched to pon's house with the joyful news. at once gloria and pon and trot and button-bright hastened toward the castle. they were somewhat surprised by the sight that met their eyes, for there was the scarecrow, crowned king, and all the people kneeling humbly before him. so they likewise bowed low to the new ruler and then stood beside the throne. cap'n bill, as the gray grasshopper, was still perched upon trot's shoulder, but now he hopped to the shoulder of the scarecrow and whispered into the painted ear: "i thought gloria was to be queen of jinxland." the scarecrow shook his head. "not yet," he answered. "no queen with a frozen heart is fit to rule any country." then he turned to his new friend, the ork, who was strutting about, very proud of what he had done, and said: "do you suppose you, or your followers, could find old blinkie the witch?" "where is she?" asked the ork. "somewhere in jinxland, i'm sure." "then," said the ork, "we shall certainly be able to find her." "it will give me great pleasure," declared the scarecrow. "when you have found her, bring her here to me, and i will then decide what to do with her." the ork called his followers together and spoke a few words to them in a low tone. a moment after they rose into the air--so suddenly that the scarecrow, who was very light in weight, was blown quite out of his throne and into the arms of pon, who replaced him carefully upon his seat. there was an eddy of dust and ashes, too, and the grasshopper only saved himself from being whirled into the crowd of people by jumping into a tree, from where a series of hops soon brought him back to trot's shoulder again. the orks were quite out of sight by this time, so the scarecrow made a speech to the people and presented gloria to them, whom they knew well already and were fond of. but not all of them knew of her frozen heart, and when the scarecrow related the story of the wicked witch's misdeeds, which had been encouraged and paid for by krewl and googly-goo, the people were very indignant. meantime the fifty orks had scattered all over jinx land, which is not a very big country, and their sharp eyes were peering into every valley and grove and gully. finally one of them spied a pair of heels sticking out from underneath some bushes, and with a shrill whistle to warn his comrades that the witch was found the ork flew down and dragged old blinkie from her hiding-place. then two or three of the orks seized the clothing of the wicked woman in their strong claws and, lifting her high in the air, where she struggled and screamed to no avail, they flew with her straight to the royal castle and set her down before the throne of the scarecrow. "good!" exclaimed the straw man, nodding his stuffed head with satisfaction. "now we can proceed to business. mistress witch, i am obliged to request, gently but firmly, that you undo all the wrongs you have done by means of your witchcraft." "pah!" cried old blinkie in a scornful voice. "i defy you all! by my magic powers i can turn you all into pigs, rooting in the mud, and i'll do it if you are not careful." "i think you are mistaken about that," said the scarecrow, and rising from his throne he walked with wobbling steps to the side of the wicked witch. "before i left the land of oz, glinda the royal sorceress gave me a box, which i was not to open except in an emergency. but i feel pretty sure that this occasion is an emergency; don't you, trot?" he asked, turning toward the little girl. "why, we've got to do something," replied trot seriously. "things seem in an awful muddle here, jus' now, and they'll be worse if we don't stop this witch from doing more harm to people." "that is my idea, exactly," said the scarecrow, and taking a small box from his pocket he opened the cover and tossed the contents toward blinkie. the old woman shrank back, pale and trembling, as a fine white dust settled all about her. under its influence she seemed to the eyes of all observers to shrivel and grow smaller. "oh, dear--oh, dear!" she wailed, wringing her hands in fear. "haven't you the antidote, scarecrow? didn't the great sorceress give you another box?" "she did," answered the scarecrow. "then give it me--quick!" pleaded the witch. "give it me--and i'll do anything you ask me to!" "you will do what i ask first," declared the scarecrow, firmly. the witch was shriveling and growing smaller every moment. "be quick, then!" she cried. "tell me what i must do and let me do it, or it will be too late." "you made trot's friend, cap'n bill, a grasshopper. i command you to give him back his proper form again," said the scarecrow. "where is he? where's the grasshopper? quick--quick!" she screamed. cap'n bill, who had been deeply interested in this conversation, gave a great leap from trot's shoulder and landed on that of the scarecrow. blinkie saw him alight and at once began to make magic passes and to mumble magic incantations. she was in a desperate hurry, knowing that she had no time to waste, and the grasshopper was so suddenly transformed into the old sailor-man, cap'n bill, that he had no opportunity to jump off the scarecrow's shoulder; so his great weight bore the stuffed scarecrow to the ground. no harm was done, however, and the straw man got up and brushed the dust from his clothes while trot delightedly embraced cap'n bill. "the other box! quick! give me the other box," begged blinkie, who had now shrunk to half her former size. "not yet," said the scarecrow. "you must first melt princess gloria's frozen heart." "i can't; it's an awful job to do that! i can't," asserted the witch, in an agony of fear--for still she was growing smaller. "you must!" declared the scarecrow, firmly. the witch cast a shrewd look at him and saw that he meant it; so she began dancing around gloria in a frantic manner. the princess looked coldly on, as if not at all interested in the proceedings, while blinkie tore a handful of hair from her own head and ripped a strip of cloth from the bottom of her gown. then the witch sank upon her knees, took a purple powder from her black bag and sprinkled it over the hair and cloth. "i hate to do it--i hate to do it!" she wailed, "for there is no more of this magic compound in all the world. but i must sacrifice it to save my own life. a match! give me a match, quick!" and panting from lack of breath she gazed imploringly from one to another. cap'n bill was the only one who had a match, but he lost no time in handing it to blinkie, who quickly set fire to the hair and the cloth and the purple powder. at once a purple cloud enveloped gloria, and this gradually turned to a rosy pink color--brilliant and quite transparent. through the rosy cloud they could all see the beautiful princess, standing proud and erect. then her heart became visible, at first frosted with ice but slowly growing brighter and warmer until all the frost had disappeared and it was beating as softly and regularly as any other heart. and now the cloud dispersed and disclosed gloria, her face suffused with joy, smiling tenderly upon the friends who were grouped about her. poor pon stepped forward--timidly, fearing a repulse, but with pleading eyes and arms fondly outstretched toward his former sweetheart--and the princess saw him and her sweet face lighted with a radiant smile. without an instant's hesitation she threw herself into pon's arms and this reunion of two loving hearts was so affecting that the people turned away and lowered their eyes so as not to mar the sacred joy of the faithful lovers. but blinkie's small voice was shouting to the scarecrow for help. "the antidote!" she screamed. "give me the other box--quick!" the scarecrow looked at the witch with his quaint, painted eyes and saw that she was now no taller than his knee. so he took from his pocket the second box and scattered its contents on blinkie. she ceased to grow any smaller, but she could never regain her former size, and this the wicked old woman well knew. she did not know, however, that the second powder had destroyed all her power to work magic, and seeking to be revenged upon the scarecrow and his friends she at once began to mumble a charm so terrible in its effect that it would have destroyed half the population of jinxland--had it worked. but it did not work at all, to the amazement of old blinkie. and by this time the scarecrow noticed what the little witch was trying to do, and said to her: "go home, blinkie, and behave yourself. you are no longer a witch, but an ordinary old woman, and since you are powerless to do more evil i advise you to try to do some good in the world. believe me, it is more fun to accomplish a good act than an evil one, as you will discover when once you have tried it." but blinkie was at that moment filled with grief and chagrin at losing her magic powers. she started away toward her home, sobbing and bewailing her fate, and not one who saw her go was at all sorry for her. chapter twenty queen gloria next morning the scarecrow called upon all the courtiers and the people to assemble in the throne room of the castle, where there was room enough for all that were able to attend. they found the straw man seated upon the velvet cushions of the throne, with the king's glittering crown still upon his stuffed head. on one side of the throne, in a lower chair, sat gloria, looking radiantly beautiful and fresh as a new-blown rose. on the other side sat pon, the gardener's boy, still dressed in his old smock frock and looking sad and solemn; for pon could not make himself believe that so splendid a princess would condescend to love him when she had come to her own and was seated upon a throne. trot and cap'n bill sat at the feet of the scarecrow and were much interested in the proceedings. button-bright had lost himself before breakfast, but came into the throne room before the ceremonies were over. back of the throne stood a row of the great orks, with their leader in the center, and the entrance to the palace was guarded by more orks, who were regarded with wonder and awe. when all were assembled, the scarecrow stood up and made a speech. he told how gloria's father, the good king kynd, who had once ruled them and been loved by everyone, had been destroyed by king phearce, the father of pon, and how king phearce had been destroyed by king krewl. this last king had been a bad ruler, as they knew very well, and the scarecrow declared that the only one in all jinxland who had the right to sit upon the throne was princess gloria, the daughter of king kynd. "but," he added, "it is not for me, a stranger, to say who shall rule you. you must decide for yourselves, or you will not be content. so choose now who shall be your future ruler." and they all shouted: "the scarecrow! the scarecrow shall rule us!" which proved that the stuffed man had made himself very popular by his conquest of king krewl, and the people thought they would like him for their king. but the scarecrow shook his head so vigorously that it became loose, and trot had to pin it firmly to his body again. "no," said he, "i belong in the land of oz, where i am the humble servant of the lovely girl who rules us all--the royal ozma. you must choose one of your own inhabitants to rule over jinxland. who shall it be?" they hesitated for a moment, and some few cried: "pon!" but many more shouted: "gloria!" so the scarecrow took gloria's hand and led her to the throne, where he first seated her and then took the glittering crown off his own head and placed it upon that of the young lady, where it nestled prettily amongst her soft curls. the people cheered and shouted then, kneeling before their new queen; but gloria leaned down and took pon's hand in both her own and raised him to the seat beside her. "you shall have both a king and a queen to care for you and to protect you, my dear subjects," she said in a sweet voice, while her face glowed with happiness; "for pon was a king's son before he became a gardener's boy, and because i love him he is to be my royal consort." that pleased them all, especially pon, who realized that this was the most important moment of his life. trot and button-bright and cap'n will all congratulated him on winning the beautiful gloria; but the ork sneezed twice and said that in his opinion the young lady might have done better. then the scarecrow ordered the guards to bring in the wicked krewl, king no longer, and when he appeared, loaded with chains and dressed in fustian, the people hissed him and drew back as he passed so their garments would not touch him. krewl was not haughty or overbearing any more; on the contrary he seemed very meek and in great fear of the fate his conquerors had in store for him. but gloria and pon were too happy to be revengeful and so they offered to appoint krewl to the position of gardener's boy at the castle, pon having resigned to become king. but they said he must promise to reform his wicked ways and to do his duty faithfully, and he must change his name from krewl to grewl. all this the man eagerly promised to do, and so when pon retired to a room in the castle to put on princely raiment, the old brown smock he had formerly worn was given to grewl, who then went out into the garden to water the roses. the remainder of that famous day, which was long remembered in jinxland, was given over to feasting and merrymaking. in the evening there was a grand dance in the courtyard, where the brass band played a new piece of music called the "ork trot" which was dedicated to "our glorious gloria, the queen." while the queen and pon were leading this dance, and all the jinxland people were having a good time, the strangers were gathered in a group in the park outside the castle. cap'n bill, trot, button-bright and the scarecrow were there, and so was their old friend the ork; but of all the great flock of orks which had assisted in the conquest but three remained in jinxland, besides their leader, the others having returned to their own country as soon as gloria was crowned queen. to the young ork who had accompanied them in their adventures cap'n bill said: "you've surely been a friend in need, and we're mighty grateful to you for helping us. i might have been a grasshopper yet if it hadn't been for you, an' i might remark that bein' a grasshopper isn't much fun." "if it hadn't been for you, friend ork," said the scarecrow, "i fear i could not have conquered king krewl." "no," agreed trot, "you'd have been just a heap of ashes by this time." "and i might have been lost yet," added button-bright. "much obliged, mr. ork." "oh, that's all right," replied the ork. "friends must stand together, you know, or they wouldn't be friends. but now i must leave you and be off to my own country, where there's going to be a surprise party on my uncle, and i've promised to attend it." "dear me," said the scarecrow, regretfully. "that is very unfortunate." "why so?" asked the ork. "i hoped you would consent to carry us over those mountains, into the land of oz. my mission here is now finished and i want to get back to the emerald city." "how did you cross the mountains before?" inquired the ork. "i scaled the cliffs by means of a rope, and crossed the great gulf on a strand of spider web. of course i can return in the same manner, but it would be a hard journey--and perhaps an impossible one--for trot and button-bright and cap'n bill. so i thought that if you had the time you and your people would carry us over the mountains and land us all safely on the other side, in the land of oz." the ork thoughtfully considered the matter for a while. then he said: "i mustn't break my promise to be present at the surprise party; but, tell me, could you go to oz to-night?" "what, now?" exclaimed trot. "it is a fine moonlight night," said the ork, "and i've found in my experience that there's no time so good as right away. the fact is," he explained, "it's a long journey to orkland and i and my cousins here are all rather tired by our day's work. but if you will start now, and be content to allow us to carry you over the mountains and dump you on the other side, just say the word and--off we go!" cap'n bill and trot looked at one another questioningly. the little girl was eager to visit the famous fairyland of oz and the old sailor had endured such hardships in jinxland that he would be glad to be out of it. "it's rather impolite of us not to say good-bye to the new king and queen," remarked the scarecrow, "but i'm sure they're too happy to miss us, and i assure you it will be much easier to fly on the backs of the orks over those steep mountains than to climb them as i did." "all right; let's go!" trot decided. "but where's button-bright?" just at this important moment button-bright was lost again, and they all scattered in search of him. he had been standing beside them just a few minutes before, but his friends had an exciting hunt for him before they finally discovered the boy seated among the members of the band, beating the end of the bass drum with the bone of a turkey-leg that he had taken from the table in the banquet room. "hello, trot," he said, looking up at the little girl when she found him. "this is the first chance i ever had to pound a drum with a reg'lar drum stick. and i ate all the meat off the bone myself." "come quick. we're going to the land of oz." "oh, what's the hurry?" said button-bright; but she seized his arm and dragged him away to the park, where the others were waiting. trot climbed upon the back of her old friend, the ork leader, and the others took their seats on the backs of his three cousins. as soon as all were placed and clinging to the skinny necks of the creatures, the revolving tails began to whirl and up rose the four monster orks and sailed away toward the mountains. they were so high in the air that when they passed the crest of the highest peak it seemed far below them. no sooner were they well across the barrier than the orks swooped downward and landed their passengers upon the ground. "here we are, safe in the land of oz!" cried the scarecrow joyfully. "oh, are we?" asked trot, looking around her curiously. she could see the shadows of stately trees and the outlines of rolling hills; beneath her feet was soft turf, but otherwise the subdued light of the moon disclosed nothing clearly. "seems jus' like any other country," was cap'n bill's comment. "but it isn't," the scarecrow assured him. "you are now within the borders of the most glorious fairyland in all the world. this part of it is just a corner of the quadling country, and the least interesting portion of it. it's not very thickly settled, around here, i'll admit, but--" he was interrupted by a sudden whir and a rush of air as the four orks mounted into the sky. "good night!" called the shrill voices of the strange creatures, and although trot shouted "good night!" as loudly as she could, the little girl was almost ready to cry because the orks had not waited to be properly thanked for all their kindness to her and to cap'n bill. but the orks were gone, and thanks for good deeds do not amount to much except to prove one's politeness. "well, friends," said the scarecrow, "we mustn't stay here in the meadows all night, so let us find a pleasant place to sleep. not that it matters to me, in the least, for i never sleep; but i know that meat people like to shut their eyes and lie still during the dark hours." "i'm pretty tired," admitted trot, yawning as she followed the straw man along a tiny path, "so, if you don't find a house handy, cap'n bill and i will sleep under the trees, or even on this soft grass." but a house was not very far off, although when the scarecrow stumbled upon it there was no light in it whatever. cap'n bill knocked on the door several times, and there being no response the scarecrow boldly lifted the latch and walked in, followed by the others. and no sooner had they entered than a soft light filled the room. trot couldn't tell where it came from, for no lamp of any sort was visible, but she did not waste much time on this problem, because directly in the center of the room stood a table set for three, with lots of good food on it and several of the dishes smoking hot. the little girl and button-bright both uttered exclamations of pleasure, but they looked in vain for any cook stove or fireplace, or for any person who might have prepared for them this delicious feast. "it's fairyland," muttered the boy, tossing his cap in a corner and seating himself at the table. "this supper smells 'most as good as that turkey-leg i had in jinxland. please pass the muffins, cap'n bill." trot thought it was strange that no people but themselves were in the house, but on the wall opposite the door was a gold frame bearing in big letters the word: "welcome." so she had no further hesitation in eating of the food so mysteriously prepared for them. "but there are only places for three!" she exclaimed. "three are quite enough," said the scarecrow. "i never eat, because i am stuffed full already, and i like my nice clean straw better than i do food." trot and the sailor-man were hungry and made a hearty meal, for not since they had left home had they tasted such good food. it was surprising that button-bright could eat so soon after his feast in jinxland, but the boy always ate whenever there was an opportunity. "if i don't eat now," he said, "the next time i'm hungry i'll wish i had." "really, cap'n," remarked trot, when she found a dish of ice-cream appear beside her plate, "i b'lieve this is fairyland, sure enough." "there's no doubt of it, trot," he answered gravely "i've been here before," said button-bright, "so i know." after supper they discovered three tiny bedrooms adjoining the big living room of the house, and in each room was a comfortable white bed with downy pillows. you may be sure that the tired mortals were not long in bidding the scarecrow good night and creeping into their beds, where they slept soundly until morning. for the first time since they set eyes on the terrible whirlpool, trot and cap'n bill were free from anxiety and care. button-bright never worried about anything. the scarecrow, not being able to sleep, looked out of the window and tried to count the stars. chapter twenty-one dorothy, betsy and ozma i suppose many of my readers have read descriptions of the beautiful and magnificent emerald city of oz, so i need not describe it here, except to state that never has any city in any fairyland ever equalled this one in stately splendor. it lies almost exactly in the center of the land of oz, and in the center of the emerald city rises the wall of glistening emeralds that surrounds the palace of ozma. the palace is almost a city in itself and is inhabited by many of the ruler's especial friends and those who have won her confidence and favor. as for ozma herself, there are no words in any dictionary i can find that are fitted to describe this young girl's beauty of mind and person. merely to see her is to love her for her charming face and manners; to know her is to love her for her tender sympathy, her generous nature, her truth and honor. born of a long line of fairy queens, ozma is as nearly perfect as any fairy may be, and she is noted for her wisdom as well as for her other qualities. her happy subjects adore their girl ruler and each one considers her a comrade and protector. at the time of which i write, ozma's best friend and most constant companion was a little kansas girl named dorothy, a mortal who had come to the land of oz in a very curious manner and had been offered a home in ozma's palace. furthermore, dorothy had been made a princess of oz, and was as much at home in the royal palace as was the gentle ruler. she knew almost every part of the great country and almost all of its numerous inhabitants. next to ozma she was loved better than anyone in all oz, for dorothy was simple and sweet, seldom became angry and had such a friendly, chummy way that she made friends where-ever she wandered. it was she who first brought the scarecrow and the tin woodman and the cowardly lion to the emerald city. dorothy had also introduced to ozma the shaggy man and the hungry tiger, as well as billina the yellow hen, eureka the pink kitten, and many other delightful characters and creatures. coming as she did from our world, dorothy was much like many other girls we know; so there were times when she was not so wise as she might have been, and other times when she was obstinate and got herself into trouble. but life in a fairy-land had taught the little girl to accept all sorts of surprising things as matters-of-course, for while dorothy was no fairy--but just as mortal as we are--she had seen more wonders than most mortals ever do. another little girl from our outside world also lived in ozma's palace. this was betsy bobbin, whose strange adventures had brought her to the emerald city, where ozma had cordially welcomed her. betsy was a shy little thing and could never get used to the marvels that surrounded her, but she and dorothy were firm friends and thought themselves very fortunate in being together in this delightful country. one day dorothy and betsy were visiting ozma in the girl ruler's private apartment, and among the things that especially interested them was ozma's magic picture, set in a handsome frame and hung upon the wall of the room. this picture was a magic one because it constantly changed its scenes and showed events and adventures happening in all parts of the world. thus it was really a "moving picture" of life, and if the one who stood before it wished to know what any absent person was doing, the picture instantly showed that person, with his or her surroundings. the two girls were not wishing to see anyone in particular, on this occasion, but merely enjoyed watching the shifting scenes, some of which were exceedingly curious and remarkable. suddenly dorothy exclaimed: "why, there's button-bright!" and this drew ozma also to look at the picture, for she and dorothy knew the boy well. "who is button-bright?" asked betsy, who had never met him. "why, he's the little boy who is just getting off the back of that strange flying creature," exclaimed dorothy. then she turned to ozma and asked: "what is that thing, ozma? a bird? i've never seen anything like it before." "it is an ork," answered ozma, for they were watching the scene where the ork and the three big birds were first landing their passengers in jinxland after the long flight across the desert. "i wonder," added the girl ruler, musingly, "why those strangers dare venture into that unfortunate country, which is ruled by a wicked king." "that girl, and the one-legged man, seem to be mortals from the outside world," said dorothy. "the man isn't one-legged," corrected betsy; "he has one wooden leg." "it's almost as bad," declared dorothy, watching cap'n bill stump around. "they are three mortal adventurers," said ozma, "and they seem worthy and honest. but i fear they will be treated badly in jinxland, and if they meet with any misfortune there it will reflect upon me, for jinxland is a part of my dominions." "can't we help them in any way?" inquired dorothy. "that seems like a nice little girl. i'd be sorry if anything happened to her." "let us watch the picture for awhile," suggested ozma, and so they all drew chairs before the magic picture and followed the adventures of trot and cap'n bill and button-bright. presently the scene shifted and showed their friend the scarecrow crossing the mountains into jinxland, and that somewhat relieved ozma's anxiety, for she knew at once that glinda the good had sent the scarecrow to protect the strangers. the adventures in jinxland proved very interesting to the three girls in ozma's palace, who during the succeeding days spent much of their time in watching the picture. it was like a story to them. "that girl's a reg'lar trump!" exclaimed dorothy, referring to trot, and ozma answered: "she's a dear little thing, and i'm sure nothing very bad will happen to her. the old sailor is a fine character, too, for he has never once grumbled over being a grasshopper, as so many would have done." when the scarecrow was so nearly burned up the girls all shivered a little, and they clapped their hands in joy when the flock of orks came and saved him. so it was that when all the exciting adventures in jinxland were over and the four orks had begun their flight across the mountains to carry the mortals into the land of oz, ozma called the wizard to her and asked him to prepare a place for the strangers to sleep. the famous wizard of oz was a quaint little man who inhabited the royal palace and attended to all the magical things that ozma wanted done. he was not as powerful as glinda, to be sure, but he could do a great many wonderful things. he proved this by placing a house in the uninhabited part of the quadling country where the orks landed cap'n bill and trot and button-bright, and fitting it with all the comforts i have described in the last chapter. next morning dorothy said to ozma: "oughtn't we to go meet the strangers, so we can show them the way to the emerald city? i'm sure that little girl will feel shy in this beautiful land, and i know if 'twas me i'd like somebody to give me a welcome." ozma smiled at her little friend and answered: "you and betsy may go to meet them, if you wish, but i can not leave my palace just now, as i am to have a conference with jack pumpkinhead and professor wogglebug on important matters. you may take the sawhorse and the red wagon, and if you start soon you will be able to meet the scarecrow and the strangers at glinda's palace." "oh, thank you!" cried dorothy, and went away to tell betsy and to make preparations for the journey. chapter twenty-two the waterfall glinda's castle was a long way from the mountains, but the scarecrow began the journey cheerfully, since time was of no great importance in the land of oz and he had recently made the trip and knew the way. it never mattered much to button-bright where he was or what he was doing; the boy was content in being alive and having good companions to share his wanderings. as for trot and cap'n bill, they now found themselves so comfortable and free from danger, in this fine fairyland, and they were so awed and amazed by the adventures they were encountering, that the journey to glinda's castle was more like a pleasure trip than a hardship, so many wonderful things were there to see. button-bright had been in oz before, but never in this part of it, so the scarecrow was the only one who knew the paths and could lead them. they had eaten a hearty breakfast, which they found already prepared for them and awaiting them on the table when they arose from their refreshing sleep, so they left the magic house in a contented mood and with hearts lighter and more happy than they had known for many a day. as they marched along through the fields, the sun shone brightly and the breeze was laden with delicious fragrance, for it carried with it the breath of millions of wildflowers. at noon, when they stopped to rest by the bank of a pretty river, trot said with a long-drawn breath that was much like a sigh: "i wish we'd brought with us some of the food that was left from our breakfast, for i'm getting hungry again." scarcely had she spoken when a table rose up before them, as if from the ground itself, and it was loaded with fruits and nuts and cakes and many other good things to eat. the little girl's eyes opened wide at this display of magic, and cap'n bill was not sure that the things were actually there and fit to eat until he had taken them in his hand and tasted them. but the scarecrow said with a laugh: "someone is looking after your welfare, that is certain, and from the looks of this table i suspect my friend the wizard has taken us in his charge. i've known him to do things like this before, and if we are in the wizard's care you need not worry about your future." "who's worrying?" inquired button-bright, already at the table and busily eating. the scarecrow looked around the place while the others were feasting, and finding many things unfamiliar to him he shook his head and remarked: "i must have taken the wrong path, back in that last valley, for on my way to jinxland i remember that i passed around the foot of this river, where there was a great waterfall." "did the river make a bend, after the waterfall?" asked cap'n bill. "no, the river disappeared. only a pool of whirling water showed what had become of the river; but i suppose it is under ground, somewhere, and will come to the surface again in another part of the country." "well," suggested trot, as she finished her luncheon, "as there is no way to cross this river, i s'pose we'll have to find that waterfall, and go around it." "exactly," replied the scarecrow; so they soon renewed their journey, following the river for a long time until the roar of the waterfall sounded in their ears. by and by they came to the waterfall itself, a sheet of silver dropping far, far down into a tiny lake which seemed to have no outlet. from the top of the fall, where they stood, the banks gradually sloped away, so that the descent by land was quite easy, while the river could do nothing but glide over an edge of rock and tumble straight down to the depths below. "you see," said the scarecrow, leaning over the brink, "this is called by our oz people the great waterfall, because it is certainly the highest one in all the land; but i think--help!" he had lost his balance and pitched headforemost into the river. they saw a flash of straw and blue clothes, and the painted face looking upward in surprise. the next moment the scarecrow was swept over the waterfall and plunged into the basin below. the accident had happened so suddenly that for a moment they were all too horrified to speak or move. "quick! we must go to help him or he will be drowned," trot exclaimed. even while speaking she began to descend the bank to the pool below, and cap'n bill followed as swiftly as his wooden leg would let him. button-bright came more slowly, calling to the girl: "he can't drown, trot; he's a scarecrow." but she wasn't sure a scarecrow couldn't drown and never relaxed her speed until she stood on the edge of the pool, with the spray dashing in her face. cap'n bill, puffing and panting, had just voice enough to ask, as he reached her side: "see him, trot?" "not a speck of him. oh, cap'n, what do you s'pose has become of him?" "i s'pose," replied the sailor, "that he's in that water, more or less far down, and i'm 'fraid it'll make his straw pretty soggy. but as fer his bein' drowned, i agree with button-bright that it can't be done." there was small comfort in this assurance and trot stood for some time searching with her eyes the bubbling water, in the hope that the scarecrow would finally come to the surface. presently she heard button-bright calling: "come here, trot!" and looking around she saw that the boy had crept over the wet rocks to the edge of the waterfall and seemed to be peering behind it. making her way toward him, she asked: "what do you see?" "a cave," he answered. "let's go in. p'r'aps we'll find the scarecrow there." she was a little doubtful of that, but the cave interested her, and so did it cap'n bill. there was just space enough at the edge of the sheet of water for them to crowd in behind it, but after that dangerous entrance they found room enough to walk upright and after a time they came to an opening in the wall of rock. approaching this opening, they gazed within it and found a series of steps, cut so that they might easily descend into the cavern. trot turned to look inquiringly at her companions. the falling water made such din and roaring that her voice could not be heard. cap'n bill nodded his head, but before he could enter the cave, button-bright was before him, clambering down the steps without a particle of fear. so the others followed the boy. the first steps were wet with spray, and slippery, but the remainder were quite dry. a rosy light seemed to come from the interior of the cave, and this lighted their way. after the steps there was a short tunnel, high enough for them to walk erect in, and then they reached the cave itself and paused in wonder and admiration. they stood on the edge of a vast cavern, the walls and domed roof of which were lined with countless rubies, exquisitely cut and flashing sparkling rays from one to another. this caused a radiant light that permitted the entire cavern to be distinctly seen, and the effect was so marvelous that trot drew in her breath with a sort of a gasp, and stood quite still in wonder. but the walls and roof of the cavern were merely a setting for a more wonderful scene. in the center was a bubbling caldron of water, for here the river rose again, splashing and dashing till its spray rose high in the air, where it took the ruby color of the jewels and seemed like a seething mass of flame. and while they gazed into the tumbling, tossing water, the body of the scarecrow suddenly rose in the center, struggling and kicking, and the next instant wholly disappeared from view. "my, but he's wet!" exclaimed button-bright; but none of the others heard him. trot and cap'n bill discovered that a broad ledge--covered, like the walls, with glittering rubies--ran all around the cavern; so they followed this gorgeous path to the rear and found where the water made its final dive underground, before it disappeared entirely. where it plunged into this dim abyss the river was black and dreary looking, and they stood gazing in awe until just beside them the body of the scarecrow again popped up from the water. chapter twenty three the land of oz the straw man's appearance on the water was so sudden that it startled trot, but cap'n bill had the presence of mind to stick his wooden leg out over the water and the scarecrow made a desperate clutch and grabbed the leg with both hands. he managed to hold on until trot and button-bright knelt down and seized his clothing, but the children would have been powerless to drag the soaked scarecrow ashore had not cap'n bill now assisted them. when they laid him on the ledge of rubies he was the most useless looking scarecrow you can imagine--his straw sodden and dripping with water, his clothing wet and crumpled, while even the sack upon which his face was painted had become so wrinkled that the old jolly expression of their stuffed friend's features was entirely gone. but he could still speak, and when trot bent down her ear she heard him say: "get me out of here as soon as you can." that seemed a wise thing to do, so cap'n bill lifted his head and shoulders, and trot and button-bright each took a leg; among them they partly carried and partly dragged the damp scarecrow out of the ruby cavern, along the tunnel, and up the flight of rock steps. it was somewhat difficult to get him past the edge of the waterfall, but they succeeded, after much effort, and a few minutes later laid their poor comrade on a grassy bank where the sun shone upon him freely and he was beyond the reach of the spray. cap'n bill now knelt down and examined the straw that the scarecrow was stuffed with. "i don't believe it'll be of much use to him, any more," said he, "for it's full of polliwogs an' fish eggs, an' the water has took all the crinkle out o' the straw an ruined it. i guess, trot, that the best thing for us to do is to empty out all his body an' carry his head an' clothes along the road till we come to a field or a house where we can get some fresh straw." "yes, cap'n," she agreed, "there's nothing else to be done. but how shall we ever find the road to glinda's palace, without the scarecrow to guide us?" "that's easy," said the scarecrow, speaking in a rather feeble but distinct voice. "if cap'n bill will carry my head on his shoulders, eyes front, i can tell him which way to go." so they followed that plan and emptied all the old, wet straw out of the scarecrow's body. then the sailor-man wrung out the clothes and laid them in the sun till they were quite dry. trot took charge of the head and pressed the wrinkles out of the face as it dried, so that after a while the scarecrow's expression became natural again, and as jolly as before. this work consumed some time, but when it was completed they again started upon their journey, button-bright carrying the boots and hat, trot the bundle of clothes, and cap'n bill the head. the scarecrow, having regained his composure and being now in a good humor, despite his recent mishaps, beguiled their way with stories of the land of oz. it was not until the next morning, however, that they found straw with which to restuff the scarecrow. that evening they came to the same little house they had slept in before, only now it was magically transferred to a new place. the same bountiful supper as before was found smoking hot upon the table and the same cosy beds were ready for them to sleep in. they rose early and after breakfast went out of doors, and there, lying just beside the house, was a heap of clean, crisp straw. ozma had noticed the scarecrow's accident in her magic picture and had notified the wizard to provide the straw, for she knew the adventurers were not likely to find straw in the country through which they were now traveling. they lost no time in stuffing the scarecrow anew, and he was greatly delighted at being able to walk around again and to assume the leadership of the little party. "really," said trot, "i think you're better than you were before, for you are fresh and sweet all through and rustle beautifully when you move." "thank you, my dear," he replied gratefully. "i always feel like a new man when i'm freshly stuffed. no one likes to get musty, you know, and even good straw may be spoiled by age." "it was water that spoiled you, the last time," remarked button-bright, "which proves that too much bathing is as bad as too little. but, after all, scarecrow, water is not as dangerous for you as fire." "all things are good in moderation," declared the scarecrow. "but now, let us hurry on, or we shall not reach glinda's palace by nightfall." chapter twenty-four the royal reception at about four o'clock of that same day the red wagon drew up at the entrance to glinda's palace and dorothy and betsy jumped out. ozma's red wagon was almost a chariot, being inlaid with rubies and pearls, and it was drawn by ozma's favorite steed, the wooden sawhorse. "shall i unharness you," asked dorothy, "so you can come in and visit?" "no," replied the sawhorse. "i'll just stand here and think. take your time. thinking doesn't seem to bore me at all." "what will you think of?" inquired betsy. "of the acorn that grew the tree from which i was made." so they left the wooden animal and went in to see glinda, who welcomed the little girls in her most cordial manner. "i knew you were on your way," said the good sorceress when they were seated in her library, "for i learned from my record book that you intended to meet trot and button-bright on their arrival here." "is the strange little girl named trot?" asked dorothy. "yes; and her companion, the old sailor, is named cap'n bill. i think we shall like them very much, for they are just the kind of people to enjoy and appreciate our fairyland and i do not see any way, at present, for them to return again to the outside world." "well, there's room enough here for them, i'm sure," said dorothy. "betsy and i are already eager to welcome trot. it will keep us busy for a year, at least, showing her all the wonderful things in oz." glinda smiled. "i have lived here many years," said she, "and i have not seen all the wonders of oz yet." meantime the travelers were drawing near to the palace, and when they first caught sight of its towers trot realized that it was far more grand and imposing than was the king's castle in jinxland. the nearer they came, the more beautiful the palace appeared, and when finally the scarecrow led them up the great marble steps, even button-bright was filled with awe. "i don't see any soldiers to guard the place," said the little girl. "there is no need to guard glinda's palace," replied the scarecrow. "we have no wicked people in oz, that we know of, and even if there were any, glinda's magic would be powerful enough to protect her." button-bright was now standing on the top steps of the entrance, and he suddenly exclaimed: "why, there's the sawhorse and the red wagon! hip, hooray!" and next moment he was rushing down to throw his arms around the neck of the wooden horse, which good-naturedly permitted this familiarity when it recognized in the boy an old friend. button-bright's shout had been heard inside the palace, so now dorothy and betsy came running out to embrace their beloved friend, the scarecrow, and to welcome trot and cap'n bill to the land of oz. "we've been watching you for a long time, in ozma's magic picture," said dorothy, "and ozma has sent us to invite you to her own palace in the em'rald city. i don't know if you realize how lucky you are to get that invitation, but you'll understand it better after you've seen the royal palace and the em'rald city." glinda now appeared in person to lead all the party into her azure reception room. trot was a little afraid of the stately sorceress, but gained courage by holding fast to the hands of betsy and dorothy. cap'n bill had no one to help him feel at ease, so the old sailor sat stiffly on the edge of his chair and said: "yes, ma'am," or "no, ma'am," when he was spoken to, and was greatly embarrassed by so much splendor. the scarecrow had lived so much in palaces that he felt quite at home, and he chatted to glinda and the oz girls in a merry, light-hearted way. he told all about his adventures in jinxland, and at the great waterfall, and on the journey hither--most of which his hearers knew already--and then he asked dorothy and betsy what had happened in the emerald city since he had left there. they all passed the evening and the night at glinda's palace, and the sorceress was so gracious to cap'n bill that the old man by degrees regained his self-possession and began to enjoy himself. trot had already come to the conclusion that in dorothy and betsy she had found two delightful comrades, and button-bright was just as much at home here as he had been in the fields of jinxland or when he was buried in the popcorn snow of the land of mo. the next morning they arose bright and early and after breakfast bade good-bye to the kind sorceress, whom trot and cap'n bill thanked earnestly for sending the scarecrow to jinxland to rescue them. then they all climbed into the red wagon. there was room for all on the broad seats, and when all had taken their places--dorothy, trot and betsy on the rear seat and cap'n bill, button-bright and the scarecrow in front--they called "gid-dap!" to the sawhorse and the wooden steed moved briskly away, pulling the red wagon with ease. it was now that the strangers began to perceive the real beauties of the land of oz, for they were passing through a more thickly settled part of the country and the population grew more dense as they drew nearer to the emerald city. everyone they met had a cheery word or a smile for the scarecrow, dorothy and betsy bobbin, and some of them remembered button-bright and welcomed him back to their country. it was a happy party, indeed, that journeyed in the red wagon to the emerald city, and trot already began to hope that ozma would permit her and cap'n bill to live always in the land of oz. when they reached the great city they were more amazed than ever, both by the concourse of people in their quaint and picturesque costumes, and by the splendor of the city itself. but the magnificence of the royal palace quite took their breath away, until ozma received them in her own pretty apartment and by her charming manners and assuring smiles made them feel they were no longer strangers. trot was given a lovely little room next to that of dorothy, while cap'n bill had the cosiest sort of a room next to trot's and overlooking the gardens. and that evening ozma gave a grand banquet and reception in honor of the new arrivals. while trot had read of many of the people she then met, cap'n bill was less familiar with them and many of the unusual characters introduced to him that evening caused the old sailor to open his eyes wide in astonishment. he had thought the live scarecrow about as curious as anyone could be, but now he met the tin woodman, who was all made of tin, even to his heart, and carried a gleaming axe over his shoulder wherever he went. then there was jack pumpkinhead, whose head was a real pumpkin with the face carved upon it; and professor wogglebug, who had the shape of an enormous bug but was dressed in neat fitting garments. the professor was an interesting talker and had very polite manners, but his face was so comical that it made cap'n bill smile to look at it. a great friend of dorothy and ozma seemed to be a machine man called tik-tok, who ran down several times during the evening and had to be wound up again by someone before he could move or speak. at the reception appeared the shaggy man and his brother, both very popular in oz, as well as dorothy's uncle henry and aunt em, two happy old people who lived in a pretty cottage near the palace. but what perhaps seemed most surprising to both trot and cap'n bill was the number of peculiar animals admitted into ozma's parlors, where they not only conducted themselves quite properly but were able to talk as well as anyone. there was the cowardly lion, an immense beast with a beautiful mane; and the hungry tiger, who smiled continually; and eureka the pink kitten, who lay curled upon a cushion and had rather supercilious manners; and the wooden sawhorse; and nine tiny piglets that belonged to the wizard; and a mule named hank, who belonged to betsy bobbin. a fuzzy little terrier dog, named toto, lay at dorothy's feet but seldom took part in the conversation, although he listened to every word that was said. but the most wonderful of all to trot was a square beast with a winning smile, that squatted in a corner of the room and wagged his square head at everyone in quite a jolly way. betsy told trot that this unique beast was called the woozy, and there was no other like him in all the world. cap'n bill and trot had both looked around expectantly for the wizard of oz, but the evening was far advanced before the famous little man entered the room. but he went up to the strangers at once and said: "i know you, but you don't know me; so let's get acquainted." and they did get acquainted, in a very short time, and before the evening was over trot felt that she knew every person and animal present at the reception, and that they were all her good friends. suddenly they looked around for button-bright, but he was nowhere to be found. "dear me!" cried trot. "he's lost again." "never mind, my dear," said ozma, with her charming smile, "no one can go far astray in the land of oz, and if button-bright isn't lost occasionally, he isn't happy." the wonderful oz books by l. frank baum the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz the lost princess of oz by l. frank baum this book is dedicated to my granddaughter ozma baum to my readers some of my youthful readers are developing wonderful imaginations. this pleases me. imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. imagination led columbus to discover america. imagination led franklin to discover electricity. imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. so i believe that dreams--day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain-machinery whizzing--are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. the imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization. a prominent educator tells me that fairy tales are of untold value in developing imagination in the young. i believe it. among the letters i receive from children are many containing suggestions of "what to write about in the next oz book." some of the ideas advanced are mighty interesting, while others are too extravagant to be seriously considered--even in a fairy tale. yet i like them all, and i must admit that the main idea in "the lost princess of oz" was suggested to me by a sweet little girl of eleven who called to see me and to talk about the land of oz. said she: "i s'pose if ozma ever got lost, or stolen, ev'rybody in oz would be dreadful sorry." that was all, but quite enough foundation to build this present story on. if you happen to like the story, give credit to my little friend's clever hint. l. frank baum royal historian of oz list of chapters a terrible loss the troubles of glinda the good the robbery of cayke the cookie cook among the winkies ozma's friends are perplexed the search party the merry-go-round mountains the mysterious city the high coco-lorum of thi toto loses something button-bright loses himself the czarover of herku the truth pond the unhappy ferryman the big lavender bear the little pink bear the meeting the conference ugu the shoemaker more surprises magic against magic in the wicker castle the defiance of ugu the shoemaker the little pink bear speaks truly ozma of oz dorothy forgives the lost princess by l. frank baum chapter a terrible loss there could be no doubt of the fact: princess ozma, the lovely girl ruler of the fairyland of oz, was lost. she had completely disappeared. not one of her subjects--not even her closest friends--knew what had become of her. it was dorothy who first discovered it. dorothy was a little kansas girl who had come to the land of oz to live and had been given a delightful suite of rooms in ozma's royal palace just because ozma loved dorothy and wanted her to live as near her as possible so the two girls might be much together. dorothy was not the only girl from the outside world who had been welcomed to oz and lived in the royal palace. there was another named betsy bobbin, whose adventures had led her to seek refuge with ozma, and still another named trot, who had been invited, together with her faithful companion cap'n bill, to make her home in this wonderful fairyland. the three girls all had rooms in the palace and were great chums; but dorothy was the dearest friend of their gracious ruler and only she at any hour dared to seek ozma in her royal apartments. for dorothy had lived in oz much longer than the other girls and had been made a princess of the realm. betsy was a year older than dorothy and trot was a year younger, yet the three were near enough of an age to become great playmates and to have nice times together. it was while the three were talking together one morning in dorothy's room that betsy proposed they make a journey into the munchkin country, which was one of the four great countries of the land of oz ruled by ozma. "i've never been there yet," said betsy bobbin, "but the scarecrow once told me it is the prettiest country in all oz." "i'd like to go, too," added trot. "all right," said dorothy. "i'll go and ask ozma. perhaps she will let us take the sawhorse and the red wagon, which would be much nicer for us than having to walk all the way. this land of oz is a pretty big place when you get to all the edges of it." so she jumped up and went along the halls of the splendid palace until she came to the royal suite, which filled all the front of the second floor. in a little waiting room sat ozma's maid, jellia jamb, who was busily sewing. "is ozma up yet?" inquired dorothy. "i don't know, my dear," replied jellia. "i haven't heard a word from her this morning. she hasn't even called for her bath or her breakfast, and it is far past her usual time for them." "that's strange!" exclaimed the little girl. "yes," agreed the maid, "but of course no harm could have happened to her. no one can die or be killed in the land of oz, and ozma is herself a powerful fairy, and she has no enemies so far as we know. therefore i am not at all worried about her, though i must admit her silence is unusual." "perhaps," said dorothy thoughtfully, "she has overslept. or she may be reading or working out some new sort of magic to do good to her people." "any of these things may be true," replied jellia jamb, "so i haven't dared disturb our royal mistress. you, however, are a privileged character, princess, and i am sure that ozma wouldn't mind at all if you went in to see her." "of course not," said dorothy, and opening the door of the outer chamber, she went in. all was still here. she walked into another room, which was ozma's boudoir, and then, pushing back a heavy drapery richly broidered with threads of pure gold, the girl entered the sleeping-room of the fairy ruler of oz. the bed of ivory and gold was vacant; the room was vacant; not a trace of ozma was to be found. very much surprised, yet still with no fear that anything had happened to her friend, dorothy returned through the boudoir to the other rooms of the suite. she went into the music room, the library, the laboratory, the bath, the wardrobe, and even into the great throne room, which adjoined the royal suite, but in none of these places could she find ozma. so she returned to the anteroom where she had left the maid, jellia jamb, and said: "she isn't in her rooms now, so she must have gone out." "i don't understand how she could do that without my seeing her," replied jellia, "unless she made herself invisible." "she isn't there, anyhow," declared dorothy. "then let us go find her," suggested the maid, who appeared to be a little uneasy. so they went into the corridors, and there dorothy almost stumbled over a queer girl who was dancing lightly along the passage. "stop a minute, scraps!" she called, "have you seen ozma this morning?" "not i!" replied the queer girl, dancing nearer. "i lost both my eyes in a tussle with the woozy last night, for the creature scraped 'em both off my face with his square paws. so i put the eyes in my pocket, and this morning button-bright led me to aunt em, who sewed 'em on again. so i've seen nothing at all today, except during the last five minutes. so of course i haven't seen ozma." "very well, scraps," said dorothy, looking curiously at the eyes, which were merely two round, black buttons sewed upon the girl's face. there were other things about scraps that would have seemed curious to one seeing her for the first time. she was commonly called "the patchwork girl" because her body and limbs were made from a gay-colored patchwork quilt which had been cut into shape and stuffed with cotton. her head was a round ball stuffed in the same manner and fastened to her shoulders. for hair, she had a mass of brown yarn, and to make a nose for her a part of the cloth had been pulled out into the shape of a knob and tied with a string to hold it in place. her mouth had been carefully made by cutting a slit in the proper place and lining it with red silk, adding two rows of pearls for teeth and a bit of red flannel for a tongue. in spite of this queer make-up, the patchwork girl was magically alive and had proved herself not the least jolly and agreeable of the many quaint characters who inhabit the astonishing fairyland of oz. indeed, scraps was a general favorite, although she was rather flighty and erratic and did and said many things that surprised her friends. she was seldom still, but loved to dance, to turn handsprings and somersaults, to climb trees and to indulge in many other active sports. "i'm going to search for ozma," remarked dorothy, "for she isn't in her rooms, and i want to ask her a question." "i'll go with you," said scraps, "for my eyes are brighter than yours, and they can see farther." "i'm not sure of that," returned dorothy. "but come along, if you like." together they searched all through the great palace and even to the farthest limits of the palace grounds, which were quite extensive, but nowhere could they find a trace of ozma. when dorothy returned to where betsy and trot awaited her, the little girl's face was rather solemn and troubled, for never before had ozma gone away without telling her friends where she was going, or without an escort that befitted her royal state. she was gone, however, and none had seen her go. dorothy had met and questioned the scarecrow, tik-tok, the shaggy man, button-bright, cap'n bill, and even the wise and powerful wizard of oz, but not one of them had seen ozma since she parted with her friends the evening before and had gone to her own rooms. "she didn't say anything las' night about going anywhere," observed little trot. "no, and that's the strange part of it," replied dorothy. "usually ozma lets us know of everything she does." "why not look in the magic picture?" suggested betsy bobbin. "that will tell us where she is in just one second." "of course!" cried dorothy. "why didn't i think of that before?" and at once the three girls hurried away to ozma's boudoir, where the magic picture always hung. this wonderful magic picture was one of the royal ozma's greatest treasures. there was a large gold frame in the center of which was a bluish-gray canvas on which various scenes constantly appeared and disappeared. if one who stood before it wished to see what any person anywhere in the world was doing, it was only necessary to make the wish and the scene in the magic picture would shift to the scene where that person was and show exactly what he or she was then engaged in doing. so the girls knew it would be easy for them to wish to see ozma, and from the picture they could quickly learn where she was. dorothy advanced to the place where the picture was usually protected by thick satin curtains and pulled the draperies aside. then she stared in amazement, while her two friends uttered exclamations of disappointment. the magic picture was gone. only a blank space on the wall behind the curtains showed where it had formerly hung. chapter the troubles of glinda the good that same morning there was great excitement in the castle of the powerful sorceress of oz, glinda the good. this castle, situated in the quadling country, far south of the emerald city where ozma ruled, was a splendid structure of exquisite marbles and silver grilles. here the sorceress lived, surrounded by a bevy of the most beautiful maidens of oz, gathered from all the four countries of that fairyland as well as from the magnificent emerald city itself, which stood in the place where the four countries cornered. it was considered a great honor to be allowed to serve the good sorceress, whose arts of magic were used only to benefit the oz people. glinda was ozma's most valued servant, for her knowledge of sorcery was wonderful, and she could accomplish almost anything that her mistress, the lovely girl ruler of oz, wished her to. of all the magical things which surrounded glinda in her castle, there was none more marvelous than her great book of records. on the pages of this record book were constantly being inscribed, day by day and hour by hour, all the important events that happened anywhere in the known world, and they were inscribed in the book at exactly the moment the events happened. every adventure in the land of oz and in the big outside world, and even in places that you and i have never heard of, were recorded accurately in the great book, which never made a mistake and stated only the exact truth. for that reason, nothing could be concealed from glinda the good, who had only to look at the pages of the great book of records to know everything that had taken place. that was one reason she was such a great sorceress, for the records made her wiser than any other living person. this wonderful book was placed upon a big gold table that stood in the middle of glinda's drawing room. the legs of the table, which were incrusted with precious gems, were firmly fastened to the tiled floor, and the book itself was chained to the table and locked with six stout golden padlocks, the keys to which glinda carried on a chain that was secured around her own neck. the pages of the great book were larger in size than those of an american newspaper, and although they were exceedingly thin, there were so many of them that they made an enormous, bulky volume. with its gold cover and gold clasps, the book was so heavy that three men could scarcely have lifted it. yet this morning when glinda entered her drawing room after breakfast, the good sorceress was amazed to discover that her great book of records had mysteriously disappeared. advancing to the table, she found the chains had been cut with some sharp instrument, and this must have been done while all in the castle slept. glinda was shocked and grieved. who could have done this wicked, bold thing? and who could wish to deprive her of her great book of records? the sorceress was thoughtful for a time, considering the consequences of her loss. then she went to her room of magic to prepare a charm that would tell her who had stolen the record book. but when she unlocked her cupboard and threw open the doors, all of her magical instruments and rare chemical compounds had been removed from the shelves. the sorceress has now both angry and alarmed. she sat down in a chair and tried to think how this extraordinary robbery could have taken place. it was evident that the thief was some person of very great power, or the theft could not have been accomplished without her knowledge. but who, in all the land of oz, was powerful and skillful enough to do this awful thing? and who, having the power, could also have an object in defying the wisest and most talented sorceress the world has ever known? glinda thought over the perplexing matter for a full hour, at the end of which time she was still puzzled how to explain it. but although her instruments and chemicals were gone, her knowledge of magic had not been stolen, by any means, since no thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire. glinda believed that when she had time to gather more magical herbs and elixirs and to manufacture more magical instruments, she would be able to discover who the robber was and what had become of her precious book of records. "whoever has done this," she said to her maidens, "is a very foolish person, for in time he is sure to be found out and will then be severely punished." she now made a list of the things she needed and dispatched messengers to every part of oz with instructions to obtain them and bring them to her as soon as possible. and one of her messengers met the little wizard of oz, who was seated on the back of the famous live sawhorse and was clinging to its neck with both his arms, for the sawhorse was speeding to glinda's castle with the velocity of the wind, bearing the news that royal ozma, ruler of all the great land of oz, had suddenly disappeared and no one in the emerald city knew what had become of her. "also," said the wizard as he stood before the astonished sorceress, "ozma's magic picture is gone, so we cannot consult it to discover where she is. so i came to you for assistance as soon as we realized our loss. let us look in the great book of records." "alas," returned the sorceress sorrowfully, "we cannot do that, for the great book of records has also disappeared!" chapter the robbery of cayke the cookie cook one more important theft was reported in the land of oz that eventful morning, but it took place so far from either the emerald city or the castle of glinda the good that none of those persons we have mentioned learned of the robbery until long afterward. in the far southwestern corner of the winkie country is a broad tableland that can be reached only by climbing a steep hill, whichever side one approaches it. on the hillside surrounding this tableland are no paths at all, but there are quantities of bramble bushes with sharp prickers on them, which prevent any of the oz people who live down below from climbing up to see what is on top. but on top live the yips, and although the space they occupy is not great in extent, the wee country is all their own. the yips had never--up to the time this story begins--left their broad tableland to go down into the land of oz, nor had the oz people ever climbed up to the country of the yips. living all alone as they did, the yips had queer ways and notions of their own and did not resemble any other people of the land of oz. their houses were scattered all over the flat surface; not like a city, grouped together, but set wherever their owners' fancy dictated, with fields here, trees there, and odd little paths connecting the houses one with another. it was here, on the morning when ozma so strangely disappeared from the emerald city, that cayke the cookie cook discovered that her diamond-studded gold dishpan had been stolen, and she raised such a hue and cry over her loss and wailed and shrieked so loudly that many of the yips gathered around her house to inquire what was the matter. it was a serious thing in any part of the land of oz to accuse one of stealing, so when the yips heard cayke the cookie cook declare that her jeweled dishpan had been stolen, they were both humiliated and disturbed and forced cayke to go with them to the frogman to see what could be done about it. i do not suppose you have ever before heard of the frogman, for like all other dwellers on that tableland, he had never been away from it, nor had anyone come up there to see him. the frogman was in truth descended from the common frogs of oz, and when he was first born he lived in a pool in the winkie country and was much like any other frog. being of an adventurous nature, however, he soon hopped out of his pool and began to travel, when a big bird came along and seized him in its beak and started to fly away with him to its nest. when high in the air, the frog wriggled so frantically that he got loose and fell down, down, down into a small hidden pool on the tableland of the yips. now that pool, it seems, was unknown to the yips because it was surrounded by thick bushes and was not near to any dwelling, and it proved to be an enchanted pool, for the frog grew very fast and very big, feeding on the magic skosh which is found nowhere else on earth except in that one pool. and the skosh not only made the frog very big so that when he stood on his hind legs he was as tall as any yip in the country, but it made him unusually intelligent, so that he soon knew more than the yips did and was able to reason and to argue very well indeed. no one could expect a frog with these talents to remain in a hidden pool, so he finally got out of it and mingled with the people of the tableland, who were amazed at his appearance and greatly impressed by his learning. they had never seen a frog before, and the frog had never seen a yip before, but as there were plenty of yips and only one frog, the frog became the most important. he did not hop any more, but stood upright on his hind legs and dressed himself in fine clothes and sat in chairs and did all the things that people do, so he soon came to be called the frogman, and that is the only name he has ever had. after some years had passed, the people came to regard the frogman as their adviser in all matters that puzzled them. they brought all their difficulties to him, and when he did not know anything, he pretended to know it, which seemed to answer just as well. indeed, the yips thought the frogman was much wiser than he really was, and he allowed them to think so, being very proud of his position of authority. there was another pool on the tableland which was not enchanted but contained good, clear water and was located close to the dwellings. here the people built the frogman a house of his own, close to the edge of the pool so that he could take a bath or a swim whenever he wished. he usually swam in the pool in the early morning before anyone else was up, and during the day he dressed himself in his beautiful clothes and sat in his house and received the visits of all the yips who came to him to ask his advice. the frogman's usual costume consisted of knee-breeches made of yellow satin plush, with trimmings of gold braid and jeweled knee-buckles; a white satin vest with silver buttons in which were set solitaire rubies; a swallow-tailed coat of bright yellow; green stockings and red leather shoes turned up at the toes and having diamond buckles. he wore, when he walked out, a purple silk hat and carried a gold-headed cane. over his eyes he wore great spectacles with gold rims, not because his eyes were bad, but because the spectacles made him look wise, and so distinguished and gorgeous was his appearance that all the yips were very proud of him. there was no king or queen in the yip country, so the simple inhabitants naturally came to look upon the frogman as their leader as well as their counselor in all times of emergency. in his heart the big frog knew he was no wiser than the yips, but for a frog to know as much as a person was quite remarkable, and the frogman was shrewd enough to make the people believe he was far more wise than he really was. they never suspected he was a humbug, but listened to his words with great respect and did just what he advised them to do. now when cayke the cookie cook raised such an outcry over the theft of her diamond-studded dishpan, the first thought of the people was to take her to the frogman and inform him of the loss, thinking that of course he would tell her where to find it. he listened to the story with his big eyes wide open behind his spectacles, and said in his deep, croaking voice, "if the dishpan is stolen, somebody must have taken it." "but who?" asked cayke anxiously. "who is the thief?" "the one who took the dishpan, of course," replied the frogman, and hearing this all the yips nodded their heads gravely and said to one another, "it is absolutely true!" "but i want my dishpan!" cried cayke. "no one can blame you for that wish," remarked the frogman. "then tell me where i may find it," she urged. the look the frogman gave her was a very wise look, and he rose from his chair and strutted up and down the room with his hands under his coattails in a very pompous and imposing manner. this was the first time so difficult a matter had been brought to him, and he wanted time to think. it would never do to let them suspect his ignorance, and so he thought very, very hard how best to answer the woman without betraying himself. "i beg to inform you," said he, "that nothing in the yip country has ever been stolen before." "we know that already," answered cayke the cookie cook impatiently. "therefore," continued the frogman, "this theft becomes a very important matter." "well, where is my dishpan?" demanded the woman. "it is lost, but it must be found. unfortunately, we have no policemen or detectives to unravel the mystery, so we must employ other means to regain the lost article. cayke must first write a proclamation and tack it to the door of her house, and the proclamation must read that whoever stole the jeweled dishpan must return it at once." "but suppose no one returns it," suggested cayke. "then," said the frogman, "that very fact will be proof that no one has stolen it." cayke was not satisfied, but the other yips seemed to approve the plan highly. they all advised her to do as the frogman had told her to, so she posted the sign on her door and waited patiently for someone to return the dishpan--which no one ever did. again she went, accompanied by a group of her neighbors, to the frogman, who by this time had given the matter considerable thought. said he to cayke, "i am now convinced that no yip has taken your dishpan, and since it is gone from the yip country, i suspect that some stranger came from the world down below us in the darkness of night when all of us were asleep and took away your treasure. there can be no other explanation of its disappearance. so if you wish to recover that golden, diamond-studded dishpan, you must go into the lower world after it." this was indeed a startling proposition. cayke and her friends went to the edge of the flat tableland and looked down the steep hillside to the plains below. it was so far to the bottom of the hill that nothing there could be seen very distinctly, and it seemed to the yips very venturesome, if not dangerous, to go so far from home into an unknown land. however, cayke wanted her dishpan very badly, so she turned to her friends and asked, "who will go with me?" no one answered the question, but after a period of silence one of the yips said, "we know what is here on the top of this flat hill, and it seems to us a very pleasant place, but what is down below we do not know. the chances are it is not so pleasant, so we had best stay where we are." "it may be a far better country than this is," suggested the cookie cook. "maybe, maybe," responded another yip, "but why take chances? contentment with one's lot is true wisdom. perhaps in some other country there are better cookies than you cook, but as we have always eaten your cookies and liked them--except when they are burned on the bottom--we do not long for any better ones." cayke might have agreed to this argument had she not been so anxious to find her precious dishpan, but now she exclaimed impatiently, "you are cowards, all of you! if none of you are willing to explore with me the great world beyond this small hill, i will surely go alone." "that is a wise resolve," declared the yips, much relieved. "it is your dishpan that is lost, not ours. and if you are willing to risk your life and liberty to regain it, no one can deny you the privilege." while they were thus conversing, the frogman joined them and looked down at the plain with his big eyes and seemed unusually thoughtful. in fact, the frogman was thinking that he'd like to see more of the world. here in the yip country he had become the most important creature of them all, and his importance was getting to be a little tame. it would be nice to have other people defer to him and ask his advice, and there seemed no reason so far as he could see why his fame should not spread throughout all oz. he knew nothing of the rest of the world, but it was reasonable to believe that there were more people beyond the mountain where he now lived than there were yips, and if he went among them he could surprise them with his display of wisdom and make them bow down to him as the yips did. in other words, the frogman was ambitious to become still greater than he was, which was impossible if he always remained upon this mountain. he wanted others to see his gorgeous clothes and listen to his solemn sayings, and here was an excuse for him to get away from the yip country. so he said to cayke the cookie cook, "i will go with you, my good woman," which greatly pleased cayke because she felt the frogman could be of much assistance to her in her search. but now, since the mighty frogman had decided to undertake the journey, several of the yips who were young and daring at once made up their minds to go along, so the next morning after breakfast the frogman and cayke the cookie cook and nine of the yips started to slide down the side of the mountain. the bramble bushes and cactus plants were very prickly and uncomfortable to the touch, so the frogman quickly commanded the yips to go first and break a path, so that when he followed them he would not tear his splendid clothes. cayke, too, was wearing her best dress and was likewise afraid of the thorns and prickers, so she kept behind the frogman. they made rather slow progress and night overtook them before they were halfway down the mountainside, so they found a cave in which they sought shelter until morning. cayke had brought along a basket full of her famous cookies, so they all had plenty to eat. on the second day the yips began to wish they had not embarked on this adventure. they grumbled a good deal at having to cut away the thorns to make the path for the frogman and the cookie cook, for their own clothing suffered many tears, while cayke and the frogman traveled safely and in comfort. "if it is true that anyone came to our country to steal your diamond dishpan," said one of the yips to cayke, "it must have been a bird, for no person in the form of a man, woman or child could have climbed through these bushes and back again." "and, allowing he could have done so," said another yip, "the diamond-studded gold dishpan would not have repaid him for his troubles and his tribulations." "for my part," remarked a third yip, "i would rather go back home and dig and polish some more diamonds and mine some more gold and make you another dishpan than be scratched from head to heel by these dreadful bushes. even now, if my mother saw me, she would not know i am her son." cayke paid no heed to these mutterings, nor did the frogman. although their journey was slow, it was being made easy for them by the yips, so they had nothing to complain of and no desire to turn back. quite near to the bottom of the great hill they came upon a great gulf, the sides of which were as smooth as glass. the gulf extended a long distance--as far as they could see in either direction--and although it was not very wide, it was far too wide for the yips to leap across it. and should they fall into it, it was likely they might never get out again. "here our journey ends," said the yips. "we must go back again." cayke the cookie cook began to weep. "i shall never find my pretty dishpan again, and my heart will be broken!" she sobbed. the frogman went to the edge of the gulf and with his eye carefully measured the distance to the other side. "being a frog," said he, "i can leap, as all frogs do, and being so big and strong, i am sure i can leap across this gulf with ease. but the rest of you, not being frogs, must return the way you came." "we will do that with pleasure," cried the yips, and at once they turned and began to climb up the steep mountain, feeling they had had quite enough of this unsatisfactory adventure. cayke the cookie cook did not go with them, however. she sat on a rock and wept and wailed and was very miserable. "well," said the frogman to her, "i will now bid you goodbye. if i find your diamond-decorated gold dishpan, i will promise to see that it is safely returned to you." "but i prefer to find it myself!" she said. "see here, frogman, why can't you carry me across the gulf when you leap it? you are big and strong, while i am small and thin." the frogman gravely thought over this suggestion. it was a fact that cayke the cookie cook was not a heavy person. perhaps he could leap the gulf with her on his back. "if you are willing to risk a fall," said he, "i will make the attempt." at once she sprang up and grabbed him around his neck with both her arms. that is, she grabbed him where his neck ought to be, for the frogman had no neck at all. then he squatted down, as frogs do when they leap, and with his powerful rear legs he made a tremendous jump. over the gulf they sailed, with the cookie cook on his back, and he had leaped so hard--to make sure of not falling in--that he sailed over a lot of bramble bushes that grew on the other side and landed in a clear space which was so far beyond the gulf that when they looked back they could not see it at all. cayke now got off the frogman's back and he stood erect again and carefully brushed the dust from his velvet coat and rearranged his white satin necktie. "i had no idea i could leap so far," he said wonderingly. "leaping is one more accomplishment i can now add to the long list of deeds i am able to perform." "you are certainly fine at leap-frog," said the cookie cook admiringly, "but, as you say, you are wonderful in many ways. if we meet with any people down here, i am sure they will consider you the greatest and grandest of all living creatures." "yes," he replied, "i shall probably astonish strangers, because they have never before had the pleasure of seeing me. also, they will marvel at my great learning. every time i open my mouth, cayke, i am liable to say something important." "that is true," she agreed, "and it is fortunate your mouth is so very wide and opens so far, for otherwise all the wisdom might not be able to get out of it." "perhaps nature made it wide for that very reason," said the frogman. "but come, let us now go on, for it is getting late and we must find some sort of shelter before night overtakes us." chapter among the winkies the settled parts of the winkie country are full of happy and contented people who are ruled by a tin emperor named nick chopper, who in turn is a subject of the beautiful girl ruler, ozma of oz. but not all of the winkie country is fully settled. at the east, which part lies nearest the emerald city, there are beautiful farmhouses and roads, but as you travel west, you first come to a branch of the winkie river, beyond which there is a rough country where few people live, and some of these are quite unknown to the rest of the world. after passing through this rude section of territory, which no one ever visits, you would come to still another branch of the winkie river, after crossing which you would find another well-settled part of the winkie country extending westward quite to the deadly desert that surrounds all the land of oz and separates that favored fairyland from the more common outside world. the winkies who live in this west section have many tin mines, from which metal they make a great deal of rich jewelry and other articles, all of which are highly esteemed in the land of oz because tin is so bright and pretty and there is not so much of it as there is of gold and silver. not all the winkies are miners, however, for some till the fields and grow grains for food, and it was at one of these far-west winkie farms that the frogman and cayke the cookie cook first arrived after they had descended from the mountain of the yips. "goodness me!" cried nellary the winkie wife when she saw the strange couple approaching her house. "i have seen many queer creatures in the land of oz, but none more queer than this giant frog who dresses like a man and walks on his hind legs. come here, wiljon," she called to her husband, who was eating his breakfast, "and take a look at this astonishing freak." wiljon the winkie came to the door and looked out. he was still standing in the doorway when the frogman approached and said with a haughty croak, "tell me, my good man, have you seen a diamond-studded gold dishpan?" "no, nor have i seen a copper-plated lobster," replied wiljon in an equally haughty tone. the frogman stared at him and said, "do not be insolent, fellow!" "no," added cayke the cookie cook hastily, "you must be very polite to the great frogman, for he is the wisest creature in all the world." "who says that?" inquired wiljon. "he says so himself," replied cayke, and the frogman nodded and strutted up and down, twirling his gold-headed cane very gracefully. "does the scarecrow admit that this overgrown frog is the wisest creature in the world?" asked wiljon. "i do not know who the scarecrow is," answered cayke the cookie cook. "well, he lives at the emerald city, and he is supposed to have the finest brains in all oz. the wizard gave them to him, you know." "mine grew in my head," said the frogman pompously, "so i think they must be better than any wizard brains. i am so wise that sometimes my wisdom makes my head ache. i know so much that often i have to forget part of it, since no one creature, however great, is able to contain so much knowledge." "it must be dreadful to be stuffed full of wisdom," remarked wiljon reflectively and eyeing the frogman with a doubtful look. "it is my good fortune to know very little." "i hope, however, you know where my jeweled dishpan is," said the cookie cook anxiously. "i do not know even that," returned the winkie. "we have trouble enough in keeping track of our own dishpans without meddling with the dishpans of strangers." finding him so ignorant, the frogman proposed that they walk on and seek cayke's dishpan elsewhere. wiljon the winkie did not seem greatly impressed by the great frogman, which seemed to that personage as strange as it was disappointing. but others in this unknown land might prove more respectful. "i'd like to meet that wizard of oz," remarked cayke as they walked along a path. "if he could give a scarecrow brains, he might be able to find my dishpan." "poof!" grunted the frogman scornfully. "i am greater than any wizard. depend on me. if your dishpan is anywhere in the world, i am sure to find it." "if you do not, my heart will be broken," declared the cookie cook in a sorrowful voice. for a while the frogman walked on in silence. then he asked, "why do you attach so much importance to a dishpan?" "it is the greatest treasure i possess," replied the woman. "it belonged to my mother and to all my grandmothers since the beginning of time. it is, i believe, the very oldest thing in all the yip country--or was while it was there--and," she added, dropping her voice to an awed whisper, "it has magic powers!" "in what way?" inquired the frogman, seeming to be surprised at this statement. "whoever has owned that dishpan has been a good cook, for one thing. no one else is able to make such good cookies as i have cooked, as you and all the yips know. yet the very morning after my dishpan was stolen, i tried to make a batch of cookies and they burned up in the oven! i made another batch that proved too tough to eat, and i was so ashamed of them that i buried them in the ground. even the third batch of cookies, which i brought with me in my basket, were pretty poor stuff and no better than any woman could make who does not own my diamond-studded gold dishpan. in fact, my good frogman, cayke the cookie cook will never be able to cook good cookies again until her magic dishpan is restored to her." "in that case," said the frogman with a sigh, "i suppose we must manage to find it." chapter ozma's friends are perplexed "really," said dorothy, looking solemn, "this is very s'prising. we can't even find a shadow of ozma anywhere in the em'rald city, and wherever she's gone, she's taken her magic picture with her." she was standing in the courtyard of the palace with betsy and trot, while scraps, the patchwork girl, danced around the group, her hair flying in the wind. "p'raps," said scraps, still dancing, "someone has stolen ozma." "oh, they'd never dare do that!" exclaimed tiny trot. "and stolen the magic picture, too, so the thing can't tell where she is," added the patchwork girl. "that's nonsense," said dorothy. "why, ev'ryone loves ozma. there isn't a person in the land of oz who would steal a single thing she owns." "huh!" replied the patchwork girl. "you don't know ev'ry person in the land of oz." "why don't i?" "it's a big country," said scraps. "there are cracks and corners in it that even ozma doesn't know of." "the patchwork girl's just daffy," declared betsy. "no, she's right about that," replied dorothy thoughtfully. "there are lots of queer people in this fairyland who never come near ozma or the em'rald city. i've seen some of 'em myself, girls. but i haven't seen all, of course, and there might be some wicked persons left in oz yet, though i think the wicked witches have all been destroyed." just then the wooden sawhorse dashed into the courtyard with the wizard of oz on his back. "have you found ozma?" cried the wizard when the sawhorse stopped beside them. "not yet," said dorothy. "doesn't glinda the good know where she is?" "no. glinda's book of records and all her magic instruments are gone. someone must have stolen them." "goodness me!" exclaimed dorothy in alarm. "this is the biggest steal i ever heard of. who do you think did it, wizard?" "i've no idea," he answered. "but i have come to get my own bag of magic tools and carry them to glinda. she is so much more powerful than i that she may be able to discover the truth by means of my magic quicker and better than i could myself." "hurry, then," said dorothy, "for we've all gotten terr'bly worried." the wizard rushed away to his rooms but presently came back with a long, sad face. "it's gone!" he said. "what's gone?" asked scraps. "my black bag of magic tools. someone must have stolen it!" they looked at one another in amazement. "this thing is getting desperate," continued the wizard. "all the magic that belongs to ozma or to glinda or to me has been stolen." "do you suppose ozma could have taken them, herself, for some purpose?" asked betsy. "no indeed," declared the wizard. "i suspect some enemy has stolen ozma and for fear we would follow and recapture her has taken all our magic away from us." "how dreadful!" cried dorothy. "the idea of anyone wanting to injure our dear ozma! can't we do anything to find her, wizard?" "i'll ask glinda. i must go straight back to her and tell her that my magic tools have also disappeared. the good sorceress will be greatly shocked, i know." with this, he jumped upon the back of the sawhorse again, and the quaint steed, which never tired, dashed away at full speed. the three girls were very much disturbed in mind. even the patchwork girl seemed to realize that a great calamity had overtaken them all. ozma was a fairy of considerable power, and all the creatures in oz as well as the three mortal girls from the outside world looked upon her as their protector and friend. the idea of their beautiful girl ruler's being overpowered by an enemy and dragged from her splendid palace a captive was too astonishing for them to comprehend at first. yet what other explanation of the mystery could there be? "ozma wouldn't go away willingly, without letting us know about it," asserted dorothy, "and she wouldn't steal glinda's great book of records or the wizard's magic, 'cause she could get them any time just by asking for 'em. i'm sure some wicked person has done all this." "someone in the land of oz?" asked trot. "of course. no one could get across the deadly desert, you know, and no one but an oz person could know about the magic picture and the book of records and the wizard's magic or where they were kept, and so be able to steal the whole outfit before we could stop 'em. it must be someone who lives in the land of oz." "but who--who--who?" asked scraps. "that's the question. who?" "if we knew," replied dorothy severely, "we wouldn't be standing here doing nothing." just then two boys entered the courtyard and approached the group of girls. one boy was dressed in the fantastic munchkin costume--a blue jacket and knickerbockers, blue leather shoes and a blue hat with a high peak and tiny silver bells dangling from its rim--and this was ojo the lucky, who had once come from the munchkin country of oz and now lived in the emerald city. the other boy was an american from philadelphia and had lately found his way to oz in the company of trot and cap'n bill. his name was button-bright; that is, everyone called him by that name and knew no other. button-bright was not quite as big as the munchkin boy, but he wore the same kind of clothes, only they were of different colors. as the two came up to the girls, arm in arm, button-bright remarked, "hello, dorothy. they say ozma is lost." "who says so?" she asked. "ev'rybody's talking about it in the city," he replied. "i wonder how the people found it out," dorothy asked. "i know," said ojo. "jellia jamb told them. she has been asking everywhere if anyone has seen ozma." "that's too bad," observed dorothy, frowning. "why?" asked button-bright. "there wasn't any use making all our people unhappy till we were dead certain that ozma can't be found." "pshaw," said button-bright, "it's nothing to get lost. i've been lost lots of times." "that's true," admitted trot, who knew that the boy had a habit of getting lost and then finding himself again, "but it's diff'rent with ozma. she's the ruler of all this big fairyland, and we're 'fraid that the reason she's lost is because somebody has stolen her away." "only wicked people steal," said ojo. "do you know of any wicked people in oz, dorothy?" "no," she replied. "they're here, though," cried scraps, dancing up to them and then circling around the group. "ozma's stolen; someone in oz stole her; only wicked people steal; so someone in oz is wicked!" there was no denying the truth of this statement. the faces of all of them were now solemn and sorrowful. "one thing is sure," said button-bright after a time, "if ozma has been stolen, someone ought to find her and punish the thief." "there may be a lot of thieves," suggested trot gravely, "and in this fairy country they don't seem to have any soldiers or policemen." "there is one soldier," claimed dorothy. "he has green whiskers and a gun and is a major-general, but no one is afraid of either his gun or his whiskers, 'cause he's so tender-hearted that he wouldn't hurt a fly." "well, a soldier is a soldier," said betsy, "and perhaps he'd hurt a wicked thief if he wouldn't hurt a fly. where is he?" "he went fishing about two months ago and hasn't come back yet," explained button-bright. "then i can't see that he will be of much use to us in this trouble," sighed little trot. "but p'raps ozma, who is a fairy, can get away from the thieves without any help from anyone." "she might be able to," answered dorothy reflectively, "but if she had the power to do that, it isn't likely she'd have let herself be stolen. so the thieves must have been even more powerful in magic than our ozma." there was no denying this argument, and although they talked the matter over all the rest of that day, they were unable to decide how ozma had been stolen against her will or who had committed the dreadful deed. toward evening the wizard came back, riding slowly upon the sawhorse because he felt discouraged and perplexed. glinda came later in her aerial chariot drawn by twenty milk-white swans, and she also seemed worried and unhappy. more of ozma's friends joined them, and that evening they all had a big talk together. "i think," said dorothy, "we ought to start out right away in search of our dear ozma. it seems cruel for us to live comf'tably in her palace while she is a pris'ner in the power of some wicked enemy." "yes," agreed glinda the sorceress, "someone ought to search for her. i cannot go myself, because i must work hard in order to create some new instruments of sorcery by means of which i may rescue our fair ruler. but if you can find her in the meantime and let me know who has stolen her, it will enable me to rescue her much more quickly." "then we'll start tomorrow morning," decided dorothy. "betsy and trot and i won't waste another minute." "i'm not sure you girls will make good detectives," remarked the wizard, "but i'll go with you to protect you from harm and to give you my advice. all my wizardry, alas, is stolen, so i am now really no more a wizard than any of you, but i will try to protect you from any enemies you may meet." "what harm could happen to us in oz?" inquired trot. "what harm happened to ozma?" returned the wizard. "if there is an evil power abroad in our fairyland, which is able to steal not only ozma and her magic picture, but glinda's book of records and all her magic, and my black bag containing all my tricks of wizardry, then that evil power may yet cause us considerable injury. ozma is a fairy, and so is glinda, so no power can kill or destroy them, but you girls are all mortals and so are button-bright and i, so we must watch out for ourselves." "nothing can kill me," said ojo the munchkin boy. "that is true," replied the sorceress, "and i think it may be well to divide the searchers into several parties, that they may cover all the land of oz more quickly. so i will send ojo and unc nunkie and dr. pipt into the munchkin country, which they are well acquainted with; and i will send the scarecrow and the tin woodman into the quadling country, for they are fearless and brave and never tire; and to the gillikin country, where many dangers lurk, i will send the shaggy man and his brother, with tik-tok and jack pumpkinhead. dorothy may make up her own party and travel into the winkie country. all of you must inquire everywhere for ozma and try to discover where she is hidden." they thought this a very wise plan and adopted it without question. in ozma's absence, glinda the good was the most important person in oz, and all were glad to serve under her direction. chapter the search party next morning as soon as the sun was up, glinda flew back to her castle, stopping on the way to instruct the scarecrow and the tin woodman, who were at that time staying at the college of professor h. m. wogglebug, t.e., and taking a course of his patent educational pills. on hearing of ozma's loss, they started at once for the quadling country to search for her. as soon as glinda had left the emerald city, tik-tok and the shaggy man and jack pumpkinhead, who had been present at the conference, began their journey into the gillikin country, and an hour later ojo and unc nunkie joined dr. pipt and together they traveled toward the munchkin country. when all these searchers were gone, dorothy and the wizard completed their own preparations. the wizard hitched the sawhorse to the red wagon, which would seat four very comfortably. he wanted dorothy, betsy, trot and the patchwork girl to ride in the wagon, but scraps came up to them mounted upon the woozy, and the woozy said he would like to join the party. now this woozy was a most peculiar animal, having a square head, square body, square legs and square tail. his skin was very tough and hard, resembling leather, and while his movements were somewhat clumsy, the beast could travel with remarkable swiftness. his square eyes were mild and gentle in expression, and he was not especially foolish. the woozy and the patchwork girl were great friends, and so the wizard agreed to let the woozy go with them. another great beast now appeared and asked to go along. this was none other than the famous cowardly lion, one of the most interesting creatures in all oz. no lion that roamed the jungles or plains could compare in size or intelligence with this cowardly lion, who--like all animals living in oz--could talk and who talked with more shrewdness and wisdom than many of the people did. he said he was cowardly because he always trembled when he faced danger, but he had faced danger many times and never refused to fight when it was necessary. this lion was a great favorite with ozma and always guarded her throne on state occasions. he was also an old companion and friend of the princess dorothy, so the girl was delighted to have him join the party. "i'm so nervous over our dear ozma," said the cowardly lion in his deep, rumbling voice, "that it would make me unhappy to remain behind while you are trying to find her. but do not get into any danger, i beg of you, for danger frightens me terribly." "we'll not get into danger if we can poss'bly help it," promised dorothy, "but we shall do anything to find ozma, danger or no danger." the addition of the woozy and the cowardly lion to the party gave betsy bobbin an idea, and she ran to the marble stables at the rear of the palace and brought out her mule, hank by name. perhaps no mule you ever saw was so lean and bony and altogether plain looking as this hank, but betsy loved him dearly because he was faithful and steady and not nearly so stupid as most mules are considered to be. betsy had a saddle for hank, and he declared she would ride on his back, an arrangement approved by the wizard because it left only four of the party to ride on the seats of the red wagon--dorothy and button-bright and trot and himself. an old sailor man who had one wooden leg came to see them off and suggested that they put a supply of food and blankets in the red wagon inasmuch as they were uncertain how long they would be gone. this sailor man was called cap'n bill. he was a former friend and comrade of trot and had encountered many adventures in company with the little girl. i think he was sorry he could not go with her on this trip, but glinda the sorceress had asked cap'n bill to remain in the emerald city and take charge of the royal palace while everyone else was away, and the one-legged sailor had agreed to do so. they loaded the back end of the red wagon with everything they thought they might need, and then they formed a procession and marched from the palace through the emerald city to the great gates of the wall that surrounded this beautiful capital of the land of oz. crowds of citizens lined the streets to see them pass and to cheer them and wish them success, for all were grieved over ozma's loss and anxious that she be found again. first came the cowardly lion, then the patchwork girl riding upon the woozy, then betsy bobbin on her mule hank, and finally the sawhorse drawing the red wagon, in which were seated the wizard and dorothy and button-bright and trot. no one was obliged to drive the sawhorse, so there were no reins to his harness; one had only to tell him which way to go, fast or slow, and he understood perfectly. it was about this time that a shaggy little black dog who had been lying asleep in dorothy's room in the palace woke up and discovered he was lonesome. everything seemed very still throughout the great building, and toto--that was the little dog's name--missed the customary chatter of the three girls. he never paid much attention to what was going on around him, and although he could speak, he seldom said anything, so the little dog did not know about ozma's loss or that everyone had gone in search of her. but he liked to be with people, and especially with his own mistress, dorothy, and having yawned and stretched himself and found the door of the room ajar, he trotted out into the corridor and went down the stately marble stairs to the hall of the palace, where he met jellia jamb. "where's dorothy?" asked toto. "she's gone to the winkie country," answered the maid. "when?" "a little while ago," replied jellia. toto turned and trotted out into the palace garden and down the long driveway until he came to the streets of the emerald city. here he paused to listen, and hearing sounds of cheering, he ran swiftly along until he came in sight of the red wagon and the woozy and the lion and the mule and all the others. being a wise little dog, he decided not to show himself to dorothy just then, lest he be sent back home, but he never lost sight of the party of travelers, all of whom were so eager to get ahead that they never thought to look behind them. when they came to the gates in the city wall, the guardian of the gates came out to throw wide the golden portals and let them pass through. "did any strange person come in or out of the city on the night before last when ozma was stolen?" asked dorothy. "no indeed, princess," answered the guardian of the gates. "of course not," said the wizard. "anyone clever enough to steal all the things we have lost would not mind the barrier of a wall like this in the least. i think the thief must have flown through the air, for otherwise he could not have stolen from ozma's royal palace and glinda's faraway castle in the same night. moreover, as there are no airships in oz and no way for airships from the outside world to get into this country, i believe the thief must have flown from place to place by means of magic arts which neither glinda nor i understand." on they went, and before the gates closed behind them, toto managed to dodge through them. the country surrounding the emerald city was thickly settled, and for a while our friends rode over nicely paved roads which wound through a fertile country dotted with beautiful houses, all built in the quaint oz fashion. in the course of a few hours, however, they had left the tilled fields and entered the country of the winkies, which occupies a quarter of all the territory in the land of oz but is not so well known as many other parts of ozma's fairyland. long before night the travelers had crossed the winkie river near to the scarecrow's tower (which was now vacant) and had entered the rolling prairie where few people live. they asked everyone they met for news of ozma, but none in this district had seen her or even knew that she had been stolen. and by nightfall they had passed all the farmhouses and were obliged to stop and ask for shelter at the hut of a lonely shepherd. when they halted, toto was not far behind. the little dog halted, too, and stealing softly around the party, he hid himself behind the hut. the shepherd was a kindly old man and treated the travelers with much courtesy. he slept out of doors that night, giving up his hut to the three girls, who made their beds on the floor with the blankets they had brought in the red wagon. the wizard and button-bright also slept out of doors, and so did the cowardly lion and hank the mule. but scraps and the sawhorse did not sleep at all, and the woozy could stay awake for a month at a time if he wished to, so these three sat in a little group by themselves and talked together all through the night. in the darkness, the cowardly lion felt a shaggy little form nestling beside his own, and he said sleepily, "where did you come from, toto?" "from home," said the dog. "if you roll over, roll the other way so you won't smash me." "does dorothy know you are here?" asked the lion. "i believe not," admitted toto, and he added a little anxiously, "do you think, friend lion, we are now far enough from the emerald city for me to risk showing myself, or will dorothy send me back because i wasn't invited?" "only dorothy can answer that question," said the lion. "for my part, toto, i consider this affair none of my business, so you must act as you think best." then the huge beast went to sleep again, and toto snuggled closer to the warm, hairy body and also slept. he was a wise little dog in his way, and didn't intend to worry when there was something much better to do. in the morning the wizard built a fire, over which the girls cooked a very good breakfast. suddenly dorothy discovered toto sitting quietly before the fire, and the little girl exclaimed, "goodness me, toto! where did you come from?" "from the place you cruelly left me," replied the dog in a reproachful tone. "i forgot all about you," admitted dorothy, "and if i hadn't, i'd prob'ly left you with jellia jamb, seeing this isn't a pleasure trip but stric'ly business. but now that you're here, toto, i s'pose you'll have to stay with us, unless you'd rather go back again. we may get ourselves into trouble before we're done, toto." "never mind that," said toto, wagging his tail. "i'm hungry, dorothy." "breakfas'll soon be ready, and then you shall have your share," promised his little mistress, who was really glad to have her dog with her. she and toto had traveled together before, and she knew he was a good and faithful comrade. when the food was cooked and served, the girls invited the old shepherd to join them in the morning meal. he willingly consented, and while they ate he said to them, "you are now about to pass through a very dangerous country, unless you turn to the north or to the south to escape its perils." "in that case," said the cowardly lion, "let us turn, by all means, for i dread to face dangers of any sort." "what's the matter with the country ahead of us?" inquired dorothy. "beyond this rolling prairie," explained the shepherd, "are the merry-go-round mountains, set close together and surrounded by deep gulfs so that no one is able to get past them. beyond the merry-go-round mountains it is said the thistle-eaters and the herkus live." "what are they like?" demanded dorothy. "no one knows, for no one has ever passed the merry-go-round mountains," was the reply, "but it is said that the thistle-eaters hitch dragons to their chariots and that the herkus are waited upon by giants whom they have conquered and made their slaves." "who says all that?" asked betsy. "it is common report," declared the shepherd. "everyone believes it." "i don't see how they know," remarked little trot, "if no one has been there." "perhaps the birds who fly over that country brought the news," suggested betsy. "if you escaped those dangers," continued the shepherd, "you might encounter others still more serious before you came to the next branch of the winkie river. it is true that beyond that river there lies a fine country inhabited by good people, and if you reached there, you would have no further trouble. it is between here and the west branch of the winkie river that all dangers lie, for that is the unknown territory that is inhabited by terrible, lawless people." "it may be, and it may not be," said the wizard. "we shall know when we get there." "well," persisted the shepherd, "in a fairy country such as ours, every undiscovered place is likely to harbor wicked creatures. if they were not wicked, they would discover themselves and by coming among us submit to ozma's rule and be good and considerate, as are all the oz people whom we know." "that argument," stated the little wizard, "convinces me that it is our duty to go straight to those unknown places, however dangerous they may be, for it is surely some cruel and wicked person who has stolen our ozma, and we know it would be folly to search among good people for the culprit. ozma may not be hidden in the secret places of the winkie country, it is true, but it is our duty to travel to every spot, however dangerous, where our beloved ruler is likely to be imprisoned." "you're right about that," said button-bright approvingly. "dangers don't hurt us. only things that happen ever hurt anyone, and a danger is a thing that might happen and might not happen, and sometimes don't amount to shucks. i vote we go ahead and take our chances." they were all of the same opinion, so they packed up and said goodbye to the friendly shepherd and proceeded on their way. chapter the merry-go-round mountains the rolling prairie was not difficult to travel over, although it was all uphill and downhill, so for a while they made good progress. not even a shepherd was to be met with now, and the farther they advanced the more dreary the landscape became. at noon they stopped for a "picnic luncheon," as betsy called it, and then they again resumed their journey. all the animals were swift and tireless, and even the cowardly lion and the mule found they could keep up with the pace of the woozy and the sawhorse. it was the middle of the afternoon when first they came in sight of a cluster of low mountains. these were cone-shaped, rising from broad bases to sharp peaks at the tops. from a distance the mountains appeared indistinct and seemed rather small--more like hills than mountains--but as the travelers drew nearer, they noted a most unusual circumstance: the hills were all whirling around, some in one direction and some the opposite way. "i guess these are the merry-go-round mountains, all right," said dorothy. "they must be," said the wizard. "they go 'round, sure enough," agreed trot, "but they don't seem very merry." there were several rows of these mountains, extending both to the right and to the left for miles and miles. how many rows there might be none could tell, but between the first row of peaks could be seen other peaks, all steadily whirling around one way or another. continuing to ride nearer, our friends watched these hills attentively, until at last, coming close up, they discovered there was a deep but narrow gulf around the edge of each mountain, and that the mountains were set so close together that the outer gulf was continuous and barred farther advance. at the edge of the gulf they all dismounted and peered over into its depths. there was no telling where the bottom was, if indeed there was any bottom at all. from where they stood it seemed as if the mountains had been set in one great hole in the ground, just close enough together so they would not touch, and that each mountain was supported by a rocky column beneath its base which extended far down in the black pit below. from the land side it seemed impossible to get across the gulf or, succeeding in that, to gain a foothold on any of the whirling mountains. "this ditch is too wide to jump across," remarked button-bright. "p'raps the lion could do it," suggested dorothy. "what, jump from here to that whirling hill?" cried the lion indignantly. "i should say not! even if i landed there and could hold on, what good would it do? there's another spinning mountain beyond it, and perhaps still another beyond that. i don't believe any living creature could jump from one mountain to another when both are whirling like tops and in different directions." "i propose we turn back," said the wooden sawhorse with a yawn of his chopped-out mouth as he stared with his knot eyes at the merry-go-round mountains. "i agree with you," said the woozy, wagging his square head. "we should have taken the shepherd's advice," added hank the mule. the others of the party, however they might be puzzled by the serious problem that confronted them, would not allow themselves to despair. "if we once get over these mountains," said button-bright, "we could probably get along all right." "true enough," agreed dorothy. "so we must find some way, of course, to get past these whirligig hills. but how?" "i wish the ork was with us," sighed trot. "but the ork isn't here," said the wizard, "and we must depend upon ourselves to conquer this difficulty. unfortunately, all my magic has been stolen, otherwise i am sure i could easily get over the mountains." "unfortunately," observed the woozy, "none of us has wings. and we're in a magic country without any magic." "what is that around your waist, dorothy?" asked the wizard. "that? oh, that's just the magic belt i once captured from the nome king," she replied. "a magic belt! why, that's fine. i'm sure a magic belt would take you over these hills." "it might if i knew how to work it," said the little girl. "ozma knows a lot of its magic, but i've never found out about it. all i know is that while i am wearing it, nothing can hurt me." "try wishing yourself across and see if it will obey you," suggested the wizard. "but what good would that do?" asked dorothy. "if i got across, it wouldn't help the rest of you, and i couldn't go alone among all those giants and dragons while you stayed here." "true enough," agreed the wizard sadly. and then, after looking around the group, he inquired, "what is that on your finger, trot?" "a ring. the mermaids gave it to me," she explained, "and if ever i'm in trouble when i'm on the water, i can call the mermaids and they'll come and help me. but the mermaids can't help me on the land, you know, 'cause they swim, and--and--they haven't any legs." "true enough," repeated the wizard, more sadly. there was a big, broad, spreading tree near the edge of the gulf, and as the sun was hot above them, they all gathered under the shade of the tree to study the problem of what to do next. "if we had a long rope," said betsy, "we could fasten it to this tree and let the other end of it down into the gulf and all slide down it." "well, what then?" asked the wizard. "then, if we could manage to throw the rope up the other side," explained the girl, "we could all climb it and be on the other side of the gulf." "there are too many 'if's' in that suggestion," remarked the little wizard. "and you must remember that the other side is nothing but spinning mountains, so we couldn't possibly fasten a rope to them, even if we had one." "that rope idea isn't half bad, though," said the patchwork girl, who had been dancing dangerously near to the edge of the gulf. "what do you mean?" asked dorothy. the patchwork girl suddenly stood still and cast her button eyes around the group. "ha, i have it!" she exclaimed. "unharness the sawhorse, somebody. my fingers are too clumsy." "shall we?" asked button-bright doubtfully, turning to the others. "well, scraps has a lot of brains, even if she is stuffed with cotton," asserted the wizard. "if her brains can help us out of this trouble, we ought to use them." so he began unharnessing the sawhorse, and button-bright and dorothy helped him. when they had removed the harness, the patchwork girl told them to take it all apart and buckle the straps together, end to end. and after they had done this, they found they had one very long strap that was stronger than any rope. "it would reach across the gulf easily," said the lion, who with the other animals had sat on his haunches and watched this proceeding. "but i don't see how it could be fastened to one of those dizzy mountains." scraps had no such notion as that in her baggy head. she told them to fasten one end of the strap to a stout limb of the tree, pointing to one which extended quite to the edge of the gulf. button-bright did that, climbing the tree and then crawling out upon the limb until he was nearly over the gulf. there he managed to fasten the strap, which reached to the ground below, and then he slid down it and was caught by the wizard, who feared he might fall into the chasm. scraps was delighted. she seized the lower end of the strap, and telling them all to get out of her way, she went back as far as the strap would reach and then made a sudden run toward the gulf. over the edge she swung, clinging to the strap until it had gone as far as its length permitted, when she let go and sailed gracefully through the air until she alighted upon the mountain just in front of them. almost instantly, as the great cone continued to whirl, she was sent flying against the next mountain in the rear, and that one had only turned halfway around when scraps was sent flying to the next mountain behind it. then her patchwork form disappeared from view entirely, and the amazed watchers under the tree wondered what had become of her. "she's gone, and she can't get back," said the woozy. "my, how she bounded from one mountain to another!" exclaimed the lion. "that was because they whirl so fast," the wizard explained. "scraps had nothing to hold on to, and so of course she was tossed from one hill to another. i'm afraid we shall never see the poor patchwork girl again." "i shall see her," declared the woozy. "scraps is an old friend of mine, and if there are really thistle-eaters and giants on the other side of those tops, she will need someone to protect her. so here i go!" he seized the dangling strap firmly in his square mouth, and in the same way that scraps had done swung himself over the gulf. he let go the strap at the right moment and fell upon the first whirling mountain. then he bounded to the next one back of it--not on his feet, but "all mixed up," as trot said--and then he shot across to another mountain, disappearing from view just as the patchwork girl had done. "it seems to work, all right," remarked button-bright. "i guess i'll try it." "wait a minute," urged the wizard. "before any more of us make this desperate leap into the beyond, we must decide whether all will go or if some of us will remain behind." "do you s'pose it hurt them much to bump against those mountains?" asked trot. "i don't s'pose anything could hurt scraps or the woozy," said dorothy, "and nothing can hurt me, because i wear the magic belt. so as i'm anxious to find ozma, i mean to swing myself across too." "i'll take my chances," decided button-bright. "i'm sure it will hurt dreadfully, and i'm afraid to do it," said the lion, who was already trembling, "but i shall do it if dorothy does." "well, that will leave betsy and the mule and trot," said the wizard, "for of course i shall go that i may look after dorothy. do you two girls think you can find your way back home again?" he asked, addressing trot and betsy. "i'm not afraid. not much, that is," said trot. "it looks risky, i know, but i'm sure i can stand it if the others can." "if it wasn't for leaving hank," began betsy in a hesitating voice. but the mule interrupted her by saying, "go ahead if you want to, and i'll come after you. a mule is as brave as a lion any day." "braver," said the lion, "for i'm a coward, friend hank, and you are not. but of course the sawhorse--" "oh, nothing ever hurts me," asserted the sawhorse calmly. "there's never been any question about my going. i can't take the red wagon, though." "no, we must leave the wagon," said the wizard, "and also we must leave our food and blankets, i fear. but if we can defy these merry-go-round mountains to stop us, we won't mind the sacrifice of some of our comforts." "no one knows where we're going to land!" remarked the lion in a voice that sounded as if he were going to cry. "we may not land at all," replied hank, "but the best way to find out what will happen to us is to swing across as scraps and the woozy have done." "i think i shall go last," said the wizard, "so who wants to go first?" "i'll go," decided dorothy. "no, it's my turn first," said button-bright. "watch me!" even as he spoke, the boy seized the strap, and after making a run swung himself across the gulf. away he went, bumping from hill to hill until he disappeared. they listened intently, but the boy uttered no cry until he had been gone some moments, when they heard a faint "hullo-a!" as if called from a great distance. the sound gave them courage, however, and dorothy picked up toto and held him fast under one arm while with the other hand she seized the strap and bravely followed after button-bright. when she struck the first whirling mountain, she fell upon it quite softly, but before she had time to think, she flew through the air and lit with a jar on the side of the next mountain. again she flew and alighted, and again and still again, until after five successive bumps she fell sprawling upon a green meadow and was so dazed and bewildered by her bumpy journey across the merry-go-round mountains that she lay quite still for a time to collect her thoughts. toto had escaped from her arms just as she fell, and he now sat beside her panting with excitement. then dorothy realized that someone was helping her to her feet, and here was button-bright on one side of her and scraps on the other, both seeming to be unhurt. the next object her eyes fell upon was the woozy, squatting upon his square back end and looking at her reflectively, while toto barked joyously to find his mistress unhurt after her whirlwind trip. "good!" said the woozy. "here's another and a dog, both safe and sound. but my word, dorothy, you flew some! if you could have seen yourself, you'd have been absolutely astonished." "they say 'time flies,'" laughed button-bright, "but time never made a quicker journey than that." just then, as dorothy turned around to look at the whirling mountains, she was in time to see tiny trot come flying from the nearest hill to fall upon the soft grass not a yard away from where she stood. trot was so dizzy she couldn't stand at first, but she wasn't at all hurt, and presently betsy came flying to them and would have bumped into the others had they not retreated in time to avoid her. then, in quick succession, came the lion, hank and the sawhorse, bounding from mountain to mountain to fall safely upon the greensward. only the wizard was now left behind, and they waited so long for him that dorothy began to be worried. but suddenly he came flying from the nearest mountain and tumbled heels over head beside them. then they saw that he had wound two of their blankets around his body to keep the bumps from hurting him and had fastened the blankets with some of the spare straps from the harness of the sawhorse. chapter the mysterious city there they sat upon the grass, their heads still swimming from their dizzy flights, and looked at one another in silent bewilderment. but presently, when assured that no one was injured, they grew more calm and collected, and the lion said with a sigh of relief, "who would have thought those merry-go-round mountains were made of rubber?" "are they really rubber?" asked trot. "they must be," replied the lion, "for otherwise we would not have bounded so swiftly from one to another without getting hurt." "that is all guesswork," declared the wizard, unwinding the blankets from his body, "for none of us stayed long enough on the mountains to discover what they are made of. but where are we?" "that's guesswork," said scraps. "the shepherd said the thistle-eaters live this side of the mountains and are waited on by giants." "oh no," said dorothy, "it's the herkus who have giant slaves, and the thistle-eaters hitch dragons to their chariots." "how could they do that?" asked the woozy. "dragons have long tails, which would get in the way of the chariot wheels." "and if the herkus have conquered the giants," said trot, "they must be at least twice the size of giants. p'raps the herkus are the biggest people in all the world!" "perhaps they are," assented the wizard in a thoughtful tone of voice. "and perhaps the shepherd didn't know what he was talking about. let us travel on toward the west and discover for ourselves what the people of this country are like." it seemed a pleasant enough country, and it was quite still and peaceful when they turned their eyes away from the silently whirling mountains. there were trees here and there and green bushes, while throughout the thick grass were scattered brilliantly colored flowers. about a mile away was a low hill that hid from them all the country beyond it, so they realized they could not tell much about the country until they had crossed the hill. the red wagon having been left behind, it was now necessary to make other arrangements for traveling. the lion told dorothy she could ride upon his back as she had often done before, and the woozy said he could easily carry both trot and the patchwork girl. betsy still had her mule, hank, and button-bright and the wizard could sit together upon the long, thin back of the sawhorse, but they took care to soften their seat with a pad of blankets before they started. thus mounted, the adventurers started for the hill, which was reached after a brief journey. as they mounted the crest and gazed beyond the hill, they discovered not far away a walled city, from the towers and spires of which gay banners were flying. it was not a very big city, indeed, but its walls were very high and thick, and it appeared that the people who lived there must have feared attack by a powerful enemy, else they would not have surrounded their dwellings with so strong a barrier. there was no path leading from the mountains to the city, and this proved that the people seldom or never visited the whirling hills, but our friends found the grass soft and agreeable to travel over, and with the city before them they could not well lose their way. when they drew nearer to the walls, the breeze carried to their ears the sound of music--dim at first, but growing louder as they advanced. "that doesn't seem like a very terr'ble place," remarked dorothy. "well, it looks all right," replied trot from her seat on the woozy, "but looks can't always be trusted." "my looks can," said scraps. "i look patchwork, and i am patchwork, and no one but a blind owl could ever doubt that i'm the patchwork girl." saying which, she turned a somersault off the woozy and, alighting on her feet, began wildly dancing about. "are owls ever blind?" asked trot. "always, in the daytime," said button-bright. "but scraps can see with her button eyes both day and night. isn't it queer?" "it's queer that buttons can see at all," answered trot. "but good gracious! what's become of the city?" "i was going to ask that myself," said dorothy. "it's gone!" "it's gone!" the animals came to a sudden halt, for the city had really disappeared, walls and all, and before them lay the clear, unbroken sweep of the country. "dear me!" exclaimed the wizard. "this is rather disagreeable. it is annoying to travel almost to a place and then find it is not there." "where can it be, then?" asked dorothy. "it cert'nly was there a minute ago." "i can hear the music yet," declared button-bright, and when they all listened, the strains of music could plainly be heard. "oh! there's the city over at the left," called scraps, and turning their eyes, they saw the walls and towers and fluttering banners far to the left of them. "we must have lost our way," suggested dorothy. "nonsense," said the lion. "i, and all the other animals, have been tramping straight toward the city ever since we first saw it." "then how does it happen--" "never mind," interrupted the wizard, "we are no farther from it than we were before. it is in a different direction, that's all, so let us hurry and get there before it again escapes us." so on they went directly toward the city, which seemed only a couple of miles distant. but when they had traveled less than a mile, it suddenly disappeared again. once more they paused, somewhat discouraged, but in a moment the button eyes of scraps again discovered the city, only this time it was just behind them in the direction from which they had come. "goodness gracious!" cried dorothy. "there's surely something wrong with that city. do you s'pose it's on wheels, wizard?" "it may not be a city at all," he replied, looking toward it with a speculative glance. "what could it be, then?" "just an illusion." "what's that?" asked trot. "something you think you see and don't see." "i can't believe that," said button-bright. "if we only saw it, we might be mistaken, but if we can see it and hear it, too, it must be there." "where?" asked the patchwork girl. "somewhere near us," he insisted. "we will have to go back, i suppose," said the woozy with a sigh. so back they turned and headed for the walled city until it disappeared again, only to reappear at the right of them. they were constantly getting nearer to it, however, so they kept their faces turned toward it as it flitted here and there to all points of the compass. presently the lion, who was leading the procession, halted abruptly and cried out, "ouch!" "what's the matter?" asked dorothy. "ouch--ouch!" repeated the lion, and leaped backward so suddenly that dorothy nearly tumbled from his back. at the same time hank the mule yelled "ouch!" "ouch! ouch!" repeated the lion and leaped backward so suddenly that dorothy nearly tumbled from his back. at the same time, hank the mule yelled "ouch!" almost as loudly as the lion had done, and he also pranced backward a few paces. "it's the thistles," said betsy. "they prick their legs." hearing this, all looked down, and sure enough the ground was thick with thistles, which covered the plain from the point where they stood way up to the walls of the mysterious city. no pathways through them could be seen at all; here the soft grass ended and the growth of thistles began. "they're the prickliest thistles i ever felt," grumbled the lion. "my legs smart yet from their stings, though i jumped out of them as quickly as i could." "here is a new difficulty," remarked the wizard in a grieved tone. "the city has stopped hopping around, it is true, but how are we to get to it over this mass of prickers?" "they can't hurt me," said the thick-skinned woozy, advancing fearlessly and trampling among the thistles. "nor me," said the wooden sawhorse. "but the lion and the mule cannot stand the prickers," asserted dorothy, "and we can't leave them behind." "must we all go back?" asked trot. "course not!" replied button-bright scornfully. "always when there's trouble, there's a way out of it if you can find it." "i wish the scarecrow was here," said scraps, standing on her head on the woozy's square back. "his splendid brains would soon show us how to conquer this field of thistles." "what's the matter with your brains?" asked the boy. "nothing," she said, making a flip-flop into the thistles and dancing among them without feeling their sharp points. "i could tell you in half a minute how to get over the thistles if i wanted to." "tell us, scraps!" begged dorothy. "i don't want to wear my brains out with overwork," replied the patchwork girl. "don't you love ozma? and don't you want to find her?" asked betsy reproachfully. "yes indeed," said scraps, walking on her hands as an acrobat does at the circus. "well, we can't find ozma unless we get past these thistles," declared dorothy. scraps danced around them two or three times without reply. then she said, "don't look at me, you stupid folks. look at those blankets." the wizard's face brightened at once. "why didn't we think of those blankets before?" "because you haven't magic brains," laughed scraps. "such brains as you have are of the common sort that grow in your heads, like weeds in a garden. i'm sorry for you people who have to be born in order to be alive." but the wizard was not listening to her. he quickly removed the blankets from the back of the sawhorse and spread one of them upon the thistles, just next the grass. the thick cloth rendered the prickers harmless, so the wizard walked over this first blanket and spread the second one farther on, in the direction of the phantom city. "these blankets," said he, "are for the lion and the mule to walk upon. the sawhorse and the woozy can walk on the thistles." so the lion and the mule walked over the first blanket and stood upon the second one until the wizard had picked up the one they had passed over and spread it in front of them, when they advanced to that one and waited while the one behind them was again spread in front. "this is slow work," said the wizard, "but it will get us to the city after a while." "the city is a good half mile away yet," announced button-bright. "and this is awful hard work for the wizard," added trot. "why couldn't the lion ride on the woozy's back?" asked dorothy. "it's a big, flat back, and the woozy's mighty strong. perhaps the lion wouldn't fall off." "you may try it if you like," said the woozy to the lion. "i can take you to the city in a jiffy and then come back for hank." "i'm--i'm afraid," said the cowardly lion. he was twice as big as the woozy. "try it," pleaded dorothy. "and take a tumble among the thistles?" asked the lion reproachfully. but when the woozy came close to him, the big beast suddenly bounded upon its back and managed to balance himself there, although forced to hold his four legs so close together that he was in danger of toppling over. the great weight of the monster lion did not seem to affect the woozy, who called to his rider, "hold on tight!" and ran swiftly over the thistles toward the city. the others stood on the blanket and watched the strange sight anxiously. of course, the lion couldn't "hold on tight" because there was nothing to hold to, and he swayed from side to side as if likely to fall off any moment. still, he managed to stick to the woozy's back until they were close to the walls of the city, when he leaped to the ground. next moment the woozy came dashing back at full speed. "there's a little strip of ground next the wall where there are no thistles," he told them when he had reached the adventurers once more. "now then, friend hank, see if you can ride as well as the lion did." "take the others first," proposed the mule. so the sawhorse and the woozy made a couple of trips over the thistles to the city walls and carried all the people in safety, dorothy holding little toto in her arms. the travelers then sat in a group on a little hillock just outside the wall and looked at the great blocks of gray stone and waited for the woozy to bring hank to them. the mule was very awkward, and his legs trembled so badly that more than once they thought he would tumble off, but finally he reached them in safety, and the entire party was now reunited. more than that, they had reached the city that had eluded them for so long and in so strange a manner. "the gates must be around the other side," said the wizard. "let us follow the curve of the wall until we reach an opening in it." "which way?" asked dorothy. "we must guess that," he replied. "suppose we go to the left. one direction is as good as another." they formed in marching order and went around the city wall to the left. it wasn't a big city, as i have said, but to go way around it outside the high wall was quite a walk, as they became aware. but around it our adventurers went without finding any sign of a gateway or other opening. when they had returned to the little mound from which they had started, they dismounted from the animals and again seated themselves on the grassy mound. "it's mighty queer, isn't it?" asked button-bright. "there must be some way for the people to get out and in," declared dorothy. "do you s'pose they have flying machines, wizard?" "no," he replied, "for in that case they would be flying all over the land of oz, and we know they have not done that. flying machines are unknown here. i think it more likely that the people use ladders to get over the walls." "it would be an awful climb over that high stone wall," said betsy. "stone, is it?" scraps, who was again dancing wildly around, for she never tired and could never keep still for long. "course it's stone," answered betsy scornfully. "can't you see?" "yes," said scraps, going closer. "i can see the wall, but i can't feel it." and then, with her arms outstretched, she did a very queer thing. she walked right into the wall and disappeared. "for goodness sake!" dorothy, amazed, as indeed they all were. chapter the high coco-lorum of thi and now the patchwork girl came dancing out of the wall again. "come on!" she called. "it isn't there. there isn't any wall at all." "what? no wall?" exclaimed the wizard. "nothing like it," said scraps. "it's a make-believe. you see it, but it isn't. come on into the city; we've been wasting our time." with this, she danced into the wall again and once more disappeared. button-bright, who was rather venture-some, dashed away after her and also became invisible to them. the others followed more cautiously, stretching out their hands to feel the wall and finding, to their astonishment, that they could feel nothing because nothing opposed them. they walked on a few steps and found themselves in the streets of a very beautiful city. behind them they again saw the wall, grim and forbidding as ever, but now they knew it was merely an illusion prepared to keep strangers from entering the city. but the wall was soon forgotten, for in front of them were a number of quaint people who stared at them in amazement as if wondering where they had come from. our friends forgot their good manners for a time and returned the stares with interest, for so remarkable a people had never before been discovered in all the remarkable land of oz. their heads were shaped like diamonds, and their bodies like hearts. all the hair they had was a little bunch at the tip top of their diamond-shaped heads, and their eyes were very large and round, and their noses and mouths very small. their clothing was tight fitting and of brilliant colors, being handsomely embroidered in quaint designs with gold or silver threads; but on their feet they wore sandals with no stockings whatever. the expression of their faces was pleasant enough, although they now showed surprise at the appearance of strangers so unlike themselves, and our friends thought they seemed quite harmless. "i beg your pardon," said the wizard, speaking for his party, "for intruding upon you uninvited, but we are traveling on important business and find it necessary to visit your city. will you kindly tell us by what name your city is called?" they looked at one another uncertainly, each expecting some other to answer. finally, a short one whose heart-shaped body was very broad replied, "we have no occasion to call our city anything. it is where we live, that is all." "but by what name do others call your city?" asked the wizard. "we know of no others except yourselves," said the man. and then he inquired, "were you born with those queer forms you have, or has some cruel magician transformed you to them from your natural shapes?" "these are our natural shapes," declared the wizard, "and we consider them very good shapes, too." the group of inhabitants was constantly being enlarged by others who joined it. all were evidently startled and uneasy at the arrival of strangers. "have you a king?" asked dorothy, who knew it was better to speak with someone in authority. but the man shook his diamond-like head. "what is a king?" he asked. "isn't there anyone who rules over you?" inquired the wizard. "no," was the reply, "each of us rules himself, or at least tries to do so. it is not an easy thing to do, as you probably know." the wizard reflected. "if you have disputes among you," said he after a little thought, "who settles them?" "the high coco-lorum," they answered in a chorus. "and who is he?" "the judge who enforces the laws," said the man who had first spoken. "then he is the principal person here?" continued the wizard. "well, i would not say that," returned the man in a puzzled way. "the high coco-lorum is a public servant. however, he represents the laws, which we must all obey." "i think," said the wizard, "we ought to see your high coco-lorum and talk with him. our mission here requires us to consult one high in authority, and the high coco-lorum ought to be high, whatever else he is." the inhabitants seemed to consider this proposition reasonable, for they nodded their diamond-shaped heads in approval. so the broad one who had been their spokesman said, "follow me," and turning led the way along one of the streets. the entire party followed him, the natives falling in behind. the dwellings they passed were quite nicely planned and seemed comfortable and convenient. after leading them a few blocks, their conductor stopped before a house which was neither better nor worse than the others. the doorway was shaped to admit the strangely formed bodies of these people, being narrow at the top, broad in the middle and tapering at the bottom. the windows were made in much the same way, giving the house a most peculiar appearance. when their guide opened the gate, a music box concealed in the gatepost began to play, and the sound attracted the attention of the high coco-lorum, who appeared at an open window and inquired, "what has happened now?" but in the same moment his eyes fell upon the strangers and he hastened to open the door and admit them--all but the animals, which were left outside with the throng of natives that had now gathered. for a small city there seemed to be a large number of inhabitants, but they did not try to enter the house and contented themselves with staring curiously at the strange animals. toto followed dorothy. our friends entered a large room at the front of the house, where the high coco-lorum asked them to be seated. "i hope your mission here is a peaceful one," he said, looking a little worried, "for the thists are not very good fighters and object to being conquered." "are your people called thists?" asked dorothy. "yes. i thought you knew that. and we call our city thi." "oh!" "we are thists because we eat thistles, you know," continued the high coco-lorum. "do you really eat those prickly things?" inquired button-bright wonderingly. "why not?" replied the other. "the sharp points of the thistles cannot hurt us, because all our insides are gold-lined." "gold-lined!" "to be sure. our throats and stomachs are lined with solid gold, and we find the thistles nourishing and good to eat. as a matter of fact, there is nothing else in our country that is fit for food. all around the city of thi grow countless thistles, and all we need do is to go and gather them. if we wanted anything else to eat, we would have to plant it, and grow it, and harvest it, and that would be a lot of trouble and make us work, which is an occupation we detest." "but tell me, please," said the wizard, "how does it happen that your city jumps around so, from one part of the country to another?" "the city doesn't jump. it doesn't move at all," declared the high coco-lorum. "however, i will admit that the land that surrounds it has a trick of turning this way or that, and so if one is standing upon the plain and facing north, he is likely to find himself suddenly facing west or east or south. but once you reach the thistle fields, you are on solid ground." "ah, i begin to understand," said the wizard, nodding his head. "but i have another question to ask: how does it happen that the thists have no king to rule over them?" "hush!" whispered the high coco-lorum, looking uneasily around to make sure they were not overheard. "in reality, i am the king, but the people don't know it. they think they rule themselves, but the fact is i have everything my own way. no one else knows anything about our laws, and so i make the laws to suit myself. if any oppose me or question my acts, i tell them it's the law and that settles it. if i called myself king, however, and wore a crown and lived in royal style, the people would not like me and might do me harm. as the high coco-lorum of thi, i am considered a very agreeable person." "it seems a very clever arrangement," said the wizard. "and now, as you are the principal person in thi, i beg you to tell us if the royal ozma is a captive in your city." "no," answered the diamond-headed man. "we have no captives. no strangers but yourselves are here, and we have never before heard of the royal ozma." "she rules over all of oz," said dorothy, "and so she rules your city and you, because you are in the winkie country, which is a part of the land of oz." "it may be," returned the high coco-lorum, "for we do not study geography and have never inquired whether we live in the land of oz or not. and any ruler who rules us from a distance and unknown to us is welcome to the job. but what has happened to your royal ozma?" "someone has stolen her," said the wizard. "do you happen to have any talented magician among your people, one who is especially clever, you know?" "no, none especially clever. we do some magic, of course, but it is all of the ordinary kind. i do not think any of us has yet aspired to stealing rulers, either by magic or otherwise." "then we've come a long way for nothing!" exclaimed trot regretfully. "but we are going farther than this," asserted the patchwork girl, bending her stuffed body backward until her yarn hair touched the floor and then walking around on her hands with her feet in the air. the high coco-lorum watched scraps admiringly. "you may go farther on, of course," said he, "but i advise you not to. the herkus live back of us, beyond the thistles and the twisting lands, and they are not very nice people to meet, i assure you." "are they giants?" asked betsy. "they are worse than that," was the reply. "they have giants for their slaves and they are so much stronger than giants that the poor slaves dare not rebel for fear of being torn to pieces." "how do you know?" asked scraps. "everyone says so," answered the high coco-lorum. "have you seen the herkus yourself?" inquired dorothy. "no, but what everyone says must be true, otherwise what would be the use of their saying it?" "we were told before we got here that you people hitch dragons to your chariots," said the little girl. "so we do," declared the high coco-lorum. "and that reminds me that i ought to entertain you as strangers and my guests by taking you for a ride around our splendid city of thi." he touched a button, and a band began to play. at least, they heard the music of a band, but couldn't tell where it came from. "that tune is the order to my charioteer to bring around my dragon-chariot," said the high coco-lorum. "every time i give an order, it is in music, which is a much more pleasant way to address servants than in cold, stern words." "does this dragon of yours bite?" asked button-bright. "mercy no! do you think i'd risk the safety of my innocent people by using a biting dragon to draw my chariot? i'm proud to say that my dragon is harmless, unless his steering gear breaks, and he was manufactured at the famous dragon factory in this city of thi. here he comes, and you may examine him for yourselves." they heard a low rumble and a shrill squeaking sound, and going out to the front of the house, they saw coming around the corner a car drawn by a gorgeous jeweled dragon, which moved its head to right and left and flashed its eyes like headlights of an automobile and uttered a growling noise as it slowly moved toward them. when it stopped before the high coco-lorum's house, toto barked sharply at the sprawling beast, but even tiny trot could see that the dragon was not alive. its scales were of gold, and each one was set with sparkling jewels, while it walked in such a stiff, regular manner that it could be nothing else than a machine. the chariot that trailed behind it was likewise of gold and jewels, and when they entered it, they found there were no seats. everyone was supposed to stand up while riding. the charioteer was a little, diamond-headed fellow who straddled the neck of the dragon and moved the levers that made it go. "this," said the high coco-lorum pompously, "is a wonderful invention. we are all very proud of our auto-dragons, many of which are in use by our wealthy inhabitants. start the thing going, charioteer!" the charioteer did not move. "you forgot to order him in music," suggested dorothy. "ah, so i did." he touched a button and a music box in the dragon's head began to play a tune. at once the little charioteer pulled over a lever, and the dragon began to move, very slowly and groaning dismally as it drew the clumsy chariot after it. toto trotted between the wheels. the sawhorse, the mule, the lion and the woozy followed after and had no trouble in keeping up with the machine. indeed, they had to go slow to keep from running into it. when the wheels turned, another music box concealed somewhere under the chariot played a lively march tune which was in striking contrast with the dragging movement of the strange vehicle, and button-bright decided that the music he had heard when they first sighted this city was nothing else than a chariot plodding its weary way through the streets. all the travelers from the emerald city thought this ride the most uninteresting and dreary they had ever experienced, but the high coco-lorum seemed to think it was grand. he pointed out the different buildings and parks and fountains in much the same way that the conductor does on an american "sightseeing wagon" does, and being guests they were obliged to submit to the ordeal. but they became a little worried when their host told them he had ordered a banquet prepared for them in the city hall. "what are we going to eat?" asked button-bright suspiciously. "thistles," was the reply. "fine, fresh thistles, gathered this very day." scraps laughed, for she never ate anything, but dorothy said in a protesting voice, "our insides are not lined with gold, you know." "how sad!" exclaimed the high coco-lorum, and then he added as an afterthought, "but we can have the thistles boiled, if you prefer." "i'm 'fraid they wouldn't taste good even then," said little trot. "haven't you anything else to eat?" the high coco-lorum shook his diamond-shaped head. "nothing that i know of," said he. "but why should we have anything else when we have so many thistles? however, if you can't eat what we eat, don't eat anything. we shall not be offended, and the banquet will be just as merry and delightful." knowing his companions were all hungry, the wizard said, "i trust you will excuse us from the banquet, sir, which will be merry enough without us, although it is given in our honor. for, as ozma is not in your city, we must leave here at once and seek her elsewhere." "sure we must!" dorothy, and she whispered to betsy and trot, "i'd rather starve somewhere else than in this city, and who knows, we may run across somebody who eats reg'lar food and will give us some." so when the ride was finished, in spite of the protests of the high coco-lorum, they insisted on continuing their journey. "it will soon be dark," he objected. "we don't mind the darkness," replied the wizard. "some wandering herku may get you." "do you think the herkus would hurt us?" asked dorothy. "i cannot say, not having had the honor of their acquaintance. but they are said to be so strong that if they had any other place to stand upon they could lift the world." "all of them together?" asked button-bright wonderingly. "any one of them could do it," said the high coco-lorum. "have you heard of any magicians being among them?" asked the wizard, knowing that only a magician could have stolen ozma in the way she had been stolen. "i am told it is quite a magical country," declared the high coco-lorum, "and magic is usually performed by magicians. but i have never heard that they have any invention or sorcery to equal our wonderful auto-dragons." they thanked him for his courtesy, and mounting their own animals rode to the farther side of the city and right through the wall of illusion out into the open country. "i'm glad we got away so easily," said betsy. "i didn't like those queer-shaped people." "nor did i," agreed dorothy. "it seems dreadful to be lined with sheets of pure gold and have nothing to eat but thistles." "they seemed happy and contented, though," remarked the wizard, "and those who are contented have nothing to regret and nothing more to wish for." chapter toto loses something for a while the travelers were constantly losing their direction, for beyond the thistle fields they again found themselves upon the turning-lands, which swung them around one way and then another. but by keeping the city of thi constantly behind them, the adventurers finally passed the treacherous turning-lands and came upon a stony country where no grass grew at all. there were plenty of bushes, however, and although it was now almost dark, the girls discovered some delicious yellow berries growing upon the bushes, one taste of which set them all to picking as many as they could find. the berries relieved their pangs of hunger for a time, and as it now became too dark to see anything, they camped where they were. the three girls lay down upon one of the blankets--all in a row--and the wizard covered them with the other blanket and tucked them in. button-bright crawled under the shelter of some bushes and was asleep in half a minute. the wizard sat down with his back to a big stone and looked at the stars in the sky and thought gravely upon the dangerous adventure they had undertaken, wondering if they would ever be able to find their beloved ozma again. the animals lay in a group by themselves, a little distance from the others. "i've lost my growl!" said toto, who had been very silent and sober all that day. "what do you suppose has become of it?" "if you had asked me to keep track of your growl, i might be able to tell you," remarked the lion sleepily. "but frankly, toto, i supposed you were taking care of it yourself." "it's an awful thing to lose one's growl," said toto, wagging his tail disconsolately. "what if you lost your roar, lion? wouldn't you feel terrible?" "my roar," replied the lion, "is the fiercest thing about me. i depend on it to frighten my enemies so badly that they won't dare to fight me." "once," said the mule, "i lost my bray so that i couldn't call to betsy to let her know i was hungry. that was before i could talk, you know, for i had not yet come into the land of oz, and i found it was certainly very uncomfortable not to be able to make a noise." "you make enough noise now," declared toto. "but none of you have answered my question: where is my growl?" "you may search me," said the woozy. "i don't care for such things, myself." "you snore terribly," asserted toto. "it may be," said the woozy. "what one does when asleep one is not accountable for. i wish you would wake me up sometime when i'm snoring and let me hear the sound. then i can judge whether it is terrible or delightful." "it isn't pleasant, i assure you," said the lion, yawning. "to me it seems wholly unnecessary," declared hank the mule. "you ought to break yourself of the habit," said the sawhorse. "you never hear me snore, because i never sleep. i don't even whinny as those puffy meat horses do. i wish that whoever stole toto's growl had taken the mule's bray and the lion's roar and the woozy's snore at the same time." "do you think, then, that my growl was stolen?" "you have never lost it before, have you?" inquired inquired the sawhorse. "only once, when i had a sore throat from barking too long at the moon." "is your throat sore now?" asked the woozy. "no," replied the dog. "i can't understand," said hank, "why dogs bark at the moon. they can't scare the moon, and the moon doesn't pay any attention to the bark. so why do dogs do it?" "were you ever a dog?" asked toto. "no indeed," replied hank. "i am thankful to say i was created a mule--the most beautiful of all beasts--and have always remained one." the woozy sat upon his square haunches to examine hank with care. "beauty," he said, "must be a matter of taste. i don't say your judgment is bad, friend hank, or that you are so vulgar as to be conceited. but if you admire big, waggy ears and a tail like a paintbrush and hoofs big enough for an elephant and a long neck and a body so skinny that one can count the ribs with one eye shut--if that's your idea of beauty, hank, then either you or i must be much mistaken." "you're full of edges," sneered the mule. "if i were square as you are, i suppose you'd think me lovely." "outwardly, dear hank, i would," replied the woozy. "but to be really lovely, one must be beautiful without and within." the mule couldn't deny this statement, so he gave a disgusted grunt and rolled over so that his back was toward the woozy. but the lion, regarding the two calmly with his great, yellow eyes, said to the dog, "my dear toto, our friends have taught us a lesson in humility. if the woozy and the mule are indeed beautiful creatures as they seem to think, you and i must be decidedly ugly." "not to ourselves," protested toto, who was a shrewd little dog. "you and i, lion, are fine specimens of our own races. i am a fine dog, and you are a fine lion. only in point of comparison, one with another, can we be properly judged, so i will leave it to the poor old sawhorse to decide which is the most beautiful animal among us all. the sawhorse is wood, so he won't be prejudiced and will speak the truth." "i surely will," responded the sawhorse, wagging his ears, which were chips set in his wooden head. "are you all agreed to accept my judgment?" "we are!" they declared, each one hopeful. "then," said the sawhorse, "i must point out to you the fact that you are all meat creatures, who tire unless they sleep and starve unless they eat and suffer from thirst unless they drink. such animals must be very imperfect, and imperfect creatures cannot be beautiful. now, i am made of wood." "you surely have a wooden head," said the mule. "yes, and a wooden body and wooden legs, which are as swift as the wind and as tireless. i've heard dorothy say that 'handsome is as handsome does,' and i surely perform my duties in a handsome manner. therefore, if you wish my honest judgment, i will confess that among us all i am the most beautiful." the mule snorted, and the woozy laughed; toto had lost his growl and could only look scornfully at the sawhorse, who stood in his place unmoved. but the lion stretched himself and yawned, saying quietly, "were we all like the sawhorse, we would all be sawhorses, which would be too many of the kind. were we all like hank, we would be a herd of mules; if like toto, we would be a pack of dogs; should we all become the shape of the woozy, he would no longer be remarkable for his unusual appearance. finally, were you all like me, i would consider you so common that i would not care to associate with you. to be individual, my friends, to be different from others, is the only way to become distinguished from the common herd. let us be glad, therefore, that we differ from one another in form and in disposition. variety is the spice of life, and we are various enough to enjoy one another's society; so let us be content." "there is some truth in that speech," remarked toto reflectively. "but how about my lost growl?" "the growl is of importance only to you," responded the lion, "so it is your business to worry over the loss, not ours. if you love us, do not afflict your burdens on us; be unhappy all by yourself." "if the same person stole my growl who stole ozma," said the little dog, "i hope we shall find him very soon and punish him as he deserves. he must be the most cruel person in all the world, for to prevent a dog from growling when it is his nature to growl is just as wicked, in my opinion, as stealing all the magic in oz." chapter button-bright loses himself the patchwork girl, who never slept and who could see very well in the dark, had wandered among the rocks and bushes all night long, with the result that she was able to tell some good news the next morning. "over the crest of the hill before us," she said, "is a big grove of trees of many kinds on which all sorts of fruits grow. if you will go there, you will find a nice breakfast awaiting you." this made them eager to start, so as soon as the blankets were folded and strapped to the back of the sawhorse, they all took their places on the animals and set out for the big grove scraps had told them of. as soon as they got over the brow of the hill, they discovered it to be a really immense orchard, extending for miles to the right and left of them. as their way led straight through the trees, they hurried forward as fast as possible. the first trees they came to bore quinces, which they did not like. then there were rows of citron trees and then crab apples and afterward limes and lemons. but beyond these they found a grove of big, golden oranges, juicy and sweet, and the fruit hung low on the branches so they could pluck it easily. they helped themselves freely and all ate oranges as they continued on their way. then, a little farther along, they came to some trees bearing fine, red apples, which they also feasted on, and the wizard stopped here long enough to tie a lot of the apples in one end of a blanket. "we do not know what will happen to us after we leave this delightful orchard," he said, "so i think it wise to carry a supply of apples with us. we can't starve as long as we have apples, you know." scraps wasn't riding the woozy just now. she loved to climb the trees and swing herself by the branches from one tree to another. some of the choicest fruit was gathered by the patchwork girl from the very highest limbs and tossed down to the others. suddenly, trot asked, "where's button-bright?" and when the others looked for him, they found the boy had disappeared. "dear me!" cried dorothy. "i guess he's lost again, and that will mean our waiting here until we can find him." "it's a good place to wait," suggested betsy, who had found a plum tree and was eating some of its fruit. "how can you wait here and find button-bright at one and the same time?" inquired the patchwork girl, hanging by her toes on a limb just over the heads of the three mortal girls. "perhaps he'll come back here," answered dorothy. "if he tries that, he'll prob'ly lose his way," said trot. "i've known him to do that lots of times. it's losing his way that gets him lost." "very true," said the wizard. "so all the rest of you must stay here while i go look for the boy." "won't you get lost, too?" asked betsy. "i hope not, my dear." "let me go," said scraps, dropping lightly to the ground. "i can't get lost, and i'm more likely to find button-bright than any of you." without waiting for permission, she darted away through the trees and soon disappeared from their view. "dorothy," said toto, squatting beside his little mistress, "i've lost my growl." "how did that happen?" she asked. "i don't know," replied toto. "yesterday morning the woozy nearly stepped on me, and i tried to growl at him and found i couldn't growl a bit." "can you bark?" inquired dorothy. "oh, yes indeed." "then never mind the growl," said she. "but what will i do when i get home to the glass cat and the pink kitten?" asked the little dog in an anxious tone. "they won't mind if you can't growl at them, i'm sure," said dorothy. "i'm sorry for you, of course, toto, for it's just those things we can't do that we want to do most of all; but before we get back, you may find your growl again." "do you think the person who stole ozma stole my growl?" dorothy smiled. "perhaps, toto." "then he's a scoundrel!" cried the little dog. "anyone who would steal ozma is as bad as bad can be," agreed dorothy, "and when we remember that our dear friend, the lovely ruler of oz, is lost, we ought not to worry over just a growl." toto was not entirely satisfied with this remark, for the more he thought upon his lost growl, the more important his misfortune became. when no one was looking, he went away among the trees and tried his best to growl--even a little bit--but could not manage to do so. all he could do was bark, and a bark cannot take the place of a growl, so he sadly returned to the others. now button-bright had no idea that he was lost at first. he had merely wandered from tree to tree seeking the finest fruit until he discovered he was alone in the great orchard. but that didn't worry him just then, and seeing some apricot trees farther on, he went to them. then he discovered some cherry trees; just beyond these were some tangerines. "we've found 'most ev'ry kind of fruit but peaches," he said to himself, "so i guess there are peaches here, too, if i can find the trees." he searched here and there, paying no attention to his way, until he found that the trees surrounding him bore only nuts. he put some walnuts in his pockets and kept on searching, and at last--right among the nut trees--he came upon one solitary peach tree. it was a graceful, beautiful tree, but although it was thickly leaved, it bore no fruit except one large, splendid peach, rosy-cheeked and fuzzy and just right to eat. in his heart he doubted this statement, for this was a solitary peach tree, while all the other fruits grew upon many trees set close to one another; but that one luscious bite made him unable to resist eating the rest of it, and soon the peach was all gone except the pit. button-bright was about to throw this peach pit away when he noticed that it was of pure gold. of course, this surprised him, but so many things in the land of oz were surprising that he did not give much thought to the golden peach pit. he put it in his pocket, however, to show to the girls, and five minutes afterward had forgotten all about it. for now he realized that he was far separated from his companions, and knowing that this would worry them and delay their journey, he began to shout as loud as he could. his voice did not penetrate very far among all those trees, and after shouting a dozen times and getting no answer, he sat down on the ground and said, "well, i'm lost again. it's too bad, but i don't see how it can be helped." as he leaned his back against a tree, he looked up and saw a bluefinch fly down from the sky and alight upon a branch just before him. the bird looked and looked at him. first it looked with one bright eye and then turned its head and looked at him with the other eye. then, fluttering its wings a little, it said, "oho! so you've eaten the enchanted peach, have you?" "was it enchanted?" asked button-bright. "of course," replied the bluefinch. "ugu the shoemaker did that." "but why? and how was it enchanted? and what will happen to one who eats it?" questioned the boy. "ask ugu the shoemaker. he knows," said the bird, preening its feathers with its bill. "and who is ugu the shoemaker?" "the one who enchanted the peach and placed it here--in the exact center of the great orchard--so no one would ever find it. we birds didn't dare to eat it; we are too wise for that. but you are button-bright from the emerald city, and you, you, you ate the enchanted peach! you must explain to ugu the shoemaker why you did that." and then, before the boy could ask any more questions, the bird flew away and left him alone. button-bright was not much worried to find that the peach he had eaten was enchanted. it certainly had tasted very good, and his stomach didn't ache a bit. so again he began to reflect upon the best way to rejoin his friends. "whichever direction i follow is likely to be the wrong one," he said to himself, "so i'd better stay just where i am and let them find me--if they can." a white rabbit came hopping through the orchard and paused a little way off to look at him. "don't be afraid," said button-bright. "i won't hurt you." "oh, i'm not afraid for myself," returned the white rabbit. "it's you i'm worried about." "yes, i'm lost," said the boy. "i fear you are, indeed," answered the rabbit. "why on earth did you eat the enchanted peach?" the boy looked at the excited little animal thoughtfully. "there were two reasons," he explained. "one reason was that i like peaches, and the other reason was that i didn't know it was enchanted." "that won't save you from ugu the shoemaker," declared the white rabbit, and it scurried away before the boy could ask any more questions. "rabbits and birds," he thought, "are timid creatures and seem afraid of this shoemaker, whoever he may be. if there was another peach half as good as that other, i'd eat it in spite of a dozen enchantments or a hundred shoemakers!" just then, scraps came dancing along and saw him sitting at the foot of the tree. "oh, here you are!" she said. "up to your old tricks, eh? don't you know it's impolite to get lost and keep everybody waiting for you? come along, and i'll lead you back to dorothy and the others." button-bright rose slowly to accompany her. "that wasn't much of a loss," he said cheerfully. "i haven't been gone half a day, so there's no harm done." dorothy, however, when the boy rejoined the party, gave him a good scolding. "when we're doing such an important thing as searching for ozma," said she, "it's naughty for you to wander away and keep us from getting on. s'pose she's a pris'ner in a dungeon cell! do you want to keep our dear ozma there any longer than we can help?" "if she's in a dungeon cell, how are you going to get her out?" inquired the boy. "never you mind. we'll leave that to the wizard. he's sure to find a way." the wizard said nothing, for he realized that without his magic tools he could do no more than any other person. but there was no use reminding his companions of that fact; it might discourage them. "the important thing just now," he remarked, "is to find ozma, and as our party is again happily reunited, i propose we move on." as they came to the edge of the great orchard, the sun was setting and they knew it would soon be dark. so it was decided to camp under the trees, as another broad plain was before them. the wizard spread the blankets on a bed of soft leaves, and presently all of them except scraps and the sawhorse were fast asleep. toto snuggled close to his friend the lion, and the woozy snored so loudly that the patchwork girl covered his square head with her apron to deaden the sound. chapter the czarover of herku trot wakened just as the sun rose, and slipping out of the blankets, went to the edge of the great orchard and looked across the plain. something glittered in the far distance. "that looks like another city," she said half aloud. "and another city it is," declared scraps, who had crept to trot's side unheard, for her stuffed feet made no sound. "the sawhorse and i made a journey in the dark while you were all asleep, and we found over there a bigger city than thi. there's a wall around it, too, but it has gates and plenty of pathways." "did you get in?" asked trot. "no, for the gates were locked and the wall was a real wall. so we came back here again. it isn't far to the city. we can reach it in two hours after you've had your breakfasts." trot went back, and finding the other girls now awake, told them what scraps had said. so they hurriedly ate some fruit--there were plenty of plums and fijoas in this part of the orchard--and then they mounted the animals and set out upon the journey to the strange city. hank the mule had breakfasted on grass, and the lion had stolen away and found a breakfast to his liking; he never told what it was, but dorothy hoped the little rabbits and the field mice had kept out of his way. she warned toto not to chase birds and gave the dog some apple, with which he was quite content. the woozy was as fond of fruit as of any other food except honey, and the sawhorse never ate at all. except for their worry over ozma, they were all in good spirits as they proceeded swiftly over the plain. toto still worried over his lost growl, but like a wise little dog kept his worry to himself. before long, the city grew nearer and they could examine it with interest. in outward appearance the place was more imposing than thi, and it was a square city, with a square, four-sided wall around it, and on each side was a square gate of burnished copper. everything about the city looked solid and substantial; there were no banners flying, and the towers that rose above the city wall seemed bare of any ornament whatever. a path led from the fruit orchard directly to one of the city gates, showing that the inhabitants preferred fruit to thistles. our friends followed this path to the gate, which they found fast shut. but the wizard advanced and pounded upon it with his fist, saying in a loud voice, "open!" at once there rose above the great wall a row of immense heads, all of which looked down at them as if to see who was intruding. the size of these heads was astonishing, and our friends at once realized that they belonged to giants who were standing within the city. all had thick, bushy hair and whiskers, on some the hair being white and on others black or red or yellow, while the hair of a few was just turning gray, showing that the giants were of all ages. however fierce the heads might seem, the eyes were mild in expression, as if the creatures had been long subdued, and their faces expressed patience rather than ferocity. "what's wanted?" asked one old giant in a low, grumbling voice. "we are strangers, and we wish to enter the city," replied the wizard. "do you come in war or peace?" asked another. "in peace, of course," retorted the wizard, and he added impatiently, "do we look like an army of conquest?" "no," said the first giant who had spoken, "you look like innocent tramps; but you never can tell by appearances. wait here until we report to our masters. no one can enter here without the permission of vig, the czarover." "who's that?" inquired dorothy. but the heads had all bobbed down and disappeared behind the walls, so there was no answer. they waited a long time before the gate rolled back with a rumbling sound, and a loud voice cried, "enter!" but they lost no time in taking advantage of the invitation. on either side of the broad street that led into the city from the gate stood a row of huge giants, twenty of them on a side and all standing so close together that their elbows touched. they wore uniforms of blue and yellow and were armed with clubs as big around as treetrunks. each giant had around his neck a broad band of gold, riveted on, to show he was a slave. as our friends entered riding upon the lion, the woozy, the sawhorse and the mule, the giants half turned and walked in two files on either side of them, as if escorting them on their way. it looked to dorothy as if all her party had been made prisoners, for even mounted on their animals their heads scarcely reached to the knees of the marching giants. the girls and button-bright were anxious to know what sort of a city they had entered, and what the people were like who had made these powerful creatures their slaves. through the legs of the giants as they walked, dorothy could see rows of houses on each side of the street and throngs of people standing on the sidewalks, but the people were of ordinary size and the only remarkable thing about them was the fact that they were dreadfully lean and thin. between their skin and their bones there seemed to be little or no flesh, and they were mostly stoop-shouldered and weary looking, even to the little children. more and more, dorothy wondered how and why the great giants had ever submitted to become slaves of such skinny, languid masters, but there was no chance to question anyone until they arrived at a big palace located in the heart of the city. here the giants formed lines to the entrance and stood still while our friends rode into the courtyard of the palace. then the gates closed behind them, and before them was a skinny little man who bowed low and said in a sad voice, "if you will be so obliging as to dismount, it will give me pleasure to lead you into the presence of the world's most mighty ruler, vig the czarover." "i don't believe it!" said dorothy indignantly. "what don't you believe?" asked the man. "i don't believe your czarover can hold a candle to our ozma." "he wouldn't hold a candle under any circumstances, or to any living person," replied the man very seriously, "for he has slaves to do such things and the mighty vig is too dignified to do anything that others can do for him. he even obliges a slave to sneeze for him, if ever he catches cold. however, if you dare to face our powerful ruler, follow me." "we dare anything," said the wizard, "so go ahead." through several marble corridors having lofty ceilings they passed, finding each corridor and doorway guarded by servants. but these servants of the palace were of the people and not giants, and they were so thin that they almost resembled skeletons. finally, they entered a great circular room with a high, domed ceiling, where the czarover sat on a throne cut from a solid block of white marble and decorated with purple silk hangings and gold tassels. the ruler of these people was combing his eyebrows when our friends entered the throne room and stood before him, but he put the comb in his pocket and examined the strangers with evident curiosity. then he said, "dear me, what a surprise! you have really shocked me. for no outsider has ever before come to our city of herku, and i cannot imagine why you have ventured to do so." "we are looking for ozma, the supreme ruler of the land of oz," replied the wizard. "do you see her anywhere around here?" asked the czarover. "not yet, your majesty, but perhaps you may tell us where she is." "no, i have my hands full keeping track of my own people. i find them hard to manage because they are so tremendously strong." "they don't look very strong," said dorothy. "it seems as if a good wind would blow 'em way out of the city if it wasn't for the wall." "just so, just so," admitted the czarover. "they really look that way, don't they? but you must never trust to appearances, which have a way of fooling one. perhaps you noticed that i prevented you from meeting any of my people. i protected you with my giants while you were on the way from the gates to my palace so that not a herku got near you." "are your people so dangerous, then?" asked the wizard. "to strangers, yes. but only because they are so friendly. for if they shake hands with you, they are likely to break your arms or crush your fingers to a jelly." "why?" asked button-bright. "because we are the strongest people in all the world." "pshaw!" exclaimed the boy. "that's bragging. you prob'ly don't know how strong other people are. why, once i knew a man in philadelphi' who could bend iron bars with just his hands!" "but mercy me, it's no trick to bend iron bars," said his majesty. "tell me, could this man crush a block of stone with his bare hands?" "no one could do that," declared the boy. "if i had a block of stone, i'd show you," said the czarover, looking around the room. "ah, here is my throne. the back is too high, anyhow, so i'll just break off a piece of that." he rose to his feet and tottered in an uncertain way around the throne. then he took hold of the back and broke off a piece of marble over a foot thick. "this," said he, coming back to his seat, "is very solid marble and much harder than ordinary stone. yet i can crumble it easily with my fingers, a proof that i am very strong." even as he spoke, he began breaking off chunks of marble and crumbling them as one would a bit of earth. the wizard was so astonished that he took a piece in his own hands and tested it, finding it very hard indeed. just then one of the giant servants entered and exclaimed, "oh, your majesty, the cook has burned the soup! what shall we do?" "how dare you interrupt me?" asked the czarover, and grasping the immense giant by one of his legs, he raised him in the air and threw him headfirst out of an open window. "now, tell me," he said, turning to button-bright, "could your man in philadelphia crumble marble in his fingers?" "i guess not," said button-bright, much impressed by the skinny monarch's strength. "what makes you so strong?" inquired dorothy. "it's the zosozo," he explained, "which is an invention of my own. i and all my people eat zosozo, and it gives us tremendous strength. would you like to eat some?" "no thank you," replied the girl. "i--i don't want to get so thin." "well, of course one can't have strength and flesh at the same time," said the czarover. "zosozo is pure energy, and it's the only compound of its sort in existence. i never allow our giants to have it, you know, or they would soon become our masters, since they are bigger that we; so i keep all the stuff locked up in my private laboratory. once a year i feed a teaspoonful of it to each of my people--men, women and children--so every one of them is nearly as strong as i am. wouldn't you like a dose, sir?" he asked, turning to the wizard. "well," said the wizard, "if you would give me a little zosozo in a bottle, i'd like to take it with me on my travels. it might come in handy on occasion." "to be sure. i'll give you enough for six doses," promised the czarover. "but don't take more than a teaspoonful at a time. once ugu the shoemaker took two teaspoonsful, and it made him so strong that when he leaned against the city wall, he pushed it over, and we had to build it up again." "who is ugu the shoemaker?" button-bright curiously, for he now remembered that the bird and the rabbit had claimed ugu the shoemaker had enchanted the peach he had eaten. "why, ugu is a great magician who used to live here. but he's gone away now," replied the czarover. "where has he gone?" asked the wizard quickly. "i am told he lives in a wickerwork castle in the mountains to the west of here. you see, ugu became such a powerful magician that he didn't care to live in our city any longer for fear we would discover some of his secrets. so he went to the mountains and built him a splendid wicker castle which is so strong that even i and my people could not batter it down, and there he lives all by himself." "this is good news," declared the wizard, "for i think this is just the magician we are searching for. but why is he called ugu the shoemaker?" "once he was a very common citizen here and made shoes for a living," replied the monarch of herku. "but he was descended from the greatest wizard and sorcerer who ever lived in this or in any other country, and one day ugu the shoemaker discovered all the magical books and recipes of his famous great-grandfather, which had been hidden away in the attic of his house. so he began to study the papers and books and to practice magic, and in time he became so skillful that, as i said, he scorned our city and built a solitary castle for himself." "do you think," asked dorothy anxiously, "that ugu the shoemaker would be wicked enough to steal our ozma of oz?" "and the magic picture?" asked trot. "and the great book of records of glinda the good?" asked betsy. "and my own magic tools?" asked the wizard. "well," replied the czarover, "i won't say that ugu is wicked, exactly, but he is very ambitious to become the most powerful magician in the world, and so i suppose he would not be too proud to steal any magic things that belonged to anybody else--if he could manage to do so." "but how about ozma? why would he wish to steal her?" questioned dorothy. "don't ask me, my dear. ugu doesn't tell me why he does things, i assure you." "then we must go and ask him ourselves," declared the little girl. "i wouldn't do that if i were you," advised the czarover, looking first at the three girls and then at the boy and the little wizard and finally at the stuffed patchwork girl. "if ugu has really stolen your ozma, he will probably keep her a prisoner, in spite of all your threats or entreaties. and with all his magical knowledge he would be a dangerous person to attack. therefore, if you are wise, you will go home again and find a new ruler for the emerald city and the land of oz. but perhaps it isn't ugu the shoemaker who has stolen your ozma." "the only way to settle that question," replied the wizard, "is to go to ugu's castle and see if ozma is there. if she is, we will report the matter to the great sorceress glinda the good, and i'm pretty sure she will find a way to rescue our darling ruler from the shoemaker." "well, do as you please," said the czarover, "but if you are all transformed into hummingbirds or caterpillars, don't blame me for not warning you." they stayed the rest of that day in the city of herku and were fed at the royal table of the czarover and given sleeping rooms in his palace. the strong monarch treated them very nicely and gave the wizard a little golden vial of zosozo to use if ever he or any of his party wished to acquire great strength. even at the last, the czarover tried to persuade them not to go near ugu the shoemaker, but they were resolved on the venture, and the next morning bade the friendly monarch a cordial goodbye and, mounting upon their animals, left the herkus and the city of herku and headed for the mountains that lay to the west. chapter the truth pond it seems a long time since we have heard anything of the frogman and cayke the cookie cook, who had left the yip country in search of the diamond-studded dishpan which had been mysteriously stolen the same night that ozma had disappeared from the emerald city. but you must remember that while the frogman and the cookie cook were preparing to descend from their mountaintop, and even while on their way to the farmhouse of wiljon the winkie, dorothy and the wizard and their friends were encountering the adventures we have just related. so it was that on the very morning when the travelers from the emerald city bade farewell to the czarover of the city of herku, cayke and the frogman awoke in a grove in which they had passed the night sleeping on beds of leaves. there were plenty of farmhouses in the neighborhood, but no one seemed to welcome the puffy, haughty frogman or the little dried-up cookie cook, and so they slept comfortably enough underneath the trees of the grove. the frogman wakened first on this morning, and after going to the tree where cayke slept and finding her still wrapped in slumber, he decided to take a little walk and seek some breakfast. coming to the edge of the grove, he observed half a mile away a pretty yellow house that was surrounded by a yellow picket fence, so he walked toward this house and on entering the yard found a winkie woman picking up sticks with which to build a fire to cook her morning meal. "for goodness sake!" she exclaimed on seeing the frogman. "what are you doing out of your frog-pond?" "i am traveling in search of a jeweled gold dishpan, my good woman," he replied with an air of great dignity. "you won't find it here, then," said she. "our dishpans are tin, and they're good enough for anybody. so go back to your pond and leave me alone." she spoke rather crossly and with a lack of respect that greatly annoyed the frogman. "allow me to tell you, madam," said he, "that although i am a frog, i am the greatest and wisest frog in all the world. i may add that i possess much more wisdom than any winkie--man or woman--in this land. wherever i go, people fall on their knees before me and render homage to the great frogman! no one else knows so much as i; no one else is so grand, so magnificent!" "if you know so much," she retorted, "why don't you know where your dishpan is instead of chasing around the country after it?" "presently," he answered, "i am going where it is, but just now i am traveling and have had no breakfast. therefore i honor you by asking you for something to eat." "oho! the great frogman is hungry as any tramp, is he? then pick up these sticks and help me to build the fire," said the woman contemptuously. "me! the great frogman pick up sticks?" he exclaimed in horror. "in the yip country where i am more honored and powerful than any king could be, people weep with joy when i ask them to feed me." "then that's the place to go for your breakfast," declared the woman. "i fear you do not realize my importance," urged the frogman. "exceeding wisdom renders me superior to menial duties." "it's a great wonder to me," remarked the woman, carrying her sticks to the house, "that your wisdom doesn't inform you that you'll get no breakfast here." and she went in and slammed the door behind her. the frogman felt he had been insulted, so he gave a loud croak of indignation and turned away. after going a short distance, he came upon a faint path which led across a meadow in the direction of a grove of pretty trees, and thinking this circle of evergreens must surround a house where perhaps he would be kindly received, he decided to follow the path. and by and by he came to the trees, which were set close together, and pushing aside some branches he found no house inside the circle, but instead a very beautiful pond of clear water. now the frogman, although he was so big and well educated and now aped the ways and customs of human beings, was still a frog. as he gazed at this solitary, deserted pond, his love for water returned to him with irresistible force. "if i cannot get a breakfast, i may at least have a fine swim," said he, and pushing his way between the trees, he reached the bank. there he took off his fine clothing, laying his shiny purple hat and his gold-headed cane beside it. a moment later, he sprang with one leap into the water and dived to the very bottom of the pond. the water was deliciously cool and grateful to his thick, rough skin, and the frogman swam around the pond several times before he stopped to rest. then he floated upon the surface and examined the pond. the bottom and sides were all lined with glossy tiles of a light pink color; just one place in the bottom where the water bubbled up from a hidden spring had been left free. on the banks, the green grass grew to the edge of the pink tiling. and now, as the frogman examined the place, he found that on one side of the pool, just above the water line, had been set a golden plate on which some words were deeply engraved. he swam toward this plate, and on reaching it read the following inscription: _this is_ the truth pond _whoever bathes in this water must always afterward tell_ the truth. this statement startled the frogman. it even worried him, so that he leaped upon the bank and hurriedly began to dress himself. "a great misfortune has befallen me," he told himself, "for hereafter i cannot tell people i am wise, since it is not the truth. the truth is that my boasted wisdom is all a sham, assumed by me to deceive people and make them defer to me. in truth, no living creature can know much more than his fellows, for one may know one thing, and another know another thing, so that wisdom is evenly scattered throughout the world. but--ah me!--what a terrible fate will now be mine. even cayke the cookie cook will soon discover that my knowledge is no greater than her own, for having bathed in the enchanted water of the truth pond, i can no longer deceive her or tell a lie." more humbled than he had been for many years, the frogman went back to the grove where he had left cayke and found the woman now awake and washing her face in a tiny brook. "where has your honor been?" she asked. "to a farmhouse to ask for something to eat," said he, "but the woman refused me." "how dreadful!" she exclaimed. "but never mind, there are other houses where the people will be glad to feed the wisest creature in all the world." "do you mean yourself?" he asked. "no, i mean you." the frogman felt strongly impelled to tell the truth, but struggled hard against it. his reason told him there was no use in letting cayke know he was not wise, for then she would lose much respect for him, but each time he opened his mouth to speak, he realized he was about to tell the truth and shut it again as quickly as possible. he tried to talk about something else, but the words necessary to undeceive the woman would force themselves to his lips in spite of all his struggles. finally, knowing that he must either remain dumb or let the truth prevail, he gave a low groan of despair and said, "cayke, i am not the wisest creature in all the world; i am not wise at all." "oh, you must be!" she protested. "you told me so yourself, only last evening." "then last evening i failed to tell you the truth," he admitted, looking very shamefaced for a frog. "i am sorry i told you this lie, my good cayke, but if you must know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, i am not really as wise as you are." the cookie cook was greatly shocked to hear this, for it shattered one of her most pleasing illusions. she looked at the gorgeously dressed frogman in amazement. "what has caused you to change your mind so suddenly?" she inquired. "i have bathed in the truth pond," he said, "and whoever bathes in that water is ever afterward obliged to tell the truth." "you were foolish to do that," declared the woman. "it is often very embarrassing to tell the truth. i'm glad i didn't bathe in that dreadful water!" the frogman looked at his companion thoughtfully. "cayke," said he, "i want you to go to the truth pond and take a bath in its water. for if we are to travel together and encounter unknown adventures, it would not be fair that i alone must always tell you the truth, while you could tell me whatever you pleased. if we both dip in the enchanted water, there will be no chance in the future of our deceiving one another." "no," she asserted, shaking her head positively, "i won't do it, your honor. for if i told you the truth, i'm sure you wouldn't like me. no truth pond for me. i'll be just as i am, an honest woman who can say what she wants to without hurting anyone's feelings." with this decision the frogman was forced to be content, although he was sorry the cookie cook would not listen to his advice. chapter the unhappy ferryman leaving the grove where they had slept, the frogman and the cookie cook turned to the east to seek another house, and after a short walk came to one where the people received them very politely. the children stared rather hard at the big, pompous frogman, but the woman of the house, when cayke asked for something to eat, at once brought them food and said they were welcome to it. "few people in need of help pass this way," she remarked, "for the winkies are all prosperous and love to stay in their own homes. but perhaps you are not a winkie," she added. "no," said cayke, "i am a yip, and my home is on a high mountain at the southeast of your country." "and the frogman, is he also a yip?" "i do not know what he is, other than a very remarkable and highly educated creature," replied the cookie cook. "but he has lived many years among the yips, who have found him so wise and intelligent that they always go to him for advice." "may i ask why you have left your home and where you are going?" said the winkie woman. then cayke told her of the diamond-studded gold dishpan and how it had been mysteriously stolen from her house, after which she had discovered that she could no longer cook good cookies. so she had resolved to search until she found her dishpan again, because a cookie cook who cannot cook good cookies is not of much use. the frogman, who had wanted to see more of the world, had accompanied her to assist in the search. when the woman had listened to this story, she asked, "then you have no idea as yet who has stolen your dishpan?" "i only know it must have been some mischievous fairy, or a magician, or some such powerful person, because none other could have climbed the steep mountain to the yip country. and who else could have carried away my beautiful magic dishpan without being seen?" the woman thought about this during the time that cayke and the frogman ate their breakfast. when they had finished, she said, "where are you going next?" "we have not decided," answered the cookie cook. "our plan," explained the frogman in his important way, "is to travel from place to place until we learn where the thief is located and then to force him to return the dishpan to its proper owner." "the plan is all right," agreed the woman, "but it may take you a long time before you succeed, your method being sort of haphazard and indefinite. however, i advise you to travel toward the east." "why?" asked the frogman. "because if you went west, you would soon come to the desert, and also because in this part of the winkie country no one steals, so your time here would be wasted. but toward the east, beyond the river, live many strange people whose honesty i would not vouch for. moreover, if you journey far enough east and cross the river for a second time, you will come to the emerald city, where there is much magic and sorcery. the emerald city is ruled by a dear little girl called ozma, who also rules the emperor of the winkies and all the land of oz. so, as ozma is a fairy, she may be able to tell you just who has taken your precious dishpan. provided, of course, you do not find it before you reach her." "this seems to be to be excellent advice," said the frogman, and cayke agreed with him. "the most sensible thing for you to do," continued the woman, "would be to return to your home and use another dishpan, learn to cook cookies as other people cook cookies, without the aid of magic. but if you cannot be happy without the magic dishpan you have lost, you are likely to learn more about it in the emerald city than at any other place in oz." they thanked the good woman, and on leaving her house faced the east and continued in that direction all the way. toward evening they came to the west branch of the winkie river and there, on the riverbank, found a ferryman who lived all alone in a little yellow house. this ferryman was a winkie with a very small head and a very large body. he was sitting in his doorway as the travelers approached him and did not even turn his head to look at them. "good evening," said the frogman. the ferryman made no reply. "we would like some supper and the privilege of sleeping in your house until morning," continued the frogman. "at daybreak, we would like some breakfast, and then we would like to have you row us across the river." the ferryman neither moved nor spoke. he sat in his doorway and looked straight ahead. "i think he must be deaf and dumb," cayke whispered to her companion. then she stood directly in front of the ferryman, and putting her mouth close to his ear, she yelled as loudly as she could, "good evening!" the ferryman scowled. "why do you yell at me, woman?" he asked. "can you hear what i say?" asked in her ordinary tone of voice. "of course," replied the man. "then why didn't you answer the frogman?" "because," said the ferryman, "i don't understand the frog language." "he speaks the same words that i do and in the same way," declared cayke. "perhaps," replied the ferryman, "but to me his voice sounded like a frog's croak. i know that in the land of oz animals can speak our language, and so can the birds and bugs and fishes; but in my ears, they sound merely like growls and chirps and croaks." "why is that?" asked the cookie cook in surprise. "once, many years ago, i cut the tail off a fox which had taunted me, and i stole some birds' eggs from a nest to make an omelet with, and also i pulled a fish from the river and left it lying on the bank to gasp for lack of water until it died. i don't know why i did those wicked things, but i did them. so the emperor of the winkies--who is the tin woodman and has a very tender tin heart--punished me by denying me any communication with beasts, birds or fishes. i cannot understand them when they speak to me, although i know that other people can do so, nor can the creatures understand a word i say to them. every time i meet one of them, i am reminded of my former cruelty, and it makes me very unhappy." "really," said cayke, "i'm sorry for you, although the tin woodman is not to blame for punishing you." "what is he mumbling about?" asked the frogman. "he is talking to me, but you don't understand him," she replied. and then she told him of the ferryman's punishment and afterward explained to the ferryman that they wanted to stay all night with him and be fed. he gave them some fruit and bread, which was the only sort of food he had, and he allowed cayke to sleep in a room of his cottage. but the frogman he refused to admit to his house, saying that the frog's presence made him miserable and unhappy. at no time would he look directly at the frogman, or even toward him, fearing he would shed tears if he did so; so the big frog slept on the riverbank where he could hear little frogs croaking in the river all the night through. but that did not keep him awake; it merely soothed him to slumber, for he realized how much superior he was to them. just as the sun was rising on a new day, the ferryman rowed the two travelers across the river--keeping his back to the frogman all the way--and then cayke thanked him and bade him goodbye and the ferryman rowed home again. on this side of the river, there were no paths at all, so it was evident they had reached a part of the country little frequented by travelers. there was a marsh at the south of them, sandhills at the north, and a growth of scrubby underbrush leading toward a forest at the east. so the east was really the least difficult way to go, and that direction was the one they had determined to follow. now the frogman, although he wore green patent-leather shoes with ruby buttons, had very large and flat feet, and when he tramped through the scrub, his weight crushed down the underbrush and made a path for cayke to follow him. therefore they soon reached the forest, where the tall trees were set far apart but were so leafy that they shaded all the spaces between them with their branches. "there are no bushes here," said cayke, much pleased, "so we can now travel faster and with more comfort." chapter the big lavender bear it was a pleasant place to wander, and the two travelers were proceeding at a brisk pace when suddenly a voice shouted, "halt!" they looked around in surprise, seeing at first no one at all. then from behind a tree there stepped a brown, fuzzy bear whose head came about as high as cayke's waist--and cayke was a small woman. the bear was chubby as well as fuzzy; his body was even puffy, while his legs and arms seemed jointed at the knees and elbows and fastened to his body by pins or rivets. his ears were round in shape and stuck out in a comical way, while his round, black eyes were bright and sparkling as beads. over his shoulder the little brown bear bore a gun with a tin barrel. the barrel had a cork in the end of it, and a string was attached to the cork and to the handle of the gun. both the frogman and cayke gazed hard at this curious bear, standing silent for some time. but finally the frogman recovered from his surprise and remarked, "it seems to me that you are stuffed with sawdust and ought not to be alive." "that's all you know about it," answered the little brown bear in a squeaky voice. "i am stuffed with a very good quality of curled hair, and my skin is the best plush that was ever made. as for my being alive, that is my own affair and cannot concern you at all, except that it gives me the privilege to say you are my prisoners." "prisoners! why do you speak such nonsense?" the frogman angrily. "do you think we are afraid of a toy bear with a toy gun?" "you ought to be," was the confident reply, "for i am merely the sentry guarding the way to bear center, which is a city containing hundreds of my race, who are ruled by a very powerful sorcerer known as the lavender bear. he ought to be a purple color, you know, seeing he is a king, but he's only light lavender, which is, of course, second cousin to royal purple. so unless you come with me peaceably as my prisoners, i shall fire my gun and bring a hundred bears of all sizes and colors to capture you." "why do you wish to capture us?" inquired the frogman, who had listened to his speech with much astonishment. "i don't wish to, as a matter of fact," replied the little brown bear, "but it is my duty to, because you are now trespassing on the domain of his majesty, the king of bear center. also, i will admit that things are rather quiet in our city just now, and the excitement of your capture, followed by your trial and execution, should afford us much entertainment." "we defy you!" said the frogman. "oh no, don't do that," pleaded cayke, speaking to her companion. "he says his king is a sorcerer, so perhaps it is he or one of his bears who ventured to steal my jeweled dishpan. let us go to the city of the bears and discover if my dishpan is there." "i must now register one more charge against you," remarked the little brown bear with evident satisfaction. "you have just accused us of stealing, and that is such a dreadful thing to say that i am quite sure our noble king will command you to be executed." "but how could you execute us?" inquired the cookie cook. "i've no idea. but our king is a wonderful inventor, and there is no doubt he can find a proper way to destroy you. so tell me, are you going to struggle, or will you go peaceably to meet your doom?" it was all so ridiculous that cayke laughed aloud, and even the frogman's wide mouth curled in a smile. neither was a bit afraid to go to the bear city, and it seemed to both that there was a possibility they might discover the missing dishpan. so the frogman said, "lead the way, little bear, and we will follow without a struggle." "that's very sensible of you, very sensible indeed," declared the brown bear. "so for-ward, march!" and with the command he turned around and began to waddle along a path that led between the trees. cayke and the frogman, as they followed their conductor, could scarce forbear laughing at his stiff, awkward manner of walking, and although he moved his stuffy legs fast, his steps were so short that they had to go slowly in order not to run into him. but after a time they reached a large, circular space in the center of the forest, which was clear of any stumps or underbrush. the ground was covered by a soft, gray moss, pleasant to tread upon. all the trees surrounding this space seemed to be hollow and had round holes in their trunks, set a little way above the ground, but otherwise there was nothing unusual about the place and nothing, in the opinion of the prisoners, to indicate a settlement. but the little brown bear said in a proud and impressive voice (although it still squeaked), "this is the wonderful city known to fame as bear center!" "but there are no houses, there are no bears living here at all!" exclaimed cayke. "oh indeed!" retorted their captor, and raising his gun he pulled the trigger. the cork flew out of the tin barrel with a loud "pop!" and at once from every hole in every tree within view of the clearing appeared the head of a bear. they were of many colors and of many sizes, but all were made in the same manner as the bear who had met and captured them. at first a chorus of growls arose, and then a sharp voice cried, "what has happened, corporal waddle?" "captives, your majesty!" answered the brown bear. "intruders upon our domain and slanderers of our good name." "ah, that's important," answered the voice. then from out the hollow trees tumbled a whole regiment of stuffed bears, some carrying tin swords, some popguns and others long spears with gay ribbons tied to the handles. there were hundreds of them, altogether, and they quietly formed a circle around the frogman and the cookie cook, but kept at a distance and left a large space for the prisoners to stand in. presently, this circle parted, and into the center of it stalked a huge toy bear of a lovely lavender color. he walked upon his hind legs, as did all the others, and on his head he wore a tin crown set with diamonds and amethysts, while in one paw he carried a short wand of some glittering metal that resembled silver but wasn't. "his majesty the king!" corporal waddle, and all the bears bowed low. some bowed so low that they lost their balance and toppled over, but they soon scrambled up again, and the lavender king squatted on his haunches before the prisoners and gazed at them steadily with his bright, pink eyes. chapter the little pink bear "one person and one freak," said the big lavender bear when he had carefully examined the strangers. "i am sorry to hear you call poor cayke the cookie cook a freak," remonstrated the frogman. "she is the person," asserted the king. "unless i am mistaken, it is you who are the freak." the frogman was silent, for he could not truthfully deny it. "why have you dared intrude in my forest?" demanded the bear king. "we didn't know it was your forest," said cayke, "and we are on our way to the far east, where the emerald city is." "ah, it's a long way from here to the emerald city," remarked the king. "it is so far away, indeed, that no bear among us has even been there. but what errand requires you to travel such a distance?" "someone has stolen my diamond-studded gold dishpan," explained cayke, "and as i cannot be happy without it, i have decided to search the world over until i find it again. the frogman, who is very learned and wonderfully wise, has come with me to give me his assistance. isn't it kind of him?" the king looked at the frogman. "what makes you so wonderfully wise?" he asked. "i'm not," was the candid reply. "the cookie cook and some others in the yip country think because i am a big frog and talk and act like a man that i must be very wise. i have learned more than a frog usually knows, it is true, but i am not yet so wise as i hope to become at some future time." the king nodded, and when he did so, something squeaked in his chest. "did your majesty speak?" asked cayke. "not just then," answered the lavender bear, seeming to be somewhat embarrassed. "i am so built, you must know, that when anything pushes against my chest, as my chin accidentally did just then, i make that silly noise. in this city it isn't considered good manners to notice. but i like your frogman. he is honest and truthful, which is more than can be said of many others. as for your late lamented dishpan, i'll show it to you." with this he waved three times the metal wand which he held in his paw, and instantly there appeared upon the ground midway between the king and cayke a big, round pan made of beaten gold. around the top edge was a row of small diamonds; around the center of the pan was another row of larger diamonds; and at the bottom was a row of exceedingly large and brilliant diamonds. in fact, they all sparkled magnificently, and the pan was so big and broad that it took a lot of diamonds to go around it three times. cayke stared so hard that her eyes seemed about to pop out of her head. "o-o-o-h!" she exclaimed, drawing a deep breath of delight. "is this your dishpan?" inquired the king. "it is, it is!" cried the cookie cook, and rushing forward, she fell on her knees and threw her arms around the precious pan. but her arms came together without meeting any resistance at all. cayke tried to seize the edge, but found nothing to grasp. the pan was surely there, she thought, for she could see it plainly; but it was not solid; she could not feel it at all. with a moan of astonishment and despair, she raised her head to look at the bear king, who was watching her actions curiously. then she turned to the pan again, only to find it had completely disappeared. "poor creature!" murmured the king pityingly. "you must have thought, for the moment, that you had actually recovered your dishpan. but what you saw was merely the image of it, conjured up by means of my magic. it is a pretty dishpan, indeed, though rather big and awkward to handle. i hope you will some day find it." cayke was grievously disappointed. she began to cry, wiping her eyes on her apron. the king turned to the throng of toy bears surrounding him and asked, "has any of you ever seen this golden dishpan before?" "no," they answered in a chorus. the king seemed to reflect. presently he inquired, "where is the little pink bear?" "at home, your majesty," was the reply. "fetch him here," commanded the king. several of the bears waddled over to one of the trees and pulled from its hollow a tiny pink bear, smaller than any of the others. a big, white bear carried the pink one in his arms and set it down beside the king, arranging the joints of its legs so that it would stand upright. this pink bear seemed lifeless until the king turned a crank which protruded from its side, when the little creature turned its head stiffly from side to side and said in a small, shrill voice, "hurrah for the king of bear center!" "very good," said the big lavender bear. "he seems to be working very well today. tell me, my pink pinkerton, what has become of this lady's jeweled dishpan?" "u-u-u," said the pink bear, and then stopped short. the king turned the crank again. "u-g-u the shoemaker has it," said the pink bear. "who is ugu the shoemaker?" demanded the king, again turning the crank. "a magician who lives on a mountain in a wickerwork castle," was the reply. "where is the mountain?" was the next question. "nineteen miles and three furlongs from bear center to the northeast." "and is the dishpan still at the castle of ugu the shoemaker?" asked the king. "it is." the king turned to cayke. "you may rely on this information," said he. "the pink bear can tell us anything we wish to know, and his words are always words of truth." "is he alive?" asked the frogman, much interested in the pink bear. "something animates him when you turn his crank," replied the king. "i do not know if it is life or what it is or how it happens that the little pink bear can answer correctly every question put to him. we discovered his talent a long time ago, and whenever we wish to know anything--which is not very often--we ask the pink bear. there is no doubt whatever, madam, that ugu the magician has your dishpan, and if you dare to go to him, you may be able to recover it. but of that i am not certain." "can't the pink bear tell?" asked cayke anxiously. "no, for that is in the future. he can tell anything that has happened, but nothing that is going to happen. don't ask me why, for i don't know." "well," said the cookie cook after a little thought, "i mean to go to this magician, anyhow, and tell him i want my dishpan. i wish i knew what ugu the shoemaker is like." "then i'll show him to you," promised the king. "but do not be frightened. it won't be ugu, remember, but only his image." with this, he waved his metal wand, and in the circle suddenly appeared a thin little man, very old and skinny, who was seated on a wicker stool before a wicker table. on the table lay a great book with gold clasps. the book was open, and the man was reading in it. he wore great spectacles which were fastened before his eyes by means of a ribbon that passed around his head and was tied in a bow at the neck. his hair was very thin and white; his skin, which clung fast to his bones, was brown and seared with furrows; he had a big, fat nose and little eyes set close together. on no account was ugu the shoemaker a pleasant person to gaze at. as his image appeared before them, all were silent and intent until corporal waddle, the brown bear, became nervous and pulled the trigger of his gun. instantly, the cork flew out of the tin barrel with a loud "pop!" that made them all jump. and at this sound, the image of the magician vanished. "so that's the thief, is it?" said cayke in an angry voice. "i should think he'd be ashamed of himself for stealing a poor woman's diamond dishpan! but i mean to face him in his wicker castle and force him to return my property." "to me," said the bear king reflectively, "he looked like a dangerous person. i hope he won't be so unkind as to argue the matter with you." the frogman was much disturbed by the vision of ugu the shoemaker, and cayke's determination to go to the magician filled her companion with misgivings. but he would not break his pledged word to assist the cookie cook, and after breathing a deep sigh of resignation, he asked the king, "will your majesty lend us this pink bear who answers questions that we may take him with us on our journey? he would be very useful to us, and we will promise to bring him safely back to you." the king did not reply at once. he seemed to be thinking. "please let us take the pink bear," begged cayke. "i'm sure he would be a great help to us." "the pink bear," said the king, "is the best bit of magic i possess, and there is not another like him in the world. i do not care to let him out of my sight, nor do i wish to disappoint you; so i believe i will make the journey in your company and carry my pink bear with me. he can walk when you wind the other side of him, but so slowly and awkwardly that he would delay you. but if i go along, i can carry him in my arms, so i will join your party. whenever you are ready to start, let me know." "but your majesty!" exclaimed corporal waddle in protest, "i hope you do not intend to let these prisoners escape without punishment." "of what crime do you accuse them?" inquired the king. "why, they trespassed on your domain, for one thing," said the brown bear. "we didn't know it was private property, your majesty," said the cookie cook. "and they asked if any of us had stolen the dishpan!" continued corporal waddle indignantly. "that is the same thing as calling us thieves and robbers and bandits and brigands, is it not?" "every person has the right to ask questions," said the frogman. "but the corporal is quite correct," declared the lavender bear. "i condemn you both to death, the execution to take place ten years from this hour." "but we belong in the land of oz, where no one ever dies," cayke reminded him. "very true," said the king. "i condemn you to death merely as a matter of form. it sounds quite terrible, and in ten years we shall have forgotten all about it. are you ready to start for the wicker castle of ugu the shoemaker?" "quite ready, your majesty." "but who will rule in your place while you are gone?" asked a big yellow bear. "i myself will rule while i am gone," was the reply. "a king isn't required to stay at home forever, and if he takes a notion to travel, whose business is it but his own? all i ask is that you bears behave yourselves while i am away. if any of you is naughty, i'll send him to some girl or boy in america to play with." this dreadful threat made all the toy bears look solemn. they assured the king in a chorus of growls that they would be good. then the big lavender bear picked up the little pink bear, and after tucking it carefully under one arm, he said, "goodbye till i come back!" and waddled along the path that led through the forest. the frogman and cayke the cookie cook also said goodbye to the bears and then followed after the king, much to the regret of the little brown bear, who pulled the trigger of his gun and popped the cork as a parting salute. chapter the meeting while the frogman and his party were advancing from the west, dorothy and her party were advancing from the east, and so it happened that on the following night they all camped at a little hill that was only a few miles from the wicker castle of ugu the shoemaker. but the two parties did not see one another that night, for one camped on one side of the hill while the other camped on the opposite side. but the next morning, the frogman thought he would climb the hill and see what was on top of it, and at the same time scraps, the patchwork girl, also decided to climb the hill to find if the wicker castle was visible from its top. so she stuck her head over an edge just as the frogman's head appeared over another edge, and both, being surprised, kept still while they took a good look at one another. scraps recovered from her astonishment first, and bounding upward, she turned a somersault and landed sitting down and facing the big frogman, who slowly advanced and sat opposite her. "well met, stranger!" cried the patchwork girl with a whoop of laughter. "you are quite the funniest individual i have seen in all my travels." "do you suppose i can be any funnier than you?" asked the frogman, gazing at her in wonder. "i'm not funny to myself, you know," returned scraps. "i wish i were. and perhaps you are so used to your own absurd shape that you do not laugh whenever you see your reflection in a pool or in a mirror." "no," said the frogman gravely, "i do not. i used to be proud of my great size and vain of my culture and education, but since i bathed in the truth pond, i sometimes think it is not right that i should be different from all other frogs." "right or wrong," said the patchwork girl, "to be different is to be distinguished. now in my case, i'm just like all other patchwork girls because i'm the only one there is. but tell me, where did you come from?" "the yip country," said he. "is that in the land of oz?" "of course," replied the frogman. "and do you know that your ruler, ozma of oz, has been stolen?" "i was not aware that i had a ruler, so of course i couldn't know that she was stolen." "well, you have. all the people of oz," explained scraps, "are ruled by ozma, whether they know it or not. and she has been stolen. aren't you angry? aren't you indignant? your ruler, whom you didn't know you had, has positively been stolen!" "that is queer," remarked the frogman thoughtfully. "stealing is a thing practically unknown in oz, yet this ozma has been taken, and a friend of mine has also had her dishpan stolen. with her i have traveled all the way from the yip country in order to recover it." "i don't see any connection between a royal ruler of oz and a dishpan!" declared scraps. "they've both been stolen, haven't they?" "true. but why can't your friend wash her dishes in another dishpan?" asked scraps. "why can't you use another royal ruler? i suppose you prefer the one who is lost, and my friend wants her own dishpan, which is made of gold and studded with diamonds and has magic powers." "magic, eh?" exclaimed scraps. "there is a link that connects the two steals, anyhow, for it seems that all the magic in the land of oz was stolen at the same time, whether it was in the emerald city of in glinda's castle or in the yip country. seems mighty strange and mysterious, doesn't it?" "it used to seem that way to me," admitted the frogman, "but we have now discovered who took our dishpan. it was ugu the shoemaker." "ugu? good gracious! that's the same magician we think has stolen ozma. we are now on our way to the castle of this shoemaker." "so are we," said the frogman. "then follow me, quick! and let me introduce you to dorothy and the other girls and to the wizard of oz and all the rest of us." she sprang up and seized his coatsleeve, dragging him off the hilltop and down the other side from that whence he had come. and at the foot of the hill, the frogman was astonished to find the three girls and the wizard and button-bright, who were surrounded by a wooden sawhorse, a lean mule, a square woozy, and a cowardly lion. a little black dog ran up and smelled at the frogman, but couldn't growl at him. "i've discovered another party that has been robbed," shouted scraps as she joined them. "this is their leader, and they're all going to ugu's castle to fight the wicked shoemaker!" they regarded the frogman with much curiosity and interest, and finding all eyes fixed upon him, the newcomer arranged his necktie and smoothed his beautiful vest and swung his gold-headed cane like a regular dandy. the big spectacles over his eyes quite altered his froglike countenance and gave him a learned and impressive look. used as she was to seeing strange creatures in the land of oz, dorothy was amazed at discovering the frogman. so were all her companions. toto wanted to growl at him, but couldn't, and he didn't dare bark. the sawhorse snorted rather contemptuously, but the lion whispered to the wooden steed, "bear with this strange creature, my friend, and remember he is no more extraordinary than you are. indeed, it is more natural for a frog to be big than for a sawhorse to be alive." on being questioned, the frogman told them the whole story of the loss of cayke's highly prized dishpan and their adventures in search of it. when he came to tell of the lavender bear king and of the little pink bear who could tell anything you wanted to know, his hearers became eager to see such interesting animals. "it will be best," said the wizard, "to unite our two parties and share our fortunes together, for we are all bound on the same errand, and as one band we may more easily defy this shoemaker magician than if separate. let us be allies." "i will ask my friends about that," replied the frogman, and he climbed over the hill to find cayke and the toy bears. the patchwork girl accompanied him, and when they came upon the cookie cook and the lavender bear and the pink bear, it was hard to tell which of the lot was the most surprised. "mercy me!" cried cayke, addressing the patchwork girl. "however did you come alive?" scraps stared at the bears. "mercy me!" she echoed, "you are stuffed, as i am, with cotton, and you appear to be living. that makes me feel ashamed, for i have prided myself on being the only live cotton-stuffed person in oz." "perhaps you are," returned the lavender bear, "for i am stuffed with extra-quality curled hair, and so is the little pink bear." "you have relieved my mind of a great anxiety," declared the patchwork girl, now speaking more cheerfully. "the scarecrow is stuffed with straw and you with hair, so i am still the original and only cotton-stuffed!" "i hope i am too polite to criticize cotton as compared with curled hair," said the king, "especially as you seem satisfied with it." then the frogman told of his interview with the party from the emerald city and added that the wizard of oz had invited the bears and cayke and himself to travel in company with them to the castle of ugu the shoemaker. cayke was much pleased, but the bear king looked solemn. he set the little pink bear on his lap and turned the crank in its side and asked, "is it safe for us to associate with those people from the emerald city?" and the pink bear at once replied, "safe for you and safe for me; perhaps no others safe will be." "that 'perhaps' need not worry us," said the king, "so let us join the others and offer them our protection." even the lavender bear was astonished, however, when on climbing over the hill he found on the other side the group of queer animals and the people from the emerald city. the bears and cayke were received very cordially, although button-bright was cross when they wouldn't let him play with the little pink bear. the three girls greatly admired the toy bears, and especially the pink one, which they longed to hold. "you see," explained the lavender king in denying them this privilege, "he's a very valuable bear, because his magic is a correct guide on all occasions, and especially if one is in difficulties. it was the pink bear who told us that ugu the shoemaker had stolen the cookie cook's dishpan." "and the king's magic is just as wonderful," added cayke, "because it showed us the magician himself." "what did he look like?" inquired dorothy. "he was dreadful!" "he was sitting at a table and examining an immense book which had three golden clasps," remarked the king. "why, that must have been glinda's great book of records!" exclaimed dorothy. "if it is, it proves that ugu the shoemaker stole ozma, and with her all the magic in the emerald city." "and my dishpan," said cayke. and the wizard added, "it also proves that he is following our adventures in the book of records, and therefore knows that we are seeking him and that we are determined to find him and reach ozma at all hazards." "if we can," added the woozy, but everybody frowned at him. the wizard's statement was so true that the faces around him were very serious until the patchwork girl broke into a peal of laughter. "wouldn't it be a rich joke if he made prisoners of us, too?" she said. "no one but a crazy patchwork girl would consider that a joke," grumbled button-bright. and then the lavender bear king asked, "would you like to see this magical shoemaker?" "wouldn't he know it?" dorothy inquired. "no, i think not." then the king waved his metal wand and before them appeared a room in the wicker castle of ugu. on the wall of the room hung ozma's magic picture, and seated before it was the magician. they could see the picture as well as he could, because it faced them, and in the picture was the hillside where they were now sitting, all their forms being reproduced in miniature. and curiously enough, within the scene of the picture was the scene they were now beholding, so they knew that the magician was at this moment watching them in the picture, and also that he saw himself and the room he was in become visible to the people on the hillside. therefore he knew very well that they were watching him while he was watching them. in proof of this, ugu sprang from his seat and turned a scowling face in their direction; but now he could not see the travelers who were seeking him, although they could still see him. his actions were so distinct, indeed, that it seemed he was actually before them. "it is only a ghost," said the bear king. "it isn't real at all except that it shows us ugu just as he looks and tells us truly just what he is doing." "i don't see anything of my lost growl, though," said toto as if to himself. then the vision faded away, and they could see nothing but the grass and trees and bushes around them. chapter the conference "now then," said the wizard, "let us talk this matter over and decide what to do when we get to ugu's wicker castle. there can be no doubt that the shoemaker is a powerful magician, and his powers have been increased a hundredfold since he secured the great book of records, the magic picture, all of glinda's recipes for sorcery, and my own black bag, which was full of tools of wizardry. the man who could rob us of those things and the man with all their powers at his command is one who may prove somewhat difficult to conquer, therefore we should plan our actions well before we venture too near to his castle." "i didn't see ozma in the magic picture," said trot. "what do you suppose ugu has done with her?" "couldn't the little pink bear tell us what he did with ozma?" asked button-bright. "to be sure," replied the lavender king. "i'll ask him." so he turned the crank in the little pink bear's side and inquired, "did ugu the shoemaker steal ozma of oz?" "yes," answered the little pink bear. "then what did he do with her?" asked the king. "shut her up in a dark place," answered the little pink bear. "oh, that must be a dungeon cell!" cried dorothy, horrified. "how dreadful!" "well, we must get her out of it," said the wizard. "that is what we came for, and of course we must rescue ozma. but how?" each one looked at some other one for an answer, and all shook their heads in a grave and dismal manner. all but scraps, who danced around them gleefully. "you're afraid," said the patchwork girl, "because so many things can hurt your meat bodies. why don't you give it up and go home? how can you fight a great magician when you have nothing to fight with?" dorothy looked at her reflectively. "scraps," said she, "you know that ugu couldn't hurt you a bit, whatever he did, nor could he hurt me, 'cause i wear the gnome king's magic belt. s'pose just we two go on together and leave the others here to wait for us." "no, no!" said the wizard positively. "that won't do at all. ozma is more powerful than either of you, yet she could not defeat the wicked ugu, who has shut her up in a dungeon. we must go to the shoemaker in one mighty band, for only in union is there strength." "that is excellent advice," said the lavender bear approvingly. "but what can we do when we get to ugu?" inquired the cookie cook anxiously. "do not expect a prompt answer to that important question," replied the wizard, "for we must first plan our line of conduct. ugu knows, of course, that we are after him, for he has seen our approach in the magic picture, and he has read of all we have done up to the present moment in the great book of records. therefore we cannot expect to take him by surprise." "don't you suppose ugu would listen to reason?" asked betsy. "if we explained to him how wicked he has been, don't you think he'd let poor ozma go?" "and give me back my dishpan?" added the cookie cook eagerly. "yes, yes, won't he say he's sorry and get on his knees and beg our pardon?" cried scraps, turning a flip-flop to show her scorn of the suggestion. "when ugu the shoemaker does that, please knock at the front door and let me know." the wizard sighed and rubbed his bald head with a puzzled air. "i'm quite sure ugu will not be polite to us," said he, "so we must conquer this cruel magician by force, much as we dislike to be rude to anyone. but none of you has yet suggested a way to do that. couldn't the little pink bear tell us how?" he asked, turning to the bear king. "no, for that is something that is going to happen," replied the lavender bear. "he can only tell us what already has happened." again, they were grave and thoughtful. but after a time, betsy said in a hesitating voice, "hank is a great fighter. perhaps he could conquer the magician." the mule turned his head to look reproachfully at his old friend, the young girl. "who can fight against magic?" he asked. "the cowardly lion could," said dorothy. the lion, who was lying with his front legs spread out, his chin on his paws, raised his shaggy head. "i can fight when i'm not afraid," said he calmly, "but the mere mention of a fight sets me to trembling." "ugu's magic couldn't hurt the sawhorse," suggested tiny trot. "and the sawhorse couldn't hurt the magician," declared that wooden animal. "for my part," said toto, "i am helpless, having lost my growl." "then," said cayke the cookie cook, "we must depend upon the frogman. his marvelous wisdom will surely inform him how to conquer the wicked magician and restore to me my dishpan." all eyes were now turned questioningly upon the frogman. finding himself the center of observation, he swung his gold-headed cane, adjusted his big spectacles, and after swelling out his chest, sighed and said in a modest tone of voice: "respect for truth obliges me to confess that cayke is mistaken in regard to my superior wisdom. i am not very wise. neither have i had any practical experience in conquering magicians. but let us consider this case. what is ugu, and what is a magician? ugu is a renegade shoemaker, and a magician is an ordinary man who, having learned how to do magical tricks, considers himself above his fellows. in this case, the shoemaker has been naughty enough to steal a lot of magical tools and things that did not belong to him, and he is more wicked to steal than to be a magician. yet with all the arts at his command, ugu is still a man, and surely there are ways in which a man may be conquered. how, do you say, how? allow me to state that i don't know. in my judgment, we cannot decide how best to act until we get to ugu's castle. so let us go to it and take a look at it. after that, we may discover an idea that will guide us to victory." "that may not be a wise speech, but it sounds good," said dorothy approvingly. "ugu the shoemaker is not only a common man, but he's a wicked man and a cruel man and deserves to be conquered. we mustn't have any mercy on him till ozma is set free. so let's go to his castle as the frogman says and see what the place looks like." no one offered any objection to this plan, and so it was adopted. they broke camp and were about to start on the journey to ugu's castle when they discovered that button-bright was lost again. the girls and the wizard shouted his name, and the lion roared and the donkey brayed and the frogman croaked and the big lavender bear growled (to the envy of toto, who couldn't growl but barked his loudest), yet none of them could make button-bright hear. so after vainly searching for the boy a full hour, they formed a procession and proceeded in the direction of the wicker castle of ugu the shoemaker. "button-bright's always getting lost," said dorothy. "and if he wasn't always getting found again, i'd prob'ly worry. he may have gone ahead of us, and he may have gone back, but wherever he is, we'll find him sometime and somewhere, i'm almost sure." chapter ugu the shoemaker a curious thing about ugu the shoemaker was that he didn't suspect in the least that he was wicked. he wanted to be powerful and great, and he hoped to make himself master of all the land of oz that he might compel everyone in that fairy country to obey him, his ambition blinded him to the rights of others, and he imagined anyone else would act just as he did if anyone else happened to be as clever as himself. when he inhabited his little shoemaking shop in the city of herku, he had been discontented, for a shoemaker is not looked upon with high respect, and ugu knew that his ancestors had been famous magicians for many centuries past and therefore his family was above the ordinary. even his father practiced magic when ugu was a boy, but his father had wandered away from herku and had never come back again. so when ugu grew up, he was forced to make shoes for a living, knowing nothing of the magic of his forefathers. but one day, in searching through the attic of his house, he discovered all the books of magical recipes and many magical instruments which had formerly been in use in his family. from that day, he stopped making shoes and began to study magic. finally, he aspired to become the greatest magician in oz, and for days and weeks and months he thought on a plan to render all the other sorcerers and wizards, as well as those with fairy powers, helpless to oppose him. from the books of his ancestors, he learned the following facts: ( ) that ozma of oz was the fairy ruler of the emerald city and the land of oz and that she could not be destroyed by any magic ever devised. also, by means of her magic picture she would be able to discover anyone who approached her royal palace with the idea of conquering it. ( ) that glinda the good was the most powerful sorceress in oz, among her other magical possessions being the great book of records, which told her all that happened anywhere in the world. this book of records was very dangerous to ugu's plans, and glinda was in the service of ozma and would use her arts of sorcery to protect the girl ruler. ( ) that the wizard of oz, who lived in ozma's palace, had been taught much powerful magic by glinda and had a bag of magic tools with which he might be able to conquer the shoemaker. ( ) that there existed in oz--in the yip country--a jeweled dishpan made of gold, which dishpan would grow large enough for a man to sit inside it. then, when he grasped both the golden handles, the dishpan would transport him in an instant to any place he wished to go within the borders of the land of oz. no one now living except ugu knew of the powers of the magic dishpan, so after long study, the shoemaker decided that if he could manage to secure the dishpan, he could by its means rob ozma and glinda and the wizard of oz of all their magic, thus becoming himself the most powerful person in all the land. his first act was to go away from the city of herku and build for himself the wicker castle in the hills. here he carried his books and instruments of magic, and here for a full year he diligently practiced all the magical arts learned from his ancestors. at the end of that time, he could do a good many wonderful things. then, when all his preparations were made, he set out for the yip country, and climbing the steep mountain at night he entered the house of cayke the cookie cook and stole her diamond-studded gold dishpan while all the yips were asleep, taking his prize outside, he set the pan upon the ground and uttered the required magic word. instantly, the dishpan grew as large as a big washtub, and ugu seated himself in it and grasped the two handles. then he wished himself in the great drawing room of glinda the good. he was there in a flash. first he took the great book of records and put it in the dishpan. then he went to glinda's laboratory and took all her rare chemical compounds and her instruments of sorcery, placing these also in the dishpan, which he caused to grow large enough to hold them. next he seated himself amongst the treasures he had stolen and wished himself in the room in ozma's palace which the wizard occupied and where he kept his bag of magic tools. this bag ugu added to his plunder and then wished himself in the apartments of ozma. here he first took the magic picture from the wall and then seized all the other magical things which ozma possessed. having placed these in the dishpan, he was about to climb in himself when he looked up and saw ozma standing beside him. her fairy instinct had warned her that danger was threatening her, so the beautiful girl ruler rose from her couch and leaving her bedchamber at once confronted the thief. ugu had to think quickly, for he realized that if he permitted ozma to rouse the inmates of her palace, all his plans and his present successes were likely to come to naught. so he threw a scarf over the girl's head so she could not scream, and pushed her into the dishpan and tied her fast so she could not move. then he climbed in beside her and wished himself in his own wicker castle. the magic dishpan was there in an instant, with all its contents, and ugu rubbed his hands together in triumphant joy as he realized that he now possessed all the important magic in the land of oz and could force all the inhabitants of that fairyland to do as he willed. so quickly had his journey been accomplished that before daylight the robber magician had locked ozma in a room, making her a prisoner, and had unpacked and arranged all his stolen goods. the next day he placed the book of records on his table and hung the magic picture on his wall and put away in his cupboards and drawers all the elixirs and magic compounds he had stolen. the magical instruments he polished and arranged, and this was fascinating work and made him very happy. by turns the imprisoned ruler wept and scolded the shoemaker, haughtily threatening him with dire punishment for the wicked deeds he had done. ugu became somewhat afraid of his fairy prisoner, in spite of the fact that he believed he had robbed her of all her powers; so he performed an enchantment that quickly disposed of her and placed her out of his sight and hearing. after that, being occupied with other things, he soon forgot her. but now, when he looked into the magic picture and read the great book of records, the shoemaker learned that his wickedness was not to go unchallenged. two important expeditions had set out to find him and force him to give up his stolen property. one was the party headed by the wizard and dorothy, while the other consisted of cayke and the frogman. others were also searching, but not in the right places. these two groups, however, were headed straight for the wicker castle, and so ugu began to plan how best to meet them and to defeat their efforts to conquer him. chapter more surprises all that first day after the union of the two parties, our friends marched steadily toward the wicker castle of ugu the shoemaker. when night came, they camped in a little grove and passed a pleasant evening together, although some of them were worried because button-bright was still lost. "perhaps," said toto as the animals lay grouped together for the night, "this shoemaker who stole my growl and who stole ozma has also stolen button-bright." "how do you know that the shoemaker stole your growl?" demanded the woozy. "he has stolen about everything else of value in oz, hasn't he?" replied the dog. "he has stolen everything he wants, perhaps," agreed the lion, "but what could anyone want with your growl?" "well," said the dog, wagging his tail slowly, "my recollection is that it was a wonderful growl, soft and low and--and--" "and ragged at the edges," said the sawhorse. "so," continued toto, "if that magician hadn't any growl of his own, he might have wanted mine and stolen it." "and if he has, he will soon wish he hadn't," remarked the mule. "also, if he has stolen button-bright, he will be sorry." "don't you like button-bright, then?" asked the lion in surprise. "it isn't a question of liking him," replied the mule. "it's a question of watching him and looking after him. any boy who causes his friends so much worry isn't worth having around. i never get lost." "if you did," said toto, "no one would worry a bit. i think button-bright is a very lucky boy because he always gets found." "see here," said the lion, "this chatter is keeping us all awake, and tomorrow is likely to be a busy day. go to sleep and forget your quarrels." "friend lion," retorted the dog, "if i hadn't lost my growl, you would hear it now. i have as much right to talk as you have to sleep." the lion sighed. "if only you had lost your voice when you lost your growl," said he, "you would be a more agreeable companion." but they quieted down after that, and soon the entire camp was wrapped in slumber. next morning they made an early start, but had hardly proceeded on their way an hour when, on climbing a slight elevation, they beheld in the distance a low mountain on top of which stood ugu's wicker castle. it was a good-sized building and rather pretty because the sides, roofs and domes were all of wicker, closely woven as it is in fine baskets. "i wonder if it is strong?" said dorothy musingly as she eyed the queer castle. "i suppose it is, since a magician built it," answered the wizard. "with magic to protect it, even a paper castle might be as strong as if made of stone. this ugu must be a man of ideas, because he does things in a different way from other people." "yes. no one else would steal our dear ozma," sighed tiny trot. "i wonder if ozma is there?" said betsy, indicating the castle with a nod of her head. "where else could she be?" asked scraps. "suppose we ask the pink bear," suggested dorothy. that seemed a good idea, so they halted the procession, and the bear king held the little pink bear on his lap and turned the crank in its side and asked, "where is ozma of oz?" and the little pink bear answered, "she is in a hole in the ground a half mile away at your left." "good gracious!" cried dorothy. "then she is not in ugu's castle at all." "it is lucky we asked that question," said the wizard, "for if we can find ozma and rescue her, there will be no need for us to fight that wicked and dangerous magician." "indeed!" said cayke. "then what about my dishpan?" the wizard looked puzzled at her tone of remonstrance, so she added, "didn't you people from the emerald city promise that we would all stick together, and that you would help me to get my dishpan if i would help you to get your ozma? and didn't i bring to you the little pink bear, which has told you where ozma is hidden?" "she's right," said dorothy to the wizard. "we must do as we agreed." "well, first of all, let us go and rescue ozma," proposed the wizard. "then our beloved ruler may be able to advise us how to conquer ugu the shoemaker." so they turned to the left and marched for half a mile until they came to a small but deep hole in the ground. at once, all rushed to the brim to peer into the hole, but instead of finding there princess ozma of oz, all that they saw was button-bright, who was lying asleep on the bottom. their cries soon wakened the boy, who sat up and rubbed his eyes. when he recognized his friends, he smiled sweetly, saying, "found again!" "where is ozma?" inquired dorothy anxiously. "i don't know," answered button-bright from the depths of the hole. "i got lost yesterday, as you may remember, and in the night while i was wandering around in the moonlight trying to find my way back to you, i suddenly fell into this hole." "and wasn't ozma in it then?" "there was no one in it but me, and i was sorry it wasn't entirely empty. the sides are so steep i can't climb out, so there was nothing to be done but sleep until someone found me. thank you for coming. if you'll please let down a rope, i'll empty this hole in a hurry." "how strange!" said dorothy, greatly disappointed. "it's evident the pink bear didn't tell the truth." "he never makes a mistake," declared the lavender bear king in a tone that showed his feelings were hurt. and then he turned the crank of the little pink bear again and asked, "is this the hole that ozma of oz is in?" "yes," answered the pink bear. "that settles it," said the king positively. "your ozma is in this hole in the ground." "don't be silly," returned dorothy impatiently. "even your beady eyes can see there is no one in the hole but button-bright." "perhaps button-bright is ozma," suggested the king. "and perhaps he isn't! ozma is a girl, and button-bright is a boy." "your pink bear must be out of order," said the wizard, "for, this time at least, his machinery has caused him to make an untrue statement." the bear king was so angry at this remark that he turned away, holding the pink bear in his paws, and refused to discuss the matter in any further way. "at any rate," said the frogman, "the pink bear has led us to your boy friend and so enabled you to rescue him." scraps was leaning so far over the hole trying to find ozma in it that suddenly she lost her balance and pitched in head foremost. she fell upon button-bright and tumbled him over, but he was not hurt by her soft, stuffed body and only laughed at the mishap. the wizard buckled some straps together and let one end of them down into the hole, and soon both scraps and the boy had climbed up and were standing safely beside the others. they looked once more for ozma, but the hole was now absolutely vacant. it was a round hole, so from the top they could plainly see every part of it. before they left the place, dorothy went to the bear king and said, "i'm sorry we couldn't believe what the little pink bear said, 'cause we don't want to make you feel bad by doubting him. there must be a mistake, somewhere, and we prob'ly don't understand just what the little pink bear said. will you let me ask him one more question?" the lavender bear king was a good-natured bear, considering how he was made and stuffed and jointed, so he accepted dorothy's apology and turned the crank and allowed the little girl to question his wee pink bear. "is ozma really in this hole?" asked dorothy. "no," said the little pink bear. this surprised everybody. even the bear king was now puzzled by the contradictory statements of his oracle. "where is she?" asked the king. "here, among you," answered the little pink bear. "well," said dorothy, "this beats me entirely! i guess the little pink bear has gone crazy." "perhaps," called scraps, who was rapidly turning "cartwheels" all around the perplexed group, "ozma is invisible." "of course!" cried betsy. "that would account for it." "well, i've noticed that people can speak, even when they've been made invisible," said the wizard. and then he looked all around him and said in a solemn voice, "ozma, are you here?" there was no reply. dorothy asked the question, too, and so did button-bright and trot and betsy, but none received any reply at all. "it's strange, it's terrible strange!" muttered cayke the cookie cook. "i was sure that the little pink bear always tells the truth." "i still believe in his honesty," said the frogman, and this tribute so pleased the bear king that he gave these last speakers grateful looks, but still gazed sourly on the others. "come to think of it," remarked the wizard, "ozma couldn't be invisible, for she is a fairy, and fairies cannot be made invisible against their will. of course, she could be imprisoned by the magician or enchanted or transformed, in spite of her fairy powers, but ugu could not render her invisible by any magic at his command." "i wonder if she's been transformed into button-bright?" said dorothy nervously. then she looked steadily at the boy and asked, "are you ozma? tell me truly!" button-bright laughed. "you're getting rattled, dorothy," he replied. "nothing ever enchants me. if i were ozma, do you think i'd have tumbled into that hole?" "anyhow," said the wizard, "ozma would never try to deceive her friends or prevent them from recognizing her in whatever form she happened to be. the puzzle is still a puzzle, so let us go on to the wicker castle and question the magician himself. since it was he who stole our ozma, ugu is the one who must tell us where to find her." chapter magic against magic the wizard's advice was good, so again they started in the direction of the low mountain on the crest of which the wicker castle had been built. they had been gradually advancing uphill, so now the elevation seemed to them more like a round knoll than a mountaintop. however, the sides of the knoll were sloping and covered with green grass, so there was a stiff climb before them yet. undaunted, they plodded on and had almost reached the knoll when they suddenly observed that it was surrounded by a circle of flame. at first, the flames barely rose above the ground, but presently they grew higher and higher until a circle of flaming tongues of fire taller than any of their heads quite surrounded the hill on which the wicker castle stood. when they approached the flames, the heat was so intense that it drove them back again. "this will never do for me!" exclaimed the patchwork girl. "i catch fire very easily." "it won't do for me either," grumbled the sawhorse, prancing to the rear. "i also strongly object to fire," said the bear king, following the sawhorse to a safe distance and hugging the little pink bear with his paws. "i suppose the foolish shoemaker imagines these blazes will stop us," remarked the wizard with a smile of scorn for ugu. "but i am able to inform you that this is merely a simple magic trick which the robber stole from glinda the good, and by good fortune i know how to destroy these flames as well as how to produce them. will some one of you kindly give me a match?" you may be sure the girls carried no matches, nor did the frogman or any of the animals. but button-bright, after searching carefully through his pockets, which contained all sorts of useful and useless things, finally produced a match and handed it to the wizard, who tied it to the end of a branch which he tore from a small tree growing near them. then the little wizard carefully lighted the match, and running forward thrust it into the nearest flame. instantly, the circle of fire began to die away, and soon vanished completely leaving the way clear for them to proceed. "that was funny!" laughed button-bright. "yes," agreed the wizard, "it seems odd that a little match could destroy such a great circle of fire, but when glinda invented this trick, she believed no one would ever think of a match being a remedy for fire. i suppose even ugu doesn't know how we managed to quench the flames of his barrier, for only glinda and i know the secret. glinda's book of magic which ugu stole told how to make the flames, but not how to put them out." they now formed in marching order and proceeded to advance up the slope of the hill, but had not gone far when before them rose a wall of steel, the surface of which was thickly covered with sharp, gleaming points resembling daggers. the wall completely surrounded the wicker castle, and its sharp points prevented anyone from climbing it. even the patchwork girl might be ripped to pieces if she dared attempt it. "ah!" exclaimed the wizard cheerfully, "ugu is now using one of my own tricks against me. but this is more serious than the barrier of fire, because the only way to destroy the wall is to get on the other side of it." "how can that be done?" asked dorothy. the wizard looked thoughtfully around his little party, and his face grew troubled. "it's a pretty high wall," he sadly remarked. "i'm pretty sure the cowardly lion could not leap over it." "i'm sure of that, too!" said the lion with a shudder of fear. "if i foolishly tried such a leap, i would be caught on those dreadful spikes." "i think i could do it, sir," said the frogman with a bow to the wizard. "it is an uphill jump as well as being a high jump, but i'm considered something of a jumper by my friends in the yip country, and i believe a good, strong leap will carry me to the other side." "i'm sure it would," agreed the cookie cook. "leaping, you know, is a froglike accomplishment," continued the frogman modestly, "but please tell me what i am to do when i reach the other side of the wall." "you're a brave creature," said the wizard admiringly. "has anyone a pin?" betsy had one, which she gave him. "all you need do," said the wizard to the frogman, giving him the pin, "is to stick this into the other side of the wall." "but the wall is of steel!" exclaimed the big frog. "i know. at least, it seems to be steel, but do as i tell you. stick the pin into the wall, and it will disappear." the frogman took off his handsome coat and carefully folded it and laid it on the grass. then he removed his hat and laid it together with his gold-headed cane beside the coat. he then went back a way and made three powerful leaps in rapid succession. the first two leaps took him to the wall, and the third leap carried him well over it, to the amazement of all. for a short time, he disappeared from their view, but when he had obeyed the wizard's injunction and had thrust the pin into the wall, the huge barrier vanished and showed them the form of the frogman, who now went to where his coat lay and put it on again. "we thank you very much," said the delighted wizard. "that was the most wonderful leap i ever saw, and it has saved us from defeat by our enemy. let us now hurry on to the castle before ugu the shoemaker thinks up some other means to stop us." "we must have surprised him so far," declared dorothy. "yes indeed. the fellow knows a lot of magic--all of our tricks and some of his own," replied the wizard. "so if he is half as clever as he ought to be, we shall have trouble with him yet." he had scarcely spoken these words when out from the gates of the wicker castle marched a regiment of soldiers, clad in gay uniforms and all bearing long, pointed spears and sharp battle axes. these soldiers were girls, and the uniforms were short skirts of yellow and black satin, golden shoes, bands of gold across their foreheads and necklaces of glittering jewels. their jackets were scarlet, braided with silver cords. there were hundreds of these girl-soldiers, and they were more terrible than beautiful, being strong and fierce in appearance. they formed a circle all around the castle and faced outward, their spears pointed toward the invaders, and their battle axes held over their shoulders, ready to strike. of course, our friends halted at once, for they had not expected this dreadful array of soldiery. the wizard seemed puzzled, and his companions exchanged discouraged looks. "i'd no idea ugu had such an army as that," said dorothy. "the castle doesn't look big enough to hold them all." "it isn't," declared the wizard. "but they all marched out of it." "they seemed to, but i don't believe it is a real army at all. if ugu the shoemaker had so many people living with him, i'm sure the czarover of herku would have mentioned the fact to us." "they're only girls!" laughed scraps. "girls are the fiercest soldiers of all," declared the frogman. "they are more brave than men, and they have better nerves. that is probably why the magician uses them for soldiers and has sent them to oppose us." no one argued this statement, for all were staring hard at the line of soldiers, which now, having taken a defiant position, remained motionless. "here is a trick of magic new to me," admitted the wizard after a time. "i do not believe the army is real, but the spears may be sharp enough to prick us, nevertheless, so we must be cautious. let us take time to consider how to meet this difficulty." while they were thinking it over, scraps danced closer to the line of girl soldiers. her button eyes sometimes saw more than did the natural eyes of her comrades, and so after staring hard at the magician's army, she boldly advanced and danced right through the threatening line! on the other side, she waved her stuffed arms and called out, "come on, folks. the spears can't hurt you." said the wizard gaily. "an optical illusion, as i thought. let us all follow the patchwork girl." the three little girls were somewhat nervous in attempting to brave the spears and battle axes, but after the others had safely passed the line, they ventured to follow. and when all had passed through the ranks of the girl army, the army itself magically disappeared from view. all this time our friends had been getting farther up the hill and nearer to the wicker castle. now, continuing their advance, they expected something else to oppose their way, but to their astonishment nothing happened, and presently they arrived at the wicker gates, which stood wide open, and boldly entered the domain of ugu the shoemaker. chapter in the wicker castle no sooner were the wizard of oz and his followers well within the castle entrance when the big gates swung to with a clang and heavy bars dropped across them. they looked at one another uneasily, but no one cared to speak of the incident. if they were indeed prisoners in the wicker castle, it was evident they must find a way to escape, but their first duty was to attend to the errand on which they had come and seek the royal ozma, whom they believed to be a prisoner of the magician, and rescue her. they found they had entered a square courtyard, from which an entrance led into the main building of the castle. no person had appeared to greet them so far, although a gaudy peacock perched upon the wall cackled with laughter and said in its sharp, shrill voice, "poor fools! poor fools!" "i hope the peacock is mistaken," remarked the frogman, but no one else paid any attention to the bird. they were a little awed by the stillness and loneliness of the place. as they entered the doors of the castle, which stood invitingly open, these also closed behind them and huge bolts shot into place. the animals had all accompanied the party into the castle because they felt it would be dangerous for them to separate. they were forced to follow a zigzag passage, turning this way and that, until finally they entered a great central hall, circular in form and with a high dome from which was suspended an enormous chandelier. the wizard went first, and dorothy, betsy and trot followed him, toto keeping at the heels of his little mistress. then came the lion, the woozy and the sawhorse, then cayke the cookie cook and button-bright, then the lavender bear carrying the pink bear, and finally the frogman and the patchwork girl, with hank the mule tagging behind. so it was the wizard who caught the first glimpse of the big, domed hall, but the others quickly followed and gathered in a wondering group just within the entrance. upon a raised platform at one side was a heavy table on which lay glinda's great book of records, but the platform was firmly fastened to the floor and the table was fastened to the platform and the book was chained fast to the table, just as it had been when it was kept in glinda's palace. on the wall over the table hung ozma's magic picture. on a row of shelves at the opposite side of the hall stood all the chemicals and essences of magic and all the magical instruments that had been stolen from glinda and ozma and the wizard, with glass doors covering the shelves so that no one could get at them. and in a far corner sat ugu the shoemaker, his feet lazily extended, his skinny hands clasped behind his head. he was leaning back at his ease and calmly smoking a long pipe. around the magician was a sort of cage, seemingly made of golden bars set wide apart, and at his feet, also within the cage, reposed the long-sought diamond-studded dishpan of cayke the cookie cook. princess ozma of oz was nowhere to be seen. "well, well," said ugu when the invaders had stood in silence for a moment, staring about them. "this visit is an unexpected pleasure, i assure you. i knew you were coming, and i know why you are here. you are not welcome, for i cannot use any of you to my advantage, but as you have insisted on coming, i hope you will make the afternoon call as brief as possible. it won't take long to transact your business with me. you will ask me for ozma, and my reply will be that you may find her--if you can." "sir," answered the wizard in a tone of rebuke, "you are a very wicked and cruel person. i suppose you imagine, because you have stolen this poor woman's dishpan and all the best magic in oz, that you are more powerful than we are and will be able to triumph over us." "yes," said ugu the shoemaker, slowly filling his pipe with fresh tobacco from a silver bowl that stood beside him, "that is exactly what i imagine. it will do you no good to demand from me the girl who was formerly the ruler of oz, because i will not tell you where i have hidden her, and you can't guess in a thousand years. neither will i restore to you any of the magic i have captured. i am not so foolish. but bear this in mind: i mean to be the ruler of oz myself, hereafter, so i advise you to be careful how you address your future monarch." "ozma is still ruler of oz, wherever you may have hidden her," declared the wizard. "and bear this in mind, miserable shoemaker: we intend to find her and to rescue her in time, but our first duty and pleasure will be to conquer you and then punish you for your misdeeds." "very well, go ahead and conquer," said ugu. "i'd really like to see how you can do it." now although the little wizard had spoken so boldly, he had at the moment no idea how they might conquer the magician. he had that morning given the frogman, at his request, a dose of zosozo from his bottle, and the frogman had promised to fight a good fight if it was necessary, but the wizard knew that strength alone could not avail against magical arts. the toy bear king seemed to have some pretty good magic, however, and the wizard depended to an extent on that. but something ought to be done right away, and the wizard didn't know what it was. while he considered this perplexing question and the others stood looking at him as their leader, a queer thing happened. the floor of the great circular hall on which they were standing suddenly began to tip. instead of being flat and level, it became a slant, and the slant grew steeper and steeper until none of the party could manage to stand upon it. presently they all slid down to the wall, which was now under them, and then it became evident that the whole vast room was slowly turning upside down! only ugu the shoemaker, kept in place by the bars of his golden cage, remained in his former position, and the wicked magician seemed to enjoy the surprise of his victims immensely. first they all slid down to the wall back of them, but as the room continued to turn over, they next slid down the wall and found themselves at the bottom of the great dome, bumping against the big chandelier which, like everything else, was now upside down. the turning movement now stopped, and the room became stationary. looking far up, they saw ugu suspended in his cage at the very top, which had once been the floor. "ah," said he, grinning down at them, "the way to conquer is to act, and he who acts promptly is sure to win. this makes a very good prison, from which i am sure you cannot escape. please amuse yourselves in any way you like, but i must beg you to excuse me, as i have business in another part of my castle." saying this, he opened a trap door in the floor of his cage (which was now over his head) and climbed through it and disappeared from their view. the diamond dishpan still remained in the cage, but the bars kept it from falling down on their heads. "well, i declare," said the patchwork girl, seizing one of the bars of the chandelier and swinging from it, "we must peg one for the shoemaker, for he has trapped us very cleverly." "get off my foot, please," said the lion to the sawhorse. "and oblige me, mr. mule," remarked the woozy, "by taking your tail out of my left eye." "it's rather crowded down here," explained dorothy, "because the dome is rounding and we have all slid into the middle of it. but let us keep as quiet as possible until we can think what's best to be done." "dear, dear!" wailed cayke, "i wish i had my darling dishpan," and she held her arms longingly toward it. "i wish i had the magic on those shelves up there," sighed the wizard. "don't you s'pose we could get to it?" asked trot anxiously. "we'd have to fly," laughed the patchwork girl. but the wizard took the suggestion seriously, and so did the frogman. they talked it over and soon planned an attempt to reach the shelves where the magical instruments were. first the frogman lay against the rounding dome and braced his foot on the stem of the chandelier; then the wizard climbed over him and lay on the dome with his feet on the frogman's shoulders; the cookie cook came next; then button-bright climbed to the woman's shoulders; then dorothy climbed up and betsy and trot, and finally the patchwork girl, and all their lengths made a long line that reached far up the dome, but not far enough for scraps to touch the shelves. "wait a minute. perhaps i can reach the magic," called the bear king, and began scrambling up the bodies of the others. but when he came to the cookie cook, his soft paws tickled her side so that she squirmed and upset the whole line. down they came, tumbling in a heap against the animals, and although no one was much hurt, it was a bad mix-up, and the frogman, who was at the bottom, almost lost his temper before he could get on his feet again. cayke positively refused to try what she called "the pyramid act" again, and as the wizard was now convinced they could not reach the magic tools in that manner, the attempt was abandoned. "but something must be done," said the wizard, and then he turned to the lavender bear and asked, "cannot your majesty's magic help us to escape from here?" "my magic powers are limited," was the reply. "when i was stuffed, the fairies stood by and slyly dropped some magic into my stuffing. therefore i can do any of the magic that's inside me, but nothing else. you, however, are a wizard, and a wizard should be able to do anything." "your majesty forgets that my tools of magic have been stolen," said the wizard sadly, "and a wizard without tools is as helpless as a carpenter without a hammer or saw." "don't give up," pleaded button-bright, "'cause if we can't get out of this queer prison, we'll all starve to death." "not i!" laughed the patchwork girl, now standing on top of the chandelier at the place that was meant to be the bottom of it. "don't talk of such dreadful things," said trot, shuddering. "we came here to capture the shoemaker, didn't we?" "yes, and to save ozma," said betsy. "and here we are, captured ourselves, and my darling dishpan up there in plain sight!" wailed the cookie cook, wiping her eyes on the tail of the frogman's coat. "hush!" called the lion with a low, deep growl. "give the wizard time to think." "he has plenty of time," said scraps. "what he needs is the scarecrow's brains." after all, it was little dorothy who came to their rescue, and her ability to save them was almost as much a surprise to the girl as it was to her friends. dorothy had been secretly testing the powers of her magic belt, which she had once captured from the nome king, and experimenting with it in various ways ever since she had started on this eventful journey. at different times she had stolen away from the others of her party and in solitude had tried to find out what the magic belt could do and what it could not do. there were a lot of things it could not do, she discovered, but she learned some things about the belt which even her girl friends did not suspect she knew. for one thing, she had remembered that when the nome king owned it, the magic belt used to perform transformations, and by thinking hard she had finally recalled the way in which such transformations had been accomplished. better than this, however, was the discovery that the magic belt would grant its wearer one wish a day. all she need do was close her right eye and wiggle her left toe and then draw a long breath and make her wish. yesterday she had wished in secret for a box of caramels, and instantly found the box beside her. today she had saved her daily wish in case she might need it in an emergency, and the time had now come when she must use the wish to enable her to escape with her friends from the prison in which ugu had caught them. so without telling anyone what she intended to do--for she had only used the wish once and could not be certain how powerful the magic belt might be--dorothy closed her right eye and wiggled her left big toe and drew a long breath and wished with all her might. the next moment the room began to revolve again, as slowly as before, and by degrees they all slid to the side wall and down the wall to the floor--all but scraps, who was so astonished that she still clung to the chandelier. when the big hall was in its proper position again and the others stood firmly upon the floor of it, they looked far up the dome and saw the patchwork girl swinging from the chandelier. "good gracious!" cried dorothy. "how ever will you get down?" "won't the room keep turning?" asked scraps. "i hope not. i believe it has stopped for good," said princess dorothy. "then stand from under, so you won't get hurt!" shouted the patchwork girl, and as soon as they had obeyed this request, she let go the chandelier and came tumbling down heels over head and twisting and turning in a very exciting manner. plump! she fell on the tiled floor, and they ran to her and rolled her and patted her into shape again. chapter the defiance of ugu the shoemaker the delay caused by scraps had prevented anyone from running to the shelves to secure the magic instruments so badly needed. even cayke neglected to get her diamond-studded dishpan because she was watching the patchwork girl. and now the magician had opened his trap door and appeared in his golden cage again, frowning angrily because his prisoners had been able to turn their upside-down prison right side up. "which of you has dared defy my magic?" he shouted in a terrible voice. "it was i," answered dorothy calmly. "then i shall destroy you, for you are only an earth girl and no fairy," he said, and began to mumble some magic words. dorothy now realized that ugu must be treated as an enemy, so she advanced toward the corner in which he sat, saying as she went, "i am not afraid of you, mr. shoemaker, and i think you'll be sorry, pretty soon, that you're such a bad man. you can't destroy me, and i won't destroy you, but i'm going to punish you for your wickedness." ugu laughed, a laugh that was not nice to hear, and then he waved his hand. dorothy was halfway across the room when suddenly a wall of glass rose before her and stopped her progress. through the glass she could see the magician sneering at her because she was a weak little girl, and this provoked her. although the glass wall obliged her to halt, she instantly pressed both hands to her magic belt and cried in a loud voice, "ugu the shoemaker, by the magic virtues of the magic belt, i command you to become a dove!" the magician instantly realized he was being enchanted, for he could feel his form changing. he struggled desperately against the enchantment, mumbling magic words and making magic passes with his hands. and in one way he succeeded in defeating dorothy's purpose, for while his form soon changed to that of a gray dove, the dove was of an enormous size, bigger even than ugu had been as a man, and this feat he had been able to accomplish before his powers of magic wholly deserted him. and the dove was not gentle, as doves usually are, for ugu was terribly enraged at the little girl's success. his books had told him nothing of the nome king's magic belt, the country of the nomes being outside the land of oz. he knew, however, that he was likely to be conquered unless he made a fierce fight, so he spread his wings and rose in the air and flew directly toward dorothy. the wall of glass had disappeared the instant ugu became transformed. dorothy had meant to command the belt to transform the magician into a dove of peace, but in her excitement she forgot to say more than "dove," and now ugu was not a dove of peace by any means, but rather a spiteful dove of war. his size made his sharp beak and claws very dangerous, but dorothy was not afraid when he came darting toward her with his talons outstretched and his sword-like beak open. she knew the magic belt would protect its wearer from harm. but the frogman did not know that fact and became alarmed at the little girl's seeming danger. so he gave a sudden leap and leaped full upon the back of the great dove. then began a desperate struggle. the dove was as strong as ugu had been, and in size it was considerably bigger than the frogman. but the frogman had eaten the zosozo, and it had made him fully as strong as ugu the dove. at the first leap he bore the dove to the floor, but the giant bird got free and began to bite and claw the frogman, beating him down with its great wings whenever he attempted to rise. the thick, tough skin of the big frog was not easily damaged, but dorothy feared for her champion, and by again using the transformation power of the magic belt, she made the dove grow small until it was no larger than a canary bird. ugu had not lost his knowledge of magic when he lost his shape as a man, and he now realized it was hopeless to oppose the power of the magic belt and knew that his only hope of escape lay in instant action. so he quickly flew into the golden jeweled dishpan he had stolen from cayke the cookie cook, and as birds can talk as well as beasts or men in the fairyland of oz, he muttered the magic word that was required and wished himself in the country of the quadlings, which was as far away from the wicker castle as he believed he could get. our friends did not know, of course, what ugu was about to do. they saw the dishpan tremble an instant and then disappear, the dove disappearing with it, and although they waited expectantly for some minutes for the magician's return, ugu did not come back again. "seems to me," said the wizard in a cheerful voice, "that we have conquered the wicked magician more quickly than we expected to." "don't say 'we.' dorothy did it!" cried the patchwork girl, turning three somersaults in succession and then walking around on her hands. "hurrah for dorothy!" "i thought you said you did not know how to use the magic of the nome king's belt," said the wizard to dorothy. "i didn't know at that time," she replied, "but afterward i remembered how the nome king once used the magic belt to enchant people and transform 'em into ornaments and all sorts of things, so i tried some enchantments in secret, and after a while i transformed the sawhorse into a potato masher and back again, and the cowardly lion into a pussycat and back again, and then i knew the thing would work all right." "when did you perform those enchantments?" asked the wizard, much surprised. "one night when all the rest of you were asleep but scraps, and she had gone chasing moonbeams." "well," remarked the wizard, "your discovery has certainly saved us a lot of trouble, and we must all thank the frogman, too, for making such a good fight. the dove's shape had ugu's evil disposition inside it, and that made the monster bird dangerous." the frogman was looking sad because the bird's talons had torn his pretty clothes, but he bowed with much dignity at this well-deserved praise. cayke, however, had squatted on the floor and was sobbing bitterly. "my precious dishpan is gone!" she wailed. "gone, just as i had found it again!" "never mind," said trot, trying to comfort her, "it's sure to be somewhere, so we'll cert'nly run across it some day." "yes indeed," added betsy, "now that we have ozma's magic picture, we can tell just where the dove went with your dishpan. they all approached the magic picture, and dorothy wished it to show the enchanted form of ugu the shoemaker, wherever it might be. at once there appeared in the frame of the picture a scene in the far quadling country, where the dove was perched disconsolately on the limb of a tree and the jeweled dishpan lay on the ground just underneath the limb. "but where is the place? how far or how near?" asked cayke anxiously. "the book of records will tell us that," answered the wizard. so they looked in the great book and read the following: "ugu the magician, being transformed into a dove by princess dorothy of oz, has used the magic of the golden dishpan to carry him instantly to the northeast corner of the quadling country." "don't worry, cayke, for the scarecrow and the tin woodman are in that part of the country looking for ozma, and they'll surely find your dishpan." "good gracious!" exclaimed button-bright. "we've forgot all about ozma. let's find out where the magician hid her." back to the magic picture they trooped, but when they wished to see ozma wherever she might be hidden, only a round black spot appeared in the center of the canvas. "i don't see how that can be ozma!" said dorothy, much puzzled. "it seems to be the best the magic picture can do, however," said the wizard, no less surprised. "if it's an enchantment, looks as if the magician had transformed ozma into a chunk of pitch." chapter the little pink bear speaks truly for several minutes they all stood staring at the black spot on the canvas of the magic picture, wondering what it could mean. "p'r'aps we'd better ask the little pink bear about ozma," suggested trot. "pshaw!" said button-bright. "he don't know anything." "he never makes a mistake," declared the king. "he did once, surely," said betsy. "but perhaps he wouldn't make a mistake again." "he won't have the chance," grumbled the bear king. "we might hear what he has to say," said dorothy. "it won't do any harm to ask the pink bear where ozma is." "i will not have him questioned," declared the king in a surly voice. "i do not intend to allow my little pink bear to be again insulted by your foolish doubts. he never makes a mistake." "didn't he say ozma was in that hole in the ground?" asked betsy. "he did, and i am certain she was there," replied the lavender bear. scraps laughed jeeringly, and the others saw there was no use arguing with the stubborn bear king, who seemed to have absolute faith in his pink bear. the wizard, who knew that magical things can usually be depended upon and that the little pink bear was able to answer questions by some remarkable power of magic, thought it wise to apologize to the lavender bear for the unbelief of his friends, at the same time urging the king to consent to question the pink bear once more. cayke and the frogman also pleaded with the big bear, who finally agreed, although rather ungraciously, to put the little bear's wisdom to the test once more. so he sat the little one on his knee and turned the crank, and the wizard himself asked the questions in a very respectful tone of voice. "where is ozma?" was his first query. "here in this room," answered the little pink bear. they all looked around the room, but of course did not see her. "in what part of the room is she?" was the wizard's next question. "in button-bright's pocket," said the little pink bear. this reply amazed them all, you may be sure, and although the three girls smiled and scraps yelled "hoo-ray!" in derision, the wizard turned to consider the matter with grave thoughtfulness. "in which one of button-bright's pockets is ozma?" he presently inquired. "in the left-hand jacket pocket," said the little pink bear. "the pink one has gone crazy!" exclaimed button-bright, staring hard at the little bear on the big bear's knee. "i am not so sure of that," declared the wizard. "if ozma proves to be really in your pocket, then the little pink bear spoke truly when he said ozma was in that hole in the ground. for at that time you were also in the hole, and after we had pulled you out of it, the little pink bear said ozma was not in the hole." "he never makes a mistake," asserted the bear king stoutly. "empty that pocket, button-bright, and let's see what's in it," requested dorothy. so button-bright laid the contents of his left jacket pocket on the table. these proved to be a peg top, a bunch of string, a small rubber ball and a golden peach pit. "what's this?" asked the wizard, picking up the peach pit and examining it closely. "oh," said the boy, "i saved that to show to the girls, and then forgot all about it. it came out of a lonesome peach that i found in the orchard back yonder, and which i ate while i was lost. it looks like gold, and i never saw a peach pit like it before." "nor i," said the wizard, "and that makes it seem suspicious." all heads were bent over the golden peach pit. the wizard turned it over several times and then took out his pocket knife and pried the pit open. as the two halves fell apart, a pink, cloud-like haze came pouring from the golden peach pit, almost filling the big room, and from the haze a form took shape and settled beside them. then, as the haze faded away, a sweet voice said, "thank you, my friends!" and there before them stood their lovely girl ruler, ozma of oz. with a cry of delight, dorothy rushed forward and embraced her. scraps turned gleeful flipflops all around the room. button-bright gave a low whistle of astonishment. the frogman took off his tall hat and bowed low before the beautiful girl who had been freed from her enchantment in so startling a manner. for a time, no sound was heard beyond the low murmur of delight that came from the amazed group, but presently the growl of the big lavender bear grew louder, and he said in a tone of triumph, "he never makes a mistake!" chapter ozma of oz "it's funny," said toto, standing before his friend the lion and wagging his tail, "but i've found my growl at last! i am positive now that it was the cruel magician who stole it." "let's hear your growl," requested the lion. "g-r-r-r-r-r!" said toto. "that is fine," declared the big beast. "it isn't as loud or as deep as the growl of the big lavender bear, but it is a very respectable growl for a small dog. where did you find it, toto?" "i was smelling in the corner yonder," said toto, "when suddenly a mouse ran out--and i growled." the others were all busy congratulating ozma, who was very happy at being released from the confinement of the golden peach pit, where the magician had placed her with the notion that she never could be found or liberated. "and only to think," cried dorothy, "that button-bright has been carrying you in his pocket all this time, and we never knew it!" "the little pink bear told you," said the bear king, "but you wouldn't believe him." "never mind, my dears," said ozma graciously, "all is well that ends well, and you couldn't be expected to know i was inside the peach pit. indeed, i feared i would remain a captive much longer than i did, for ugu is a bold and clever magician, and he had hidden me very securely." "you were in a fine peach," said button-bright, "the best i ever ate." "the magician was foolish to make the peach so tempting," remarked the wizard, "but ozma would lend beauty to any transformation." "how did you manage to conquer ugu the shoemaker?" inquired the girl ruler of oz. dorothy started to tell the story, and trot helped her, and button-bright wanted to relate it in his own way, and the wizard tried to make it clear to ozma, and betsy had to remind them of important things they left out, and all together there was such a chatter that it was a wonder that ozma understood any of it. but she listened patiently, with a smile on her lovely face at their eagerness, and presently had gleaned all the details of their adventures. ozma thanked the frogman very earnestly for his assistance, and she advised cayke the cookie cook to dry her weeping eyes, for she promised to take her to the emerald city and see that her cherished dishpan was restored to her. then the beautiful ruler took a chain of emeralds from around her own neck and placed it around the neck of the little pink bear. "your wise answers to the questions of my friends," said she, "helped them to rescue me. therefore i am deeply grateful to you and to your noble king." the bead eyes of the little pink bear stared unresponsive to this praise until the big lavender bear turned the crank in its side, when it said in its squeaky voice, "i thank your majesty." "for my part," returned the bear king, "i realize that you were well worth saving, miss ozma, and so i am much pleased that we could be of service to you. by means of my magic wand i have been creating exact images of your emerald city and your royal palace, and i must confess that they are more attractive than any places i have ever seen--not excepting bear center." "i would like to entertain you in my palace," returned ozma sweetly, "and you are welcome to return with me and to make me a long visit, if your bear subjects can spare you from your own kingdom." "as for that," answered the king, "my kingdom causes me little worry, and i often find it somewhat tame and uninteresting. therefore i am glad to accept your kind invitation. corporal waddle may be trusted to care for my bears in my absence." "and you'll bring the little pink bear?" asked dorothy eagerly. "of course, my dear. i would not willingly part with him." they remained in the wicker castle for three days, carefully packing all the magical things that had been stolen by ugu and also taking whatever in the way of magic the shoemaker had inherited from his ancestors. "for," said ozma, "i have forbidden any of my subjects except glinda the good and the wizard of oz to practice magical arts, because they cannot be trusted to do good and not harm. therefore ugu must never again be permitted to work magic of any sort." "well," remarked dorothy cheerfully, "a dove can't do much in the way of magic, anyhow, and i'm going to keep ugu in the form of a dove until he reforms and becomes a good and honest shoemaker." when everything was packed and loaded on the backs of the animals, they set out for the river, taking a more direct route than that by which cayke and the frogman had come. in this way they avoided the cities of thi and herku and bear center and after a pleasant journey reached the winkie river and found a jolly ferryman who had a fine, big boat and was willing to carry the entire party by water to a place quite near to the emerald city. the river had many windings and many branches, and the journey did not end in a day, but finally the boat floated into a pretty lake which was but a short distance from ozma's home. here the jolly ferryman was rewarded for his labors, and then the entire party set out in a grand procession to march to the emerald city. news that the royal ozma had been found spread quickly throughout the neighborhood, and both sides of the road soon became lined with loyal subjects of the beautiful and beloved ruler. therefore ozma's ears heard little but cheers, and her eyes beheld little else than waving handkerchiefs and banners during all the triumphal march from the lake to the city's gates. and there she met a still greater concourse, for all the inhabitants of the emerald city turned out to welcome her return, and all the houses were decorated with flags and bunting, and never before were the people so joyous and happy as at this moment when they welcomed home their girl ruler. for she had been lost and was now found again, and surely that was cause for rejoicing. glinda was at the royal palace to meet the returning party, and the good sorceress was indeed glad to have her great book of records returned to her, as well as all the precious collection of magic instruments and elixirs and chemicals that had been stolen from her castle. cap'n bill and the wizard at once hung the magic picture upon the wall of ozma's boudoir, and the wizard was so light-hearted that he did several tricks with the tools in his black bag to amuse his companions and prove that once again he was a powerful wizard. for a whole week there was feasting and merriment and all sorts of joyous festivities at the palace in honor of ozma's safe return. the lavender bear and the little pink bear received much attention and were honored by all, much to the bear king's satisfaction. the frogman speedily became a favorite at the emerald city, and the shaggy man and tik-tok and jack pumpkinhead, who had now returned from their search, were very polite to the big frog and made him feel quite at home. even the cookie cook, because she was quite a stranger and ozma's guest, was shown as much deference as if she had been a queen. "all the same, your majesty," said cayke to ozma, day after day with tiresome repetition, "i hope you will soon find my jeweled dishpan, for never can i be quite happy without it." chapter dorothy forgives the gray dove which had once been ugu the shoemaker sat on its tree in the far quadling country and moped, chirping dismally and brooding over its misfortunes. after a time, the scarecrow and the tin woodman came along and sat beneath the tree, paying no heed to the mutterings of the gray dove. the tin woodman took a small oilcan from his tin pocket and carefully oiled his tin joints with it. while he was thus engaged, the scarecrow remarked, "i feel much better, dear comrade, since we found that heap of nice, clean straw and you stuffed me anew with it." "and i feel much better now that my joints are oiled," returned the tin woodman with a sigh of pleasure. "you and i, friend scarecrow, are much more easily cared for than those clumsy meat people, who spend half their time dressing in fine clothes and who must live in splendid dwellings in order to be contented and happy. you and i do not eat, and so we are spared the dreadful bother of getting three meals a day. nor do we waste half our lives in sleep, a condition that causes the meat people to lose all consciousness and become as thoughtless and helpless as logs of wood." "you speak truly," responded the scarecrow, tucking some wisps of straw into his breast with his padded fingers. "i often feel sorry for the meat people, many of whom are my friends. even the beasts are happier than they, for they require less to make them content. and the birds are the luckiest creatures of all, for they can fly swiftly where they will and find a home at any place they care to perch. their food consists of seeds and grains they gather from the fields, and their drink is a sip of water from some running brook. if i could not be a scarecrow or a tin woodman, my next choice would be to live as a bird does." the gray dove had listened carefully to this speech and seemed to find comfort in it, for it hushed its moaning. and just then the tin woodman discovered cayke's dishpan, which was on the ground quite near to him. "here is a rather pretty utensil," he said, taking it in his tin hand to examine it, "but i would not care to own it. whoever fashioned it of gold and covered it with diamonds did not add to its usefulness, nor do i consider it as beautiful as the bright dishpans of tin one usually sees. no yellow color is ever so handsome as the silver sheen of tin," and he turned to look at his tin legs and body with approval. "i cannot quite agree with you there," replied the scarecrow. "my straw stuffing has a light yellow color, and it is not only pretty to look at, but it crunkles most delightfully when i move." "let us admit that all colors are good in their proper places," said the tin woodman, who was too kind-hearted to quarrel, "but you must agree with me that a dishpan that is yellow is unnatural. what shall we do with this one, which we have just found?" "let us carry it back to the emerald city," suggested the scarecrow. "some of our friends might like to have it for a foot-bath, and in using it that way, its golden color and sparkling ornaments would not injure its usefulness." so they went away and took the jeweled dishpan with them. and after wandering through the country for a day or so longer, they learned the news that ozma had been found. therefore they straightway returned to the emerald city and presented the dishpan to princess ozma as a token of their joy that she had been restored to them. ozma promptly gave the diamond-studded gold dishpan to cayke the cookie cook, who was delighted at regaining her lost treasure that she danced up and down in glee and then threw her skinny arms around ozma's neck and kissed her gratefully. cayke's mission was now successfully accomplished, but she was having such a good time at the emerald city that she seemed in no hurry to go back to the country of the yips. it was several weeks after the dishpan had been restored to the cookie cook when one day, as dorothy was seated in the royal gardens with trot and betsy beside her, a gray dove came flying down and alighted at the girl's feet. "i am ugu the shoemaker," said the dove in a soft, mourning voice, "and i have come to ask you to forgive me for the great wrong i did in stealing ozma and the magic that belonged to her and to others." "are you sorry, then?" asked dorothy, looking hard at the bird. "i am very sorry," declared ugu. "i've been thinking over my misdeeds for a long time, for doves have little else to do but think, and i'm surprised that i was such a wicked man and had so little regard for the rights of others. i am now convinced that even had i succeeded in making myself ruler of all oz, i should not have been happy, for many days of quiet thought have shown me that only those things one acquires honestly are able to render one content." "i guess that's so," said trot. "anyhow," said betsy, "the bad man seems truly sorry, and if he has now become a good and honest man, we ought to forgive him." "i fear i cannot become a good man again," said ugu, "for the transformation i am under will always keep me in the form of a dove. but with the kind forgiveness of my former enemies, i hope to become a very good dove and highly respected." "wait here till i run for my magic belt," said dorothy, "and i'll transform you back to your reg'lar shape in a jiffy." "no, don't do that!" pleaded the dove, fluttering its wings in an excited way. "i only want your forgiveness. i don't want to be a man again. as ugu the shoemaker i was skinny and old and unlovely. as a dove i am quite pretty to look at. as a man i was ambitious and cruel, while as a dove i can be content with my lot and happy in my simple life. i have learned to love the free and independent life of a bird, and i'd rather not change back." "just as you like, ugu," said dorothy, resuming her seat. "perhaps you are right, for you're certainly a better dove than you were a man, and if you should ever backslide an' feel wicked again, you couldn't do much harm as a gray dove." "then you forgive me for all the trouble i caused you?" he asked earnestly. "of course. anyone who's sorry just has to be forgiven." "thank you," said the gray dove, and flew away again. the end the wonderful oz books by l. frank baum the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz glinda of oz by l. frank baum in which are related the exciting experiences of princess ozma of oz, and dorothy, in their hazardous journey to the home of the flatheads, and to the magic isle of the skeezers, and how they were rescued from dire peril by the sorcery of glinda the good by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" this book is dedicated to my son robert stanton baum list of chapters the call to duty ozma and dorothy the mist maidens the magic tent the magic stairway flathead mountain the magic isle queen coo-ee-oh lady aurex under water the conquest of the skeezers the diamond swan the alarm bell ozma's counsellors the great sorceress the enchanted fishes under the great dome the cleverness of ervic red reera, the yookoohoo a puzzling problem the three adepts the sunken island the magic words glinda's triumph chapter one the call to duty glinda, the good sorceress of oz, sat in the grand court of her palace, surrounded by her maids of honor--a hundred of the most beautiful girls of the fairyland of oz. the palace court was built of rare marbles, exquisitely polished. fountains tinkled musically here and there; the vast colonnade, open to the south, allowed the maidens, as they raised their heads from their embroideries, to gaze upon a vista of rose-hued fields and groves of trees bearing fruits or laden with sweet-scented flowers. at times one of the girls would start a song, the others joining in the chorus, or one would rise and dance, gracefully swaying to the music of a harp played by a companion. and then glinda smiled, glad to see her maids mixing play with work. presently among the fields an object was seen moving, threading the broad path that led to the castle gate. some of the girls looked upon this object enviously; the sorceress merely gave it a glance and nodded her stately head as if pleased, for it meant the coming of her friend and mistress--the only one in all the land that glinda bowed to. then up the path trotted a wooden animal attached to a red wagon, and as the quaint steed halted at the gate there descended from the wagon two young girls, ozma, ruler of oz, and her companion, princess dorothy. both were dressed in simple white muslin gowns, and as they ran up the marble steps of the palace they laughed and chatted as gaily as if they were not the most important persons in the world's loveliest fairyland. the maids of honor had risen and stood with bowed heads to greet the royal ozma, while glinda came forward with outstretched arms to greet her guests. "we've just come on a visit, you know," said ozma. "both dorothy and i were wondering how we should pass the day when we happened to think we'd not been to your quadling country for weeks, so we took the sawhorse and rode straight here." "and we came so fast," added dorothy, "that our hair is blown all fuzzy, for the sawhorse makes a wind of his own. usually it's a day's journey from the em'rald city, but i don't s'pose we were two hours on the way." "you are most welcome," said glinda the sorceress, and led them through the court to her magnificent reception hall. ozma took the arm of her hostess, but dorothy lagged behind, kissing some of the maids she knew best, talking with others, and making them all feel that she was their friend. when at last she joined glinda and ozma in the reception hall, she found them talking earnestly about the condition of the people, and how to make them more happy and contented--although they were already the happiest and most contented folks in all the world. this interested ozma, of course, but it didn't interest dorothy very much, so the little girl ran over to a big table on which was lying open glinda's great book of records. this book is one of the greatest treasures in oz, and the sorceress prizes it more highly than any of her magical possessions. that is the reason it is firmly attached to the big marble table by means of golden chains, and whenever glinda leaves home she locks the great book together with five jeweled padlocks, and carries the keys safely hidden in her bosom. i do not suppose there is any magical thing in any fairyland to compare with the record book, on the pages of which are constantly being printed a record of every event that happens in any part of the world, at exactly the moment it happens. and the records are always truthful, although sometimes they do not give as many details as one could wish. but then, lots of things happen, and so the records have to be brief or even glinda's great book could not hold them all. glinda looked at the records several times each day, and dorothy, whenever she visited the sorceress, loved to look in the book and see what was happening everywhere. not much was recorded about the land of oz, which is usually peaceful and uneventful, but today dorothy found something which interested her. indeed, the printed letters were appearing on the page even while she looked. "this is funny!" she exclaimed. "did you know, ozma, that there were people in your land of oz called skeezers?" "yes," replied ozma, coming to her side, "i know that on professor wogglebug's map of the land of oz there is a place marked 'skeezer,' but what the skeezers are like i do not know. no one i know has ever seen them or heard of them. the skeezer country is 'way at the upper edge of the gillikin country, with the sandy, impassable desert on one side and the mountains of oogaboo on another side. that is a part of the land of oz of which i know very little." "i guess no one else knows much about it either, unless it's the skeezers themselves," remarked dorothy. "but the book says: 'the skeezers of oz have declared war on the flatheads of oz, and there is likely to be fighting and much trouble as the result.'" "is that all the book says?" asked ozma. "every word," said dorothy, and ozma and glinda both looked at the record and seemed surprised and perplexed. "tell me, glinda," said ozma, "who are the flatheads?" "i cannot, your majesty," confessed the sorceress. "until now i never have heard of them, nor have i ever heard the skeezers mentioned. in the faraway corners of oz are hidden many curious tribes of people, and those who never leave their own countries and never are visited by those from our favored part of oz, naturally are unknown to me. however, if you so desire, i can learn through my arts of sorcery something of the skeezers and the flatheads." "i wish you would," answered ozma seriously. "you see, glinda, if these are oz people they are my subjects and i cannot allow any wars or troubles in the land i rule, if i can possibly help it." "very well, your majesty," said the sorceress, "i will try to get some information to guide you. please excuse me for a time, while i retire to my room of magic and sorcery." "may i go with you?" asked dorothy, eagerly. "no, princess," was the reply. "it would spoil the charm to have anyone present." so glinda locked herself in her own room of magic and dorothy and ozma waited patiently for her to come out again. in about an hour glinda appeared, looking grave and thoughtful. "your majesty," she said to ozma, "the skeezers live on a magic isle in a great lake. for that reason--because the skeezers deal in magic--i can learn little about them." "why, i didn't know there was a lake in that part of oz," exclaimed ozma. "the map shows a river running through the skeezer country, but no lake." "that is because the person who made the map never had visited that part of the country," explained the sorceress. "the lake surely is there, and in the lake is an island--a magic isle--and on that island live the people called the skeezers." "what are they like?" inquired the ruler of oz. "my magic cannot tell me that," confessed glinda, "for the magic of the skeezers prevents anyone outside of their domain knowing anything about them." "the flatheads must know, if they're going to fight the skeezers," suggested dorothy. "perhaps so," glinda replied, "but i can get little information concerning the flatheads, either. they are people who inhabit a mountain just south of the lake of the skeezers. the mountain has steep sides and a broad, hollow top, like a basin, and in this basin the flatheads have their dwellings. they also are magic-workers and usually keep to themselves and allow no one from outside to visit them. i have learned that the flatheads number about one hundred people--men, women and children--while the skeezers number just one hundred and one." "what did they quarrel about, and why do they wish to fight one another?" was ozma's next question. "i cannot tell your majesty that," said glinda. "but see here!" cried dorothy, "it's against the law for anyone but glinda and the wizard to work magic in the land of oz, so if these two strange people are magic-makers they are breaking the law and ought to be punished!" ozma smiled upon her little friend. "those who do not know me or my laws," she said, "cannot be expected to obey my laws. if we know nothing of the skeezers or the flatheads, it is likely that they know nothing of us." "but they ought to know, ozma, and we ought to know. who's going to tell them, and how are we going to make them behave?" "that," returned ozma, "is what i am now considering. what would you advise, glinda?" the sorceress took a little time to consider this question, before she made reply. then she said: "had you not learned of the existence of the flatheads and the skeezers, through my book of records, you would never have worried about them or their quarrels. so, if you pay no attention to these peoples, you may never hear of them again." "but that wouldn't be right," declared ozma. "i am ruler of all the land of oz, which includes the gillikin country, the quadling country, the winkie country and the munchkin country, as well as the emerald city, and being the princess of this fairyland it is my duty to make all my people--wherever they may be--happy and content and to settle their disputes and keep them from quarreling. so, while the skeezers and flatheads may not know me or that i am their lawful ruler, i now know that they inhabit my kingdom and are my subjects, so i would not be doing my duty if i kept away from them and allowed them to fight." "that's a fact, ozma," commented dorothy. "you've got to go up to the gillikin country and make these people behave themselves and make up their quarrels. but how are you going to do it?" "that is what is puzzling me also, your majesty," said the sorceress. "it may be dangerous for you to go into those strange countries, where the people are possibly fierce and warlike." "i am not afraid," said ozma, with a smile. "'tisn't a question of being 'fraid," argued dorothy. "of course we know you're a fairy, and can't be killed or hurt, and we know you've a lot of magic of your own to help you. but, ozma dear, in spite of all this you've been in trouble before, on account of wicked enemies, and it isn't right for the ruler of all oz to put herself in danger." "perhaps i shall be in no danger at all," returned ozma, with a little laugh. "you mustn't imagine danger, dorothy, for one should only imagine nice things, and we do not know that the skeezers and flatheads are wicked people or my enemies. perhaps they would be good and listen to reason." "dorothy is right, your majesty," asserted the sorceress. "it is true we know nothing of these faraway subjects, except that they intend to fight one another, and have a certain amount of magic power at their command. such folks do not like to submit to interference and they are more likely to resent your coming among them than to receive you kindly and graciously, as is your due." "if you had an army to take with you," added dorothy, "it wouldn't be so bad; but there isn't such a thing as an army in all oz." "i have one soldier," said ozma. "yes, the soldier with the green whiskers; but he's dreadful 'fraid of his gun and never loads it. i'm sure he'd run rather than fight. and one soldier, even if he were brave, couldn't do much against two hundred and one flatheads and skeezers." "what then, my friends, would you suggest?" inquired ozma. "i advise you to send the wizard of oz to them, and let him inform them that it is against the laws of oz to fight, and that you command them to settle their differences and become friends," proposed glinda. "let the wizard tell them they will be punished if they refuse to obey the commands of the princess of all the land of oz." ozma shook her head, to indicate that the advice was not to her satisfaction. "if they refuse, what then?" she asked. "i should be obliged to carry out my threat and punish them, and that would be an unpleasant and difficult thing to do. i am sure it would be better for me to go peacefully, without an army and armed only with my authority as ruler, and plead with them to obey me. then, if they prove obstinate i could resort to other means to win their obedience." "it's a ticklish thing, anyhow you look at it," sighed dorothy. "i'm sorry now that i noticed the record in the great book." "but can't you realize, my dear, that i must do my duty, now that i am aware of this trouble?" asked ozma. "i am fully determined to go at once to the magic isle of the skeezers and to the enchanted mountain of the flatheads, and prevent war and strife between their inhabitants. the only question to decide is whether it is better for me to go alone, or to assemble a party of my friends and loyal supporters to accompany me." "if you go i want to go, too," declared dorothy. "whatever happens it's going to be fun--'cause all excitement is fun--and i wouldn't miss it for the world!" neither ozma nor glinda paid any attention to this statement, for they were gravely considering the serious aspect of this proposed adventure. "there are plenty of friends who would like to go with you," said the sorceress, "but none of them would afford your majesty any protection in case you were in danger. you are yourself the most powerful fairy in oz, although both i and the wizard have more varied arts of magic at our command. however, you have one art that no other in all the world can equal--the art of winning hearts and making people love to bow to your gracious presence. for that reason i believe you can accomplish more good alone than with a large number of subjects in your train." "i believe that also," agreed the princess. "i shall be quite able to take care of myself, you know, but might not be able to protect others so well. i do not look for opposition, however. i shall speak to these people in kindly words and settle their dispute--whatever it may be--in a just manner." "aren't you going to take me?" pleaded dorothy. "you'll need some companion, ozma." the princess smiled upon her little friend. "i see no reason why you should not accompany me," was her reply. "two girls are not very warlike and they will not suspect us of being on any errand but a kindly and peaceful one. but, in order to prevent war and strife between these angry peoples, we must go to them at once. let us return immediately to the emerald city and prepare to start on our journey early tomorrow morning." glinda was not quite satisfied with this plan, but could not think of any better way to meet the problem. she knew that ozma, with all her gentleness and sweet disposition, was accustomed to abide by any decision she had made and could not easily be turned from her purpose. moreover she could see no great danger to the fairy ruler of oz in the undertaking, even though the unknown people she was to visit proved obstinate. but dorothy was not a fairy; she was a little girl who had come from kansas to live in the land of oz. dorothy might encounter dangers that to ozma would be as nothing but to an "earth child" would be very serious. the very fact that dorothy lived in oz, and had been made a princess by her friend ozma, prevented her from being killed or suffering any great bodily pain as long as she lived in that fairyland. she could not grow big, either, and would always remain the same little girl who had come to oz, unless in some way she left that fairyland or was spirited away from it. but dorothy was a mortal, nevertheless, and might possibly be destroyed, or hidden where none of her friends could ever find her. she could, for instance be cut into pieces, and the pieces, while still alive and free from pain, could be widely scattered; or she might be buried deep underground or "destroyed" in other ways by evil magicians, were she not properly protected. these facts glinda was considering while she paced with stately tread her marble hall. finally the good sorceress paused and drew a ring from her finger, handing it to dorothy. "wear this ring constantly until your return," she said to the girl. "if serious danger threatens you, turn the ring around on your finger once to the right and another turn to the left. that will ring the alarm bell in my palace and i will at once come to your rescue. but do not use the ring unless you are actually in danger of destruction. while you remain with princess ozma i believe she will be able to protect you from all lesser ills." "thank you, glinda," responded dorothy gratefully, as she placed the ring on her finger. "i'm going to wear my magic belt which i took from the nome king, too, so i guess i'll be safe from anything the skeezers and flatheads try to do to me." ozma had many arrangements to make before she could leave her throne and her palace in the emerald city, even for a trip of a few days, so she bade goodbye to glinda and with dorothy climbed into the red wagon. a word to the wooden sawhorse started that astonishing creature on the return journey, and so swiftly did he run that dorothy was unable to talk or do anything but hold tight to her seat all the way back to the emerald city. chapter two ozma and dorothy residing in ozma's palace at this time was a live scarecrow, a most remarkable and intelligent creature who had once ruled the land of oz for a brief period and was much loved and respected by all the people. once a munchkin farmer had stuffed an old suit of clothes with straw and put stuffed boots on the feet and used a pair of stuffed cotton gloves for hands. the head of the scarecrow was a stuffed sack fastened to the body, with eyes, nose, mouth and ears painted on the sack. when a hat had been put on the head, the thing was a good imitation of a man. the farmer placed the scarecrow on a pole in his cornfield and it came to life in a curious manner. dorothy, who was passing by the field, was hailed by the live scarecrow and lifted him off his pole. he then went with her to the emerald city, where the wizard of oz gave him some excellent brains, and the scarecrow soon became an important personage. ozma considered the scarecrow one of her best friends and most loyal subjects, so the morning after her visit to glinda she asked him to take her place as ruler of the land of oz while she was absent on a journey, and the scarecrow at once consented without asking any questions. ozma had warned dorothy to keep their journey a secret and say nothing to anyone about the skeezers and flatheads until their return, and dorothy promised to obey. she longed to tell her girl friends, tiny trot and betsy bobbin, of the adventure they were undertaking, but refrained from saying a word on the subject although both these girls lived with her in ozma's palace. indeed, only glinda the sorceress knew they were going, until after they had gone, and even the sorceress didn't know what their errand might be. princess ozma took the sawhorse and the red wagon, although she was not sure there was a wagon road all the way to the lake of the skeezers. the land of oz is a pretty big place, surrounded on all sides by a deadly desert which it is impossible to cross, and the skeezer country, according to the map, was in the farthest northwestern part of oz, bordering on the north desert. as the emerald city was exactly in the center of oz, it was no small journey from there to the skeezers. around the emerald city the country is thickly settled in every direction, but the farther away you get from the city the fewer people there are, until those parts that border on the desert have small populations. also those faraway sections are little known to the oz people, except in the south, where glinda lives and where dorothy has often wandered on trips of exploration. the least known of all is the gillikin country, which harbors many strange bands of people among its mountains and valleys and forests and streams, and ozma was now bound for the most distant part of the gillikin country. "i am really sorry," said ozma to dorothy, as they rode away in the red wagon, "not to know more about the wonderful land i rule. it is my duty to be acquainted with every tribe of people and every strange and hidden country in all oz, but i am kept so busy at my palace making laws and planning for the comforts of those who live near the emerald city, that i do not often find time to make long journeys." "well," replied dorothy, "we'll prob'bly find out a lot on this trip, and we'll learn all about the skeezers and flatheads, anyhow. time doesn't make much diff'rence in the land of oz, 'cause we don't grow up, or get old, or become sick and die, as they do other places; so, if we explore one place at a time, we'll by-an'-by know all about every nook and corner in oz." dorothy wore around her waist the nome king's magic belt, which protected her from harm, and the magic ring which glinda had given her was on her finger. ozma had merely slipped a small silver wand into the bosom of her gown, for fairies do not use chemicals and herbs and the tools of wizards and sorcerers to perform their magic. the silver wand was ozma's one weapon of offense and defense and by its use she could accomplish many things. they had left the emerald city just at sunrise and the sawhorse traveled very swiftly over the roads towards the north, but in a few hours the wooden animal had to slacken his pace because the farm houses had become few and far between and often there were no paths at all in the direction they wished to follow. at such times they crossed the fields, avoiding groups of trees and fording the streams and rivulets whenever they came to them. but finally they reached a broad hillside closely covered with scrubby brush, through which the wagon could not pass. "it will be difficult even for you and me to get through without tearing our dresses," said ozma, "so we must leave the sawhorse and the wagon here until our return." "that's all right," dorothy replied, "i'm tired riding, anyhow. do you s'pose, ozma, we're anywhere near the skeezer country?" "i cannot tell, dorothy dear, but i know we've been going in the right direction, so we are sure to find it in time." the scrubby brush was almost like a grove of small trees, for it reached as high as the heads of the two girls, neither of whom was very tall. they were obliged to thread their way in and out, until dorothy was afraid they would get lost, and finally they were halted by a curious thing that barred their further progress. it was a huge web--as if woven by gigantic spiders--and the delicate, lacy film was fastened stoutly to the branches of the bushes and continued to the right and left in the form of a half circle. the threads of this web were of a brilliant purple color and woven into numerous artistic patterns, but it reached from the ground to branches above the heads of the girls and formed a sort of fence that hedged them in. "it doesn't look very strong, though," said dorothy. "i wonder if we couldn't break through." she tried but found the web stronger than it seemed. all her efforts could not break a single thread. "we must go back, i think, and try to get around this peculiar web," ozma decided. so they turned to the right and, following the web found that it seemed to spread in a regular circle. on and on they went until finally ozma said they had returned to the exact spot from which they had started. "here is a handkerchief you dropped when we were here before," she said to dorothy. "in that case, they must have built the web behind us, after we walked into the trap," exclaimed the little girl. "true," agreed ozma, "an enemy has tried to imprison us." "and they did it, too," said dorothy. "i wonder who it was." "it's a spider-web, i'm quite sure," returned ozma, "but it must be the work of enormous spiders." "quite right!" cried a voice behind them. turning quickly around they beheld a huge purple spider sitting not two yards away and regarding them with its small bright eyes. then there crawled from the bushes a dozen more great purple spiders, which saluted the first one and said: "the web is finished, o king, and the strangers are our prisoners." dorothy did not like the looks of these spiders at all. they had big heads, sharp claws, small eyes and fuzzy hair all over their purple bodies. "they look wicked," she whispered to ozma. "what shall we do?" ozma gazed upon the spiders with a serious face. "what is your object in making us prisoners?" she inquired. "we need someone to keep house for us," answered the spider king. "there is sweeping and dusting to be done, and polishing and washing of dishes, and that is work my people dislike to do. so we decided that if any strangers came our way we would capture them and make them our servants." "i am princess ozma, ruler of all oz," said the girl with dignity. "well, i am king of all spiders," was the reply, "and that makes me your master. come with me to my palace and i will instruct you in your work." "i won't," said dorothy indignantly. "we won't have anything to do with you." "we'll see about that," returned the spider in a severe tone, and the next instant he made a dive straight at dorothy, opening the claws in his legs as if to grab and pinch her with the sharp points. but the girl was wearing her magic belt and was not harmed. the spider king could not even touch her. he turned swiftly and made a dash at ozma, but she held her magic wand over his head and the monster recoiled as if it had been struck. "you'd better let us go," dorothy advised him, "for you see you can't hurt us." "so i see," returned the spider king angrily. "your magic is greater than mine. but i'll not help you to escape. if you can break the magic web my people have woven you may go; if not you must stay here and starve." with that the spider king uttered a peculiar whistle and all the spiders disappeared. "there is more magic in my fairyland than i dreamed of," remarked the beautiful ozma, with a sigh of regret. "it seems that my laws have not been obeyed, for even these monstrous spiders defy me by means of magic." "never mind that now," said dorothy; "let's see what we can do to get out of this trap." they now examined the web with great care and were amazed at its strength. although finer than the finest silken hairs, it resisted all their efforts to work through, even though both girls threw all their weight against it. "we must find some instrument which will cut the threads of the web," said ozma, finally. "let us look about for such a tool." so they wandered among the bushes and finally came to a shallow pool of water, formed by a small bubbling spring. dorothy stooped to get a drink and discovered in the water a green crab, about as big as her hand. the crab had two big, sharp claws, and as soon as dorothy saw them she had an idea that those claws could save them. "come out of the water," she called to the crab; "i want to talk to you." rather lazily the crab rose to the surface and caught hold of a bit of rock. with his head above the water he said in a cross voice: "what do you want?" "we want you to cut the web of the purple spiders with your claws, so we can get through it," answered dorothy. "you can do that, can't you?" "i suppose so," replied the crab. "but if i do what will you give me?" "what do you wish?" ozma inquired. "i wish to be white, instead of green," said the crab. "green crabs are very common, and white ones are rare; besides the purple spiders, which infest this hillside, are afraid of white crabs. could you make me white if i should agree to cut the web for you?" "yes," said ozma, "i can do that easily. and, so you may know i am speaking the truth, i will change your color now." she waved her silver wand over the pool and the crab instantly became snow-white--all except his eyes, which remained black. the creature saw his reflection in the water and was so delighted that he at once climbed out of the pool and began moving slowly toward the web, by backing away from the pool. he moved so very slowly that dorothy cried out impatiently: "dear me, this will never do!" caching the crab in her hands she ran with him to the web. she had to hold him up even then, so he could reach with his claws strand after strand of the filmy purple web, which he was able to sever with one nip. when enough of the web had been cut to allow them to pass, dorothy ran back to the pool and placed the white crab in the water, after which she rejoined ozma. they were just in time to escape through the web, for several of the purple spiders now appeared, having discovered that their web had been cut, and had the girls not rushed through the opening the spiders would have quickly repaired the cuts and again imprisoned them. ozma and dorothy ran as fast as they could and although the angry spiders threw a number of strands of web after them, hoping to lasso them or entangle them in the coils, they managed to escape and clamber to the top of the hill. chapter three the mist maidens from the top of the hill ozma and dorothy looked down into the valley beyond and were surprised to find it filled with a floating mist that was as dense as smoke. nothing in the valley was visible except these rolling waves of mist, but beyond, on the other side, rose a grassy hill that appeared quite beautiful. "well," said dorothy, "what are we to do, ozma? walk down into that thick fog, an' prob'bly get lost in it, or wait till it clears away?" "i'm not sure it will clear away, however long we wait," replied ozma, doubtfully. "if we wish to get on, i think we must venture into the mist." "but we can't see where we're going, or what we're stepping on," protested dorothy. "there may be dreadful things mixed up in that fog, an' i'm scared just to think of wading into it." even ozma seemed to hesitate. she was silent and thoughtful for a little while, looking at the rolling drifts that were so gray and forbidding. finally she said: "i believe this is a mist valley, where these moist clouds always remain, for even the sunshine above does not drive them away. therefore the mist maids must live here, and they are fairies and should answer my call." she placed her two hands before her mouth, forming a hollow with them, and uttered a clear, thrilling, bird-like cry. it floated far out over the mist waves and presently was answered by a similar sound, as of a far-off echo. dorothy was much impressed. she had seen many strange things since coming to this fairy country, but here was a new experience. at ordinary times ozma was just like any little girl one might chance to meet--simple, merry, lovable as could be--yet with a certain reserve that lent her dignity in her most joyous moods. there were times, however, when seated on her throne and commanding her subjects, or when her fairy powers were called into use, when dorothy and all others about her stood in awe of their lovely girl ruler and realized her superiority. ozma waited. presently out from the billows rose beautiful forms, clothed in fleecy, trailing garments of gray that could scarcely be distinguished from the mist. their hair was mist-color, too; only their gleaming arms and sweet, pallid faces proved they were living, intelligent creatures answering the call of a sister fairy. like sea nymphs they rested on the bosom of the clouds, their eyes turned questioningly upon the two girls who stood upon the bank. one came quite near and to her ozma said: "will you please take us to the opposite hillside? we are afraid to venture into the mist. i am princess ozma of oz, and this is my friend dorothy, a princess of oz." the mist maids came nearer, holding out their arms. without hesitation ozma advanced and allowed them to embrace her and dorothy plucked up courage to follow. very gently the mist maids held them. dorothy thought the arms were cold and misty--they didn't seem real at all--yet they supported the two girls above the surface of the billows and floated with them so swiftly to the green hillside opposite that the girls were astonished to find themselves set upon the grass before they realized they had fairly started. "thank you!" said ozma gratefully, and dorothy also added her thanks for the service. the mist maids made no answer, but they smiled and waved their hands in good-bye as again they floated out into the mist and disappeared from view. chapter four the magic tent "well," said dorothy with a laugh, "that was easier than i expected. it's worth while, sometimes, to be a real fairy. but i wouldn't like to be that kind, and live in a dreadful fog all the time." they now climbed the bank and found before them a delightful plain that spread for miles in all directions. fragrant wild flowers were scattered throughout the grass; there were bushes bearing lovely blossoms and luscious fruits; now and then a group of stately trees added to the beauty of the landscape. but there were no dwellings or signs of life. the farther side of the plain was bordered by a row of palms, and just in front of the palms rose a queerly shaped hill that towered above the plain like a mountain. the sides of this hill were straight up and down; it was oblong in shape and the top seemed flat and level. "oh, ho!" cried dorothy; "i'll bet that's the mountain glinda told us of, where the flatheads live." "if it is," replied ozma, "the lake of the skeezers must be just beyond the line of palm trees. can you walk that far, dorothy?" "of course, in time," was the prompt answer. "i'm sorry we had to leave the sawhorse and the red wagon behind us, for they'd come in handy just now; but with the end of our journey in sight a tramp across these pretty green fields won't tire us a bit." it was a longer tramp than they suspected, however, and night overtook them before they could reach the flat mountain. so ozma proposed they camp for the night and dorothy was quite ready to approve. she didn't like to admit to her friend she was tired, but she told herself that her legs "had prickers in 'em," meaning they had begun to ache. usually when dorothy started on a journey of exploration or adventure, she carried with her a basket of food, and other things that a traveler in a strange country might require, but to go away with ozma was quite a different thing, as experience had taught her. the fairy ruler of oz only needed her silver wand--tipped at one end with a great sparkling emerald--to provide through its magic all that they might need. therefore ozma, having halted with her companion and selected a smooth, grassy spot on the plain, waved her wand in graceful curves and chanted some mystic words in her sweet voice, and in an instant a handsome tent appeared before them. the canvas was striped purple and white, and from the center pole fluttered the royal banner of oz. "come, dear," said ozma, taking dorothy's hand, "i am hungry and i'm sure you must be also; so let us go in and have our feast." on entering the tent they found a table set for two, with snowy linen, bright silver and sparkling glassware, a vase of roses in the center and many dishes of delicious food, some smoking hot, waiting to satisfy their hunger. also, on either side of the tent were beds, with satin sheets, warm blankets and pillows filled with swansdown. there were chairs, too, and tall lamps that lighted the interior of the tent with a soft, rosy glow. dorothy, resting herself at her fairy friend's command, and eating her dinner with unusual enjoyment, thought of the wonders of magic. if one were a fairy and knew the secret laws of nature and the mystic words and ceremonies that commanded those laws, then a simple wave of a silver wand would produce instantly all that men work hard and anxiously for through weary years. and dorothy wished in her kindly, innocent heart, that all men and women could be fairies with silver wands, and satisfy all their needs without so much work and worry, for then, she imagined, they would have all their working hours to be happy in. but ozma, looking into her friend's face and reading those thoughts, gave a laugh and said: "no, no, dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. instead of happiness your plan would bring weariness to the world. if every one could wave a wand and have his wants fulfilled there would be little to wish for. there would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for nothing would then be difficult, and the pleasure of earning something longed for, and only to be secured by hard work and careful thought, would be utterly lost. there would be nothing to do you see, and no interest in life and in our fellow creatures. that is all that makes life worth our while--to do good deeds and to help those less fortunate than ourselves." "well, you're a fairy, ozma. aren't you happy?" asked dorothy. "yes, dear, because i can use my fairy powers to make others happy. had i no kingdom to rule, and no subjects to look after, i would be miserable. also, you must realize that while i am a more powerful fairy than any other inhabitant of oz, i am not as powerful as glinda the sorceress, who has studied many arts of magic that i know nothing of. even the little wizard of oz can do some things i am unable to accomplish, while i can accomplish things unknown to the wizard. this is to explain that i'm not all-powerful, by any means. my magic is simply fairy magic, and not sorcery or wizardry." "all the same," said dorothy, "i'm mighty glad you could make this tent appear, with our dinners and beds all ready for us." ozma smiled. "yes, it is indeed wonderful," she agreed. "not all fairies know that sort of magic, but some fairies can do magic that fills me with astonishment. i think that is what makes us modest and unassuming--the fact that our magic arts are divided, some being given each of us. i'm glad i don't know everything, dorothy, and that there still are things in both nature and in wit for me to marvel at." dorothy couldn't quite understand this, so she said nothing more on the subject and presently had a new reason to marvel. for when they had quite finished their meal table and contents disappeared in a flash. "no dishes to wash, ozma!" she said with a laugh. "i guess you'd make a lot of folks happy if you could teach 'em just that one trick." for an hour ozma told stories, and talked with dorothy about various people in whom they were interested. and then it was bedtime, and they undressed and crept into their soft beds and fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched their pillows. chapter five the magic stairway the flat mountain looked much nearer in the clear light of the morning sun, but dorothy and ozma knew there was a long tramp before them, even yet. they finished dressing only to find a warm, delicious breakfast awaiting them, and having eaten they left the tent and started toward the mountain which was their first goal. after going a little way dorothy looked back and found that the fairy tent had entirely disappeared. she was not surprised, for she knew this would happen. "can't your magic give us a horse an' wagon, or an automobile?" inquired dorothy. "no, dear; i'm sorry that such magic is beyond my power," confessed her fairy friend. "perhaps glinda could," said dorothy thoughtfully. "glinda has a stork chariot that carries her through the air," said ozma, "but even our great sorceress cannot conjure up other modes of travel. don't forget what i told you last night, that no one is powerful enough to do everything." "well, i s'pose i ought to know that, having lived so long in the land of oz," replied dorothy; "but i can't do any magic at all, an' so i can't figure out e'zactly how you an' glinda an' the wizard do it." "don't try," laughed ozma. "but you have at least one magical art, dorothy: you know the trick of winning all hearts." "no, i don't," said dorothy earnestly. "if i really can do it, ozma, i am sure i don't know how i do it." it took them a good two hours to reach the foot of the round, flat mountain, and then they found the sides so steep that they were like the wall of a house. "even my purple kitten couldn't climb 'em," remarked dorothy, gazing upward. "but there is some way for the flatheads to get down and up again," declared ozma; "otherwise they couldn't make war with the skeezers, or even meet them and quarrel with them." "that's so, ozma. let's walk around a ways; perhaps we'll find a ladder or something." they walked quite a distance, for it was a big mountain, and as they circled around it and came to the side that faced the palm trees, they suddenly discovered an entrance way cut out of the rock wall. this entrance was arched overhead and not very deep because it merely led to a short flight of stone stairs. "oh, we've found a way to the top at last," announced ozma, and the two girls turned and walked straight toward the entrance. suddenly they bumped against something and stood still, unable to proceed farther. "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy, rubbing her nose, which had struck something hard, although she could not see what it was; "this isn't as easy as it looks. what has stopped us, ozma? is it magic of some sort?" ozma was feeling around, her bands outstretched before her. "yes, dear, it is magic," she replied. "the flatheads had to have a way from their mountain top from the plain below, but to prevent enemies from rushing up the stairs to conquer them, they have built, at a small distance before the entrance a wall of solid stone, the stones being held in place by cement, and then they made the wall invisible." "i wonder why they did that?" mused dorothy. "a wall would keep folks out anyhow, whether it could be seen or not, so there wasn't any use making it invisible. seems to me it would have been better to have left it solid, for then no one would have seen the entrance behind it. now anybody can see the entrance, as we did. and prob'bly anybody that tries to go up the stairs gets bumped, as we did." ozma made no reply at once. her face was grave and thoughtful. "i think i know the reason for making the wall invisible," she said after a while. "the flatheads use the stairs for coming down and going up. if there was a solid stone wall to keep them from reaching the plain they would themselves be imprisoned by the wall. so they had to leave some place to get around the wall, and, if the wall was visible, all strangers or enemies would find the place to go around it and then the wall would be useless. so the flatheads cunningly made their wall invisible, believing that everyone who saw the entrance to the mountain would walk straight toward it, as we did, and find it impossible to go any farther. i suppose the wall is really high and thick, and can't be broken through, so those who find it in their way are obliged to go away again." "well," said dorothy, "if there's a way around the wall, where is it?" "we must find it," returned ozma, and began feeling her way along the wall. dorothy followed and began to get discouraged when ozma had walked nearly a quarter of a mile away from the entrance. but now the invisible wall curved in toward the side of the mountain and suddenly ended, leaving just space enough between the wall and the mountain for an ordinary person to pass through. the girls went in, single file, and ozma explained that they were now behind the barrier and could go back to the entrance. they met no further obstructions. "most people, ozma, wouldn't have figured this thing out the way you did," remarked dorothy. "if i'd been alone the invisible wall surely would have stumped me." reaching the entrance they began to mount the stone stairs. they went up ten stairs and then down five stairs, following a passage cut from the rock. the stairs were just wide enough for the two girls to walk abreast, arm in arm. at the bottom of the five stairs the passage turned to the right, and they ascended ten more stairs, only to find at the top of the flight five stairs leading straight down again. again the passage turned abruptly, this time to the left, and ten more stairs led upward. the passage was now quite dark, for they were in the heart of the mountain and all daylight had been shut out by the turns of the passage. however, ozma drew her silver wand from her bosom and the great jewel at its end gave out a lustrous, green-tinted light which lighted the place well enough for them to see their way plainly. ten steps up, five steps down, and a turn, this way or that. that was the program, and dorothy figured that they were only gaining five stairs upward each trip that they made. "those flatheads must be funny people," she said to ozma. "they don't seem to do anything in a bold straightforward manner. in making this passage they forced everyone to walk three times as far as is necessary. and of course this trip is just as tiresome to the flatheads as it is to other folks." "that is true," answered ozma; "yet it is a clever arrangement to prevent their being surprised by intruders. every time we reach the tenth step of a flight, the pressure of our feet on the stone makes a bell ring on top of the mountain, to warn the flatheads of our coming." "how do you know that?" demanded dorothy, astonished. "i've heard the bell ever since we started," ozma told her. "you could not hear it, i know, but when i am holding my wand in my hand i can hear sounds a great distance off." "do you hear anything on top of the mountain 'cept the bell?" inquired dorothy. "yes. the people are calling to one another in alarm and many footsteps are approaching the place where we will reach the flat top of the mountain." this made dorothy feel somewhat anxious. "i'd thought we were going to visit just common, ordinary people," she remarked, "but they're pretty clever, it seems, and they know some kinds of magic, too. they may be dangerous, ozma. p'raps we'd better stayed at home." finally the upstairs-and-downstairs passage seemed coming to an end, for daylight again appeared ahead of the two girls and ozma replaced her wand in the bosom of her gown. the last ten steps brought them to the surface, where they found themselves surrounded by such a throng of queer people that for a time they halted, speechless, and stared into the faces that confronted them. dorothy knew at once why these mountain people were called flatheads. their heads were really flat on top, as if they had been cut off just above the eyes and ears. also the heads were bald, with no hair on top at all, and the ears were big and stuck straight out, and the noses were small and stubby, while the mouths of the flatheads were well shaped and not unusual. their eyes were perhaps their best feature, being large and bright and a deep violet in color. the costumes of the flatheads were all made of metals dug from their mountain. small gold, silver, tin and iron discs, about the size of pennies, and very thin, were cleverly wired together and made to form knee trousers and jackets for the men and skirts and waists for the women. the colored metals were skillfully mixed to form stripes and checks of various sorts, so that the costumes were quite gorgeous and reminded dorothy of pictures she had seen of knights of old clothed armor. aside from their flat heads, these people were not really bad looking. the men were armed with bows and arrows and had small axes of steel stuck in their metal belts. they wore no hats nor ornaments. chapter six flathead mountain when they saw that the intruders on their mountain were only two little girls, the flatheads grunted with satisfaction and drew back, permitting them to see what the mountain top looked like. it was shaped like a saucer, so that the houses and other buildings--all made of rocks--could not be seen over the edge by anyone standing in the plain below. but now a big fat flathead stood before the girls and in a gruff voice demanded: "what are you doing here? have the skeezers sent you to spy upon us?" "i am princess ozma, ruler of all the land of oz." "well, i've never heard of the land of oz, so you may be what you claim," returned the flathead. "this is the land of oz--part of it, anyway," exclaimed dorothy. "so princess ozma rules you flathead people, as well as all the other people in oz." the man laughed, and all the others who stood around laughed, too. some one in the crowd called: "she'd better not tell the supreme dictator about ruling the flatheads. eh, friends?" "no, indeed!" they all answered in positive tones. "who is your supreme dictator?" answered ozma. "i think i'll let him tell you that himself," answered the man who had first spoken. "you have broken our laws by coming here; and whoever you are the supreme dictator must fix your punishment. come along with me." he started down a path and ozma and dorothy followed him without protest, as they wanted to see the most important person in this queer country. the houses they passed seemed pleasant enough and each had a little yard in which were flowers and vegetables. walls of rock separated the dwellings, and all the paths were paved with smooth slabs of rock. this seemed their only building material and they utilized it cleverly for every purpose. directly in the center of the great saucer stood a larger building which the flathead informed the girls was the palace of the supreme dictator. he led them through an entrance hall into a big reception room, where they sat upon stone benches and awaited the coming of the dictator. pretty soon he entered from another room--a rather lean and rather old flathead, dressed much like the others of this strange race, and only distinguished from them by the sly and cunning expression of his face. he kept his eyes half closed and looked through the slits of them at ozma and dorothy, who rose to receive him. "are you the supreme dictator of the flatheads?" inquired ozma. "yes, that's me," he said, rubbing his hands slowly together. "my word is law. i'm the head of the flatheads on this flat headland." "i am princess ozma of oz, and i have come from the emerald city to--" "stop a minute," interrupted the dictator, and turned to the man who had brought the girls there. "go away, dictator felo flathead!" he commanded. "return to your duty and guard the stairway. i will look after these strangers." the man bowed and departed, and dorothy asked wonderingly: "is he a dictator, too?" "of course," was the answer. "everybody here is a dictator of something or other. they're all office holders. that's what keeps them contented. but i'm the supreme dictator of all, and i'm elected once a year. this is a democracy, you know, where the people are allowed to vote for their rulers. a good many others would like to be supreme dictator, but as i made a law that i am always to count the votes myself, i am always elected." "what is your name?" asked ozma. "i am called the su-dic, which is short for supreme dictator. i sent that man away because the moment you mentioned ozma of oz, and the emerald city, i knew who you are. i suppose i'm the only flathead that ever heard of you, but that's because i have more brains than the rest." dorothy was staring hard at the su-dic. "i don't see how you can have any brains at all," she remarked, "because the part of your head is gone where brains are kept." "i don't blame you for thinking that," he said. "once the flatheads had no brains because, as you say, there is no upper part to their heads, to hold brains. but long, long ago a band of fairies flew over this country and made it all a fairyland, and when they came to the flatheads the fairies were sorry to find them all very stupid and quite unable to think. so, as there was no good place in their bodies in which to put brains the fairy queen gave each one of us a nice can of brains to carry in his pocket and that made us just as intelligent as other people. see," he continued, "here is one of the cans of brains the fairies gave us." he took from a pocket a bright tin can having a pretty red label on it which said: "concentrated brains, extra quality." "and does every flathead have the same kind of brains?" asked dorothy. "yes, they're all alike. here's another can." from another pocket he produced a second can of brains. "did the fairies give you a double supply?" inquired dorothy. "no, but one of the flatheads thought he wanted to be the su-dic and tried to get my people to rebel against me, so i punished him by taking away his brains. one day my wife scolded me severely, so i took away her can of brains. she didn't like that and went out and robbed several women of their brains. then i made a law that if anyone stole another's brains, or even tried to borrow them, he would forfeit his own brains to the su-dic. so each one is content with his own canned brains and my wife and i are the only ones on the mountain with more than one can. i have three cans and that makes me very clever--so clever that i'm a good sorcerer, if i do say it myself. my poor wife had four cans of brains and became a remarkable witch, but alas! that was before those terrible enemies, the skeezers, transformed her into a golden pig." "good gracious!" cried dorothy; "is your wife really a golden pig?" "she is. the skeezers did it and so i have declared war on them. in revenge for making my wife a pig i intend to ruin their magic island and make the skeezers the slaves of the flatheads!" the su-dic was very angry now; his eyes flashed and his face took on a wicked and fierce expression. but ozma said to him, very sweetly and in a friendly voice: "i am sorry to hear this. will you please tell me more about your troubles with the skeezers? then perhaps i can help you." she was only a girl, but there was dignity in her pose and speech which impressed the su-dic. "if you are really princess ozma of oz," the flathead said, "you are one of that band of fairies who, under queen lurline, made all oz a fairyland. i have heard that lurline left one of her own fairies to rule oz, and gave the fairy the name of ozma." "if you knew this why did you not come to me at the emerald city and tender me your loyalty and obedience?" asked the ruler of oz. "well, i only learned the fact lately, and i've been too busy to leave home," he explained, looking at the floor instead of into ozma's eyes. she knew he had spoken a falsehood, but only said: "why did you quarrel with the skeezers?" "it was this way," began the su-dic, glad to change the subject. "we flatheads love fish, and as we have no fish on this mountain we would sometimes go to the lake of the skeezers to catch fish. this made the skeezers angry, for they declared the fish in their lake belonged to them and were under their protection and they forbade us to catch them. that was very mean and unfriendly in the skeezers, you must admit, and when we paid no attention to their orders they set a guard on the shore of the lake to prevent our fishing. "now, my wife, rora flathead, having four cans of brains, had become a wonderful witch, and fish being brain food, she loved to eat fish better than any one of us. so she vowed she would destroy every fish in the lake, unless the skeezers let us catch what we wanted. they defied us, so rora prepared a kettleful of magic poison and went down to the lake one night to dump it all in the water and poison the fish. it was a clever idea, quite worthy of my dear wife, but the skeezer queen--a young lady named coo-ee-oh--hid on the bank of the lake and taking rora unawares, transformed her into a golden pig. the poison was spilled on the ground and wicked queen coo-ee-oh, not content with her cruel transformation, even took away my wife's four cans of brains, so she is now a common grunting pig without even brains enough to know her own name." "then," said ozma thoughtfully, "the queen of the skeezers must be a sorceress." "yes," said the su-dic, "but she doesn't know much magic, after all. she is not as powerful as rora flathead was, nor half as powerful as i am now, as queen coo-ee-oh will discover when we fight our great battle and destroy her." "the golden pig can't be a witch any more, of course," observed dorothy. "no; even had queen coo-ee-oh left her the four cans of brains, poor rora, in a pig's shape, couldn't do any witchcraft. a witch has to use her fingers, and a pig has only cloven hoofs." "it seems a sad story," was ozma's comment, "and all the trouble arose because the flatheads wanted fish that did not belong to them." "as for that," said the su-dic, again angry, "i made a law that any of my people could catch fish in the lake of the skeezers, whenever they wanted to. so the trouble was through the skeezers defying my law." "you can only make laws to govern your own people," asserted ozma sternly. "i, alone, am empowered to make laws that must be obeyed by all the peoples of oz." "pooh!" cried the su-dic scornfully. "you can't make me obey your laws, i assure you. i know the extent of your powers, princess ozma of oz, and i know that i am more powerful than you are. to prove it i shall keep you and your companion prisoners in this mountain until after we have fought and conquered the skeezers. then, if you promise to be good, i may let you go home again." dorothy was amazed by this effrontery and defiance of the beautiful girl ruler of oz, whom all until now had obeyed without question. but ozma, still unruffled and dignified, looked at the su-dic and said: "you did not mean that. you are angry and speak unwisely, without reflection. i came here from my palace in the emerald city to prevent war and to make peace between you and the skeezers. i do not approve of queen coo-ee-oh's action in transforming your wife rora into a pig, nor do i approve of rora's cruel attempt to poison the fishes in the lake. no one has the right to work magic in my dominions without my consent, so the flatheads and the skeezers have both broken my laws--which must be obeyed." "if you want to make peace," said the su-dic, "make the skeezers restore my wife to her proper form and give back her four cans of brains. also make them agree to allow us to catch fish in their lake." "no," returned ozma, "i will not do that, for it would be unjust. i will have the golden pig again transformed into your wife rora, and give her one can of brains, but the other three cans must be restored to those she robbed. neither may you catch fish in the lake of the skeezers, for it is their lake and the fish belong to them. this arrangement is just and honorable, and you must agree to it." "never!" cried the su-dic. just then a pig came running into the room, uttering dismal grunts. it was made of solid gold, with joints at the bends of the legs and in the neck and jaws. the golden pig's eyes were rubies, and its teeth were polished ivory. "there!" said the su-dic, "gaze on the evil work of queen coo-ee-oh, and then say if you can prevent my making war on the skeezers. that grunting beast was once my wife--the most beautiful flathead on our mountain and a skillful witch. now look at her!" "fight the skeezers, fight the skeezers, fight the skeezers!" grunted the golden pig. "i will fight the skeezers," exclaimed the flathead chief, "and if a dozen ozmas of oz forbade me i would fight just the same." "not if i can prevent it!" asserted ozma. "you can't prevent it. but since you threaten me, i'll have you confined in the bronze prison until the war is over," said the su-dic. he whistled and four stout flatheads, armed with axes and spears, entered the room and saluted him. turning to the men he said: "take these two girls, bind them with wire ropes and cast them into the bronze prison." the four men bowed low and one of them asked: "where are the two girls, most noble su-dic?" the su-dic turned to where ozma and dorothy had stood but they had vanished! chapter seven the magic isle ozma, seeing it was useless to argue with the supreme dictator of the flatheads, had been considering how best to escape from his power. she realized that his sorcery might be difficult to overcome, and when he threatened to cast dorothy and her into a bronze prison she slipped her hand into her bosom and grasped her silver wand. with the other hand she grasped the hand of dorothy, but these motions were so natural that the su-dic did not notice them. then when he turned to meet his four soldiers, ozma instantly rendered both herself and dorothy invisible and swiftly led her companion around the group of flatheads and out of the room. as they reached the entry and descended the stone steps, ozma whispered: "let us run, dear! we are invisible, so no one will see us." dorothy understood and she was a good runner. ozma had marked the place where the grand stairway that led to the plain was located, so they made directly for it. some people were in the paths but these they dodged around. one or two flatheads heard the pattering of footsteps of the girls on the stone pavement and stopped with bewildered looks to gaze around them, but no one interfered with the invisible fugitives. the su-dic had lost no time in starting the chase. he and his men ran so fast that they might have overtaken the girls before they reached the stairway had not the golden pig suddenly run across their path. the su-dic tripped over the pig and fell flat, and his four men tripped over him and tumbled in a heap. before they could scramble up and reach the mouth of the passage it was too late to stop the two girls. there was a guard on each side of the stairway, but of course they did not see ozma and dorothy as they sped past and descended the steps. then they had to go up five steps and down another ten, and so on, in the same manner in which they had climbed to the top of the mountain. ozma lighted their way with her wand and they kept on without relaxing their speed until they reached the bottom. then they ran to the right and turned the corner of the invisible wall just as the su-dic and his followers rushed out of the arched entrance and looked around in an attempt to discover the fugitives. ozma now knew they were safe, so she told dorothy to stop and both of them sat down on the grass until they could breathe freely and become rested from their mad flight. as for the su-dic, he realized he was foiled and soon turned and climbed his stairs again. he was very angry--angry with ozma and angry with himself--because, now that he took time to think, he remembered that he knew very well the art of making people invisible, and visible again, and if he had only thought of it in time he could have used his magic knowledge to make the girls visible and so have captured them easily. however, it was now too late for regrets and he determined to make preparations at once to march all his forces against the skeezers. "what shall we do next?" asked dorothy, when they were rested. "let us find the lake of the skeezers," replied ozma. "from what that dreadful su-dic said i imagine the skeezers are good people and worthy of our friendship, and if we go to them we may help them to defeat the flatheads." "i s'pose we can't stop the war now," remarked dorothy reflectively, as they walked toward the row of palm trees. "no; the su-dic is determined to fight the skeezers, so all we can do is to warn them of their danger and help them as much as possible." "of course you'll punish the flatheads," said dorothy. "well, i do not think the flathead people are as much to blame as their supreme dictator," was the answer. "if he is removed from power and his unlawful magic taken from him, the people will probably be good and respect the laws of the land of oz, and live at peace with all their neighbors in the future." "i hope so," said dorothy with a sigh of doubt the palms were not far from the mountain and the girls reached them after a brisk walk. the huge trees were set close together, in three rows, and had been planted so as to keep people from passing them, but the flatheads had cut a passage through this barrier and ozma found the path and led dorothy to the other side. beyond the palms they discovered a very beautiful scene. bordered by a green lawn was a great lake fully a mile from shore to shore, the waters of which were exquisitely blue and sparkling, with little wavelets breaking its smooth surface where the breezes touched it. in the center of this lake appeared a lovely island, not of great extent but almost entirely covered by a huge round building with glass walls and a high glass dome which glittered brilliantly in the sunshine. between the glass building and the edge of the island was no grass, flowers or shrubbery, but only an expanse of highly polished white marble. there were no boats on either shore and no signs of life could be seen anywhere on the island. "well," said dorothy, gazing wistfully at the island, "we've found the lake of the skeezers and their magic isle. i guess the skeezers are in that big glass palace, but we can't get at 'em." chapter eight queen coo-ee-oh princess ozma considered the situation gravely. then she tied her handkerchief to her wand and, standing at the water's edge, waved the handkerchief like a flag, as a signal. for a time they could observe no response. "i don't see what good that will do," said dorothy. "even if the skeezers are on that island and see us, and know we're friends, they haven't any boats to come and get us." but the skeezers didn't need boats, as the girls soon discovered. for on a sudden an opening appeared at the base of the palace and from the opening came a slender shaft of steel, reaching out slowly but steadily across the water in the direction of the place where they stood. to the girls this steel arrangement looked like a triangle, with the base nearest the water. it came toward them in the form of an arch, stretching out from the palace wall until its end reached the bank and rested there, while the other end still remained on the island. then they saw that it was a bridge, consisting of a steel footway just broad enough to walk on, and two slender guide rails, one on either side, which were connected with the footway by steel bars. the bridge looked rather frail and dorothy feared it would not bear their weight, but ozma at once called, "come on!" and started to walk across, holding fast to the rail on either side. so dorothy summoned her courage and followed after. before ozma had taken three steps she halted and so forced dorothy to halt, for the bridge was again moving and returning to the island. "we need not walk after all," said ozma. so they stood still in their places and let the steel bridge draw them onward. indeed, the bridge drew them well into the glass-domed building which covered the island, and soon they found themselves standing in a marble room where two handsomely dressed young men stood on a platform to receive them. ozma at once stepped from the end of the bridge to the marble platform, followed by dorothy, and then the bridge disappeared with a slight clang of steel and a marble slab covered the opening from which it had emerged. the two young men bowed profoundly to ozma, and one of them said: "queen coo-ee-oh bids you welcome, o strangers. her majesty is waiting to receive you in her palace." "lead on," replied ozma with dignity. but instead of "leading on," the platform of marble began to rise, carrying them upward through a square hole above which just fitted it. a moment later they found themselves within the great glass dome that covered almost all of the island. within this dome was a little village, with houses, streets, gardens and parks. the houses were of colored marbles, prettily designed, with many stained-glass windows, and the streets and gardens seemed well cared for. exactly under the center of the lofty dome was a small park filled with brilliant flowers, with an elaborate fountain, and facing this park stood a building larger and more imposing than the others. toward this building the young men escorted ozma and dorothy. on the streets and in the doorways or open windows of the houses were men, women and children, all richly dressed. these were much like other people in different parts of the land of oz, except that instead of seeming merry and contented they all wore expressions of much solemnity or of nervous irritation. they had beautiful homes, splendid clothes, and ample food, but dorothy at once decided something was wrong with their lives and that they were not happy. she said nothing, however, but looked curiously at the skeezers. at the entrance of the palace ozma and dorothy were met by two other young men, in uniform and armed with queer weapons that seemed about halfway between pistols and guns, but were like neither. their conductors bowed and left them, and the two in uniforms led the girls into the palace. in a beautiful throne room, surrounded by a dozen or more young men and women, sat the queen of the skeezers, coo-ee-oh. she was a girl who looked older than ozma or dorothy--fifteen or sixteen, at least--and although she was elaborately dressed as if she were going to a ball she was too thin and plain of feature to be pretty. but evidently queen coo-ee-oh did not realize this fact, for her air and manner betrayed her as proud and haughty and with a high regard for her own importance. dorothy at once decided she was "snippy" and that she would not like queen coo-ee-oh as a companion. the queen's hair was as black as her skin was white and her eyes were black, too. the eyes, as she calmly examined ozma and dorothy, had a suspicious and unfriendly look in them, but she said quietly: "i know who you are, for i have consulted my magic oracle, which told me that one calls herself princess ozma, the ruler of all the land of oz, and the other is princess dorothy of oz, who came from a country called kansas. i know nothing of the land of oz, and i know nothing of kansas." "why, this is the land of oz!" cried dorothy. "it's a part of the land of oz, anyhow, whether you know it or not." "oh, in-deed!" answered queen coo-ee-oh, scornfully. "i suppose you will claim next that this princess ozma, ruling the land of oz, rules me!" "of course," returned dorothy. "there's no doubt of it." the queen turned to ozma. "do you dare make such a claim?" she asked. by this time ozma had made up her mind as to the character of this haughty and disdainful creature, whose self-pride evidently led her to believe herself superior to all others. "i did not come here to quarrel with your majesty," said the girl ruler of oz, quietly. "what and who i am is well established, and my authority comes from the fairy queen lurline, of whose band i was a member when lurline made all oz a fairyland. there are several countries and several different peoples in this broad land, each of which has its separate rulers, kings, emperors and queens. but all these render obedience to my laws and acknowledge me as the supreme ruler." "if other kings and queens are fools that does not interest me in the least," replied coo-ee-oh, disdainfully. "in the land of the skeezers i alone am supreme. you are impudent to think i would defer to you--or to anyone else." "let us not speak of this now, please," answered ozma. "your island is in danger, for a powerful foe is preparing to destroy it." "pah! the flatheads. i do not fear them." "their supreme dictator is a sorcerer." "my magic is greater than his. let the flatheads come! they will never return to their barren mountain-top. i will see to that." ozma did not like this attitude, for it meant that the skeezers were eager to fight the flatheads, and ozma's object in coming here was to prevent fighting and induce the two quarrelsome neighbors to make peace. she was also greatly disappointed in coo-ee-oh, for the reports of su-dic had led her to imagine the queen more just and honorable than were the flatheads. indeed ozma reflected that the girl might be better at heart than her self-pride and overbearing manner indicated, and in any event it would be wise not to antagonize her but to try to win her friendship. "i do not like wars, your majesty," said ozma. "in the emerald city, where i rule thousands of people, and in the countries near to the emerald city, where thousands more acknowledge my rule, there is no army at all, because there is no quarreling and no need to fight. if differences arise between my people, they come to me and i judge the cases and award justice to all. so, when i learned there might be war between two faraway people of oz, i came here to settle the dispute and adjust the quarrel." "no one asked you to come," declared queen coo-ee-oh. "it is my business to settle this dispute, not yours. you say my island is a part of the land of oz, which you rule, but that is all nonsense, for i've never heard of the land of oz, nor of you. you say you are a fairy, and that fairies gave you command over me. i don't believe it! what i do believe is that you are an impostor and have come here to stir up trouble among my people, who are already becoming difficult to manage. you two girls may even be spies of the vile flatheads, for all i know, and may be trying to trick me. but understand this," she added, proudly rising from her jeweled throne to confront them, "i have magic powers greater than any fairy possesses, and greater than any flathead possesses. i am a krumbic witch--the only krumbic witch in the world--and i fear the magic of no other creature that exists! you say you rule thousands. i rule one hundred and one skeezers. but every one of them trembles at my word. now that ozma of oz and princess dorothy are here, i shall rule one hundred and three subjects, for you also shall bow before my power. more than that, in ruling you i also rule the thousands you say you rule." dorothy was very indignant at this speech. "i've got a pink kitten that sometimes talks like that," she said, "but after i give her a good whipping she doesn't think she's so high and mighty after all. if you only knew who ozma is you'd be scared to death to talk to her like that!" queen coo-ee-oh gave the girl a supercilious look. then she turned again to ozma. "i happen to know," said she, "that the flatheads intend to attack us tomorrow, but we are ready for them. until the battle is over, i shall keep you two strangers prisoners on my island, from which there is no chance for you to escape." she turned and looked around the band of courtiers who stood silently around her throne. "lady aurex," she continued, singling out one of the young women, "take these children to your house and care for them, giving them food and lodging. you may allow them to wander anywhere under the great dome, for they are harmless. after i have attended to the flatheads i will consider what next to do with these foolish girls." she resumed her seat and the lady aurex bowed low and said in a humble manner: "i obey your majesty's commands." then to ozma and dorothy she added, "follow me," and turned to leave the throne room. dorothy looked to see what ozma would do. to her surprise and a little to her disappointment ozma turned and followed lady aurex. so dorothy trailed after them, but not without giving a parting, haughty look toward queen coo-ee-oh, who had her face turned the other way and did not see the disapproving look. chapter nine lady aurex lady aurex led ozma and dorothy along a street to a pretty marble house near to one edge of the great glass dome that covered the village. she did not speak to the girls until she had ushered them into a pleasant room, comfortably furnished, nor did any of the solemn people they met on the street venture to speak. when they were seated lady aurex asked if they were hungry, and finding they were summoned a maid and ordered food to be brought. this lady aurex looked to be about twenty years old, although in the land of oz where people have never changed in appearance since the fairies made it a fairyland--where no one grows old or dies--it is always difficult to say how many years anyone has lived. she had a pleasant, attractive face, even though it was solemn and sad as the faces of all skeezers seemed to be, and her costume was rich and elaborate, as became a lady in waiting upon the queen. ozma had observed lady aurex closely and now asked her in a gentle tone: "do you, also, believe me to be an impostor?" "i dare not say," replied lady aurex in a low tone. "why are you afraid to speak freely?" inquired ozma. "the queen punishes us if we make remarks that she does not like." "are we not alone then, in this house?" "the queen can hear everything that is spoken on this island--even the slightest whisper," declared lady aurex. "she is a wonderful witch, as she has told you, and it is folly to criticise her or disobey her commands." ozma looked into her eyes and saw that she would like to say more if she dared. so she drew from her bosom her silver wand, and having muttered a magic phrase in a strange tongue, she left the room and walked slowly around the outside of the house, making a complete circle and waving her wand in mystic curves as she walked. lady aurex watched her curiously and, when ozma had again entered the room and seated herself, she asked: "what have you done?" "i've enchanted this house in such a manner that queen coo-ee-oh, with all her witchcraft, cannot hear one word we speak within the magic circle i have made," replied ozma. "we may now speak freely and as loudly as we wish, without fear of the queen's anger." lady aurex brightened at this. "can i trust you?" she asked. "ev'rybody trusts ozma," exclaimed dorothy. "she is true and honest, and your wicked queen will be sorry she insulted the powerful ruler of all the land of oz." "the queen does not know me yet," said ozma, "but i want you to know me, lady aurex, and i want you to tell me why you, and all the skeezers, are unhappy. do not fear coo-ee-oh's anger, for she cannot hear a word we say, i assure you." lady aurex was thoughtful a moment; then she said: "i shall trust you, princess ozma, for i believe you are what you say you are--our supreme ruler. if you knew the dreadful punishments our queen inflicts upon us, you would not wonder we are so unhappy. the skeezers are not bad people; they do not care to quarrel and fight, even with their enemies the flatheads; but they are so cowed and fearful of coo-ee-oh that they obey her slightest word, rather than suffer her anger." "hasn't she any heart, then?" asked dorothy. "she never displays mercy. she loves no one but herself," asserted lady aurex, but she trembled as she said it, as if afraid even yet of her terrible queen. "that's pretty bad," said dorothy, shaking her head gravely. "i see you've a lot to do here, ozma, in this forsaken corner of the land of oz. first place, you've got to take the magic away from queen coo-ee-oh, and from that awful su-dic, too. my idea is that neither of them is fit to rule anybody, 'cause they're cruel and hateful. so you'll have to give the skeezers and flatheads new rulers and teach all their people that they're part of the land of oz and must obey, above all, the lawful ruler, ozma of oz. then, when you've done that, we can go back home again." ozma smiled at her little friend's earnest counsel, but lady aurex said in an anxious tone: "i am surprised that you suggest these reforms while you are yet prisoners on this island and in coo-ee-oh's power. that these things should be done, there is no doubt, but just now a dreadful war is likely to break out, and frightful things may happen to us all. our queen has such conceit that she thinks she can overcome the su-dic and his people, but it is said su-dic's magic is very powerful, although not as great as that possessed by his wife rora, before coo-ee-oh transformed her into a golden pig." "i don't blame her very much for doing that," remarked dorothy, "for the flatheads were wicked to try to catch your beautiful fish and the witch rora wanted to poison all the fishes in the lake." "do you know the reason?" asked the lady aurex. "i don't s'pose there was any reason, 'cept just wickedness," replied dorothy. "tell us the reason," said ozma earnestly. "well, your majesty, once--a long time ago--the flatheads and the skeezers were friendly. they visited our island and we visited their mountain, and everything was pleasant between the two peoples. at that time the flatheads were ruled by three adepts in sorcery, beautiful girls who were not flatheads, but had wandered to the flat mountain and made their home there. these three adepts used their magic only for good, and the mountain people gladly made them their rulers. they taught the flatheads how to use their canned brains and how to work metals into clothing that would never wear out, and many other things that added to their happiness and content. "coo-ee-oh was our queen then, as now, but she knew no magic and so had nothing to be proud of. but the three adepts were very kind to coo-ee-oh. they built for us this wonderful dome of glass and our houses of marble and taught us to make beautiful clothing and many other things. coo-ee-oh pretended to be very grateful for these favors, but it seems that all the time she was jealous of the three adepts and secretly tried to discover their arts of magic. in this she was more clever than anyone suspected. she invited the three adepts to a banquet one day, and while they were feasting coo-ee-oh stole their charms and magical instruments and transformed them into three fishes--a gold fish, a silver fish and a bronze fish. while the poor fishes were gasping and flopping helplessly on the floor of the banquet room one of them said reproachfully: 'you will be punished for this, coo-ee-oh, for if one of us dies or is destroyed, you will become shrivelled and helpless, and all your stolen magic will depart from you.' frightened by this threat, coo-ee-oh at once caught up the three fish and ran with them to the shore of the lake, where she cast them into the water. this revived the three adepts and they swam away and disappeared. "i, myself, witnessed this shocking scene," continued lady aurex, "and so did many other skeezers. the news was carried to the flatheads, who then turned from friends to enemies. the su-dic and his wife rora were the only ones on the mountain who were glad the three adepts had been lost to them, and they at once became rulers of the flatheads and stole their canned brains from others to make themselves the more powerful. some of the adepts' magic tools had been left on the mountain, and these rora seized and by the use of them she became a witch. "the result of coo-ee-oh's treachery was to make both the skeezers and the flatheads miserable instead of happy. not only were the su-dic and his wife cruel to their people, but our queen at once became proud and arrogant and treated us very unkindly. all the skeezers knew she had stolen her magic powers and so she hated us and made us humble ourselves before her and obey her slightest word. if we disobeyed, or did not please her, or if we talked about her when we were in our own homes she would have us dragged to the whipping post in her palace and lashed with knotted cords. that is why we fear her so greatly." this story filled ozma's heart with sorrow and dorothy's heart with indignation. "i now understand," said ozma, "why the fishes in the lake have brought about war between the skeezers and the flatheads." "yes," lady aurex answered, "now that you know the story it is easy to understand. the su-dic and his wife came to our lake hoping to catch the silver fish, or gold fish, or bronze fish--any one of them would do--and by destroying it deprive coo-ee-oh of her magic. then they could easily conquer her. also they had another reason for wanting to catch the fish--they feared that in some way the three adepts might regain their proper forms and then they would be sure to return to the mountain and punish rora and the su-dic. that was why rora finally tried to poison all the fishes in the lake, at the time coo-ee-oh transformed her into a golden pig. of course this attempt to destroy the fishes frightened the queen, for her safety lies in keeping the three fishes alive." "i s'pose coo-ee-oh will fight the flatheads with all her might," observed dorothy. "and with all her magic," added ozma, thoughtfully. "i do not see how the flatheads can get to this island to hurt us," said lady aurex. "they have bows and arrows, and i guess they mean to shoot the arrows at your big dome, and break all the glass in it," suggested dorothy. but lady aurex shook her head with a smile. "they cannot do that," she replied. "why not?" "i dare not tell you why, but if the flatheads come to-morrow morning you will yourselves see the reason." "i do not think they will attempt to harm the island," ozma declared. "i believe they will first attempt to destroy the fishes, by poison or some other means. if they succeed in that, the conquest of the island will not be difficult." "they have no boats," said lady aurex, "and coo-ee-oh, who has long expected this war, has been preparing for it in many astonishing ways. i almost wish the flatheads would conquer us, for then we would be free from our dreadful queen; but i do not wish to see the three transformed fishes destroyed, for in them lies our only hope of future happiness." "ozma will take care of you, whatever happens," dorothy assured her. but the lady aurex, not knowing the extent of ozma's power--which was, in fact, not so great as dorothy imagined--could not take much comfort in this promise. it was evident there would be exciting times on the morrow, if the flatheads really attacked the skeezers of the magic isle. chapter ten under water when night fell all the interior of the great dome, streets and houses, became lighted with brilliant incandescent lamps, which rendered it bright as day. dorothy thought the island must look beautiful by night from the outer shore of the lake. there was revelry and feasting in the queen's palace, and the music of the royal band could be plainly heard in lady aurex's house, where ozma and dorothy remained with their hostess and keeper. they were prisoners, but treated with much consideration. lady aurex gave them a nice supper and when they wished to retire showed them to a pretty room with comfortable beds and wished them a good night and pleasant dreams. "what do you think of all this, ozma?" dorothy anxiously inquired when they were alone. "i am glad we came," was the reply, "for although there may be mischief done to-morrow, it was necessary i should know about these people, whose leaders are wild and lawless and oppress their subjects with injustice and cruelties. my task, therefore, is to liberate the skeezers and the flatheads and secure for them freedom and happiness. i have no doubt i can accomplish this in time." "just now, though, we're in a bad fix," asserted dorothy. "if queen coo-ee-oh conquers to-morrow, she won't be nice to us, and if the su-dic conquers, he'll be worse." "do not worry, dear," said ozma, "i do not think we are in danger, whatever happens, and the result of our adventure is sure to be good." dorothy was not worrying, especially. she had confidence in her friend, the fairy princess of oz, and she enjoyed the excitement of the events in which she was taking part. so she crept into bed and fell asleep as easily as if she had been in her own cosy room in ozma's palace. a sort of grating, grinding sound awakened her. the whole island seemed to tremble and sway, as it might do in an earthquake. dorothy sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them, and then found it was daybreak. ozma was hurriedly dressing herself. "what is it?" asked dorothy, jumping out of bed. "i'm not sure," answered ozma "but it feels as if the island is sinking." as soon as possible they finished dressing, while the creaking and swaying continued. then they rushed into the living room of the house and found lady aurex, fully dressed, awaiting them. "do not be alarmed," said their hostess. "coo-ee-oh has decided to submerge the island, that is all. but it proves the flatheads are coming to attack us." "what do you mean by sub-sub-merging the island?" asked dorothy. "come here and see," was the reply. lady aurex led them to a window which faced the side of the great dome which covered all the village, and they could see that the island was indeed sinking, for the water of the lake was already half way up the side of the dome. through the glass could be seen swimming fishes, and tall stalks of swaying seaweeds, for the water was clear as crystal and through it they could distinguish even the farther shore of the lake. "the flatheads are not here yet," said lady aurex. "they will come soon, but not until all of this dome is under the surface of the water." "won't the dome leak?" dorothy inquired anxiously. "no, indeed." "was the island ever sub-sub-sunk before?" "oh, yes; on several occasions. but coo-ee-oh doesn't care to do that often, for it requires a lot of hard work to operate the machinery. the dome was built so that the island could disappear. i think," she continued, "that our queen fears the flatheads will attack the island and try to break the glass of the dome." "well, if we're under water, they can't fight us, and we can't fight them," asserted dorothy. "they could kill the fishes, however," said ozma gravely. "we have ways to fight, also, even though our island is under water," claimed lady aurex. "i cannot tell you all our secrets, but this island is full of surprises. also our queen's magic is astonishing." "did she steal it all from the three adepts in sorcery that are now fishes?" "she stole the knowledge and the magic tools, but she has used them as the three adepts never would have done." by this time the top of the dome was quite under water and suddenly the island stopped sinking and became stationary. "see!" cried lady aurex, pointing to the shore. "the flatheads have come." on the bank, which was now far above their heads, a crowd of dark figures could be seen. "now let us see what coo-ee-oh will do to oppose them," continued lady aurex, in a voice that betrayed her excitement. * * * * * the flatheads, pushing their way through the line of palm trees, had reached the shore of the lake just as the top of the island's dome disappeared beneath the surface. the water now flowed from shore to shore, but through the clear water the dome was still visible and the houses of the skeezers could be dimly seen through the panes of glass. "good!" exclaimed the su-dic, who had armed all his followers and had brought with him two copper vessels, which he carefully set down upon the ground beside him. "if coo-ee-oh wants to hide instead of fighting our job will be easy, for in one of these copper vessels i have enough poison to kill every fish in the lake." "kill them, then, while we have time, and then we can go home again," advised one of the chief officers. "not yet," objected the su-dic. "the queen of the skeezers has defied me, and i want to get her into my power, as well as to destroy her magic. she transformed my poor wife into a golden pig, and i must have revenge for that, whatever else we do." "look out!" suddenly exclaimed the officers, pointing into the lake; "something's going to happen." from the submerged dome a door opened and something black shot swiftly out into the water. the door instantly closed behind it and the dark object cleaved its way through the water, without rising to the surface, directly toward the place where the flatheads were standing. "what is that?" dorothy asked the lady aurex. "that is one of the queen's submarines," was the reply. "it is all enclosed, and can move under water. coo-ee-oh has several of these boats which are kept in little rooms in the basement under our village. when the island is submerged, the queen uses these boats to reach the shore, and i believe she now intends to fight the flatheads with them." the su-dic and his people knew nothing of coo-ee-oh's submarines, so they watched with surprise as the under-water boat approached them. when it was quite near the shore it rose to the surface and the top parted and fell back, disclosing a boat full of armed skeezers. at the head was the queen, standing up in the bow and holding in one hand a coil of magic rope that gleamed like silver. the boat halted and coo-ee-oh drew back her arm to throw the silver rope toward the su-dic, who was now but a few feet from her. but the wily flathead leader quickly realized his danger and before the queen could throw the rope he caught up one of the copper vessels and dashed its contents full in her face! chapter eleven the conquest of the skeezers queen coo-ee-oh dropped the rope, tottered and fell headlong into the water, sinking beneath the surface, while the skeezers in the submarine were too bewildered toassist her and only stared at the ripples in the water where she had disappeared. a moment later there arose to the surface a beautiful white swan. this swan was of large size, very gracefully formed, and scattered all over its white feathers were tiny diamonds, so thickly placed that as the rays of the morning sun fell upon them the entire body of the swan glistened like one brilliant diamond. the head of the diamond swan had a bill of polished gold and its eyes were two sparkling amethysts. "hooray!" cried the su-dic, dancing up and down with wicked glee. "my poor wife, rora, is avenged at last. you made her a golden pig, coo-ee-oh, and now i have made you a diamond swan. float on your lake forever, if you like, for your web feet can do no more magic and you are as powerless as the pig you made of my wife! "villain! scoundrel!" croaked the diamond swan. "you will be punished for this. oh, what a fool i was to let you enchant me! "a fool you were, and a fool you are!" laughed the su-dic, dancing madly in his delight. and then he carelessly tipped over the other copper vessel with his heel and its contents spilled on the sands and were lost to the last drop. the su-dic stopped short and looked at the overturned vessel with a rueful countenance. "that's too bad--too bad!" he exclaimed sorrowfully. "i've lost all the poison i had to kill the fishes with, and i can't make any more because only my wife knew the secret of it, and she is now a foolish pig and has forgotten all her magic." "very well," said the diamond swan scornfully, as she floated upon the water and swam gracefully here and there. "i'm glad to see you are foiled. your punishment is just beginning, for although you have enchanted me and taken away my powers of sorcery you have still the three magic fishes to deal with, and they'll destroy you in time, mark my words." the su-dic stared at the swan a moment. then he yelled to his men: "shoot her! shoot the saucy bird!" they let fly some arrows at the diamond swan, but she dove under the water and the missiles fell harmless. when coo-ce-oh rose to the surface she was far from the shore and she swiftly swam across the lake to where no arrows or spears could reach her. the su-dic rubbed his chin and thought what to do next. near by floated the submarine in which the queen had come, but the skeezers who were in it were puzzled what to do with themselves. perhaps they were not sorry their cruel mistress had been transformed into a diamond swan, but the transformation had left them quite helpless. the under-water boat was not operated by machinery, but by certain mystic words uttered by coo-ee-oh. they didn't know how to submerge it, or how to make the water-tight shield cover them again, or how to make the boat go back to the castle, or make it enter the little basement room where it was usually kept. as a matter of fact, they were now shut out of their village under the great dome and could not get back again. so one of the men called to the supreme dictator of the flatheads, saying: "please make us prisoners and take us to your mountain, and feed and keep us, for we have nowhere to go." then the su-dic laughed and answered: "not so. i can't be bothered by caring for a lot of stupid skeezers. stay where you are, or go wherever you please, so long as you keep away from our mountain." he turned to his men and added: "we have conquered queen coo-ee-oh and made her a helpless swan. the skeezers are under water and may stay there. so, having won the war, let us go home again and make merry and feast, having after many years proved the flatheads to be greater and more powerful than the skeezers." so the flatheads marched away and passed through the row of palms and went back to their mountain, where the su-dic and a few of his officers feasted and all the others were forced to wait on them. "i'm sorry we couldn't have roast pig," said the su-dic, "but as the only pig we have is made of gold, we can't eat her. also the golden pig happens to be my wife, and even were she not gold i am sure she would be too tough to eat." chapter twelve the diamond swan when the flatheads had gone away the diamond swan swam back to the boat and one of the young skeezers named ervic said to her eagerly: "how can we get back to the island, your majesty?" "am i not beautiful?" asked coo-ee-oh, arching her neck gracefully and spreading her diamond-sprinkled wings. "i can see my reflection in the water, and i'm sure there is no bird nor beast, nor human as magnificent as i am!" "how shall we get back to the island, your majesty?" pleaded ervic. "when my fame spreads throughout the land, people will travel from all parts of this lake to look upon my loveliness," said coo-ee-oh, shaking her feathers to make the diamonds glitter more brilliantly. "but, your majesty, we must go home and we do not know how to get there," ervic persisted. "my eyes," remarked the diamond swan, "are wonderfully blue and bright and will charm all beholders." "tell us how to make the boat go--how to get back into the island," begged ervic and the others cried just as earnestly: "tell us, coo-ee-oh; tell us!" "i don't know," replied the queen in a careless tone. "you are a magic-worker, a sorceress, a witch!" "i was, of course, when i was a girl," she said, bending her head over the clear water to catch her reflection in it; "but now i've forgotten all such foolish things as magic. swans are lovelier than girls, especially when they're sprinkled with diamonds. don't you think so?" and she gracefully swam away, without seeming to care whether they answered or not. ervic and his companions were in despair. they saw plainly that coo-ee-oh could not or would not help them. the former queen had no further thought for her island, her people, or her wonderful magic; she was only intent on admiring her own beauty. "truly," said ervic, in a gloomy voice, "the flatheads have conquered us!" * * * * * some of these events had been witnessed by ozma and dorothy and lady aurex, who had left the house and gone close to the glass of the dome, in order to see what was going on. many of the skeezers had also crowded against the dome, wondering what would happen next. although their vision was to an extent blurred by the water and the necessity of looking upward at an angle, they had observed the main points of the drama enacted above. they saw queen coo-ee-oh's submarine come to the surface and open; they saw the queen standing erect to throw her magic rope; they saw her sudden transformation into a diamond swan, and a cry of amazement went up from the skeezers inside the dome. "good!" exclaimed dorothy. "i hate that old su-dic, but i'm glad coo-ee-oh is punished." "this is a dreadful misfortune!" cried lady aurex, pressing her hands upon her heart. "yes," agreed ozma, nodding her head thoughtfully; "coo-ee-oh's misfortune will prove a terrible blow to her people." "what do you mean by that?" asked dorothy in surprise. "seems to me the skeezers are in luck to lose their cruel queen." "if that were all you would be right," responded lady aurex; "and if the island were above water it would not be so serious. but here we all are, at the bottom of the lake, and fast prisoners in this dome." "can't you raise the island?" inquired dorothy. "no. only coo-ee-oh knew how to do that," was the answer. "we can try," insisted dorothy. "if it can be made to go down, it can be made to come up. the machinery is still here, i suppose. "yes; but the machinery works by magic, and coo-ee-oh would never share her secret power with any one of us." dorothy's face grew grave; but she was thinking. "ozma knows a lot of magic," she said. "but not that kind of magic," ozma replied. "can't you learn how, by looking at the machinery?" "i'm afraid not, my dear. it isn't fairy magic at all; it is witchcraft." "well," said dorothy, turning to lady aurex, "you say there are other sub-sub-sinking boats. we can get in one of those, and shoot out to the top of the water, like coo-ee-oh did, and so escape. and then we can help to rescue all the skeezers down here." "no one knows how to work the under-water boats but the queen," declared lady aurex. "isn't there any door or window in this dome that we could open?" "no; and, if there were, the water would rush in to flood the dome, and we could not get out." "the skeezers," said ozma, "could not drown; they only get wet and soggy and in that condition they would be very uncomfortable and unhappy. but you are a mortal girl, dorothy, and if your magic belt protected you from death you would have to lie forever at the bottom of the lake." "no, i'd rather die quickly," asserted the little girl. "but there are doors in the basement that open--to let out the bridges and the boats--and that would not flood the dome, you know." "those doors open by a magic word, and only coo-ee-oh knows the word that must be uttered," said lady aurex. "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy, "that dreadful queen's witchcraft upsets all my plans to escape. i guess i'll give it up, ozma, and let you save us." ozma smiled, but her smile was not so cheerful as usual. the princess of oz found herself confronted with a serious problem, and although she had no thought of despairing she realized that the skeezers and their island, as well as dorothy and herself, were in grave trouble and that unless she could find a means to save them they would be lost to the land of oz for all future time. "in such a dilemma," said she, musingly, "nothing is gained by haste. careful thought may aid us, and so may the course of events. the unexpected is always likely to happen, and cheerful patience is better than reckless action." "all right," returned dorothy; "take your time, ozma; there's no hurry. how about some breakfast, lady aurex?" their hostess led them back to the house, where she ordered her trembling servants to prepare and serve breakfast. all the skeezers were frightened and anxious over the transformation of their queen into a swan. coo-ee-oh was feared and hated, but they had depended on her magic to conquer the flatheads and she was the only one who could raise their island to the surface of the lake again. before breakfast was over several of the leading skeezers came to aurex to ask her advice and to question princess ozma, of whom they knew nothing except that she claimed to be a fairy and the ruler of all the land, including the lake of the skeezers. "if what you told queen coo-ee-oh was the truth," they said to her, "you are our lawful mistress, and we may depend on you to get us out of our difficulties." "i will try to do that," ozma graciously assured them, "but you must remember that the powers of fairies are granted them to bring comfort and happiness to all who appeal to them. on the contrary, such magic as coo-ee-oh knew and practiced is unlawful witchcraft and her arts are such as no fairy would condescend to use. however, it is sometimes necessary to consider evil in order to accomplish good, and perhaps by studying coo-ee-oh's tools and charms of witchcraft i may be able to save us. do you promise to accept me as your ruler and to obey my commands?" they promised willingly. "then," continued ozma, "i will go to coo-ee-oh's palace and take possession of it. perhaps what i find there will be of use to me. in the meantime tell all the skeezers to fear nothing, but have patience. let them return to their homes and perform their daily tasks as usual. coo-ee-oh's loss may not prove a misfortune, but rather a blessing." this speech cheered the skeezers amazingly. really, they had no one now to depend upon but ozma, and in spite of their dangerous position their hearts were lightened by the transformation and absence of their cruel queen. they got out their brass band and a grand procession escorted ozma and dorothy to the palace, where all of coo-ee-oh's former servants were eager to wait upon them. ozma invited lady aurex to stay at the palace also, for she knew all about the skeezers and their island and had also been a favorite of the former queen, so her advice and information were sure to prove valuable. ozma was somewhat disappointed in what she found in the palace. one room of coo-ee-oh's private suite was entirely devoted to the practice of witchcraft, and here were countless queer instruments and jars of ointments and bottles of potions labeled with queer names, and strange machines that ozma could not guess the use of, and pickled toads and snails and lizards, and a shelf of books that were written in blood, but in a language which the ruler of oz did not know. "i do not see," said ozma to dorothy, who accompanied her in her search, "how coo-ee-oh knew the use of the magic tools she stole from the three adept witches. moreover, from all reports these adepts practiced only good witchcraft, such as would be helpful to their people, while coo-ee-oh performed only evil." "perhaps she turned the good things to evil uses?" suggested dorothy. "yes, and with the knowledge she gained coo-ee-oh doubtless invented many evil things quite unknown to the good adepts, who are now fishes," added ozma. "it is unfortunate for us that the queen kept her secrets so closely guarded, for no one but herself could use any of these strange things gathered in this room." "couldn't we capture the diamond swan and make her tell the secrets?" asked dorothy. "no; even were we able to capture her, coo-ee-oh now has forgotten all the magic she ever knew. but until we ourselves escape from this dome we could not capture the swan, and were we to escape we would have no use for coo-ee-oh's magic." "that's a fact," admitted dorothy. "but--say, ozma, here's a good idea! couldn't we capture the three fishes--the gold and silver and bronze ones, and couldn't you transform 'em back to their own shapes, and then couldn't the three adepts get us out of here?" "you are not very practical, dorothy dear. it would be as hard for us to capture the three fishes, from among all the other fishes in the lake, as to capture the swan." "but if we could, it would be more help to us," persisted the little girl. "that is true," answered ozma, smiling at her friend's eagerness. "you find a way to catch the fish, and i'll promise when they are caught to restore them to their proper forms." "i know you think i can't do it," replied dorothy, "but i'm going to try." she left the palace and went to a place where she could look through a clear pane of the glass dome into the surrounding water. immediately she became interested in the queer sights that met her view. the lake of the skeezers was inhabited by fishes of many kinds and many sizes. the water was so transparent that the girl could see for a long distance and the fishes came so close to the glass of the dome that sometimes they actually touched it. on the white sands at the bottom of the lake were star-fish, lobsters, crabs and many shell fish of strange shapes and with shells of gorgeous hues. the water foliage was of brilliant colors and to dorothy it resembled a splendid garden. but the fishes were the most interesting of all. some were big and lazy, floating slowly along or lying at rest with just their fins waving. many with big round eyes looked full at the girl as she watched them and dorothy wondered if they could hear her through the glass if she spoke to them. in oz, where all the animals and birds can talk, many fishes are able to talk also, but usually they are more stupid than birds and animals because they think slowly and haven't much to talk about. in the lake of the skeezers the fish of smaller size were more active than the big ones and darted quickly in and out among the swaying weeds, as if they had important business and were in a hurry. it was among the smaller varieties that dorothy hoped to spy the gold and silver and bronze fishes. she had an idea the three would keep together, being companions now as they were in their natural forms, but such a multitude of fishes constantly passed, the scene shifting every moment, that she was not sure she would notice them even if they appeared in view. her eyes couldn't look in all directions and the fishes she sought might be on the other side of the dome, or far away in the lake. "p'raps, because they were afraid of coo-ee-oh, they've hid themselves somewhere, and don't know their enemy has been transformed," she reflected. she watched the fishes for a long time, until she became hungry and went back to the palace for lunch. but she was not discouraged. "anything new, ozma?" she asked. "no, dear. did you discover the three fishes?" "not yet. but there isn't anything better for me to do, ozma, so i guess i'll go back and watch again." chapter thirteen the alarm bell glinda, the good, in her palace in the quadling country, had many things to occupy her mind, for not only did she look after the weaving and embroidery of her bevy of maids, and assist all those who came to her to implore her help--beasts and birds as well as people--but she was a close student of the arts of sorcery and spent much time in her magical laboratory, where she strove to find a remedy for every evil and to perfect her skill in magic. nevertheless, she did not forget to look in the great book of records each day to see if any mention was made of the visit of ozma and dorothy to the enchanted mountain of the flatheads and the magic isle of the skeezers. the records told her that ozma had arrived at the mountain, that she had escaped, with her companion, and gone to the island of the skeezers, and that queen coo-ee-oh had submerged the island so that it was entirely under water. then came the statement that the flatheads had come to the lake to poison the fishes and that their supreme dictator had transformed queen coo-ee-oh into a swan. no other details were given in the great book and so glinda did not know that since coo-ee-oh had forgotten her magic none of the skeezers knew how to raise the island to the surface again. so glinda was not worried about ozma and dorothy until one morning, while she sat with her maids, there came a sudden clang of the great alarm bell. this was so unusual that every maid gave a start and even the sorceress for a moment could not think what the alarm meant. then she remembered the ring she had given dorothy when she left the palace to start on her venture. in giving the ring glinda had warned the little girl not to use its magic powers unless she and ozma were in real danger, but then she was to turn it on her finger once to the right and once to the left and glinda's alarm bell would ring. so the sorceress now knew that danger threatened her beloved ruler and princess dorothy, and she hurried to her magic room to seek information as to what sort of danger it was. the answer to her question was not very satisfactory, for it was only: "ozma and dorothy are prisoners in the great dome of the isle of the skeezers, and the dome is under the water of the lake." "hasn't ozma the power to raise the island to the surface?" inquired glinda. "no," was the reply, and the record refused to say more except that queen coo-ee-oh, who alone could command the island to rise, had been transformed by the flathead su-dic into a diamond swan. then glinda consulted the past records of the skeezers in the great book. after diligent search she discovered that coo-ee-oh was a powerful sorceress who had gained most of her power by treacherously transforming the adepts of magic, who were visiting her, into three fishes--gold, silver and bronze--after which she had them cast into the lake. glinda reflected earnestly on this information and decided that someone must go to ozma's assistance. while there was no great need of haste, because ozma and dorothy could live in a submerged dome a long time, it was evident they could not get out until someone was able to raise the island. the sorceress looked through all her recipes and books of sorcery, but could find no magic that would raise a sunken island. such a thing had never before been required in sorcery. then glinda made a little island, covered by a glass dome, and sunk it in a pond near her castle, and experimented in magical ways to bring it to the surface. she made several such experiments, but all were failures. it seemed a simple thing to do, yet she could not do it. nevertheless, the wise sorceress did not despair of finding a way to liberate her friends. finally she concluded that the best thing to do was to go to the skeezer country and examine the lake. while there she was more likely to discover a solution to the problem that bothered her, and to work out a plan for the rescue of ozma and dorothy. so glinda summoned her storks and her aerial chariot, and telling her maids she was going on a journey and might not soon return, she entered the chariot and was carried swiftly to the emerald city. in princess ozma's palace the scarecrow was now acting as ruler of the land of oz. there wasn't much for him to do, because all the affairs of state moved so smoothly, but he was there in case anything unforeseen should happen. glinda found the scarecrow playing croquet with trot and betsy bobbin, two little girls who lived at the palace under ozma's protection and were great friends of dorothy and much loved by all the oz people. "something's happened!" cried trot, as the chariot of the sorceress descended near them. "glinda never comes here 'cept something's gone wrong." "i hope no harm has come to ozma, or dorothy," said betsy anxiously, as the lovely sorceress stepped down from her chariot. glinda approached the scarecrow and told him of the dilemma of ozma and dorothy and she added: "we must save them, somehow, scarecrow." "of course," replied the scarecrow, stumbling over a wicket and falling flat on his painted face. the girls picked him up and patted his straw stuffing into shape, and he continued, as if nothing had occurred: "but you'll have to tell me what to do, for i never have raised a sunken island in all my life." "we must have a council of state as soon as possible," proposed the sorceress. "please send messengers to summon all of ozma's counsellors to this palace. then we can decide what is best to be done." the scarecrow lost no time in doing this. fortunately most of the royal counsellors were in the emerald city or near to it, so they all met in the throne room of the palace that same evening. chapter fourteen ozma's counsellors no ruler ever had such a queer assortment of advisers as the princess ozma had gathered about her throne. indeed, in no other country could such amazing people exist. but ozma loved them for their peculiarities and could trust every one of them. first there was the tin woodman. every bit of him was tin, brightly polished. all his joints were kept well oiled and moved smoothly. he carried a gleaming axe to prove he was a woodman, but seldom had cause to use it because he lived in a magnificent tin castle in the winkie country of oz and was the emperor of all the winkies. the tin woodman's name was nick chopper. he had a very good mind, but his heart was not of much account, so he was very careful to do nothing unkind or to hurt anyone's feelings. another counsellor was scraps, the patchwork girl of oz, who was made of a gaudy patchwork quilt, cut into shape and stuffed with cotton. this patchwork girl was very intelligent, but so full of fun and mad pranks that a lot of more stupid folks thought she must be crazy. scraps was jolly under all conditions, however grave they might be, but her laughter and good spirits were of value in cheering others and in her seemingly careless remarks much wisdom could often be found. then there was the shaggy man--shaggy from head to foot, hair and whiskers, clothes and shoes--but very kind and gentle and one of ozma's most loyal supporters. tik-tok was there, a copper man with machinery inside him, so cleverly constructed that he moved, spoke and thought by three separate clock-works. tik-tok was very reliable because he always did exactly what he was wound up to do, but his machinery was liable to run down at times and then he was quite helpless until wound up again. a different sort of person was jack pumpkinhead, one of ozma's oldest friends and her companion on many adventures. jack's body was very crude and awkward, being formed of limbs of trees of different sizes, jointed with wooden pegs. but it was a substantial body and not likely to break or wear out, and when it was dressed the clothes covered much of its roughness. the head of jack pumpkinhead was, as you have guessed, a ripe pumpkin, with the eyes, nose and mouth carved upon one side. the pumpkin was stuck on jack's wooden neck and was liable to get turned sidewise or backward and then he would have to straighten it with his wooden hands. the worst thing about this sort of a head was that it did not keep well and was sure to spoil sooner or later. so jack's main business was to grow a field of fine pumpkins each year, and always before his old head spoiled he would select a fresh pumpkin from the field and carve the features on it very neatly, and have it ready to replace the old head whenever it became necessary. he didn't always carve it the same way, so his friends never knew exactly what sort of an expression they would find on his face. but there was no mistaking him, because he was the only pumpkin-headed man alive in the land of oz. a one-legged sailor-man was a member of ozma's council. his name was cap'n bill and he had come to the land of oz with trot, and had been made welcome on account of his cleverness, honesty and good nature. he wore a wooden leg to replace the one he had lost and was a great friend of all the children in oz because he could whittle all sorts of toys out of wood with his big jack-knife. professor h. m. wogglebug, t. e., was another member of the council. the "h. m." meant highly magnified, for the professor was once a little bug, who became magnified to the size of a man and always remained so. the "t. e." meant that he was thoroughly educated. he was at the head of princess ozma's royal athletic college, and so that the students would not have to study and so lose much time that could be devoted to athletic sports, such as football, baseball and the like, professor wogglebug had invented the famous educational pills. if one of the college students took a geography pill after breakfast, he knew his geography lesson in an instant; if he took a spelling pill he at once knew his spelling lesson, and an arithmetic pill enabled the student to do any kind of sum without having to think about it. these useful pills made the college very popular and taught the boys and girls of oz their lessons in the easiest possible way. in spite of this, professor wogglebug was not a favorite outside his college, for he was very conceited and admired himself so much and displayed his cleverness and learning so constantly, that no one cared to associate with him. ozma found him of value in her councils, nevertheless. perhaps the most splendidly dressed of all those present was a great frog as large as a man, called the frogman, who was noted for his wise sayings. he had come to the emerald city from the yip country of oz and was a guest of honor. his long-tailed coat was of velvet, his vest of satin and his trousers of finest silk. there were diamond buckles on his shoes and he carried a gold-headed cane and a high silk hat. all of the bright colors were represented in his rich attire, so it tired one's eyes to look at him for long, until one became used to his splendor. the best farmer in all oz was uncle henry, who was dorothy's own uncle, and who now lived near the emerald city with his wife aunt em. uncle henry taught the oz people how to grow the finest vegetables and fruits and grains and was of much use to ozma in keeping the royal storehouses well filled. he, too, was a counsellor. the reason i mention the little wizard of oz last is because he was the most important man in the land of oz. he wasn't a big man in size but he was a man in power and intelligence and second only to glinda the good in all the mystic arts of magic. glinda had taught him, and the wizard and the sorceress were the only ones in oz permitted by law to practice wizardry and sorcery, which they applied only to good uses and for the benefit of the people. the wizard wasn't exactly handsome but he was pleasant to look at. his bald head was as shiny as if it had been varnished; there was always a merry twinkle in his eyes and he was as spry as a schoolboy. dorothy says the reason the wizard is not as powerful as glinda is because glinda didn't teach him all she knows, but what the wizard knows he knows very well and so he performs some very remarkable magic. the ten i have mentioned assembled, with the scarecrow and glinda, in ozma's throne room, right after dinner that evening, and the sorceress told them all she knew of the plight of ozma and dorothy. "of course we must rescue them," she continued, "and the sooner they are rescued the better pleased they will be; but what we must now determine is how they can be saved. that is why i have called you together in council." "the easiest way," remarked the shaggy man, "is to raise the sunken island of the skeezers to the top of the water again." "tell me how?" said glinda. "i don't know how, your highness, for i have never raised a sunken island." "we might all get under it and lift," suggested professor wogglebug. "how can we get under it when it rests on the bottom of the lake?" asked the sorceress. "couldn't we throw a rope around it and pull it ashore?" inquired jack pumpkinhead. "why not pump the water out of the lake?" suggested the patchwork girl with a laugh. "do be sensible!" pleaded glinda. "this is a serious matter, and we must give it serious thought." "how big is the lake and how big is the island?" was the frogman's question. "none of us can tell, for we have not been there." "in that case," said the scarecrow, "it appears to me we ought to go to the skeezer country and examine it carefully." "quite right," agreed the tin woodman. "we-will-have-to-go-there-any-how," remarked tik-tok in his jerky machine voice. "the question is which of us shall go, and how many of us?" said the wizard. "i shall go of course," declared the scarecrow. "and i," said scraps. "it is my duty to ozma to go," asserted the tin woodman. "i could not stay away, knowing our loved princess is in danger," said the wizard. "we all feel like that," uncle henry said. finally one and all present decided to go to the skeezer country, with glinda and the little wizard to lead them. magic must meet magic in order to conquer it, so these two skillful magic-workers were necessary to insure the success of the expedition. they were all ready to start at a moment's notice, for none had any affairs of importance to attend to. jack was wearing a newly made pumpkin-head and the scarecrow had recently been stuffed with fresh straw. tik-tok's machinery was in good running order and the tin woodman always was well oiled. "it is quite a long journey," said glinda, "and while i might travel quickly to the skeezer country by means of my stork chariot the rest of you will be obliged to walk. so, as we must keep together, i will send my chariot back to my castle and we will plan to leave the emerald city at sunrise to-morrow." chapter fifteen the great sorceress betsy and trot, when they heard of the rescue expedition, begged the wizard to permit them to join it and he consented. the glass cat, overhearing the conversation, wanted to go also and to this the wizard made no objection. this glass cat was one of the real curiosities of oz. it had been made and brought to life by a clever magician named dr. pipt, who was not now permitted to work magic and was an ordinary citizen of the emerald city. the cat was of transparent glass, through which one could plainly see its ruby heart beating and its pink brains whirling around in the top of the head. the glass cat's eyes were emeralds; its fluffy tail was of spun glass and very beautiful. the ruby heart, while pretty to look at, was hard and cold and the glass cat's disposition was not pleasant at all times. it scorned to catch mice, did not eat, and was extremely lazy. if you complimented the remarkable cat on her beauty, she would be very friendly, for she loved admiration above everything. the pink brains were always working and their owner was indeed more intelligent than most common cats. three other additions to the rescue party were made the next morning, just as they were setting out upon their journey. the first was a little boy called button bright, because he had no other name that anyone could remember. he was a fine, manly little fellow, well mannered and good humored, who had only one bad fault. he was continually getting lost. to be sure, button bright got found as often as he got lost, but when he was missing his friends could not help being anxious about him. "some day," predicted the patchwork girl, "he won't be found, and that will be the last of him." but that didn't worry button bright, who was so careless that he did not seem to be able to break the habit of getting lost. the second addition to the party was a munchkin boy of about button bright's age, named ojo. he was often called "ojo the lucky," because good fortune followed him wherever he went. he and button bright were close friends, although of such different natures, and trot and betsy were fond of both. the third and last to join the expedition was an enormous lion, one of ozma's regular guardians and the most important and intelligent beast in all oz. he called himself the cowardly lion, saying that every little danger scared him so badly that his heart thumped against his ribs, but all who knew him knew that the cowardly lion's fears were coupled with bravery and that however much he might be frightened he summoned courage to meet every danger he encountered. often he had saved dorothy and ozma in times of peril, but afterward he moaned and trembled and wept because he had been so scared. "if ozma needs help, i'm going to help her," said the great beast. "also, i suspect the rest of you may need me on the journey--especially trot and betsy--for you may pass through a dangerous part of the country. i know that wild gillikin country pretty well. its forests harbor many ferocious beasts." they were glad the cowardly lion was to join them, and in good spirits the entire party formed a procession and marched out of the emerald city amid the shouts of the people, who wished them success and a safe return with their beloved ruler. they followed a different route from that taken by ozma and dorothy, for they went through the winkie country and up north toward oogaboo. but before they got there they swerved to the left and entered the great gillikin forest, the nearest thing to a wilderness in all oz. even the cowardly lion had to admit that certain parts of this forest were unknown to him, although he had often wandered among the trees, and the scarecrow and tin woodman, who were great travelers, never had been there at all. the forest was only reached after a tedious tramp, for some of the rescue expedition were quite awkward on their feet. the patchwork girl was as light as a feather and very spry; the tin woodman covered the ground as easily as uncle henry and the wizard; but tik-tok moved slowly and the slightest obstruction in the road would halt him until the others cleared it away. then, too, tik-tok's machinery kept running down, so betsy and trot took turns in winding it up. the scarecrow was more clumsy but less bother, for although he often stumbled and fell he could scramble up again and a little patting of his straw-stuffed body would put him in good shape again. another awkward one was jack pumpkinhead, for walking would jar his head around on his neck and then he would be likely to go in the wrong direction. but the frogman took jack's arm and then he followed the path more easily. cap'n bill's wooden leg didn't prevent him from keeping up with the others and the old sailor could walk as far as any of them. when they entered the forest the cowardly lion took the lead. there was no path here for men, but many beasts had made paths of their own which only the eyes of the lion, practiced in woodcraft, could discern. so he stalked ahead and wound his way in and out, the others following in single file, glinda being next to the lion. there are dangers in the forest, of course, but as the huge lion headed the party he kept the wild denizens of the wilderness from bothering the travelers. once, to be sure, an enormous leopard sprang upon the glass cat and caught her in his powerful jaws, but he broke several of his teeth and with howls of pain and dismay dropped his prey and vanished among the trees. "are you hurt?" trot anxiously inquired of the glass cat. "how silly!" exclaimed the creature in an irritated tone of voice; "nothing can hurt glass, and i'm too solid to break easily. but i'm annoyed at that leopard's impudence. he has no respect for beauty or intelligence. if he had noticed my pink brains work, i'm sure he would have realized i'm too important to be grabbed in a wild beast's jaws." "never mind," said trot consolingly; "i'm sure he won't do it again." they were almost in the center of the forest when ojo, the munchkin boy, suddenly said: "why, where's button bright?" they halted and looked around them. button bright was not with the party. "dear me," remarked betsy, "i expect he's lost again!" "when did you see him last, ojo?" inquired glinda. "it was some time ago," replied ojo. "he was trailing along at the end and throwing twigs at the squirrels in the trees. then i went to talk to betsy and trot, and just now i noticed he was gone." "this is too bad," declared the wizard, "for it is sure to delay our journey. we must find button bright before we go any farther, for this forest is full of ferocious beasts that would not hesitate to tear the boy to pieces." "but what shall we do?" asked the scarecrow. "if any of us leaves the party to search for button bright he or she might fall a victim to the beasts, and if the lion leaves us we will have no protector. "the glass cat could go," suggested the frogman. "the beasts can do her no harm, as we have discovered." the wizard turned to glinda. "cannot your sorcery discover where button bright is?" he asked. "i think so," replied the sorceress. she called to uncle henry, who had been carrying her wicker box, to bring it to her, and when he obeyed she opened it and drew out a small round mirror. on the surface of the glass she dusted a white powder and then wiped it away with her handkerchief and looked in the mirror. it reflected a part of the forest, and there, beneath a wide-spreading tree, button bright was lying asleep. on one side of him crouched a tiger, ready to spring; on the other side was a big gray wolf, its bared fangs glistening in a wicked way. "goodness me!" cried trot, looking over glinda's shoulder. "they'll catch and kill him sure." everyone crowded around for a glimpse at the magic mirror. "pretty bad--pretty bad!" said the scarecrow sorrowfully. "comes of getting lost!" said cap'n bill, sighing. "guess he's a goner!" said the frogman, wiping his eyes on his purple silk handkerchief. "but where is he? can't we save him?" asked ojo the lucky. "if we knew where he is we could probably save him," replied the little wizard, "but that tree looks so much like all the other trees, that we can't tell whether it's far away or near by." "look at glinda!" exclaimed betsy glinda, having handed the mirror to the wizard, had stepped aside and was making strange passes with her outstretched arms and reciting in low, sweet tones a mystical incantation. most of them watched the sorceress with anxious eyes, despair giving way to the hope that she might be able to save their friend. the wizard, however, watched the scene in the mirror, while over his shoulders peered trot, the scarecrow and the shaggy man. what they saw was more strange than glinda's actions. the tiger started to spring on the sleeping boy, but suddenly lost its power to move and lay flat upon the ground. the gray wolf seemed unable to lift its feet from the ground. it pulled first at one leg and then at another, and finding itself strangely confined to the spot began to back and snarl angrily. they couldn't hear the barkings and snarls, but they could see the creature's mouth open and its thick lips move. button bright, however, being but a few feet away from the wolf, heard its cries of rage, which wakened him from his untroubled sleep. the boy sat up and looked first at the tiger and then at the wolf. his face showed that for a moment he was quite frightened, but he soon saw that the beasts were unable to approach him and so he got upon his feet and examined them curiously, with a mischievous smile upon his face. then he deliberately kicked the tiger's head with his foot and catching up a fallen branch of a tree he went to the wolf and gave it a good whacking. both the beasts were furious at such treatment but could not resent it. button bright now threw down the stick and with his hands in his pockets wandered carelessly away. "now," said glinda, "let the glass cat run and find him. he is in that direction," pointing the way, "but how far off i do not know. make haste and lead him back to us as quickly as you can." the glass cat did not obey everyone's orders, but she really feared the great sorceress, so as soon as the words were spoken the crystal animal darted away and was quickly lost to sight. the wizard handed the mirror back to glinda, for the woodland scene had now faded from the glass. then those who cared to rest sat down to await button bright's coming. it was not long before hye appeared through the trees and as he rejoined his friends he said in a peevish tone: "don't ever send that glass cat to find me again. she was very impolite and, if we didn't all know that she had no manners, i'd say she insulted me." glinda turned upon the boy sternly. "you have caused all of us much anxiety and annoyance," said she. "only my magic saved you from destruction. i forbid you to get lost again." "of course," he answered. "it won't be my fault if i get lost again; but it wasn't my fault this time." chapter sixteen the enchanted fishes i must now tell you what happened to ervic and the three other skeezers who were left floating in the iron boat after queen coo-ee-oh had been transformed into a diamond swan by the magic of the flathead su-dic. the four skeezers were all young men and their leader was ervic. coo-ee-oh had taken them with her in the boat to assist her if she captured the flathead chief, as she hoped to do by means of her silver rope. they knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the submarine and so, when left floating upon the lake, were at a loss what to do. the submarine could not be submerged by them or made to return to the sunken island. there were neither oars nor sails in the boat, which was not anchored but drifted quietly upon the surface of the lake. the diamond swan had no further thought or care for her people. she had sailed over to the other side of the lake and all the calls and pleadings of ervic and his companions were unheeded by the vain bird. as there was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in their boat and waited as patiently as they could for someone to come to their aid. the flatheads had refused to help them and had gone back to their mountain. all the skeezers were imprisoned in the great dome and could not help even themselves. when evening came, they saw the diamond swan, still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake, walk out of the water to the sands, shake her diamond-sprinkled feathers, and then disappear among the bushes to seek a resting place for the night. "i'm hungry," said ervic. "i'm cold," said another skeezer. "i'm tired," said a third. "i'm afraid," said the last one of them. but it did them no good to complain. night fell and the moon rose and cast a silvery sheen over the surface of the water. "go to sleep," said ervic to his companions. "i'll stay awake and watch, for we may be rescued in some unexpected way." so the other three laid themselves down in the bottom of the boat and were soon fast asleep. ervic watched. he rested himself by leaning over the bow of the boat, his face near to the moonlit water, and thought dreamily of the day's surprising events and wondered what would happen to the prisoners in the great dome. suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the surface of the lake, not more than a foot from his eyes. a silverfish then raised its head beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefish lifted its head beside the others. the three fish, all in a row, looked earnestly with their round, bright eyes into the astonished eyes of ervic the skeezer. "we are the three adepts whom queen coo-ee-oh betrayed and wickedly transformed," said the goldfish, its voice low and soft but distinctly heard in the stillness of the night. "i know of our queen's treacherous deed," replied ervic, "and i am sorry for your misfortune. have you been in the lake ever since?" "yes," was the reply. "i--i hope you are well--and comfortable," stammered ervic, not knowing what else to say. "we knew that some day coo-ee-oh would meet with the fate she so richly deserves," declared the bronzefish. "we have waited and watched for this time. now if you will promise to help us and will be faithful and true, you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and save yourself and all your people from the dangers that now threaten you." "well," said ervic, "you can depend on my doing the best i can. but i'm no witch, nor magician, you must know." "all we ask is that you obey our instructions," returned the silverfish. "we know that you are honest and that you served coo-ee-oh only because you were obliged to in order to escape her anger. do as we command and all will be well." "i promise!" exclaimed the young man. "tell me what i am to do first." "you will find in the bottom of your boat the silver cord which dropped from coo-ee-oh's hand when she was transformed," said the goldfish. "tie one end of that cord to the bow of your boat and drop the other end to us in the water. together we will pull your boat to the shore." ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could move so heavy a boat, but he did as he was told and the fishes all seized their end of the silver cord in their mouths and headed toward the nearest shore, which was the very place where the flatheads had stood when they conquered queen coo-ee-oh. at first the boat did not move at all, although the fishes pulled with all their strength. but presently the strain began to tell. very slowly the boat crept toward the shore, gaining more speed at every moment. a couple of yards away from the sandy beach the fishes dropped the cord from their mouths and swam to one side, while the iron boat, being now under way, continued to move until its prow grated upon the sands. ervic leaned over the side and said to the fishes: "what next?" "you will find upon the sand," said the silverfish, "a copper kettle, which the su-dic forgot when he went away. cleanse it thoroughly in the water of the lake, for it has had poison in it. when it is cleaned, fill it with fresh water and hold it over the side of the boat, so that we three may swim into the kettle. we will then instruct you further." "do you wish me to catch you, then?" asked ervic in surprise. "yes," was the reply. so ervic jumped out of the boat and found the copper kettle. carrying it a little way down the beach, he washed it well, scrubbing away every drop of the poison it had contained with sand from the shore. then he went back to the boat. ervic's comrades were still sound asleep and knew nothing of the three fishes or what strange happenings were taking place about them. ervic dipped the kettle in the lake, holding fast to the handle until it was under water. the gold and silver and bronze fishes promptly swam into the kettle. the young skeezer then lifted it, poured out a little of the water so it would not spill over the edge, and said to the fishes: "what next?" "carry the kettle to the shore. take one hundred steps to the east, along the edge of the lake, and then you will see a path leading through the meadows, up hill and down dale. follow the path until you come to a cottage which is painted a purple color with white trimmings. when you stop at the gate of this cottage we will tell you what to do next. be careful, above all, not to stumble and spill the water from the kettle, or you would destroy us and all you have done would be in vain." the goldfish issued these commands and ervic promised to be careful and started to obey. he left his sleeping comrades in the boat, stepping cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the shore took exactly one hundred steps to the east. then he looked for the path and the moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered it, although it was hidden from view by tall weeds until one came full upon it. this path was very narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it was quite distinct and ervic had no difficulty in following it. he walked through a broad meadow, covered with tall grass and weeds, up a hill and down into a valley and then up another hill and down again. it seemed to ervic that he had walked miles and miles. indeed the moon sank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he discovered by the roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple with white trimmings. it was a lonely place--no other buildings were anywhere about and the ground was not tilled at all. no farmer lived here, that was certain. who would care to dwell in such an isolated place? but ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. he went up to the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle carefully down and bending over it asked: "what next?" chapter seventeen under the great dome when glinda the good and her followers of the rescue expedition came in sight of the enchanted mountain of the flatheads, it was away to the left of them, for the route they had taken through the great forest was some distance from that followed by ozma and dorothy. they halted awhile to decide whether they should call upon the supreme dictator first, or go on to the lake of the skeezers. "if we go to the mountain," said the wizard, "we may get into trouble with that wicked su-dic, and then we would be delayed in rescuing ozma and dorothy. so i think our best plan will be to go to the skeezer country, raise the sunken island and save our friends and the imprisoned skeezers. afterward we can visit the mountain and punish the cruel magician of the flatheads." "that is sensible," approved the shaggy man. "i quite agree with you." the others, too, seemed to think the wizard's plan the best, and glinda herself commended it, so on they marched toward the line of palm trees that hid the skeezers' lake from view. pretty soon they came to the palms. these were set closely together, the branches, which came quite to the ground, being so tightly interlaced that even the glass cat could scarcely find a place to squeeze through. the path which the flatheads used was some distance away. "here's a job for the tin woodman," said the scarecrow. so the tin woodman, who was always glad to be of use, set to work with his sharp, gleaming axe, which he always carried, and in a surprisingly short time had chopped away enough branches to permit them all to pass easily through the trees. now the clear waters of the beautiful lake were before them and by looking closely they could see the outlines of the great dome of the sunken island, far from shore and directly in the center of the lake. of course every eye was at first fixed upon this dome, where ozma and dorothy and the skeezers were still fast prisoners. but soon their attention was caught by a more brilliant sight, for here was the diamond swan swimming just before them, its long neck arched proudly, the amethyst eyes gleaming and all the diamond-sprinkled feathers glistening splendidly under the rays of the sun. "that," said glinda, "is the transformation of queen coo-ce-oh, the haughty and wicked witch who betrayed the three adepts at magic and treated her people like slaves." "she's wonderfully beautiful now," remarked the frogman. "it doesn't seem like much of a punishment," said trot. "the flathead su-dic ought to have made her a toad." "i am sure coo-ee-oh is punished," said glinda, "for she has lost all her magic power and her grand palace and can no longer misrule the poor skeezers." "let us call to her, and hear what she has to say," proposed the wizard. so glinda beckoned the diamond swan, which swam gracefully to a position near them. before anyone could speak coo-ee-oh called to them in a rasping voice--for the voice of a swan is always harsh and unpleasant--and said with much pride: "admire me, strangers! admire the lovely coo-ee-oh, the handsomest creature in all oz. admire me!" "handsome is as handsome does," replied the scarecrow. "are your deeds lovely, coo-ce-oh?" "deeds? what deeds can a swan do but swim around and give pleasure to all beholders?" said the sparkling bird. "have you forgotten your former life? have you forgotten your magic and witchcraft?" inquired the wizard. "magic--witchcraft? pshaw, who cares for such silly things?" retorted coo-ee-oh. "as for my past life, it seems like an unpleasant dream. i wouldn't go back to it if i could. don't you admire my beauty, strangers?" "tell us, coo-ee-oh," said glinda earnestly, "if you can recall enough of your witchcraft to enable us to raise the sunken island to the surface of the lake. tell us that and i'll give you a string of pearls to wear around your neck and add to your beauty." "nothing can add to my beauty, for i'm the most beautiful creature anywhere in the whole world." "but how can we raise the island?" "i don't know and i don't care. if ever i knew i've forgotten, and i'm glad of it," was the response. "just watch me circle around and see me glitter! "it's no use," said button bright; "the old swan is too much in love with herself to think of anything else." "that's a fact," agreed betsy with a sigh; "but we've got to get ozma and dorothy out of that lake, somehow or other." "and we must do it in our own way," added the scarecrow. "but how?" asked uncle henry in a grave voice, for he could not bear to think of his dear niece dorothy being out there under water; "how shall we do it?" "leave that to glinda," advised the wizard, realizing he was helpless to do it himself. "if it were just an ordinary sunken island," said the powerful sorceress, "there would be several ways by which i might bring it to the surface again. but this is a magic isle, and by some curious art of witchcraft, unknown to any but queen coo-ce-oh, it obeys certain commands of magic and will not respond to any other. i do not despair in the least, but it will require some deep study to solve this difficult problem. if the swan could only remember the witchcraft that she invented and knew as a woman, i could force her to tell me the secret, but all her former knowledge is now forgotten." "it seems to me," said the wizard after a brief silence had followed glinda's speech, "that there are three fishes in this lake that used to be adepts at magic and from whom coo-ee-oh stole much of her knowledge. if we could find those fishes and return them to their former shapes, they could doubtless tell us what to do to bring the sunken island to the surface." "i have thought of those fishes," replied glinda, "but among so many fishes as this lake contains how are we to single them out?" you will understand, of course, that had glinda been at home in her castle, where the great book of records was, she would have known that ervic the skeezer already had taken the gold and silver and bronze fishes from the lake. but that act had been recorded in the book after glinda had set out on this journey, so it was all unknown to her. "i think i see a boat yonder on the shore," said ojo the munchkin boy, pointing to a place around the edge of the lake. "if we could get that boat and row all over the lake, calling to the magic fishes, we might be able to find them." "let us go to the boat," said the wizard. they walked around the lake to where the boat was stranded upon the beach, but found it empty. it was a mere shell of blackened steel, with a collapsible roof that, when in position, made the submarine watertight, but at present the roof rested in slots on either side of the magic craft. there were no oars or sails, no machinery to make the boat go, and although glinda promptly realized it was meant to be operated by witchcraft, she was not acquainted with that sort of magic. "however," said she, "the boat is merely a boat, and i believe i can make it obey a command of sorcery, as well as it did the command of witchcraft. after i have given a little thought to the matter, the boat will take us wherever we desire to go." "not all of us," returned the wizard, "for it won't hold so many. but, most noble sorceress, provided you can make the boat go, of what use will it be to us?" "can't we use it to catch the three fishes?" asked button bright. "it will not be necessary to use the boat for that purpose," replied glinda. "wherever in the lake the enchanted fishes may be, they will answer to my call. what i am trying to discover is how the boat came to be on this shore, while the island on which it belongs is under water yonder. did coo-ee-oh come here in the boat to meet the flatheads before the island was sunk, or afterward?" no one could answer that question, of course; but while they pondered the matter three young men advanced from the line of trees, and rather timidly bowed to the strangers. "who are you, and where did you come from?" inquired the wizard. "we are skeezers," answered one of them, "and our home is on the magic isle of the lake. we ran away when we saw you coming, and hid behind the trees, but as you are strangers and seem to be friendly we decided to meet you, for we are in great trouble and need assistance." "if you belong on the island, why are you here?" demanded glinda. so they told her all the story: how the queen had defied the flatheads and submerged the whole island so that her enemies could not get to it or destroy it; how, when the flatheads came to the shore, coo-ee-oh had commanded them, together with their friend ervic, to go with her in the submarine to conquer the su-dic, and how the boat had shot out from the basement of the sunken isle, obeying a magic word, and risen to the surface, where it opened and floated upon the water. then followed the account of how the su-dic had transformed coo-ee-oh into a swan, after which she had forgotten all the witchcraft she ever knew. the young men told how, in the night when they were asleep, their comrade ervic had mysteriously disappeared, while the boat in some strange manner had floated to the shore and stranded upon the beach. that was all they knew. they had searched in vain for three days for ervic. as their island was under water and they could not get back to it, the three skeezers had no place to go, and so had waited patiently beside their boat for something to happen. being questioned by glinda and the wizard, they told all they knew about ozma and dorothy and declared the two girls were still in the village under the great dome. they were quite safe and would be well cared for by lady aurex, now that the queen who opposed them was out of the way. when they had gleaned all the information they could from these skeezers, the wizard said to glinda: "if you find you can make this boat obey your sorcery, you could have it return to the island, submerge itself, and enter the door in the basement from which it came. but i cannot see that our going to the sunken island would enable our friends to escape. we would only join them as prisoners." "not so, friend wizard," replied glinda. "if the boat would obey my commands to enter the basement door, it would also obey my commands to come out again, and i could bring ozma and dorothy back with me." "and leave all of our people still imprisoned?" asked one of the skeezers reproachfully. "by making several trips in the boat, glinda could fetch all your people to the shore," replied the wizard. "but what could they do then?" inquired another skeezer. "they would have no homes and no place to go, and would be at the mercy of their enemies, the flatheads." "that is true," said glinda the good. "and as these people are ozma's subjects, i think she would refuse to escape with dorothy and leave the others behind, or to abandon the island which is the lawful home of the skeezers. i believe the best plan will be to summon the three fishes and learn from them how to raise the island." the little wizard seemed to think that this was rather a forlorn hope. "how will you summon them," he asked the lovely sorceress, "and how can they hear you?" "that is something we must consider carefully," responded stately glinda, with a serene smile. "i think i can find a way." all of ozma's counsellors applauded this sentiment, for they knew well the powers of the sorceress. "very well," agreed the wizard. "summon them, most noble glinda." chapter eighteen the cleverness of ervic we must now return to ervic the skeezer, who, when he had set down the copper kettle containing the three fishes at the gate of the lonely cottage, had asked, "what next?" the goldfish stuck its head above the water in the kettle and said in its small but distinct voice: "you are to lift the latch, open the door, and walk boldly into the cottage. do not be afraid of anything you see, for however you seem to be threatened with dangers, nothing can harm you. the cottage is the home of a powerful yookoohoo, named reera the red, who assumes all sorts of forms, sometimes changing her form several times in a day, according to her fancy. what her real form may be we do not know. this strange creature cannot be bribed with treasure, or coaxed through friendship, or won by pity. she has never assisted anyone, or done wrong to anyone, that we know of. all her wonderful powers are used for her own selfish amusement. she will order you out of the house but you must refuse to go. remain and watch reera closely and try to see what she uses to accomplish her transformations. if you can discover the secret whisper it to us and we will then tell you what to do next." "that sounds easy," returned ervic, who had listened carefully. "but are you sure she will not hurt me, or try to transform me?" "she may change your form," replied the goldfish, "but do not worry if that happens, for we can break that enchantment easily. you may be sure that nothing will harm you, so you must not be frightened at anything you see or hear." now ervic was as brave as any ordinary young man, and he knew the fishes who spoke to him were truthful and to be relied upon, nevertheless he experienced a strange sinking of the heart as he picked up the kettle and approached the door of the cottage. his hand trembled as he raised the latch, but he was resolved to obey his instructions. he pushed the door open, took three strides into the middle of the one room the cottage contained, and then stood still and looked around him. the sights that met his gaze were enough to frighten anyone who had not been properly warned. on the floor just before ervic lay a great crocodile, its red eyes gleaming wickedly and its wide open mouth displaying rows of sharp teeth. horned toads hopped about; each of the four upper corners of the room was festooned with a thick cobweb, in the center of which sat a spider as big around as a washbasin, and armed with pincher-like claws; a red-and-green lizard was stretched at full length on the window-sill and black rats darted in and out of the holes they had gnawed in the floor of the cottage. but the most startling thing was a huge gray ape which sat upon a bench and knitted. it wore a lace cap, such as old ladies wear, and a little apron of lace, but no other clothing. its eyes were bright and looked as if coals were burning in them. the ape moved as naturally as an ordinary person might, and on ervic's entrance stopped knitting and raised its head to look at him. "get out!" cried a sharp voice, seeming to come from the ape's mouth. ervic saw another bench, empty, just beyond him, so he stepped over the crocodile, sat down upon the bench and carefully placed the kettle beside him. "get out!" again cried the voice. ervic shook his head. "no," said he, "i'm going to stay." the spiders left their four corners, dropped to the floor and made a rush toward the young skeezer, circling around his legs with their pinchers extended. ervic paid no attention to them. an enormous black rat ran up ervic's body, passed around his shoulders and uttered piercing squeals in his ears, but he did not wince. the green-and-red lizard, coming from the window-sill, approached ervic and began spitting a flaming fluid at him, but ervic merely stared at the creature and its flame did not touch him. the crocodile raised its tail and, swinging around, swept ervic off the bench with a powerful blow. but the skeezer managed to save the kettle from upsetting and he got up, shook off the horned toads that were crawling over him and resumed his seat on the bench. all the creatures, after this first attack, remained motionless, as if awaiting orders. the old gray ape knitted on, not looking toward ervic now, and the young skeezer stolidly kept his seat. he expected something else to happen, but nothing did. a full hour passed and ervic was growing nervous. "what do you want?" the ape asked at last. "nothing," said ervic. "you may have that!" retorted the ape, and at this all the strange creatures in the room broke into a chorus of cackling laughter. another long wait. "do you know who i am?" questioned the ape. "you must be reera the red--the yookoohoo," ervic answered. "knowing so much, you must also know that i do not like strangers. your presence here in my home annoys me. do you not fear my anger?" "no," said the young man. "do you intend to obey me, and leave this house?" "no," replied ervic, just as quietly as the yookoohoo had spoken. the ape knitted for a long time before resuming the conversation. "curiosity," it said, "has led to many a man's undoing. i suppose in some way you have learned that i do tricks of magic, and so through curiosity you have come here. you may have been told that i do not injure anyone, so you are bold enough to disobey my commands to go away. you imagine that you may witness some of the rites of witchcraft, and that they may amuse you. have i spoken truly?" "well," remarked ervic, who had been pondering on the strange circumstances of his coming here, "you are right in some ways, but not in others. i am told that you work magic only for your own amusement. that seems to me very selfish. few people understand magic. i'm told that you are the only real yookoohoo in all oz. why don't you amuse others as well as yourself?" "what right have you to question my actions?" "none at all." "and you say you are not here to demand any favors of me?" "for myself i want nothing from you." "you are wise in that. i never grant favors." "that doesn't worry me," declared ervic. "but you are curious? you hope to witness some of my magic transformations?" "if you wish to perform any magic, go ahead," said ervic. "it may interest me and it may not. if you'd rather go on with your knitting, it's all the same to me. i am in no hurry at all." this may have puzzled red reera, but the face beneath the lace cap could show no expression, being covered with hair. perhaps in all her career the yookoohoo had never been visited by anyone who, like this young man, asked for nothing, expected nothing, and had no reason for coming except curiosity. this attitude practically disarmed the witch and she began to regard the skeezer in a more friendly way. she knitted for some time, seemingly in deep thought, and then she arose and walked to a big cupboard that stood against the wall of the room. when the cupboard door was opened ervic could see a lot of drawers inside, and into one of these drawers--the second from the bottom--reera thrust a hairy hand. until now ervic could see over the bent form of the ape, but suddenly the form, with its back to him, seemed to straighten up and blot out the cupboard of drawers. the ape had changed to the form of a woman, dressed in the pretty gillikin costume, and when she turned around he saw that it was a young woman, whose face was quite attractive. "do you like me better this way?" reera inquired with a smile. "you look better," he said calmly, "but i'm not sure i like you any better." she laughed, saying: "during the heat of the day i like to be an ape, for an ape doesn't wear any clothes to speak of. but if one has gentlemen callers it is proper to dress up." ervic noticed her right hand was closed, as if she held something in it. she shut the cupboard door, bent over the crocodile and in a moment the creature had changed to a red wolf. it was not pretty even now, and the wolf crouched beside its mistress as a dog might have done. its teeth looked as dangerous as had those of the crocodile. next the yookoohoo went about touching all the lizards and toads, and at her touch they became kittens. the rats she changed into chipmunks. now the only horrid creatures remaining were the four great spiders, which hid themselves behind their thick webs. "there!" reera cried, "now my cottage presents a more comfortable appearance. i love the toads and lizards and rats, because most people hate them, but i would tire of them if they always remained the same. sometimes i change their forms a dozen times a day." "you are clever," said ervic. "i did not hear you utter any incantations or magic words. all you did was to touch the creatures." "oh, do you think so?" she replied. "well, touch them yourself, if you like, and see if you can change their forms." "no," said the skeezer, "i don't understand magic and if i did i would not try to imitate your skill. you are a wonderful yookoohoo, while i am only a common skeezer." this confession seemed to please reera, who liked to have her witchcraft appreciated. "will you go away now?" she asked. "i prefer to be alone." "i prefer to stay here," said ervic. "in another person's home, where you are not wanted?" "yes." "is not your curiosity yet satisfied?" demanded reera, with a smile. "i don't know. is there anything else you can do?" "many things. but why should i exhibit my powers to a stranger?" "i can think of no reason at all," he replied. she looked at him curiously. "you want no power for yourself, you say, and you're too stupid to be able to steal my secrets. this isn't a pretty cottage, while outside are sunshine, broad prairies and beautiful wildflowers. yet you insist on sitting on that bench and annoying me with your unwelcome presence. what have you in that kettle?" "three fishes," he answered readily. "where did you get them?" "i caught them in the lake of the skeezers." "what do you intend to do with the fishes?" "i shall carry them to the home of a friend of mine who has three children. the children will love to have the fishes for pets." she came over to the bench and looked into the kettle, where the three fishes were swimming quietly in the water. "they're pretty," said reera. "let me transform them into something else." "no," objected the skeezer. "i love to transform things; it's so interesting. and i've never transformed any fishes in all my life." "let them alone," said ervic. "what shapes would you prefer them to have? i can make them turtles, or cute little sea-horses; or i could make them piglets, or rabbits, or guinea-pigs; or, if you like i can make chickens of them, or eagles, or bluejays." "let them alone!" repeated ervic. "you're not a very pleasant visitor," laughed red reera. "people accuse me of being cross and crabbed and unsociable, and they are quite right. if you had come here pleading and begging for favors, and half afraid of my yookoohoo magic, i'd have abused you until you ran away; but you're quite different from that. you're the unsociable and crabbed and disagreeable one, and so i like you, and bear with your grumpiness. it's time for my midday meal; are you hungry?" "no," said ervic, although he really desired food. "well, i am," reera declared and clapped her hands together. instantly a table appeared, spread with linen and bearing dishes of various foods, some smoking hot. there were two plates laid, one at each end of the table, and as soon as reera seated herself all her creatures gathered around her, as if they were accustomed to be fed when she ate. the wolf squatted at her right hand and the kittens and chipmunks gathered at her left. "come, stranger, sit down and eat," she called cheerfully, "and while we're eating let us decide into what forms we shall change your fishes." "they're all right as they are," asserted ervic, drawing up his bench to the table. "the fishes are beauties--one gold, one silver and one bronze. nothing that has life is more lovely than a beautiful fish." "what! am i not more lovely?" reera asked, smiling at his serious face. "i don't object to you--for a yookoohoo, you know," he said, helping himself to the food and eating with good appetite. "and don't you consider a beautiful girl more lovely than a fish, however pretty the fish may be?" "well," replied ervic, after a period of thought, "that might be. if you transformed my three fish into three girls--girls who would be adepts at magic, you know they might please me as well as the fish do. you won't do that of course, because you can't, with all your skill. and, should you be able to do so, i fear my troubles would be more than i could bear. they would not consent to be my slaves--especially if they were adepts at magic--and so they would command me to obey them. no, mistress reera, let us not transform the fishes at all." the skeezer had put his case with remarkable cleverness. he realized that if he appeared anxious for such a transformation the yookoohoo would not perform it, yet he had skillfully suggested that they be made adepts at magic. chapter nineteen red reera, the yookoohoo after the meal was over and reera had fed her pets, including the four monster spiders which had come down from their webs to secure their share, she made the table disappear from the floor of the cottage. "i wish you'd consent to my transforming your fishes," she said, as she took up her knitting again. the skeezer made no reply. he thought it unwise to hurry matters. all during the afternoon they sat silent. once reera went to her cupboard and after thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before, touched the wolf and transformed it into a bird with gorgeous colored feathers. this bird was larger than a parrot and of a somewhat different form, but ervic had never seen one like it before. "sing!" said reera to the bird, which had perched itself on a big wooden peg--as if it had been in the cottage before and knew just what to do. and the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words to them--just as a person who had been carefully trained might do. the songs were entertaining and ervic enjoyed listening to them. in an hour or so the bird stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and went to sleep. reera continued knitting but seemed thoughtful. now ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and had concluded that reera took something from it which enabled her to perform her transformations. he thought that if he managed to remain in the cottage, and reera fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard, take a portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping it into the copper kettle transform the three fishes into their natural shapes. indeed, he had firmly resolved to carry out this plan when the yookoohoo put down her knitting and walked toward the door. "i'm going out for a few minutes," said she; "do you wish to go with me, or will you remain here?" ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. so reera went out and closed the cottage door. as soon as she was gone, ervic rose and tiptoed to the cupboard. "take care! take care!" cried several voices, coming from the kittens and chipmunks. "if you touch anything we'll tell the yookoohoo!" ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he need not consider reera's anger if he succeeded in transforming the fishes, he was about to open the cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the fishes, which stuck their heads above the water in the kettle and called out: "come here, ervic!" so he went back to the kettle and bent over it "let the cupboard alone," said the goldfish to him earnestly. "you could not succeed by getting that magic powder, for only the yookoohoo knows how to use it. the best way is to allow her to transform us into three girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be able to perform all the arts of magic we have learned and well understand. you are acting wisely and in the most effective manner. we did not know you were so intelligent, or that reera could be so easily deceived by you. continue as you have begun and try to persuade her to transform us. but insist that we be given the forms of girls." the goldfish ducked its head down just as reera re-entered the cottage. she saw ervic bent over the kettle, so she came and joined him. "can your fishes talk?" she asked. "sometimes," he replied, "for all fishes in the land of oz know how to speak. just now they were asking me for some bread. they are hungry." "well, they can have some bread," said reera. "but it is nearly supper-time, and if you would allow me to transform your fishes into girls they could join us at the table and have plenty of food much nicer than crumbs. why not let me transform them?" "well," said ervic, as if hesitating, "ask the fishes. if they consent, why--why, then, i'll think it over." reera bent over the kettle and asked: "can you hear me, little fishes?" all three popped their heads above water. "we can hear you," said the bronzefish. "i want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or turtles or girls, or something; but your master, the surly skeezer, does not wish me to. however, he has agreed to the plan if you will consent." "we'd like to be girls," said the silverfish. "no, no!" exclaimed ervic. "if you promise to make us three beautiful girls, we will consent," said the goldfish. "no, no!" exclaimed ervic again. "also make us adepts at magic," added the bronzefish. "i don't know exactly what that means," replied reera musingly, "but as no adept at magic is as powerful as yookoohoo, i'll add that to the transformation." "we won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your magic in any way," promised the goldfish. "on the contrary, we will be your friends." "will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my cottage, whenever i command you to do so?" asked reera. "we promise that," cried the three fishes. "don't do it! don't consent to the transformation," urged ervic. "they have already consented," said the yookoohoo, laughing in his face, "and you have promised me to abide by their decision. so, friend skeezer, i shall perform the transformation whether you like it or not." ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl on his face but joy in his heart. reera moved over to the cupboard, took something from the drawer and returned to the copper kettle. she was clutching something tightly in her right hand, but with her left she reached within the kettle, took out the three fishes and laid them carefully on the floor, where they gasped in distress at being out of water. reera did not keep them in misery more than a few seconds, for she touched each one with her right hand and instantly the fishes were transformed into three tall and slender young women, with fine, intelligent faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. the one who had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and blue eyes and was exceedingly fair of skin; the one who had been a bronzefish had dark brown hair and clear gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely features. the one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hair of the finest texture and deep brown eyes. the hair contrasted exquisitely with her pink cheeks and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day older than her two companions. as soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all three bowed low to the yookoohoo and said: "we thank you, reera." then they bowed to the skeezer and said: "we thank you, ervic." "very good!" cried the yookoohoo, examining her work with critical approval. "you are much better and more interesting than fishes, and this ungracious skeezer would scarcely allow me to do the transformations. you surely have nothing to thank him for. but now let us dine in honor of the occasion." she clapped her hands together and again a table loaded with food appeared in the cottage. it was a longer table, this time, and places were set for the three adepts as well as for reera and ervic. "sit down, friends, and eat your fill," said the yookoohoo, but instead of seating herself at the head of the table she went to the cupboard, saying to the adepts: "your beauty and grace, my fair friends, quite outshine my own. so that i may appear properly at the banquet table i intend, in honor of this occasion, to take upon myself my natural shape." scarcely had she finished this speech when reera transformed herself into a young woman fully as lovely as the three adepts. she was not quite so tall as they, but her form was more rounded and more handsomely clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace of shining pearls. her hair was a bright auburn red, and her eyes large and dark. "do you claim this is your natural form?" asked ervic of the yookoohoo. "yes," she replied. "this is the only form i am really entitled to wear. but i seldom assume it because there is no one here to admire or appreciate it and i get tired admiring it myself." "i see now why you are named reera the red," remarked ervic. "it is on account of my red hair," she explained smiling. "i do not care for red hair myself, which is one reason i usually wear other forms." "it is beautiful," asserted the young man; and then remembering the other women present he added: "but, of course, all women should not have red hair, because that would make it too common. gold and silver and brown hair are equally handsome." the smiles that he saw interchanged between the four filled the poor skeezer with embarrassment, so he fell silent and attended to eating his supper, leaving the others to do the talking. the three adepts frankly told reera who they were, how they became fishes and how they had planned secretly to induce the yookoohoo to transform them. they admitted that they had feared, had they asked her to help, that she would have refused them. "you were quite right," returned the yookoohoo. "i make it my rule never to perform magic to assist others, for if i did there would always be crowd at my cottage demanding help and i hate crowds and want to be left alone." "however, now that you are restored to your proper shapes, i do not regret my action and i hope you will be of use in saving the skeezer people by raising their island to the surface of the lake, where it really belongs. but you must promise me that after you go away you will never come here again, nor tell anyone what i have done for you." the three adepts and ervic thanked the yookoohoo warmly. they promised to remember her wish that they should not come to her cottage again and so, with a good-bye, took their departure. chapter twenty a puzzling problem glinda the good, having decided to try her sorcery upon the abandoned submarine, so that it would obey her commands, asked all of her party, including the skeezers, to withdraw from the shore of the lake to the line of palm trees. she kept with her only the little wizard of oz, who was her pupil and knew how to assist her in her magic rites. when they two were alone beside the stranded boat, glinda said to the wizard: "i shall first try my magic recipe no. , which is intended to make inanimate objects move at my command. have you a skeropythrope with you?" "yes, i always carry one in my bag," replied the wizard. he opened his black bag of magic tools and took out a brightly polished skeropythrope, which he handed to the sorceress. glinda had also brought a small wicker bag, containing various requirements of sorcery, and from this she took a parcel of powder and a vial of liquid. she poured the liquid into the skeropythrope and added the powder. at once the skeropythrope began to sputter and emit sparks of a violet color, which spread in all directions. the sorceress instantly stepped into the middle of the boat and held the instrument so that the sparks fell all around her and covered every bit of the blackened steel boat. at the same time glinda crooned a weird incantation in the language of sorcery, her voice sounding low and musical. after a little the violet sparks ceased, and those that had fallen upon the boat had disappeared and left no mark upon its surface. the ceremony was ended and glinda returned the skeropythrope to the wizard, who put it away in his black bag. "that ought to do the business all right," he said confidently. "let us make a trial and see," she replied. so they both entered the boat and seated themselves. speaking in a tone of command the sorceress said to the boat: "carry us across the lake, to the farther shore." at once the boat backed off the sandy beach, turned its prow and moved swiftly over the water. "very good--very good indeed!" cried the wizard, when the boat slowed up at the shore opposite from that whence they had departed. "even coo-ee-oh, with all her witchcraft, could do no better." the sorceress now said to the boat: "close up, submerge and carry us to the basement door of the sunken island--the door from which you emerged at the command of queen coo-ee-oh." the boat obeyed. as it sank into the water the top sections rose from the sides and joined together over the heads of glinda and the wizard, who were thus enclosed in a water-proof chamber. there were four glass windows in this covering, one on each side and one on either end, so that the passengers could see exactly where they were going. moving under water more slowly than on the surface, the submarine gradually approached the island and halted with its bow pressed against the huge marble door in the basement under the dome. this door was tightly closed and it was evident to both glinda and the wizard that it would not open to admit the underwater boat unless a magic word was spoken by them or someone from within the basement of the island. but what was this magic word? neither of them knew. "i'm afraid," said the wizard regretfully, "that we can't get in, after all. unless your sorcery can discover the word to open the marble door." "that is probably some word only known to coo-ce-oh," replied the sorceress. "i may be able to discover what it is, but that will require time. let us go back again to our companions." "it seems a shame, after we have made the boat obey us, to be balked by just a marble door," grumbled the wizard. at glinda's command the boat rose until it was on a level with the glass dome that covered the skeezer village, when the sorceress made it slowly circle all around the great dome. many faces were pressed against the glass from the inside, eagerly watching the submarine, and in one place were dorothy and ozma, who quickly recognized glinda and the wizard through the glass windows of the boat. glinda saw them, too, and held the boat close to the dome while the friends exchanged greetings in pantomime. their voices, unfortunately, could not be heard through the dome and the water and the side of the boat. the wizard tried to make the girls understand, through signs, that he and glinda had come to their rescue, and ozma and dorothy understood this from the very fact that the sorceress and the wizard had appeared. the two girl prisoners were smiling and in safety, and knowing this glinda felt she could take all the time necessary in order to effect their final rescue. as nothing more could be done just then, glinda ordered the boat to return to shore and it obeyed readily. first it ascended to the surface of the water, then the roof parted and fell into the slots at the side of the boat, and then the magic craft quickly made the shore and beached itself on the sands at the very spot from which it had departed at glinda's command. all the oz people and the skeezers at once ran to the boat to ask if they had reached the island, and whether they had seen ozma and dorothy. the wizard told them of the obstacle they had met in the way of a marble door, and how glinda would now undertake to find a magic way to conquer the door. realizing that it would require several days to succeed in reaching the island raising it and liberating their friends and the skeezer people, glinda now prepared a camp half way between the lake shore and the palm trees. the wizard's wizardry made a number of tents appear and the sorcery of the sorceress furnished these tents all complete, with beds, chairs, tables, flags, lamps and even books with which to pass idle hours. all the tents had the royal banner of oz flying from the centerpoles and one big tent, not now occupied, had ozma's own banner moving in the breeze. betsy and trot had a tent to themselves, and button bright and ojo had another. the scarecrow and the tin woodman paired together in one tent and so did jack pumpkinhead and the shaggy man, cap'n bill and uncle henry, tik-tok and professor wogglebug. glinda had the most splendid tent of all, except that reserved for ozma, while the wizard had a little one of his own. whenever it was meal time, tables loaded with food magically appeared in the tents of those who were in the habit of eating, and these complete arrangements made the rescue party just comfortable as they would have been in their own homes. far into the night glinda sat in her tent studying a roll of mystic scrolls in search of a word that would open the basement door of the island and admit her to the great dome. she also made many magical experiments, hoping to discover something that would aid her. yet the morning found the powerful sorceress still unsuccessful. glinda's art could have opened any ordinary door, you may be sure, but you must realize that this marble door of the island had been commanded not to open save in obedience to one magic word, and therefore all other magic words could have no effect upon it. the magic word that guarded the door had probably been invented by coo-ee-oh, who had now forgotten it. the only way, then, to gain entrance to the sunken island was to break the charm that held the door fast shut. if this could be done no magic would be required to open it. the next day the sorceress and the wizard again entered the boat and made it submerge and go to the marble door, which they tried in various ways to open, but without success. "we shall have to abandon this attempt, i think," said glinda. "the easiest way to raise the island would be for us to gain admittance to the dome and then descend to the basement and see in what manner coo-ee-oh made the entire island sink or rise at her command. it naturally occurred to me that the easiest way to gain admittance would be by having the boat take us into the basement through the marble door from which coo-ee-oh launched it. but there must be other ways to get inside the dome and join ozma and dorothy, and such ways we must find by study and the proper use of our powers of magic." "it won't be easy," declared the wizard, "for we must not forget that ozma herself understands considerable magic, and has doubtless tried to raise the island or find other means of escape from it and failed." "that is true," returned glinda, "but ozma's magic is fairy magic, while you are a wizard and i am a sorceress. in this way the three of us have a great variety of magic to work with, and if we should all fail it will be because the island is raised and lowered by a magic power none of us is acquainted with. my idea therefore is to seek--by such magic as we possess--to accomplish our object in another way." they made the circle of the dome again in their boat, and once more saw ozma and dorothy through their windows and exchanged signals with the two imprisoned girls. ozma realized that her friends were doing all in their power to rescue her and smiled an encouragement to their efforts. dorothy seemed a little anxious but was trying to be as brave as her companion. after the boat had returned to the camp and glinda was seated in her tent, working out various ways by which ozma and dorothy could be rescued, the wizard stood on the shore dreamily eying the outlines of the great dome which showed beneath the clear water, when he raised his eyes and saw a group of strange people approaching from around the lake. three were young women of stately presence, very beautifully dressed, who moved with remarkable grace. they were followed at a little distance by a good-looking young skeezer. the wizard saw at a glance that these people might be very important, so he advanced to meet them. the three maidens received him graciously and the one with the golden hair said: "i believe you are the famous wizard of oz, of whom i have often heard. we are seeking glinda, the sorceress, and perhaps you can lead us to her." "i can, and will, right gladly," answered the wizard. "follow me, please." the little wizard was puzzled as to the identity of the three lovely visitors but he gave no sign that might embarrass them. he understood they did not wish to be questioned, and so he made no remarks as he led the way to glinda's tent. with a courtly bow the wizard ushered the three visitors into the gracious presence of glinda, the good. chapter twenty-one the three adepts the sorceress looked up from her work as the three maidens entered, and something in their appearance and manner led her to rise and bow to them in her most dignified manner. the three knelt an instant before the great sorceress and then stood upright and waited for her to speak. "whoever you may be," said glinda, "i bid you welcome." "my name is audah," said one. "my name is aurah," said another. "my name is aujah," said the third. glinda had never heard these names before, but looking closely at the three she asked: "are you witches or workers in magic?" "some of the secret arts we have gleaned from nature," replied the brownhaired maiden modestly, "but we do not place our skill beside that of the great sorceress, glinda the good." "i suppose you are aware it is unlawful to practice magic in the land of oz, without the permission of our ruler, princess ozma?" "no, we were not aware of that," was the reply. "we have heard of ozma, who is the appointed ruler of all this great fairyland, but her laws have not reached us, as yet." glinda studied the strange maidens thoughtfully; then she said to them: "princess ozma is even now imprisoned in the skeezer village, for the whole island with its great dome, was sunk to the bottom of the lake by the witchcraft of coo-ee-oh, whom the flathead su-dic transformed into a silly swan. i am seeking some way to overcome coo-ee-oh's magic and raise the isle to the surface again. can you help me do this?" the maidens exchanged glances, and the white-haired one replied: "we do not know; but we will try to assist you." "it seems," continued glinda musingly, "that coo-ee-oh derived most of her witchcraft from three adepts at magic, who at one time ruled the flatheads. while the adepts were being entertained by coo-ee-oh at a banquet in her palace, she cruelly betrayed them and after transforming them into fishes cast them into the lake. "if i could find these three fishes and return them to their natural shapes--they might know what magic coo-ee-oh used to sink the island. i was about to go to the shore and call these fishes to me when you arrived. so, if you will join me, we will try to find them." the maidens exchanged smiles now, and the golden-haired one, audah, said to glinda: "it will not be necessary to go to the lake. we are the three fishes." "indeed!" cried glinda. "then you are the three adepts at magic, restored to your proper forms?" "we are the three adepts," admitted aujah. "then," said glinda, "my task is half accomplished. but who destroyed the transformation that made you fishes?" "we have promised not to tell," answered aurah; "but this young skeezer was largely responsible for our release; he is brave and clever, and we owe him our gratitude." glinda looked at ervic, who stood modestly behind the adepts, hat in hand. "he shall be properly rewarded," she declared, "for in helping you he has helped us all, and perhaps saved his people from being imprisoned forever in the sunken isle." the sorceress now asked her guests to seat themselves and a long talk followed, in which the wizard of oz shared. "we are quite certain," said aurah, "that if we could get inside the dome we could discover coo-ee-oh's secrets, for in all her work, after we became fishes, she used the formulas and incantations and arts that she stole from us. she may have added to these things, but they were the foundation of all her work." "what means do you suggest for our getting into the dome?" inquired glinda. the three adepts hesitated to reply, for they had not yet considered what could be done to reach the inside of the great dome. while they were in deep thought, and glinda and the wizard were quietly awaiting their suggestions, into the tent rushed trot and betsy, dragging between them the patchwork girl. "oh, glinda," cried trot, "scraps has thought of a way to rescue ozma and dorothy and all of the skeezers." the three adepts could not avoid laughing merrily, for not only were they amused by the queer form of the patchwork girl, but trot's enthusiastic speech struck them as really funny. if the great sorceress and the famous wizard and the three talented adepts at magic were unable as yet to solve the important problem of the sunken isle, there was little chance for a patched girl stuffed with cotton to succeed. but glinda, smiling indulgently at the earnest faces turned toward her, patted the children's heads and said: "scraps is very clever. tell us what she has thought of, my dear." "well," said trot, "scraps says that if you could dry up all the water in the lake the island would be on dry land, an' everyone could come and go whenever they liked." glinda smiled again, but the wizard said to the girls: "if we should dry up the lake, what would become of all the beautiful fishes that now live in the water?" "dear me! that's so," admitted betsy, crestfallen; "we never thought of that, did we trot?" "couldn't you transform 'em into polliwogs?" asked scraps, turning a somersault and then standing on one leg. "you could give them a little, teeny pond to swim in, and they'd be just as happy as they are as fishes." "no indeed!" replied the wizard, severely. "it is wicked to transform any living creatures without their consent, and the lake is the home of the fishes and belongs to them." "all right," said scraps, making a face at him; "i don't care." "it's too bad," sighed trot, "for i thought we'd struck a splendid idea." "so you did," declared glinda, her face now grave and thoughtful. "there is something in the patchwork girl's idea that may be of real value to us." "i think so, too," agreed the golden-haired adept. "the top of the great dome is only a few feet below the surface of the water. if we could reduce the level of the lake until the dome sticks a little above the water, we could remove some of the glass and let ourselves down into the village by means of ropes." "and there would be plenty of water left for the fishes to swim in," added the white-haired maiden. "if we succeed in raising the island we could fill up the lake again," suggested the brown-haired adept. "i believe," said the wizard, rubbing his hands together in delight, "that the patchwork girl has shown us the way to success." the girls were looking curiously at the three beautiful adepts, wondering who they were, so glinda introduced them to trot and betsy and scraps, and then sent the children away while she considered how to carry the new idea into effect. not much could be done that night, so the wizard prepared another tent for the adepts, and in the evening glinda held a reception and invited all her followers to meet the new arrivals. the adepts were greatly astonished at the extraordinary personages presented to them, and marveled that jack pumpkinhead and the scarecrow and the tin woodman and tik-tok could really live and think and talk just like other people. they were especially pleased with the lively patchwork girl and loved to watch her antics. it was quite a pleasant party, for glinda served some dainty refreshments to those who could eat, and the scarecrow recited some poems, and the cowardly lion sang a song in his deep bass voice. the only thing that marred their joy was the thought that their beloved ozma and dear little dorothy were yet confined in the great dome of the sunken island. chapter twenty-two the sunken island as soon as they had breakfasted the next morning, glinda and the wizard and the three adepts went down to the shore of the lake and formed a line with their faces toward the submerged island. all the others came to watch them, but stood at a respectful distance in the background. at the right of the sorceress stood audah and aurah, while at the left stood the wizard and aujah. together they stretched their arms over the water's edge and in unison the five chanted a rhythmic incantation. this chant they repeated again and again, swaying their arms gently from side to side, and in a few minutes the watchers behind them noticed that the lake had begun to recede from the shore. before long the highest point of the dome appeared above the water. gradually the water fell, making the dome appear to rise. when it was three or four feet above the surface glinda gave the signal to stop, for their work had been accomplished. the blackened submarine was now entirely out of water, but uncle henry and cap'n bill managed to push it into the lake. glinda, the wizard, ervic and the adepts got into the boat, taking with them a coil of strong rope, and at the command of the sorceress the craft cleaved its way through the water toward the part of the dome which was now visible. "there's still plenty of water for the fish to swim in," observed the wizard as they rode along. "they might like more but i'm sure they can get along until we have raised the island and can fill up the lake again." the boat touched gently on the sloping glass of the dome, and the wizard took some tools from his black bag and quickly removed one large pane of glass, thus making a hole large enough for their bodies to pass through. stout frames of steel supported the glass of the dome, and around one of these frames the wizard tied the end of a rope. "i'll go down first," said he, "for while i'm not as spry as cap'n bill i'm sure i can manage it easily. are you sure the rope is long enough to reach the bottom?" "quite sure," replied the sorceress. so the wizard let down the rope and climbing through the opening lowered himself down, hand over hand, clinging to the rope with his legs and feet. below in the streets of the village were gathered all the skeezers, men, women and children, and you may be sure that ozma and dorothy, with lady aurex, were filled with joy that their friends were at last coming to their rescue. the queen's palace, now occupied by ozma, was directly in the center of the dome, so that when the rope was let down the end of it came just in front of the palace entrance. several skeezers held fast to the rope's end to steady it and the wizard reached the ground in safety. he hugged first ozma and then dorothy, while all the skeezers cheered as loud as they could. the wizard now discovered that the rope was long enough to reach from the top of the dome to the ground when doubled, so he tied a chair to one end of the rope and called to glinda to sit in the chair while he and some of the skeezers lowered her to the pavement. in this way the sorceress reached the ground quite comfortably and the three adepts and ervic soon followed her. the skeezers quickly recognized the three adepts at magic, whom they had learned to respect before their wicked queen betrayed them, and welcomed them as friends. all the inhabitants of the village had been greatly frightened by their imprisonment under water, but now realized that an attempt was to be made to rescue them. glinda, the wizard and the adepts followed ozma and dorothy into the palace, and they asked lady aurex and ervic to join them. after ozma had told of her adventures in trying to prevent war between the flatheads and the skeezers, and glinda had told all about the rescue expedition and the restoration of the three adepts by the help of ervic, a serious consultation was held as to how the island could be made to rise. "i've tried every way in my power," said ozma, "but coo-ee-oh used a very unusual sort of magic which i do not understand. she seems to have prepared her witchcraft in such a way that a spoken word is necessary to accomplish her designs, and these spoken words are known only to herself." "that is a method we taught her," declared aurah the adept. "i can do no more, glinda," continued ozma, "so i wish you would try what your sorcery can accomplish." "first, then," said glinda, "let us visit the basement of the island, which i am told is underneath the village." a flight of marble stairs led from one of coo-ee-oh's private rooms down to the basement, but when the party arrived all were puzzled by what they saw. in the center of a broad, low room, stood a mass of great cog-wheels, chains and pulleys, all interlocked and seeming to form a huge machine; but there was no engine or other motive power to make the wheels turn. "this, i suppose, is the means by which the island is lowered or raised," said ozma, "but the magic word which is needed to move the machinery is unknown to us." the three adepts were carefully examining the mass of wheels, and soon the golden-haired one said: "these wheels do not control the island at all. on the contrary, one set of them is used to open the doors of the little rooms where the submarines are kept, as may be seen from the chains and pulleys used. each boat is kept in a little room with two doors, one to the basement room where we are now and the other letting into the lake. "when coo-ee-oh used the boat in which she attacked the flatheads, she first commanded the basement door to open and with her followers she got into the boat and made the top close over them. then the basement door being closed, the outer door was slowly opened, letting the water fill the room to float the boat, which then left the island, keeping under water." "but how could she expect to get back again?" asked the wizard. "why the boat would enter the room filled with water and after the outer door was closed a word of command started a pump which pumped all the water from the room. then the boat would open and coo-ee-oh could enter the basement." "i see," said the wizard. "it is a clever contrivance, but won't work unless one knows the magic words." "another part of this machinery," explained the white-haired adept, "is used to extend the bridge from the island to the mainland. the steel bridge is in a room much like that in which the boats are kept, and at coo-ce-oh's command it would reach out, joint by joint, until its far end touched the shore of the lake. the same magic command would make the bridge return to its former position. of course the bridge could not be used unless the island was on the surface of the water." "but how do you suppose coo-ee-oh managed to sink the island, and make it rise again?" inquired glinda. this the adepts could not yet explain. as nothing more could be learned from the basement they mounted the steps to the queen's private suite again, and ozma showed them to a special room where coo-ee-oh kept her magical instruments and performed all her arts of witchcraft. chapter twenty-three the magic words many interesting things were to be seen in the room of magic, including much that had been stolen from the adepts when they were transformed to fishes, but they had to admit that coo-ee-oh had a rare genius for mechanics, and had used her knowledge in inventing a lot of mechanical apparatus that ordinary witches, wizards and sorcerers could not understand. they all carefully inspected this room, taking care to examine every article they came across. "the island," said glinda thoughtfully, "rests on a base of solid marble. when it is submerged, as it is now, the base of the island is upon the bottom of the lake. what puzzles me is how such a great weight can be lifted and suspended in the water, even by magic." "i now remember," returned aujah, "that one of the arts we taught coo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel, and i think that explains how the island is raised and lowered. i noticed in the basement a big steel pillar that passed through the floor and extended upward to this palace. perhaps the end of it is concealed in this very room. if the lower end of the steel pillar is firmly embedded in the bottom of the lake, coo-ee-oh could utter a magic word that would make the pillar expand, and so lift the entire island to the level of the water." "i've found the end of the steel pillar. it's just here," announced the wizard, pointing to one side of the room where a great basin of polished steel seemed to have been set upon the floor. they all gathered around, and ozma said: "yes, i am quite sure that is the upper end of the pillar that supports the island. i noticed it when i first came here. it has been hollowed out, you see, and something has been burned in the basin, for the fire has left its marks. i wondered what was under the great basin and got several of the skeezers to come up here and try to lift it for me. they were strong men, but could not move it at all." "it seems to me," said audah the adept, "that we have discovered the manner in which coo-ee-oh raised the island. she would burn some sort of magic powder in the basin, utter the magic word, and the pillar would lengthen out and lift the island with it." "what's this?" asked dorothy, who had been searching around with the others, and now noticed a slight hollow in the wall, near to where the steel basin stood. as she spoke dorothy pushed her thumb into the hollow and instantly a small drawer popped out from the wall. the three adepts, glinda and the wizard sprang forward and peered into the drawer. it was half filled with a grayish powder, the tiny grains of which constantly moved as if impelled by some living force. "it may be some kind of radium," said the wizard. "no," replied glinda, "it is more wonderful than even radium, for i recognize it as a rare mineral powder called gaulau by the sorcerers. i wonder how coo-ee-oh discovered it and where she obtained it." "there is no doubt," said aujah the adept, "that this is the magic powder coo-ee-oh burned in the basin. if only we knew the magic word, i am quite sure we could raise the island." "how can we discover the magic word?" asked ozma, turning to glinda as she spoke. "that we must now seriously consider," answered the sorceress. so all of them sat down in the room of magic and began to think. it was so still that after a while dorothy grew nervous. the little girl never could keep silent for long, and at the risk of displeasing her magic-working friends she suddenly said: "well, coo-ee-oh used just three magic words, one to make the bridge work, and one to make the submarines go out of their holes, and one to raise and lower the island. three words. and coo-ee-oh's name is made up of just three words. one is 'coo,' and one is 'ee,' and one is 'oh.'" the wizard frowned but glinda looked wonderingly at the young girl and ozma cried out: "a good thought, dorothy dear! you may have solved our problem." "i believe it is worth a trial," agreed glinda. "it would be quite natural for coo-ee-oh to divide her name into three magic syllables, and dorothy's suggestion seems like an inspiration." the three adepts also approved the trial but the brown-haired one said: "we must be careful not to use the wrong word, and send the bridge out under water. the main thing, if dorothy's idea is correct, is to hit upon the one word that moves the island." "let us experiment," suggested the wizard. in the drawer with the moving gray powder was a tiny golden cup, which they thought was used for measuring. glinda filled this cup with the powder and carefully poured it into the shallow basin, which was the top of the great steel pillar supporting the island. then aurah the adept lighted a taper and touched it to the powder, which instantly glowed fiery red and tumbled about the basin with astonishing energy. while the grains of powder still glowed red the sorceress bent over it and said in a voice of command: "coo!" they waited motionless to see what would happen. there was a grating noise and a whirl of machinery, but the island did not move a particle. dorothy rushed to the window, which overlooked the glass side of the dome. "the boats!" she exclaimed. "the boats are all loose an' sailing under water." "we've made a mistake," said the wizard gloomily. "but it's one which shows we are on the right track," declared aujah the adept. "we know now that coo-ee-oh used the syllables of her name for the magic words." "if 'coo' sends out the boats, it is probable that ee' works the bridge," suggested ozma. "so the last part of the name may raise the island." "let us try that next then," proposed the wizard. he scraped the embers of the burned powder out of the basin and glinda again filled the golden cup from the drawer and placed it on top the steel pillar. aurah lighted it with her taper and ozma bent over the basin and murmured the long drawn syllable: "oh-h-h!" instantly the island trembled and with a weird groaning noise it moved upward--slowly, very slowly, but with a steady motion, while all the company stood by in awed silence. it was a wonderful thing, even to those skilled in the arts of magic, wizardry and sorcery, to realize that a single word could raise that great, heavy island, with its immense glass dome. "why, we're way above the lake now!" exclaimed dorothy from the window, when at last the island ceased to move. "that is because we lowered the level of the water," explained glinda. they could hear the skeezers cheering lustily in the streets of the village as they realized that they were saved. "come," said ozma eagerly, "let us go down and join the people." "not just yet," returned glinda, a happy smile upon her lovely face, for she was overjoyed at their success. "first let us extend the bridge to the mainland, where our friends from the emerald city are waiting." it didn't take long to put more powder in the basin, light it and utter the syllable "ee!" the result was that a door in the basement opened and the steel bridge moved out, extended itself joint by joint, and finally rested its far end on the shore of the lake just in front of the encampment. "now," said glinda, "we can go up and receive the congratulations of the skeezers and of our friends of the rescue expedition." across the water, on the shore of the lake, the patchwork girl was waving them a welcome. chapter twenty-four glinda's triumph of course all those who had joined glinda's expedition at once crossed the bridge to the island, where they were warmly welcomed by the skeezers. before all the concourse of people princess ozma made a speech from a porch of the palace and demanded that they recognize her as their lawful ruler and promise to obey the laws of the land of oz. in return she agreed to protect them from all future harm and declared they would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse. this pleased the skeezers greatly, and when ozma told them they might elect a queen to rule over them, who in turn would be subject to ozma of oz, they voted for lady aurex, and that same day the ceremony of crowning the new queen was held and aurex was installed as mistress of the palace. for her prime minister the queen selected ervic, for the three adepts had told of his good judgment, faithfulness and cleverness, and all the skeezers approved the appointment. glinda, the wizard and the adepts stood on the bridge and recited an incantation that quite filled the lake with water again, and the scarecrow and the patchwork girl climbed to the top of the great dome and replaced the pane of glass that had been removed to allow glinda and her followers to enter. when evening came ozma ordered a great feast prepared, to which every skeezer was invited. the village was beautifully decorated and brilliantly lighted and there was music and dancing until a late hour to celebrate the liberation of the people. for the skeezers had been freed, not only from the water of the lake but from the cruelty of their former queen. as the people from the emerald city prepared the next morning to depart queen aurex said to ozma: "there is only one thing i now fear for my people, and that is the enmity of the terrible su-dic of the flatheads. he is liable to come here at any time and try to annoy us, and my skeezers are peaceful folks and unable to fight the wild and wilful flatheads." "do not worry," returned ozma, reassuringly. "we intend to stop on our way at the flatheads' enchanted mountain and punish the su-dic for his misdeeds." that satisfied aurex and when ozma and her followers trooped over the bridge to the shore, having taken leave of their friends, all the skeezers cheered them and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and the band played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to be remembered. the three adepts at magic, who had formerly ruled the flatheads wisely and considerately, went with princess ozma and her people, for they had promised ozma to stay on the mountain and again see that the laws were enforced. glinda had been told all about the curious flatheads and she had consulted with the wizard and formed a plan to render them more intelligent and agreeable. when the party reached the mountain ozma and dorothy showed them how to pass around the invisible wall--which had been built by the flatheads after the adepts were transformed--and how to gain the up-and-down stairway that led to the mountain top. the su-dic had watched the approach of the party from the edge of the mountain and was frightened when he saw that the three adepts had recovered their natural forms and were coming back to their former home. he realized that his power would soon be gone and yet he determined to fight to the last. he called all the flatheads together and armed them, and told them to arrest all who came up the stairway and hurl them over the edge of the mountain to the plain below. but although they feared the supreme dictator, who had threatened to punish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon as they saw the three adepts they threw down their arms and begged their former rulers to protect them. the three adepts assured the excited flatheads that they had nothing to fear. seeing that his people had rebelled the su-dic ran away and tried to hide, but the adepts found him and had him cast into a prison, all his cans of brains being taken away from him. after this easy conquest of the su-dic, glinda told the adepts of her plan, which had already been approved by ozma of oz, and they joyfully agreed to it. so, during the next few days, the great sorceress transformed, in a way, every flathead on the mountain. taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains that belonged to each one opened and the contents spread on the flat head, after which, by means of her arts of sorcery, she caused the head to grow over the brains--in the manner most people wear them--and they were thus rendered as intelligent and good looking as any of the other inhabitants of the land of oz. when all had been treated in this manner there were no more flatheads at all, and the adepts decided to name their people mountaineers. one good result of glinda's sorcery was that no one could now be deprived of the brains that belonged to him and each person had exactly the share he was entitled to. even the su-dic was given his portion of brains and his flat head made round, like the others, but he was deprived of all power to work further mischief, and with the adepts constantly watching him he would be forced to become obedient and humble. the golden pig, which ran grunting about the streets, with no brains at all, was disenchanted by glinda, and in her woman's form was given brains and a round head. this wife of the su-dic had once been even more wicked than her evil husband, but she had now forgotten all her wickedness and was likely to be a good woman thereafter. these things being accomplished in a satisfactory manner, princess ozma and her people bade farewell to the three adepts and departed for the emerald city, well pleased with their interesting adventures. they returned by the road over which ozma and dorothy had come, stopping to get the sawhorse and the red wagon where they had left them. "i'm very glad i went to see these peoples," said princess ozma, "for i not only prevented any further warfare between them, but they have been freed from the rule of the su-dic and coo-ee-oh and are now happy and loyal subjects of the land of oz. which proves that it is always wise to do one's duty, however unpleasant that duty may seem to be." the wonderful oz books by l. frank baum: the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz the tin woodman of oz by l. frank baum a faithful story of the astonishing adventure undertaken by the tin woodman, assisted by woot the wanderer, the scarecrow of oz, and polychrome, the rainbow's daughter by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" this book is dedicated to the son of my son frank alden baum to my readers i know that some of you have been waiting for this story of the tin woodman, because many of my correspondents have asked me, time and again what ever became of the "pretty munchkin girl" whom nick chopper was engaged to marry before the wicked witch enchanted his axe and he traded his flesh for tin. i, too, have wondered what became of her, but until woot the wanderer interested himself in the matter the tin woodman knew no more than we did. however, he found her, after many thrilling adventures, as you will discover when you have read this story. i am delighted at the continued interest of both young and old in the oz stories. a learned college professor recently wrote me to ask: "for readers of what age are your books intended?" it puzzled me to answer that properly, until i had looked over some of the letters i have received. one says: "i'm a little boy years old, and i just love your oz stories. my sister, who is writing this for me, reads me the oz books, but i wish i could read them myself." another letter says: "i'm a great girl years old, so you'll be surprised when i tell you i am not too old yet for the oz stories." here's another letter: "since i was a young girl i've never missed getting a baum book for christmas. i'm married, now, but am as eager to get and read the oz stories as ever." and still another writes: "my good wife and i, both more than years of age, believe that we find more real enjoyment in your oz books than in any other books we read." considering these statements, i wrote the college professor that my books are intended for all those whose hearts are young, no matter what their ages may be. i think i am justified in promising that there will be some astonishing revelations about the magic of oz in my book for . always your loving and grateful friend, l. frank baum. royal historian of oz. "ozcot" at hollywood in california . list of chapters woot the wanderer the heart of the tin woodman roundabout the loons of loonville mrs. yoop, the giantess the magic of a yookoohoo the lace apron the menace of the forest the quarrelsome dragons tommy kwikstep jinjur's ranch ozma and dorothy the restoration the green monkey the man of tin captain fyter the workshop of ku-klip the tin woodman talks to himself the invisible country over night polychrome's magic nimmie amee through the tunnel the curtain falls chapter one woot the wanderer the tin woodman sat on his glittering tin throne in the handsome tin hall of his splendid tin castle in the winkie country of the land of oz. beside him, in a chair of woven straw, sat his best friend, the scarecrow of oz. at times they spoke to one another of curious things they had seen and strange adventures they had known since first they two had met and become comrades. but at times they were silent, for these things had been talked over many times between them, and they found themselves contented in merely being together, speaking now and then a brief sentence to prove they were wide awake and attentive. but then, these two quaint persons never slept. why should they sleep, when they never tired? and now, as the brilliant sun sank low over the winkie country of oz, tinting the glistening tin towers and tin minarets of the tin castle with glorious sunset hues, there approached along a winding pathway woot the wanderer, who met at the castle entrance a winkie servant. the servants of the tin woodman all wore tin helmets and tin breastplates and uniforms covered with tiny tin discs sewed closely together on silver cloth, so that their bodies sparkled as beautifully as did the tin castle--and almost as beautifully as did the tin woodman himself. woot the wanderer looked at the man servant--all bright and glittering--and at the magnificent castle--all bright and glittering--and as he looked his eyes grew big with wonder. for woot was not very big and not very old and, wanderer though he was, this proved the most gorgeous sight that had ever met his boyish gaze. "who lives here?" he asked. "the emperor of the winkies, who is the famous tin woodman of oz," replied the servant, who had been trained to treat all strangers with courtesy. "a tin woodman? how queer!" exclaimed the little wanderer. "well, perhaps our emperor is queer," admitted the servant; "but he is a kind master and as honest and true as good tin can make him; so we, who gladly serve him, are apt to forget that he is not like other people." "may i see him?" asked woot the wanderer, after a moment's thought. "if it please you to wait a moment, i will go and ask him," said the servant, and then he went into the hall where the tin woodman sat with his friend the scarecrow. both were glad to learn that a stranger had arrived at the castle, for this would give them something new to talk about, so the servant was asked to admit the boy at once. by the time woot the wanderer had passed through the grand corridors--all lined with ornamental tin--and under stately tin archways and through the many tin rooms all set with beautiful tin furniture, his eyes had grown bigger than ever and his whole little body thrilled with amazement. but, astonished though he was, he was able to make a polite bow before the throne and to say in a respectful voice: "i salute your illustrious majesty and offer you my humble services." "very good!" answered the tin woodman in his accustomed cheerful manner. "tell me who you are, and whence you come." "i am known as woot the wanderer," answered the boy, "and i have come, through many travels and by roundabout ways, from my former home in a far corner of the gillikin country of oz." "to wander from one's home," remarked the scarecrow, "is to encounter dangers and hardships, especially if one is made of meat and bone. had you no friends in that corner of the gillikin country? was it not homelike and comfortable?" to hear a man stuffed with straw speak, and speak so well, quite startled woot, and perhaps he stared a bit rudely at the scarecrow. but after a moment he replied: "i had home and friends, your honorable strawness, but they were so quiet and happy and comfortable that i found them dismally stupid. nothing in that corner of oz interested me, but i believed that in other parts of the country i would find strange people and see new sights, and so i set out upon my wandering journey. i have been a wanderer for nearly a full year, and now my wanderings have brought me to this splendid castle." "i suppose," said the tin woodman, "that in this year you have seen so much that you have become very wise." "no," replied woot, thoughtfully, "i am not at all wise, i beg to assure your majesty. the more i wander the less i find that i know, for in the land of oz much wisdom and many things may be learned." "to learn is simple. don't you ask questions?" inquired the scarecrow. "yes; i ask as many questions as i dare; but some people refuse to answer questions." "that is not kind of them," declared the tin woodman. "if one does not ask for information he seldom receives it; so i, for my part, make it a rule to answer any civil question that is asked me." "so do i," added the scarecrow, nodding. "i am glad to hear this," said the wanderer, "for it makes me bold to ask for something to eat." "bless the boy!" cried the emperor of the winkies; "how careless of me not to remember that wanderers are usually hungry. i will have food brought you at once." saying this he blew upon a tin whistle that was suspended from his tin neck, and at the summons a servant appeared and bowed low. the tin woodman ordered food for the stranger, and in a few minutes the servant brought in a tin tray heaped with a choice array of good things to eat, all neatly displayed on tin dishes that were polished till they shone like mirrors. the tray was set upon a tin table drawn before the throne, and the servant placed a tin chair before the table for the boy to seat himself. "eat, friend wanderer," said the emperor cordially, "and i trust the feast will be to your liking. i, myself, do not eat, being made in such manner that i require no food to keep me alive. neither does my friend the scarecrow. but all my winkie people eat, being formed of flesh, as you are, and so my tin cupboard is never bare, and strangers are always welcome to whatever it contains." the boy ate in silence for a time, being really hungry, but after his appetite was somewhat satisfied, he said: "how happened your majesty to be made of tin, and still be alive?" "that," replied the tin man, "is a long story." "the longer the better," said the boy. "won't you please tell me the story?" "if you desire it," promised the tin woodman, leaning back in his tin throne and crossing his tin legs. "i haven't related my history in a long while, because everyone here knows it nearly as well as i do. but you, being a stranger, are no doubt curious to learn how i became so beautiful and prosperous, so i will recite for your benefit my strange adventures." "thank you," said woot the wanderer, still eating. "i was not always made of tin," began the emperor, "for in the beginning i was a man of flesh and bone and blood and lived in the munchkin country of oz. there i was, by trade, a woodchopper, and contributed my share to the comfort of the oz people by chopping up the trees of the forest to make firewood, with which the women would cook their meals while the children warmed themselves about the fires. for my home i had a little hut by the edge of the forest, and my life was one of much content until i fell in love with a beautiful munchkin girl who lived not far away." "what was the munchkin girl's name?" asked woot. "nimmie amee. this girl, so fair that the sunsets blushed when their rays fell upon her, lived with a powerful witch who wore silver shoes and who had made the poor child her slave. nimmie amee was obliged to work from morning till night for the old witch of the east, scrubbing and sweeping her hut and cooking her meals and washing her dishes. she had to cut firewood, too, until i found her one day in the forest and fell in love with her. after that, i always brought plenty of firewood to nimmie amee and we became very friendly. finally i asked her to marry me, and she agreed to do so, but the witch happened to overhear our conversation and it made her very angry, for she did not wish her slave to be taken away from her. the witch commanded me never to come near nimmie amee again, but i told her i was my own master and would do as i pleased, not realizing that this was a careless way to speak to a witch. "the next day, as i was cutting wood in the forest, the cruel witch enchanted my axe, so that it slipped and cut off my right leg." "how dreadful!" cried woot the wanderer. "yes, it was a seeming misfortune," agreed the tin man, "for a one-legged woodchopper is of little use in his trade. but i would not allow the witch to conquer me so easily. i knew a very skillful mechanic at the other side of the forest, who was my friend, so i hopped on one leg to him and asked him to help me. he soon made me a new leg out of tin and fastened it cleverly to my meat body. it had joints at the knee and at the ankle and was almost as comfortable as the leg i had lost." "your friend must have been a wonderful workman!" exclaimed woot. "he was, indeed," admitted the emperor. "he was a tinsmith by trade and could make anything out of tin. when i returned to nimmie amee, the girl was delighted and threw her arms around my neck and kissed me, declaring she was proud of me. the witch saw the kiss and was more angry than before. when i went to work in the forest, next day, my axe, being still enchanted, slipped and cut off my other leg. again i hopped--on my tin leg--to my friend the tinsmith, who kindly made me another tin leg and fastened it to my body. so i returned joyfully to nimmie amee, who was much pleased with my glittering legs and promised that when we were wed she would always keep them oiled and polished. but the witch was more furious than ever, and as soon as i raised my axe to chop, it twisted around and cut off one of my arms. the tinsmith made me a tin arm and i was not much worried, because nimmie amee declared she still loved me." chapter two the heart of the tin woodman the emperor of the winkies paused in his story to reach for an oil-can, with which he carefully oiled the joints in his tin throat, for his voice had begun to squeak a little. woot the wanderer, having satisfied his hunger, watched this oiling process with much curiosity, but begged the tin man to go on with his tale. "the witch with the silver shoes hated me for having defied her," resumed the emperor, his voice now sounding clear as a bell, "and she insisted that nimmie amee should never marry me. therefore she made the enchanted axe cut off my other arm, and the tinsmith also replaced that member with tin, including these finely-jointed hands that you see me using. but, alas! after that, the axe, still enchanted by the cruel witch, cut my body in two, so that i fell to the ground. then the witch, who was watching from a near-by bush, rushed up and seized the axe and chopped my body into several small pieces, after which, thinking that at last she had destroyed me, she ran away laughing in wicked glee. "but nimmie amee found me. she picked up my arms and legs and head, and made a bundle of them and carried them to the tinsmith, who set to work and made me a fine body of pure tin. when he had joined the arms and legs to the body, and set my head in the tin collar, i was a much better man than ever, for my body could not ache or pain me, and i was so beautiful and bright that i had no need of clothing. clothing is always a nuisance, because it soils and tears and has to be replaced; but my tin body only needs to be oiled and polished. "nimmie amee still declared she would marry me, as she still loved me in spite of the witch's evil deeds. the girl declared i would make the brightest husband in all the world, which was quite true. however, the wicked witch was not yet defeated. when i returned to my work the axe slipped and cut off my head, which was the only meat part of me then remaining. moreover, the old woman grabbed up my severed head and carried it away with her and hid it. but nimmie amee came into the forest and found me wandering around helplessly, because i could not see where to go, and she led me to my friend the tinsmith. the faithful fellow at once set to work to make me a tin head, and he had just completed it when nimmie amee came running up with my old head, which she had stolen from the witch. but, on reflection, i considered the tin head far superior to the meat one--i am wearing it yet, so you can see its beauty and grace of outline--and the girl agreed with me that a man all made of tin was far more perfect than one formed of different materials. the tinsmith was as proud of his workmanship as i was, and for three whole days, all admired me and praised my beauty. being now completely formed of tin, i had no more fear of the wicked witch, for she was powerless to injure me. nimmie amee said we must be married at once, for then she could come to my cottage and live with me and keep me bright and sparkling. "'i am sure, my dear nick,' said the brave and beautiful girl--my name was then nick chopper, you should be told--'that you will make the best husband any girl could have. i shall not be obliged to cook for you, for now you do not eat; i shall not have to make your bed, for tin does not tire or require sleep; when we go to a dance, you will not get weary before the music stops and say you want to go home. all day long, while you are chopping wood in the forest, i shall be able to amuse myself in my own way--a privilege few wives enjoy. there is no temper in your new head, so you will not get angry with me. finally, i shall take pride in being the wife of the only live tin woodman in all the world!' which shows that nimmie amee was as wise as she was brave and beautiful." "i think she was a very nice girl," said woot the wanderer. "but, tell me, please, why were you not killed when you were chopped to pieces?" "in the land of oz," replied the emperor, "no one can ever be killed. a man with a wooden leg or a tin leg is still the same man; and, as i lost parts of my meat body by degrees, i always remained the same person as in the beginning, even though in the end i was all tin and no meat." "i see," said the boy, thoughtfully. "and did you marry nimmie amee?" "no," answered the tin woodman, "i did not. she said she still loved me, but i found that i no longer loved her. my tin body contained no heart, and without a heart no one can love. so the wicked witch conquered in the end, and when i left the munchkin country of oz, the poor girl was still the slave of the witch and had to do her bidding day and night." "where did you go?" asked woot. "well, i first started out to find a heart, so i could love nimmie amee again; but hearts are more scarce than one would think. one day, in a big forest that was strange to me, my joints suddenly became rusted, because i had forgotten to oil them. there i stood, unable to move hand or foot. and there i continued to stand--while days came and went--until dorothy and the scarecrow came along and rescued me. they oiled my joints and set me free, and i've taken good care never to rust again." "who was this dorothy?" questioned the wanderer. "a little girl who happened to be in a house when it was carried by a cyclone all the way from kansas to the land of oz. when the house fell, in the munchkin country, it fortunately landed on the wicked witch and smashed her flat. it was a big house, and i think the witch is under it yet." "no," said the scarecrow, correcting him, "dorothy says the witch turned to dust, and the wind scattered the dust in every direction." "well," continued the tin woodman, "after meeting the scarecrow and dorothy, i went with them to the emerald city, where the wizard of oz gave me a heart. but the wizard's stock of hearts was low, and he gave me a kind heart instead of a loving heart, so that i could not love nimmie amee any more than i did when i was heartless." "couldn't the wizard give you a heart that was both kind and loving?" asked the boy. "no; that was what i asked for, but he said he was so short on hearts, just then, that there was but one in stock, and i could take that or none at all. so i accepted it, and i must say that for its kind it is a very good heart indeed." "it seems to me," said woot, musingly, "that the wizard fooled you. it can't be a very kind heart, you know." "why not?" demanded the emperor. "because it was unkind of you to desert the girl who loved you, and who had been faithful and true to you when you were in trouble. had the heart the wizard gave you been a kind heart, you would have gone back home and made the beautiful munchkin girl your wife, and then brought her here to be an empress and live in your splendid tin castle." the tin woodman was so surprised at this frank speech that for a time he did nothing but stare hard at the boy wanderer. but the scarecrow wagged his stuffed head and said in a positive tone: "this boy is right. i've often wondered, myself, why you didn't go back and find that poor munchkin girl." then the tin woodman stared hard at his friend the scarecrow. but finally he said in a serious tone of voice: "i must admit that never before have i thought of such a thing as finding nimmie amee and making her empress of the winkies. but it is surely not too late, even now, to do this, for the girl must still be living in the munchkin country. and, since this strange wanderer has reminded me of nimmie amee, i believe it is my duty to set out and find her. surely it is not the girl's fault that i no longer love her, and so, if i can make her happy, it is proper that i should do so, and in this way reward her for her faithfulness." "quite right, my friend!" agreed the scarecrow. "will you accompany me on this errand?" asked the tin emperor. "of course," said the scarecrow. "and will you take me along?" pleaded woot the wanderer in an eager voice. "to be sure," said the tin woodman, "if you care to join our party. it was you who first told me it was my duty to find and marry nimmie amee, and i'd like you to know that nick chopper, the tin emperor of the winkies, is a man who never shirks his duty, once it is pointed out to him." "it ought to be a pleasure, as well as a duty, if the girl is so beautiful," said woot, well pleased with the idea of the adventure. "beautiful things may be admired, if not loved," asserted the tin man. "flowers are beautiful, for instance, but we are not inclined to marry them. duty, on the contrary, is a bugle call to action, whether you are inclined to act, or not. in this case, i obey the bugle call of duty." "when shall we start?" inquired the scarecrow, who was always glad to embark upon a new adventure. "i don't hear any bugle, but when do we go?" "as soon as we can get ready," answered the emperor. "i'll call my servants at once and order them to make preparations for our journey." chapter three roundabout woot the wanderer slept that night in the tin castle of the emperor of the winkies and found his tin bed quite comfortable. early the next morning he rose and took a walk through the gardens, where there were tin fountains and beds of curious tin flowers, and where tin birds perched upon the branches of tin trees and sang songs that sounded like the notes of tin whistles. all these wonders had been made by the clever winkie tinsmiths, who wound the birds up every morning so that they would move about and sing. after breakfast the boy went into the throne room, where the emperor was having his tin joints carefully oiled by a servant, while other servants were stuffing sweet, fresh straw into the body of the scarecrow. woot watched this operation with much interest, for the scarecrow's body was only a suit of clothes filled with straw. the coat was buttoned tight to keep the packed straw from falling out and a rope was tied around the waist to hold it in shape and prevent the straw from sagging down. the scarecrow's head was a gunnysack filled with bran, on which the eyes, nose and mouth had been painted. his hands were white cotton gloves stuffed with fine straw. woot noticed that even when carefully stuffed and patted into shape, the straw man was awkward in his movements and decidedly wobbly on his feet, so the boy wondered if the scarecrow would be able to travel with them all the way to the forests of the munchkin country of oz. the preparations made for this important journey were very simple. a knapsack was filled with food and given woot the wanderer to carry upon his back, for the food was for his use alone. the tin woodman shouldered an axe which was sharp and brightly polished, and the scarecrow put the emperor's oil-can in his pocket, that he might oil his friend's joints should they need it. "who will govern the winkie country during your absence?" asked the boy. "why, the country will run itself," answered the emperor. "as a matter of fact, my people do not need an emperor, for ozma of oz watches over the welfare of all her subjects, including the winkies. like a good many kings and emperors, i have a grand title, but very little real power, which allows me time to amuse myself in my own way. the people of oz have but one law to obey, which is: 'behave yourself,' so it is easy for them to abide by this law, and you'll notice they behave very well. but it is time for us to be off, and i am eager to start because i suppose that that poor munchkin girl is anxiously awaiting my coming." "she's waited a long time already, seems to me," remarked the scarecrow, as they left the grounds of the castle and followed a path that led eastward. "true," replied the tin woodman; "but i've noticed that the last end of a wait, however long it has been, is the hardest to endure; so i must try to make nimmie amee happy as soon as possible." "ah; that proves you have a kind heart," remarked the scarecrow, approvingly. "it's too bad he hasn't a loving heart," said woot. "this tin man is going to marry a nice girl through kindness, and not because he loves her, and somehow that doesn't seem quite right." "even so, i am not sure it isn't best for the girl," said the scarecrow, who seemed very intelligent for a straw man, "for a loving husband is not always kind, while a kind husband is sure to make any girl content." "nimmie amee will become an empress!" announced the tin woodman, proudly. "i shall have a tin gown made for her, with tin ruffles and tucks on it, and she shall have tin slippers, and tin earrings and bracelets, and wear a tin crown on her head. i am sure that will delight nimmie amee, for all girls are fond of finery." "are we going to the munchkin country by way of the emerald city?" inquired the scarecrow, who looked upon the tin woodman as the leader of the party. "i think not," was the reply. "we are engaged upon a rather delicate adventure, for we are seeking a girl who fears her former lover has forgotten her. it will be rather hard for me, you must admit, when i confess to nimmie amee that i have come to marry her because it is my duty to do so, and therefore the fewer witnesses there are to our meeting the better for both of us. after i have found nimmie amee and she has managed to control her joy at our reunion, i shall take her to the emerald city and introduce her to ozma and dorothy, and to betsy bobbin and tiny trot, and all our other friends; but, if i remember rightly, poor nimmie amee has a sharp tongue when angry, and she may be a trifle angry with me, at first, because i have been so long in coming to her." "i can understand that," said woot gravely. "but how can we get to that part of the munchkin country where you once lived without passing through the emerald city?" "why, that is easy," the tin man assured him. "i have a map of oz in my pocket," persisted the boy, "and it shows that the winkie country, where we now are, is at the west of oz, and the munchkin country at the east, while directly between them lies the emerald city." "true enough; but we shall go toward the north, first of all, into the gillikin country, and so pass around the emerald city," explained the tin woodman. "that may prove a dangerous journey," replied the boy. "i used to live in one of the top corners of the gillikin country, near to oogaboo, and i have been told that in this northland country are many people whom it is not pleasant to meet. i was very careful to avoid them during my journey south." "a wanderer should have no fear," observed the scarecrow, who was wobbling along in a funny, haphazard manner, but keeping pace with his friends. "fear does not make one a coward," returned woot, growing a little red in the face, "but i believe it is more easy to avoid danger than to overcome it. the safest way is the best way, even for one who is brave and determined." "do not worry, for we shall not go far to the north," said the emperor. "my one idea is to avoid the emerald city without going out of our way more than is necessary. once around the emerald city we will turn south into the munchkin country, where the scarecrow and i are well acquainted and have many friends." "i have traveled some in the gillikin country," remarked the scarecrow, "and while i must say i have met some strange people there at times, i have never yet been harmed by them." "well, it's all the same to me," said woot, with assumed carelessness. "dangers, when they cannot be avoided, are often quite interesting, and i am willing to go wherever you two venture to go." so they left the path they had been following and began to travel toward the northeast, and all that day they were in the pleasant winkie country, and all the people they met saluted the emperor with great respect and wished him good luck on his journey. at night they stopped at a house where they were well entertained and where woot was given a comfortable bed to sleep in. "were the scarecrow and i alone," said the tin woodman, "we would travel by night as well as by day; but with a meat person in our party, we must halt at night to permit him to rest." "meat tires, after a day's travel," added the scarecrow, "while straw and tin never tire at all. which proves," said he, "that we are somewhat superior to people made in the common way." woot could not deny that he was tired, and he slept soundly until morning, when he was given a good breakfast, smoking hot. "you two miss a great deal by not eating," he said to his companions. "it is true," responded the scarecrow. "we miss suffering from hunger, when food cannot be had, and we miss a stomachache, now and then." as he said this, the scarecrow glanced at the tin woodman, who nodded his assent. all that second day they traveled steadily, entertaining one another the while with stories of adventures they had formerly met and listening to the scarecrow recite poetry. he had learned a great many poems from professor wogglebug and loved to repeat them whenever anybody would listen to him. of course woot and the tin woodman now listened, because they could not do otherwise--unless they rudely ran away from their stuffed comrade. one of the scarecrow's recitations was like this: "what sound is so sweet as the straw from the wheat when it crunkles so tender and low? it is yellow and bright, so it gives me delight to crunkle wherever i go. "sweet, fresh, golden straw! there is surely no flaw in a stuffing so clean and compact. it creaks when i walk, and it thrills when i talk, and its fragrance is fine, for a fact. "to cut me don't hurt, for i've no blood to squirt, and i therefore can suffer no pain; the straw that i use doesn't lump up or bruise, though it's pounded again and again! "i know it is said that my beautiful head has brains of mixed wheat-straw and bran, but my thoughts are so good i'd not change, if i could, for the brains of a common meat man. "content with my lot, i'm glad that i'm not like others i meet day by day; if my insides get musty, or mussed-up, or dusty, i get newly stuffed right away." chapter four the loons of loonville toward evening, the travelers found there was no longer a path to guide them, and the purple hues of the grass and trees warned them that they were now in the country of the gillikins, where strange peoples dwelt in places that were quite unknown to the other inhabitants of oz. the fields were wild and uncultivated and there were no houses of any sort to be seen. but our friends kept on walking even after the sun went down, hoping to find a good place for woot the wanderer to sleep; but when it grew quite dark and the boy was weary with his long walk, they halted right in the middle of a field and allowed woot to get his supper from the food he carried in his knapsack. then the scarecrow laid himself down, so that woot could use his stuffed body as a pillow, and the tin woodman stood up beside them all night, so the dampness of the ground might not rust his joints or dull his brilliant polish. whenever the dew settled on his body he carefully wiped it off with a cloth, and so in the morning the emperor shone as brightly as ever in the rays of the rising sun. they wakened the boy at daybreak, the scarecrow saying to him: "we have discovered something queer, and therefore we must counsel together what to do about it." "what have you discovered?" asked woot, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his knuckles and giving three wide yawns to prove he was fully awake. "a sign," said the tin woodman. "a sign, and another path." "what does the sign say?" inquired the boy. "it says that 'all strangers are warned not to follow this path to loonville,'" answered the scarecrow, who could read very well when his eyes had been freshly painted. "in that case," said the boy, opening his knapsack to get some breakfast, "let us travel in some other direction." but this did not seem to please either of his companions. "i'd like to see what loonville looks like," remarked the tin woodman. "when one travels, it is foolish to miss any interesting sight," added the scarecrow. "but a warning means danger," protested woot the wanderer, "and i believe it sensible to keep out of danger whenever we can." they made no reply to this speech for a while. then said the scarecrow: "i have escaped so many dangers, during my lifetime, that i am not much afraid of anything that can happen." "nor am i!" exclaimed the tin woodman, swinging his glittering axe around his tin head, in a series of circles. "few things can injure tin, and my axe is a powerful weapon to use against a foe. but our boy friend," he continued, looking solemnly at woot, "might perhaps be injured if the people of loonville are really dangerous; so i propose he waits here while you and i, friend scarecrow, visit the forbidden city of loonville." "don't worry about me," advised woot, calmly. "wherever you wish to go, i will go, and share your dangers. during my wanderings i have found it more wise to keep out of danger than to venture in, but at that time i was alone, and now i have two powerful friends to protect me." so, when he had finished his breakfast, they all set out along the path that led to loonville. "it is a place i have never heard of before," remarked the scarecrow, as they approached a dense forest. "the inhabitants may be people, of some sort, or they may be animals, but whatever they prove to be, we will have an interesting story to relate to dorothy and ozma on our return." the path led into the forest, but the big trees grew so closely together and the vines and underbrush were so thick and matted that they had to clear a path at each step in order to proceed. in one or two places the tin man, who went first to clear the way, cut the branches with a blow of his axe. woot followed next, and last of the three came the scarecrow, who could not have kept the path at all had not his comrades broken the way for his straw-stuffed body. presently the tin woodman pushed his way through some heavy underbrush, and almost tumbled headlong into a vast cleared space in the forest. the clearing was circular, big and roomy, yet the top branches of the tall trees reached over and formed a complete dome or roof for it. strangely enough, it was not dark in this immense natural chamber in the woodland, for the place glowed with a soft, white light that seemed to come from some unseen source. in the chamber were grouped dozens of queer creatures, and these so astonished the tin man that woot had to push his metal body aside, that he might see, too. and the scarecrow pushed woot aside, so that the three travelers stood in a row, staring with all their eyes. the creatures they beheld were round and ball-like; round in body, round in legs and arms, round in hands and feet and round of head. the only exception to the roundness was a slight hollow on the top of each head, making it saucer-shaped instead of dome-shaped. they wore no clothes on their puffy bodies, nor had they any hair. their skins were all of a light gray color, and their eyes were mere purple spots. their noses were as puffy as the rest of them. "are they rubber, do you think?" asked the scarecrow, who noticed that the creatures bounded, as they moved, and seemed almost as light as air. "it is difficult to tell what they are," answered woot, "they seem to be covered with warts." the loons--for so these folks were called--had been doing many things, some playing together, some working at tasks and some gathered in groups to talk; but at the sound of strange voices, which echoed rather loudly through the clearing, all turned in the direction of the intruders. then, in a body, they all rushed forward, running and bounding with tremendous speed. the tin woodman was so surprised by this sudden dash that he had no time to raise his axe before the loons were on them. the creatures swung their puffy hands, which looked like boxing-gloves, and pounded the three travelers as hard as they could, on all sides. the blows were quite soft and did not hurt our friends at all, but the onslaught quite bewildered them, so that in a brief period all three were knocked over and fell flat upon the ground. once down, many of the loons held them, to prevent their getting up again, while others wound long tendrils of vines about them, binding their arms and legs to their bodies and so rendering them helpless. "aha!" cried the biggest loon of all; "we've got 'em safe; so let's carry 'em to king bal and have 'em tried, and condemned and perforated!" they had to drag their captives to the center of the domed chamber, for their weight, as compared with that of the loons, prevented their being carried. even the scarecrow was much heavier than the puffy loons. but finally the party halted before a raised platform, on which stood a sort of throne, consisting of a big, wide chair with a string tied to one arm of it. this string led upward to the roof of the dome. arranged before the platform, the prisoners were allowed to sit up, facing the empty throne. "good!" said the big loon who had commanded the party. "now to get king bal to judge these terrible creatures we have so bravely captured." as he spoke he took hold of the string and began to pull as hard as he could. one or two of the others helped him and pretty soon, as they drew in the cord, the leaves above them parted and a loon appeared at the other end of the string. it didn't take long to draw him down to the throne, where he seated himself and was tied in, so he wouldn't float upward again. "hello," said the king, blinking his purple eyes at his followers; "what's up now!" "strangers, your majesty--strangers and captives," replied the big loon, pompously. "dear me! i see 'em. i see 'em very plainly," exclaimed the king, his purple eyes bulging out as he looked at the three prisoners. "what curious animals! are they dangerous, do you think, my good panta?" "i'm 'fraid so, your majesty. of course, they may not be dangerous, but we mustn't take chances. enough accidents happen to us poor loons as it is, and my advice is to condemn and perforate 'em as quickly as possible." "keep your advice to yourself," said the monarch, in a peeved tone. "who's king here, anyhow? you or me?" "we made you our king because you have less common sense than the rest of us," answered panta loon, indignantly. "i could have been king myself, had i wanted to, but i didn't care for the hard work and responsibility." as he said this, the big loon strutted back and forth in the space between the throne of king bal and the prisoners, and the other loons seemed much impressed by his defiance. but suddenly there came a sharp report and panta loon instantly disappeared, to the great astonishment of the scarecrow, the tin woodman and woot the wanderer, who saw on the spot where the big fellow had stood a little heap of flabby, wrinkled skin that looked like a collapsed rubber balloon. "there!" exclaimed the king; "i expected that would happen. the conceited rascal wanted to puff himself up until he was bigger than the rest of you, and this is the result of his folly. get the pump working, some of you, and blow him up again." "we will have to mend the puncture first, your majesty," suggested one of the loons, and the prisoners noticed that none of them seemed surprised or shocked at the sad accident to panta. "all right," grumbled the king. "fetch til to mend him." one or two ran away and presently returned, followed by a lady loon wearing huge, puffed-up rubber skirts. also she had a purple feather fastened to a wart on the top of her head, and around her waist was a sash of fibre-like vines, dried and tough, that looked like strings. "get to work, til," commanded king bal. "panta has just exploded." the lady loon picked up the bunch of skin and examined it carefully until she discovered a hole in one foot. then she pulled a strand of string from her sash, and drawing the edges of the hole together, she tied them fast with the string, thus making one of those curious warts which the strangers had noticed on so many loons. having done this, til loon tossed the bit of skin to the other loons and was about to go away when she noticed the prisoners and stopped to inspect them. "dear me!" said til; "what dreadful creatures. where did they come from?" "we captured them," replied one of the loons. "and what are we going to do with them?" inquired the girl loon. "perhaps we'll condemn 'em and puncture 'em," answered the king. "well," said she, still eyeing the "i'm not sure they'll puncture. let's try it, and see." one of the loons ran to the forest's edge and quickly returned with a long, sharp thorn. he glanced at the king, who nodded his head in assent, and then he rushed forward and stuck the thorn into the leg of the scarecrow. the scarecrow merely smiled and said nothing, for the thorn didn't hurt him at all. then the loon tried to prick the tin woodman's leg, but the tin only blunted the point of the thorn. "just as i thought," said til, blinking her purple eyes and shaking her puffy head; but just then the loon stuck the thorn into the leg of woot the wanderer, and while it had been blunted somewhat, it was still sharp enough to hurt. "ouch!" yelled woot, and kicked out his leg with so much energy that the frail bonds that tied him burst apart. his foot caught the loon--who was leaning over him--full on his puffy stomach, and sent him shooting up into the air. when he was high over their heads he exploded with a loud "pop" and his skin fell to the ground. "i really believe," said the king, rolling his spotlike eyes in a frightened way, "that panta was right in claiming these prisoners are dangerous. is the pump ready?" some of the loons had wheeled a big machine in front of the throne and now took panta's skin and began to pump air into it. slowly it swelled out until the king cried "stop!" "no, no!" yelled panta, "i'm not big enough yet." "you're as big as you're going to be," declared the king. "before you exploded you were bigger than the rest of us, and that caused you to be proud and overbearing. now you're a little smaller than the rest, and you will last longer and be more humble." "pump me up--pump me up!" wailed panta "if you don't you'll break my heart." "if we do we'll break your skin," replied the king. so the loons stopped pumping air into panta, and pushed him away from the pump. he was certainly more humble than before his accident, for he crept into the background and said nothing more. "now pump up the other one," ordered the king. til had already mended him, and the loons set to work to pump him full of air. during these last few moments none had paid much attention to the prisoners, so woot, finding his legs free, crept over to the tin woodman and rubbed the bonds that were still around his arms and body against the sharp edge of the axe, which quickly cut them. the boy was now free, and the thorn which the loon had stuck into his leg was lying unnoticed on the ground, where the creature had dropped it when he exploded. woot leaned forward and picked up the thorn, and while the loons were busy watching the pump, the boy sprang to his feet and suddenly rushed upon the group. "pop"--"pop"--"pop!" went three of the loons, when the wanderer pricked them with his thorn, and at the sounds the others looked around and saw their danger. with yells of fear they bounded away in all directions, scattering about the clearing, with woot the wanderer in full chase. while they could run much faster than the boy, they often stumbled and fell, or got in one another's way, so he managed to catch several and prick them with his thorn. it astonished him to see how easily the loons exploded. when the air was let out of them they were quite helpless. til loon was one of those who ran against his thorn and many others suffered the same fate. the creatures could not escape from the enclosure, but in their fright many bounded upward and caught branches of the trees, and then climbed out of reach of the dreaded thorn. woot was getting pretty tired chasing them, so he stopped and came over, panting, to where his friends were sitting, still bound. "very well done, my wanderer," said the tin woodman. "it is evident that we need fear these puffed-up creatures no longer, so be kind enough to unfasten our bonds and we will proceed upon our journey." woot untied the bonds of the scarecrow and helped him to his feet. then he freed the tin woodman, who got up without help. looking around them, they saw that the only loon now remaining within reach was bal loon, the king, who had remained seated in his throne, watching the punishment of his people with a bewildered look in his purple eyes. "shall i puncture the king?" the boy asked his companions. king bal must have overheard the question, for he fumbled with the cord that fastened him to the throne and managed to release it. then he floated upward until he reached the leafy dome, and parting the branches he disappeared from sight. but the string that was tied to his body was still connected with the arm of the throne, and they knew they could pull his majesty down again, if they wanted to. "let him alone," suggested the scarecrow. "he seems a good enough king for his peculiar people, and after we are gone, the loons will have something of a job to pump up all those whom woot has punctured." "every one of them ought to be exploded," declared woot, who was angry because his leg still hurt him. "no," said the tin woodman, "that would not be just fair. they were quite right to capture us, because we had no business to intrude here, having been warned to keep away from loonville. this is their country, not ours, and since the poor things can't get out of the clearing, they can harm no one save those who venture here out of curiosity, as we did." "well said, my friend," agreed tile scarecrow. "we really had no right to disturb their peace and comfort; so let us go away." they easily found the place where they had forced their way into the enclosure, so the tin woodman pushed aside the underbrush and started first along the path. the scarecrow followed next and last came woot, who looked back and saw that the loons were still clinging to their perches on the trees and watching their former captives with frightened eyes. "i guess they're glad to see the last of us," remarked the boy, and laughing at the happy ending of the adventure, he followed his comrades along the path. chapter five mrs. yoop, the giantess when they had reached the end of the path, where they had first seen the warning sign, they set off across the country in an easterly direction. before long they reached rolling lands, which were a succession of hills and valleys where constant climbs and descents were required, and their journey now became tedious, because on climbing each hill, they found before them nothing in the valley below it except grass, or weeds or stones. up and down they went for hours, with nothing to relieve the monotony of the landscape, until finally, when they had topped a higher hill than usual, they discovered a cup-shaped valley before them in the center of which stood an enormous castle, built of purple stone. the castle was high and broad and long, but had no turrets and towers. so far as they could see, there was but one small window and one big door on each side of the great building. "this is strange!" mused the scarecrow. "i'd no idea such a big castle existed in this gillikin country. i wonder who lives here?" "it seems to me, from this distance," remarked the tin woodman, "that it's the biggest castle i ever saw. it is really too big for any use, and no one could open or shut those big doors without a stepladder." "perhaps, if we go nearer, we shall find out whether anybody lives there or not," suggested woot. "looks to me as if nobody lived there." on they went, and when they reached the center of the valley, where the great stone castle stood, it was beginning to grow dark. so they hesitated as to what to do. "if friendly people happen to live here," said woot. "i shall be glad of a bed; but should enemies occupy the place, i prefer to sleep upon the ground." "and if no one at all lives here," added the scarecrow, "we can enter, and take possession, and make ourselves at home." while speaking he went nearer to one of the great doors, which was three times as high and broad as any he had ever seen in a house before, and then he discovered, engraved in big letters upon a stone over the doorway, the words: "yoop castle" "oho!" he exclaimed; "i know the place now. this was probably the home of mr. yoop, a terrible giant whom i have seen confined in a cage, a long way from here. therefore this castle is likely to be empty and we may use it in any way we please." "yes, yes," said the tin emperor, nodding; "i also remember mr. yoop. but how are we to get into his deserted castle? the latch of the door is so far above our heads that none of us can reach it." they considered this problem for a while, and then woot said to the tin man: "if i stand upon your shoulders, i think i can unlatch the door." "climb up, then," was the reply, and when the boy was perched upon the tin shoulders of nick chopper, he was just able to reach the latch and raise it. at once the door swung open, its great hinges making a groaning sound as if in protest, so woot leaped down and followed his companions into a big, bare hallway. scarcely were the three inside, however, when they heard the door slam shut behind them, and this astonished them because no one had touched it. it had closed of its own accord, as if by magic. moreover, the latch was on the outside, and the thought occurred to each one of them that they were now prisoners in this unknown castle. "however," mumbled the scarecrow, "we are not to blame for what cannot be helped; so let us push bravely ahead and see what may be seen." it was quite dark in the hallway, now that the outside door was shut, so as they stumbled along a stone passage they kept close together, not knowing what danger was likely to befall them. suddenly a soft glow enveloped them. it grew brighter, until they could see their surroundings distinctly. they had reached the end of the passage and before them was another huge door. this noiselessly swung open before them, without the help of anyone, and through the doorway they observed a big chamber, the walls of which were lined with plates of pure gold, highly polished. this room was also lighted, although they could discover no lamps, and in the center of it was a great table at which sat an immense woman. she was clad in silver robes embroidered with gay floral designs, and wore over this splendid raiment a short apron of elaborate lace-work. such an apron was no protection, and was not in keeping with the handsome gown, but the huge woman wore it, nevertheless. the table at which she sat was spread with a white cloth and had golden dishes upon it, so the travelers saw that they had surprised the giantess while she was eating her supper. she had her back toward them and did not even turn around, but taking a biscuit from a dish she began to butter it and said in a voice that was big and deep but not especially unpleasant: "why don't you come in and allow the door to shut? you're causing a draught, and i shall catch cold and sneeze. when i sneeze, i get cross, and when i get cross i'm liable to do something wicked. come in, you foolish strangers; come in!" being thus urged, they entered the room and approached the table, until they stood where they faced the great giantess. she continued eating, but smiled in a curious way as she looked at them. woot noticed that the door had closed silently after they had entered, and that didn't please him at all. "well," said the giantess, "what excuse have you to offer?" "we didn't know anyone lived here, madam," explained the scarecrow; "so, being travelers and strangers in these parts, and wishing to find a place for our boy friend to sleep, we ventured to enter your castle." "you knew it was private property, i suppose?" said she, buttering another biscuit. "we saw the words, 'yoop castle,' over the door, but we knew that mr. yoop is a prisoner in a cage in a far-off part of the land of oz, so we decided there was no one now at home and that we might use the castle for the night." "i see," remarked the giantess, nodding her head and smiling again in that curious way--a way that made woot shudder. "you didn't know that mr. yoop was married, or that after he was cruelly captured his wife still lived in his castle and ran it to suit herself." "who captured mr. yoop?" asked woot, looking gravely at the big woman. "wicked enemies. people who selfishly objected to yoop's taking their cows and sheep for his food. i must admit, however, that yoop had a bad temper, and had the habit of knocking over a few houses, now and then, when he was angry. so one day the little folks came in a great crowd and captured mr. yoop, and carried him away to a cage somewhere in the mountains. i don't know where it is, and i don't care, for my husband treated me badly at times, forgetting the respect a giant owes to a giantess. often he kicked me on my shins, when i wouldn't wait on him. so i'm glad he is gone." "it's a wonder the people didn't capture you, too," remarked woot. "well, i was too clever for them," said she, giving a sudden laugh that caused such a breeze that the wobbly scarecrow was almost blown off his feet and had to grab his friend nick chopper to steady himself. "i saw the people coming," continued mrs. yoop, "and knowing they meant mischief i transformed myself into a mouse and hid in a cupboard. after they had gone away, carrying my shin-kicking husband with them, i transformed myself back to my former shape again, and here i've lived in peace and comfort ever since." "are you a witch, then?" inquired woot. "well, not exactly a witch," she replied, "but i'm an artist in transformations. in other words, i'm more of a yookoohoo than a witch, and of course you know that the yookoohoos are the cleverest magic-workers in the world." the travelers were silent for a time, uneasily considering this statement and the effect it might have on their future. no doubt the giantess had wilfully made them her prisoners; yet she spoke so cheerfully, in her big voice, that until now they had not been alarmed in the least. by and by the scarecrow, whose mixed brains had been working steadily, asked the woman: "are we to consider you our friend, mrs. yoop, or do you intend to be our enemy?" "i never have friends," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, "because friends get too familiar and always forget to mind their own business. but i am not your enemy; not yet, anyhow. indeed, i'm glad you've come, for my life here is rather lonely. i've had no one to talk to since i transformed polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow, into a canary-bird." "how did you manage to do that?" asked the tin woodman, in amazement. "polychrome is a powerful fairy!" "she was," said the giantess; "but now she's a canary-bird. one day after a rain, polychrome danced off the rainbow and fell asleep on a little mound in this valley, not far from my castle. the sun came out and drove the rainbow away, and before poly wakened, i stole out and transformed her into a canary-bird in a gold cage studded with diamonds. the cage was so she couldn't fly away. i expected she'd sing and talk and we'd have good times together; but she has proved no company for me at all. ever since the moment of her transformation, she has refused to speak a single word." "where is she now?" inquired woot, who had heard tales of lovely polychrome and was much interested in her. "the cage is hanging up in my bedroom," said the giantess, eating another biscuit. the travelers were now more uneasy and suspicious of the giantess than before. if polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, who was a real fairy, had been transformed and enslaved by this huge woman, who claimed to be a yookoohoo, what was liable to happen to them? said the scarecrow, twisting his stuffed head around in mrs. yoop's direction: "do you know, ma'am, who we are?" "of course," said she; "a straw man, a tin man and a boy." "we are very important people," declared the tin woodman. "all the better," she replied. "i shall enjoy your society the more on that account. for i mean to keep you here as long as i live, to amuse me when i get lonely. and," she added slowly, "in this valley no one ever dies." they didn't like this speech at all, so the scarecrow frowned in a way that made mrs. yoop smile, while the tin woodman looked so fierce that mrs. yoop laughed. the scarecrow suspected she was going to laugh, so he slipped behind his friends to escape the wind from her breath. from this safe position he said warningly: "we have powerful friends who will soon come to rescue us." "let them come," she returned, with an accent of scorn. "when they get here they will find neither a boy, nor a tin man, nor a scarecrow, for tomorrow morning i intend to transform you all into other shapes, so that you cannot be recognized." this threat filled them with dismay. the good-natured giantess was more terrible than they had imagined. she could smile and wear pretty clothes and at the same time be even more cruel than her wicked husband had been. both the scarecrow and the tin woodman tried to think of some way to escape from the castle before morning, but she seemed to read their thoughts and shook her head. "don't worry your poor brains," said she. "you can't escape me, however hard you try. but why should you wish to escape? i shall give you new forms that are much better than the ones you now have. be contented with your fate, for discontent leads to unhappiness, and unhappiness, in any form, is the greatest evil that can befall you." "what forms do you intend to give us?" asked woot earnestly. "i haven't decided, as yet. i'll dream over it tonight, so in the morning i shall have made up my mind how to transform you. perhaps you'd prefer to choose your own transformations?" "no," said woot, "i prefer to remain as i am." "that's funny," she retorted. "you are little, and you're weak; as you are, you're not much account, anyhow. the best thing about you is that you're alive, for i shall be able to make of you some sort of live creature which will be a great improvement on your present form." she took another biscuit from a plate and dipped it in a pot of honey and calmly began eating it. the scarecrow watched her thoughtfully. "there are no fields of grain in your valley," said he; "where, then, did you get the flour to make your biscuits?" "mercy me! do you think i'd bother to make biscuits out of flour?" she replied. "that is altogether too tedious a process for a yookoohoo. i set some traps this afternoon and caught a lot of field-mice, but as i do not like to eat mice, i transformed them into hot biscuits for my supper. the honey in this pot was once a wasp's nest, but since being transformed it has become sweet and delicious. all i need do, when i wish to eat, is to take something i don't care to keep, and transform it into any sort of food i like, and eat it. are you hungry?" "i don't eat, thank you," said the scarecrow. "nor do i," said the tin woodman. "i have still a little natural food in my knapsack," said woot the wanderer, "and i'd rather eat that than any wasp's nest." "every one to his taste," said the giantess carelessly, and having now finished her supper she rose to her feet, clapped her hands together, and the supper table at once disappeared. chapter six the magic of a yookoohoo woot had seen very little of magic during his wanderings, while the scarecrow and the tin woodman had seen a great deal of many sorts in their lives, yet all three were greatly impressed by mrs. yoop's powers. she did not affect any mysterious airs or indulge in chants or mystic rites, as most witches do, nor was the giantess old and ugly or disagreeable in face or manner. nevertheless, she frightened her prisoners more than any witch could have done. "please be seated," she said to them, as she sat herself down in a great arm-chair and spread her beautiful embroidered skirts for them to admire. but all the chairs in the room were so high that our friends could not climb to the seats of them. mrs. yoop observed this and waved her hand, when instantly a golden ladder appeared leaning against a chair opposite her own. "climb up," said she, and they obeyed, the tin man and the boy assisting the more clumsy scarecrow. when they were all seated in a row on the cushion of the chair, the giantess continued: "now tell me how you happened to travel in this direction, and where you came from and what your errand is." so the tin woodman told her all about nimmie amee, and how he had decided to find her and marry her, although he had no loving heart. the story seemed to amuse the big woman, who then began to ask the scarecrow questions and for the first time in her life heard of ozma of oz, and of dorothy and jack pumpkinhead and dr. pipt and tik-tok and many other oz people who are well known in the emerald city. also woot had to tell his story, which was very simple and did not take long. the giantess laughed heartily when the boy related their adventure at loonville, but said she knew nothing of the loons because she never left her valley. "there are wicked people who would like to capture me, as they did my giant husband, mr. yoop," said she; "so i stay at home and mind my own business." "if ozma knew that you dared to work magic without her consent, she would punish you severely," declared the scarecrow, "for this castle is in the land of oz, and no persons in the land of oz are permitted to work magic except glinda the good and the little wizard who lives with ozma in the emerald city." "that for your ozma!" exclaimed the giantess, snapping her fingers in derision. "what do i care for a girl whom i have never seen and who has never seen me?" "but ozma is a fairy," said the tin woodman, "and therefore she is very powerful. also, we are under ozma's protection, and to injure us in any way would make her extremely angry." "what i do here, in my own private castle in this secluded valley--where no one comes but fools like you--can never be known to your fairy ozma," returned the giantess. "do not seek to frighten me from my purpose, and do not allow yourselves to be frightened, for it is best to meet bravely what cannot be avoided. i am now going to bed, and in the morning i will give you all new forms, such as will be more interesting to me than the ones you now wear. good night, and pleasant dreams." saying this, mrs. yoop rose from her chair and walked through a doorway into another room. so heavy was the tread of the giantess that even the walls of the big stone castle trembled as she stepped. she closed the door of her bedroom behind her, and then suddenly the light went out and the three prisoners found themselves in total darkness. the tin woodman and the scarecrow didn't mind the dark at all, but woot the wanderer felt worried to be left in this strange place in this strange manner, without being able to see any danger that might threaten. "the big woman might have given me a bed, anyhow," he said to his companions, and scarcely had he spoken when he felt something press against his legs, which were then dangling from the seat of the chair. leaning down, he put out his hand and found that a bedstead had appeared, with mattress, sheets and covers, all complete. he lost no time in slipping down upon the bed and was soon fast asleep. during the night the scarecrow and the emperor talked in low tones together, and they got out of the chair and moved all about the room, feeling for some hidden spring that might open a door or window and permit them to escape. morning found them still unsuccessful in the quest and as soon as it was daylight woot's bed suddenly disappeared, and he dropped to the floor with a thump that quickly wakened him. and after a time the giantess came from her bedroom, wearing another dress that was quite as elaborate as the one in which she had been attired the evening before, and also wearing the pretty lace apron. having seated herself in a chair, she said: "i'm hungry; so i'll have breakfast at once." she clapped her hands together and instantly the table appeared before her, spread with snowy linen and laden with golden dishes. but there was no food upon the table, nor anything else except a pitcher of water, a bundle of weeds and a handful of pebbles. but the giantess poured some water into her coffee-pot, patted it once or twice with her hand, and then poured out a cupful of steaming hot coffee. "would you like some?" she asked woot. he was suspicious of magic coffee, but it smelled so good that he could not resist it; so he answered: "if you please, madam." the giantess poured out another cup and set it on the floor for woot. it was as big as a tub, and the golden spoon in the saucer beside the cup was so heavy the boy could scarcely lift it. but woot managed to get a sip of the coffee and found it delicious. mrs. yoop next transformed the weeds into a dish of oatmeal, which she ate with good appetite. "now, then," said she, picking up the pebbles. "i'm wondering whether i shall have fish-balls or lamb-chops to complete my meal. which would you prefer, woot the wanderer?" "if you please, i'll eat the food in my knapsack," answered the boy. "your magic food might taste good, but i'm afraid of it." the woman laughed at his fears and transformed the pebbles into fish-balls. "i suppose you think that after you had eaten this food it would turn to stones again and make you sick," she remarked; "but that would be impossible. nothing i transform ever gets back to its former shape again, so these fish-balls can never more be pebbles. that is why i have to be careful of my transformations," she added, busily eating while she talked, "for while i can change forms at will i can never change them back again--which proves that even the powers of a clever yookoohoo are limited. when i have transformed you three people, you must always wear the shapes that i have given you." "then please don't transform us," begged woot, "for we are quite satisfied to remain as we are." "i am not expecting to satisfy you, but intend to please myself," she declared, "and my pleasure is to give you new shapes. for, if by chance your friends came in search of you, not one of them would be able to recognize you." her tone was so positive that they knew it would be useless to protest. the woman was not unpleasant to look at; her face was not cruel; her voice was big but gracious in tone; but her words showed that she possessed a merciless heart and no pleadings would alter her wicked purpose. mrs. yoop took ample time to finish her breakfast and the prisoners had no desire to hurry her, but finally the meal was concluded and she folded her napkin and made the table disappear by clapping her hands together. then she turned to her captives and said: "the next thing on the programme is to change your forms." "have you decided what forms to give us?" asked the scarecrow, uneasily. "yes; i dreamed it all out while i was asleep. this tin man seems a very solemn person "--indeed, the tin woodman was looking solemn, just then, for he was greatly disturbed--"so i shall change him into an owl." all she did was to point one finger at him as she spoke, but immediately the form of the tin woodman began to change and in a few seconds nick chopper, the emperor of the winkies, had been transformed into an owl, with eyes as big as saucers and a hooked beak and strong claws. but he was still tin. he was a tin owl, with tin legs and beak and eyes and feathers. when he flew to the back of a chair and perched upon it, his tin feathers rattled against one another with a tinny clatter. the giantess seemed much amused by the tin owl's appearance, for her laugh was big and jolly. "you're not liable to get lost," said she, "for your wings and feathers will make a racket wherever you go. and, on my word, a tin owl is so rare and pretty that it is an improvement on the ordinary bird. i did not intend to make you tin, but i forgot to wish you to be meat. however, tin you were, and tin you are, and as it's too late to change you, that settles it." until now the scarecrow had rather doubted the possibility of mrs. yoop's being able to transform him, or his friend the tin woodman, for they were not made as ordinary people are. he had worried more over what might happen to woot than to himself, but now he began to worry about himself. "madam," he said hastily, "i consider this action very impolite. it may even be called rude, considering we are your guests." "you are not guests, for i did not invite you here," she replied. "perhaps not; but we craved hospitality. we threw ourselves upon your mercy, so to speak, and we now find you have no mercy. therefore, if you will excuse the expression, i must say it is downright wicked to take our proper forms away from us and give us others that we do not care for." "are you trying to make me angry?" she asked, frowning. "by no means," said the scarecrow; "i'm just trying to make you act more ladylike." "oh, indeed! in my opinion, mr. scarecrow, you are now acting like a bear--so a bear you shall be!" again the dreadful finger pointed, this time in the scarecrow's direction, and at once his form began to change. in a few seconds he had become a small brown bear, but he was stuffed with straw as he had been before, and when the little brown bear shuffled across the floor he was just as wobbly as the scarecrow had been and moved just as awkwardly. woot was amazed, but he was also thoroughly frightened. "did it hurt?" he asked the little brown bear. "no, of course not," growled the scarecrow in the bear's form; "but i don't like walking on four legs; it's undignified." "consider my humiliation!" chirped the tin owl, trying to settle its tin feathers smoothly with its tin beak. "and i can't see very well, either. the light seems to hurt my eyes." "that's because you are an owl," said woot. "i think you will see better in the dark." "well," remarked the giantess, "i'm very well pleased with these new forms, for my part, and i'm sure you will like them better when you get used to them. so now," she added, turning to the boy, "it is your turn." "don't you think you'd better leave me as i am?" asked woot in a trembling voice. "no," she replied, "i'm going to make a monkey of you. i love monkeys--they're so cute!--and i think a green monkey will be lots of fun and amuse me when i am sad." woot shivered, for again the terrible magic finger pointed, and pointed directly his way. he felt himself changing; not so very much, however, and it didn't hurt him a bit. he looked down at his limbs and body and found that his clothes were gone and his skin covered with a fine, silk-like green fur. his hands and feet were now those of a monkey. he realized he really was a monkey, and his first feeling was one of anger. he began to chatter as monkeys do. he bounded to the seat of a giant chair, and then to its back and with a wild leap sprang upon the laughing giantess. his idea was to seize her hair and pull it out by the roots, and so have revenge for her wicked transformations. but she raised her hand and said: "gently, my dear monkey--gently! you're not angry; you're happy as can be!" woot stopped short. no; he wasn't a bit angry now; he felt as good-humored and gay as ever he did when a boy. instead of pulling mrs. yoop's hair, he perched on her shoulder and smoothed her soft cheek with his hairy paw. in return, she smiled at the funny green animal and patted his head. "very good," said the giantess. "let us all become friends and be happy together. how is my tin owl feeling?" "quite comfortable," said the owl. "i don't like it, to be sure, but i'm not going to allow my new form to make me unhappy. but, tell me, please: what is a tin owl good for?" "you are only good to make me laugh," replied the giantess. "will a stuffed bear also make you laugh?" inquired the scarecrow, sitting back on his haunches to look up at her. "of course," declared the giantess; "and i have added a little magic to your transformations to make you all contented with wearing your new forms. i'm sorry i didn't think to do that when i transformed polychrome into a canary-bird. but perhaps, when she sees how cheerful you are, she will cease to be silent and sullen and take to singing. i will go get the bird and let you see her." with this, mrs. yoop went into the next room and soon returned bearing a golden cage in which sat upon a swinging perch a lovely yellow canary. "polychrome," said the giantess, "permit me to introduce to you a green monkey, which used to be a boy called woot the wanderer, and a tin owl, which used to be a tin woodman named nick chopper, and a straw-stuffed little brown bear which used to be a live scarecrow." "we already know one another," declared the scarecrow. "the bird is polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, and she and i used to be good friends." "are you really my old friend, the scarecrow?" asked; the bird, in a sweet, low voice. "there!" cried mrs. yoop; "that's the first time she has spoken since she was transformed." "i am really your old friend," answered the scarecrow; "but you must pardon me for appearing just now in this brutal form." "i am a bird, as you are, dear poly," said the tin woodman; "but, alas! a tin owl is not as beautiful as a canary-bird." "how dreadful it all is!" sighed the canary. "couldn't you manage to escape from this terrible yookoohoo?" "no," answered the scarecrow, "we tried to escape, but failed. she first made us her prisoners and then transformed us. but how did she manage to get you, polychrome?" "i was asleep, and she took unfair advantage of me," answered the bird sadly. "had i been awake, i could easily have protected myself." "tell me," said the green monkey earnestly, as he came close to the cage, "what must we do, daughter of the rainbow, to escape from these transformations? can't you help us, being a fairy?" "at present i am powerless to help even myself," replied the canary. "that's the exact truth!" exclaimed the giantess, who seemed pleased to hear the bird talk, even though it complained; "you are all helpless and in my power, so you may as well make up your minds to accept your fate and be content. remember that you are transformed for good, since no magic on earth can break your enchantments. i am now going out for my morning walk, for each day after breakfast i walk sixteen times around my castle for exercise. amuse yourselves while i am gone, and when i return i hope to find you all reconciled and happy." so the giantess walked to the door by which our friends had entered the great hall and spoke one word: "open!" then the door swung open and after mrs. yoop had passed out it closed again with a snap as its powerful bolts shot into place. the green monkey had rushed toward the opening, hoping to escape, but he was too late and only got a bump on his nose as the door slammed shut. chapter seven the lace apron "now," said the canary, in a tone more brisk than before, "we may talk together more freely, as mrs. yoop cannot hear us. perhaps we can figure out a way to escape." "open!" said woot the monkey, still facing the door; but his command had no effect and he slowly rejoined the others. "you cannot open any door or window in this enchanted castle unless you are wearing the magic apron," said the canary. "what magic apron do you mean?" asked the tin owl, in a curious voice. "the lace one, which the giantess always wears. i have been her prisoner, in this cage, for several weeks, and she hangs my cage in her bedroom every night, so that she can keep her eye on me," explained polychrome the canary. "therefore i have discovered that it is the magic apron that opens the doors and windows, and nothing else can move them. when she goes to bed, mrs. yoop hangs her apron on the bedpost, and one morning she forgot to put it on when she commanded the door to open, and the door would not move. so then she put on the lace apron and the door obeyed her. that was how i learned the magic power of the apron." "i see--i see!" said the little brown bear, wagging his stuffed head. "then, if we could get the apron from mrs. yoop, we could open the doors and escape from our prison." "that is true, and it is the plan i was about to suggest," replied polychrome the canary-bird. "however, i don't believe the owl could steal the apron, or even the bear, but perhaps the monkey could hide in her room at night and get the apron while she is asleep." "i'll try it!" cried woot the monkey. "i'll try it this very night, if i can manage to steal into her bedroom." "you mustn't think about it, though," warned the bird, "for she can read your thoughts whenever she cares to do so. and do not forget, before you escape, to take me with you. once i am out of the power of the giantess, i may discover a way to save us all." "we won't forget our fairy friend," promised the boy; "but perhaps you can tell me how to get into the bedroom." "no," declared polychrome, "i cannot advise you as to that. you must watch for a chance, and slip in when mrs. yoop isn't looking." they talked it over for a while longer and then mrs. yoop returned. when she entered, the door opened suddenly, at her command, and closed as soon as her huge form had passed through the doorway. during that day she entered her bedroom several times, on one errand or another, but always she commanded the door to close behind her and her prisoners found not the slightest chance to leave the big hall in which they were confined. the green monkey thought it would be wise to make a friend of the big woman, so as to gain her confidence, so he sat on the back of her chair and chattered to her while she mended her stockings and sewed silver buttons on some golden shoes that were as big as row-boats. this pleased the giantess and she would pause at times to pat the monkey's head. the little brown bear curled up in a corner and lay still all day. the owl and the canary found they could converse together in the bird language, which neither the giantess nor the bear nor the monkey could understand; so at times they twittered away to each other and passed the long, dreary day quite cheerfully. after dinner mrs. yoop took a big fiddle from a big cupboard and played such loud and dreadful music that her prisoners were all thankful when at last she stopped and said she was going to bed. after cautioning the monkey and bear and owl to behave themselves during the night, she picked up the cage containing the canary and, going to the door of her bedroom, commanded it to open. just then, however, she remembered she had left her fiddle lying upon a table, so she went back for it and put it away in the cupboard, and while her back was turned the green monkey slipped through the open door into her bedroom and hid underneath the bed. the giantess, being sleepy, did not notice this, and entering her room she made the door close behind her and then hung the bird-cage on a peg by the window. then she began to undress, first taking off the lace apron and laying it over the bedpost, where it was within easy reach of her hand. as soon as mrs. yoop was in bed the lights all went out, and woot the monkey crouched under the bed and waited patiently until he heard the giantess snoring. then he crept out and in the dark felt around until he got hold of the apron, which he at once tied around his own waist. next, woot tried to find the canary, and there was just enough moonlight showing through the window to enable him to see where the cage hung; but it was out of his reach. at first he was tempted to leave polychrome and escape with his other friends, but remembering his promise to the rainbow's daughter woot tried to think how to save her. a chair stood near the window, and this--showing dimly in the moonlight--gave him an idea. by pushing against it with all his might, he found he could move the giant chair a few inches at a time. so he pushed and pushed until the chair was beneath the bird-cage, and then he sprang noiselessly upon the seat--for his monkey form enabled him to jump higher than he could do as a boy--and from there to the back of the chair, and so managed to reach the cage and take it off the peg. then down he sprang to the floor and made his way to the door. "open!" he commanded, and at once the door obeyed and swung open, but his voice wakened mrs. yoop, who gave a wild cry and sprang out of bed with one bound. the green monkey dashed through the doorway, carrying the cage with him, and before the giantess could reach the door it slammed shut and imprisoned her in her own bed-chamber! the noise she made, pounding upon the door, and her yells of anger and dreadful threats of vengeance, filled all our friends with terror, and woot the monkey was so excited that in the dark he could not find the outer door of the hall. but the tin owl could see very nicely in the dark, so he guided his friends to the right place and when all were grouped before the door woot commanded it to open. the magic apron proved as powerful as when it had been worn by the giantess, so a moment later they had rushed through the passage and were standing in the fresh night air outside the castle, free to go wherever they willed. chapter eight the menace of the forest "quick!" cried polychrome the canary; "we must hurry, or mrs. yoop may find some way to recapture us, even now. let us get out of her valley as soon as possible." so they set off toward the east, moving as swiftly as they could, and for a long time they could hear the yells and struggles of the imprisoned giantess. the green monkey could run over the ground very swiftly, and he carried with him the bird-cage containing polychrome the rain-bow's daughter. also the tin owl could skip and fly along at a good rate of speed, his feathers rattling against one another with a tinkling sound as he moved. but the little brown bear, being stuffed with straw, was a clumsy traveler and the others had to wait for him to follow. however, they were not very long in reaching the ridge that led out of mrs. yoop's valley, and when they had passed this ridge and descended into the next valley they stopped to rest, for the green monkey was tired. "i believe we are safe, now," said polychrome, when her cage was set down and the others had all gathered around it, "for mrs. yoop dares not go outside of her own valley, for fear of being captured by her enemies. so we may take our time to consider what to do next." "i'm afraid poor mrs. yoop will starve to death, if no one lets her out of her bedroom," said woot, who had a heart as kind as that of the tin woodman. "we've taken her magic apron away, and now the doors will never open." "don't worry about that," advised polychrome. "mrs. yoop has plenty of magic left to console her." "are you sure of that?" asked the green monkey. "yes, for i've been watching her for weeks," said the canary. "she has six magic hairpins, which she wears in her hair, and a magic ring which she wears on her thumb and which is invisible to all eyes except those of a fairy, and magic bracelets on both her ankles. so i am positive that she will manage to find a way out of her prison." "she might transform the door into an archway," suggested the little brown bear. "that would be easy for her," said the tin owl; "but i'm glad she was too angry to think of that before we got out of her valley." "well, we have escaped the big woman, to be sure," remarked the green monkey, "but we still wear the awful forms the cruel yookoohoo gave us. how are we going to get rid of these shapes, and become ourselves again?" none could answer that question. they sat around the cage, brooding over the problem, until the monkey fell asleep. seeing this, the canary tucked her head under her wing and also slept, and the tin owl and the brown bear did not disturb them until morning came and it was broad daylight. "i'm hungry," said woot, when he wakened, for his knapsack of food had been left behind at the castle. "then let us travel on until we can find something for you to eat," returned the scarecrow bear. "there is no use in your lugging my cage any farther," declared the canary. "let me out, and throw the cage away. then i can fly with you and find my own breakfast of seeds. also i can search for water, and tell you where to find it." so the green monkey unfastened the door of the golden cage and the canary hopped out. at first she flew high in the air and made great circles overhead, but after a time she returned and perched beside them. "at the east in the direction we were following," announced the canary, "there is a fine forest, with a brook running through it. in the forest there may be fruits or nuts growing, or berry bushes at its edge, so let us go that way." they agreed to this and promptly set off, this time moving more deliberately. the tin owl, which had guided their way during the night, now found the sunshine very trying to his big eyes, so he shut them tight and perched upon the back of the little brown bear, which carried the owl's weight with ease. the canary sometimes perched upon the green monkey's shoulder and sometimes fluttered on ahead of the party, and in this manner they traveled in good spirits across that valley and into the next one to the east of it. this they found to be an immense hollow, shaped like a saucer, and on its farther edge appeared the forest which polychrome had seen from the sky. "come to think of it," said the tin owl, waking up and blinking comically at his friends, "there's no object, now, in our traveling to the munchkin country. my idea in going there was to marry nimmie amee, but however much the munchkin girl may have loved a tin woodman, i cannot reasonably expect her to marry a tin owl." "there is some truth in that, my friend," remarked the brown bear. "and to think that i, who was considered the handsomest scarecrow in the world, am now condemned to be a scrubby, no-account beast, whose only redeeming feature is that he is stuffed with straw!" "consider my case, please," said woot. "the cruel giantess has made a monkey of a boy, and that is the most dreadful deed of all!" "your color is rather pretty," said the brown bear, eyeing woot critically. "i have never seen a pea-green monkey before, and it strikes me you are quite gorgeous." "it isn't so bad to be a bird," asserted the canary, fluttering from one to another with a free and graceful motion, "but i long to enjoy my own shape again." "as polychrome, you were the loveliest maiden i have ever seen--except, of course, ozma," said the tin owl; "so the giantess did well to transform you into the loveliest of all birds, if you were to be transformed at all. but tell me, since you are a fairy, and have a fairy wisdom: do you think we shall be able to break these enchantments?" "queer things happen in the land of oz," replied the canary, again perching on the green monkey's shoulder and turning one bright eye thoughtfully toward her questioner. "mrs. yoop has declared that none of her transformations can ever be changed, even by herself, but i believe that if we could get to glinda the good sorceress, she might find a way to restore us to our natural shapes. glinda, as you know, is the most powerful sorceress in the world, and there are few things she cannot do if she tries." "in that case," said the little brown bear, "let us return southward and try to get to glinda's castle. it lies in the quadling country, you know, so it is a good way from here." "first, however, let us visit the forest and search for something to eat," pleaded woot. so they continued on to the edge of the forest, which consisted of many tall and beautiful trees. they discovered no fruit trees, at first, so the green monkey pushed on into the forest depths and the others followed close behind him. they were traveling quietly along, under the shade of the trees, when suddenly an enormous jaguar leaped upon them from a limb and with one blow of his paw sent the little brown bear tumbling over and over until he was stopped by a tree-trunk. instantly they all took alarm. the tin owl shrieked: "hoot--hoot!" and flew straight up to the branch of a tall tree, although he could scarcely see where he was going. the canary swiftly darted to a place beside the owl, and the green monkey sprang up, caught a limb, and soon scrambled to a high perch of safety. the jaguar crouched low and with hungry eyes regarded the little brown bear, which slowly got upon its feet and asked reproachfully: "for goodness' sake, beast, what were you trying to do?" "trying to get my breakfast," answered the jaguar with a snarl, "and i believe i've succeeded. you ought to make a delicious meal--unless you happen to be old and tough." "i'm worse than that, considered as a breakfast," said the bear, "for i'm only a skin stuffed with straw, and therefore not fit to eat." "indeed!" cried the jaguar, in a disappointed voice; "then you must be a magic bear, or enchanted, and i must seek my breakfast from among your companions." with this he raised his lean head to look up at the tin owl and the canary and the monkey, and he lashed his tail upon the ground and growled as fiercely as any jaguar could. "my friends are enchanted, also," said the little brown bear. "all of them?" asked the jaguar. "yes. the owl is tin, so you couldn't possibly eat him. the canary is a fairy--polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow--and you never could catch her because she can easily fly out of your reach." "there still remains the green monkey," remarked the jaguar hungrily. "he is neither made of tin nor stuffed with straw, nor can he fly. i'm pretty good at climbing trees, myself, so i think i'll capture the monkey and eat him for my breakfast." woot the monkey, hearing this speech from his perch on the tree, became much frightened, for he knew the nature of jaguars and realized they could climb trees and leap from limb to limb with the agility of cats. so he at once began to scamper through the forest as fast as he could go, catching at a branch with his long monkey arms and swinging his green body through space to grasp another branch in a neighboring tree, and so on, while the jaguar followed him from below, his eyes fixed steadfastly on his prey. but presently woot got his feet tangled in the lace apron, which he was still wearing, and that tripped him in his flight and made him fall to the ground, where the jaguar placed one huge paw upon him and said grimly: "i've got you, now!" the fact that the apron had tripped him made woot remember its magic powers, and in his terror he cried out: "open!" without stopping to consider how this command might save him. but, at the word, the earth opened at the exact spot where he lay under the jaguar's paw, and his body sank downward, the earth closing over it again. the last thing woot the monkey saw, as he glanced upward, was the jaguar peering into the hole in astonishment. "he's gone!" cried the beast, with a long-drawn sigh of disappointment; "he's gone, and now i shall have no breakfast." the clatter of the tin owl's wings sounded above him, and the little brown bear came trotting up and asked: "where is the monkey? have you eaten him so quickly?" "no, indeed," answered the jaguar. "he disappeared into the earth before i could take one bite of him!" and now the canary perched upon a stump, a little way from the forest beast, and said: "i am glad our friend has escaped you; but, as it is natural for a hungry beast to wish his breakfast, i will try to give you one." "thank you," replied the jaguar. "you're rather small for a full meal, but it's kind of you to sacrifice yourself to my appetite." "oh, i don't intend to be eaten, i assure you," said the canary, "but as i am a fairy i know something of magic, and though i am now transformed into a bird's shape, i am sure i can conjure up a breakfast that will satisfy you." "if you can work magic, why don't you break the enchantment you are under and return to your proper form?" inquired the beast doubtingly. "i haven't the power to do that," answered the canary, "for mrs. yoop, the giantess who transformed me, used a peculiar form of yookoohoo magic that is unknown to me. however, she could not deprive me of my own fairy knowledge, so i will try to get you a breakfast." "do you think a magic breakfast would taste good, or relieve the pangs of hunger i now suffer?" asked the jaguar. "i am sure it would. what would you like to eat?" "give me a couple of fat rabbits," said the beast. "rabbits! no, indeed. i'd not allow you to eat the dear little things," declared polychrome the canary. "well, three or four squirrels, then," pleaded the jaguar. "do you think me so cruel?" demanded the canary, indignantly. "the squirrels are my especial friends." "how about a plump owl?" asked the beast. "not a tin one, you know, but a real meat owl." "neither beast nor bird shall you have," said polychrome in a positive voice. "give me a fish, then; there's a river a little way off," proposed the jaguar. "no living thing shall be sacrificed to feed you," returned the canary. "then what in the world do you expect me to eat?" said the jaguar in a scornful tone. "how would mush-and-milk do?" asked the canary. the jaguar snarled in derision and lashed his tail against the ground angrily. "give him some scrambled eggs on toast, poly," suggested the bear scarecrow. "he ought to like that." "i will," responded the canary, and fluttering her wings she made a flight of three circles around the stump. then she flew up to a tree and the bear and the owl and the jaguar saw that upon the stump had appeared a great green leaf upon which was a large portion of scrambled eggs on toast, smoking hot. "there!" said the bear; "eat your breakfast, friend jaguar, and be content." the jaguar crept closer to the stump and sniffed the fragrance of the scrambled eggs. they smelled so good that he tasted them, and they tasted so good that he ate the strange meal in a hurry, proving he had been really hungry. "i prefer rabbits," he muttered, licking his chops, "but i must admit the magic breakfast has filled my stomach full, and brought me comfort. so i'm much obliged for the kindness, little fairy, and i'll now leave you in peace." saying this, he plunged into the thick underbrush and soon disappeared, although they could hear his great body crashing through the bushes until he was far distant. "that was a good way to get rid of the savage beast, poly," said the tin woodman to the canary; "but i'm surprised that you didn't give our friend woot a magic breakfast, when you knew he was hungry." "the reason for that," answered polychrome, "was that my mind was so intent on other things that i quite forgot my power to produce food by magic. but where is the monkey boy?" "gone!" said the scarecrow bear, solemnly. "the earth has swallowed him up." chapter nine the quarrelsome dragons the green monkey sank gently into the earth for a little way and then tumbled swiftly through space, landing on a rocky floor with a thump that astonished him. then he sat up, found that no bones were broken, and gazed around him. he seemed to be in a big underground cave, which was dimly lighted by dozens of big round discs that looked like moons. they were not moons, however, as woot discovered when he had examined the place more carefully. they were eyes. the eyes were in the heads of enormous beasts whose bodies trailed far behind them. each beast was bigger than an elephant, and three times as long, and there were a dozen or more of the creatures scattered here and there about the cavern. on their bodies were big scales, as round as pie-plates, which were beautifully tinted in shades of green, purple and orange. on the ends of their long tails were clusters of jewels. around the great, moon-like eyes were circles of diamonds which sparkled in the subdued light that glowed from the eyes. woot saw that the creatures had wide mouths and rows of terrible teeth and, from tales he had heard of such beings, he knew he had fallen into a cavern inhabited by the great dragons that had been driven from the surface of the earth and were only allowed to come out once in a hundred years to search for food. of course he had never seen dragons before, yet there was no mistaking them, for they were unlike any other living creatures. woot sat upon the floor where he had fallen, staring around, and the owners of the big eyes returned his look, silently and motionless. finally one of the dragons which was farthest away from him asked, in a deep, grave voice: "what was that?" and the greatest dragon of all, who was just in front of the green monkey, answered in a still deeper voice: "it is some foolish animal from outside." "is it good to eat?" inquired a smaller dragon beside the great one. "i'm hungry." "hungry!" exclaimed all the dragons, in a reproachful chorus; and then the great one said chidingly: "tut-tut, my son! you've no reason to be hungry at this time." "why not?" asked the little dragon. "i haven't eaten anything in eleven years." "eleven years is nothing," remarked another dragon, sleepily opening and closing his eyes; "i haven't feasted for eighty-seven years, and i dare not get hungry for a dozen or so years to come. children who eat between meals should be broken of the habit." "all i had, eleven years ago, was a rhinoceros, and that's not a full meal at all," grumbled the young one. "and, before that, i had waited sixty-two years to be fed; so it's no wonder i'm hungry." "how old are you now?" asked woot, forgetting his own dangerous position in his interest in the conversation. "why, i'm--i'm--how old am i, father?" asked the little dragon. "goodness gracious! what a child to ask questions. do you want to keep me thinking all the time? don't you know that thinking is very bad for dragons?" returned the big one, impatiently. "how old am i, father?" persisted the small dragon. "about six hundred and thirty, i believe. ask your mother." "no; don't!" said an old dragon in the background; "haven't i enough worries, what with being wakened in the middle of a nap, without being obliged to keep track of my children's ages?" "you've been fast asleep for over sixty years, mother," said the child dragon. "how long a nap do you wish?" "i should have slept forty years longer. and this strange little green beast should be punished for falling into our cavern and disturbing us." "i didn't know you were here, and i didn't know i was going to fall in," explained woot. "nevertheless, here you are," said the great dragon, "and you have carelessly wakened our entire tribe; so it stands to reason you must be punished." "in what way?" inquired the green monkey, trembling a little. "give me time and i'll think of a way. you're in no hurry, are you?" asked the great dragon. "no, indeed," cried woot. "take your time. i'd much rather you'd all go to sleep again, and punish me when you wake up in a hundred years or so." "let me eat him!" pleaded the littlest dragon. "he is too small," said the father. "to eat this one green monkey would only serve to make you hungry for more, and there are no more." "quit this chatter and let me get to sleep," protested another dragon, yawning in a fearful manner, for when he opened his mouth a sheet of flame leaped forth from it and made woot jump back to get out of its way. in his jump he bumped against the nose of a dragon behind him, which opened its mouth to growl and shot another sheet of flame at him. the flame was bright, but not very hot, yet woot screamed with terror and sprang forward with a great bound. this time he landed on the paw of the great chief dragon, who angrily raised his other front paw and struck the green monkey a fierce blow. woot went sailing through the air and fell sprawling upon the rocky floor far beyond the place where the dragon tribe was grouped. all the great beasts were now thoroughly wakened and aroused, and they blamed the monkey for disturbing their quiet. the littlest dragon darted after woot and the others turned their unwieldy bodies in his direction and followed, flashing from their eyes and mouths flames which lighted up the entire cavern. woot almost gave himself up for lost, at that moment, but he scrambled to his feet and dashed away to the farthest end of the cave, the dragons following more leisurely because they were too clumsy to move fast. perhaps they thought there was no need of haste, as the monkey could not escape from the cave. but, away up at the end of the place, the cavern floor was heaped with tumbled rocks, so woot, with an agility born of fear, climbed from rock to rock until he found himself crouched against the cavern roof. there he waited, for he could go no farther, while on over the tumbled rocks slowly crept the dragons--the littlest one coming first because he was hungry as well as angry. the beasts had almost reached him when woot, remembering his lace apron--now sadly torn and soiled--recovered his wits and shouted: "open!" at the cry a hole appeared in the roof of the cavern, just over his head, and through it the sunlight streamed full upon the green monkey. the dragons paused, astonished at the magic and blinking at the sunlight, and this gave woot time to climb through the opening. as soon as he reached the surface of the earth the hole closed again, and the boy monkey realized, with a thrill of joy, that he had seen the last of the dangerous dragon family. he sat upon the ground, still panting hard from his exertions, when the bushes before him parted and his former enemy, the jaguar, appeared. "don't run," said the woodland beast, as woot sprang up; "you are perfectly safe, so far as i am concerned, for since you so mysteriously disappeared i have had my breakfast. i am now on my way home to sleep the rest of the day." "oh, indeed!" returned the green monkey, in a tone both sorry and startled. "which of my friends did you manage to eat?" "none of them," returned the jaguar, with a sly grin "i had a dish of magic scrambled eggs--on toast--and it wasn't a bad feast, at all. there isn't room in me for even you, and i don't regret it because i judge, from your green color, that you are not ripe, and would make an indifferent meal. we jaguars have to be careful of our digestions. farewell, friend monkey. follow the path i made through the bushes and you will find your friends." with this the jaguar marched on his way and woot took his advice and followed the trail he had made until he came to the place where the little brown bear, and the tin owl, and the canary were conferring together and wondering what had become of their comrade, the green monkey. chapter ten tommy kwikstep "our best plan," said the scarecrow bear, when the green monkey had related the story of his adventure with the dragons, "is to get out of this gillikin country as soon as we can and try to find our way to the castle of glinda, the good sorceress. there are too many dangers lurking here to suit me, and glinda may be able to restore us to our proper forms." "if we turn south now," the tin owl replied, "we might go straight into the emerald city. that's a place i wish to avoid, for i'd hate to have my friends see me in this sad plight," and he blinked his eyes and fluttered his tin wings mournfully. "but i am certain we have passed beyond emerald city," the canary assured him, sailing lightly around their heads. "so, should we turn south from here, we would pass into the munchkin country, and continuing south we would reach the quadling country where glinda's castle is located." "well, since you're sure of that, let's start right away," proposed the bear. "it's a long journey, at the best, and i'm getting tired of walking on four legs." "i thought you never tired, being stuffed with straw," said woot. "i mean that it annoys me, to be obliged to go on all fours, when two legs are my proper walking equipment," replied the scarecrow. "i consider it beneath my dignity. in other words, my remarkable brains can tire, through humiliation, although my body cannot tire." "that is one of the penalties of having brains," remarked the tin owl with a sigh. "i have had no brains since i was a man of meat, and so i never worry. nevertheless, i prefer my former manly form to this owl's shape and would be glad to break mrs. yoop's enchantment as soon as possible. i am so noisy, just now, that i disturb myself," and he fluttered his wings with a clatter that echoed throughout the forest. so, being all of one mind, they turned southward, traveling steadily on until the woods were left behind and the landscape turned from purple tints to blue tints, which assured them they had entered the country of the munchkins. "now i feel myself more safe," said the scarecrow bear. "i know this country pretty well, having been made here by a munchkin farmer and having wandered over these lovely blue lands many times. seems to me, indeed, that i even remember that group of three tall trees ahead of us; and, if i do, we are not far from the home of my friend jinjur." "who is jinjur?" asked woot, the green monkey. "haven't you heard of jinjur?" exclaimed the scarecrow, in surprise. "no," said woot. "is jinjur a man, a woman, a beast or a bird?" "jinjur is a girl," explained the scarecrow bear. "she's a fine girl, too, although a bit restless and liable to get excited. once, a long time ago, she raised an army of girls and called herself 'general jinjur.' with her army she captured the emerald city, and drove me out of it, because i insisted that an army in oz was highly improper. but ozma punished the rash girl, and afterward jinjur and i became fast friends. now jinjur lives peacefully on a farm, near here, and raises fields of cream-puffs, chocolate-caramels and macaroons. they say she's a pretty good farmer, and in addition to that she's an artist, and paints pictures so perfect that one can scarcely tell them from nature. she often repaints my face for me, when it gets worn or mussy, and the lovely expression i wore when the giantess transformed me was painted by jinjur only a month or so ago." "it was certainly a pleasant expression," agreed woot. "jinjur can paint anything," continued the scarecrow bear, with enthusiasm, as they walked along together. "once, when i came to her house, my straw was old and crumpled, so that my body sagged dreadfully. i needed new straw to replace the old, but jinjur had no straw on all her ranch and i was really unable to travel farther until i had been restuffed. when i explained this to jinjur, the girl at once painted a straw-stack which was so natural that i went to it and secured enough straw to fill all my body. it was a good quality of straw, too, and lasted me a long time." this seemed very wonderful to woot, who knew that such a thing could never happen in any place but a fairy country like oz. the munchkin country was much nicer than the gillikin country, and all the fields were separated by blue fences, with grassy lanes and paths of blue ground, and the land seemed well cultivated. they were on a little hill looking down upon this favored country, but had not quite reached the settled parts, when on turning a bend in the path they were halted by a form that barred their way. a more curious creature they had seldom seen, even in the land of oz, where curious creatures abound. it had the head of a young man--evidently a munchkin--with a pleasant face and hair neatly combed. but the body was very long, for it had twenty legs--ten legs on each side--and this caused the body to stretch out and lie in a horizontal position, so that all the legs could touch the ground and stand firm. from the shoulders extended two small arms; at least, they seemed small beside so many legs. this odd creature was dressed in the regulation clothing of the munchkin people, a dark blue coat neatly fitting the long body and each pair of legs having a pair of sky-blue trousers, with blue-tinted stockings and blue leather shoes turned up at the pointed toes. "i wonder who you are?" said polychrome the canary, fluttering above the strange creature, who had probably been asleep on the path. "i sometimes wonder, myself, who i am," replied the many-legged young man; "but, in reality, i am tommy kwikstep, and i live in a hollow tree that fell to the ground with age. i have polished the inside of it, and made a door at each end, and that's a very comfortable residence for me because it just fits my shape." "how did you happen to have such a shape?" asked the scarecrow bear, sitting on his haunches and regarding tommy kwikstep with a serious look. "is the shape natural?" "no; it was wished on me," replied tommy, with a sigh. "i used to be very active and loved to run errands for anyone who needed my services. that was how i got my name of tommy kwikstep. i could run an errand more quickly than any other boy, and so i was very proud of myself. one day, however, i met an old lady who was a fairy, or a witch, or something of the sort, and she said if i would run an errand for her--to carry some magic medicine to another old woman--she would grant me just one wish, whatever the wish happened to be. of course i consented and, taking the medicine, i hurried away. it was a long distance, mostly up hill, and my legs began to grow weary. without thinking what i was doing i said aloud: 'dear me; i wish i had twenty legs!' and in an instant i became the unusual creature you see beside you. twenty legs! twenty on one man! you may count them, if you doubt my word." "you've got 'em, all right," said woot the monkey, who had already counted them. "after i had delivered the magic medicine to the old woman, i returned and tried to find the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, who had given me the unlucky wish, so she could take it away again. i've been searching for her ever since, but never can i find her," continued poor tommy kwikstep, sadly. "i suppose," said the tin owl, blinking at him, "you can travel very fast, with those twenty legs." "at first i was able to," was the reply; "but i traveled so much, searching for the fairy, or witch, or whatever she was, that i soon got corns on my toes. now, a corn on one toe is not so bad, but when you have a hundred toes--as i have--and get corns on most of them, it is far from pleasant. instead of running, i now painfully crawl, and although i try not to be discouraged i do hope i shall find that witch or fairy, or whatever she was, before long." "i hope so, too," said the scarecrow. "but, after all, you have the pleasure of knowing you are unusual, and therefore remarkable among the people of oz. to be just like other persons is small credit to one, while to be unlike others is a mark of distinction." "that sounds very pretty," returned tommy kwikstep, "but if you had to put on ten pair of trousers every morning, and tie up twenty shoes, you would prefer not to be so distinguished." "was the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, an old person, with wrinkled skin and half her teeth gone?" inquired the tin owl. "no," said tommy kwikstep. "then she wasn't old mombi," remarked the transformed emperor. "i'm not interested in who it wasn't, so much as i am in who it was," said the twenty-legged young man. "and, whatever or whomsoever she was, she has managed to keep out of my way." "if you found her, do you suppose she'd change you back into a two-legged boy?" asked woot. "perhaps so, if i could run another errand for her and so earn another wish." "would you really like to be as you were before?" asked polychrome the canary, perching upon the green monkey's shoulder to observe tommy kwikstep more attentively. "i would, indeed," was the earnest reply. "then i will see what i can do for you," promised the rainbow's daughter, and flying to the ground she took a small twig in her bill and with it made several mystic figures on each side of tommy kwikstep. "are you a witch, or fairy, or something of the sort?" he asked as he watched her wonderingly. the canary made no answer, for she was busy, but the scarecrow bear replied: "yes; she's something of the sort, and a bird of a magician." the twenty-legged boy's transformation happened so queerly that they were all surprised at its method. first, tommy kwikstep's last two legs disappeared; then the next two, and the next, and as each pair of legs vanished his body shortened. all this while polychrome was running around him and chirping mystical words, and when all the young man's legs had disappeared but two he noticed that the canary was still busy and cried out in alarm: "stop--stop! leave me two of my legs, or i shall be worse off than before." "i know," said the canary. "i'm only removing with my magic the corns from your last ten toes." "thank you for being so thoughtful," he said gratefully, and now they noticed that tommy kwikstep was quite a nice looking young fellow. "what will you do now?" asked woot the monkey. "first," he answered, "i must deliver a note which i've carried in my pocket ever since the witch, or fairy, or whatever she was, granted my foolish wish. and i am resolved never to speak again without taking time to think carefully on what i am going to say, for i realize that speech without thought is dangerous. and after i've delivered the note, i shall run errands again for anyone who needs my services." so he thanked polychrome again and started away in a different direction from their own, and that was the last they saw of tommy kwikstep. chapter eleven jinjur's ranch as they followed a path down the blue-grass hillside, the first house that met the view of the travelers was joyously recognized by the scarecrow bear as the one inhabited by his friend jinjur, so they increased their speed and hurried toward it. on reaching the place, how ever, they found the house deserted. the front door stood open, but no one was inside. in the garden surrounding the house were neat rows of bushes bearing cream-puffs and macaroons, some of which were still green, but others ripe and ready to eat. farther back were fields of caramels, and all the land seemed well cultivated and carefully tended. they looked through the fields for the girl farmer, but she was nowhere to be seen. "well," finally remarked the little brown bear, "let us go into the house and make ourselves at home. that will be sure to please my friend jinjur, who happens to be away from home just now. when she returns, she will be greatly surprised." "would she care if i ate some of those ripe cream-puffs?" asked the green monkey. "no, indeed; jinjur is very generous. help yourself to all you want," said the scarecrow bear. so woot gathered a lot of the cream-puffs that were golden yellow and filled with a sweet, creamy substance, and ate until his hunger was satisfied. then he entered the house with his friends and sat in a rocking-chair--just as he was accustomed to do when a boy. the canary perched herself upon the mantel and daintily plumed her feathers; the tin owl sat on the back of another chair; the scarecrow squatted on his hairy haunches in the middle of the room. "i believe i remember the girl jinjur," remarked the canary, in her sweet voice. "she cannot help us very much, except to direct us on our way to glinda's castle, for she does not understand magic. but she's a good girl, honest and sensible, and i'll be glad to see her." "all our troubles," said the owl with a deep sigh, "arose from my foolish resolve to seek nimmie amee and make her empress of the winkies, and while i wish to reproach no one, i must say that it was woot the wanderer who put the notion into my head." "well, for my part, i am glad he did," responded the canary. "your journey resulted in saving me from the giantess, and had you not traveled to the yoop valley, i would still be mrs. yoop's prisoner. it is much nicer to be free, even though i still bear the enchanted form of a canary-bird." "do you think we shall ever be able to get our proper forms back again?" asked the green monkey earnestly. polychrome did not make reply at once to this important question, but after a period of thoughtfulness she said: "i have been taught to believe that there is an antidote for every magic charm, yet mrs. yoop insists that no power can alter her transformations. i realize that my own fairy magic cannot do it, although i have thought that we sky fairies have more power than is accorded to earth fairies. the yookoohoo magic is admitted to be very strange in its workings and different from the magic usually practiced, but perhaps glinda or ozma may understand it better than i. in them lies our only hope. unless they can help us, we must remain forever as we are." "a canary-bird on a rainbow wouldn't be so bad," asserted the tin owl, winking and blinking with his round tin eyes, "so if you can manage to find your rainbow again you need have little to worry about." "that's nonsense, friend chopper," exclaimed woot. "i know just how polychrome feels. a beautiful girl is much superior to a little yellow bird, and a boy--such as i was--far better than a green monkey. neither of us can be happy again unless we recover our rightful forms." "i feel the same way," announced the stuffed bear. "what do you suppose my friend the patchwork girl would think of me, if she saw me wearing this beastly shape?" "she'd laugh till she cried," admitted the tin owl. "for my part, i'll have to give up the notion of marrying nimmie amee, but i'll try not to let that make me unhappy. if it's my duty, i'd like to do my duty, but if magic prevents my getting married i'll flutter along all by myself and be just as contented." their serious misfortunes made them all silent for a time, and as their thoughts were busy in dwelling upon the evils with which fate had burdened them, none noticed that jinjur had suddenly appeared in the doorway and was looking at them in astonishment. the next moment her astonishment changed to anger, for there, in her best rocking-chair, sat a green monkey. a great shiny owl perched upon another chair and a brown bear squatted upon her parlor rug. jinjur did not notice the canary, but she caught up a broomstick and dashed into the room, shouting as she came: "get out of here, you wild creatures! how dare you enter my house?" with a blow of her broom she knocked the brown bear over, and the tin owl tried to fly out of her reach and made a great clatter with his tin wings. the green monkey was so startled by the sudden attack that he sprang into the fireplace--where there was fortunately no fire--and tried to escape by climbing up the chimney. but he found the opening too small, and so was forced to drop down again. then he crouched trembling in the fireplace, his pretty green hair all blackened with soot and covered with ashes. from this position woot watched to see what would happen next. "stop, jinjur--stop!" cried the brown bear, when the broom again threatened him. "don't you know me? i'm your old friend the scarecrow?" "you're trying to deceive me, you naughty beast! i can see plainly that you are a bear, and a mighty poor specimen of a bear, too," retorted the girl. "that's because i'm not properly stuffed," he assured her. "when mrs. yoop transformed me, she didn't realize i should have more stuffing." "who is mrs. yoop?" inquired jinjur, pausing with the broom still upraised. "a giantess in the gillikin country." "oh; i begin to understand. and mrs. yoop transformed you? you are really the famous scarecrow of oz." "i was, jinjur. just now i'm as you see me--a miserable little brown bear with a poor quality of stuffing. that tin owl is none other than our dear tin woodman--nick chopper, the emperor of the winkies--while this green monkey is a nice little boy we recently became acquainted with, woot the wanderer." "and i," said the canary, flying close to jinjur, "am polychrome, the daughter of the rainbow, in the form of a bird." "goodness me!" cried jinjur, amazed; "that giantess must be a powerful sorceress, and as wicked as she is powerful." "she's a yookoohoo," said polychrome. "fortunately, we managed to escape from her castle, and we are now on our way to glinda the good to see if she possesses the power to restore us to our former shapes." "then i must beg your pardons; all of you must forgive me," said jinjur, putting away the broom. "i took you to be a lot of wild, unmannerly animals, as was quite natural. you are very welcome to my home and i'm sorry i haven't the power to help you out of your troubles. please use my house and all that i have, as if it were your own." at this declaration of peace, the bear got upon his feet and the owl resumed his perch upon the chair and the monkey crept out of the fireplace. jinjur looked at woot critically, and scowled. "for a green monkey," said she, "you're the blackest creature i ever saw. and you'll get my nice clean room all dirty with soot and ashes. whatever possessed you to jump up the chimney?" "i--i was scared," explained woot, somewhat ashamed. "well, you need renovating, and that's what will happen to you, right away. come with me!" she commanded. "what are you going to do?" asked woot. "give you a good scrubbing," said jinjur. now, neither boys nor monkeys relish being scrubbed, so woot shrank away from the energetic girl, trembling fearfully. but jinjur grabbed him by his paw and dragged him out to the back yard, where, in spite of his whines and struggles, she plunged him into a tub of cold water and began to scrub him with a stiff brush and a cake of yellow soap. this was the hardest trial that woot had endured since he became a monkey, but no protest had any influence with jinjur, who lathered and scrubbed him in a business-like manner and afterward dried him with a coarse towel. the bear and the owl gravely watched this operation and nodded approval when woot's silky green fur shone clear and bright in the afternoon sun. the canary seemed much amused and laughed a silvery ripple of laughter as she said: "very well done, my good jinjur; i admire your energy and judgment. but i had no idea a monkey could look so comical as this monkey did while he was being bathed." "i'm not a monkey!" declared woot, resentfully; "i'm just a boy in a monkey's shape, that's all." "if you can explain to me the difference," said jinjur, "i'll agree not to wash you again--that is, unless you foolishly get into the fireplace. all persons are usually judged by the shapes in which they appear to the eyes of others. look at me, woot; what am i?" woot looked at her. "you're as pretty a girl as i've ever seen," he replied. jinjur frowned. that is, she tried hard to frown. "come out into the garden with me," she said, "and i'll give you some of the most delicious caramels you ever ate. they're a new variety, that no one can grow but me, and they have a heliotrope flavor." chapter twelve ozma and dorothy in her magnificent palace in the emerald city, the beautiful girl ruler of all the wonderful land of oz sat in her dainty boudoir with her friend princess dorothy beside her. ozma was studying a roll of manuscript which she had taken from the royal library, while dorothy worked at her embroidery and at times stooped to pat a shaggy little black dog that lay at her feet. the little dog's name was toto, and he was dorothy's faithful companion. to judge ozma of oz by the standards of our world, you would think her very young--perhaps fourteen or fifteen years of age--yet for years she had ruled the land of oz and had never seemed a bit older. dorothy appeared much younger than ozma. she had been a little girl when first she came to the land of oz, and she was a little girl still, and would never seem to be a day older while she lived in this wonderful fairyland. oz was not always a fairyland, i am told. once it was much like other lands, except it was shut in by a dreadful desert of sandy wastes that lay all around it, thus preventing its people from all contact with the rest of the world. seeing this isolation, the fairy band of queen lurline, passing over oz while on a journey, enchanted the country and so made it a fairyland. and queen lurline left one of her fairies to rule this enchanted land of oz, and then passed on and forgot all about it. from that moment no one in oz ever died. those who were old remained old; those who were young and strong did not change as years passed them by; the children remained children always, and played and romped to their hearts' content, while all the babies lived in their cradles and were tenderly cared for and never grew up. so people in oz stopped counting how old they were in years, for years made no difference in their appearance and could not alter their station. they did not get sick, so there were no doctors among them. accidents might happen to some, on rare occasions, it is true, and while no one could die naturally, as other people do, it was possible that one might be totally destroyed. such incidents, however, were very unusual, and so seldom was there anything to worry over that the oz people were as happy and contented as can be. another strange thing about this fairy land of oz was that whoever managed to enter it from the outside world came under the magic spell of the place and did not change in appearance as long as they lived there. so dorothy, who now lived with ozma, seemed just the same sweet little girl she had been when first she came to this delightful fairyland. perhaps all parts of oz might not be called truly delightful, but it was surely delightful in the neighborhood of the emerald city, where ozma reigned. her loving influence was felt for many miles around, but there were places in the mountains of the gillikin country, and the forests of the quadling country, and perhaps in far-away parts of the munchkin and winkie countries, where the inhabitants were somewhat rude and uncivilized and had not yet come under the spell of ozma's wise and kindly rule. also, when oz first became a fairyland, it harbored several witches and magicians and sorcerers and necromancers, who were scattered in various parts, but most of these had been deprived of their magic powers, and ozma had issued a royal edict forbidding anyone in her dominions to work magic except glinda the good and the wizard of oz. ozma herself, being a real fairy, knew a lot of magic, but she only used it to benefit her subjects. this little explanation will help you to understand better the story you are reaching, but most of it is already known to those who are familiar with the oz people whose adventures they have followed in other oz books. ozma and dorothy were fast friends and were much together. everyone in oz loved dorothy almost as well as they did their lovely ruler, for the little kansas girl's good fortune had not spoiled her or rendered her at all vain. she was just the same brave and true and adventurous child as before she lived in a royal palace and became the chum of the fairy ozma. in the room in which the two sat--which was one of ozma's private suite of apartments--hung the famous magic picture. this was the source of constant interest to little dorothy. one had but to stand before it and wish to see what any person was doing, and at once a scene would flash upon the magic canvas which showed exactly where that person was, and like our own moving pictures would reproduce the actions of that person as long as you cared to watch them. so today, when dorothy tired of her embroidery, she drew the curtains from before the magic picture and wished to see what her friend button bright was doing. button bright, she saw, was playing ball with ojo, the munchkin boy, so dorothy next wished to see what her aunt em was doing. the picture showed aunt em quietly engaged in darning socks for uncle henry, so dorothy wished to see what her old friend the tin woodman was doing. the tin woodman was then just leaving his tin castle in the company of the scarecrow and woot the wanderer. dorothy had never seen this boy before, so she wondered who he was. also she was curious to know where the three were going, for she noticed woot's knapsack and guessed they had started on a long journey. she asked ozma about it, but ozma did not know. that afternoon dorothy again saw the travelers in the magic picture, but they were merely tramping through the country and dorothy was not much interested in them. a couple of days later, however, the girl, being again with ozma, wished to see her friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman in the magic picture, and on this occasion found them in the great castle of mrs. yoop, the giantess, who was at the time about to transform them. both dorothy and ozma now became greatly interested and watched the transformations with indignation and horror. "what a wicked giantess!" exclaimed dorothy. "yes," answered ozma, "she must be punished for this cruelty to our friends, and to the poor boy who is with them." after this they followed the adventure of the little brown bear and the tin owl and the green monkey with breathless interest, and were delighted when they escaped from mrs. yoop. they did not know, then, who the canary was, but realized it must be the transformation of some person of consequence, whom the giantess had also enchanted. when, finally, the day came when the adventurers headed south into the munchkin country, dorothy asked anxiously: "can't something be done for them, ozma? can't you change 'em back into their own shapes? they've suffered enough from these dreadful transformations, seems to me." "i've been studying ways to help them, ever since they were transformed," replied ozma. "mrs. yoop is now the only yookoohoo in my dominions, and the yookoohoo magic is very peculiar and hard for others to understand, yet i am resolved to make the attempt to break these enchantments. i may not succeed, but i shall do the best i can. from the directions our friends are taking, i believe they are going to pass by jinjur's ranch, so if we start now we may meet them there. would you like to go with me, dorothy?" "of course," answered the little girl; "i wouldn't miss it for anything." "then order the red wagon," said ozma of oz, "and we will start at once." dorothy ran to do as she was bid, while ozma went to her magic room to make ready the things she believed she would need. in half an hour the red wagon stood before the grand entrance of the palace, and before it was hitched the wooden sawhorse, which was ozma's favorite steed. this sawhorse, while made of wood, was very much alive and could travel swiftly and without tiring. to keep the ends of his wooden legs from wearing down short, ozma had shod the sawhorse with plates of pure gold. his harness was studded with brilliant emeralds and other jewels and so, while he himself was not at all handsome, his outfit made a splendid appearance. since the sawhorse could understand her spoken words, ozma used no reins to guide him. she merely told him where to go. when she came from the palace with dorothy, they both climbed into the red wagon and then the little dog, toto, ran up and asked: "are you going to leave me behind, dorothy?" dorothy looked at ozma, who smiled in return and said: "toto may go with us, if you wish him to." so dorothy lifted the little dog into the wagon, for, while he could run fast, he could not keep up with the speed of the wonderful sawhorse. away they went, over hills and through meadows, covering the ground with astonishing speed. it is not surprising, therefore, that the red wagon arrived before jinjur's house just as that energetic young lady had finished scrubbing the green monkey and was about to lead him to the caramel patch. chapter thirteen the restoration the tin owl gave a hoot of delight when he saw the red wagon draw up before jinjur's house, and the brown bear grunted and growled with glee and trotted toward ozma as fast as he could wobble. as for the canary, it flew swiftly to dorothy's shoulder and perched there, saying in her ear: "thank goodness you have come to our rescue!" "but who are you?" asked dorothy "don't you know?" returned the canary. "no; for the first time we noticed you in the magic picture, you were just a bird, as you are now. but we've guessed that the giant woman had transformed you, as she did the others." "yes; i'm polychrome, the rainbow's daughter," announced the canary. "goodness me!" cried dorothy. "how dreadful." "well, i make a rather pretty bird, i think," returned polychrome, "but of course i'm anxious to resume my own shape and get back upon my rainbow." "ozma will help you, i'm sure," said dorothy. "how does it feel, scarecrow, to be a bear?" she asked, addressing her old friend. "i don't like it," declared the scarecrow bear. "this brutal form is quite beneath the dignity of a wholesome straw man." "and think of me," said the owl, perching upon the dashboard of the red wagon with much noisy clattering of his tin feathers. "don't i look horrid, dorothy, with eyes several sizes too big for my body, and so weak that i ought to wear spectacles?" "well," said dorothy critically, as she looked him over, "you're nothing to brag of, i must confess. but ozma will soon fix you up again." the green monkey had hung back, bashful at meeting two lovely girls while in the form of a beast; but jinjur now took his hand and led him forward while she introduced him to ozma, and woot managed to make a low bow, not really ungraceful, before her girlish majesty, the ruler of oz. "you have all been forced to endure a sad experience," said ozma, "and so i am anxious to do all in my power to break mrs. yoop's enchantments. but first tell me how you happened to stray into that lonely valley where yoop castle stands." between them they related the object of their journey, the scarecrow bear telling of the tin woodman's resolve to find nimmie amee and marry her, as a just reward for her loyalty to him. woot told of their adventures with the loons of loonville, and the tin owl described the manner in which they had been captured and transformed by the giantess. then polychrome related her story, and when all had been told, and dorothy had several times reproved toto for growling at the tin owl, ozma remained thoughtful for a while, pondering upon what she had heard. finally she looked up, and with one of her delightful smiles, said to the anxious group: "i am not sure my magic will be able to restore every one of you, because your transformations are of such a strange and unusual character. indeed, mrs. yoop was quite justified in believing no power could alter her enchantments. however, i am sure i can restore the scarecrow to his original shape. he was stuffed with straw from the beginning, and even the yookoohoo magic could not alter that. the giantess was merely able to make a bear's shape of a man's shape, but the bear is stuffed with straw, just as the man was. so i feel confident i can make a man of the bear again." "hurrah!" cried the brown bear, and tried clumsily to dance a jig of delight. "as for the tin woodman, his case is much the same," resumed ozma, still smiling. "the power of the giantess could not make him anything but a tin creature, whatever shape she transformed him into, so it will not be impossible to restore him to his manly form. anyhow, i shall test my magic at once, and see if it will do what i have promised." she drew from her bosom a small silver wand and, making passes with the wand over the head of the bear, she succeeded in the brief space of a moment in breaking his enchantment. the original scarecrow of oz again stood before them, well stuffed with straw and with his features nicely painted upon the bag which formed his head. the scarecrow was greatly delighted, as you may suppose, and he strutted proudly around while the powerful fairy, ozma of oz, broke the enchantment that had transformed the tin woodman and made a tin owl into a tin man again. "now, then," chirped the canary, eagerly; "i'm next, ozma!" "but your case is different," replied ozma, no longer smiling but wearing a grave expression on her sweet face. "i shall have to experiment on you, polychrome, and i may fail in all my attempts." she then tried two or three different methods of magic, hoping one of them would succeed in breaking polychrome's enchantment, but still the rainbow's daughter remained a canary-bird. finally, however, she experimented in another way. she transformed the canary into a dove, and then transformed the dove into a speckled hen, and then changed the speckled hen into a rabbit, and then the rabbit into a fawn. and at the last, after mixing several powders and sprinkling them upon the fawn, the yookoohoo enchantment was suddenly broken and before them stood one of the daintiest and loveliest creatures in any fairyland in the world. polychrome was as sweet and merry in disposition as she was beautiful, and when she danced and capered around in delight, her beautiful hair floated around her like a golden mist and her many-hued raiment, as soft as cobwebs, reminded one of drifting clouds in a summer sky. woot was so awed by the entrancing sight of this exquisite sky fairy that he quite forgot his own sad plight until be noticed ozma gazing upon him with an intent expression that denoted sympathy and sorrow. dorothy whispered in her friend's ear, but the ruler of oz shook her head sadly. jinjur, noticing this and understanding ozma's looks, took the paw of the green monkey in her own hand and patted it softly. "never mind," she said to him. "you are a very beautiful color, and a monkey can climb better than a boy and do a lot of other things no boy can ever do." "what's the matter?" asked woot, a sinking feeling at his heart. "is ozma's magic all used up?" ozma herself answered him. "your form of enchantment, my poor boy," she said pityingly, "is different from that of the others. indeed, it is a form that is impossible to alter by any magic known to fairies or yookoohoos. the wicked giantess was well aware, when she gave you the form of a green monkey, that the green monkey must exist in the land of oz for all future time." woot drew a long sigh. "well, that's pretty hard luck," he said bravely, "but if it can't be helped i must endure it; that's all. i don't like being a monkey, but what's the use of kicking against my fate?" they were all very sorry for him, and dorothy anxiously asked ozma: "couldn't glinda save him?" "no," was the reply. "glinda's power in transformations is no greater than my own. before i left my palace i went to my magic room and studied woot's case very carefully. i found that no power can do away with the green monkey. he might transfer, or exchange his form with some other person, it is true; but the green monkey we cannot get rid of by any magic arts known to science." "but--see here," said the scarecrow, who had listened intently to this explanation, "why not put the monkey's form on some one else?" "who would agree to make the change?" asked ozma. "if by force we caused anyone else to become a green monkey, we would be as cruel and wicked as mrs. yoop. and what good would an exchange do?" she continued. "suppose, for instance, we worked the enchantment, and made toto into a green monkey. at the same moment woot would become a little dog." "leave me out of your magic, please," said toto, with a reproachful growl. "i wouldn't become a green monkey for anything." "and i wouldn't become a dog," said woot. "a green monkey is much better than a dog, it seems to me." "that is only a matter of opinion," answered toto. "now, here's another idea," said the scarecrow. "my brains are working finely today, you must admit. why not transform toto into woot the wanderer, and then have them exchange forms? the dog would become a green monkey and the monkey would have his own natural shape again." "to be sure!" cried jinjur. "that's a fine idea." "leave me out of it," said toto. "i won't do it." "wouldn't you be willing to become a green monkey--see what a pretty color it is--so that this poor boy could be restored to his own shape?" asked jinjur, pleadingly. "no," said toto. "i don't like that plan the least bit," declared dorothy, "for then i wouldn't have any little dog." "but you'd have a green monkey in his place," persisted jinjur, who liked woot and wanted to help him. "i don't want a green monkey," said dorothy positively. "don't speak of this again, i beg of you," said woot. "this is my own misfortune and i would rather suffer it alone than deprive princess dorothy of her dog, or deprive the dog of his proper shape. and perhaps even her majesty, ozma of oz, might not be able to transform anyone else into the shape of woot the wanderer." "yes; i believe i might do that," ozma returned; "but woot is quite right; we are not justified in inflicting upon anyone--man or dog--the form of a green monkey. also it is certain that in order to relieve the boy of the form he now wears, we must give it to someone else, who would be forced to wear it always." "i wonder," said dorothy, thoughtfully, "if we couldn't find someone in the land of oz who would be willing to become a green monkey? seems to me a monkey is active and spry, and he can climb trees and do a lot of clever things, and green isn't a bad color for a monkey--it makes him unusual." "i wouldn't ask anyone to take this dreadful form," said woot; "it wouldn't be right, you know. i've been a monkey for some time, now, and i don't like it. it makes me ashamed to be a beast of this sort when by right of birth i'm a boy; so i'm sure it would be wicked to ask anyone else to take my place." they were all silent, for they knew he spoke the truth. dorothy was almost ready to cry with pity and ozma's sweet face was sad and disturbed. the scarecrow rubbed and patted his stuffed head to try to make it think better, while the tin woodman went into the house and began to oil his tin joints so that the sorrow of his friends might not cause him to weep. weeping is liable to rust tin, and the emperor prided himself upon his highly polished body--now doubly dear to him because for a time he had been deprived of it. polychrome had danced down the garden paths and back again a dozen times, for she was seldom still a moment, yet she had heard ozma's speech and understood very well woot's unfortunate position. but the rainbow's daughter, even while dancing, could think and reason very clearly, and suddenly she solved the problem in the nicest possible way. coming close to ozma, she said: "your majesty, all this trouble was caused by the wickedness of mrs. yoop, the giantess. yet even now that cruel woman is living in her secluded castle, enjoying the thought that she has put this terrible enchantment on woot the wanderer. even now she is laughing at our despair because we can find no way to get rid of the green monkey. very well, we do not wish to get rid of it. let the woman who created the form wear it herself, as a just punishment for her wickedness. i am sure your fairy power can give to mrs. yoop the form of woot the wanderer--even at this distance from her--and then it will be possible to exchange the two forms. mrs. yoop will become the green monkey, and woot will recover his own form again." ozma's face brightened as she listened to this clever proposal. "thank you, polychrome," said she. "the task you propose is not so easy as you suppose, but i will make the attempt, and perhaps i may succeed." chapter fourteen the green monkey they now entered the house, and as an interested group, watched jinjur, at ozma's command, build a fire and put a kettle of water over to boil. the ruler of oz stood before the fire silent and grave, while the others, realizing that an important ceremony of magic was about to be performed, stood quietly in the background so as not to interrupt ozma's proceedings. only polychrome kept going in and coming out, humming softly to herself as she danced, for the rainbow's daughter could not keep still for long, and the four walls of a room always made her nervous and ill at ease. she moved so noiselessly, however, that her movements were like the shifting of sunbeams and did not annoy anyone. when the water in the kettle bubbled, ozma drew from her bosom two tiny packets containing powders. these powders she threw into the kettle and after briskly stirring the contents with a branch from a macaroon bush, ozma poured the mystic broth upon a broad platter which jinjur had placed upon the table. as the broth cooled it became as silver, reflecting all objects from its smooth surface like a mirror. while her companions gathered around the table, eagerly attentive--and dorothy even held little toto in her arms that he might see--ozma waved her wand over the mirror-like surface. at once it reflected the interior of yoop castle, and in the big hall sat mrs. yoop, in her best embroidered silken robes, engaged in weaving a new lace apron to replace the one she had lost. the giantess seemed rather uneasy, as if she had a faint idea that someone was spying upon her, for she kept looking behind her and this way and that, as though expecting danger from an unknown source. perhaps some yookoohoo instinct warned her. woot saw that she had escaped from her room by some of the magical means at her disposal, after her prisoners had escaped her. she was now occupying the big hall of her castle as she used to do. also woot thought, from the cruel expression on the face of the giantess, that she was planning revenge on them, as soon as her new magic apron was finished. but ozma was now making passes over the platter with her silver wand, and presently the form of the giantess began to shrink in size and to change its shape. and now, in her place sat the form of woot the wanderer, and as if suddenly realizing her transformation mrs. yoop threw down her work and rushed to a looking-glass that stood against the wall of her room. when she saw the boy's form reflected as her own, she grew violently angry and dashed her head against the mirror, smashing it to atoms. just then ozma was busy with her magic wand, making strange figures, and she had also placed her left hand firmly upon the shoulder of the green monkey. so now, as all eyes were turned upon the platter, the form of mrs. yoop gradually changed again. she was slowly transformed into the green monkey, and at the same time woot slowly regained his natural form. it was quite a surprise to them all when they raised their eyes from the platter and saw woot the wanderer standing beside ozma. and, when they glanced at the platter again, it reflected nothing more than the walls of the room in jinjur's house in which they stood. the magic ceremonial was ended, and ozma of oz had triumphed over the wicked giantess. "what will become of her, i wonder?" said dorothy, as she drew a long breath. "she will always remain a green monkey," replied ozma, "and in that form she will be unable to perform any magical arts whatsoever. she need not be unhappy, however, and as she lives all alone in her castle she probably won't mind the transformation very much after she gets used to it." "anyhow, it serves her right," declared dorothy, and all agreed with her. "but," said the kind hearted tin woodman, "i'm afraid the green monkey will starve, for mrs. yoop used to get her food by magic, and now that the magic is taken away from her, what can she eat?" "why, she'll eat what other monkeys do," returned the scarecrow. "even in the form of a green monkey, she's a very clever person, and i'm sure her wits will show her how to get plenty to eat." "don't worry about her," advised dorothy. "she didn't worry about you, and her condition is no worse than the condition she imposed on poor woot. she can't starve to death in the land of oz, that's certain, and if she gets hungry at times it's no more than the wicked thing deserves. let's forget mrs. yoop; for, in spite of her being a yookoohoo, our fairy friends have broken all of her transformations." chapter fifteen the man of tin ozma and dorothy were quite pleased with woot the wanderer, whom they found modest and intelligent and very well mannered. the boy was truly grateful for his release from the cruel enchantment, and he promised to love, revere and defend the girl ruler of oz forever afterward, as a faithful subject. "you may visit me at my palace, if you wish," said ozma, "where i will be glad to introduce you to two other nice boys, ojo the munchkin and button-bright." "thank your majesty," replied woot, and then he turned to the tin woodman and inquired: "what are your further plans, mr. emperor? will you still seek nimmie amee and marry her, or will you abandon the quest and return to the emerald city and your own castle?" the tin woodman, now as highly polished and well-oiled as ever, reflected a while on this question and then answered: "well, i see no reason why i should not find nimmie amee. we are now in the munchkin country, where we are perfectly safe, and if it was right for me, before our enchantment, to marry nimmie amee and make her empress of the winkies, it must be right now, when the enchantment has been broken and i am once more myself. am i correct, friend scarecrow?" "you are, indeed," answered the scarecrow. "no one can oppose such logic." "but i'm afraid you don't love nimmie amee," suggested dorothy. "that is just because i can't love anyone," replied the tin woodman. "but, if i cannot love my wife, i can at least be kind to her, and all husbands are not able to do that." "do you s'pose nimmie amee still loves you, after all these years?" asked dorothy. "i'm quite sure of it, and that is why i am going to her to make her happy. woot the wanderer thinks i ought to reward her for being faithful to me after my meat body was chopped to pieces and i became tin. what do you think, ozma?" ozma smiled as she said: "i do not know your nimmie amee, and so i cannot tell what she most needs to make her happy. but there is no harm in your going to her and asking her if she still wishes to marry you. if she does, we will give you a grand wedding at the emerald city and, afterward, as empress of the winkies, nimmie amee would become one of the most important ladies in all oz." so it was decided that the tin woodman would continue his journey, and that the scarecrow and woot the wanderer should accompany him, as before. polychrome also decided to join their party, somewhat to the surprise of all. "i hate to be cooped up in a palace," she said to ozma, "and of course the first time i meet my rainbow i shall return to my own dear home in the skies, where my fairy sisters are even now awaiting me and my father is cross because i get lost so often. but i can find my rainbow just as quickly while traveling in the munchkin country as i could if living in the emerald city--or any other place in oz--so i shall go with the tin woodman and help him woo nimmie amee." dorothy wanted to go, too, but as the tin woodman did not invite her to join his party, she felt she might be intruding if she asked to be taken. she hinted, but she found he didn't take the hint. it is quite a delicate matter for one to ask a girl to marry him, however much she loves him, and perhaps the tin woodman did not desire to have too many looking on when he found his old sweetheart, nimmie amee. so dorothy contented herself with the thought that she would help ozma prepare a splendid wedding feast, to be followed by a round of parties and festivities when the emperor of the winkies reached the emerald city with his bride. ozma offered to take them all in the red wagon to a place as near to the great munchkin forest as a wagon could get. the red wagon was big enough to seat them all, and so, bidding good-bye to jinjur, who gave woot a basket of ripe cream-puffs and caramels to take with him, ozma commanded the wooden sawhorse to start, and the strange creature moved swiftly over the lanes and presently came to the road of yellow bricks. this road led straight to a dense forest, where the path was too narrow for the red wagon to proceed farther, so here the party separated. ozma and dorothy and toto returned to the emerald city, after wishing their friends a safe and successful journey, while the tin woodman, the scarecrow, woot the wanderer and polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, prepared to push their way through the thick forest. however, these forest paths were well known to the tin man and the scarecrow, who felt quite at home among the trees. "i was born in this grand forest," said nick chopper, the tin emperor, speaking proudly, "and it was here that the witch enchanted my axe and i lost different parts of my meat body until i became all tin. here, also--for it is a big forest--nimmie amee lived with the wicked witch, and at the other edge of the trees stands the cottage of my friend ku-klip, the famous tinsmith who made my present beautiful form." "he must be a clever workman," declared woot, admiringly. "he is simply wonderful," declared the tin woodman. "i shall be glad to make his acquaintance," said woot. "if you wish to meet with real cleverness," remarked the scarecrow, "you should visit the munchkin farmer who first made me. i won't say that my friend the emperor isn't all right for a tin man, but any judge of beauty can understand that a scarecrow is far more artistic and refined." "you are too soft and flimsy," said the tin woodman. "you are too hard and stiff," said the scarecrow, and this was as near to quarreling as the two friends ever came. polychrome laughed at them both, as well she might, and woot hastened to change the subject. at night they all camped underneath the trees. the boy ate cream-puffs for supper and offered polychrome some, but she preferred other food and at daybreak sipped the dew that was clustered thick on the forest flowers. then they tramped onward again, and presently the scarecrow paused and said: "it was on this very spot that dorothy and i first met the tin woodman, who was rusted so badly that none of his joints would move. but after we had oiled him up, he was as good as new and accompanied us to the emerald city." "ah, that was a sad experience," asserted the tin woodman soberly. "i was caught in a rainstorm while chopping down a tree for exercise, and before i realized it, i was firmly rusted in every joint. there i stood, axe in hand, but unable to move, for days and weeks and months! indeed, i have never known exactly how long the time was; but finally along came dorothy and i was saved. see! this is the very tree i was chopping at the time i rusted." "you cannot be far from your old home, in that case," said woot. "no; my little cabin stands not a great way off, but there is no occasion for us to visit it. our errand is with nimmie amee, and her house is somewhat farther away, to the left of us." "didn't you say she lives with a wicked witch, who makes her a slave?" asked the boy. "she did, but she doesn't," was the reply. "i am told the witch was destroyed when dorothy's house fell on her, so now nimmie amee must live all alone. i haven't seen her, of course, since the witch was crushed, for at that time i was standing rusted in the forest and had been there a long time, but the poor girl must have felt very happy to be free from her cruel mistress." "well," said the scarecrow, "let's travel on and find nimmie amee. lead on, your majesty, since you know the way, and we will follow." so the tin woodman took a path that led through the thickest part of the forest, and they followed it for some time. the light was dim here, because vines and bushes and leafy foliage were all about them, and often the tin man had to push aside the branches that obstructed their way, or cut them off with his axe. after they had proceeded some distance, the emperor suddenly stopped short and exclaimed: "good gracious!" the scarecrow, who was next, first bumped into his friend and then peered around his tin body, and said in a tone of wonder: "well, i declare!" woot the wanderer pushed forward to see what was the matter, and cried out in astonishment: "for goodness' sake!" then the three stood motionless, staring hard, until polychrome's merry laughter rang out behind them and aroused them from their stupor. in the path before them stood a tin man who was the exact duplicate of the tin woodman. he was of the same size, he was jointed in the same manner, and he was made of shining tin from top to toe. but he stood immovable, with his tin jaws half parted and his tin eyes turned upward. in one of his hands was held a long, gleaming sword. yes, there was the difference, the only thing that distinguished him from the emperor of the winkies. this tin man bore a sword, while the tin woodman bore an axe. "it's a dream; it must be a dream!" gasped woot. "that's it, of course," said the scarecrow; "there couldn't be two tin woodmen." "no," agreed polychrome, dancing nearer to the stranger, "this one is a tin soldier. don't you see his sword?" the tin woodman cautiously put out one tin hand and felt of his double's arm. then he said in a voice that trembled with emotion: "who are you, friend?" there was no reply "can't you see he's rusted, just as you were once?" asked polychrome, laughing again. "here, nick chopper, lend me your oil-can a minute!" the tin woodman silently handed her his oil-can, without which he never traveled, and polychrome first oiled the stranger's tin jaws and then worked them gently to and fro until the tin soldier said: "that's enough. thank you. i can now talk. but please oil my other joints." woot seized the oil-can and did this, but all the others helped wiggle the soldier's joints as soon as they were oiled, until they moved freely. the tin soldier seemed highly pleased at his release. he strutted up and down the path, saying in a high, thin voice: "the soldier is a splendid man when marching on parade, and when he meets the enemy he never is afraid. he rights the wrongs of nations, his country's flag defends, the foe he'll fight with great delight, but seldom fights his friends." chapter sixteen captain fyter "are you really a soldier?" asked woot, when they had all watched this strange tin person parade up and down the path and proudly flourish his sword. "i was a soldier," was the reply, "but i've been a prisoner to mr. rust so long that i don't know exactly what i am." "but--dear me!" cried the tin woodman, sadly perplexed; "how came you to be made of tin?" "that," answered the soldier, "is a sad, sad story i was in love with a beautiful munchkin girl, who lived with a wicked witch. the witch did not wish me to marry the girl, so she enchanted my sword, which began hacking me to pieces. when i lost my legs i went to the tinsmith, ku-klip, and he made me some tin legs. when i lost my arms, ku-klip made me tin arms, and when i lost my head he made me this fine one out of tin. it was the same way with my body, and finally i was all tin. but i was not unhappy, for ku-klip made a good job of me, having had experience in making another tin man before me." "yes," observed the tin woodman, "it was ku-klip who made me. but, tell me, what was the name of the munchkin girl you were in love with?" "she is called nimmie amee," said the tin soldier. hearing this, they were all so astonished that they were silent for a time, regarding the stranger with wondering looks. finally the tin woodman ventured to ask: "and did nimmie amee return your love?" "not at first," admitted the soldier. "when first i marched into the forest and met her, she was weeping over the loss of her former sweetheart, a woodman whose name was nick chopper." "that is me," said the tin woodman. "she told me he was nicer than a soldier, because he was all made of tin and shone beautifully in the sun. she said a tin man appealed to her artistic instincts more than an ordinary meat man, as i was then. but i did not despair, because her tin sweetheart had disappeared, and could not be found. and finally nimmie amee permitted me to call upon her and we became friends. it was then that the wicked witch discovered me and became furiously angry when i said i wanted to marry the girl. she enchanted my sword, as i said, and then my troubles began. when i got my tin legs, nimmie amee began to take an interest in me; when i got my tin arms, she began to like me better than ever, and when i was all made of tin, she said i looked like her dear nick chopper and she would be willing to marry me. "the day of our wedding was set, and it turned out to be a rainy day. nevertheless i started out to get nimmie amee, because the witch had been absent for some time, and we meant to elope before she got back. as i traveled the forest paths the rain wetted my joints, but i paid no attention to this because my thoughts were all on my wedding with beautiful nimmie amee and i could think of nothing else until suddenly my legs stopped moving. then my arms rusted at the joints and i became frightened and cried for help, for now i was unable to oil myself. no one heard my calls and before long my jaws rusted, and i was unable to utter another sound. so i stood helpless in this spot, hoping some wanderer would come my way and save me. but this forest path is seldom used, and i have been standing here so long that i have lost all track of time. in my mind i composed poetry and sang songs, but not a sound have i been able to utter. but this desperate condition has now been relieved by your coming my way and i must thank you for my rescue." "this is wonderful!" said the scarecrow, heaving a stuffy, long sigh. "i think ku-klip was wrong to make two tin men, just alike, and the strangest thing of all is that both you tin men fell in love with the same girl." "as for that," returned the soldier, seriously, "i must admit i lost my ability to love when i lost my meat heart. ku-klip gave me a tin heart, to be sure, but it doesn't love anything, as far as i can discover, and merely rattles against my tin ribs, which makes me wish i had no heart at all." "yet, in spite of this condition, you were going to marry nimmie amee?" "well, you see i had promised to marry her, and i am an honest man and always try to keep my promises. i didn't like to disappoint the poor girl, who had been disappointed by one tin man already." "that was not my fault," declared the emperor of the winkies, and then he related how he, also, had rusted in the forest and after a long time had been rescued by dorothy and the scarecrow and had traveled with them to the emerald city in search of a heart that could love. "if you have found such a heart, sir," said the soldier, "i will gladly allow you to marry nimmie amee in my place." "if she loves you best, sir," answered the woodman, "i shall not interfere with your wedding her. for, to be quite frank with you, i cannot yet love nimmie amee as i did before i became tin." "still, one of you ought to marry the poor girl," remarked woot; "and, if she likes tin men, there is not much choice between you. why don't you draw lots for her?" "that wouldn't be right," said the scarecrow. "the girl should be permitted to choose her own husband," asserted polychrome. "you should both go to her and allow her to take her choice. then she will surely be happy." "that, to me, seems a very fair arrangement," said the tin soldier. "i agree to it," said the tin woodman, shaking the hand of his twin to show the matter was settled. "may i ask your name, sir?" he continued. "before i was so cut up," replied the other, "i was known as captain fyter, but afterward i was merely called 'the tin soldier.'" "well, captain, if you are agreeable, let us now go to nimmie amee's house and let her choose between us." "very well; and if we meet the witch, we will both fight her--you with your axe and i with my sword." "the witch is destroyed," announced the scarecrow, and as they walked away he told the tin soldier of much that had happened in the land of oz since he had stood rusted in the forest. "i must have stood there longer than i had imagined," he said thoughtfully. chapter seventeen the workshop of ku-klip it was not more than a two hours' journey to the house where nimmie amee had lived, but when our travelers arrived there they found the place deserted. the door was partly off its hinges, the roof had fallen in at the rear and the interior of the cottage was thick with dust. not only was the place vacant, but it was evident that no one had lived there for a long time. "i suppose," said the scarecrow, as they all stood looking wonderingly at the ruined house, "that after the wicked witch was destroyed, nimmie amee became lonely and went somewhere else to live." "one could scarcely expect a young girl to live all alone in a forest," added woot. "she would want company, of course, and so i believe she has gone where other people live." "and perhaps she is still crying her poor little heart out because no tin man comes to marry her," suggested polychrome. "well, in that case, it is the clear duty of you two tin persons to seek nimmie amee until you find her," declared the scarecrow. "i do not know where to look for the girl," said the tin soldier, "for i am almost a stranger to this part of the country." "i was born here," said the tin woodman, "but the forest has few inhabitants except the wild beasts. i cannot think of anyone living near here with whom nimmie amee might care to live." "why not go to ku-klip and ask him what has become of the girl?" proposed polychrome. that struck them all as being a good suggestion, so once more they started to tramp through the forest, taking the direct path to ku-klip's house, for both the tin twins knew the way, having followed it many times. ku-klip lived at the far edge of the great forest, his house facing the broad plains of the munchkin country that lay to the eastward. but, when they came to this residence by the forest's edge, the tinsmith was not at home. it was a pretty place, all painted dark blue with trimmings of lighter blue. there was a neat blue fence around the yard and several blue benches had been placed underneath the shady blue trees which marked the line between forest and plain. there was a blue lawn before the house, which was a good sized building. ku-klip lived in the front part of the house and had his work-shop in the back part, where he had also built a lean-to addition, in order to give him more room. although they found the tinsmith absent on their arrival, there was smoke coming out of his chimney, which proved that he would soon return. "and perhaps nimmie amee will be with him," said the scarecrow in a cheerful voice. while they waited, the tin woodman went to the door of the workshop and, finding it unlocked, entered and looked curiously around the room where he had been made. "it seems almost like home to me," hie told his friends, who had followed him in. "the first time i came here i had lost a leg, so i had to carry it in my hand while i hopped on the other leg all the way from the place in the forest where the enchanted axe cut me. i remember that old ku-klip carefully put my meat leg into a barrel--i think that is the same barrel, still standing in the corner yonder--and then at once he began to make a tin leg for me. he worked fast and with skill, and i was much interested in the job." "my experience was much the same," said the tin soldier. "i used to bring all the parts of me, which the enchanted sword had cut away, here to the tinsmith, and ku-klip would put them into the barrel." "i wonder," said woot, "if those cast-off parts of you two unfortunates are still in that barrel in the corner?" "i suppose so." replied the tin woodman. "in the land of oz no part of a living creature can ever be destroyed." "if that is true, how was that wicked witch destroyed?" inquired woot. "why, she was very old and was all dried up and withered before oz became a fairyland," explained the scarecrow. "only her magic arts had kept her alive so long, and when dorothy's house fell upon her she just turned to dust, and was blown away and scattered by the wind. i do not think, however, that the parts cut away from these two young men could ever be entirely destroyed and, if they are still in those barrels, they are likely to be just the same as when the enchanted axe or sword severed them." "it doesn't matter, however," said the tin woodman; "our tin bodies are more brilliant and durable, and quite satisfy us." "yes, the tin bodies are best," agreed the tin soldier. "nothing can hurt them." "unless they get dented or rusted," said woot, but both the tin men frowned on him. scraps of tin, of all shapes and sizes, lay scattered around the workshop. also there were hammers and anvils and soldering irons and a charcoal furnace and many other tools such as a tinsmith works with. against two of the side walls had been built stout work-benches and in the center of the room was a long table. at the end of the shop, which adjoined the dwelling, were several cupboards. after examining the interior of the workshop until his curiosity was satisfied, woot said: "i think i will go outside until ku-klip comes. it does not seem quite proper for us to take possession of his house while he is absent." "that is true," agreed the scarecrow, and they were all about to leave the room when the tin woodman said: "wait a minute," and they halted in obedience to the command. chapter eighteen the tin woodman talks to himself the tin woodman had just noticed the cupboards and was curious to know what they contained, so he went to one of them and opened the door. there were shelves inside, and upon one of the shelves which was about on a level with his tin chin the emperor discovered a head--it looked like a doll's head, only it was larger, and he soon saw it was the head of some person. it was facing the tin woodman and as the cupboard door swung back, the eyes of the head slowly opened and looked at him. the tin woodman was not at all surprised, for in the land of oz one runs into magic at every turn. "dear me!" said the tin woodman, staring hard. "it seems as if i had met you, somewhere, before. good morning, sir!" "you have the advantage of me," replied the head. "i never saw you before in my life." "still, your face is very familiar," persisted the tin woodman. "pardon me, but may i ask if you--eh--eh--if you ever had a body?" "yes, at one time," answered the head, "but that is so long ago i can't remember it. did you think," with a pleasant smile, "that i was born just as i am? that a head would be created without a body?" "no, of course not," said the other. "but how came you to lose your body?" "well, i can't recollect the details; you'll have to ask ku-klip about it," returned the head. "for, curious as it may seem to you, my memory is not good since my separation from the rest of me. i still possess my brains and my intellect is as good as ever, but my memory of some of the events i formerly experienced is quite hazy." "how long have you been in this cupboard?" asked the emperor. "i don't know." "haven't you a name?" "oh, yes," said the head; "i used to be called nick chopper, when i was a woodman and cut down trees for a living." "good gracious!" cried the tin woodman in astonishment. "if you are nick chopper's head, then you are me--or i'm you--or--or--what relation are we, anyhow?" "don't ask me," replied the head. "for my part, i'm not anxious to claim relationship with any common, manufactured article, like you. you may be all right in your class, but your class isn't my class. you're tin." the poor emperor felt so bewildered that for a time he could only stare at his old head in silence. then he said: "i must admit that i wasn't at all bad looking before i became tin. you're almost handsome--for meat. if your hair was combed, you'd be quite attractive." "how do you expect me to comb my hair without help?" demanded the head, indignantly. "i used to keep it smooth and neat, when i had arms, but after i was removed from the rest of me, my hair got mussed, and old ku-klip never has combed it for me." "i'll speak to him about it," said the tin woodman. "do you remember loving a pretty munchkin girl named nimmie amee?" "no," answered the head. "that is a foolish question. the heart in my body--when i had a body--might have loved someone, for all i know, but a head isn't made to love; it's made to think." "oh; do you think, then?" "i used to think." "you must have been shut up in this cupboard for years and years. what have you thought about, in all that time?" "nothing. that's another foolish question. a little reflection will convince you that i have had nothing to think about, except the boards on the inside of the cupboard door, and it didn't take me long to think of everything about those boards that could be thought of. then, of course, i quit thinking." "and are you happy?" "happy? what's that?" "don't you know what happiness is?" inquired the tin woodman. "i haven't the faintest idea whether it's round or square, or black or white, or what it is. and, if you will pardon my lack of interest in it, i will say that i don't care." the tin woodman was much puzzled by these answers. his traveling companions had grouped themselves at his back, and had fixed their eyes on the head and listened to the conversation with much interest, but until now, they had not interrupted because they thought the tin woodman had the best right to talk to his own head and renew acquaintance with it. but now the tin soldier remarked: "i wonder if my old head happens to be in any of these cupboards," and he proceeded to open all the cupboard doors. but no other head was to be found on any of the shelves. "oh, well; never mind," said woot the wanderer; "i can't imagine what anyone wants of a cast-off head, anyhow." "i can understand the soldier's interest," asserted polychrome, dancing around the grimy workshop until her draperies formed a cloud around her dainty form. "for sentimental reasons a man might like to see his old head once more, just as one likes to revisit an old home." "and then to kiss it good-bye," added the scarecrow. "i hope that tin thing won't try to kiss me good-bye!" exclaimed the tin woodman's former head. "and i don't see what right you folks have to disturb my peace and comfort, either." "you belong to me," the tin woodman declared. "i do not!" "you and i are one." "we've been parted," asserted the head. "it would be unnatural for me to have any interest in a man made of tin. please close the door and leave me alone." "i did not think that my old head could be so disagreeable," said the emperor. "i--i'm quite ashamed of myself; meaning you." "you ought to be glad that i've enough sense to know what my rights are," retorted the head. "in this cupboard i am leading a simple life, peaceful and dignified, and when a mob of people in whom i am not interested disturb me, they are the disagreeable ones; not i." with a sigh the tin woodman closed and latched the cupboard door and turned away. "well," said the tin soldier, "if my old head would have treated me as coldly and in so unfriendly a manner as your old head has treated you, friend chopper, i'm glad i could not find it." "yes; i'm rather surprised at my head, myself," replied the tin woodman, thoughtfully. "i thought i had a more pleasant disposition when i was made of meat." but just then old ku-klip the tinsmith arrived, and he seemed surprised to find so many visitors. ku-klip was a stout man and a short man. he had his sleeves rolled above his elbows, showing muscular arms, and he wore a leathern apron that covered all the front of him, and was so long that woot was surprised he didn't step on it and trip whenever he walked. and ku-klip had a gray beard that was almost as long as his apron, and his head was bald on top and his ears stuck out from his head like two fans. over his eyes, which were bright and twinkling, he wore big spectacles. it was easy to see that the tinsmith was a kind hearted man, as well as a merry and agreeable one. "oh-ho!" he cried in a joyous bass voice; "here are both my tin men come to visit me, and they and their friends are welcome indeed. i'm very proud of you two characters, i assure you, for you are so perfect that you are proof that i'm a good workman. sit down. sit down, all of you--if you can find anything to sit on--and tell me why you are here." so they found seats and told him all of their adventures that they thought he would like to know. ku-klip was glad to learn that nick chopper, the tin woodman, was now emperor of the winkies and a friend of ozma of oz, and the tinsmith was also interested in the scarecrow and polychrome. he turned the straw man around, examining him curiously, and patted him on all sides, and then said: "you are certainly wonderful, but i think you would be more durable and steady on your legs if you were made of tin. would you like me to--" "no, indeed!" interrupted the scarecrow hastily; "i like myself better as i am." but to polychrome the tinsmith said: "nothing could improve you, my dear, for you are the most beautiful maiden i have ever seen. it is pure happiness just to look at you." "that is praise, indeed, from so skillful a workman," returned the rainbow's daughter, laughing and dancing in and out the room. "then it must be this boy you wish me to help," said ku-klip, looking at woot. "no," said woot, "we are not here to seek your skill, but have merely come to you for information." then, between them, they related their search for nimmie amee, whom the tin woodman explained he had resolved to marry, yet who had promised to become the bride of the tin soldier before he unfortunately became rusted. and when the story was told, they asked ku-klip if he knew what had become of nimmie amee. "not exactly," replied the old man, "but i know that she wept bitterly when the tin soldier did not come to marry her, as he had promised to do. the old witch was so provoked at the girl's tears that she beat nimmie amee with her crooked stick and then hobbled away to gather some magic herbs, with which she intended to transform the girl into an old hag, so that no one would again love her or care to marry her. it was while she was away on this errand that dorothy's house fell on the wicked witch, and she turned to dust and blew away. when i heard this good news, i sent nimmie amee to find the silver shoes which the witch had worn, but dorothy had taken them with her to the emerald city." "yes, we know all about those silver shoes," said the scarecrow. "well," continued ku-klip, "after that, nimmie amee decided to go away from the forest and live with some people she was acquainted with who had a house on mount munch. i have never seen the girl since." "do you know the name of the people on mount munch, with whom she went to live?" asked the tin woodman. "no, nimmie amee did not mention her friend's name, and i did not ask her. she took with her all that she could carry of the goods that were in the witch's house, and she told me i could have the rest. but when i went there i found nothing worth taking except some magic powders that i did not know how to use, and a bottle of magic glue." "what is magic glue?" asked woot. "it is a magic preparation with which to mend people when they cut themselves. one time, long ago, i cut off one of my fingers by accident, and i carried it to the witch, who took down her bottle and glued it on again for me. see!" showing them his finger, "it is as good as ever it was. no one else that i ever heard of had this magic glue, and of course when nick chopper cut himself to pieces with his enchanted axe and captain fyter cut himself to pieces with his enchanted sword, the witch would not mend them, or allow me to glue them together, because she had herself wickedly enchanted the axe and sword. nothing remained but for me to make them new parts out of tin; but, as you see, tin answered the purpose very well, and i am sure their tin bodies are a great improvement on their meat bodies." "very true," said the tin soldier. "i quite agree with you," said the tin woodman. "i happened to find my old head in your cupboard, a while ago, and certainly it is not as desirable a head as the tin one i now wear." "by the way," said the tin soldier, "what ever became of my old head, ku-klip?" "and of the different parts of our bodies?" added the tin woodman. "let me think a minute," replied ku-klip. "if i remember right, you two boys used to bring me most of your parts, when they were cut off, and i saved them in that barrel in the corner. you must not have brought me all the parts, for when i made chopfyt i had hard work finding enough pieces to complete the job. i finally had to finish him with one arm." "who is chopfyt?" inquired woot. "oh, haven't i told you about chopfyt?" exclaimed ku-klip. "of course not! and he's quite a curiosity, too. you'll be interested in hearing about chopfyt. this is how he happened: "one day, after the witch had been destroyed and nimmie amee had gone to live with her friends on mount munch, i was looking around the shop for something and came upon the bottle of magic glue which i had brought from the old witch's house. it occurred to me to piece together the odds and ends of you two people, which of course were just as good as ever, and see if i couldn't make a man out of them. if i succeeded, i would have an assistant to help me with my work, and i thought it would be a clever idea to put to some practical use the scraps of nick chopper and captain fyter. there were two perfectly good heads in my cupboard, and a lot of feet and legs and parts of bodies in the barrel, so i set to work to see what i could do. "first, i pieced together a body, gluing it with the witch's magic glue, which worked perfectly. that was the hardest part of my job, however, because the bodies didn't match up well and some parts were missing. but by using a piece of captain fyter here and a piece of nick chopper there, i finally got together a very decent body, with heart and all the trimmings complete." "whose heart did you use in making the body?" asked the tin woodman anxiously. "i can't tell, for the parts had no tags on them and one heart looks much like another. after the body was completed, i glued two fine legs and feet onto it. one leg was nick chopper's and one was captain fyter's and, finding one leg longer than the other, i trimmed it down to make them match. i was much disappointed to find that i had but one arm. there was an extra leg in the barrel, but i could find only one arm. having glued this onto the body, i was ready for the head, and i had some difficulty in making up my mind which head to use. finally i shut my eyes and reached out my hand toward the cupboard shelf, and the first head i touched i glued upon my new man." "it was mine!" declared the tin soldier, gloomily. "no, it was mine," asserted ku-klip, "for i had given you another in exchange for it--the beautiful tin head you now wear. when the glue had dried, my man was quite an interesting fellow. i named him chopfyt, using a part of nick chopper's name and a part of captain fyter's name, because he was a mixture of both your cast-off parts. chopfyt was interesting, as i said, but he did not prove a very agreeable companion. he complained bitterly because i had given him but one arm--as if it were my fault!--and he grumbled because the suit of blue munchkin clothes, which i got for him from a neighbor, did not fit him perfectly." "ah, that was because he was wearing my old head," remarked the tin soldier. "i remember that head used to be very particular about its clothes." "as an assistant," the old tinsmith continued, "chopfyt was not a success. he was awkward with tools and was always hungry. he demanded something to eat six or eight times a day, so i wondered if i had fitted his insides properly. indeed, chopfyt ate so much that little food was left for myself; so, when he proposed, one day, to go out into the world and seek adventures, i was delighted to be rid of him. i even made him a tin arm to take the place of the missing one, and that pleased him very much, so that we parted good friends." "what became of chopfyt after that?" the scarecrow inquired. "i never heard. he started off toward the east, into the plains of the munchkin country, and that was the last i ever saw of him." "it seems to me," said the tin woodman reflectively, "that you did wrong in making a man out of our cast-off parts. it is evident that chopfyt could, with justice, claim relationship with both of us." "don't worry about that," advised ku-klip cheerfully; "it is not likely that you will ever meet the fellow. and, if you should meet him, he doesn't know who he is made of, for i never told him the secret of his manufacture. indeed, you are the only ones who know of it, and you may keep the secret to yourselves, if you wish to." "never mind chopfyt," said the scarecrow. "our business now is to find poor nimmie amee and let her choose her tin husband. to do that, it seems, from the information ku-klip has given us, we must travel to mount munch." "if that's the programme, let us start at once," suggested woot. so they all went outside, where they found polychrome dancing about among the trees and talking with the birds and laughing as merrily as if she had not lost her rainbow and so been separated from all her fairy sisters. they told her they were going to mount munch, and she replied: "very well; i am as likely to find my rainbow there as here, and any other place is as likely as there. it all depends on the weather. do you think it looks like rain?" they shook their heads, and polychrome laughed again and danced on after them when they resumed their journey. chapter nineteen the invisible country they were proceeding so easily and comfortably on their way to mount munch that woot said in a serious tone of voice: "i'm afraid something is going to happen." "why?" asked polychrome, dancing around the group of travelers. "because," said the boy, thoughtfully, "i've noticed that when we have the least reason for getting into trouble, something is sure to go wrong. just now the weather is delightful; the grass is beautifully blue and quite soft to our feet; the mountain we are seeking shows clearly in the distance and there is no reason anything should happen to delay us in getting there. our troubles all seem to be over, and--well, that's why i'm afraid," he added, with a sigh. "dear me!" remarked the scarecrow, "what unhappy thoughts you have, to be sure. this is proof that born brains cannot equal manufactured brains, for my brains dwell only on facts and never borrow trouble. when there is occasion for my brains to think, they think, but i would be ashamed of my brains if they kept shooting out thoughts that were merely fears and imaginings, such as do no good, but are likely to do harm." "for my part," said the tin woodman, "i do not think at all, but allow my velvet heart to guide me at all times." "the tinsmith filled my hollow head with scraps and clippings of tin," said the soldier, "and he told me they would do nicely for brains, but when i begin to think, the tin scraps rattle around and get so mixed that i'm soon bewildered. so i try not to think. my tin heart is almost as useless to me, for it is hard and cold, so i'm sure the red velvet heart of my friend nick chopper is a better guide." "thoughtless people are not unusual," observed the scarecrow, "but i consider them more fortunate than those who have useless or wicked thoughts and do not try to curb them. your oil can, friend woodman, is filled with oil, but you only apply the oil to your joints, drop by drop, as you need it, and do not keep spilling it where it will do no good. thoughts should be restrained in the same way as your oil, and only applied when necessary, and for a good purpose. if used carefully, thoughts are good things to have." polychrome laughed at him, for the rainbow's daughter knew more about thoughts than the scarecrow did. but the others were solemn, feeling they had been rebuked, and tramped on in silence. suddenly woot, who was in the lead, looked around and found that all his comrades had mysteriously disappeared. but where could they have gone to? the broad plain was all about him and there were neither trees nor bushes that could hide even a rabbit, nor any hole for one to fall into. yet there he stood, alone. surprise had caused him to halt, and with a thoughtful and puzzled expression on his face he looked down at his feet. it startled him anew to discover that he had no feet. he reached out his hands, but he could not see them. he could feel his hands and arms and body; he stamped his feet on the grass and knew they were there, but in some strange way they had become invisible. while woot stood, wondering, a crash of metal sounded in his ears and he heard two heavy bodies tumble to the earth just beside him. "good gracious!" exclaimed the voice of the tin woodman. "mercy me!" cried the voice of the tin soldier. "why didn't you look where you were going?" asked the tin woodman reproachfully. "i did, but i couldn't see you," said the tin soldier. "something has happened to my tin eyes. i can't see you, even now, nor can i see anyone else!" "it's the same way with me," admitted the tin woodman. woot couldn't see either of them, although he heard them plainly, and just then something smashed against him unexpectedly and knocked him over; but it was only the straw-stuffed body of the scarecrow that fell upon him and while he could not see the scarecrow he managed to push him off and rose to his feet just as polychrome whirled against him and made him tumble again. sitting upon the ground, the boy asked: "can you see us, poly?" "no, indeed," answered the rainbow's daughter; "we've all become invisible." "how did it happen, do you suppose?" inquired the scarecrow, lying where he had fallen. "we have met with no enemy," answered poly-chrome, "so it must be that this part of the country has the magic quality of making people invisible--even fairies falling under the charm. we can see the grass, and the flowers, and the stretch of plain before us, and we can still see mount munch in the distance; but we cannot see ourselves or one another." "well, what are we to do about it?" demanded woot. "i think this magic affects only a small part of the plain," replied polychrome; "perhaps there is only a streak of the country where an enchantment makes people become invisible. so, if we get together and hold hands, we can travel toward mount munch until the enchanted streak is passed." "all right," said woot, jumping up, "give me your hand, polychrome. where are you?" "here," she answered. "whistle, woot, and keep whistling until i come to you." so woot whistled, and presently polychrome found him and grasped his hand. "someone must help me up," said the scarecrow, lying near them; so they found the straw man and sat him upon his feet, after which he held fast to polychrome's other hand. nick chopper and the tin soldier had managed to scramble up without assistance, but it was awkward for them and the tin woodman said: "i don't seem to stand straight, somehow. but my joints all work, so i guess i can walk." guided by his voice, they reached his side, where woot grasped his tin fingers so they might keep together. the tin soldier was standing near by and the scarecrow soon touched him and took hold of his arm. "i hope you're not wobbly," said the straw man, "for if two of us walk unsteadily we will be sure to fall." "i'm not wobbly," the tin soldier assured him, "but i'm certain that one of my legs is shorter than the other. i can't see it, to tell what's gone wrong, but i'll limp on with the rest of you until we are out of this enchanted territory." they now formed a line, holding hands, and turning their faces toward mount munch resumed their journey. they had not gone far, however, when a terrible growl saluted their ears. the sound seemed to come from a place just in front of them, so they halted abruptly and remained silent, listening with all their ears. "i smell straw!" cried a hoarse, harsh voice, with more growls and snarls. "i smell straw, and i'm a hip-po-gy-raf who loves straw and eats all he can find. i want to eat this straw! where is it? where is it?" the scarecrow, hearing this, trembled but kept silent. all the others were silent, too, hoping that the invisible beast would be unable to find them. but the creature sniffed the odor of the straw and drew nearer and nearer to them until he reached the tin woodman, on one end of the line. it was a big beast and it smelled of the tin woodman and grated two rows of enormous teeth against the emperor's tin body. "bah! that's not straw," said the harsh voice, and the beast advanced along the line to woot. "meat! pooh, you're no good! i can't eat meat," grumbled the beast, and passed on to polychrome. "sweetmeats and perfume--cobwebs and dew! nothing to eat in a fairy like you," said the creature. now, the scarecrow was next to polychrome in the line, and he realized if the beast devoured his straw he would be helpless for a long time, because the last farmhouse was far behind them and only grass covered the vast expanse of plain. so in his fright he let go of polychrome's hand and put the hand of the tin soldier in that of the rainbow's daughter. then he slipped back of the line and went to the other end, where he silently seized the tin woodman's hand. meantime, the beast had smelled the tin soldier and found he was the last of the line. "that's funny!" growled the hip-po-gy-raf; "i can smell straw, but i can't find it. well, it's here, somewhere, and i must hunt around until i do find it, for i'm hungry." his voice was now at the left of them, so they started on, hoping to avoid him, and traveled as fast as they could in the direction of mount munch. "i don't like this invisible country," said woot with a shudder. "we can't tell how many dreadful, invisible beasts are roaming around us, or what danger we'll come to next." "quit thinking about danger, please," said the scarecrow, warningly. "why?" asked the boy. "if you think of some dreadful thing, it's liable to happen, but if you don't think of it, and no one else thinks of it, it just can't happen. do you see?" "no," answered woot. "i won't be able to see much of anything until we escape from this enchantment." but they got out of the invisible strip of country as suddenly as they had entered it, and the instant they got out they stopped short, for just before them was a deep ditch, running at right angles as far as their eyes could see and stopping all further progress toward mount munch. "it's not so very wide," said woot, "but i'm sure none of us can jump across it." polychrome began to laugh, and the scarecrow said: "what's the matter?" "look at the tin men!" she said, with another burst of merry laughter. woot and the scarecrow looked, and the tin men looked at themselves. "it was the collision," said the tin woodman regretfully. "i knew something was wrong with me, and now i can see that my side is dented in so that i lean over toward the left. it was the soldier's fault; he shouldn't have been so careless." "it is your fault that my right leg is bent, making it shorter than the other, so that i limp badly," retorted the soldier. "you shouldn't have stood where i was walking." "you shouldn't have walked where i was standing," replied the tin woodman. it was almost a quarrel, so polychrome said soothingly: "never mind, friends; as soon as we have time i am sure we can straighten the soldier's leg and get the dent out of the woodman's body. the scarecrow needs patting into shape, too, for he had a bad tumble, but our first task is to get over this ditch." "yes, the ditch is the most important thing, just now," added woot. they were standing in a row, looking hard at the unexpected barrier, when a fierce growl from behind them made them all turn quickly. out of the invisible country marched a huge beast with a thick, leathery skin and a surprisingly long neck. the head on the top of this neck was broad and flat and the eyes and mouth were very big and the nose and ears very small. when the head was drawn down toward the beast's shoulders, the neck was all wrinkles, but the head could shoot up very high indeed, if the creature wished it to. "dear me!" exclaimed the scarecrow, "this must be the hip-po-gy-raf." "quite right," said the beast; "and you're the straw which i'm to eat for my dinner. oh, how i love straw! i hope you don't resent my affectionate appetite?" with its four great legs it advanced straight toward the scarecrow, but the tin woodman and the tin soldier both sprang in front of their friend and flourished their weapons. "keep off!" said the tin woodman, warningly, "or i'll chop you with my axe." "keep off!" said the tin soldier, "or i'll cut you with my sword." "would you really do that?" asked the hip-po-gy-raf, in a disappointed voice. "we would," they both replied, and the tin woodman added: "the scarecrow is our friend, and he would be useless without his straw stuffing. so, as we are comrades, faithful and true, we will defend our friend's stuffing against all enemies." the hip-po-gy-raf sat down and looked at them sorrowfully. "when one has made up his mind to have a meal of delicious straw, and then finds he can't have it, it is certainly hard luck," he said. "and what good is the straw man to you, or to himself, when the ditch keeps you from going any further?" "well, we can go back again," suggested woot. "true," said the hip-po; "and if you do, you'll be as disappointed as i am. that's some comfort, anyhow." the travelers looked at the beast, and then they looked across the ditch at the level plain beyond. on the other side the grass had grown tall, and the sun had dried it, so there was a fine crop of hay that only needed to be cut and stacked. "why don't you cross over and eat hay?" the boy asked the beast. "i'm not fond of hay," replied the hip-po-gy-raf; "straw is much more delicious, to my notion, and it's more scarce in this neighborhood, too. also i must confess that i can't get across the ditch, for my body is too heavy and clumsy for me to jump the distance. i can stretch my neck across, though, and you will notice that i've nibbled the hay on the farther edge--not because i liked it, but because one must eat, and if one can't get the sort of food he desires, he must take what is offered or go hungry." "ah, i see you are a philosopher," remarked the scarecrow. "no, i'm just a hip-po-gy-raf," was the reply. polychrome was not afraid of the big beast. she danced close to him and said: "if you can stretch your neck across the ditch, why not help us over? we can sit on your big head, one at a time, and then you can lift us across." "yes; i can, it is true," answered the hip-po; "but i refuse to do it. unless--" he added, and stopped short. "unless what?" asked polychrome. "unless you first allow me to eat the straw with which the scarecrow is stuffed." "no," said the rainbow's daughter, "that is too high a price to pay. our friend's straw is nice and fresh, for he was restuffed only a little while ago." "i know," agreed the hip-po-gy-raf. "that's why i want it. if it was old, musty straw, i wouldn't care for it." "please lift us across," pleaded polychrome. "no," replied the beast; "since you refuse my generous offer, i can be as stubborn as you are." after that they were all silent for a time, but then the scarecrow said bravely: "friends, let us agree to the beast's terms. give him my straw, and carry the rest of me with you across the ditch. once on the other side, the tin soldier can cut some of the hay with his sharp sword, and you can stuff me with that material until we reach a place where there is straw. it is true i have been stuffed with straw all my life and it will be somewhat humiliating to be filled with common hay, but i am willing to sacrifice my pride in a good cause. moreover, to abandon our errand and so deprive the great emperor of the winkies--or this noble soldier--of his bride, would be equally humiliating, if not more so." "you're a very honest and clever man!" exclaimed the hip-po-gy-raf, admiringly. "when i have eaten your head, perhaps i also will become clever." "you're not to eat my head, you know," returned the scarecrow hastily. "my head isn't stuffed with straw and i cannot part with it. when one loses his head he loses his brains." "very well, then; you may keep your head," said the beast. the scarecrow's companions thanked him warmly for his loyal sacrifice to their mutual good, and then he laid down and permitted them to pull the straw from his body. as fast as they did this, the hip-po-gy-raf ate up the straw, and when all was consumed polychrome made a neat bundle of the clothes and boots and gloves and hat and said she would carry them, while woot tucked the scarecrow's head under his arm and promised to guard its safety. "now, then," said the tin woodman, "keep your promise, beast, and lift us over the ditch." "m-m-m-mum, but that was a fine dinner!" said the hip-po, smacking his thick lips in satisfaction, "and i'm as good as my word. sit on my head, one at a time, and i'll land you safely on the other side." he approached close to the edge of the ditch and squatted down. polychrome climbed over his big body and sat herself lightly upon the flat head, holding the bundle of the scarecrow's raiment in her hand. slowly the elastic neck stretched out until it reached the far side of the ditch, when the beast lowered his head and permitted the beautiful fairy to leap to the ground. woot made the queer journey next, and then the tin soldier and the tin woodman went over, and all were well pleased to have overcome this serious barrier to their progress. "now, soldier, cut the hay," said the scarecrow's head, which was still held by woot the wanderer. "i'd like to, but i can't stoop over, with my bent leg, without falling," replied captain fyter. "what can we do about that leg, anyhow?" asked woot, appealing to polychrome. she danced around in a circle several times without replying, and the boy feared she had not heard him; but the rainbow's daughter was merely thinking upon the problem, and presently she paused beside the tin soldier and said: "i've been taught a little fairy magic, but i've never before been asked to mend tin legs with it, so i'm not sure i can help you. it all depends on the good will of my unseen fairy guardians, so i'll try, and if i fail, you will be no worse off than you are now." she danced around the circle again, and then laid both hands upon the twisted tin leg and sang in her sweet voice: "fairy powers, come to my aid! this bent leg of tin is made; make it straight and strong and true, and i'll render thanks to you." "ah!" murmured captain fyter in a glad voice, as she withdrew her hands and danced away, and they saw he was standing straight as ever, because his leg was as shapely and strong as it had been before his accident. the tin woodman had watched polychrome with much interest, and he now said: "please take the dent out of my side, poly, for i am more crippled than was the soldier." so the rainbow's daughter touched his side lightly and sang: "here's a dent by accident; such a thing was never meant. fairy powers, so wondrous great, make our dear tin woodman straight!" "good!" cried the emperor, again standing erect and strutting around to show his fine figure. "your fairy magic may not be able to accomplish all things, sweet polychrome, but it works splendidly on tin. thank you very much." "the hay--the hay!" pleaded the scarecrow's head. "oh, yes; the hay," said woot. "what are you waiting for, captain fyter?" at once the tin soldier set to work cutting hay with his sword and in a few minutes there was quite enough with which to stuff the scarecrow's body. woot and polychrome did this and it was no easy task because the hay packed together more than straw and as they had little experience in such work their job, when completed, left the scarecrow's arms and legs rather bunchy. also there was a hump on his back which made woot laugh and say it reminded him of a camel, but it was the best they could do and when the head was fastened on to the body they asked the scarecrow how he felt. "a little heavy, and not quite natural," he cheerfully replied; "but i'll get along somehow until we reach a straw-stack. don't laugh at me, please, because i'm a little ashamed of myself and i don't want to regret a good action." they started at once in the direction of mount munch, and as the scarecrow proved very clumsy in his movements, woot took one of his arms and the tin woodman the other and so helped their friend to walk in a straight line. and the rainbow's daughter, as before, danced ahead of them and behind them and all around them, and they never minded her odd ways, because to them she was like a ray of sunshine. chapter twenty over night the land of the munchkins is full of surprises, as our travelers had already learned, and although mount munch was constantly growing larger as they advanced toward it, they knew it was still a long way off and were not certain, by any means, that they had escaped all danger or encountered their last adventure. the plain was broad, and as far as the eye could see, there seemed to be a level stretch of country between them and the mountain, but toward evening they came upon a hollow, in which stood a tiny blue munchkin dwelling with a garden around it and fields of grain filling in all the rest of the hollow. they did not discover this place until they came close to the edge of it, and they were astonished at the sight that greeted them because they had imagined that this part of the plain had no inhabitants. "it's a very small house," woot declared. "i wonder who lives there?" "the way to find out is to knock on the door and ask," replied the tin woodman. "perhaps it is the home of nimmie amee." "is she a dwarf?" asked the boy. "no, indeed; nimmie amee is a full sized woman." "then i'm sure she couldn't live in that little house," said woot. "let's go down," suggested the scarecrow. "i'm almost sure i can see a straw-stack in the back yard." they descended the hollow, which was rather steep at the sides, and soon came to the house, which was indeed rather small. woot knocked upon a door that was not much higher than his waist, but got no reply. he knocked again, but not a sound was heard. "smoke is coming out of the chimney," announced polychrome, who was dancing lightly through the garden, where cabbages and beets and turnips and the like were growing finely. "then someone surely lives here," said woot, and knocked again. now a window at the side of the house opened and a queer head appeared. it was white and hairy and had a long snout and little round eyes. the ears were hidden by a blue sunbonnet tied under the chin. "oh; it's a pig!" exclaimed woot. "pardon me; i am mrs. squealina swyne, wife of professor grunter swyne, and this is our home," said the one in the window. "what do you want?" "what sort of a professor is your husband?" inquired the tin woodman curiously. "he is professor of cabbage culture and corn perfection. he is very famous in his own family, and would be the wonder of the world if he went abroad," said mrs. swyne in a voice that was half proud and half irritable. "i must also inform you intruders that the professor is a dangerous individual, for he files his teeth every morning until they are sharp as needles. if you are butchers, you'd better run away and avoid trouble." "we are not butchers," the tin woodman assured her. "then what are you doing with that axe? and why has the other tin man a sword?" "they are the only weapons we have to defend our friends from their enemies," explained the emperor of the winkies, and woot added: "do not be afraid of us, mrs. swyne, for we are harmless travelers. the tin men and the scarecrow never eat anything and polychrome feasts only on dewdrops. as for me, i'm rather hungry, but there is plenty of food in your garden to satisfy me." professor swyne now joined his wife at the window, looking rather scared in spite of the boy's assuring speech. he wore a blue munchkin hat, with pointed crown and broad brim, and big spectacles covered his eyes. he peeked around from behind his wife and after looking hard at the strangers, he said: "my wisdom assures me that you are merely travelers, as you say, and not butchers. butchers have reason to be afraid of me, but you are safe. we cannot invite you in, for you are too big for our house, but the boy who eats is welcome to all the carrots and turnips he wants. make yourselves at home in the garden and stay all night, if you like; but in the morning you must go away, for we are quiet people and do not care for company." "may i have some of your straw?" asked the scarecrow. "help yourself," replied professor swyne. "for pigs, they're quite respectable," remarked woot, as they all went toward the straw-stack. "i'm glad they didn't invite us in," said captain fyter. "i hope i'm not too particular about my associates, but i draw the line at pigs." the scarecrow was glad to be rid of his hay, for during the long walk it had sagged down and made him fat and squatty and more bumpy than at first. "i'm not specially proud," he said, "but i love a manly figure, such as only straw stuffing can create. i've not felt like myself since that hungry hip-po ate my last straw." polychrome and woot set to work removing the hay and then they selected the finest straw, crisp and golden, and with it stuffed the scarecrow anew. he certainly looked better after the operation, and he was so pleased at being reformed that he tried to dance a little jig, and almost succeeded. "i shall sleep under the straw-stack tonight," woot decided, after he had eaten some of the vegetables from the garden, and in fact he slept very well, with the two tin men and the scarecrow sitting silently beside him and polychrome away somewhere in the moonlight dancing her fairy dances. at daybreak the tin woodman and the tin soldier took occasion to polish their bodies and oil their joints, for both were exceedingly careful of their personal appearance. they had forgotten the quarrel due to their accidental bumping of one another in the invisible country, and being now good friends the tin woodman polished the tin soldier's back for him and then the tin soldier polished the tin woodman's back. for breakfast the wanderer ate crisp lettuce and radishes, and the rainbow's daughter, who had now returned to her friends, sipped the dewdrops that had formed on the petals of the wild-flowers. as they passed the little house to renew their journey, woot called out: "good-bye, mr. and mrs. swyne!" the window opened and the two pigs looked out. "a pleasant journey," said the professor. "have you any children?" asked the scarecrow, who was a great friend of children. "we have nine," answered the professor; "but they do not live with us, for when they were tiny piglets the wizard of oz came here and offered to care for them and to educate them. so we let him have our nine tiny piglets, for he's a good wizard and can be relied upon to keep his promises." "i know the nine tiny piglets," said the tin woodman. "so do i," said the scarecrow. "they still live in the emerald city, and the wizard takes good care of them and teaches them to do all sorts of tricks." "did they ever grow up?" inquired mrs. squealina swyne, in an anxious voice. "no," answered the scarecrow; "like all other children in the land of oz, they will always remain children, and in the case of the tiny piglets that is a good thing, because they would not be nearly so cute and cunning if they were bigger." "but are they happy?" asked mrs. swyne. "everyone in the emerald city is happy," said the tin woodman. "they can't help it." then the travelers said good-bye, and climbed the side of the basin that was toward mount munch. chapter twenty-one polychrome's magic on this morning, which ought to be the last of this important journey, our friends started away as bright and cheery as could be, and woot whistled a merry tune so that polychrome could dance to the music. on reaching the top of the hill, the plain spread out before them in all its beauty of blue grasses and wildflowers, and mount munch seemed much nearer than it had the previous evening. they trudged on at a brisk pace, and by noon the mountain was so close that they could admire its appearance. its slopes were partly clothed with pretty evergreens, and its foot-hills were tufted with a slender waving bluegrass that had a tassel on the end of every blade. and, for the first time, they perceived, near the foot of the mountain, a charming house, not of great size but neatly painted and with many flowers surrounding it and vines climbing over the doors and windows. it was toward this solitary house that our travelers now directed their steps, thinking to inquire of the people who lived there where nimmie amee might be found. there were no paths, but the way was quite open and clear, and they were drawing near to the dwelling when woot the wanderer, who was then in the lead of the little party, halted with such an abrupt jerk that he stumbled over backward and lay flat on his back in the meadow. the scarecrow stopped to look at the boy. "why did you do that?" he asked in surprise. woot sat up and gazed around him in amazement. "i--i don't know!" he replied. the two tin men, arm in arm, started to pass them when both halted and tumbled, with a great clatter, into a heap beside woot. polychrome, laughing at the absurd sight, came dancing up and she, also, came to a sudden stop, but managed to save herself from falling. everyone of them was much astonished, and the scarecrow said with a puzzled look: "i don't see anything." "nor i," said woot; "but something hit me, just the same." "some invisible person struck me a heavy blow," declared the tin woodman, struggling to separate himself from the tin soldier, whose legs and arms were mixed with his own. "i'm not sure it was a person," said polychrome, looking more grave than usual. "it seems to me that i merely ran into some hard substance which barred my way. in order to make sure of this, let me try another place." she ran back a way and then with much caution advanced in a different place, but when she reached a position on a line with the others she halted, her arms outstretched before her. "i can feel something hard--something smooth as glass," she said, "but i'm sure it is not glass." "let me try," suggested woot, getting up; but when he tried to go forward, he discovered the same barrier that polychrome had encountered. "no," he said, "it isn't glass. but what is it?" "air," replied a small voice beside him. "solid air; that's all." they all looked downward and found a sky-blue rabbit had stuck his head out of a burrow in the ground. the rabbit's eyes were a deeper blue than his fur, and the pretty creature seemed friendly and unafraid. "air!" exclaimed woot, staring in astonishment into the rabbit's blue eyes; "whoever heard of air so solid that one cannot push it aside?" "you can't push this air aside," declared the rabbit, "for it was made hard by powerful sorcery, and it forms a wall that is intended to keep people from getting to that house yonder." "oh; it's a wall, is it?" said the tin woodman. "yes, it is really a wall," answered the rabbit, "and it is fully six feet thick." "how high is it?" inquired captain fyter, the tin soldier. "oh, ever so high; perhaps a mile," said the rabbit. "couldn't we go around it?" asked woot. "of course, for the wall is a circle," explained the rabbit. "in the center of the circle stands the house, so you may walk around the wall of solid air, but you can't get to the house." "who put the air wall around the house?" was the scarecrow's question. "nimmie amee did that." "nimmie amee!" they all exclaimed in surprise. "yes," answered the rabbit. "she used to live with an old witch, who was suddenly destroyed, and when nimmie amee ran away from the witch's house, she took with her just one magic formula--pure sorcery it was--which enabled her to build this air wall around her house--the house yonder. it was quite a clever idea, i think, for it doesn't mar the beauty of the landscape, solid air being invisible, and yet it keeps all strangers away from the house." "does nimmie amee live there now?" asked the tin woodman anxiously. "yes, indeed," said the rabbit. "and does she weep and wail from morning till night?" continued the emperor. "no; she seems quite happy," asserted the rabbit. the tin woodman seemed quite disappointed to hear this report of his old sweetheart, but the scarecrow reassured his friend, saying: "never mind, your majesty; however happy nimmie amee is now, i'm sure she will be much happier as empress of the winkies." "perhaps," said captain fyter, somewhat stiffly, "she will be still more happy to become the bride of a tin soldier." "she shall choose between us, as we have agreed," the tin woodman promised; "but how shall we get to the poor girl?" polychrome, although dancing lightly back and forth, had listened to every word of the conversation. now she came forward and sat herself down just in front of the blue rabbit, her many-hued draperies giving her the appearance of some beautiful flower. the rabbit didn't back away an inch. instead, he gazed at the rainbow's daughter admiringly. "does your burrow go underneath this wall of air?" asked polychrome. "to be sure," answered the blue rabbit; "i dug it that way so i could roam in these broad fields, by going out one way, or eat the cabbages in nimmie amee's garden by leaving my burrow at the other end. i don't think nimmie amee ought to mind the little i take from her garden, or the hole i've made under her magic wall. a rabbit may go and come as he pleases, but no one who is bigger than i am could get through my burrow." "will you allow us to pass through it, if we are able to?" inquired polychrome. "yes, indeed," answered the blue rabbit. "i'm no especial friend of nimmie amee, for once she threw stones at me, just because i was nibbling some lettuce, and only yesterday she yelled 'shoo!' at me, which made me nervous. you're welcome to use my burrow in any way you choose." "but this is all nonsense!" declared woot the wanderer. "we are every one too big to crawl through a rabbit's burrow." "we are too big now," agreed the scarecrow, "but you must remember that polychrome is a fairy, and fairies have many magic powers." woot's face brightened as he turned to the lovely daughter of the rainbow. "could you make us all as small as that rabbit?" he asked eagerly. "i can try," answered polychrome, with a smile. and presently she did it--so easily that woot was not the only one astonished. as the now tiny people grouped themselves before the rabbit's burrow the hole appeared to them like the entrance to a tunnel, which indeed it was. "i'll go first," said wee polychrome, who had made herself grow as small as the others, and into the tunnel she danced without hesitation. a tiny scarecrow went next and then the two funny little tin men. "walk in; it's your turn," said the blue rabbit to woot the wanderer. "i'm coming after, to see how you get along. this will be a regular surprise party to nimmie amee." so woot entered the hole and felt his way along its smooth sides in the dark until he finally saw the glimmer of daylight ahead and knew the journey was almost over. had he remained his natural size, the distance could have been covered in a few steps, but to a thumb-high woot it was quite a promenade. when he emerged from the burrow he found himself but a short distance from the house, in the center of the vegetable garden, where the leaves of rhubarb waving above his head seemed like trees. outside the hole, and waiting for him, he found all his friends. "so far, so good!" remarked the scarecrow cheerfully. "yes; so far, but no farther," returned the tin woodman in a plaintive and disturbed tone of voice. "i am now close to nimmie amee, whom i have come ever so far to seek, but i cannot ask the girl to marry such a little man as i am now." "i'm no bigger than a toy soldier!" said captain fyter, sorrowfully. "unless polychrome can make us big again, there is little use in our visiting nimmie amee at all, for i'm sure she wouldn't care for a husband she might carelessly step on and ruin." polychrome laughed merrily. "if i make you big, you can't get out of here again," said she, "and if you remain little nimmie amee will laugh at you. so make your choice." "i think we'd better go back," said woot seriously "no," said the tin woodman, stoutly, "i have decided that it's my duty to make nimmie amee happy, in case she wishes to marry me." "so have i," announced captain fyter. "a good soldier never shrinks from doing his duty." "as for that," said the scarecrow, "tin doesn't shrink any to speak of, under any circumstances. but woot and i intend to stick to our comrades, whatever they decide to do, so we will ask polychrome to make us as big as we were before." polychrome agreed to this request and in half a minute all of them, including herself, had been enlarged again to their natural sizes. they then thanked the blue rabbit for his kind assistance, and at once approached the house of nimme amee. chapter twenty-two nimmie amee we may be sure that at this moment our friends were all anxious to see the end of the adventure that had caused them so many trials and troubles. perhaps the tin woodman's heart did not beat any faster, because it was made of red velvet and stuffed with sawdust, and the tin soldier's heart was made of tin and reposed in his tin bosom without a hint of emotion. however, there is little doubt that they both knew that a critical moment in their lives had arrived, and that nimmie amee's decision was destined to influence the future of one or the other. as they assumed their natural sizes and the rhubarb leaves that had before towered above their heads now barely covered their feet, they looked around the garden and found that no person was visible save themselves. no sound of activity came from the house, either, but they walked to the front door, which had a little porch built before it, and there the two tinmen stood side by side while both knocked upon the door with their tin knuckles. as no one seemed eager to answer the summons they knocked again; and then again. finally they heard a stir from within and someone coughed. "who's there?" called a girl's voice. "it's i!" cried the tin twins, together. "how did you get there?" asked the voice. they hesitated how to reply, so woot answered for them: "by means of magic." "oh," said the unseen girl. "are you friends, or foes?" "friends!" they all exclaimed. then they heard footsteps approach the door, which slowly opened and revealed a very pretty munchkin girl standing in the doorway. "nimmie amee!" cried the tin twins. "that's my name," replied the girl, looking at them in cold surprise. "but who can you be?" "don't you know me, nimmie?" said the tin woodman. "i'm your old sweetheart, nick chopper!" "don't you know me, my dear?" said the tin soldier. "i'm your old sweetheart, captain fyter!" nimmie amee smiled at them both. then she looked beyond them at the rest of the party and smiled again. however, she seemed more amused than pleased. "come in," she said, leading the way inside. "even sweethearts are forgotten after a time, but you and your friends are welcome." the room they now entered was cosy and comfortable, being neatly furnished and well swept and dusted. but they found someone there besides nimmie amee. a man dressed in the attractive munchkin costume was lazily reclining in an easy chair, and he sat up and turned his eves on the visitors with a cold and indifferent stare that was almost insolent. he did not even rise from his seat to greet the strangers, but after glaring at them he looked away with a scowl, as if they were of too little importance to interest him. the tin men returned this man's stare with interest, but they did not look away from him because neither of them seemed able to take his eyes off this munchkin, who was remarkable in having one tin arm quite like their own tin arms. "seems to me," said captain fyter, in a voice that sounded harsh and indignant, "that you, sir, are a vile impostor!" "gently--gently!" cautioned the scarecrow; "don't be rude to strangers, captain." "rude?" shouted the tin soldier, now very much provoked; "why, he's a scoundrel--a thief! the villain is wearing my own head!" "yes," added the tin woodman, "and he's wearing my right arm! i can recognize it by the two warts on the little finger." "good gracious!" exclaimed woot. "then this must be the man whom old ku-klip patched together and named chopfyt." the man now turned toward them, still scowling. "yes, that is my name," he said in a voice like a growl, "and it is absurd for you tin creatures, or for anyone else, to claim my head, or arm, or any part of me, for they are my personal property." "you? you're a nobody!" shouted captain fyter. "you're just a mix-up," declared the emperor. "now, now, gentlemen," interrupted nimmie amee, "i must ask you to be more respectful to poor chopfyt. for, being my guests, it is not polite for you to insult my husband." "your husband!" the tin twins exclaimed in dismay. "yes," said she. "i married chopfyt a long time ago, because my other two sweethearts had deserted me." this reproof embarrassed both nick chopper and captain fyter. they looked down, shamefaced, for a moment, and then the tin woodman explained in an earnest voice: "i rusted." "so did i," said the tin soldier. "i could not know that, of course," asserted nimmie amee. "all i knew was that neither of you came to marry me, as you had promised to do. but men are not scarce in the land of oz. after i came here to live, i met mr. chopfyt, and he was the more interesting because he reminded me strongly of both of you, as you were before you became tin. he even had a tin arm, and that reminded me of you the more. "no wonder!" remarked the scarecrow. "but, listen, nimmie amee!" said the astonished woot; "he really is both of them, for he is made of their cast-off parts." "oh, you're quite wrong," declared polychrome, laughing, for she was greatly enjoying the confusion of the others. "the tin men are still themselves, as they will tell you, and so chopfyt must be someone else." they looked at her bewildered, for the facts in the case were too puzzling to be grasped at once. "it is all the fault of old ku-klip," muttered the tin woodman. "he had no right to use our castoff parts to make another man with." "it seems he did it, however," said nimmie amee calmly, "and i married him because he resembled you both. i won't say he is a husband to be proud of, because he has a mixed nature and isn't always an agreeable companion. there are times when i have to chide him gently, both with my tongue and with my broomstick. but he is my husband, and i must make the best of him." "if you don't like him," suggested the tin woodman, "captain fyter and i can chop him up with our axe and sword, and each take such parts of the fellow as belong to him. then we are willing for you to select one of us as your husband." "that is a good idea," approved captain fyter, drawing his sword. "no," said nimmie amee; "i think i'll keep the husband i now have. he is now trained to draw the water and carry in the wood and hoe the cabbages and weed the flower-beds and dust the furniture and perform many tasks of a like character. a new husband would have to be scolded--and gently chided--until he learns my ways. so i think it will be better to keep my chopfyt, and i see no reason why you should object to him. you two gentlemen threw him away when you became tin, because you had no further use for him, so you cannot justly claim him now. i advise you to go back to your own homes and forget me, as i have forgotten you." "good advice!" laughed polychrome, dancing. "are you happy?" asked the tin soldier. "of course i am," said nimmie amee; "i'm the mistress of all i survey--the queen of my little domain." "wouldn't you like to be the empress of the winkies?" asked the tin woodman. "mercy, no," she answered. "that would be a lot of bother. i don't care for society, or pomp, or posing. all i ask is to be left alone and not to be annoyed by visitors." the scarecrow nudged woot the wanderer. "that sounds to me like a hint," he said. "looks as if we'd had our journey for nothing," remarked woot, who was a little ashamed and disappointed because he had proposed the journey. "i am glad, however," said the tin woodman, "that i have found nimmie amee, and discovered that she is already married and happy. it will relieve me of any further anxiety concerning her." "for my part," said the tin soldier, "i am not sorry to be free. the only thing that really annoys me is finding my head upon chopfyt's body." "as for that, i'm pretty sure it is my body, or a part of it, anyway," remarked the emperor of the winkies. "but never mind, friend soldier; let us be willing to donate our cast-off members to insure the happiness of nimmie amee, and be thankful it is not our fate to hoe cabbages and draw water--and be chided--in the place of this creature chopfyt." "yes," agreed the soldier, "we have much to be thankful for." polychrome, who had wandered outside, now poked her pretty head through an open window and exclaimed in a pleased voice: "it's getting cloudy. perhaps it is going to rain!" chapter twenty-three through the tunnel it didn't rain just then, although the clouds in the sky grew thicker and more threatening. polychrome hoped for a thunder-storm, followed by her rainbow, but the two tin men did not relish the idea of getting wet. they even preferred to remain in nimmie amee's house, although they felt they were not welcome there, rather than go out and face the coming storm. but the scarecrow, who was a very thoughtful person, said to his friends: "if we remain here until after the storm, and polychrome goes away on her rainbow, then we will be prisoners inside the wall of solid air; so it seems best to start upon our return journey at once. if i get wet, my straw stuffing will be ruined, and if you two tin gentlemen get wet, you may perhaps rust again, and become useless. but even that is better than to stay here. once we are free of the barrier, we have woot the wanderer to help us, and he can oil your joints and restuff my body, if it becomes necessary, for the boy is made of meat, which neither rusts nor gets soggy or moldy." "come along, then!" cried polychrome from the window, and the others, realizing the wisdom of the scarecrow's speech, took leave of nimmie amee, who was glad to be rid of them, and said good-bye to her husband, who merely scowled and made no answer, and then they hurried from the house. "your old parts are not very polite, i must say," remarked the scarecrow, when they were in the garden. "no," said woot, "chopfyt is a regular grouch. he might have wished us a pleasant journey, at the very least." "i beg you not to hold us responsible for that creature's actions," pleaded the tin woodman. "we are through with chopfyt and shall have nothing further to do with him." polychrome danced ahead of the party and led them straight to the burrow of the blue rabbit, which they might have had some difficulty in finding without her. there she lost no time in making them all small again. the blue rabbit was busy nibbling cabbage leaves in nimmie amee's garden, so they did not ask his permission but at once entered the burrow. even now the raindrops were beginning to fall, but it was quite dry inside the tunnel and by the time they had reached the other end, outside the circular wall of solid air, the storm was at its height and the rain was coming down in torrents. "let us wait here," proposed polychrome, peering out of the hole and then quickly retreating. "the rainbow won't appear until after the storm and i can make you big again in a jiffy, before i join my sisters on our bow." "that's a good plan," said the scarecrow approvingly. "it will save me from getting soaked and soggy." "it will save me from rusting," said the tin soldier. "it will enable me to remain highly polished," said the tin woodman. "oh, as for that, i myself prefer not to get my pretty clothes wet," laughed the rainbow's daughter. "but while we wait i will bid you all adieu. i must also thank you for saving me from that dreadful giantess, mrs. yoop. you have been good and patient comrades and i have enjoyed our adventures together, but i am never so happy as when on my dear rainbow." "will your father scold you for getting left on the earth?" asked woot. "i suppose so," said polychrome gaily; "i'm always getting scolded for my mad pranks, as they are called. my sisters are so sweet and lovely and proper that they never dance off our rainbow, and so they never have any adventures. adventures to me are good fun, only i never like to stay too long on earth, because i really don't belong here. i shall tell my father the rainbow that i'll try not to be so careless again, and he will forgive me because in our sky mansions there is always joy and happiness." they were indeed sorry to part with their dainty and beautiful companion and assured her of their devotion if they ever chanced to meet again. she shook hands with the scarecrow and the tin men and kissed woot the wanderer lightly upon his forehead. and then the rain suddenly ceased, and as the tiny people left the burrow of the blue rabbit, a glorious big rainbow appeared in the sky and the end of its arch slowly descended and touched the ground just where they stood. woot was so busy watching a score of lovely maidens--sisters of polychrome--who were leaning over the edge of the bow, and another score who danced gaily amid the radiance of the splendid hues, that he did not notice he was growing big again. but now polychrome joined her sisters on the rainbow and the huge arch lifted and slowly melted away as the sun burst from the clouds and sent its own white beams dancing over the meadows. "why, she's gone!" exclaimed the boy, and turned to see his companions still waving their hands in token of adieu to the vanished polychrome. chapter twenty-four the curtain falls well, the rest of the story is quickly told, for the return journey of our adventurers was without any important incident. the scarecrow was so afraid of meeting the hip-po-gy-raf, and having his straw eaten again, that he urged his comrades to select another route to the emerald city, and they willingly consented, so that the invisible country was wholly avoided. of course, when they reached the emerald city their first duty was to visit ozma's palace, where they were royally entertained. the tin soldier and woot the wanderer were welcomed as warmly as any strangers might be who had been the traveling companions of ozma's dear old friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman. at the banquet table that evening they related the manner in which they had discovered nimmie amee, and told how they had found her happily married to chopfyt, whose relationship to nick chopper and captain fyter was so bewildering that they asked ozma's advice what to do about it. "you need not consider chopfyt at all," replied the beautiful girl ruler of oz. "if nimmie amee is content with that misfit man for a husband, we have not even just cause to blame ku-klip for gluing him together." "i think it was a very good idea," added little dorothy, "for if ku-klip hadn't used up your castoff parts, they would have been wasted. it's wicked to be wasteful, isn't it?" "well, anyhow," said woot the wanderer, "chopfyt, being kept a prisoner by his wife, is too far away from anyone to bother either of you tin men in any way. if you hadn't gone where he is and discovered him, you would never have worried about him." "what do you care, anyhow," betsy bobbin asked the tin woodman, "so long as nimmie amee is satisfied?" "and just to think," remarked tiny trot, "that any girl would rather live with a mixture like chopfyt, on far-away mount munch, than to be the empress of the winkies!" "it is her own choice," said the tin woodman contentedly; "and, after all, i'm not sure the winkies would care to have an empress." it puzzled ozma, for a time, to decide what to do with the tin soldier. if he went with the tin woodman to the emperor's castle, she felt that the two tin men might not be able to live together in harmony, and moreover the emperor would not be so distinguished if he had a double constantly beside him. so she asked captain fyter if he was willing to serve her as a soldier, and he promptly declared that nothing would please him more. after he had been in her service for some time, ozma sent him into the gillikin country, with instructions to keep order among the wild people who inhabit some parts of that unknown country of oz. as for woot, being a wanderer by profession, he was allowed to wander wherever he desired, and ozma promised to keep watch over his future journeys and to protect the boy as well as she was able, in case he ever got into more trouble. all this having been happily arranged, the tin woodman returned to his tin castle, and his chosen comrade, the scarecrow, accompanied him on the way. the two friends were sure to pass many pleasant hours together in talking over their recent adventures, for as they neither ate nor slept they found their greatest amusement in conversation. the famous oz books by l. frank baum: the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz the marvelous land of oz being an account of the further adventures of the scarecrow and tin woodman and also the strange experiences of the highly magnified woggle-bug, jack pumpkinhead, the animated saw-horse and the gump; the story being a sequel to the wizard of oz by l. frank baum author of father goose-his book; the wizard of oz; the magical monarch of mo; the enchanted isle of yew; the life and adventures of santa claus; dot and tot of merryland etc. etc. pictured by john r. neil books of wonder william morrow & company, inc. new york copyright by l. frank baum all rights reserved published, july, author's note after the publication of "the wonderful wizard of oz" i began to receive letters from children, telling me of their pleasure in reading the story and asking me to "write something more" about the scarecrow and the tin woodman. at first i considered these little letters, frank and earnest though they were, in the light of pretty compliments; but the letters continued to come during succeeding months, and even years. finally i promised one little girl, who made a long journey to see me and prefer her request,--and she is a "dorothy," by the way--that when a thousand little girls had written me a thousand little letters asking for the scarecrow and the tin woodman i would write the book, either little dorothy was a fairy in disguise, and waved her magic wand, or the success of the stage production of "the wizard of oz" made new friends for the story, for the thousand letters reached their destination long since--and many more followed them. and now, although pleading guilty to long delay, i have kept my promise in this book. l. frank baum. chicago, june, to those excellent good fellows and comedians david c. montgomery and frank a. stone whose clever personations of the tin woodman and the scarecrow have delighted thousands of children throughout the land, this book is gratefully dedicated by the author list of chapters page tip manufactures pumpkinhead the marvelous powder of life the flight of the fugitives tip makes an experiment in magic the awakening of the saw-horse jack pumpkinhead's ride to the emerald city his majesty the scarecrow gen. jinjur's army of revolt the scarecrow plans an escape the journey to the tin woodman a nickel-plated emperor mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e. a highly magnified history old mombi indulges in witchcraft the prisoners of the queen the scarecrow takes time to think the astonishing flight of the gump in the jackdaw's nest dr. nikidik's famous wishing pills the scarecrow appeals to glinda the good the tin-woodman plucks a rose the transformation of old mombi princess ozma of oz the riches of content tip manufactures a pumpkinhead in the country of the gillikins, which is at the north of the land of oz, lived a youth called tip. there was more to his name than that, for old mombi often declared that his whole name was tippetarius; but no one was expected to say such a long word when "tip" would do just as well. this boy remembered nothing of his parents, for he had been brought when quite young to be reared by the old woman known as mombi, whose reputation, i am sorry to say, was none of the best. for the gillikin people had reason to suspect her of indulging in magical arts, and therefore hesitated to associate with her. mombi was not exactly a witch, because the good witch who ruled that part of the land of oz line-art drawing had forbidden any other witch to exist in her dominions. so tip's guardian, however much she might aspire to working magic, realized it was unlawful to be more than a sorceress, or at most a wizardess. tip was made to carry wood from the forest, that the old woman might boil her pot. he also worked in the corn-fields, hoeing and husking; and he fed the pigs and milked the four-horned cow that was mombi's especial pride. but you must not suppose he worked all the time, for he felt that would be bad for him. when sent to the forest tip often climbed trees for birds' eggs or amused himself chasing the fleet white rabbits or fishing in the brooks with bent pins. then he would hastily gather his armful of wood and carry it home. and when he was supposed to be working in the corn-fields, and the tall stalks hid him from mombi's view, tip would often dig in the gopher holes, or if the mood seized him-- lie upon his back between the rows of corn and take a nap. so, by taking care not to exhaust his strength, he grew as strong and rugged as a boy may be. mombi's curious magic often frightened her neighbors, and they treated her shyly, yet respectfully, because of her weird powers. but tip frankly hated her, and took no pains to hide his feelings. indeed, he sometimes showed less respect for the old woman than he should have done, considering she was his guardian. there were pumpkins in mombi's corn-fields, lying golden red among the rows of green stalks; and these had been planted and carefully tended that the four-horned cow might eat of them in the winter time. but one day, after the corn had all been cut and stacked, and tip was carrying the pumpkins to the stable, he took a notion to make a "jack lantern" and try to give the old woman a fright with it. so he selected a fine, big pumpkin--one with a lustrous, orange-red color--and began carving it. with the point of his knife he made two round eyes, a three-cornered nose, and line-art drawing a mouth shaped like a new moon. the face, when completed, could not have been considered strictly beautiful; but it wore a smile so big and broad, and was so jolly in expression, that even tip laughed as he looked admiringly at his work. the child had no playmates, so he did not know that boys often dig out the inside of a "pumpkin-jack," and in the space thus made put a lighted candle to render the face more startling; but he conceived an idea of his own that promised to be quite as effective. he decided to manufacture the form of a man, who would wear this pumpkin head, and to stand it in a place where old mombi would meet it face to face. "and then," said tip to himself, with a laugh, "she'll squeal louder than the brown pig does when i pull her tail, and shiver with fright worse than i did last year when i had the ague!" he had plenty of time to accomplish this task, for mombi had gone to a village--to buy groceries, she said--and it was a journey of at least two days. so he took his axe to the forest, and selected some stout, straight saplings, which he cut down and trimmed of all their twigs and leaves. from these he would make the arms, and legs, and feet of his man. for the body he stripped a sheet of thick bark from around a big tree, and with much labor fashioned it into a cylinder of about the right size, pinning the edges together with wooden pegs. then, whistling happily as he worked, he carefully jointed the limbs and fastened them to the body with pegs whittled into shape with his knife. by the time this feat had been accomplished it began to grow dark, and tip remembered he must milk the cow and feed the pigs. so he picked up his wooden man and carried it back to the house with him. during the evening, by the light of the fire in the kitchen, tip carefully rounded all the edges of the joints and smoothed the rough places in a neat and workmanlike manner. then he stood the figure up against the wall and admired it. it seemed remarkably tall, even for a full-grown man; but that was a good point in a small boy's eyes, and tip did not object at all to the size of his creation. next morning, when he looked at his work again, tip saw he had forgotten to give the dummy a neck, by means of which he might fasten the pumpkinhead to the body. so he went again to the forest, which was not far away, and chopped from a tree several pieces of wood with which to complete his work. when he returned he fastened a cross-piece to the upper end of the body, making a hole through the center to hold upright the neck. the bit of wood which formed this neck was also sharpened at the upper end, and when all was ready tip put on the pumpkin head, pressing it well down onto the neck, and found that it fitted very well. the head could be turned to one side or the other, as he pleased, and the hinges of the arms and legs allowed him to place the dummy in any position he desired. "now, that," declared tip, proudly, "is really a very fine man, and it ought to frighten several screeches out of old mombi! but it would be much more lifelike if it were properly dressed." to find clothing seemed no easy task; but tip boldly ransacked the great chest in which mombi kept all her keepsakes and treasures, and at the very bottom he discovered some purple trousers, a red shirt and a pink vest which was dotted with white spots. these he carried away to his man and succeeded, although the garments did not fit very well, in dressing the creature in a jaunty fashion. some knit stockings belonging to mombi and a much worn pair of his own shoes completed the man's apparel, and tip was so delighted that he danced up and down and laughed aloud in boyish ecstacy. "i must give him a name!" he cried. "so good a man as this must surely have a name. i believe," he added, after a moment's thought, "i will name the fellow 'jack pumpkinhead!'" line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. the marvelous powder of life after considering the matter carefully, tip decided that the best place to locate jack would be at the bend in the road, a little way from the house. so he started to carry his man there, but found him heavy and rather awkward to handle. after dragging the creature a short distance tip stood him on his feet, and by first bending the joints of one leg, and then those of the other, at the same time pushing from behind, the boy managed to induce jack to walk to the bend in the road. it was not accomplished without a few tumbles, and tip really worked harder than he ever had in the fields or forest; but a love of mischief urged him on, and it pleased him to test the cleverness of his workmanship. "jack's all right, and works fine!" he said to himself, panting with the unusual exertion. but just then he discovered the man's left arm had fallen off in the journey so he went back to find it, and afterward, by whittling a new and stouter pin for the shoulder-joint, he repaired the injury so successfully that the arm was stronger than before. tip also noticed that jack's pumpkin head had twisted around until it faced his back; but this was easily remedied. when, at last, the man was set up facing the turn in the path where old mombi was to appear, he looked natural enough to be a fair imitation of a gillikin farmer,--and unnatural enough to startle anyone that came on him unawares. as it was yet too early in the day to expect the old woman to return home, tip went down into the valley below the farm-house and began to gather nuts from the trees that grew there. however, old mombi returned earlier than usual. she had met a crooked wizard who resided in a lonely cave in the mountains, and had traded several important secrets of magic with him. hav- ing in this way secured three new recipes, four magical powders and a selection of herbs of wonderful power and potency, she hobbled home as fast as she could, in order to test her new sorceries. so intent was mombi on the treasures she had gained that when she turned the bend in the road and caught a glimpse of the man, she merely nodded and said: "good evening, sir." but, a moment after, noting that the person did not move or reply, she cast a shrewd glance into his face and discovered his pumpkin head elaborately carved by tip's jack-knife. "heh!" ejaculated mombi, giving a sort of grunt; "that rascally boy has been playing tricks again! very good! ve--ry good! i'll beat him black- and-blue for trying to scare me in this fashion!" angrily she raised her stick to smash in the grinning pumpkin head of the dummy; but a sudden thought made her pause, the uplifted stick left motionless in the air. "why, here is a good chance to try my new powder!" said she, eagerly. "and then i can tell whether that crooked wizard has fairly traded secrets, or whether he has fooled me as wickedly as i fooled him." so she set down her basket and began fumbling in it for one of the precious powders she had obtained. while mombi was thus occupied tip strolled back, with his pockets full of nuts, and discovered the old woman standing beside his man and apparently not the least bit frightened by it. at first he was generally disappointed; but the next moment he became curious to know what mombi was going to do. so he hid behind a hedge, where he could see without being seen, and prepared to watch. after some search the woman drew from her basket an old pepper-box, upon the faded label of which the wizard had written with a lead-pencil: "powder of life." "ah--here it is!" she cried, joyfully. "and now let us see if it is potent. the stingy wizard didn't give me much of it, but i guess there's enough for two or three doses." tip was much surprised when he overheard this speech. then he saw old mombi raise her arm and sprinkle the powder from the box over the pumpkin head of his man jack. she did this in the same way one would pepper a baked potato, and the powder sifted down from jack's head and scattered full page line-art drawing. "old mombi danced around him" over the red shirt and pink waistcoat and purple trousers tip had dressed him in, and a portion even fell upon the patched and worn shoes. then, putting the pepper-box back into the basket, mombi lifted her left hand, with its little finger pointed upward, and said: "weaugh!" then she lifted her right hand, with the thumb pointed upward, and said: "teaugh!" then she lifted both hands, with all the fingers and thumbs spread out, and cried: "peaugh!" jack pumpkinhead stepped back a pace, at this, and said in a reproachful voice: "don't yell like that! do you think i'm deaf?" old mombi danced around him, frantic with delight. "he lives!" she screamed: "he lives! he lives!" then she threw her stick into the air and caught it as it came down; and she hugged herself with both arms, and tried to do a step of a jig; and all the time she repeated, rapturously: "he lives!--he lives!--he lives!" now you may well suppose that tip observed all this with amazement. at first he was so frightened and horrified that he wanted to run away, but his legs trembled and shook so badly that he couldn't. then it struck him as a very funny thing for jack to come to life, especially as the expression on his pumpkin face was so droll and comical it excited laughter on the instant. so, recovering from his first fear, tip began to laugh; and the merry peals reached old mombi's ears and made her hobble quickly to the hedge, where she seized tip's collar and dragged him back to where she had left her basket and the pumpkinheaded man. "you naughty, sneaking, wicked boy!" she exclaimed, furiously: "i'll teach you to spy out my secrets and to make fun of me!" "i wasn't making fun of you," protested tip. "i was laughing at old pumpkinhead! look at him! isn't he a picture, though?" "i hope you are not reflecting on my personal appearance," said jack; and it was so funny to hear his grave voice, while his face continued to wear its jolly smile, that tip again burst into a peal of laughter. even mombi was not without a curious interest in the man her magic had brought to life; for, after staring at him intently, she presently asked: full page line-art drawing. old mombi puts jack in the stable "what do you know?" "well, that is hard to tell," replied jack. "for although i feel that i know a tremendous lot, i am not yet aware how much there is in the world to find out about. it will take me a little time to discover whether i am very wise or very foolish." "to be sure," said mombi, thoughtfully. "but what are you going to do with him, now he is alive?" asked tip, wondering. "i must think it over," answered mombi. "but we must get home at once, for it is growing dark. help the pumpkinhead to walk." "never mind me," said jack; "i can walk as well as you can. haven't i got legs and feet, and aren't they jointed?" "are they?" asked the woman, turning to tip. "of course they are; i made 'em myself," returned the boy, with pride. so they started for the house, but when they reached the farm yard old mombi led the pumpkin man to the cow stable and shut him up in an empty stall, fastening the door securely on the outside. "i've got to attend to you, first," she said, nodding her head at tip. hearing this, the boy became uneasy; for he knew mombi had a bad and revengeful heart, and would not hesitate to do any evil thing. they entered the house. it was a round, domeshaped structure, as are nearly all the farm houses in the land of oz. mombi bade the boy light a candle, while she put her basket in a cupboard and hung her cloak on a peg. tip obeyed quickly, for he was afraid of her. after the candle had been lighted mombi ordered him to build a fire in the hearth, and while tip was thus engaged the old woman ate her supper. when the flames began to crackle the boy came to her and asked a share of the bread and cheese; but mombi refused him. "i'm hungry!" said tip, in a sulky tone. "you won't be hungry long," replied mombi, with a grim look. the boy didn't like this speech, for it sounded like a threat; but he happened to remember he had nuts in his pocket, so he cracked some of those and ate them while the woman rose, shook the crumbs from her apron, and hung above the fire a small black kettle. then she measured out equal parts of milk and vinegar and poured them into the kettle. next she produced several packets of herbs and powders and began adding a portion of each to the contents of the kettle. occasionally she would draw near the candle and read from a yellow paper the recipe of the mess she was concocting. as tip watched her his uneasiness increased. "what is that for?" he asked. "for you," returned mombi, briefly. tip wriggled around upon his stool and stared awhile at the kettle, which was beginning to bubble. then he would glance at the stern and wrinkled features of the witch and wish he were any place but in that dim and smoky kitchen, where even the shadows cast by the candle upon the wall were enough to give one the horrors. so an hour passed away, during which the silence was only broken by the bubbling of the pot and the hissing of the flames. finally, tip spoke again. "have i got to drink that stuff?" he asked, nodding toward the pot. "yes," said mombi. "what'll it do to me?" asked tip. "if it's properly made," replied mombi, "it will change or transform you into a marble statue." tip groaned, and wiped the perspiration from his forehead with his sleeve. "i don't want to be a marble statue!" he protested. "that doesn't matter i want you to be one," said the old woman, looking at him severely. "what use'll i be then?" asked tip. "there won't be any one to work for you." "i'll make the pumpkinhead work for me," said mombi. again tip groaned. "why don't you change me into a goat, or a chicken?" he asked, anxiously. "you can't do anything with a marble statue." "oh, yes, i can," returned mombi. "i'm going to plant a flower garden, next spring, and i'll put you in the middle of it, for an ornament. i wonder i haven't thought of that before; you've been a bother to me for years." at this terrible speech tip felt the beads of perspiration starting all over his body, but he sat still and shivered and looked anxiously at the kettle. "perhaps it won't work," he mutttered, in a voice that sounded weak and discouraged. "oh, i think it will," answered mombi, cheerfully. "i seldom make a mistake." again there was a period of silence a silence so long and gloomy that when mombi finally lifted the kettle from the fire it was close to midnight. full page line-art drawing. "i don't want to be a marble statue." "you cannot drink it until it has become quite cold," announced the old witch for in spite of the law she had acknowledged practising witchcraft. "we must both go to bed now, and at daybreak i will call you and at once complete your transformation into a marble statue." with this she hobbled into her room, bearing the steaming kettle with her, and tip heard her close and lock the door. the boy did not go to bed, as he had been commanded to do, but still sat glaring at the embers of the dying fire. line-art drawing the flight of the fugitives tip reflected. "it's a hard thing, to be a marble statue," he thought, rebelliously, "and i'm not going to stand it. for years i've been a bother to her, she says; so she's going to get rid of me. well, there's an easier way than to become a statue. no boy could have any fun forever standing in the middle of a flower garden! i'll run away, that's what i'll do--and i may as well go before she makes me drink that nasty stuff in the kettle." he waited until the snores of the old witch announced she was fast asleep, and then he arose softly and went to the cupboard to find something to eat. "no use starting on a journey without food," he decided, searching upon the narrow shelves. he found some crusts of bread; but he had to look into mombi's basket to find the cheese she had brought from the village. while turning over the contents of the basket he came upon the pepper-box which contained the "powder of life." "i may as well take this with me," he thought, "or mombi'll be using it to make more mischief with." so he put the box in his pocket, together with the bread and cheese. then he cautiously left the house and latched the door behind him. outside both moon and stars shone brightly, and the night seemed peaceful and inviting after the close and ill-smelling kitchen. "i'll be glad to get away," said tip, softly; "for i never did like that old woman. i wonder how i ever came to live with her." he was walking slowly toward the road when a thought made him pause. "i don't like to leave jack pumpkinhead to the tender mercies of old mombi," he muttered. "and jack belongs to me, for i made him even if the old witch did bring him to life." he retraced his steps to the cow-stable and opened the door of the stall where the pumpkin- full page line-art drawing. "tip led him along the path." headed man had been left. jack was standing in the middle of the stall, and by the moonlight tip could see he was smiling just as jovially as ever. "come on!" said the boy, beckoning. "where to?" asked jack. "you'll know as soon as i do," answered tip, smiling sympathetically into the pumpkin face. "all we've got to do now is to tramp." "very well," returned jack, and walked awkwardly out of the stable and into the moonlight. tip turned toward the road and the man followed him. jack walked with a sort of limp, and occasionally one of the joints of his legs would turn backward, instead of frontwise, almost causing him to tumble. but the pumpkinhead was quick to notice this, and began to take more pains to step carefully; so that he met with few accidents. tip led him along the path without stopping an instant. they could not go very fast, but they walked steadily; and by the time the moon sank away and the sun peeped over the hills they had travelled so great a distance that the boy had no reason to fear pursuit from the old witch. moreover, he had turned first into one path, and then into another, so that should anyone follow them it would prove very difficult to guess which way they had gone, or where to seek them. fairly satisfied that he had escaped--for a time, at least--being turned into a marble statue, the boy stopped his companion and seated himself upon a rock by the roadside. "let's have some breakfast," he said. jack pumpkinhead watched tip curiously, but refused to join in the repast. "i don't seem to be made the same way you are," he said. "i know you are not," returned tip; "for i made you." "oh! did you?" asked jack. "certainly. and put you together. and carved your eyes and nose and ears and line-art drawing along the right side of the page mouth," said tip proudly. "and dressed you." jack looked at his body and limbs critically. "it strikes me you made a very good job of it," he remarked. "just so-so," replied tip, modestly; for he began to see certain defects in the construction of his man. "if i'd known we were going to travel together i might have been a little more particular." "why, then," said the pumpkinhead, in a tone that expressed surprise, "you must be my creator my parent my father!" "or your inventor," replied the boy with a laugh. "yes, my son; i really believe i am!" "then i owe you obedience," continued the man, "and you owe me--support." "that's it, exactly", declared tip, jumping up. "so let us be off." "where are we going?" asked jack, when they had resumed their journey. "i'm not exactly sure," said the boy; "but i believe we are headed south, and that will bring us, sooner or later, to the emerald city." "what city is that?" enquired the pumpkinhead. "why, it's the center of the land of oz, and the biggest town in all the country. i've never been there, myself, but i've heard all about its history. it was built by a mighty and wonderful wizard named oz, and everything there is of a green color--just as everything in this country of the gillikins is of a purple color." "is everything here purple?" asked jack. "of course it is. can't you see?" returned the boy. "i believe i must be color-blind," said the pumpkinhead, after staring about him. "well, the grass is purple, and the trees are purple, and the houses and fences are purple," explained tip. "even the mud in the roads is purple. but in the emerald city everything is green that is purple here. and in the country of the munchkins, over at the east, everything is blue; and in the south country of the quadlings everything is red; and in the west country of the winkies, where the tin woodman rules, everything is yellow." "oh!" said jack. then, after a pause, he asked: "did you say a tin woodman rules the winkies?" "yes; he was one of those who helped dorothy to destroy the wicked witch of the west, and the winkies were so grateful that they invited him to become their ruler,--just as the people of the emerald city invited the scarecrow to rule them." "dear me!" said jack. "i'm getting confused with all this history. who is the scarecrow?" "another friend of dorothy's," replied tip. "and who is dorothy?" "she was a girl that came here from kansas, a place in the big, outside world. she got blown to the land of oz by a cyclone, and while she was here the scarecrow and the tin woodman accompanied her on her travels." "and where is she now?" inquired the pumpkinhead. "glinda the good, who rules the quadlings, sent her home again," said the boy. "oh. and what became of the scarecrow?" "i told you. he rules the emerald city," answered tip. "i thought you said it was ruled by a wonderful wizard," objected jack, seeming more and more confused. "well, so i did. now, pay attention, and i'll explain it," said tip, speaking slowly and looking the smiling pumpkinhead squarely in the eye. "dorothy went to the emerald city to ask the wizard to send her back to kansas; and the scarecrow and the tin woodman went with her. but the wizard couldn't send her back, because he wasn't so much of a wizard as he might have been. and then they got angry at the wizard, and threatened to expose him; so the wizard made a big balloon and escaped in it, and no one has ever seen him since." "now, that is very interesting history," said jack, well pleased; "and i understand it perfectly all but the explanation." "i'm glad you do," responded tip. "after the wizard was gone, the people of the emerald city made his majesty, the scarecrow, their king; "and i have heard that he became a very popular ruler." "are we going to see this queer king?" asked jack, with interest. "i think we may as well," replied the boy; "unless you have something better to do." "oh, no, dear father," said the pumpkinhead. "i am quite willing to go wherever you please." line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. tip makes an experiment in magic the boy, small and rather delicate in appearance seemed somewhat embarrassed at being called "father" by the tall, awkward, pumpkinheaded man, but to deny the relationship would involve another long and tedious explanation; so he changed the subject by asking, abruptly: "are you tired?" "of course not!" replied the other. "but," he continued, after a pause, "it is quite certain i shall wear out my wooden joints if i keep on walking." tip reflected, as they journeyed on, that this was true. he began to regret that he had not constructed the wooden limbs more carefully and substantially. yet how could he ever have guessed that the man he had made merely to scare old mombi with would be brought to life by means of a magical powder contained in an old pepper-box? so he ceased to reproach himself, and began to think how he might yet remedy the deficiencies of jack's weak joints. while thus engaged they came to the edge of a wood, and the boy sat down to rest upon an old sawhorse that some woodcutter had left there. "why don't you sit down?" he asked the pumpkinhead. "won't it strain my joints?" inquired the other. "of course not. it'll rest them," declared the boy. so jack tried to sit down; but as soon as he bent his joints farther than usual they gave way altogether, and he came clattering to the ground with such a crash that tip feared he was entirely ruined. line-art drawing along right side of this page he rushed to the man, lifted him to his feet, straightened his arms and legs, and felt of his head to see if by chance it had become cracked. but jack seemed to be in pretty good shape, after all, and tip said to him: "i guess you'd better remain standing, hereafter. it seems the safest way." "very well, dear father." just as you say, replied the smiling jack, who had been in no wise confused by his tumble. tip sat down again. presently the pumpkinhead asked: "what is that thing you are sitting on?" "oh, this is a horse," replied the boy, carelessly. "what is a horse?" demanded jack. "a horse? why, there are two kinds of horses," returned tip, slightly puzzled how to explain. "one kind of horse is alive, and has four legs and a head and a tail. and people ride upon its back." "i understand," said jack, cheerfully "that's the kind of horse you are now sitting on." "no, it isn't," answered tip, promptly. "why not? that one has four legs, and a head, and a tail." tip looked at the saw-horse more carefully, and found that the pumpkinhead was right. the body had been formed from a tree-trunk, and a branch had been left sticking up at one end that looked very much like a tail. in the other end were two big knots that resembled eyes, and a place had been chopped away that might easily be mistaken for the horse's mouth. as for the legs, they were four straight limbs cut from trees and stuck fast into the body, being spread wide apart so that the saw-horse would stand firmly when a log was laid across it to be sawed. "this thing resembles a real horse more than i imagined," said tip, trying to explain. "but a real horse is alive, and trots and prances and eats oats, while this is nothing more than a dead horse, made of wood, and used to saw logs upon." "if it were alive, wouldn't it trot, and prance, and eat oats?" inquired the pumpkinhead. "it would trot and prance, perhaps; but it wouldn't eat oats," replied the boy, laughing at the idea." and of course it can't ever be alive, because it is made of wood." "so am i," answered the man. tip looked at him in surprise. "why, so you are!" he exclaimed. "and the magic powder that brought you to life is here in my pocket." full page line-art drawing. the magical powder of life he brought out the pepper box, and eyed it curiously. "i wonder," said he, musingly, "if it would bring the saw-horse to life." "if it would," returned jack, calmly for nothing seemed to surprise him" i could ride on its back, and that would save my joints from wearing out." "i'll try it!" cried the boy, jumping up. "but i wonder if i can remember the words old mombi said, and the way she held her hands up." he thought it over for a minute, and as he had watched carefully from the hedge every motion of the old witch, and listened to her words, he believed he could repeat exactly what she had said and done. so he began by sprinkling some of the magic powder of life from the pepper- box upon the body of the saw-horse. then he lifted his left hand, with the little finger pointing upward, and said: "weaugh!" "what does that mean, dear father?" asked jack, curiously. "i don't know," answered tip. then he lifted his right hand, with the thumb pointing upward and said: "teaugh!" "what's that, dear father?" inquired jack. "it means you must keep quiet!" replied the boy, provoked at being interrupted at so important a moment. "how fast i am learning!" remarked the pumpkinhead, with his eternal smile. tip now lifted both hands above his head, with all the fingers and thumbs spread out, and cried in a loud voice: "peaugh!" immediately the saw-horse moved, stretched its legs, yawned with its chopped-out mouth, and shook a few grains of the powder off its back. the rest of the powder seemed to have vanished into the body of the horse. "good!" called jack, while the boy looked on in astonishment. "you are a very clever sorcerer, dear father!" line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. the awakening of the saw-horse the saw-horse, finding himself alive, seemed even more astonished than tip. he rolled his knotty eyes from side to side, taking a first wondering view of the world in which he had now so important an existence. then he tried to look at himself; but he had, indeed, no neck to turn; so that in the endeavor to see his body he kept circling around and around, without catching even a glimpse of it. his legs were stiff and awkward, for there were no knee-joints in them; so that presently he bumped against jack pumpkinhead and sent that personage tumbling upon the moss that lined the roadside. tip became alarmed at this accident, as well as at the persistence of the saw-horse in prancing around in a circle; so he called out: "whoa! whoa, there!" the saw-horse paid no attention whatever to this command, and the next instant brought one of his wooden legs down upon tip's foot so forcibly that the boy danced away in pain to a safer distance, from where he again yelled: "whoa! whoa, i say!" jack had now managed to raise himself to a sitting position, and he looked at the saw-horse with much interest. "i don't believe the animal can hear you," he remarked. "i shout loud enough, don't i?" answered tip, angrily. "yes; but the horse has no ears," said the smiling pumpkinhead. "sure enough!" exclaimed tip, noting the fact for the first time. "how, then, am i going to stop him?" but at that instant the saw-horse stopped himself, having concluded it was impossible to see his own body. he saw tip, however, and came close to the boy to observe him more fully. it was really comical to see the creature walk; for it moved the legs on its right side together, and those on its left side together, as a pacing horse does; and that made its body rock sidewise, like a cradle. tip patted it upon the head, and said "good boy! good boy!" in a coaxing tone; and the saw-horse pranced away to examine with its bulging eyes the form of jack pumpkinhead. "i must find a halter for him," said tip; and having made a search in his pocket he produced a roll of strong cord. unwinding this, he approached the saw-horse and tied the cord around its neck, afterward fastening the other end to a large tree. the saw-horse, not understanding the action, stepped backward and snapped the string easily; but it made no attempt to run away. "he's stronger than i thought," said the boy, "and rather obstinate, too." "why don't you make him some ears?" asked jack. "then you can tell him what to do." "that's a splendid idea!" said tip. "how did you happen to think of it?" "why, i didn't think of it," answered the pumpkinhead; "i didn't need to, for it's the simplest and easiest thing to do." so tip got out his knife and fashioned some ears out of the bark of a small tree. "i mustn't make them too big," he said, as he whittled, "or our horse would become a donkey." "how is that?" inquired jack, from the roadside. "why, a horse has bigger ears than a man; and a donkey has bigger ears than a horse," explained tip. "then, if my ears were longer, would i be a horse?" asked jack. "my friend," said tip, gravely, "you'll never be anything but a pumpkinhead, no matter how big your ears are." "oh," returned jack, nodding; "i think i understand." "if you do, you're a wonder," remarked the boy "but there's no harm in thinking you understand. i guess these ears are ready now. will you hold the horse while i stick them on?" "certainly, if you'll help me up," said jack. so tip raised him to his feet, and the pumpkinhead went to the horse and held its head while the boy bored two holes in it with his knife-blade and inserted the ears. "they make him look very handsome," said jack, admiringly. but those words, spoken close to the saw-horse, and being the first sounds he had ever heard, so startled the animal that he made a bound forward and tumbled tip on one side and jack on the other. then he continued to rush forward as if frightened by the clatter of his own foot-steps. "whoa!" shouted tip, picking himself up; "whoa! you idiot whoa!" the saw- horse would probably have paid no attention to this, but just then it stepped a leg into a gopher-hole and stumbled head-over-heels to the ground, where it lay upon its back, frantically waving its four legs in the air. tip ran up to it. "you're a nice sort of a horse, i must say!" he exclaimed. "why didn't you stop when i yelled 'whoa?'" "does 'whoa' mean to stop?" asked the saw-horse, in a surprised voice, as it rolled its eyes upward to look at the boy. "of course it does," answered tip. "and a hole in the ground means to stop, also, doesn't it?" continued the horse. "to be sure; unless you step over it," said tip. "what a strange place this is," the creature exclaimed, as if amazed. "what am i doing here, anyway?" full page line-art drawing. "do keep those legs still." "why, i've brought you to life," answered the boy "but it won't hurt you any, if you mind me and do as i tell you." "then i will do as you tell me," replied the saw-horse, humbly. "but what happened to me, a moment ago? i don't seem to be just right, someway." "you're upside down," explained tip. "but just keep those legs still a minute and i'll set you right side up again." "how many sides have i?" asked the creature, wonderingly. "several," said tip, briefly. "but do keep those legs still." the saw-horse now became quiet, and held its legs rigid; so that tip, after several efforts, was able to roll him over and set him upright. "ah, i seem all right now," said the queer animal, with a sigh. "one of your ears is broken," tip announced, after a careful examination. "i'll have to make a new one." then he led the saw-horse back to where jack was vainly struggling to regain his feet, and after assisting the pumpkinhead to stand upright tip whittled out a new ear and fastened it to the horse's head. "now," said he, addressing his steed, "pay attention to what i'm going to tell you. 'whoa!' means to stop; 'get-up!' means to walk forward; 'trot!' means to go as fast as you can. understand?" "i believe i do," returned the horse. "very good. we are all going on a journey to the emerald city, to see his majesty, the scarecrow; and jack pumpkinhead is going to ride on your back, so he won't wear out his joints." "i don't mind," said the saw-horse. "anything that suits you suits me." then tip assisted jack to get upon the horse. "hold on tight," he cautioned, "or you may fall off and crack your pumpkin head." "that would be horrible!" said jack, with a shudder. "what shall i hold on to?" "why, hold on to his ears," replied tip, after a moment's hesitation. "don't do that!" remonstrated the saw-horse; "for then i can't hear." that seemed reasonable, so tip tried to think of something else. "i'll fix it!" said he, at length. he went into the wood and cut a short length of limb from a young, stout tree. one end of this he sharpened to a point, and then he dug a hole in the back of full page line-art drawing. "does it hurt?" asked the boy the saw-horse, just behind its head. next he brought a piece of rock from the road and hammered the post firmly into the animal's back. "stop! stop!" shouted the horse; "you're jarring me terribly." "does it hurt?" asked the boy. "not exactly hurt," answered the animal; "but it makes me quite nervous to be jarred." "well, it's all over now" said tip, encouragingly. "now, jack, be sure to hold fast to this post and then you can't fall off and get smashed." so jack held on tight, and tip said to the horse: "get up." the obedient creature at once walked forward, rocking from side to side as he raised his feet from the ground. tip walked beside the saw-horse, quite content with this addition to their party. presently he began to whistle. "what does that sound mean?" asked the horse. "don't pay any attention to it," said tip. "i'm just whistling, and that only means i'm pretty well satisfied." "i'd whistle myself, if i could push my lips together," remarked jack. "i fear, dear father, that in some respects i am sadly lacking." after journeying on for some distance the narrow path they were following turned into a broad roadway, paved with yellow brick. by the side of the road tip noticed a sign-post that read: "nine miles to the emerald city." but it was now growing dark, so he decided to camp for the night by the roadside and to resume the journey next morning by daybreak. he led the saw- horse to a grassy mound upon which grew several bushy trees, and carefully assisted the pumpkinhead to alight. "i think i'll lay you upon the ground, overnight," said the boy. "you will be safer that way." "how about me?" asked the saw-horse. "it won't hurt you to stand," replied tip; "and, as you can't sleep, you may as well watch out and see that no one comes near to disturb us." then the boy stretched himself upon the grass beside the pumpkinhead, and being greatly wearied by the journey was soon fast asleep. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. jack pumpkinhead's ride to the emerald city at daybreak tip was awakened by the pumpkinhead. he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, bathed in a little brook, and then ate a portion of his bread and cheese. having thus prepared for a new day the boy said: "let us start at once. nine miles is quite a distance, but we ought to reach the emerald city by noon if no accidents happen." so the pumpkinhead was again perched upon the back of the saw-horse and the journey was resumed. tip noticed that the purple tint of the grass and trees had now faded to a dull lavender, and before long this lavender appeared to take on a greenish tinge that gradually brightened as they drew nearer to the great city where the scarecrow ruled. the little party had traveled but a short two miles upon their way when the road of yellow brick was parted by a broad and swift river. tip was puzzled how to cross over; but after a time he discovered a man in a ferry-boat approaching from the other side of the stream. when the man reached the bank tip asked: "will you row us to the other side?" "yes, if you have money," returned the ferryman, whose face looked cross and disagreeable. "but i have no money," said tip. "none at all?" inquired the man. "none at all," answered the boy. "then i'll not break my back rowing you over," said the ferryman, decidedly. "what a nice man!" remarked the pumpkinhead, smilingly. the ferryman stared at him, but made no reply. tip was trying to think, for it was a great disappointment to him to find his journey so suddenly brought to an end. "i must certainly get to the emerald city," he said to the boatman; "but how can i cross the river if you do not take me?" the man laughed, and it was not a nice laugh. "that wooden horse will float," said he; "and line-art drawing you can ride him across. as for the pumpkinheaded loon who accompanies you, let him sink or swim it won't matter greatly which." "don't worry about me," said jack, smiling pleasantly upon the crabbed ferryman; "i'm sure i ought to float beautifully." tip thought the experiment was worth making, and the saw-horse, who did not know what danger meant, offered no objections whatever. so the boy led it down into the water and climbed upon its back. jack also waded in up to his knees and grasped the tail of the horse so that he might keep his pumpkin head above the water. "now," said tip, instructing the saw-horse, "if you wiggle your legs you will probably swim; and if you swim we shall probably reach the other side." the saw-horse at once began to wiggle its legs, which acted as oars and moved the adventurers slowly across the river to the opposite side. so successful was the trip that presently they were climbing, wet and dripping, up the grassy bank. tip's trouser-legs and shoes were thoroughly soaked; but the saw-horse had floated so perfectly that from his knees up the boy was entirely dry. as for the pumpkinhead, every stitch of his gorgeous clothing dripped water. "the sun will soon dry us," said tip "and, anyhow, we are now safely across, in spite of the ferryman, and can continue our journey. "i didn't mind swimming, at all," remarked the horse. "nor did i," added jack. they soon regained the road of yellow brick, which proved to be a continuation of the road they had left on the other side, and then tip once more mounted the pumpkinhead upon the back of the saw-horse. "if you ride fast," said he, "the wind will help to dry your clothing. i will hold on to the horse's tail and run after you. in this way we all will become dry in a very short time." "then the horse must step lively," said jack. "i'll do my best," returned the saw-horse, cheerfully. tip grasped the end of the branch that served as tail to the saw-horse, and called loudly: "get-up!" the horse started at a good pace, and tip followed behind. then he decided they could go faster, so he shouted: "trot!" now, the saw-horse remembered that this word was the command to go as fast as he could; so he began rocking along the road at a tremendous pace, line-art drawing and tip had hard work--running faster than he ever had before in his life--to keep his feet. soon he was out of breath, and although he wanted to call "whoa!" to the horse, he found he could not get the word out of his throat. then the end of the tail he was clutching, being nothing more than a dead branch, suddenly broke away, and the next minute the boy was rolling in the dust of the road, while the horse and its pumpkin-headed rider dashed on and quickly disappeared in the distance. by the time tip had picked himself up and cleared the dust from his throat so he could say "whoa!" there was no further need of saying it, for the horse was long since out of sight. so he did the only sensible thing he could do. he sat down and took a good rest, and afterward began walking along the road. "some time i will surely overtake them," he reflected; "for the road will end at the gates of the emerald city, and they can go no further than that." meantime jack was holding fast to the post and the saw-horse was tearing along the road like a racer. neither of them knew tip was left behind, for the pumpkinhead did not look around and the saw-horse couldn't. as he rode, jack noticed that the grass and trees had become a bright emerald-green in color, so he guessed they were nearing the emerald city even before the tall spires and domes came into sight. at length a high wall of green stone, studded thick with emeralds, loomed up before them; and fearing the saw-horse would not know enough to stop and so might smash them both against this wall, jack ventured to cry "whoa!" as loud as he could. so suddenly did the horse obey that had it not been for his post jack would have been pitched off head foremost, and his beautiful face ruined. "that was a fast ride, dear father!" he exclaimed; and then, hearing no reply, he turned around and discovered for the first time that tip was not there. this apparent desertion puzzled the pumpkinhead, and made him uneasy. and while he was wondering what had become of the boy, and what he ought to do next under such trying circumstances, the gateway in the green wall opened and a man came out. this man was short and round, with a fat face that seemed remarkably good- natured. he was clothed all in green and wore a high, peaked green hat upon his head and green spectacles over his eyes. bowing before the pumpkinhead he said: "i am the guardian of the gates of the emerald city. may i inquire who you are, and what is your business?" "my name is jack pumpkinhead," returned the other, smilingly; "but as to my business, i haven't the least idea in the world what it is." the guardian of the gates looked surprised, and shook his head as if dissatisfied with the reply. "what are you, a man or a pumpkin?" he asked, politely. "both, if you please," answered jack. "and this wooden horse--is it alive?" questioned the guardian. the horse rolled one knotty eye upward and winked at jack. then it gave a prance and brought one leg down on the guardian's toes. "ouch!" cried the man; "i'm sorry i asked that question. but the answer is most convincing. have you any errand, sir, in the emerald city?" "it seems to me that i have," replied the pumpkinhead, seriously; "but i cannot think what it is. my father knows all about it, but he is not here." "this is a strange affair very strange!" declared the guardian. "but you seem harmless. folks do not smile so delightfully when they mean mischief." "as for that," said jack, "i cannot help my smile, for it is carved on my face with a jack-knife." "well, come with me into my room," resumed the guardian, "and i will see what can be done for you." so jack rode the saw-horse through the gateway into a little room built into the wall. the guardian pulled a bell-cord, and presently a very tall soldier--clothed in a green uniform--entered from the opposite door. this soldier carried a long green gun over his shoulder and had lovely green whiskers that fell quite to his knees. the guardian at once addressed him, saying: "here is a strange gentleman who doesn't know why he has come to the emerald city, or what he wants. tell me, what shall we do with him?" the soldier with the green whiskers looked at jack with much care and curiosity. finally he shook his head so positively that little waves rippled down his whiskers, and then he said: "i must take him to his majesty, the scarecrow." but what will his majesty, the scarecrow, do with him?" asked the guardian of the gates. "that is his majesty's business," returned the soldier. "i have troubles enough of my own. all outside troubles must be turned over to his majesty. so put the spectacles on this fellow, and i'll take him to the royal palace." so the guardian opened a big box of spectacles and tried to fit a pair to jack's great round eyes. "i haven't a pair in stock that will really cover those eyes up," said the little man, with a sigh; "and your head is so big that i shall be obliged to tie the spectacles on." "but why need i wear spectacles?" asked jack. "it's the fashion here," said the soldier, "and they will keep you from being blinded by the glitter and glare of the gorgeous emerald city." "oh!" exclaimed jack. "tie them on, by all means. i don't wish to be blinded." "nor i!" broke in the saw-horse; so a pair of green spectacles was quickly fastened over the bulging knots that served it for eyes. then the soldier with the green whiskers led them through the inner gate and they at once found themselves in the main street of the magnificent emerald city. sparkling green gems ornamented the fronts of the beautiful houses and the towers and turrets were all faced with emeralds. even the green marble pavement glittered with precious stones, and it was indeed a grand and marvelous sight to one who beheld it for the first time. however, the pumpkinhead and the saw-horse, knowing nothing of wealth and beauty, paid little attention to the wonderful sights they saw through their green spectacles. they calmly followed after the green soldier and scarcely noticed the crowds of green people who stared at them in surprise. when a green dog ran out and barked at them the saw- horse promptly kicked at it with its wooden leg and sent the little animal howling into one of the houses; but nothing more serious than this happened to interrupt their progress to the royal palace. the pumpkinhead wanted to ride up the green marble steps and straight into the scarecrow's presence; but the soldier would not permit that. so jack dismounted, with much difficulty, and a servant led the saw-horse around to the rear while the soldier with the green whiskers escorted the pumpkinhead into the palace, by the front entrance. the stranger was left in a handsomely furnished waiting room while the soldier went to announce him. it so happened that at this hour his majesty was at leisure and greatly bored for want of something to do, so he ordered his visitor to be shown at once into his throne room. jack felt no fear or embarrassment at meeting the ruler of this magnificent city, for he was entirely ignorant of all worldly customs. but when he en- tered the room and saw for the first time his majesty the scarecrow seated upon his glittering throne, he stopped short in amazement. line-art drawing his majesty the scarecrow i suppose every reader of this book knows what a scarecrow is; but jack pumpkinhead, never having seen such a creation, was more surprised at meeting the remarkable king of the emerald city than by any other one experience of his brief life. his majesty the scarecrow was dressed in a suit of faded blue clothes, and his head was merely a small sack stuffed with straw, upon which eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth had been rudely painted to represent a face. the clothes were also stuffed with straw, and that so unevenly or carelessly that his majesty's legs and arms seemed more bumpy than was necessary. upon his hands were gloves with long fingers, and these were padded with cotton. wisps of straw stuck out from the monarch's coat and also from his neck and boot-tops. upon his head he wore a heavy golden crown set thick with sparkling jewels, and the weight of this crown caused his brow to sag in wrinkles, giving a thoughtful expression to the painted face. indeed, the crown alone betokened majesty; in all else the scarecrow king was but a simple scarecrow--flimsy, awkward, and unsubstantial. but if the strange appearance of his majesty the scarecrow seemed startling to jack, no less wonderful was the form of the pumpkinhead to the scarecrow. the purple trousers and pink waistcoat and red shirt hung loosely over the wooden joints tip had manufactured, and the carved face on the pumpkin grinned perpetually, as if its wearer considered life the jolliest thing imaginable. at first, indeed, his majesty thought his queer visitor was laughing at him, and was inclined to resent such a liberty; but it was not without reason that the scarecrow had attained the reputation of being the wisest personage in the land of oz. he made a more careful examination of his visitor, and soon discovered that jack's features were carved into a smile and that he could not look grave if he wished to. the king was the first to speak. after regarding line-art drawing jack for some minutes he said, in a tone of wonder: "where on earth did you come from, and how do you happen to be alive?" "i beg your majesty's pardon," returned the pumpkinhead; "but i do not understand you." "what don't you understand?" asked the scarecrow. "why, i don't understand your language. you see, i came from the country of the gillikins, so that i am a foreigner." "ah, to be sure!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "i myself speak the language of the munchkins, which is also the language of the emerald city. but you, i suppose, speak the language of the pumpkinheads?" "exactly so, your majesty" replied the other, bowing; "so it will be impossible for us to understand one another." "that is unfortunate, certainly," said the scarecrow, thoughtfully. "we must have an interpreter." "what is an interpreter?" asked jack. "a person who understands both my language and your own. when i say anything, the interpreter can tell you what i mean; and when you say anything the interpreter can tell me what you mean. for the interpreter can speak both languages as well as understand them." "that is certainly clever," said jack, greatly pleased at finding so simple a way out of the difficulty. so the scarecrow commanded the soldier with the green whiskers to search among his people until he found one who understood the language of the gillikins as well as the language of the emerald city, and to bring that person to him at once. when the soldier had departed the scarecrow said: "won't you take a chair while we are waiting?" "your majesty forgets that i cannot understand you," replied the pumpkinhead. "if you wish me to sit down you must make a sign for me to do so." the scarecrow came down from his throne and rolled an armchair to a position behind the pumpkinhead. then he gave jack a sudden push that sent him sprawling upon the cushions in so awkward a fashion that he doubled up like a jackknife, and had hard work to untangle himself. "did you understand that sign?" asked his majesty, politely. "perfectly," declared jack, reaching up his arms to turn his head to the front, the pumpkin having twisted around upon the stick that supported it. "you seem hastily made," remarked the scarecrow, watching jack's efforts to straighten himself. "not more so than your majesty," was the frank reply. "there is this difference between us," said the scarecrow, "that whereas i will bend, but not break, you will break, but not bend." full page line-art drawing. "he gave jack a sudden push" at this moment the soldier returned leading a young girl by the hand. she seemed very sweet and modest, having a pretty face and beautiful green eyes and hair. a dainty green silk skirt reached to her knees, showing silk stockings embroidered with pea-pods, and green satin slippers with bunches of lettuce for decorations instead of bows or buckles. upon her silken waist clover leaves were embroidered, and she wore a jaunty little jacket trimmed with sparkling emeralds of a uniform size. "why, it's little jellia jamb!" exclaimed the scarecrow, as the green maiden bowed her pretty head before him. "do you understand the language of the gillikins, my dear?" "yes, your majesty," she answered, "for i was born in the north country." "then you shall be our interpreter," said the scarecrow, "and explain to this pumpkinhead all that i say, and also explain to me all that he says. is this arrangement satisfactory?" he asked, turning toward his guest. "very satisfactory indeed," was the reply. "then ask him, to begin with," resumed the scarecrow, turning to jellia, "what brought him to the emerald city." but instead of this the girl, who had been staring at jack, said to him: "you are certainly a wonderful creature. who made you?" "a boy named tip," answered jack. "what does he say?" inquired the scarecrow. "my ears must have deceived me. what did he say?" "he says that your majesty's brains seem to have come loose," replied the girl, demurely. the scarecrow moved uneasily upon his throne, and felt of his head with his left hand. "what a fine thing it is to understand two different languages," he said, with a perplexed sigh. "ask him, my dear, if he has any objection to being put in jail for insulting the ruler of the emerald city." "i didn't insult you!" protested jack, indignantly. "tut--tut!" cautioned the scarecrow "wait, until jellia translates my speech. what have we got an interpreter for, if you break out in this rash way?" "all right, i'll wait," replied the pumpkinhead, in a surly tone--although his face smiled as genially as ever. "translate the speech, young woman." "his majesty inquires if you are hungry, said jellia. "oh, not at all!" answered jack, more pleasantly, "for it is impossible for me to eat." "it's the same way with me," remarked the scarecrow. "what did he say, jellia, my dear?" "he asked if you were aware that one of your eyes is painted larger than the other," said the girl, mischievously. "don't you believe her, your majesty, cried jack. "oh, i don't," answered the scarecrow, calmly. then, casting a sharp look at the girl, he asked: "are you quite certain you understand the languages of both the gillikins and the munchkins?" "quite certain, your majesty," said jellia jamb, trying hard not to laugh in the face of royalty. "then how is it that i seem to understand them myself?" inquired the scarecrow. "because they are one and the same!" declared the girl, now laughing merrily. "does not your majesty know that in all the land of oz but one language is spoken?" "is it indeed so?" cried the scarecrow, much relieved to hear this; "then i might easily have been my own interpreter!" "it was all my fault, your majesty," said jack, looking rather foolish, "i thought we must surely speak different languages, since we came from different countries." "this should be a warning to you never to think," returned the scarecrow, severely. "for unless one can think wisely it is better to remain a dummy--which you most certainly are." "i am!--i surely am!" agreed the pumpkinhead. "it seems to me," continued the scarecrow, more mildly, "that your manufacturer spoiled some good pies to create an indifferent man." "i assure your majesty that i did not ask to be created," answered jack. "ah! it was the same in my case," said the king, pleasantly. "and so, as we differ from all ordinary people, let us become friends." "with all my heart!" exclaimed jack. "what! have you a heart?" asked the scarecrow, surprised. "no; that was only imaginative--i might say, a figure of speech," said the other. "well, your most prominent figure seems to be a figure of wood; so i must beg you to restrain an imagination which, having no brains, you have no right to exercise," suggested the scarecrow, warningly. "to be sure!" said jack, without in the least comprehending. his majesty then dismissed jellia jamb and the soldier with the green whiskers, and when they were gone he took his new friend by the arm and led him into the courtyard to play a game of quoits. full page line-art drawing. full page line-art drawing. gen. jinjur's army of revolt tip was so anxious to rejoin his man jack and the saw-horse that he walked a full half the distance to the emerald city without stopping to rest. then he discovered that he was hungry and the crackers and cheese he had provided for the journey had all been eaten. while wondering what he should do in this emergency he came upon a girl sitting by the roadside. she wore a costume that struck the boy as being remarkably brilliant: her silken waist being of emerald green and her skirt of four distinct colors--blue in front, yellow at the left side, red at the back and purple at the right side. fastening the waist in front were four buttons--the top one blue, the next yellow, a third red and the last purple. line-art drawing the splendor of this dress was almost barbaric; so tip was fully justified in staring at the gown for some moments before his eyes were attracted by the pretty face above it. yes, the face was pretty enough, he decided; but it wore an expression of discontent coupled to a shade of defiance or audacity. while the boy stared the girl looked upon him calmly. a lunch basket stood beside her, and she held a dainty sandwich in one hand and a hard-boiled egg in the other, eating with an evident appetite that aroused tip's sympathy. he was just about to ask a share of the luncheon when the girl stood up and brushed the crumbs from her lap. "there!" said she; "it is time for me to go. carry that basket for me and help yourself to its contents if you are hungry." tip seized the basket eagerly and began to eat, following for a time the strange girl without bothering to ask questions. she walked along before him with swift strides, and there was about her an air of decision and importance that led him to suspect she was some great personage. finally, when he had satisfied his hunger, he ran up beside her and tried to keep pace with her swift footsteps--a very difficult feat, for she was much taller than he, and evidently in a hurry. "thank you very much for the sandwiches," said tip, as he trotted along. "may i ask your name?" "i am general jinjur," was the brief reply. "oh!" said the boy surprised. "what sort of a general?" "i command the army of revolt in this war," answered the general, with unnecessary sharpness. "oh!" he again exclaimed. "i didn't know there was a war." "you were not supposed to know it," she returned, "for we have kept it a secret; and considering that our army is composed entirely of girls," she added, with some pride, "it is surely a remarkable thing that our revolt is not yet discovered." "it is, indeed," acknowledged tip. "but where is your army?" "about a mile from here," said general jinjur. "the forces have assembled from all parts of the land of oz, at my express command. for this is the day we are to conquer his majesty the scarecrow, and wrest from him the throne. the army of revolt only awaits my coming to march upon the emerald city." "well!" declared tip, drawing a long breath, "this is certainly a surprising thing! may i ask why you wish to conquer his majesty the scarecrow?" "because the emerald city has been ruled by men long enough, for one reason," said the girl. "moreover, the city glitters with beautiful gems, which might far better be used for rings, bracelets and necklaces; and there is enough money in the king's treasury to buy every girl in our army a dozen new gowns. so we intend to conquer the city and run the government to suit ourselves." jinjur spoke these words with an eagerness and decision that proved she was in earnest. "but war is a terrible thing," said tip, thoughtfully. "this war will be pleasant," replied the girl, cheerfully. "many of you will be slain!" continued the boy, in an awed voice. "oh, no", said jinjur. "what man would oppose a girl, or dare to harm her? and there is not an ugly face in my entire army." tip laughed. "perhaps you are right," said he. "but the guardian of the gate is considered a faithful guardian, and the king's army will not let the city be conquered without a struggle." "the army is old and feeble," replied general jinjur, scornfully. "his strength has all been used to grow whiskers, and his wife has such a temper that she has already pulled more than half of them out by the roots. when the wonderful wizard reigned the soldier with the green whiskers was a very good royal army, for people feared the wizard. but no one is afraid of the scarecrow, so his royal army don't count for much in time of war." after this conversation they proceeded some distance in silence, and before long reached a large clearing in the forest where fully four hundred young women were assembled. these were laughing and talking together as gaily as if they had gathered for a picnic instead of a war of conquest. they were divided into four companies, and tip noticed that all were dressed in costumes similar to that worn by general jinjur. the only real difference was that while those girls from the munchkin country had the blue strip in front of their skirts, those from the country of the quadlings had the red strip in front; and those from the country of the winkies had the yellow strip in front, and the gillikin girls wore the purple strip in front. all had green waists, representing the emerald city they intended to conquer, and the top button on each waist indicated by its color which country the wearer came from. the uniforms were jaunty and becoming, and quite effective when massed together. tip thought this strange army bore no weapons whatever; but in this he was wrong. for each girl had stuck through the knot of her back hair two long, glittering knitting-needles. general jinjur immediately mounted the stump of a tree and addressed her army. "friends, fellow-citizens, and girls!" she said; "we are about to begin our great revolt against the men of oz! we march to conquer the emerald city--to dethrone the scarecrow king--to acquire thousands of gorgeous gems--to rifle the royal treasury--and to obtain power over our former oppressors!" "hurrah!" said those who had listened; but tip thought most of the army was too much engaged in chattering to pay attention to the words of the general. the command to march was now given, and the girls formed themselves into four bands, or companies, and set off with eager strides toward the emerald city. line-art drawing on the right of this page. line-art drawing the boy followed after them, carrying several baskets and wraps and packages which various members of the army of revolt had placed in his care. it was not long before they came to the green granite walls of the city and halted before the gateway. the guardian of the gate at once came out and looked at them curiously, as if a circus had come to town. he carried a bunch of keys swung round his neck by a golden chain; his hands were thrust carelessly into his pockets, and he seemed to have no idea at all that the city was threatened by rebels. speaking pleasantly to the girls, he said: "good morning, my dears! what can i do for you?" line-art drawing "surrender instantly!" answered general jinjur, standing before him and frowning as terribly as her pretty face would allow her to. "surrender!" echoed the man, astounded. "why, it's impossible. it's against the law! i never heard of such a thing in my life." "still, you must surrender!" exclaimed the general, fiercely. "we are revolting!" "you don't look it," said the guardian, gazing from one to another, admiringly. "but we are!" cried jinjur, stamping her foot, impatiently; "and we mean to conquer the emerald city!" "good gracious!" returned the surprised guardian of the gates; "what a nonsensical idea! go home to your mothers, my good girls, and milk the cows and bake the bread. don't you know it's a dangerous thing to conquer a city?" "we are not afraid!" responded the general; and she looked so determined that it made the guardian uneasy. so he rang the bell for the soldier with the green whiskers, and the next minute was sorry he had done so. for immediately he was surrounded by a crowd of girls who drew the knitting-needles from their hair and began jabbing them at the guardian with the sharp points dangerously near his fat cheeks and blinking eyes. the poor man howled loudly for mercy and made no resistance when jinjur drew the bunch of keys from around his neck. followed by her army the general now rushed full page line-art drawing. general jinjur and her army capture the city. to the gateway, where she was confronted by the royal army of oz--which was the other name for the soldier with the green whiskers. "halt!" he cried, and pointed his long gun full in the face of the leader. some of the girls screamed and ran back, but general jinjur bravely stood her ground and said, reproachfully: "why, how now? would you shoot a poor, defenceless girl?" "no," replied the soldier, "for my gun isn't loaded." "not loaded?" "no; for fear of accidents. and i've forgotten where i hid the powder and shot to load it with. but if you'll wait a short time i'll try to hunt them up." "don't trouble yourself," said jinjur, cheerfully. then she turned to her army and cried: "girls, the gun isn't loaded!" "hooray," shrieked the rebels, delighted at this good news, and they proceeded to rush upon the soldier with the green whiskers in such a crowd that it was a wonder they didn't stick the knitting-needles into one another. but the royal army of oz was too much afraid of women to meet the onslaught. he simply turned about and ran with all his might through the gate and toward the royal palace, while general jinjur and her mob flocked into the unprotected city. in this way was the emerald city captured without a drop of blood being spilled. the army of revolt had become an army of conquerors! line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. the scarecrow plans an escape tip slipped away from the girls and followed swiftly after the soldier with the green whiskers. the invading army entered the city more slowly, for they stopped to dig emeralds out of the walls and paving-stones with the points of their knitting-needles. so the soldier and the boy reached the palace before the news had spread that the city was conquered. the scarecrow and jack pumpkinhead were still playing at quoits in the courtyard when the game was interrupted by the abrupt entrance of the royal army of oz, who came flying in without his hat or gun, his clothes in sad disarray and his long beard floating a yard behind him as he ran. "tally one for me," said the scarecrow, calmly "what's wrong, my man?" he added, addressing the soldier. "oh! your majesty--your majesty! the city is conquered!" gasped the royal army, who was all out of breath. "this is quite sudden," said the scarecrow. "but please go and bar all the doors and windows of the palace, while i show this pumpkinhead how to throw a quoit." the soldier hastened to do this, while tip, who had arrived at his heels, remained in the courtyard to look at the scarecrow with wondering eyes. his majesty continued to throw the quoits as coolly as if no danger threatened his throne, but the pumpkinhead, having caught sight of tip, ambled toward the boy as fast as his wooden legs would go. "good afternoon, noble parent!" he cried, delightedly. "i'm glad to see you are here. that terrible saw-horse ran away with me." "i suspected it," said tip. "did you get hurt? are you cracked at all?" "no, i arrived safely," answered jack, "and his majesty has been very kind indeed to me. at this moment the soldier with the green whiskers returned, and the scarecrow asked: "by the way, who has conquered me?" "a regiment of girls, gathered from the four corners of the land of oz," replied the soldier, still pale with fear. "but where was my standing army at the time?" inquired his majesty, looking at the soldier, gravely. "your standing army was running," answered the fellow, honestly; "for no man could face the terrible weapons of the invaders." "well," said the scarecrow, after a moment's thought, "i don't mind much the loss of my throne, for it's a tiresome job to rule over the emerald city. and this crown is so heavy that it makes my head ache. but i hope the conquerors have no intention of injuring me, just because i happen to be the king." "i heard them, say" remarked tip, with some hesitation, "that they intend to make a rag carpet of your outside and stuff their sofa-cushions with your inside." "then i am really in danger," declared his majesty, positively, "and it will be wise for me to consider a means to escape." "where can you go?" asked jack pumpkinhead. "why, to my friend the tin woodman, who line-art drawing rules over the winkies, and calls himself their emperor," was the answer. "i am sure he will protect me." tip was looking out the window. "the palace is surrounded by the enemy," said he "it is too late to escape. they would soon tear you to pieces." the scarecrow sighed. "in an emergency," he announced, "it is always a good thing to pause and reflect. please excuse me while i pause and reflect." "but we also are in danger," said the pumpkinhead, anxiously. "if any of these girls understand cooking, my end is not far off!" "nonsense!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "they're too busy to cook, even if they know how!" "but should i remain here a prisoner for any length of time," protested jack," i'm liable to spoil." "ah! then you would not be fit to associate with," returned the scarecrow. "the matter is more serious than i suspected." "you," said the pumpkinhead, gloomily, "are liable to live for many years. my life is necessarily short. so i must take advantage of the few days that remain to me." "there, there! don't worry," answered the scarecrow soothingly; "if you'll keep quiet long enough for me to think, i'll try to find some way for us all to escape." so the others waited in patient silence while the scarecrow walked to a corner and stood with his face to the wall for a good five minutes. at the end of that time he faced them with a more cheerful expression upon his painted face. "where is the saw-horse you rode here?" he asked the pumpkinhead. "why, i said he was a jewel, and so your man locked him up in the royal treasury," said jack. "it was the only place i could think of your majesty," added the soldier, fearing he had made a blunder. "it pleases me very much," said the scarecrow. "has the animal been fed?" "oh, yes; i gave him a heaping peck of sawdust." "excellent!" cried the scarecrow. "bring the horse here at once." the soldier hastened away, and presently they heard the clattering of the horse's wooden legs upon the pavement as he was led into the courtyard. his majesty regarded the steed critically. "he doesn't seem especially graceful!" he remarked, musingly. "but i suppose he can run?" "he can, indeed," said tip, gazing upon the saw-horse admiringly. "then, bearing us upon his back, he must make a dash through the ranks of the rebels and carry us to my friend the tin woodman," announced the scarecrow. "he can't carry four!" objected tip. "no, but he may be induced to carry three," said his majesty. "i shall therefore leave my royal army behind. for, from the ease with which he was conquered, i have little confidence in his powers." "still, he can run," declared tip, laughing. "i expected this blow" said the soldier, sulkily; "but i can bear it. i shall disguise myself by cutting off my lovely green whiskers. and, after all, it is no more dangerous to face those reckless girls than to ride this fiery, untamed wooden horse!" "perhaps you are right," observed his majesty. "but, for my part, not being a soldier, i am fond of danger. now, my boy, you must mount first. and please sit as close to the horse's neck as possible." tip climbed quickly to his place, and the soldier and the scarecrow managed to hoist the pumpkinhead to a seat just behind him. there remained so little space for the king that he was liable to fall off as soon as the horse started. "fetch a clothesline," said the king to his army, "and tie us all together. then if one falls off we will all fall off." and while the soldier was gone for the clothesline his majesty continued, "it is well for me to be careful, for my very existence is in danger." "i have to be as careful as you do," said jack. "not exactly," replied the scarecrow. "for if anything happened to me, that would be the end of me. but if anything happened to you, they could use you for seed." the soldier now returned with a long line and tied all three firmly together, also lashing them to the body of the saw-horse; so there seemed little danger of their tumbling off. "now throw open the gates," commanded the scarecrow, "and we will make a dash to liberty or to death." the courtyard in which they were standing was located in the center of the great palace, which surrounded it on all sides. but in one place a passage led to an outer gateway, which the soldier had barred by order of his sovereign. it was through this gateway his majesty proposed to escape, and the royal army now led the saw-horse along the passage and unbarred the gate, which swung backward with a loud crash. "now," said tip to the horse, "you must save us all. run as fast as you can for the gate of the city, and don't let anything stop you." "all right!" answered the saw-horse, gruffly, and dashed away so suddenly that tip had to gasp full page line-art drawing. "we will make a dash to liberty or to death." for breath and hold firmly to the post he had driven into the creature's neck. several of the girls, who stood outside guarding the palace, were knocked over by the saw-horse's mad rush. others ran screaming out of the way, and only one or two jabbed their knitting-needles frantically at the escaping prisoners. tip got one small prick in his left arm, which smarted for an hour afterward; but the needles had no effect upon the scarecrow or jack pumpkinhead, who never even suspected they were being prodded. as for the saw-horse, he made a wonderful record upsetting a fruit cart, overturning several meek looking men, and finally bowling over the new guardian of the gate--a fussy little fat woman appointed by general jinjur. nor did the impetuous charger stop then. once outside the walls of the emerald city he dashed along the road to the west with fast and violent leaps that shook the breath out of the boy and filled the scarecrow with wonder. jack had ridden at this mad rate once before, so he devoted every effort to holding, with both hands, his pumpkin head upon its stick, enduring meantime the dreadful jolting with the courage of a philosopher. full page line-art drawing. the wooden steed gave one final leap "slow him up! slow him up!" shouted the scarecrow. "my straw is all shaking down into my legs." but tip had no breath to speak, so the saw-horse continued his wild career unchecked and with unabated speed. presently they came to the banks of a wide river, and without a pause the wooden steed gave one final leap and launched them all in mid-air. a second later they were rolling, splashing and bobbing about in the water, the horse struggling frantically to find a rest for its feet and its riders being first plunged beneath the rapid current and then floating upon the surface like corks. line-art drawing the journey to the tin woodman tip was well soaked and dripping water from every angle of his body. but he managed to lean forward and shout in the ear of the saw-horse: "keep still, you fool! keep still!" the horse at once ceased struggling and floated calmly upon the surface, its wooden body being as buoyant as a raft. "what does that word 'fool' mean?" enquired the horse. "it is a term of reproach," answered tip, somewhat ashamed of the expression. "i only use it when i am angry." "then it pleases me to be able to call you a fool, in return," said the horse. "for i did not make the river, nor put it in our way; so only a term of, reproach is fit for one who becomes angry with me for falling into the water." "that is quite evident," replied tip; "so i will acknowledge myself in the wrong." then he called out to the pumpkinhead: "are you all right, jack?" there was no reply. so the boy called to the king "are you all right, your majesty?" the scarecrow groaned. "i'm all wrong, somehow," he said, in a weak voice. "how very wet this water is!" tip was bound so tightly by the cord that he could not turn his head to look at his companions; so he said to the saw-horse: "paddle with your legs toward the shore." the horse obeyed, and although their progress was slow they finally reached the opposite river bank at a place where it was low enough to enable the creature to scramble upon dry land. with some difficulty the boy managed to get his knife out of his pocket and cut the cords that bound the riders to one another and to the wooden horse. he heard the scarecrow fall to the ground with a mushy sound, and then he himself quickly dismounted and looked at his friend jack. the wooden body, with its gorgeous clothing, still sat upright upon the horse's back; but the pumpkin head was gone, and only the sharpened stick that served for a neck was visible. as for the scarecrow, the straw in his body had shaken down with the jolting and packed itself into his legs and the lower part of his body--which appeared very plump and round while his upper half seemed like an empty sack. upon his head the scarecrow still wore the heavy crown, which had been sewed on to prevent his losing it; but the head was now so damp and limp that the weight of the gold and jewels sagged forward and crushed the painted face into a mass of wrinkles that made him look exactly like a japanese pug dog. tip would have laughed--had he not been so anxious about his man jack. but the scarecrow, however damaged, was all there, while the pumpkin head that was so necessary to jack's existence was missing; so the boy seized a long pole that fortunately lay near at hand and anxiously turned again toward the river. far out upon the waters he sighted the golden hue of the pumpkin, which gently bobbed up and down with the motion of the waves. at that moment it was quite out of tip's reach, but after a time it floated nearer and still nearer until the boy full page line-art drawing. tip rescues jack's pumpkin head was able to reach it with his pole and draw it to the shore. then he brought it to the top of the bank, carefully wiped the water from its pumpkin face with his handkerchief, and ran with it to jack and replaced the head upon the man's neck. "dear me!" were jack's first words. "what a dreadful experience! i wonder if water is liable to spoil pumpkins?" tip did not think a reply was necessary, for he knew that the scarecrow also stood in need of his help. so he carefully removed the straw from the king's body and legs, and spread it out in the sun to dry. the wet clothing he hung over the body of the saw-horse. "if water spoils pumpkins," observed jack, with a deep sigh, "then my days are numbered." "i've never noticed that water spoils pumpkins," returned tip; "unless the water happens to be boiling. if your head isn't cracked, my friend, you must be in fairly good condition." "oh, my head isn't cracked in the least," declared jack, more cheerfully. "then don't worry," retorted the boy. "care once killed a cat." "then," said jack, seriously, "i am very glad indeed that i am not a cat." the sun was fast drying their clothing, and tip stirred up his majesty's straw so that the warm rays might absorb the moisture and make it as crisp and dry as ever. when this had been accomplished he stuffed the scarecrow into symmetrical shape and smoothed out his face so that he wore his usual gay and charming expression. "thank you very much," said the monarch, brightly, as he walked about and found himself to be well balanced. "there are several distinct advantages in being a scarecrow. for if one has friends near at hand to repair damages, nothing very serious can happen to you." "i wonder if hot sunshine is liable to crack pumpkins," said jack, with an anxious ring in his voice. "not at all--not at all!" replied the scarecrow, gaily." all you need fear, my boy, is old age. when your golden youth has decayed we shall quickly part company--but you needn't look forward to it; we'll discover the fact ourselves, and notify you. but come! let us resume our journey. i am anxious to greet my friend the tin woodman." so they remounted the saw-horse, tip holding to the post, the pumpkinhead clinging to tip, and the scarecrow with both arms around the wooden form of jack. full page line-art drawing. tip stuffs the scarecrow with dry straw. "go slowly, for now there is no danger of pursuit," said tip to his steed. "all right!" responded the creature, in a voice rather gruff. "aren't you a little hoarse?" asked the pumpkinhead politely. the saw-horse gave an angry prance and rolled one knotty eye backward toward tip. "see here," he growled, "can't you protect me from insult?" "to be sure!" answered tip, soothingly. "i am sure jack meant no harm. and it will not do for us to quarrel, you know; we must all remain good friends." "i'll have nothing more to do with that pumpkinhead," declared the saw- horse, viciously. "he loses his head too easily to suit me." there seemed no fitting reply to this speech, so for a time they rode along in silence. after a while the scarecrow remarked: "this reminds me of old times. it was upon this grassy knoll that i once saved dorothy from the stinging bees of the wicked witch of the west." "do stinging bees injure pumpkins?" asked jack, glancing around fearfully. "they are all dead, so it doesn't matter," replied the scarecrow." and here is where nick chopper destroyed the wicked witch's grey wolves." "who was nick chopper?" asked tip. "that is the name of my friend the tin woodman, answered his majesty. and here is where the winged monkeys captured and bound us, and flew away with little dorothy," he continued, after they had traveled a little way farther. "do winged monkeys ever eat pumpkins?" asked jack, with a shiver of fear. "i do not know; but you have little cause to, worry, for the winged monkeys are now the slaves of glinda the good, who owns the golden cap that commands their services," said the scarecrow, reflectively. then the stuffed monarch became lost in thought recalling the days of past adventures. and the saw-horse rocked and rolled over the flower-strewn fields and carried its riders swiftly upon their way. * * * * * * * * * twilight fell, bye and bye, and then the dark shadows of night. so tip stopped the horse and they all proceeded to dismount. "i'm tired out," said the boy, yawning wearily; "and the grass is soft and cool. let us lie down here and sleep until morning." "i can't sleep," said jack. "i never do," said the scarecrow. "i do not even know what sleep is," said the saw-horse. "still, we must have consideration for this poor boy, who is made of flesh and blood and bone, and gets tired," suggested the scarecrow, in his usual thoughtful manner. "i remember it was the same way with little dorothy. we always had to sit through the night while she slept." "i'm sorry," said tip, meekly, "but i can't help it. and i'm dreadfully hungry, too!" "here is a new danger!" remarked jack, gloomily. "i hope you are not fond of eating pumpkins." "not unless they're stewed and made into pies," answered the boy, laughing. "so have no fears of me, friend jack." "what a coward that pumpkinhead is!" said the saw-horse, scornfully. "you might be a coward yourself, if you knew you were liable to spoil!" retorted jack, angrily. "there!--there!" interrupted the scarecrow; "don't let us quarrel. we all have our weaknesses, dear friends; so we must strive to be considerate of one another. and since this poor boy is hungry and has nothing whatever to eat, let us all remain quiet and allow him to sleep; for it is said that in sleep a mortal may forget even hunger." "thank you!" exclaimed tip, gratefully. "your majesty is fully as good as you are wise--and that is saying a good deal!" he then stretched himself upon the grass and, using the stuffed form of the scarecrow for a pillow, was presently fast asleep. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. a nickel-plated emperor tip awoke soon after dawn, but the scarecrow had already risen and plucked, with his clumsy fingers, a double-handful of ripe berries from some bushes near by. these the boy ate greedily, finding them an ample breakfast, and afterward the little party resumed its journey. after an hour's ride they reached the summit of a hill from whence they espied the city of the winkies and noted the tall domes of the emperor's palace rising from the clusters of more modest dwellings. the scarecrow became greatly animated at this sight, and exclaimed: "how delighted i shall be to see my old friend the tin woodman again! i hope that he rules his people more successfully than i have ruled mine!" is the tin woodman the emperor of the winkies?" asked the horse. "yes, indeed. they invited him to rule over them soon after the wicked witch was destroyed; and as nick chopper has the best heart in all the world i am sure he has proved an excellent and able emperor." "i thought that 'emperor' was the title of a person who rules an empire," said tip, "and the country of the winkies is only a kingdom." "don't mention that to the tin woodman!" exclaimed the scarecrow, earnestly. "you would hurt his feelings terribly. he is a proud man, as he has every reason to be, and it pleases him to be termed emperor rather than king." "i'm sure it makes no difference to me," replied the boy. the saw-horse now ambled forward at a pace so fast that its riders had hard work to stick upon its back; so there was little further conversation until they drew up beside the palace steps. an aged winkie, dressed in a uniform of silver cloth, came forward to assist them to alight. said the scarecrow to his personage: "show us at once to your master, the emperor." the man looked from one to another of the party in an embarrassed way, and finally answered: "i fear i must ask you to wait for a time. the emperor is not receiving this morning." "how is that?" enquired the scarecrow, anxiously." i hope nothing has happened to him." "oh, no; nothing serious," returned the man. "but this is his majesty's day for being polished; and just now his august presence is thickly smeared with putz-pomade." "oh, i see!" cried the scarecrow, greatly reassured. "my friend was ever inclined to be a dandy, and i suppose he is now more proud than ever of his personal appearance." "he is, indeed," said the man, with a polite bow. "our mighty emperor has lately caused himself to be nickel-plated." "good gracious!" the scarecrow exclaimed at hearing this. "if his wit bears the same polish, how sparkling it must be! but show us in--i'm sure the emperor will receive us, even in his present state" "the emperor's state is always magnificent," said the man. "but i will venture to tell him of your arrival, and will receive his commands concerning you." so the party followed the servant into a splendid ante-room, and the saw- horse ambled awkwardly after them, having no knowledge that a horse might be expected to remain outside. the travelers were at first somewhat awed by their surroundings, and even the scarecrow seemed impressed as he examined the rich hangings of silver cloth caught up into knots and fastened with tiny silver axes. upon a handsome center-table stood a large silver oil-can, richly engraved with scenes from the past adventures of the tin woodman, dorothy, the cowardly lion and the scarecrow: the lines of the engraving being traced upon the silver in yellow gold. on the walls hung several portraits, that of the scarecrow seeming to be the most prominent and carefully executed, while a the large painting of the famous wizard of oz, in act of presenting the tin woodman with a heart, covered almost one entire end of the room. while the visitors gazed at these things in silent admiration they suddenly heard a loud voice in the next room exclaim: "well! well! well! what a great surprise!" and then the door burst open and nick chopper rushed into their midst and caught the scarecrow in a close and loving embrace that creased him into many folds and wrinkles. "my dear old friend! my noble comrade!" cried the tin woodman, joyfully. "how delighted!," i am to meet you once again. full page line-art drawing. caught the scarecrow in a close and loving embrace and then he released the scarecrow and held him at arms' length while he surveyed the beloved, painted features. but, alas! the face of the scarecrow and many portions of his body bore great blotches of putz-pomade; for the tin woodman, in his eagerness to welcome his friend, had quite forgotten the condition of his toilet and had rubbed the thick coating of paste from his own body to that of his comrade. "dear me!" said the scarecrow dolefully. "what a mess i'm in!" "never mind, my friend," returned the tin woodman," i'll send you to my imperial laundry, and you'll come out as good as new." "won't i be mangled?" asked the scarecrow. "no, indeed!" was the reply. "but tell me, how came your majesty here? and who are your companions?" the scarecrow, with great politeness, introduced tip and jack pumpkinhead, and the latter personage seemed to interest the tin woodman greatly. "you are not very substantial, i must admit," said the emperor. "but you are certainly unusual, and therefore worthy to become a member of our select society." "i thank your majesty, said jack, humbly. line-art drawing "i hope you are enjoying good health?" continued the woodman. "at present, yes;" replied the pumpkinhead, with a sigh; "but i am in constant terror of the day when i shall spoil." "nonsense!" said the emperor--but in a kindly, sympathetic tone. "do not, i beg of you, dampen today's sun with the showers of tomorrow. for before your head has time to spoil you can have it canned, and in that way it may be preserved indefinitely." tip, during this conversation, was looking at the woodman with undisguised amazement, and noticed that the celebrated emperor of the winkies was composed entirely of pieces of tin, neatly soldered and riveted together into the form of a man. he rattled and clanked a little, as he moved, but in the main he seemed to be most cleverly constructed, and his appearance was only marred by the thick coating of polishing-paste that covered him from head to foot. the boy's intent gaze caused the tin woodman to remember that he was not in the most presentable condition, so he begged his friends to excuse him while he retired to his private apartment and allowed his servants to polish him. this was accomplished in a short time, and when the emperor returned his nickel-plated body shone so magnificently that the scarecrow heartily congratulated him on his improved appearance. "that nickel-plate was, i confess, a happy thought," said nick; "and it was the more necessary because i had become somewhat scratched during my adventurous experiences. you will observe this engraved star upon my left breast. it not only indicates where my excellent heart lies, but covers very neatly the patch made by the wonderful wizard when he placed that valued organ in my breast with his own skillful hands." "is your heart, then, a hand-organ?" asked the pumpkinhead, curiously. "by no means," responded the emperor, with dignity. "it is, i am convinced, a strictly orthodox heart, although somewhat larger and warmer than most people possess." then he turned to the scarecrow and asked: "are your subjects happy and contented, my dear friend?" "i cannot, say" was the reply. "for the girls of oz have risen in revolt and driven me out of the emerald city." "great goodness!" cried the tin woodman, "what a calamity! they surely do not complain of your wise and gracious rule?" "no; but they say it is a poor rule that don't work both ways," answered the scarecrow; "and these females are also of the opinion that men have ruled the land long enough. so they have captured my city, robbed the treasury of all its jewels, and are running things to suit themselves." "dear me! what an extraordinary idea!" cried the emperor, who was both shocked and surprised. "and i heard some of them say," said tip, "that they intend to march here and capture the castle and city of the tin woodman." "ah! we must not give them time to do that," said the emperor, quickly; "we will go at once and full page line-art drawing. renovating his majesty, the scarecrow. recapture the emerald city and place the scarecrow again upon his throne." "i was sure you would help me," remarked the scarecrow in a pleased voice. "how large an army can you assemble?" "we do not need an army," replied the woodman. "we four, with the aid of my gleaming axe, are enough to strike terror into the hearts of the rebels." "we five," corrected the pumpkinhead. "five?" repeated the tin woodman. "yes; the saw-horse is brave and fearless," answered jack, forgetting his recent quarrel with the quadruped. the tin woodman looked around him in a puzzled way, for the saw-horse had until now remained quietly standing in a corner, where the emperor had not noticed him. tip immediately called the odd-looking creature to them, and it approached so awkwardly that it nearly upset the beautiful center-table and the engraved oil-can. "i begin to think," remarked the tin woodman as he looked earnestly at the saw-horse, "that wonders will never cease! how came this creature alive?" "i did it with a magic powder," modestly asserted the boy. "and the saw- horse has been very useful to us." "he enabled us to escape the rebels," added the scarecrow. "then we must surely accept him as a comrade," declared the emperor. "a live saw-horse is a distinct novelty, and should prove an interesting study. does he know anything?" "well, i cannot claim any great experience in life," the saw-horse answered for himself. "but i seem to learn very quickly, and often it occurs to me that i know more than any of those around me." "perhaps you do," said the emperor; "for experience does not always mean wisdom. but time is precious just now, so let us quickly make preparations to start upon our journey. the emperor called his lord high chancellor and instructed him how to run the kingdom during his absence. meanwhile the scarecrow was taken apart and the painted sack that served him for a head was carefully laundered and restuffed with the brains originally given him by the great wizard. his clothes were also cleaned and pressed by the imperial tailors, and his crown polished and again sewed upon his head, for the tin woodman insisted he should not renounce this badge of royalty. the scarecrow now presented a very respectable appearance, and although in no way addicted to vanity he was quite pleased with himself and strutted a trifle as he walked. while this was being done tip mended the wooden limbs of jack pumpkinhead and made them stronger than before, and the saw-horse was also inspected to see if he was in good working order. then bright and early the next morning they set out upon the return journey to the emerald city, the tin woodman bearing upon his shoulder a gleaming axe and leading the way, while the pumpkinhead rode upon the saw-horse and tip and the scarecrow walked upon either side to make sure that he didn't fall off or become damaged. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e. now, general jinjur--who, you will remember, commanded the army of revolt--was rendered very uneasy by the escape of the scarecrow from the emerald city. she feared, and with good reason, that if his majesty and the tin woodman joined forces, it would mean danger to her and her entire army; for the people of oz had not yet forgotten the deeds of these famous heroes, who had passed successfully through so many startling adventures. so jinjur sent post-haste for old mombi, the witch, and promised her large rewards if she would come to the assistance of the rebel army. mombi was furious at the trick tip had played upon her as well as at his escape and the theft of the precious powder of life; so she needed no urging to induce her to travel to the emerald city to assist jinjur in defeating the scarecrow and the tin woodman, who had made tip one of their friends. mombi had no sooner arrived at the royal palace than she discovered, by means of her secret magic, that the adventurers were starting upon their journey to the emerald city; so she retired to a small room high up in a tower and locked herself in while she practised such arts as she could command to prevent the return of the scarecrow and his companions. that was why the tin woodman presently stopped and said: "something very curious has happened. i ought to know by heart and every step of this journey, yet i fear we have already lost our way." "that is quite impossible!" protested the scarecrow. "why do you think, my dear friend, that we have gone astray?" "why, here before us is a great field of sunflowers--and i never saw this field before in all my life." at these words they all looked around, only to find that they were indeed surrounded by a field of tall stalks, every stalk bearing at its top a gigantic sunflower. and not only were these flowers almost blinding in their vivid hues of red and gold, but each one whirled around upon its stalk like a miniature wind-mill, completely dazzling the vision of the beholders and so mystifying them that they knew not which way to turn. "it's witchcraft!" exclaimed tip. while they paused, hesitating and wondering, the tin woodman uttered a cry of impatience and advanced with swinging axe to cut down the stalks before him. but now the sunflowers suddenly stopped their rapid whirling, and the travelers plainly saw a girl's face appear in the center of each flower. these lovely faces looked upon the astonished band with mocking smiles, and then burst into a chorus of merry laughter at the dismay their appearance caused. "stop! stop!" cried tip, seizing the woodman's arm; "they're alive! they're girls!" at that moment the flowers began whirling again, and the faces faded away and were lost in the rapid revolutions. the tin woodman dropped his axe and sat down upon the ground. "it would be heartless to chop down those pretty creatures," said he, despondently. "and yet i do not know how else we can proceed upon our way" "they looked to me strangely like the faces of the army of revolt," mused the scarecrow. "but i cannot conceive how the girls could have followed us here so quickly." "i believe it's magic," said tip, positively, "and that someone is playing a trick upon us. i've known old mombi do things like that before. probably it's nothing more than an illusion, and there are no sunflowers here at all." "then let us shut our eyes and walk forward," suggested the woodman. "excuse me," replied the scarecrow. "my eyes are not painted to shut. because you happen to have tin eyelids, you must not imagine we are all built in the same way." "and the eyes of the saw-horse are knot eyes," said jack, leaning forward to examine them. "nevertheless, you must ride quickly forward," commanded tip, "and we will follow after you and so try to escape. my eyes are already so dazzled that i can scarcely see." so the pumpkinhead rode boldly forward, and tip grasped the stub tail of the saw-horse and followed with closed eyes. the scarecrow and the tin woodman brought up the rear, and before they had gone many yards a joyful shout from jack announced that the way was clear before them. then all paused to look backward, but not a trace of the field of sunflowers remained. more cheerfully, now they proceeded upon their journey; but old mombi had so changed the appearance of the landscape that they would surely have been lost had not the scarecrow wisely concluded to take their direction from the sun. for no witch-craft could change the course of the sun, and it was therefore a safe guide. however, other difficulties lay before them. the saw-horse stepped into a rabbit hole and fell to the ground. the pumpkinhead was pitched high into the air, and his history would probably have ended at that exact moment had not the tin woodman skillfully caught the pumpkin as it descended and saved it from injury. tip soon had it fitted to the neck again and replaced jack upon his feet. but the saw-horse did not escape so easily. for when his leg was pulled from the rabbit hole it was found to be broken short off, and must be replaced or repaired before he could go a step farther. "this is quite serious," said the tin woodman." if there were trees near by i might soon manufacture another leg for this animal; but i cannot see even a shrub for miles around." full page line-art drawing. the tin woodman skillfully caught the pumpkin "and there are neither fences nor houses in this part of the land of oz," added the scarecrow, disconsolately. "then what shall we do?" enquired the boy. "i suppose i must start my brains working," replied his majesty the scarecrow; "for experience has, taught me that i can do anything if i but take time to think it out." "let us all think," said tip; "and perhaps we shall find a way to repair the saw-horse." so they sat in a row upon the grass and began to think, while the saw-horse occupied itself by gazing curiously upon its broken limb. "does it hurt?" asked the tin woodman, in a soft, sympathetic voice. "not in the least," returned the saw-horse; "but my pride is injured to find that my anatomy is so brittle." for a time the little group remained in silent thought. presently the tin woodman raised his head and looked over the fields. "what sort of creature is that which approaches us?" he asked, wonderingly. the others followed his gaze, and discovered coming toward them the most extraordinary object they had ever beheld. it advanced quickly and noiselessly over the soft grass and in a few minutes stood before the adventurers and regarded them with an astonishment equal to their own. the scarecrow was calm under all circumstances. "good morning!" he said, politely. the stranger removed his hat with a flourish, bowed very low, and then responded: line-art drawing "good morning, one and all. i hope you are, as an aggregation, enjoying excellent health. permit me to present my card." with this courteous speech it extended a card toward the scarecrow, who accepted it, turned it over and over, and handed it with a shake of his head to tip. the boy read aloud: "mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e." "dear me!" ejaculated the pumpkinhead, staring somewhat intently. "how very peculiar!" said the tin woodman. tip's eyes were round and wondering, and the saw-horse uttered a sigh and turned away its head. "are you really a woggle-bug?" enquired the scarecrow. "most certainly, my dear sir!" answered the stranger, briskly. "is not my name upon the card?" "it is," said the scarecrow. "but may i ask what 'h. m.' stands for?" "'h. m.' means highly magnified," returned the woggle-bug, proudly. "oh, i see." the scarecrow viewed the stranger critically. "and are you, in truth, highly magnified?" "sir," said the woggle-bug, "i take you for a gentleman of judgment and discernment. does it not occur to you that i am several thousand times greater than any woggle-bug you ever saw before? therefore it is plainly evident that i am highly magnified, and there is no good reason why you should doubt the fact." "pardon me," returned the scarecrow. "my brains are slightly mixed since i was last laundered. would it be improper for me to ask, also, what the 't.e.' at the end of your name stands for?" "those letters express my degree," answered the woggle-bug, with a condescending smile. "to be more explicit, the initials mean that i am thoroughly educated." "oh!" said the scarecrow, much relieved. tip had not yet taken his eyes off this wonderful personage. what he saw was a great, round, buglike body supported upon two slender legs which ended in delicate feet--the toes curling upward. the body of the woggle-bug was rather flat, and judging from what could be seen of it was of a glistening dark brown color upon the back, while the front was striped with alternate bands of light brown and white, blending together at the edges. its arms were fully as slender as its legs, and upon a rather long neck was perched its head--not unlike the head of a man, except that its nose ended in a curling antenna, or "feeler," and its ears from the upper points bore antennae that decorated the sides of its head like two miniature, curling pig tails. it must be admitted that the round, black eyes were rather bulging in appearance; but the expression upon the woggle-bug's face was by no means unpleasant. for dress the insect wore a dark-blue swallowtail coat with a yellow silk lining and a flower in the button-hole; a vest of white duck that stretched tightly across the wide body; knickerbockers of fawn-colored plush, fastened at the knees with gilt buckles; and, perched upon its small head, was jauntily set a tall silk hat. standing upright before our amazed friends the woggle-bug appeared to be fully as tall as the tin woodman; and surely no bug in all the land of oz had ever before attained so enormous a size. "i confess," said the scarecrow, "that your abrupt appearance has caused me surprise, and no doubt has startled my companions. i hope, however, that this circumstance will not distress you. we shall probably get used to you in time." "do not apologize, i beg of you!" returned the woggle-bug, earnestly. "it affords me great pleasure to surprise people; for surely i cannot be classed with ordinary insects and am entitled to both curiosity and admiration from those i meet." "you are, indeed," agreed his majesty. "if you will permit me to seat myself in your august company," continued the stranger, "i will gladly relate my history, so that you will be better able to comprehend my unusual--may i say remarkable?--appearance." "you may say what you please," answered the tin woodman, briefly. so the woggle-bug sat down upon the grass, facing the little group of wanderers, and told them the following story: line-art drawing a highly magnified history "it is but honest that i should acknowledge at the beginning of my recital that i was born an ordinary woggle-bug," began the creature, in a frank and friendly tone. "knowing no better, i used my arms as well as my legs for walking, and crawled under the edges of stones or hid among the roots of grasses with no thought beyond finding a few insects smaller than myself to feed upon. "the chill nights rendered me stiff and motionless, for i wore no clothing, but each morning the warm rays of the sun gave me new life and restored me to activity. a horrible existence is this, but you must remember it is the regular ordained existence of woggle-bugs, as well as of many other tiny creatures that inhabit the earth. "but destiny had singled me out, humble though i was, for a grander fate! one day i crawled near to a country school house, and my curiosity being excited by the monotonous hum of the students within, i made bold to enter and creep along a crack between two boards until i reached the far end, where, in front of a hearth of glowing embers, sat the master at his desk. "no one noticed so small a creature as a woggle-bug, and when i found that the hearth was even warmer and more comfortable than the sunshine, i resolved to establish my future home beside it. so i found a charming nest between two bricks and hid myself therein for many, many months. "professor nowitall is, doubtless, the most famous scholar in the land of oz, and after a few days i began to listen to the lectures and discourses he gave his pupils. not one of them was more attentive than the humble, unnoticed woggle-bug, and i acquired in this way a fund of knowledge that i will myself confess is simply marvelous. that is why i place 't.e.' thoroughly educated upon my cards; for my greatest pride lies in the fact that the world cannot produce another woggle-bug with a tenth part of my own culture and erudition." "i do not blame you," said the scarecrow. "education is a thing to be proud of. i'm educated myself. the mess of brains given me by the great wizard is considered by my friends to be unexcelled." "nevertheless," interrupted the tin woodman, "a good heart is, i believe, much more desirable than education or brains." "to me," said the saw-horse, "a good leg is more desirable than either." "could seeds be considered in the light of brains?" enquired the pumpkinhead, abruptly. "keep quiet!" commanded tip, sternly. "very well, dear father," answered the obedient jack. the woggle-bug listened patiently--even respectfully--to these remarks, and then resumed his story. "i must have lived fully three years in that secluded school-house hearth," said he, "drinking thirstily of the ever-flowing fount of limpid knowledge before me." "quite poetical," commented the scarecrow, nodding his head approvingly. "but one, day" continued the bug, "a marvelous circumstance occurred that altered my very existence and brought me to my present pinnacle of greatness. the line-art drawing professor discovered me in the act of crawling across the hearth, and before i could escape he had caught me between his thumb and forefinger. "'my dear children,' said he, 'i have captured a woggle-bug--a very rare and interesting specimen. do any of you know what a woggle-bug is?' "'no!' yelled the scholars, in chorus. "'then,' said the professor, 'i will get out my famous magnifying-glass and throw the insect upon a screen in a highly-magnified condition, that you may all study carefully its peculiar construction and become acquainted with its habits and manner of life.' "he then brought from a cupboard a most curious instrument, and before i could realize what had happened i found myself thrown upon a screen in a highly-magnified state--even as you now behold me. "the students stood up on their stools and craned their heads forward to get a better view of me, and two little girls jumped upon the sill of an open window where they could see more plainly. "'behold!' cried the professor, in a loud voice, 'this highly-magnified woggle-bug; one of the most curious insects in existence!' "being thoroughly educated, and knowing what is required of a cultured gentleman, at this juncture i stood upright and, placing my hand upon my full page line-art drawing. "thee students stood up on their stools." bosom, made a very polite bow. my action, being unexpected, must have startled them, for one of the little girls perched upon the window-sill gave a scream and fell backward out the window, drawing her companion with her as she disappeared. "the professor uttered a cry of horror and rushed away through the door to see if the poor children were injured by the fall. the scholars followed after him in a wild mob, and i was left alone in the school-room, still in a highly-magnified state and free to do as i pleased. "it immediately occurred to me that this was a good opportunity to escape. i was proud of my great size, and realized that now i could safely travel anywhere in the world, while my superior culture would make me a fit associate for the most learned person i might chance to meet. "so, while the professor picked the little girls--who were more frightened than hurt--off the ground, and the pupils clustered around him closely grouped, i calmly walked out of the school-house, turned a corner, and escaped unnoticed to a grove of trees that stood near" "wonderful!" exclaimed the pumpkinhead, admiringly. "it was, indeed," agreed the woggle-bug. "i have never ceased to congratulate myself for escaping while i was highly magnified; for even my excess- line-art drawing ive knowledge would have proved of little use to me had i remained a tiny, insignificant insect." "i didn't know before," said tip, looking at the woggle-bug with a puzzled expression, "that insects wore clothes." "nor do they, in their natural state," returned the stranger. "but in the course of my wanderings i had the good fortune to save the ninth life of a tailor--tailors having, like cats, nine lives, as you probably know. the fellow was exceedingly grateful, for had he lost that ninth life it would have been the end of him; so he begged permission to furnish me with the stylish costume i now wear. it fits very nicely, does it not?" and the woggle-bug stood up and turned himself around slowly, that all might examine his person. "he must have been a good tailor," said the scarecrow, somewhat enviously. "he was a good-hearted tailor, at any rate," observed nick chopper. "but where were you going, when you met us?" tip asked the woggle-bug. "nowhere in particular," was the reply, "although it is my intention soon to visit the emerald city and arrange to give a course of lectures to select audiences on the 'advantages of magnification.'" "we are bound for the emerald city now," said the tin woodman; "so, if it pleases you to do so, you are welcome to travel in our company." the woggle-bug bowed with profound grace. "it will give me great pleasure," said he "to accept your kind invitation; for nowhere in the land of oz could i hope to meet with so congenial a company." "that is true," acknowledged the pumpkinhead. "we are quite as congenial as flies and honey." "but--pardon me if i seem inquisitive--are you not all rather--ahem! rather unusual?" asked the woggle-bug, looking from one to another with unconcealed interest. "not more so than yourself," answered the scarecrow. "everything in life is unusual until you get accustomed to it." "what rare philosophy!" exclaimed the woggle-bug, admiringly. "yes; my brains are working well today," admitted the scarecrow, an accent of pride in his voice. "then, if you are sufficiently rested and refreshed, let us bend our steps toward the emerald city," suggested the magnified one. "we can't," said tip. "the saw-horse has broken a leg, so he can't bend his steps. and there is no wood around to make him a new limb from. and we can't leave the horse behind because the pumpkinhead is so stiff in his joints that he has to ride." "how very unfortunate!" cried the woggle-bug. then he looked the party over carefully and said: "if the pumpkinhead is to ride, why not use one of his legs to make a leg for the horse that carries him? i judge that both are made of wood." "now, that is what i call real cleverness," said the scarecrow, approvingly. "i wonder my brains did not think of that long ago! get to work, my dear nick, and fit the pumpkinhead's leg to the saw-horse." jack was not especially pleased with this idea; but he submitted to having his left leg amputated by the tin woodman and whittled down to fit the left leg of the saw-horse. nor was the saw-horse especially pleased with the operation, either; for he growled a good deal about being "butchered," as he called it, and afterward declared that the new leg was a disgrace to a respectable saw-horse. "i beg you to be more careful in your speech," said the pumpkinhead, sharply. "remember, if you please, that it is my leg you are abusing." "i cannot forget it," retorted the saw-horse, "for it is quite as flimsy as the rest of your person." "flimsy! me flimsy!" cried jack, in a rage. "how dare you call me flimsy?" "because you are built as absurdly as a jumping- jack," sneered the horse, rolling his knotty eyes in a vicious manner. "even your head won't stay straight, and you never can tell whether you are looking backwards or forwards!" "friends, i entreat you not to quarrel!" pleaded the tin woodman, anxiously." as a matter of fact, we are none of us above criticism; so let us bear with each others' faults." "an excellent suggestion," said the woggle-bug, approvingly. "you must have an excellent heart, my metallic friend." "i have," returned nick, well pleased. "my heart is quite the best part of me. but now let us start upon our journey. they perched the one-legged pumpkinhead upon the saw-horse, and tied him to his seat with cords, so that he could not possibly fall off. and then, following the lead of the scarecrow, they all advanced in the direction of the emerald city. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. old mombi indulges in witchcraft they soon discovered that the saw-horse limped, for his new leg was a trifle too long. so they were obliged to halt while the tin woodman chopped it down with his axe, after which the wooden steed paced along more comfortably. but the saw-horse was not entirely satisfied, even yet. "it was a shame that i broke my other leg!" it growled. "on the contrary," airily remarked the woggle-bug, who was walking alongside, "you should consider the accident most fortunate. for a horse is never of much use until he has been broken." "i beg your pardon," said tip, rather provoked, for he felt a warm interest in both the saw-horse and his man jack; "but permit me to say that your joke is a poor one, and as old as it is poor." "still, it is a joke," declared the woggle-bug; firmly, "and a joke derived from a play upon words is considered among educated people to be eminently proper." "what does that mean?" enquired the pumpkinhead, stupidly. "it means, my dear friend," explained the woggle-bug, "that our language contains many words having a double meaning; and that to pronounce a joke that allows both meanings of a certain word, proves the joker a person of culture and refinement, who has, moreover, a thorough command of the language." "i don't believe that," said tip, plainly; "anybody can make a pun." "not so," rejoined the woggle-bug, stiffly. "it requires education of a high order. are you educated, young sir?" "not especially," admitted tip. "then you cannot judge the matter. i myself am thoroughly educated, and i say that puns display genius. for instance, were i to ride upon this saw- horse, he would not only be an animal he would become an equipage. for he would then be a horse-and-buggy." at this the scarecrow gave a gasp and the tin woodman stopped short and looked reproachfully at the woggle-bug. at the same time the saw-horse loudly snorted his derision; and even the pumpkinhead put up his hand to hide the smile which, because it was carved upon his face, he could not change to a frown. but the woggle-bug strutted along as if he had made some brilliant remark, and the scarecrow was obliged to say: "i have heard, my dear friend, that a person can become over-educated; and although i have a high respect for brains, no matter how they may be arranged or classified, i begin to suspect that yours are slightly tangled. in any event, i must beg you to restrain your superior education while in our society." "we are not very particular," added the tin woodman; "and we are exceedingly kind hearted. but if your superior culture gets leaky again--" he did not complete the sentence, but he twirled his gleaming axe so carelessly that the woggle-bug looked frightened, and shrank away to a safe distance. the others marched on in silence, and the highly magnified one, after a period of deep thought, said in an humble voice: "i will endeavor to restrain myself." "that is all we can expect," returned the scarecrow pleasantly; and good nature being thus happily restored to the party, they proceeded upon their way. when they again stopped to allow tip to rest--the boy being the only one that seemed to tire--the tin woodman noticed many small, round holes in the grassy meadow. "this must be a village of the field mice," he said to the scarecrow." i wonder if my old friend, the queen of the mice, is in this neighborhood." "if she is, she may be of great service to us," answered the scarecrow, who was impressed by a sudden thought. "see if you can call her, my dear nick." so the tin woodman blew a shrill note upon a silver whistle that hung around his neck, and presently a tiny grey mouse popped from a near-by hole and advanced fearlessly toward them. for the tin woodman had once saved her life, and the queen of the field mice knew he was to be trusted." "good day, your majesty, said nick, politely addressing the mouse; "i trust you are enjoying good health?" "thank you, i am quite well," answered the queen, demurely, as she sat up and displayed the tiny golden crown upon her head. "can i do anything to assist my old friends?" "you can, indeed," replied the scarecrow, eagerly. "let me, i intreat you, take a dozen of your subjects with me to the emerald city." "will they be injured in any way?" asked the queen, doubtfully. "i think not," replied the scarecrow. "i will carry them hidden in the straw which stuffs my body, and when i give them the signal by unbuttoning my jacket, they have only to rush out and scamper home again as fast as they can. by doing this they will assist me to regain my throne, which the army of revolt has taken from me." "in that case," said the queen, "i will not refuse your request. whenever you are ready, i will call twelve of my most intelligent subjects." "i am ready now" returned the scarecrow. then he lay flat upon the ground and unbuttoned his jacket, displaying the mass of straw with which he was stuffed. the queen uttered a little piping call, and in an instant a dozen pretty field mice had emerged from their holes and stood before their ruler, awaiting her orders. what the queen said to them none of our travelers could understand, for it was in the mouse language; but the field mice obeyed without hesitation, running one after the other to the scarecrow and hiding themselves in the straw of his breast. when all of the twelve mice had thus concealed themselves, the scarecrow buttoned his jacket securely and then arose and thanked the queen for her kindness. "one thing more you might do to serve us," suggested the tin woodman; "and that is to run ahead and show us the way to the emerald city. for some enemy is evidently trying to prevent us from reaching it." "i will do that gladly," returned the queen. "are you ready?" the tin woodman looked at tip. "i'm rested," said the boy. "let us start." then they resumed their journey, the little grey queen of the field mice running swiftly ahead and then pausing until the travelers drew near, when away she would dart again. without this unerring guide the scarecrow and his comrades might never have gained the emerald city; for many were the obstacles thrown in their way by the arts of old mombi. yet not one of the obstacles really existed--all were cleverly contrived deceptions. for when they came to the banks of a rushing river that threatened to bar their way the little queen kept steadily on, passing through the seeming flood in safety; and our travelers followed her without encountering a single drop of water. again, a high wall of granite towered high above their heads and opposed their advance. but the grey field mouse walked straight through it, and the others did the same, the wall melting into mist as they passed it. afterward, when they had stopped for a moment to allow tip to rest, they saw forty roads branching off from their feet in forty different directions; and soon these forty roads began whirling around like a mighty wheel, first in one direction and then in the other, completely bewildering their vision. but the queen called for them to follow her and darted off in a straight line; and when they had gone a few paces the whirling pathways vanished and were seen no more. mombi's last trick was the most fearful of all. she sent a sheet of crackling flame rushing over the meadow to consume them; and for the first time the scarecrow became afraid and turned to fly. "if that fire reaches me i will be gone in no time!" said he, trembling until his straw rattled. "it's the most dangerous thing i ever encountered." "i'm off, too!" cried the saw-horse, turning and prancing with agitation; "for my wood is so dry it would burn like kindlings." "is fire dangerous to pumpkins?" asked jack, fearfully. "you'll be baked like a tart--and so will i!" line-art drawing answered the woggle-bug, getting down on all fours so he could run the faster. but the tin woodman, having no fear of fire, averted the stampede by a few sensible words. "look at the field mouse!" he shouted. "the fire does not burn her in the least. in fact, it is no fire at all, but only a deception." indeed, to watch the little queen march calmly through the advancing flames restored courage to every member of the party, and they followed her without being even scorched. "this is surely a most extraordinary adventure," said the woggle-bug, who was greatly amazed; "for it upsets all the natural laws that i heard professor nowitall teach in the school-house." "of course it does," said the scarecrow, wisely. "all magic is unnatural, and for that reason is to be feared and avoided. but i see before us the gates of the emerald city, so i imagine we have now overcome all the magical obstacles that seemed to oppose us." indeed, the walls of the city were plainly visible, and the queen of the field mice, who had guided them so faithfully, came near to bid them good- bye. "we are very grateful to your majesty for your kind assistance," said the tin woodman, bowing before the pretty creature. "i am always pleased to be of service to my friends," answered the queen, and in a flash she had darted away upon her journey home. full page line-art drawing. the prisoners of the queen approaching the gateway of the emerald city the travelers found it guarded by two girls of the army of revolt, who opposed their entrance by drawing the knitting-needles from their hair and threatening to prod the first that came near. but the tin woodman was not afraid." at the worst they can but scratch my beautiful nickel-plate," he said. "but there will be no 'worst,' for i think i can manage to frighten these absurd soldiers very easily. follow me closely, all of you!" then, swinging his axe in a great circle to right and left before him, he advanced upon the gate, and the others followed him without hesitation. the girls, who had expected no resistance whatever, were terrified by the sweep of the glittering axe and fled screaming into the city; so that our travelers passed the gates in safety and marched down the green marble pavement of the wide street toward the royal palace. "at this rate we will soon have your majesty upon the throne again," said the tin woodman, laughing at his easy conquest of the guards. "thank you, friend nick," returned the scarecrow, gratefully. "nothing can resist your kind heart and your sharp axe." as they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing. "what has happened?" the scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk. "why, we've had a revolution, your majesty as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. i'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the emerald city." "hm!" said the scarecrow, thoughtfully. "if it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?" "i really do not know" replied the man, with a deep sigh. "perhaps the women are made of castiron." no movement was made, as they passed along the street, to oppose their progress. several of the women stopped their gossip long enough to cast curious looks upon our friends, but immediately they would turn away with a laugh or a sneer and resume their chatter. and when they met with several girls belonging to the army of revolt, those soldiers, instead of being alarmed or appearing surprised, merely stepped out of the way and allowed them to advance without protest. this action rendered the scarecrow uneasy." i'm afraid we are walking into a trap," said he. "nonsense!" returned nick chopper, confidently; "the silly creatures are conquered already!" but the scarecrow shook his head in a way that expressed doubt, and tip said: "it's too easy, altogether. look out for trouble ahead." "i will," returned his majesty. unopposed they reached the royal palace and marched up the marble steps, which had once been full page line-art drawing. "it's too easy, altogether." thickly crusted with emeralds but were now filled with tiny holes where the jewels had been ruthlessly torn from their settings by the army of revolt. and so far not a rebel barred their way. through the arched hallways and into the magnificent throne room marched the tin woodman and his followers, and here, when the green silken curtains fell behind them, they saw a curious sight. seated within the glittering throne was general jinjur, with the scarecrow's second-best crown upon her head, and the royal sceptre in her right hand. a box of caramels, from which she was eating, rested in her lap, and the girl seemed entirely at ease in her royal surroundings. the scarecrow stepped forward and confronted her, while the tin woodman leaned upon his axe and the others formed a half-circle back of his majesty's person. "how dare you sit in my throne?" demanded the scarecrow, sternly eyeing the intruder. "don't you know you are guilty of treason, and that there is a law against treason?" "the throne belongs to whoever is able to take it," answered jinjur, as she slowly ate another caramel. "i have taken it, as you see; so just now i am the queen, and all who oppose me are guilty of treason, and must be punished by the law you have just mentioned." this view of the case puzzled the scarecrow. "how is it, friend nick?" he asked, turning to the tin woodman. "why, when it comes to law, i have nothing to, say" answered that personage. "for laws were never meant to be understood, and it is foolish to make the attempt." "then what shall we do?" asked the scarecrow, in dismay. "why don't you marry the queen? and then you can both rule," suggested the woggle-bug. jinjur glared at the insect fiercely. "why don't you send her back to her mother, where she belongs?" asked jack pumpkinhead. jinjur frowned. "why don't you shut her up in a closet until she behaves herself, and promises to be good?" enquired tip. jinjur's lip curled scornfully. "or give her a good shaking!" added the saw-horse. "no," said the tin woodman, "we must treat the poor girl with gentleness. let us give her all the jewels she can carry, and send her away happy and contented." at this queen jinjur laughed aloud, and the next minute clapped her pretty hands together thrice, as if for a signal. "you are very absurd creatures," said she; "but i am tired of your nonsense and have no time to bother with you longer." while the monarch and his friends listened in amazement to this impudent speech, a startling thing happened. the tin woodman's axe was snatched from his grasp by some person behind him, and he found himself disarmed and helpless. at the same instant a shout of laughter rang in the ears of the devoted band, and turning to see whence this came they found themselves surrounded by the army of revolt, the girls bearing in either hand their glistening knitting-needles. the entire throne room seemed to be filled with the rebels, and the scarecrow and his comrades realized that they were prisoners. "you see how foolish it is to oppose a woman's wit," said jinjur, gaily; "and this event only proves that i am more fit to rule the emerald city than a scarecrow. i bear you no ill will, i assure you; but lest you should prove troublesome to me in the future i shall order you all to be destroyed. that is, all except the boy, who belongs to old mombi and must be restored to her keeping. the rest of you are not human, and therefore it will not be wicked to demolish you. the saw-horse and the pumpkinhead's body i will have chopped up for kindling- wood; and the pumpkin shall be made into tarts. the scarecrow will do nicely to start a bonfire, and the tin man can be cut into small pieces and fed to the goats. as for this immense woggle-bug--" "highly magnified, if you please!" interrupted the insect. "i think i will ask the cook to make green-turtle soup of you," continued the queen, reflectively. the woggle-bug shuddered. "or, if that won't do, we might use you for a hungarian goulash, stewed and highly spiced," she added, cruelly. this programme of extermination was so terrible that the prisoners looked upon one another in a panic of fear. the scarecrow alone did not give way to despair. he stood quietly before the queen and his brow was wrinkled in deep thought as he strove to find some means to escape. while thus engaged he felt the straw within his breast move gently. at once his expression changed from sadness to joy, and raising his hand he quickly unbuttoned the front of his jacket. this action did not pass unnoticed by the crowd of girls clustering about him, but none of them suspected what he was doing until a tiny grey mouse leaped from his bosom to the floor and scampered line-art drawing away between the feet of the army of revolt. another mouse quickly followed; then another and another, in rapid succession. and suddenly such a scream of terror went up from the army that it might easily have filled the stoutest heart with consternation. the flight that ensued turned to a stampede, and the stampede to a panic. for while the startled mice rushed wildly about the room the scarecrow had only time to note a whirl of skirts and a twinkling of feet as the girls disappeared from the palace--pushing and crowding one another in their mad efforts to escape. the queen, at the first alarm, stood up on the cushions of the throne and began to dance frantically upon her tiptoes. then a mouse ran up the cushions, and with a terrified leap poor jinjur shot clear over the head of the scarecrow and escaped through an archway--never pausing in her wild career until she had reached the city gates. so, in less time than i can explain, the throne room was deserted by all save the scarecrow and his friends, and the woggle-bug heaved a deep sigh of relief as he exclaimed: "thank goodness, we are saved!" "for a time, yes;" answered the tin woodman. "but the enemy will soon return, i fear." "let us bar all the entrances to the palace!" said the scarecrow. "then we shall have time to think what is best to be done." so all except jack pumpkinhead, who was still tied fast to the saw-horse, ran to the various entrances of the royal palace and closed the heavy doors, bolting and locking them securely. then, knowing that the army of revolt could not batter down the barriers in several days, the adventurers gathered once more in the throne room for a council of war. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. the scarecrow takes time to think "it seems to me," began the scarecrow, when all were again assembled in the throne room, "that the girl jinjur is quite right in claiming to be queen. and if she is right, then i am wrong, and we have no business to be occupying her palace." "but you were the king until she came," said the woggle-bug, strutting up and down with his hands in his pockets; "so it appears to me that she is the interloper instead of you." "especially as we have just conquered her and put her to flight," added the pumpkinhead, as he raised his hands to turn his face toward the scarecrow. "have we really conquered her?" asked the scarecrow, quietly. "look out of the window, and tell me what you see." tip ran to the window and looked out. "the palace is surrounded by a double row of girl soldiers," he announced. "i thought so," returned the scarecrow. "we are as truly their prisoners as we were before the mice frightened them from the palace." "my friend is right," said nick chopper, who had been polishing his breast with a bit of chamois-leather. "jinjur is still the queen, and we are her prisoners." "but i hope she cannot get at us," exclaimed the pumpkinhead, with a shiver of fear. "she threatened to make tarts of me, you know." "don't worry," said the tin woodman. "it cannot matter greatly. if you stay shut up here you will spoil in time, anyway. a good tart is far more admirable than a decayed intellect." "very true," agreed the scarecrow. "oh, dear!" moaned jack; "what an unhappy lot is mine! why, dear father, did you not make me out of tin--or even out of straw--so that i would keep indefinitely." "shucks!" returned tip, indignantly. "you ought to be glad that i made you at all." then he added, reflectively, "everything has to come to an end, some time." "but i beg to remind you," broke in the woggle-bug, who had a distressed look in his bulging, round eyes, "that this terrible queen jinjur suggested making a goulash of me--me! the only highly magnified and thoroughly educated woggle-bug in the wide, wide world!" "i think it was a brilliant idea," remarked the scarecrow, approvingly. "don't you imagine he would make a better soup?" asked the tin woodman, turning toward his friend. "well, perhaps," acknowledged the scarecrow. the woggle-bug groaned. "i can see, in my mind's eye," said he, mournfully, "the goats eating small pieces of my dear comrade, the tin woodman, while my soup is being cooked on a bonfire built of the saw-horse and jack pumpkinhead's body, and queen jinjur watches me boil while she feeds the flames with my friend the scarecrow!" this morbid picture cast a gloom over the entire party, making them restless and anxious. "it can't happen for some time," said the tin woodman, trying to speak cheerfully; "for we shall be able to keep jinjur out of the palace until she manages to break down the doors." "and in the meantime i am liable to starve to death, and so is the woggle- bug," announced tip. "as for me," said the woggle-bug, "i think that i could live for some time on jack pumpkinhead. not that i prefer pumpkins for food; but i believe they are somewhat nutritious, and jack's head is large and plump." "how heartless!" exclaimed the tin woodman, greatly shocked. "are we cannibals, let me ask? or are we faithful friends?" "i see very clearly that we cannot stay shut up in this palace," said the scarecrow, with decision. "so let us end this mournful talk and try to discover a means to escape." at this suggestion they all gathered eagerly around the throne, wherein was seated the scarecrow, and as tip sat down upon a stool there fell from his pocket a pepper-box, which rolled upon the floor. "what is this?" asked nick chopper, picking up the box. "be careful!" cried the boy. "that's my powder of life. don't spill it, for it is nearly gone." "and what is the powder of life?" enquired the scarecrow, as tip replaced the box carefully in his pocket. "it's some magical stuff old mombi got from a crooked sorcerer," explained the boy. "she brought jack to life with it, and afterward i used it to bring the saw-horse to life. i guess it will make anything live that is sprinkled with it; but there's only about one dose left." "then it is very precious," said the tin woodman. "indeed it is," agreed the scarecrow. "it may prove our best means of escape from our difficulties. i believe i will think for a few minutes; so i will thank you, friend tip, to get out your knife and rip this heavy crown from my forehead." tip soon cut the stitches that had fastened the crown to the scarecrow's head, and the former monarch of the emerald city removed it with a sigh of relief and hung it on a peg beside the throne. "that is my last memento of royalty" said he; "and i'm glad to get rid of it. the former king of this city, line-art drawing who was named pastoria, lost the crown to the wonderful wizard, who passed it on to me. now the girl jinjur claims it, and i sincerely hope it will not give her a headache." "a kindly thought, which i greatly admire," said the tin woodman, nodding approvingly. "and now i will indulge in a quiet think," continued the scarecrow, lying back in the throne. the others remained as silent and still as possible, so as not to disturb him; for all had great confidence in the extraordinary brains of the scarecrow. and, after what seemed a very long time indeed to the anxious watchers, the thinker sat up, looked upon his friends with his most whimsical expression, and said: "my brains work beautifully today. i'm quite proud of them. now, listen! if we attempt to escape through the doors of the palace we shall surely be captured. and, as we can't escape through the ground, there is only one other thing to be done. we must escape through the air!" he paused to note the effect of these words; but all his hearers seemed puzzled and unconvinced. "the wonderful wizard escaped in a balloon," he continued. "we don't know how to make a balloon, of course; but any sort of thing that can fly through the air can carry us easily. so i suggest that my friend the tin woodman, who is a skillful mechanic, shall build some sort of a machine, with good strong wings, to carry us; and our friend tip can then bring the thing to life with his magical powder." "bravo!" cried nick chopper. "what splendid brains!" murmured jack. "really quite clever!" said the educated woggle-bug. "i believe it can be done," declared tip; "that is, if the tin woodman is equal to making the thing." "i'll do my best," said nick, cheerily; "and, as a matter of fact, i do not often fail in what i attempt. but the thing will have to be built on the roof of the palace, so it can rise comfortably into the air." line-art drawing "to be sure," said the scarecrow. "then let us search through the palace," continued the tin woodman, "and carry all the material we can find to the roof, where i will begin my work." "first, however," said the pumpkinhead, "i beg you will release me from this horse, and make me another leg to walk with. for in my present condition i am of no use to myself or to anyone else." so the tin woodman knocked a mahogany center-table to pieces with his axe and fitted one of the legs, which was beautifully carved, on to the body of jack pumpkinhead, who was very proud of the acquisition. "it seems strange," said he, as he watched the tin woodman work, "that my left leg should be the most elegant and substantial part of me." "that proves you are unusual," returned the scarecrow. "and i am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. for the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed." "spoken like a philosopher!" cried the woggle-bug, as he assisted the tin woodman to set jack upon his feet. "how do you feel now?" asked tip, watching the pumpkinhead stump around to try his new leg." as good as new" answered jack, joyfully, "and quite ready to assist you all to escape." "then let us get to work," said the scarecrow, in a business-like tone. so, glad to be doing anything that might lead to the end of their captivity, the friends separated to wander over the palace in search of fitting material to use in the construction of their aerial machine. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. the astonishing flight of the gump when the adventurers reassembled upon the roof it was found that a remarkably queer assortment of articles had been selected by the various members of the party. no one seemed to have a very clear idea of what was required, but all had brought something. the woggle-bug had taken from its position over the mantle-piece in the great hallway the head of a gump, which was adorned with wide-spreading antlers; and this, with great care and greater difficulty, the insect had carried up the stairs to the roof. this gump resembled an elk's head, only the nose turned upward in a saucy manner and there were whiskers upon its chin, like those of a billy-goat. why the woggle-bug selected this article he could not have explained, except that it had aroused his curiosity. tip, with the aid of the saw-horse, had brought a large, upholstered sofa to the roof. it was an oldfashioned piece of furniture, with high back and ends, and it was so heavy that even by resting the greatest weight upon the back of the saw-horse, the boy found himself out of breath when at last the clumsy sofa was dumped upon the roof. the pumpkinhead had brought a broom, which was the first thing he saw. the scarecrow arrived with a coil of clothes-lines and ropes which he had taken from the courtyard, and in his trip up the stairs he had become so entangled in the loose ends of the ropes that both he and his burden tumbled in a heap upon the roof and might have rolled off if tip had not rescued him. the tin woodman appeared last. he also had been to the courtyard, where he had cut four great, spreading leaves from a huge palm-tree that was the pride of all the inhabitants of the emerald city. "my dear nick!" exclaimed the scarecrow, seeing what his friend had done; "you have been guilty of the greatest crime any person can commit in the emerald city. if i remember rightly, the full page line-art drawing. all brought something to the roof. penalty for chopping leaves from the royal palm-tree is to be killed seven times and afterward imprisoned for life." "it cannot be helped now" answered the tin woodman, throwing down the big leaves upon the roof. "but it may be one more reason why it is necessary for us to escape. and now let us see what you have found for me to work with." many were the doubtful looks cast upon the heap of miscellaneous material that now cluttered the roof, and finally the scarecrow shook his head and remarked: "well, if friend nick can manufacture, from this mess of rubbish, a thing that will fly through the air and carry us to safety, then i will acknowledge him to be a better mechanic than i suspected." but the tin woodman seemed at first by no means sure of his powers, and only after polishing his forehead vigorously with the chamois-leather did he resolve to undertake the task. "the first thing required for the machine," said he, "is a body big enough to carry the entire party. this sofa is the biggest thing we have, and might be used for a body. but, should the machine ever tip sideways, we would all slide off and fall to the ground." "why not use two sofas?" asked tip. "there's another one just like this down stairs." "that is a very sensible suggestion," exclaimed the tin woodman. "you must fetch the other sofa at once." so tip and the saw-horse managed, with much labor, to get the second sofa to the roof; and when the two were placed together, edge to edge, the backs and ends formed a protecting rampart all around the seats. "excellent!" cried the scarecrow. "we can ride within this snug nest quite at our ease." the two sofas were now bound firmly together with ropes and clothes-lines, and then nick chopper fastened the gump's head to one end. "that will show which is the front end of the thing," said he, greatly pleased with the idea." and, really, if you examine it critically, the gump looks very well as a figure-head. these great palm-leaves, for which i have endangered my life seven times, must serve us as wings." "are they strong enough?" asked the boy. "they are as strong as anything we can get," answered the woodman; "and although they are not in proportion to the thing's body, we are not in a position to be very particular." so he fastened the palm-leaves to the sofas, two on each side. said the woggle-bug, with considerable admiration: "the thing is now complete, and only needs to be brought to life." "stop a moment!" exclaimed jack." are you not going to use my broom?" "what for?" asked the scarecrow. "why, it can be fastened to the back end for a tail," answered the pumpkinhead. "surely you would not call the thing complete without a tail." "hm!" said the tin woodman, "i do not see the use of a tail. we are not trying to copy a beast, or a fish, or a bird. all we ask of the thing is to carry us through the air. "perhaps, after the thing is brought to life, it can use a tail to steer with," suggested the scarecrow. "for if it flies through the air it will not be unlike a bird, and i've noticed that all birds have tails, which they use for a rudder while flying." "very well," answered nick, "the broom shall be used for a tail," and he fastened it firmly to the back end of the sofa body. tip took the pepper-box from his pocket. "the thing looks very big," said he, anxiously; "and i am not sure there is enough powder left to bring all of it to life. but i'll make it go as far as possible." "put most on the wings," said nick chopper; "for they must be made as strong as possible." "and don't forget the head!" exclaimed the woggle-bug. "or the tail!" added jack pumpkinhead. "do be quiet," said tip, nervously; "you must give me a chance to work the magic charm in the proper manner." very carefully he began sprinkling the thing with the precious powder. each of the four wings was first lightly covered with a layer. then the sofas were sprinkled, and the broom given a slight coating. "the head! the head! don't, i beg of you, forget the head!" cried the woggle-bug, excitedly. "there's only a little of the powder left," announced tip, looking within the box." and it seems to me it is more important to bring the legs of the sofas to life than the head." "not so," decided the scarecrow. "every thing must have a head to direct it; and since this creature is to fly, and not walk, it is really unimportant whether its legs are alive or not." so tip abided by this decision and sprinkled the gump's head with the remainder of the powder. "now" said he, "keep silence while i work the, charm!" having heard old mombi pronounce the magic words, and having also succeeded in bringing the saw-horse to life, tip did not hesitate an instant in speaking the three cabalistic words, each accompanied by the peculiar gesture of the hands. it was a grave and impressive ceremony. as he finished the incantation the thing shuddered throughout its huge bulk, the gump gave the screeching cry that is familiar to those animals, and then the four wings began flopping furiously. tip managed to grasp a chimney, else he would have been blown off the roof by the terrible breeze raised by the wings. the scarecrow, being light in weight, was caught up bodily and borne through the air until tip luckily seized him by one leg and held him fast. the woggle-bug lay flat upon the roof and so escaped harm, line-art drawing and the tin woodman, whose weight of tin anchored him firmly, threw both arms around jack pumpkinhead and managed to save him. the saw-horse toppled over upon his back and lay with his legs waving helplessly above him. and now, while all were struggling to recover themselves, the thing rose slowly from the roof and mounted into the air. "here! come back!" cried tip, in a frightened voice, as he clung to the chimney with one hand and the scarecrow with the other. "come back at once, i command you!" it was now that the wisdom of the scarecrow, in bringing the head of the thing to life instead of the legs, was proved beyond a doubt. for the gump, already high in the air, turned its head at tip's command and gradually circled around until it could view the roof of the palace. "come back!" shouted the boy, again. and the gump obeyed, slowly and gracefully waving its four wings in the air until the thing had settled once more upon the roof and become still. full page line-art drawing. in the jackdaw's nest "this," said the gump, in a squeaky voice not at all proportioned to the size of its great body, "is the most novel experience i ever heard of. the last thing i remember distinctly is walking through the forest and hearing a loud noise. something probably killed me then, and it certainly ought to have been the end of me. yet here i am, alive again, with four monstrous wings and a body which i venture to say would make any respectable animal or fowl weep with shame to own. what does it all mean? am i a gump, or am i a juggernaut?" the creature, as it spoke, wiggled its chin whiskers in a very comical manner. "you're just a thing," answered tip, "with a gump's head on it. and we have made you and brought you to life so that you may carry us through the air wherever we wish to go." "very good!" said the thing. "as i am not a gump, i cannot have a gump's pride or independent spirit. so i may as well become your servant as anything else. my only satisfaction is that i do not seem to have a very strong constitution, and am not likely to live long in a state of slavery." "don't say that, i beg of you!" cried the tin woodman, whose excellent heart was strongly affected by this sad speech." are you not feeling well today?" "oh, as for that," returned the gump, "it is my first day of existence; so i cannot judge whether i am feeling well or ill." and it waved its broom tail to and fro in a pensive manner. "come, come!" said the scarecrow, kindly. "do try, to be more cheerful and take life as you find it. we shall be kind masters, and will strive to render your existence as pleasant as possible. are you willing to carry us through the air wherever we wish to go?" "certainly," answered the gump. "i greatly prefer to navigate the air. for should i travel on the earth and meet with one of my own species, my embarrassment would be something awful!" "i can appreciate that," said the tin woodman, sympathetically. "and yet," continued the thing, "when i carefully look you over, my masters, none of you seems to be constructed much more artistically than i am." "appearances are deceitful," said the woggle-bug, earnestly. "i am both highly magnified and thoroughly educated." "indeed!" murmured the gump, indifferently. "and my brains are considered remarkably rare specimens," added the scarecrow, proudly. "how strange!" remarked the gump. "although i am of tin," said the woodman, "i own a heart altogether the warmest and most admirable in the whole world." "i'm delighted to hear it," replied the gump, with a slight cough. "my smile," said jack pumpkinhead, "is worthy your best attention. it is always the same." "semper idem," explained the woggle-bug, pompously; and the gump turned to stare at him. "and i," declared the saw-horse, filling in an awkward pause, "am only remarkable because i can't help it." "i am proud, indeed, to meet with such exceptional masters," said the gump, in a careless tone. "if i could but secure so complete an introduction to myself, i would be more than satisfied." "that will come in time," remarked the scare- crow. "to 'know thyself' is considered quite an accomplishment, which it has taken us, who are your elders, months to perfect. but now," he added, turning to the others, "let us get aboard and start upon our journey." "where shall we go?" asked tip, as he clambered to a seat on the sofas and assisted the pumpkinhead to follow him. "in the south country rules a very delightful queen called glinda the good, who i am sure will gladly receive us," said the scarecrow, getting into the thing clumsily. "let us go to her and ask her advice." "that is cleverly thought of," declared nick chopper, giving the woggle-bug a boost and then toppling the saw-horse into the rear end of the cushioned seats." i know glinda the good, and believe she will prove a friend indeed." "are we all ready?" asked the boy. "yes," announced the tin woodman, seating himself beside the scarecrow. "then," said tip, addressing the gump, "be kind enough to fly with us to the southward; and do not go higher than to escape the houses and trees, for it makes me dizzy to be up so far." "all right," answered the gump, briefly. it flopped its four huge wings and rose slowly into the air; and then, while our little band of adventurers clung to the backs and sides of the sofas for support, the gump turned toward the south and soared swiftly and majestically away. "the scenic effect, from this altitude, is marvelous," commented the educated woggle-bug, as they rode along. "never mind the scenery," said the scarecrow. "hold on tight, or you may get a tumble. the thing seems to rock badly.' "it will be dark soon," said tip, observing that the sun was low on the horizon. "perhaps we should have waited until morning. i wonder if the gump can fly in the night." "i've been wondering that myself," returned the gump quietly. "you see, this is a new experience to me. i used to have legs that carried me swiftly over the ground. but now my legs feel as if they were asleep." "they are," said tip. "we didn't bring 'em to life." "you're expected to fly," explained the scarecrow. "not to walk." "we can walk ourselves," said the woggle-bug." i begin to understand what is required of me," remarked the gump; "so i will do my best to please you," and he flew on for a time in silence. presently jack pumpkinhead became uneasy. "i wonder if riding through the air is liable to spoil pumpkins," he said. "not unless you carelessly drop your head over the side," answered the woggle-bug. "in that event your head would no longer be a pumpkin, for it would become a squash." "have i not asked you to restrain these unfeeling jokes?" demanded tip, looking at the woggle-bug with a severe expression. "you have; and i've restrained a good many of them," replied the insect. "but there are opportunities for so many excellent puns in our language that, to an educated person like myself, the temptation to express them is almost irresistible." "people with more or less education discovered those puns centuries ago," said tip. "are you sure?" asked the woggle-bug, with a startled look. "of course i am," answered the boy. "an educated woggle-bug may be a new thing; but a woggle-bug education is as old as the hills, judging from the display you make of it." the insect seemed much impressed by this remark, and for a time maintained a meek silence. the scarecrow, in shifting his seat, saw upon the cushions the pepper-box which tip had cast aside, and began to examine it. "throw it overboard," said the boy; "it's quite empty now, and there's no use keeping it." "is it really empty?" asked the scarecrow, looking curiously into the box. "of course it is," answered tip. "i shook out every grain of the powder. "then the box has two bottoms," announced the scarecrow, "for the bottom on the inside is fully an inch away from the bottom on the outside." "let me see," said the tin woodman, taking the box from his friend. "yes," he declared, after looking it over, "the thing certainly has a false bottom. now, i wonder what that is for?" "can't you get it apart, and find out?" enquired tip, now quite interested in the mystery. "why, yes; the lower bottom unscrews," said the tin woodman. "my fingers are rather stiff; please see if you can open it." he handed the pepper-box to tip, who had no difficulty in unscrewing the bottom. and in the cavity below were three silver pills, with a carefully folded paper lying underneath them. this paper the boy proceeded to unfold, taking care not to spill the pills, and found several lines clearly written in red ink. "read it aloud," said the scarecrow. so tip read, as follows: "dr. nikidik's celebrated wishing pills. "directions for use: swallow one pill; count seventeen by twos; then make a wish. -the wish will immediately be granted. caution: keep in a dry and dark place." "why, this is a very valuable discovery!" cried the scarecrow. "it is, indeed," replied tip, gravely. "these pills may be of great use to us. i wonder if old mombi knew they were in the bottom of the pepper-box. i remember hearing her say that she got the powder of life from this same nikidik." "he must be a powerful sorcerer!" exclaimed the tin woodman; "and since the powder proved a success we ought to have confidence in the pills." "but how," asked the scarecrow, "can anyone count seventeen by twos? seventeen is an odd number." "that is true," replied tip, greatly disappointed. "no one can possibly count seventeen by twos." "then the pills are of no use to us," wailed the pumpkinhead; "and this fact overwhelms me with grief. for i had intended wishing that my head would never spoil." "nonsense!" said the scarecrow, sharply. "if we could use the pills at all we would make far better wishes than that." "i do not see how anything could be better," protested poor jack. "if you were liable to spoil at any time you could understand my anxiety." "for my part," said the tin woodman, "i sympathize with you in every respect. but since we cannot count seventeen by twos, sympathy is all you are liable to get." by this time it had become quite dark, and the voyagers found above them a cloudy sky, through which the rays of the moon could not penetrate. the gump flew steadily on, and for some reason the huge sofa-body rocked more and more dizzily every hour. the woggle-bug declared he was sea-sick; and tip was also pale and somewhat distressed. but the others clung to the backs of the sofas and did not seem to mind the motion as long as they were not tipped out. darker and darker grew the night, and on and on sped the gump through the black heavens. the travelers could not even see one another, and an oppressive silence settled down upon them. after a long time tip, who had been thinking deeply, spoke. "how are we to know when we come to the pallace of glinda the good?" he asked. "it's a long way to glinda's palace," answered the woodman; "i've traveled it." "but how are we to know how fast the gump is flying?" persisted the boy. "we cannot see a single thing down on the earth, and before morning we may be far beyond the place we want to reach." "that is all true enough," the scarecrow replied, a little uneasily. "but i do not see how we can stop just now; for we might alight in a river, or on, the top of a steeple; and that would be a great disaster." so they permitted the gump to fly on, with regular flops of its great wings, and waited patiently for morning. then tip's fears were proven to be well founded; for with the first streaks of gray dawn they looked over the sides of the sofas and discovered rolling plains dotted with queer villages, where the houses, instead of being dome- shaped--as they all are in the land of oz--had slanting roofs that rose to a peak in the center. odd looking animals were also moving about upon the open plains, and the country was unfamiliar to both the tin woodman and the scarecrow, who had formerly visited glinda the good's domain and knew it well. "we are lost!" said the scarecrow, dolefully. "the gump must have carried us entirely out of the land of oz and over the sandy deserts and into the terrible outside world that dorothy told us about." "we must get back," exclaimed the tin woodman, earnestly. "we must get back as soon as possible!" "turn around!" cried tip to the gump. "turn as quickly as you can!" "if i do i shall upset," answered the gump. "i'm not at all used to flying, and the best plan would be for me to alight in some place, and then i can turn around and take a fresh start." just then, however, there seemed to be no stopping-place that would answer their purpose. they flew over a village so big that the woggle-bug declared it was a city. and then they came to a range of high mountains with many deep gorges and steep cliffs showing plainly. "now is our chance to stop," said the boy, finding they were very close to the mountain tops. then he turned to the gump and commanded: "stop at the first level place you see!" "very well," answered the gump, and settled down upon a table of rock that stood between two cliffs. but not being experienced in such matters, the gump did not judge his speed correctly; and instead of coming to a stop upon the flat rock he missed it by half the width of his body, breaking off both his right wings against the sharp edge of the rock and then tumbling over and over down the cliff. our friends held on to the sofas as long as they could, but when the gump caught on a projecting rock the thing stopped suddenly--bottom side up--and all were immediately dumped out. by good fortune they fell only a few feet; for underneath them was a monster nest, built by a colony of jackdaws in a hollow ledge of rock; so none of them--not even the pumpkinhead--was injured by the fall. for jack found his precious head resting on the soft breast of the scarecrow, which made an excellent cushion; and tip fell on a mass of leaves and papers, which saved him from injury. the woggle-bug had bumped his round head against full page line-art drawing. all were immediately dumped out. the saw-horse, but without causing him more than a moment's inconvenience. the tin woodman was at first much alarmed; but finding he had escaped without even a scratch upon his beautiful nickle-plate he at once regained his accustomed cheerfulness and turned to address his comrades. "our journey had ended rather suddenly," said he; "and we cannot justly blame our friend the gump for our accident, because he did the best he could under the circumstances. but how we are ever to escape from this nest i must leave to someone with better brains than i possess." here he gazed at the scarecrow; who crawled to the edge of the nest and looked over. below them was a sheer precipice several hundred feet in depth. above them was a smooth cliff unbroken save by the point of rock where the wrecked body of the gump still hung suspended from the end of one of the sofas. there really seemed to be no means of escape, and as they realized their helpless plight the little band of adventurers gave way to their bewilderment. "this is a worse prison than the palace," sadly remarked the woggle-bug. "i wish we had stayed there," moaned jack. "i'm afraid the mountain air isn't good for pumpkins." "it won't be when the jackdaws come back," growled the saw-horse, which lay waving its legs in a vain endeavor to get upon its feet again. "jackdaws are especially fond of pumpkins." "do you think the birds will come here?" asked jack, much distressed. "of course they will," said tip; "for this is their nest. and there must be hundreds of them," he continued, "for see what a lot of things they have brought here!" indeed, the nest was half filled with a most curious collection of small articles for which the birds could have no use, but which the thieving jackdaws had stolen during many years from the homes of men. and as the nest was safely hidden where no human being could reach it, this lost property would never be recovered. the woggle-bug, searching among the rubbish--for the jackdaws stole useless things as well as valuable ones--turned up with his foot a beautiful diamond necklace. this was so greatly admired by the tin woodman that the woggle-bug presented it to him with a graceful speech, after which the woodman hung it around his neck with much pride, full page line-art drawing. turned up a beautiful diamond necklace. rejoicing exceedingly when the big diamonds glittered in the sun's rays. but now they heard a great jabbering and flopping of wings, and as the sound grew nearer to them tip exclaimed: "the jackdaws are coming! and if they find us here they will surely kill us in their anger." "i was afraid of this!" moaned the pumpkinhead. "my time has come!" "and mine, also!" said the woggle-bug; "for jackdaws are the greatest enemies of my race." the others were not at all afraid; but the scarecrow at once decided to save those of the party who were liable to be injured by the angry birds. so he commanded tip to take off jack's head and lie down with it in the bottom of the nest, and when this was done he ordered the woggle-bug to lie beside tip. nick chopper, who knew from past experience just what to do, then took the scarecrow to pieces (all except his head) and scattered the straw over tip and the woggle-bug, completely covering their bodies. hardly had this been accomplished when the flock of jackdaws reached them. perceiving the intruders in their nest the birds flew down upon them with screams of rage. full page line-art drawing. dr. nikidik's famous wishing pills the tin woodman was usually a peaceful man, but when occasion required he could fight as fiercely as a roman gladiator. so, when the jackdaws nearly knocked him down in their rush of wings, and their sharp beaks and claws threatened to damage his brilliant plating, the woodman picked up his axe and made it whirl swiftly around his head. but although many were beaten off in this way, the birds were so numerous and so brave that they continued the attack as furiously as before. some of them pecked at the eyes of the gump, which hung over the nest in a helpless condition; but the gump's eyes were of glass and could not be injured. others of the jackdaws rushed at the saw-horse; but that animal, being still upon his back, kicked out so viciously with his wooden legs that he beat off as many assailants as did the woodman's axe. finding themselves thus opposed, the birds fell upon the scarecrow's straw, which lay at the center of the nest, covering tip and the woggle-bug and jack's pumpkin head, and began tearing it away and flying off with it, only to let it drop, straw by straw into the great gulf beneath. the scarecrow's head, noting with dismay this wanton destruction of his interior, cried to the tin woodman to save him; and that good friend responded with renewed energy. his axe fairly flashed among the jackdaws, and fortunately the gump began wildly waving the two wings remaining on the left side of its body. the flutter of these great wings filled the jackdaws with terror, and when the gump by its exertions freed itself from the peg of rock on which it hung, and sank flopping into the nest, the alarm of the birds knew no bounds and they fled screaming over the mountains. when the last foe had disappeared, tip crawled from under the sofas and assisted the woggle-bug to follow him. "we are saved!" shouted the boy, delightedly. "we are, indeed!" responded the educated insect, fairly hugging the stiff head of the gump in his joy. "and we owe it all to the flopping of the thing, and the good axe of the woodman!" "if i am saved, get me out of here!" called jack; whose head was still beneath the sofas; and tip managed to roll the pumpkin out and place it upon its neck again. he also set the saw-horse upright, and said to it: "we owe you many thanks for the gallant fight you made." "i really think we have escaped very nicely," remarked the tin woodman, in a tone of pride. "not so!" exclaimed a hollow voice. at this they all turned in surprise to look at the scarecrow's head, which lay at the back of the nest. "i am completely ruined!" declared the scarecrow, as he noted their astonishment. "for where is the straw that stuffs my body?" the awful question startled them all. they gazed around the nest with horror, for not a vestige of straw remained. the jackdaws had stolen it to the last wisp and flung it all into the chasm that yawned for hundreds of feet beneath the nest. "my poor, poor friend!" said the tin woodman, taking up the scarecrow's head and caressing it tenderly; "whoever could imagine you would come to this untimely end?" "i did it to save my friends," returned the head; "and i am glad that i perished in so noble and unselfish a manner." "but why are you all so despondent?" inquired the woggle-bug. "the scarecrow's clothing is still safe." "yes," answered the tin woodman; "but our friend's clothes are useless without stuffing." "why not stuff him with money?" asked tip. "money!" they all cried, in an amazed chorus. "to be sure," said the boy. "in the bottom of the nest are thousands of dollar bills--and two-dollar bills--and five-dollar bills--and tens, and twenties, and fifties. there are enough of them to stuff a dozen scarecrows. why not use the money?" the tin woodman began to turn over the rubbish with the handle of his axe; and, sure enough, what they had first thought only worthless papers were found to be all bills of various denominations, which the mischievous jackdaws had for years been engaged in stealing from the villages and cities they visited. there was an immense fortune lying in that inaccessible nest; and tip's suggestion was, with the scarecrow's consent, quickly acted upon. they selected all the newest and cleanest bills and assorted them into various piles. the scarecrow's left leg and boot were stuffed with five- dollar bills; his right leg was stuffed with ten-dollar bills, and his body so closely filled with fifties, one-hundreds and one-thousands that he could scarcely button his jacket with comfort. "you are now" said the woggle-bug, impressively, when the task had been completed, "the most valuable member of our party; and as you line-art drawing are among faithful friends there is little danger of your being spent." "thank you," returned the scarecrow, gratefully. "i feel like a new man; and although at first glance i might be mistaken for a safety deposit vault, i beg you to remember that my brains are still composed of the same old material. and these are the possessions that have always made me a person to be depended upon in an emergency." "well, the emergency is here," observed tip; "and unless your brains help us out of it we shall be compelled to pass the remainder of our lives in this nest." "how about these wishing pills?" enquired the scarecrow, taking the box from his jacket pocket. "can't we use them to escape?" "not unless we can count seventeen by twos," answered the tin woodman. "but our friend the woggle-bug claims to be highly educated, so he ought easily to figure out how that can be done." "it isn't a question of education," returned the insect; "it's merely a question of mathematics. i've seen the professor work lots of sums on the blackboard, and he claimed anything could be done with x's and y's and a's, and such things, by mixing them up with plenty of plusses and minuses and equals, and so forth. but he never said anything, so far as i can remember, about counting up to the odd number of seventeen by the even numbers of twos." "stop! stop!" cried the pumpkinhead. "you're making my head ache." "and mine," added the scarecrow. "your mathematics seem to me very like a bottle of mixed pickles the more you fish for what you want the less chance you have of getting it. i am certain that if the thing can be accomplished at all, it is in a very simple manner." "yes," said tip. "old mombi couldn't use x's and minuses, for she never went to school." "why not start counting at a half of one?" asked the saw-horse, abruptly. "then anyone can count up to seventeen by twos very easily." they looked at each other in surprise, for the saw-horse was considered the most stupid of the entire party. "you make me quite ashamed of myself," said the scarecrow, bowing low to the saw-horse. "nevertheless, the creature is right," declared the woggle-bug; for twice one-half is one, and if you get to one it is easy to count from one up to seventeen by twos." "i wonder i didn't think of that myself," said the pumpkinhead. "i don't," returned the scarecrow. "you're no wiser than the rest of us, are you? but let us make a wish at once. who will swallow the first pill?" "suppose you do it," suggested tip. "i can't," said the scarecrow. "why not? you've a mouth, haven't you?" asked the boy. "yes; but my mouth is painted on, and there's no swallow connected with it,' answered the scarecrow. "in fact," he continued, looking from one to another critically, "i believe the boy and the woggle-bug are the only ones in our party that are able to swallow." observing the truth of this remark, tip said: "then i will undertake to make the first wish. give me one of the silver pills." this the scarecrow tried to do; but his padded gloves were too clumsy to clutch so small an object, and he held the box toward the boy while tip selected one of the pills and swallowed it. "count!" cried the scarecrow. "one-half, one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven,!" counted tip. thirteen, fifteen, seventeen. "now wish!" said the tin woodman anxiously: but just then the boy began to suffer such fearful pains that he became alarmed. "the pill has poisoned me!" he gasped; "o--h! o-o-o-o-o! ouch! murder! fire! o-o-h!" and here he rolled upon the bottom of the nest in such contortions that he frightened them all. "what can we do for you. speak, i beg!" entreated the tin woodman, tears of sympathy running down his nickel cheeks. "i--i don't know!" answered tip. "o--h! i wish i'd never swallowed that pill!" then at once the pain stopped, and the boy rose to his feet again and found the scarecrow looking with amazement at the end of the pepper-box. "what's happened?" asked the boy, a little ashamed of his recent exhibition. "why, the three pills are in the box again!" said the scarecrow. "of course they are," the woggle-bug declared. "didn't tip wish that he'd never swallowed one of them? well, the wish came true, and he didn't swallow one of them. so of course they are all three in the box." "that may be; but the pill gave me a dreadful pain, just the same," said the boy. "impossible!" declared the woggle- line-art drawing bug. "if you have never swallowed it, the pill can not have given you a pain. and as your wish, being granted, proves you did not swallow the pill, it is also plain that you suffered no pain." "then it was a splendid imitation of a pain," retorted tip, angrily. "suppose you try the next pill yourself. we've wasted one wish already." "oh, no, we haven't!" protested the scarecrow. "here are still three pills in the box, and each pill is good for a wish." "now you're making my head ache," said tip. "i can't understand the thing at all. but i won't take another pill, i promise you!" and with this remark he retired sulkily to the back of the nest. "well," said the woggle-bug, "it remains for me to save us in my most highly magnified and thoroughly educated manner; for i seem to be the only one able and willing to make a wish. let me have one of the pills." he swallowed it without hesitation, and they all stood admiring his courage while the insect counted seventeen by twos in the same way that tip had done. and for some reason--perhaps because woggle-bugs have stronger stomachs than boys--the silver pellet caused it no pain whatever. "i wish the gump's broken wings mended, and as good as new!" said the woggle-bug, in a slow; impressive voice. all turned to look at the thing, and so quickly had the wish been granted that the gump lay before them in perfect repair, and as well able to fly through the air as when it had first been brought to life on the roof of the palace. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. the scarecrow appeals to glinda the good "hooray!" shouted the scarecrow, gaily. "we can now leave this miserable jackdaws' nest whenever we please." "but it is nearly dark," said the tin woodman; "and unless we wait until morning to make our flight we may get into more trouble. i don't like these night trips, for one never knows what will happen." so it was decided to wait until daylight, and the adventurers amused themselves in the twilight by searching the jackdaws' nest for treasures. the woggle-bug found two handsome bracelets of wrought gold, which fitted his slender arms very well. the scarecrow took a fancy for rings, of which there were many in the nest. before long he had fitted a ring to each finger of his padded gloves, and not being content with that display he added one more to each thumb. as he carefully chose those rings set with sparkling stones, such as rubies, amethysts and sapphires, the scarecrow's hands now presented a most brilliant appearance. "this nest would be a picnic for queen jinjur," said he, musingly. "for as nearly as i can make out she and her girls conquered me merely to rob my city of its emeralds." the tin woodman was content with his diamond necklace and refused to accept any additional decorations; but tip secured a fine gold watch, which was attached to a heavy fob, and placed it in his pocket with much pride. he also pinned several jeweled brooches to jack pumpkinhead's red waistcoat, and attached a lorgnette, by means of a fine chain, to the neck of the saw-horse. "it's very pretty," said the creature, regarding the lorgnette approvingly; "but what is it for?" none of them could answer that question, however; so the saw-horse decided it was some rare decoration and became very fond of it. that none of the party might be slighted, they ended by placing several large seal rings upon the points of the gump's antlers, although that odd personage seemed by no means gratified by the attention. darkness soon fell upon them, and tip and the woggle-bug went to sleep while the others sat down to wait patiently for the day. next morning they had cause to congratulate themselves upon the useful condition of the gump; for with daylight a great flock of jackdaws approached to engage in one more battle for the possession of the nest. but our adventurers did not wait for the assault. they tumbled into the cushioned seats of the sofas as quickly as possible, and tip gave the word to the gump to start. at once it rose into the air, the great wings flopping strongly and with regular motions, and in a few moments they were so far from the nest that the chattering jackdaws took possession without any attempt at pursuit. the thing flew due north, going in the same direction from whence it had come. at least, that was the scarecrow's opinion, and the others agreed that the scarecrow was the best judge of direction. after passing over several cities and villages the gump carried them high above a broad plain where houses became more and more scattered until they disappeared altogether. next came the wide, sandy desert separating the rest of the world from the land of oz, and before noon they saw the dome-shaped houses that proved they were once more within the borders of their native land. "but the houses and fences are blue," said the tin woodman, "and that indicates we are in the land of the munchkins, and therefore a long distance from glinda the good." "what shall we do?" asked the boy, turning to their guide. "i don't know" replied the scarecrow, frankly. "if we were at the emerald city we could then move directly southward, and so reach our destination. but we dare not go to the emerald city, and the gump is probably carrying us further in the wrong direction with every flop of its wings." "then the woggle-bug must swallow another pill," said tip, decidedly, "and wish us headed in the right direction." "very well," returned the highly magnified one; "i'm willing." but when the scarecrow searched in his pocket for the pepper-box containing the two silver wishing pills, it was not to be found. filled with anxiety, the voyagers hunted throughout every inch of the thing for the precious box; but it had disappeared entirely. and still the gump flew onward, carrying them they knew not where. "i must have left the pepper-box in the jackdaws' nest," said the scarecrow, at length. "it is a great misfortune," the tin woodman declared. "but we are no worse off than before we discovered the wishing pills." "we are better off," replied tip. "for the one pill we used has enabled us to escape from that horrible nest." "yet the loss of the other two is serious, and i deserve a good scolding for my carelessness," the scarecrow rejoined, penitently. "for in such an unusual party as this accidents are liable to happen any moment, and even now we may be approaching a new danger." no one dared contradict this, and a dismal silence ensued. the gump flew steadily on. suddenly tip uttered an exclamation of surprise. "we must have reached the south country," he cried, "for below us everything is red!" immediately they all leaned over the backs of the sofas to look--all except jack, who was too careful of his pumpkin head to risk its slipping off his neck. sure enough; the red houses and fences and trees indicated they were within the domain of glinda the good; and presently, as they glided rapidly on, the tin woodman recognized the roads and buildings they passed, and altered slightly the flight of line-art drawing the gump so that they might reach the palace of the celebrated sorceress. "good!" cried the scarecrow, delightedly. "we do not need the lost wishing pills now, for we have arrived at our destination." gradually the thing sank lower and nearer to the ground until at length it came to rest within the beautiful gardens of glinda, settling upon a velvety green lawn close by a fountain which sent sprays of flashing gems, instead of water, high into the air, whence they fell with a soft, tinkling sound into the carved marble basin placed to receive them. everything was very gorgeous in glinda's gardens, and while our voyagers gazed about with admiring eyes a company of soldiers silently appeared and surrounded them. but these soldiers of the great sorceress were entirely different from those of jinjur's army of revolt, although they were likewise girls. for glinda's soldiers wore neat uniforms and bore swords and spears; and they marched with a skill and precision that proved them well trained in the arts of war. the captain commanding this troop--which was glinda's private body guard--recognized the scarecrow and the tin woodman at once, and greeted them with respectful salutations. "good day!" said the scarecrow, gallantly removing his hat, while the woodman gave a soldierly salute; "we have come to request an audience with your fair ruler." "glinda is now within her palace, awaiting you," returned the captain; "for she saw you coming long before you arrived." "that is strange!" said tip, wondering. "not at all," answered the scarecrow, "for glinda the good is a mighty sorceress, and nothing that goes on in the land of oz escapes her notice. i suppose she knows why we came as well as we do ourselves." "then what was the use of our coming?" asked jack, stupidly. "to prove you are a pumpkinhead!" retorted the scarecrow. "but, if the sorceress expects us, we must not keep her waiting." line-art drawing so they all clambered out of the sofas and followed the captain toward the palace--even the saw-horse taking his place in the queer procession. upon her throne of finely wrought gold sat glinda, and she could scarcely repress a smile as her peculiar visitors entered and bowed before her. both the scarecrow and the tin woodman she knew and liked; but the awkward pumpkinhead and highly magnified woggle-bug were creatures she had never seen before, and they seemed even more curious than the others. as for the saw-horse, he looked to be nothing more than an animated chunk of wood; and he bowed so stiffly that his head bumped against the floor, causing a ripple of laughter among the soldiers, in which glinda frankly joined. "i beg to announce to your glorious highness," began the scarecrow, in a solemn voice, "that my emerald city has been overrun by a crowd of impudent girls with knitting-needles, who have enslaved all the men, robbed the streets and public buildings of all their emerald jewels, and usurped my throne." "i know it," said glinda. "they also threatened to destroy me, as well as all the good friends and allies you see before you," continued the scarecrow. "and had we not managed to escape their clutches our days would long since have ended." "i know it," repeated glinda. "therefore i have come to beg your assistance," resumed the scarecrow, "for i believe you are always glad to succor the unfortunate and oppressed." "that is true," replied the sorceress, slowly. "but the emerald city is now ruled by general jinjur, who has caused herself to be proclaimed queen. what right have i to oppose her?" "why, she stole the throne from me," said the scarecrow. "and how came you to possess the throne?" asked glinda. "i got it from the wizard of oz, and by the choice of the people," returned the scarecrow, uneasy at such questioning. "and where did the wizard get it?" she continued gravely. "i am told he took it from pastoria, the former king," said the scarecrow, becoming confused under the intent look of the sorceress. "then," declared glinda, "the throne of the emerald city belongs neither to you nor to jinjur, but to this pastoria from whom the wizard usurped it." "that is true," acknowledged the scarecrow, humbly; "but pastoria is now dead and gone, and some one must rule in his place." "pastoria had a daughter, who is the rightful heir to the throne of the emerald city. did you know that?" questioned the sorceress. "no," replied the scarecrow. "but if the girl still lives i will not stand in her way. it will satisfy me as well to have jinjur turned out, as an impostor, as to regain the throne myself. in fact, it isn't much fun to be king, especially if one has good brains. i have known for some time that i am fitted to occupy a far more exalted position. but where is the girl who owns the throne, and what is her name?" "her name is ozma," answered glinda. "but where she is i have tried in vain to discover. for the wizard of oz, when he stole the throne from ozma's father, hid the girl in some secret place; and by means of a magical trick with which i am not familiar he also managed to prevent her being discovered--even by so experienced a sorceress as myself." "that is strange," interrupted the woggle-bug, pompously. "i have been informed that the wonderful wizard of oz was nothing more than a humbug!" "nonsense!" exclaimed the scarecrow, much provoked by this speech. "didn't he give me a wonderful set of brains?" "there's no humbug about my heart," announced the tin woodman, glaring indignantly at the woggle-bug. "perhaps i was misinformed," stammered the insect, shrinking back; "i never knew the wizard personally." "well, we did," retorted the scarecrow, "and he was a very great wizard, i assure you. it is true he was guilty of some slight impostures, but unless he was a great wizard how--let me ask--could he have hidden this girl ozma so securely that no one can find her?" "i--i give it up!" replied the woggle-bug, meekly. "that is the most sensible speech you've made," said the tin woodman. "i must really make another effort to discover where this girl is hidden," resumed the sorceress, thoughtfully. "i have in my library a book in which is inscribed every action of the wizard while he was in our land of oz--or, at least, every action that could be observed by my spies. this book i will read carefully tonight, and try to single out the acts that may guide us in discovering the lost ozma. in the meantime, pray amuse yourselves in my palace and command my servants as if they were your own. i will grant you another audience tomorrow." with this gracious speech glinda dismissed the adventurers, and they wandered away through the beautiful gardens, where they passed several hours enjoying all the delightful things with which the queen of the southland had surrounded her royal palace. on the following morning they again appeared before glinda, who said to them: "i have searched carefully through the records of the wizard's actions, and among them i can find but three that appear to have been suspicious. he ate beans with a knife, made three secret visits to old mombi, and limped slightly on his left foot." "ah! that last is certainly suspicious!" exclaimed the pumpkinhead. "not necessarily," said the scarecrow. "he may, have had corns. now, it seems to me his eating beans with a knife is more suspicious." "perhaps it is a polite custom in omaha, from which great country the wizard originally came," suggested the tin woodman. "it may be," admitted the scarecrow. "but why," asked glinda, "did he make three secret visits to old mombi?" "ah! why, indeed!" echoed the woggle-bug, impressively. "we know that the wizard taught the old woman many of his tricks of magic," continued glinda; "and this he would not have done had she not assisted him in some way. so we may suspect with good reason that mombi aided him to hide the girl ozma, who was the real heir to the throne of the emerald city, and a constant danger to the usurper. for, if the people knew that she lived, they would quickly make her their queen and restore her to her rightful position." "an able argument!" cried the scarecrow. "i have no doubt that mombi was mixed up in this wicked business. but how does that knowledge help us?" "we must find mombi," replied glinda, "and force her to tell where the girl is hidden." "mombi is now with queen jinjur, in the emerald, city" said tip. "it was she who threw so many obstacles in our pathway, and made jinjur threaten to destroy my friends and give me back into the old witch's power." "then," decided glinda, "i will march with my army to the emerald city, and take mombi prisoner. after that we can, perhaps, force her to tell the truth about ozma." "she is a terrible old woman!" remarked tip, with a shudder at the thought of mombi's black kettle; "and obstinate, too." "i am quite obstinate myself," returned the sorceress, with a sweet smile. "so i do not fear mombi in the least. today i will make all necessary preparations, and we will march upon the emerald city at daybreak tomorrow." line-art drawing the tin-woodman plucks a rose the army of glinda the good looked very grand and imposing when it assembled at daybreak before the palace gates. the uniforms of the girl soldiers were pretty and of gay colors, and their silver-tipped spears were bright and glistening, the long shafts being inlaid with mother-of-pearl. all the officers wore sharp, gleaming swords, and shields edged with peacock-feathers; and it really seemed that no foe could by any possibility defeat such a brilliant army. the sorceress rode in a beautiful palanquin which was like the body of a coach, having doors and windows with silken curtains; but instead of wheels, which a coach has, the palanquin rested upon two long, horizontal bars, which were borne upon the shoulders of twelve servants. the scarecrow and his comrades decided to ride in the gump, in order to keep up with the swift march of the army; so, as soon as glinda had started and her soldiers had marched away to the inspiring strains of music played by the royal band, our friends climbed into the sofas and followed. the gump flew along slowly at a point directly over the palanquin in which rode the sorceress. "be careful," said the line-art drawing tin woodman to the scarecrow, who was leaning far over the side to look at the army below. "you might fall." "it wouldn't matter," remarked the educated woggle-bug. "he can't get broke so long as he is stuffed with money." "didn't i ask you" began tip, in a reproachful voice. "you did!" said the woggle-bug, promptly. "and i beg your pardon. i will really try to restrain myself." "you'd better," declared the boy. "that is, if you wish to travel in our company." "ah! i couldn't bear to part with you now," murmured the insect, feelingly; so tip let the subject drop. the army moved steadily on, but night had fallen before they came to the walls of the emerald city. by the dim light of the new moon, however, glinda's forces silently surrounded the city and pitched their tents of scarlet silk upon the greensward. the tent of the sorceress was larger than the others, and was composed of pure white silk, with scarlet banners flying above it. a tent was also pitched for the scarecrow's party; and when these preparations had been made, with military precision and quickness, the army retired to rest. great was the amazement of queen jinjur next morning when her soldiers came running to inform her of the vast army surrounding them. she at once climbed to a high tower of the royal palace and saw banners waving in every direction and the great white tent of glinda standing directly before the gates. "we are surely lost!" cried jinjur, in despair; "for how can our knitting-needles avail against the long spears and terrible swords of our foes?" "the best thing we can do," said one of the girls, "is to surrender as quickly as possible, before we get hurt." "not so," returned jinjur, more bravely. "the enemy is still outside the walls, so we must try to gain time by engaging them in parley. go you with a flag of truce to glinda and ask her why she has dared to invade my dominions, and what are her demands." so the girl passed through the gates, bearing a white flag to show she was on a mission of peace, and came to glinda's tent. "tell your queen," said the sorceress to the girl, "that she must deliver up to me old mombi, to be my prisoner. if this is done i will not molest her farther." line-art drawing now when this message was delivered to the queen it filled her with dismay, for mombi was her chief counsellor, and jinjur was terribly afraid of the old hag. but she sent for mombi, and told her what glinda had said. "i see trouble ahead for all of us," muttered the old witch, after glancing into a magic mirror she carried in her pocket. "but we may even yet escape by deceiving this sorceress, clever as she thinks herself." "don't you think it will be safer for me to deliver you into her hands?" asked jinjur, nervously. "if you do, it will cost you the throne of the emerald city!" answered the witch, positively. "but if you will let me have my own way, i can save us both very easily." "then do as you please," replied jinjur, "for it is so aristocratic to be a queen that i do not wish to be obliged to return home again, to make beds and wash dishes for my mother." so mombi called jellia jamb to her, and performed a certain magical rite with which she was familiar. as a result of the enchantment jellia took on the form and features of mombi, while the old witch grew to resemble the girl so closely that it seemed impossible anyone could guess the deception. "now," said old mombi to the queen, "let your soldiers deliver up this girl to glinda. she will think she has the real mombi in her power, and so will return immediately to her own country in the south." therefore jellia, hobbling along like an aged line-art drawing woman, was led from the city gates and taken before glinda. "here is the person you demanded," said one of the guards, "and our queen now begs you will go away, as you promised, and leave us in peace." "that i will surely do," replied glinda, much pleased; "if this is really the person she seems to be." "it is certainly old mombi," said the guard, who believed she was speaking the truth; and then jinjur's soldiers returned within the city's gates. the sorceress quickly summoned the scarecrow and his friends to her tent, and began to question the supposed mombi about the lost girl ozma. but jellia knew nothing at all of this affair, and presently she grew so nervous under the questioning that she gave way and began to weep, to glinda's great astonishment. "here is some foolish trickery!" said the sorceress, her eyes flashing with anger. "this is not mombi at all, but some other person who has been made to resemble her! tell me," she demanded, turning to the trembling girl, "what is your name?" this jellia dared not tell, having been threatened with death by the witch if she confessed the fraud. but glinda, sweet and fair though she was, understood magic better than any other person in the land of oz. so, by uttering a few potent words and making a peculiar gesture, she quickly transformed the girl into her proper shape, while at the same time old mombi, far away in jinjur's palace, suddenly resumed her own crooked form and evil features. "why, it's jellia jamb!" cried the scarecrow, recognizing in the girl one of his old friends. "it's our interpreter!" said the pumpkinhead, smiling pleasantly. then jellia was forced to tell of the trick mombi line-art drawing had played and she also begged glinda's protection, which the sorceress readily granted. but glinda was now really angry, and sent word to jinjur that the fraud was discovered and she must deliver up the real mombi or suffer terrible consequences. jinjur was prepared for this message, for the witch well understood, when her natural form was thrust upon her, that glinda had discovered her trickery. but the wicked old creature had already thought up a new deception, and had made jinjur promise to carry it out. so the queen said to glinda's messenger: "tell your mistress that i cannot find mombi anywhere, but that glinda is welcome to enter the city and search herself for the old woman. she may also bring her friends with her, if she likes; but if she does not find mombi by sundown, the sorceress must promise to go away peaceably and bother us no more." glinda agreed to these terms, well knowing that mombi was somewhere within the city walls. so jinjur caused the gates to be thrown open, and glinda marched in at the head of a company of soldiers, followed by the scarecrow and the tin woodman, while jack pumpkinhead rode astride the saw-horse, and the educated, highly magnified woggle-bug sauntered behind in a dignified manner. tip walked by the side of the sorceress, for glinda had conceived a great liking for the boy. of course old mombi had no intention of being found by glinda; so, while her enemies were marching up the street, the witch transformed herself into a red rose growing upon a bush in the garden of the palace. it was a clever idea, and a trick glinda did not suspect; so several precious hours were spent in a vain search for mombi. as sundown approached the sorceress realized she had been defeated by the superior cunning of the aged witch; so she gave the command to her people to march out of the city and back to their tents. the scarecrow and his comrades happened to be searching in the garden of the palace just then, and they turned with disappointment to obey glinda's command. but before they left the garden the tin woodman, who was fond of flowers, chanced to espy a big red rose growing upon a bush; so he plucked the flower and fastened it securely in the tin buttonhole of his tin bosom. as he did this he fancied he heard a low moan proceed from the rose; but he paid no attention to the sound, and mombi was thus carried out of the city and into glinda's camp without anyone having a suspicion that they had succeeded in their quest. line-art drawing the transformation of old mombi the witch was at first frightened at finding herself captured by the enemy; but soon she decided that she was exactly as safe in the tin woodman's button-hole as growing upon the bush. for no one knew the rose and mombi to be one, and now that she was without the gates of the city her chances of escaping altogether from glinda were much improved. "but there is no hurry," thought mombi. "i will wait awhile and enjoy the humiliation of this sorceress when she finds i have outwitted her." so throughout the night the rose lay quietly on the woodman's bosom, and in the morning, when glinda summoned our friends to a consultation, nick chopper carried his pretty flower with him to the white silk tent. line-art drawing "for some reason," said glinda, "we have failed to find this cunning old mombi; so i fear our expedition will prove a failure. and for that i am sorry, because without our assistance little ozma will never be rescued and restored to her rightful position as queen of the emerald city" "do not let us give up so easily," said the pumpkinhead. "let us do something else." "something else must really be done," replied glinda, with a smile. "yet i cannot understand how i have been defeated so easily by an old witch who knows far less of magic than i do myself." "while we are on the ground i believe it would be wise for us to conquer the emerald city for princess ozma, and find the girl afterward," said the scarecrow." and while the girl remains hidden i will gladly rule in her place, for i understand the business of ruling much better than jinjur does." "but i have promised not to molest jinjur," objected glinda. "suppose you all return with me to my kingdom--or empire, rather," said the tin woodman, politely including the entire party in a royal wave of his arm. "it will give me great pleasure to entertain you in my castle, where there is room enough and to spare. and if any of you wish to be nickel- plated, my valet will do it free of all expense." while the woodman was speaking glinda's eyes had been noting the rose in his button-hole, and now she imagined she saw the big red leaves of the flower tremble slightly. this quickly aroused her suspicions, and in a moment more the sorceress had decided that the seeming rose was nothing else than a transformation of old mombi. at the same instant mombi knew she was discovered and must quickly plan an escape, and as transformations were easy to her she immediately took the form of a shadow and glided along the wall of the tent toward the entrance, thinking thus to disappear. but glinda had not only equal cunning, but far more experience than the witch. so the sorceress reached the opening of the tent before the shadow, and with a wave of her hand closed the entrance so securely that mombi could not find a crack big enough to creep through. the scarecrow and his friends were greatly surprised at glinda's actions; for none of them had noted the shadow. but the sorceress said to them: "remain perfectly quiet, all of you! for the old witch is even now with us in this tent, and i hope to capture her." these words so alarmed mombi that she quickly transformed herself from a shadow to a black ant, in which shape she crawled along the ground, seeking a crack or crevice in which to hide her tiny body. fortunately, the ground where the tent had been pitched, being just before the city gates, was hard and smooth; and while the ant still crawled about, glinda discovered it and ran quickly forward to effect its capture but, just as her hand was descending, the witch, now fairly frantic with fear, made her last transformation, and in the form of a huge griffin sprang through the wall of the tent--tearing the silk asunder in her rush--and in a moment had darted away with the speed of a whirlwind. glinda did not hesitate to follow. she sprang upon the back of the saw-horse and cried: "now you shall prove that you have a right to be alive! run--run--run!" the saw-horse ran. like a flash he followed the griffin, his wooden legs moving so fast that they twinkled like the rays of a star. before our friends could recover from their surprise both the griffin and the saw-horse had dashed out of sight. "come! let us follow!" cried the scarecrow. they ran to the place where the gump was lying and quickly tumbled aboard. "fly!" commanded tip, eagerly. "where to?" asked the gump, in its calm voice. "i don't know," returned tip, who was very nervous at the delay; "but if you will mount into the air i think we can discover which way glinda has gone." line-art drawing "very well," returned the gump, quietly; and it spread its great wings and mounted high into the air. far away, across the meadows, they could now see two tiny specks, speeding one after the other; and they knew these specks must be the griffin and the saw-horse. so tip called the gump's attention to them and bade the creature try to overtake the witch and the sorceress. but, swift as was the gump's flight, the pursued and pursuer moved more swiftly yet, and within a few moments were blotted out against the dim horizon. "let us continue to follow them, nevertheless," said the scarecrow. "for the land of oz is of small extent, and sooner or later they must both come to a halt." old mombi had thought herself very wise to choose the form of a griffin, for its legs were exceedingly fleet and its strength more enduring than that of other animals. but she had not reckoned on the untiring energy of the saw-horse, whose wooden limbs could run for days without slacking their speed. therefore, after an hour's hard running, the griffin's breath began to fail, and it panted and gasped painfully, and moved more slowly than before. then it reached the edge of the desert and began racing across the deep sands. but its tired feet sank far into the sand, and in a few minutes the griffin fell forward, completely exhausted, and lay still upon the desert waste. glinda came up a moment later, riding the still vigorous saw-horse; and having unwound a slender golden thread from her girdle the sorceress threw it over the head of the panting and helpless griffin, and so destroyed the magical power of mombi's transformation. for the animal, with one fierce shudder, disappeared from view, while in its place was discovered the form of the old witch, glaring savagely at the serene and beautiful face of the sorceress. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. princess ozma of oz "you are my prisoner, and it is useless for you to struggle any longer," said glinda, in her soft, sweet voice. "lie still a moment, and rest yourself, and then i will carry you back to my tent." "why do you seek me?" asked mombi, still scarce able to speak plainly for lack of breath. "what have i done to you, to be so persecuted?" "you have done nothing to me," answered the gentle sorceress; "but i suspect you have been guilty of several wicked actions; and if i find it is true that you have so abused your knowledge of magic, i intend to punish you severely." "i defy you!" croaked the old hag. "you dare not harm me!" just then the gump flew up to them and alighted upon the desert sands beside glinda. our friends were delighted to find that mombi had finally been captured, and after a hurried consultation it was decided they should all return to the camp in the gump. so the saw-horse was tossed aboard, and then glinda still holding an end of the golden thread that was around mombi's neck, forced her prisoner to climb into the sofas. the others now followed, and tip gave the word to the gump to return. the journey was made in safety, mombi sitting in her place with a grim and sullen air; for the old hag was absolutely helpless so long as the magical thread encircled her throat. the army hailed glinda's return with loud cheers, and the party of friends soon gathered again in the royal tent, which had been neatly repaired during their absence. "now," said the sorceress to mombi, "i want you to tell us why the wonderful wizard of oz paid you three visits, and what became of the child, ozma, which so curiously disappeared." the witch looked at glinda defiantly, but said not a word. "answer me!" cried the sorceress. but still mombi remained silent. "perhaps she doesn't know," remarked jack. "i beg you will keep quiet," said tip. "you might spoil everything with your foolishness." "very well, dear father!" returned the pumpkinhead, meekly. "how glad i am to be a woggle-bug!" murmured the highly magnified insect, softly. "no one can expect wisdom to flow from a pumpkin." "well," said the scarecrow, "what shall we do to make mombi speak? unless she tells us what we wish to know her capture will do us no good at all." "suppose we try kindness," suggested the tin woodman. "i've heard that anyone can be conquered with kindness, no matter how ugly they may be." at this the witch turned to glare upon him so horribly that the tin woodman shrank back abashed. glinda had been carefully considering what to do, and now she turned to mombi and said: "you will gain nothing, i assure you, by thus defying us. for i am determined to learn the truth about the girl ozma, and unless you tell me all that you know, i will certainly put you to death." "oh, no! don't do that!" exclaimed the tin woodman. "it would be an awful thing to kill anyone--even old mombi!" "but it is merely a threat," returned glinda. "i shall not put mombi to death, because she will prefer to tell me the truth." "oh, i see!" said the tin man, much relieved. "suppose i tell you all that you wish to know,". said mombi, speaking so suddenly that she startled them all. "what will you do with me then?" "in that case," replied glinda, "i shall merely ask you to drink a powerful draught which will cause you to forget all the magic you have ever learned." "then i would become a helpless old woman!" "but you would be alive," suggested the pumpkinhead, consolingly. "do try to keep silent!" said tip, nervously. "i'll try," responded jack; "but you will admit that it's a good thing to be alive." "especially if one happens to be thoroughly educated," added the woggle-bug, nodding approval. "you may make your choice," glinda said to old mombi, "between death if you remain silent, and the loss of your magical powers if you tell me the truth. but i think you will prefer to live. mombi cast an uneasy glance at the sorceress, and saw that she was in earnest, and not to be trifled with. so she replied, slowly: "i will answer your questions." "that is what i expected," said glinda, pleasantly. "you have chosen wisely, i assure you." she then motioned to one of her captains, who brought her a beautiful golden casket. from this the sorceress drew an immense white pearl, attached to a slender chain which she placed around her neck in such a way that the pearl rested upon her bosom, directly over her heart. "now," said she, "i will ask my first question: why did the wizard pay you three visits?" "because i would not come to him," answered mombi. "that is no answer," said glinda, sternly. "tell me the truth." "well," returned mombi, with downcast eyes, "he visited me to learn the way i make tea-biscuits." "look up!" commanded the sorceress. mombi obeyed. "what is the color of my pearl?" demanded glinda. "why--it is black!" replied the old witch, in a tone of wonder. "then you have told me a falsehood!" cried glinda, angrily. "only when the truth is spoken will my magic pearl remain a pure white in color." mombi now saw how useless it was to try to deceive the sorceress; so she said, meanwhile scowling at her defeat: "the wizard brought to me the girl ozma, who was then no more than a baby, and begged me to conceal the child." "that is what i thought," declared glinda, calmly. "what did he give you for thus serving him?" "he taught me all the magical tricks he knew. some were good tricks, and some were only frauds; but i have remained faithful to my promise." "what did you do with the girl?" asked glinda; and at this question everyone bent forward and listened eagerly for the reply. "i enchanted her," answered mombi. "in what way?" "i transformed her into--into--" "into what?" demanded glinda, as the witch hesitated. "into a boy!" said mombi, in a low tone." a boy!" echoed every voice; and then, because they knew that this old woman had reared tip from childhood, all eyes were turned to where the boy stood. "yes," said the old witch, nodding her head; "that is the princess ozma--the child brought to me by the wizard who stole her father's throne. that is the rightful ruler of the emerald city!" and she pointed her long bony finger straight at the boy. "i!" cried tip, in amazement. "why, i'm no princess ozma--i'm not a girl!" glinda smiled, and going to tip she took his small brown hand within her dainty white one. full page line-art drawing. mombi pointed her long, bony finger at the boy "you are not a girl just now" said she, gently, "because mombi transformed you into a boy. but you were born a girl, and also a princess; so you must resume your proper form, that you may become queen of the emerald city." "oh, let jinjur be the queen!" exclaimed tip, ready to cry. "i want to stay a boy, and travel with the scarecrow and the tin woodman, and the woggle- bug, and jack--yes! and my friend the saw-horse--and the gump! i don't want to be a girl!" "never mind, old chap," said the tin woodman, soothingly; "it don't hurt to be a girl, i'm told; and we will all remain your faithful friends just the same. and, to be honest with you, i've always considered girls nicer than boys." "they're just as nice, anyway," added the scarecrow, patting tip affectionately upon the head. "and they are equally good students," proclaimed the woggle-bug. "i should like to become your tutor, when you are transformed into a girl again." "but--see here!" said jack pumpkinhead, with a gasp: "if you become a girl, you can't be my dear father any more!" "no," answered tip, laughing in spite of his anxiety. "and i shall not be sorry to escape the relationship." then he added, hesitatingly, as he turned to line-art drawing glinda: "i might try it for awhile,-just to see how it seems, you know. but if i don't like being a girl you must promise to change me into a boy again." "really," said the sorceress, "that is beyond my magic. i never deal in transformations, for they are not honest, and no respectable sorceress likes to make things appear to be what they are not. only unscrupulous witches use the art, and therefore i must ask mombi to effect your release from her charm, and restore you to your proper form. it will be the last opportunity she will have to practice magic." now that the truth about princes ozma had been discovered, mombi did not care what became of tip; but she feared glinda's anger, and the boy generously promised to provide for mombi in her old age if he became the ruler of the emerald city. so the witch consented to effect the transformation, and preparations for the event were at once made. glinda ordered her own royal couch to be placed in the center of the tent. it was piled high with cushions covered with rose-colored silk, and from a golden railing above hung many folds of pink gossamer, completely concealing the interior of the couch. the first act of the witch was to make the boy drink a potion which quickly sent him into a deep and dreamless sleep. then the tin woodman and the woggle-bug bore him gently to the couch, placed him upon the soft cushions, and drew the gossamer hangings to shut him from all earthly view. the witch squatted upon the ground and kindled a tiny fire of dried herbs, which she drew from her bosom. when the blaze shot up and burned clearly old mombi scattered a handful of magical powder over the fire, which straightway gave off a rich violet vapor, filling all the tent with its fragrance and forcing the saw-horse to sneeze--although he had been warned to keep quiet. full page line-art drawing. mombi at her magical incantations. then, while the others watched her curiously, the hag chanted a rhythmical verse in words which no one understood, and bent her lean body seven times back and forth over the fire. and now the incantation seemed complete, for the witch stood upright and cried the one word "yeowa!" in a loud voice. the vapor floated away; the atmosphere became, clear again; a whiff of fresh air filled the tent, and the pink curtains of the couch trembled slightly, as if stirred from within. glinda walked to the canopy and parted the silken hangings. then she bent over the cushions, reached out her hand, and from the couch arose the form of a young girl, fresh and beautiful as a may morning. her eyes sparkled as two diamonds, and her lips were tinted like a tourmaline. all adown her back floated tresses of ruddy gold, with a slender jeweled circlet confining them at the brow. her robes of silken gauze floated around her like a cloud, and dainty satin slippers shod her feet. at this exquisite vision tip's old comrades stared in wonder for the space of a full minute, and then every head bent low in honest admiration of the lovely princess ozma. the girl herself cast one look into glinda's bright face, which glowed with pleasure and satisfaction, and then turned upon the others. speaking the words with sweet diffidence, she said: "i hope none of you will care less for me than you did before. i'm just the same tip, you know; only--only--" "only you're different!" said the pumpkinhead; and everyone thought it was the wisest speech he had ever made. line-art drawing full page line-art drawing. the riches of content when the wonderful tidings reached the ears of queen jinjur--how mombi the witch had been captured; how she had confessed her crime to glinda; and how the long-lost princess ozma had been discovered in no less a personage than the boy tip--she wept real tears of grief and despair. "to think," she moaned, "that after having ruled as queen, and lived in a palace, i must go back to scrubbing floors and churning butter again! it is too horrible to think of! i will never consent!" so when her soldiers, who spent most of their time making fudge in the palace kitchens, counseled jinjur to resist, she listened to their foolish prattle and sent a sharp defiance to glinda the good and the princess ozma. the result was a declaration of war, and the very next day glinda marched upon the emerald city with pennants flying and bands playing, and a forest of shining spears, sparkling brightly beneath the sun's rays. but when it came to the walls this brave assembly made a sudden halt; for jinjur had closed and barred every gateway, and the walls of the emerald city were builded high and thick with many blocks of green marble. finding her advance thus baffled, glinda bent her brows in deep thought, while the woggle-bug said, in his most positive tone: "we must lay siege to the city, and starve it into submission. it is the only thing we can do." "not so," answered the scarecrow. "we still have the gump, and the gump can still fly" the sorceress turned quickly at this speech, and her face now wore a bright smile. "you are right," she exclaimed, "and certainly have reason to be proud of your brains. let us go to the gump at once!" so they passed through the ranks of the army until they came to the place, near the scarecrow's tent, where the gump lay. glinda and princess ozma mounted first, and sat upon the sofas. then the scarecrow and his friends climbed aboard, and still there was room for a captain and three soldiers, which glinda considered sufficient for a guard. now, at a word from the princess, the queer line-art drawing thing they had called the gump flopped its palm-leaf wings and rose into the air, carrying the party of adventurers high above the walls. they hovered over the palace, and soon perceived jinjur reclining in a hammock in the courtyard, where she was comfortably reading a novel with a green cover and eating green chocolates, confident that the walls would protect her from her enemies. obeying a quick command, the gump alighted safely in this very courtyard, and before jinjur had time to do more than scream, the captain and three soldiers leaped out and made the former queen a prisoner, locking strong chains upon both her wrists. that act really ended the war; for the army of revolt submitted as soon as they knew jinjur to be a captive, and the captain marched in safety through the streets and up to the gates of the city, which she threw wide open. then the bands played their most stirring music while glinda's army marched into the city, and heralds proclaimed the conquest of the audacious jinjur and the accession of the beautiful princess ozma to the throne of her royal ancestors. at once the men of the emerald city cast off their aprons. and it is said that the women were so tired eating of their husbands' cooking that they line-art drawing all hailed the conquest of jinjur with joy. certain it is that, rushing one and all to the kitchens of their houses, the good wives prepared so delicious a feast for the weary men that harmony was immediately restored in every family. ozma's first act was to oblige the army of revolt to return to her every emerald or other gem stolen from the public streets and buildings; and so great was the number of precious stones picked from their settings by these vain girls, that every one of the royal jewelers worked steadily for more than a month to replace them in their settings. meanwhile the army of revolt was disbanded and the girls sent home to their mothers. on promise of good behavior jinjur was likewise released. ozma made the loveliest queen the emerald city had ever known; and, although she was so young and inexperienced, she ruled her people with wisdom and justice. for glinda gave her good advice on all occasions; and the woggle-bug, who was appointed to the important post of public educator, was quite helpful to ozma when her royal duties grew perplexing. the girl, in her gratitude to the gump for its services, offered the creature any reward it might name. "then," replied the gump, "please take me to pieces. i did not wish to be brought to life, and i am greatly ashamed of my conglomerate personality. once i was a monarch of the forest, as my antlers fully prove; but now, in my present upholstered condition of servitude, i am compelled to fly through the air--my legs being of no use to me whatever. therefore i beg to be dispersed." so ozma ordered the gump taken apart. the antlered head was again hung over the mantle-piece in the hall, and the sofas were untied and placed in the reception parlors. the broom tail resumed its accustomed duties in the kitchen, and finally, the scarecrow replaced all the clotheslines and ropes on the pegs from which he had taken them on the eventful day when the thing was constructed. you might think that was the end of the gump; and so it was, as a flying-machine. but the head over the mantle-piece continued to talk whenever it took a notion to do so, and it frequently startled, with its abrupt questions, the people who waited in the hall for an audience with the queen. the saw-horse, being ozma's personal property, was tenderly cared for; and often she rode the queer creature along the streets of the emerald city. she had its wooden legs shod with gold, to keep them from wearing out, and the tinkle of these golden shoes upon the pavement always filled the queen's subjects with awe as they thought upon this evidence of her magical powers. "the wonderful wizard was never so wonderful as queen ozma," the people said to one another, in whispers; "for he claimed to do many things he could not do; whereas our new queen does many things no one would ever expect her to accomplish." jack pumpkinhead remained with ozma to the end of his days; and he did not spoil as soon as he had feared, although he always remained as stupid as ever. the woggle-bug tried to teach him several arts and sciences; but jack was so poor a student that any attempt to educate him was soon abandoned. after glinda's army had marched back home, and peace was restored to the emerald city, the tin woodman announced his intention to return to his own kingdom of the winkies. "it isn't a very big kingdom," said he to ozma, "but for that very reason it is easier to rule; and i have called myself an emperor because i am an absolute monarch, and no one interferes in any way with my conduct of public or personal affairs. when i get home i shall have a new coat of nickel plate; for i have become somewhat marred and scratched lately; and then i shall be glad to have you pay me a visit." "thank you," replied ozma. "some day i may accept the invitation. but what is to become of the scarecrow?" "i shall return with my friend the tin woodman," said the stuffed one, seriously. "we have decided never to be parted in the future." "and i have made the scarecrow my royal treasurer," explained the tin woodman." for it has occurred to me that it is a good thing to have a royal treasurer who is made of money. what do you think?" "i think," said the little queen, smiling, "that your friend must be the richest man in all the world." "i am," returned the scarecrow. "but not on account of my money. for i consider brains far superior to money, in every way. you may have noticed that if one has money without brains, he cannot use it to advantage; but if one has brains without money, they will enable him to live comfortably to the end of his days." "at the same time," declared the tin woodman, "you must acknowledge that a good heart is a thing that brains can not create, and that money can not buy. perhaps, after all, it is i who am the richest man in all the world." "you are both rich, my friends," said ozma, gently; "and your riches are the only riches worth having--the riches of content!" the end the road to oz in which is related how dorothy gale of kansas, the shaggy man, button bright, and polychrome the rainbow's daughter met on an enchanted road and followed it all the way to the marvelous land of oz. by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" contents --to my readers-- . the way to butterfield . dorothy meets button-bright . a queer village . king dox . the rainbow's daughter . the city of beasts . the shaggy man's transformation . the musicker . facing the scoodlers . escaping the soup-kettle . johnny dooit does it . the deadly desert crossed . the truth pond . tik-tok and billina . the emperor's tin castle . visiting the pumpkin-field . the royal chariot arrives . the emerald city . the shaggy man's welcome . princess ozma of oz . dorothy receives the guests . important arrivals . the grand banquet . the birthday celebration to my readers well, my dears, here is what you have asked for: another "oz book" about dorothy's strange adventures. toto is in this story, because you wanted him to be there, and many other characters which you will recognize are in the story, too. indeed, the wishes of my little correspondents have been considered as carefully as possible, and if the story is not exactly as you would have written it yourselves, you must remember that a story has to be a story before it can be written down, and the writer cannot change it much without spoiling it. in the preface to "dorothy and the wizard of oz" i said i would like to write some stories that were not "oz" stories, because i thought i had written about oz long enough; but since that volume was published i have been fairly deluged with letters from children imploring me to "write more about dorothy," and "more about oz," and since i write only to please the children i shall try to respect their wishes. there are some new characters in this book that ought to win your love. i'm very fond of the shaggy man myself, and i think you will like him, too. as for polychrome--the rainbow's daughter--and stupid little button-bright, they seem to have brought a new element of fun into these oz stories, and i am glad i discovered them. yet i am anxious to have you write and tell me how you like them. since this book was written i have received some very remarkable news from the land of oz, which has greatly astonished me. i believe it will astonish you, too, my dears, when you hear it. but it is such a long and exciting story that it must be saved for another book--and perhaps that book will be the last story that will ever be told about the land of oz. l. frank baum coronado, . . the way to butterfield "please, miss," said the shaggy man, "can you tell me the road to butterfield?" dorothy looked him over. yes, he was shaggy, all right, but there was a twinkle in his eye that seemed pleasant. "oh yes," she replied; "i can tell you. but it isn't this road at all." "no?" "you cross the ten-acre lot, follow the lane to the highway, go north to the five branches, and take--let me see--" "to be sure, miss; see as far as butterfield, if you like," said the shaggy man. "you take the branch next the willow stump, i b'lieve; or else the branch by the gopher holes; or else--" "won't any of 'em do, miss?" "'course not, shaggy man. you must take the right road to get to butterfield." "and is that the one by the gopher stump, or--" "dear me!" cried dorothy. "i shall have to show you the way, you're so stupid. wait a minute till i run in the house and get my sunbonnet." the shaggy man waited. he had an oat-straw in his mouth, which he chewed slowly as if it tasted good; but it didn't. there was an apple-tree beside the house, and some apples had fallen to the ground. the shaggy man thought they would taste better than the oat-straw, so he walked over to get some. a little black dog with bright brown eyes dashed out of the farm-house and ran madly toward the shaggy man, who had already picked up three apples and put them in one of the big wide pockets of his shaggy coat. the little dog barked and made a dive for the shaggy man's leg; but he grabbed the dog by the neck and put it in his big pocket along with the apples. he took more apples, afterward, for many were on the ground; and each one that he tossed into his pocket hit the little dog somewhere upon the head or back, and made him growl. the little dog's name was toto, and he was sorry he had been put in the shaggy man's pocket. pretty soon dorothy came out of the house with her sunbonnet, and she called out: "come on, shaggy man, if you want me to show you the road to butterfield." she climbed the fence into the ten-acre lot and he followed her, walking slowly and stumbling over the little hillocks in the pasture as if he was thinking of something else and did not notice them. "my, but you're clumsy!" said the little girl. "are your feet tired?" "no, miss; it's my whiskers; they tire very easily in this warm weather," said he. "i wish it would snow, don't you?" "'course not, shaggy man," replied dorothy, giving him a severe look. "if it snowed in august it would spoil the corn and the oats and the wheat; and then uncle henry wouldn't have any crops; and that would make him poor; and--" "never mind," said the shaggy man. "it won't snow, i guess. is this the lane?" "yes," replied dorothy, climbing another fence; "i'll go as far as the highway with you." "thankee, miss; you're very kind for your size, i'm sure," said he gratefully. "it isn't everyone who knows the road to butterfield," dorothy remarked as she tripped along the lane; "but i've driven there many a time with uncle henry, and so i b'lieve i could find it blindfolded." "don't do that, miss," said the shaggy man earnestly; "you might make a mistake." "i won't," she answered, laughing. "here's the highway. now it's the second--no, the third turn to the left--or else it's the fourth. let's see. the first one is by the elm tree, and the second is by the gopher holes; and then--" "then what?" he inquired, putting his hands in his coat pockets. toto grabbed a finger and bit it; the shaggy man took his hand out of that pocket quickly, and said "oh!" dorothy did not notice. she was shading her eyes from the sun with her arm, looking anxiously down the road. "come on," she commanded. "it's only a little way farther, so i may as well show you." after a while, they came to the place where five roads branched in different directions; dorothy pointed to one, and said: "that's it, shaggy man." "i'm much obliged, miss," he said, and started along another road. "not that one!" she cried; "you're going wrong." he stopped. "i thought you said that other was the road to butterfield," said he, running his fingers through his shaggy whiskers in a puzzled way. "so it is." "but i don't want to go to butterfield, miss." "you don't?" "of course not. i wanted you to show me the road, so i shouldn't go there by mistake." "oh! where do you want to go, then?" "i'm not particular, miss." this answer astonished the little girl; and it made her provoked, too, to think she had taken all this trouble for nothing. "there are a good many roads here," observed the shaggy man, turning slowly around, like a human windmill. "seems to me a person could go 'most anywhere, from this place." dorothy turned around too, and gazed in surprise. there were a good many roads; more than she had ever seen before. she tried to count them, knowing there ought to be five, but when she had counted seventeen she grew bewildered and stopped, for the roads were as many as the spokes of a wheel and ran in every direction from the place where they stood; so if she kept on counting she was likely to count some of the roads twice. "dear me!" she exclaimed. "there used to be only five roads, highway and all. and now--why, where's the highway, shaggy man?" "can't say, miss," he responded, sitting down upon the ground as if tired with standing. "wasn't it here a minute ago?" "i thought so," she answered, greatly perplexed. "and i saw the gopher holes, too, and the dead stump; but they're not here now. these roads are all strange--and what a lot of them there are! where do you suppose they all go to?" "roads," observed the shaggy man, "don't go anywhere. they stay in one place, so folks can walk on them." he put his hand in his side-pocket and drew out an apple--quick, before toto could bite him again. the little dog got his head out this time and said "bow-wow!" so loudly that it made dorothy jump. "o, toto!" she cried; "where did you come from?" "i brought him along," said the shaggy man. "what for?" she asked. "to guard these apples in my pocket, miss, so no one would steal them." with one hand the shaggy man held the apple, which he began eating, while with the other hand he pulled toto out of his pocket and dropped him to the ground. of course toto made for dorothy at once, barking joyfully at his release from the dark pocket. when the child had patted his head lovingly, he sat down before her, his red tongue hanging out one side of his mouth, and looked up into her face with his bright brown eyes, as if asking her what they should do next. dorothy didn't know. she looked around her anxiously for some familiar landmark; but everything was strange. between the branches of the many roads were green meadows and a few shrubs and trees, but she couldn't see anywhere the farm-house from which she had just come, or anything she had ever seen before--except the shaggy man and toto. besides this, she had turned around and around so many times trying to find out where she was, that now she couldn't even tell which direction the farm-house ought to be in; and this began to worry her and make her feel anxious. "i'm 'fraid, shaggy man," she said, with a sigh, "that we're lost!" "that's nothing to be afraid of," he replied, throwing away the core of his apple and beginning to eat another one. "each of these roads must lead somewhere, or it wouldn't be here. so what does it matter?" "i want to go home again," she said. "well, why don't you?" said he. "i don't know which road to take." "that is too bad," he said, shaking his shaggy head gravely. "i wish i could help you; but i can't. i'm a stranger in these parts." "seems as if i were, too," she said, sitting down beside him. "it's funny. a few minutes ago i was home, and i just came to show you the way to butterfield--" "so i shouldn't make a mistake and go there--" "and now i'm lost myself and don't know how to get home!" "have an apple," suggested the shaggy man, handing her one with pretty red cheeks. "i'm not hungry," said dorothy, pushing it away. "but you may be, to-morrow; then you'll be sorry you didn't eat the apple," said he. "if i am, i'll eat the apple then," promised dorothy. "perhaps there won't be any apple then," he returned, beginning to eat the red-cheeked one himself. "dogs sometimes can find their way home better than people," he went on; "perhaps your dog can lead you back to the farm." "will you, toto?" asked dorothy. toto wagged his tail vigorously. "all right," said the girl; "let's go home." toto looked around a minute and dashed up one of the roads. "good-bye, shaggy man," called dorothy, and ran after toto. the little dog pranced briskly along for some distance; when he turned around and looked at his mistress questioningly. "oh, don't 'spect me to tell you anything; i don't know the way," she said. "you'll have to find it yourself." but toto couldn't. he wagged his tail, and sneezed, and shook his ears, and trotted back where they had left the shaggy man. from here he started along another road; then came back and tried another; but each time he found the way strange and decided it would not take them to the farm-house. finally, when dorothy had begun to tire with chasing after him, toto sat down panting beside the shaggy man and gave up. dorothy sat down, too, very thoughtful. the little girl had encountered some queer adventures since she came to live at the farm; but this was the queerest of them all. to get lost in fifteen minutes, so near to her home and in the unromantic state of kansas, was an experience that fairly bewildered her. "will your folks worry?" asked the shaggy man, his eyes twinkling in a pleasant way. "i s'pose so," answered dorothy with a sigh. "uncle henry says there's always something happening to me; but i've always come home safe at the last. so perhaps he'll take comfort and think i'll come home safe this time." "i'm sure you will," said the shaggy man, smilingly nodding at her. "good little girls never come to any harm, you know. for my part, i'm good, too; so nothing ever hurts me." dorothy looked at him curiously. his clothes were shaggy, his boots were shaggy and full of holes, and his hair and whiskers were shaggy. but his smile was sweet and his eyes were kind. "why didn't you want to go to butterfield?" she asked. "because a man lives there who owes me fifteen cents, and if i went to butterfield and he saw me he'd want to pay me the money. i don't want money, my dear." "why not?" she inquired. "money," declared the shaggy man, "makes people proud and haughty. i don't want to be proud and haughty. all i want is to have people love me; and as long as i own the love magnet, everyone i meet is sure to love me dearly." "the love magnet! why, what's that?" "i'll show you, if you won't tell any one," he answered, in a low, mysterious voice. "there isn't any one to tell, 'cept toto," said the girl. the shaggy man searched in one pocket, carefully; and in another pocket; and in a third. at last he drew out a small parcel wrapped in crumpled paper and tied with a cotton string. he unwound the string, opened the parcel, and took out a bit of metal shaped like a horseshoe. it was dull and brown, and not very pretty. "this, my dear," said he, impressively, "is the wonderful love magnet. it was given me by an eskimo in the sandwich islands--where there are no sandwiches at all--and as long as i carry it every living thing i meet will love me dearly." "why didn't the eskimo keep it?" she asked, looking at the magnet with interest. "he got tired of being loved and longed for some one to hate him. so he gave me the magnet and the very next day a grizzly bear ate him." "wasn't he sorry then?" she inquired. "he didn't say," replied the shaggy man, wrapping and tying the love magnet with great care and putting it away in another pocket. "but the bear didn't seem sorry a bit," he added. "did you know the bear?" asked dorothy. "yes; we used to play ball together in the caviar islands. the bear loved me because i had the love magnet. i couldn't blame him for eating the eskimo, because it was his nature to do so." "once," said dorothy, "i knew a hungry tiger who longed to eat fat babies, because it was his nature to; but he never ate any because he had a conscience." "this bear," replied the shaggy man, with a sigh, "had no conscience, you see." the shaggy man sat silent for several minutes, apparently considering the cases of the bear and the tiger, while toto watched him with an air of great interest. the little dog was doubtless thinking of his ride in the shaggy man's pocket and planning to keep out of reach in the future. at last the shaggy man turned and inquired, "what's your name, little girl?" "my name's dorothy," said she, jumping up again, "but what are we going to do? we can't stay here forever, you know." "let's take the seventh road," he suggested. "seven is a lucky number for little girls named dorothy." "the seventh from where?" "from where you begin to count." so she counted seven roads, and the seventh looked just like all the others; but the shaggy man got up from the ground where he had been sitting and started down this road as if sure it was the best way to go; and dorothy and toto followed him. . dorothy meets button-bright the seventh road was a good road, and curved this way and that--winding through green meadows and fields covered with daisies and buttercups and past groups of shady trees. there were no houses of any sort to be seen, and for some distance they met with no living creature at all. dorothy began to fear they were getting a good way from the farm-house, since here everything was strange to her; but it would do no good at all to go back where the other roads all met, because the next one they chose might lead her just as far from home. she kept on beside the shaggy man, who whistled cheerful tunes to beguile the journey, until by and by they followed a turn in the road and saw before them a big chestnut tree making a shady spot over the highway. in the shade sat a little boy dressed in sailor clothes, who was digging a hole in the earth with a bit of wood. he must have been digging some time, because the hole was already big enough to drop a football into. dorothy and toto and the shaggy man came to a halt before the little boy, who kept on digging in a sober and persistent fashion. "who are you?" asked the girl. he looked up at her calmly. his face was round and chubby and his eyes were big, blue and earnest. "i'm button-bright," said he. "but what's your real name?" she inquired. "button-bright." "that isn't a really-truly name!" she exclaimed. "isn't it?" he asked, still digging. "'course not. it's just a--a thing to call you by. you must have a name." "must i?" "to be sure. what does your mama call you?" he paused in his digging and tried to think. "papa always said i was bright as a button; so mama always called me button-bright," he said. "what is your papa's name?" "just papa." "what else?" "don't know." "never mind," said the shaggy man, smiling. "we'll call the boy button-bright, as his mama does. that name is as good as any, and better than some." dorothy watched the boy dig. "where do you live?" she asked. "don't know," was the reply. "how did you come here?" "don't know," he said again. "don't you know where you came from?" "no," said he. "why, he must be lost," she said to the shaggy man. she turned to the boy once more. "what are you going to do?" she inquired. "dig," said he. "but you can't dig forever; and what are you going to do then?" she persisted. "don't know," said the boy. "but you must know something," declared dorothy, getting provoked. "must i?" he asked, looking up in surprise. "of course you must." "what must i know?" "what's going to become of you, for one thing," she answered. "do you know what's going to become of me?" he asked. "not--not 'zactly," she admitted. "do you know what's going to become of you?" he continued, earnestly. "i can't say i do," replied dorothy, remembering her present difficulties. the shaggy man laughed. "no one knows everything, dorothy," he said. "but button-bright doesn't seem to know anything," she declared. "do you, button-bright?" he shook his head, which had pretty curls all over it, and replied with perfect calmness: "don't know." never before had dorothy met with anyone who could give her so little information. the boy was evidently lost, and his people would be sure to worry about him. he seemed two or three years younger than dorothy, and was prettily dressed, as if someone loved him dearly and took much pains to make him look well. how, then, did he come to be in this lonely road? she wondered. near button-bright, on the ground, lay a sailor hat with a gilt anchor on the band. his sailor trousers were long and wide at the bottom, and the broad collar of his blouse had gold anchors sewed on its corners. the boy was still digging at his hole. "have you ever been to sea?" asked dorothy. "to see what?" answered button-bright. "i mean, have you ever been where there's water?" "yes," said button-bright; "there's a well in our back yard." "you don't understand," cried dorothy. "i mean, have you ever been on a big ship floating on a big ocean?" "don't know," said he. "then why do you wear sailor clothes?" "don't know," he answered, again. dorothy was in despair. "you're just awful stupid, button-bright," she said. "am i?" he asked. "yes, you are." "why?" looking up at her with big eyes. she was going to say: "don't know," but stopped herself in time. "that's for you to answer," she replied. "it's no use asking button-bright questions," said the shaggy man, who had been eating another apple; "but someone ought to take care of the poor little chap, don't you think? so he'd better come along with us." toto had been looking with great curiosity in the hole which the boy was digging, and growing more and more excited every minute, perhaps thinking that button-bright was after some wild animal. the little dog began barking loudly and jumped into the hole himself, where he began to dig with his tiny paws, making the earth fly in all directions. it spattered over the boy. dorothy seized him and raised him to his feet, brushing his clothes with her hand. "stop that, toto!" she called. "there aren't any mice or woodchucks in that hole, so don't be foolish." toto stopped, sniffed at the hole suspiciously, and jumped out of it, wagging his tail as if he had done something important. "well," said the shaggy man, "let's start on, or we won't get anywhere before night comes." "where do you expect to get to?" asked dorothy. "i'm like button-bright. i don't know," answered the shaggy man, with a laugh. "but i've learned from long experience that every road leads somewhere, or there wouldn't be any road; so it's likely that if we travel long enough, my dear, we will come to some place or another in the end. what place it will be we can't even guess at this moment, but we're sure to find out when we get there." "why, yes," said dorothy; "that seems reas'n'ble, shaggy man." . a queer village button-bright took the shaggy man's hand willingly; for the shaggy man had the love magnet, you know, which was the reason button-bright had loved him at once. they started on, with dorothy on one side, and toto on the other, the little party trudging along more cheerfully than you might have supposed. the girl was getting used to queer adventures, which interested her very much. wherever dorothy went toto was sure to go, like mary's little lamb. button-bright didn't seem a bit afraid or worried because he was lost, and the shaggy man had no home, perhaps, and was as happy in one place as in another. before long they saw ahead of them a fine big arch spanning the road, and when they came nearer they found that the arch was beautifully carved and decorated with rich colors. a row of peacocks with spread tails ran along the top of it, and all the feathers were gorgeously painted. in the center was a large fox's head, and the fox wore a shrewd and knowing expression and had large spectacles over its eyes and a small golden crown with shiny points on top of its head. while the travelers were looking with curiosity at this beautiful arch there suddenly marched out of it a company of soldiers--only the soldiers were all foxes dressed in uniforms. they wore green jackets and yellow pantaloons, and their little round caps and their high boots were a bright red color. also, there was a big red bow tied about the middle of each long, bushy tail. each soldier was armed with a wooden sword having an edge of sharp teeth set in a row, and the sight of these teeth at first caused dorothy to shudder. a captain marched in front of the company of fox-soldiers, his uniform embroidered with gold braid to make it handsomer than the others. almost before our friends realized it the soldiers had surrounded them on all sides, and the captain was calling out in a harsh voice: "surrender! you are our prisoners." "what's a pris'ner?" asked button-bright. "a prisoner is a captive," replied the fox-captain, strutting up and down with much dignity. "what's a captive?" asked button-bright. "you're one," said the captain. that made the shaggy man laugh "good afternoon, captain," he said, bowing politely to all the foxes and very low to their commander. "i trust you are in good health, and that your families are all well?" the fox-captain looked at the shaggy man, and his sharp features grew pleasant and smiling. "we're pretty well, thank you, shaggy man," said he; and dorothy knew that the love magnet was working and that all the foxes now loved the shaggy man because of it. but toto didn't know this, for he began barking angrily and tried to bite the captain's hairy leg where it showed between his red boots and his yellow pantaloons. "stop, toto!" cried the little girl, seizing the dog in her arms. "these are our friends." "why, so we are!" remarked the captain in tones of astonishment. "i thought at first we were enemies, but it seems you are friends instead. you must come with me to see king dox." "who's he?" asked button-bright, with earnest eyes. "king dox of foxville; the great and wise sovereign who rules over our community." "what's sov'rin, and what's c'u'nity?" inquired button-bright. "don't ask so many questions, little boy." "why?" "ah, why indeed?" exclaimed the captain, looking at button-bright admiringly. "if you don't ask questions you will learn nothing. true enough. i was wrong. you're a very clever little boy, come to think of it--very clever indeed. but now, friends, please come with me, for it is my duty to escort you at once to the royal palace." the soldiers marched back through the arch again, and with them marched the shaggy man, dorothy, toto, and button-bright. once through the opening they found a fine, big city spread out before them, all the houses of carved marble in beautiful colors. the decorations were mostly birds and other fowl, such as peacocks, pheasants, turkeys, prairie-chickens, ducks, and geese. over each doorway was carved a head representing the fox who lived in that house, this effect being quite pretty and unusual. as our friends marched along, some of the foxes came out on the porches and balconies to get a view of the strangers. these foxes were all handsomely dressed, the girl-foxes and women-foxes wearing gowns of feathers woven together effectively and colored in bright hues which dorothy thought were quite artistic and decidedly attractive. button-bright stared until his eyes were big and round, and he would have stumbled and fallen more than once had not the shaggy man grasped his hand tightly. they were all interested, and toto was so excited he wanted to bark every minute and to chase and fight every fox he caught sight of; but dorothy held his little wiggling body fast in her arms and commanded him to be good and behave himself. so he finally quieted down, like a wise doggy, deciding there were too many foxes in foxville to fight at one time. by-and-by they came to a big square, and in the center of the square stood the royal palace. dorothy knew it at once because it had over its great door the carved head of a fox just like the one she had seen on the arch, and this fox was the only one who wore a golden crown. there were many fox-soldiers guarding the door, but they bowed to the captain and admitted him without question. the captain led them through many rooms, where richly dressed foxes were sitting on beautiful chairs or sipping tea, which was being passed around by fox-servants in white aprons. they came to a big doorway covered with heavy curtains of cloth of gold. beside this doorway stood a huge drum. the fox-captain went to this drum and knocked his knees against it--first one knee and then the other--so that the drum said: "boom-boom." "you must all do exactly what i do," ordered the captain; so the shaggy man pounded the drum with his knees, and so did dorothy and so did button-bright. the boy wanted to keep on pounding it with his little fat knees, because he liked the sound of it; but the captain stopped him. toto couldn't pound the drum with his knees and he didn't know enough to wag his tail against it, so dorothy pounded the drum for him and that made him bark, and when the little dog barked the fox-captain scowled. the golden curtains drew back far enough to make an opening, through which marched the captain with the others. the broad, long room they entered was decorated in gold with stained-glass windows of splendid colors. in the corner of the room upon a richly carved golden throne, sat the fox-king, surrounded by a group of other foxes, all of whom wore great spectacles over their eyes, making them look solemn and important. dorothy knew the king at once, because she had seen his head carved on the arch and over the doorway of the palace. having met with several other kings in her travels, she knew what to do, and at once made a low bow before the throne. the shaggy man bowed, too, and button-bright bobbed his head and said "hello." "most wise and noble potentate of foxville," said the captain, addressing the king in a pompous voice, "i humbly beg to report that i found these strangers on the road leading to your foxy majesty's dominions, and have therefore brought them before you, as is my duty." "so--so," said the king, looking at them keenly. "what brought you here, strangers?" "our legs, may it please your royal hairiness," replied the shaggy man. "what is your business here?" was the next question. "to get away as soon as possible," said the shaggy man. the king didn't know about the magnet, of course; but it made him love the shaggy man at once. "do just as you please about going away," he said; "but i'd like to show you the sights of my city and to entertain your party while you are here. we feel highly honored to have little dorothy with us, i assure you, and we appreciate her kindness in making us a visit. for whatever country dorothy visits is sure to become famous." this speech greatly surprised the little girl, who asked: "how did your majesty know my name?" "why, everybody knows you, my dear," said the fox-king. "don't you realize that? you are quite an important personage since princess ozma of oz made you her friend." "do you know ozma?" she asked, wondering. "i regret to say that i do not," he answered, sadly; "but i hope to meet her soon. you know the princess ozma is to celebrate her birthday on the twenty-first of this month." "is she?" said dorothy. "i didn't know that." "yes; it is to be the most brilliant royal ceremony ever held in any city in fairyland, and i hope you will try to get me an invitation." dorothy thought a moment. "i'm sure ozma would invite you if i asked her," she said; "but how could you get to the land of oz and the emerald city? it's a good way from kansas." "kansas!" he exclaimed, surprised. "why, yes; we are in kansas now, aren't we?" she returned. "what a queer notion!" cried the fox-king, beginning to laugh. "whatever made you think this is kansas?" "i left uncle henry's farm only about two hours ago; that's the reason," she said, rather perplexed. "but, tell me, my dear, did you ever see so wonderful a city as foxville in kansas?" he questioned. "no, your majesty." "and haven't you traveled from oz to kansas in less than half a jiffy, by means of the silver shoes and the magic belt?" "yes, your majesty," she acknowledged. "then why do you wonder that an hour or two could bring you to foxville, which is nearer to oz than it is to kansas?" "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy; "is this another fairy adventure?" "it seems to be," said the fox-king, smiling. dorothy turned to the shaggy man, and her face was grave and reproachful. "are you a magician? or a fairy in disguise?" she asked. "did you enchant me when you asked the way to butterfield?" the shaggy man shook his head. "who ever heard of a shaggy fairy?" he replied. "no, dorothy, my dear; i'm not to blame for this journey in any way, i assure you. there's been something strange about me ever since i owned the love magnet; but i don't know what it is any more than you do. i didn't try to get you away from home, at all. if you want to find your way back to the farm i'll go with you willingly, and do my best to help you." "never mind," said the little girl, thoughtfully. "there isn't so much to see in kansas as there is here, and i guess aunt em won't be very much worried; that is, if i don't stay away too long." "that's right," declared the fox-king, nodding approval. "be contented with your lot, whatever it happens to be, if you are wise. which reminds me that you have a new companion on this adventure--he looks very clever and bright." "he is," said dorothy; and the shaggy man added: "that's his name, your royal foxiness--button-bright." . king dox it was amusing to note the expression on the face of king dox as he looked the boy over, from his sailor hat to his stubby shoes, and it was equally diverting to watch button-bright stare at the king in return. no fox ever beheld a fresher, fairer child's face, and no child had ever before heard a fox talk, or met with one who dressed so handsomely and ruled so big a city. i am sorry to say that no one had ever told the little boy much about fairies of any kind; this being the case, it is easy to understand how much this strange experience startled and astonished him. "how do you like us?" asked the king. "don't know," said button-bright. "of course you don't. it's too short an acquaintance," returned his majesty. "what do you suppose my name is?" "don't know," said button-bright. "how should you? well, i'll tell you. my private name is dox, but a king can't be called by his private name; he has to take one that is official. therefore my official name is king renard the fourth. ren-ard with the accent on the 'ren'." "what's 'ren'?" asked button-bright. "how clever!" exclaimed the king, turning a pleased face toward his counselors. "this boy is indeed remarkably bright. 'what's 'ren'?' he asks; and of course 'ren' is nothing at all, all by itself. yes, he's very bright indeed." "that question is what your majesty might call foxy," said one of the counselors, an old grey fox. "so it is," declared the king. turning again to button-bright, he asked: "having told you my name, what would you call me?" "king dox," said the boy. "why?" "'cause 'ren''s nothing at all," was the reply. "good! very good indeed! you certainly have a brilliant mind. do you know why two and two make four?" "no," said button-bright. "clever! clever indeed! of course you don't know. nobody knows why; we only know it's so, and can't tell why it's so. button-bright, those curls and blue eyes do not go well with so much wisdom. they make you look too youthful, and hide your real cleverness. therefore, i will do you a great favor. i will confer upon you the head of a fox, so that you may hereafter look as bright as you really are." as he spoke the king waved his paw toward the boy, and at once the pretty curls and fresh round face and big blue eyes were gone, while in their place a fox's head appeared upon button-bright's shoulders--a hairy head with a sharp nose, pointed ears, and keen little eyes. "oh, don't do that!" cried dorothy, shrinking back from her transformed companion with a shocked and dismayed face. "too late, my dear; it's done. but you also shall have a fox's head if you can prove you're as clever as button-bright." "i don't want it; it's dreadful!" she exclaimed; and, hearing this verdict, button-bright began to boo-hoo just as if he were still a little boy. "how can you call that lovely head dreadful?" asked the king. "it's a much prettier face than he had before, to my notion, and my wife says i'm a good judge of beauty. don't cry, little fox-boy. laugh and be proud, because you are so highly favored. how do you like the new head, button-bright?" "d-d-don't n-n-n-know!" sobbed the child. "please, please change him back again, your majesty!" begged dorothy. king renard iv shook his head. "i can't do that," he said; "i haven't the power, even if i wanted to. no, button-bright must wear his fox head, and he'll be sure to love it dearly as soon as he gets used to it." both the shaggy man and dorothy looked grave and anxious, for they were sorrowful that such a misfortune had overtaken their little companion. toto barked at the fox-boy once or twice, not realizing it was his former friend who now wore the animal head; but dorothy cuffed the dog and made him stop. as for the foxes, they all seemed to think button-bright's new head very becoming and that their king had conferred a great honor on this little stranger. it was funny to see the boy reach up to feel of his sharp nose and wide mouth, and wail afresh with grief. he wagged his ears in a comical manner and tears were in his little black eyes. but dorothy couldn't laugh at her friend just yet, because she felt so sorry. just then three little fox-princesses, daughters of the king, entered the room, and when they saw button-bright one exclaimed: "how lovely he is!" and the next one cried in delight: "how sweet he is!" and the third princess clapped her hands with pleasure and said, "how beautiful he is!" button-bright stopped crying and asked timidly: "am i?" "in all the world there is not another face so pretty," declared the biggest fox-princess. "you must live with us always, and be our brother," said the next. "we shall all love you dearly," the third said. this praise did much to comfort the boy, and he looked around and tried to smile. it was a pitiful attempt, because the fox face was new and stiff, and dorothy thought his expression more stupid than before the transformation. "i think we ought to be going now," said the shaggy man, uneasily, for he didn't know what the king might take into his head to do next. "don't leave us yet, i beg of you," pleaded king renard. "i intend to have several days of feasting and merry-making in honor of your visit." "have it after we're gone, for we can't wait," said dorothy, decidedly. but seeing this displeased the king, she added: "if i'm going to get ozma to invite you to her party i'll have to find her as soon as poss'ble, you know." in spite of all the beauty of foxville and the gorgeous dresses of its inhabitants, both the girl and the shaggy man felt they were not quite safe there, and would be glad to see the last of it. "but it is now evening," the king reminded them, "and you must stay with us until morning, anyhow. therefore, i invite you to be my guests at dinner, and to attend the theater afterward and sit in the royal box. to-morrow morning, if you really insist upon it, you may resume your journey." they consented to this, and some of the fox-servants led them to a suite of lovely rooms in the big palace. button-bright was afraid to be left alone, so dorothy took him into her own room. while a maid-fox dressed the little girl's hair--which was a bit tangled--and put some bright, fresh ribbons in it, another maid-fox combed the hair on poor button-bright's face and head and brushed it carefully, tying a pink bow to each of his pointed ears. the maids wanted to dress the children in fine costumes of woven feathers, such as all the foxes wore; but neither of them consented to that. "a sailor suit and a fox head do not go well together," said one of the maids, "for no fox was ever a sailor that i can remember." "i'm not a fox!" cried button-bright. "alas, no," agreed the maid. "but you've got a lovely fox head on your skinny shoulders, and that's almost as good as being a fox." the boy, reminded of his misfortune, began to cry again. dorothy petted and comforted him and promised to find some way to restore him his own head. "if we can manage to get to ozma," she said, "the princess will change you back to yourself in half a second; so you just wear that fox head as comf't'bly as you can, dear, and don't worry about it at all. it isn't nearly as pretty as your own head, no matter what the foxes say; but you can get along with it for a little while longer, can't you?" "don't know," said button-bright, doubtfully; but he didn't cry any more after that. dorothy let the maids pin ribbons to her shoulders, after which they were ready for the king's dinner. when they met the shaggy man in the splendid drawing room of the palace they found him just the same as before. he had refused to give up his shaggy clothes for new ones, because if he did that he would no longer be the shaggy man, he said, and he might have to get acquainted with himself all over again. he told dorothy he had brushed his shaggy hair and whiskers; but she thought he must have brushed them the wrong way, for they were quite as shaggy as before. as for the company of foxes assembled to dine with the strangers, they were most beautifully costumed, and their rich dresses made dorothy's simple gown and button-bright's sailor suit and the shaggy man's shaggy clothes look commonplace. but they treated their guests with great respect and the king's dinner was a very good dinner indeed. foxes, as you know, are fond of chicken and other fowl; so they served chicken soup and roasted turkey and stewed duck and fried grouse and broiled quail and goose pie, and as the cooking was excellent the king's guests enjoyed the meal and ate heartily of the various dishes. the party went to the theater, where they saw a play acted by foxes dressed in costumes of brilliantly colored feathers. the play was about a fox-girl who was stolen by some wicked wolves and carried to their cave; and just as they were about to kill her and eat her a company of fox-soldiers marched up, saved the girl, and put all the wicked wolves to death. "how do you like it?" the king asked dorothy. "pretty well," she answered. "it reminds me of one of mr. aesop's fables." "don't mention aesop to me, i beg of you!" exclaimed king dox. "i hate that man's name. he wrote a good deal about foxes, but always made them out cruel and wicked, whereas we are gentle and kind, as you may see." "but his fables showed you to be wise and clever, and more shrewd than other animals," said the shaggy man, thoughtfully. "so we are. there is no question about our knowing more than men do," replied the king, proudly. "but we employ our wisdom to do good, instead of harm; so that horrid aesop did not know what he was talking about." they did not like to contradict him, because they felt he ought to know the nature of foxes better than men did; so they sat still and watched the play, and button-bright became so interested that for the time he forgot he wore a fox head. afterward they went back to the palace and slept in soft beds stuffed with feathers; for the foxes raised many fowl for food, and used their feathers for clothing and to sleep upon. dorothy wondered why the animals living in foxville did not wear just their own hairy skins as wild foxes do; when she mentioned it to king dox he said they clothed themselves because they were civilized. "but you were born without clothes," she observed, "and you don't seem to me to need them." "so were human beings born without clothes," he replied; "and until they became civilized they wore only their natural skins. but to become civilized means to dress as elaborately and prettily as possible, and to make a show of your clothes so your neighbors will envy you, and for that reason both civilized foxes and civilized humans spend most of their time dressing themselves." "i don't," declared the shaggy man. "that is true," said the king, looking at him carefully; "but perhaps you are not civilized." after a sound sleep and a good night's rest they had their breakfast with the king and then bade his majesty good-bye. "you've been kind to us--'cept poor button-bright," said dorothy, "and we've had a nice time in foxville." "then," said king dox, "perhaps you'll be good enough to get me an invitation to princess ozma's birthday celebration." "i'll try," she promised; "if i see her in time." "it's on the twenty-first, remember," he continued; "and if you'll just see that i'm invited i'll find a way to cross the dreadful desert into the marvelous land of oz. i've always wanted to visit the emerald city, so i'm sure it was fortunate you arrived here just when you did, you being princess ozma's friend and able to assist me in getting the invitation." "if i see ozma i'll ask her to invite you," she replied. the fox-king had a delightful luncheon put up for them, which the shaggy man shoved in his pocket, and the fox-captain escorted them to an arch at the side of the village opposite the one by which they had entered. here they found more soldiers guarding the road. "are you afraid of enemies?" asked dorothy. "no; because we are watchful and able to protect ourselves," answered the captain. "but this road leads to another village peopled by big, stupid beasts who might cause us trouble if they thought we were afraid of them." "what beasts are they?" asked the shaggy man. the captain hesitated to answer. finally, he said: "you will learn all about them when you arrive at their city. but do not be afraid of them. button-bright is so wonderfully clever and has now such an intelligent face that i'm sure he will manage to find a way to protect you." this made dorothy and the shaggy man rather uneasy, for they had not so much confidence in the fox-boy's wisdom as the captain seemed to have. but as their escort would say no more about the beasts, they bade him good-bye and proceeded on their journey. . the rainbow's daughter toto, now allowed to run about as he pleased, was glad to be free again and able to bark at the birds and chase the butterflies. the country around them was charming, yet in the pretty fields of wild-flowers and groves of leafy trees were no houses whatever, or sign of any inhabitants. birds flew through the air and cunning white rabbits darted amongst the tall grasses and green bushes; dorothy noticed even the ants toiling busily along the roadway, bearing gigantic loads of clover seed; but of people there were none at all. they walked briskly on for an hour or two, for even little button-bright was a good walker and did not tire easily. at length as they turned a curve in the road they beheld just before them a curious sight. a little girl, radiant and beautiful, shapely as a fairy and exquisitely dressed, was dancing gracefully in the middle of the lonely road, whirling slowly this way and that, her dainty feet twinkling in sprightly fashion. she was clad in flowing, fluffy robes of soft material that reminded dorothy of woven cobwebs, only it was colored in soft tintings of violet, rose, topaz, olive, azure, and white, mingled together most harmoniously in stripes which melted one into the other with soft blendings. her hair was like spun gold and flowed around her in a cloud, no strand being fastened or confined by either pin or ornament or ribbon. filled with wonder and admiration our friends approached and stood watching this fascinating dance. the girl was no taller than dorothy, although more slender; nor did she seem any older than our little heroine. suddenly she paused and abandoned the dance, as if for the first time observing the presence of strangers. as she faced them, shy as a frightened fawn, poised upon one foot as if to fly the next instant, dorothy was astonished to see tears flowing from her violet eyes and trickling down her lovely rose-hued cheeks. that the dainty maiden should dance and weep at the same time was indeed surprising; so dorothy asked in a soft, sympathetic voice: "are you unhappy, little girl?" "very!" was the reply; "i am lost." "why, so are we," said dorothy, smiling; "but we don't cry about it." "don't you? why not?" "'cause i've been lost before, and always got found again," answered dorothy simply. "but i've never been lost before," murmured the dainty maiden, "and i'm worried and afraid." "you were dancing," remarked dorothy, in a puzzled tone of voice. "oh, that was just to keep warm," explained the maiden, quickly. "it was not because i felt happy or gay, i assure you." dorothy looked at her closely. her gauzy flowing robes might not be very warm, yet the weather wasn't at all chilly, but rather mild and balmy, like a spring day. "who are you, dear?" she asked, gently. "i'm polychrome," was the reply. "polly whom?" "polychrome. i'm the daughter of the rainbow." "oh!" said dorothy with a gasp; "i didn't know the rainbow had children. but i might have known it, before you spoke. you couldn't really be anything else." "why not?" inquired polychrome, as if surprised. "because you're so lovely and sweet." the little maiden smiled through her tears, came up to dorothy, and placed her slender fingers in the kansas girl's chubby hand. "you'll be my friend--won't you?" she said, pleadingly. "of course." "and what is your name?" "i'm dorothy; and this is my friend shaggy man, who owns the love magnet; and this is button-bright--only you don't see him as he really is because the fox-king carelessly changed his head into a fox head. but the real button-bright is good to look at, and i hope to get him changed back to himself, some time." the rainbow's daughter nodded cheerfully, no longer afraid of her new companions. "but who is this?" she asked, pointing to toto, who was sitting before her wagging his tail in the most friendly manner and admiring the pretty maid with his bright eyes. "is this, also, some enchanted person?" "oh no, polly--i may call you polly, mayn't i? your whole name's awful hard to say." "call me polly if you wish, dorothy." "well, polly, toto's just a dog; but he has more sense than button-bright, to tell the truth; and i'm very fond of him." "so am i," said polychrome, bending gracefully to pat toto's head. "but how did the rainbow's daughter ever get on this lonely road, and become lost?" asked the shaggy man, who had listened wonderingly to all this. "why, my father stretched his rainbow over here this morning, so that one end of it touched this road," was the reply; "and i was dancing upon the pretty rays, as i love to do, and never noticed i was getting too far over the bend in the circle. suddenly i began to slide, and i went faster and faster until at last i bumped on the ground, at the very end. just then father lifted the rainbow again, without noticing me at all, and though i tried to seize the end of it and hold fast, it melted away entirely and i was left alone and helpless on the cold, hard earth!" "it doesn't seem cold to me, polly," said dorothy; "but perhaps you're not warmly dressed." "i'm so used to living nearer the sun," replied the rainbow's daughter, "that at first i feared i would freeze down here. but my dance has warmed me some, and now i wonder how i am ever to get home again." "won't your father miss you, and look for you, and let down another rainbow for you?" "perhaps so, but he's busy just now because it rains in so many parts of the world at this season, and he has to set his rainbow in a lot of different places. what would you advise me to do, dorothy?" "come with us," was the answer. "i'm going to try to find my way to the emerald city, which is in the fairy land of oz. the emerald city is ruled by a friend of mine, the princess ozma, and if we can manage to get there i'm sure she will know a way to send you home to your father again." "do you really think so?" asked polychrome, anxiously. "i'm pretty sure." "then i'll go with you," said the little maid; "for travel will help keep me warm, and father can find me in one part of the world as well as another--if he gets time to look for me." "come along, then," said the shaggy man, cheerfully; and they started on once more. polly walked beside dorothy a while, holding her new friend's hand as if she feared to let it go; but her nature seemed as light and buoyant as her fleecy robes, for suddenly she darted ahead and whirled round in a giddy dance. then she tripped back to them with sparkling eyes and smiling cheeks, having regained her usual happy mood and forgotten all her worry about being lost. they found her a charming companion, and her dancing and laughter--for she laughed at times like the tinkling of a silver bell--did much to enliven their journey and keep them contented. . the city of beasts when noon came they opened the fox-king's basket of luncheon, and found a nice roasted turkey with cranberry sauce and some slices of bread and butter. as they sat on the grass by the roadside the shaggy man cut up the turkey with his pocket-knife and passed slices of it around. "haven't you any dewdrops, or mist-cakes, or cloudbuns?" asked polychrome, longingly. "'course not," replied dorothy. "we eat solid things, down here on the earth. but there's a bottle of cold tea. try some, won't you?" the rainbow's daughter watched button-bright devour one leg of the turkey. "is it good?" she asked. he nodded. "do you think i could eat it?" "not this," said button-bright. "but i mean another piece?" "don't know," he replied. "well, i'm going to try, for i'm very hungry," she decided, and took a thin slice of the white breast of turkey which the shaggy man cut for her, as well as a bit of bread and butter. when she tasted it polychrome thought the turkey was good--better even than mist-cakes; but a little satisfied her hunger and she finished with a tiny sip of cold tea. "that's about as much as a fly would eat," said dorothy, who was making a good meal herself. "but i know some people in oz who eat nothing at all." "who are they?" inquired the shaggy man. "one is a scarecrow who's stuffed with straw, and the other a woodman made out of tin. they haven't any appetites inside of 'em, you see; so they never eat anything at all." "are they alive?" asked button-bright. "oh yes," replied dorothy; "and they're very clever and very nice, too. if we get to oz i'll introduce them to you." "do you really expect to get to oz?" inquired the shaggy man, taking a drink of cold tea. "i don't know just what to 'spect," answered the child, seriously; "but i've noticed if i happen to get lost i'm almost sure to come to the land of oz in the end, somehow 'r other; so i may get there this time. but i can't promise, you know; all i can do is wait and see." "will the scarecrow scare me?" asked button-bright. "no; 'cause you're not a crow," she returned. "he has the loveliest smile you ever saw--only it's painted on and he can't help it." luncheon being over they started again upon their journey, the shaggy man, dorothy and button-bright walking soberly along, side by side, and the rainbow's daughter dancing merrily before them. sometimes she darted along the road so swiftly that she was nearly out of sight, then she came tripping back to greet them with her silvery laughter. but once she came back more sedately, to say: "there's a city a little way off." "i 'spected that," returned dorothy; "for the fox-people warned us there was one on this road. it's filled with stupid beasts of some sort, but we musn't be afraid of 'em 'cause they won't hurt us." "all right," said button-bright; but polychrome didn't know whether it was all right or not. "it's a big city," she said, "and the road runs straight through it." "never mind," said the shaggy man; "as long as i carry the love magnet every living thing will love me, and you may be sure i shan't allow any of my friends to be harmed in any way." this comforted them somewhat, and they moved on again. pretty soon they came to a signpost that read: "haf a myle to dunkiton." "oh," said the shaggy man, "if they're donkeys, we've nothing to fear at all." "they may kick," said dorothy, doubtfully. "then we will cut some switches, and make them behave," he replied. at the first tree he cut himself a long, slender switch from one of the branches, and shorter switches for the others. "don't be afraid to order the beasts around," he said; "they're used to it." before long the road brought them to the gates of the city. there was a high wall all around, which had been whitewashed, and the gate just before our travelers was a mere opening in the wall, with no bars across it. no towers or steeples or domes showed above the enclosure, nor was any living thing to be seen as our friends drew near. suddenly, as they were about to boldly enter through the opening, there arose a harsh clamor of sound that swelled and echoed on every side, until they were nearly deafened by the racket and had to put their fingers to their ears to keep the noise out. it was like the firing of many cannon, only there were no cannon-balls or other missiles to be seen; it was like the rolling of mighty thunder, only not a cloud was in the sky; it was like the roar of countless breakers on a rugged seashore, only there was no sea or other water anywhere about. they hesitated to advance; but, as the noise did no harm, they entered through the whitewashed wall and quickly discovered the cause of the turmoil. inside were suspended many sheets of tin or thin iron, and against these metal sheets a row of donkeys were pounding their heels with vicious kicks. the shaggy man ran up to the nearest donkey and gave the beast a sharp blow with his switch. "stop that noise!" he shouted; and the donkey stopped kicking the metal sheet and turned its head to look with surprise at the shaggy man. he switched the next donkey, and made him stop, and then the next, so that gradually the rattling of heels ceased and the awful noise subsided. the donkeys stood in a group and eyed the strangers with fear and trembling. "what do you mean by making such a racket?" asked the shaggy man, sternly. "we were scaring away the foxes," said one of the donkeys, meekly. "usually they run fast enough when they hear the noise, which makes them afraid." "there are no foxes here," said the shaggy man. "i beg to differ with you. there's one, anyhow," replied the donkey, sitting upright on its haunches and waving a hoof toward button-bright. "we saw him coming and thought the whole army of foxes was marching to attack us." "button-bright isn't a fox," explained the shaggy man. "he's only wearing a fox head for a time, until he can get his own head back." "oh, i see," remarked the donkey, waving its left ear reflectively. "i'm sorry we made such a mistake, and had all our work and worry for nothing." the other donkeys by this time were sitting up and examining the strangers with big, glassy eyes. they made a queer picture, indeed; for they wore wide, white collars around their necks and the collars had many scallops and points. the gentlemen-donkeys wore high pointed caps set between their great ears, and the lady-donkeys wore sunbonnets with holes cut in the top for the ears to stick through. but they had no other clothing except their hairy skins, although many wore gold and silver bangles on their front wrists and bands of different metals on their rear ankles. when they were kicking they had braced themselves with their front legs, but now they all stood or sat upright on their hind legs and used the front ones as arms. having no fingers or hands the beasts were rather clumsy, as you may guess; but dorothy was surprised to observe how many things they could do with their stiff, heavy hoofs. some of the donkeys were white, some were brown, or gray, or black, or spotted; but their hair was sleek and smooth and their broad collars and caps gave them a neat, if whimsical, appearance. "this is a nice way to welcome visitors, i must say!" remarked the shaggy man, in a reproachful tone. "oh, we did not mean to be impolite," replied a grey donkey which had not spoken before. "but you were not expected, nor did you send in your visiting cards, as it is proper to do." "there is some truth in that," admitted the shaggy man; "but, now you are informed that we are important and distinguished travelers, i trust you will accord us proper consideration." these big words delighted the donkeys, and made them bow to the shaggy man with great respect. said the grey one: "you shall be taken before his great and glorious majesty king kik-a-bray, who will greet you as becomes your exalted stations." "that's right," answered dorothy. "take us to some one who knows something." "oh, we all know something, my child, or we shouldn't be donkeys," asserted the grey one, with dignity. "the word 'donkey' means 'clever,' you know." "i didn't know it," she replied. "i thought it meant 'stupid'." "not at all, my child. if you will look in the encyclopedia donkaniara you will find i'm correct. but come; i will myself lead you before our splendid, exalted, and most intellectual ruler." all donkeys love big words, so it is no wonder the grey one used so many of them. . the shaggy man's transformation they found the houses of the town all low and square and built of bricks, neatly whitewashed inside and out. the houses were not set in rows, forming regular streets, but placed here and there in a haphazard manner which made it puzzling for a stranger to find his way. "stupid people must have streets and numbered houses in their cities, to guide them where to go," observed the grey donkey, as he walked before the visitors on his hind legs, in an awkward but comical manner; "but clever donkeys know their way about without such absurd marks. moreover, a mixed city is much prettier than one with straight streets." dorothy did not agree with this, but she said nothing to contradict it. presently she saw a sign on a house that read: "madam de fayke, hoofist," and she asked their conductor: "what's a 'hoofist,' please?" "one who reads your fortune in your hoofs," replied the grey donkey. "oh, i see," said the little girl. "you are quite civilized here." "dunkiton," he replied, "is the center of the world's highest civilization." they came to a house where two youthful donkeys were whitewashing the wall, and dorothy stopped a moment to watch them. they dipped the ends of their tails, which were much like paint-brushes, into a pail of whitewash, backed up against the house, and wagged their tails right and left until the whitewash was rubbed on the wall, after which they dipped these funny brushes in the pail again and repeated the performance. "that must be fun," said button-bright. "no, it's work," replied the old donkey; "but we make our youngsters do all the whitewashing, to keep them out of mischief." "don't they go to school?" asked dorothy. "all donkeys are born wise," was the reply, "so the only school we need is the school of experience. books are only for those who know nothing, and so are obliged to learn things from other people." "in other words, the more stupid one is, the more he thinks he knows," observed the shaggy man. the grey donkey paid no attention to this speech because he had just stopped before a house which had painted over the doorway a pair of hoofs, with a donkey tail between them and a rude crown and sceptre above. "i'll see if his magnificent majesty king kik-a-bray is at home," said he. he lifted his head and called "whee-haw! whee-haw! whee-haw!" three times, in a shocking voice, turning about and kicking with his heels against the panel of the door. for a time there was no reply; then the door opened far enough to permit a donkey's head to stick out and look at them. it was a white head, with big, awful ears and round, solemn eyes. "have the foxes gone?" it asked, in a trembling voice. "they haven't been here, most stupendous majesty," replied the grey one. "the new arrivals prove to be travelers of distinction." "oh," said the king, in a relieved tone of voice. "let them come in." he opened the door wide, and the party marched into a big room, which, dorothy thought, looked quite unlike a king's palace. there were mats of woven grasses on the floor and the place was clean and neat; but his majesty had no other furniture at all--perhaps because he didn't need it. he squatted down in the center of the room and a little brown donkey ran and brought a big gold crown which it placed on the monarch's head, and a golden staff with a jeweled ball at the end of it, which the king held between his front hoofs as he sat upright. "now then," said his majesty, waving his long ears gently to and fro, "tell me why you are here, and what you expect me to do for you." he eyed button-bright rather sharply, as if afraid of the little boy's queer head, though it was the shaggy man who undertook to reply. "most noble and supreme ruler of dunkiton," he said, trying not to laugh in the solemn king's face, "we are strangers traveling through your dominions and have entered your magnificent city because the road led through it, and there was no way to go around. all we desire is to pay our respects to your majesty--the cleverest king in all the world, i'm sure--and then to continue on our way." this polite speech pleased the king very much; indeed, it pleased him so much that it proved an unlucky speech for the shaggy man. perhaps the love magnet helped to win his majesty's affections as well as the flattery, but however this may be, the white donkey looked kindly upon the speaker and said: "only a donkey should be able to use such fine, big words, and you are too wise and admirable in all ways to be a mere man. also, i feel that i love you as well as i do my own favored people, so i will bestow upon you the greatest gift within my power--a donkey's head." as he spoke he waved his jeweled staff. although the shaggy man cried out and tried to leap backward and escape, it proved of no use. suddenly his own head was gone and a donkey head appeared in its place--a brown, shaggy head so absurd and droll that dorothy and polly both broke into merry laughter, and even button-bright's fox face wore a smile. "dear me! dear me!" cried the shaggy man, feeling of his shaggy new head and his long ears. "what a misfortune--what a great misfortune! give me back my own head, you stupid king--if you love me at all!" "don't you like it?" asked the king, surprised. "hee-haw! i hate it! take it away, quick!" said the shaggy man. "but i can't do that," was the reply. "my magic works only one way. i can do things, but i can't undo them. you'll have to find the truth pond, and bathe in its water, in order to get back your own head. but i advise you not to do that. this head is much more beautiful than the old one." "that's a matter of taste," said dorothy. "where is the truth pond?" asked the shaggy man, earnestly. "somewhere in the land of oz; but just the exact location of it i can not tell," was the answer. "don't worry, shaggy man," said dorothy, smiling because her friend wagged his new ears so comically. "if the truth pond is in oz, we'll be sure to find it when we get there." "oh! are you going to the land of oz?" asked king kik-a-bray. "i don't know," she replied, "but we've been told we are nearer the land of oz than to kansas, and if that's so, the quickest way for me to get home is to find ozma." "haw-haw! do you know the mighty princess ozma?" asked the king, his tone both surprised and eager. "'course i do; she's my friend," said dorothy. "then perhaps you'll do me a favor," continued the white donkey, much excited. "what is it?" she asked. "perhaps you can get me an invitation to princess ozma's birthday celebration, which will be the grandest royal function ever held in fairyland. i'd love to go." "hee-haw! you deserve punishment, rather than reward, for giving me this dreadful head," said the shaggy man, sorrowfully. "i wish you wouldn't say 'hee-haw' so much," polychrome begged him; "it makes cold chills run down my back." "but i can't help it, my dear; my donkey head wants to bray continually," he replied. "doesn't your fox head want to yelp every minute?" he asked button-bright. "don't know," said the boy, still staring at the shaggy man's ears. these seemed to interest him greatly, and the sight also made him forget his own fox head, which was a comfort. "what do you think, polly? shall i promise the donkey king an invitation to ozma's party?" asked dorothy of the rainbow's daughter, who was flitting about the room like a sunbeam because she could never keep still. "do as you please, dear," answered polychrome. "he might help to amuse the guests of the princess." "then, if you will give us some supper and a place to sleep to-night, and let us get started on our journey early to-morrow morning," said dorothy to the king, "i'll ask ozma to invite you--if i happen to get to oz." "good! hee-haw! excellent!" cried kik-a-bray, much pleased. "you shall all have fine suppers and good beds. what food would you prefer, a bran mash or ripe oats in the shell?" "neither one," replied dorothy, promptly. "perhaps plain hay, or some sweet juicy grass would suit you better," suggested kik-a-bray, musingly. "is that all you have to eat?" asked the girl. "what more do you desire?" "well, you see we're not donkeys," she explained, "and so we're used to other food. the foxes gave us a nice supper in foxville." "we'd like some dewdrops and mist-cakes," said polychrome. "i'd prefer apples and a ham sandwich," declared the shaggy man, "for although i've a donkey head, i still have my own particular stomach." "i want pie," said button-bright. "i think some beefsteak and chocolate layer-cake would taste best," said dorothy. "hee-haw! i declare!" exclaimed the king. "it seems each one of you wants a different food. how queer all living creatures are, except donkeys!" "and donkeys like you are queerest of all," laughed polychrome. "well," decided the king, "i suppose my magic staff will produce the things you crave; if you are lacking in good taste it is not my fault." with this, he waved his staff with the jeweled ball, and before them instantly appeared a tea-table, set with linen and pretty dishes, and on the table were the very things each had wished for. dorothy's beefsteak was smoking hot, and the shaggy man's apples were plump and rosy-cheeked. the king had not thought to provide chairs, so they all stood in their places around the table and ate with good appetite, being hungry. the rainbow's daughter found three tiny dewdrops on a crystal plate, and button-bright had a big slice of apple pie, which he devoured eagerly. afterward the king called the brown donkey, which was his favorite servant, and bade it lead his guests to the vacant house where they were to pass the night. it had only one room and no furniture except beds of clean straw and a few mats of woven grasses; but our travelers were contented with these simple things because they realized it was the best the donkey-king had to offer them. as soon as it was dark they lay down on the mats and slept comfortably until morning. at daybreak there was a dreadful noise throughout the city. every donkey in the place brayed. when he heard this the shaggy man woke up and called out "hee-haw!" as loud as he could. "stop that!" said button-bright, in a cross voice. both dorothy and polly looked at the shaggy man reproachfully. "i couldn't help it, my dears," he said, as if ashamed of his bray; "but i'll try not to do it again." of coursed they forgave him, for as he still had the love magnet in his pocket they were all obliged to love him as much as ever. they did not see the king again, but kik-a-bray remembered them; for a table appeared again in their room with the same food upon it as on the night before. "don't want pie for breakfus'," said button-bright. "i'll give you some of my beefsteak," proposed dorothy; "there's plenty for us all." that suited the boy better, but the shaggy man said he was content with his apples and sandwiches, although he ended the meal by eating button-bright's pie. polly liked her dewdrops and mist-cakes better than any other food, so they all enjoyed an excellent breakfast. toto had the scraps left from the beefsteak, and he stood up nicely on his hind legs while dorothy fed them to him. breakfast ended, they passed through the village to the side opposite that by which they had entered, the brown servant-donkey guiding them through the maze of scattered houses. there was the road again, leading far away into the unknown country beyond. "king kik-a-bray says you must not forget his invitation," said the brown donkey, as they passed through the opening in the wall. "i shan't," promised dorothy. perhaps no one ever beheld a more strangely assorted group than the one which now walked along the road, through pretty green fields and past groves of feathery pepper-trees and fragrant mimosa. polychrome, her beautiful gauzy robes floating around her like a rainbow cloud, went first, dancing back and forth and darting now here to pluck a wild-flower or there to watch a beetle crawl across the path. toto ran after her at times, barking joyously the while, only to become sober again and trot along at dorothy's heels. the little kansas girl walked holding button-bright's hand clasped in her own, and the wee boy with his fox head covered by the sailor hat presented an odd appearance. strangest of all, perhaps, was the shaggy man, with his shaggy donkey head, who shuffled along in the rear with his hands thrust deep in his big pockets. none of the party was really unhappy. all were straying in an unknown land and had suffered more or less annoyance and discomfort; but they realized they were having a fairy adventure in a fairy country, and were much interested in finding out what would happen next. . the musicker about the middle of the forenoon they began to go up a long hill. by-and-by this hill suddenly dropped down into a pretty valley, where the travelers saw, to their surprise, a small house standing by the road-side. it was the first house they had seen, and they hastened into the valley to discover who lived there. no one was in sight as they approached, but when they began to get nearer the house they heard queer sounds coming from it. they could not make these out at first, but as they became louder our friends thought they heard a sort of music like that made by a wheezy hand-organ; the music fell upon their ears in this way: tiddle-widdle-iddle oom pom-pom! oom, pom-pom! oom, pom-pom! tiddle-tiddle-tiddle oom pom-pom! oom, pom-pom--pah! "what is it, a band or a mouth-organ?" asked dorothy. "don't know," said button-bright. "sounds to me like a played-out phonograph," said the shaggy man, lifting his enormous ears to listen. "oh, there just couldn't be a funnygraf in fairyland!" cried dorothy. "it's rather pretty, isn't it?" asked polychrome, trying to dance to the strains. tiddle-widdle-iddle, oom pom-pom, oom pom-pom; oom pom-pom! came the music to their ears, more distinctly as they drew nearer the house. presently, they saw a little fat man sitting on a bench before the door. he wore a red, braided jacket that reached to his waist, a blue waistcoat, and white trousers with gold stripes down the sides. on his bald head was perched a little, round, red cap held in place by a rubber elastic underneath his chin. his face was round, his eyes a faded blue, and he wore white cotton gloves. the man leaned on a stout gold-headed cane, bending forward on his seat to watch his visitors approach. singularly enough, the musical sounds they had heard seemed to come from the inside of the fat man himself; for he was playing no instrument nor was any to be seen near him. they came up and stood in a row, staring at him, and he stared back while the queer sounds came from him as before: tiddle-iddle-iddle, oom pom-pom, oom, pom-pom; oom pom-pom! tiddle-widdle-iddle, oom pom-pom, oom, pom-pom--pah! "why, he's a reg'lar musicker!" said button-bright. "what's a musicker?" asked dorothy. "him!" said the boy. hearing this, the fat man sat up a little stiffer than before, as if he had received a compliment, and still came the sounds: tiddle-widdle-iddle, oom pom-pom, oom pom-pom, oom-- "stop it!" cried the shaggy man, earnestly. "stop that dreadful noise." the fat man looked at him sadly and began his reply. when he spoke the music changed and the words seemed to accompany the notes. he said--or rather sang: it isn't a noise that you hear, but music, harmonic and clear. my breath makes me play like an organ, all day-- that bass note is in my left ear. "how funny!" exclaimed dorothy; "he says his breath makes the music." "that's all nonsense," declared the shaggy man; but now the music began again, and they all listened carefully. my lungs are full of reeds like those in organs, therefore i suppose, if i breathe in or out my nose, the reeds are bound to play. so as i breathe to live, you know, i squeeze out music as i go; i'm very sorry this is so-- forgive my piping, pray! "poor man," said polychrome; "he can't help it. what a great misfortune it is!" "yes," replied the shaggy man; "we are only obliged to hear this music a short time, until we leave him and go away; but the poor fellow must listen to himself as long as he lives, and that is enough to drive him crazy. don't you think so?" "don't know," said button-bright. toto said, "bow-wow!" and the others laughed. "perhaps that's why he lives all alone," suggested dorothy. "yes; if he had neighbors, they might do him an injury," responded the shaggy man. all this while the little fat musicker was breathing the notes: tiddle-tiddle-iddle, oom, pom-pom, and they had to speak loud in order to hear themselves. the shaggy man said: "who are you, sir?" the reply came in the shape of this sing-song: i'm allegro da capo, a very famous man; just find another, high or low, to match me if you can. some people try, but can't, to play and have to practice every day; but i've been musical always, since first my life began. "why, i b'lieve he's proud of it," exclaimed dorothy; "and seems to me i've heard worse music than he makes." "where?" asked button-bright. "i've forgotten, just now. but mr. da capo is certainly a strange person--isn't he?--and p'r'aps he's the only one of his kind in all the world." this praise seemed to please the little fat musicker, for he swelled out his chest, looked important and sang as follows: i wear no band around me, and yet i am a band! i do not strain to make my strains but, on the other hand, my toot is always destitute of flats or other errors; to see sharp and be natural are for me but minor terrors. "i don't quite understand that," said polychrome, with a puzzled look; "but perhaps it's because i'm accustomed only to the music of the spheres." "what's that?" asked button-bright. "oh, polly means the atmosphere and hemisphere, i s'pose," explained dorothy. "oh," said button-bright. "bow-wow!" said toto. but the musicker was still breathing his constant oom, pom-pom; oom pom-pom-- and it seemed to jar on the shaggy man's nerves. "stop it, can't you?" he cried angrily; "or breathe in a whisper; or put a clothes-pin on your nose. do something, anyhow!" but the fat one, with a sad look, sang this answer: music hath charms, and it may soothe even the savage, they say; so if savage you feel just list to my reel, for sooth to say that's the real way. the shaggy man had to laugh at this, and when he laughed he stretched his donkey mouth wide open. said dorothy: "i don't know how good his poetry is, but it seems to fit the notes, so that's all that can be 'xpected." "i like it," said button-bright, who was staring hard at the musicker, his little legs spread wide apart. to the surprise of his companions, the boy asked this long question: "if i swallowed a mouth-organ, what would i be?" "an organette," said the shaggy man. "but come, my dears; i think the best thing we can do is to continue on our journey before button-bright swallows anything. we must try to find that land of oz, you know." hearing this speech the musicker sang, quickly: if you go to the land of oz please take me along, because on ozma's birthday i'm anxious to play the loveliest song ever was. "no thank you," said dorothy; "we prefer to travel alone. but if i see ozma i'll tell her you want to come to her birthday party." "let's be going," urged the shaggy man, anxiously. polly was already dancing along the road, far in advance, and the others turned to follow her. toto did not like the fat musicker and made a grab for his chubby leg. dorothy quickly caught up the growling little dog and hurried after her companions, who were walking faster than usual in order to get out of hearing. they had to climb a hill, and until they got to the top they could not escape the musicker's monotonous piping: oom, pom-pom; oom, pom-pom; tiddle-iddle-widdle, oom, pom-pom; oom, pom-pom--pah! as they passed the brow of the hill, however, and descended on the other side, the sounds gradually died away, whereat they all felt much relieved. "i'm glad i don't have to live with the organ-man; aren't you, polly?" said dorothy. "yes indeed," answered the rainbow's daughter. "he's nice," declared button-bright, soberly. "i hope your princess ozma won't invite him to her birthday celebration," remarked the shaggy man; "for the fellow's music would drive her guests all crazy. you've given me an idea, button-bright; i believe the musicker must have swallowed an accordeon in his youth." "what's 'cordeon?" asked the boy. "it's a kind of pleating," explained dorothy, putting down the dog. "bow-wow!" said toto, and ran away at a mad gallop to chase a bumble-bee. . facing the scoodlers the country wasn't so pretty now. before the travelers appeared a rocky plain covered with hills on which grew nothing green. they were nearing some low mountains, too, and the road, which before had been smooth and pleasant to walk upon, grew rough and uneven. button-bright's little feet stumbled more than once, and polychrome ceased her dancing because the walking was now so difficult that she had no trouble to keep warm. it had become afternoon, yet there wasn't a thing for their luncheon except two apples which the shaggy man had taken from the breakfast table. he divided these into four pieces and gave a portion to each of his companions. dorothy and button-bright were glad to get theirs; but polly was satisfied with a small bite, and toto did not like apples. "do you know," asked the rainbow's daughter, "if this is the right road to the emerald city?" "no, i don't," replied dorothy, "but it's the only road in this part of the country, so we may as well go to the end of it." "it looks now as if it might end pretty soon," remarked the shaggy man; "and what shall we do if it does?" "don't know," said button-bright. "if i had my magic belt," replied dorothy, thoughtfully, "it could do us a lot of good just now." "what is your magic belt?" asked polychrome. "it's a thing i captured from the nome king one day, and it can do 'most any wonderful thing. but i left it with ozma, you know; 'cause magic won't work in kansas, but only in fairy countries." "is this a fairy country?" asked button-bright. "i should think you'd know," said the little girl, gravely. "if it wasn't a fairy country you couldn't have a fox head and the shaggy man couldn't have a donkey head, and the rainbow's daughter would be invis'ble." "what's that?" asked the boy. "you don't seem to know anything, button-bright. invis'ble is a thing you can't see." "then toto's invis'ble," declared the boy, and dorothy found he was right. toto had disappeared from view, but they could hear him barking furiously among the heaps of grey rock ahead of them. they moved forward a little faster to see what the dog was barking at, and found perched upon a point of rock by the roadside a curious creature. it had the form of a man, middle-sized and rather slender and graceful; but as it sat silent and motionless upon the peak they could see that its face was black as ink, and it wore a black cloth costume made like a union suit and fitting tight to its skin. its hands were black, too, and its toes curled down, like a bird's. the creature was black all over except its hair, which was fine, and yellow, banged in front across the black forehead and cut close at the sides. the eyes, which were fixed steadily upon the barking dog, were small and sparkling and looked like the eyes of a weasel. "what in the world do you s'pose that is?" asked dorothy in a hushed voice, as the little group of travelers stood watching the strange creature. "don't know," said button-bright. the thing gave a jump and turned half around, sitting in the same place but with the other side of its body facing them. instead of being black, it was now pure white, with a face like that of a clown in a circus and hair of a brilliant purple. the creature could bend either way, and its white toes now curled the same way the black ones on the other side had done. "it has a face both front and back," whispered dorothy, wonderingly; "only there's no back at all, but two fronts." having made the turn, the being sat motionless as before, while toto barked louder at the white man than he had done at the black one. "once," said the shaggy man, "i had a jumping jack like that, with two faces." "was it alive?" asked button-bright. "no," replied the shaggy man; "it worked on strings and was made of wood." "wonder if this works with strings," said dorothy; but polychrome cried "look!" for another creature just like the first had suddenly appeared sitting on another rock, its black side toward them. the two twisted their heads around and showed a black face on the white side of one and a white face on the black side of the other. "how curious," said polychrome; "and how loose their heads seem to be! are they friendly to us, do you think?" "can't tell, polly," replied dorothy. "let's ask 'em." the creatures flopped first one way and then the other, showing black or white by turns; and now another joined them, appearing on another rock. our friends had come to a little hollow in the hills, and the place where they now stood was surrounded by jagged peaks of rock, except where the road ran through. "now there are four of them," said the shaggy man. "five," declared polychrome. "six," said dorothy. "lots of 'em!" cried button-bright; and so there were--quite a row of the two-sided black and white creatures sitting on the rocks all around. toto stopped barking and ran between dorothy's feet, where he crouched down as if afraid. the creatures did not look pleasant or friendly, to be sure, and the shaggy man's donkey face became solemn, indeed. "ask 'em who they are, and what they want," whispered dorothy; so the shaggy man called out in a loud voice: "who are you?" "scoodlers!" they yelled in chorus, their voices sharp and shrill. "what do you want?" called the shaggy man. "you!" they yelled, pointing their thin fingers at the group; and they all flopped around, so they were white, and then all flopped back again, so they were black. "but what do you want us for?" asked the shaggy man, uneasily. "soup!" they all shouted, as if with one voice. "goodness me!" said dorothy, trembling a little; "the scoodlers must be reg'lar cannibals." "don't want to be soup," protested button-bright, beginning to cry. "hush, dear," said the little girl, trying to comfort him; "we don't any of us want to be soup. but don't worry; the shaggy man will take care of us." "will he?" asked polychrome, who did not like the scoodlers at all, and kept close to dorothy. "i'll try," promised the shaggy man; but he looked worried. happening just then to feel the love magnet in his pocket, he said to the creatures, with more confidence: "don't you love me?" "yes!" they shouted, all together. "then you mustn't harm me, or my friends," said the shaggy man, firmly. "we love you in soup!" they yelled, and in a flash turned their white sides to the front. "how dreadful!" said dorothy. "this is a time, shaggy man, when you get loved too much." "don't want to be soup!" wailed button-bright again; and toto began to whine dismally, as if he didn't want to be soup, either. "the only thing to do," said the shaggy man to his friends, in a low tone, "is to get out of this pocket in the rocks as soon as we can, and leave the scoodlers behind us. follow me, my dears, and don't pay any attention to what they do or say." with this, he began to march along the road to the opening in the rocks ahead, and the others kept close behind him. but the scoodlers closed up in front, as if to bar their way, and so the shaggy man stooped down and picked up a loose stone, which he threw at the creatures to scare them from the path. at this the scoodlers raised a howl. two of them picked their heads from their shoulders and hurled them at the shaggy man with such force that he fell over in a heap, greatly astonished. the two now ran forward with swift leaps, caught up their heads, and put them on again, after which they sprang back to their positions on the rocks. . escaping the soup-kettle the shaggy man got up and felt of himself to see if he was hurt; but he was not. one of the heads had struck his breast and the other his left shoulder; yet though they had knocked him down, the heads were not hard enough to bruise him. "come on," he said firmly; "we've got to get out of here some way," and forward he started again. the scoodlers began yelling and throwing their heads in great numbers at our frightened friends. the shaggy man was knocked over again, and so was button-bright, who kicked his heels against the ground and howled as loud as he could, although he was not hurt a bit. one head struck toto, who first yelped and then grabbed the head by an ear and started running away with it. the scoodlers who had thrown their heads began to scramble down and run to pick them up, with wonderful quickness; but the one whose head toto had stolen found it hard to get it back again. the head couldn't see the body with either pair of its eyes, because the dog was in the way, so the headless scoodler stumbled around over the rocks and tripped on them more than once in its effort to regain its top. toto was trying to get outside the rocks and roll the head down the hill; but some of the other scoodlers came to the rescue of their unfortunate comrade and pelted the dog with their own heads until he was obliged to drop his burden and hurry back to dorothy. the little girl and the rainbow's daughter had both escaped the shower of heads, but they saw now that it would be useless to try to run away from the dreadful scoodlers. "we may as well submit," declared the shaggy man, in a rueful voice, as he got upon his feet again. he turned toward their foes and asked: "what do you want us to do?" "come!" they cried, in a triumphant chorus, and at once sprang from the rocks and surrounded their captives on all sides. one funny thing about the scoodlers was they could walk in either direction, coming or going, without turning around; because they had two faces and, as dorothy said, "two front sides," and their feet were shaped like the letter t upside down. they moved with great rapidity and there was something about their glittering eyes and contrasting colors and removable heads that inspired the poor prisoners with horror, and made them long to escape. but the creatures led their captives away from the rocks and the road, down the hill by a side path until they came before a low mountain of rock that looked like a huge bowl turned upside down. at the edge of this mountain was a deep gulf--so deep that when you looked into it there was nothing but blackness below. across the gulf was a narrow bridge of rock, and at the other end of the bridge was an arched opening that led into the mountain. over this bridge the scoodlers led their prisoners, through the opening into the mountain, which they found to be an immense hollow dome lighted by several holes in the roof. all around the circular space were built rock houses, set close together, each with a door in the front wall. none of these houses was more than six feet wide, but the scoodlers were thin people sidewise and did not need much room. so vast was the dome that there was a large space in the middle of the cave, in front of all these houses, where the creatures might congregate as in a great hall. it made dorothy shudder to see a huge iron kettle suspended by a stout chain in the middle of the place, and underneath the kettle a great heap of kindling wood and shavings, ready to light. "what's that?" asked the shaggy man, drawing back as they approached this place, so that they were forced to push him forward. "the soup kettle!" yelled the scoodlers, and then they shouted in the next breath: "we're hungry!" button-bright, holding dorothy's hand in one chubby fist and polly's hand in the other, was so affected by this shout that he began to cry again, repeating the protest: "don't want to be soup, i don't!" "never mind," said the shaggy man, consolingly; "i ought to make enough soup to feed them all, i'm so big; so i'll ask them to put me in the kettle first." "all right," said button-bright, more cheerfully. but the scoodlers were not ready to make soup yet. they led the captives into a house at the farthest side of the cave--a house somewhat wider than the others. "who lives here?" asked the rainbow's daughter. the scoodlers nearest her replied: "the queen." it made dorothy hopeful to learn that a woman ruled over these fierce creatures, but a moment later they were ushered by two or three of the escort into a gloomy, bare room--and her hope died away. for the queen of the scoodlers proved to be much more dreadful in appearance than any of her people. one side of her was fiery red, with jet-black hair and green eyes and the other side of her was bright yellow, with crimson hair and black eyes. she wore a short skirt of red and yellow and her hair, instead of being banged, was a tangle of short curls upon which rested a circular crown of silver--much dented and twisted because the queen had thrown her head at so many things so many times. her form was lean and bony and both her faces were deeply wrinkled. "what have we here?" asked the queen sharply, as our friends were made to stand before her. "soup!" cried the guard of scoodlers, speaking together. "we're not!" said dorothy, indignantly; "we're nothing of the sort." "ah, but you will be soon," retorted the queen, a grim smile making her look more dreadful than before. "pardon me, most beautiful vision," said the shaggy man, bowing before the queen politely. "i must request your serene highness to let us go our way without being made into soup. for i own the love magnet, and whoever meets me must love me and all my friends." "true," replied the queen. "we love you very much; so much that we intend to eat your broth with real pleasure. but tell me, do you think i am so beautiful?" "you won't be at all beautiful if you eat me," he said, shaking his head sadly. "handsome is as handsome does, you know." the queen turned to button-bright. "do you think i'm beautiful?" she asked. "no," said the boy; "you're ugly." "i think you're a fright," said dorothy. "if you could see yourself you'd be terribly scared," added polly. the queen scowled at them and flopped from her red side to her yellow side. "take them away," she commanded the guard, "and at six o'clock run them through the meat chopper and start the soup kettle boiling. and put plenty of salt in the broth this time, or i'll punish the cooks severely." "any onions, your majesty?" asked one of the guard. "plenty of onions and garlic and a dash of red pepper. now, go!" the scoodlers led the captives away and shut them up in one of the houses, leaving only a single scoodler to keep guard. the place was a sort of store-house; containing bags of potatoes and baskets of carrots, onions and turnips. "these," said their guard, pointing to the vegetables, "we use to flavor our soups with." the prisoners were rather disheartened by this time, for they saw no way to escape and did not know how soon it would be six o'clock and time for the meatchopper to begin work. but the shaggy man was brave and did not intend to submit to such a horrid fate without a struggle. "i'm going to fight for our lives," he whispered to the children, "for if i fail we will be no worse off than before, and to sit here quietly until we are made into soup would be foolish and cowardly." the scoodler on guard stood near the doorway, turning first his white side toward them and then his black side, as if he wanted to show to all of his greedy four eyes the sight of so many fat prisoners. the captives sat in a sorrowful group at the other end of the room--except polychrome, who danced back and forth in the little place to keep herself warm, for she felt the chill of the cave. whenever she approached the shaggy man he would whisper something in her ear, and polly would nod her pretty head as if she understood. the shaggy man told dorothy and button-bright to stand before him while he emptied the potatoes out of one of the sacks. when this had been secretly done, little polychrome, dancing near to the guard, suddenly reached out her hand and slapped his face, the next instant whirling away from him quickly to rejoin her friends. the angry scoodler at once picked off his head and hurled it at the rainbow's daughter; but the shaggy man was expecting that, and caught the head very neatly, putting it in the sack, which he tied at the mouth. the body of the guard, not having the eyes of its head to guide it, ran here and there in an aimless manner, and the shaggy man easily dodged it and opened the door. fortunately, there was no one in the big cave at that moment, so he told dorothy and polly to run as fast as they could for the entrance, and out across the narrow bridge. "i'll carry button-bright," he said, for he knew the little boy's legs were too short to run fast. dorothy picked up toto and then seized polly's hand and ran swiftly toward the entrance to the cave. the shaggy man perched button-bright on his shoulders and ran after them. they moved so quickly and their escape was so wholly unexpected that they had almost reached the bridge when one of the scoodlers looked out of his house and saw them. the creature raised a shrill cry that brought all of its fellows bounding out of the numerous doors, and at once they started in chase. dorothy and polly had reached the bridge and crossed it when the scoodlers began throwing their heads. one of the queer missiles struck the shaggy man on his back and nearly knocked him over; but he was at the mouth of the cave now, so he set down button-bright and told the boy to run across the bridge to dorothy. then the shaggy man turned around and faced his enemies, standing just outside the opening, and as fast as they threw their heads at him he caught them and tossed them into the black gulf below. the headless bodies of the foremost scoodlers kept the others from running close up, but they also threw their heads in an effort to stop the escaping prisoners. the shaggy man caught them all and sent them whirling down into the black gulf. among them he noticed the crimson and yellow head of the queen, and this he tossed after the others with right good will. presently every scoodler of the lot had thrown its head, and every head was down in the deep gulf, and now the helpless bodies of the creatures were mixed together in the cave and wriggling around in a vain attempt to discover what had become of their heads. the shaggy man laughed and walked across the bridge to rejoin his companions. "it's lucky i learned to play base-ball when i was young," he remarked, "for i caught all those heads easily and never missed one. but come along, little ones; the scoodlers will never bother us or anyone else any more." button-bright was still frightened and kept insisting, "i don't want to be soup!" for the victory had been gained so suddenly that the boy could not realize they were free and safe. but the shaggy man assured him that all danger of their being made into soup was now past, as the scoodlers would be unable to eat soup for some time to come. so now, anxious to get away from the horrid gloomy cave as soon as possible, they hastened up the hillside and regained the road just beyond the place where they had first met the scoodlers; and you may be sure they were glad to find their feet on the old familiar path again. . johnny dooit does it "it's getting awful rough walking," said dorothy, as they trudged along. button-bright gave a deep sigh and said he was hungry. indeed, all were hungry, and thirsty, too; for they had eaten nothing but the apples since breakfast; so their steps lagged and they grew silent and weary. at last they slowly passed over the crest of a barren hill and saw before them a line of green trees with a strip of grass at their feet. an agreeable fragrance was wafted toward them. our travelers, hot and tired, ran forward on beholding this refreshing sight and were not long in coming to the trees. here they found a spring of pure bubbling water, around which the grass was full of wild strawberry plants, their pretty red berries ripe and ready to eat. some of the trees bore yellow oranges and some russet pears, so the hungry adventurers suddenly found themselves provided with plenty to eat and to drink. they lost no time in picking the biggest strawberries and ripest oranges and soon had feasted to their hearts' content. walking beyond the line of trees they saw before them a fearful, dismal desert, everywhere gray sand. at the edge of this awful waste was a large, white sign with black letters neatly painted upon it and the letters made these words: all persons are warned not to venture upon this desert for the deadly sands will turn any living flesh to dust in an instant. beyond this barrier is the land of oz but no one can reach that beautiful country because of these destroying sands "oh," said dorothy, when the shaggy man had read the sign aloud; "i've seen this desert before, and it's true no one can live who tries to walk upon the sands." "then we musn't try it," answered the shaggy man thoughtfully. "but as we can't go ahead and there's no use going back, what shall we do next?" "don't know," said button-bright. "i'm sure i don't know, either," added dorothy, despondently. "i wish father would come for me," sighed the pretty rainbow's daughter, "i would take you all to live upon the rainbow, where you could dance along its rays from morning till night, without a care or worry of any sort. but i suppose father's too busy just now to search the world for me." "don't want to dance," said button-bright, sitting down wearily upon the soft grass. "it's very good of you, polly," said dorothy; "but there are other things that would suit me better than dancing on rainbows. i'm 'fraid they'd be kind of soft an' squashy under foot, anyhow, although they're so pretty to look at." this didn't help to solve the problem, and they all fell silent and looked at one another questioningly. "really, i don't know what to do," muttered the shaggy man, gazing hard at toto; and the little dog wagged his tail and said "bow-wow!" just as if he could not tell, either, what to do. button-bright got a stick and began to dig in the earth, and the others watched him for a while in deep thought. finally, the shaggy man said: "it's nearly evening, now; so we may as well sleep in this pretty place and get rested; perhaps by morning we can decide what is best to be done." there was little chance to make beds for the children, but the leaves of the trees grew thickly and would serve to keep off the night dews, so the shaggy man piled soft grasses in the thickest shade and when it was dark they lay down and slept peacefully until morning. long after the others were asleep, however, the shaggy man sat in the starlight by the spring, gazing thoughtfully into its bubbling waters. suddenly he smiled and nodded to himself as if he had found a good thought, after which he, too, laid himself down under a tree and was soon lost in slumber. in the bright morning sunshine, as they ate of the strawberries and sweet juicy pears, dorothy said: "polly, can you do any magic?" "no dear," answered polychrome, shaking her dainty head. "you ought to know some magic, being the rainbow's daughter," continued dorothy, earnestly. "but we who live on the rainbow among the fleecy clouds have no use for magic," replied polychrome. "what i'd like," said dorothy, "is to find some way to cross the desert to the land of oz and its emerald city. i've crossed it already, you know, more than once. first a cyclone carried my house over, and some silver shoes brought me back again--in half a second. then ozma took me over on her magic carpet, and the nome king's magic belt took me home that time. you see it was magic that did it every time 'cept the first, and we can't 'spect a cyclone to happen along and take us to the emerald city now." "no indeed," returned polly, with a shudder, "i hate cyclones, anyway." "that's why i wanted to find out if you could do any magic," said the little kansas girl. "i'm sure i can't; and i'm sure button-bright can't; and the only magic the shaggy man has is the love magnet, which won't help us much." "don't be too sure of that, my dear," spoke the shaggy man, a smile on his donkey face. "i may not be able to do magic myself, but i can call to us a powerful friend who loves me because i own the love magnet, and this friend surely will be able to help us." "who is your friend?" asked dorothy. "johnny dooit." "what can johnny do?" "anything," answered the shaggy man, with confidence. "ask him to come," she exclaimed, eagerly. the shaggy man took the love magnet from his pocket and unwrapped the paper that surrounded it. holding the charm in the palm of his hand he looked at it steadily and said these words: "dear johnny dooit, come to me. i need you bad as bad can be." "well, here i am," said a cheery little voice; "but you shouldn't say you need me bad, 'cause i'm always, always, good." at this they quickly whirled around to find a funny little man sitting on a big copper chest, puffing smoke from a long pipe. his hair was grey, his whiskers were grey; and these whiskers were so long that he had wound the ends of them around his waist and tied them in a hard knot underneath the leather apron that reached from his chin nearly to his feet, and which was soiled and scratched as if it had been used a long time. his nose was broad, and stuck up a little; but his eyes were twinkling and merry. the little man's hands and arms were as hard and tough as the leather in his apron, and dorothy thought johnny dooit looked as if he had done a lot of hard work in his lifetime. "good morning, johnny," said the shaggy man. "thank you for coming to me so quickly." "i never waste time," said the newcomer, promptly. "but what's happened to you? where did you get that donkey head? really, i wouldn't have known you at all, shaggy man, if i hadn't looked at your feet." the shaggy man introduced johnny dooit to dorothy and toto and button-bright and the rainbow's daughter, and told him the story of their adventures, adding that they were anxious now to reach the emerald city in the land of oz, where dorothy had friends who would take care of them and send them safe home again. "but," said he, "we find that we can't cross this desert, which turns all living flesh that touches it into dust; so i have asked you to come and help us." johnny dooit puffed his pipe and looked carefully at the dreadful desert in front of them--stretching so far away they could not see its end. "you must ride," he said, briskly. "what in?" asked the shaggy man. "in a sand-boat, which has runners like a sled and sails like a ship. the wind will blow you swiftly across the desert and the sand cannot touch your flesh to turn it into dust." "good!" cried dorothy, clapping her hands delightedly. "that was the way the magic carpet took us across. we didn't have to touch the horrid sand at all." "but where is the sand-boat?" asked the shaggy man, looking all around him. "i'll make you one," said johnny dooit. as he spoke, he knocked the ashes from his pipe and put it in his pocket. then he unlocked the copper chest and lifted the lid, and dorothy saw it was full of shining tools of all sorts and shapes. johnny dooit moved quickly now--so quickly that they were astonished at the work he was able to accomplish. he had in his chest a tool for everything he wanted to do, and these must have been magic tools because they did their work so fast and so well. the man hummed a little song as he worked, and dorothy tried to listen to it. she thought the words were something like these: the only way to do a thing is do it when you can, and do it cheerfully, and sing and work and think and plan. the only real unhappy one is he who dares to shirk; the only really happy one is he who cares to work. whatever johnny dooit was singing he was certainly doing things, and they all stood by and watched him in amazement. he seized an axe and in a couple of chops felled a tree. next he took a saw and in a few minutes sawed the tree-trunk into broad, long boards. he then nailed the boards together into the shape of a boat, about twelve feet long and four feet wide. he cut from another tree a long, slender pole which, when trimmed of its branches and fastened upright in the center of the boat, served as a mast. from the chest he drew a coil of rope and a big bundle of canvas, and with these--still humming his song--he rigged up a sail, arranging it so it could be raised or lowered upon the mast. dorothy fairly gasped with wonder to see the thing grow so speedily before her eyes, and both button-bright and polly looked on with the same absorbed interest. "it ought to be painted," said johnny dooit, tossing his tools back into the chest, "for that would make it look prettier. but 'though i can paint it for you in three seconds it would take an hour to dry, and that's a waste of time." "we don't care how it looks," said the shaggy man, "if only it will take us across the desert." "it will do that," declared johnny dooit. "all you need worry about is tipping over. did you ever sail a ship?" "i've seen one sailed," said the shaggy man. "good. sail this boat the way you've seen a ship sailed, and you'll be across the sands before you know it." with this he slammed down the lid of the chest, and the noise made them all wink. while they were winking the workman disappeared, tools and all. . the deadly desert crossed "oh, that's too bad!" cried dorothy; "i wanted to thank johnny dooit for all his kindness to us." "he hasn't time to listen to thanks," replied the shaggy man; "but i'm sure he knows we are grateful. i suppose he is already at work in some other part of the world." they now looked more carefully at the sand-boat, and saw that the bottom was modeled with two sharp runners which would glide through the sand. the front of the sand-boat was pointed like the bow of a ship, and there was a rudder at the stern to steer by. it had been built just at the edge of the desert, so that all its length lay upon the gray sand except the after part, which still rested on the strip of grass. "get in, my dears," said the shaggy man; "i'm sure i can manage this boat as well as any sailor. all you need do is sit still in your places." dorothy got in, toto in her arms, and sat on the bottom of the boat just in front of the mast. button-bright sat in front of dorothy, while polly leaned over the bow. the shaggy man knelt behind the mast. when all were ready he raised the sail half-way. the wind caught it. at once the sand-boat started forward--slowly at first, then with added speed. the shaggy man pulled the sail way up, and they flew so fast over the deadly desert that every one held fast to the sides of the boat and scarcely dared to breathe. the sand lay in billows, and was in places very uneven, so that the boat rocked dangerously from side to side; but it never quite tipped over, and the speed was so great that the shaggy man himself became frightened and began to wonder how he could make the ship go slower. "it we're spilled in this sand, in the middle of the desert," dorothy thought to herself, "we'll be nothing but dust in a few minutes, and that will be the end of us." but they were not spilled, and by-and-by polychrome, who was clinging to the bow and looking straight ahead, saw a dark line before them and wondered what it was. it grew plainer every second, until she discovered it to be a row of jagged rocks at the end of the desert, while high above these rocks she could see a tableland of green grass and beautiful trees. "look out!" she screamed to the shaggy man. "go slowly, or we shall smash into the rocks." he heard her, and tried to pull down the sail; but the wind would not let go of the broad canvas and the ropes had become tangled. nearer and nearer they drew to the great rocks, and the shaggy man was in despair because he could do nothing to stop the wild rush of the sand-boat. they reached the edge of the desert and bumped squarely into the rocks. there was a crash as dorothy, button-bright, toto and polly flew up in the air in a curve like a skyrocket's, one after another landing high upon the grass, where they rolled and tumbled for a time before they could stop themselves. the shaggy man flew after them, head first, and lighted in a heap beside toto, who, being much excited at the time, seized one of the donkey ears between his teeth and shook and worried it as hard as he could, growling angrily. the shaggy man made the little dog let go, and sat up to look around him. dorothy was feeling one of her front teeth, which was loosened by knocking against her knee as she fell. polly was looking sorrowfully at a rent in her pretty gauze gown, and button-bright's fox head had stuck fast in a gopher hole and he was wiggling his little fat legs frantically in an effort to get free. otherwise they were unhurt by the adventure; so the shaggy man stood up and pulled button-bright out of the hole and went to the edge of the desert to look at the sand-boat. it was a mere mass of splinters now, crushed out of shape against the rocks. the wind had torn away the sail and carried it to the top of a tall tree, where the fragments of it fluttered like a white flag. "well," he said, cheerfully, "we're here; but where the here is i don't know." "it must be some part of the land of oz," observed dorothy, coming to his side. "must it?" "'course it must. we're across the desert, aren't we? and somewhere in the middle of oz is the emerald city." "to be sure," said the shaggy man, nodding. "let's go there." "but i don't see any people about, to show us the way," she continued. "let's hunt for them," he suggested. "there must be people somewhere; but perhaps they did not expect us, and so are not at hand to give us a welcome." . the truth pond they now made a more careful examination of the country around them. all was fresh and beautiful after the sultriness of the desert, and the sunshine and sweet, crisp air were delightful to the wanderers. little mounds of yellowish green were away at the right, while on the left waved a group of tall leafy trees bearing yellow blossoms that looked like tassels and pompoms. among the grasses carpeting the ground were pretty buttercups and cowslips and marigolds. after looking at these a moment dorothy said reflectively: "we must be in the country of the winkies, for the color of that country is yellow, and you will notice that 'most everything here is yellow that has any color at all." "but i thought this was the land of oz," replied the shaggy man, as if greatly disappointed. "so it is," she declared; "but there are four parts to the land of oz. the north country is purple, and it's the country of the gillikins. the east country is blue, and that's the country of the munchkins. down at the south is the red country of the quadlings, and here, in the west, the yellow country of the winkies. this is the part that is ruled by the tin woodman, you know." "who's he?" asked button-bright. "why, he's the tin man i told you about. his name is nick chopper, and he has a lovely heart given him by the wonderful wizard." "where does he live?" asked the boy. "the wizard? oh, he lives in the emerald city, which is just in the middle of oz, where the corners of the four countries meet." "oh," said button-bright, puzzled by this explanation. "we must be some distance from the emerald city," remarked the shaggy man. "that's true," she replied; "so we'd better start on and see if we can find any of the winkies. they're nice people," she continued, as the little party began walking toward the group of trees, "and i came here once with my friends the scarecrow, and the tin woodman, and the cowardly lion, to fight a wicked witch who had made all the winkies her slaves." "did you conquer her?" asked polly. "why, i melted her with a bucket of water, and that was the end of her," replied dorothy. "after that the people were free, you know, and they made nick chopper--that's the tin woodman--their emp'ror." "what's that?" asked button-bright. "emp'ror? oh, it's something like an alderman, i guess." "oh," said the boy. "but i thought princess ozma ruled oz," said the shaggy man. "so she does; she rules the emerald city and all the four countries of oz; but each country has another little ruler, not so big as ozma. it's like the officers of an army, you see; the little rulers are all captains, and ozma's the general." by this time they had reached the trees, which stood in a perfect circle and just far enough apart so that their thick branches touched--or "shook hands," as button-bright remarked. under the shade of the trees they found, in the center of the circle, a crystal pool, its water as still as glass. it must have been deep, too, for when polychrome bent over it she gave a little sigh of pleasure. "why, it's a mirror!" she cried; for she could see all her pretty face and fluffy, rainbow-tinted gown reflected in the pool, as natural as life. dorothy bent over, too, and began to arrange her hair, blown by the desert wind into straggling tangles. button-bright leaned over the edge next, and then began to cry, for the sight of his fox head frightened the poor little fellow. "i guess i won't look," remarked the shaggy man, sadly, for he didn't like his donkey head, either. while polly and dorothy tried to comfort button-bright, the shaggy man sat down near the edge of the pool, where his image could not be reflected, and stared at the water thoughtfully. as he did this he noticed a silver plate fastened to a rock just under the surface of the water, and on the silver plate was engraved these words: the truth pond "ah!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet with eager joy; "we've found it at last." "found what?" asked dorothy, running to him. "the truth pond. now, at last, i may get rid of this frightful head; for we were told, you remember, that only the truth pond could restore to me my proper face." "me, too!" shouted button-bright, trotting up to them. "of course," said dorothy. "it will cure you both of your bad heads, i guess. isn't it lucky we found it?" "it is, indeed," replied the shaggy man. "i hated dreadfully to go to princess ozma looking like this; and she's to have a birthday celebration, too." just then a splash startled them, for button-bright, in his anxiety to see the pool that would "cure" him, had stepped too near the edge and tumbled heels over head into the water. down he went, out of sight entirely, so that only his sailor hat floated on the top of the truth pond. he soon bobbed up, and the shaggy man seized him by his sailor collar and dragged him to the shore, dripping and gasping for breath. they all looked upon the boy wonderingly, for the fox head with its sharp nose and pointed ears was gone, and in its place appeared the chubby round face and blue eyes and pretty curls that had belonged to button-bright before king dox of foxville transformed him. "oh, what a darling!" cried polly, and would have hugged the little one had he not been so wet. their joyful exclamations made the child rub the water out of his eyes and look at his friends questioningly. "you're all right now, dear," said dorothy. "come and look at yourself." she led him to the pool, and although there were still a few ripples on the surface of the water he could see his reflection plainly. "it's me!" he said, in a pleased yet awed whisper. "'course it is," replied the girl, "and we're all as glad as you are, button-bright." "well," announced the shaggy man, "it's my turn next." he took off his shaggy coat and laid it on the grass and dived head first into the truth pond. when he came up the donkey head had disappeared, and the shaggy man's own shaggy head was in its place, with the water dripping in little streams from his shaggy whiskers. he scrambled ashore and shook himself to get off some of the wet, and then leaned over the pool to look admiringly at his reflected face. "i may not be strictly beautiful, even now," he said to his companions, who watched him with smiling faces; "but i'm so much handsomer than any donkey that i feel as proud as i can be." "you're all right, shaggy man," declared dorothy. "and button-bright is all right, too. so let's thank the truth pond for being so nice, and start on our journey to the emerald city." "i hate to leave it," murmured the shaggy man, with a sigh. "a truth pond wouldn't be a bad thing to carry around with us." but he put on his coat and started with the others in search of some one to direct them on their way. . tik-tok and billina they had not walked far across the flower-strewn meadows when they came upon a fine road leading toward the northwest and winding gracefully among the pretty yellow hills. "that way," said dorothy, "must be the direction of the emerald city. we'd better follow the road until we meet some one or come to a house." the sun soon dried button-bright's sailor suit and the shaggy man's shaggy clothes, and so pleased were they at regaining their own heads that they did not mind at all the brief discomfort of getting wet. "it's good to be able to whistle again," remarked the shaggy man, "for those donkey lips were so thick i could not whistle a note with them." he warbled a tune as merrily as any bird. "you'll look more natural at the birthday celebration, too," said dorothy, happy in seeing her friends so happy. polychrome was dancing ahead in her usual sprightly manner, whirling gaily along the smooth, level road, until she passed from sight around the curve of one of the mounds. suddenly they heard her exclaim "oh!" and she appeared again, running toward them at full speed. "what's the matter, polly?" asked dorothy, perplexed. there was no need for the rainbow's daughter to answer, for turning the bend in the road there came advancing slowly toward them a funny round man made of burnished copper, gleaming brightly in the sun. perched on the copper man's shoulder sat a yellow hen, with fluffy feathers and a pearl necklace around her throat. "oh, tik-tok!" cried dorothy, running forward. when she came to him, the copper man lifted the little girl in his copper arms and kissed her cheek with his copper lips. "oh, billina!" cried dorothy, in a glad voice, and the yellow hen flew to her arms, to be hugged and petted by turns. the others were curiously crowding around the group, and the girl said to them: "it's tik-tok and billina; and oh! i'm so glad to see them again." "wel-come to oz," said the copper man in a monotonous voice. dorothy sat right down in the road, the yellow hen in her arms, and began to stroke billina's back. said the hen: "dorothy, dear, i've got some wonderful news to tell you." "tell it quick, billina!" said the girl. just then toto, who had been growling to himself in a cross way, gave a sharp bark and flew at the yellow hen, who ruffled her feathers and let out such an angry screech that dorothy was startled. "stop, toto! stop that this minute!" she commanded. "can't you see that billina is my friend?" in spite of this warning had she not grabbed toto quickly by the neck the little dog would have done the yellow hen a mischief, and even now he struggled madly to escape dorothy's grasp. she slapped his ears once or twice and told him to behave, and the yellow hen flew to tik-tok's shoulder again, where she was safe. "what a brute!" croaked billina, glaring down at the little dog. "toto isn't a brute," replied dorothy, "but at home uncle henry has to whip him sometimes for chasing the chickens. now look here, toto," she added, holding up her finger and speaking sternly to him, "you've got to understand that billina is one of my dearest friends, and musn't be hurt--now or ever." toto wagged his tail as if he understood. "the miserable thing can't talk," said billina, with a sneer. "yes, he can," replied dorothy; "he talks with his tail, and i know everything he says. if you could wag your tail, billina, you wouldn't need words to talk with." "nonsense!" said billina. "it isn't nonsense at all. just now toto says he's sorry, and that he'll try to love you for my sake. don't you, toto?" "bow-wow!" said toto, wagging his tail again. "but i've such wonderful news for you, dorothy," cried the yellow hen; "i've--" "wait a minute, dear," interrupted the little girl; "i've got to introduce you all, first. that's manners, billina. this," turning to her traveling companions, "is mr. tik-tok, who works by machinery 'cause his thoughts wind up, and his talk winds up, and his action winds up--like a clock." "do they all wind up together?" asked the shaggy man. "no; each one separate. but he works just lovely, and tik-tok was a good friend to me once, and saved my life--and billina's life, too." "is he alive?" asked button-bright, looking hard at the copper man. "oh, no, but his machinery makes him just as good as alive." she turned to the copper man and said politely: "mr. tik-tok, these are my new friends: the shaggy man, and polly the rainbow's daughter, and button-bright, and toto. only toto isn't a new friend, 'cause he's been to oz before." the copper man bowed low, removing his copper hat as he did so. "i'm ve-ry pleased to meet dor-o-thy's fr-r-r-r---" here he stopped short. "oh, i guess his speech needs winding!" said the little girl, running behind the copper man to get the key off a hook at his back. she wound him up at a place under his right arm and he went on to say: "par-don me for run-ning down. i was a-bout to say i am pleased to meet dor-o-thy's friends, who must be my friends." the words were somewhat jerky, but plain to understand. "and this is billina," continued dorothy, introducing the yellow hen, and they all bowed to her in turn. "i've such wonderful news," said the hen, turning her head so that one bright eye looked full at dorothy. "what is it, dear?" asked the girl. "i've hatched out ten of the loveliest chicks you ever saw." "oh, how nice! and where are they, billina?" "i left them at home. but they're beauties, i assure you, and all wonderfully clever. i've named them dorothy." "which one?" asked the girl. "all of them," replied billina. "that's funny. why did you name them all with the same name?" "it was so hard to tell them apart," explained the hen. "now, when i call 'dorothy,' they all come running to me in a bunch; it's much easier, after all, than having a separate name for each." "i'm just dying to see 'em, billina," said dorothy, eagerly. "but tell me, my friends, how did you happen to be here, in the country of the winkies, the first of all to meet us?" "i'll tell you," answered tik-tok, in his monotonous voice, all the sounds of his words being on one level--"prin-cess oz-ma saw you in her mag-ic pic-ture, and knew you were com-ing here; so she sent bil-lin-a and me to wel-come you as she could not come her-self; so that--fiz-i-dig-le cum-so-lut-ing hy-ber-gob-ble in-tu-zib-ick--" "good gracious! whatever's the matter now?" cried dorothy, as the copper man continued to babble these unmeaning words, which no one could understand at all because they had no sense. "don't know," said button-bright, who was half scared. polly whirled away to a distance and turned to look at the copper man in a fright. "his thoughts have run down, this time," remarked billina composedly, as she sat on tik-tok's shoulder and pruned her sleek feathers. "when he can't think, he can't talk properly, any more than you can. you'll have to wind up his thoughts, dorothy, or else i'll have to finish his story myself." dorothy ran around and got the key again and wound up tik-tok under his left arm, after which he could speak plainly again. "par-don me," he said, "but when my thoughts run down, my speech has no mean-ing, for words are formed on-ly by thought. i was a-bout to say that oz-ma sent us to wel-come you and in-vite you to come straight to the em-er-ald ci-ty. she was too bus-y to come her-self, for she is pre-par-ing for her birth-day cel-e-bra-tion, which is to be a grand af-fair." "i've heard of it," said dorothy, "and i'm glad we've come in time to attend. is it far from here to the emerald city?" "not ve-ry far," answered tik-tok, "and we have plen-ty of time. to-night we will stop at the pal-ace of the tin wood-man, and to-mor-row night we will ar-rive at the em-er-ald ci-ty." "goody!" cried dorothy. "i'd like to see dear nick chopper again. how's his heart?" "it's fine," said billina; "the tin woodman says it gets softer and kindlier every day. he's waiting at his castle to welcome you, dorothy; but he couldn't come with us because he's getting polished as bright as possible for ozma's party." "well then," said dorothy, "let's start on, and we can talk more as we go." they proceeded on their journey in a friendly group, for polychrome had discovered that the copper man was harmless and was no longer afraid of him. button-bright was also reassured, and took quite a fancy to tik-tok. he wanted the clockwork man to open himself, so that he might see the wheels go round; but that was a thing tik-tok could not do. button-bright then wanted to wind up the copper man, and dorothy promised he should do so as soon as any part of the machinery ran down. this pleased button-bright, who held fast to one of tik-tok's copper hands as he trudged along the road, while dorothy walked on the other side of her old friend and billina perched by turns upon his shoulder or his copper hat. polly once more joyously danced ahead and toto ran after her, barking with glee. the shaggy man was left to walk behind; but he didn't seem to mind that a bit, and whistled merrily or looked curiously upon the pretty scenes they passed. at last they came to a hilltop from which the tin castle of nick chopper could plainly be seen, its towers glistening magnificently under the rays of the declining sun. "how pretty!" exclaimed dorothy. "i've never seen the emp'ror's new house before." "he built it because the old castle was damp, and likely to rust his tin body," said billina. "all those towers and steeples and domes and gables took a lot of tin, as you can see." "is it a toy?" asked button-bright softly. "no, dear," answered dorothy; "it's better than that. it's the fairy dwelling of a fairy prince." . the emperor's tin castle the grounds around nick chopper's new house were laid out in pretty flower-beds, with fountains of crystal water and statues of tin representing the emperor's personal friends. dorothy was astonished and delighted to find a tin statue of herself standing on a tin pedestal at a bend in the avenue leading up to the entrance. it was life-size and showed her in her sunbonnet with her basket on her arm, just as she had first appeared in the land of oz. "oh, toto--you're there too!" she exclaimed; and sure enough there was the tin figure of toto lying at the tin dorothy's feet. also, dorothy saw figures of the scarecrow, and the wizard, and ozma, and of many others, including tik-tok. they reached the grand tin entrance to the tin castle, and the tin woodman himself came running out of the door to embrace little dorothy and give her a glad welcome. he welcomed her friends as well, and the rainbow's daughter he declared to be the loveliest vision his tin eyes had ever beheld. he patted button-bright's curly head tenderly, for he was fond of children, and turned to the shaggy man and shook both his hands at the same time. nick chopper, the emperor of the winkies, who was also known throughout the land of oz as the tin woodman, was certainly a remarkable person. he was neatly made, all of tin, nicely soldered at the joints, and his various limbs were cleverly hinged to his body so that he could use them nearly as well as if they had been common flesh. once, he told the shaggy man, he had been made all of flesh and bones, as other people are, and then he chopped wood in the forests to earn his living. but the axe slipped so often and cut off parts of him--which he had replaced with tin--that finally there was no flesh left, nothing but tin; so he became a real tin woodman. the wonderful wizard of oz had given him an excellent heart to replace his old one, and he didn't at all mind being tin. every one loved him, he loved every one; and he was therefore as happy as the day was long. the emperor was proud of his new tin castle, and showed his visitors through all the rooms. every bit of the furniture was made of brightly polished tin--the tables, chairs, beds, and all--even the floors and walls were of tin. "i suppose," said he, "that there are no cleverer tinsmiths in all the world than the winkies. it would be hard to match this castle in kansas; wouldn't it, little dorothy?" "very hard," replied the child, gravely. "it must have cost a lot of money," remarked the shaggy man. "money! money in oz!" cried the tin woodman. "what a queer idea! did you suppose we are so vulgar as to use money here?" "why not?" asked the shaggy man. "if we used money to buy things with, instead of love and kindness and the desire to please one another, then we should be no better than the rest of the world," declared the tin woodman. "fortunately money is not known in the land of oz at all. we have no rich, and no poor; for what one wishes the others all try to give him, in order to make him happy, and no one in all oz cares to have more than he can use." "good!" cried the shaggy man, greatly pleased to hear this. "i also despise money--a man in butterfield owes me fifteen cents, and i will not take it from him. the land of oz is surely the most favored land in all the world, and its people the happiest. i should like to live here always." the tin woodman listened with respectful attention. already he loved the shaggy man, although he did not yet know of the love magnet. so he said: "if you can prove to the princess ozma that you are honest and true and worthy of our friendship, you may indeed live here all your days, and be as happy as we are." "i'll try to prove that," said the shaggy man, earnestly. "and now," continued the emperor, "you must all go to your rooms and prepare for dinner, which will presently be served in the grand tin dining-hall. i am sorry, shaggy man, that i can not offer you a change of clothing; but i dress only in tin, myself, and i suppose that would not suit you." "i care little about dress," said the shaggy man, indifferently. "so i should imagine," replied the emperor, with true politeness. they were shown to their rooms and permitted to make such toilets as they could, and soon they assembled again in the grand tin dining-hall, even toto being present. for the emperor was fond of dorothy's little dog, and the girl explained to her friends that in oz all animals were treated with as much consideration as the people--"if they behave themselves," she added. toto behaved himself, and sat in a tin high-chair beside dorothy and ate his dinner from a tin platter. indeed, they all ate from tin dishes, but these were of pretty shapes and brightly polished; dorothy thought they were just as good as silver. button-bright looked curiously at the man who had "no appetite inside him," for the tin woodman, although he had prepared so fine a feast for his guests, ate not a mouthful himself, sitting patiently in his place to see that all built so they could eat were well and plentifully served. what pleased button-bright most about the dinner was the tin orchestra that played sweet music while the company ate. the players were not tin, being just ordinary winkies; but the instruments they played upon were all tin--tin trumpets, tin fiddles, tin drums and cymbals and flutes and horns and all. they played so nicely the "shining emperor waltz," composed expressly in honor of the tin woodman by mr. h. m. wogglebug, t.e., that polly could not resist dancing to it. after she had tasted a few dewdrops, freshly gathered for her, she danced gracefully to the music while the others finished their repast; and when she whirled until her fleecy draperies of rainbow hues enveloped her like a cloud, the tin woodman was so delighted that he clapped his tin hands until the noise of them drowned the sound of the cymbals. altogether it was a merry meal, although polychrome ate little and the host nothing at all. "i'm sorry the rainbow's daughter missed her mist-cakes," said the tin woodman to dorothy; "but by a mistake miss polly's mist-cakes were mislaid and not missed until now. i'll try to have some for her breakfast." they spent the evening telling stories, and the next morning left the splendid tin castle and set out upon the road to the emerald city. the tin woodman went with them, of course, having by this time been so brightly polished that he sparkled like silver. his axe, which he always carried with him, had a steel blade that was tin plated and a handle covered with tin plate beautifully engraved and set with diamonds. the winkies assembled before the castle gates and cheered their emperor as he marched away, and it was easy to see that they all loved him dearly. . visiting the pumpkin-field dorothy let button-bright wind up the clock-work in the copper man this morning--his thinking machine first, then his speech, and finally his action; so he would doubtless run perfectly until they had reached the emerald city. the copper man and the tin man were good friends, and not so much alike as you might think. for one was alive and the other moved by means of machinery; one was tall and angular and the other short and round. you could love the tin woodman because he had a fine nature, kindly and simple; but the machine man you could only admire without loving, since to love such a thing as he was as impossible as to love a sewing-machine or an automobile. yet tik-tok was popular with the people of oz because he was so trustworthy, reliable and true; he was sure to do exactly what he was wound up to do, at all times and in all circumstances. perhaps it is better to be a machine that does its duty than a flesh-and-blood person who will not, for a dead truth is better than a live falsehood. about noon the travelers reached a large field of pumpkins--a vegetable quite appropriate to the yellow country of the winkies--and some of the pumpkins which grew there were of remarkable size. just before they entered upon this field they saw three little mounds that looked like graves, with a pretty headstone to each one of them. "what is this?" asked dorothy, in wonder. "it's jack pumpkinhead's private graveyard," replied the tin woodman. "but i thought nobody ever died in oz," she said. "nor do they; although if one is bad, he may be condemned and killed by the good citizens," he answered. dorothy ran over to the little graves and read the words engraved upon the tombstones. the first one said: here lies the mortal part of jack pumpkinhead which spoiled april th. she then went to the next stone, which read: here lies the mortal part of jack pumpkinhead which spoiled october nd. on the third stone were carved these words: here lies the mortal part of jack pumpkinhead which spoiled january th. "poor jack!" sighed dorothy. "i'm sorry he had to die in three parts, for i hoped to see him again." "so you shall," declared the tin woodman, "since he is still alive. come with me to his house, for jack is now a farmer and lives in this very pumpkin field." they walked over to a monstrous big, hollow pumpkin which had a door and windows cut through the rind. there was a stovepipe running through the stem, and six steps had been built leading up to the front door. they walked up to this door and looked in. seated on a bench was a man clothed in a spotted shirt, a red vest, and faded blue trousers, whose body was merely sticks of wood, jointed clumsily together. on his neck was set a round, yellow pumpkin, with a face carved on it such as a boy often carves on a jack-lantern. this queer man was engaged in snapping slippery pumpkin-seeds with his wooden fingers, trying to hit a target on the other side of the room with them. he did not know he had visitors until dorothy exclaimed: "why, it's jack pumpkinhead himself!" he turned and saw them, and at once came forward to greet the little kansas girl and nick chopper, and to be introduced to their new friends. button-bright was at first rather shy with the quaint pumpkinhead, but jack's face was so jolly and smiling--being carved that way--that the boy soon grew to like him. "i thought a while ago that you were buried in three parts," said dorothy, "but now i see you're just the same as ever." "not quite the same, my dear, for my mouth is a little more one-sided than it used to be; but pretty nearly the same. i've a new head, and this is the fourth one i've owned since ozma first made me and brought me to life by sprinkling me with the magic powder." "what became of the other heads, jack?" "they spoiled and i buried them, for they were not even fit for pies. each time ozma has carved me a new head just like the old one, and as my body is by far the largest part of me, i am still jack pumpkinhead, no matter how often i change my upper end. once we had a dreadful time to find another pumpkin, as they were out of season, and so i was obliged to wear my old head a little longer than was strictly healthy. but after this sad experience i resolved to raise pumpkins myself, so as never to be caught again without one handy; and now i have this fine field that you see before you. some grow pretty big--too big to be used for heads--so i dug out this one and use it for a house." "isn't it damp?" asked dorothy. "not very. there isn't much left but the shell, you see, and it will last a long time yet." "i think you are brighter than you used to be, jack," said the tin woodman. "your last head was a stupid one." "the seeds in this one are better," was the reply. "are you going to ozma's party?" asked dorothy. "yes," said he, "i wouldn't miss it for anything. ozma's my parent, you know, because she built my body and carved my pumpkin head. i'll follow you to the emerald city to-morrow, where we shall meet again. i can't go to-day, because i have to plant fresh pumpkin-seeds and water the young vines. but give my love to ozma, and tell her i'll be there in time for the jubilation." "we will," she promised; and then they all left him and resumed their journey. . the royal chariot arrives the neat yellow houses of the winkies were now to be seen standing here and there along the roadway, giving the country a more cheerful and civilized look. they were farm-houses, though, and set far apart; for in the land of oz there were no towns or villages except the magnificent emerald city in its center. hedges of evergreen or of yellow roses bordered the broad highway and the farms showed the care of their industrious inhabitants. the nearer the travelers came to the great city the more prosperous the country became, and they crossed many bridges over the sparkling streams and rivulets that watered the lands. as they walked leisurely along the shaggy man said to the tin woodman: "what sort of a magic powder was it that made your friend the pumpkinhead live?" "it was called the powder of life," was the answer; "and it was invented by a crooked sorcerer who lived in the mountains of the north country. a witch named mombi got some of this powder from the crooked sorcerer and took it home with her. ozma lived with the witch then, for it was before she became our princess, while mombi had transformed her into the shape of a boy. well, while mombi was gone to the crooked sorcerer's, the boy made this pumpkin-headed man to amuse himself, and also with the hope of frightening the witch with it when she returned. but mombi was not scared, and she sprinkled the pumpkinhead with her magic powder of life, to see if the powder would work. ozma was watching, and saw the pumpkinhead come to life; so that night she took the pepper-box containing the powder and ran away with it and with jack, in search of adventures. "next day they found a wooden saw-horse standing by the roadside, and sprinkled it with the powder. it came to life at once, and jack pumpkinhead rode the saw-horse to the emerald city." "what became of the saw-horse, afterward?" asked the shaggy man, much interested in this story. "oh, it's alive yet, and you will probably meet it presently in the emerald city. afterward, ozma used the last of the powder to bring the flying gump to life; but as soon as it had carried her away from her enemies the gump was taken apart, so it doesn't exist any more." "it's too bad the powder of life was all used up," remarked the shaggy man; "it would be a handy thing to have around." "i am not so sure of that, sir," answered the tin woodman. "a while ago the crooked sorcerer who invented the magic powder fell down a precipice and was killed. all his possessions went to a relative--an old woman named dyna, who lives in the emerald city. she went to the mountains where the sorcerer had lived and brought away everything she thought of value. among them was a small bottle of the powder of life; but of course dyna didn't know it was a magic powder, at all. it happened she had once had a big blue bear for a pet; but the bear choked to death on a fishbone one day, and she loved it so dearly that dyna made a rug of its skin, leaving the head and four paws on the hide. she kept the rug on the floor of her front parlor." "i've seen rugs like that," said the shaggy man, nodding, "but never one made from a blue bear." "well," continued the tin woodman, "the old woman had an idea that the powder in the bottle must be moth-powder, because it smelled something like moth-powder; so one day she sprinkled it on her bear rug to keep the moths out of it. she said, looking lovingly at the skin: 'i wish my dear bear were alive again!' to her horror, the bear rug at once came to life, having been sprinkled with the magic powder; and now this live bear rug is a great trial to her, and makes her a lot of trouble." "why?" asked the shaggy man. "well, it stands up on its four feet and walks all around, and gets in the way; and that spoils it for a rug. it can't speak, although it is alive; for, while its head might say words, it has no breath in a solid body to push the words out of its mouth. it's a very slimpsy affair altogether, that bear rug, and the old woman is sorry it came to life. every day she has to scold it, and make it lie down flat on the parlor floor to be walked upon; but sometimes when she goes to market the rug will hump up its back skin, and stand on its four feet, and trot along after her." "i should think dyna would like that," said dorothy. "well, she doesn't; because every one knows it isn't a real bear, but just a hollow skin, and so of no actual use in the world except for a rug," answered the tin woodman. "therefore i believe it is a good thing that all the magic powder of life is now used up, as it can not cause any more trouble." "perhaps you're right," said the shaggy man, thoughtfully. at noon they stopped at a farmhouse, where it delighted the farmer and his wife to be able to give them a good luncheon. the farm people knew dorothy, having seen her when she was in the country before, and they treated the little girl with as much respect as they did the emperor, because she was a friend of the powerful princess ozma. they had not proceeded far after leaving this farm-house before coming to a high bridge over a broad river. this river, the tin woodman informed them, was the boundary between the country of the winkies and the territory of the emerald city. the city itself was still a long way off, but all around it was a green meadow as pretty as a well-kept lawn, and in this were neither houses nor farms to spoil the beauty of the scene. from the top of the high bridge they could see far away the magnificent spires and splendid domes of the superb city, sparkling like brilliant jewels as they towered above the emerald walls. the shaggy man drew a deep breath of awe and amazement, for never had he dreamed that such a grand and beautiful place could exist--even in the fairyland of oz. polly was so pleased that her violet eyes sparkled like amethysts, and she danced away from her companions across the bridge and into a group of feathery trees lining both the roadsides. these trees she stopped to look at with pleasure and surprise, for their leaves were shaped like ostrich plumes, their feather edges beautifully curled; and all the plumes were tinted in the same dainty rainbow hues that appeared in polychrome's own pretty gauze gown. "father ought to see these trees," she murmured; "they are almost as lovely as his own rainbows." then she gave a start of terror, for beneath the trees came stalking two great beasts, either one big enough to crush the little daughter of the rainbow with one blow of his paws, or to eat her up with one snap of his enormous jaws. one was a tawny lion, as tall as a horse, nearly; the other a striped tiger almost the same size. polly was too frightened to scream or to stir; she stood still with a wildly beating heart until dorothy rushed past her and with a glad cry threw her arms around the huge lion's neck, hugging and kissing the beast with evident joy. "oh, i'm so glad to see you again!" cried the little kansas girl. "and the hungry tiger, too! how fine you're both looking. are you well and happy?" "we certainly are, dorothy," answered the lion, in a deep voice that sounded pleasant and kind; "and we are greatly pleased that you have come to ozma's party. it's going to be a grand affair, i promise you." "there will be lots of fat babies at the celebration, i hear," remarked the hungry tiger, yawning so that his mouth opened dreadfully wide and showed all his big, sharp teeth; "but of course i can't eat any of 'em." "is your conscience still in good order?" asked dorothy, anxiously. "yes; it rules me like a tyrant," answered the tiger, sorrowfully. "i can imagine nothing more unpleasant than to own a conscience," and he winked slyly at his friend the lion. "you're fooling me!" said dorothy, with a laugh. "i don't b'lieve you'd eat a baby if you lost your conscience. come here, polly," she called, "and be introduced to my friends." polly advanced rather shyly. "you have some queer friends, dorothy," she said. "the queerness doesn't matter so long as they're friends," was the answer. "this is the cowardly lion, who isn't a coward at all, but just thinks he is. the wizard gave him some courage once, and he has part of it left." the lion bowed with great dignity to polly. "you are very lovely, my dear," said he. "i hope we shall be friends when we are better acquainted." "and this is the hungry tiger," continued dorothy. "he says he longs to eat fat babies; but the truth is he is never hungry at all, 'cause he gets plenty to eat; and i don't s'pose he'd hurt anybody even if he was hungry." "hush, dorothy," whispered the tiger; "you'll ruin my reputation if you are not more discreet. it isn't what we are, but what folks think we are, that counts in this world. and come to think of it miss polly would make a fine variegated breakfast, i'm sure." . the emerald city the others now came up, and the tin woodman greeted the lion and the tiger cordially. button-bright yelled with fear when dorothy first took his hand and led him toward the great beasts; but the girl insisted they were kind and good, and so the boy mustered up courage enough to pat their heads; after they had spoken to him gently and he had looked into their intelligent eyes his fear vanished entirely and he was so delighted with the animals that he wanted to keep close to them and stroke their soft fur every minute. as for the shaggy man, he might have been afraid if he had met the beasts alone, or in any other country, but so many were the marvels in; the land of oz that he was no longer easily surprised, and dorothy's friendship for the lion and tiger was enough to assure him they were safe companions. toto barked at the cowardly lion in joyous greeting, for he knew the beast of old and loved him, and it was funny to see how gently the lion raised his huge paw to pat toto's head. the little dog smelled of the tiger's nose, and the tiger politely shook paws with him; so they were quite likely to become firm friends. tik-tok and billina knew the beasts well, so merely bade them good day and asked after their healths and inquired about the princess ozma. now it was seen that the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were drawing behind them a splendid golden chariot, to which they were harnessed by golden cords. the body of the chariot was decorated on the outside with designs in clusters of sparkling emeralds, while inside it was lined with a green and gold satin, and the cushions of the seats were of green plush embroidered in gold with a crown, underneath which was a monogram. "why, it's ozma's own royal chariot!" exclaimed dorothy. "yes," said the cowardly lion; "ozma sent us to meet you here, for she feared you would be weary with your long walk and she wished you to enter the city in a style becoming your exalted rank." "what!" cried polly, looking at dorothy curiously. "do you belong to the nobility?" "just in oz i do," said the child, "'cause ozma made me a princess, you know. but when i'm home in kansas i'm only a country girl, and have to help with the churning and wipe the dishes while aunt em washes 'em. do you have to help wash dishes on the rainbow, polly?" "no, dear," answered polychrome, smiling. "well, i don't have to work any in oz, either," said dorothy. "it's kind of fun to be a princess once in a while; don't you think so?" "dorothy and polychrome and button-bright are all to ride in the chariot," said the lion. "so get in, my dears, and be careful not to mar the gold or put your dusty feet on the embroidery." button-bright was delighted to ride behind such a superb team, and he told dorothy it made him feel like an actor in a circus. as the strides of the animals brought them nearer to the emerald city every one bowed respectfully to the children, as well as to the tin woodman, tik-tok, and the shaggy man, who were following behind. the yellow hen had perched upon the back of the chariot, where she could tell dorothy more about her wonderful chickens as they rode. and so the grand chariot came finally to the high wall surrounding the city, and paused before the magnificent jewel-studded gates. these were opened by a cheerful-looking little man who wore green spectacles over his eyes. dorothy introduced him to her friends as the guardian of the gates, and they noticed a big bunch of keys suspended on the golden chain that hung around his neck. the chariot passed through the outer gates into a fine arched chamber built in the thick wall, and through the inner gates into the streets of the emerald city. polychrome exclaimed in rapture at the wondrous beauty that met her eyes on every side as they rode through this stately and imposing city, the equal of which has never been discovered, even in fairyland. button-bright could only say "my!" so amazing was the sight; but his eyes were wide open and he tried to look in every direction at the same time, so as not to miss anything. the shaggy man was fairly astounded at what he saw, for the graceful and handsome buildings were covered with plates of gold and set with emeralds so splendid and valuable that in any other part of the world any one of them would have been worth a fortune to its owner. the sidewalks were superb marble slabs polished as smooth as glass, and the curbs that separated the walks from the broad street were also set thick with clustered emeralds. there were many people on these walks--men, women and children--all dressed in handsome garments of silk or satin or velvet, with beautiful jewels. better even than this: all seemed happy and contented, for their faces were smiling and free from care, and music and laughter might be heard on every side. "don't they work at all?" asked the shaggy man. "to be sure they work," replied the tin woodman; "this fair city could not be built or cared for without labor, nor could the fruit and vegetables and other food be provided for the inhabitants to eat. but no one works more than half his time, and the people of oz enjoy their labors as much as they do their play." "it's wonderful!" declared the shaggy man. "i do hope ozma will let me live here." the chariot, winding through many charming streets, paused before a building so vast and noble and elegant that even button-bright guessed at once that it was the royal palace. its gardens and ample grounds were surrounded by a separate wall, not so high or thick as the wall around the city, but more daintily designed and built all of green marble. the gates flew open as the chariot appeared before them, and the cowardly lion and hungry tiger trotted up a jeweled driveway to the front door of the palace and stopped short. "here we are!" said dorothy, gaily, and helped button-bright from the chariot. polychrome leaped out lightly after them, and they were greeted by a crowd of gorgeously dressed servants who bowed low as the visitors mounted the marble steps. at their head was a pretty little maid with dark hair and eyes, dressed all in green embroidered with silver. dorothy ran up to her with evident pleasure, and exclaimed: "o, jellia jamb! i'm so glad to see you again. where's ozma?" "in her room, your highness," replied the little maid demurely, for this was ozma's favorite attendant. "she wishes you to come to her as soon as you have rested and changed your dress, princess dorothy. and you and your friends are to dine with her this evening." "when is her birthday, jellia?" asked the girl. "day after to-morrow, your highness." "and where's the scarecrow?" "he's gone into the munchkin country to get some fresh straw to stuff himself with, in honor of ozma's celebration," replied the maid. "he returns to the emerald city to-morrow, he said." by this time, tok-tok, the tin woodman, and the shaggy man had arrived and the chariot had gone around to the back of the palace, billina going with the lion and tiger to see her chickens after her absence from them. but toto stayed close beside dorothy. "come in, please," said jellia jamb; "it shall be our pleasant duty to escort all of you to the rooms prepared for your use." the shaggy man hesitated. dorothy had never known him to be ashamed of his shaggy looks before, but now that he was surrounded by so much magnificence and splendor the shaggy man felt sadly out of place. dorothy assured him that all her friends were welcome at ozma's palace, so he carefully dusted his shaggy shoes with his shaggy handkerchief and entered the grand hall after the others. tik-tok lived at the royal palace and the tin woodman always had the same room whenever he visited ozma, so these two went at once to remove the dust of the journey from their shining bodies. dorothy also had a pretty suite of rooms which she always occupied when in the emerald city; but several servants walked ahead politely to show the way, although she was quite sure she could find the rooms herself. she took button-bright with her, because he seemed too small to be left alone in such a big palace; but jellia jamb herself ushered the beautiful daughter of the rainbow to her apartments, because it was easy to see that polychrome was used to splendid palaces and was therefore entitled to especial attention. . the shaggy man's welcome the shaggy man stood in the great hall, his shaggy hat in his hands, wondering what would become of him. he had never been a guest in a fine palace before; perhaps he had never been a guest anywhere. in the big, cold, outside world people did not invite shaggy men to their homes, and this shaggy man of ours had slept more in hay-lofts and stables than in comfortable rooms. when the others left the great hall he eyed the splendidly dressed servants of the princess ozma as if he expected to be ordered out; but one of them bowed before him as respectfully as if he had been a prince, and said: "permit me, sir, to conduct you to your apartments." the shaggy man drew a long breath and took courage. "very well," he answered. "i'm ready." through the big hall they went, up the grand staircase carpeted thick with velvet, and so along a wide corridor to a carved doorway. here the servant paused, and opening the door said with polite deference: "be good enough to enter, sir, and make yourself at home in the rooms our royal ozma has ordered prepared for you. whatever you see is for you to use and enjoy, as if your own. the princess dines at seven, and i shall be here in time to lead you to the drawing-room, where you will be privileged to meet the lovely ruler of oz. is there any command, in the meantime, with which you desire to honor me?" "no," said the shaggy man; "but i'm much obliged." he entered the room and shut the door, and for a time stood in bewilderment, admiring the grandeur before him. he had been given one of the handsomest apartments in the most magnificent palace in the world, and you can not wonder that his good fortune astonished and awed him until he grew used to his surroundings. the furniture was upholstered in cloth of gold, with the royal crown embroidered upon it in scarlet. the rug upon the marble floor was so thick and soft that he could not hear the sound of his own footsteps, and upon the walls were splendid tapestries woven with scenes from the land of oz. books and ornaments were scattered about in profusion, and the shaggy man thought he had never seen so many pretty things in one place before. in one corner played a tinkling fountain of perfumed water, and in another was a table bearing a golden tray loaded with freshly gathered fruit, including several of the red-cheeked apples that the shaggy man loved. at the farther end of this charming room was an open doorway, and he crossed over to find himself in a bedroom containing more comforts than the shaggy man had ever before imagined. the bedstead was of gold and set with many brilliant diamonds, and the coverlet had designs of pearls and rubies sewed upon it. at one side of the bedroom was a dainty dressing-room with closets containing a large assortment of fresh clothing; and beyond this was the bath--a large room having a marble pool big enough to swim in, with white marble steps leading down to the water. around the edge of the pool were set rows of fine emeralds as large as door-knobs, while the water of the bath was clear as crystal. for a time the shaggy man gazed upon all this luxury with silent amazement. then he decided, being wise in his way, to take advantage of his good fortune. he removed his shaggy boots and his shaggy clothing, and bathed in the pool with rare enjoyment. after he had dried himself with the soft towels he went into the dressing-room and took fresh linen from the drawers and put it on, finding that everything fitted him exactly. he examined the contents of the closets and selected an elegant suit of clothing. strangely enough, everything about it was shaggy, although so new and beautiful, and he sighed with contentment to realize that he could now be finely dressed and still be the shaggy man. his coat was of rose-colored velvet, trimmed with shags and bobtails, with buttons of blood-red rubies and golden shags around the edges. his vest was a shaggy satin of a delicate cream color, and his knee-breeches of rose velvet trimmed like the coat. shaggy creamy stockings of silk, and shaggy slippers of rose leather with ruby buckles, completed his costume, and when he was thus attired the shaggy man looked at himself in a long mirror with great admiration. on a table he found a mother-of-pearl chest decorated with delicate silver vines and flowers of clustered rubies, and on the cover was a silver plate engraved with these words: the shaggy man: his box of ornaments the chest was not locked, so he opened it and was almost dazzled by the brilliance of the rich jewels it contained. after admiring the pretty things, he took out a fine golden watch with a big chain, several handsome finger-rings, and an ornament of rubies to pin upon the breast of his shaggy shirt-bosom. having carefully brushed his hair and whiskers all the wrong way to make them look as shaggy as possible, the shaggy man breathed a deep sigh of joy and decided he was ready to meet the royal princess as soon as she sent for him. while he waited he returned to the beautiful sitting room and ate several of the red-cheeked apples to pass away the time. meanwhile, dorothy had dressed herself in a pretty gown of soft grey embroidered with silver, and put a blue-and-gold suit of satin upon little button-bright, who looked as sweet as a cherub in it. followed by the boy and toto--the dog with a new green ribbon around his neck--she hastened down to the splendid drawing-room of the palace, where, seated upon an exquisite throne of carved malachite and nestled amongst its green satin cushions was the lovely princess ozma, waiting eagerly to welcome her friend. . princess ozma of oz the royal historians of oz, who are fine writers and know any number of big words, have often tried to describe the rare beauty of ozma and failed because the words were not good enough. so of course i cannot hope to tell you how great was the charm of this little princess, or how her loveliness put to shame all the sparkling jewels and magnificent luxury that surrounded her in this her royal palace. whatever else was beautiful or dainty or delightful of itself faded to dullness when contrasted with ozma's bewitching face, and it has often been said by those who know that no other ruler in all the world can ever hope to equal the gracious charm of her manner. everything about ozma attracted one, and she inspired love and the sweetest affection rather than awe or ordinary admiration. dorothy threw her arms around her little friend and hugged and kissed her rapturously, and toto barked joyfully and button-bright smiled a happy smile and consented to sit on the soft cushions close beside the princess. "why didn't you send me word you were going to have a birthday party?" asked the little kansas girl, when the first greetings were over. "didn't i?" asked ozma, her pretty eyes dancing with merriment. "did you?" replied dorothy, trying to think. "who do you imagine, dear, mixed up those roads, so as to start you wandering in the direction of oz?" inquired the princess. "oh! i never 'spected you of that," cried dorothy. "i've watched you in my magic picture all the way here," declared ozma, "and twice i thought i should have to use the magic belt to save you and transport you to the emerald city. once was when the scoodlers caught you, and again when you reached the deadly desert. but the shaggy man was able to help you out both times, so i did not interfere." "do you know who button-bright is?" asked dorothy. "no; i never saw him until you found him in the road, and then only in my magic picture." "and did you send polly to us?" "no, dear; the rainbow's daughter slid from her father's pretty arch just in time to meet you." "well," said dorothy, "i've promised king dox of foxville and king kik-a-bray of dunkiton that i'd ask you to invite them to your party." "i have already done that," returned ozma, "because i thought it would please you to favor them." "did you 'vite the musicker?" asked button-bright. "no; because he would be too noisy, and might interfere with the comfort of others. when music is not very good, and is indulged in all the time, it is better that the performer should be alone," said the princess. "i like the musicker's music," declared the boy, gravely. "but i don't," said dorothy. "well, there will be plenty of music at my celebration," promised ozma; "so i've an idea button-bright won't miss the musicker at all." just then polychrome danced in, and ozma rose to greet the rainbow's daughter in her sweetest and most cordial manner. dorothy thought she had never seen two prettier creatures together than these lovely maidens; but polly knew at once her own dainty beauty could not match that of ozma, yet was not a bit jealous because this was so. the wizard of oz was announced, and a dried-up, little, old man, clothed all in black, entered the drawing-room. his face was cheery and his eyes twinkling with humor, so polly and button-bright were not at all afraid of the wonderful personage whose fame as a humbug magician had spread throughout the world. after greeting dorothy with much affection, he stood modestly behind ozma's throne and listened to the lively prattle of the young people. now the shaggy man appeared, and so startling was his appearance, all clad in shaggy new raiment, that dorothy cried "oh!" and clasped her hands impulsively as she examined her friend with pleased eyes. "he's still shaggy, all right," remarked button-bright; and ozma nodded brightly because she had meant the shaggy man to remain shaggy when she provided his new clothes for him. dorothy led him toward the throne, as he was shy in such fine company, and presented him gracefully to the princess, saying: "this, your highness, is my friend, the shaggy man, who owns the love magnet." "you are welcome to oz," said the girl ruler, in gracious accents. "but tell me, sir, where did you get the love magnet which you say you own?" the shaggy man grew red and looked downcast, as he answered in a low voice: "i stole it, your majesty." "oh, shaggy man!" cried dorothy. "how dreadful! and you told me the eskimo gave you the love magnet." he shuffled first on one foot and then on the other, much embarrassed. "i told you a falsehood, dorothy," he said; "but now, having bathed in the truth pond, i must tell nothing but the truth." "why did you steal it?" asked ozma, gently. "because no one loved me, or cared for me," said the shaggy man, "and i wanted to be loved a great deal. it was owned by a girl in butterfield who was loved too much, so that the young men quarreled over her, which made her unhappy. after i had stolen the magnet from her, only one young man continued to love the girl, and she married him and regained her happiness." "are you sorry you stole it?" asked the princess. "no, your highness; i'm glad," he answered; "for it has pleased me to be loved, and if dorothy had not cared for me i could not have accompanied her to this beautiful land of oz, or met its kind-hearted ruler. now that i'm here, i hope to remain, and to become one of your majesty's most faithful subjects." "but in oz we are loved for ourselves alone, and for our kindness to one another, and for our good deeds," she said. "i'll give up the love magnet," said the shaggy man, eagerly; "dorothy shall have it." "but every one loves dorothy already," declared the wizard. "then button-bright shall have it." "don't want it," said the boy, promptly. "then i'll give it to the wizard, for i'm sure the lovely princess ozma does not need it." "all my people love the wizard, too," announced the princess, laughing; "so we will hang the love magnet over the gates of the emerald city, that whoever shall enter or leave the gates may be loved and loving." "that is a good idea," said the shaggy man; "i agree to it most willingly." those assembled now went in to dinner, which you can imagine was a grand affair; and afterward ozma asked the wizard to give them an exhibition of his magic. the wizard took eight tiny white piglets from an inside pocket and set them on the table. one was dressed like a clown, and performed funny antics, and the others leaped over the spoons and dishes and ran around the table like race-horses, and turned hand-springs and were so sprightly and amusing that they kept the company in one roar of merry laughter. the wizard had trained these pets to do many curious things, and they were so little and so cunning and soft that polychrome loved to pick them up as they passed near her place and fondle them as if they were kittens. it was late when the entertainment ended, and they separated to go to their rooms. "to-morrow," said ozma, "my invited guests will arrive, and you will find among them some interesting and curious people, i promise you. the next day will be my birthday, and the festivities will be held on the broad green just outside the gates of the city, where all my people can assemble without being crowded." "i hope the scarecrow won't be late," said dorothy, anxiously. "oh, he is sure to return to-morrow," answered ozma. "he wanted new straw to stuff himself with, so he went to the munchkin country, where straw is plentiful." with this the princess bade her guests good night and went to her own room. . dorothy receives the guests next morning dorothy's breakfast was served in her own pretty sitting room, and she sent to invite polly and the shaggy man to join her and button-bright at the meal. they came gladly, and toto also had breakfast with them, so that the little party that had traveled together to oz was once more reunited. no sooner had they finished eating than they heard the distant blast of many trumpets, and the sound of a brass band playing martial music; so they all went out upon the balcony. this was at the front of the palace and overlooked the streets of the city, being higher than the wall that shut in the palace grounds. they saw approaching down the street a band of musicians, playing as hard and loud as they could, while the people of the emerald city crowded the sidewalks and cheered so lustily that they almost drowned the noise of the drums and horns. dorothy looked to see what they were cheering at, and discovered that behind the band was the famous scarecrow, riding proudly upon the back of a wooden saw-horse which pranced along the street almost as gracefully as if it had been made of flesh. its hoofs, or rather the ends of its wooden legs, were shod with plates of solid gold, and the saddle strapped to the wooden body was richly embroidered and glistened with jewels. as he reached the palace the scarecrow looked up and saw dorothy, and at once waved his peaked hat at her in greeting. he rode up to the front door and dismounted, and the band stopped playing and went away and the crowds of people returned to their dwellings. by the time dorothy and her friends had re-entered her room, the scarecrow was there, and he gave the girl a hearty embrace and shook the hands of the others with his own squashy hands, which were white gloves filled with straw. the shaggy man, button-bright, and polychrome stared hard at this celebrated person, who was acknowledged to be the most popular and most beloved man in all the land of oz. "why, your face has been newly painted!" exclaimed dorothy, when the first greetings were over. "i had it touched up a bit by the munchkin farmer who first made me," answered the scarecrow, pleasantly. "my complexion had become a bit grey and faded, you know, and the paint had peeled off one end of my mouth, so i couldn't talk quite straight. now i feel like myself again, and i may say without immodesty that my body is stuffed with the loveliest oat-straw in all oz." he pushed against his chest. "hear me crunkle?" he asked. "yes," said dorothy; "you sound fine." button-bright was wonderfully attracted by the strawman, and so was polly. the shaggy man treated him with great respect, because he was so queerly made. jellia jamb now came to say that ozma wanted princess dorothy to receive the invited guests in the throne-room, as they arrived. the ruler was herself busy ordering the preparations for the morrow's festivities, so she wished her friend to act in her place. dorothy willingly agreed, being the only other princess in the emerald city; so she went to the great throne-room and sat in ozma's seat, placing polly on one side of her and button-bright on the other. the scarecrow stood at the left of the throne and the tin woodman at the right, while the wonderful wizard and the shaggy man stood behind. the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger came in, with bright new bows of ribbon on their collars and tails. after greeting dorothy affectionately the huge beasts lay down at the foot of the throne. while they waited, the scarecrow, who was near the little boy, asked: "why are you called button-bright?" "don't know," was the answer. "oh yes, you do, dear," said dorothy. "tell the scarecrow how you got your name." "papa always said i was bright as a button, so mama always called me button-bright," announced the boy. "where is your mama?" asked the scarecrow. "don't know," said button-bright. "where is your home?" asked the scarecrow. "don't know," said button-bright. "don't you want to find your mama again?" asked the scarecrow. "don't know," said button-bright, calmly. the scarecrow looked thoughtful. "your papa may have been right," he observed; "but there are many kinds of buttons, you see. there are silver and gold buttons, which are highly polished and glitter brightly. there are pearl and rubber buttons, and other kinds, with surfaces more or less bright. but there is still another sort of button which is covered with dull cloth, and that must be the sort your papa meant when he said you were bright as a button. don't you think so?" "don't know," said button-bright. jack pumpkinhead arrived, wearing a pair of new, white kid gloves; and he brought a birthday present for ozma consisting of a necklace of pumpkin-seeds. in each seed was set a sparkling carolite, which is considered the rarest and most beautiful gem that exists. the necklace was in a plush case and jellia jamb put it on a table with the princess ozma's other presents. next came a tall, beautiful woman clothed in a splendid trailing gown, trimmed with exquisite lace as fine as cobweb. this was the important sorceress known as glinda the good, who had been of great assistance to both ozma and dorothy. there was no humbug about her magic, you may be sure, and glinda was as kind as she was powerful. she greeted dorothy most lovingly, and kissed button-bright and polly, and smiled upon the shaggy man, after which jellia jamb led the sorceress to one of the most magnificent rooms of the royal palace and appointed fifty servants to wait upon her. the next arrival was mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t.e.; the "h. m." meaning highly magnified and the "t.e." meaning thoroughly educated. the woggle-bug was head professor at the royal college of oz, and he had composed a fine ode in honor of ozma's birthday. this he wanted to read to them; but the scarecrow wouldn't let him. soon they heard a clucking sound and a chorus of "cheep! cheep!" and a servant threw open the door to allow billina and her ten fluffy chicks to enter the throne-room. as the yellow hen marched proudly at the head of her family, dorothy cried, "oh, you lovely things!" and ran down from her seat to pet the little yellow downy balls. billina wore a pearl necklace, and around the neck of each chicken was a tiny gold chain holding a locket with the letter "d" engraved upon the outside. "open the lockets, dorothy," said billina. the girl obeyed and found a picture of herself in each locket. "they were named after you, my dear," continued the yellow hen, "so i wanted all my chickens to wear your picture. cluck--cluck! come here, dorothy--this minute!" she cried, for the chickens were scattered and wandering all around the big room. they obeyed the call at once, and came running as fast as they could, fluttering their fluffy wings in a laughable way. it was lucky that billina gathered the little ones under her soft breast just then, for tik-tok came in and tramped up to the throne on his flat copper feet. "i am all wound up and work-ing fine-ly," said the clock-work man to dorothy. "i can hear him tick," declared button-bright. "you are quite the polished gentleman," said the tin woodman. "stand up here beside the shaggy man, tik-tok, and help receive the company." dorothy placed soft cushions in a corner for billina and her chicks, and had just returned to the throne and seated herself when the playing of the royal band outside the palace announced the approach of distinguished guests. and my, how they did stare when the high chamberlain threw open the doors and the visitors entered the throne-room! first walked a gingerbread man neatly formed and baked to a lovely brown tint. he wore a silk hat and carried a candy cane prettily striped with red and yellow. his shirt-front and cuffs were white frosting, and the buttons on his coat were licorice drops. behind the gingerbread man came a child with flaxen hair and merry blue eyes, dressed in white pajamas, with sandals on the soles of its pretty bare feet. the child looked around smiling and thrust its hands into the pockets of the pajamas. close after it came a big rubber bear, walking erect on its hind feet. the bear had twinkling black eyes, and its body looked as if it had been pumped full of air. following these curious visitors were two tall, thin men and two short, fat men, all four dressed in gorgeous uniforms. ozma's high chamberlain now hurried forward to announce the names of the new arrivals, calling out in a loud voice: "his gracious and most edible majesty, king dough the first, ruler of the two kingdoms of hiland and loland. also the head boolywag of his majesty, known as chick the cherub, and their faithful friend para bruin, the rubber bear." these great personages bowed low as their names were called, and dorothy hastened to introduce them to the assembled company. they were the first foreign arrivals, and the friends of princess ozma were polite to them and tried to make them feel that they were welcome. chick the cherub shook hands with every one, including billina, and was so joyous and frank and full of good spirits that john dough's head booleywag at once became a prime favorite. "is it a boy or a girl?" whispered dorothy. "don't know," said button-bright. "goodness me! what a queer lot of people you are," exclaimed the rubber bear, looking at the assembled company. "so're you," said button-bright, gravely. "is king dough good to eat?" "he's too good to eat," laughed chick the cherub. "i hope none of you are fond of gingerbread," said the king, rather anxiously. "we should never think of eating our visitors, if we were," declared the scarecrow; "so please do not worry, for you will be perfectly safe while you remain in oz." "why do they call you chick?" the yellow hen asked the child. "because i'm an incubator baby, and never had any parents," replied the head booleywag. "my chicks have a parent, and i'm it," said billina. "i'm glad of that," answered the cherub, "because they'll have more fun worrying you than if they were brought up in an incubator. the incubator never worries, you know." king john dough had brought for ozma's birthday present a lovely gingerbread crown, with rows of small pearls around it and a fine big pearl in each of its five points. after this had been received by dorothy with proper thanks and placed on the table with the other presents, the visitors from hiland and loland were escorted to their rooms by the high chamberlain. they had no sooner departed than the band before the palace began to play again, announcing more arrivals, and as these were doubtless from foreign parts the high chamberlain hurried back to receive them in his most official manner. . important arrivals first entered a band of ryls from the happy valley, all merry little sprites like fairy elves. a dozen crooked knooks followed from the great forest of burzee. they had long whiskers and pointed caps and curling toes, yet were no taller than button-bright's shoulder. with this group came a man so easy to recognize and so important and dearly beloved throughout the known world, that all present rose to their feet and bowed their heads in respectful homage, even before the high chamberlain knelt to announce his name. "the most mighty and loyal friend of children, his supreme highness--santa claus!" said the chamberlain, in an awed voice. "well, well, well! glad to see you--glad to meet you all!" cried santa claus, briskly, as he trotted up the long room. he was round as an apple, with a fresh rosy face, laughing eyes, and a bushy beard as white as snow. a red cloak trimmed with beautiful ermine hung from his shoulders and upon his back was a basket filled with pretty presents for the princess ozma. "hello, dorothy; still having adventures?" he asked in his jolly way, as he took the girl's hand in both his own. "how did you know my name, santa?" she replied, feeling more shy in the presence of this immortal saint than she ever had before in her young life. "why, don't i see you every christmas eve, when you're asleep?" he rejoined, pinching her blushing cheek. "oh, do you?" "and here's button-bright, i declare!" cried santa claus, holding up the boy to kiss him. "what a long way from home you are; dear me!" "do you know button-bright, too?" questioned dorothy, eagerly. "indeed i do. i've visited his home several christmas eves." "and do you know his father?" asked the girl. "certainly, my dear. who else do you suppose brings him his christmas neckties and stockings?" with a sly wink at the wizard. "then where does he live? we're just crazy to know, 'cause button-bright's lost," she said. santa laughed and laid his finger aside of his nose as if thinking what to reply. he leaned over and whispered something in the wizard's ear, at which the wizard smiled and nodded as if he understood. now santa claus spied polychrome, and trotted over to where she stood. "seems to me the rainbow's daughter is farther from home than any of you," he observed, looking at the pretty maiden admiringly. "i'll have to tell your father where you are, polly, and send him to get you." "please do, dear santa claus," implored the little maid, beseechingly. "but just now we must all have a jolly good time at ozma's party," said the old gentleman, turning to put his presents on the table with the others already there. "it isn't often i find time to leave my castle, as you know; but ozma invited me and i just couldn't help coming to celebrate the happy occasion." "i'm so glad!" exclaimed dorothy. "these are my ryls," pointing to the little sprites squatting around him. "their business is to paint the colors of the flowers when they bud and bloom; but i brought the merry fellows along to see oz, and they've left their paint-pots behind them. also i brought these crooked knooks, whom i love. my dears, the knooks are much nicer than they look, for their duty is to water and care for the young trees of the forest, and they do their work faithfully and well. it's hard work, though, and it makes my knooks crooked and gnarled, like the trees themselves; but their hearts are big and kind, as are the hearts of all who do good in our beautiful world." "i've read of the ryls and knooks," said dorothy, looking upon these little workers with interest. santa claus turned to talk with the scarecrow and the tin woodman, and he also said a kind word to the shaggy man, and afterward went away to ride the saw-horse around the emerald city. "for," said he, "i must see all the grand sights while i am here and have the chance, and ozma has promised to let me ride the saw-horse because i'm getting fat and short of breath." "where are your reindeer?" asked polychrome. "i left them at home, for it is too warm for them in this sunny country," he answered. "they're used to winter weather when they travel." in a flash he was gone, and the ryls and knooks with him; but they could all hear the golden hoofs of the saw-horse ringing on the marble pavement outside, as he pranced away with his noble rider. presently the band played again, and the high chamberlain announced: "her gracious majesty, the queen of merryland." they looked earnestly to discover whom this queen might be, and saw advancing up the room an exquisite wax doll dressed in dainty fluffs and ruffles and spangled gown. she was almost as big as button-bright, and her cheeks and mouth and eyebrow were prettily painted in delicate colors. her blue eyes stared a bit, being of glass, yet the expression upon her majesty's face was quite pleasant and decidedly winning. with the queen of merryland were four wooden soldiers, two stalking ahead of her with much dignity and two following behind, like a royal bodyguard. the soldiers were painted in bright colors and carried wooden guns, and after them came a fat little man who attracted attention at once, although he seemed modest and retiring. for he was made of candy, and carried a tin sugar-sifter filled with powdered sugar, with which he dusted himself frequently so that he wouldn't stick to things if he touched them. the high chamberlain had called him "the candy man of merryland," and dorothy saw that one of his thumbs looked as if it had been bitten off by some one who was fond of candy and couldn't resist the temptation. the wax doll queen spoke prettily to dorothy and the others, and sent her loving greetings to ozma before she retired to the rooms prepared for her. she had brought a birthday present wrapped in tissue paper and tied with pink and blue ribbons, and one of the wooden soldiers placed it on the table with the other gifts. but the candy man did not go to his room, because he said he preferred to stay and talk with the scarecrow and tik-tok and the wizard and tin woodman, whom he declared the queerest people he had ever met. button-bright was glad the candy man stayed in the throne room, because the boy thought this guest smelled deliciously of wintergreen and maple sugar. the braided man now entered the room, having been fortunate enough to receive an invitation to the princess ozma's party. he was from a cave halfway between the invisible valley and the country of the gargoyles, and his hair and whiskers were so long that he was obliged to plait them into many braids that hung to his feet, and every braid was tied with a bow of colored ribbon. "i've brought princess ozma a box of flutters for her birthday," said the braided man, earnestly; "and i hope she will like them, for they are the finest quality i have ever made." "i'm sure she will be greatly pleased," said dorothy, who remembered the braided man well; and the wizard introduced the guest to the rest of the company and made him sit down in a chair and keep quiet, for, if allowed, he would talk continually about his flutters. the band then played a welcome to another set of guests, and into the throne-room swept the handsome and stately queen of ev. beside her was young king evardo, and following them came the entire royal family of five princesses and four princes of ev. the kingdom of ev lay just across the deadly desert to the north of oz, and once ozma and her people had rescued the queen of ev and her ten children from the nome king, who had enslaved them. dorothy had been present on this adventure, so she greeted the royal family cordially; and all the visitors were delighted to meet the little kansas girl again. they knew tik-tok and billina, too, and the scarecrow and tin woodman, as well as the lion and tiger; so there was a joyful reunion, as you may imagine, and it was fully an hour before the queen and her train retired to their rooms. perhaps they would not have gone then had not the band begun to play to announce new arrivals; but before they left the great throne-room king evardo added to ozma's birthday presents a diadem of diamonds set in radium. the next comer proved to be king renard of foxville; or king dox, as he preferred to be called. he was magnificently dressed in a new feather costume and wore white kid mittens over his paws and a flower in his button-hole and had his hair parted in the middle. king dox thanked dorothy fervently for getting him the invitation to come to oz, which he all his life longed to visit. he strutted around rather absurdly as he was introduced to all the famous people assembled in the throne-room, and when he learned that dorothy was a princess of oz the fox king insisted on kneeling at her feet and afterward retired backward--a dangerous thing to do, as he might have stubbed his paw and tumbled over. no sooner was he gone than the blasts of bugles and clatter of drums and cymbals announced important visitors, and the high chamberlain assumed his most dignified tone as he threw open the door and said proudly: "her sublime and resplendent majesty, queen zixi of ix! his serene and tremendous majesty, king bud of noland. her royal highness, the princess fluff." that three such high and mighty royal personages should arrive at once was enough to make dorothy and her companions grow solemn and assume their best company manners; but when the exquisite beauty of queen zixi met their eyes they thought they had never beheld anything so charming. dorothy decided that zixi must be about sixteen years old, but the wizard whispered to her that this wonderful queen had lived thousands of years, but knew the secret of remaining always fresh and beautiful. king bud of noland and his dainty fair-haired sister, the princess fluff, were friends of zixi, as their kingdoms were adjoining, so they had traveled together from their far-off domains to do honor to ozma of oz on the occasion of her birthday. they brought many splendid gifts; so the table was now fairly loaded down with presents. dorothy and polly loved the princess fluff the moment they saw her, and little king bud was so frank and boyish that button-bright accepted him as a chum at once and did not want him to go away. but it was after noon now, and the royal guests must prepare their toilets for the grand banquet at which they were to assemble that evening to meet the reigning princess of this fairyland; so queen zixi was shown to her room by a troop of maidens led by jellia jamb, and bud and fluff presently withdrew to their own apartments. "my! what a big party ozma is going to have," exclaimed dorothy. "i guess the palace will be chock full, button-bright; don't you think so?" "don't know," said the boy. "but we must go to our rooms, pretty soon, to dress for the banquet," continued the girl. "i don't have to dress," said the candy man from merryland. "all i need do is to dust myself with fresh sugar." "tik-tok always wears the same suits of clothes," said the tin woodman; "and so does our friend the scarecrow." "my feathers are good enough for any occasion," cried billina, from her corner. "then i shall leave you four to welcome any new guests that come," said dorothy; "for button-bright and i must look our very best at ozma's banquet." "who is still to come?" asked the scarecrow. "well, there's king kik-a-bray of dunkiton, and johnny dooit, and the good witch of the north. but johnny dooit may not get here until late, he's so very busy." "we will receive them and give them a proper welcome," promised the scarecrow. "so run along, little dorothy, and get yourself dressed." . the grand banquet i wish i could tell you how fine the company was that assembled that evening at ozma's royal banquet. a long table was spread in the center of the great dining-hall of the palace and the splendor of the decorations and the blaze of lights and jewels was acknowledged to be the most magnificent sight that any of the guests had ever seen. the jolliest person present, as well as the most important, was of course old santa claus; so he was given the seat of honor at one end of the table while at the other end sat princess ozma, the hostess. john dough, queen zixi, king bud, the queen of ev and her son evardo, and the queen of merryland had golden thrones to sit in, while the others were supplied with beautiful chairs. at the upper end of the banquet room was a separate table provided for the animals. toto sat at one end of this table with a bib tied around his neck and a silver platter to eat from. at the other end was placed a small stand, with a low rail around the edge of it, for billina and her chicks. the rail kept the ten little dorothys from falling off the stand, while the yellow hen could easily reach over and take her food from her tray upon the table. at other places sat the hungry tiger, the cowardly lion, the saw-horse, the rubber bear, the fox king and the donkey king; they made quite a company of animals. at the lower end of the great room was another table, at which sat the ryls and knooks who had come with santa claus, the wooden soldiers who had come with the queen of merryland, and the hilanders and lolanders who had come with john dough. here were also seated the officers of the royal palace and of ozma's army. the splendid costumes of those at the three tables made a gorgeous and glittering display that no one present was ever likely to forget; perhaps there has never been in any part of the world at any time another assemblage of such wonderful people as that which gathered this evening to honor the birthday of the ruler of oz. when all members of ethe company were in their places an orchestra of five hundred pieces, in a balcony overlooking the banquet room, began to play sweet and delightful music. then a door draped with royal green opened, and in came the fair and girlish princess ozma, who now greeted her guests in person for the first time. as she stood by her throne at the head of the banquet table every eye was turned eagerly upon the lovely princess, who was as dignified as she was bewitching, and who smiled upon all her old and new friends in a way that touched their hearts and brought an answering smile to every face. each guest had been served with a crystal goblet filled with lacasa, which is a sort of nectar famous in oz and nicer to drink than soda-water or lemonade. santa now made a pretty speech in verse, congratulating ozma on having a birthday, and asking every one present to drink to the health and happiness of their dearly beloved hostess. this was done with great enthusiasm by those who were made so they could drink at all, and those who could not drink politely touched the rims of their goblets to their lips. all seated themselves at the tables and the servants of the princess began serving the feast. i am quite sure that only in fairyland could such a delicious repast be prepared. the dishes were of precious metals set with brilliant jewels and the good things to eat which were placed upon them were countless in number and of exquisite flavor. several present, such as the candy man, the rubber bear, tik-tok, and the scarecrow, were not made so they could eat, and the queen of merryland contented herself with a small dish of sawdust; but these enjoyed the pomp and glitter of the gorgeous scene as much as did those who feasted. the woggle-bug read his "ode to ozma," which was written in very good rhythm and was well received by the company. the wizard added to the entertainment by making a big pie appear before dorothy, and when the little girl cut the pie the nine tiny piglets leaped out of it and danced around the table, while the orchestra played a merry tune. this amused the company very much, but they were even more pleased when polychrome, whose hunger had been easily satisfied, rose from the table and performed her graceful and bewildering rainbow dance for them. when it was ended, the people clapped their hands and the animals clapped their paws, while billina cackled and the donkey king brayed approval. johnny dooit was present, and of course he proved he could do wonders in the way of eating, as well as in everything else that he undertook to do; the tin woodman sang a love song, every one joining in the chorus; and the wooden soldiers from merryland gave an exhibition of a lightning drill with their wooden muskets; the ryls and knooks danced the fairy circle; and the rubber bear bounced himself all around the room. there was laughter and merriment on every side, and everybody was having a royal good time. button-bright was so excited and interested that he paid little attention to his fine dinner and a great deal of attention to his queer companions; and perhaps he was wise to do this, because he could eat at any other time. the feasting and merrymaking continued until late in the evening, when they separated to meet again the next morning and take part in the birthday celebration, to which this royal banquet was merely the introduction. . the birthday celebration a clear, perfect day, with a gentle breeze and a sunny sky, greeted princess ozma as she wakened next morning, the anniversary of her birth. while it was yet early all the city was astir and crowds of people came from all parts of the land of oz to witness the festivities in honor of their girl ruler's birthday. the noted visitors from foreign countries, who had all been transported to the emerald city by means of the magic belt, were as much a show to the ozites as were their own familiar celebrities, and the streets leading from the royal palace to the jeweled gates were thronged with men, women, and children to see the procession as it passed out to the green fields where the ceremonies were to take place. and what a great procession it was! first came a thousand young girls--the prettiest in the land--dressed in white muslin, with green sashes and hair ribbons, bearing green baskets of red roses. as they walked they scattered these flowers upon the marble pavements, so that the way was carpeted thick with roses for the procession to walk upon. then came the rulers of the four kingdoms of oz: the emperor of the winkies, the monarch of the munchkins, the king of the quadlings and the sovereign of the gillikins, each wearing a long chain of emeralds around his neck to show that he was a vassal of the ruler of the emerald city. next marched the emerald city cornet band, clothed in green-and-gold uniforms and playing the "ozma two-step." the royal army of oz followed, consisting of twenty-seven officers, from the captain-general down to the lieutenants. there were no privates in ozma's army because soldiers were not needed to fight battles, but only to look important, and an officer always looks more imposing than a private. while the people cheered and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, there came walking the royal princess ozma, looking so pretty and sweet that it is no wonder her people love her so dearly. she had decided she would not ride in her chariot that day, as she preferred to walk in the procession with her favored subjects and her guests. just in front of her trotted the living blue bear rug owned by old dyna, which wobbled clumsily on its four feet because there was nothing but the skin to support them, with a stuffed head at one end and a stubby tail at the other. but whenever ozma paused in her walk the bear rug would flop down flat upon the ground for the princess to stand upon until she resumed her progress. following the princess stalked her two enormous beasts, the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, and even if the army had not been there these two would have been powerful enough to guard their mistress from any harm. next marched the invited guests, who were loudly cheered by the people of oz along the road, and were therefore obliged to bow to right and left almost every step of the way. first was santa claus, who, because he was fat and not used to walking, rode the wonderful saw-horse. the merry old gentleman had a basket of small toys with him, and he tossed the toys one by one to the children as he passed by. his ryls and knooks marched close behind him. queen zixi of ix came after; then john dough and the cherub, with the rubber bear named para bruin strutting between them on its hind legs; then the queen of merryland, escorted by her wooden soldiers; then king bud of noland and his sister, the princess fluff; then the queen of ev and her ten royal children; then the braided man and the candy man, side by side; then king dox of foxville and king kik-a-bray of dunkiton, who by this time had become good friends; and finally johnny dooit, in his leather apron, smoking his long pipe. these wonderful personages were not more heartily cheered by the people than were those who followed after them in the procession. dorothy was a general favorite, and she walked arm in arm with the scarecrow, who was beloved by all. then came polychrome and button-bright, and the people loved the rainbow's pretty daughter and the beautiful blue-eyed boy as soon as they saw them. the shaggy man in his shaggy new suit attracted much attention because he was such a novelty. with regular steps tramped the machine-man tik-tok, and there was more cheering when the wizard of oz followed in the procession. the woggle-bug and jack pumpkinhead were next, and behind them glinda the sorceress and the good witch of the north. finally came billina, with her brood of chickens to whom she clucked anxiously to keep them together and to hasten them along so they would not delay the procession. another band followed, this time the tin band of the emperor of the winkies, playing a beautiful march called, "there's no plate like tin." then came the servants of the royal palace, in a long line, and behind them all the people joined the procession and marched away through the emerald gates and out upon the broad green. here had been erected a splendid pavilion, with a grandstand big enough to seat all the royal party and those who had taken part in the procession. over the pavilion, which was of green silk and cloth of gold, countless banners waved in the breeze. just in front of this, and connected with it by a runway had been built a broad platform, so that all the spectators could see plainly the entertainment provided for them. the wizard now became master of ceremonies, as ozma had placed the conduct of the performance in his hands. after the people had all congregated about the platform and the royal party and the visitors were seated in the grandstand, the wizard skillfully performed some feats of juggling glass balls and lighted candles. he tossed a dozen or so of them high in the air and caught them one by one as they came down, without missing any. then he introduced the scarecrow, who did a sword-swallowing act that aroused much interest. after this the tin woodman gave an exhibition of swinging the axe, which he made to whirl around him so rapidly that the eye could scarcely follow the motion of the gleaming blade. glinda the sorceress then stepped upon the platform, and by her magic made a big tree grow in the middle of the space, made blossoms appear upon the tree, and made the blossoms become delicious fruit called tamornas, and so great was the quantity of fruit produced that when the servants climbed the tree and tossed it down to the crowd, there was enough to satisfy every person present. para bruin, the rubber bear, climbed to a limb of the big tree, rolled himself into a ball, and dropped to the platform, whence he bounded up again to the limb. he repeated this bouncing act several times, to the great delight of all the children present. after he had finished, and bowed, and returned to his seat, glinda waved her wand and the tree disappeared; but its fruit still remained to be eaten. the good witch of the north amused the people by transforming ten stones into ten birds, the ten birds into ten lambs, and the ten lambs into ten little girls, who gave a pretty dance and were then transformed into ten stones again, just as they were in the beginning. johnny dooit next came on the platform with his tool-chest, and in a few minutes built a great flying machine; then put his chest in the machine and the whole thing flew away together--johnny and all--after he had bid good-bye to those present and thanked the princess for her hospitality. the wizard then announced the last act of all, which was considered really wonderful. he had invented a machine to blow huge soap-bubbles, as big as balloons, and this machine was hidden under the platform so that only the rim of the big clay pipe to produce the bubbles showed above the flooring. the tank of soapsuds, and the air-pumps to inflate the bubbles, were out of sight beneath, so that when the bubbles began to grow upon the floor of the platform it really seemed like magic to the people of oz, who knew nothing about even the common soap-bubbles that our children blow with a penny clay pipe and a basin of soap-and-water. the wizard had invented another thing. usually, soap-bubbles are frail and burst easily, lasting only a few moments as they float in the air; but the wizard added a sort of glue to his soapsuds, which made his bubbles tough; and, as the glue dried rapidly when exposed to the air, the wizard's bubbles were strong enough to float for hours without breaking. he began by blowing--by means of his machinery and air-pumps--several large bubbles which he allowed to float upward into the sky, where the sunshine fell upon them and gave them iridescent hues that were most beautiful. this aroused much wonder and delight because it was a new amusement to every one present--except perhaps dorothy and button-bright, and even they had never seen such big, strong bubbles before. the wizard then blew a bunch of small bubbles and afterward blew a big bubble around them so they were left in the center of it; then he allowed the whole mass of pretty globes to float into the air and disappear in the far distant sky. "that is really fine!" declared santa claus, who loved toys and pretty things. "i think, mr. wizard, i shall have you blow a bubble around me; then i can float away home and see the country spread out beneath me as i travel. there isn't a spot on earth that i haven't visited, but i usually go in the night-time, riding behind my swift reindeer. here is a good chance to observe the country by daylight, while i am riding slowly and at my ease." "do you think you will be able to guide the bubble?" asked the wizard. "oh yes; i know enough magic to do that," replied santa claus. "you blow the bubble, with me inside of it, and i'll be sure to get home in safety." "please send me home in a bubble, too!" begged the queen of merryland. "very well, madam; you shall try the journey first," politely answered old santa. the pretty wax doll bade good-bye to the princess ozma and the others and stood on the platform while the wizard blew a big soap-bubble around her. when completed, he allowed the bubble to float slowly upward, and there could be seen the little queen of merryland standing in the middle of it and blowing kisses from her fingers to those below. the bubble took a southerly direction, quickly floating out of sight. "that's a very nice way to travel," said princess fluff. "i'd like to go home in a bubble, too." so the wizard blew a big bubble around princess fluff, and another around king bud, her brother, and a third one around queen zixi; and soon these three bubbles had mounted into the sky and were floating off in a group in the direction of the kingdom of noland. the success of these ventures induced the other guests from foreign lands to undertake bubble journeys, also; so the wizard put them one by one inside his bubbles, and santa claus directed the way they should go, because he knew exactly where everybody lived. finally, button-bright said: "i want to go home, too." "why, so you shall!" cried santa; "for i'm sure your father and mother will be glad to see you again. mr. wizard, please blow a big, fine bubble for button-bright to ride in, and i'll agree to send him home to his family as safe as safe can be." "i'm sorry," said dorothy with a sigh, for she was fond of her little comrade; "but p'raps it's best for button-bright to get home; 'cause his folks must be worrying just dreadful." she kissed the boy, and ozma kissed him, too, and all the others waved their hands and said good-bye and wished him a pleasant journey. "are you glad to leave us, dear?" asked dorothy, a little wistfully. "don't know," said button-bright. he sat down cross-legged on the platform, with his sailor hat tipped back on his head, and the wizard blew a beautiful bubble all around him. a minute later it had mounted into the sky, sailing toward the west, and the last they saw of button-bright he was still sitting in the middle of the shining globe and waving his sailor hat at those below. "will you ride in a bubble, or shall i send you and toto home by means of the magic belt?" the princess asked dorothy. "guess i'll use the belt," replied the little girl. "i'm sort of 'fraid of those bubbles." "bow-wow!" said toto, approvingly. he loved to bark at the bubbles as they sailed away, but he didn't care to ride in one. santa claus decided to go next. he thanked ozma for her hospitality and wished her many happy returns of the day. then the wizard blew a bubble around his chubby little body and smaller bubbles around each of his ryls and knooks. as the kind and generous friend of children mounted into the air the people all cheered at the top of their voices, for they loved santa claus dearly; and the little man heard them through the walls of his bubble and waved his hands in return as he smiled down upon them. the band played bravely while every one watched the bubble until it was completely out of sight. "how 'bout you, polly?" dorothy asked her friend. "are you 'fraid of bubbles, too?" "no," answered polychrome, smiling; "but santa claus promised to speak to my father as he passed through the sky. so perhaps i shall get home an easier way." indeed, the little maid had scarcely made this speech when a sudden radiance filled the air, and while the people looked on in wonder the end of a gorgeous rainbow slowly settled down upon the platform. with a glad cry, the rainbow's daughter sprang from her seat and danced along the curve of the bow, mounting gradually upward, while the folds of her gauzy gown whirled and floated around her like a cloud and blended with the colors of the rainbow itself. "good-bye ozma! good-bye dorothy!" cried a voice they knew belonged to polychrome; but now the little maiden's form had melted wholly into the rainbow, and their eyes could no longer see her. suddenly, the end of the rainbow lifted and its colors slowly faded like mist before a breeze. dorothy sighed deeply and turned to ozma. "i'm sorry to lose polly," she said; "but i guess she's better off with her father; 'cause even the land of oz couldn't be like home to a cloud fairy." "no indeed," replied the princess; "but it has been delightful for us to know polychrome for a little while, and--who knows?--perhaps we may meet the rainbow's daughter again, some day." the entertainment being now ended, all left the pavilion and formed their gay procession back to the emerald city again. of dorothy's recent traveling companions only toto and the shaggy man remained, and ozma had decided to allow the latter to live in oz for a time, at least. if he proved honest and true she promised to let him live there always, and the shaggy man was anxious to earn this reward. they had a nice quiet dinner together and passed a pleasant evening with the scarecrow, the tin woodman, tik-tok, and the yellow hen for company. when dorothy bade them good-night, she kissed them all good-bye at the same time. for ozma had agreed that while dorothy slept she and toto should be transported by means of the magic belt to her own little bed in the kansas farm-house and the little girl laughed as she thought how astonished uncle henry and aunt em would be when she came down to breakfast with them next morning. quite content to have had so pleasant an adventure, and a little tired by all the day's busy scenes, dorothy clasped toto in her arms and lay down upon the pretty white bed in her room in ozma's royal palace. presently she was sound asleep. ozma of oz a record of her adventures with dorothy gale of kansas, the yellow hen, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, tiktok, the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger; besides other good people too numerous to mention faithfully recorded herein by l. frank baum the author of the wizard of oz, the land of oz, etc. contents --author's note-- . the girl in the chicken coop . the yellow hen . letters in the sand . tiktok, the machine man . dorothy opens the dinner pail . the heads of langwidere . ozma of oz to the rescue . the hungry tiger . the royal family of ev . the giant with the hammer . the nome king . the eleven guesses . the nome king laughs . dorothy tries to be brave . billina frightens the nome king . purple, green and gold . the scarecrow wins the fight . the fate of the tin woodman . the king of ev . the emerald city . dorothy's magic belt author's note my friends the children are responsible for this new "oz book," as they were for the last one, which was called the land of oz. their sweet little letters plead to know "more about dorothy"; and they ask: "what became of the cowardly lion?" and "what did ozma do afterward?"--meaning, of course, after she became the ruler of oz. and some of them suggest plots to me, saying: "please have dorothy go to the land of oz again"; or, "why don't you make ozma and dorothy meet, and have a good time together?" indeed, could i do all that my little friends ask, i would be obliged to write dozens of books to satisfy their demands. and i wish i could, for i enjoy writing these stories just as much as the children say they enjoy reading them. well, here is "more about dorothy," and about our old friends the scarecrow and the tin woodman, and about the cowardly lion, and ozma, and all the rest of them; and here, likewise, is a good deal about some new folks that are queer and unusual. one little friend, who read this story before it was printed, said to me: "billina is real ozzy, mr. baum, and so are tiktok and the hungry tiger." if this judgment is unbiased and correct, and the little folks find this new story "real ozzy," i shall be very glad indeed that i wrote it. but perhaps i shall get some more of those very welcome letters from my readers, telling me just how they like "ozma of oz." i hope so, anyway. l. frank baum. macatawa, . . the girl in the chicken coop the wind blew hard and joggled the water of the ocean, sending ripples across its surface. then the wind pushed the edges of the ripples until they became waves, and shoved the waves around until they became billows. the billows rolled dreadfully high: higher even than the tops of houses. some of them, indeed, rolled as high as the tops of tall trees, and seemed like mountains; and the gulfs between the great billows were like deep valleys. all this mad dashing and splashing of the waters of the big ocean, which the mischievous wind caused without any good reason whatever, resulted in a terrible storm, and a storm on the ocean is liable to cut many queer pranks and do a lot of damage. at the time the wind began to blow, a ship was sailing far out upon the waters. when the waves began to tumble and toss and to grow bigger and bigger the ship rolled up and down, and tipped sidewise--first one way and then the other--and was jostled around so roughly that even the sailor-men had to hold fast to the ropes and railings to keep themselves from being swept away by the wind or pitched headlong into the sea. and the clouds were so thick in the sky that the sunlight couldn't get through them; so that the day grew dark as night, which added to the terrors of the storm. the captain of the ship was not afraid, because he had seen storms before, and had sailed his ship through them in safety; but he knew that his passengers would be in danger if they tried to stay on deck, so he put them all into the cabin and told them to stay there until after the storm was over, and to keep brave hearts and not be scared, and all would be well with them. now, among these passengers was a little kansas girl named dorothy gale, who was going with her uncle henry to australia, to visit some relatives they had never before seen. uncle henry, you must know, was not very well, because he had been working so hard on his kansas farm that his health had given way and left him weak and nervous. so he left aunt em at home to watch after the hired men and to take care of the farm, while he traveled far away to australia to visit his cousins and have a good rest. dorothy was eager to go with him on this journey, and uncle henry thought she would be good company and help cheer him up; so he decided to take her along. the little girl was quite an experienced traveller, for she had once been carried by a cyclone as far away from home as the marvelous land of oz, and she had met with a good many adventures in that strange country before she managed to get back to kansas again. so she wasn't easily frightened, whatever happened, and when the wind began to howl and whistle, and the waves began to tumble and toss, our little girl didn't mind the uproar the least bit. "of course we'll have to stay in the cabin," she said to uncle henry and the other passengers, "and keep as quiet as possible until the storm is over. for the captain says if we go on deck we may be blown overboard." no one wanted to risk such an accident as that, you may be sure; so all the passengers stayed huddled up in the dark cabin, listening to the shrieking of the storm and the creaking of the masts and rigging and trying to keep from bumping into one another when the ship tipped sidewise. dorothy had almost fallen asleep when she was aroused with a start to find that uncle henry was missing. she couldn't imagine where he had gone, and as he was not very strong she began to worry about him, and to fear he might have been careless enough to go on deck. in that case he would be in great danger unless he instantly came down again. the fact was that uncle henry had gone to lie down in his little sleeping-berth, but dorothy did not know that. she only remembered that aunt em had cautioned her to take good care of her uncle, so at once she decided to go on deck and find him, in spite of the fact that the tempest was now worse than ever, and the ship was plunging in a really dreadful manner. indeed, the little girl found it was as much as she could do to mount the stairs to the deck, and as soon as she got there the wind struck her so fiercely that it almost tore away the skirts of her dress. yet dorothy felt a sort of joyous excitement in defying the storm, and while she held fast to the railing she peered around through the gloom and thought she saw the dim form of a man clinging to a mast not far away from her. this might be her uncle, so she called as loudly as she could: "uncle henry! uncle henry!" but the wind screeched and howled so madly that she scarce heard her own voice, and the man certainly failed to hear her, for he did not move. dorothy decided she must go to him; so she made a dash forward, during a lull in the storm, to where a big square chicken-coop had been lashed to the deck with ropes. she reached this place in safety, but no sooner had she seized fast hold of the slats of the big box in which the chickens were kept than the wind, as if enraged because the little girl dared to resist its power, suddenly redoubled its fury. with a scream like that of an angry giant it tore away the ropes that held the coop and lifted it high into the air, with dorothy still clinging to the slats. around and over it whirled, this way and that, and a few moments later the chicken-coop dropped far away into the sea, where the big waves caught it and slid it up-hill to a foaming crest and then down-hill into a deep valley, as if it were nothing more than a plaything to keep them amused. dorothy had a good ducking, you may be sure, but she didn't lose her presence of mind even for a second. she kept tight hold of the stout slats and as soon as she could get the water out of her eyes she saw that the wind had ripped the cover from the coop, and the poor chickens were fluttering away in every direction, being blown by the wind until they looked like feather dusters without handles. the bottom of the coop was made of thick boards, so dorothy found she was clinging to a sort of raft, with sides of slats, which readily bore up her weight. after coughing the water out of her throat and getting her breath again, she managed to climb over the slats and stand upon the firm wooden bottom of the coop, which supported her easily enough. "why, i've got a ship of my own!" she thought, more amused than frightened at her sudden change of condition; and then, as the coop climbed up to the top of a big wave, she looked eagerly around for the ship from which she had been blown. it was far, far away, by this time. perhaps no one on board had yet missed her, or knew of her strange adventure. down into a valley between the waves the coop swept her, and when she climbed another crest the ship looked like a toy boat, it was such a long way off. soon it had entirely disappeared in the gloom, and then dorothy gave a sigh of regret at parting with uncle henry and began to wonder what was going to happen to her next. just now she was tossing on the bosom of a big ocean, with nothing to keep her afloat but a miserable wooden hen-coop that had a plank bottom and slatted sides, through which the water constantly splashed and wetted her through to the skin! and there was nothing to eat when she became hungry--as she was sure to do before long--and no fresh water to drink and no dry clothes to put on. "well, i declare!" she exclaimed, with a laugh. "you're in a pretty fix, dorothy gale, i can tell you! and i haven't the least idea how you're going to get out of it!" as if to add to her troubles the night was now creeping on, and the gray clouds overhead changed to inky blackness. but the wind, as if satisfied at last with its mischievous pranks, stopped blowing this ocean and hurried away to another part of the world to blow something else; so that the waves, not being joggled any more, began to quiet down and behave themselves. it was lucky for dorothy, i think, that the storm subsided; otherwise, brave though she was, i fear she might have perished. many children, in her place, would have wept and given way to despair; but because dorothy had encountered so many adventures and come safely through them it did not occur to her at this time to be especially afraid. she was wet and uncomfortable, it is true; but, after sighing that one sigh i told you of, she managed to recall some of her customary cheerfulness and decided to patiently await whatever her fate might be. by and by the black clouds rolled away and showed a blue sky overhead, with a silver moon shining sweetly in the middle of it and little stars winking merrily at dorothy when she looked their way. the coop did not toss around any more, but rode the waves more gently--almost like a cradle rocking--so that the floor upon which dorothy stood was no longer swept by water coming through the slats. seeing this, and being quite exhausted by the excitement of the past few hours, the little girl decided that sleep would be the best thing to restore her strength and the easiest way in which she could pass the time. the floor was damp and she was herself wringing wet, but fortunately this was a warm climate and she did not feel at all cold. so she sat down in a corner of the coop, leaned her back against the slats, nodded at the friendly stars before she closed her eyes, and was asleep in half a minute. . the yellow hen a strange noise awoke dorothy, who opened her eyes to find that day had dawned and the sun was shining brightly in a clear sky. she had been dreaming that she was back in kansas again, and playing in the old barn-yard with the calves and pigs and chickens all around her; and at first, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she really imagined she was there. "kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-kut! kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-kut!" ah; here again was the strange noise that had awakened her. surely it was a hen cackling! but her wide-open eyes first saw, through the slats of the coop, the blue waves of the ocean, now calm and placid, and her thoughts flew back to the past night, so full of danger and discomfort. also she began to remember that she was a waif of the storm, adrift upon a treacherous and unknown sea. "kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-w-w--kut!" "what's that?" cried dorothy, starting to her feet. "why, i've just laid an egg, that's all," replied a small, but sharp and distinct voice, and looking around her the little girl discovered a yellow hen squatting in the opposite corner of the coop. "dear me!" she exclaimed, in surprise; "have you been here all night, too?" "of course," answered the hen, fluttering her wings and yawning. "when the coop blew away from the ship i clung fast to this corner, with claws and beak, for i knew if i fell into the water i'd surely be drowned. indeed, i nearly drowned, as it was, with all that water washing over me. i never was so wet before in my life!" "yes," agreed dorothy, "it was pretty wet, for a time, i know. but do you feel comfor'ble now?" "not very. the sun has helped to dry my feathers, as it has your dress, and i feel better since i laid my morning egg. but what's to become of us, i should like to know, afloat on this big pond?" "i'd like to know that, too," said dorothy. "but, tell me; how does it happen that you are able to talk? i thought hens could only cluck and cackle." "why, as for that," answered the yellow hen thoughtfully, "i've clucked and cackled all my life, and never spoken a word before this morning, that i can remember. but when you asked a question, a minute ago, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to answer you. so i spoke, and i seem to keep on speaking, just as you and other human beings do. strange, isn't it?" "very," replied dorothy. "if we were in the land of oz, i wouldn't think it so queer, because many of the animals can talk in that fairy country. but out here in the ocean must be a good long way from oz." "how is my grammar?" asked the yellow hen, anxiously. "do i speak quite properly, in your judgment?" "yes," said dorothy, "you do very well, for a beginner." "i'm glad to know that," continued the yellow hen, in a confidential tone; "because, if one is going to talk, it's best to talk correctly. the red rooster has often said that my cluck and my cackle were quite perfect; and now it's a comfort to know i am talking properly." "i'm beginning to get hungry," remarked dorothy. "it's breakfast time; but there's no breakfast." "you may have my egg," said the yellow hen. "i don't care for it, you know." "don't you want to hatch it?" asked the little girl, in surprise. "no, indeed; i never care to hatch eggs unless i've a nice snug nest, in some quiet place, with a baker's dozen of eggs under me. that's thirteen, you know, and it's a lucky number for hens. so you may as well eat this egg." "oh, i couldn't poss'bly eat it, unless it was cooked," exclaimed dorothy. "but i'm much obliged for your kindness, just the same." "don't mention it, my dear," answered the hen, calmly, and began preening her feathers. for a moment dorothy stood looking out over the wide sea. she was still thinking of the egg, though; so presently she asked: "why do you lay eggs, when you don't expect to hatch them?" "it's a habit i have," replied the yellow hen. "it has always been my pride to lay a fresh egg every morning, except when i'm moulting. i never feel like having my morning cackle till the egg is properly laid, and without the chance to cackle i would not be happy." "it's strange," said the girl, reflectively; "but as i'm not a hen i can't be 'spected to understand that." "certainly not, my dear." then dorothy fell silent again. the yellow hen was some company, and a bit of comfort, too; but it was dreadfully lonely out on the big ocean, nevertheless. after a time the hen flew up and perched upon the topmost slat of the coop, which was a little above dorothy's head when she was sitting upon the bottom, as she had been doing for some moments past. "why, we are not far from land!" exclaimed the hen. "where? where is it?" cried dorothy, jumping up in great excitement. "over there a little way," answered the hen, nodding her head in a certain direction. "we seem to be drifting toward it, so that before noon we ought to find ourselves upon dry land again." "i shall like that!" said dorothy, with a little sigh, for her feet and legs were still wetted now and then by the sea-water that came through the open slats. "so shall i," answered her companion. "there is nothing in the world so miserable as a wet hen." the land, which they seemed to be rapidly approaching, since it grew more distinct every minute, was quite beautiful as viewed by the little girl in the floating hen-coop. next to the water was a broad beach of white sand and gravel, and farther back were several rocky hills, while beyond these appeared a strip of green trees that marked the edge of a forest. but there were no houses to be seen, nor any sign of people who might inhabit this unknown land. "i hope we shall find something to eat," said dorothy, looking eagerly at the pretty beach toward which they drifted. "it's long past breakfast time, now." "i'm a trifle hungry, myself," declared the yellow hen. "why don't you eat the egg?" asked the child. "you don't need to have your food cooked, as i do." "do you take me for a cannibal?" cried the hen, indignantly. "i do not know what i have said or done that leads you to insult me!" "i beg your pardon, i'm sure mrs.--mrs.--by the way, may i inquire your name, ma'am?" asked the little girl. "my name is bill," said the yellow hen, somewhat gruffly. "bill! why, that's a boy's name." "what difference does that make?" "you're a lady hen, aren't you?" "of course. but when i was first hatched out no one could tell whether i was going to be a hen or a rooster; so the little boy at the farm where i was born called me bill, and made a pet of me because i was the only yellow chicken in the whole brood. when i grew up, and he found that i didn't crow and fight, as all the roosters do, he did not think to change my name, and every creature in the barn-yard, as well as the people in the house, knew me as 'bill.' so bill i've always been called, and bill is my name." "but it's all wrong, you know," declared dorothy, earnestly; "and, if you don't mind, i shall call you 'billina.' putting the 'eena' on the end makes it a girl's name, you see." "oh, i don't mind it in the least," returned the yellow hen. "it doesn't matter at all what you call me, so long as i know the name means me." "very well, billina. my name is dorothy gale--just dorothy to my friends and miss gale to strangers. you may call me dorothy, if you like. we're getting very near the shore. do you suppose it is too deep for me to wade the rest of the way?" "wait a few minutes longer. the sunshine is warm and pleasant, and we are in no hurry." "but my feet are all wet and soggy," said the girl. "my dress is dry enough, but i won't feel real comfor'ble till i get my feet dried." she waited, however, as the hen advised, and before long the big wooden coop grated gently on the sandy beach and the dangerous voyage was over. it did not take the castaways long to reach the shore, you may be sure. the yellow hen flew to the sands at once, but dorothy had to climb over the high slats. still, for a country girl, that was not much of a feat, and as soon as she was safe ashore dorothy drew off her wet shoes and stockings and spread them upon the sun-warmed beach to dry. then she sat down and watched billina, who was pick-pecking away with her sharp bill in the sand and gravel, which she scratched up and turned over with her strong claws. "what are you doing?" asked dorothy. "getting my breakfast, of course," murmured the hen, busily pecking away. "what do you find?" inquired the girl, curiously. "oh, some fat red ants, and some sand-bugs, and once in a while a tiny crab. they are very sweet and nice, i assure you." "how dreadful!" exclaimed dorothy, in a shocked voice. "what is dreadful?" asked the hen, lifting her head to gaze with one bright eye at her companion. "why, eating live things, and horrid bugs, and crawly ants. you ought to be 'shamed of yourself!" "goodness me!" returned the hen, in a puzzled tone; "how queer you are, dorothy! live things are much fresher and more wholesome than dead ones, and you humans eat all sorts of dead creatures." "we don't!" said dorothy. "you do, indeed," answered billina. "you eat lambs and sheep and cows and pigs and even chickens." "but we cook 'em," said dorothy, triumphantly. "what difference does that make?" "a good deal," said the girl, in a graver tone. "i can't just 'splain the diff'rence, but it's there. and, anyhow, we never eat such dreadful things as bugs." "but you eat the chickens that eat the bugs," retorted the yellow hen, with an odd cackle. "so you are just as bad as we chickens are." this made dorothy thoughtful. what billina said was true enough, and it almost took away her appetite for breakfast. as for the yellow hen, she continued to peck away at the sand busily, and seemed quite contented with her bill-of-fare. finally, down near the water's edge, billina stuck her bill deep into the sand, and then drew back and shivered. "ow!" she cried. "i struck metal, that time, and it nearly broke my beak." "it prob'bly was a rock," said dorothy, carelessly. "nonsense. i know a rock from metal, i guess," said the hen. "there's a different feel to it." "but there couldn't be any metal on this wild, deserted seashore," persisted the girl. "where's the place? i'll dig it up, and prove to you i'm right." billina showed her the place where she had "stubbed her bill," as she expressed it, and dorothy dug away the sand until she felt something hard. then, thrusting in her hand, she pulled the thing out, and discovered it to be a large sized golden key--rather old, but still bright and of perfect shape. "what did i tell you?" cried the hen, with a cackle of triumph. "can i tell metal when i bump into it, or is the thing a rock?" "it's metal, sure enough," answered the child, gazing thoughtfully at the curious thing she had found. "i think it is pure gold, and it must have lain hidden in the sand for a long time. how do you suppose it came there, billina? and what do you suppose this mysterious key unlocks?" "i can't say," replied the hen. "you ought to know more about locks and keys than i do." dorothy glanced around. there was no sign of any house in that part of the country, and she reasoned that every key must fit a lock and every lock must have a purpose. perhaps the key had been lost by somebody who lived far away, but had wandered on this very shore. musing on these things the girl put the key in the pocket of her dress and then slowly drew on her shoes and stockings, which the sun had fully dried. "i b'lieve, billina," she said, "i'll have a look 'round, and see if i can find some breakfast." . letters in the sand walking a little way back from the water's edge, toward the grove of trees, dorothy came to a flat stretch of white sand that seemed to have queer signs marked upon its surface, just as one would write upon sand with a stick. "what does it say?" she asked the yellow hen, who trotted along beside her in a rather dignified fashion. "how should i know?" returned the hen. "i cannot read." "oh! can't you?" "certainly not; i've never been to school, you know." "well, i have," admitted dorothy; "but the letters are big and far apart, and it's hard to spell out the words." but she looked at each letter carefully, and finally discovered that these words were written in the sand: "beware the wheelers!" "that's rather strange," declared the hen, when dorothy had read aloud the words. "what do you suppose the wheelers are?" "folks that wheel, i guess. they must have wheelbarrows, or baby-cabs or hand-carts," said dorothy. "perhaps they're automobiles," suggested the yellow hen. "there is no need to beware of baby-cabs and wheelbarrows; but automobiles are dangerous things. several of my friends have been run over by them." "it can't be auto'biles," replied the girl, "for this is a new, wild country, without even trolley-cars or tel'phones. the people here haven't been discovered yet, i'm sure; that is, if there are any people. so i don't b'lieve there can be any auto'biles, billina." "perhaps not," admitted the yellow hen. "where are you going now?" "over to those trees, to see if i can find some fruit or nuts," answered dorothy. she tramped across the sand, skirting the foot of one of the little rocky hills that stood near, and soon reached the edge of the forest. at first she was greatly disappointed, because the nearer trees were all punita, or cotton-wood or eucalyptus, and bore no fruit or nuts at all. but, bye and bye, when she was almost in despair, the little girl came upon two trees that promised to furnish her with plenty of food. one was quite full of square paper boxes, which grew in clusters on all the limbs, and upon the biggest and ripest boxes the word "lunch" could be read, in neat raised letters. this tree seemed to bear all the year around, for there were lunch-box blossoms on some of the branches, and on others tiny little lunch-boxes that were as yet quite green, and evidently not fit to eat until they had grown bigger. the leaves of this tree were all paper napkins, and it presented a very pleasing appearance to the hungry little girl. but the tree next to the lunch-box tree was even more wonderful, for it bore quantities of tin dinner-pails, which were so full and heavy that the stout branches bent underneath their weight. some were small and dark-brown in color; those larger were of a dull tin color; but the really ripe ones were pails of bright tin that shone and glistened beautifully in the rays of sunshine that touched them. dorothy was delighted, and even the yellow hen acknowledged that she was surprised. the little girl stood on tip-toe and picked one of the nicest and biggest lunch-boxes, and then she sat down upon the ground and eagerly opened it. inside she found, nicely wrapped in white papers, a ham sandwich, a piece of sponge-cake, a pickle, a slice of new cheese and an apple. each thing had a separate stem, and so had to be picked off the side of the box; but dorothy found them all to be delicious, and she ate every bit of luncheon in the box before she had finished. "a lunch isn't zactly breakfast," she said to billina, who sat beside her curiously watching. "but when one is hungry one can eat even supper in the morning, and not complain." "i hope your lunch-box was perfectly ripe," observed the yellow hen, in a anxious tone. "so much sickness is caused by eating green things." "oh, i'm sure it was ripe," declared dorothy, "all, that is, 'cept the pickle, and a pickle just has to be green, billina. but everything tasted perfectly splendid, and i'd rather have it than a church picnic. and now i think i'll pick a dinner-pail, to have when i get hungry again, and then we'll start out and 'splore the country, and see where we are." "haven't you any idea what country this is?" inquired billina. "none at all. but listen: i'm quite sure it's a fairy country, or such things as lunch-boxes and dinner-pails wouldn't be growing upon trees. besides, billina, being a hen, you wouldn't be able to talk in any civ'lized country, like kansas, where no fairies live at all." "perhaps we're in the land of oz," said the hen, thoughtfully. "no, that can't be," answered the little girl; "because i've been to the land of oz, and it's all surrounded by a horrid desert that no one can cross." "then how did you get away from there again?" asked billina. "i had a pair of silver shoes, that carried me through the air; but i lost them," said dorothy. "ah, indeed," remarked the yellow hen, in a tone of unbelief. "anyhow," resumed the girl, "there is no seashore near the land of oz, so this must surely be some other fairy country." while she was speaking she selected a bright and pretty dinner-pail that seemed to have a stout handle, and picked it from its branch. then, accompanied by the yellow hen, she walked out of the shadow of the trees toward the sea-shore. they were part way across the sands when billina suddenly cried, in a voice of terror: "what's that?" dorothy turned quickly around, and saw coming out of a path that led from between the trees the most peculiar person her eyes had ever beheld. it had the form of a man, except that it walked, or rather rolled, upon all fours, and its legs were the same length as its arms, giving them the appearance of the four legs of a beast. yet it was no beast that dorothy had discovered, for the person was clothed most gorgeously in embroidered garments of many colors, and wore a straw hat perched jauntily upon the side of its head. but it differed from human beings in this respect, that instead of hands and feet there grew at the end of its arms and legs round wheels, and by means of these wheels it rolled very swiftly over the level ground. afterward dorothy found that these odd wheels were of the same hard substance that our finger-nails and toe-nails are composed of, and she also learned that creatures of this strange race were born in this queer fashion. but when our little girl first caught sight of the first individual of a race that was destined to cause her a lot of trouble, she had an idea that the brilliantly-clothed personage was on roller-skates, which were attached to his hands as well as to his feet. "run!" screamed the yellow hen, fluttering away in great fright. "it's a wheeler!" "a wheeler?" exclaimed dorothy. "what can that be?" "don't you remember the warning in the sand: 'beware the wheelers'? run, i tell you--run!" so dorothy ran, and the wheeler gave a sharp, wild cry and came after her in full chase. looking over her shoulder as she ran, the girl now saw a great procession of wheelers emerging from the forest--dozens and dozens of them--all clad in splendid, tight-fitting garments and all rolling swiftly toward her and uttering their wild, strange cries. "they're sure to catch us!" panted the girl, who was still carrying the heavy dinner-pail she had picked. "i can't run much farther, billina." "climb up this hill,--quick!" said the hen; and dorothy found she was very near to the heap of loose and jagged rocks they had passed on their way to the forest. the yellow hen was even now fluttering among the rocks, and dorothy followed as best she could, half climbing and half tumbling up the rough and rugged steep. she was none too soon, for the foremost wheeler reached the hill a moment after her; but while the girl scrambled up the rocks the creature stopped short with howls of rage and disappointment. dorothy now heard the yellow hen laughing, in her cackling, henny way. "don't hurry, my dear," cried billina. "they can't follow us among these rocks, so we're safe enough now." dorothy stopped at once and sat down upon a broad boulder, for she was all out of breath. the rest of the wheelers had now reached the foot of the hill, but it was evident that their wheels would not roll upon the rough and jagged rocks, and therefore they were helpless to follow dorothy and the hen to where they had taken refuge. but they circled all around the little hill, so the child and billina were fast prisoners and could not come down without being captured. then the creatures shook their front wheels at dorothy in a threatening manner, and it seemed they were able to speak as well as to make their dreadful outcries, for several of them shouted: "we'll get you in time, never fear! and when we do get you, we'll tear you into little bits!" "why are you so cruel to me?" asked dorothy. "i'm a stranger in your country, and have done you no harm." "no harm!" cried one who seemed to be their leader. "did you not pick our lunch-boxes and dinner-pails? have you not a stolen dinner-pail still in your hand?" "i only picked one of each," she answered. "i was hungry, and i didn't know the trees were yours." "that is no excuse," retorted the leader, who was clothed in a most gorgeous suit. "it is the law here that whoever picks a dinner-pail without our permission must die immediately." "don't you believe him," said billina. "i'm sure the trees do not belong to these awful creatures. they are fit for any mischief, and it's my opinion they would try to kill us just the same if you hadn't picked a dinner-pail." "i think so, too," agreed dorothy. "but what shall we do now?" "stay where we are," advised the yellow hen. "we are safe from the wheelers until we starve to death, anyhow; and before that time comes a good many things can happen." . tiktok the machine man after an hour or so most of the band of wheelers rolled back into the forest, leaving only three of their number to guard the hill. these curled themselves up like big dogs and pretended to go to sleep on the sands; but neither dorothy nor billina were fooled by this trick, so they remained in security among the rocks and paid no attention to their cunning enemies. finally the hen, fluttering over the mound, exclaimed: "why, here's a path!" so dorothy at once clambered to where billina sat, and there, sure enough, was a smooth path cut between the rocks. it seemed to wind around the mound from top to bottom, like a cork-screw, twisting here and there between the rough boulders but always remaining level and easy to walk upon. indeed, dorothy wondered at first why the wheelers did not roll up this path; but when she followed it to the foot of the mound she found that several big pieces of rock had been placed directly across the end of the way, thus preventing any one outside from seeing it and also preventing the wheelers from using it to climb up the mound. then dorothy walked back up the path, and followed it until she came to the very top of the hill, where a solitary round rock stood that was bigger than any of the others surrounding it. the path came to an end just beside this great rock, and for a moment it puzzled the girl to know why the path had been made at all. but the hen, who had been gravely following her around and was now perched upon a point of rock behind dorothy, suddenly remarked: "it looks something like a door, doesn't it?" "what looks like a door?" enquired the child. "why, that crack in the rock, just facing you," replied billina, whose little round eyes were very sharp and seemed to see everything. "it runs up one side and down the other, and across the top and the bottom." "what does?" "why, the crack. so i think it must be a door of rock, although i do not see any hinges." "oh, yes," said dorothy, now observing for the first time the crack in the rock. "and isn't this a key-hole, billina?" pointing to a round, deep hole at one side of the door. "of course. if we only had the key, now, we could unlock it and see what is there," replied the yellow hen. "may be it's a treasure chamber full of diamonds and rubies, or heaps of shining gold, or--" "that reminds me," said dorothy, "of the golden key i picked up on the shore. do you think that it would fit this key-hole, billina?" "try it and see," suggested the hen. so dorothy searched in the pocket of her dress and found the golden key. and when she had put it into the hole of the rock, and turned it, a sudden sharp snap was heard; then, with a solemn creak that made the shivers run down the child's back, the face of the rock fell outward, like a door on hinges, and revealed a small dark chamber just inside. "good gracious!" cried dorothy, shrinking back as far as the narrow path would let her. for, standing within the narrow chamber of rock, was the form of a man--or, at least, it seemed like a man, in the dim light. he was only about as tall as dorothy herself, and his body was round as a ball and made out of burnished copper. also his head and limbs were copper, and these were jointed or hinged to his body in a peculiar way, with metal caps over the joints, like the armor worn by knights in days of old. he stood perfectly still, and where the light struck upon his form it glittered as if made of pure gold. "don't be frightened," called billina, from her perch. "it isn't alive." "i see it isn't," replied the girl, drawing a long breath. "it is only made out of copper, like the old kettle in the barn-yard at home," continued the hen, turning her head first to one side and then to the other, so that both her little round eyes could examine the object. "once," said dorothy, "i knew a man made out of tin, who was a woodman named nick chopper. but he was as alive as we are, 'cause he was born a real man, and got his tin body a little at a time--first a leg and then a finger and then an ear--for the reason that he had so many accidents with his axe, and cut himself up in a very careless manner." "oh," said the hen, with a sniff, as if she did not believe the story. "but this copper man," continued dorothy, looking at it with big eyes, "is not alive at all, and i wonder what it was made for, and why it was locked up in this queer place." "that is a mystery," remarked the hen, twisting her head to arrange her wing-feathers with her bill. dorothy stepped inside the little room to get a back view of the copper man, and in this way discovered a printed card that hung between his shoulders, it being suspended from a small copper peg at the back of his neck. she unfastened this card and returned to the path, where the light was better, and sat herself down upon a slab of rock to read the printing. "what does it say?" asked the hen, curiously. dorothy read the card aloud, spelling out the big words with some difficulty; and this is what she read: +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | smith & tinker's | | patent double-action, extra-responsive, | | thought-creating, perfect-talking | | mechanical man | | fitted with our special clock-work attachment. | | thinks, speaks, acts, and does everything but live. | | manufactured only at our works at evna, land of ev. | | all infringements will be promptly prosecuted according to law. | | | +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ "how queer!" said the yellow hen. "do you think that is all true, my dear?" "i don't know," answered dorothy, who had more to read. "listen to this, billina:" +--------------------------------------------------+ | | | directions for using: | | for thinking:--wind the clock-work man under his | | left arm, (marked no. .) | | for speaking:--wind the clock-work man under his | | right arm, (marked no. .) | | for walking and action:--wind clock-work in the | | middle of his back, (marked no. .) | | n. b.--this mechanism is guaranteed to work | | perfectly for a thousand years. | | | +--------------------------------------------------+ "well, i declare!" gasped the yellow hen, in amazement; "if the copper man can do half of these things he is a very wonderful machine. but i suppose it is all humbug, like so many other patented articles." "we might wind him up," suggested dorothy, "and see what he'll do." "where is the key to the clock-work?" asked billina. "hanging on the peg where i found the card." "then," said the hen, "let us try him, and find out if he will go. he is warranted for a thousand years, it seems; but we do not know how long he has been standing inside this rock." dorothy had already taken the clock key from the peg. "which shall i wind up first?" she asked, looking again at the directions on the card. "number one, i should think," returned billina. "that makes him think, doesn't it?" "yes," said dorothy, and wound up number one, under the left arm. "he doesn't seem any different," remarked the hen, critically. "why, of course not; he is only thinking, now," said dorothy. "i wonder what he is thinking about." "i'll wind up his talk, and then perhaps he can tell us," said the girl. so she wound up number two, and immediately the clock-work man said, without moving any part of his body except his lips: "good morn-ing, lit-tle girl. good morn-ing, mrs. hen." the words sounded a little hoarse and creaky, and they were uttered all in the same tone, without any change of expression whatever; but both dorothy and billina understood them perfectly. "good morning, sir," they answered, politely. "thank you for res-cu-ing me," continued the machine, in the same monotonous voice, which seemed to be worked by a bellows inside of him, like the little toy lambs and cats the children squeeze so that they will make a noise. "don't mention it," answered dorothy. and then, being very curious, she asked: "how did you come to be locked up in this place?" "it is a long sto-ry," replied the copper man; "but i will tell it to you brief-ly. i was pur-chased from smith & tin-ker, my man-u-fac-tur-ers, by a cru-el king of ev, named ev-ol-do, who used to beat all his serv-ants un-til they died. how-ev-er, he was not a-ble to kill me, be-cause i was not a-live, and one must first live in or-der to die. so that all his beat-ing did me no harm, and mere-ly kept my cop-per bod-y well pol-ished. "this cru-el king had a love-ly wife and ten beau-ti-ful chil-dren--five boys and five girls--but in a fit of an-ger he sold them all to the nome king, who by means of his mag-ic arts changed them all in-to oth-er forms and put them in his un-der-ground pal-ace to or-na-ment the rooms. "af-ter-ward the king of ev re-gret-ted his wick-ed ac-tion, and tried to get his wife and chil-dren a-way from the nome king, but with-out a-vail. so, in de-spair, he locked me up in this rock, threw the key in-to the o-cean, and then jumped in af-ter it and was drowned." "how very dreadful!" exclaimed dorothy. "it is, in-deed," said the machine. "when i found my-self im-pris-oned i shout-ed for help un-til my voice ran down; and then i walked back and forth in this lit-tle room un-til my ac-tion ran down; and then i stood still and thought un-til my thoughts ran down. af-ter that i re-mem-ber noth-ing un-til you wound me up a-gain." "it's a very wonderful story," said dorothy, "and proves that the land of ev is really a fairy land, as i thought it was." "of course it is," answered the copper man. "i do not sup-pose such a per-fect ma-chine as i am could be made in an-y place but a fair-y land." "i've never seen one in kansas," said dorothy. "but where did you get the key to un-lock this door?" asked the clock-work voice. "i found it on the shore, where it was prob'ly washed up by the waves," she answered. "and now, sir, if you don't mind, i'll wind up your action." "that will please me ve-ry much," said the machine. so she wound up number three, and at once the copper man in a somewhat stiff and jerky fashion walked out of the rocky cavern, took off his copper hat and bowed politely, and then kneeled before dorothy. said he: "from this time forth i am your o-be-di-ent ser-vant. what-ev-er you com-mand, that i will do will-ing-ly--if you keep me wound up." "what is your name?" she asked. "tik-tok," he replied. "my for-mer mas-ter gave me that name be-cause my clock-work al-ways ticks when it is wound up." "i can hear it now," said the yellow hen. "so can i," said dorothy. and then she added, with some anxiety: "you don't strike, do you?" "no," answered tiktok; "and there is no a-larm con-nec-ted with my ma-chin-er-y. i can tell the time, though, by speak-ing, and as i nev-er sleep i can wak-en you at an-y hour you wish to get up in the morn-ing." "that's nice," said the little girl; "only i never wish to get up in the morning." "you can sleep until i lay my egg," said the yellow hen. "then, when i cackle, tiktok will know it is time to waken you." "do you lay your egg very early?" asked dorothy. "about eight o'clock," said billina. "and everybody ought to be up by that time, i'm sure." . dorothy opens the dinner pail "now tiktok," said dorothy, "the first thing to be done is to find a way for us to escape from these rocks. the wheelers are down below, you know, and threaten to kill us." "there is no rea-son to be a-fraid of the wheel-ers," said tiktok, the words coming more slowly than before. "why not?" she asked. "be-cause they are ag-g-g--gr-gr-r-r-" he gave a sort of gurgle and stopped short, waving his hands frantically until suddenly he became motionless, with one arm in the air and the other held stiffly before him with all the copper fingers of the hand spread out like a fan. "dear me!" said dorothy, in a frightened tone. "what can the matter be?" "he's run down, i suppose," said the hen, calmly. "you couldn't have wound him up very tight." "i didn't know how much to wind him," replied the girl; "but i'll try to do better next time." she ran around the copper man to take the key from the peg at the back of his neck, but it was not there. "it's gone!" cried dorothy, in dismay. "what's gone?" asked billina. "the key." "it probably fell off when he made that low bow to you," returned the hen. "look around, and see if you cannot find it again." dorothy looked, and the hen helped her, and by and by the girl discovered the clock-key, which had fallen into a crack of the rock. at once she wound up tiktok's voice, taking care to give the key as many turns as it would go around. she found this quite a task, as you may imagine if you have ever tried to wind a clock, but the machine man's first words were to assure dorothy that he would now run for at least twenty-four hours. "you did not wind me much, at first," he calmly said, "and i told you that long sto-ry a-bout king ev-ol-do; so it is no won-der that i ran down." she next rewound the action clock-work, and then billina advised her to carry the key to tiktok in her pocket, so it would not get lost again. "and now," said dorothy, when all this was accomplished, "tell me what you were going to say about the wheelers." "why, they are noth-ing to be fright-en'd at," said the machine. "they try to make folks be-lieve that they are ver-y ter-ri-ble, but as a mat-ter of fact the wheel-ers are harm-less e-nough to an-y one that dares to fight them. they might try to hurt a lit-tle girl like you, per-haps, be-cause they are ver-y mis-chiev-ous. but if i had a club they would run a-way as soon as they saw me." "haven't you a club?" asked dorothy. "no," said tiktok. "and you won't find such a thing among these rocks, either," declared the yellow hen. "then what shall we do?" asked the girl. "wind up my think-works tight-ly, and i will try to think of some oth-er plan," said tiktok. so dorothy rewound his thought machinery, and while he was thinking she decided to eat her dinner. billina was already pecking away at the cracks in the rocks, to find something to eat, so dorothy sat down and opened her tin dinner-pail. in the cover she found a small tank that was full of very nice lemonade. it was covered by a cup, which might also, when removed, be used to drink the lemonade from. within the pail were three slices of turkey, two slices of cold tongue, some lobster salad, four slices of bread and butter, a small custard pie, an orange and nine large strawberries, and some nuts and raisins. singularly enough, the nuts in this dinner-pail grew already cracked, so that dorothy had no trouble in picking out their meats to eat. she spread the feast upon the rock beside her and began her dinner, first offering some of it to tiktok, who declined because, as he said, he was merely a machine. afterward she offered to share with billina, but the hen murmured something about "dead things" and said she preferred her bugs and ants. "do the lunch-box trees and the dinner-pail trees belong to the wheelers?" the child asked tiktok, while engaged in eating her meal. "of course not," he answered. "they be-long to the roy-al fam-il-y of ev, on-ly of course there is no roy-al fam-il-y just now be-cause king ev-ol-do jumped in-to the sea and his wife and ten chil-dren have been trans-formed by the nome king. so there is no one to rule the land of ev, that i can think of. per-haps it is for this rea-son that the wheel-ers claim the trees for their own, and pick the lunch-eons and din-ners to eat them-selves. but they be-long to the king, and you will find the roy-al "e" stamped up-on the bot-tom of ev-er-y din-ner pail." dorothy turned the pail over, and at once discovered the royal mark upon it, as tiktok had said. "are the wheelers the only folks living in the land of ev?" enquired the girl. "no; they on-ly in-hab-it a small por-tion of it just back of the woods," replied the machine. "but they have al-ways been mis-chiev-ous and im-per-ti-nent, and my old mas-ter, king ev-ol-do, used to car-ry a whip with him, when he walked out, to keep the crea-tures in or-der. when i was first made the wheel-ers tried to run o-ver me, and butt me with their heads; but they soon found i was built of too sol-id a ma-ter-i-al for them to in-jure." "you seem very durable," said dorothy. "who made you?" "the firm of smith & tin-ker, in the town of evna, where the roy-al pal-ace stands," answered tiktok. "did they make many of you?" asked the child. "no; i am the on-ly au-to-mat-ic me-chan-i-cal man they ev-er com-plet-ed," he replied. "they were ver-y won-der-ful in-ven-tors, were my mak-ers, and quite ar-tis-tic in all they did." "i am sure of that," said dorothy. "do they live in the town of evna now?" "they are both gone," replied the machine. "mr. smith was an art-ist, as well as an in-vent-or, and he paint-ed a pic-ture of a riv-er which was so nat-ur-al that, as he was reach-ing a-cross it to paint some flow-ers on the op-po-site bank, he fell in-to the wa-ter and was drowned." "oh, i'm sorry for that!" exclaimed the little girl. "mis-ter tin-ker," continued tiktok, "made a lad-der so tall that he could rest the end of it a-gainst the moon, while he stood on the high-est rung and picked the lit-tle stars to set in the points of the king's crown. but when he got to the moon mis-ter tin-ker found it such a love-ly place that he de-cid-ed to live there, so he pulled up the lad-der af-ter him and we have nev-er seen him since." "he must have been a great loss to this country," said dorothy, who was by this time eating her custard pie. "he was," acknowledged tiktok. "also he is a great loss to me. for if i should get out of or-der i do not know of an-y one a-ble to re-pair me, be-cause i am so com-pli-cat-ed. you have no i-de-a how full of ma-chin-er-y i am." "i can imagine it," said dorothy, readily. "and now," continued the machine, "i must stop talk-ing and be-gin think-ing a-gain of a way to es-cape from this rock." so he turned half way around, in order to think without being disturbed. "the best thinker i ever knew," said dorothy to the yellow hen, "was a scarecrow." "nonsense!" snapped billina. "it is true," declared dorothy. "i met him in the land of oz, and he traveled with me to the city of the great wizard of oz, so as to get some brains, for his head was only stuffed with straw. but it seemed to me that he thought just as well before he got his brains as he did afterward." "do you expect me to believe all that rubbish about the land of oz?" enquired billina, who seemed a little cross--perhaps because bugs were scarce. "what rubbish?" asked the child, who was now finishing her nuts and raisins. "why, your impossible stories about animals that can talk, and a tin woodman who is alive, and a scarecrow who can think." "they are all there," said dorothy, "for i have seen them." "i don't believe it!" cried the hen, with a toss of her head. "that's 'cause you're so ign'rant," replied the girl, who was a little offended at her friend billina's speech. "in the land of oz," remarked tiktok, turning toward them, "an-y-thing is pos-si-ble. for it is a won-der-ful fair-y coun-try." "there, billina! what did i say?" cried dorothy. and then she turned to the machine and asked in an eager tone: "do you know the land of oz, tiktok?" "no; but i have heard a-bout it," said the cop-per man. "for it is on-ly sep-a-ra-ted from this land of ev by a broad des-ert." dorothy clapped her hands together delightedly. "i'm glad of that!" she exclaimed. "it makes me quite happy to be so near my old friends. the scarecrow i told you of, billina, is the king of the land of oz." "par-don me. he is not the king now," said tiktok. "he was when i left there," declared dorothy. "i know," said tiktok, "but there was a rev-o-lu-tion in the land of oz, and the scare-crow was de-posed by a sol-dier wo-man named gen-er-al jin-jur. and then jin-jur was de-posed by a lit-tle girl named oz-ma, who was the right-ful heir to the throne and now rules the land un-der the ti-tle of oz-ma of oz." "that is news to me," said dorothy, thoughtfully. "but i s'pose lots of things have happened since i left the land of oz. i wonder what has become of the scarecrow, and of the tin woodman, and the cowardly lion. and i wonder who this girl ozma is, for i never heard of her before." but tiktok did not reply to this. he had turned around again to resume his thinking. dorothy packed the rest of the food back into the pail, so as not to be wasteful of good things, and the yellow hen forgot her dignity far enough to pick up all of the scattered crumbs, which she ate rather greedily, although she had so lately pretended to despise the things that dorothy preferred as food. by this time tiktok approached them with his stiff bow. "be kind e-nough to fol-low me," he said, "and i will lead you a-way from here to the town of ev-na, where you will be more com-for-ta-ble, and al-so i will pro-tect you from the wheel-ers." "all right," answered dorothy, promptly. "i'm ready!" . the heads of langwidere they walked slowly down the path between the rocks, tiktok going first, dorothy following him, and the yellow hen trotting along last of all. at the foot of the path the copper man leaned down and tossed aside with ease the rocks that encumbered the way. then he turned to dorothy and said: "let me car-ry your din-ner-pail." she placed it in his right hand at once, and the copper fingers closed firmly over the stout handle. then the little procession marched out upon the level sands. as soon as the three wheelers who were guarding the mound saw them, they began to shout their wild cries and rolled swiftly toward the little group, as if to capture them or bar their way. but when the foremost had approached near enough, tiktok swung the tin dinner-pail and struck the wheeler a sharp blow over its head with the queer weapon. perhaps it did not hurt very much, but it made a great noise, and the wheeler uttered a howl and tumbled over upon its side. the next minute it scrambled to its wheels and rolled away as fast as it could go, screeching with fear at the same time. "i told you they were harm-less," began tiktok; but before he could say more another wheeler was upon them. crack! went the dinner-pail against its head, knocking its straw hat a dozen feet away; and that was enough for this wheeler, also. it rolled away after the first one, and the third did not wait to be pounded with the pail, but joined its fellows as quickly as its wheels would whirl. the yellow hen gave a cackle of delight, and flying to a perch upon tiktok's shoulder, she said: "bravely done, my copper friend! and wisely thought of, too. now we are free from those ugly creatures." but just then a large band of wheelers rolled from the forest, and relying upon their numbers to conquer, they advanced fiercely upon tiktok. dorothy grabbed billina in her arms and held her tight, and the machine embraced the form of the little girl with his left arm, the better to protect her. then the wheelers were upon them. rattlety, bang! bang! went the dinner-pail in every direction, and it made so much clatter bumping against the heads of the wheelers that they were much more frightened than hurt and fled in a great panic. all, that is, except their leader. this wheeler had stumbled against another and fallen flat upon his back, and before he could get his wheels under him to rise again, tiktok had fastened his copper fingers into the neck of the gorgeous jacket of his foe and held him fast. "tell your peo-ple to go a-way," commanded the machine. the leader of the wheelers hesitated to give this order, so tiktok shook him as a terrier dog does a rat, until the wheeler's teeth rattled together with a noise like hailstones on a window pane. then, as soon as the creature could get its breath, it shouted to the others to roll away, which they immediately did. "now," said tiktok, "you shall come with us and tell me what i want to know." "you'll be sorry for treating me in this way," whined the wheeler. "i'm a terribly fierce person." "as for that," answered tiktok, "i am only a ma-chine, and can-not feel sor-row or joy, no mat-ter what hap-pens. but you are wrong to think your-self ter-ri-ble or fierce." "why so?" asked the wheeler. "be-cause no one else thinks as you do. your wheels make you help-less to in-jure an-y one. for you have no fists and can not scratch or e-ven pull hair. nor have you an-y feet to kick with. all you can do is to yell and shout, and that does not hurt an-y one at all." the wheeler burst into a flood of tears, to dorothy's great surprise. "now i and my people are ruined forever!" he sobbed; "for you have discovered our secret. being so helpless, our only hope is to make people afraid of us, by pretending we are very fierce and terrible, and writing in the sand warnings to beware the wheelers. until now we have frightened everyone, but since you have discovered our weakness our enemies will fall upon us and make us very miserable and unhappy." "oh, no," exclaimed dorothy, who was sorry to see this beautifully dressed wheeler so miserable; "tiktok will keep your secret, and so will billina and i. only, you must promise not to try to frighten children any more, if they come near to you." "i won't--indeed i won't!" promised the wheeler, ceasing to cry and becoming more cheerful. "i'm not really bad, you know; but we have to pretend to be terrible in order to prevent others from attacking us." "that is not ex-act-ly true," said tiktok, starting to walk toward the path through the forest, and still holding fast to his prisoner, who rolled slowly along beside him. "you and your peo-ple are full of mis-chief, and like to both-er those who fear you. and you are of-ten im-pu-dent and dis-a-gree-a-ble, too. but if you will try to cure those faults i will not tell any-one how help-less you are." "i'll try, of course," replied the wheeler, eagerly. "and thank you, mr. tiktok, for your kindness." "i am on-ly a ma-chine," said tiktok. "i can not be kind an-y more than i can be sor-ry or glad. i can on-ly do what i am wound up to do." "are you wound up to keep my secret?" asked the wheeler, anxiously. "yes; if you be-have your-self. but tell me: who rules the land of ev now?" asked the machine. "there is no ruler," was the answer, "because every member of the royal family is imprisoned by the nome king. but the princess langwidere, who is a niece of our late king evoldo, lives in a part of the royal palace and takes as much money out of the royal treasury as she can spend. the princess langwidere is not exactly a ruler, you see, because she doesn't rule; but she is the nearest approach to a ruler we have at present." "i do not re-mem-ber her," said tiktok. "what does she look like?" "that i cannot say," replied the wheeler, "although i have seen her twenty times. for the princess langwidere is a different person every time i see her, and the only way her subjects can recognize her at all is by means of a beautiful ruby key which she always wears on a chain attached to her left wrist. when we see the key we know we are beholding the princess." "that is strange," said dorothy, in astonishment. "do you mean to say that so many different princesses are one and the same person?" "not exactly," answered the wheeler. "there is, of course, but one princess; but she appears to us in many forms, which are all more or less beautiful." "she must be a witch," exclaimed the girl. "i do not think so," declared the wheeler. "but there is some mystery connected with her, nevertheless. she is a very vain creature, and lives mostly in a room surrounded by mirrors, so that she can admire herself whichever way she looks." no one answered this speech, because they had just passed out of the forest and their attention was fixed upon the scene before them--a beautiful vale in which were many fruit trees and green fields, with pretty farm-houses scattered here and there and broad, smooth roads that led in every direction. in the center of this lovely vale, about a mile from where our friends were standing, rose the tall spires of the royal palace, which glittered brightly against their background of blue sky. the palace was surrounded by charming grounds, full of flowers and shrubbery. several tinkling fountains could be seen, and there were pleasant walks bordered by rows of white marble statuary. all these details dorothy was, of course, unable to notice or admire until they had advanced along the road to a position quite near to the palace, and she was still looking at the pretty sights when her little party entered the grounds and approached the big front door of the king's own apartments. to their disappointment they found the door tightly closed. a sign was tacked to the panel which read as follows: +----------------------------+ | | | owner absent. | | | | please knock at the third | | door in the left wing. | | | +----------------------------+ "now," said tiktok to the captive wheeler, "you must show us the way to the left wing." "very well," agreed the prisoner, "it is around here at the right." "how can the left wing be at the right?" demanded dorothy, who feared the wheeler was fooling them. "because there used to be three wings, and two were torn down, so the one on the right is the only one left. it is a trick of the princess langwidere to prevent visitors from annoying her." then the captive led them around to the wing, after which the machine man, having no further use for the wheeler, permitted him to depart and rejoin his fellows. he immediately rolled away at a great pace and was soon lost to sight. tiktok now counted the doors in the wing and knocked loudly upon the third one. it was opened by a little maid in a cap trimmed with gay ribbons, who bowed respectfully and asked: "what do you wish, good people?" "are you the princess langwidere?" asked dorothy. "no, miss; i am her servant," replied the maid. "may i see the princess, please?" "i will tell her you are here, miss, and ask her to grant you an audience," said the maid. "step in, please, and take a seat in the drawing-room." so dorothy walked in, followed closely by the machine. but as the yellow hen tried to enter after them, the little maid cried "shoo!" and flapped her apron in billina's face. "shoo, yourself!" retorted the hen, drawing back in anger and ruffling up her feathers. "haven't you any better manners than that?" "oh, do you talk?" enquired the maid, evidently surprised. "can't you hear me?" snapped billina. "drop that apron, and get out of the doorway, so that i may enter with my friends!" "the princess won't like it," said the maid, hesitating. "i don't care whether she likes it or not," replied billina, and fluttering her wings with a loud noise she flew straight at the maid's face. the little servant at once ducked her head, and the hen reached dorothy's side in safety. "very well," sighed the maid; "if you are all ruined because of this obstinate hen, don't blame me for it. it isn't safe to annoy the princess langwidere." "tell her we are waiting, if you please," dorothy requested, with dignity. "billina is my friend, and must go wherever i go." without more words the maid led them to a richly furnished drawing-room, lighted with subdued rainbow tints that came in through beautiful stained-glass windows. "remain here," she said. "what names shall i give the princess?" "i am dorothy gale, of kansas," replied the child; "and this gentleman is a machine named tiktok, and the yellow hen is my friend billina." the little servant bowed and withdrew, going through several passages and mounting two marble stairways before she came to the apartments occupied by her mistress. princess langwidere's sitting-room was paneled with great mirrors, which reached from the ceiling to the floor; also the ceiling was composed of mirrors, and the floor was of polished silver that reflected every object upon it. so when langwidere sat in her easy chair and played soft melodies upon her mandolin, her form was mirrored hundreds of times, in walls and ceiling and floor, and whichever way the lady turned her head she could see and admire her own features. this she loved to do, and just as the maid entered she was saying to herself: "this head with the auburn hair and hazel eyes is quite attractive. i must wear it more often than i have done of late, although it may not be the best of my collection." "you have company, your highness," announced the maid, bowing low. "who is it?" asked langwidere, yawning. "dorothy gale of kansas, mr. tiktok and billina," answered the maid. "what a queer lot of names!" murmured the princess, beginning to be a little interested. "what are they like? is dorothy gale of kansas pretty?" "she might be called so," the maid replied. "and is mr. tiktok attractive?" continued the princess. "that i cannot say, your highness. but he seems very bright. will your gracious highness see them?" "oh, i may as well, nanda. but i am tired admiring this head, and if my visitor has any claim to beauty i must take care that she does not surpass me. so i will go to my cabinet and change to no. , which i think is my best appearance. don't you?" "your no. is exceedingly beautiful," answered nanda, with another bow. again the princess yawned. then she said: "help me to rise." so the maid assisted her to gain her feet, although langwidere was the stronger of the two; and then the princess slowly walked across the silver floor to her cabinet, leaning heavily at every step upon nanda's arm. now i must explain to you that the princess langwidere had thirty heads--as many as there are days in the month. but of course she could only wear one of them at a time, because she had but one neck. these heads were kept in what she called her "cabinet," which was a beautiful dressing-room that lay just between langwidere's sleeping-chamber and the mirrored sitting-room. each head was in a separate cupboard lined with velvet. the cupboards ran all around the sides of the dressing-room, and had elaborately carved doors with gold numbers on the outside and jeweled-framed mirrors on the inside of them. when the princess got out of her crystal bed in the morning she went to her cabinet, opened one of the velvet-lined cupboards, and took the head it contained from its golden shelf. then, by the aid of the mirror inside the open door, she put on the head--as neat and straight as could be--and afterward called her maids to robe her for the day. she always wore a simple white costume, that suited all the heads. for, being able to change her face whenever she liked, the princess had no interest in wearing a variety of gowns, as have other ladies who are compelled to wear the same face constantly. of course the thirty heads were in great variety, no two formed alike but all being of exceeding loveliness. there were heads with golden hair, brown hair, rich auburn hair and black hair; but none with gray hair. the heads had eyes of blue, of gray, of hazel, of brown and of black; but there were no red eyes among them, and all were bright and handsome. the noses were grecian, roman, retrousse and oriental, representing all types of beauty; and the mouths were of assorted sizes and shapes, displaying pearly teeth when the heads smiled. as for dimples, they appeared in cheeks and chins, wherever they might be most charming, and one or two heads had freckles upon the faces to contrast the better with the brilliancy of their complexions. one key unlocked all the velvet cupboards containing these treasures--a curious key carved from a single blood-red ruby--and this was fastened to a strong but slender chain which the princess wore around her left wrist. when nanda had supported langwidere to a position in front of cupboard no. , the princess unlocked the door with her ruby key and after handing head no. , which she had been wearing, to the maid, she took no. from its shelf and fitted it to her neck. it had black hair and dark eyes and a lovely pearl-and-white complexion, and when langwidere wore it she knew she was remarkably beautiful in appearance. there was only one trouble with no. ; the temper that went with it (and which was hidden somewhere under the glossy black hair) was fiery, harsh and haughty in the extreme, and it often led the princess to do unpleasant things which she regretted when she came to wear her other heads. but she did not remember this today, and went to meet her guests in the drawing-room with a feeling of certainty that she would surprise them with her beauty. however, she was greatly disappointed to find that her visitors were merely a small girl in a gingham dress, a copper man that would only go when wound up, and a yellow hen that was sitting contentedly in langwidere's best work-basket, where there was a china egg used for darning stockings. (it may surprise you to learn that a princess ever does such a common thing as darn stockings. but, if you will stop to think, you will realize that a princess is sure to wear holes in her stockings, the same as other people; only it isn't considered quite polite to mention the matter.) "oh!" said langwidere, slightly lifting the nose of no. . "i thought some one of importance had called." "then you were right," declared dorothy. "i'm a good deal of 'portance myself, and when billina lays an egg she has the proudest cackle you ever heard. as for tiktok, he's the--" "stop--stop!" commanded the princess, with an angry flash of her splendid eyes. "how dare you annoy me with your senseless chatter?" "why, you horrid thing!" said dorothy, who was not accustomed to being treated so rudely. the princess looked at her more closely. "tell me," she resumed, "are you of royal blood?" "better than that, ma'am," said dorothy. "i came from kansas." "huh!" cried the princess, scornfully. "you are a foolish child, and i cannot allow you to annoy me. run away, you little goose, and bother some one else." dorothy was so indignant that for a moment she could find no words to reply. but she rose from her chair, and was about to leave the room when the princess, who had been scanning the girl's face, stopped her by saying, more gently: "come nearer to me." dorothy obeyed, without a thought of fear, and stood before the princess while langwidere examined her face with careful attention. "you are rather attractive," said the lady, presently. "not at all beautiful, you understand, but you have a certain style of prettiness that is different from that of any of my thirty heads. so i believe i'll take your head and give you no. for it." "well, i b'lieve you won't!" exclaimed dorothy. "it will do you no good to refuse," continued the princess; "for i need your head for my collection, and in the land of ev my will is law. i never have cared much for no. , and you will find that it is very little worn. besides, it will do you just as well as the one you're wearing, for all practical purposes." "i don't know anything about your no. , and i don't want to," said dorothy, firmly. "i'm not used to taking cast-off things, so i'll just keep my own head." "you refuse?" cried the princess, with a frown. "of course i do," was the reply. "then," said langwidere, "i shall lock you up in a tower until you decide to obey me. nanda," turning to her maid, "call my army." nanda rang a silver bell, and at once a big fat colonel in a bright red uniform entered the room, followed by ten lean soldiers, who all looked sad and discouraged and saluted the princess in a very melancholy fashion. "carry that girl to the north tower and lock her up!" cried the princess, pointing to dorothy. "to hear is to obey," answered the big red colonel, and caught the child by her arm. but at that moment tiktok raised his dinner-pail and pounded it so forcibly against the colonel's head that the big officer sat down upon the floor with a sudden bump, looking both dazed and very much astonished. "help!" he shouted, and the ten lean soldiers sprang to assist their leader. there was great excitement for the next few moments, and tiktok had knocked down seven of the army, who were sprawling in every direction upon the carpet, when suddenly the machine paused, with the dinner-pail raised for another blow, and remained perfectly motionless. "my ac-tion has run down," he called to dorothy. "wind me up, quick." she tried to obey, but the big colonel had by this time managed to get upon his feet again, so he grabbed fast hold of the girl and she was helpless to escape. "this is too bad," said the machine. "i ought to have run six hours lon-ger, at least, but i sup-pose my long walk and my fight with the wheel-ers made me run down fast-er than us-u-al." "well, it can't be helped," said dorothy, with a sigh. "will you exchange heads with me?" demanded the princess. "no, indeed!" cried dorothy. "then lock her up," said langwidere to her soldiers, and they led dorothy to a high tower at the north of the palace and locked her securely within. the soldiers afterward tried to lift tiktok, but they found the machine so solid and heavy that they could not stir it. so they left him standing in the center of the drawing-room. "people will think i have a new statue," said langwidere, "so it won't matter in the least, and nanda can keep him well polished." "what shall we do with the hen?" asked the colonel, who had just discovered billina in the work-basket. "put her in the chicken-house," answered the princess. "someday i'll have her fried for breakfast." "she looks rather tough, your highness," said nanda, doubtfully. "that is a base slander!" cried billina, struggling frantically in the colonel's arms. "but the breed of chickens i come from is said to be poison to all princesses." "then," remarked langwidere, "i will not fry the hen, but keep her to lay eggs; and if she doesn't do her duty i'll have her drowned in the horse trough." . ozma of oz to the rescue nanda brought dorothy bread and water for her supper, and she slept upon a hard stone couch with a single pillow and a silken coverlet. in the morning she leaned out of the window of her prison in the tower to see if there was any way to escape. the room was not so very high up, when compared with our modern buildings, but it was far enough above the trees and farm houses to give her a good view of the surrounding country. to the east she saw the forest, with the sands beyond it and the ocean beyond that. there was even a dark speck upon the shore that she thought might be the chicken-coop in which she had arrived at this singular country. then she looked to the north, and saw a deep but narrow valley lying between two rocky mountains, and a third mountain that shut off the valley at the further end. westward the fertile land of ev suddenly ended a little way from the palace, and the girl could see miles and miles of sandy desert that stretched further than her eyes could reach. it was this desert, she thought, with much interest, that alone separated her from the wonderful land of oz, and she remembered sorrowfully that she had been told no one had ever been able to cross this dangerous waste but herself. once a cyclone had carried her across it, and a magical pair of silver shoes had carried her back again. but now she had neither a cyclone nor silver shoes to assist her, and her condition was sad indeed. for she had become the prisoner of a disagreeable princess who insisted that she must exchange her head for another one that she was not used to, and which might not fit her at all. really, there seemed no hope of help for her from her old friends in the land of oz. thoughtfully she gazed from her narrow window. on all the desert not a living thing was stirring. wait, though! something surely was stirring on the desert--something her eyes had not observed at first. now it seemed like a cloud; now it seemed like a spot of silver; now it seemed to be a mass of rainbow colors that moved swiftly toward her. what could it be, she wondered? then, gradually, but in a brief space of time nevertheless, the vision drew near enough to dorothy to make out what it was. a broad green carpet was unrolling itself upon the desert, while advancing across the carpet was a wonderful procession that made the girl open her eyes in amazement as she gazed. first came a magnificent golden chariot, drawn by a great lion and an immense tiger, who stood shoulder to shoulder and trotted along as gracefully as a well-matched team of thoroughbred horses. and standing upright within the chariot was a beautiful girl clothed in flowing robes of silver gauze and wearing a jeweled diadem upon her dainty head. she held in one hand the satin ribbons that guided her astonishing team, and in the other an ivory wand that separated at the top into two prongs, the prongs being tipped by the letters "o" and "z", made of glistening diamonds set closely together. the girl seemed neither older nor larger than dorothy herself, and at once the prisoner in the tower guessed that the lovely driver of the chariot must be that ozma of oz of whom she had so lately heard from tiktok. following close behind the chariot dorothy saw her old friend the scarecrow, riding calmly astride a wooden saw-horse, which pranced and trotted as naturally as any meat horse could have done. and then came nick chopper, the tin woodman, with his funnel-shaped cap tipped carelessly over his left ear, his gleaming axe over his right shoulder, and his whole body sparkling as brightly as it had ever done in the old days when first she knew him. the tin woodman was on foot, marching at the head of a company of twenty-seven soldiers, of whom some were lean and some fat, some short and some tall; but all the twenty-seven were dressed in handsome uniforms of various designs and colors, no two being alike in any respect. behind the soldiers the green carpet rolled itself up again, so that there was always just enough of it for the procession to walk upon, in order that their feet might not come in contact with the deadly, life-destroying sands of the desert. dorothy knew at once it was a magic carpet she beheld, and her heart beat high with hope and joy as she realized she was soon to be rescued and allowed to greet her dearly beloved friends of oz--the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion. indeed, the girl felt herself as good as rescued as soon as she recognized those in the procession, for she well knew the courage and loyalty of her old comrades, and also believed that any others who came from their marvelous country would prove to be pleasant and reliable acquaintances. as soon as the last bit of desert was passed and all the procession, from the beautiful and dainty ozma to the last soldier, had reached the grassy meadows of the land of ev, the magic carpet rolled itself together and entirely disappeared. then the chariot driver turned her lion and tiger into a broad roadway leading up to the palace, and the others followed, while dorothy still gazed from her tower window in eager excitement. they came quite close to the front door of the palace and then halted, the scarecrow dismounting from his saw-horse to approach the sign fastened to the door, that he might read what it said. dorothy, just above him, could keep silent no longer. "here i am!" she shouted, as loudly as she could. "here's dorothy!" "dorothy who?" asked the scarecrow, tipping his head to look upward until he nearly lost his balance and tumbled over backward. "dorothy gale, of course. your friend from kansas," she answered. "why, hello, dorothy!" said the scarecrow. "what in the world are you doing up there?" "nothing," she called down, "because there's nothing to do. save me, my friend--save me!" "you seem to be quite safe now," replied the scarecrow. "but i'm a prisoner. i'm locked in, so that i can't get out," she pleaded. "that's all right," said the scarecrow. "you might be worse off, little dorothy. just consider the matter. you can't get drowned, or be run over by a wheeler, or fall out of an apple-tree. some folks would think they were lucky to be up there." "well, i don't," declared the girl, "and i want to get down immed'i'tly and see you and the tin woodman and the cowardly lion." "very well," said the scarecrow, nodding. "it shall be just as you say, little friend. who locked you up?" "the princess langwidere, who is a horrid creature," she answered. at this ozma, who had been listening carefully to the conversation, called to dorothy from her chariot, asking: "why did the princess lock you up, my dear?" "because," exclaimed dorothy, "i wouldn't let her have my head for her collection, and take an old, cast-off head in exchange for it." "i do not blame you," exclaimed ozma, promptly. "i will see the princess at once, and oblige her to liberate you." "oh, thank you very, very much!" cried dorothy, who as soon as she heard the sweet voice of the girlish ruler of oz knew that she would soon learn to love her dearly. ozma now drove her chariot around to the third door of the wing, upon which the tin woodman boldly proceeded to knock. as soon as the maid opened the door ozma, bearing in her hand her ivory wand, stepped into the hall and made her way at once to the drawing-room, followed by all her company, except the lion and the tiger. and the twenty-seven soldiers made such a noise and a clatter that the little maid nanda ran away screaming to her mistress, whereupon the princess langwidere, roused to great anger by this rude invasion of her palace, came running into the drawing-room without any assistance whatever. there she stood before the slight and delicate form of the little girl from oz and cried out;-- "how dare you enter my palace unbidden? leave this room at once, or i will bind you and all your people in chains, and throw you into my darkest dungeons!" "what a dangerous lady!" murmured the scarecrow, in a soft voice. "she seems a little nervous," replied the tin woodman. but ozma only smiled at the angry princess. "sit down, please," she said, quietly. "i have traveled a long way to see you, and you must listen to what i have to say." "must!" screamed the princess, her black eyes flashing with fury--for she still wore her no. head. "must, to me!" "to be sure," said ozma. "i am ruler of the land of oz, and i am powerful enough to destroy all your kingdom, if i so wish. yet i did not come here to do harm, but rather to free the royal family of ev from the thrall of the nome king, the news having reached me that he is holding the queen and her children prisoners." hearing these words, langwidere suddenly became quiet. "i wish you could, indeed, free my aunt and her ten royal children," said she, eagerly. "for if they were restored to their proper forms and station they could rule the kingdom of ev themselves, and that would save me a lot of worry and trouble. at present there are at least ten minutes every day that i must devote to affairs of state, and i would like to be able to spend my whole time in admiring my beautiful heads." "then we will presently discuss this matter," said ozma, "and try to find a way to liberate your aunt and cousins. but first you must liberate another prisoner--the little girl you have locked up in your tower." "of course," said langwidere, readily. "i had forgotten all about her. that was yesterday, you know, and a princess cannot be expected to remember today what she did yesterday. come with me, and i will release the prisoner at once." so ozma followed her, and they passed up the stairs that led to the room in the tower. while they were gone ozma's followers remained in the drawing-room, and the scarecrow was leaning against a form that he had mistaken for a copper statue when a harsh, metallic voice said suddenly in his ear: "get off my foot, please. you are scratch-ing my pol-ish." "oh, excuse me!" he replied, hastily drawing back. "are you alive?" "no," said tiktok, "i am on-ly a ma-chine. but i can think and speak and act, when i am pro-per-ly wound up. just now my ac-tion is run down, and dor-o-thy has the key to it." "that's all right," replied the scarecrow. "dorothy will soon be free, and then she'll attend to your works. but it must be a great misfortune not to be alive. i'm sorry for you." "why?" asked tiktok. "because you have no brains, as i have," said the scarecrow. "oh, yes, i have," returned tiktok. "i am fit-ted with smith & tin-ker's im-proved com-bi-na-tion steel brains. they are what make me think. what sort of brains are you fit-ted with?" "i don't know," admitted the scarecrow. "they were given to me by the great wizard of oz, and i didn't get a chance to examine them before he put them in. but they work splendidly and my conscience is very active. have you a conscience?" "no," said tiktok. "and no heart, i suppose?" added the tin woodman, who had been listening with interest to this conversation. "no," said tiktok. "then," continued the tin woodman, "i regret to say that you are greatly inferior to my friend the scarecrow, and to myself. for we are both alive, and he has brains which do not need to be wound up, while i have an excellent heart that is continually beating in my bosom." "i con-grat-u-late you," replied tiktok. "i can-not help be-ing your in-fer-i-or for i am a mere ma-chine. when i am wound up i do my du-ty by go-ing just as my ma-chin-er-y is made to go. you have no i-de-a how full of ma-chin-er-y i am." "i can guess," said the scarecrow, looking at the machine man curiously. "some day i'd like to take you apart and see just how you are made." "do not do that, i beg of you," said tiktok; "for you could not put me to-geth-er a-gain, and my use-ful-ness would be de-stroyed." "oh! are you useful?" asked the scarecrow, surprised. "ve-ry," said tiktok. "in that case," the scarecrow kindly promised, "i won't fool with your interior at all. for i am a poor mechanic, and might mix you up." "thank you," said tiktok. just then ozma re-entered the room, leading dorothy by the hand and followed closely by the princess langwidere. . the hungry tiger the first thing dorothy did was to rush into the embrace of the scarecrow, whose painted face beamed with delight as he pressed her form to his straw-padded bosom. then the tin woodman embraced her--very gently, for he knew his tin arms might hurt her if he squeezed too roughly. these greetings having been exchanged, dorothy took the key to tiktok from her pocket and wound up the machine man's action, so that he could bow properly when introduced to the rest of the company. while doing this she told them how useful tiktok had been to her, and both the scarecrow and the tin woodman shook hands with the machine once more and thanked him for protecting their friend. then dorothy asked: "where is billina?" "i don't know," said the scarecrow. "who is billina?" "she's a yellow hen who is another friend of mine," answered the girl, anxiously. "i wonder what has become of her?" "she is in the chicken house, in the back yard," said the princess. "my drawing-room is no place for hens." without waiting to hear more dorothy ran to get billina, and just outside the door she came upon the cowardly lion, still hitched to the chariot beside the great tiger. the cowardly lion had a big bow of blue ribbon fastened to the long hair between his ears, and the tiger wore a bow of red ribbon on his tail, just in front of the bushy end. in an instant dorothy was hugging the huge lion joyfully. "i'm so glad to see you again!" she cried. "i am also glad to see you, dorothy," said the lion. "we've had some fine adventures together, haven't we?" "yes, indeed," she replied. "how are you?" "as cowardly as ever," the beast answered in a meek voice. "every little thing scares me and makes my heart beat fast. but let me introduce to you a new friend of mine, the hungry tiger." "oh! are you hungry?" she asked, turning to the other beast, who was just then yawning so widely that he displayed two rows of terrible teeth and a mouth big enough to startle anyone. "dreadfully hungry," answered the tiger, snapping his jaws together with a fierce click. "then why don't you eat something?" she asked. "it's no use," said the tiger sadly. "i've tried that, but i always get hungry again." "why, it is the same with me," said dorothy. "yet i keep on eating." "but you eat harmless things, so it doesn't matter," replied the tiger. "for my part, i'm a savage beast, and have an appetite for all sorts of poor little living creatures, from a chipmunk to fat babies." "how dreadful!" said dorothy. "isn't it, though?" returned the hungry tiger, licking his lips with his long red tongue. "fat babies! don't they sound delicious? but i've never eaten any, because my conscience tells me it is wrong. if i had no conscience i would probably eat the babies and then get hungry again, which would mean that i had sacrificed the poor babies for nothing. no; hungry i was born, and hungry i shall die. but i'll not have any cruel deeds on my conscience to be sorry for." "i think you are a very good tiger," said dorothy, patting the huge head of the beast. "in that you are mistaken," was the reply. "i am a good beast, perhaps, but a disgracefully bad tiger. for it is the nature of tigers to be cruel and ferocious, and in refusing to eat harmless living creatures i am acting as no good tiger has ever before acted. that is why i left the forest and joined my friend the cowardly lion." "but the lion is not really cowardly," said dorothy. "i have seen him act as bravely as can be." "all a mistake, my dear," protested the lion gravely. "to others i may have seemed brave, at times, but i have never been in any danger that i was not afraid." "nor i," said dorothy, truthfully. "but i must go and set free billina, and then i will see you again." she ran around to the back yard of the palace and soon found the chicken house, being guided to it by a loud cackling and crowing and a distracting hubbub of sounds such as chickens make when they are excited. something seemed to be wrong in the chicken house, and when dorothy looked through the slats in the door she saw a group of hens and roosters huddled in one corner and watching what appeared to be a whirling ball of feathers. it bounded here and there about the chicken house, and at first dorothy could not tell what it was, while the screeching of the chickens nearly deafened her. but suddenly the bunch of feathers stopped whirling, and then, to her amazement, the girl saw billina crouching upon the prostrate form of a speckled rooster. for an instant they both remained motionless, and then the yellow hen shook her wings to settle the feathers and walked toward the door with a strut of proud defiance and a cluck of victory, while the speckled rooster limped away to the group of other chickens, trailing his crumpled plumage in the dust as he went. "why, billina!" cried dorothy, in a shocked voice; "have you been fighting?" "i really think i have," retorted billina. "do you think i'd let that speckled villain of a rooster lord it over me, and claim to run this chicken house, as long as i'm able to peck and scratch? not if my name is bill!" "it isn't bill, it's billina; and you're talking slang, which is very undig'n'fied," said dorothy, reprovingly. "come here, billina, and i'll let you out; for ozma of oz is here, and has set us free." so the yellow hen came to the door, which dorothy unlatched for her to pass through, and the other chickens silently watched them from their corner without offering to approach nearer. the girl lifted her friend in her arms and exclaimed: "oh, billina! how dreadful you look. you've lost a lot of feathers, and one of your eyes is nearly pecked out, and your comb is bleeding!" "that's nothing," said billina. "just look at the speckled rooster! didn't i do him up brown?" dorothy shook her head. "i don't 'prove of this, at all," she said, carrying billina away toward the palace. "it isn't a good thing for you to 'sociate with those common chickens. they would soon spoil your good manners, and you wouldn't be respec'able any more." "i didn't ask to associate with them," replied billina. "it is that cross old princess who is to blame. but i was raised in the united states, and i won't allow any one-horse chicken of the land of ev to run over me and put on airs, as long as i can lift a claw in self-defense." "very well, billina," said dorothy. "we won't talk about it any more." soon they came to the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger to whom the girl introduced the yellow hen. "glad to meet any friend of dorothy's," said the lion, politely. "to judge by your present appearance, you are not a coward, as i am." "your present appearance makes my mouth water," said the tiger, looking at billina greedily. "my, my! how good you would taste if i could only crunch you between my jaws. but don't worry. you would only appease my appetite for a moment; so it isn't worth while to eat you." "thank you," said the hen, nestling closer in dorothy's arms. "besides, it wouldn't be right," continued the tiger, looking steadily at billina and clicking his jaws together. "of course not," cried dorothy, hastily. "billina is my friend, and you mustn't ever eat her under any circ'mstances." "i'll try to remember that," said the tiger; "but i'm a little absent-minded, at times." then dorothy carried her pet into the drawing-room of the palace, where tiktok, being invited to do so by ozma, had seated himself between the scarecrow and the tin woodman. opposite to them sat ozma herself and the princess langwidere, and beside them there was a vacant chair for dorothy. around this important group was ranged the army of oz, and as dorothy looked at the handsome uniforms of the twenty-seven she said: "why, they seem to be all officers." "they are, all except one," answered the tin woodman. "i have in my army eight generals, six colonels, seven majors and five captains, besides one private for them to command. i'd like to promote the private, for i believe no private should ever be in public life; and i've also noticed that officers usually fight better and are more reliable than common soldiers. besides, the officers are more important looking, and lend dignity to our army." "no doubt you are right," said dorothy, seating herself beside ozma. "and now," announced the girlish ruler of oz, "we will hold a solemn conference to decide the best manner of liberating the royal family of this fair land of ev from their long imprisonment." . the royal family of ev the tin woodman was the first to address the meeting. "to begin with," said he, "word came to our noble and illustrious ruler, ozma of oz, that the wife and ten children--five boys and five girls--of the former king of ev, by name evoldo, have been enslaved by the nome king and are held prisoners in his underground palace. also that there was no one in ev powerful enough to release them. naturally our ozma wished to undertake the adventure of liberating the poor prisoners; but for a long time she could find no way to cross the great desert between the two countries. finally she went to a friendly sorceress of our land named glinda the good, who heard the story and at once presented ozma a magic carpet, which would continually unroll beneath our feet and so make a comfortable path for us to cross the desert. as soon as she had received the carpet our gracious ruler ordered me to assemble our army, which i did. you behold in these bold warriors the pick of all the finest soldiers of oz; and, if we are obliged to fight the nome king, every officer as well as the private, will battle fiercely unto death." then tiktok spoke. "why should you fight the nome king?" he asked. "he has done no wrong." "no wrong!" cried dorothy. "isn't it wrong to imprison a queen mother and her ten children?" "they were sold to the nome king by king ev-ol-do," replied tiktok. "it was the king of ev who did wrong, and when he re-al-ized what he had done he jumped in-to the sea and drowned him-self." "this is news to me," said ozma, thoughtfully. "i had supposed the nome king was all to blame in the matter. but, in any case, he must be made to liberate the prisoners." "my uncle evoldo was a very wicked man," declared the princess langwidere. "if he had drowned himself before he sold his family, no one would have cared. but he sold them to the powerful nome king in exchange for a long life, and afterward destroyed the life by jumping into the sea." "then," said ozma, "he did not get the long life, and the nome king must give up the prisoners. where are they confined?" "no one knows, exactly," replied the princess. "for the king, whose name is roquat of the rocks, owns a splendid palace underneath the great mountain which is at the north end of this kingdom, and he has transformed the queen and her children into ornaments and bric-a-brac with which to decorate his rooms." "i'd like to know," said dorothy, "who this nome king is?" "i will tell you," replied ozma. "he is said to be the ruler of the underground world, and commands the rocks and all that the rocks contain. under his rule are many thousands of the nomes, who are queerly shaped but powerful sprites that labor at the furnaces and forges of their king, making gold and silver and other metals which they conceal in the crevices of the rocks, so that those living upon the earth's surface can only find them with great difficulty. also they make diamonds and rubies and emeralds, which they hide in the ground; so that the kingdom of the nomes is wonderfully rich, and all we have of precious stones and silver and gold is what we take from the earth and rocks where the nome king has hidden them." "i understand," said dorothy, nodding her little head wisely. "for the reason that we often steal his treasures," continued ozma, "the ruler of the underground world is not fond of those who live upon the earth's surface, and never appears among us. if we wish to see king roquat of the rocks, we must visit his own country, where he is all powerful, and therefore it will be a dangerous undertaking." "but, for the sake of the poor prisoners," said dorothy, "we ought to do it." "we shall do it," replied the scarecrow, "although it requires a lot of courage for me to go near to the furnaces of the nome king. for i am only stuffed with straw, and a single spark of fire might destroy me entirely." "the furnaces may also melt my tin," said the tin woodman; "but i am going." "i can't bear heat," remarked the princess langwidere, yawning lazily, "so i shall stay at home. but i wish you may have success in your undertaking, for i am heartily tired of ruling this stupid kingdom, and i need more leisure in which to admire my beautiful heads." "we do not need you," said ozma. "for, if with the aid of my brave followers i cannot accomplish my purpose, then it would be useless for you to undertake the journey." "quite true," sighed the princess. "so, if you'll excuse me, i will now retire to my cabinet. i've worn this head quite awhile, and i want to change it for another." when she had left them (and you may be sure no one was sorry to see her go) ozma said to tiktok: "will you join our party?" "i am the slave of the girl dor-oth-y, who rescued me from pris-on," replied the machine. "where she goes i will go." "oh, i am going with my friends, of course," said dorothy, quickly. "i wouldn't miss the fun for anything. will you go, too, billina?" "to be sure," said billina in a careless tone. she was smoothing down the feathers of her back and not paying much attention. "heat is just in her line," remarked the scarecrow. "if she is nicely roasted, she will be better than ever." "then" said ozma, "we will arrange to start for the kingdom of the nomes at daybreak tomorrow. and, in the meantime, we will rest and prepare ourselves for the journey." although princess langwidere did not again appear to her guests, the palace servants waited upon the strangers from oz and did everything in their power to make the party comfortable. there were many vacant rooms at their disposal, and the brave army of twenty-seven was easily provided for and liberally feasted. the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were unharnessed from the chariot and allowed to roam at will throughout the palace, where they nearly frightened the servants into fits, although they did no harm at all. at one time dorothy found the little maid nanda crouching in terror in a corner, with the hungry tiger standing before her. "you certainly look delicious," the beast was saying. "will you kindly give me permission to eat you?" "no, no, no!" cried the maid in reply. "then," said the tiger, yawning frightfully, "please to get me about thirty pounds of tenderloin steak, cooked rare, with a peck of boiled potatoes on the side, and five gallons of ice-cream for dessert." "i--i'll do the best i can!" said nanda, and she ran away as fast as she could go. "are you so very hungry?" asked dorothy, in wonder. "you can hardly imagine the size of my appetite," replied the tiger, sadly. "it seems to fill my whole body, from the end of my throat to the tip of my tail. i am very sure the appetite doesn't fit me, and is too large for the size of my body. some day, when i meet a dentist with a pair of forceps, i'm going to have it pulled." "what, your tooth?" asked dorothy. "no, my appetite," said the hungry tiger. the little girl spent most of the afternoon talking with the scarecrow and the tin woodman, who related to her all that had taken place in the land of oz since dorothy had left it. she was much interested in the story of ozma, who had been, when a baby, stolen by a wicked old witch and transformed into a boy. she did not know that she had ever been a girl until she was restored to her natural form by a kind sorceress. then it was found that she was the only child of the former ruler of oz, and was entitled to rule in his place. ozma had many adventures, however, before she regained her father's throne, and in these she was accompanied by a pumpkin-headed man, a highly magnified and thoroughly educated woggle-bug, and a wonderful sawhorse that had been brought to life by means of a magic powder. the scarecrow and the tin woodman had also assisted her; but the cowardly lion, who ruled the great forest as the king of beasts, knew nothing of ozma until after she became the reigning princess of oz. then he journeyed to the emerald city to see her, and on hearing she was about to visit the land of ev to set free the royal family of that country, the cowardly lion begged to go with her, and brought along his friend, the hungry tiger, as well. having heard this story, dorothy related to them her own adventures, and then went out with her friends to find the sawhorse, which ozma had caused to be shod with plates of gold, so that its legs would not wear out. they came upon the sawhorse standing motionless beside the garden gate, but when dorothy was introduced to him he bowed politely and blinked his eyes, which were knots of wood, and wagged his tail, which was only the branch of a tree. "what a remarkable thing, to be alive!" exclaimed dorothy. "i quite agree with you," replied the sawhorse, in a rough but not unpleasant voice. "a creature like me has no business to live, as we all know. but it was the magic powder that did it, so i cannot justly be blamed." "of course not," said dorothy. "and you seem to be of some use, 'cause i noticed the scarecrow riding upon your back." "oh, yes; i'm of use," returned the sawhorse; "and i never tire, never have to be fed, or cared for in any way." "are you intel'gent?" asked the girl. "not very," said the creature. "it would be foolish to waste intelligence on a common sawhorse, when so many professors need it. but i know enough to obey my masters, and to gid-dup, or whoa, when i'm told to. so i'm pretty well satisfied." that night dorothy slept in a pleasant little bed-chamber next to that occupied by ozma of oz, and billina perched upon the foot of the bed and tucked her head under her wing and slept as soundly in that position as did dorothy upon her soft cushions. but before daybreak every one was awake and stirring, and soon the adventurers were eating a hasty breakfast in the great dining-room of the palace. ozma sat at the head of a long table, on a raised platform, with dorothy on her right hand and the scarecrow on her left. the scarecrow did not eat, of course; but ozma placed him near her so that she might ask his advice about the journey while she ate. lower down the table were the twenty-seven warriors of oz, and at the end of the room the lion and the tiger were eating out of a kettle that had been placed upon the floor, while billina fluttered around to pick up any scraps that might be scattered. it did not take long to finish the meal, and then the lion and the tiger were harnessed to the chariot and the party was ready to start for the nome king's palace. first rode ozma, with dorothy beside her in the golden chariot and holding billina fast in her arms. then came the scarecrow on the sawhorse, with the tin woodman and tiktok marching side by side just behind him. after these tramped the army, looking brave and handsome in their splendid uniforms. the generals commanded the colonels and the colonels commanded the majors and the majors commanded the captains and the captains commanded the private, who marched with an air of proud importance because it required so many officers to give him his orders. and so the magnificent procession left the palace and started along the road just as day was breaking, and by the time the sun came out they had made good progress toward the valley that led to the nome king's domain. . the giant with the hammer the road led for a time through a pretty farm country, and then past a picnic grove that was very inviting. but the procession continued to steadily advance until billina cried in an abrupt and commanding manner: "wait--wait!" ozma stopped her chariot so suddenly that the scarecrow's sawhorse nearly ran into it, and the ranks of the army tumbled over one another before they could come to a halt. immediately the yellow hen struggled from dorothy's arms and flew into a clump of bushes by the roadside. "what's the matter?" called the tin woodman, anxiously. "why, billina wants to lay her egg, that's all," said dorothy. "lay her egg!" repeated the tin woodman, in astonishment. "yes; she lays one every morning, about this time; and it's quite fresh," said the girl. "but does your foolish old hen suppose that this entire cavalcade, which is bound on an important adventure, is going to stand still while she lays her egg?" enquired the tin woodman, earnestly. "what else can we do?" asked the girl. "it's a habit of billina's and she can't break herself of it." "then she must hurry up," said the tin woodman, impatiently. "no, no!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "if she hurries she may lay scrambled eggs." "that's nonsense," said dorothy. "but billina won't be long, i'm sure." so they stood and waited, although all were restless and anxious to proceed. and by and by the yellow hen came from the bushes saying: "kut-kut, kut, ka-daw-kutt! kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kut!" "what is she doing--singing her lay?" asked the scarecrow. "for-ward--march!" shouted the tin woodman, waving his axe, and the procession started just as dorothy had once more grabbed billina in her arms. "isn't anyone going to get my egg?" cried the hen, in great excitement. "i'll get it," said the scarecrow; and at his command the sawhorse pranced into the bushes. the straw man soon found the egg, which he placed in his jacket pocket. the cavalcade, having moved rapidly on, was even then far in advance; but it did not take the sawhorse long to catch up with it, and presently the scarecrow was riding in his accustomed place behind ozma's chariot. "what shall i do with the egg?" he asked dorothy. "i do not know," the girl answered. "perhaps the hungry tiger would like it." "it would not be enough to fill one of my back teeth," remarked the tiger. "a bushel of them, hard boiled, might take a little of the edge off my appetite; but one egg isn't good for anything at all, that i know of." "no; it wouldn't even make a sponge cake," said the scarecrow, thoughtfully. "the tin woodman might carry it with his axe and hatch it; but after all i may as well keep it myself for a souvenir." so he left it in his pocket. they had now reached that part of the valley that lay between the two high mountains which dorothy had seen from her tower window. at the far end was the third great mountain, which blocked the valley and was the northern edge of the land of ev. it was underneath this mountain that the nome king's palace was said to be; but it would be some time before they reached that place. the path was becoming rocky and difficult for the wheels of the chariot to pass over, and presently a deep gulf appeared at their feet which was too wide for them to leap. so ozma took a small square of green cloth from her pocket and threw it upon the ground. at once it became the magic carpet, and unrolled itself far enough for all the cavalcade to walk upon. the chariot now advanced, and the green carpet unrolled before it, crossing the gulf on a level with its banks, so that all passed over in safety. "that's easy enough," said the scarecrow. "i wonder what will happen next." he was not long in making the discovery, for the sides of the mountain came closer together until finally there was but a narrow path between them, along which ozma and her party were forced to pass in single file. they now heard a low and deep "thump!--thump!--thump!" which echoed throughout the valley and seemed to grow louder as they advanced. then, turning a corner of rock, they saw before them a huge form, which towered above the path for more than a hundred feet. the form was that of a gigantic man built out of plates of cast iron, and it stood with one foot on either side of the narrow road and swung over its right shoulder an immense iron mallet, with which it constantly pounded the earth. these resounding blows explained the thumping sounds they had heard, for the mallet was much bigger than a barrel, and where it struck the path between the rocky sides of the mountain it filled all the space through which our travelers would be obliged to pass. of course they at once halted, a safe distance away from the terrible iron mallet. the magic carpet would do them no good in this case, for it was only meant to protect them from any dangers upon the ground beneath their feet, and not from dangers that appeared in the air above them. "wow!" said the cowardly lion, with a shudder. "it makes me dreadfully nervous to see that big hammer pounding so near my head. one blow would crush me into a door-mat." "the ir-on gi-ant is a fine fel-low," said tiktok, "and works as stead-i-ly as a clock. he was made for the nome king by smith & tin-ker, who made me, and his du-ty is to keep folks from find-ing the un-der-ground pal-ace. is he not a great work of art?" "can he think, and speak, as you do?" asked ozma, regarding the giant with wondering eyes. "no," replied the machine; "he is on-ly made to pound the road, and has no think-ing or speak-ing at-tach-ment. but he pounds ve-ry well, i think." "too well," observed the scarecrow. "he is keeping us from going farther. is there no way to stop his machinery?" "on-ly the nome king, who has the key, can do that," answered tiktok. "then," said dorothy, anxiously, "what shall we do?" "excuse me for a few minutes," said the scarecrow, "and i will think it over." he retired, then, to a position in the rear, where he turned his painted face to the rocks and began to think. meantime the giant continued to raise his iron mallet high in the air and to strike the path terrific blows that echoed through the mountains like the roar of a cannon. each time the mallet lifted, however, there was a moment when the path beneath the monster was free, and perhaps the scarecrow had noticed this, for when he came back to the others he said: "the matter is a very simple one, after all. we have but to run under the hammer, one at a time, when it is lifted, and pass to the other side before it falls again." "it will require quick work, if we escape the blow," said the tin woodman, with a shake of his head. "but it really seems the only thing to be done. who will make the first attempt?" they looked at one another hesitatingly for a moment. then the cowardly lion, who was trembling like a leaf in the wind, said to them: "i suppose the head of the procession must go first--and that's me. but i'm terribly afraid of the big hammer!" "what will become of me?" asked ozma. "you might rush under the hammer yourself, but the chariot would surely be crushed." "we must leave the chariot," said the scarecrow. "but you two girls can ride upon the backs of the lion and the tiger." so this was decided upon, and ozma, as soon as the lion was unfastened from the chariot, at once mounted the beast's back and said she was ready. "cling fast to his mane," advised dorothy. "i used to ride him myself, and that's the way i held on." so ozma clung fast to the mane, and the lion crouched in the path and eyed the swinging mallet carefully until he knew just the instant it would begin to rise in the air. then, before anyone thought he was ready, he made a sudden leap straight between the iron giant's legs, and before the mallet struck the ground again the lion and ozma were safe on the other side. the tiger went next. dorothy sat upon his back and locked her arms around his striped neck, for he had no mane to cling to. he made the leap straight and true as an arrow from a bow, and ere dorothy realized it she was out of danger and standing by ozma's side. now came the scarecrow on the sawhorse, and while they made the dash in safety they were within a hair's breadth of being caught by the descending hammer. tiktok walked up to the very edge of the spot the hammer struck, and as it was raised for the next blow he calmly stepped forward and escaped its descent. that was an idea for the tin woodman to follow, and he also crossed in safety while the great hammer was in the air. but when it came to the twenty-six officers and the private, their knees were so weak that they could not walk a step. "in battle we are wonderfully courageous," said one of the generals, "and our foes find us very terrible to face. but war is one thing and this is another. when it comes to being pounded upon the head by an iron hammer, and smashed into pancakes, we naturally object." "make a run for it," urged the scarecrow. "our knees shake so that we cannot run," answered a captain. "if we should try it we would all certainly be pounded to a jelly." "well, well," sighed the cowardly lion, "i see, friend tiger, that we must place ourselves in great danger to rescue this bold army. come with me, and we will do the best we can." so, ozma and dorothy having already dismounted from their backs, the lion and the tiger leaped back again under the awful hammer and returned with two generals clinging to their necks. they repeated this daring passage twelve times, when all the officers had been carried beneath the giant's legs and landed safely on the further side. by that time the beasts were very tired, and panted so hard that their tongues hung out of their great mouths. "but what is to become of the private?" asked ozma. "oh, leave him there to guard the chariot," said the lion. "i'm tired out, and won't pass under that mallet again." the officers at once protested that they must have the private with them, else there would be no one for them to command. but neither the lion or the tiger would go after him, and so the scarecrow sent the sawhorse. either the wooden horse was careless, or it failed to properly time the descent of the hammer, for the mighty weapon caught it squarely upon its head, and thumped it against the ground so powerfully that the private flew off its back high into the air, and landed upon one of the giant's cast-iron arms. here he clung desperately while the arm rose and fell with each one of the rapid strokes. the scarecrow dashed in to rescue his sawhorse, and had his left foot smashed by the hammer before he could pull the creature out of danger. they then found that the sawhorse had been badly dazed by the blow; for while the hard wooden knot of which his head was formed could not be crushed by the hammer, both his ears were broken off and he would be unable to hear a sound until some new ones were made for him. also his left knee was cracked, and had to be bound up with a string. billina having fluttered under the hammer, it now remained only to rescue the private who was riding upon the iron giant's arm, high in the air. the scarecrow lay flat upon the ground and called to the man to jump down upon his body, which was soft because it was stuffed with straw. this the private managed to do, waiting until a time when he was nearest the ground and then letting himself drop upon the scarecrow. he accomplished the feat without breaking any bones, and the scarecrow declared he was not injured in the least. therefore, the tin woodman having by this time fitted new ears to the sawhorse, the entire party proceeded upon its way, leaving the giant to pound the path behind them. . the nome king by and by, when they drew near to the mountain that blocked their path and which was the furthermost edge of the kingdom of ev, the way grew dark and gloomy for the reason that the high peaks on either side shut out the sunshine. and it was very silent, too, as there were no birds to sing or squirrels to chatter, the trees being left far behind them and only the bare rocks remaining. ozma and dorothy were a little awed by the silence, and all the others were quiet and grave except the sawhorse, which, as it trotted along with the scarecrow upon his back, hummed a queer song, of which this was the chorus: "would a wooden horse in a woodland go? aye, aye! i sigh, he would, although had he not had a wooden head he'd mount the mountain top instead." but no one paid any attention to this because they were now close to the nome king's dominions, and his splendid underground palace could not be very far away. suddenly they heard a shout of jeering laughter, and stopped short. they would have to stop in a minute, anyway, for the huge mountain barred their further progress and the path ran close up to a wall of rock and ended. "who was that laughing?" asked ozma. there was no reply, but in the gloom they could see strange forms flit across the face of the rock. whatever the creations might be they seemed very like the rock itself, for they were the color of rocks and their shapes were as rough and rugged as if they had been broken away from the side of the mountain. they kept close to the steep cliff facing our friends, and glided up and down, and this way and that, with a lack of regularity that was quite confusing. and they seemed not to need places to rest their feet, but clung to the surface of the rock as a fly does to a window-pane, and were never still for a moment. "do not mind them," said tiktok, as dorothy shrank back. "they are on-ly the nomes." "and what are nomes?" asked the girl, half frightened. "they are rock fair-ies, and serve the nome king," replied the machine. "but they will do us no harm. you must call for the king, be-cause with-out him you can ne-ver find the en-trance to the pal-ace." "you call," said dorothy to ozma. just then the nomes laughed again, and the sound was so weird and disheartening that the twenty-six officers commanded the private to "right-about-face!" and they all started to run as fast as they could. the tin woodman at once pursued his army and cried "halt!" and when they had stopped their flight he asked: "where are you going?" "i--i find i've forgotten the brush for my whiskers," said a general, trembling with fear. "s-s-so we are g-going back after it!" "that is impossible," replied the tin woodman. "for the giant with the hammer would kill you all if you tried to pass him." "oh! i'd forgotten the giant," said the general, turning pale. "you seem to forget a good many things," remarked the tin woodman. "i hope you won't forget that you are brave men." "never!" cried the general, slapping his gold-embroidered chest. "never!" cried all the other officers, indignantly slapping their chests. "for my part," said the private, meekly, "i must obey my officers; so when i am told to run, i run; and when i am told to fight, i fight." "that is right," agreed the tin woodman. "and now you must all come back to ozma, and obey her orders. and if you try to run away again i will have her reduce all the twenty-six officers to privates, and make the private your general." this terrible threat so frightened them that they at once returned to where ozma was standing beside the cowardly lion. then ozma cried out in a loud voice: "i demand that the nome king appear to us!" there was no reply, except that the shifting nomes upon the mountain laughed in derision. "you must not command the nome king," said tiktok, "for you do not rule him, as you do your own peo-ple." so ozma called again, saying: "i request the nome king to appear to us." only the mocking laughter replied to her, and the shadowy nomes continued to flit here and there upon the rocky cliff. "try en-treat-y," said tiktok to ozma. "if he will not come at your re-quest, then the nome king may list-en to your plead-ing." ozma looked around her proudly. "do you wish your ruler to plead with this wicked nome king?" she asked. "shall ozma of oz humble herself to a creature who lives in an underground kingdom?" "no!" they all shouted, with big voices; and the scarecrow added: "if he will not come, we will dig him out of his hole, like a fox, and conquer his stubbornness. but our sweet little ruler must always maintain her dignity, just as i maintain mine." "i'm not afraid to plead with him," said dorothy. "i'm only a little girl from kansas, and we've got more dignity at home than we know what to do with. i'll call the nome king." "do," said the hungry tiger; "and if he makes hash of you i'll willingly eat you for breakfast tomorrow morning." so dorothy stepped forward and said: "please mr. nome king, come here and see us." the nomes started to laugh again; but a low growl came from the mountain, and in a flash they had all vanished from sight and were silent. then a door in the rock opened, and a voice cried: "enter!" "isn't it a trick?" asked the tin woodman. "never mind," replied ozma. "we came here to rescue the poor queen of ev and her ten children, and we must run some risks to do so." "the nome king is hon-est and good na-tured," said tiktok. "you can trust him to do what is right." so ozma led the way, hand in hand with dorothy, and they passed through the arched doorway of rock and entered a long passage which was lighted by jewels set in the walls and having lamps behind them. there was no one to escort them, or to show them the way, but all the party pressed through the passage until they came to a round, domed cavern that was grandly furnished. in the center of this room was a throne carved out of a solid boulder of rock, rude and rugged in shape but glittering with great rubies and diamonds and emeralds on every part of its surface. and upon the throne sat the nome king. this important monarch of the underground world was a little fat man clothed in gray-brown garments that were the exact color of the rock throne in which he was seated. his bushy hair and flowing beard were also colored like the rocks, and so was his face. he wore no crown of any sort, and his only ornament was a broad, jewel-studded belt that encircled his fat little body. as for his features, they seemed kindly and good humored, and his eyes were turned merrily upon his visitors as ozma and dorothy stood before him with their followers ranged in close order behind them. "why, he looks just like santa claus--only he isn't the same color!" whispered dorothy to her friend; but the nome king heard the speech, and it made him laugh aloud. "'he had a red face and a round little belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly!'" quoth the monarch, in a pleasant voice; and they could all see that he really did shake like jelly when he laughed. both ozma and dorothy were much relieved to find the nome king so jolly, and a minute later he waved his right hand and the girls each found a cushioned stool at her side. "sit down, my dears," said the king, "and tell me why you have come all this way to see me, and what i can do to make you happy." while they seated themselves the nome king picked up a pipe, and taking a glowing red coal out of his pocket he placed it in the bowl of the pipe and began puffing out clouds of smoke that curled in rings above his head. dorothy thought this made the little monarch look more like santa claus than ever; but ozma now began speaking, and every one listened intently to her words. "your majesty," said she, "i am the ruler of the land of oz, and i have come here to ask you to release the good queen of ev and her ten children, whom you have enchanted and hold as your prisoners." "oh, no; you are mistaken about that," replied the king. "they are not my prisoners, but my slaves, whom i purchased from the king of ev." "but that was wrong," said ozma. "according to the laws of ev, the king can do no wrong," answered the monarch, eying a ring of smoke he had just blown from his mouth; "so that he had a perfect right to sell his family to me in exchange for a long life." "you cheated him, though," declared dorothy; "for the king of ev did not have a long life. he jumped into the sea and was drowned." "that was not my fault," said the nome king, crossing his legs and smiling contentedly. "i gave him the long life, all right; but he destroyed it." "then how could it be a long life?" asked dorothy. "easily enough," was the reply. "now suppose, my dear, that i gave you a pretty doll in exchange for a lock of your hair, and that after you had received the doll you smashed it into pieces and destroyed it. could you say that i had not given you a pretty doll?" "no," answered dorothy. "and could you, in fairness, ask me to return to you the lock of hair, just because you had smashed the doll?" "no," said dorothy, again. "of course not," the nome king returned. "nor will i give up the queen and her children because the king of ev destroyed his long life by jumping into the sea. they belong to me and i shall keep them." "but you are treating them cruelly," said ozma, who was much distressed by the king's refusal. "in what way?" he asked. "by making them your slaves," said she. "cruelty," remarked the monarch, puffing out wreathes of smoke and watching them float into the air, "is a thing i can't abide. so, as slaves must work hard, and the queen of ev and her children were delicate and tender, i transformed them all into articles of ornament and bric-a-brac and scattered them around the various rooms of my palace. instead of being obliged to labor, they merely decorate my apartments, and i really think i have treated them with great kindness." "but what a dreadful fate is theirs!" exclaimed ozma, earnestly. "and the kingdom of ev is in great need of its royal family to govern it. if you will liberate them, and restore them to their proper forms, i will give you ten ornaments to replace each one you lose." the nome king looked grave. "suppose i refuse?" he asked. "then," said ozma, firmly, "i am here with my friends and my army to conquer your kingdom and oblige you to obey my wishes." the nome king laughed until he choked; and he choked until he coughed; and he coughed until his face turned from grayish-brown to bright red. and then he wiped his eyes with a rock-colored handkerchief and grew grave again. "you are as brave as you are pretty, my dear," he said to ozma. "but you have little idea of the extent of the task you have undertaken. come with me for a moment." he arose and took ozma's hand, leading her to a little door at one side of the room. this he opened and they stepped out upon a balcony, from whence they obtained a wonderful view of the underground world. a vast cave extended for miles and miles under the mountain, and in every direction were furnaces and forges glowing brightly and nomes hammering upon precious metals or polishing gleaming jewels. all around the walls of the cave were thousands of doors of silver and gold, built into the solid rock, and these extended in rows far away into the distance, as far as ozma's eyes could follow them. while the little maid from oz gazed wonderingly upon this scene the nome king uttered a shrill whistle, and at once all the silver and gold doors flew open and solid ranks of nome soldiers marched out from every one. so great were their numbers that they quickly filled the immense underground cavern and forced the busy workmen to abandon their tasks. although this tremendous army consisted of rock-colored nomes, all squat and fat, they were clothed in glittering armor of polished steel, inlaid with beautiful gems. upon his brow each wore a brilliant electric light, and they bore sharp spears and swords and battle-axes of solid bronze. it was evident they were perfectly trained, for they stood in straight rows, rank after rank, with their weapons held erect and true, as if awaiting but the word of command to level them upon their foes. "this," said the nome king, "is but a small part of my army. no ruler upon earth has ever dared to fight me, and no ruler ever will, for i am too powerful to oppose." he whistled again, and at once the martial array filed through the silver and gold doorways and disappeared, after which the workmen again resumed their labors at the furnaces. then, sad and discouraged, ozma of oz turned to her friends, and the nome king calmly reseated himself on his rock throne. "it would be foolish for us to fight," the girl said to the tin woodman. "for our brave twenty-seven would be quickly destroyed. i'm sure i do not know how to act in this emergency." "ask the king where his kitchen is," suggested the tiger. "i'm hungry as a bear." "i might pounce upon the king and tear him in pieces," remarked the cowardly lion. "try it," said the monarch, lighting his pipe with another hot coal which he took from his pocket. the lion crouched low and tried to spring upon the nome king; but he hopped only a little way into the air and came down again in the same place, not being able to approach the throne by even an inch. "it seems to me," said the scarecrow, thoughtfully, "that our best plan is to wheedle his majesty into giving up his slaves, since he is too great a magician to oppose." "this is the most sensible thing any of you have suggested," declared the nome king. "it is folly to threaten me, but i'm so kind-hearted that i cannot stand coaxing or wheedling. if you really wish to accomplish anything by your journey, my dear ozma, you must coax me." "very well," said ozma, more cheerfully. "let us be friends, and talk this over in a friendly manner." "to be sure," agreed the king, his eyes twinkling merrily. "i am very anxious," she continued, "to liberate the queen of ev and her children who are now ornaments and bric-a-brac in your majesty's palace, and to restore them to their people. tell me, sir, how this may be accomplished." the king remained thoughtful for a moment, after which he asked: "are you willing to take a few chances and risks yourself, in order to set free the people of ev?" "yes, indeed!" answered ozma, eagerly. "then," said the nome king, "i will make you this offer: you shall go alone and unattended into my palace and examine carefully all that the rooms contain. then you shall have permission to touch eleven different objects, pronouncing at the time the word 'ev,' and if any one of them, or more than one, proves to be the transformation of the queen of ev or any of her ten children, then they will instantly be restored to their true forms and may leave my palace and my kingdom in your company, without any objection whatever. it is possible for you, in this way, to free the entire eleven; but if you do not guess all the objects correctly, and some of the slaves remain transformed, then each one of your friends and followers may, in turn, enter the palace and have the same privileges i grant you." "oh, thank you! thank you for this kind offer!" said ozma, eagerly. "i make but one condition," added the nome king, his eyes twinkling. "what is it?" she enquired. "if none of the eleven objects you touch proves to be the transformation of any of the royal family of ev, then, instead of freeing them, you will yourself become enchanted, and transformed into an article of bric-a-brac or an ornament. this is only fair and just, and is the risk you declared you were willing to take." . the eleven guesses hearing this condition imposed by the nome king, ozma became silent and thoughtful, and all her friends looked at her uneasily. "don't you do it!" exclaimed dorothy. "if you guess wrong, you will be enslaved yourself." "but i shall have eleven guesses," answered ozma. "surely i ought to guess one object in eleven correctly; and, if i do, i shall rescue one of the royal family and be safe myself. then the rest of you may attempt it, and soon we shall free all those who are enslaved." "what if we fail?" enquired the scarecrow. "i'd look nice as a piece of bric-a-brac, wouldn't i?" "we must not fail!" cried ozma, courageously. "having come all this distance to free these poor people, it would be weak and cowardly in us to abandon the adventure. therefore i will accept the nome king's offer, and go at once into the royal palace." "come along, then, my dear," said the king, climbing down from his throne with some difficulty, because he was so fat; "i'll show you the way." he approached a wall of the cave and waved his hand. instantly an opening appeared, through which ozma, after a smiling farewell to her friends, boldly passed. she found herself in a splendid hall that was more beautiful and grand than anything she had ever beheld. the ceilings were composed of great arches that rose far above her head, and all the walls and floors were of polished marble exquisitely tinted in many colors. thick velvet carpets were on the floor and heavy silken draperies covered the arches leading to the various rooms of the palace. the furniture was made of rare old woods richly carved and covered with delicate satins, and the entire palace was lighted by a mysterious rosy glow that seemed to come from no particular place but flooded each apartment with its soft and pleasing radiance. ozma passed from one room to another, greatly delighted by all she saw. the lovely palace had no other occupant, for the nome king had left her at the entrance, which closed behind her, and in all the magnificent rooms there appeared to be no other person. upon the mantels, and on many shelves and brackets and tables, were clustered ornaments of every description, seemingly made out of all sorts of metals, glass, china, stones and marbles. there were vases, and figures of men and animals, and graven platters and bowls, and mosaics of precious gems, and many other things. pictures, too, were on the walls, and the underground palace was quite a museum of rare and curious and costly objects. after her first hasty examination of the rooms ozma began to wonder which of all the numerous ornaments they contained were the transformations of the royal family of ev. there was nothing to guide her, for everything seemed without a spark of life. so she must guess blindly; and for the first time the girl came to realize how dangerous was her task, and how likely she was to lose her own freedom in striving to free others from the bondage of the nome king. no wonder the cunning monarch laughed good naturedly with his visitors, when he knew how easily they might be entrapped. but ozma, having undertaken the venture, would not abandon it. she looked at a silver candelabra that had ten branches, and thought: "this may be the queen of ev and her ten children." so she touched it and uttered aloud the word "ev," as the nome king had instructed her to do when she guessed. but the candelabra remained as it was before. then she wandered into another room and touched a china lamb, thinking it might be one of the children she sought. but again she was unsuccessful. three guesses; four guesses; five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten she made, and still not one of them was right! the girl shivered a little and grew pale even under the rosy light; for now but one guess remained, and her own fate depended upon the result. she resolved not to be hasty, and strolled through all the rooms once more, gazing earnestly upon the various ornaments and trying to decide which she would touch. finally, in despair, she decided to leave it entirely to chance. she faced the doorway of a room, shut her eyes tightly, and then, thrusting aside the heavy draperies, she advanced blindly with her right arm outstretched before her. slowly, softly she crept forward until her hand came in contact with an object upon a small round table. she did not know what it was, but in a low voice she pronounced the word "ev." the rooms were quite empty of life after that. the nome king had gained a new ornament. for upon the edge of the table rested a pretty grasshopper, that seemed to have been formed from a single emerald. it was all that remained of ozma of oz. in the throne room just beyond the palace the nome king suddenly looked up and smiled. "next!" he said, in his pleasant voice. dorothy, the scarecrow, and the tin woodman, who had been sitting in anxious silence, each gave a start of dismay and stared into one another's eyes. "has she failed?" asked tiktok. "so it seems," answered the little monarch, cheerfully. "but that is no reason one of you should not succeed. the next may have twelve guesses, instead of eleven, for there are now twelve persons transformed into ornaments. well, well! which of you goes next?" "i'll go," said dorothy. "not so," replied the tin woodman. "as commander of ozma's army, it is my privilege to follow her and attempt her rescue." "away you go, then," said the scarecrow. "but be careful, old friend." "i will," promised the tin woodman; and then he followed the nome king to the entrance to the palace and the rock closed behind him. . the nome king laughs in a moment the king returned to his throne and relighted his pipe, and the rest of the little band of adventurers settled themselves for another long wait. they were greatly disheartened by the failure of their girl ruler, and the knowledge that she was now an ornament in the nome king's palace--a dreadful, creepy place in spite of all its magnificence. without their little leader they did not know what to do next, and each one, down to the trembling private of the army, began to fear he would soon be more ornamental than useful. suddenly the nome king began laughing. "ha, ha, ha! he, he, he! ho, ho, ho!" "what's happened?" asked the scarecrow. "why, your friend, the tin woodman, has become the funniest thing you can imagine," replied the king, wiping the tears of merriment from his eyes. "no one would ever believe he could make such an amusing ornament. next!" they gazed at each other with sinking hearts. one of the generals began to weep dolefully. "what are you crying for?" asked the scarecrow, indignant at such a display of weakness. "he owed me six weeks back pay," said the general, "and i hate to lose him." "then you shall go and find him," declared the scarecrow. "me!" cried the general, greatly alarmed. "certainly. it is your duty to follow your commander. march!" "i won't," said the general. "i'd like to, of course; but i just simply won't." the scarecrow looked enquiringly at the nome king. "never mind," said the jolly monarch. "if he doesn't care to enter the palace and make his guesses i'll throw him into one of my fiery furnaces." "i'll go!--of course i'm going," yelled the general, as quick as scat. "where is the entrance--where is it? let me go at once!" so the nome king escorted him into the palace, and again returned to await the result. what the general did, no one can tell; but it was not long before the king called for the next victim, and a colonel was forced to try his fortune. thus, one after another, all of the twenty-six officers filed into the palace and made their guesses--and became ornaments. meantime the king ordered refreshments to be served to those waiting, and at his command a rudely shaped nome entered, bearing a tray. this nome was not unlike the others that dorothy had seen, but he wore a heavy gold chain around his neck to show that he was the chief steward of the nome king, and he assumed an air of much importance, and even told his majesty not to eat too much cake late at night, or he would be ill. dorothy, however, was hungry, and she was not afraid of being ill; so she ate several cakes and found them good, and also she drank a cup of excellent coffee made of a richly flavored clay, browned in the furnaces and then ground fine, and found it most refreshing and not at all muddy. of all the party which had started upon this adventure, the little kansas girl was now left alone with the scarecrow, tiktok, and the private for counsellors and companions. of course the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were still there, but they, having also eaten some of the cakes, had gone to sleep at one side of the cave, while upon the other side stood the sawhorse, motionless and silent, as became a mere thing of wood. billina had quietly walked around and picked up the crumbs of cake which had been scattered, and now, as it was long after bed-time, she tried to find some dark place in which to go to sleep. presently the hen espied a hollow underneath the king's rocky throne, and crept into it unnoticed. she could still hear the chattering of those around her, but it was almost dark underneath the throne, so that soon she had fallen fast asleep. "next!" called the king, and the private, whose turn it was to enter the fatal palace, shook hands with dorothy and the scarecrow and bade them a sorrowful good-bye, and passed through the rocky portal. they waited a long time, for the private was in no hurry to become an ornament and made his guesses very slowly. the nome king, who seemed to know, by some magical power, all that took place in his beautiful rooms of his palace, grew impatient finally and declared he would sit up no longer. "i love ornaments," said he, "but i can wait until tomorrow to get more of them; so, as soon as that stupid private is transformed, we will all go to bed and leave the job to be finished in the morning." "is it so very late?" asked dorothy. "why, it is after midnight," said the king, "and that strikes me as being late enough. there is neither night nor day in my kingdom, because it is under the earth's surface, where the sun does not shine. but we have to sleep, just the same as the up-stairs people do, and for my part i'm going to bed in a few minutes." indeed, it was not long after this that the private made his last guess. of course he guessed wrongly, and of course he at once became an ornament. so the king was greatly pleased, and clapped his hands to summon his chief steward. "show these guests to some of the sleeping apartments," he commanded, "and be quick about it, too, for i'm dreadfully sleepy myself." "you've no business to sit up so late," replied the steward, gruffly. "you'll be as cross as a griffin tomorrow morning." his majesty made no answer to this remark, and the chief steward led dorothy through another doorway into a long hall, from which several plain but comfortable sleeping rooms opened. the little girl was given the first room, and the scarecrow and tiktok the next--although they never slept--and the lion and the tiger the third. the sawhorse hobbled after the steward into a fourth room, to stand stiffly in the center of it until morning. each night was rather a bore to the scarecrow, tiktok and the sawhorse; but they had learned from experience to pass the time patiently and quietly, since all their friends who were made of flesh had to sleep and did not like to be disturbed. when the chief steward had left them alone the scarecrow remarked, sadly: "i am in great sorrow over the loss of my old comrade, the tin woodman. we have had many dangerous adventures together, and escaped them all, and now it grieves me to know he has become an ornament, and is lost to me forever." "he was al-ways an or-na-ment to so-ci-e-ty," said tiktok. "true; but now the nome king laughs at him, and calls him the funniest ornament in all the palace. it will hurt my poor friend's pride to be laughed at," continued the scarecrow, sadly. "we will make rath-er ab-surd or-na-ments, our-selves, to-mor-row," observed the machine, in his monotonous voice. just then dorothy ran into their room, in a state of great anxiety, crying: "where's billina? have you seen billina? is she here?" "no," answered the scarecrow. "then what has become of her?" asked the girl. "why, i thought she was with you," said the scarecrow. "yet i do not remember seeing the yellow hen since she picked up the crumbs of cake." "we must have left her in the room where the king's throne is," decided dorothy, and at once she turned and ran down the hall to the door through which they had entered. but it was fast closed and locked on the other side, and the heavy slab of rock proved to be so thick that no sound could pass through it. so dorothy was forced to return to her chamber. the cowardly lion stuck his head into her room to try to console the girl for the loss of her feathered friend. "the yellow hen is well able to take care of herself," said he; "so don't worry about her, but try to get all the sleep you can. it has been a long and weary day, and you need rest." "i'll prob'ly get lots of rest tomorrow, when i become an orn'ment," said dorothy, sleepily. but she lay down upon her couch, nevertheless, and in spite of all her worries was soon in the land of dreams. . dorothy tries to be brave meantime the chief steward had returned to the throne room, where he said to the king: "you are a fool to waste so much time upon these people." "what!" cried his majesty, in so enraged a voice that it awoke billina, who was asleep under his throne. "how dare you call me a fool?" "because i like to speak the truth," said the steward. "why didn't you enchant them all at once, instead of allowing them to go one by one into the palace and guess which ornaments are the queen of ev and her children?" "why, you stupid rascal, it is more fun this way," returned the king, "and it serves to keep me amused for a long time." "but suppose some of them happen to guess aright," persisted the steward; "then you would lose your old ornaments and these new ones, too." "there is no chance of their guessing aright," replied the monarch, with a laugh. "how could they know that the queen of ev and her family are all ornaments of a royal purple color?" "but there are no other purple ornaments in the palace," said the steward. "there are many other colors, however, and the purple ones are scattered throughout the rooms, and are of many different shapes and sizes. take my word for it, steward, they will never think of choosing the purple ornaments." billina, squatting under the throne, had listened carefully to all this talk, and now chuckled softly to herself as she heard the king disclose his secret. "still, you are acting foolishly by running the chance," continued the steward, roughly; "and it is still more foolish of you to transform all those people from oz into green ornaments." "i did that because they came from the emerald city," replied the king; "and i had no green ornaments in my collection until now. i think they will look quite pretty, mixed with the others. don't you?" the steward gave an angry grunt. "have your own way, since you are the king," he growled. "but if you come to grief through your carelessness, remember that i told you so. if i wore the magic belt which enables you to work all your transformations, and gives you so much other power, i am sure i would make a much wiser and better king than you are." "oh, cease your tiresome chatter!" commanded the king, getting angry again. "because you are my chief steward you have an idea you can scold me as much as you please. but the very next time you become impudent, i will send you to work in the furnaces, and get another nome to fill your place. now follow me to my chamber, for i am going to bed. and see that i am wakened early tomorrow morning. i want to enjoy the fun of transforming the rest of these people into ornaments." "what color will you make the kansas girl?" asked the steward. "gray, i think," said his majesty. "and the scarecrow and the machine man?" "oh, they shall be of solid gold, because they are so ugly in real life." then the voices died away, and billina knew that the king and his steward had left the room. she fixed up some of her tail feathers that were not straight, and then tucked her head under her wing again and went to sleep. in the morning dorothy and the lion and tiger were given their breakfast in their rooms, and afterward joined the king in his throne room. the tiger complained bitterly that he was half starved, and begged to go into the palace and become an ornament, so that he would no longer suffer the pangs of hunger. "haven't you had your breakfast?" asked the nome king. "oh, i had just a bite," replied the beast. "but what good is a bite, to a hungry tiger?" "he ate seventeen bowls of porridge, a platter full of fried sausages, eleven loaves of bread and twenty-one mince pies," said the steward. "what more do you want?" demanded the king. "a fat baby. i want a fat baby," said the hungry tiger. "a nice, plump, juicy, tender, fat baby. but, of course, if i had one, my conscience would not allow me to eat it. so i'll have to be an ornament and forget my hunger." "impossible!" exclaimed the king. "i'll have no clumsy beasts enter my palace, to overturn and break all my pretty nick-nacks. when the rest of your friends are transformed you can return to the upper world, and go about your business." "as for that, we have no business, when our friends are gone," said the lion. "so we do not care much what becomes of us." dorothy begged to be allowed to go first into the palace, but tiktok firmly maintained that the slave should face danger before the mistress. the scarecrow agreed with him in that, so the nome king opened the door for the machine man, who tramped into the palace to meet his fate. then his majesty returned to his throne and puffed his pipe so contentedly that a small cloud of smoke formed above his head. bye and bye he said: "i'm sorry there are so few of you left. very soon, now, my fun will be over, and then for amusement i shall have nothing to do but admire my new ornaments." "it seems to me," said dorothy, "that you are not so honest as you pretend to be." "how's that?" asked the king. "why, you made us think it would be easy to guess what ornaments the people of ev were changed into." "it is easy," declared the monarch, "if one is a good guesser. but it appears that the members of your party are all poor guessers." "what is tiktok doing now?" asked the girl, uneasily. "nothing," replied the king, with a frown. "he is standing perfectly still, in the middle of a room." "oh, i expect he's run down," said dorothy. "i forgot to wind him up this morning. how many guesses has he made?" "all that he is allowed except one," answered the king. "suppose you go in and wind him up, and then you can stay there and make your own guesses." "all right," said dorothy. "it is my turn next," declared the scarecrow. "why, you don't want to go away and leave me all alone, do you?" asked the girl. "besides, if i go now i can wind up tiktok, so that he can make his last guess." "very well, then," said the scarecrow, with a sigh. "run along, little dorothy, and may good luck go with you!" so dorothy, trying to be brave in spite of her fears, passed through the doorway into the gorgeous rooms of the palace. the stillness of the place awed her, at first, and the child drew short breaths, and pressed her hand to her heart, and looked all around with wondering eyes. yes, it was a beautiful place; but enchantments lurked in every nook and corner, and she had not yet grown accustomed to the wizardries of these fairy countries, so different from the quiet and sensible common-places of her own native land. slowly she passed through several rooms until she came upon tiktok, standing motionless. it really seemed, then, that she had found a friend in this mysterious palace, so she hastened to wind up the machine man's action and speech and thoughts. "thank you, dor-oth-y," were his first words. "i have now one more guess to make." "oh, be very careful, tiktok; won't you?" cried the girl. "yes. but the nome king has us in his power, and he has set a trap for us. i fear we are all lost." he answered. "i fear so, too," said dorothy, sadly. "if smith & tin-ker had giv-en me a guess-ing clock-work at-tach-ment," continued tiktok, "i might have de-fied the nome king. but my thoughts are plain and sim-ple, and are not of much use in this case." "do the best you can," said dorothy, encouragingly, "and if you fail i will watch and see what shape you are changed into." so tiktok touched a yellow glass vase that had daisies painted on one side, and he spoke at the same time the word "ev." in a flash the machine man had disappeared, and although the girl looked quickly in every direction, she could not tell which of the many ornaments the room contained had a moment before been her faithful friend and servant. so all she could do was to accept the hopeless task set her, and make her guesses and abide by the result. "it can't hurt very much," she thought, "for i haven't heard any of them scream or cry out--not even the poor officers. dear me! i wonder if uncle henry or aunt em will ever know i have become an orn'ment in the nome king's palace, and must stand forever and ever in one place and look pretty--'cept when i'm moved to be dusted. it isn't the way i thought i'd turn out, at all; but i s'pose it can't be helped." she walked through all the rooms once more, and examined with care all the objects they contained; but there were so many, they bewildered her, and she decided, after all, as ozma had done, that it could be only guess work at the best, and that the chances were much against her guessing aright. timidly she touched an alabaster bowl and said: "ev." "that's one failure, anyhow," she thought. "but how am i to know which thing is enchanted, and which is not?" next she touched the image of a purple kitten that stood on the corner of a mantel, and as she pronounced the word "ev" the kitten disappeared, and a pretty, fair-haired boy stood beside her. at the same time a bell rang somewhere in the distance, and as dorothy started back, partly in surprise and partly in joy, the little one exclaimed: "where am i? and who are you? and what has happened to me?" "well, i declare!" said dorothy. "i've really done it." "done what?" asked the boy. "saved myself from being an ornament," replied the girl, with a laugh, "and saved you from being forever a purple kitten." "a purple kitten?" he repeated. "there is no such thing." "i know," she answered. "but there was, a minute ago. don't you remember standing on a corner of the mantel?" "of course not. i am a prince of ev, and my name is evring," the little one announced, proudly. "but my father, the king, sold my mother and all her children to the cruel ruler of the nomes, and after that i remember nothing at all." "a purple kitten can't be 'spected to remember, evring," said dorothy. "but now you are yourself again, and i'm going to try to save some of your brothers and sisters, and perhaps your mother, as well. so come with me." she seized the child's hand and eagerly hurried here and there, trying to decide which object to choose next. the third guess was another failure, and so was the fourth and the fifth. little evring could not imagine what she was doing, but he trotted along beside her very willingly, for he liked the new companion he had found. dorothy's further quest proved unsuccessful; but after her first disappointment was over, the little girl was filled with joy and thankfulness to think that after all she had been able to save one member of the royal family of ev, and could restore the little prince to his sorrowing country. now she might return to the terrible nome king in safety, carrying with her the prize she had won in the person of the fair-haired boy. so she retraced her steps until she found the entrance to the palace, and as she approached, the massive doors of rock opened of their own accord, allowing both dorothy and evring to pass the portals and enter the throne room. . billina frightens the nome king now when dorothy had entered the palace to make her guesses and the scarecrow was left with the nome king, the two sat in moody silence for several minutes. then the monarch exclaimed, in a tone of satisfaction: "very good!" "who is very good?" asked the scarecrow. "the machine man. he won't need to be wound up any more, for he has now become a very neat ornament. very neat, indeed." "how about dorothy?" the scarecrow enquired. "oh, she will begin to guess, pretty soon," said the king, cheerfully. "and then she will join my collection, and it will be your turn." the good scarecrow was much distressed by the thought that his little friend was about to suffer the fate of ozma and the rest of their party; but while he sat in gloomy reverie a shrill voice suddenly cried: "kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt! kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt!" the nome king nearly jumped off his seat, he was so startled. "good gracious! what's that?" he yelled. "why, it's billina," said the scarecrow. "what do you mean by making a noise like that?" shouted the king, angrily, as the yellow hen came from under the throne and strutted proudly about the room. "i've got a right to cackle, i guess," replied billina. "i've just laid my egg." "what! laid an egg! in my throne room! how dare you do such a thing?" asked the king, in a voice of fury. "i lay eggs wherever i happen to be," said the hen, ruffling her feathers and then shaking them into place. "but--thunder-ation! don't you know that eggs are poison?" roared the king, while his rock-colored eyes stuck out in great terror. "poison! well, i declare," said billina, indignantly. "i'll have you know all my eggs are warranted strictly fresh and up to date. poison, indeed!" "you don't understand," retorted the little monarch, nervously. "eggs belong only to the outside world--to the world on the earth's surface, where you came from. here, in my underground kingdom, they are rank poison, as i said, and we nomes can't bear them around." "well, you'll have to bear this one around," declared billina; "for i've laid it." "where?" asked the king. "under your throne," said the hen. the king jumped three feet into the air, so anxious was he to get away from the throne. "take it away! take it away at once!" he shouted. "i can't," said billina. "i haven't any hands." "i'll take the egg," said the scarecrow. "i'm making a collection of billina's eggs. there's one in my pocket now, that she laid yesterday." hearing this, the monarch hastened to put a good distance between himself and the scarecrow, who was about to reach under the throne for the egg when the hen suddenly cried: "stop!" "what's wrong?" asked the scarecrow. "don't take the egg unless the king will allow me to enter the palace and guess as the others have done," said billina. "pshaw!" returned the king. "you're only a hen. how could you guess my enchantments?" "i can try, i suppose," said billina. "and, if i fail, you will have another ornament." "a pretty ornament you'd make, wouldn't you?" growled the king. "but you shall have your way. it will properly punish you for daring to lay an egg in my presence. after the scarecrow is enchanted you shall follow him into the palace. but how will you touch the objects?" "with my claws," said the hen; "and i can speak the word 'ev' as plainly as anyone. also i must have the right to guess the enchantments of my friends, and to release them if i succeed." "very well," said the king. "you have my promise." "then," said billina to the scarecrow, "you may get the egg." he knelt down and reached underneath the throne and found the egg, which he placed in another pocket of his jacket, fearing that if both eggs were in one pocket they would knock together and get broken. just then a bell above the throne rang briskly, and the king gave another nervous jump. "well, well!" said he, with a rueful face; "the girl has actually done it." "done what?" asked the scarecrow. "she has made one guess that is right, and broken one of my neatest enchantments. by ricketty, it's too bad! i never thought she would do it." "do i understand that she will now return to us in safety?" enquired the scarecrow, joyfully wrinkling his painted face into a broad smile. "of course," said the king, fretfully pacing up and down the room. "i always keep my promises, no matter how foolish they are. but i shall make an ornament of the yellow hen to replace the one i have just lost." "perhaps you will, and perhaps you won't," murmured billina, calmly. "i may surprise you by guessing right." "guessing right?" snapped the king. "how could you guess right, where your betters have failed, you stupid fowl?" billina did not care to answer this question, and a moment later the doors flew open and dorothy entered, leading the little prince evring by the hand. the scarecrow welcomed the girl with a close embrace, and he would have embraced evring, too, in his delight. but the little prince was shy, and shrank away from the painted scarecrow because he did not yet know his many excellent qualities. but there was little time for the friends to talk, because the scarecrow must now enter the palace. dorothy's success had greatly encouraged him, and they both hoped he would manage to make at least one correct guess. however, he proved as unfortunate as the others except dorothy, and although he took a good deal of time to select his objects, not one did the poor scarecrow guess aright. so he became a solid gold card-receiver, and the beautiful but terrible palace awaited its next visitor. "it's all over," remarked the king, with a sigh of satisfaction; "and it has been a very amusing performance, except for the one good guess the kansas girl made. i am richer by a great many pretty ornaments." "it is my turn, now," said billina, briskly. "oh, i'd forgotten you," said the king. "but you needn't go if you don't wish to. i will be generous, and let you off." "no you won't," replied the hen. "i insist upon having my guesses, as you promised." "then go ahead, you absurd feathered fool!" grumbled the king, and he caused the opening that led to the palace to appear once more. "don't go, billina," said dorothy, earnestly. "it isn't easy to guess those orn'ments, and only luck saved me from being one myself. stay with me and we'll go back to the land of ev together. i'm sure this little prince will give us a home." "indeed i will," said evring, with much dignity. "don't worry, my dear," cried billina, with a cluck that was meant for a laugh. "i may not be human, but i'm no fool, if i am a chicken." "oh, billina!" said dorothy, "you haven't been a chicken in a long time. not since you--you've been--grown up." "perhaps that's true," answered billina, thoughtfully. "but if a kansas farmer sold me to some one, what would he call me?--a hen or a chicken!" "you are not a kansas farmer, billina," replied the girl, "and you said--" "never mind that, dorothy. i'm going. i won't say good-bye, because i'm coming back. keep up your courage, for i'll see you a little later." then billina gave several loud "cluck-clucks" that seemed to make the fat little king more nervous than ever, and marched through the entrance into the enchanted palace. "i hope i've seen the last of that bird," declared the monarch, seating himself again in his throne and mopping the perspiration from his forehead with his rock-colored handkerchief. "hens are bothersome enough at their best, but when they can talk they're simply dreadful." "billina's my friend," said dorothy quietly. "she may not always be 'zactly polite; but she means well, i'm sure." . purple, green, and gold the yellow hen, stepping high and with an air of vast importance, walked slowly over the rich velvet carpets of the splendid palace, examining everything she met with her sharp little eyes. billina had a right to feel important; for she alone shared the nome king's secret and knew how to tell the objects that were transformations from those that had never been alive. she was very sure that her guesses would be correct, but before she began to make them she was curious to behold all the magnificence of this underground palace, which was perhaps one of the most splendid and beautiful places in any fairyland. as she went through the rooms she counted the purple ornaments; and although some were small and hidden in queer places, billina spied them all, and found the entire ten scattered about the various rooms. the green ornaments she did not bother to count, for she thought she could find them all when the time came. finally, having made a survey of the entire palace and enjoyed its splendor, the yellow hen returned to one of the rooms where she had noticed a large purple footstool. she placed a claw upon this and said "ev," and at once the footstool vanished and a lovely lady, tall and slender and most beautifully robed, stood before her. the lady's eyes were round with astonishment for a moment, for she could not remember her transformation, nor imagine what had restored her to life. "good morning, ma'am," said billina, in her sharp voice. "you're looking quite well, considering your age." "who speaks?" demanded the queen of ev, drawing herself up proudly. "why, my name's bill, by rights," answered the hen, who was now perched upon the back of a chair; "although dorothy has put scollops on it and made it billina. but the name doesn't matter. i've saved you from the nome king, and you are a slave no longer." "then i thank you for the gracious favor," said the queen, with a graceful courtesy. "but, my children--tell me, i beg of you--where are my children?" and she clasped her hands in anxious entreaty. "don't worry," advised billina, pecking at a tiny bug that was crawling over the chair back. "just at present they are out of mischief and perfectly safe, for they can't even wiggle." "what mean you, o kindly stranger?" asked the queen, striving to repress her anxiety. "they're enchanted," said billina, "just as you have been--all, that is, except the little fellow dorothy picked out. and the chances are that they have been good boys and girls for some time, because they couldn't help it." "oh, my poor darlings!" cried the queen, with a sob of anguish. "not at all," returned the hen. "don't let their condition make you unhappy, ma'am, because i'll soon have them crowding 'round to bother and worry you as naturally as ever. come with me, if you please, and i'll show you how pretty they look." she flew down from her perch and walked into the next room, the queen following. as she passed a low table a small green grasshopper caught her eye, and instantly billina pounced upon it and snapped it up in her sharp bill. for grasshoppers are a favorite food with hens, and they usually must be caught quickly, before they can hop away. it might easily have been the end of ozma of oz, had she been a real grasshopper instead of an emerald one. but billina found the grasshopper hard and lifeless, and suspecting it was not good to eat she quickly dropped it instead of letting it slide down her throat. "i might have known better," she muttered to herself, "for where there is no grass there can be no live grasshoppers. this is probably one of the king's transformations." a moment later she approached one of the purple ornaments, and while the queen watched her curiously the hen broke the nome king's enchantment and a sweet-faced girl, whose golden hair fell in a cloud over her shoulders, stood beside them. "evanna!" cried the queen, "my own evanna!" and she clasped the girl to her bosom and covered her face with kisses. "that's all right," said billina, contentedly. "am i a good guesser, mr. nome king? well, i guess!" then she disenchanted another girl, whom the queen addressed as evrose, and afterwards a boy named evardo, who was older than his brother evring. indeed, the yellow hen kept the good queen exclaiming and embracing for some time, until five princesses and four princes, all looking very much alike except for the difference in size, stood in a row beside their happy mother. the princesses were named, evanna, evrose, evella, evirene and evedna, while the princes were evrob, evington, evardo and evroland. of these evardo was the eldest and would inherit his father's throne and be crowned king of ev when he returned to his own country. he was a grave and quiet youth, and would doubtless rule his people wisely and with justice. billina, having restored all of the royal family of ev to their proper forms, now began to select the green ornaments which were the transformations of the people of oz. she had little trouble in finding these, and before long all the twenty-six officers, as well as the private, were gathered around the yellow hen, joyfully congratulating her upon their release. the thirty-seven people who were now alive in the rooms of the palace knew very well that they owed their freedom to the cleverness of the yellow hen, and they were earnest in thanking her for saving them from the magic of the nome king. "now," said billina, "i must find ozma. she is sure to be here, somewhere, and of course she is green, being from oz. so look around, you stupid soldiers, and help me in my search." for a while, however, they could discover nothing more that was green. but the queen, who had kissed all her nine children once more and could now find time to take an interest in what was going on, said to the hen: "mayhap, my gentle friend, it is the grasshopper whom you seek." "of course it's the grasshopper!" exclaimed billina. "i declare, i'm nearly as stupid as these brave soldiers. wait here for me, and i'll go back and get it." so she went into the room where she had seen the grasshopper, and presently ozma of oz, as lovely and dainty as ever, entered and approached the queen of ev, greeting her as one high born princess greets another. "but where are my friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman?" asked the girl ruler, when these courtesies had been exchanged. "i'll hunt them up," replied billina. "the scarecrow is solid gold, and so is tiktok; but i don't exactly know what the tin woodman is, because the nome king said he had been transformed into something funny." ozma eagerly assisted the hen in her quest, and soon the scarecrow and the machine man, being ornaments of shining gold, were discovered and restored to their accustomed forms. but, search as they might, in no place could they find a funny ornament that might be the transformation of the tin woodman. "only one thing can be done," said ozma, at last, "and that is to return to the nome king and oblige him to tell us what has become of our friend." "perhaps he won't," suggested billina. "he must," returned ozma, firmly. "the king has not treated us honestly, for under the mask of fairness and good nature he entrapped us all, and we would have been forever enchanted had not our wise and clever friend, the yellow hen, found a way to save us." "the king is a villain," declared the scarecrow. "his laugh is worse than another man's frown," said the private, with a shudder. "i thought he was hon-est, but i was mis-tak-en," remarked tiktok. "my thoughts are us-u-al-ly cor-rect, but it is smith & tin-ker's fault if they some-times go wrong or do not work prop-er-ly." "smith & tinker made a very good job of you," said ozma, kindly. "i do not think they should be blamed if you are not quite perfect." "thank you," replied tiktok. "then," said billina, in her brisk little voice, "let us all go back to the nome king, and see what he has to say for himself." so they started for the entrance, ozma going first, with the queen and her train of little princes and princesses following. then came tiktok, and the scarecrow with billina perched upon his straw-stuffed shoulder. the twenty-seven officers and the private brought up the rear. as they reached the hall the doors flew open before them; but then they all stopped and stared into the domed cavern with faces of astonishment and dismay. for the room was filled with the mail-clad warriors of the nome king, rank after rank standing in orderly array. the electric lights upon their brows gleamed brightly, their battle-axes were poised as if to strike down their foes; yet they remained motionless as statues, awaiting the word of command. and in the center of this terrible army sat the little king upon his throne of rock. but he neither smiled nor laughed. instead, his face was distorted with rage, and most dreadful to behold. . the scarecrow wins the fight after billina had entered the palace dorothy and evring sat down to await the success or failure of her mission, and the nome king occupied his throne and smoked his long pipe for a while in a cheerful and contented mood. then the bell above the throne, which sounded whenever an enchantment was broken, began to ring, and the king gave a start of annoyance and exclaimed, "rocketty-ricketts!" when the bell rang a second time the king shouted angrily, "smudge and blazes!" and at a third ring he screamed in a fury, "hippikaloric!" which must be a dreadful word because we don't know what it means. after that the bell went on ringing time after time; but the king was now so violently enraged that he could not utter a word, but hopped out of his throne and all around the room in a mad frenzy, so that he reminded dorothy of a jumping-jack. the girl was, for her part, filled with joy at every peal of the bell, for it announced the fact that billina had transformed one more ornament into a living person. dorothy was also amazed at billina's success, for she could not imagine how the yellow hen was able to guess correctly from all the bewildering number of articles clustered in the rooms of the palace. but after she had counted ten, and the bell continued to ring, she knew that not only the royal family of ev, but ozma and her followers also, were being restored to their natural forms, and she was so delighted that the antics of the angry king only made her laugh merrily. perhaps the little monarch could not be more furious than he was before, but the girl's laughter nearly drove him frantic, and he roared at her like a savage beast. then, as he found that all his enchantments were likely to be dispelled and his victims every one set free, he suddenly ran to the little door that opened upon the balcony and gave the shrill whistle that summoned his warriors. at once the army filed out of the gold and silver doors in great numbers, and marched up a winding stairs and into the throne room, led by a stern featured nome who was their captain. when they had nearly filled the throne room they formed ranks in the big underground cavern below, and then stood still until they were told what to do next. dorothy had pressed back to one side of the cavern when the warriors entered, and now she stood holding little prince evring's hand while the great lion crouched upon one side and the enormous tiger crouched on the other side. "seize that girl!" shouted the king to his captain, and a group of warriors sprang forward to obey. but both the lion and tiger snarled so fiercely and bared their strong, sharp teeth so threateningly, that the men drew back in alarm. "don't mind them!" cried the nome king; "they cannot leap beyond the places where they now stand." "but they can bite those who attempt to touch the girl," said the captain. "i'll fix that," answered the king. "i'll enchant them again, so that they can't open their jaws." he stepped out of the throne to do this, but just then the sawhorse ran up behind him and gave the fat monarch a powerful kick with both his wooden hind legs. "ow! murder! treason!" yelled the king, who had been hurled against several of his warriors and was considerably bruised. "who did that?" "i did," growled the sawhorse, viciously. "you let dorothy alone, or i'll kick you again." "we'll see about that," replied the king, and at once he waved his hand toward the sawhorse and muttered a magical word. "aha!" he continued; "now let us see you move, you wooden mule!" but in spite of the magic the sawhorse moved; and he moved so quickly toward the king, that the fat little man could not get out of his way. thump--bang! came the wooden heels, right against his round body, and the king flew into the air and fell upon the head of his captain, who let him drop flat upon the ground. "well, well!" said the king, sitting up and looking surprised. "why didn't my magic belt work, i wonder?" "the creature is made of wood," replied the captain. "your magic will not work on wood, you know." "ah, i'd forgotten that," said the king, getting up and limping to his throne. "very well, let the girl alone. she can't escape us, anyway." the warriors, who had been rather confused by these incidents, now formed their ranks again, and the sawhorse pranced across the room to dorothy and took a position beside the hungry tiger. at that moment the doors that led to the palace flew open and the people of ev and the people of oz were disclosed to view. they paused, astonished, at sight of the warriors and the angry nome king, seated in their midst. "surrender!" cried the king, in a loud voice. "you are my prisoners." "go 'long!" answered billina, from the scarecrow's shoulder. "you promised me that if i guessed correctly my friends and i might depart in safety. and you always keep your promises." "i said you might leave the palace in safety," retorted the king; "and so you may, but you cannot leave my dominions. you are my prisoners, and i will hurl you all into my underground dungeons, where the volcanic fires glow and the molten lava flows in every direction, and the air is hotter than blue blazes." "that will be the end of me, all right," said the scarecrow, sorrowfully. "one small blaze, blue or green, is enough to reduce me to an ash-heap." "do you surrender?" demanded the king. billina whispered something in the scarecrow's ear that made him smile and put his hands in his jacket pockets. "no!" returned ozma, boldly answering the king. then she said to her army: "forward, my brave soldiers, and fight for your ruler and yourselves, unto death!" "pardon me, most royal ozma," replied one of her generals; "but i find that i and my brother officers all suffer from heart disease, and the slightest excitement might kill us. if we fight we may get excited. would it not be well for us to avoid this grave danger?" "soldiers should not have heart disease," said ozma. "private soldiers are not, i believe, afflicted that way," declared another general, twirling his moustache thoughtfully. "if your royal highness desires, we will order our private to attack yonder warriors." "do so," replied ozma. "for-ward--march!" cried all the generals, with one voice. "for-ward--march!" yelled the colonels. "for-ward--march!" shouted the majors. "for-ward--march!" commanded the captains. and at that the private leveled his spear and dashed furiously upon the foe. the captain of the nomes was so surprised by this sudden onslaught that he forgot to command his warriors to fight, so that the ten men in the first row, who stood in front of the private's spear, fell over like so many toy soldiers. the spear could not go through their steel armor, however, so the warriors scrambled to their feet again, and by that time the private had knocked over another row of them. then the captain brought down his battle-axe with such a strong blow that the private's spear was shattered and knocked from his grasp, and he was helpless to fight any longer. the nome king had left his throne and pressed through his warriors to the front ranks, so he could see what was going on; but as he faced ozma and her friends the scarecrow, as if aroused to action by the valor of the private, drew one of billina's eggs from his right jacket pocket and hurled it straight at the little monarch's head. it struck him squarely in his left eye, where the egg smashed and scattered, as eggs will, and covered his face and hair and beard with its sticky contents. "help, help!" screamed the king, clawing with his fingers at the egg, in a struggle to remove it. "an egg! an egg! run for your lives!" shouted the captain of the nomes, in a voice of horror. and how they did run! the warriors fairly tumbled over one another in their efforts to escape the fatal poison of that awful egg, and those who could not rush down the winding stair fell off the balcony into the great cavern beneath, knocking over those who stood below them. even while the king was still yelling for help his throne room became emptied of every one of his warriors, and before the monarch had managed to clear the egg away from his left eye the scarecrow threw the second egg against his right eye, where it smashed and blinded him entirely. the king was unable to flee because he could not see which way to run; so he stood still and howled and shouted and screamed in abject fear. while this was going on, billina flew over to dorothy, and perching herself upon the lion's back the hen whispered eagerly to the girl: "get his belt! get the nome king's jeweled belt! it unbuckles in the back. quick, dorothy--quick!" . the fate of the tin woodman dorothy obeyed. she ran at once behind the nome king, who was still trying to free his eyes from the egg, and in a twinkling she had unbuckled his splendid jeweled belt and carried it away with her to her place beside the tiger and lion, where, because she did not know what else to do with it, she fastened it around her own slim waist. just then the chief steward rushed in with a sponge and a bowl of water, and began mopping away the broken eggs from his master's face. in a few minutes, and while all the party stood looking on, the king regained the use of his eyes, and the first thing he did was to glare wickedly upon the scarecrow and exclaim: "i'll make you suffer for this, you hay-stuffed dummy! don't you know eggs are poison to nomes?" "really," said the scarecrow, "they don't seem to agree with you, although i wonder why." "they were strictly fresh and above suspicion," said billina. "you ought to be glad to get them." "i'll transform you all into scorpions!" cried the king, angrily, and began waving his arms and muttering magic words. but none of the people became scorpions, so the king stopped and looked at them in surprise. "what's wrong?" he asked. "why, you are not wearing your magic belt," replied the chief steward, after looking the king over carefully. "where is it? what have you done with it?" the nome king clapped his hand to his waist, and his rock colored face turned white as chalk. "it's gone," he cried, helplessly. "it's gone, and i am ruined!" dorothy now stepped forward and said: "royal ozma, and you, queen of ev, i welcome you and your people back to the land of the living. billina has saved you from your troubles, and now we will leave this drea'ful place, and return to ev as soon as poss'ble." while the child spoke they could all see that she wore the magic belt, and a great cheer went up from all her friends, which was led by the voices of the scarecrow and the private. but the nome king did not join them. he crept back onto his throne like a whipped dog, and lay there bitterly bemoaning his defeat. "but we have not yet found my faithful follower, the tin woodman," said ozma to dorothy, "and without him i do not wish to go away." "nor i," replied dorothy, quickly. "wasn't he in the palace?" "he must be there," said billina; "but i had no clue to guide me in guessing the tin woodman, so i must have missed him." "we will go back into the rooms," said dorothy. "this magic belt, i am sure, will help us to find our dear old friend." so she re-entered the palace, the doors of which still stood open, and everyone followed her except the nome king, the queen of ev and prince evring. the mother had taken the little prince in her lap and was fondling and kissing him lovingly, for he was her youngest born. but the others went with dorothy, and when she came to the middle of the first room the girl waved her hand, as she had seen the king do, and commanded the tin woodman, whatever form he might then have, to resume his proper shape. no result followed this attempt, so dorothy went into another room and repeated it, and so through all the rooms of the palace. yet the tin woodman did not appear to them, nor could they imagine which among the thousands of ornaments was their transformed friend. sadly they returned to the throne room, where the king, seeing that they had met with failure, jeered at dorothy, saying: "you do not know how to use my belt, so it is of no use to you. give it back to me and i will let you go free--you and all the people who came with you. as for the royal family of ev, they are my slaves, and shall remain here." "i shall keep the belt," said dorothy. "but how can you escape, without my consent?" asked the king. "easily enough," answered the girl. "all we need to do is to walk out the way that we came in." "oh, that's all, is it?" sneered the king. "well, where is the passage through which you entered this room?" they all looked around, but could not discover the place, for it had long since been closed. dorothy, however, would not be dismayed. she waved her hand toward the seemingly solid wall of the cavern and said: "i command the passage to open!" instantly the order was obeyed; the opening appeared and the passage lay plainly before them. the king was amazed, and all the others overjoyed. "why, then, if the belt obeys you, were we unable to discover the tin woodman?" asked ozma. "i can't imagine," said dorothy. "see here, girl," proposed the king, eagerly; "give me the belt, and i will tell you what shape the tin woodman was changed into, and then you can easily find him." dorothy hesitated, but billina cried out: "don't you do it! if the nome king gets the belt again he will make every one of us prisoners, for we will be in his power. only by keeping the belt, dorothy, will you ever be able to leave this place in safety." "i think that is true," said the scarecrow. "but i have another idea, due to my excellent brains. let dorothy transform the king into a goose-egg unless he agrees to go into the palace and bring out to us the ornament which is our friend nick chopper, the tin woodman." "a goose-egg!" echoed the horrified king. "how dreadful!" "well, a goose-egg you will be unless you go and fetch us the ornament we want," declared billina, with a joyful chuckle. "you can see for yourself that dorothy is able to use the magic belt all right," added the scarecrow. the nome king thought it over and finally consented, for he did not want to be a goose-egg. so he went into the palace to get the ornament which was the transformation of the tin woodman, and they all awaited his return with considerable impatience, for they were anxious to leave this underground cavern and see the sunshine once more. but when the nome king came back he brought nothing with him except a puzzled and anxious expression upon his face. "he's gone!" he said. "the tin woodman is nowhere in the palace." "are you sure?" asked ozma, sternly. "i'm very sure," answered the king, trembling, "for i know just what i transformed him into, and exactly where he stood. but he is not there, and please don't change me into a goose-egg, because i've done the best i could." they were all silent for a time, and then dorothy said: "there is no use punishing the nome king any more, and i'm 'fraid we'll have to go away without our friend." "if he is not here, we cannot rescue him," agreed the scarecrow, sadly. "poor nick! i wonder what has become of him." "and he owed me six weeks back pay!" said one of the generals, wiping the tears from his eyes with his gold-laced coat sleeve. very sorrowfully they determined to return to the upper world without their former companion, and so ozma gave the order to begin the march through the passage. the army went first, and then the royal family of ev, and afterward came dorothy, ozma, billina, the scarecrow and tiktok. they left the nome king scowling at them from his throne, and had no thought of danger until ozma chanced to look back and saw a large number of the warriors following them in full chase, with their swords and spears and axes raised to strike down the fugitives as soon as they drew near enough. evidently the nome king had made this last attempt to prevent their escaping him; but it did him no good, for when dorothy saw the danger they were in she stopped and waved her hand and whispered a command to the magic belt. instantly the foremost warriors became eggs, which rolled upon the floor of the cavern in such numbers that those behind could not advance without stepping upon them. but, when they saw the eggs, all desire to advance departed from the warriors, and they turned and fled madly into the cavern, and refused to go back again. our friends had no further trouble in reaching the end of the passage, and soon were standing in the outer air upon the gloomy path between the two high mountains. but the way to ev lay plainly before them, and they fervently hoped that they had seen the last of the nome king and of his dreadful palace. the cavalcade was led by ozma, mounted on the cowardly lion, and the queen of ev, who rode upon the back of the tiger. the children of the queen walked behind her, hand in hand. dorothy rode the sawhorse, while the scarecrow walked and commanded the army in the absence of the tin woodman. presently the way began to lighten and more of the sunshine to come in between the two mountains. and before long they heard the "thump! thump! thump!" of the giant's hammer upon the road. "how may we pass the monstrous man of iron?" asked the queen, anxious for the safety of her children. but dorothy solved the problem by a word to the magic belt. the giant paused, with his hammer held motionless in the air, thus allowing the entire party to pass between his cast-iron legs in safety. . the king of ev if there were any shifting, rock-colored nomes on the mountain side now, they were silent and respectful, for our adventurers were not annoyed, as before, by their impudent laughter. really the nomes had nothing to laugh at, since the defeat of their king. on the other side they found ozma's golden chariot, standing as they had left it. soon the lion and the tiger were harnessed to the beautiful chariot, in which was enough room for ozma and the queen and six of the royal children. little evring preferred to ride with dorothy upon the sawhorse, which had a long back. the prince had recovered from his shyness and had become very fond of the girl who had rescued him, so they were fast friends and chatted pleasantly together as they rode along. billina was also perched upon the head of the wooden steed, which seemed not to mind the added weight in the least, and the boy was full of wonder that a hen could talk, and say such sensible things. when they came to the gulf, ozma's magic carpet carried them all over in safety; and now they began to pass the trees, in which birds were singing; and the breeze that was wafted to them from the farms of ev was spicy with flowers and new-mown hay; and the sunshine fell full upon them, to warm them and drive away from their bodies the chill and dampness of the underground kingdom of the nomes. "i would be quite content," said the scarecrow to tiktok, "were only the tin woodman with us. but it breaks my heart to leave him behind." "he was a fine fel-low," replied tiktok, "al-though his ma-ter-i-al was not ve-ry du-ra-ble." "oh, tin is an excellent material," the scarecrow hastened to say; "and if anything ever happened to poor nick chopper he was always easily soldered. besides, he did not have to be wound up, and was not liable to get out of order." "i some-times wish," said tiktok, "that i was stuffed with straw, as you are. it is hard to be made of cop-per." "i have no reason to complain of my lot," replied the scarecrow. "a little fresh straw, now and then, makes me as good as new. but i can never be the polished gentleman that my poor departed friend, the tin woodman, was." you may be sure the royal children of ev and their queen mother were delighted at seeing again their beloved country; and when the towers of the palace of ev came into view they could not forbear cheering at the sight. little evring, riding in front of dorothy, was so overjoyed that he took a curious tin whistle from his pocket and blew a shrill blast that made the sawhorse leap and prance in sudden alarm. "what is that?" asked billina, who had been obliged to flutter her wings in order to keep her seat upon the head of the frightened sawhorse. "that's my whistle," said prince evring, holding it out upon his hand. it was in the shape of a little fat pig, made of tin and painted green. the whistle was in the tail of the pig. "where did you get it?" asked the yellow hen, closely examining the toy with her bright eyes. "why, i picked it up in the nome king's palace, while dorothy was making her guesses, and i put it in my pocket," answered the little prince. billina laughed; or at least she made the peculiar cackle that served her for a laugh. "no wonder i couldn't find the tin woodman," she said; "and no wonder the magic belt didn't make him appear, or the king couldn't find him, either!" "what do you mean?" questioned dorothy. "why, the prince had him in his pocket," cried billina, cackling again. "i did not!" protested little evring. "i only took the whistle." "well, then, watch me," returned the hen, and reaching out a claw she touched the whistle and said "ev." swish! "good afternoon," said the tin woodman, taking off his funnel cap and bowing to dorothy and the prince. "i think i must have been asleep for the first time since i was made of tin, for i do not remember our leaving the nome king." "you have been enchanted," answered the girl, throwing an arm around her old friend and hugging him tight in her joy. "but it's all right, now." "i want my whistle!" said the little prince, beginning to cry. "hush!" cautioned billina. "the whistle is lost, but you may have another when you get home." the scarecrow had fairly thrown himself upon the bosom of his old comrade, so surprised and delighted was he to see him again, and tiktok squeezed the tin woodman's hand so earnestly that he dented some of his fingers. then they had to make way for ozma to welcome the tin man, and the army caught sight of him and set up a cheer, and everybody was delighted and happy. for the tin woodman was a great favorite with all who knew him, and his sudden recovery after they had thought he was lost to them forever was indeed a pleasant surprise. before long the cavalcade arrived at the royal palace, where a great crowd of people had gathered to welcome their queen and her ten children. there was much shouting and cheering, and the people threw flowers in their path, and every face wore a happy smile. they found the princess langwidere in her mirrored chamber, where she was admiring one of her handsomest heads--one with rich chestnut hair, dreamy walnut eyes and a shapely hickorynut nose. she was very glad to be relieved of her duties to the people of ev, and the queen graciously permitted her to retain her rooms and her cabinet of heads as long as she lived. then the queen took her eldest son out upon a balcony that overlooked the crowd of subjects gathered below, and said to them: "here is your future ruler, king evardo fifteenth. he is fifteen years of age, has fifteen silver buckles on his jacket and is the fifteenth evardo to rule the land of ev." the people shouted their approval fifteen times, and even the wheelers, some of whom were present, loudly promised to obey the new king. so the queen placed a big crown of gold, set with rubies, upon evardo's head, and threw an ermine robe over his shoulders, and proclaimed him king; and he bowed gratefully to all his subjects and then went away to see if he could find any cake in the royal pantry. ozma of oz and her people, as well as dorothy, tiktok and billina, were splendidly entertained by the queen mother, who owed all her happiness to their kind offices; and that evening the yellow hen was publicly presented with a beautiful necklace of pearls and sapphires, as a token of esteem from the new king. . the emerald city dorothy decided to accept ozma's invitation to return with her to the land of oz. there was no greater chance of her getting home from ev than from oz, and the little girl was anxious to see once more the country where she had encountered such wonderful adventures. by this time uncle henry would have reached australia in his ship, and had probably given her up for lost; so he couldn't worry any more than he did if she stayed away from him a while longer. so she would go to oz. they bade good-bye to the people of ev, and the king promised ozma that he would ever be grateful to her and render the land of oz any service that might lie within his power. and then they approached the edge of the dangerous desert, and ozma threw down the magic carpet, which at once unrolled far enough for all of them to walk upon it without being crowded. tiktok, claiming to be dorothy's faithful follower because he belonged to her, had been permitted to join the party, and before they started the girl wound up his machinery as far as possible, and the copper man stepped off as briskly as any one of them. ozma also invited billina to visit the land of oz, and the yellow hen was glad enough to go where new sights and scenes awaited her. they began the trip across the desert early in the morning, and as they stopped only long enough for billina to lay her daily egg, before sunset they espied the green slopes and wooded hills of the beautiful land of oz. they entered it in the munchkin territory, and the king of the munchkins met them at the border and welcomed ozma with great respect, being very pleased by her safe return. for ozma of oz ruled the king of the munchkins, the king of the winkies, the king of the quadlings and the king of the gillikins just as those kings ruled their own people; and this supreme ruler of the land of oz lived in a great town of her own, called the emerald city, which was in the exact center of the four kingdoms of the land of oz. the munchkin king entertained them at his palace that night, and in the morning they set out for the emerald city, travelling over a road of yellow brick that led straight to the jewel-studded gates. everywhere the people turned out to greet their beloved ozma, and to hail joyfully the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion, who were popular favorites. dorothy, too, remembered some of the people, who had befriended her on the occasion of her first visit to oz, and they were well pleased to see the little kansas girl again, and showered her with compliments and good wishes. at one place, where they stopped to refresh themselves, ozma accepted a bowl of milk from the hands of a pretty dairy-maid. then she looked at the girl more closely, and exclaimed: "why, it's jinjur--isn't it!" "yes, your highness," was the reply, as jinjur dropped a low curtsy. and dorothy looked wonderingly at this lively appearing person, who had once assembled an army of women and driven the scarecrow from the throne of the emerald city, and even fought a battle with the powerful army of glinda the sorceress. "i've married a man who owns nine cows," said jinjur to ozma, "and now i am happy and contented and willing to lead a quiet life and mind my own business." "where is your husband?" asked ozma. "he is in the house, nursing a black eye," replied jinjur, calmly. "the foolish man would insist upon milking the red cow when i wanted him to milk the white one; but he will know better next time, i am sure." then the party moved on again, and after crossing a broad river on a ferry and passing many fine farm houses that were dome shaped and painted a pretty green color, they came in sight of a large building that was covered with flags and bunting. "i don't remember that building," said dorothy. "what is it?" "that is the college of art and athletic perfection," replied ozma. "i had it built quite recently, and the woggle-bug is its president. it keeps him busy, and the young men who attend the college are no worse off than they were before. you see, in this country are a number of youths who do not like to work, and the college is an excellent place for them." and now they came in sight of the emerald city, and the people flocked out to greet their lovely ruler. there were several bands and many officers and officials of the realm, and a crowd of citizens in their holiday attire. thus the beautiful ozma was escorted by a brilliant procession to her royal city, and so great was the cheering that she was obliged to constantly bow to the right and left to acknowledge the greetings of her subjects. that evening there was a grand reception in the royal palace, attended by the most important persons of oz, and jack pumpkinhead, who was a little overripe but still active, read an address congratulating ozma of oz upon the success of her generous mission to rescue the royal family of a neighboring kingdom. then magnificent gold medals set with precious stones were presented to each of the twenty-six officers; and the tin woodman was given a new axe studded with diamonds; and the scarecrow received a silver jar of complexion powder. dorothy was presented with a pretty coronet and made a princess of oz, and tiktok received two bracelets set with eight rows of very clear and sparkling emeralds. afterward they sat down to a splendid feast, and ozma put dorothy at her right and billina at her left, where the hen sat upon a golden roost and ate from a jeweled platter. then were placed the scarecrow, the tin woodman and tiktok, with baskets of lovely flowers before them, because they did not require food. the twenty-six officers were at the lower end of the table, and the lion and the tiger also had seats, and were served on golden platters, that held a half a bushel at one time. the wealthiest and most important citizens of the emerald city were proud to wait upon these famous adventurers, and they were assisted by a sprightly little maid named jellia jamb, whom the scarecrow pinched upon her rosy cheeks and seemed to know very well. during the feast ozma grew thoughtful, and suddenly she asked: "where is the private?" "oh, he is sweeping out the barracks," replied one of the generals, who was busy eating a leg of a turkey. "but i have ordered him a dish of bread and molasses to eat when his work is done." "let him be sent for," said the girl ruler. while they waited for this command to be obeyed, she enquired: "have we any other privates in the armies?" "oh, yes," replied the tin woodman, "i believe there are three, altogether." the private now entered, saluting his officers and the royal ozma very respectfully. "what is your name, my man?" asked the girl. "omby amby," answered the private. "then, omby amby," said she, "i promote you to be captain general of all the armies of my kingdom, and especially to be commander of my body guard at the royal palace." "it is very expensive to hold so many offices," said the private, hesitating. "i have no money with which to buy uniforms." "you shall be supplied from the royal treasury," said ozma. then the private was given a seat at the table, where the other officers welcomed him cordially, and the feasting and merriment were resumed. suddenly jellia jamb exclaimed: "there is nothing more to eat! the hungry tiger has consumed everything!" "but that is not the worst of it," declared the tiger, mournfully. "somewhere or somehow, i've actually lost my appetite!" . dorothy's magic belt dorothy passed several very happy weeks in the land of oz as the guest of the royal ozma, who delighted to please and interest the little kansas girl. many new acquaintances were formed and many old ones renewed, and wherever she went dorothy found herself among friends. one day, however, as she sat in ozma's private room, she noticed hanging upon the wall a picture which constantly changed in appearance, at one time showing a meadow and at another time a forest, a lake or a village. "how curious!" she exclaimed, after watching the shifting scenes for a few moments. "yes," said ozma, "that is really a wonderful invention in magic. if i wish to see any part of the world or any person living, i need only express the wish and it is shown in the picture." "may i use it?" asked dorothy, eagerly. "of course, my dear." "then i'd like to see the old kansas farm, and aunt em," said the girl. instantly the well remembered farmhouse appeared in the picture, and aunt em could be seen quite plainly. she was engaged in washing dishes by the kitchen window and seemed quite well and contented. the hired men and the teams were in the harvest fields behind the house, and the corn and wheat seemed to the child to be in prime condition. on the side porch dorothy's pet dog, toto, was lying fast asleep in the sun, and to her surprise old speckles was running around with a brood of twelve new chickens trailing after her. "everything seems all right at home," said dorothy, with a sigh of relief. "now i wonder what uncle henry is doing." the scene in the picture at once shifted to australia, where, in a pleasant room in sydney, uncle henry was seated in an easy chair, solemnly smoking his briar pipe. he looked sad and lonely, and his hair was now quite white and his hands and face thin and wasted. "oh!" cried dorothy, in an anxious voice, "i'm sure uncle henry isn't getting any better, and it's because he is worried about me. ozma, dear, i must go to him at once!" "how can you?" asked ozma. "i don't know," replied dorothy; "but let us go to glinda the good. i'm sure she will help me, and advise me how to get to uncle henry." ozma readily agreed to this plan and caused the sawhorse to be harnessed to a pretty green and pink phaeton, and the two girls rode away to visit the famous sorceress. glinda received them graciously, and listened to dorothy's story with attention. "i have the magic belt, you know," said the little girl. "if i buckled it around my waist and commanded it to take me to uncle henry, wouldn't it do it?" "i think so," replied glinda, with a smile. "and then," continued dorothy, "if i ever wanted to come back here again, the belt would bring me." "in that you are wrong," said the sorceress. "the belt has magical powers only while it is in some fairy country, such as the land of oz, or the land of ev. indeed, my little friend, were you to wear it and wish yourself in australia, with your uncle, the wish would doubtless be fulfilled, because it was made in fairyland. but you would not find the magic belt around you when you arrived at your destination." "what would become of it?" asked the girl. "it would be lost, as were your silver shoes when you visited oz before, and no one would ever see it again. it seems too bad to destroy the use of the magic belt in that way, doesn't it?" "then," said dorothy, after a moment's thought, "i will give the magic belt to ozma, for she can use it in her own country. and she can wish me transported to uncle henry without losing the belt." "that is a wise plan," replied glinda. so they rode back to the emerald city, and on the way it was arranged that every saturday morning ozma would look at dorothy in her magic picture, wherever the little girl might chance to be. and, if she saw dorothy make a certain signal, then ozma would know that the little kansas girl wanted to revisit the land of oz, and by means of the nome king's magic belt would wish that she might instantly return. this having been agreed upon, dorothy bade good-bye to all her friends. tiktok wanted to go to australia; too, but dorothy knew that the machine man would never do for a servant in a civilized country, and the chances were that his machinery wouldn't work at all. so she left him in ozma's care. billina, on the contrary, preferred the land of oz to any other country, and refused to accompany dorothy. "the bugs and ants that i find here are the finest flavored in the world," declared the yellow hen, "and there are plenty of them. so here i shall end my days; and i must say, dorothy, my dear, that you are very foolish to go back into that stupid, humdrum world again." "uncle henry needs me," said dorothy, simply; and every one except billina thought it was right that she should go. all dorothy's friends of the land of oz--both old and new--gathered in a group in front of the palace to bid her a sorrowful good-bye and to wish her long life and happiness. after much hand shaking, dorothy kissed ozma once more, and then handed her the nome king's magic belt, saying: "now, dear princess, when i wave my handkerchief, please wish me with uncle henry. i'm aw'fly sorry to leave you--and the scarecrow--and the tin woodman--and the cowardly lion--and tiktok--and--and everybody--but i do want my uncle henry! so good-bye, all of you." then the little girl stood on one of the big emeralds which decorated the courtyard, and after looking once again at each of her friends, waved her handkerchief. "no," said dorothy, "i wasn't drowned at all. and i've come to nurse you and take care of you, uncle henry, and you must promise to get well as soon as poss'ble." uncle henry smiled and cuddled his little niece close in his lap. "i'm better already, my darling," said he. abducted to oz by bob evans & chris dulabone. founded on and continuing the famous oz stories by l. frank baum. illustrated by dennis anfuso. list of chapters chapter i the abduction chapter historical background chapter prelude to the parade chapter an unfortunate outcome chapter the best laid plans chapter spellbound! chapter an alien presence chapter a strange encounter chapter captured again! chapter a mystical experience chapter the winkle country chapter the meeting with princess ozma chapter a window, a window chapter jeanne-marie chapter can't stand in the way of love chapter a story with a happy ending this book is dedicated to graham dunn whose love and enthusiasm for all things oz is a true inspiration. chapter one: the abduction the boy was doing his homework. his parents had taken his little brother to see _return to oz_ at the movie theater. he had seen it when it first came out and, although he enjoyed it at the time, he felt he was getting too old for that sort of stuff. besides, he had too much work to do. it seemed to him that each teacher allocated enough work to practically take up a fellow's entire evening--as if their class was the only one. so graham, for that was his name, knew he would have to work for several more hours if he was to complete all the assignments. graham began to work on his math problems, but he could not concentrate. his mind drifted off to the original l. frank baum story: _the wonderful wizard of oz_. he was thinking about the characters in it and what a terrific imagination mr. baum must have had, when suddenly, out of the stillness of the house, came a weird screeching sound. the sound was like nothing he had ever heard before. it seemed to have come from behind him; from the vicinity of the fireplace. graham shivered. he did not believe in ghosts, and at twelve years old (almost thirteen) he should not be afraid to be home alone. but he was scared right now--no question about it. however, when no other sound was forthcoming, he began to rationalize that it had all been his imagination, perhaps just the wind whistling down the chimney. then it happened! the awful sound of breaking glass. "oh no," he thought. "someone is breaking in!" he looked over to the window--then to the french doors. nothing! yet the sound had seemed very close. he glanced at the mirror above the fireplace only to see that all the glass had gone, leaving an empty frame. now he was really frightened. he wondered what had caused the glass to shatter. then, to his amazement, all the pieces of slivered glass suddenly flew up from the fireplace and reconstructed themselves in the frame. "i must be going crazy!" thought the poor lad. "all this school work is getting to be too much for me. i must have cracked completely!" then all the lights in the house went out, leaving him in pitch blackness. at that moment there was a strange crackling sound, and the mirror became illuminated with a purple glow. a grotesquely human face began to form into the image of an evil witch. a loud, screechy cackle emanated from her throat. it was the same sound he had heard earlier. by now graham was absolutely frozen with fear. the witch's evil eyes glared at him as she screamed, "so, my little man. we meet at last. you have hated me ever since you first read about me, haven't you? haven't you?" she shouted. "answer me, you little brat!" she reached her arms out of the mirror, grabbed him, and shook him hard. she shook and shook until he thought he was going to be sick. then she lifted him right up off the floor and into the mirror. by now graham was absolutely terrified. he kicked and screamed and tried to escape, but to no avail. the witch was much too strong for him. he found himself dragged to the other side of the mirror and out into a room in the witch's castle, whereupon the witch immediately released her grip, for she knew that the boy had nowhere to run. "well, what say you now, squirt? do you still hate me?" cackled the witch, breaking into fits of hideous laughter. "oh, no. not anymore," replied graham, his voice trembling. "i think you're pretty nice, um, all things considered." "oh, come now!" replied the witch. "let's be reasonable. you don't really think that. you're just afraid of what i might do to you. look at you. you're shaking in your boots!" "i'm afraid, yes," said graham. "really afraid. but i don't think you'll harm me after you hear what i have to say." "oh," replied the witch. "really? and what might that be?" graham knew he had piqued her interest and was now desperately trying to think of a plausible story that would keep her occupied while he tried to figure out a way to escape. he had managed to see out of one of her windows and knew he was, without a doubt, in the land of oz. [illustration] chapter two: historical background now, in the event that this book may have fallen into the hands of someone who is unfamiliar with the marvelous land of oz, it seems fitting that an explanation be inserted right about here. oz is an oblong-shaped country that is surrounded on all sides by a vast deadly desert that is supposed to keep visitors out. even so, it has been visited by any number of american children prior to graham's visit. some came by way of invitation, but mostly they arrived by accident. the most famous of these visitors, of course, was little dorothy gale. dorothy traveled to oz via a powerful cyclone which carried her house and herself over the massive desert and plopped her on top of a particularly evil witch. with the help of a live scarecrow, a man made out of tin, and a cowardly lion, she was able to find her way back to her home in america. she returned a short time later and had a wonderful new series of adventures in which she met princess saari, gayelette, and even some fuzzy yellow wogglebugs. it was but a few years after that when little dorothy finally consented to become a citizen of oz and live there happily--or reasonably so--for many years thereafter. in fact, even after nearly eighty-five years, she remains an honorary princess of that lovely country. because no one has to ever grow old or die in this singular land, dorothy remains as young and innocent as on the day she first arrived. at one point, dorothy was joined by a fine young boy named button-bright, who was about as bright as a cloth-covered button. trot griffiths, betsy bobbin, and several others have also agreed to live the rest of their days in oz rather than returning home to the mortal lands, where illness and death and aging are common. because oz citizens only age when they wish to do so, on one's birthday all one is required to do is to wish to stay the same age for another year, and it will be so. this would certainly please most of the people in our mortal lands, but it would hardly be practical here due to the ever-increasing overpopulation problem. [illustration] the land of oz is divided into five sections. to the north is the gillikin territory. the gillikins favor the color purple above all others and are known to paint their homes, barns, and silos in this color. to the south lies the land of the quadlings. here, the revered color is red. the area is governed by a powerful but good witch named glinda, and glinda is considered an enemy to all of the evil witches. the very center is the emerald city. it has been called the most glorious place on the face of the earth (or even the moon or mars), and rightly so. it is so lovely, in fact, that it defies description. and it is from here that the overall ruler is able to reign above all five regions. in the west can be found the yellow winkie country. the emperor of this region is none other than nick chopper, the tin man who had befriended dorothy on her first visit to oz. to the east is the blue munchkin country. here, all of the things that the gillikins paint purple are painted blue. this is the region where little dorothy's house had fallen down atop the wicked witch of the east. and it was this incident that had caused the wicked witch of the west to take notice of the little girl. so wicked was this witch, in fact, that she sent a host of plagues in the hope that they would destroy poor dorothy and her companions. she lashed out with her flesh-eating gray wolves, her sinister crows, and her horrific stinging bees. but it was not until she called upon her marvelous flying monkeys that she was able to succeed in her goal. the monkeys, enslaved by the powers of a magical hat, destroyed the scarecrow and tin man and enslaved dorothy and the lion. oz history would have been dismal, indeed, had dorothy not splashed a bucket of water over the wicked witch, wetting her from head to foot. as witches and water do not mix very well, the evil woman was reduced to nothing more than a puddle of ugly liquid. with the help of some kindly winkie tinsmiths and seamstresses, dorothy was able to retrieve her friends and bring happiness back to oz. had she desired to live there then, she would have had a welcoming home with any or all of the citizens of oz, even the scarecrow, who was made ruler over all the land. the scarecrow was a good and honest king--a thing that rarely happens in the mortal lands--but was not to stay long in that position. instead, he had gladly handed over his crown to the rightful ruler of oz, princess ozma. even though she is but a child, ozma has become the most well-loved ruler in all the earth. citizens of oz love her like a sister, while children of other countries who read oz books yearn to leave their homes to go to that wonderful country to be near to her. [illustration] of course, oz is a very big place. but if all of us who wished to go there were suddenly whisked away on a cyclone of our own, it would surely become decidedly too crowded. so it is good for oz that we are made to stay here except on the rare occasion when ozma may call upon one of us, or one of us may find oz by accident. chapter three: prelude to the parade dorothy and ozma have become fast friends over the many ageless years. only on rare occasions is the incident with the wicked witch discussed any more. once a year, on the day of the anniversary, there is a parade and a feast, but the reason for these festivities is not generally acknowledged. the very fact that dear little dorothy is present is considered reason enough to celebrate. oz people, it should be told, will accept any excuse to have a celebration. and the celebration might well have continued as it always had, except that something most peculiar had happened this year. sir simon the shrew, who had come to live in the emerald city after princess ozma had magically enlarged him to human-size, had become very good friends with dorothy. he was of the opinion that the annual festival should better commemorate the event on which it was founded. he determined that the most elaborate float in the parade should be one which depicted dorothy dousing the wicked witch with water. because he was now as large as a human child, simon was able to gather together the materials he needed in record time. although he was hardly w.w. denslow or frank kramer, simon's artistic abilities were far superior to those of dirk. borrowing the red wagon, he created a large platform on which he could build his float. he arranged with kabumpo, the elegant elephant, to draw the float through the streets, as he thought it would be too heavy for the sawhorse. kabumpo agreed to this only because he respected dorothy and because he enjoyed parades. he was still a tad disgruntled about being used as a work-horse, but he allowed this feeling to be repressed in favor of the pomp and circumstance of the parade. he was, after all, a bit of a show-off when he could get away with it. and that is a real understatement! sir simon the shrew was able to construct upon the red wagon a magnificent papier maché image that kind of resembled dorothy. she wore one shoe, which simon coated with glue and sprinkled with silver glitter. he deftly colored her dress blue and white and gave her two braids in her ribbon hair. he stood back and admired his masterpiece. "wow!" said simon. "this will get a lot of attention!" but he still had to make the wicked witch. this was a harder prospect, as simon did not like to create anything that was ugly. to be sure, there are very few people or things that are uglier than the wicked witch of the west. [illustration] after some time and not less than three failed attempts to construct a figure of the old witch, sir simon sighed. it was hard to make her look right. because of his kind and gentle nature, simon's images always wound up looking too friendly. this was not the right image for the wicked witch at all. she had to look mean and hateful. she had to look like the kind of person who would happily have the tin woodman and the scarecrow destroyed, or take an innocent little girl as her slave without remorse. at last, he decided he had to do it with his eyes closed. this way, he would not be as repulsed by the witch's cruelty. shutting his rodentine eyes, sir simon painted the most horrible face he could. after he opened his eyes to look at his handiwork, he found himself feeling quite queasy. he had to turn away to avoid being sick. "perfect," he muttered. "it looks just like her." [illustration] he then set up the float and hinged the arms of the dorothy figure in such a way that she could dump a bucket over the witch's head. giving three cheers for creativity, he had constructed the witch out of balloons and covered them with brown sugar. he had then pushed a pin into the figure to produce a hollow sugar figure that would dissolve instantly when touched by the water. this would be the highlight of the whole parade! simon was very proud of himself. he pushed his magnificent float into a large storage locker behind the palace. the room was dusty and cobwebby enough to assure him that it was not used very often and that his surprise would not be discovered before the day of the parade. "now i'll need to find a bucket and fill it with water," he said. looking around the room, he noticed an oak bucket that was already full and which was just the right size for his sculpture. he quickly secured it in place in the papier maché dorothy's hands. "if this doesn't get a lot of loud cheers from the crowd, nothing will!" he rubbed his paws with glee. [illustration] chapter four: an unfortunate outcome the day of the big parade came swiftly. sir simon and kabumpo were vastly proud of the surprise they were about to spring on the people of the emerald city. indeed, it was a delightful parade. the fuzzy yellow wogglebugs had put together a choral group that sang a bouncing tune as they marched at the head of the parade. mr. tinker followed them with an electronic float that tossed candy canes out of its windows to the people below. princess saari came next, riding atop a magnificent float that seemed to radiate all the colors of the rainbow. she was followed by pegina the pegasus, who flew just above the heads of two mighty dragons. button-bright, trot, and betsy bobbin had put together a kazoo band and played "ease on down the road" as they marched along behind the dragons. the elves of elfland followed, having constructed a float that resembled egor's fantastic funhouse out of hundreds of carnations. a gray spotlight shot out of the windows at certain intervals to circle around the funhouse and resemble a cyclone. no one knew how the elves had managed to make the light do this trick, but it was an elven secret, so no one asked. many other quaint and delightful spectacles were there to be seen and enjoyed. but it was the marvelous dorothy and wicked witch sculpture that caught the attention of everyone. it reminded all of the reason for the annual celebration, and all were happy to recall the way they had been freed from the heartless whims of the cruel-hearted old woman. at the end of the parade, all eyes were fixed on the image, and simon signaled to kabumpo to let go of the spring. the dorothy statue splashed the sugary witch right on her head. unfortunately, the bucket had not been filled with water, as simon had assumed. it was actually filled with some fermented sucopinesz juice that a family of wombats had hidden there for consumption after the parade. the witch image began to shrink and fall away. the crowd roared and laughed at the sight. but, of course, we all know that sucopinesz juice and sugar do not mix well. a series of tiny explosions began to appear above the melted witch. kabumpo was so startled that he did not see how close he was getting to the hungry tiger. feeling a heavy elephant's foot on his striped tail, the tiger jumped eight hundred yards ahead. he landed on princess saari, breaking a hole in the top of her float, into which they both fell. from this hole emanated a radiant green light. the light ricocheted off of the glass cat's tail and struck the gray light that had been circling the elfland float. now, it is commonly known among oz scholars that a cyclone is created when hot and cold air meet in one place. it was the same way when the two magical types of light collided. the dizzying green light splashed at the other-worldly gray light, and a funnel cloud emerged. it whirled about until it surrounded the popping mass of sugared juice. when the twister had subsided, thanks to the magic of glinda and the wizard, there stood a hideous green-faced woman in a black outfit. on her head she wore a black pointed hat. in her hand was a broomstick. [illustration] "who's sh-she?" stuttered dorothy. "i don't know," replied ozma. "she looks like a witch! but not like any of the witches i've ever known about!" "i am the wicked witch of the west!" shouted the woman in a maniacal voice. "she doesn't look like the one i remember," said the scarecrow. "this one has two eyes and green skin. she must be an impostor." "i am not an impostor!" bellowed the woman. "but," said an elderly winkie who remembered the original witch, "witch allidap had a patch over one eye and did not dress in pure black. this is not her at all." "i am too me! i just feel a little different today, that's all. i will prove to you that i am allidap!" [illustration] chapter five: the best laid plans it should be understood that, although the creature was really little more than an unstable life-form produced by a one-of-a-kind series of accidents, she believed that she was indeed the wicked witch of the west. and as long as she suffered under this delusion, she was dangerous to all of the witch's enemies. especially dorothy, as her primary memory was based upon the scene on the float, rather than any history before or after the event depicted thereon. she was angry and afraid, these being the emotions that were depicted in the sculpture. and these emotions, as we all know, can lead one to do things that are not particularly wholesome. now, it was not too many seconds before the false witch hopped onto her broomstick and zoomed away from the jeering crowd. she was a creature of resentment and hate, so she did not feel safe in that environment. instead, she determined to find a way to reach her goals elsewhere. knowing about the castle where the real witch had lived, she hid herself there to get her bearings. because she was not really witch allidap, she did not know much magic. but, because of the magic in the colored lights, she knew just enough to keep her from realizing the truth about her identity. her appearance was quite different from that of the real allidap. there was a reason for this, however. it seems that, at the very millisecond of her being brought to life, someone who believed in her had thought about her. and that someone had had a different impression of her. it was a silly impression created not so much by the book as by a movie musical that was televised annually. so that was the way the thinker imagined her to look. because of this, he had projected his impression onto the false witch. it also created a number of allidap's memories in the mind of the sugar-creature. and it also caused her to remember the thinker--a little boy named graham. he had been thinking about the original book but visualized the witch as she had looked in the movie. and because he had an inordinate amount of homework to do, he was also feeling quite resentful. little did he dream that this combination of negative emotions and vivid imagination would bring into manifestation a very unpleasant creature! one that no decent young person should ever have to encounter. but now graham found himself face to face with the wicked witch! [illustration] she was in his home, and she was hardly filled with joy. she dragged him to her castle and laughed at his utter helplessness. "you're just afraid of what i might do to you," she said. "look at you. you're shaking in your boots!" "i am afraid, yes," said graham. "really afraid. but i don't think you'll harm me after you hear what i have to say." "oh," replied the witch. "really? and what might that be?" "listen carefully," said graham. "i know where there is a book of magic spells that can make mincemeat out of dorothy and the scarecrow and those guys." "you do?" the witch said, skeptically. "and what is a book?" "why, it is a bunch of pieces of paper stuck together at one side and that has words printed inside of it." "oh, yes," said the witch. "i know what words are. i had some words of warning printed on some signposts to keep away strangers. and i once wrote 'surrender dorothy' in the sky. but my memory doesn't include a book. where is it?" "only i can get it," said graham, realizing that he now had a perfect way out of the dilemma. "it is back at my home in america." (he was sure that he could break away from her once he was back home.) but not to be outsmarted, clutching the boy by the hand, the witch immediately pulled him back through the mirror without letting him free from her vise-like grasp. "where is this book?" she said angrily. then, seeing graham's math book on the table, she felt a tinge of recognition. there had been some of these on a table in her castle when she had demanded that dorothy give her those magic shoes. so these were called books! "is this the one?" she asked, picking up his math book with her free hand. "what are these words on it?" "what's wrong?" asked graham. "can't you see? don't your eyes work?" "i do not know these words," said the witch. "my memory has become clouded on some things. i know the words 'surrender dorothy' and the ones i had on my signposts, but these are unfamiliar. what do they say?" "it says," graham lied, "_the best and most complete book of witchcraft ever written_. it has every spell ever invented in it! would you like to have it? if you go away, i'll give it to you." "i'll take it, but i'll need a reader to read it to me. that shall be you, my little fool!" so saying, she took him back through the mirror, sealing off the opening behind them forever. chapter six: spellbound! once back on the other side of the mirror and in her own domain, the witch could not wait to get started on the first spell. after all, who could resist experimenting with spells from a book with a title like _the best and most complete book of witchcraft ever written_? "okay, you little squirt," she snapped. "read me the first spell." graham knew he would have to think off the top of his head and think fast if he was to come up with something plausible. the minute she found out that the book was a fake, he would be dead meat, that was for sure. "okay. well.... let's see.... the first spiel--i mean, spell--is 'how to turn an obnoxious dial (or socially disadvantaged countenance) into a reflection of infinite beauty.'" "i haven't the faintest idea what you just said," snapped the witch with obvious annoyance. "read it to me again. wait. that won't do any good. what do you think it means?" graham knew he had her hooked. "it is obviously a spell that will transform you into the most beautiful creature to ever walk the face of the earth." "oh, my," said the witch-clone with obvious delight. "well, let's get started! what are you waiting for?" graham cleared his throat and began to "read" from the book: "_find a slimy little pickle. rub it with a shiny nickel. drop it in a witch's hat. add seventeen eggs on top of that. top that off with a bowl of jell-o and spittle from a little fellow. add some sour cream and chives and honey directly from the hives._ [illustration] _now add one pint of strawberry jam (preferably bought from knott's berry farm). then bend thy head towards thy legs and press said hat upon thy head. now stand and then induce a friend to pull it down below thy crown. wait at least a half-an-hour. take off the hat and dust with flour. now look in the mirror and thou shalt see none more lovelier than thee."_ "oh, that does sound absolutely divine!" cried the witch. "quick! help me gather the materials together so we can start immediately." graham could hardly contain himself with the thought of the true results of this experiment. and although he was going to use this opportunity to escape, he almost wished he could stay to see the whole thing through. he congratulated himself on his ability to create such an authentic-sounding spell and for having the presence of mind to suggest the half-hour lead time he would need in order to escape from the castle. when everything was ready, graham followed the spell to the letter. and since he was the only little fellow around, he was the obvious choice to provide the spittle for the concoction--which he did with great delight. as soon as he got to the part where he had to pull the witch's hat down over her head, he said, "i'll keep my eye on the clock and let you know when the half hour is up." with that, he jammed the hat down over her eyes and down to her shoulders and then made a beeline for the window. chapter seven: an alien presence after graham had escaped from the castle, he thought about the witch standing there for a full half-hour and thinking how beautiful she was going to be when she took the hat off and looked at herself in her mirror. he laughed out loud as he imagined how she would really look with that gooey mess all over her hair and face and clothes. but he knew that once the reality dawned on her that the spell was a fake, that she was just as ugly as ever, and that he had escaped, she would be absolutely beside herself with rage. the boy's elation began to change to fear as he considered the possible repercussions of his actions. here he was in a strange yellow land with no idea of where he was going or where to hide. he had been traveling through a wooded area which, for now, offered some measure of security, since he would be hidden from aerial surveillance, when he came upon a clearing. actually, it was more than just a clearing; it was a perfectly round grassy clearing about fifty feet in diameter, and dome-shaped. as he studied the dome, it began to slowly rise, exposing a round house with windows and doors and a grass-covered roof. graham stood perfectly still, waiting to see if anyone came out. when it was obvious that no one was coming, he cautiously walked toward the house to see if he could see through the window. suddenly, a loud, mechanical-sounding voice filled the air. "warning! you are approaching too close to the vehicle. please step back." at this point, graham was more than a little confused. he knew that this sort of proximity alarm system was favored by some motor vehicle owners back home. but the device seemed very out of place in oz. not to mention the fact that the sound was emanating from a house, not a car. at that moment, the round roof slowly started to spin and rose about four feet above the house and hovered there. the outside walls receded back into the ground to reveal a bright, shiny spaceship shimmering in the sunlight. a ramp unfolded to reveal two equally shimmering space beings. they descended (or rather, floated) down the ramp and stopped less than three feet from the boy. they were not very tall--about four feet in height--and they were dressed in metallic-looking one-piece spacesuits that closely followed the contour of their slender bodies. they had quite large heads, which were somewhat out of proportion to their overall physique. their eyes were large and doe-shaped and were the blackest of black with no pupils visible. he sensed an intelligence emanating from their eyes that was far in excess of ordinary people. their skin was of a dull grayish hue; no color at all. [illustration] graham waited for them to speak (for some reason he was totally unafraid). one of them raised his right hand in greeting. he spoke without moving his lips. at least, graham heard the words clearly inside his head but could sense no outside sound. "greetings, young friend. you stumbled upon our location, but it is of no consequence. we know that you bear us no ill will." "indeed not," replied graham. "in fact, i am honored to make your acquaintance. i've always wanted to meet a space person." "well," replied the other being, "you are a space person, too." "i am?" said graham incredulously. "i'm afraid you're mistaken ... i am from earth." "and where, my little friend, do you think earth is? is it not suspended in space like all of the other planets? and does it not make a complete rotation upon its axis every twenty-three hours, fifty-six minutes and four point zero-nine seconds, and at a speed of a thousand miles per hour? and does it not orbit your sun every three hundred and sixty-five days and six hours and nine minutes and nine point five seconds, and at a speed of about twenty miles per second? and does it not revolve along with the moon, around a common center of gravity, and move with the entire solar system through your local star system at thirteen miles per second? and does not your local star system move within the milky way at the rate of two hundred miles per second, and does not the milky way drift with respect to the remote external galaxies at the rate of one hundred miles per second and in all different directions, and does not your galaxy itself make a complete rotation about an axis every two hundred million years? and does it not travel through space with over a hundred billion other suns of its galactic family, not to mention an untold number of other planets?" graham nodded meekly. "i knew our planet was in space. i just didn't know all the details." "well," continued the being, "even if you mortals could travel at the speed of light, it would still take you a hundred thousand years to cross your galaxy from edge to edge." the spaceman motioned toward the craft. "however, our ship could visit the andromeda galaxy, which is about two million one hundred thousand light years from earth, and return before you could say _stephen hawking_. i'd say that is a little bit faster than the speed of light. we could not afford to waste two million years--actually, over four million years round trip! we'd never get anything done." "now, wait just a minute," said graham. "you can't go faster than the speed of light. they told us in school that would be against the laws of physics!" "we learned long ago," replied the spaceman, "that the laws of physics kept us very tightly bound until we found we could gain dominion over those laws. you see, we earned that right over a long period of time. dominion over physical law requires a certain knowledge of science beyond the physical as well as a working knowledge of the spiritual laws. the two must work hand in hand. for example, your scientists are working strictly from a physical perspective. they are totally unaware that the atoms--the building blocks of matter--have a counterpart of a higher frequency: one that falls outside of the realm of what you would term physical. in any event, without that counterpart the physical world as you know it could not exist. "now, i want to demonstrate to you the practical aspects of our knowledge. our spaceship is vibrating at the atomic rate of the collective atoms that comprise the material makeup of said ship. now, as we observe the ship, i am going to concentrate on this counterpart of the atom that your scientists might refer to as antimatter or antiparticle. these antiparticles are what we would call the pure state of the atom. you might say they are the inner core of the atom. you might even say that they are the very soul of the atom, since they furnish the power that maintains the motion of the atom. in any event, this is the medium we work with. incidentally, if you could observe the motion of this counterpart to the atom, you would see that it is in constant motion as it conveys its power to the atom. it turns incessantly upon its own axis, spinning like a top. it is constantly pulsating, gyrating, and, i might even say, dancing in a most beautiful manner.... i might tell you at this point that the name we give to this wonderful animating force, is, quite naturally, the anim. now i am going to concentrate on the atomic structure of our ship. i am going to raise the rate of vibration, or frequency, of the individual atoms to the higher rate of the anim state. as i do so, the ship will no longer be detected by your eye-to-brain circuits. to your limited senses it will be completely invisible to you. it is this little trick that plays havoc with the minds of your fellow mortals that occasionally catch a glimpse of our ships in your skies, only to see them disappear in an instant. now, as i continue to concentrate, i am projecting the ship to a certain coordinate: namely, a specific planetary member of the galaxy andromeda. this is done at the speed of thought, which is instantaneous. there...." the starship vanished in less than a blink. "now it's back again!" the spaceman announced. and, indeed, it truly was! "well, what do you think?" of course, graham was beside himself. he could not speak. "wow!" he said eventually. "wow!" "naturally," continued the spaceman, "i had to lower the vibrations again to re-manifest it into your reality. but it is this manner of transportation that enables us to come and go as we please and, in doing so, somewhat confuse your scientists and governmental authorities." graham smiled. [illustration] "speaking of your scientists," added the other alien, "they would probably be very interested to know that, long before the countless solar systems were brought into manifestation--in reference to the many planets, stars, gaseous bodies, and so forth--space was null and void of all that is now in existence. the theater of infinite space was empty. the actors had not yet made their appearance. everything, every solitary atom (and that includes the atoms that presently constitute your body and mine), were back in that great core of life. the oneness. the source of all. some like to call this presence god. it is, however, a presence that is very real, even to scientists who call themselves agnostics. if it were possible to become attuned to this presence, this core of life, you would be aware of pulsating with it. you would realize that you are receiving a great force which enables you to move about in your physical body. this force is constantly nourishing every atom that is out there in space, every atom within the earth. it is the great unifying force that your scientists suspect must exist but have never quite been able to get a handle on. however, they are getting closer to it with the discovery of so-called dark matter. but to continue: the core of life may be pictured as a great sun, and yet this would not describe it, for it is larger than any sun could ever possibly be. and if we were to try to measure it--and there would be no way to do this--we would find that it would encircle not only one solar system, but many other solar systems beyond. however, i am digressing from my story of the creation of the universe. gradually or suddenly, depending on your viewpoint in the great consciousness of time, the animatical forces from the core of life caused the great expansion from the etheric state of matter, causing gross material to manifest through friction and be slushed off and begin to solidify. and when it did, the planets began to form. first one began to form over here, and then another one began to form over there, and these in turn were followed by still others until gradually, within the great power that is concentrated at the point where the planets were revolving, a great solar system came into manifestation. then, after their birth, the planets were dormant for what may have been many millions of years while they were going through the cooling process. then, gradually, over perhaps many million more years, the germinal kingdom brought forth the different forms of matter, bacteria, et cetera. these in turn brought forth the various bodies, the animalistic kingdom, and other forms of life that would be needed to help build and prepare the way and become an assisting force in eventually bringing forth the human expression. so you see, it was all carefully orchestrated by that driving presence i mentioned. we are now living in the seventh group of planets. yes, the universe as you know it existed in six previous manifestations, returning each time to its original state. this seventh manifestation is the last. the time will come when there will be no physical planets, no physical remnants of this present universe. but not to worry, my little friend. you and i and, indeed, all expressions of what you might refer to as life will continue on, for life is eternal. it has always existed, and it always will exist. the physical expression is only a temporary condition. by the way, in our haste we forgot to introduce ourselves. my name is agasha, and my brother here is araskus. your world will, no doubt, be reading more about us. as a matter of fact, as we speak, i am receiving a telepathic message from a william eisen who now resides in oz. he reminds me that while in america he brought forth some of my philosophy in written documents entitled _agasha: master of wisdom_ and _the agashan discourses_. these works were written for adults, but older children who have an advanced understanding may appreciate them, too. mr. eisen was a personal friend of mr. evans, who at this moment is recording these very events as they occur." [illustration] the two beings then shook hands with the boy and bid him farewell as they returned to their ship. moments later, the craft arose and tilted in salute as it spun away beyond the horizon. graham stood for the longest time, staring at the spot where the spaceship had disappeared from sight. there were so many more questions he wanted to ask, and he wondered if he would ever again have the opportunity. one question he meant to ask was that if it took two million, three hundred thousand some years for light to reach earth from the andromeda galaxy, would that mean that we would be observing it as it existed two point three million years ago? and that if it suddenly disappeared at this moment in our time, would we not know it for another two point three million years? that seemed like a very good question to ask, for it would mean that when we look out into space, we are really looking back into time. now that he thought of it, his science teacher had said that it takes eight minutes for light to reach us from the sun, so, if the sun disappeared three minutes ago, we would not know it for another five minutes. what a thought! graham realized that not a solitary soul back home would ever believe one word of his communication with the space people, assuming, that is, that he would ever be foolish enough to try to tell anyone. but the first thing he would try to do would be to find the books agasha had mentioned. he would do this the minute he got home... home! oh my gosh! how long had he been gone? and how was he going to get back? why, oh why had he not tried to hitch a ride with the space people? chapter eight: a strange encounter graham mentally kicked himself for not thinking of asking the ufo people for a ride back to america. he had felt so much in awe of the magnificent spaceship and its unique occupants, though, that it had never entered his mind to ask a selfish favor of them. he now regretted that feeling. after all, the two aliens had made it obvious that they meant to serve him and help him to learn. surely they would never have considered it a selfish request on graham's part had he simply asked that they drop him off in america on their way to wherever they might have been headed. but it was, alas, a little bit too late to cry over spilled milk. instead, graham had far more important matters to attend to. he had, after all, come into a very strange land where the physical laws he was used to no longer seemed to apply. not only that, but his presence would be missed before too long, and he did not want to cause undue worry back home. but even more immediate: he had a powerful and very wicked witch to deal with who would soon catch on to his lies, and she was not going to be at all happy with him. had graham been a lesser boy, he might have broken down and cried. but graham decided instead to make the most of the grave situation. he continued to walk past the area where the ufolanders had been. his main concern now was to get as far away as possible from the awful old witch's castle. he was wondering in which specific direction to go when he heard a noise in the trees. at first he could not identify the sound, although it was a familiar sound. because it was so far out of place in oz, it did not register at first. but, yes! now he was certain. it was the sound of a television set. that is to say, the sound of human voices that could only be coming from a radio or tv. it is a sound you simply cannot mistake. now the sound was getting louder. it was coming toward him. _what on earth could a television set be doing here_? graham thought. and how could it be moving toward him? the answer immediately became known when out from a clump of trees walked a robotic looking creature. he had triangular shaped legs and arms and body. in place of a face he had a portable television set. not only that, but the channels kept changing. first channel two with the evening news. then channel four with a basketball game. then channel seven with _jeopardy_! then channel eleven with a program about ufos. then channel thirteen with a commercial for head and shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo. and so on, and so on. well, this was the strangest sight to behold. a walking television set. it walked right up to graham and stopped right up against his face. then the screen went blank for a moment and a face appeared. that is to say, not a human face exactly, but sort of a cartoon type of face with large, bushy eyebrows; big, expressive eyes; a prominent nose; and a mouth in the shape of a big grin. "howdy doody," said the mouth as the thing's hand shot out and grabbed graham's hand in a vigorous handshake. "how--how--how--" stammered graham. [illustration] "howhowhow?" inquired the voice. "that's a funny word. i never heard it before." "ah ... eh ..." said graham, his voice still a bit shaky. "i was actually trying to say, 'how do you do?'" "oh, i see," replied the being, "but how do i do what?" "no. i mean i'm trying to say, er ... 'howdy doody' to you." "oh. now i understand. i'm sorry for being so dumb. but you see, my entire vocabulary comes from tv shows. i never actually went to school, so some things i do not know. i beg of you, forgive me!" he shouted as he bent down on one knee and held graham's hand. "there's no need to be so dramatic," said graham. "i forgive you." "oh, thanks a bunch," the creature said. "is there anything you'd like to watch? you can watch any television show that's ever been recorded in television history. just say the word." "well, nothing right now," graham answered. "but i'm really curious as to how you came into being." "how! i! came! into! being? hmmmmm. oh, you mean how i was manufactured. well, originally a tinsmith made me. but then i lost my head over a girl. then one day an electrical genius from mars came to oz to discuss a contract to build satellite dishes. they wanted to bounce signals from mars to earth in order to relay martian soap operas in exchange for some earth programming to mars. their favorite earth programs are reruns of _mork and mindy_ and _star trek_. they're even more popular than their prime-time blockbuster, _my favorite earthling._ anyway ... as i was saying ... let's see ... i had lost my head, and--" "now, wait a minute!" graham interrupted. "there are no people on mars. besides, the environment there is too hostile to support life." "oh. you mean that they have too many harsh tv critics?" "no. i mean that--for one thing, the temperature would be too harsh. it's way too cold on mars to support life. not to mention the atmosphere, which is mostly carbon dioxide." "oh, my dear boy," smiled the face. "you don't know anything, do you? oh, you know your scientific facts all right but, according to my memory banks, there is life all over the universe that your scientists' crude observation methods cannot even detect." "you're beginning to sound like the ufo people i talked to," graham answered with a tone of disapproval in his voice. "well, nevertheless, life exists simultaneously on many different frequency levels that are undetectable from one to the other--an analogy would be the many tv channels that are in the air simultaneously, but you can only tune in to the one frequency that your tuning device is locked into." "well, i've heard that before," answered graham. "yes. and people are tuning devices in themselves. that's why some people are sensitive to the vibrations from oz and can see what is going on there. mr. baum was the first person in america who was able to tune into oz, and he wrote many history books on this land. well, that is to say, they were recordings of current events at the time he wrote them, but they are now history. and as much as he wrote, he was only able to record a tiny fraction of our history. since then, many people have contributed. some more than others." "i wonder why no one in america was able to tune into oz before l. frank baum," graham said. "because there are millions of frequencies, but he happened to hit the right one one day when he was telling stories to the children. he was very lucky to hit it because of the tremendous odds against him. but once he did, it was easy after that. and it was easy for other people to follow him because they knew it could be done and kept persevering until they were able to tune in themselves. the secret is not to give up if you are truly interested, because once you lock into it, you become better attuned as time goes by. i heard a good example of this sort of thing on my sports channel just the other day. they were discussing roger bannister and how he broke the four minute mile in and that no one in earth's history up until that time believed it could be done, so no one did it. but once mr. bannister ran the mile in three minutes and fifty-nine point four seconds, other people broke the record because now they knew it was possible after all. they had never really tried hard enough before that, because they simply did not believe. this just shows that you can do anything you set your mind to do as long as you believe it's possible. let me recite a poem i heard once on my public television channel. this poem, if my memory banks serve me right, is by a gentleman by the name of c.w. longenecker: _the victor_ _if you think you are beaten, you are. if you like to win but think you can't, its almost a cinch you won't if you think you'll lose, you're lost. for out in the world we find success begins with a fellow's will. it's all in the state of wind. if you think you are outclassed, you are. you've got to think high to rise. you can ever win a prize. life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. but sooner or later, the man who wins. is the one who thinks he can._" [illustration] "that's very inspirational," said graham. "i must remember that. but doesn't it apply equally to girls?" "oh, of course!" the tv responded. "but the poem was written a long time ago, before non-specific gender language was in vogue." "you seem rather wise for a manufactured person," said graham. "where did your brain come from?" "oh, i haven't really got a brain in the traditional sense of the word. my brain is largely electronic and preprogrammed from a lot of things i've seen and heard on tv. there are lessons to be learned, even from the poorest of shows." "do you have a name?" asked graham. "well, most of my friends call me telle. my full name is telle visionary. but you can just call me telly." [illustration] chapter nine: captured again! "well, telly, you are a most fascinating person. would you like to accompany me on my mission? you see, i am a stranger in a strange land, and i'd feel a lot better with someone like yourself who is familiar with the way things work here. also, i haven't the slightest idea where i am or where i'm going. not only that, but i escaped from a wicked witch and she's probably mad as heck right now and looking for me." "i'd be delighted to accompany you, my little friend. although i must tell you, i don't know how much protection i could give you from the wicked witch because, if it's the one i think it is, she's bullied me from time to time. whenever she sees me, she zooms right in and makes me run all the soap operas she's missed. sometimes i have to sit for hours and hours while she catches up. by the way, what is the mission you mentioned?" "oh, my mission is to get home to america," graham answered quickly. "my parents must be worried sick about me. have you any ideas how i could get back before that witch captures me again?" "well, let's see! hmmm, dum de dum de dum, hmmm, um, let me think..." there was a long pause. "no!" he finally said. "i can't think of a single way you could get back to america. in fact, i really don't think it's even possible for a human being to get back once he's here. the only person i know of who ever did that was dorothy gale of kansas. and the reason i know that is that i run the movie every year and the end is always the same. dorothy clicks her heels together three times and says, 'there's no place like home, there's no place like home, et cetera,' and she wakes up in her bed back in kansas. now, there's an idea! how about we go and see dorothy? she'll know how to get you back. why didn't i think of that first?" "wonderful!" the boy exclaimed. "i'm beginning to feel a lot better. what is dorothy doing now? is she--" graham's question was cut short by a big, extremely loud popping sound and a cloud of smoke. when the smoke cleared, who should be there but the wicked witch, grinning from ear to ear and prancing up and down with excitement! "well, my little friend. found you at last, haven't i? loved your spell! oh, it was terrific! see how beautiful i look? do you? do you?" she screamed, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. "look at me. look, i say!" she yelled as she jerked his face to hers. "do i look more beautiful to you? let's see. what was the last line of that spell ... oh, now i remember: look in the mirror and you shall see, none more beautiful than thee! you little liar. liar! did you hear me?" "how could i not?" asked graham. "the way you're carrying on, i assume there are people in kansas who can hear you." but he cowered behind telly as he said so. "hello, my good woman," said telly, holding out one of his peculiar triangle-shaped arms. his handshake was not accepted by the wicked woman. "allow me to say that you are more exquisitely beautiful than any of the television stars i've ever seen or heard of!" said the robotic man. "and believe you me, i have run more miss america beauty pageants than you can shake a stick at. you are lovelier than any of those girls. you are more innocently ravishing than ginger grant on gilligan's island! you are the epitome of human grace and style! you make all other women pale beside you!" "huh?" said the witch, dropping graham like a sack of potatoes. he caught his breath and tried to stand up, but the witch had put one of her big, long feet on his chest to hold him down. "what are you talking about, tube-face?" the witch asked of the television-person. "i am just admiring your gorgeousness!" said telly in a musical tone of voice. "are you the next tv heart-throb? the next susan lucci? are you going to take the couch potatoes of the world by storm and make all of them yearn to be you? you could, you know. you surely are already the envy of everyone who has ever laid eyes upon you!" the witch looked at her prisoner. "what is this machine up to, boy? and you'd best not lie to me again!" "oh, no!" replied graham. "i have learned my lesson, to be sure. i wouldn't think of telling another lie." "then what is this clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk babbling about?" she sneered. "i'm truly relishing your magnificent beauty!" repeated telly. "my friend is simply admiring your beauty, like he said," answered graham, not sure why telly was acting this way, but deciding it would be best to play along. "i think he is quite smitten with you!" "really?" said the witch. "tell me more." "you are truly a vision of loveliness!" charmed telly in a most dramatic manner. "my heartstrings are all going zing!" "they are?" the witch said, somewhat perplexed. "maybe the spell worked after all. i guess it was a delayed reaction. give me a mirror! i want to see how i look!" "er... you don't want to do that," said graham. "you... er... you are so gorgeous that no mirror could possibly capture your true image." "that's altogether silly and utterly foolish, young man! now that i am pretty, i want to look upon myself." the witch took her foot off his chest and let him stand up. "now fetch me a mirror, or i will turn mean!" "such beauty could never do harm to anyone," said telly. "you are only meant to be worshipped!" "thank you," the witch said. then, realizing that she had actually said something polite, she added, "you bizarre jumble of soup cans and gigabytes." she saw that graham had made no move to obtain a mirror, so she pushed him over again. "okay, slime-twirp. i'll get my own mirror!" she switched off telly's picture in order to catch her reflection in the blank screen. telly, thinking quickly, distracted her for a moment and switched the screen back on while at the same time calling up an image of eva gabor from his archives. [illustration] when graham saw what had happened, he held his teeth tightly together and clenched his fists in anxiety. how would the crone react? "my ... my ... my goodness!" she said. "i really am something, aren't i?" she smiled a hideous grin. "just looky there! i am beautiful!" graham's anxiety quickly subsided. telly's clever ploy had worked. "you are a vision of loveliness," said the boy. "i am, aren't i? i'm gorgeous!" she then began to dance and flitted around like a young girl as she broke into a rendering of a song from the musical play _west side story_: "_i feel pretty ... oh so pretty i feel pretty and witty and gay and i pity any girl who isn't me today i feel charming oh so charming it's alarming how charming i feel and so pretty that i hardly can believe i'm real!_" after she finished the song, she closed her eyes in sheer ecstasy and heaved a long, contented sigh. she stood there like that for the longest time. graham and telly quickly seized the moment and tiptoed behind a hedgerow and, as soon as they were out of earshot, they ran like the wind as far as they could go. as soon as they felt they were safe, they collapsed in a heap in uncontrollable laughter. chapter ten: a mystical experience it had been quite some time since escaping from the witch again, and the two friends walked along the road lost in thought. well, that is to say, graham was lost in thought, whereas telly was absent-mindedly playing an old commercial: _double your pleasure, double your fun, get double ev'rything rolled into one, oh, double your pleasure, double your fun, with double good, double good, double-mint gum_. suddenly, the pair came across a sign at the side of the road which read: _oz international airport departures upper level arrivals lower level follow the blue signs for the upper level follow the red signs for the lower level_ "telly!" cried graham. "telly! i can't believe it! an airport in oz? why didn't you tell me? now i can go home. all i have to do is buy a ticket. they can call my dad and get his credit card number." "now wait a minute!" telly exclaimed. "not so fast, my young friend. there is no airport in oz. never was, and never will be. it's just not possible for airplanes to fly here from anywhere. queen ozma herself saw to that after a certain incident with a little girl and a pet monkey. no, this cannot be for real. must be some kind of trick." graham was crestfallen. he was just not prepared to accept such a dismal opinion. "oh, no! i'm sure you're mistaken. they wouldn't have a sign like that if there was no airport there." "well, i hate to say i told you so. but you'll see when we get there that there's nothing there," telly said emphatically. "at least, not an airport ..." he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "i can't believe what i'm seeing!" he shouted incredulously as the sight of a huge airport (the size of l.a. international) loomed up ahead. "see! i told you so!" shouted graham with obvious delight as he ran forward. "home sweet home, here i come!" "not so fast!" warned telly. "not so fast! it has to be a trick. maybe the wicked witch has created an illusion and ... and it's really her castle...." but graham was already out of earshot. before him loomed a giant glistening in the sun, its huge jet engines screaming with impatience for full power to be applied, and the passenger door was open at the top of the stairs with a smiling flight attendant beckoning graham aboard. "hurry up!" she called. "we're ready to take off, and you're running late." graham scurried up the stairs as fast as his little legs would carry him.... the flight attendant checked his name off a list, and the door closed quickly, leaving graham with no time to say goodbye to telly, who was at that moment looking up at the plane forlornly as it taxied forward toward the runway. meanwhile, graham was being bundled into his seat and buckled into his seatbelt by the pretty flight attendant. it was only then that he remembered that he had not purchased a ticket, nor had he had a chance to say goodbye to telly. he was seated alone by the window and quickly looked out to see if he could catch a glimpse of his friend. but it was too late; the plane was already at the end of the runway and several feet into the air with the countryside whizzing past and getting smaller and smaller as the plane quickly ascended. the captain's voice came over the intercom loud and clear. "good morning, ladies and gentlemen. this is your captain speaking. we have departed oz international airport and will be cruising at twenty thousand feet. we should be arriving at our destination in about three hours. you may remove your seatbelts and make yourselves comfortable. refreshments will be served shortly, and you may watch our in-flight movie if you wish." graham looked around to see who else was sharing his flight. he was astonished to see that there were no other passengers at all. now he began to get frightened. why would a great big airplane take off with no passengers except himself? and who was that captain addressing when he said "ladies and gentlemen"? he was beginning to feel that he had been caught up in an episode of telly's _twilight zone_. just then, he caught a glimpse of a portly gentleman approaching him from the front of the plane. he assumed there was another passenger after all, one who must have been sitting in the front seat, and too low for his head to be visible. however, as the gentleman approached closer to where graham was seated, the boy became even more perplexed. the gentleman in question was none other than william shakespeare! oh, there was no mistaking such an historical figure. graham had seen paintings and drawings of him many times. and his clothes and features were an exact replica of those portrayals. not only that, but he was carrying a great big book entitled _the complete works of william shakespeare_. suddenly graham flushed with embarrassment. how could he think for one moment that this was william shakespeare? the fellow was obviously an actor, perhaps on his way home from making a movie and so late for his flight that he did not have time to change his clothes or remove his makeup. at that moment the gentleman spoke ... "good day, my dear fellow. my name is william shakespeare. do you mind if i sit here? the plane's rather crowded and i see that you have the whole aisle to yourself." [illustration] "okay! that's it," thought graham. "the guy's a definite nut case. must have escaped from the looney bin and somehow got to oz. the plane's crowded indeed! he and i are the only passengers! every single seat is empty." however, "mr. shakespeare" seated himself next to graham without waiting for a reply. "i know that you don't believe i'm who i say i am," he said. "but i can assure you, i am he who is often referred to as the bard of avon. all i'd like you to do is to tell earth's disbelievers who don't accept that i wrote my works that i did indeed write them." without waiting for graham to respond, he then proceeded to break into verse in a gentle, melodic voice: "_i am he who wrote my verse, my dramas, sonnets, quibbles, rhyme, i'm shakespeare still--dear england's bard-- and shall ever be, throughout time. i wrote, 'tis true, some sonnets, plays, to make a living, pass the time in merriment or jest and glee-- i turned out many a ribaled rhyme. to set the world right, and make snivelers agree as to who wrote shakespeare, if 'twere bacon or he, or marlowe or pitt, or scribes ages old, i say to them all-- the truth is now told. when a man among kings (i was knighted by one) where a handle or wheel makes a favorite son distinguished through time for something he's done, for a knight in his day must his laurels have won. with a band of king's players by bill shakespeare led, i played many roles, e'en recalled the dead to piece out my plot or to string out my rhyme, nor considered it theft, more an honor that time, to borrow a plot for a queen or a king, and watch their amuse as my poor muse would sing. so each time i needed a plot or a play i searched o'er the tomes where musty plots lay bulging out with ideas from craniums dust, whose shades may have helped as i now know and trust. but that any one man made a plot or a play, or was such singled out as a ruse for my pay, i deny in _fac toto_ in spirit this day. should any man's play be found in my work, which was not by me writ, 'tis a publisher's quirk; which one day i'll acclaim; for i mean to read all as signed with my name_." young graham was beyond words at this outpouring of verse. the mode of language was not something he could identify with in his everyday world, and it was quite beyond his level of comprehension. but he sensed this was no ordinary man in his presence. "are you really william shakespeare?" he ventured forth timidly. "and if you truly are, how could you still be alive hundreds of years after you were born?" "well, young one," smiled the bard kindly, "that is a long story...suffice to say i am here with you having this conversation. and look around you--many of the other passengers are people from your history books. we are en route to our home beyond the outer fringes of oz. we are graduates of the university of higher consciousness, and we are on our way to historicalfigureland. so much hatred exists in the world you come from, and where there is not exactly hatred per se, there is often indifference or even total apathy for the plight of others. and as if your world were not bad enough with the constant warring between nations, many individuals in so-called civilized lands feel the need to declare war on their neighbors. i am speaking of your young people killing each other for no other reason than that it has become the thing to do. what is so sad is that they totally lack remorse for their victims' pain and suffering and give not the slightest thought to the victims' families left behind in utter and complete desolation and sadness at their terrible loss. our goal is to find a way to encourage people to reach out to one another--to care for one another. that is why we wrote our books and plays, to teach people what life be truly about." _okay. that's it_, thought graham. _there's no doubt about the truth of what the old guy is saying regarding earth conditions. but the queer old boy is definitely off his rocker. first, there's definitely no other passengers on the plane, and_ ... "good grief!" he exclaimed as the outlines of human forms began to appear in the other passenger seats. gradually these forms became more solid until he realized that indeed the plane was filled with passengers, many of which were historical figures in the modes of dress of their particular times in history. first he saw napoleon in the aisle to his immediate left. then, next to him, marie antoinette. then mary, queen-of-scots, henry the eighth, and alexander the great. in the next aisle: caesar augustus, mark anthony, cleopatra, joan of arc, aristotle, and plato. it seemed that every historical figure of note was present aboard the plane, not to mention a sprinkling of people from various walks of life, such as marcus aurelius, jane merrick, kenneth gage baum, fred stone, judy garland, and ray powell. of course, graham did not know who everyone was by name, but many faces looked familiar to him. "i'm terribly sorry," apologized shakespeare. "i didn't realize that your eyes had not yet become sensitized to the higher vibrations of my friends. what must you have thought of me?" "oh, nothing at all," cried graham. "i mean, i hadn't really noticed all these people. i was so engrossed in what you were saying." "really?" replied the bard with a twinkle in his eye. "i quite understand. people are always totally captivated by my words. anyway, as i was saying, or rather, as i was about to say..." at that moment, a head bent over the bard's shoulder to say hello to graham. it was none other than mark twain, whom graham instantly recognized. and with him was a gentleman who introduced himself as charles dickens. he gave graham a wink and shook his hand. "you're a fine young fellow. i predict that you will go far in life." of course, graham was speechless. it suddenly hit him that he was in the company of some of the world's greatest human beings. if he ever got back home and tried to tell people, they would be sure to lock him up and throw away the key. mark twain asked how things were going and assured him that, while the plane would not be able to transport him home, he felt certain that, when the time came, a way would be found which would enable him to return. "if not," mark twain said, "not to worry. there'd never be a dull moment in oz!" _oh, that's just great!_ thought graham. now there was a chance that he would not get back. but did not shakespeare say that he wanted him to inform the world that he had written his own stuff? he would not have said that if he did not think that the boy would get home to tell the tale. _what am i saying?_ thought graham. _none of this is really happening. i'm just having the most gigantic, craziest dream anyone has ever had_. "by the way," said mark twain, interrupting graham's thoughts. "here are a couple of letters i forgot to mail to my poet friend, bayard taylor. they should probably be in some collection somewhere so, if you'd take them back with you, i'd appreciate it. i said in one letter that i'd probably forget to stamp it, and i did." twain handed graham the letters and indicated that he did not mind the boy's reading them if he wanted to. _there i go again_, thought graham, _believing in my own dream._ in any event, he settled back in the seat and began to read the letters. however, before he could really get started, charles dickens interrupted him. "as usual, this twain fellow takes over and hogs the conversation. in the very near future, young graham, you and i will get together, and i'll tell you some very interesting stories of my childhood. in the meantime," he said, scribbling on a piece of paper that had some kind of drawing on it, "i have autographed a sketch of boz to take back with you. boz was the name i used when i first embarked on my literary adventures. in case you are wondering if there is a cryptic connection between boz and baum and oz, you'll have to keep wondering about that. i was born at portsea, portsmouth, a few minutes before midnight on the seventh of february, , forty-four years before mr. baum was born. i came to oz in , when mr. baum was only fourteen years old. he was not destined to write about oz until some thirty years later. now, when you come back, i'll tell you some more about my early days, and i'll make sure that our friend twain doesn't bask in his self-perceived limelight while we're having our important discussions." [illustration] "now, you listen up, mr. dickens, sir," said mark twain with mock anger, for they were actually the best of friends. "i resent that, and i won't have you filling the boy's head with a lot of imaginary adventures and strange connections between words. next you'll be telling him there's a link between the land of ev and robert evans--or even more ludicrous--that frank oz and michael ovitz of hollywood have a mystical link to oz because they have oz in their names, or even more ludicrous, that you and chris dulabone have a connection because you both have the initials c.d. i mean, how far can you go with this stuff? i'm telling the boy about real things and about real life..." dickens just shook his head slowly and turned to graham. "i really don't pay much attention to his rambling. go ahead and read his boring letters before he has a kitten. i won't forget my promise to you, and we'll have a delightfully interesting time together, you'll see. and i promise you, my stories will not be imaginary. oh, by the way, here's some of my correspondence you might wish to take back with you. one is a letter and note i sent to my american friend, mr. fields of boston, and also some beverage recipes i sent to mrs. fields. also an announcement of two plays i produced, one of which i acted in and--" "you're not the only actor around here, mr. dickens, sir!" interrupted twain. "i've acted in plays, too. for example, i was in _loan of a lover_ in . your mrs. fields, by the way, said i was wonderful in it. and as long as you're producing letters you wrote to mr. fields, i'll give young graham a copy of a letter that i wrote to mr. fields. so what do you think about that?" graham was astounded to hear these two world-famous personages fighting like children and competing for his attention. what would his history teacher and his fellow classmates think? he accepted the additional material, then settled down to begin reading as the two men continued to argue all the way back to their seats. he started with mark twain's letters. there were actually four letters, one of them completely in german, which twain probably had not meant to hand him. but the boy read it anyway, no matter that he did not understand a word. it did not dawn on him that, if this was a dream, where did the german words come from if they were not in his consciousness to begin with? below is a copy of the letters for the record, although it is suggested that the reader skim over them for now, as they are not relevant except as historical interest: _schloss-hotel heidelberg may , h. albert lieber herr taylor: wir werden hier blieben viellicht für drie monate, zum schloss hotel. --dies hotel steht about fünf und siebenzig fuss höhler als das schloss, und commandirt ein aussicht welcher ohne ahnlichkeit in der welt hat. (sie mussen excuse auskratchens, interlineations.) ich habe heute gecalled on der herr professor ihne, qui est die professor von englishen zunge im university, to get him to recommend ein deutchen lehrer für mich, welcher he did. er sprach um mehrerer americanischer authors, und meist güngstiger & vernügungsvoll von ihrer; dass er knew you and ihrer so wohl durch ihrer geschereibungen; und wann ich habe gesagt ich sollen ihr schreiben heute nacht gewesen if nothing happened, er bitte mich opfer sein compliments, und hoffe ihnen will ihm besuchen wenn du kommst an heidelberg. er war ein vortrefflicher and liebwürdiger & every way delightful alte gentleman. man sagt ich muss ein pass (in der english, passport,) haben to decken accidents. däfur gefelligt ihnen furnish me one. meine beschreibung ist vollenden: geborn ; fuss ein wenig unter, sometimes ein wenig oben; dunkel braun haar und rhotes moustache, full gesicht, mit sehr hohe oren and leicht grau practvolles strahlenden augen und ein verdammtes gut moral character. handlungkeit, author von bücher. ich habe das deutche sprache gelernt und bin ein glücklicher kind, you bet. with warmest regards & kindness remembrances from all our party to you & your wife and daughter. yrs sincerely, s. l. clemens the königstuhl, june [ ] lieber herrn taylor: (don't know whether it ought to be herr or herrn). am much obliged for the letter--it was from friend whom i have been trying to ferret out. yes, we still live at the schloss-hotel, & shall doubtless continue to do so until the neighborhood of august--but i only eat and sleep there; my work-den is the second story of a little wirthschaft which stands at the base of the tower on the summit of the konigsstuhl. i walk up there every morning at , write until , talk the most hopeless and unimprovable german with the family 'til , then tramp down to the hotel for the night. it is a schones aussicht up there as you may remember. the exercise of climbing up there is invigorating but devilish. i have just written regrets to the paris literary convention. i did hate to have to miss that entertainment, but i knew that if i went there & spent a fortnight it would take me another fortnight to get settled down into the harness again--couldn't afford that. the emperor is a splendid old hero! that he could survive such wounds never entered my head--yet by the news i judge he is actually recovering. it is worth something to be a lincoln or a kaiser wilhelm--& it gives a man a better opinion of the world to show appreciation for such men--& what is better, love of them.--i have not seen anything of this outburst of affectionate indignation since mr. lincoln's assassination gave the common globe a sense of personal injury. ich habe der consul smith gesehen ein paar wochen ago, & told him about that pass, und er hat mir gesagt das er wurde be absent from this gegen--(something) zwei oder drei wochen, aber wann er sollte hier wieder nachkommen, wollte er der pass geschlagen worden & snake it off to berlin. vielleicht hat er noch nicht zu mannheim zuruck-kehrt. now as to the grammar of this language; i haven't conquered the accusative case yet (i began with that) & there are three more. it begins to seem to me that i have got to try to get along with the accusative alone & leave the rest of this grammar to be tackled in the future life. with our kindest remembrances to you & yours yrs sincerely, s. l. clemens hotel de l'ecu de geneve sept. / my dear mr. taylor: i have learned the german language & forgotten it again; so i resume english once more. i have just returned from a walking trip to mont blanc--which i was intending to ascend, but was obliged to give up the idea, as i had gone too early & there was still snow on it. i find your letter here; if you will be so kind as to forward slote's letter to the above address i think it will be in time to catch me--& in any case i will make arrangements to have it follow me. (i am going to try to enclose the necessary stamps in this, but if i forget it--however, i won't) we have been poking around slowly through switzerland for a month; a week hence we go to venice--to rome & other places later; & we are booked for munich nov. (for the winter.) one of these days i am going to whet up my german again & take a run to berlin, & have a talk with you in that fine old tongue. yrs ever s. l. clemens no. a karlstrasse, ( e stock) munich, dec. [ ] my dear mr. taylor: when we were poking around italy or weeks ago, i was told that you were ill, but straightway saw it contradicted in a newspaper. now comes this paragraph in galignani which not only shows that the contradiction was erroneous, but shows how ignorant one may be in this country about what is happening only a few hundred miles away; especially when one is buried in work & neither talks with people or often looks in the paper. we three folks are heartily glad to hear that you are coming happily out of it; & we are venturing to hope that by this time you are wholly restored. we are located for the winter,--i suppose. but the children are having such a run of coughs & diptheria [sic], that i can't tell at what moment mrs. clemens may take fright & flee to some kindlier climate. however, i stick hard at work & make what literary hay i can while we tarry. our little children talk german as glibly as they do english, now, but the rest of us are mighty poor german scholars, i can tell you. rev. twitchell (who was over here with me a while,) conceived a pretty correct average of my german. when i was talking, (in my native tongue,) about some rather private matters in the hearing of some germans one day, twitchel said, "speak in german, mark,--some of these people may understand english." many a time when teachers & dictionaries fail to unravel knotty paragraphs, we wish we could fly to you for succor; we even go so far as to believe you can read a german newspaper & understand it; & in moments of deep irritation i have been provoked into expressing the opinion that you are the only foreigner except god who can do that thing. i would not rob you of your food or clothes or your umbrella, but if i caught your german out i would take it. but i don't study any more,--i have given it up. i & mine join in the kindest remembrances & best wishes to you & your family. sincerely yours saml. l. clemens we are going to try to run over to berlin in the spring_. as graham finished mark twain's last letter--the one to mr. fields, dated --he noticed that the next letter from dickens to mr. fields was dated --seven years prior. he wondered if the two famous writers had actually crossed paths or had just known the fields independent of one another. either way, it was interesting to note that they were contemporaries. he had always imagined that dickens had lived in a much earlier era than twain. well, to continue: _westminster hotel, new york sunday, twenty-ninth december, my dear fields: when i come to boston for the two readings of the th and th, i shall be alone, as the dolby must be selling elsewhere. if you and mrs. fields should have no other visitor, i shall be very glad indeed on that occasion to come to you. it is very likely that you may have some one come with you. of course you will tell me so if you have, and i will then re'mbellish the parker house. since i left boston last, i have been so miserable that i have been obliged to call in a dr.--dr. fordyce barker, a very agreeable fellow. he was strongly inclined to stop the readings altogether for some few days, but i pointed out to him how we stood committed, and how i must go on if it could be done. my great terror was yesterday's matinee, but it went off splendidly. (a very heavy cold indeed, an irritated condition of the uvula, and a restlessly low state of the nervous system, were your friends maladies. if i had not avoided visiting, i think i should have been disabled for a week or so.) i hear from london that the general question in society is, what will be blown up next year by the fenians. with love to mrs. fields, believe me, ever affectionately yours, and hers, charles dickens_ following this letter to mr. fields was the note dated and the recipes for the brewing of pleasant beverages. last was the program for the two plays at the tavistock house theatre. graham was really looking forward to bringing all these things back with him. as graham got to the last line of the last letter, his eyes began to feel heavy. the whirlwind of activity since his abduction had caught up with him. just as he was falling asleep, the sound of the captain's voice on the intercom jerked him awake. "ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching historicalfigureland international airport. we hope you had an enjoyable flight and hope to see you again on oz airlines. oh, and to our young guest from america, you are welcome to visit your friends here any time. but i'm sure you want to continue with your mission, and you will be glad to hear that we will be making an immediate turnaround after the disembarkation of our other passengers. i believe you were brought on board for the sole purpose of delivering some important documents back to america, but you are certainly welcome to stay as long as you wish." at that, the plane landed with a slight bump and soon taxied to the terminal. the doors opened and everyone began to file out--many, anticipating that graham would soon be returning, didn't engage him in conversation, but shook his hand warmly and wished him well. mark twain gave him a hug and said how much he had enjoyed his company. he said that graham reminded him a lot of tom sawyer who, he said, currently lived down the street from him. seeing graham's puzzled expression, he quickly explained that any imaginary character an author dreams up is actually a person that the author has tuned into. and that an author rarely has an original thought in his head but is really very good at catching glimpses of activities (present, past or future) somewhere in creation. as mark twain turned to the exit, graham suddenly remembered a question that he had wanted to ask. "oh, mr. twain," he called. "i wanted to ask how you came to use the name mark twain. i know your real name is samuel clemens...." "well," responded twain, "no one has ever asked me that question before--just kidding," he added quickly, seeing graham's expression. "yes, i am asked it all the time. the name was first used by an old mississippi river pilot named isaiah sellers, who used to write items for the _new orleans picayune_, in which he told of his adventures. he signed them mark twain, which in the parlance of pilots is a leadsman call meaning two fathoms, or twelve feet. when i was a cub pilot, i wrote a burlesque on captain seller's articles and published it in a rival paper under the signature of sargeant fathom. unfortunately, the captain was so hurt by the burlesque that he never wrote another article. i still feel badly about it to this day, for i would never have intentionally hurt the old gentleman's feelings. anyway, in , when i was working for the _enterprise_ in virginia city, nevada, i wanted a good pen name and, while i was trying to think of one, i received the news of the death of the good captain. this brought to mind the name mark twain, and so i adopted the name in his honor. i signed it first in a letter from carson city to the _enterprise_ on february second, . so now you know, my young friend," said twain as he handed him an autographed photo of himself. "something to keep for yourself, in remembrance of your visit here." he hugged graham again and waved goodbye to the boy as he descended from the plane. several distinguished-looking gentlemen stopped to introduce themselves to graham. one said his name was ralph waldo emerson and another, nathaniel hawthorne. yet another, isaac newton, who said graham would probably become a scientist. "undoubtedly a physicist," said albert einstein. "oh, no," interjected eugene o'neill. "there's no question that he will be a writer." this last remark was overheard by charles lindbergh, who insisted that graham would be a flyer. then two deep resonant voices spoke in unison: "it is obvious that the boy is a born actor." the speakers were lionel barrymore and john gilbert. but senator charles sumner had the final word: "whether he becomes an actor or not is immaterial: i can assure you that this young man's ultimate destiny is in the political arena." after the distinguished group finished arguing about graham's future vocation, they said that, since he seemed to be starting an autograph collection, they would be glad to add theirs to the list. even john dickens, father of charles dickens, signed the sheet. then emerson also handed him a note that he had written to--of all people--mrs. fields! "don't mention this to dickens or twain," he said. "they'll just be jealous." turning to make sure emerson had disembarked, nathaniel hawthorne winked at graham and whispered, "here's a little note that i, too, wrote to mrs. fields. not a word now to emmy, dickybird, or marky-mark." graham laughed out loud at the nicknames being given to emerson, dickens, and twain, as well as the schoolboy-like antics being displayed by these great men. then edward lear, who wrote _the owl and the pussycat_, also handed him a handwritten note to mrs. fields. graham could not help but think what a popular lady this mrs. fields must have been in her day. he wished he could have known her. hawthorne then handed him a signed photograph, as did isaac newton, charles darwin, thomas alva edison, albert einstein, and h. g. wells. even stephan crane and rudyard kipling produced photographs. mr. shakespeare was the last to leave. he had gone back to his seat when messrs. twain and dickens were vying for graham's attention. he, too, hugged the boy as he said goodbye, then handed him a piece of paper. "i have written down the verses i recited to you earlier, my friend--just in case you are not able to remember them all. it is important that this be given, simply because so many people doubt my authorship. i suppose after it is published there will still be doubters, but so be it. skeptics have always existed and, i assume, always will. some people like to doubt the reality of certain phenomena that appears quite obvious to others. i suspect it makes them feel secure: something they no longer have to deal with. well, good luck, my little friend. i'm sure you will find your way home. oh, incidentally, i almost forgot. i didn't want to one-upmanship dickens and twain in their presence, but i was an actor too, you know--long before those two. you might also like to have my autographed sketch. you will note the difference in my spelling of my name and the later versions." he stuffed a piece of paper in graham's shirt pocket as he exited. as the plane's doors closed behind shakespeare, the flight attendant brought graham a refreshing glass of lemonade. his thoughts turned to telly, who had been so sad at being left behind. he eagerly looked forward to seeing the little guy again. graham slept the entire trip back. he awoke just as the plane taxied to the terminal. and who should be waiting in exactly the same place as he left him but telly, who was so glad that graham had returned that he ran up and hugged him for the longest time. "i knew you'd come back," he said. "that's why i waited. i knew that the plane couldn't be going to america. in fact, i still don't believe that there was any plane or airport or anything. i think it was all some trick of the witch to confuse us. planes simply cannot exist in oz. transportation is either by foot or via some magical contrivance such as the animated gump or the famous red wagon." "well, i hate to disappoint you," replied graham, waving the bundle of letters, photographs, and drawings in his hand. "but where do you think these came from if the whole thing was some kind of hallucination? and how could i read german words if the words weren't in my consciousness to begin with? and i certainly couldn't have made up shakespeare's words." "and i hate to disappoint you," answered telly, quite tartly, "but you might wish to look behind you." graham turned to look behind him to catch a glimpse of the entire airport fading away. not only that, but the papers in his hand had also faded away to absolute nothingness. "oh, no!" cried the boy. "now i have no proof of my experience!" "that's because it never happened," telly replied dryly. chapter eleven: the winkie country oz was as unlike america as it could be, yet also familiar. it was not very long at all before graham began to feel almost at home among the soft yellow countryside of the vast winkie territory in which the pair now found themselves. in fact, graham had come to feel so comfortable that he had all but forgotten about the evil witch. he might have remained content and carefree indefinitely, had he not heard the growl that came forth from a nearby top-hat bush. it was a most deafening growl that sounded as terrible as a buzz-saw and as alive as an unfed zoo animal. graham shuddered. he wondered what sort of macabre being could possibly make such a horrendous noise. then a voice rang out. it was not a human voice at all, and this made graham shudder even more, whereas telly seemed quite unfazed. (that was only because he was walking and napping at the same time.) apparently he had switched to automatic pilot, then closed his eyes as he drifted into a state of oblivion. "do you remember how the wicked witches sent the terrible forest monster after the wizard?" said the voice. "of course i do," answered a second voice, equally unhuman-sounding "and who could forget the time allidap sent forth those fearsome gray wolves after little dorothy? they could easily have ripped her to shreds." both of the voices sounded distinctly throaty and animalistic. in fact, they sounded as a wild beast might sound, could a wild beast speak english. it occurred to graham that this was oz. wild animals could speak english! "and do you think that witch pulled a good scare when she sent those angry birds to attack dorothy and her friends?" said one of the wild creatures. graham could take no more of this. it was obvious that they were surrounded by hidden animals sent by the wicked witch to eat them (at least him; he doubted they would attempt to eat telly, since he would be highly indigestible). he quickly jabbed telly in his rib-cage to awaken him to the imminent danger and, at the same time, he stooped over to grab a yellow rock from the ground. it was not much of a weapon, but it would have to do. he held up the rock threateningly. "okay, wolves or monsters or whatever you are!" he shouted. "i hear you conspiring. and i know that you are working for the wicked witch! we're not going to give up without a fight, so i suggest that you all go away!" he smiled with a hint of pride in his brave speech. but suddenly, there was a rustle of leaves behind him, and a huge creature sprang out from behind a bush and leaped at the pair. graham, not wanting to be attacked from behind, swung himself around to face the creature. as he did so, he absently lowered his weapon at the sight of two rows of gleaming white fangs and claws that could easily have torn a little boy like himself apart in an instant. he realized that the rock in his hand was a puny weapon indeed for confronting such a ferocious beast. but nevertheless, he raised it again as a sort of reflex action and thrust it directly at the teeth of the creature. at that moment, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of another set of jagged teeth and claws attacking from his right. it raised a huge paw and knocked him off balance. the rock fell to the ground, out of reach. the little boy watched in horror as one of the two animals stepped forward and looked at his face. the other one was watching telly. "what do you think?" asked one of them. "looks like a little boy and a tin can with arms and legs carrying a tv set," said the other. "the boy's not all dressed in yellow, so he's not a winkie." "nor is he all in blue, like a munchkin." "or purple, red, or green. he matches none of the oz colors. i wonder where he came from." "maybe he's from ev. or ix." "can you speak, boy?" graham struggled to sit up, while telly just stood and glared at the beasts. he was not happy with their description of him and was seriously considering giving them a tongue-lashing, but thought discretion was the better part of valor, at least for the moment. [illustration] when graham was able to collect himself, he discovered that the two beasts walked on all fours and were of the feline persuasion. these were no hungry wolves or monsters at all. actually, they were a lion and a tiger. as graham jumped to his feet, the lion sprang backward. "yikes!" he screamed, jumping behind the tiger. "is he g-going to h-hurt us?" "i don't think so," answered the tiger. "i imagine he's just getting up to look for some din-din." at this point, as if on cue, a loud growl echoed from the vicinity of the tiger. not from his mouth or throat, but from the deepest recesses of his tummy. graham looked at telly, and telly looked at graham. "apparently," said graham, "the angry growling that we heard was nothing more than the sounds of an empty stomach. so you aren't slaves of the bad witch, or sent to kill me?" the tiger looked a little sheepish, which is not easy for a tiger to do. "of course not," he said. "don't you know who i am? i am the hungry tiger of oz. everyone's heard of me. there have been volumes of books written about me! i am always hungry, but i am not a carnivore. i am afraid i would feel just awful if ever i ate up one of my fellow beings. here in the land of oz, as you know, all creatures are treated equally. i can't stand the thought of eating up any organism that might ultimately become a friend. this makes me feel bad, too. i am reduced to a strictly vegetarian diet. i yearn to gobble up a few scrumptiously delicious fat babies, yet i am reduced to struggling through meals of tofu-strips and loveburger. oh, if only my conscience would let me feast upon a fat baby just once! but, alas, i am cursed with a very strong conscience." "then i am not afraid of you," said graham. "what about this lion?" "he is the cowardly lion of oz," explained the hungry tiger. "he's got a pretty good conscience, too." "then why did he attack me like that?" graham wanted to know. "i didn't attack you," replied the cowardly lion. "i heard you say that there were some wolves or monsters or something-or-others who were working for the wicked witch. you announced that you were going to fight them, so i naturally jumped behind you to cower in fear." "oh," said graham. "i misunderstood your actions." "so," continued the lion, "are there really slaves of the w-w-w-witch around here?" "i heard them talking about how a witch sent a forest monster and some wolves to attack innocent people," said graham. "but ..." "that was us," explained the tiger. "we like to talk about oz history a lot. we were in the bushes looking for some yummy kiwi fruits to help satisfy my never-ending hunger when you came along." "so the witch isn't after me after all?" "guess not," replied the tiger. "should she be?" "well," he said meekly. "i played a couple of rather crude tricks on her. i suspect that she'll be pretty peeved when she does find me. i left her admiring herself in a ... well, a kind of self-induced trance. it's kind of hard to explain. but when she finds a mirror ... well, i dread to think what will happen." the lion and the tiger looked at one another. the lion stood to his full height, which was actually somewhat larger than most of the lions we can see in zoos, and smiled a toothy smile. "i'll protect you, my son!" he snarled. and how he could snarl and smile at the same time was beyond graham, but let it suffice that he did do it. "no wicked witch will get 'hold of any pals of mine! i'm a raging lion, after all! i am big! i am strong! i'm the unchallenged king of the beasts! i am the--" he dove behind a bush when the tiger tapped him on the shoulder. "er, excuse me," said the tiger, "but i only wanted to get your attention." "sorry," the lion said meekly, slinking back into the open. "i think we should learn about our new chum," suggested the hungry tiger. "after all, now that you've vowed to protect him, aren't you just a little bit curious as to who he is?" graham, seeing that he was expected to introduce himself, told the two cats who he was and how he came to be in oz, how he had tricked the witch, and how he met telly, and how they had conspired together to trick her again, et cetera, et cetera. the cowardly lion shuddered. the hungry tiger swallowed hard (an act that normally comes quite easily to him). even graham became a little nervous as he recounted his dealings with the witch and was reminded that he was in imminent danger. "if you two would care to accompany us, you are certainly very welcome," graham said to the lion and tiger. "well, i don't know about that," replied the lion. "at the moment, the old witch isn't bothering us. and if she sees us with you two, she might decide that birds of a feather flock together, if you know what i mean." "oh, don't be such a coward," admonished the tiger. "she'll see right away that we're not birds." at that, everyone laughed as the four headed off into the sunset. chapter twelve: the meeting with princess ozma graham knew that he would need to have a good plan of action if he was going to get home in spite of the witch. he looked beseechingly at his two new-found feline friends. both were certainly both powerful and agile. still, the boy knew only too well that the four of them were no match for the wicked witch. she, after all, had the ability to transport herself to any land she wished. possibly even to other planets! if she yearned to take them in tow as her prisoners, it seemed impossible to stop her. "it's terrible!" roared the cowardly lion. "i remember when that green witch appeared at the parade. she scared the living daylights out of me!" "but," added the hungry tiger, "what i can't figure out is why queen ozma never did anything about her. she could easily have looked into the magic picture to find the villainess, made a wish or two on the magic belt, and presto, no more wicked witch." "that's puzzling, indeed," agreed the cowardly lion with an obvious shudder. "could the witch have done something to ozma? maybe ozma is under some awful spell like she was that time when she lost her memory! oh, dear oh dear oh dear! we have got to save her!" "now let's not jump to any wild conclusions," replied the tiger, a low growl issuing forth from his stomach. "i suggest that we hurry back to the emerald city to ask queen ozma for her help. if she is under any spells, the wizard or glinda will help us. if she is not under any vile enchantment, then her magic belt can easily wish away the witch. she can also send graham home with the belt." "but what if the witch has enchanted the wizard and glinda, too!" bellowed the lion, tears running down his face. "what if she's made them all into little candy corns or tea bags or jell-o jigglers or something?" the tiger's stomach roared at the sound of these food words. "pull yourself together and stop talking about food!" he said. "we can't go losing our heads over things that we don't know for sure. maybe the whole witch-thing simply slipped ozma's mind." the cowardly lion looked at his chum in a reproachful manner. "tige," he said, "do you really believe that our beloved queen is so absent-minded? i think we owe her a bit more respect than that. we all saw that repulsive old woman. you saw her, too, tige! and that th-th-threat! you heard it, t-t-too! no, our ozma would c-c-certainly have done something to stop that wicked old w-w-witch by now! and so would glinda! and the w-w-wizard, too! none of them would have forgotten about all of that! let alone all th-th-three of th-th-them! no, i can feel it in my bones. she's done something dreadful to them all. they are enchanted or cursed or destroyed or--" "are you trying to scare yourself?" said the tiger. "i d-d-don't have to try!" wailed the lion. "can't we go to your emerald city to find out?" asked graham, who felt that all this talk was doing nothing for anyone. "we have to go there. it's the only way to find out for sure." "our young friend has a good head for logic," said the tiger. "let's hurry and get to the emerald city." the two jungle-cats could move almost as swiftly as the wind. graham, of course, could not possibly have hoped to keep pace with them had he had to walk on his own. but fortunately, the beasts were willing to allow graham and telly to ride upon their backs. this made the journey go much more quickly. in only a couple of days, the green of the city was in sight. in short order, they got to the front gates which led into this amazing and phenomenally beautiful capital of oz. graham could not conceal his awe at the sight of the place. "home again," said the hungry tiger. "now we get to go in and see what poor ozma and the wizard have been t-t-turned into!" sighed the cowardly lion. imby amby, the guardian of the gates, met the trio with a smile of greeting. "hello!" he said cheerfully. "imby," retorted the tiger, "will you kindly tell my dear boy here that our queen has not been transformed into a gelatin mold?" "i should hope not!" replied the guardian. "last time i saw her, she was playing checkers with betsy bobbin. seemed to be winning, too." the tiger smiled knowingly, then nudged the lion in a friendly way. "come on," he said. "let's go see our queen. she will certainly set things right straightaway." the trio hurried into the palace and quickly located the young ruler. she was gaily sipping a cup of herbal tea and having a lively conversation with the scarecrow and the patchwork girl. as soon as she saw her two old friends with the strangers, she stopped in mid-sentence. "what's wrong?" she asked. "you look upset about something." the hungry tiger bowed low before the little girl. "your majesty, this young man, graham, has come from america and has escaped the clutches of a very wicked witch. surely you remember the parade and the horrible threat that this witch spoke!" "surely," replied ozma. the patchwork girl impulsively did five handsprings and landed on the tiger's broad back, where she proceeded to recite the following in a sing-song voice: "_the wicked witch was bad, indeed! her evil soul was full of greed! to show her powers she did try, and on her broomstick she did fly! she tried to capture everyone; she thought that it would be such fun! but clever ozma and the wiz would never let her do this biz! a wholesome spell has now been cast, so that old witch's time is past. the good old wizard cast a spell that changed the witch into a bell! she now can make a bathtub ring, but cannot do another thing!_" ozma smiled sweetly. "what scraps is telling you, in her own spirited way, is that your witch was already dealt with a day or two ago. i saw what she had done in my magic picture, and i had the wonderful wizard of oz take care of it in his unique manner. he transformed the witch into a cow-bell. she will remain in that form until such time as she has a change of heart. when she becomes truly repentant and is willing to become a law-abiding citizen of oz, she will magically become a silver christmas bell instead of the old cow-bell. at that point, we will restore her to her human form and allow her to live a brand new life as a new and changed individual." "a cow-bell," echoed the lion, all trace of fear having suddenly vanished from his heart. "how interesting! i remember a time years ago when the wizard did a similar trick with some troublesome imps. he made them into buttons which would change color when they repented." "yes," said ozma. "as for you, friend telly, i am sure you will become fast friends with the tin woodman and tik-tok. the two of them are upstairs right now, admiring their similarities and differences. would you like to have me summon them?" "oh, please do!" put in the scarecrow. "i'd love to see graham's metal friend meet them. if his heart is as pure as that of my dear friend nick chopper's, i know that he will be a very good and wholesome person." they all agreed and, within minutes, the two metal men stepped into the room. nick chopper, the famous tin woodman of oz, had been recently polished, and so was feeling especially bright and chipper. tik-tok, who was a clockwork man made out of copper, was always very bright--so long as his clockwork was kept wound up. telly seemed to be very happy in the company of these new friends. [illustration] "i think that it's time to organize a big celebration to commemorate the overthrow of the wicked witch and to honor our new friends!" suggested the patchwork girl. "a grand idea!" agreed the scarecrow. "and i'd like to hold it in the cabin that tattypoo made for us near her mountain retreat!" interjected the patchwork girl. "indeed!" agreed the scarecrow. "there is plenty of land there. we could have games like potato-sack races and a big parade and a band or two, and...." "it sounds great!" said scraps, leaping up, grabbing a chandelier and swinging from it while bursting into song: "_a party is the thing to do whenever something pleases you! i'm awful glad the witch is belled, for lots of troubles she'd have spelled! and i am glad to meet young graham, i hope he won't think i'm a ham! and telly is a funny man! i hope he'll be there if he can! a lovely time we all will spend! we will not want it e'er to end_!" she sang in her most dignified manner. of course, scraps and dignity are about as compatible as oil and water, but her words were certainly fitting to the occasion. the celebration was a great success. celebrities from all over oz were there. even the former good witch of the north put in an appearance. it was a celebration of nearly the magnitude of that which had caused the arrival of the wicked witch in the first place, except that there were no large floats. there had been no time for the oz folk to construct any. besides, it seemed to everyone involved that they would not be especially apropos under the circumstances. when the festivities were over, ozma approached graham. "well," she said in her youthful but queenly voice, "have you enjoyed your little trip to oz?" "oh, yes!" replied the boy. "and i'm so glad to have met you. wait until i tell my little brother about all of this! he'll be so surprised!" "graham," replied ozma, "you can't tell your little brother about any of the things you've seen here. even about meeting dorothy or the scarecrow." "but ..." began the boy. "graham," she continued, "oz is a place that would be very interesting to some of the people back in america. so long as they know of oz as only a fantasy, they will not come to look for us. but our continent and its surrounding regions are very big. our territory makes your mortal continents look like rhode island. because some mortals do not have your values, and think of no one but themselves or their bank accounts, they would begin to seriously search out our continent. as it comprises so much land, they might eventually break through our magical barriers and invisibility spells--even the spell that diverts them off course whenever they try to reach us. these barriers have been crossed by accident in the past, as you know. if a wicked mortal were trying to do it intentionally, he might find a way." "but no one has ever done it before," said graham. "and my brother would so love to hear about oz. he'd never do anything bad. i promise." "i am not doubting the righteousness of your brother. but secrets get out, and people pass them along. i know this is true. i cannot allow you to tell anyone back home about oz being a real place. i want it to be considered only a silly fairy tale for children. this is our greatest protection." "i understand," said graham. "i won't tell him about it." "but you have proven yourself by your love for telly," said the queen. "you can stay and live in oz forever. you will be a citizen here, where you will never have to grow old. you will never again know sickness, and you will never have to die." graham was taken aback by the offer. "you mean it?" he said. "i can stay here and be with telly and the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger forever?" "you can." graham still seemed overwhelmed. "that would be super," he said. "but... my family! i love my family. can't you bring them here to live as well?" "no," ozma said solemnly. "that is not possible. you are invited only because you have proven your value. even the shaggy man had to prove his worth before staying on in oz. your family has not proven itself worthy. you alone may stay in oz." "then i want to go home right now," said graham. "i can't leave them." "i thought you'd say that," sighed ozma. "but you already know too much. i can't send you back there. it isn't that i don't trust you. but i fear that someday you may let the secret slip. maybe you'd talk in your sleep. maybe you'd grow older and be taken in by the terrible drugs and alcohol which are so common in the mortal lands. these might make you say things that you'd normally never say. i'm sure it could never happen to a boy like you, but what if... i'm sorry, graham. you must stay here. i have already arranged for you to have a lovely mansion not far from here. or you can stay with telly or whomever you please. you can take any apartments you might desire in the palace if you prefer. in fact, you are free to roam as you please. i don't want to have you think of yourself as a prisoner. i know it will seem that way at first. but i promise you that the benefits of living in oz will soon drive those ideas from your mind." graham looked at ozma. any sympathy he might have felt for her was gone. he saw her point, but he did feel more like a prisoner than a citizen of oz. chapter thirteen: a window, a window graham's apartment in the palace was not at all palace-like, and it looked as if it had not been lived in for some time. but he agreed to live there. he had no desire to live in ozma's palace, but he wanted to have the ability to visit his friends on occasion. he still saw ozma as a captor. all he had ever wanted was to go home, and now he knew that he was never going to achieve that goal. in his heart, he hated ozma for doing this to him. the very least she could do would have been to bring his family here! why was she so structured about things? this was hardly the stuff that nice fairy tales were made of! graham's apartment was in a very secluded part of the palace where he would not have to see anyone unless he elected to. there were no neighbors to speak of. graham sort of preferred it that way. he did not want to speak his mind about the cruel little queen to anyone. she was so mean that he feared she would make a cow-bell out of him if he seemed the least bit insubordinate.... so he sat in an old settee and brooded. he had a good supply of books to keep him company, and all of the ozian celebrities had agreed to visit him often. at the time, he had agreed to these visits. but now, as he sat staring at the wall, he wished that they would not come. he yearned only to be left alone. but one can, after all, only be left alone for a short while before he becomes lonesome. and graham was not so very long in becoming anxious for some sort of companionship, or at least some form of stimulation. he went to a bookshelf and perused the titles on the various tomes that were there. _the emerald city of oz_ was among them. graham sullenly took it in his hands and flopped it open. to his astonishment, he found there a reference to dorothy's aunt and uncle being allowed to come and live in oz to be close to her. not only that, but it recounted how dorothy had come to visit oz on many occasions, gone back home to kansas, and even told people about oz while she was there! this really made graham feel insulted. if ozma could trust a girl, why not a boy? for the next couple of hours, graham pored over the many books that he found in the palace library's vast collection. each and every time a person, adult, boy, or girl, came to oz, ozma had always treated him as she had dorothy. in fact, the very shaggy man that ozma had mentioned actually had to beg to stay in oz! ozma had practically insisted that he be sent home! why was she acting so cruelly toward himself, but toward no one else? he stood up indignantly and decided then and there to make his way back to the throne room and have a word with ozma. that mean little girl would have a darn good explanation for this, or she would have a black eye! graham walked the corridors of the palace for about twenty minutes. but they seemed to have twisted and turned around. they were not as he remembered them at all. he wondered at this. could ozma have done this to permanently entrap him? he grew to hate ozma more and more as the minutes ticked away. the corridors seemed endless! and none seemed to lead to anyplace in particular, either. "ooh!" he said, gritting his teeth in frustration. "when i find that little twirp of a queen, i'm going to show her what-for!" but three more hours of frustration brought him no closer to this goal. at last, he flung himself to the ground and looked up at the ceiling. "i hate you, princess ozma!" he grunted. "i hate you!" [illustration] then, from sheer exhaustion, he fell asleep. he remained asleep for an undeterminable period of time. he was awakened by a shaft of light in his eyes. a window! there was a window! he had overlooked it in his frustrated exhaustion, but now it was evident to him. oh, it was a bit high, but he felt that he might be able to jump up to it. he picked himself up. his body was still a bit exhausted, but he was a young boy. and in good shape. he made his leap. then he picked himself up and tried again. it took him sixteen tries to make it, but he finally managed to grab hold of the edge of the window. there was no glass, so he pulled himself through. the land outside was a barren mass of crowded prickle-weeds and gnarled old trees. obviously not a part of the emerald city that would be mentioned in a travel agent's brochures. but graham was determined to find ozma. he pushed aside the prickling weeds as best he could and trudged through the dust and muck of the area. it nauseated him, but he moved on. he thought how odd it was that the emerald city of oz would have such an unpleasant area in it. but he let these thoughts dissolve as he recalled what an unpleasant queen the place had. after several hours of fighting against the weeds, most of which were twice his size, he was surprised to hear a small voice. "who are you?" it said. [illustration] "i'm graham," he replied. "really?" said the voice. "i love your crackers. where are you?" "i'm in a bunch of weeds," he said. "oh? how come?" "i was trying to find the front of ozma's palace. can you help me find it?" "i could," said the voice. "but you are about four thousand miles out of your way." "what?" said graham. "you're wrong! i just escaped out of a window in ozma's palace a few hours ago! and i know i haven't made any progress hardly at all!" "i'm afraid it's you who are wrong," replied the voice. "ozma's palace is a long, long journey from here. ah, here you are!" a burst of sudden fire appeared out of nowhere; it burned away a number of the weeds, and graham saw a clear tunnel through the weeds to open air. in addition to that, however, he saw the most unusual creature he had ever seen ... it was not very large, but it looked as if it were composed of several different-sized squares and rectangles. all straight edges, nothing rounded. it had thick, leathery skin, and three glistening hairs grew from the tip of its rectangular tail. the creature spoke: "now that i have a face to go along with the voice, i can see that you are a stranger in these parts. allow me to introduce myself. i am he who is called the woozy. to the best of my knowledge, i am the only woozy in the world, so i've never had need of any other particular name. happy to meet you, graham. i hope that you are a nice fellow, and not some meany who will say krizzle-kroo to me." "n-no," stuttered graham. "i wouldn't say a thing like that, i'm sure. but--i have just climbed out a window of ozma's palace. i couldn't possibly be as far from there as you say!" "yes, you are," replied the woozy. "you must be mistaken about the window." "but ozma was there! and the scarecrow, and the tin woodman, and the patchwork girl, and tik-tok, and ... and everyone!" "i'm sorry, my friend graham," said the woozy. "there is no palace here. the only building here that i know of is that one that was built by the old wicked witch of the west. the winkies say that she used to have a bunch of winding corridors in there that were meant to drive her slaves nuts if they ever were sent there as a punishment." "but how did i get there from the emerald city? ozma was really mean to me, so i locked myself away in a room there." "ozma was mean to you?" the woozy said with obvious shock. "are you a villain?" graham quickly related the whole story to the woozy, who seemed to be the only friend (however unfamiliar) he had had around him in an awfully long time. "my," replied the woozy. "that is quite a story. but i fear you were duped, my friend." "duped?" echoed he. "i think you were never in the emerald city. somehow, the witch sent you here and created a very elaborate hallucination for you. she uses these weeds for that sometimes. that's why i was burning them away. i can make fire come out of my eyes when i'm angry, and these wicked weeds certainly make me feel that way! want to see?" "no," sighed graham. "so you mean that wasn't ozma who talked to me?" "certainly not!" the woozy was indignant. "our dear queen is not like that at all! i can assure you that you spoke to a hallucination caused by an infusion made out of these dratted weeds!" "yes, my little square-boxed squiggley!" came the voice of the witch. "you have assessed the situation very well." the witch appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "did you really think i was fooled by that ruse? you must think i'm a real moron! but i have won! telly is disposed of for good!" "allidap!" shouted the woozy. "the fake one from the parade! it's her!" at the sight of the hated individual, a huge blast of fire burst forth from his eyeballs. the witch ducked aside, but not before getting her face badly blackened and her clothing ruined. "you just wait!" spat the woozy at the evil creature. "ozma will look for you in her magic picture yet! you just wait! she'll make a spell that will send you away for good!" "nope," smiled the witch. "that's covered. you remember how realistic my illusionary emerald city was? well, i watched and waited for a trusted friend of ozma's to look into that silly old magic picture. then i gave it to him. a very beautiful hallucination! he saw me fall into a river and dissolve completely. so as far as ozma is concerned, i am destroyed. she'd have no further need to suspect otherwise, so she will not seek me out." the woozy was taken aback. but he quickly composed himself and added, "and glinda will read about you in the magic book of oz!" "similarly handled," grinned the witch. "any other bright ideas?" another blast of fire issued forth from the woozy's eyes. the weeds went up in a towering inferno. "let's get out of here!" said the woozy to graham. "contrary to what some people think, i am not made of wood! i have to breathe, and i fear that this smoke might be as hallucinogenic as the stuff she makes from the weeds!" the two ran away as fast as they could. at such time as they were far enough from the smoke to breathe easy, graham stopped running. the woozy did not seem to notice, and he just kept right on going and going and going. graham was alone again. but at least he was out of the terrible witch's reach. indeed, the witch was presently having a most exciting dream about plush animals which could be inflated to the size of a house and then used as potato-mashers in the thermostat of life which likes to think about groovy butterflies with red and purple and yellow and violet whispers in the dark backward uprising theme of the way it really was in the thunder of the goat farm with lots of yams and a shovelful of fine white powder that looked like the side of a barn with lots of clocks and fleas with orange earrings in their hazy green and blue and pink walking-sticks which were married to some tortilla chips and about thirty-five orange and brown cabinet-makers with green feathers and pink fur. chapter fourteen: jeanne-marie graham sat down upon the ground and sighed. he was glad to have escaped from the wicked witch yet again, but he felt sorry for his companion. he wondered what that awful old woman might have done to poor telly. could she have locked him away in a torture chamber someplace? some terrible winding maze such as he had just left? it made him feel sick to even imagine it. he absently sat and drew a picture of telly in the dirt. "where are you, telly?" he asked aloud. he spoke his question into the air, and no answer seemed to be forthcoming. "what has she done to you? i have to know. i miss you, telly! you are my best friend in this strange land. i love you! where have you been taken?" "who is telly?" came an unfamiliar female voice. graham turned about to see who had spoken. he was looking as much into the sun as into the face of the speaker. it was hard to distinguish her features. but she looked like a fine white horse. "hello?" said graham uncertainly. "hello," replied the voice. whoever she was, she sounded gentle and understanding. "my name is jeanne-marie. why are you so glum?" "my friend has been taken prisoner by a bad witch," explained the boy, who felt an inexplicable trust for this equine newcomer. "oh," she replied. "i am sorry. i had thought that queen ozma had done away with all such vile witches." "well," he sighed, "she doesn't know about this one. this wicked old witch has created a very clever illusion that has made ozma unable to see her or to find out about her. i was fooled, too. i had been under the impression that ozma was as wicked as the witch. but i was wrong. if only i could find ozma. the real ozma, not just an illusion that was passing itself off as the real ozma. then i could tell her what was going on. if all that the woozy told me is true, the real ozma would be able to make things right again. as it is, i can't help telly, and i can never go home to america again, either!" the horse nestled down beside the boy. only then did he realize that this was no normal horse that was speaking to him. she was different from all horses in all graham's experience. she was as pure white as the driven snow, and her mane was a shiny silver. from the top of her head grew a long, beautiful horn. "wow!" exclaimed graham. "are you a real unicorn?" "so i've been told," laughed jeanne-marie. "but i am a long way from my home, just like you are. i left that area because the other unicorns didn't seem to understand my views on things. they thought i was strange and that i was not worthy of the name of the unicorns. but i cannot help what i am. i yearn to see all that there is to see of this land of oz in which i live. and i wanted to find someone who could understand my philosophies, too. none of the stallions of my breed took me seriously, and i have never once felt true love. at least, not until i met macdonald lindsay." "who is that?" wondered graham. "well, i haven't actually met him in person," she admitted. "but i overheard him talking to his helpers one day. he was telling them about the need for all sentient beings to have a purpose in life. no one can be fulfilled if he is not in some way making his existence count for anything. he himself is in control of the finest dairy farm in oz. he has vast fields of milkweed that his helpers harvest for him in exchange for their housing, food, and the occasional game of quoits." "that sounds fair, i suppose," replied graham, realizing that this group was not one which was accustomed to using any form of money. "very much so," she said. "and the helpers--a unique tribe of warthog-like amphibians known as wartfrogs--are highly contented with their lot. macdonald lindsay allows them to come and go as they please, and he has given each of them a home that is far more luxurious than his own little lodging. actually, macdonald's farm is the only thing he has that is luxurious. his personal abode is a simple cleft in a rock that you can see from here in that little hill." she pointed with her horn. "i see it," said graham. "this macdonald fellow sounds like a good enough guy." "oh, he is very good," said jeanne-marie. "but very mysterious. i have not had any real opportunity to ask him, but i think i could be very happy working in his fields alongside the wartfrogs." "have you ever tried to go to him to ask for a job?" questioned graham. "no. but i have been in his fields. indeed, his milkweed is the best in all the land. it is not just an ordinary dairy-farm product. it is special. it is chocolate milkweed, and it is as smooth as chinese silk. i have been following the wartfrogs and sneaking an occasional taste of any chocolate milkweed pods that they overlooked." "i see," said graham. "you are welcome to have dinner with me," said jeanne-marie. "i have at least a half-dozen pods that i am willing to share with you." it was at that point that graham remembered how long it had been since last he had eaten. even then, he was not sure the food had been anything more than an illusion conjured up by the witch. it was not more than a second before he heard himself accepting the invitation. indeed, the chocolate milkweed was the most delicious thing graham had ever tasted. he thanked jeanne-marie over and over for sharing this delightful new taste-treat with him. he and the unicorn talked for a long while afterward. he was not sure just how long it was, but he awoke the next morning feeling quite refreshed. the unicorn had already gone on her way. but she had left a note for graham explaining that she had gone to watch the wartfrogs in macdonald lindsay's fields, as was her usual morning activity. the note informed him that she would seek him out later that afternoon, if he cared to stay in the vicinity, and that she was happy to have met him should he choose to move on... [illustration] after thinking it over, graham decided that he was going to need help if he planned to rescue poor telly from the false allidap. hence, he decided to wait for jeanne-marie. he could spend the day formulating a plan that would allow them to get telly away from the witch without endangering their own lives. macdonald lindsay was a fellow who was in high position on his farm, yet he gave all of the finest of his yield to others. he was a man who had few needs, only the knowledge that his crops were bringing happiness to others. that was all he had ever asked. yet there was something missing in his life. something upon which he could not place a finger. yes, indeed macdonald lindsay had fingers. three of them on each hand, in fact! he was a powerful and muscular troll, for all intents and purposes. that is, he was from the waist up. from his waist down, instead of the usual troll waist and legs, however, he had the neck and body of a mighty black stallion. anyone born under the astrological sign of sagittarius might recognize him as a relation to the centaur. but macdonald lindsay claimed no such heritage formally. "lambert," he said, putting a beefy hand on the shoulder of one of his workers, who happened to be a foreman among the wartfrogs. "yeah?" asked the amphibian. "who is the little unicorn? the one i see out there in my fields? i have seen her other times, too." "i know no name for her," sighed the wartfrog. "my boys and i have seen her before, though. she only takes a few pods--and only those extreme few that my boys don't consider worthy of picking or trading in your name. those that she takes are all too small or have already been picked over by the crows. we had once considered making a scarecrow--an inanimate one, of course. not like the guy who usually comes to mind when we think of scarecrows. but that little unicorn seems to get what she needs from our leftovers, so no one has bothered to send her on her way." "so she only takes that which is rejected from my farm?" replied macdonald doubtfully. [illustration] "well," began the worker, "please don't be angry with me. there have been a couple of occasions that i have taken pity on the poor creature and left a few better pods for her to find. please don't get angry, sir! i only did it because i felt sorry for the poor little thing. she looked so hungry, and we have so much." within minutes, the mighty centaur-like man was looking into the eyes of the young unicorn. "i--i'm sorry to intrude on your farm," she said tremblingly. "listen, my dear," he said. "you are welcome in my fields any time you wish to be here. you are welcome to take any milkweed you want or to help yourself to any of my other crops. i have asked my wartfrogs to ignore you. you no longer need to feel like an intruder." "you are very kind," she replied. "you know that i am not from around here. i am not understood amongst my own kind, so i am something of an outcast, you might say." "not here, you're not." "thank you, sir!" the unicorn seemed to be near tears. "thank you so much!" when jeanne-marie returned to the little clearing where she had left graham, she brought him several milkweed pods, as well as a few cookies she had picked from the bushes around the base of macdonald's rock. "he is very sweet," she said. "the moment i saw his eyes, i knew that he was special. graham, do you believe in love at first sight?" "i don't know," he said to her. "but i sure do love these cookies!" and so it went for the next day and the next. by day, jeanne-marie went to the fields, where she grew more and more fond of the odd stallion there. by night, she plotted with graham as to how they might go about locating telly. the problem seemed to be that the witch could have magically zapped him off as far away as santa monica, california, had she wanted to do so. finding him would not be an easy task. to make matters worse, poor jeanne-marie had become a tad too taken with macdonald lindsay. the wartfrogs had begun to mistrust her. [illustration] "she isn't even the same kind of animal!" said lambert, the wartfrog leader. "she doesn't have any troll features--not even a little around the eyes! they are totally incompatible! she must only be out to get his milkweed! to think that i once felt sympathy for that wretched little unicorn! why, that cunning little crook even has lindsay entranced so much that he has begun giving her some of the good stuff! she is no longer contented with the scraps and rejects of our fields! she has got to go. but how shall we do it? it will have to be handled in a sneaky enough way so as to keep lindsay from noticing. he has been placed under the spell of that little siren, and i know that he would never grant us permission to shove her away from the area." it was the very next day that the wartfrogs made their move. under the direction of lambert, they went about their work, and it was business as usual. then, when one of the amphibious pigs saw the small unicorn in the field behind them, lambert called for a halt. the wartfrogs turned around and went back toward jeanne-marie. she was not looking in their direction, so she did not notice that they were coming toward her until it was too late to escape. they were already upon her and hurled her unceremoniously into a harvesting-bag. this they tossed onto their cart and carried away. "i will sell her to a zoo in some other land, where they are not so kind to thieving horse-creatures!" giggled lambert, showing his teeth. "now we can get rid of this little troublemaker once and for all! old mickey-d will never know what became of his dear little charity-case!" indeed, it would have been curtains for poor jeanne-marie had not graham had a sudden inspiration which he wanted to tell her about right away. he felt certain that he had formulated a plan by which they would be able to save telly from the witch, and he had run into the milkweed fields to find her. he had seen the terrible wartfrogs capture her and had even overheard what they planned to do to her. "i can't let them do it!" he whispered angrily. "why, this is the second time i've made a friend in oz who has met with foul play!" he would have cried, had his sadness not been so highly overcompensated for by his anger. his first instinct was to run to her and try to fight for her freedom. but he was a wise enough boy to know full well that this would be folly. he was no more than one little boy against a whole farm's worth of strong and muscular laborers. if he were to pick a fight with this bunch, he would be sold alongside his friend. no, he would need another plan of rescue. but he had already come up with one such plan. now he could give it a test-run. however, he knew that he could not hope to carry it out all by himself. no, he would have to have help. and graham knew from whence that help must come. with a swallow of anxiety, he headed for the home of the ranchero. macdonald lindsay was as amiable a fellow as the unicorn had said. this fact instantly put graham's anxiety to rest. "do come in, my friend," said the ranchero. "what can i do to make you happy?" [illustration] "it's about jeanne-marie," said graham. "that poor little waif of a unicorn?" replied the troll-horse. "that very one," said graham. "your workers have taken her prisoner, and they plan to sell her to a zoo or a circus or something like that." the troll creature looked at graham and frowned. then he began to laugh. "ha ha!" he said. "you take me for a complete and utter idiot! no, you cannot be telling me the truth. my boys are under orders to let the lovely little waif alone. they would not do such a cruel or vile thing to anyone, i assure you." "but i was there, sir," pleaded graham. "i saw it all with my own two eyes! they put jeanne-marie into a great big grain-bag and hid her on a cart that they carried along behind them. the big fat one said he was going to sell her to a zoo! i heard him say so! he said, 'old mickey-d will never know what became of his little charity-case!'" as he quoted the line, he did his best to imitate the wartfrog's voice. "please, mr. lindsay, you just have to believe me! i'm telling you the truth!" "now, now," answered the troll voice, which was sounding less patient than before. "i know better. no one on my staff would ever do such a thing ... and no one on my staff would ever ... wait a minute. did you say 'old mickey-d?' my, my. only foreman lambert ever called me by that annoying name. and no one but he would have the audacity to...." his heart pounded so loudly that graham could hear it from across the room. then the troll-horse let out a couple of loud exclamations. "merciful frances of grand rapids, minnesota!" he bellowed. "judy in the sky! what a fool i have been to overlook it! lambert has been trying to hide it from me, but he has been showing signs of resentment against that unicorn! i should have seen this coming. but you have opened my eyes, my boy. i have strived--er, striven? er, i have always made it my strivence in these fields to ensure that every visiting child and family successfully explores his own particular creative abilities. i had seen so many fine qualities of leadership in foreman lambert that i closed my eyes to his darker side. but i can no longer look the other way. it may not be kosher, but i am going to have to fight against my own right-hand man." the ranchero started angrily for the door. "wait!" shouted graham, taking on the role of the calm and collected boy with a plan. "wait for what?" asked lindsay. "i'll wait for nothing until i see that lousy lambert get his just rewards!" "he will," spoke the boy. "yes. but not that way!" "what ..." "if you try to fight all of those thugs at once, you'll just be outnumbered. i have a better idea. i know of a way to save jeanne-marie without anyone getting hurt." "then spill it, my boy! what is this plan?" foreman lambert took the rest of the day off. he carefully researched the best place to sell a captured unicorn. he planned to get enough wealth to buy the entire farm and spend the rest of his days sipping strawberry daiquiris and conversing with macdonald lindsay about the joys of being affluent. as he sat and pored over the pages of _the encyclopedia of places where unicorns can be successfully sold on the black market with no questions asked except when the salesman happens to be a mangaboo: vol. _, he heard a peculiar clattering noise outside. fearing it might affect his own happiness in some way, lambert ran outside to see what was the matter. the sight that met his eyes was hardly what he would have expected. there before him was a huge ox tethered to a wagon. one wheel had fallen from the wagon, and the wagonmaster was jumping up and down, shouting angry expletives at the ox. "you filthy pile of oxtail soup!" shouted the young man. "you are as able to locate the proper roads as dorothy was in _the road to oz_! now just look what your lack of brains has caused us! you dragged us off the road, and now we have another busted wheel to bother about! you are just a lousy old coot!" "now, now," said lambert. "you needn't speak so unkindly to this fine animal. i'll be happy to take him off your hands if he's such a ... a coot, i think you said?" "yeah!" begged the ox. "let him have me! i can work on this big farm!" "not a cotton-picking chance!" blurted the human. "i need a work-horse to pull this wagon. if i had another animal, maybe a horse or a pony, i'd gladly unload your crummy old worthless hide in a heartbeat! but such beasts are sure to be expensive in these parts, especially to a stranger like me. and all i have are these forty-eight diamonds, a bag of square emeralds, and a couple of rubies to spare." lambert lit up and became more alert than he had ever been before. standing straight up and trying to look as businesslike as a wartfrog can possibly look, he said, "that is the exact price i planned to ask for a very pretty unicorn that i have recently acquired by perfectly legitimate means." "are there any other kind?" asked the stranger with a sly wink. "of course not." he ran inside to the closet and grabbed the bag with jeanne-marie inside. coming back to his customer, he handed it over and greedily grabbed the precious gemstones. "thank you, oh thank you!" he squealed gleefully. "and can i get that ox, too?" "you can get me, all right," said the ox. "but i'm not sure you want what comes with me." stepping toward the wartfrog and ramming his face against one of lambert's tough tusks (which, consequently, broke off and fell to the ground), he broke off what became obviously a papier maché mask. beneath it, he was actually the owner of the whole ranch, macdonald lindsay. "oh oh...." gasped lambert. "er, hi, master. i knew it was you all along. that is why i went along with your silly little game. had it been anyone but you, i'd not have left my work for a moment to play such a game. but no harm done, right? here, take these little gemstones away. i don't really need them. all part of the game, though, you know. well, i do have work to do now ... toodle-oo!" "lambert!" roared the troll in a voice that would have shamed the kingliest of lions. "you have no work to do here." "oh, but i do," said lambert. "i must take this darling unicorn back to where she belongs. oh, yes, yes! please do not hinder us. i must get her away from here, where she is such a lovely distraction. yeah, that's exactly the problem, my master. gotta get her home now. later!" the troll placed a powerful and majestic hoof on one of lambert's flippers. "excuse me," he said. "but i told you that you have no further work to do here. please pick up your toys and get off of my ranch. and take your disobedient helpers with you. also, you may have as many milkweed pods as you can carry. i'll never let it be said that i am heartless." "but, master!" stammered lambert. "you can't do this! you mustn't! we've come such a long way already! i was up for a raise next year!" "i'll raise a few things for you if you aren't out of my sight before nightfall." lindsay was suddenly calm. "and if i ever see you around this innocent waif again, i will ... well, i don't rightly know what i'll do. but you can rest assured that it won't be very much fun for either of us." chapter fifteen: can't stand in the way of love "well, now!" cackled the witch. "you thought you'd seen the last of ol' allidap, did you? you were so wrong! ha ha ha! now i have you in my clutches once more, and you won't be escaping from me again, i can tell you! to think, you tried to trick me with a photo of some television star. but you won't be able to fool me again quite so easily, my little basket of nuts and bolts!" the evil woman had chained telly to a large black platform and was standing over him in a most menacing manner. "you showed me a picture of somebody else to make me think i was a ravishing beauty. you lied to me, you electronic hunk of junk!" telly struggled to free himself of his chains, but they proved to be too strong for him. giving in, he stopped struggling and tuned in to an old rerun of _walt disney's wonderful world of color._ "let me see now," muttered the false allidap. "i must think this over. i have to do something appropriate to punish you for your deceptive ways. maybe i should turn you into a candy cane and gobble you up?" she scratched her chin. "no, that would be much too kind. i must think of a punishment that is more fitting to a rotten, mean liar such as you happen to be. hmmm. maybe i could transform you into a little brown wart on the left foot of a slimy old toad? or a bucket of rotten peas? but that still seems hardly enough punishment for a creepy little crawler like you. oooh! of all the disgusting luck! if i had only been manifested with the ability to read! then i could find a perfectly lovely little spell to cast on you that would satisfy my need to punish you!" she stalked to a nearby shelf which was covered with various bottles of herbs and tinctures. each of these had a faded yellowing label, but none of these labels did her any good. it became clear to her that the inability to read was indeed a great setback. as she pondered an appropriate course of action, she heard a rustling sound outside. "what is that annoying noise?" she spat. "maybe your little pal graham has come to let me capture him as well? i will make short work of him, let me tell you! he was a fool to come here!" she stepped lively to the door and stamped her way outside. "okay, little boy!" she called. "i know that you are out here someplace! come on out of hiding. trying to trick me will only make it worse on yourself. come to me quietly, and let us get this messy ordeal over with quickly. being that you are so fond of reading oz books, i think i will turn you into a copy of _dorothy and the wizard in oz_. then, as a book does me no good, i will toss you into my fireplace and watch you burn!" there was no reply. "i see," sighed the witch. "so you want to make things difficult, do you? well, i am willing to go along with your silly little game of hide-and-go-seek. but just remember, my fine and dandy little gentleman, that once i do find you, i will not be so lenient on your crummy hiding little hide!" as she searched the scraggly brush that surrounded her home, she grew more and more agitated. "you may be a pretty good hider," she bellowed. "but i'll get you in the end, you just wait and see!" she searched for a solid half hour before she decided that graham was not to be found. "the little fruitcake must have run off in fear and horror," she determined. "well, i will concern myself with his punishment some other time. right now, i have the television set to attend to. i will miss my soaps, but i think it's high time i put that nasty old creep in his proper place. i think i'll make him into a nice bowl of lumpy spider-flavored oatmeal and have him for a snack." so saying, she sauntered back into her home. once inside, she was met with a sight that made her more angry than ever. there, on either side of the platform which held telly captive, were the two huge jungle-cats. the cowardly lion was trying in vain to unshackle telly's chains. the hungry tiger, who had been standing guard, saw the enemy and instantly prepared to spring on her. "you'd better leave us alone, you yucky old witch!" growled the tiger threateningly. "we are taking telly to the real emerald city to meet the real queen ozma. once ozma hears what you've been up to, she'll transport you to some place where you can never cause our beloved land of oz any further grief!" "is that so?" chuckled the witch, quickly regaining her bearings. "i'd like to see the stumbling, demented child queen try that! maybe i should turn her into a toadstool to show you that i am the all-powerful one here. your foolish little girl is no queen! she's just a flimsy excuse for a bad one-liner. in fact, you know what i'm going to do to her? i think i should enjoy making her into a little sugar cube and drinking her in my tea. but first, i think i should take care of you little kitty cats. i have heard a story about a little brat named sambo who made some tigers into butter. i think this tawny scrawny beast would be a fine spread for my toast. yes, i think that should be quite delicious. and the little lion could become the toast! how delightful it would be to eat the two of you together!" the lion was visibly shaken by this idea. "i d-d-don't want to be t-t-toast!" he bellowed fearfully. "and i will not become a pat of butter, either," added the tiger, quickly springing on the antagonist and knocking her over. the witch struggled for a few minutes and finally freed herself, only to be knocked over a second time by the lion, who had summoned up a few grams of courage in just the nick of time. "you pestery creatures!" she blurted. "you filthy rotten haggard beasts of bumbling stumbling stupidity! i will see you both destroyed and i'll laugh about it, you rotten dirty crummy hateful old things!" summoning in her rage a strength she had never before known, she hurled the lion on top of the tiger. then, grabbing a huge net, she threw it over the two of them before they had any time to move out of the way. "now i have you all, my dearies! all three of that foolish kid's friendies! and i'll see you all into your demises right now!" the witch said in a whisper. she was about to carry out this threat when there was a knock on the door. "oh, drat it all!" said the witch. "who could that be? if it's your silly scram-graham, i'll allow him the honor of watching me destroy all of the rest of you!" she went to the door. there, she saw a strange creature looking at her and wearing a painted smile on his face. "what the dickens are you?" she said. "you look a little bit like a troll, but you have a horse's body growing out of your waist." "i am a sort of horse-troll," he replied. "but that is not important right now. what is important is that this may be your lucky day!" "my lucky what?" asked the witch, not quite understanding. "is this the home of bastinda slinky myrna evillene allidap?" asked the stranger. "er ... i guess so," replied the witch. "splendid!" replied the ranchero. "and would you happen to be bastinda slinky myrna evillene allidap?" "i think so," she said, not sure she remembered all of those names that were being applied to her. "delightful!" said the stranger. "then i am here, ms. allidap, to tell you that today is the luckiest day of your life!" "is it?" "indeed so! ms. allidap, you were selected out of the five hundred billion applicants to receive a prize of twenty-seven million dollars and thirteen cents! and, since you were home when i arrived, you may be eligible for more prizes!" he turned around and whistled through his teeth. "oh, boys! she's here. bring in the cameras." a small, horse-like creature and a young man with a television camera in place of a head came running up. "oh, good. you're here. mr. camerahead, let's get some good footage of our lucky winner in her home. let's go inside. it will look more natural if our winner is in a comfortable place on her sofa." "but ..." began the witch. "but ... i didn't even know there was a tv station in oz." "well, of course there is," said the horse. "where else would ozites turn to see their favorite rankin-bass oz cartoon episodes? we are broadcasting from the peak of some summit. now, come on, let's be lively about this. we haven't got all day. we have a commercial to shoot for _the ozmapolitan_ newspaper at ten after three." [illustration] "why don't you stand here in front of your television set?" suggested the camera man. "but we'll have to unchain it from this thing here. this won't look pleasing to our television audience." "no!" raged the fake allidap. "leave that alone!" but the camera man, who had come equipped with some heavy-duty metal clippers, had telly freed in no time at all. "now, my dear ms. allidap," said the centaur. "please stand still and try to look surprised. if this all goes well, you may be eligible for an all expense paid trip to walt disney world in tampa, florida. that's in the united states, you know. so it may be possible for you to meet the president and give him any advice you might have for him." "but.... hey...." stuttered the witch. "you want him to butt some hay?" said the horse. "i think i'd rather eat it than butt it. but to each his own. i think we need some extra color in this place. it looks too gloomy." she picked up a bucket (which had been carried in by the centaur) in her teeth and began to splash some rainbow-colored paint all about the room, some of which went directly into the witch's eyes. allidap tried to cry out in rage, but she only got some paint in her mouth. "this looks great!" said the camera man. "the color really adds a lot. the people watching will be happier to see it than the gloominess that used to be here. now, let me see... let's have some creative banter. ms. allidap, can you look excited and happy? come on, let's see that beautiful smile." "yes," added the centaur. "and hop up and down screaming, 'i won! i won!' if you think you can handle it." the witch was having trouble following all of this--especially with the paint in her eyes that made it impossible to see anything around her. but she did like the thought of having won something, so she did her best to do as they asked. when they seemed satisfied with their tv footage, they bid her a fond adieu and scurried out the door. once a good distance from the witch's home, the camera man took off his mask. of course, as you may have already guessed, it was actually graham in disguise. and with him were macdonald lindsay and jeanne-marie. the plan had worked, and they had rescued not only telly, but also the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger as well. "i want to thank you," said telly, "for coming to our rescue that way. that was a clever trick, making the witch think you were there to put her on television. i wouldn't have actually wanted to televise an image of her, as it might damage my picture tube, but it worked." the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger thanked them as well. "i think we should be looking for the real ozma," said graham. "the witch will eventually be out hunting me down again." "a good thought," agreed the hungry tiger. "we shall go and find her straightaway." the centaur looked solemn. "i would so love to meet our dear ruler," he said. "but i fear i may be in for a rude visit from those wartfrogs, and i think i should be there when it comes to pass. however, i will join you in the emerald city as soon as i have sent the wartfrogs away for good. i will be sorry to be apart from this dear unicorn, however. we have been talking, and we agree that we belong together. i will be anxiously looking forward to seeing her again very soon." "no," replied jeanne-marie. "i shall come back to the farm and help you to rid yourself of those former employees of yours. then we shall travel together to the emerald city." this was a sad parting for all, after all of the adventures they had shared together. but it was as it had to be. so they all said their good-byes and parted, and the two equine-type creatures headed in one direction and the four mismatched friends in the other. chapter sixteen: a story with a happy ending the four friends had reached a clearing behind which a clump of trees partially camouflaged a quaint little cottage. by this time graham was feeling quite thirsty and thought it would be a good idea to knock on the cottage door and see if he could obtain a nice drink of water. the cottage was surrounded by a garden full of flowers and a white picket fence, and it was all so pretty it could have come right out of a fairy tale. graham knew full well that no evil person could possibly reside in such a picturesque place, so he boldly opened the gate and walked along the little winding path to the front door, where he knocked loudly. a minute went by with no response, whereupon graham knocked again, but this time quite a bit louder. "why don't you just knock my door down?" said a voice behind him. graham about jumped out of his skin as he spun around to see a very kindly lady with a twinkle in her eyes approaching from the back of the house. "i was pruning my roses in the back garden," she continued, "when i heard what i thought must be a very rude person banging on my front door. i gather you must be here on a very urgent matter." "well ... not exactly," graham said rather sheepishly. "i was feeling very thirsty and thought that perhaps i might be able to obtain a drink of water" "hmmm, i think that can be arranged," replied the lady. "and what about your friends?" she asked, looking rather curiously at telly and a little nervously at the lion and tiger. "oh, telly here is an electrical-mechanical person and is not very partial to water. but if you could wipe his face with a damp cloth, he'll not only look better and be able to see better, but i'll be able to see his television programs better. would you like to watch one now?" [illustration] the lady was more than a little confused by this invitation, but she obliged by spraying some glass cleaning liquid on telly's screen and wiping it with a dry cloth. "ouch! that stuff stings my eyes!" telly protested loudly. but he was happy that all of the dust had been removed from his screen. "how about the lion and tiger?" asked the lady. "would they like a drink? they don't bite, do they?" without waiting for an answer, the lady led them to the back of the house, where a well was located. she hauled up a bucket of ice-cold, crystal clear water, which graham took a long drink of from a ladle which she handed to him. the lion and tiger said they were not thirsty, but the tiger asked politely if there were any fat babies residing with her. graham coughed and choked as the water went down the wrong way. fortunately, the noise drowned out the tiger's question, and the lady did not hear him ... with his thirst more than satisfied, graham proceeded to introduce himself and did his best to explain his current situation and telly's unique abilities. the lady replied that her name was doré and that she was both an artist and a storyteller. she then went into the house and brought out several unique pen and ink drawings, as well as some beautiful watercolors, which everyone greatly admired. she looked intently at the hungry tiger and said he was a magnificent animal and that she would like to sketch him. the tiger could not resist smirking at the lion, who just rolled his eyes. "now," continued doré as she sketched away, "i'll tell you one of my stories if you like." graham and his friends nodded vigorously. after all, they all loved to hear stories. everyone sat down on the soft velvety grass by the well as doré proceeded to tell the story. she had no sooner started when lots of little animals appeared as if from nowhere and gathered around to listen. they somehow knew that there was nothing to fear from the lion or the tiger. "the title of my story," said doré, "is 'helen's smile.' i hope you like it: today was a special day. not only because the sun was shining, but because he felt good. it had been a long time since he had felt so good. he sat in his chair on the porch as he had done every single day throughout winter, summer, fall, and (his favorite time of the year) spring. he was a people-watcher all right. no question about that. and almost everyone in town had to pass his house on the way to the train station. he liked that. he knew who worked in the city, who was late, and who went in early. you could tell a lot about people by the schedules they kept. this was a particularly beautiful day. fall nipped the air, and it felt crisp to the skin. the leaves were just hinting at the change in colors. he liked this time of the year almost as much as he liked spring. the heat of the summer had a way of sapping a man's strength. fall was different; there was something about the cool air that made his blood surge through his body. food seemed to taste better, and the air smelted especially clean. the women seemed to look prettier than ever. yes, sir! this was a good time of the year. his name was clive, and he was only twenty-seven years old. he had never really lived in the usual sense of the word, but he was wise beyond his years. people always waved and said "hi" to him, but few approached him. they knew he was a handicapped person because he was always in his wheelchair, and you would think people would want to chat and be cheerful around him so he would feel good, but few ever did. it was his face that bothered them. it was deformed. this was a source of great pain to his mother, who always carried a cloak of guilt about her. his eyes were set very far apart and bulged. many of the children on their way to school called him "frog." they'd shout, "hey, froggy-froggy! hey, mr. frog!" and make loud croaking sounds. they never knew the pain it caused him. a few children, however, were far more sensitive and loving and would wave and smile and sometimes come right up to him and say, "hi, clive. how are you today?" this made him feel happy again. clive's mouth was large and hung loosely at the ends. somehow nature had forgotten to give him all his facial muscles. for all his many emotions, his face only reflected one. to watch him try to smile was painful. his shriveled body was even sadder to observe. this day, clive sat and watched helen pass by. he thought she had to be the most beautiful person in the world. surely a prettier girl could not exist. he watched her intently, as he had done for the past six years. she walked by and did not look his way, as usual. she always knew he was there. she had sneaked a peak at him once and was so repulsed that she could not bring herself to look again. yet she knew how he felt about her. she could feel it as she walked by. at first she felt afraid passing by. she even tried taking a different route to the station. but after a while she felt silly. so she passed his house with her head held high and her eyes straight ahead. as the years passed, she found out about the "cripple" who sat on his porch all day. it was a sad story: apparently, the father couldn't cope with a deformed baby, so he deserted the family. the mother was a simple country-girl. she was forced to take in wash and to clean other people's houses. but she managed to support herself and her deformed child. she was a quiet woman who minded her own business. she rarely spoke. but she could polish silver and furniture like no other person and so she had plenty of work. in time, she was able to afford her own house. they had lived in that house on mulberry street for twenty years. it was always clean and neat. on rare occasions, helen saw the mother shopping. the mother was so thin and gaunt. how did she manage to lift that son of hers? as helen passed the house that bright fall morning, she wondered if the man could stand up or walk. "helen! helen! you look so pretty today!" the young woman stopped dead in her tracks. who spoke? she looked around her. no one that she could see was there--except the person on the porch. was it him? no ... it couldn't be. she had heard that he knew how to speak, but that he was very difficult to understand. but this voice was pleasant and articulate. very masculine, too. _is someone hiding behind a bush? no. i'm being silly_, she thought. _i must have imagined it._ she looked around one more time, yet carefully avoiding looking at the figure on the porch. "helen, why do you always ignore me?" again she stopped. this time she did not look around. she knew. "yes. you are right. it is me. i have finally gotten up enough courage to talk to you. it has taken me years. can't you turn around just this once and smile at me? it won't hurt you. you are so lovely, more lovely than even the moon, the stars, and all the flowers in the world. today i am going to die. yes! really! i am so happy. it is such a special day. i knew i was going to die three days ago, and i prayed to god that, before i died, i could just see helen smile. he gave me the 'gift' of speaking into your mind for just this one special day. and he promised that i could speak articulately if what i said came from the heart. i know you can hear me. please. i love you so much ... won't you turn and smile at me? just this once?" helen stood rooted to the spot. she knew she was experiencing something abnormal. she was frightened. _how does he know he is going to die? that's impossible! but it's also impossible to hear a voice inside your head, and i know i'm hearing it! oh, god! dare i do it? can i look at him? he's so ugly--so unbearably ugly! but how sad. it was a beautiful thing he said to me. what if i do smile? will he expect me to smile every day? no! i can't do that. next he'll ask me to come up to the porch and chat. i couldn't bear it. i couldn't!_ yet her heart went out to him. _what loneliness he must feel. i'll smile just this once, and then tomorrow i'll take the other route_. she gathered all her willpower and slowly turned around, smiling. at that moment she could feel a tremendous surge of love radiate towards her and envelope her entire being. the sun was shining so brightly that it momentarily blinded her, so she really couldn't see his face, but nevertheless she kept smiling for a moment or two. then she turned and continued on her way. it was now several weeks since she had changed her route. by now she was convinced that she had only imagined the voice. yet she could not bring herself to walk down his street again. it was another glorious day. helen had the day off and was going shopping. she was standing at the checkout counter when she felt a light touch on her arm. she turned and drew in her breath. it was his mother! "hello," said the mother in a soft voice. "i don't want to trouble you, but i just want to tell you something i promised my son before he died." helen's heart skipped a beat. "he died?" "yes, dear. he died several weeks ago. he had been sitting out on the porch as usual when he called out to me and told me you had smiled at him. dear, you made him so happy. he asked me to tell you something. then he slumped over and died. just like that. don't feel sad, dear. it was a blessing. he did not believe that death was the end. he believed that he would receive a fine new body." "what did he say?" the mother looked up at her, the most pleasant smile crossing her face. "he said to thank you for your smile. and to tell you that someday he will meet you again and it will be a different story. your smile made his life worthwhile, and he died a very, very happy man." helen felt a sadness creeping over her. _it was only a smile_, she thought. _now i am sorry i didn't smile before. it was such a little thing for me to give. but from now on i will smile more often. i'll do it for him_. "thank you for telling me," she said aloud. "your son must have been a good man in his heart. if there is anything i can do, please let me know." they both smiled at each other, for each knew that she had found a new friend. the end" "what a lovely story," graham said. "don't you think so, telly?" he asked, turning to his friend. but telly was crying like a baby. tears were flowing in gushes down his screen and splashing off his metallic boots. doré produced a wad of tissues and dried his eyes. "you're likely to get a short circuit," she said. "by the way, i'd be delighted to have you join me for supper before you continue on your journey." with that, everyone went inside, with telly asking question after question. after supper, everyone went out to the porch to talk. graham sat on one of those swinging seats and became lost in thought as he swung gently back and forth. "penny for your thoughts?" said doré, sensing that the boy was a little sad. "oh, i was just wondering if i will ever find a way to get home. i think oz is a very interesting place, with lots of incredibly wonderful people (except for that old witch), but i am getting very homesick, and i miss my family terribly. not only that, but they are probably worried sick and have probably called the police about their missing child." "well," replied doré, "you just happen to be in the right place ... you see that old well where you quenched your thirst? well, it's a wishing well. a real, true wishing well. and if you throw in a coin and make a sincere unselfish wish, your wish will come true instantly. of course, you only get one guaranteed wish, but if you make a second wish, you have an eighty percent chance of that coming true, also." graham immediately perked up as doré's words sank in. then he became crestfallen as his eyes fell upon telly's forlorn face, not to mention the disappointment reflected in the faces of the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger. he had made a wonderful new friend in telly and was just getting to know the others, and now they were going to be separated--perhaps forever. doré, quickly realizing what the situation was, offered her condolences but assured graham that if he were to make that second wish with great sincerity, there was a very good chance he could come back for a visit. with that, graham shook hands with everyone and gave them each a big hug. he then threw a penny into the well as he made his two wishes. "i wish to go back home," and "i wish to come back to oz someday for a visit." then, as he waved goodbye to everyone, he slowly became invisible, only to reappear for a second, then slowly disappear again. this happened two or three times as doré explained to telly that the magic was working all right but that graham's mixed feelings on the matter were delaying the final teleportation. just then, there was a large black shadow overhead and a sudden whoosh! as a projectile whizzed past graham's head. back and forth it went, to reveal none other than the wicked witch on her broomstick, grabbing for graham as she passed him. "so, little man. thought you'd escape from me, eh? i don't think so, my fine feathered friend!" she wailed like a banshee as she finally grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him as he desperately tried to escape. in the distance graham fancied he could hear his mother's voice calling him. "graham! graham!" his eyes--which had been shut tightly as the witch shook him--opened to see with great surprise his mother's face as she also shook him. "wake up! wake up! don't you know it's twelve midnight? and you haven't even done your homework! your father will be having serious words with you in the morning, young man. now, up to your room immediately!" graham had not been expecting to come home to such a tongue-lashing, but he was very happy to finally be back home after so many harrowing experiences. ever since he had first been abducted to oz, he had considered it his mission to get home again. the wishing well had made it possible. but as graham turned out the light beside his bed that night and laid his head against his pillow, he began to think over the events that he had experienced in oz. of course he had wanted to get home to his family. it only made sense that he would. he was only twelve and he needed them. not only that, but they would be worried sick. he had made a sensible wish. or had he? as he lay on his bed, it occurred to him that he might have used his penny to wish away the wicked witch and save oz. a feeling of guilt began to gnaw at him. had he actually used his penny to desert his friends when they needed him most? he realized then what a selfish act that had been. _not entirely selfish_, he thought. _i was thinking of my family as much as myself_. but he knew that he was making excuses and that he should have wished more wisely. as he slowly drifted off into a troubled sleep, he saw images of the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, telly, jeanne-marie, macdonald lindsay, doré, and many other oz folk pass before his eyes. [illustration] the following day, graham's mother was sorting the boy's dirty clothes for the wash when she noticed an ink stain on his shirt pocket. she checked the pocket and found a piece of paper with some kind of smudged drawing and words below the sketch that she could not make out without her reading glasses. it looked like, something ... speare. without a thought, she crumpled it up into a ball and threw it in the trash. to be continued ... distributed proofreaders you've got to be taught to hate and fear. you've got to be taught from year to year, it's got to be drummed in your dear little ear-- you've got to be carefully taught! you've got to be taught to be afraid of people whose eyes are oddly made and people whose skin is a different shade-- you've got to be carefully taught. you've got to be taught before it's too late, before you are six or seven or eight, to hate all the people your relatives hate-- you've got to be carefully taught! love is quite different. it grows by itself. it will grow like a weed on a mountain of stones; you don't have to feed or put fat on its bones; it can live on a smile or a note of a song; it may starve for a while, but it stumbles along, stumbles along with its banner unfurled, the joy and the beauty, the hope of the world. --oscar hammerstein ii the forest monster of oz by bob evans (author of _dorothy's mystical adventures in oz, abducted to oz_, etc.) and chris dulabone (author of _toto in oz, the lunechien forest of oz_, etc.) illustrated by doré meers founded on and continuing the famous oz stories by l. frank baum royal historian of oz this book is dedicated to lachie dunn who first discovered the existence of saber-tooth light-bulbs chapter the cowardly lion's heroic deed in all the world, there is no country or township known that can ever compare against the beauty and magnitude of the marvelous land of oz. this is not a debatable issue. the land of oz is not only beautiful with the glittering gemstones that are found commonplace in this remarkable fairyland, but its enchantment goes ever farther. in all the territory of oz, there is clean, fresh air and gorgeous trees and scenery. there is peace and quiet when such is desired, and there is high adventure and excitement at other times. in oz, no one ever grows older than he chooses, and death is practically unheard of. the country is situated in the center of a vast continent, and is surrounded by an impassable deadly desert. although the vast deadly desert around oz aptly prevents tourism from abroad, those who are fortunate enough to live on the proper side of this sandy enigma will surely testify that the land is as no other. the country itself is divided into five distinct regions. the most important of these is the emerald city. this famous area lies in the exact center of the oblong land, and is home to the supreme ruler over oz. her name is ozma, and she is but a tiny child. even so, no other ruler in any other country has ever been more respected, loved, or envied. to the south of ozma's remarkable palace is the quadling country. this is ruled over by a powerful witch named glinda the good. in the quadling country, red is the favored color, and most of the buildings, walls and furniture are distinctly red in hue. to the west lies the winkie country, which is a land where everything is bright and yellow-colored. to the north is the purple gillikin territory, and to the east live the munchkins. among these little people, blue was clearly the color of preference. it is to this easternmost region that i wish to direct your attention. it was in the blue munchkin country of oz that a house happened to fall from the sky and land with a loud crash atop a most unfortunate wicked witch. now although this particular wicked witch was about as repugnant as they come, and her evil doings had brought more misery to more people than can possibly be recorded in these few pages, it was still rather sad to see her wicked legacy brought to such an abrupt close. especially as the particular house that happened to squish her was one which belonged to a tiny little girl named dorothy gale. to think that a mere toddler could bring an end to the story of the wicked witch of the east! but the story did not exactly end there. it seems that, before such time as the old woman's liveliness was shmushed by little dorothy's home, she had left a little souvenir to remember her by. actually, it was quite a large souvenir! she and her equally-vile sister allidap, the wicked witch of the west, had created the souvenir to do battle with the wonderful wizard of oz himself. had it not been for the wizard's powerful magic charms, he may well have been defeated. but thanks to his magic, the wizard of oz was able to thwart the attacks of the witches and banish their souvenir to a forest that lay in the southern land of the quadlings. but fearing the witches may try to attack him again, the wizard hid himself away in the glorious emerald city and became a hermit. then, one day, dorothy's house came down and whumped out the wicked witch of the east. this, needless to say, was not a healthy situation for the wicked witch. little dorothy was advised in the munchkin country to head for the central city and seek out the reclusive old wizard, being told that he alone could help her to get home to kansas. it was a long and difficult journey, but the child was equal to the challenge. along the way, she chanced to meet up with the cowardly lion. he was a formerly respected leader of the animal kingdom, but this particular lion had fallen into disgrace due to his outlandishly unkinglike cowardice. he and the little girl became fast friends, and they journeyed together in search of oz and, later on, glinda the good. it was on their journey to locate glinda the good that they happened to stray into the very forest where the witches' souvenir was staying. as they walked through the vast forest, a large and tawny tiger approached the cowardly lion and bowed subjectively before him. "welcome, o king of beasts!" quoth the tiger. "you have come in good time to fight our enemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest once more." "what is your trouble?" asked the cowardly lion in a quiet voice. "we are all threatened," answered the tiger, "by a fierce enemy which has lately come into this forest. it is a most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk. it has eight of these long legs, and as the monster crawls through the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly. not one of us is safe while this fierce creature is alive, and we had called a meeting to decide how to take care of ourselves when you came among us." the cowardly lion thought over the situation carefully. "are there any other lions in this forest?" he enquired. "no; there were some, but the monster has eaten them all. and, besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you." the lion got an idea that he hoped would help him overcome his disgrace. "if i put an end to your enemy," he began, "will you bow down to me and obey me as king of the forest?" "we will do that gladly," returned the big tiger. the rest of the forest animals voiced assent. "where is this great spider of yours now?" asked the cowardly lion bravely. "yonder," said the tiger, indicating with a tawny paw, "among the oak trees." the cowardly lion overcame his fear and ignored the trepidation within his heart. he came upon the forest monster shortly thereafter. even though it was sound asleep, it was the most ghastly sight that the cowardly lion had ever laid eyes on. it was huge, black and furry. it was filthy, too. its putrid smell had the lion reeling in spite of himself. but he pressed onward. the snores of the ugly monster revealed its razor-sharp fangs which measured in at at least a foot long. its powerful legs were as muscular as those of a hercules and were as big around as a house and as long as the trunk of a tree. the claws on the end of its eight enormous legs were curved and as sharp as scimitars. it was quite the sort of thing that nightmares are made of. but the cowardly lion noticed that the forest monster had one weakness. he was observant enough to notice that, though the spider was so much larger than any other spider he had ever seen, its neck was as slender as a wasp's waist. given this obvious oversight on the part of the wicked witches who had designed him, the forest monster suddenly seemed less monstrous to the cowardly lion. with a leap and a single blow of his mighty paw, he knocked the forest monster's head clean off! he then watched the writhing body until its legs stopped wiggling and he knew that it was quite dead. [illustration: "_with a leap and a single blow of his mighty paw, he knocked the forest monster's head clean off!"_] chapter elephant's day "elephant?" asked tweaty, a yellow canary who was looking up at the large gray beast. "yes?" asked the elephant, who was drinking a tall glass of chocolate milk with his trunk. "i was just thinking about the new queen of oz," said the bird solemnly. "do you think she'll last? i mean, i really thought that the wonderful wizard of oz himself would rule over the land forever. then i placed my confidence in his majesty the scarecrow. now, out of the blue, we've got this little girl who is probably younger than most eggs, and we are supposed to give her our neverending support?" "why in the world not?" the pachyderm drawled as he indolently stretched himself. "nibbles and i agree that, though she is very young, princess ozma shows a lot of promise as oz's new leader. give the child a chance. she's only been a queen for a week or so!" "absolutely, tweaty!" nibbles agreed. "and so many rulers have been youthful. remember the old story about king tut? he was just a little boy." few persons guessed that nibbles, elephant and tweaty were old friends, so unlike were they in appearance and disposition. tweaty was delicate, clean and could sing for hours on end without repeating a tune. he took pride in his appearance and always made sure that his refulgent feathers were clean. nibbles, on the other hand, was a mouse. he was often found digging in the trash that was sometimes left by careless campers or burrowing in other animals' nests. his fur was not what most would deem tidy, but he was amiable and companionable. elephant, by far the largest of the three, was less colorful. he liked the other animals, and he ofttimes wanted to help the smaller creatures as best he could, but his immense size and bulk generally made him feel more like a nuisance than a help. in spite of legends that would have us all believe that elephants are afraid of mice, he found that most of his favorite playmates were among the smaller creatures of oz. he enjoyed fellowship with mice, as well as with rabbits and hedgehogs. he had befriended nibbles at a young age, and it had been nibbles who had introduced him to tweaty. the three friends were enjoying a relaxing afternoon in a remote region of the munchkin country known as the lunechien forest. it was a time of transition in the land of oz. the child queen, ozma of oz, had just been named ruler over the land. this news had met with mixed reactions. many ozites maintained that only the wonderful wizard could rule the land. others favored the amiable scarecrow. but all admitted that, even though a tiny little girl, ozma was a unique leader. she had already proven that. she had not only created and brought to life a pumpkin-headed man named jack, a wooden sawhorse, and a wobbly monstrosity with the head of a gump, but had also gone forth with these unlikely companions and saved the land of oz from a terrible fate. [illustration: elephant, drinking chocolate milk.] "but she's a little girl!" said the bird. "she's a child! children should be allowed to enjoy their childhoods. this kid should learn to play jacks or skip a rope. she should have some nice paper dolls to dress up. she should have nice toys. she is too young to be a queen. let her live a happy life for a while before you go throwing all that responsibility on her. she's only a baby, for crying out loud!" "she is a cute little thing, though," elephant remarked, half to himself. "cute?" tweaty demanded in surprise. "that is hardly a reason to elect someone leader. especially over such a vast country as oz. maybe if oz were a little dinky insignificant country like america or kansas, it would be okay. but oz is so much bigger than those places. elephant, don't you think that adorable infant deserves a childhood to enjoy before getting schlepped into queenhood unprepared?" before elephant could reply, an unexpected occurrence drove all idle thoughts from his mind. it all happened in an instant. from the ends of the earth to the top of the sky, an unearthly roar issued forth. it was as blood-curdling as a scream, yet as sinister as a red dragon's growl. then, before the horrified trio, a gigantic spider loomed before them. it looked as if it were hungry, and it was so uncannily big that it could easily have devoured all three of them in an instant! it might have, too, had it not been distracted by the sight of a small yellow cat which was darting by. it took the feline in its massive claws and raised her to its mouth. chapter the forest monster elephant stampeded frantically toward the scene, fearing for the life of the cat. "we'll need all the help we can get," elephant said grimly. "that animal is big! but it has poor fisher the cat. we can't let it eat her up!" "why not?" asked nibbles. the elephant slung himself against the monster's leg as hard as he could, but the creature did not even seem to notice. in a glance it was apparent to the bird and the mouse that their companion was in trouble. "elephant!" shouted tweaty. "get away from that thing! look at its teeth! it will eat your nose off! get your body away from it!" [illustration: elephant vs. forest monster] but elephant was determined. he made a loud trumpet noise and stepped on the monster's foot. with a howl of pain, the forest monster dropped the cat. "what do you think you're doing, to try and eat fisher up like that? a poor defenseless cat! you ought to be ashamed of yourself!" "i wasn't going to eat her up, you dolt!" said the monster in a cold and scratchy voice. "i was trying to see if it was a lion. i was told by a certain squirrel that it was a lion who lopped my head off." "but you've still got your head," tweaty interjected. "yeah, _now_!" said the monster. "but it was a pain in the neck trying to get it back! and before i could, my body began to shrink. i kept getting smaller and smaller. i felt like alice after eating the wrong thing!" "holy cow!" said nibbles. "are you saying that you were once bigger than you are now?" "no, actually. i found myself a way to restore my size." "how is that?" "i have captured a very magical insect-bug in one of my webs. sweet little thing, too. some people spray insects with a flit gun, but i like to eat them up. bugs are yummy in my tummy! but my little lovebug is special. she doesn't go in my tummy. instead, she gets to stay wound up in my web, only to be let free long enough to give me what i need." "what is that?" asked elephant with a shudder. "the biggest and grandest thing in the universe is, of course, true love. even though shaped a bit like a cockroach, my lovebug can produce the stuff inside her teeny little heart. all i have to do is chant a certain incantation and then to have her kiss me once or twice each day, and i stay as big as i like!" "but that is terrible!" said tweaty. "you can't abuse love that way! love is supposed to be beautiful and friendly and stuff like that! to cheapen this sacred gift by forcing someone into submission by magic or force is an abuse of love, and not what the gods had in mind for us at all. if you are making this love-insect your slave, you are abusing the whole concept and also missing the point!" with another tremendous roar, the huge spider was gone. he obviously did not care for any more lecturing that day. "good riddance, i say!" spoke nibbles. "that big old thing was ugly! and it smelled awful!" "where's fisher?" asked elephant. "i think the thingy ate her up after all." "i sure hope not!" "i'm fine," came the feline meow. "is that beast gone away yet?" "it has," answered the pachyderm. oddly, neither nibbles nor tweaty felt the slightest tinge of fear at the sight of the cat. in oz, natural enemies ofttimes become the dearest of friends. indeed, oz is a truly remarkable land! "i think i saw all nine of my lives flash before me that time!" said the cat. "what in the heck _was_ that thing that had me?" "i don't know," said elephant. "but i hope we'll never see it again." "but you have to rescue that poor little insect!" said an earthworm, poking her head out of the ground. "didn't you bozos hear what that thing said about lovebug? he's got her stuck in his sticky web, and he is treating her like a slave and he's even making her--ugh!--kiss him! how yucky can you get? you must save that poor little bug. she is a good bug. love is always good! please help her. please. i can't bear to think of her in that predicament!" "it's a stupid bug, for crying out loud!" said tweaty. "don't you think that we have more important things to do than to go and save a stupid bug?" "but this is oz, where everyone is equal," nibbles pointed out. "even a cat like fisher is our friend. in this fantastic country, i'd think that even a tiny insect is not beneath our concern. i think we should save her." "give me a break!" tweaty said. "i'm not about to face that big ugly monster again for the sake of a cockroach!" "she is not a cockroach," said the worm. "she is a kindly insect who helps people in need to feel cared about. she has great powers to do that for people. but that spider is misusing her powers and making her serve him in a most wicked capacity against her will. he is abusing her and she is probably miserable. how can you let him treat such a sweet being in such an awful manner?" "i, for one, am willing to try to help save lovebug," said elephant. "me too," said nibbles. "i think..." before tweaty could finish his sentence, a loud scream was heard. hurrying toward the sound, they found louie the lobo with a pale expression. "what happened?" asked elephant. "something took tiger!" he said. "i didn't see who it was, but something took him away while we were talking about the tin woodman. i don't know who would do such a foul thing! tiger is my best friend! i yelled at the kidnapper, but to no avail. i have lost my best friend!" he began to cry like a kitten. "it must have been that awful forest monster-spider!" nibbles swallowed hard. "i know it was he who did this! he is so horrific! we must get word to the new queen. we really must!" "i agree wholeheartedly," spoke elephant. "we can not allow this sort of thing to happen. do you remember the last time enslavement was happening here in our munchkin country?" "i do," said the mouse. "it was when that wicked witch had us all enslaved. oh, she was ever so much worse than i had ever realized! i'm glad that house fell down and made her into mush." "but we cannot count on any houses falling down on this spider man," said tweaty with certainty. "you are quite right when you say that we should do something about it. i was being awfully selfish when i refused to do anything to help that little bug. but now my eyes are opened. to think that not even a tiger is safe in that monster's wake! this means sure danger for birds and mice and elephants, too!" "then let's go and inform the new queen straightaway!" trumpeted elephant. "i am willing to believe that she has the power to help us if anyone does." "but we should have something to show her to prove that we are not insane," said nibbles. "after all, who would ever believe that such a beast could exist? it isn't natural. and besides ..." he cut his sentence short when his eye fell upon a large marking on the ground. "gads!" exclaimed elephant. "that is one of the monster's footprints! goodness! just look how deep it is! that creature must weigh a million tons!" "yes," agreed tweaty, flittering into the hole. "this footprint is almost as big around as a horse! and look at the size of those claws! i'll bet it could rip elephant in two without even straining itself!" "let's not discuss that," shuddered the pachyderm. "but i think we should save this footprint for the queen. because she is a mere child, she will be most impressed by its mass. i think we should make a cast of it and carry it to the emerald city to show her what we are up against." nibbles and tweaty hurriedly went to a nearby maple tree and gnawed at its trunk for a time. with elephant's help, they poured some maple syrupy sap into the footprint. elephant blew on this with his strong lungs until it hardened. then, there before the trio, was a perfect cast of the forest monster's footprint. eagerly elephant snatched it up in his trunk and flung it onto his back. "let's get on our way," he said. the other two nestled upon his head and they were off to the emerald city of oz. chapter an unlikely trio of friends elephant, tweaty and nibbles were ready to leave, and it seemed that dozens of other forest animals were of the same mind. the ferocity of the forest monster had led many of the denizens of the lunechien forest to panic. many of them wanted to tell the lord of the forest about the trouble, while others elected to go to glinda the good, who ruled over the neighboring land of the quadlings. animals were running to and fro, and there was a mass of confusion. "look out!" nibbles cried suddenly. "that unicorn is coming right at us!" elephant was helpless in trying to avert the disaster. an abnormally frightened unicorn, undoubtedly made nervous by the excitement, had lost control of her footing. she plowed into the rear of the elephant with a jolt which nearly flung the two passengers on his head into glowing limbo. retrieving his companions and determining that they were unhurt, he listened for a few moments to the oft-repeated apologies of the unicorn and then set out again. "i sure hope that queen ozma can do something about that ugly brute," said nibbles. "if she can't, we'll be no worse off than when we started," replied tweaty. the subject was dropped there. elephant had run most rapidly and the trio was now approaching the emerald city. "excuse me," said the man at the gate. "who are you and what is your business in the emerald city?" "we want to see the child who has become our queen," replied elephant. "on what grounds?" "on the ground i'm walking upon now, i suppose. is there a problem?" "what is your business with the queen? if you are here to make fun of her age, you are welcome to go away. queen ozma was sent to us by the fairy queen lurliné herself, and she has our respect. even though she is a tiny child, she is not to be made sport of." "no one is making sport of anyone," said elephant gruffly. "though if you don't get out of my way i may decide to use you for a football." "that will not be necessary," said the guard. "but you will need to wear green glasses. it is a rule that was set up by the wonderful wizard of oz himself. it is because of the gleaming magnitude of all the big gemstones everywhere. if you don't wear these special glasses, you might well be blinded by their brilliance. i hope you won't object to this." "well," said elephant. "i fear that your glasses will not fit someone my size. nor, for that matter, the smaller sizes of my companions." "jeepers," said the guard. "i hadn't thought of that. perhaps you're right." he practically threw himself into his chestful of green glasses, but found none that would fit the animals. "i guess i'll have to make you some. this may take a while, so you'll have to find something to do in the mean." "how about we go and talk to the queen while you make us our glasses?" suggested nibbles. "a grand idea!" replied the guard. he opened the gate and the company entered. the emerald city of oz is a truly remarkable place. it has had so many volumes written about it that it hardly needs a description here, but it should be noted that our trio was most impressed. ozma, too, was very impressive. they came upon her while she was engrossed in playing paper-dolls with another little girl on the palace steps. [illustration: ozma] "excuse me, your majesty," said elephant. the child looked up from her game and smiled at the pachyderm. "hello," she said quietly. "my dear queen," said elephant, "i and my cohorts are from the lunechien forest of oz. it is situated in the munchkin country, and we are proud to call ourselves your subjects." "thank you very much," ozma said politely. "do you want to play paper-dolls with us?" "i--er, well, i suppose at some point i could be persuaded," stammered elephant. "but i have come on very important business just now." as the animals watched, ozma seemed to make a complete transformation. she remained a child, but her eyes suddenly grew solemn and she raised herself from her seat on the steps. even though very young and inexperienced, the child queen took on an appearance of regal splendor. it made elephant want to bow down before her, and this he promptly did. it was fortunate that tweaty could fly, but unfortunate that nibbles could not. tweaty zoomed into the air without mishap as soon as elephant's head went down in his bow. nibbles, however, was thrust through the air by the impact of elephant's exuberant show of subjection. he flew toward the child and did not stop until he became caught in her pocket. ozma, being that she was only a little girl after all, began to scream until elephant reached into the pocket with his trunk and retrieved the rodent. "thank you," ozma said, composing herself. "when i was a little boy named tip, i'd have probably thought that very funny. but i am beginning to feel like ozma again. this is who i am truly destined to be. now tell me, what is the nature of your call?" elephant and the others quickly explained about the forest monster and how they feared for their lives. as they spoke, the child grew more and more solemn. "it is hard to be a ruler over such a big land as oz," spoke the child after she had heard the news concerning the spider creature. "but i am not willing to allow such a fiendish creature to harm any of my subjects. i do not know of your lunechien forest, but i will do all in my power to assist you." [illustration: lurliné, leader of the fairies] chapter the queen of oz the magic of oz began with little more than a simple wish. the man who ruled at that long-forgotten time, king ozroar, was not a very happy monarch. he ruled the beautiful land, but he had no magic with which to insure the happiness of the people. sickening fogs would envelop the land from time to time, and the area was never very prosperous. still, it was too beautiful to go overlooked by the fairies. these magical beings are able to see things as they should be, not only as they are. one fairy who was especially interested in the land of oz was a leader of fairies named lurliné. lurliné was no ordinary fairy ruler, though. she had especial insight into the things that made beauty what it is. it was her keen insight that once brought her to mount olympus. this legendary mountain has long been said to be the home of many ancient gods. according to the ozian storytellers, who still today will sit by your campfire and tell you a tale in exchange for a cup of tea or a morsel of food, these immortals recognized her abilities at once, and she was admitted into their society of godhood. as a goddess, lurliné was able to gain access to many things. with the help of her fairy band, as well as the input of her sister fairy, polychrome, lurliné was able to give the land of oz the magical enchantment that made it what it is today. but she did not do the deed without a few pitfalls. among the things that lurliné required to fulfill the spell's needs were apollo's own sky chariot, the flying horses to pull it through the air, kolé's essence of crystal, and lillith's brazier of endless flame. at polychrome's suggestion, she also obtained iris' jug of rainbow. unfortunately, lurliné was not always scrupulous. in this event, she elected to take the various magical requirements without the permission of the various deities. she stole into their chambers at night as they lay sleeping and took the elements she wished. she then went together with her fairy band and performed the enchantment over oz. she was banished from mount olympus as a result of her rash action. but, supposing the legend is all true, the marvelous land of oz remains as a glowing tribute to the powers of the fairy queen lurliné. and to insure its longevity, lurliné arranged for a fairy ruler to watch over the country she had created. of course, the ruler would have to be a native ozite. she would be a beautiful princess. princess ozma was born several generations later unto a descendant of ozroar and his wife ozia, herself a descendant of fairies and daughter of oziana. young ozma was prepared to take on the leadership of oz upon reaching adulthood. but lurliné's plan was balked by the arrival of oscar zoroaster phadrig isaac norman henckle emmanuel ambroise diggs. this was a mortal man from outside of the enchanted land who landed there in a balloon. it had been he who had erected the emerald city, and he who had sold the infant ozma into slavery at the hands of a heartless old witch named mombi. to hide the infant queen, mombi had transformed her into a boy. she believed that no one would ever think to look to a little boy to find the fairy princess, so ozma was aptly hidden away for a very long time. but things in oz do have a way of working out for the best. after diggs left the country, ozma was found and restored to her proper being. she had aged very little, being that oz folk age only when they choose to, and little ozma had just been given her rightful place on the royal throne. most of this history, of course, was unknown to elephant and his companions. they saw only the fact that she was a child. they did not know of her unique experiences at all. if they had, they'd have surely recognized that she was more aware of human needs and the differences there connected. but even to their eyes, it was clear that this child was very special. they had every hope that she would be able to do as they needed done to rid their land of the terrifying forest monster. [illustration: tiger caught in a spiderweb.] chapter the giant spider tiger growled as he watched his captor wrap him in the strong webbing. he was a fairly small tiger, but he was accustomed to being larger than any spider he had ever heard of. this spider, he felt certain, was some sort of a freak of nature. perhaps a direct result of the humans' constant littering, or maybe a military experiment gone haywire. "ahh, my little pussycat," laughed the creature. "i have you now. there is no need for further struggle." "like i told you before," grumbled tiger, "i am not a lion. i am a striped tiger. can't you see that?" "i can admit that you do not look like what i had in mind," replied the spider. "however, you are feline in nature. that is all i care about just now." "but it wasn't me who beheaded you. i am innocent!" "perhaps," the spider seemed unconcerned. "perhaps what you say is true, and then again, perhaps you're lion to me. in any event, you are at the very least a distant cousin to that animal that lopped my head off. when he hears that you are in my clutches, he'll be here." "but this is a small, rarely traversed forest," said the tiger. "it isn't often that news from the lunechien forest gets out to the rest of the country." "then you shall stay here as my guest," grinned the spider. "after all, the little insect has been satisfying me less lately. i had been using her sweet charity to keep myself giant-sized." he stalked over to a wall on the far side of the cave. indicating two yellowing papers with crudely drawn human faces on them, he turned back toward his bound prisoner. "these are pictures i drew of the great masters. they created me, and gave me the powers i possess. when they asked me to devour their bald-headed little enemy, i was only too happy to comply. he had too much magic in him, however. i was sent away from my beloved creators." tiger thought that the monster was about to cry, but he went on. "i made the best of it, though. i became the leader of a lot of wild animals in an untamed wood. oh, they never actually called me that. but they feared me. you'd better believe it! they were scared spitless by me! until one day, when that ... that ... that lion came along and used my head as if it were a baseball! but i'll get even now, little friend. believe you me! i will find that lion, and i will chomp his head off! you just wait and see if i don't!" he turned to the drawing of the witch of the east. "i will avenge myself on this lion for us both," he said, crossing himself. "but, really," begged tiger. "i have no argument with you. please let me free. i will help you bag your lion-prey." "not a bit of that!" snarled the spider. "i have better plans for you." "better plans?" "most definitely. as i was saying, the bug's no longer sufficient for my needs. i am told that you have a powerful and courageous heart. bold and fearless, is it not?" "i'm afraid i don't understand your ..." "if i use your heartfelt emotions, which seem to be, er ... well, tiger-sized by definition ... if i can do that, i can remain giant-sized for time and all eternity. i can be all-powerful! i will be the bravest arachnid on the face of the earth! and next, my little chickadee, i plan to capture some little beasts that are called hootsey and ... lisa, is it? owls, i think. they are known for their wisdom and kindness to their fellow ozites. i care nothing for their kindness, of course. my power comes from the negative uses of the senses. but i plan to make use of their immense knowledge. oh, yes! and then, my dear little tiger, then! i shall reach out to my definitive prize in all the lunechien forest. that big wrinkly fellow i saw not too long ago. he had a nose like a garden hose, but my little bug has unwittingly told me that he is the one to whom the forest beasts turn when they have problems. he likes to solve problems, and has a phenomenal knack for it. he is wise beyond his years, and his emotions encompass all the land! he is also one of the strongest and most bold beasts in all the lunechien territory--even putting the tigers like you to shame! when i can capture this elephant, i will be all-powerful! i will be almighty! i will be superhuman! then, i shall be able to take on the beast who has come to be known as the cowardly lion. a most unfitting moniker, wouldn't you say, for a fellow who swiped off my head while i was asleep one day?" "you'll never get away with this!" roared tiger. "elephant is too big and strong to be beaten by any spider--even one so large as you!" "we'll see about that shortly, shorty," replied the spider. "now, won't we?" chapter the forest monster of oz meanwhile, word of the monster's plans for tiger had reached elephant and tweaty and nibbles via hootsey and lisa. the trio had been showing ozma the cast of the giant footprint when the owls flew in with the news. ozma was astounded that such a beast could live in her domain without her being aware of it. and indeed, the beast had kept a fairly low profile until recently. but it was quite obvious that a power struggle was now going on. the beast was gradually finding out that he could grow larger and stronger at the expense of others and would no doubt not be satisfied until he was so large and powerful that every living creature would be under his domain. why, even ozma herself was in danger. the owls quickly informed her that the beast's first goal was to capture elephant in order to gain the super strength that would enable him to attack the cowardly lion. however, she knew he had to absorb tiger's power and courage first before he would dream of attacking elephant. it was quite obvious he was going to have to think fast before tiger became a mere shell of his old self. hootsey and lisa were naturally quite concerned for their own welfare. they did not want their wisdom sucked out of them by a giant spider with vampire-like tendencies. one has to live a long time and learn by trial and error before one can truly be considered wise. of course, some people never learn. they make the same mistakes over and over. however, that is neither here nor there. the point is that hootsey and lisa were in as much danger as anyone and were very anxious to help in any way they could. "if i might make a suggestion?" said hootsey. "i recently came upon some unusual creatures that could very well be a match for the monster." of course, everyone was all ears, and fell silent as hootsey began to talk. "these creatures are very unusual in that they are technically made of glass and so would appear to be very fragile. but when they open their mouths they are a most ferocious sight to behold. they are of a bulbous shape with very long legs that can move at the speed of light--" at this point nibbles intercepted hootsey's graphic description. "these animals sound most interesting, but they don't sound particularly ferocious--" "oh, wait!" responded hootsey. "i haven't told you the best part. their mouths are filled with razor-sharp teeth and they can rip any animal to shreds in two seconds. when a pack of them attack, the unfortunate victim never even knows what hit him. it's over that fast." [illustration: owl describing saber-tooth light-bulbs] "and what might the name of these creatures be?" responded elephant. "well," answered hootsey. "two important factors contribute to their name. one is their ability to light their bodies up at night brighter than a hundred glow worms. the second is when they open their mouths and expose those teeth you would think you were looking at a saber-toothed tiger. anyone want to guess their name?" "_saber-toothed light bulbs!_" everyone responded in unison. they all began to feel a little better to know that perhaps the dreadful spider-creature may not be so formidable after all. it was difficult to imagine how he could possibly stand up to a ferocious pack of saber-toothed light bulbs. of course, the next thing that must be done would be to negotiate with the saber-toothed light bulbs and see if they would be willing to take on the monster. the little group was so engrossed in mulling this over that they did not notice a new visitor in their midst. it was tweaty who first noticed him and nudged nibbles in the ribs. nibbles looked up to observe the strangest-looking little chap that he had ever set eyes on. he was a sort of miniature fred flintstone--short and pudgy. but he had a nose to beat all noses! it wasn't that it was long or funny shaped or anything. it was just big (and i really mean big!). anyway, when tweaty poked nibbles in the ribs, it was a pretty hard poke. and nibbles let out quite a yell. everyone turned to look, and saw the stranger. "excuse me," said the stranger. "i didn't mean to intrude. but i saw everyone here having a meeting and i didn't want to interrupt. however, since i now have your undivided attention, i feel duty-bound to convey the reason for my being here in the hopes that you will not consider it an intrusion on your privacy." "well, he is certainly polite," commented hootsey. "it is my considered opinion that we should hear what he has to say." "by all means," everyone said, nodding in unison. "well, my mission is really with queen ozma. you see, my people have encountered some border skirmishes with our neighbors to the north and we were hoping that queen ozma could use her good offices and apply her diplomatic powers of persuasion to encourage them to retreat back into their own territory. you see, they are very aggressive in nature; whereas we are a very passive people." "might i ask if they have made any formal declaration of hostilities?" asked the queen in her best adult voice. "well, no. not exactly," responded the little chap. "perhaps the best way of clarifying the situation would be for me to read this copy of a recent speech our president gave to our parliamentary congress." with that, he pulled out a rolled-up manuscript from his coat pocket with a flourish and began to read; "'ladies and gentlemen: i have called this emergency session of the five hundredth and eighteenth parliamentary congress to inform you of some very disturbing developments along our northern border. as president of the sniffer nation, i need not remind you of the delicate nature of our highly sensitive olfactory organs--our noses. and would you believe that our so-called friendly northern neighbors--the stinkfoots--have recently seen fit to ignore all previous treaties and sense of common decency! they have caused great distress among our border residents by not only building new residential dwellings right smack up against the border, but have blatantly crossed the border in ever increasing numbers and brazenly thumbed their ridiculously small noses at sniffer citizens who were unfortunate enough to cross their paths. they have also been observed taking soil samples from our rich bottom land. the reasons for this are now known to us. you will be shocked to the core when i reveal this to you in a moment. in the meantime many of our border residents have become so overwhelmed and nauseated by the smell of the stinkfoots that they have moved lock stock and barrel to the city. i immediately dashed off a letter of protest to the stinkfoot president, demanding an immediate withdrawal to the previously negotiated line of demarcation two miles north of the border.' "i do not wish to alarm our citizens to the point of panic, but i shall now read to you their president's reply: "'to president humongous schnozzle; distinguished members of the five hundredth and eighteenth parliamentary congress of the sniffer nation; and to all of the humble citizens of your fair land. "'first, let me apologize for not entering into new negotiations regarding our present expansion. but due to a severe blight on our stinkweed crop, which as you know is our staple diet, our people are becoming severely malnourished. i'm sure that you are all well aware that we are greatly dependent on the stinkweed plant for many purposes, the least of which is the manufacture of stinkweed pills which we all partake of religiously in order to maintain that rich aroma that permeates our bodies, but which mainly radiates from the area of our feet. as you know, our olfactory senses are virtually nonexistent, but we are aware of a slight essence of this aroma which we find most pleasing. unfortunately for others who might stray across our borders, the smell overpowers them in seconds, rendering any potential invader helpless. now, as a result of the factors i have just presented to you, we find your bottom land by our northern borders to be extremely rich in nutrients that the stinkweed plant needs to flourish, and preliminary experimental results indicate that stinkweed plants grown in this environment are completely immune to the blight that is wiping out our crop. therefore, we have no option but to take as much of your land as will insure the very survival of the proud nation that we are. that is why we did not inform you formally or informally. the matter is simply not negotiable. "'sincerely "'stinky mcfoot president (past, present and future) of stinkfootland "'p.s.--it is not our fault that the sniffer people have such big noses that their sense of smell is ultra sensitive to our presence.'" the little group had fallen silent. "you know," said elephant to ozma. "we are greatly sympathetic to their predicament. however, the situation with the stinkfoots and the sniffers is diverting us from our real problem--which is that huge, furry, ugly, filthy putrid monstrosity who calls himself a spider." "that's very true," said ozma. "but remember, we have to negotiate with the saber-toothed light bulbs before we can do anything. in the meantime, the president of the sniffer nation has asked our help and we simply cannot refuse. he and his people are in a real bind." "i'll be in a real bind if that monster attacks me," snapped elephant. "i'll be bound up in his giant web and devoured to death." "now don't you worry," ozma replied, reaching up to pat elephant's trunk. "we won't let anything happen to you." her answer must have satisfied elephant, because he wrapped his trunk around her waist and hoisted her up to his back. then he walked down to the stream and took a long drink. as they returned to join the group, hootsey was clearing his throat and proceeded to speak with pure wisdom dripping from every word. "i have been thinking..." before he could continue, lisa interrupted him. "i can see that you've been thinking because smoke is coming out of your ears." of course she had a twinkle in her eyes when she said this, but hootsey did not see the humor of it. "well that's very funny, ha! ha!" he said dryly. "i'm dying of laughter, ho! ho! ho!" after he finished glaring at lisa, he continued ... "so, anyway, as i was saying," again glaring at lisa, "_before i was so rudely interrupted!_ there is great diversity in oz. i mean, there are so many different kinds of people, yet for the most part we all get along fairly well. oh, we have our differences of opinion. no question about it. but we seem to resolve them without too much upheaval. well, most of the time. anyway, the point is--" at that, tweaty interrupted. "i can see immediately that you have never been to chilepepperland." "and where, pray tell, is chilepepperland?" enquired hootsey with a hint of cynicism. "and why have i never heard of it?" "perhaps you've never heard of it because you're too busy trying to think of wise things to say," interrupted nibbles. "after all, you have a reputation to uphold." hootsey could not be sure if nibbles was being a "smart alec" or was just paying him a complement. "chilepepperland is beyond the great desert," answered tweaty, "in a very remote region which is surrounded by impenetrable terrain composed of jagged rocks. there is only one narrow passageway which twists and turns every which way through the rocks. the sides of the passageway are quite sheer. if you were looking down from above, it would just seem like a chasm because you cannot see the path at the bottom. besides, the road disappears in places where it goes under the rocks. the entrance is completely hidden by prickly pear bushes which are plentiful in the region. that is why no one has ever heard of chilepepperland. because it is basically cut off from civilization." "how did you discover it?" elephant asked with genuine curiosity. "well," continued tweaty, "i happened to be flying over the area one day and spotted a group of green chilepeppers having a picnic. they invited me to lunch and told me all about their turbulent history. it seems that chilepepperland was first occupied by several tribes of red chilepeppers who were, for the most part, peace-loving. oh, they had occasional small skirmishes among themselves. but they lived in relative harmony for many many years; living off the land which they treated with great reverence because it provided all their food. they also had great respect for the animal kingdom. they were never wasteful; giving constant thanks to the great spirit who, they believed, watched over them and provided for them abundantly. they believed in sharing their bounty with one another, and this they did frequently with great ceremony. then one fateful day, the first group of yellow chilepeppers arrived from a foreign shore. at first there was a mutual understanding between the newcomers and the indigenous people. the red chilepeppers were very helpful in assisting the newcomers to adapt to their new surroundings. in return, they were given trinkets that sparkled, such as colored glass beads, hand mirrors and such, the like of which they'd never set eyes on before. the red chilepeppers were an innocent people, really quite primitive compared to the sophisticated so-called civilized newcomers who, incidentally, were very quick to take advantage of the childlike trust the red chilepeppers displayed in their early contacts. they moved quickly to take full advantage of these simple trustful souls. and as more and more yellow chilepeppers arrived, they moved across the country taking whatever land they needed without any regard for the previous occupants. this lead to much fighting and eventual total conquest of the red chilepeppers who were forced to give up their beautiful lands and moved to less desirable areas. this broke their spirit, for they were once a very proud people--roaming at will the vast prairies and forests. and to this day they remain second-class citizens, really. never able to assimilate into the world of the yellow chilepeppers, nor ever able to return to the total freedom they once knew." "that has to be the saddest story i've ever heard," said elephant. "those yellow chilepeppers are just rotten dogs! how could they treat their fellow chilepeppers that way just because they were red instead of yellow?" "i assume that they were uncomfortable with people who they considered 'different,'" answered ozma. "also, they wanted the best land for themselves." "anyway, that's not all," continued tweaty. "after they took those lush lands away from the rightful owners, they desecrated much of it over the years, seeing it only as something to take from and to pour harsh chemicals into for various reasons of their own. the red chilepeppers had always blessed the land, given it thanks for its bounty and replenished it when they took from it. yet the yellow chilepeppers considered them primitive and savage. and that's still not all! the green chilepeppers went on to tell me about the treatment that _they_ received at the hands of the yellow chilepeppers. it seems that they also lived in a land of their own far away across the nonestic ocean. one day a group of yellow chilepeppers, who were visiting the area in their ship, came ashore and captured some of them and took them back to chilepepperland and sold them to plantation owners in the southern part of chilepepperland ..." "oh, come on!" said nibbles, who had been very silent all this time. "you can't sell people." "in those days you could," tweaty responded. "at least, according to the green chilepeppers i talked to. they not only sold the people they captured as slaves, but they went back again and again to capture more green chilepeppers and sold them, too. and by the way, a lot of the green chilepeppers died in the terrible voyage en route." "but how could the leaders of the yellow chilepeppers allow this to happen?" asked ozma. "i would never allow even an unkind remark to pass between them if i were their leader. and i would have made the yellow chilepeppers take the green chilepeppers back to their own people immediately." "well, as a matter of fact," continued tweaty, "the yellow chilepeppers' leader lived in the north, and he thought very poorly of this arrangement. a lot of other people agreed with him, and he abolished slavery forever from the land. but it caused the yellow chilepeppers to fight among themselves and, to this day, some yellow chilepeppers still do not consider the green chilepeppers to be equal in status to themselves--and can be quite discriminating in their treatment of them. that is, when they can get away with it. they even confine them economically and socially to areas that are less desirable to live. quite naturally, this causes great resentment among many of the green chilepeppers and sometimes their anger is unleashed in unfortunate ways. this in turn causes an even greater chasm between the two groups." "how terrible!" elephant said. "chilepepperland sounds like a horrible place to live! i hope i never even have to visit there." "it sounds to me," said ozma, "that if every single chilepepper who lives in chilepepperland really wanted to, they could live in peace and love and harmony alongside each other forever and ever. and then it would be a perfectly wonderful place to live." "the problem as i see it," said hootsey, looking as wise as he could, "is that for every chilepepper of whatever color whose heart is filled with love and kindness for his fellows, there are probably several who cannot generate those feelings within themselves. so i predict that the unfortunate state of affairs in that dark land will continue for quite some time to come. it's a very negative prognosis, i know. but the accumulated wisdom i have acquired over many years tells me that this is so." "i know one thing," said lisa. "the people who live in the land where dorothy comes from are much too intelligent to allow such foolishness to exist there." the other members of the little group turned to each other knowingly, and slowly shook their heads. for they knew that the unfortunate fact of the matter was that the land where dorothy came from had had a similar history. in fact, even as i write these words, there are people in the mortal lands who have lost their homes and all of their worldly possessions, and many, their lives, simply because they had the misfortune to be born different in some way than their neighbors. everyone became very quiet as he assimilated all that had been said. ozma spoke first. "i would like to read, if i may, a poem from a little book given to me by a dear friend. i was reminded of this poem when tweaty spoke of the difficulties the green chilepepper people encountered. the poem was written by a mortal human named william blake. it is called _the little black boy_." _my mother bore me in the southern wild and i am black, but o my soul is white white as an angel is the english child but i am black, as if bereaved of light. my mother taught me underneath a tree, and, sitting down before the heat of the day, she took me on her lap and kissed me, and, pointing to the east, began to say: "look on the rising sun: there god does live, and gives his light, and gives his heat away, and flowers and trees and beasts and men receive comfort in the morning, joy in the noonday. "and we are put on earth a little space that we may learn to bear the beams of love; and these black bodies and this sunburnt face are but a cloud, and like a shady grove. "for, when our souls have learned the heat to bear, the cloud will vanish, we shall hear his voice, saying, 'come out from the grove, my love and care, and round my golden tent like lambs rejoice.'" thus did my mother say, and kissed me, and thus i say to the little english boy. when i from black, and he from white cloud free. and round the tent of god like lambs we joy, i'll shade him from the heat 'til he can bear to lean in joy upon our father's knee; and then i'll stand and stroke his silver hair, and be like him, and he will then love me._ by the time ozma had read the last line, tears were streaming down everyone's face. "that is the most beautiful poem i have ever heard..." elephant sobbed, as tweaty dabbed his eyes with a tailfeather, "...and so very sad that it will take so long for true love to exist between all peoples. only when they realize that in the ultimate sense there is no difference between them." the story of the chilepeppers and the poem by william blake left everyone in a very somber mood. but time was not standing still, and you can be sure that that mean-spirited old spider-monster was not letting any grass grow under his feet. even now he was no doubt growing stronger by the minute by sucking strength and courage out of any victim who had been unfortunate enough to be caught in his deadly web. "we must be on our way," ozma said, shivering slightly. "elephant, why don't we all ride on you, and we'll talk as we go along and plan our strategy." "good idea," elephant answered, picking ozma up again. meanwhile, tweaty and the owls flew up and perched on elephant's head. elephant then lowered his trunk to allow nibbles to jump aboard and be lifted up behind ozma. "okay, every one!" shouted elephant as he raised his trunk high in the air and let out a great trump which just about blew everyone off his back. he then proceeded to waddle down the road making trumping sounds that sounded suspiciously like a trombone playing the bass part to _when the saints go marching in_. in fact, pretty soon everyone was singing along-- _oh when the saints go mar chin' in. when the saints go marchin' in. lord, i want to be in that number, when the saints go marchin' in..._ [illustration: sniffer and stinkfoot arguing.] chapter the journey toward the sniffer nation "as i see it," said lisa as they traveled along, "there is at least one major difference between the problems in the sniffer nation and the problems of chilepepperland. the chilepeppers, so far as i can determine, are different from one another only in their viewpoints. some may have had a better education than others, but all were born essentially equal. on the other hand, even if they were born equal, the sniffer citizens have a real physical reason for their disagreement with the stinkfoots. if you will forgive my saying so, i cannot believe that either group is necessarily better or more important than the other. it's just that they are physically unable to co-exist." "as much as it pains me to say it," replied the sniffer citizen, "i have to agree. after all, the stinkfoot people used to get along fine with my people, so long as we kept our distance from one another. now that the stinkfoots are infringing on our territory, we are forced to take action against them despite our former friendship. but there simply is no alternative. they are taking away our homeland, and pushing us away. there is no other option but to push them back." "it is a real problem when one specie overcrowds its territory," added hootsey. "it must pave away all other life forms to further supply its own needs." "but no one has the right to crowd out what nature has already established," said elephant. "just imagine the chaos it would create if, say, the human race were to become so plentiful that it was leveling rain forests and wiping out all other forms of life to make room for itself." "that would be terrible," agreed hootsey. "and it is exactly what the stinkfoots are doing. once they have pushed the sniffers into either isolation or extinction, they may continue to outgrow the territory they occupy and move into other regions where they will do even more damage." "they have to be stopped at any cost," said the sniffer man. "no," said ozma. "not at any cost. even though they are doing bad, they are still counted among my subjects. they are not enemies to oz, and i will not have them entirely devastated. our plan has to be fair to both sides, not just one. as we have said, neither side is better than the other. you yourself agreed. we can't allow either race to be lost in favor of the other. that would upset the balance of nature." "but how else can we stop them from expanding to wherever they like?" asked the sniffer citizen. "there has to be a fair way to settle the dispute," replied the little queen. "and it is up to us to find it." "what if we forbade them from eating any more stinkweeds?" suggested nibbles. "that way, they wouldn't smell so bad, and the sniffers would have no further trouble with them. also, they would no longer need to be living in an area that would help the stinkweeds grow." "you heard the letter," answered lisa. "they won't agree to that. they like the smell that they get from the weeds, and they believe it will prevent anyone attacking them. they would never go along with that plan." "we're almost there" sighed the sniffer citizen. "but we are no closer to an agreement. what can we do?" "i intend to speak with your president," replied ozma. "and i will also meet with the stinkfoot president." ozma and the lunechien party of five was greeted at the border of the sniffer nation by president humongous schnozzle himself. indeed, he must have had the largest nose that ozma had ever seen. it was longer than that of elephant! "probisquous!" he said joyfully. "you're back! and you have brought an army with you!" "hello, mr. president," said the sniffer messenger. "this is queen ozma of oz and with her are elephant, lisa, hootsey, tweaty and nibbles from the lunechien forest of oz. i have told them of our plight, and they have come to try and help." "and not a moment too soon," said president schnozzle. "the stinkfoots have sent me another letter. this time, they are threatening to burn down our village if we do not surrender immediately, i hope that your small army is prepared to stand up to them." "i did not come to fight," said ozma with a firmness that surprised even her. "i want to see the two sides come to an arrangement. if that is not possible, we may then have to resort to stronger measures." "i'm afraid that the stinkfoots are beyond reasoning," sighed president schnozzle. "the only recourse we have is to fight fire with fire." ozma could see that the sniffer president was not going to deviate from his present frame of mind without a struggle. "i do understand your position and i sympathize with your feelings," she said. "however, before anyone does anything rash, i wish to speak to president mcfoot." "then i suggest that you hold your nose," replied schnozzle. "otherwise, you'll be overwhelmed by the stench and probably pass out." "i'll take that chance," said the little queen. "just give me an hour to talk to mr. mcfoot before you start any uprising." "i will give you all the time you want," replied the sniffer president. "at least, from my side. but if those stinkers start anything, you'd better believe that i will not sit doggo and let them destroy our homes." "fair enough," said ozma. she then followed probisquous to the edge of the stinkfoot nation. "i can't take you any further," he said. "my eyes are already starting to water. i hope you can handle the stinkiness from this point onward. it gets worse the closer you come to those guys." ozma thanked him and went on her way. indeed, the smell was a potent one. she could see why it would ward off any potential attackers. she tried to hold her breath, but that was not something she could do indefinitely. she tried holding her nose and breathing with her mouth, but that was hardly a dignified pose for the queen of all oz. when the stench became absolutely unbearable, she found herself face to face with a little boy who sported the tiniest nose she could have imagined. it was about the same size as that of a ladybug. his feet, on the other hand, were enormous. "who are you?" asked the lad. "i amb queen ozba of oz," she said with some difficulty. "i amb here to visit with president stinky mcfoot of the stinkfoot nation." "i thought your nose was too small to make you a sniffer," he said. "but it is sure a lot bigger than any stinkfoot's. hey, why are you holding it like that?" "i'mb afraid that i'mb having a hard time dealing with the sbell of the stinkweeds," she explained, not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings by mentioning his feet, which ozma felt certain were the real source of the offensive smell. she believed that it would be better to avoid any statement that might be taken as a gesture of insult. "the stinkweeds?" replied the boy. "but they are delicious. they are our primary food." this was not going very well, and the little queen was already feeling nauseated by the stench. she would not be able to take much time explaining her situation before she became physically ill. this proposed a problem, as she had never known illness to exist in oz. still, it was a matter that would require a bit of research. "i bust see your president," she sniffled uneasily. "can you take be to himb?" "of course," said the boy simply, taking a handful of the stinkweeds and eating it. "i can take you to his mansion, anyway. i don't know if he'll want to talk. he is preparing to fight the sniffers for control of the fertile lands, and is very busy with that right now." "that's just the thing," said ozma. "i need to discuss that batter with himb." "well," said the boy, "you are the queen. follow me." ozma followed the lad as quickly as she could under the circumstances. the smell only grew more pungent with each step. it was overpowering. but she knew that she had to help the two rivals to come to an arrangement quickly, as the forest monster could be doing nearly anything at this point, and she was losing valuable time. she wished that she had sent the forest animals on to speak to the saber-toothed light bulbs without her, but she knew in her heart that such an act might well have endangered her new friends. if she were not with the animals, the light bulbs might well have attacked them. no, this was all she could do. she only hoped that she had not chosen the wrong skirmish to settle first. when she came to the mansion of president stinky mcfoot, she saw that it was expansive. it was a good sixteen acres wide, and had more rooms than any one man could possibly make use of. she hurriedly knocked on the heavy oak door. her knock was answered by a stinkfoot who was dressed as a butler. "yes?" he said to her. "i amb queen ozba of oz," she explained. "i amb here to speak to the president." "queen ozba of oz?" replied the butler. "but you are just a child. how can you be the queen of anything? except possibly a toy box." "i amb queen ozba!" she said. "i amb serious! i bean it!" "okay," chuckled the stinkfoot. "i'll play along for a moment. if you are the queen of oz, what is it you wish to speak to president mcfoot about?" "he is planning a war with the sniffer nation," said the queen. "i want to try to find a better way for your people to solve your differences." "that is very touching," laughed the butler. "but if you were really the queen of oz, you would surely know that the matter is already settled. the sniffer-snuffers will have to let us have the land we need to survive, and that is all there is to it. now, go home little girl. we have a lot to attend to, and there really isn't any time for your games." "but i amb really the queen!" objected she. "yes," said the butler, "and i am charles dickens. my wife is the queen of england. now do run along." he shut the door before ozma had a chance to say anything more. "this is not going at all as i planned," sighed ozma. but the pungent odor was already more than she could take, and she knew that she must get to some fresh air immediately if she was to be of any practical use to either the sniffers or the denizens of the lunechien forest. dejectedly, she returned to the sniffer nation. she was gasping for air by the time she arrived there, and so she breathed in several lungfuls of the cleaner, purer stuff. it was a treat that she was grateful for. "so what did stinky mcstink have to say?" president schnozzle asked ozma upon her return. "i did not get in to see mr. mcfoot," said ozma sourly. "but i sure did get a noseful of your immediate problem." "our immediate problem is the fact that a bunch of people with stinky-feet are planning to attack and burn our village to the ground. i am sorry, your majesty, but we are left with no other recourse but to go to war with them and destroy them all before they do it to us. surely you can see that they are unreasonable and unkind and un-un--well, a bunch of other words that start with 'un.' we can't allow them to un-ify us if we can help it, and we sniffers are a proud people who will not give in without a fight!" "president schnozzle," sighed ozma. "i am not trying to belittle you or your pride. i just don't think that resorting to violence is the way to deal with any situation. it only leads to misery for both sides." "not if we win," replied the president. "in times of war," said lisa, "there are no winners." the hoot-owl had stayed back with the four lunechien animals at the sniffer president's modest home, and was also a little disappointed at ozma's failure to speak to the stinkfoot leader. so much had been riding on this meeting. but ozma had not gotten in to see him, and the simple fact remained that they were no closer to a solution than they had been before. "maybe we need those saber-toothed light bulbs right here," suggested nibbles. "then the stinkfoots would be too scared to start a fight." "i doubt it," reasoned president schnozzle. "i'm not even sure that any saber-toothed light bulbs could handle the stinky smell of those buzzards." "maybe not," said hootsey. "but it is an idea. what if we were to scare the stinkfoots back into their own territory?" "that may be possible," said ozma. "it looked to me like they had no problem of overpopulation. it was really just their desire to grow more stinkweeds, and their incapability to do so in their soil." "that's right!" said lisa. "but no soil can go indefinitely growing the same crop. anyone who lives in the forest knows that! and even the munchkin farmers rotate their crops to keep their soil in balance." "rotate it?" scoffed the sniffer president. "you mean like a phonograph record on a turntable?" "no," replied lisa. "i mean that if, say, a farmer plants carrots in his fields this year, he will plant something totally different next year. this way, the nutrients in the soil stay in balance and can be used to raise more carrots some other year. it's really very simple. it's kind of like replenishing with one crop what was diminutized by another." "so you think that, if the stinkfoots were to grow carrots instead of stinkweeds for a year, they could go back to stinkweeds next year?" said the president uncertainly. "i'd say more than likely," agreed lisa. "but," put in hootsey, "the stinkfoots can't live without their stinkweed. or they refuse to, in any event" "maybe we have a solution," grinned ozma. "but we don't," said hootsey. "they will refuse to give up their stinkweeds. you know it's true." "not if they can have them," said ozma. "listen, president schnozzle. what would you think of letting the stinkfoots use your land to grow their food here this year, while the sniffer farmers use the stinkfoot nation to grow anything that they want to eat? you can simply switch territories every year, and the rotation of crops will keep both of your soils fertile." the sniffer president sat down in a wooden chair. he was obviously deep in thought. "you know," he said after a time, "i think you have something there. if we can only state this plan to the stinkfoots, i'm sure it would work. i am beginning to recall that even our own farmers have spoken about this rotation of crops on at least one occasion. and i'd bet that the stinkweeds would have made the soil over there ideal for our dietary staples!" "more than likely!" said lisa wisely. "this is all very nice," said elephant. "but how are we to propose this idea to a people who is as unwilling to listen as a deaf tree-stump?" "we have got to gain an audience with president mcidiot--i mean, president mcfoot. i suppose it does me no good to make fun of his foolishness." "not foolishness," said nibbles. "just lack of education. i didn't know until you guys just said so that rotation of crops was a good idea. mr. mcfoot just doesn't know about farming. he may be a very very wise man in a lot of other subjects." "i think you're right," agreed president schnozzle. "and i am sorry that i reacted so harshly to his actions, which i can now see that he did out of true concern and love for his subjects." "in any situation," said lisa, "it is always best to act, rather than to re-act. it makes you look a lot brighter." "i wholeheartedly agree," said elephant. "however, we still have to figure out a way to get mcfoot into a position to speak to us." "yes," said ozma, "that is true. if only we could lure him into a neutral place with a strong downwind, then we could ..." the little queen's words were cut off as a sickening stench suddenly blew in from the open window. a booming voice cried out, "that is the home of schtupidface schnozzle! torch the place!" schnozzle ran to the window and saw president mcfoot in his military regalia, and he was backed up by several dozen stinkfoots carrying torches. "oh, no!" moaned the sniffer president. "we are too late!" the entire party hurried out the door, but were too late to stop the offensive army from setting fire to the home of president schnozzle. "my home!" cried he. "my books! my teddy bear! my original rembrandt!" "halt!" cried ozma. "i am your queen!" "it's that silly little girl i told you about, master," said a stinkfoot that ozma recognized as the man who had answered the door. "ignore the little scamp and let's get on with our revolution!" "wait a minute!" shuddered president mcfoot. "i have seen pictures of the queen of oz in the newspapers. the place no longer is run by that scarecrow man. i think this child is telling the truth!" the stinkfoot soldiers suddenly stood at attention and saluted ozma. "your majesty," spoke the stinkfoot president, "i am sorry to inform you that there is a war on. we have need of something that these sniffers are not allowing us to have. our survival depends on their annihilation." "no," spoke ozma. "it does not. my dear friends from the lunechien forest have determined the problems with your crops, and we have come to a solution." she quickly outlined the plan to rotate crops and territory. "but the silly sniff-heads have such a modest capitol building," sniffed president mcfoot. "i would not want to live in that little old shack, not even for a day!" "in case you've forgotten," said elephant, "your troops have just burned up that little shack. i suggest that you put them to work rebuilding it in such a way that it will be pleasing to you both." "if i go along with this idea," said the stinkfoot leader, "will schnozface do the same?" "i have already agreed to it," said president schnozzle. "though i must add that the whole place be fumigated before we trade back. if you don't bind, i'mb starting to feel a little queasy." with the situation settled, ozma felt very pleased that there had been no war. still, there was the other matter to contend with. there may still have to be a war to defeat the forest monster that was terrorizing the lunechien forest. of course, ozma would have preferred that it be settled as well as this situation had been, but this monster was obviously not going to be ready to listen to reason for at least a jillion years. by that time, there may be no one left in oz to stop him. chapter onward toward the saber-toothed light bulbs the sniffers and stinkfoots agreed to help in the lunechien forest should their services be needed to help stop the devastation brought about by the spider-monster. president schnozzle handed ozma a small perfume bottle that, when opened, would release a perfume that could be smelled only by a sniffer, and would reach the distance from the forest in only a matter of minutes. ozma pocketed the little bottle and thanked the sniffer and stinkfoot presidents. then ozma and the party of five was on its way to the land of the saber-toothed light bulbs. "how far is it from here?" asked elephant, who was still carrying the others on his broad back. "well," said hootsey, "it isn't exactly close. we will have to travel through some fairly rough territory to get to the light bulbs. but i'm sure our pachyderm is up to it, if anyone is. and we do have our new queen along as well. i really don't think we'll have too many problems." however, unbeknownst to the little owl, problems were exactly what lay ahead of them. the elephant walked on for a few miles without incident, but then came upon a marshy area. "i don't remember this place," said hootsey with disdain. the marshy area was barren of all trees. stretched out before them lay what seemed to be miles of reeds surrounding patches of dirty looking water with steam rising to form a veritable fog. the whole area looked very formidable and quite scary. "i don't like this a bit," elephant remarked, with a concerned expression on his face. "who knows what's laying in wait under that water? and it doesn't look as if we could get very far without walking through it." "and who knows how deep the water is?" tweaty said. "it could be two feet or twenty; maybe even some of the solid ground is really quicksand!" just then a loud twittering sound was heard; soft at first but then increasing in volume to totally surround the little group. then heads appeared above the reeds to signify the source of the twittering. the heads were square; powdery white; and with round eyes like you might see on a stuffed toy--except the expression on the square faces was anything but cute. one rather large creature stood up to reveal a body of the same substance. his whole body looked as if it was composed of giant marshmallows, including his arms and legs. "_i suppose_," he shouted in a booming voice that sounded as if it were coming out of the bottom of a barrel. "i suppose you people think you are going to traverse our lands." "not really," answered elephant. "oh, how silly of me. of course you are just here for a picnic," responded the creature with a sneer. "i should have realized. quick! grab 'em, boys!" the little band was immediately surrounded by hundreds of the creatures who threw fishing nets over them, then rolled out wooden cages on wheels. after everyone was confined in the cages, the leader stepped forward to address them again. "big mistake. big mistake you made coming here. not one trespasser has ever set foot on our land and lived to tell the tale. you see, we are the keepers of the crocodiles who live in these marshes and swamps. and in return for keeping them well fed, they have agreed not to eat us and to allow us to coexist with them in these waters. the substance of our bodies is a sweet marshmallow material and we would be prey to all kinds of creatures if we had to depart these lands. we were made of the same material you are at one time, but we made the mistake of crossing swords with a wicked witch and in a fit of anger, before you could say 'jacky robinson,' she changed us into marshmallows. so here we are, and here you are, just in time to feed a bunch of hungry crocodiles. which is too bad, really, but that's life--death sooner or later. and in your case, it's sooner." elephant and nibbles and tweaty and hootsey and ozma and lisa all looked at each other with despair and foreboding. "look," said elephant to the leader of the marshmallow people. "i am a huge animal. my body will keep those crocodiles fed for weeks. while tweaty here, and hootsey and lisa, are tiny creatures. the crocodiles would not even taste them. why don't you let them go?" "hmmmm," murmured the marshmallow leader. "you have a point there. in fact, the crocodiles could get quite annoyed with us for feeding them such tiny morsels. okay. we'll let them go. but what about her?" he said, pointing to ozma. "she would be quite a delicacy." "delicacy?" echoed ozma. "i am not a delicacy. i am ozma, queen of oz!" the marshmallow man looked at the child and giggled. "you are the queen of something? yeah, right! and i suppose that next you're going to tell me that mortal men will one day be able to travel to the moon and back. ha! that's a laugh!" "but it's true!" argued elephant. "ozma is the ruler of oz." "indeed," added lisa. "i'll admit, i was also a little shaken when i first learned that the queen of oz was a little girl. but you must understand that ozma is of fairy descent. she is not like a mortal child at all. she has special abilities and powers that..." [illustration: elephant and others in cages] "silence!" shouted the marshmallow man. "i am not interested in hearing your lies! this child is simply a tender and mouthwatering human delicacy for the crocodiles to eat! that is all!" he looked at ozma and laughed. "fairy descent? this is not a fairy! i know about these things! fairies are tiny little critters with wings like those on one of our dragonflies. this is just a human child. a perfectly ordinary human child!" ozma looked at him indignantly, but she said nothing more. she knew that it would be hard to convince anyone of her origin without some sort of proof. and, indeed, what would serve as sufficient proof to convince this doubting thomas? she knew all too well that, throughout history, skeptics have always been known to cling to what they thought to be truth, even when it was a foolish belief that they were clinging to. indeed, mortals in america had placed a great deal of faith in a substance called radium. a highly radioactive and dangerous substance, radium was being treated as a miracle medicine that had been hailed as a cure-all for anything! this marshmallow man was every bit as small-minded as the mortal men. if she were going to prove her position and power, she would have to break through the imaginary wall that he had built up in his mind concerning the proper look of queens and fairies. "my good man," she said in her most dignified voice, "i can understand why you might assume what you do. it is true that i look more like a little girl than the ruler of a vast country like oz. and it is true that some fairy groups can be described as you have just suggested. however, it is also true that there are different kinds of fairies, just as there are different kinds of marshmallows. the fairy queen lurliné does not have wings, and she looks quite human, too. but if it is so important to you, i can probably meet with your needs in a satisfactory manner." she put her fingers to her temples and concentrated. "what are you doing?" asked the marshmallow man in puzzlement. then: "chicanery in chittenango!" he exclaimed. "you have wings! but you didn't have them a second or two ago!" "nor have i got them now," explained ozma. "but i have made myself appear to you as you would have me appear. because i am a fairy, i can make myself look any way i please. but underneath, i am still the same little girl i have always been." the wings vanished again. "but how can this be?" shuddered the marshmallow man. "it is really very simple," explained ozma. "when i first took the throne of oz, i had the same blonde hair that you see me with now. but i might decide one day to be a brunette." her hair suddenly changed color as she spoke. "or even a redhead." again, the child's hair changed color. "why, if i had a mind to, i could even make it green!" again, her hair color changed. "you know, i think i might want to try being a brunette once in a while. just for a change, you know. and if ever i must meet with dignitaries from another country--especially one of those narrow-minded mortal lands, i think i might want to appear to them as an adult. but, of course, i like being youthful, so i will not really age. i will just make myself appear that way on occasion when the situation calls for it." the marshmallow man fell to his marshmallow knees. "forgive me, your highness!" he said. "you really are a fairy! i most humbly apologize for my mistake. but you must admit, you really did look like a mere human child. how was i to know?" "i don't think it should have mattered," said elephant. "do you really imagine that it is ever proper to feed any sentient being to a crocodile? even a regular mortal child?" "you are a wild animal," spoke the marshmallow man. "you should know better than anyone that such is the way of survival. we do not want the crocodiles to eat us, but we know that they must eat. i doubt that they would be satisfied with tofu or falafel burgers, either. these crocodiles are carnivorous, and they require fresh meat in order to survive. would you have them become extinct?" "he has a point," said hootsey. "we really can't blame the crocodiles for their metabolisms. but we can't allow them to eat our queen, either!" "oh, no," said the marshmallow man. "now that i know who she is, i have no intention of feeding her to the crocodiles any more." "nor any of my companions," said ozma in a tone of voice that would not tolerate any argument. "but you do have a legitimate problem. you are citizens of oz, and therefore my subjects. i will not allow any of my subjects to be threatened by any carnivorous crocodiles." "then the crocodiles will not be able to survive," said lisa sadly. "but nothing can actually die anywhere in oz," said nibbles. "then they will grow horribly uncomfortable if they can't eat what nature dictates they should," said lisa. "i, for one, would rather die than have a constant emptiness in my tummy or lack of energy due to malnutrition." "indeed," agreed elephant. "to go hungry is a terrible fate. isn't there some alternative?" "nothing short of allowing the crocodiles to eat you," replied the marshmallow man. "then all is lost," sighed hootsey. "our benevolent ruler will have to decide who will be the recipient of her benevolence. it will have to be a choice between the carnivorous crocodiles or their natural source of food. one of the two must suffer." "how sad," said lisa. "i had always heard that rulers and queens had a tough job, but i had always doubted it. on the surface, it looks like queens get to live in beautiful palaces with servants who meet all of their needs. and they are allowed to go to bed any time they like, or eat chocolate ice cream for breakfast if they wish. but now i begin to understand why their lives are so difficult. i sure wouldn't want to have to make a decision like that. basically, you'll be condemning an entire race to extinction--just like the dodo bird or the winkledejimpker!" "couldn't we use criminals and thieves to feed to the crocodiles?" suggested nibbles. "i will not allow even them to be tortured this way," said ozma. "even a thief deserves a chance to make up for his past misbehaving." "then what can we do?" asked the marshmallow man. "hey!" said elephant, suddenly having an idea. "there is a grove of trees that grows near the lunechien forest. some of the trees have fruits growing on them. others have seed pods or alarm clocks or other such normal things that one always expects to find growing on trees. but i think there are also a couple of ham and sausage trees there. i'll bet they would suffice for the crocodiles. then they wouldn't have to eat any living creatures in order to satisfy their natural cravings." "a grand idea!" said the marshmallow man. "i have never heard of such odd trees as those, but i'm sure the crocodiles will be thrilled to learn that they no longer have to be hated and feared by their fellow beings." "of course," said lisa. "no one wants to be feared. and if they are now able to get their meat without any stalking or struggling, they might need some other form of exercise to keep from growing fat or sluggish. i think we should organize some group activities that will allow the crocodiles and owls to interact together as friends." "and maybe pinky and i could arrange a similar thing for us elephants to get together with them." "i think the mice would be a little too scared," shuddered nibbles. "not after i have one of those ham trees transplanted in their marsh," said ozma. she turned to the marshmallow man. "would you be willing to take charge of that?" "of course," he replied. "it will also make my own people live in greater comfort to know that the crocodiles will never be hungry for them again. but ... er, just out of curiosity, are there any marshmallow trees around? just to be on the safe side, you know." they all laughed. chapter all about the gilligoggs and the droffs the droffs and the gilligoggs had never understood each other. they were a different people, really. for example, the droffs were shaggy-looking creatures with forms that resembled the wooly mammoth. they had short squat legs like tree trunks; short squat little bodies with arms to match, and heads that were too large for their bodies with eyes that were buried beneath long straggly shaggy fur. their voices had a deep gruff sound not unlike a cave man might have sounded, and their words came out in a torrent of grunts that did not vary in tone and that did not exactly follow the rules of grammar. for example: "who you?" "what you name?" "how got you this place?" "why you here for?" etc. whereas the gilligoggs were quite elegant--even sophisticated--compared to the droffs. they were tall and slender, with long delicate fingers that they waved expressively as they talked. they also had long hair but it was as soft and sweet smelling as the droffs' hair was coarse and pungent. their faces were feminine looking (even the males) with long curling eyelashes, delicately chiseled features, full lips, etc. the only perceptible difference between the males and females was that the males' voices were a little deeper, and they were a little taller. anyway, as you can imagine, two peoples that were so different had very little love for one another. why this should be i do not know, except that people with different appearances seem to distrust each other, even when there has been no physical aggression between them. neither group would willingly mix with the other either socially or even live in the other's neighborhood. each race pretty much kept to itself. i suppose that in a way, the gilligoggs looked down on the droffs. they considered them somehow inferior to themselves. the droffs were well aware of this and were deeply resentful. now if you or i were to try to analyze the exact reason for this, we might fall short of our goal. we could say that the gilligoggs were far more intelligent because their speech was more sophisticated. but if you took the trouble to get to know a droff, you would find that, in spite of their crude manner of speech, they are, as a whole, equally as intelligent as the gilligoggs, except that they express their intelligence in a different way. another argument might be that the droffs were not nearly so sweet smelling in comparison. now, this may be true in one way, but in actual fact, the droffs had just as high a standard of personal hygiene as the gilligoggs. it was just that the gilligoggs' olfactory senses were sensitive to the natural scent of the droffs (just as the droffs' olfactory senses were equally sensitive to the natural scent of the gilligoggs). and while neither group found the other offensive in this way, they could detect a difference, albeit on a subconscious level. another argument might be that the droffs had lower social standards than the gilligoggs. this argument, too, has to fall by the wayside. for reasons that we will not go into here, the droffs had had difficulty in keeping up with the joneses, so to speak. due to circumstances beyond their control, they had not done quite as well on a socioeconomic scale. so there you have it. and this was the situation that elephant and his pals were confronted with after their excursion with the marshmallow people. as they continued on their way to the home of the saber-toothed light-bulbs, they hardly expected yet another interruption. but it happened all the same. a particularly tall and attractive gilligogg woman who looked to be about sixteen approached them. she had dark hair that glistened in the sunlight in a particularly gorgeous manner which reminded lisa of fine silk. "greetings," said ozma to the young lady. even though she was not anxious to be interrupted again, she was always polite to her people. she knew that, in order to be a good ruler for the land of oz, she should be aware of the individual needs of all of the ozites. "good morrow," came the reply. the lady's voice was like music. beautiful music such as is usually reserved only for the fairies, angels or gods. so in awe of this lovely lady were our adventurers that only ozma found her voice which, though beautiful in its own youthful manner, did not hold a candle to that of this gilligogg lady. "i am ozma, the queen of oz," said the little girl. "my friends and i are on our way to enlist the help of some people who live beyond your territory. i hope you won't mind if we pass through your lovely country." "you are the queen," said the lady. "i am only a princess. far be it from me to tell you what you can or can not do." she seemed disinterested as she spoke. "my name is dianna, and my father is the ruler of the gilligoggs." if this young lady felt any doubt that ozma was indeed a queen, she did not let on. indeed, she seemed unconcerned as to the identity of her queen. "but i shall tell you that the gilligoggs are the only people in this region. we are all that is here. well, unless you count the droffs. but you could not be looking for the droffs. they are so far beneath your station." "oh, no," sighed tweaty. "i think we are about to get stuck in the middle of another time-consuming battle like the stinkfoot and sniffer war! this will not be a good thing for any of the lunechien forest denizens. why, for all we know, that forest monster may already have destroyed all of our friends and neighbors back home!" "there is no war here," said dianna matter-of-factly. "we gilligoggs are above such barbarous practices. why, if i had to fight, i might break a fingernail. but we do wish that the droffs would go away. so long as they are about, the property value on our homes must surely be going way down." [illustration ozma and a droff] "my my!" said elephant. "are these droffs some sort of frightful monsters, like the kalidahs?" "they are worse," said dianna with a most elegant and sophisticated shudder. "they look like... well, actually they look a lot like you, only they are all hairy and vulgar. you, at least, are not covered with all that coarse fur. still, i wonder if you might be related to them." she took a nail file from her pocket and looked at her hands in an uninterested manner. "so then, they are elephants?" asked nibbles. "shaggy elephants?" tweeted tweaty. "wooly mammoths?" questioned lisa and hootsey together. "neither of those," replied the princess. "they are just droffs." "we did not come to seek the droffs," said ozma. "nor did we come to see the gilligoggs. we were looking for the saber-toothed light-bulbs. are they not in this area?" "they are," said hootsey with certainty. "i know they are." "perhaps," said the young lady. "perhaps they are among the droffs. i do not know of them. nor do i especially care to. they might be unpleasant." "but how can you know whether or not they are pleasant if you refuse even to see them?" "best to be safe," said dianna. "why invite trouble? we gilligoggs have always known that we are superior to all other living beings, so we avoid contact with anyone else. if we start to invite trouble, we're sure to get it in great doses." "but that's awful!" put in tweaty. "you don't even give them a chance?" "why should we? they are not gilligoggs. heavens! they have the most outlandish-looking noses!" she eyed elephant in a scrutinizing manner. "i think i should like to meet these droffs," harrumphed elephant. "then by all means please leave as quickly as you can," said dianna. "i would not want my people to have to gaze upon anyone who would associate with droffs. they are messy things at best. i had offered you a great honor in speaking to you, but you obviously do not appreciate it. had the dross not been with you, miss queen of oz, i should not have even acknowledged them. good day to you..." so saying, the princess walked away without looking back. our six adventurers hurried through the gilligogg territory. few of the gilligoggs even stopped to look at them as they passed through. before long, they came upon a creature who looked a good deal like elephant, and who was obviously a droff. "hey," said the droff. "who you am?" "i am ozma, queen of oz," said the child. "you much good to be here," replied the droff. "me are called biff. who is them?" each of the five lunechiens introduced himself. "me likes elephant lots," said biff. "him look like droff, but smooth. him might relative to me i. maybe like droff. ozma queen and others like eat? droffs no have much, but share. me have oatmeal with much gravy. for nice queen, me even serve with sprinkles. me likes queen lots, and elephant. have good seeds for birdies, too. mouse want cheese? me haves swiss. usually only haves swiss on sunday. it is holey. but for friend of good and nice queen, me get some for nice little mouse." "how kind," said nibbles. "thank you." the droff, though not as graceful as he might have been, served up a repast that was happily received by his guests. "the droffs are obviously more hospitable than the gilligoggs," said tweaty. "gilligoggs?" echoed biff. "you am knowing gilligoggs?" "we just passed through their country on our way here," explained lisa. "me wish me knew gilligoggs," sighed biff. "them not let droffs pass through. not come to visit droffs, neither. to gilligogg, droff land just place to dump stuff they no want." "stuff?" asked ozma. "what stuff?" "old stuff, most," replied the droff. "rotted foods. old packages. cigarette ends. you am knowing. stuff." "what slobs!" said lisa with distaste. "and that princess had the nerve to say that droffs were messy!" "but it explains why the droffs have such low-quality land," sighed ozma. "it isn't that the droffs are unsanitary. the very reason the gilligoggs look down on the droffs is caused by the gilligoggs themselves!" "they are high and sophisticated, i guess," added hootsey. "but their refusal to see what they are doing to the world around them has made them into a life form that is most undesirable. they have made themselves become exactly what they dislike in others." "me thinks that is not gilligogg's fault," said biff, defending his neighbors. "me has seen that all hatred do that lots. if you hate something so bad that you try to be away from it a lot, you start to be turning into it you self. me not like hate. me hate hate most hatefulishly." "yes," agreed lisa. "when knowledge is used for cruel purposes, there is no knowledge any more. both sides end up losers. i think the gilligoggs could learn a lot from the droffs." "me thank you, owl bird," said biff with a smile. "you am nice. me likes you." "me likes ... i mean, i like you, too," said lisa. "now tell me, do you know of the saber-toothed light-bulbs?" "light-bulbs?" echoed biff. "not know. not do. maybe friend know of that, though. friend are much smart and also wise. him have good and useful glass head. him and him's people living close nearby. them have seen much." "hmmm," said ozma. "have them got large, sharp teeth?" "oh, yes!" said biff. "much good for opening packages! much nice, friends are. you be liking droffs' friends. me can take pretty queen and nice elephant and friends to see droffs' friend as shortly as you am finishing eatings. me can show to other droffs, too." "i would like that very much," said ozma. "i think i will like the droffs just fine." "and them would be liking you," said biff with certainty. as soon as the visitors finished eating, the kindly droff led them to an adjacent valley wherein they saw bright lights. these, as hootsey explained, were the saber-toothed light bulbs themselves. from a distance, they looked pretty much like ordinary light bulbs. but as our little party drew closer, they could see the individuality of each saber-toothed light bulb. one of the larger light bulbs saw them approaching and lit up. "look, fellows!" he said. "it's biff! and he has brought some friends along!" "hi, watts!" said biff to the light bulb. "me is so happy to seeing you! me haves the queen of oz here, too. her wants to meet you. her are much good and nice. you are liking her?" "of course," replied watts. "any friend of biff's is a friend of mine!" he extended one of his long appendages to the small queen. she took it in her hand. "it is a pleasure," said watts to ozma. "i had heard that oz had a new queen. i am glad to see that you are a kind-looking one." "thank you," said ozma. "so what can i do for you?" asked watts, quickly realizing that there had to be some sort of business that had brought the queen to see him. "well," began ozma, not sure just how to begin her explanation, "the lunechien forest of oz has come upon a problem." "oh, no!" said watts. "that's awful! what kind of a problem?" "it seems that there is a terrible monster that is threatening our fine forest," she began. "a very large spider-like creature." "sounds beastly!" shuddered the light bulb. "and he can sap away the energy from any living creature and render him an empty shell of himself," added tweaty. "my!" said watts. "that does sound like a problem! is there anything i can do to help? if you need to move away from this monster, you are welcome to join us. the droffs and the saber-toothed light-bulbs are not crowded in. we can make room." "that is very kind of you," said the ruler. "but i was hoping that maybe you could come and stand up to the forest monster. no one else can do it. even i would hesitate to approach them. but i know that you could do it. how could any foe of any size stand against you?" "you want us to fight this forest monster?" said watts fearfully. "well," sighed ozma. "i am not usually in favor of such cruelty. i would be sorry to harm him. but i am left with little choice. already he is too strong to be reckoned with. i have been a queen for only a short time. i do have fairy powers, but am not anxious to face the forest monster myself. if you could at least back me up while i try to reason with him..." "don't waste your time," said tweaty. "you can't reason with that thing. it will bite you in half before you get past the greeting." "say," interjected hootsey. "maybe that isn't so. we have already seen ozma do some amazing things. she can change the color of her hair, for example. maybe she could use some of her fairy magic to scare away the spider! why, if she can change her physical form, she could easily become a giant or a kalidah!" ozma looked fearful. "i'm not sure i'd want to try that," she said. "i might just make him all the more angry. he may already have more power than we think he has. but you do have a point. i do have some powers that i should try to make use of. having only been a fairy for a short time, i'm not altogether sure what powers i may have at my disposal. alas, i was the boy tip for so long that i have not had much practice being ozma yet." "you could practice some magic on me," said tweaty, trying to be helpful. "maybe you can turn the forest monster into a pumpkin or something. i don't mind if you practice on me, so long as you put me back the way i'm supposed to be." "that sounds like a good idea," agreed the saber-toothed light-bulb. "but still, i'm happy to come along to back you up. that way, if i am needed, i'll be there. if i am not needed after all, i will still have had a nice bit of travel to write about in my journal." "you are very kind," said the little queen. "and i am sure that i must practice using my powers a lot more than i already have. this will be a good learning experience for me, and can only make me a better ruler for the land of oz." she put her hands to her temples and concentrated on the canary. "am i changing?" asked the bird. "you look the same to me," answered lisa. "i need my silver wand," said ozma. "that often helps me while i'm gaining prowess at a new spell." she had the magical tool with her, so she took it from its case and made a number of intricate passes in the air with it. still, tweaty failed to change. "maybe there are some words you're supposed to say while you're doing your magic spell?" wondered elephant. "yes," said ozma as a light-bulb jumped over her head. "i think you're right! let me think.... i should know the word." she again put her hands to her head and concentrated. "haamhaamkablams-w," she said in a chanting voice. "haamhaamkablams-w." tweaty began to change in form and substance. within moments, he had taken on the shape of a housecat. he still had his yellow feathers, however. "awk!" he said. "look what you did to me! this is the worst possible form to place on a canary! turn me back! please turn me back!" "i meant to make you a pumpkin," sighed ozma. "but this is still new to me. i will try again." this time, tweaty became an orange elephant. he was no larger than he had been as a cat, but his shape was very clearly that of a pachyderm. "how cute!" said elephant. "you look like me, only smaller and oranger!" "yeah," said tweaty. "i guess i do. but i'm not sure this is going to work on the forest monster. if you were to change him into another sentient animal, he'd just go back and do it all over again. you must turn him into something inanimate. but please, this is very uncomfortable. i'm used to being able to fly at will, and this form seems so ... so ungainly. no offense, elephant. i think you make a terrific elephant. but i make a lousy one." "but you do make a wonderful bird," agreed the pachyderm. "yes, ozma, do put him back the way he was. as adorable as he is, he isn't exactly a model specimen of my race." "of course," said ozma, again raising her silver wand. she did her spell once more. this time, nothing happened. "i am sorry," sighed ozma. "i am already feeling exhausted. i'm afraid i will have to wait a while before i can do it again." "you mean," said tweaty, "i have to look like this until you are able to rest up?" "i'm afraid so," said ozma sadly. "i'm sure that will change as i grow more experienced. you have to remember, i am only beginning to get my sea-legs as a fairy. once i am more proficient, i'm sure i'll be able to do things like this all day long without becoming exhausted. just give me time." "and in the meantime i have to look like a little orange elephant," sighed tweaty. "i'm sure glad my mother can't see me right now!" "but tweaty's not the main issue right this minute," said watts. "not that i am unsympathetic with his feelings or anything like that, but i do sense a certain degree of urgency at getting to your forest monster quickly. i'm sure that all of the saber-toothed light-bulbs will be happy to go and see what we can do. we are always anxious to help good folks like yourselves. and even though it isn't something i'm terribly proud of, i can be very ferocious when i have a mind to be." as if to prove his statement, watts opened his mouth as wide as he could, revealing the sharpest-looking teeth ozma had ever seen. indeed, his teeth resembled sabres, which may have been the reason for their title. elephant shuddered in his skin. "i'm sure that a few of you would aptly frighten the forest monster out of our forest," he said tremblingly. "hopefully out of oz altogether!" "splendid," replied watts. "come, follow me. i know a short-cut that will allow us to avoid the gilligoggs. not that i am afraid of the gilligoggs or anything. i just find them unpleasant to have to deal with. come this way, and we will soon be on our way to the lunechien forest of oz!" chapter ...and he shows them pearly whites as the little group, together with a party of five of the saber-toothed light-bulbs, turned a bend in the road, they came upon a huge dried sea bed. they could see for miles, and there was not a soul in sight. "i think we're in uncharted territory," remarked elephant, peering into the distance. "i don't remember anyone ever mentioning this. but it looks safe enough to cross. no more unpleasant surprises, i'm sure." at that moment a deep disembodied voice said, "dinnah iss serffed, laddies and lassies, pliss shtep oop to da table." everyone turned around to see who was speaking, but could see no one. suddenly, several mounds of sand that they had not noticed before began to quiver and slowly rise a couple of feet above the ground. the mounds shook themselves and the sand fell off to reveal about fifty _great white sharks_. they were not suspended above the ground as it first seemed, but were supported with legs like an alligator. this was a frightening scene to behold, as you can well imagine. and when their leader approached our heroes, he repeated the words "dinnah iss serffed," and licked his lips with anticipation. he spoke again in that very strange accent, this time addressing elephant: "vatt iss a madder vi' chew? you nebber seen land sharks 'afore?" "n-n-n-no, w-w-w-we h-h-h-haven't," stuttered elephant. "habben chew?" the leader said, winking at his friends. "den ah vill share some knowletch vi' chew to take vi' chew to da hereafter. (the other sharks roared with laughter at this). ven our ocean dried oop millons off yearss ago, all da fishies died, includen uss sharks--except for two, zat iss. undt dare chilluns ver born vi' liddle leggies. ve arrda descendants off dose two, undt ve haff effolved over da yearss to our present selfs. fully adapted to da land. undt ve haff kept alive all deess yearss on a steady diet off hunsuspecting helaffant. so vat chew 'tink 'bout zat?" "n-n-not t-t-too m-m-much," answered elephant in a high pitched voice. "i-i mean, i d-d-d-don't know wh-what t-to think." "tell chew vat ve do," said the shark. "chew seem like nice a guyss. ve no eat chew tonight. ve eat chew tomorrow--fer break'ast." [illustration: land sharks] all the sharks laughed uproariously, whereupon they surrounded our heroes and promptly lay back down in the sand and went to sleep. "well," said watts. "this is a fine how-do-you-do. but i don't think we have to worry about these guys too much. i seriously doubt they could eat glass, so we can protect the rest of you." he smiled a very sharp toothy smile. "besides, they seem to be very lazy. it isn't like they've enclosed us in a cage or anything like that. what's to stop us from simply slipping out between two of them and walking away?" "ahh am," came a rumbling voice. "ahh am ze vatchman uff ze land sharks. but chew do have a point. ve cannot eat glass. ve can break it, but ve can't eat it. chew are uff no value to us. ve vill only be able to eat ze meat creatchures. chew that are a made from glass may go." watts and his friends made their most ferocious faces at the land sharks. "you will allow us all to go!" said watts to the shark. "you will not hold any of us back! besides, we have with us the queen of oz. your own queen, for crying out loud!" "chew does have some pretty teeth, don' chew?" said the watchman. "but i am not afraid of chew, zo chew should leave now. i do not know chust 'zactly vat a queen might be, but i am sure that it iss delissious." "we do not have time for this," hooted lisa. "we are on an important mission to save the lunechien forest of oz from a gigantic forest monster, and you had better not hold us back! the forest monster is already bigger than the lot of you, and he will come for you sooner or later if you don't let us stop him!" "vorest monzter?" echoed the great shark. "that's what i said," replied lisa angrily. "chust vat iss ze vorest monzter made uff?" asked the shark. "er, i don't know. whatever monsters are usually made of," answered the female owl. "flesh and blood, i guess." "und he iss ass big ass chew zay he iss?" asked the shark. "probably bigger by now," put in tweaty, realizing what was happening. "zen ve shall eat ziss vorest monzter!" said the shark. "ve shall eat him 'til he iss only bones!" lisa was not entirely sure the forest monster had any bones, as she suspected that spiders had exoskeletons instead, but she saw no reason to bring this up at the moment. "then you really don't need us. it is against the laws of the jungle to kill more than you can eat, and the forest monster will easily tide you over for a good long time." ozma was not quite happy with the way things were turning out. she was not an advocate of killing at all. the thought of her willingly placing one of her subjects--even one so wicked as the forest monster--in mortal danger was a hard pill for her to swallow. still, this development had apparently removed the threat to her own hide. "then we shall be on our way," she said. "i will wish you a good night." the shark thanked her and, having no one left that he had to guard, settled down to sleep among his fellows. "this is odd," said ozma as the group continued on its way. "we set out to rid ourselves of the forest monster, and now i feel inclined to find him so that we can warn him of his pending danger." "you are kidding, aren't you?" asked watts. ozma only looked solemnly at the ground and kept walking. chapter the lion king now, when the cowardly lion of oz had first tangled with and beheaded the forest monster, the other animals of the area had named him their king. they had since come to recognize ozma as the overall ruler of oz, but they joyfully accepted their tawny savior as their local leader. the cowardly lion had taken to the job as well as any coward could be expected to do. he knew that, when he had accepted this position of power, he also took on a responsibility. the other animals were now his subjects, and he felt it was his duty to protect them from outside dangers such as hunters or other predators. he also thought it politic to offer his advice whenever one of his new charges had a question or a problem. it was one such event that is pertinent to this part of our story. about a week prior to queen ozma's meeting with the land sharks, a young wombat had come to the cowardly lion to ask his advice. "hello," said the smaller creature. "your majesty, mr. cowardly lion, sir?" "yes?" replied the lion, looking around to see where the voice had come from. "w-who's that? w-who said th-that?" when his large eyes came upon the wombat, he seemed to smile. "why, ricardo, there you are. i didn't see you at first. how are you doing?" "okay, i guess," said the wombat. "and your mother?" added the lion. "she's fine," said ricardo. "i am very happy to hear it," said the cowardly lion. "but tell me, my friend, why you seem so glum. a boy your age shouldn't have any problems that would cause such glumness. what's wrong?" [illustration: cowardly lion and wombat] "weeeeell," began the wombat slowly. "it's kind of silly, i guess. but i wanted to ask your advice about something." "you think it's silly to ask my advice?" said the cowardly lion, pretending to be hurt. "no, that's not what i meant," replied ricardo. "i mean, what i wanted to ask you about is kind of silly. i'm not sure it would be right to waste your time on. i think i should leave now ..." he turned to leave. "now now," said the lion, becoming serious again. "no problem that is troubling one of my subjects is silly. nor is it a waste of my time to hear the needs of today's youth. what's troubling you, my boy?" "well," began ricardo, "you see ... well, i have this friend ..." "oh, it's about a friend is it?" said the cowardly lion knowingly. "oh, no," said ricardo. "i'm not trying to pass the buck. it really is about a friend of mine. you see, he's a real copy cat. he likes to do everything i do, and he does it exactly the same way, and it's driving me wom-batty. i want to tell him to think for himself, but i'm not sure how to go about it." "so what is it that he does that you don't want him to do?" asked the lion. "i mean, if he is doing exactly as you are, you must be having a good time together. aren't you?" "no, i mean, like ... like last week i found a really neat shiny rock that i thought i would like to keep. i took it home with me, and when henry saw it, he went out and got one that was just like it." "is that bad?" asked the lion. "the rocks are there for everyone to use as they need them. what's the matter with that?" "and when i made a welcome mat for my mom to put in front of our home, henry went and made one like it for his mom! it's like he can't think of anything for himself. he has to use all of my ideas. i wish he would find his own means of expressing himself, instead of always stealing my ideas. it's like, i learned a new song that i was going to sing at wombat school, and then henry went and learned it, too!" the cowardly lion looked at ricardo and seemed to smile again. "ah, ricardo," he said. "i think your little friend is doing it out of affection for you. imitation, after all, is the highest form of flattery--well, next to bringing you food, at least. i think your friend just admires you so much that he wants to be just like you." "really?" said ricardo. "gee whiz, i hadn't thought about that. i thought it was just that he refused to think for himself. or maybe that he felt i didn't deserve to have anything he didn't. or that he simply wanted to drive me insane. but maybe you're right. he does seem to like to hang around with me a lot. maybe he just wants to imitate me because he admires me! that's pretty neat!" "yes it is," said the cowardly lion. "so you have a responsibility to henry now as a role model." "a what?" asked ricardo. "a role model," explained the lion. "if henry is going to do everything you do, you certainly don't want to do anything too foolish." "oh, yeah," agreed ricardo. "that's true. thanks for your advice, mr. lion king, sir." "any time, ricardo," laughed the lion. "be sure to give my respects to your mother." "i will," said the wombat, scampering off happily and chanting something under his breath about being a role model. "if only the problems of the adults were as easily handled as that," laughed the king. "mr. your majesty?" came another voice. "i want to ask you some advice." the cowardly lion looked and saw another wombat. "aha," he said. "let me guess. your name is henry, right?" "gee," replied the smaller animal. "you know my name! you must know everything!" "i do," said the lion jokingly. "and i had a feeling that you'd be along soon. so what's troubling you?" "oh, it's nothing much. i just really wanted to come and talk to you." "i see," laughed the king. "you are friends with ricardo, are you not?" the little wombat's eyes seemed to grow out of their sockets. "you really know everything! you really do! i'm sorry i cheated on my last spelling test. i promise i'll never do it again!" the cowardly lion was a little taken aback by this statement, but he covered it well. "i was going to bring that up if you didn't," he lied. "you must tell your teacher and make up the test if you want to grow up to be a king like me." "oh, i will!" agreed henry. "i will go and tell her right now!" he dashed off toward the wombat schoolyard. "and so i am now a psychic," laughed the lion. "next i'll be expected to be able to fly or to leap over tall buildings in a single bound. but i guess it's all part of being a king. and i have to show my subjects that i am a good king, so i must do my best to be all that they expect me to be. i've got to be strong, and try to hang on. i have to be kind and understanding toward their needs. and most of all, i have to be brave!" he let out a practice roar that shook the very ground beneath his paws. "i am a brave lion! i am the king of the beasts! i am feared by all, and i fear nothing! i am brave and i am..." as a grasshopper leaped in front of him, the lion nearly jumped out of his skin. "aaaaaah!" he cried. "what is it? what'd i see? i saw something move!" another grasshopper jumped in the air, and the lion, that strong and courageous king of all beasts, bravely turned tail and ran. chapter the cowardly lion and the forest monster of oz the cowardly lion ran and ran. he had no idea just how long or how far he had gone when he stopped to catch his breath. "this sort of cowardice is sure to make me old before my time," he said to himself. as he settled down in a pile of leaves for a short rest, he heard something rustling in the bushes nearby. "wha--" he said. "what's that? who's there?" "d-don't hurt me, mr. lion," came a voice. "w-who are you?" shivered the lion. by way of an answer, a small brown monkey with shaggy fur walked slowly out of the brush. "p-please don't eat me, mr. lion," he said fearfully. "don't worry," replied the cowardly lion. "i had no intention of doing so. what were you doing in the bushes?" "i heard you coming, and i was afraid," explained the simian. "i can identify with that," said the lion with a smile. "i was afraid that you might be one of those awful spider-creatures that saps away the energy from everyone else," continued the monkey. "but i can see that you are not. you are a much nicer fellow than that. i think i've seen a portrait of you somewhere, in fact. you are ... my oh my! can it be true? you're him, aren't you?" "who?" asked the big cat. "you are the great lion that defeated the forest monster before!" said the monkey. "i'm sure of it! what other lion in oz is so big? aren't you the one who is called the cowardly lion of oz?" "yeah," said the lion, not especially proud of the title, but happy that he was so famous with even this small monkey that he had never seen before. "that's right. i am the cowardly lion of oz. it is a title that is far more honest than flattering. and who might you be?" "i am cubby," said the monkey. "i live in the lunechien forest of oz." "lunechien forest?" echoed the lion. i'm not sure just where that is. is it far from here?" "pretty far," sighed cubby. "i was running away." "running away?" replied the lion, whose advice-giving nature was beginning to surface. "now, dear little cubby, my lad. whatever problems you may be having at home are no reason to run away. you can't run away from your problems. you should go back and try to talk it out. why, i can..." "you don't understand," said cubby. "i wasn't running away like a child who has had a disagreement with his parents over a cookie or something. i was running for my life." "oh," replied the cowardly lion. "well then, that's a whole different ball of wax. if you were ... huh? what? you were running for your life? what do you mean?" "the forest monster has been sucking the energy out of all of the animals of the lunechien forest, and i know he was coming for me next! i was so afraid, i just wanted to get away from there as swiftly as i could. then, when i heard your heavy breathing, i thought it was the forest monster coming for me. i thought for sure i was a goner." "the forest monster?" echoed the lion. "but i don't understand. i had a run-in with him once myself. i knocked his head off while he was sleeping. i know it was hardly sporting to do it that way, and i am a little ashamed that i didn't even give him a sporting chance, but i have to think of the innocent beasts whose lives were at stake." [illustration: cowardly lion and cubby] "i think there may be more than one," said cubby. "unless the one you fought somehow got himself repaired." "i suspect that would h-have to be the case," stammered the cowardly lion. "i d-don't think there could be more than one of those creatures. i had assumed it was created by magic, sort of like a green elephant or something. but if it is alive again, it will probably find out who it was that defeated it before. it will be looking for me." "i'm afraid it already knows who you are," spoke cubby. "and it has found a way to take the energy from other beings and use it for itself. it is already so powerful that i doubt anyone could stand against it." he paused. "oh, except for you, of course. i know you could defeat it. you did it before." "er, yeah," said the lion, his eyes growing to several times their normal size. "i g-guess i d-did. b-but he was so much easier to tackle when he was asleep. now that he has multiplied his power, i'm n-not sure i c-could do it again." "oh, but you can! you must," said the monkey encouragingly. "you can't let him keep getting stronger and stronger! sooner or later, he will find you. and he probably won't stop at that. he may cross the desert and go into the mortal lands. he might start attacking ix or mo or even merryland! and then he may infiltrate the mortal lands like america, where your friend dorothy lives!" "d-dorothy?" said the lion, suddenly looking more angry than afraid. "she's just a little kid! he wouldn't do that to a child?" "he did it to several of the small and helpless beasts in the lunechien forest," said the simian. "even insects are not safe from him." "well, he is a spider, as far as that goes," replied the cowardly lion. "insects are a normal diet for him. but small children are not! how dare he even think of hurting little dorothy? what a wicked creature he really is! where is he? let me have a talk with this nasty arachnid!" "that's the spirit!" cheered cubby. "come on, let's go!" the lion had already forgotten about his exhausted condition. the thought of dorothy being in danger had taken precedence over all other thoughts in his head. he followed cubby closely until he felt he had to rest. they traveled and rested for as long as it took before at last they reached the border of the lunechien forest of oz. "i sure hope we can find him in his sleep again," whispered the lion to himself. "come on," said cubby. "i know where his lair is. if he hasn't moved on to more densely populated territory, that is." "w-wouldn't it be rude to just b-barge in on him?" said the lion, his cowardly nature suddenly returning. "i don't think so," replied cubby. "i think we need to stop his wicked deeds as soon as we possibly can. we can't let him get to dorothy, you know. nor the scarecrow or the tin woodman or the woggle-bug. no one is safe as long as the forest monster is at large." "you're right!" said the cowardly lion dutifully. "we are the only ones who can stop him. where is this overgrown daddy long legs?" cubby led the huge animal through the forest to the lair of the gigantic spider. when they got there, they were met with a most unexpected sight. there was a pack of land sharks. they looked frightful and hungry, and they surrounded ozma, tweaty, nibbles, lisa, hootsey and elephant. "those are some of my friends who live in this forest," explained cubby. "except for the little girl. i don't know who she is. is that dorothy?" "no," said the lion, his voice sounding hollow. "what is she doing here? why are your friends here? they should have followed your act and fled." "it iss dinnah time!" shouted one of the land sharks. "i believe ve shall bekin vith ze big gray helefantt!" "no!" said cubby. "don't let them do it!" the cowardly lion trembled with fear as he watched the huge land shark turn to face the little monkey. when the shark moved toward cubby with its jagged teeth exposed, he pounced on it. "get ziss kitty offa my back!" screamed the land shark. "it hass sharp clawss, und zay are hurtin' me!" the lion jumped off, and the impact of his jump knocked the land shark over. to tell the truth, the land shark's legs were rather thin, and his balance was not very good to begin with. this displayed to the others the land sharks' main weakness. thinking quickly on his feet, elephant raced toward another of the sharks and knocked it over on its face. the shark's front teeth were dislodged, and it ran behind its fellows. without its teeth, the land shark was much more vulnerable than it had been previously. seeing that the other land sharks were distracted by the lion and elephant, the forest monster took its opportunity to strike. within moments, the land shark was no longer a threat to anyone, having been drained of all of its life force. the added burst of energy gave the forest monster more ability to take out more of the land sharks. but he was so preoccupied that he failed to notice watts and his four companions surround him with their ferocious teeth bared. this caused the forest monster to hesitate while he sized up the situation. here he was, the bad guy, trying to get bigger and stronger at the expense of the land sharks, yet at the same time inadvertently saving ozma and her friends, and now ozma's forces were bearing down on him while his back was turned. "hey! this is grossly unfair," he said, almost crying. just then, a group of droffs, accompanied by several sniffers and stinkfoots, arrived. the confusion allowed ozma to use her silver wand to cast a spell. between the forest monster, elephant, the stinkfoots, sniffers and the cowardly lion, the land sharks were disabled within a matter of forty-five minutes. those who had not been deenergized by the forest monster or otherwise rendered harmless by one of the others had fallen to their spindly knees and were pleading for mercy. one was staring directly into the foot of one of the newcomers and crying hysterically. all the while, ozma had been using her wand to turn the sharks into tiny snails, which cubby picked up and put into a nearby pond. "it is finished," said the cowardly lion. he pushed his aching body to the ground and licked one of his wounds. "the land sharks are subdued. i don't think they will have the same cruel spirits now that they are snails." "indeed not," said the forest monster. turning to the cowardly lion, he added, "you fought bravely. for one who is called cowardly, you certainly didn't show any signs of having earned that title in this battle." "but i felt them," sighed the lion. "i was only acting brave because i saw my friends in danger. to tell you the truth, i was scared out of my wits the whole time." "your friends?" echoed the forest monster. "you call us your friends? even me? do you not remember who i am, and what you once did to me while i was sleeping?" the lion did a double take. "oh, yeah! i was so caught up in the battle with the land sharks that i forgot what i had come here for." "i was, too!" agreed cubby. "but the cowardly lion was coming here to have a talk with you," he added, remembering the words that the lion had spoken to him earlier. "he said that he was ashamed of what he did to you without giving you a sporting chance." these last words on cubby's part were intended only as an observation. he had no idea that they would have any effect on the forest monster at all. "is that so?" wondered the huge spider. "you mean to say that you came here to apologize to me? and you even counted me among your friends. how wrong i have been in my assessment of your character. you are not so cowardly after all. in fact, i feel proud to have fought alongside of you. i would like to start over and get to know you for what you really are." the lion was taken aback. "you would?" he said. he had no idea what else to say. he had come to the lunechien forest thinking that he was to face the greatest enemy he had ever known, and that enemy was speaking to him as if they were old friends who had just met after a long period of separation. "of course i would," said the spider. "i see now that i was wrong to hate you so badly when i didn't even know what sort of fellow you really were. and seeing how i felt when we were attacked by those land sharks without having any way to fight them off showed me how grossly unfair i was for having taken the energy from helpless insects and animals. i was as bad as them, and i don't ever want to be like that again! it's much too frightful. i'd rather have a solid group of friends than have all the power in the world." "i think i am guilty of the same thing," sighed the lion, still a little spooked by the abruptness of the monster's turnabout in nature. "i knocked your head off as you slept, but i didn't know what you were like, either. all i knew was what i was told: that you were eating all of the lions and the other animals, and that they wanted to make me their king if i stopped you." "so you are their king now," said the forest monster. "i do not begrudge you the position any more. you are welcome to it. i suddenly feel like i don't care for any position of power any more. when i was gaining the power i now possess, i was allowing myself to be blind to anything but my ever-growing hatred of you. now that i see how unfounded that hatred really was, i feel that it was i who was the true coward. i was sapping the life energy from countless helpless creatures. i did not give them any sporting chance, either. nor did i have any excuse to justify what i was doing except that i wanted revenge. it is i who should feel ashamed of himself, not you. now i have all of this power and strength that was brought about by my hate, and it is no longer of any value to me. all it has done was to make me all the more angry and heartless. if this is the price of strength, i think i'd rather be weak. it is far better to be small and have friends than to have all the strength in the universe but be so full of anger and resentment that you can't even enjoy it." "so now that you have become a mountain of power," replied the lion, "you no longer care to be powerful?" "exactly," sighed the forest monster. "if there were a way to reverse time and put things back as they should be, before i ever hurt anyone, i would do it. i wish i could apologize to all of the poor animals that i sapped. if their spirits are still in the vicinity, i hope they see how utterly foolish i feel for having taken such unfair advantage of them." "it is very sad that so many of our friends and families had to be destroyed in order for you to have learned this lesson," said elephant, thinking sadly of the loss to the forest and its denizens. "but i hope that you will try to reverse your reputation now by putting your strength to good use. it is hard to forget what you did, but i think that, in time, we will all be able to accept you as a neighbor. at least, if you act like one." "oh, that i will do," said the spider gratefully. "i will do all that i can to make up for my past misbehaving." "then it seems we are no longer needed," said one of the sniffers. "we met the droffs on our way here, and they have agreed to help us plow our fields. if our job here is done, i think we should like to go home and get started." "me wants to plow fields," said the droff who stood beside him. "then something positive did come of all this tragedy," said hootsey. "not only have the sniffers and the stinkfoots made friends with the droffs, but the forest monster has had a major-league change of heart. but can we at least find the empty shells of our families and give them a proper burial?" "that would be right," agreed the forest monster. "wait a minute," said ozma. "you mean to say that the bodies are still around? you didn't devour them entirely?" "no," explained the monster. "i only drained them of their energy. i never actually hurt their physical bodies. only their internal energy." "and their energies are still inside of you," observed lisa, catching on to what ozma was getting at. "so you never actually _killed_ them! their bodies are still alive, but dormant because they have no life energy. that means that, if we could reverse the process, we could put all of their energy back into their bodies again!" "it would," agreed ozma, "if the forest monster would agree to do this." she turned to the tremendous arachnid. "it will probably mean that you will have to allow yourself to become small again. i don't mean as small as you were when the cowardly lion first met you, either. i mean that you will again be reduced to the size of a regular, normal spider in order to restore all that you have wronged to their former liveliness." "oh, yes!" said the forest monster. "this i will gladly do! i am happy to go back to that small size. it allows me to maintain a lower profile, and i would like the opportunity to practice spinning my webs in private. i'll bet that, in time, i will be able to spin the most gorgeous webs you can imagine! if that comes to pass, i would consider it a great honor if one of my masterpieces could be coated in silver and gold, i should like to give it to your majesty as a gift." "i would be delighted to receive it, i'm sure," said ozma kindly, though she was not sure what she would actually do with such a treasure. "but i think it is now time to restore the lunechien beasts." "i agree," said the cowardly lion. "and, as everything seems to have come out well, i think it is time i head home to the forest where i am now king. i've already been away too long as it is." "of course," said ozma, taking his paw in her hand. "thank you for all your help." "think nothing of it, my queen," he said. then he lumbered off toward lion country. "and now," continued ozma, "back to the job at hand." she put her fingertips to her temples and concentrated. the forest monster felt a slight tingling sensation in his heart, but nothing else happened. "maybe you need to use your wand," suggested lisa. "or say an incantation?" "or make some kind of magical motions?" put in tweaty. "no," sighed ozma. "this operation is not as basic as all that. the forest monster has grown so vast that my untrained abilities are not going to work. it may be weeks before i will be up to this challenge. i'm afraid i'm just not used to being a fairy yet. but i think i could do it if i had an anmars." "a what?" asked elephant. "i've never heard of an anmars before." "it's a standard magical tool that most wizards or witches would have. but i don't think there are any more witches in the area. allidap and her evil sister were both destroyed by dorothy, and the witch of the deep south got rid of most of her old implements, saying that they reminded her of a time she'd prefer to forget." "how about glinda?" suggested tweaty, who was still in the form of a small orange pachyderm. "she's a good witch, you know. wouldn't she have one of those mars things?" "an anmars," corrected ozma. "yes, i'm sure she would. but the last i heard from her, she was going to visit some place that was having a drought and try to correct it. a place called yoraitia. i do not know where it is." "yoraitia?" echoed tweaty. "i flew by there once! i know where it is, and it isn't very far from here. but there was a dark and shadowy place on the way. i didn't land there, as i thought it looked scary and dangerous. but i can lead you there, if you want me to." "then we are saved!" said elephant with a loud trumpet blast. "even if that shadowy dark place is dangerous, no one can stand up to our formidable forest monster!" "er," pouted the monster, "i'd rather not be thought of that way any more. like your witch of the deep south, there are things that remind me of a past that i'd rather forget." "of course," said lisa. "i'm sure elephant didn't mean to imply that you were mean any more." "certainly not," replied the pachyderm. "so can we be on our way? i so want to be reunited with tiger and pinky and the others." "of course," replied the forest monster (and it is actually getting hard to keep referring to him by that title in light of his abrupt change of heart. i have to wonder, was he ever really all that monstrous?). "why don't you ride on my back. i have very long legs, and it will make the going much faster." they all agreed to this plan, and were off to find yoraitia. chapter me and my shadow it has been mentioned before that, although very comprehensive maps exist of oz, there are areas that are totally uncharted and about which very little is known. one such area is the land of lost shadows. in fact this may be the very first time that this mysterious land has ever been mentioned by any living human being. that is because no one has ever known where a person's shadow goes when he dies. it has always been assumed that when someone's physical form is no more, his shadow automatically disappears along with it. that is quite true, of course. but does anyone ever stop to think where it disappears _to_! now, it is very true that if you are separated from your shadow when you are alive, it can be sewn back on again. any child who has ever read the story of peter pan knows that this is so. but when a person's body dies, the shadow has no desire to be buried in the ground or to be burned up. none of these things bother the body because it is not aware of anything. but the shadow is totally aware and is anxious to remain active and useful. sometimes these shadows are helpful and good. other times, the opposite is true. scholars of oz are already well aware of the time when the shadow of the wicked witch of the east made a ploy for revenge against the magical country. but no shadow can continue to remain alive outside of the enchanted lands. after all, it is but a shadow of its former self (if you'll pardon the pun). so it just zips off to oz to reside in the land of lost shadows. now, the word 'lost' is a misnomer here. the shadow itself is anything but lost. in fact it is quite at home in its new abode. however, it is lost as far as the rest of the world is concerned. well, enough of these explanations. let us get back to our story. no created beings other than shadows had ever crossed the borders of shadowland (which is the name used by the inhabitants). that is, no one had until elephant, ozma, tweaty, hootsey, lisa, nibbles and the forest monster happened to stumble on it by accident. and the way that happened was as follows: each member of the little band was so preoccupied with his own thoughts--especially elephant. he was still thinking how close he had come to being eaten by the land sharks and the miraculous change of heart on the part of the forest monster. as for the monster himself, he was feeling bad about all the evil things he had done, and was contemplating what he would say in apology to all of the animals he had wronged. since it was getting dark by this time, he failed to notice the thick, dark area looming up in front of him, when crash! he went straight into it. and since it was really dark now, the shadowy occupants were quite invisible. hootsey suggested that there was no point in stumbling around in the dark, and that the best thing to do would be for everyone to lie down and go to sleep. this seemed like a fine idea to elephant, who promptly flopped down on the grass--almost squashing nibbles, who was already snoozing under him. the forest monster also took a position of repose, but far enough away from his smaller charges that he knew he would not roll over and squish any of them. in the twinkling of an eye, he was fast asleep. but it was hardly a restful sleep that he experienced. it was a deeply troubled sleep. in his dreams, he saw the tortured faces of the many that he had mistreated in his angry power play. the wispy night visions experienced by his companions were hardly any more enjoyable, except those of princess ozma, who rated enough respect from the sleep fays that they would not allow any negative influences to disturb her sleep. instead, she saw visions of the beautiful love fairy, and the lilting, music-like laughter of the laughing fay. these served to make her smile inwardly as she slept. ozma was the first to awaken. she felt refreshed and envigorated. the sound of birds chirping and the warm sun on her face brought her out of her deep restful slumber. the first thing that her eyes focused upon was a two-dimensional shadowy shape moving toward her along the ground in much the same manner as the shadow of an airplane would. she instinctively looked up at the sky to see what flying object might be casting its shadow on the ground. but there was nothing to account for it. then she became apprehensive, for it occurred to her that perhaps one of the land sharks had escaped her snailifying spell and followed them and that was what she was seeing. but no; it was definitely just a shadow, for it had stopped right in front of her. then the shadow stood up as it became a three-dimensional human being. "good morning," said the shadow, who had now taken the form of a very ordinary man. this awoke the others, who were surprised to see a man in a baseball uniform. "forgive me for startling you all," said the man. "but you see, when the sun comes up high enough in the sky, we shadows resume the forms of our previous selves. in fact, we are identical to our previous selves except that our bodies are composed of high-frequency molecules as opposed to the low frequency molecules of our earthly bodies." seeing the quizzical look on everyone's face, he quickly continued: "it's quite simple, really. we are composed of the same material you are. after all, none of us could reside in oz if we weren't." "it makes sense, when you think about it," said ozma. "but i am very curious as to why you are wearing baseball clothes. have you just come from a game?" "yes, i have," answered the man. "baseball is pretty big in shadowland. you see, we have a large population here of old baseball players and baseball fans. it's the biggest thing we all have in common, so we tend to congregate together. as a matter of fact, we not only have games between ourselves, but we invite teams in the united states to visit when the players are in restitude. we have a wonderful time together. of course, the visiting players don't usually bring back the memory of the games when they awaken in the morning--well, maybe some fragmented dreams--but that doesn't detract from the game or the great fun we have. those young whippersnappers think they'll show us old timers a thing or two, but boy, do they get a run for their money!" "might i inquire as to your name?" questioned tweaty, rather timidly. "why yes," came the simple reply. "my name is richard marquard. please, just call me _rube_." "sounds like a backwoodsy hillbilly name to me," said elephant, intending his words to sound like friendly teasing. "ha ha!" laughed rube, equally friendly. "my nickname being what it is, you probably automatically assume that i must have been a country boy. that's what most people figure. but it's not so. fact is, my father was the chief engineer of the city of cleveland, and that is where i was born and reared." "okay," said elephant. "so then, why is it that you are called _rube_?" "well, it's a long story," answered the ball player's shadow. "then we had better not take the time to hear it all now," said hootsey. "we have a very important mission to fulfill." "yes," agreed lisa. "but perhaps mr. rube could help us. i think we should bring him along." "a grand idea!" exclaimed ozma. "mr. marquard, would you be so kind as to join us on our mission? i would like to hear your story, and then will be happy to tell you ours." [illustration: "_my name is richard marquard. please just call me rube."_] "if i had been asked to join an undefined questing party by any other than the queen of all oz, i might have hesitated," came the reply. "but as it is from you, i will come along." "splendid!" said elephant. "then let us be off!" rube was lifted atop the forest monster, as were elephant and the others, and from this high podium rube began his unique tale. "it all started with my father," he explained. "like i say, he was the chief engineer of the city of cleveland. as far as he was concerned, the only important thing was for me to get a good education. but as far back as i can remember, all i could think of, morning, noon and night, was baseball. "'now listen,' dad would say. 'i want you to cut this out and pay attention to your studies. i want you to go to college when you're through high school, and i don't want any foolishness about it. without an education, you won't be able to get a good job, and then you'll _never_ amount to anything.' "'i already have a job,' i'd say. "'you've got a job? what are you talking about?' "i'm going to be a ballplayer,' i'd explain. but dad was not very receptive. "'a ballplayer?' he'd say, throwing his hands up in the air. 'what do you mean? how can you make a living as a ballplayer? i don't understand why a grown man would wear those funny-looking suits in the first place.' "'well,' i'd answer. 'you see policemen with uniforms on, and other people like that. they change after they're through working. it's the same way with ballplayers.'" "that sounds reasonable to me," said tweaty. "me, too," said queen ozma. "i certainly don't wear the same clothes to a meeting with a foreign dignitary as i would wear while playing marbles with jellia jamb." "certainly not!" agreed nibbles. "if only my father had thought that way," sighed rube's shadow. "but he just scoffed. 'do ballplayers get paid?' he'd ask. "'yes,' i told him. 'they get paid.' "'i don't believe it!' he would rant. "and 'round and 'round we would go. we'd actually have that same argument, almost always word-for-word, at least once a week. twice a week in the summer. sometimes my grandfather--my father's father--would get involved in it. my grandfather was a nice man who liked baseball, and he would usually take my side. "'listen,' he'd say to my father, 'when you were a youngster, i wanted you to be something, too. i wanted you to be a stonecutter, same as i was when i came over from the old country.' oh, did i mention before that my grandfather was a stonecutter?" "no," replied elephant. "you just said that he was a nice man who liked baseball." "okay," said rube's shadow. "well, my grandfather had been a stonecutter, and had tried to persuade dad to become one, too. 'but no!' he would say loudly into my father's ear, 'you wouldn't listen. you wanted to be an engineer. so you _became_ an engineer. and a darned good one, too. had i forced you into masonry, you would never have excelled in the craft for which you had no love. and you would have been very unhappy. now richard wants to be a baseball player. he's so determined that nothing is going to stop him. let's give him a chance and see what he can do. don't force the boy to give up on his dreams.'" "your grandfather sounds like a wise man to me," said ozma. "he was," said the shadow. "but dad would never listen. 'ballplayers are no good,' he'd insist. 'ballplayers are no good, and they never will be any good.' it was very frustrating. he would usually end the argument by slamming the door and going outside to sit on the porch. and he would stop speaking to my grandfather or me for hours at a time." "that's too bad," said tweaty. "if you were good at baseball, you should have stuck with it." "but i did stick with it," replied the shadow. "i told you, i just came from a game." "oh, yeah," said tweaty. "so you mean you brought your dad around?" "well," the shadow said slowly. "the thing is, i was always very tall for my age. i had three brothers and a sister, and my sister was the shortest of the five of us. she grew to be six feet two. so you see, i was constantly hanging around the older kids and playing ball with them instead of hanging with kids my own age. when i was about thirteen or so, i used to carry bats for some of the cleveland indians, such as elmer flick, napoleon lajoie and terry turner. of course, they were not called the cleveland indians then. they were called the cleveland bronchos in those days. then the cleveland naps--after napoleon lajoie. anyway, after the regular season was over, a lot of them would barnstorm around the cleveland area, and sometimes i'd be their bat boy. "later on, i even pitched a few games for bill bradley's boo gang," the shadow added proudly. "boo gang?" said lisa with a little shudder. "boo like a ghost?" added hootsey. "no, no," laughed rube's image. "bill bradley was the third baseman for the cleveland indians--and one of the greatest who ever lived--and he also barnstormed with his 'boo gang' after the season was over. so by the time i was fifteen or so, i knew a lot of ballplayers. and i had my heart set on being a big leaguer myself. "well, one of my best friends was a catcher named howard wakefield. he was about five years older than i was. in he was playing for the waterloo club in the iowa state league, and ..." " ?" echoed lisa. "but ... but ..." "what's wrong?" asked the ballplayer's shadow. "you have to be mistaken," said elephant, recognizing the reason for his friend's perplexity. "it isn't yet. it's only !" "i think he's from the future," said lisa. "rube marquard is from a year that hasn't happened yet." "but how is that possible?" asked hootsey. "have you ever noticed," explained the shadow, "how you can stand in the middle of two or more different sources of light, and cast several shadows in various directions?" "of course," said hootsey. "and sometimes i have a long skinny shadow that is faint and grayish, while i also have a short fat shadow right under me which is almost completely black. and when i'm flying, i can make lots of different shadows that don't even touch me anywhere." "yes," said rube. "and these are all your shadow. if you go on a stage with many footlights, you will cast various images of various shades of gray. these are all your shadow. you see, your shadow can go in any direction, backward or forward. it can reach to a distant area or stay situated close by. and it can do all at one time without ever letting go of you--even if, as you say, it isn't actually touching you. you are always attached at some place. as the shadow of rube marquard, i touch him always, even while he is far away in repose. i can be his past, his future, or his mirror image. that is why i can remember experiences he hasn't even had yet. sometimes we shadows accidentally create a feeling of deja vu in our live counterparts, which can lead to a false sense of psychic ability." "i don't know much about american sports figures," said elephant. "but it sounds like you are someone who is or will be important to baseball. but how did you convince your dad to let you play?" "yes," agreed hootsey. "you still haven't told us." "of course," replied the shadow. "as i was saying, i had a friend by the name of howard wakefield. he was playing for the waterloo club in the iowa state league. that summer--when i was only sixteen--i got a letter from him. "'_we can use a good left-handed pitcher_,' the letter said. '_and if you want to come to waterloo, i'll recommend you to the manager._' i think howard thought that i was at least eighteen or nineteen, as i was so big for my age. "i wrote howard and told him that my dad did not want me to play ball, so i didn't think he'd give me the money to go. if i asked him, he'd probably hit the ceiling and rap me over the head with something. aside from that, i was ready to go." "well," said lisa indignantly, "a good father would have encouraged you to go. he should have been able to see that you were good at what you did, and that you deserved this chance to make good." "absolutely," agreed hootsey. "but i don't expect that your father gave you the money. did you ever get to waterloo?" "well," answered the shadow, "pretty soon i got a telegram from the waterloo manager. he said that i had been recommended very highly by howard wakefield, and asked if i would like to come and try out for the team. the waterloo manager offered to reimburse the cost of transportation if i was given a contract." "but you still couldn't get the money from your father," said ozma. "no," sighed the ballplayer. "it was hardly an improvement over howard's letter. so i just went upstairs to my room and closed the door. then i wrote back a long letter to the waterloo manager, explaining that i didn't have any money for transportation. but i told him that, if he sent me an advance right now for transportation, i'd be on the very next train to waterloo and he could take it out of my salary later on." "that's assuming you were hired, of course," said lisa. "yes," agreed rube. "but i didn't have the slightest doubt that i would make good. and, of course, i didn't mention that i was only sixteen years old. i thought it best to leave that out. "i mailed the letter to iowa, and then i waited on pins and needles for an answer. every day i had to be the first one to get at the mail, because if anyone else saw a letter to me from the waterloo ball club--well, that would have been enough to alert dad to what was going on and i'd have been sunk. so every day i waited for the first sign of the mailman and tried to get to him before he reached the house. as it turned out, i could have saved myself a lot of worrying." "no letter ever came?" guessed lisa. "nope. three weeks passed and still no answer." the shadow sighed again. "i couldn't understand what had gone wrong. maybe it was against the rules to send transportation money to somebody not yet under contract? maybe they didn't know how good i really was? maybe this and maybe that. it was another frustrating period of my life. finally, i just couldn't stand it any longer. i gave my folks a story about camping with the boy scouts and hitch-hiked to waterloo." "you lied to your parents?" said ozma, startled by the very idea. "yes, i did. it was a hard thing for me to do, going against dad like that. but i was well punished for the deed. believe me! have you ever had to hitch-hike, sleep in open fields, or hop a freight train? it took me five days and five nights. the longest five days of my life, and i was only sixteen at the time. but i did get there. tired, anxious and half-starved, i blew into the illinois central station at waterloo, iowa on a freight train early in the evening. just before it stopped, i jumped off and went head over heels right in front of the passenger house. i hardly had time to pick myself up off the ground before the stationmaster grabbed me and shouted, 'what do you think you're doing? come on, get out of here before i run you in!' "'no,' i said. 'i'm reporting to the waterloo ball club.' "'you're what?' he says. 'my god! did you ever wash your face?' "'yes i did,' i said. 'but i've been travelling for five days and five nights, and i am anxious to get to the ball park. where do the ballplayers hang around?' "'at the smoke shop,' he says. 'down the street about a half of a mile. if you walk down there, probably whoever you're looking for will be there.' "so i thanked him and said i'd see to it that he got a free pass to the ball game as soon as i got settled, and started off for the smoke shop. it turned out that two brothers owned the smoke shop, and they also owned the ball club. one of them was behind the counter when i walked into the place. he took one look at me and let out a roar like a lion's. "'what are you doing in here?' he yelled. this is a respectable place! get out of here!' "'wait a minute,' i says. 'i've got a telegram from the manager of the ball club to report here, and if i make good i'll get a contract.' "'are you kidding?' he says. 'who in the world ever recommended you?' "'howard wakefield did,' i said. "'well,' says the guy behind the counter, 'wakefield is in back shooting billiards. we'll soon settle this!' "i'd like to go back and see him,' i said. "'don't you go back there,' he shouted. 'don't even think about going back there! you'll drive everybody out. did you ever take a bath?' "'of course i did,' says i. 'but i've bummed my way here and i haven't had a chance to clean up yet.' "so he goes into the back and in a minute howard comes out 'cripes!' he says. 'what happened to you?' "i was explaining it to him when in came mr. frisbee, the manager, and i was introduced to him. 'i received your telegram,' i said. 'i didn't have enough money to come first class or anything like that, but here i am.' "'keokuk is here tomorrow,' says the manager, 'and we'll pitch you.'" "'we'll pitch you?'" echoed hootsey. "what a mean thing for him to say! imagine, just pitching you out after all your effort to get there!" "no, no," explained the shadow. "he meant that he wanted me to pitch the next day. but i was all tuckered out and hardly ready to do that. i really wanted to have a bath and get some sleep. "'tomorrow or never, young fellow,' he says to me. tomorrow or not at all.' "'all right,' i said. 'but could i have five dollars in advance so i can get a clean shirt or something?' "'after the game tomorrow,' he said. then he just walked away from me like i was nothing." "how rude," said elephant. "the least he could have done would have been to let you take a shower in the locker-room," said lisa. "well, i got to clean up," admitted rube. "howard took me to his rooming house and gave me something to eat. they let me sleep on an extra cot they had. and the next day we went to the ball park and i was introduced to the players and given a uniform that was too small for me. the keokuk team was shagging balls while i warmed up, and they kept making comments about green rookies and bushers and nitchies and such; and how they'd knock me out of the box in the first inning; and how i should have stayed home with my mommy. ooh, i felt terrible. i had an awful headache and i was exhausted! still, i was determined to show them that i could make good, and i went out there and won that game six against one! "with that," continued the shadow, "i felt sure i'd be offered a contract. so after the game, i went to mr. frisbee and said, 'welp, i showed you i could deliver the goods. can we talk about a contract now?' "'oh,' he says to me. 'keokuk is in last place. wait until oskaloosa comes in this weekend. they are in second place. they are a rough team, and if you can beat them, then we'll talk.' "'can't i get any money--any advance money--on my contract?' i asked him. "'you haven't got a contract,' he said. "'all right,' says i, and i didn't say another word. i knew that he was right. i'd have to prove myself before i could expect any handouts from this man. so i stayed quiet. i didn't say anything to anybody that evening. but when it got dark, i went down to the railway station, and the same stationmaster was there. he remembered me. "'hey!' he says. 'you pitched a fine game today! i was there, and you did a great job! what are you doing back here? did you come to give me that free ticket you promised me?' "'no,' i said to him sadly. i'm sorry. i'm going back home to cleveland, and i want to know what time a freight comes by.' then i explained to him about everything that had happened. oh, he was very nice to me. he completely understood where i was coming from. after we had talked for awhile, he said, 'look, the train comes in at one o'clock in the morning and the engine unhooks and goes down to the water tower. when it does, you sneak into the baggage compartment. meanwhile, i'll talk to the baggage man before the engine gets hooked up again. so when the train pulls out and is about five miles out of town, he'll open the baggage door and let you out.' "and that is pretty much what happened," continued rube. "when we were five miles out of town, the door opened and the baggage man appeared. i talked with him all the way to chicago, and as we got close to the yards he says to me, 'okay, you'd better get ready to jump now. there are a lot of detectives around here and if you're not careful, they'll jump on you and throw you in jail. so once you get to the ground, do not hesitate! beat it away from here as fast as you can!' "the baggage man must have told the engineer about me, as we slowed down to a crawl just before we approached the chicago yards, and off i jumped. i got out of there quick and took off down the street. i don't know what street it was, and i'm not sure where i was headed, but i do remember that i was awfully tired. it was the middle of the morning and i had hardly slept a wink the night before. i had staggered about three or four blocks when i passed by a fire engine house. evidently all of the firemen were out at a fire, because the place was deserted. i was tired, very tired, so i went in and sat down. well, they had a big bellied iron stove in there, and it was warm. i guess i must have fallen asleep, as the next thing i knew, a couple of firemen were shaking me and doing everything they could do to wake me up. they called me a bum and a lot of other bad names, and told me to get out of there or they'd have me thrown in jail. "'i'm no bum,' i said. 'i'm a ballplayer.' "'what?' the firemen laughed. 'you, a ballplayer? where did you ever play?' "'in cleveland, around the sandlots,' i told them proudly. 'and in waterloo, iowa, too! i beat the keokuk team six to one!' "'yeah?' said one of the firemen. 'and last week i had dinner with santa claus and the pope. so i suppose you're going to tell me that you are close buddies with three-fingered brown, chance, tinker and evans--i mean, evers--and all of those fellows?' "'no,' i said. 'i don't know them. but some day i'll be playing with them, or against them, because i'm going to get in the big leagues.' "'where are you going now?' asked the firemen. "'back home to cleveland,' i told them. "'have you got any money?' they asked me. "'no,' i answered. i had to be honest, after all. "so they got up a little pool of about five dollars and said, 'well, on your way. and use this to get something to eat.' "i thanked them, and as i left i told them that some day i would be back again. 'when i get to the big leagues,' i said, i'm coming out to visit you when we get to chicago.' "and home i went. i played around home all the rest of the summer, and then the next summer--that would have been , if i recall correctly, even though i'm remembering things that have yet to happen and i'm remembering them backwards--i took a job with an ice cream company in cleveland. i made twenty-five dollars a week: fifteen for checking the cans on the truck that would take the ice cream away, and ten dollars a sunday, when i pitched for the company team. it was a good team. we played the best semipro clubs in the cleveland area, and i beat them all. i was only seventeen, but i hardly lost a game. "then one day i got a postal card from the cleveland ball club, asking me to come in and talk to them. mr. kilfoyl and mr. somers, the owners of the club, wanted to see me." "hurray!" said hootsey. "so then, your father must have come around by then?" "hardly!" said the shadow. "my dad saw the postal card and became very upset. 'so,' he said to me. 'i see that you still want to be a ballplayer.' "'yes,' i admitted. 'i do. and i'm going to be a great one, too! just you wait and see! some day you're going to be proud of me!' "'yeah,' he shrugged. 'proud of nothing.' "but i went to the cleveland club's office all the same, and mr. kilfoyl and mr. somers were both there. i told them that i had received their card. 'you know,' i added, 'you got me into a little jam. my dad doesn't want me to be a ballplayer.' "'don't you worry,' said mr. kilfoyl 'after you sign with us and get into the big leagues, he'll think differently about it.' "'well,' i said, 'i'm not signing with you or anybody else until i hear what you're offering. i've been taken advantage of before, and it's not going to happen again. i know a lot of ballplayers and they always tell me not to sign with anybody unless i get a good salary. they all tell me you better get it when you're young, 'cause you sure won't get it when you're old.' "'that's a lot of nonsense,' mr. kilfoyl said. 'don't you worry. we'll treat you right. we'll give you a hundred dollars a month. that's a wonderful offer.' "'i think he'll be overpaid,' mr. somers says. "'i don't think that is so wonderful,' i said. 'and as for being overpaid, i get that much right now from the ice cream company, and in addition i get to eat all the ice cream i want.'" "so it really wasn't an honorable offer," tsked ozma. "did they raise their offer?" "no," replied the shadow with a sad expression. "they wouldn't increase their price. and i wouldn't reduce mine. so i left and went home. on my way home, though, i stopped in this sporting-goods store at prospect avenue. it was owned by bill bradley and ryan ... phylli ... --i mean, charlie carr. charlie managed and played first base for indianapolis in the american association. bill, as i think i may have mentioned before, played third base for cleveland. "anyway, when i walked in the door, bill bradley said, 'hello, big leaguer. i understand that the boss wants to sign you up.' "'not me,' i said. 'he wouldn't pay me as much as i already make with the ice cream company.' "'you know,' said charlie carr, 'i manage the indianapolis club.' "'i know that,' i said. after all, everybody knew that! "'how would you like to sign with me?' charlie said with a smile. "'you're in the minor leagues,' i replied. 'if a major league club won't pay me what i want, how could you do it?' "'how much do you want?' he wanted to know. "i took a deep breath and then answered, 'two hundred a month.' "'wow!' he said. 'you want all the money, don't you?' "'no,' i told him. 'but you want a good pitcher, don't you?' "'yes,' he answered simply. "'well, i said, i'm one.'" the five ozites laughed at this, and the shadow smiled. he was actually beginning to fear that he was giving them too many details and that his story may be becoming long-winded and dull. but seeing that he was not boring his listeners, he continued: "he agreed to my terms, of course. so right then i signed my first professional contract, with indianapolis of the american association. "when i got home that night i had to tell my dad about it, because i was to leave for indianapolis the very next day. oh, that was a terrible night! finally, dad said, 'now listen, i've told you time and time again that i don't want you to be a professional ballplayer. but you've got your mind made up. now i'm going to tell you something: when you cross that threshold, don't come back. i don't ever want to see you again.'" "no!" said ozma with a start. "no way! no father would say such a thing to his own son!" "that was just what my father said to me," said rube sadly. "he didn't want me to come home again. i was excommunicated from the family." "that's awful!" said lisa. "parents do have a certain responsibility toward any children that they brought into the world! he was a skinflint and a creep!" "yes," agreed rube. "his actions that day were like those of a regular skunk!" "i've known some very nice skunks in my day," said hootsey. "in any case," said the shadow, not wanting to get into a debate about his use of the word _skunk_, "i was as shocked as you all seem to be. "'you don't mean that, dad!" i said. "'yes, i do.' "'well,' i replied. 'i'm going. and some day you'll be proud of me.' "'proud!' he said. 'you're breaking my heart, and i don't ever want to see you again.' "'i will not break your heart,' i said. 'i'll add more years to your life. you wait and see.' "and so it was that i went to indianapolis. they optioned me out to canton in the central league for the rest of the season, and i won twenty-three games with them, which was one-third of all the games the canton club won that year." "good for you, rube!" said elephant, genuinely proud of his new friend. "the next year--that would have been --i went to spring training with the indianapolis club. we went to french lick springs, indiana. after three weeks there we went back to indianapolis and played a few exhibition games before the season opened. well, believe it or not, the first club to come in for an exhibition game was the cleveland team: napoleon lajoie, terry turner, elmer flick, george stovall and the whole bunch that i used to carry bats for. when they came on the field i was already warming up. "'hey!' a couple of them yelled at me. 'what are you doing here? are you the bat boy here?' "'no,' i smugly replied. 'i am the pitcher.' "'you, a pitcher?' they jeered. 'who do you think you're kidding?' "'just ask bill bradley,' i told them. 'he was there when i signed my first contract. you'll see. i'm going to pitch against you guys today, and i'm going to beat you, too.' "'beat us? busher, you couldn't beat a drum!' "so then bill bradley came over and said hello. as he was leaving he said, 'richard, you're a nice boy, so i want to give you some advice before today's game. be careful of the frenchman.' he meant napoleon lajoie. he said, the frenchman is very sharp and he's been hitting terrific line drives this past week. he's almost killed three of our own pitchers in practice, so there's no telling what he'll do in a real game, even if it is just an exhibition game.' "i thanked him, of course, and went back to warming up. well, i pitched the whole nine innings and beat them, two to zero. lajoie got two hits off me, and i think george stovall got a couple, but i shut them out--and i wasn't killed, either. "that night charlie carr called me over. 'you know,' he said, 'a funny thing just happened. mr. somers, the owner of the cleveland club, just came over to my hotel room and wanted to buy you. he offered me three thousand five hundred dollars for your contract with the understanding that you'd stay here all season, to get more experience, and then you would join the cleveland club next year.' "'charlie,' i said, 'if you sell me to somers, i'm going right back to the ice cream company. he had first chance to get me, and he wouldn't give me what i deserved. so long as somers is involved, i won't play for cleveland, no matter what.' "'okay,' he said. 'don't worry. i won't sell you. later on i'll be able to sell you for a lot more, anyway.' "on opening day, kansas city was at indianapolis, and i pitched the opening game. i won two to one, and that evening the story in the indianapolis _star_ read like this: 'the american association season opened up today, and it was a beautiful game between two fine teams. each had great pitching, with an eighteen year old right-hander pitching for kansas city and an eighteen year old left-hander for the home team. the right-hander with kansas city looks like he's going to develop into a great pitcher. they call him smoky joe wood. but we have a left-hander with indianapolis who is going places, too. he resembles one of the great left-handed pitchers of all time: rube waddell.' "and from that day on, they nicknamed me 'rube.' "i had a wonderful season that year with indianapolis. i pitched forty-seven complete games, won twenty-eight of them, led the league in most strikeouts, least hits, most innings pitched, and everything. occasionally what i'd do would be reported in the cleveland papers, and friends of mine would tell me that they'd pass by the house and see dad sitting on the porch. "'well, fred,' they'd say--that was dad's name, by the way, fred--'did you see what your son rube did yesterday?' "'who are you talking about?' he'd say. 'rube who?' "'your son--richard,' they would answer. "'i told him that baseball was no good,' my dad would reply. 'now they've even gone and changed his name!' "anyway, i had a terrific year with indianapolis, like i said. late in the season we went into columbus, ohio, and charlie carr came up to me before the game. "'rube,' he said, 'there are going to be an awful lot of celebrities here at the game today. the american and national leagues both have an off-day, and they're all coming to see you pitch. if you pitch a good game i may be able to sell you before the night is out.' "'for how much?' i wanted to know. "'i don't know,' he said. 'but a lot. it depends on what kind of game you pitch.' "'will you cut me in?' i asked. "'no, i won't,' he said with certainty. 'you're getting a good salary and you know it.' "'okay,' i said. i was only kidding anyway. "'i don't want you to get nervous today,' he said. "'nervous?' i repeated. 'have i ever been nervous all season?' "'no,' he admitted, 'i've been in baseball a long time and i never saw anything like it. i never saw a kid like you, who can beat anybody and is so successful.' "'well,' i said, 'the reason i'm so successful is because i can beat anybody.'" "now aren't you getting a little carried away with your bragging?" asked nibbles. "i mean, i'm very much enjoying your story, even though i know little about baseball except that you play it on a bass drum. but really, i think you're carrying your pride a little too far into the negative." "yeah," admitted rube, "i am sorry about that. sometimes that happens to me when i get too worked up. anyway, i went out there that day and i pitched one of those unusual games: no hits, no runs, no errors. twenty-seven men faced me and not one of them got to first base. and that evening in columbus they put me up for sale, with all the big league clubs bidding on me, like a horse being auctioned off. the cleveland club went as high as ten thousand five hundred dollars for my contract, but the giants went to eleven grand, and i was sold to them. at that time, that was the highest price ever paid for a baseball player. "i reported to the new york giants in september of , as soon as the american association season was over. i was eigh ..." "it still feels a little odd to have you 'remembering' things from years that have not yet been," interrupted hootsey. "let him finish the story," admonished elephant. "i am sorry," said rube. "but it is a memory to me, and a prediction to you. i will try to be more careful about naming years if i can remember to be. but in any event, i was eighteen years old at the time, and already the most valuable player in the big leagues! excuse me if i seem to boast, but i feel that i am justified this time. i was the hero of the hour. "still, i came up too late in the season to make a trip to chicago with the giants that year, but the next season we made our first trip to chicago the second week in june. and the first thing i did, as soon as i got there, was to make a beeline for that firehouse. "the only one there when i first got there was the lieutenant. i walked up to him and said, 'lieutenant, do you remember me?' "'never saw you before in my life,' he said. "'well, remember about three years ago you caught me sleeping back of that stove there?' "'oh, are you that kid from cleveland that said he's a ballplayer?' "'yes!' i told him. 'remember me? my name is marquard. richard marquard.' "'of course,' he said, not really interested. 'what are you doing here?' "'i am in the big leagues,' i explained. 'i told you when i got to the big leagues i was coming out to visit you.' "'well i'll be ...' he began, then, 'who are you with?' "'why, i'm with the new york giants,' i said with pride. "and boy, for years after that, whenever the giants would come to chicago, i'd go out to that firehouse. i'd sit out front and talk for hours. the firemen would have all the kids in the neighborhood there ... and all the families that lived around would stop by ... and it was really wonderful. everybody was so nice and friendly. gee, i used to enjoy that. it was a great thrill for me. "actually, every single day of all the years i spent in the big leagues was a thrill for me. it was like a dream come true. i was in the big leagues for eighteen years, you know, from through ... oh, yeah. sorry about that. i was with the giants for seven glorious years, with the dodgers for five years after that, with cincinnati for one year, and then with the boston braves for four. and i loved every single minute of it! "the best years of all were those with the giants. i don't mean because those were my best pitching years, although they were. in i won twenty-four games and lost only seven. and in i won twenty-six. that's the year i won nineteen straight! i didn't lose a single game in until july eighth! "actually, at the risk of sounding boastful again, i won twenty straight, not nineteen. but because of the way they scored then, i didn't get credit for one of them. i relieved jeff tesreau in the eighth inning of a game one day, with the giants behind, three to two. in the ninth inning, heinie groh singled and art wilson homered, and we won, four to three. but they gave tesreau credit for the victory instead of me. except for that it would have been twenty straight wins, not nineteen." "it's still a pretty magnificent record," harumphed elephant "i don't see any reason for all the sour grapes." "oh, no," said rube's shadow. "no sour grapes. it was the grandest year of my life. of course, i had other great years with the giants, too. in --er, sorry. i've just told this story this way for so long, it is hard to change it now--i beat babe adams and the pirates in a twenty-one inning game, three to one. both of us went the entire distance that day, all twenty-one innings. and the following year, i pitched a no-hitter against brooklyn and beat nap rucker, two to nothing." "no wonder you remember your years with the giants best," said hootsey understandingly. "oh, no," said rube. "but that's not the reason. the real reason is ... well, maybe it's because that was my first club. i don't know. whatever the reason, though, it was wonderful to be a giant back then. "take mr. mcgraw, for example. what a great man he was! the finest and grandest man i ever met! he loved his players and his players loved him. of course, he wouldn't stand for any nonsense. you had to live up to the rules and regulations of the new york giants, and when he laid down the law you'd better abide by it! "i'll never forget one day we were playing pittsburgh, and it was red murray's turn to bat, with the score tied in the ninth inning. there was a man on second with none out. murray came over to mcgraw--i was sitting next to mcgraw on the bench--and he said, 'what do you want me to do, mac?' "'what do i want you to do?' mcgraw said. 'what are you doing in the national league? there's the winning run on second base and no one out. what would you do if you were the manager?' "'i'd sacrifice the man to third,' murray said. "'well,' mcgraw said, 'that's exactly what i want you to do.' "so murray went up to the plate to bunt. after he got to the batter's box, though, he backed out and looked over at mcgraw again. "mcgraw poked his elbow in my ribs. 'look at that so-and-so,' he said. 'he told me what he should do, and i told him what he should do, and now he's undecided. i'll bet he forgot from the bench to the plate.' "now, in those days--and i guess it's the same now--when a man was up there to bunt, the pitcher would try to keep the ball high and tight. well, it so happened that red was a high-ball hitter. howie camnitz was pitching for pittsburgh. he wound up and in came the ball, shoulder high. murray took a terrific cut at it and the ball went over the left-field fence. it was a home run and the game was over. "back in the clubhouse, murray was as happy as a lark. he was first into the showers, and out boomed his wonderful irish tenor, singing _my wild irish rose_. when he came out of the shower, still singing, mcgraw walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. all of us were watching out of the corner of our eyes, because we knew the little round man--that's what we used to call mcgraw--wouldn't let this one go by without saying _something_. "'murray,' mcgraw said. 'what did i tell you to do?' "'you told me to bunt,' murray said, not looking quite so happy anymore. 'but you know what happened, mac. camnitz put one right in my gut, so i cow-tailed it.' "'where did you say he put it?' asked mcgraw. "'right in my gut,' murray says again. "'well,' said mcgraw, i'm fining you a hundred dollars, and you can try putting that right in your gut, too!' and off he went. "oh, god! i never laughed so much in my life! murray never did live that down. years later something would happen and we'd yell to murray, 'hey red, is that right in your gut?' "there were a lot of grand guys on that club: christy mathewson and chief meyers, larry doyle and fred snodgrass, al bridwell and bugs raymond. bugs raymond! ah, yes! what a terrific spitball pitcher he was. bugs drank a lot, you know, and sometimes it seemed like the more he drank the better he pitched. they used to say that he didn't spit on the ball: he blew his breath on it, and the ball would come up drunk. "actually, there was very little drinking in baseball in those days. it's a shame that drinking will become more and more commonplace in american sports with the passage of time. i have seen it, and it is sad. myself, i've never smoked or took a drink in my life. i always said you can't burn the candle at both ends. you want to be a ballplayer, be a ballplayer. if you want to go out and carouse and chase around, do that. but you can't do them both at once. "of course," continued rube marquard's shadow, 'when we were on the road, we had a nightly eleven o'clock bed check. at eleven o'clock we all had to be in our rooms and the trainer would come around and check us off. we'd usually have a whole floor in a hotel and we'd be two to a room. i always roomed with matty all the while i was on the giants. what a grand guy he was! the door would be wide open at eleven o'clock and the trainer would come by with a board with all the names on it. he'd poke his head in: mathewson, marquard, check. and lock the door. next room, check, lock the door. "as far as i was concerned, i never drank a drop even when i was in show business. in i made a movie with alice joyce and maurice costello, and then i was in vaudeville for three years, blossom seeley and i. that's when she was my wife. it didn't work out, though. i asked her to quit the stage. i told her i could give her everything she wanted. "'no,' she told me. 'show business is show business.' "'well,' i said, 'baseball is mine.' so we parted." "you mentioned that you were with the giants for seven years, and then the dodgers for five, did you not? how did it feel when you were traded from the giants to the dodgers?" asked elephant. "well," said the shadow, "not too bad. see, i traded myself. i didn't seem to be able to get going in after i pitched that no-hitter early in april, and late in the season mcgraw started riding me. that was a very bad year for the giants, you know. we were favored to win the pennant, and instead we wound up last. so mcgraw wasn't very happy. after i had taken about as much riding as i could stand, i asked him to trade me if he thought i was so bad. "'who would take you?' he said to me. "'what do you mean?' i asked. 'i can still lick any club in the league.' and i could, too! heck, i wasn't even twenty-six years old then. "'lick any club in the league?' scoffed mcgraw. 'you couldn't lick a postage stamp!' "'give me a chance to trade myself, then,' i suggested. 'what would you sell me for?' "'seven thousand five hundred bills,' he answered. "'okay,' i said. 'can i use your phone?' "'sure,' he said. "we were both pretty mad at that point, so i got 'hold of the operator and asked her to get me wilbert robinson, manager of the brooklyn club. you see, robbie--that's what we called him--had been a coach with us for years before he became the dodger manager in . after a while, she got robbie on the phone. "'hello?' he says. "'how are you, robbie?' i asked. "fine,' he said. 'who is this?' "now, i had to handle this conversation very carefully. my whole world depended on it. 'how would you like to have a good left-handed pitcher?' i said in a jovial tone. "i'd love it,' he said. 'who is this? who's the man? who are you going to recommend?' "i then dropped the clincher. 'i'm going to recommend myself,' i told him. "'who are you?' he repeated. "'rube marquard,' i said, trying to sound impressive. "'oh,' robbie said. 'what are you kidding around for, rube? i have to go out on the field and i don't have time to fool around.' "'no,' i told him, 'i'm serious! mcgraw is right here and he says he'll sell me for seven thousand five hundred buckaroos! do you want to talk to him?' "'of course i do,' robbie said. and right then and there i was traded from the giants to the dodgers. "and, of course, we--the dodgers, that is--won the pennant the next year, and i had one of the best years i ever had. i think i had an earned run average of about one and a half in . and then we won the pennant again in . so everything worked out pretty well. "one day when i was pitching for brooklyn, i pitched the first game of a double-header against boston and beat them, one to zip! i was in the clubhouse during the second game, taking off my uniform, when the clubhouse boy came in. 'rube,' he said to me, 'there's an elderly gentleman outside who wants to see you. he says he's your father from cleveland. "'he is not my father,' i said. 'my father wouldn't go across the street to see me. but you go out and get his autograph book and bring it in, and i'll autograph it for him.' "but instead of bringing in the book, he brought in my dad. and we were both delighted to see one another. "'boy,' said my father to me, 'you sure are a hardhead. you know i didn't mean what i said ten years ago.' "'what about you, dad?' i said. 'you're as stubborn as i am. i thought you never wanted to see me again. i thought you meant it.' "'of course i didn't,' he said. "after we talked a while, i said, 'did you see the game today?' "'yes,' he said, 'i did.' "'where were you sitting?' i asked him. "'well, you know the man who wears that funny thing on his face?' "'you mean the mask? the catcher?' i said. "'i guess so,' my father said with a smile. 'well, anyway, i was halfway between him and the number one--you know, where they run right after they hit the ball?' "'you mean first base?' i asked. "'i don't know,' he said. 'i don't know what they call it. i was sitting in the middle there.' "'how many ball games have you seen since i became a ballplayer, dad?' i wanted to know. "'this is the first one,' he said. "well, he stayed in new york with me for a few weeks, and we had a great time. finally, he had to go back to cleveland. after he'd left, the newspapers heard about my dad and they wanted to know his address back home. so i gave it to them, and doggone if they didn't send reporters and photographers to cleveland to interview him. "they took his picture and asked him a lot of questions. one of the things they asked him was whether he had ever played very much baseball himself. "'oh,' he told them, 'of course i did, when i was younger. i used to love to play baseball. i used to be a pitcher, just like my son richard--i mean, like my son rube.' "'are you proud of your son?' they asked him. "'i certainly am,' dad said. 'why shouldn't i be? he's a great baseball player, isn't he?'" the group of ozites was silent for a few moments as the forest monster carried them along toward yoraitia. the large pachyderm could feel a tear welling up in his left eye, and he brushed it away with his trunk. chapter the restoration of the lunechien forest of oz the little party arrived in yoraitia in a short time. when they got there, it looked like as happy a township as any other in the marvelous land of oz. "i knew there could not be any really serious drought in our fairyland," said elephant happily. "after all, oz is always pleasant and lovely. lurliné's enchantment has always seen to that." "i thought that lurliné was only a character from an ancient legend," scowled the forest monster. "in any event, i was not created by any fairy enchantment. i know, for i was created by two prominent wicked witches." "and i was hatched out of an egg just like any other hoot-owl," replied lisa. "but that doesn't prove anything. in any event, glinda the good said there was a drought happening here. but clearly she was mistaken. i don't think droughts are natural in any part of oz, anyway." "they aren't," agreed ozma. "but glinda would not have told me a lie. she must have believed there was one here." "i think maybe she was right," said tweaty. "look here. i see that this tree was only watered recently. see? it looks like it has been leaning over since ... well, since at least last tuesday at around three o'clock. before that, i fear it was left dry for several weeks." "tweaty's right," agreed nibbles. "i can see it starting to straighten up even as i look at it!" "then how," began elephant, "did it ... oh, i think i know." "of course!" added lisa. "glinda has already been here. she has already determined the source of the problem and fixed it!" as she spoke, she noticed out of the corner of her left eye that another personage had joined the group. "glinda!" said ozma, instantly recognizing the newcomer. "your majesty," replied glinda with a loving smile. "i see that you have come to see that the yoraitians have been provided for. it was really very simple. you see, a tribe of giant polka-dot beavers had just claimed a territory a few miles up the river. it is natural for polka-dot beavers to build dams, and they had no awareness that theirs was blocking off the water supply of any inhabited towns. once they found out, they were happy to remedy the situation. now they are happily helping yoraitia to better utilize its water supply. they are really very intelligent animals, and they have acknowledged you as their queen, too." "i am very pleased," said the youthful ruler. "but that is not why we are here," put in lisa quickly. "the queen needs her anmars. it is the only way that she can save the residents of the lunechien forest." "the lunechien forest?" echoed the good witch. "why, my goodness! what is wrong with the lunechien forest? the last i read of it in my great book of records, it was a very happy land of elephants and unicorns and other carefree creatures." "indeed it was," said the forest monster gravely. "but i'm afraid its hardships are all my fault. in my thirst for power, i drained many of the small, unfortunate beasts of all their strengths and abilities. i have since seen the error of my ways, and i repent of my unozlike actions. i had been so blinded by my resentment toward the cowardly lion that i was not even thinking about how much wickedness i was doing. the little princess-queen of oz has forgiven me already. i am willing to do whatever i can to make restitution for my acts. i know that you are also a queen and that you are one of ozma's closest advisors. if you wish me banished from all oz once you have restored all of my poor victims, i will accept the punishment without a murmur." the shadow of rube marquard stood still and listened with a puzzled expression on his face. ozma looked at glinda. "the forest monster really has repented," she said. "i saw the change with my own two eyes. he is willing to be restored to the size of a natural spider so that all the others can have what he took from them." "then it shall be done," agreed glinda, handing ozma the magical tool. the forest monster carried the entire group--including glinda--to the famous ozian forest. instantly, he and ozma gathered up the comatose lunechien animals and prepared to restore them to rights. glinda also lent a hand in the restoration process. it was not an easy task, but in only a little more than fourteen hours the lush lunechien forest was once again alive with the sounds of joyful birds and animals milling about among the trees and bushes. at the end of it all, the forest monster was as small as a typical arachnid. still, his tiny face was all smiles. indeed, he was as happy as a lark that the poor animals he had wronged could be righted again. and, in fact, it has been recorded in glinda's great book of records that not a single animal was overlooked during the restoration process. all were brought back to their former care-free selves without exception. well, maybe one exception. somehow, in all of the hubbub, tweaty was overlooked. he did not consider it politic to interrupt the proceedings. after all, his fellow beasts had had a far worse enchantment than he had. of course it was uncomfortable to be a tiny orange elephant. but how much worse to be completely without oneself. he decided to wait until another time to ask to be restored. he felt that it would be too much of a selfish act to ask ozma or glinda to take time away from those who truly needed their help when he knew that he could stand to be a small orange elephant for a little while longer. the reunion of the lunechien friends and families was a cause for celebration throughout the forest. a grand party was enjoyed by all, and even the cowardly lion made another trip away from home to pay his respects upon his fellow foresters. the celebration went on 'til the wee hours of the morning, when ozma and glinda had to get back to their regular duties. as for the residents of the lunechien forest, i am told that they are as happy today as ever they were. the former forest monster, now content to stay small and keep a low profile, continues to this day to spin the most delicate and beautiful webs you can imagine. and, indeed, he did have one of his creations covered in gold, and gave it to ozma as a sign of his submission to her rule. she keeps it hanging over her bed in such a way that it is the last thing she looks upon at night. the spider-creature has told me that it functions as a dreamcatcher, preventing any unhappy dreams from ever reaching her as she slumbers. the sleep fays, who once kept out these bad dreams, have voiced their gratitude to the former forest monster for this fine gift. and now, it is time to say goodbye for a time to our happy friends in oz. but do not fret. queen ozma is always sending us new messages from her glorious domain. i can assure you that it will not be so very long at all before we will all be getting together again over another oz book. until then, both of your grateful historians wish you as much happiness as is again known in the lunechien forest of oz. the end a hard copy of this book is available at: http://members.aol.com/lioncoward/home.html also available is the sequel: "the magic topaz of oz" copyright (c) by robert j. evans. xlibris publishing. you may order this book from the special order desk at your book store. isbn no. - - -x(hardcover). or isbn no. - - - (softcover) you can also order directly from the publisher. dorothy's mystical adventures in oz by robert j. evans this book is dedicated l. frank baum, who was the first mortal to discover the marvelous land of oz -- and to my son, robert jr., whose love of oz inspired this story. contents . market day . dorothy reminisces on oz . dorothy returns to oz . the pinheads . a visit from the wicked witch of the deep south . the dainty land of china . the girrephalumps . lion country . the mission begins . a philosophical discussion . octapongland . the fuzzy yellow wogglebugs . princess saari's colorland . tickleland . elfland . thoughtformland . americanindianland . ufoland . americanpresidentland . captured . a surprising reversal . a political discussion . at last, the emerald city * chapter one: market day * it was a warm summer morning. dorothy was sitting out on the front porch, gently rocking back and forth in aunt em's rocking chair. toto, her little dog, lay sleepily at her feet. aunt em and uncle henry were hustling and bustling inside the house, getting ready to go to market. "oh, dorothy ..." called aunt em. no answer. "dorothy, do you hear me?" still no answer. aunt em marched out on the porch. toto, sensing trouble, scampered off, while dorothy -- hearing aunt em's heavy footsteps, turned to see what the commotion was. needless to say, aunt em did not look too pleased. she stood in front of dorothy with her hands firmly planted on her hips. "what is the matter with you, child? didn't you hear me calling?" "i'm sorry, auntie em." "were you sleeping?" "oh no, i wasn't asleep, auntie. but ... well i was kind of thinking about things, and ... well ..." just then, uncle henry appeared. he was struggling with his collar. "would you help me with this, em?" he asked. "just a minute, henry," his wife answered. she spoke sharply to the girl. "i'm afraid i don't understand you these days." dorothy looked up at her aunt with her big brown eyes. a hint of a tear appeared. "i've tried to explain to you, auntie." aunt em just shook her head. "now, i don't want to hear any more of your tall tales, dorothy. not right now." "we're running late, em," interrupted uncle henry. "all right," answered his wife. she turned back her niece. "you'd better hurry and get yourself ready, young lady. we'll talk about this later." dorothy started to leave, then hesitated for a moment. "auntie em, could i stay home today?" aunt em looked surprised, for dorothy usually looked forward to market day. "are you feeling poorly?" she asked, putting her hand on the girl's forehead. "i'm just a little tired," dorothy replied weakly. "i don't think i'm quite up to walking around all day." aunt em looked again at uncle henry who just shrugged his shoulders. "well ... all right," said aunt em. "but i want you to rest. now, don't leave the house. we'll be home around eight, i expect." after dorothy went inside, aunt em began to help uncle henry with his collar. he could see by the expression on aunt em's face that she was very much concerned. "aw, don't worry, em," he said. "the girl's been through quite an ordeal, with that twister an' all. she'll be fine bye an' bye. she just needs plenty of rest." "but she looks so pale," replied aunt em. "and what about the strange stories?" "you mean about oz?" asked uncle henry. "yes, oz." aunt em replied. "how did she ever think up such a name?" "it does seem strange," agreed uncle henry. "and what about all the funny characters she says live there?" continued aunt em. "a talking scarecrow and lion, and a tin woodman of all things -- not to mention a wicked witch! that must be where her mind is; it's certainly not here in kansas." "now, em," said uncle henry, "don't fret so. dr. gabriel told us not to worry, that she's temporarily confusing her dreams with reality -- something to do with that bump on the head, he said. she'll come out of it; she'll be her old self in no time -- you'll see." meanwhile, dorothy decided she'd best do as her aunt had said, so she went into her room and lay down on the bed to rest. she was just drifting off when she heard the sound of horse hooves outside. she quickly got up and waved from her window as aunt em and uncle henry drove by in the wagon. "now don't wait up for us, dorothy," called aunt em. "and be sure to get plenty of rest!" "i will, auntie," called dorothy. "have a good time!" just then, toto jumped through the window into the girl's arms. she fussed over him as she carried him back to her bed. the little dog curled up at her feet and went to sleep. * chapter two: dorothy reminisces on oz * as dorothy rested, she thought about aunt em and uncle henry, and how upset they were with her for daydreaming so much. but with the reality of her oz adventures so fresh in her mind she could not help but dwell on them. a smile came over her face as she recalled the first time she met the scarecrow, and how surprised she was when he first spoke to her. when he said he did not have any brains she agreed to take him with her to the emerald city to ask the great oz to give him some. of course, as it turned out, the scarecrow did have a brain after all. but, because he did not believe that he did, the great oz had to go through the motions of presenting him with one. then there was the tin woodman: dorothy and the scarecrow were greatly surprised when they first came across him in the forest. he was standing perfectly motionless with an uplifted ax in his hands. apparently, he'd been caught in a rainstorm and had rusted solid. after dorothy had found an oil-can and oiled his joints, he was just fine. she recalled how anxious he was to accompany them when he found out their destination, for he insisted that he did not have a heart, and was certain that the great oz could provide him with one. just then, a slight breeze blew at the curtains, awakening the girl out of her dream-like state. she sat up and looked at toto. he was still sound asleep. she lay back again as her mind drifted back to when the brave little dog tried to defend her and her friends from the cowardly lion. it had scared them all half to death when they heard the terrible roar as the lion bounded into the road in front of them. of course, they did not know he was cowardly at the time. that is, until dorothy punched him in the nose for attacking her little dog. then he cried like a baby. when he found out about their mission, he asked if he, too, could accompany them in the hopes that he would be able to obtain courage from the great magician. needless to say, he was a welcome addition to the little group. the lion actually proved himself to be quite brave during their journey; but like the scarecrow and the tin woodman, he thought he needed the magical powers of oz to give him what he felt he lacked. reliving her recent adventures in oz caused dorothy to feel quite restless. she missed her friends terribly. she got up again and walked over to the window. the room grew dark as rainclouds gathered. a summer thunderstorm seemed imminent. she closed the window and shivered as she recalled the wicked witch of the west. she couldn't imagine her to be cowardly in the least. perhaps people like her were mean because no one loved them. if that were true, their bitter attitude only made matters worse. well, thank goodness the witch was dead. it seemed wrong to wish someone dead, but the land of oz was well rid of her for she had brought fear and misery to everyone who came into contact with her. the little munchkins were no longer afraid now that she was gone, and could enjoy a peaceful life once more. "even outside of oz," thought dorothy, "there are certain leaders who keep their people in fear." she wondered how they had behaved when they were children. she began to think of her friends again. she could not help but wonder how they were and what they were doing right now. she thought of aunt em and uncle henry. how /could/ they disbelieve her story? it made her sad to think that no one believed her. it couldn't have all been a dream -- of that she was sure. everything was so real and vivid in oz. all the events that occurred there couldn't have been her imagination. why, even the colors of the flowers were ten times more intense than in kansas. the flowers in her garden -- pretty as they were -- couldn't compare. they seemed faded in comparison. in fact, kansas seemed faded in comparison. a strange thought suddenly occurred to her: what if oz was the real world, and kansas but a shadowy dream world? oz her real home and kansas just a place she was somehow visiting in her dreams...? no, that couldn't be. aunt em and uncle henry and the others were all a very real part of her life. but then, the scarecrow, tin woodman and lion were all a part of her life, too. and so were the munchkins, the good witch of the north, and glinda -- even the wicked witch of the west. they were all as real as anyone in kansas. a feeling of utter confusion came over her. "oh no, what if i can't distinguish between the real and the unreal?" * chapter three: dorothy returns to oz * dorothy's head began to throb. she wondered if the injury that she suffered during the tornado had caused some permanent damage. a feeling of extreme dizziness came over her. she walked over to her bed and lay down again. as she lay back, the room began to spin. had she been standing she was sure she would have fallen. she imagined she could hear a voice inside her head telling her she must return to oz. suddenly it appeared that the floor gave way as she felt herself falling ... falling ... twisting and turning over and over as she fell. she began spinning around very fast. her body felt like it was being torn apart. "oh, no!" she cried. "what is happening to me? please! someone! help me!" the thought raced through her mind that she was being sucked into a huge vortex by a great evil force. a tremendous fear filled her heart. she visualized the leering faces of a hundred wicked witches swirling around her. the faces were cackling with loud screams of hideous laughter. a hundred pairs of ugly hands with long bony fingers clutched at her as she fell. "now we've got you!" screamed the witches in unison. "you'll never get. away from us this time, little goody-two-shoes!" "help me, someone. please help!" dorothy cried. as she called out for help, the witches' images began to fade; the screaming to diminish. in their place a shining metallic substance appeared. it spun around her so fast it seemed like a solid sheet of metal. whatever it was, it appeared to slow her fall. gradually, the spinning object slowed. as it did, her image was reflected each time it passed in front of her. suddenly she saw two dangling arms and legs attached to the spinning form, and a shiny face grinning at her. "nick chopper!" she cried, recognizing the tin woodman and lunging toward him with her arms outstretched. clunk! there was a dull thud as the soft material of her body made contact with the woodman's metal body. they both fell the last few feet to the ground, laughing uproariously. "you know," dorothy said, when their laughter subsided, "before i realized who you were, i kept seeing my face reflected as you spun by me. it is reflected now on your chest, right where your heart is." "oh, dorothy!" said the tin woodman, starting to cry. "i'm so happy to see you." "now don't you cry," said dorothy, wiping his eyes with her handkerchief, "you'll rust up again." "it's wonderful to have a heart," the tin woodman said, "and to have all the feelings that a human has; but a heart can grow very heavy when someone you love has to go away. of course, it enables you to be filled with joy when they return. that is why i am crying, because i am so happy." "i know how you feel," replied dorothy, her own eyes beginning to mist. she held him tightly for a long time. "well," said the tin woodman at length, "how would you like a nice cup of tea?" "that would be lovely," answered the girl. "then let us adjourn to my castle," he replied. as they walked, each brought the other up to date on the latest developments in their lives. "after you returned to kansas, dorothy, everyone settled down to their usual routine. it was wonderful with the wicked witches of the east and west gone. and with fear no longer a part of everyone's lives. oz was the happiest place in all creation." "was the happiest?" questioned the girl. "isn't oz a happy place now?" the tin woodman was about to answer when they arrived at the castle. "let me put the kettle on and i'll continue with my story," he said. while the tin man was in the kitchen, there was a knock at the door. "would you get that?" he called to dorothy. "it's probably the scarecrow." dorothy ran to the door excitedly. sure enough, it was her old friend. when he saw dorothy, he threw his arms around her. "oh, dorothy," he said. "how wonderful to see you!" at that, the tin woodman entered the room with dorothy's tea. the scarecrow stared at him with a questioning look. "is dorothy going to help us again?" he asked. "help you?" said dorothy. "why, what do you mean? what has happened?" "let us sit down while you have your tea," motioned the tin woodman. "i'll explain everything." as dorothy sipped her tea she wondered what terrible things could possibly have occurred since she left. the tin woodman looked at dorothy rather seriously. "do you remember when you first arrived in oz and your house fell on the wicked witch of the east and killed her dead? and how angry the wicked witch of the west was?" dorothy nodded. she remembered only too well ... especially when the magical silver shoes were given to her by the good witch of the north. the wicked witch of the west couldn't contain herself; she was absolutely furious. first her sister killed, then the silver shoes stolen from right under her nose! "well," continued the tin woodman, "there was a third sister; the wicked witch of the deep south. she heard about all this just before you left oz. then, after you returned to kansas, the news reached her that you'd thrown water over her favorite sister -- the wicked witch of the west, and liquidated her. oh, was she angry! she was livid! and when she found out you'd escaped from oz she screamed so loudly that her false teeth fell out and all the munchkins fell down laughing. that really made her mad. she screamed at the munchkins and told them if you ever come back to oz you can kiss yourself goodbye, because you'll never see yourself again." "what a horrible thing to say!" exclaimed dorothy. "what a terrible person she must be." "oh, she is," said the scarecrow. "she's worse than the wicked witches of the east and west put together. it's a good thing you left oz when you did. even the silver shoes would not have been strong enough to stop her." dorothy was about to speak when a familiar figure walked through the open door . it was glinda, the good witch of the south. the girl ran to her friend and hugged her. "how wonderful to see you again," said glinda, holding dorothy tightly to her. "we all missed you terribly when you returned to kansas." "i missed all of you, too," replied dorothy. "more than i can say." "but why have you returned so soon?" asked glinda. "i know you longed to be with your family again." "i don't really know why i've returned," replied the girl. "it's true i miss my friends, but it's more than that. some strange pull has brought me back. i even heard a voice asking me to return. does that sound bizarre?" "i think i understand," said glinda. "you see, there is a supreme intelligence in oz. it is a highly creative force which is spiritual in nature. this force knows all things, and wants only good to prevail. this was the voice you heard." dorothy nodded as glinda continued: "this force cannot of itself make changes. it can only prod, and try to make contact with those that are given to evil ways. when this contact is not possible, it becomes necessary for mortal intervention. that is why you have been called. to try to bring the wicked witch of the deep south to a higher understanding. i myself have tried and failed." "but what can i do?" asked the girl. "if you, a very powerful witch, cannot make her give up her evil ways, what hope have i?" "you have a very special power," said glinda. "also, this intelligence -- otherwise known as the great wizard -- is about to bestow the essence of his wisdom on you. actually, he is merely unlocking your own inner wisdom. you will gradually become aware of this. the words you speak during this particular excursion to oz will reflect this wisdom. it is hoped this will bring enlightenment to the witch, as well as others. do you feel guilty about killing her sisters?" "no," replied dorothy. "i do not. in both cases it was an accident. it wasn't my fault that the cyclone picked up my house and dropped it on the wicked witch of the east. and as far as the wicked witch of the west was concerned, i was furious that she stole my shoe. that's why that i threw a bucket of water over her. but how was i to know the water would melt her down to a puddle? i was sorry i destroyed her at first, but later quite relieved. i believe she would have killed us all." after a moment's contemplation, the girl continued, "of course, being the cause of someone's death is nothing to be proud of. but since it happened anyway, oz is a lot happier place for it." "yes, and because of that," said glinda, "the munchkins think of you as their queen. their wish is for you to stay in oz forever and rule all of munchkin country." "oh, i couldn't stay in oz forever!" exclaimed dorothy. "i mean, i'm most honored that they want me to be their queen; but much as i love this beautiful land of oz and all my friends here, i love kansas and aunt em and everyone else too." "well, as it happens," said glinda, "your life is in mortal danger. the wicked witch of the deep south is not playing games. even as we speak she is scheming up the most horrible things. she is in no mood to give up her evil ways, i'm afraid." "well, i won't be pushed around by her," said dorothy emphatically. "tomorrow we will find the lion and make our plans." glinda nodded her head and put her hand on dorothy's shoulder. "you're a brave girl," she said. "i'm very proud of you. i'll be standing by to help in any way i can." glinda departed. "you go on to bed, dorothy," said the scarecrow. "we'll get things ready for our journey." dorothy yawned as she bid her friends goodnight. "i am awfully tired," she said. "and we do have a long journey ahead of us." the scarecrow had previously made a most comfortable bed up for her. she fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. * chapter : the pinheads * the following morning, bright and early, dorothy and her friends started out for the forest where the cowardly lion lived. the lion had stayed there to help all the animals who lived in the forest to fight a fierce monster, and was now king of the beasts. "perhaps we should order a pinhead river and raft to take us as far as the dainty china country," said the scarecrow. "but i can't swim," replied the tin woodman. "what if i fall overboard?" "oh, don't worry about that," said the scarecrow. "pinhead rivers are only a couple of feet deep. the worst that can happen to you if you fall in the water is a rusty joint or two." "well, i'd better pack my oil-can then," replied the tin woodman seriously. "the pinheads," explained the scarecrow, turning to dorothy, "are almost an extinct breed. you'll find them very interesting. the few that are left live in a small village nearby." dorothy looked completely perplexed. "but order a river? you mean you can order a river on demand? just like that?" "just wait and see," replied the scarecrow, with a knowing grin. as they approached the pinheads' village, a few pinhead children ran out to meet them. dorothy could see why were called pinheads. their heads really were the size of a pin, and when they spoke, their voices were high and squeaky. "have you come for r and r?" squeaked one of the pinhead children. "r and r?" questioned dorothy, "you mean rest and recreation?" with that all the pinhead children burst into a fit of high squeaky laughter. "that's river and raft," explained the scarecrow, trying to ease dorothy's obvious embarrassment. "the pinheads make their living from supplying rivers and building rafts." then, turning to the pinhead child, he asked, "how much will it cost?" just then some adult pinheads approached. "that depends," said a pinhead male who appeared to be their leader. "depends on what?" asked the scarecrow. "on whether or not you have a pin cushion," the leader replied. "if you do, the r and r will be free." "well, i don't have one," said the scarecrow. "and neither do i," said the tin woodman. "i have one!" exclaimed dorothy, digging into her purse. "but what on earth do you want a pin cushion for?" "well, as you can see," replied the pinhead," our feet are pointed; and since we sleep standing up, pin cushions make wonderful beds. we just hold our feet tightly together and jump onto the pin cushion and sink down to our heads. it is so cozy and warm, you wouldn't believe it." "i don't understand how that can be," said dorothy. "i know you are not very big, but this pin cushion seems far too small for you to stand on, let alone sink down to your head." "oh, that's not a problem for us," replied the pinhead. "you see, we have the ability to make little things big. how do you think we could make a big raft for you giants? we just make the raft out of match-sticks and thread, and when it's enlarged it looks like it's made out of big logs and rope." "but how do you do that?" exclaimed the girl. "oh, that's easy," replied the pinhead. "you see, after the object is made, we look at it under our big magnifying glass. this magnifying glass is no ordinary magnifying glass, but has the ability to magnify things permanently. it was given to our ancestors by a male witch who had no further use for it." "why don't you look at each other's heads with it?" asked the scarecrow seriously. "then you'd all have bigger heads." "oh, it won't work on living things," replied the pinhead. "besides, we like the way we look. how would it be if everyone in oz looked the same? all skinny or all fat, all tall or all short, all white or all yellow, all blue or all green, all --" "all right, all right! you've made your point," said the scarecrow. "my brain is fairly new and it's just not used to thinking that much yet." "i agree with you, mr. pinhead," said dorothy. the world would be a very dull place if everyone looked the same. imagine what it would be like if everyone looked exactly alike, thought exactly alike, and talked exactly alike! there would be no point to existence." "my sentiments entirely!" said the pinhead. "getting back to the business at hand," said dorothy. "i'm still mystified as to how you create a river to order?" "well," answered the pinhead. "it's quite simple, really. we have this huge reservoir that was created by building a dam to capture the tears of a giant that was a bit of a cry-baby, to say the least. the slightest little hurt would set him off on a crying spell. we turned his excessive crying into a cottage industry by utilizing the stored up tears for our new company, /rivers on demand, inc.,/ and since the tears have magical qualities we can direct the river to and fro', uphill or downhill, exactly as we wish to suit the customer's order. the river even knows to avoid dwelling places and other inhabited areas, and to return immediately to the reservoir when its passengers have disembarked." "remarkable!" replied dorothy. "just remarkable." with that, they all went down to the newly created river to board the raft that had just been completed for them. after stepping aboard they barely had time to wave goodbye to their new friends as the river quickly whisked them on their way. * chapter five: a visit from the wicked witch of the deep south * "my, the river's flowing fast. i'm glad it's not that deep," said the tin woodman, after they were underway. "if it were, and i fell overboard, i could rust up solid for all eternity. do you think the raft will stay big? oh dear, what if it gets little again? we'll all be spilled into the water!" "don't worry so much," said dorothy, smiling. "you'll worry yourself to death." "can people really do that?" asked the tin woodman. "worry themselves to death?" "of course not," laughed the girl. "but i suppose a person could become quite sick if he constantly worried over things." "never worry worry, 'til worry worries you," said the scarecrow in a matter-of-fact tone. "what is that supposed to mean?" inquired the tin woodman. "i think it means," answered the scarecrow, "don't worry about something until it actually happens." "oh! i see," said the tin woodman. "in other words, most of our worries never materialize, so why fret constantly over something that in all probability will never occur?" "i think you've got it," said dorothy. "i think you've got it," echoed the scarecrow. everyone laughed uproariously. then the tin woodman broke into song.... "oh ... never worry worry 'til worry worries you, 'cause if you worry worry your worry'll worry you." dorothy and the scarecrow joined in: "oh ... never worry worry 'til worry worries you, 'cause if you worry worry your worry'll worry you." suddenly a dark shadow covered their raft, and a piercing scream filled the air. they all looked up to see the wicked witch of the deep south on a huge broomstick sweeping down on them. she had the ugliest, meanest face dorothy had ever seen. as her eyes met dorothy's, she pointed a long bony green finger at her and screamed, "i'll get you, deary! you killed my sisters. you'll never leave oz alive!" then she screeched with terrible laughter as she roared away. everyone except dorothy was shaking with fright. dorothy was shaking too, inside, but she didn't show it. "n-n-n-never w-w-worry w-worry 't-t-till worry w-worries y-you," stuttered the tin woodman. "now pull yourself together," ordered dorothy. "she's gone.... i think i see the dainty land of china. we should be there in a few minutes." * chapter : the dainty land of china * the tin woodman did very well steering the raft to the bank of the river. as the dainty china country came into view he became quite excited, but then a little confused. "i wonder what happened to the wall," he said, half to himself. "but looks like there's a welcoming party awaiting us." dorothy and the scarecrow stood up at once, almost toppling the tin woodman into the water. sure enough, quite a large entourage was waiting by the dockside. several china soldiers ran down to the raft as the tin woodman steered it into the dock. as everyone disembarked from the raft they heard a big whoosh as the river reversed course to return to its source. they were immediately informed by the soldiers that the king and queen wished to speak to them. the soldiers took dorothy and her friends by the arms and escorted them to where the king and queen were standing. "you are most unwelcome!" snapped the king. "most unwelcome!" echoed the queen. "the last time strangers were here they broke several of our people." "and we had to pay the menders overtime," said the king. "not to mention the expense of the glue," said the queen. "and glue's not cheap, you know," said the king. "not cheap, you know," said the queen. "we're terribly sorry," said dorothy. "we'll be extremely careful, won't we everyone?" she said as she looked around at her friends. "oh, yes," they all chorused. "extremely careful." "i hope so," said the king. "i hope so," said the queen. "it would take us several days to get to the lion's forest if we had to go around your country," said the tin woodman. "very well," said the king. "the sooner you get started the better. it makes me very nervous to have you here. we had a high protective wall around us until a wicked witch zapped it off to some other realm out of spite. now we are getting all kinds of riffraff wandering through our lands stepping on people willy-nilly. my army will escort you to the border to make sure you do not break anything, or anyone. if you do, my soldiers will attack you, for that is what they are trained to do." "you can rest assured," said dorothy, "that we will take every precaution." as dorothy spoke, she stepped back slightly to curtsy, but the heel of her shoe caught the captain of the guard's horse, causing it to rear up. the captain dropped his sword with a clatter on the ground, breaking it into several pieces. "my sword! my sword!" he cried, looking at it in dismay. "call the menders," ordered the king in a very loud voice. "call the menders," echoed the queen in an equally loud voice. the captain of the guard's face was red with anger and embarrassment. "attack!" he shouted to his men. "attack! before they break us all up!" the soldiers rushed at the little group, poking at their feet and ankles with their swords and lances. of course, this didn't bother the tin woodman. in fact, several more swords were broken as the soldiers jabbed at him. however, they did hurt dorothy. it felt like someone was sticking needles in her feet and ankles. the scarecrow and the tin woodman attempted to defend dorothy by waving their hands in the faces of the soldiers. "run for it!" shouted the tin woodman. the three ran as fast as their legs would allow and soon outdistanced the soldiers. fortunately, they had run across a flat area devoid of houses and people. otherwise they could have caused great damage. as they ran, they noticed the ground getting steeper and more slippery. large china boulders were scattered everywhere. to make matters worse, a mist suddenly descended, making it difficult to see more than a few feet in front of them. the terrain rose sharply as they felt their way around some large rocks. the tin woodman slipped and fell several times, but, of course, didn't hurt himself. however, the going was getting rough, and dorothy was getting tired. the voices of the soldiers could now be heard in the distance, but through the mist dorothy caught a glimpse of a little path winding its way up the mountain. "quick! over this way," she said to her companions. the three managed to make their way over to the path. the mountain path was a bit slippery, but not too steep. it was certainly a lot easier going. when they finally reached the top of the mountain, the mist had cleared. apparently, the soldiers had decided against following them, for they could be clearly seen setting up camp at the base, thereby ensuring that dorothy and her friends did not attempt to return the way they had come. the view from the top of the mountain was quite beautiful. the china homes and farms was spread out in a colorful panorama below. the only barren part was the segment of land they had traversed to make their escape. "it's a shame everything is so easily breakable here," said the tin woodman. "i can't blame the china people for not wanting visitors." "i don't know why the captain of the guard was so angry," said the scarecrow. "dorothy didn't try to make him drop his sword." "i think he was so embarrassed," said dorothy, "that he was just trying to save face in front of his men." dorothy was about to sit down to rest, but the light began to fade rather quickly. "perhaps we should be on our way," said the girl. "no question about it," said the tin woodman. "absolutely!" said the scarecrow. as they started down the other side of the mountain, the path became extremely slippery and steep. suddenly the tin woodman started to slide very fast. he called out to dorothy: "help! dorothy! i can't stop!" at that moment, the scarecrow slipped and sat down with a thump. then dorothy did the same. she and the scarecrow sped down the mountain path so fast they caught up with the tin woodman. the impact caused him to fall backwards into scarecrow's lap. "wheee..." they all yelled as they whizzed around the hairpin bends. "what fun!" cried dorothy. as they neared the bottom, their descent slowed. they came to a stop in front of a big sign: *you are now leaving* * dainty china country.* * thank you for visiting* * (but thank you more for leaving)* * !!!please don't hurry back!!!* "what a funny sign," said dorothy. "but it's plain to see that they get very nervous when non-china people are in their midst. i suppose they'd be quite happy to be left entirely alone." "i can't say i blame them," said the tin woodman. "if i were a small delicate person made of china, i wouldn't want big clumsy people around. "thank goodness you're a big clunk!" said the scarecrow. dorothy laughed as the tin woodman chased the scarecrow around the sign. as he did so, dorothy's eye caught what appeared to be another sign a little further on. she walked up to it and read the following: you are now entering the domain of the girrephalumps. please knock twice to indicate your request for our services. * chapter seven: the girrephalumps * by this time, the tin woodman and the scarecrow had joined dorothy at the girrephalump sign. "what do you make of it?" asked dorothy. "well, there's only one way to find out what it means," said the tin woodman. "and that's to knock twice and see what happens." "go ahead," said dorothy. "with your metal fist, you should be able to knock loud enough for the girrephalumps, whoever they are, to hear." bang! bang! the tin woodman knocked so hard that he almost knocked the sign down. immediately there was a roar like thunder as a herd of animals descended on the sign from seemingly nowhere. and what strange looking animals they were: each had a giraffe's head and neck, but an elephant's body. also, they were pink in color, with large white and blue dots all over. the leader of the girrephalumps walked right up to dorothy and said, "you knocked, madam?" dorothy put her hand to her mouth to hide a smile. "why, yes we did," she answered, glancing sideways at the tin woodman. "well," continued the girrephalump, "where do you wish to go? we are the official transportation of oz.... of course, we also clean upstairs windows and replace the light bulbs in street lights. but i am sure that at the moment it's transportation you want. am i not correct?" "why ... yes, you are perfectly correct," replied the girl, not a little bewildered. "well, where do you wish to be taken?" asked the girrephalump. "and what is the purpose of your journey?" "we wish to travel to lion country," replied dorothy. "to visit our friend the cowardly lion, except that he's not cowardly any more." "and your purpose, my dear?" "we wish to join forces with the lion because we have a very important mission to perform." "hmmm," said the girrephalump. "and what may that mission be, if i may be so bold as to ask?" "well," answered dorothy, "we're not totally certain. but we wish to confront the wicked witch of the deep south and speak with her." "oh, no!" called out the girrephalumps in unison, as they drew back. "we must have a conference," said the leader. the girrephalumps all huddled together for several minutes. "we are afraid to take you to lion country," said the leader to dorothy as he returned. "we could very well be attacked by the wicked witch. you will never get to lion country alone, for there are dangerous swamps, and only we know the way. besides, you would be very foolish to continue with this mission. you are not only endangering your own life, but also the lives of your companions. you must return at once!" "but i cannot!" exclaimed dorothy, almost in tears. "we have come so far, and we must go on. this is very important to us -- to all of oz." "hmmm," said the leader again. "we must have another conference." once again, the girrephalumps went into a huddle. this time they took much longer. at length he returned, but looked very solemn. "well," he said after looking at dorothy for a long time. "the majority vote has predominated. but this is very unwise of you to insist on going on. if we are attacked we will desert you and you will die in the swamps. do you understand?" dorothy looked at the tin woodman and the scarecrow, and swallowed. "yes," she said. "we do." "very well; so be it!" the leader replied. "the results will be on your head." the scarecrow whispered to the tin woodman. "what did he say would be on dorothy's head?" "the results of her decision," answered the woodman. "oh," said the scarecrow, as he thought the whole thing over. "well, let's be on our way then," the leader said, kneeling down for dorothy to mount him. two others did the same for the tin woodman and the scarecrow. although the journey took almost two days, there were, fortunately, few incidents. however, there was one particular situation that had left everyone more than a little shaky: the first indication that trouble was brewing was when a loud thumping sound could be heard in the distance. it sounded at first as if a bunch of people were beating on drums. but as the thumping got louder it became apparent that some sort of stampede was in progress. the girrephalumps seemed ready to make a run for it when the deafening roar came to a sudden halt. everyone looked at each other in complete bewilderment. one moment they had been ready to run for their lives; now there was only a deathly silence. the girrephalumps stood perfectly still for the longest time. then their leader motioned his head slowly towards a wooded area where he had detected some movement. "g-g-good gracious," stammered dorothy, as about fifty grizzly bears emerged. the strange thing is that they didn't exactly lumber towards the little group as one might expect. they were bobbing up and down in place as if they were all on trampolines. it then became apparent to all, that these were not ordinary bears, but were kangaroos with bear bodies, or, if you prefer, bears with kangaroo legs and tails. it was the most incredible sight imaginable! one bear, larger than all the others, approached (perhaps that is not the word to use, hopped would be more like it). he hopped over to the leader of the girrephalumps and growled very loudly in dorothy's face. unfortunately, he had very bad breath which caused dorothy to quickly turn away. "look at me when i speak to you," growled the bear. "you are in krizzlie bear country now. you will show the utmost respect." "i'm terribly sorry, mr. krizzlie ... mr. bear ... er, mr. krizzlie bear. i didn't mean to be disrespectful, sir. but i, i thought i was about to sneeze and didn't want to sneeze in your face." "hmmm, is that so?" mumbled the bear, looking a bit suspicious. "well, what are you people doing here in the first place? we don't like visitors. didn't anyone tell you that?" "we didn't even know you existed," replied the girrephalump leader. we have traversed these lands many times, and know every swamp and bog. and we have never come across another living creature. in fact, we thought this whole area was devoid of life. it is so barren and inhospitable, we didn't think anyone would want to live here." the bear was becoming angrier by the minute. "are you saying you think our neighborhood is run down, and you don't think any decent person would want to live here? is that what you're saying? is it? is it? 'cause if it is, we can take care of that right now. we'll just eat you all up and that will end the argument immediately, if not sooner. don't you agree?" "but i am not arguing with you, sir bear. really," insisted the girrephalump. "you are arguing right now. you are disagreeing with me. i'd call that arguing, wouldn't you?" snorted the bear. "wait! did you say sir bear? is that what i heard you say? sir bear?" "indeed you did," replied the girrephalump. "sir krizz, i believe the queen will dub you when she hears how kind you were to us, and how you let us pass safely through your vast estate. i have recommended several knighthood's to her in the past and she has accepted every one without question." "really!" said the bear. "well, upon further reflection, perhaps i have been a little harsh with you people. you say you will mention how kind i've been?" "indeed," replied the girrephalump. "i will tell her how exceedingly kind you were. and i will recommend a knighthood in the strongest of terms. your title is guaranteed. you have my word as an officer and a gentleman!" "very well. you are all free to go," said the bear. "as you know, i have been joking all along. it was pretty funny, huh? if you just follow this little path, it will take you safely into lion country. and goodbye and good luck to all of you." * chapter eight: lion country * as they approached the lion's camp, they could see the warm glow of a big fire. the lion was laying by the fire, propped up on some cushions, roasting marshmallows. when he saw them approaching, he jumped up and bounded over to meet them. "how wonderful to see you all!" he said as he embraced each in turn. when he got to dorothy, he gave her an extra big hug. "this is really a pleasant surprise, dorothy. i wasn't expecting to see you again. at least, not for a long time." "being back in oz is just as much of a surprise to me," replied dorothy. "it's true i had been thinking of you all an awful lot; and i did miss you all terribly. perhaps my longing to see you all again had something to do with it; i'm sure it did. but it seems i have a definite mission, and that is the real purpose for my being here." "well now," said the lion. "how interesting. let us sit by the fire and i'll make you some hot chocolate and marshmallows and you can tell me all about it." after everyone had settled around the fire (everyone, that is, except the scarecrow, for fire made him very nervous), dorothy told the story of her return to oz. the lion listened intently without interruption. when dorothy was finished, he thought for a moment: "you know," he said at length, "it's interesting to note that you have helped each of us here; you have helped the munchkins and in fact all of oz by getting rid of two very evil witches. and now you are ready to do battle again on behalf of our wonderful land. we have much to be grateful for. it seems you are playing a very important role in the history of oz. you are almost a savior." "please!" said dorothy. "i am just an ordinary person trying to help people. i don't want you to think of me as someone unusual. i am doing no more than any good friend would. besides, i have grown to love oz and all of you more than words can convey." at that, dorothy became quite pensive. "is anything the matter, dorothy?" asked the lion. "well, i am somewhat concerned," replied the girl. "the wicked witch of the deep south is a mean one. there's no telling what she might do to everyone because of me." "now don't fret so, dorothy," the lion replied. "she's not going to frighten us into deserting you. we'll stick by you through thick and thin." "thick and thin what?" said the scarecrow, genuinely curious. "it's just an expression," said the tin woodman, giving him a nudge. "oh!" responded the scarecrow. "oh, yes." "we won't let that old witch get us down, dorothy," said the tin woodman, patting her on the back. "no indeed!" echoed the scarecrow. "don't you worry your pretty little head, dorothy." "well, i know you're tired," said the lion. "let's turn in. everything will look a lot brighter in the morning. we'll discuss our plans right after breakfast." the lion brought out some more cushions and blankets. he ordered six leopards and six tigers to stand guard around the camp. the tin woodman and the scarecrow stood by dorothy's bed (they always stood guard at night because they don't need any sleep themselves). * chapter nine: the mission begins * the next morning, as dorothy awoke to feel the warm sun on her face, she was surprised to find that the lion and the others had prepared a breakfast of exotic fruits for her. as she bit into one of the luscious soft fruits the juice burst forth with a flavor that can only be described as divine. nothing, absolutely nothing she had ever tasted before could compare. "we let you sleep a little longer, dorothy," said the lion, as she ate. "you needed a good rest. isn't it a beautiful day?" "indeed it is!" answered the girl. "between this wonderful fruit and the beautiful surroundings, i feel i'm in paradise. the dew was glistening on the grass and there were pretty little wildflowers everywhere. hundreds of birds of every variety were chirping away happily as they searched for their breakfast. the sweet early morning smell of the forest permeated the air, and running through the camp was a bubbling brook of crystal clear water with little fish happily darting about the little pools. "you certainly have a lovely home here, lion," said dorothy. "thank you," the lion replied. "it is beautiful, isn't it?" "you must be very happy here," went on the girl. "oh, indeed i am. yes, indeed," the lion replied. "only ... only ..." "only what?" interceded dorothy. "well, it does get a little lonely at times." "you mean there is no lady lion to keep you company?" said dorothy with a sly wink. "that is true," answered the lion. "i am the only one here." "well, i'm sure we're bound to run into another lion on our journey," said dorothy encouragingly. "oh, very doubtful," replied the lion. "i've never heard of another one." "there are parts of oz," said the tin woodman, who had been listening intently, "that are unexplored. no one knows what's there." "you see!" dorothy exclaimed. the lion shrugged. "it would be nice," he said, "if we came across a lady lion. very nice indeed." "well, we'd better start some plans," said dorothy. "did anyone bring a map with them?" "oh, yes, i did," said the tin woodman, opening a little door in his side. "i kept it here to make sure it wouldn't get wet." they unfolded the map and placed it on the ground. "now, let's see," said dorothy. "we're here," pointing her finger at a circle which said "lion's forest." "we can't go due south," said the scarecrow, "or we'll run into swamplands. we'll have to head west through octapongland, then southwest through colorland." "octapongland?" said dorothy. "how strange! and colorland?" "these are newly discovered lands," said the lion. "haven't you heard the song?" said the leader of the girrephalumps. "what song?" said dorothy. "the octapong song, of course," said the girrephalump, and in a deep baritone voice he sang, "in the country where i'm from, there are lots of octapong. octapong are people who, have eight feet but only one shoe. that one shoe goes clippity-clop, while the other feet go hippity-hop. with a hippity-hop and a bing-bang-boo, those octapong are after you. if you see one, run, don't stop -- 'cause if you do, your shoes he'll cop." "oh my," said dorothy. "how terrible. must we go through octapongland?" "i'm afraid we must," said the lion. "there's no other way." "and what about colorland?" asked dorothy. "what's that like?" "no one lives in colorland," said the scarecrow. "it's just a place to visit for therapy." "therapy?" said dorothy, looking perplexed. "yes," said the tin woodman. "for example, if you're feeling sad, you spend a half-hour in the yellow belt." "yellow belt?" dorothy said, looking puzzled again. "yes. you see," said the lion, "colorland is divided into seven color belts; each is a half mile wide. there's the red belt, the orange belt, the yellow belt, the green belt, the blue belt, the indigo belt, and the purple belt." the lion could see that dorothy was still very puzzled. "let me explain," he said. "you see, each of the seven colors affects you in a different way. for example, the first color we will pass through will be the red belt. now you should never go into the red belt feeling angry." "why not?" asked dorothy. "well," said the lion, "you've heard the expression 'so and so makes me see red'?" dorothy nodded. "well, red is associated with anger," said the lion. "so if you walk through the red belt feeling angry or resentful, it will just make you more angry or resentful." "how does it make you feel if you're not angry or resentful?" said dorothy. "then it will have a positive effect on you," said the lion. "it will give you lots of energy, and if you're cold, it will make you feel nice and warm." "how strange," said dorothy. "it will certainly be very interesting. we'd better look at the map again to see what comes after colorland." as dorothy studied the map, the scarecrow started to get the giggles. "oh dear!" he said, giggling uncontrollably. "not again!" "my goodness," said dorothy. "what's going on?" "don't you see the name of the land next to colorland?" said the scarecrow. dorothy peered at the map. "tickleland?" she said as she started to laugh. "i can't wait for you to explain this one." "let me explain," said the tin woodman. "the scarecrow and myself are probably the only ones here who are not ticklish, so we're not concerned about traveling through tickleland. but for you it will be an ordeal, believe me." "an ordeal?" said dorothy. "i'm afraid so," replied the tin woodman. "you see, tickleland is filled with ticklemonsters. they are cousins of the octapong; and whereas the octapong have eight feet, the ticklemonsters have eight arms, and that makes forty fingers to tickle you with if they catch you." "oh my goodness!" said dorothy. "you can imagine what it's like to be tickled all over at the same time," said the scarecrow. "why on earth do they do that?" asked dorothy. "and how can you get them to stop?" "well," said the tin woodman. "the reason they do it is quite simple: they do it for food, and the reason --" "for food?" interrupted dorothy. "now you've lost me. what on earth has food got to do with it?" "well, they don't eat solid food like you do," said the tin woodman. "they absorb their nourishment through the skin, and the sound of laughter is to them what food is to you. you see, the laughter energizes their skin molecules to give them energy and sustenance." "well, i never," said dorothy. "you never what?" said the scarecrow. "that's just another expression, silly," said the tin woodman. "it's like saying, 'well, i never would have believed that,'" said dorothy. "well, anyway," said the tin woodman, "that's why they are called ticklemonsters and why the land they live in is called tickleland." "will they stop tickling you if you ask them to?" said dorothy. "on the contrary," said the tin woodman. "if you ask them to stop, they'll just tickle you all the more." "what happens if you ask them to tickle you more?" she asked. "then they'll stop," said the tin woodman. "they don't like being told what to do, so they'll just go and find someone else to tickle." "that's really something," said dorothy, shaking her head. "i suppose we must go through tickleland?" she asked. "i'm afraid we must," said everyone. "if they just look at me threateningly, i'll laugh," said dorothy. "i'm so ticklish you wouldn't believe it" "i'm not ticklish, but i laugh a lot when people say funny things," said the scarecrow. dorothy smiled. "how long do you think our journey will take?" "oh, weeks and weeks," said the scarecrow. "my, that is longer than i expected," replied dorothy. "do you really think it'll take that long?" "yes, but we'll survive, i'm sure," answered the scarecrow. "it'll take some time to cross elfland," said the lion. "elfland?" questioned dorothy. "that sounds fascinating. how long ago was their land discovered?" "oh, quite recently," replied the lion. "of course, elves have always existed. this particular type of elf visits the mortal lands all the time. they do a lot of work there." "well, i'm really looking forward to visiting their country," said dorothy. "let's look at this map again to see what comes after elfland." she spread the map out on the ground, and they all peered at it intently. * chapter ten: philosophical discussion * "i don't think that map will do us much good after we cross elfland," dorothy said, as she looked at the words largely unexplored which marked the area between elfland and the deep south territory. "we'll just have to take our chances," she continued. "you know, when i was here before i didn't realize that there were so many other cultures within oz. i met a lot of munchkins and some quadlings, and all those other interesting people and animals and creatures. i wonder how many varieties there are?" "there are an infinite number of lands and cultures within oz," said the tin woodman. "that's what makes oz such an interesting place. it would be a monotonous land indeed without variety. but i don't think oz will ever be fully explored. the great wizard who created oz must be quite pleased with his creation." dorothy looked puzzled. "you mean the great wizard that glinda spoke of?" "oh, yes indeed." answered the tin woodman. "there's only one great wizard. all worlds are created by him, and he loves every soul who resides in his creation: even the wicked witch of the deep south." "how could he love someone so evil?" questioned dorothy. "i was wondering that myself," said the scarecrow. "well," said the tin woodman. "he must realize that she's her own worst enemy, and he's just waiting for her to catch on to that fact. i don't know why some people are so filled with hatred. as i told you, dorothy, ever since i've had a heart i've been having a lot of feelings, and i've been trying to understand why some people have a lot of love inside them, and enjoy helping others; while some only care about themselves. perhaps the people who can't feel love and compassion have no heart at all." "or perhaps something happens to them that causes their heart to harden," said the lion. "not to change the subject," said the scarecrow. "but i've been reading about the creation of mortals. there are lots of books on the subject, and sometimes the books contradict one another. some talk about the slow evolution of tiny simple organisms into large complex organisms. while others talk of the instantaneous creation of complex organisms, for example, adam and eve -- who were, supposedly, the very first mortals. it's all very complicated. "well," said the tin woodman. "you don't have to accept everything you read; you have to form your own opinion. that's why you've got a brain. books are just people's ideas, no one can really prove anything. even scientists differ in their analysis of the same evidence. "that's correct," said the scarecrow. "ever since i got my brain, i've been thinking a lot. and some of the things i've read, i agree with, and some i don't agree with. i know some people who have read only one book in which the creation of mortals is explained, and they say that version is true because the people who wrote it were inspired by the great wizard." "i haven't thought a lot about it," said dorothy. "but i think people should read all the books written on a given subject before drawing a conclusion. even if they didn't accept everything they read, they would at least be stimulated by the many ideas put forth. i've heard that people who have a long established belief about something will often refuse to study all the available literature on the subject, but will close their minds off completely. they have made their minds up as to the truth of the matter, and don't want to hear another word on the subject." "truth is where you find it," said the tin woodman. "what does that mean?" said the scarecrow. "isn't that the point of the whole thing?" said dorothy. "since no one really knows for sure what is totally true or not true, we owe it to ourselves not to be satisfied with what is told to us, but to question and to search for ourselves. in other words, continue the search for truth all of our lives with an open mind." "but, as scarecrow said, it is confusing to read all those different ideas about things?" said the lion. "it can be," said the tin woodman. "but whatever we read, we must learn to discern deep within ourselves what is true and what is not true, and then to ask the great wizard's guidance for the ultimate answers. after all; if he knows all truth, he is going to guide us to it if we ask him. but he won't force it on us." "how do we know if he can hear us, or even that he exists if no one has seen him?" the lion said. "well," interceded the tin woodman, "from all that i've read, people throughout history have heard him speak. but to be able to hear him, we have to go into a very quiet state within ourselves every day, and learn to communicate with him." "how do we do that?" asked the lion, still recalling the traditional tale of lurline. "well, i've been doing it for some time," said the tin woodman, "and although i haven't actually heard a voice yet, i often receive answers to my questions in symbolic form, which i am told is the language of the soul." "can you describe it to us?" said the lion. "of course," said the tin woodman. "but you know, we have talked here for a long time. we really must get underway if we are to accomplish our mission. i'll tell you what happened when we get to colorland. we'll stay overnight in the yellow belt and i'll explain everything." "why the yellow belt?" asked dorothy. "well, the color vibration of yellow is very conductive to learning. the winkies always subconsciously knew this. in fact, when you take a test at school, be sure to wear yellow and you'll do very well on your test." "really?" said dorothy. "i must remember that." "now then, everybody up," said the lion. "let's be on our way. we can take the girrephalumps as far as octapongland. after that we'll have to walk." with that, the girrephalumps sat down so everyone could climb aboard. the leading girrephalump, who belonged to dorothy, turned his head to her as she climbed aboard and said, "forgive me if i don't talk, but i have a sore throat. mind you, none of us care to talk much," he continued. "we have such long and delicate throats that we have to take the utmost care that we don't overdo things." "that's quite all right," replied dorothy. "i do hope you feel better soon." "oh, i shall. don't worry," said the girrephalump. "when i return from this trip, i will take a short vacation. i can't take too long or i'll get too far behind with my other work." "what other work do you do?" asked dorothy. "well," said the girrephalump, "as i told you before, besides being part of the main transportation system in oz, we are required to change the streetlight bulbs when they burn out, and to keep all the upstairs windows clean. if we get too far behind, people can't see out of their upstairs windows in the daytime; and when they're out at night they can't see what they're doing, so it's important work that we do." "it is indeed," said dorothy. "how long will it be before we get to octapongland?" she asked. "well, i can see it in the distance already," said the girrephalump. "but it's still quite a way off. we'll probably be there by nightfall." "have you seen the octapong before?" said dorothy. "oh, i've seen them all right, answered the girrephalump, 'course they don't bother me, since i don't wear shoes." "you see, the trouble is," he continued "their one shoe gets a lot of wear and tear, clippity-clopping along all day, and production simply can't keep up with demand." "so they have to steal other people's shoes?" interceded dorothy. "that's just about it," said the girrephalump. "well i think it's disgusting," the girl said angrily. "why do people have to go around stealing other people's things? how would they like it if someone stole from them?" "they probably wouldn't like it at all," said the girrephalump. "they should learn the golden rule," said dorothy. "what's the golden rule?" asked the girrephalump. "/do unto others as you would have others do unto you/," she quoted. "that's a good rule," said the girrephalump. "if everyone lived by it, no one would steal anything from anyone," said dorothy. and no one would hurt anyone either." "that's amazing!" said the girrephalump. "what is?" said dorothy. "why, if that one rule were practiced by everyone it would make the mortal lands a beautiful place to live as well as to visit." "it would indeed," said dorothy. "if every single individual followed that one simple rule, we could unlock all of our locks and throw all the keys away." "and you could melt down all of your guns," said the girrephalump. "don't mortals understand that?" "oh, they understand all right," said dorothy. "but many just don't want to live by that rule." "perhaps if they were taught these things as children...." "some children don't want to live by that rule either," she replied. "i can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to," replied the girrephalump. "think how happy they would all be -- with each mortal having nothing to fear from another, just treating each other with kindness and respect. why, it would be heavenly. don't your people want to be happy?" "i'm sure everyone wants to be truly happy," said dorothy. "but it's the nature of some to find a twisted kind of happiness in hurting others. some even steal from others to get money to buy chemicals for their mind, for example." "now i'm really confused," said the girrephalump. "chemicals for their mind?" "yes," said dorothy, realizing that she had more awareness of these issues than would be considered strictly proper for a child of her age and background. "you see," she continued, "if a person is unable to find happiness within himself, or in his home, school, work or social environment, he may try to buy some synthetic happiness in the form of certain chemicals called drugs." "good gracious!" was all the girrephalump could say. "yes, it's very sad," said dorothy. "but the happiness they feel is not true, so when the effects of the chemical wear off they feel even worse than before. then, in a desperate effort to feel better again, they take even more chemicals. of course, they are doomed to repeat the cycle over and over. this causes great anguish -- not only for themselves -- but for their family and friends." "how frightening!" gasped the girrephalump. "yes, it's an awful, awful thing," said dorothy. "now the chemical is the master. it now directs the person's life. he or she has lost control, and is now a slave to this new master. not only that, some of these chemicals can affect the brain in such a way as to cause the person to do awful things to other people, or to themselves. at the very least their personality becomes distorted: they can have terrible mood swings, and their natural drive and creative ability severely diminished. sometimes seizures, or even death can occur." "can't anyone stop all this?" said the girrephalump. "why do people make these chemicals and sell them?" "for money," said dorothy. "they love money so much, they don't care who gets hurt." "thank goodness i don't have to live in your mortal lands," said the girrephalump. "well, it's not all bad," said dorothy. "there are many kind and wonderful people there -- like aunt em and uncle henry. it's just the few that spoil things for the many." "it still seems to me that the place to start is with the little children," said the girrephalump. "if mortals were taught kindness and love and gentleness and understanding, and all of these things as children, the world would be a very happy place when they grew up, and they could teach their children the same things. then, by the time they grew up, all the bad adults would have died off." "i'm afraid it's not that simple," said dorothy. "some parents are full of hate and resentment, or show contempt for other races or creeds by the way they talk. this all influences the children." "why can't the schools teach the children differently?" "i'm sure they do their best," said dorothy, "but they are busy teaching reading, writing and arithmetic." "well, i don't see much hope," said the girrephalump. "yes, mortals are sort of locked into their ways of thinking," said dorothy. "perhaps when you get back to kansas, you could write a book about your experiences in oz," said the girrephalump. "then children who read it will know that there's a place where no one really hurts anyone. and perhaps they will treat each other a lot better. and when they grow up they will be loving and kind to one another too, so that your country will be as happy a place as oz." "that's an excellent idea," said dorothy, though she knew that she was far too young to write a whole book by herself and would have to confide in an adult for help. "well, here we are at octapongland," said the girrephalump. "my, i've talked a lot," he said. "and do you know, my throat isn't sore." "that's wonderful," replied dorothy. "i really enjoyed meeting you, dorothy," he said. "i've learned a lot. i hope i'll see you again soon." dorothy put her arms around his neck and kissed him. he sat down slowly while dorothy slid down his back to the ground. "now everyone stick close together," called out the lion, and walk quickly. the octapong are very sneaky, so be alert." * chapter eleven: octapongland * the entrance to octapongland was a huge archway. an inscription over the top read, "/beware all ye who enter the land of the octapong/." as they passed under the archway, they became aware of a group of octapong children playing in the distance. as they approached, the octapong stopped their activity and turned to stare. dorothy tried not to look at them, although at the same time she was very curious. they were certainly strange creatures, with their eight legs and only one shoe. as they returned to their play, one could hear that shoe going clippity-clop, clippity-clop. suddenly, dorothy became aware of several adult octapong gathering on each side of them as they walked. the tin woodman said, "perhaps we should walk a little faster." as they did, the octapong walked faster, too. and each foot with the shoe came down in unison to make a deafening crash on the ground. as dorothy's group walked faster and faster, so did the octapong, until everyone was running like the wind. suddenly they all came to a screeching halt as a huge brick wall loomed up in front of them. the brick wall stretched for miles right across octapongland. there was no way anyone could escape. "so!" roared one of the octapong. he appeared to be their leader. "thought you could get away, eh? no one escapes the octapong. you see, my dears, with the help of our trapping wall here, and our little system of running you into it, we are guaranteed a fresh supply of shoes every time anyone crosses our land. now, off with your shoes," he shouted. "you're just a bunch of thieves!" said dorothy angrily. "we're /not/ thieves," said the leader of the octapong." are we, boys?" "no!" they all called out together. "there," said their leader. "you see?" "well what do you call it?" said dorothy. "taking people's property without their consent?" "let's call it a toll for the use of our land." "you don't have any signs posted," said dorothy. "so that makes it stealing." "i'm beginning to lose my patience with you, little girl," said the leader. "now give me your shoes. you, too," he said to the scarecrow. "now look here," said the lion. "stop pushing my friends around. who do you think you are?" "who are you?" asked the octapong leader. "i'm king of the beasts," said the lion defiantly. "well i'm king of the octapong," said the leader. "is that so?" said the lion, gearing up for a fight. "yes, that's so," said the octapong. "well," said the lion. "well what?" said the octapong. "nothing," snarled the lion. "just well." "what's the use of a well without a bucket?" said the octapong. "what?" said the lion. "i said, what's the use of a well without a bucket?" he shouted. "a well without a -- ho-ha bucket ... a ho-ho bucket," roared the lion with laughter. "that's very funny!" "do you think so?" said the octapong. "yes, i do," said the lion. "well thank you," said the octapong appreciatively. "you know, we've been a little hasty; you seem like nice people, and we have a very good stock of shoes on hand right now. we'll let you go this time." "why thank you," said the lion. "you're very kind." "don't mention it," said the octapong. and with that, he walked over to the wall and said "you may go through." everyone looked at each other with a puzzled expression. "but there's no door," said dorothy. "not necessary," responded the octapong. "well, how do we go through?" said the lion. "you just walk through," said the octapong. they all stood there looking more puzzled than ever. "like this," said the octapong as he walked into the wall and disappeared. "did you see that?" said the tin woodman. just then, the octapong returned to view, having walked back through the wall again. "how did you do that?" asked the lion. "why, it's easy," replied the octapong. "this wall is made with special bricks. you see, all matter is made of atoms, which are tiny particles of electricity. there are very large spaces between these atoms even though the material appears solid. we have magnetized the atoms in these bricks in such a way that they push away the atoms of any other material that comes in contact with them. so when the atoms of your body come close to the atoms in the bricks, they just step aside so to speak and slide through the empty spaces. it's quite simple, really. and it works very well. so well, in fact, that not one person has ever tried to walk through that wall. they all believe the wall to be solid -- so for them, it is." "why that's incredible," said dorothy. "now be off with you," said the octapong. "before we change our minds." dorothy gingerly touched her shoe against the wall and, sure enough, the toe of her shoe disappeared into the wall. with that, they all walked into the wall and disappeared. as they reappeared on the other side of the wall, dorothy remarked on the strange sensation. "aunt em will never believe this!" she would be repeating these words many times during her journey through oz. the border of octapongland was just a short distance away, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when they reached it. after they crossed the border, they all sat down to discuss the situation. "that was quite an experience," declared the tin woodman. "indeed it was," answered the scarecrow. "the lion was the one who saved us." "he certainly did," replied dorothy. "and we're all very proud of you," she said, turning to the lion. "well, quite truthfully," said the lion, "i didn't feel all that brave inside." "but you had the courage to defend us," said the tin woodman. "and that's the important thing. besides, you got us out of the situation, didn't you?" "i hope we don't have to return this way," replied the lion. "i don't think i could pull it off again." "let's look at the map," said dorothy. the tin woodman opened the little door in his side, pulled out the map, and spread it out on the ground. "let's see," said the girl. "we're here," she added, pointing her finger to the border between octapongland and colorland. "why don't we stay here overnight," she said, "and get an early start in the morning?" "that's fine with me," yawned the lion. dorothy walked down to a little stream close by and sat down on its grassy bank. little wildflowers were everywhere, and the crystal-clear water bubbled with life as it cascaded into a miniature waterfall. she cupped her hands together, dipped them into the water, and took a long, cool drink. mmmm, the water tasted so good. as she sat, she studied the little flowers, their delicate, tiny petals were in perfect symmetry; each tinted with the colors of the rainbow. the colors were just breathtaking! so rich, so vibrant, so alive. she noticed a rose in bud, and gently touched it and wished that it would bloom. as she did, little blue sparks appeared at her fingertips and, ever so slowly, the bud unfolded to reveal the most beautiful rose she had ever seen. she lay back on the ground, closed her eyes, and listened to the water bubbling and splashing. she concentrated on the delicate fragrances of the flowers, and the sweet smell of the grass. she could hear birds chirping away happily in the distance. a beautiful feeling came over her: a peace she had never known before. she became one with nature. she knew that all mankind, all nature, was one as she fell asleep. * chapter twelve: the fuzzy yellow wogglebugs * dorothy was awakened by a cold wet nose nuzzling her arm. she heard a voice say, "move over please, move over." the nose and the voice belonged to a round, bright yellow furry ball with huge round dark brown liquid eyes. "who are you?" inquired dorothy. "the name of my species," replied the animal tartly, "is fuzzy yellow wogglebug. would you move over please? you're blocking the entrance to my home." "oh, i'm sorry," said dorothy, sitting up. "that's quite all right," said the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "no harm done." the fuzzy yellow wogglebug promptly disappeared into a hole under a large clump of grass. he reappeared a moment later and looked quizzically at dorothy. "would you care to have tea with me? it's not too often that i have a guest for tea." "why thank you. i'd love to," replied dorothy. "but i'm afraid i'm too big." "oh, dear," said the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "i hadn't thought of that. well," he said brightly, "we'll soon take care of that problem. just stay right where you are." he disappeared again, and this time returned with a bright yellow tablecloth and a bright yellow picnic basket. he then laid out the tablecloth on the grass, opened up the picnic basket, and handed dorothy a bright yellow cup and saucer. he then returned to his hole and reappeared promptly with a bright yellow teapot on a bright yellow tray. "would you care for milk and sugar?" he asked as he poured her tea. "just a little of each, thank you," replied dorothy, helping herself from a bright yellow milk jug and a bright yellow sugar bowl. "my, you certainly like yellow," said dorothy as she sipped her tea. "of course," replied the fuzzy yellow wogglebug without explaining further. "i'm surprised that you don't make your home in colorland in the yellow belt," said dorothy. "i would think you'd be right at home there." "oh, no," answered the little creature emphatically. "that would be too much for us fuzzy yellow wogglebugs, but we do visit there twice each week. you see," he explained, "we fuzzy yellow wogglebugs must absorb a great deal of yellow if we are to keep our pretty yellow fur. otherwise it would fade very quickly to a dirty brown color like the other animals. we are very proud of our color; we surround ourselves with yellow so that we constantly absorb it." "i see," said dorothy thoughtfully. "well, i must admit it is a very bright happy cheerful color." "yes indeed," replied the little creature. "that is why we fuzzy yellow wogglebugs have such bright, happy cheerful dispositions -- which is just as well, i might add. you see, some of the other animals don't like us; they are quite jealous of our bright yellow color, and can be quite hurtful at times." "i'm so sorry," said dorothy. "but you are so nice, why would anyone want to be hurtful?" "well, unfortunately, they only see our color; they don't see the person. we are personalities just like them, but they don't choose to see beyond our color, so they won't have much to do with us. why, just the other day, my little girl was playing at school with a little brown girl bear she had become friends with, when the other bigger brown bears took the little girl brown bear aside and said, 'why are you playing with that yellow wogglebug?' my little girl's friend said, 'because she's very nice to me, and we're friends.' 'well, don't mix with those yellow wogglebugs,' they told her. 'play with your own kind.' so now the little brown girl bear and my little girl are quite sad and, needless to say, lonely, because they liked each other more than anyone else at school." "you know," said dorothy, "the bigger brown bears that told the little girl brown bear not to play with your little girl are the ones i feel sorry for." "sorry for them?" exclaimed the fuzzy yellow wogglebug in surprise. "why would you be sorry for them?" "well, they are the real losers," said dorothy, "for they must go through life with all that hatred and resentment inside them. not very conducive to becoming a happy well-adjusted person." "you show great insight for one so young," said the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "what you say is so true. yet many people fail to see it." "it seems to me they don't want to," said dorothy. "but why not?" asked the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "do they prefer to be miserable?" "it appears that way, doesn't it? i was just discussing this with my friends. people are often their own worst enemy. they are at the mercy of their thoughts, so to speak. they do not make a concentrated effort to control their thoughts, so their thoughts control them." "you talk as if thoughts have a mind of their own," said the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "in a way they do," replied dorothy. "of course, people's thoughts revolve around themselves a great deal, since our main concerns are to do with our own physical comfort. after all, everyone wants to be warm and dry, and to be well fed and secure. so our thoughts, quite naturally, center on our own feelings. but as a consequence, we can become self-centered, even selfish. some people can take selfishness to the point of depriving others of their basic needs so they can acquire more for themselves. a good example of this is a dictator of a country amassing for himself a fortune, while the majority of his people are starving to death. or a business which is not satisfied with a reasonable rate of return, but extracts an exorbitantly high profit at the expense of people who are struggling to make ends meet. now, there is nothing wrong with using one's own talents to make a pleasant life for one's self; to acquire a nice home, and to have an abundant life, for we are meant to enjoy life. but this abundant and joyous life cannot come by taking from others what is not rightfully ours to take; but can only come by maintaining a fair exchange of each other's goods and services, and by leaving the element of greed out of all transactions. thoughts that are greedy thoughts are our mortal enemy." "do you know," said the fuzzy yellow wogglebug, "that thoughts have shapes?" "they do?" said dorothy in surprise. "that i didn't know." "oh yes, as a matter of fact, the area around the wicked witch's castle is called /'negativethoughtland./' negative thoughts are, as you know, the worst kind of thoughts there are; so you can imagine what monstrous thoughts must dwell around that castle, just laying in wait for unsuspecting travelers." "you mean you can see them?" asked dorothy, her eyes getting big. "oh, yes," answered the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "you see, every thought you think is a new creation, so it has to go somewhere and do something. now, if it is a good thought, like, say...." "like i'm thinking right now," said dorothy. "that i love my aunt em, and that i wish i was with her." "yes," said the wogglebug. "that thought is a thought of love and will go right to your aunt em and help to make her feel good." "what does that thought look like?" asked dorothy. "it looks like a soft crimson projectile like a comet. when it hits your aunt em, it will burst and shower her with little explosions of pure love." "that sounds beautiful," said dorothy. "can you tell me the shapes of some other thoughts and what their effects are?" "when you go to negativethoughtland, you will see some awful shapes; they are visible to everyone there." "can they hurt me?" asked dorothy anxiously. "they cannot come near light," said the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "in fact, light dissolves them. but if you have a lot of negative thoughts yourself, you will attract them to you and they will make you more negative; so you must think positive thoughts. be happy, optimistic and cheerful; loving and kind. and as long as you do that, these negative thoughts will never come near you -- for they cannot stand the light that positive thoughts are made of. so when you go through negativethoughtland, visualize light all around you -- this will protect you. learn to do that every day as you walk to school. put light around your house in kansas every night. be enthusiastic. face each day with determination and know that you can master any problem that the day may bring. as you go through life you will face many difficulties ... but everything's not going to happen to you all at once. so just take one day at a time and do the best you can with that day -- that's all that is expected of you. each day that you live, you can be earning your way to a better place -- a better life. but you must do the earning yourself; you must do the work. no one else can do it for you." "what you are saying makes a lot of sense," said dorothy. "when i get back to kansas, they're going to see a new me." "well," said the fuzzy yellow wogglebug, "that's very commendable; but don't set too high a standard for yourself. don't say, 'i'm going to be perfect,' or 'i'll never lose my temper again,' or 'i'll never do this or that again.' just say 'i'm going to do my best; but if i make a mistake, i'll try to do better next time.' at least you will be trying to control your thoughts and emotions, and that's half the battle right there." "you know, mr. fuzzy yellow wogglebug," smiled dorothy, "you may not have much of an education, but you have a great deal of wisdom and understanding. some educated people don't have that." "why thank you, dorothy," replied the fuzzy yellow wogglebug. "i suppose i do try to compensate for my lack of education by thinking about things. it's good to think, don't you agree?" "oh, yes," answered dorothy. "one should always take the time to quietly think about things. by the way, may i ask you a question?" "you may indeed," replied the wogglebug. "well, this is sort of a personal question," said dorothy. "that's quite all right," replied the wogglebug. "what is it?" "well, it's about your name," answered dorothy. "what about my name? don't you like it?" asked the wogglebug kindly. "oh, yes i do," replied dorothy. "i love your name. but i just wondered what /woggle/ meant. and you are not a bug, exactly." "oh, that's easy to explain," said the wogglebug. "you see, in ancient times, the oz word for work was woggle; and in those days, we were the workhorses of oz, so to speak. we worked mainly in the fields. we harvested the wheat and the corn, the rye, et cetera. our daily pay was six pennies and a pocket full of rye or wheat -- whatever we were harvesting at the time (of course, money is no longer necessary in oz, as you know) and you're right, we're not bugs at all. we're animals; anyway, we came to be known as fuzzy yellow wogglebugs and that name is now our official title. also, we are on good terms with the commonly-known wogglebug insects, and consider it an honor to share the name with those industrious creatures. would you like to hear the famous wogglebug song? we used to sing it in the fields while we worked, and it's still very popular today." "oh, i'd love to hear it," replied dorothy enthusiastically. the fuzzy yellow wogglebug cleared his throat and said, "it goes like this." he began to sing in a beautiful, rich baritone voice: "i'm a fuzzy yellow wogglebug, i woggle all day long, i woggle in the morning, at night i sing my song. i sing a song of sixpence, with a pocket full of rye, i'm a fuzzy yellow wogglebug, i'll woggle 'til i die. i'm a fuzzy yellow wogglebug, i'll woggle 'til i die -- hey!" as he finished the last line, about fifty fuzzy yellow wogglebugs came out of their little mounds and started to sing and dance: "we're fuzzy yellow wogglebugs, we woggle all day long, we woggle in the morning, at night we sing our song. we sing a song of sixpence with a pocket full of rye, we're fuzzy yellow wogglebugs, we'll woggle 'til we die. we're fuzzy yellow wogglebugs, we'll woggle 'til we die -- hey!" when the other yellow wogglebugs finished singing, they all turned to dorothy, and said shyly, "nice to have met you, dorothy." then they all disappeared back into their little mounds. dorothy turned to her little wogglebug friend, but he had disappeared, too. she bent down and tapped at his little door. the door opened, and the yellow wogglebug's face appeared. "i didn't mean to be rude, dorothy. but i must get recharged. my yellow is beginning to fade, and i wouldn't want you to see me without my yellow. i'd just be plain old ordinary brown." "oh, that's all right," said dorothy. "i'd love you just as much -- no matter what your color. it's you i love, you know." "i know," said the wogglebug. "but i wouldn't feel myself without my yellow color." "i understand," sighed dorothy. "well, it's been a great pleasure meeting you. i hope to see you again very soon." "thank you, dorothy," said the little creature. "i hope so, too. very much." he reached up and kissed dorothy on the nose; then disappeared inside his house. * chapter thirteen: princess saari's colorland and the conciencez * "dorothy! dorothy! where are you?" it was the lion. "we must be on our way!" he said. "i'm ready," replied dorothy. "i've just had the most delightful experience with a wogglebug." "oh, yes," said the lion. "aren't they just the most adorable creatures?" "yes indeed," said dorothy. "i wish i could take one home with me to kansas." "i wonder what your aunt em would think," said the lion. "to see a fuzzy yellow animal that talks." dorothy laughed. "that would be quite a sight. i'd love to see aunt em's face if that happened." "what if you brought us all home?" said the lion. "she would really be surprised then!" dorothy smiled at the thought of it. she could just see the expression on uncle henry's face as she introduced her friends to him. and if she took them all to school, how exciting that would be. her school friends would really be surprised to see a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion walking around and talking. as it was, she knew no one would believe her when she did return. she knew that she really would not be able to tell anyone about her adventures. they just would say she had been dreaming like the last time. "well, let's be on our way," repeated the lion. "do you see that red haze, dorothy?" "yes," said dorothy. "i do. i see some of the other colors, too. it looks like a big rainbow on the ground." as they walked toward colorland, dorothy began to think about her adventures so far. she was having a really exhilarating time. she felt somehow she was undergoing a learning experience, and felt good about it. she realized, thinking back on her life, that it was all a learning experience. that she was learning and growing and expanding in awareness and understanding. she sensed that somehow there was a guiding force behind her life, gently nudging her into different directions and into different experiences. she felt that it was important to somehow try to get in tune with this force and not to get upset when things did not go exactly her way, but to accept gracefully the bad with the good and to try to learn from each experience. she sensed that if she did this, and especially if she asked for guidance each day, that perhaps some of the bad experiences that she was yet to go through in her life might not be as harsh as they otherwise would have been. she realized that her own attitude during each experience was the key to the whole thing. if she allowed herself to become agitated and upset over every little thing that happened, or over the way other people behaved or talked, her life would be one of constant turmoil. but if she maintained a positive, optimistic attitude and did not allow the negativity of others to affect her, and if she tried to understand the motivation behind others' actions and words and tried to help them where she could, her own life would be happier and more meaningful. she knew that a great deal of what others said or did was through lack of understanding. she vaguely remembered a saying somewhere: "/forgive them, for they know not what they do/." "well, here we are." the lion's voice awoke her from her thoughts. as they approached the red belt, dorothy could sense a strange vibration. it was not at all unpleasant; in fact, as they got closer, she felt a warm glow all over. as they were about to enter, a young lady appeared in front of them. she was tall and beautiful, with long black hair, and wore a robe of pure white. as she spoke, her dark eyes flashed with merriment. "welcome," she said. "my name is princess saari. it is a pleasure to see you all. i am to be your guide through colorland. please feel free to ask questions; i know you will find this to be a most pleasant and enjoyable experience." princess saari turned. "come," she said, beckoning them to follow. as they all walked into the red belt, the feeling of heat became stronger. it was not a hot heat, but more of an intense glow. the sound of the musical note "/do/" could be heard faintly in the background. "how do you feel, dorothy?" asked saari. "oh, glorious," replied dorothy. "i feel full of energy." "when you return home to kansas," went on saari, "should you feel low on energy, take a few moments to imagine yourself bathed in a deep rose red, just as you are right now. breathe the red deeply, relax and see every cell of your body and mind bathed in the red. as you breathe the red out again slowly, let your consciousness become one with the red, and visualize every cell of your body renewed and vibrant and full of energy. do this two or three times, and i'm sure you will feel much better. if you wish to help a friend or relative who is tired or rundown, visualize them bathed in the red and see them as vibrant, energetic and happy; be sure to feel a lot of love toward them as you do this, and i'm sure they will be helped. now, we mustn't stay too long in any one color; you can get too much of a good thing; we must keep a balance. before we go into the orange belt let me explain the negative aspects of the red. since it is an energy color, a person who is angry or very upset creates a great deal of it around himself for as long as he allows himself to be in that discordant state of mind. this would not be a good time to visualize the red around that person. by the same token, an excitable person who is easily upset should not wear clothing that is red in color. now, you may quiet emotionally disturbed people by surrounding them with the color blue. if someone becomes angry with you, don't be angry back, but see that person bathed in a cool blue light. now, if you are all ready, we will enter the orange belt." as they all walked into the golden orange color, dorothy felt the changing vibration and hear the continuous tone of the musical note "/re/." princess saari said, "breathe in the orange deeply; it's like oxygen to your lungs. do you feel the power as you breathe in? see this golden orange color in your lungs sending its vital energy into your bloodstream and carrying that energy to every cell of your body. feel yourself filled with vitality and enthusiasm. how do you feel?" asked saari, turning to dorothy. "just wonderful," she replied. "i can't wait to see what the yellow feels like." the little group walked on in silence until the yellow belt began. as they walked into the yellow, they could feel a cheerful mood coming on. dorothy could feel her skin tingling. she could hear in the background the musical note, "/mi/." princess saari said, "this ray promotes optimism and cheerfulness. it also has a cleansing effect on the skin. it has a quieting effect on the nerves and stimulates the mental faculties." dorothy said, "i always thought that color was just plain color, plain and simple. i didn't know that each color had a different effect on you." "there is a great deal that is not known," said princess saari. "at least, not known to the general public; you see, throughout history, there are those who have been knowledgeable on certain subjects: subjects which are generally not taught. not too long ago these people were burned at the stake by those who feared them. one always fears what one doesn't understand. even today these people do not say too much, as they know that much of what they might say would not be accepted. however, for one such as yourself who has an open and curious mind, books are available on these subjects and can be found." the scarecrow interceded, "we discussed this recently, didn't we, dorothy?" "yes, we did," said dorothy. "we all had quite a discussion on the subject of knowledge and truth and books?" "what was the general consensus?" asked the princess. "well, that we should not accept blindly that which adults teach us, but that we should sift and question and think for ourselves. and if we're not happy with the answer to something, we should find out more about it." "and if we should become confused by conflicting ideas," said the tin woodman, "we should meditate on the subject and ask the great wizard to give us the truth or to guide us in the right direction." "do you know who the great wizard is?" asked princess saari. "i was telling dorothy something about him," said the tin woodman, "but couldn't quite explain how it is that he loves everyone -- even the wicked witch...." "well, i'll be happy to explain a little more about him," said princess saari. "couldn't you also cover meditation?" said the tin woodman. "i was going to explain this to dorothy, but i would prefer that you teach us." "i'll be glad to," said the princess. "we'll discuss the great wizard as we go into our meditation. any further questions can be answered before you leave colorland. all right, let's begin," said the princess. as she spoke, a chair appeared behind each of them. "please be seated," she said. "sit upright with your back straight and your legs together. place your hands upon your knees and turn the palms of your hands upwards. now, close your eyes and think of the sun; feel its light and warmth on your face; now think of the great wizard standing in the middle of the sun. you can't see him, but you know he's there. feel his warmth and love pouring down on you. breathe in that light. as you breathe in the light, visualize a little bright light inside you, like a tiny sun. see that little light inside you grow brighter and brighter until you are filled with this great light. within this light are all the colors of the rainbow. you may send this great light within you to anyone you know who is sad, or not feeling well, or perhaps you have a pet cat or dog, or even a horse you want to help -- this light can be used for any purpose, to help anyone, even to make your plants and flowers grow beautifully. remember, as you send this light, feel that beautiful love in your heart. become one with the light. "now let us go into deeper meditation. there are many ways to do this, but i think you will especially like this one. imagine a little door in the middle of the light inside you. as you look at the door, you see some words on it. as you get closer, you see that the words say /'secret/ /place/' and above these words is your name. for example, /'dorothy's secret place/.' around your neck is a beautiful gold chain with a tiny gold key attached. you take the chain off over your head and place the key in the lock, turn it, and open the door. you walk inside and close the door behind you; then you place the key back in the lock and lock the door from the inside. you then put the chain back around your neck. as you turn to observe your secret place, you hear the most beautiful music and feel an outpouring of love showering down upon you. you are filled with a joy and peace that you have never known before. this is your secret place; no one can enter without your permission. "as you look around you, you see your favorite scene. perhaps a beautiful sandy seashore. the surf gently tumbles over the rocks and sends a fine spray of salty mist into your face -- you can even taste the salt in the spray. everything smells so fresh and clean. the soft sand under your feet is pure white, and as you walk into the wet sand, the surf gently laps over your feet. "you may prefer that your secret place be a garden filled with flowers, by a lake, or in the mountains. wherever your favorite place is, take the time to enjoy your surroundings -- the colors of the flowers, the shapes and textures of different objects and materials. and be still -- listen to sounds, such as the surf, a waterfall or a fountain splashing. smell the aroma of a thousand flowers, of freshly cut grass. just drink everything in and enjoy it. "your favorite place may be a book-lined study, with a thick, luxurious carpet and a large, comfortable easy chair. you may keep the same secret place or change as you wish. but wherever you are, visualize yourself as laying down or sitting down and closing your eyes and relaxing. don't try to control or stop your random thoughts - let them gradually settle down and become very still. think of the feeling of love inside you, of the beauty of a flower. think of the great wizard as a loving father, who wants you to be happy. imagine as you think of him, a soft blue light appearing in front of you, and ever so slowly the blue light takes the form of a majestic being in a beautiful white robe. as the face forms, you observe the kindest eyes you have ever seen. you feel waves of pure love radiating toward you. these waves of love are so strong that tears fill your eyes and roll down your cheeks. "the being speaks to you in a most serene and gentle voice. 'my child, i am so happy that we could meet at long last. i have known you from the beginning, but you would not take the time to become ever so still in order to seek me; for you had forgotten me. now that we are together again, we must maintain contact. this is your sanctuary. you can be alone here. it is good for you to come here each day, and when you wish to speak with me, know that i always hear you. in time, as you become ever so still, you may see images, which as you learn to interpret them, will bring answers to your questions. these images and symbols are my way of communicating with you. of course, you might at times also hear my voice.'" after a moment of silence, princess saari continued, "the great wizard is a doer of good, but the work he wishes to do can only be done through you. he needs you very much. but he says if your mind is full of worry or fear, he cannot work through you. you must bring your worries and fears to him. when you have problems, great or small, wrap them in a package and bring the package to him. he will open the package and study each item one by one. he will keep them and help you to work them out. you may hear his voice in answer to your questions, or you may see a picture, just as when you dream, or, you may not receive anything at that time. but, be assured, everything is known. "now, this work that he has for you to do is to bring light to others. a kind word here, a smile there; people will be drawn to you. he has other work for you to do as your life unfolds. there is much darkness and ignorance in your mortal world. he wants you to learn that you may inspire and uplift and be an example for others to follow. the ignorant will be cruel to you. they sneer at goodness. but forgive them, for they know not where their true happiness lies. send them love and light to help them. picture them in your mind as perfect expressions of kindness and love. do this often, and i think you will begin to see a change in their manner. if you were to just hate them back, you would feel as bad as they do. "ah, if you could but catch a glimpse of what is in store for each and every one, you would be amazed. you see, it is the "i" within you that goes before you to prepare a place for you, and it is the good that you do, and think, and feel, that is building that place. so be strong, have courage, feel love in your heart, and nothing shall overcome you. "remember, there is someone who is with you always. together, you can do anything; be anything; nothing shall be impossible for you. and never, never think of yourself as inferior. with the power that is within you, you can rise above any situation. for you are as strong as a lion." "why, thank you," said the lion. "i take that as a compliment." everyone laughed. as they arose, dorothy turned to thank saari. "that was a wonderful talk," she said. "thank you very much." "you mustn't thank me," replied princess saari. "you are being taught these things because of your desire to learn and to grow, and to expand in consciousness. as you now know, the great wizard wishes to bring light into your realm as so many there live in darkness. and when you return from oz, you will take this light with you and be an inspiration to those around you. then, as each person in your personal sphere of influence allows the light of love to shine brightly, so shall your country be transformed to a world of light. you will truly have oz in america. "we do have some minor problems in oz, as you know. but we have a great love for one another. many emotions and problems that you have in kansas are unknown in oz. we have no hate or greed. we have no need for money. we are rarely sad, and never bad. well, hardly ever," the princess said with a twinkle in her eye. "if we're bad, it's in a good way, if you know what i mean." everyone smiled. "i just love oz," said dorothy. "when i get back to kansas, i'm going to do everything i can to make it just like oz." "it may take a little time," said princess saari. "people don't change quickly. one day oz and the mortal realms will be as one. when people finally come to the realization that most of their unhappiness is brought about by their own attitudes and negativity, then change will begin to take place. for example, when love is substituted for animosity, and generosity for greediness; and patience for temper, and as jealousy, envy and hatefulness are eliminated, then you shall see a true peace on earth. in your dealings with others, you must remember to be kind and courteous. do not speak or think negatively or allow yourself to be placed in a negative state by them. never speak ill of others or speak harshly against them. if you do listen to people who may influence you in the wrong direction, stop and think of the consequences before you are won over into their darkness. you will grow in the light and walk in that beautiful illumination. you will know that you have created that light through your own desire, and you will keep it aglow by working in harmony with others and by your daily meditation. you are not expected to be an angel among mortals; only to do your best. "now, we really must go into the green belt. we have stayed a little too long in the yellow." everyone arose and followed princess saari into the green belt. at once it felt cool and serene. the musical note "/fa/" could be heard clearly. princess saari turned and motioned them all to sit. they did so, and quickly absorbed the green light. the feeling of serenity and peace almost made dorothy fall asleep. princess saari explained, "the green is identified with growing things: grass, trees, flowers and so on. it is a strong healing color. doctors and nurses often have green around them, along with other healing tones. green also has a calming effect on the mind and nerves. so, relax everyone, and soak up the green. breathe it deeply and hold it for a few seconds. see it flow to every cell of your body. now breathe it out slowly, hold; breathe it in again. doesn't that feel good? it is good to feel the quiet and calm. the outer noise and turmoil is far removed from us. the more light we allow into our lives, the less the outer restlessness, discord and confusion affects us. we can remain calm and peaceful in all circumstances. it makes us feel good about life; about ourselves, and nothing can come to us of an inferior nature." just then, dorothy noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye. she turned to princess saari anxiously. "excuse me, but did you see something?" she said, rather worriedly. saari placed her arms around dorothy, saying, "you know there's nothing to worry about here." "of course," said dorothy. "i'm sorry. but i saw something move." "oh, i think we have guests," said the princess. "i was wondering if they would appear. they're a little shy, you know." "who?" inquired dorothy. "the conciencez," repeated saari. "that's pronounced /con-ci-en-chez/. the reason you can hardly see them is that they are green." everyone peered hard into the green. sure enough they began to make out the forms of several creatures. when the creatures saw that they were recognized, they tilted their heads to one side; they cupped their heads in their hands and made a sound in unison: "/aummmm/." "what are they doing?" said dorothy. "they are tuning in with nature," said saari. "they like you. you must like plants." "why yes," replied dorothy. "i'm very fond of growing things. i have my own little garden back in kansas." "well, the conciencez know that," said saari. "that's why they came to see you. they would never have come if you didn't like plants." "do they like plants, too?" asked dorothy. "yes indeed," replied the princess. "the plant world is their world -- they are the protectors and keepers of the plants. without them plants would not be so beautiful and would hardly grow at all." "my goodness," said dorothy. "i thought that if plants had light and water and food in the soil, they just grew." "that's what most people think," said the princess. "but if they could see the conciencez at work, they would be very surprised. "plants to the conciencez are as important as people are to us. they protect them and care for them. each conciencez has many plants under his charge. they start work at dawn with a great joy and happiness. they draw their feelings of joy from the flowers and other plants which are themselves filled with happiness at the coming of each new dawn. "the conciencez hover near the plants they are in charge of and try to find out if anything is wrong -- sort of like a doctor making the rounds of his patients. they often stay with a flower if it's not doing too well; petting it and loving it like a baby until it feels better. they will work also with people who love plants and will help them, although they don't like to be seen unless they know that you will understand and not be frightened. as you can see, they have a resemblance to humans, but their facial features can barely be made out. their eyes are almost nonexistent, with no eyelids or lashes. they have a slight suggestion of a nose and of ears and just barely a slit for a mouth, although if you look closely, you will see a funny yet merry appearance in their faces. they have no hair at all, as you can see. they cannot hear or see as we do, but they feel the radiation of light and sound with their entire body. they don't eat food; but they gain their nourishment from the perfume of the flowers by bathing in the various fragrances daily. they don't have inner organs as we do, but where the ear would be is a glowing pulsating golden light. they tune the pulsation's to the pulsing vibrations of the plant, and become one with the plant. remarkable, isn't it?" "it's just amazing," said dorothy. "people don't know the half of what's going on right under their noses -- it's as if they were half asleep." "well," said the princess, "it's like a surface fish in the ocean. he's totally unaware of the world above the surface or deep below. what he perceives with his senses in his own world is to him all there is." princess saari stood and beckoned everyone to follow as she walked into the blue belt and the sound of the musical note "/so/." as they walked, saari explained, "the blue is a very interesting color. if you have a temperature, the blue will have a soothing effect on you; it is a serene color and quiets the nervous system. it's good to visualize the blue around you as you go into a quiet state or begin a creative activity. incidentally, you might like to experiment with all of these colors; take a glass of water and allow the sun to shine on the water through a color filter for a few minutes or, if you don't have a color filter, just hold the glass of water in your left hand and hold the fingers of your right hand over the glass pointed downwards toward the water. now, visualize the color you wish as flowing from your hand into the water. do this for about five minutes. you may then drink the water several times during the day using a small glass. experiment with different colors to see what effect each color has on you. perhaps, for example, if you have trouble sleeping, you may wish to drink the blue and violet treated water, as these colors have a soothing effect on the nerves. at night, when you go to bed, visualize these colors swirling around you, since they are relaxing colors. when you drink the color-treated water, do so very slowly, while at the same time mentally absorb the color and see yourself in a deep peaceful sleep and tell yourself that upon awakening the next morning you will be fully rested, vibrant, full of enthusiasm, and ready to be up and at 'em. "all right, everyone," said princess saari, clapping her hands, "it's time to be moving along. we will now enter the indigo belt. as you enter, you will become aware of the musical note '/la/.' indigo is the dark blue. in ancient times, this color was associated with intuition, with the seeking of wisdom and truth. it is the color of highly developed sensitivity. you will feel, as you enter the dark blue, a strange awareness. the stirring of memories deep within, remembrance of other places, other times. you will know that you are, always have been, and always will be. and that you are being molded according to your inner desire. as you think in your heart, so shall you be. no one else makes you as you are, only you. if you are loving and kind, patient and understanding, you are allowing that inner and higher self to have an expression. you are the master of yourself and you will allow no thoughts of an inferior nature into your kingdom, for you are the supreme ruler. you have power, you have peace, you are all there is. and so many wonderful things will come unto you that there shall not be room to contain them. if all the children in the world were to grow up with this understanding, the world would be heaven on earth, fear would be unknown; guns and locks would be museum curiosities. those mind-bending chemicals and the alcohol would no longer be used to bring people into false states of happiness. for each would have so much happiness within, it would be bubbling over and shining from their eyes. "this force within you is a mighty limitless energy that will flow freely, unless you cut off that flow with words like /'i can't; i'm not; i won't; i hate/; and such as -- /'i can't do that; i'm not able; i haven't the ability; i won't do it; i hate to do that/.' every time you say /'i'/ you are arousing that great fire and power within you -- that power can bring you untold misery or unhappiness to others as well as yourself. and generally, if you unleash misery to others, you are automatically unleashing it to yourself. just as when you make another happy, you feel good inside. it is impossible to be angry or upset with someone and to feel good at the same time. repeat this to yourself as you start your day: "i am the power to be peaceful or warlike, i am the power to be harmonious or irritated, i am the power to be happy or unhappy, i am the power to be generous or stingy -- in thought, feeling, words or actions. i am the power to be constructive or destructive." "you see, you are largely a do-it-yourself project. you may also repeat these words of power: "i am the mighty, electronic cosmic energy. flowing through, filling and renewing every cell of my mind and body right now. as i go out into the world, expressing ever-widening circles of creative and constructive activity, nothing shall be impossible to me; nothing has power over me. i am the master of myself." dorothy commented to princess saari that she was learning a great deal. princess saari replied, "colorland is a university of the highest order. many come here to learn as they absorb the energy of the colors. you are fortunate to have earned this privilege. not everyone has reached a point in their evolution where this teaching can be given to them, for they are not ready. to give this teaching to some would be like sowing seeds on stony ground; the thoughts given here could not take root in their consciousness, but would wither and die for lack of nourishment. "now, lastly, but certainly not least, we enter the seventh color -- purple. the purple corresponds to the seventh level of consciousness that you will one day reach." as they entered, dorothy felt the most beautiful sensation pulsating through her being. she felt as light as a feather -- almost as if she were floating. in fact, as she looked down, she saw that she was hovering about twelve inches above the ground. the musical sound of the note "/ti/" was vibrating softly throughout. she turned to see that all the others were floating, too, including princess saari. everyone looked at each other in great surprise, with the exception of the princess, whose eyes twinkled. she explained, "it is impossible for the density of matter to exist in the purple, due to its high frequency. as you enter the purple, you leave the atoms of the physical behind you -- only the higher vibrating counterpart of the atom -- the '/anim/,' can enter. hence, your lack of weight. as you can see, you appear solid to each other, as indeed you are; but, were you back in your homes, you could walk through the walls of your houses. incidentally, there's no need to hover above the ground, unless you want to. your thoughts now control everything. you can choose to walk to a given destination, or just think yourself somewhere, and there you are -- in the twinkling of an eye -- even thousands of miles away. distance makes no difference. for example: think of yourself at your home...." no sooner did dorothy think of herself in her house than she was there. no one was home and, for a moment, she wasn't sure if she was dreaming. however, as she looked around, she saw princess saari appear through the wall. she smiled, as she took dorothy's hand. together they walked through the outer wall to dorothy's little garden. "i see the little flowers you planted are doing just fine," said saari. "everything looks exactly as i left it," said dorothy. "of course," replied saari. "now, let's discuss the purple further. the purple is the highest vibration of the spectrum. it is the seventh color ray, and seven is a very mysterious number. the purple is a blending of the red and the blue. it is the color of royalty. as you bathe in it, drink it in, you will feel that you are master of all things -- that you are all there is. "well, this is where your journey ends and where we must part," said saari. "i hope you have enjoyed your visit to colorland, and that it has inspired you to learn more about the nature of color. i will miss you all very much." "we will miss you, too, princess saari," said dorothy. "thank you for a wonderful experience." dorothy reached up and gave saari a big hug and kiss. saari embraced each of them in turn. as they left, her eyes filled with tears. she had grown to love them all very much. dorothy turned to wave as saari disappeared from view. * chapter fourteen: tickleland * as they approached the borders of tickleland, dorothy became apprehensive. "i'm so ticklish. i'll just die if the ticklemonsters catch me," she said. "we'll do our best to protect you, dorothy," said the tin woodman as the scarecrow nodded his head. "what about me?" said the lion. "i'm ticklish, too, you know." "well, we'll do our best," said the tin woodman. "but there's only two of us to protect you, and there's an awful lot of ticklemonsters." "all you have to do is tell them 'don't stop'," said the scarecrow. "tell them 'don't stop'?" questioned dorothy in surprise. "yes. don't you remember what i told you?" said the tin woodman. "the ticklemonsters don't like being told what to do, so if you tell them to stop, they'll just keep going, and if you tell them to tickle you, they won't." "what if they're really hungry?" said dorothy. "hungry?" echoed the tin woodman. "yes, " replied dorothy. "you said that ticklemonsters don't eat regular food, but that the sound of laughter energizes molecules in the air around them, and that they absorb the energized molecules through their skin." "oh yes, of course," said the tin woodman. "i almost forgot. well, to answer your question, the ticklemonsters are so stubborn that they'd rather go hungry than do as they're told." "once, i was sent to bed without any dinner for not doing as i was told," said the girl. "well the ticklemonsters are gluttons for punishment," said the scarecrow. "they simply won't do as they're told -- no matter what. so they go hungry a lot." "why do they hate having to do as they're told so much?" asked dorothy. "i don't know," replied the tin woodman. "they just don't like it. they want to do what they want to do, and not what someone else wants them to do." "well, i guess we are all sort of like that." said dorothy. "we're told what to do by our parents and by our teachers, and then when we leave school to go to work we have a boss telling us what to do. it does get a little tiring." "yes, but imagine what it would be like if no one ever told you what to do," said the tin woodman. "would you help around the house without being asked? or get up in the morning in time for school, and go to bed at a reasonable hour? would you behave in school, and concentrate on learning all you could? and do your homework without putting up a fuss?" "i might do all those things if given a chance, said dorothy. "but grown-ups automatically assume that you have to be pushed and prodded all the time. they don't leave you alone. it's /'do this,/' and /'do that/,' and /'why aren't you doing so and so/?' it's just too much at times. sometimes you feel like verbally lashing back at them, or just going off and not doing anything at all." with that, they arrived at the gates of tickleland. a sign above the gates read: warning! travelers through tickleland are welcome "that's a strange sign," said dorothy. "warning you that you're welcome?" "well, when you think about it," said the scarecrow, "travelers are food if caught and tickled. so naturally they welcome you. and they are warning you in advance, which is very nice of them. after all, if you are caught, you may be tickled to death." "oh, my," gasped dorothy. "i hadn't thought of that." "well, we have to go on, dorothy," said the scarecrow. "we'll do our best to protect you all," said the tin man. the lion gingerly opened the gates and peered in. "not a soul in sight," he said. "maybe they're all at a convention or something," he added hopefully. as they walked, everyone felt better. tickleland was quite pretty, really. rolling hills of green grass and clumps of trees here and there. as they approached some trees, they noticed a well. "would you like a drink of water, dorothy?" asked the tin woodman. "oh yes, please," replied dorothy. "i'm quite thirsty." as the tin man lowered the bucket, he began to relax. "well," remarked the scarecrow, "it looks as though we may walk right through tickleland without seeing one ticklemonster. tickleland's not very big, you know. look, there -- the border's right there." everyone turned in the direction he was pointing in and, sure enough, the border was about the same distance as they'd traveled so far. "what a relief," said dorothy as the tin woodman handed her a ladle of water from the well. "mmmm, this is good," said dorothy. "so refreshing." "surprise!" said a loud voice. everyone jumped. they turned to see about twenty ticklemonsters who quickly surrounded them. "are we glad to see you," said one who appeared to be their leader. he was a little taller than the others and was the one who had greeted them so abruptly. "we welcome you to tickleland," he continued, bending over in a mock bow. "i might add that we are all very hungry, so we doubly welcome you. grab those two!" he said, pointing to the tin woodman and scarecrow. six of the ticklemonsters quickly jumped on them and held their arms and legs. "now," said the leader, "let's have us a feast!" "oh, no," said the lion, beginning to laugh uncontrollably. "i won't be able to stand it." the ticklemonsters moved quickly with their eight arms as they grabbed the lion and dorothy and tickled and tickled. "oh, no! stop, please stop!" shouted dorothy between peals of laughter. the lion could not even plead with them to stop. he was laughing so much that tears were rolling down his cheeks. their pleas to stop could hardly be heard above their laughter. the tin woodman and scarecrow shouted, "tell them to tickle you." "then they'll stop." "remember they do the opposite of what they're told." dorothy managed to gasp out, "don't stop tickling me -- tickle me some more." the two ticklemonsters who were tickling her immediately stopped. "we won't," they said in a huff, and folded their arms and held their hands up with a stubborn look on their faces. the lion managed to say the same thing, and his ticklemonsters stopped, too. with that, the ticklemonsters abruptly turned and left, muttering to themselves, "trying to tell us what to do. what nerve!" after the ticklemonsters had gone, everyone picked himself up and headed quickly for the border. when they reached it, they all heaved a sigh of relief. "thank goodness that's over," said the lion. "it's a good thing we knew about them not liking to be told what to do." * chapter fifteen: elfland * "well, what next?" asked dorothy. "let's look at the map," said the tin woodman. "ah, of course, elfland. that is the last country shown on the map. the rest says, /largely unexplored/ maybe the elves can tell us something of the land beyond their border." as they entered elfland, dorothy remembered the conciencez and wondered if the elves were similar. as if in answer to her question, she felt a tug on her shoelace and heard a little voice squeaking, "excuse me, but you're standing on my foot." "oh, i'm terribly sorry," exclaimed dorothy. "i didn't see you," she said, as she bent down to pick the little fellow up. he was about four-and-a-half inches tall and was clothed in a tightly fitted one-piece garment of a brownish color; he had large hands and feet, too large for the size of his body. his legs were thin and spindly, and his large ears were pointed, as was his nose. when dorothy picked him up, he said, "i was sitting on my friend the rock. we were so deep in conversation that i didn't hear you coming." "excuse me," said dorothy, "but did i hear you correctly? you were sitting on your friend the rock, having a conversation with him?" the elf replied, rather tartly, "you mortals are really something. you're practically deaf, dumb, and blind. in fact, a real deaf or blind mortal probably hears and sees more than a so-called normal one. most mortals are so caught up with the gaudy sights and loud sounds around them that they do not see or hear the more subtle sights and sounds of nature. a whole words exists of which they are totally unaware." "are you saying that rocks are alive?" interceded dorothy. the little elf shook his head in disbelief. "all of creation is alive. there is no such thing as being /not alive/. if something was dead, it couldn't exist." "what about a dead animal?" said dorothy. "or fish? i had a goldfish that i loved very much and, when he died, i was very sad." "you shouldn't have been so sad," said the elf. "all of creation is pulsating vibrant life energy of which the outer forms are constantly undergoing change, but not one tiny atom of that living energy can be destroyed. ask any of your scientists if this is not true." "but my goldfish did die," insisted dorothy. "any scientist would testify to that." "of course," replied the elf. "however, a scientist's understanding of life energy ends with the physical death of the entity under study. the outer appearance of your goldfish would indicate to him that the goldfish had died. but appearances can be deceiving. the scientist knows that the atoms of the goldfish's /dead/ body are still in motion, and will gradually formulate individual chemicals, gases, and minerals as the body decays and returns to the earth. these atoms, you see, will eventually become part of some other living thing, perhaps or a flower or a tree." "is that what you mean when you say my goldfish is not really dead?" asked dorothy. "that the atoms of its body are still in motion and will become a part of some other living thing?" "no," replied the elf. "that's not what i mean, although what you say is true; the atoms of one's body will always be alive somewhere. but these atoms are not any more you than they are a flower or any other thing. they are just the building blocks.... "your feelings and your emotions -- your capacity to love, to hate: this is all you. and this personality that is you can never die. it is not dependent on atoms for its existence. it just borrows them to make a garment so that it can function in the physical world, and while in that garment it will interact with other personalities and have the opportunity to learn and to grow through mutual experiences. the degree to which it learns and grows will, of course, depend on the inner desire. that inner desire for advancement is very strong in some -- yet totally nonexistent in others. it is the responsibility of those more advanced to assist those that are lagging behind, for it is most important that each person's short excursion into the physical-mortal realm not be wasted, for these are precious opportunities indeed." "that is most interesting," replied dorothy, "although i'm not sure that i have understood all that you have said." "you will in time," replied the elf, kindly. "now, regarding your goldfish: as i said before, he did not die. you only assumed that he did because his body was motionless. he is, in fact, quite alive." "if he is alive, then where is he?" inquired dorothy, looking rather puzzled. "ah, now, that is a good question," said the elf. "but, before i can answer it, let me explain about the rock, and about the other living things. all of the atoms which make up the physical world have a counterpart which cannot be seen. this counterpart takes up the same position in space as the atom, but extends slightly beyond it. the name of this duplicate atom is 'anim.' i believe princess saari told you about this." dorothy nodded. "your scientists are as yet unable to observe the anim, for their instruments are not sensitive enough. however, they have observed the effects of the anim through their study of anti-matter. anti-matter is exactly as the name implies -- the opposite of matter, and is the substance of which infinite worlds are made, worlds which are normally unseen by people because of the fineness of their vibratory rate. the ultra-high frequencies of the anim world are simply unobservable by your scientists, although some of your people who have very sensitive natures have caught glimpses of these hidden worlds from time to time. all people on earth are merely visiting the atom world. their normal residence is the anim world, but they have to enter into the dense atom world for experiences that can only be obtained in such an environment. "now, when the atoms of your body began to form into molecules and cells prior to your birth, the counterpart atoms called the anims took their place first to form the various nuclei. these were the blueprints, so to speak. the entire process is extremely delicate and, surprisingly, usually comes out perfect. however, sometimes outside electrical influences are brought into the process, one such example is the ingestion of certain toxic chemicals by the host organism -- the mother. this can result in electrical interference. remember, the whole process is electrical to begin with, so it doesn't take too much to upset the apple-cart. you may ask what directs the atoms to the various parts of the body to form the molecules that make up the different cells that will form the heart, the liver, kidneys, ears, eyes, teeth, bones, hair, arms, legs, and so on; and what puts them all in their right places? and how did each cell of the body, as it reproduced, know that it was to be a liver cell, heart cell, et cetera? scientists refer to this built-in intelligence as genetic and, indeed, this is true. the genes determine the physical makeup, the color of the eyes and hair, skin color, general build, et cetera. but what force controls the overall process - the way in which this genetic information is put together in the first place and then passed on from generation to generation? what is the nature of this living energy that appears to have an intelligence all its own? all forms of life are dependent on this life energy. were it suddenly to withdraw, all life on earth would withdraw and traverse to the anim world. the nature of this energy is pure light -- and it is what sustains life on earth. indeed, it sustains and directs life throughout the entire universe. another name for this universal energy is 'love.' yet another name is 'god.' for us, here in oz, it is the great wizard." "my goodness," said dorothy. "i have never heard god explained in that way before." "i'm afraid that the general understanding of the universal intelligence is very limited," sighed the elf. "the american indians were one people who had a great understanding of this great spirit, for they were very close to him through their deep awareness of the laws of nature. they were also highly evolved spiritually, that is before the white man tried to convert them to a religion which they themselves did not practice. "however, to continue.... the atoms of your goldfish's body returned to the earth, as you know. but, before that, the counterpart atoms were, in effect, the counterpart body of your goldfish. when it was determined by the soul of your goldfish that the physical body would no longer sustain life, it severed the silver cord. the silver cord is the connecting link between the two, and its primary function (other than to direct the vital life energy to the physical body) is to allow the anim body to travel away from the physical during sleep. but, once this cord is broken, the physical body is cut off from its source of life energy and dies immediately. no power in heaven or earth can reconnect this silver cord once it is severed. "well, all you knew, of course, was that your goldfish died and you felt a great sadness. had you known that he was alive and well in another dimension, you would not have been quite so sad. especially if, during sleep, you could have visited him. remember, your anim body functions on the same level as his does, so, just before going to sleep at night, you could ask your soul to take you to visit him. it takes a little practice at first, especially to entrench the memory of these meetings into the memory region of the physical brain, but it can be done. you can meet with anyone you like this way. it just takes determination and practice and a conscious effort to remember the excursion upon awakening. once you learn to do this, you will find yourself visiting with people you have never met before. many beautiful experiences await those who become aware of this other existence during sleep. sleep is not just all dreams and rest for the body -- although both are very necessary for physical and mental health." "are you saying we live two lives simultaneously -- one on earth during the day, and one on the anim level at night?" "that is true," replied the elf. "there is no limit to what you might be doing at night -- visiting people you love; attending schools, universities, lectures, and concerts; helping people such as the sick or those on lower levels of development. swimming, horseback riding, or playing any number of sports; as i say, anything you can think of, you can do. there is no awareness of these activities, because they occur during the very deep levels of sleep and, as one approaches the shallower levels of sleep, the activities blend into dreams. so, if anything is remembered, it is only little bits and pieces intermingled with fragments of half-remembered dreams." "how fascinating," said dorothy. "yes, but also sad," said the elf. "mortals are basically mesmerized by the material world. so much so that they have become about ninety-nine percent unconscious of reality. the material world is not true reality, but is a shadow world created by the collective minds of the inhabitants so they could experience a denseness and a harshness not found on the higher levels. now earth's inhabitants are trapped into an endless cycle of physical rebirth. and, until they can generate a genuine desire for a higher spiritual existence, they are doomed to eternal pain and anguish. it is so sad." the elf shook his head. "why mortals continue to endure a physical existence is beyond my comprehension. i suppose, because they have lived in the physical realm for so long, they have forgotten about the higher life completely. even though people from higher levels have endured re-birth to remind them. people like jesus, buddha, and mohammed, just to mention a few. oh, a few people listened to their words with their hearts and changed their lives, but, for the most part, what was said fell on deaf ears; and then, through the centuries, the message brought by these masters became distorted. and now, very few people really understand what was said. they have twisted the true meaning to fit whatever philosophies please them. especially philosophies that do not require them to work hard in order to grow spiritually, or to sacrifice their mortal pleasure and greed, or to dedicate their lives to the service of their fellows. yes, it is sad indeed. some even believe that all they have to do is to believe certain things and they will be saved from their mortal sins. but then they continue in the same old way, their hearts still filled with envy, resentment, greed, and jealousy. they use the spoken word in an unkind fashion to their fellow mortals on a daily basis. they are inconsiderate. they harbor dark thoughts. yet, because they confess their sins and believe in one person as representing god, they think they are saved. my! how they have blinded themselves to reality. meanwhile, various members of other religions (or no religion, even) who have made a concentrated effort to improve their mortal ways have earned the right to no longer have to return to the mortal realm. "you see, /'by your works you shall be known'/ is a true statement. this means far more than is realized. well, i'm afraid that i am getting far too serious for you, my sweet young lady," said the elf with a smile. "oh, no, that's all right," replied dorothy. "i like to listen to you." "then perhaps one final thought on the subject," continued the elf. "if your fellow mortals would listen to the wisdom as given by people like the man jesus, and if they were to follow the directives to do good; to express love and forgiveness; to be kind and gentle and understanding of one another; to serve their fellows with compassion, and to love their god (and/or good) more than themselves, what a different place your world would be!" the elf fell silent for a moment as though contemplating all he had said... suddenly, his face lit up as he focused his attention on dorothy again. "would you like to see your little goldfish?" "oh, would i!" said dorothy excitedly. "well, follow me, then," the elf said as he jumped up off the rock. he motioned everyone to be quiet as he parted some branches of a bush. he then indicated them to walk through. they found themselves in a clearing. it was a very busy scene, with lots of little elves hurrying and scurrying to and fro' between their cute little houses nestled between an assortment of pretty trees and flowers. a beautiful fish pond occupied the center of the clearing, and a waterfall cascaded down over the rocks. around the many beautiful lilies floating in the pond swam fish of every description, including, of course, several goldfish. the elf motioned dorothy to put one finger into the water. as she did so, a little goldfish swam up to her finger and nibbled gently on it. "it's my fish! it's my fish!" exclaimed dorothy. "ssh, not so loud," hushed the elf. "you won't scare the fish, for they are not afraid here, but i don't want to attract the other elves' attention just yet, or everything will come to a standstill around here." so far, the other elves had not noticed them. everyone was so intent in his occupation. "we don't want them to get behind with their work, you know," said the elf. "your little goldfish did recognized you, didn't he?" "oh, yes, he did," said dorothy. "he certainly did. i will never be sad anymore over him." "that's good," said the elf. "you should try not to be so sad if someone you love dies, because they will feel your sadness. of course, they feel the pain of separation too. but they know that one day you will be together again, and they don't want you to mourn, but to be happy that they've gone on to a better life." "you see," the elf continued, "all forms of life are in a state of evolution; not only physically, but spiritually, too. unfortunately, not all evolve as fast spiritually as they do physically. many of your people have advanced greatly in science and knowledge, but that advancement is not balanced by spiritual knowledge. and so a great deal of unnecessary suffering exists. but, to get back to your little friend the goldfish: he is evolving, too, and no form of life can advance very much in one short lifetime, so, after that quite short, often difficult life spent on the mortal realm, everyone comes to a place like this for a long rest. well, it's usually long, but can be short, too, depending on the need. then they must return for another round of experiences. finally, one day, if their lessons are learned, they earn the right to live in a place like our world forever, and no longer have to return to that harsh land of yours." "oh, that would be wonderful!" cried dorothy. "may i come to elfland when i die?" "of course," replied the elf. "but you must try to live as long as you can first, and try to overcome all of the difficulties presented to you, and that overcoming will make you strong and will earn you a place in this beautiful land of ours. "some people, unfortunately, cannot bear the difficulties that the mortal life presents, and may, by their own hand, cut their lives short to try to escape. but there is no real escape, for eventually, except in rare instances, they will have to face that which they have sought to avoid. so why prolong the agony? learn your lessons well -- and accept gracefully all that happens. be positive through the bad as well as the good. no more than this is expected of you. now, not to change the subject, exactly. but would you like to look around?" "yes, we'd love to," replied dorothy. "all right," said the elf. "but no talking to anyone until his work is done." "when will that be?" inquired dorothy. "well ... actually ... never, but they'll be having a little break soon," replied the elf, with a grin. "as you can see, we work very hard here." "everyone seems so happy as they work," said dorothy. "it wasn't always this way," replied the elf. "we used to be ruled by a wicked king who used us as slave labor, but we broke away from that wicked king and came here and started a new land. now that we are free to live as we wish, we pool our labor for the benefit of all." "are you the leader?" asked dorothy. "we don't have one," answered the elf. "we do not allow any person or any group of people absolute power over the rest of us." "how are things decided, then?" asked the tin woodman, who had been listening very intently. "well, we are not a big country," replied the elf, "so we don't need a full-time government." "you do have a government, then?" said the scarecrow. "oh, yes," replied the elf. "we do, but they don't have the power over the people like other governments. let me explain: any group of people called a government is only as good as the sum total of all the individuals who make up that group. so, if the majority of these individuals are dedicated to the good of all, then the people will have a good government. if, however, the majority of these individuals are dedicated only to the good of themselves and their own special interests, then the people are short-changed and the country is weakened. when a major decision has to be made which affects all of us, everyone's name is thrown into a hat, then twelve of those names are drawn. these twelve are then given the task of formulating the plan. all of the rest of us vote on this plan. if it passes by at least eighty percent of the vote, we assume that, since eighty or more out of a hundred elves want it, it will probably be good for all of us. if it doesn't pass, we urge all who voted 'no' to carefully restudy the proposal; then only these people vote again. usually it passes this time. if it doesn't, we ask those who voted 'no' again to write down their objections; then we rewrite the proposal and everyone votes again. the proposal very rarely fails this time. if any proposal fails by a very large margin, we just throw it out until a better plan is formulated. usually everyone joins in with suggestions." "it sounds quite simple," said dorothy. "it is," replied the elf. "our government is only in operation for one thing at a time, so they don't try to think up new ways to control the people, and they don't act like an all-knowing parent and treat the rest of us like little children and say /'you can't do this'/ or /'you can't do that'/ or /'you must do this'/ or /'you must do that/.' since most of us have voted '/yes'/ on everything, we ourselves have chosen to do this or that, so we are happy to abide by the law, for we know it is for the good of all us. we don't have that situation where the few gain special concessions at the expense of the many." "well, it all sounds like a very fine arrangement," said dorothy. "but i'm afraid our society is far too complex for the same kind of arrangement." "only because you make it so," replied the elf. "too much mortal thought and not enough spiritual thought is the main problem with your system. by the way," he said, "we do not use money here. but we once did. and, when we did, we all paid ten percent of our earnings in taxes. in other words, we all paid an equal portion of our income, and no one was allowed any deductions. of course, now we don't use money anymore, so we are required to give ten percent of our goods or services. however, nobody abides by it because we all give more voluntarily. we have no greed here, so we don't hoard vast amounts of goods and property. we just take what we need for today, for that's all anybody needs. if someone should feel he needs more -- our community warehouses are full. but, since there is plenty for everyone, nobody bothers to acquire a whole lot, or, if anyone does, he soon tires of it." "what if someone is not content with one of these little houses you have," asked dorothy, "but wants to build a great big house on top of the hill?" "no problem," replied the elf. "he just makes his wishes known on the bulletin board in the town square, and everybody stops what he's doing and runs to help build the house. but most elves like to live close together (we're very friendly). we enjoy each other's company, and are very considerate of one another. we don't like to isolate ourselves from our neighbors." "well, as i said, everyone seems so very happy," said dorothy. "oh, yes," replied the elf. "we work harder for each other than we do for ourselves. there is great joy in helping someone else. people who only live to take from others have very heavy hearts and sad lives. well, i must get back to work," said the elf briskly. "it's been very nice meeting you all, and i do hope you will return again to see us." "thank you," said dorothy. "you've been very kind, and we enjoyed hearing your philosophy," said the scarecrow. "well, thank you," said the elf. "we try to keep life simple; if it gets too complicated, too many problems start appearing." "oh, before you go," said dorothy, "can you tell us about thoughtformland and americanindianland?" "well, we're not a traveling people," said the elf. "but i've heard much concerning these places. they are actually more closely related to my world than to yours. there's a lot of strange things in thoughtformland. they are created by the thoughts of mortals. you see, as a mortal idly allows a certain thought or emotion to dominate his consciousness, a change takes place in his overall vibration. after that thought or feeling is gone, his body returns to its normal vibration again; however, his normal vibration is now slightly changed to reflect that last thought, and it becomes easier to entertain that thought again. that is why, when someone begins to think of evil-doing or committing a certain crime, it's usually not too long before he actually commits the crime. his vibration is a somewhat changed vibration than before the thought. that thought, in effect, has taken form in his consciousness. since the thinker has exercised little control over his thoughts -- or, let's say, the emotion that accompanies a particular thought -- it becomes easier for him to yield to that same thought again and again, and, each time he does, his changed vibration becomes more permanent, making it easier and easier for that thought to return and take hold. before long, the thought is as much a part of him as anything else -- it is now part of his personality. carrying out the physical activity that the thought portrayed is quite a normal thing for him to do. the thought form which he has created by these constant thoughts attracts to itself similar thoughtforms created by others. these forms all influence the thinker so much that he cannot at this point resist. he is now more or less under the control of a force that he himself, with others, has created. he is no longer master of himself, but is a slave of his overall thoughts. so watch your thoughts. keep them pure and loving; never allow them to dwell on wrong-doing. and, if one of those w.t.s does come into your head, sweep him out the door and tell him don't come back." "what's a w.t.?" asked the scarecrow. "wrong thought, my boy, wrong thought," said the elf. "and, if someone else tries to put one in your head, pay not the slightest attention, just smile to yourself knowingly and walk away. "well, i really must go now," said the elf. "but, before i do, here's a little poem on the subject of being careful of your thoughts:" be careful be careful of your thoughts for your thoughts become your words, be careful of your words for your words become your actions. be careful of your actions for your actions become your habits. be careful of your habits for your habits become your character. be careful of your character for your character becomes your destiny. "that really sums it all up beautifully," said dorothy. "who wrote that? "i'm afraid the author is unknown," replied the elf. "well, he must have been very wise, whoever he was," answered dorothy. "and thank you so much for everything. you have helped us a great deal. oh!" she exclaimed. "what's the matter?" asked the elf. "you were going to tell us about americanindianland?" the girl reminded him. "oh, yes, of course," replied the elf. "but before i do, i should tell you a little story about pets. i think you'll like this, it encompasses some of what i have told you. the story is called /the rainbow bridge/." there is a bridge connecting heaven and earth. it is called the rainbow bridge because of its many colors. just this side of the rainbow bridge is a land of meadows, hills and valleys -- all of it covered with lush green grass. when a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this lovely land. there is always food and water and warm spring weather. there, the old and frail animals are young again. those who are maimed are made whole once again. they play all day with each other, content and comfortable. there is only one thing missing. they are not with the special person who loved them on earth. so each day they run and play until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks up! the nose twitches! the ears are up! the eyes are staring! you have been seen, and that one suddenly runs from the group! you take him or her in your arms and embrace. your face is kissed again and again and again. and you look once more into the eyes of your trusting pet. then, together, you cross the rainbow bridge, never again to be separated. as the story came to a close, everyone was crying. "oh, how beautiful!" cried dorothy. "if only all the children of the world who have lost a pet could hear this. although their sadness would still be great because of their loss, they would know that their pet is not really dead, and that their separation is only for a little while." "i knew you would enjoy hearing this special tale," replied the elf. "now let's see.... what else were we going to discuss? oh yes, americanindianland." he closed his eyes and smiled happily while shaking his head slowly. "i haven't been there, but i know all about it." "is it dangerous?" asked dorothy, anxiously. "dangerous?" echoed the elf. "my goodness, no! just the opposite! you will be very warmly received in that land. only good indians live there, and most indians were good, in spite of what the white man believed. americanindianland is the happy hunting ground mentioned often by the indians. the indians, as you know, lived very close to nature. the white man believed them to be savages, but the indian, in many ways, was far more advanced than the white man who came to show him the way. and because of the indian's closeness to the earth and attunement with nature, he is well suited to working with and helping mortals. many of you have unseen indian guides who protect you and help you in many different ways. they enjoy this work, and it helps them with their own advancement. haven't you ever lost something, then found it in a place you've already looked?" dorothy nodded. "yes, that has happened to me. i just assumed that i only thought i'd looked there before, or just hadn't noticed it there." "well, if you're not sure if you have an indian guide, ask when you are in a quiet state to be assigned to one, then see if you can pick up his name and tribe." "who assigns the indian guides?" asked dorothy. "sitting bull is in charge of that," answered the elf. "he works with the high teachers. this work keeps him very busy, as you can imagine. of course, he lives in americanindianland with all the guides. the guides are made up from every tribe there is. they are wonderful beings and have a great sense of humor. i hope you get to meet sitting bull. he is a beautiful illumined soul. "well, i really must be going this time," said the elf. "good luck to you all," he said as he waved goodbye. dorothy said to the others, "i'm looking forward to seeing americanindianland, but i'm not so sure about thoughtformland." they all nodded in agreement. suddenly, from out of nowhere, came a loud scream. as they looked up, a chill ran through them all. it was the wicked witch of the deep south, swooshing down on them on her broomstick. "so, my pretty," she screamed at dorothy. "are you coming to kill me, too? who's going to do it? your scraggly stuffed friend?" she pointed her finger at the scarecrow, and bolts of lightning shot from her fingers to explode around him. "or maybe your brave little pussy-cat!" she said mockingly, as she did the same thing to the lion and made him jump. "or what about your tin-can friend?" she whined, shooting a bolt of lightning above the tin woodman's head and creating a miniature cloudburst over him, making him jump clear to escape the water. "i'll be waiting for you, my little pretty," she screamed at dorothy. "that's if you ever get through thoughtformland. all my thoughts live there, you know. and they just can't wait for your arrival." she burst into squeals of horrible laughter as she made a final swoop over their heads and disappeared over the treetops. everyone was shivering with fright. "why-why, th-th-that o-old b-b-biddy," stuttered the tin woodman. "who-who does she th-think she is?" "she called me a pussy-cat!" said the lion angrily. "i'll show her!" he said, putting up his paw-fists in a mock-fighting stance. he pranced around, shadow-boxing, making dorothy laugh. her laughter eased the tension somewhat, although they were all rather apprehensive about continuing their journey toward thoughtformland. "if you'd rather not go on, dorothy," the tin woodman said, hesitantly. "oh, no!" said dorothy. "love is stronger than hate. we will overcome. if we return now, the witch will have won. evil will have overcome, and fear will be a part of your daily lives again. we must talk to the wicked witch. we must reason with her." "t-t-talk to her?" stammered the scarecrow. "reason with her!" exclaimed the tin woodman. "do you know what you're saying, dorothy?" said the lion. "i knew one of the winkies who used to work for her sister, and he told me that when this one used to come and visit her, she would rant and rave and scream and yell the whole time she was visiting. nobody could just talk to her. of course, her sister was just as bad. they were quite a pair together. i don't see how you could talk to her." "not only that," interceded the scarecrow. "this one holds dorothy responsible for the death of her sisters." "but it was an accident!" said dorothy. "i had no control over where the cyclone chose to plop my house down, and when i threw the bucket of water over the other sister i was as surprised as anyone that the water melted her away. everyone knows i'm completely innocent" "everyone but her," said the tin woodman. "she believes that you killed her sisters on purpose. she wants revenge, there's no question about that." "oh, dear," said dorothy, sitting down on a rock and cupping her head in her hands. "what are we going to do?" "there, there. don't be discouraged," said the lion, putting his paw on dorothy's shoulder. "we must have courage, and trust that somewhere within the murky depths of her being there is a spark of goodness not yet dead that can be kindled into a glowing ember." "you're right," said dorothy, standing up briskly. "if we give up now, we would never forgive ourselves; we must give it all we've got and forget our fears, like daniel in the lions' den." * chapter sixteen: thoughtformland * "i'm trying to imagine what thoughtformland is like," said the tin woodman as they continued their journey. "the wicked witch said that all of her thoughts were here," said the scarecrow. "if thoughts have forms, what kind of shape must her thoughts be in?" said the lion half to himself. "what did you say?" said dorothy. "i said," repeated the lion, "if the thoughts have forms, what kind of shape must her thoughts be in?" "which might apply to us all," said dorothy. "what?" asked the lion. "what did you say?" "i said," replied dorothy, beginning to sing: "if thoughts are things that go bump in the night, what kind of thoughts do you think are right? what kind of thoughts do you think to yourself? what kind of thoughts will you think tonight?" everyone joined in to repeat the last line: "what kind of thoughts will you think tonight?" dorothy began again: "if thoughts are things that can give you a fright, what kind of thoughts will you bring to sight? what kind of thoughts do you think to yourself? what kind of thoughts will you think tonight?" again everyone joined in: ohhh... what kind of thoughts will you think tonight? the lion said, "let me make one up: if thoughts have wings and can fly away, what kind of thoughts are you thinking today?" "very good!" said dorothy, as they all chimed in: "what kind of thoughts are you thinking today?" "let me try," said the scarecrow: "if thoughts are things that can zip and zoom, what kind of thoughts do you think in your room?" they all sang at the top of their voices: "what kind of thoughts do you think in your room?" by now, everyone was in rare humor. "i've got a good one," said the tin woodman: "if the thoughts of witches are jagged and sharp, what kind of thoughts do they think after dark?" "wonderful!" exclaimed dorothy. "now everyone," she shouted, waving her arms: "ohhh... what kind of thoughts do they think after dark?" "how about this for the last verse?" said the scarecrow: "if you think a thought that you do not like, the shape of that thought must be a horrible sight! what kind of thoughts do you think to yourself? what kind of thoughts will you think tonight?" everyone sang the last line really loud: "what kind of thoughts will you think tooo-night?" "well, we certainly cheered ourselves up, said dorothy. just then, they came upon a clearing. in the middle of the clearing was a large sign, and beyond the sign, huge iron gates loomed. they were set within a massive stone wall. as they approached the sign, they could make out large gothic letters which read: beware all ye who enter the land of thoughts for each and every thought thou thinketh, a thousand like shalt descend upon thine head. "oh, my!" dorothy said. "we'd better think the nicest thoughts we can think of." as they approached the gate, the lion began to chant: "better think nice -- sugar and spice." the others quickly joined in: "better think nice -- sugar and spice." dorothy gingerly touched the big iron gate. it swung open easily. "well, here we go," she said. the little group chanted faster and faster: "better think nice -- sugar and spice. better think nice -- sugar and spice." they looked about them as they chanted. there were flowers and trees everywhere -- and, of all things, a yellow brick road. a sign said: stay on the path and think of golden yellow daffodils. "well, that sounds like sage advice," said dorothy as she walked towards the path. to the right of the path were little signs which said things like: sharing and caring are ways to be daring kindness and love are things from above love is eternal and never infernal on the left side of the path were negative signs which read such things as: joy and compassion are out of fashion taking and hating get a high rating circling all around the negative signs on the left were ugly blobs of dirty reds and grays, and dull brownish greens flecked with scarlet. some of the blobs were dirty brownish yellow with streaks of orange and black. all of the blobs had hooks around them. some of the larger blobs descended and sat on the edges of the boards. dorothy could almost see eyes in them glaring at her hatefully. she turned her head quickly to the positive signs on her right. beautiful little forms were dancing and twinkling around them. the forms were made up of the prettiest, most delicate colors. dorothy could feel a tremendous radiation of love emanating from them. "keep your eyes on the right," she told everyone. "and keep your thoughts pure. i have a feeling that these ugly things are just waiting for us to think a bad thought so they can attack us." someone started to chant again: /"better think nice /--/ sugar and spice.... better think nice /--/ sugar and spice...."/ "i hope that awful witch doesn't come here," said dorothy. "i just hate her." the minute dorothy had the hateful thought, hundreds of evil blobs flew at her screaming the most terrible piercing scream she had ever heard. their hooks extended out, trying to grab hold of her and attach themselves to her. some hooked onto her sweater and to her hair. dorothy squealed hysterically. her arms were flying about, trying to get them off of her. "dorothy! dorothy!" said the tin woodman. "don't show fear." but it was too late. from the sky came hordes of grayish darts, like fragments from exploding rocks. everyone raised their arms to try to shield themselves. following the darts came the dreaded cackles of the wicked witch on her broomstick. the sky was filled with her piercing screams of horrible laughter. "well, my pretty, what say you now, eh?" she screamed again as she flew about them. large jagged crimson red spikes flew from her hands towards them, also ugly blobs of brownish gray with red spikes sticking out. from her eyes shot slithering snake-like pointed shapes with colored stripes of dirty green and yellow and muddy orange. they writhed about, trying to stick their sharp points into dorothy's feet. "quick now," said the tin woodman. "close your eyes and think nice thoughts." dorothy closed her eyes and thought of aunt em and uncle henry, and toto and the little one-room farmhouse. a great love arose from within her and poured out to them. the minute this happened, a beautiful white light appeared around the little group huddled together. all of the horrible blobs flew back to their signs, while the barbs that had come from the wicked witch turned around and sped like bullets back towards her. now it was her turn to scream with fright. she motioned her legs as if she were riding a bicycle and pedaled as fast as she could to try to get away. but the blobs caught up with her, hooking onto her clothes. one hooked her large nose. the snake-like shapes attached themselves to her behind with their pointed heads. she pedaled furiously off into the distance, grabbing at them, trying to pull them off. everyone roared with laughter. "don't forget," the lion said, when the laughter had subsided, "what that first sign said: /think golden yellow daffodils/." so they all closed their eyes and imagined that they were surrounded by golden yellow daffodils. when they opened their eyes again, they were amazed to see miles of golden daffodils all around them. "i have a feeling we are out of thoughtformland," said the tin woodman. everyone heaved a sigh of relief. "thank goodness," said dorothy. "that was too much." * chapter seventeen: americanindianland * as they walked through the daffodils, everyone felt immensely cheerful. they were chatting away about this and that, when the scarecrow spotted smoke signals in the distance. "look," he said, pointing. "it must be americanindianland," said the tin woodman excitedly. "oh, i'm so looking forward to this," said dorothy, as the beat of the tom-toms and the chant of the indians' singing reached her ears. when they reached the camp, they were not surprised to see the traditional indian scene of teepees with skins drying and dogs barking and such. the squaws and papooses and braves and chiefs were gathered around in a big circle in which a group of dancers was singing and chanting. when dorothy's party arrived, a beautiful majestic chief motioned them to come and sit by him while the proceedings continued. and what a sight to behold -- chiefs in full head dress from every tribe: cherokee, shawnee, apache, hopi, navaho -- every single one. dancers representing each tribe were performing their ceremonial dances. "dis celebration." said the chief in a deep booming voice, and in what must have been the broken english of his time. "dis celebration," he repeated, as he waved his hand slowly over the dancers, "in your honor. we," he said, placing his fist upon his chest, "know de work dat you do. indian not like evil. indian help good people." as the celebration drew to a close, the chief motioned everyone to follow. "we have pow-wow," he said. the indians formed a circle and passed the peace pipe. the low rhythm beat of a drum could be heard in the distance. "not all indian here in happy hunting ground," said the chief. "not all indian good. same as not all white man bad to indian. "many t'ousand years, indian lived free in his land. when white man come, indian give hand in friendship. white man look down on indian, call him savage, take his land. torture, murder indian. indian suffer great loss of self-respect -- lose spiritual ways. "before white man come, indian spend many hour each day with great spirit. indian very close to nature, could cure much disease. white man call it work of devil, force indian into white man's religion. many indians become savages to protect land, women, children. copy white man's ways, do bad t'ings." dorothy said, "i really feel bad for all this. my people; my race; they did these terrible things." "do not feel bad, dorot'y," the chief said. "all t'ings in order. we do not feel revenge. dis not way of great spirit. de great one do not punish evil ones, only bring dem to greater understanding. dey dat do evil to other, do same t'ing to self. not know it at time, must suffer, before can learn better way. when sick of suffering, will turn face to great one. de great sun shine on all de same. when face turn to great sun, feel warmth from great light. when man listen to heartbeat of great spirit, life energy from great spirit make heart strong. man become strong in all t'ings, and de great spirit make path for moccasins to follow. but, if man turn face away from great spirit and not listen to heartbeat of great one, own heart become weak -- moccasins walk in circle. de great spirit not want man be lost or to suffer. when man fret and worry, have fears; feel hatred of peoples, his environment; dis cause much sickness of body and mind. must learn harmony and inner peace through communication with great one. world is great big schoolroom; all peoples equal but have different lessons to learn. do not rebel or run away from lesson -- will not learn, only make harder. must be like de corn and bend wit' de wind. be brave; look for lesson in all experiences. learn lesson well; one day you graduate. much happiness and rejoicing. you become master and teacher. no more suffering, ever. "now i take you to sitting bull. he find big chief to be your guide. my name is white spirit." "i feel very privileged to know you, white spirit," said dorothy. "t'ank you, my child," said the chief. "but de privilege all mine." everyone stood. "sitting bull come now," white spirit said. everyone turned to see a most majestic being in their midst. he seemed to come from nowhere. sitting bull walked over to dorothy. he motioned everyone to be seated again. "i'm sorry i couldn't be here to welcome you, dorothy. but i was required to attend a rather important conference on the seventh level of the anim world with the master teachers." seeing the quizzical look on dorothy's face, the chief explained, "where you are now is only one level of our world. there are levels both below and above the level, and within each level are many divisions -- as you may already know. each level of the anim world is made up by the collective minds of the inhabitants." "you mean it's not real?" asked dorothy with some surprise. "on the contrary," said sitting bull kindly. "don't you know that mind is all there is? one's present environment is brought into manifestation by mind. even your dreamworld is very real and solid to you while you are dreaming: it is only when you awake from your dream that you realize it wasn't your normal reality. but while you are there, it's as real as anywhere; in fact, while you are dreaming you usually have no recollection of your normal waking life, so that dreamworld appears to be your normal existence. it is only when you awaken that it becomes a vague shadow of fragmented memories and experiences which usually don't make much sense. after your so-called normal life is over, it too will seem like some vague dream to you. your real life is yet to be lived; your present mortal world may be likened unto a shadow. the reality of the anim world is unmistakable in comparison. look around you on this present level." the chief waved his hand. "every detail is ten times more alive than in your world. "you're so right," said dorothy. "kansas is so drab and gray. "but kansas can be very pretty, especially in the spring." "yes, indeed," said sitting bull. "it only becomes so drab and gray to you when compared to the intensity of oz, for example. everything is relative, you see. if you had lived in oz all your life and, unknown to you, there was another land ten times as pretty, oz would look just fine to you until you visited that other land." "i see what you mean," said dorothy. "now for the business at hand," said sitting bull. "the assignment of your guide: let me see," he said, thumbing through a little black book. "ah, yes. i have a fine guide for you. his name is white feather. he is a cherokee chief. he will join us soon. now, young lady," continued sitting bull, "i want you to know that i've been aware of you for some time." "you have?" replied dorothy. "yes, indeed," said the chief. "do you remember studying my life at school in your history lessons?" "yes, i do," replied dorothy. "i remember very well." "well, when you were reading about my murder at the hands of the soldiers, tears came into your eyes. the great love and compassion you felt at that moment, i felt immediately and came at once to you. i put my arms around you to comfort you, and you began to feel better. of course, you couldn't see or hear me, but nevertheless i was there." "i did feel something, i did," said dorothy. "it was like an electric current around me. a sort of vibration." "i knew you had sensed something," said sitting bull. "if you should experience that feeling again, you will know that someone who loves you is near. many times your guide, white feather, will visit you in school. he will help you with your schoolwork and will work with your teacher. you may not always sense that he is there, but always be sure to give him recognition and to ask for his help. he will help you in many ways. you are very lucky to have him, although you have earned that right through your desire to always do the right thing by your fellows, and to learn and grow and expand in consciousness. i believe that white feather is here now." dorothy turned to see a beautiful indian chief in a tall headdress of the whitest feathers she had ever seen, just tinged ever so delicately around the tips with blue. he did not look that much older than dorothy. sitting bull said, "perhaps you are wondering how a chief could be so young. well, when white feather came to the happy hunting ground, he was quite old. but, since we are not subject to time here as you know it, or the dying process, we may appear as young or as old as we wish. white feather chose to appear as a child so that you may more easily identify with him." at that, white feather put his hands on dorothy's shoulders. "i, your chief, will spend much time with you. will have plenty good time together. as you grow, i grow. we will learn much together." "well, i believe you have a mission to accomplish, young lady," said sitting bull. "white feather will be ready should you need him. i want to say it has been a great pleasure having you here with us." "thank you, sitting bull," said dorothy. i feel so good inside, just being here with you all." sitting bull smiled warmly as he shook hands with everyone. "you've been such wonderful friends to dorothy. i'm very proud of all of you." white spirit shook hands with everyone, too. he hugged dorothy and said, "if great beast in path of moccasins, do not fear. let great spirit inside go before moccasins to meet great spirit in beast. harm not come to you; you and great beast one spirit. long ago, indian make circle of fire around, before lay down to sleep. dis give protection from beast. you do same t'ing in mind. make circle of light around you before sleep at night, and again in morning before moccasins make path. dis give you protection from all t'ing of inferior nature." dorothy hugged white spirit. "that was beautiful," she said. "i will keep that circle of light around me always." "do you know what kind of country you headed into?" white spirit then asked. "i do not," replied dorothy. "very few travelers have ventured this far," said white spirit. "you are headed for ufoland." "everyone looked at each other in surprise. "ufoland," repeated the scarecrow. "i have heard of such things as ufos but i have never seen one." "what does ufo mean?" asked the lion. "unidentified flying object," said the tin woodman. "and i've seen one." "you have?" said everyone in unison. "well, it was a flying object and i couldn't identify it. it was a hovering round object which glowed with different colors and then it zigzagged all over the sky. but i have never seen a ufo person." "well, you will be seeing some soon," said white spirit. "it will be a very interesting experience for you all." * chapter eighteen: ufoland * suddenly, a strange glow came over everyone -- a sort of alternating blue and orange light. a voice said, "welcome to ufoland." the light expanded to reveal a man in a glistening white garment molded to the contour of his body. his eyes were large and luminous and seemed to reflect a great depth of understanding. he spoke again. "greetings in the light, my beloved friends. i am oxal of arcturas. ufoland is a base for our ships." "i've heard of many sightings of ufos" said dorothy. "but, until now, i didn't know for sure if they were real." "many sightings seen by earth's inhabitants are not real," replied oxal. "but many /are/ real, and the time is approaching when we shall reveal this. our present mission is to prepare the mortal mind to accept this truth. otherwise, great confusion would result, and that is not our intent." "what is your intent, sir?" asked the tin woodman, rather nervously. "the answer to that, my metallic friend, is quite simple," replied oxal. "it is to assist those of planet earth to a greater understanding of their place in the universe. in earth's galaxy alone, there are more than one hundred billion stars or suns just like earth's own sun. one out of every two of these suns have solar systems with one inhabitable planet on which intelligent life exists. and since there are hundreds of billions of other galaxies in the universe, life in its many forms has manifested in great abundance. "many of these are advanced civilizations. some far more advanced than those of earth, while many are not as advanced. we here in ufoland are representatives from advanced planets of every galaxy. we have a permanent base here, from which we observe earth and discuss ways to help her people to advance. "many earth scientists are being helped by us. they are generally unaware that this help is being given, for we work with them during sleep or when they are in a very relaxed state. we convey many ideas to them. "we communicate with your world leaders and offer our help, but it is often rejected. we cannot interfere with their free will, you see. we can only offer our suggestions. it has to be their choice. "our main purpose, dorothy, in coming to the vicinity of earth is to make the inhabitants aware of a truth, a new understanding that goes beyond their present concept. we have not an easy task. our teaching would not be accepted at this time -- even if we manifested ourselves physically. but soon, as more people come to accept our reality, we shall manifest and reveal our purpose. we come only to do good. "there are many schoolrooms and many classrooms throughout the universe. earth is only a schoolroom in which you learn. all things are governed by material law." "the great creator of the universe does not punish anyone. he does not punish mankind to bring him into line. man creates; he is an extension of the great creator. he is a co-creator in his own right. each thought that passes from the mind of man is a creation. so, guard these thoughts, for they are most important. they bring about results - creation. you are what you think you are. think well on this, for it is important. wrong thoughts bring about wrong conditions into your life -- thus you bring about your own punishment. in the eyes of the great creator, there is only good. you create your own world -- an illusionary world. the great creator wishes only to bring you back into the beautiful world of reality from whence you came. we are here to help mankind to correct his thinking. "you see, my beloved friend, it has not been taught in your civilization that the great creator and his creation are one, and that you possess the same powers as your creator. the fact that mankind does not understand these laws does not alter the function of the law -- the law works whether or not man understands it. so, you see, you are continually creating, although you do not realize it. you are creating situations, conditions, and many other forms of creation, because, as i have said before, you are only what you think you are. "earthman has instilled within his superself many concepts. these concepts, thoughts, and what many refer to as the subconscious mind are bringing about results that are not understood. this inner consciousness must be cleared out. the misconceptions must be weeded out. this done by injecting new concepts. the old must be directed to go! "know that you are all-powerful -- continually tell yourself these things because, unless the old is replaced with the new, the old shall remain. know that you are a creator. know that you and this creation are one, that you are a part of the creative spirit that dwells in all things, in all beings. therefore, you should be master of your creation. you must take charge of it. you must command it. it will respond to your command. when you command that your hand move, it does move. you are in complete command of the movement of your body. you are also in command of every organ, every nerve, every cell. you can command it to do as you wish, but you must do it with authority, as it was given you by the great creator. "these things are difficult to accept because of your teaching, your customs, which have been handed down from generation to generation through your civilization. they are real to you, but they are only real because you see them as such. "the negative thoughts and deeds among earth people have created a negative aura around your planet, which has caused a great deal of unhappiness and chaos. that unhappiness and chaos is very real to you, for it has become part of the consciousness of man. but each individual can rise above it, must rise above it. as more and more people do this, the picture will change. stay clear of that which tends to pull you down. the physical structure that you now occupy, your body, is a very intricate piece of mechanism. it is affected by many things. that which you think has a great effect upon the movement of the electrons of this structure. anger, hate, greed -- any of these things tend to disrupt and unbalance the electrons, causing the cells to become out of balance, and many things result. learn relaxation. be conscious of what you do, but do not be anxious. anxiety and tension also bring about weakness in this structure. hold your head high and declare your rightful place in the universe. the great creator of the universe does not condemn you or criticize you for your mistakes. he has only love for you. think long and deeply about this. he has only love for you. many truths have been taught among your religions. in our opinion, each of your religions, your sects, has some truth, but there is not one upon your planet that has a corner on truth. truth is never ending; it moves onward before us. we can only receive the truth that we are capable of receiving at our present level of understanding. truth is based upon law -- we live by the law of the universe. these laws are universal; they apply not only to your planet, but to all other forms of life throughout the many galaxies in space. and what is the greatest law of all, my friends? love! we must learn to love our creator. that is the first law. if we love our creator, we cannot help but love ourselves, for we are that creator. that is why we are all one. we are all part of the whole, therefore, we must love one another. take the time to make friends with all those you come in contact -- all will enrich your life. take time for other people, feel warmth and love extending out to them, and that same warmth and love will return to you. give of yourself and reap the rewards. for to hate another is to hate yourself. all dislikes for races, groups, and individuals must be conquered. we are making progress with the your planet. a new age is dawning for you. the masses are slowly awakening. through our influence, we are bringing about many things. many things are happening to spark a desire in man for knowledge, to step farther and farther into the unknown. in general, earth man has had a great fear of the unknown. this must change, and this fear must be replaced with a desire to know. for, when man desires to know, and seeks in love, he shall know the truth, and this truth shall set him free from the chains which bind him, chains forged by his own mind and the minds of those around him, and which hold him back from the full and glorious creative expression that is his natural self. earthlings have forgotten what the great master told them. his words were these, and they have great meaning: '/let/ /not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, for lo, i am with you always.'/ it would be well to meditate on these words occasionally and let their meaning sink deep into your consciousness, for therein lies a great truth. know, my friends, with all your being, that this great 'i am' is with you at all times and is your guidance and protection -- your all. it is the most important part of your being, and it will carry you over the roughest path, over the wildest seas. it is yours to use and is within all. that 'i am' within you will do the works. man is great. he is great within himself. man in his true reality knows no boundaries. earth people have strayed far from this reality. so many are caught up in self, totally unaware that they have spun a suffocating web about themselves that holds them in bondage. that web must be broken. concern with self must be enlarged to encompass others equally. and, as a feeling of love and understanding for others is developed, so will the greed subside and the desire to share be expanded! when sharing and caring is a way of life for all, then shall you see great changes take place. earth will reach a new height in its climb. this civilization that you are now in will reach its greatest height. the advancements that are in the future for earth people, both scientifically and spiritually, shall bring about a change that the masses at this time cannot conceive of. the darkness is lifting. suffering, disease, all of these things shall vanish, vanish from the face of the earth. in their place there shall be radiant health, peace of mind, well-being, a brotherhood of man that has never been known before. "let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. the time is coming rapidly, and earth men shall not know fear. in this new age, it shall vanish and be no more. fear has been man's worst enemy. there is really nothing to fear but fear itself. the time has come when the people of earth must learn and understand universal law. those who have not the ears to hear nor the eyes to see shall not move with this planet into the new age, but shall be sent to evolve elsewhere. yes, dorothy, these are times of great change for the planet earth. the great nation of the eagle, in which you live, must take the lead in bringing about the new age upon the planet. and great concentration, both from those of us who are working without and those of us who are working within, is being placed upon your nation to prepare for this . "i have spoken long to you, but the matter is important. however, i do not wish to tire you." "not at all!" exclaimed dorothy. "what you have said is very interesting to me. most fascinating. wait 'til aunt em and uncle henry hear about it!" "do not be disappointed if you are not believed, my child," replied oxal. "now, would you all like to know something of our spaceships?" just then, two other figures approached. "this is odin," said oxal, turning to the one on the right, "and this is arcturas." the two majestic beings nodded while bowing ever so slightly. they indicated their pleasure at meeting with dorothy and her friends by saying how pleased they were to meet such an advanced young earthling and the beautiful souls who were her friends. odin said to dorothy, "i have been observing you, my dear. you have taken on a most difficult mission. the witch is wicked because that is the path she has chosen. she finds a certain pleasure in her wickedness, but it is an empty pleasure. deep down she longs for love and companionship, but she is unable to express her feelings. she is to be pitied more than hated." "oh, i don't hate her," replied dorothy. "i want to find a way to help her." "i know," answered odin. "you are going to be surprised how much you can do. not only in this respect, but in all aspects of your life. think back to the time when you first met your friends here -- mr. scarecrow, mr. chopper, and mr. lion. each felt inadequate in his own way, but later found that for which he searched was within himself all the time. but certain experiences were needed to reveal this to them. you must all constantly strive to raise your sights, realize your potentiality, know than within you lies the power of the universe. you see, beloved friends, it is much easier for you to doubt your abilities, your powers, than it is to try to realize the potentials that lie within you. accept your challenges of today. cope with them and be not concerned for the future. you can only live one moment at a time. live that moment to the very best that is in you. realize that there is only the now. know, each moment of the day, that that which you are doing is the right thing for you. if you do this, each moment, each hour, each day shall fall in place. take each task as it comes to you and be conscious of what you are doing. for, you see, no experience is beneficial unless you are conscious of it at the moment it takes place. each of you has tasks before you that you will perform and, if you will allow yourself to flow with the tide, you shall find that these things will come to you in proper sequence. there is a constant flow of energy around your planet. the entire cosmos is energy. we, too, are energy. swim in it! feel yourself as a pulsating, living part of the universal energy; feel yourself to be in tune with this energy -- to be flowing along with it, in harmony with it. if you become disturbed or distressed, you have stepped out of the flow. if you go against your conscience, you will go against the flow and be pushed out of it. keep your thought harmonious. do not allow little things to upset you. check yourself several times a day to insure that you are still within the flow -- you will know by the feeling of inner peace and tranquillity. eventually you will not need to check; being in the flow will be the most natural thing in the world for you. "as each one on earth learns these things, the forces of darkness will perish; they must be banished from your planet for all time. and out of this must come a new age of love, harmony, and understanding, an age where each shall live to benefit his brother and not himself -- wherein all problems, the answer sought shall not be 'what is best for me?' but rather 'what is best for all concerned?' "how often in these times is a problem attacked in this manner? let us visualize today, in the disputes that arise between your industries and your workers; for example, just assume that they would sit around the table, everyone concerned only with that which would benefit all. what solution could we arrive at that would be most beneficial to all concerned? what would be the results if love and harmony existed around this table, and around all your conference tables? can you visualize how different your world would be? "where there is love, peace, and harmony, even the very atmosphere about you changes. all creation about you becomes harmonious; nature becomes less violent -- nature reacts directly with the vibrations sent out by its people. dorothy, if your masses and your leaders could realize this, i wonder what their reaction would be? "why do you suppose nature is gradually becoming more violent around your planet? earthquakes are becoming more prevalent, tornadoes, windstorms -- all of these things are gradually becoming more violent. and, around your planet, the vibrations have become more and more negative, and nature reacts accordingly. the catastrophe that comes to your planet does not come from your creator; it is the result of the wrong thinking and the wrong doing of your people. your creator does not judge you; you judge yourself by nature's own laws. that is why we have continually said that if enough love and light could be established among the masses of your people, that much, very much of the future disasters could be avoided. if only the teeming masses could catch a glimpse of the gloriously beautiful life that is their rightful heritage, they would not do the things they do. why they choose to live in a state of confusion and negativity when it is within their power to create a heavenly kingdom is beyond our understanding. but that is why we are here. we come only to do good -- to offer a helping hand to those who will accept and believe. to you, beloved friends, who are attempting to offer yourselves in service, your efforts are not going unnoticed. you are being given aid, more than you realize. sharpen your awareness, that you might be better able to use the help we are sending you. enter into that oneness and love that is being offered you; become aware of it. use the power and wisdom that is being given to you. "do you realize, my friends, the power that is contained in that love that is being offered you? do you realize the power that it will place in your hands once you are established in it? it means, beloved friends, that all things are yours. once the true love center is opened within you, all else is yours. think, beloved ones. think what this means. it means a great overcoming, a whole new concept opening before you. but it all must start, and the beginning is love: for your creator, for your fellow man, in all that you do -- express only love, and love returns to you. give yourself in selfless service with that great love and desire to serve your creator and your fellow man, and infinite light and love and understanding shall engulf you. let not your heart be angered from any cause whatsoever. let it sing only forgiveness, joy, praise, for, in this state, you are receptive to the light that shall make all things known to you. these are the things you must develop, beloved ones. recognize only the good, for those that persecute you know not what they do. so, pray for them, and forgive them, with malice toward none. this sounds like a big order, does it not? but it is the only way. it is his way, and so it must be yours; there is no other. "the awakening of the people of earth will take place, but there must be a gradual process. people, concepts cannot be changed too rapidly, for it would be detrimental to them. this, each of you know by your own experiences. more and more of our craft are being sighted around the earth. not that there are more of us now; we just had not displayed ourselves so much before. it is becoming more and more difficult for the powers that be to discount our presence. yes, dorothy, many more people are aware of the presence of our craft and our people in your skies than you realize. many hesitate to talk about it, but within their hearts they know it is so. "we who have come from other systems and other galaxies have come at the request of others in your system. this service we are happy and proud to give; we are only happy that we have the opportunity to serve. but there is much to be accomplished among your people in order that we might bring about conditions of betterment upon your planet; more and more of your people must think for themselves. if you think with the masses, believe with the masses, then you have lost your individuality. then you become one with the masses, one with the mass consciousness. "we wanted to communicate with your heads of government, with your world leaders, to bring great offers to them. but our offers are the offers that would improve the masses, improve your scientific achievements, allow you to live a new life -- one of grandeur and beauty. but, due to your customs, your economic structure, your monetary system, they who have the power in their hands are not willing to sacrifice their power to benefit the multitudes. we turn, then, to you, the people; the future of your planet is in your hands and in the hands of those few heads of government and world leaders who are unselfishly striving to benefit the masses. by making the choice to serve in everlasting love and light and through these methods, you can bring about the conditions you desire. "my friends, you have no idea of your own thought power. this thought power, when concentrated by the multitudes, by the masses, can bring about anything. there is much power in thought, much power. our problems are all solved by thought; we have no need for war or violence. when we have a problem, our people attack in thought, in unison, and the problem dissolves itself. think about this, my children. there is much here to ponder on. this is only a slight glimpse of what can be accomplished once you understand and know life as it really exists. more and more people, dorothy, are becoming aware of the changing times on your planet. some are awakened to action, and others find themselves rather unconcerned. to use one of your expressions, they take on a /'so what?/' attitude. these, my friends, are mentally lazy individuals. they are not ambitious enough to put forth the effort that is necessary for their own enlightenment, or they are worshipping a false master, which they are not willing to forgo for the higher learning. "materialism has become a god for the multitudes of earth people. it saddens our hearts to know that these people will soon lose their god, and they will have nothing to cling to. they shall find themselves in great despair, and they shall sink deep, for there will be nothing for them to hold on to. build your foundation, my friends, on the spiritual rock, and you need have no fear for the future. "there is such a great amount of work to be done for your planet, dorothy. the response of the masses is very, very slow. with all the help that is being sent out at this time, if your people were only slightly receptive, a great deal could be avoided; a great deal of pollution could be cleared from the earth's area. but the response has been so very, very slow, and the efforts have been so great. we are hoping this situation will shortly change. there has been some improvement in the results of our influences among some of your leaders, or perhaps i should say there appears to be. the results are not yet evident, but our prayers are going out hourly to these people. "but it is up to the people to demand and bring about their own salvation. 'tis through those who, through their convictions, are willing to come forth, to come out from among the multitudes and stand forth for what is right and good. great changes which have come about upon your planet have not been brought forth by the masses, but by individuals who have been strong in their faith and willing to stand forth regardless of the mass consciousness, for what they believe and know to be a right. one man, a few years ago, was responsible for one of the greatest changes that has taken place in your civilization. one man, beloved friends, who was not afraid to come forth from the masses. as i have said before, if you think with the masses, believe with the masses, then you have lost your individuality. then you become one with the masses. seek the truth and stand by it, my children. use your intelligence. that is why your creator gave it to you. "place no limitation upon yourself, but realize that you are this great power and intelligence that rules the universe. therefore, locked within you are the powers that shall manifest all that you need. you need only to unlock them through the love and understanding you are seeking. "what, my friends, do you think is the greatest power in the universe?" "love is the greatest power," replied dorothy. "you have spoken truly, my sister: love can accomplish anything. it is the force that permeates the universe. i say to you, beloved, love one another, for through this love shall you rise to great heights in understanding -- love one another. once this is established, the rest shall follow easily. understanding shall come in abundance; on the waves of love shall follow understanding. can you see, my friends, why this is? you see, when you have a great love in your consciousness, it opens wide the door for understanding, for wisdom. without love the door is locked. this is the power that permeates the universe. there is a great need for this upon the planet you call earth, for the lack of it has set up vibrations about your planet, encircling it. these vibrations are bringing about chaos, disturbances of nature itself, for so you think, so you are, whether it be as an individual, as a nation, or as a planet. do you have a slight understanding of what would happen to your planet if suddenly all would start emanating positive thoughts? can you visualize the results? even your atmospheric conditions would change; you would not have the terrific eruptions of nature you now have. the greater portion of these things are brought about by the negative vibrations that exist around your planet. if your people could only realize the power of this thought. "we have for some time been photographing conditions upon your planet, recording conditions; these are being relayed back to our people and at the proper time when our plans are laid, we shall concentrate our power and thought to help you, but there must be concentrated help coming from your planet. we are also trying to establish enough people upon the planet to do this. in this manner we have to ease the situation greatly. many of the brothers of the confederation have volunteered to come to your planet to serve at this time. they are working among you quietly, trying to establish more love and understanding among the people of earth. truth must grow and grow rapidly. there are millions of beings at this time who have come to your aid. we have come from other planets within your system, from other systems and other galaxies. they have all come with one purpose in mind, and that is to aid your system and especially your planet. your people have reached a critical stage in their evolution; they have not progressed spiritually as they should have. scientifically, they have advanced much further and therefore do not have a balance. due to this lack of balance they are in great danger of destroying themselves. your people have acquired the use of great powers, energies, some of which should not be used at all, and some should only be in the hands of those who are developed spiritually to the point where these powers should only be used for good. "such powers as your scientists are tampering with today, in the hands of the wrong people, could destroy your civilization. this has happened before upon your planet. does this surprise you? we do not want to see this happen again. we are trying to help you avert such a disaster. also your planet and your system are entering a new cycle. your people as a whole, due to the lack of spiritual growth, are not yet ready to enter the new cycle, the new age. but this will take place; nothing can stop it, and those who are not ready to enter the new age will not be able to remain on this planet when you are well into the cycle. therefore, it is doubly important that your people raise their consciousness to new heights, that they acquire new understanding, new truths that will enable them to enter the new age which is upon them. "we love your people, dorothy, far above your highest concept, your highest understanding. we will force no one to do anything. we will only suggest. no man can force another to do that which he does not wish to do. "it is difficult for your people to understand the actions of the more advanced planes. but let me assure you that each of you by following your guidance, that inner urge within you, will come into your own, will fall into your path and will fulfill your destiny. "there are many scientific things that we would like to share with people of earth. for one thing, we are controlled by universal law; and another, we could not, as yet, give to earth the powers that will one day be hers. her people and especially those who are in power have not yet reached a stage where they are capable of coping with the powers, of using them to the advantage of their people rather than to the advantage of selfish interest. and to bring you an example of what i am speaking. already the powers that control planet earth are using powers wrongly. already, your military powers are using sacred gifts of certain individuals to gain information. they have learned that they can apply these powers to their advantage. if certain other energies and scientific knowledge were made known to them at this time, they would be used in the same manner. your science is advancing regardless, and is discovering more and more universal powers and what you term as psychic powers. these should be used with reverence and used to the advantage of mankind. until spiritual understanding becomes predominant among earth people, these powers are in dangerous hands. we shall do all that we can to prevent these powers from being used as a destructive force. we are not at this moment as concerned that these energies, these powers, be known by earth man as we are with the development of mankind in trying to bring into this realization a desire for spiritual knowledge, and this can only come from within. "all mankind has somewhere within him this desire. the problem is to spark it, to ignite the flame, so that it might burn within him and spur him onward. however, earth man has much to overcome. he has allowed himself to become attached, and many times our attachment can be a tremendous block in our path. emotion can also bring about great blocks. these things we must recognize and deal with. each in his own way must deal with his problem. but above all we must recognize our problems for, unless we recognize them, we have great difficulty in dealing with something we do not recognize. we must face ourselves openly and squarely. "there is among earth mankind, generally speaking, a great question as to why man is here, as to what man might be. some give great thought to this question, while others pass it off lightly. but man, sooner or later, must come to the realization of what he is and why he is here; the reason for life. man must come to the realization that he is but an extension of the consciousness of the one great being, whom you call god. that this extension has taken on individuality and is expressing, experiencing and following a path that will take him through experience after experience and eventually return him to his source. he must realize that this path can be short, or it can be long, depending on man as the individual. when man does not face his responsibilities, the weight of them becomes heavier and heavier and sinks deeper and deeper until he comes to the realization that he must face life. earth man is at such a point. he must face his responsibilities; he must learn to go with life. he has a responsibility to his creator and to his fellow man. he must learn that he does not live for himself alone. his brother is his responsibility. when this realization is reached by enough people, conditions will begin to change. man's load will be lightened; he shall find within him a great peace which he has not known before. all of life shall take on a new look to him. man does not find peace within himself until he reaches this realization and then does something about it. "it is a pitiful sight to see how little understanding exists among the masses of planet earth. a great majority do not have the slightest idea of what was before, or what will be after the existence they are now in. few will recognize the fact that the physical, as they know it, is only a conveyance for the experiences which they are now encountering. life is a series of experiences, and it does not end with this one, nor does it begin with this one, for it requires thousands of lifetimes on various planes to become a well rounded being. man learns by experience, and you, my friends, each of you, and all man, chooses his own experiences, for only he knows the experiences he needs to become this well rounded being. i know that it is difficult in this present expression for many people to conceive of the idea that they have chosen the experiences that they are now passing through. but they know when they choose to have that experience that they need it. it is needed for their development. we, who are shall we say, the opposite of life existence to yours, perhaps even that is a poor expression. you know, beloved friends, it can become quite difficult for us to convey to you in words of your language, a complete understanding of what we are attempting to convey. we do not feel we are above you. it is merely that on some things, let us say, we have a little better understanding. therefore we are anxious to help those of you who are seeking higher understanding. this we try to do in many ways. we are limited in the help we can give you by universal law. we dare not and will not invade your own free will, your pattern; for each of you does have a pattern of growth that is to be followed by you, but often individuals are behind schedule, so to speak, and we attempt to help them in every way possible. "you see, earth man is often mislead by his group consciousness. he knows deep within that this or that is what he should be doing, but he does not go along with those inner feelings because he is afraid of criticism by his peers. he feels he must conform to established customs. people of earth have long been victims of customs. these have become a part of the race consciousness. many of these customs must be broken. "imagine for a moment this scene in your junior high schools: it is the beginning of the school year, and all the eighth and ninth graders seem to be walking around with a slight swagger. after all, when they were in the lower grades last year the bigger boys used to bother them. now the new seventh graders look up to them. they emulate their walk, their manner of dress, their hair styles, and their tough way of talking. among the new seventh graders are a sprinkling of quiet -- even shy boys, nicely dressed, excellent students, full of eagerness to learn and advance themselves. these children, strangely enough, are not emulated or looked up to, but are ridiculed, called names, and sometimes physically abused. often they are not physically big children compared to some of the tougher boys, and most are not fighters. many are so sensitive that they cannot bear the thought of hurting another person. these children are often teased and pushed and shoved around in an attempt to make them get angry and fight. sad, isn't it. "unfortunately, as i look to the years ahead, hurting others, using bully tactics, both emotionally and physically, could become a way of life for a number of children. unfortunately, when these same children grow up they will not teach their children the importance of love and understanding and gentleness, and so it will go on and on: the savage violence that will be presented as entertainment will not exactly help, and every day acts of real violence will be recorded in your newspapers. gangs will become a problem in your big cities -- the use of weapons a way of life for them. what a pitiful world they will make for yourselves; and yet they will wonder why there are wars between nations. "your babies must be shown love and kindness from the day they are born and taught these things every day by their parents, and later by their schools and reflected in their entertainment's. and gradually the items which reflect violence must be eliminated. then, as these children grow up, they must come together and take their places among society. they will at some point agree to destroy all weapons of war. they must come to a new understanding of honesty and trust. a new evolved economic system must eventually be formulated where all who are physically able will want to work and contribute to the good of all. there can be no room for fraudulence or dishonesty. free enterprise must reign, and those that are strongly ambitious and enterprising, and who use their own initiative to build a successful business honestly must not be penalized and held back by heavy tax systems, but must be encouraged to utilize their talents and initiative to expand their businesses, thereby creating many jobs for all. "they must also be encouraged to utilize their wealth creatively for the ultimate good of all. greed must be eliminated from your society. evolvement of individuals depends greatly upon the determination and desires of each individual. man must learn that the greater evolvement will come as each individual learns to use the universal laws. man is first obligated to himself. there is nothing that is more important to each of us than our own individual development, for in order to serve and to benefit those about us, we must first be able to radiate the love and understanding that goes with evolvement. as each of us becomes conscious of our oneness with all creation, as each realizes he is part of this one great power, a tiny part, in essence, of this supreme intelligence. each will come to realize that there is no limit to what can be achieved. the only thing that holds man back from this understanding is his own mortal mind. this mortal outlook greatly distorts the true picture for mankind. it limits him in every way and causes him to place obstacle after obstacle in his path. it requires a very determined mind to lift oneself out of this ignorance into the glorious truth that has eluded one because of the determination to follow the mortal will. "but, i must repeat: in order to rise above these levels, that first step is love, and to try to see the perfection of creation in everything that we see. truly, truly, beloved ones. ye are gods and goddesses; it is only a matter of time. "let each who hears my words start right where you are, from this day forward, with what you have at hand to begin your work, and upon this let us build. let us meet every situation with love and understanding. let us know that nothing is by chance, that each experience that comes our way, regardless of how minute, is an experience brought to us whereby we can learn. for we learn by experience, no other way. "there is so much for all of us to learn. we do not make any claim of having the ultimate in truth. even my own perceptions of things may be incorrect. we must realize that truth is moving ever onward before us, and the ultimate we know not. but this i know: that every step forward i have taken has brought the greater happiness, greater understanding, and each step has been much more glorious than the last. therefore, i shall attempt to climb ever higher on the spiral of knowledge, for i find the more i have learned of science, of nature, the more understanding i have of my creator. for you see, my friends, we do not separate one from the other. earth man has always attempted to separate. you have your philosophies, your sciences, and what-not and each must be both or all if we are to have truth. all things that exist come from the one and only source; no matter what it might be it is all a part of the whole, therefore we cannot separate. the sooner man of earth can realize this, the sooner he will begin to understand creation. "many of us, when presented with new philosophical concepts, immediately close our minds off. but the man who carries a closed mind has little chance of becoming wise. he has little chance of raising his consciousness. to have an open mind does not require you to accept anything that does not seem right to you, but there is a great difference, my friends, in accepting an idea as truth, or being able, if it does not appeal to you, to lay it aside until such time as you can filter it into your consciousness. for we find that many times an experience does not appeal to us, or something that comes to us by word of mouth or by writings, does not fit in with what we presently know as truth. but oft-times we find that these things, if laid aside, can be picked up later and put into the picture perfectly. you see, my friends, there is where a closed mind prevents us from learning. if we have rejected an idea completely, we have lost it for a great time to come. this is a mistake we should not make, for often it is costly. "beloved friends, you are living in times of great change; much greater than you think or realize. each of you is here because you are seeking. you are seeking to know the truth. therefore you can expect to know the truth. knowing the truth shall bring great changes within you, for every step on the path to truth brings change. therefore let us be open and receptive, that we may learn. i do not imply by this that you must accept everything as truth. but if we are to gain knowledge, wisdom, and truth, we must forever have an open mind. when one closes the mind and decides within himself that he has all truth, he is dead, so to speak. for truth moves ever onward and forward. i know not where it ends; i know not what the ultimate truth is. "as i speak, dorothy, please keep in mind that i am also addressing your fellow earthlings who in time may read my words. but to continue ... i have traveled great areas of space, have found life in every corner, but i have not found the ultimate. you see, we too are searching, are seeking, for higher truth. we are no different from you. we do, however, believe that we are a step or two in advance. and we are reaching back, attempting to help our brothers, as are those that are ahead of us, reaching back to help us. for, you see, my friends, this is the way we serve. all creation moves in this manner, each attempting to serve his brother, for when i have served my brother, i too have been served. this, my friends, is a good thing to remember. in order to receive, we must give, and this law applies in everything we do, for if we have great truth and understanding, and use it only for ourselves, it shall gain us naught. "this, my friends, is happening day by day upon planet earth, and it is things of this nature that bring the chaos that you find among your people. as those of you who are seeking to know truth reach higher and higher, you must be ready to have brought to you many things that may be contrary to some of the things that you have known to be truth. "planet earth must pass through some great changes in order to be cleansed, to be balanced when she passes into the next dimension in space. we are going to see to it that this great planet is not lost as was another a few years past. we shall not interfere in the evolution of the earth unless it is necessary. but if it becomes necessary, we shall and will, for we have at this moment four million craft standing by for emergency. so you see, my friends, we are prepared. "and now, i should like to take a few moments to talk to you in regard to your growth, your understanding, and what it might mean to you in the time you are about to encounter. there is not one among you who has, shall we say, more than a small degree of knowledge concerning your abilities. or should i say an understanding of who and what you really are. you see, my friends, each of you, if you could but realize the fact, are potential gods in yourselves. as man aspires to higher knowledge, he begins to get a realization as to what he is. is it possible, my friends, that each of us someday might reach a stage of growth where we have the understanding, knowledge, and wisdom that we think of as being held by the gods? does this sound inconceivable to you, my friends, or can you conceive of this? "man can be anything that he can conceive of as being. created within man was a desire, or rather an ability to desire. when man exercises this ability, the law reacts. so you see, my friends, there might be two ways of looking at this. if you are to desire something, it would be wise for you to be sure that that which you desire is for your own good -- will bring you good. man does not always weigh that which he desires; he does not put in balance. this we should do if we are to have wisdom and understanding. view it from both sides, my friends, before you let your desires reach forth. "within the heart of man burns a desire that drives him ever onward, seeking and searching. man does not always know or realize what this desire is, what this urge within him is seeking, and this urge is turned in many directions by various individuals. some direct it in search of wealth, others in search of pleasure, others for knowledge, but this -- direct it as you may -- is the same spark that burns within each of you. it is that inner urge to know the truth, to know more of the meaning of life. "man does not recognize this spark that drives him onward for what it is. it is something that he must release, but he does not always direct it wisely. in order for man to grow, he must he must release these energies and use them wisely to bring him knowledge and wisdom and spiritual understanding, must have understanding and knowledge of many things. spirituality is not denoted by one who claims to have great knowledge of a great being that rules and controls all things. a truly evolved spiritual being will have great knowledge of all things, for all things are spiritual in nature. "the great scientist of the universe must be a spiritual man. he must have great knowledge of the universe about him. he must have an understanding of what causes nature to function as she does. to overcome a true spiritual being requires eons of time spent in studying and searching for the true answers to nature's function. earth man has become so engrossed in his own small circle of function that he does not see; he does not see the things that are taking place before his eyes. "while earth man is endangering the population of his planet, poisoning its people, bringing to them great miseries, there lie within his reach great powers, great resources, that could eliminate all of these things and supply for man an abundance of power, of energy, to be used for the good of all mankind at a cost of almost nothing. earth science today realizes and knows the dangers of the powers with which they are working. still they insist that these powers must be used. they have been told that there are alternative powers, energies, that are completely safe, but they heed not. why is this, my friends? could it be for selfish reasons? could it be that certain interests see their power crumbling through the introduction of certain improvements upon planet earth? could this be, my friends? i leave this to your decision. "if people of earth were to be told the things that have been rejected from us by the powers that be upon your planet, i wonder, would they believe? i fear they would not. we have tried to share both our scientific and spiritual knowledge, but in every case we have been rejected. you see, your profit system would not function well under the stipulations which we presented, for what we offer is for all and not for a few; it is for the benefit of all mankind. "earth people have been lulled into a deep sleep of contentment. they have been content to let someone else think for them, guide them, and as they believed, protect them. only now are they beginning to slowly wake up. our contacts are now with the people. a great change shall come about through people like yourselves. when enough of your people have established in yourselves enough love and understanding, the changes will be inevitable. "as time passes, you shall see many changes come about. changes in individuals; great mental changes, shall occur with many. it is necessary that each person who wishes to grow in understanding spend much time in developing his understanding. how do you do this? by being aware, becoming conscious of that higher consciousness which leads you into experiences, into paths that shall bring you understanding. "proper meditation is of the utmost importance, and i should like to dwell for a moment on this subject, for proper meditation is most important to your growth. "first of all, place yourself in a position that is proper for meditation. the best meditation can be had in a sitting position. sit the body comfortably but erect, with both feet placed firmly before you. keep the body and head erect and straight. place the hands open and upward in the lap. allow those racing thoughts to race. do not try to force them to stop, but bring yourself into a relaxed feeling. let your mind relax; do not try to control it, and you shall find these racing thoughts in time will slow, will become slower and slower until they eventually stop. and with practice, my friends, this time shall become shorter and shorter, and in due time you shall reach that state of stillness quickly and in that state of stillness you can become one with creation, and life begins to speak to you. in this stillness you can bring yourself in attunement with whatsoever you wish. in this still, very still quietness, all things can flow to you, for your mind is open and receptive to the higher knowledge. "in this great stillness within, you become one with your creator, and he passes to you many things that will enlarge your understanding. now, to some of you it may seem that it is impossible for you to relax in this position, but i say to you, my friends, that it is the only true relaxation. for when the body is in positions for which it is not intended, true relaxation does not come, you cannot be receptive. much of the universal energies come to you through the spine when you are in the physical and, unless the spine is erect, they do not flow. you would be amazed when this art is mastered, at what you can do; how quickly you can attune yourself in this state to anything that you desire. it is possible to attune yourself in this state to anything in nature and to draw from that the information you seek. any spiritual or enlightening experience that you may have during meditation, that brings you truth and understanding, should be held in great reverence. so often valuable experiences are dissipated and lost, so easily through speaking of them to any great extent. an experience that carries great impact for you should never be discussed except with one whom you feel or know has great understanding, for as you spread these pearls, they are lost, perhaps not to be regained in this lifetime. your great master once said, /'seek the truth and the truth shall make you free.'/ this is stated in your book of religious histories, but there is one thing which was omitted, for he added to this, /'seek the/ /truth first which is within your understanding, which you can grasp and use, for only in this way will you prepare yourself for higher truths.'/ in other words, one step at a time. master what you have and then proceed to master more, for truth is of no value unless you can use it in your life. unless it benefits you, it means nothing. "people of earth, i'm afraid, have some terrific shocks coming to them. they are going to find that a great many of the concepts which they have been taught and which they have accepted as truth, are not truth at all; this is going to come as a great shock to some ... yes, to a great many earth people, and especially to some of your religious leaders, but sooner or later man must know the truth, for only by his knowing the truth can he be freed, and earth man has been held in bondage long enough. "upon planet earth are many, many teachings: religions, metaphysical teachings, occult teachings, and what have you. among each of these you find divisions. each of your religions, your teachings, has truth. each contains a segment of the whole, yet none that we have found has the complete truth, but each is found to be a stepping stone for those who are seeking. for as all men are at a different level of understanding, each must seek according to his understanding; to his capabilities to understand. many people have found great help in each of them; yet, he who is a true seeker, sooner or later moves on to a higher truth. he seeks new experiences that will bring him new knowing, and thus does life move ever onward, but man must go a step further in his search for truth, he must also search and have a desire to serve. for though man gains all knowledge, and serve not, his knowledge will avail him but little, and man shall find as he seeks and serves that he shall move ever onward and upward on the spiral of understanding. where the spiral ends, i know not. it is of such magnitude that our conception of it is only slight. man reaches ever forward and onward, attempting to gain these experiences and, as he moves on through the process of evolution, he passes through many periods of experience. this life or existence which you are now passing through upon the planet you call earth, is a most important experience upon this path. many have passed through many lifetimes upon this planet, expressing and experiencing. yet in their present state they have no recollection whatsoever of what has passed, and this, beloved ones, is as it should be, for if many of the people were to look back into their lifetimes upon earth, they would shrink in horror. yet these experiences were very necessary for the evolution of the individual, for when all these experiences are gathered together in a state of consciousness where the entity is able to evaluate them properly, he will have a great knowing. the soul growth of any person cannot be determined by their present expression upon this plane. seek your experiences, beloved friends, where your inner consciousness guides you, for there you will find the experience that you need. "as man travels the corridors of time and gathers unto him experiences that bring him growth and understanding, he develops a wisdom, a knowledge an understanding, but how often man must repeat his experiences over and over and over again, before he really becomes aware of his learning. unless your awareness keeps you conscious at all times, many lessons are missed. man only comes into the physical existence for experiences that can be learned in no other way. but how often in the past generations has man experienced great things that should have brought him great wisdom, great understanding, but still he failed? civilization upon civilization has risen and fallen upon your planet due to the lack of man's understanding, and many of these beings have passed through and shared the responsibility of these failures and yet have not learned. "we are most anxious that this civilization does not fail, that it does not, through its ego, greed and hate, bring about again its destruction. this is still possible in your civilization, and unless man will come forth and exercise his rights, he shall again fail. this realization is coming to many of your people but, as yet, few of them are doing anything about it or, if they be, it is very little. the time is rapidly drawing nearer when earth must stand forth and be counted -- who would stand forth with what they know to be true. soon the lead must be broken, and we hope and pray that it shall come from this great continent upon which you live, dorothy, for yours is the logical nation to take the lead in bringing about the brotherhood of man upon planet earth. we are doing all in our power to get your nation to stand forth upon the principles upon which it was founded. your nation professes to be a christian nation, to follow the principles of this great teacher, but as yet this has not occurred. we wonder why it is so difficult for a culture such as yours to lack this foresight. if these principles could be followed by your nation, could be established among its masses, it should spread and engulf the planet, for the light that it should emanate would be so bright that all would be attracted to it, and those who could not be -- would fade into nothingness, for where that much light exists, darkness cannot exist. "earth people have been told many times to establish love, harmony and understanding between each other. yet, they desire to make great accomplishments, to demonstrate their powers. but i say unto you, beloved ones, that these things cannot be established, cannot be demonstrated without first establishing the love and understanding among all; for without this you have no power. this is the power. in love and understanding all things are possible; without it you accomplish nothing. it is the lack of this that has brought about the conditions that exist on planet earth today. how can you establish this among your people? it can be established only through your own efforts, through becoming masters of yourselves. be ye perfect ... how shall we become perfect? perfection is not an easy thing to accomplish, but we must aspire to this perfection at all times. self-discipline is very necessary, very necessary. the desires of the physical must not be allowed to master us. emotions must be controlled. how can we establish love and understanding among us if these things are not mastered? as you progress in your understanding, you have much in store for you. give yourself in love and understanding. it is necessary for you, each of you, to develop a clear understanding of yourself and your fellows, for only through understanding will you be able to accomplish your mission. "how can this understanding be accomplished among your people? it can be established only through their own efforts, through becoming master of themselves. the rules they should know well. they were given to them long ago --/'turn the other cheek, go the extra mile; give, love./' all should see only good in all that they come in contact with. they should refuse to see anything but good. but they have been taught fear. they fear the results if they turn the other cheek, or go the extra mile. there is nothing to fear, my friends, nothing to fear. let that love emanate from you so strongly that all negativity shall melt into nothingness before you. /'he who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.'/ i quote from your scriptures. these things are not new to the people of the earth. your great teacher gave you all the rules. they are all there; you need only apply them. why, oh why, make it difficult? "you would be amazed at what a few of your people, a very few, could accomplish if only they could establish between them complete love and understanding. their accomplishments would amaze them. each of you has within you the ability to establish this. you need only put forth the effort, to make the decision and to apply the discipline necessary. know within yourself that you are completely dedicated to the service of your creator. this shall help you in establishing more love within you. eliminate all self, holding only that desire to serve, for through your services administered sincerely and selflessly shall you gain new knowledge, new understanding and new growth. /come unto me all ye who are burdened, who are heavy laden, and i shall give you peace, love, and understanding./ live always in the now. now is the only important time. the past is passed, and you can do nothing about it. this very moment is the only thing that counts. live the truth, and the truth will set you free. the time is now. now is the time. realize at this moment your at-oneness with your creator. we do not bow our head when we worship. we look up and out. realize that christ-like quality within you; realize that you are god: that you are a part of that one, and that you are expressing him; he is expressing through you; you are his expression. "once these realizations have come into your mind, once you know who you are, then, my friends, truth shall unveil itself to you, and all shall become clear. "great wisdom must be used -- recognize wisdom when you hear it and see it. do not become steeped in your beliefs, as many of them will need to be changed in order to understand and apply the law. much has been given to you in the past; we brothers who are working with your planet, dorothy, for your people, have brought you much truth, but it has been brought to you in such a manner that you must put forth some effort to understand and apply it, and that is as it should be. we could give you many of these things in so many words and say to you, /'this is the way it is /--/ you must believe this,/' but this is not our way, for you must choose; it is your choice that you shall prove yourself. i shall repeat something that has been said many times: we cannot make this choice for you, this /you/ must do. think well upon what i have just said. "there is great work to be done among your people, dorothy; you can be of great service, but the requirements are very stiff. in is not easy in the environment in which you have received your training, many things must be overcome -- the ego must not become inflated. you must be the least among them in order to be the greatest, for i, of myself, can do nothing. it is the father within me that doeth the works. i, of myself, am nothing, but i and the father are all things -- there is no limit to what i and the father can do. "the i am; that word has been much misinterpreted in your holy scriptures. your great avatar often spoke of the i am, but how has it been interpreted by your people? they have taken it to mean the man himself, but the i am that he spoke of was not the man, it was the i am that you all possess. the father within -- the higher part of you that is the creator. he spoke not of himself as the man. you see, much of the true meaning of his teachings have been lost by misinterpretations. i say unto you again, love one another, for you are all one in this great creation. try to understand the true meaning of love, for it reaches far, much farther than you can possibly realize in your present level of understanding. learn together, help one another; receive from one another in love and understanding, for by so doing your growth shall be much more rapid; for all on earth have so much to give to each other. the veil needs only to be lifted ever so slightly for each to see that this is so. "a great deal has been written in your scriptures; there is a great deal to be interpreted. there are many keys for interpreting the writings; many of these have not been available to your people. in searching the scriptures, your people have found many things that seemed to be contradictory. this has been pointed out by many of your people, but this is only due to lack of understanding, the lack of being able to interpret. to go into the interpretation of many of these things would take great lengths of time. this, at this moment of your growth, is not of importance. before understanding of all these writings shall be made completely clear, there must be brought about among all a higher consciousness of love, of understanding, between you. when these things have been established, these vibrations -- your understanding shall become much clearer. those things shall all become clearer, understandable to all. "your master teacher stated that the greatest of all the commandments was to love. if this one great commandment, dorothy, were to be universally adopted, your planet would truly become a heavenly body, radiating a beauty and harmony that has never been known on earth before. social want and poverty and sickness would vanish from your planet forever. "a brotherhood of man would come into being, where each would take his rightful place, where everyone would do his part for the benefit of the whole. no man is entitled to more than he earns and, in universal law, no man receives more than he earns. when man has understanding and love in his heart, he is willing to earn his advancement; he is willing to work for his understanding, for nothing, my friends, comes without effort. "it is time that earthman realized his true existence. it is time that he stops living for himself and starts living for the whole. there is no other way, my friends, for any other way must go against the laws of your creator. therefore man, to exist for long, must learn to love. you see, the great difficulty for earthman is that he does not understand, he thinks of love as emotion, but true love, my friends, is understanding. therefore we must learn to understand ourselves, then we begin to understand our brothers, and when we understand man as man is, then we begin to love. we know man is what he is because he is man, and we realize that man is only expressing to gain experience so that he might know truth, and when we have this understanding, we lose hate, greed, jealousy, resentment and all these things that go to make up the conditions that are found upon planet earth today. beloved friends, we realize that this has been repeated. but what else is there to say? because, before man can have anything of value spiritually, he must have understanding, and the first step in understanding is to know one's self. as you meditate upon this sincerely, you shall find many answers coming to you, many realizations, or revelations, as they are sometimes called by earth people. "now, why is man on earth? the only reason man finds himself in this physical world is that long ago, eons of time back, he chose to experience in the unknown. much caution was given, great efforts were made by those of higher understanding and love as to the results of these experiences, but still this path was chosen. and so from higher and more pleasant planes of existence, many millions descended for an unknown experience, and that is why we find in existence today, worlds and worlds of life as you now see it. these things did not come about in moments or hours of time. neither will man return to his original state of existence in a short time as you know it. yet time is eternal. time does not pass, you are merely moving through time. and so, as the descension took place, so must the ascension, and man is climbing back on the ladder of evolvement rung by rung. if this picture could be seen and understood by each, it would make quite an amazing story. some have climbed the ladder of progress more rapidly than others, yet each in his own body is progressing step by step. "the decisions that we make as we gradually climb back towards our goal are a determining factor in the speed of our progress. nevertheless, each individual is climbing ever onward and upward, sometimes falling back for a time and then again proceeding. as we find ourselves attempting to make progress upon the wheel of incarnation, we must learn to face all situations honestly, fairly, and squarely. take each decision deep within our consciousness, and there we shall find a true answer if we are sincere and honest in our seeking. "you see, beloved friends, when the creator breathed us forth, he endowed us with this god-like ability to take all things into the core of our being, of our /at-oneness/, of our allness with his creation and, when this point has been reached, all things come into balance and we see clearly. and as we see clearly, our decisions are made and things begin to happen that bring us into harmony with creation and that, dear friends, is most important. for all creation must function in harmony if we are to have well-being, peace of mind, and harmony within ourselves. "man has allowed himself to become out of tune with creation -- or nature -- and when man is out of tune with creation, he is out of balance and he does not function as he should. the precarious situation the people of planet earth find themselves in at this time exists only because they have allowed to come into their hearts greed, hate, jealousy, self-pity, ego, and so on. man has had these things so implanted in his consciousness that they have become a part of him, so to speak. it is difficult for some of us who live in an environment of love and understanding to see how men of planet earth can be so oblivious of the things that are bringing about his downfall. over the centuries man has had the opportunity to learn of these laws. master after master has come to your planet, bringing a message of truth and love, telling earth man of the universal laws and asking him to go with their laws. buddha, krishna, jesus, muhammad, and many others have brought this message to earth people. great multitudes of earth people profess to follow the teachings of one or another of these masters. "in your hemisphere, those who call themselves christians are more familiar to you. they profess to follow the teaching of the great master you call jesus of nazareth. yet how few, even to a small degree, attempt to follow the teachings? how many do you know, would go the extra mile, would turn the other cheek, would do many of the things necessary in order to be a true follower of the teachings of this great master? "many of your so-called christian churches have removed part of the teachings from the writings that have been handed down to your people. they have decided who shall be given the teachings and what part of these teachings shall be given to their people. this, my friends, follows down to the individual, who decides for himself the certain portions of these teachings he will follow; other portions which do not suit his purpose, he will ignore. this does not work. this does not blend with universal law, for if man is to reap the benefits of universal law, he must go all the way, not a quarter or a half. i cannot love the neighbor on my right and hate the neighbor on my left, for i am not fulfilling the law if i do this. i cannot extend to one man the hand of fellowship, of love, because he is conforming to my truth or my understanding, then refuse another, because he doesn't. these are the conditions that exist among the masses on planet earth; this constitutes the race consciousness that exists. each of you who are able to rise above this consciousness, to go all the way, to master universal law -- these, my friends, will be the ones that will bring this race consciousness to a point where man of earth will move into a completely new consciousness. there are today upon your planet, many people who are on the verge of accomplishing this. they need only to put forth effort and determination to do so. "i do not imply that they are in the majority, but rather in the minority. but a minority group can do a great deal in furthering the evolvement of earthman. once this has started; and it has been started, it shall gain momentum, for the light emanated by these enlightened ones shall bring unto them many more, for all man is seeking to some degree, and any light that shines bright enough is bound to attract unto it others. so i say unto all of you, love one another. see in each a perfection that ye know exists. ah, how beautiful is the true you. of all of us. let us see this beauty. let us see ourselves and our brothers and sisters for what they are. "beloved children, let the peace of the great one sink into your hearts. be ever grateful to this great one for the blessings that you have, for through this gratitude shall come great peace and great knowing, for if we are grateful for the small things in life, the greater things are inevitable. ah yes -- so shall it ever be and ever has been for all ye who are faithful in the smaller things shall also find the greater things. let this great peace and love of the infinite one fill your hearts so full that there is no room for resentment, jealousy, hatred, or anything that is negative, for where dwells this love and peace these things cannot exist. build for yourselves, build for yourselves, not in the material for the now, but for the future, build for the future, this spiritual knowledge and enlightenment, increase your light, that it may shine forth and lighten that dark world called earth. great is the need in this hour. you can be of no greater service to your fellow man than to build your own light and use it to lighten the lives of those about you. it is not necessary to preach your truth in the temple or to shout it from the rooftop -- nay -- not so, for he who lives the law attracts unto him that, and those who are seeking to know. cast not your pearls before swine, no -- but let your light so shine as to fill the lives of those with whom you come in contact. these will be the temples that shall bring the truth to earth man; not the temples built by those who would bring to man that which they would have him know. man of earth has had the truth withheld from him long enough. now he shall have the opportunity to know the truth, and woe unto those who have falsely taught in his name. great temples of stone are not necessary in the eyes of the great one. his truth is revealed in the hearts of men. "many have been the great masters who have trod the earth. each has brought great teachings of truth, but the darkness has hidden these truths. therefore, let he who has eyes to see -- and he who has ears, let him hear and know the truth. it shall not be found in the great temples, but in the heart of man. "know ye not that ye are the temple of creation? i give a message to those of earth: open your hearts and receive this great light which is being given to you at this time. yea, i say unto you. man needs but to open his heart and receive the glory of the one great being. he need only be touched by this light to awaken in him great revelation; to bring about a degree of understanding that will put him in a path of great magnitude, great learning, great wisdom and understanding. beloved children of the light, open your hearts that this river of light might flow to you and raise you to heights far, far beyond that you can now conceive of. your love should so radiate that those about you feel you love and light whenever they are near you. this creates more desire in those with whom you come in contact, more desire to know this truth than anything you do. that is what is meant by the statement in your holy works which states, /'do not hide your light under a bushel, but let your light shine forth that others might see it.'/ this light radiates from you when you are able to demonstrate it in your own life, because your life is a happy and glorious one and it radiates all about you for all to see. "now; let me tell you a little more about ourselves and about our mission. i shall refer to our solar system as arturas, since our sun is known to your astronomers by that name. our craft is located outside your solar vortice. we came by request, by request of members of the confederation within your system. we came to help your system and especially your planet at a time of crisis. we are not alone. there are many, many craft at this time surrounding your planet. these have come from planets from your system and from many many systems. we have all come to serve, to serve your system and your planet. each has a mission to perform; each was chosen for his mission because of his particular capabilities. our main craft, which we call the mother craft, is one hundred twenty miles in length and thirty-six miles in diameter; it carries upward of twenty-five million and approximately fifty thousand smaller craft. it is difficult for you to conceive of a craft of this size, but we do not do things on a small scale. we serve only to our fullest capacity. "your people, dorothy, through all generations of time, have had the right to choose; they have not chosen wisely, so in your time you face a great crisis. we, as have many others, have come to help you. we are awakening your people in great numbers; not to any great knowledge, but to the fact that they must make a choice, that there are two paths that they can follow. to those who make the choice to serve their humanity in every way and to follow the path of service, of love, of light and understanding we pledge our help. to all who make the choice, we shall move in with protection, with love, light and truth. we shall guide them into opportunities for service. they shall find themselves going about a new way, not knowing why they do this. we pledge our protection; no harm shall come to those that make the choice in full faith and understanding. all of this we shall do and more. the powers of my people are such that any one of them could stand upon the face of your planet and perform any of the '/miracles/' described in your religious history. we do not mean to brag of our achievements, for we are servants, servants to a cause, and we are grateful and humble for the opportunity to serve you. "there are many, many brothers and sisters working for your planet and your people at this time; some of those are able to come among you and are among you. they are seen daily in your skies; many of them are living among you and are serving quietly. if they were to be known, their work would be greatly hampered, so they work quietly among you, as one of you, and thereby accomplish these missions. those brothers who are working among you were brought by craft which landed upon your planet and became absorbed into your humanity. others voluntarily came through the normal route, and live among you as one of you, many not even aware of their true identity. but at the proper time they shall be awakened, and will go about their father's work. "do you realize that these brothers and the masters who are working on behalf of earth today have made great sacrifices; they have given up great peace and comfort. they have left their homes and their friends and are passing through what is to them great discomfort and sacrifice, but they complain not. neither do they think of their sacrifices as sacrifices, but they are spurred on by the great love they have for mankind, for their desire to see man of earth raised up out of the stench in which he lives. little does earthman realize the sacrifices that are being made. how many earth people would be willing to leave their comfortable homes and work in your slums, to go there and live in the filth that exists? once you have known life on the higher planes and return to conditions that exist on planet earth, you are doing just that. these individuals come entirely by their own choice as volunteers. they are not asked to come; they are not told to come. it is their choice through their great love for mankind. "much more help is awaiting earth people if only they will gain understanding. when earthman has attained understanding, even to a small degree, peace will reign on planet earth, for with only a slight amount of understanding, man will see the utter futility of war, of hate and greed. so, my dear friends, take advantage of every opportunity to raise your consciousness. encourage your friends to do likewise for, as you raise your consciousness, you have improved the mass consciousness to a degree, and this is the one thing that will eventually turn the tide. the time is now. time has run out for your planet, dorothy. the prophecies are being fulfilled, therefore your people have no choice. the only choice man has is whether he will go with his planet into the new age, or leave his planet for one that is of a like vibration, where he must begin the evolutionary cycle all over again. for in the new age, planet earth will have a new and higher vibration, and in order to live upon it, spiritual understanding will be necessary. "nothing comes to you or anyone without effort. the seeking of truth, dorothy, requires effort, /stick-to-itiveness/, to use your terms, for in your persistence, in your search, is the thing that will bring you results. many of your people start the search for truth, but they find that it takes effort, patience, and above all great sincerity. many of them fall by the wayside when they discover that truth must be earned. they desire it provided they do not have to work for it. many times, great sacrifices are necessary to gain the truth and the experiences that will bring a higher understanding. this is as it should be, for things gained without effort, without sacrifice, are not held dear, are not appreciated and are soon lost. it is the things we gain through hard, sincere efforts and suffering that really benefit us, that bring sound growth that is permanent. "works without faith are valueless. we could give you many demonstrations that would convince you of the many things of which we speak, but this would be only temporary. for only the things that you gain through your own efforts, your own searching, your own suffering, can establish the faith in you that is necessary to reach the heights to which you aspire. "to he, or she, that sees and witnesses, it is no problem to believe. but he who sees not, and believes through faith, faith in his creator and in his fellow men, to him shall come great awakenings, great experiences. prove these truths to yourself by demonstrating, by putting them to work for you. you are not asked to accept a truth without first trying it. to see it demonstrated by another does not qualify you. you, yourself, each as an individual, must take these results and let them manifest in your own life, building your glorious light for all to see. we are still putting forth every possible effort to influence your leaders in their decisions, but we can only influence or attempt to influence. we cannot interfere physically; we cannot interfere with the free will of man, only to the point that is necessary to save your planet. man must evolve upon his own as much as possible. to interfere with the evolvement of another only brings karma upon the one who is interfering. but according to universal law, we shall interfere at the point of total destruction; that is our right. "now, what is this they called man who was given dominion over all things by his creator? how do you define this thing called man? in your existence of your plane of existence, we see man in a physical chemical body, so to speak. he functions through this chemical body, controlling it and its actions through what you call a brain. but on yet another plane of existence, after the death of this physical body, man continues to exist. here he functions in what, to use your terms, you call an astral shell. in this astral body, he moves, he thinks, he carries on life much as he did when on the physical plane, yet he does not function with a chemical body, nor does he control or manipulate his astral shell through a brain as before. he finds that thought is much more effective upon this plane. he finds that he brings into being that which he desires by merely creating a thought, and promptly this thought comes into being for him. he builds his own surroundings with very little effort on his part and these surroundings and action depend entirely upon his ability to think. but he is limited in many ways, for he has been lost for so long in a physical existence, through desires that were created within him many years back in time. he finds this desire which he has, continually pushing him, so to speak, to express in the physical or the chemical, and offtimes not realizing exactly where he is, he does not take advantage of the situation that he finds himself in, but rather tries to pull himself back into the physical, chemical plane of existence before his time. offtimes this becomes quite confusing to the individual -- and for those with whom he may make contact, who are still in the physical realm. you see, he is neither functioning on the physical chemical plane of existence, nor on the astral plane, but in a twilight world of his own creation. he has, in effect, become earthbound. now, to those who have somewhat of a higher understanding; they are able to live a happy fruitful existence in what your occultists refer to as the astral planes of existence. these higher planes are very beautiful. "as we move farther out, we find other planes of existence, other levels of life. as we pause here, we find beings of greater understanding; we find beings with greater knowledge of the universe and its functions. we find that these individuals also function in a world of thought but they have a higher knowledge of this power. they also have greater knowledge of many other powers. they have an understanding of matter to a greater degree. we find that these beings are able through their power of thought to control and manipulate this matter. they are able to change it to different forms, to bring into being that which they desire and to mold it into whatever suits their purpose at the time. they are able to transport themselves from place to place without the aid of a vehicle if they so desire. yet if they desire a vehicle in which to travel -- this can also be created by thought and the manipulation of matter. also we find that many of them can bring themselves into your plane of existence and create for themselves a chemical body to be used temporarily as they move among you and then again to be returned to the nothingness from whence they came. "how do we define this man? shall we go higher? shall we move from this realm where man lives, in a world of thought, yet he lives a life somewhat as yours in that he lives with his fellow man ... they work together, they have their homes and their families, but yet so different. "as we move on, we find ourselves surrounded by beings of such great intelligence, of such great light that our understanding of them is naught. we see nothing but light. these beings have such great knowledge and control of matter, of intelligence, of consciousness, that it is beyond our understanding. they have such great knowledge of the universe; they know of its creation. they understand consciousness. they are able to divide and subdivide their consciousness, sending it out into many spheres and many planes and there expressing it, helping to raise the consciousness of these beings on other planes that they too might someday move into their plane of consciousness. these beings, i can only state, are pure consciousness. "you ask, /'is this the ultimate in man?/' i must answer, /'i do not believe so, for i understand that man reaches even beyond this.'/ so, beloved friends, how should you define man? i have no definition for man, for man, shall we say, is inconceivable. at my level of understanding, i believe i would have to state it so. but man on earth has all these potentialities and man of earth sooner or later shall return to the high states of consciousness from whence he came. we are gradually climbing step by step. as time is never ending, so is our climb to the ultimate. a man grows and moves ever outward and upward on the spiral of evolution; he will become more and more aware of his consciousness; his consciousness will widen, and will grow ever wider. it will take in more and more of this universal knowledge and wisdom, and consequently man's understanding of how to use this consciousness will become greater and greater. man will be able to extend his consciousness over vast areas of space and encounter experiences that would otherwise be impossible. the important thing at this time, beloved friends, is to use that which you have to the greatest possible extent. use your wisdom and knowledge today, and use it in a reverent and holy way, with ever a high motive in mind. by so doing, your consciousness shall widen, shall extend out and take in more of this universal knowledge and wisdom. "once man has truly taken this step in sincerity, placed it above all else, above all other things, then he will begin to move rapidly on his course. this will not be done without effort and sacrifice. many comforts will have to be sacrificed to gain this knowledge. the great masters did not accomplish this without making these sacrifices, and they continue to sacrifice. "the great master who walked your earth two thousand years ago walks still today, unseen, but serving that struggling humanity he loves so dearly. other great masters walk with him. tears fill their eyes as they observe the horrors of men, the needless suffering, the domination of mankind, and all the evil that does prevail. "the evildoers are ignorant of the vast repercussions of their actions. they think that if they escape man-made laws they are in the clear. but they are totally unaware that each action taken of an adverse nature toward their fellow man; whether of physical violence, or destruction of freedom, or acquisition of material property through force or beguilement, must be accounted for. any action that be hurtful in any way shape or form is a violation of universal law and must be accounted for, eventually. "each hurtful act towards another accomplishes naught but to form a chain of bondage around the one taking such action. but alas, little can be done for these people at this time, for they have for so long been victims of their own material thoughts that they are no longer in command. they are ruled entirely by their own mortal self. that mortal-devil self has been allowed to feed for so long on negative destructive thoughts, that it has become the total entity. the higher spiritual self -- not having been given any expression -- lies dormant deep within. "but the forces of darkness must perish; they must be banished from your earth for all time. and out of this must come a new age of love, harmony, and understanding; an age where each shall live to benefit his brother, and not himself -- here in all problems, the answers sought shall not be /'what is best for me?/' but /'what is best for all concerned?'/ "during the transition, many changes will take place upon the surface of your planet, as have taken place before in other transitions, for, you see, systems, planets, and individuals are ever evolving, onward and upward. man does not digress; he is ever progressing. and so, we move on, ever looking outward and upward, to a new and higher understanding. those above, ever reaching down to lend a helping hand to his brother who is coming after. for as we serve those who are struggling just behind us, we also receive help from those who are just ahead of us; it is a never-ending chain." "we must leave you now, my friends," said oxal. "but before we do, i am going to place upon the heads of each of you my special blessing." he stood and raised his hands. everyone listened with closed eyes as he began to speak: "o, radiant one, send forth thy light, and surround each of us, thy children, that we may have enlightenment and wisdom. we relax and give ourselves completely to the father. we relax and give ourselves wholly and completely to him. we know that all is well as we relax in his arms. we give our whole selves to the father, we want only to do his will. we relax and give ourselves wholly and completely to him. "i am his perfect child. he guides me and directs me. he continually surrounds me with his pure white light; i visualize this radiant substance of purest white, until i actually feel the consciousness of the father. his presence, his power, his light and love flowing through me. i relax in his presence. he is the ever-loving father and creator. he loves and protects me. he is the one and only power and intelligence... i am this perfect expression... he expresses through me... i am a doer of his will... the father and i are one... there is but a single power and intelligence... this great power and intelligence is now a part of me... it is guiding me and protecting me at all times... i give myself completely to this great power and intelligence ... i am a part of it ... i live in and have my being in this, the father. amen." * chapter nineteen: americanpresidentland * everyone slowly opened his eyes. oxal, odin, and arcturas were gone. dorothy shook her head in awe. "what a wonderful experience!" she said. "and what an enlightening experience! if people on the earth could have seen and heard all of this, their eyes would really be opened." "do you think they would accept what was said, and change their ways?" asked the scarecrow. the lion and tin woodman shook their heads. "but why not?" said dorothy. "how could they help but see that their lives have great meaning -- that they don't just live and die and that's the end of it?" "remember," said the lion, "they did not believe jesus christ when he tried to tell them some of these things and, even today, many of his followers do not really follow his teachings." "yes, you're right," said dorothy. "i know a cranky old lady who goes to church every sunday, and she smiles and nods to everyone there, but we all know how mean spirited she is. she scowls at children who walk by her, as if she resents their very presence. she even tried to take my little dog away from me. "there is a jewish family in the village," continued dorothy. "their little girl and i are friends. sometimes i go to her home to play. her mother and father and big brother are so kind and loving. they are always giving me food to take home. they do not have an awful lot themselves, but they share what they have." "sometimes people forget," said the lion, "that jesus was of the jewish faith. he had no intention of starting a new religion. he was only trying to uplift the thoughts and aspirations of his people. his followers called themselves christians because they wanted to follow his teachings more than the traditional jewish teachings. his teachings were misinterpreted by later followers and sometimes deliberately distorted or had parts removed by them in order to suit the church's thinking at the time. it is sad that some christians today make judgments on the other faiths. some even go so far as to believe that non-christian religions, are doomed unless they convert to christianity. god loves all people. he is not concerned with their individual beliefs and religions. he wants only for his children to grow spiritually and to love one another; to express kindness and gentleness and to live in peace and understanding. that is all he wants. each may think as he wishes religiously, as long as those thoughts are of the highest order and as long as there is a desire to know more of the nature of god and his universe. too many are smugly satisfied with their religious beliefs and will investigate no further, believing sincerely that they have been told all that god wishes for them to know, and so will refuse to listen to any other point of view, or to study the many writings that exist, some of which are very spiritual in nature. these people deprive themselves of a great deal of knowledge, thereby inhibiting their spiritual advancement. of course, others are spiritually advanced who do not even belong to any organized religion or philosophy." "it's all so very interesting," said dorothy. "i had never thought of any of this before -- or at least very little." "most children don't think too much about it, but they do wonder about things sometimes. when you get back to kansas, dorothy, you really must find a way to bring this knowledge to the children," said the tin woodman. "although some adults will understand it, many others are too set in their ways to change their thinking or attempt to understand it. it is up to you children to change the world, and you can do it. if you will all learn to think and act in a more spiritual manner, by the time you grow up and fill all the positions of government and industry, you will be living in a beautiful world, one of harmony and honesty and trust. oh, there will still be problems, but nowhere near the degree there is now. and the adults, from their various levels of consciousness, will be amazed at what you have accomplished. and to think it will all be because each individual decided within himself to raise his thinking to a higher level and to serve his brother as himself." "i just wish it could be that simple," said dorothy. "but even if all children everywhere could be told all this; there are so many that would not listen. they would just scoff at the idea of being nice. some children just seem to delight in being mean." "perhaps that is because they have not evolved very much over their lifetimes," said the scarecrow. "and they have no desire to evolve now." "this is true," said the lion. "but this change is not expected to happen overnight. every child that does accept this philosophy will teach their own children too, and if the philosophy is taught from a young age, there is so much more chance of it being accepted. especially if it is also taught in the schools. the world could not help but improve." "what about countries," said the scarecrow, "whose governments don't believe in a supreme intelligence, life after death, or rebirth? what about them? their governments like to have full control over the people. they control the factories, the newspapers, everything! they would never allow their children to be taught this." "never say never," said the tin woodman. "i believe this old hard line thinking will break down -- ever so slowly, mind you. but mass thinking does not change quickly. as younger people with more inquisitive minds grow up and replace the old die-hards, things will change." "mortal is the word, all right," said the scarecrow. "it is the mortal mind which causes people to be enemies. the spiritual mind would never allow this." "just think what could be achieved," said the lion, "if all that money that the various governments spend on armies and sophisticated weapons could be spent on humanitarian projects ... like helping to feed all the children in the world who go to bed hungry each night." "you would think that would be a lot more important to them than arming themselves to the teeth," said the scarecrow. "but i guess that they're all so afraid of each other they feel they have to build their huge armies to protect themselves. i hope one day they'll all come to their senses and see how ridiculous the whole thing is." "i'm sure it's only a matter of time," said dorothy. "my fellow mortals can't remain in the dark ages for ever." "not to change the subject," said the tin woodman, "but where do we go from here?" "we haven't heard much of the wicked witch lately," said the scarecrow. "maybe she's gone into hiding," said dorothy. "not her," replied the tin woodman. "she's not scared of anyone." "she could be getting scared," said dorothy, "now that we're getting closer to where she lives." "why should she be scared of us?" asked the cowardly lion. "she has all that magic. we don't have any." "we may not have all that exotic magic," said dorothy. "but we have more power." "more power?" questioned everyone at once. "yes," said dorothy emphatically. "haven't you been absorbing all that we have been told? love is the greatest power in the world -- in the entire universe." "well, the proof will be in the pudding," said the lion. "what did you say would be in the pudding?" asked the scarecrow. "what i'm trying to say," answered lion, patiently, "is that when we meet face to face the real test will begin." "oh," said the scarecrow. "i understand." "we must all have faith," said dorothy, "and know that, without a doubt, we have overcome hate." everyone was so busy talking that none had paid too much attention to the surroundings. "look!" said the lion. "look at the beautiful homes!" they were very surprised to see several lovely houses scattered about. the landscaping was comprised of little wooden knolls surrounded by the greenest of green grass. little winding paths of yellow brick connected all of the houses together. the homes themselves were all of different architecture and design: from a southern mansion to a very modern split-level. one house was a very pretty tudor style home, with flowers of every variety around it. another, a beautiful spanish style home, had the most beautiful garden that dorothy had ever seen; with small lakes and waterfalls and exotic plants and trees of every variety. as they got closer, they could make out the figures of three men on the porch sitting in very comfortable-looking rocking chairs. they seemed to be just enjoying the warm lazy sounds of the garden -- the droning of a bee collecting pollen, birds chirping, and the soft rippling sound of water from nearby fountains. in front of the men, on a little round table, was a pitcher of what looked to dorothy, like ice-cold lemonade. as if reading her thoughts, one of the men said, "come and join us for lemonade, my dear. you look thirsty -- all of you, please come and sit down." the man brought out some more rocking chairs and said, "welcome to presidentland." dorothy looked up quickly. he had looked very familiar to her when she first saw him. then it dawned on her. presidentland! of course! the man was none other than president andrew jackson! dorothy gasped. she had seen president jackson's face in an american history book. "but sir," she said. "i-i thought you were...." "dead?" interceded the man. then he chuckled. "no, not at all, my dear young lady. oh yes, my physical body died a long time ago. but no one can ever really die. that would be impossible. each of us is part of creation; we are all part of the scheme of things. nothing can destroy us, nothing. we can destroy the quality of our existence by our wrong thinking and behavior. in other words, that beautiful true nature of our being can be covered up until it is invisible -- both to others and to ourselves. this true nature cannot be destroyed, only temporarily buried in the murk of mortality until either someone rescues us, or we rescue ourselves. usually it is a combination of both. now, my young friend, let me introduce you to my associates." dorothy turned to see the faces of none other than george washington and abraham lincoln. her eyes grew wide, and her heart skipped a beat as she whispered, "i am very honored to meet you, sirs," "not at all," they replied. "the honor is ours," said mr., lincoln. "it is a delight to meet such a fine young lady and her equally fine friends." they shook hands with everyone. "please be seated," president jackson said. he poured dorothy a large sparkling glass of lemonade and began to explain why the three of them -- all ex-presidents of the united states, were together. "we call this area presidentland. it is not really a land and we don't all live here permanently. but we do meet here often. that is why we have homes here. we live with our families in our regular homes throughout the land. the full name of our little club here is /'americanpresidentland/,' and it is a private club made up of united states presidents. of course, anyone can visit us, just as you are visiting us now. we are only private in the sense that we are generally alone in order to conduct the business that we must conduct among ourselves. "the reason we meet so often is because of our dear love for our country and for mankind in general, we are anxious to help resolve the many problems that exist on the earth today, and especially those related directly to our beloved country. we work with many members of the government, as well as the current president. we will be holding a full meeting very shortly. you are all welcome to join us and to observe the proceedings." "oh, we'd love to, mr. president," said dorothy. "wouldn't we, everyone?" "yes indeed!" said the tin woodman. everyone nodded excitedly. "this will really be a historic occasion, to say the least," said dorothy. "while we are waiting for the meeting to begin, if any of you have a question you would like us to answer, please do so," said president jackson. "i would like to ask what you think of the world today compared to your time," said dorothy. "that is a very good question," answered president jackson. "we could all talk for days on that subject. would you like to answer first, george?" he said to president washington. president washington looked rather stern as he spoke: "the world has certainly changed since my day. but that is to be expected. things cannot stay the same if progress is to be made. "unfortunately, nearly all of the progress being made is of a material nature. there is nothing wrong with material progress, of course. and science has certainly made some amazing advances since my time. the unfortunate part is that spiritual growth has not advanced at the same pace. as a consequence, the world is presently in a very unbalanced state. we are all quite alarmed by it. something must be done soon to get people to change their ways -- to be more considerate of one another, to show more concern -- to have more love in their hearts. "our great united states of america must lead the way. we must be a light unto the world. yet presently we are much alarmed over the state of our nation. before she can become that beacon of light, there are many things she must put in order. we have the best system of government in the world, but the government must be purified -- the people must be purified, and this can only be done by taking the little children and teaching them strong moral principles, the importance of honesty and integrity -- of love and compassion -- of fairness and justice -- of the value of human freedom, of god, and the nature of the universe. to instill in them a great love for all nature, for all mankind. the adults must become examples to the children. when someone who is in a position of public trust -- such as a member of the government -- turns dishonest, and the public reads about it, they shrug their shoulders and say, /'another dishonest politician/.' the children hear and see all of this. then they grow up with a very negative outlook towards politics. many don't even vote, rationalizing that it doesn't matter who gets into power, for they will sell what principles they have for money. "politicians who do turn dishonest and lie to the american people have no idea of the damage they do to our beloved country. needless to say, most of the people in government posts are dedicated, honest people, seeking only to serve. but it is the dishonest ones who undo whatever good the majority are able to achieve. "of course, a few are in politics for the power. not to mention the lucrative lifetime pensions at the end of their service. they do not necessarily take money dishonestly, but they weaken the entire structure just the same, because their motives are selfish ones. "people from all walks of life; doctors, lawyers, government workers, factory workers, people who work in stores -- all of these people are the strength of our society -- of our way of life. but if dishonest; even in the slightest; they drain this strength off and weaken our nation. "many people justify stealing from their employer -- from the government -- from the insurance company, by thinking, /'other people do it, why shouldn't i/?' or /'if i don't do it, others will,'/ or /'they can afford it. they won't even miss it/.' but these people are just as deadly to our society as the hardened criminal who cashes bad checks or pulls a gun. for they are not really stealing from their company or from the government or from the insurance company, oh no. they are stealing from their brother and sister -- from their fellow human beings. because business must figure in these losses as part of the cost of doing business, the price of their products or services must increase accordingly to all the people who avail themselves of these goods or services. "thefts from government, for example, must eventually mean higher taxes. so you see, any form of stealing, whether by a hardened criminal with a gun, or by a clever employee falsifying records, serves only to weaken the entire economy. government funding of research for projects that are of interest only to a few is also a form of stealing, unless, of course, the results of that research will ultimately benefit the many. gross inefficiency, through lack of concern -- all these things are forms of stealing. the greedy and the selfish who indulge in these activities serve themselves at the expense of their fellows. what they fail to see is that their gains are temporary -- they will eventually pay the price. one cannot take from another, or hurt another in any way, without eventually taking from oneself -- for all are one." "well now, george," said president lincoln, "i realize that this is all very interesting and a very important topic. but we must be watching the time." he turned to dorothy, smiling. "you must excuse george. he really gets carried away at times. he would talk all day if we let him." president washington placed his hands on his hips, pretending to be indignant. "listen to who's talking," he said. he whispered loudly into dorothy's ear so everyone else could hear: "he only wants me to stop talking so he can talk." "now, now boys," interceded president jackson. "no bickering in front of our guests. presidents are supposed to be dignified." president lincoln turned to dorothy. "i'm afraid all presidents like to hear the sound of their own voices. it's a built-in trait of all politicians and actors." "well, i think that's part of the charm of both politicians and actors," said dorothy. "most seem to have very vibrant speaking voices." "if you have any more questions," said president jackson, "we can talk as we walk to the meeting." "well," said dorothy. "i was wondering which political party is the best for our country, republican or democrat?" president jackson chuckled. "well now, the answer to that would depend on which president you talk to. but perhaps you'd like to hear what president lincoln has to say on that subject. i'm sure he's most anxious to answer this one." "thank you, andrew," responded president lincoln. "you're quite right, i would like to answer this question. neither the republican nor the democratic party would be good all the time, dorothy. if one or the other is in power too long, the country tends to go too far in one direction. balance is the key word. by alternating the power every few years a balance is maintained. that is why in so many other countries the masses are unhappy. they have had one system of government for too long. that is why dictatorships are bad, or where the government is so powerful, so strong, that the people cannot vote for a change. "you see, there are certain individuals who see themselves as a sort of god above all the people. they think they know far better what is good for the people than the people do. so they treat the people like children. and anyone who opposes them is treated like a naughty child and punished. in other words, the '/children/' are not allowed to disagree with them. that is why in many countries there is no free speech. that is, people have to be very careful what they say, or someone will tell on them and they will be punished. even the newspapers and radio are all controlled by the government. it is hard for us to imagine -- but it is true. the factories, and the railroads, the electrical power -- all are under government control. even the housing. needless to say, people are not very well off. that is to say, most of the people. the ones in power always make sure they feather their own nests. yet these governments are generally founded on the principle that all are equal, and will share in the national wealth. it sounds a little bit like oz, doesn't it? but unfortunately, the results are not at all like oz. you see, oz doesn't have any greedy people, or people who become overwhelmed by their own power, except for the wicked witches, of course. also, if someone in oz decides that he'd like a bigger house, or more land, he has only to ask. but in the countries we are referring to, the government sets rules and regulations in all things. a person is not even free to travel where he wishes. and the people in power are quickly filled with a sense of their own importance. it is very dangerous for any nation to allow a small group of their citizens absolute control over them. people cannot handle having absolute power over others. when one person can do anything he wants to another person without fear that he himself will be punished, it is very difficult to keep a balance. this enormous feeling of power seems to bring out the worst of human behavior. some of the worst atrocities mankind has ever suffered occurred under these exact conditions. "when people in power know that there will be no repercussions for what they do, it is very few indeed who can remain dignified and just. it is under these kinds of conditions that people are thrown in jail without trial -- executed, have their property confiscated, or their families abused; et cetera. "no group can be a law unto themselves. that is why our founding fathers wrote the constitution as they did. they knew the dangers of tyranny, for they had experienced it first-hand. so they built in safeguards. free enterprise must flourish. individual initiative and hard work, honesty and integrity, must be recognized and rewarded. these are the strengths of our nation. individual effort is the key to a nation's greatness. no laws must ever be passed -- tax or otherwise -- that would inhibit individual ambition and initiative. and to paraphrase one of our peers: /ask not what others can do for you, but rather, what you can do for others./ "and i might add, although god created all men equal; the right to enjoy that equality must be earned. one cannot be expected to shirk one's duties to self, to family, to country and still hold one's head high as an equal member of society." as president lincoln continued to talk, they arrived at what appeared to be a southern mansion with the traditional white pillars. as she drew closer, it became apparent to dorothy that the building was an exact replica of the white house. dorothy noticed that other men were arriving too. it was as if an american history book had come to life. their mode of dress ranged from the s to the present. many of the faces were quite familiar to her; others she recognized but could not quite place. then it dawned on her; each of these men was, at one time, the president of the united states. several smiled and nodded as they walked by. some stopped to say hello to presidents washington, lincoln, and jackson; others gathered in little groups to chat, while others went directly inside. "shall we go in?" said president washington. the interior of the mansion was most luxurious. the furnishings were mostly antique. beautiful paintings and tapestries hung on the walls. as they walked, their feet sunk into deep soft carpeting. here and there were little bowls of colorful flowers. the whole atmosphere was warm and friendly -- it gave dorothy a most happy feeling inside. they walked into a large room which had a long, beautifully ornate oak table in the center. around the table were matching oak chairs with one at the far end slightly larger than the rest. "as you can see," explained president jackson, "one chair for each united states president -- past and present." dorothy appeared somewhat puzzled, and was about to speak, when president jackson continued: "as you know, most of the american presidents have left their earthly bodies and now live here. however, at any given point in time there are usually one or more ex-presidents still in their physical bodies as well as, of course, the existing or current president. a chair is required for each of these people because, although they are still on the earth, they are able, while in restitude, to depart temporarily from their physical abode -- their bodies; and join us for our meetings. "incidentally, time is not the same here as on earth. for example, we could have a meeting here which lasts for several hours. but only minutes would have elapsed on earth. peculiar, isn't it? you will understand why this is so at a later date. "now, the earth presidents will more than likely not consciously remember their visit here. in fact, it is very difficult for anyone to recall such visits upon awakening. but these visits are so very important. a great deal is impressed on the subconscious level of the mind during these excursions and much is accomplished." president jackson sat down and motioned dorothy and her friends to do the same. "i think the proceedings are about to begin," he whispered. dorothy looked around the table. what a distinguished sight to behold, she thought. every single president of the united states of america. and to think she, little dorothy from kansas, was here with them as a guest. she had noticed earlier that each chair had a beautifully designed silver nameplate attached with a president's name engraved. two dates also appeared. one said "birth date," the other "transition date." she noticed that the transition dates on the chairs belonging to the current president and ex-presidents still on earth had not yet been engraved. she wondered if those dates were known in advance by those present who had already made the transition. the presidents were seated in sequence, beginning with george washington, and ending with the current president. the only chair not in sequence was president andrew jackson's, whose chair was the larger one at the end of the table. president jackson now stood. he spoke with a strong, vibrant voice. "let us recite the pledge." everyone stood and, holding the right hand over the heart, began.... /"i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."/ "please be seated," said president jackson. on the wall behind president jackson was a large sculpture of a beautiful eagle. it appeared to be made of solid gold. in each corner of the room was a large american flag. dorothy thought: "what if aunt em could see all this?" president jackson began to speak again. he spoke of the early days of the republic and the spirit of independence. as he spoke, dorothy could hear ever so softly the strain of the beautiful music of the national anthem. an unseen angelic choir began to sing the words, followed by /america the beautiful/ and /god bless america/. tears came into dorothy's eyes and flowed unashamedly down her cheeks as a great love for her country welled up inside her. the entire scene was just too much for her to bear. as she dabbed her eyes she could hear president jackson saying, "...and now, gentlemen, before we begin our meeting, allow me to introduce our very distinguished guests. this is dorothy gale from kansas. and with her are her friends from oz: nick chopper, the scarecrow, and the lion. they are all on a very important mission. they are trying to bring light and love to people who need it the most. their present assignment is a lost soul who is filled with bitterness and hatred. let us wish them well in their noble endeavor." everyone stood and clapped his hands vigorously. dorothy was filled with emotion. to have all the presidents of the united states stand and applaud her and her friends was just too much for her. she shook her head slowly, as if to say, "what we are doing is nothing compared to what you gentlemen are doing." as if reading her thoughts, president jackson raised his hand to quiet the applause. "you know, dorothy," he said, "you may feel that what you and your friends are attempting to do doesn't warrant much admiration. but believe me, you have the admiration of all the enlightened souls of the universe. for what you are attempting is no easy task. to reverse the attitude of one filled with such hatred and venom is not only extremely difficult, but very dangerous. it takes a great deal of courage to do this work. so many keep to themselves and make no attempt to help those of little understanding. that is why we express our admiration for you. we love you all very much. it is you and others like you who are the hope of america, and of the rest of the world. "to be good is not always popular, and you can be savagely persecuted for your goodness. this brings a great deal of pressure upon the young people. the ones who can maintain their goodness in spite of the social pressure to be drawn to the lower levels of expression are to be commended indeed; and all of us who are working to raise the level of consciousness of mankind will be working with these courageous children, for they are the true heroes. they are the ones that should be looked up to. they are the ones whose behavior should be emulated. and those adults who do anything to influence the minds of children in negative ways; whether it be by the spoken word, written page, or the camera -- woe unto them. if they could only see what lies in store for them, they would change their ways very quickly. unfortunately, most will have to learn the hard way. and believe me, it will be hard for them and for others who insist on staying on those low levels of consciousness. evolution for these people could come to a screeching halt; and they may have to begin the difficult climb all over again. you see, the earth is coming into a new age. a golden age. and those who are refusing to evolve spiritually will not be allowed to share in this golden age, for they have not earned the right. but sad to say, few will recognize the need to change their ways. "as for the people who introduce our precious young people into alcohol or drugs, or who make such dross readily available to children: nothing can save them except an immediate stop to this activity, and the devotion of their lives to helping those who have had their lives torn apart by this despicable material. the same can be said about those who promote hate for others, simply because they are of a different race, creed, or religion. "man-made laws may be escaped from, but the universal law cannot be. that in itself is a universal law. "imagine if you will, a criminal on the earth having all of his criminal activities automatically recorded into your court records -- no matter whether he was caught or not. well, that is how it is with universal law. no one escapes his misdeeds. all must be accounted for. but i am afraid, dorothy, that if the people on earth were told this; they would, for the most part, merely scoff -- they just would not believe it. and so they go on in ignorance, thinking that they are getting away with something. they are like children growing up who will not listen to their parents -- they have to learn the hard way." dorothy nodded her head thoughtfully. "well," continued president jackson, "we must press on with our agenda." he motioned towards president washington. "would you like to take over, george? i've talked long enough." "thank you, andrew. i'll be glad to. but i don't think anyone could talk long enough on the subject of child abuse -- and mankind's general ignorance of universal law. "as you know, gentlemen, we have offtimes discussed the ills that plague society. and especially the activities which hurt the united states. the question i now pose to you is: how can we solicit help from the people themselves?" "well," someone said, "we do bring certain ones over here while their physical body is resting." "yes," agreed president washington. "and we are able to achieve much. but often commitments made here are not carried out, simply because they are not consciously remembered. mortal influences often inhibit the best of intentions. no -- what we need is help from the children." "how can we achieve that?" asked president jackson. president washington thought for a moment. "the children's book our girrephalump friend mentioned would tell of dorothy's experiences in oz and about all of us and what we are trying to accomplish. such a book would not only be enjoyed by the children, it would serve to uplift them and inspire them to work together to improve the world they were born into." "but we all know how hard it is to change public sentiment -- to change people's way of thinking. and if such a book were to be written, people would not believe it. they would simply see the whole thing as a fantasy." "perhaps most adults would not believe," replied president washington. "but the children will. children know when something is true. adults have suffered too much from learning. they don't believe in anything unless they can see it, hear it, touch it, taste it, or smell it. our only hope is the children. if we can just get the word to them, they will listen and they will understand. "collectively, the children have tremendous power. if we can win most of them over, they could boycott the negative images presented by adults through so many mediums. they could stand up en masse against the creatures who would push those destructive nightmarish drugs on them. "the children can wield a great power over the adults who wish to draw them into negativity. they have been pushed around and manipulated for too long simply because they are small and easily influenced. "they must stand up and be counted, and say to these adults, 'you cannot make me read or hear your despicable words, or see your despicable images, or take your despicable drugs or alcohol or tobacco. we refuse to be manipulated any more. your greed for money allows you to do things to hurt us. that greed has overwhelmed any feelings of compassion and love you might have had. you don't care if you hurt us, as long as you make your filthy money. even you adults who own legitimate businesses who make certain /'medicines'/ and other products which you know can hurt people. you are equally guilty. we will not buy your products, and as we grow up we will not give you money for all these things and we will teach our children to do the same. we children can change the world. we children will change the world. when there is no more money to be made from all these things, you adults will cease the activities forever. then the world will be a beautiful place to live in. and we will be proud because we will have done it. we children will have turned the world around by ourselves. and all the other inhabitants of the universe will be proud of us and they will visit us and help us.'" president washington stood and threw out his arms. "that is what these children will say, my friends. they will show unscrupulous adults that they no longer have any power over them." everyone stood and clapped loudly. "hear, hear!" they shouted as they applauded. president jackson turned to dorothy. "will you do it, dorothy? will you tell your story?" "i will indeed," said dorothy. "i certainly will." everyone clapped again. "good girl," said president jackson. "we have accomplished a great deal already, and our meeting has barely begun. would you like to continue, george?" "thank you, andrew," nodded president washington. he stood and began to speak again. "gentlemen, as you know, i fought for seven long years with my brave men to weather the tyranny of the english monarchy. when the war was over, i surrendered my authority as commander of the american forces to congress, and i retired to my home at mount vernon. i had scarcely returned to private life when the clash of civil strife broke our newfound peace. rumors of rebellion, talk of monarchy, and schemes for military dictatorship alarmed me. i then urged the formation of a strong government, not by the scepter or the sword, but by discussion, propositions, and ratification. to this end i accepted membership in the constitutional convention of . i presided over its deliberations and acted as conciliator behind the scenes. my friends pressed me to lend the weight of my name to the federal experiment agreed upon. so i accepted the presidency, and for eight years devoted my energies to the new civil administration. i took great care to install as members of my cabinet men loyal to the new order. under my administration the federal judicial system was created. we arranged to pay our revolutionary debts, a protective tariff was enacted, the first united states bank was established, and encouragement was given to commerce. we were on our way." president adams spoke up: "there was much turmoil in those days. i was, as you know, vice-president during george's two terms. thomas, here, returned from france to serve as secretary of state. he later assumed the position of vice-president with me, and four years later replaced me as chief executive. we did not always see eye to eye then, but we did later become good friends. and curiously, we both died on the same day, july fourth, ." "oh yes, i remember it well," smiled president jefferson. "do you remember when you first drafted the constitution of the united states?" said president washington. "yes. that was an exciting time for me," replied president jefferson. "which brings us to the next point. it's quite interesting to hear the discussions revolving around various interpretations of the constitution." "people seem to read into it what they wish to believe. it would be nice to be able to go back and explain some of the fine points. i don't think the wording of the constitution leaves any room for doubt," said president washington. "if people would only read it objectively, without bringing their own emotions and self interest into their interpretation." "so true," sighed president jefferson, shaking his head slowly. "but isn't it human nature to see things as we want to see them?" "indeed," said president jackson. "legislators have much to learn in this regard. it is ironic that once elected to power, the voters who brought about the election are often forgotten. the will of the legislature is quickly substituted for the will of the people. any law of the land which is unpopular with the majority of the people should be seriously reviewed, and repeal strongly considered. the government is, after all, the servant of the people. unfortunately, many government members see themselves as rulers of the people, and feel that they must think for the people. the intelligence of the masses is often underestimated. government tends to think of itself as a superior body." "yes," replied president jefferson. "i cannot disagree with you. but remember, also, that the bills which are passed are not the same bills as were originally drafted. they have been revised to satisfy various special interest groups, and have special interest clauses tacked on the end just before being voted on. the people often get the short end of the stick; and the bottom line is that the taxpayer pays the bill. the taxpayer should have more control on how his money is spent." "but that is the reason for the elected officials," said president adams. "it would be too cumbersome for the taxpayer to study every issue and vote intelligently on them. that is why he elects representatives to study these things in depth; and to think and speak for him, and to vote on his behalf." "what it all boils down to," said president washington, "is how devoted and dedicated your elected representative is, and how much time and energy he puts into doing the job you elected him to do as opposed to how much time is put into politicking or serving those special interest groups." "exactly!" exclaimed president jackson. "which brings us right back to where we started. as was told to dorothy in elfland, any government -- no matter what name is given to it -- is only as good as the sum total of the individuals who make it up. if all of these individuals are honest and devoted, dedicated servants of the people, the people will have a fine government. "i think we all agree on that. and although not all individuals who make up the present united states government are of the highest integrity, our basic system is still the best in the world. it remains only for us to continue to help and guide these dedicated individuals, and to work with those who are not quite as dedicated or as honest as they should be, in order that we might uplift their level of consciousness." everyone applauded vigorously. president washington next addressed president lincoln with a comment that he hadn't been saying much, and he thought there should be some discussion on the merits of elected as opposed to appointed officials. president lincoln stood. he smiled kindly at president washington. "sometimes silence is stronger than the spoken word. i concurred in what was being said, and i didn't feel i could add to it. why clutter up the proceedings with a lot of unnecessary rhetoric? as for the elected/appointed question, i think we should save that for our next meeting. i've a feeling it will be a very long discussion." "well said," acknowledged president washington. "too many of us politicians talk too much. but of course that fact is not entirely unknown to the general public." everyone laughed. at this point president madison interceded: "forgive me for interrupting, mr. president, but i think we need to address the problem of elected officials as a whole. how can we be sure of electing only those who have the best interests of our beloved country at heart?" "i think herein lies the problem," said president adams. "everyone has his own opinion as to whether or not a given policy is within our country's best interests. who is to be the supreme authority on the matter?" "if there were only two people left on earth, there would be a difference of opinion," said president lincoln. "therein lies the uniqueness of mankind." "how can we be sure," said president adams, "that this difference of opinion will never become so great that it would again divide our beloved country into warring factions?" "we can never be sure of that," said president lincoln. "there are those that would try to divide us in order to conquer us -- that they may force their system of government upon us. a system of government where, unfortunately, freedom of the people is not the highest priority." "gentlemen!" said president madison. "doesn't it all boil down to what we said earlier? that it all begins with the children. if they were taught from a very young age the importance of high moral principles, they would grow up with these high ideals inside of them, and those elected to office would be there to serve all the people in a fair and equitable manner that would not, for example, bend to pressure, or the offer of monetary gain from the special interest groups." everyone nodded in agreement. president madison went on: "as you know, i served for two terms of office. prior to that i served tom here as his secretary of state. they were troubled times then, and i could foresee that our country would face many problems in the future. many social problems. i felt then, as i do now, that america's hope -- the hope of the world -- lies along the path of honesty, integrity, and justice. it is the only way. and those who would follow another path are traitors, not only to their countrymen, but to all mankind." everyone applauded loudly as several voices interjected with, "hear, hear," "well said," "so true," et cetera. "you know," said president monroe, "if all people of the united states could see us now, to see that we are all still alive, and how very concerned we are about our beloved country and the rest of the world, i wonder if many of them would change their thinking. especially if they knew that they, too, would not really die." "i think they will change," said president adams. "when they see that the short life given to them on earth is not given to see how much property and money they can amass, but is given to allow them the opportunity for spiritual growth, and in order that they might leave that earthly world a better place for those that come after them. of course, if a fortune happens to be made while making the earth a better place and making life better for their fellow men, all well and good." "but so many put the making of a fortune their first and foremost objective. it is such an obsession for many that they don't care who is hurt or that the world will be worse off for them having lived there. these people often are miserable and lonely, their vast fortunes of little comfort to them. they come into this realm with no money physically, of course -- and paupers spiritually. they are a sorry sight to behold, indeed. as you know, after we arrive here, we reflect upon our life in great detail. so, when these people contemplate all they have done with their lives and compare that with all that they could have done, they practically cry out for the chance to do it over, for the chance to make amends. but it is too late. they must live with their memories. as we all know, they will eventually be given the chance to make amends. however, all of what they did could have been avoided if they could have known in advance what the results would be." "oh, they knew all right," said president lincoln. "we all knew prior to our birth on earth, but our desire for mortal expression is so strong that our higher self is delegated to a place deep in our unconscious so that it won't interfere with what we wish to do mortally. we cannot blame our actions on a lack of knowledge. no, any action we take on earth is of our own volition. we must accept total responsibility. and, as we all know, universal or karmic law will eventually balance the scale.... how soon we choose to learn our lessons, or how long we wish to prolong the agony is entirely up to us." "when dorothy returns to kansas and tells her story; and when her book is published, many people will be reminded," said president anderson. "but they have been reminded before," said president adams. "how many great teachers have come and gone? yet the world goes on with its foolishness and its wickedness." "can you imagine how much worse conditions would be in the world had these masters not lived?" replied president anderson. "many people did listen to the wisdom of the masters, and changed their lives accordingly. even today, their great works are studied, and the way of life advocated by them is practiced by thousands of good people all over the world." "that is indeed true," replied president adams. "but while the religious writings of today contain many pearls of wisdom and are most helpful in keeping one on the spiritual path; the governing body of the clergy of the various ages held back from the people the inner knowledge in order to maintain the power of the church: thus assuring their own, and the church's financial integrity and security. "much of what the great spiritual masters actually said has become distorted over the years and key parts of their doctrine deliberately withheld. the ministers of today have no written record of those lost teachings and so do not believe that they ever existed. "if people were to realize their true relationship to the source of all knowledge and all power and that they themselves were an integral part of that source, they would be amazed. they have no idea that they are divine beings in their own right, with no need for an intermediary. "it is not in the best interests of the established church to teach this, even if the ministers and priests believed it themselves. for the church would lose its hold over the masses and therefore lose much of its power. far better to keep the people in ignorance, and make the path to salvation a very narrow one. "reincarnation, as we all know, hasn't been taught by the church for centuries. wasn't it in constantinople in the sixth century that the church fathers decided that it would not be wise to retain the doctrine of reincarnation in the holy scriptures for fear that the people would not see the need to go to church if they knew they had many opportunities many lives in which to make amends? but the church thought it far better to teach that man only had one life. only one chance to repent. "the church had nothing to fear if they had only realized it. but they were afraid that if the people were to know that they did not only have one chance to repent their wicked ways they would say, 'why should i change? i will live forever regardless.' "but it would have been better for the church to teach men the truth. and to teach that as long as the children of god refuse to change they will simply be prolonging their agony through many lifetimes, and keeping what could be a delightful planet in a permanent state of agitation and misery. "it takes many lifetimes for a soul to work its way out of the mortal environment once entrapped there. for one's own mortal mind is the biggest obstacle to overcome." "i cannot disagree with anything you've said," president lincoln intercepted. "i had trouble accepting the orthodox teaching myself. i had to modify my thoughts on the matter because of my position at the time. "but i must point out one thing. the traditional orthodox teachings cannot suddenly be changed. people need the stability of the traditional church service. besides, these services are not all fire and brimstone, many are deeply spiritual in nature. to suddenly take that away would be confusing to many, and perhaps some would be lost completely. instead, the church fathers should develop open minds and study not only the esoteric teachings, but review in depth church history and especially the content of the texts of meetings in which official policy was established regarding what would be taught or not taught to the people. then, once they have developed a thorough understanding of the human motivation behind the teachings of certain doctrines, they should be in a position to gradually introduce to their congregations a more universal understanding of the nature of creation and man's true place as a co-creator with his god. before any of this can take place, the church fathers must lose their self-image as all-knowing teachers and see themselves as fellow students learning along with everyone else. men can become very pompous and pious over their positions in religious orders and can be most reluctant to release their illusions of self-importance and their hold over the ignorant. however, the writing is on the wall. even now, subtle changes are taking place within organized religion. people are at last awakening, asking questions; no longer satisfied by the smug answers of the past. i foresee the dissolution of the many doctrines and creeds and the formulation of a new universal understanding. i see temples of wisdom upon the earth where people are taught the ancient philosophy, and where one can meditate and really communicate on a one-to-one basis with that supreme intelligence which in reality is their own higher self. this coming era will be that long-promised golden age on earth when the wicked and all those of a lower order of vibration will no longer be able to dwell upon the earth, but will through that transition called death be delegated to a distant planet to begin the whole cycle of evolution all over again. i would emphasize again however, that to many people the established church is a of critical importance -- they really need that structure in their lives, they find great spiritual solace in the traditional services. to suddenly take that away from them would be highly irresponsible." president jackson stood up. "gentlemen," he said, "let us take a recess." he turned to dorothy and company. "would you care to walk in the garden?" the back door of the hall was opened, and everyone streamed outside. the scents of various flowers and blossoms filled the air. "you know, my dear," president jackson said to dorothy as they walked. "you are more than welcome to stay as long as you like. but as you can see, in spite of our pledge to reduce our rhetoric, we politicians are notoriously long-winded. i expect that this meeting will last for weeks, as all the other presidents have yet to speak." "well," said dorothy. "i do enjoy listening to all that is said, but we have a great deal yet to accomplish. perhaps we should be continuing our journey. i shall be sorry to miss hearing all the presidents speak." "you are welcome to visit us any time," said president jackson. "after you return to kansas, just focus your thoughts on us upon retiring for the night, and visualize yourself with us. when you fall asleep, you will be there." "thank you, everyone," said dorothy. "this has been a delightful experience and a wonderful privilege." "the privilege is all ours," said president jackson. "goodbye my dears, and god-speed." many of the presidents came over to shake hands again. all of them waved goodbye. * chapter twenty: captured * dorothy's little band walked back the same way they came. as they walked past the presidents' homes, the scarecrow remarked that it was a most interesting experience. everyone nodded in agreement. "i'm just afraid," said dorothy, "that aunt em and uncle henry just won't believe a bit of this. the more i tell them about oz, the less they believe!" "perhaps you shouldn't tell them all at once," said the tin woodman. "perhaps you shouldn't tell them at all," said the lion. "perhaps you're right," sighed dorothy. "it is too incredible for anyone to believe." "not anyone," said the tin woodman. "remember what president washington told you? that you are to tell that writer of your experiences and that he will write them down and that many children and even some adults will read it and although not everyone will believe it -- a great many will be helped. so your experiences will not have been in vain." "yes, i suppose you're right," said dorothy. "but i do wish aunt em and uncle henry would believe me." "hey!" said the tin woodman excitedly. "i have a wonderful idea. why don't we transport your aunt em and uncle henry to oz? then they'd have to believe." "that is a wonderful idea," said dorothy. "can we do it now?" "well, it's going to take a great deal of arranging, i'm sure," said the scarecrow. "we'll have to talk to glinda about it. or maybe the good witch of the north. i'm sure we'll be able to do it somehow." "i'll bet if they came here they wouldn't want to go back to kansas," said dorothy, excitedly. "in fact, if uncle henry and aunt em were here, i wouldn't want to go back!" "dorothy," said the tin woodman very solemnly. "i'm sure it's very necessary that you return to kansas. in fact, as you know full well, you have a very important part to play -- a very important part. but one day, when your work is done there, you will come to live in oz with us for ever." "oh, it will be so marvelous, won't it?" said dorothy. "indeed it will," replied the tin woodman. everyone nodded vigorously. "also," added the lion, "perhaps many of the boys and girls who read your stories will come and visit us." "that would really be nice," said dorothy. "of course, they would probably want to go and see the wicked witch, even though it would be kind of scary for them. "speaking of which, have you been noticing our surroundings? things are beginning to look very spooky." sure enough, as they had been walking, everyone was too busy with the conversation to notice the changing landscape. they seemed to be in a thick dark forest, with strange grotesque shapes peering at them through the shadows. shrill sounds of forest animals and birds could be heard in the distance. and the darkness was falling quickly. the lion walked a little closer to dorothy and held her hand. "as you know," he said, "i now have courage and i'm not afraid. but i think i should hold your hand so that you won't be afraid." dorothy smiled to herself and said, "thank you, lion; it is a little scary." just then, a piercing scream rang out. everyone jumped with fright. all the shadows in the trees seemed to come alive and slowly weave towards them. the branches and vines from the trees caught at dorothy's hair and dress. as the little group's pace quickened, a vine from a grotesque-looking tree caught around the lion's throat and appeared to be trying to choke him. the tin woodman jumped into action and hacked it off with his ax. a loud squeal seemed to come from the tree as the ax cut the vine. "quickly, everyone! run!" shouted the tin woodman. they all ran like the wind, weaving in and out of the trees, with the vines swirling and clutching at their arms and legs. now and then, someone would become entangled, and the tin woodman would stop and run back to hack off the vines. each time he did so, a loud, human-sounding scream would ring out from the tree. the sounds of those screams chilled dorothy to her bones. as she ran, she could feel herself getting weaker. she was becoming exhausted. the vines seemed to be everywhere, clutching and clawing at her. suddenly, the dense foliage came to an end as they all found themselves in an open clearing. dorothy dropped to her knees, completely exhausted. "thank heaven!" she panted. "thank heaven we're out of that awful place." she got up and embraced the tin woodman. "what would we have done without you?" she panted breathlessly. the tin woodman looked a bit sheepish. "i am a woodman, you know, and i know my work. though i must admit my work has never attacked me before." everyone laughed. "well, thank goodness we're out of that mess," said dorothy. "it was horrifying." unfortunately, the feeling of relief they all felt was to be short-lived. dorothy had barely finished speaking when the lion said, "you are all growing taller." everyone laughed in surprise, for it was he who was getting smaller -- or so it seemed. in actual fact, he was sinking slowly into the soft ground. they all ran at once to pull him up, but, the more they pulled, the more he sank. it was as if a strong force was sucking him in. "ahhh!" yelled the tin woodman. "it's got me, too!" he was already in the ground up to his knees when dorothy reached him. "it's no good," he said. "i'm sinking too fast." while dorothy was trying to pull the tin woodman out, the scarecrow yelled, "now it's got me!" he was flailing his arms about and grabbing at the tufts of grass in a desperate attempt to escape the dreadful suction. but it was no use. by the time dorothy reached him, he was actually up to his waist. dorothy was afraid to pull on him too hard, for fear he would tear and all the straw would come out. she looked around her in desperation. by now, the lion was up to his neck; she ran to him and grabbed his big ears. "ouch!" the lion yelled. "you're going to pull my ears off!" dorothy let go and started to sob. "i'm losing you," she cried. "i'm losing all of you!" just then, the lion yelled out, "hey! i'm not sinking any more!" "oh thank goodness!" shouted dorothy, greatly relieved. the tin woodman and scarecrow -- who were by now also up to their necks - shouted out in unison, "i've stopped, too!" "well, thank heaven!" said dorothy, now crying with happiness. "i'll go and try to get help." she had barely said the word 'help' when a piercing cackle filled the air. it was a sound they all knew so well and dreaded so much. swoosh! the wicked witch's broomstick flew past the scarecrow's left ear. then swoosh again. this time past the lion's right ear. she headed for the tin woodman, screaming as she flew: "got you now, my beauties! ha ha haha!" dorothy stood spellbound as she watched the witch perform her acrobatics. suddenly, the witch zoomed upwards, high into the air, as if leaving. but she turned quickly and pointed the broomstick directly at dorothy and zoomed towards her like a rocket. the broomstick was about three feet from dorothy's face when she turned it up slightly, barely missing dorothy's head. as she swooshed by, she cackled loudly, her screaming laughter filling the air. she did this several times, scaring dorothy half to death. dorothy had to move from side to side each time the witch attacked her, or she would have been hit. * chapter twenty-one: a surprising reversal * at last the witch seemed to tire of her terrorizing. she made one final swoop at dorothy -- screaming in her ear, "well, my little pretty, what say you now? i'll be back presently with my soldiers to take you all to my castle. no use looking for help. there's no one here in witch forest except my friends, the trees, and they're certainly not going to help you." she made one final sweep towards the scarecrow, lion, and tin woodman, screaming with her maniacal laughter. "well, how's the bag of straw and the tin can?" she cackled. "not to forget the king of the jungle! a-a-a-a ha ha ha hee hee heeeeeeeeeee." while she was screaming, the tin woodman managed to pull one arm free. as she flew over his head, he grabbed the tail end of her broomstick. it stopped -- but she didn't. she flew head over heels through the air. over and over she went, landing upside down, her head stuck in the mud. dorothy ran over to her. by the time she got there, she was already up to her waist, her legs sticking out and flailing around frantically. she obviously could not breathe. dorothy grabbed her legs and heaved, but she couldn't budge her. "she'll die for sure. run!" said the scarecrow to dorothy. dorothy hesitated. as much as she had been abused by the witch, she could not bear to leave her to die. "look!" said the tin woodman. one of the witch's legs was waving back and forth, with her long, pointed shoe vigorously jabbing towards a tree stump. "looks like she's trying to tell us something," shouted the scarecrow. dorothy ran over to the tree stump. "i can't see anything unusual about it," she said. meanwhile, the witch's kicking got weaker and weaker until she was not moving at all. "she's dead," said the lion. "the wicked witch is dead. she must have suffocated to death." "well, that's that," said the scarecrow. "she'll never scare or harm anyone again." "why aren't we all shouting and dancing for joy?" said the tin woodman. "we couldn't very well dance anyhow," said the lion. "and i don't think anyone feels like singing." "i was hoping that we could change her," said dorothy. "there'd be so much more satisfaction in that, than seeing her dead. now, wherever she is, she's the same old wicked person." "what do you mean, wherever she is?" said the lion. "she's right there! look at her legs sticking out of the ground." "no. i mean wherever her spirit is. you know that no one can really die." "oh, i see," said the lion. "you mean, whichever level of spiritland she's now in, it's probably not a happy one." "yes," said dorothy. "she's had a chance to learn here. but she has refused to learn. now she'll be on a very low level with others of her kind. there's very little likelihood of her advancing much unless someone of a higher level is able to break through the barriers of her negativity." dorothy sat dejectedly on the tree stump. "now we've got to find a way to get you all out of here," she said, cupping her face in hands. suddenly, the stump began to sink. "oh, my!" cried dorothy, jumping up. as she did so, there were several loud popping sounds. the mechanism that had sucked her friends into the ground had now reversed itself. one by one, they all popped out like corks from a bottle. the last one to pop out was the witch. however, unlike the others, her body lay lifeless upon the ground. "you must have released the suction by sitting on the tree stump," said the scarecrow. "yes," dorothy replied. "now we know what the witch was trying to tell us." "too late for her," said the tin woodman, looking at her lifeless form. "she's deader than a door-nail." they all walked over to where the witch lay. "it would be a beautiful world if all the bad people in it were dead," said the lion. "i wonder why god lets bad people live," said the scarecrow. "sometimes a good person dies young, while a bad person may live a long life." "why does god even allow bad people to be born in the first place?" asked the tin woodman. "he must know they're going to grow up bad. doesn't he know the state of their soul before they're born?" "god knows what is in everyone's heart," said dorothy. "and he knows the chances are great that certain souls will give way to evil. but, since he loves all souls equally, he must allow each the opportunity to evolve to a higher understanding." "but," said the scarecrow, "what about the really bad ones? who, no matter what they go through, continue to be as evil as ever? it's not fair to the good people to have these people on earth with them, hurting them and doing all the terrible things they do. god must know that no matter what, these people are going to lead their entire lives in an evil way." "that's true, i'm sure," said dorothy. "but, you see, all people on earth are on that particular planet for a reason. each soul has certain experiences to go through. very little is really accidental. some souls make a great deal of progress through these many experiences, others very little. but the experiences are necessary. everyone must be allowed the opportunity for growth." dorothy was quite aware that the words of explanation coming out of her mouth were originating from a much deeper level of consciousness, just as she'd been told. "any experience that is gone through with others is quite possibly the result of past experiences with the people involved. something that has happened, perhaps eons of times past, has brought these souls together again. sometimes again and again, for they fail to learn each time. it could also be that other people whose lives are touched by this experience -- perhaps family members, have something to learn. however, all adverse experiences could be avoided or at least reduced in severity if the same lesson could be learned in any other way. "for example: if the bad person were to say to himself, prior to performing an act of violence, /what am i doing? this violent life i am leading is getting me nowhere. i am not only hurting this person, but i am hurting myself -- my family -- my victim's family. what kind of a life is this? i will stop this life here and now. i will replace this black ball of hatred inside me with a brilliant ball of light -- of love. of love for my fellow humans and for myself/." "if this was said and acted upon, the angels in heaven would rejoice. for it would mean that another lost soul had returned to the father. "it is not always necessary to go through a harsh experience to learn a lesson. prayerful contemplation can bring about the desired change of heart much easier. but it seems mankind is determined to take the painful way to spiritual growth. "some people think that bad experiences are punishment by god. of course, this is not true. if it is punishment, it is ourselves punishing ourselves. the experiences are the result of our own wrong thoughts and actions, the result of our listening more to our own mortal mind, rather than our higher self. the resulting pain from our having to live in our self-created environment prods us on to improve. "of course, self-improvement can be quite slow, and it may take quite a bit of this self-inflicted pain before the truth finally dawns on us. we are where we are because of the actions of the past. if we want to improve our lot in life, we'd better start improving ourselves. "criminals, for example, think that they can take a short-cut to happiness by robbing and stealing. they think that, if they have a lot of money they'll be happy. but by taking that money dishonestly, the farther from true happiness they'll be. "true happiness is of a spiritual quality, and must come from within. if these people had instead chosen the spiritual path, the substance they were seeking would come to them naturally. "our scriptures talk about the importance of seeking first the kingdom of god, and that the rest would be added to us. these ancient writers knew what they were talking about. but how many people of today pay any attention to this kind of advice? they think they know better. "people on the mortal realms can be so foolish. riches galore are all around them, but they cannot see these spiritual riches because of the need they feel for material things. "they misinterpret a deep longing inside them, trying desperately to fulfill themselves. but their task is a hopeless one, for no material possession, of itself, can fill the void. "most interesting," said the scarecrow. "certainly makes you think," the tin woodman said. "i didn't know i knew these things," said the girl. "although i have the feeling that all i have said, i have known all along." "i suspect that everyone, deep inside, knows these things," said the lion. "it just takes a desire for spiritual advancement to release that inner knowledge into the conscious mind." "well, i really wasn't all that conscious of what i was saying," said dorothy. "i suppose that's because the conscious mind has to do with the world around us, whereas the inner knowing is something we all have but rarely listen to. we are all just too busy with the outer goings-on." "besides," interceded the lion, "those that are on the spiritual path are being taught these things during sleep. remember that was told to us? and, although that teaching is not consciously remembered, it is slowly transforming our character and will gradually affect world consciousness. especially as each of us begins to listen more to our inner self and less to the outer self." "look!" said the scarecrow. "the witch! she moved!" everyone ran over to her. but she was as still as ever. "i'm sure i saw her leg move," said the scarecrow. "maybe she's not quite dead," the lion said. "quick! take my hat!" shouted the tin woodman to the scarecrow. "get some water." "but it's got a hole in it," said the scarecrow. "well, put your finger over it," said the lion. "i don't think my finger will hold water," replied the scarecrow. "it's filled with straw." "i'd better go," said dorothy. "in the meantime, slap her face." "i'll be glad to!" said the scarecrow. dorothy ran over to a little stream and filled the tin woodman's funnel-hat with water. she walked back as quickly as she could and threw the water in the witch's face. the witch moved ever so slightly, but did not awaken. "well, she's still alive, all right," said dorothy. "that's amazing," said the lion. "but what is even more amazing is that the water didn't melt her away like it did her sister. we must have all temporarily forgotten about that in our excitement." "she must be made of a different material," said the tin woodman. "i wonder why we're trying to save her," the lion said. "if she recovers, she'll just attack us again." dorothy, ignoring the lion's remarks but bracing herself, began mouth to mouth resuscitation. sure enough, the witch began to stir. "she's coming to," said the lion, stepping back slightly. the witch's eyes opened and looked evilly from side to side. she looked around her, but could see only a few blurry shadows. gradually, her eyes focused on dorothy's pretty features. hatred began to well up inside her. she stood up shakily, then collapsed in a faint. "quickly!" said dorothy. "more water." the lion ran to the stream and filled the tin woodman's hat to the brim. he carried the funnel in his mouth as he ran back to dorothy, spilling most of it on the way. dorothy sat the witch up and pressed the rim of the funnel to her lips. "drink," she said as she tilted it. the witch took a sip, then collapsed again. "i don't think she's going to make it," said the tin woodman. "we must try to save her," said dorothy, as she sprinkled the few remaining drops of water on the witch's face. the witch opened her eyes again, then sat up by herself. she looked incredulously at dorothy, and, shaking her head in disbelief, said, "you are trying to save me?" her voice was little more than a whisper. "you must get some rest now," said dorothy. "we'll talk later." the witch closed her eyes and seemed to go into a peaceful sleep. "well, what shall we do now?" said the lion. "at least she didn't get mad at us," said the scarecrow. "we'll let her rest," dorothy said. "then we'll see what she has to say." the girl lay back and closed her eyes. presently, she drifted into sleep. she began to dream of her adventures in oz: of meeting her friends for the first time, and of meeting the wicked witch of the west in her terrible anger after dorothy's house fell on the wicked witch of the east. she dreamed of returning to oz for the second time and meeting the wicked witch of the deep south. then she dreamed that all three witches were attacking her at once. the wicked witch of the west screamed at her: "so, you thought you'd get away from me, eh? well, i've got you now, my little pretty!" she screamed again with that horrible cackle that all witches seem to have. as her scream tapered off, the wicked witch of the west's ugly, one-eyed face loomed up right next to dorothy's face. she glared at dorothy and screamed, "you thought you'd liquidated me, didn't you, my pretty? well, i'm right here! and two of my sisters are here, too. and we have a nice little surprise for you." at that, the wicked witch of the deep south cackled loudly behind dorothy. as dorothy spun around, the witch threw a rope around her and tied her arms tightly to her side. they all grabbed the little girl and pushed her roughly into a chair. then they tied her wrists to the arms of the chair. directly above the chair was a big black pot, bubbling and steaming. it was suspended by two chains on pulleys. a rope was tied to an iron ring at the base of the pot and looped through another iron ring on a big wooden beam. the end of the rope lay coiled on the floor. the wicked witch of the west picked up the rope and began to tug on it gently. the black pot tilted slightly. seeing the alarm on dorothy's face, the witches cackled in sadistic delight. "now, we'll see how you like this, deary," screamed the wicked witch of the west with heinous laughter. "we'll teach you to interfere with us." with that, she gave a big tug on the rope. dorothy screamed as the thick black steaming liquid hit her face. but, instead of being scalding hot, it was icy cold. she awoke with a start to find that the scarecrow was splashing cold water in her face. "what happened, dorothy?" said the tin woodman. "are you all right? you were crying out in your sleep." "oh," said dorothy in relief as she recognized everyone. "thank goodness it was only a bad dream. the witches were about to scald me to death." "we couldn't wake you," said the lion. "that's why we sprinkled the water on her face." "oh, what a terrible nightmare it was," said dorothy. "thank you for waking me when you did." just then, the wicked witch of the deep south opened her eyes and sat up. she looked around, slowly. dorothy stiffened, expecting to hear the usual barrage of abuse. instead, the witch spoke quite softly. "so, my little one," she sneered, "you decided to help me, eh? well, it won't do you any good." "you would have died, if it hadn't been for dorothy," said the scarecrow. "really now?" said the witch. "is that true, dorothy dear?" "yes, it is," replied dorothy quietly. "why would you want to save me?" said the witch in the same mocking tone. "because all life is precious," said dorothy. "even yours." "precious to whom, might i ask?" "well, isn't it precious to you?" replied dorothy. the witch didn't answer. instead, she stared straight ahead, as if mesmerized. "well, isn't it?" asked dorothy again. "no," said the witch, her voice shaking as if she were about to cry. dorothy was quite surprised by the turn in events. she had never seen the witch so docile, so dejected. her voice softened. "is there any way we can help you?" she asked kindly. the witch stared at dorothy. suddenly, tears began to roll down her cheeks. "no one has ever been kind to me before," she said. "why are you?" "because we love you," answered the little girl. "we couldn't show our love to you before because you expressed so much hatred towards us that it made us fearful of you." "but how can you love someone who hates you?" "do you still hate us?" asked dorothy. "i don't know," replied the witch, uncertainly. "i've never known anything but hate." "well," said dorothy, "we've never known anything but love. you see, when people are unkind towards us, we try to respond with understanding and sympathy. and although their attitude can be quite disturbing to us, we know that to return hatred back towards them would only intensify the situation. to return hate with hate wouldn't help the hateful person in the least. and it most certainly would not help us." the witch thought for a moment...."you know, i have never talked quietly like this before. not even to my sisters. it gives me a good feeling inside. now i am beginning to experience a strange feeling i've never felt before. i think it's a feeling of compassion, almost of love. "this is very difficult for me to say, dorothy. but i am very sorry for all the anguish i have caused you and your friends." dorothy put her arms around the witch and hugged her. "it was worth going through it all to see you making this transition," said the girl warmly. tears now rolled freely from the witch's eyes. dorothy began to cry, too. "my heart is very happy for you," she said. "you have entered the door which leads to heaven. for many, that door is never opened. yet all have the key." "i think i know what you mean," replied the witch. "that key is love, isn't it?" dorothy nodded silently and hugged the witch tightly. "we are all going to be very good friends," she said. suddenly the witch looked very sad. "what's the matter?" asked dorothy. "i'm so ugly," said the witch. "i think that's one of the reasons i became so hateful in the first place." "hatefulness will make anyone look ugly," said dorothy. "true beauty is within. an overwhelming feeling of love and kindness could never be ugly." the witch brightened up. "do you think i can become attractive?" she inquired hopefully. "of course," replied dorothy. "you are already becoming so." sure enough, the witch's features were changing. the harshness and the cruel lines around her mouth were dissolving. the greenish tinge to her face was changing to a soft pink glow. the transformation was amazing. except for the black cloak and pointed hat, one would never know she was the dreadful wicked witch. her face was actually beautiful now. her long jagged nose had shortened considerably, giving her quite a sophisticated look. the witch was wondering why everyone was staring at her so intently. "what's the matter?" she asked, rather alarmed. "look at your reflection in the water," said dorothy. the witch ran over to the pond. she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her reflection. "this is unbelievable!" she said excitedly. dorothy walked over to her. "when we get back to oz, where our friend the scarecrow is emperor, we must find you some new clothes. you will accompany us on our journey, won't you?" "oh, yes," replied the witch. "thank you. i can't stay in this place now. i will never return here. oh, this is so exciting! i'm so looking forward to visiting the emerald city! it will be a pleasure to accompany you. i feel as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. i have lived in a lonely, cold, isolated world all my life. now i am looking forward to meeting people and enjoying life. who knows, perhaps i may meet a handsome prince." dorothy put her arm around the witch. "this is indeed a wonderful moment for all of us." well," the witch said, looking around at all her friends, "are we all ready?" everyone nodded vigorously. "then off we go!" they all joined together, arm-in-arm, and began to sing as they danced along. "we're the best of friends together, so happy, so jolly. we're the best of friends together, as happy as can be. we're the best of friends together, and nobody -- ever, can part our compa-nee.... not n-o-o-o-body -- ever -- can part our compa-nee, -- part our compa-nee -- part our compa-nee when the song came to an end, the witch said, "i'm so happy, dorothy, to have such kind and loving friends. oh, what a fool i've been all these years. i took great pleasure in hurting people and making them fear me. but it was a pleasure that didn't come from deep within me. not the kind of pleasure that makes you tingle with joy, the way i feel now. no, it was a selfish, sadistic pleasure derived from the feeling of power over others. what a difference between the two. there is no comparison. but, you see, i had to experience the kind of feeling i have now to know the difference. and it was your being kind to me in spite of this cruelty to you which brought me into this wonderful new understanding. i feel as if i have been rescued from a deep, dark, cold dungeon in which i have spent all my life; as if i've been brought out of perpetual darkness into bright sunshine. it is truly wonderful." "it has made us all very happy, too, to see you so happy," said dorothy. "it is difficult to love someone who obviously hates you, but we know that hatefulness and resentment are not natural expressions of humanity, but are caused by a lack of understanding and knowledge of universal laws. once people become locked up into this self-created prison, it is almost impossible to break them out of it. but, if we don't try, there can never be any hope for any of us." "well, i'm certainly glad you tried with me," said the witch, "or i'd still be there, and totally unaware that in reality i was locked up in my own prison and had thrown away the key." "well, you are free now," said dorothy. "and, with that experience behind you, you will have the understanding to be able to help others in similar situations. that is why we must always show compassion for those who express hatred and resentment, for they are extremely unhappy people, crying out for help. we must mentally surround them with love. for to do otherwise means we are caught up in the same trap they are." "well, look how far we've walked." dorothy gestured towards the houses they had passed when they first entered americanpresidentland. the houses were quiet, with no signs of life anywhere. "the meeting must be over," said the lion. just as he spoke, a shape jumped out of the bushes at him. the lion jumped with surprise. the shape growled, but, upon seeing the lion, the growls subsided and changed into a sort of purring sound. the shape was none other than another lion. and what a pretty lion. she had long curling eyelashes and beautiful big brown eyes. the cowardly lion was absolutely spellbound. his heart pounded furiously. he tried to speak but couldn't. eventually, he managed a weak whisper. "hello." "hello," replied the other lion, rather coyly. "where do you live?" "quite a long way from here," said he, somewhat embarrassed by everyone looking at them. dorothy said, "why don't we leave these two alone for a while to get acquainted? we'll walk slowly, lion," she said, "so you can catch up. miss lion is welcome to join us if she wishes." "thank you, dorothy," said the lion. the female lion looked quite pleased by the invitation. "well, i'm very happy for you both," replied dorothy. "now you each have someone to share your life with." "she is a very lovely soul," said the lion, looking into his companion's eyes. "it seems as if we were just made for each other." "i'm sure you were," replied dorothy. "i'm sure you were." * chapter twenty-two: a political discussion * the journey back to oz was quite uneventful. everyone just enjoyed each other's company as they talked of many things. "you know," said the tin woodman at one point, "one of the most pleasant aspects of life is having good friends: someone you can talk to who understands you, and with whom you can share your hopes and dreams and innermost thoughts." "yes, friendship is a wonderful thing," said dorothy. "i was quite a lonely little girl on the farm until i met all of you. now i have the most wonderful friends in the world." "thank you, dorothy," said the scarecrow. "we all feel very fortunate to have you as a friend, too. you have taught us many things." "well, thank you," said dorothy. "i know i have learned an awful lot from all of you. and we have all learned tremendously from the friends we have met on our journey." "i know i have learned a great deal lately," said the witch. "thanks to all of you." "thank you," said dorothy. "i think all people everywhere learn from each other. that is part of the joy of life. if there could be no friendly exchange of thoughts and ideas with others, life would not be too meaningful." "it would be terrible to live one of those countries where people can only read news that the government allows them to read," said the tin woodman. "or where they cannot voice criticism of government programs and policies." "the government in those countries must be terribly insecure and fearful," said the scarecrow. "i would say that would have to be true," answered dorothy. "hmm," said the witch. "much like my own kingdom was. a rule of fear instead of a rule of love." "when people are afraid to say anything against their system of government or their leader, then that is a rule of fear, yes," said dorothy. "why could i not see that at the time?" said the witch. "because," replied dorothy, "your love for yourself, or at least your love of power, was stronger than your love for others." "i had no love for others," said the witch. "only contempt." "exactly," said dorothy. "thank heaven you saved me from myself," answered the witch. "now i am loved for myself. the power i care for no longer." "don't you see," replied dorothy, "once you have given up the power, you receive it. you have more power now than you ever have had." the witch raised her eyebrows questioningly. "i do?" she said. "of course," replied dorothy. "you now have power over yourself. that is harder to accomplish than obtaining power over ten million people. and because you have power over yourself, you have obtained the respect of all who come into contact with you. so now you have power over everyone. but this is the power of love, the strongest power in the universe. these little dictators and government officials who think they have so much power are pitiful sights to behold. they have no power at all compared to you, now." "well, isn't that something?" replied the witch incredulously, shaking her head. "isn't that just something?" * chapter twenty-three: up, up, and away * by this time, the little group had walked all the way back to the river. they had passed very few people on the way. they had not even seen any octapong when they walked through octapongland. once in a while they caught a glimpse of someone, but it seemed to dorothy as if people were deliberately avoiding them. "it's me," said the witch suddenly. "what?" said dorothy. "it's me," repeated the witch. "i'm the reason." "you're the reason for what?" asked dorothy. "i'm the reason people are avoiding us. they don't know i've changed." "oh," said dorothy, "of course! i should have realized. oh, well, we'll soon be in the emerald city. then we'll get rid of these distinguishing clothes." "how are we going to get back, dorothy?" asked the scarecrow. "that's a good question," replied dorothy. "it's just too far to walk." "i have an idea," offered the witch. "if the tin woodman could cut me some long straight sticks and some rushes, i will make broomsticks for all of us." "will they fly?" asked the lion, nervously, looking at his new companion. "of course they will fly," replied the witch. "just because i am a reformed witch doesn't mean i have forgotten my craft. the only difference is i'll be using my magic for good instead of evil." "wonderful," said the tin woodman. "i'll get right to work." "oh, this is exciting," said dorothy. "imagine! flying on a broomstick. now, what would aunt em think if she could see me? she'd probably faint." the tin woodman returned with an armful of sticks. the scarecrow and lions followed behind him, carrying rushes. the witch quickly got to work. she bound the rushes to the sticks with vines that the had been gathered from the trees. "there!" she said proudly. "now we're ready to fly." everyone stooped to pick up a broom. "looks like just an ordinary broom to me," said the scarecrow. "will it really fly?" "not yet," said the witch. "i have to say the magic words." she held her arms over the brooms and began to chant: "gena-mena-wena-bena-chickama-lonka-stu rinky-dinky-zinky-winky-kikala-plonka-klu little broomsticks, there you lie ... make ready to fly into the sky." suddenly, there was a blinding flash of light, followed by a huge puff of smoke and a very loud peal of thunder. "it is done," said the witch. everyone rushed over to the broomsticks. "they don't look any different," said the lion. "pick one up," said the witch, "and sit on it, like this." the witch picked one of the broomsticks up herself and sat astride it with the broomstick pointed upwards. "all of you do the same," she said. "now, we'd better have a little flying lesson before we begin. everyone ready? handles pointed up. and away we go...." what an amazing sight it was! the tin woodman narrowly missed crashing into the scarecrow. the lion barely missed the witch's head with his dangling feet, but slightly brushed his lady friend who didn't mind a bit. however, the scarecrow's broomhandle somehow got pointed downwards, and he headed very fast for the ground. "up! up!" shouted the witch. he managed to turn upwards just in time. soon everyone was doing beautifully, swooping down on each other and veering away just in time to avoid a collision. "wheee!" squealed the lioness. "this is fun!" everyone was having such a good time that they forgot about continuing their journey. "all right, everyone," said the witch. "i can see you are all accomplished flyers now. i believe we should be on our way." "absolutely," said dorothy, who was enjoying herself as much as anyone. "all right. here we go." up, up, and away they went, high into the sky. "look down," shouted the witch to dorothy. "oh, how breathtaking!" gasped dorothy. the land of oz stretched out beneath them in a panorama of colors and shapes. the red country of the quadlings was in the south. the blue territory of the munchkins lay to the east. the western country of the winkies was its proper yellow, while the purple gillikin land was at the north. the sparkling green emerald city, of course, was in the center. as they flew back downward, they could make out more details. "look!" said dorothy. "there's octapongland directly below us!" they could make out groups of octapong scattered about, looking at them. "let's take a closer look!" shouted dorothy. down they zoomed, over the heads of the octapong. the octapong stampeded like cattle, their eight legs running like the wind, with that one shoe going clippity-clop. dorothy shouted for the octapong to stop, but to no avail. pretty soon the octapong had outpaced them, for they could run extremely fast. up again they flew, as they were all anxious to reach the emerald city. * chapter twenty-four: at last, the emerald city * "approaching emerald city!" shouted the lion. "point your broomsticks down," said the witch. "we're coming in to land." as they zoomed down, people strolling about the streets looked up. "run!" they heard someone shout. "run for your life! it's the wicked witch!" "oh, dear," said the witch. "it's these clothes again. they never fail to put a scare into people. my pointed hat especially scares them." "then take it off," shouted dorothy above the wind. "it won't be long before you'll be rid of the witch-clothes, too. i don't think, though, that the people are as frightened of those as they are of the broomsticks. i should have thought of that before." everyone landed without mishap. of course, the streets were now deserted. they walked across the street to the scarecrow's palace. oddly, the entrance was barred. "i'm locked out of my own castle?" said the scarecrow, as he rang the bell. a little door in the big door opened, and the guardian of the gates peered out at them. "who are you?" he said, rather sharply. "i am your king, as appointed by the wonderful wizard of oz himself. this is dorothy, and we are her friends." "what about her?" said the guard, staring at the witch suspiciously. "she's our friend, too," said the tin woodman. "i don't believe you," said the guardian, and he slammed the little door shut. the tin woodman banged on the door with his fist. "go away!" shouted the guardian. the tin woodman banged on the door again, this time using his ax handle. "i said, go away!" the guardian was obviously getting quite perturbed. "what shall we do now?" asked the tin woodman. "let me try a different tactic," said dorothy. she knocked on the door lightly and said, "please open the door. we can explain." the little door opened slowly. "i'll say you need to explain," said the guardian. "nobody has a wicked witch for a friend -- except another wicked witch." "well, i'm not a wicked witch," said dorothy. "i'm a friend of the scarecrow's." "she's not," said the guardian. "and she's not a friend of the scarecrow's. and if she's your friend, your scarecrow must be an impostor!" with that, the door slammed shut again. "now what?" said the scarecrow. "he doesn't even believe i'm really me!" "i have an idea," said dorothy. "knock on the door again." the tin woodman knocked loudly. "what is it this time?" said the guardian impatiently, while opening the little door slightly. "you don't understand," said dorothy. "she's our prisoner." "i thought you said she's your /friend/," retorted the guardian, mockingly. "well...." dorothy hesitated. "well, what? i'm waiting," replied the man. "well, she's sort of our friend, too. you see, since we captured her, she has turned out to be quite nice." "it's probably a trick," said the guardian, suspiciously. "you can't really blame him for being suspicious," said the witch. "i've been hated for many, many years. it's going to take a while for people to get used to my new image." "i suppose so," said dorothy. a few moments later, the little door opened again. but this time it was not the guardian. instead, it was princess gayelette, the reclusive but highly respected sorceress from the north. she and her husband, quelala, had come to ask for an audience with his majesty the scarecrow. upon finding him away, they had remained to look after the palace until his return. quelala, although not a magician, was widely known for his wisdom and understanding. gayelette was known for her powerful magic, which she used only for the good of the people. she was never known to harm anyone, and her concern for people and other sentient beings made her a favorite all over the country. as she stood in the doorway, her gaze fell upon the scarecrow and his friends. "it is you," she exclaimed. "i was rather doubtful, from what the little guardian told me. he said something about a witch. but, of course, our scarecrow would not be associating with a wicked witch. even with my own magical charms, i try to avoid such individuals." "oh, my!" she said as her eyes met those of the witch. "then, is it true?" the princess was visibly shaken. the witch smiled nervously at princess gayelette and curtsied. "i am very pleased to meet you, your highness," she said. "and i feel most honored and privileged to be in your company." princess gayelette smiled rather weakly and shook the witch's hand. "let us retire to the meeting hall," she said. "i have a feeling you have a long story to tell." when they reached the meeting hall, the scarecrow excused himself for a moment to arrange for some refreshments. "make yourselves comfortable," he said. "i'll be back in a moment." later, when the straw man returned, everyone was very relaxed, sitting in large, comfortable reclining chairs that the palace staff had made available. "i'm being very inconsiderate, dorothy," said gayelette. "i'm sure you must be tired and weary from your long journey and all your adventures. please enjoy your refreshments. we can meet and hear the whole story a little later. one of the maids will show you to the gardens after you've rested. we can meet there. in the meantime, i wish to have a talk with our ruler. we have some serious thinking to do, and only his hand-manufactured brains will suffice." after everyone had eaten (except the tin woodman and the scarecrow who were manufactured beings and had no need of food and drink), a youthful maid led the others upstairs. the apartments were very spacious and beautifully furnished. the witch immediately indulged herself in a long, relaxing perfumed bath. she had never felt so wonderful in her life. after her bath, she put on a silk robe that had been laid out for her. she sighed with contentment as she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. soon she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. when the witch awoke she felt wonderfully refreshed. she got up and walked over to the open window and looked out. the view of the royal garden was very beautiful: trees and flowers of every variety; thick, lush green grass with little benches here and there to sit on; a little stream cascading over beautiful ornamental rocks, creating miniature waterfalls. there was also a large lake on which white swans swam lazily through the water. what a contented scene it was. the witch walked back into the room. the perfumed aroma of the garden permeated the apartment. "how delightful the scarecrow's palace is," said the witch out loud. "so peaceful. oh, how i'd love to live here. "well, i'd better get dressed. i'm sure everyone will be meeting soon." when she opened the closet door, she caught her breath. the closet was a large one and completely filled with the most beautiful of clothes. she chose a gorgeous eastern-looking gown. the material was most exotic. it seemed to be pure silk, yet it had a sheen so reflective that it appeared to be woven with a thread of pure emerald. attached to the gown were shimmering emerald earrings and a necklace. there was also a bracelet made of emeralds, rubies, and diamonds. just then, there was a knock on the door. it was a young girl about dorothy's age. "my name is jellia," the girl said. "jellia jamb. the scarecrow asked me to assist you. i am quite good at styling hair. may i?" she said, steering the witch into a chair. the witch's hair was long and straggling. jellia jamb set about coifing it. and what beautiful job she did. she then cut the witch's long, pointed, curling nails and delicately manicured them. jellia stepped back to observe the witch. she gasped with amazement. "why, you look exactly like that princess who has been visiting! look -- look in the mirror." the witch turned to look in the full-length mirror. "oh, my," she said, holding her hand to mouth. "i can't believe it." for standing in the mirror appeared to be princess gayelette herself. she was stunningly beautiful. the witch was visibly shocked. "i can't believe it," she kept saying. "i've come from being an ugly old hag to a beautiful princess." she shook her head in amazement. "i could very easily be mistaken for gayelette herself." "come," said the little girl. "let us join the others in the garden. i can't wait to see their faces." a few moments later, they arrived at the gazebo. "i think we are a little early," said jellia. "no one is here yet. come." she took the witch's hand. "let us sit down and chat." a few minutes later, dorothy arrived. "oh," she said, as she saw jellia and the witch. "princess gayelette. what a beautiful gown!" "and allow me to introduce jellia jamb, one of the children of the emerald city. she and i are old friends," the witch said, with a wink at jellia. "i'm very pleased to meet you, dorothy," said jellia. "i've heard so much about you. our ruler, the scarecrow, talks about you all the time. and you are even mentioned in our history books at school." "really? i'm most honored," said dorothy. "perhaps we could get together after the meeting," said dorothy. "i would like to find out more about your schools here in oz." "i'd like that," said jelia jamb. "oh, here's princess gayelette now." "i beg your pardon," said dorothy. "i thought this was...?" her voice trailed away as gayelette approached. "but, but ... then ... who is ... oh!" it suddenly dawned on dorothy. "then this must be...." "the witch," said the witch. "yes, indeed, it is i. we could not resist playing a little trick on you, dorothy. i hope you didn't mind." "not at all," replied dorothy. "i'm just amazed." princess gayelette and quelala were no less amazed. gayelette just kept shaking her head as she stared at the witch. as the others arrived, they did double-takes when they saw the witch and princess gayelette together. "please sit down, everyone," motioned gayelette. "this is no less amazing to me than it is to all of you. as you can see, we could be twin sisters. but the pieces of the puzzle are all falling into place. i'd like to tell you a little story which may help to explain the remarkable resemblance. "the story begins in a tiny village in oz. at that time, it was known as ozcott. my father had a country home there. "one day, the wicked witch mombi captured me. she was afraid that my magic would become more powerful than her own, and planned to nip that in the bud so that she could become the most powerful person in oz. however, unknown to mombi, my baby sister was about to arrive. when mombi found out, she was furious. she went to our house in the dead of night and stole ozetta from her crib. she then contacted /her/ sister, the witch who ruled the deep south, and asked her to take ozetta. the sister was very happy to take the little baby, as she was quite old and wanted to pass on all her witch's secrets. "i managed to escape, but my dear baby sister was never seen again. we'd all thought she'd died. however, unknown to us, she'd been raised by that wicked old witch and later took her place, so no one ever knew the difference. so this lady, dear friends," said gayelette, with tears in her eyes, "is, i believe, my long-lost sister, ozetta." with that, ozetta and gayelette ran to each other and hugged one another tightly. tears were rolling down their cheeks as they hugged and kissed. "the fact that we look so much alike leaves no room for doubt," said gayelette to dorothy. "and, to mark this joyous occasion, i declare this day a national holiday." a little gillikin, who was standing by, scurried off to spread the good news. "well," said gayelette, with her arms around her sister's shoulders, "this is a very beautiful day for all of us. i'm so very grateful to you, dorothy, and to all of you, for the part you played in releasing my sister from her bondage, and bringing her back to me." "i would like to thank all of you, too," said ozetta, "for all you have done for me, and especially for this present moment. i have never experienced such joy, such happiness. i didn't know such feelings of ecstasy could exist. i grew up feeling only the emotion of hate. the person i called my mother was not good to me. she screamed at me all the time -- her eyes constantly filled with hate. she verbally abused me. she even hit me when she was just in a bad mood -- which was most of the time. she acted as if she felt ashamed of me. when she taught me black magic, i directed the hate i felt for her to others, weaving it into the magic spells i cast on them. now i see that the hatred and resentment i wove into those spells only came right back to me. i reaped exactly what i sowed. i could say i didn't know any better, but i did. i just refused to listen to that inner voice -- my conscience. as far as i was concerned, i had no conscience, felt no remorse for what i was doing. my conscience was buried, with no chance of seeing the light of day. yet, i knew something was wrong, for i was not a happy person. how could i be? but i would not allow myself to think about such things -- to try to analyze why i was not happy. that is, until you came along, dorothy. it took you, with your deep understanding, to bring me to a new realization -- a new beginning. i was a lonely, ugly old witch, and now i am a beautiful princess with a beautiful sister and lots of wonderful friends. i will be eternally grateful to you, dorothy. all of you." ozetta then hugged them all in turn. "i know you miss your family, dorothy," she said. "and that you must return to kansas. but i want you to know i will visit you often. and i know you will visit us here." thank you, ozetta," said dorothy. "i beg your pardon, your highness. for your are really a princess now, and should be addressed as such. it gives me great pleasure, your majesty, to see you so happy, and to know that you and princess gayelette have found each other. i look forward to seeing you again very soon. i have a feeling that there are other missions planned for me in oz, and i suspect that i shall be needing some help when that time comes." "me! a princess! i know now it's true, but i can't believe it. yesterday i was a mean ugly old witch, and today a young and beautiful princess. i'm sure it's all a dream, and i shall wake up to reality at any moment. but i will be waiting with great anticipation for your return, dorothy. and i'll practice my magic every day." "and i'll keep my ax razor-sharp," said the tin woodman. "and i'll find ways to use my heart. i'll help people whenever i can." "and i'll read a lot of different books," said the scarecrow, "to keep my brain nice and sharp." "i'll find ways to test my courage," said the lion, "so i'll be brave enough to tackle any situation we may encounter." everyone crowded around dorothy to bid her goodbye. there were tears and laughter as they all hugged and kissed her. the scarecrow then took dorothy by the hand. "come," he said. "i have been asked to bring you to see someone prior to your return to kansas. this someone is a very special person. after your discussion, he will escort you home." dorothy turned to wave a final goodbye to the others. there were tears in her eyes. "we'll all see you in our dreams," said the tin woodman, "so be sure to think about us before you go to sleep at night." "oh, i'll always be thinking about you," said dorothy. "but especially i'll be thinking about you when i'm falling asleep." "good," said the lion. "and don't be too surprised if you hear a couple of lions roar just as you fall asleep. " "oh my goodness, that might wake up aunt em," smiled dorothy. "won't that be a surprise for her?" said the lady lion, mischievously. everyone laughed. princess ozetta blew her a kiss. "call on me, now, if you ever have a problem." "i will," said dorothy, her voice beginning to break. "i will. oh, i will. thank you again, all of you.... i'll see you soon." "now you take good care of yourself!" said the gayelette. dorothy nodded, afraid to speak lest she break down. * chapter twenty-five: a mystical encounter * "where does this mysterious stranger live?" dorothy asked the straw man, as they entered the house. "well, he doesn't exactly live in oz," replied the scarecrow. "as a matter of fact, he resides in a different dimension altogether." "how can i meet him, then?" asked dorothy. "well, since he is on a different dimension than us, he has to change his vibration to enter our dimension. you see, his dimension operates on a higher frequency than ours. we will have to become very quiet and still so that we can tune into his vibration. then he will become visible to us. he will be lowering his vibration slightly while we are raising ours. we will do this in my meditation room, where we will not be disturbed." he took dorothy's hand as they went upstairs to his quarters. they entered his study. before closing the door, he turned over a card which has hanging on the doorknob. it read, do not disturb -- in meditation. the meditation room itself was not large. purple drapes covered the walls. the window opened to a little balcony overlooking the garden. "i enjoy sitting here in meditation," said the scarecrow. "it is wonderful to feel the early morning sun on my face and to smell the scent of the garden while the birds sing their morning song. "i read something once that i've never forgotten. it's very meaningful to me. it goes like this: the secret i met god in the morning, when my day was at its best. and his presence came like sunrise like a glory in my breast. all day long his presence lingered all day long he stayed with me. and we sailed in perfect calmness o'er a very troubled sea. so i think i know the secret learned from many a troubled way: you must seek him in the morning if you want him through the day. "this was written by a man named ralph cushman." "that is just beautiful," said dorothy. "yes," replied the scarecrow, "and so true. well, would you like to begin?" "oh, yes," said dorothy. "i can't wait to meet your mysterious friend." the scarecrow smiled knowingly as he placed three chairs in the middle of the room. "please be seated, dorothy," he motioned, as he sat down himself, "you should sit upright with your back straight; feet flat on the floor with your knees together. rest your hands on your knees with your palms up. now, close your eyes and relax completely. "with your eyes closed look straight ahead but concentrate your mind in the center of your forehead. "just relax. don't worry about trying to control your thoughts. they will gradually subside. "you may become aware of a light. perhaps several colors. the scarecrow fell silent for a while. "are you aware of the light?" he asked. "yes," said dorothy. "now it's changing. oh, how beautiful. i see all the colors of the rainbow. mmm, i feel so relaxed and peaceful." "now," said the scarecrow, "open your mind to the greater power; feel within you the urge to know the highest! seek to understand all humanity without condemnation. "one by one, the teachers from the highest realms are arriving to assist us in our quest for higher knowledge and understanding. "the one we discussed has joined us. you may open your eyes now, dorothy. he is fully manifested and sits with us." as dorothy opened her eyes, she could feel a tremendously strong vibration emanating from what had been the empty chair. sitting in the chair was a man. there appeared to be a glow around him which gradually subsided, although little flecks of light appeared from time to time around him. he was dressed in a long robe of the purest white. his beautiful golden hair, which was shoulder-length, had a very slight reddish tint to it. around his neck he wore a medallion with three pyramids on it, and an inscription in strange hieroglyphics. the stranger smiled at dorothy; his beautiful, yet intense, blue eyes twinkling. touching the medallion, he said in a most gentle voice, "i see you are curious regarding this inscription." dorothy nodded slightly. "translated into english, it reads: mental-physical-spiritual. "if all mortals were to maintain a balance between these three, heaven on earth would indeed be established. "my sandals trod the dust of the holy lands nearly two thousand years ago. my mission; to instill into the minds of the people that the meaning of life was not as complicated as they were led to believe. i traveled about the lands seeking to inspire the people and momentarily they were inspired; but unfortunately, they became entangled with material conditions and lost sight of the finer things that were being given unto them. so, i had to step aside and allow them to follow the path of their choosing. following my brief stay, other teachers would go into the various lands to try to reach the masses of struggling humanity. but the same conditions were encountered, generation after generation. we all tried to touch those who we felt were sufficiently sensitive to become teachers, to become messengers of light unto the people. now, almost two thousand years later, i bring my word to the people in the hope it will be understood. much of what i said in the past has been misinterpreted. i had come to serve humanity, like so many others before me. many of these same teachers suffered as i did. yes, tears of compassion flowed often, as they observed the domination of mankind and all the manifestation of evil which prevailed. i often found the same conditions and as a mortal i sought to instill the simple truths unto them. i felt that if i could explain to them these truths in the simple manner in which i received them there would be no danger of misinterpretation down through the ages. but unfortunately i was wrong. "at one time, the main topic of my conversation with people was that they must be born again, and again and again; that the lessons to be learned could not possibly be learned in one lifetime. even this basic fact was misinterpreted. and even today, although great emphasis is placed on the idea of a spiritual rebirth -- or being born again in a spiritual way -- the teaching ends there: my original meaning long forgotten and, i fear, deliberately distorted by the many whom i encountered. and i feel, as i speak today, that much of what i say will not be accepted. why the stubbornness? why the refusal to accept? certain beliefs can be so ingrained in human thought that, when an honest attempt is made to correct the situation, great anger arises within the heart of those who are being given the opportunity to learn the truth. and so they must remain ignorant of the great majestic truths of creation and the grand plan for mankind. "let me recite to you a little story, which, although well known, it will be seen that the true version is quite different from the story handed down through the ages. this concerns my last moments on earth. "i said unto those who were persecuting me and who had persecuted me in the past, /'all who have come to me to cast their stone, in time shall become wise and be set free upon the earth.'/ "there were others near me who were to perish in the same manner as myself, because they had been found associating with one who was supposed to be so wise. i said unto them, 'be at peace with thyself. you will soon be in a heavenly state. be not faithless. know that you shall live again, that you shall arise, and that you shall be born again. and in the other lives that you shall live, you shall have another opportunity to live the life that you are being deprived of at the present time.' "yes, there are many stories that i could tell that would be no less than amazing to those who think they know all about my life. and here today, dorothy, i should like to tell you a little more about my life. "before i begin, i must tell you this. as you know, i was born of the jewish faith, and i love my people dearly. it saddens me to know that many of those who became followers of my teaching, decided that all who did not confess me as the only begotten son of god were excluded from god's grace and were denied eternal life. sad to say, that belief is alive and well today. not among jews, of course, but as an integral part of what became known as christianity. they have decided amongst themselves that god has somehow excluded all but christians. perhaps even more saddening to me is that certain jews look down on other jews who do not worship as they do. they don't accept them as fellow jews because they have chosen, let's say, a less orthodox path to god.... do you think god cares a jot how people worship him, as long as in their daily dealings they treat one another with dignity respect and , and live their lives as closely to the divine teachings as possible? "you see, i am an individual like you. one who came and served and then went on, never having to return or be born again in the physical world. in my last life on earth i came to teach what i knew of god's laws. i represented the masters who came before me and the masters who came after me. we work together now, to continue to try to bring light to a darkened world. perhaps you would like to hear a little about my early life on earth. how i thought and felt about things as a boy." "oh, yes," replied dorothy. "that would be very interesting to me." "now, when you return to kansas, dorothy, it might not be wise to say too much of what i tell you to adults, unless they show a depth of understanding, and a certain gentleness of spirituality in their nature. you see, many adults have their beliefs locked up tight within themselves, and will not part with them no matter what is presented to them. they can become very angry if they are told that things are not exactly as they believe. even though -- if they were to stop and think about it objectively -- that which is being told them might make very good sense and be quite logical. unfortunately, those people are convinced beyond a shadow of doubt, that every word in the sacred scriptures came directly from god, and that not only could one word not be wrong; but that nothing is missing from the writings. "so be careful; share this only with other children who have not yet had their minds closed up and sealed, and only with those adults who are ready. as for the others, they do have a right to their own individual beliefs, of course. and it is really wrong to try to force other beliefs upon them. but unfortunately, their rigidity of thought and lack of flexibility forbids any possibility of real growth of understanding. however, everything is in order. their short terms on earth are not wasted. they too have to serve and to learn certain lessons which must be learned before they can go forward. "and now; for the story of my early years: "prior to my last expression on earth, i lived during the great peace period in what is now known as egypt. "i had come back to earth to bring forth light and to enjoy life. i knew at that time that i would have to return again to the earth to finish my work. "during the very early years of my last life i was not aware of having had previous lives. there were certain lessons to learn and pinnacles to reach before i would be ready for this to be revealed to me. it is very much the same for the initiates of earth today. certain things cannot be revealed until the chela, or pupil, is ready. for it to be otherwise would be most confusing. "a great deal of mystery surrounds my birth. my birth was always a mystery to me until a certain period in my life. things were held back from me by my soul. the soul will not reveal anything unto you until you are ready. "i was not born into this life in the manner that has been told. i realize that many people will cling to their perception of my birth so much that they will not want to let go of this illusion. but nevertheless, there must come a time when the truth must be told. the crutch must be taken away. the people must stand on their own two feet. for too long i have been worshipped as a god, whereas i am the same as you worshippers, conceived exactly as they. "i do not wish to be worshipped. i wish only for the people to worship the principles; the teaching that was brought to them through my instrumentality, and the instrumentality of others who came before me and after me. for too long these teachings have been ignored. why? because it takes a great deal of personal sacrifice to follow the teaching of giving up habits of thought and activity which are held dear. it is much easier to assume that the blood of the lamb was shed for all one's sins and as long as one believes this one shall be saved and have eternal life. "we have told you, dorothy, that all have eternal life. this is a true statement. but the quality of that life is dependent solely on the individual -- no one else! /as ye sow, so shall ye reap./ "one cannot expect to sow inequality -- to inflict a low quality of life upon others; then to reap a high quality of life for oneself. if any measure of quality is reaped in this way it is highly temporal: for death patiently awaits all. and those who bring impoverishment to others -- that their own lives might become enriched -- now find that they are the impoverished ones. /by thy works thou shalt be known/ is indeed a true axiom. whether the works be good or bad is immaterial as far as the universal law is concerned; for the rewards meted out by the law are in direct proportion to the works performed. so the quality of life after death is directly related to the kind of life led before death. "it does not make much sense to spend one's life in violation of man-made laws or of god's laws, unless, that is, one wishes to exist in misery after death. "if those that violate the law could see the beauty and glory of god's infinite kingdom they would not waste one second in this sort of selfish pursuit. real happiness for them will never be found until they return to god, the father. "why do they prolong the agony? because they wish to cling to suffering? no, because long ago they wandered far from the harmonious happy state they resided in, and are now subconsciously trying to return. so they seek this or that, thinking that the possession of these things, or that person, or the taking of drugs or alcohol will give them the fulfillment they desire. but, of course, nothing does. yet, they search blindly on, never realizing that that which they seek is within themselves. "if only they would take the time to become ever so still, so that a beautiful communication could be established. the outer action would change accordingly, thus leading them to a life of harmony and beauty -- one which would take them in many creative directions: true fulfillment would then be achieved. "alas, dorothy, it is not to be so for the majority. they will not heed my words any more now than they did before. but the time is not too far distant when life on planet earth -- as they know it -- will be no more. evolution will begin all over again for them. they will have to endure endless physical lives -- many in deep misery. all because of their stubborn refusal to rejoin their creator. it is difficult to believe this; yet it is true. "if told the things that i am relating to you now, they would merely laugh and scorn. they strongly doubt even the existence of a life after death. "well, dorothy, i'm afraid i have deviated very far from my story. but my heart is heavy when i think of all the wrongdoing on earth. and all the greed that exists. "the father's treasures are available for the asking, and they are of a permanent nature. yet they are totally ignored in favor of empty material gains which are -- to say the least -- very temporary. "i'm afraid, dorothy, that i and the other masters are relying very heavily on you to bring some measure of what you have seen and heard here back to the children of earth. remember to keep it all a secret from adults, except in the rarest of cases. we are working in various ways with others of earth to reach each adult on his own particular level of development. few are ready for as much of the truth as can be given here. the spacebrothers, too, are working in their unique way. "the children of the earth shall be led into a golden age along with those adults who are ready to share in the glorious beginning. my mission was, and still is, to establish a universal consciousness of god upon the earth. a oneness of all mankind. god's kingdom will come, and his will be done on earth -- as it is in heaven. "well, dorothy, i would like to have told you more of my childhood, but our meeting must come to an end for the moment. your aunt em and uncle henry are growing very concerned for you. you must return to kansas at once. i will visit you again and tell you more of my life. i will visit you very soon. "now, take my hands, and close your eyes." "goodbye, dorothy," said the scarecrow. "god bless you." "oh, i shall miss you all so much," said dorothy. "but i am very excited about going home." as dorothy said the words "going home," she opened her eyes to look at her friend. but instead of being in a meditation room in oz, she found herself in her own room laying on her bed. she looked around to see aunt em and uncle henry. dorothy started to sit up. "oh, auntie em; uncle henry!" she said excitedly, "i've got so much to tell you. i've been on an exciting adventure. i've been back to oz. and you'll never believe who i met there." "you mean the place you've been telling us about?" said uncle henry. "yes," said dorothy. "and i've been to see all my wonderful friends again. and, oh, wait 'til i tell you about the wicked witch and how she -- " "now hold on a minute, dorothy," interrupted aunt em. "you've got to slow down. you're getting yourself too excited." "oh, there's nothing wrong with me, really," said dorothy. "we'll be the judge of that," said aunt em. "i want you to rest now, young lady. i'll bring you some chicken soup." "well, we're real glad to have you back, dorothy," said uncle henry with a grin. with that, he followed his wife out of the room. toto came bounding in through the open door and jumped up to dorothy's bed, licking her face all over. "oh, toto!" said dorothy tearfully. "they're not going to believe me again. i know it. "but we believe dorothy, don't we?" cursum perficio [illustration: this book belongs to] * * * * * by l. frank baum uniform with ozma of oz the land of oz john dough and the cherub each elaborately illustrated in colors and black-and-white by john r. neill * * * * * [illustration: ozma of oz] [illustration: ozma] ozma of oz a record of her adventures with dorothy gale of kansas, the yellow hen, the scarecrow, the tin woodman, tiktok, the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger; besides other good people too numerous to mention faithfully recorded herein by l. frank baum the author of the wizard of oz, the land of oz, etc. [illustration] illustrated by john r. neill chicago: the reilly & britton co. publishers [illustration: copyright, , by l. frank baum. all rights reserved] [illustration: to all the boys and girls who read my stories--and especially to the dorothys--this book is lovingly dedicated.] list of chapters page i. the girl in the chicken coop ii. the yellow hen iii. letters in the sand iv. tiktok, the machine man v. dorothy opens the dinner pail vi. the heads of langwidere vii. ozma of oz to the rescue viii. the hungry tiger ix. the royal family of ev x. the giant with the hammer xi. the nome king [illustration] [illustration] xii. the eleven guesses xiii. the nome king laughs xiv. dorothy tries to be brave xv. billina frightens the nome king xvi. purple, green and gold xvii. the scarecrow wins the fight xviii. the fate of the tin woodman xix. the king of ev xx. the emerald city xxi. dorothy's magic belt [illustration] [illustration] author's note my friends the children are responsible for this new "oz book," as they were for the last one, which was called _the land of oz_. their sweet little letters plead to know "more about dorothy"; and they ask: "what became of the cowardly lion?" and "what did ozma do afterward?"--meaning, of course, after she became the ruler of oz. and some of them suggest plots to me, saying: "please have dorothy go to the land of oz again"; or, "why don't you make ozma and dorothy meet, and have a good time together?" indeed, could i do all that my little friends ask, i would be obliged to write dozens of books to satisfy their demands. and i wish i could, for i enjoy writing these stories just as much as the children say they enjoy reading them. well, here is "more about dorothy," and about our old friends the scarecrow and the tin woodman, and about the cowardly lion, and ozma, and all the rest of them; and here, likewise, is a good deal about some new folks that are queer and unusual. one little friend, who read this story before it was printed, said to me: "billina is _real ozzy_, mr. baum, and so are tiktok and the hungry tiger." if this judgment is unbiased and correct, and the little folks find this new story "real ozzy," i shall be very glad indeed that i wrote it. but perhaps i shall get some more of those very welcome letters from my readers, telling me just how they like "ozma of oz." i hope so, anyway. l. frank baum. macatawa, . [illustration] the girl in the chicken coop [illustration] the wind blew hard and joggled the water of the ocean, sending ripples across its surface. then the wind pushed the edges of the ripples until they became waves, and shoved the waves around until they became billows. the billows rolled dreadfully high: higher even than the tops of houses. some of them, indeed, rolled as high as the tops of tall trees, and seemed like mountains, and the gulfs between the great billows were like deep valleys. all this mad dashing and splashing of the waters of the big ocean, which the mischievous wind caused without any good reason whatever, resulted in a terrible storm, and a storm on the ocean is liable to cut many queer pranks and do a lot of damage. at the time the wind began to blow, a ship was sailing far out upon the waters. when the waves began to tumble and toss and to grow bigger and bigger the ship rolled up and down, and tipped sidewise--first one way and then the other--and was jostled around so roughly that even the sailor-men had to hold fast to the ropes and railings to keep themselves from being swept away by the wind or pitched headlong into the sea. and the clouds were so thick in the sky that the sunlight couldn't get through them; so that the day grew dark as night, which added to the terrors of the storm. the captain of the ship was not afraid, because he had seen storms before, and had sailed his ship through them in safety; but he knew that his passengers would be in danger if they tried to stay on deck, so he put them all into the cabin and told them to stay there until after the storm was over, and to keep brave hearts and not be scared, and all would be well with them. now, among these passengers was a little kansas girl named dorothy gale, who was going with her uncle henry to australia, to visit some relatives they had never before seen. uncle henry, you must know, was not very well, because he had been working so hard on his kansas farm that his health had given way and left him weak and nervous. so he left aunt em at home to watch after the hired men and to take care of the farm, while he traveled far away to australia to visit his cousins and have a good rest. dorothy was eager to go with him on this journey, and uncle henry thought she would be good company and help cheer him up; so he decided to take her along. the little girl was quite an experienced traveller, for she had once been carried by a cyclone as far away from home as the marvelous land of oz, and she had met with a good many adventures in that strange country before she managed to get back to kansas again. so she wasn't easily frightened, whatever happened, and when the wind began to howl and whistle, and the waves began to tumble and toss, our little girl didn't mind the uproar the least bit. "of course we'll have to stay in the cabin," she said to uncle henry and the other passengers, "and keep as quiet as possible until the storm is over. for the captain says if we go on deck we may be blown overboard." no one wanted to risk such an accident as that, you may be sure; so all the passengers stayed huddled up in the dark cabin, listening to the shrieking of the storm and the creaking of the masts and rigging and trying to keep from bumping into one another when the ship tipped sidewise. dorothy had almost fallen asleep when she was aroused with a start to find that uncle henry was missing. she couldn't imagine where he had gone, and as he was not very strong she began to worry about him, and to fear he might have been careless enough to go on deck. in that case he would be in great danger unless he instantly came down again. the fact was that uncle henry had gone to lie down in his little sleeping-berth, but dorothy did not know that. she only remembered that aunt em had cautioned her to take good care of her uncle, so at once she decided to go on deck and find him, in spite of the fact that the tempest was now worse than ever, and the ship was plunging in a really dreadful manner. indeed, the little girl found it was as much as she could do to mount the stairs to the deck, and as soon as she got there the wind struck her so fiercely that it almost tore away the skirts of her dress. yet dorothy felt a sort of joyous excitement in defying the storm, and while she held fast to the railing she peered around through the gloom and thought she saw the dim form of a man clinging to a mast not far away from her. this might be her uncle, so she called as loudly as she could: "uncle henry! uncle henry!" [illustration: "uncle henry! uncle henry!" called dorothy] but the wind screeched and howled so madly that she scarce heard her own voice, and the man certainly failed to hear her, for he did not move. dorothy decided she must go to him; so she made a dash forward, during a lull in the storm, to where a big square chicken-coop had been lashed to the deck with ropes. she reached this place in safety, but no sooner had she seized fast hold of the slats of the big box in which the chickens were kept than the wind, as if enraged because the little girl dared to resist its power, suddenly redoubled its fury. with a scream like that of an angry giant it tore away the ropes that held the coop and lifted it high into the air, with dorothy still clinging to the slats. around and over it whirled, this way and that, and a few moments later the chicken-coop dropped far away into the sea, where the big waves caught it and slid it up-hill to a foaming crest and then downhill into a deep valley, as if it were nothing more than a plaything to keep them amused. dorothy had a good ducking, you may be sure, but she didn't loose her presence of mind even for a second. she kept tight hold of the stout slats and as soon as she could get the water out of her eyes she saw that the wind had ripped the cover from the coop, and the poor chickens were fluttering away in every direction, being blown by the wind until they looked like feather dusters without handles. the bottom of the coop was made of thick boards, so dorothy found she was clinging to a sort of raft, with sides of slats, which readily bore up her weight. after coughing the water out of her throat and getting her breath again, she managed to climb over the slats and stand upon the firm wooden bottom of the coop, which supported her easily enough. "why, i've got a ship of my own!" she thought, more amused than frightened at her sudden change of condition; and then, as the coop climbed up to the top of a big wave, she looked eagerly around for the ship from which she had been blown. it was far, far away, by this time. perhaps no one on board had yet missed her, or knew of her strange adventure. down into a valley between the waves the coop swept her, and when she climbed another crest the ship looked like a toy boat, it was such a long way off. soon it had entirely disappeared in the gloom, and then dorothy gave a sigh of regret at parting with uncle henry and began to wonder what was going to happen to her next. just now she was tossing on the bosom of a big ocean, with nothing to keep her afloat but a miserable wooden hen-coop that had a plank bottom and slatted sides, through which the water constantly splashed and wetted her through to the skin! and there was nothing to eat when she became hungry--as she was sure to do before long--and no fresh water to drink and no dry clothes to put on. "well, i declare!" she exclaimed, with a laugh. "you're in a pretty fix, dorothy gale, i can tell you! and i haven't the least idea how you're going to get out of it!" as if to add to her troubles the night was now creeping on, and the gray clouds overhead changed to inky blackness. but the wind, as if satisfied at last with its mischievous pranks, stopped blowing this ocean and hurried away to another part of the world to blow something else; so that the waves, not being joggled any more, began to quiet down and behave themselves. [illustration: dorothy afloat in the hen-coop] it was lucky for dorothy, i think, that the storm subsided; otherwise, brave though she was, i fear she might have perished. many children, in her place, would have wept and given way to despair; but because dorothy had encountered so many adventures and come safely through them it did not occur to her at this time to be especially afraid. she was wet and uncomfortable, it is true; but, after sighing that one sigh i told you of, she managed to recall some of her customary cheerfulness and decided to patiently await whatever her fate might be. by and by the black clouds rolled away and showed a blue sky overhead, with a silver moon shining sweetly in the middle of it and little stars winking merrily at dorothy when she looked their way. the coop did not toss around any more, but rode the waves more gently--almost like a cradle rocking--so that the floor upon which dorothy stood was no longer swept by water coming through the slats. seeing this, and being quite exhausted by the excitement of the past few hours, the little girl decided that sleep would be the best thing to restore her strength and the easiest way in which she could pass the time. the floor was damp and she was herself wringing wet, but fortunately this was a warm climate and she did not feel at all cold. so she sat down in a corner of the coop, leaned her back against the slats, nodded at the friendly stars before she closed her eyes, and was asleep in half a minute. [illustration] the yellow hen [illustration] a strange noise awoke dorothy, who opened her eyes to find that day had dawned and the sun was shining brightly in a clear sky. she had been dreaming that she was back in kansas again, and playing in the old barn-yard with the calves and pigs and chickens all around her; and at first, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she really imagined she was there. "kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-kut! kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-kut!" ah; here again was the strange noise that had awakened her. surely it was a hen cackling! but her wide-open eyes first saw, through the slats of the coop, the blue waves of the ocean, now calm and placid, and her thoughts flew back to the past night, so full of danger and discomfort. also she began to remember that she was a waif of the storm, adrift upon a treacherous and unknown sea. "kut-kut-kut, ka-daw-w-w--kut!" "what's that?" cried dorothy, starting to her feet. "why, i've just laid an egg, that's all," replied a small, but sharp and distinct voice, and looking around her the little girl discovered a yellow hen squatting in the opposite corner of the coop. "dear me!" she exclaimed, in surprise; "have _you_ been here all night, too?" "of course," answered the hen, fluttering her wings and yawning. "when the coop blew away from the ship i clung fast to this corner, with claws and beak, for i knew if i fell into the water i'd surely be drowned. indeed, i nearly drowned, as it was, with all that water washing over me. i never was so wet before in my life!" "yes," agreed dorothy, "it was pretty wet, for a time, i know. but do you feel comfor'ble now?" "not very. the sun has helped to dry my feathers, as it has your dress, and i feel better since i laid my morning egg. but what's to become of us, i should like to know, afloat on this big pond?" "i'd like to know that, too," said dorothy. "but, tell me; how does it happen that you are able to talk? i thought hens could only cluck and cackle." "why, as for that," answered the yellow hen thoughtfully, "i've clucked and cackled all my life, and never spoken a word before this morning, that i can remember. but when you asked a question, a minute ago, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to answer you. so i spoke, and i seem to keep on speaking, just as you and other human beings do. strange, isn't it?" "very," replied dorothy. "if we were in the land of oz, i wouldn't think it so queer, because many of the animals can talk in that fairy country. but out here in the ocean must be a good long way from oz." "how is my grammar?" asked the yellow hen, anxiously. "do i speak quite properly, in your judgment?" "yes," said dorothy, "you do very well, for a beginner." "i'm glad to know that," continued the yellow hen, in a confidential tone; "because, if one is going to talk, it's best to talk correctly. the red rooster has often said that my cluck and my cackle were quite perfect; and now it's a comfort to know i am talking properly." "i'm beginning to get hungry," remarked dorothy. "it's breakfast time; but there's no breakfast." "you may have my egg," said the yellow hen. "i don't care for it, you know." "don't you want to hatch it?" asked the little girl, in surprise. "no, indeed; i never care to hatch eggs unless i've a nice snug nest, in some quiet place, with a baker's dozen of eggs under me. that's thirteen, you know, and it's a lucky number for hens. so you may as well eat this egg." "oh, i couldn't _poss'bly_ eat it, unless it was cooked," exclaimed dorothy. "but i'm much obliged for your kindness, just the same." "don't mention it, my dear," answered the hen, calmly, and began pruning her feathers. for a moment dorothy stood looking out over the wide sea. she was still thinking of the egg, though; so presently she asked: "why do you lay eggs, when you don't expect to hatch them?" "it's a habit i have," replied the yellow hen. "it has always been my pride to lay a fresh egg every morning, except when i'm moulting. i never feel like having my morning cackle till the egg is properly laid, and without the chance to cackle i would not be happy." "it's strange," said the girl, reflectively; "but as i'm not a hen i can't be 'spected to understand that." "certainly not, my dear." then dorothy fell silent again. the yellow hen was some company, and a bit of comfort, too; but it was dreadfully lonely out on the big ocean, nevertheless. after a time the hen flew up and perched upon the topmost slat of the coop, which was a little above dorothy's head when she was sitting upon the bottom, as she had been doing for some moments past. "why, we are not far from land!" exclaimed the hen. "where? where is it?" cried dorothy, jumping up in great excitement. "over there a little way," answered the hen, nodding her head in a certain direction. "we seem to be drifting toward it, so that before noon we ought to find ourselves upon dry land again." "i shall like that!" said dorothy, with a little sigh, for her feet and legs were still wetted now and then by the sea-water that came through the open slats. [illustration: the yellow hen] "so shall i," answered her companion. "there is nothing in the world so miserable as a wet hen." the land, which they seemed to be rapidly approaching, since it grew more distinct every minute, was quite beautiful as viewed by the little girl in the floating hen-coop. next to the water was a broad beach of white sand and gravel, and farther back were several rocky hills, while beyond these appeared a strip of green trees that marked the edge of a forest. but there were no houses to be seen, nor any sign of people who might inhabit this unknown land. "i hope we shall find something to eat," said dorothy, looking eagerly at the pretty beach toward which they drifted. "it's long past breakfast time, now." "i'm a trifle hungry, myself," declared the yellow hen. "why don't you eat the egg?" asked the child. "you don't need to have your food cooked, as i do." "do you take me for a cannibal?" cried the hen, indignantly. "i do not know what i have said or done that leads you to insult me!" "i beg your pardon, i'm sure mrs.--mrs.--by the way, may i inquire your name, ma'am?" asked the little girl. "my name is bill," said the yellow hen, somewhat gruffly. "bill! why, that's a boy's name." "what difference does that make?" "you're a lady hen, aren't you?" "of course. but when i was first hatched out no one could tell whether i was going to be a hen or a rooster; so the little boy at the farm where i was born called me bill, and made a pet of me because i was the only yellow chicken in the whole brood. when i grew up, and he found that i didn't crow and fight, as all the roosters do, he did not think to change my name, and every creature in the barn-yard, as well as the people in the house, knew me as 'bill.' so bill i've always been called, and bill is my name." "but it's all wrong, you know," declared dorothy, earnestly; "and, if you don't mind, i shall call you 'billina.' putting the 'eena' on the end makes it a girl's name, you see." "oh, i don't mind it in the least," returned the yellow hen. "it doesn't matter at all what you call me, so long as i know the name means _me_." "very well, billina. _my_ name is dorothy gale--just dorothy to my friends and miss gale to strangers. you may call me dorothy, if you like. we're getting very near the shore. do you suppose it is too deep for me to wade the rest of the way?" "wait a few minutes longer. the sunshine is warm and pleasant, and we are in no hurry." "but my feet are all wet and soggy," said the girl. "my dress is dry enough, but i won't feel real comfor'ble till i get my feet dried." she waited; however, as the hen advised, and before long the big wooden coop grated gently on the sandy beach and the dangerous voyage was over. it did not take the castaways long to reach the shore, you may be sure. the yellow hen flew to the sands at once, but dorothy had to climb over the high slats. still, for a country girl, that was not much of a feat, and as soon as she was safe ashore dorothy drew off her wet shoes and stockings and spread them upon the sun-warmed beach to dry. then she sat down and watched billina, who was pick-pecking away with her sharp bill in the sand and gravel, which she scratched up and turned over with her strong claws. "what are you doing?" asked dorothy. "getting my breakfast, of course," murmured the hen, busily pecking away. [illustration: "how dreadful!" exclaimed dorothy] "what do you find?" inquired the girl, curiously. "oh, some fat red ants, and some sand-bugs, and once in a while a tiny crab. they are very sweet and nice, i assure you." "how dreadful!" exclaimed dorothy, in a shocked voice. "what is dreadful?" asked the hen, lifting her head to gaze with one bright eye at her companion. "why, eating live things, and horrid bugs, and crawly ants. you ought to be _'shamed_ of yourself!" "goodness me!" returned the hen, in a puzzled tone; "how queer you are, dorothy! live things are much fresher and more wholesome than dead ones, and you humans eat all sorts of dead creatures." "we don't!" said dorothy. "you do, indeed," answered billina. "you eat lambs and sheep and cows and pigs and even chickens." "but we cook 'em," said dorothy, triumphantly. "what difference does that make?" "a good deal," said the girl, in a graver tone. "i can't just 'splain the diff'rence, but it's there. and, anyhow, we never eat such dreadful things as _bugs_." "but you eat the chickens that eat the bugs," retorted the yellow hen, with an odd cackle. "so you are just as bad as we chickens are." this made dorothy thoughtful. what billina said was true enough, and it almost took away her appetite for breakfast. as for the yellow hen, she continued to peck away at the sand busily, and seemed quite contented with her bill-of-fare. finally, down near the water's edge, billina stuck her bill deep into the sand, and then drew back and shivered. "ow!" she cried. "i struck metal, that time, and it nearly broke my beak." "it prob'bly was a rock," said dorothy, carelessly. "nonsense. i know a rock from metal, i guess," said the hen. "there's a different feel to it." "but there couldn't be any metal on this wild, deserted seashore," persisted the girl. "where's the place? i'll dig it up, and prove to you i'm right." billina showed her the place where she had "stubbed her bill," as she expressed it, and dorothy dug away the sand until she felt something hard. then, thrusting in her hand, she pulled the thing out, and discovered it to be a large sized golden key--rather old, but still bright and of perfect shape. "what did i tell you?" cried the hen, with a cackle of triumph. "can i tell metal when i bump into it, or is the thing a rock?" "it's metal, sure enough," answered the child, gazing thoughtfully at the curious thing she had found. "i think it is pure gold, and it must have lain hidden in the sand for a long time. how do you suppose it came there, billina? and what do you suppose this mysterious key unlocks?" "i can't say," replied the hen. "you ought to know more about locks and keys than i do." dorothy glanced around. there was no sign of any house in that part of the country, and she reasoned that every key must fit a lock and every lock must have a purpose. perhaps the key had been lost by somebody who lived far away, but had wandered on this very shore. musing on these things the girl put the key in the pocket of her dress and then slowly drew on her shoes and stockings, which the sun had fully dried. "i b'lieve, billina," she said, "i'll have a look 'round, and see if i can find some breakfast." [illustration] letters in the sand [illustration] walking a little way back from the water's edge, toward the grove of trees, dorothy came to a flat stretch of white sand that seemed to have queer signs marked upon its surface, just as one would write upon sand with a stick. "what does it say?" she asked the yellow hen, who trotted along beside her in a rather dignified fashion. "how should i know?" returned the hen. "i cannot read." "oh! can't you?" "certainly not; i've never been to school, you know." "well, i have," admitted dorothy; "but the letters are big and far apart, and it's hard to spell out the words." but she looked at each letter carefully, and finally discovered that these words were written in the sand: "beware the wheelers!" "that's rather strange," declared the hen, when dorothy had read aloud the words. "what do you suppose the wheelers are?" "folks that wheel, i guess. they must have wheelbarrows, or baby-cabs or hand-carts," said dorothy. "perhaps they're automobiles," suggested the yellow hen. "there is no need to beware of baby-cabs and wheelbarrows; but automobiles are dangerous things. several of my friends have been run over by them." "it can't be auto'biles," replied the girl, "for this is a new, wild country, without even trolley-cars or tel'phones. the people here havn't been discovered yet, i'm sure; that is, if there _are_ any people. so i don't b'lieve there _can_ be any auto'biles, billina." "perhaps not," admitted the yellow hen. "where are you going now?" "over to those trees, to see if i can find some fruit or nuts," answered dorothy. she tramped across the sand, skirting the foot of one of the little rocky hills that stood near, and soon reached the edge of the forest. at first she was greatly disappointed, because the nearer trees were all punita, or cotton-wood or eucalyptus, and bore no fruit or nuts at all. but, bye and bye, when she was almost in despair, the little girl came upon two trees that promised to furnish her with plenty of food. one was quite full of square paper boxes, which grew in clusters on all the limbs, and upon the biggest and ripest boxes the word "lunch" could be read, in neat raised letters. this tree seemed to bear all the year around, for there were lunch-box blossoms on some of the branches, and on others tiny little lunch-boxes that were as yet quite green, and evidently not fit to eat until they had grown bigger. the leaves of this tree were all paper napkins, and it presented a very pleasing appearance to the hungry little girl. but the tree next to the lunch-box tree was even more wonderful, for it bore quantities of tin dinner-pails, which were so full and heavy that the stout branches bent underneath their weight. some were small and dark-brown in color; those larger were of a dull tin color; but the really ripe ones were pails of bright tin that shone and glistened beautifully in the rays of sunshine that touched them. dorothy was delighted, and even the yellow hen acknowledged that she was surprised. the little girl stood on tip-toe and picked one of the nicest and biggest lunch-boxes, and then she sat down upon the ground and eagerly opened it. inside she found, nicely wrapped in white papers, a ham sandwich, a piece of sponge-cake, a pickle, a slice of new cheese and an apple. each thing had a separate stem, and so had to be picked off the side of the box; but dorothy found them all to be delicious, and she ate every bit of luncheon in the box before she had finished. "a lunch isn't zactly breakfast," she said to billina, who sat beside her curiously watching. "but when one is hungry one can eat even supper in the morning, and not complain." "i hope your lunch-box was perfectly ripe," observed the yellow hen, in a anxious tone. "so much sickness is caused by eating green things." [illustration: the little girl picked one of the lunch-boxes] "oh, i'm sure it was ripe," declared dorothy, "all, that is, 'cept the pickle, and a pickle just _has_ to be green, billina. but everything tasted perfectly splendid, and i'd rather have it than a church picnic. and now i think i'll pick a dinner-pail, to have when i get hungry again, and then we'll start out and 'splore the country, and see where we are." "havn't you any idea what country this is?" inquired billina. "none at all. but listen: i'm quite sure it's a fairy country, or such things as lunch-boxes and dinner-pails wouldn't be growing upon trees. besides, billina, being a hen, you wouldn't be able to talk in any civ'lized country, like kansas, where no fairies live at all." "perhaps we're in the land of oz," said the hen, thoughtfully. "no, that can't be," answered the little girl; "because i've been to the land of oz, and it's all surrounded by a horrid desert that no one can cross." "then how did you get away from there again?" asked billina. "i had a pair of silver shoes, that carried me through the air; but i lost them," said dorothy. "ah, indeed," remarked the yellow hen, in a tone of unbelief. "anyhow," resumed the girl, "there is no seashore near the land of oz, so this must surely be some other fairy country." while she was speaking she selected a bright and pretty dinner-pail that seemed to have a stout handle, and picked it from its branch. then, accompanied by the yellow hen, she walked out of the shadow of the trees toward the sea-shore. they were part way across the sands when billina suddenly cried, in a voice of terror: "what's that?" [illustration] dorothy turned quickly around, and saw coming out of a path that led from between the trees the most peculiar person her eyes had ever beheld. it had the form of a man, except that it walked, or rather rolled, upon all fours, and its legs were the same length as its arms, giving them the appearance of the four legs of a beast. yet it was no beast that dorothy had discovered, for the person was clothed most gorgeously in embroidered garments of many colors, and wore a straw hat perched jauntily upon the side of its head. but it differed from human beings in this respect, that instead of hands and feet there grew at the end of its arms and legs round wheels, and by means of these wheels it rolled very swiftly over the level ground. afterward dorothy found that these odd wheels were of the same hard substance that our finger-nails and toe-nails are composed of, and she also learned that creatures of this strange race were born in this queer fashion. but when our little girl first caught sight of the first individual of a race that was destined to cause her a lot of trouble, she had an idea that the brilliantly-clothed personage was on roller-skates, which were attached to his hands as well as to his feet. "run!" screamed the yellow hen, fluttering away in great fright. "it's a wheeler!" [illustration: "it's a wheeler!"] "a wheeler?" exclaimed dorothy. "what can that be?" "don't you remember the warning in the sand: 'beware the wheelers'? run, i tell you--run!" so dorothy ran, and the wheeler gave a sharp, wild cry and came after her in full chase. looking over her shoulder as she ran, the girl now saw a great procession of wheelers emerging from the forest--dozens and dozens of them--all clad in splendid, tight-fitting garments and all rolling swiftly toward her and uttering their wild, strange cries. "they're sure to catch us!" panted the girl, who was still carrying the heavy dinner-pail she had picked. "i can't run much farther, billina." "climb up this hill,--quick!" said the hen; and dorothy found she was very near to the heap of loose and jagged rocks they had passed on their way to the forest. the yellow hen was even now fluttering among the rocks, and dorothy followed as best she could, half climbing and half tumbling up the rough and rugged steep. she was none too soon, for the foremost wheeler reached the hill a moment after her; but while the girl scrambled up the rocks the creature stopped short with howls of rage and disappointment. dorothy now heard the yellow hen laughing, in her cackling, henny way. "don't hurry, my dear," cried billina. "they can't follow us among these rocks, so we're safe enough now." dorothy stopped at once and sat down upon a broad boulder, for she was all out of breath. the rest of the wheelers had now reached the foot of the hill, but it was evident that their wheels would not roll upon the rough and jagged rocks, and therefore they were helpless to follow dorothy and the hen to where they had taken refuge. but they circled all around the little hill, so the child and billina were fast prisoners and could not come down without being captured. then the creatures shook their front wheels at dorothy in a threatening manner, and it seemed they were able to speak as well as to make their dreadful outcries, for several of them shouted: "we'll get you in time, never fear! and when we do get you, we'll tear you into little bits!" "why are you so cruel to me?" asked dorothy. "i'm a stranger in your country, and have done you no harm." "no harm!" cried one who seemed to be their leader. "did you not pick our lunch-boxes and dinner-pails? have you not a stolen dinner-pail still in your hand?" "i only picked one of each," she answered. "i was hungry, and i didn't know the trees were yours." "that is no excuse," retorted the leader, who was clothed in a most gorgeous suit. "it is the law here that whoever picks a dinner-pail without our permission must die immediately." "don't you believe him," said billina. "i'm sure the trees do not belong to these awful creatures. they are fit for any mischief, and it's my opinion they would try to kill us just the same if you hadn't picked a dinner-pail." "i think so, too," agreed dorothy. "but what shall we do now?" "stay where we are," advised the yellow hen. "we are safe from the wheelers until we starve to death, anyhow; and before that time comes a good many things can happen." [illustration] [illustration] tiktok the machine man after an hour or so most of the band of wheelers rolled back into the forest, leaving only three of their number to guard the hill. these curled themselves up like big dogs and pretended to go to sleep on the sands; but neither dorothy nor billina were fooled by this trick, so they remained in security among the rocks and paid no attention to their cunning enemies. finally the hen, fluttering over the mound, exclaimed: "why, here's a path!" so dorothy at once clambered to where billina sat, and there, sure enough, was a smooth path cut between the rocks. it seemed to wind around the mound from top to bottom, like a cork-screw, twisting here and there between the rough boulders but always remaining level and easy to walk upon. indeed, dorothy wondered at first why the wheelers did not roll up this path; but when she followed it to the foot of the mound she found that several big pieces of rock had been placed directly across the end of the way, thus preventing any one outside from seeing it and also preventing the wheelers from using it to climb up the mound. then dorothy walked back up the path, and followed it until she came to the very top of the hill, where a solitary round rock stood that was bigger than any of the others surrounding it. the path came to an end just beside this great rock, and for a moment it puzzled the girl to know why the path had been made at all. but the hen, who had been gravely following her around and was now perched upon a point of rock behind dorothy, suddenly remarked: "it looks something like a door, doesn't it?" "what looks like a door?" enquired the child. "why, that crack in the rock, just facing you," replied billina, whose little round eyes were very sharp and seemed to see everything. "it runs up one side and down the other, and across the top and the bottom." [illustration] "what does?" "why, the crack. so i think it must be a door of rock, although i do not see any hinges." "oh, yes," said dorothy, now observing for the first time the crack in the rock. "and isn't this a key-hole, billina?" pointing to a round, deep hole at one side of the door. "of course. if we only had the key, now, we could unlock it and see what is there," replied the yellow hen. "may be it's a treasure chamber full of diamonds and rubies, or heaps of shining gold, or----" "that reminds me," said dorothy, "of the golden key i picked up on the shore. do you think that it would fit this key-hole, billina?" "try it and see," suggested the hen. so dorothy searched in the pocket of her dress and found the golden key. and when she had put it into the hole of the rock, and turned it, a sudden sharp snap was heard; then, with a solemn creak that made the shivers run down the child's back, the face of the rock fell outward, like a door on hinges, and revealed a small dark chamber just inside. "good gracious!" cried dorothy, shrinking back as far as the narrow path would let her. for, standing within the narrow chamber of rock, was the form of a man--or, at least, it seemed like a man, in the dim light. he was only about as tall as dorothy herself, and his body was round as a ball and made out of burnished copper. also his head and limbs were copper, and these were jointed or hinged to his body in a peculiar way, with metal caps over the joints, like the armor worn by knights in days of old. he stood perfectly still, and where the light struck upon his form it glittered as if made of pure gold. [illustration: "this copper man is not alive at all"] "don't be frightened," called billina, from her perch. "it isn't alive." "i see it isn't," replied the girl, drawing a long breath. "it is only made out of copper, like the old kettle in the barn-yard at home," continued the hen, turning her head first to one side and then to the other, so that both her little round eyes could examine the object. "once," said dorothy, "i knew a man made out of tin, who was a woodman named nick chopper. but he was as alive as we are, 'cause he was born a real man, and got his tin body a little at a time--first a leg and then a finger and then an ear--for the reason that he had so many accidents with his axe, and cut himself up in a very careless manner." "oh," said the hen, with a sniff, as if she did not believe the story. "but this copper man," continued dorothy, looking at it with big eyes, "is not alive at all, and i wonder what it was made for, and why it was locked up in this queer place." "that is a mystery," remarked the hen, twisting her head to arrange her wing-feathers with her bill. dorothy stepped inside the little room to get a back view of the copper man, and in this way discovered a printed card that hung between his shoulders, it being suspended from a small copper peg at the back of his neck. she unfastened this card and returned to the path, where the light was better, and sat herself down upon a slab of rock to read the printing. "what does it say?" asked the hen, curiously. dorothy read the card aloud, spelling out the big words with some difficulty; and this is what she read: smith & tinker's patent double-action, extra-responsive, thought-creating, perfect-talking mechanical man fitted with our special clock-work attachment. thinks, speaks, acts, and does everything but live. manufactured only at our works at evna, land of ev. all infringements will be promptly prosecuted according to law. "how queer!" said the yellow hen. "do you think that is all true, my dear?" "i don't know," answered dorothy, who had more to read. "listen to this, billina:" directions for using: for thinking:--wind the clock-work man under his left arm, (marked no. .) for speaking:--wind the clock-work man under his right arm, (marked no. .) for walking and action:--wind clock-work in the middle of his back, (marked no. .) n. b.--this mechanism is guaranteed to work perfectly for a thousand years. "well, i declare!" gasped the yellow hen, in amazement; "if the copper man can do half of these things he is a very wonderful machine. but i suppose it is all humbug, like so many other patented articles." "we might wind him up," suggested dorothy, "and see what he'll do." "where is the key to the clock-work?" asked billina. "hanging on the peg where i found the card." "then," said the hen, "let us try him, and find out if he will go. he is warranted for a thousand years, it seems; but we do not know how long he has been standing inside this rock." dorothy had already taken the clock key from the peg. [illustration: dorothy wound up number one] "which shall i wind up first?" she asked, looking again at the directions on the card. "number one, i should think," returned billina. "that makes him think, doesn't it?" "yes," said dorothy, and wound up number one, under the left arm. "he doesn't seem any different," remarked the hen, critically. "why, of course not; he is only thinking, now," said dorothy. "i wonder what he is thinking about." "i'll wind up his talk, and then perhaps he can tell us," said the girl. so she wound up number two, and immediately the clock-work man said, without moving any part of his body except his lips: "good morn-ing, lit-tle girl. good morn-ing, mrs. hen." the words sounded a little hoarse and creakey, and they were uttered all in the same tone, without any change of expression whatever; but both dorothy and billina understood them perfectly. "good morning, sir," they answered, politely. "thank you for res-cu-ing me," continued the machine, in the same monotonous voice, which seemed to be worked by a bellows inside of him, like the little toy lambs and cats the children squeeze so that they will make a noise. [illustration] "don't mention it," answered dorothy. and then, being very curious, she asked: "how did you come to be locked up in this place?" "it is a long sto-ry," replied the copper man; "but i will tell it to you brief-ly. i was pur-chased from smith & tin-ker, my man-u-fac-tur-ers, by a cru-el king of ev, named ev-ol-do, who used to beat all his serv-ants un-til they died. how-ev-er, he was not a-ble to kill me, be-cause i was not a-live, and one must first live in or-der to die. so that all his beat-ing did me no harm, and mere-ly kept my cop-per bod-y well pol-ished. "this cru-el king had a love-ly wife and ten beau-ti-ful chil-dren--five boys and five girls--but in a fit of an-ger he sold them all to the nome king, who by means of his mag-ic arts changed them all in-to oth-er forms and put them in his un-der-ground pal-ace to or-na-ment the rooms. "af-ter-ward the king of ev re-gret-ted his wick-ed ac-tion, and tried to get his wife and chil-dren a-way from the nome king, but with-out a-vail. so, in de-spair, he locked me up in this rock, threw the key in-to the o-cean, and then jumped in af-ter it and was drowned." "how very dreadful!" exclaimed dorothy. "it is, in-deed," said the machine. "when i found my-self im-pris-oned i shout-ed for help un-til my voice ran down; and then i walked back and forth in this lit-tle room un-til my ac-tion ran down; and then i stood still and thought un-til my thoughts ran down. af-ter that i re-mem-ber noth-ing un-til you wound me up a-gain." "it's a very wonderful story," said dorothy, "and proves that the land of ev is really a fairy land, as i thought it was." [illustration: the copper man walked out of the rocky cavern] "of course it is," answered the copper man. "i do not sup-pose such a per-fect ma-chine as i am could be made in an-y place but a fair-y land." "i've never seen one in kansas," said dorothy. "but where did you get the key to un-lock this door?" asked the clock-work voice. "i found it on the shore, where it was prob'ly washed up by the waves," she answered. "and now, sir, if you don't mind, i'll wind up your action." "that will please me ve-ry much," said the machine. so she wound up number three, and at once the copper man in a somewhat stiff and jerky fashion walked out of the rocky cavern, took off his copper hat and bowed politely, and then kneeled before dorothy. said he: "from this time forth i am your o-be-di-ent ser-vant. what-ev-er you com-mand, that i will do will-ing-ly--if you keep me wound up." "what is your name?" she asked. "tik-tok," he replied. "my for-mer mas-ter gave me that name be-cause my clock-work al-ways ticks when it is wound up." "i can hear it now," said the yellow hen. "so can i," said dorothy. and then she added, with some anxiety: "you don't strike, do you?" "no," answered tiktok; "and there is no a-larm con-nec-ted with my ma-chin-er-y. i can tell the time, though, by speak-ing, and as i nev-er sleep i can wak-en you at an-y hour you wish to get up in the morn-ing." "that's nice," said the little girl; "only i never wish to get up in the morning." "you can sleep until i lay my egg," said the yellow hen. "then, when i cackle, tiktok will know it is time to waken you." "do you lay your egg very early?" asked dorothy. "about eight o'clock," said billina. "and everybody ought to be up by that time, i'm sure." [illustration] dorothy opens the dinner pail [illustration] "now tiktok," said dorothy, "the first thing to be done is to find a way for us to escape from these rocks. the wheelers are down below, you know, and threaten to kill us." "there is no rea-son to be a-fraid of the wheel-ers," said tiktok, the words coming more slowly than before. "why not?" she asked. "be-cause they are ag-g-g--gr-gr-r-r-" he gave a sort of gurgle and stopped short, waving his hands frantically until suddenly he became motionless, with one arm in the air and the other held stiffly before him with all the copper fingers of the hand spread out like a fan. "dear me!" said dorothy, in a frightened tone. "what can the matter be?" "he's run down, i suppose," said the hen, calmly. "you couldn't have wound him up very tight." "i didn't know how much to wind him," replied the girl; "but i'll try to do better next time." she ran around the copper man to take the key from the peg at the back of his neck, but it was not there. "it's gone!" cried dorothy, in dismay. "what's gone?" asked billina. "the key." "it probably fell off when he made that low bow to you," returned the hen. "look around, and see if you cannot find it again." dorothy looked, and the hen helped her, and by and by the girl discovered the clock-key, which had fallen into a crack of the rock. at once she wound up tiktok's voice, taking care to give the key as many turns as it would go around. she found this quite a task, as you may imagine if you have ever tried to wind a clock, but the machine man's first words were to assure dorothy that he would now run for at least twenty-four hours. "you did not wind me much, at first," he calmly said, "and i told you that long sto-ry a-bout king ev-ol-do; so it is no won-der that i ran down." [illustration] she next rewound the action clock-work, and then billina advised her to carry the key to tiktok in her pocket, so it would not get lost again. "and now," said dorothy, when all this was accomplished, "tell me what you were going to say about the wheelers." "why, they are noth-ing to be fright-en'd at," said the machine. "they try to make folks be-lieve that they are ver-y ter-ri-ble, but as a mat-ter of fact the wheel-ers are harm-less e-nough to an-y one that dares to fight them. they might try to hurt a lit-tle girl like you, per-haps, be-cause they are ver-y mis-chiev-ous. but if i had a club they would run a-way as soon as they saw me." "haven't you a club?" asked dorothy. "no," said tiktok. "and you won't find such a thing among these rocks, either," declared the yellow hen. "then what shall we do?" asked the girl. "wind up my think-works tight-ly, and i will try to think of some oth-er plan," said tiktok. so dorothy rewound his thought machinery, and while he was thinking she decided to eat her dinner. billina was already pecking away at the cracks in the rocks, to find something to eat, so dorothy sat down and opened her tin dinner-pail. in the cover she found a small tank that was full of very nice lemonade. it was covered by a cup, which might also, when removed, be used to drink the lemonade from. within the pail were three slices of turkey, two slices of cold tongue, some lobster salad, four slices of bread and butter, a small custard pie, an orange and nine large strawberries, and some nuts and raisins. singularly enough, the nuts in this dinner-pail grew already cracked, so that dorothy had no trouble in picking out their meats to eat. she spread the feast upon the rock beside her and began her dinner, first offering some of it to tiktok, who declined because, as he said, he was merely a machine. afterward she offered to share with billina, but the hen murmured something about "dead things" and said she preferred her bugs and ants. "do the lunch-box trees and the dinner-pail trees belong to the wheelers?" the child asked tiktok, while engaged in eating her meal. "of course not," he answered. "they be-long to the roy-al fam-il-y of ev, on-ly of course there is no roy-al fam-il-y just now be-cause king ev-ol-do jumped in-to the sea and his wife and ten chil-dren have been trans-formed by the nome king. so there is no one to rule the land of ev, that i can think of. per-haps it is for this rea-son that the wheel-ers claim the trees for their own, and pick the lunch-eons and din-ners to eat them-selves. but they be-long to the king, and you will find the roy-al "e" stamped up-on the bot-tom of ev-er-y din-ner pail." dorothy turned the pail over, and at once discovered the royal mark upon it, as tiktok had said. "are the wheelers the only folks living in the land of ev?" enquired the girl. [illustration: dorothy opened her tin dinner-pail] "no; they on-ly in-hab-it a small por-tion of it just back of the woods," replied the machine. "but they have al-ways been mis-chiev-ous and im-per-ti-nent, and my old mas-ter, king ev-ol-do, used to car-ry a whip with him, when he walked out, to keep the crea-tures in or-der. when i was first made the wheel-ers tried to run o-ver me, and butt me with their heads; but they soon found i was built of too sol-id a ma-ter-i-al for them to in-jure." "you seem very durable," said dorothy. "who made you?" "the firm of smith & tin-ker, in the town of ev-na, where the roy-al pal-ace stands," answered tiktok. "did they make many of you?" asked the child. "no; i am the on-ly au-to-mat-ic me-chan-i-cal man they ev-er com-plet-ed," he replied. "they were ver-y won-der-ful in-ven-tors, were my mak-ers, and quite ar-tis-tic in all they did." "i am sure of that," said dorothy. "do they live in the town of evna now?" "they are both gone," replied the machine. "mr. smith was an art-ist, as well as an in-vent-or, and he paint-ed a pic-ture of a riv-er which was so nat-ur-al that, as he was reach-ing a-cross it to paint some flow-ers on the op-po-site bank, he fell in-to the wa-ter and was drowned." "oh, i'm sorry for that!" exclaimed the little girl. "mis-ter tin-ker," continued tiktok, "made a lad-der so tall that he could rest the end of it a-gainst the moon, while he stood on the high-est rung and picked the lit-tle stars to set in the points of the king's crown. but when he got to the moon mis-ter tin-ker found it such a love-ly place that he de-cid-ed to live there, so he pulled up the lad-der af-ter him and we have nev-er seen him since." "he must have been a great loss to this country," said dorothy, who was by this time eating her custard pie. "he was," acknowledged tiktok. "also he is a great loss to me. for if i should get out of or-der i do not know of an-y one a-ble to re-pair me, be-cause i am so com-pli-cat-ed. you have no i-de-a how full of ma-chin-er-y i am." "i can imagine it," said dorothy, readily. "and now," continued the machine, "i must stop talk-ing and be-gin think-ing a-gain of a way to es-cape from this rock." so he turned halfway around, in order to think without being disturbed. "the best thinker i ever knew," said dorothy to the yellow hen, "was a scarecrow." "nonsense!" snapped billina. "it is true," declared dorothy. "i met him in the land of oz, and he travelled with me to the city of the great wizard of oz, so as to get some brains, for his head was only stuffed with straw. but it seemed to me that he thought just as well before he got his brains as he did afterward." "do you expect me to believe all that rubbish about the land of oz?" enquired billina, who seemed a little cross--perhaps because bugs were scarce. "what rubbish?" asked the child, who was now finishing her nuts and raisins. "why, your impossible stories about animals that can talk, and a tin woodman who is alive, and a scarecrow who can think." "they are all there," said dorothy, "for i have seen them." "i don't believe it!" cried the hen, with a toss of her head. "that's 'cause you're so ign'rant," replied the girl, who was a little offended at her friend billina's speech. "in the land of oz," remarked tiktok, turning toward them, "an-y-thing is pos-si-ble. for it is a won-der-ful fair-y coun-try." "there, billina! what did i say?" cried dorothy. and then she turned to the machine and asked in an eager tone: "do you know the land of oz, tiktok?" [illustration: mister tinker visits the moon] "no; but i have heard a-bout it," said the copper man. "for it is on-ly sep-a-ra-ted from this land of ev by a broad des-ert." dorothy clapped her hands together delightedly. "i'm glad of that!" she exclaimed. "it makes me quite happy to be so near my old friends. the scarecrow i told you of, billina, is the king of the land of oz." "par-don me. he is not the king now," said tiktok. "he was when i left there," declared dorothy. "i know," said tiktok, "but there was a rev-o-lu-tion in the land of oz, and the scare-crow was de-posed by a sol-dier wo-man named gen-er-al jin-jur. and then jin-jur was de-posed by a lit-tle girl named oz-ma, who was the right-ful heir to the throne and now rules the land un-der the ti-tle of oz-ma of oz." "that is news to me," said dorothy, thoughtfully. "but i s'pose lots of things have happened since i left the land of oz. i wonder what has become of the scarecrow, and of the tin woodman, and the cowardly lion. and i wonder who this girl ozma is, for i never heard of her before." but tiktok did not reply to this. he had turned around again to resume his thinking. dorothy packed the rest of the food back into the pail, so as not to be wasteful of good things, and the yellow hen forgot her dignity far enough to pick up all of the scattered crumbs, which she ate rather greedily, although she had so lately pretended to despise the things that dorothy preferred as food. by this time tiktok approached them with his stiff bow. "be kind e-nough to fol-low me," he said, "and i will lead you a-way from here to the town of ev-na, where you will be more com-for-ta-ble, and also i will pro-tect you from the wheel-ers." "all right," answered dorothy, promptly. "i'm ready!" [illustration] the heads of langwidere [illustration] they walked slowly down the path between the rocks, tiktok going first, dorothy following him, and the yellow hen trotting along last of all. at the foot of the path the copper man leaned down and tossed aside with ease the rocks that cumbered the way. then he turned to dorothy and said: "let me car-ry your din-ner-pail." she placed it in his right hand at once, and the copper fingers closed firmly over the stout handle. then the little procession marched out upon the level sands. as soon as the three wheelers who were guarding the mound saw them, they began to shout their wild cries and rolled swiftly toward the little group, as if to capture them or bar their way. but when the foremost had approached near enough, tiktok swung the tin dinner-pail and struck the wheeler a sharp blow over its head with the queer weapon. perhaps it did not hurt very much, but it made a great noise, and the wheeler uttered a howl and tumbled over upon its side. the next minute it scrambled to its wheels and rolled away as fast as it could go, screeching with fear at the same time. "i told you they were harm-less," began tiktok; but before he could say more another wheeler was upon them. crack! went the dinner-pail against its head, knocking its straw hat a dozen feet away; and that was enough for this wheeler, also. it rolled away after the first one, and the third did not wait to be pounded with the pail, but joined its fellows as quickly as its wheels would whirl. the yellow hen gave a cackle of delight, and flying to a perch upon tiktok's shoulder, she said: "bravely done, my copper friend! and wisely thought of, too. now we are free from those ugly creatures." but just then a large band of wheelers rolled from the forest, and relying upon their numbers to conquer, they advanced fiercely upon tiktok. dorothy grabbed billina in her arms and held her tight, and the machine embraced the form of the little girl with his left arm, the better to protect her. then the wheelers were upon them. rattlety, bang! bang! went the dinner-pail in every direction, and it made so much clatter bumping against the heads of the wheelers that they were much more frightened than hurt and fled in a great panic. all, that is, except their leader. this wheeler had stumbled against another and fallen flat upon his back, and before he could get his wheels under him to rise again, tiktok had fastened his copper fingers into the neck of the gorgeous jacket of his foe and held him fast. "tell your peo-ple to go a-way," commanded the machine. the leader of the wheelers hesitated to give this order, so tiktok shook him as a terrier dog does a rat, until the wheeler's teeth rattled together with a noise like hailstones on a window pane. then, as soon as the creature could get its breath, it shouted to the others to roll away, which they immediately did. "now," said tiktok, "you shall come with us and tell me what i want to know." [illustration] "you'll be sorry for treating me in this way," whined the wheeler. "i'm a terribly fierce person." "as for that," answered tiktok, "i am only a ma-chine, and can-not feel sor-row or joy, no mat-ter what hap-pens. but you are wrong to think your-self ter-ri-ble or fierce." "why so?" asked the wheeler. "be-cause no one else thinks as you do. your wheels make you help-less to in-jure an-y one. for you have no fists and can not scratch or e-ven pull hair. nor have you an-y feet to kick with. all you can do is to yell and shout, and that does not hurt an-y one at all." the wheeler burst into a flood of tears, to dorothy's great surprise. "now i and my people are ruined forever!" he sobbed; "for you have discovered our secret. being so helpless, our only hope is to make people afraid of us, by pretending we are very fierce and terrible, and writing in the sand warnings to beware the wheelers. until now we have frightened everyone, but since you have discovered our weakness our enemies will fall upon us and make us very miserable and unhappy." "oh, no," exclaimed dorothy, who was sorry to see this beautifully dressed wheeler so miserable; "tiktok will keep your secret, and so will billina and i. only, you must promise not to try to frighten children any more, if they come near to you." "i won't--indeed i won't!" promised the wheeler, ceasing to cry and becoming more cheerful. "i'm not really bad, you know; but we have to pretend to be terrible in order to prevent others from attacking us." [illustration: on the way to the royal palace of ev] "that is not ex-act-ly true," said tiktok, starting to walk toward the path through the forest, and still holding fast to his prisoner, who rolled slowly along beside him. "you and your peo-ple are full of mis-chief, and like to both-er those who fear you. and you are of-ten im-pu-dent and dis-a-gree-a-ble, too. but if you will try to cure those faults i will not tell any-one how help-less you are." "i'll try, of course," replied the wheeler, eagerly. "and thank you, mr. tiktok, for your kindness." "i am on-ly a ma-chine," said tiktok. "i can not be kind an-y more than i can be sor-ry or glad. i can on-ly do what i am wound up to do." "are you wound up to keep my secret?" asked the wheeler, anxiously. "yes; if you be-have your-self. but tell me: who rules the land of ev now?" asked the machine. "there is no ruler," was the answer, "because every member of the royal family is imprisoned by the nome king. but the princess langwidere, who is a niece of our late king evoldo, lives in a part of the royal palace and takes as much money out of the royal treasury as she can spend. the princess langwidere is not exactly a ruler, you see, because she doesn't rule; but she is the nearest approach to a ruler we have at present." "i do not re-mem-ber her," said tiktok. "what does she look like?" "that i cannot say," replied the wheeler, "although i have seen her twenty times. for the princess langwidere is a different person every time i see her, and the only way her subjects can recognize her at all is by means of a beautiful ruby key which she always wears on a chain attached to her left wrist. when we see the key we know we are beholding the princess." "that is strange," said dorothy, in astonishment. "do you mean to say that so many different princesses are one and the same person?" "not exactly," answered the wheeler. "there is, of course, but one princess; but she appears to us in many forms, which are all more or less beautiful." "she must be a witch," exclaimed the girl. "i do not think so," declared the wheeler. "but there is some mystery connected with her, nevertheless. she is a very vain creature, and lives mostly in a room surrounded by mirrors, so that she can admire herself whichever way she looks." no one answered this speech, because they had just passed out of the forest and their attention was fixed upon the scene before them--a beautiful vale in which were many fruit trees and green fields, with pretty farm-houses scattered here and there and broad, smooth roads that led in every direction. in the center of this lovely vale, about a mile from where our friends were standing, rose the tall spires of the royal palace, which glittered brightly against their background of blue sky. the palace was surrounded by charming grounds, full of flowers and shrubbery. several tinkling fountains could be seen, and there were pleasant walks bordered by rows of white marble statuary. all these details dorothy was, of course, unable to notice or admire until they had advanced along the road to a position quite near to the palace, and she was still looking at the pretty sights when her little party entered the grounds and approached the big front door of the king's own apartments. to their disappointment they found the door tightly closed. a sign was tacked to the panel which read as follows: owner absent. please knock at the third door in the left wing. "now," said tiktok to the captive wheeler, "you must show us the way to the left wing." [illustration: a sign was tacked to the panel] "very well," agreed the prisoner, "it is around here at the right." "how can the left wing be at the right?" demanded dorothy, who feared the wheeler was fooling them. "because there used to be three wings, and two were torn down, so the one on the right is the only one left. it is a trick of the princess langwidere to prevent visitors from annoying her." then the captive led them around to the wing, after which the machine man, having no further use for the wheeler, permitted him to depart and rejoin his fellows. he immediately rolled away at a great pace and was soon lost to sight. tiktok now counted the doors in the wing and knocked loudly upon the third one. it was opened by a little maid in a cap trimmed with gay ribbons, who bowed respectfully and asked: "what do you wish, good people?" "are you the princess langwidere?" asked dorothy. "no, miss; i am her servant," replied the maid. "may i see the princess, please?" "i will tell her you are here, miss, and ask her to grant you an audience," said the maid. "step in, please, and take a seat in the drawing-room." [illustration] so dorothy walked in, followed closely by the machine. but as the yellow hen tried to enter after them, the little maid cried "shoo!" and flapped her apron in billina's face. "shoo, yourself!" retorted the hen, drawing back in anger and ruffling up her feathers. "haven't you any better manners than that?" "oh, do you talk?" enquired the maid, evidently surprised. "can't you hear me?" snapped billina. "drop that apron, and get out of the doorway, so that i may enter with my friends!" "the princess won't like it," said the maid, hesitating. "i don't care whether she likes it or not," replied billina, and fluttering her wings with a loud noise she flew straight at the maid's face. the little servant at once ducked her head, and the hen reached dorothy's side, in safety. "very well," sighed the maid; "if you are all ruined because of this obstinate hen, don't blame me for it. it isn't safe to annoy the princess langwidere." "tell her we are waiting, if you please," dorothy requested, with dignity. "billina is my friend, and must go wherever i go." without more words the maid led them to a richly furnished drawing-room, lighted with subdued rainbow tints that came in through beautiful stained-glass windows. "remain here," she said. "what names shall i give the princess?" "i am dorothy gale, of kansas," replied the child; "and this gentleman is a machine named tiktok, and the yellow hen is my friend billina." [illustration: "the princess wont like it," said the maid] the little servant bowed and withdrew, going through several passages and mounting two marble stairways before she came to the apartments occupied by her mistress. princess langwidere's sitting-room was panelled with great mirrors, which reached from the ceiling to the floor; also the ceiling was composed of mirrors, and the floor was of polished silver that reflected every object upon it. so when langwidere sat in her easy chair and played soft melodies upon her mandolin, her form was mirrored hundreds of times, in walls and ceiling and floor, and whichever way the lady turned her head she could see and admire her own features. this she loved to do, and just as the maid entered she was saying to herself: "this head with the auburn hair and hazel eyes is quite attractive. i must wear it more often than i have done of late, although it may not be the best of my collection." "you have company, your highness," announced the maid, bowing low. "who is it?" asked langwidere, yawning. "dorothy gale of kansas, mr. tiktok and billina," answered the maid. "what a queer lot of names!" murmured the princess, beginning to be a little interested. "what are they like? is dorothy gale of kansas pretty?" "she might be called so," the maid replied. "and is mr. tiktok attractive?" continued the princess. "that i cannot say, your highness. but he seems very bright. will your gracious highness see them?" "oh, i may as well, nanda. but i am tired admiring this head, and if my visitor has any claim to beauty i must take care that she does not surpass me. so i will go to my cabinet and change to no. , which i think is my best appearance. don't you?" "your no. is exceedingly beautiful," answered nanda, with another bow. again the princess yawned. then she said: "help me to rise." so the maid assisted her to gain her feet, although langwidere was the stronger of the two; and then the princess slowly walked across the silver floor to her cabinet, leaning heavily at every step upon nanda's arm. now i must explain to you that the princess langwidere had thirty heads--as many as there are days in the month. but of course she could only wear one of them at a time, because she had but one neck. these heads were kept in what she called her "cabinet," which was a beautiful dressing-room that lay just between langwidere's sleeping-chamber and the mirrored sitting-room. each head was in a separate cupboard lined with velvet. the cupboards ran all around the sides of the dressing-room, and had elaborately carved doors with gold numbers on the outside and jewelled-framed mirrors on the inside of them. when the princess got out of her crystal bed in the morning she went to her cabinet, opened one of the velvet-lined cupboards, and took the head it contained from its golden shelf. then, by the aid of the mirror inside the open door, she put on the head--as neat and straight as could be--and afterward called her maids to robe her for the day. she always wore a simple white costume, that suited all the heads. for, being able to change her face whenever she liked, the princess had no interest in wearing a variety of gowns, as have other ladies who are compelled to wear the same face constantly. [illustration: by the aid of the mirror she put on the head] of course the thirty heads were in great variety, no two formed alike but all being of exceeding loveliness. there were heads with golden hair, brown hair, rich auburn hair and black hair; but none with gray hair. the heads had eyes of blue, of gray, of hazel, of brown and of black; but there were no red eyes among them, and all were bright and handsome. the noses were grecian, roman, retroussé and oriental, representing all types of beauty; and the mouths were of assorted sizes and shapes, displaying pearly teeth when the heads smiled. as for dimples, they appeared in cheeks and chins, wherever they might be most charming, and one or two heads had freckles upon the faces to contrast the better with the brilliancy of their complexions. one key unlocked all the velvet cupboards containing these treasures--a curious key carved from a single blood-red ruby--and this was fastened to a strong but slender chain which the princess wore around her left wrist. when nanda had supported langwidere to a position in front of cupboard no. , the princess unlocked the door with her ruby key and after handing head no. , which she had been wearing, to the maid, she took no. from its shelf and fitted it to her neck. it had black hair and dark eyes and a lovely pearl-and-white complexion, and when langwidere wore it she knew she was remarkably beautiful in appearance. there was only one trouble with no. ; the temper that went with it (and which was hidden somewhere under the glossy black hair) was fiery, harsh and haughty in the extreme, and it often led the princess to do unpleasant things which she regretted when she came to wear her other heads. but she did not remember this today, and went to meet her guests in the drawing-room with a feeling of certainty that she would surprise them with her beauty. however, she was greatly disappointed to find that her visitors were merely a small girl in a gingham dress, a copper man that would only go when wound up, and a yellow hen that was sitting contentedly in langwidere's best work-basket, where there was a china egg used for darning stockings.[a] [footnote a: it may surprise you to learn that a princess ever does such a common thing as darn stockings. but, if you will stop to think, you will realize that a princess is sure to wear holes in her stockings, the same as other people; only it isn't considered quite polite to mention the matter.] "oh!" said langwidere, slightly lifting the nose of no. . "i thought some one of importance had called." "then you were right," declared dorothy. "i'm a good deal of 'portance myself, and when billina lays an egg she has the proudest cackle you ever heard. as for tiktok, he's the----" "stop--stop!" commanded the princess, with an angry flash of her splendid eyes. "how dare you annoy me with your senseless chatter?" "why, you horrid thing!" said dorothy, who was not accustomed to being treated so rudely. the princess looked at her more closely. "tell me," she resumed, "are you of royal blood?" "better than that, ma'am," said dorothy. "i came from kansas." "huh!" cried the princess, scornfully. "you are a foolish child, and i cannot allow you to annoy me. run away, you little goose, and bother some one else." dorothy was so indignant that for a moment she could find no words to reply. but she rose from her chair, and was about to leave the room when the princess, who had been scanning the girl's face, stopped her by saying, more gently: "come nearer to me." dorothy obeyed, without a thought of fear, and stood before the princess while langwidere examined her face with careful attention. "you are rather attractive," said the lady, presently. "not at all beautiful, you understand, but you have a certain style of prettiness that is different from that of any of my thirty heads. so i believe i'll take your head and give you no. for it." "well, i b'lieve you won't!" exclaimed dorothy. [illustration: "well i b'lieve you wont!" exclaimed dorothy] "it will do you no good to refuse," continued the princess; "for i need your head for my collection, and in the land of ev my will is law. i never have cared much for no. , and you will find that it is very little worn. besides, it will do you just as well as the one you're wearing, for all practical purposes." "i don't know anything about your no. , and i don't want to," said dorothy, firmly. "i'm not used to taking cast-off things, so i'll just keep my own head." "you refuse?" cried the princess, with a frown. "of course i do," was the reply. "then," said langwidere, "i shall lock you up in a tower until you decide to obey me. nanda," turning to her maid, "call my army." nanda rang a silver bell, and at once a big fat colonel in a bright red uniform entered the room, followed by ten lean soldiers, who all looked sad and discouraged and saluted the princess in a very melancholy fashion. "carry that girl to the north tower and lock her up!" cried the princess, pointing to dorothy. "to hear is to obey," answered the big red colonel, and caught the child by her arm. but at that moment tiktok raised his dinner-pail and pounded it so forcibly against the colonel's head that the big officer sat down upon the floor with a sudden bump, looking both dazed and very much astonished. "help!" he shouted, and the ten lean soldiers sprang to assist their leader. there was great excitement for the next few moments, and tiktok had knocked down seven of the army, who were sprawling in every direction upon the carpet, when suddenly the machine paused, with the dinner-pail raised for another blow, and remained perfectly motionless. "my ac-tion has run down," he called to dorothy. "wind me up, quick." she tried to obey, but the big colonel had by this time managed to get upon his feet again, so he grabbed fast hold of the girl and she was helpless to escape. "this is too bad," said the machine. "i ought to have run six hours lon-ger, at least, but i sup-pose my long walk and my fight with the wheel-ers made me run down fast-er than us-u-al." "well, it can't be helped," said dorothy, with a sigh. "will you exchange heads with me?" demanded the princess. "no, indeed!" cried dorothy. "then lock her up," said langwidere to her soldiers, and they led dorothy to a high tower at the north of the palace and locked her securely within. the soldiers afterward tried to lift tiktok, but they found the machine so solid and heavy that they could not stir it. so they left him standing in the center of the drawing-room. "people will think i have a new statue," said langwidere, "so it won't matter in the least, and nanda can keep him well polished." "what shall we do with the hen?" asked the colonel, who had just discovered billina in the work-basket. "put her in the chicken-house," answered the princess. "some day i'll have her fried for breakfast." "she looks rather tough, your highness," said nanda, doubtfully. "that is a base slander!" cried billina, struggling frantically in the colonel's arms. "but the breed of chickens i come from is said to be poison to all princesses." "then," remarked langwidere, "i will not fry the hen, but keep her to lay eggs; and if she doesn't do her duty i'll have her drowned in the horse trough." [illustration] ozma of oz to the rescue [illustration] nanda brought dorothy bread and water for her supper and she slept upon a hard stone couch with a single pillow and a silken coverlet. in the morning she leaned out of the window of her prison in the tower to see if there was any way to escape. the room was not so very high up, when compared with our modern buildings, but it was far enough above the trees and farm houses to give her a good view of the surrounding country. to the east she saw the forest, with the sands beyond it and the ocean beyond that. there was even a dark speck upon the shore that she thought might be the chicken-coop in which she had arrived at this singular country. then she looked to the north, and saw a deep but narrow valley lying between two rocky mountains, and a third mountain that shut off the valley at the further end. westward the fertile land of ev suddenly ended a little way from the palace, and the girl could see miles and miles of sandy desert that stretched further than her eyes could reach. it was this desert, she thought, with much interest, that alone separated her from the wonderful land of oz, and she remembered sorrowfully that she had been told no one had ever been able to cross this dangerous waste but herself. once a cyclone had carried her across it, and a magical pair of silver shoes had carried her back again. but now she had neither a cyclone nor silver shoes to assist her, and her condition was sad indeed. for she had become the prisoner of a disagreeable princess who insisted that she must exchange her head for another one that she was not used to, and which might not fit her at all. really, there seemed no hope of help for her from her old friends in the land of oz. thoughtfully she gazed from her narrow window. on all the desert not a living thing was stirring. wait, though! something surely _was_ stirring on the desert--something her eyes had not observed at first. now it seemed like a cloud; now it seemed like a spot of silver; now it seemed to be a mass of rainbow colors that moved swiftly toward her. what _could_ it be, she wondered? then, gradually, but in a brief space of time nevertheless, the vision drew near enough to dorothy to make out what it was. a broad green carpet was unrolling itself upon the desert, while advancing across the carpet was a wonderful procession that made the girl open her eyes in amazement as she gazed. first came a magnificent golden chariot, drawn by a great lion and an immense tiger, who stood shoulder to shoulder and trotted along as gracefully as a well-matched team of thoroughbred horses. and standing upright within the chariot was a beautiful girl clothed in flowing robes of silver gauze and wearing a jeweled diadem upon her dainty head. she held in one hand the satin ribbons that guided her astonishing team, and in the other an ivory wand that separated at the top into two prongs, the prongs being tipped by the letters "o" and "z", made of glistening diamonds set closely together. the girl seemed neither older nor larger than dorothy herself, and at once the prisoner in the tower guessed, that the lovely driver of the chariot must be that ozma of oz of whom she had so lately heard from tiktok. following close behind the chariot dorothy saw her old friend the scarecrow, riding calmly astride a wooden saw-horse, which pranced and trotted as naturally as any meat horse could have done. and then came nick chopper, the tin woodman, with his funnel-shaped cap tipped carelessly over his left ear, his gleaming axe over his right shoulder, and his whole body sparkling as brightly as it had ever done in the old days when first she knew him. the tin woodman was on foot, marching at the head of a company of twenty-seven soldiers, of whom some were lean and some fat, some short and some tall; but all the twenty-seven were dressed in handsome uniforms of various designs and colors, no two being alike in any respect. behind the soldiers the green carpet rolled itself up again, so that there was always just enough of it for the procession to walk upon, in order that their feet might not come in contact with the deadly, life-destroying sands of the desert. [illustration: the magic carpet] dorothy knew at once it was a magic carpet she beheld, and her heart beat high with hope and joy as she realized she was soon to be rescued and allowed to greet her dearly beloved friends of oz--the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion. indeed, the girl felt herself as good as rescued as soon as she recognized those in the procession, for she well knew the courage and loyalty of her old comrades, and also believed that any others who came from their marvelous country would prove to be pleasant and reliable acquaintances. as soon as the last bit of desert was passed and all the procession, from the beautiful and dainty ozma to the last soldier, had reached the grassy meadows of the land of ev, the magic carpet rolled itself together and entirely disappeared. then the chariot driver turned her lion and tiger into a broad roadway leading up to the palace, and the others followed, while dorothy still gazed from her tower window in eager excitement. they came quite close to the front door of the palace and then halted, the scarecrow dismounting from his saw-horse to approach the sign fastened to the door, that he might read what it said. dorothy, just above him, could keep silent no longer. [illustration] "here i am!" she shouted, as loudly as she could. "here's dorothy!" "dorothy who?" asked the scarecrow, tipping his head to look upward until he nearly lost his balance and tumbled over backward. "dorothy gale, of course. your friend from kansas," she answered. "why, hello, dorothy!" said the scarecrow. "what in the world are you doing up there?" "nothing," she called down, "because there's nothing to do. save me, my friend--save me!" "you seem to be quite safe now," replied the scarecrow. "but i'm a prisoner. i'm locked in, so that i can't get out," she pleaded. "that's all right," said the scarecrow. "you might be worse off, little dorothy. just consider the matter. you can't get drowned, or be run over by a wheeler, or fall out of an apple-tree. some folks would think they were lucky to be up there." "well, i don't," declared the girl, "and i want to get down immed'i'tly and see you and the tin woodman and the cowardly lion." "very well," said the scarecrow, nodding. "it shall be just as you say, little friend. who locked you up?" "the princess langwidere, who is a horrid creature," she answered. at this ozma, who had been listening carefully to the conversation, called to dorothy from her chariot, asking: "why did the princess lock you up, my dear?" "because," exclaimed dorothy, "i wouldn't let her have my head for her collection, and take an old, cast-off head in exchange for it." [illustration: "save me, my friend--save me!"] "i do not blame you," exclaimed ozma, promptly. "i will see the princess at once, and oblige her to liberate you." "oh, thank you very, very much!" cried dorothy, who as soon as she heard the sweet voice of the girlish ruler of oz knew that she would soon learn to love her dearly. ozma now drove her chariot around to the third door of the wing, upon which the tin woodman boldly proceeded to knock. as soon as the maid opened the door ozma, bearing in her hand her ivory wand, stepped into the hall and made her way at once to the drawing-room, followed by all her company, except the lion, and the tiger. and the twenty-seven soldiers made such a noise and a clatter that the little maid nanda ran away screaming to her mistress, whereupon the princess langwidere, roused to great anger by this rude invasion of her palace, came running into the drawing room without any assistance whatever. there she stood before the slight and delicate form of the little girl from oz and cried out;-- "how dare you enter my palace unbidden? leave this room at once, or i will bind you and all your people in chains, and throw you into my darkest dungeons!" [illustration] "what a dangerous lady!" murmured the scarecrow, in a soft voice. "she seems a little nervous," replied the tin woodman. but ozma only smiled at the angry princess. "sit down, please," she said, quietly. "i have traveled a long way to see you, and you must listen to what i have to say." "must!" screamed the princess, her black eyes flashing with fury--for she still wore her no. head. "must, to _me_!" "to be sure," said ozma. "i am ruler of the land of oz, and i am powerful enough to destroy all your kingdom, if i so wish. yet i did not come here to do harm, but rather to free the royal family of ev from the thrall of the noma king, the news having reached me that he is holding the queen and her children prisoners." hearing these words, langwidere suddenly became quiet. "i wish you could, indeed, free my aunt and her ten royal children," said she, eagerly. "for if they were restored to their proper forms and station they could rule the kingdom of ev themselves, and that would save me a lot of worry and trouble. at present there are at least ten minutes every day that i must devote to affairs of state, and i would like to be able to spend my whole time in admiring my beautiful heads." "then we will presently discuss this matter," said ozma, "and try to find a way to liberate your aunt and cousins. but first you must liberate another prisoner--the little girl you have locked up in your tower." [illustration: "what a dangerous lady!" murmured the scarecrow] "of course," said langwidere, readily. "i had forgotten all about her. that was yesterday, you know, and a princess cannot be expected to remember today what she did yesterday. come with me, and i will release the prisoner at once." so ozma followed her, and they passed up the stairs that led to the room in the tower. while they were gone ozma's followers remained in the drawing-room, and the scarecrow was leaning against a form that he had mistaken for a copper statue when a harsh, metallic voice said suddenly in his ear: "get off my foot, please. you are scratch-ing my pol-ish." "oh, excuse me!" he replied, hastily drawing back. "are you alive?" "no," said tiktok, "i am on-ly a ma-chine. but i can think and speak and act, when i am pro-per-ly wound up. just now my ac-tion is run down, and dor-o-thy has the key to it." "that's all right," replied the scarecrow. "dorothy will soon be free, and then she'll attend to your works. but it must be a great misfortune not to be alive. i'm sorry for you." "why?" asked tiktok. "because you have no brains, as i have," said the scarecrow. "oh, yes, i have," returned tiktok. "i am fit-ted with smith & tin-ker's improved com-bi-na-tion steel brains. they are what make me think. what sort of brains are you fit-ted with?" "i don't know," admitted the scarecrow. "they were given to me by the great wizard of oz, and i didn't get a chance to examine them before he put them in. but they work splendidly and my conscience is very active. have you a conscience?" "no," said tiktok. "and no heart, i suppose?" added the tin woodman, who had been listening with interest to this conversation. "no," said tiktok. "then," continued the tin woodman, "i regret to say that you are greatly inferior to my friend the scarecrow, and to myself. for we are both alive, and he has brains which do not need to be wound up, while i have an excellent heart that is continually beating in my bosom." "i con-grat-u-late you," replied tiktok. "i can-not help be-ing your in-fer-i-or for i am a mere ma-chine. when i am wound up i do my du-ty by go-ing just as my ma-chin-er-y is made to go. you have no i-de-a how full of ma-chin-er-y i am." "i can guess," said the scarecrow, looking at the machine man curiously. "some day i'd like to take you apart and see just how you are made." "do not do that, i beg of you," said tiktok; "for you could not put me to-geth-er a-gain, and my use-ful-ness would be de-stroyed." "oh! are you useful?" asked the scarecrow, surprised. "ve-ry," said tiktok. "in that case," the scarecrow kindly promised, "i won't fool with your interior at all. for i am a poor mechanic, and might mix you up." "thank you," said tiktok. just then ozma re-entered the room, leading dorothy by the hand and followed closely by the princess langwidere. [illustration] the hungry tiger [illustration] the first thing dorothy did was to rush into the embrace of the scarecrow, whose painted face beamed with delight as he pressed her form to his straw-padded bosom. then the tin woodman embraced her--very gently, for he knew his tin arms might hurt her if he squeezed too roughly. these greetings having been exchanged, dorothy took the key to tiktok from her pocket and wound up the machine man's action, so that he could bow properly when introduced to the rest of the company. while doing this she told them now useful tiktok had been to her, and both the scarecrow and the tin woodman shook hands with the machine once more and thanked him for protecting their friend. then dorothy asked: "where is billina?" "i don't know," said the scarecrow. "who is billina?" "she's a yellow hen who is another friend of mine," answered the girl, anxiously. "i wonder what has become of her?" "she is in the chicken house, in the back yard," said the princess. "my drawing-room is no place for hens." without waiting to hear more dorothy ran to get billina, and just outside the door she came upon the cowardly lion, still hitched to the chariot beside the great tiger. the cowardly lion had a big bow of blue ribbon fastened to the long hair between his ears, and the tiger wore a bow of red ribbon on his tail, just in front of the bushy end. in an instant dorothy was hugging the huge lion joyfully. "i'm _so_ glad to see you again!" she cried. "i am also glad to see you, dorothy," said the lion. "we've had some fine adventures together, haven't we?" "yes, indeed," she replied. "how are you?" "as cowardly as ever," the beast answered in a meek voice. "every little thing scares me and makes my heart beat fast. but let me introduce to you a new friend of mine, the hungry tiger." [illustration] "oh! are you hungry?" she asked, turning to the other beast, who was just then yawning so widely that he displayed two rows of terrible teeth and a mouth big enough to startle anyone. "dreadfully hungry," answered the tiger, snapping his jaws together with a fierce click. "then why don't you eat something?" she asked. "it's no use," said the tiger sadly. "i've tried that, but i always get hungry again." "why, it is the same with me," said dorothy. "yet i keep on eating." "but you eat harmless things, so it doesn't matter," replied the tiger. "for my part, i'm a savage beast, and have an appetite for all sorts of poor little living creatures, from a chipmonk to fat babies. "how dreadful!" said dorothy. "isn't it, though?" returned the hungry tiger, licking his lips with his long red tongue. "fat babies! don't they sound delicious? but i've never eaten any, because my conscience tells me it is wrong. if i had no conscience i would probably eat the babies and then get hungry again, which would mean that i had sacrificed the poor babies for nothing. no; hungry i was born, and hungry i shall die. but i'll not have any cruel deeds on my conscience to be sorry for." "i think you are a very good tiger," said dorothy, patting the huge head of the beast. "in that you are mistaken," was the reply. "i am a good beast, perhaps, but a disgracefully bad tiger. for it is the nature of tigers to be cruel and ferocious, and in refusing to eat harmless living creatures i am acting as no good tiger has ever before acted. that is why i left the forest and joined my friend the cowardly lion." [illustration: the hungry tiger] "but the lion is not really cowardly," said dorothy. "i have seen him act as bravely as can be." "all a mistake, my dear," protested the lion gravely. "to others i may have seemed brave, at times, but i have never been in any danger that i was not afraid." "nor i," said dorothy, truthfully. "but i must go and set free billina, and then i will see you again." she ran around to the back yard of the palace and soon found the chicken house, being guided to it by a loud cackling and crowing and a distracting hubbub of sounds such as chickens make when they are excited. something seemed to be wrong in the chicken house, and when dorothy looked through the slats in the door she saw a group of hens and roosters huddled in one corner and watching what appeared to be a whirling ball of feathers. it bounded here and there about the chicken house, and at first dorothy could not tell what it was, while the screeching of the chickens nearly deafened her. but suddenly the bunch of feathers stopped whirling, and then, to her amazement, the girl saw billina crouching upon the prostrate form of a speckled rooster. for an instant they both remained motionless, and then the yellow hen shook her wings to settle the feathers and walked toward the door with a strut of proud defiance and a cluck of victory, while the speckled rooster limped away to the group of other chickens, trailing his crumpled plumage in the dust as he went. "why, billina!" cried dorothy, in a shocked voice; "have you been fighting?" "i really think i have," retorted billina. "do you think i'd let that speckled villain of a rooster lord it over _me_, and claim to run this chicken house, as long as i'm able to peck and scratch? not if my name is bill!" "it isn't bill, it's billina; and you're talking slang, which is very undig'n'fied," said dorothy, reprovingly. "come here, billina, and i'll let you out; for ozma of oz is here, and has set us free." so the yellow hen came to the door, which dorothy unlatched for her to pass through, and the other chickens silently watched them from their corner without offering to approach nearer. the girl lifted her friend in her arms and exclaimed: "oh, billina! how dreadful you look. you've lost a lot of feathers, and one of your eyes is nearly pecked out, and your comb is bleeding!" "that's nothing," said billina. "just look at the speckled rooster! didn't i do him up brown?" dorothy shook her head. "i don't 'prove of this, at all," she said, carrying billina away toward the palace. "it isn't a good thing for you to 'sociate with those common chickens. they would soon spoil your good manners, and you wouldn't be respec'able any more." "i didn't ask to associate with them," replied billina. "it is that cross old princess who is to blame. but i was raised in the united states, and i won't allow any one-horse chicken of the land of ev to run over me and put on airs, as long as i can lift a claw in self-defense." "very well, billina," said dorothy. "we won't talk about it any more." soon they came to the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger to whom the girl introduced the yellow hen. "glad to meet any friend of dorothy's," said the lion, politely. "to judge by your present appearance, you are not a coward, as i am." [illustration: "why, billina!" cried dorothy; "have you been fighting?"] "your present appearance makes my mouth water," said the tiger, looking at billina greedily. "my, my! how good you would taste if i could only crunch you between my jaws. but don't worry. you would only appease my appetite for a moment; so it isn't worth while to eat you." "thank you," said the hen, nestling closer in dorothy's arms. "besides, it wouldn't be right," continued the tiger, looking steadily at billina and clicking his jaws together. "of course not," cried dorothy, hastily. "billina is my friend, and you mustn't ever eat her under any circ'mstances." "i'll try to remember that," said the tiger; "but i'm a little absent-minded, at times." then dorothy carried her pet into the drawing-room of the palace, where tiktok, being invited to do so by ozma, had seated himself between the scarecrow and the tin woodman. opposite to them sat ozma herself and the princess langwidere, and beside them there was a vacant chair for dorothy. around this important group was ranged the army of oz, and as dorothy looked at the handsome uniforms of the twenty-seven she said: "why, they seem to be all officers." "they are, all except one," answered the tin woodman. "i have in my army eight generals, six colonels, seven majors and five captains, besides one private for them to command. i'd like to promote the private, for i believe no private should ever be in public life; and i've also noticed that officers usually fight better and are more reliable than common soldiers. besides, the officers are more important looking, and lend dignity to our army." "no doubt you are right," said dorothy, seating herself beside ozma. "and now," announced the girlish ruler of oz, "we will hold a solemn conference to decide the best manner of liberating the royal family of this fair land of ev from their long imprisonment." [illustration] the royal family of ev [illustration] the tin woodman was the first to address the meeting. "to begin with," said he, "word came to our noble and illustrous ruler, ozma of oz, that the wife and ten children--five boys and five girls--of the former king of ev, by name evoldo, have been enslaved by the nome king and are held prisoners in his underground palace. also that there was no one in ev powerful enough to release them. naturally our ozma wished to undertake the adventure of liberating the poor prisoners; but for a long time she could find no way to cross the great desert between the two countries. finally she went to a friendly sorceress of our land named glinda the good, who heard the story and at once presented ozma a magic carpet, which would continually unroll beneath our feet and so make a comfortable path for us to cross the desert. as soon as she had received the carpet our gracious ruler ordered me to assemble our army, which i did. you behold in these bold warriors the pick of all the finest soldiers of oz; and, if we are obliged to fight the nome king, every officer as well as the private, will battle fiercely unto death." then tiktok spoke. "why should you fight the nome king?" he asked. "he has done no wrong." "no wrong!" cried dorothy. "isn't it wrong to imprison a queen mother and her ten children?" "they were sold to the nome king by king ev-ol-do," replied tiktok. "it was the king of ev who did wrong, and when he re-al-ized what he had done he jumped in-to the sea and drowned him-self." "this is news to me," said ozma, thoughtfully. "i had supposed the nome king was all to blame in the matter. but, in any case, he must be made to liberate the prisoners." "my uncle evoldo was a very wicked man," declared the princess langwidere. "if he had drowned himself before he sold his family, no one would have cared. but he sold them to the powerful nome king in exchange for a long life, and afterward destroyed the life by jumping into the sea." "then," said ozma, "he did not get the long life, and the nome king must give up the prisoners. where are they confined?" "no one knows, exactly," replied the princess. "for the king, whose name is roquat of the rocks, owns a splendid palace underneath the great mountain which is at the north end of this kingdom, and he has transformed the queen and her children into ornaments and bric-a-brac with which to decorate his rooms." "i'd like to know," said dorothy, "who this nome king is?" "i will tell you," replied ozma. "he is said to be the ruler of the underground world, and commands the rocks and all that the rocks contain. under his rule are many thousands of the nomes, who are queerly shaped but powerful sprites that labor at the furnaces and forges of their king, making gold and silver and other metals which they conceal in the crevices of the rocks, so that those living upon the earth's surface can only find them with great difficulty. also they make diamonds and rubies and emeralds, which they hide in the ground; so that the kingdom of the nomes is wonderfully rich, and all we have of precious stones and silver and gold is what we take from the earth and rocks where the nome king has hidden them." "i understand," said dorothy, nodding her little head wisely. "for the reason that we often steal his treasures," continued ozma, "the ruler of the underground world is not fond of those who live upon the earth's surface, and never appears among us. if we wish to see king roquat of the rocks, we must visit his own country, where he is all powerful, and therefore it will be a dangerous undertaking." "but, for the sake of the poor prisoners," said dorothy, "we ought to do it." "we shall do it," replied the scarecrow, "although it requires a lot of courage for me to go near to the furnaces of the nome king. for i am only stuffed with straw, and a single spark of fire might destroy me entirely." "the furnaces may also melt my tin," said the tin woodman; "but i am going." "i can't bear heat," remarked the princess langwidere, yawning lazily, "so i shall stay at home. but i wish you may have success in your undertaking, for i am heartily tired of ruling this stupid kingdom, and i need more leisure in which to admire my beautiful heads." "we do not need you," said ozma. "for, if with the aid of my brave followers i cannot accomplish my purpose, then it would be useless for you to undertake the journey." "quite true," sighed the princess. "so, if you'll excuse me, i will now retire to my cabinet. i've worn this head quite awhile, and i want to change it for another." when she had left them (and you may be sure no one was sorry to see her go) ozma said to tiktok: "will you join our party?" "i am the slave of the girl dor-oth-y, who res-cued me from pris-on," replied the machine. "where she goes i will go." "oh, i am going with my friends, of course," said dorothy, quickly. "i wouldn't miss the fun for anything. will you go, too, billina?" "to be sure," said billina in a careless tone. she was smoothing down the feathers of her back and not paying much attention. [illustration: "i can't bear heat," remarked langwidere] "heat is just in her line," remarked the scarecrow. "if she is nicely roasted, she will be better than ever." "then," said ozma, "we will arrange to start for the kingdom of the nomes at daybreak tomorrow. and, in the meantime, we will rest and prepare ourselves for the journey." although princess langwidere did not again appear to her guests, the palace servants waited upon the strangers from oz and did everything in their power to make the party comfortable. there were many vacant rooms at their disposal, and the brave army of twenty-seven was easily provided for and liberally feasted. the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were unharnessed from the chariot and allowed to roam at will throughout the palace, where they nearly frightened the servants into fits, although they did no harm at all. at one time dorothy found the little maid nanda crouching in terror in a corner, with the hungry tiger standing before her. "you certainly look delicious," the beast was saying. "will you kindly give me permission to eat you?" "no, no, no!" cried the maid in reply. "then," said the tiger, yawning frightfully, "please to get me about thirty pounds of tenderloin steak, cooked rare, with a peck of boiled potatoes on the side, and five gallons of ice-cream for dessert." "i--i'll do the best i can!" said nanda, and she ran away as fast as she could go. "are you so very hungry?" asked dorothy, in wonder. "you can hardly imagine the size of my appetite," replied the tiger, sadly. "it seems to fill my whole body, from the end of my throat to the tip of my tail. i am very sure the appetite doesn't fit me, and is too large for the size of my body. some day, when i meet a dentist with a pair of forceps, i'm going to have it pulled." "what, your tooth?" asked dorothy. "no, my appetite," said the hungry tiger. [illustration: dorothy related to them her own adventures] the little girl spent most of the afternoon talking with the scarecrow and the tin woodman, who related to her all that had taken place in the land of oz since dorothy had left it. she was much interested in the story of ozma, who had been, when a baby, stolen by a wicked old witch and transformed into a boy. she did not know that she had ever been a girl until she was restored to her natural form by a kind sorceress. then it was found that she was the only child of the former ruler of oz, and was entitled to rule in his place. ozma had many adventures, however, before she regained her father's throne, and in these she was accompanied by a pumpkin-headed man, a highly magnified and thoroughly educated woggle-bug, and a wonderful sawhorse that had been brought to life by means of a magic powder. the scarecrow and the tin woodman had also assisted her; but the cowardly lion, who ruled the great forest as the king of beasts, knew nothing of ozma until after she became the reigning princess of oz. then he journeyed to the emerald city to see her, and on hearing she was about to visit the land of ev to set free the royal family of that country, the cowardly lion begged to go with her, and brought along his friend, the hungry tiger, as well. having heard this story, dorothy related to them her own adventures, and then went out with her friends to find the sawhorse, which ozma had caused to be shod with plates of gold, so that its legs would not wear out. they came upon the sawhorse standing motionless beside the garden gate, but when dorothy was introduced to him he bowed politely and blinked his eyes, which were knots of wood, and wagged his tail, which was only the branch of a tree. "what a remarkable thing, to be alive!" exclaimed dorothy. "i quite agree with you," replied the sawhorse, in a rough but not unpleasant voice. "a creature like me has no business to live, as we all know. but it was the magic powder that did it, so i cannot justly be blamed." [illustration] "of course not," said dorothy. "and you seem to be of some use, 'cause i noticed the scarecrow riding upon your back." "oh, yes; i'm of use," returned the sawhorse; "and i never tire, never have to be fed, or cared for in any way." "are you intel'gent?" asked the girl. "not very," said the creature. "it would be foolish to waste intelligence on a common sawhorse, when so many professors need it. but i know enough to obey my masters, and to gid-dup, or whoa, when i'm told to. so i'm pretty well satisfied." that night dorothy slept in a pleasant little bedchamber next to that occupied by ozma of oz, and billina perched upon the foot of the bed and tucked her head under her wing and slept as soundly in that position as did dorothy upon her soft cushions. but before daybreak every one was awake and stirring, and soon the adventurers were eating a hasty breakfast in the great dining-room of the palace. ozma sat at the head of a long table, on a raised platform, with dorothy on her right hand and the scarecrow on her left. the scarecrow did not eat, of course; but ozma placed him near her so that she might ask his advice about the journey while she ate. lower down the table were the twenty-seven warriors of oz, and at the end of the room the lion and the tiger were eating out of a kettle that had been placed upon the floor, while billina fluttered around to pick up any scraps that might be scattered. it did not take long to finish the meal, and then the lion and the tiger were harnessed to the chariot and the party was ready to start for the nome king's palace. first rode ozma, with dorothy beside her in the golden chariot and holding billina fast in her arms. then came the scarecrow on the sawhorse, with the tin woodman and tiktok marching side by side just behind him. after these tramped the army, looking brave and handsome in their splendid uniforms. the generals commanded the colonels and the colonels commanded the majors and the majors commanded the captains and the captains commanded the private, who marched with an air of proud importance because it required so many officers to give him his orders. and so the magnificent procession left the palace and started along the road just as day was breaking, and by the time the sun came out they had made good progress toward the valley that led to the nome king's domain. the giant with the hammer [illustration] the road led for a time through a pretty farm country, and then past a picnic grove that was very inviting. but the procession continued to steadily advance until billina cried in an abrupt and commanding manner: "wait--wait!" ozma stopped her chariot so suddenly that the scarecrow's sawhorse nearly ran into it, and the ranks of the army tumbled over one another before they could come to a halt. immediately the yellow hen struggled from dorothy's arms and flew into a clump of bushes by the roadside. "what's the matter?" called the tin woodman, anxiously. "why, billina wants to lay her egg, that's all," said dorothy. "lay her egg!" repeated the tin woodman, in astonishment. "yes; she lays one every morning, about this time; and it's quite fresh," said the girl. "but does your foolish old hen suppose that this entire cavalcade, which is bound on an important adventure, is going to stand still while she lays her egg?" enquired the tin woodman, earnestly. "what else can we do?" asked the girl. "it's a habit of billina's and she can't break herself of it." "then she must hurry up," said the tin woodman, impatiently. "no, no!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "if she hurries she may lay scrambled eggs." "that's nonsense," said dorothy. "but billina won't be long, i'm sure." so they stood and waited, although all were restless and anxious to proceed. and by and by the yellow hen came from the bushes saying: "kut-kut, kut, ka-daw-kutt!" kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kut!" "what is she doing--singing her lay?" asked the scarecrow. "for-ward--march!" shouted the tin woodman, waving his axe, and the procession started just as dorothy had once more grabbed billina in her arms. [illustration] "isn't anyone going to get my egg?" cried the hen, in great excitement. "i'll get it," said the scarecrow; and at his command the sawhorse pranced into the bushes. the straw man soon found the egg, which he placed in his jacket pocket. the cavalcade, having moved rapidly on, was even then far in advance; but it did not take the sawhorse long to catch up with it, and presently the scarecrow was riding in his accustomed place behind ozma's chariot. "what shall i do with the egg?" he asked dorothy. "i do not know," the girl answered. "perhaps the hungry tiger would like it." [illustration] "it would not be enough to fill one of my back teeth," remarked the tiger. "a bushel of them, hard boiled, might take a little of the edge off my appetite; but one egg isn't good for anything at all, that i know of." "no; it wouldn't even make a sponge cake," said the scarecrow, thoughtfully. "the tin woodman might carry it with his axe and hatch it; but after all i may as well keep it myself for a souvenir." so he left it in his pocket. [illustration] they had now reached that part of the valley that lay between the two high mountains which dorothy had seen from her tower window. at the far end was the third great mountain, which blocked the valley and was the northern edge of the land of ev. it was underneath this mountain that the nome king's palace was said to be; but it would be some time before they reached that place. the path was becoming rocky and difficult for the wheels of the chariot to pass over, and presently a deep gulf appeared at their feet which was too wide for them to leap. so ozma took a small square of green cloth from her pocket and threw it upon the ground. at once it became the magic carpet, and unrolled itself far enough for all the cavalcade to walk upon. the chariot now advanced, and the green carpet unrolled before it, crossing the gulf on a level with its banks, so that all passed over in safety. "that's easy enough," said the scarecrow. "i wonder what will happen next." he was not long in making the discovery, for the sides of the mountain came closer together until finally there was but a narrow path between them, along which ozma and her party were forced to pass in single file. they now heard a low and deep "thump!----thump!----thump!" which echoed throughout the valley and seemed to grow louder as they advanced. then, turning a corner of rock, they saw before them a huge form, which towered above the path for more than a hundred feet. the form was that of a gigantic man built out of plates of cast iron, and it stood with one foot on either side of the narrow road and swung over its right shoulder an immense iron mallet, with which it constantly pounded the earth. these resounding blows explained the thumping sounds they had heard, for the mallet was much bigger than a barrel, and where it struck the path between the rocky sides of the mountain it filled all the space through which our travelers would be obliged to pass. of course they at once halted, a safe distance away from the terrible iron mallet. the magic carpet would do them no good in this case, for it was only meant to protect them from any dangers upon the ground beneath their feet, and not from dangers that appeared in the air above them. "wow!" said the cowardly lion, with a shudder. "it makes me dreadfully nervous to see that big hammer pounding so near my head. one blow would crush me into a door-mat." "the ir-on gi-ant is a fine fel-low," said tiktok, "and works as stead-i-ly as a clock. he was made for the nome king by smith & tin-ker, who made me, and his du-ty is to keep folks from find-ing the un-der-ground pal-ace. is he not a great work of art?" "can he think, and speak, as you do?" asked ozma, regarding the giant with wondering eyes. "no," replied the machine; "he is on-ly made to pound the road, and has no think-ing or speak-ing at-tach-ment. but he pounds ve-ry well, i think." "too well," observed the scarecrow. "he is keeping us from going farther. is there no way to stop his machinery?" "on-ly the nome king, who has the key, can do that," answered tiktok. "then," said dorothy, anxiously, "what shall we do?" "excuse me for a few minutes," said the scarecrow, "and i will think it over." he retired, then, to a position in the rear, where he turned his painted face to the rocks and began to think. meantime the giant continued to raise his iron mallet high in the air and to strike the path terrific blows that echoed through the mountains like the roar of a cannon. each time the mallet lifted, however, there was a moment when the path beneath the monster was free, and perhaps the scarecrow had noticed this, for when he came back to the others he said: "the matter is a very simple one, after all. we have but to run under the hammer, one at a time, when it is lifted, and pass to the other side before it falls again." [illustration: the tiger went next] "it will require quick work, if we escape the blow," said the tin woodman, with a shake of his head. "but it really seems the only thing to be done. who will make the first attempt?" they looked at one another hesitatingly for a moment. then the cowardly lion, who was trembling like a leaf in the wind, said to them: "i suppose the head of the procession must go first--and that's me. but i'm terribly afraid of the big hammer!" "what will become of me?" asked ozma. "you might rush under the hammer yourself, but the chariot would surely be crushed." "we must leave the chariot," said the scarecrow. "but you two girls can ride upon the backs of the lion and the tiger." so this was decided upon, and ozma, as soon as the lion was unfastened from the chariot, at once mounted the beast's back and said she was ready. "cling fast to his mane," advised dorothy. "i used to ride him myself, and that's the way i held on." so ozma clung fast to the mane, and the lion crouched in the path and eyed the swinging mallet carefully until he knew just the instant it would begin to rise in the air. then, before anyone thought he was ready, he made a sudden leap straight between the iron giant's legs, and before the mallet struck the ground again the lion and ozma were safe on the other side. the tiger went next. dorothy sat upon his back and locked her arms around his striped neck, for he had no mane to cling to. he made the leap straight and true as an arrow from a bow, and ere dorothy realized it she was out of danger and standing by ozma's side. now came the scarecrow on the sawhorse, and while they made the dash in safety they were within a hair's breadth of being caught by the descending hammer. tiktok walked up to the very edge of the spot the hammer struck, and as it was raised for the next blow he calmly stepped forward and escaped its descent. that was an idea for the tin woodman to follow, and he also crossed in safety while the great hammer was in the air. but when it came to the twenty-six officers and the private, their knees were so weak that they could not walk a step. "in battle we are wonderfully courageous," said one of the generals, "and our foes find us very terrible to face. but war is one thing and this is another. when it comes to being pounded upon the head by an iron hammer, and smashed into pancakes, we naturally object." "make a run for it," urged the scarecrow. "our knees shake so that we cannot run," answered a captain. "if we should try it we would all certainly be pounded to a jelly." "well, well!" sighed the cowardly lion, "i see, friend tiger, that we must place ourselves in great danger to rescue this bold army. come with me, and we will do the best we can." so, ozma and dorothy having already dismounted from their backs, the lion and the tiger leaped back again under the awful hammer and returned with two generals clinging to their necks. they repeated this daring passage twelve times, when all the officers had been carried beneath the giant's legs and landed safely on the further side. by that time the beasts were very tired, and panted so hard that their tongues hung out of their great mouths. "but what is to become of the private?" asked ozma. "oh, leave him there to guard the chariot," said the lion. "i'm tired out, and won't pass under that mallet again." [illustration: the wooden horse was careless] the officers at once protested that they must have the private with them, else there would be no one for them to command. but neither the lion or the tiger would go after him, and so the scarecrow sent the sawhorse. either the wooden horse was careless, or it failed to properly time the descent of the hammer, for the mighty weapon caught it squarely upon its head, and thumped it against the ground so powerfully that the private flew off its back high into the air, and landed upon one of the giant's cast-iron arms. here he clung desperately while the arm rose and fell with each one of the rapid strokes. the scarecrow dashed in to rescue his sawhorse, and had his left foot smashed by the hammer before he could pull the creature out of danger. they then found that the sawhorse had been badly dazed by the blow; for while the hard wooden knot of which his head was formed could not be crushed by the hammer, both his ears were broken off and he would be unable to hear a sound until some new ones were made for him. also his left knee was cracked, and had to be bound up with a string. billina having fluttered under the hammer, it now remained only to rescue the private who was riding upon the iron giant's arm, high in the air. the scarecrow lay flat upon the ground and called to the man to jump down upon his body, which was soft because it was stuffed with straw. this the private managed to do, waiting until a time when he was nearest the ground and then letting himself drop upon the scarecrow. he accomplished the feat without breaking any bones, and the scarecrow declared he was not injured in the least. therefore, the tin woodman having by this time fitted new ears to the sawhorse, the entire party proceeded upon its way, leaving the giant to pound the path behind them. [illustration] the nome king [illustration] by and by, when they drew near to the mountain that blocked their path and which was the furthermost edge of the kingdom of ev, the way grew dark and gloomy for the reason that the high peaks on either side shut out the sunshine. and it was very silent, too, as there were no birds to sing or squirrels to chatter, the trees being left far behind them and only the bare rocks remaining. ozma and dorothy were a little awed by the silence, and all the others were quiet and grave except the sawhorse, which, as it trotted along with the scarecrow upon his back, hummed a queer song, of which this was the chorus: "would a wooden horse in a woodland go? aye, aye! i sigh, he would, although had he not had a wooden head he'd mount the mountain top instead." but no one paid any attention to this because they were now close to the nome king's dominions, and his splendid underground palace could not be very far away. suddenly they heard a shout of jeering laughter, and stopped short. they would have to stop in a minute, anyway, for the huge mountain barred their further progress and the path ran close up to a wall of rock and ended. "who was that laughing?" asked ozma. there was no reply, but in the gloom they could see strange forms flit across the face of the rock. whatever the creations might be they seemed very like the rock itself, for they were the color of rocks and their shapes were as rough and rugged as if they had been broken away from the side of the mountain. they kept close to the steep cliff facing our friends, and glided up and down, and this way and that, with a lack of regularity that was quite confusing. and they seemed not to need places to rest their feet, but clung to the surface of the rock as a fly does to a window-pane, and were never still for a moment. "do not mind them," said tiktok, as dorothy shrank back. "they are on-ly the nomes." "and what are nomes?" asked the girl, half frightened. "they are rock fair-ies, and serve the nome king," replied the machine. "but they will do us no harm. you must call for the king, be-cause with-out him you can ne-ver find the en-trance to the pal-ace." "_you_ call," said dorothy to ozma. just then the nomes laughed again, and the sound was so weird and disheartening that the twenty-six officers commanded the private to "right-about-face!" and they all started to run as fast as they could. the tin woodman at once pursued his army and cried "halt!" and when they had stopped their flight he asked: "where are you going?" "i--i find i've forgotten the brush for my whiskers," said a general, trembling with fear. "s-s-so we are g-going back after it!" "that is impossible," replied the tin woodman. "for the giant with the hammer would kill you all if you tried to pass him." "oh! i'd forgotten the giant," said the general, turning pale. "you seem to forget a good many things," remarked the tin woodman. "i hope you won't forget that you are brave men." "never!" cried the general, slapping his gold-embroidered chest. "never!" cried all the other officers, indignantly slapping their chests. "for my part," said the private, meekly, "i must obey my officers; so when i am told to run, i run; and when i am told to fight, i fight." "that is right," agreed the tin woodman. "and now you must all come back to ozma, and obey _her_ orders. and if you try to run away again i will have her reduce all the twenty-six officers to privates, and make the private your general." this terrible threat so frightened them that they at once returned to where ozma was standing beside the cowardly lion. then ozma cried out in a loud voice: "i demand that the nome king appear to us!" there was no reply, except that the shifting nomes upon the mountain laughed in derision. "you must not command the nome king," said tiktok, "for you do not rule him, as you do your own peo-ple." [illustration: only the mocking laughter replied to her] so ozma called again, saying: "i request the nome king to appear to us." only the mocking laughter replied to her, and the shadowy nomes continued to flit here and there upon the rocky cliff. "try en-treat-y," said tiktok to ozma. "if he will not come at your re-quest, then the nome king may list-en to your plead-ing." ozma looked around her proudly. "do you wish your ruler to plead with this wicked nome king?" she asked. "shall ozma of oz humble herself to a creature who lives in an underground kingdom?" "no!" they all shouted, with big voices; and the scarecrow added: "if he will not come, we will dig him out of his hole, like a fox, and conquer his stubbornness. but our sweet little ruler must always maintain her dignity, just as i maintain mine." "i'm not afraid to plead with him," said dorothy. "i'm only a little girl from kansas, and we've got more dignity at home than we know what to do with. _i'll_ call the nome king." "do," said the hungry tiger; "and if he makes hash of you i'll willingly eat you for breakfast tomorrow morning." so dorothy stepped forward and said: "_please_ mr. nome king, come here and see us." the nomes started to laugh again; but a low growl came from the mountain, and in a flash they had all vanished from sight and were silent. then a door in the rock opened, and a voice cried: [illustration] "enter!" "isn't it a trick?" asked the tin woodman. "never mind," replied ozma. "we came here to rescue the poor queen of ev and her ten children, and we must run some risks to do so." "the nome king is hon-est and good na-tured," said tiktok. "you can trust him to do what is right." so ozma led the way, hand in hand with dorothy, and they passed through the arched doorway of rock and entered a long passage which was lighted by jewels set in the walls and having lamps behind them. there was no one to escort them, or to show them the way, but all the party pressed through the passage until they came to a round, domed cavern that was grandly furnished. in the center of this room was a throne carved out of a solid boulder of rock, rude and rugged in shape but glittering with great rubies and diamonds and emeralds on every part of its surface. and upon the throne sat the nome king. this important monarch of the underground world was a little fat man clothed in gray-brown garments that were the exact color of the rock throne in which he was seated. his bushy hair and flowing beard were also colored like the rocks, and so was his face. he wore no crown of any sort, and his only ornament was a broad, jewel-studded belt that encircled his fat little body. as for his features, they seemed kindly and good humored, and his eyes were turned merrily upon his visitors as ozma and dorothy stood before him with their followers ranged in close order behind them. "why, he looks just like santa claus--only he isn't the same color!" whispered dorothy to her friend; but the nome king heard the speech, and it made him laugh aloud. "'he had a red face and a round little belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly!'" quoth the monarch, in a pleasant voice; and they could all see that he really did shake like jelly when he laughed. both ozma and dorothy were much relieved to find the nome king so jolly, and a minute later he waved his right hand and the girls each found a cushioned stool at her side. "sit down, my dears," said the king, "and tell me why you have come all this way to see me, and what i can do to make you happy." while they seated themselves the nome king picked up a pipe, and taking a glowing red coal out of his pocket he placed it in the bowl of the pipe and began puffing out clouds of smoke that curled in rings above his head. dorothy thought this made the little monarch look more like santa claus than ever; but ozma now began speaking, and every one listened intently to her words. "your majesty," said she, "i am the ruler of the land of oz, and i have come here to ask you to release the good queen of ev and her ten children, whom you have enchanted and hold as your prisoners." [illustration] "oh, no; you are mistaken about that," replied the king. "they are not my prisoners, but my slaves, whom i purchased from the king of ev." "but that was wrong," said ozma. "according to the laws of ev, the king can do no wrong," answered the monarch, eyeing a ring of smoke he had just blown from his mouth; "so that he had a perfect right to sell his family to me in exchange for a long life." "you cheated him, though," declared dorothy; "for the king of ev did not have a long life. he jumped into the sea and was drowned." "that was not my fault," said the nome king, crossing his legs and smiling contentedly. "i gave him the long life, all right; but he destroyed it." "then how could it be a long life?" asked dorothy. "easily enough," was the reply. "now suppose, my dear, that i gave you a pretty doll in exchange for a lock of your hair, and that after you had received the doll you smashed it into pieces and destroyed it. could you say that i had not given you a pretty doll?" "no," answered dorothy. "and could you, in fairness, ask me to return to you the lock of hair, just because you had smashed the doll?" "no," said dorothy, again. "of course not," the nome king returned. "nor will i give up the queen and her children because the king of ev destroyed his long life by jumping into the sea. they belong to me and i shall keep them." [illustration: "they belong to me and i shall keep them"] "but you are treating them cruelly," said ozma, who was much distressed by the king's refusal. "in what way?" he asked. "by making them your slaves," said she. "cruelty," remarked the monarch, puffing out wreathes of smoke and watching them float into the air, "is a thing i can't abide. so, as slaves must work hard, and the queen of ev and her children were delicate and tender, i transformed them all into articles of ornament and bric-a-brac and scattered them around the various rooms of my palace. instead of being obliged to labor, they merely decorate my apartments, and i really think i have treated them with great kindness." "but what a dreadful fate is theirs!" exclaimed ozma, earnestly. "and the kingdom of ev is in great need of its royal family to govern it. if you will liberate them, and restore them to their proper forms, i will give you ten ornaments to replace each one you lose." the nome king looked grave. "suppose i refuse?" he asked. "then," said ozma, firmly, "i am here with my friends and my army to conquer your kingdom and oblige you to obey my wishes." the nome king laughed until he choked; and he choked until he coughed; and he coughed until his face turned from grayish-brown to bright red. and then he wiped his eyes with a rock-colored handkerchief and grew grave again. "you are as brave as you are pretty, my dear," he said to ozma. "but you have little idea of the extent of the task you have undertaken. come with me for a moment." he arose and took ozma's hand, leading her to a little door at one side of the room. this he opened and they stepped out upon a balcony, from whence they obtained a wonderful view of the underground world. a vast cave extended for miles and miles under the mountain, and in every direction were furnaces and forges glowing brightly and nomes hammering upon precious metals or polishing gleaming jewels. all around the walls of the cave were thousands of doors of silver and gold, built into the solid rock, and these extended in rows far away into the distance, as far as ozma's eyes could follow them. while the little maid from oz gazed wonderingly upon this scene the nome king uttered a shrill whistle, and at once all the silver and gold doors flew open and solid ranks of nome soldiers marched out from every one. so great were their numbers that they quickly filled the immense underground cavern and forced the busy workmen to abandon their tasks. although this tremendous army consisted of rock-colored nomes, all squat and fat, they were clothed in glittering armor of polished steel, inlaid with beautiful gems. upon his brow each wore a brilliant electric light, and they bore sharp spears and swords and battle-axes of solid bronze. it was evident they were perfectly trained, for they stood in straight rows, rank after rank, with their weapons held erect and true, as if awaiting but the word of command to level them upon their foes. "this," said the nome king, "is but a small part of my army. no ruler upon earth has ever dared to fight me, and no ruler ever will, for i am too powerful to oppose." he whistled again, and at once the martial array filed through the silver and gold doorways and disappeared, after which the workmen again resumed their labors at the furnaces. then, sad and discouraged, ozma of oz turned to her friends, and the nome king calmly reseated himself on his rock throne. [illustration: "this is but a small part of my army"] "it would be foolish for us to fight," the girl said to the tin woodman. "for our brave twenty-seven would be quickly destroyed. i'm sure i do not know how to act in this emergency." "ask the king where his kitchen is," suggested the tiger. "i'm hungry as a bear." "i might pounce upon the king and tear him in pieces," remarked the cowardly lion. "try it," said the monarch, lighting his pipe with another hot coal which he took from his pocket. the lion crouched low and tried to spring upon the nome king; but he hopped only a little way into the air and came down again in the same place, not being able to approach the throne by even an inch. "it seems to me," said the scarecrow, thoughtfully, "that our best plan is to wheedle his majesty into giving up his slaves, since he is too great a magician to oppose." "this is the most sensible thing any of you have suggested," declared the nome king. "it is folly to threaten me, but i'm so kind-hearted that i cannot stand coaxing or wheedling. if you really wish to accomplish anything by your journey, my dear ozma, you must coax me." "very well," said ozma, more cheerfully. "let us be friends, and talk this over in a friendly manner." "to be sure," agreed the king, his eyes twinkling merrily. "i am very anxious," she continued, "to liberate the queen of ev and her children who are now ornaments and bric-a-brac in your majesty's palace, and to restore them to their people. tell me, sir, how this may be accomplished." the king remained thoughtful for a moment, after which he asked: "are you willing to take a few chances and risks yourself, in order to set free the people of ev?" "yes, indeed!" answered ozma, eagerly. "then," said the nome king, "i will make you this offer: you shall go alone and unattended into my palace and examine carefully all that the rooms contain. then you shall have permission to touch eleven different objects, pronouncing at the time the word 'ev,' and if any one of them, or more than one, proves to be the transformation of the queen of ev or any of her ten children, then they will instantly be restored to their true forms and may leave my palace and my kingdom in your company, without any objection whatever. it is possible for you, in this way, to free the entire eleven; but if you do not guess all the objects correctly, and some of the slaves remain transformed, then each one of your friends and followers may, in turn, enter the palace and have the same privileges i grant you." "oh, thank you! thank you for this kind offer!" said ozma, eagerly. "i make but one condition," added the nome king, his eyes twinkling. "what is it?" she enquired. "if none of the eleven objects you touch proves to be the transformation of any of the royal family of ev, then, instead of freeing them, you will yourself become enchanted, and transformed into an article of bric-a-brac or an ornament. this is only fair and just, and is the risk you declared you were willing to take." [illustration] the eleven guesses [illustration] hearing this condition imposed by the nome king, ozma became silent and thoughtful, and all her friends looked at her uneasily. "don't you do it!" exclaimed dorothy. "if you guess wrong, you will be enslaved yourself." "but i shall have eleven guesses," answered ozma. "surely i ought to guess one object in eleven correctly; and, if i do, i shall rescue one of the royal family and be safe myself. then the rest of you may attempt it, and soon we shall free all those who are enslaved." "what if we fail?" enquired the scarecrow. "i'd look nice as a piece of bric-a-brac, wouldn't i?" "we must not fail!" cried ozma, courageously. "having come all this distance to free these poor people, it would be weak and cowardly in us to abandon the adventure. therefore i will accept the nome king's offer, and go at once into the royal palace." "come along, then, my dear," said the king, climbing down from his throne with some difficulty, because he was so fat; "i'll show you the way." he approached a wall of the cave and waved his hand. instantly an opening appeared, through which ozma, after a smiling farewell to her friends, boldly passed. she found herself in a splendid hall that was more beautiful and grand than anything she had ever beheld. the ceilings were composed of great arches that rose far above her head, and all the walls and floors were of polished marble exquisitely tinted in many colors. thick velvet carpets were on the floor and heavy silken draperies covered the arches leading to the various rooms of the palace. the furniture was made of rare old woods richly carved and covered with delicate satins, and the entire palace was lighted by a mysterious rosy glow that seemed to come from no particular place but flooded each apartment with its soft and pleasing radiance. ozma passed from one room to another, greatly delighted by all she saw. the lovely palace had no other occupant, for the nome king had left her at the entrance, which closed behind her, and in all the magnificent rooms there appeared to be no other person. upon the mantels, and on many shelves and brackets and tables, were clustered ornaments of every description, seemingly made out of all sorts of metals, glass, china, stones and marbles. there were vases, and figures of men and animals, and graven platters and bowls, and mosaics of precious gems, and many other things. pictures, too, were on the walls, and the underground palace was quite a museum of rare and curious and costly objects. after her first hasty examination of the rooms ozma began to wonder which of all the numerous ornaments they contained were the transformations of the royal family of ev. there was nothing to guide her, for everything seemed without a spark of life. so she must guess blindly; and for the first time the girl came to realize how dangerous was her task, and how likely she was to lose her own freedom in striving to free others from the bondage of the nome king. no wonder the cunning monarch laughed good naturedly with his visitors, when he knew how easily they might be entrapped. [illustration: ozma shut her eyes tightly and advanced] but ozma, having undertaken the venture, would not abandon it. she looked at a silver candelabra that had ten branches, and thought: "this may be the queen of ev and her ten children." so she touched it and uttered aloud the word "ev," as the nome king had instructed her to do when she guessed. but the candelabra remained as it was before. then she wandered into another room and touched a china lamb, thinking it might be one of the children she sought. but again she was unsuccessful. three guesses; four guesses; five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten she made, and still not one of them was right! the girl shivered a little and grew pale even under the rosy light; for now but one guess remained, and her own fate depended upon the result. she resolved not to be hasty, and strolled through all the rooms once more, gazing earnestly upon the various ornaments and trying to decide which she would touch. finally, in despair, she decided to leave it entirely to chance. she faced the doorway of a room, shut her eyes tightly, and then, thrusting aside the heavy draperies, she advanced blindly with her right arm outstretched before her. slowly, softly she crept forward until her hand came in contact with an object upon a small round table. she did not know what it was, but in a low voice she pronounced the word "ev." the rooms were quite empty of life after that. the nome king had gained a new ornament. for upon the edge of the table rested a pretty grasshopper, that seemed to have been formed from a single emerald. it was all that remained of ozma of oz. in the throne room just beyond the palace the nome king suddenly looked up and smiled. "next!" he said, in his pleasant voice. dorothy, the scarecrow, and the tin woodman, who had been sitting in anxious silence, each gave a start of dismay and stared into one another's eyes. "has she failed?" asked tiktok. "so it seems," answered the little monarch, cheerfully. "but that is no reason one of you should not succeed. the next may have twelve guesses, instead of eleven, for there are now twelve persons transformed into ornaments. well, well! which of you goes next?" "i'll go," said dorothy. "not so," replied the tin woodman. "as commander of ozma's army, it is my privilege to follow her and attempt her rescue." "away you go, then," said the scarecrow. "but be careful, old friend." "i will," promised the tin woodman; and then he followed the nome king to the entrance to the palace and the rock closed behind him. [illustration] the nome king laughs [illustration] in a moment the king returned to his throne and relighted his pipe, and the rest of the little band of adventurers settled themselves for another long wait. they were greatly disheartened by the failure of their girl ruler, and the knowledge that she was now an ornament in the nome king's palace--a dreadful, creepy place in spite of all its magnificence. without their little leader they did not know what to do next, and each one, down to the trembling private of the army, began to fear he would soon be more ornamental than useful. suddenly the nome king began laughing. "ha, ha, ha! he, he, he! ho, ho, ho!" "what's happened?" asked the scarecrow. "why, your friend, the tin woodman, has become the funniest thing you can imagine," replied the king, wiping the tears of merriment from his eyes. "no one would ever believe he could make such an amusing ornament. next!" they gazed at each other with sinking hearts. one of the generals began to weep dolefully. "what are you crying for?" asked the scarecrow, indignant at such a display of weakness. "he owed me six weeks back pay," said the general, "and i hate to lose him." "then you shall go and find him," declared the scarecrow. "me!" cried the general, greatly alarmed. "certainly. it is your duty to follow your commander. march!" "i won't," said the general. "i'd like to, of course; but i just simply _won't_." the scarecrow looked enquiringly at the nome king. "never mind," said the jolly monarch. "if he doesn't care to enter the palace and make his guesses i'll throw him into one of my fiery furnaces." "i'll go!--of course i'm going," yelled the general, as quick as scat. "where is the entrance--where is it? let me go at once!" so the nome king escorted him into the palace, and again returned to await the result. what the general did, no one can tell; but it was not long before the king called for the next victim, and a colonel was forced to try his fortune. thus, one after another, all of the twenty-six officers filed into the palace and made their guesses--and became ornaments. meantime the king ordered refreshments to be served to those waiting, and at his command a rudely shaped nome entered, bearing a tray. this nome was not unlike the others that dorothy had seen, but he wore a heavy gold chain around his neck to show that he was the chief steward of the nome king, and he assumed an air of much importance, and even told his majesty not to eat too much cake late at night, or he would be ill. dorothy, however, was hungry, and she was not afraid of being ill; so she ate several cakes and found them good, and also she drank a cup of excellent coffee made of a richly flavored clay, browned in the furnaces and then ground fine, and found it most refreshing and not at all muddy. of all the party which had started upon this adventure, the little kansas girl was now left alone with the scarecrow, tiktok, and the private for counsellors and companions. of course the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were still there, but they, having also eaten some of the cakes, had gone to sleep at one side of the cave, while upon the other side stood the sawhorse, motionless and silent, as became a mere thing of wood. billina had quietly walked around and picked up the crumbs of cake which had been scattered, and now, as it was long after bed-time, she tried to find some dark place in which to go to sleep. presently the hen espied a hollow underneath the king's rocky throne, and crept into it unnoticed. she could still hear the chattering of those around her, but it was almost dark underneath the throne, so that soon she had fallen fast asleep. "next!" called the king, and the private, whose turn it was to enter the fatal palace, shook hands with dorothy and the scarecrow and bade them a sorrowful good-bye, and passed through the rocky portal. they waited a long time, for the private was in no hurry to become an ornament and made his guesses very slowly. the nome king, who seemed to know, by some magical power, all that took place in his beautiful rooms of his palace, grew impatient finally and declared he would sit up no longer. "i love ornaments," said he, "but i can wait until tomorrow to get more of them; so, as soon as that stupid private is transformed, we will all go to bed and leave the job to be finished in the morning." "is it so very late?" asked dorothy. "why, it is after midnight," said the king, "and that strikes me as being late enough. there is neither night nor day in my kingdom, because it is under the earth's surface, where the sun does not shine. but we have to sleep, just the same as the up-stairs people do, and for my part i'm going to bed in a few minutes." indeed, it was not long after this that the private made his last guess. of course he guessed wrongly, and of course he at once became an ornament. so the king was greatly pleased, and clapped his hands to summon his chief steward. "show these guests to some of the sleeping apartments," he commanded, "and be quick about it, too, for i'm dreadfully sleepy myself." "you've no business to sit up so late," replied the steward, gruffly. "you'll be as cross as a griffin tomorrow morning." [illustration: soon she had fallen fast asleep] his majesty made no answer to this remark, and the chief steward led dorothy through another doorway into a long hall, from which several plain but comfortable sleeping rooms opened. the little girl was given the first room, and the scarecrow and tiktok the next--although they never slept--and the lion and the tiger the third. the sawhorse hobbled after the steward into a fourth room, to stand stiffly in the center of it until morning. each night was rather a bore to the scarecrow, tiktok and the sawhorse; but they had learned from experience to pass the time patiently and quietly, since all their friends who were made of flesh had to sleep and did not like to be disturbed. when the chief steward had left them alone the scarecrow remarked, sadly: "i am in great sorrow over the loss of my old comrade, the tin woodman. we have had many dangerous adventures together, and escaped them all, and now it grieves me to know he has become an ornament, and is lost to me forever." "he was al-ways an or-na-ment to so-ci-e-ty," said tiktok. "true; but now the nome king laughs at him, and calls him the funniest ornament in all the palace. it will hurt my poor friend's pride to be laughed at," continued the scarecrow, sadly. "we will make rath-er ab-surd or-na-ments, our-selves, to-mor-row," observed the machine, in his monotonous voice. just then dorothy ran into their room, in a state of great anxiety, crying: "where's billina? have you seen billina? is she here?" "no," answered the scarecrow. "then what has become of her?" asked the girl. "why, i thought she was with you," said the scarecrow. "yet i do not remember seeing the yellow hen since she picked up the crumbs of cake." "we must have left her in the room where the king's throne is," decided dorothy, and at once she turned and ran down the hall to the door through which they had entered. but it was fast closed and locked on the other side, and the heavy slab of rock proved to be so thick that no sound could pass through it. so dorothy was forced to return to her chamber. the cowardly lion stuck his head into her room to try to console the girl for the loss of her feathered friend. "the yellow hen is well able to take care of herself," said he; "so don't worry about her, but try to get all the sleep you can. it has been a long and weary day, and you need rest." "i'll prob'ly get lots of rest tomorrow, when i become an orn'ment," said dorothy, sleepily. but she lay down upon her couch, nevertheless, and in spite of all her worries was soon in the land of dreams. [illustration] dorothy tries to be brave [illustration] meantime the chief steward had returned to the throne room, where he said to the king: "you are a fool to waste so much time upon these people." "what!" cried his majesty, in so enraged a voice that it awoke billina, who was asleep under his throne. "how dare you call me a fool?" "because i like to speak the truth," said the steward. "why didn't you enchant them all at once, instead of allowing them to go one by one into the palace and guess which ornaments are the queen of ev and her children?" "why, you stupid rascal, it is more fun this way," returned the king, "and it serves to keep me amused for a long time." "but suppose some of them happen to guess aright," persisted the steward; "then you would lose your old ornaments and these new ones, too." "there is no chance of their guessing aright," replied the monarch, with a laugh. "how could they know that the queen of ev and her family are all ornaments of a royal purple color?" "but there are no other purple ornaments in the palace," said the steward. "there are many other colors, however, and the purple ones are scattered throughout the rooms, and are of many different shapes and sizes. take my word for it, steward, they will never think of choosing the purple ornaments." billina, squatting under the throne, had listened carefully to all this talk, and now chuckled softly to herself as she heard the king disclose his secret. "still, you are acting foolishly by running the chance," continued the steward, roughly; "and it is still more foolish of you to transform all those people from oz into green ornaments." [illustration: "how dare you call me a fool?"] "i did that because they came from the emerald city," replied the king; "and i had no green ornaments in my collection until now. i think they will look quite pretty, mixed with the others. don't you?" the steward gave an angry grunt. "have your own way, since you are the king," he growled. "but if you come to grief through your carelessness, remember that i told you so. if i wore the magic belt which enables you to work all your transformations, and gives you so much other power, i am sure i would make a much wiser and better king than you are." "oh, cease your tiresome chatter!" commanded the king, getting angry again. "because you are my chief steward you have an idea you can scold me as much as you please. but the very next time you become impudent, i will send you to work in the furnaces, and get another nome to fill your place. now follow me to my chamber, for i am going to bed. and see that i am wakened early tomorrow morning. i want to enjoy the fun of transforming the rest of these people into ornaments." "what color will you make the kansas girl?" asked the steward. "gray, i think," said his majesty. "and the scarecrow and the machine man?" "oh, they shall be of solid gold, because they are so ugly in real life." then the voices died away, and billina knew that the king and his steward had left the room. she fixed up some of her tail feathers that were not straight, and then tucked her head under her wing again and went to sleep. in the morning dorothy and the lion and tiger were given their breakfast in their rooms, and afterward joined the king in his throne room. the tiger complained bitterly that he was half starved, and begged to go into the palace and become an ornament, so that he would no longer suffer the pangs of hunger. "haven't you had your breakfast?" asked the nome king. "oh, i had just a bite," replied the beast. "but what good is a bite, to a hungry tiger?" "he ate seventeen bowls of porridge, a platter full of fried sausages, eleven loaves of bread and twenty-one mince pies," said the steward. "what more do you want?" demanded the king. "a fat baby. i want a fat baby," said the hungry tiger. "a nice, plump, juicy, tender, fat baby. but, of course, if i had one, my conscience would not allow me to eat it. so i'll have to be an ornament and forget my hunger." "impossible!" exclaimed the king. "i'll have no clumsy beasts enter my palace, to overturn and break all my pretty nick-nacks. when the rest of your friends are transformed you can return to the upper world, and go about your business." "as for that we have no business, when our friends are gone," said the lion. "so we do not care much what becomes of us." dorothy begged to be allowed to go first into the palace, but tiktok firmly maintained that the slave should face danger before the mistress. the scarecrow agreed with him in that, so the nome king opened the door for the machine man, who tramped into the palace to meet his fate. then his majesty returned to his throne and puffed his pipe so contentedly that a small cloud of smoke formed above his head. bye and bye he said: "i'm sorry there are so few of you left. very soon, now, my fun will be over, and then for amusement i shall have nothing to do but admire my new ornaments." "it seems to me," said dorothy, "that you are not so honest as you pretend to be." [illustration: the nome king puffed his pipe] "how's that?" asked the king. "why, you made us think it would be easy to guess what ornaments the people of ev were changed into." "it _is_ easy," declared the monarch, "if one is a good guesser. but it appears that the members of your party are all poor guessers." "what is tiktok doing now?" asked the girl, uneasily. "nothing," replied the king, with a frown. "he is standing perfectly still, in the middle of a room." "oh, i expect he's run down," said dorothy. "i forgot to wind him up this morning. how many guesses has he made?" "all that he is allowed except one," answered the king. "suppose you go in and wind him up, and then you can stay there and make your own guesses." "all right," said dorothy. "it is my turn next," declared the scarecrow. "why, you don't want to go away and leave me all alone, do you?" asked the girl. "besides, if i go now i can wind up tiktok, so that he can make his last guess." "very well, then," said the scarecrow, with a sigh. "run along, little dorothy, and may good luck go with you!" so dorothy, trying to be brave in spite of her fears, passed through the doorway into the gorgeous rooms of the palace. the stillness of the place awed her, at first, and the child drew short breaths, and pressed her hand to her heart, and looked all around with wondering eyes. yes, it was a beautiful place; but enchantments lurked in every nook and corner, and she had not yet grown accustomed to the wizardries of these fairy countries, so different from the quiet and sensible common-places of her own native land. slowly she passed through several rooms until she came upon tiktok, standing motionless. it really seemed, then, that she had found a friend in this mysterious palace, so she hastened to wind up the machine man's action and speech and thoughts. "thank you, dor-oth-y," were his first words. "i have now one more guess to make." "oh, be very careful, tiktok; won't you?" cried the girl. "yes. but the nome king has us in his power, and he has set a trap for us. i fear we are all lost," he answered. "i fear so, too," said dorothy, sadly. "if smith & tin-ker had giv-en me a guess-ing clock-work at-tach-ment," continued tiktok, "i might have de-fied the nome king. but my thoughts are plain and sim-ple, and are not of much use in this case." "do the best you can," said dorothy, encouragingly, "and if you fail i will watch and see what shape you are changed into." so tiktok touched a yellow glass vase that had daisies painted on one side, and he spoke at the same time the word "ev." in a flash the machine man had disappeared, and although the girl looked quickly in every direction, she could not tell which of the many ornaments the room contained had a moment before been her faithful friend and servant. so all she could do was to accept the hopeless task set her, and make her guesses and abide by the result. "it can't hurt very much," she thought, "for i haven't heard any of them scream or cry out--not even the poor officers. dear me! i wonder if uncle henry or aunt em will ever know i have become an orn'ment in the nome king's palace, and must stand forever and ever in one place and look pretty--'cept when i'm moved to be dusted. it isn't the way i thought i'd turn out, at all; but i s'pose it can't be helped." she walked through all the rooms once more, and examined with care all the objects they contained; but there were so many, they bewildered her, and she decided, after all, as ozma had done, that it could be only guess work at the best, and that the chances were much against her guessing aright. timidly she touched an alabaster bowl and said: "ev." "that's one failure, anyhow," she thought. "but how am i to know which thing is enchanted, and which is not?" next she touched the image of a purple kitten that stood on the corner of a mantel, and as she pronounced the word "ev" the kitten disappeared, and a pretty, fair-haired boy stood beside her. at the same time a bell rang somewhere in the distance, and as dorothy started back, partly in surprise and partly in joy, the little one exclaimed: "where am i? and who are you? and what has happened to me?" "well, i declare!" said dorothy. "i've really done it." "done what?" asked the boy. [illustration] "saved myself from being an ornament," replied the girl, with a laugh, "and saved you from being forever a purple kitten." "a purple kitten?" he repeated. "there _is_ no such thing." "i know," she answered. "but there was, a minute ago. don't you remember standing on a corner of the mantel?" "of course not. i am a prince of ev, and my name is evring," the little one announced, proudly. "but my father, the king, sold my mother and all her children to the cruel ruler of the nomes, and after that i remember nothing at all." "a purple kitten can't be 'spected to remember, evring," said dorothy. "but now you are yourself again, and i'm going to try to save some of your brothers and sisters, and perhaps your mother, as well. so come with me." she seized the child's hand and eagerly hurried here and there, trying to decide which object to choose next. the third guess was another failure, and so was the fourth and the fifth. little evring could not imagine what she was doing, but he trotted along beside her very willingly, for he liked the new companion he had found. dorothy's further quest proved unsuccessful; but after her first disappointment was over, the little girl was filled with joy and thankfulness to think that after all she had been able to save one member of the royal family of ev, and could restore the little prince to his sorrowing country. now she might return to the terrible nome king in safety, carrying with her the prize she had won in the person of the fair-haired boy. so she retraced her steps until she found the entrance to the palace, and as she approached, the massive doors of rock opened of their own accord, allowing both dorothy and evring to pass the portals and enter the throne room. [illustration] billina frightens the nome king [illustration] now when dorothy had entered the palace to make her guesses and the scarecrow was left with the nome king, the two sat in moody silence for several minutes. then the monarch exclaimed, in a tone of satisfaction: "very good!" "who is very good?" asked the scarecrow. "the machine man. he won't need to be wound up any more, for he has now become a very neat ornament. very neat, indeed." "how about dorothy?" the scarecrow enquired. "oh, she will begin to guess, pretty soon," said the king, cheerfully. "and then she will join my collection, and it will be your turn." the good scarecrow was much distressed by the thought that his little friend was about to suffer the fate of ozma and the rest of their party; but while he sat in gloomy reverie a shrill voice suddenly cried: "kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt! kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kutt!" the nome king nearly jumped off his seat, he was so startled. "good gracious! what's that?" he yelled. "why, it's billina," said the scarecrow. "what do you mean by making a noise like that?" shouted the king, angrily, as the yellow hen came from under the throne and strutted proudly about the room. "i've got a right to cackle, i guess," replied billina. "i've just laid my egg.' "what! laid an egg! in my throne room! how dare you do such a thing?" asked the king, in a voice of fury. "i lay eggs wherever i happen to be," said the hen, ruffling her feathers and then shaking them into place. "but--thunder-ation! don't you know that eggs are poison?" roared the king, while his rock-colored eyes stuck out in great terror. "poison! well, i declare," said billina, indignantly. "i'll have you know all my eggs are warranted strictly fresh and up to date. poison, indeed!" "you don't understand," retorted the little monarch, nervously. "eggs belong only to the outside world--to the world on the earth's surface, where you came from. here, in my underground kingdom, they are rank poison, as i said, and we nomes can't bear them around." "well, you'll have to bear this one around," declared billina; "for i've laid it." "where?" asked the king. "under your throne," said the hen. the king jumped three feet into the air, so anxious was he to get away from the throne. "take it away! take it away at once!" he shouted. "i can't," said billina. "i havn't any hands." "i'll take the egg," said the scarecrow. "i'm making a collection of billina's eggs. there's one in my pocket now, that she laid yesterday." hearing this, the monarch hastened to put a good distance between himself and the scarecrow, who was about to reach under the throne for the egg when the hen suddenly cried: "stop!" "what's wrong?" asked the scarecrow. "don't take the egg unless the king will allow me to enter the palace and guess as the others have done," said billina. "pshaw!" returned the king. "you're only a hen. how could you guess my enchantments?" "i can try, i suppose," said billina. "and, if i fail, you will have another ornament." "a pretty ornament you'd make, wouldn't you?" growled the king. "but you shall have your way. it will properly punish you for daring to lay an egg in my presence. after the scarecrow is enchanted you shall follow him into the palace. but how will you touch the objects?" "with my claws," said the hen; "and i can speak the word 'ev' as plainly as anyone. also i must have the right to guess the enchantments of my friends, and to release them if i succeed." "very well," said the king. "you have my promise." "then," said billina to the scarecrow, "you may get the egg." [illustration: "don't you know that eggs are poison?"] he knelt down and reached underneath the throne and found the egg, which he placed in another pocket of his jacket, fearing that if both eggs were in one pocket they would knock together and get broken. just then a bell above the throne rang briskly, and the king gave another nervous jump. "well, well!" said he, with a rueful face; "the girl has actually done it." "done what?" asked the scarecrow. "she has made one guess that is right, and broken one of my neatest enchantments. by ricketty, it's too bad! i never thought she would do it." "do i understand that she will now return to us in safety?" enquired the scarecrow, joyfully wrinkling his painted face into a broad smile. "of course," said the king, fretfully pacing up and down the room. "i always keep my promises, no matter how foolish they are. but i shall make an ornament of the yellow hen to replace the one i have just lost." "perhaps you will, and perhaps you won't," murmured billina, calmly. "i may surprise you by guessing right." "guessing right?" snapped the king. "how should you guess right, where your betters have failed, you stupid fowl?" billina did not care to answer this question, and a moment later the doors flew open and dorothy entered, leading the little prince evring by the hand. [illustration] the scarecrow welcomed the girl with a close embrace, and he would have embraced evring, too, in his delight. but the little prince was shy, and shrank away from the painted scarecrow because he did not yet know his many excellent qualities. [illustration: "by ricketty, it's too bad!"] but there was little time for the friends to talk, because the scarecrow must now enter the palace. dorothy's success had greatly encouraged him, and they both hoped he would manage to make at least one correct guess. however, he proved as unfortunate as the others except dorothy, and although he took a good deal of time to select his objects, not one did the poor scarecrow guess aright. so he became a solid gold card-receiver, and the beautiful but terrible palace awaited its next visitor. "it's all over," remarked the king, with a sigh of satisfaction; "and it has been a very amusing performance, except for the one good guess the kansas girl made. i am richer by a great many pretty ornaments. "it is my turn, now," said billina, briskly. "oh, i'd forgotten you," said the king. "but you needn't go if you don't wish to. i will be generous, and let you off." "no you won't," replied the hen. "i insist upon having my guesses, as you promised." "then go ahead, you absurd feathered fool!" grumbled the king, and he caused the opening that led to the palace to appear once more. "don't go, billina," said dorothy, earnestly. "it isn't easy to guess those orn'ments, and only luck saved me from being one myself. stay with me, and we'll go back to the land of ev together. i'm sure this little prince will give us a home." "indeed i will," said evring, with much dignity. "don't worry, my dear," cried billina, with a cluck that was meant for a laugh. "i may not be human, but i'm no fool, if i _am_ a chicken." "oh, billina!" said dorothy, "you haven't been a chicken in a long time. not since you--you've been--grown up." "perhaps that's true," answered billina, thoughtfully. "but if a kansas farmer sold me to some one, what would he call me?--a hen or a chicken!" "you are not a kansas farmer, billina," replied the girl, "and you said--" "never mind that, dorothy. i'm going. i won't say good-bye, because i'm coming back. keep up your courage, for i'll see you a little later." then billina gave several loud "cluck-clucks" that seemed to make the fat little king _more_ nervous than ever, and marched through the entrance into the enchanted palace. "i hope i've seen the last of _that_ bird," declared the monarch, seating himself again in his throne and mopping the perspiration from his forehead with his rock-colored handkerchief. "hens are bothersome enough at their best, but when they can talk they're simply dreadful." "billina's my friend," said dorothy quietly. "she may not always be 'zactly polite; but she _means_ well, i'm sure." [illustration] purple, green and gold [illustration] the yellow hen, stepping high and with an air of vast importance, walked slowly over the rich velvet carpets of the splendid palace, examining everything she met with her sharp little eyes. billina had a right to feel important; for she alone shared the nome king's secret and knew how to tell the objects that were transformations from those that had never been alive. she was very sure that her guesses would be correct, but before she began to make them she was curious to behold all the magnificence of this underground palace, which was perhaps one of the most splendid and beautiful places in any fairyland. as she went through the rooms she counted the purple ornaments; and although some were small and hidden in queer places, billina spied them all, and found the entire ten scattered about the various rooms. the green ornaments she did not bother to count, for she thought she could find them all when the time came. finally, having made a survey of the entire palace and enjoyed its splendor, the yellow hen returned to one of the rooms where she had noticed a large purple footstool. she placed a claw upon this and said "ev," and at once the footstool vanished and a lovely lady, tall and slender and most beautifully robed, stood before her. the lady's eyes were round with astonishment for a moment, for she could not remember her transformation, nor imagine what had restored her to life. "good morning, ma'am," said billina, in her sharp voice. "you're looking quite well, considering your age." "who speaks?" demanded the queen of ev, drawing herself up proudly. "why, my name's bill, by rights," answered the hen, who was now perched upon the back of a chair; "although dorothy has put scollops on it and made it billina. but the name doesn't matter. i've saved you from the nome king, and you are a slave no longer." "then i thank you for the gracious favor," said the queen, with a graceful courtesy. "but, my children--tell me, i beg of you--where are my children?" and she clasped her hands in anxious entreaty. "don't worry," advised billina, pecking at a tiny bug that was crawling over the chair back. "just at present they are out of mischief and perfectly safe, for they can't even wiggle." "what mean you, o kindly stranger?" asked the queen, striving to repress her anxiety. "they're enchanted," said billina, "just as you have been--all, that is, except the little fellow dorothy picked out. and the chances are that they have been good boys and girls for some time, because they couldn't help it." "oh, my poor darlings!" cried the queen, with a sob of anguish. "not at all," returned the hen. "don't let their condition make you unhappy, ma'am, because i'll soon have them crowding 'round to bother and worry you as naturally as ever. come with me, if you please, and i'll show you how pretty they look." she flew down from her perch and walked into the next room, the queen following. as she passed a low table a small green grasshopper caught her eye, and instantly billina pounced upon it and snapped it up in her sharp bill. for grasshoppers are a favorite food with hens, and they usually must be caught quickly, before they can hop away. it might easily have been the end of ozma of oz, had she been a real grasshopper instead of an emerald one. but billina found the grasshopper hard and lifeless, and suspecting it was not good to eat she quickly dropped it instead of letting it slide down her throat. "i might have known better," she muttered to herself, "for where there is no grass there can be no live grasshoppers. this is probably one of the king's transformations." a moment later she approached one of the purple ornaments, and while the queen watched her curiously the hen broke the nome king's enchantment and a sweet-faced girl, whose golden hair fell in a cloud over her shoulders, stood beside them. "evanna!" cried the queen, "my own evanna!" and she clasped the girl to her bosom and covered her face with kisses. "that's all right," said billina, contentedly. "am i a good guesser, mr. nome king? well, i guess!" then she disenchanted another girl, whom the queen addressed as evrose, and afterwards a boy named evardo, who was older than his brother evring. indeed, the yellow hen kept the good queen exclaiming and embracing for some time, until five princesses and four princes, all looking very much alike except for the difference in size, stood in a row beside their happy mother. the princesses were named, evanna, evrose, evella, evirene and evedna, while the princes were evrob, evington, evardo and evroland. of these evardo was the eldest and would inherit his father's throne and be crowned king of ev when he returned to his own country. he was a grave and quiet youth, and would doubtless rule his people wisely and with justice. [illustration: the queen of ev thanks billina] billina, having restored all of the royal family of ev to their proper forms, now began to select the green ornaments which were the transformations of the people of oz. she had little trouble in finding these, and before long all the twenty-six officers, as well as the private, were gathered around the yellow hen, joyfully congratulating her upon their release. the thirty-seven people who were now alive in the rooms of the palace knew very well that they owed their freedom to the cleverness of the yellow hen, and they were earnest in thanking her for saving them from the magic of the nome king. "now," said billina, "i must find ozma. she is sure to be here, somewhere, and of course she is green, being from oz. so look around, you stupid soldiers, and help me in my search." for a while, however, they could discover nothing more that was green. but the queen, who had kissed all her nine children once more and could now find time to take an interest in what was going on, said to the hen: "mayhap, my gentle friend, it is the grasshopper whom you seek." "of course it's the grasshopper!" exclaimed billina. "i declare, i'm nearly as stupid as these brave soldiers. wait here for me, and i'll go back and get it." so she went into the room where she had seen the grasshopper, and presently ozma of oz, as lovely and dainty as ever, entered and approached the queen of ev, greeting her as one high born princess greets another. "but where are my friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman?" asked the girl ruler, when these courtesies had been exchanged. "i'll hunt them up," replied billina. "the scarecrow is solid gold, and so is tiktok; but i don't exactly know what the tin woodman is, because the nome king said he had been transformed into something funny." ozma eagerly assisted the hen in her quest, and soon the scarecrow and the machine man, being ornaments of shining gold, were discovered and restored to their accustomed forms. but, search as they might, in no place could they find a funny ornament that might be the transformation of the tin woodman. "only one thing can be done," said ozma, at last, "and that is to return to the nome king and oblige him to tell us what has become of our friend." "perhaps he won't," suggested billina. "he must," returned ozma, firmly. "the king has not treated us honestly, for under the mask of fairness and good nature he entrapped us all, and we would have been forever enchanted had not our wise and clever friend, the yellow hen, found a way to save us." "the king is a villain," declared the scarecrow. "his laugh is worse than another man's frown," said the private, with a shudder. "i thought he was hon-est, but i was mis-tak-en," remarked tiktok. "my thoughts are us-u-al-ly cor-rect, but it is smith & tin-ker's fault if they some-times go wrong or do not work prop-er-ly." "smith & tinker made a very good job of you," said ozma, kindly. "i do not think they should be blamed if you are not quite perfect." "thank you," replied tiktok. "then," said billina, in her brisk little voice, "let us all go back to the nome king, and see what he has to say for himself." so they started for the entrance, ozma going first, with the queen and her train of little princes and princesses following. then came tiktok, and the scarecrow with billina perched upon his straw-stuffed shoulder. the twenty-seven officers and the private brought up the rear. as they reached the hall the doors flew open before them; but then they all stopped and stared into the domed cavern with faces of astonishment and dismay. for the room was filled with the mail-clad warriors of the nome king, rank after rank standing in orderly array. the electric lights upon their brows gleamed brightly, their battle-axes were poised as if to strike down their foes; yet they remained motionless as statues, awaiting the word of command. and in the center of this terrible army sat the little king upon his throne of rock. but he neither smiled nor laughed. instead, his face was distorted with rage, and most dreadful to behold. [illustration] the scarecrow wins the fight [illustration] after billina had entered the palace dorothy and evring sat down to await the success or failure of her mission, and the nome king occupied his throne and smoked his long pipe for a while in a cheerful and contented mood. then the bell above the throne, which sounded whenever an enchantment was broken, began to ring, and the king gave a start of annoyance and exclaimed, "rocketty-ricketts!" when the bell rang a second time the king shouted angrily, "smudge and blazes!" and at a third ring he screamed in a fury, "hippikaloric!" which must be a dreadful word because we don't know what it means. after that the bell went on ringing time after time; but the king was now so violently enraged that he could not utter a word, but hopped out of his throne and all around the room in a mad frenzy, so that he reminded dorothy of a jumping-jack. the girl was, for her part, filled with joy at every peal of the bell, for it announced the fact that billina had transformed one more ornament into a living person. dorothy was also amazed at billina's success, for she could not imagine how the yellow hen was able to guess correctly from all the bewildering number of articles clustered in the rooms of the palace. but after she had counted ten, and the bell continued to ring, she knew that not only the royal family of ev, but ozma and her followers also, were being restored to their natural forms, and she was so delighted that the antics of the angry king only made her laugh merrily. perhaps the little monarch could not be more furious than he was before, but the girl's laughter nearly drove him frantic, and he roared at her like a savage beast. then, as he found that all his enchantments were likely to be dispelled and his victims every one set free, he suddenly ran to the little door that opened upon the balcony and gave the shrill whistle that summoned his warriors. at once the army filed out of the gold and silver doors in great numbers, and marched up a winding stairs and into the throne room, led by a stern featured nome who was their captain. when they had nearly filled the throne room they formed ranks in the big underground cavern below, and then stood still until they were told what to do next. dorothy had pressed back to one side of the cavern when the warriors entered, and now she stood holding little prince evring's hand while the great lion crouched upon one side and the enormous tiger crouched an the other side. "seize that girl!" shouted the king to his captain, and a group of warriors sprang forward to obey. but both the lion and tiger snarled so fiercely and bared their strong, sharp teeth so threateningly, that the men drew back in alarm. "don't mind them!" cried the nome king; "they cannot leap beyond the places where they now stand." "but they can bite those who attempt to touch the girl," said the captain. "i'll fix that," answered the king. "i'll enchant them again, so that they can't open their jaws." he stepped out of the throne to do this, but just then the sawhorse ran up behind him and gave the fat monarch a powerful kick with both his wooden hind legs. "ow! murder! treason!" yelled the king, who had been hurled against several of his warriors and was considerably bruised. "who did that?" "i did," growled the sawhorse, viciously. "you let dorothy alone, or i'll kick you again." "we'll see about that," replied the king, and at once he waved his hand toward the sawhorse and muttered a magical word. "aha!" he continued; "_now_ let us see you move, you wooden mule!" but in spite of the magic the sawhorse moved; and he moved so quickly toward the king, that the fat little man could not get out of his way. thump--_bang!_ came the wooden heels, right against his round body, and the king flew into the air and fell upon the head of his captain, who let him drop flat upon the ground. "well, well!" said the king, sitting up and looking surprised. "why didn't my magic belt work, i wonder?" "the creature is made of wood," replied the captain. "your magic will not work on wood, you know." "ah, i'd forgotten that," said the king, getting up and limping to his throne. "very well, let the girl alone. she can't escape us, anyway." the warriors, who had been rather confused by these incidents, now formed their ranks again, and the sawhorse pranced across the room to dorothy and took a position beside the hungry tiger. at that moment the doors that led to the palace flew open and the people of ev and the people of oz were disclosed to view. they paused, astonished, at sight of the warriors and the angry nome king, seated in their midst. "surrender!" cried the king, in a loud voice. "you are my prisoners." "go 'long!" answered billina, from the scarecrow's shoulder. "you promised me that if i guessed correctly my friends and i might depart in safety. and you always keep your promises." "i said you might leave the palace in safety," retorted the king; "and so you may, but you cannot leave my dominions. you are my prisoners, and i will hurl you all into my underground dungeons, where the volcanic fires glow and the molten lava flows in every direction, and the air is hotter than blue blazes." [illustration: "help, help!" screamed the king] "that will be the end of me, all right," said the scarecrow, sorrowfully. "one small blaze, blue or green, is enough to reduce me to an ash-heap." "do you surrender?" demanded the king. billina whispered something in the scarecrow's ear that made him smile and put his hands in his jacket pockets. "no!" returned ozma, boldly answering the king. then she said to her army: "forward, my brave soldiers, and fight for your ruler and yourselves, unto death!" "pardon me, most royal ozma," replied one of her generals; "but i find that i and my brother officers all suffer from heart disease, and the slightest excitement might kill us. if we fight we may get excited. would it not be well for us to avoid this grave danger?" "soldiers should not have heart disease," said ozma. "private soldiers are not, i believe, afflicted that way," declared another general, twirling his moustache thoughtfully. "if your royal highness desires, we will order our private to attack yonder warriors." "do so," replied ozma. "for-ward--march!" cried all the generals, with one voice. "for-ward--march!" yelled the colonels. "for-ward--march!" shouted the majors. "for-ward--march!" commanded the captains. and at that the private leveled his spear and dashed furiously upon the foe. the captain of the nomes was so surprised by this sudden onslaught that he forgot to command his warriors to fight, so that the ten men in the first row, who stood in front of the private's spear, fell over like so many toy soldiers. the spear could not go through their steel armor, however, so the warriors scrambled to their feet again, and by that time the private had knocked over another row of them. then the captain brought down his battle-axe with such a strong blow that the private's spear was shattered and knocked from his grasp, and he was helpless to fight any longer. the nome king had left his throne and pressed through his warriors to the front ranks, so he could see what was going on; but as he faced ozma and her friends the scarecrow, as if aroused to action by the valor of the private, drew one of billina's eggs from his right jacket pocket and hurled it straight at the little monarch's head. it struck him squarely in his left eye, where the egg smashed and scattered, as eggs will, and covered his face and hair and beard with its sticky contents. "help, help!" screamed the king, clawing with his fingers at the egg, in a struggle to remove it. "an egg! an egg! run for your lives!" shouted the captain of the nomes, in a voice of horror. and how they _did_ run! the warriors fairly tumbled over one another in their efforts to escape the fatal poison of that awful egg, and those who could not rush down the winding stair fell off the balcony into the great cavern beneath, knocking over those who stood below them. even while the king was still yelling for help his throne room became emptied of every one of his warriors, and before the monarch had managed to clear the egg away from his left eye the scarecrow threw the second egg against his right eye, where it smashed and blinded him entirely. the king was unable to flee because he could not see which way to run; so he stood still and howled and shouted and screamed in abject fear. while this was going on, billina flew over to dorothy, and perching herself upon the lion's back the hen whispered eagerly to the girl: "get his belt! get the nome king's jeweled belt! it unbuckles in the back. quick, dorothy--quick!" the fate of the tin woodman [illustration] dorothy obeyed. she ran at once behind the nome king, who was still trying to free his eyes from the egg, and in a twinkling she had unbuckled his splendid jeweled belt and carried it away with her to her place beside the tiger and lion, where, because she did not know what else to do with it, she fastened it around her own slim waist. just then the chief steward rushed in with a sponge and a bowl of water, and began mopping away the broken eggs from his master's face. in a few minutes, and while all the party stood looking on, the king regained the use of his eyes, and the first thing he did was to glare wickedly upon the scarecrow and exclaim: "i'll make you suffer for this, you hay-stuffed dummy! don't you know eggs are poison to nomes?" "really," said the scarecrow, "they _don't_ seem to agree with you, although i wonder why." "they were strictly fresh and above suspicion," said billina. "you ought to be glad to get them." "i'll transform you all into scorpions!" cried the king, angrily, and began waving his arms and muttering magic words. but none of the people became scorpions, so the king stopped and looked at them in surprise. "what's wrong?" he asked. "why, you are not wearing your magic belt," replied the chief steward, after looking the king over carefully. "where is it? what have you done with it?" the nome king clapped his hand to his waist, and his rock colored face turned white as chalk. "it's gone," he cried, helplessly. "it's gone, and i am ruined!" dorothy now stepped forward and said: "royal ozma, and you, queen of ev, i welcome you and your people back to the land of the living. billina has saved you from your troubles, and now we will leave this drea'ful place, and return to ev as soon as poss'ble." while the child spoke they could all see that she wore the magic belt, and a great cheer went up from all her friends, which was led by the voices of the scarecrow and the private. but the nome king did not join them. he crept back onto his throne like a whipped dog, and lay there bitterly bemoaning his defeat. "but we have not yet found my faithful follower, the tin woodman," said ozma to dorothy, "and without him i do not wish to go away." "nor i," replied dorothy, quickly. "wasn't he in the palace?" "he must be there," said billina; "but i had no clew to guide me in guessing the tin woodman, so i must have missed him." "we will go back into the rooms," said dorothy. "this magic belt, i am sure, will help us to find our dear old friend." so she re-entered the palace, the doors of which still stood open, and everyone followed her except the nome king, the queen of ev and prince evring. the mother had taken the little prince in her lap and was fondling and kissing him lovingly, for he was her youngest born. but the others went with dorothy, and when she came to the middle of the first room the girl waved her hand, as she had seen the king do, and commanded the tin woodman, whatever form he might then have, to resume his proper shape. no result followed this attempt, so dorothy went into another room and repeated it, and so through all the rooms of the palace. yet the tin woodman did not appear to them, nor could they imagine which among the thousands of ornaments was their transformed friend. sadly they returned to the throne room, where the king, seeing that they had met with failure, jeered at dorothy, saying: "you do not know how to use my belt, so it is of no use to you. give it back to me and i will let you go free--you and all the people who came with you. as for the royal family of ev, they are my slaves, and shall remain here." "i shall keep the belt," said dorothy. "but how can you escape, without my consent?" asked the king. "easily enough," answered the girl. "all we need to do is to walk out the way that we came in." [illustration: dorothy and billina argue with the king] "oh, that's all, is it?" sneered the king. "well, where is the passage through which you entered this room?" they all looked around, but could not discover the place, for it had long since been closed. dorothy, however, would not be dismayed. she waved her hand toward the seemingly solid wall of the cavern and said: "i command the passage to open!" instantly the order was obeyed; the opening appeared and the passage lay plainly before them. the king was amazed, and all the others overjoyed. "why, then, if the belt obeys you, were we unable to discover the tin woodman?" asked ozma. "i can't imagine," said dorothy. "see here, girl," proposed the king, eagerly; "give me the belt, and i will tell you what shape the tin woodman was changed into, and then you can easily find him." dorothy hesitated, but billina cried out: "don't you do it! if the nome king gets the belt again he will make every one of us prisoners, for we will be in his power. only by keeping the belt, dorothy, will you ever be able to leave this place in safety." "i think that is true," said the scarecrow. "but i have another idea, due to my excellent brains. let dorothy transform the king into a goose-egg unless he agrees to go into the palace and bring out to us the ornament which is our friend nick chopper, the tin woodman." "a goose-egg!" echoed the horrified king. "how dreadful!" [illustration] "well, a goose-egg you will be unless you go and fetch us the ornament we want," declared billina, with a joyful chuckle. "you can see for yourself that dorothy is able to use the magic belt all right," added the scarecrow. the nome king thought it over and finally consented, for he did not want to be a goose-egg. so he went into the palace to get the ornament which was the transformation of the tin woodman, and they all awaited his return with considerable impatience, for they were anxious to leave this underground cavern and see the sunshine once more. but when the nome king came back he brought nothing with him except a puzzled and anxious expression upon his face. "he's gone!" he said. "the tin woodman is nowhere in the palace." "are you sure?" asked ozma, sternly. "i'm very sure," answered the king, trembling, "for i know just what i transformed him into, and exactly where he stood. but he is not there, and please don't change me into a goose-egg, because i've done the best i could." they were all silent for a time, and then dorothy said: "there is no use punishing the nome king any more, and i'm 'fraid we'll have to go away without our friend." "if he is not here, we cannot rescue him," agreed the scarecrow, sadly. "poor nick! i wonder what has become of him." "and he owed me six weeks back pay!" said one of the generals, wiping the tears from his eyes with his gold-laced coat sleeve. very sorrowfully they determined to return to the upper world without their former companion, and so ozma gave the order to begin the march through the passage. the army went first, and then the royal family of ev, and afterward came dorothy, ozma, billina, the scarecrow and tiktok. they left the nome king scowling at them from his throne, and had no thought of danger until ozma chanced to look back and saw a large number of the warriors following them in full chase, with their swords and spears and axes raised to strike down the fugitives as soon as they drew near enough. evidently the nome king had made this last attempt to prevent their escaping him; but it did him no good, for when dorothy saw the danger they were in she stopped and waved her hand and whispered a command to the magic belt. [illustration] instantly the foremost warriors became eggs, which rolled upon the floor of the cavern in such numbers that those behind could not advance without stepping upon them. but, when they saw the eggs, all desire to advance departed from the warriors, and they turned and fled madly into the cavern, and refused to go back again. our friends had no farther trouble in reaching the end of the passage, and soon were standing in the outer air upon the gloomy path between the two high mountains. but the way to ev lay plainly before them, and they fervently hoped that they had seen the last of the nome king and of his dreadful palace. the cavalcade was led by ozma, mounted on the cowardly lion, and the queen of ev, who rode upon the back of the tiger. the children of the queen walked behind her, hand in hand. dorothy rode the sawhorse, while the scarecrow walked and commanded the army in the absence of the tin woodman. presently the way began to lighten and more of the sunshine to come in between the two mountains. and before long they heard the "thump! thump! thump!" of the giant's hammer upon the road. "how may we pass the monstrous man of iron?" asked the queen, anxious for the safety of her children. but dorothy solved the problem by a word to the magic belt. the giant paused, with his hammer held motionless in the air, thus allowing the entire party to pass between his cast-iron legs in safety. the king of ev [illustration] if there were any shifting, rock-colored nomes on the mountain side now, they were silent and respectful, for our adventurers were not annoyed, as before, by their impudent laughter. really the nomes had nothing to laugh at, since the defeat of their king. on the other side they found ozma's golden chariot, standing as they had left it. soon the lion and the tiger were harnessed to the beautiful chariot, in which was enough room for ozma and the queen and six of the royal children. little evring preferred to ride with dorothy upon the sawhorse, which had a long back. the prince had recovered from his shyness and had become very fond of the girl who had rescued him, so they were fast friends and chatted pleasantly together as they rode along. billina was also perched upon the head of the wooden steed, which seemed not to mind the added weight in the least, and the boy was full of wonder that a hen could talk, and say such sensible things. when they came to the gulf, ozma's magic carpet carried them all over in safety; and now they began to pass the trees, in which birds were singing; and the breeze that was wafted to them from the farms of ev was spicy with flowers and new-mown hay; and the sunshine fell full upon them, to warm them and drive away from their bodies the chill and dampness of the underground kingdom of the nomes. "i would be quite content," said the scarecrow to tiktok, "were only the tin woodman with us. but it breaks my heart to leave him behind." "he was a fine fel-low," replied tiktok, "al-though his ma-ter-i-al was not ve-ry du-ra-ble." "oh, tin is an excellent material," the scarecrow hastened to say; "and if anything ever happened to poor nick chopper he was always easily soldered. besides, he did not have to be wound up, and was not liable to get out of order." "i some-times wish," said tiktok, "that i was stuffed with straw, as you are. it is hard to be made of cop-per." "i have no reason to complain of my lot," replied the scarecrow. "a little fresh straw, now and then, makes me as good as new. but i can never be the polished gentleman that my poor departed friend, the tin woodman, was." you may be sure the royal children of ev and their queen mother were delighted at seeing again their beloved country; and when the towers of the palace of ev came into view they could not forbear cheering at the sight. little evring, riding in front of dorothy, was so overjoyed that he took a curious tin whistle from his pocket and blew a shrill blast that made the sawhorse leap and prance in sudden alarm. "what is that?" asked billina, who had been obliged to flutter her wings in order to keep her seat upon the head of the frightened sawhorse. "that's my whistle," said prince evring, holding it out upon his hand. it was in the shape of a little fat pig, made of tin and painted green. the whistle was in the tail of the pig. "where did you get it?" asked the yellow hen, closely examining the toy with her bright eyes. "why, i picked it up in the nome king's palace, while dorothy was making her guesses, and i put it in my pocket," answered the little prince. [illustration] billina laughed; or at least she made the peculiar cackle that served her for a laugh. "no wonder i couldn't find the tin woodman," she said; "and no wonder the magic belt didn't make him appear, or the king couldn't find him, either!" "what do you mean?" questioned dorothy. "why, the prince had him in his pocket," cried billina, cackling again. "i did not!" protested little evring. "i only took the whistle." "well, then, watch me," returned the hen, and reaching out a claw she touched the whistle and said "ev." swish! "good afternoon," said the tin woodman, taking off his funnel cap and bowing to dorothy and the prince. "i think i must have been asleep for the first time since i was made of tin, for i do not remember our leaving the nome king." "you have been enchanted," answered the girl, throwing an arm around her old friend and hugging him tight in her joy. "but it's all right, now." "i want my whistle!" said the little prince, beginning to cry. "hush!" cautioned billina. "the whistle is lost, but you may have another when you get home." [illustration: "your future ruler, king evardo fifteenth"] the scarecrow had fairly thrown himself upon the bosom of his old comrade, so surprised and delighted was he to see him again, and tiktok squeezed the tin woodman's hand so earnestly that he dented some of his fingers. then they had to make way for ozma to welcome the tin man, and the army caught sight of him and set up a cheer, and everybody was delighted and happy. for the tin woodman was a great favorite with all who knew him, and his sudden recovery after they had thought he was lost to them forever was indeed a pleasant surprise. before long, the cavalcade arrived at the royal palace, where a great crowd of people had gathered to welcome their queen and her ten children. there was much shouting and cheering, and the people threw flowers in their path, and every face wore a happy smile. they found the princess langwidere in her mirrored chamber, where she was admiring one of her handsomest heads--one with rich chestnut hair, dreamy walnut eyes and a shapely hickorynut nose. she was very glad to be relieved of her duties to the people of ev, and the queen graciously permitted her to retain her rooms and her cabinet of heads as long as she lived. then the queen took her eldest son out upon a balcony that overlooked the crowd of subjects gathered below, and said to them: "here is your future ruler, king evardo fifteenth. he is fifteen years of age, has fifteen silver buckles on his jacket and is the fifteenth evardo to rule the land of ev." the people shouted their approval fifteen times, and even the wheelers, some of whom were present, loudly promised to obey the new king. so the queen placed a big crown of gold, set with rubies, upon evardo's head, and threw an ermine robe over his shoulders, and proclaimed him king; and he bowed gratefully to all his subjects and then went away to see if he could find any cake in the royal pantry. ozma of oz and her people, as well as dorothy, tiktok and billina, were splendidly entertained by the queen mother, who owed all her happiness to their kind offices; and that evening the yellow hen was publicly presented with a beautiful necklace of pearls and sapphires, as a token of esteem from the new king. [illustration] the emerald city [illustration] dorothy decided to accept ozma's invitation to return with her to the land of oz. there was no greater chance of her getting home from ev than from oz, and the little girl was anxious to see once more the country where she had encountered such wonderful adventures. by this time uncle henry would have reached australia in his ship, and had probably given her up for lost; so he couldn't worry any more than he did if she stayed away from him a while longer. so she would go to oz. they bade good-bye to the people of ev, and the king promised ozma that he would ever be grateful to her and render the land of oz any service that might lie within his power. and then they approached the edge of the dangerous desert, and ozma threw down the magic carpet, which at once unrolled far enough for all of them to walk upon it without being crowded. tiktok, claiming to be dorothy's faithful follower because he belonged to her, had been permitted to join the party, and before they started the girl wound up his machinery as far as possible, and the copper man stepped off as briskly as any one of them. ozma also invited billina to visit the land of oz, and the yellow hen was glad enough to go where new sights and scenes awaited her. they began the trip across the desert early in the morning, and as they stopped only long enough for billina to lay her daily egg, before sunset they espied the green slopes and wooded hills of the beautiful land of oz. they entered it in the munchkin territory, and the king of the munchkins met them at the border and welcomed ozma with great respect, being very pleased by her safe return. for ozma of oz ruled the king of the munchkins, the king of the winkies, the king of the quadlings and the king of the gillikins just as those kings ruled their own people; and this supreme ruler of the land of oz lived in a great town of her own, called the emerald city, which was in the exact center of the four kingdoms of the land of oz. the munchkin king entertained them at his palace that night, and in the morning they set out for the emerald city, travelling over a road of yellow brick that led straight to the jewel-studded gates. everywhere the people turned out to greet their beloved ozma and to hail joyfully the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion, who were popular favorites. dorothy, too, remembered some of the people, who had befriended her on the occasion of her first visit to oz, and they were well pleased to see the little kansas girl again, and showered her with compliments and good wishes. at one place, where they stopped to refresh themselves, ozma accepted a bowl of milk from the hands of a pretty dairy-maid. then she looked at the girl more closely, and exclaimed: "why, it's jinjur--isn't it!" "yes, your highness," was the reply, as jinjur dropped a low curtsy. and dorothy looked wonderingly at this lively appearing person, who had once assembled an army of women and driven the scarecrow from the throne of the emerald city, and even fought a battle with the powerful army of glinda the sorceress. "i've married a man who owns nine cows," said jinjur to ozma, "and now i am happy and contented and willing to lead a quiet life and mind my own business." [illustration] "where is your husband?" asked ozma. "he is in the house, nursing a black eye," replied jinjur, calmly. "the foolish man would insist upon milking the red cow when i wanted him to milk the white one; but he will know better next time, i am sure." then the party moved on again, and after crossing a broad river on a ferry and passing many fine farm houses that were dome shaped and painted a pretty green color, they came in sight of a large building that was covered with flags and bunting. "i don't remember that building," said dorothy. "what is it?" "that is the college of art and athletic perfection," replied ozma. "i had it built quite recently, and the woggle-bug is its president. it keeps him busy, and the young men who attend the college are no worse off than they were before. you see, in this country are a number of youths who do not like to work, and the college is an excellent place for them." and now they came in sight of the emerald city, and the people flocked out to greet their lovely ruler. there were several bands and many officers and officials of the realm, and a crowd of citizens in their holiday attire. thus the beautiful ozma was escorted by a brilliant procession to her royal city, and so great was the cheering that she was obliged to constantly bow to the right and left to acknowledge the greetings of her subjects. [illustration: "i promote you to be captain-general"] that evening there was a grand reception in the royal palace, attended by the most important persons of oz, and jack pumpkinhead, who was a little over-ripe but still active, read an address congratulating ozma of oz upon the success of her generous mission to rescue the royal family of a neighboring kingdom. then magnificent gold medals set with precious stones were presented to each of the twenty-six officers; and the tin woodman was given a new axe studded with diamonds; and the scarecrow received a silver jar of complexion powder. dorothy was presented with a pretty coronet and made a princess of oz, and tiktok received two bracelets set with eight rows of very clear and sparkling emeralds. afterward they sat down to a splendid feast, and ozma put dorothy at her right and billina at her left, where the hen sat upon a golden roost and ate from a jeweled platter. then were placed the scarecrow, the tin woodman and tiktok, with baskets of lovely flowers before them, because they did not require food. the twenty-six officers were at the lower end of the table, and the lion and the tiger also had seats, and were served on golden platters, that held a half a bushel at one time. the wealthiest and most important citizens of the emerald city were proud to wait upon these famous adventurers, and they were assisted by a sprightly little maid named jellia jamb, whom the scarecrow pinched upon her rosy cheeks and seemed to know very well. during the feast ozma grew thoughtful, and suddenly she asked: "where is the private?" "oh, he is sweeping out the barracks," replied one of the generals, who was busy eating a leg of a turkey. "but i have ordered him a dish of bread and molasses to eat when his work is done." "let him be sent for," said the girl ruler. while they waited for this command to be obeyed, she enquired: "have we any other privates in the armies?" "oh, yes," replied the tin woodman, "i believe there are three, altogether." the private now entered, saluting his officers and the royal ozma very respectfully. "what is your name, my man?" asked the girl. "omby amby," answered the private. "then, omby amby," said she, "i promote you to be captain general of all the armies of my kingdom, and especially to be commander of my body guard at the royal palace." "it is very expensive to hold so many offices," said the private, hesitating. "i have no money with which to buy uniforms." "you shall be supplied from the royal treasury," said ozma. then the private was given a seat at the table, where the other officers welcomed him cordially, and the feasting and merriment were resumed. suddenly jellia jamb exclaimed: "there is nothing more to eat! the hungry tiger has consumed everything!" "but that is not the worst of it," declared the tiger, mournfully. "somewhere or somehow, i've actually lost my appetite!" [illustration] dorothy's magic belt [illustration] dorothy passed several very happy weeks in the land of oz as the guest of the royal ozma, who delighted to please and interest the little kansas girl. many new acquaintances were formed and many old ones renewed, and wherever she went dorothy found herself among friends. one day, however, as she sat in ozma's private room, she noticed hanging upon the wall a picture which constantly changed in appearance, at one time showing a meadow and at another time a forest, a lake or a village. "how curious!" she exclaimed, after watching the shifting scenes for a few moments. "yes," said ozma, "that is really a wonderful invention in magic. if i wish to see any part of the world or any person living, i need only express the wish and it is shown in the picture." "may i use it?" asked dorothy, eagerly. "of course, my dear." "then i'd like to see the old kansas farm, and aunt em," said the girl. instantly the well remembered farmhouse appeared in the picture, and aunt em could be seen quite plainly. she was engaged in washing dishes by the kitchen window and seemed quite well and contented. the hired men and the teams were in the harvest fields behind the house, and the corn and wheat seemed to the child to be in prime condition. on the side porch dorothy's pet dog, toto, was lying fast asleep in the sun, and to her surprise old speckles was running around with a brood of twelve new chickens trailing after her. "everything seems all right at home," said dorothy, with a sigh of relief. "now i wonder what uncle henry is doing." the scene in the picture at once shifted to australia, where, in a pleasant room in sydney, uncle henry was seated in an easy chair, solemnly smoking his briar pipe. he looked sad and lonely, and his hair was now quite white and his hands and face thin and wasted. "oh!" cried dorothy, in an anxious voice, "i'm sure uncle henry isn't getting any better, and it's because he is worried about me. ozma, dear, i must go to him at once!" "how can you?" asked ozma. "i don't know," replied dorothy; "but let us go to glinda the good. i'm sure she will help me, and advise me how to get to uncle henry." ozma readily agreed to this plan and caused the sawhorse to be harnessed to a pretty green and pink phaeton, and the two girls rode away to visit the famous sorceress. glinda received them graciously, and listened to dorothy's story with attention. "i have the magic belt, you know," said the little girl. "if i buckled it around my waist and commanded it to take me to uncle henry, wouldn't it do it?" "i think so," replied glinda, with a smile. "and then," continued dorothy, "if i ever wanted to come back here again, the belt would bring me." [illustration: "that is a wise plan," replied glinda] "in that you are wrong," said the sorceress. "the belt has magical powers only while it is in some fairy country, such as the land of oz, or the land of ev. indeed, my little friend, were you to wear it and wish yourself in australia, with your uncle, the wish would doubtless be fulfilled, because it was made in fairyland. but you would not find the magic belt around you when you arrived at your destination." "what would become of it?" asked the girl. "it would be lost, as were your silver shoes when you visited oz before, and no one would ever see it again. it seems too bad to destroy the use of the magic belt in that way, doesn't it?" "then," said dorothy, after a moment's thought, "i will give the magic belt to ozma, for she can use it in her own country. and she can wish me transported to uncle henry without losing the belt." "that is a wise plan," replied glinda. so they rode back to the emerald city, and on the way it was arranged that every saturday morning ozma would look at dorothy in her magic picture, wherever the little girl might chance to be. and, if she saw dorothy make a certain signal, then ozma would know that the little kansas girl wanted to revisit the land of oz, and by means of the nome king's magic belt would wish that she might instantly return. this having been agreed upon, dorothy bade good-bye to all her friends. tiktok wanted to go to australia, too; but dorothy knew that the machine man would never do for a servant in a civilized country, and the chances were that his machinery wouldn't work at all. so she left him in ozma's care. billina, on the contrary, preferred the land of oz to any other country, and refused to accompany dorothy. "the bugs and ants that i find here are the finest flavored in the world," declared the yellow hen, "and there are plenty of them. so here i shall end my days; and i must say, dorothy, my dear, that you are very foolish to go back into that stupid, humdrum world again." "uncle henry needs me," said dorothy, simply; and every one except billina thought it was right that she should go. all dorothy's friends of the land of oz--both old and new--gathered in a group in front of the palace to bid her a sorrowful good-bye and to wish her long life and happiness. after much hand shaking, dorothy kissed ozma once more, and then handed her the nome king's magic belt, saying: "now, dear princess, when i wave my handkerchief, please wish me with uncle henry. i'm aw'fly sorry to leave you--and the scarecrow--and the tin woodman--and the cowardly lion--and tiktok--and--and everybody--but i do want my uncle henry! so good-bye, all of you." [illustration] then the little girl stood on one of the big emeralds which decorated the courtyard, and after looking once again at each of her friends, waved her handkerchief. * * * * * "no," said dorothy, "i wasn't drowned at all. and i've come to nurse you and take care of you, uncle henry, and you must promise to get well as soon as poss'ble." uncle henry smiled and cuddled his little niece close in his lap. "i'm better already, my darling," said he. [illustration] * * * * * books by l. frank baum illustrated by john r. neill each book handsomely bound in artistic pictorial cover. $ . per volume. the land of oz an account of the adventures of the scarecrow, the tin woodman, jack punpkinhead, the animated saw-horse, the highly magnified woggle-bug, the gump and many other delightful characters. nearly black-and-white illustrations and sixteen full-page pictures in color. ozma of oz the story tells "more about dorothy," as well as those famous characters, the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion, and something of several new creations equally delightful, including tiktok the machine man, the yellow hen, the nome king and the hungry tiger. forty-one full-page colored pictures; twenty-two half pages in color and fifty black-and-white text pictures. dorothy and the wizard in oz in this book dorothy, with zeb, a little boy friend, and jim, the cab horse, are swallowed up in an earthquake and reach a strange vegetable land, whence they escape to the land of oz, and meet all their old friends. among the new characters are eureka, dorothy's pink kitten, and the nine tiny piglets. gorgeously illustrated with sixteen full color pages and numerous black-and-white pictures. the road to oz tells how to reach the magic city of oz over a road leading through lands of many colors, peopled with odd characters, surcharged with adventure suitable for the minds and imaginations of young children. the manufacture represents an entirely new idea--the paper used is of various colors to indicate the several countries traversed by the road leading to oz and the emerald city. unique and gorgeous jacket in colors and gold. the emerald city of oz in this story, the nome king threatens to capture the emerald city. ozma and dorothy, with the help of glinda the good defeat his plan. all the old characters and many new ones enliven this story. full-page pictures in four colors and green bronze. black-and-white illustrations. jacket in four colors and aluminum and green bronze. the patchwork girl of oz in many ways the most successful of the oz books. a new and fascinating character, the patchwork girl, and ojo, a new boy, have adventures of lively interest. over full-page pictures in full color and in black and white. full-length chapter heads in full color. jacket in four colors; cover in four stampings. glinda of oz in which are related the exciting experiences of princess ozma of oz, and dorothy, in their hazardous journey to the home of the flatheads, and to the magic isle of the skeezers, and how they were rescued from dire peril by the sorcery of glinda the good. by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" illustrated by john r. neill this book is dedicated to my son robert stanton baum to our readers glinda the good, lovely sorceress of the land of oz and friend of princess ozma and dorothy, has lots of personal acquaintances who want to know more about her. so, in the new oz story, mr. l. frank baum, royal historian of oz, has written a whole book about how glinda and the wizard worked with all their might to save the princess and dorothy from the dire dangers which threatened them when they went among the warring tribes of the flatheads and skeezers. the wicked queen coo-ee-oh, a vain and evil witch, was really to blame for all the trouble. she surely succeeded in getting every one on the magic, glass-domed island of the skeezers into amazing difficulties. when mr. baum tells you how worried everybody in the land of oz felt about the princess ozma and dorothy and what wonderful sorcery glinda had to perform to save them, you'll be thrilled with excitement and admiration. he reveals the most hidden mysteries of magic. mr. baum did his best to answer all the letters from his small earth-friends before he had to leave them, but he couldn't answer quite all, for there were very many. in may, nineteen hundred nineteen, he went away to take his stories to the little child-souls who had lived here too long ago to read the oz stories for themselves. we are sorry he could not stay here and we are sad to tell you this is his last complete story. but he left some unfinished notes about the princess ozma and dorothy and the oz people and we promise that some day we will put them all together like a picture puzzle and give you more stories of the wonderful land of oz. cordially, your friends, the publishers. list of chapters the call of duty ozma and dorothy the mist maidens the magic tent the magic stairway flathead mountain the magic isle queen coo-ee-oh lady aurex under water the conquest of the skeezers the diamond swan the alarm bell ozma's counsellors the great sorceress the enchanted fishes under the great dome the cleverness of ervic red reera, the yookoohoo a puzzling problem the three adepts the sunken island the magic words glinda's triumph [illustration: glinda of oz] chapter the call to duty glinda, the good sorceress of oz, sat in the grand court of her palace, surrounded by her maids of honor--a hundred of the most beautiful girls of the fairyland of oz. the palace court was built of rare marbles, exquisitely polished. fountains tinkled musically here and there; the vast colonnade, open to the south, allowed the maidens, as they raised their heads from their embroideries, to gaze upon a vista of rose-hued fields and groves of trees bearing fruits or laden with sweet-scented flowers. at times one of the girls would start a song, the others joining in the chorus, or one would rise and dance, gracefully swaying to the music of a harp played by a companion. and then glinda smiled, glad to see her maids mixing play with work. presently among the fields an object was seen moving, threading the broad path that led to the castle gate. some of the girls looked upon this object enviously; the sorceress merely gave it a glance and nodded her stately head as if pleased, for it meant the coming of her friend and mistress--the only one in all the land that glinda bowed to. then up the path trotted a wooden animal attached to a red wagon, and as the quaint steed halted at the gate there descended from the wagon two young girls, ozma, ruler of oz, and her companion, princess dorothy. both were dressed in simple white muslin gowns, and as they ran up the marble steps of the palace they laughed and chatted as gaily as if they were not the most important persons in the world's loveliest fairyland. the maids of honor had risen and stood with bowed heads to greet the royal ozma, while glinda came forward with outstretched arms to greet her guests. "we've just come on a visit, you know," said ozma. "both dorothy and i were wondering how we should pass the day when we happened to think we'd not been to your quadling country for weeks, so we took the sawhorse and rode straight here." "and we came so fast," added dorothy, "that our hair is blown all fuzzy, for the sawhorse makes a wind of his own. usually it's a day's journey from the em'rald city, but i don't s'pose we were two hours on the way." "you are most welcome," said glinda the sorceress, and led them through the court to her magnificent reception hall. ozma took the arm of her hostess, but dorothy lagged behind, kissing some of the maids she knew best, talking with others, and making them all feel that she was their friend. when at last she joined glinda and ozma in the reception hall, she found them talking earnestly about the condition of the people, and how to make them more happy and contented--although they were already the happiest and most contented folks in all the world. this interested ozma, of course, but it didn't interest dorothy very much, so the little girl ran over to a big table on which was lying open glinda's great book of records. this book is one of the greatest treasures in oz, and the sorceress prizes it more highly than any of her magical possessions. that is the reason it is firmly attached to the big marble table by means of golden chains, and whenever glinda leaves home she locks the great book together with five jeweled padlocks, and carries the keys safely hidden in her bosom. i do not suppose there is any magical thing in any fairyland to compare with the record book, on the pages of which are constantly being printed a record of every event that happens in any part of the world, at exactly the moment it happens. and the records are always truthful, although sometimes they do not give as many details as one could wish. but then, lots of things happen, and so the records have to be brief or even glinda's great book could not hold them all. glinda looked at the records several times each day, and dorothy, whenever she visited the sorceress, loved to look in the book and see what was happening everywhere. not much was recorded about the land of oz, which is usually peaceful and uneventful, but today dorothy found something which interested her. indeed, the printed letters were appearing on the page even while she looked. "this is funny!" she exclaimed. "did you know, ozma, that there were people in your land of oz called skeezers?" "yes," replied ozma, coming to her side, "i know that on professor wogglebug's map of the land of oz there is a place marked 'skeezer,' but what the skeezers are like i do not know. no one i know has ever seen them or heard of them. the skeezer country is 'way at the upper edge of the gillikin country, with the sandy, impassable desert on one side and the mountains of oogaboo on another side. that is a part of the land of oz of which i know very little." "i guess no one else knows much about it either, unless it's the skeezers themselves," remarked dorothy. "but the book says: 'the skeezers of oz have declared war on the flatheads of oz, and there is likely to be fighting and much trouble as the result.'" "is that all the book says?" asked ozma. "every word," said dorothy, and ozma and glinda both looked at the record and seemed surprised and perplexed. "tell me, glinda," said ozma, "who are the flatheads?" "i cannot, your majesty," confessed the sorceress. "until now i never have heard of them, nor have i ever heard the skeezers mentioned. in the faraway corners of oz are hidden many curious tribes of people, and those who never leave their own countries and never are visited by those from our favored part of oz, naturally are unknown to me. however, if you so desire, i can learn through my arts of sorcery something of the skeezers and the flatheads." "i wish you would," answered ozma seriously. "you see, glinda, if these are oz people they are my subjects and i cannot allow any wars or troubles in the land i rule, if i can possibly help it." "very well, your majesty," said the sorceress, "i will try to get some information to guide you. please excuse me for a time, while i retire to my room of magic and sorcery." "may i go with you?" asked dorothy, eagerly. "no, princess," was the reply. "it would spoil the charm to have anyone present." so glinda locked herself in her own room of magic and dorothy and ozma waited patiently for her to come out again. in about an hour glinda appeared, looking grave and thoughtful. "your majesty," she said to ozma, "the skeezers live on a magic isle in a great lake. for that reason--because the skeezers deal in magic--i can learn little about them." "why, i didn't know there was a lake in that part of oz," exclaimed ozma. "the map shows a river running through the skeezer country, but no lake." "that is because the person who made the map never had visited that part of the country," explained the sorceress. "the lake surely is there, and in the lake is an island--a magic isle--and on that island live the people called the skeezers." "what are they like?" inquired the ruler of oz. "my magic cannot tell me that," confessed glinda, "for the magic of the skeezers prevents anyone outside of their domain knowing anything about them." "the flatheads must know, if they're going to fight the skeezers," suggested dorothy. "perhaps so," glinda replied, "but i can get little information concerning the flatheads, either. they are people who inhabit a mountain just south of the lake of the skeezers. the mountain has steep sides and a broad, hollow top, like a basin, and in this basin the flatheads have their dwellings. they also are magic-workers and usually keep to themselves and allow no one from outside to visit them. i have learned that the flatheads number about one hundred people--men, women and children--while the skeezers number just one hundred and one." "what did they quarrel about, and why do they wish to fight one another?" was ozma's next question. "i cannot tell your majesty that," said glinda. "but see here!" cried dorothy, "it's against the law for anyone but glinda and the wizard to work magic in the land of oz, so if these two strange people are magic-makers they are breaking the law and ought to be punished!" ozma smiled upon her little friend. "those who do not know me or my laws," she said, "cannot be expected to obey my laws. if we know nothing of the skeezers or the flatheads, it is likely that they know nothing of us." "but they _ought_ to know, ozma, and _we_ ought to know. who's going to tell them, and how are we going to make them behave?" "that," returned ozma, "is what i am now considering. what would you advise, glinda?" the sorceress took a little time to consider this question, before she made reply. then she said: "had you not learned of the existence of the flatheads and the skeezers, through my book of records, you would never have worried about them or their quarrels. so, if you pay no attention to these peoples, you may never hear of them again." "but that wouldn't be right," declared ozma. "i am ruler of all the land of oz, which includes the gillikin country, the quadling country, the winkie country and the munchkin country, as well as the emerald city, and being the princess of this fairyland it is my duty to make all my people--wherever they may be--happy and content and to settle their disputes and keep them from quarreling. so, while the skeezers and flatheads may not know me or that i am their lawful ruler, i now know that they inhabit my kingdom and are my subjects, so i would not be doing my duty if i kept away from them and allowed them to fight." "that's a fact, ozma," commented dorothy. "you've got to go up to the gillikin country and make these people behave themselves and make up their quarrels. but how are you going to do it?" "that is what is puzzling me also, your majesty," said the sorceress. "it may be dangerous for you to go into those strange countries, where the people are possibly fierce and warlike." "i am not afraid," said ozma, with a smile. "'tisn't a question of being 'fraid," argued dorothy. "of course we know you're a fairy, and can't be killed or hurt, and we know you've a lot of magic of your own to help you. but, ozma dear, in spite of all this you've been in trouble before, on account of wicked enemies, and it isn't right for the ruler of all oz to put herself in danger." "perhaps i shall be in no danger at all," returned ozma, with a little laugh. "you mustn't _imagine_ danger, dorothy, for one should only imagine nice things, and we do not know that the skeezers and flatheads are wicked people or my enemies. perhaps they would be good and listen to reason." "dorothy is right, your majesty," asserted the sorceress. "it is true we know nothing of these faraway subjects, except that they intend to fight one another, and have a certain amount of magic power at their command. such folks do not like to submit to interference and they are more likely to resent your coming among them than to receive you kindly and graciously, as is your due." "if you had an army to take with you," added dorothy, "it wouldn't be so bad; but there isn't such a thing as an army in all oz." "i have one soldier," said ozma. "yes, the soldier with the green whiskers; but he's dreadful 'fraid of his gun and never loads it. i'm sure he'd run rather than fight. and one soldier, even if he were brave, couldn't do much against two hundred and one flatheads and skeezers." "what then, my friends, would you suggest?" inquired ozma. "i advise you to send the wizard of oz to them, and let him inform them that it is against the laws of oz to fight, and that you command them to settle their differences and become friends," proposed glinda. "let the wizard tell them they will be punished if they refuse to obey the commands of the princess of all the land of oz." ozma shook her head, to indicate that the advice was not to her satisfaction. "if they refuse, what then?" she asked. "i should be obliged to carry out my threat and punish them, and that would be an unpleasant and difficult thing to do. i am sure it would be better for me to go peacefully, without an army and armed only with my authority as ruler, and plead with them to obey me. then, if they prove obstinate i could resort to other means to win their obedience." "it's a ticklish thing, anyhow you look at it," sighed dorothy. "i'm sorry now that i noticed the record in the great book." "but can't you realize, my dear, that i must do my duty, now that i am aware of this trouble?" asked ozma. "i am fully determined to go at once to the magic isle of the skeezers and to the enchanted mountain of the flatheads, and prevent war and strife between their inhabitants. the only question to decide is whether it is better for me to go alone, or to assemble a party of my friends and loyal supporters to accompany me." "if you go i want to go, too," declared dorothy. "whatever happens it's going to be fun--'cause all excitement is fun--and i wouldn't miss it for the world!" neither ozma nor glinda paid any attention to this statement, for they were gravely considering the serious aspect of this proposed adventure. "there are plenty of friends who would like to go with you," said the sorceress, "but none of them would afford your majesty any protection in case you were in danger. you are yourself the most powerful fairy in oz, although both i and the wizard have more varied arts of magic at our command. however, you have one art that no other in all the world can equal--the art of winning hearts and making people love to bow to your gracious presence. for that reason i believe you can accomplish more good alone than with a large number of subjects in your train." "i believe that also," agreed the princess. "i shall be quite able to take care of myself, you know, but might not be able to protect others so well. i do not look for opposition, however. i shall speak to these people in kindly words and settle their dispute--whatever it may be--in a just manner." "aren't you going to take _me_?" pleaded dorothy. "you'll need _some_ companion, ozma." the princess smiled upon her little friend. "i see no reason why you should not accompany me," was her reply. "two girls are not very warlike and they will not suspect us of being on any errand but a kindly and peaceful one. but, in order to prevent war and strife between these angry peoples, we must go to them at once. let us return immediately to the emerald city and prepare to start on our journey early tomorrow morning." glinda was not quite satisfied with this plan, but could not think of any better way to meet the problem. she knew that ozma, with all her gentleness and sweet disposition, was accustomed to abide by any decision she had made and could not easily be turned from her purpose. moreover she could see no great danger to the fairy ruler of oz in the undertaking, even though the unknown people she was to visit proved obstinate. but dorothy was not a fairy; she was a little girl who had come from kansas to live in the land of oz. dorothy might encounter dangers that to ozma would be as nothing but to an "earth child" would be very serious. the very fact that dorothy lived in oz, and had been made a princess by her friend ozma, prevented her from being killed or suffering any great bodily pain as long as she lived in that fairyland. she could not grow big, either, and would always remain the same little girl who had come to oz, unless in some way she left that fairyland or was spirited away from it. but dorothy was a mortal, nevertheless, and might possibly be destroyed, or hidden where none of her friends could ever find her. she could, for instance, be cut into pieces, and the pieces, while still alive and free from pain, could be widely scattered; or she might be buried deep underground, or "destroyed" in other ways by evil magicians, were she not properly protected. these facts glinda was considering while she paced with stately tread her marble hall. finally the good sorceress paused and drew a ring from her finger, handing it to dorothy. "wear this ring constantly until your return," she said to the girl. "if serious danger threatens you, turn the ring around on your finger once to the right and another turn to the left. that will ring the alarm bell in my palace and i will at once come to your rescue. but do not use the ring unless you are actually in danger of destruction. while you remain with princess ozma i believe she will be able to protect you from all lesser ills." "thank you, glinda," responded dorothy gratefully, as she placed the ring on her finger. "i'm going to wear my magic belt which i took from the nome king, too, so i guess i'll be safe from anything the skeezers and flatheads try to do to me." ozma had many arrangements to make before she could leave her throne and her palace in the emerald city, even for a trip of a few days, so she bade good-bye to glinda and with dorothy climbed into the red wagon. a word to the wooden sawhorse started that astonishing creature on the return journey, and so swiftly did he run that dorothy was unable to talk or do anything but hold tight to her seat all the way back to the emerald city. chapter ozma and dorothy residing in ozma's palace at this time was a live scarecrow, a most remarkable and intelligent creature who had once ruled the land of oz for a brief period and was much loved and respected by all the people. once a munchkin farmer had stuffed an old suit of clothes with straw and put stuffed boots on the feet and used a pair of stuffed cotton gloves for hands. the head of the scarecrow was a stuffed sack fastened to the body, with eyes, nose, mouth and ears painted on the sack. when a hat had been put on the head, the thing was a good imitation of a man. the farmer placed the scarecrow on a pole in his cornfield and it came to life in a curious manner. dorothy, who was passing by the field, was hailed by the live scarecrow and lifted him off his pole. he then went with her to the emerald city, where the wizard of oz gave him some excellent brains, and the scarecrow soon became an important personage. ozma considered the scarecrow one of her best friends and most loyal subjects, so the morning after her visit to glinda she asked him to take her place as ruler of the land of oz while she was absent on a journey, and the scarecrow at once consented without asking any questions. ozma had warned dorothy to keep their journey a secret and say nothing to anyone about the skeezers and flatheads until their return, and dorothy promised to obey. she longed to tell her girl friends, tiny trot and betsy bobbin, of the adventure they were undertaking, but refrained from saying a word on the subject although both these girls lived with her in ozma's palace. indeed, only glinda the sorceress knew they were going, until after they had gone, and even the sorceress didn't know what their errand might be. princess ozma took the sawhorse and the red wagon, although she was not sure there was a wagon road all the way to the lake of the skeezers. the land of oz is a pretty big place, surrounded on all sides by a deadly desert which it is impossible to cross, and the skeezer country, according to the map, was in the farthest northwestern part of oz, bordering on the north desert. as the emerald city was exactly in the center of oz, it was no small journey from there to the skeezers. around the emerald city the country is thickly settled in every direction, but the farther away you get from the city the fewer people there are, until those parts that border on the desert have small populations. also those faraway sections are little known to the oz people, except in the south, where glinda lives and where dorothy has often wandered on trips of exploration. the least known of all is the gillikin country, which harbors many strange bands of people among its mountains and valleys and forests and streams, and ozma was now bound for the most distant part of the gillikin country. "i am really sorry," said ozma to dorothy, as they rode away in the red wagon, "not to know more about the wonderful land i rule. it is my duty to be acquainted with every tribe of people and every strange and hidden country in all oz, but i am kept so busy at my palace making laws and planning for the comforts of those who live near the emerald city, that i do not often find time to make long journeys." "well," replied dorothy, "we'll prob'bly find out a lot on this trip, and we'll learn all about the skeezers and flatheads, anyhow. time doesn't make much diff'rence in the land of oz, 'cause we don't grow up, or get old, or become sick and die, as they do other places; so, if we explore one place at a time, we'll by-an'-by know all about every nook and corner in oz." dorothy wore around her waist the nome king's magic belt, which protected her from harm, and the magic ring which glinda had given her was on her finger. ozma had merely slipped a small silver wand into the bosom of her gown, for fairies do not use chemicals and herbs and the tools of wizards and sorcerers to perform their magic. the silver wand was ozma's one weapon of offense and defense and by its use she could accomplish many things. they had left the emerald city just at sunrise and the sawhorse traveled very swiftly over the roads towards the north, but in a few hours the wooden animal had to slacken his pace because the farm houses had become few and far between and often there were no paths at all in the direction they wished to follow. at such times they crossed the fields, avoiding groups of trees and fording the streams and rivulets whenever they came to them. but finally they reached a broad hillside closely covered with scrubby brush, through which the wagon could not pass. "it will be difficult even for you and me to get through without tearing our dresses," said ozma, "so we must leave the sawhorse and the wagon here until our return." "that's all right," dorothy replied, "i'm tired riding, anyhow. do you s'pose, ozma, we're anywhere near the skeezer country?" "i cannot tell, dorothy dear, but i know we've been going in the right direction, so we are sure to find it in time." the scrubby brush was almost like a grove of small trees, for it reached as high as the heads of the two girls, neither of whom was very tall. they were obliged to thread their way in and out, until dorothy was afraid they would get lost, and finally they were halted by a curious thing that barred their further progress. it was a huge web--as if woven by gigantic spiders--and the delicate, lacy film was fastened stoutly to the branches of the bushes and continued to the right and left in the form of a half circle. the threads of this web were of a brilliant purple color and woven into numerous artistic patterns, but it reached from the ground to branches above the heads of the girls and formed a sort of fence that hedged them in. "it doesn't look very strong, though," said dorothy. "i wonder if we couldn't break through." she tried but found the web stronger than it seemed. all her efforts could not break a single thread. "we must go back, i think, and try to get around this peculiar web," ozma decided. so they turned to the right and, following the web, found that it seemed to spread in a regular circle. on and on they went until finally ozma said they had returned to the exact spot from which they had started. "here is a handkerchief you dropped when we were here before," she said to dorothy. "in that case, they must have built the web behind us, after we walked into the trap," exclaimed the little girl. "true," agreed ozma, "an enemy has tried to imprison us." "and they did it, too," said dorothy. "i wonder who it was." "it's a spider-web, i'm quite sure," returned ozma, "but it must be the work of enormous spiders." "quite right!" cried a voice behind them. turning quickly around they beheld a huge purple spider sitting not two yards away and regarding them with its small bright eyes. then there crawled from the bushes a dozen more great purple spiders, which saluted the first one and said: "the web is finished, o king, and the strangers are our prisoners." dorothy did not like the looks of these spiders at all. they had big heads, sharp claws, small eyes and fuzzy hair all over their purple bodies. "they look wicked," she whispered to ozma. "what shall we do?" ozma gazed upon the spiders with a serious face. "what is your object in making us prisoners?" she inquired. "we need someone to keep house for us," answered the spider king. "there is sweeping and dusting to be done, and polishing and washing of dishes, and that is work my people dislike to do. so we decided that if any strangers came our way we would capture them and make them our servants." "i am princess ozma, ruler of all oz," said the girl with dignity. "well, i am king of all spiders," was the reply, "and that makes me your master. come with me to my palace and i will instruct you in your work." "i won't," said dorothy indignantly. "we won't have anything to do with you." "we'll see about that," returned the spider in a severe tone, and the next instant he made a dive straight at dorothy, opening the claws in his legs as if to grab and pinch her with the sharp points. but the girl was wearing her magic belt and was not harmed. the spider king could not even touch her. he turned swiftly and made a dash at ozma, but she held her magic wand over his head and the monster recoiled as if it had been struck. "you'd better let us go," dorothy advised him, "for you see you can't hurt us." "so i see," returned the spider king angrily. "your magic is greater than mine. but i'll not help you to escape. if you can break the magic web my people have woven you may go; if not you must stay here and starve." with that the spider king uttered a peculiar whistle and all the spiders disappeared. "there is more magic in my fairyland than i dreamed of," remarked the beautiful ozma, with a sigh of regret. "it seems that my laws have not been obeyed, for even these monstrous spiders defy me by means of magic." "never mind that now," said dorothy; "let's see what we can do to get out of this trap." they now examined the web with great care and were amazed at its strength. although finer than the finest silken hairs, it resisted all their efforts to work through, even though both girls threw all their weight against it. "we must find some instrument which will cut the threads of the web," said ozma, finally. "let us look about for such a tool." so they wandered among the bushes and finally came to a shallow pool of water, formed by a small bubbling spring. dorothy stooped to get a drink and discovered in the water a green crab, about as big as her hand. the crab had two big, sharp claws, and as soon as dorothy saw them she had an idea that those claws could save them. "come out of the water," she called to the crab; "i want to talk to you." rather lazily the crab rose to the surface and caught hold of a bit of rock. with his head above the water he said in a cross voice: "what do you want?" "we want you to cut the web of the purple spiders with your claws, so we can get through it," answered dorothy. "you can do that, can't you?" "i suppose so," replied the crab. "but if i do what will you give me?" "what do you wish?" ozma inquired. "i wish to be white, instead of green," said the crab. "green crabs are very common, and white ones are rare; besides the purple spiders, which infest this hillside, are afraid of white crabs. could you make me white if i should agree to cut the web for you?" "yes," said ozma, "i can do that easily. and, so you may know i am speaking the truth, i will change your color now." she waved her silver wand over the pool and the crab instantly became snow-white--all except his eyes, which remained black. the creature saw his reflection in the water and was so delighted that he at once climbed out of the pool and began moving slowly toward the web, by backing away from the pool. he moved so very slowly that dorothy cried out impatiently: "dear me, this will never do!" catching the crab in her hands she ran with him to the web. she had to hold him up even then, so he could reach with his claws strand after strand of the filmy purple web, which he was able to sever with one nip. when enough of the web had been cut to allow them to pass, dorothy ran back to the pool and placed the white crab in the water, after which she rejoined ozma. they were just in time to escape through the web, for several of the purple spiders now appeared, having discovered that their web had been cut, and had the girls not rushed through the opening the spiders would have quickly repaired the cuts and again imprisoned them. ozma and dorothy ran as fast as they could and although the angry spiders threw a number of strands of web after them, hoping to lasso them or entangle them in the coils, they managed to escape and clamber to the top of the hill. chapter the mist maidens from the top of the hill ozma and dorothy looked down into the valley beyond and were surprised to find it filled with a floating mist that was as dense as smoke. nothing in the valley was visible except these rolling waves of mist, but beyond, on the other side, rose a grassy hill that appeared quite beautiful. "well," said dorothy, "what are we to do, ozma? walk down into that thick fog, an' prob'bly get lost in it, or wait till it clears away?" "i'm not sure it will clear away, however long we wait," replied ozma, doubtfully. "if we wish to get on, i think we must venture into the mist." "but we can't see where we're going, or what we're stepping on," protested dorothy. "there may be dreadful things mixed up in that fog, an' i'm scared just to think of wading into it." even ozma seemed to hesitate. she was silent and thoughtful for a little while, looking at the rolling drifts that were so gray and forbidding. finally she said: "i believe this is a mist valley, where these moist clouds always remain, for even the sunshine above does not drive them away. therefore the mist maids must live here, and they are fairies and should answer my call." she placed her two hands before her mouth, forming a hollow with them, and uttered a clear, thrilling, bird-like cry. it floated far out over the mist waves and presently was answered by a similar sound, as of a far-off echo. dorothy was much impressed. she had seen many strange things since coming to this fairy country, but here was a new experience. at ordinary times ozma was just like any little girl one might chance to meet--simple, merry, lovable as could be--yet with a certain reserve that lent her dignity in her most joyous moods. there were times, however, when seated on her throne and commanding her subjects, or when her fairy powers were called into use, when dorothy and all others about her stood in awe of their lovely girl ruler and realized her superiority. ozma waited. presently out from the billows rose beautiful forms, clothed in fleecy, trailing garments of gray that could scarcely be distinguished from the mist. their hair was mist-color, too; only their gleaming arms and sweet, pallid faces proved they were living, intelligent creatures answering the call of a sister fairy. like sea nymphs they rested on the bosom of the clouds, their eyes turned questioningly upon the two girls who stood upon the bank. one came quite near and to her ozma said: "will you please take us to the opposite hillside? we are afraid to venture into the mist. i am princess ozma of oz, and this is my friend dorothy, a princess of oz." the mist maids came nearer, holding out their arms. without hesitation ozma advanced and allowed them to embrace her and dorothy plucked up courage to follow. very gently the mist maids held them. dorothy thought the arms were cold and misty--they didn't seem real at all--yet they supported the two girls above the surface of the billows and floated with them so swiftly to the green hillside opposite that the girls were astonished to find themselves set upon the grass before they realized they had fairly started. "thank you!" said ozma gratefully, and dorothy also added her thanks for the service. the mist maids made no answer, but they smiled and waved their hands in good-bye as again they floated out into the mist and disappeared from view. chapter the magic tent "well," said dorothy with a laugh, "that was easier than i expected. it's worth while, sometimes, to be a real fairy. but i wouldn't like to be that kind, and live in a dreadful fog all the time." they now climbed the bank and found before them a delightful plain that spread for miles in all directions. fragrant wild flowers were scattered throughout the grass; there were bushes bearing lovely blossoms and luscious fruits; now and then a group of stately trees added to the beauty of the landscape. but there were no dwellings or signs of life. the farther side of the plain was bordered by a row of palms, and just in front of the palms rose a queerly shaped hill that towered above the plain like a mountain. the sides of this hill were straight up and down; it was oblong in shape and the top seemed flat and level. "oh, ho!" cried dorothy; "i'll bet that's the mountain glinda told us of, where the flatheads live." "if it is," replied ozma, "the lake of the skeezers must be just beyond the line of palm trees. can you walk that far, dorothy?" "of course, in time," was the prompt answer. "i'm sorry we had to leave the sawhorse and the red wagon behind us, for they'd come in handy just now; but with the end of our journey in sight a tramp across these pretty green fields won't tire us a bit." it was a longer tramp than they suspected, however, and night overtook them before they could reach the flat mountain. so ozma proposed they camp for the night and dorothy was quite ready to approve. she didn't like to admit to her friend she was tired, but she told herself that her legs "had prickers in 'em," meaning they had begun to ache. usually when dorothy started on a journey of exploration or adventure, she carried with her a basket of food, and other things that a traveler in a strange country might require, but to go away with ozma was quite a different thing, as experience had taught her. the fairy ruler of oz only needed her silver wand--tipped at one end with a great sparkling emerald--to provide through its magic all that they might need. therefore ozma, having halted with her companion and selected a smooth, grassy spot on the plain, waved her wand in graceful curves and chanted some mystic words in her sweet voice, and in an instant a handsome tent appeared before them. the canvas was striped purple and white, and from the center pole fluttered the royal banner of oz. "come, dear," said ozma, taking dorothy's hand, "i am hungry and i'm sure you must be also; so let us go in and have our feast." on entering the tent they found a table set for two, with snowy linen, bright silver and sparkling glassware, a vase of roses in the center and many dishes of delicious food, some smoking hot, waiting to satisfy their hunger. also, on either side of the tent were beds, with satin sheets, warm blankets and pillows filled with swansdown. there were chairs, too, and tall lamps that lighted the interior of the tent with a soft, rosy glow. dorothy, resting herself at her fairy friend's command, and eating her dinner with unusual enjoyment, thought of the wonders of magic. if one were a fairy and knew the secret laws of nature and the mystic words and ceremonies that commanded those laws, then a simple wave of a silver wand would produce instantly all that men work hard and anxiously for through weary years. and dorothy wished in her kindly, innocent heart, that all men and women could be fairies with silver wands, and satisfy all their needs without so much work and worry, for then, she imagined, they would have all their working hours to be happy in. but ozma, looking into her friend's face and reading those thoughts, gave a laugh and said: "no, no, dorothy, that wouldn't do at all. instead of happiness your plan would bring weariness to the world. if every one could wave a wand and have his wants fulfilled there would be little to wish for. there would be no eager striving to obtain the difficult, for nothing would then be difficult, and the pleasure of earning something longed for, and only to be secured by hard work and careful thought, would be utterly lost. there would be nothing to do, you see, and no interest in life and in our fellow creatures. that is all that makes life worth our while--to do good deeds and to help those less fortunate than ourselves." "well, you're a fairy, ozma. aren't you happy?" asked dorothy. "yes, dear, because i can use my fairy powers to make others happy. had i no kingdom to rule, and no subjects to look after, i would be miserable. also, you must realize that while i am a more powerful fairy than any other inhabitant of oz, i am not as powerful as glinda the sorceress, who has studied many arts of magic that i know nothing of. even the little wizard of oz can do some things i am unable to accomplish, while i can accomplish things unknown to the wizard. this is to explain that i am not all-powerful, by any means. my magic is simply fairy magic, and not sorcery or wizardry." "all the same," said dorothy, "i'm mighty glad you could make this tent appear, with our dinners and beds all ready for us." ozma smiled. "yes, it is indeed wonderful," she agreed. "not all fairies know that sort of magic, but some fairies can do magic that fills me with astonishment. i think that is what makes us modest and unassuming--the fact that our magic arts are divided, some being given each of us. i'm glad i don't know everything, dorothy, and that there still are things in both nature and in wit for me to marvel at." dorothy couldn't quite understand this, so she said nothing more on the subject and presently had a new reason to marvel. for when they had quite finished their meal table and contents disappeared in a flash. "no dishes to wash, ozma!" she said with a laugh. "i guess you'd make a lot of folks happy if you could teach 'em just that one trick." for an hour ozma told stories, and talked with dorothy about various people in whom they were interested. and then it was bedtime, and they undressed and crept into their soft beds and fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched their pillows. chapter the magic stairway the flat mountain looked much nearer in the clear light of the morning sun, but dorothy and ozma knew there was a long tramp before them, even yet. they finished dressing only to find a warm, delicious breakfast awaiting them, and having eaten they left the tent and started toward the mountain which was their first goal. after going a little way dorothy looked back and found that the fairy tent had entirely disappeared. she was not surprised, for she knew this would happen. "can't your magic give us a horse an' wagon, or an automobile?" inquired dorothy. "no, dear; i'm sorry that such magic is beyond my power," confessed her fairy friend. "perhaps glinda could," said dorothy thoughtfully. "glinda has a stork chariot that carries her through the air," said ozma, "but even our great sorceress cannot conjure up other modes of travel. don't forget what i told you last night, that no one is powerful enough to do everything." "well, i s'pose i ought to know that, having lived so long in the land of oz," replied dorothy; "but _i_ can't do any magic at all, an' so i can't figure out e'zactly how you an' glinda an' the wizard do it." "don't try," laughed ozma. "but you have at least one magical art, dorothy: you know the trick of winning all hearts." "no, i don't," said dorothy earnestly. "if i really can do it, ozma, i am sure i don't know _how_ i do it." it took them a good two hours to reach the foot of the round, flat mountain, and then they found the sides so steep that they were like the wall of a house. "even my purple kitten couldn't climb 'em," remarked dorothy, gazing upward. "but there is some way for the flatheads to get down and up again," declared ozma; "otherwise they couldn't make war with the skeezers, or even meet them and quarrel with them." "that's so, ozma. let's walk around a ways; perhaps we'll find a ladder or something." they walked quite a distance, for it was a big mountain, and as they circled around it and came to the side that faced the palm trees, they suddenly discovered an entrance way cut out of the rock wall. this entrance was arched overhead and not very deep because it merely led to a short flight of stone stairs. "oh, we've found a way to the top at last," announced ozma, and the two girls turned and walked straight toward the entrance. suddenly they bumped against something and stood still, unable to proceed farther. "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy, rubbing her nose, which had struck something hard, although she could not see what it was; "this isn't as easy as it looks. what has stopped us, ozma? is it magic of some sort?" ozma was feeling around, her hands outstretched before her. "yes, dear, it is magic," she replied. "the flatheads had to have a way from their mountain top from the plain below, but to prevent enemies from rushing up the stairs to conquer them, they have built, at a small distance before the entrance a wall of solid stone, the stones being held in place by cement, and then they made the wall invisible." "i wonder why they did that?" mused dorothy. "a wall would keep folks out anyhow, whether it could be seen or not, so there wasn't any use making it invisible. seems to me it would have been better to have left it solid, for then no one would have seen the entrance behind it. now anybody can see the entrance, as we did. and prob'bly anybody that tries to go up the stairs gets bumped, as we did." ozma made no reply at once. her face was grave and thoughtful. "i think i know the reason for making the wall invisible," she said after a while. "the flatheads use the stairs for coming down and going up. if there was a solid stone wall to keep them from reaching the plain they would themselves be imprisoned by the wall. so they had to leave some place to get around the wall, and, if the wall was visible, all strangers or enemies would find the place to go around it and then the wall would be useless. so the flatheads cunningly made their wall invisible, believing that everyone who saw the entrance to the mountain would walk straight toward it, as we did, and find it impossible to go any farther. i suppose the wall is really high and thick, and can't be broken through, so those who find it in their way are obliged to go away again." "well," said dorothy, "if there's a way around the wall, where is it?" "we must find it," returned ozma, and began feeling her way along the wall. dorothy followed and began to get discouraged when ozma had walked nearly a quarter of a mile away from the entrance. but now the invisible wall curved in toward the side of the mountain and suddenly ended, leaving just space enough between the wall and the mountain for an ordinary person to pass through. the girls went in, single file, and ozma explained that they were now behind the barrier and could go back to the entrance. they met no further obstructions. "most people, ozma, wouldn't have figured this thing out the way you did," remarked dorothy. "if i'd been alone the invisible wall surely would have stumped me." reaching the entrance they began to mount the stone stairs. they went up ten stairs and then down five stairs, following a passage cut from the rock. the stairs were just wide enough for the two girls to walk abreast, arm in arm. at the bottom of the five stairs the passage turned to the right, and they ascended ten more stairs, only to find at the top of the flight five stairs leading straight down again. again the passage turned abruptly, this time to the left, and ten more stairs led upward. the passage was now quite dark, for they were in the heart of the mountain and all daylight had been shut out by the turns of the passage. however, ozma drew her silver wand from her bosom and the great jewel at its end gave out a lustrous, green-tinted light which lighted the place well enough for them to see their way plainly. ten steps up, five steps down, and a turn, this way or that. that was the program, and dorothy figured that they were only gaining five stairs upward each trip that they made. "those flatheads must be funny people," she said to ozma. "they don't seem to do anything in a bold, straightforward manner. in making this passage they forced everyone to walk three times as far as is necessary. and of course this trip is just as tiresome to the flatheads as it is to other folks." "that is true," answered ozma; "yet it is a clever arrangement to prevent their being surprised by intruders. every time we reach the tenth step of a flight, the pressure of our feet on the stone makes a bell ring on top of the mountain, to warn the flatheads of our coming." "how do you know that?" demanded dorothy, astonished. "i've heard the bell ever since we started," ozma told her. "you could not hear it, i know, but when i am holding my wand in my hand i can hear sounds a great distance off." "do you hear anything on top of the mountain 'cept the bell?" inquired dorothy. "yes. the people are calling to one another in alarm and many footsteps are approaching the place where we will reach the flat top of the mountain." this made dorothy feel somewhat anxious. "i'd thought we were going to visit just common, ordinary people," she remarked, "but they're pretty clever, it seems, and they know some kinds of magic, too. they may be dangerous, ozma. p'raps we'd better stayed at home." finally the upstairs-and-downstairs passage seemed coming to an end, for daylight again appeared ahead of the two girls and ozma replaced her wand in the bosom of her gown. the last ten steps brought them to the surface, where they found themselves surrounded by such a throng of queer people that for a time they halted, speechless, and stared into the faces that confronted them. dorothy knew at once why these mountain people were called flatheads. their heads were really flat on top, as if they had been cut off just above the eyes and ears. also the heads were bald, with no hair on top at all, and the ears were big and stuck straight out, and the noses were small and stubby, while the mouths of the flatheads were well shaped and not unusual. their eyes were perhaps their best feature, being large and bright and a deep violet in color. the costumes of the flatheads were all made of metals dug from their mountain. small gold, silver, tin and iron discs, about the size of pennies, and very thin, were cleverly wired together and made to form knee trousers and jackets for the men and skirts and waists for the women. the colored metals were skillfully mixed to form stripes and checks of various sorts, so that the costumes were quite gorgeous and reminded dorothy of pictures she had seen of knights of old clothed in armor. aside from their flat heads, these people were not really bad looking. the men were armed with bows and arrows and had small axes of steel stuck in their metal belts. they wore no hats nor ornaments. chapter flathead mountain when they saw that the intruders on their mountain were only two little girls, the flatheads grunted with satisfaction and drew back, permitting them to see what the mountain top looked like. it was shaped like a saucer, so that the houses and other buildings--all made of rocks--could not be seen over the edge by anyone standing in the plain below. but now a big fat flathead stood before the girls and in a gruff voice demanded: "what are you doing here? have the skeezers sent you to spy upon us?" "i am princess ozma, ruler of all the land of oz." "well, i've never heard of the land of oz, so you may be what you claim," returned the flathead. "this is the land of oz--part of it, anyway," exclaimed dorothy. "so princess ozma rules you flathead people, as well as all the other people in oz." the man laughed, and all the others who stood around laughed, too. some one in the crowd called: "she'd better not tell the supreme dictator about ruling the flatheads. eh, friends?" "no, indeed!" they all answered in positive tones. "who is your supreme dictator?" answered ozma. "i think i'll let him tell you that himself," answered the man who had first spoken. "you have broken our laws by coming here; and whoever you are the supreme dictator must fix your punishment. come along with me." he started down a path and ozma and dorothy followed him without protest, as they wanted to see the most important person in this queer country. the houses they passed seemed pleasant enough and each had a little yard in which were flowers and vegetables. walls of rock separated the dwellings, and all the paths were paved with smooth slabs of rock. this seemed their only building material and they utilized it cleverly for every purpose. directly in the center of the great saucer stood a larger building which the flathead informed the girls was the palace of the supreme dictator. he led them through an entrance hall into a big reception room, where they sat upon stone benches and awaited the coming of the dictator. pretty soon he entered from another room--a rather lean and rather old flathead, dressed much like the others of this strange race, and only distinguished from them by the sly and cunning expression of his face. he kept his eyes half closed and looked through the slits of them at ozma and dorothy, who rose to receive him. "are you the supreme dictator of the flatheads?" inquired ozma. "yes, that's me," he said, rubbing his hands slowly together. "my word is law. i'm the head of the flatheads on this flat headland." "i am princess ozma of oz, and i have come from the emerald city to----" "stop a minute," interrupted the dictator, and turned to the man who had brought the girls there. "go away, dictator felo flathead!" he commanded. "return to your duty and guard the stairway. i will look after these strangers." the man bowed and departed, and dorothy asked wonderingly: "is _he_ a dictator, too?" "of course," was the answer. "everybody here is a dictator of something or other. they're all office holders. that's what keeps them contented. but i'm the supreme dictator of all, and i'm elected once a year. this is a democracy, you know, where the people are allowed to vote for their rulers. a good many others would like to be supreme dictator, but as i made a law that i am always to count the votes myself, i am always elected." "what is your name?" asked ozma. "i am called the su-dic, which is short for supreme dictator. i sent that man away because the moment you mentioned ozma of oz, and the emerald city, i knew who you are. i suppose i'm the only flathead that ever heard of you, but that's because i have more brains than the rest." dorothy was staring hard at the su-dic. "i don't see how you can have any brains at all," she remarked, "because the part of your head is gone where brains are kept." "i don't blame you for thinking that," he said. "once the flatheads had no brains because, as you say, there is no upper part to their heads, to hold brains. but long, long ago a band of fairies flew over this country and made it all a fairyland, and when they came to the flatheads the fairies were sorry to find them all very stupid and quite unable to think. so, as there was no good place in their bodies in which to put brains the fairy queen gave each one of us a nice can of brains to carry in his pocket and that made us just as intelligent as other people. see," he continued, "here is one of the cans of brains the fairies gave us." he took from a pocket a bright tin can having a pretty red label on it which said: "flathead concentrated brains, extra quality." "and does every flathead have the same kind of brains?" asked dorothy. "yes, they're all alike. here's another can." from another pocket he produced a second can of brains. "did the fairies give you a double supply?" inquired dorothy. "no, but one of the flatheads thought he wanted to be the su-dic and tried to get my people to rebel against me, so i punished him by taking away his brains. one day my wife scolded me severely, so i took away her can of brains. she didn't like that and went out and robbed several women of _their_ brains. then i made a law that if anyone stole another's brains, or even tried to borrow them, he would forfeit his own brains to the su-dic. so each one is content with his own canned brains and my wife and i are the only ones on the mountain with more than one can. i have three cans and that makes me very clever--so clever that i'm a good sorcerer, if i do say it myself. my poor wife had four cans of brains and became a remarkable witch, but alas! that was before those terrible enemies, the skeezers, transformed her into a golden pig." "good gracious!" cried dorothy; "is your wife really a golden pig?" "she is. the skeezers did it and so i have declared war on them. in revenge for making my wife a pig i intend to ruin their magic island and make the skeezers the slaves of the flatheads!" the su-dic was very angry now; his eyes flashed and his face took on a wicked and fierce expression. but ozma said to him, very sweetly and in a friendly voice: "i am sorry to hear this. will you please tell me more about your troubles with the skeezers? then perhaps i can help you." she was only a girl, but there was dignity in her pose and speech which impressed the su-dic. "if you are really princess ozma of oz," the flathead said, "you are one of that band of fairies who, under queen lurline, made all oz a fairyland. i have heard that lurline left one of her own fairies to rule oz, and gave the fairy the name of ozma." "if you knew this why did you not come to me at the emerald city and tender me your loyalty and obedience?" asked the ruler of oz. "well, i only learned the fact lately, and i've been too busy to leave home," he explained, looking at the floor instead of into ozma's eyes. she knew he had spoken a falsehood, but only said: "why did you quarrel with the skeezers?" "it was this way," began the su-dic, glad to change the subject. "we flatheads love fish, and as we have no fish on this mountain we would sometimes go to the lake of the skeezers to catch fish. this made the skeezers angry, for they declared the fish in their lake belonged to them and were under their protection and they forbade us to catch them. that was very mean and unfriendly in the skeezers, you must admit, and when we paid no attention to their orders they set a guard on the shore of the lake to prevent our fishing. "now, my wife, rora flathead, having four cans of brains, had become a wonderful witch, and fish being brain food, she loved to eat fish better than any one of us. so she vowed she would destroy every fish in the lake, unless the skeezers let us catch what we wanted. they defied us, so rora prepared a kettleful of magic poison and went down to the lake one night to dump it all in the water and poison the fish. it was a clever idea, quite worthy of my dear wife, but the skeezer queen--a young lady named coo-ee-oh--hid on the bank of the lake and taking rora unawares, transformed her into a golden pig. the poison was spilled on the ground and wicked queen coo-ee-oh, not content with her cruel transformation, even took away my wife's four cans of brains, so she is now a common grunting pig without even brains enough to know her own name." "then," said ozma thoughtfully, "the queen of the skeezers must be a sorceress." "yes," said the su-dic, "but she doesn't know much magic, after all. she is not as powerful as rora flathead was, nor half as powerful as i am now, as queen coo-ee-oh will discover when we fight our great battle and destroy her." "the golden pig can't be a witch any more, of course," observed dorothy. "no; even had queen coo-ee-oh left her the four cans of brains, poor rora, in a pig's shape, couldn't do any witchcraft. a witch has to use her fingers, and a pig has only cloven hoofs." "it seems a sad story," was ozma's comment, "and all the trouble arose because the flatheads wanted fish that did not belong to them." "as for that," said the su-dic, again angry, "i made a law that any of my people could catch fish in the lake of the skeezers, whenever they wanted to. so the trouble was through the skeezers defying my law." "you can only make laws to govern your own people," asserted ozma sternly. "i, alone, am empowered to make laws that must be obeyed by all the peoples of oz." "pooh!" cried the su-dic scornfully. "you can't make _me_ obey your laws, i assure you. i know the extent of your powers, princess ozma of oz, and i know that i am more powerful than you are. to prove it i shall keep you and your companion prisoners in this mountain until after we have fought and conquered the skeezers. then, if you promise to be good, i may let you go home again." dorothy was amazed by this effrontery and defiance of the beautiful girl ruler of oz, whom all until now had obeyed without question. but ozma, still unruffled and dignified, looked at the su-dic and said: "you did not mean that. you are angry and speak unwisely, without reflection. i came here from my palace in the emerald city to prevent war and to make peace between you and the skeezers. i do not approve of queen coo-ee-oh's action in transforming your wife rora into a pig, nor do i approve of rora's cruel attempt to poison the fishes in the lake. no one has the right to work magic in my dominions without my consent, so the flatheads and the skeezers have both broken my laws--which must be obeyed." "if you want to make peace," said the su-dic, "make the skeezers restore my wife to her proper form and give back her four cans of brains. also make them agree to allow us to catch fish in their lake." "no," returned ozma, "i will not do that, for it would be unjust. i will have the golden pig again transformed into your wife rora, and give her one can of brains, but the other three cans must be restored to those she robbed. neither may you catch fish in the lake of the skeezers, for it is their lake and the fish belong to them. this arrangement is just and honorable, and you must agree to it." "never!" cried the su-dic. just then a pig came running into the room, uttering dismal grunts. it was made of solid gold, with joints at the bends of the legs and in the neck and jaws. the golden pig's eyes were rubies, and its teeth were polished ivory. "there!" said the su-dic, "gaze on the evil work of queen coo-ee-oh, and then say if you can prevent my making war on the skeezers. that grunting beast was once my wife--the most beautiful flathead on our mountain and a skillful witch. now look at her!" "fight the skeezers, fight the skeezers, fight the skeezers!" grunted the golden pig. "i _will_ fight the skeezers," exclaimed the flathead chief, "and if a dozen ozmas of oz forbade me i would fight just the same." "not if i can prevent it!" asserted ozma. "you can't prevent it. but since you threaten me, i'll have you confined in the bronze prison until the war is over," said the su-dic. he whistled and four stout flatheads, armed with axes and spears, entered the room and saluted him. turning to the men he said: "take these two girls, bind them with wire ropes and cast them into the bronze prison.". the four men bowed low and one of them asked: "where are the two girls, most noble su-dic?" the su-dic turned to where ozma and dorothy had stood but they had vanished! chapter the magic isle ozma, seeing it was useless to argue with the supreme dictator of the flatheads, had been considering how best to escape from his power. she realized that his sorcery might be difficult to overcome, and when he threatened to cast dorothy and her into a bronze prison she slipped her hand into her bosom and grasped her silver wand. with the other hand she grasped the hand of dorothy, but these motions were so natural that the su-dic did not notice them. then when he turned to meet his four soldiers, ozma instantly rendered both herself and dorothy invisible and swiftly led her companion around the group of flatheads and out of the room. as they reached the entry and descended the stone steps, ozma whispered: "let us run, dear! we are invisible, so no one will see us." dorothy understood and she was a good runner. ozma had marked the place where the grand stairway that led to the plain was located, so they made directly for it. some people were in the paths but these they dodged around. one or two flatheads heard the pattering of footsteps of the girls on the stone pavement and stopped with bewildered looks to gaze around them, but no one interfered with the invisible fugitives. the su-dic had lost no time in starting the chase. he and his men ran so fast that they might have overtaken the girls before they reached the stairway had not the golden pig suddenly run across their path. the su-dic tripped over the pig and fell flat, and his four men tripped over him and tumbled in a heap. before they could scramble up and reach the mouth of the passage it was too late to stop the two girls. there was a guard on each side of the stairway, but of course they did not see ozma and dorothy as they sped past and descended the steps. then they had to go up five steps and down another ten, and so on, in the same manner in which they had climbed to the top of the mountain. ozma lighted their way with her wand and they kept on without relaxing their speed until they reached the bottom. then they ran to the right and turned the corner of the invisible wall just as the su-dic and his followers rushed out of the arched entrance and looked around in an attempt to discover the fugitives. ozma now knew they were safe, so she told dorothy to stop and both of them sat down on the grass until they could breathe freely and become rested from their mad flight. as for the su-dic, he realized he was foiled and soon turned and climbed his stairs again. he was very angry--angry with ozma and angry with himself--because, now that he took time to think, he remembered that he knew very well the art of making people invisible, and visible again, and if he had only thought of it in time he could have used his magic knowledge to make the girls visible and so have captured them easily. however, it was now too late for regrets and he determined to make preparations at once to march all his forces against the skeezers. "what shall we do next?" asked dorothy, when they were rested. "let us find the lake of the skeezers," replied ozma. "from what that dreadful su-dic said i imagine the skeezers are good people and worthy of our friendship, and if we go to them we may help them to defeat the flatheads." "i s'pose we can't stop the war now," remarked dorothy reflectively, as they walked toward the row of palm trees. "no; the su-dic is determined to fight the skeezers, so all we can do is to warn them of their danger and help them as much as possible." "of course you'll punish the flatheads," said dorothy. "well, i do not think the flathead people are as much to blame as their supreme dictator," was the answer. "if he is removed from power and his unlawful magic taken from him, the people will probably be good and respect the laws of the land of oz, and live at peace with all their neighbors in the future." "i hope so," said dorothy with a sigh of doubt. the palms were not far from the mountain and the girls reached them after a brisk walk. the huge trees were set close together, in three rows, and had been planted so as to keep people from passing them, but the flatheads had cut a passage through this barrier and ozma found the path and led dorothy to the other side. beyond the palms they discovered a very beautiful scene. bordered by a green lawn was a great lake fully a mile from shore to shore, the waters of which were exquisitely blue and sparkling, with little wavelets breaking its smooth surface where the breezes touched it. in the center of this lake appeared a lovely island, not of great extent but almost entirely covered by a huge round building with glass walls and a high glass dome which glittered brilliantly in the sunshine. between the glass building and the edge of the island was no grass, flowers or shrubbery, but only an expanse of highly polished white marble. there were no boats on either shore and no signs of life could be seen anywhere on the island. "well," said dorothy, gazing wistfully at the island, "we've found the lake of the skeezers and their magic isle. i guess the skeezers are in that big glass palace, but we can't get at 'em." chapter queen coo-ee-oh princess ozma considered the situation gravely. then she tied her handkerchief to her wand and, standing at the water's edge, waved the handkerchief like a flag, as a signal. for a time they could observe no response. "i don't see what good that will do," said dorothy. "even if the skeezers are on that island and see us, and know we're friends, they haven't any boats to come and get us." but the skeezers didn't need boats, as the girls soon discovered. for on a sudden an opening appeared at the base of the palace and from the opening came a slender shaft of steel, reaching out slowly but steadily across the water in the direction of the place where they stood. to the girls this steel arrangement looked like a triangle, with the base nearest the water. it came toward them in the form of an arch, stretching out from the palace wall until its end reached the bank and rested there, while the other end still remained on the island. then they saw that it was a bridge, consisting of a steel footway just broad enough to walk on, and two slender guide rails, one on either side, which were connected with the footway by steel bars. the bridge looked rather frail and dorothy feared it would not bear their weight, but ozma at once called, "come on!" and started to walk across, holding fast to the rail on either side. so dorothy summoned her courage and followed after. before ozma had taken three steps she halted and so forced dorothy to halt, for the bridge was again moving and returning to the island. "we need not walk after all," said ozma. so they stood still in their places and let the steel bridge draw them onward. indeed, the bridge drew them well into the glass-domed building which covered the island, and soon they found themselves standing in a marble room where two handsomely dressed young men stood on a platform to receive them. ozma at once stepped from the end of the bridge to the marble platform, followed by dorothy, and then the bridge disappeared with a slight clang of steel and a marble slab covered the opening from which it had emerged. the two young men bowed profoundly to ozma, and one of them said: "queen coo-ee-oh bids you welcome, o strangers. her majesty is waiting to receive you in her palace." "lead on," replied ozma with dignity. but instead of "leading on," the platform of marble began to rise, carrying them upward through a square hole above which just fitted it. a moment later they found themselves within the great glass dome that covered almost all of the island. within this dome was a little village, with houses, streets, gardens and parks. the houses were of colored marbles, prettily designed, with many stained-glass windows, and the streets and gardens seemed well cared for. exactly under the center of the lofty dome was a small park filled with brilliant flowers, with an elaborate fountain, and facing this park stood a building larger and more imposing than the others. toward this building the young men escorted ozma and dorothy. on the streets and in the doorways or open windows of the houses were men, women and children, all richly dressed. these were much like other people in different parts of the land of oz, except that instead of seeming merry and contented they all wore expressions of much solemnity or of nervous irritation. they had beautiful homes, splendid clothes, and ample food, but dorothy at once decided something was wrong with their lives and that they were not happy. she said nothing, however, but looked curiously at the skeezers. at the entrance of the palace ozma and dorothy were met by two other young men, in uniform and armed with queer weapons that seemed about halfway between pistols and guns, but were like neither. their conductors bowed and left them, and the two in uniforms led the girls into the palace. in a beautiful throne room, surrounded by a dozen or more young men and women, sat the queen of the skeezers, coo-ee-oh. she was a girl who looked older than ozma or dorothy--fifteen or sixteen, at least--and although she was elaborately dressed as if she were going to a ball she was too thin and plain of feature to be pretty. but evidently queen coo-ee-oh did not realize this fact, for her air and manner betrayed her as proud and haughty and with a high regard for her own importance. dorothy at once decided she was "snippy" and that she would not like queen coo-ee-oh as a companion. the queen's hair was as black as her skin was white and her eyes were black, too. the eyes, as she calmly examined ozma and dorothy, had a suspicious and unfriendly look in them, but she said quietly: "i know who you are, for i have consulted my magic oracle, which told me that one calls herself princess ozma, the ruler of all the land of oz, and the other is princess dorothy of oz, who came from a country called kansas. i know nothing of the land of oz, and i know nothing of kansas." "why, _this_ is the land of oz!" cried dorothy. "it's a _part_ of the land of oz, anyhow, whether you know it or not." "oh, in-deed!" answered queen coo-ee-oh, scornfully. "i suppose you will claim next that this princess ozma, ruling the land of oz, rules me!" "of course," returned dorothy. "there's no doubt of it." the queen turned to ozma. "do you dare make such a claim?" she asked. by this time ozma had made up her mind as to the character of this haughty and disdainful creature, whose self-pride evidently led her to believe herself superior to all others. "i did not come here to quarrel with your majesty," said the girl ruler of oz, quietly. "what and who i am is well established, and my authority comes from the fairy queen lurline, of whose band i was a member when lurline made all oz a fairyland. there are several countries and several different peoples in this broad land, each of which has its separate rulers, kings, emperors and queens. but all these render obedience to my laws and acknowledge me as the supreme ruler." "if other kings and queens are fools that does not interest me in the least," replied coo-ee-oh, disdainfully. "in the land of the skeezers i alone am supreme. you are impudent to think i would defer to you--or to anyone else." "let us not speak of this now, please," answered ozma. "your island is in danger, for a powerful foe is preparing to destroy it." "pah! the flatheads. i do not fear them." "their supreme dictator is a sorcerer." "my magic is greater than his. let the flatheads come! they will never return to their barren mountain-top. i will see to that." ozma did not like this attitude, for it meant that the skeezers were eager to fight the flatheads, and ozma's object in coming here was to prevent fighting and induce the two quarrelsome neighbors to make peace. she was also greatly disappointed in coo-ee-oh, for the reports of su-dic had led her to imagine the queen more just and honorable than were the flatheads. indeed ozma reflected that the girl might be better at heart than her self-pride and overbearing manner indicated, and in any event it would be wise not to antagonize her but to try to win her friendship. "i do not like wars, your majesty," said ozma. "in the emerald city, where i rule thousands of people, and in the countries near to the emerald city, where thousands more acknowledge my rule, there is no army at all, because there is no quarreling and no need to fight. if differences arise between my people, they come to me and i judge the cases and award justice to all. so, when i learned there might be war between two faraway people of oz, i came here to settle the dispute and adjust the quarrel." "no one asked you to come," declared queen coo-ee-oh. "it is _my_ business to settle this dispute, not yours. you say my island is a part of the land of oz, which you rule, but that is all nonsense, for i've never heard of the land of oz, nor of you. you say you are a fairy, and that fairies gave you command over me. i don't believe it! what i _do_ believe is that you are an impostor and have come here to stir up trouble among my people, who are already becoming difficult to manage. you two girls may even be spies of the vile flatheads, for all i know, and may be trying to trick me. but understand this," she added, proudly rising from her jeweled throne to confront them, "i have magic powers greater than any fairy possesses, and greater than any flathead possesses. i am a krumbic witch--the only krumbic witch in the world--and i fear the magic of no other creature that exists! you say you rule thousands. i rule one hundred and one skeezers. but every one of them trembles at my word. now that ozma of oz and princess dorothy are here, i shall rule one hundred and three subjects, for you also shall bow before my power. more than that, in ruling you i also rule the thousands you say you rule." dorothy was very indignant at this speech. "i've got a pink kitten that sometimes talks like that," she said, "but after i give her a good whipping she doesn't think she's so high and mighty after all. if you only knew who ozma is you'd be scared to death to talk to her like that!" queen coo-ee-oh gave the girl a supercilious look. then she turned again to ozma. "i happen to know," said she, "that the flatheads intend to attack us tomorrow, but we are ready for them. until the battle is over, i shall keep you two strangers prisoners on my island, from which there is no chance for you to escape." she turned and looked around the band of courtiers who stood silently around her throne. "lady aurex," she continued, singling out one of the young women, "take these children to your house and care for them, giving them food and lodging. you may allow them to wander anywhere under the great dome, for they are harmless. after i have attended to the flatheads i will consider what next to do with these foolish girls." she resumed her seat and the lady aurex bowed low and said in a humble manner: "i obey your majesty's commands." then to ozma and dorothy she added, "follow me," and turned to leave the throne room. dorothy looked to see what ozma would do. to her surprise and a little to her disappointment ozma turned and followed lady aurex. so dorothy trailed after them, but not without giving a parting, haughty look toward queen coo-ee-oh, who had her face turned the other way and did not see the disapproving look. chapter lady aurex lady aurex led ozma and dorothy along a street to a pretty marble house near to one edge of the great glass dome that covered the village. she did not speak to the girls until she had ushered them into a pleasant room, comfortably furnished, nor did any of the solemn people they met on the street venture to speak. when they were seated lady aurex asked if they were hungry, and finding they were summoned a maid and ordered food to be brought. this lady aurex looked to be about twenty years old, although in the land of oz where people have never changed in appearance since the fairies made it a fairyland--where no one grows old or dies--it is always difficult to say how many years anyone has lived. she had a pleasant, attractive face, even though it was solemn and sad as the faces of all skeezers seemed to be, and her costume was rich and elaborate, as became a lady in waiting upon the queen. ozma had observed lady aurex closely and now asked her in a gentle tone: "do you, also, believe me to be an impostor?" "i dare not say," replied lady aurex in a low tone. "why are you afraid to speak freely?" inquired ozma. "the queen punishes us if we make remarks that she does not like." "are we not alone then, in this house?" "the queen can hear everything that is spoken on this island--even the slightest whisper," declared lady aurex. "she is a wonderful witch, as she has told you, and it is folly to criticise her or disobey her commands." ozma looked into her eyes and saw that she would like to say more if she dared. so she drew from her bosom her silver wand, and having muttered a magic phrase in a strange tongue, she left the room and walked slowly around the outside of the house, making a complete circle and waving her wand in mystic curves as she walked. lady aurex watched her curiously and, when ozma had again entered the room and seated herself, she asked: "what have you done?" "i've enchanted this house in such a manner that queen coo-ee-oh, with all her witchcraft, cannot hear one word we speak within the magic circle i have made," replied ozma. "we may now speak freely and as loudly as we wish, without fear of the queen's anger." lady aurex brightened at this. "can i trust you?" she asked. "ev'rybody trusts ozma," exclaimed dorothy. "she is true and honest, and your wicked queen will be sorry she insulted the powerful ruler of all the land of oz." "the queen does not know me yet," said ozma, "but i want you to know me, lady aurex, and i want you to tell me why you, and all the skeezers, are unhappy. do not fear coo-ee-oh's anger, for she cannot hear a word we say, i assure you." lady aurex was thoughtful a moment; then she said: "i shall trust you, princess ozma, for i believe you are what you say you are--our supreme ruler. if you knew the dreadful punishments our queen inflicts upon us, you would not wonder we are so unhappy. the skeezers are not bad people; they do not care to quarrel and fight, even with their enemies the flatheads; but they are so cowed and fearful of coo-ee-oh that they obey her slightest word, rather than suffer her anger." "hasn't she any heart, then?" asked dorothy. "she never displays mercy. she loves no one but herself," asserted lady aurex, but she trembled as she said it, as if afraid even yet of her terrible queen. "that's pretty bad," said dorothy, shaking her head gravely. "i see you've a lot to do here, ozma, in this forsaken corner of the land of oz. first place, you've got to take the magic away from queen coo-ee-oh, and from that awful su-dic, too. _my_ idea is that neither of them is fit to rule anybody, 'cause they're cruel and hateful. so you'll have to give the skeezers and flatheads new rulers and teach all their people that they're part of the land of oz and must obey, above all, the lawful ruler, ozma of oz. then, when you've done that, we can go back home again." ozma smiled at her little friend's earnest counsel, but lady aurex said in an anxious tone: "i am surprised that you suggest these reforms while you are yet prisoners on this island and in coo-ee-oh's power. that these things should be done, there is no doubt, but just now a dreadful war is likely to break out, and frightful things may happen to us all. our queen has such conceit that she thinks she can overcome the su-dic and his people, but it is said su-dic's magic is very powerful, although not as great as that possessed by his wife rora, before coo-ee-oh transformed her into a golden pig." "i don't blame her very much for doing that," remarked dorothy, "for the flatheads were wicked to try to catch your beautiful fish and the witch rora wanted to poison all the fishes in the lake." "do you know the reason?" asked the lady aurex. "i don't s'pose there _was_ any reason, 'cept just wickedness," replied dorothy. "tell us the reason," said ozma earnestly. "well, your majesty, once--a long time ago--the flatheads and the skeezers were friendly. they visited our island and we visited their mountain, and everything was pleasant between the two peoples. at that time the flatheads were ruled by three adepts in sorcery, beautiful girls who were not flatheads, but had wandered to the flat mountain and made their home there. these three adepts used their magic only for good, and the mountain people gladly made them their rulers. they taught the flatheads how to use their canned brains and how to work metals into clothing that would never wear out, and many other things that added to their happiness and content. "coo-ee-oh was our queen then, as now, but she knew no magic and so had nothing to be proud of. but the three adepts were very kind to coo-ee-oh. they built for us this wonderful dome of glass and our houses of marble and taught us to make beautiful clothing and many other things. coo-ee-oh pretended to be very grateful for these favors, but it seems that all the time she was jealous of the three adepts and secretly tried to discover their arts of magic. in this she was more clever than anyone suspected. she invited the three adepts to a banquet one day, and while they were feasting coo-ee-oh stole their charms and magical instruments and transformed them into three fishes--a gold fish, a silver fish and a bronze fish. while the poor fishes were gasping and flopping helplessly on the floor of the banquet room one of them said reproachfully: 'you will be punished for this, coo-ee-oh, for if one of us dies or is destroyed, you will become shrivelled and helpless, and all your stolen magic will depart from you.' frightened by this threat, coo-ee-oh at once caught up the three fish and ran with them to the shore of the lake, where she cast them into the water. this revived the three adepts and they swam away and disappeared. "i, myself, witnessed this shocking scene," continued lady aurex, "and so did many other skeezers. the news was carried to the flatheads, who then turned from friends to enemies. the su-dic and his wife rora were the only ones on the mountain who were glad the three adepts had been lost to them, and they at once became rulers of the flatheads and stole their canned brains from others to make themselves the more powerful. some of the adepts' magic tools had been left on the mountain, and these rora seized and by the use of them she became a witch. "the result of coo-ee-oh's treachery was to make both the skeezers and the flatheads miserable instead of happy. not only were the su-dic and his wife cruel to their people, but our queen at once became proud and arrogant and treated us very unkindly. all the skeezers knew she had stolen her magic powers and so she hated us and made us humble ourselves before her and obey her slightest word. if we disobeyed, or did not please her, or if we talked about her when we were in our own homes she would have us dragged to the whipping post in her palace and lashed with knotted cords. that is why we fear her so greatly." this story filled ozma's heart with sorrow and dorothy's heart with indignation. "i now understand," said ozma, "why the fishes in the lake have brought about war between the skeezers and the flatheads." "yes," lady aurex answered, "now that you know the story it is easy to understand. the su-dic and his wife came to our lake hoping to catch the silver fish, or gold fish, or bronze fish--any one of them _would_ do--and by destroying it deprive coo-ee-oh of her magic. then they could easily conquer her. also they had another reason for wanting to catch the fish--they feared that in some way the three adepts might regain their proper forms and then they would be sure to return to the mountain and punish rora and the su-dic. that was why rora finally tried to poison all the fishes in the lake, at the time coo-ee-oh transformed her into a golden pig. of course this attempt to destroy the fishes frightened the queen, for her safety lies in keeping the three fishes alive." "i s'pose coo-ee-oh will fight the flatheads with all her might," observed dorothy. "and with all her magic," added ozma, thoughtfully. "i do not see how the flatheads can get to this island to hurt us," said lady aurex. "they have bows and arrows, and i guess they mean to shoot the arrows at your big dome, and break all the glass in it," suggested dorothy. but lady aurex shook her head with a smile. "they cannot do that," she replied. "why not?" "i dare not tell you why, but if the flatheads come to-morrow morning you will yourselves see the reason." "i do not think they will attempt to harm the island," ozma declared. "i believe they will first attempt to destroy the fishes, by poison or some other means. if they succeed in that, the conquest of the island will not be difficult." "they have no boats," said lady aurex, "and coo-ee-oh, who has long expected this war, has been preparing for it in many astonishing ways. i almost wish the flatheads would conquer us, for then we would be free from our dreadful queen; but i do not wish to see the three transformed fishes destroyed, for in them lies our only hope of future happiness." "ozma will take care of you, whatever happens," dorothy assured her. but the lady aurex, not knowing the extent of ozma's power--which was, in fact, not so great as dorothy imagined--could not take much comfort in this promise. it was evident there would be exciting times on the morrow, if the flatheads really attacked the skeezers of the magic isle. chapter under water when night fell all the interior of the great dome, streets and houses, became lighted with brilliant incandescent lamps, which rendered it bright as day. dorothy thought the island must look beautiful by night from the outer shore of the lake. there was revelry and feasting in the queen's palace, and the music of the royal band could be plainly heard in lady aurex's house, where ozma and dorothy remained with their hostess and keeper. they were prisoners, but treated with much consideration. lady aurex gave them a nice supper and when they wished to retire showed them to a pretty room with comfortable beds and wished them a good night and pleasant dreams. "what do you think of all this, ozma?" dorothy anxiously inquired when they were alone. "i am glad we came," was the reply, "for although there may be mischief done to-morrow, it was necessary i should know about these people, whose leaders are wild and lawless and oppress their subjects with injustice and cruelties. my task, therefore, is to liberate the skeezers and the flatheads and secure for them freedom and happiness. i have no doubt i can accomplish this in time." "just now, though, we're in a bad fix," asserted dorothy. "if queen coo-ee-oh conquers to-morrow, she won't be nice to us, and if the su-dic conquers, he'll be worse." "do not worry, dear," said ozma, "i do not think we are in danger, whatever happens, and the result of our adventure is sure to be good." dorothy was not worrying, especially. she had confidence in her friend, the fairy princess of oz, and she enjoyed the excitement of the events in which she was taking part. so she crept into bed and fell asleep as easily as if she had been in her own cosy room in ozma's palace. a sort of grating, grinding sound awakened her. the whole island seemed to tremble and sway, as it might do in an earthquake. dorothy sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them, and then found it was daybreak. ozma was hurriedly dressing herself. "what is it?" asked dorothy, jumping out of bed. "i'm not sure," answered ozma "but it feels as if the island is sinking." as soon as possible they finished dressing, while the creaking and swaying continued. then they rushed into the living room of the house and found lady aurex, fully dressed, awaiting them. "do not be alarmed," said their hostess. "coo-ee-oh has decided to submerge the island, that is all. but it proves the flatheads are coming to attack us." "what do you mean by sub-sub-merging the island?" asked dorothy. "come here and see," was the reply. lady aurex led them to a window which faced the side of the great dome which covered all the village, and they could see that the island was indeed sinking, for the water of the lake was already half way up the side of the dome. through the glass could be seen swimming fishes, and tall stalks of swaying seaweeds, for the water was clear as crystal and through it they could distinguish even the farther shore of the lake. "the flatheads are not here yet," said lady aurex. "they will come soon, but not until all of this dome is under the surface of the water." "won't the dome leak?" dorothy inquired anxiously. "no, indeed." "was the island ever sub-sub-sunk before?" "oh, yes; on several occasions. but coo-ee-oh doesn't care to do that often, for it requires a lot of hard work to operate the machinery. the dome was built so that the island could disappear. i think," she continued, "that our queen fears the flatheads will attack the island and try to break the glass of the dome." "well, if we're under water, they can't fight us, and we can't fight them," asserted dorothy. "they could kill the fishes, however," said ozma gravely. "we have ways to fight, also, even though our island is under water," claimed lady aurex. "i cannot tell you all our secrets, but this island is full of surprises. also our queen's magic is astonishing." "did she steal it all from the three adepts in sorcery that are now fishes?" "she stole the knowledge and the magic tools, but she has used them as the three adepts never would have done." by this time the top of the dome was quite under water and suddenly the island stopped sinking and became stationary. "see!" cried lady aurex, pointing to the shore. "the flatheads have come." on the bank, which was now far above their heads, a crowd of dark figures could be seen. "now let us see what coo-ee-oh will do to oppose them," continued lady aurex, in a voice that betrayed her excitement. * * * * * the flatheads, pushing their way through the line of palm trees, had reached the shore of the lake just as the top of the island's dome disappeared beneath the surface. the water now flowed from shore to shore, but through the clear water the dome was still visible and the houses of the skeezers could be dimly seen through the panes of glass. "good!" exclaimed the su-dic, who had armed all his followers and had brought with him two copper vessels, which he carefully set down upon the ground beside him. "if coo-ee-oh wants to hide instead of fighting our job will be easy, for in one of these copper vessels i have enough poison to kill every fish in the lake." "kill them, then, while we have time, and then we can go home again," advised one of the chief officers. "not yet," objected the su-dic. "the queen of the skeezers has defied me, and i want to get her into my power, as well as to destroy her magic. she transformed my poor wife into a golden pig, and i must have revenge for that, whatever else we do." "look out!" suddenly exclaimed the officers, pointing into the lake; "something's going to happen." from the submerged dome a door opened and something black shot swiftly out into the water. the door instantly closed behind it and the dark object cleaved its way through the water, without rising to the surface, directly toward the place where the flatheads were standing. * * * * * "what is that?" dorothy asked the lady aurex. "that is one of the queen's submarines," was the reply. "it is all enclosed, and can move under water. coo-ee-oh has several of these boats which are kept in little rooms in the basement under our village. when the island is submerged, the queen uses these boats to reach the shore, and i believe she now intends to fight the flatheads with them." the su-dic and his people knew nothing of coo-ee-oh's submarines, so they watched with surprise as the under-water boat approached them. when it was quite near the shore it rose to the surface and the top parted and fell back, disclosing a boat full of armed skeezers. at the head was the queen, standing up in the bow and holding in one hand a coil of magic rope that gleamed like silver. the boat halted and coo-ee-oh drew back her arm to throw the silver rope toward the su-dic, who was now but a few feet from her. but the wily flathead leader quickly realized his danger and before the queen could throw the rope he caught up one of the copper vessels and dashed its contents full in her face! chapter the conquest of the skeezers queen coo-ee-oh dropped the rope, tottered and fell headlong into the water, sinking beneath the surface, while the skeezers in the submarine were too bewildered to assist her and only stared at the ripples in the water where she had disappeared. a moment later there arose to the surface a beautiful white swan. this swan was of large size, very gracefully formed, and scattered all over its white feathers were tiny diamonds, so thickly placed that as the rays of the morning sun fell upon them the entire body of the swan glistened like one brilliant diamond. the head of the diamond swan had a bill of polished gold and its eyes were two sparkling amethysts. "hooray!" cried the su-dic, dancing up and down with wicked glee. "my poor wife, rora, is avenged at last. you made her a golden pig, coo-ee-oh, and now i have made you a diamond swan. float on your lake forever, if you like, for your web feet can do no more magic and you are as powerless as the pig you made of my wife!" "villain! scoundrel!" croaked the diamond swan. "you will be punished for this. oh, what a fool i was to let you enchant me!" "a fool you were, and a fool you are!" laughed the su-dic, dancing madly in his delight. and then he carelessly tipped over the other copper vessel with his heel and its contents spilled on the sands and were lost to the last drop. the su-dic stopped short and looked at the overturned vessel with a rueful countenance. "that's too bad--too bad!" he exclaimed sorrowfully. "i've lost all the poison i had to kill the fishes with, and i can't make any more because only my wife knew the secret of it, and she is now a foolish pig and has forgotten all her magic." "very well," said the diamond swan scornfully, as she floated upon the water and swam gracefully here and there. "i'm glad to see you are foiled. your punishment is just beginning, for although you have enchanted me and taken away my powers of sorcery you have still the three magic fishes to deal with, and they'll destroy you in time, mark my words." the su-dic stared at the swan a moment. then he yelled to his men: "shoot her! shoot the saucy bird!" they let fly some arrows at the diamond swan, but she dove under the water and the missiles fell harmless. when coo-ee-oh rose to the surface she was far from the shore and she swiftly swam across the lake to where no arrows or spears could reach her. the su-dic rubbed his chin and thought what to do next. near by floated the submarine in which the queen had come, but the skeezers who were in it were puzzled what to do with themselves. perhaps they were not sorry their cruel mistress had been transformed into a diamond swan, but the transformation had left them quite helpless. the under-water boat was not operated by machinery, but by certain mystic words uttered by coo-ee-oh. they didn't know how to submerge it, or how to make the water-tight shield cover them again, or how to make the boat go back to the castle, or make it enter the little basement room where it was usually kept. as a matter of fact, they were now shut out of their village under the great dome and could not get back again. so one of the men called to the supreme dictator of the flatheads, saying: "please make us prisoners and take us to your mountain, and feed and keep us, for we have nowhere to go." then the su-dic laughed and answered: "not so. i can't be bothered by caring for a lot of stupid skeezers. stay where you are, or go wherever you please, so long as you keep away from our mountain." he turned to his men and added: "we have conquered queen coo-ee-oh and made her a helpless swan. the skeezers are under water and may stay there. so, having won the war, let us go home again and make merry and feast, having after many years proved the flatheads to be greater and more powerful than the skeezers." so the flatheads marched away and passed through the row of palms and went back to their mountain, where the su-dic and a few of his officers feasted and all the others were forced to wait on them. "i'm sorry we couldn't have roast pig," said the su-dic, "but as the only pig we have is made of gold, we can't eat her. also the golden pig happens to be my wife, and even were she not gold i am sure she would be too tough to eat." chapter the diamond swan when the flatheads had gone away the diamond swan swam back to the boat and one of the young skeezers named ervic said to her eagerly: "how can we get back to the island, your majesty?" "am i not beautiful?" asked coo-ee-oh, arching her neck gracefully and spreading her diamond-sprinkled wings. "i can see my reflection in the water, and i'm sure there is no bird nor beast, nor human as magnificent as i am!" "how shall we get back to the island, your majesty?" pleaded ervic. "when my fame spreads throughout the land, people will travel from all parts of this lake to look upon my loveliness," said coo-ee-oh, shaking her feathers to make the diamonds glitter more brilliantly. "but, your majesty, we must go home and we do not know how to get there," ervic persisted. "my eyes," remarked the diamond swan, "are wonderfully blue and bright and will charm all beholders." "tell us how to make the boat go--how to get back into the island," begged ervic and the others cried just as earnestly: "tell us, coo-ee-oh; tell us!" "i don't know," replied the queen in a careless tone. "you are a magic-worker, a sorceress, a witch!" "i was, of course, when i was a girl," she said, bending her head over the clear water to catch her reflection in it; "but now i've forgotten all such foolish things as magic. swans are lovelier than girls, especially when they're sprinkled with diamonds. don't you think so?" and she gracefully swam away, without seeming to care whether they answered or not. ervic and his companions were in despair. they saw plainly that coo-ee-oh could not or would not help them. the former queen had no further thought for her island, her people, or her wonderful magic; she was only intent on admiring her own beauty. "truly," said ervic, in a gloomy voice, "the flatheads have conquered us!" * * * * * some of these events had been witnessed by ozma and dorothy and lady aurex, who had left the house and gone close to the glass of the dome, in order to see what was going on. many of the skeezers had also crowded against the dome, wondering what would happen next. although their vision was to an extent blurred by the water and the necessity of looking upward at an angle, they had observed the main points of the drama enacted above. they saw queen coo-ee-oh's submarine come to the surface and open; they saw the queen standing erect to throw her magic rope; they saw her sudden transformation into a diamond swan, and a cry of amazement went up from the skeezers inside the dome. "good!" exclaimed dorothy. "i hate that old su-dic, but i'm glad coo-ee-oh is punished." "this is a dreadful misfortune!" cried lady aurex, pressing her hands upon her heart. "yes," agreed ozma, nodding her head thoughtfully; "coo-ee-oh's misfortune will prove a terrible blow to her people." "what do you mean by that?" asked dorothy in surprise. "seems to _me_ the skeezers are in luck to lose their cruel queen." "if that were all you would be right," responded lady aurex; "and if the island were above water it would not be so serious. but here we all are, at the bottom of the lake, and fast prisoners in this dome." "can't you raise the island?" inquired dorothy. "no. only coo-ee-oh knew how to do that," was the answer. "we can try," insisted dorothy. "if it can be made to go down, it can be made to come up. the machinery is still here, i suppose. "yes; but the machinery works by magic, and coo-ee-oh would never share her secret power with any one of us." dorothy's face grew grave; but she was thinking. "ozma knows a lot of magic," she said. "but not that kind of magic," ozma replied. "can't you learn how, by looking at the machinery?" "i'm afraid not, my dear. it isn't fairy magic at all; it is witchcraft." "well," said dorothy, turning to lady aurex, "you say there are other sub-sub-sinking boats. we can get in one of those, and shoot out to the top of the water, like coo-ee-oh did, and so escape. and then we can help to rescue all the skeezers down here." "no one knows how to work the under-water boats but the queen," declared lady aurex. "isn't there any door or window in this dome that we could open?" "no; and, if there were, the water would rush in to flood the dome, and we could not get out." "the skeezers," said ozma, "could not drown; they only get wet and soggy and in that condition they would be very uncomfortable and unhappy. but _you_ are a mortal girl, dorothy, and if your magic belt protected you from death you would have to lie forever at the bottom of the lake." "no, i'd rather die quickly," asserted the little girl. "but there are doors in the basement that open--to let out the bridges and the boats--and that would not flood the dome, you know." "those doors open by a magic word, and only coo-ee-oh knows the word that must be uttered," said lady aurex. "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy, "that dreadful queen's witchcraft upsets all my plans to escape. i guess i'll give it up, ozma, and let _you_ save us." ozma smiled, but her smile was not so cheerful as usual. the princess of oz found herself confronted with a serious problem, and although she had no thought of despairing she realized that the skeezers and their island, as well as dorothy and herself, were in grave trouble and that unless she could find a means to save them they would be lost to the land of oz for all future time. "in such a dilemma," said she, musingly, "nothing is gained by haste. careful thought may aid us, and so may the course of events. the unexpected is always likely to happen, and cheerful patience is better than reckless action." "all right," returned dorothy; "take your time, ozma; there's no hurry. how about some breakfast, lady aurex?" their hostess led them back to the house, where she ordered her trembling servants to prepare and serve breakfast. all the skeezers were frightened and anxious over the transformation of their queen into a swan. coo-ee-oh was feared and hated, but they had depended on her magic to conquer the flatheads and she was the only one who could raise their island to the surface of the lake again. before breakfast was over several of the leading skeezers came to aurex to ask her advice and to question princess ozma, of whom they knew nothing except that she claimed to be a fairy and the ruler of all the land, including the lake of the skeezers. "if what you told queen coo-ee-oh was the truth," they said to her, "you are our lawful mistress, and we may depend on you to get us out of our difficulties." "i will try to do that," ozma graciously assured them, "but you must remember that the powers of fairies are granted them to bring comfort and happiness to all who appeal to them. on the contrary, such magic as coo-ee-oh knew and practiced is unlawful witchcraft and her arts are such as no fairy would condescend to use. however, it is sometimes necessary to consider evil in order to accomplish good, and perhaps by studying coo-ee-oh's tools and charms of witchcraft i may be able to save us. do you promise to accept me as your ruler and to obey my commands?" they promised willingly. "then," continued ozma, "i will go to coo-ee-oh's palace and take possession of it. perhaps what i find there will be of use to me. in the meantime tell all the skeezers to fear nothing, but have patience. let them return to their homes and perform their daily tasks as usual. coo-ee-oh's loss may not prove a misfortune, but rather a blessing." this speech cheered the skeezers amazingly. really, they had no one now to depend upon but ozma, and in spite of their dangerous position their hearts were lightened by the transformation and absence of their cruel queen. they got out their brass band and a grand procession escorted ozma and dorothy to the palace, where all of coo-ee-oh's former servants were eager to wait upon them. ozma invited lady aurex to stay at the palace also, for she knew all about the skeezers and their island and had also been a favorite of the former queen, so her advice and information were sure to prove valuable. ozma was somewhat disappointed in what she found in the palace. one room of coo-ee-oh's private suite was entirely devoted to the practice of witchcraft, and here were countless queer instruments and jars of ointments and bottles of potions labeled with queer names, and strange machines that ozma could not guess the use of, and pickled toads and snails and lizards, and a shelf of books that were written in blood, but in a language which the ruler of oz did not know. "i do not see," said ozma to dorothy, who accompanied her in her search, "how coo-ee-oh knew the use of the magic tools she stole from the three adept witches. moreover, from all reports these adepts practiced only good witchcraft, such as would be helpful to their people, while coo-ee-oh performed only evil." "perhaps she turned the good things to evil uses?" suggested dorothy. "yes, and with the knowledge she gained coo-ee-oh doubtless invented many evil things quite unknown to the good adepts, who are now fishes," added ozma. "it is unfortunate for us that the queen kept her secrets so closely guarded, for no one but herself could use any of these strange things gathered in this room." "couldn't we capture the diamond swan and make her tell the secrets?" asked dorothy. "no; even were we able to capture her, coo-ee-oh now has forgotten all the magic she ever knew. but until we ourselves escape from this dome we could not capture the swan, and were we to escape we would have no use for coo-ee-oh's magic." "that's a fact," admitted dorothy. "but--say, ozma, here's a good idea! couldn't we capture the three fishes--the gold and silver and bronze ones, and couldn't you transform 'em back to their own shapes, and then couldn't the three adepts get us out of here?" "you are not very practical, dorothy dear. it would be as hard for us to capture the three fishes, from among all the other fishes in the lake, as to capture the swan." "but if we could, it would be more help to us," persisted the little girl. "that is true," answered ozma, smiling at her friend's eagerness. "you find a way to catch the fish, and i'll promise when they are caught to restore them to their proper forms." "i know you think i can't do it," replied dorothy, "but i'm going to try." she left the palace and went to a place where she could look through a clear pane of the glass dome into the surrounding water. immediately she became interested in the queer sights that met her view. the lake of the skeezers was inhabited by fishes of many kinds and many sizes. the water was so transparent that the girl could see for a long distance and the fishes came so close to the glass of the dome that sometimes they actually touched it. on the white sands at the bottom of the lake were star-fish, lobsters, crabs and many shell fish of strange shapes and with shells of gorgeous hues. the water foliage was of brilliant colors and to dorothy it resembled a splendid garden. but the fishes were the most interesting of all. some were big and lazy, floating slowly along or lying at rest with just their fins waving. many with big round eyes looked full at the girl as she watched them and dorothy wondered if they could hear her through the glass if she spoke to them. in oz, where all the animals and birds can talk, many fishes are able to talk also, but usually they are more stupid than birds and animals because they think slowly and haven't much to talk about. in the lake of the skeezers the fish of smaller size were more active than the big ones and darted quickly in and out among the swaying weeds, as if they had important business and were in a hurry. it was among the smaller varieties that dorothy hoped to spy the gold and silver and bronze fishes. she had an idea the three would keep together, being companions now as they were in their natural forms, but such a multitude of fishes constantly passed, the scene shifting every moment, that she was not sure she would notice them even if they appeared in view. her eyes couldn't look in all directions and the fishes she sought might be on the other side of the dome, or far away in the lake. "p'raps, because they were afraid of coo-ee-oh, they've hid themselves somewhere, and don't know their enemy has been transformed," she reflected. she watched the fishes for a long time, until she became hungry and went back to the palace for lunch. but she was not discouraged. "anything new, ozma?" she asked. "no, dear. did you discover the three fishes?" "not yet. but there isn't anything better for me to do, ozma, so i guess i'll go back and watch again." chapter the alarm bell glinda, the good, in her palace in the quadling country, had many things to occupy her mind, for not only did she look after the weaving and embroidery of her bevy of maids, and assist all those who came to her to implore her help--beasts and birds as well as people--but she was a close student of the arts of sorcery and spent much time in her magical laboratory, where she strove to find a remedy for every evil and to perfect her skill in magic. nevertheless, she did not forget to look in the great book of records each day to see if any mention was made of the visit of ozma and dorothy to the enchanted mountain of the flatheads and the magic isle of the skeezers. the records told her that ozma had arrived at the mountain, that she had escaped, with her companion, and gone to the island of the skeezers, and that queen coo-ee-oh had submerged the island so that it was entirely under water. then came the statement that the flatheads had come to the lake to poison the fishes and that their supreme dictator had transformed queen coo-ee-oh into a swan. no other details were given in the great book and so glinda did not know that since coo-ee-oh had forgotten her magic none of the skeezers knew how to raise the island to the surface again. so glinda was not worried about ozma and dorothy until one morning, while she sat with her maids, there came a sudden clang of the great alarm bell. this was so unusual that every maid gave a start and even the sorceress for a moment could not think what the alarm meant. then she remembered the ring she had given dorothy when she left the palace to start on her venture. in giving the ring glinda had warned the little girl not to use its magic powers unless she and ozma were in real danger, but then she was to turn it on her finger once to the right and once to the left and glinda's alarm bell would ring. so the sorceress now knew that danger threatened her beloved ruler and princess dorothy, and she hurried to her magic room to seek information as to what sort of danger it was. the answer to her question was not very satisfactory, for it was only: "ozma and dorothy are prisoners in the great dome of the isle of the skeezers, and the dome is under the water of the lake." "hasn't ozma the power to raise the island to the surface?" inquired glinda. "no," was the reply, and the record refused to say more except that queen coo-ee-oh, who alone could command the island to rise, had been transformed by the flathead su-dic into a diamond swan. then glinda consulted the past records of the skeezers in the great book. after diligent search she discovered that coo-ee-oh was a powerful sorceress, who had gained most of her power by treacherously transforming the adepts of magic, who were visiting her, into three fishes--gold, silver and bronze--after which she had them cast into the lake. glinda reflected earnestly on this information and decided that someone must go to ozma's assistance. while there was no great need of haste, because ozma and dorothy could live in a submerged dome a long time, it was evident they could not get out until someone was able to raise the island. the sorceress looked through all her recipes and books of sorcery, but could find no magic that would raise a sunken island. such a thing had never before been required in sorcery. then glinda made a little island, covered by a glass dome, and sunk it in a pond near her castle, and experimented in magical ways to bring it to the surface. she made several such experiments, but all were failures. it seemed a simple thing to do, yet she could not do it. nevertheless, the wise sorceress did not despair of finding a way to liberate her friends. finally she concluded that the best thing to do was to go to the skeezer country and examine the lake. while there she was more likely to discover a solution to the problem that bothered her, and to work out a plan for the rescue of ozma and dorothy. so glinda summoned her storks and her aerial chariot, and telling her maids she was going on a journey and might not soon return, she entered the chariot and was carried swiftly to the emerald city. in princess ozma's palace the scarecrow was now acting as ruler of the land of oz. there wasn't much for him to do, because all the affairs of state moved so smoothly, but he was there in case anything unforeseen should happen. glinda found the scarecrow playing croquet with trot and betsy bobbin, two little girls who lived at the palace under ozma's protection and were great friends of dorothy and much loved by all the oz people. "something's happened!" cried trot, as the chariot of the sorceress descended near them. "glinda never comes here 'cept something's gone wrong." "i hope no harm has come to ozma, or dorothy," said betsy anxiously, as the lovely sorceress stepped down from her chariot. glinda approached the scarecrow and told him of the dilemma of ozma and dorothy and she added: "we must save them, somehow, scarecrow." "of course," replied the scarecrow, stumbling over a wicket and falling flat on his painted face. the girls picked him up and patted his straw stuffing into shape, and he continued, as if nothing had occurred: "but you'll have to tell me what to do, for i never have raised a sunken island in all my life." "we must have a council of state as soon as possible," proposed the sorceress. "please send messengers to summon all of ozma's counsellors to this palace. then we can decide what is best to be done." the scarecrow lost no time in doing this. fortunately most of the royal counsellors were in the emerald city or near to it, so they all met in the throne room of the palace that same evening. chapter ozma's counsellors no ruler ever had such a queer assortment of advisers as the princess ozma had gathered about her throne. indeed, in no other country could such amazing people exist. but ozma loved them for their peculiarities and could trust every one of them. first there was the tin woodman. every bit of him was tin, brightly polished. all his joints were kept well oiled and moved smoothly. he carried a gleaming axe to prove he was a woodman, but seldom had cause to use it because he lived in a magnificent tin castle in the winkie country of oz and was the emperor of all the winkies. the tin woodman's name was nick chopper. he had a very good mind, but his heart was not of much account, so he was very careful to do nothing unkind or to hurt anyone's feelings. another counsellor was scraps, the patchwork girl of oz, who was made of a gaudy patchwork quilt, cut into shape and stuffed with cotton. this patchwork girl was very intelligent, but so full of fun and mad pranks that a lot of more stupid folks thought she must be crazy. scraps was jolly under all conditions, however grave they might be, but her laughter and good spirits were of value in cheering others and in her seemingly careless remarks much wisdom could often be found. then there was the shaggy man--shaggy from head to foot, hair and whiskers, clothes and shoes--but very kind and gentle and one of ozma's most loyal supporters. tik-tok was there, a copper man with machinery inside him, so cleverly constructed that he moved, spoke and thought by three separate clock-works. tik-tok was very reliable because he always did exactly what he was wound up to do, but his machinery was liable to run down at times and then he was quite helpless until wound up again. a different sort of person was jack pumpkinhead, one of ozma's oldest friends and her companion on many adventures. jack's body was very crude and awkward, being formed of limbs of trees of different sizes, jointed with wooden pegs. but it was a substantial body and not likely to break or wear out, and when it was dressed the clothes covered much of its roughness. the head of jack pumpkinhead was, as you have guessed, a ripe pumpkin, with the eyes, nose and mouth carved upon one side. the pumpkin was stuck on jack's wooden neck and was liable to get turned sidewise or backward and then he would have to straighten it with his wooden hands. the worst thing about this sort of a head was that it did not keep well and was sure to spoil sooner or later. so jack's main business was to grow a field of fine pumpkins each year, and always before his old head spoiled he would select a fresh pumpkin from the field and carve the features on it very neatly, and have it ready to replace the old head whenever it became necessary. he didn't always carve it the same way, so his friends never knew exactly what sort of an expression they would find on his face. but there was no mistaking him, because he was the only pumpkin-headed man alive in the land of oz. a one-legged sailor-man was a member of ozma's council. his name was cap'n bill and he had come to the land of oz with trot, and had been made welcome on account of his cleverness, honesty and good-nature. he wore a wooden leg to replace the one he had lost and was a great friend of all the children in oz because he could whittle all sorts of toys out of wood with his big jack-knife. professor h. m. wogglebug, t. e., was another member of the council. the "h. m." meant highly magnified, for the professor was once a little bug, who became magnified to the size of a man and always remained so. the "t. e." meant that he was thoroughly educated. he was at the head of princess ozma's royal athletic college, and so that the students would not have to study and so lose much time that could be devoted to athletic sports, such as football, baseball and the like, professor wogglebug had invented the famous educational pills. if one of the college students took a geography pill after breakfast, he knew his geography lesson in an instant; if he took a spelling pill he at once knew his spelling lesson, and an arithmetic pill enabled the student to do any kind of sum without having to think about it. these useful pills made the college very popular and taught the boys and girls of oz their lessons in the easiest possible way. in spite of this, professor wogglebug was not a favorite outside his college, for he was very conceited and admired himself so much and displayed his cleverness and learning so constantly, that no one cared to associate with him. ozma found him of value in her councils, nevertheless. perhaps the most splendidly dressed of all those present was a great frog as large as a man, called the frogman, who was noted for his wise sayings. he had come to the emerald city from the yip country of oz and was a guest of honor. his long-tailed coat was of velvet, his vest of satin and his trousers of finest silk. there were diamond buckles on his shoes and he carried a gold-headed cane and a high silk hat. all of the bright colors were represented in his rich attire, so it tired one's eyes to look at him for long, until one became used to his splendor. the best farmer in all oz was uncle henry, who was dorothy's own uncle, and who now lived near the emerald city with his wife aunt em. uncle henry taught the oz people how to grow the finest vegetables and fruits and grains and was of much use to ozma in keeping the royal storehouses well filled. he, too, was a counsellor. the reason i mention the little wizard of oz last is because he was the most important man in the land of oz. he wasn't a big man in size, but he was a big man in power and intelligence and second only to glinda the good in all the mystic arts of magic. glinda had taught him, and the wizard and the sorceress were the only ones in oz permitted by law to practice wizardry and sorcery, which they applied only to good uses and for the benefit of the people. the wizard wasn't exactly handsome but he was pleasant to look at. his bald head was as shiny as if it had been varnished; there was always a merry twinkle in his eyes and he was as spry as a schoolboy. dorothy says the reason the wizard is not as powerful as glinda is because glinda didn't teach him all she knows, but what the wizard knows he knows very well and so he performs some very remarkable magic. the ten i have mentioned assembled, with the scarecrow and glinda, in ozma's throne room, right after dinner that evening, and the sorceress told them all she knew of the plight of ozma and dorothy. "of course we must rescue them," she continued, "and the sooner they are rescued the better pleased they will be; but what we must now determine is how they can be saved. that is why i have called you together in council." "the easiest way," remarked the shaggy man, "is to raise the sunken island of the skeezers to the top of the water again." "tell me how?" said glinda. "i don't know how, your highness, for i have never raised a sunken island." "we might all get under it and lift," suggested professor wogglebug. "how can we get under it when it rests on the bottom of the lake?" asked the sorceress. "couldn't we throw a rope around it and pull it ashore?" inquired jack pumpkinhead. "why not pump the water out of the lake?" suggested the patchwork girl with a laugh. "do be sensible!" pleaded glinda. "this is a serious matter, and we must give it serious thought." "how big is the lake and how big is the island?" was the frogman's question. "none of us can tell, for we have not been there." "in that case," said the scarecrow, "it appears to me we ought to go to the skeezer country and examine it carefully." "quite right," agreed the tin woodman. "we-will-have-to-go-there-any-how," remarked tik-tok in his jerky machine voice. "the question is which of us shall go, and how many of us?" said the wizard. "i shall go of course," declared the scarecrow. "and i," said scraps. "it is my duty to ozma to go," asserted the tin woodman. "i could not stay away, knowing our loved princess is in danger," said the wizard. "we all feel like that," uncle henry said. finally one and all present decided to go to the skeezer country, with glinda and the little wizard to lead them. magic must meet magic in order to conquer it, so these two skillful magic-workers were necessary to insure the success of the expedition. they were all ready to start at a moment's notice, for none had any affairs of importance to attend to. jack was wearing a newly made pumpkin-head and the scarecrow had recently been stuffed with fresh straw. tik-tok's machinery was in good running order and the tin woodman always was well oiled. "it is quite a long journey," said glinda, "and while i might travel quickly to the skeezer country by means of my stork chariot the rest of you will be obliged to walk. so, as we must keep together, i will send my chariot back to my castle and we will plan to leave the emerald city at sunrise to-morrow." chapter the great sorceress betsy and trot, when they heard of the rescue expedition, begged the wizard to permit them to join it and he consented. the glass cat, overhearing the conversation, wanted to go also and to this the wizard made no objection. this glass cat was one of the real curiosities of oz. it had been made and brought to life by a clever magician named dr. pipt, who was not now permitted to work magic and was an ordinary citizen of the emerald city. the cat was of transparent glass, through which one could plainly see its ruby heart beating and its pink brains whirling around in the top of the head. the glass cat's eyes were emeralds; its fluffy tail was of spun glass and very beautiful. the ruby heart, while pretty to look at, was hard and cold and the glass cat's disposition was not pleasant at all times. it scorned to catch mice, did not eat, and was extremely lazy. if you complimented the remarkable cat on her beauty, she would be very friendly, for she loved admiration above everything. the pink brains were always working and their owner was indeed more intelligent than most common cats. three other additions to the rescue party were made the next morning, just as they were setting out upon their journey. the first was a little boy called button bright, because he had no other name that anyone could remember. he was a fine, manly little fellow, well mannered and good humored, who had only one bad fault. he was continually getting lost. to be sure, button bright got found as often as he got lost, but when he was missing his friends could not help being anxious about him. "some day," predicted the patchwork girl, "he won't be found, and that will be the last of him." but that didn't worry button bright, who was so careless that he did not seem to be able to break the habit of getting lost. the second addition to the party was a munchkin boy of about button bright's age, named ojo. he was often called "ojo the lucky," because good fortune followed him wherever he went. he and button bright were close friends, although of such different natures, and trot and betsy were fond of both. the third and last to join the expedition was an enormous lion, one of ozma's regular guardians and the most important and intelligent beast in all oz. he called himself the cowardly lion, saying that every little danger scared him so badly that his heart thumped against his ribs, but all who knew him knew that the cowardly lion's fears were coupled with bravery and that however much he might be frightened he summoned courage to meet every danger he encountered. often he had saved dorothy and ozma in times of peril, but afterward he moaned and trembled and wept because he had been so scared. "if ozma needs help, i'm going to help her," said the great beast. "also, i suspect the rest of you may need me on the journey--especially trot and betsy--for you may pass through a dangerous part of the country. i know that wild gillikin country pretty well. its forests harbor many ferocious beasts." they were glad the cowardly lion was to join them, and in good spirits the entire party formed a procession and marched out of the emerald city amid the shouts of the people, who wished them success and a safe return with their beloved ruler. they followed a different route from that taken by ozma and dorothy, for they went through the winkie country and up north toward oogaboo. but before they got there they swerved to the left and entered the great gillikin forest, the nearest thing to a wilderness in all oz. even the cowardly lion had to admit that certain parts of this forest were unknown to him, although he had often wandered among the trees, and the scarecrow and tin woodman, who were great travelers, never had been there at all. the forest was only reached after a tedious tramp, for some of the rescue expedition were quite awkward on their feet. the patchwork girl was as light as a feather and very spry; the tin woodman covered the ground as easily as uncle henry and the wizard; but tik-tok moved slowly and the slightest obstruction in the road would halt him until the others cleared it away. then, too, tik-tok's machinery kept running down, so betsy and trot took turns in winding it up. the scarecrow was more clumsy but less bother, for although he often stumbled and fell he could scramble up again and a little patting of his straw-stuffed body would put him in good shape again. another awkward one was jack pumpkinhead, for walking would jar his head around on his neck and then he would be likely to go in the wrong direction. but the frogman took jack's arm and then he followed the path more easily. cap'n bill's wooden leg didn't prevent him from keeping up with the others and the old sailor could walk as far as any of them. when they entered the forest the cowardly lion took the lead. there was no path here for men, but many beasts had made paths of their own which only the eyes of the lion, practiced in woodcraft, could discern. so he stalked ahead and wound his way in and out, the others following in single file, glinda being next to the lion. there are dangers in the forest, of course, but as the huge lion headed the party he kept the wild denizens of the wilderness from bothering the travelers. once, to be sure, an enormous leopard sprang upon the glass cat and caught her in his powerful jaws, but he broke several of his teeth and with howls of pain and dismay dropped his prey and vanished among the trees. "are you hurt?" trot anxiously inquired of the glass cat. "how silly!" exclaimed the creature in an irritated tone of voice; "nothing can hurt glass, and i'm too solid to break easily. but i'm annoyed at that leopard's impudence. he has no respect for beauty or intelligence. if he had noticed my pink brains work, i'm sure he would have realized i'm too important to be grabbed in a wild beast's jaws." "never mind," said trot consolingly; "i'm sure he won't do it again." they were almost in the center of the forest when ojo, the munchkin boy, suddenly said: "why, where's button bright?" they halted and looked around them. button bright was not with the party. "dear me," remarked betsy, "i expect he's lost again!" "when did you see him last, ojo?" inquired glinda. "it was some time ago," replied ojo. "he was trailing along at the end and throwing twigs at the squirrels in the trees. then i went to talk to betsy and trot, and just now i noticed he was gone." "this is too bad," declared the wizard, "for it is sure to delay our journey. we must find button bright before we go any farther, for this forest is full of ferocious beasts that would not hesitate to tear the boy to pieces." "but what shall we do?" asked the scarecrow. "if any of us leaves the party to search for button bright he or she might fall a victim to the beasts, and if the lion leaves us we will have no protector. "the glass cat could go," suggested the frogman. "the beasts can do her no harm, as we have discovered." the wizard turned to glinda. "cannot your sorcery discover where button bright is?" he asked. "i think so," replied the sorceress. she called to uncle henry, who had been carrying her wicker box, to bring it to her, and when he obeyed she opened it and drew out a small round mirror. on the surface of the glass she dusted a white powder and then wiped it away with her handkerchief and looked in the mirror. it reflected a part of the forest, and there, beneath a wide-spreading tree, button bright was lying asleep. on one side of him crouched a tiger, ready to spring; on the other side was a big gray wolf, its bared fangs glistening in a wicked way. "goodness me!" cried trot, looking over glinda's shoulder. "they'll catch and kill him sure." everyone crowded around for a glimpse at the magic mirror. "pretty bad--pretty bad!" said the scarecrow sorrowfully. "comes of getting lost!" said cap'n bill, sighing. "guess he's a goner!" said the frogman, wiping his eyes on his purple silk handkerchief. "but where is he? can't we save him?" asked ojo the lucky. "if we knew where he is we could probably save him," replied the little wizard, "but that tree looks so much like all the other trees, that we can't tell whether it's far away or near by." "look at glinda!" exclaimed betsy. glinda, having handed the mirror to the wizard, had stepped aside and was making strange passes with her outstretched arms and reciting in low, sweet tones a mystical incantation. most of them watched the sorceress with anxious eyes, despair giving way to the hope that she might be able to save their friend. the wizard, however, watched the scene in the mirror, while over his shoulders peered trot, the scarecrow and the shaggy man. what they saw was more strange than glinda's actions. the tiger started to spring on the sleeping boy, but suddenly lost its power to move and lay flat upon the ground. the gray wolf seemed unable to lift its feet from the ground. it pulled first at one leg and then at another, and finding itself strangely confined to the spot began to bark and snarl angrily. they couldn't hear the barkings and snarls, but they could see the creature's mouth open and its thick lips move. button bright, however, being but a few feet away from the wolf, heard its cries of rage, which wakened him from his untroubled sleep. the boy sat up and looked first at the tiger and then at the wolf. his face showed that for a moment he was quite frightened, but he soon saw that the beasts were unable to approach him and so he got upon his feet and examined them curiously, with a mischievous smile upon his face. then he deliberately kicked the tiger's head with his foot and catching up a fallen branch of a tree he went to the wolf and gave it a good whacking. both the beasts were furious at such treatment but could not resent it. button bright now threw down the stick and with his hands in his pockets wandered carelessly away. "now," said glinda, "let the glass cat run and find him. he is in that direction," pointing the way, "but how far off i do not know. make haste and lead him back to us as quickly as you can." the glass cat did not obey everyone's orders, but she really feared the great sorceress, so as soon as the words were spoken the crystal animal darted away and was quickly lost to sight. the wizard handed the mirror back to glinda, for the woodland scene had now faded from the glass. then those who cared to rest sat down to await button bright's coming. it was not long before he appeared through the trees and as he rejoined his friends he said in a peevish tone: "don't ever send that glass cat to find me again. she was very impolite and, if we didn't all know that she had no manners, i'd say she insulted me." glinda turned upon the boy sternly. "you have caused all of us much anxiety and annoyance," said she. "only my magic saved you from destruction. i forbid you to get lost again." "of course," he answered. "it won't be _my_ fault if i get lost again; but it wasn't my fault _this_ time." chapter the enchanted fishes i must now tell you what happened to ervic and the three other skeezers who were left floating in the iron boat after queen coo-ee-oh had been transformed into a diamond swan by the magic of the flathead su-dic. the four skeezers were all young men and their leader was ervic. coo-ee-oh had taken them with her in the boat to assist her if she captured the flathead chief, as she hoped to do by means of her silver rope. they knew nothing about the witchcraft that moved the submarine and so, when left floating upon the lake, were at a loss what to do. the submarine could not be submerged by them or made to return to the sunken island. there were neither oars nor sails in the boat, which was not anchored but drifted quietly upon the surface of the lake. the diamond swan had no further thought or care for her people. she had sailed over to the other side of the lake and all the calls and pleadings of ervic and his companions were unheeded by the vain bird. as there was nothing else for them to do, they sat quietly in their boat and waited as patiently as they could for someone to come to their aid. the flatheads had refused to help them and had gone back to their mountain. all the skeezers were imprisoned in the great dome and could not help even themselves. when evening came, they saw the diamond swan, still keeping to the opposite shore of the lake, walk out of the water to the sands, shake her diamond-sprinkled feathers, and then disappear among the bushes to seek a resting place for the night. "i'm hungry," said ervic. "i'm cold," said another skeezer. "i'm tired," said a third. "i'm afraid," said the last one of them. but it did them no good to complain. night fell and the moon rose and cast a silvery sheen over the surface of the water. "go to sleep," said ervic to his companions. "i'll stay awake and watch, for we may be rescued in some unexpected way." so the other three laid themselves down in the bottom of the boat and were soon fast asleep. ervic watched. he rested himself by leaning over the bow of the boat, his face near to the moonlit water, and thought dreamily of the day's surprising events and wondered what would happen to the prisoners in the great dome. suddenly a tiny goldfish popped its head above the surface of the lake, not more than a foot from his eyes. a silverfish then raised its head beside that of the goldfish, and a moment later a bronzefish lifted its head beside the others. the three fish, all in a row, looked earnestly with their round, bright eyes into the astonished eyes of ervic the skeezer. "we are the three adepts whom queen coo-ee-oh betrayed and wickedly transformed," said the goldfish, its voice low and soft but distinctly heard in the stillness of the night. "i know of our queen's treacherous deed," replied ervic, "and i am sorry for your misfortune. have you been in the lake ever since?" "yes," was the reply. "i--i hope you are well--and comfortable," stammered ervic, not knowing what else to say. "we knew that some day coo-ee-oh would meet with the fate she so richly deserves," declared the bronzefish. "we have waited and watched for this time. now if you will promise to help us and will be faithful and true, you can aid us in regaining our natural forms, and save yourself and all your people from the dangers that now threaten you." "well," said ervic, "you can depend on my doing the best i can. but i'm no witch, nor magician, you must know." "all we ask is that you obey our instructions," returned the silverfish. "we know that you are honest and that you served coo-ee-oh only because you were obliged to in order to escape her anger. do as we command and all will be well." "i promise!" exclaimed the young man. "tell me what i am to do first." "you will find in the bottom of your boat the silver cord which dropped from coo-ee-oh's hand when she was transformed," said the goldfish. "tie one end of that cord to the bow of your boat and drop the other end to us in the water. together we will pull your boat to the shore." ervic much doubted that the three small fishes could move so heavy a boat, but he did as he was told and the fishes all seized their end of the silver cord in their mouths and headed toward the nearest shore, which was the very place where the flatheads had stood when they conquered queen coo-ee-oh. at first the boat did not move at all, although the fishes pulled with all their strength. but presently the strain began to tell. very slowly the boat crept toward the shore, gaining more speed at every moment. a couple of yards away from the sandy beach the fishes dropped the cord from their mouths and swam to one side, while the iron boat, being now under way, continued to move until its prow grated upon the sands. ervic leaned over the side and said to the fishes: "what next?" "you will find upon the sand," said the silverfish, "a copper kettle, which the su-dic forgot when he went away. cleanse it thoroughly in the water of the lake, for it has had poison in it. when it is cleaned, fill it with fresh water and hold it over the side of the boat, so that we three may swim into the kettle. we will then instruct you further." "do you wish me to catch you, then?" asked ervic in surprise. "yes," was the reply. so ervic jumped out of the boat and found the copper kettle. carrying it a little way down the beach, he washed it well, scrubbing away every drop of the poison it had contained with sand from the shore. then he went back to the boat. ervic's comrades were still sound asleep and knew nothing of the three fishes or what strange happenings were taking place about them. ervic dipped the kettle in the lake, holding fast to the handle until it was under water. the gold and silver and bronze fishes promptly swam into the kettle. the young skeezer then lifted it, poured out a little of the water so it would not spill over the edge, and said to the fishes: "what next?" "carry the kettle to the shore. take one hundred steps to the east, along the edge of the lake, and then you will see a path leading through the meadows, up hill and down dale. follow the path until you come to a cottage which is painted a purple color with white trimmings. when you stop at the gate of this cottage we will tell you what to do next. be careful, above all, not to stumble and spill the water from the kettle, or you would destroy us and all you have done would be in vain." the goldfish issued these commands and ervic promised to be careful and started to obey. he left his sleeping comrades in the boat, stepping cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the shore took exactly one hundred steps to the east. then he looked for the path and the moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered it, although it was hidden from view by tall weeds until one came full upon it. this path was very narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it was quite distinct and ervic had no difficulty in following it. he walked through a broad meadow, covered with tall grass and weeds, up a hill and down into a valley and then up another hill and down again. it seemed to ervic that he had walked miles and miles. indeed the moon sank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he discovered by the roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple with white trimmings. it was a lonely place--no other buildings were anywhere about and the ground was not tilled at all. no farmer lived here, that was certain. who would care to dwell in such an isolated place? but ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. he went up to the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle carefully down and bending over it asked: "what next?" chapter under the great dome when glinda the good and her followers of the rescue expedition came in sight of the enchanted mountain of the flatheads, it was away to the left of them, for the route they had taken through the great forest was some distance from that followed by ozma and dorothy. they halted awhile to decide whether they should call upon the supreme dictator first, or go on to the lake of the skeezers. "if we go to the mountain," said the wizard, "we may get into trouble with that wicked su-dic, and then we would be delayed in rescuing ozma and dorothy. so i think our best plan will be to go to the skeezer country, raise the sunken island and save our friends and the imprisoned skeezers. afterward we can visit the mountain and punish the cruel magician of the flatheads." "that is sensible," approved the shaggy man. "i quite agree with you." the others, too, seemed to think the wizard's plan the best, and glinda herself commended it, so on they marched toward the line of palm trees that hid the skeezers' lake from view. pretty soon they came to the palms. these were set closely together, the branches, which came quite to the ground, being so tightly interlaced that even the glass cat could scarcely find a place to squeeze through. the path which the flatheads used was some distance away. "here's a job for the tin woodman," said the scarecrow. so the tin woodman, who was always glad to be of use, set to work with his sharp, gleaming axe, which he always carried, and in a surprisingly short time had chopped away enough branches to permit them all to pass easily through the trees. now the clear waters of the beautiful lake were before them and by looking closely they could see the outlines of the great dome of the sunken island, far from shore and directly in the center of the lake. of course every eye was at first fixed upon this dome, where ozma and dorothy and the skeezers were still fast prisoners. but soon their attention was caught by a more brilliant sight, for here was the diamond swan swimming just before them, its long neck arched proudly, the amethyst eyes gleaming and all the diamond-sprinkled feathers glistening splendidly under the rays of the sun. "that," said glinda, "is the transformation of queen coo-ee-oh, the haughty and wicked witch who betrayed the three adepts at magic and treated her people like slaves." "she's wonderfully beautiful now," remarked the frogman. "it doesn't seem like much of a punishment," said trot. "the flathead su-dic ought to have made her a toad." "i am sure coo-ee-oh is punished," said glinda, "for she has lost all her magic power and her grand palace and can no longer misrule the poor skeezers." "let us call to her, and hear what she has to say," proposed the wizard. so glinda beckoned the diamond swan, which swam gracefully to a position near them. before anyone could speak coo-ee-oh called to them in a rasping voice--for the voice of a swan is always harsh and unpleasant--and said with much pride: "admire me, strangers! admire the lovely coo-ee-oh, the handsomest creature in all oz. admire me!" "handsome is as handsome does," replied the scarecrow. "are your deeds lovely, coo-ee-oh?" "deeds? what deeds can a swan do but swim around and give pleasure to all beholders?" said the sparkling bird. "have you forgotten your former life? have you forgotten your magic and witchcraft?" inquired the wizard. "magic--witchcraft? pshaw, who cares for such silly things?" retorted coo-ee-oh. "as for my past life, it seems like an unpleasant dream. i wouldn't go back to it if i could. don't you admire my beauty, strangers?" "tell us, coo-ee-oh," said glinda earnestly, "if you can recall enough of your witchcraft to enable us to raise the sunken island to the surface of the lake. tell us that and i'll give you a string of pearls to wear around your neck and add to your beauty." "nothing can add to my beauty, for i'm the most beautiful creature anywhere in the whole world." "but how can we raise the island?" "i don't know and i don't care. if ever i knew i've forgotten, and i'm glad of it," was the response. "just watch me circle around and see me glitter!" "it's no use," said button bright; "the old swan is too much in love with herself to think of anything else." "that's a fact," agreed betsy with a sigh; "but we've got to get ozma and dorothy out of that lake, somehow or other." "and we must do it in our own way," added the scarecrow. "but how?" asked uncle henry in a grave voice, for he could not bear to think of his dear niece dorothy being out there under water; "how shall we do it?" "leave that to glinda," advised the wizard, realizing he was helpless to do it himself. "if it were just an ordinary sunken island," said the powerful sorceress, "there would be several ways by which i might bring it to the surface again. but this is a magic isle, and by some curious art of witchcraft, unknown to any but queen coo-ee-oh, it obeys certain commands of magic and will not respond to any other. i do not despair in the least, but it will require some deep study to solve this difficult problem. if the swan could only remember the witchcraft that she invented and knew as a woman, i could force her to tell me the secret, but all her former knowledge is now forgotten." "it seems to me," said the wizard after a brief silence had followed glinda's speech, "that there are three fishes in this lake that used to be adepts at magic and from whom coo-ee-oh stole much of her knowledge. if we could find those fishes and return them to their former shapes, they could doubtless tell us what to do to bring the sunken island to the surface." "i have thought of those fishes," replied glinda, "but among so many fishes as this lake contains how are we to single them out?" you will understand, of course, that had glinda been at home in her castle, where the great book of records was, she would have known that ervic the skeezer already had taken the gold and silver and bronze fishes from the lake. but that act had been recorded in the book after glinda had set out on this journey, so it was all unknown to her. "i think i see a boat yonder on the shore," said ojo the munchkin boy, pointing to a place around the edge of the lake. "if we could get that boat and row all over the lake, calling to the magic fishes, we might be able to find them." "let us go to the boat," said the wizard. they walked around the lake to where the boat was stranded upon the beach, but found it empty. it was a mere shell of blackened steel, with a collapsible roof that, when in position, made the submarine water-tight, but at present the roof rested in slots on either side of the magic craft. there were no oars or sails, no machinery to make the boat go, and although glinda promptly realized it was meant to be operated by witchcraft, she was not acquainted with that sort of magic. "however," said she, "the boat is merely a boat, and i believe i can make it obey a command of sorcery, as well as it did the command of witchcraft. after i have given a little thought to the matter, the boat will take us wherever we desire to go." "not all of us," returned the wizard, "for it won't hold so many. but, most noble sorceress, provided you can make the boat go, of what use will it be to us?" "can't we use it to catch the three fishes?" asked button bright. "it will not be necessary to use the boat for that purpose," replied glinda. "wherever in the lake the enchanted fishes may be, they will answer to my call. what i am trying to discover is how the boat came to be on this shore, while the island on which it belongs is under water yonder. did coo-ee-oh come here in the boat to meet the flatheads before the island was sunk, or afterward?" no one could answer that question, of course; but while they pondered the matter three young men advanced from the line of trees, and rather timidly bowed to the strangers. "who are you, and where did you come from!" inquired the wizard. "we are skeezers," answered one of them, "and our home is on the magic isle of the lake. we ran away when we saw you coming, and hid behind the trees, but as you are strangers and seem to be friendly we decided to meet you, for we are in great trouble and need assistance." "if you belong on the island, why are you here?" demanded glinda. so they told her all the story: how the queen had defied the flatheads and submerged the whole island so that her enemies could not get to it or destroy it; how, when the flatheads came to the shore, coo-ee-oh had commanded them, together with their friend ervic, to go with her in the submarine to conquer the su-dic, and how the boat had shot out from the basement of the sunken isle, obeying a magic word, and risen to the surface, where it opened and floated upon the water. then followed the account of how the su-dic had transformed coo-ee-oh into a swan, after which she had forgotten all the witchcraft she ever knew. the young men told how in the night when they were asleep, their comrade ervic had mysteriously disappeared, while the boat in some strange manner had floated to the shore and stranded upon the beach. that was all they knew. they had searched in vain for three days for ervic. as their island was under water and they could not get back to it, the three skeezers had no place to go, and so had waited patiently beside their boat for something to happen. being questioned by glinda and the wizard, they told all they knew about ozma and dorothy and declared the two girls were still in the village under the great dome. they were quite safe and would be well cared for by lady aurex, now that the queen who opposed them was out of the way. when they had gleaned all the information they could from these skeezers, the wizard said to glinda: "if you find you can make this boat obey your sorcery, you could have it return to the island, submerge itself, and enter the door in the basement from which it came. but i cannot see that our going to the sunken island would enable our friends to escape. we would only join them as prisoners." "not so, friend wizard," replied glinda. "if the boat would obey my commands to enter the basement door, it would also obey my commands to come out again, and i could bring ozma and dorothy back with me." "and leave all of our people still imprisoned?" asked one of the skeezers reproachfully. "by making several trips in the boat, glinda could fetch all your people to the shore," replied the wizard. "but what could they do then?" inquired another skeezer. "they would have no homes and no place to go, and would be at the mercy of their enemies, the flatheads." "that is true," said glinda the good. "and as these people are ozma's subjects, i think she would refuse to escape with dorothy and leave the others behind, or to abandon the island which is the lawful home of the skeezers. i believe the best plan will be to summon the three fishes and learn from them how to raise the island." the little wizard seemed to think that this was rather a forlorn hope. "how will you summon them," he asked the lovely sorceress, "and how can they hear you?" "that is something we must consider carefully," responded stately glinda, with a serene smile. "i think i can find a way." all of ozma's counsellors applauded this sentiment, for they knew well the powers of the sorceress. "very well," agreed the wizard. "summon them, most noble glinda." chapter the cleverness of ervic we must now return to ervic the skeezer, who, when he had set down the copper kettle containing the three fishes at the gate of the lonely cottage, had asked, "what next?" the goldfish stuck its head above the water in the kettle and said in its small but distinct voice: "you are to lift the latch, open the door, and walk boldly into the cottage. do not be afraid of anything you see, for however you seem to be threatened with dangers, nothing can harm you. the cottage is the home of a powerful yookoohoo, named reera the red, who assumes all sorts of forms, sometimes changing her form several times in a day, according to her fancy. what her real form may be we do not know. this strange creature cannot be bribed with treasure, or coaxed through friendship, or won by pity. she has never assisted anyone, or done wrong to anyone, that we know of. all her wonderful powers are used for her own selfish amusement. she will order you out of the house but you must refuse to go. remain and watch reera closely and try to see what she uses to accomplish her transformations. if you can discover the secret whisper it to us and we will then tell you what to do next." "that sounds easy," returned ervic, who had listened carefully. "but are you sure she will not hurt me, or try to transform me?" "she may change your form," replied the goldfish, "but do not worry if that happens, for we can break that enchantment easily. you may be sure that nothing will harm you, so you must not be frightened at anything you see or hear." now ervic was as brave as any ordinary young man, and he knew the fishes who spoke to him were truthful and to be relied upon, nevertheless he experienced a strange sinking of the heart as he picked up the kettle and approached the door of the cottage. his hand trembled as he raised the latch, but he was resolved to obey his instructions. he pushed the door open, took three strides into the middle of the one room the cottage contained, and then stood still and looked around him. the sights that met his gaze were enough to frighten anyone who had not been properly warned. on the floor just before ervic lay a great crocodile, its red eyes gleaming wickedly and its wide open mouth displaying rows of sharp teeth. horned toads hopped about; each of the four upper corners of the room was festooned with a thick cobweb, in the center of which sat a spider as big around as a washbasin, and armed with pincher-like claws; a red-and-green lizard was stretched at full length on the window-sill and black rats darted in and out of the holes they had gnawed in the floor of the cottage. but the most startling thing was a huge gray ape which sat upon a bench and knitted. it wore a lace cap, such as old ladies wear, and a little apron of lace, but no other clothing. its eyes were bright and looked as if coals were burning in them. the ape moved as naturally as an ordinary person might, and on ervic's entrance stopped knitting and raised its head to look at him. "get out!" cried a sharp voice, seeming to come from the ape's mouth. ervic saw another bench, empty, just beyond him, so he stepped over the crocodile, sat down upon the bench and carefully placed the kettle beside him. "get out!" again cried the voice. ervic shook his head. "no," said he, "i'm going to stay." the spiders left their four corners, dropped to the floor and made a rush toward the young skeezer, circling around his legs with their pinchers extended. ervic paid no attention to them. an enormous black rat ran up ervic's body, passed around his shoulders and uttered piercing squeals in his ears, but he did not wince. the green-and-red lizard, coming from the window-sill, approached ervic and began spitting a flaming fluid at him, but ervic merely stared at the creature and its flame did not touch him. the crocodile raised its tail and, swinging around, swept ervic off the bench with a powerful blow. but the skeezer managed to save the kettle from upsetting and he got up, shook off the horned toads that were crawling over him and resumed his seat on the bench. all the creatures, after this first attack, remained motionless, as if awaiting orders. the old gray ape knitted on, not looking toward ervic now, and the young skeezer stolidly kept his seat. he expected something else to happen, but nothing did. a full hour passed and ervic was growing nervous. "what do you want?" the ape asked at last. "nothing," said ervic. "you may have that!" retorted the ape, and at this all the strange creatures in the room broke into a chorus of cackling laughter. another long wait. "do you know who i am?" questioned the ape. "you must be reera the red--the yookoohoo," ervic answered. "knowing so much, you must also know that i do not like strangers. your presence here in my home annoys me. do you not fear my anger?" "no," said the young man. "do you intend to obey me, and leave this house?" "no," replied ervic, just as quietly as the yookoohoo had spoken. the ape knitted for a long time before resuming the conversation. "curiosity," it said, "has led to many a man's undoing. i suppose in some way you have learned that i do tricks of magic, and so through curiosity you have come here. you may have been told that i do not injure anyone, so you are bold enough to disobey my commands to go away. you imagine that you may witness some of the rites of witchcraft, and that they may amuse you. have i spoken truly?" "well," remarked ervic, who had been pondering on the strange circumstances of his coming here, "you are right in some ways, but not in others. i am told that you work magic only for your own amusement. that seems to me very selfish. few people understand magic. i'm told that you are the only real yookoohoo in all oz. why don't you amuse others as well as yourself?" "what right have you to question my actions?" "none at all." "and you say you are not here to demand any favors of me?" "for myself i want nothing from you." "you are wise in that. i never grant favors." "that doesn't worry me," declared ervic. "but you are curious? you hope to witness some of my magic transformations?" "if you wish to perform any magic, go ahead," said ervic. "it may interest me and it may not. if you'd rather go on with your knitting, it's all the same to me. i am in no hurry at all." this may have puzzled red reera, but the face beneath the lace cap could show no expression, being covered with hair. perhaps in all her career the yookoohoo had never been visited by anyone who, like this young man, asked for nothing, expected nothing, and had no reason for coming except curiosity. this attitude practically disarmed the witch and she began to regard the skeezer in a more friendly way. she knitted for some time, seemingly in deep thought, and then she arose and walked to a big cupboard that stood against the wall of the room. when the cupboard door was opened ervic could see a lot of drawers inside, and into one of these drawers--the second from the bottom--reera thrust a hairy hand. until now ervic could see over the bent form of the ape, but suddenly the form, with its back to him, seemed to straighten up and blot out the cupboard of drawers. the ape had changed to the form of a woman, dressed in the pretty gillikin costume, and when she turned around he saw that it was a young woman, whose face was quite attractive. "do you like me better this way?" reera inquired with a smile. "you _look_ better," he said calmly, "but i'm not sure i _like_ you any better." she laughed, saying: "during the heat of the day i like to be an ape, for an ape doesn't wear any clothes to speak of. but if one has gentlemen callers it is proper to dress up." ervic noticed her right hand was closed, as if she held something in it. she shut the cupboard door, bent over the crocodile and in a moment the creature had changed to a red wolf. it was not pretty even now, and the wolf crouched beside its mistress as a dog might have done. its teeth looked as dangerous as had those of the crocodile. next the yookoohoo went about touching all the lizards and toads, and at her touch they became kittens. the rats she changed into chipmunks. now the only horrid creatures remaining were the four great spiders, which hid themselves behind their thick webs. "there!" reera cried, "now my cottage presents a more comfortable appearance. i love the toads and lizards and rats, because most people hate them, but i would tire of them if they always remained the same. sometimes i change their forms a dozen times a day." "you are clever," said ervic. "i did not hear you utter any incantations or magic words. all you did was to touch the creatures." "oh, do you think so?" she replied. "well, touch them yourself, if you like, and see if you can change their forms." "no," said the skeezer, "i don't understand magic and if i did i would not try to imitate your skill. you are a wonderful yookoohoo, while i am only a common skeezer." this confession seemed to please reera, who liked to have her witchcraft appreciated. "will you go away now?" she asked. "i prefer to be alone." "i prefer to stay here," said ervic. "in another person's home, where you are not wanted?" "yes." "is not your curiosity yet satisfied?" demanded reera, with a smile. "i don't know. is there anything else you can do?" "many things. but why should i exhibit my powers to a stranger?" "i can think of no reason at all," he replied. she looked at him curiously. "you want no power for yourself, you say, and you're too stupid to be able to steal my secrets. this isn't a pretty cottage, while outside are sunshine, broad prairies and beautiful wildflowers. yet you insist on sitting on that bench and annoying me with your unwelcome presence. what have you in that kettle?" "three fishes," he answered readily. "where did you get them?" "i caught them in the lake of the skeezers." "what do you intend to do with the fishes?" "i shall carry them to the home of a friend of mine who has three children. the children will love to have the fishes for pets." she came over to the bench and looked into the kettle, where the three fishes were swimming quietly in the water. "they're pretty," said reera. "let me transform them into something else." "no," objected the skeezer. "i love to transform things; it's so interesting. and i've never transformed any fishes in all my life." "let them alone," said ervic. "what shapes would you prefer them to have? i can make them turtles, or cute little sea-horses; or i could make them piglets, or rabbits, or guinea-pigs; or, if you like i can make chickens of them, or eagles, or bluejays." "let them alone!" repeated ervic. "you're not a very pleasant visitor," laughed red reera. "people accuse _me_ of being cross and crabbed and unsociable, and they are quite right. if you had come here pleading and begging for favors, and half afraid of my yookoohoo magic, i'd have abused you until you ran away; but you're quite different from that. _you're_ the unsociable and crabbed and disagreeable one, and so i like you, and bear with your grumpiness. it's time for my midday meal; are you hungry?" "no," said ervic, although he really desired food. "well, i am," reera declared and clapped her hands together. instantly a table appeared, spread with linen and bearing dishes of various foods, some smoking hot. there were two plates laid, one at each end of the table, and as soon as reera seated herself all her creatures gathered around her, as if they were accustomed to be fed when she ate. the wolf squatted at her right hand and the kittens and chipmunks gathered at her left. "come, stranger, sit down and eat," she called cheerfully, "and while we're eating let us decide into what forms we shall change your fishes." "they're all right as they are," asserted ervic, drawing up his bench to the table. "the fishes are beauties--one gold, one silver and one bronze. nothing that has life is more lovely than a beautiful fish." "what! am _i_ not more lovely?" reera asked, smiling at his serious face. "i don't object to you--for a yookoohoo, you know," he said, helping himself to the food and eating with good appetite. "and don't you consider a beautiful girl more lovely than a fish, however pretty the fish may be?" "well," replied ervic, after a period of thought, "that might be. if you transformed my three fish into three girls--girls who would be adepts at magic, you know they might please me as well as the fish do. you won't do that of course, because you can't, with all your skill. and, should you be able to do so, i fear my troubles would be more than i could bear. they would not consent to be my slaves--especially if they were adepts at magic--and so they would command _me_ to obey _them_. no, mistress reera, let us not transform the fishes at all." the skeezer had put his case with remarkable cleverness. he realized that if he appeared anxious for such a transformation the yookoohoo would not perform it, yet he had skillfully suggested that they be made adepts at magic. chapter red reera the yookoohoo after the meal was over and reera had fed her pets, including the four monster spiders which had come down from their webs to secure their share, she made the table disappear from the floor of the cottage. "i wish you'd consent to my transforming your fishes," she said, as she took up her knitting again. the skeezer made no reply. he thought it unwise to hurry matters. all during the afternoon they sat silent. once reera went to her cupboard and after thrusting her hand into the same drawer as before, touched the wolf and transformed it into a bird with gorgeous colored feathers. this bird was larger than a parrot and of a somewhat different form, but ervic had never seen one like it before. "sing!" said reera to the bird, which had perched itself on a big wooden peg--as if it had been in the cottage before and knew just what to do. and the bird sang jolly, rollicking songs with words to them--just as a person who had been carefully trained might do. the songs were entertaining and ervic enjoyed listening to them. in an hour or so the bird stopped singing, tucked its head under its wing and went to sleep. reera continued knitting but seemed thoughtful. now ervic had marked this cupboard drawer well and had concluded that reera took something from it which enabled her to perform her transformations. he thought that if he managed to remain in the cottage, and reera fell asleep, he could slyly open the cupboard, take a portion of whatever was in the drawer, and by dropping it into the copper kettle transform the three fishes into their natural shapes. indeed, he had firmly resolved to carry out this plan when the yookoohoo put down her knitting and walked toward the door. "i'm going out for a few minutes," said she; "do you wish to go with me, or will you remain here?" ervic did not answer but sat quietly on his bench. so reera went out and closed the cottage door. as soon as she was gone, ervic rose and tiptoed to the cupboard. "take care! take care!" cried several voices, coming from the kittens and chipmunks. "if you touch anything we'll tell the yookoohoo!" ervic hesitated a moment but, remembering that he need not consider reera's anger if he succeeded in transforming the fishes, he was about to open the cupboard when he was arrested by the voices of the fishes, which stuck their heads above the water in the kettle and called out: "come here, ervic!" so he went back to the kettle and bent over it. "let the cupboard alone," said the goldfish to him earnestly. "you could not succeed by getting that magic powder, for only the yookoohoo knows how to use it. the best way is to allow her to transform us into three girls, for then we will have our natural shapes and be able to perform all the arts of magic we have learned and well understand. you are acting wisely and in the most effective manner. we did not know you were so intelligent, or that reera could be so easily deceived by you. continue as you have begun and try to persuade her to transform us. but insist that we be given the forms of girls." the goldfish ducked its head down just as reera re-entered the cottage. she saw ervic bent over the kettle, so she came and joined him. "can your fishes talk?" she asked. "sometimes," he replied, "for all fishes in the land of oz know how to speak. just now they were asking me for some bread. they are hungry." "well, they can have some bread," said reera. "but it is nearly supper-time, and if you would allow me to transform your fishes into girls they could join us at the table and have plenty of food much nicer than crumbs. why not let me transform them?" "well," said ervic, as if hesitating, "ask the fishes. if they consent, why--why, then, i'll think it over." reera bent over the kettle and asked: "can you hear me, little fishes?" all three popped their heads above water. "we can hear you," said the bronzefish. "i want to give you other forms, such as rabbits, or turtles or girls, or something; but your master, the surly skeezer, does not wish me to. however, he has agreed to the plan if you will consent." "we'd like to be girls," said the silverfish. "no, no!" exclaimed ervic. "if you promise to make us three beautiful girls, we will consent," said the goldfish. "no, no!" exclaimed ervic again. "also make us adepts at magic," added the bronzefish. "i don't know exactly what that means," replied reera musingly, "but as no adept at magic is as powerful as yookoohoo, i'll add that to the transformation." "we won't try to harm you, or to interfere with your magic in any way," promised the goldfish. "on the contrary, we will be your friends." "will you agree to go away and leave me alone in my cottage, whenever i command you to do so?" asked reera. "we promise that," cried the three fishes. "don't do it! don't consent to the transformation," urged ervic. "they have already consented," said the yookoohoo, laughing in his face, "and you have promised me to abide by their decision. so, friend skeezer, i shall perform the transformation whether you like it or not." ervic seated himself on the bench again, a deep scowl on his face but joy in his heart. reera moved over to the cupboard, took something from the drawer and returned to the copper kettle. she was clutching something tightly in her right hand, but with her left she reached within the kettle, took out the three fishes and laid them carefully on the floor, where they gasped in distress at being out of water. reera did not keep them in misery more than a few seconds, for she touched each one with her right hand and instantly the fishes were transformed into three tall and slender young women, with fine, intelligent faces and clothed in handsome, clinging gowns. the one who had been a goldfish had beautiful golden hair and blue eyes and was exceedingly fair of skin; the one who had been a bronzefish had dark brown hair and clear gray eyes and her complexion matched these lovely features. the one who had been a silverfish had snow-white hair of the finest texture and deep brown eyes. the hair contrasted exquisitely with her pink cheeks and ruby-red lips, nor did it make her look a day older than her two companions. as soon as they secured these girlish shapes, all three bowed low to the yookoohoo and said: "we thank you, reera." then they bowed to the skeezer and said: "we thank you, ervic." "very good!" cried the yookoohoo, examining her work with critical approval. "you are much better and more interesting than fishes, and this ungracious skeezer would scarcely allow me to do the transformations. you surely have nothing to thank _him_ for. but now let us dine in honor of the occasion." she clapped her hands together and again a table loaded with food appeared in the cottage. it was a longer table, this time, and places were set for the three adepts as well as for reera and ervic. "sit down, friends, and eat your fill," said the yookoohoo, but instead of seating herself at the head of the table she went to the cupboard, saying to the adepts: "your beauty and grace, my fair friends, quite outshine my own. so that i may appear properly at the banquet table i intend, in honor of this occasion, to take upon myself my natural shape." scarcely had she finished this speech when reera transformed herself into a young woman fully as lovely as the three adepts. she was not quite so tall as they, but her form was more rounded and more handsomely clothed, with a wonderful jeweled girdle and a necklace of shining pearls. her hair was a bright auburn red, and her eyes large and dark. "do you claim this is your natural form?" asked ervic of the yookoohoo. "yes," she replied. "this is the only form i am really entitled to wear. but i seldom assume it because there is no one here to admire or appreciate it and i get tired admiring it myself." "i see now why you are named reera the red," remarked ervic. "it is on account of my red hair," she explained smiling. "i do not care for red hair myself, which is one reason i usually wear other forms." "it is beautiful," asserted the young man; and then remembering the other women present he added: "but, of course, all women should not have red hair, because that would make it too common. gold and silver and brown hair are equally handsome." the smiles that he saw interchanged between the four filled the poor skeezer with embarrassment, so he fell silent and attended to eating his supper, leaving the others to do the talking. the three adepts frankly told reera who they were, how they became fishes and how they had planned secretly to induce the yookoohoo to transform them. they admitted that they had feared, had they asked her to help, that she would have refused them. "you were quite right," returned the yookoohoo. "i make it my rule never to perform magic to assist others, for if i did there would always be crowds at my cottage demanding help and i hate crowds and want to be left alone. "however, now that you are restored to your proper shapes, i do not regret my action and i hope you will be of use in saving the skeezer people by raising their island to the surface of the lake, where it really belongs. but you must promise me that after you go away you will never come here again, nor tell anyone what i have done for you." the three adepts and ervic thanked the yookoohoo warmly. they promised to remember her wish that they should not come to her cottage again and so, with a good-bye, took their departure. chapter a puzzling problem glinda the good, having decided to try her sorcery upon the abandoned submarine, so that it would obey her commands, asked all of her party, including the skeezers, to withdraw from the shore of the lake to the line of palm trees. she kept with her only the little wizard of oz, who was her pupil and knew how to assist her in her magic rites. when they two were alone beside the stranded boat, glinda said to the wizard: "i shall first try my magic recipe no. , which is intended to make inanimate objects move at my command. have you a skeropythrope with you?" "yes, i always carry one in my bag," replied the wizard. he opened his black bag of magic tools and took out a brightly polished skeropythrope, which he handed to the sorceress. glinda had also brought a small wicker bag, containing various requirements of sorcery, and from this she took a parcel of powder and a vial of liquid. she poured the liquid into the skeropythrope and added the powder. at once the skeropythrope began to sputter and emit sparks of a violet color, which spread in all directions. the sorceress instantly stepped into the middle of the boat and held the instrument so that the sparks fell all around her and covered every bit of the blackened steel boat. at the same time glinda crooned a weird incantation in the language of sorcery, her voice sounding low and musical. after a little the violet sparks ceased, and those that had fallen upon the boat had disappeared and left no mark upon its surface. the ceremony was ended and glinda returned the skeropythrope to the wizard, who put it away in his black bag. "that ought to do the business all right," he said confidently. "let us make a trial and see," she replied. so they both entered the boat and seated themselves. speaking in a tone of command the sorceress said to the boat: "carry us across the lake, to the farther shore." at once the boat backed off the sandy beach, turned its prow and moved swiftly over the water. "very good--very good indeed!" cried the wizard, when the boat slowed up at the shore opposite from that whence they had departed. "even coo-ee-oh, with all her witchcraft, could do no better." the sorceress now said to the boat: "close up, submerge and carry us to the basement door of the sunken island--the door from which you emerged at the command of queen coo-ee-oh." the boat obeyed. as it sank into the water the top sections rose from the sides and joined together over the heads of glinda and the wizard, who were thus enclosed in a water-proof chamber. there were four glass windows in this covering, one on each side and one on either end, so that the passengers could see exactly where they were going. moving under water more slowly than on the surface, the submarine gradually approached the island and halted with its bow pressed against the huge marble door in the basement under the dome. this door was tightly closed and it was evident to both glinda and the wizard that it would not open to admit the under-water boat unless a magic word was spoken by them or someone from within the basement of the island. but what was this magic word? neither of them knew. "i'm afraid," said the wizard regretfully, "that we can't get in, after all. unless your sorcery can discover the word to open the marble door." "that is probably some word only known to coo-ee-oh," replied the sorceress. "i may be able to discover what it is, but that will require time. let us go back again to our companions." "it seems a shame, after we have made the boat obey us, to be balked by just a marble door," grumbled the wizard. at glinda's command the boat rose until it was on a level with the glass dome that covered the skeezer village, when the sorceress made it slowly circle all around the great dome. many faces were pressed against the glass from the inside, eagerly watching the submarine, and in one place were dorothy and ozma, who quickly recognized glinda and the wizard through the glass windows of the boat. glinda saw them, too, and held the boat close to the dome while the friends exchanged greetings in pantomime. their voices, unfortunately, could not be heard through the dome and the water and the side of the boat. the wizard tried to make the girls understand, through signs, that he and glinda had come to their rescue, and ozma and dorothy understood this from the very fact that the sorceress and the wizard had appeared. the two girl prisoners were smiling and in safety, and knowing this glinda felt she could take all the time necessary in order to effect their final rescue. as nothing more could be done just then, glinda ordered the boat to return to shore, and it obeyed readily. first it ascended to the surface of the water, then the roof parted and fell into the slots at the side of the boat, and then the magic craft quickly made the shore and beached itself on the sands at the very spot from which it had departed at glinda's command. all the oz people and the skeezers at once ran to the boat to ask if they had reached the island, and whether they had seen ozma and dorothy. the wizard told them of the obstacle they had met in the way of a marble door, and how glinda would now undertake to find a magic way to conquer the door. realizing that it would require several days to succeed in reaching the island, raising it and liberating their friends and the skeezer people, glinda now prepared a camp half way between the lake shore and the palm trees. the wizard's wizardry made a number of tents appear and the sorcery of the sorceress furnished these tents all complete, with beds, chairs, tables, rugs, lamps and even books with which to pass idle hours. all the tents had the royal banner of oz flying from the centerpoles and one big tent, not now occupied, had ozma's own banner moving in the breeze. betsy and trot had a tent to themselves, and button bright and ojo had another. the scarecrow and the tin woodman paired together in one tent and so did jack pumpkinhead and the shaggy man, cap'n bill and uncle henry, tik-tok and professor wogglebug. glinda had the most splendid tent of all, except that reserved for ozma, while the wizard had a little one of his own. whenever it was meal time, tables loaded with food magically appeared in the tents of those who were in the habit of eating, and these complete arrangements made the rescue party just as comfortable as they would have been in their own homes. far into the night glinda sat in her tent studying a roll of mystic scrolls in search of a word that would open the basement door of the island and admit her to the great dome. she also made many magical experiments, hoping to discover something that would aid her. yet the morning found the powerful sorceress still unsuccessful. glinda's art could have opened any ordinary door, you may be sure, but you must realize that this marble door of the island had been commanded not to open save in obedience to one magic word, and therefore all other magic words could have no effect upon it. the magic word that guarded the door had probably been invented by coo-ee-oh, who had now forgotten it. the only way, then, to gain entrance to the sunken island was to break the charm that held the door fast shut. if this could be done no magic would be required to open it. the next day the sorceress and the wizard again entered the boat and made it submerge and go to the marble door, which they tried in various ways to open, but without success. "we shall have to abandon this attempt, i think," said glinda. "the easiest way to raise the island would be for us to gain admittance to the dome and then descend to the basement and see in what manner coo-ee-oh made the entire island sink or rise at her command. it naturally occurred to me that the easiest way to gain admittance would be by having the boat take us into the basement through the marble door from which coo-ee-oh launched it. but there must be other ways to get inside the dome and join ozma and dorothy, and such ways we must find by study and the proper use of our powers of magic." "it won't be easy," declared the wizard, "for we must not forget that ozma herself understands considerable magic, and has doubtless tried to raise the island or find other means of escape from it and failed." "that is true," returned glinda, "but ozma's magic is fairy magic, while you are a wizard and i am a sorceress. in this way the three of us have a great variety of magic to work with, and if we should all fail it will be because the island is raised and lowered by a magic power none of us is acquainted with. my idea therefore is to seek--by such magic as we possess--to accomplish our object in another way." they made the circle of the dome again in their boat, and once more saw ozma and dorothy through their windows and exchanged signals with the two imprisoned girls. ozma realized that her friends were doing all in their power to rescue her and smiled an encouragement to their efforts. dorothy seemed a little anxious but was trying to be as brave as her companion. after the boat had returned to the camp and glinda was seated in her tent, working out various ways by which ozma and dorothy could be rescued, the wizard stood on the shore dreamily eying the outlines of the great dome which showed beneath the clear water, when he raised his eyes and saw a group of strange people approaching from around the lake. three were young women of stately presence, very beautifully dressed, who moved with remarkable grace. they were followed at a little distance by a good-looking young skeezer. the wizard saw at a glance that these people might be very important, so he advanced to meet them. the three maidens received him graciously and the one with the golden hair said: "i believe you are the famous wizard of oz, of whom i have often heard. we are seeking glinda, the sorceress, and perhaps you can lead us to her." "i can, and will, right gladly," answered the wizard. "follow me, please." the little wizard was puzzled as to the identity of the three lovely visitors but he gave no sign that might embarrass them. he understood they did not wish to be questioned, and so he made no remarks as he led the way to glinda's tent. with a courtly bow the wizard ushered the three visitors into the gracious presence of glinda, the good. chapter the three adepts the sorceress looked up from her work as the three maidens entered, and something in their appearance and manner led her to rise and bow to them in her most dignified manner. the three knelt an instant before the great sorceress and then stood upright and waited for her to speak. "whoever you may be," said glinda, "i bid you welcome." "my name is audah," said one. "my name is aurah," said another. "my name is aujah," said the third. glinda had never heard these names before, but looking closely at the three she asked: "are you witches or workers in magic?" "some of the secret arts we have gleaned from nature," replied the brownhaired maiden modestly, "but we do not place our skill beside that of the great sorceress, glinda the good." "i suppose you are aware it is unlawful to practice magic in the land of oz, without the permission of our ruler, princess ozma?" "no, we were not aware of that," was the reply. "we have heard of ozma, who is the appointed ruler of all this great fairyland, but her laws have not reached us, as yet." glinda studied the strange maidens thoughtfully; then she said to them: "princess ozma is even now imprisoned in the skeezer village, for the whole island with its great dome, was sunk to the bottom of the lake by the witchcraft of coo-ee-oh, whom the flathead su-dic transformed into a silly swan. i am seeking some way to overcome coo-ee-oh's magic and raise the isle to the surface again. can you help me do this?" the maidens exchanged glances, and the white-haired one replied "we do not know; but we will try to assist you." "it seems," continued glinda musingly, "that coo-ee-oh derived most of her witchcraft from three adepts at magic, who at one time ruled the flatheads. while the adepts were being entertained by coo-ee-oh at a banquet in her palace, she cruelly betrayed them and after transforming them into fishes cast them into the lake. "if i could find these three fishes and return them to their natural shapes--they might know what magic coo-ee-oh used to sink the island. i was about to go to the shore and call these fishes to me when you arrived. so, if you will join me, we will try to find them." the maidens exchanged smiles now, and the golden-haired one, audah, said to glinda: "it will not be necessary to go to the lake. we are the three fishes." "indeed!" cried glinda. "then you are the three adepts at magic, restored to your proper forms?" "we are the three adepts," admitted aujah. "then," said glinda, "my task is half accomplished. but who destroyed the transformation that made you fishes?" "we have promised not to tell," answered aurah; "but this young skeezer was largely responsible for our release; he is brave and clever, and we owe him our gratitude." glinda looked at ervic, who stood modestly behind the adepts, hat in hand. "he shall be properly rewarded," she declared, "for in helping you he has helped us all, and perhaps saved his people from being imprisoned forever in the sunken isle." the sorceress now asked her guests to seat themselves and a long talk followed, in which the wizard of oz shared. "we are quite certain," said aurah, "that if we could get inside the dome we could discover coo-ee-oh's secrets, for in all her work, after we became fishes, she used the formulas and incantations and arts that she stole from us. she may have added to these things, but they were the foundation of all her work." "what means do you suggest for our getting into the dome?" inquired glinda. the three adepts hesitated to reply, for they had not yet considered what could be done to reach the inside of the great dome. while they were in deep thought, and glinda and the wizard were quietly awaiting their suggestions, into the tent rushed trot and betsy, dragging between them the patchwork girl. "oh, glinda," cried trot, "scraps has thought of a way to rescue ozma and dorothy and all of the skeezers." the three adepts could not avoid laughing merrily, for not only were they amused by the queer form of the patchwork girl, but trot's enthusiastic speech struck them as really funny. if the great sorceress and the famous wizard and the three talented adepts at magic were unable as yet to solve the important problem of the sunken isle, there was little chance for a patched girl stuffed with cotton to succeed. but glinda, smiling indulgently at the earnest faces turned toward her, patted the children's heads and said: "scraps is very clever. tell us what she has thought of, my dear." "well," said trot, "scraps says that if you could dry up all the water in the lake the island would be on dry land, an' everyone could come and go whenever they liked." glinda smiled again, but the wizard said to the girls: "if we should dry up the lake, what would become of all the beautiful fishes that now live in the water?" "dear me! that's so," admitted betsy, crestfallen; "we never thought of that, did we trot?" "couldn't you transform 'em into polliwogs?" asked scraps, turning a somersault and then standing on one leg. "you could give them a little, teeny pond to swim in, and they'd be just as happy as they are as fishes." "no indeed!" replied the wizard, severely. "it is wicked to transform any living creatures without their consent, and the lake is the home of the fishes and belongs to them." "all right," said scraps, making a face at him; "i don't care." "it's too bad," sighed trot, "for i thought we'd struck a splendid idea." "so you did," declared glinda, her face now grave and thoughtful. "there is something in the patchwork girl's idea that may be of real value to us." "i think so, too," agreed the golden-haired adept. "the top of the great dome is only a few feet below the surface of the water. if we could reduce the level of the lake until the dome sticks a little above the water, we could remove some of the glass and let ourselves down into the village by means of ropes." "and there would be plenty of water left for the fishes to swim in," added the white-haired maiden. "if we succeed in raising the island we could fill up the lake again," suggested the brown-haired adept. "i believe," said the wizard, rubbing his hands together in delight, "that the patchwork girl, has shown us the way to success." the girls were looking curiously at the three beautiful adepts, wondering who they were, so glinda introduced them to trot and betsy and scraps, and then sent the children away while she considered how to carry the new idea into effect. not much could be done that night, so the wizard prepared another tent for the adepts, and in the evening glinda held a reception and invited all her followers to meet the new arrivals. the adepts were greatly astonished at the extraordinary personages presented to them, and marveled that jack pumpkinhead and the scarecrow and the tin woodman and tik-tok could really live and think and talk just like other people. they were especially pleased with the lively patchwork girl and loved to watch her antics. it was quite a pleasant party, for glinda served some dainty refreshments to those who could eat, and the scarecrow recited some poems, and the cowardly lion sang a song in his deep bass voice. the only thing that marred their joy was the thought that their beloved ozma and dear little dorothy were yet confined in the great dome of the sunken island. chapter the sunken island as soon as they had breakfasted the next morning, glinda and the wizard and the three adepts went down to the shore of the lake and formed a line with their faces toward the submerged island. all the others came to watch them, but stood at a respectful distance in the background. at the right of the sorceress stood audah and aurah, while at the left stood the wizard and aujah. together they stretched their arms over the water's edge and in unison the five chanted a rhythmic incantation. this chant they repeated again and again, swaying their arms gently from side to side, and in a few minutes the watchers behind them noticed that the lake had begun to recede from the shore. before long the highest point of the dome appeared above the water. gradually the water fell, making the dome appear to rise. when it was three or four feet above the surface glinda gave the signal to stop, for their work had been accomplished. the blackened submarine was now entirely out of water, but uncle henry and cap'n bill managed to push it into the lake. glinda, the wizard, ervic and the adepts got into the boat, taking with them a coil of strong rope, and at the command of the sorceress the craft cleaved its way through the water toward the part of the dome which was now visible. "there's still plenty of water for the fish to swim in," observed the wizard as they rode along. "they might like more but i'm sure they can get along until we have raised the island and can fill up the lake again." the boat touched gently on the sloping glass of the dome, and the wizard took some tools from his black bag and quickly removed one large pane of glass, thus making a hole large enough for their bodies to pass through. stout frames of steel supported the glass of the dome, and around one of these frames the wizard tied the end of a rope. "i'll go down first," said he, "for while i'm not as spry as cap'n bill i'm sure i can manage it easily. are you sure the rope is long enough to reach the bottom?" "quite sure," replied the sorceress. so the wizard let down the rope and climbing through the opening lowered himself down, hand over hand, clinging to the rope with his legs and feet. below in the streets of the village were gathered all the skeezers, men, women and children, and you may be sure that ozma and dorothy, with lady aurex, were filled with joy that their friends were at last coming to their rescue. the queen's palace, now occupied by ozma, was directly in the center of the dome, so that when the rope was let down the end of it came just in front of the palace entrance. several skeezers held fast to the rope's end to steady it and the wizard reached the ground in safety. he hugged first ozma and then dorothy, while all the skeezers cheered as loud as they could. the wizard now discovered that the rope was long enough to reach from the top of the dome to the ground when doubled, so he tied a chair to one end of the rope and called to glinda to sit in the chair while he and some of the skeezers lowered her to the pavement. in this way the sorceress reached the ground quite comfortably and the three adepts and ervic soon followed her. the skeezers quickly recognized the three adepts at magic, whom they had learned to respect before their wicked queen betrayed them, and welcomed them as friends. all the inhabitants of the village had been greatly frightened by their imprisonment under water, but now realized that an attempt was to be made to rescue them. glinda, the wizard and the adepts followed ozma and dorothy into the palace, and they asked lady aurex and ervic to join them. after ozma had told of her adventures in trying to prevent war between the flatheads and the skeezers, and glinda had told all about the rescue expedition and the restoration of the three adepts by the help of ervic, a serious consultation was held as to how the island could be made to rise. "i've tried every way in my power," said ozma, "but coo-ee-oh used a very unusual sort of magic which i do not understand. she seems to have prepared her witchcraft in such a way that a spoken word is necessary to accomplish her designs, and these spoken words are known only to herself." "that is a method we taught her," declared aurah the adept. "i can do no more, glinda," continued ozma, "so i wish you would try what your sorcery can accomplish." "first, then," said glinda, "let us visit the basement of the island, which i am told is underneath the village." a flight of marble stairs led from one of coo-ee-oh's private rooms down to the basement, but when the party arrived all were puzzled by what they saw. in the center of a broad, low room, stood a mass of great cog-wheels, chains and pulleys, all interlocked and seeming to form a huge machine; but there was no engine or other motive power to make the wheels turn. "this, i suppose, is the means by which the island is lowered or raised," said ozma, "but the magic word which is needed to move the machinery is unknown to us." the three adepts were carefully examining the mass of wheels, and soon the golden-haired one said: "these wheels do not control the island at all. on the contrary, one set of them is used to open the doors of the little rooms where the submarines are kept, as may be seen from the chains and pulleys used. each boat is kept in a little room with two doors, one to the basement room where we are now and the other letting into the lake. "when coo-ee-oh used the boat in which she attacked the flatheads, she first commanded the basement door to open and with her followers she got into the boat and made the top close over them. then the basement door being closed, the outer door was slowly opened, letting the water fill the room to float the boat, which then left the island, keeping under water." "but how could she expect to get back again?" asked the wizard. "why the boat would enter the room filled with water and after the outer door was closed a word of command started a pump which pumped all the water from the room. then the boat would open and coo-ee-oh could enter the basement." "i see," said the wizard. "it is a clever contrivance, but won't work unless one knows the magic words." "another part of this machinery," explained the white-haired adept, "is used to extend the bridge from the island to the mainland. the steel bridge is in a room much like that in which the boats are kept, and at coo-ee-oh's command it would reach out, joint by joint, until its far end touched the shore of the lake. the same magic command would make the bridge return to its former position. of course the bridge could not be used unless the island was on the surface of the water." "but how do you suppose coo-ee-oh managed to sink the island, and make it rise again?" inquired glinda. this the adepts could not yet explain. as nothing more could be learned from the basement they mounted the steps to the queen's private suite again, and ozma showed them to a special room where coo-ee-oh kept her magical instruments and performed all her arts of witchcraft. chapter the magic words many interesting things were to be seen in the room of magic, including much that had been stolen from the adepts when they were transformed to fishes, but they had to admit that coo-ee-oh had a rare genius for mechanics, and had used her knowledge in inventing a lot of mechanical apparatus that ordinary witches, wizards and sorcerers could not understand. they all carefully inspected this room, taking care to examine every article they came across. "the island," said glinda thoughtfully, "rests on a base of solid marble. when it is submerged, as it is now, the base of the island is upon the bottom of the lake. what puzzles me is how such a great weight can be lifted and suspended in the water, even by magic." "i now remember," returned aujah, "that one of the arts we taught coo-ee-oh was the way to expand steel, and i think that explains how the island is raised and lowered. i noticed in the basement a big steel pillar that passed through the floor and extended upward to this palace. perhaps the end of it is concealed in this very room. if the lower end of the steel pillar is firmly embedded in the bottom of the lake, coo-ee-oh could utter a magic word that would make the pillar expand, and so lift the entire island to the level of the water." "i've found the end of the steel pillar. it's just here," announced the wizard, pointing to one side of the room where a great basin of polished steel seemed to have been set upon the floor. they all gathered around, and ozma said: "yes, i am quite sure that is the upper end of the pillar that supports the island. i noticed it when i first came here. it has been hollowed out, you see, and something has been burned in the basin, for the fire has left its marks. i wondered what was under the great basin and got several of the skeezers to come up here and try to lift it for me. they were strong men, but could not move it at all." "it seems to me," said audah the adept, "that we have discovered the manner in which coo-ee-oh raised the island. she would burn some sort of magic powder in the basin, utter the magic word, and the pillar would lengthen out and lift the island with it." "what's this?" asked dorothy, who had been searching around with the others, and now noticed a slight hollow in the wall, near to where the steel basin stood. as she spoke dorothy pushed her thumb into the hollow and instantly a small drawer popped out from the wall. the three adepts, glinda and the wizard sprang forward and peered into the drawer. it was half filled with a grayish powder, the tiny grains of which constantly moved as if impelled by some living force. "it may be some kind of radium," said the wizard. "no," replied glinda, "it is more wonderful than even radium, for i recognize it as a rare mineral powder called gaulau by the sorcerers. i wonder how coo-ee-oh discovered it and where she obtained it." "there is no doubt," said aujah the adept, "that this is the magic powder coo-ee-oh burned in the basin. if only we knew the magic word, i am quite sure we could raise the island." "how can we discover the magic word?" asked ozma, turning to glinda as she spoke. "that we must now seriously consider," answered the sorceress. so all of them sat down in the room of magic and began to think. it was so still that after a while dorothy grew nervous. the little girl never could keep silent for long, and at the risk of displeasing her magic-working friends she suddenly said: "well, coo-ee-oh used just three magic words, one to make the bridge work, and one to make the submarines go out of their holes, and one to raise and lower the island. three words. and coo-ee-oh's name is made up of just three words. one is 'coo,' and one is 'ee,' and one is 'oh.'" the wizard frowned but glinda looked wonderingly at the young girl and ozma cried out: "a good thought, dorothy dear! you may have solved our problem." "i believe it is worth a trial," agreed glinda. "it would be quite natural for coo-ee-oh to divide her name into three magic syllables, and dorothy's suggestion seems like an inspiration." the three adepts also approved the trial but the brown-haired one said: "we must be careful not to use the wrong word, and send the bridge out under water. the main thing, if dorothy's idea is correct, is to hit upon the one word that moves the island." "let us experiment," suggested the wizard. in the drawer with the moving gray powder was a tiny golden cup, which they thought was used for measuring. glinda filled this cup with the powder and carefully poured it into the shallow basin, which was the top of the great steel pillar supporting the island. then aurah the adept lighted a taper and touched it to the powder, which instantly glowed fiery red and tumbled about the basin with astonishing energy. while the grains of powder still glowed red the sorceress bent over it and said in a voice of command: "coo!" they waited motionless to see what would happen. there was a grating noise and a whirl of machinery, but the island did not move a particle. dorothy rushed to the window, which overlooked the glass side of the dome. "the boats!" she exclaimed. "the boats are all loose an' sailing under water." "we've made a mistake," said the wizard gloomily. "but it's one which shows we are on the right track," declared aujah the adept. "we know now that coo-ee-oh used the syllables of her name for the magic words." "if 'coo' sends out the boats, it is probable that 'ee' works the bridge," suggested ozma. "so the last part of the name may raise the island." "let us try that next then," proposed the wizard. he scraped the embers of the burned powder out of the basin and glinda again filled the golden cup from the drawer and placed it on top the steel pillar. aurah lighted it with her taper and ozma bent over the basin and murmured the long drawn syllable: "oh-h-h!" instantly the island trembled and with a weird groaning noise it moved upward--slowly, very slowly, but with a steady motion, while all the company stood by in awed silence. it was a wonderful thing, even to those skilled in the arts of magic, wizardry and sorcery, to realize that a single word could raise that great, heavy island, with its immense glass dome. "why, we're way _above_ the lake now!" exclaimed dorothy from the window, when at last the island ceased to move. "that is because we lowered the level of the water," explained glinda. they could hear the skeezers cheering lustily in the streets of the village as they realized that they were saved. "come," said ozma eagerly, "let us go down and join the people." "not just yet," returned glinda, a happy smile upon her lovely face, for she was overjoyed at their success. "first let us extend the bridge to the mainland, where our friends from the emerald city are waiting." it didn't take long to put more powder in the basin, light it and utter the syllable "ee!" the result was that a door in the basement opened and the steel bridge moved out, extended itself joint by joint, and finally rested its far end on the shore of the lake just in front of the encampment. "now," said glinda, "we can go up and receive the congratulations of the skeezers and of our friends of the rescue expedition." across the water, on the shore of the lake, the patchwork girl was waving them a welcome. chapter glinda's triumph of course all those who had joined glinda's expedition at once crossed the bridge to the island, where they were warmly welcomed by the skeezers. before all the concourse of people princess ozma made a speech from a porch of the palace and demanded that they recognize her as their lawful ruler and promise to obey the laws of the land of oz. in return she agreed to protect them from all future harm and declared they would no longer be subjected to cruelty and abuse. this pleased the skeezers greatly, and when ozma told them they might elect a queen to rule over them, who in turn would be subject to ozma of oz, they voted for lady aurex, and that same day the ceremony of crowning the new queen was held and aurex was installed as mistress of the palace. for her prime minister the queen selected ervic, for the three adepts had told of his good judgment, faithfulness and cleverness, and all the skeezers approved the appointment. glinda, the wizard and the adepts stood on the bridge and recited an incantation that quite filled the lake with water again, and the scarecrow and the patchwork girl climbed to the top of the great dome and replaced the pane of glass that had been removed to allow glinda and her followers to enter. when evening came ozma ordered a great feast prepared, to which every skeezer was invited. the village was beautifully decorated and brilliantly lighted and there was music and dancing until a late hour to celebrate the liberation of the people. for the skeezers had been freed, not only from the water of the lake but from the cruelty of their former queen. as the people from the emerald city prepared the next morning to depart queen aurex said to ozma: "there is only one thing i now fear for my people, and that is the enmity of the terrible su-dic of the flatheads. he is liable to come here at any time and try to annoy us, and my skeezers are peaceful folks and unable to fight the wild and wilful flatheads." "do not worry," returned ozma, reassuringly. "we intend to stop on our way at the flatheads' enchanted mountain and punish the su-dic for his misdeeds." that satisfied aurex and when ozma and her followers trooped over the bridge to the shore, having taken leave of their friends, all the skeezers cheered them and waved their hats and handkerchiefs, and the band played and the departure was indeed a ceremony long to be remembered. the three adepts at magic, who had formerly ruled the flatheads wisely and considerately, went with princess ozma and her people, for they had promised ozma to stay on the mountain and again see that the laws were enforced. glinda had been told all about the curious flatheads and she had consulted with the wizard and formed a plan to render them more intelligent and agreeable. when the party reached the mountain ozma and dorothy showed them how to pass around the invisible wall--which had been built by the flatheads after the adepts were transformed--and how to gain the up-and-down stairway that led to the mountain top. the su-dic had watched the approach of the party from the edge of the mountain and was frightened when he saw that the three adepts had recovered their natural forms and were coming back to their former home. he realized that his power would soon be gone and yet he determined to fight to the last. he called all the flatheads together and armed them, and told them to arrest all who came up the stairway and hurl them over the edge of the mountain to the plain below. but although they feared the supreme dictator, who had threatened to punish them if they did not obey his commands, as soon as they saw the three adepts they threw down their arms and begged their former rulers to protect them. the three adepts assured the excited flatheads that they had nothing to fear. seeing that his people had rebelled the su-dic ran away and tried to hide, but the adepts found him and had him cast into a prison, all his cans of brains being taken away from him. after this easy conquest of the su-dic, glinda told the adepts of her plan, which had already been approved by ozma of oz, and they joyfully agreed to it. so, during the next few days, the great sorceress transformed, in a way, every flathead on the mountain. taking them one at a time, she had the can of brains that belonged to each one opened and the contents spread on the flat head, after which, by means of her arts of sorcery, she caused the head to grow over the brains--in the manner most people wear them--and they were thus rendered as intelligent and good looking as any of the other inhabitants of the land of oz. when all had been treated in this manner there were no more flatheads at all, and the adepts decided to name their people mountaineers. one good result of glinda's sorcery was that no one could now be deprived of the brains that belonged to him and each person had exactly the share he was entitled to. even the su-dic was given his portion of brains and his flat head made round, like the others, but he was deprived of all power to work further mischief, and with the adepts constantly watching him he would be forced to become obedient and humble. the golden pig, which ran grunting about the streets, with no brains at all, was disenchanted by glinda, and in her woman's form was given brains and a round head. this wife of the su-dic had once been even more wicked than her evil husband, but she had now forgotten all her wickedness and was likely to be a good woman thereafter. these things being accomplished in a satisfactory manner, princess ozma and her people bade farewell to the three adepts and departed for the emerald city, well pleased with their interesting adventures. they returned by the road over which ozma and dorothy had come, stopping to get the sawhorse and the red wagon where they had left them. "i'm very glad i went to see these peoples," said princess ozma, "for i not only prevented any further warfare between them, but they have been freed from the rule of the su-dic and coo-ee-oh and are now happy and loyal subjects of the land of oz. which proves that it is always wise to do one's duty, however unpleasant that duty may seem to be." transcriber's note archaic and inconsistent spelling, punctuation, and syntax retained. the wishing horse of oz by ruth plumly thompson founded on and continuing the famous oz stories by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago copyright, by the reilly & lee co. all rights reserved printed in the u.s.a. * * * * * _dear boys and girls:_ _what could be more interesting than an oz mystery? what, indeed? "why," i can almost hear you shout, "two oz mysteries." and here you have them in this newest oz story, two very mysterious mysteries to solve and ponder over and so many new kingdoms and characters, i can hardly remember the proper spelling for their names._ _you will be glad to know that dorothy has most of the strange adventures in this book and remember pigasus? well, i have long suspected pigasus could be useful as well as poetical, and now that he has so convincingly proved his prowess (how do you like that word?) we'll have to treat him with more respect and dignity._ _your letters all year have been grand and if i had the magic necklace mentioned in this story i would wish you three hundred and sixty-five days of happiness._ _but after all, i have a magic necklace. each boy or girl who reads the oz books is one shining link in the friendly chain that holds us together. all friends and all for oz._ _you believe in oz and i'll believe in you ho, that's the stuff that's strong enough to make my wish come true. _so, happy year to you, dears. and next year? ah well, who knows what will happen next year? another oz book maybe, if you still want one. write me if you do, and best of everything wonderful to you all, always!_ ruth plumly thompson. schoolhouse lane, ardmore, pennsylvania * * * * * this book is dedicated with pride and affection to mabel hammer assheton whose gallant and adventurous spirit sweeps like a freshening breeze through my life, touching it again and again with color, vigor, interest and gaiety. to mabel!! ruth plumly thompson * * * * * list of chapters the king of skampavia the king and the merchant more about the emeralds the king and his talking horse a great celebration in oz a strange warning what wizard? way for the emperor! the journey begins the witch of the black forest black magic farewell to the black forest in kalico's castle the emperor of oz the dooners! the seer of some summit skamperoo in oz the emperor's horse makes a bargain the story of the necklaces back in skampavia chapter the king of skampavia "is this all?" the king of skampavia frowned at the great stack of bags, bales, crates and carriers heaped around his throne. leaning forward, he gingerly extracted a fig from one of the baskets and popped it into his enormous mouth. "pah, dry as a blotter," spluttered the red-faced ruler, gritting his teeth with disgust, "and look at those cocoanuts, no bigger round than a baby's rattle!" leaping off his throne, he began kicking at the baskets of vegetables and bales of cotton and other merchandise. "what dusty junk is this?" he raged, glaring furiously at pinny penny, his patient prime minister. "how dare they send me such stuff?" clasping and unclasping his hands nervously, pinny penny nevertheless spoke up boldly. "because they have nothing better, your majesty. what can our poor subjects do with land so unprofitable and barren? then, not only must they produce enough for their own needs, but are required by the law to give one-third of all they raise to the crown." "and why not?" blustered skamperoo, settling back argumentatively on his throne. "i am the king! you can't get around that, you know." "no," sighed pinny penny, and drawing aside one of the shabby curtains he looked sorrowfully out into the courtyard. "what's all that racket?" demanded his master, as a medley of shouts, roars, and dull thuds came rolling up to them. forgetting his anger for a moment, he bounded to his feet and came across the room to look over pinny penny's shoulder. "a slight argument seems to have arisen among the supervisors," murmured pinny penny resignedly. now skampavia, i must tell you, is roughly divided into seven counties, and over each county skamperoo had set a supervisor whose duty it was to govern the province and to turn over to him one-third of all produce and merchandise in that county. to save time, and easily identify them, the supervisors were known by the size of the counties they governed. for instance, the supervisor of the first county, which was one mile wide and ten miles long, was called onebyten; the supervisor of the second county twobyfour; and the others were variously known as threebysix, ninebyfive, eightbyeight, fivebynine and fourbyseven. twice a year the supervisors rode into the capital with their tribute, and now, down in the courtyard, the seven tremendous skampavians were in a perfect pitched battle, helped out by all the guards and palace servants. "argument!" roared the king, slapping pinny penny rudely on the shoulder. "it's a fight, and you know it! ho, ho! just look at the good-for-nothing rascals. i tell you, old two pins, however poorly they serve us as farmers and merchants, our skampavians can certainly fight. and who says i'm too hard on them? have i not given every man jack a dress uniform and gun and made them learn military drilling and marching at the royal college?" "and what use is all this drilling and marching?" inquired pinny penny wearily. letting the curtain fall, he hurried away, for well he knew, if he did not put a stop to the conflict in the courtyard every window in the palace would be broken. "now what did he mean by that?" muttered skamperoo peevishly as his little prime minister whisked out of sight. pursing his lips, he seated himself heavily on his throne. after all, pinny penny had only spoken the truth. why had his father or his father's father ever picked out this pesky little country in the first place? located in the southern part of the desert of noland, between the kingdoms of ix and merryland, skampavia, he was forced to admit, had neither riches, beauty, nor interest. his castle, though poor and shabby, was comfortable enough, and having lived in it all his life, he was used to it. he had put up with the hot dry climate and the poor quality of the food, but after all, why should he continue to do so? in those long ago days in the school room he had studied of energetic rulers who had taken their armies and gone forth to conquer richer and more desirable lands from their neighbors. well, then, why should not he take his men, push over the border into a more fertile and kindly land? the idea pleased but at the same time annoyed him. skamperoo was fat and lazy. he loved quiet and ease and the thought of a hard military campaign made him shudder with distaste. still, he reflected, remembering pinny penny's reproachful face, a king should do something for his subjects and the more he did for them--ho, ho! the more he could make them do for him. a rich and prosperous country meant a rich and prosperous ruler. discontentedly fingering the rough cloth from which his royal robes were fashioned, he began to picture himself decked out in splendid satins and velvets heavily encrusted with jewels. jewels. pah! all the jewels he had were his plain gold scepter, badly dented and bent from hurling at pinny penny. taking off the crown, he scowled at it critically and began considering the realms on either side of his own dominions. to the north there was nothing but a sandy strip of desert and the tossing waters of the nonestic ocean. east lay the kingdom of ix, and zixie the little queen he considered too pleasant and friendly to conquer. besides, the climate of ix was not much better than that of his own country. to the west of skampavia was merryland and at one time a band of his roistering skampavians had crossed over into that country bent on theft and mischief. recalling the way they had been welcomed and entertained by the cheerful king of merryland and sent home simply laden with presents, he hastily dismissed that country too. how could he fight a monarch like that? to the south lay the burning sands of the deadly desert, which no man in his own kingdom had ever succeeded in crossing. so, having exhausted all the possibilities in the immediate neighborhood, skamperoo tapped his foot in vexation and began casting about in his mind for some fair and faraway country to conquer. he closed his eyes in order to think better and was just on the point of falling into a pleasant doze of riches and conquest, when pinny penny came noisily into the room. he was preceded by two of the king's supervisors, who, urged forward by the fearless little prime minister, stood sulkily and defiantly before the throne. "well, what now?" demanded skamperoo, blinking his eyes sleepily. "can you not handle these arguments yourself, pinny penny? is a king to have no rest or privacy at all?" instead of answering, pinny penny took a small cotton bag from the tallest of the supervisors and handed it silently to the king. still half asleep, skamperoo untied the draw string of the small bag and emptied the contents into his fat hand. what he saw there made his eyes fly open--wide open! jewels! the very thing for which he had been wishing. "emeralds!" gasped the king, rubbing the glittering necklace between his fingers. "where did you get this, twobyfour?" "they were sent to your majesty by a merchant in the second county, who got them from a traveling peddler. the peddler had got them from a gilliken, who had got them from a quadling, who had got them from a munchkin, who had once lived in the emerald city of oz." "oz!" snapped the king, sitting up very straight. "where is oz?" "oz is a great and powerful kingdom on the other side of the deadly desert," answered twobyfour, looking uneasily over his shoulder at pinny penny. "then how did this peddler cross the desert?" demanded skamperoo, holding the necklace up to the light and feasting his eyes greedily on its gleaming emeralds. "that, i cannot say." twobyfour cast a longing glance at the door, heartily wishing himself on the other side. "then perhaps you will tell us why you did not turn this necklace over to the king?" suggested pinny penny mournfully. "yes, how dared you keep it?" panted skamperoo indignantly. "and what are you gaping at, threebysix? i'll wager you were in this, too." "he was," shouted twobyfour hoarsely. "he tried to steal the jewels from me. that's how he got the black eye." "but you tried to steal them from me, and what about _that_ my fine fellow?" twobyfour turned a painful and uncomfortable scarlet under the king's accusing eye. "in skampavia we have so little, your majesty," he stuttered miserably. "with these emeralds i thought i might buy a bit of land in some cooler and more comfortable country where my wife and two boys could be happy--a country where flowers would grow in a garden, and where a man would not have to spend his whole life wrestling with rocks and weeds and drilling for hours in the hot sun for no reason whatsoever." "hah!" exclaimed pinny penny, looking meaningly at the king. "hah, yourself!" grunted skamperoo wrathfully, then as the emeralds continued to sparkle and glitter in his hand his anger subsided. "you did very wrong to keep the necklace, twobyfour," he stated mildly. "but i have decided to forgive you. return now to the second county and explain to the merchant who gave you this necklace that i must have all three." "all three!" exclaimed twobyfour. "but he's entitled by law to two of them." "my word is the law here, and you can choose between a broken law or a broken head," skamperoo told him calmly. "he is the king," murmured pinny penny in a quiet voice. there was nothing sarcastic in the manner of his speech, but something in the prime minister's expression made the king prickle all over with discomfort. "yes, i am the king," he shouted explosively, "and moreover i have spoken. begone, both of you, and you, twobyfour, have two days to return with those two necklaces. the necklaces or your head, do you understand? and--er--er--you may tell that merchant in your county that he need send no more of his wares to the capital, the three necklaces will suffice," he bellowed as the two supervisors went bolting through the door. "how nice--they will suffice. you are the king," sniffed pinny penny with a sour smile. "are you a parrot or a prime minister? stop repeating that silly stuff and tell me about oz," commanded skamperoo, clasping the emerald necklace around his fat throat. "have you ever heard of this place, pinny penny? it must be a rich and marvelous country if peddlers can trade emerald necklaces as carelessly as we trade wooden beads." "it is a marvelous country," answered pinny penny thoughtfully. "i remember my father telling me about the capital of oz, an emerald city, where even the streets were inlaid with jewels and every tower and wall was studded with emeralds." "well, why have i never been told about this?" wheezed the king peevishly. "a country like that just a precious stone's throw away, so to speak." "your majesty has never cared for reading or study," pinny penny reminded him a bit maliciously. "in our library there is a whole history of oz." "fetch it! fetch it, bring it to me at once!" panted the king, bouncing up and down on his throne like a big bad baby (which in truth he was). "i must discover why oz is so rich and prosperous while we are so poor and unfortunate." "not so unfortunate and poor as we are unwise and greedy," stated pinny penny, stalking calmly across the room. "if your majesty would study ways to improve skampavia and allow your own subjects to keep a fair share of their crops and merchandise, we might be a powerful country, too." "nonsense! what can we do with a rocky little desert like this?" blustered skamperoo contemptuously. "skampavia is a dull little kingdom, a dumb little kingdom--a kingdumb, that's a good name for it." "and you?" murmured pinny penny under his breath as he hastened away to fetch the book on oz. returning, he plumped the fat volume down on the king's knees and stood back with folded arms. "well--well? do you expect me to read all this?" wailed skamperoo in dismay. "why, it would take a year or more. explain it to me, pinny penny. just give me the gist of the matter. just give me the gist--there, i've made a joke. ha! ha! ha! i've made a joke." "but oz is no joke," said the prime minister shortly, "your majesty had better get that through your head at once. now attend closely and i will endeavor to give you the most important facts about this rich and enchanting country across the desert. in the first place," pinny penny looked severely over his specs, "oz is about fifty times as large as skampavia, a great oblong, undulating country divided into four triangular kingdoms. each of these kingdoms has its own ruler, but all four are subject to the rule of ozma of oz, whose capital, the emerald city, is in the exact center of oz." "a girl?" exclaimed skamperoo, leaning forward excitedly. "how can a mere girl rule over an important country like that?" "by using her heart as well as her head, by encouraging thrift and rewarding industry," announced pinny penny in a tone that made the king wince. "your majesty would do well to read of her wise laws and plans for the betterment of her country." "you may just skip all that," sniffed skamperoo, closing his mouth stubbornly. "tell me who are the rulers of these four kingdoms and the general customs and characteristics of the people." closing his eyes and putting his finger tips together, pinny penny began solemnly: "the northern-most country of oz is the land of the gillikens, famed for its luscious grapes, plums, wisteria, and heather. it is a purple country and is ruled over by joe king and queen hyacinth, who live in an amethyst trimmed castle high in the gilliken mountains. the eastern empire of oz is a yellow country, known for its wheat, corn, butter, pumpkins, daffodils, and gold mines. nick chopper is emperor of the winkies and this singular ruler is entirely made of tin plate and celebrated in song and story as 'the tin woodman of oz.'" pinny penny paused a moment to catch his breath and then continued quietly: "the southland is red and noted for its strawberries, tomatoes, beets, red birds, red wood, and red-heads. glinda, the good sorceress, governs the quadlings, who make up its inhabitants, and she knows as much magic as ozma herself--" "oh, it's one of those magic places where one just snaps the fingers to get what he wants," sighed the king discontentedly. "well--well--go on--" "the western country of oz is blue," continued pinny penny obligingly, "and everyone has heard of its famous blue ridge mountains, its blue birds, its violets, its blue skies and its capital, the sapphire city. cheeriobed is king, and orin is queen of the munchkins, and they live in the sapphire city, in almost as much magnificence as ozma in the emerald city. is that all you wish to know?" "about the army?" muttered skamperoo, wrinkling up his forehead. "has this girl ruler a great army stationed at her capital?" pinny penny grinned in spite of himself. "the young fairy ruler of oz is opposed to all wars and fighting and has at her court an army consisting of one tall soldier with green whiskers," he explained hurriedly. "one soldier with green whiskers!" shouted the king, nearly tumbling off his throne. "i never heard anything more ridiculous in my life. i thought you said oz wasn't a joke and yet you stand there and tell me about an army of one soldier. why, that's the funniest thing i ever heard. ha, haw, haw!" "laugh if you wish," said pinny penny resignedly, "but don't forget that ozma has more magic appliances at her finger tips than we have pebbles on our desert. in her palace lives the famous wizard of oz, who can work every sort of transformation and enchantment, but does so only for the good of the country." "humph!" exclaimed the king. "well, how many fighting men have we?" "seven hundred skampavian soldiers in each of the seven counties," answered pinny penny reluctantly, "but let me warn your majesty that the idea you have in your head is sheer madness and will lead to nothing but ruin. take off your crown, put on your night cap and dream away this foolishness." "and a fine looking crown it is," snapped the king, snatching off his crown and looking at it angrily. "but these emeralds will brighten it up a bit, eh, pinny penny?" "it is not the sparkle of gems in a king's crown that count, it is the jewels of wisdom in the head under the crown that make him happy and well beloved--" "stop! enough!" yelled the king, hurling the crown with all his might at pinny penny. "when will you stop this infernal lecturing and scolding?" "when your majesty stops talking nonsense," sighed pinny, catching the crown with one hand and pulling a long bell cord with the other. "come now, let us have our tea and forget about oz," he proposed calmly. "lemon or cream, your highness?" "lemon!" growled the king sourly, and slapping open the book of history on his knees, he stared long and enviously at a picture of the emerald city of oz. chapter the king and the merchant two days had passed since skamperoo had come into possession of the emerald necklace. he had never taken it off for a moment. he even wore it to bed, and spent most of the daytime admiring himself and it in the palace mirrors. now, as the afternoon of the second day drew to a close, he kept bouncing over to the windows that commanded a view of the highway. "if that rascal does not turn up soon, i'll--i'll--" "explode, probably," predicted pinny penny, who was playing solitaire with the only pack of cards the castle afforded. "calm yourself, skamper, what good are these emeralds when you come right down to it?" "good? good? they are worth more than this whole miserable castle," answered the king indignantly. "i can sell them and buy--no, no, i'll never part with them," he corrected himself hastily. "they give me a feeling of importance and power. our star has risen, pinny penny. great days are ahead. hark! listen! is that a footstep in the courtyard?" darting back to the window, the portly monarch flattened his nose against the pane. "it's twoby! it's twobyfour!" he shouted hopping up and down like a school boy. "and there's a tall bearded stranger with him." "if your majesty will quietly seat yourself, i'll endeavor to announce them," reproved pinny penny, gathering up his cards. "remember you are a king and not a jumping jack." "oh--all right." skamperoo flung himself heavily down among his cushions and presently the tramp of feet along the corridor proclaimed the arrival of the long awaited supervisor. pinny penny advanced stiffly to meet him and after a whispered conversation he called out in a bored voice: "twobyfour, governor of our second province, and matiah, the merchant, your majesty!" "yes! yes? but where are the emeralds?" panted skamperoo, leaning forward eagerly as the two travelers advanced respectfully to the throne. drawing a small bag from his leather jerkin, twobyfour held it sullenly out to the king. "here, your majesty, and here also is the merchant who goes with the necklace." twobyfour haughtily indicated the turbaned skampavian beside him. "yes! yes, the merchant." the king, intent upon the jewels, did not even look up. "he goes with the necklaces, you say? well, ha! ha! now he may go without them. that is all i require of you, my good fellow, your presence here is not necessary or desirable. you may go. go, do you understand?" "go?" matiah drew himself up to his fullest height, which was pretty high, i can tell you. "perhaps your majesty will suggest where? for these three necklaces i traded my house, my shops, and all my other possessions. you say that is all, and it is indeed. since you have taken all i own and possess, your majesty must take me also. you owe me a living and i am here to say so." "say no more," put in pinny penny soothingly. "matiah is right, skamperoo, and well within his rights as well. we must make a place for him in the palace. what can you do?" he inquired practically. "do?" the merchant opened his eyes very wide. "do? i am a merchant accustomed to dealing in jewels, china, cloth, and basket wear." "then you'll be the very one to help out in the kitchen and laundry," proposed pinny penny brightly. "there are no jewels, but we have onions and potatoes a-plenty, and with the dirty dishes and hampers of soiled linens you will be right at home." "what?" screamed matiah, as twobyfour snickered behind his hand. "you require this mean-ial toil of me--matiah, son of metorah, son of metanic--merchants for these thousands of years? this is preposterous! an outrage! i will go! i will go indeed. i will start a war, an uprising--a revolution! help! help! help!" yelled the merchant shrilly. "the king has stolen my emeralds." "stop! stop! not so loud," begged skamperoo, leaping agilely off his throne and pattering anxiously after matiah. "you may leave us, pinny penny, i think i can find something better than kitchen work for this honest citizen." "humph!" snorted pinny penny, and motioning for twobyfour to follow him he marched disapprovingly from the royal presence. "you mustn't mind old pinny," puffed the king, dropping a bit breathlessly on his throne. "there, there, now, sit down and make yourself comfortable. as i was saying, pinny penny has very odd notions at times." "very odd," agreed matiah, and seating himself on a chair opposite the king, he fastened his eyes greedily on the sparkling chains now clasped firmly about the monarch's fat throat. "now, then, we must find something easy and pleasant for you," went on the king, scratching one ear reflectively. "you might, er--you might spend your time entertaining me. i'll wager you are just full of good stories, songs, and amusing tricks?" "tricks?" exclaimed the merchant, elevating his nose disdainfully. then a sudden gleam came into his small black eyes. "tricks!" he repeated more pleasantly. "ah, your majesty is right. how well you have guessed my secret." leaning forward, he held his hand up to his mouth and looking furtively over his shoulder, whispered hoarsely. "i am a magician, king, and well versed in the arts of sorcery." "sorcery!" cried skamperoo, clasping himself delightedly about his middle. "how perfectly panormick! magic is the very thing we need around here. tell me quickly, what can you do? how much magic do you know?" "is there some place where we can be quite alone?" matiah held up his hand mysteriously. "no one must know i am a magician--it must be a secret between us." "of course! of course!" agreed the king, rolling off his throne with more speed than dignity. "come to my private walled garden. no one can hear us there." "no one?" asked matiah sharply. "are there then no guards upon the wall?" "no guards--no servants--no one at all is allowed in my garden," the king assured him proudly. "and is there a door in the garden's wall?" matiah stroking his long beard stood regarding the king thoughtfully. "my first trick requires a door." "of course there's a door, or how should i get out and in myself? come along, come along!" waddling into the corridor, skamperoo started off at a quick trot for his private garden. matiah, grinning wickedly to himself, stepped softly after the king. once in the garden, he meant to have his necklaces, even if he had to take off the king's head to get them. "one sweep of my scimiter," murmured the merchant to himself. "ho, ho! this is too easy!" the king's garden when they reached it was no more than a small sandy square with some cactus plants in the center and a rickety bench against the wall. seating himself heavily on the bench, skamperoo made room for the merchant beside him. "now, then," he grunted hurriedly. "begin. show me what you can do. prove that you are a magician." "first i must have the necklaces," stated matiah calmly. "without the emeralds i cannot do a single trick." "but--but--if the magic is in the emeralds, i can be my own magician," answered skamperoo, clutching the chains with both hands. "but your majesty is not a magician," matiah told him reasonably. "you do not know the proper words or incantations. no, i myself must wear these magic jewels. and what harm is there in that? as soon as your wish is granted i will hand them straight back to you." "what's that? can you really grant wishes?" skamperoo's eyes began to snap and dance with greed and interest. "certainly," promised matiah, blinking shrewdly across the square and estimating with his eye the distance he should have to run to reach the door in the garden wall. "all you have to do is to think of something you want, close your eyes, count slowly to a hundred, and i, wearing the three necklaces, will easily grant your wish. i thought you trusted me and that we were going to be friends," he finished reproachfully. "we were--er--that is--here, take them!" unclasping the heavy chains, skamperoo, who already had a wish in mind, thrust them into the merchant's hands. closing his eyes, he made his wish and then began to count hysterically, "one--two--three--four--five--six." at six, matiah was half way across the garden, when horrors! a great white horse with a golden tail and mane dropped like a plummet from the sky. pawing up the sand in matiah's path, he flashed his yellow eyes so wickedly, the merchant fell back into the cactus bushes, where he lay screaming with shock, pain and amazement. but skamperoo, thinking all the noises he heard were but magic incantations, went calmly on with his counting. he had reached sixty before matiah had recovered himself enough to crawl out of the cactus and make his way cautiously back to the bench. the immense white horse continued to stare at him threateningly, but as it made no attempt to spring forward he began to regain a little of his usual assurance and courage. "great garoo! then there _was_ magic in the emeralds. this horse was undoubtedly the king's wish come true, a beastly wish!" shuddered the merchant as he stared in fascination at the pawing monster and wondered what to do next. he was afraid to run past the white horse and escape with the jewels, but hah! he could make a wish for himself, a wish that would carry him and the emeralds far from skampavia, the farther the better. closing his eyes, he muttered a hurried sentence and waited tensely to be transported to ev, a country he had once visited in his youth. but nothing at all happened, and gritting his teeth with vexation, matiah opened his eyes just as skamperoo finished counting a hundred. "so!" beamed the delighted monarch, embracing him heartily. "you have done it. you really _are_ a magician. behold my horse, a horse in a thousand. a golden maned charger fit for a king, for a conqueror--" "of all the dumb things," fumed matiah, wriggling fiercely away from skamperoo, "of all the dumb things to wish for, a horse is about the dumbest of all!" "dumb?" whinnied the white steed with an indignant snort. "i'm not a dumb beast, i can laugh, i can talk, that's becoz i'm from oz and my full name is chalk." "cha--lk?" quavered skamperoo, who had never heard an animal speak a word in his life. "he--he says his name's chalk." the king looked appealingly at the merchant and seeing he would have to live up to the role of magician, matiah assumed an air of careless superiority. "well, he doubtless knows his own name, your majesty. if he says his name is chalk it probably is chalk, and the reason he can talk is because he comes from oz, land of the magic necklaces, where all animals speak as well as we do." "better," sniffed chalk. then, taking an experimental nibble at the cactus, he gave a terrific squeal of pain and displeasure--flung up his heels and began to race around the garden at such a furious pace, matiah and the king jumped behind the bench and cowered miserably against the wall. "well, there you are!" panted the merchant angrily. "you have your horse and what now? he's yours, you know, and you'll have to control him." matiah ducked behind the king as chalk thundered past, covering them both with dust and sand. "if you ask me, you simply wasted a wish. why, you might have wished yourself a ton of emeralds--or a kingdom ten times as large and prosperous as skampavia--or--" "but there's plenty of time for that," sputtered skamperoo, holding desperately to the bench, "since you are a magician you can grant all of my wishes." "oh, no, no indeed!" matiah spoke hastily, remembering the way the emeralds had failed to grant his wish. "i can grant only one wish a week," he explained breathlessly, "and i trust next time you will think before you wish. whoa, there, you ozian brute! you silly monster. stop that! whoa! ho! whoa, i tell you!" "are you my master?" leaping lightly over the cactus, chalk came to a sudden halt before the bench. "no, this king is your master," answered matiah thankfully enough. "speak to him, skamper," he urged in a lower voice as chalk reared curiously up on his hind legs to have a good look at the king. "be--behave yourself," commanded skamperoo tearfully. "how do you expect me to ride on your back if you act like this?" "ah--so you expect to ride me?" chalk came down with a thud and grinned broadly at his new master. if you have never seen a horse grin, you have no idea how upsetting it can be. "well, i suppose i shall have to put up with you," he neighed finally. "just call a groom or a servant, old rub-atub, and see that i'm served my evening oats, three apples, and a measure of corn." "certainly, certainly," agreed the king, starting off on trembling legs. "well, i must say this is splendid, splendid!" protested matiah, hurrying nervously after the king. (he was afraid to stay in the garden with chalk.) "where do you expect to get, taking orders from a horse?" "i suppose you'd prefer me to take them from you!" puffed skamperoo, beginning to grow a little angry himself. "here, give me my necklaces." snatching the emeralds from the merchant's neck, he went charging into the palace hardly knowing whether to be glad or sorry for the sudden change in his fortunes. but by the time he reached his throne room, he had calmed down considerably. seating himself hurriedly on his throne, he pondered how he could keep all these strange occurrences from pinny penny. he felt sure pinny penny would never approve of magic necklaces or a talking horse. well now, he'd just tell his meddlesome prime minister that the stamping, snorting steed in the garden belonged to matiah and must be fed and stabled. when he made another wish--and he had a whole week to think about that--when he made another wish he would be careful to wish for everything he needed. as for this whiskery wizard--he would flatter him along until he discovered the right magic to use with the emeralds. then he would wish him away like that. like that! snapping his fingers spitefully, skamperoo pulled the long bell cord that summoned pinny penny. his royal charger should be fed. not many monarchs had a talking horse with a golden mane. aho, but he was coming on! he'd show pinny penny yet what a smart ruler he was! now matiah, following the king slowly into the palace, had done some reflecting, too. he resolved not to lose his temper again with this provoking simpleton of a sovereign. he would simply humor him along and before the week was out he would have another chance to steal the necklaces and escape to some far country. there at his leisure he would experiment until he discovered the right way to use them. he could not understand why the king had got his wish and his own wish had gone for nothing. what was the secret of the magic emeralds? with his forehead still wrinkled in thought, matiah entered the throne room and quietly seated himself in a chair opposite skamperoo. much to his relief, the king neither reproached nor upbraided him. "ah, so there you are?" he cried in his best meant-to-be-cheerful voice. "i have just sent pinny penny to feed your horse." "_my_ horse?" barked matiah, starting up in dismay, then catching a meaning wink from the king, he quickly winked back. "it seemed wisest," murmured skamperoo, "to say nothing of your magic powers for the present. all this will be our secret," he finished playfully. "oh, yes, yes--indubitably!" while skamperoo was still wondering what "indubitably" meant, matiah hurried out of the room and took a long drink of water from the old-fashioned fountain in the hall. "our secret!" he repeated bitterly to himself. "our secret, indeed!" chapter more about the emeralds skamperoo had not slept a wink. he tossed from side to side of the royal bed, his head simply buzzing with enchanting plans for the future. with the magic emeralds he could have everything he desired, and his desires and wishes were multiplying so rapidly he scarcely knew where to begin or what to wish first. the necklaces pressed uncomfortably against his throat, but he would not take them off. he was so weary he ached in every bone, but still he could not stop thinking, and just as the castle clock tolled seven the very thing he should wish for first came suddenly to him. ah, that was it--too bad he had to wait a whole week, but a week would pass and perhaps during that time he would discover for himself the magic secret of his sparkling new treasures. then he could be his own magician and put that meddlesome merchant in his place. as he was running over in his mind possible places to send matiah, the door of his room opened cautiously and pinny penny stuck in his head. "well! well? and did i ring?" grunted skamperoo fretfully. "this is a fine time to awaken an emperor." "emperor?" exclaimed pinny penny, coming all the way into the room and closing the door. "since when has skampavia's king become an emperor?" "oh, go away and don't bother me." turning his back on pinny penny, the king thumped his pillow and closed his eyes as tightly as he could. "it's all about the horse," whispered pinny penny, coming around to the other side of the bed. "a strange and magnificent animal for a mere merchant, if i may be permitted to say so. not only that--it talks. it's ordering the stable boys around in a shocking manner and it even told me to mind my own business." "well, why don't you?" suggested skamperoo, rolling over on his back. "of course he talks, pinny; he's an oz horse, and all animals from oz talk. i thought you knew that." "well, if this merchant has a talking horse, he is not so poor as he pretends," persisted pinny penny, shaking his finger under the king's nose. "my advice is to set the fellow on his horse and send him about his business as quickly as possible. i don't like his looks, skamper. he's mean and mischievous, and mark my words, no good will come of him or his necklaces." "i don't like his looks any better than you," agreed the king, clasping his fat hands on his stomach. "but if i keep the emeralds i must keep the merchant, and besides i've a notion i could ride that talking horse myself." "oh, good goats and gravy! then i'd best go and lay in a supply of splints and liniment." pushing his specs up on his forehead, pinny penny cast a disgusted glance at his huge reclining master and rushed hurriedly from the royal presence. now matiah, as you can well imagine, had slept no better than the king. in the small room to which pinny penny had taken him, he paced restlessly up and down. after all, he knew only two facts about the magic emeralds, the first that they really could, under certain conditions, grant wishes; the second, that they must not be worn by the person making the wish. this much the merchant had reasoned out for himself. as the king had got his wish while he, matiah, was wearing the necklaces, and he himself had not got the wish he made with the emeralds around his own throat, that much seemed certain. snapping his fingers joyfully and feeling sure the king was now wearing the jeweled chains, matiah made a second wish, counting slowly to a hundred. but the hearty supper he had ordered as a test failed to appear and flinging himself down on the bed he began to rack his brains for some other solution of the mystery. perhaps the magic power rested in a single stone which he had luckily touched as the king made his wish. holding his head with both hands, he tried to remember exactly what he had done as skamperoo began to count. but it was no use. he could not recall a single thing after he had started to run across the garden. and how, concluded the infuriated fellow, was he ever to discover the way to use the emeralds without arousing the king's suspicions or revealing the fact that he knew no more about them than skamperoo himself? muttering with vexation, he kicked a foot stool all the way across the room and sat staring morosely at the worn carpet. the short, uneasy nap he finally got before morning did him no good, and cross and jumpy as a cougar, he made his way to the dingy dining hall of the palace. the king had already breakfasted, and looking out of the window, matiah saw a terrified servant leading the talking horse around the courtyard, skamperoo following at a safe distance. the sight of the stamping white charger made matiah shudder anew. what a waste! he reflected bitterly, and if the king grew fond of the saucy monster it would make his own task even more difficult, for until he succeeded in stealing the necklaces, matiah did not intend to let skamperoo out of his sight. gulping down the weak coffee and cold eggs a shabby servant grudgingly placed before him, he hastened outside. "good morning, your majesty!" he called out heartily. "and may i have a word with your royal highness?" "what kind of a word?" snickered chalk, rolling his yellow eyes roguishly round at the merchant. "give him a word, old rub-atub, if that's all he wants. the right word for him, i should say, would be 'go!' or 'no!' and then we all could be happy." "it is about the necklaces," confided matiah, ignoring the horse utterly, and falling easily into step with the king. "they must be cleaned every day to keep them in good wishing condition." "but i was just going for a ride," objected skamperoo with a little frown, "won't this afternoon do?" "no, now is the proper time," answered matiah impressively, thinking how clever he was to have invented this ruse to get hold of the emeralds. "if your majesty will just give them to me, i'll polish them up while you are--er--exercising." "no--no--er--that is, i'd better come and help you," skamperoo spoke quickly. "i can ride this afternoon." "you think so?" with an exuberant prance, chalk rose on his hind legs and spun around like a pinwheel. "well, see you later, old sos!" and with the terrified stable boy hanging to his bridle he went galloping off to the stable. "if you take my advice, you'll have that creature knocked on the head," said matiah savagely. "surely you won't endanger our lives by riding on his back?" "our lives!" exclaimed skamperoo, looking at matiah in surprise. "you do not have to ride him; in fact, he's really my horse," he stated jealously. "so long as your majesty wears the magic necklaces i must go wherever you go and do whatever you do!" explained the merchant loftily. "how--how very awkward!" in spite of himself, skamperoo groaned as he thought how tiresome it would be with matiah trailing after him from morning till night. "i should think a magician like yourself could arrange things more sensibly." "but consider what is at stake," matiah reminded him earnestly. "together we can have and do anything we wish. is that not worth a little inconvenience?" "yes, yes, i suppose so. but if we are to do everything together, i think i should know the magic wishing formula as well as you." skamperoo looked defiantly up at his newest advisor. "that is impossible." striding along stiffly, matiah shook his head. "the incantation once revealed becomes powerless. only one versed in magic is permitted to use the emeralds. have you thought at all about your next wish?" he asked, anxious to direct the king's mind into more cheerful channels. "we should plan and consult about it together, you know. but wait until we are in your majesty's throne room," he added quickly, as skamperoo began to open and shut his mouth like a fish without saying anything. "while i am cleaning the necklaces we can talk it over, yes?" matiah's fingers fairly itched for the sparkling jewels, but restraining a mad impulse to snatch them from the king's throat, he walked along quietly beside skamperoo talking so calmly and convincingly that he soon had the skampavian monarch not only willing but anxious to reveal the wish that had kept him awake most of the night. first assuring himself that they were alone and locking the door so they would not be disturbed, the king seated himself at a small table. matiah drew up a chair opposite and held out his hand for the necklaces. reluctantly skamperoo handed them over, keeping a jealous eye on the jewels as the merchant began polishing them with a small square of silk he had taken from his pocket. as he rubbed the silk over the emeralds, matiah carefully examined each one for some mark or sign that would give him a clue to their magic power. intent as he was upon this task, a few low spoken words of skamperoo made him sit suddenly erect and regard the king with new respect and attention. how in thunderation, thought matiah wonderingly, had this fat silly monarch ever managed to hit upon such a magnificent and breath-taking wish, and as skamperoo explained and elaborated upon his plans and schemes for the future, the merchant's interest grew apace. quicker and cleverer than the king, he saw not only the possibilities of this splendid wish, but all the difficulties and problems that must be met and disposed of before it could be reasonably granted. leaning forward, the emeralds for the moment forgotten, he put his mouth close to skamperoo's ear. "there are three things that must be done before your wish can be realized." matiah spoke tensely. "first, ... second, ... third, ...." after each short whispered direction skamperoo nodded to show that he understood. "then it will take four wishes to do it," he sighed, resting his elbows heavily on the table. "that will be four weeks, won't it?" "no, perhaps if we are careful we can work it all into one," answered matiah thoughtfully, and taking up his bit of silk he began polishing the emeralds with renewed vigor. the king, watching him, forgot his former dislike and distrust. matiah's enthusiastic approval of his plans made him feel that perhaps he had misjudged this long-faced, whiskered stranger. perhaps he would not wish him away, after all. he might prove very useful in the strange and magnificent future that stretched ahead. matiah, on his part, had no such kindly intentions toward the king. he merely meant to make skamperoo's wish his own, and so grand and daring was the prospect that he grew more impatient than ever to discover the way to accomplish it. holding all three necklaces up to the light, he squinted at them anxiously. the chains seemed identical in every respect, but no--what was this? one had a diamond clasp, while the clasps on the other two were of flattened emeralds. this, then, was the solution. the magic wishing power undoubtedly rested in the diamond clasp. revealing in no way his satisfaction and elation over this important discovery, matiah handed the necklaces back to the king. somehow, decided the merchant, he must make skamperoo touch the diamond clasp while he silently repeated the king's wish, but before that he needed a little time to prepare himself for the grand and glorious years that were to be his. as skamperoo, exhausted by so much thinking early in the morning, waddled wearily over to his throne, matiah strode to the book shelves located in an adjoining alcove. "while your majesty rests i will have a look at this interesting library," he murmured ingratiatingly, "and at the same time store up some useful information for the future." skamperoo sleepily returned the merchant's broad wink, then, sinking back among his cushions, closed his eyes. from his chair in the alcove, matiah could keep the king in view, and satisfied that skamperoo was really asleep, he began hurriedly turning over the pages of the large volume pinny penny had but that morning returned to the shelves. soon he became so absorbed he forgot all about the king. and that was a pity, for had he taken the trouble to look, he would have discovered that the king was no longer _there_. chapter the king and his talking horse now it is true that the king had closed his eyes as matiah settled himself in the alcove to read, but he was very far from asleep. in fact, no more than five minutes had been ticked away by the old-fashioned clock, in the corner before skamperoo straightened up as if suddenly struck by lightning. casting a cautious look at the quiet merchant, he began to slide rapidly toward the door. opening it without a sound, he slipped out into the corridor and, closing it just as softly, went puffing away to the quarters of the white wishing horse at the back of the courtyard. though usually unenterprising and dull, we must credit skamperoo with one brilliant idea. as chalk had been brought to skampavia by the magic emeralds, why should he not know the trick of using them? fairly panting with eagerness and impatience, skamperoo jerked open the door of the stable and stepped recklessly into chalk's stall. "ah, the little kingaling!" whinnied chalk, tossing his mane gaily. for some reason or other he found his fat master tremendously amusing, and while he had an immediate desire to trample on matiah and frighten off the stable boys, he felt only an affectionate tolerance for the tubby little ruler of skampavia. "have you come for your ride?" he inquired, giving the king a playful poke with his soft nose. "no, i've come to talk to you," wheezed skamperoo, seating himself carefully on an overturned water bucket. "quick, tell me all you know about these magic emeralds." touching his three necklaces with a trembling forefinger, the king looked imploringly into the face of his new and powerful steed. "humph!" chalk shifted a mouthful of hay to his other cheek. "well, as to that, or rather them, all that i know is nothing. you forget that i only came into existence yesterday afternoon." "of course, of course! i was the one who wished you here," explained the king impatiently. "you wished me here?" mused chalk, staring meditatively at the comical figure on the water bucket. "well, i hardly know whether to thank you or to jump on you with all four feet. even without any experience at all, i can see that this is no place for me." "you're right," sighed skamperoo, clasping his knees dejectedly. "it's no place for me, either. that is why i must know about the emeralds. they can satisfy our every wish, and if we just knew how to use them we could go away together." "you think you could manage that!" sniffed chalk, who had his own opinion as to what would happen once the king mounted on his back. "yes, together!" insisted skamperoo. "try to think," he begged earnestly. "you say you know nothing, then how did you know you came from oz and your name and all that?" "that's right, how did i?" putting one ear forward and one ear backward, chalk swallowed his hay with a quick gulp. "there must be a lot of stuff in my head that i practically know nothing about," he reasoned thoughtfully. "suppose you tell me exactly what happened and then i'll tell you what i think of it." so, hunching forward, skamperoo recounted the whole story of the merchant and the necklaces, how he and matiah had retired to his private garden, how there, with the merchant wearing the emeralds, his first wish had been granted. "and a splendid wish it was, too," sighed skamperoo, looking fondly up at his white horse. "never forget that you were my first wish, fellow." "i'm hardly likely to forget myself," snickered chalk loftily, "but attend closely, old crown and scepter, when i dropped down into that garden yon whiskered merchant was running for the gate as if his life depended on it. he only stopped because he was afraid to pass me, and from the way he fell into those cactus bushes, i'll wager he was as astonished as you were that the emeralds had granted your wish." chalk wrinkled his forehead shrewdly. "i don't believe he knows any more about the necklaces than we do. if he did, he would never have sent you one in the first place, and he would have granted all of his own wishes and been in some splendid other place. matiah's a fraud!" finished the king's horse vehemently, "and means to steal back the emeralds." "of course! of course! oh! oh! why didn't i think of that myself? what shall we do now?" wailed skamperoo, jumping up so quickly he overturned the bucket, for chalk's frankly spoken opinion confirmed his own suspicions of the merchant. "sit down," advised the white horse, not unkindly. "i may not be a magician, but i have a little sense, and horse sense is what your majesty needs more than anything else." as skamperoo righted the bucket and meekly sat down again, chalk closed his eyes, standing silent and motionless for so long the king thought he had fallen into a trance. but just as he began to fidget nervously about on the uncomfortable edge of the bucket, the white horse opened his eyes and flashing a triumphant smile at skamperoo, began calling in a loud, lordly voice. "boy! boy! boy!" while the king regarded him with mingled misgivings and admiration, chalk snapped out directions to the clumsy little groom who came running in answer to his summons. when his mane and tail had been thoroughly brushed and he was decked out once more in the splendid saddle and trappings he had worn on his first appearance in skampavia, he dismissed the groom with a haughty toss of his head. "come!" he breathed mysteriously. "climb up, skamperoo, and we'll skamperoodle before that rascally merchant even misses us. have you decided upon the place we are to go?" he questioned curiously as the king made seven frantic attempts to put his foot in the golden stirrup. "heh! heh! heh! the other foot, master. how do you ever expect to mount that way? stand on the bucket, kingaling, catch hold of the saddle and pull. it's easy as oats once you get the hang of it." "is it?" lying mournfully on his back where he had fallen after his last effort, skamperoo gazed mournfully upward and chalk himself began to champ, snort and switch his tail with irritation. "you wished me on yourself and now it looks as if you would have to wish yourself on me," he muttered savagely. "here, give me those necklaces--hang them over my ear and let's have done with this shameful exhibition." "you mean--if i wish myself upon your back i will really be there?" panted skamperoo, bouncing up like a rubber ball. "you mean you have discovered the secret of the emeralds?" "certainly!" the white horse regarded him scornfully through half-closed eyes, and the king, all too willing to be convinced, unclasped his three necklaces and, standing on tip toe, hung them over chalk's right ear. "i--i wish to be upon this creature's back," puffed skamperoo, his cheeks swelling out with suspense and importance. "one, two, three, four, five, six--" and scarcely had he begun to count before he found himself firmly seated in the saddle. "now, now, not another word," commanded chalk sternly. "before you dare to speak, take those emeralds off my ear." with shaking hands the king did as he was told, his heart pounding so violently it almost kicked a hole in his shirt. "that's right," directed the white horse more mildly. "now suppose you tell me where you intend to wish us and what we do after that? wishes are pretty quick, you know, and it is best to be prepared." "but--but i cannot understand how you made them work," spluttered skamperoo. "it's wonderful--it's marvelous, do you understand what this means?" "perfectly." chalk rolled his eyes triumphantly round at his greedy little master. "my head seems to be full of magic, which is not strange, seeing that i was magically brought into existence and the trick of the necklaces once i got to thinking about them is quite simple. now i am what i am--a horse, and quite satisfied, but you with these emeralds may easily make a jackass of yourself, so you had better tell me what you wish before you wish it. for instance," he went on reprovingly, "if instead of wishing yourself upon my back, you had wished yourself a good horseman, how much wiser that would have been. there's a lot more to riding than getting into the saddle, you know. but never mind that now, what was this great big wish you and matiah were planning together?" leaning so far forward he almost lost his balance, skamperoo hurriedly whispered into chalk's left ear his grand and glorious wish for the future, being careful to add to his own wish the three crafty suggestions made by the clever merchant. "you are sure this is what you desire?" chalk looked sharply and a little sadly at the rotund and royal figure on his back. "you mean to go away and leave your own people without a thought or care? isn't there anyone here you would like to take along or give a share of your good fortune?" the king shook his head violently. "i might make a wish for pinny penny," he added rather sheepishly. "good idea," sniffed chalk. "what are you going to give old skinny pins? you know i rather like that old codger." without delay and a bit spitefully the king told him, and as this time chalk found no fault with the wish, skamperoo again placed the emeralds over chalk's ear and quickly spoke nine words. then, without waiting to see whether pinny penny got his wish, chalk again took command. "if you do exactly as i say, we'll get off before matiah discovers you are gone and comes down here to slice off your head to get his necklaces," said the white horse severely. lowering his voice to a whisper, he slowly enunciated four brief sentences. tingling partly with fright and partly with anticipation, skamperoo repeated the four sentences after chalk and began his counting. but, stars! scarcely had he reached ten before he felt a great lift and lurch, had just time to snatch back his emeralds and seize the reins before he and the huge white wishing horse, without leaving even a rustle in the quiet air, had gone, vanished and completely disappeared from skampavia. chapter a great celebration in oz "why all the crown jewels, old toz?" resting his chin on the window ledge, highboy looked inquiringly into the dressing room of joe king, ruler of the gillikens and all of the purple countries of oz. the king's apartment was on the tenth floor of the royal palace, but this made no difference to highboy, for highboy was a giant horse whose telescope legs could be raised or lowered to any level, making him one of the most amazing and amusing animals in oz. "i say, are we going anywhere in particular?" he drawled curiously as the king, decked out in his best braided traveling coat and amethyst crown, surveyed himself cheerfully in the long mirror. "we!" chuckled the merry monarch, turning round with a hearty roar. "ho, ho, ho! and how do you know you are going?" "well, i see you are wearing your best purple boots, and when the king of all the gillikens wears his best purple boots, he usually rides his best purple horse, does he not?" "right," admitted the king good naturedly. "and i might as well tell you at once that we are going to the capital at the express invitation of her imperial highness, queen ozma of oz!" the king cleared his throat importantly. "there is to be an immense festival to celebrate the discovery of oz by mortals, the honors to be equally divided between the famous wizard who arrived here in a balloon from omaha many years ago, and little dorothy, who came by way of a kansas cyclone somewhat later. not only will the rulers of all four oz kingdoms be present, but many other important and royal personages as well." "well? well, indeed!" trumpeted the giant horse shrilly. "there you stand all shined up like a door knob and never a word to me. how'll i look? why wasn't i told before? when do we start?" "just as soon as her majesty decides what to wear and what to take with her," answered the king with a solemn wink. "oh, then i'll have bushels of time." highboy sighed heavily with relief. "so we're invited to the emerald city, eh? how perfectly perf, how simply magnif. billy! tommy! jim!!" as he called the name of each little groom, highboy let himself down a couple of stories and by the time he reached a usual horse height and level on the ground, he had ordered himself a bath, a mane wave, an oil shampoo, and a hooficure. indeed, highboy's plans for the party went on apace and with the three grooms pattering after him with buckets, brushes, and sponges, he trotted anxiously up and down his great airy stable picking out his most splendid saddle and bridle and silver-braided blanket for the journey. the giant horse wished to make an impression that would uphold if not enhance the honor and reputation of the gillikens. he was eager to renew his friendship with trot, a little mortal girl who lived in the palace and with herby, the medicine man, and the many other interesting characters he had met on a former visit to the capital. in the munchkin, quadling, and winkie kingdoms there was also a lively bustle and stir of preparation, and in many of the lesser kingdoms the kings, queens, and potentates made ready for the great spring festival in the emerald city. and you can imagine the fun and excitement in the capital itself. everyone had some special part in the program, even the dogs and cats ran importantly about on countless errands like small messengers, their ears and tails quivering with interest and expectancy. after the visitors had been officially welcomed at the gates of the city, there was to be an imperial procession with bands, floats and favors for everybody. then there were to be games, races, and other exciting athletic events and a grand banquet in the royal palace. a magic lantern ball in ozma's garden would complete the festivities for the first day. for the second, pageants and tableaux depicting the important and historical events of ozian history had been arranged for the morning. notta bit more, a circus clown who had come to oz from philadelphia, was putting on an outdoor circus in the afternoon, helped by bob up, the orphan who had come with him, and all the famous animals in the emerald city. from the squeals, shouts, and hilarious chuckles issuing from the huge white tent set just beyond the city wall, it promised to be an unqualified success. after the circus, ozma had planned a picnic supper on the banks of the winkie river, to be followed by demonstrations in magic by the wizard of oz and glinda, the good sorceress of the south, and last, but not least, a lavish display of fireworks sent especially for the grand occasion by happy toko, emperor of the silver isles. no wonder the children in the emerald city could think of nothing but the coming celebration. no wonder dorothy, trot, and bettsy bobbin, the little mortals who lived in the great palace and were princesses in their own right, were too busy to think of their titles or bother with their crowns. dorothy, the first of the three to reach the capital, was ozma's favorite companion, and dorothy was perhaps the busiest of all. not only had she planned all the tableaux and pageants, but had entire charge of decorating the palace and the emerald city as well. the scarecrow, whom dorothy had discovered on her earliest trip to oz, was her most willing and tireless assistant. this lively straw-stuffed gentleman had brains given him by the wizard and was in high favor and constant demand because of his natural cheerfulness and amiable disposition. at the moment, he and dorothy were superintending the erection of a floral arch over the great jeweled gates of the city. this arch, grown and tended by the wizard, was so magically compounded that as each visitor rode through the gateway a ribbon-tied bouquet of fragrant spring flowers dropped lightly into his or her lap. dorothy and the scarecrow had tried it out to their complete delight and satisfaction, and now clasping their large bouquets, watched three energetic little gardeners tie up the last tendrils of the magic vine to the gaily painted arbor. "you know," said dorothy, peering over the flower tops at the scarecrow, "i can hardly wait till tomorrow. to think we'll be seeing sir hokus and ojo and unk nunkie and urtha and prince tatters and all the others--" "and they'll be seeing us, too, remember that," beamed the scarecrow, closing one cotton eye. "and now, if you think you can manage for a few minutes without me, i had better go and study up on my speech of welcome." "oh--are you making the speech of welcome? how grand! how thrilling!" dorothy gazed admiringly up at her oldest friend in oz. "yes, and i'm also making the speech awarding medals to the discoverers of our country," confided the scarecrow, thrusting out his chin and striking an attitude. "how will you feel when i pin that medal on your chest, my girl?" "well," sighed dorothy, looking dreamily over her bouquet, "i couldn't feel any happier than i do now, but it certainly will be a great honor, scarecrow." "a great honor! well, i should snickerty wicker. but what if i forget my speech right in the middle of a word!" the scarecrow pushed back his old blue hat and puckered up his forehead anxiously. "how will i feel with all those kings and queens staring right at me? really, i think ozma had better have someone else make the speeches." "oh, go along with you," laughed dorothy, giving him a little push. "haven't you magic brains? you'll be a splendid speechmaker." "do you think so? well, i'll do my best." somewhat reassured, the scarecrow patted dorothy on the shoulder and started off through the park. dorothy could tell from the way he flung his arms about that he was rehearsing, and with an amused little smile she hurried back to the palace to put the finishing touches to the decorations for ozma's throne room. half way there, she met the hungry tiger carrying a large basket in his teeth and followed by ten little kitchen boys, also bearing enormous baskets. "good gracious, tige, what's this?" dorothy stared at the little procession in surprise. the hungry tiger and cowardly lion have lived in the emerald city almost as long as dorothy and though the tiger's appetite is tremendous and he is always threatening to eat a fat baby, he has never yet done it and is tame as dorothy's pet kitten eureka. "oh, hadn't you heard?" the hungry tiger set down his basket and smoothed back his whiskers complacently. "i'm the head of the reception committee for all visiting animals and am on my way now to buy refreshments for the great banquet and picnic. and trust me," he gave dorothy a broad wink, "to do it right. just let me see that list, kapo." taking a long slip from the first kitchen boy, he began to drone off the names of the capital's famous four-footed citizens and then the list of visitors. "of course, there must be meat for the cowardly lion and myself," mused the tiger, blinking his eyes sleepily. "then there's hank, bettsy bobbin's mule, and doubty, that dromedary you and sir hokus brought back from one of those strange journeys; and we mustn't forget peter's iffin, though he doesn't eat much. put down a box of violets and geraniums for the iffin, kapo, my lad. ozma's saw horse and the woozy being of wood don't care for food, but that fine pink pig pigasus eats enough for a dozen horses, and toto, your little dog, and billina must be taken care of too, and scrap's bear, grumpy." "of course," agreed dorothy, leaning her elbow on the tiger's back so she could read the list over his shoulder. "but they all live here. who's coming from foreign parts, tiger?" "well," confided the tiger, "you'll be glad to know our old friend the comfortable camel is making the trip with hokus, i mean the yellow knight, and marygolden, the princess he married, is riding a warhorse named stampedro. the king and queen of the gillikens will make the trip on the giant horse (quite a lot of horses, aren't there), and i hope highboy keeps his legs in bounds. it makes me nervous to see a creature one height one minute and another height the next. you knew the prince of pumperdink was bringing kabumpo, the elegant elephant?" "don't you mean that kabumpo is bringing him?" put in dorothy mischievously, "and won't you be glad to see him again?" "yes, i'll be glad enough to see him," murmured the tiger, "but feeding him is quite a big problem." "well, you're just the one to do it," said dorothy, smoothing away the wrinkle between the tiger's pointed ears. "you have such a big appetite yourself, you'd know just how hungry an elephant would feel. i see you've got roger down, too." "i'm pretty sure king ato will bring his read bird, so i'm ordering a dozen boxes of animal crackers for roger and a barrel of apples for snufferbux." "i wonder if he'll dance for us." dorothy's eyes brightened, for she had taken a great fancy to the faithful bear with whom ojo had traveled all over oz. "he's bound to be jolly and full of fun." "and hungry as a bear," sighed the tiger with a worried frown. "but that is easy compared to a dragon. king cheeriobed is bringing a dragon, and this dragon's on a diet of mustard and sulphur--think of that, my child, and say--i'd best get along or i'll never get my marketing done." "and i must go, too," said dorothy, reminded of her many responsibilities. so, giving the tiger's ear an affectionate pull, she ran all the way back to the palace. in the throne room she found ozma and tik tok in a quiet conference. "i've made tik tok master of ceremonies," said ozma, looking up with a smile of welcome, "because he never forgets what he's wound up to remember." "and i'll be sure to keep him wound up," promised dorothy, patting the machine man on his copper shoulder. tik tok was another of dorothy's discoveries and had been manufactured by a magician to be a slave of the king of ev, but here he was, thanks to dorothy, enjoying a life of interest and ease in the capital. tik tok could talk, think, and move about as well as anyone when he was wound, and was much more reliable and tireless than a real person. "i am to an-nounce the vis-i-tors as they en-ter the pal-ace and per-son-a-al-ly con-duct them to their roy-al quar-ters," tik tok told dorothy in his slow and precise manner. "oz-ma can de-pend on me ab-so-lute-ly and ev-e-ry thing will go like clock-work." with two stiff bows and ticking with importance, the metal man marched proudly from the room. "like clock-work. ha, ha! did you hear that, and why not with a clock-work man in charge? oh, ozma, doesn't it all look grand and gorgeous?" clasping the little queen around her slender waist, dorothy gazed around the beautiful throne room. every window and doorway was garlanded with flowers, while hundreds of palms, ferns, and fluttering silk pennants gave it an unwonted look of pomp and ceremony. "let--me--see," mused dorothy, straightening the folds of a white satin curtain. "i'm to stand on your right, bettsy bobbin and trot on your left, and the patchwork girl is to hold your train at the grand reception. do you think you can trust her, ozma? she'll probably try to jump rope or wave it like a handkerchief." "oh, scraps is pretty good, considering her giddy make up," observed ozma with a little smile, "and she would be so disappointed not to be with us. i'm sure i can trust her--at least for a little while." "trust me? trust me? you disgust me," shouted a merry voice and scraps, who had been peeking through the curtains at the back of the room, took a long running slide, landing in an unladylike heap at the foot of the dais leading to the throne. scraps, made from an old crazy quilt and stuffed with cotton, had been brought to life by a magician to serve his wife, but the patch work girl had come to the emerald city with ojo and never returned to her creators, scorning the humble career of a maid servant. she was so gay and amusing ozma had allowed her to remain at the palace. "must i go in training to hold a train?" she demanded, springing to her feet and striking so comical an attitude both dorothy and ozma had to laugh. "of course not," said ozma kindly, "just be careful and do not do any gymnastics during the reception." "oh, i'll be careful and so dignified i'll probably split a seam, but wait till you see the grand-aerial-balance-defying stunt i'm to put on for the big show," puffed scraps, snapping her button eyes boastfully. "i'm to walk the tight rope in notta's circus, so so long, girls, i must go and practice." "well, even if she falls it won't matter," remarked dorothy with a slight shudder as the patch work girl jumped recklessly out of the window, and picking herself up set off for the circus grounds on the edge of the park. "oh, ozma, with all the interesting people here already and with all the grand and exciting ones who are coming, i believe we'll have the best time we've ever had since oz was discovered." "are you glad you discovered us?" giving her an affectionate squeeze, ozma linked her arm through dorothy's. "let's see how the wizard is getting on with his tricks for the picnic." dorothy nodded eagerly, and hand in hand the two girls hurried across the corridor to the laboratory of the wonderful wizard of oz. chapter a strange warning the first day of the grand celebration dawned clear and bright. the emerald city had never seemed more sparkling or fair. flags fluttered from every tower and turret of the palace; each house wore a garland of flowers and flaunted a dozen silken banners in the fresh spring breeze. the streets were alive with ozma's subjects suitably costumed for the big parade, and when, shortly after noon, the royal visitors began to arrive, the castle bells broke into a joyous tolling, the hundred bands struck up the oz national anthem and the magnificent and beautiful floats began to swing into line. the scarecrow's address of welcome at the city gates had been greeted with wild enthusiasm and applause, and now, happy but somewhat breathless, the indefatigable straw man mounted on the saw horse was leading the illustrious guests into the city, where they were to join the royal procession and proceed in triumph to the west gardens of the park. what shouts and cheers went up from the happy throngs as that impressive company in their glittering coaches or riding their favorite steeds moved majestically through the emerald-studded streets of the capital. directly following the scarecrow, all in red and wearing her tallest ruby crown, was glinda the good sorceress of the south, her swan-drawn chariot seeming to float by itself. marching cheerfully after the ruler of the quadlings came nick chopper the nickel plated emperor of the winkies, polished to the highest degree but democratically afoot, marching in the center of his ten splendid uniformed winkie guards. a few steps behind the tin woodman, and prancing along in hardly restrained exuberance, was the giant horse, proudly bearing joe king and queen hyacinth, king and queen of the gillikens. and highboy not only carried his own head high, but he had elevated his sovereigns above everyone else in the procession so that none could miss the happily smiling rulers of the north. a dazzling blue dragon had pulled the coach of king cheeriobed, queen orin and prince philador all the way from sapphire city, and an eye-filling sight was the royal family of the munchkins. kabumpo, the elegant elephant, resplendent in his jeweled robe, swayed haughtily along after cheeriobed's blue coach, waving his trunk in a dignified way to his friends in the crowd. in the canopied seat on his back rode prince pompadore and peg amy of pumperdink, easily the handsomest young couple in oz. peering mischievously out the side of his gaily painted jinrikisha was the merry red jinn, himself, and no one could view the rotund little wizard of ev without feeling happier. jinnicky's body was a great red jar. he wore the lid for a hat and when he grew bored or sleepy he would simply retire into himself like a turtle. but now he did not feel at all like retiring and was showering ginger cookies right and left and simply beaming with interest and jollity. the king and queen of ragbad rolled briskly along in their shabby but comfortable open coach. with them were prince tatters, urtha, his flowery little princess, and grandpa, an old soldier with a wooden leg, who had gone through many wars and hardships for the sake of his country. but the shout that greeted the yellow knight was loudest and longest of all. the prince of corumbia had lived in the emerald city for many years as sir hokus of pokes, before he was disenchanted and became the young and charming husband of princess marygolden of corabia. sir hokus rode the comfortable camel, and camy, who had also spent part of his life in the capital, came in for his full share of the cheering. princess marygolden was mounted on stampedro, the knight's great stamping war horse, and stampedro was a sight to make any little boy's heart beat faster. ato, king of the octagon isles, and samuel salt, a reformed pirate, now royal discoverer and explorer for the crown, traveled together in ato's octagon chariot drawn by eight prancing black horses with eight footmen in eight-sided hats on the high seat behind his merry little majesty. roger, the read bird, perched proudly on the king's shoulder, reading out the signs and street names as they bowled merrily over the gold paving stones, and chuckling to himself in eight different languages. last, but by no means least, came the king and queen of seebania, the king's uncle, better known in the emerald city as unc nunkie, and the king's son ojo. the king and queen were seated sedately in the silver coach of seebania, but ojo and his pet bear snufferbux were proudly mounted on the back of roganda, queen of the unicorns. this handsome snow white beast, who had happened to be visiting ojo at the time, could not only send her horn darting out like a lance, but could blow it as well. the sound of its clear, bell-like notes made many a trumpeter in ozma's band turn round with surprise and envy. drawn up to meet her impressive visitors was ozma herself. the royal float of her imperial highness was formed like a sea shell. on an uncut emerald in the center sat the little ruler of all the ozians dressed in a shimmering white robe, wearing her flashing emerald crown and never in all the thousand years of her young life had this lovely young fairy looked more beautiful. also in white were her attendants, dorothy, bettsy, and trot, each wearing an emerald circlet and carrying a long wand draped with spring flowers. as the scarecrow brought his bright cavalcade to a triumphant halt, ozma's float, drawn by the hungry tiger and the cowardly lion, swung into place at the head of the line. the other emerald city floats, first waiting for the royal equipages and mounts of the visitors to pass, swept after them in a burst of music and color. the wizard of oz had chosen a huge revolving green ball on which the nimble little necromancer ably kept his balance as he propelled himself along. after him came jack pumpkinhead, riding the iffin. herby, the medicine man, clinging precariously to the doubtful dromedary's hump, the pills and boxes in his medicine chest rattling like castanets, was another figure of interest. the float of notta bit more represented a circus ring, and the antics of the clown, pigasus, bob up, scraps, hank and grumpy, the patch work girl's bear, kept the onlookers in a gale of hilarity. tik tok had rigged up a mechanical handcar, which he operated himself. benny, the live statue of a public benefactor, who had come to oz from boston, strode solidly along, an expression of pride and deep satisfaction on his well-carved features. beside benny marched the soldier with green whiskers, looking neither to the left or right, as became a man who represented in his own person the whole and entire army of oz. i have only mentioned the most outstanding of the emerald city paraders. besides these, there were countless marchers and hundreds of miniature castles, ships, huge make-believe sea serpents and dragons, and in a blaze of color and harmony they wound through the streets of the capital, ending up in the west gardens of the palace, where the boys and girls from professor wogglebug's athletic college distinguished themselves in a series of gymnastic displays and the scarecrow established an all-time record for pole vaulting. by the time ozma had awarded the cups and trophies, the sun had begun to slip down behind the treetops, and in high spirits and with splendid appetites the royal party and the royal guests turned toward the castle. here tik tok, who had hurried on ahead, nobly discharged his duties as master of ceremonies. the cowardly lion did the honors for the four footed visitors, leading each to an airy shower-equipped stall in the royal stable, so they could rest and refresh themselves before the grand banquet. and how shall i do justice to that dazzling affair? for the first time in its history the magnificent dining hall was filled to capacity. easily as large as a city park, there was just room for the two long, sparkling, flower-laden banquet tables, the first for ozma's courtiers and guests, the second for the palace pets and visiting animals. the scarecrow caused a roar of hilarity as the diners took their places by donning a pair of dark spectacles to prevent eye-strain from the flashing of so many jewels and crowns. with each course of the long delicious dinner ozma had a different king, queen, or celebrity at her side, and so cleverly had it all been arranged, each guest had the honor of sitting for a time beside the kingdom's little fairy ruler. soft music floated down from the balcony where the royal orchestra was concealed behind a bower of palms. the bright robes and jewels of the banqueters and the emerald and silver dinner service twinkled and sparkled in the magic glow of a thousand candles. the hundred footmen were swift and skillful, the speeches were short and merry, "and never," thought dorothy, looking around with a little thrill of satisfaction, "never has there been so grand and yet delightful a party!" the hungry tiger had remembered the tastes and appetites of each of his guests, and not only were they served with the same dainties enjoyed by the two footed visitors, but every one had a special dish of his own. even the dragon seemed to enjoy immensely his matches and mustard, then called in a hoarse voice for three pails of hot coals, after which he blew a whole series of smoke rings and went comfortably to sleep. dorothy and the wizard had with due modesty accepted their medals for their discovery of oz and the whole company on its feet for this impressive ceremony were suddenly startled by a shrill scream from the patch work girl. "his beard! his beard! look at his beard!" yodeled scraps. (yes, i think "yodel" best describes the excited noise made by this irrepressible maiden.) "his beard, i said, it's turning red!" at the word "beard" every eye turned to the soldier with green whiskers, for his beard was the longest and most celebrated in oz. "why, so it is!" exclaimed dorothy in astonishment. "red?" choked the solider, desperately clutching his famous whiskers. "oh! oh! my beautiful green beard--it's red as fire. oh! oh! how can i ever be the soldier with green whiskers if my beard stays red? who did this? wizard! wizard, are you playing a trick on me?" "certainly not, soldier. i'd be the last person to tamper with your sacred beard. quiet, please! quiet! this is extremely odd and disturbing." jumping on his chair, the little wizard of oz looked anxiously around the room. "do they hurt? are red whiskers painful?" asked scraps, while the royal guests, hardly knowing whether to laugh or sympathize, gazed curiously at the blazing beard of the army of oz. "they--they hurt my feelings," blubbered the poor soldier, holding out his bristling whiskers in disgust. "i'll never get used to a red beard. never! never!" "why not cut it off?" inquired prince pompadore, with some difficulty controlling his chuckles. "what? cut off my beautiful whiskers? why, why, i'd rather lose my head," moaned the soldier with a horrified shudder. "how would i look? how would i fight? oh! oh! this is ridiculous!" burying his face in his napkin, ozma's distracted army rushed violently from the room. "red-iculous, if you ask me," observed the scarecrow in his droll voice. "no, no, it's magic!" muttered the wizard, stepping briskly down from his chair. "wait, i must consult my book of red magic and portents." "and i'll go with you," offered jinnicky, rolling quickly out of his cushioned seat. "you know red magic is my specialty." so, arm in arm, the wizard of oz and the wizard of ev bustled away together. "well, i can tell you what it means without consulting any books," said the scarecrow as ozma, looking rather troubled, again took her place and motioned for the others to do the same. "it is a warning," declared the scarecrow, raising his arm stiffly. "someone is coming to beard us in our den (pardon such an informal reference to your castle, my dear,)" he made an apologetic little bow to ozma and then continued seriously, "a danger from without threatens the kingdom of oz." "who would dare threaten the sovereignty of our country?" demanded the yellow knight, brandishing his sword. "what's up? what's up?" neighed highboy, elevating himself so suddenly he cracked his head against the ceiling. "you should know, being so high," chuckled the scarecrow, who could not resist a joke even when he was most serious. "but calm yourself, my good horse, you are not in danger yet." danger! the short, ugly word dropped like a bomb into that gay and carefree assemblage. dorothy, with a little pang of dismay, saw the cowardly lion creeping under the table, and feeling in her pocket for her handkerchief drew out instead one of the wizard's wishing pills. he had given it to her so she could visit the corn ear palace of the scarecrow the following week and do it by simply wishing herself there instead of making the journey. dorothy fingered the pill thoughtfully for a minute or two, then with a sudden quick motion popped the small tablet into her mouth. "whatever happens, help me to save ozma and oz," murmured dorothy, and swallowing the pill, she looked sharply around the room for further signs of warning or disaster. chapter what wizard? at first, everything seemed as usual. then, turning to ask the tin woodman a question, dorothy was annoyed to discover that his chair was pushed back and he was nowhere in sight. "oh, he's probably helping the wizard," decided dorothy, and had no sooner come to this comforting conclusion before she gave a second start of alarm. glinda, the good sorceress, was no longer in her seat at the foot of the table, and running her eye hurriedly down the glittering board, dorothy saw five more empty places. pressing a finger to her forehead, dorothy tried to remember who had been sitting in the five deserted chairs. surely joe king and queen hyacinth had been there between bettsy bobbin and trot, while prince philador, queen orin and king cheeriobed had been directly opposite. "good gillikens!" gasped the little girl, jumping quickly to her feet. "the rulers of all four oz countries are gone and highboy's gone, too." and strangely enough, nobody seemed to have missed them. instead, they were listening with broad smiles and appreciatively tapping toes to the loud and hilarious singing of the patch work girl. scraps, thinking it a shame to let a mere change of whiskers spoil a good party, was enlivening the company with her newest and most comical rhymes. so loud was her voice and the applause of the banqueters, dorothy found it impossible to make herself heard, so, running around to the back of the scarecrow's chair, she tugged him anxiously by the arm. "scarecrow! scarecrow!" whispered dorothy hoarsely, "where are the four rulers of oz, and whatever can be keeping the wizard so long?" tearing his gaze reluctantly from the patch work girl, the scarecrow looked dreamily over his shoulder. "what wizard?" he inquired blankly. "the wizard, our wizard, the wonderful wizard of oz." dorothy stamped her foot and almost shouted with surprise and vexation. "never heard of him," declared the scarecrow, smiling blandly down at her. "now, why not sit quietly down and listen to scraps? she's never been funnier. ha! ha! ha! never funnier!" dorothy was so stunned and dumbfounded by the scarecrow's statement about the wizard, she opened and closed her mouth several times without saying anything. "mercy, i'd better tell ozma about this," she thought distractedly, and swinging round abruptly she scurried along back of the diners till she came to the head of the table. "oh, ozma!" panted the little girl breathlessly--then stopped short. there was no one in ozma's great dragon armed chair of state. the yellow knight and prince pompadore, who for the last course were in the seats of honor beside the little queen, leaned unconcernedly across her empty place, engaged in a long, earnest argument about horses. they looked up in surprise as dorothy, her crown by this time very much on the side, bounced suddenly between them. "where's ozma?" demanded the little girl, thumping her fist sharply on the table. "ozma?" the yellow knight and prince pompa exchanged an uneasy glance. "who is ozma?" asked prince pompadore curiously. "oh! oh, i think you all are perfectly horrid. stop joking! stop teasing me!" cried dorothy, and as both princes in frank amazement jumped up to try to comfort her, she rushed angrily from the room. as she fled along the green corridor she could still hear scraps singing and the shouts and cheers of her listeners. "this is terrible--terrible!" wailed dorothy, and running blindly down the long hall she burst through the swinging doors of the wizard's laboratory. what she had expected to find dorothy hardly knew. really, she was hoping to see ozma and the four other rulers grouped around the wizard's green table. but only a blank suffocating silence answered her frantic call for the wizard. frightened into silence herself, dorothy tiptoed from one end to the other of the long, curiously appointed apartment, peering into cupboards, under sofas and back of screens. where was the red jinn? where was the little wizard of oz? not here certainly. not in the banquet hall. but the throne room! there she would find all of her missing friends conferring with ozma over the threatened danger to the realm. with a little gasp of relief, she darted across the corridor into the vast and magnificent hall of justice where ozma received visitors, settled disputes, and carried on all the important business of governing. they were not in the sumptuous presence chamber, but at least the throne was not empty. no--no, indeed! dorothy looked once, rubbed her eyes--looked again, and then, giving a shrill scream of terror, flung both arms round one of the emerald studded pillars. an immense white horse was sitting on the throne of oz. a great fat king was sitting on the horse, or rather, clinging desperately to his neck. dorothy knew he was a king by the crown perched ridiculously on the side of his head. that crown seemed oddly familiar, and after another horrified glance dorothy screamed again, for it was the splendid emerald circlet belonging to ozma of oz. her screams seemed to rouse the two occupants of the throne, who, to be perfectly frank, looked as dazed and stupefied as dorothy herself. "go away!" sputtered the fat king, waving his arms irritably. "go away, little girl, and don't bother me." "and kindly bow as you leave," directed the white horse, lifting one foot sternly. "you are looking at the emperor of oz and his imperial charger." bowing more from astonishment than intention, dorothy backed a few steps, then turned round and ran madly toward the royal banquet hall. chapter way for the emperor! "here, give her water! give her air! stand back, everybody. now, then, what's the matter, child?" the scarecrow bent solicitously over the little girl who had rushed into the banquet hall screaming hysterically about disappearances and white horses and fallen breathlessly into the chair beside him. "come, tell uncle all about it," begged the scarecrow, patting dorothy clumsily on the head. "tell you!" choked poor dorothy, twisting her best handkerchief into a hard knot. "do i have to tell you? can't you see for yourselves that ozma is missing, that the wizard and jinnicky are gone, that glinda and the tin woodman, that the king and queen of the gillikens and the king and queen of the munchkins have vanished entirely! and yet, here you sit, singing and laughing as if nothing at all had happened. can't you understand that something dreadful has happened to ozma and that a big, fat, funny-looking man and a white horse are sitting on the throne of oz?" "ozma, ozma--who's she?" murmured the banqueters, looking vaguely at dorothy and then at each other. "she's feverish, that's what." herby, the medicine man, leaned over to touch dorothy expertly on the forehead. "i'd advise you to go upstairs and lie down, my dear." "yes, why don't you?" urged bettsy bobbin, coming over to put her arm around dorothy's waist. "i'll go up with you and lend you my very best smelling salts." "lie down--with that big fat interloper on the throne of oz!" wailed dorothy. squirming out of bettsy's embrace, she started indignantly to her feet. "you must be crazy! camy! kabumpo! snufferbux! toto! you--you'll believe me, won't you?" hurrying over to the second table, dorothy looked pleadingly down the long board from the hungry tiger at the head to the cowardly lion at the foot. "there, there," mumbled kabumpo, lifting dorothy up in his trunk. "don't go on so, my dear, we all have these little funny spells. here, sit up on my back so you'll have a good view of the emperor when he arrives. hi--there he comes now! ray! ray! way for skamperoo, emperor of oz!" waving dorothy in his trunk as if she had been a flag, kabumpo plopped down on his knees and banged his big head three times on the polished floor. from her precarious position dorothy saw the same fat imposter who had been in the throne room riding his white charger pompously into the banquet hall, the horse nodding to the left and right and grinning like a cheshire cat. cheers, bows and a loud burst of applause and music made his entry so noisy dorothy's angry protests and cries were entirely drowned out. disgusted, confused and completely bewildered by the behavior of ozma's subjects and her own best friends, dorothy jerked away from kabumpo and darted through a long french window into the garden. what could it mean? what could have happened? had all her former memories of oz been a dream? no, no! violently dorothy decided against such an idea. rather was this fat emperor a dream--a maddening nightmare from which she would presently awaken. leaning dizzily against a golden faun set near a crystal garden pool, dorothy tried to find some reasonable explanation of the whole dreadful mixup. and here, several minutes later, pigasus, the winged pig, found her. "thought a little fly over the tree tops might help your head," grunted pigasus, looking unhappily down his pink snout. "nothing like a little fly for a headache, my girl!" "my head's all right," answered dorothy sullenly. "it's the rest of you who have lost your heads or your senses. how in oz you could stand in there cheering that big, fat fraud, i'll never, never understand. piggins, piggins, dear--" dorothy bent coaxingly over him--"surely you remember ozma and the wizard and glinda." instead of answering at once, pigasus stared thoughtfully at his reflection in the pool. "suppose you sit on my back and then we can talk without being heard," he suggested brightly. "up in the air we can air our views in safety, as it were." "to tell the truth, i don't much care where i go now," sighed dorothy, seating herself disconsolately on the pig's broad back. "hey hey, we're bewitched and enchanted, i knew it! with you on my back, i can think and see through it!" squealed pigasus, and flapping his huge wings he soared high over the flowering plum trees in ozma's garden. "of course ozma's queen, not this big skamperoo the ruler of oz and the whole royal crew have been kidnapped--bewitched, or put out of the way-- we'll fly off for help and we'll start right away." "oh, piggins!" dorothy threw both arms round the pig's neck and almost wept for joy: "oh pigasus to think you remember them, too, but where have they gone? what in oz shall we do?" "we'll find them, wherever they are they'll be found, but we'd best make our plans with our feet on the ground," muttered pigasus, looking below for a likely spot to land. there was one disadvantage about pigasus, though some did not regard it as such. like the winged horse pegasus, whoever caught him and rode on his back at once became a poet and unable to speak anything but rhymes. the poetic pig could not only tell what they were thinking, but he often spoke his own mind in verse as well. at times this grew terribly tiresome, but except for his jingles, a more cheerful loyal little fellow could not be found in the length or breadth of the country. raised and bred by the red jinn, he had been given to the duke of dork. the duke had given him to the philadelphia boy, peter, who in the course of a voyage with samuel salt, the pirate, had captured the duke's splendid castle boat. the capture had been quite a social and friendly affair and the duke had traded pigasus for a bananny goat. peter had later brought the flying pig to the emerald city, where he was petted and admired by the whole court. now, slanting down into a quiet grove, pigasus came to a gentle stop and dorothy tumbled jubilantly off his back. "oh, pigasus, isn't it lucky you were in the emerald city? nobody else can remember ozma or the others at all." "and i only remembered them because you sat on my back," confessed the pig, twitching his nose thoughtfully. "it was my thought-reading gift that did the trick, and i am more than ever convinced that we are under some mischievous spell or enchantment. what i don't understand, my dear, is how you yourself escaped or chanced to remember things as they were. you know, before i came out here, it seemed perfectly right and natural for that roly poly pudding of an emperor to be sitting at the head of the table. i knew no more about ozma, or glinda, or my former master jinnicky than a new-born baby. by the way, jinnicky's gone too, isn't he?" "yes," dorothy shook her head sorrowfully, "and without him or the wizard to help we'll have a hard time, i guess. what shall we do first, piggins?" "how about having a try at some of the wizard's magic?" proposed the pink pig, daringly, "then we might look in ozma's magic picture and ask it to show us where all of our missing friends are now." "now, why didn't i think of that myself?" cried dorothy, and springing up she started off on a run. "wait! wait!" grunted pigasus, pattering breathlessly after her. "remember, we must be very careful, my dear. no questions about ozma, no remarks that will arouse the anger of this scalawag emperor, or we'll both be clapped in a dungeon. we must pretend that we have forgotten, too, and get away quietly later tonight." this seemed so sensible a plan, dorothy readily agreed to it, and without attracting any attention at all they re-entered the palace and hurried immediately to ozma's small sitting room. but if they expected the magic picture to solve their problem they were soon doomed to disappointment. the picture was gone from its accustomed place and the safe where ozma kept her magic treasures and other valuables was wide open and quite empty. a quick search of the wizard's laboratory proved equally discouraging. the wizard's famous black bag was nowhere in sight, the little hanging closet where he stored his transformation powders and wishing pills was bare as the cupboard of old mother hubbard. "whoever planned this thought of everything," wheezed pigasus, sitting heavily back on his haunches. "there is nothing here for us, dorothy. if i were you, i'd get a few things together and we'll leave right away before anyone misses you." from the cheers, shouts, and hilarious singing coming from the banquet hall it seemed probable that the celebration would go on for hours. no one in that gay and foolish company even thought of or missed the little girl and the pink pig stealing so quietly through the dim halls of the palace. "ozma's palace," reflected dorothy, looking resentfully over her shoulder; but now it seemed strange, alien and completely unfriendly. with a little shiver dorothy drew her cloak more closely about her and stepped resolutely out into the night. pigasus pattered on ahead, snorting a bit from sheer nervousness. "maybe we'd better fly," he grunted uneasily as dorothy caught up with him. "it's safer and it's faster, and the faster we get away from here the better, i'm thinking." "i've been thinking, too," answered dorothy in a low voice, "perhaps only the people in the emerald city are under this forgetting spell, pigasus; perhaps if we fly to the winkie country, the winkies will remember their emperor, the tin woodman, and will help us raise an army so we can come back, conquer this old skamperoo, and make him tell where he has hidden all the proper rulers of oz and the other celebrities." "that's the talk! that's the talk!" approved the pig, twinkling his little blue eyes joyfully. "up with you, up with you, my girl, but remember, if you grow sleepy, let me know at once, so i can descend. if you fall asleep, you might fall off my back, and think how i'd feel then." "think how _i'd_ feel!" laughed dorothy, her spirits lifting a bit at the pink pig's comical conversation and enthusiastic seconding of her plans. seating herself carefully on his plump back, she quickly gave the signal to start. then up soared pigasus, over the palace garden, over the city walls and away toward the east and the yellow lands of the winkies. "oh, i believe everything is going to be all right," thought dorothy, settling herself cozily between his wings. "so do i," sniffed the pink pig, peering mischievously over his shoulder. "i forgot you could read all the thoughts, goodness gracious! of those on your back, do you mind it pigasus?" "not when they're nice thoughts like yours," puffed the little pig in answer to dorothy's surprised rhyme, and winking his eye jovially he zoomed like a small pink zeppelin through the sky. chapter the journey begins for several hours pigasus flew without slackening his pace. then, as several suspicious little yawns and sighs floated past his keen upstanding ears, he solemnly slanted downward. if he had chosen it on purpose he could not have found a more comfortable place for dorothy to spend the night. they had already crossed the border and penetrated far into the land of the winkies, and were now landing in the quiet garden of a prosperous winkie farmer. set in the center of a dancing bed of yellow daffodils and tulips stood a small summer house, and with dorothy rubbing her eyes sleepily, pigasus trotted briskly into the rustic cottage. the door was invitingly open and the moon lit up its cozy one-roomed interior. snorting with satisfaction, pigasus pattered over to a broad couch piled high with yellow cushions and, rolling drowsily from his back, dorothy burrowed contentedly into the center of them, falling asleep before the pig reached his own bed, a soft woolly rug on the hearth. pigasus slept lightly but well, and waking around six began to gaze rather anxiously at the round yellow farm buildings just visible from the door. the pink pig had had several unfortunate experiences with farmers. they had a way of looking at his plump body that seemed to reduce him at once to slices of bacon and sides of ham. one enterprising fellow had actually caught him and shut him up in an untidy pen. from this foolish prison pigasus had escaped by spreading his wings and flying away, but the mere mention of farmer gave him the shivers. so now, moving impatiently about the little room, he waited for dorothy to awaken, and as she continued to slumber on, he flew up over the mantel and swept a large yellow jug to the floor with his wing. the crash of the falling jar aroused dorothy at once, and without stopping to explain, pigasus suggested that they start off, and dorothy, not even noticing the broken jug, readily consented. "we'll probably find a much better place to have breakfast as we fly along," murmured pigasus as dorothy seated herself between his wings, holding her small basket of supplies in her lap. "would it do any harm to stop at the farm and enquire about ozma and spread the alarm?" asked dorothy, who had rather counted on a cheerful breakfast at the farm house. "no, it wouldn't do any harm," answered pigasus, rising in a straight line from the tulip bed and winging rapidly over the yellow fields and fences, "but neither would it do any good. farmers never know what's happening or going to happen. i tell you, though, we'll ask the first person we meet." "who would we meet in the air but a bird? now really pigasus, that's simply absurd." "some of the smartest people i know are birds," insisted the pig stoutly. "take roger, for instance, he knows more than most of us have forgotten. but look! a brook, a quiet wood! stop! listen! look! for i crave food!" making a swift downward curve, pigasus landed cleverly by a rippling stream edged by some tall butternut trees. there were yellow raspberries along the bank and the berries, with some of the sandwiches dorothy had brought with her, washed down by cool water from the brook made a splendid breakfast. "i wonder whether they'll have the tableaux and pageant without me," sighed dorothy, biting slowly into a sardine sandwich, "and how'll they manage the circus without you, piggins, or the picnic supper without ozma, or the magic and fireworks without the wizard." "they've probably forgotten all about today's doings," mumbled pigasus, nosing busily among the leaves for ripe butternuts. "they'll probably spend the time bumping their noses on the floor when that fat emperor comes waddling through the palace, and bending the right knee every time his white horse sneezes or coughs. pah!" choking with indignation, pigasus began gobbling up so many butternuts, dorothy feared he would never be able to fly or walk again. "let's stay on the ground for awhile," she proposed, eyeing him rather nervously as she packed the remaining sandwiches neatly back in the basket. "i believe there's a path beyond those trees. maybe it leads to a town or village where we may meet someone who can tell us what we want to know." "you don't expect to find out where ozma and the others are hidden--straight off, do you?" rubbing his back lazily against one of the butternut trees, pigasus looked quizzically at his earnest little companion. "no, i don't really expect that," said dorothy, slipping the basket over her arm, "but it would be pretty nice if we met somebody who even remembered them, after all we've been through." "i can hardly remember them myself unless you are sitting on my back," admitted the pink pig, trotting soberly along at her side. "this emperor's magic must be strong medicine. hello! here comes a fisherman." pigasus pricked up both ears and his wings. "shall i question him or will you?" without bothering to answer, dorothy ran eagerly toward the tall winkie who was coming leisurely along the path. he carried a basket and had a fishing rod over his shoulder, and though his clothes were rough, dorothy could tell by his manner and bearing that he was a person of some importance. "oh, please, mr. winkie," cried the little girl as he nodded politely and would have passed them without stopping, "could you tell us who is king here?" "king?" answered the fisherman, taking his pipe out of his mouth and looking kindly down at his small questioner. "why, no one in particular, my dear, but of course, we winkies and the inhabitants of the three other countries of oz are governed from the capital by emperor skamperoo, a great fellow, our emp, and have you seen his white horse?" "yes, i've seen it," said dorothy, shutting her mouth rather grimly. "but i thought ozma was queen?" wheezed pigasus out of breath from running after dorothy and too many butternuts. "ozma? what a curious name," mused the fisherman, looking pensively at the winged pig. "what gave you the idea that ozma was our ruler? perhaps you are strangers here?" "well, it would seem so," puffed pigasus, sitting down and panting a little from sheer discouragement. "oh, you'll get used to us," laughed the fisherman with a breezy wave. "fine country, this; sorry i can't show you 'round, but as i've promised my wife some fish for dinner, i'll have to be moving along. good day to you. good day, little girl!" "good day," echoed dorothy in a rather flat voice, as the fisherman, lifting his hat, strode briskly into the wood. "you see!" she groaned. "even here everyone is bewitched. oh, piggins, what'll we do? no one in oz will help or believe us." "goose-tea and turnips! what if they don't!" pigasus shook his head impatiently. "there are other countries, aren't there? take ev, for instance, or rinkitink, or the rose kingdom. why, there are lots of places whose rulers will remember ozma, my poor old friend jinnicky and the others. come along, my girl, we've only just started. "while people roar for the emperor we'll seek our rightful ruler from coast to coast from door to door though foes grow cruel and crueller! "what we need is some magic," finished pigasus shrewdly. "know a good place to look for some?" "the gnome king has plenty of magic," reflected dorothy, leaning thoughtfully against a tree, "and ozma and i really helped put him on the throne, so surely he'll help us." "well, maybe, but i don't set great store by gnomes. they're tricky, nevertheless we'll go to ev and everywhere else till we restore this country to its proper rulers." pigasus looked so impressive with his chest and cheeks puffed out with purpose, dorothy gave him a quick hug. "down with the emperor!" snorted pigasus, though almost suffocated by dorothy's embrace. "and up with you, my patriotic young princess." "now you make me feel like a real one. i'd almost forgotten i was a princess," smiled dorothy, climbing obediently on his back. "i believe everything will be better from now on." "well, it could be a lot worse," chuckled pigasus, and flapping his wings in a business-like manner, he rose gracefully into the air and headed for the east. rolling hills dotted with castles, villages and towns, valleys, farm lands and forests flashed in an ever-changing pleasant panorama below. at noon they came down beside the winkie river, finished up the rest of the sandwiches for lunch, and then looked eagerly around for someone else to question. but the yellow-bearded ferryman who presently came into sight poling his old-fashioned raft across the turbulent river knew no more of ozma and the other rulers of oz than the fisherman. but he told them many long and boring stories of skamperoo and his white horse chalk. dorothy and pigasus had to make such an effort to listen politely they were relieved when he finally shoved off and began poling himself back to the other side. "have you any idea how far we've come?" asked pigasus, rolling over and over in the cool grass as dorothy made a face at the ferryman's back. "yes," said dorothy, dropping full length beside him. "this river is in about the center of the winkie kingdom, so we are easily half way. we could reach the deadly desert by night, fly over tomorrow morning, and either go north to ev or stop at the underground castle of the gnome king. even if kalico won't lend us his army, he might lend us some magic." "speaking of armies, they must have whisked the soldier with the green whiskers off with the others. i don't remember seeing him after he left the banquet hall, do you? which just goes to show this skamperoo must be a stranger in oz, for who else would have been afraid of our precious old army? why, he wouldn't even tread on a caterpillar. by the way, has kalico any magic that might tell us where to look for our vanished friends and rulers?" "i'm not sure of that," dorothy told him dubiously, "but he has a wizard, and ruggedo who was king before kalico had many magic treasures and powers. he could make floors and walls spin round and round, open yawning caverns at your feet or drop rocks down on your head without even moving." "sounds lovely," sniffed pigasus, coming to his feet with a short grunt. "say, haven't we trouble enough at home without going to look for it? do you really propose to visit this tricky little metal monarch?" "but kalico is not nearly so bad as ruggedo." dorothy sat up and smoothed her dress earnestly. "well, just as you wish," pigasus shrugged his wings, "with me, people are like eggs, either good, or bad. there's no such thing as a nearly good egg, it's got to be completely good or it's just as bad as a bad egg. d'ye see? and if this gnome king is only as good as a nearly fresh egg, i wouldn't trust him with my second best tooth brush. my idea would be to go to the ruler of ev." "that's evardo, a boy king. ozma helped him, too," dorothy explained importantly. "but i tell you, piggins, let's not decide till we cross the deadly desert. something might turn up before then. you never can tell." "no," agreed the pig, shaking his head sagely. "in oz, you never can. suppose we continue a ways on foot? my wings are a bit stiff and we really should be on the lookout for a friendly house or castle where we could have supper and spend the night. i could eat a peck of spinach or a bushel of apples right now, so hop up, my dear, and i'll stretch a leg for the good of the coz and oz!" chattering away like the good fellow he was, pigasus trotted briskly across the fields and presently came to a deep rustling forest. "shall we fly over or walk through?" questioned the pig, sniffing appreciatively the cool air drifting out to them. "let's go through it, in a wood there might be witches, some are good, a good witch with her magic powers could solve this mystery of ours!" "but suppose we meet a bad one," muttered pigasus, stepping gingerly into the forest and picking his way with great care between the giant trees. "then we'll say goodbye and simply fly," laughed dorothy, snapping her fingers joyfully. "yes, but flying would not be so easy in here," objected pigasus with a troubled glance aloft, "these branches are interlocked so closely i'd stick in a tree like a kite." "oh, we probably won't meet anyone," said dorothy. slipping off his back, she walked along beside him, one arm flung cozily around his neck. she was rather tired of making verses and thought she could think better if her head were not continually buzzing with rhymes. after the hot sunny meadows the cool shade of the forest was very welcome, but as they advanced farther and farther into the shadows, it grew so dark and grim the two began to look at each other in real alarm. "must be a squall or thunder shower brewing," observed pigasus in a faint voice. "yes, it couldn't be night time so soon," agreed dorothy, looking fearfully over her shoulder. the crackling of twigs as some large animal made its way through the brush sounded like gun fire, and while they were trying to make up their minds whether to run back or push forward, a long hollow roar sent them scittering forward practically as one. missing trees by mere inches, they pelted at breakneck speed into the dense and even gloomier stretch of woodland ahead. "b-b-b-better climb on my back," directed pigasus, halting at last from lack of breath rather than inclination. "but where are you? i can't even see you!" wailed dorothy, feeling about wildly. "here, here," grunted the frantic pig, making short dashes in four or five directions and finally bumping violently into the groping little girl. snatching at a wing, dorothy pulled herself thankfully up and clasped both arms round his neck. in a tense and breathless silence they waited for it to grow lighter. they could not see even an inch before their noses now, and the darkness and silence grew more oppressive and unbearable every minute. "j--j-j-just a cloud passing over," croaked pigasus, trying to keep his teeth from chattering. "j-j-j--j-j-j--say, what's that? dorothy, do you hear anything? f--f-footsteps--not four, two. someone's coming. hello, there. who are you? watch out now, we're here." "i see you," answered a flat, matter-of-fact voice. "oh! he sees us yet we can't see him, i'm frightened deaf and dumb, oh, try to fly, pigasus, why oh why'd we ever come?" "that's what i'd like to know," went on the voice sternly. "now, then, will you come quietly or must i drag you along?" chapter the witch of the black forest dorothy and her companion were too stunned to answer, and in two thumping steps the owner of the voice was upon them. "do you dare to defy a member of the invincible black watch?" breathed the stranger, grasping pigasus roughly by the right wing. "no! no! we don't exactly defy you," squealed the pig, flapping his other wing frantically, "but how can we follow a blackguard whom we cannot even see?" "then how do you know i am a blackguard?" demanded their captor suspiciously. "from your voice," screamed pigasus, jerking this way and that way in an effort to free himself. "i'd know you for a blackguard anywhere. unhand me, you surly black monster." "you talk a lot for a fellow who cannot see," scoffed the guard, tightening his grip on the pig's wing. "is the girl blind too?" "we're not blind at all and why should we be, in this horrid black forest how could we see?" cried dorothy, her indignation getting the better of her fright. "well, what color are your eyes?" dorothy felt the hot breath of the guardsman on her neck as he leaned over to find out for himself. "blue!" he murmured in evident puzzlement. "and the pig's eyes are blue, too. so _that's_ the reason." "what has the color to do with it?" grunted pigasus, growing a little calmer as the conversation progressed without either of them coming to actual harm. "everything," explained the guard impressively. "in the black forest one must have black eyes to see. see? even a pig should know that." "well, i suppose i could run into a tree and black my eyes," sniffed pigasus bitterly. "but thank you, no. i prefer blue eyes and, now, if you will kindly conduct us to the edge of this deep, dark, dangerous and disgusting domain, we'll be delighted to go, leave, depart, and bid you farewell forever." "oh, keep all that for gloma," drawled the guard indifferently. "i'm a plain man and prefer plain language. furthermore, no one leaves this forest unless they break the black laws. if you break the law you are cast out into the utter and awful light of eternal day. now, then, come along!" and giving the pig's wing a cruel tweak, he tramped doggedly forward. pigasus to save his precious feathers was obliged to come, suiting his gait to the guard's strides. "the best thing for us to do is to break the law at once," he whispered mournfully to dorothy as he blinked about in a desperate effort to penetrate the gloom. dorothy was too depressed to answer, and after clearing his throat several times the blackguard began to question pigasus. "why the wings?" he asked inquiringly. "i've seen many a farmyard creature in my day, but never a pig with wings. are you a pig or a kind of balony bird? what right has a pig to wings?" "let go and i'll show you," puffed pigasus, hoping the fellow's curiosity would cause him to loosen his hold. but the guard only laughed at such an idea. "let you go? i should say not," he exclaimed with a little chuckle. "you can show all your little tricks to gloma and she can decide whether to ride or roast you. this girl on your back will make a splendid slave." "slave!" shrilled pigasus, stumbling angrily along in the dark. "i'll have you know that she is a princess of oz and lives in the palace of ozma of oz." "then why did she not stay there?" observed the guard reasonably enough. "anyone coming into this forest comes under the rule of gloma, witch of the black forest." "witch?" coughed the pig, as dorothy, tightening her clutch on his neck, almost choked him. "yes, witch," repeated the forester calmly. "now, then, hold up your heads, you pale and pinky skins, for you are in for a good blacking." and before pigasus knew just what was happening the ground slipped away from under him and he and dorothy were plunged into the rough chilly waters of a tumbling forest stream. striking out with all four feet, pigasus managed to breast the flood, when he felt himself and dorothy being forced completely under. as a matter of fact, the guard swimming beside him had simply put his hand on dorothy's head and pushed her and the squealing pig beneath the surface. as they rose, gasping and sputtering, he again seized pigasus by the wing and pulled him quickly to shore. "there, now you're all right," he boomed heartily as dorothy rolled off the pig's back and began shaking the water from her eyes and hair and wringing out her dripping skirts. "just blot yourselves on the bank!" "bl-blot ourselves?" gurgled pigasus, giving himself a violent shake. "do you take us for letters? you--you'll be sorry for this!" but right in the middle of his angry sputters he gave a loud and astonished squall. "dorothy, dorothy, i can see!" panted the pink pig exultantly. "so can i," cried dorothy, running excitedly toward him. "but everything looks black--everything is black, even you. oh, oh! you're perfectly coal black, piggins, am i black too?" "of course," answered the guard in a bored voice, "and much better so. since you are black yourselves, you can see in the dark like the rest of us, and what do you think of our forest now?" but dorothy, instead of telling him, held up her shiny black hands, touched a few strands of her perfectly black hair, and then dropping her head on the pig's shoulder began to weep bitterly. like drops of ink the tears coursed down her ebony cheeks, and though pigasus did what he could to comfort her, she continued to sob as if her heart would break. "well, i must say i call this ungrateful," the guard shifted from one foot to the other. "what's the matter with you, anyway? black is a splendid color, doesn't show dirt, doesn't fade or streak. besides it's against the law to be any other color in this forest." "how dare you blacken us against our will?" burst out pigasus furiously. "wait till i get loose, i'll--why, i'll tear you to pieces and pitch you into a tar barrel." "oh, don't make me snort!" the huge black forester stared contemptuously down at the winged pig, and now that pigasus had a better look at him he saw the folly of his threats, for the black guard was well over six feet and lean and tough as black leather. evidently feeling he had wasted enough time on the pair, he gave them a very black look and, jerking the pig's wing roughly, started walking stolidly through the forest. never had dorothy felt so blue, or rather so black and blue--so wet, so discouraged, so thoroughly miserable! and when, sticking out her tongue to see if it was still pink she discovered that it, too, was black, she began sobbing softly to herself. "no one will know us any more," she decided dejectedly. "we're as badly off now as ozma and the others. why, oh why, did we ever come into this terrible forest?" she could feel pigasus sniffing with sympathy, and suddenly realizing that she was not behaving very well, she straightened up. after all, she still was a princess, even though she was black. princesses did not cry even when they were captured and enchanted. ozma was probably in a worse fix than this, and if ozma was being brave, she would be brave, too. so, with a great effort, dorothy stifled her sobs and began to look around her. to her surprise and astonishment she discovered that the black forest was not dark and gloomy as it had seemed before, but really quite beautiful. there were many shades and degrees of blackness in the trees and flowers that thickly carpeted the ground. black birds twittered musically in the branches overhead, and every now and then a deer peered timidly out at her from the woodsy depths between the tree trunks. the guard, glancing over his shoulder and catching her interested expression, ventured a smile. "why, he is not bad looking at all," thought dorothy, with a pleased start. "and maybe this witch may be a good witch--her name sounds rather pretty." quite comforted by these reflections, dorothy whispered a few rhymed remarks in the pig's ear. pigasus, it must be confessed, was as interested in what he saw as dorothy, and when a sudden break between the trees revealed a great black circular wall with a hundred black flags floating from its many turrets, he gave an involuntary grunt of admiration. "you are about to enter the royal circle of gloma, witch of the black forest," announced the guard, raising his hand solemnly. "i trust you will conduct yourselves in a fitting manner." "don't worry about our manners," shrilled pigasus, tossing his head airily. "we are accustomed to royalty and move in exclusive circles at home." "and talk in circles, too," muttered the guard impatiently. "well, well--do the best you can and bow three times as you approach the throne." "throne?" queried dorothy, slipping off the pig's back so she would not have to talk in rhyme, for what she had to say to the black witch was very serious indeed. "is gloma a queen?" "certainly our witch is a queen, a bewitching queen," retorted the guard, taking dorothy firmly by the hand and tightening his hold on pigasus. "now, then, smile and look pleasant and perhaps she'll allow you to be her slave." "she wouldn't dare make me a slave," cried dorothy, trying her best to pull away from her captor. "just let her try it!" blustered pigasus, scuffling unwillingly along on the other side. but paying no attention to their struggles, the guard lifted his foot and kicked three times on a black ebony door in the wall, and a tall watchman dressed in a black leather suit admitted them to the royal circle. it was all so different from what dorothy had been expecting she almost forgot her anger. enclosed by the black marble wall was a strange and enchanting garden. now, dorothy had never seen a black garden, nor dreamed one could be so beautiful. here sable willows mirrored their feathery branches in long shining pools, here black plum and cherry trees flaunted their fragile black blossoms, and jet black fountains sent their smoking waters high into the quiet air. vast satiny expanses of lawn were dotted with a hundred beds of dusky roses, tulips, velvety pansies and daffodils. built all round the circular wall was a low but sumptuous black castle, and seated on an ebony throne in the center of her stately black garden was the black queen herself, looking, dorothy was thankful to discover, much more like a queen than a witch. gloma's face was sweet and serious, her hair fine and glossy as a raven's wing. she was dressed in a trailing robe of black chiffon that billowed in lacy clouds round her feet. a sparkling crown of jet and long jet earrings were her only ornaments. on each side of the black queen crouched a sleek black leopard and behind the ebony throne stood ten tall foresters with gleaming axes. "like headsmen in a medieval history book," thought dorothy as she and pigasus were dragged rapidly forward. gloma, gazing dreamily into a black crystal set on a marble stand before the throne, seemed entirely unaware of their presence till the harsh voice of the black guard announced them. "hail! black and imperial majesty!" called the guard deferentially, approaching the throne. "two prisoners, a pig and a princess, whom i found wandering unlawfully in our forest, and whom i took the liberty of blacking." dorothy, jerking away from the guard, was about to explain how she and pigasus had lost their way, when gloma jumped to her feet with a sharp, agonized scream. "blotz, general blotz, what have you done?" panted the black queen, beating her hands wildly together. "your stupidity has ruined us all! you have blackened and insulted my most dangerous and mortal enemy! go! leave! begone and never darken my doors again! oh, why--why did you do it? why have you brought her here? after all these years must i too be destroyed and obliterated?" sinking back on her throne, gloma covered her face with her hair and began rocking backward and forward in agitation and sorrow. "why, why--i believe she's afraid of you!" puffed pigasus, twitching his tail with excitement and interest as general blotz, looking quite dazed, began to move unhappily toward the gate in the wall. "quick!" he grunted as the ten foresters back of the throne rushed forward to surround them. "do something, dorothy, while she is still afraid of you. make her unblacken us. tell her to set us free. hurry! hurry, before she discovers you are only a harmless little girl." but dorothy, only half listening to the pig, boldly thrust aside the foresters and ran over to the black queen. "why are you afraid of me?" asked dorothy, speaking rapidly but distinctly. "i did not come here on purpose. pigasus and i are lost and need your help." "help?" shivered gloma, shrinking as far away from dorothy as possible. "why should i help you? are you not dorothy, the mortal girl who destroyed the powerful witches of the east and west?" "but that was long ago," explained dorothy breathlessly as two of the queen's henchmen seized her roughly by the arms. "and they were bad and wicked witches. why should i wish to destroy a good and beautiful witch like you?" "do not listen to her. do not let her touch you. she means to destroy and ensnare you," hissed the foresters as they dragged dorothy away from the throne. "down with all mortals! away to the dungeons with her! wing that pig! chop off their heads!" at these loud savage cries, startled faces appeared at the windows of the black palace, and struggling in the midst of the foresters dorothy heartily wished she had taken the pig's advice. "shall we take off her head _now_ or later?" puffed the fellow who had hold of her left arm. "now!" roared the axman who had hold of her right. "stop!" commanded the queen, rising suddenly. "you cannot harm this girl. do you not see the star of protection on her forehead?" at these words the woodsmen stared fearfully down at dorothy, and sure enough, shining in the center of her black forehead was a pure white star. pigasus, who had not noticed it before himself, gave a grunt of relief and began kicking out in every direction. "how about the pig?" yelled a forester, leaning down to rub his shins. "shall we take off his head?" "if you dare touch pigasus," screamed dorothy, resolved to use the powers she was supposed to have, "i'll turn you all to bats and beetles and horrid black ants." a breathless silence followed dorothy's threat. the foresters still kept their hold on the prisoner, but at as great a distance as they could manage. "do as you wish, comrades," the tallest of the axmen solemnly broke the silence, "but i'm for letting them alone. i've never been an ant yet and don't intend to begin now. come--away to the dungeons with them. this is not for us to settle with axes, it is a case for witch work." "you are right." the queen, who had been standing motionless as a statue, took a decisive step forward. "take them away, but not to the dungeons! take them to the dark room in my imperial palace. they shall see what happens to those who defy gloma, witch of the black forest." "aye! aye! they shall see," muttered the foresters, pushing dorothy and pigasus roughly along ahead of them. chapter black magic dorothy and pigasus were hustled into the black castle, rushed down its shiny black corridors and thrust into a great, dark, dome-shaped room, so quickly they had no opportunity to exchange a word. "well, anyway, even if it is a dark room we can still see," whispered dorothy, as the foresters in their haste to get away from such dangerous prisoners fairly tumbled over each other to get through the door. "yes," puffed pigasus glumly as the key rasped in the lock, "and the first thing i see is that there are no windows. if there was a window we could fly off. as it is, this witch will make short work of us." "i wonder how much magic she really knows," sighed dorothy, seating herself wearily on a black velvet stool. "i wonder!" said pigasus, flinging himself crossly on the floor beside her. "and what's all this stuff about your being her worst enemy? did you really destroy two witches, and could you destroy her?" although pigasus had lived in the emerald city for several years, he was not familiar with all of the history that had taken place before his arrival. "oh, all that happened when i first came here," explained dorothy, clasping her knees with both hands. "you see, when the cyclone blew me from kansas to oz, my house fell on the wicked witch who ruled the munchkins and killed her. the munchkins, supposing i had done it on purpose, came out and thanked me and gave me the witch's silver shoes. then, when i reached the emerald city and begged the wizard, who was ruler of oz at that time, to send me back to kansas, he promised to do so if i killed the wicked witch who ruled the winkies." "and did you?" asked pigasus, rolling over and looking up at dorothy with real admiration. "well, that was sort of an accident, too," admitted the little girl honestly. "when the tin woodman, the scarecrow, and the cowardly lion and i reached the witch's yellow castle, the witch captured us all and made me work hard from morning till night. but one day," dorothy with an anxious eye on the door hurriedly continued, "one day when she tried to steal my silver shoes, i got so mad i picked up a bucket of water i'd been using for scrubbing and flung it right over her head." "and did that destroy her?" pigasus demanded incredulously. "yes," said dorothy, "it melted her down to nothing at all." "but what about the star? i never noticed that before?" "that's where the good witch of the north comes in," answered dorothy proudly. "right after my house fell on the wicked witch of the west, she appeared and when she discovered i was a mortal she kissed me on the forehead to keep me from harm all the time i was in oz. it only shows now because i'm black, i suppose." "well, why didn't it keep you from turning black, if it's so wonderful?" pigasus switched his curly tail resentfully. "i don't know," dorothy looked thoughtfully around gloma's strange laboratory, "maybe the spell has worn off, maybe there's no harm in being black." "humph! there may not be any harm in it, but it's pretty sad and mournful, if you ask me," grunted pigasus, glaring savagely at his satiny black sides. "i prefer myself pink and you pink and white the way you were. tea and turnips, first thing i know you'll be powdering your nose with ashes and soot! but, after all--" pigasus swung himself energetically to his feet, "that is the least of our troubles. what do you suppose this witch will do to us now? and what can we do to her? sa--hay!" spreading his wings, pigasus spun round in a triumphant circle. "all we have to do is to find some water. why, it's simple as soup. quick, dorothy, look and see whether there is any water around here, then as soon as gloma pops her nose in the door we'll put her out as neatly as you did that other witch." "but those other witches were bad and gloma seems really good and beautiful," objected dorothy, looking around without much enthusiasm. "beautiful or not, she's a dark and dangerous lady," insisted the pig, beginning his search in a methodical way, "and it's her beauty or ours, remember, this black queen is quite determined to destroy us, if we don't destroy her first." "yes, i suppose so," agreed dorothy. slowly following pigasus, she pulled aside black velvet curtains, peered behind cupboards and screens and looked under sofas and chairs. there were many ebony cabinets standing against the wall, but each one was securely locked and except for a great black crystal ball on a table in the center of the room, there seemed to be no magic apparatus at all. a dark lantern swinging from the domed ceiling cast its curious luminous black rays into every corner of the witch's laboratory. after circling the room three times, pigasus and dorothy were forced to admit there was no water of any kind or even a pail available. "we'll have to think of something else," grumbled the pig, as dorothy again sat down on her stool. "are you thinking?" he demanded sharply, as the little girl stared absently at the tips of her boots. "no," confessed dorothy frankly, "i was just wondering why gloma calls this a dark room. she must know since general blotz ducked us under the black river we can see in here as well as in the forest." "i wouldn't be too sure of that," muttered the pig, coming over and crowding as close to dorothy as he could. it almost seemed as if someone had heard him, for scarcely were the words out of his mouth before the dark lantern over their heads sputtered ominously and went out, leaving them in a perfectly pitch black total darkness. "i--i--i felt something like this would happen," faltered pigasus, throwing his left wing protectingly around dorothy. "listen! someone is coming." a light sure footstep sounded in the passage--came closer, then a sudden puff of air told them that someone had opened the door. "remember, piggins dear, no matter what happens, we must be brave," whispered dorothy, trembling a little in spite of herself. "it's hard to be brave in the dark, but i'll do my best. here, lean on me." and though the happenings of the next ten minutes were enough to try the courage of a dozen lions, pigasus kept his word and never uttered a sound. as the two prisoners clung desperately together the crystal on the center table received a sudden shattering blow. up spurted a perfect fountain of fire coming down over dorothy and pigasus in a shower of red hot sparks. but the sparks fell harmlessly as raindrops on the winged pig and the little girl, and after a great hiss and sputter went out, leaving the laboratory in darkness again. scarcely had they recovered from this shock before a second blow was struck, and this time a hundred huge, hideous, black snakes came writhing out of the crystal, their green glittering eyes lighting up the room with a terrifying sulphurous light. the great twisting mass grew more and more menacing, sending out its long curving bodies like arms to encircle them. this, thought dorothy, burying her head in pigasus' wing, was black magic at its worst. now she could feel the clammy coils all around her and waited breathlessly to be crushed and broken. but the cold, heavy bodies seemed powerless and without weight and presently they, too, slipped away and vanished. a shower of silver arrows followed the snakes and a cloud of choking green smoke, the arrows. but each blow on the crystal only seemed to prove further the potency of the kiss set on dorothy's forehead so long ago by the good witch of the north. and because she clung so tightly to pigasus, he, too, came unharmed through the hair-raising ordeal. as they both, almost afraid to breathe, waited for the next blow on the dark crystal, a long, tremulous sigh came mournfully through the darkness. "it is no use," murmured a discouraged voice, "my black magic is of no avail. come, then, destroy me if you must, but do it quickly, and i pray you will spare my people who have never harmed or hurt a living soul in oz." with a little thrill, dorothy recognized the voice of the black queen, and as the dark lantern again shed its twinkling rays over the circular apartment, gloma rose and came calmly and rapidly toward them. dorothy and pigasus, who had just had their own bravery so severely tested, could not but admire the spirit and bravery of the witch of the black forest. even though she was sure she faced certain destruction, she walked proudly erect, her head flung back, her great mass of dusky hair billowing behind her. "stop!" cried dorothy, on whom the queen's dark beauty had made a deep and lasting impression. "why should we wish to destroy you? we came through the yellow wood and from there into the black forest, but we only wished to go through as quickly as possible. we are in trouble ourselves. did you know that ozma of oz, the wizard of oz, the four rulers of oz, and many others have vanished? there is a false emperor on the throne in the emerald city and under the magic of his enchantment all the people have forgotten ozma ever was their queen. pigasus and i, escaping this enchantment, are trying to find ozma and someone to help us restore her to power." dorothy spoke with such earnestness and feeling, gloma could not help believing her. "then--then you did not come here to destroy me at all?" she exclaimed with an unhappy and embarrassed glance at her two prisoners. "forgive me for using my magic powers, i only wanted to save myself and my foresters from obliteration." "oh, that's all right." dorothy dismissed with a careless shrug the danger and discomfort of the last hour. "you thought we were going to destroy you, so, of course, you tried to destroy us first. that was fair enough and i don't blame you, but now that we understand each other better, perhaps you will help us? do you, yourself, remember ozma, and is your magic powerful enough to tell us where she is?" seating herself in a chair near dorothy's footstool, gloma stared thoughtfully at the velvet carpet. "i know or remember nothing of the present history of oz," she told them after a short silence. "at the time the wizard of oz ruled oz i ruled by royal right and inheritance the entire southern part of the winkie empire. although the wicked witch of the east claimed dominion over the whole country, she only succeeded in bringing the central and northern parts under her control. we in the south were free, but when word came that a mortal girl had destroyed both the witch of the east and the witch of the west, i, being a witch, naturally supposed i would be the next one to suffer destruction. so, calling together the strongest and most faithful of my subjects, i begged them to retire with me to a safe and hidden spot where we could live in safety and tranquillity far from the wars, dangers, and changing fortunes of the times. many of my southern winkies cast their lot with the new order, marching off to the north, but many came with me, and retiring to this hidden forest, we cut ourselves off from all intercourse with the other kingdoms of oz, living the free and happy life of foresters and enjoying all the beauty and benefits of outdoor sport and activity. of the rulers in oz since the wizard, i know nothing whatever." "and were you always black?" inquired pigasus, peering inquisitively up into gloma's face, and wondering whether the two small black wings on each side of her forehead were as useful as his own. "no," admitted the queen, smiling graciously down at her plump questioner. "that was part of our disappearing plan, in a dark forest we were so much less likely to be found or discovered, so with my knowledge of the black arts i turned myself and my subjects as black as you now see us." "what a shame! what a pity!" dorothy jumped up and perched cozily on the arm of the black queen's chair. "if you had just come to the emerald city, we could have been friends all this while." "why not begin now?" smiled the queen, putting her arm affectionately round dorothy's waist. "and you must not be sorry for us, for here we have been perfectly happy and content and i have grown so fond of my black forest and castle i would not change their lovely sable for all the other colors in the rainbow. but tell me quickly again all that has happened in oz and perhaps i can make amends for the shabby treatment you have received at our hands." contritely the black queen leaned down to pat pigasus, and as dorothy sketched in most of the important happenings in oz since the reign of the wizard, the little pig pressed closely against her side. with many interested nods and exclamations gloma listened, and when dorothy described the great festival that had been planned to celebrate the discovery of oz by mortals, how ozma and all her most important visitors and advisers had vanished at the banquet, and a false emperor taken possession of the palace, the queen rose and walked solemnly over to the black crystal. but after a long look into its inky depths, gloma turned sadly away. "my black magic cannot help you," she told them regretfully. "the rulers of oz and your other friends have been enchanted by green magic, and only by green magic can they be released and restored to power. but i can assist you in other ways," added the queen, noting the disappointed expressions on the faces of her two new friends. "one tap of my scepter will transport you to any country and here--" from a drawer in the ebony table the queen drew a small black round box--"in this container you will find a most powerful powder of darkness. one pinch of this powder tossed into the air will cause a black cloud a mile square to envelop and totally darken a city or country. while no one in this darkened area will be able to see you, it will be perfectly possible for you to see them as clearly as in the usual daylight. in case of danger it affords a safe way of escape from the enemy. to dispel the cloud you merely close the box." "that ought to be just the thing to use if we ever get back to the emerald city," observed pigasus, scratching his left ear with his right hind paw. "why, we could swoop down on this emperor, bind him fast and tweak him by the nose before he even knew what was happening." "why, so we could!" beamed dorothy, brightening up at once. "and now, though of course black is a perfectly beautiful color, could you change us back to the colors we were when we came?" dorothy spoke timidly, for she did not want to hurt gloma's feelings. "as soon as you leave the forest you will resume your natural coloring," the witch assured them with a little smile. "and where, may i ask, were you planning to go first?" "well," said dorothy slowly, "i thought perhaps the countries outside of oz might not be under this forgetting spell and that we might find in one of them a king who would lend us his army and help us to chase skamperoo out of the emerald city. could you transport us as far as ev, your majesty?" "as easily as i could invite you to dinner," gloma assured them with an energetic little nod, "and i hope you will not only have dinner but rest yourselves before you start again on your dangerous journey." "pigasus--pigasus, did you hear that? she can transport us all the way to ev! didn't i tell you we might find a good witch in this forest? now everything will be all right!" "so glad we met and got acquainted, you're not so black as you are painted!" chuckled pigasus, breaking into rhyme from sheer good humor and relief. "and did i hear your majesty invite us to dinner?" "you certainly did," said gloma, and dropping them a little bow, she swept gaily through the door. "d'ye suppose it will be a black dinner?" whispered pigasus, trotting briskly along beside dorothy. "i've heard of light repasts, but never of dark ones. but i don't care. i'm hungry enough to eat tar pudding with cinder sauce." "sh--hh!" warned dorothy with a little laugh. "she'll hear you." chapter farewell to the black forest although the dinner in the black castle was as dark a repast as pigasus had predicted, never had he or dorothy dined more royally nor partaken of more delicate fare. the black bean soup was followed by a black fish course, then came the dark meat of some superbly cooked fowl, "probably cinder-roosters," as pigasus remarked in one of his humorous asides. the licorice was the most delicious of the vegetables, though the black asparagus and potatoes were appetizing, too. black bread was served with the black grape salad and plum cake with black frosting with the black ices and blackberryade. the members of gloma's household, now that their fear of dorothy had been explained away, proved so interesting and merry, the time simply flew. the black lace frocks of the women and children and the soft leather suits of the black foresters were simple but elegant, and the black queen herself, so lovely just to look at her gave one a curious thrill. general blotz, recalled from banishment by blackjack, the queen's pet jackdaw, proved a singer of no mean ability, and regaled the company with many famous black ballads and hunting songs. pigasus, too, contributed to the general fun and gaiety with some of his best songs and verses and ate so many slices of the black plum cake, dorothy began to feel positively uneasy. interesting and delightful as it all was, the little girl could not help thinking of ozma and her other unfortunate and captive friends, and as the black banjo clock in the corner of the hall struck a musical ten, she lightly touched the arm of gloma. the black queen had graciously placed dorothy beside her. "i think we had better go now," whispered dorothy earnestly. "if pigasus eats any more he'll fall asleep and we'll have to wait till morning." gloma smiled and nodded understandingly, then pressing dorothy's hand for "goodbye," stole quietly off to her workshop. dorothy tried to signal pigasus across the gleaming black table, but before she could catch his eye he had vanished, and she herself was whirling dizzily through space. "maybe it would have been better to have spent the night in the castle," mused dorothy, spreading her arms like wings as she sailed through the air. "i don't suppose we'll be able to see in the dark now that we are out of the black forest, and goodness knows where we'll come down." there was no moon, and peer about as she would, dorothy could not even catch a glimpse of the flying pig. "of course," dorothy went on conversationally to herself, "we could have flown all this distance on piggin's back, but this is quicker and less trouble, but oh, dear, i do hope he's all right." her worry about the pink pig ended rather abruptly, for at that very moment she began to somersault over and over in a headlong drop to the ground. a painful grunt as she landed assured her of the pig's presence. "what you trying to do? puncture me?" puffed pigasus, as dorothy with an embarrassed little gasp of apology rolled off his back. "such rudeness!" grunted her companion, scrambling to his feet with an angry snort. "flinging us out of her castle as if we'd been garbage. yes, garbage," he repeated, winking rapidly. "it was my fault," cried dorothy, moving over to smooth out his ruffled wing feathers. "i asked her to transport us to ev, and oh, piggins!" by the light of a crooked lamp set in a crevice of the rocky path on which they found themselves dorothy regarded him rapturously. "you're pink again!" "am i? well, that's something." waddling closer to the lamp, pigasus examined himself with careful attention. "you're pink, too," he said a little more pleasantly, "but these magic transportations are a bit sudden, if you ask me, and i'm not at all sure i like this spot. where are we, anyway?" "oh, it's all right and now we don't have to travel at all. we're here," announced dorothy, who had hurried on a few steps ahead. "and where is here?" grumbled pigasus, following pompously, more from too much plum cake than from a desire to be disagreeable. "why, at kalico's mountain!" exclaimed dorothy, pointing excitedly to a small door in the rocky surface before them. "now we don't have to decide between the gnome king and the king of ev. since we are here, we'll try kalico first." "trying him is all very well, but i hope he does not try any magic on us," yawned pigasus, squinting sleepily up at the brass sign hung on the stout wooden door. "what does it say there?" a green lantern hung over the door and by its flickering light dorothy read slowly: "back door of the gnome king's underground castle. no dogs, babies or chickens allowed. no gold fish wanted. no peddlers or snailsmen need apply. keep out and stay out. this means you." "oh, that's all right," laughed dorothy as pigasus looked rather alarmed at the sternly worded notice. "we're not babies or chickens or gold fish, and kalico's a friend of mine. come on!" lifting the knocker and smiling confidently, dorothy knocked three times on the gnome king's back door. chapter in kalico's castle "what is it, shoofenwaller?" kalico, the thin and gray little king of the gnomes, peered impatiently down from the great carved gem-studded rock that served him for a throne. "shoo--go away--you know this is my hour for retiring! go away, i tell you! and if you never come back it will still be too soon." "yes, but your majesty!" while obediently backing toward the door, the king's royal chamberlain extended his arms imploringly. "something has come up, the long eared hearer reports footsteps on the south mountain. two visitors are about to enter the back door of our castle." "visitors!" exclaimed kalico, getting up with an impatient flounce. "at this hour! well, tell them to go away and come back tomorrow. here, wait a moment." as shoofenwaller, shrugging his narrow shoulders, turned to carry out his orders, kalico changed his mind. "just hand me my expectacles," commanded the king crossly, "i may as well have a look at the prowling pests." with another shrug, shoofenwaller stepped to a small cabinet, and taking a pair of smoked glasses from the top drawer, handed them up to the king. now kalico's expectacles were very useful, enabling him to see who was coming before they arrived, and clapping them hurriedly on his thin nose, he stared intently off into space. at what he saw, the king's expression changed from irritation to vague uneasiness. "botheration!" he muttered morosely. "it's one of those mortals from the emerald city. why can't those girls stay home--always poking their noses into other people's affairs and trying to save somebody from something." "which one is it?" asked shoofenwaller, blinking. "it's dorothy," sighed kalico, taking off his expectacles and putting them absently into his pocket, "and there's a queer kind of winged pig with her. a pig with wings, mind you. rooks and rockets! wonder what they want?" "why not find out?" suggested shoofenwaller reasonably. "no! no, not tonight," kalico waved his hands determinedly. "just conduct them to the red guest cave, shoofenwaller, and bring them to me in the morning." with a stiff bow the royal chamberlain backed out the door and pattered away to admit the visitors. "and about time, too," thought dorothy as the rock door opened cautiously and the little crooked gnome thrust out his head. "in the name of king kalico the first, i hereby welcome you to gnome man's land," began shoofenwaller pompously. "oh, that's all right," yawned pigasus wearily, "what we want is a place to sleep, and remember--no trickery!" he added sharply as the gnome stood aside so that they could enter the narrow rock passageway. "i suppose your highness comes on a matter of state?" remarked shoofenwaller, turning from pigasus with an involuntary grimace. pigs reminded him of ham--ham reminded him of eggs, and eggs were immediate death and destruction to gnomes. "well, yes," admitted dorothy, adjusting her step to the short, crooked legs of the king's little counselor. "what i really need is an army!" "an army?" groaned shoofenwaller, realizing what bad news this would be for his master. "our army?" "oh, let's talk about all that in the morning," wheezed pigasus as dorothy briskly nodded her head in answer to shoofenwaller's question. the pink pig was taking sleepy sidelong squints at the elegantly excavated and gem-encrusted corridors of the gnome king's underground dwelling. "just what his majesty suggested," muttered the chamberlain, sweeping open a red iron door with a ruby knob. "i trust you will be comfortable here and rest well. if your highness wishes a cup of kalicocoa, or your friend a mud pie or pudding, just ring the bell. goodnight, princess! goodnight--er--er pig!" "sa-hay--i resent that!" pigasus cocked his ears belligerently as the king's crooked little messenger bowed himself out the door. "did you notice the way he said 'pig,' dorothy?" "yes," said dorothy with a little yawn, "i did, but then all gnomes are sassy and you'll have to get used to them. if kalico helps us, that's all we care about." pigasus nodded rather grimly. "i suppose this is what you call getting down to bed rock," he murmured, looking around the red rock apartment with his amused blue stare. "hope the beds aren't rock, too." punching a red sofa experimentally and finding it surprisingly soft, the pink pig jumped up and settled himself cozily among the cushions. pigasus had lived in castles and palaces all his life and was so accustomed to comfort and luxury that without bothering to look around kalico's richly appointed guest cavern he closed his eyes and fell asleep. dorothy, tiptoeing through a curtain into an adjoining red rock cavern that served as a bedroom, undressed quickly and putting out the ruby lamps, slid thankfully between the red silk sheets and was soon as soundly asleep as pigasus. they were just having breakfast, served by two small gnomen in their red sitting-cave, when shoofenwaller came hurrying in to announce that kalico was ready and waiting to see them. earlier the gnome king and his chamberlain had discussed the possible purposes of dorothy's visit and kalico had been extremely annoyed to learn that she wanted to borrow his army. "and you will lend it to her, all our hundred thousand trained gnomen yoemen?" questioned shoofenwaller anxiously. "what else can i do?" kalico snapped his little gray eyes unhappily. "remember it was dorothy who stole the former gnome king's magic belt and really was the means of my becoming king." "that's so," muttered shoofenwaller, pulling his ear reflectively. "but why not use a little strategy in this conference, king? why not pretend to help her and at the same time safeguard your own interests? lending our army is a dangerous experiment. suppose an enemy threatened us while our fighting forces were in the emerald city? anything could happen. put her off--make excuses," urged shoofenwaller craftily. this suggestion fell in exactly with the gnome king's wishes, and curious to know what really had brought dorothy to his castle, he sent his little chamberlain hurrying off to bring her to the throne room. "and now for a little kalicoaxing," sniffed pigasus, waddling unconcernedly along beside dorothy under magnificent arches, over artificial terraces and rock gardens, gazing down long vistas of yet unmined shafts where hundreds of gnomes worked busily with picks and shovels to further enrich the already enormously rich and powerful little metal monarch. kalico, as they entered the beautifully furnished and lavishly carved cave that he used for a throne room, came hurrying to meet them. "so charming of you to come all this way just to see me," murmured the gnome king, taking both of dorothy's hands in his own and bowing graciously as she introduced pigasus. "always delighted to entertain a princess from the court of her royal highness, ozma of oz!" "oh, kalico--then you do remember her! oh, please, dear kalico, will you help us to find her?" "find her? why, what under the earth do you mean? is ozma lost?" kalico's long face at dorothy's excited greeting grew visibly longer, and after the little girl had explained the disappearance of ozma and the others, the enchantment of all the people in oz, and the coming of skamperoo to the emerald city, kalico climbed wearily back on his throne and sat down. "this--this is shocking!" faltered kalico, mopping his forehead with a long gray cobweb, "and just what do you and this--this--pig intend to do about it?" "what do you intend to do about it?" rather tired of being called a pig, pigasus planted all four feet and stared defiantly up at the perturbed metal monarch. "well--er--that is--er--i don't see that it is my affair at all!" mumbled kalico with a rueful nod of his head. "anyone powerful enough to conquer ozma and oz would pay small attention to opinions of mine." "but we don't want your opinions," stated pigasus bluntly. "what we want is your army and any magic you can conveniently spare!" "please, kalico, do help us," begged dorothy, running up the carved rock steps of the throne and seating herself coaxingly on the arm. "with all your thousands of gnomes and many magic powers, we can certainly drive skamperoo out of the emerald city." "well, of course," sighed kalico, flattered by dorothy's reference to his magic powers, "i'll do what i can, but if what you say is true, it will take more than one army to reconquer oz." as he said this, kalico looked across at shoofenwaller, and the little chamberlain, well pleased with his master's strategy, gave him an encouraging wink. "i tell you what i'll do," kalico crossed his legs and regarded dorothy through half-closed eyes. "if you find another king willing to send _his_ army into oz, i will also send mine. remember, even ozma's closest friends and retainers have forgotten her and the entire population, now fully convinced skamperoo is their rightful ruler, will rise to oppose us." "yes, yes, but have you no magic that will dispel this wicked enchantment or help us to locate our friends and sovereigns?" demanded pigasus, not wholly satisfied with the gnome king's offer. "gnome magic may be of no use in this case; nevertheless, i will send for my wizard and see what can be done." remembering their last experience with magic, dorothy stepped down from kalico's throne and seated herself quietly on the pink pig's back, and pigasus, grunting with relief, squinted suspiciously at the small, ugly wizard of the underworld, who presently came shuffling into the royal presence chamber. as quickly as possible kalico explained to the wizard all the dire happenings in oz. "do you think our magic spyglass could locate ozma and her missing friends and associates or tell us whether they have been utterly and completely destroyed?" demanded the gnome king gravely. potaroo, the king's magician, stood pulling his straggly whiskers for several moments after kalico had finished speaking, then he stamped four times on the flagged floor with his right foot. almost instantly four gnome wise men in peaked hats came into the throne room wheeling a huge telescope before them. dorothy and pigasus, prickling with suspense and terror, watched the wizard screw his eye to the end of the twisting spyglass. after several snorts and surprised exclamations, potaroo straightened up. "the missing ozians and the wizard of ev are hidden away in thunder mountain," he stated in a hoarse whisper. an electric little silence followed potaroo's disclosure, and as no one uttered a sound, the wizard continued, "as the spyglass is now pointing north, i believe you will find thunder mountain in that direction, but i must warn you that it will be a long and exceedingly dangerous journey." "danger? well what do we care for that quick somebody fetch me my coat--my hat--" "this hardly seems a time for jokes and verses," murmured kalico, looking at dorothy in mild disapproval. "she has to make verses and rhymes when she rides me i'm a poetry pig and a lucky star guides me!" grunted pigasus, too overcome by the wizard's awful news to realize he was speaking in verse himself. "oh, what difference does it make?" cried dorothy, jumping quickly off his back, "we must go to thunder mountain at once. pigasus can fly there." "here, here, not in such a hurry," exclaimed kalico, secretly delighted at the prospect of being so easily rid of his troubles. "we must pack you a lunch basket, and tell me, potaroo, have you any magic that will make the journey less dangerous for these brave young adventurers?" "m--agic?" stuttered potaroo, his eyes growing glassy at the mere thought of parting with any of his magic treasures. "well--er--i could lend them a box of my famous triple action stumbling blocks. they will overthrow any enemy, no matter how numerous." "splendid!" beamed kalico, rubbing his hands briskly together, "and don't forget, in the course of your journey north, if you find a king willing to lend his army, my army also will be ready and at your service." "oh, kalico, how _kind_ you are!" running up the steps of the throne again, dorothy gave the gnome king an impulsive hug. "come on, come on!" squealed pigasus, who had seen the various winks between kalico and shoofenwaller and was convinced that the little gnome king was doing as little as he possibly could. "give us our lunch and our stumbling blocks and we'll be off, and i must say they'll be an enormous help when we reach thunder mountain." spreading his wings, pigasus began to fly in angry circles round the gnome king's head. "humph, pork's going up!" sniffed shoofenwaller as he hurried away to see about packing the lunch basket. "he ought to be dried, smoked and salted," muttered potaroo, going sulkily off to fetch the blocks. dorothy, in earnest consultation with kalico, heard neither of these remarks, and when a few moments later the two returned with two boxes and dorothy's hat and coat, she thanked them politely, called pigasus down from a rocky ledge where he had flown and climbed happily on his back. then pigasus, not giving her time for any lengthy farewells, zipped through the tunneled caverns and corridors of the gnome king's underground dominions and burst thankfully out the back door of south mountain. "now, let's see, which way is north?" mused pigasus, twirling his curly tail around like a propeller. "all we have to do is to fly north to thunder mountain, unlock its thunder bolts, restore the rulers of oz, toss tumbling blocks at all enemies, raise a grand army and then, then king kalico will help us. isn't it just _too_ magniferous!" "why piggins, how mean of you, surely you know the gnome king's our friend, don't you like kalico?" "no!" said pigasus fiercely, hurling himself into the air. "well, anyway, we're better off than we were before," thought dorothy after several rhymed attempts to draw pigasus into a conversation. "at least we now know where ozma is and have two kinds of magic and the promise of an army. really we're getting on quite fast." but perhaps had she seen the king and his chamberlain nodding their heads like two little china mandarins as she and pigasus left the throne room, she would not have felt so cheerful. "that's the last we'll ever see of her," chuckled shoofenwaller, dropping a dried lizard instead of a lump of sugar into his tea. (gnomes always flavor their tea with lizards.) "no one yet has ever come safely back from thunder mountain. but what about this new emperor of oz?" "oh, that will be all right!" kalico waved one hand airily. "i would much rather have a man on the throne of oz. ozma is always involving me in wars or demanding the rights of smaller kingdoms, so long may she stay in thunder mountain and long skamperoo rule in oz!" "long live the emperor!" echoed shoofenwaller, and clicking their teacups gaily together, the two bad little gnomes drained to the last drop their black and bitter tea. and we should not be too hard on kalico, i suppose, for like all the dwellers under the earth, his heart is gray and flinty as the rock that forms his cavern, the blood in his veins cold and sluggish as the leaden waters of the underground rivers that wind sullenly through his dark domain. chapter the emperor of oz the same morning dorothy wakened in the rustic summer house of the winkie farmer, skamperoo opened his eyes upon the unaccustomed grandeur of ozma's royal palace. the banquet had lasted till long after three o'clock, then still chuckling and yawning, he had waved goodnight to his hilarious and amiable subjects and led chalk off to bed. twenty footmen with twenty lighted tapers preceded him to ozma's own apartment, but dismissing this as too plain and simple, he had taken the immense green guest suite across the hall. chalk would have much preferred a stall in the royal stable with the other four-footed members of the castle party, but skamperoo would not hear of such a separation. he wanted his white wishing horse close at hand, not only because through him and the magic emeralds he could satisfy every wish, but because for the first time in his long, lazy, selfish life he had found someone he liked better than himself. in skamperoo's eyes chalk was absolutely perfect, and as his own wish had brought the golden-maned charger into being, he felt proud and important as a parent with his first child. after a few regretful sniffs out of the window, a few short turns up and down their immense and elegant sleeping apartment, chalk leaped lightly on one of the large green beds and settled himself gracefully for the night. covering chalk tenderly with a green satin quilt, skamperoo hastily disrobed, and clutching his precious necklaces, climbed wearily into the other bed. there, without even stopping to wish himself goodnight, he fell into a deep and tranquil slumber. indeed both, in spite of the strangeness of their surroundings, slept soundly till morning. about eight o'clock, chalk, lifting his head from the embroidered pillow, looked indulgently across at the new emperor of oz. sitting up in bed, skamperoo was busily counting the gems in his three magic chains. "ho, throw those silly beads away!" advised the white horse, jumping out of bed with a gay toss of his golden mane. "you have nothing else to wish for, kingaling, nothing more at all! m--mmm, this green carpet looks good enough to eat, but i've a fancy to nibble the clover in your majesty's garden while it is still fresh with dew." "say it again," begged skamperoo, closing his eyes and clasping himself blissfully around the middle. "your majesty's garden! your majesty's palace, your majesty's kingdom of oz!" whinnied the white horse, rising on his hind legs and pirouetting round with mischievous little prances. "but come, emp! what are your wishes for today? i think we will have to use the necklaces after all. you must certainly have some new clothes. it would never do to appear this morning in the suit you wore last night. you had better have some sleeping garments, too. i've a notion that emperors do not sleep in their raw hides like horses." skamperoo, giggling self-consciously, dragged the satin sheets up to his chin, for to tell the truth, he had arrived in the emerald city with only one suit to his back, and an extremely shabby one at that. "maybe i'd better change my face, too," he murmured, "to go with all this, you know." dreamily skamperoo waved his hands about, and then, leaning forward, slipped the chains over chalk's ear. "what's the matter with the face you have?" demanded chalk, gazing fondly at the red, rotund countenance of his master. "i like you just as you are, and if you change i wouldn't even know you, but i'll tell you what you _can_ wish after you've ordered yourself some new clothes--wish yourself a seasoned rider and then we can go far and wide, kingaling, far and wide at a furious gallop and none shall say us nay--hey, hey!" "and none shall say us nay," trilled skamperoo, rolling out of bed, covers and all. to wish himself fifty jewel-encrusted robes with boots, crowns, and all the undergarments to go with them, fifty splendid sleeping robes, and fifty suits of riding clothes took but a moment. he and chalk could hear them landing with little thuds on the hangers in the many closets as skamperoo finished speaking. then, being naturally lazy, the new emperor wished that he had already had his bath and was dressed in his green riding clothes. so, immediately he was, and winking at his clever assistant adviser, he next wished himself the best rider in oz. then, taking back his necklaces, he buttoned them carefully in a little pocket over his heart and went over to the mirror to have a look at himself. "how about this governing stuff?" puffed the self-made emperor, turning this way and that to get a good view of his new clothes. "oh, i shouldn't bother about governing," answered chalk carelessly. "a well-governed country like this should be able to run itself for a few weeks. by that time we'll be ready for more serious matters, but right now i'm all for enjoying myself. a splendid idea, that, of putting all the rulers and the wizard and his magic out of the way. the rest of your court and subjects are exceedingly sensible and jolly, and if we are pleasant and sensible too, everything will be 'what ho and so cozy!' so let's go below and start our first day of emperoaring!" impatiently chalk pranced away toward the door. "you're sure i look all right?" asked skamperoo with another anxious squint at his reflection. "seems to me i'm a bit too fat." "oh, don't worry about that," said chalk, rolling his eyes wickedly. "come along, come along, and i'll soon shake some of that fat off you. up with you, kingaling, and let's to our oats!" to his delight and pleasure, skamperoo had not the slightest trouble mounting, and once in the saddle he felt perfectly at home, even when chalk bounded through the door, took the long circular steps between a canter and a gallop, and ran madly three times round the royal gardens. on fine days ozma always had breakfast in her private garden, and it being an especially fine day, the palace servants without thought or question had placed the royal table under the trees. it was still fairly early and none of the guests or members of the household were down, but this did not spoil skamperoo's excellent appetite at all. ordering chalk a breakfast of oats, bran and quartered apples, he seated himself gaily at the head of the table. the green riding hat, set well over one ear, became him vastly well and chalk, regarding him proudly from the foot of the table, thought him every inch an emperor, even if round the waist there were a good many too many inches. "i wish pinny penny could see you now," sighed the horse, sinking contentedly back on his haunches, "and how i should have enjoyed seeing matiah's face when he finally discovered you and the necklaces were gone. by the way, perhaps we should do something about matiah?" "pinny penny will attend to him," said skamperoo, popping a huge cherry into his mouth and nodding his head reassuringly. "i'll wager pinny penny sent the fellow packing the moment he found himself king. wonder how pinny is making out, anyway?" "but suppose matiah should follow us here?" went on chalk. having been in existence only two days, he knew little of oz or geozophy. "he can't come here," skamperoo told him triumphantly. "there's a deadly desert between skampavia and oz that no one in my father's lifetime or in mine has ever crossed, that is with the exception of ourselves, and we were wished across, which doesn't count." then as four footmen with heaping trays appeared, he winked at chalk and the white horse lapsed into a thoughtful silence. and skamperoo had been perfectly correct in his conjectures about pinny penny. when, with a resounding clunk, the king's gold crown had fallen upon the astonished prime minister, his head had gone entirely through so he was forced to wear it much as a dog wears a collar. but even so, he was not slow to realize the significance of this odd happening or the power it brought with it. gripping the scepter which had forced itself into his hand, he rushed into the throne room to find out what strange whim of his master had made him acting king of the realm. a glance around the throne room was enough to show him that skamperoo was not there, and when he saw matiah sitting so unconcernedly in the book alcove, a sudden rage and conviction seized him. whatever had happened, matiah was to blame. "leave this palace at once!" shouted pinny penny, stamping first one foot and then the other. "at once, do you hear, or i'll call out the guard!" matiah, still deep in the history of oz, looked up in astonishment, and when he saw the little prime minister wearing skamperoo's crown round his neck and brandishing his scepter, he gave a perfect bellow of anger and dismay. "where's the king?" he roared, looking wildly around the throne room, "and why are you wearing his crown? where's skamperoo--where're the necklaces?" "ask yourself!" raged pinny penny, shaking the scepter threateningly. "everything was quiet and peaceful till you and your necklaces arrived at this palace; there's some magic trickery about them and about you. don't think i was fooled by that horse story, a horse does not appear out of the air. well, now the king's gone--the horse is gone and unless you are gone in ten seconds i'll have you thrown out of the window. ten seconds--do you hear? this crown and scepter came to me through no wish or choice of my own, but since they did come to me i am the king! and i intend to rule this country. my first official act will be to rid myself of your filthy presence. now, then, start walking, merchant, and don't stop till you reach the border. twenty guards will follow to see you safely out of the country." "you wait till skamperoo hears about this!" blustered matiah, backing away in alarm from the determined little prime minister. "i'm more important to him than anyone else." "then why aren't you with him?" inquired pinny penny shrewdly. "no, wherever he's gone he has gone without you. i am the king and i do not need you, so be off!" clapping his hands, pinny gave a sharp command to the guards, who came hurrying in answer to his summons. retiring rapidly to escape the tips of their sharp spikes, matiah sullenly began his long march. it was nightfall by the time the little company reached the edge of skampavia. here, in a wilderness of rock and rubble, the guardsmen left him with food enough for a couple of days and stern warnings never to return to skampavia. far to the west the miserable merchant could see the comforting lights of merryland, but he had no desire to go there or east to the kingdom of ix. instead, he stared hopelessly across the wilderness to where the heaving sands of the deadly desert gleamed like molten silver in the moonlight. "how had that rascally monarch ever escaped without his seeing him? how could he ever safely cross the deadly desert and hope to reach oz? how had skamperoo, who seemed so dumb and foolish, ever discovered the secret of using the magic emeralds when he himself had failed to do so? how? how? how?" crouched on a flat rock, munching one of the sandwiches left by the guards, matiah scowled evilly across the grim desert, his thoughts as treacherous and shifting as its deadly sands. chapter the dooners! all day, with only a short pause for lunch, pigasus had flown north, dorothy keeping a sharp lookout for thunder mountain or mountains of any sort, but the wild, desolate country through which they were flying was flat, desert-like and apparently perfectly uninhabited. "a fine healthy chance we have of finding an army here!" snorted pigasus as the afternoon drew to a hot, weary close, "and what we'll do when we find thunder mountain, i haven't the faintest notion, have you? even if i butt my nose black, blue and blunt, and you break both knuckles beating on its rocky exterior, how can we ever hope to enter such a place, much less release our unfortunate sovereigns? i told you kalico was a scoundrel; i'll wager he's sent us on a wild goose chase just to get us out of the way." "ah, don't say i told you so, there's always some way, you know," said dorothy almost as down-hearted as pigasus, though she would not admit it. the pink pig, rather ashamed of himself, flew for several miles without saying anything, then, in rather a gruff voice, he called dorothy's attention to the changing nature of the scenery below. "notice the hills?" he snorted, more hopefully. "maybe there is a mountain, after all, but the sun's going down and i'm ready to sink myself, so let's descend and see whether we can find a soft rock on which to lay our heads." "not hills, dunes!" cried dorothy, bouncing off as soon as pigasus touched the earth. "sand dunes; we must be near the coast and the nonestic ocean." "it does smell salty," agreed pigasus, sniffing the air eagerly, "but suppose we save the ocean for tomorrow, my feet ache, my wings ache, and i'm hollow as a drum." "then we'll have supper," decided dorothy, sensibly. so seating themselves comfortably with their backs against a dune, the two weary explorers finished up all the cold meat, fruit, pie, and sandwiches shoofenwaller had packed up for them. after a long, wistful sniff into the box convinced him there was not another crumb, pigasus folded his wings, lay down in the soft sand at the foot of the dune, giving only indistinct grunts and snorts to dorothy's questions and observations. finally, getting no answer at all, dorothy discovered he was asleep. the regular rise and fall of the pink pig's sides, the soft drowsy singing of the west wind lulled dorothy into a pleasant state of dreaminess, and presently, with her head comfortably pillowed on the pig's plump shoulder, she fell asleep too. it must have been hours later when terrified squeals from pigasus and the patter of a hundred hurrying feet made her start up in alarm. still only half awake, she was startled to find herself and pigasus surrounded by a horde of savage-looking sandmen. in the pale and watery moonlight they looked like creatures out of some very bad dream. their bodies were roughly moulded of sand, their eyes strangely green and phosphorescent, while their hair, rising like beach grass from their pointed heads, waved about their lumpy faces. clutching the basket that contained her small store of clothing, the black witch's powder of darkness, and potaroo's box of stumbling blocks, dorothy pressed back against the dune. her first idea of leaping on the pig's back and bidding him fly was useless. pigasus lay helplessly on his side, his wings and legs bound tightly with long strands of tough, strong seaweed. thankful to find that she at least was free, dorothy went a step closer to her struggling, squealing, furious little comrade. as she did so, a perfect shower of sand balls came flying toward them. the sharp sting of the sandmen's missiles not only awoke her completely, but goaded her into instant and angry action. "stop that! stop that at once!" she cried, stamping her foot indignantly, but her words only brought another shower of sand balls down on their heads. "you have dared to invade the sacred domain of the dooners," yelled the rasping voice of the leader, rattling a long string of sea shells he wore round his neck. "and therefore you shall be sand balled, sand bagged and made into sandwiches for the sand crabs!" if the dooner had not looked so wild and dangerous, his foolish threat might have been amusing, but as he and his bandy-legged sandmen came leaping forward, pigasus gave a squeal of sheer terror, and dorothy, raising the basket over her head, hurled it with all her might into the midst of the advancing army. the effect was immediate and astonishing. cowering down beside pigasus and expecting to be seized or trampled on, dorothy saw the first line of dooners going down like a row of tenpins, then all the others began tumbling and tripping and falling in heaps. no sooner would a sandman rise than he would instantly tumble down again, and their squalls and screeches of rage were so piercing dorothy put both hands over her ears. "it's the blocks," wheezed pigasus, managing to lift his head a few inches. "kalico's stumbling blocks are flying like fur and fury. now if they just keep 'em down for a while longer, we might get away." dorothy, peering sharply into the midst of the tumbling dooners, saw the fifty magic squares released from their box when she flung her basket, fairly exploding with activity, and scramble up as they would after each tumble, the sandmen could not advance an inch, nor even manage to stand erect. the leader, attempting to crawl forward on his hands and knees, was caught by a dozen of the whirling missiles and rolled back like a log among his churning comrades. "hurray! three cheers for kalico!" puffed pigasus. "quick, my girl, see if you can untie these wretched seaweeds and we'll be flying and be off in a pigwhistle." "i had a pair of scissors in my basket if it hasn't fallen out, and anyway i'm not going without my things," declared dorothy, now quite bold since the enemy had been overcome by magic. and in spite of the pig's anxious squeals of warning, she rushed forward, grabbed her basket and began picking up her scattered belongings, noting with a sigh of relief that the box containing the powder of darkness was still closed. with the scissors, still safe in the little pocket in the side of the basket, she soon clipped the seaweed trusses from pigasus, and clasping the basket in her arms climbed swiftly on his back. pigasus, without one backward glance, rose straight into the air and again headed north. dorothy, peering fearfully over his left wing, saw the dooners spring suddenly to their feet and then, like frightened prairie dogs, disappear into many holes in the sand. funny, mused dorothy, that they had not noticed these openings before. funny that the dooners had stopped stumbling as soon as she and pigasus had taken to the air. funny--but then, everything was funny. right in the middle of her conjectures the box of stumbling blocks, now closed and tied with a red ribbon, dropped "plink" into the middle of her basket. "someone's throwing things," gasped pigasus, flapping his wings a bit faster and looking rather wildly over his shoulder. "no, just our box of stumbling blocks," yawned dorothy. now that the excitement was over she felt dreadfully tired and even the sight of the nonestic ocean rippling and gleaming a few yards ahead did not arouse or interest her. it did not interest pigasus, either. he was far from pleased to find himself so near the coast. "i don't like this, i don't like this at all," muttered the pig, perking up his ears and wiggling his nose rapidly. "we've flown straight north and instead of striking thunder mountain, we strike the sea, and how could a mountain be in the middle of the sea?" "there are mountains on islands and i have a notion there are plenty of islands out there in the ocean," said dorothy sleepily, recalling the days she had studied geography in the united states. "take japan, for instance, over there mountains are simply everywhere!" "i don't care if they are," answered pigasus fiercely, "i won't go to japan and i'll not go a wing's breadth over this ocean tonight, islands or no islands. sa--hay! there's the north star to our left, so we're not going north at all. we're off our course, that's what we are!" "north star? north star, of course we are!" mumbled dorothy with a drowsy nod. "you're asleep," scolded pigasus in a worried voice. "i'd better land." "if you land too soon, you'll strike a dune," warned dorothy with another yawn. and after a quick glance below, and convinced they were still over the dooner's domain, pigasus spread his wings a bit wider and swung along the coast looking carefully for a safe place to land and spend the rest of the night. he was so busy squinting downward that he never saw the long curious tube-like shadow shooting after him with incredible accuracy and speed. a terrific blast of air as it rushed by them on the right was his first warning of danger. dorothy, too, caught unaware, gave a faint shriek as an immense snake-like body curved back and began to coil round and round them like some gigantic air serpent. "it is a snake!" thought poor dorothy, as pigasus hung helplessly in the little circle of air left in the center of its coils. neither spoke, for truly there seemed nothing to say or do. then just as the suspense grew too awful to be endured, the monster opened its mouth and dorothy, backing as far along the pig's back as she possibly could, almost lost her balance. instead of a tongue or long tusks, out popped the head and shoulders of a little old man no larger than dorothy herself. "pardon me," he murmured politely, "i was looking for a sea serpent." "do i look like a sea serpent?" snorted pigasus in a quivering voice, for he was still half choked from shock and fright. "if you and that monster you're riding are looking for a sea serpent, go ahead--look for one, but leave honest travelers alone!" "monster?" exclaimed the little man in a hurt voice. "oh, i say now, you have us all wrong. this is no monster, this is the long, strong, flexible, stretchable shooting tower of my private castle, and i, myself, am bitty bit, the seer of some summit." in the short silence that followed bitty bit's astonishing announcement, dorothy, examining more closely the tube-like coils encircling herself and pigasus, saw that they really were of stone with rubber-like sections between. what she had taken for a mouth was really a window. with his elbow resting on the ledge, bitty bit was regarding them fixedly. "well, even if you are a seer and have a shooting tower," grunted pigasus, gathering courage as he went along, "there is no reason for you to come towering over us this way!" "but a seer must be constantly looking for things," explained bitty bit, spreading his hands expansively, "that, you know, is his business. i am always looking for something and tonight it happens to be sea serpents." "sorry to disappoint you," said pigasus, more mildly, "but since we are not sea serpents, perhaps you'll be good enough to unwind your tower. as it happens, i have a little looking to do myself. as a matter of fact, when you and your tower overtook us i was searching for a safe place for this young princess and myself to spend the night." "look no more!" begged bitty bit, leaning so far over the sill dorothy involuntarily put out her hand to save him from falling. "you shall both spend the night in my castle. come!" grasping dorothy by one hand and pigasus by one wing, the little seer with superhuman strength for one so small and wrinkled dragged them both through the open window of his shooting tower. chapter the seer of some summit since coming to oz, dorothy had traveled in many strange ways, but to find herself shooting through the midnight sky in bitty bit's tower was surely the oddest of all. both she and pigasus stared from the window in wide-eyed wonder as the tower uncoiled and started shrinking rapidly backward. "we may as well go home at once," observed bitty bit, rubbing his little hands briskly together. "you are much more interesting than sea serpents and i can easily look for sea serpents some other night. now don't be alarmed when we bump." "bump?" repeated dorothy rather nervously. "of course," the sage told her calmly. "as i go forward, the tower stretches out in any direction i wish to go; when i return, it shrinks, contracts, and retires within itself like a telescope, and by the time we reach the castle it is no larger than an ordinary tower. mm--better hold on to something, we're almost there!" running around the circular room a few feet from the wall was a gold railing. pigasus had just time to hook his wing around this railing and dorothy to seize it with one hand, when bitty bit's tower with a resounding crash snapped back, but up to a vertical position, so that what had been the floor of the little room became the east wall and the window a skylight. dorothy and pigasus, describing a complete circle on the bar, landed in a more or less upside down position on what had been the back wall. "that's why i have it cushioned," explained the seer, who also had executed a neat somersault. hopping up, as if landing on his head was a perfectly usual and ordinary occurrence, bitty bit opened a trap door in the floor and motioned for dorothy and pigasus to follow him down a long winding stair. "these magic contraptions will be the death of me," wheezed pigasus, picking himself up with a groan. the cushioned floor had made his fall painless, but he was considerably jolted and upset from the shock, or rather the series of shocks that had so far punctuated their evening. "but if he's a seer," whispered dorothy, recovering her basket and trotting eagerly after bitty bit, "he ought to be able to help us a--" "bitty bit," sniffed the pink pig. "well, if he'll just help me to a bed, i'll be satisfied!" and grunting and grumbling, he clumped sleepily down the stairs behind dorothy. the room into which the stone stairway led them was evidently the cozy and comfortable study of the comical little seer. its walls were of oak, lined from floor to ceiling with books, and all its furnishings were tan or brown. dorothy considered this extremely suitable as bitty bit himself looked like a very wise and merry brownie. on his little round head was a round cap with a yellow quill and he wore a brown wrinkled robe rather like a monk's, tied tightly round the waist with a yellow cord. his bright, black, sharp little eyes danced with good humor and interest in his sun-tanned, honest little face. while pigasus stood sleepily and somewhat disapprovingly on the hearth rug, dorothy sank into a snug brown arm chair and looked expectantly up at their singular host. "no, no, not a word," begged bitty bit, raising his hand pleadingly. "remember, i am the seer of some summit, a seer who can see and foresee; a seer who can tell and foretell. just by closing my eyes i can tell who you are, whence you came, and whither you are going." "fancy that, now," observed pigasus in a mocking voice. "you," retorted bitty bit, pointing a skinny brown finger at the pig, "you are a creation of my friend, the red jinn, whose taste for low verse i always knew would lead him into some mischief." "low verses?" retorted pigasus indignantly, while even dorothy looked a little shocked. "yes, low verses," insisted bitty bit solemnly. "you are so constructed that he who rides must rhyme and break into foolish jingles. is this not so?" "they may be jingles, but they are not low verse," protested pigasus, flapping his ears angrily. "well, then, let us call them simple verses," amended bitty bit with a generous wave of the hand, "at least they are verses that anyone can understand, which, of course, makes them of no value whatever. people never appreciate what they can understand." "dorothy does," declared pigasus, now mad enough to fly right out the window. "dorothy? ah, yes, i was coming to her." swinging around, bitty bit, his eyes still tightly shut, wagged his finger at the astonished little girl. "you are the mortal girl who came to oz by cyclone. you live in the emerald city of oz and are--" "oh, tell us something we don't already know," interrupted pigasus with a bored yawn. "where is ozma of oz now--how could a scalawag emperor steal her throne?" "wait! wait! give me time! not a word more--not a word!" panted bitty bit, advancing with short dancing steps toward dorothy. "i--i see a necklace," he muttered mysteriously. "one--two--three necklaces! i see a white horse and a fat, red-faced fellow wearing a small emerald crown. great sea bass and sassafrass! oz has been conquered--its inhabitants enchanted--its rulers banished, and the king of skampavia sits on the throne." "so that's where he comes from!" breathed dorothy, forgetting bitty bit's request for silence. "oh, quick, tell us more--tell us more, and help us to restore ozma and the other lost sovereigns to power!" "i am only a seer," answered the sage, opening his eyes wide and suddenly. "i can see and foresee, tell and foretell, but i cannot change that which has happened or is about to happen." "but where is ozma?" demanded pigasus, edging closer. "if you are a seer and can see 'er, at least you can tell us where she is." in this way pigasus hoped to check up the information given them by potaroo, the gnome king's wizard. so again bitty bit closed his eyes and pressing his fingers to his forehead spoke: "ozma, my old friend jinnicky, the wizard of oz, a soldier with green whiskers, a purple horse, two queens, two kings, a prince, the tin woodman, and glinda the good sorceress are lying at the bottom of lightning lake, which is on the top of thunder mountain," bitty bit told them solemnly. "lightning lake?" cried dorothy, seizing the little seer frantically by the shoulders. "why, then, they must be drowned, burned and destroyed altogether!" "no, no--they are quite calm and as usual," bitty bit assured her hastily, "in fact, they are, i should say, in a trance of some kind." "but what'll we do, how'll we disenchant them or find thunder mountain?" loosing her hold on bitty bit, dorothy spun round three times and then started firmly for the door. "my shooting tower will take you to thunder mountain or any other place you decide you must go," promised bitty bit, hurrying anxiously after the little girl, "but not tonight, dorothy--not tonight. we are all tired and i must have time to think. the conquering of oz is a great shock to me. i would like time to look into the matter more fully and consider all of these strange events in their proper order. this problem shall be my pillow. i'll sleep on it, my dear, and in the morning will doubtless have something helpful to suggest." "well, then, where're the beds?" yawned pigasus, who heartily approved of bitty bit's suggestion. "or are we to sleep on our problems, too?" at this, bitty bit, who seemed to find pigasus terribly amusing, laughed right out loud, then taking dorothy's arm he led the way to a snug little bedroom all done in yellow. pigasus had a gentlemanly apartment in tan next door and both were so weary they spent little time examining their new quarters, but instead went directly to bed and to sleep. when dorothy wakened next morning she looked out the window and saw pigasus flying in slow circles round the tidy castle. bitty bit's brown stone palace, though small and unpretentious, perched, right on top of some summit, and the view was so fine and the mountain air so fresh and invigorating, dorothy, in spite of all her anxiety and worry, began to feel happy and reckless and ready for anything. with cheerful little glances round her cozy yellow room, she dressed, brushed her hair till it shone, then skipped merrily down the brown marble steps and out into the garden. the garden, really a series of sloping terraces, was bright with hardy mountain posies, with spicy sage bushes and gnarled old trees which clung like acrobats to the steep rocks and dangerous crevices. pigasus, catching a glimpse of dorothy seated on a smooth rock near a little waterfall, came swooping down to wish her a merry morning. "not a bad little palace," remarked the pig considerately. "not a bad little palace at all, though so far as i can see there's not a man servant nor a woman servant or even a ladybug about. i imagine this fellow is a hermit and from the looks of him probably lives on tobacco and snuff. what do you suppose are the chances for breakfast?" "i don't know," said dorothy, refusing to allow such a small matter as breakfast to dash her spirits. "have you seen bitty bit this morning?" "yes," sniffed pigasus, beginning to poke his nose hungrily round the roots of a dwarf oak, "before i flew out my window, i saw him going into his brown study. seer goes into brown study. how's that for the first announcement of the day?" "you're awful," laughed dorothy, giving pigasus a little push. "no, just awfully hungry," grinned pigasus. "now i've been thinking--" "no?" stepping out from behind a sizable bush, bitty bit regarded the pig with an air of assumed amazement. "he says he's been thinking," he repeated, turning solemnly to dorothy. "must be the air up here." "that's about all i've had," retorted pigasus, savagely crunching an acorn between his teeth, "that and a nibble from one of your sage bushes." "sage bush, eh?" chuckled bitty bit, winking at dorothy. "that's good, and we'll make a sage of you yet, a sausage!" he whispered in an undertone that pigasus heard quite distinctly. "and speaking of sausage, how about breakfast?" though bitty bit's remark about the sausage still rankled, pigasus was too hungry to let it keep him from following the seer into a small walled garden that opened out from the larger dining hall of his castle. here, on a small table covered with a gay yellow cloth, was assembled the most appetizing breakfast dorothy ever had tasted. ripe melon and apricots, cereal and eggs, tiny meat pies, pancakes and honey, hot rolls and steaming brown cocoa. there was a huge bowl of mush and cream for pigasus and another of buttermilk, and under the soothing influence of his favorite foods, pigasus completely forgot his annoyance and they were soon chattering away like old friends at a sunday school picnic. bitty bit's chef, whom the pig had overlooked in his grand tour of the palace, served them with skill and speed. no wonder pigasus had not seen him, for he was even smaller than his wrinkled little master and almost completely enveloped in a great brown linen apron and tall brown cap. dorothy could not possibly eat all the dainties pressed upon her by the kind little seer and his chef, but she nibbled at each course, and when bitty bit saw that neither she nor pigasus could down another bite, he swallowed the rest of his cocoa and bounced briskly to his feet. "now," he cried, tossing away his gay napkin with a flourish. "now for the emerald city and oz!" "but i thought we were going to thunder mountain," exclaimed dorothy, pushing back her chair so hurriedly she bumped her head on the wall. "that," exclaimed bitty bit, looking over his shoulder, for he was already half way through the door, "that will not be necessary. all we need to save the celebrities of oz is the long lost wishing emeralds of lorna the wood nymph." "lorna?" coughed pigasus, rolling out of his seat and falling a bit sideways. "for pretty sake, who's she?" "oh, come along!" urged dorothy, and without wasting another second she pelted into the brown palace after bitty bit. with a groan pigasus followed, and groaned again when he realized he would have to climb three flights of marble steps and a flight of stone to reach the famous shooting tower. then, suddenly and joyfully remembering his wings, he spread them wide. "wings, hold me up," mumbled the pink pig stuffily, "we're carrying entirely too mush mush!" rising rather uncertainly, he breathlessly flapped his way up to the tower room where dorothy and bitty bit impatiently awaited him. chapter skamperoo in oz in the company of scraps, the scarecrow, the royal visitors, and all the amusing members of ozma's court, the emperor and chalk passed a gay and hilarious morning. the tableaux and pageants proceeded without a single hitch and no one seemed to miss dorothy or pigasus at all, nor did anyone notice the omission of the carefully planned groups showing the wizard's arrival in oz, dorothy's first visit to the emerald city or the victory of nick chopper over the wolves. these interesting and historical events might just as well never have happened. notta's circus later in the afternoon went off with a bang, even without pigasus to jump through hoops and fly round the ring waving flags while scraps did her balance-defying acts on the trapeze and tight rope. the picnic supper was even more fun than the circus, and the fireworks, set off by tik tok, who was in no danger of scorching himself, the best of all. indeed, skamperoo's first day in the emerald city had been so full and so interesting he had not made a single wish or once thought of his magic emeralds. "funny we never had jolly times like this at home," mused skamperoo, putting out the emerald stars in the ceiling that pleasantly lighted his green apartment, and burrowing happily down into his splendid green bed. "oh, chalk! are you asleep there, old horse?" as no answer came from the other bed, skamperoo let himself sink a bit deeper into the luxurious nest of silken covers and soon was asleep himself, puffing and whistling like a steamboat. but the strange and frightful snoring of the emperor did not seem to stop nor scare away the shadowy figure that presently came stealing into the royal chamber. once--twice--three times, long skinny fingers reached out toward the thick neck of the snoring ruler of oz. the fourth time there were three distinct little clips, and when the curving talon-like claw withdrew, it had in its clutching grasp the three powerful wishing chains. then, without waking the occupant of either bed, the thief stole quietly into the shadows. now the scarecrow, delighted with the success of the celebration so far, had suggested a series of athletic contests and obstacle races for next day and skamperoo had heartily agreed to his plans. his first thought on waking was the race to be run by the straw man and himself, the scarecrow on the wooden saw horse, he on his splendid white charger. "i'll wear the white leather breeches and shirt," puffed skamperoo, bounding out of bed like a school boy. he had taken a shower and donned his showy riding clothes before he missed his magic emeralds. then, all at once, as he stood before the mirror to comb his hair, he gave a loud squall of anguish. "chalk! chalk!" roared the distracted emperor, racing over to the balcony and leaning so far out over the railing he nearly fell on his crown. "they're gone! they're gone! my emeralds! my necklaces! my necklaces! my emeralds!" now chalk, who had risen early to nibble the clover while it was still fresh with morning dew, looked up in alarm, then as his master's voice grew louder and louder and his gestures more spectacular and desperate, the white horse rose up on his hind legs and shook his head in violent warning and displeasure. "hush!" he directed in a low voice. "i'll be right up." making his way quickly but cautiously so as not to arouse the curiosity of any of the palace servants, already at work in the lower hallways, chalk hurried up to the agitated emperor. "they're g-g--gone!" blubbered skamperoo, sitting on the edge of the bed and crying like a baby. "g--g-g-gone! now everything is ruined and i'll have nothing left at all!" "well, you still have me," murmured chalk, resting his head affectionately on skamperoo's shoulder. "brace up, kingaling, and for _oats_ sake be quiet! no one here knows about the necklaces and until the rascal who has stolen them learns how to use them we are as safe as soap. that rascal, of course, is matiah. somehow he has managed to cross the deadly desert. yes," chalk shook his mane wrathfully, "i am convinced that matiah has the necklaces, but what good are they to him when we alone know the secret that makes them work? he'll have to come to us in the end and when he does! hah!" chalk expelled the air from his nose in a terrific snort. "just let me take care of him." "but shouldn't we give the alarm, have a search made for him, and try to recover the emeralds?" "let him alone," counseled the wishing horse firmly. "the thing for you to do is to sit tight on the throne of oz. remember you are _still_ the emperor!" "but how can i be, without those emeralds?" skamperoo dabbed at his eyes with the satin bed sheet. "we got along all right yesterday," said chalk calmly. "come, cheer up, skamper, everything will be all right." "i rather counted on beating the scarecrow in that race this morning," muttered skamperoo wistfully. "how can you run as fast as that tireless wooden creature who was magically brought to life?" "well, wasn't i magically brought to life?" the white horse shook his mane roguishly. "come along, kingaling, we'll not only win that race, but we'll have back our necklaces and chase matiah out of oz before we are through." "i--i really believe you can do anything," sighed skamperoo, getting almost cheerfully to his feet. "but just the same, i shall keep a sharp outlook for matiah. he might start a revolution." "he'll revolute pretty rapidly if i once get my heels on him," promised chalk with a wicked grin. "come on--heads up, and who's afraid?" however, in spite of the white horse's valiant attempts to comfort him, skamperoo spent a troubled and uneasy day, casting fearful glances behind him when no one was looking, searching the happy holiday crowds with haggard glances for a glimpse of the long, thin face of matiah the merchant. even when chalk beat the sawhorse in their long, exciting race through the park, and the crowds cheered themselves hoarse with delight and approval, the victory was spoiled by the knowledge that somewhere in the emerald city lurked his most dangerous and relentless foe. chalk, too, though he pretended to regard the matter lightly, was almost as worried as his master and spent every free moment poking his head into doorways and peering down side streets and rearing up over walls. and while skamperoo was having his afternoon nap, the white horse systematically searched the palace from top to bottom, even the cellar. but in the cellar chalk did not go quite far enough, for it was in a hollowed out chamber under the cellar that the merchant of skampavia was really hidden. here, with a goodly supply of food, stolen from the pantry, matiah had seriously settled down to work out the problem of the emerald necklace. he had meant to conceal himself in the cellar itself, but when his foot brushed against an iron ring in the floor, he had lifted it up and discovered to his delight and satisfaction this still more secluded and safe retreat. the tunnels and rocky chambers below the palace had been constructed and used by ruggedo, the old gnome king, when he was plotting to capture the emerald city. ruggedo himself had been captured, but the underground caves and passageways had been left pretty much as they were. there were a number of chairs, a rough bed and table, and numerous candles and lamps. altogether it made an ideal workshop for the merchant to try out his experiments. in the cellar he might easily have been discovered by any of the kitchen boys sent down for supplies, but in ruggedo's old hideout he could be sure of complete privacy. lighting the largest of the lamps that hung on its rusty chain over the table, matiah seated himself on a rickety old chair and prepared to concentrate with all his will power on the glittering emeralds. in the sickly green light he made a strange and sinister figure as he bent over the table, mumbling and chattering to himself. but after a whole day, during which he tried every known formula and combination, touching each gem in succession as he made his wish and counted to a hundred, he was still no nearer the solution of the mystery than he had been in skampavia. first he had tried the diamond clasp of the third necklace, sure that that was the key to their power. but nothing at all had happened and the trick of the magic emeralds continued to elude him. to have in his fingers the means to immense power and good fortune and still be unable to benefit was so infuriating, matiah began to stamp, splutter, and beat his chest with rage and disappointment. was it for this he had bribed a red eagle with the promise of three wishes to carry him across the deadly desert? even now the mammoth bird was waiting impatiently on the edge of a little wood near the city ready to tear him to pieces if he failed to fulfill his part of the bargain. no daylight penetrated into the tunneled chamber, and hardly realizing that it was now midnight, matiah from sheer weariness and exasperation finally gave up and fell asleep, his head on the table, his hands still clutching the provoking chains. footsteps pattering overhead wakened him at last, and also told him someone had come to the cellar for supplies. stretching wearily, he rose and, going over to the stone steps, cautiously ascended and lifted the trapdoor. now thoroughly convinced that the necklaces would not work unless worn by someone else, he determined to seize the first person entering the cellar and compel him to help. the merchant did not have long to wait. all unconscious of the part he was to play in matiah's dark schemes, a young kitchen boy came whistling his way toward a great golden bin of potatoes. the bin was just beyond the trapdoor, and lowering it to a mere crack, matiah let the boy pass. then, as he leaned down to fill his basket, the wily merchant flung up the trapdoor, fell upon the boy and carried him kicking and screaming down the stairs. here, with threats, promises and innumerable shakings, he finally reduced the poor lad to a state of frightened submission. with the sparkling necklaces round his neck, he touched one and then another of the emeralds as matiah wished and counted and counted and wished. after each unsuccessful trial the merchant would rage and stamp and shake his fists, till the boy was quite convinced he was in the presence and power of a mad man, and frantically waited for someone to overhear matiah's ravings and come down to rescue him. but nobody did! while the unfortunate kitchen boy was spending a miserable morning in the underground chamber, skamperoo and chalk were going through the motions of enjoying themselves above stairs, but without any real zest or pleasure. only half-heartedly skamperoo laughed at the jokes of the scarecrow, and chalk, for all his bright interest in the long recital of kabumpo's adventures, was really in a fidget of uneasiness, trying to keep an eye on all the doors and windows in the throne room at once. something was going to happen. the white horse felt it in every bone. and just as the soft musical gong sounded the call for luncheon, his worst fears were realized. suddenly, without reason or warning, the castle was plunged into total darkness. thumps, bumps, hysterical shouts and screams followed closely on the heels of this disconcerting event. chalk, who had been standing back of skamperoo, immediately leaned forward and grasped his impetuous little master by the seat of his royal breeches. "be still!" commanded the white horse through his teeth and the white leather of skamperoo's riding pants, and he held on for dear life as the emperor, like all the rest of the court and guests tried to rush in every direction. "he's done it! he's done it, and everything, is ruined," wailed skamperoo, struggling in vain to pull away from chalk. "matiah has discovered the secret of the necklaces and now we are ruined--do you hear--ruined!" "i hear," hissed chalk, giving skamperoo a little shake, "and so will everyone else unless you shut your mouth. be quiet, i tell you, do nothing till the right moment, unless you want to dash out your brains against a pillar in the dark." too frightened to argue or struggle further, skamperoo at last subsided. all about courtiers, servants, and guests were screaming and bumping into each other or the furniture, and when a stern hand suddenly seized his bridle, chalk trembled violently in spite of himself. "follow me," directed a firm, stern little voice, "and no harm will come to you." now chalk had been expecting to see or hear matiah, and the sound of this small strange voice was a welcome relief and surprise. taking a firmer hold on skamperoo, he thrust out his head in an endeavor to touch or feel the newcomer. as he did so, the hand on his bridle began to tug him gently but firmly forward. "look out there, mind what you are about, the emperor of oz is just ahead!" whinnied chalk, now thoroughly alarmed. "we are not used to taking orders from strangers." "oh, we won't be strangers long," promised the strange voice pleasantly. "so this is the emperor of oz, and is this the way you usually carry him?" "come on bitty bit, what's the use of all this arguing?" put in another voice impatiently. "let's get out of that confusion. the wizard's laboratory is right across the hall. tell him to come there." "a girl!" decided chalk with another gulp of relief. "maybe we are not so badly off, after all!" and lifting his head, in spite of skamperoo's great weight, he spoke proudly and confidently, "whoever you are, we welcome you to oz, and if you can explain this unearthly and unexpected darkness we will gladly follow you and do as you say." "good!" chuckled bitty bit, tugging manfully at his bridle, "this way, please." there was still so much screaming and confusion in the throne room no one had overheard the conversation between the newcomers and the emperor's horse, and, guided by the invisible hand, chalk crossed the room without bumping into anything or anybody. a moment later they were in the dark, quiet laboratory that had once belonged to the wizard of oz. chapter the emperor's horse makes a bargain bitty bit's shooting tower had made a record trip to the emerald city, and guided by the little seer of some summit, had come to a deft and dexterous stop right outside the windows of the great throne room. after a short, anxious look inside, and before anyone was aware of their arrival, dorothy removed the lid from the box of the powder of darkness and threw a generous pinch into the air, plunging the emerald city into an instant and thunderous dark. under cover of this magic darkness, dorothy, pigasus, and bitty bit boldly entered the palace and singled out the white horse and his terrified master. they had fully expected some resistance--dorothy had brought a long piece of rope and pigasus carried a stout club under his wing--but they were delighted to find the emperor too frightened and his white horse too clever to resist an invisible foe. being able to see in the dark themselves, they had chalk and skamperoo at a decided advantage. dorothy's plans, now that they had actually returned to the emerald city, were rather vague, but bitty bit knew just what he hoped and intended to do. his seerish powers had enabled him to discover that all the changes in oz had been brought about by the magic emeralds which in some way had fallen into skamperoo's hands, and these emeralds bitty bit meant to have at the earliest possible moment. so first, he ordered all the windows and doors in the laboratory closed, then, annoyed by the screams and crashes still issuing from every room in the castle, he advised dorothy to put the lid back on the powder of darkness. "but supposing someone disturbs us before we finish," objected pigasus, looking doubtfully at the tremendous war horse, who stood with feet braced and ears back ready to listen or defy them. somehow chalk had managed to toss skamperoo back into the saddle and with both hands fixed grimly in the horse's mane, the emperor was blinking his eyes in a vain attempt to see them or catch a glimpse of matiah, for he was convinced that the merchant was at the bottom of the whole procedure. "if we agree to lift this pall of darkness, will you agree to grant us an uninterrupted hour of your time?" asked bitty bit, turning toward the emperor, but really addressing the horse, whom he considered the better man of the two. "i think we can, without undue danger, promise that," answered chalk guardedly, while skamperoo hemmed and hawed with indecision. "of course, you must promise to use no more magic against us." "well, the same goes for you too, remember," put in pigasus quickly. "an hour's time and conversation and no trickery." "but who--who are you?" muttered skamperoo, finding his voice at last. "i seem to hear three different voices." "you'll soon see," answered dorothy, clapping the lid on her powder of darkness. with a suddenness that made them all gasp, the laboratory was again flooded with the bright noon sunshine, and in a determined row before him skamperoo saw a pretty little girl in green, a fat pink pig with white wings, and a small wrinkled old gentleman in brown. "w-why--" whinnied chalk, drawing in a deep breath of relief, "at first i thought you were enemies, but now i see that you are merely visitors and friends." "that depends," observed bitty bit, seating himself on a tall stool that brought him on a level with chalk's nose. "i am the seer of some summit, but these others are princess dorothy and pigasus, the winged pig. they really belong in this palace and are close friends of the rightful ruler of this country, ozma of oz!" "i am the rightful ruler of oz!" shouted skamperoo, growing red in the face and thrusting out his three chins belligerently. "oh, don't bother putting on a show for me," exclaimed bitty bit, waving his arms impatiently. "remember, i am a seer, i know all, i see all, and what is more, i tell all! you, my pretty fellow, are really the king of skampavia, a small, no-count country on the other side of the deadly desert. in some way the long-lost necklaces of lorna the wood nymph have come into your possession. with these necklaces you have enchanted the people of oz into believing you are their ruler. you have wickedly banished ozma and her allies and counselors and unlawfully made yourself emperor of oz." "that seems to cover everything," drawled chalk, as skamperoo turned from red to purple. "not everything!" went on bitty bit, shaking his finger sternly under chalk's nose. "kingdoms are not won and held by trickery, my friends, and we are here to see that those necklaces are returned and the kingdom of oz restored to its proper rulers." "and suppose we refuse!" suggested the white horse in a bored voice. "what then?" "why then," bitty bit threw back his shoulders and spun round several times on his shiny stool, "why then it means war!" bitty bit did not say who were his friends or allies or where he should get his armies, but he spoke with such firm confidence, both skamperoo and chalk were taken aback and completely dismayed. matiah had been bad enough, but this strange and determined little seer was worse. "perhaps we can make a bargain, or come to some agreement?" suggested chalk, resolved to save what he could for himself and his master. "suppose king skamperoo and i agree to return the emerald necklaces, which undoubtedly belong in oz, will you grant us the privilege of using them twice for ourselves?" "but--but--" skamperoo was about to blurt out the fact that they no longer had the necklaces when chalk gave him a savage nip on the leg which silenced him effectively. "why should we do that?" inquired pigasus, fluttering his wings nervously. "after all the grief and worry you have caused us, you are lucky to get off with your skins." "where are the necklaces now?" asked dorothy, stepping close to chalk and looking eagerly up into the face of the discomfited emperor. skamperoo's face grew long as a balloon suddenly punctured, but remembering chalk's last bite, he managed to keep silent. "when you have answered our question, we will answer yours," stated chalk, firmly but pleasantly. "you can, of course, appeal to the court and members of the household, but i think you will find them entirely satisfied with their present emperor and ready to stand by him to the last man." at chalk's words, bitty bit looked rather crestfallen. as the white horse had so quietly stated, they were perfectly powerless to take the necklaces by force and a quick inspection of the emperor, when he first reached the palace, had convinced him skamperoo was not wearing the precious emeralds. at this rather embarrassing moment a series of thumps, kicks, and knocks on the door made not only the rescuers, but the emperor and chalk turn rather pale. "oh! oh! it's matiah!" quavered skamperoo, whose nerves were completely shaken by the shocking disclosures of the last few moments. "oh! oh! what'll we do now?" "hold your tongue," advised chalk, and swinging round he trotted briskly over to the door. "who's there?" he demanded in a dignified voice. "'tis i-iva the kitchen boy!" stuttered a frightened treble. "i must see the emperor at once." "well, shall we let him in?" bitty bit looked uneasily at pigasus and dorothy and then rather thoughtfully at chalk. "suit yourselves," yawned the white horse indifferently. "it's probably a messenger telling us the pudding is cold with all this delay and darkness. you asked for an hour's time and conversation and we agreed to that demand, so it is for you to decide what to do, not us." "oh, let him in," fumed pigasus, "and tell him to stop this hammering and yammering. what harm is there in a kitchen boy?" so bitty bit, taking the key from the lock and squinting through the keyhole to assure himself there was only a small boy outside, quickly admitted him. now in darted iva, screaming loudly of a mad man in the cellar and bursting into tearful and incoherent recital of his woes. scarcely had he got out two sentences before skamperoo fell bodily off his horse and made a desperate snatch at the kitchen boy's throat. but bitty bit was too quick for him. his eyes, too, had caught the glimmer of emeralds, and jerking the three chains from the lad's neck as chalk made a savage lunge forward, he tossed them to pigasus. catching them on his nose as cleverly as a trained seal, the pink pig spread his wings and flew up to the top of a tall cabinet, where he sat panting and puffing with satisfaction and defiance. "come down, you fat scoundrel!" roared skamperoo, dancing up and down like a dervish, while the poor kitchen boy, outraged by the way both skamperoo and bitty bit had rushed upon him, burst into loud sobs and rushing out the still open door, ran crying down the corridor. slamming the door and locking it after him, bitty bit rather anxiously waited for chalk's next move, and as usual chalk was quite prepared and ready to make it. "well," he observed with a jaunty flick of his tail, "now that you have the famous wishing emeralds, i suppose you are satisfied and we may as well go. come along, skamperoo, you will get nowhere in an argument with a pig. just casting pearls before swine, you know, and he already has our emeralds!" "you mean your wishing necklaces!" shrieked pigasus furiously, "and i'll tell you what i wish. i wish that you and your silly master were clams at the bottom of the nonestic ocean!" thoroughly shocked and startled by the pink pig's unexpected wish, bitty bit and dorothy rushed toward the cabinet, hoping in some way to prevent the wish from taking effect. but they need not have worried, for of course, nothing happened at all. then skamperoo, urged by chalk, hastily climbed into the saddle. "well," whinnied the white horse, twitching his ears provokingly, "goodbye to you. goodbye! we'll just be trotting along." "wait! look here, hold on a bit." the little seer of some summit stepped angrily in front of the white horse. "how do these emeralds work, how are we to disenchant the rulers of oz and restore ozma to the throne unless we know the proper way to use these magic chains?" "i'm afraid that's your problem," sighed chalk, rolling his eyes round at skamperoo. "come now, my little mannikin, open up the door. we kept our promise and you must keep yours. after all, my master has done no real harm here. there has been no war or bloodshed. in fact, everything has been decidedly gay and jolly. if his laudable ambition to better himself brought ozma and her counselors a little well-earned rest, at least they have suffered no pain or unpleasantness, and are perfectly unaware of what has happened to them. open the door, i tell you, or i'll call for help and there are many in this palace who would gladly come to our assistance." "oh! oh! what shall we do?" wailed dorothy, as bitty bit stood uncertainly with his back to the door. "you're the horridest horse i've ever known!" "well, that's all in the way you look at me," answered chalk, staring steadily into dorothy's eyes. "you, my dear, are fond of your mistress, queen ozma of oz, and are trying to help her. i, on my part, am exceedingly fond of my master, the king of skampavia, and am trying to help him. you can't blame me for that, you know." "the creature is right," sighed bitty bit, "and we'll have to agree to his plans, preposterous though they are." "that would, of course, be the sensible thing to do," murmured chalk, lowering his eyes modestly. "you grant me two wishes and i will tell you the proper way to use the magic wishing chains." "but suppose they are bad wishes--i mean," bitty bit corrected himself hastily, "good for you, but bad for us, what then? with the necklaces in your possession, you could wish yourselves away in an instant." "that," admitted chalk, "is perfectly true, but i am afraid you will have to take that chance--and trust me." "never do it! never do it!" squealed pigasus, who now had the necklaces tucked tightly under his wing. "we might as well throw ourselves out of the window." but bitty bit, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers close to his forehead, made no reply. "i'll trust you," he said after a short silence, and opening his eyes he looked cheerfully up at the white horse. "hand down those necklaces, pigasus, and be quick about it too; i hear footsteps in the passageway." "well, don't blame me if we're turned to pretzels and pumpernickel," grunted the pig, dropping the necklaces into the seer's outstretched hand. "goodbye, all." turning his back in disgust and covering his ears with his wings, pigasus waited in fear and trembling for the end. but bitty bit quite calmly handed the emeralds to skamperoo, and skamperoo immediately draped them over chalk's left ear. "now, then," murmured chalk, looking firmly back at the unhappy emperor, "repeat exactly what i say and all will yet be well." "i wish," began chalk, while skamperoo listened with bulging eyes, "i wish that the five wishes i make when we return to skampavia shall be instantly granted." as skamperoo repeated the wish and slowly started to count to a hundred, dorothy fidgeted with uneasiness and pigasus fairly groaned with alarm, for it seemed to them both that their danger had only been postponed and not averted. "my second wish i will keep for our return," decided chalk. "now, my dear, attend closely. since you are the avowed friend of ozma and live with her in this palace, it seems to me you are the one to keep safely the secret of the magic emeralds." moving close to dorothy, chalk put his soft pink nose close to her ear and whispered several very hoarse sentences. "get it? get it?" he demanded, backing away exuberantly. "oh--is that all?" dorothy pushed back her hair in surprise and bewilderment, "why anyone could do that!" "then prove it by sending us back to skampavia," beamed chalk, shaking his mane approvingly. "it would be embarrassing for us to be here when ozma and her friends return. here, my child, take the necklaces and i'll do the wishing." pigasus, now more interested than frightened, tried his best to see what dorothy did after she clasped the emeralds around her neck and the white horse solemnly wished himself and skamperoo back in skampavia, but before chalk reached ten in his counting, there was a whiff and puff and except for a slight rustle in the air, no sign at all of the splendid white steed and his red-faced master. "it works! it works!" exulted bitty bit, hopping about like a brownie. "can you do it again, my dear? all we need to do is to wish that the people of oz shall be released from this wicked spell of forgetting and then wish ozma and all the others safely back to this palace." "don't forget highboy!" cried pigasus, switching his little tail violently. "he's gone, too, you know, and don't forget jinnicky and old willy green whiskers!" "i'll remember!" promised bitty bit. "all ready, dorothy?" the little girl nodded and bitty bit, looking and feeling more serious and important than he had ever felt in his whole little life, slowly made the wish that was to restore peace and happiness to oz. "i wish," said the little sage sternly, "that the wicked enchantment cast by skamperoo upon the inhabitants of oz be instantly dispelled. i wish that ozma herself, the wizard of oz, the red jinn of ev, the king and queen of the munchkins and their son prince philador, the king and queen of the gillikens and their giant horse, glinda the good sorceress of the south, nick chopper the tin emperor of the east, and the soldier with the green whiskers be immediately released from thunder mountain and restored to this palace. one--two--three--four--five--six--seven." at seven pigasus with a loud squall of astonishment fell from the top of the cabinet, and dorothy rushed joyfully forward. for now, every chair around the wizard's table was occupied. at the head sat ozma, calm and gracious as ever, at the foot the spry little wizard, and between, all the others who had so recently lain at the bottom of lightning lake. highboy stood over by the window looking dreamily out across the garden and none of them seemed in the least surprised or excited to find themselves in the wizard's laboratory. "let--me--see--" mused ozma, raising her hand gravely--"ah, yes--we are here to discuss a threatened danger to ourselves and the kingdom of oz." "but it's all over now," cried dorothy, running over to ozma and flinging both arms round her waist. "it's all over and we're safe and you're safe, and my, how glad we are to have you back here again!" "here!" exclaimed the wizard, popping up like a startled jack-in-the-box, "where else would we be?" "only at the bottom of lightning lake in thunder mountain," murmured bitty bit, coming modestly forward to meet the fairy ruler of oz and winking merrily at jinnicky, whom he already knew. chapter the story of the necklaces ozma's surprise and the astonishment of all the rest of that company around the wizard's table can well be imagined. "i didn't hear any thunder," snorted highboy, lowering himself down to bitty bit's level. "not a clap! and if we were at the bottom of lightning lake, what did we eat?" "we didn't!" announced jinnicky in a hollow voice, "what could we have eaten in such a place, you old fire-eater, you?" to have been enchanted and put out of existence for three whole days was an amazing experience, and as dorothy and bitty bit, helped out now and then by pigasus, explained all that had happened to the victims of skamperoo's ambition and to themselves in the course of their journey of rescue, ozma's face grew both grave and serious. it was disturbing to realize how easily oz had been captured and the powerful wizards and glinda the sorceress pushed aside. the wizard of oz himself seemed to feel the most discouraged and downcast of all to think he had been so easily overcome, and that his magic had not been strong enough to withstand the wicked spell of the invaders. "i should have foreseen something like this, and been prepared," mourned the little man, mopping his head with a map of oz which he happened to have in his pocket. "yes," sighed the tin woodman, feeling his joints anxiously to see whether they had been rusted by his three-day immersion in lightning lake, "we might have been prisoners in thunder mountain forever had it not been for dorothy and pigasus and this sagacious little seer. but tell me, dorothy, how was it that you alone, of all the people in the palace, remembered and missed us?" "well," confessed dorothy, seating herself cautiously on nick chopper's tin knees, "it must have been the wizard's wishing pill. you see, just as the soldier's beard turned red, i found one in my pocket, and popping it into my mouth, wished that i might save oz from any danger that threatened. it kept me from forgetting ozma and all of you, and when i sat on pigasus' back, he remembered, too, and we--" "did save oz!" finished the little wizard, bounding triumphantly to his feet and restored to instant cheerfulness by dorothy's generous statement. "i tell you, i'll match my wishing powers with any wishing powers in the country!" "but you won't have to, now," smiled bitty bit with an envious glance at the sparkling necklaces dorothy had placed on the table before ozma. "with these emeralds and your own magic powers, nothing like this could ever happen in oz again." "thank you, bitty bit," smiled the little queen, nodding graciously. "thank you a hundred times for all you have done for us and for oz, and perhaps, if we coaxed, you might remain as our royal seer?" "hear, hear, our royal seer!" cried pigasus, clapping his wings. "will you be it, sir bitty bit?" "well," acknowledged bitty bit, with a low bow toward ozma, "i'm tempted to accept, but, on the other hand, i am so foolishly fond of my own castle, i just could not be content in any other place. but if your majesty ever needs me for serious business, you can always command my services by using either the wishing necklaces or your magic belt." "and he'll come like a shot in his shooting tower," dorothy smiled as she slid carefully from nick chopper's knee. "but, say--what's that?" a hundred footsteps sounded in the corridor, accompanied by confused voices, questioning calls and finally loud thumps on the door. "it must be all the rest of the courtiers and visitors remembering they have a queen!" "i hear scraps and the scarecrow," squealed pigasus, "i hear bettsy bobbin and trot. quick, dorothy, open the door." "no, no, not yet," said ozma gently but firmly. "there is more, much more for us to hear and settle. but you go out, pigasus, and tell them all about our enchantment, skamperoo's reign and our rescue." "be glad to! charmed! and trust me to do it right." swelling up with importance and pride, pigasus flew out the window before dorothy had time to open the door. a few moments later, the company in the wizard's laboratory heard him calling everyone to follow him to the throne room and hear the most startling news since dorothy killed the wicked witches of the east and west. "and how he'll love telling it," said bitty bit, smiling across at the wizard of ev. "a great idea of yours, this pig, jinny. even if his verses are low, i like him." "oh, everyone likes pigasus," declared dorothy, coming over to sit on the arm of glinda's chair. "but what i'd like to know is how that kitchen boy happened to have the emeralds, how skamperoo got them and where they came from in the first place?" "yes," murmured glinda, who, like the wizard, felt very much annoyed to have been overpowered by a fat, unimportant monarch like skamperoo. "now that we have these wishing chains, we must guard them carefully to keep them from falling into such mischievous hands again." "i believe bitty bit can tell us the story of the emeralds," said ozma, who had been much impressed by the cheerful little seer of some summit. "with his gift of foreseeing and foretelling he probably knows the whole story." "can he look backward as well as forward?" inquired the wizard challengingly. "just as well," confessed bitty bit with an embarrassed little cough, and as every head turned expectantly toward him, the sage closed his eyes and quietly told them the interesting history of matiah's three necklaces. "these magic emeralds," began bitty bit, waving his hands rhythmically backward and forward, "were first collected and strung into necklaces by a wizard named wam for the king of the green mountain as a gift for the wood nymph lorna. but the king of the green mountain was an ugly little dwarf, and though she had promised to marry him, no sooner did lorna have the necklaces than she turned the king into a frog and hid herself away in her own forest. in the giant hollow tree where lorna lived there was a mischievous family of squirrels. that night, as lorna lay sleeping with the emeralds on a little golden plate beside her, one of the squirrels, thinking the gems some new and delicious kind of nuts, stole and buried them away for the winter. next morning, though lorna ran crying and searching all through the forest, she was unable to find her wishing necklaces." "then what became of them?" gasped dorothy as bitty bit, opening his eyes for a moment, blinked cheerfully over their heads. "wait, i'll tell you!" closing his eyes, the sage went hurriedly on with the story. "ah, so this is it! a woodcutter's boy, poking about among the leaves, found the emeralds and as emeralds in themselves are not uncommon in oz, he traded them to a peddler for a new ax. the peddler, arriving after a long while in skampavia, had no trouble in disposing of the jewels. in skampavia, you must know, emeralds, pearls, or jewels of any kind are practically unknown, and a merchant gave the peddler not only his house and shop, but all of his merchandise for the three sparkling chains. by a law in skampavia every subject must render to the king one-third of all he owns or raises, and in due course, one of the necklaces was sent to skamperoo. the king, delighted with the sparkling gems, insisted on having all three necklaces, and matiah himself brought them to the castle, determined, if possible, to steal them back at the first opportunity. in order to do so without arousing the suspicions of the king, he pretends to be a wizard and tells him if he, matiah, wears the three necklaces, he can grant any wish the king may make, but that as he makes the wish he must close his eyes and count to a hundred. as soon as skamperoo began to count, matiah started to run off with the emeralds and that accounts for the white horse, for you see skamperoo's first wish was for a splendid white charger with a golden mane and tail. frightened almost out of his senses by the sudden appearance of the horse and the knowledge that the chains really did have some magic power, matiah steals back beside the king, resolved to wait for another opportunity to procure the necklaces. meanwhile, skamperoo, excited and happy over the granting of his first wish, confides in the merchant his second wish and ambition to be ruler of oz. matiah, to gain time in which he can work out the secret of the emeralds' power, approves of the king's idea, but tells him he can only grant one wish a week. he then advises skamperoo to cause all the people in oz to forget their former rulers and to remove the wizard and all his magic, ozma, and the rulers of the four oz countries to the inaccessible caverns of thunder mountain. "now while matiah is trying his best to discover the trick of the magic emeralds, skamperoo, growing tired of the tempery fellow, appealed to his horse. the horse, being magically brought to life and being unusually sharp-witted and quick, soon worked out the problem. with his help skamperoo wished the spell of forgetting upon ozma's subjects, banished her highness and all of the others just as matiah had suggested and managed to rule oz for three whole days." "but what became of matiah?" asked glinda, leaning forward eagerly. "at this moment matiah is lying in a senseless condition in the underground chamber beneath this castle," bitty bit told them solemnly and without opening his eyes. "soon after skamperoo left for oz, the merchant was driven out of skampavia by pinny penny, whom skamperoo had made king. matiah, furious to think the apparently stupid sovereign had outwitted him, bribed an eagle to carry him across the desert, arrived at the emerald city and soon afterward managed to really steal the necklaces from skamperoo. discovering beneath the cellar the excavated chambers of the old gnome king, he retired to this quiet spot to again experiment with the emeralds. needing another person to help, he seized the kitchen boy who had come to the cellar for supplies and forced him to assist in his experiments. how soon he might have discovered the real trick of the chains i cannot say, but our own arrival and gloma's powder of darkness happily interrupted him. the kitchen boy, who had kept his eyes glued to the stone steps and trapdoor during the entire morning, made an immediate dash for freedom and managed to escape in spite of the darkness. matiah, not so fortunate, rushed into a stone pillar and knocked himself senseless. he's still lying there, and i suggest that your majesty deal with him at once." "i will," decided ozma firmly, as bitty bit opened his eyes and looked cheerfully around the table. "and i'll do it by means of these very magic emeralds. put on the emeralds, dorothy, for you alone know the secret of their magic power." so dorothy, anxious to have matiah out of oz before he recovered his wicked wits, hastily clasped the three chains around her slim throat. "it is my earnest wish that matiah shall immediately and henceforth forget the emerald necklaces of oz, return to his country and become a good and simple citizen of skampavia," said ozma seriously, beginning her count to one hundred. "he's gone! he's gone!" piped up bitty bit, who had closed his eyes as soon as ozma started to speak. "and if i were you, my dear, i would send off that red eagle too. i see him lurking on the edge of our city with an exceedingly fierce light in his eye." so ozma made another wish, turning the eagle to a harmless sparrow. "and what about skamperoo?" asked cheeriobed, king of the munchkins, who up to this time had not spoken a word. "should he not be punished in some way?" "i would not bother with old skamper," advised bitty bit with a small chuckle. "before i agreed to give his white horse those five wishes, i closed my eyes, looked ahead, and discovered that they would all be good wishes. not only good but wise, and from now on i think you can trust that clever white horse and a little fellow called pinny penny to keep their master out of mischief and oz." "well, in that case," sighed ozma, rather breathless from so much counting, "everything is happily settled." "and in that case," boomed joe king, gallantly helping his little queen to her feet, "i suggest we start celebrating all over again, not only the discovery of oz by mortals, but the saving of oz as well! i, for one, feel terribly cheated at missing notta's circus." "so do i! so do i!" exclaimed little prince philador, climbing boisterously into highboy's saddle. "i want to see a circus!" "and so you shall," promised ozma gaily, "we will start the celebration at exactly the point where we left oz for thunder mountain, and have the tableaux, the pageants, and the picnics all over again." and that, my dear, is exactly what they _did_ do, and everyone, including bitty bit, enjoyed himself so much there was not an unhappy person in the emerald city. and not until the end of the second day did dorothy remember to tell ozma the magic secret of the wishing emeralds. "on the sixth count, you wink both eyes," whispered dorothy, giving ozma a little hug. "good night!" "good gracious, so that's it!" smiled ozma, comprehending instantly what dorothy meant. "i suppose matiah did it in sheer excitement the first time. well, i have often heard of doing things in the twinkling of an eye, but now we shall really be able to have them that way. no one knows this secret but you and me and a white horse, and no one _must_ ever know it, for wishes are dangerous and cause more unhappiness than joy, so we'll never tell another soul, will we, dorothy?" "never!" agreed the little girl, looking solemnly over her shoulder at the safe where ozma had hidden her new treasure. chapter back in skampavia! "so there you are!" pinny penny straightened up with a little grimace, for he had been planting flowers in a new rock garden he was planning for the king. with an expression about equally compounded of exasperation and affection, he looked at his former master and the white horse who had, without sound or warning, dropped down in the path before him. "i thought you'd come back," continued pinny penny, calmly rubbing the mud from his fingers and putting out his hand. "so it was your horse, after all." his gaze rested speculatively on the splendid white steed and richly jeweled robes of skamperoo. "and you've made your fortune, i see! well, welcome home anyway, your crown's hanging on a nail back of the throne and i think you will find everything in order." "in order! why, it looks wonderful!" shouted skamperoo, leaping exuberantly out of the saddle, and honestly surprised and pleased at the pleasure he felt in seeing old pinny penny again. "you've had the palace painted and this garden and that fountain and the flowers. they're all new, aren't they?" "yes," agreed pinny penny guardedly. "i made a few new laws while you were gone, skamper, making the tax only one-twentieth of our subjects' earnings. they were so grateful and delighted, they've been sending you presents ever since. then the guards (having no drill or marching to bother them, i did away with that, too), the guards in their odd time agreed to work around the castle and we've been brightening up the old place quite a bit. i tell you," pinny penny exhaled his breath noisily, "we'll make a going and coming country of this yet!" "of course we will," said skamperoo, bouncing happily along at his side. "i've had a lot of experience since i saw you, old skinny pins. ho, pinny, my boy, i've been an emperor in oz!" "oz? never!" closing his lips into a thin line, pinny penny looked from his master to chalk, who was stepping sedately along on his other side. "but it's perfectly true," whinnied the white horse, prancing a bit from sheer enjoyment, "and now we are home with five splendid wishes." "wishes?" sniffed pinny penny, rearing his head suspiciously. "what good are wishes?" "but these wishes really work and come true," explained chalk with a toss of his head, "and what's more they are going to work and come true for skampavia!" "any wish you work hard enough for will come true," insisted pinny penny stubbornly. "wishes--pooh! wishes--pooh! 'if wishes were horses, beggars would ride!'" finished the little prime minister half under his breath. "but don't you see?" skamperoo grasped pinny penny firmly by the shoulders. "this is one time when wishes were horses and beggars did ride. my first wish was for a horse and here he is, and as true as you are and as wise and clever. why, even if the magic emeralds give me nothing more, i am still the luckiest fellow on this side of the deadly desert!" "moons, stars, and rainbows! i believe you have gotten some sense," gasped pinny penny, staring with wide eyes into skamperoo's face. "and that's the first good i ever knew to come of magic." pulling pinny penny down to his old bench, now neatly mended and painted green, the king of skampavia told his little prime minister the whole story i have just been telling you. when he finished and settled back complacently, pinny penny instead of looking glad or pleased stared mournfully at the ground. "_now_ what's the matter?" demanded skamperoo, clapping him impatiently on the back, while chalk, breaking off a little branch with his teeth, tickled pinny penny mischievously under the chin. "why are you so sad and solemn?" "because"--pinny penny ground the toe of his boot deeply into the gravel in the path--"if you really have five more magic wishes, you'll probably be going to some grand other place and be spending the rest of your life in travel." "if that were so, we wouldn't be here at all," puffed skamperoo. "now get this through your head, old fellow. we are here by our own wish and from now on my own country is good enough for me and when we've made these five good wishes--good enough for anybody!" "there you go! there you go!" groaned pinny penny, covering his face with his hands. "it's the wishes i'm afraid of." "well, you needn't be!" with a great effort skamperoo made his first really great and wise decision. "you shall make the wishes yourself, pinny penny, and i shall save only one in case of trouble!" "bravo! bravo!" snorted chalk, prancing three times round the green bench. "me? you really mean me?" quavered pinny penny, pointing an unbelieving finger at his own mid-section. then, as skamperoo nodded and before he could change his mind, the old chancellor fairly leapt into the air. "i wish the king of this country to always be as wise and generous as he has succeeded in being at this moment, as wise as the young fairy ruler of oz," panted pinny penny. "i wish that the people of skampavia, using the powers and abilities they already have, shall make this a rich, happy, and prosperous kingdom. i wish that the climate and soil, the only bad features about which we might complain, shall become mild and fertile! that's all, that's all i can think of!" confessed pinny penny, shrinking happily back on the bench. "then i'll make a wish," whinnied chalk, shaking his beautiful golden mane. "i wish that we three may never be separated! long live the king and his prime minister!" "and his horse!" cried skamperoo, bounding up to seize chalk's bridle. "and his horse!" echoed pinny penny heartily, running round to seize chalk's bridle on the other side. "we three for skampavia forever!" then, with chalk stepping proudly in the center, these three strangely assorted comrades made their way into the palace. knowing the power of the magic emeralds, and also the magic power of knowledge and experience, i am sure that skampavia under its new regime, will soon be as happy and prosperous as any nation in oz! the end the patchwork girl of oz by l. frank baum author of the road to oz, dorothy and the wizard in oz, the emerald city of oz, the land of oz, ozma of oz, etc. illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago copyright by l frank baum all rights reserved affectionately dedicated to my young friend sumner hamilton britton of chicago [illustration] prologue through the kindness of dorothy gale of kansas, afterward princess dorothy of oz, an humble writer in the united states of america was once appointed royal historian of oz, with the privilege of writing the chronicle of that wonderful fairyland. but after making six books about the adventures of those interesting but queer people who live in the land of oz, the historian learned with sorrow that by an edict of the supreme ruler, ozma of oz, her country would thereafter be rendered invisible to all who lived outside its borders and that all communication with oz would, in the future, be cut off. the children who had learned to look for the books about oz and who loved the stories about the gay and happy people inhabiting that favored country, were as sorry as their historian that there would be no more books of oz stories. they wrote many letters asking if the historian did not know of some adventures to write about that had happened before the land of oz was shut out from all the rest of the world. but he did not know of any. finally one of the children inquired why we couldn't hear from princess dorothy by wireless telegraph, which would enable her to communicate to the historian whatever happened in the far-off land of oz without his seeing her, or even knowing just where oz is. that seemed a good idea; so the historian rigged up a high tower in his back yard, and took lessons in wireless telegraphy until he understood it, and then began to call "princess dorothy of oz" by sending messages into the air. now, it wasn't likely that dorothy would be looking for wireless messages or would heed the call; but one thing the historian was sure of, and that was that the powerful sorceress, glinda, would know what he was doing and that he desired to communicate with dorothy. for glinda has a big book in which is recorded every event that takes place anywhere in the world, just the moment that it happens, and so of course the book would tell her about the wireless message. and that was the way dorothy heard that the historian wanted to speak with her, and there was a shaggy man in the land of oz who knew how to telegraph a wireless reply. the result was that the historian begged so hard to be told the latest news of oz, so that he could write it down for the children to read, that dorothy asked permission of ozma and ozma graciously consented. that is why, after two long years of waiting, another oz story is now presented to the children of america. this would not have been possible had not some clever man invented the "wireless" and an equally clever child suggested the idea of reaching the mysterious land of oz by its means. l. frank baum. "ozcot" at hollywood in california [illustration] list of chapters chapter page --ojo and unc nunkie --the crooked magician --the patchwork girl --the glass cat --a terrible accident --the journey --the troublesome phonograph --the foolish owl and the wise donkey --they meet the woozy --shaggy man to the rescue --a good friend --the giant porcupine --scraps and the scarecrow --ojo breaks the law --ozma's prisoner --princess dorothy --ozma and her friends --ojo is forgiven --trouble with the tottenhots --the captive yoop --hiphopper the champion --the joking horners --peace is declared --ojo finds the dark well --they bribe the lazy quadling --the trick river --the tin woodman objects --the wonderful wizard of oz [illustration] ojo and unk nunkie chap. one [illustration] "where's the butter, unc nunkie?" asked ojo. unc looked out of the window and stroked his long beard. then he turned to the munchkin boy and shook his head. "isn't," said he. "isn't any butter? that's too bad, unc. where's the jam then?" inquired ojo, standing on a stool so he could look through all the shelves of the cupboard. but unc nunkie shook his head again. "gone," he said. "no jam, either? and no cake--no jelly--no apples--nothing but bread?" "all," said unc, again stroking his beard as he gazed from the window. the little boy brought the stool and sat beside his uncle, munching the dry bread slowly and seeming in deep thought. "nothing grows in our yard but the bread tree," he mused, "and there are only two more loaves on that tree; and they're not ripe yet. tell me, unc; why are we so poor?" the old munchkin turned and looked at ojo. he had kindly eyes, but he hadn't smiled or laughed in so long that the boy had forgotten that unc nunkie could look any other way than solemn. and unc never spoke any more words than he was obliged to, so his little nephew, who lived alone with him, had learned to understand a great deal from one word. "why are we so poor, unc?" repeated the boy. "not," said the old munchkin. "i think we are," declared ojo. "what have we got?" "house," said unc nunkie. "i know; but everyone in the land of oz has a place to live. what else, unc?" "bread." "i'm eating the last loaf that's ripe. there; i've put aside your share, unc. it's on the table, so you can eat it when you get hungry. but when that is gone, what shall we eat, unc?" the old man shifted in his chair but merely shook his head. "of course," said ojo, who was obliged to talk because his uncle would not, "no one starves in the land of oz, either. there is plenty for everyone, you know; only, if it isn't just where you happen to be, you must go where it is." the aged munchkin wriggled again and stared at his small nephew as if disturbed by his argument. "by to-morrow morning," the boy went on, "we must go where there is something to eat, or we shall grow very hungry and become very unhappy." "where?" asked unc. "where shall we go? i don't know, i'm sure," replied ojo. "but _you_ must know, unc. you must have traveled, in your time, because you're so old. i don't remember it, because ever since i could remember anything we've lived right here in this lonesome, round house, with a little garden back of it and the thick woods all around. all i've ever seen of the great land of oz, unc dear, is the view of that mountain over at the south, where they say the hammerheads live--who won't let anybody go by them--and that mountain at the north, where they say nobody lives." "one," declared unc, correcting him. "oh, yes; one family lives there, i've heard. that's the crooked magician, who is named dr. pipt, and his wife margolotte. one year you told me about them; i think it took you a whole year, unc, to say as much as i've just said about the crooked magician and his wife. they live high up on the mountain, and the good munchkin country, where the fruits and flowers grow, is just the other side. it's funny you and i should live here all alone, in the middle of the forest, isn't it?" "yes," said unc. "then let's go away and visit the munchkin country and its jolly, good-natured people. i'd love to get a sight of something besides woods, unc nunkie." "too little," said unc. "why, i'm not so little as i used to be," answered the boy earnestly. "i think i can walk as far and as fast through the woods as you can, unc. and now that nothing grows in our back yard that is good to eat, we must go where there is food." unc nunkie made no reply for a time. then he shut down the window and turned his chair to face the room, for the sun was sinking behind the tree-tops and it was growing cool. by and by ojo lighted the fire and the logs blazed freely in the broad fireplace. the two sat in the firelight a long time--the old, white-bearded munchkin and the little boy. both were thinking. when it grew quite dark outside, ojo said: "eat your bread, unc, and then we will go to bed." [illustration] but unc nunkie did not eat the bread; neither did he go directly to bed. long after his little nephew was sound asleep in the corner of the room the old man sat by the fire, thinking. the crooked magician chap. two [illustration] just at dawn next morning unc nunkie laid his hand tenderly on ojo's head and awakened him. "come," he said. ojo dressed. he wore blue silk stockings, blue knee-pants with gold buckles, a blue ruffled waist and a jacket of bright blue braided with gold. his shoes were of blue leather and turned up at the toes, which were pointed. his hat had a peaked crown and a flat brim, and around the brim was a row of tiny golden bells that tinkled when he moved. this was the native costume of those who inhabited the munchkin country of the land of oz, so unc nunkie's dress was much like that of his nephew. instead of shoes, the old man wore boots with turnover tops and his blue coat had wide cuffs of gold braid. the boy noticed that his uncle had not eaten the bread, and supposed the old man had not been hungry. ojo was hungry, though; so he divided the piece of bread upon the table and ate his half for breakfast, washing it down with fresh, cool water from the brook. unc put the other piece of bread in his jacket pocket, after which he again said, as he walked out through the doorway: "come." ojo was well pleased. he was dreadfully tired of living all alone in the woods and wanted to travel and see people. for a long time he had wished to explore the beautiful land of oz in which they lived. when they were outside, unc simply latched the door and started up the path. no one would disturb their little house, even if anyone came so far into the thick forest while they were gone. at the foot of the mountain that separated the country of the munchkins from the country of the gillikins, the path divided. one way led to the left and the other to the right--straight up the mountain. unc nunkie took this right-hand path and ojo followed without asking why. he knew it would take them to the house of the crooked magician, whom he had never seen but who was their nearest neighbor. all the morning they trudged up the mountain path and at noon unc and ojo sat on a fallen tree-trunk and ate the last of the bread which the old munchkin had placed in his pocket. then they started on again and two hours later came in sight of the house of dr. pipt. it was a big house, round, as were all the munchkin houses, and painted blue, which is the distinctive color of the munchkin country of oz. there was a pretty garden around the house, where blue trees and blue flowers grew in abundance and in one place were beds of blue cabbages, blue carrots and blue lettuce, all of which were delicious to eat. in dr. pipt's garden grew bun-trees, cake-trees, cream-puff bushes, blue buttercups which yielded excellent blue butter and a row of chocolate-caramel plants. paths of blue gravel divided the vegetable and flower beds and a wider path led up to the front door. the place was in a clearing on the mountain, but a little way off was the grim forest, which completely surrounded it. unc knocked at the door of the house and a chubby, pleasant-faced woman, dressed all in blue, opened it and greeted the visitors with a smile. "ah," said ojo; "you must be dame margolotte, the good wife of dr. pipt." "i am, my dear, and all strangers are welcome to my home." "may we see the famous magician, madam?" "he is very busy just now," she said, shaking her head doubtfully. "but come in and let me give you something to eat, for you must have traveled far in order to get to our lonely place." "we have," replied ojo, as he and unc entered the house. "we have come from a far lonelier place than this." "a lonelier place! and in the munchkin country?" she exclaimed. "then it must be somewhere in the blue forest." "it is, good dame margolotte." "dear me!" she said, looking at the man, "you must be unc nunkie, known as the silent one." then she looked at the boy. "and you must be ojo the unlucky," she added. "yes," said unc. "i never knew i was called the unlucky," said ojo, soberly; "but it is really a good name for me." "well," remarked the woman, as she bustled around the room and set the table and brought food from the cupboard, "you were unlucky to live all alone in that dismal forest, which is much worse than the forest around here; but perhaps your luck will change, now you are away from it. if, during your travels, you can manage to lose that 'un' at the beginning of your name 'unlucky,' you will then become ojo the lucky, which will be a great improvement." "how can i lose that 'un,' dame margolotte?" "i do not know how, but you must keep the matter in mind and perhaps the chance will come to you," she replied. ojo had never eaten such a fine meal in all his life. there was a savory stew, smoking hot, a dish of blue peas, a bowl of sweet milk of a delicate blue tint and a blue pudding with blue plums in it. when the visitors had eaten heartily of this fare the woman said to them: "do you wish to see dr. pipt on business or for pleasure?" unc shook his head. "we are traveling," replied ojo, "and we stopped at your house just to rest and refresh ourselves. i do not think unc nunkie cares very much to see the famous crooked magician; but for my part i am curious to look at such a great man." the woman seemed thoughtful. "i remember that unc nunkie and my husband used to be friends, many years ago," she said, "so perhaps they will be glad to meet again. the magician is very busy, as i said, but if you will promise not to disturb him you may come into his workshop and watch him prepare a wonderful charm." "thank you," replied the boy, much pleased. "i would like to do that." she led the way to a great domed hall at the back of the house, which was the magician's workshop. there was a row of windows extending nearly around the sides of the circular room, which rendered the place very light, and there was a back door in addition to the one leading to the front part of the house. before the row of windows a broad seat was built and there were some chairs and benches in the room besides. at one end stood a great fireplace, in which a blue log was blazing with a blue flame, and over the fire hung four kettles in a row, all bubbling and steaming at a great rate. the magician was stirring all four of these kettles at the same time, two with his hands and two with his feet, to the latter, wooden ladles being strapped, for this man was so very crooked that his legs were as handy as his arms. unc nunkie came forward to greet his old friend, but not being able to shake either his hands or his feet, which were all occupied in stirring, he patted the magician's bald head and asked: "what?" "ah, it's the silent one," remarked dr. pipt, without looking up, "and he wants to know what i'm making. well, when it is quite finished this compound will be the wonderful powder of life, which no one knows how to make but myself. whenever it is sprinkled on anything, that thing will at once come to life, no matter what it is. it takes me several years to make this magic powder, but at this moment i am pleased to say it is nearly done. you see, i am making it for my good wife margolotte, who wants to use some of it for a purpose of her own. sit down and make yourself comfortable, unc nunkie, and after i've finished my task i will talk to you." "you must know," said margolotte, when they were all seated together on the broad window-seat, "that my husband foolishly gave away all the powder of life he first made to old mombi the witch, who used to live in the country of the gillikins, to the north of here. mombi gave to dr. pipt a powder of perpetual youth in exchange for his powder of life, but she cheated him wickedly, for the powder of youth was no good and could work no magic at all." "perhaps the powder of life couldn't either," said ojo. [illustration] "yes; it is perfection," she declared. "the first lot we tested on our glass cat, which not only began to live but has lived ever since. she's somewhere around the house now." "a glass cat!" exclaimed ojo, astonished. "yes; she makes a very pleasant companion, but admires herself a little more than is considered modest, and she positively refuses to catch mice," explained margolotte. "my husband made the cat some pink brains, but they proved to be too high-bred and particular for a cat, so she thinks it is undignified in her to catch mice. also she has a pretty blood-red heart, but it is made of stone--a ruby, i think--and so is rather hard and unfeeling. i think the next glass cat the magician makes will have neither brains nor heart, for then it will not object to catching mice and may prove of some use to us." "what did old mombi the witch do with the powder of life your husband gave her?" asked the boy. "she brought jack pumpkinhead to life, for one thing," was the reply. "i suppose you've heard of jack pumpkinhead. he is now living near the emerald city and is a great favorite with the princess ozma, who rules all the land of oz." "no; i've never heard of him," remarked ojo. "i'm afraid i don't know much about the land of oz. you see, i've lived all my life with unc nunkie, the silent one, and there was no one to tell me anything." "that is one reason you are ojo the unlucky," said the woman, in a sympathetic tone. "the more one knows, the luckier he is, for knowledge is the greatest gift in life." "but tell me, please, what you intend to do with this new lot of the powder of life, which dr. pipt is making. he said his wife wanted it for some especial purpose." "so i do," she answered. "i want it to bring my patchwork girl to life." "oh! a patchwork girl? what is that?" ojo asked, for this seemed even more strange and unusual than a glass cat. "i think i must show you my patchwork girl," said margolotte, laughing at the boy's astonishment, "for she is rather difficult to explain. but first i will tell you that for many years i have longed for a servant to help me with the housework and to cook the meals and wash the dishes. no servant will come here because the place is so lonely and out-of-the-way, so my clever husband, the crooked magician, proposed that i make a girl out of some sort of material and he would make her live by sprinkling over her the powder of life. this seemed an excellent suggestion and at once dr. pipt set to work to make a new batch of his magic powder. he has been at it a long, long while, and so i have had plenty of time to make the girl. yet that task was not so easy as you may suppose. at first i couldn't think what to make her of, but finally in searching through a chest i came across an old patchwork quilt, which my grandmother once made when she was young." "what is a patchwork quilt?" asked ojo. "a bed-quilt made of patches of different kinds and colors of cloth, all neatly sewed together. the patches are of all shapes and sizes, so a patchwork quilt is a very pretty and gorgeous thing to look at. sometimes it is called a 'crazy-quilt,' because the patches and colors are so mixed up. we never have used my grandmother's many-colored patchwork quilt, handsome as it is, for we munchkins do not care for any color other than blue, so it has been packed away in the chest for about a hundred years. when i found it, i said to myself that it would do nicely for my servant girl, for when she was brought to life she would not be proud nor haughty, as the glass cat is, for such a dreadful mixture of colors would discourage her from trying to be as dignified as the blue munchkins are." "is blue the only respectable color, then?" inquired ojo. "yes, for a munchkin. all our country is blue, you know. but in other parts of oz the people favor different colors. at the emerald city, where our princess ozma lives, green is the popular color. but all munchkins prefer blue to anything else and when my housework girl is brought to life she will find herself to be of so many unpopular colors that she'll never dare be rebellious or impudent, as servants are sometimes liable to be when they are made the same way their mistresses are." unc nunkie nodded approval. "good i-dea," he said; and that was a long speech for unc nunkie because it was two words. "so i cut up the quilt," continued margolotte, "and made from it a very well-shaped girl, which i stuffed with cotton-wadding. i will show you what a good job i did," and she went to a tall cupboard and threw open the doors. then back she came, lugging in her arms the patchwork girl, which she set upon the bench and propped up so that the figure would not tumble over. [illustration] [illustration: ojo] the patchwork girl chap. three [illustration] ojo examined this curious contrivance with wonder. the patchwork girl was taller than he, when she stood upright, and her body was plump and rounded because it had been so neatly stuffed with cotton. margolotte had first made the girl's form from the patchwork quilt and then she had dressed it with a patchwork skirt and an apron with pockets in it--using the same gay material throughout. upon the feet she had sewn a pair of red leather shoes with pointed toes. all the fingers and thumbs of the girl's hands had been carefully formed and stuffed and stitched at the edges, with gold plates at the ends to serve as finger-nails. "she will have to work, when she comes to life," said margolotte. the head of the patchwork girl was the most curious part of her. while she waited for her husband to finish making his powder of life the woman had found ample time to complete the head as her fancy dictated, and she realized that a good servant's head must be properly constructed. the hair was of brown yarn and hung down on her neck in several neat braids. her eyes were two silver suspender-buttons cut from a pair of the magician's old trousers, and they were sewed on with black threads, which formed the pupils of the eyes. margolotte had puzzled over the ears for some time, for these were important if the servant was to hear distinctly, but finally she had made them out of thin plates of gold and attached them in place by means of stitches through tiny holes bored in the metal. gold is the most common metal in the land of oz and is used for many purposes because it is soft and pliable. the woman had cut a slit for the patchwork girl's mouth and sewn two rows of white pearls in it for teeth, using a strip of scarlet plush for a tongue. this mouth ojo considered very artistic and lifelike, and margolotte was pleased when the boy praised it. there were almost too many patches on the face of the girl for her to be considered strictly beautiful, for one cheek was yellow and the other red, her chin blue, her forehead purple and the center, where her nose had been formed and padded, a bright yellow. "you ought to have had her face all pink," suggested the boy. "i suppose so; but i had no pink cloth," replied the woman. "still, i cannot see as it matters much, for i wish my patchwork girl to be useful rather than ornamental. if i get tired looking at her patched face i can whitewash it." "has she any brains?" asked ojo. "no; i forgot all about the brains!" exclaimed the woman. "i am glad you reminded me of them, for it is not too late to supply them, by any means. until she is brought to life i can do anything i please with this girl. but i must be careful not to give her too much brains, and those she has must be such as are fitted to the station she is to occupy in life. in other words, her brains mustn't be very good." "wrong," said unc nunkie. "no; i am sure i am right about that," returned the woman. "he means," explained ojo, "that unless your servant has good brains she won't know how to obey you properly, nor do the things you ask her to do." "well, that maybe true," agreed margolotte; "but, on the contrary, a servant with too much brains is sure to become independent and high-and-mighty and feel above her work. this is a very delicate task, as i said, and i must take care to give the girl just the right quantity of the right sort of brains. i want her to know just enough, but not too much." with this she went to another cupboard which was filled with shelves. all the shelves were lined with blue glass bottles, neatly labeled by the magician to show what they contained. one whole shelf was marked: "brain furniture," and the bottles on this shelf were labeled as follows: "obedience," "cleverness," "judgment," "courage," "ingenuity," "amiability," "learning," "truth," "poesy," "self reliance." "let me see," said margolotte; "of those qualities she must have 'obedience' first of all," and she took down the bottle bearing that label and poured from it upon a dish several grains of the contents. "'amiability' is also good and 'truth.'" she poured into the dish a quantity from each of these bottles. "i think that will do," she continued, "for the other qualities are not needed in a servant." unc nunkie, who with ojo stood beside her, touched the bottle marked "cleverness." "little," said he. "a little 'cleverness'? well, perhaps you are right, sir," said she, and was about to take down the bottle when the crooked magician suddenly called to her excitedly from the fireplace. "quick, margolotte! come and help me." she ran to her husband's side at once and helped him lift the four kettles from the fire. their contents had all boiled away, leaving in the bottom of each kettle a few grains of fine white powder. very carefully the magician removed this powder, placing it all together in a golden dish, where he mixed it with a golden spoon. when the mixture was complete there was scarcely a handful, all told. [illustration] "that," said dr. pipt, in a pleased and triumphant tone, "is the wonderful powder of life, which i alone in the world know how to make. it has taken me nearly six years to prepare these precious grains of dust, but the little heap on that dish is worth the price of a kingdom and many a king would give all he has to possess it. when it has become cooled i will place it in a small bottle; but meantime i must watch it carefully, lest a gust of wind blow it away or scatter it." unc nunkie, margolotte and the magician all stood looking at the marvelous powder, but ojo was more interested just then in the patchwork girl's brains. thinking it both unfair and unkind to deprive her of any good qualities that were handy, the boy took down every bottle on the shelf and poured some of the contents in margolotte's dish. no one saw him do this, for all were looking at the powder of life; but soon the woman remembered what she had been doing, and came back to the cupboard. "let's see," she remarked; "i was about to give my girl a little 'cleverness,' which is the doctor's substitute for 'intelligence'--a quality he has not yet learned how to manufacture." taking down the bottle of "cleverness" she added some of the powder to the heap on the dish. ojo became a bit uneasy at this, for he had already put quite a lot of the "cleverness" powder in the dish; but he dared not interfere and so he comforted himself with the thought that one cannot have too much cleverness. margolotte now carried the dish of brains to the bench. ripping the seam of the patch on the girl's forehead, she placed the powder within the head and then sewed up the seam as neatly and securely as before. "my girl is all ready for your powder of life, my dear," she said to her husband. but the magician replied: "this powder must not be used before to-morrow morning; but i think it is now cool enough to be bottled." he selected a small gold bottle with a pepper-box top, so that the powder might be sprinkled on any object through the small holes. very carefully he placed the powder of life in the gold bottle and then locked it up in a drawer of his cabinet. "at last," said he, rubbing his hands together gleefully, "i have ample leisure for a good talk with my old friend unc nunkie. so let us sit down cosily and enjoy ourselves. after stirring those four kettles for six years i am glad to have a little rest." "you will have to do most of the talking," said ojo, "for unc is called the silent one and uses few words." "i know; but that renders your uncle a most agreeable companion and gossip," declared dr. pipt. "most people talk too much, so it is a relief to find one who talks too little." ojo looked at the magician with much awe and curiosity. "don't you find it very annoying to be so crooked?" he asked. "no; i am quite proud of my person," was the reply. "i suppose i am the only crooked magician in all the world. some others are accused of being crooked, but i am the only genuine." he was really very crooked and ojo wondered how he managed to do so many things with such a twisted body. when he sat down upon a crooked chair that had been made to fit him, one knee was under his chin and the other near the small of his back; but he was a cheerful man and his face bore a pleasant and agreeable expression. "i am not allowed to perform magic, except for my own amusement," he told his visitors, as he lighted a pipe with a crooked stem and began to smoke. "too many people were working magic in the land of oz, and so our lovely princess ozma put a stop to it. i think she was quite right. there were several wicked witches who caused a lot of trouble; but now they are all out of business and only the great sorceress, glinda the good, is permitted to practice her arts, which never harm anybody. the wizard of oz, who used to be a humbug and knew no magic at all, has been taking lessons of glinda, and i'm told he is getting to be a pretty good wizard; but he is merely the assistant of the great sorceress. i've the right to make a servant girl for my wife, you know, or a glass cat to catch our mice--which she refuses to do--but i am forbidden to work magic for others, or to use it as a profession." "magic must be a very interesting study," said ojo. "it truly is," asserted the magician. "in my time i've performed some magical feats that were worthy the skill of glinda the good. for instance, there's the powder of life, and my liquid of petrifaction, which is contained in that bottle on the shelf yonder--over the window." "what does the liquid of petrifaction do?" inquired the boy. "turns everything it touches to solid marble. it's an invention of my own, and i find it very useful. once two of those dreadful kalidahs, with bodies like bears and heads like tigers, came here from the forest to attack us; but i sprinkled some of that liquid on them and instantly they turned to marble. i now use them as ornamental statuary in my garden. this table looks to you like wood, and once it really was wood; but i sprinkled a few drops of the liquid of petrifaction on it and now it is marble. it will never break nor wear out." "fine!" said unc nunkie, wagging his head and stroking his long gray beard. "dear me; what a chatterbox you're getting to be, unc," remarked the magician, who was pleased with the compliment. but just then there came a scratching at the back door and a shrill voice cried: "let me in! hurry up, can't you? let me in!" margolotte got up and went to the door. "ask like a good cat, then," she said. [illustration] "mee-ee-ow-w-w! there; does that suit your royal highness?" asked the voice, in scornful accents. "yes; that's proper cat talk," declared the woman, and opened the door. at once a cat entered, came to the center of the room and stopped short at the sight of strangers. ojo and unc nunkie both stared at it with wide open eyes, for surely no such curious creature had ever existed before--even in the land of oz. [illustration] [illustration] the glass cat chap. [illustration] the cat was made of glass, so clear and transparent that you could see through it as easily as through a window. in the top of its head, however, was a mass of delicate pink balls which looked like jewels, and it had a heart made of a blood-red ruby. the eyes were two large emeralds, but aside from these colors all the rest of the animal was clear glass, and it had a spun-glass tail that was really beautiful. "well, doc pipt, do you mean to introduce us, or not?" demanded the cat, in a tone of annoyance. "seems to me you are forgetting your manners." "excuse me," returned the magician. "this is unc nunkie, the descendant of the former kings of the munchkins, before this country became a part of the land of oz." "he needs a hair-cut," observed the cat, washing its face. "true," replied unc, with a low chuckle of amusement. "but he has lived alone in the heart of the forest for many years," the magician explained; "and, although that is a barbarous country, there are no barbers there." "who is the dwarf?" asked the cat. "that is not a dwarf, but a boy," answered the magician. "you have never seen a boy before. he is now small because he is young. with more years he will grow big and become as tall as unc nunkie." "oh. is that magic?" the glass animal inquired. "yes; but it is nature's magic, which is more wonderful than any art known to man. for instance, my magic made you, and made you live; and it was a poor job because you are useless and a bother to me; but i can't make you grow. you will always be the same size--and the same saucy, inconsiderate glass cat, with pink brains and a hard ruby heart." "no one can regret more than i the fact that you made me," asserted the cat, crouching upon the floor and slowly swaying its spun-glass tail from side to side. "your world is a very uninteresting place. i've wandered through your gardens and in the forest until i'm tired of it all, and when i come into the house the conversation of your fat wife and of yourself bores me dreadfully." "that is because i gave you different brains from those we ourselves possess--and much too good for a cat," returned dr. pipt. "can't you take 'em out, then, and replace 'em with pebbles, so that i won't feel above my station in life?" asked the cat, pleadingly. "perhaps so. i'll try it, after i've brought the patchwork girl to life," he said. the cat walked up to the bench on which the patchwork girl reclined and looked at her attentively. "are you going to make that dreadful thing live?" she asked. the magician nodded. "it is intended to be my wife's servant maid," he said. "when she is alive she will do all our work and mind the house. but you are not to order her around, bungle, as you do us. you must treat the patchwork girl respectfully." "i won't. i couldn't respect such a bundle of scraps under any circumstances." "if you don't, there will be more scraps than you will like," cried margolotte, angrily. "why didn't you make her pretty to look at?" asked the cat. "you made me pretty--very pretty, indeed--and i love to watch my pink brains roll around when they're working, and to see my precious red heart beat." she went to a long mirror, as she said this, and stood before it, looking at herself with an air of much pride. "but that poor patched thing will hate herself, when she's once alive," continued the cat. "if i were you i'd use her for a mop, and make another servant that is prettier." "you have a perverted taste," snapped margolotte, much annoyed at this frank criticism. "i think the patchwork girl is beautiful, considering what she's made of. even the rainbow hasn't as many colors, and you must admit that the rainbow is a pretty thing." the glass cat yawned and stretched herself upon the floor. "have your own way," she said. "i'm sorry for the patchwork girl, that's all." ojo and unc nunkie slept that night in the magician's house, and the boy was glad to stay because he was anxious to see the patchwork girl brought to life. the glass cat was also a wonderful creature to little ojo, who had never seen or known anything of magic before, although he had lived in the fairyland of oz ever since he was born. back there in the woods nothing unusual ever happened. unc nunkie, who might have been king of the munchkins, had not his people united with all the other countries of oz in acknowledging ozma as their sole ruler, had retired into this forgotten forest nook with his baby nephew and they had lived all alone there. only that the neglected garden had failed to grow food for them, they would always have lived in the solitary blue forest; but now they had started out to mingle with other people, and the first place they came to proved so interesting that ojo could scarcely sleep a wink all night. margolotte was an excellent cook and gave them a fine breakfast. while they were all engaged in eating, the good woman said: "this is the last meal i shall have to cook for some time, for right after breakfast dr. pipt has promised to bring my new servant to life. i shall let her wash the breakfast dishes and sweep and dust the house. what a relief it will be!" "it will, indeed, relieve you of much drudgery," said the magician. "by the way, margolotte, i thought i saw you getting some brains from the cupboard, while i was busy with my kettles. what qualities have you given your new servant?" "only those that an humble servant requires," she answered. "i do not wish her to feel above her station, as the glass cat does. that would make her discontented and unhappy, for of course she must always be a servant." ojo was somewhat disturbed as he listened to this, and the boy began to fear he had done wrong in adding all those different qualities of brains to the lot margolotte had prepared for the servant. but it was too late now for regret, since all the brains were securely sewn up inside the patchwork girl's head. he might have confessed what he had done and thus allowed margolotte and her husband to change the brains; but he was afraid of incurring their anger. he believed that unc had seen him add to the brains, and unc had not said a word against it; but then, unc never did say anything unless it was absolutely necessary. as soon as breakfast was over they all went into the magician's big workshop, where the glass cat was lying before the mirror and the patchwork girl lay limp and lifeless upon the bench. "now, then," said dr. pipt, in a brisk tone, "we shall perform one of the greatest feats of magic possible to man, even in this marvelous land of oz. in no other country could it be done at all. i think we ought to have a little music while the patchwork girl comes to life. it is pleasant to reflect that the first sounds her golden ears will hear will be delicious music." as he spoke he went to a phonograph, which was screwed fast to a small table, and wound up the spring of the instrument and adjusted the big gold horn. "the music my servant will usually hear," remarked margolotte, "will be my orders to do her work. but i see no harm in allowing her to listen to this unseen band while she wakens to her first realization of life. my orders will beat the band, afterward." the phonograph was now playing a stirring march tune and the magician unlocked his cabinet and took out the gold bottle containing the powder of life. they all bent over the bench on which the patchwork girl reclined. unc nunkie and margolotte stood behind, near the windows, ojo at one side and the magician in front, where he would have freedom to sprinkle the powder. the glass cat came near, too, curious to watch the important scene. "all ready?" asked dr. pipt. "all is ready," answered his wife. so the magician leaned over and shook from the bottle some grains of the wonderful powder, and they fell directly on the patchwork girl's head and arms. [illustration] [illustration] a terrible accident chap. [illustration] "it will take a few minutes for this powder to do its work," remarked the magician, sprinkling the body up and down with much care. but suddenly the patchwork girl threw up one arm, which knocked the bottle of powder from the crooked man's hand and sent it flying across the room. unc nunkie and margolotte were so startled that they both leaped backward and bumped together, and unc's head joggled the shelf above them and upset the bottle containing the liquid of petrifaction. the magician uttered such a wild cry that ojo jumped away and the patchwork girl sprang after him and clasped her stuffed arms around him in terror. the glass cat snarled and hid under the table, and so it was that when the powerful liquid of petrifaction was spilled it fell only upon the wife of the magician and the uncle of ojo. with these two the charm worked promptly. they stood motionless and stiff as marble statues, in exactly the positions they were in when the liquid struck them. ojo pushed the patchwork girl away and ran to unc nunkie, filled with a terrible fear for the only friend and protector he had ever known. when he grasped unc's hand it was cold and hard. even the long gray beard was solid marble. the crooked magician was dancing around the room in a frenzy of despair, calling upon his wife to forgive him, to speak to him, to come to life again! the patchwork girl, quickly recovering from her fright, now came nearer and looked from one to another of the people with deep interest. then she looked at herself and laughed. noticing the mirror, she stood before it and examined her extraordinary features with amazement--her button eyes, pearl bead teeth and puffy nose. then, addressing her reflection in the glass, she exclaimed: "whee, but there's a gaudy dame! makes a paint-box blush with shame. razzle-dazzle, fizzle-fazzle! howdy-do, miss what's-your-name?" she bowed, and the reflection bowed. then she laughed again, long and merrily, and the glass cat crept out from under the table and said: "i don't blame you for laughing at yourself. aren't you horrid?" "horrid?" she replied. "why, i'm thoroughly delightful. i'm an original, if you please, and therefore incomparable. of all the comic, absurd, rare and amusing creatures the world contains, i must be the supreme freak. who but poor margolotte could have managed to invent such an unreasonable being as i? but i'm glad--i'm awfully glad!--that i'm just what i am, and nothing else." "be quiet, will you?" cried the frantic magician; "be quiet and let me think! if i don't think i shall go mad." "think ahead," said the patchwork girl, seating herself in a chair. "think all you want to. i don't mind." "gee! but i'm tired playing that tune," called the phonograph, speaking through its horn in a brazen, scratchy voice. "if you don't mind, pipt, old boy, i'll cut it out and take a rest." the magician looked gloomily at the music-machine. "what dreadful luck!" he wailed, despondently. "the powder of life must have fallen on the phonograph." he went up to it and found that the gold bottle that contained the precious powder had dropped upon the stand and scattered its life-giving grains over the machine. the phonograph was very much alive, and began dancing a jig with the legs of the table to which it was attached, and this dance so annoyed dr. pipt that he kicked the thing into a corner and pushed a bench against it, to hold it quiet. "you were bad enough before," said the magician, resentfully; "but a live phonograph is enough to drive every sane person in the land of oz stark crazy." [illustration] "no insults, please," answered the phonograph in a surly tone. "you did it, my boy; don't blame me." "you've bungled everything, dr. pipt," added the glass cat, contemptuously. "except me," said the patchwork girl, jumping up to whirl merrily around the room. "i think," said ojo, almost ready to cry through grief over unc nunkie's sad fate, "it must all be my fault, in some way. i'm called ojo the unlucky, you know." "that's nonsense, kiddie," retorted the patchwork girl cheerfully. "no one can be unlucky who has the intelligence to direct his own actions. the unlucky ones are those who beg for a chance to think, like poor dr. pipt here. what's the row about, anyway, mr. magic-maker?" "the liquid of petrifaction has accidentally fallen upon my dear wife and unc nunkie and turned them into marble," he sadly replied. "well, why don't you sprinkle some of that powder on them and bring them to life again?" asked the patchwork girl. the magician gave a jump. "why, i hadn't thought of that!" he joyfully cried, and grabbed up the golden bottle, with which he ran to margolotte. said the patchwork girl: "higgledy, piggledy, dee-- what fools magicians be! his head's so thick he can't think quick, so he takes advice from me." standing upon the bench, for he was so crooked he could not reach the top of his wife's head in any other way, dr. pipt began shaking the bottle. but not a grain of powder came out. he pulled off the cover, glanced within, and then threw the bottle from him with a wail of despair. "gone--gone! every bit gone," he cried. "wasted on that miserable phonograph when it might have saved my dear wife!" then the magician bowed his head on his crooked arms and began to cry. ojo was sorry for him. he went up to the sorrowful man and said softly: "you can make more powder of life, dr. pipt." "yes; but it will take me six years--six long, weary years of stirring four kettles with both feet and both hands," was the agonized reply. "six years! while poor margolotte stands watching me as a marble image." "can't anything else be done?" asked the patchwork girl. the magician shook his head. then he seemed to remember something and looked up. "there is one other compound that would destroy the magic spell of the liquid of petrifaction and restore my wife and unc nunkie to life," said he. "it may be hard to find the things i need to make this magic compound, but if they were found i could do in an instant what will otherwise take six long, weary years of stirring kettles with both hands and both feet." "all right; let's find the things, then," suggested the patchwork girl. "that seems a lot more sensible than those stirring times with the kettles." "that's the idea, scraps," said the glass cat, approvingly. "i'm glad to find you have decent brains. mine are exceptionally good. you can see 'em work; they're pink." "scraps?" repeated the girl. "did you call me 'scraps'? is that my name?" "i--i believe my poor wife had intended to name you 'angeline,'" said the magician. "but i like 'scraps' best," she replied with a laugh. "it fits me better, for my patchwork is all scraps, and nothing else. thank you for naming me, miss cat. have you any name of your own?" "i have a foolish name that margolotte once gave me, but which is quite undignified for one of my importance," answered the cat. "she called me 'bungle.'" "yes," sighed the magician; "you were a sad bungle, taken all in all. i was wrong to make you as i did, for a more useless, conceited and brittle thing never before existed." "i'm not so brittle as you think," retorted the cat. "i've been alive a good many years, for dr. pipt experimented on me with the first magic powder of life he ever made, and so far i've never broken or cracked or chipped any part of me." "you seem to have a chip on your shoulder," laughed the patchwork girl, and the cat went to the mirror to see. "tell me," pleaded ojo, speaking to the crooked magician, "what must we find to make the compound that will save unc nunkie?" "first," was the reply, "i must have a six-leaved clover. that can only be found in the green country around the emerald city, and six-leaved clovers are very scarce, even there." "i'll find it for you," promised ojo. "the next thing," continued the magician, "is the left wing of a yellow butterfly. that color can only be found in the yellow country of the winkies, west of the emerald city." "i'll find it," declared ojo. "is that all?" "oh, no; i'll get my book of recipes and see what comes next." saying this, the magician unlocked a drawer of his cabinet and drew out a small book covered with blue leather. looking through the pages he found the recipe he wanted and said: "i must have a gill of water from a dark well." "what kind of a well is that, sir?" asked the boy. "one where the light of day never penetrates. the water must be put in a gold bottle and brought to me without any light ever reaching it." "i'll get the water from the dark well," said ojo. "then i must have three hairs from the tip of a woozy's tail, and a drop of oil from a live man's body." ojo looked grave at this. "what is a woozy, please?" he inquired. "some sort of an animal. i've never seen one, so i can't describe it," replied the magician. "if i can find a woozy, i'll get the hairs from its tail," said ojo. "but is there ever any oil in a man's body?" the magician looked in the book again, to make sure. "that's what the recipe calls for," he replied, "and of course we must get everything that is called for, or the charm won't work. the book doesn't say 'blood'; it says 'oil,' and there must be oil somewhere in a live man's body or the book wouldn't ask for it." "all right," returned ojo, trying not to feel discouraged; "i'll try to find it." the magician looked at the little munchkin boy in a doubtful way and said: "all this will mean a long journey for you; perhaps several long journeys; for you must search through several of the different countries of oz in order to get the things i need." "i know it, sir; but i must do my best to save unc nunkie." "and also my poor wife margolotte. if you save one you will save the other, for both stand there together and the same compound will restore them both to life. do the best you can, ojo, and while you are gone i shall begin the six years' job of making a new batch of the powder of life. then, if you should unluckily fail to secure any one of the things needed, i will have lost no time. but if you succeed you must return here as quickly as you can, and that will save me much tiresome stirring of four kettles with both feet and both hands." "i will start on my journey at once, sir," said the boy. "and i will go with you," declared the patchwork girl. "no, no!" exclaimed the magician. "you have no right to leave this house. you are only a servant and have not been discharged." scraps, who had been dancing up and down the room, stopped and looked at him. "what is a servant?" she asked. "one who serves. a--a sort of slave," he explained. "very well," said the patchwork girl, "i'm going to serve you and your wife by helping ojo find the things you need. you need a lot, you know, such as are not easily found." "it is true," sighed dr. pipt. "i am well aware that ojo has undertaken a serious task." scraps laughed, and resuming her dance she said: "here's a job for a boy of brains: a drop of oil from a live man's veins; a six-leaved clover; three nice hairs from a woozy's tail, the book declares are needed for the magic spell, and water from a pitch-dark well. the yellow wing of a butterfly to find must ojo also try, and if he gets them without harm, doc pipt will make the magic charm; but if he doesn't get 'em, unc will always stand a marble chunk." the magician looked at her thoughtfully. "poor margolotte must have given you some of the quality of poesy, by mistake," he said. "and, if that is true, i didn't make a very good article when i prepared it, or else you got an overdose or an underdose. however, i believe i shall let you go with ojo, for my poor wife will not need your services until she is restored to life. also i think you may be able to help the boy, for your head seems to contain some thoughts i did not expect to find in it. but be very careful of yourself, for you're a souvenir of my dear margolotte. try not to get ripped, or your stuffing may fall out. one of your eyes seems loose, and you may have to sew it on tighter. if you talk too much you'll wear out your scarlet plush tongue, which ought to have been hemmed on the edges. and remember you belong to me and must return here as soon as your mission is accomplished." "i'm going with scraps and ojo," announced the glass cat. "you can't," said the magician. "why not?" "you'd get broken in no time, and you couldn't be a bit of use to the boy and the patchwork girl." "i beg to differ with you," returned the cat, in a haughty tone. "three heads are better than two, and my pink brains are beautiful. you can see 'em work." "well, go along," said the magician, irritably. "you're only an annoyance, anyhow, and i'm glad to get rid of you." "thank you for nothing, then," answered the cat, stiffly. dr. pipt took a small basket from a cupboard and packed several things in it. then he handed it to ojo. "here is some food and a bundle of charms," he said. "it is all i can give you, but i am sure you will find friends on your journey who will assist you in your search. take care of the patchwork girl and bring her safely back, for she ought to prove useful to my wife. as for the glass cat--properly named bungle--if she bothers you i now give you my permission to break her in two, for she is not respectful and does not obey me. i made a mistake in giving her the pink brains, you see." then ojo went to unc nunkie and kissed the old man's marble face very tenderly. "i'm going to try to save you, unc," he said, just as if the marble image could hear him; and then he shook the crooked hand of the crooked magician, who was already busy hanging the four kettles in the fireplace, and picking up his basket left the house. the patchwork girl followed him, and after them came the glass cat. the journey chap. six [illustration] ojo had never traveled before and so he only knew that the path down the mountainside led into the open munchkin country, where large numbers of people dwelt. scraps was quite new and not supposed to know anything of the land of oz, while the glass cat admitted she had never wandered very far away from the magician's house. there was only one path before them, at the beginning, so they could not miss their way, and for a time they walked through the thick forest in silent thought, each one impressed with the importance of the adventure they had undertaken. suddenly the patchwork girl laughed. it was funny to see her laugh, because her cheeks wrinkled up, her nose tipped, her silver button eyes twinkled and her mouth curled at the corners in a comical way. "has something pleased you?" asked ojo, who was feeling solemn and joyless through thinking upon his uncle's sad fate. "yes," she answered. "your world pleases me, for it's a queer world, and life in it is queerer still. here am i, made from an old bed-quilt and intended to be a slave to margolotte, rendered free as air by an accident that none of you could foresee. i am enjoying life and seeing the world, while the woman who made me is standing helpless as a block of wood. if that isn't funny enough to laugh at, i don't know what is." "you're not seeing much of the world yet, my poor, innocent scraps," remarked the cat. "the world doesn't consist wholly of the trees that are on all sides of us." "but they're part of it; and aren't they pretty trees?" returned scraps, bobbing her head until her brown yarn curls fluttered in the breeze. "growing between them i can see lovely ferns and wild-flowers, and soft green mosses. if the rest of your world is half as beautiful i shall be glad i'm alive." "i don't know what the rest of the world is like, i'm sure," said the cat; "but i mean to find out." "i have never been out of the forest," ojo added; "but to me the trees are gloomy and sad and the wild-flowers seem lonesome. it must be nicer where there are no trees and there is room for lots of people to live together." "i wonder if any of the people we shall meet will be as splendid as i am," said the patchwork girl. "all i have seen, so far, have pale, colorless skins and clothes as blue as the country they live in, while i am of many gorgeous colors--face and body and clothes. that is why i am bright and contented, ojo, while you are blue and sad." "i think i made a mistake in giving you so many sorts of brains," observed the boy. "perhaps, as the magician said, you have an overdose, and they may not agree with you." "what had you to do with my brains?" asked scraps. "a lot," replied ojo. "old margolotte meant to give you only a few--just enough to keep you going--but when she wasn't looking i added a good many more, of the best kinds i could find in the magician's cupboard." "thanks," said the girl, dancing along the path ahead of ojo and then dancing back to his side. "if a few brains are good, many brains must be better." "but they ought to be evenly balanced," said the boy, "and i had no time to be careful. from the way you're acting, i guess the dose was badly mixed." "scraps hasn't enough brains to hurt her, so don't worry," remarked the cat, which was trotting along in a very dainty and graceful manner. "the only brains worth considering are mine, which are pink. you can see 'em work." after walking a long time they came to a little brook that trickled across the path, and here ojo sat down to rest and eat something from his basket. he found that the magician had given him part of a loaf of bread and a slice of cheese. he broke off some of the bread and was surprised to find the loaf just as large as it was before. it was the same way with the cheese: however much he broke off from the slice, it remained exactly the same size. "ah," said he, nodding wisely; "that's magic. dr. pipt has enchanted the bread and the cheese, so it will last me all through my journey, however much i eat." "why do you put those things into your mouth?" asked scraps, gazing at him in astonishment. "do you need more stuffing? then why don't you use cotton, such as i am stuffed with?" "i don't need that kind," said ojo. "but a mouth is to talk with, isn't it?" "it is also to eat with," replied the boy. "if i didn't put food into my mouth, and eat it, i would get hungry and starve." "ah, i didn't know that," she said. "give me some." ojo handed her a bit of the bread and she put it in her mouth. "what next?" she asked, scarcely able to speak. "chew it and swallow it," said the boy. scraps tried that. her pearl teeth were unable to chew the bread and beyond her mouth there was no opening. being unable to swallow she threw away the bread and laughed. "i must get hungry and starve, for i can't eat," she said. [illustration] "neither can i," announced the cat; "but i'm not fool enough to try. can't you understand that you and i are superior people and not made like these poor humans?" "why should i understand that, or anything else?" asked the girl. "don't bother my head by asking conundrums, i beg of you. just let me discover myself in my own way." with this she began amusing herself by leaping across the brook and back again. "be careful, or you'll fall in the water," warned ojo. "never mind." "you'd better. if you get wet you'll be soggy and can't walk. your colors might run, too," he said. "don't my colors run whenever i run?" she asked. "not in the way i mean. if they get wet, the reds and greens and yellows and purples of your patches might run into each other and become just a blur--no color at all, you know." "then," said the patchwork girl, "i'll be careful, for if i spoiled my splendid colors i would cease to be beautiful." "pah!" sneered the glass cat, "such colors are not beautiful; they're ugly, and in bad taste. please notice that my body has no color at all. i'm transparent, except for my exquisite red heart and my lovely pink brains--you can see 'em work." "shoo--shoo--shoo!" cried scraps, dancing around and laughing. "and your horrid green eyes, miss bungle! you can't see your eyes, but we can, and i notice you're very proud of what little color you have. shoo, miss bungle, shoo--shoo--shoo! if you were all colors and many colors, as i am, you'd be too stuck up for anything." she leaped over the cat and back again, and the startled bungle crept close to a tree to escape her. this made scraps laugh more heartily than ever, and she said: "whoop-te-doodle-doo! the cat has lost her shoe. her tootsie's bare, but she don't care, so what's the odds to you?" "dear me, ojo," said the cat; "don't you think the creature is a little bit crazy?" "it may be," he answered, with a puzzled look. "if she continues her insults i'll scratch off her suspender-button eyes," declared the cat. "don't quarrel, please," pleaded the boy, rising to resume the journey. "let us be good comrades and as happy and cheerful as possible, for we are likely to meet with plenty of trouble on our way." it was nearly sundown when they came to the edge of the forest and saw spread out before them a delightful landscape. there were broad blue fields stretching for miles over the valley, which was dotted everywhere with pretty, blue domed houses, none of which, however, was very near to the place where they stood. just at the point where the path left the forest stood a tiny house covered with leaves from the trees, and before this stood a munchkin man with an axe in his hand. he seemed very much surprised when ojo and scraps and the glass cat came out of the woods, but as the patchwork girl approached nearer he sat down upon a bench and laughed so hard that he could not speak for a long time. this man was a woodchopper and lived all alone in the little house. he had bushy blue whiskers and merry blue eyes and his blue clothes were quite old and worn. "mercy me!" exclaimed the woodchopper, when at last he could stop laughing. "who would think such a funny harlequin lived in the land of oz? where did you come from, crazy-quilt?" "do you mean me?" asked the patchwork girl. "of course," he replied. "you misjudge my ancestry. i'm not a crazy-quilt; i'm patchwork," she said. "there's no difference," he replied, beginning to laugh again. "when my old grandmother sews such things together she calls it a crazy-quilt; but i never thought such a jumble could come to life." "it was the magic powder that did it," explained ojo. "oh, then you have come from the crooked magician on the mountain. i might have known it, for--well, i declare! here's a glass cat. but the magician will get in trouble for this; it's against the law for anyone to work magic except glinda the good and the royal wizard of oz. if you people--or things--or glass spectacles--or crazy-quilts--or whatever you are, go near the emerald city, you'll be arrested." "we're going there, anyhow," declared scraps, sitting upon the bench and swinging her stuffed legs. "if any of us takes a rest, we'll be arrested sure, and get no restitution 'cause the rest we must endure." "i see," said the woodchopper, nodding; "you're as crazy as the crazy-quilt you're made of." "she really _is_ crazy," remarked the glass cat. "but that isn't to be wondered at when you remember how many different things she's made of. for my part, i'm made of pure glass--except my jewel heart and my pretty pink brains. did you notice my brains, stranger? you can see 'em work." "so i can," replied the woodchopper; "but i can't see that they accomplish much. a glass cat is a useless sort of thing, but a patchwork girl is really useful. she makes me laugh, and laughter is the best thing in life. there was once a woodchopper, a friend of mine, who was made all of tin, and i used to laugh every time i saw him." "a tin woodchopper?" said ojo. "that is strange." "my friend wasn't always tin," said the man, "but he was careless with his axe, and used to chop himself very badly. whenever he lost an arm or a leg he had it replaced with tin; so after a while he was all tin." "and could he chop wood then?" asked the boy. "he could if he didn't rust his tin joints. but one day he met dorothy in the forest and went with her to the emerald city, where he made his fortune. he is now one of the favorites of princess ozma, and she has made him the emperor of the winkies--the country where all is yellow." "who is dorothy?" inquired the patchwork girl. "a little maid who used to live in kansas, but is now a princess of oz. she's ozma's best friend, they say, and lives with her in the royal palace." "is dorothy made of tin?" inquired ojo. "is she patchwork, like me?" inquired scraps. "no," said the man; "dorothy is flesh, just as i am. i know of only one tin person, and that is nick chopper, the tin woodman; and there will never be but one patchwork girl, for any magician that sees you will refuse to make another one like you." "i suppose we shall see the tin woodman, for we are going to the country of the winkies," said the boy. "what for?" asked the woodchopper. "to get the left wing of a yellow butterfly." "it is a long journey," declared the man, "and you will go through lonely parts of oz and cross rivers and traverse dark forests before you get there." "suits me all right," said scraps. "i'll get a chance to see the country." "you're crazy, girl. better crawl into a rag-bag and hide there; or give yourself to some little girl to play with. those who travel are likely to meet trouble; that's why i stay at home." [illustration] the woodchopper then invited them all to stay the night at his little hut, but they were anxious to get on and so left him and continued along the path, which was broader, now, and more distinct. they expected to reach some other house before it grew dark, but the twilight was brief and ojo soon began to fear they had made a mistake in leaving the woodchopper. "i can scarcely see the path," he said at last. "can you see it, scraps?" "no," replied the patchwork girl, who was holding fast to the boy's arm so he could guide her. "i can see," declared the glass cat. "my eyes are better than yours, and my pink brains--" "never mind your pink brains, please," said ojo hastily; "just run ahead and show us the way. wait a minute and i'll tie a string to you; for then you can lead us." he got a string from his pocket and tied it around the cat's neck, and after that the creature guided them along the path. they had proceeded in this way for about an hour when a twinkling blue light appeared ahead of them. "good! there's a house at last," cried ojo. "when we reach it the good people will surely welcome us and give us a night's lodging." but however far they walked the light seemed to get no nearer, so by and by the cat stopped short, saying: "i think the light is traveling, too, and we shall never be able to catch up with it. but here is a house by the roadside, so why go farther?" "where is the house, bungle?" "just here beside us, scraps." ojo was now able to see a small house near the pathway. it was dark and silent, but the boy was tired and wanted to rest, so he went up to the door and knocked. "who is there?" cried a voice from within. "i am ojo the unlucky, and with me are miss scraps patchwork and the glass cat," he replied. "what do you want?" asked the voice. "a place to sleep," said ojo. "come in, then; but don't make any noise, and you must go directly to bed," returned the voice. ojo unlatched the door and entered. it was very dark inside and he could see nothing at all. but the cat exclaimed: "why, there's no one here!" "there must be," said the boy. "some one spoke to me." "i can see everything in the room," replied the cat, "and no one is present but ourselves. but here are three beds, all made up, so we may as well go to sleep." "what is sleep?" inquired the patchwork girl. "it's what you do when you go to bed," said ojo. "but why do you go to bed?" persisted the patchwork girl. "here, here! you are making altogether too much noise," cried the voice they had heard before. "keep quiet, strangers, and go to bed." the cat, which could see in the dark, looked sharply around for the owner of the voice, but could discover no one, although the voice had seemed close beside them. she arched her back a little and seemed afraid. then she whispered to ojo: "come!" and led him to a bed. with his hands the boy felt of the bed and found it was big and soft, with feather pillows and plenty of blankets. so he took off his shoes and hat and crept into the bed. then the cat led scraps to another bed and the patchwork girl was puzzled to know what to do with it. "lie down and keep quiet," whispered the cat, warningly. "can't i sing?" asked scraps. "no." "can't i whistle?" asked scraps. "no." "can't i dance till morning, if i want to?" asked scraps. "you must keep quiet," said the cat, in a soft voice. "i don't want to," replied the patchwork girl, speaking as loudly as usual. "what right have you to order me around? if i want to talk, or yell, or whistle--" before she could say anything more an unseen hand seized her firmly and threw her out of the door, which closed behind her with a sharp slam. she found herself bumping and rolling in the road and when she got up and tried to open the door of the house again she found it locked. "what has happened to scraps?" asked ojo. "never mind. let's go to sleep, or something will happen to us," answered the glass cat. so ojo snuggled down in his bed and fell asleep, and he was so tired that he never wakened until broad daylight. [illustration] [illustration] the troublesome phonograph chap. [illustration] when the boy opened his eyes next morning he looked carefully around the room. these small munchkin houses seldom had more than one room in them. that in which ojo now found himself had three beds, set all in a row on one side of it. the glass cat lay asleep on one bed, ojo was in the second, and the third was neatly made up and smoothed for the day. on the other side of the room was a round table on which breakfast was already placed, smoking hot. only one chair was drawn up to the table, where a place was set for one person. no one seemed to be in the room except the boy and bungle. ojo got up and put on his shoes. finding a toilet stand at the head of his bed he washed his face and hands and brushed his hair. then he went to the table and said: "i wonder if this is my breakfast?" "eat it!" commanded a voice at his side, so near that ojo jumped. but no person could he see. he was hungry, and the breakfast looked good; so he sat down and ate all he wanted. then, rising, he took his hat and wakened the glass cat. "come on, bungle," said he; "we must go." he cast another glance about the room and, speaking to the air, he said: "whoever lives here has been kind to me, and i'm much obliged." there was no answer, so he took his basket and went out the door, the cat following him. in the middle of the path sat the patchwork girl, playing with pebbles she had picked up. "oh, there you are!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "i thought you were never coming out. it has been daylight a long time." "what did you do all night?" asked the boy. "sat here and watched the stars and the moon," she replied. "they're interesting. i never saw them before, you know." "of course not," said ojo. "you were crazy to act so badly and get thrown outdoors," remarked bungle, as they renewed their journey. "that's all right," said scraps. "if i hadn't been thrown out i wouldn't have seen the stars, nor the big gray wolf." "what wolf?" inquired ojo. "the one that came to the door of the house three times during the night." "i don't see why that should be," said the boy, thoughtfully; "there was plenty to eat in that house, for i had a fine breakfast, and i slept in a nice bed." "don't you feel tired?" asked the patchwork girl, noticing that the boy yawned. "why, yes; i'm as tired as i was last night; and yet i slept very well." "and aren't you hungry?" "it's strange," replied ojo. "i had a good breakfast, and yet i think i'll now eat some of my crackers and cheese." scraps danced up and down the path. then she sang: "kizzle-kazzle-kore; the wolf is at the door, there's nothing to eat but a bone without meat, and a bill from the grocery store." "what does that mean?" asked ojo. "don't ask me," replied scraps. "i say what comes into my head, but of course i know nothing of a grocery store or bones without meat or--very much else." "no," said the cat; "she's stark, staring, raving crazy, and her brains can't be pink, for they don't work properly." "bother the brains!" cried scraps. "who cares for 'em, anyhow? have you noticed how beautiful my patches are in this sunlight?" just then they heard a sound as of footsteps pattering along the path behind them and all three turned to see what was coming. to their astonishment they beheld a small round table running as fast as its four spindle legs could carry it, and to the top was screwed fast a phonograph with a big gold horn. [illustration] "hold on!" shouted the phonograph. "wait for me!" "goodness me; it's that music thing which the crooked magician scattered the powder of life over," said ojo. "so it is," returned bungle, in a grumpy tone of voice; and then, as the phonograph overtook them, the glass cat added sternly: "what are you doing here, anyhow?" "i've run away," said the music thing. "after you left, old dr. pipt and i had a dreadful quarrel and he threatened to smash me to pieces if i didn't keep quiet. of course i wouldn't do that, because a talking-machine is supposed to talk and make a noise--and sometimes music. so i slipped out of the house while the magician was stirring his four kettles and i've been running after you all night. now that i've found such pleasant company, i can talk and play tunes all i want to." ojo was greatly annoyed by this unwelcome addition to their party. at first he did not know what to say to the newcomer, but a little thought decided him not to make friends. "we are traveling on important business," he declared, "and you'll excuse me if i say we can't be bothered." "how very impolite!" exclaimed the phonograph. "i'm sorry; but it's true," said the boy. "you'll have to go somewhere else." "this is very unkind treatment, i must say," whined the phonograph, in an injured tone. "everyone seems to hate me, and yet i was intended to amuse people." "it isn't you we hate, especially," observed the glass cat; "it's your dreadful music. when i lived in the same room with you i was much annoyed by your squeaky horn. it growls and grumbles and clicks and scratches so it spoils the music, and your machinery rumbles so that the racket drowns every tune you attempt." "that isn't my fault; it's the fault of my records. i must admit that i haven't a clear record," answered the machine. "just the same, you'll have to go away," said ojo. "wait a minute," cried scraps. "this music thing interests me. i remember to have heard music when i first came to life, and i would like to hear it again. what is your name, my poor abused phonograph?" "victor columbia edison," it answered. "well, i shall call you 'vic' for short," said the patchwork girl. "go ahead and play something." "it'll drive you crazy," warned the cat. "i'm crazy now, according to your statement. loosen up and reel out the music, vic." "the only record i have with me," explained the phonograph, "is one the magician attached just before we had our quarrel. it's a highly classical composition." "a what?" inquired scraps. "it is classical music, and is considered the best and most puzzling ever manufactured. you're supposed to like it, whether you do or not, and if you don't, the proper thing is to look as if you did. understand?" "not in the least," said scraps. "then, listen!" at once the machine began to play and in a few minutes ojo put his hands to his ears to shut out the sounds and the cat snarled and scraps began to laugh. "cut it out, vic," she said. "that's enough." but the phonograph continued playing the dreary tune, so ojo seized the crank, jerked it free and threw it into the road. however, the moment the crank struck the ground it bounded back to the machine again and began winding it up. and still the music played. "let's run!" cried scraps, and they all started and ran down the path as fast as they could go. but the phonograph was right behind them and could run and play at the same time. it called out, reproachfully: "what's the matter? don't you love classical music?" "no, vic," said scraps, halting. "we will passical the classical and preserve what joy we have left. i haven't any nerves, thank goodness, but your music makes my cotton shrink." "then turn over my record. there's a rag-time tune on the other side," said the machine. "what's rag-time?" "the opposite of classical." "all right," said scraps, and turned over the record. the phonograph now began to play a jerky jumble of sounds which proved so bewildering that after a moment scraps stuffed her patchwork apron into the gold horn and cried: "stop--stop! that's the other extreme. it's extremely bad!" muffled as it was, the phonograph played on. "if you don't shut off that music i'll smash your record," threatened ojo. the music stopped, at that, and the machine turned its horn from one to another and said with great indignation: "what's the matter now? is it possible you can't appreciate rag-time?" "scraps ought to, being rags herself," said the cat; "but i simply can't stand it; it makes my whiskers curl." "it is, indeed, dreadful!" exclaimed ojo, with a shudder. "it's enough to drive a crazy lady mad," murmured the patchwork girl. "i'll tell you what, vic," she added as she smoothed out her apron and put it on again, "for some reason or other you've missed your guess. you're not a concert; you're a nuisance." "music hath charms to soothe the savage breast," asserted the phonograph sadly. "then we're not savages. i advise you to go home and beg the magician's pardon." "never! he'd smash me." "that's what we shall do, if you stay here," ojo declared. "run along, vic, and bother some one else," advised scraps. "find some one who is real wicked, and stay with him till he repents. in that way you can do some good in the world." the music thing turned silently away and trotted down a side path, toward a distant munchkin village. "is that the way _we_ go?" asked bungle anxiously. "no," said ojo; "i think we shall keep straight ahead, for this path is the widest and best. when we come to some house we will inquire the way to the emerald city." the foolish owl and the wise donkey chap. [illustration] on they went, and half an hour's steady walking brought them to a house somewhat better than the two they had already passed. it stood close to the roadside and over the door was a sign that read: "miss foolish owl and mr. wise donkey: public advisers." when ojo read this sign aloud scraps said laughingly: "well, here is a place to get all the advice we want, maybe more than we need. let's go in." the boy knocked at the door. "come in!" called a deep bass voice. so they opened the door and entered the house, where a little light-brown donkey, dressed in a blue apron and a blue cap, was engaged in dusting the furniture with a blue cloth. on a shelf over the window sat a great blue owl with a blue sunbonnet on her head, blinking her big round eyes at the visitors. "good morning," said the donkey, in his deep voice, which seemed bigger than he was. "did you come to us for advice?" "why, we came, anyhow," replied scraps, "and now we are here we may as well have some advice. it's free, isn't it? "certainly," said the donkey. "advice doesn't cost anything--unless you follow it. permit me to say, by the way, that you are the queerest lot of travelers that ever came to my shop. judging you merely by appearances, i think you'd better talk to the foolish owl yonder." they turned to look at the bird, which fluttered its wings and stared back at them with its big eyes. "hoot-ti-toot-ti-toot!" cried the owl. "fiddle-cum-foo, howdy--do? riddle-cum, tiddle-cum, too-ra-la-loo!" "that beats your poetry, scraps," said ojo. "it's just nonsense!" declared the glass cat. "but it's good advice for the foolish," said the donkey, admiringly. "listen to my partner, and you can't go wrong." said the owl in a grumbling voice: "patchwork girl has come to life; no one's sweetheart, no one's wife; lacking sense and loving fun, she'll be snubbed by everyone." "quite a compliment! quite a compliment, i declare," exclaimed the donkey, turning to look at scraps. "you are certainly a wonder, my dear, and i fancy you'd make a splendid pincushion. if you belonged to me, i'd wear smoked glasses when i looked at you." "why?" asked the patchwork girl. "because you are so gay and gaudy." "it is my beauty that dazzles you," she asserted. "you munchkin people all strut around in your stupid blue color, while i--" "you are wrong in calling me a munchkin," interrupted the donkey, "for i was born in the land of mo and came to visit the land of oz on the day it was shut off from all the rest of the world. so here i am obliged to stay, and i confess it is a very pleasant country to live in." "hoot-ti-toot!" cried the owl; "ojo's searching for a charm, 'cause unc nunkie's come to harm. charms are scarce; they're hard to get; ojo's got a job, you bet!" "is the owl so very foolish?" asked the boy. "extremely so," replied the donkey. "notice what vulgar expressions she uses. but i admire the owl for the reason that she _is_ positively foolish. owls are supposed to be so very wise, generally, that a foolish one is unusual, and you perhaps know that anything or anyone unusual is sure to be interesting to the wise." the owl flapped its wings again, muttering these words: "it's hard to be a glassy cat-- no cat can be more hard than that; she's so transparent, every act is clear to us, and that's a fact." "have you noticed my pink brains?" inquired bungle, proudly. "you can see 'em work." "not in the daytime," said the donkey. "she can't see very well by day, poor thing. but her advice is excellent. i advise you all to follow it." "the owl hasn't given us any advice, as yet," the boy declared. "no? then what do you call all those sweet poems?" "just foolishness," replied ojo. "scraps does the same thing." "foolishness! of course! to be sure! the foolish owl must be foolish or she wouldn't be the foolish owl. you are very complimentary to my partner, indeed," asserted the donkey, rubbing his front hoofs together as if highly pleased. [illustration] "the sign says that _you_ are wise," remarked scraps to the donkey. "i wish you would prove it." "with great pleasure," returned the beast. "put me to the test, my dear patches, and i'll prove my wisdom in the wink of an eye." "what is the best way to get to the emerald city?" asked ojo. "walk," said the donkey. "i know; but what road shall i take?" was the boy's next question. "the road of yellow bricks, of course. it leads directly to the emerald city." "and how shall we find the road of yellow bricks?" "by keeping along the path you have been following. you'll come to the yellow bricks pretty soon, and you'll know them when you see them because they're the only yellow things in the blue country." "thank you," said the boy. "at last you have told me something." "is that the extent of your wisdom?" asked scraps. "no," replied the donkey; "i know many other things, but they wouldn't interest you. so i'll give you a last word of advice: move on, for the sooner you do that the sooner you'll get to the emerald city of oz." "hoot-ti-toot-ti-toot-ti-too!" screeched the owl; "off you go! fast or slow, where you're going you don't know. patches, bungle, munchkin lad, facing fortunes good and bad, meeting dangers grave and sad, sometimes worried, sometimes glad-- where you're going you don't know, nor do i, but off you go!" "sounds like a hint, to me," said the patchwork girl. "then let's take it and go," replied ojo. they said good-bye to the wise donkey and the foolish owl and at once resumed their journey. [illustration] [illustration] they meet the woozy chap. nine [illustration] "there seem to be very few houses around here, after all," remarked ojo, after they had walked for a time in silence. "never mind," said scraps; "we are not looking for houses, but rather the road of yellow bricks. won't it be funny to run across something yellow in this dismal blue country?" "there are worse colors than yellow in this country," asserted the glass cat, in a spiteful tone. "oh; do you mean the pink pebbles you call your brains, and your red heart and green eyes?" asked the patchwork girl. "no; i mean you, if you must know it," growled the cat. "you're jealous!" laughed scraps. "you'd give your whiskers for a lovely variegated complexion like mine." "i wouldn't!" retorted the cat. "i've the clearest complexion in the world, and i don't employ a beauty-doctor, either." "i see you don't," said scraps. "please don't quarrel," begged ojo. "this is an important journey, and quarreling makes me discouraged. to be brave, one must be cheerful, so i hope you will be as good-tempered as possible." they had traveled some distance when suddenly they faced a high fence which barred any further progress straight ahead. it ran directly across the road and enclosed a small forest of tall trees, set close together. when the group of adventurers peered through the bars of the fence they thought this forest looked more gloomy and forbidding than any they had ever seen before. they soon discovered that the path they had been following now made a bend and passed around the enclosure, but what made ojo stop and look thoughtful was a sign painted on the fence which read: "beware of the woozy!" "that means," he said, "that there's a woozy inside that fence, and the woozy must be a dangerous animal or they wouldn't tell people to beware of it." "let's keep out, then," replied scraps. "that path is outside the fence, and mr. woozy may have all his little forest to himself, for all we care." "but one of our errands is to find a woozy," ojo explained. "the magician wants me to get three hairs from the end of a woozy's tail." "let's go on and find some other woozy," suggested the cat. "this one is ugly and dangerous, or they wouldn't cage him up. maybe we shall find another that is tame and gentle." "perhaps there isn't any other, at all," answered ojo. "the sign doesn't say: 'beware _a_ woozy'; it says: 'beware _the_ woozy,' which may mean there's only one in all the land of oz." "then," said scraps, "suppose we go in and find him? very likely if we ask him politely to let us pull three hairs out of the tip of his tail he won't hurt us." "it would hurt _him_, i'm sure, and that would make him cross," said the cat. "you needn't worry, bungle," remarked the patchwork girl; "for if there is danger you can climb a tree. ojo and i are not afraid; are we, ojo?" "i am, a little," the boy admitted; "but this danger must be faced, if we intend to save poor unc nunkie. how shall we get over the fence?" "climb," answered scraps, and at once she began climbing up the rows of bars. ojo followed and found it more easy than he had expected. when they got to the top of the fence they began to get down on the other side and soon were in the forest. the glass cat, being small, crept between the lower bars and joined them. here there was no path of any sort, so they entered the woods, the boy leading the way, and wandered through the trees until they were nearly in the center of the forest. they now came upon a clear space in which stood a rocky cave. so far they had met no living creature, but when ojo saw the cave he knew it must be the den of the woozy. it is hard to face any savage beast without a sinking of the heart, but still more terrifying is it to face an unknown beast, which you have never seen even a picture of. so there is little wonder that the pulses of the munchkin boy beat fast as he and his companions stood facing the cave. the opening was perfectly square, and about big enough to admit a goat. "i guess the woozy is asleep," said scraps. "shall i throw in a stone, to waken him?" "no; please don't," answered ojo, his voice trembling a little. "i'm in no hurry." but he had not long to wait, for the woozy heard the sound of voices and came trotting out of his cave. as this is the only woozy that has ever lived, either in the land of oz or out of it, i must describe it to you. the creature was all squares and flat surfaces and edges. its head was an exact square, like one of the building-blocks a child plays with; therefore it had no ears, but heard sounds through two openings in the upper corners. its nose, being in the center of a square surface, was flat, while the mouth was formed by the opening of the lower edge of the block. the body of the woozy was much larger than its head, but was likewise block-shaped--being twice as long as it was wide and high. the tail was square and stubby and perfectly straight, and the four legs were made in the same way, each being four-sided. the animal was covered with a thick, smooth skin and had no hair at all except at the extreme end of its tail, where there grew exactly three stiff, stubby hairs. the beast was dark blue in color and his face was not fierce nor ferocious in expression, but rather good-humored and droll. seeing the strangers, the woozy folded his hind legs as if they had been hinged and sat down to look his visitors over. "well, well," he exclaimed; "what a queer lot you are! at first i thought some of those miserable munchkin farmers had come to annoy me, but i am relieved to find you in their stead. it is plain to me that you are a remarkable group--as remarkable in your way as i am in mine--and so you are welcome to my domain. nice place, isn't it? but lonesome--dreadfully lonesome." "why did they shut you up here?" asked scraps, who was regarding the queer, square creature with much curiosity. "because i eat up all the honey-bees which the munchkin farmers who live around here keep to make them honey." "are you fond of eating honey-bees?" inquired the boy. "very. they are really delicious. but the farmers did not like to lose their bees and so they tried to destroy me. of course they couldn't do that." "why not?" "my skin is so thick and tough that nothing can get through it to hurt me. so, finding they could not destroy me, they drove me into this forest and built a fence around me. unkind, wasn't it?" "but what do you eat now?" asked ojo. "nothing at all. i've tried the leaves from the trees and the mosses and creeping vines, but they don't seem to suit my taste. so, there being no honey-bees here, i've eaten nothing for years." "you must be awfully hungry," said the boy. "i've got some bread and cheese in my basket. would you like that kind of food?" "give me a nibble and i will try it; then i can tell you better whether it is grateful to my appetite," returned the woozy. so the boy opened his basket and broke a piece off the loaf of bread. he tossed it toward the woozy, who cleverly caught it in his mouth and ate it in a twinkling. "that's rather good," declared the animal. "any more?" "try some cheese," said ojo, and threw down a piece. the woozy ate that, too, and smacked its long, thin lips. "that's mighty good!" it exclaimed. "any more?" "plenty," replied ojo. so he sat down on a stump and fed the woozy bread and cheese for a long time; for, no matter how much the boy broke off, the loaf and the slice remained just as big. "that'll do," said the woozy, at last; "i'm quite full. i hope the strange food won't give me indigestion." "i hope not," said ojo. "it's what i eat." "well, i must say i'm much obliged, and i'm glad you came," announced the beast. "is there anything i can do in return for your kindness?" "yes," said ojo earnestly, "you have it in your power to do me a great favor, if you will." "what is it?" asked the woozy. "name the favor and i will grant it." "i--i want three hairs from the tip of your tail," said ojo, with some hesitation. "three hairs! why, that's all i have--on my tail or anywhere else," exclaimed the beast. "i know; but i want them very much." "they are my sole ornaments, my prettiest feature," said the woozy, uneasily. "if i give up those three hairs i--i'm just a blockhead." "yet i must have them," insisted the boy, firmly, and he then told the woozy all about the accident to unc nunkie and margolotte, and how the three hairs were to be a part of the magic charm that would restore them to life. the beast listened with attention and when ojo had finished the recital it said, with a sigh: "i always keep my word, for i pride myself on being square. so you may have the three hairs, and welcome. i think, under such circumstances, it would be selfish in me to refuse you." "thank you! thank you very much," cried the boy, joyfully. "may i pull out the hairs now?" "any time you like," answered the woozy. so ojo went up to the queer creature and taking hold of one of the hairs began to pull. he pulled harder. he pulled with all his might; but the hair remained fast. "what's the trouble?" asked the woozy, which ojo had dragged here and there all around the clearing in his endeavor to pull out the hair. "it won't come," said the boy, panting. "i was afraid of that," declared the beast. "you'll have to pull harder." "i'll help you," exclaimed scraps, coming to the boy's side. "you pull the hair, and i'll pull you, and together we ought to get it out easily." "wait a jiffy," called the woozy, and then it went to a tree and hugged it with its front paws, so that its body couldn't be dragged around by the pull. "all ready, now. go ahead!" ojo grasped the hair with both hands and pulled with all his strength, while scraps seized the boy around his waist and added her strength to his. but the hair wouldn't budge. instead, it slipped out of ojo's hands and he and scraps both rolled upon the ground in a heap and never stopped until they bumped against the rocky cave. [illustration] "give it up," advised the glass cat, as the boy arose and assisted the patchwork girl to her feet. "a dozen strong men couldn't pull out those hairs. i believe they're clinched on the under side of the woozy's thick skin." "then what shall i do?" asked the boy, despairingly. "if on our return i fail to take these three hairs to the crooked magician, the other things i have come to seek will be of no use at all, and we cannot restore unc nunkie and margolotte to life." "they're goners, i guess," said the patchwork girl. "never mind," added the cat. "i can't see that old unc and margolotte are worth all this trouble, anyhow." but ojo did not feel that way. he was so disheartened that he sat down upon a stump and began to cry. the woozy looked at the boy thoughtfully. "why don't you take me with you?" asked the beast. "then, when at last you get to the magician's house, he can surely find some way to pull out those three hairs." ojo was overjoyed at this suggestion. "that's it!" he cried, wiping away the tears and springing to his feet with a smile. "if i take the three hairs to the magician, it won't matter if they are still in your body." "it can't matter in the least," agreed the woozy. "come on, then," said the boy, picking up his basket; "let us start at once. i have several other things to find, you know." but the glass cat gave a little laugh and inquired in her scornful way: "how do you intend to get the beast out of this forest?" that puzzled them all for a time. "let us go to the fence, and then we may find a way," suggested scraps. so they walked through the forest to the fence, reaching it at a point exactly opposite that where they had entered the enclosure. "how did you get in?" asked the woozy. "we climbed over," answered ojo. "i can't do that," said the beast. "i'm a very swift runner, for i can overtake a honey-bee as it flies; and i can jump very high, which is the reason they made such a tall fence to keep me in. but i can't climb at all, and i'm too big to squeeze between the bars of the fence." ojo tried to think what to do. "can you dig?" he asked. "no," answered the woozy, "for i have no claws. my feet are quite flat on the bottom of them. nor can i gnaw away the boards, as i have no teeth." "you're not such a terrible creature, after all," remarked scraps. "you haven't heard me growl, or you wouldn't say that," declared the woozy. "when i growl, the sound echoes like thunder all through the valleys and woodlands, and children tremble with fear, and women cover their heads with their aprons, and big men run and hide. i suppose there is nothing in the world so terrible to listen to as the growl of a woozy." "please don't growl, then," begged ojo, earnestly. "there is no danger of my growling, for i am not angry. only when angry do i utter my fearful, ear-splitting, soul-shuddering growl. also, when i am angry, my eyes flash fire, whether i growl or not." "real fire?" asked ojo. "of course, real fire. do you suppose they'd flash imitation fire?" inquired the woozy, in an injured tone. "in that case, i've solved the riddle," cried scraps, dancing with glee. "those fence-boards are made of wood, and if the woozy stands close to the fence and lets his eyes flash fire, they might set fire to the fence and burn it up. then he could walk away with us easily, being free." "ah, i have never thought of that plan, or i would have been free long ago," said the woozy. "but i cannot flash fire from my eyes unless i am very angry." "can't you get angry 'bout something, please?" asked ojo. "i'll try. you just say 'krizzle-kroo' to me." "will that make you angry?" inquired the boy. "terribly angry." "what does it mean?" asked scraps. "i don't know; that's what makes me so angry," replied the woozy. he then stood close to the fence, with his head near one of the boards, and scraps called out "krizzle-kroo!" then ojo said "krizzle-kroo!" and the glass cat said "krizzle-kroo!" the woozy began to tremble with anger and small sparks darted from his eyes. seeing this, they all cried "krizzle-kroo!" together, and that made the beast's eyes flash fire so fiercely that the fence-board caught the sparks and began to smoke. then it burst into flame, and the woozy stepped back and said triumphantly: "aha! that did the business, all right. it was a happy thought for you to yell all together, for that made me as angry as i have ever been. fine sparks, weren't they?" [illustration] "reg'lar fireworks," replied scraps, admiringly. in a few moments the board had burned to a distance of several feet, leaving an opening big enough for them all to pass through. ojo broke some branches from a tree and with them whipped the fire until it was extinguished. "we don't want to burn the whole fence down," said he, "for the flames would attract the attention of the munchkin farmers, who would then come and capture the woozy again. i guess they'll be rather surprised when they find he's escaped." "so they will," declared the woozy, chuckling gleefully. "when they find i'm gone the farmers will be badly scared, for they'll expect me to eat up their honey-bees, as i did before." "that reminds me," said the boy, "that you must promise not to eat honey-bees while you are in our company." "none at all?" "not a bee. you would get us all into trouble, and we can't afford to have any more trouble than is necessary. i'll feed you all the bread and cheese you want, and that must satisfy you." "all right; i'll promise," said the woozy, cheerfully. "and when i promise anything you can depend on it, 'cause i'm square." "i don't see what difference that makes," observed the patchwork girl, as they found the path and continued their journey. "the shape doesn't make a thing honest, does it?" "of course it does," returned the woozy, very decidedly. "no one could trust that crooked magician, for instance, just because he _is_ crooked; but a square woozy couldn't do anything crooked if he wanted to." "i am neither square nor crooked," said scraps, looking down at her plump body. "no; you're round, so you're liable to do anything," asserted the woozy. "do not blame me, miss gorgeous, if i regard you with suspicion. many a satin ribbon has a cotton back." scraps didn't understand this, but she had an uneasy misgiving that she had a cotton back herself. it would settle down, at times, and make her squat and dumpy, and then she had to roll herself in the road until her body stretched out again. [illustration] [illustration] shaggy man to the rescue chap. [illustration] they had not gone very far before bungle, who had run on ahead, came bounding back to say that the road of yellow bricks was just before them. at once they hurried forward to see what this famous road looked like. it was a broad road, but not straight, for it wandered over hill and dale and picked out the easiest places to go. all its length and breadth was paved with smooth bricks of a bright yellow color, so it was smooth and level except in a few places where the bricks had crumbled or been removed, leaving holes that might cause the unwary to stumble. "i wonder," said ojo, looking up and down the road, "which way to go." "where are you bound for?" asked the woozy. "the emerald city," he replied. "then go west," said the woozy. "i know this road pretty well, for i've chased many a honey-bee over it." "have you ever been to the emerald city?" asked scraps. "no. i am very shy by nature, as you may have noticed, so i haven't mingled much in society." "are you afraid of men?" inquired the patchwork girl. "me? with my heart-rending growl--my horrible, shudderful growl? i should say not. i am not afraid of anything," declared the woozy. "i wish i could say the same," sighed ojo. "i don't think we need be afraid when we get to the emerald city, for unc nunkie has told me that ozma, our girl ruler, is very lovely and kind, and tries to help everyone who is in trouble. but they say there are many dangers lurking on the road to the great fairy city, and so we must be very careful." "i hope nothing will break me," said the glass cat, in a nervous voice. "i'm a little brittle, you know, and can't stand many hard knocks." "if anything should fade the colors of my lovely patches it would break my heart," said the patchwork girl. "i'm not sure you have a heart," ojo reminded her. "then it would break my cotton," persisted scraps. "do you think they are all fast colors, ojo?" she asked anxiously. "they seem fast enough when you run," he replied; and then, looking ahead of them, he exclaimed: "oh, what lovely trees!" they were certainly pretty to look upon and the travelers hurried forward to observe them more closely. "why, they are not trees at all," said scraps; "they are just monstrous plants." that is what they really were: masses of great broad leaves which rose from the ground far into the air, until they towered twice as high as the top of the patchwork girl's head, who was a little taller than ojo. the plants formed rows on both sides of the road and from each plant rose a dozen or more of the big broad leaves, which swayed continually from side to side, although no wind was blowing. but the most curious thing about the swaying leaves was their color. they seemed to have a general groundwork of blue, but here and there other colors glinted at times through the blue--gorgeous yellows, turning to pink, purple, orange and scarlet, mingled with more sober browns and grays--each appearing as a blotch or stripe anywhere on a leaf and then disappearing, to be replaced by some other color of a different shape. the changeful coloring of the great leaves was very beautiful, but it was bewildering, as well, and the novelty of the scene drew our travelers close to the line of plants, where they stood watching them with rapt interest. suddenly a leaf bent lower than usual and touched the patchwork girl. swiftly it enveloped her in its embrace, covering her completely in its thick folds, and then it swayed back upon its stem. [illustration] "why, she's gone!" gasped ojo, in amazement, and listening carefully he thought he could hear the muffled screams of scraps coming from the center of the folded leaf. but, before he could think what he ought to do to save her, another leaf bent down and captured the glass cat, rolling around the little creature until she was completely hidden, and then straightening up again upon its stem. "look out," cried the woozy. "run! run fast, or you are lost." ojo turned and saw the woozy running swiftly up the road. but the last leaf of the row of plants seized the beast even as he ran and instantly he disappeared from sight. the boy had no chance to escape. half a dozen of the great leaves were bending toward him from different directions and as he stood hesitating one of them clutched him in its embrace. in a flash he was in the dark. then he felt himself gently lifted until he was swaying in the air, with the folds of the leaf hugging him on all sides. at first he struggled hard to escape, crying out in anger: "let me go! let me go!" but neither struggles nor protests had any effect whatever. the leaf held him firmly and he was a prisoner. then ojo quieted himself and tried to think. despair fell upon him when he remembered that all his little party had been captured, even as he was, and there was none to save them. "i might have expected it," he sobbed, miserably. "i'm ojo the unlucky, and something dreadful was sure to happen to me." he pushed against the leaf that held him and found it to be soft, but thick and firm. it was like a great bandage all around him and he found it difficult to move his body or limbs in order to change their position. the minutes passed and became hours. ojo wondered how long one could live in such a condition and if the leaf would gradually sap his strength and even his life, in order to feed itself. the little munchkin boy had never heard of any person dying in the land of oz, but he knew one could suffer a great deal of pain. his greatest fear at this time was that he would always remain imprisoned in the beautiful leaf and never see the light of day again. no sound came to him through the leaf; all around was intense silence. ojo wondered if scraps had stopped screaming, or if the folds of the leaf prevented his hearing her. by and by he thought he heard a whistle, as of some one whistling a tune. yes; it really must be some one whistling, he decided, for he could follow the strains of a pretty munchkin melody that unc nunkie used to sing to him. the sounds were low and sweet and, although they reached ojo's ears very faintly, they were clear and harmonious. could the leaf whistle, ojo wondered? nearer and nearer came the sounds and then they seemed to be just the other side of the leaf that was hugging him. suddenly the whole leaf toppled and fell, carrying the boy with it, and while he sprawled at full length the folds slowly relaxed and set him free. he scrambled quickly to his feet and found that a strange man was standing before him--a man so curious in appearance that the boy stared with round eyes. he was a big man, with shaggy whiskers, shaggy eyebrows, shaggy hair--but kindly blue eyes that were gentle as those of a cow. on his head was a green velvet hat with a jeweled band, which was all shaggy around the brim. rich but shaggy laces were at his throat; a coat with shaggy edges was decorated with diamond buttons; the velvet breeches had jeweled buckles at the knees and shags all around the bottoms. on his breast hung a medallion bearing a picture of princess dorothy of oz, and in his hand, as he stood looking at ojo, was a sharp knife shaped like a dagger. "oh!" exclaimed ojo, greatly astonished at the sight of this stranger; and then he added: "who has saved me, sir?" "can't you see?" replied the other, with a smile; "i'm the shaggy man." "yes; i can see that," said the boy, nodding. "was it you who rescued me from the leaf?" "none other, you may be sure. but take care, or i shall have to rescue you again." ojo gave a jump, for he saw several broad leaves leaning toward him; but the shaggy man began to whistle again, and at the sound the leaves all straightened up on their stems and kept still. the man now took ojo's arm and led him up the road, past the last of the great plants, and not till he was safely beyond their reach did he cease his whistling. "you see, the music charms 'em," said he. "singing or whistling--it doesn't matter which--makes 'em behave, and nothing else will. i always whistle as i go by 'em and so they always let me alone. to-day as i went by, whistling, i saw a leaf curled and knew there must be something inside it. i cut down the leaf with my knife and--out you popped. lucky i passed by, wasn't it?" "you were very kind," said ojo, "and i thank you. will you please rescue my companions, also?" "what companions?" asked the shaggy man. "the leaves grabbed them all," said the boy. "there's a patchwork girl and--" "a what?" "a girl made of patchwork, you know. she's alive and her name is scraps. and there's a glass cat--" "glass?" asked the shaggy man. "all glass." "and alive?" "yes," said ojo; "she has pink brains. and there's a woozy--" "what's a woozy?" inquired the shaggy man. "why, i--i--can't describe it," answered the boy, greatly perplexed. "but it's a queer animal with three hairs on the tip of its tail that won't come out and--" "what won't come out?" asked the shaggy man; "the tail?" "the hairs won't come out. but you'll see the woozy, if you'll please rescue it, and then you'll know just what it is." [illustration] "of course," said the shaggy man, nodding his shaggy head. and then he walked back among the plants, still whistling, and found the three leaves which were curled around ojo's traveling companions. the first leaf he cut down released scraps, and on seeing her the shaggy man threw back his shaggy head, opened wide his mouth and laughed so shaggily and yet so merrily, that scraps liked him at once. then he took off his hat and made her a low bow, saying: "my dear, you're a wonder. i must introduce you to my friend the scarecrow." when he cut down the second leaf he rescued the glass cat, and bungle was so frightened that she scampered away like a streak and soon had joined ojo, when she sat beside him panting and trembling. the last plant of all the row had captured the woozy, and a big bunch in the center of the curled leaf showed plainly where he was. with his sharp knife the shaggy man sliced off the stem of the leaf and as it fell and unfolded out trotted the woozy and escaped beyond the reach of any more of the dangerous plants. [illustration] [illustration] a good friend chap. . [illustration] soon the entire party was gathered on the road of yellow bricks, quite beyond the reach of the beautiful but treacherous plants. the shaggy man, staring first at one and then at the other, seemed greatly pleased and interested. "i've seen queer things since i came to the land of oz," said he, "but never anything queerer than this band of adventurers. let us sit down a while, and have a talk and get acquainted." "haven't you always lived in the land of oz?" asked the munchkin boy. "no; i used to live in the big, outside world. but i came here once with dorothy, and ozma let me stay." "how do you like oz?" asked scraps. "isn't the country and the climate grand?" "it's the finest country in all the world, even if it is a fairyland, and i'm happy every minute i live in it," said the shaggy man. "but tell me something about yourselves." so ojo related the story of his visit to the house of the crooked magician, and how he met there the glass cat, and how the patchwork girl was brought to life and of the terrible accident to unc nunkie and margolotte. then he told how he had set out to find the five different things which the magician needed to make a charm that would restore the marble figures to life, one requirement being three hairs from a woozy's tail. "we found the woozy," explained the boy, "and he agreed to give us the three hairs; but we couldn't pull them out. so we had to bring the woozy along with us." "i see," returned the shaggy man, who had listened with interest to the story. "but perhaps i, who am big and strong, can pull those three hairs from the woozy's tail." "try it, if you like," said the woozy. so the shaggy man tried it, but pull as hard as he could he failed to get the hairs out of the woozy's tail. so he sat down again and wiped his shaggy face with a shaggy silk handkerchief and said: "it doesn't matter. if you can keep the woozy until you get the rest of the things you need, you can take the beast and his three hairs to the crooked magician and let him find a way to extract 'em. what are the other things you are to find?" "one," said ojo, "is a six-leaved clover." "you ought to find that in the fields around the emerald city," said the shaggy man. "there is a law against picking six-leaved clovers, but i think i can get ozma to let you have one." "thank you," replied ojo. "the next thing is the left wing of a yellow butterfly." "for that you must go to the winkie country," the shaggy man declared. "i've never noticed any butterflies there, but that is the yellow country of oz and it's ruled by a good friend of mine, the tin woodman." "oh, i've heard of him!" exclaimed ojo. "he must be a wonderful man." "so he is, and his heart is wonderfully kind. i'm sure the tin woodman will do all in his power to help you to save your unc nunkie and poor margolotte." "the next thing i must find," said the munchkin boy, "is a gill of water from a dark well." "indeed! well, that is more difficult," said the shaggy man, scratching his left ear in a puzzled way. "i've never heard of a dark well; have you?" "no," said ojo. "do you know where one may be found?" inquired the shaggy man. "i can't imagine," said ojo. "then we must ask the scarecrow." "the scarecrow! but surely, sir, a scarecrow can't know anything." "most scarecrows don't, i admit," answered the shaggy man. "but this scarecrow of whom i speak is very intelligent. he claims to possess the best brains in all oz." "better than mine?" asked scraps. "better than mine?" echoed the glass cat. "mine are pink, and you can see 'em work." "well, you can't see the scarecrow's brains work, but they do a lot of clever thinking," asserted the shaggy man. "if anyone knows where a dark well is, it's my friend the scarecrow." "where does he live?" inquired ojo. "he has a splendid castle in the winkie country, near to the palace of his friend the tin woodman, and he is often to be found in the emerald city, where he visits dorothy at the royal palace." "then we will ask him about the dark well," said ojo. "but what else does this crooked magician want?" asked the shaggy man. "a drop of oil from a live man's body." "oh; but there isn't such a thing." "that is what i thought," replied ojo; "but the crooked magician said it wouldn't be called for by the recipe if it couldn't be found, and therefore i must search until i find it." "i wish you good luck," said the shaggy man, shaking his head doubtfully; "but i imagine you'll have a hard job getting a drop of oil from a live man's body. there's blood in a body, but no oil." [illustration: i hate dignity] "there's cotton in mine," said scraps, dancing a little jig. "i don't doubt it," returned the shaggy man admiringly. "you're a regular comforter and as sweet as patchwork can be. all you lack is dignity." "i hate dignity," cried scraps, kicking a pebble high in the air and then trying to catch it as it fell. "half the fools and all the wise folks are dignified, and i'm neither the one nor the other." "she's just crazy," explained the glass cat. the shaggy man laughed. "she's delightful, in her way," he said. "i'm sure dorothy will be pleased with her, and the scarecrow will dote on her. did you say you were traveling toward the emerald city?" "yes," replied ojo. "i thought that the best place to go, at first, because the six-leaved clover may be found there." "i'll go with you," said the shaggy man, "and show you the way." "thank you," exclaimed ojo. "i hope it won't put you out any." "no," said the other, "i wasn't going anywhere in particular. i've been a rover all my life, and although ozma has given me a suite of beautiful rooms in her palace i still get the wandering fever once in a while and start out to roam the country over. i've been away from the emerald city several weeks, this time, and now that i've met you and your friends i'm sure it will interest me to accompany you to the great city of oz and introduce you to my friends." "that will be very nice," said the boy, gratefully. "i hope your friends are not dignified," observed scraps. "some are, and some are not," he answered; "but i never criticise my friends. if they are really true friends, they may be anything they like, for all of me." "there's some sense in that," said scraps, nodding her queer head in approval. "come on, and let's get to the emerald city as soon as possible." with this she ran up the path, skipping and dancing, and then turned to await them. "it is quite a distance from here to the emerald city," remarked the shaggy man, "so we shall not get there to-day, nor to-morrow. therefore let us take the jaunt in an easy manner. i'm an old traveler and have found that i never gain anything by being in a hurry. 'take it easy' is my motto. if you can't take it easy, take it as easy as you can." after walking some distance over the road of yellow bricks ojo said he was hungry and would stop to eat some bread and cheese. he offered a portion of the food to the shaggy man, who thanked him but refused it. "when i start out on my travels," said he, "i carry along enough square meals to last me several weeks. think i'll indulge in one now, as long as we're stopping anyway." saying this, he took a bottle from his pocket and shook from it a tablet about the size of one of ojo's finger-nails. "that," announced the shaggy man, "is a square meal, in condensed form. invention of the great professor wogglebug, of the royal college of athletics. it contains soup, fish, roast meat, salad, apple-dumplings, ice cream and chocolate-drops, all boiled down to this small size, so it can be conveniently carried and swallowed when you are hungry and need a square meal." "i'm square," said the woozy. "give me one, please." so the shaggy man gave the woozy a tablet from his bottle and the beast ate it in a twinkling. "you have now had a six course dinner," declared the shaggy man. "pshaw!" said the woozy, ungratefully, "i want to taste something. there's no fun in that sort of eating." "one should only eat to sustain life," replied the shaggy man, "and that tablet is equal to a peck of other food." "i don't care for it. i want something i can chew and taste," grumbled the woozy. "you are quite wrong, my poor beast," said the shaggy man in a tone of pity. "think how tired your jaws would get chewing a square meal like this, if it were not condensed to the size of a small tablet--which you can swallow in a jiffy." "chewing isn't tiresome; it's fun," maintained the woozy. "i always chew the honey-bees when i catch them. give me some bread and cheese, ojo." "no, no! you've already eaten a big dinner!" protested the shaggy man. "may be," answered the woozy; "but i guess i'll fool myself by munching some bread and cheese. i may not be hungry, having eaten all those things you gave me, but i consider this eating business a matter of taste, and i like to realize what's going into me." ojo gave the beast what he wanted, but the shaggy man shook his shaggy head reproachfully and said there was no animal so obstinate or hard to convince as a woozy. at this moment a patter of footsteps was heard, and looking up they saw the live phonograph standing before them. it seemed to have passed through many adventures since ojo and his comrades last saw the machine, for the varnish of its wooden case was all marred and dented and scratched in a way that gave it an aged and disreputable appearance. "dear me!" exclaimed ojo, staring hard. "what has happened to you?" "nothing much," replied the phonograph in a sad and depressed voice. "i've had enough things thrown at me, since i left you, to stock a department store and furnish half a dozen bargain-counters." "are you so broken up that you can't play?" asked scraps. "no; i still am able to grind out delicious music. just now i've a record on tap that is really superb," said the phonograph, growing more cheerful. "that is too bad," remarked ojo. "we've no objection to you as a machine, you know; but as a music-maker we hate you." "then why was i ever invented?" demanded the machine, in a tone of indignant protest. they looked at one another inquiringly, but no one could answer such a puzzling question. finally the shaggy man said: "i'd like to hear the phonograph play." ojo sighed. "we've been very happy since we met you, sir," he said. "i know. but a little misery, at times, makes one appreciate happiness more. tell me, phony, what is this record like, which you say you have on tap?" "it's a popular song, sir. in all civilized lands the common people have gone wild over it." "makes civilized folks wild folks, eh? then it's dangerous." "wild with joy, i mean," explained the phonograph. "listen. this song will prove a rare treat to you, i know. it made the author rich--for an author. it is called 'my lulu.'" then the phonograph began to play. a strain of odd, jerky sounds was followed by these words, sung by a man through his nose with great vigor of expression: "ah want mah lulu, mah cross-eyed lulu; ah want mah loo-loo, loo-loo, loo-loo, lu! ah love mah lulu, mah cross-eyed lulu, there ain't nobody else loves loo-loo, lu!" "here--shut that off!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet. "what do you mean by such impertinence?" "it's the latest popular song," declared the phonograph, speaking in a sulky tone of voice. "a popular song?" "yes. one that the feeble-minded can remember the words of and those ignorant of music can whistle or sing. that makes a popular song popular, and the time is coming when it will take the place of all other songs." "that time won't come to us, just yet," said the shaggy man, sternly: "i'm something of a singer myself, and i don't intend to be throttled by any lulus like your cross-eyed one. i shall take you all apart, mr. phony, and scatter your pieces far and wide over the country, as a matter of kindness to the people you might meet if allowed to run around loose. having performed this painful duty i shall--" but before he could say more the phonograph turned and dashed up the road as fast as its four table-legs could carry it, and soon it had entirely disappeared from their view. the shaggy man sat down again and seemed well pleased. "some one else will save me the trouble of scattering that phonograph," said he; "for it is not possible that such a music-maker can last long in the land of oz. when you are rested, friends, let us go on our way." [illustration] during the afternoon the travelers found themselves in a lonely and uninhabited part of the country. even the fields were no longer cultivated and the country began to resemble a wilderness. the road of yellow bricks seemed to have been neglected and became uneven and more difficult to walk upon. scrubby underbrush grew on either side of the way, while huge rocks were scattered around in abundance. but this did not deter ojo and his friends from trudging on, and they beguiled the journey with jokes and cheerful conversation. toward evening they reached a crystal spring which gushed from a tall rock by the roadside and near this spring stood a deserted cabin. said the shaggy man, halting here: "we may as well pass the night here, where there is shelter for our heads and good water to drink. road beyond here is pretty bad; worst we shall have to travel; so let's wait until morning before we tackle it." they agreed to this and ojo found some brushwood in the cabin and made a fire on the hearth. the fire delighted scraps, who danced before it until ojo warned her she might set fire to herself and burn up. after that the patchwork girl kept at a respectful distance from the darting flames, but the woozy lay down before the fire like a big dog and seemed to enjoy its warmth. for supper the shaggy man ate one of his tablets, but ojo stuck to his bread and cheese as the most satisfying food. he also gave a portion to the woozy. when darkness came on and they sat in a circle on the cabin floor, facing the firelight--there being no furniture of any sort in the place--ojo said to the shaggy man: "won't you tell us a story?" "i'm not good at stories," was the reply; "but i sing like a bird." "raven, or crow?" asked the glass cat. "like a song bird. i'll prove it. i'll sing a song i composed myself. don't tell anyone i'm a poet; they might want me to write a book. don't tell 'em i can sing, or they'd want me to make records for that awful phonograph. haven't time to be a public benefactor, so i'll just sing you this little song for your own amusement." they were glad enough to be entertained, and listened with interest while the shaggy man chanted the following verses to a tune that was not unpleasant: "i'll sing a song of ozland, where wondrous creatures dwell and fruits and flowers and shady bowers abound in every dell, where magic is a science and where no one shows surprise if some amazing thing takes place before his very eyes. our ruler's a bewitching girl whom fairies love to please; she's always kept her magic sceptre to enforce decrees to make her people happy, for her heart is kind and true and to aid the needy and distressed is what she longs to do. and then there's princess dorothy, as sweet as any rose, a lass from kansas, where they don't grow fairies, i suppose; and there's the brainy scarecrow, with a body stuffed with straw, who utters words of wisdom rare that fill us all with awe. i'll not forget nick chopper, the woodman made of tin, whose tender heart thinks killing time is quite a dreadful sin, nor old professor wogglebug, who's highly magnified and looks so big to everyone that he is filled with pride. jack pumpkinhead's a dear old chum who might be called a chump, but won renown by riding round upon a magic gump; the sawhorse is a splendid steed and though he's made of wood he does as many thrilling stunts as any meat horse could. and now i'll introduce a beast that ev'ryone adores-- the cowardly lion shakes with fear 'most ev'ry time he roars, and yet he does the bravest things that any lion might, because he knows that cowardice is not considered right. there's tik-tok--he's a clockwork man and quite a funny sight-- he talks and walks mechanically, when he's wound up tight; and we've a hungry tiger who would babies love to eat but never does because we feed him other kinds of meat. it's hard to name all of the freaks this noble land's acquired; 'twould make my song so very long that you would soon be tired; but give attention while i mention one wise yellow hen and nine fine tiny piglets living in a golden pen. just search the whole world over--sail the seas from coast to coast-- no other nation in creation queerer folks can boast; and now our rare museum will include a cat of glass, a woozy, and--last but not least--a crazy patchwork lass." ojo was so pleased with this song that he applauded the singer by clapping his hands, and scraps followed suit by clapping her padded fingers together, although they made no noise. the cat pounded on the floor with her glass paws--gently, so as not to break them--and the woozy, which had been asleep, woke up to ask what the row was about. "i seldom sing in public, for fear they might want me to start an opera company," remarked the shaggy man, who was pleased to know his effort was appreciated. "voice, just now, is a little out of training; rusty, perhaps." [illustration] "tell me," said the patchwork girl earnestly, "do all those queer people you mention really live in the land of oz?" "every one of 'em. i even forgot one thing: dorothy's pink kitten." "for goodness sake!" exclaimed bungle, sitting up and looking interested. "a pink kitten? how absurd! is it glass?" "no; just ordinary kitten." "then it can't amount to much. i have pink brains, and you can see 'em work." "dorothy's kitten is all pink--brains and all--except blue eyes. name's eureka. great favorite at the royal palace," said the shaggy man, yawning. the glass cat seemed annoyed. "do you think a pink kitten--common meat--is as pretty as i am?" she asked. "can't say. tastes differ, you know," replied the shaggy man, yawning again. "but here's a pointer that may be of service to you: make friends with eureka and you'll be solid at the palace." "i'm solid now; solid glass." "you don't understand," rejoined the shaggy man, sleepily. "anyhow, make friends with the pink kitten and you'll be all right. if the pink kitten despises you, look out for breakers." "would anyone at the royal palace break a glass cat?" "might. you never can tell. advise you to purr soft and look humble--if you can. and now i'm going to bed." bungle considered the shaggy man's advice so carefully that her pink brains were busy long after the others of the party were fast asleep. [illustration] [illustration] the giant porcupine chap. [illustration] next morning they started out bright and early to follow the road of yellow bricks toward the emerald city. the little munchkin boy was beginning to feel tired from the long walk, and he had a great many things to think of and consider besides the events of the journey. at the wonderful emerald city, which he would presently reach, were so many strange and curious people that he was half afraid of meeting them and wondered if they would prove friendly and kind. above all else, he could not drive from his mind the important errand on which he had come, and he was determined to devote every energy to finding the things that were necessary to prepare the magic recipe. he believed that until dear unc nunkie was restored to life he could feel no joy in anything, and often he wished that unc could be with him, to see all the astonishing things ojo was seeing. but alas unc nunkie was now a marble statue in the house of the crooked magician and ojo must not falter in his efforts to save him. the country through which they were passing was still rocky and deserted, with here and there a bush or a tree to break the dreary landscape. ojo noticed one tree, especially, because it had such long, silky leaves and was so beautiful in shape. as he approached it he studied the tree earnestly, wondering if any fruit grew on it or if it bore pretty flowers. suddenly he became aware that he had been looking at that tree a long time--at least for five minutes--and it had remained in the same position, although the boy had continued to walk steadily on. so he stopped short, and when he stopped, the tree and all the landscape, as well as his companions, moved on before him and left him far behind. ojo uttered such a cry of astonishment that it aroused the shaggy man, who also halted. the others then stopped, too, and walked back to the boy. "what's wrong?" asked the shaggy man. "why, we're not moving forward a bit, no matter how fast we walk," declared ojo. "now that we have stopped, we are moving backward! can't you see? just notice that rock." scraps looked down at her feet and said: "the yellow bricks are not moving." "but the whole road is," answered ojo. "true; quite true," agreed the shaggy man. "i know all about the tricks of this road, but i have been thinking of something else and didn't realize where we were." "it will carry us back to where we started from," predicted ojo, beginning to be nervous. "no," replied the shaggy man; "it won't do that, for i know a trick to beat this tricky road. i've traveled this way before, you know. turn around, all of you, and walk backward." "what good will that do?" asked the cat. "you'll find out, if you obey me," said the shaggy man. so they all turned their backs to the direction in which they wished to go and began walking backward. in an instant ojo noticed they were gaining ground and as they proceeded in this curious way they soon passed the tree which had first attracted his attention to their difficulty. "how long must we keep this up, shags?" asked scraps, who was constantly tripping and tumbling down, only to get up again with a laugh at her mishap. "just a little way farther," replied the shaggy man. a few minutes later he called to them to turn about quickly and step forward, and as they obeyed the order they found themselves treading solid ground. "that task is well over," observed the shaggy man. "it's a little tiresome to walk backward, but that is the only way to pass this part of the road, which has a trick of sliding back and carrying with it anyone who is walking upon it." [illustration] with new courage and energy they now trudged forward and after a time came to a place where the road cut through a low hill, leaving high banks on either side of it. they were traveling along this cut, talking together, when the shaggy man seized scraps with one arm and ojo with another and shouted: "stop!" "what's wrong now?" asked the patchwork girl. "see there!" answered the shaggy man, pointing with his finger. directly in the center of the road lay a motionless object that bristled all over with sharp quills, which resembled arrows. the body was as big as a ten-bushel-basket, but the projecting quills made it appear to be four times bigger. "well, what of it?" asked scraps. "that is chiss, who causes a lot of trouble along this road," was the reply. "chiss! what is chiss?" "i think it is merely an overgrown porcupine, but here in oz they consider chiss an evil spirit. he's different from a reg'lar porcupine, because he can throw his quills in any direction, which an american porcupine cannot do. that's what makes old chiss so dangerous. if we get too near, he'll fire those quills at us and hurt us badly." "then we will be foolish to get too near," said scraps. "i'm not afraid," declared the woozy. "the chiss is cowardly, i'm sure, and if it ever heard my awful, terrible, frightful growl, it would be scared stiff." "oh; can you growl?" asked the shaggy man. "that is the only ferocious thing about me," asserted the woozy with evident pride. "my growl makes an earthquake blush and the thunder ashamed of itself. if i growled at that creature you call chiss, it would immediately think the world had cracked in two and bumped against the sun and moon, and that would cause the monster to run as far and as fast as its legs could carry it." "in that case," said the shaggy man, "you are now able to do us all a great favor. please growl." "but you forget," returned the woozy; "my tremendous growl would also frighten you, and if you happen to have heart disease you might expire." "true; but we must take that risk," decided the shaggy man, bravely. "being warned of what is to occur we must try to bear the terrific noise of your growl; but chiss won't expect it, and it will scare him away." the woozy hesitated. "i'm fond of you all, and i hate to shock you," it said. "never mind," said ojo. "you may be made deaf." "if so, we will forgive you." "very well, then," said the woozy in a determined voice, and advanced a few steps toward the giant porcupine. pausing to look back, it asked: "all ready?" "all ready!" they answered. "then cover up your ears and brace yourselves firmly. now, then--look out!" the woozy turned toward chiss, opened wide its mouth and said: "quee-ee-ee-eek." "go ahead and growl," said scraps. "why, i--i _did_ growl!" retorted the woozy, who seemed much astonished. "what, that little squeak?" she cried. [illustration] "it is the most awful growl that ever was heard, on land or sea, in caverns or in the sky," protested the woozy. "i wonder you stood the shock so well. didn't you feel the ground tremble? i suppose chiss is now quite dead with fright." the shaggy man laughed merrily. "poor wooz!" said he; "your growl wouldn't scare a fly." the woozy seemed to be humiliated and surprised. it hung its head a moment, as if in shame or sorrow, but then it said with renewed confidence: "anyhow, my eyes can flash fire; and good fire, too; good enough to set fire to a fence!" "that is true," declared scraps; "i saw it done myself. but your ferocious growl isn't as loud as the tick of a beetle--or one of ojo's snores when he's fast asleep." "perhaps," said the woozy, humbly, "i have been mistaken about my growl. it has always sounded very fearful to me, but that may have been because it was so close to my ears." "never mind," ojo said soothingly; "it is a great talent to be able to flash fire from your eyes. no one else can do that." [illustration] as they stood hesitating what to do chiss stirred and suddenly a shower of quills came flying toward them, almost filling the air, they were so many. scraps realized in an instant that they had gone too near to chiss for safety, so she sprang in front of ojo and shielded him from the darts, which stuck their points into her own body until she resembled one of those targets they shoot arrows at in archery games. the shaggy man dropped flat on his face to avoid the shower, but one quill struck him in the leg and went far in. as for the glass cat, the quills rattled off her body without making even a scratch, and the skin of the woozy was so thick and tough that he was not hurt at all. [illustration] when the attack was over they all ran to the shaggy man, who was moaning and groaning, and scraps promptly pulled the quill out of his leg. then up he jumped and ran over to chiss, putting his foot on the monster's neck and holding it a prisoner. the body of the great porcupine was now as smooth as leather, except for the holes where the quills had been, for it had shot every single quill in that one wicked shower. "let me go!" it shouted angrily. "how dare you put your foot on chiss?" "i'm going to do worse than that, old boy," replied the shaggy man. "you have annoyed travelers on this road long enough, and now i shall put an end to you." "you can't!" returned chiss. "nothing can kill me, as you know perfectly well." "perhaps that is true," said the shaggy man in a tone of disappointment. "seems to me i've been told before that you can't be killed. but if i let you go, what will you do?" "pick up my quills again," said chiss in a sulky voice. "and then shoot them at more travelers? no; that won't do. you must promise me to stop throwing quills at people." "i won't promise anything of the sort," declared chiss. "why not?" "because it is my nature to throw quills, and every animal must do what nature intends it to do. it isn't fair for you to blame me. if it were wrong for me to throw quills, then i wouldn't be made with quills to throw. the proper thing for you to do is to keep out of my way." "why, there's some sense in that argument," admitted the shaggy man, thoughtfully; "but people who are strangers, and don't know you are here, won't be able to keep out of your way." "tell you what," said scraps, who was trying to pull the quills out of her own body, "let's gather up all the quills and take them away with us; then old chiss won't have any left to throw at people." "ah, that's a clever idea. you and ojo must gather up the quills while i hold chiss a prisoner; for, if i let him go, he will get some of his quills and be able to throw them again." so scraps and ojo picked up all the quills and tied them in a bundle so they might easily be carried. after this the shaggy man released chiss and let him go, knowing that he was harmless to injure anyone. "it's the meanest trick i ever heard of," muttered the porcupine gloomily. "how would you like it, shaggy man, if i took all your shags away from you?" "if i threw my shags and hurt people, you would be welcome to capture them," was the reply. then they walked on and left chiss standing in the road sullen and disconsolate. the shaggy man limped as he walked, for his wound still hurt him, and scraps was much annoyed because the quills had left a number of small holes in her patches. when they came to a flat stone by the roadside the shaggy man sat down to rest, and then ojo opened his basket and took out the bundle of charms the crooked magician had given him. "i am ojo the unlucky," he said, "or we would never have met that dreadful porcupine. but i will see if i can find anything among these charms which will cure your leg." soon he discovered that one of the charms was labelled: "for flesh wounds," and this the boy separated from the others. it was only a bit of dried root, taken from some unknown shrub, but the boy rubbed it upon the wound made by the quill and in a few moments the place was healed entirely and the shaggy man's leg was as good as ever. "rub it on the holes in my patches," suggested scraps, and ojo tried it, but without any effect. "the charm you need is a needle and thread," said the shaggy man. "but do not worry, my dear; those holes do not look badly, at all." "they'll let in the air, and i don't want people to think i'm airy, or that i've been stuck up," said the patchwork girl. "you were certainly stuck up until we pulled out those quills," observed ojo, with a laugh. so now they went on again and coming presently to a pond of muddy water they tied a heavy stone to the bundle of quills and sunk it to the bottom of the pond, to avoid carrying it farther. scraps and the scarecrow chap. [illustration] from here on the country improved and the desert places began to give way to fertile spots; still no houses were yet to be seen near the road. there were some hills, with valleys between them, and on reaching the top of one of these hills the travelers found before them a high wall, running to the right and the left as far as their eyes could reach. immediately in front of them, where the wall crossed the roadway, stood a gate having stout iron bars that extended from top to bottom. they found, on coming nearer, that this gate was locked with a great padlock, rusty through lack of use. "well," said scraps, "i guess we'll stop here." "it's a good guess," replied ojo. "our way is barred by this great wall and gate. it looks as if no one had passed through in many years." "looks are deceiving," declared the shaggy man, laughing at their disappointed faces, "and this barrier is the most deceiving thing in all oz." "it prevents our going any farther, anyhow," said scraps. "there is no one to mind the gate and let people through, and we've no key to the padlock." [illustration] "true," replied ojo, going a little nearer to peep through the bars of the gate. "what shall we do, shaggy man? if we had wings we might fly over the wall, but we cannot climb it and unless we get to the emerald city i won't be able to find the things to restore unc nunkie to life." "all very true," answered the shaggy man, quietly; "but i know this gate, having passed through it many times." "how?" they all eagerly inquired. "i'll show you how," said he. he stood ojo in the middle of the road and placed scraps just behind him, with her padded hands on his shoulders. after the patchwork girl came the woozy, who held a part of her skirt in his mouth. then, last of all, was the glass cat, holding fast to the woozy's tail with her glass jaws. "now," said the shaggy man, "you must all shut your eyes tight, and keep them shut until i tell you to open them." "i can't," objected scraps. "my eyes are buttons, and they won't shut." [illustration] so the shaggy man tied his red handkerchief over the patchwork girl's eyes and examined all the others to make sure they had their eyes fast shut and could see nothing. "what's the game, anyhow--blind-man's-buff?" asked scraps. "keep quiet!" commanded the shaggy man, sternly. "all ready? then follow me." he took ojo's-hand and led him forward over the road of yellow bricks, toward the gate. holding fast to one another they all followed in a row, expecting every minute to bump against the iron bars. the shaggy man also had his eyes closed, but marched straight ahead, nevertheless, and after he had taken one hundred steps, by actual count, he stopped and said: "now you may open your eyes." they did so, and to their astonishment found the wall and the gateway far behind them, while in front the former blue country of the munchkins had given way to green fields, with pretty farm-houses scattered among them. "that wall," explained the shaggy man, "is what is called an optical illusion. it is quite real while you have your eyes open, but if you are not looking at it the barrier doesn't exist at all. it's the same way with many other evils in life; they seem to exist, and yet it's all seeming and not true. you will notice that the wall--or what we thought was a wall--separates the munchkin country from the green country that surrounds the emerald city, which lies exactly in the center of oz. there are two roads of yellow bricks through the munchkin country, but the one we followed is the best of the two. dorothy once traveled the other way, and met with more dangers than we did. but all our troubles are over for the present, as another day's journey will bring us to the great emerald city." they were delighted to know this, and proceeded with new courage. in a couple of hours they stopped at a farmhouse, where the people were very hospitable and invited them to dinner. the farm folk regarded scraps with much curiosity but no great astonishment, for they were accustomed to seeing extraordinary people in the land of oz. the woman of this house got her needle and thread and sewed up the holes made by the porcupine quills in the patchwork girl's body, after which scraps was assured she looked as beautiful as ever. "you ought to have a hat to wear," remarked the woman, "for that would keep the sun from fading the colors of your face. i have some patches and scraps put away, and if you will wait two or three days i'll make you a lovely hat that will match the rest of you." "never mind the hat," said scraps, shaking her yarn braids; "it's a kind offer, but we can't stop. i can't see that my colors have faded a particle, as yet; can you?" "not much," replied the woman. "you are still very gorgeous, in spite of your long journey." the children of the house wanted to keep the glass cat to play with, so bungle was offered a good home if she would remain; but the cat was too much interested in ojo's adventures and refused to stop. "children are rough playmates," she remarked to the shaggy man, "and although this home is more pleasant than that of the crooked magician i fear i would soon be smashed to pieces by the boys and girls." after they had rested themselves they renewed their journey, finding the road now smooth and pleasant to walk upon and the country growing more beautiful the nearer they drew to the emerald city. by and by ojo began to walk on the green grass, looking carefully around him. "what are you trying to find?" asked scraps. "a six-leaved clover," said he. "don't do that!" exclaimed the shaggy man, earnestly. "it's against the law to pick a six-leaved clover. you must wait until you get ozma's consent." "she wouldn't know it," declared the boy. "ozma knows many things," said the shaggy man. "in her room is a magic picture that shows any scene in the land of oz where strangers or travelers happen to be. she may be watching the picture of us even now, and noticing everything that we do." "does she always watch the magic picture?" asked ojo. "not always, for she has many other things to do; but, as i said, she may be watching us this very minute." "i don't care," said ojo, in an obstinate tone of voice; "ozma's only a girl." the shaggy man looked at him in surprise. "you ought to care for ozma," said he, "if you expect to save your uncle. for, if you displease our powerful ruler, your journey will surely prove a failure; whereas, if you make a friend of ozma, she will gladly assist you. as for her being a girl, that is another reason why you should obey her laws, if you are courteous and polite. everyone in oz loves ozma and hates her enemies, for she is as just as she is powerful." ojo sulked a while, but finally returned to the road and kept away from the green clover. the boy was moody and bad tempered for an hour or two afterward, because he could really see no harm in picking a six-leaved clover, if he found one, and in spite of what the shaggy man had said he considered ozma's law to be unjust. they presently came to a beautiful grove of tall and stately trees, through which the road wound in sharp curves--first one way and then another. as they were walking through this grove they heard some one in the distance singing, and the sounds grew nearer and nearer until they could distinguish the words, although the bend in the road still hid the singer. the song was something like this: "here's to the hale old bale of straw that's cut from the waving grain, the sweetest sight man ever saw in forest, dell or plain. it fills me with a crunkling joy a straw-stack to behold, for then i pad this lucky boy with strands of yellow gold." "ah!" exclaimed the shaggy man; "here comes my friend the scarecrow." [illustration] "what, a live scarecrow?" asked ojo. "yes; the one i told you of. he's a splendid fellow, and very intelligent. you'll like him, i'm sure." just then the famous scarecrow of oz came around the bend in the road, riding astride a wooden sawhorse which was so small that its rider's legs nearly touched the ground. the scarecrow wore the blue dress of the munchkins, in which country he was made, and on his head was set a peaked hat with a flat brim trimmed with tinkling bells. a rope was tied around his waist to hold him in shape, for he was stuffed with straw in every part of him except the top of his head, where at one time the wizard of oz had placed sawdust, mixed with needles and pins, to sharpen his wits. the head itself was merely a bag of cloth, fastened to the body at the neck, and on the front of this bag was painted the face--ears, eyes, nose and mouth. the scarecrow's face was very interesting, for it bore a comical and yet winning expression, although one eye was a bit larger than the other and the ears were not mates. the munchkin farmer who had made the scarecrow had neglected to sew him together with close stitches and therefore some of the straw with which he was stuffed was inclined to stick out between the seams. his hands consisted of padded white gloves, with the fingers long and rather limp, and on his feet he wore munchkin boots of blue leather with broad turns at the tops of them. the sawhorse was almost as curious as its rider. it had been rudely made, in the beginning, to saw logs upon, so that its body was a short length of a log, and its legs were stout branches fitted into four holes made in the body. the tail was formed by a small branch that had been left on the log, while the head was a gnarled bump on one end of the body. two knots of wood formed the eyes, and the mouth was a gash chopped in the log. when the sawhorse first came to life it had no ears at all, and so could not hear; but the boy who then owned him had whittled two ears out of bark and stuck them in the head, after which the sawhorse heard very distinctly. this queer wooden horse was a great favorite with princess ozma, who had caused the bottoms of its legs to be shod with plates of gold, so the wood would not wear away. its saddle was made of cloth-of-gold richly encrusted with precious gems. it had never worn a bridle. as the scarecrow came in sight of the party of travelers, he reined in his wooden steed and dismounted, greeting the shaggy man with a smiling nod. then he turned to stare at the patchwork girl in wonder, while she in turn stared at him. "shags," he whispered, drawing the shaggy man aside, "pat me into shape, there's a good fellow!" while his friend punched and patted the scarecrow's body, to smooth out the humps, scraps turned to ojo and whispered: "roll me out, please; i've sagged down dreadfully from walking so much and men like to see a stately figure." she then fell upon the ground and the boy rolled her back and forth like a rolling-pin, until the cotton had filled all the spaces in her patchwork covering and the body had lengthened to its fullest extent. scraps and the scarecrow both finished their hasty toilets at the same time, and again they faced each other. "allow me, miss patchwork," said the shaggy man, "to present my friend, the right royal scarecrow of oz. scarecrow, this is miss scraps patches; scraps, this is the scarecrow. scarecrow--scraps; scraps--scarecrow." they both bowed with much dignity. "forgive me for staring so rudely," said the scarecrow, "but you are the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever beheld." "that is a high compliment from one who is himself so beautiful," murmured scraps, casting down her suspender-button eyes by lowering her head. "but, tell me, good sir, are you not a trifle lumpy?" "yes, of course; that's my straw, you know. it bunches up, sometimes, in spite of all my efforts to keep it even. doesn't your straw ever bunch?" "oh, i'm stuffed with cotton," said scraps. "it never bunches, but it's inclined to pack down and make me sag." "but cotton is a high-grade stuffing. i may say it is even more stylish, not to say aristocratic, than straw," said the scarecrow politely. "still, it is but proper that one so entrancingly lovely should have the best stuffing there is going. i--er--i'm _so_ glad i've met you, miss scraps! introduce us again, shaggy." [illustration] "once is enough," replied the shaggy man, laughing at his friend's enthusiasm. "then tell me where you found her, and--dear me, what a queer cat! what are _you_ made of--gelatine?" "pure glass," answered the cat, proud to have attracted the scarecrow's attention. "i am much more beautiful than the patchwork girl. i'm transparent, and scraps isn't; i've pink brains--you can see 'em work; and i've a ruby heart, finely polished, while scraps hasn't any heart at all." "no more have i," said the scarecrow, shaking hands with scraps, as if to congratulate her on the fact. "i've a friend, the tin woodman, who has a heart, but i find i get along pretty well without one. and so--well, well! here's a little munchkin boy, too. shake hands, my little man. how are you?" ojo placed his hand in the flabby stuffed glove that served the scarecrow for a hand, and the scarecrow pressed it so cordially that the straw in his glove crackled. meantime, the woozy had approached the sawhorse and begun to sniff at it. the sawhorse resented this familiarity and with a sudden kick pounded the woozy squarely on its head with one gold-shod foot. "take that, you monster!" it cried angrily. the woozy never even winked. "to be sure," he said; "i'll take anything i have to. but don't make me angry, you wooden beast, or my eyes will flash fire and burn you up." the sawhorse rolled its knot eyes wickedly and kicked again, but the woozy trotted away and said to the scarecrow: "what a sweet disposition that creature has! i advise you to chop it up for kindling-wood and use me to ride upon. my back is flat and you can't fall off." "i think the trouble is that you haven't been properly introduced," said the scarecrow, regarding the woozy with much wonder, for he had never seen such a queer animal before. "the sawhorse is the favorite steed of princess ozma, the ruler of the land of oz, and he lives in a stable decorated with pearls and emeralds, at the rear of the royal palace. he is swift as the wind, untiring, and is kind to his friends. all the people of oz respect the sawhorse highly, and when i visit ozma she sometimes allows me to ride him--as i am doing to-day. now you know what an important personage the sawhorse is, and if some one--perhaps yourself--will tell me your name, your rank and station, and your history, it will give me pleasure to relate them to the sawhorse. this will lead to mutual respect and friendship." the woozy was somewhat abashed by this speech and did not know how to reply. but ojo said: "this square beast is called the woozy, and he isn't of much importance except that he has three hairs growing on the tip of his tail." the scarecrow looked and saw that this was true. "but," said he, in a puzzled way, "what makes those three hairs important? the shaggy man has thousands of hairs, but no one has ever accused him of being important." so ojo related the sad story of unc nunkie's transformation into a marble statue, and told how he had set out to find the things the crooked magician wanted, in order to make a charm that would restore his uncle to life. one of the requirements was three hairs from a woozy's tail, but not being able to pull out the hairs they had been obliged to take the woozy with them. the scarecrow looked grave as he listened and he shook his head several times, as if in disapproval. "we must see ozma about this matter," he said. "that crooked magician is breaking the law by practicing magic without a license, and i'm not sure ozma will allow him to restore your uncle to life." "already i have warned the boy of that," declared the shaggy man. at this ojo began to cry. "i want my unc nunkie!" he exclaimed. "i know how he can be restored to life, and i'm going to do it--ozma or no ozma! what right has this girl ruler to keep my unc nunkie a statue forever?" "don't worry about that just now," advised the scarecrow. "go on to the emerald city, and when you reach it have the shaggy man take you to see dorothy. tell her your story and i'm sure she will help you. dorothy is ozma's best friend, and if you can win her to your side your uncle is pretty safe to live again." then he turned to the woozy and said: "i'm afraid you are not important enough to be introduced to the sawhorse, after all." [illustration] "i'm a better beast than he is," retorted the woozy, indignantly. "my eyes can flash fire, and his can't." "is this true?" inquired the scarecrow, turning to the munchkin boy. "yes," said ojo, and told how the woozy had set fire to the fence. "have you any other accomplishments?" asked the scarecrow. "i have a most terrible growl--that is, _sometimes_," said the woozy, as scraps laughed merrily and the shaggy man smiled. but the patchwork girl's laugh made the scarecrow forget all about the woozy. he said to her: "what an admirable young lady you are, and what jolly good company! we must be better acquainted, for never before have i met a girl with such exquisite coloring or such natural, artless manners." "no wonder they call you the wise scarecrow," replied scraps. "when you arrive at the emerald city i will see you again," continued the scarecrow. "just now i am going to call upon an old friend--an ordinary young lady named jinjur--who has promised to repaint my left ear for me. you may have noticed that the paint on my left ear has peeled off and faded, which affects my hearing on that side. jinjur always fixes me up when i get weather-worn." "when do you expect to return to the emerald city?" asked the shaggy man. "i'll be there this evening, for i'm anxious to have a long talk with miss scraps. how is it, sawhorse; are you equal to a swift run?" "anything that suits you suits me," returned the wooden horse. so the scarecrow mounted to the jeweled saddle and waved his hat, when the sawhorse darted away so swiftly that they were out of sight in an instant. [illustration] [illustration] ojo breaks the law chap. [illustration] "what a queer man," remarked the munchkin boy, when the party had resumed its journey. "and so nice and polite," added scraps, bobbing her head. "i think he is the handsomest man i've seen since i came to life." "handsome is as handsome does," quoted the shaggy man; "but we must admit that no living scarecrow is handsomer. the chief merit of my friend is that he is a great thinker, and in oz it is considered good policy to follow his advice." "i didn't notice any brains in his head," observed the glass cat. "you can't see 'em work, but they're there, all right," declared the shaggy man. "i hadn't much confidence in his brains myself, when first i came to oz, for a humbug wizard gave them to him; but i was soon convinced that the scarecrow is really wise; and, unless his brains make him so, such wisdom is unaccountable." "is the wizard of oz a humbug?" asked ojo. "not now. he was once, but he has reformed and now assists glinda the good, who is the royal sorceress of oz and the only one licensed to practice magic or sorcery. glinda has taught our old wizard a good many clever things, so he is no longer a humbug." they walked a little while in silence and then ojo said: "if ozma forbids the crooked magician to restore unc nunkie to life, what shall i do?" the shaggy man shook his head. "in that case you can't do anything," he said. "but don't be discouraged yet. we will go to princess dorothy and tell her your troubles, and then we will let her talk to ozma. dorothy has the kindest little heart in the world, and she has been through so many troubles herself that she is sure to sympathize with you." "is dorothy the little girl who came here from kansas?" asked the boy. "yes. in kansas she was dorothy gale. i used to know her there, and she brought me to the land of oz. but now ozma has made her a princess, and dorothy's aunt em and uncle henry are here, too." here the shaggy man uttered a long sigh, and then he continued: "it's a queer country, this land of oz; but i like it, nevertheless." "what is queer about it?" asked scraps. "you, for instance," said he. "did you see no girls as beautiful as i am in your own country?" she inquired. "none with the same gorgeous, variegated beauty," he confessed. "in america a girl stuffed with cotton wouldn't be alive, nor would anyone think of making a girl out of a patchwork quilt." "what a queer country america must be!" she exclaimed in great surprise. "the scarecrow, whom you say is wise, told me i am the most beautiful creature he has ever seen." "i know; and perhaps you are--from a scarecrow point of view," replied the shaggy man; but why he smiled as he said it scraps could not imagine. as they drew nearer to the emerald city the travelers were filled with admiration for the splendid scenery they beheld. handsome houses stood on both sides of the road and each had a green lawn before it as well as a pretty flower garden. "in another hour," said the shaggy man, "we shall come in sight of the walls of the royal city." he was walking ahead, with scraps, and behind them came the woozy and the glass cat. ojo had lagged behind, for in spite of the warnings he had received the boy's eyes were fastened on the clover that bordered the road of yellow bricks and he was eager to discover if such a thing as a six-leaved clover really existed. suddenly he stopped short and bent over to examine the ground more closely. yes; here at last was a clover with six spreading leaves. he counted them carefully, to make sure. in an instant his heart leaped with joy, for this was one of the important things he had come for--one of the things that would restore dear unc nunkie to life. [illustration] he glanced ahead and saw that none of his companions was looking back. neither were any other people about, for it was midway between two houses. the temptation was too strong to be resisted. "i might search for weeks and weeks, and never find another six-leaved clover," he told himself, and quickly plucking the stem from the plant he placed the prized clover in his basket, covering it with the other things he carried there. then, trying to look as if nothing had happened, he hurried forward and overtook his comrades. [illustration] the emerald city, which is the most splendid as well as the most beautiful city in any fairyland, is surrounded by a high, thick wall of green marble, polished smooth and set with glistening emeralds. there are four gates, one facing the munchkin country, one facing the country of the winkies, one facing the country of the quadlings and one facing the country of the gillikins. the emerald city lies directly in the center of these four important countries of oz. the gates had bars of pure gold, and on either side of each gateway were built high towers, from which floated gay banners. other towers were set at distances along the walls, which were broad enough for four people to walk abreast upon. this enclosure, all green and gold and glittering with precious gems, was indeed a wonderful sight to greet our travelers, who first observed it from the top of a little hill; but beyond the wall was the vast city it surrounded, and hundreds of jeweled spires, domes and minarets, flaunting flags and banners, reared their crests far above the towers of the gateways. in the center of the city our friends could see the tops of many magnificent trees, some nearly as tall as the spires of the buildings, and the shaggy man told them that these trees were in the royal gardens of princess ozma. they stood a long time on the hilltop, feasting their eyes on the splendor of the emerald city. "whee!" exclaimed scraps, clasping her padded hands in ecstacy, "that'll do for me to live in, all right. no more of the munchkin country for these patches--and no more of the crooked magician!" "why, you belong to dr. pipt," replied ojo, looking at her in amazement. "you were made for a servant, scraps, so you are personal property and not your own mistress." "bother dr. pipt! if he wants me, let him come here and get me. i'll not go back to his den of my own accord; that's certain. only one place in the land of oz is fit to live in, and that's the emerald city. it's lovely! it's almost as beautiful as i am, ojo." "in this country," remarked the shaggy man, "people live wherever our ruler tells them to. it wouldn't do to have everyone live in the emerald city, you know, for some must plow the land and raise grains and fruits and vegetables, while others chop wood in the forests, or fish in the rivers, or herd the sheep and the cattle." "poor things!" said scraps. "i'm not sure they are not happier than the city people," replied the shaggy man. "there's a freedom and independence in country life that not even the emerald city can give one. i know that lots of the city people would like to get back to the land. the scarecrow lives in the country, and so do the tin woodman and jack pumpkinhead; yet all three would be welcome to live in ozma's palace if they cared to. too much splendor becomes tiresome, you know. but, if we're to reach the emerald city before sundown, we must hurry, for it is yet a long way off." the entrancing sight of the city had put new energy into them all and they hurried forward with lighter steps than before. there was much to interest them along the roadway, for the houses were now set more closely together and they met a good many people who were coming or going from one place or another. all these seemed happy-faced, pleasant people, who nodded graciously to the strangers as they passed, and exchanged words of greeting. at last they reached the great gateway, just as the sun was setting and adding its red glow to the glitter of the emeralds on the green walls and spires. somewhere inside the city a band could be heard playing sweet music; a soft, subdued hum, as of many voices, reached their ears; from the neighboring yards came the low mooing of cows waiting to be milked. they were almost at the gate when the golden bars slid back and a tall soldier stepped out and faced them. ojo thought he had never seen so tall a man before. the soldier wore a handsome green and gold uniform, with a tall hat in which was a waving plume, and he had a belt thickly encrusted with jewels. but the most peculiar thing about him was his long green beard, which fell far below his waist and perhaps made him seem taller than he really was. "halt!" said the soldier with the green whiskers, not in a stern voice but rather in a friendly tone. they halted before he spoke and stood looking at him. "good evening, colonel," said the shaggy man. "what's the news since i left? anything important?" "billina has hatched out thirteen new chickens," replied the soldier with the green whiskers, "and they're the cutest little fluffy yellow balls you ever saw. the yellow hen is mighty proud of those children, i can tell you." "she has a right to be," agreed the shaggy man. "let me see; that's about seven thousand chicks she has hatched out; isn't it, general?" "that, at least," was the reply. "you will have to visit billina and congratulate her." "it will give me pleasure to do that," said the shaggy man. "but you will observe that i have brought some strangers home with me. i am going to take them to see dorothy." "one moment, please," said the soldier, barring their way as they started to enter the gate. "i am on duty, and i have orders to execute. is anyone in your party named ojo the unlucky?" "why, that's me!" cried ojo, astonished at hearing his name on the lips of a stranger. the soldier with the green whiskers nodded. "i thought so," said he, "and i am sorry to announce that it is my painful duty to arrest you." "arrest me!" exclaimed the boy. "what for?" "i haven't looked to see," answered the soldier. then he drew a paper from his breast pocket and glanced at it. "oh, yes; you are to be arrested for wilfully breaking one of the laws of oz." "breaking a law!" said scraps. "nonsense, soldier; you're joking." "not this time," returned the soldier, with a sigh. "my dear child--what are you, a rummage sale or a guess-me-quick?--in me you behold the body-guard of our gracious ruler, princess ozma, as well as the royal army of oz and the police force of the emerald city." "and only one man!" exclaimed the patchwork girl. [illustration] "only one, and plenty enough. in my official positions i've had nothing to do for a good many years--so long that i began to fear i was absolutely useless--until to-day. an hour ago i was called to the presence of her highness, ozma of oz, and told to arrest a boy named ojo the unlucky, who was journeying from the munchkin country to the emerald city and would arrive in a short time. this command so astonished me that i nearly fainted, for it is the first time anyone has merited arrest since i can remember. you are rightly named ojo the unlucky, my poor boy, since you have broken a law of oz." "but you are wrong," said scraps. "ozma is wrong--you are all wrong--for ojo has broken no law." [illustration] "then he will soon be free again," replied the soldier with the green whiskers. "anyone accused of crime is given a fair trial by our ruler and has every chance to prove his innocence. but just now ozma's orders must be obeyed." with this he took from his pocket a pair of handcuffs made of gold and set with rubies and diamonds, and these he snapped over ojo's wrists. [illustration] ozma's prisoner chap. [illustration] the boy was so bewildered by this calamity that he made no resistance at all. he knew very well he was guilty, but it surprised him that ozma also knew it. he wondered how she had found out so soon that he had picked the six-leaved clover. he handed his basket to scraps and said: "keep that, until i get out of prison. if i never get out, take it to the crooked magician, to whom it belongs." the shaggy man had been gazing earnestly in the boy's face, uncertain whether to defend him or not; but something he read in ojo's expression made him draw back and refuse to interfere to save him. the shaggy man was greatly surprised and grieved, but he knew that ozma never made mistakes and so ojo must really have broken the law of oz. the soldier with the green whiskers now led them all through the gate and into a little room built in the wall. here sat a jolly little man, richly dressed in green and having around his neck a heavy gold chain to which a number of great golden keys were attached. this was the guardian of the gate and at the moment they entered his room he was playing a tune upon a mouth-organ. "listen!" he said, holding up his hand for silence. "i've just composed a tune called 'the speckled alligator.' it's in patch-time, which is much superior to rag-time, and i've composed it in honor of the patchwork girl, who has just arrived." "how did you know i had arrived?" asked scraps, much interested. "it's my business to know who's coming, for i'm the guardian of the gate. keep quiet while i play you 'the speckled alligator.'" it wasn't a very bad tune, nor a very good one, but all listened respectfully while he shut his eyes and swayed his head from side to side and blew the notes from the little instrument. when it was all over the soldier with the green whiskers said: "guardian, i have here a prisoner." "good gracious! a prisoner?" cried the little man, jumping up from his chair. "which one? not the shaggy man?" "no; this boy." "ah; i hope his fault is as small as himself," said the guardian of the gate. "but what can he have done, and what made him do it?" "can't say," replied the soldier. "all i know is that he has broken the law." "but no one ever does that!" "then he must be innocent, and soon will be released. i hope you are right, guardian. just now i am ordered to take him to prison. get me a prisoner's robe from your official wardrobe." [illustration] the guardian unlocked a closet and took from it a white robe, which the soldier threw over ojo. it covered him from head to foot, but had two holes just in front of his eyes, so he could see where to go. in this attire the boy presented a very quaint appearance. as the guardian unlocked a gate leading from his room into the streets of the emerald city, the shaggy man said to scraps: "i think i shall take you directly to dorothy, as the scarecrow advised, and the glass cat and the woozy may come with us. ojo must go to prison with the soldier with the green whiskers, but he will be well treated and you need not worry about him." "what will they do with him?" asked scraps. "that i cannot tell. since i came to the land of oz no one has ever been arrested or imprisoned--until ojo broke the law." "seems to me that girl ruler of yours is making a big fuss over nothing," remarked scraps, tossing her yarn hair out of her eyes with a jerk of her patched head. "i don't know what ojo has done, but it couldn't be anything very bad, for you and i were with him all the time." the shaggy man made no reply to this speech and presently the patchwork girl forgot all about ojo in her admiration of the wonderful city she had entered. they soon separated from the munchkin boy, who was led by the soldier with the green whiskers down a side street toward the prison. ojo felt very miserable and greatly ashamed of himself, but he was beginning to grow angry because he was treated in such a disgraceful manner. instead of entering the splendid emerald city as a respectable traveler who was entitled to a welcome and to hospitality, he was being brought in as a criminal, handcuffed and in a robe that told all he met of his deep disgrace. ojo was by nature gentle and affectionate and if he had disobeyed the law of oz it was to restore his dear unc nunkie to life. his fault was more thoughtless than wicked, but that did not alter the fact that he had committed a fault. at first he had felt sorrow and remorse, but the more he thought about the unjust treatment he had received--unjust merely because he considered it so--the more he resented his arrest, blaming ozma for making foolish laws and then punishing folks who broke them. only a six-leaved clover! a tiny green plant growing neglected and trampled under foot. what harm could there be in picking it? ojo began to think ozma must be a very bad and oppressive ruler for such a lovely fairyland as oz. the shaggy man said the people loved her; but how could they? the little munchkin boy was so busy thinking these things--which many guilty prisoners have thought before him--that he scarcely noticed all the splendor of the city streets through which they passed. whenever they met any of the happy, smiling people, the boy turned his head away in shame, although none knew who was beneath the robe. by and by they reached a house built just beside the great city wall, but in a quiet, retired place. it was a pretty house, neatly painted and with many windows. before it was a garden filled with blooming flowers. the soldier with the green whiskers led ojo up the gravel path to the front door, on which he knocked. a woman opened the door and, seeing ojo in his white robe, exclaimed: "goodness me! a prisoner at last. but what a small one, soldier." "the size doesn't matter, tollydiggle, my dear. the fact remains that he is a prisoner," said the soldier. "and, this being the prison, and you the jailer, it is my duty to place the prisoner in your charge." "true. come in, then, and i'll give you a receipt for him." they entered the house and passed through a hall to a large circular room, where the woman pulled the robe off from ojo and looked at him with kindly interest. the boy, on his part, was gazing around him in amazement, for never had he dreamed of such a magnificent apartment as this in which he stood. the roof of the dome was of colored glass, worked into beautiful designs. the walls were paneled with plates of gold decorated with gems of great size and many colors, and upon the tiled floor were soft rugs delightful to walk upon. the furniture was framed in gold and upholstered in satin brocade and it consisted of easy chairs, divans and stools in great variety. also there were several tables with mirror tops and cabinets filled with rare and curious things. in one place a case filled with books stood against the wall, and elsewhere ojo saw a cupboard containing all sorts of games. "may i stay here a little while before i go to prison?" asked the boy, pleadingly. "why, this is your prison," replied tollydiggle, "and in me behold your jailor. take off those handcuffs, soldier, for it is impossible for anyone to escape from this house." "i know that very well," replied the soldier and at once unlocked the handcuffs and released the prisoner. the woman touched a button on the wall and lighted a big chandelier that hung suspended from the ceiling, for it was growing dark outside. then she seated herself at a desk and asked: "what name?" "ojo the unlucky," answered the soldier with the green whiskers. "unlucky? ah, that accounts for it," said she. "what crime?" "breaking a law of oz." "all right. there's your receipt, soldier; and now i'm responsible for the prisoner. i'm glad of it, for this is the first time i've ever had anything to do, in my official capacity," remarked the jailer, in a pleased tone. "it's the same with me, tollydiggle," laughed the soldier. "but my task is finished and i must go and report to ozma that i've done my duty like a faithful police force, a loyal army and an honest body-guard--as i hope i am." saying this, he nodded farewell to tollydiggle and ojo and went away. "now, then," said the woman briskly, "i must get you some supper, for you are doubtless hungry. what would you prefer: planked whitefish, omelet with jelly or mutton-chops with gravy?" ojo thought about it. then he said: "i'll take the chops, if you please." "very well; amuse yourself while i'm gone; i won't be long," and then she went out by a door and left the prisoner alone. ojo was much astonished, for not only was this unlike any prison he had ever heard of, but he was being treated more as a guest than a criminal. there were many windows and they had no locks. there were three doors to the room and none were bolted. he cautiously opened one of the doors and found it led into a hallway. but he had no intention of trying to escape. if his jailor was willing to trust him in this way he would not betray her trust, and moreover a hot supper was being prepared for him and his prison was very pleasant and comfortable. so he took a book from the case and sat down in a big chair to look at the pictures. this amused him until the woman came in with a large tray and spread a cloth on one of the tables. then she arranged his supper, which proved the most varied and delicious meal ojo had ever eaten in his life. tollydiggle sat near him while he ate, sewing on some fancy work she held in her lap. when he had finished she cleared the table and then read to him a story from one of the books. [illustration] "is this really a prison?" he asked, when she had finished reading. "indeed it is," she replied. "it is the only prison in the land of oz." "and am i a prisoner?" "bless the child! of course." "then why is the prison so fine, and why are you so kind to me?" he earnestly asked. tollydiggle seemed surprised by the question, but she presently answered: "we consider a prisoner unfortunate. he is unfortunate in two ways--because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of his liberty. therefore we should treat him kindly, because of his misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not be sorry he had done wrong. ozma thinks that one who has committed a fault did so because he was not strong and brave; therefore she puts him in prison to make him strong and brave. when that is accomplished he is no longer a prisoner, but a good and loyal citizen and everyone is glad that he is now strong enough to resist doing wrong. you see, it is kindness that makes one strong and brave; and so we are kind to our prisoners." ojo thought this over very carefully. "i had an idea," said he, "that prisoners were always treated harshly, to punish them." "that would be dreadful!" cried tollydiggle. "isn't one punished enough in knowing he has done wrong? don't you wish, ojo, with all your heart, that you had not been disobedient and broken a law of oz?" "i--i hate to be different from other people," he admitted. "yes; one likes to be respected as highly as his neighbors are," said the woman. "when you are tried and found guilty, you will be obliged to make amends, in some way. i don't know just what ozma will do to you, because this is the first time one of us has broken a law; but you may be sure she will be just and merciful. here in the emerald city people are too happy and contented ever to do wrong; but perhaps you came from some faraway corner of our land, and having no love for ozma carelessly broke one of her laws." "yes," said ojo, "i've lived all my life in the heart of a lonely forest, where i saw no one but dear unc nunkie." "i thought so," said tollydiggle. "but now we have talked enough, so let us play a game until bedtime." [illustration] [illustration] princess dorothy chap. [illustration] dorothy gale was sitting in one of her rooms in the royal palace, while curled up at her feet was a little black dog with a shaggy coat and very bright eyes. she wore a plain white frock, without any jewels or other ornaments except an emerald-green hair-ribbon, for dorothy was a simple little girl and had not been in the least spoiled by the magnificence surrounding her. once the child had lived on the kansas prairies, but she seemed marked for adventure, for she had made several trips to the land of oz before she came to live there for good. her very best friend was the beautiful ozma of oz, who loved dorothy so well that she kept her in her own palace, so as to be near her. the girl's uncle henry and aunt em--the only relatives she had in the world--had also been brought here by ozma and given a pleasant home. dorothy knew almost everybody in oz, and it was she who had discovered the scarecrow, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion, as well as tik-tok the clockwork man. her life was very pleasant now, and although she had been made a princess of oz by her friend ozma she did not care much to be a princess and remained as sweet as when she had been plain dorothy gale of kansas. dorothy was reading in a book this evening when jellia jamb, the favorite servant-maid of the palace, came to say that the shaggy man wanted to see her. "all right," said dorothy; "tell him to come right up." "but he has some queer creatures with him--some of the queerest i've ever laid eyes on," reported jellia. "never mind; let 'em all come up," replied dorothy. but when the door opened to admit not only the shaggy man, but scraps, the woozy and the glass cat, dorothy jumped up and looked at her strange visitors in amazement. the patchwork girl was the most curious of all and dorothy was uncertain at first whether scraps was really alive or only a dream or a nightmare. toto, her dog, slowly uncurled himself and going to the patchwork girl sniffed at her inquiringly; but soon he lay down again, as if to say he had no interest in such an irregular creation. "you're a new one to me," dorothy said reflectively, addressing the patchwork girl. "i can't imagine where you've come from." "who, me?" asked scraps, looking around the pretty room instead of at the girl. "oh, i came from a bed-quilt, i guess. that's what they say, anyhow. some call it a crazy-quilt and some a patchwork quilt. but my name is scraps--and now you know all about me." [illustration] "not quite all," returned dorothy with a smile. "i wish you'd tell me how you came to be alive." "that's an easy job," said scraps, sitting upon a big upholstered chair and making the springs bounce her up and down. "margolotte wanted a slave, so she made me out of an old bed-quilt she didn't use. cotton stuffing, suspender-button eyes, red velvet tongue, pearl beads for teeth. the crooked magician made a powder of life, sprinkled me with it and--here i am. perhaps you've noticed my different colors. a very refined and educated gentleman named the scarecrow, whom i met, told me i am the most beautiful creature in all oz, and i believe it." "oh! have you met our scarecrow, then?" asked dorothy, a little puzzled to understand the brief history related. "yes; isn't he jolly?" "the scarecrow has many good qualities," replied dorothy. "but i'm sorry to hear all this 'bout the crooked magician. ozma'll be mad as hops when she hears he's been doing magic again. she told him not to." "he only practices magic for the benefit of his own family," explained bungle, who was keeping at a respectful distance from the little black dog. "dear me," said dorothy; "i hadn't noticed you before. are you glass, or what?" "i'm glass, and transparent, too, which is more than can be said of some folks," answered the cat. "also i have some lovely pink brains; you can see 'em work." "oh; is that so? come over here and let me see." the glass cat hesitated, eyeing the dog. "send that beast away and i will," she said. "beast! why, that's my dog toto, an' he's the kindest dog in all the world. toto knows a good many things, too; 'most as much as i do, i guess." "why doesn't he say anything?" asked bungle. "he can't talk, not being a fairy dog," explained dorothy. "he's just a common united states dog; but that's a good deal; and i understand him, and he understands me, just as well as if he could talk." toto, at this, got up and rubbed his head softly against dorothy's hand, which she held out to him, and he looked up into her face as if he had understood every word she had said. "this cat, toto," she said to him, "is made of glass, so you mustn't bother it, or chase it, any more than you do my pink kitten. it's prob'ly brittle and might break if it bumped against anything." "woof!" said toto, and that meant he understood. the glass cat was so proud of her pink brains that she ventured to come close to dorothy, in order that the girl might "see 'em work." this was really interesting, but when dorothy patted the cat she found the glass cold and hard and unresponsive, so she decided at once that bungle would never do for a pet. "what do you know about the crooked magician who lives on the mountain?" asked dorothy. "he made me," replied the cat; "so i know all about him. the patchwork girl is new--three or four days old--but i've lived with dr. pipt for years; and, though i don't much care for him, i will say that he has always refused to work magic for any of the people who come to his house. he thinks there's no harm in doing magic things for his own family, and he made me out of glass because the meat cats drink too much milk. he also made scraps come to life so she could do the housework for his wife margolotte." "then why did you both leave him?" asked dorothy. "i think you'd better let me explain that," interrupted the shaggy man, and then he told dorothy all of ojo's story, and how unc nunkie and margolotte had accidentally been turned to marble by the liquid of petrifaction. then he related how the boy had started out in search of the things needed to make the magic charm, which would restore the unfortunates to life, and how he had found the woozy and taken him along because he could not pull the three hairs out of its tail. dorothy listened to all this with much interest, and thought that so far ojo had acted very well. but when the shaggy man told her of the munchkin boy's arrest by the soldier with the green whiskers, because he was accused of wilfully breaking a law of oz, the little girl was greatly shocked. "what do you s'pose he's done?" she asked. "i fear he has picked a six-leaved clover," answered the shaggy man, sadly. "i did not see him do it, and i warned him that to do so was against the law; but perhaps that is what he did, nevertheless." "i'm sorry 'bout that," said dorothy gravely, "for now there will be no one to help his poor uncle and margolotte--'cept this patchwork girl, the woozy and the glass cat." "don't mention it," said scraps. "that's no affair of mine. margolotte and unc nunkie are perfect strangers to me, for the moment i came to life they came to marble." "i see," remarked dorothy with a sigh of regret; "the woman forgot to give you a heart." "i'm glad she did," retorted the patchwork girl. "a heart must be a great annoyance to one. it makes a person feel sad or sorry or devoted or sympathetic--all of which sensations interfere with one's happiness." "i have a heart," murmured the glass cat. "it's made of a ruby; but i don't imagine i shall let it bother me about helping unc nunkie and margolotte." "that's a pretty hard heart of yours," said dorothy. "and the woozy, of course--" "why, as for me," observed the woozy, who was reclining on the floor with his legs doubled under him, so that he looked much like a square box, "i have never seen those unfortunate people you are speaking of, and yet i am sorry for them, having at times been unfortunate myself. when i was shut up in that forest i longed for some one to help me, and by and by ojo came and did help me. so i'm willing to help his uncle. i'm only a stupid beast, dorothy, but i can't help that, and if you'll tell me what to do to help ojo and his uncle, i'll gladly do it." dorothy walked over and patted the woozy on his square head. "you're not pretty," she said, "but i like you. what are you able to do; anything 'special?" "i can make my eyes flash fire--real fire--when i'm angry. when anyone says: 'krizzle-kroo' to me i get angry, and then my eyes flash fire." "i don't see as fireworks could help ojo's uncle," remarked dorothy. "can you do anything else?" "i--i thought i had a very terrifying growl," said the woozy, with hesitation; "but perhaps i was mistaken." "yes," said the shaggy man, "you were certainly wrong about that." then he turned to dorothy and added: "what will become of the munchkin boy?" "i don't know," she said, shaking her head thoughtfully. "ozma will see him 'bout it, of course, and then she'll punish him. but how, i don't know, 'cause no one ever has been punished in oz since i knew anything about the place. too bad, shaggy man, isn't it?" while they were talking scraps had been roaming around the room and looking at all the pretty things it contained. she had carried ojo's basket in her hand, until now, when she decided to see what was inside it. she found the bread and cheese, which she had no use for, and the bundle of charms, which were curious but quite a mystery to her. then, turning these over, she came upon the six-leaved clover which the boy had plucked. [illustration] scraps was quick-witted, and although she had no heart she recognized the fact that ojo was her first friend. she knew at once that because the boy had taken the clover he had been imprisoned, and she understood that ojo had given her the basket so they would not find the clover in his possession and have proof of his crime. so, turning her head to see that no one noticed her, she took the clover from the basket and dropped it into a golden vase that stood on dorothy's table. then she came forward and said to dorothy: "i wouldn't care to help ojo's uncle, but i will help ojo. he did not break the law--no one can prove he did--and that green-whiskered soldier had no right to arrest him." "ozma ordered the boy's arrest," said dorothy, "and of course she knew what she was doing. but if you can prove ojo is innocent they will set him free at once." "they'll have to prove him guilty, won't they?" asked scraps. "i s'pose so." "well, they can't do that," declared the patchwork girl. as it was nearly time for dorothy to dine with ozma, which she did every evening, she rang for a servant and ordered the woozy taken to a nice room and given plenty of such food as he liked best. "that's honey-bees," said the woozy. "you can't eat honey-bees, but you'll be given something just as nice," dorothy told him. then she had the glass cat taken to another room for the night and the patchwork girl she kept in one of her own rooms, for she was much interested in the strange creature and wanted to talk with her again and try to understand her better. [illustration] [illustration] ozma and her friends chap. [illustration] the shaggy man had a room of his own in the royal palace, so there he went to change his shaggy suit of clothes for another just as shaggy but not so dusty from travel. he selected a costume of pea-green and pink satin and velvet, with embroidered shags on all the edges and iridescent pearls for ornaments. then he bathed in an alabaster pool and brushed his shaggy hair and whiskers the wrong way to make them still more shaggy. this accomplished, and arrayed in his splendid shaggy garments, he went to ozma's banquet hall and found the scarecrow, the wizard and dorothy already assembled there. the scarecrow had made a quick trip and returned to the emerald city with his left ear freshly painted. a moment later, while they all stood in waiting, a servant threw open a door, the orchestra struck up a tune and ozma of oz entered. much has been told and written concerning the beauty of person and character of this sweet girl ruler of the land of oz--the richest, the happiest and most delightful fairyland of which we have any knowledge. yet with all her queenly qualities ozma was a real girl and enjoyed the things in life that other real girls enjoy. when she sat on her splendid emerald throne in the great throne room of her palace and made laws and settled disputes and tried to keep all her subjects happy and contented, she was as dignified and demure as any queen might be; but when she had thrown aside her jeweled robe of state and her sceptre, and had retired to her private apartments, the girl--joyous, light-hearted and free--replaced the sedate ruler. in the banquet hall to-night were gathered only old and trusted friends, so here ozma was herself--a mere girl. she greeted dorothy with a kiss, the shaggy man with a smile, the little old wizard with a friendly handshake and then she pressed the scarecrow's stuffed arm and cried merrily: "what a lovely left ear! why, it's a hundred times better than the old one." "i'm glad you like it," replied the scarecrow, well pleased. "jinjur did a neat job, didn't she? and my hearing is now perfect. isn't it wonderful what a little paint will do, if it's properly applied?" "it really _is_ wonderful," she agreed, as they all took their seats; "but the sawhorse must have made his legs twinkle to have carried you so far in one day. i didn't expect you back before to-morrow, at the earliest." "well," said the scarecrow, "i met a charming girl on the road and wanted to see more of her, so i hurried back." ozma laughed. "i know," she returned; "it's the patchwork girl. she is certainly bewildering, if not strictly beautiful." "have you seen her, then?" the straw man eagerly asked. "only in my magic picture, which shows me all scenes of interest in the land of oz." "i fear the picture didn't do her justice," said the scarecrow. "it seemed to me that nothing could be more gorgeous," declared ozma. "whoever made that patchwork quilt, from which scraps was formed, must have selected the gayest and brightest bits of cloth that ever were woven." "i am glad you like her," said the scarecrow in a satisfied tone. although the straw man did not eat, not being made so he could, he often dined with ozma and her companions, merely for the pleasure of talking with them. he sat at the table and had a napkin and plate, but the servants knew better than to offer him food. after a little while he asked: "where is the patchwork girl now?" "in my room," replied dorothy. "i've taken a fancy to her; she's so queer and--and--uncommon." "she's half crazy, i think," added the shaggy man. "but she is so beautiful!" exclaimed the scarecrow, as if that fact disarmed all criticism. they all laughed at his enthusiasm, but the scarecrow was quite serious. seeing that he was interested in scraps they forbore to say anything against her. the little band of friends ozma had gathered around her was so quaintly assorted that much care must be exercised to avoid hurting their feelings or making any one of them unhappy. it was this considerate kindness that held them close friends and enabled them to enjoy one another's society. [illustration] another thing they avoided was conversing on unpleasant subjects, and for that reason ojo and his troubles were not mentioned during the dinner. the shaggy man, however, related his adventures with the monstrous plants which had seized and enfolded the travelers, and told how he had robbed chiss, the giant porcupine, of the quills which it was accustomed to throw at people. both dorothy and ozma were pleased with this exploit and thought it served chiss right. then they talked of the woozy, which was the most remarkable animal any of them had ever before seen--except, perhaps, the live sawhorse. ozma had never known that her dominions contained such a thing as a woozy, there being but one in existence and this being confined in his forest for many years. dorothy said she believed the woozy was a good beast, honest and faithful; but she added that she did not care much for the glass cat. "still," said the shaggy man, "the glass cat is very pretty and if she were not so conceited over her pink brains no one would object to her as a companion." the wizard had been eating silently until now, when he looked up and remarked: "that powder of life which is made by the crooked magician is really a wonderful thing. but dr. pipt does not know its true value and he uses it in the most foolish ways." "i must see about that," said ozma, gravely. then she smiled again and continued in a lighter tone: "it was dr. pipt's famous powder of life that enabled me to become the ruler of oz." "i've never heard that story," said the shaggy man, looking at ozma questioningly. "well, when i was a baby girl i was stolen by an old witch named mombi and transformed into a boy," began the girl ruler. "i did not know who i was and when i grew big enough to work, the witch made me wait upon her and carry wood for the fire and hoe in the garden. one day she came back from a journey bringing some of the powder of life, which dr. pipt had given her. i had made a pumpkin-headed man and set it up in her path to frighten her, for i was fond of fun and hated the witch. but she knew what the figure was and to test her powder of life she sprinkled some of it on the man i had made. it came to life and is now our dear friend jack pumpkinhead. that night i ran away with jack to escape punishment, and i took old mombi's powder of life with me. during our journey we came upon a wooden sawhorse standing by the road and i used the magic powder to bring it to life. the sawhorse has been with me ever since. when i got to the emerald city the good sorceress, glinda, knew who i was and restored me to my proper person, when i became the rightful ruler of this land. so you see had not old mombi brought home the powder of life i might never have run away from her and become ozma of oz, nor would we have had jack pumpkinhead and the sawhorse to comfort and amuse us." that story interested the shaggy man very much, as well as the others, who had often heard it before. the dinner being now concluded, they all went to ozma's drawing-room, where they passed a pleasant evening before it came time to retire. [illustration: glinda] [illustration] ojo is forgiven chap. [illustration] the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers went to the prison and took ojo away to the royal palace, where he was summoned to appear before the girl ruler for judgment. again the soldier put upon the boy the jeweled handcuffs and white prisoner's robe with the peaked top and holes for the eyes. ojo was so ashamed, both of his disgrace and the fault he had committed, that he was glad to be covered up in this way, so that people could not see him or know who he was. he followed the soldier with the green whiskers very willingly, anxious that his fate might be decided as soon as possible. the inhabitants of the emerald city were polite people and never jeered at the unfortunate; but it was so long since they had seen a prisoner that they cast many curious looks toward the boy and many of them hurried away to the royal palace to be present during the trial. when ojo was escorted into the great throne room of the palace he found hundreds of people assembled there. in the magnificent emerald throne, which sparkled with countless jewels, sat ozma of oz in her robe of state, which was embroidered with emeralds and pearls. on her right, but a little lower, was dorothy, and on her left the scarecrow. still lower, but nearly in front of ozma, sat the wonderful wizard of oz and on a small table beside him was the golden vase from dorothy's room, into which scraps had dropped the stolen clover. at ozma's feet crouched two enormous beasts, each the largest and most powerful of its kind. although these beasts were quite free, no one present was alarmed by them; for the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were well known and respected in the emerald city and they always guarded the ruler when she held high court in the throne room. there was still another beast present, but this one dorothy held in her arms, for it was her constant companion, the little dog toto. toto knew the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger and often played and romped with them, for they were good friends. seated on ivory chairs before ozma, with a clear space between them and the throne, were many of the nobility of the emerald city, lords and ladies in beautiful costumes, and officials of the kingdom in the royal uniforms of oz. behind these courtiers were others of less importance, filling the great hall to the very doors. at the same moment that the soldier with the green whiskers arrived with ojo, the shaggy man entered from a side door, escorting the patchwork girl, the woozy and the glass cat. all these came to the vacant space before the throne and stood facing the ruler. "hullo, ojo," said scraps; "how are you?" "all right," he replied; but the scene awed the boy and his voice trembled a little with fear. nothing could awe the patchwork girl, and although the woozy was somewhat uneasy in these splendid surroundings the glass cat was delighted with the sumptuousness of the court and the impressiveness of the occasion--pretty big words but quite expressive. at a sign from ozma the soldier removed ojo's white robe and the boy stood face to face with the girl who was to decide his punishment. he saw at a glance how lovely and sweet she was, and his heart gave a bound of joy, for he hoped she would be merciful. ozma sat looking at the prisoner a long time. then she said gently: "one of the laws of oz forbids anyone to pick a six-leaved clover. you are accused of having broken this law, even after you had been warned not to do so." [illustration: "_i demand that you set this poor munchkin boy free_"] ojo hung his head and while he hesitated how to reply the patchwork girl stepped forward and spoke for him. "all this fuss is about nothing at all," she said, facing ozma unabashed. "you can't prove he picked the six-leaved clover, so you've no right to accuse him of it. search him, if you like, but you won't find the clover; look in his basket and you'll find it's not there. he hasn't got it, so i demand that you set this poor munchkin boy free." the people of oz listened to this defiance in amazement and wondered at the queer patchwork girl who dared talk so boldly to their ruler. but ozma sat silent and motionless and it was the little wizard who answered scraps. "so the clover hasn't been picked, eh?" he said. "i think it has. i think the boy hid it in his basket, and then gave the basket to you. i also think you dropped the clover into this vase, which stood in princess dorothy's room, hoping to get rid of it so it would not prove the boy guilty. you're a stranger here, miss patches, and so you don't know that nothing can be hidden from our powerful ruler's magic picture--nor from the watchful eyes of the humble wizard of oz. look, all of you!" with these words he waved his hands toward the vase on the table, which scraps now noticed for the first time. from the mouth of the vase a plant sprouted, slowly growing before their eyes until it became a beautiful bush, and on the topmost branch appeared the six-leaved clover which ojo had unfortunately picked. the patchwork girl looked at the clover and said: "oh, so you've found it. very well; prove he picked it, if you can." ozma turned to ojo. "did you pick the six-leaved clover?" she asked. "yes," he replied. "i knew it was against the law, but i wanted to save unc nunkie and i was afraid if i asked your consent to pick it you would refuse me." "what caused you to think that?" asked the ruler. "why, it seemed to me a foolish law, unjust and unreasonable. even now i can see no harm in picking a six-leaved clover. and i--i had not seen the emerald city, then, nor you, and i thought a girl who would make such a silly law would not be likely to help anyone in trouble." ozma regarded him musingly, her chin resting upon her hand; but she was not angry. on the contrary she smiled a little at her thoughts and then grew sober again. "i suppose a good many laws seem foolish to those people who do not understand them," she said; "but no law is ever made without some purpose, and that purpose is usually to protect all the people and guard their welfare. as you are a stranger, i will explain this law which to you seems so foolish. years ago there were many witches and magicians in the land of oz, and one of the things they often used in making their magic charms and transformations was a six-leaved clover. these witches and magicians caused so much trouble among my people, often using their powers for evil rather than good, that i decided to forbid anyone to practice magic or sorcery except glinda the good and her assistant, the wizard of oz, both of whom i can trust to use their arts only to benefit my people and to make them happier. since i issued that law the land of oz has been far more peaceful and quiet; but i learned that some of the witches and magicians were still practicing magic on the sly and using the six-leaved clovers to make their potions and charms. therefore i made another law forbidding anyone from plucking a six-leaved clover or from gathering other plants and herbs which the witches boil in their kettles to work magic with. that has almost put an end to wicked sorcery in our land, so you see the law was not a foolish one, but wise and just; and, in any event, it is wrong to disobey a law." ojo knew she was right and felt greatly mortified to realize he had acted and spoken so ridiculously. but he raised his head and looked ozma in the face, saying: "i am sorry i have acted wrongly and broken your law. i did it to save unc nunkie, and thought i would not be found out. but i am guilty of this act and whatever punishment you think i deserve i will suffer willingly." ozma smiled more brightly, then, and nodded graciously. "you are forgiven," she said. "for, although you have committed a serious fault, you are now penitent and i think you have been punished enough. soldier, release ojo the lucky and--" "i beg your pardon; i'm ojo the _un_lucky," said the boy. "at this moment you are lucky," said she. "release him, soldier, and let him go free." the people were glad to hear ozma's decree and murmured their approval. as the royal audience was now over, they began to leave the throne room and soon there were none remaining except ojo and his friends and ozma and her favorites. the girl ruler now asked ojo to sit down and tell her all his story, which he did, beginning at the time he had left his home in the forest and ending with his arrival at the emerald city and his arrest. ozma listened attentively and was thoughtful for some moments after the boy had finished speaking. then she said: "the crooked magician was wrong to make the glass cat and the patchwork girl, for it was against the law. and if he had not unlawfully kept the bottle of liquid of petrifaction standing on his shelf, the accident to his wife margolotte and to unc nunkie could not have occurred. i can understand, however, that ojo, who loves his uncle, will be unhappy unless he can save him. also i feel it is wrong to leave those two victims standing as marble statues, when they ought to be alive. so i propose we allow dr. pipt to make the magic charm which will save them, and that we assist ojo to find the things he is seeking. what do you think, wizard?" "that is perhaps the best thing to do," replied the wizard. "but after the crooked magician has restored those poor people to life you must take away his magic powers." "i will," promised ozma. "now tell me, please, what magic things must you find?" continued the wizard, addressing ojo. "the three hairs from the woozy's tail i have," said the boy. "that is, i have the woozy, and the hairs are in his tail. the six-leaved clover i--i--" "you may take it and keep it," said ozma. "that will not be breaking the law, for it is already picked, and the crime of picking it is forgiven." "thank you!" cried ojo gratefully. then he continued: "the next thing i must find is a gill of water from a dark well." the wizard shook his head. "that," said he, "will be a hard task, but if you travel far enough you may discover it." "i am willing to travel for years, if it will save unc nunkie," declared ojo, earnestly. "then you'd better begin your journey at once," advised the wizard. dorothy had been listening with interest to this conversation. now she turned to ozma and asked: "may i go with ojo, to help him?" "would you like to?" returned ozma. "yes. i know oz pretty well, but ojo doesn't know it at all. i'm sorry for his uncle and poor margolotte and i'd like to help save them. may i go?" "if you wish to," replied ozma. "if dorothy goes, then i must go to take care of her," said the scarecrow, decidedly. "a dark well can only be discovered in some out-of-the-way place, and there may be dangers there." "you have my permission to accompany dorothy," said ozma. "and while you are gone i will take care of the patchwork girl." "i'll take care of myself," announced scraps, "for i'm going with the scarecrow and dorothy. i promised ojo to help him find the things he wants and i'll stick to my promise." "very well," replied ozma. "but i see no need for ojo to take the glass cat and the woozy." "i prefer to remain here," said the cat. "i've nearly been nicked half a dozen times, already, and if they're going into dangers it's best for me to keep away from them." "let jellia jamb keep her till ojo returns," suggested dorothy. "we won't need to take the woozy, either, but he ought to be saved because of the three hairs in his tail." "better take me along," said the woozy. "my eyes can flash fire, you know, and i can growl--a little." "i'm sure you'll be safer here," ozma decided, and the woozy made no further objection to the plan. after consulting together they decided that ojo and his party should leave the very next day to search for the gill of water from a dark well, so they now separated to make preparations for the journey. ozma gave the munchkin boy a room in the palace for that night and the afternoon he passed with dorothy--getting acquainted, as she said--and receiving advice from the shaggy man as to where they must go. the shaggy man had wandered in many parts of oz, and so had dorothy, for that matter, yet neither of them knew where a dark well was to be found. "if such a thing is anywhere in the settled parts of oz," said dorothy, "we'd prob'ly have heard of it long ago. if it's in the wild parts of the country, no one there would need a dark well. p'raps there isn't such a thing." "oh, there must be!" returned ojo, positively; "or else the recipe of dr. pipt wouldn't call for it." "that's true," agreed dorothy; "and, if it's anywhere in the land of oz, we're bound to find it." "well, we're bound to _search_ for it, anyhow," said the scarecrow. "as for finding it, we must trust to luck." "don't do that," begged ojo, earnestly. "i'm called ojo the unlucky, you know." [illustration] trouble with the tottenhots chap. [illustration] a day's journey from the emerald city brought the little band of adventurers to the home of jack pumpkinhead, which was a house formed from the shell of an immense pumpkin. jack had made it himself and was very proud of it. there was a door, and several windows, and through the top was stuck a stovepipe that led from a small stove inside. the door was reached by a flight of three steps and there was a good floor on which was arranged some furniture that was quite comfortable. it is certain that jack pumpkinhead might have had a much finer house to live in had he wanted it, for ozma loved the stupid fellow, who had been her earliest companion; but jack preferred his pumpkin house, as it matched himself very well, and in this he was not so stupid, after all. the body of this remarkable person was made of wood, branches of trees of various sizes having been used for the purpose. this wooden framework was covered by a red shirt--with white spots in it--blue trousers, a yellow vest, a jacket of green-and-gold and stout leather shoes. the neck was a sharpened stick on which the pumpkin head was set, and the eyes, ears, nose and mouth were carved on the skin of the pumpkin, very like a child's jack-o'-lantern. [illustration] the house of this interesting creation stood in the center of a vast pumpkin-field, where the vines grew in profusion and bore pumpkins of extraordinary size as well as those which were smaller. some of the pumpkins now ripening on the vines were almost as large as jack's house, and he told dorothy he intended to add another pumpkin to his mansion. the travelers were cordially welcomed to this quaint domicile and invited to pass the night there, which they had planned to do. the patchwork girl was greatly interested in jack and examined him admiringly. "you are quite handsome," she said; "but not as really beautiful as the scarecrow." jack turned, at this, to examine the scarecrow critically, and his old friend slyly winked one painted eye at him. [illustration] "there is no accounting for tastes," remarked the pumpkinhead, with a sigh. "an old crow once told me i was very fascinating, but of course the bird might have been mistaken. yet i have noticed that the crows usually avoid the scarecrow, who is a very honest fellow, in his way, but stuffed. i am not stuffed, you will observe; my body is good solid hickory." "i adore stuffing," said the patchwork girl. "well, as for that, my head is stuffed with pumpkin-seeds," declared jack. "i use them for brains, and when they are fresh i am intellectual. just now, i regret to say, my seeds are rattling a bit, so i must soon get another head." "oh; do you change your head?" asked ojo. "to be sure. pumpkins are not permanent, more's the pity, and in time they spoil. that is why i grow such a great field of pumpkins--that i may select a new head whenever necessary." "who carves the faces on them?" inquired the boy. "i do that myself. i lift off my old head, place it on a table before me, and use the face for a pattern to go by. sometimes the faces i carve are better than others--more expressive and cheerful, you know--but i think they average very well." before she had started on the journey dorothy had packed a knapsack with the things she might need, and this knapsack the scarecrow carried strapped to his back. the little girl wore a plain gingham dress and a checked sunbonnet, as she knew they were best fitted for travel. ojo also had brought along his basket, to which ozma had added a bottle of "square meal tablets" and some fruit. but jack pumpkinhead grew a lot of things in his garden besides pumpkins, so he cooked for them a fine vegetable soup and gave dorothy, ojo and toto, the only ones who found it necessary to eat, a pumpkin pie and some green cheese. for beds they must use the sweet dried grasses which jack had strewn along one side of the room, but that satisfied dorothy and ojo very well. toto, of course, slept beside his little mistress. the scarecrow, scraps and the pumpkinhead were tireless and had no need to sleep, so they sat up and talked together all night; but they stayed outside the house, under the bright stars, and talked in low tones so as not to disturb the sleepers. during the conversation the scarecrow explained their quest for a dark well, and asked jack's advice where to find it. the pumpkinhead considered the matter gravely. "that is going to be a difficult task," said he, "and if i were you i'd take any ordinary well and enclose it, so as to make it dark." "i fear that wouldn't do," replied the scarecrow. "the well must be naturally dark, and the water must never have seen the light of day, for otherwise the magic charm might not work at all." "how much of the water do you need?" asked jack. "a gill." "how much is a gill?" "why--a gill is a gill, of course," answered the scarecrow, who did not wish to display his ignorance. "i know!" cried scraps. "jack and jill went up the hill to fetch--" "no, no; that's wrong," interrupted the scarecrow. "there are two kinds of gills, i think; one is a girl, and the other is--" "a gillyflower," said jack. "no; a measure." "how big a measure?" "well, i'll ask dorothy." so next morning they asked dorothy, and she said: "i don't just know how much a gill is, but i've brought along a gold flask that holds a pint. that's more than a gill, i'm sure, and the crooked magician may measure it to suit himself. but the thing that's bothering us most, jack, is to find the well." jack gazed around the landscape, for he was standing in the doorway of his house. "this is a flat country, so you won't find any dark wells here," said he. "you must go into the mountains, where rocks and caverns are." "and where is that?" asked ojo. "in the quadling country, which lies south of here," replied the scarecrow. "i've known all along that we must go to the mountains." "so have i," said dorothy. "but--goodness me!--the quadling country is full of dangers," declared jack. "i've never been there myself, but--" "i have," said the scarecrow. "i've faced the dreadful hammerheads, which have no arms and butt you like a goat; and i've faced the fighting trees, which bend down their branches to pound and whip you, and had many other adventures there." "it's a wild country," remarked dorothy, soberly, "and if we go there we're sure to have troubles of our own. but i guess we'll have to go, if we want that gill of water from the dark well." so they said good-bye to the pumpkinhead and resumed their travels, heading now directly toward the south country, where mountains and rocks and caverns and forests of great trees abounded. this part of the land of oz, while it belonged to ozma and owed her allegiance, was so wild and secluded that many queer peoples hid in its jungles and lived in their own way, without even a knowledge that they had a ruler in the emerald city. if they were left alone, these creatures never troubled the inhabitants of the rest of oz, but those who invaded their domains encountered many dangers from them. it was a two days' journey from jack pumpkinhead's house to the edge of the quadling country, for neither dorothy nor ojo could walk very fast and they often stopped by the wayside to rest. the first night they slept on the broad fields, among the buttercups and daisies, and the scarecrow covered the children with a gauze blanket taken from his knapsack, so they would not be chilled by the night air. toward evening of the second day they reached a sandy plain where walking was difficult; but some distance before them they saw a group of palm trees, with many curious black dots under them; so they trudged bravely on to reach that place by dark and spend the night under the shelter of the trees. [illustration] the black dots grew larger as they advanced and although the light was dim dorothy thought they looked like big kettles turned upside down. just beyond this place a jumble of huge, jagged rocks lay scattered, rising to the mountains behind them. our travelers preferred to attempt to climb these rocks by daylight, and they realized that for a time this would be their last night on the plains. [illustration] twilight had fallen by the time they came to the trees, beneath which were the black, circular objects they had marked from a distance. dozens of them were scattered around and dorothy bent near to one, which was about as tall as she was, to examine it more closely. as she did so the top flew open and out popped a small creature, rising its length into the air and then plumping down upon the ground just beside the little girl. another and another popped out of the circular, pot-like dwelling, while from all the other black objects came popping more creatures--very like jumping-jacks when their boxes are unhooked--until fully a hundred stood gathered around our little group of travelers. by this time dorothy had discovered they were people, tiny and curiously formed, but still people. their hair stood straight up, like wires, and was brilliant scarlet in color. their bodies were bare except for skins fastened around their waists and they wore bracelets on their ankles and wrists, and necklaces, and great pendant earrings. toto crouched beside his mistress and wailed as if he did not like these strange creatures a bit. scraps began to mutter something about "hoppity, poppity, jumpity, dump!" but no one paid any attention to her. ojo kept close to the scarecrow and the scarecrow kept close to dorothy; but the little girl turned to the queer creatures and asked: "who are you?" they answered this question all together, in a sort of chanting chorus, the words being as follows: "we're the jolly tottenhots; we do not like the day, but in the night 'tis our delight to gambol, skip and play. "we hate the sun and from it run, the moon is cool and clear, so on this spot each tottenhot waits for it to appear. "we're ev'ry one chock full of fun, and full of mischief, too; but if you're gay and with us play we'll do no harm to you." "glad to meet you, tottenhots," said the scarecrow solemnly. "but you mustn't expect us to play with you all night, for we've traveled all day and some of us are tired." "and we never gamble," added the patchwork girl. "it's against the law." these remarks were greeted with shouts of laughter by the impish creatures and one seized the scarecrow's arm and was astonished to find the straw man whirl around so easily. so the tottenhot raised the scarecrow high in the air and tossed him over the heads of the crowd. some one caught him and tossed him back, and so with shouts of glee they continued throwing the scarecrow here and there, as if he had been a basket-ball. presently another imp seized scraps and began to throw her about, in the same way. they found her a little heavier than the scarecrow but still light enough to be tossed like a sofa-cushion, and they were enjoying the sport immensely when dorothy, angry and indignant at the treatment her friends were receiving, rushed among the tottenhots and began slapping and pushing them, until she had rescued the scarecrow and the patchwork girl and held them close on either side of her. perhaps she would not have accomplished this victory so easily had not toto helped her, barking and snapping at the bare legs of the imps until they were glad to flee from his attack. as for ojo, some of the creatures had attempted to toss him, also, but finding his body too heavy they threw him to the ground and a row of the imps sat on him and held him from assisting dorothy in her battle. the little folks were much surprised at being attacked by the girl and the dog, and one or two who had been slapped hardest began to cry. then suddenly they gave a shout, all together, and disappeared in a flash into their various houses, the tops of which closed with a series of pops that sounded like a bunch of firecrackers being exploded. the adventurers now found themselves alone, and dorothy asked anxiously: "is anybody hurt?" "not me," answered the scarecrow. "they have given my straw a good shaking up and taken all the lumps out of it. i am now in splendid condition and am really obliged to the tottenhots for their kind treatment." "i feel much the same way," said scraps. "my cotton stuffing had sagged a good deal with the day's walking and they've loosened it up until i feel as plump as a sausage. but the play was a little rough and i'd had quite enough of it when you interfered." [illustration] "six of them sat on me," said ojo, "but as they are so little they didn't hurt me much." just then the roof of the house in front of them opened and a tottenhot stuck his head out, very cautiously, and looked at the strangers. "can't you take a joke?" he asked, reproachfully; "haven't you any fun in you at all?" "if i had such a quality," replied the scarecrow, "your people would have knocked it out of me. but i don't bear grudges. i forgive you." "so do i," added scraps. "that is, if you behave yourselves after this." "it was just a little rough-house, that's all," said the tottenhot. "but the question is not if _we_ will behave, but if _you_ will behave? we can't be shut up here all night, because this is our time to play; nor do we care to come out and be chewed up by a savage beast or slapped by an angry girl. that slapping hurts like sixty; some of my folks are crying about it. so here's the proposition: you let us alone and we'll let you alone." "you began it," declared dorothy. "well, you ended it, so we won't argue the matter. may we come out again? or are you still cruel and slappy?" "tell you what we'll do," said dorothy. "we're all tired and want to sleep until morning. if you'll let us get into your house, and stay there until daylight, you can play outside all you want to." "that's a bargain!" cried the tottenhot eagerly, and he gave a queer whistle that brought his people popping out of their houses on all sides. when the house before them was vacant, dorothy and ojo leaned over the hole and looked in, but could see nothing because it was so dark. but if the tottenhots slept there all day the children thought they could sleep there at night, so ojo lowered himself down and found it was not very deep. "there's a soft cushion all over," said he. "come on in." dorothy handed toto to the boy and then climbed in herself. after her came scraps and the scarecrow, who did not wish to sleep but preferred to keep out of the way of the mischievous tottenhots. there seemed no furniture in the round den, but soft cushions were strewn about the floor and these they found made very comfortable beds. they did not close the hole in the roof but left it open to admit air. it also admitted the shouts and ceaseless laughter of the impish tottenhots as they played outside, but dorothy and ojo, being weary from their journey, were soon fast asleep. [illustration] toto kept an eye open, however, and uttered low, threatening growls whenever the racket made by the creatures outside became too boisterous; and the scarecrow and the patchwork girl sat leaning against the wall and talked in whispers all night long. no one disturbed the travelers until daylight, when in popped the tottenhot who owned the place and invited them to vacate his premises. [illustration] [illustration: look out for yoop] the captive yoop chap. [illustration] as they were preparing to leave, dorothy asked: "can you tell us where there is a dark well?" "never heard of such a thing," said the tottenhot. "we live our lives in the dark, mostly, and sleep in the daytime; but we've never seen a dark well, or anything like one." "does anyone live on those mountains beyond here?" asked the scarecrow. "lots of people. but you'd better not visit them. we never go there." was the reply. "what are the people like?" dorothy inquired. "can't say. we've been told to keep away from the mountain paths, and so we obey. this sandy desert is good enough for us, and we're not disturbed here," declared the tottenhot. so they left the man snuggling down to sleep in his dusky dwelling, and went out into the sunshine, taking the path that led toward the rocky places. they soon found it hard climbing, for the rocks were uneven and full of sharp points and edges, and now there was no path at all. clambering here and there among the boulders they kept steadily on, gradually rising higher and higher until finally they came to a great rift in a part of the mountain, where the rock seemed to have split in two and left high walls on either side. "s'pose we go this way," suggested dorothy; "it's much easier walking than to climb over the hills." "how about that sign?" asked ojo. "what sign?" she inquired. the munchkin boy pointed to some words painted on the wall of rock beside them, which dorothy had not noticed. the words read: "look out for yoop." the girl eyed this sign a moment and then turned to the scarecrow, asking: "who is yoop; or what is yoop?" the straw man shook his head. then she looked at toto and the dog said "woof!" "only way to find out is to go on," said scraps. this being quite true, they went on. as they proceeded, the walls of rock on either side grew higher and higher. presently they came upon another sign which read: "beware the captive yoop." "why, as for that," remarked dorothy, "if yoop is a captive there's no need to beware of him. whatever yoop happens to be, i'd much rather have him a captive than running around loose." "so had i," agreed the scarecrow, with a nod of his painted head. "still," said scraps, reflectively: "yoop-te-hoop-te-loop-te-goop! who put noodles in the soup? we may beware but we don't care, and dare go where we scare the yoop." "dear me! aren't you feeling a little queer, just now?" dorothy asked the patchwork girl. "not queer, but crazy," said ojo. "when she says those things i'm sure her brains get mixed somehow and work the wrong way." "i don't see why we are told to beware the yoop unless he is dangerous," observed the scarecrow in a puzzled tone. "never mind; we'll find out all about him when we get to where he is," replied the little girl. the narrow canyon turned and twisted this way and that, and the rift was so small that they were able to touch both walls at the same time by stretching out their arms. toto had run on ahead, frisking playfully, when suddenly he uttered a sharp bark of fear and came running back to them with his tail between his legs, as dogs do when they are frightened. "ah," said the scarecrow, who was leading the way, "we must be near yoop." just then, as he rounded a sharp turn, the straw man stopped so suddenly that all the others bumped against him. "what is it?" asked dorothy, standing on tip-toes to look over his shoulder. but then she saw what it was and cried "oh!" in a tone of astonishment. in one of the rock walls--that at their left--was hollowed a great cavern, in front of which was a row of thick iron bars, the tops and bottoms being firmly fixed in the solid rock. over this cavern was a big sign, which dorothy read with much curiosity, speaking the words aloud that all might know what they said: "mister yoop--his cave the largest untamed giant in captivity. _height, feet._--(and yet he has but feet.) _weight, pounds._--(but he waits all the time.) _age, years 'and up'_ (as they say in the department store advertisements). _temper, fierce and ferocious._--(except when asleep.) _appetite, ravenous._--(prefers meat people and orange marmalade.) strangers approaching this cave do so at their own peril! _p. s.--don't feed the giant yourself._" [illustration] "very well," said ojo, with a sigh; "let's go back." "it's a long way back," declared dorothy. "so it is," remarked the scarecrow, "and it means a tedious climb over those sharp rocks if we can't use this passage. i think it will be best to run by the giant's cave as fast as we can go. mister yoop seems to be asleep just now." but the giant wasn't asleep. he suddenly appeared at the front of his cavern, seized the iron bars in his great hairy hands and shook them until they rattled in their sockets. yoop was so tall that our friends had to tip their heads way back to look into his face, and they noticed he was dressed all in pink velvet, with silver buttons and braid. the giant's boots were of pink leather and had tassels on them and his hat was decorated with an enormous pink ostrich feather, carefully curled. "yo-ho!" he said in a deep bass voice; "i smell dinner." "i think you are mistaken," replied the scarecrow. "there is no orange marmalade around here." "ah, but i eat other things," asserted mister yoop. "that is, i eat them when i can get them. but this is a lonely place, and no good meat has passed by my cave for many years; so i'm hungry." "haven't you eaten anything in many years?" asked dorothy. "nothing except six ants and a monkey. i thought the monkey would taste like meat people, but the flavor was different. i hope you will taste better, for you seem plump and tender." "oh, i'm not going to be eaten," said dorothy. "why not?" "i shall keep out of your way," she answered. "how heartless!" wailed the giant, shaking the bars again. "consider how many years it is since i've eaten a single plump little girl! they tell me meat is going up, but if i can manage to catch you i'm sure it will soon be going down. and i'll catch you if i can." with this the giant pushed his big arms, which looked like tree-trunks (except that tree-trunks don't wear pink velvet) between the iron bars, and the arms were so long that they touched the opposite wall of the rock passage. then he extended them as far as he could reach toward our travelers and found he could almost touch the scarecrow--but not quite. "come a little nearer, please," begged the giant. "i'm a scarecrow." "a scarecrow? ugh! i don't care a straw for a scarecrow. who is that bright-colored delicacy behind you?" "me?" asked scraps. "i'm a patchwork girl, and i'm stuffed with cotton." "dear me," sighed the giant in a disappointed tone; "that reduces my dinner from four to two--and the dog. i'll save the dog for dessert." toto growled, keeping a good distance away. "back up," said the scarecrow to those behind him. "let us go back a little way and talk this over." so they turned and went around the bend in the passage, where they were out of sight of the cave and mister yoop could not hear them. "my idea," began the scarecrow, when they had halted, "is to make a dash past the cave, going on a run." "he'd grab us," said dorothy. "well, he can't grab but one at a time, and i'll go first. as soon as he grabs me the rest of you can slip past him, out of his reach, and he will soon let me go because i am not fit to eat." they decided to try this plan and dorothy took toto in her arms, so as to protect him. she followed just after the scarecrow. then came ojo, with scraps the last of the four. their hearts beat a little faster than usual as they again approached the giant's cave, this time moving swiftly forward. it turned out about the way the scarecrow had planned. mister yoop was quite astonished to see them come flying toward him, and thrusting his arms between the bars he seized the scarecrow in a firm grip. in the next instant he realized, from the way the straw crunched between his fingers, that he had captured the non-eatable man, but during that instant of delay dorothy and ojo had slipped by the giant and were out of reach. uttering a howl of rage the monster threw the scarecrow after them with one hand and grabbed scraps with the other. the poor scarecrow went whirling through the air and so cleverly was he aimed that he struck ojo's back and sent the boy tumbling head over heels, and he tripped dorothy and sent her, also, sprawling upon the ground. toto flew out of the little girl's arms and landed some distance ahead, and all were so dazed that it was a moment before they could scramble to their feet again. when they did so they turned to look toward the giant's cave, and at that moment the ferocious mister yoop threw the patchwork girl at them. down went all three again, in a heap, with scraps on top. the giant roared so terribly that for a time they were afraid he had broken loose; but he hadn't. so they sat in the road and looked at one another in a rather bewildered way, and then began to feel glad. "we did it!" exclaimed the scarecrow, with satisfaction. "and now we are free to go on our way." "mister yoop is very impolite," declared scraps. "he jarred me terribly. it's lucky my stitches are so fine and strong, for otherwise such harsh treatment might rip me up the back." "allow me to apologize for the giant," said the scarecrow, raising the patchwork girl to her feet and dusting her skirt with his stuffed hands. "mister yoop is a perfect stranger to me, but i fear, from the rude manner in which he has acted, that he is no gentleman." dorothy and ojo laughed at this statement and toto barked as if he understood the joke, after which they all felt better and resumed the journey in high spirits. "of course," said the little girl, when they had walked a way along the passage, "it was lucky for us the giant was caged; for, if he had happened to be loose, he--he--" "perhaps, in that case, he wouldn't be hungry any more," said ojo gravely. [illustration] [illustration] hip hopper the champion chap. [illustration] they must have had good courage to climb all those rocks, for after getting out of the canyon they encountered more rock hills to be surmounted. toto could jump from one rock to another quite easily, but the others had to creep and climb with care, so that after a whole day of such work dorothy and ojo found themselves very tired. as they gazed upward at the great mass of tumbled rocks that covered the steep incline, dorothy gave a little groan and said: "that's going to be a ter'ble hard climb, scarecrow. i wish we could find the dark well without so much trouble." "suppose," said ojo, "you wait here and let me do the climbing, for it's on my account we're searching for the dark well. then, if i don't find anything, i'll come back and join you." "no," replied the little girl, shaking her head positively, "we'll all go together, for that way we can help each other. if you went alone, something might happen to you, ojo." so they began the climb and found it indeed difficult, for a way. but presently, in creeping over the big crags, they found a path at their feet which wound in and out among the masses of rock and was quite smooth and easy to walk upon. as the path gradually ascended the mountain, although in a roundabout way, they decided to follow it. "this must be the road to the country of the hoppers," said the scarecrow. "who are the hoppers?" asked dorothy. "some people jack pumpkinhead told me about," he replied. "i didn't hear him," replied the girl. "no; you were asleep," explained the scarecrow. "but he told scraps and me that the hoppers and the horners live on this mountain." "he said _in_ the mountain," declared scraps; "but of course he meant _on_ it." "didn't he say what the hoppers and horners were like?" inquired dorothy. "no; he only said they were two separate nations, and that the horners were the most important." "well, if we go to their country we'll find out all about 'em," said the girl. "but i've never heard ozma mention those people, so they can't be _very_ important." "is this mountain in the land of oz?" asked scraps. "course it is," answered dorothy. "it's in the south country of the quadlings. when one comes to the edge of oz, in any direction, there is nothing more to be seen at all. once you could see sandy desert all around oz; but now it's diff'rent, and no other people can see us, any more than we can see them." "if the mountain is under ozma's rule, why doesn't she know about the hoppers and the horners?" ojo asked. "why, it's a fairyland," explained dorothy, "and lots of queer people live in places so tucked away that those in the emerald city never even hear of 'em. in the middle of the country it's diff'rent, but when you get around the edges you're sure to run into strange little corners that surprise you. i know, for i've traveled in oz a good deal, and so has the scarecrow." "yes," admitted the straw man, "i've been considerable of a traveler, in my time, and i like to explore strange places. i find i learn much more by traveling than by staying at home." during this conversation they had been walking up the steep pathway and now found themselves well up on the mountain. they could see nothing around them, for the rocks beside their path were higher than their heads. nor could they see far in front of them, because the path was so crooked. but suddenly they stopped, because the path ended and there was no place to go. ahead was a big rock lying against the side of the mountain, and this blocked the way completely. "there wouldn't be a path, though, if it didn't go somewhere," said the scarecrow, wrinkling his forehead in deep thought. "this is somewhere, isn't it?" asked the patchwork girl, laughing at the bewildered looks of the others. "the path is locked, the way is blocked, yet here we've innocently flocked; and now we're here it's rather queer there's no front door that can be knocked." "please don't, scraps," said ojo. "you make me nervous." "well," said dorothy, "i'm glad of a little rest, for that's a drea'ful steep path." as she spoke she leaned against the edge of the big rock that stood in their way. to her surprise it slowly swung backward and showed behind it a dark hole that looked like the mouth of a tunnel. "why, here's where the path goes to!" she exclaimed. "so it is," answered the scarecrow. "but the question is, do we want to go where the path does?" "it's underground; right inside the mountain," said ojo, peering into the dark hole. "perhaps there's a well there; and, if there is, it's sure to be a dark one." "why, that's true enough!" cried dorothy with eagerness. "let's go in, scarecrow; 'cause, if others have gone, we're pretty safe to go, too." toto looked in and barked, but he did not venture to enter until the scarecrow had bravely gone first. scraps followed closely after the straw man and then ojo and dorothy timidly stepped inside the tunnel. as soon as all of them had passed the big rock, it slowly turned and filled up the opening again; but now they were no longer in the dark, for a soft, rosy light enabled them to see around them quite distinctly. it was only a passage, wide enough for two of them to walk abreast--with toto in between them--and it had a high, arched roof. they could not see where the light which flooded the place so pleasantly came from, for there were no lamps anywhere visible. the passage ran straight for a little way and then made a bend to the right and another sharp turn to the left, after which it went straight again. but there were no side passages, so they could not lose their way. after proceeding some distance, toto, who had gone on ahead, began to bark loudly. they ran around a bend to see what was the matter and found a man sitting on the floor of the passage and leaning his back against the wall. he had probably been asleep before toto's barks aroused him, for he was now rubbing his eyes and staring at the little dog with all his might. there was something about this man that toto objected to, and when he slowly rose to his foot they saw what it was. he had but one leg, set just below the middle of his round, fat body; but it was a stout leg and had a broad, flat foot at the bottom of it, on which the man seemed to stand very well. he had never had but this one leg, which looked something like a pedestal, and when toto ran up and made a grab at the man's ankle he hopped first one way and then another in a very active manner, looking so frightened that scraps laughed aloud. toto was usually a well behaved dog, but this time he was angry and snapped at the man's leg again and again. this filled the poor fellow with fear, and in hopping out of toto's reach he suddenly lost his balance and tumbled heel over head upon the floor. when he sat up he kicked toto on the nose and made the dog howl angrily, but dorothy now ran forward and caught toto's collar, holding him back. "do you surrender?" she asked the man. "who? me?" asked the hopper. "yes; you," said the little girl. "am i captured?" he inquired. "of course. my dog has captured you," she said. "well," replied the man, "if i'm captured i must surrender, for it's the proper thing to do. i like to do everything proper, for it saves one a lot of trouble." "it does, indeed," said dorothy. "please tell us who you are." "i'm hip hopper--hip hopper, the champion." "champion what?" she asked in surprise. "champion wrestler. i'm a very strong man, and that ferocious animal which you are so kindly holding is the first living thing that has ever conquered me." "and you are a hopper?" she continued. "yes. my people live in a great city not far from here. would you like to visit it?" "i'm not sure," she said with hesitation. "have you any dark wells in your city?" "i think not. we have wells, you know, but they're all well lighted, and a well lighted well cannot well be a dark well. but there may be such a thing as a very dark well in the horner country, which is a black spot on the face of the earth." "where is the horner country?" ojo inquired. "the other side of the mountain. there's a fence between the hopper country and the horner country, and a gate in the fence; but you can't pass through just now, because we are at war with the horners." "that's too bad," said the scarecrow. "what seems to be the trouble?" "why, one of them made a very insulting remark about my people. he said we were lacking in understanding, because we had only one leg to a person. i can't see that legs have anything to do with understanding things. the horners each have two legs, just as you have. that's one leg too many, it seems to me." "no," declared dorothy, "it's just the right number." "you don't need them," argued the hopper, obstinately. "you've only one head, and one body, and one nose and mouth. two legs are quite unnecessary, and they spoil one's shape." "but how can you walk, with only one leg?" asked ojo. "walk! who wants to walk?" exclaimed the man. "walking is a terribly awkward way to travel. i hop, and so do all my people. it's so much more graceful and agreeable than walking." "i don't agree with you," said the scarecrow. "but tell me, is there any way to get to the horner country without going through the city of the hoppers?" "yes; there is another path from the rocky lowlands, outside the mountain, that leads straight to the entrance of the horner country. but it's a long way around, so you'd better come with me. perhaps they will allow you to go through the gate; but we expect to conquer them this afternoon, if we get time, and then you may go and come as you please." they thought it best to take the hopper's advice, and asked him to lead the way. this he did in a series of hops, and he moved so swiftly in this strange manner that those with two legs had to run to keep up with him. the joking horners chap. [illustration] it was not long before they left the passage and came to a great cave, so high that it must have reached nearly to the top of the mountain within which it lay. it was a magnificent cave, illumined by the soft, invisible light, so that everything in it could be plainly seen. the walls were of polished marble, white with veins of delicate colors running through it, and the roof was arched and carved in designs both fantastic and beautiful. built beneath this vast dome was a pretty village--not very large, for there seemed not more than fifty houses altogether--and the dwellings were of marble and artistically designed. no grass nor flowers nor trees grew in this cave, so the yards surrounding the houses were smooth and bare and had low walls around them to mark their boundaries. in the streets and the yards of the houses were many people, all having one leg growing below their bodies and all hopping here and there whenever they moved. even the children stood firmly upon their single legs and never lost their balance. "all hail, champion!" cried a man in the first group of hoppers they met; "whom have you captured?" "no one," replied the champion in a gloomy voice; "these strangers have captured me." "then," said another, "we will rescue you, and capture them, for we are greater in number." "no," answered the champion, "i can't allow it. i've surrendered, and it isn't polite to capture those you've surrendered to." "never mind that," said dorothy. "we will give you your liberty and set you free." "really?" asked the champion in joyous tones. "yes," said the little girl; "your people may need you to help conquer the horners." at this all the hoppers looked downcast and sad. several more had joined the group by this time and quite a crowd of curious men, women and children surrounded the strangers. "this war with our neighbors is a terrible thing," remarked one of the women. "some one is almost sure to get hurt." "why do you say that, madam?" inquired the scarecrow. "because the horns of our enemies are sharp, and in battle they will try to stick those horns into our warriors," she replied. "how many horns do the horners have?" asked dorothy. "each has one horn in the center of his forehead," was the answer. "oh, then they're unicorns," declared the scarecrow. "no; they're horners. we never go to war with them if we can help it, on account of their dangerous horns; but this insult was so great and so unprovoked that our brave men decided to fight, in order to be revenged," said the woman. "what weapons do you fight with?" the scarecrow asked. "we have no weapons," explained the champion. "whenever we fight the horners, our plan is to push them back, for our arms are longer than theirs." "then you are better armed," said scraps. "yes; but they have those terrible horns, and unless we are careful they prick us with the points," returned the champion with a shudder. "that makes a war with them dangerous, and a dangerous war cannot be a pleasant one." "i see very clearly," remarked the scarecrow, "that you are going to have trouble in conquering those horners--unless we help you." "oh!" cried the hoppers in a chorus; "can you help us? please do! we will be greatly obliged! it would please us very much!" and by these exclamations the scarecrow knew that his speech had met with favor. "how far is it to the horner country?" he asked. "why, it's just the other side of the fence," they answered, and the champion added: "come with me, please, and i'll show you the horners." so they followed the champion and several others through the streets and just beyond the village came to a very high picket fence, built all of marble, which seemed to divide the great cave into two equal parts. but the part inhabited by the horners was in no way as grand in appearance as that of the hoppers. instead of being marble, the walls and roof were of dull gray rock and the square houses were plainly made of the same material. but in extent the city was much larger than that of the hoppers and the streets were thronged with numerous people who busied themselves in various ways. looking through the open pickets of the fence our friends watched the horners, who did not know they were being watched by strangers, and found them very unusual in appearance. they were little folks in size and had bodies round as balls and short legs and arms. their heads were round, too, and they had long, pointed ears and a horn set in the center of the forehead. the horns did not seem very terrible, for they were not more than six inches long; but they were ivory white and sharp pointed, and no wonder the hoppers feared them. the skins of the horners were light brown, but they wore snow-white robes and were bare-footed. dorothy thought the most striking thing about them was their hair, which grew in three distinct colors on each and every head--red, yellow and green. the red was at the bottom and sometimes hung over their eyes; then came a broad circle of yellow and the green was at the top and formed a brush-shaped top-knot. none of the horners was yet aware of the presence of strangers, who watched the little brown people for a time and then went to the big gate in the center of the dividing fence. it was locked on both sides and over the latch was a sign reading: "war is declared" "can't we go through?" asked dorothy. "not now," answered the champion. "i think," said the scarecrow, "that if i could talk with those horners they would apologize to you, and then there would be no need to fight." "can't you talk from this side," asked the champion. "not so well," replied the scarecrow. "do you suppose you could throw me over that fence? it is high, but i am very light." "we can try it," said the hopper. "i am perhaps the strongest man in my country, so i'll undertake to do the throwing. but i won't promise you will land on your feet." "no matter about that," returned the scarecrow. "just toss me over and i'll be satisfied." so the champion picked up the scarecrow and balanced him a moment, to see how much he weighed, and then with all his strength tossed him high into the air. perhaps if the scarecrow had been a trifle heavier he would have been easier to throw and would have gone a greater distance; but, as it was, instead of going over the fence he landed just on top of it, and one of the sharp pickets caught him in the middle of his back and held him fast prisoner. had he been face downward the scarecrow might have managed to free himself, but lying on his back on the picket his hands waved in the air of the horner country while his feet kicked the air of the hopper country; so there he was. "are you hurt?" called the patchwork girl anxiously. "course not," said dorothy. "but if he wiggles that way he may tear his clothes. how can we get him down, mr. champion?" the champion shook his head. "i don't know," he confessed. "if he could scare horners as well as he does crows, it might be a good idea to leave him there." "this is terrible," said ojo, almost ready to cry. "i s'pose it's because i am ojo the unlucky that everyone who tries to help me gets into trouble." "you are lucky to have anyone to help you," declared dorothy. "but don't worry. we'll rescue the scarecrow, somehow." "i know how," announced scraps. "here, mr. champion; just throw me up to the scarecrow. i'm nearly as light as he is, and when i'm on top the fence i'll pull our friend off the picket and toss him down to you." [illustration] "all right," said the champion, and he picked up the patchwork girl and threw her in the same manner he had the scarecrow. he must have used more strength this time, however, for scraps sailed far over the top of the fence and, without being able to grab the scarecrow at all, tumbled to the ground in the horner country, where her stuffed body knocked over two men and a woman and made a crowd that had collected there run like rabbits to get away from her. [illustration] seeing the next moment that she was harmless, the people slowly returned and gathered around the patchwork girl, regarding her with astonishment. one of them wore a jeweled star in his hair, just above his horn, and this seemed a person of importance. he spoke for the rest of his people, who treated him with great respect. "who are you, unknown being?" he asked. "scraps," she said, rising to her feet and patting her cotton wadding smooth where it had bunched up. "and where did you come from?" he continued. "over the fence. don't be silly. there's no other place i _could_ have come from," she replied. he looked at her thoughtfully. "you are not a hopper," said he, "for you have two legs. they're not very well shaped, but they are two in number. and that strange creature on top the fence--why doesn't he stop kicking?--must be your brother, or father, or son, for he also has two legs." "you must have been to visit the wise donkey," said scraps, laughing so merrily that the crowd smiled with her, in sympathy. "but that reminds me, captain--or king--" "i am chief of the horners, and my name is jak." "of course; little jack horner; i might have known it. but the reason i volplaned over the fence was so i could have a talk with you about the hoppers." "what about the hoppers?" asked the chief, frowning. "you've insulted them, and you'd better beg their pardon," said scraps. "if you don't, they'll probably hop over here and conquer you." "we're not afraid--as long as the gate is locked," declared the chief. "and we didn't insult them at all. one of us made a joke that the stupid hoppers couldn't see." the chief smiled as he said this and the smile made his face look quite jolly. "what was the joke?" asked scraps. "a horner said they have less understanding than we, because they've only one leg. ha, ha! you see the point, don't you? if you stand on your legs, and your legs are under you, then--ha, ha, ha!--then your legs are your under-standing. hee, hee, hee! ho, ho! my, but that's a fine joke. and the stupid hoppers couldn't see it! they couldn't see that with only one leg they must have less under-standing than we who have two legs. ha, ha, ha! hee, hee! ho, ho!" the chief wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes with the bottom hem of his white robe, and all the other horners wiped their eyes on their robes, for they had laughed just as heartily as their chief at the absurd joke. "then," said scraps, "their understanding of the understanding you meant led to the misunderstanding." "exactly; and so there's no need for us to apologize," returned the chief. "no need for an apology, perhaps, but much need for an explanation," said scraps decidedly. "you don't want war, do you?" "not if we can help it," admitted jak horner. "the question is, who's going to explain the joke to the horners? you know it spoils any joke to be obliged to explain it, and this is the best joke i ever heard." "who made the joke?" asked scraps. "diksey horner. he is working in the mines, just now, but he'll be home before long. suppose we wait and talk with him about it? maybe he'll be willing to explain his joke to the hoppers." "all right," said scraps. "i'll wait, if diksey isn't too long." "no, he's short; he's shorter than i am. ha, ha, ha! say! that's a better joke than diksey's. he won't be too long, because he's short. hee, hee, ho!" the other horners who were standing by roared with laughter and seemed to like their chief's joke as much as he did. scraps thought it was odd that they could be so easily amused, but decided there could be little harm in people who laughed so merrily. peace is declared chap. [illustration] "come with me to my dwelling and i'll introduce you to my daughters," said the chief. "we're bringing them up according to a book of rules that was written by one of our leading old bachelors, and everyone says they're a remarkable lot of girls." so scraps accompanied him along the street to a house that seemed on the outside exceptionally grimy and dingy. the streets of this city were not paved nor had any attempt been made to beautify the houses or their surroundings, and having noticed this condition scraps was astonished when the chief ushered her into his home. here was nothing grimy or faded, indeed. on the contrary, the room was of dazzling brilliance and beauty, for it was lined throughout with an exquisite metal that resembled translucent frosted silver. the surface of this metal was highly ornamented in raised designs representing men, animals, flowers and trees, and from the metal itself was radiated the soft light which flooded the room. all the furniture was made of the same glorious metal, and scraps asked what it was. "that's radium," answered the chief. "we horners spend all our time digging radium from the mines under this mountain, and we use it to decorate our homes and make them pretty and cosy. it is a medicine, too, and no one can ever be sick who lives near radium." "have you plenty of it?" asked the patchwork girl. "more than we can use. all the houses in this city are decorated with it, just the same as mine is." "why don't you use it on your streets, then, and the outside of your houses, to make them as pretty as they are within?" she inquired. "outside? who cares for the outside of anything?" asked the chief. "we horners don't live on the outside of our homes; we live inside. many people are like those stupid hoppers, who love to make an outside show. i suppose you strangers thought their city more beautiful than ours, because you judged from appearances and they have handsome marble houses and marble streets; but if you entered one of their stiff dwellings you would find it bare and uncomfortable, as all their show is on the outside. they have an idea that what is not seen by others is not important, but with us the rooms we live in are our chief delight and care, and we pay no attention to outside show." "seems to me," said scraps, musingly, "it would be better to make it all pretty--inside and out." "seems? why, you're all seams, my girl!" said the chief; and then he laughed heartily at his latest joke and a chorus of small voices echoed the chorus with "tee-hee-hee! ha, ha!" scraps turned around and found a row of girls seated in radium chairs ranged along one wall of the room. there were nineteen of them, by actual count, and they were of all sizes from a tiny child to one almost a grown woman. all were neatly dressed in spotless white robes and had brown skins, horns on their foreheads and three-colored hair. "these," said the chief, "are my sweet daughters. my dears, i introduce to you miss scraps patchwork, a lady who is traveling in foreign parts to increase her store of wisdom." the nineteen horner girls all arose and made a polite courtesy, after which they resumed their seats and rearranged their robes properly. "why do they sit so still, and all in a row?" asked scraps. "because it is ladylike and proper," replied the chief. "but some are just children, poor things! don't they ever run around and play and laugh, and have a good time?" "no, indeed," said the chief. "that would be improper in young ladies, as well as in those who will sometime become young ladies. my daughters are being brought up according to the rules and regulations laid down by a leading bachelor who has given the subject much study and is himself a man of taste and culture. politeness is his great hobby, and he claims that if a child is allowed to do an impolite thing one cannot expect the grown person to do anything better." "is it impolite to romp and shout and be jolly?" asked scraps. "well, sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't," replied the horner, after considering the question. "by curbing such inclinations in my daughters we keep on the safe side. once in a while i make a good joke, as you have heard, and then i permit my daughters to laugh decorously; but they are never allowed to make a joke themselves." "that old bachelor who made the rules ought to be skinned alive!" declared scraps, and would have said more on the subject had not the door opened to admit a little horner man whom the chief introduced as diksey. "what's up, chief?" asked diksey, winking nineteen times at the nineteen girls, who demurely cast down their eyes because their father was looking. the chief told the man that his joke had not been understood by the dull hoppers, who had become so angry that they had declared war. so the only way to avoid a terrible battle was to explain the joke so they could understand it. "all right," replied diksey, who seemed a good-natured man; "i'll go at once to the fence and explain. i don't want any war with the hoppers, for wars between nations always cause hard feelings." so the chief and diksey and scraps left the house and went back to the marble picket fence. the scarecrow was still stuck on the top of his picket but had now ceased to struggle. on the other side of the fence were dorothy and ojo, looking between the pickets; and there, also, were the champion and many other hoppers. diksey went close to the fence and said: "my good hoppers, i wish to explain that what i said about you was a joke. you have but one leg each, and we have two legs each. our legs are under us, whether one or two, and we stand on them. so, when i said you had less understanding than we, i did not mean that you had less understanding, you understand, but that you had less standundering, so to speak. do you understand that?" the hoppers thought it over carefully. then one said: "that is clear enough; but where does the joke come in?" dorothy laughed, for she couldn't help it, although all the others were solemn enough. "i'll tell you where the joke comes in," she said, and took the hoppers away to a distance, where the horners could not hear them. "you know," she then explained, "those neighbors of yours are not very bright, poor things, and what they think is a joke isn't a joke at all--it's true, don't you see?" "true that we have less understanding?" asked the champion. "yes; it's true because you don't understand such a poor joke; if you did, you'd be no wiser than they are." "ah, yes; of course," they answered, looking very wise. "so i'll tell you what to do," continued dorothy. "laugh at their poor joke and tell 'em it's pretty good for a horner. then they won't dare say you have less understanding, because you understand as much as they do." the hoppers looked at one another questioningly and blinked their eyes and tried to think what it all meant; but they couldn't figure it out. "what do you think, champion?" asked one of them. "i think it is dangerous to think of this thing any more than we can help," he replied. "let us do as this girl says and laugh with the horners, so as to make them believe we see the joke. then there will be peace again and no need to fight." they readily agreed to this and returned to the fence laughing as loud and as hard as they could, although they didn't feel like laughing a bit. the horners were much surprised. "that's a fine joke--for a horner--and we are much pleased with it," said the champion, speaking between the pickets. "but please don't do it again." "i won't," promised diksey. "if i think of another such joke i'll try to forget it." "good!" cried the chief horner. "the war is over and peace is declared." there was much joyful shouting on both sides the fence and the gate was unlocked and thrown wide open, so that scraps was able to rejoin her friends. "what about the scarecrow?" she asked dorothy. "we must get him down, somehow or other," was the reply. "perhaps the horners can find a way," suggested ojo. so they all went through the gate and dorothy asked the chief horner how they could get the scarecrow off the fence. the chief didn't know how, but diksey said: "a ladder's the thing." "have you one?" asked dorothy. "to be sure. we use ladders in our mines," said he. then he ran away to get the ladder, and while he was gone the horners gathered around and welcomed the strangers to their country, for through them a great war had been avoided. in a little while diksey came back with a tall ladder which he placed against the fence. ojo at once climbed to the top of the ladder and dorothy went about halfway up and scraps stood at the foot of it. toto ran around it and barked. then ojo pulled the scarecrow away from the picket and passed him down to dorothy, who in turn lowered him to the patchwork girl. as soon as he was on his feet and standing on solid ground the scarecrow said: "much obliged. i feel much better. i'm not stuck on that picket any more." the horners began to laugh, thinking this was a joke, but the scarecrow shook himself and patted his straw a little and said to dorothy: "is there much of a hole in my back?" the little girl examined him carefully. "there's quite a hole," she said. "but i've got a needle and thread in the knapsack and i'll sew you up again." "do so," he begged earnestly, and again the horners laughed, to the scarecrow's great annoyance. while dorothy was sewing up the hole in the straw man's back scraps examined the other parts of him. "one of his legs is ripped, too!" she exclaimed. "oho!" cried little diksey; "that's bad. give him the needle and thread and let him mend his ways." "ha, ha, ha!" laughed the chief, and the other horners at once roared with laughter. "what's funny?" inquired the scarecrow sternly. "don't you see?" asked diksey, who had laughed even harder than the others. "that's a joke. it's by odds the best joke i ever made. you walk with your legs, and so that's the way you walk, and your legs are the ways. see? so, when you mend your legs, you mend your ways. ho, ho, ho! hee, hee! i'd no idea i could make such a fine joke!" "just wonderful!" echoed the chief. "how do you manage to do it, diksey?" [illustration] "i don't know," said diksey modestly. "perhaps it's the radium, but i rather think it's my splendid intellect." "if you don't quit it," the scarecrow told him, "there'll be a worse war than the one you've escaped from." ojo had been deep in thought, and now he asked the chief: "is there a dark well in any part of your country?" "a dark well? none that ever i heard of," was the answer. "oh, yes," said diksey, who overheard the boy's question. "there's a very dark well down in my radium mine." "is there any water in it?" ojo eagerly asked. "can't say; i've never looked to see. but we can find out." so, as soon as the scarecrow was mended, they decided to go with diksey to the mine. when dorothy had patted the straw man into shape again he declared he felt as good as new and equal to further adventures. "still," said he, "i prefer not to do picket duty again. high life doesn't seem to agree with my constitution." and then they hurried away to escape the laughter of the horners, who thought this was another joke. [illustration] [illustration] ojo finds the dark well chap. [illustration] they now followed diksey to the farther end of the great cave, beyond the horner city, where there were several round, dark holes leading into the ground in a slanting direction. diksey went to one of these holes and said: "here is the mine in which lies the dark well you are seeking. follow me and step carefully and i'll lead you to the place." he went in first and after him came ojo, and then dorothy, with the scarecrow behind her. the patchwork girl entered last of all, for toto kept close beside his little mistress. a few steps beyond the mouth of the opening it was pitch dark. "you won't lose your way, though," said the horner, "for there's only one way to go. the mine's mine and i know every step of the way. how's that for a joke, eh? the mine's mine." then he chuckled gleefully as they followed him silently down the steep slant. the hole was just big enough to permit them to walk upright, although the scarecrow, being much the taller of the party, often had to bend his head to keep from hitting the top. the floor of the tunnel was difficult to walk upon because it had been worn smooth as glass, and pretty soon scraps, who was some distance behind the others, slipped and fell head foremost. at once she began to slide downward, so swiftly that when she came to the scarecrow she knocked him off his feet and sent him tumbling against dorothy, who tripped up ojo. the boy fell against the horner, so that all went tumbling down the slide in a regular mix-up, unable to see where they were going because of the darkness. fortunately, when they reached the bottom the scarecrow and scraps were in front, and the others bumped against them, so that no one was hurt. they found themselves in a vast cave which was dimly lighted by the tiny grains of radium that lay scattered among the loose rocks. "now," said diksey, when they had all regained their feet, "i will show you where the dark well is. this is a big place, but if we hold fast to each other we won't get lost." they took hold of hands and the horner led them into a dark corner, where he halted. "be careful," said he warningly. "the well is at your feet." "all right," replied ojo, and kneeling down he felt in the well with his hand and found that it contained a quantity of water. "where's the gold flask, dorothy?" he asked, and the little girl handed him the flask, which she had brought with her. ojo knelt again and by feeling carefully in the dark managed to fill the flask with the unseen water that was in the well. then he screwed the top of the flask firmly in place and put the precious water in his pocket. "all right!" he said again, in a glad voice; "now we can go back." they returned to the mouth of the tunnel and began to creep cautiously up the incline. this time they made scraps stay behind, for fear she would slip again; but they all managed to get up in safety and the munchkin boy was very happy when he stood in the horner city and realized that the water from the dark well, which he and his friends had traveled so far to secure, was safe in his jacket pocket. [illustration] they bribe the lazy quadling chap. [illustration: every time i see a river i have chills] "now," said dorothy, as they stood on the mountain path, having left behind them the cave in which dwelt the hoppers and the horners, "i think we must find a road into the country of the winkies, for there is where ojo wants to go next." "is there such a road?" asked the scarecrow. "i don't know," she replied. "i s'pose we can go back the way we came, to jack pumpkinhead's house, and then turn into the winkie country; but that seems like running 'round a haystack, doesn't it?" "yes," said the scarecrow. "what is the next thing ojo must get?" "a yellow butterfly," answered the boy. "that means the winkie country, all right, for it's the yellow country of oz," remarked dorothy. "i think, scarecrow, we ought to take him to the tin woodman, for he's the emp'ror of the winkies and will help us to find what ojo wants." "of course," replied the scarecrow, brightening at the suggestion. "the tin woodman will do anything we ask him, for he's one of my dearest friends. i believe we can take a crosscut into his country and so get to his castle a day sooner than if we travel back the way we came." "i think so, too," said the girl; "and that means we must keep to the left." they were obliged to go down the mountain before they found any path that led in the direction they wanted to go, but among the tumbled rocks at the foot of the mountain was a faint trail which they decided to follow. two or three hours' walk along this trail brought them to a clear, level country, where there were a few farms and some scattered houses. but they knew they were still in the country of the quadlings, because everything had a bright red color. not that the trees and grasses were red, but the fences and houses were painted that color and all the wild-flowers that bloomed by the wayside had red blossoms. this part of the quadling country seemed peaceful and prosperous, if rather lonely, and the road was now more distinct and easier to follow. but just as they were congratulating themselves upon the progress they had made they came upon a broad river which swept along between high banks, and here the road ended and there was no bridge of any sort to allow them to cross. "this is queer," mused dorothy, looking at the water reflectively. "why should there be any road, if the river stops everyone walking along it?" "wow!" said toto, gazing earnestly into her face. "that's the best answer you'll get," declared the scarecrow, with his comical smile, "for no one knows any more than toto about this road." said scraps: "ev'ry time i see a river, i have chills that make me shiver, for i never can forget all the water's very wet. if my patches get a soak it will be a sorry joke; so to swim i'll never try till i find the water dry." "try to control yourself, scraps," said ojo; "you're getting crazy again. no one intends to swim that river." "no," decided dorothy, "we couldn't swim it if we tried. it's too big a river, and the water moves awful fast." "there ought to be a ferryman with a boat," said the scarecrow; "but i don't see any." "couldn't we make a raft?" suggested ojo. "there's nothing to make one of," answered dorothy. "wow!" said toto again, and dorothy saw he was looking along the bank of the river. "why, he sees a house over there!" cried the little girl. "i wonder we didn't notice it ourselves. let's go and ask the people how to get 'cross the river." a quarter of a mile along the bank stood a small, round house, painted bright red, and as it was on their side of the river they hurried toward it. a chubby little man, dressed all in red, came out to greet them, and with him were two children, also in red costumes. the man's eyes were big and staring as he examined the scarecrow and the patchwork girl, and the children shyly hid behind him and peeked timidly at toto. "do you live here, my good man?" asked the scarecrow. "i think i do, most mighty magician," replied the quadling, bowing low; "but whether i'm awake or dreaming i can't be positive, so i'm not sure where i live. if you'll kindly pinch me i'll find out all about it." "you're awake," said dorothy, "and this is no magician, but just the scarecrow." "but he's alive," protested the man, "and he oughtn't to be, you know. and that other dreadful person--the girl who is all patches--seems to be alive, too." "very much so," declared scraps, making a face at him. "but that isn't your affair, you know." "i've a right to be surprised, haven't i?" asked the man meekly. "i'm not sure; but anyhow you've no right to say i'm dreadful. the scarecrow, who is a gentleman of great wisdom, thinks i'm beautiful," retorted scraps. "never mind all that," said dorothy. "tell us, good quadling, how we can get across the river." "i don't know," replied the quadling. "don't you ever cross it?" asked the girl. "never." "don't travelers cross it?" "not to my knowledge," said he. they were much surprised to hear this, and the man added: "it's a pretty big river, and the current is strong. i know a man who lives on the opposite bank, for i've seen him there a good many years; but we've never spoken because neither of us has ever crossed over." "that's queer," said the scarecrow. "don't you own a boat?" the man shook his head. "nor a raft?" "no." "where does this river go to?" asked dorothy. "that way," answered the man, pointing with one hand, "it goes into the country of the winkies, which is ruled by the tin emperor, who must be a mighty magician because he's all made of tin, and yet he's alive. and that way," pointing with the other hand, "the river runs between two mountains where dangerous people dwell." the scarecrow looked at the water before them. "the current flows toward the winkie country," said he; "and so, if we had a boat, or a raft, the river would float us there more quickly and more easily than we could walk." "that is true," agreed dorothy; and then they all looked thoughtful and wondered what could be done. "why can't the man make us a raft?" asked ojo. "will you?" inquired dorothy, turning to the quadling. the chubby man shook his head. "i'm too lazy," he said. "my wife says i'm the laziest man in all oz, and she is a truthful woman. i hate work of any kind, and making a raft is hard work." "i'll give you my em'rald ring," promised the girl. "no; i don't care for emeralds. if it were a ruby, which is the color i like best, i might work a little while." "i've got some square meal tablets," said the scarecrow. "each one is the same as a dish of soup, a fried fish, a mutton pot-pie, lobster salad, charlotte russe and lemon jelly--all made into one little tablet that you can swallow without trouble." "without trouble!" exclaimed the quadling, much interested; "then those tablets would be fine for a lazy man. it's such hard work to chew when you eat." "i'll give you six of those tablets if you'll help us make a raft," promised the scarecrow. "they're a combination of food which people who eat are very fond of. i never eat, you know, being straw; but some of my friends eat regularly. what do you say to my offer, quadling?" "i'll do it," decided the man. "i'll help, and you can do most of the work. but my wife has gone fishing for red eels to-day, so some of you will have to mind the children." scraps promised to do that, and the children were not so shy when the patchwork girl sat down to play with them. they grew to like toto, too, and the little dog allowed them to pat him on his head, which gave the little ones much joy. there were a number of fallen trees near the house and the quadling got his axe and chopped them into logs of equal length. he took his wife's clothesline to bind these logs together, so that they would form a raft, and ojo found some strips of wood and nailed them along the tops of the logs, to render them more firm. the scarecrow and dorothy helped roll the logs together and carry the strips of wood, but it took so long to make the raft that evening came just as it was finished, and with evening the quadling's wife returned from her fishing. the woman proved to be cross and bad-tempered, perhaps because she had only caught one red eel during all the day. when she found that her husband had used her clothesline, and the logs she had wanted for firewood, and the boards she had intended to mend the shed with, and a lot of gold nails, she became very angry. scraps wanted to shake the woman, to make her behave, but dorothy talked to her in a gentle tone and told the quadling's wife she was a princess of oz and a friend of ozma and that when she got back to the emerald city she would send them a lot of things to repay them for the raft, including a new clothesline. this promise pleased the woman and she soon became more pleasant, saying they could stay the night at her house and begin their voyage on the river next morning. this they did, spending a pleasant evening with the quadling family and being entertained with such hospitality as the poor people were able to offer them. the man groaned a good deal and said he had overworked himself by chopping the logs, but the scarecrow gave him two more tablets than he had promised, which seemed to comfort the lazy fellow. the trick river chap. [illustration] next morning they pushed the raft into the water and all got aboard. the quadling man had to hold the log craft fast while they took their places, and the flow of the river was so powerful that it nearly tore the raft from his hands. as soon as they were all seated upon the logs he let go and away it floated and the adventurers had begun their voyage toward the winkie country. the little house of the quadlings was out of sight almost before they had cried their good-byes, and the scarecrow said in a pleased voice: "it won't take us long to get to the winkie country, at this rate." they had floated several miles down the stream and were enjoying the ride when suddenly the raft slowed up, stopped short, and then began to float back the way it had come. "why, what's wrong?" asked dorothy, in astonishment; but they were all just as bewildered as she was and at first no one could answer the question. soon, however, they realized the truth: that the current of the river had reversed and the water was now flowing in the opposite direction--toward the mountains. they began to recognize the scenes they had passed, and by and by they came in sight of the little house of the quadlings again. the man was standing on the river bank and he called to them: "how do you do? glad to see you again. i forgot to tell you that the river changes its direction every little while. sometimes it flows one way, and sometimes the other." they had no time to answer him, for the raft was swept past the house and a long distance on the other side of it. "we're going just the way we don't want to go," said dorothy, "and i guess the best thing we can do is to get to land before we're carried any farther." but they could not get to land. they had no oars, nor even a pole to guide the raft with. the logs which bore them floated in the middle of the stream and were held fast in that position by the strong current. so they sat still and waited and, even while they were wondering what could be done, the raft slowed down, stopped, and began drifting the other way--in the direction it had first followed. after a time they repassed the quadling house and the man was still standing on the bank. he cried out to them: "good day! glad to see you again. i expect i shall see you a good many times, as you go by, unless you happen to swim ashore." by that time they had left him behind and were headed once more straight toward the winkie country. "this is pretty hard luck," said ojo in a discouraged voice. "the trick river keeps changing, it seems, and here we must float back and forward forever, unless we manage in some way to get ashore." "can you swim?" asked dorothy. "no; i'm ojo the unlucky." "neither can i. toto can swim a little, but that won't help us to get to shore." "i don't know whether i could swim, or not," remarked scraps; "but if i tried it i'd surely ruin my lovely patches." "my straw would get soggy in the water and i would sink," said the scarecrow. so there seemed no way out of their dilemma and being helpless they simply sat still. ojo, who was on the front of the raft, looked over into the water and thought he saw some large fishes swimming about. he found a loose end of the clothesline which fastened the logs together, and taking a gold nail from his pocket he bent it nearly double, to form a hook, and tied it to the end of the line. having baited the hook with some bread which he broke from his loaf, he dropped the line into the water and almost instantly it was seized by a great fish. they knew it was a great fish, because it pulled so hard on the line that it dragged the raft forward even faster than the current of the river had carried it. the fish was frightened, and it was a strong swimmer. as the other end of the clothesline was bound around the logs he could not get it away, and as he had greedily swallowed the gold hook at the first bite he could not get rid of that, either. when they reached the place where the current had before changed, the fish was still swimming ahead in its wild attempt to escape. the raft slowed down, yet it did not stop, because the fish would not let it. it continued to move in the same direction it had been going. as the current reversed and rushed backward on its course it failed to drag the raft with it. slowly, inch by inch, they floated on, and the fish tugged and tugged and kept them going. "i hope he won't give up," said ojo anxiously. "if the fish can hold out until the current changes again, we'll be all right." the fish did not give up, but held the raft bravely on its course, till at last the water in the river shifted again and floated them the way they wanted to go. but now the captive fish found its strength failing. seeking a refuge, it began to drag the raft toward the shore. as they did not wish to land in this place the boy cut the rope with his pocket-knife and set the fish free, just in time to prevent the raft from grounding. [illustration] the next time the river backed up the scarecrow managed to seize the branch of a tree that overhung the water and they all assisted him to hold fast and prevent the raft from being carried backward. while they waited here, ojo spied a long broken branch lying upon the bank, so he leaped ashore and got it. when he had stripped off the side shoots he believed he could use the branch as a pole, to guide the raft in case of emergency. they clung to the tree until they found the water flowing the right way, when they let go and permitted the raft to resume its voyage. in spite of these pauses they were really making good progress toward the winkie country and having found a way to conquer the adverse current their spirits rose considerably. they could see little of the country through which they were passing, because of the high banks, and they met with no boats or other craft upon the surface of the river. once more the trick river reversed its current, but this time the scarecrow was on guard and used the pole to push the raft toward a big rock which lay in the water. he believed the rock would prevent their floating backward with the current, and so it did. they clung to this anchorage until the water resumed its proper direction, when they allowed the raft to drift on. floating around a bend they saw ahead a high bank of water, extending across the entire river, and toward this they were being irresistibly carried. there being no way to arrest the progress of the raft they clung fast to the logs and let the river sweep them on. swiftly the raft climbed the bank of water and slid down on the other side, plunging its edge deep into the water and drenching them all with spray. as again the raft righted and drifted on, dorothy and ojo laughed at the ducking they had received; but scraps was much dismayed and the scarecrow took out his handkerchief and wiped the water off the patchwork girl's patches as well as he was able to. the sun soon dried her and the colors of her patches proved good, for they did not run together nor did they fade. after passing the wall of water the current did not change or flow backward any more but continued to sweep them steadily forward. the banks of the river grew lower, too, permitting them to see more of the country, and presently they discovered yellow buttercups and dandelions growing amongst the grass, from which evidence they knew they had reached the winkie country. "don't you think we ought to land?" dorothy asked the scarecrow. "pretty soon," he replied. "the tin woodman's castle is in the southern part of the winkie country, and so it can't be a great way from here." [illustration] fearing they might drift too far, dorothy and ojo now stood up and raised the scarecrow in their arms, as high as they could, thus allowing him a good view of the country. for a time he saw nothing he recognized, but finally he cried: "there it is! there it is!" "what?" asked dorothy. "the tin woodman's tin castle. i can see its turrets glittering in the sun. it's quite a way off, but we'd better land as quickly as we can." they let him down and began to urge the raft toward the shore by means of the pole. it obeyed very well, for the current was more sluggish now, and soon they had reached the bank and landed safely. the winkie country was really beautiful, and across the fields they could see afar the silvery sheen of the tin castle. with light hearts they hurried toward it, being fully rested by their long ride on the river. by and by they began to cross an immense field of splendid yellow lilies, the delicate fragrance of which was very delightful. "how beautiful they are!" cried dorothy, stopping to admire the perfection of these exquisite flowers. "yes," said the scarecrow, reflectively, "but we must be careful not to crush or injure any of these lilies." "why not?" asked ojo. "the tin woodman is very kind-hearted," was the reply, "and he hates to see any living thing hurt in any way." "are flowers alive?" asked scraps. "yes, of course. and these flowers belong to the tin woodman. so, in order not to offend him, we must not tread on a single blossom." "once," said dorothy, "the tin woodman stepped on a beetle and killed the little creature. that made him very unhappy and he cried until his tears rusted his joints, so he couldn't move 'em." "what did he do then?" asked ojo. "put oil on them, until the joints worked smooth again." "oh!" exclaimed the boy, as if a great discovery had flashed across his mind. but he did not tell anybody what the discovery was and kept the idea to himself. it was a long walk, but a pleasant one, and they did not mind it a bit. late in the afternoon they drew near to the wonderful tin castle of the emperor of the winkies, and ojo and scraps, who had never seen it before, were filled with amazement. tin abounded in the winkie country and the winkies were said to be the most skillful tinsmiths in all the world. so the tin woodman had employed them in building his magnificent castle, which was all of tin, from the ground to the tallest turret, and so brightly polished that it glittered in the sun's rays more gorgeously than silver. around the grounds of the castle ran a tin wall, with tin gates; but the gates stood wide open because the emperor had no enemies to disturb him. when they entered the spacious grounds our travelers found more to admire. tin fountains sent sprays of clear water far into the air and there were many beds of tin flowers, all as perfectly formed as any natural flowers might be. there were tin trees, too, and here and there shady bowers of tin, with tin benches and chairs to sit upon. also, on the sides of the pathway leading up to the front door of the castle, were rows of tin statuary, very cleverly executed. among these ojo recognized statues of dorothy, toto, the scarecrow, the wizard, the shaggy man, jack pumpkinhead and ozma, all standing upon neat pedestals of tin. toto was well acquainted with the residence of the tin woodman and, being assured a joyful welcome, he ran ahead and barked so loudly at the front door that the tin woodman heard him and came out in person to see if it were really his old friend toto. next moment the tin man had clasped the scarecrow in a warm embrace and then turned to hug dorothy. but now his eye was arrested by the strange sight of the patchwork girl, and he gazed upon her in mingled wonder and admiration. the tin woodman objects chap. [illustration] the tin woodman was one of the most important personages in all oz. though emperor of the winkies, he owed allegiance to ozma, who ruled all the land, and the girl and the tin man were warm personal friends. he was something of a dandy and kept his tin body brilliantly polished and his tin joints well oiled. also he was very courteous in manner and so kind and gentle that everyone loved him. the emperor greeted ojo and scraps with cordial hospitality and ushered the entire party into his handsome tin parlor, where all the furniture and pictures were made of tin. the walls were paneled with tin and from the tin ceiling hung tin chandeliers. the tin woodman wanted to know, first of all, where dorothy had found the patchwork girl, so between them the visitors told the story of how scraps was made, as well as the accident to margolotte and unc nunkie and how ojo had set out upon a journey to procure the things needed for the crooked magician's magic charm. then dorothy told of their adventures in the quadling country and how at last they succeeded in getting the water from a dark well. while the little girl was relating these adventures the tin woodman sat in an easy chair listening with intense interest, while the others sat grouped around him. ojo, however, had kept his eyes fixed upon the body of the tin emperor, and now he noticed that under the joint of his left knee a tiny drop of oil was forming. he watched this drop of oil with a fast-beating heart, and feeling in his pocket brought out a tiny vial of crystal, which he held secreted in his hand. presently the tin woodman changed his position, and at once ojo, to the astonishment of all, dropped to the floor and held his crystal vial under the emperor's knee joint. just then the drop of oil fell, and the boy caught it in his bottle and immediately corked it tight. then, with a red face and embarrassed manner, he rose to confront the others. "what in the world were you doing?" asked the tin woodman. "i caught a drop of oil that fell from your knee-joint," confessed ojo. "a drop of oil!" exclaimed the tin woodman. "dear me, how careless my valet must have been in oiling me this morning. i'm afraid i shall have to scold the fellow, for i can't be dropping oil wherever i go." "never mind," said dorothy. "ojo seems glad to have the oil, for some reason." "yes," declared the munchkin boy, "i am glad. for one of the things the crooked magician sent me to get was a drop of oil from a live man's body. i had no idea, at first, that there was such a thing; but it's now safe in the little crystal vial." [illustration] "you are very welcome to it, indeed," said the tin woodman. "have you now secured all the things you were in search of?" "not quite all," answered ojo. "there were five things i had to get, and i have found four of them. i have the three hairs in the tip of a woozy's tail, a six-leaved clover, a gill of water from a dark well and a drop of oil from a live man's body. the last thing is the easiest of all to get, and i'm sure that my dear unc nunkie--and good margolotte, as well--will soon be restored to life." the munchkin boy said this with much pride and pleasure. "good!" exclaimed the tin woodman; "i congratulate you. but what is the fifth and last thing you need, in order to complete the magic charm?" "the left wing of a yellow butterfly," said ojo. "in this yellow country, and with your kind assistance, that ought to be very easy to find." the tin woodman stared at him in amazement. "surely you are joking!" he said. "no," replied ojo, much surprised; "i am in earnest." "but do you think for a moment that i would permit you, or anyone else, to pull the left wing from a yellow butterfly?" demanded the tin woodman sternly. "why not, sir?" "why not? you ask me why not? it would be cruel--one of the most cruel and heartless deeds i ever heard of," asserted the tin woodman. "the butterflies are among the prettiest of all created things, and they are very sensitive to pain. to tear a wing from one would cause it exquisite torture and it would soon die in great agony. i would not permit such a wicked deed under any circumstances!" ojo was astounded at hearing this. dorothy, too, looked grave and disconcerted, but she knew in her heart that the tin woodman was right. the scarecrow nodded his head in approval of his friend's speech, so it was evident that he agreed with the emperor's decision. scraps looked from one to another in perplexity. "who cares for a butterfly?" she asked. "don't you?" inquired the tin woodman. "not the snap of a finger, for i have no heart," said the patchwork girl. "but i want to help ojo, who is my friend, to rescue the uncle whom he loves, and i'd kill a dozen useless butterflies to enable him to do that." the tin woodman sighed regretfully. "you have kind instincts," he said, "and with a heart you would indeed be a fine creature. i cannot blame you for your heartless remark, as you cannot understand the feelings of those who possess hearts. i, for instance, have a very neat and responsive heart which the wonderful wizard of oz once gave me, and so i shall never--never--_never_ permit a poor yellow butterfly to be tortured by anyone." "the yellow country of the winkies," said ojo sadly, "is the only place in oz where a yellow butterfly can be found." "i'm glad of that," said the tin woodman. "as i rule the winkie country, i can protect my butterflies." "unless i get the wing--just one left wing--" said ojo miserably, "i can't save unc nunkie." "then he must remain a marble statue forever," declared the tin emperor, firmly. ojo wiped his eyes, for he could not hold back the tears. "i'll tell you what to do," said scraps. "we'll take a whole yellow butterfly, alive and well, to the crooked magician, and let him pull the left wing off." "no you won't," said the tin woodman. "you can't have one of my dear little butterflies to treat in that way." "then what in the world shall we do?" asked dorothy. they all became silent and thoughtful. no one spoke for a long time. then the tin woodman suddenly roused himself and said: "we must all go back to the emerald city and ask ozma's advice. she's a wise little girl, our ruler, and she may find a way to help ojo save his unc nunkie." so the following morning the party started on the journey to the emerald city, which they reached in due time without any important adventure. it was a sad journey for ojo, for without the wing of the yellow butterfly he saw no way to save unc nunkie--unless he waited six years for the crooked magician to make a new lot of the powder of life. the boy was utterly discouraged, and as he walked along he groaned aloud. "is anything hurting you?" inquired the tin woodman in a kindly tone, for the emperor was with the party. "i'm ojo the unlucky," replied the boy. "i might have known i would fail in anything i tried to do." "why are you ojo the unlucky?" asked the tin man. "because i was born on a friday." "friday is not unlucky," declared the emperor. "it's just one of seven days. do you suppose all the world becomes unlucky one-seventh of the time?" "it was the thirteenth day of the month," said ojo. "thirteen! ah, that is indeed a lucky number," replied the tin woodman. "all my good luck seems to happen on the thirteenth. i suppose most people never notice the good luck that comes to them with the number , and yet if the least bit of bad luck falls on that day, they blame it to the number, and not to the proper cause." "thirteen's my lucky number, too," remarked the scarecrow. "and mine," said scraps. "i've just thirteen patches on my head." "but," continued ojo, "i'm left-handed." "many of our greatest men are that way," asserted the emperor. "to be left-handed is usually to be two-handed; the right-handed people are usually one-handed." "and i've a wart under my right arm," said ojo. "how lucky!" cried the tin woodman. "if it were on the end of your nose it might be unlucky, but under your arm it is luckily out of the way." "for all those reasons," said the munchkin boy, "i have been called ojo the unlucky." "then we must turn over a new leaf and call you henceforth ojo the lucky," declared the tin man. "every reason you have given is absurd. but i have noticed that those who continually dread ill luck and fear it will overtake them, have no time to take advantage of any good fortune that comes their way. make up your mind to be ojo the lucky." "how can i?" asked the boy, "when all my attempts to save my dear uncle have failed?" "never give up, ojo," advised dorothy. "no one ever knows what's going to happen next." ojo did not reply, but he was so dejected that even their arrival at the emerald city failed to interest him. the people joyfully cheered the appearance of the tin woodman, the scarecrow and dorothy, who were all three general favorites, and on entering the royal palace word came to them from ozma that she would at once grant them an audience. dorothy told the girl ruler how successful they had been in their quest until they came to the item of the yellow butterfly, which the tin woodman positively refused to sacrifice to the magic potion. [illustration] "he is quite right," said ozma, who did not seem a bit surprised. "had ojo told me that one of the things he sought was the wing of a yellow butterfly i would have informed him, before he started out, that he could never secure it. then you would have been saved the troubles and annoyances of your long journey." "i didn't mind the journey at all," said dorothy; "it was fun." "as it has turned out," remarked ojo, "i can never get the things the crooked magician sent me for; and so, unless i wait the six years for him to make the powder of life, unc nunkie cannot be saved." ozma smiled. "dr. pipt will make no more powder of life, i promise you," said she. "i have sent for him and had him brought to this palace, where he now is, and his four kettles have been destroyed and his book of recipes burned up. i have also had brought here the marble statues of your uncle and of margolotte, which are standing in the next room." they were all greatly astonished at this announcement. "oh, let me see unc nunkie! let me see him at once, please!" cried ojo eagerly. "wait a moment," replied ozma, "for i have something more to say. nothing that happens in the land of oz escapes the notice of our wise sorceress, glinda the good. she knew all about the magic-making of dr. pipt, and how he had brought the glass cat and the patchwork girl to life, and the accident to unc nunkie and margolotte, and of ojo's quest and his journey with dorothy. glinda also knew that ojo would fail to find all the things he sought, so she sent for our wizard and instructed him what to do. something is going to happen in this palace, presently, and that 'something' will, i am sure, please you all. and now," continued the girl ruler, rising from her chair, "you may follow me into the next room." [illustration] [illustration] the wonderful wizard of oz chap. [illustration] when ojo entered the room he ran quickly to the statue of unc nunkie and kissed the marble face affectionately. "i did my best, unc," he said, with a sob, "but it was no use!" then he drew back and looked around the room, and the sight of the assembled company quite amazed him. aside from the marble statues of unc nunkie and margolotte, the glass cat was there, curled up on a rug; and the woozy was there, sitting on its square hind legs and looking on the scene with solemn interest; and there was the shaggy man, in a suit of shaggy pea-green satin, and at a table sat the little wizard, looking quite important and as if he knew much more than he cared to tell. last of all, dr. pipt was there, and the crooked magician sat humped up in a chair, seeming very dejected but keeping his eyes fixed on the lifeless form of his wife margolotte, whom he fondly loved but whom he now feared was lost to him forever. ozma took a chair which jellia jamb wheeled forward for the ruler, and back of her stood the scarecrow, the tin woodman and dorothy, as well as the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger. the wizard now arose and made a low bow to ozma and another less deferent bow to the assembled company. "ladies and gentlemen and beasts," he said, "i beg to announce that our gracious ruler has permitted me to obey the commands of the great sorceress, glinda the good, whose humble assistant i am proud to be. we have discovered that the crooked magician has been indulging in his magical arts contrary to law, and therefore, by royal edict, i hereby deprive him of all power to work magic in the future. he is no longer a crooked magician, but a simple munchkin; he is no longer even crooked, but a man like other men." as he pronounced these words the wizard waved his hand toward dr. pipt and instantly every crooked limb straightened out and became perfect. the former magician, with a cry of joy, sprang to his feet, looked at himself in wonder, and then fell back in his chair and watched the wizard with fascinated interest. [illustration] "the glass cat, which dr. pipt lawlessly made," continued the wizard, "is a pretty cat, but its pink brains made it so conceited that it was a disagreeable companion to everyone. so the other day i took away the pink brains and replaced them with transparent ones, and now the glass cat is so modest and well behaved that ozma has decided to keep her in the palace as a pet." "i thank you," said the cat, in a soft voice. "the woozy has proved himself a good woozy and a faithful friend," the wizard went on, "so we will send him to the royal menagerie, where he will have good care and plenty to eat all his life." "much obliged," said the woozy. "that beats being fenced up in a lonely forest and starved." "as for the patchwork girl," resumed the wizard, "she is so remarkable in appearance, and so clever and good tempered, that our gracious ruler intends to preserve her carefully, as one of the curiosities of the curious land of oz. scraps may live in the palace, or wherever she pleases, and be nobody's servant but her own." "that's all right," said scraps. "we have all been interested in ojo," the little wizard continued, "because his love for his unfortunate uncle has led him bravely to face all sorts of dangers, in order that he might rescue him. the munchkin boy has a loyal and generous heart and has done his best to restore unc nunkie to life. he has failed, but there are others more powerful than the crooked magician, and there are more ways than dr. pipt knew of to destroy the charm of the liquid of petrifaction. glinda the good has told me of one way, and you shall now learn how great is the knowledge and power of our peerless sorceress." [illustration] as he said this the wizard advanced to the statue of margolotte and made a magic pass, at the same time muttering a magic word that none could hear distinctly. at once the woman moved, turned her head wonderingly this way and that, to note all who stood before her, and seeing dr. pipt, ran forward and threw herself into her husband's outstretched arms. then the wizard made the magic pass and spoke the magic word before the statue of unc nunkie. the old munchkin immediately came to life and with a low bow to the wizard said: "thanks." but now ojo rushed up and threw his arms joyfully about his uncle, and the old man hugged his little nephew tenderly and stroked his hair and wiped away the boy's tears with a handkerchief, for ojo was crying from pure happiness. ozma came forward to congratulate them. "i have given to you, my dear ojo and unc nunkie, a nice house just outside the walls of the emerald city," she said, "and there you shall make your future home and be under my protection." "didn't i say you were ojo the lucky?" asked the tin woodman, as everyone crowded around to shake ojo's hand. "yes; and it is true!" replied ojo, gratefully. [illustration] the end the land of oz the title page of this book says that it is "an account of the further adventures of the scarecrow and the tin woodman, and also the experiences of the highly magnified woggle-bug, jack pumpkinhead, the animated saw-horse and the gump." also in this book mr. baum first presents princess ozma of oz, mombi, the witch; general jinjur, and dr. nikidik, inventor of the famous wishing pills. in the country of the gillikins lives a boy named tip, who has been bewitched by old mombi. tip makes jack pumpkinhead from a pumpkin, a frame of sticks and some old clothes; jack is brought to life through one of the witch's mysterious possessions, and then tip and jack run away. soon they meet the animated saw-horse, on whom they ride, and then the scarecrow and the tin woodman. thereafter one adventure follows fast upon another until the travelers, by the aid of the wonderful gump, reach the palace of glinda the good, who lifts from tip the spell of the old witch--with a most astonishing result. "the land of oz" was the first of mr. baum's books to be illustrated by john r. neill, now a noted artist. mr. neill's wonderful success in picturing the peculiar creations of the author led to a permanent alliance between these two favorites of the children, and all of mr. baum's later books have been adorned with mr. neill's pictures. in the land of oz are about one hundred and fifty black-and-white illustrations and sixteen charming full-page pictures in colors. ozma of oz as one little girl said, this is a "_real ozzy_" book. it tells "more about little dorothy," and introduces the yellow hen, tiktok, the hungry tiger, the nome king, and many other remarkable personages. our old friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman, play prominent parts. there is a frightful storm at sea, during which dorothy and billina, the yellow hen, are cast ashore. here, after escaping the wheelers, they come across the mechanical man, tiktok, and the three proceed through the land of ev to the palace of a wicked princess, where they are all imprisoned. they are rescued by ozma, the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, the scarecrow and the tin woodman. all then proceed to the realm of the nome king to effect the release of the royal family of ev, who have been enchanted by that cross old monarch. this done, after many trials and difficulties, the adventurers return to the emerald city, where at a great feast the hungry tiger loses his appetite! billina is one of mr. baum's most delightful characters. all readers will enjoy her wit and humor, which is backed up with much sound sense. the hungry tiger is a worthy companion to our old friend, the cowardly lion. for ozma of oz, mr. neill made forty-one full page colored pictures, twenty-two half pages in color, and more than fifty text illustrations, besides special end-sheets and other decorations. it is one of the most gorgeous of children's books. dorothy and the wizard in oz first thing--bang! and an earthquake drops dorothy and zeb, her boy companion, through the earth's crust plumb into the glass city. here they soon meet the wonderful wizard of oz, who also has fallen into this remarkable town. in company with jim, the cab horse, eureka, the discontented kitten, and the nine tiny piglets, dorothy and her friends are condemned to die, but escape into a tunnel through which they pass into the valley of voices. in their efforts to reach either the surface of the earth or the land of oz, where they would be helped by the powerful princess ozma, they meet many dangers and have numerous startling encounters with strange beings. finally they are rescued by ozma and are safe in the emerald city. here there is a great reunion, attended by the tin woodman, the scarecrow, the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger and many other of our old friends of oz. dorothy and the wizard in oz is embellished with sixteen full-page inserts after paintings by john r. neill. these pictures are reproduced in full color by the most improved methods and are highly artistic and beautiful. in addition, there are many black-and-white illustrations, chapter headings, tail-pieces and decorations. the cover has an inlay printed in four colors and gold. the road to oz this is a novelty in bookmaking for children. as the scene shifts from one part to another of mr. baum's unique fairyland the tints of the paper used for printing change from color to color in accordance with the hue of the country described. this color scheme, in connection with mr. neill's delightful and characteristic illustrations--over one hundred--make a truly wonderful book. among the new characters introduced are button-bright, the shaggy man, king dox and johnny doit. the road to oz is a marvelous road, along which dorothy and her companions find many curious and strange inhabitants. they finally reach oz and visit the castle of nick chopper, the tin woodman, now become emperor of the winkies, by whom they are escorted to the farm of jack pumpkinhead and to the emerald city. here princess ozma gives a banquet, at which the guests are beyond doubt the most amazing collection ever assembled under one roof, including santa claus, the queen of merryland, para bruin, the rubber bear; the king of the quadlings, the candy man, the queen of ev, jellia jamb, general jinjur, the soldier with the green whiskers; polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, the incubator baby and john dough. transcriber's note: the alternative spelling for tik-tok as "tiktok" used in the advertisements at the end of the book; and the spelling of "unk" in the first chapter heading illustration have been retained as they appear in the original publication. changes have been made as follows: page hyphen added to "bed-quilt" in "bed-quilt and intended to be". page "advise" to "advice" in "shaggy man's advice" page "solemly" to "solemnly" in "said the scarecrow solemnly" page closing quotation mark added to "let's go back." page fullstop to comma in "can't you talk from this side," page "hoppers" to "horners" in "and again the horners laughed" page closing quotation mark added to "... i could swim, or not," the wonderful wizard of oz by l. frank baum w. w. denslow. [illustration] geo. m. hill co. new york. introduction. folk lore, legends, myths and fairy tales have followed childhood through the ages, for every healthy youngster has a wholesome and instinctive love for stories fantastic, marvelous and manifestly unreal. the winged fairies of grimm and andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations. yet the old-time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incident devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder-tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. [illustration] having this thought in mind, the story of "the wonderful wizard of oz" was written solely to pleasure children of today. it aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heart-aches and nightmares are left out. l. frank baum. chicago, april, . [illustration] copyright by l. frank baum and w. w. denslow. all rights reserved [illustration] list of chapters. chapter i.--the cyclone. chapter ii.--the council with the munchkins. chapter iii.--how dorothy saved the scarecrow. chapter iv.--the road through the forest. chapter v.--the rescue of the tin woodman. chapter vi.--the cowardly lion. chapter vii.--the journey to the great oz. chapter viii.--the deadly poppy field. chapter ix.--the queen of the field mice. chapter x.--the guardian of the gates. chapter xi.--the wonderful emerald city of oz. chapter xii.--the search for the wicked witch. chapter xiii.--how the four were reunited. chapter xiv.--the winged monkeys. chapter xv.--the discovery of oz the terrible. chapter xvi.--the magic art of the great humbug. chapter xvii.--how the balloon was launched. chapter xviii.--away to the south. chapter xix.--attacked by the fighting trees. chapter xx.--the dainty china country. chapter xxi.--the lion becomes the king of beasts. chapter xxii.--the country of the quadlings. chapter xxiii.--the good witch grants dorothy's wish. chapter xxiv.--home again. _this book is dedicated to my good friend & comrade. my wife l.f.b._ chapter i. the cyclone. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] dorothy lived in the midst of the great kansas prairies, with uncle henry, who was a farmer, and aunt em, who was the farmer's wife. their house was small, for the lumber to build it had to be carried by wagon many miles. there were four walls, a floor and a roof, which made one room; and this room contained a rusty looking cooking stove, a cupboard for the dishes, a table, three or four chairs, and the beds. uncle henry and aunt em had a big bed in one corner, and dorothy a little bed in another corner. there was no garret at all, and no cellar--except a small hole, dug in the ground, called a cyclone cellar, where the family could go in case one of those great whirlwinds arose, mighty enough to crush any building in its path. it was reached by a trap-door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole. when dorothy stood in the doorway and looked around, she could see nothing but the great gray prairie on every side. not a tree nor a house broke the broad sweep of flat country that reached the edge of the sky in all directions. the sun had baked the plowed land into a gray mass, with little cracks running through it. even the grass was not green, for the sun had burned the tops of the long blades until they were the same gray color to be seen everywhere. once the house had been painted, but the sun blistered the paint and the rains washed it away, and now the house was as dull and gray as everything else. [illustration: "_she caught toto by the ear._"] when aunt em came there to live she was a young, pretty wife. the sun and wind had changed her, too. they had taken the sparkle from her eyes and left them a sober gray; they had taken the red from her cheeks and lips, and they were gray also. she was thin and gaunt, and never smiled, now. when dorothy, who was an orphan, first came to her, aunt em had been so startled by the child's laughter that she would scream and press her hand upon her heart whenever dorothy's merry voice reached her ears; and she still looked at the little girl with wonder that she could find anything to laugh at. uncle henry never laughed. he worked hard from morning till night and did not know what joy was. he was gray also, from his long beard to his rough boots, and he looked stern and solemn, and rarely spoke. it was toto that made dorothy laugh, and saved her from growing as gray as her other surroundings. toto was not gray; he was a little black dog, with long, silky hair and small black eyes that twinkled merrily on either side of his funny, wee nose. toto played all day long, and dorothy played with him, and loved him dearly. [illustration] to-day, however, they were not playing. uncle henry sat upon the door-step and looked anxiously at the sky, which was even grayer than usual. dorothy stood in the door with toto in her arms, and looked at the sky too. aunt em was washing the dishes. from the far north they heard a low wail of the wind, and uncle henry and dorothy could see where the long grass bowed in waves before the coming storm. there now came a sharp whistling in the air from the south, and as they turned their eyes that way they saw ripples in the grass coming from that direction also. suddenly uncle henry stood up. "there's a cyclone coming, em," he called to his wife; "i'll go look after the stock." then he ran toward the sheds where the cows and horses were kept. aunt em dropped her work and came to the door. one glance told her of the danger close at hand. "quick, dorothy!" she screamed; "run for the cellar!" toto jumped out of dorothy's arms and hid under the bed, and the girl started to get him. aunt em, badly frightened, threw open the trap-door in the floor and climbed down the ladder into the small, dark hole. dorothy caught toto at last, and started to follow her aunt. when she was half way across the room there came a great shriek from the wind, and the house shook so hard that she lost her footing and sat down suddenly upon the floor. a strange thing then happened. the house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon. the north and south winds met where the house stood, and made it the exact center of the cyclone. in the middle of a cyclone the air is generally still, but the great pressure of the wind on every side of the house raised it up higher and higher, until it was at the very top of the cyclone; and there it remained and was carried miles and miles away as easily as you could carry a feather. it was very dark, and the wind howled horribly around her, but dorothy found she was riding quite easily. after the first few whirls around, and one other time when the house tipped badly, she felt as if she were being rocked gently, like a baby in a cradle. toto did not like it. he ran about the room, now here, now there, barking loudly; but dorothy sat quite still on the floor and waited to see what would happen. once toto got too near the open trap-door, and fell in; and at first the little girl thought she had lost him. but soon she saw one of his ears sticking up through the hole, for the strong pressure of the air was keeping him up so that he could not fall. she crept to the hole, caught toto by the ear, and dragged him into the room again; afterward closing the trap-door so that no more accidents could happen. hour after hour passed away, and slowly dorothy got over her fright; but she felt quite lonely, and the wind shrieked so loudly all about her that she nearly became deaf. at first she had wondered if she would be dashed to pieces when the house fell again; but as the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and see what the future would bring. at last she crawled over the swaying floor to her bed, and lay down upon it; and toto followed and lay down beside her. in spite of the swaying of the house and the wailing of the wind, dorothy soon closed her eyes and fell fast asleep. [illustration] chapter ii. the council with the munchkins. [illustration] [illustration] she was awakened by a shock, so sudden and severe that if dorothy had not been lying on the soft bed she might have been hurt. as it was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; and toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally. dorothy sat up and noticed that the house was not moving; nor was it dark, for the bright sunshine came in at the window, flooding the little room. she sprang from her bed and with toto at her heels ran and opened the door. the little girl gave a cry of amazement and looked about her, her eyes growing bigger and bigger at the wonderful sights she saw. the cyclone had set the house down, very gently--for a cyclone--in the midst of a country of marvelous beauty. there were lovely patches of green sward all about, with stately trees bearing rich and luscious fruits. banks of gorgeous flowers were on every hand, and birds with rare and brilliant plumage sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes. a little way off was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between green banks, and murmuring in a voice very grateful to a little girl who had lived so long on the dry, gray prairies. while she stood looking eagerly at the strange and beautiful sights, she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. they were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. in fact, they seemed about as tall as dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older. [illustration: "_i am the witch of the north._"] three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. they wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved. the hats of the men were blue; the little woman's hat was white, and she wore a white gown that hung in plaits from her shoulders; over it were sprinkled little stars that glistened in the sun like diamonds. the men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops. the men, dorothy thought, were about as old as uncle henry, for two of them had beards. but the little woman was doubtless much older: her face was covered with wrinkles, her hair was nearly white, and she walked rather stiffly. when these people drew near the house where dorothy was standing in the doorway, they paused and whispered among themselves, as if afraid to come farther. but the little old woman walked up to dorothy, made a low bow and said, in a sweet voice, "you are welcome, most noble sorceress, to the land of the munchkins. we are so grateful to you for having killed the wicked witch of the east, and for setting our people free from bondage." [illustration] dorothy listened to this speech with wonder. what could the little woman possibly mean by calling her a sorceress, and saying she had killed the wicked witch of the east? dorothy was an innocent, harmless little girl, who had been carried by a cyclone many miles from home; and she had never killed anything in all her life. but the little woman evidently expected her to answer; so dorothy said, with hesitation, "you are very kind; but there must be some mistake. i have not killed anything." "your house did, anyway," replied the little old woman, with a laugh; "and that is the same thing. see!" she continued, pointing to the corner of the house; "there are her two toes, still sticking out from under a block of wood." dorothy looked, and gave a little cry of fright. there, indeed, just under the corner of the great beam the house rested on, two feet were sticking out, shod in silver shoes with pointed toes. "oh, dear! oh, dear!" cried dorothy, clasping her hands together in dismay; "the house must have fallen on her. what ever shall we do?" "there is nothing to be done," said the little woman, calmly. [illustration] "but who was she?" asked dorothy. "she was the wicked witch of the east, as i said," answered the little woman. "she has held all the munchkins in bondage for many years, making them slave for her night and day. now they are all set free, and are grateful to you for the favour." "who are the munchkins?" enquired dorothy. "they are the people who live in this land of the east, where the wicked witch ruled." "are you a munchkin?" asked dorothy. "no; but i am their friend, although i live in the land of the north. when they saw the witch of the east was dead the munchkins sent a swift messenger to me, and i came at once. i am the witch of the north." "oh, gracious!" cried dorothy; "are you a real witch?" "yes, indeed;" answered the little woman. "but i am a good witch, and the people love me. i am not as powerful as the wicked witch was who ruled here, or i should have set the people free myself." "but i thought all witches were wicked," said the girl, who was half frightened at facing a real witch. "oh, no; that is a great mistake. there were only four witches in all the land of oz, and two of them, those who live in the north and the south, are good witches. i know this is true, for i am one of them myself, and cannot be mistaken. those who dwelt in the east and the west were, indeed, wicked witches; but now that you have killed one of them, there is but one wicked witch in all the land of oz--the one who lives in the west." "but," said dorothy, after a moment's thought, "aunt em has told me that the witches were all dead--years and years ago." "who is aunt em?" inquired the little old woman. "she is my aunt who lives in kansas, where i came from." the witch of the north seemed to think for a time, with her head bowed and her eyes upon the ground. then she looked up and said, "i do not know where kansas is, for i have never heard that country mentioned before. but tell me, is it a civilized country?" "oh, yes;" replied dorothy. "then that accounts for it. in the civilized countries i believe there are no witches left; nor wizards, nor sorceresses, nor magicians. but, you see, the land of oz has never been civilized, for we are cut off from all the rest of the world. therefore we still have witches and wizards amongst us." "who are the wizards?" asked dorothy. "oz himself is the great wizard," answered the witch, sinking her voice to a whisper. "he is more powerful than all the rest of us together. he lives in the city of emeralds." dorothy was going to ask another question, but just then the munchkins, who had been standing silently by, gave a loud shout and pointed to the corner of the house where the wicked witch had been lying. [illustration] "what is it?" asked the little old woman; and looked, and began to laugh. the feet of the dead witch had disappeared entirely and nothing was left but the silver shoes. "she was so old," explained the witch of the north, "that she dried up quickly in the sun. that is the end of her. but the silver shoes are yours, and you shall have them to wear." she reached down and picked up the shoes, and after shaking the dust out of them handed them to dorothy. "the witch of the east was proud of those silver shoes," said one of the munchkins; "and there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never knew." dorothy carried the shoes into the house and placed them on the table. then she came out again to the munchkins and said, "i am anxious to get back to my aunt and uncle, for i am sure they will worry about me. can you help me find my way?" the munchkins and the witch first looked at one another, and then at dorothy, and then shook their heads. "at the east, not far from here," said one, "there is a great desert, and none could live to cross it." "it is the same at the south," said another, "for i have been there and seen it. the south is the country of the quadlings." "i am told," said the third man, "that it is the same at the west. and that country, where the winkies live, is ruled by the wicked witch of the west, who would make you her slave if you passed her way." "the north is my home," said the old lady, "and at its edge is the same great desert that surrounds this land of oz. i'm afraid, my dear, you will have to live with us." dorothy began to sob, at this, for she felt lonely among all these strange people. her tears seemed to grieve the kind-hearted munchkins, for they immediately took out their handkerchiefs and began to weep also. as for the little old woman, she took off her cap and balanced the point on the end of her nose, while she counted "one, two, three" in a solemn voice. at once the cap changed to a slate, on which was written in big, white chalk marks: "let dorothy go to the city of emeralds." [illustration] the little old woman took the slate from her nose, and, having read the words on it, asked, "is your name dorothy, my dear?" "yes," answered the child, looking up and drying her tears. "then you must go to the city of emeralds. perhaps oz will help you." "where is this city?" asked dorothy. "it is exactly in the center of the country, and is ruled by oz, the great wizard i told you of." "is he a good man?" enquired the girl, anxiously. "he is a good wizard. whether he is a man or not i cannot tell, for i have never seen him." "how can i get there?" asked dorothy. "you must walk. it is a long journey, through a country that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes dark and terrible. however, i will use all the magic arts i know of to keep you from harm." "won't you go with me?" pleaded the girl, who had begun to look upon the little old woman as her only friend. "no, i cannot do that," she replied; "but i will give you my kiss, and no one will dare injure a person who has been kissed by the witch of the north." she came close to dorothy and kissed her gently on the forehead. where her lips touched the girl they left a round, shining mark, as dorothy found out soon after. "the road to the city of emeralds is paved with yellow brick," said the witch; "so you cannot miss it. when you get to oz do not be afraid of him, but tell your story and ask him to help you. good-bye, my dear." [illustration] the three munchkins bowed low to her and wished her a pleasant journey, after which they walked away through the trees. the witch gave dorothy a friendly little nod, whirled around on her left heel three times, and straightway disappeared, much to the surprise of little toto, who barked after her loudly enough when she had gone, because he had been afraid even to growl while she stood by. but dorothy, knowing her to be a witch, had expected her to disappear in just that way, and was not surprised in the least. chapter iii how dorothy saved the scarecrow. [illustration] when dorothy was left alone she began to feel hungry. so she went to the cupboard and cut herself some bread, which she spread with butter. she gave some to toto, and taking a pail from the shelf she carried it down to the little brook and filled it with clear, sparkling water. toto ran over to the trees and began to bark at the birds sitting there. dorothy went to get him, and saw such delicious fruit hanging from the branches that she gathered some of it, finding it just what she wanted to help out her breakfast. then she went back to the house, and having helped herself and toto to a good drink of the cool, clear water, she set about making ready for the journey to the city of emeralds. dorothy had only one other dress, but that happened to be clean and was hanging on a peg beside her bed. it was gingham, with checks of white and blue; and although the blue was somewhat faded with many washings, it was still a pretty frock. the girl washed herself carefully, dressed herself in the clean gingham, and tied her pink sunbonnet on her head. she took a little basket and filled it with bread from the cupboard, laying a white cloth over the top. then she looked down at her feet and noticed how old and worn her shoes were. "they surely will never do for a long journey, toto," she said. and toto looked up into her face with his little black eyes and wagged his tail to show he knew what she meant. at that moment dorothy saw lying on the table the silver shoes that had belonged to the witch of the east. "i wonder if they will fit me," she said to toto. "they would be just the thing to take a long walk in, for they could not wear out." she took off her old leather shoes and tried on the silver ones, which fitted her as well as if they had been made for her. finally she picked up her basket. "come along, toto," she said, "we will go to the emerald city and ask the great oz how to get back to kansas again." she closed the door, locked it, and put the key carefully in the pocket of her dress. and so, with toto trotting along soberly behind her, she started on her journey. there were several roads near by, but it did not take her long to find the one paved with yellow brick. within a short time she was walking briskly toward the emerald city, her silver shoes tinkling merrily on the hard, yellow roadbed. the sun shone bright and the birds sang sweet and dorothy did not feel nearly as bad as you might think a little girl would who had been suddenly whisked away from her own country and set down in the midst of a strange land. [illustration] she was surprised, as she walked along, to see how pretty the country was about her. there were neat fences at the sides of the road, painted a dainty blue color, and beyond them were fields of grain and vegetables in abundance. evidently the munchkins were good farmers and able to raise large crops. once in a while she would pass a house, and the people came out to look at her and bow low as she went by; for everyone knew she had been the means of destroying the wicked witch and setting them free from bondage. the houses of the munchkins were odd looking dwellings, for each was round, with a big dome for a roof. all were painted blue, for in this country of the east blue was the favorite color. towards evening, when dorothy was tired with her long walk and began to wonder where she should pass the night, she came to a house rather larger than the rest. on the green lawn before it many men and women were dancing. five little fiddlers played as loudly as possible and the people were laughing and singing, while a big table near by was loaded with delicious fruits and nuts, pies and cakes, and many other good things to eat. the people greeted dorothy kindly, and invited her to supper and to pass the night with them; for this was the home of one of the richest munchkins in the land, and his friends were gathered with him to celebrate their freedom from the bondage of the wicked witch. dorothy ate a hearty supper and was waited upon by the rich munchkin himself, whose name was boq. then she sat down upon a settee and watched the people dance. when boq saw her silver shoes he said, "you must be a great sorceress." "why?" asked the girl. "because you wear silver shoes and have killed the wicked witch. besides, you have white in your frock, and only witches and sorceresses wear white." [illustration: "_you must be a great sorceress._"] "my dress is blue and white checked," said dorothy, smoothing out the wrinkles in it. "it is kind of you to wear that," said boq. "blue is the color of the munchkins, and white is the witch color; so we know you are a friendly witch." dorothy did not know what to say to this, for all the people seemed to think her a witch, and she knew very well she was only an ordinary little girl who had come by the chance of a cyclone into a strange land. when she had tired watching the dancing, boq led her into the house, where he gave her a room with a pretty bed in it. the sheets were made of blue cloth, and dorothy slept soundly in them till morning, with toto curled up on the blue rug beside her. she ate a hearty breakfast, and watched a wee munchkin baby, who played with toto and pulled his tail and crowed and laughed in a way that greatly amused dorothy. toto was a fine curiosity to all the people, for they had never seen a dog before. "how far is it to the emerald city?" the girl asked. [illustration] "i do not know," answered boq, gravely, "for i have never been there. it is better for people to keep away from oz, unless they have business with him. but it is a long way to the emerald city, and it will take you many days. the country here is rich and pleasant, but you must pass through rough and dangerous places before you reach the end of your journey." this worried dorothy a little, but she knew that only the great oz could help her get to kansas again, so she bravely resolved not to turn back. she bade her friends good-bye, and again started along the road of yellow brick. when she had gone several miles she thought she would stop to rest, and so climbed to the top of the fence beside the road and sat down. there was a great cornfield beyond the fence, and not far away she saw a scarecrow, placed high on a pole to keep the birds from the ripe corn. dorothy leaned her chin upon her hand and gazed thoughtfully at the scarecrow. its head was a small sack stuffed with straw, with eyes, nose and mouth painted on it to represent a face. an old, pointed blue hat, that had belonged to some munchkin, was perched on this head, and the rest of the figure was a blue suit of clothes, worn and faded, which had also been stuffed with straw. on the feet were some old boots with blue tops, such as every man wore in this country, and the figure was raised above the stalks of corn by means of the pole stuck up its back. [illustration: "_dorothy gazed thoughtfully at the scarecrow._"] while dorothy was looking earnestly into the queer, painted face of the scarecrow, she was surprised to see one of the eyes slowly wink at her. she thought she must have been mistaken, at first, for none of the scarecrows in kansas ever wink; but presently the figure nodded its head to her in a friendly way. then she climbed down from the fence and walked up to it, while toto ran around the pole and barked. "good day," said the scarecrow, in a rather husky voice. "did you speak?" asked the girl, in wonder. "certainly," answered the scarecrow; "how do you do?" "i'm pretty well, thank you," replied dorothy, politely; "how do you do?" "i'm not feeling well," said the scarecrow, with a smile, "for it is very tedious being perched up here night and day to scare away crows." "can't you get down?" asked dorothy. "no, for this pole is stuck up my back. if you will please take away the pole i shall be greatly obliged to you." dorothy reached up both arms and lifted the figure off the pole; for, being stuffed with straw, it was quite light. "thank you very much," said the scarecrow, when he had been set down on the ground. "i feel like a new man." dorothy was puzzled at this, for it sounded queer to hear a stuffed man speak, and to see him bow and walk along beside her. "who are you?" asked the scarecrow, when he had stretched himself and yawned, "and where are you going?" "my name is dorothy," said the girl, "and i am going to the emerald city, to ask the great oz to send me back to kansas." "where is the emerald city?" he enquired; "and who is oz?" "why, don't you know?" she returned, in surprise. "no, indeed; i don't know anything. you see, i am stuffed, so i have no brains at all," he answered, sadly. [illustration] "oh," said dorothy; "i'm awfully sorry for you." "do you think," he asked, "if i go to the emerald city with you, that the great oz would give me some brains?" "i cannot tell," she returned; "but you may come with me, if you like. if oz will not give you any brains you will be no worse off than you are now." "that is true," said the scarecrow. "you see," he continued, confidentially, "i don't mind my legs and arms and body being stuffed, because i cannot get hurt. if anyone treads on my toes or sticks a pin into me, it doesn't matter, for i cant feel it. but i do not want people to call me a fool, and if my head stays stuffed with straw instead of with brains, as yours is, how am i ever to know anything?" "i understand how you feel," said the little girl, who was truly sorry for him. "if you will come with me i'll ask oz to do all he can for you." "thank you," he answered, gratefully. they walked back to the road, dorothy helped him over the fence, and they started along the path of yellow brick for the emerald city. toto did not like this addition to the party, at first. he smelled around the stuffed man as if he suspected there might be a nest of rats in the straw, and he often growled in an unfriendly way at the scarecrow. "don't mind toto," said dorothy, to her new friend; "he never bites." "oh, i'm not afraid," replied the scarecrow, "he can't hurt the straw. do let me carry that basket for you. i shall not mind it, for i can't get tired. i'll tell you a secret," he continued, as he walked along; "there is only one thing in the world i am afraid of." "what is that?" asked dorothy; "the munchkin farmer who made you?" "no," answered the scarecrow; "it's a lighted match." chapter iv. the road through the forest. [illustration] after a few hours the road began to be rough, and the walking grew so difficult that the scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow bricks, which were here very uneven. sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, leaving holes that toto jumped across and dorothy walked around. as for the scarecrow, having no brains he walked straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard bricks. it never hurt him, however, and dorothy would pick him up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined her in laughing merrily at his own mishap. [illustration] the farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they were farther back. there were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees, and the farther they went the more dismal and lonesome the country became. at noon they sat down by the roadside, near a little brook, and dorothy opened her basket and got out some bread. she offered a piece to the scarecrow, but he refused. "i am never hungry," he said; "and it is a lucky thing i am not. for my mouth is only painted, and if i should cut a hole in it so i could eat, the straw i am stuffed with would come out, and that would spoil the shape of my head." dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded and went on eating her bread. "tell me something about yourself, and the country you came from," said the scarecrow, when she had finished her dinner. so she told him all about kansas, and how gray everything was there, and how the cyclone had carried her to this queer land of oz. the scarecrow listened carefully, and said, "i cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call kansas." [illustration: "_'i was only made yesterday,' said the scarecrow._"] "that is because you have no brains," answered the girl. "no matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. there is no place like home." the scarecrow sighed. "of course i cannot understand it," he said. "if your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in the beautiful places, and then kansas would have no people at all. it is fortunate for kansas that you have brains." "won't you tell me a story, while we are resting?" asked the child. the scarecrow looked at her reproachfully, and answered, "my life has been so short that i really know nothing whatever. i was only made day before yesterday. what happened in the world before that time is all unknown to me. luckily, when the farmer made my head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that i heard what was going on. there was another munchkin with him, and the first thing i heard was the farmer saying, "'how do you like those ears?' "'they aren't straight,' answered the other. "'never mind,' said the farmer; 'they are ears just the same,' which was true enough. "'now i'll make the eyes,' said the farmer. so he painted my right eye, and as soon as it was finished i found myself looking at him and at everything around me with a great deal of curiosity, for this was my first glimpse of the world. "'that's a rather pretty eye,' remarked the munchkin who was watching the farmer; 'blue paint is just the color for eyes.' "'i think i'll make the other a little bigger,' said the farmer; and when the second eye was done i could see much better than before. then he made my nose and my mouth; but i did not speak, because at that time i didn't know what a mouth was for. i had the fun of watching them make my body and my arms and legs; and when they fastened on my head, at last, i felt very proud, for i thought i was just as good a man as anyone. "'this fellow will scare the crows fast enough,' said the farmer; 'he looks just like a man.' "'why, he is a man,' said the other, and i quite agreed with him. the farmer carried me under his arm to the cornfield, and set me up on a tall stick, where you found me. he and his friend soon after walked away and left me alone. "i did not like to be deserted this way; so i tried to walk after them, but my feet would not touch the ground, and i was forced to stay on that pole. it was a lonely life to lead, for i had nothing to think of, having been made such a little while before. many crows and other birds flew into the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me they flew away again, thinking i was a munchkin; and this pleased me and made me feel that i was quite an important person. by and by an old crow flew near me, and after looking at me carefully he perched upon my shoulder and said, [illustration] "'i wonder if that farmer thought to fool me in this clumsy manner. any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed with straw.' then he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted. the other birds, seeing he was not harmed by me, came to eat the corn too, so in a short time there was a great flock of them about me." "i felt sad at this, for it showed i was not such a good scarecrow after all; but the old crow comforted me, saying: 'if you only had brains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man than some of them. brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.' "after the crows had gone i thought this over, and decided i would try hard to get some brains. by good luck, you came along and pulled me off the stake, and from what you say i am sure the great oz will give me brains as soon as we get to the emerald city." "i hope so," said dorothy, earnestly, "since you seem anxious to have them." "oh yes; i am anxious," returned the scarecrow. "it is such an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool." [illustration] "well," said the girl, "let us go." and she handed the basket to the scarecrow. there were no fences at all by the road side now, and the land was rough and untilled. towards evening they came to a great forest, where the trees grew so big and close together that their branches met over the road of yellow brick. it was almost dark under the trees, for the branches shut out the daylight; but the travellers did not stop, and went on into the forest. "if this road goes in, it must come out," said the scarecrow, "and as the emerald city is at the other end of the road, we must go wherever it leads us." "anyone would know that," said dorothy. "certainly; that is why i know it," returned the scarecrow. "if it required brains to figure it out, i never should have said it." after an hour or so the light faded away, and they found themselves stumbling along in the darkness. dorothy could not see at all, but toto could, for some dogs see very well in the dark; and the scarecrow declared he could see as well as by day. so she took hold of his arm, and managed to get along fairly well. "if you see any house, or any place where we can pass the night," she said, "you must tell me; for it is very uncomfortable walking in the dark." soon after the scarecrow stopped. "i see a little cottage at the right of us," he said, "built of logs and branches. shall we go there?" "yes, indeed;" answered the child. "i am all tired out." so the scarecrow led her through the trees until they reached the cottage, and dorothy entered and found a bed of dried leaves in one corner. she lay down at once, and with toto beside her soon fell into a sound sleep. the scarecrow, who was never tired, stood up in another corner and waited patiently until morning came. [illustration] chapter v. the rescue of the tin woodman [illustration] [illustration] when dorothy awoke the sun was shining through the trees and toto had long been out chasing birds and squirrels. she sat up and looked around her. there was the scarecrow, still standing patiently in his corner, waiting for her. "we must go and search for water," she said to him. "why do you want water?" he asked. "to wash my face clean after the dust of the road, and to drink, so the dry bread will not stick in my throat." "it must be inconvenient to be made of flesh," said the scarecrow, thoughtfully; "for you must sleep, and eat and drink. however, you have brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to think properly." they left the cottage and walked through the trees until they found a little spring of clear water, where dorothy drank and bathed and ate her breakfast. she saw there was not much bread left in the basket, and the girl was thankful the scarecrow did not have to eat anything, for there was scarcely enough for herself and toto for the day. when she had finished her meal, and was about to go back to the road of yellow brick, she was startled to hear a deep groan near by. "what was that?" she asked, timidly. "i cannot imagine," replied the scarecrow; "but we can go and see." just then another groan reached their ears, and the sound seemed to come from behind them. they turned and walked through the forest a few steps, when dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshine that fell between the trees. she ran to the place, and then stopped short, with a cry of surprise. one of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. his head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all. dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the scarecrow, while toto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt his teeth. "did you groan?" asked dorothy. "yes," answered the tin man; "i did. i've been groaning for more than a year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me." "what can i do for you?" she enquired, softly, for she was moved by the sad voice in which the man spoke. [illustration] "get an oil-can and oil my joints," he answered. "they are rusted so badly that i cannot move them at all; if i am well oiled i shall soon be all right again. you will find an oil-can on a shelf in my cottage." dorothy at once ran back to the cottage and found the oil-can, and then she returned and asked, anxiously, "where are your joints?" "oil my neck, first," replied the tin woodman. so she oiled it, and as it was quite badly rusted the scarecrow took hold of the tin head and moved it gently from side to side until it worked freely, and then the man could turn it himself. "now oil the joints in my arms," he said. and dorothy oiled them and the scarecrow bent them carefully until they were quite free from rust and as good as new. the tin woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, which he leaned against the tree. "this is a great comfort," he said. "i have been holding that axe in the air ever since i rusted, and i'm glad to be able to put it down at last. now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, i shall be all right once more." so they oiled his legs until he could move them freely; and he thanked them again and again for his release, for he seemed a very polite creature, and very grateful. "i might have stood there always if you had not come along," he said; "so you have certainly saved my life. how did you happen to be here?" "we are on our way to the emerald city, to see the great oz," she answered, "and we stopped at your cottage to pass the night." "why do you wish to see oz?" he asked. "i want him to send me back to kansas; and the scarecrow wants him to put a few brains into his head," she replied. the tin woodman appeared to think deeply for a moment. then he said: "do you suppose oz could give me a heart?" "why, i guess so," dorothy answered; "it would be as easy as to give the scarecrow brains." [illustration: "_'this is a great comfort,' said the tin woodman._"] "true," the tin woodman returned. "so, if you will allow me to join your party, i will also go to the emerald city and ask oz to help me." "come along," said the scarecrow, heartily; and dorothy added that she would be pleased to have his company. so the tin woodman shouldered his axe and they all passed through the forest until they came to the road that was paved with yellow brick. the tin woodman had asked dorothy to put the oil-can in her basket. "for," he said, "if i should get caught in the rain, and rust again, i would need the oil-can badly." it was a bit of good luck to have their new comrade join the party, for soon after they had begun their journey again they came to a place where the trees and branches grew so thick over the road that the travellers could not pass. but the tin woodman set to work with his axe and chopped so well that soon he cleared a passage for the entire party. dorothy was thinking so earnestly as they walked along that she did not notice when the scarecrow stumbled into a hole and rolled over to the side of the road. indeed, he was obliged to call to her to help him up again. "why didn't you walk around the hole?" asked the tin woodman. "i don't know enough," replied the scarecrow, cheerfully. "my head is stuffed with straw, you know, and that is why i am going to oz to ask him for some brains." "oh, i see;" said the tin woodman. "but, after all, brains are not the best things in the world." "have you any?" enquired the scarecrow. "no, my head is quite empty," answered the woodman; "but once i had brains, and a heart also; so, having tried them both, i should much rather have a heart." "and why is that?" asked the scarecrow. "i will tell you my story, and then you will know." so, while they were walking through the forest, the tin woodman told the following story: "i was born the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the forest and sold the wood for a living. when i grew up i too became a wood-chopper, and after my father died i took care of my old mother as long as she lived. then i made up my mind that instead of living alone i would marry, so that i might not become lonely. [illustration] "there was one of the munchkin girls who was so beautiful that i soon grew to love her with all my heart. she, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as i could earn enough money to build a better house for her; so i set to work harder than ever. but the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy she wished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and the housework. so the old woman went to the wicked witch of the east, and promised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. thereupon the wicked witch enchanted my axe, and when i was chopping away at my best one day, for i was anxious to get the new house and my wife as soon as possible, the axe slipped all at once and cut off my left leg. "this at first seemed a great misfortune, for i knew a one-legged man could not do very well as a wood-chopper. so i went to a tin-smith and had him make me a new leg out of tin. the leg worked very well, once i was used to it; but my action angered the wicked witch of the east, for she had promised the old woman i should not marry the pretty munchkin girl. when i began chopping again my axe slipped and cut off my right leg. again i went to the tinner, and again he made me a leg out of tin. after this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one after the other; but, nothing daunted, i had them replaced with tin ones. the wicked witch then made the axe slip and cut off my head, and at first i thought that was the end of me. but the tinner happened to come along, and he made me a new head out of tin. "i thought i had beaten the wicked witch then, and i worked harder than ever; but i little knew how cruel my enemy could be. she thought of a new way to kill my love for the beautiful munchkin maiden, and made my axe slip again, so that it cut right through my body, splitting me into two halves. once more the tinner came to my help and made me a body of tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means of joints, so that i could move around as well as ever. but, alas! i had now no heart, so that i lost all my love for the munchkin girl, and did not care whether i married her or not. i suppose she is still living with the old woman, waiting for me to come after her. [illustration] "my body shone so brightly in the sun that i felt very proud of it and it did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me. there was only one danger--that my joints would rust; but i kept an oil-can in my cottage and took care to oil myself whenever i needed it. however, there came a day when i forgot to do this, and, being caught in a rainstorm, before i thought of the danger my joints had rusted, and i was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me. it was a terrible thing to undergo, but during the year i stood there i had time to think that the greatest loss i had known was the loss of my heart. while i was in love i was the happiest man on earth; but no one can love who has not a heart, and so i am resolved to ask oz to give me one. if he does, i will go back to the munchkin maiden and marry her." both dorothy and the scarecrow had been greatly interested in the story of the tin woodman, and now they knew why he was so anxious to get a new heart. "all the same," said the scarecrow, "i shall ask for brains instead of a heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one." "i shall take the heart," returned the tin woodman; "for brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world." dorothy did not say anything, for she was puzzled to know which of her two friends was right, and she decided if she could only get back to kansas and aunt em it did not matter so much whether the woodman had no brains and the scarecrow no heart, or each got what he wanted. [illustration] what worried her most was that the bread was nearly gone, and another meal for herself and toto would empty the basket. to be sure neither the woodman nor the scarecrow ever ate anything, but she was not made of tin nor straw, and could not live unless she was fed. chapter vi. the cowardly lion. [illustration] [illustration: "_you ought to be ashamed of yourself!_"] [illustration] all this time dorothy and her companions had been walking through the thick woods. the road was still paved with yellow brick, but these were much covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the trees, and the walking was not at all good. there were few birds in this part of the forest, for birds love the open country where there is plenty of sunshine; but now and then there came a deep growl from some wild animal hidden among the trees. these sounds made the little girl's heart beat fast, for she did not know what made them; but toto knew, and he walked close to dorothy's side, and did not even bark in return. "how long will it be," the child asked of the tin woodman, "before we are out of the forest?" "i cannot tell," was the answer, "for i have never been to the emerald city. but my father went there once, when i was a boy, and he said it was a long journey through a dangerous country, although nearer to the city where oz dwells the country is beautiful. but i am not afraid so long as i have my oil-can, and nothing can hurt the scarecrow, while you bear upon your forehead the mark of the good witch's kiss, and that will protect you from harm." "but toto!" said the girl, anxiously; "what will protect him?" "we must protect him ourselves, if he is in danger," replied the tin woodman. just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the next moment a great lion bounded into the road. with one blow of his paw he sent the scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge of the road, and then he struck at the tin woodman with his sharp claws. but, to the lion's surprise, he could make no impression on the tin, although the woodman fell over in the road and lay still. little toto, now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking toward the lion, and the great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog, when dorothy, fearing toto would be killed, and heedless of danger, rushed forward and slapped the lion upon his nose as hard as she could, while she cried out: "don't you dare to bite toto! you ought to be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!" "i didn't bite him," said the lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw where dorothy had hit it. "no, but you tried to," she retorted. "you are nothing but a big coward." "i know it," said the lion, hanging his head in shame; "i've always known it. but how can i help it?" "i don't know, i'm sure. to think of your striking a stuffed man, like the poor scarecrow!" "is he stuffed?" asked the lion, in surprise, as he watched her pick up the scarecrow and set him upon his feet, while she patted him into shape again. "of course he's stuffed," replied dorothy, who was still angry. "that's why he went over so easily," remarked the lion. "it astonished me to see him whirl around so. is the other one stuffed, also?" "no," said dorothy, "he's made of tin." and she helped the woodman up again. "that's why he nearly blunted my claws," said the lion. "when they scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver run down my back. what is that little animal you are so tender of?" "he is my dog, toto," answered dorothy. "is he made of tin, or stuffed?" asked the lion. "neither. he's a--a--a meat dog," said the girl. "oh. he's a curious animal, and seems remarkably small, now that i look at him. no one would think of biting such a little thing except a coward like me," continued the lion, sadly. "what makes you a coward?" asked dorothy, looking at the great beast in wonder, for he was as big as a small horse. [illustration] "it's a mystery," replied the lion. "i suppose i was born that way. all the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for the lion is everywhere thought to be the king of beasts. i learned that if i roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and got out of my way. whenever i've met a man i've been awfully scared; but i just roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go. if the elephants and the tigers and the bears had ever tried to fight me, i should have run myself--i'm such a coward; but just as soon as they hear me roar they all try to get away from me, and of course i let them go." "but that isn't right. the king of beasts shouldn't be a coward," said the scarecrow. "i know it," returned the lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail; "it is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy. but whenever there is danger my heart begins to beat fast." "perhaps you have heart disease," said the tin woodman. "it may be," said the lion. "if you have," continued the tin woodman, "you ought to be glad, for it proves you have a heart. for my part, i have no heart; so i cannot have heart disease." "perhaps," said the lion, thoughtfully, "if i had no heart i should not be a coward." "have you brains?" asked the scarecrow. "i suppose so. i've never looked to see," replied the lion. "i am going to the great oz to ask him to give me some," remarked the scarecrow, "for my head is stuffed with straw." "and i am going to ask him to give me a heart," said the woodman. "and i am going to ask him to send toto and me back to kansas," added dorothy. "do you think oz could give me courage?" asked the cowardly lion. "just as easily as he could give me brains," said the scarecrow. "or give me a heart," said the tin woodman. "or send me back to kansas," said dorothy. "then, if you don't mind, i'll go with you," said the lion, "for my life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage." "you will be very welcome," answered dorothy, "for you will help to keep away the other wild beasts. it seems to me they must be more cowardly than you are if they allow you to scare them so easily." "they really are," said the lion; "but that doesn't make me any braver, and as long as i know myself to be a coward i shall be unhappy." so once more the little company set off upon the journey, the lion walking with stately strides at dorothy's side. toto did not approve this new comrade at first, for he could not forget how nearly he had been crushed between the lion's great jaws; but after a time he became more at ease, and presently toto and the cowardly lion had grown to be good friends. during the rest of that day there was no other adventure to mar the peace of their journey. once, indeed, the tin woodman stepped upon a beetle that was crawling along the road, and killed the poor little thing. this made the tin woodman very unhappy, for he was always careful not to hurt any living creature; and as he walked along he wept several tears of sorrow and regret. these tears ran slowly down his face and over the hinges of his jaw, and there they rusted. when dorothy presently asked him a question the tin woodman could not open his mouth, for his jaws were tightly rusted together. he became greatly frightened at this and made many motions to dorothy to relieve him, but she could not understand. the lion was also puzzled to know what was wrong. but the scarecrow seized the oil-can from dorothy's basket and oiled the woodman's jaws, so that after a few moments he could talk as well as before. [illustration] "this will serve me a lesson," said he, "to look where i step. for if i should kill another bug or beetle i should surely cry again, and crying rusts my jaw so that i cannot speak." thereafter he walked very carefully, with his eyes on the road, and when he saw a tiny ant toiling by he would step over it, so as not to harm it. the tin woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything. "you people with hearts," he said, "have something to guide you, and need never do wrong; but i have no heart, and so i must be very careful. when oz gives me a heart of course i needn't mind so much." chapter vii. the journey to the great oz. [illustration] [illustration] they were obliged to camp out that night under a large tree in the forest, for there were no houses near. the tree made a good, thick covering to protect them from the dew, and the tin woodman chopped a great pile of wood with his axe and dorothy built a splendid fire that warmed her and made her feel less lonely. she and toto ate the last of their bread, and now she did not know what they would do for breakfast. "if you wish," said the lion, "i will go into the forest and kill a deer for you. you can roast it by the fire, since your tastes are so peculiar that you prefer cooked food, and then you will have a very good breakfast." "don't! please don't," begged the tin woodman. "i should certainly weep if you killed a poor deer, and then my jaws would rust again." [illustration] but the lion went away into the forest and found his own supper, and no one ever knew what it was, for he didn't mention it. and the scarecrow found a tree full of nuts and filled dorothy's basket with them, so that she would not be hungry for a long time. she thought this was very kind and thoughtful of the scarecrow, but she laughed heartily at the awkward way in which the poor creature picked up the nuts. his padded hands were so clumsy and the nuts were so small that he dropped almost as many as he put in the basket. but the scarecrow did not mind how long it took him to fill the basket, for it enabled him to keep away from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his straw and burn him up. so he kept a good distance away from the flames, and only came near to cover dorothy with dry leaves when she lay down to sleep. these kept her very snug and warm and she slept soundly until morning. when it was daylight the girl bathed her face in a little rippling brook and soon after they all started toward the emerald city. this was to be an eventful day for the travellers. they had hardly been walking an hour when they saw before them a great ditch that crossed the road and divided the forest as far as they could see on either side. it was a very wide ditch, and when they crept up to the edge and looked into it they could see it was also very deep, and there were many big, jagged rocks at the bottom. the sides were so steep that none of them could climb down, and for a moment it seemed that their journey must end. "what shall we do?" asked dorothy, despairingly. "i haven't the faintest idea," said the tin woodman; and the lion shook his shaggy mane and looked thoughtful. but the scarecrow said: "we cannot fly, that is certain; neither can we climb down into this great ditch. therefore, if we cannot jump over it, we must stop where we are." "i think i could jump over it," said the cowardly lion, after measuring the distance carefully in his mind. "then we are all right," answered the scarecrow, "for you can carry us all over on your back, one at a time." "well, i'll try it," said the lion. "who will go first?" "i will," declared the scarecrow; "for, if you found that you could not jump over the gulf, dorothy would be killed, or the tin woodman badly dented on the rocks below. but if i am on your back it will not matter so much, for the fall would not hurt me at all." [illustration] "i am terribly afraid of falling, myself," said the cowardly lion, "but i suppose there is nothing to do but try it. so get on my back and we will make the attempt." the scarecrow sat upon the lion's back, and the big beast walked to the edge of the gulf and crouched down. "why don't you run and jump?" asked the scarecrow. "because that isn't the way we lions do these things," he replied. then giving a great spring, he shot through the air and landed safely on the other side. they were all greatly pleased to see how easily he did it, and after the scarecrow had got down from his back the lion sprang across the ditch again. dorothy thought she would go next; so she took toto in her arms and climbed on the lion's back, holding tightly to his mane with one hand. the next moment it seemed as if she was flying through the air; and then, before she had time to think about it, she was safe on the other side. the lion went back a third time and got the tin woodman, and then they all sat down for a few moments to give the beast a chance to rest, for his great leaps had made his breath short, and he panted like a big dog that has been running too long. [illustration] they found the forest very thick on this side, and it looked dark and gloomy. after the lion had rested they started along the road of yellow brick, silently wondering, each in his own mind, if ever they would come to the end of the woods and reach the bright sunshine again. to add to their discomfort, they soon heard strange noises in the depths of the forest, and the lion whispered to them that it was in this part of the country that the kalidahs lived. "what are the kalidahs?" asked the girl. "they are monstrous beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers," replied the lion; "and with claws so long and sharp that they could tear me in two as easily as i could kill toto. i'm terribly afraid of the kalidahs." "i'm not surprised that you are," returned dorothy "they must be dreadful beasts." the lion was about to reply when suddenly they came to another gulf across the road; but this one was so broad and deep that the lion knew at once he could not leap across it. so they sat down to consider what they should do, and after serious thought the scarecrow said, "here is a great tree, standing close to the ditch. if the tin woodman can chop it down, so that it will fall to the other side, we can walk across it easily." "that is a first rate idea," said the lion. "one would almost suspect you had brains in your head, instead of straw." the woodman set to work at once, and so sharp was his axe that the tree was soon chopped nearly through. then the lion put his strong front legs against the tree and pushed with all his might, and slowly the big tree tipped and fell with a crash across the ditch, with its top branches on the other side. they had just started to cross this queer bridge when a sharp growl made them all look up, and to their horror they saw running toward them two great beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers. "they are the kalidahs!" said the cowardly lion, beginning to tremble. "quick!" cried the scarecrow, "let us cross over." [illustration: "_the tree fell with a crash into the gulf._"] so dorothy went first, holding toto in her arms; the tin woodman followed, and the scarecrow came next. the lion, although he was certainly afraid, turned to face the kalidahs, and then he gave so loud and terrible a roar that dorothy screamed and the scarecrow fell over backwards, while even the fierce beasts stopped short and looked at him in surprise. but, seeing they were bigger than the lion, and remembering that there were two of them and only one of him, the kalidahs again rushed forward, and the lion crossed over the tree and turned to see what they would do next. without stopping an instant the fierce beasts also began to cross the tree, and the lion said to dorothy, "we are lost, for they will surely tear us to pieces with their sharp claws. but stand close behind me, and i will fight them as long as i am alive." "wait a minute!" called the scarecrow. he had been thinking what was best to be done, and now he asked the woodman to chop away the end of the tree that rested on their side of the ditch. the tin woodman began to use his axe at once, and, just as the two kalidahs were nearly across, the tree fell with a crash into the gulf, carrying the ugly, snarling brutes with it, and both were dashed to pieces on the sharp rocks at the bottom. "well," said the cowardly lion, drawing a long breath of relief, "i see we are going to live a little while longer, and i am glad of it, for it must be a very uncomfortable thing not to be alive. those creatures frightened me so badly that my heart is beating yet." "ah." said the tin woodman, sadly, "i wish i had a heart to beat." [illustration] this adventure made the travellers more anxious than ever to get out of the forest, and they walked so fast that dorothy became tired, and had to ride on the lion's back. to their great joy the trees became thinner the further they advanced, and in the afternoon they suddenly came upon a broad river, flowing swiftly just before them. on the other side of the water they could see the road of yellow brick running through a beautiful country, with green meadows dotted with bright flowers and all the road bordered with trees hanging full of delicious fruits. they were greatly pleased to see this delightful country before them. "how shall we cross the river?" asked dorothy. "that is easily done," replied the scarecrow. "the tin woodman must build us a raft, so we can float to the other side." so the woodman took his axe and began to chop down small trees to make a raft, and while he was busy at this the scarecrow found on the river bank a tree full of fine fruit. this pleased dorothy, who had eaten nothing but nuts all day, and she made a hearty meal of the ripe fruit. but it takes time to make a raft, even when one is as industrious and untiring as the tin woodman, and when night came the work was not done. so they found a cozy place under the trees where they slept well until the morning; and dorothy dreamed of the emerald city, and of the good wizard oz, who would soon send her back to her own home again. [illustration] chapter viii. the deadly poppy field. [illustration] [illustration] our little party of travellers awakened next morning refreshed and full of hope, and dorothy breakfasted like a princess off peaches and plums from the trees beside the river. behind them was the dark forest they had passed safely through, although they had suffered many discouragements; but before them was a lovely, sunny country that seemed to beckon them on to the emerald city. to be sure, the broad river now cut them off from this beautiful land; but the raft was nearly done, and after the tin woodman had cut a few more logs and fastened them together with wooden pins, they were ready to start. dorothy sat down in the middle of the raft and held toto in her arms. when the cowardly lion stepped upon the raft it tipped badly, for he was big and heavy; but the scarecrow and the tin woodman stood upon the other end to steady it, and they had long poles in their hands to push the raft through the water. they got along quite well at first, but when they reached the middle of the river the swift current swept the raft down stream, farther and farther away from the road of yellow brick; and the water grew so deep that the long poles would not touch the bottom. "this is bad," said the tin woodman, "for if we cannot get to the land we shall be carried into the country of the wicked witch of the west, and she will enchant us and make us her slaves." "and then i should get no brains," said the scarecrow. "and i should get no courage," said the cowardly lion. [illustration] "and i should get no heart," said the tin woodman. "and i should never get back to kansas," said dorothy. "we must certainly get to the emerald city if we can," the scarecrow continued, and he pushed so hard on his long pole that it stuck fast in the mud at the bottom of the river, and before he could pull it out again, or let go, the raft was swept away and the poor scarecrow left clinging to the pole in the middle of the river. "good bye!" he called after them, and they were very sorry to leave him; indeed, the tin woodman began to cry, but fortunately remembered that he might rust, and so dried his tears on dorothy's apron. of course this was a bad thing for the scarecrow. "i am now worse off than when i first met dorothy," he thought. "then, i was stuck on a pole in a cornfield, where i could make believe scare the crows, at any rate; but surely there is no use for a scarecrow stuck on a pole in the middle of a river. i am afraid i shall never have any brains, after all!" [illustration] down the stream the raft floated, and the poor scarecrow was left far behind. then the lion said: "something must be done to save us. i think i can swim to the shore and pull the raft after me, if you will only hold fast to the tip of my tail." [illustration] so he sprang into the water and the tin woodman caught fast hold of his tail, when the lion began to swim with all his might toward the shore. it was hard work, although he was so big; but by and by they were drawn out of the current, and then dorothy took the tin woodman's long pole and helped push the raft to the land. they were all tired out when they reached the shore at last and stepped off upon the pretty green grass, and they also knew that the stream had carried them a long way past the road of yellow brick that led to the emerald city. "what shall we do now?" asked the tin woodman, as the lion lay down on the grass to let the sun dry him. "we must get back to the road, in some way," said dorothy. "the best plan will be to walk along the river bank until we come to the road again," remarked the lion. so, when they were rested, dorothy picked up her basket and they started along the grassy bank, back to the road from which the river had carried them. it was a lovely country, with plenty of flowers and fruit trees and sunshine to cheer them, and had they not felt so sorry for the poor scarecrow they could have been very happy. they walked along as fast as they could, dorothy only stopping once to pick a beautiful flower; and after a time the tin woodman cried out, "look!" then they all looked at the river and saw the scarecrow perched upon his pole in the middle of the water, looking very lonely and sad. "what can we do to save him?" asked dorothy. the lion and the woodman both shook their heads, for they did not know. so they sat down upon the bank and gazed wistfully at the scarecrow until a stork flew by, which, seeing them, stopped to rest at the water's edge. "who are you, and where are you going?" asked the stork. "i am dorothy," answered the girl; "and these are my friends, the tin woodman and the cowardly lion; and we are going to the emerald city." "this isn't the road," said the stork, as she twisted her long neck and looked sharply at the queer party. "i know it," returned dorothy, "but we have lost the scarecrow, and are wondering how we shall get him again." "where is he?" asked the stork. "over there in the river," answered the girl. "if he wasn't so big and heavy i would get him for you," remarked the stork. "he isn't heavy a bit," said dorothy, eagerly, "for he is stuffed with straw; and if you will bring him back to us we shall thank you ever and ever so much." "well, i'll try," said the stork; "but if i find he is too heavy to carry i shall have to drop him in the river again." so the big bird flew into the air and over the water till she came to where the scarecrow was perched upon his pole. then the stork with her great claws grabbed the scarecrow by the arm and carried him up into the air and back to the bank, where dorothy and the lion and the tin woodman and toto were sitting. when the scarecrow found himself among his friends again he was so happy that he hugged them all, even the lion and toto; and as they walked along he sang "tol-de-ri-de-oh!" at every step, he felt so gay. "i was afraid i should have to stay in the river forever," he said, "but the kind stork saved me, and if i ever get any brains i shall find the stork again and do it some kindness in return." "that's all right," said the stork, who was flying along beside them. "i always like to help anyone in trouble. but i must go now, for my babies are waiting in the nest for me. i hope you will find the emerald city and that oz will help you." "thank you," replied dorothy, and then the kind stork flew into the air and was soon out of sight. [illustration: "_the stork carried him up into the air._"] they walked along listening to the singing of the bright-colored birds and looking at the lovely flowers which now became so thick that the ground was carpeted with them. there were big yellow and white and blue and purple blossoms, besides great clusters of scarlet poppies, which were so brilliant in color they almost dazzled dorothy's eyes. "aren't they beautiful?" the girl asked, as she breathed in the spicy scent of the flowers. "i suppose so," answered the scarecrow. "when i have brains i shall probably like them better." "if i only had a heart i should love them," added the tin woodman. "i always did like flowers," said the lion; "they seem so helpless and frail. but there are none in the forest so bright as these." they now came upon more and more of the big scarlet poppies, and fewer and fewer of the other flowers; and soon they found themselves in the midst of a great meadow of poppies. now it is well known that when there are many of these flowers together their odor is so powerful that anyone who breathes it falls asleep, and if the sleeper is not carried away from the scent of the flowers he sleeps on and on forever. but dorothy did not know this, nor could she get away from the bright red flowers that were everywhere about; so presently her eyes grew heavy and she felt she must sit down to rest and to sleep. but the tin woodman would not let her do this. "we must hurry and get back to the road of yellow brick before dark," he said; and the scarecrow agreed with him. so they kept walking until dorothy could stand no longer. her eyes closed in spite of herself and she forgot where she was and fell among the poppies, fast asleep. "what shall we do?" asked the tin woodman. "if we leave her here she will die," said the lion. "the smell of the flowers is killing us all. i myself can scarcely keep my eyes open and the dog is asleep already." it was true; toto had fallen down beside his little mistress. but the scarecrow and the tin woodman, not being made of flesh, were not troubled by the scent of the flowers. [illustration] "run fast," said the scarecrow to the lion, "and get out of this deadly flower-bed as soon as you can. we will bring the little girl with us, but if you should fall asleep you are too big to be carried." so the lion aroused himself and bounded forward as fast as he could go. in a moment he was out of sight. "let us make a chair with our hands, and carry her," said the scarecrow. so they picked up toto and put the dog in dorothy's lap, and then they made a chair with their hands for the seat and their arms for the arms and carried the sleeping girl between them through the flowers. on and on they walked, and it seemed that the great carpet of deadly flowers that surrounded them would never end. they followed the bend of the river, and at last came upon their friend the lion, lying fast asleep among the poppies. the flowers had been too strong for the huge beast and he had given up, at last, and fallen only a short distance from the end of the poppy-bed, where the sweet grass spread in beautiful green fields before them. "we can do nothing for him," said the tin woodman, sadly; "for he is much too heavy to lift. we must leave him here to sleep on forever, and perhaps he will dream that he has found courage at last." "i'm sorry," said the scarecrow; "the lion was a very good comrade for one so cowardly. but let us go on." they carried the sleeping girl to a pretty spot beside the river, far enough from the poppy field to prevent her breathing any more of the poison of the flowers, and here they laid her gently on the soft grass and waited for the fresh breeze to waken her. [illustration] chapter ix. the queen of the field mice. [illustration] [illustration] "we cannot be far from the road of yellow brick, now," remarked the scarecrow, as he stood beside the girl, "for we have come nearly as far as the river carried us away." the tin woodman was about to reply when he heard a low growl, and turning his head (which worked beautifully on hinges) he saw a strange beast come bounding over the grass towards them. it was, indeed, a great, yellow wildcat, and the woodman thought it must be chasing something, for its ears were lying close to its head and its mouth was wide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth, while its red eyes glowed like balls of fire. as it came nearer the tin woodman saw that running before the beast was a little gray field-mouse, and although he had no heart he knew it was wrong for the wildcat to try to kill such a pretty, harmless creature. so the woodman raised his axe, and as the wildcat ran by he gave it a quick blow that cut the beast's head clean off from its body, and it rolled over at his feet in two pieces. the field-mouse, now that it was freed from its enemy, stopped short; and coming slowly up to the woodman it said, in a squeaky little voice, "oh, thank you! thank you ever so much for saving my life." "don't speak of it, i beg of you," replied the woodman. "i have no heart, you know, so i am careful to help all those who may need a friend, even if it happens to be only a mouse." "only a mouse!" cried the little animal, indignantly; "why, i am a queen--the queen of all the field-mice!" "oh, indeed," said the woodman, making a bow. "therefore you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, in saving my life," added the queen. at that moment several mice were seen running up as fast as their little legs could carry them, and when they saw their queen they exclaimed, [illustration: "_permit me to introduce to you her majesty, the queen._"] "oh, your majesty, we thought you would be killed! how did you manage to escape the great wildcat?" and they all bowed so low to the little queen that they almost stood upon their heads. "this funny tin man," she answered, "killed the wildcat and saved my life. so hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest wish." "we will!" cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus. and then they scampered in all directions, for toto had awakened from his sleep, and seeing all these mice around him he gave one bark of delight and jumped right into the middle of the group. toto had always loved to chase mice when he lived in kansas, and he saw no harm in it. but the tin woodman caught the dog in his arms and held him tight, while he called to the mice: "come back! come back! toto shall not hurt you." at this the queen of the mice stuck her head out from a clump of grass and asked, in a timid voice, "are you sure he will not bite us?" "i will not let him," said the woodman; "so do not be afraid." [illustration] one by one the mice came creeping back, and toto did not bark again, although he tried to get out of the woodman's arms, and would have bitten him had he not known very well he was made of tin. finally one of the biggest mice spoke. "is there anything we can do," it asked, "to repay you for saving the life of our queen?" "nothing that i know of," answered the woodman; but the scarecrow, who had been trying to think, but could not because his head was stuffed with straw, said, quickly, "oh, yes; you can save our friend, the cowardly lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed." "a lion!" cried the little queen; "why, he would eat us all up." "oh, no;" declared the scarecrow; "this lion is a coward." "really?" asked the mouse. "he says so himself," answered the scarecrow, "and he would never hurt anyone who is our friend. if you will help us to save him i promise that he shall treat you all with kindness." "very well," said the queen, "we will trust you. but what shall we do?" "are there many of these mice which call you queen and are willing to obey you?" "oh, yes; there are thousands," she replied. "then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let each one bring a long piece of string." the queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go at once and get all her people. as soon as they heard her orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible. "now," said the scarecrow to the tin woodman, "you must go to those trees by the river-side and make a truck that will carry the lion." so the woodman went at once to the trees and began to work; and he soon made a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he chopped away all the leaves and branches. he fastened it together with wooden pegs and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree-trunk. so fast and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the truck was all ready for them. they came from all directions, and there were thousands of them: big mice and little mice and middle-sized mice; and each one brought a piece of string in his mouth. it was about this time that dorothy woke from her long sleep and opened her eyes. she was greatly astonished to find herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standing around and looking at her timidly. but the scarecrow told her about everything, and turning to the dignified little mouse, he said, "permit me to introduce to you her majesty, the queen." dorothy nodded gravely and the queen made a courtesy, after which she became quite friendly with the little girl. the scarecrow and the woodman now began to fasten the mice to the truck, using the strings they had brought. one end of a string was tied around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck. of course the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the mice who were to draw it; but when all the mice had been harnessed they were able to pull it quite easily. even the scarecrow and the tin woodman could sit on it, and were drawn swiftly by their queer little horses to the place where the lion lay asleep. [illustration] after a great deal of hard work, for the lion was heavy, they managed to get him up on the truck. then the queen hurriedly gave her people the order to start, for she feared if the mice stayed among the poppies too long they also would fall asleep. [illustration] at first the little creatures, many though they were, could hardly stir the heavily loaded truck; but the woodman and the scarecrow both pushed from behind, and they got along better. soon they rolled the lion out of the poppy bed to the green fields, where he could breathe the sweet, fresh air again, instead of the poisonous scent of the flowers. dorothy came to meet them and thanked the little mice warmly for saving her companion from death. she had grown so fond of the big lion she was glad he had been rescued. then the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered away through the grass to their homes. the queen of the mice was the last to leave. "if ever you need us again," she said, "come out into the field and call, and we shall hear you and come to your assistance. good bye!" "good bye!" they all answered, and away the queen ran, while dorothy held toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her. after this they sat down beside the lion until he should awaken; and the scarecrow brought dorothy some fruit from a tree near by, which she ate for her dinner. [illustration] chapter x. the guardian of the gate. [illustration] [illustration] it was some time before the cowardly lion awakened, for he had lain among the poppies a long while, breathing in their deadly fragrance; but when he did open his eyes and roll off the truck he was very glad to find himself still alive. "i ran as fast as i could," he said, sitting down and yawning; "but the flowers were too strong for me. how did you get me out?" then they told him of the field-mice, and how they had generously saved him from death; and the cowardly lion laughed, and said, "i have always thought myself very big and terrible; yet such small things as flowers came near to killing me, and such small animals as mice have saved my life. how strange it all is! but, comrades, what shall we do now?" "we must journey on until we find the road of yellow brick again," said dorothy; "and then we can keep on to the emerald city." so, the lion being fully refreshed, and feeling quite himself again, they all started upon the journey, greatly enjoying the walk through the soft, fresh grass; and it was not long before they reached the road of yellow brick and turned again toward the emerald city where the great oz dwelt. [illustration] the road was smooth and well paved, now, and the country about was beautiful; so that the travelers rejoiced in leaving the forest far behind, and with it the many dangers they had met in its gloomy shades. once more they could see fences built beside the road; but these were painted green, and when they came to a small house, in which a farmer evidently lived, that also was painted green. they passed by several of these houses during the afternoon, and sometimes people came to the doors and looked at them as if they would like to ask questions; but no one came near them nor spoke to them because of the great lion, of which they were much afraid. the people were all dressed in clothing of a lovely emerald green color and wore peaked hats like those of the munchkins. [illustration] "this must be the land of oz," said dorothy, "and we are surely getting near the emerald city." "yes," answered the scarecrow; "everything is green here, while in the country of the munchkins blue was the favorite color. but the people do not seem to be as friendly as the munchkins and i'm afraid we shall be unable to find a place to pass the night." "i should like something to eat besides fruit," said the girl, "and i'm sure toto is nearly starved. let us stop at the next house and talk to the people." so, when they came to a good sized farm house, dorothy walked boldly up to the door and knocked. a woman opened it just far enough to look out, and said, "what do you want, child, and why is that great lion with you?" "we wish to pass the night with you, if you will allow us," answered dorothy; "and the lion is my friend and comrade, and would not hurt you for the world." "is he tame?" asked the woman, opening the door a little wider. "oh, yes;" said the girl, "and he is a great coward, too; so that he will be more afraid of you than you are of him." "well," said the woman, after thinking it over and taking another peep at the lion, "if that is the case you may come in, and i will give you some supper and a place to sleep." so they all entered the house, where there were, besides the woman, two children and a man. the man had hurt his leg, and was lying on the couch in a corner. they seemed greatly surprised to see so strange a company, and while the woman was busy laying the table the man asked, "where are you all going?" "to the emerald city," said dorothy, "to see the great oz." "oh, indeed!" exclaimed the man. "are you sure that oz will see you?" "why not?" she replied. "why, it is said that he never lets any one come into his presence. i have been to the emerald city many times, and it is a beautiful and wonderful place; but i have never been permitted to see the great oz, nor do i know of any living person who has seen him." "does he never go out?" asked the scarecrow. "never. he sits day after day in the great throne room of his palace, and even those who wait upon him do not see him face to face." "what is he like?" asked the girl. "that is hard to tell," said the man, thoughtfully. "you see, oz is a great wizard, and can take on any form he wishes. so that some say he looks like a bird; and some say he looks like an elephant; and some say he looks like a cat. to others he appears as a beautiful fairy, or a brownie, or in any other form that pleases him. but who the real oz is, when he is in his own form, no living person can tell." "that is very strange," said dorothy; "but we must try, in some way, to see him, or we shall have made our journey for nothing." [illustration] "why do you wish to see the terrible oz?" asked the man. "i want him to give me some brains," said the scarecrow, eagerly. "oh, oz could do that easily enough," declared the man. "he has more brains than he needs." "and i want him to give me a heart," said the tin woodman. "that will not trouble him," continued the man, "for oz has a large collection of hearts, of all sizes and shapes." "and i want him to give me courage," said the cowardly lion. "oz keeps a great pot of courage in his throne room," said the man, "which he has covered with a golden plate, to keep it from running over. he will be glad to give you some." "and i want him to send me back to kansas," said dorothy. "where is kansas?" asked the man, in surprise. "i don't know," replied dorothy, sorrowfully; "but it is my home, and i'm sure it's somewhere." "very likely. well, oz can do anything; so i suppose he will find kansas for you. but first you must get to see him, and that will be a hard task; for the great wizard does not like to see anyone, and he usually has his own way. but what do you want?" he continued, speaking to toto. toto only wagged his tail; for, strange to say, he could not speak. [illustration: "_the lion ate some of the porridge._"] the woman now called to them that supper was ready, so they gathered around the table and dorothy ate some delicious porridge and a dish of scrambled eggs and a plate of nice white bread, and enjoyed her meal. the lion ate some of the porridge, but did not care for it, saying it was made from oats and oats were food for horses, not for lions. the scarecrow and the tin woodman ate nothing at all. toto ate a little of everything, and was glad to get a good supper again. the woman now gave dorothy a bed to sleep in, and toto lay down beside her, while the lion guarded the door of her room so she might not be disturbed. the scarecrow and the tin woodman stood up in a corner and kept quiet all night, although of course they could not sleep. the next morning, as soon as the sun was up, they started on their way, and soon saw a beautiful green glow in the sky just before them. "that must be the emerald city," said dorothy. as they walked on, the green glow became brighter and brighter, and it seemed that at last they were nearing the end of their travels. yet it was afternoon before they came to the great wall that surrounded the city. it was high, and thick, and of a bright green color. in front of them, and at the end of the road of yellow brick, was a big gate, all studded with emeralds that glittered so in the sun that even the painted eyes of the scarecrow were dazzled by their brilliancy. there was a bell beside the gate, and dorothy pushed the button and heard a silvery tinkle sound within. then the big gate swung slowly open, and they all passed through and found themselves in a high arched room, the walls of which glistened with countless emeralds. before them stood a little man about the same size as the munchkins. he was clothed all in green, from his head to his feet, and even his skin was of a greenish tint. at his side was a large green box. when he saw dorothy and her companions the man asked, "what do you wish in the emerald city?" "we came here to see the great oz," said dorothy. the man was so surprised at this answer that he sat down to think it over. "it has been many years since anyone asked me to see oz," he said, shaking his head in perplexity. "he is powerful and terrible, and if you come on an idle or foolish errand to bother the wise reflections of the great wizard, he might be angry and destroy you all in an instant." [illustration] "but it is not a foolish errand, nor an idle one," replied the scarecrow; "it is important. and we have been told that oz is a good wizard." "so he is," said the green man; "and he rules the emerald city wisely and well. but to those who are not honest, or who approach him from curiosity, he is most terrible, and few have ever dared ask to see his face. i am the guardian of the gates, and since you demand to see the great oz i must take you to his palace. but first you must put on the spectacles." "why?" asked dorothy. "because if you did not wear spectacles the brightness and glory of the emerald city would blind you. even those who live in the city must wear spectacles night and day. they are all locked on, for oz so ordered it when the city was first built, and i have the only key that will unlock them." [illustration] he opened the big box, and dorothy saw that it was filled with spectacles of every size and shape. all of them had green glasses in them. the guardian of the gates found a pair that would just fit dorothy and put them over her eyes. there were two golden bands fastened to them that passed around the back of her head, where they were locked together by a little key that was at the end of a chain the guardian of the gates wore around his neck. when they were on, dorothy could not take them off had she wished, but of course she did not want to be blinded by the glare of the emerald city, so she said nothing. then the green man fitted spectacles for the scarecrow and the tin woodman and the lion, and even on little toto; and all were locked fast with the key. then the guardian of the gates put on his own glasses and told them he was ready to show them to the palace. taking a big golden key from a peg on the wall he opened another gate, and they all followed him through the portal into the streets of the emerald city. chapter xi. the wonderful emerald city of oz. [illustration] even with eyes protected by the green spectacles dorothy and her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful city. the streets were lined with beautiful houses all built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. they walked over a pavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were joined together were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in the brightness of the sun. the window panes were of green glass; even the sky above the city had a green tint, and the rays of the sun were green. there were many people, men, women and children, walking about, and these were all dressed in green clothes and had greenish skins. they looked at dorothy and her strangely assorted company with wondering eyes, and the children all ran away and hid behind their mothers when they saw the lion; but no one spoke to them. many shops stood in the street, and dorothy saw that everything in them was green. green candy and green pop-corn were offered for sale, as well as green shoes, green hats and green clothes of all sorts. at one place a man was selling green lemonade, and when the children bought it dorothy could see that they paid for it with green pennies. there seemed to be no horses nor animals of any kind; the men carried things around in little green carts, which they pushed before them. everyone seemed happy and contented and prosperous. the guardian of the gates led them through the streets until they came to a big building, exactly in the middle of the city, which was the palace of oz, the great wizard. there was a soldier before the door, dressed in a green uniform and wearing a long green beard. "here are strangers," said the guardian of the gates to him, "and they demand to see the great oz." "step inside," answered the soldier, "and i will carry your message to him." so they passed through the palace gates and were led into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. the soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said, politely, "please make yourselves comfortable while i go to the door of the throne room and tell oz you are here." they had to wait a long time before the soldier returned. when, at last, he came back, dorothy asked, "have you seen oz?" [illustration] "oh, no;" returned the soldier; "i have never seen him. but i spoke to him as he sat behind his screen, and gave him your message. he says he will grant you an audience, if you so desire; but each one of you must enter his presence alone, and he will admit but one each day. therefore, as you must remain in the palace for several days, i will have you shown to rooms where you may rest in comfort after your journey." "thank you," replied the girl; "that is very kind of oz." the soldier now blew upon a green whistle, and at once a young girl, dressed in a pretty green silk gown, entered the room. she had lovely green hair and green eyes, and she bowed low before dorothy as she said, "follow me and i will show you your room." so dorothy said good-bye to all her friends except toto, and taking the dog in her arms followed the green girl through seven passages and up three flights of stairs until they came to a room at the front of the palace. it was the sweetest little room in the world, with a soft, comfortable bed that had sheets of green silk and a green velvet counterpane. there was a tiny fountain in the middle of the room, that shot a spray of green perfume into the air, to fall back into a beautifully carved green marble basin. beautiful green flowers stood in the windows, and there was a shelf with a row of little green books. when dorothy had time to open these books she found them full of queer green pictures that made her laugh, they were so funny. in a wardrobe were many green dresses, made of silk and satin and velvet; and all of them fitted dorothy exactly. "make yourself perfectly at home," said the green girl, "and if you wish for anything ring the bell. oz will send for you to-morrow morning." she left dorothy alone and went back to the others. these she also led to rooms, and each one of them found himself lodged in a very pleasant part of the palace. of course this politeness was wasted on the scarecrow; for when he found himself alone in his room he stood stupidly in one spot, just within the doorway, to wait till morning. it would not rest him to lie down, and he could not close his eyes; so he remained all night staring at a little spider which was weaving its web in a corner of the room, just as if it were not one of the most wonderful rooms in the world. the tin woodman lay down on his bed from force of habit, for he remembered when he was made of flesh; but not being able to sleep he passed the night moving his joints up and down to make sure they kept in good working order. the lion would have preferred a bed of dried leaves in the forest, and did not like being shut up in a room; but he had too much sense to let this worry him, so he sprang upon the bed and rolled himself up like a cat and purred himself asleep in a minute. the next morning, after breakfast, the green maiden came to fetch dorothy, and she dressed her in one of the prettiest gowns--made of green brocaded satin. dorothy put on a green silk apron and tied a green ribbon around toto's neck, and they started for the throne room of the great oz. [illustration] first they came to a great hall in which were many ladies and gentlemen of the court, all dressed in rich costumes. these people had nothing to do but talk to each other, but they always came to wait outside the throne room every morning, although they were never permitted to see oz. as dorothy entered they looked at her curiously, and one of them whispered, "are you really going to look upon the face of oz the terrible?" "of course," answered the girl, "if he will see me." "oh, he will see you," said the soldier who had taken her message to the wizard, "although he does not like to have people ask to see him. indeed, at first he was angry, and said i should send you back where you came from. then he asked me what you looked like, and when i mentioned your silver shoes he was very much interested. at last i told him about the mark upon your forehead, and he decided he would admit you to his presence." just then a bell rang, and the green girl said to dorothy, "that is the signal. you must go into the throne room alone." she opened a little door and dorothy walked boldly through and found herself in a wonderful place. it was a big, round room with a high arched roof, and the walls and ceiling and floor were covered with large emeralds set closely together. in the center of the roof was a great light, as bright as the sun, which made the emeralds sparkle in a wonderful manner. but what interested dorothy most was the big throne of green marble that stood in the middle of the room. it was shaped like a chair and sparkled with gems, as did everything else. in the center of the chair was an enormous head, without body to support it or any arms or legs whatever. there was no hair upon this head, but it had eyes and nose and mouth, and was bigger than the head of the biggest giant. as dorothy gazed upon this in wonder and fear the eyes turned slowly and looked at her sharply and steadily. then the mouth moved, and dorothy heard a voice say: "i am oz, the great and terrible. who are you, and why do you seek me?" it was not such an awful voice as she had expected to come from the big head; so she took courage and answered, "i am dorothy, the small and meek. i have come to you for help." the eyes looked at her thoughtfully for a full minute. then said the voice: "where did you get the silver shoes?" "i got them from the wicked witch of the east, when my house fell on her and killed her," she replied. "where did you get the mark upon your forehead?" continued the voice. "that is where the good witch of the north kissed me when she bade me good-bye and sent me to you," said the girl. again the eyes looked at her sharply, and they saw she was telling the truth. then oz asked, "what do you wish me to do?" "send me back to kansas, where my aunt em and uncle henry are," she answered, earnestly. "i don't like your country, although it is so beautiful. and i am sure aunt em will be dreadfully worried over my being away so long." the eyes winked three times, and then they turned up to the ceiling and down to the floor and rolled around so queerly that they seemed to see every part of the room. and at last they looked at dorothy again. "why should i do this for you?" asked oz. "because you are strong and i am weak; because you are a great wizard and i am only a helpless little girl," she answered. "but you were strong enough to kill the wicked witch of the east," said oz. "that just happened," returned dorothy, simply; "i could not help it." "well," said the head, "i will give you my answer. you have no right to expect me to send you back to kansas unless you do something for me in return. in this country everyone must pay for everything he gets. if you wish me to use my magic power to send you home again you must do something for me first. help me and i will help you." "what must i do?" asked the girl. "kill the wicked witch of the west," answered oz. "but i cannot!" exclaimed dorothy, greatly surprised. "you killed the witch of the east and you wear the silver shoes, which bear a powerful charm. there is now but one wicked witch left in all this land, and when you can tell me she is dead i will send you back to kansas--but not before." the little girl began to weep, she was so much disappointed; and the eyes winked again and looked upon her anxiously, as if the great oz felt that she could help him if she would. "i never killed anything, willingly," she sobbed; "and even if i wanted to, how could i kill the wicked witch? if you, who are great and terrible, cannot kill her yourself, how do you expect me to do it?" [illustration] "i do not know," said the head; "but that is my answer, and until the wicked witch dies you will not see your uncle and aunt again. remember that the witch is wicked--tremendously wicked--and ought to be killed. now go, and do not ask to see me again until you have done your task." sorrowfully dorothy left the throne room and went back where the lion and the scarecrow and the tin woodman were waiting to hear what oz had said to her. "there is no hope for me," she said, sadly, "for oz will not send me home until i have killed the wicked witch of the west; and that i can never do." her friends were sorry, but could do nothing to help her; so she went to her own room and lay down on the bed and cried herself to sleep. the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers came to the scarecrow and said, "come with me, for oz has sent for you." so the scarecrow followed him and was admitted into the great throne room, where he saw, sitting in the emerald throne, a most lovely lady. she was dressed in green silk gauze and wore upon her flowing green locks a crown of jewels. growing from her shoulders were wings, gorgeous in color and so light that they fluttered if the slightest breath of air reached them. when the scarecrow had bowed, as prettily as his straw stuffing would let him, before this beautiful creature, she looked upon him sweetly, and said, "i am oz, the great and terrible. who are you, and why do you seek me?" now the scarecrow, who had expected to see the great head dorothy had told him of, was much astonished; but he answered her bravely. "i am only a scarecrow, stuffed with straw. therefore i have no brains, and i come to you praying that you will put brains in my head instead of straw, so that i may become as much a man as any other in your dominions." "why should i do this for you?" asked the lady. "because you are wise and powerful, and no one else can help me," answered the scarecrow. "i never grant favors without some return," said oz; "but this much i will promise. if you will kill for me the wicked witch of the west i will bestow upon you a great many brains, and such good brains that you will be the wisest man in all the land of oz." "i thought you asked dorothy to kill the witch," said, the scarecrow, in surprise. [illustration] "so i did. i don't care who kills her. but until she is dead i will not grant your wish. now go, and do not seek me again until you have earned the brains you so greatly desire." the scarecrow went sorrowfully back to his friends and told them what oz had said; and dorothy was surprised to find that the great wizard was not a head, as she had seen him, but a lovely lady. "all the same," said the scarecrow, "she needs a heart as much as the tin woodman." on the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers came to the tin woodman and said, "oz has sent for you. follow me," so the tin woodman followed him and came to the great throne room. he did not know whether he would find oz a lovely lady or a head, but he hoped it would be the lovely lady. "for," he said to himself, "if it is the head, i am sure i shall not be given a heart, since a head has no heart of its own and therefore cannot feel for me. but if it is the lovely lady i shall beg hard for a heart, for all ladies are themselves said to be kindly hearted." but when the woodman entered the great throne room he saw neither the head nor the lady, for oz had taken the shape of a most terrible beast. it was nearly as big as an elephant, and the green throne seemed hardly strong enough to hold its weight. the beast had a head like that of a rhinoceros, only there were five eyes in its face. there were five long arms growing out of its body and it also had five long, slim legs. thick, woolly hair covered every part of it, and a more dreadful looking monster could not be imagined. it was fortunate the tin woodman had no heart at that moment, for it would have beat loud and fast from terror. but being only tin, the woodman was not at all afraid, although he was much disappointed. "i am oz, the great and terrible," spake the beast, in a voice that was one great roar. "who are you, and why do you seek me?" [illustration: "_the eyes looked at her thoughtfully._"] "i am a woodman, and made of tin. therefore i have no heart, and cannot love. i pray you to give me a heart that i may be as other men are." "why should i do this?" demanded the beast. "because i ask it, and you alone can grant my request," answered the woodman. oz gave a low growl at this, but said, gruffly, "if you indeed desire a heart, you must earn it." "how?" asked the woodman. "help dorothy to kill the wicked witch of the west," replied the beast. "when the witch is dead, come to me, and i will then give you the biggest and kindest and most loving heart in all the land of oz." so the tin woodman was forced to return sorrowfully to his friends and tell them of the terrible beast he had seen. they all wondered greatly at the many forms the great wizard could take upon himself, and the lion said, [illustration] "if he is a beast when i go to see him, i shall roar my loudest, and so frighten him that he will grant all i ask. and if he is the lovely lady, i shall pretend to spring upon her, and so compel her to do my bidding. and if he is the great head, he will be at my mercy; for i will roll this head all about the room until he promises to give us what we desire. so be of good cheer my friends for all will yet be well." the next morning the soldier with the green whiskers led the lion to the great throne room and bade him enter the presence of oz. the lion at once passed through the door, and glancing around saw, to his surprise, that before the throne was a ball of fire, so fierce and glowing he could scarcely bear to gaze upon it. his first thought was that oz had by accident caught on fire and was burning up; but, when he tried to go nearer, the heat was so intense that it singed his whiskers, and he crept back tremblingly to a spot nearer the door. then a low, quiet voice came from the ball of fire, and these were the words it spoke: [illustration] "i am oz, the great and terrible. who are you, and why do you seek me?" and the lion answered, "i am a cowardly lion, afraid of everything. i come to you to beg that you give me courage, so that in reality i may become the king of beasts, as men call me." "why should i give you courage?" demanded oz. "because of all wizards you are the greatest, and alone have power to grant my request," answered the lion. the ball of fire burned fiercely for a time, and the voice said, "bring me proof that the wicked witch is dead, and that moment i will give you courage. but so long as the witch lives you must remain a coward." the lion was angry at this speech, but could say nothing in reply, and while he stood silently gazing at the ball of fire it became so furiously hot that he turned tail and rushed from the room. he was glad to find his friends waiting for him, and told them of his terrible interview with the wizard. "what shall we do now?" asked dorothy, sadly. "there is only one thing we can do," returned the lion, "and that is to go to the land of the winkies, seek out the wicked witch, and destroy her." "but suppose we cannot?" said the girl. "then i shall never have courage," declared the lion. "and i shall never have brains," added the scarecrow. "and i shall never have a heart," spoke the tin woodman. "and i shall never see aunt em and uncle henry," said dorothy, beginning to cry. "be careful!" cried the green girl, "the tears will fall on your green silk gown, and spot it." so dorothy dried her eyes and said, "i suppose we must try it; but i am sure i do not want to kill anybody, even to see aunt em again." "i will go with you; but i'm too much of a coward to kill the witch," said the lion. "i will go too," declared the scarecrow; "but i shall not be of much help to you, i am such a fool." "i haven't the heart to harm even a witch," remarked the tin woodman; "but if you go i certainly shall go with you." therefore it was decided to start upon their journey the next morning, and the woodman sharpened his axe on a green grindstone and had all his joints properly oiled. the scarecrow stuffed himself with fresh straw and dorothy put new paint on his eyes that he might see better. the green girl, who was very kind to them, filled dorothy's basket with good things to eat, and fastened a little bell around toto's neck with a green ribbon. they went to bed quite early and slept soundly until daylight, when they were awakened by the crowing of a green cock that lived in the back yard of the palace, and the cackling of a hen that had laid a green egg. [illustration: "_the soldier with the green whiskers led them through the streets._"] chapter xii. the search for the wicked witch. [illustration] [illustration] the soldier with the green whiskers led them through the streets of the emerald city until they reached the room where the guardian of the gates lived. this officer unlocked their spectacles to put them back in his great box, and then he politely opened the gate for our friends. "which road leads to the wicked witch of the west?" asked dorothy. "there is no road," answered the guardian of the gates; "no one ever wishes to go that way." "how, then, are we to find her?" enquired the girl. [illustration] "that will be easy," replied the man; "for when she knows you are in the country of the winkies she will find you, and make you all her slaves." "perhaps not," said the scarecrow, "for we mean to destroy her." [illustration] "oh, that is different," said the guardian of the gates. "no one has ever destroyed her before, so i naturally thought she would make slaves of you, as she has of all the rest. but take care; for she is wicked and fierce, and may not allow you to destroy her. keep to the west, where the sun sets, and you cannot fail to find her." they thanked him and bade him good-bye, and turned toward the west, walking over fields of soft grass dotted here and there with daisies and buttercups. dorothy still wore the pretty silk dress she had put on in the palace, but now, to her surprise, she found it was no longer green, but pure white. the ribbon around toto's neck had also lost its green color and was as white as dorothy's dress. the emerald city was soon left far behind. as they advanced the ground became rougher and hillier, for there were no farms nor houses in this country of the west, and the ground was untilled. in the afternoon the sun shone hot in their faces, for there were no trees to offer them shade; so that before night dorothy and toto and the lion were tired, and lay down upon the grass and fell asleep, with the woodman and the scarecrow keeping watch. now the wicked witch of the west had but one eye, yet that was as powerful as a telescope, and could see everywhere. so, as she sat in the door of her castle, she happened to look around and saw dorothy lying asleep, with her friends all about her. they were a long distance off, but the wicked witch was angry to find them in her country; so she blew upon a silver whistle that hung around her neck. at once there came running to her from all directions a pack of great wolves. they had long legs and fierce eyes and sharp teeth. "go to those people," said the witch, "and tear them to pieces." "are you not going to make them your slaves?" asked the leader of the wolves. "no," she answered, "one is of tin, and one of straw; one is a girl and another a lion. none of them is fit to work, so you may tear them into small pieces." "very well," said the wolf, and he dashed away at full speed, followed by the others. it was lucky the scarecrow and the woodman were wide awake and heard the wolves coming. "this is my fight," said the woodman; "so get behind me and i will meet them as they come." he seized his axe, which he had made very sharp, and as the leader of the wolves came on the tin woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf's head from its body, so that it immediately died. as soon as he could raise his axe another wolf came up, and he also fell under the sharp edge of the tin woodman's weapon. there were forty wolves, and forty times a wolf was killed; so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the woodman. then he put down his axe and sat beside the scarecrow, who said, "it was a good fight, friend." they waited until dorothy awoke the next morning. the little girl was quite frightened when she saw the great pile of shaggy wolves, but the tin woodman told her all. she thanked him for saving them and sat down to breakfast, after which they started again upon their journey. [illustration] now this same morning the wicked witch came to the door of her castle and looked out with her one eye that could see afar off. she saw all her wolves lying dead, and the strangers still travelling through her country. this made her angrier than before, and she blew her silver whistle twice. straightway a great flock of wild crows came flying toward her, enough to darken the sky. and the wicked witch said to the king crow, "fly at once to the strangers; peck out their eyes and tear them to pieces." the wild crows flew in one great flock toward dorothy and her companions. when the little girl saw them coming she was afraid. but the scarecrow said, "this is my battle; so lie down beside me and you will not be harmed." so they all lay upon the ground except the scarecrow, and he stood up and stretched out his arms. and when the crows saw him they were frightened, as these birds always are by scarecrows, and did not dare to come any nearer. but the king crow said, "it is only a stuffed man. i will peck his eyes out." the king crow flew at the scarecrow, who caught it by the head and twisted its neck until it died. and then another crow flew at him, and the scarecrow twisted its neck also. there were forty crows, and forty times the scarecrow twisted a neck, until at last all were lying dead beside him. then he called to his companions to rise, and again they went upon their journey. when the wicked witch looked out again and saw all her crows lying in a heap, she got into a terrible rage, and blew three times upon her silver whistle. [illustration] forthwith there was heard a great buzzing in the air, and a swarm of black bees came flying towards her. "go to the strangers and sting them to death!" commanded the witch, and the bees turned and flew rapidly until they came to where dorothy and her friends were walking. but the woodman had seen them coming and the scarecrow had decided what to do. "take out my straw and scatter it over the little girl and the dog and the lion," he said to the woodman, "and the bees cannot sting them." this the woodman did, and as dorothy lay close beside the lion and held toto in her arms, the straw covered them entirely. the bees came and found no one but the woodman to sting, so they flew at him and broke off all their stings against the tin, without hurting the woodman at all. and as bees cannot live when their stings are broken that was the end of the black bees, and they lay scattered thick about the woodman, like little heaps of fine coal. then dorothy and the lion got up, and the girl helped the tin woodman put the straw back into the scarecrow again, until he was as good as ever. so they started upon their journey once more. the wicked witch was so angry when she saw her black bees in little heaps like fine coal that she stamped her foot and tore her hair and gnashed her teeth. and then she called a dozen of her slaves, who were the winkies, and gave them sharp spears, telling them to go to the strangers and destroy them. the winkies were not a brave people, but they had to do as they were told; so they marched away until they came near to dorothy. then the lion gave a great roar and sprang toward them, and the poor winkies were so frightened that they ran back as fast as they could. when they returned to the castle the wicked witch beat them well with a strap, and sent them back to their work, after which she sat down to think what she should do next. she could not understand how all her plans to destroy these strangers had failed; but she was a powerful witch, as well as a wicked one, and she soon made up her mind how to act. [illustration] there was, in her cupboard, a golden cap, with a circle of diamonds and rubies running round it. this golden cap had a charm. whoever owned it could call three times upon the winged monkeys, who would obey any order they were given. but no person could command these strange creatures more than three times. twice already the wicked witch had used the charm of the cap. once was when she had made the winkies her slaves, and set herself to rule over their country. the winged monkeys had helped her do this. the second time was when she had fought against the great oz himself, and driven him out of the land of the west. the winged monkeys had also helped her in doing this. only once more could she use this golden cap, for which reason she did not like to do so until all her other powers were exhausted. but now that her fierce wolves and her wild crows and her stinging bees were gone, and her slaves had been scared away by the cowardly lion, she saw there was only one way left to destroy dorothy and her friends. [illustration] so the wicked witch took the golden cap from her cupboard and placed it upon her head. then she stood upon her left foot and said, slowly, "ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!" next she stood upon her right foot and said, "hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!" after this she stood upon both feet and cried in a loud voice, "ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!" now the charm began to work. the sky was darkened, and a low rumbling sound was heard in the air. there was a rushing of many wings; a great chattering and laughing; and the sun came out of the dark sky to show the wicked witch surrounded by a crowd of monkeys, each with a pair of immense and powerful wings on his shoulders. one, much bigger than the others, seemed to be their leader. he flew close to the witch and said, "you have called us for the third and last time. what do you command?" "go to the strangers who are within my land and destroy them all except the lion," said the wicked witch. "bring that beast to me, for i have a mind to harness him like a horse, and make him work." "your commands shall be obeyed," said the leader; and then, with a great deal of chattering and noise, the winged monkeys flew away to the place where dorothy and her friends were walking. [illustration] some of the monkeys seized the tin woodman and carried him through the air until they were over a country thickly covered with sharp rocks. here they dropped the poor woodman, who fell a great distance to the rocks, where he lay so battered and dented that he could neither move nor groan. others of the monkeys caught the scarecrow, and with their long fingers pulled all of the straw out of his clothes and head. they made his hat and boots and clothes into a small bundle and threw it into the top branches of a tall tree. the remaining monkeys threw pieces of stout rope around the lion and wound many coils about his body and head and legs, until he was unable to bite or scratch or struggle in any way. then they lifted him up and flew away with him to the witch's castle, where he was placed in a small yard with a high iron fence around it, so that he could not escape. but dorothy they did not harm at all. she stood, with toto in her arms, watching the sad fate of her comrades and thinking it would soon be her turn. the leader of the winged monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly; but he saw the mark of the good witch's kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her. [illustration: "_the monkeys wound many coils about his body._"] "we dare not harm this little girl," he said to them, "for she is protected by the power of good, and that is greater than the power of evil. all we can do is to carry her to the castle of the wicked witch and leave her there." so, carefully and gently, they lifted dorothy in their arms and carried her swiftly through the air until they came to the castle, where they set her down upon the front door step. then the leader said to the witch, "we have obeyed you as far as we were able. the tin woodman and the scarecrow are destroyed, and the lion is tied up in your yard. the little girl we dare not harm, nor the dog she carries in her arms. your power over our band is now ended, and you will never see us again." then all the winged monkeys, with much laughing and chattering and noise, flew into the air and were soon out of sight. [illustration] the wicked witch was both surprised and worried when she saw the mark on dorothy's forehead, for she knew well that neither the winged monkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way. she looked down at dorothy's feet, and seeing the silver shoes, began to tremble with fear, for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them. at first the witch was tempted to run away from dorothy; but she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind them was, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power the silver shoes gave her. so the wicked witch laughed to herself, and thought, "i can still make her my slave, for she does not know how to use her power." then she said to dorothy, harshly and severely, "come with me; and see that you mind everything i tell you, for if you do not i will make an end of you, as i did of the tin woodman and the scarecrow." dorothy followed her through many of the beautiful rooms in her castle until they came to the kitchen, where the witch bade her clean the pots and kettles and sweep the floor and keep the fire fed with wood. dorothy went to work meekly, with her mind made up to work as hard as she could; for she was glad the wicked witch had decided not to kill her. with dorothy hard at work the witch thought she would go into the court-yard and harness the cowardly lion like a horse; it would amuse her, she was sure, to make him draw her chariot whenever she wished to go to drive. but as she opened the gate the lion gave a loud roar and bounded at her so fiercely that the witch was afraid, and ran out and shut the gate again. "if i cannot harness you," said the witch to the lion, speaking through the bars of the gate, "i can starve you. you shall have nothing to eat until you do as i wish." so after that she took no food to the imprisoned lion; but every day she came to the gate at noon and asked, "are you ready to be harnessed like a horse?" and the lion would answer, "no. if you come in this yard i will bite you." the reason the lion did not have to do as the witch wished was that every night, while the woman was asleep dorothy carried him food from the cupboard. after he had eaten he would lie down on his bed of straw, and dorothy would lie beside him and put her head on his soft, shaggy mane, while they talked of their troubles and tried to plan some way to escape. but they could find no way to get out of the castle, for it was constantly guarded by the yellow winkies, who were the slaves of the wicked witch and too afraid of her not to do as she told them. the girl had to work hard during the day, and often the witch threatened to beat her with the same old umbrella she always carried in her hand. but, in truth, she did not dare to strike dorothy, because of the mark upon her forehead. the child did not know this, and was full of fear for herself and toto. once the witch struck toto a blow with her umbrella and the brave little dog flew at her and bit her leg, in return. the witch did not bleed where she was bitten, for she was so wicked that the blood in her had dried up many years before. dorothy's life became very sad as she grew to understand that it would be harder than ever to get back to kansas and aunt em again. sometimes she would cry bitterly for hours, with toto sitting at her feet and looking into her face, whining dismally to show how sorry he was for his little mistress. toto did not really care whether he was in kansas or the land of oz so long as dorothy was with him; but he knew the little girl was unhappy, and that made him unhappy too. now the wicked witch had a great longing to have for her own the silver shoes which the girl always wore. her bees and her crows and her wolves were lying in heaps and drying up, and she had used up all the power of the golden cap; but if she could only get hold of the silver shoes they would give her more power than all the other things she had lost. she watched dorothy carefully, to see if she ever took off her shoes, thinking she might steal them. but the child was so proud of her pretty shoes that she never took them off except at night and when she took her bath. the witch was too much afraid of the dark to dare go in dorothy's room at night to take the shoes, and her dread of water was greater than her fear of the dark, so she never came near when dorothy was bathing. indeed, the old witch never touched water, nor ever let water touch her in any way. but the wicked creature was very cunning, and she finally thought of a trick that would give her what she wanted. she placed a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor, and then by her magic arts made the iron invisible to human eyes. so that when dorothy walked across the floor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell at full length. she was not much hurt, but in her fall one of the silver shoes came off, and before she could reach it the witch had snatched it away and put it on her own skinny foot. the wicked woman was greatly pleased with the success of her trick, for as long as she had one of the shoes she owned half the power of their charm, and dorothy could not use it against her, even had she known how to do so. [illustration] the little girl, seeing she had lost one of her pretty shoes, grew angry, and said to the witch, "give me back my shoe!" "i will not," retorted the witch, "for it is now my shoe, and not yours." "you are a wicked creature!" cried dorothy. "you have no right to take my shoe from me." "i shall keep it, just the same," said the witch, laughing at her, "and some day i shall get the other one from you, too." this made dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near and dashed it over the witch, wetting her from head to foot. instantly the wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear; and then, as dorothy looked at her in wonder, the witch began to shrink and fall away. "see what you have done!" she screamed. "in a minute i shall melt away." "i'm very sorry, indeed," said dorothy, who was truly frightened to see the witch actually melting away like brown sugar before her very eyes. "didn't you know water would be the end of me?" asked the witch, in a wailing, despairing voice. "of course not," answered dorothy; "how should i?" "well, in a few minutes i shall be all melted, and you will have the castle to yourself. i have been wicked in my day, but i never thought a little girl like you would ever be able to melt me and end my wicked deeds. look out--here i go!" with these words the witch fell down in a brown, melted, shapeless mass and began to spread over the clean boards of the kitchen floor. seeing that she had really melted away to nothing, dorothy drew another bucket of water and threw it over the mess. she then swept it all out the door. after picking out the silver shoe, which was all that was left of the old woman, she cleaned and dried it with a cloth, and put it on her foot again. then, being at last free to do as she chose, she ran out to the court-yard to tell the lion that the wicked witch of the west had come to an end, and that they were no longer prisoners in a strange land. [illustration] chapter xiii. the rescue [illustration] [illustration] the cowardly lion was much pleased to hear that the wicked witch had been melted by a bucket of water, and dorothy at once unlocked the gate of his prison and set him free. they went in together to the castle, where dorothy's first act was to call all the winkies together and tell them that they were no longer slaves. there was great rejoicing among the yellow winkies, for they had been made to work hard during many years for the wicked witch, who had always treated them with great cruelty. they kept this day as a holiday, then and ever after, and spent the time in feasting and dancing. "if our friends, the scarecrow and the tin woodman, were only with us," said the lion, "i should be quite happy." "don't you suppose we could rescue them?" asked the girl, anxiously. "we can try," answered the lion. so they called the yellow winkies and asked them if they would help to rescue their friends, and the winkies said that they would be delighted to do all in their power for dorothy, who had set them free from bondage. so she chose a number of the winkies who looked as if they knew the most, and they all started away. they travelled that day and part of the next until they came to the rocky plain where the tin woodman lay, all battered and bent. his axe was near him, but the blade was rusted and the handle broken off short. the winkies lifted him tenderly in their arms, and carried him back to the yellow castle again, dorothy shedding a few tears by the way at the sad plight of her old friend, and the lion looking sober and sorry. when they reached the castle dorothy said to the winkies, "are any of your people tinsmiths?" "oh, yes; some of us are very good tinsmiths," they told her. "then bring them to me," she said. and when the tinsmiths came, bringing with them all their tools in baskets, she enquired, [illustration: "_the tinsmiths worked for three days and four nights._"] "can you straighten out those dents in the tin woodman, and bend him back into shape again, and solder him together where he is broken?" the tinsmiths looked the woodman over carefully and then answered that they thought they could mend him so he would be as good as ever. so they set to work in one of the big yellow rooms of the castle and worked for three days and four nights, hammering and twisting and bending and soldering and polishing and pounding at the legs and body and head of the tin woodman, until at last he was straightened out into his old form, and his joints worked as well as ever. to be sure, there were several patches on him, but the tinsmiths did a good job, and as the woodman was not a vain man he did not mind the patches at all. when, at last, he walked into dorothy's room and thanked her for rescuing him, he was so pleased that he wept tears of joy, and dorothy had to wipe every tear carefully from his face with her apron, so his joints would not be rusted. at the same time her own tears fell thick and fast at the joy of meeting her old friend again, and these tears did not need to be wiped away. as for the lion, he wiped his eyes so often with the tip of his tail that it became quite wet, and he was obliged to go out into the court-yard and hold it in the sun till it dried. "if we only had the scarecrow with us again," said the tin woodman, when dorothy had finished telling him everything that had happened, "i should be quite happy." "we must try to find him," said the girl. so she called the winkies to help her, and they walked all that day and part of the next until they came to the tall tree in the branches of which the winged monkeys had tossed the scarecrow's clothes. it was a very tall tree, and the trunk was so smooth that no one could climb it; but the woodman said at once, "i'll chop it down, and then we can get the scarecrow's clothes." now while the tinsmiths had been at work mending the woodman himself, another of the winkies, who was a goldsmith, had made an axe-handle of solid gold and fitted it to the woodman's axe, instead of the old broken handle. others polished the blade until all the rust was removed and it glistened like burnished silver. as soon as he had spoken, the tin woodman began to chop, and in a short time the tree fell over with a crash, when the scarecrow's clothes fell out of the branches and rolled off on the ground. dorothy picked them up and had the winkies carry them back to the castle, where they were stuffed with nice, clean straw; and, behold! here was the scarecrow, as good as ever, thanking them over and over again for saving him. now they were reunited, dorothy and her friends spent a few happy days at the yellow castle, where they found everything they needed to make them comfortable. but one day the girl thought of aunt em, and said, "we must go back to oz, and claim his promise." "yes," said the woodman, "at last i shall get my heart." "and i shall get my brains," added the scarecrow, joyfully. "and i shall get my courage," said the lion, thoughtfully. "and i shall get back to kansas," cried dorothy, clapping her hands. "oh, let us start for the emerald city to-morrow!" [illustration] this they decided to do. the next day they called the winkies together and bade them good-bye. the winkies were sorry to have them go, and they had grown so fond of the tin woodman that they begged him to stay and rule over them and the yellow land of the west. finding they were determined to go, the winkies gave toto and the lion each a golden collar; and to dorothy they presented a beautiful bracelet, studded with diamonds; and to the scarecrow they gave a gold-headed walking stick, to keep him from stumbling; and to the tin woodman they offered a silver oil-can, inlaid with gold and set with precious jewels. every one of the travellers made the winkies a pretty speech in return, and all shook hands with them until their arms ached. dorothy went to the witch's cupboard to fill her basket with food for the journey, and there she saw the golden cap. she tried it on her own head and found that it fitted her exactly. she did not know anything about the charm of the golden cap, but she saw that it was pretty, so she made up her mind to wear it and carry her sunbonnet in the basket. then, being prepared for the journey, they all started for the emerald city; and the winkies gave them three cheers and many good wishes to carry with them. chapter xiv. the winged monkeys [illustration] [illustration] you will remember there was no road--not even a pathway--between the castle of the wicked witch and the emerald city. when the four travellers went in search of the witch she had seen them coming, and so sent the winged monkeys to bring them to her. it was much harder to find their way back through the big fields of buttercups and yellow daisies than it was being carried. they knew, of course, they must go straight east, toward the rising sun; and they started off in the right way. but at noon, when the sun was over their heads, they did not know which was east and which was west, and that was the reason they were lost in the great fields. they kept on walking, however, and at night the moon came out and shone brightly. so they lay down among the sweet smelling yellow flowers and slept soundly until morning--all but the scarecrow and the tin woodman. the next morning the sun was behind a cloud, but they started on, as if they were quite sure which way they were going. "if we walk far enough," said dorothy, "we shall sometime come to some place, i am sure." but day by day passed away, and they still saw nothing before them but the yellow fields. the scarecrow began to grumble a bit. "we have surely lost our way," he said, "and unless we find it again in time to reach the emerald city i shall never get my brains." "nor i my heart," declared the tin woodman. "it seems to me i can scarcely wait till i get to oz, and you must admit this is a very long journey." "you see," said the cowardly lion, with a whimper, "i haven't the courage to keep tramping forever, without getting anywhere at all." [illustration] then dorothy lost heart. she sat down on the grass and looked at her companions, and they sat down and looked at her, and toto found that for the first time in his life he was too tired to chase a butterfly that flew past his head; so he put out his tongue and panted and looked at dorothy as if to ask what they should do next. "suppose we call the field mice," she suggested. "they could probably tell us the way to the emerald city." "to be sure they could," cried the scarecrow; "why didn't we think of that before?" dorothy blew the little whistle she had always carried about her neck since the queen of the mice had given it to her. in a few minutes they heard the pattering of tiny feet, and many of the small grey mice came running up to her. among them was the queen herself, who asked, in her squeaky little voice, "what can i do for my friends?" "we have lost our way," said dorothy. "can you tell us where the emerald city is?" [illustration] "certainly," answered the queen; "but it is a great way off, for you have had it at your backs all this time." then she noticed dorothy's golden cap, and said, "why don't you use the charm of the cap, and call the winged monkeys to you? they will carry you to the city of oz in less than an hour." "i didn't know there was a charm," answered dorothy, in surprise. "what is it?" "it is written inside the golden cap," replied the queen of the mice; "but if you are going to call the winged monkeys we must run away, for they are full of mischief and think it great fun to plague us." "won't they hurt me?" asked the girl, anxiously. "oh, no; they must obey the wearer of the cap. good-bye!" and she scampered out of sight, with all the mice hurrying after her. dorothy looked inside the golden cap and saw some words written upon the lining. these, she thought, must be the charm, so she read the directions carefully and put the cap upon her head. "ep-pe, pep-pe, kak-ke!" she said, standing on her left foot. "what did you say?" asked the scarecrow, who did not know what she was doing. "hil-lo, hol-lo, hel-lo!" dorothy went on, standing this time on her right foot. "hello!" replied the tin woodman, calmly. [illustration: "_the monkeys caught dorothy in their arms and flew away with her._"] "ziz-zy, zuz-zy, zik!" said dorothy, who was now standing on both feet. this ended the saying of the charm, and they heard a great chattering and flapping of wings, as the band of winged monkeys flew up to them. the king bowed low before dorothy, and asked, "what is your command?" "we wish to go to the emerald city," said the child, "and we have lost our way." "we will carry you," replied the king, and no sooner had he spoken than two of the monkeys caught dorothy in their arms and flew away with her. others took the scarecrow and the woodman and the lion, and one little monkey seized toto and flew after them, although the dog tried hard to bite him. the scarecrow and the tin woodman were rather frightened at first, for they remembered how badly the winged monkeys had treated them before; but they saw that no harm was intended, so they rode through the air quite cheerfully, and had a fine time looking at the pretty gardens and woods far below them. dorothy found herself riding easily between two of the biggest monkeys, one of them the king himself. they had made a chair of their hands and were careful not to hurt her. "why do you have to obey the charm of the golden cap?" she asked. "that is a long story," answered the king, with a laugh; "but as we have a long journey before us i will pass the time by telling you about it, if you wish." "i shall be glad to hear it," she replied. "once," began the leader, "we were a free people, living happily in the great forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit, and doing just as we pleased without calling anybody master. perhaps some of us were rather too full of mischief at times, flying down to pull the tails of the animals that had no wings, chasing birds, and throwing nuts at the people who walked in the forest. but we were careless and happy and full of fun, and enjoyed every minute of the day. this was many years ago, long before oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land. "there lived here then, away at the north, a beautiful princess, who was also a powerful sorceress. all her magic was used to help the people, and she was never known to hurt anyone who was good. her name was gayelette, and she lived in a handsome palace built from great blocks of ruby. everyone loved her, but her greatest sorrow was that she could find no one to love in return, since all the men were much too stupid and ugly to mate with one so beautiful and wise. at last, however, she found a boy who was handsome and manly and wise beyond his years. gayelette made up her mind that when he grew to be a man she would make him her husband, so she took him to her ruby palace and used all her magic powers to make him as strong and good and lovely as any woman could wish. when he grew to manhood, quelala, as he was called, was said to be the best and wisest man in all the land, while his manly beauty was so great that gayelette loved him dearly, and hastened to make everything ready for the wedding. "my grandfather was at that time the king of the winged monkeys which lived in the forest near gayalette's palace, and the old fellow loved a joke better than a good dinner. one day, just before the wedding, my grandfather was flying out with his band when he saw quelala walking beside the river. he was dressed in a rich costume of pink silk and purple velvet, and my grandfather thought he would see what he could do. at his word the band flew down and seized quelala, carried him in their arms until they were over the middle of the river, and then dropped him into the water. "'swim out, my fine fellow,'" cried my grandfather, "'and see if the water has spotted your clothes.'" quelala was much too wise not to swim, and he was not in the least spoiled by all his good fortune. he laughed, when he came to the top of the water, and swam in to shore. but when gayelette came running out to him she found his silks and velvet all ruined by the river. [illustration] "the princess was very angry, and she knew, of course, who did it. she had all the winged monkeys brought before her, and she said at first that their wings should be tied and they should be treated as they had treated quelala, and dropped in the river. but my grandfather pleaded hard, for he knew the monkeys would drown in the river with their wings tied, and quelala said a kind word for them also; so that gayelette finally spared them, on condition that the winged monkeys should ever after do three times the bidding of the owner of the golden cap. this cap had been made for a wedding present to quelala, and it is said to have cost the princess half her kingdom. of course my grandfather and all the other monkeys at once agreed to the condition, and that is how it happens that we are three times the slaves of the owner of the golden cap, whomsoever he may be." "and what became of them?" asked dorothy, who had been greatly interested in the story. "quelala being the first owner of the golden cap," replied the monkey, "he was the first to lay his wishes upon us. as his bride could not bear the sight of us, he called us all to him in the forest after he had married her and ordered us to always keep where she could never again set eyes on a winged monkey, which we were glad to do, for we were all afraid of her. "this was all we ever had to do until the golden cap fell into the hands of the wicked witch of the west, who made us enslave the winkies, and afterward drive oz himself out of the land of the west. now the golden cap is yours, and three times you have the right to lay your wishes upon us." as the monkey king finished his story dorothy looked down and saw the green, shining walls of the emerald city before them. she wondered at the rapid flight of the monkeys, but was glad the journey was over. the strange creatures set the travellers down carefully before the gate of the city, the king bowed low to dorothy, and then flew swiftly away, followed by all his band. "that was a good ride," said the little girl. "yes, and a quick way out of our troubles." replied the lion. "how lucky it was you brought away that wonderful cap!" [illustration] chapter xv. the discovery of oz, the terrible. [illustration] [illustration] the four travellers walked up to the great gate of the emerald city and rang the bell. after ringing several times it was opened by the same guardian of the gate they had met before. "what! are you back again?" he asked, in surprise. "do you not see us?" answered the scarecrow. "but i thought you had gone to visit the wicked witch of the west." "we did visit her," said the scarecrow. "and she let you go again?" asked the man, in wonder. "she could not help it, for she is melted," explained the scarecrow. "melted! well, that is good news, indeed," said the man. "who melted her?" "it was dorothy," said the lion, gravely. "good gracious!" exclaimed the man, and he bowed very low indeed before her. then he led them into his little room and locked the spectacles from the great box on all their eyes, just as he had done before. afterward they passed on through the gate into the emerald city, and when the people heard from the guardian of the gate that they had melted the wicked witch of the west they all gathered around the travellers and followed them in a great crowd to the palace of oz. the soldier with the green whiskers was still on guard before the door, but he let them in at once and they were again met by the beautiful green girl, who showed each of them to their old rooms at once, so they might rest until the great oz was ready to receive them. the soldier had the news carried straight to oz that dorothy and the other travellers had come back again, after destroying the wicked witch; but oz made no reply. they thought the great wizard would send for them at once, but he did not. they had no word from him the next day, nor the next, nor the next. the waiting was tiresome and wearing, and at last they grew vexed that oz should treat them in so poor a fashion, after sending them to undergo hardships and slavery. so the scarecrow at last asked the green girl to take another message to oz, saying if he did not let them in to see him at once they would call the winged monkeys to help them, and find out whether he kept his promises or not. when the wizard was given this message he was so frightened that he sent word for them to come to the throne room at four minutes after nine o'clock the next morning. he had once met the winged monkeys in the land of the west, and he did not wish to meet them again. the four travellers passed a sleepless night, each thinking of the gift oz had promised to bestow upon him. dorothy fell asleep only once, and then she dreamed she was in kansas, where aunt em was telling her how glad she was to have her little girl at home again. promptly at nine o'clock the next morning the green whiskered soldier came to them, and four minutes later they all went into the throne room of the great oz. of course each one of them expected to see the wizard in the shape he had taken before, and all were greatly surprised when they looked about and saw no one at all in the room. they kept close to the door and closer to one another, for the stillness of the empty room was more dreadful than any of the forms they had seen oz take. [illustration] presently they heard a voice, seeming to come from somewhere near the top of the great dome, and it said, solemnly. "i am oz, the great and terrible. why do you seek me?" they looked again in every part of the room, and then, seeing no one, dorothy asked, "where are you?" "i am everywhere," answered the voice, "but to the eyes of common mortals i am invisible. i will now seat myself upon my throne, that you may converse with me." indeed, the voice seemed just then to come straight from the throne itself; so they walked toward it and stood in a row while dorothy said: "we have come to claim our promise, o oz." "what promise?" asked oz. "you promised to send me back to kansas when the wicked witch was destroyed," said the girl. "and you promised to give me brains," said the scarecrow. "and you promised to give me a heart," said the tin woodman. "and you promised to give me courage," said the cowardly lion. "is the wicked witch really destroyed?" asked the voice, and dorothy thought it trembled a little. "yes," she answered, "i melted her with a bucket of water." "dear me," said the voice; "how sudden! well, come to me to-morrow, for i must have time to think it over." "you've had plenty of time already," said the tin woodman, angrily. "we shan't wait a day longer," said the scarecrow. "you must keep your promises to us!" exclaimed dorothy. the lion thought it might be as well to frighten the wizard, so he gave a large, loud roar, which was so fierce and dreadful that toto jumped away from him in alarm and tipped over the screen that stood in a corner. as it fell with a crash they looked that way, and the next moment all of them were filled with wonder. for they saw, standing in just the spot the screen had hidden, a little, old man, with a bald head and a wrinkled face, who seemed to be as much surprised as they were. the tin woodman, raising his axe, rushed toward the little man and cried out, [illustration] "who are you?" "i am oz, the great and terrible," said the little man, in a trembling voice, "but don't strike me--please don't!--and i'll do anything you want me to." our friends looked at him in surprise and dismay. "i thought oz was a great head," said dorothy. "and i thought oz was a lovely lady," said the scarecrow. "and i thought oz was a terrible beast," said the tin woodman. "and i thought oz was a ball of fire," exclaimed the lion. "no; you are all wrong," said the little man, meekly. "i have been making believe." "making believe!" cried dorothy. "are you not a great wizard?" "hush, my dear," he said; "don't speak so loud, or you will be overheard--and i should be ruined. i'm supposed to be a great wizard." "and aren't you?" she asked. "not a bit of it, my dear; i'm just a common man." "you're more than that," said the scarecrow, in a grieved tone; "you're a humbug." "exactly so!" declared the little man, rubbing his hands together as if it pleased him; "i am a humbug." "but this is terrible," said the tin woodman; "how shall i ever get my heart?" "or i my courage?" asked the lion. "or i my brains?" wailed the scarecrow, wiping the the tears from his eyes with his coat-sleeve. [illustration: "_exactly so! i am a humbug._"] "my dear friends," said oz, "i pray you not to speak of these little things. think of me, and the terrible trouble i'm in at being found out." "doesn't anyone else know you're a humbug?" asked dorothy. "no one knows it but you four--and myself," replied oz. "i have fooled everyone so long that i thought i should never be found out. it was a great mistake my ever letting you into the throne room. usually i will not see even my subjects, and so they believe i am something terrible." "but, i don't understand," said dorothy, in bewilderment. "how was it that you appeared to me as a great head?" "that was one of my tricks," answered oz. "step this way, please, and i will tell you all about it." he led the way to a small chamber in the rear of the throne room, and they all followed him. he pointed to one corner, in which lay the great head, made out of many thicknesses of paper, and with a carefully painted face. "this i hung from the ceiling by a wire," said oz; "i stood behind the screen and pulled a thread, to make the eyes move and the mouth open." "but how about the voice?" she enquired. "oh, i am a ventriloquist," said the little man, "and i can throw the sound of my voice wherever i wish; so that you thought it was coming out of the head. here are the other things i used to deceive you." he showed the scarecrow the dress and the mask he had worn when he seemed to be the lovely lady; and the tin woodman saw that his terrible beast was nothing but a lot of skins, sewn together, with slats to keep their sides out. as for the ball of fire, the false wizard had hung that also from the ceiling. it was really a ball of cotton, but when oil was poured upon it the ball burned fiercely. "really," said the scarecrow, "you ought to be ashamed of yourself for being such a humbug." "i am--i certainly am," answered the little man, sorrowfully; "but it was the only thing i could do. sit down, please, there are plenty of chairs; and i will tell you my story." so they sat down and listened while he told the following tale: "i was born in omaha--" "why, that isn't very far from kansas!" cried dorothy. "no; but it's farther from here," he said, shaking his head at her, sadly. "when i grew up i became a ventriloquist, and at that i was very well trained by a great master. i can imitate any kind of a bird or beast." here he mewed so like a kitten that toto pricked up his ears and looked everywhere to see where she was. "after a time," continued oz, "i tired of that, and became a balloonist." "what is that?" asked dorothy. "a man who goes up in a balloon on circus day, so as to draw a crowd of people together and get them to pay to see the circus," he explained. [illustration] "oh," she said; "i know." "well, one day i went up in a balloon and the ropes got twisted, so that i couldn't come down again. it went way up above the clouds, so far that a current of air struck it and carried it many, many miles away. for a day and a night i travelled through the air, and on the morning of the second day i awoke and found the balloon floating over a strange and beautiful country. "it came down gradually, and i was not hurt a bit. but i found myself in the midst of a strange people, who, seeing me come from the clouds, thought i was a great wizard. of course i let them think so, because they were afraid of me, and promised to do anything i wished them to. "just to amuse myself, and keep the good people busy, i ordered them to build this city, and my palace; and they did it all willingly and well. then i thought, as the country was so green and beautiful, i would call it the emerald city, and to make the name fit better i put green spectacles on all the people, so that everything they saw was green." "but isn't everything here green?" asked dorothy. "no more than in any other city," replied oz; "but when you wear green spectacles, why of course everything you see looks green to you. the emerald city was built a great many years ago, for i was a young man when the balloon brought me here, and i am a very old man now. but my people have worn green glasses on their eyes so long that most of them think it really is an emerald city, and it certainly is a beautiful place, abounding in jewels and precious metals, and every good thing that is needed to make one happy. i have been good to the people, and they like me; but ever since this palace was built i have shut myself up and would not see any of them. "one of my greatest fears was the witches, for while i had no magical powers at all i soon found out that the witches were really able to do wonderful things. there were four of them in this country, and they ruled the people who live in the north and south and east and west. fortunately, the witches of the north and south were good, and i knew they would do me no harm; but the witches of the east and west were terribly wicked, and had they not thought i was more powerful than they themselves, they would surely have destroyed me. as it was, i lived in deadly fear of them for many years; so you can imagine how pleased i was when i heard your house had fallen on the wicked witch of the east. when you came to me i was willing to promise anything if you would only do away with the other witch; but, now that you have melted her, i am ashamed to say that i cannot keep my promises." "i think you are a very bad man," said dorothy. "oh, no, my dear; i'm really a very good man; but i'm a very bad wizard, i must admit." "can't you give me brains?" asked the scarecrow. "you don't need them. you are learning something every day. a baby has brains, but it doesn't know much. experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get." "that may all be true," said the scarecrow, "but i shall be very unhappy unless you give me brains." the false wizard looked at him carefully. "well," he said, with a sigh, "i'm not much of a magician, as i said; but if you will come to me to-morrow morning, i will stuff your head with brains. i cannot tell you how to use them, however; you must find that out for yourself." [illustration] "oh, thank you--thank you!" cried the scarecrow. "i'll find a way to use them, never fear!" "but how about my courage?" asked the lion, anxiously. "you have plenty of courage, i am sure," answered oz. "all you need is confidence in yourself. there is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty." "perhaps i have, but i'm scared just the same," said the lion. "i shall really be very unhappy unless you give me the sort of courage that makes one forget he is afraid." "very well; i will give you that sort of courage to-morrow," replied oz. "how about my heart?" asked the tin woodman. "why, as for that," answered oz, "i think you are wrong to want a heart. it makes most people unhappy. if you only knew it, you are in luck not to have a heart." "that must be a matter of opinion," said the tin woodman. "for my part, i will bear all the unhappiness without a murmur, if you will give me the heart." [illustration] "very well," answered oz, meekly. "come to me to-morrow and you shall have a heart. i have played wizard for so many years that i may as well continue the part a little longer." "and now," said dorothy, "how am i to get back to kansas?" "we shall have to think about that," replied the little man, "give me two or three days to consider the matter and i'll try to find a way to carry you over the desert. in the meantime you shall all be treated as my guests, and while you live in the palace my people will wait upon you and obey your slightest wish. there is only one thing i ask in return for my help--such as it is. you must keep my secret and tell no one i am a humbug." they agreed to say nothing of what they had learned, and went back to their rooms in high spirits. even dorothy had hope that "the great and terrible humbug," as she called him, would find a way to send her back to kansas, and if he did that she was willing to forgive him everything. [illustration] chapter xvi. the magic art of the great humbug. [illustration] [illustration] next morning the scarecrow said to his friends: "congratulate me. i am going to oz to get my brains at last. when i return i shall be as other men are." "i have always liked you as you were," said dorothy, simply. "it is kind of you to like a scarecrow," he replied. "but surely you will think more of me when you hear the splendid thoughts my new brain is going to turn out." then he said good-bye to them all in a cheerful voice and went to the throne room, where he rapped upon the door. "come in," said oz. the scarecrow went in and found the little man sitting down by the window, engaged in deep thought. "i have come for my brains," remarked the scarecrow, a little uneasily. "oh, yes; sit down in that chair, please," replied oz. "you must excuse me for taking your head off, but i shall have to do it in order to put your brains in their proper place." "that's all right," said the scarecrow. "you are quite welcome to take my head off, as long as it will be a better one when you put it on again." so the wizard unfastened his head and emptied out the straw. then he entered the back room and took up a measure of bran, which he mixed with a great many pins and needles. having shaken them together thoroughly, he filled the top of the scarecrow's head with the mixture and stuffed the rest of the space with straw, to hold it in place. when he had fastened the scarecrow's head on his body again he said to him, "hereafter you will be a great man, for i have given you a lot of bran-new brains." the scarecrow was both pleased and proud at the fulfillment of his greatest wish, and having thanked oz warmly he went back to his friends. dorothy looked at him curiously. his head was quite bulging out at the top with brains. "how do you feel?" she asked. [illustration: "_'i feel wise, indeed,' said the scarecrow._"] "i feel wise, indeed," he answered, earnestly. "when i get used to my brains i shall know everything." "why are those needles and pins sticking out of your head?" asked the tin woodman. "that is proof that he is sharp," remarked the lion. "well, i must go to oz and get my heart," said the woodman. so he walked to the throne room and knocked at the door. "come in," called oz, and the woodman entered and said, "i have come for my heart." "very well," answered the little man. "but i shall have to cut a hole in your breast, so i can put your heart in the right place. i hope it won't hurt you." "oh, no;" answered the woodman. "i shall not feel it at all." [illustration] so oz brought a pair of tinners' shears and cut a small, square hole in the left side of the tin woodman's breast. then, going to a chest of drawers, he took out a pretty heart, made entirely of silk and stuffed with sawdust. "isn't it a beauty?" he asked. "it is, indeed!" replied the woodman, who was greatly pleased. "but is it a kind heart?" "oh, very!" answered oz. he put the heart in the woodman's breast and then replaced the square of tin, soldering it neatly together where it had been cut. "there," said he; "now you have a heart that any man might be proud of. i'm sorry i had to put a patch on your breast, but it really couldn't be helped." "never mind the patch," exclaimed the happy woodman. "i am very grateful to you, and shall never forget your kindness." [illustration] "don't speak of it," replied oz. then the tin woodman went back to his friends, who wished him every joy on account of his good fortune. the lion now walked to the throne room and knocked at the door. "come in," said oz. "i have come for my courage," announced the lion, entering the room. "very well," answered the little man; "i will get it for you." he went to a cupboard and reaching up to a high shelf took down a square green bottle, the contents of which he poured into a green-gold dish, beautifully carved. placing this before the cowardly lion, who sniffed at it as if he did not like it, the wizard said, "drink." "what is it?" asked the lion. "well," answered oz, "if it were inside of you, it would be courage. you know, of course, that courage is always inside one; so that this really cannot be called courage until you have swallowed it. therefore i advise you to drink it as soon as possible." the lion hesitated no longer, but drank till the dish was empty. "how do you feel now?" asked oz. "full of courage," replied the lion, who went joyfully back to his friends to tell them of his good fortune. oz, left to himself, smiled to think of his success in giving the scarecrow and the tin woodman and the lion exactly what they thought they wanted. "how can i help being a humbug," he said, "when all these people make me do things that everybody knows can't be done? it was easy to make the scarecrow and the lion and the woodman happy, because they imagined i could do anything. but it will take more than imagination to carry dorothy back to kansas, and i'm sure i don't know how it can be done." chapter xvii. how the balloon was launched. [illustration] for three days dorothy heard nothing from oz. these were sad days for the little girl, although her friends were all quite happy and contented. the scarecrow told them there were wonderful thoughts in his head; but he would not say what they were because he knew no one could understand them but himself. when the tin woodman walked about he felt his heart rattling around in his breast; and he told dorothy he had discovered it to be a kinder and more tender heart than the one he had owned when he was made of flesh. the lion declared he was afraid of nothing on earth, and would gladly face an army of men or a dozen of the fierce kalidahs. thus each of the little party was satisfied except dorothy, who longed more than ever to get back to kansas. on the fourth day, to her great joy, oz sent for her, and when she entered the throne room he said, pleasantly: "sit down, my dear; i think i have found the way to get you out of this country." "and back to kansas?" she asked, eagerly. "well, i'm not sure about kansas," said oz; "for i haven't the faintest notion which way it lies. but the first thing to do is to cross the desert, and then it should be easy to find your way home." "how can i cross the desert?" she enquired. "well, i'll tell you what i think," said the little man. "you see, when i came to this country it was in a balloon. you also came through the air, being carried by a cyclone. so i believe the best way to get across the desert will be through the air. now, it is quite beyond my powers to make a cyclone; but i've been thinking the matter over, and i believe i can make a balloon." "how?" asked dorothy. "a balloon," said oz, "is made of silk, which is coated with glue to keep the gas in it. i have plenty of silk in the palace, so it will be no trouble for us to make the balloon. but in all this country there is no gas to fill the balloon with, to make it float." "if it won't float," remarked dorothy, "it will be of no use to us." "true," answered oz. "but there is another way to make it float, which is to fill it with hot air. hot air isn't as good as gas, for if the air should get cold the balloon would come down in the desert, and we should be lost." "we!" exclaimed the girl; "are you going with me?" "yes, of course," replied oz. "i am tired of being such a humbug. if i should go out of this palace my people would soon discover i am not a wizard, and then they would be vexed with me for having deceived them. so i have to stay shut up in these rooms all day, and it gets tiresome. i'd much rather go back to kansas with you and be in a circus again." [illustration] "i shall be glad to have your company," said dorothy. "thank you," he answered. "now, if you will help me sew the silk together, we will begin to work on our balloon." so dorothy took a needle and thread, and as fast as oz cut the strips of silk into proper shape the girl sewed them neatly together. first there was a strip of light green silk, then a strip of dark green and then a strip of emerald green; for oz had a fancy to make the balloon in different shades of the color about them. it took three days to sew all the strips together, but when it was finished they had a big bag of green silk more than twenty feet long. then oz painted it on the inside with a coat of thin glue, to make it air-tight, after which he announced that the balloon was ready. "but we must have a basket to ride in," he said. so he sent the soldier with the green whiskers for a big clothes basket, which he fastened with many ropes to the bottom of the balloon. when it was all ready, oz sent word to his people that he was going to make a visit to a great brother wizard who lived in the clouds. the news spread rapidly throughout the city and everyone came to see the wonderful sight. oz ordered the balloon carried out in front of the palace, and the people gazed upon it with much curiosity. the tin woodman had chopped a big pile of wood, and now he made a fire of it, and oz held the bottom of the balloon over the fire so that the hot air that arose from it would be caught in the silken bag. gradually the balloon swelled out and rose into the air, until finally the basket just touched the ground. then oz got into the basket and said to all the people in a loud voice: "i am now going away to make a visit. while i am gone the scarecrow will rule over you. i command you to obey him as you would me." the balloon was by this time tugging hard at the rope that held it to the ground, for the air within it was hot, and this made it so much lighter in weight than the air without that it pulled hard to rise into the sky. "come, dorothy!" cried the wizard; "hurry up, or the balloon will fly away." "i can't find toto anywhere," replied dorothy, who did not wish to leave her little dog behind. toto had run into the crowd to bark at a kitten, and dorothy at last found him. she picked him up and ran toward the balloon. [illustration] she was within a few steps of it, and oz was holding out his hands to help her into the basket, when, crack! went the ropes, and the balloon rose into the air without her. [illustration] "come back!" she screamed; "i want to go, too!" "i can't come back, my dear," called oz from the basket. "good-bye!" "good-bye!" shouted everyone, and all eyes were turned upward to where the wizard was riding in the basket, rising every moment farther and farther into the sky. and that was the last any of them ever saw of oz, the wonderful wizard, though he may have reached omaha safely, and be there now, for all we know. but the people remembered him lovingly, and said to one another, "oz was always our friend. when he was here he built for us this beautiful emerald city, and now he is gone he has left the wise scarecrow to rule over us." still, for many days they grieved over the loss of the wonderful wizard, and would not be comforted. chapter xviii. away to the south. [illustration] [illustration] dorothy wept bitterly at the passing of her hope to get home to kansas again; but when she thought it all over she was glad she had not gone up in a balloon. and she also felt sorry at losing oz, and so did her companions. the tin woodman came to her and said, "truly i should be ungrateful if i failed to mourn for the man who gave me my lovely heart. i should like to cry a little because oz is gone, if you will kindly wipe away my tears, so that i shall not rust." [illustration] "with pleasure," she answered, and brought a towel at once. then the tin woodman wept for several minutes, and she watched the tears carefully and wiped them away with the towel. when he had finished he thanked her kindly and oiled himself thoroughly with his jewelled oil-can, to guard against mishap. the scarecrow was now the ruler of the emerald city, and although he was not a wizard the people were proud of him. "for," they said, "there is not another city in all the world that is ruled by a stuffed man." and, so far as they knew, they were quite right. the morning after the balloon had gone up with oz the four travellers met in the throne room and talked matters over. the scarecrow sat in the big throne and the others stood respectfully before him. "we are not so unlucky," said the new ruler; "for this palace and the emerald city belong to us, and we can do just as we please. when i remember that a short time ago i was up on a pole in a farmer's cornfield, and that i am now the ruler of this beautiful city, i am quite satisfied with my lot." "i also," said the tin woodman, "am well pleased with my new heart; and, really, that was the only thing i wished in all the world." "for my part, i am content in knowing i am as brave as any beast that ever lived, if not braver," said the lion, modestly, [illustration: "_the scarecrow sat on the big throne._"] "if dorothy would only be contented to live in the emerald city," continued the scarecrow, "we might all be happy together." "but i don't want to live here," cried dorothy. "i want to go to kansas, and live with aunt em and uncle henry." "well, then, what can be done?" enquired the woodman. the scarecrow decided to think, and he thought so hard that the pins and needles began to stick out of his brains. finally he said: "why not call the winged monkeys, and asked them to carry you over the desert?" "i never thought of that!" said dorothy, joyfully. "it's just the thing. i'll go at once for the golden cap." when she brought it into the throne room she spoke the magic words, and soon the band of winged monkeys flew in through an open window and stood beside her. "this is the second time you have called us," said the monkey king, bowing before the little girl. "what do you wish?" "i want you to fly with me to kansas," said dorothy. but the monkey king shook his head. "that cannot be done," he said. "we belong to this country alone, and cannot leave it. there has never been a winged monkey in kansas yet, and i suppose there never will be, for they don't belong there. we shall be glad to serve you in any way in our power, but we cannot cross the desert. good-bye." and with another bow the monkey king spread his wings and flew away through the window, followed by all his band. dorothy was almost ready to cry with disappointment. "i have wasted the charm of the golden cap to no purpose," she said, "for the winged monkeys cannot help me." "it is certainly too bad!" said the tender hearted woodman. the scarecrow was thinking again, and his head bulged out so horribly that dorothy feared it would burst. "let us call in the soldier with the green whiskers," he said, "and ask his advice." [illustration] so the soldier was summoned and entered the throne room timidly, for while oz was alive he never was allowed to come further than the door. "this little girl," said the scarecrow to the soldier, "wishes to cross the desert. how can she do so?" "i cannot tell," answered the soldier; "for nobody has ever crossed the desert, unless it is oz himself." "is there no one who can help me?" asked dorothy, earnestly. "glinda might," he suggested. "who is glinda?" enquired the scarecrow. "the witch of the south. she is the most powerful of all the witches, and rules over the quadlings. besides, her castle stands on the edge of the desert, so she may know a way to cross it." "glinda is a good witch, isn't she?" asked the child. "the quadlings think she is good," said the soldier, "and she is kind to everyone. i have heard that glinda is a beautiful woman, who knows how to keep young in spite of the many years she has lived." "how can i get to her castle?" asked dorothy. "the road is straight to the south," he answered, "but it is said to be full of dangers to travellers. there are wild beasts in the woods, and a race of queer men who do not like strangers to cross their country. for this reason none of the quadlings ever come to the emerald city." the soldier then left them and the scarecrow said, "it seems, in spite of dangers, that the best thing dorothy can do is to travel to the land of the south and ask glinda to help her. for, of course, if dorothy stays here she will never get back to kansas." "you must have been thinking again," remarked the tin woodman. "i have," said the scarecrow. "i shall go with dorothy," declared the lion, "for i am tired of your city and long for the woods and the country again. i am really a wild beast, you know. besides, dorothy will need someone to protect her." "that is true," agreed the woodman. "my axe may be of service to her; so i, also, will go with her to the land of the south." "when shall we start?" asked the scarecrow. "are you going?" they asked, in surprise. "certainly. if it wasn't for dorothy i should never have had brains. she lifted me from the pole in the cornfield and brought me to the emerald city. so my good luck is all due to her, and i shall never leave her until she starts back to kansas for good and all." "thank you," said dorothy, gratefully. "you are all very kind to me. but i should like to start as soon as possible." "we shall go to-morrow morning," returned the scarecrow. "so now let us all get ready, for it will be a long journey." [illustration] chapter xix. attacked by the fighting trees. [illustration] [illustration] the next morning dorothy kissed the pretty green girl good-bye, and they all shook hands with the soldier with the green whiskers, who had walked with them as far as the gate. when the guardian of the gate saw them again he wondered greatly that they could leave the beautiful city to get into new trouble. but he at once unlocked their spectacles, which he put back into the green box, and gave them many good wishes to carry with them. "you are now our ruler," he said to the scarecrow; "so you must come back to us as soon as possible." "i certainly shall if i am able," the scarecrow replied; "but i must help dorothy to get home, first." as dorothy bade the good-natured guardian a last farewell she said, "i have been very kindly treated in your lovely city, and everyone has been good to me. i cannot tell you how grateful i am." "don't try, my dear," he answered. "we should like to keep you with us, but if it is your wish to return to kansas i hope you will find a way." he then opened the gate of the outer wall and they walked forth and started upon their journey. the sun shone brightly as our friends turned their faces toward the land of the south. they were all in the best of spirits, and laughed and chatted together. dorothy was once more filled with the hope of getting home, and the scarecrow and the tin woodman were glad to be of use to her. as for the lion, he sniffed the fresh air with delight and whisked his tail from side to side in pure joy at being in the country again, while toto ran around them and chased the moths and butterflies, barking merrily all the time. "city life does not agree with me at all," remarked the lion, as they walked along at a brisk pace. "i have lost much flesh since i lived there, and now i am anxious for a chance to show the other beasts how courageous i have grown." [illustration: "_the branches bent down and twined around him._"] they now turned and took a last look at the emerald city. all they could see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls, and high up above everything the spires and dome of the palace of oz. "oz was not such a bad wizard, after all," said the tin woodman, as he felt his heart rattling around in his breast. "he knew how to give me brains, and very good brains, too," said the scarecrow. "if oz had taken a dose of the same courage he gave me," added the lion, "he would have been a brave man." dorothy said nothing. oz had not kept the promise he made her, but he had done his best, so she forgave him. as he said, he was a good man, even if he was a bad wizard. the first day's journey was through the green fields and bright flowers that stretched about the emerald city on every side. they slept that night on the grass, with nothing but the stars over them; and they rested very well indeed. in the morning they travelled on until they came to a thick wood. there was no way of going around it, for it seemed to extend to the right and left as far as they could see; and, besides, they did not dare change the direction of their journey for fear of getting lost. so they looked for the place where it would be easiest to get into the forest. the scarecrow, who was in the lead, finally discovered a big tree with such wide spreading-branches that there was room for the party to pass underneath. so he walked forward to the tree, but just as he came under the first branches they bent down and twined around him, and the next minute he was raised from the ground and flung headlong among his fellow travellers. this did not hurt the scarecrow, but it surprised him, and he looked rather dizzy when dorothy picked him up. "here is another space between the trees," called the lion. [illustration] "let me try it first," said the scarecrow, "for it doesn't hurt me to get thrown about." he walked up to another tree, as he spoke, but its branches immediately seized him and tossed him back again. "this is strange," exclaimed dorothy; "what shall we do?" "the trees seem to have made up their minds to fight us, and stop our journey," remarked the lion. "i believe i will try it myself," said the woodman, and shouldering his axe he marched up to the first tree that had handled the scarecrow so roughly. when a big branch bent down to seize him the woodman chopped at it so fiercely that he cut it in two. at once the tree began shaking all its branches as if in pain, and the tin woodman passed safely under it. "come on!" he shouted to the others; "be quick!" they all ran forward and passed under the tree without injury, except toto, who was caught by a small branch and shaken until he howled. but the woodman promptly chopped off the branch and set the little dog free. the other trees of the forest did nothing to keep them back, so they made up their minds that only the first row of trees could bend down their branches, and that probably these were the policemen of the forest, and given this wonderful power in order to keep strangers out of it. the four travellers walked with ease through the trees until they came to the further edge of the wood. then, to their surprise, they found before them a high wall, which seemed to be made of white china. it was smooth, like the surface of a dish, and higher than their heads. "what shall we do now?" asked dorothy. "i will make a ladder," said the tin woodman, "for we certainly must climb over the wall." chapter xx. the dainty china country. [illustration] [illustration] while the woodman was making a ladder from wood which he found in the forest dorothy lay down and slept, for she was tired by the long walk. the lion also curled himself up to sleep and toto lay beside him. the scarecrow watched the woodman while he worked, and said to him: "i cannot think why this wall is here, nor what it is made of." "rest your brains and do not worry about the wall," replied the woodman; "when we have climbed over it we shall know what is on the other side." after a time the ladder was finished. it looked clumsy, but the tin woodman was sure it was strong and would answer their purpose. the scarecrow waked dorothy and the lion and toto, and told them that the ladder was ready. the scarecrow climbed up the ladder first, but he was so awkward that dorothy had to follow close behind and keep him from falling off. when he got his head over the top of the wall the scarecrow said, "oh, my!" "go on," exclaimed dorothy. so the scarecrow climbed further up and sat down on the top of the wall, and dorothy put her head over and cried, "oh, my!" just as the scarecrow had done. then toto came up, and immediately began to bark, but dorothy made him be still. the lion climbed the ladder next, and the tin woodman came last; but both of them cried, "oh, my!" as soon as they looked over the wall. when they were all sitting in a row on the top of the wall they looked down and saw a strange sight. [illustration: "_these people were all made of china._"] before them was a great stretch of country having a floor as smooth and shining and white as the bottom of a big platter. scattered around were many houses made entirely of china and painted in the brightest colours. these houses were quite small, the biggest of them reaching only as high as dorothy's waist. there were also pretty little barns, with china fences around them, and many cows and sheep and horses and pigs and chickens, all made of china, were standing about in groups. but the strangest of all were the people who lived in this queer country. there were milk-maids and shepherdesses, with bright-colored bodices and golden spots all over their gowns; and princesses with most gorgeous frocks of silver and gold and purple; and shepherds dressed in knee-breeches with pink and yellow and blue stripes down them, and golden buckles on their shoes; and princes with jewelled crowns upon their heads, wearing ermine robes and satin doublets; and funny clowns in ruffled gowns, with round red spots upon their cheeks and tall, pointed caps. and, strangest of all, these people were all made of china, even to their clothes, and were so small that the tallest of them was no higher than dorothy's knee. no one did so much as look at the travellers at first, except one little purple china dog with an extra-large head, which came to the wall and barked at them in a tiny voice, afterwards running away again. "how shall we get down?" asked dorothy. they found the ladder so heavy they could not pull it up, so the scarecrow fell off the wall and the others jumped down upon him so that the hard floor would not hurt their feet. of course they took pains not to light on his head and get the pins in their feet. when all were safely down they picked up the scarecrow, whose body was quite flattened out, and patted his straw into shape again. "we must cross this strange place in order to get to the other side," said dorothy; "for it would be unwise for us to go any other way except due south." they began walking through the country of the china people, and the first thing they came to was a china milk-maid milking a china cow. as they drew near the cow suddenly gave a kick and kicked over the stool, the pail, and even the milk-maid herself, all falling on the china ground with a great clatter. dorothy was shocked to see that the cow had broken her leg short off, and that the pail was lying in several small pieces, while the poor milk-maid had a nick in her left elbow. "there!" cried the milk-maid, angrily; "see what you have done! my cow has broken her leg, and i must take her to the mender's shop and have it glued on again. what do you mean by coming here and frightening my cow?" "i'm very sorry," returned dorothy; "please forgive us." but the pretty milk-maid was much too vexed to make any answer. she picked up the leg sulkily and led her cow away, the poor animal limping on three legs. as she left them the milk-maid cast many reproachful glances over her shoulder at the clumsy strangers, holding her nicked elbow close to her side. [illustration] dorothy was quite grieved at this mishap. "we must be very careful here," said the kind-hearted woodman, "or we may hurt these pretty little people so they will never get over it." a little farther on dorothy met a most beautiful dressed young princess, who stopped short as she saw the strangers and started to run away. dorothy wanted to see more of the princess, so she ran after her; but the china girl cried out, "don't chase me! don't chase me!" she had such a frightened little voice that dorothy stopped and said, "why not?" "because," answered the princess, also stopping, a safe distance away, "if i run i may fall down and break myself." "but couldn't you be mended?" asked the girl. "oh, yes; but one is never so pretty after being mended, you know," replied the princess. "i suppose not," said dorothy. "now there is mr. joker, one of our clowns," continued the china lady, "who is always trying to stand upon his head. he has broken himself so often that he is mended in a hundred places, and doesn't look at all pretty. here he comes now, so you can see for yourself." indeed, a jolly little clown now came walking toward them, and dorothy could see that in spite of his pretty clothes of red and yellow and green he was completely covered with cracks, running every which way and showing plainly that he had been mended in many places. the clown put his hands in his pockets, and after puffing out his cheeks and nodding his head at them saucily he said, "my lady fair, why do you stare at poor old mr. joker? you're quite as stiff and prim as if you'd eaten up a poker!" "be quiet, sir!" said the princess; "can't you see these are strangers, and should be treated with respect?" "well, that's respect, i expect," declared the clown, and immediately stood upon his head. "don't mind mr. joker," said the princess to dorothy; "he is considerably cracked in his head, and that makes him foolish." [illustration] "oh, i don't mind him a bit," said dorothy. "but you are so beautiful," she continued, "that i am sure i could love you dearly. won't you let me carry you back to kansas and stand you on aunt em's mantle-shelf? i could carry you in my basket." "that would make me very unhappy," answered the china princess. "you see, here in our own country we live contentedly, and can talk and move around as we please. but whenever any of us are taken away our joints at once stiffen, and we can only stand straight and look pretty. of course that is all that is expected of us when we are on mantle-shelves and cabinets and drawing-room tables, but our lives are much pleasanter here in our own country." "i would not make you unhappy for all the world!" exclaimed dorothy; "so i'll just say good-bye." "good-bye," replied the princess. they walked carefully through the china country. the little animals and all the people scampered out of their way, fearing the strangers would break them, and after an hour or so the travellers reached the other side of the country and came to another china wall. it was not as high as the first, however, and by standing upon the lion's back they all managed to scramble to the top. then the lion gathered his legs under him and jumped on the wall; but just as he jumped he upset a china church with his tail and smashed it all to pieces. "that was too bad," said dorothy, "but really i think we were lucky in not doing these little people more harm than breaking a cow's leg and a church. they are all so brittle!" "they are, indeed," said the scarecrow, "and i am thankful i am made of straw and cannot be easily damaged. there are worse things in the world than being a scarecrow." chapter xxi. the lion becomes the king of beasts. [illustration] [illustration] after climbing down from the china wall the travellers found themselves in a disagreeable country, full of bogs and marshes and covered with tall, rank grass. it was difficult to walk far without falling into muddy holes, for the grass was so thick that it hid them from sight. however, by carefully picking their way, they got safely along until they reached solid ground. but here the country seemed wilder than ever, and after a long and tiresome walk through the underbrush they entered another forest, where the trees were bigger and older than any they had ever seen. "this forest is perfectly delightful," declared the lion, looking around him with joy; "never have i seen a more beautiful place." "it seems gloomy," said the scarecrow. "not a bit of it," answered the lion; "i should like to live here all my life. see how soft the dried leaves are under your feet and how rich and green the moss is that clings to these old trees. surely no wild beast could wish a pleasanter home." "perhaps there are wild beasts in the forest now," said dorothy. "i suppose there are," returned the lion; "but i do not see any of them about." they walked through the forest until it became too dark to go any farther. dorothy and toto and the lion lay down to sleep, while the woodman and the scarecrow kept watch over them as usual. when morning came they started again. before they had gone far they heard a low rumble, as of the growling of many wild animals. toto whimpered a little but none of the others was frightened and they kept along the well-trodden path until they came to an opening in the wood, in which were gathered hundreds of beasts of every variety. there were tigers and elephants and bears and wolves and foxes and all the others in the natural history, and for a moment dorothy was afraid. but the lion explained that the animals were holding a meeting, and he judged by their snarling and growling that they were in great trouble. as he spoke several of the beasts caught sight of him, and at once the great assemblage hushed as if by magic. the biggest of the tigers came up to the lion and bowed, saying, [illustration] "welcome, o king of beasts! you have come in good time to fight our enemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest once more." "what is your trouble?" asked the lion, quietly. "we are all threatened," answered the tiger, "by a fierce enemy which has lately come into this forest. it is a most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk. it has eight of these long legs, and as the monster crawls through the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly. not one of us is safe while this fierce creature is alive, and we had called a meeting to decide how to take care of ourselves when you came among us." the lion thought for a moment. "are there any other lions in this forest?" he asked. "no; there were some, but the monster has eaten them all. and, besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you." "if i put an end to your enemy will you bow down to me and obey me as king of the forest?" enquired the lion. "we will do that gladly," returned the tiger; and all the other beasts roared with a mighty roar: "we will!" "where is this great spider of yours now?" asked the lion. "yonder, among the oak trees," said the tiger, pointing with his fore-foot. "take good care of these friends of mine," said the lion, "and i will go at once to fight the monster." he bade his comrades good-bye and marched proudly away to do battle with the enemy. the great spider was lying asleep when the lion found him, and it looked so ugly that its foe turned up his nose in disgust. its legs were quite as long as the tiger had said, and it's body covered with coarse black hair. it had a great mouth, with a row of sharp teeth a foot long; but its head was joined to the pudgy body by a neck as slender as a wasp's waist. this gave the lion a hint of the best way to attack the creature, and as he knew it was easier to fight it asleep than awake, he gave a great spring and landed directly upon the monster's back. then, with one blow of his heavy paw, all armed with sharp claws, he knocked the spider's head from its body. jumping down, he watched it until the long legs stopped wiggling, when he knew it was quite dead. the lion went back to the opening where the beasts of the forest were waiting for him and said, proudly, "you need fear your enemy no longer." then the beasts bowed down to the lion as their king, and he promised to come back and rule over them as soon as dorothy was safely on her way to kansas. chapter xxii. the country of the quadlings [illustration] [illustration: "_the head shot forward and struck the scarecrow._"] [illustration] the four travellers passed through the rest of the forest in safety, and when they came out from its gloom saw before them a steep hill, covered from top to bottom with great pieces of rock. "that will be a hard climb," said the scarecrow, "but we must get over the hill, nevertheless." so he led the way and the others followed. they had nearly reached the first rock when they heard a rough voice cry out, "keep back!" "who are you?" asked the scarecrow. then a head showed itself over the rock and the same voice said, "this hill belongs to us, and we don't allow anyone to cross it." "but we must cross it," said the scarecrow. "we're going to the country of the quadlings." "but you shall not!" replied the voice, and there stepped from behind the rock the strangest man the travellers had ever seen. he was quite short and stout and had a big head, which was flat at the top and supported by a thick neck full of wrinkles. but he had no arms at all, and, seeing this, the scarecrow did not fear that so helpless a creature could prevent them from climbing the hill. so he said, "i'm sorry not to do as you wish, but we must pass over your hill whether you like it or not," and he walked boldly forward. as quick as lightning the man's head shot forward and his neck stretched out until the top of the head, where it was flat, struck the scarecrow in the middle and sent him tumbling, over and over, down the hill. almost as quickly as it came the head went back to the body, and the man laughed harshly as he said, "it isn't as easy as you think!" a chorus of boisterous laughter came from the other rocks, and dorothy saw hundreds of the armless hammer-heads upon the hillside, one behind every rock. the lion became quite angry at the laughter caused by the scarecrow's mishap, and giving a loud roar that echoed like thunder he dashed up the hill. again a head shot swiftly out, and the great lion went rolling down the hill as if he had been struck by a cannon ball. dorothy ran down and helped the scarecrow to his feet, and the lion came up to her, feeling rather bruised and sore, and said, "it is useless to fight people with shooting heads; no one can withstand them." "what can we do, then?" she asked. "call the winged monkeys," suggested the tin woodman; "you have still the right to command them once more." "very well," she answered, and putting on the golden cap she uttered the magic words. the monkeys were as prompt as ever, and in a few moments the entire band stood before her. "what are your commands?" enquired the king of the monkeys, bowing low. "carry us over the hill to the country of the quadlings," answered the girl. "it shall be done," said the king, and at once the winged monkeys caught the four travellers and toto up in their arms and flew away with them. as they passed over the hill the hammer-heads yelled with vexation, and shot their heads high in the air; but they could not reach the winged monkeys, which carried dorothy and her comrades safely over the hill and set them down in the beautiful country of the quadlings. "this is the last time you can summon us," said the leader to dorothy; "so good-bye and good luck to you." "good-bye, and thank you very much," returned the girl; and the monkeys rose into the air and were out of sight in a twinkling. the country of the quadlings seemed rich and happy. there was field upon field of ripening grain, with well-paved roads running between, and pretty rippling brooks with strong bridges across them. the fences and houses and bridges were all painted bright red, just as they had been painted yellow in the country of the winkies and blue in the country of the munchkins. the quadlings themselves, who were short and fat and looked chubby and good natured, were dressed all in red, which showed bright against the green grass and the yellowing grain. the monkeys had set them down near a farm house, and the four travellers walked up to it and knocked at the door. it was opened by the farmer's wife, and when dorothy asked for something to eat the woman gave them all a good dinner, with three kinds of cake and four kinds of cookies, and a bowl of milk for toto. "how far is it to the castle of glinda?" asked the child. "it is not a great way," answered the farmer's wife. "take the road to the south and you will soon reach it." thanking the good woman, they started afresh and walked by the fields and across the pretty bridges until they saw before them a very beautiful castle. before the gates were three young girls, dressed in handsome red uniforms trimmed with gold braid; and as dorothy approached one of them said to her, "why have you come to the south country?" "to see the good witch who rules here," she answered. "will you take me to her?" "let me have your name and i will ask glinda if she will receive you." they told who they were, and the girl soldier went into the castle. after a few moments she came back to say that dorothy and the others were to be admitted at once. [illustration] chapter xxiii. the good witch grants dorothy's wish. [illustration] [illustration: "_you must give me the golden cap._"] [illustration] before they went to see glinda, however, they were taken to a room of the castle, where dorothy washed her face and combed her hair, and the lion shook the dust out of his mane, and the scarecrow patted himself into his best shape, and the woodman polished his tin and oiled his joints. when they were all quite presentable they followed the soldier girl into a big room where the witch glinda sat upon a throne of rubies. she was both beautiful and young to their eyes. her hair was a rich red in color and fell in flowing ringlets over her shoulders. her dress was pure white; but her eyes were blue, and they looked kindly upon the little girl. "what can i do for you, my child?" she asked. dorothy told the witch all her story; how the cyclone had brought her to the land of oz, how she had found her companions, and of the wonderful adventures they had met with. "my greatest wish now," she added, "is to get back to kansas, for aunt em will surely think something dreadful has happened to me, and that will make her put on mourning; and unless the crops are better this year than they were last i am sure uncle henry cannot afford it." glinda leaned forward and kissed the sweet, upturned face of the loving little girl. "bless your dear heart," she said, "i am sure i can tell you of a way to get back to kansas." then she added: "but, if i do, you must give me the golden cap." "willingly!" exclaimed dorothy; "indeed, it is of no use to me now, and when you have it you can command the winged monkeys three times." "and i think i shall need their service just those three times," answered glinda, smiling. dorothy then gave her the golden cap, and the witch said to the scarecrow, "what will you do when dorothy has left us?" "i will return to the emerald city," he replied, "for oz has made me its ruler and the people like me. the only thing that worries me is how to cross the hill of the hammer-heads." "by means of the golden cap i shall command the winged monkeys to carry you to the gates of the emerald city," said glinda, "for it would be a shame to deprive the people of so wonderful a ruler." "am i really wonderful?" asked the scarecrow. "you are unusual," replied glinda. turning to the tin woodman, she asked: "what will become of you when dorothy leaves this country?" he leaned on his axe and thought a moment. then he said, "the winkies were very kind to me, and wanted me to rule over them after the wicked witch died. i am fond of the winkies, and if i could get back again to the country of the west i should like nothing better than to rule over them forever." "my second command to the winged monkeys," said glinda, "will be that they carry you safely to the land of the winkies. your brains may not be so large to look at as those of the scarecrow, but you are really brighter than he is--when you are well polished--and i am sure you will rule the winkies wisely and well." then the witch looked at the big, shaggy lion and asked, "when dorothy has returned to her own home, what will become of you?" "over the hill of the hammer-heads," he answered, "lies a grand old forest, and all the beasts that live there have made me their king. if i could only get back to this forest i would pass my life very happily there." "my third command to the winged monkeys," said glinda, "shall be to carry you to your forest. then, having used up the powers of the golden cap, i shall give it to the king of the monkeys, that he and his band may thereafter be free for evermore." the scarecrow and the tin woodman and the lion now thanked the good witch earnestly for her kindness, and dorothy exclaimed, [illustration] "you are certainly as good as you are beautiful! but you have not yet told me how to get back to kansas." "your silver shoes will carry you over the desert," replied glinda. "if you had known their power you could have gone back to your aunt em the very first day you came to this country." "but then i should not have had my wonderful brains!" cried the scarecrow. "i might have passed my whole life in the farmer's cornfield." "and i should not have had my lovely heart," said the tin woodman. "i might have stood and rusted in the forest till the end of the world." "and i should have lived a coward forever," declared the lion, "and no beast in all the forest would have had a good word to say to me." "this is all true," said dorothy, "and i am glad i was of use to these good friends. but now that each of them has had what he most desired, and each is happy in having a kingdom to rule beside, i think i should like to go back to kansas." "the silver shoes," said the good witch, "have wonderful powers. and one of the most curious things about them is that they can carry you to any place in the world in three steps, and each step will be made in the wink of an eye. all you have to do is to knock the heels together three times and command the shoes to carry you wherever you wish to go." "if that is so," said the child, joyfully, "i will ask them to carry me back to kansas at once." she threw her arms around the lion's neck and kissed him, patting his big head tenderly. then she kissed the tin woodman, who was weeping in a way most dangerous to his joints. but she hugged the soft, stuffed body of the scarecrow in her arms instead of kissing his painted face, and found she was crying herself at this sorrowful parting from her loving comrades. glinda the good stepped down from her ruby throne to give the little girl a good-bye kiss, and dorothy thanked her for all the kindness she had shown to her friends and herself. dorothy now took toto up solemnly in her arms, and having said one last good-bye she clapped the heels of her shoes together three times, saying, "take me home to aunt em!" * * * * * [illustration] instantly she was whirling through the air, so swiftly that all she could see or feel was the wind whistling past her ears. the silver shoes took but three steps, and then she stopped so suddenly that she rolled over upon the grass several times before she knew where she was. at length, however, she sat up and looked about her. "good gracious!" she cried. for she was sitting on the broad kansas prairie, and just before her was the new farm-house uncle henry built after the cyclone had carried away the old one. uncle henry was milking the cows in the barnyard, and toto had jumped out of her arms and was running toward the barn, barking joyously. dorothy stood up and found she was in her stocking-feet. for the silver shoes had fallen off in her flight through the air, and were lost forever in the desert. [illustration] chapter xxiv. home again. aunt em had just come out of the house to water the cabbages when she looked up and saw dorothy running toward her. "my darling child!" she cried, folding the little girl in her arms and covering her face with kisses; "where in the world did you come from?" "from the land of oz," said dorothy, gravely. "and here is toto, too. and oh, aunt em! i'm so glad to be at home again!" [illustration] transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation and spelling errors have been fixed throughout. ozoplaning with the wizard of oz _by_ ruth plumly thompson founded on and continuing the famous oz stories _by_ l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" _illustrated by_ john r. neill ozoplaning with the wizard of oz copyright by reilly & lee printed in the u. s. a. * * * * * _dear boys and girls:_ i often have wondered about the strat, have not you? bet a bushel of peanuts you have! well, while we've been wondering the wizard of oz has been inventing an ozoplane to go strato-sphering! oh, there's some pretty high sky-riding in this adventure, i can tell you! and with dot, jellia jam, the scarecrow, cowardly lion and tin woodman along, you can imagine the thrills and excitement. and the soldier with green whiskers hopes you'll give him credit for the part _he_ played in the affair! you know--it's grand to get together over a book once a year and have a good laugh, isn't it? i'd like to know what makes you laugh loudest and longest.... i think i laughed most at the cowardly lion! yours for fun--now, and oz always! ruth plumly thompson s. farragut terrace, west philadelphia, pennsylvania * * * * * this book is dedicated to john r. neill whose drawings have added much to the merriment and gaiety of all my imagi-nations! so-- from the "royal historian of oz," to its "imperial illustrator--" bows, cheers and heartfelt appreciation! ruth plumly thompson * * * * * chapters at home with the wizard of oz the wizard's spy glass latest invention of the wizard of oz first flight of the oztober the spikers strut of the strat a most reluctant starina strut of the strat sets off for oz jellia in a frightful jam the wizard in stratovania! king, king-double king! the flight to oz the king of the kudgers azarine the red in the red castle escape from red top the wizard gets to work strut of the strat arrives in oz! the travellers return! azarine is restored to red top [illustration: map of oz] chapter at home with the wizard of oz in his big brightly lighted laboratory back of the throne room, the wizard of oz paced impatiently forth and back, his hands clasped tightly behind him. every minute or two he would glance at the clock or dart over to peer out to the already darkening garden. "are you sure you told them all, jellia? are you sure you told them tonight?" he asked, turning to the pretty little serving maid who was setting a table near the fire, for the fall evening was quite cool and frosty. "four--five--six--seven--." jellia, counting places, nodded her head firmly to answer the wizard's question, then stepped back to regard her handiwork with complete satisfaction. "oh, doesn't that tiny house in the center look too cute and cunningish? real smoke coming out of the chimney, too. how ever did you manage it, wiz? and having those silver slippers at each place for nuts and candies is just, plain beautiful." "do you really think so?" the little wizard positively blushed with pleasure. "well, ye see, jellia, this party is to celebrate dorothy's first trip to the emerald city. that is an exact model of the house in which she blew from kansas to oz in a cyclone, the house that fell on the wicked witch of the west and destroyed her--all but her silver slippers. remember?" "ho, everybody remembers that," said jellia with a toss of her head that set all her green cap ribbons fluttering. "if i live to be a million, i'll never forget the day she came to this castle with the cowardly lion, the scarecrow and the tin woodman. not if i live to be a million! will i light the candles now, wiz dear, or wait until they arrive?" "oh, wait till they arrive, by all means. but see here," the wizard taking a last look at the party table was plainly distressed. "you've only seven places, jellia, and there are eight of us. my idea was to have everyone immediately associated with dorothy's first visit, and that would be, one--dorothy herself; two--myself; three--yourself; four--the cowardly lion; five--the scarecrow; six--the tin woodman; seven--the soldier with green whiskers, and eight--the guardian of the gate. quick, my dear! another plate for the guardian of the gate." "he's not coming," announced jellia primly. "he says he has not deserted his post for forty years and does not intend to desert it now. but if you'll send his refreshments to the guard house, he'll take it very kindly. i've already fixed him a basket," said jellia, smoothing her apron. "good old guardy!" the wizard absently brushed back the hair he no longer had, then, hearing voices and steps in the corridor, bounced over to open the door while jellia tripped joyously about, lighting the candles set everywhere in the big work shop. candle and fire light are much cozier for parties, and it all looked so cheery and gay that dorothy, who was first, stopped short in the doorway with an exclamation of delight. "oh, wizard! how beautiful! oh, how i do wish ozma could see it all!" "tut tut!" chuckled the wizard, leading her into the room. "ozma is having a fine time in glinda's palace, by now. to tell the truth, dorothy, this party is just for you and to remind us all of the old oz days when--" "--you were nothing but a humbug," snorted the scarecrow, laughing so hard he had to lean against the door jam. "don't forget he gave you your famous brains, friend." the tin woodman spoke reprovingly, for nick chopper did not like anyone's feelings to be hurt, even in fun. "and don't forget he gave me my splendid heart!" "and me, my grade a, double distilled, instant acting courage," purred the cowardly lion. moving over to the fire, the big beast stretched himself luxuriously on the hearth rug. "and don't forget our little wiz was once supreme ruler of oz!" boomed the soldier with green whiskers. marching three times round the party table the thin, immensely tall soldier brought up with a smart salute before their embarrassed little host. "three cheers for the wizard of oz!" cried jellia jam. seizing a silver bell with an emerald clapper, she rang it so hard the cowardly lion's mane blew straight back and even the candles flickered. "thank you! thank you very much!" the wizard bowed and rubbed his ear which still tingled from the cheers and bell ringing. "but where is toto, dorothy? i thought of course you'd bring your little dog." "oh, toto's with ozma," explained dorothy, drawn in spite of herself to the brightly decorated party table. "you know how he dotes on travelling, so ozma took him along for company." "then of course he cannot be here?" sighed the wizard regretfully. "now jellia, off with that cap and apron. tonight you are my guest and not a maid in waiting to ozma or anyone else. besides, i've asked fredjon to serve the supper. dorothy, suppose you sit at the head. i'll sit at the foot and the others may find their own places." "my place will always be next to little dorothy," rumbled the cowardly lion, hoisting himself sleepily to the chair beside the little girl. "mine will be next to the pickles. mm-mmmm! i love pickles," said the soldier, slipping into the seat next to the lion, while jellia, with a purposeful bounce, settled near a plate of green cookies. there was no doubt where the tin woodman and scarecrow would sit, for at one plate the wizard had put a silver box of metal polish and an emerald bottle containing purest oil. then, instead of a chair, he had provided a bale of freshly packed straw for the scarecrow. "well, well, here we all are!" rubbing his hands briskly the wizard beamed on his guests as fredjon, wearing his best suit of green and silver, bustled in with the first course. "and isn't it fun to be here?" dorothy took a long, satisfying sip of her ozade. "i'm awfully glad i came back to live in the land of oz. aren't you, wizard?" "a country where a body grows no older, where animals talk as easily as men and where the practice of magic is not only possible but practical--a country like that has many advantages," admitted the wizard, winking at the cowardly lion who was drinking his fruit juice in a refined way from a huge, green aquarium. "i, myself, never have regretted the years spent in this marvelous fairy land. sometimes i hardly can believe i ever did live in omaha, or travel through the west with a circus." "i know," agreed dorothy, nodding her head slowly. "kansas, when i think of it, seems very far away--as much like a dream, i suppose, as oz seems like a dream to boys and girls in kansas who read oz history." "oh, why think of kansas?" jellia spoke scornfully. "in kansas you were only an ordinary little girl, while here you are a princess and second in importance to our ruler, ozma herself." "and in kansas," observed the scarecrow, as dorothy rather self-consciously straightened her crown, "i'll bet you never had as much fun nor as many adventures as we have here." the scarecrow, being well stuffed with straw, never indulged in any refreshments. in fact, he just came to parties for the conversation, and to be sure of a good time he tried to do all the talking himself. "that's right," said dorothy thoughtfully, "that cyclone was about the only thing that ever happened in kansas." "a great blow to you, my dear, but a fortunate thing for nick and me." the scarecrow patted the tin woodman affectionately on the funnel he wore for a hat. "if you had not blown to oz, i'd probably still be hanging on a pole in that cornfield and nick would be rusting away his life in the greenwood." "and in some ways," mused dorothy, looking dreamily at the model of her small kansas house, "in some ways that first adventure always will seem best. just imagine how surprised i was to blow all those miles and find myself in a strange, wonderful country like oz. the munchkins thought i was a sorceress because my house had killed the wicked witch of the east. then, the good witch of the north told me to put on her silver shoes and go to the emerald city to ask the great oz to send me home. and on the way i discovered you, and do you remember how astonished i was when i lifted you down from your pole and found you really were alive and could talk?" the scarecrow nodded cheerfully. "and remember how we travelled on together till we found the tin woodman?" went on dorothy. "and nick told us about the witch who had enchanted his axe so that it chopped off a leg here, and an arm there, and finally his head and body, too. and after each accident he'd go to a tinsmith who made him new tin arms and legs and finally even a body and a head. you didn't mind being tin at all, did you, nick? except that day you went out to chop wood and left your oil can at home. then that storm came up, your joints rusted and you couldn't move, and there you had been--rusting and helpless for months!" "but we hustled back to your hut, fetched the oil can and fixed you up in fine shape, didn't we, old fellow?" the scarecrow flung his flimsy arm around nick chopper's shoulder and the tin woodman, at the mere mention of rust, uncorked the emerald bottle and let three drops of oil slide down his neck. "i never shall forget your kindness," he told them earnestly, turning his head first to look at dorothy and then at the scarecrow. "and after that, you came along so the wizard could give you a new heart," dorothy reminded him gaily. "and right afterwards, we met the cowardly lion." "and he was more afraid of us than we were of him," teased the scarecrow, leaning across the table to give the lion a poke. "yes, i was just a big coward in those days," admitted the lion, blinking approvingly at the rare roast fredjon had brought him instead of the chicken he was serving the others. "just a great, big coward! ho hum!" "but not too cowardly to fight for us," said dorothy, taking quick little bites of her biscuit, "and to come with us to the emerald city." "oh, that was because i wanted the wizard to give me some courage," roared the lion. "and weren't we surprised when we did reach the emerald city to find it all built of green marble, studded with real emeralds! and remember how the guardian of the gate gave us all green specs, even me, and then led us up to the palace?" "you looked awfully funny in those specs!" laughed dorothy. "i'll never forget how funny!" "but remember, it was i who carried your messages to oz," put in the soldier with green whiskers. "of course it was," said dorothy nodding her head quickly. "you gave us some splendid advice, soldier, and jellia showed us to the grandest rooms in the castle and loaned me the loveliest dresses to wear." "i liked you from the very first!" declared jellia, choking a bit on her seventh cooky. "but old man wizzy wouldn't give us a thing!" said the scarecrow, waving his napkin toward the head of the table. "he told us we'd have to kill the witch of the west before he'd send dorothy home or grant any of our requests." "but, you see--i didn't know any real magic then." the wizard looked quite unhappy for he did not like to remember the time before he was a real wizard. "and besides, i needed more time." "ho ho! you were doing very well for yourself!" chuckled the scarecrow, "living in a splendid castle and having the whole country eating out of your hand. as it happened, we did kill the witch of the west, or at least dorothy melted her with a bucket of water and the winkies were so tickled they gave us all presents and made nick their emperor. so when we got back at last, you did give me some brand new brains, and nick a red plush heart--" "and me some real red, true-blue courage," grinned the cowardly lion, wiping his mouth delicately with the tip of his tail. "and you made me ruler of oz! ah!--my majesty the scarecrow, hah--those were the days!" the scarecrow thumped his pudgy chest and fairly glowed, at the memory. "you would have taken me back to kansas, too, only your balloon flew away too fast, didn't it?" dorothy leaned all the way across the table to pat the wizard's arm. "but don't forget it was i, who told you to go to the palace of glinda, the good sorceress of the south," interrupted the soldier with green whiskers again. "so we all went to glinda's," rumbled the cowardly lion, half closing his eyes. "and glinda told dorothy the witch's silver shoes would carry her home and--they did!" there was a little silence following the lion's last sentence, as if all of dorothy's friends were recalling their sorrow at that first parting from their cheerful little comrade. "but you soon came back," declared the scarecrow, balancing a fork on the edge of his tumbler. "and so did our little wizard." "well, to tell the truth, omaha seemed rather dull after the emerald city," admitted the wizard, motioning for fredjon to bring on the dessert. this caused many admiring "oh's" and "ah's" when it arrived, for it was ice cream moulded into small tin woodmen, scarecrows, lions and all the other guests. then, out of a huge, frosted cake the footman set down before dorothy, flew four little witches riding green broom sticks, straight into the fire. "i tell you it takes a real wizard to perform a trick like that." nick chopper wagged his head solemnly. "you certainly have made progress since ozma made you chief magician of the realm." "well--" drawled the wizard, pushing the pickle dish away from the soldier with green whiskers who already had eaten twenty-seven and was looking rather dill. "magic is like any other science--it takes practice. of course, if you are a born fairy like ozma and the former rulers of oz, working spells and charms just comes natural--like playing the piano by ear. but if you are not a fairy, you must study witchcraft and sorcery as i have done with glinda the good. it only has been by continuous study and research that i have managed to perfect myself in the arts of wizardry." "well, how is wizness lately?" inquired the scarecrow, wrinkling his cotton forehead at all the big words. "fine, just fine!" the wizard assured him brightly. marching over to his desk, he returned with a long, tube-like object resembling a seaman's spy glass. "this is one of my latest inventions," he confessed modestly. "here, take a look." beaming with anticipation, he pressed the spy glass into dorothy's hands. chapter the wizard's spy glass with the wizard's latest invention clapped to one eye and pointed straight at the wizard himself, dorothy peered through the green glass hardly knowing what to expect. certainly not what happened, for, from the other end of the instrument, a composed voice began making announcements proudly and impressively as a radio speaker. "you are now looking at oscar zoroaster phadrig isaac norman henkle emmanuel ambroise diggs," it informed them crisply. "calls himself oz after the first letters of his first two names, as his other initials spell pinhead. born in omaha, diggs ran away as a young man to join a circus where he made balloon ascensions to amuse the crowds, his balloon bearing his initials o. z. "one day in a storm, oscar's balloon was carried to our wonderful land of oz. at that time, the rightful king of the country and his son had been destroyed by mombi the witch, who also had enchanted and hidden away ozma, the little granddaughter of this unfortunate monarch. and four witches had divided the country between them. when the balloon bearing the name oz on its side sailed out of the clouds, the inhabitants instantly hailed the traveller from america as their ruler, supposing him to be another member of the famous fairy family of oz. unable to return to america, oz accepted the people's decision with good grace and ruled the realm for many years. under his wise direction the people built this castle and the famous city of emeralds; and the four witches, thinking oz more powerful than they, did not question his rule or authority. "later, when little dorothy from kansas arrived in oz, the wizard decided to return with her to the united states, leaving the scarecrow to rule in his place. the scarecrow was deposed by jinjur and her army of girls. jinjur, in turn was conquered by glinda, the good witch of the south, who also forced mombi to disenchant ozma, the young and rightful girl ruler of the realm. ozma has ruled over oz ever since. not long after ozma was restored to her throne, the wizard returned to oz and our clever girl ruler made him chief magician of the realm. in this ancient and honorable capacity he has served ever since, period--stop--drop or point elsewhere!" these last words were uttered so rudely, dorothy almost did drop the spy glass. "my! my goodness!" gasped the little girl. "it always says that, when it has told all it knows. you see, it is a 'tell-all-escope.'" explained the wizard, reaching out for his spy glass with an embarrassed cough. "and it certainly tells all, all right!" roared the scarecrow, pushing back his chair. "congratulations, my dear mr. diggs!" "look out! be careful! don't you point that thing at me! _please_ don't!" the big lion simply cowered in his chair, and no wonder he felt nervous. there had been some pretty savage incidents in that old lion's life before he met dorothy and came to live in the emerald city as a civilized citizen of oz. and the thought of the tell-all-escope telling all it knew about him made the cowardly lion positively shudder. but the others were so busy examining the wizard's spy glass, they did not even notice the lion's terrific agitation. "you know, a thing like that would be of great value to a traveller," remarked nick chopper, tapping the tell-all-escope thoughtfully with his tin fingers. "that's just what i figured," grinned the wizard, thrusting the instrument into his pocket. "and, speaking of travelling, i have something else to show you!" clapping on his high hat, ozma's chief magician hastened over to the door that opened on the garden, signalling for the others to come along. having had experience with inventors before, dorothy and jellia snatched up coats, dorothy, her own, and jellia, one of the wizard's. then, followed by the rest of the party, they stepped out into the sparkling, starlit evening. the soldier with green whiskers, who had stopped to eat the last pickle in the dish and stuff an extra piece of cake in his pocket, came last of all. at each step he gave a little groan, for--all by himself--the soldier had eaten enough for a whole army. but then, he was a whole army; he was every single man, private, corporal, captain, major, colonel and general in the entire fighting force of oz. anxious to exhibit his latest treasure, the wizard walked rapidly along, leading the little party across the park, through the emerald city, out of the gates and into the thick woodland beyond. "where _do_ you suppose he is taking us?" shivered jellia, thinking longingly of the cozy fire back in the laboratory. "no knowing," giggled the scarecrow. "but a-hunting we shall go! a-hunting we shall go! ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tah!" blowing an imaginary horn, the scarecrow pretended to gallop and fell flat on his face, his legs never being what you really could call reliable. "sh--hh!" whispered the wizard, looking back warningly as the tin woodman jerked the straw man to his feet. "what i am about to show you has been seen by no one in oz except my faithful assistants! so please be more quiet!" "you mean it's a secret?" whispered dorothy, skipping forward to catch up with the wizard and linking her arm through his. "two secrets!" confided ozma's chief magician mysteriously. pushing impatiently through the last fringe of trees, the group stepped into a moonlit clearing. chapter latest invention of the wizard of oz "ooooooh! a conservatory!" murmured jellia, blinking at the shining glass structure that occupied the entire treeless space. "a barn, if you ask me!" guessed the scarecrow. "but why build it of glass, mr. wiz?" "because glass is the latest and lightest building material known. but this is no barn, as you'll soon discover." handing his flashlight to dorothy, the wizard slid back the vast doors, switched on the lights and stood back, his hands in his pockets, as the little group in silence and astonishment viewed the two shining planes housed as snugly as giant butterflys in a glass cocoon. "airplanes!" exclaimed dorothy, when she found her voice at last. "no, ozoplanes," corrected the wizard, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. "somewhat like the planes in america, but more powerful, for remember, my dear, i had not only the scientific knowledge of aeronautics available to mortals, but the scientific knowledge of magic to help me as well!" "well!" echoed the tin woodman, gazing approvingly at the wizard's planes, which, except for their silver wings, might have been huge, silver-and-glass torpedoes. "not for the army, i hope," exclaimed the soldier, clutching his whiskers nervously. being the entire army himself, and quite old-fashioned and set in his ways, the soldier felt sure he never could pilot these gleaming airplanes. "oh, no! no! no!" the wizard frowned at the mere thought of war. "these are pleasure planes for travelling and exploring the unknown regions of the upper air. as soon as ozma returns from the south, i plan to present them both to our illustrious young ruler and arrange for her to make the first triumphant flight." "but there are two," said dorothy a little wistfully. she had hoped to make the first flight with the wizard, herself. "of course, of course!" he answered in a matter-of-fact way. "most experimental flights fail because they depend on _one_ ship. we shall have two!" "we?" dorothy brightened up considerably at the wizard's plural. "yes, we," repeated the wizard, turning round to smile at the little girl. "counting ozma and those of us here, there will be eight passengers--four for each plane." "now please don't bother about me!" begged the cowardly lion, his tail dragging on the ground at the very thought of flying. "i'd not think of troubling you. besides, i'm much too heavy for flying." "not at all, not at all," the wizard reassured him with a wink. "i have made exact calculations about weight, old fellow, and you and the scarecrow balance each other nicely. so don't worry about that." "oh, i'm not worrying about _that_!" rumbled the lion, rearing up on his hind legs to read the names outlined in emeralds on the luminous sides of the wizard's ships. "ozpril and oztober!" the lion spoke in a slightly trembling roar. "mmmn! mmmnnnnmn! kerumph!" "why, those are beautiful names," exclaimed dorothy, tilting back her head to spell them out for herself. "i thought they were rather neat," said the wizard complacently. "suitable too, one to rise and one to fall!" expressively he lifted an arm and let it fall limply to his side. "to--to fall?" quavered the lion, dropping to all fours. "oh, just in a figurative way, of course." the wizard shrugged his shoulders. "you will observe," he went on enthusiastically, "that these planes need no runway or special track to take off. they really are balloonaplanes. note those round packets on the top of the fusilage." the lion blinked rapidly, for he had no idea that fusilage meant the body of the plane, but the others nodded quite knowingly. "well those," declared the inventor proudly "are my own, patented, balloon attachments. at the touch of a button, the wings are depressed and the balloon inflated with a magic gas, lighter than helium, that carries the ship as high and as far as desired. then the balloon can be deflated and the ozoplane can continue under its own power. but you will readily see how my ship, with its balloon attachment, has twice the altitude possibilities of an ordinary airplane. hah! we shall fly _higher_ than higher!" boasted the little wizard, happily. "oh, quite!" agreed the tin woodman, mounting the ladder of the oztober, the soldier with green whiskers pressing nervously at his heels. "but how will you move them out of here?" inquired the scarecrow, taking off his hat and scratching his cotton head. "oh, as to that--" the wizard pulled a switch just behind him, whereupon the top of the glass airdrome lifted, like the lid of an enormous jewel box. "hmmmmn! i see!" the scarecrow slapped his knee and grinned with appreciation. "off with the roof! up with the planes!" "exactly!" seizing the straw man's arm, the wizard urged him toward the ladder of the ozpril, dorothy skipping cheerfully behind them. after dorothy plodded the cowardly lion, talking to himself in anxious whispers and growls. "be sure not to touch anything over there," called the wizard, as nick and the soldier with green whiskers disappeared into the cabin of the other plane. "i'll keep an eye on them," promised jellia, tripping up the ladder as lightly as a feather. "don't give us a thought, wiz, dear." "jellia's so funny!" laughed dorothy. "sensible, too," added the wizard, helping the little girl over the high door sill and into the plane. while he and the scarecrow went forward to examine the steering gear, dorothy looked delightedly 'round the snug little cabin. there were four seats upholstered in pale, green leather, along one side. the whole top was of thick glass, through which she could distinctly see the moon and stars winking down at her. the side walls of the ozpril were of a silvery grey, with all trimmings in green. at the back was a small dinette, with chairs and table locked to the floors as they are on sea-going vessels. a cabinet full of china, a wall full of charts, a book case full of books and a tiny kitchen and dressing room, completed the equipment. "it's just as cozy as a little house," sighed dorothy contentedly, as the cowardly lion, having glanced round in a discouraged way, seated himself in one of the green chairs and pressed his nose against the round window pane. "won't we have fun, liony, when we really get off?" "_getting off_ will be the best fun of all," sniffed the lion, glancing briefly at the door. the lion, as you probably have guessed, felt no enthusiasm for the trip. once, much against his will, he had been carried to an island in the sky, and that experience had been more than enough. in his own mind he already had decided not to accompany the wizard on his proposed flight. yessir, when the party assembled for the trip he would just turn up missing and manage to stay behind. immensely relieved by this secret decision, he ambled forward. "you will notice," the wizard was pointing out briskly, "that i have done away with all controls and levers. on this board are all the buttons necessary to operate the ship." "looks like an organ," observed dorothy, squinting at the bright array of buttons set in the top of the table within easy reach of the first seat. "must you play all those stops and starters to guide the plane?" "not quite all," smiled the wizard, "but if we wished to start, i'd first press this green button to depress the wings and inflate our balloon. next, i'd push the button marked 'up' and, if i decided to go north, this 'north' button, as well. then i'd use the wheel to hold her steady, and if i preferred to go up in a gradual way, i'd push this button marked 'zig.'" "and i suppose if you saw something interesting, or wished to dodge a mountain, you'd 'zag,'" suggested the scarecrow, indicating the "zag" button with his pudgy finger. "or you could 'spin,' 'spiral' or 'level-off'--" "stop! stop!" panted the cowardly lion, clapping his paw to one eye, "all this up-zig and down-zig makes me positively giddy!" "it does seem a little complicated," said dorothy, looking dubiously at the wizard's button-board. "why, it's perfectly simple!" the wizard assured her brightly. "all you have to do is touch the right buttons at the right time!" "but--" the scarecrow, who had been about to ask another question, whirled round on one heel, and flopped on his back in the aisle. the cowardly lion skidded rapidly past, to wedge under the little dining table while dorothy and the wizard clung to the steering board to keep from falling. for--a terrific roar like the tearing of a gigantic sheet had made the ozpril tremble like a leaf. there came a sudden flash of silver smoke, and the gradual dying away of all sound. then--a complete and ominous silence. "what? what!!! why, it's _gone_!" shouted the wizard, racing over to the door and staring amazedly at the empty space occupied a moment before by the oztober. then he glanced up into the starlit expanse of sky. "gone?" creeping on hands and knees, the scarecrow peered out to see for himself. "why, what right have they to go off like that?" he demanded, pulling himself up by the door jam. "april comes before october and goes before october, too. fall before spring--why, that's ridiculous! the ozpril should have led off!" "oh, what will become of them?" cried dorothy in distress, clasping her hands anxiously. "i'm sure it was a dreadful mistake." "mistake!" moaned the wizard, pushing back his high hat. "worse than that, dorothy! why, everything is ruined! here they've gone off before i even had a chance to _show_ the plane to ozma. they have no directions, no supplies; they'll crash, smash or wreck themselves. i intended to teach nick chopper to navigate the plane before we started!" "but can't we stop them? can't we go after them?" exclaimed dorothy, clutching the wizard's coat tails. "go after them?--yes! that's the idea, go after them! of course!" panted the wizard, falling over the cowardly lion who was making a stream-lion for the door. "i was just going back for my over-shoes," wheezed the lion, slinking rather guiltily into his seat at the wizard's reproachful glance. "stay where you are!" the wizard directed sharply. "now then, steady--everybody steady! shut that door, scarecrow, we are about to ascend." the wizard bent over the steering board to touch the green button that would inflate the ozpril's balloon. "but i never expected to go without my black bag of magic, an extra vest, or even my bottle of hair tonic." "haven't you any magic at all?" called dorothy, as the ozpril began to vibrate and tremble from the rush of gas into its balloon. "a little, a little," confessed the wizard, pressing the buttons marked "up" and "south". "here, dorothy, take the tell-all-escope and see if you can catch a glimpse of the oztober when we are aloft." grasping the wheel, the wizard settled grimly into the pilot's seat. dorothy had just time to clutch the tell-all-escope before the ozpril rose straight into the air. lifted and borne by its buoyant gas bag, the graceful ship pointed toward the stars. chapter first flight of the oztober now the start of the oztober had been nothing like the orderly take-off of the ozpril. the first hint jellia had of their departure was when a china coffee pot from the open china closet into which she was looking with great interest, hit her a sharp clip on the chin. next moment she was rolling round on the floor of the cabin, dodging all the rest of the green dishes. "oh! oh! dishes awful!" choked poor jellia jam, not even realizing she was making a pun. "stop!" yelled the tin woodman, turning a complete somersault and coming down on his funnel with one leg hooked through the luggage rack. "stop! who did that?" "pickles!" moaned a faint voice from the forward end of the cabin, "oh, those pickles!" and that was probably as correct an answer as any to nick's indignant question. even upside down as he was, and subject to the fierce rocketing of the plane, the tin woodman could see a tall, green figure sprawled across the navigator's table. as he had bent over to examine the oztober's steering apparatus, the soldier with green whiskers had been taken with a violent cramp from the twenty-nine pickles he had eaten at the party. falling heavily on the board he had pushed down ten of the wizard's bright colored buttons. following the directions of all ten, one after the other, the oztober had exploded into the air and now, whistling and whirling like a comet bound for mars, was charging into the heavens. jellia jam was too bruised and shaken to do anything but cling to the side of one of the seats. the soldier, after his head had been whacked down three times on the board had lapsed into complete and utter silence. only nick managed to preserve a semblance of his usual calm and composure. though severely dented by the plane's take-off, the tin woodman, being of metal, felt no pain. nor was he subject to the giddiness that assailed ordinary flesh and bone bodies under such trying conditions. even standing on his head did not greatly inconvenience him, and after the first dreadful shock, he began to perceive a certain order and rhythm in their flight. this was not strange. the soldier's fall had pressed down the button to inflate the oztober's balloon, the "up" and the "south" buttons, the "fast," "spin," "spiral," "zig," "zag," "slow" and "circle" buttons as well. so first, the oztober would shoot up, then it would go into a fast spin, and spiral. the zigs and zags were a little less terrible, and on one of the slow circles, the tin woodman managed to extricate his foot from the luggage rack. clattering full length in the aisle, he lay still, till the next slow circle. then, leaping to his feet, he rushed forward and pulled the soldier off the steering board. he had just time to prop the unconscious army into the third chair, and fall into the pilot's seat himself, when the oztober went into another fast spin and spiral. this rather upset nick. he had taken a hasty look at the navigator's table when he entered the ship and then, more interested in the metal of which the plane was constructed, had gone tapping about, testing it with his tin knuckles--intending to return to the steering gear later. he naturally had supposed that when he pulled the soldier off the board the plane would slow down or change its course. but nothing of the kind happened. all the buttons the soldier had fallen on stayed down. grasping the wheel, nick was relieved to find he could steady the oztober a bit in this way. holding to it with one hand, he tried to pull out the "spin" and "spiral" buttons with the other. but even his strong tin fingers could not budge them. next, he glanced frantically over the board for a "stop" or a "down" button, but the "down" button when he found it, filled him with apprehension. if they shot down at the speed they were hurling upward, the plane most certainly would be wrecked. no, decided nick, drawing his fingers hastily back from the "down" button--they were much safer in the air until he learned a little more about flying, and he'd just have to hang on till he discovered how the ozoplane worked. grasping the wheel resignedly in both hands, he glanced back to see how jellia was faring. jellia was sitting dizzily in the middle of the aisle. but she was so encouraged to see nick actually at the wheel, that she made her way to him and hung firmly to the arm of his chair. just then, the oztober whirled into its twentieth spin and spiral, and jellia--dislodged from the chair--caught at the steering table to save herself from falling. "oh, now you've done it!" gasped nick, as the oztober gave a wicked lurch. "oh, now--" his voice trailed off into a hoarse squeak, for, as abruptly as it had started, the plane stopped, and, held aloft by its still buoyant balloon, swung easily to and fro in the faint wind that stirred above the clouds. "say! how did you _do_ it?" letting go the wheel, the tin woodman seized jellia by the shoulders. "what?" panted jellia. "what did i do?" "why, you saved the ship. you stopped her. see, all the buttons are up again!" removing jellia's clutching fingers gently from the table top, nick discovered a flat bar on the under side of the board. as soon as jellia pressed the bar, all the buttons had popped back to their normal position. "so that's it!" exclaimed nick, rubbing his tin forehead anxiously. "each time you want to change the course, you press this bar and then begin all over again." "but now we're sinking," groaned jellia. and sinking herself, into the seat back of nick, she stared at him with round, desperate eyes. "sinking, are we? well, i'll soon put a stop to _that_!" pouncing on the green button to inflate the oztober's gas bag, nick pressed it quickly, for of course, as soon as jellia had touched the bar, the buttons all had sprung up and the magic gas had begun to seep out of the plane's balloon attachment. as it again filled and became taut, the slow downward drift of the ship ceased, and again it hung motionless between a cloud and a star. "now!" breathed the tin woodman eyeing the button board with grim purpose and determination, "now we can take our time and start off right." "oh, nick! must we go through all that again?" jellia began to cry softly, drying her eyes on the sash of her party dress. "oh, nick, i never thought flying would be like this. please can't we just stay as we are?" "certainly not," said the tin woodman briskly. "hanging 'round the sky is dangerous. we might be hit by a shooting star or even by a meteor. now, just trust yourself to me, my dear jellia. remember i am the emperor of the east!" nick smote his tin chest a resounding blow. "and after ruling the winkies all these years, i surely can handle one small plane!" reassuring himself, if not jellia, the tin woodman searched the array of buttons for one marked "slow." after he had found it, he slowly began to map his course. he would continue to fly up, for a time. next he would take a horizontal direction until he grew more accustomed to piloting the ozoplane. then, as night passed and the sun rose, he would zig and zag slowly downward and make a safe landing near the emerald city. the soldier with green whiskers had regained consciousness, only to fall at once into a heavy slumber. his snores blended nicely with jellia's sobs, as nick chopper pushed the "up," the "south" and the "slow" buttons. braced for a new shock, jellia grasped the arms of her seat. but this time the oztober soared gently and gracefully aloft, the motion of the plane so smooth and pleasant, ozma's little maid in waiting soon forgot all her fears. relaxing against the soft green cushions, she, too, fell asleep. this left only nick awake and alert. but if the wizard had searched all over oz, he could not have found a better pilot than the tin woodman. being practically tireless and requiring neither food nor rest, he could keep his place at the wheel for days if necessary. delighted at the way the oztober responded to his clever manipulation of the wheel and buttons, he flew up and up and on and on, scarcely realizing the distance he was putting between himself and oz. glancing out the round window beside him, nick viewed the starry expanse of the upper air with growing interest and enthusiasm. sometimes he was almost tempted to waken jellia to point out the splendid cloud mountains and cities they were passing. as he swept along, the sky turned from deep blue to grey and was now suffused with the rainbow tints of early morning. switching off the lights, the tin woodman slightly changed his course. "i really need a lot more practice before i go back or try to make a safe landing," he observed softly to himself. "it never would do to crack up a valuable ship like this." but the truth of the matter was, the tin woodman did not wish to turn back. and after all--who was to insist? the soldier and jellia still slept on, and far ahead, between a bank of fog and an arch of platinum sun rays, loomed a long, lavender crescent. nick even fancied he could see people moving about its glittering surface. "a new world!" gloated the tin woodman, setting his funnel at a more daring angle. if this were so, he would be its discoverer. not only that, but he could claim it for ozma and win for himself as much honor and renown as samuel salt, the royal explorer of oz. "even if it's not inhabited, it would be a good place to practice landing," reflected nick happily. so again he pressed the black bar, touched the button to deflate the oztober's balloon and raise the wings. for now he wished to fly horizontally, and the wings would be faster than the gas bag. next, touching the "straight-on" and "faster" buttons, and twirling the wheel expertly, he headed the ship straight for the tip of the lavender island. chapter the spikers nick waited until he was well over the crescent before he attempted to land. as he flew along he planned exactly how he would go about it and everything worked out as planned, except for one thing. the "slow," the "zig" and the "down" buttons brought the oztober within a foot of the glittering air isle, but the "stop" button functioned a bit late. instead of stopping on the surface, the plane dropped clear through with a crash like the smashing of a thousand thin tumblers. peering up through a spray of splinters, the tin woodman found he had knocked a jagged hole in the crescent. "attention! shoulder arms! company, fall in!" yelled the soldier with green whiskers. jolted completely awake, he sprang up in the aisle, aiming his gun at the ceiling. "yes? yes! coming, your majesty!" jellia, mistaking the musical crash for the ringing of ozma's morning bell, rolled sleepily out of her seat and started down the aisle after the soldier. "now, now--don't be alarmed," remarked nick chopper. "i was just trying to land." "land? where is it? quick! let me out of here!" panted jellia jam, remembering all in a rush where she was, and the dreadful experiences of the night before. "i see no land," said the soldier pressing his nose against one of the windows. "well, it certainly looked like land!" the tin woodman spoke in a slightly exasperated voice. the oztober, still quivering from its impact with the island, was hanging motionless about ten feet below the crescent. "can't tell about these sky countries till you try them." "i'll bet it's nothing but a cake of ice," shivered jellia, hugging herself to keep warm. "being of tin, i don't suppose you'd notice it was freezing! i wonder if that stove lights?" "ice?" meditated nick, as jellia hurried toward the back of the cabin. "why, i do believe you are right, my dear. in the upper stratas the air does become colder. we probably cracked through a frozen cloud!" jellia, turning all the switches on the stove, paid little attention to nick's scientific discourse. she was too busy warming herself over the glowing burners. "if we just had something to cook," sighed the little oz maid, staring wistfully into the cupboard beside the stove. but the shelves were perfectly empty. reflecting that the wizard had not had time to stock up for the flight, jellia, who was an orderly little soul, began picking up the china that had broken when it fell from the cabinet the night before. rather pompously, the soldier with green whiskers began to help her. "will someone kindly explain what we are doing, flying around in this dangerous and haphazard manner?" he inquired loftily. "i understood we were to wait for ozma's return before we made a trial flight! and really, you know, i'm needed at home to guard the castle." "oh, indeed!" sniffed jellia. "and who do you suppose started us off, mr. whiskers. nobody but yourself. a fine pickle you put us in when you fell on that steering board." "i?" the soldier straightened up, aghast. "yes, you!" declared jellia. "you and your pickles." sweeping the rest of the broken plates into her skirt, she marched to the end of the cabin and dumped them into the big basket beside the water cooler. "goodness knows whether we shall ever get back," she sighed, sinking despondently into the last seat and staring out the window. "but we're backing now," muttered the soldier. this was quite true, for nick, to avoid hitting the crescent of ice again, was maneuvering the plane from beneath; then, feeling it might be dangerous to go any higher, he began slowly and cautiously to descend. neither he nor jellia paid any more attention to the soldier with green whiskers, who glanced uncomfortably from one to the other. after a little silence he remarked in a hollow voice: "i shall consider myself under arrest. i shall walk guard for two hours without a pause for rest or rations!" "oh, don't be a goose!" giggled jellia. "you'll probably go without rations because there aren't any. but what good will walking guard do?" "as commander-in-chief, i have sentenced myself to walk guard. as a first class private in the army of oz, i shall carry out this sentence," insisted the soldier. "discipline must be maintained!" hoisting his old fashioned blunder-buss to his shoulder, he began tramping stiffly up and down the short aisle of the cabin. born in a small munchkin village to a family named battles who had promptly christened him wantowin, he had applied as soon as he was grown for a position in the army of oz. the wizard, then supreme ruler of the kingdom, impressed by the soldier's height and long green whiskers, had immediately hired him. later he had been promoted by ozma to fill the position of the entire staff and army of oz. wantowin had never been much of a fighter, but as war in oz is practically outlawed, and victories usually won by magic, he had got on very well. at his tenth about-face, wantowin suddenly recalled the piece of cake he had stuffed into his pocket the night before, and generously offered it to jellia. "oh, wanny, how wonderful!" to the famished girl, the cake tasted even better than it had at the wizard's party. breaking it in half, she tried to force the soldier to eat a piece, but raising his hand sternly, wantowin continued his self-imposed sentence. seeing argument was useless, jellia ate her own share and put the other half in the cupboard for the soldier's supper. the plane still was slanting smoothly downward. after oiling all of nick's joints and thinking how fortunate it was they had brought along the oil can, jellia began marching up and down behind the soldier, examining the pictures and charts on the wall as she went along. the cake and a long drink of water from the cooler had done much to restore her courage and cheerfulness, and an occasional glance out the window was both pleasant and reassuring. the oztober was dropping through fluffs and puffs of creamy cloud. "just like whipped cream on strawberries--if we had any strawberries!" mused jellia, withdrawing her gaze reluctantly from the window and resuming her march. "oh, nick, here are some directions!" she cried suddenly, stopping before a finely printed notice beside the water cooler. "directions?" the tin woodman looked round rather annoyed. he felt he had almost mastered the mechanism of the ozoplane and did not care to start a new system. but the directions that jellia read off had nothing to do with the navigation of the plane. they were rules for the behavior of passengers in the strat. "the air in this cabin has been magically treated," stated the notice. "so long as the windows and doors are closed, riders may safely pass through the highest stratas. on debarking, however, it would be well to don my patent protective air helmets, see chest beneath second seat, or to take one, for each mile up, of my elutherated altitude pills, from the recess in the table leg." jellia, whose bump of curiosity was larger than most, lost no time hunting for the helmets. dragging the chest from beneath the second seat and paying no attention to the marching soldier, who stepped over her each time he passed, she impatiently lifted the lid. the four helmets in the chest were of some pliant, glassy material resembling cellophane. they belted in at the waist and after holding one up for nick's inspection, jellia put them back and returned the chest to its place. "now _which_ leg of _which_ table?" pondered the little maid in waiting, her mind turning to the altitude pills. "oh, what does it matter?" grinned the tin woodman as jellia crawled under the navigator's table and began tapping its legs one after the other. "you'll soon be on solid earth and won't need altitude pills." nick had made up his mind to bring the oztober down to a landing wherever they happened to be. but jellia scarcely heard him for at that moment she had discovered a small hook on one of the front legs of the table. pulling it down, she disclosed a tall, triangular bottle in the hollow center. the pills were triangular too, and of every color in the rainbow. "take one after each mile," read jellia, uncorking the bottle and taking a good sniff. the pills smelled as good as they looked and she was about to sample one, when the soldier with green whiskers gave a hoarse scream and such a leap that his head hit the ceiling. "_now_ what's the matter?" demanded nick chopper, turning around stiffly, while jellia hastily corked the bottle, shoved it back into the tableleg and crawled into the aisle. "nick!" shrieked poor jellia. "what is it? what are they? oh, ozma! oh, wizard! oh, help! help!" and well might jellia scream, for swarming round the tail of the oztober came a perfect horde of iridescent monsters. in shape each resembled an octopus, but instead of arms, they had long, horny spikes and spines. pressing close to the plane they ogled at the shivering passengers as if they were fish in some strange aquarium. then, evidently angered at what they saw, they began hurling and banging themselves against the sides of the oztober till it sounded like the rattle of machine guns. at this juncture, i am sorry to report, wantowin battles, after sounding a shrill retreat on the bugle attached to his belt, rushed into the dressing room and wrapped himself in the shower curtain. nick chopper, who already loved the wizard's ship as if it were his own, shuddered as each spike struck the shining metal. then, deciding that flight was the better part of valor, he hastily changed course, zooming up and up, faster and faster and faster! for perhaps a thousand feet the goggle-eyed monsters pursued them, but at last, the air grew too thin and rare for the spikers and one by one they fell away. their horrid squeals and screeches still came faintly to the three voyagers, and jellia ran quickly to the back window to stare down after them. "why, i never knew there were wild animals in the air," stuttered jellia, blinking her eyes rapidly. "now, i wouldn't exactly call them wild animals," said nick argumentatively, twisting his neck from side to side to be sure he was not rusting. "well, they certainly weren't birds!" declared jellia indignantly. "and how did they fly without wings? come on out, soldier, they're gone." "ah, so we have won?" jauntily the soldier stepped out of the dressing room and resumed his marching. "give me credit for sounding the retreat, comrades," he observed cheerfully. jellia sniffed, and nick chopper said nothing. "what are we going to do now?" inquired the little oz maid, going over to stand by the wheel. "how can we ever fly down with those awful creatures below?" "we'll just travel horizontally till we are out of their area," nick told her, complacently. "but for a while, anyway, we'll go up. after all, one has to go up to come down, you know. and when we do come down--" nick gave a satisfied little nod, "it will be in a safe spot and far from those spiky airimals." "so that's what they are! but how did you know?" jellia looked admiringly at the tin woodman. "oh, it just came to me," admitted nick, with a modest cough. "beasts of the air must have names, i suppose. make a note of those monsters, will you wantowin?" "i'm writing them up in my little green book now," mumbled the soldier, who was, in fact, scribbling away hastily as he tramped up and down. "i've made a sketch of one, too." "good!--although i didn't suppose you'd looked at them long enough for that!" said nick, a bit sarcastically. he glanced hastily at the page the soldier held before his nose. then, deciding they had flown high enough, he pointed the oztober toward the east and after an hour's leisurely flying, again began a slow and cautious descent. "i do wonder where we'll land?" mused jellia, trying to pierce with her bright eyes the bank of fog that lay beneath. "somewhere in the quadling country, i should judge," answered nick, twirling the wheel deftly to the right. "and when we do--" at that instant, the soldier with green whiskers let out another panicky squawk. "climb! climb!" he panted, running up and down the aisle so fast he almost ran himself down on the about-faces. "we're ambushed, comrades! fire in the fog! land on the stern!" "oh, tin cups and canyons!" rasped nick chopper, losing his temper at last. "if this keeps up, how are we ever to get down? hammer and tong it! something's always getting in the way. will you stop that silly marching?" he yelled, snatching at the soldier's sleeve as he raced by. "halt!" quavered wantowin. instantly obeying his own command, he stood trembling beside the navigator's table as nick peered desperately down through the fog. chapter strut of the strat "what is it, hippenscop?" strutoovious the seventh looked up impatiently as his first and fastest messenger came to a panting halt under the imperial canopy. instead of answering, hippenscop, his chest heaving and his eyes bulging, made a wordless gesture over his shoulder. then, catching his foot in the royal boot-scraper, he fell violently up the steps of the dais. this was not unusual, for anyone who falls in stratovania, falls up instead of down. rather relieved to find himself before the throne at last, hippenscop scrambled to his feet. sucking in his breath he announced hoarsely: "i beg to report a strange and sonorbious monster falling through the fog over half moon lake." "are you sure it is not a zoomer?" throwing down the morning star which he had been reading, strutoovious stared coldly at the messenger. "ho, no! ho, no!" hippenscop shook his head positively. "it has wings and a tail, your strajesty. wings, a tail and seven eyes! but hark!!" the menacing whirr and sputter following the messenger's speech made even the ruler of all the stratovanians leap off his throne. striding rapidly after the terrified servitor, strut, followed by half the inhabitants of his irradiant tip-toposphere, reached the shores of half moon lake. "skydragon!" he announced, after a brief glance at the gleaming shape drifting down through the fog. "quick hippen! summon the royal blowmen! back, stand back, you witless woffs! do you wish to be crushed and eaten? yon monster will alight on the north shore any moonite now!" at strut's loud warning, half of his subjects took to their heels while the rest scurried round to the south side of the lake, every head turned up toward the mysterious dragon. only, of course, it was not a dragon. it was the silver-bodied oztober--inside of which the agitation was almost as great as the alarm of the airlanders below. "how long have we? how long'll it be before we land?" gulped jellia. remembering the wizard's instructions, she jerked out the box of air helmets and next made a dive under the navigator's table. "here, take one--two--three. oh, how many shall we take?" groaned the little oz maid, holding up the bottle of altitude pills. "'one, after each mile up,' but how many miles have we come?" "one hundred and one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven feet!" mumbled the soldier with green whiskers, reading the figures from a shining metal hypsometer clamped to the navigator's table. "all we have to do is figure how many feet in a mile." "fifty-two hundred and some," puffed nick, working away desperately at his wheel and buttons to bring the oztober down without crashing. "oh, take twenty!" he directed sharply, as jellia and the soldier stood regarding him with open mouths. it was no time, as jellia later told ozma, to be doing long divisions. with trembling fingers she counted out twenty pills for the soldier with green whiskers. then, popping twenty into her own mouth and crunching them desperately between her teeth, she handed the bottle to nick chopper. "no, no! none for me!" the tin woodman waved the bottle impatiently aside. "high altitude won't injure my metal, but keep this oil can handy, jellia, and whatever happens, don't let me rust!" choking on the pills which were dry and rather bitter, jellia nodded earnestly. tucking the oil can into the little bag that hung from her wrist, she began nervously dragging on her air helmet. wantowin battles already had adjusted his, and swallowed his pills. now, peering out one of the round windows, he trembled so violently all his weapons rattled and clanked to the dismal tune of his fright. "th--thousands of them!" quavered the soldier. "what kind of place is this, anyway! it's so bright it hurts my eyes. oh, i just know there'll be fighting! look, i'd far better stay in the cabin, as someone must guard the plane!" "but not you!" nick chopper spoke with great firmness. then, spinning the wheel rapidly and gauging to a nicety the distance between the ship and the sparkling airosphere, he touched the "down" and "stop" buttons simultaneously. coasting down the last little hill of wind, the oztober came to a gentle and complete stop on the shore of a rainbow-hued body of water. "now, now! take your time," cautioned the tin woodman, as jellia started impulsively toward the door. pulling off one of the cushion covers nick began polishing himself vigorously. as the discoverer of this new and astonishing airland, he wished to make a good impression. from what he had seen, it was a country well worth claiming for ozma of oz. "here, let me go first," he said, tossing aside the cushion cover. "keep close to me, jellia, and soldier--under no circumstances are you to retreat unless i give the signal. great tinhoppers, what was _that_?" a long wail rather like the squall of a cat suddenly had rent the quiet air of the cabin. "stowaway!" cried jellia, as another unmistakable meough followed the first. "sounds like dorothy's cat." but it was not eureka that jellia pulled from behind the second seat cushion. it was a small, black kit-bag. the green eyes turned off and on like electric lights, and the tail curved over the back to form a handle. round its neck hung a green placard: "_this kit-bag of magic to be used only in cases of extreme emergency. to open pull the tail.--wiz._" "well, geewhiz--is this an emergency?" jellia held the bag out, nervously. "er--yes!" declared nick chopper after a second glance out of the window. "bring it along! and remember--you have nothing to fear! i, the emperor of all the winkies, am with you. with kind words and courteous gestures we will win the friendship and allegiance of these strange airlanders for ozma of oz." jellia knew nick's red plush heart, given him by the wizard, was the kindest in all oz. nevertheless she took a firmer hold on the kit bag, and only after assuring herself that wantowin had his saber and blunder-buss did she follow the tin woodman down the oztober's ladder. there was a complete and astonished silence as the three ozians stepped from the plane. and it must be confessed, jellia and the soldier in their transparent helmets, and the tin woodman without a helmet, were strange enough to startle any airbody. so it's no wonder the stratovanians were as amazed at the appearance of the travellers, as the travellers were amazed at the stratovanians. separated only by the waters of half moon lake, they confronted each other with growing alarm. strut, who had expected this dragon to roar, spurt flames and then rush forward to attack them, hardly knew what to do when these three curious beings stepped from the monster's interior. noting with alarm that his blowmen had not yet arrived, he determined to hold the invaders in conversation, if possible. so, with his head and chest high, and walking with the queer, strutting gait that characterized all of the dwellers in stratovania, he advanced slowly around the edge of half moon lake. a few paces behind strutted the rest of his retainers. just as slowly, nick chopper and his two companions advanced to meet them. the airlanders were a head taller than even the tin woodman. their hair grew straight up on end, sparkling and crackling with electricity in a really terrifying manner. their eyes were star shaped and shaded by long, silver lashes, the noses and mouths were straight and firm, the foreheads transparent. some shone as from a hidden sun, while across the brows of others tiny black clouds chased one another in rapid succession. watching their foreheads would be a good way, decided jellia jam, to find out whether they were pleased or angry. strut and his subjects wore belted tunics of some iridescent, rainbow-hued material, and silver sandals laced to the knee. from the ears of the men hung huge, crescent pendants, while from those of the women, star earrings danced and dangled. each stratovanian carried a tall staff, tipped with wings. beyond, jellia saw a country of such dazzling beauty--she was almost afraid to breathe lest it vanish before her eyes. the trees were tall and numerous, with gleaming, prism-shaped trunks and a mass of cloud-like foliage. some bore fruit that actually seemed to be illuminated--oranges, pears, and peaches glowing like decorated electric light bulbs! moon and star flowers grew in great profusion, and in the distance, caves and grottoes of purest crystal scintillated in the high noon sun. so far as jellia could see, there were no houses or castles, but there were hundreds of gay canopies held up by crystal poles. jellia was just standing on tip-toe to glimpse the furnishings of the nearest canopy when nick chopper, feeling the time had come to speak, raised his tin arm and called out imperiously: "i, emperor of the east and the winkies, hereby claim this new and beautiful airosphere for ozma of oz, and bid you, its illustrious inhabitants, pledge to her your allegiance! at the same time, i bestow upon all of you upper airians, free citizenship in the glorious land of oz!" at this bold speech strut stopped and stood as if rooted to the spot. not only was he dumbfounded to discover he could understand the language of these curious beings, but if what he heard were correct, they actually were claiming his kingdom for their own. "well, how was that?" whispered nick, looking down sideways at jellia. "terrible! terrible!" moaned the little oz maid. "oh, my! we'd better look out!" catching hold of wantowin's hand, for he already showed signs of retreating, she looked anxiously at the approaching airman. black clouds were simply racing across his imperial brow; his eyes flashed red and blue lights and his hair positively crackled with indignation and fury. "oh, my--i do hope you are feeling well?" ventured jellia, as strut took an enormous stride toward them. "if you have a headache or anything, we could easily come back tomorrow." "stand where you are!" sneered strut. looking over his shoulder he made sure his twenty, tall blowmen had arrived and were pushing their way through the crowd. "stand where you are or i'll have you blown to atoms!" "now, now, let us not come to blows!" begged nick chopper. "we have much to learn from you and you from us, and i assure you we have come in the spirit of highest friendship!" "humph! so that's what it is--a friend ship! looks like a dragon to me!" folding his arms, strut scowled past the three travellers to where the oztober rested like some giant butterfly on the shore of half moon lake. then, making a secret signal to the blowmen who had lined up before him, he shouted fiercely, "i am strut of the strat and supreme ruler of all the upper areas. in daring to claim stratovania for your foolish countrywoman, you indeed aim high and will go, i promise you, still higher! three blasts and a toot, men!" as strut issued this cruel command, his twenty, stern-looking warriors lifted their curved horns and puffed out their cheeks for a tremendous blow. jellia jam, feeling that if they ever needed help it was right here and now, frantically sought with her one free hand to open the wizard's kit-bag. as she fumbled with the curved handle, strut raised his long arm. "wait!" he cried tensely. "not yet!" lowering their horns and exhaling their breaths in loud whistles, the blowmen stared at him in surprise. strut had been examining the strangers from oz more attentively. now he strode over to jellia, jerked off her helmet and ran his hand slowly over her smooth brown hair. jellia, expecting to faint or expire without the helmet, let out a piteous groan. but the altitude pills were evidently powerful enough to protect her, and feeling no ill effects, she glanced up timidly at the towering stratovanian. dark clouds no longer flitted across his brow. indeed, he looked almost pleasant. "ve-ry pret-ty!" he mused, stroking jellia's hair softly. "not wiry or stand-uppish like ours. hippenscop! summon her majesty the queen. she'll be delighted with this beautiful little creature! but--it is my intention to blow away these other insolent invaders from oz--keeping only this smooth-haired lassie for our starina." "oh, no! oh, no!" begged jellia, pulling back with all her strength. "stop! you can't have jellia," yelled nick chopper, flinging out his arms. "ready--aim--fire!" quavered the soldier with green whiskers. and pointing his ancient gun at strut, he valiantly pulled the trigger. but wantowin's aim was very bad. the twenty marbles with which the gun was loaded, zipped harmlessly past the airman's ears, stinging quite a few of his subjects and frightening at least fifty into full flight. strut himself was not impressed. giving nick a push that sent him sprawling, and the soldier a shove, he drew jellia firmly away from her friends. terrified as she was, the little oz maid could not help a small thrill of satisfaction to have been chosen by a monarch as high and mighty as strut of the strat, to be starina to him and his queen. "as for you two," said strut to nick and the soldier, "blowing up is quite painless, i assure you, and if you ever do come down you'll doubtless have many interesting things to tell." the blowmen placed a guard around nick and the soldier, and stepped back to their posts. nick chopper and wantowin, stunned by the swiftness of events, stared sadly at their little jellia as the blowmen for a second time raised their horns. but strut, intent on his warriors, had dropped jellia's hand. quick as a flash she pulled the kit-bag's tail and pulled out the first object her fingers closed on. it was a small green trumpet. without stopping to think or reason, jellia placed it to her lips and blew three frantic toots. instantly a light green vapor flowed from the mouth of the horn, spreading like a fast-moving cloud over the entire assemblage--a light green vapor accompanied by three musical notes. chapter a most reluctant starina as the last note died away in a sweet, reluctant echo, strut's blowmen threw down their horns. with wild shouts and cheers they began to embrace as if each were the other's long lost brother. the behavior of the rest of the stratovanians was equally puzzling. they sang, they whistled, they laughed and stamped their feet from sheer gaiety. strut, hurrying over to nick chopper, shook him heartily by the hand. "say, hay-hurray! how are you?" he demanded exuberantly. "how are you and all of your aunts, uncles and infant nieces?" "wha--what's that?" sputtered nick chopper completely taken aback by this sudden show of friendliness. kabebe the queen, tears of joy streaming down her moon-shaped face, seized the hands of the soldier with green whiskers and was dancing him 'round and 'round. unnoticed in the general hubbub and hilarity, jellia managed to steal another glance at the green trumpet. printed in white letters on the handle was this surprising sentence: "_this trumpet contains cheer gas._" cheer gas! with a tremulous sigh, for the last few moments had been a great strain, jellia slipped the wizard's instrument back into the kit bag and zipped it shut. strangely enough the gas had not affected any of the people from oz. in fact jellia had never felt less like cheering in her whole life. "this way! ray, ray, hur_ray_!" shouted strut, who now had nick by one arm and the soldier by the other. "quickly! go and prepare the guest canopies, queen kabebe! these travellers are doubtless weary, and need rest and refreshment. have you any preference as to canopies?" he inquired, leaning down to look in nick chopper's face. "do you have any _tin_ canopies?" asked nick hoarsely. he was still dazed by strut's unaccountable change of manner. "i always feel safer under a tin roof. it is such a beautiful and dependable metal." "tin? oh, ha-ha-ha!" strut blinked his star eyes rapidly. "i'm afraid we have no tin, but any other kind, my dear--" "nick chopper, tin woodman of oz," put in jellia, who felt it was high time they were properly introduced. "and there--" she hastily indicated the soldier with green whiskers--"there is wantowin battles, the grand army of oz!" at jellia's introduction, wantowin dropped strut's arm to shake hands. "and who are you, my lively little skylark?" he questioned. "oh, i'm just jellia jam, ozma's chief maid in waiting," jellia said as she trotted uneasily along at his side. the rest of the stratovanians, still cheering and singing, but in a more subdued way, came streaming after them. rather anxiously jellia wondered how long the effects of the cheer gas would last, and how soon strut would remember about blowing nick and the soldier away again. it seemed unlikely that she would have another chance to open the kit bag without detection. the queen, who had not been as cheered by the gas as the others, seemed somewhat unfriendly as she walked along behind her royal husband. every few minutes, in fact, she would lean forward and give jellia a spiteful pinch. jellia bore this rude treatment with extreme patience, making no complaint or out-cry and merely walking a little faster to keep out of the creature's way. jellia wanted to see all she could of this wonderful, sparkling airland so she could tell ozma and dorothy all about it when she returned to oz. the soldier with green whiskers had fallen back to a place beside queen kabebe and was gazing about him with contemptuous snorts. any country that was not green like the land surrounding the emerald city, held no interest for him. noticing that jellia was faring quite well without her helmet, and finding his rather stuffy, he took it off and slung it over one shoulder. as he did so he caught the queen in the very act of pinching jellia. disgusted by such conduct, he sternly took her arm, and each time kabebe pinched jellia, the soldier would slap her fingers. after the fifth slap the queen peered at him with astonished admiration, for on this whole tip-toposphere there was no man bold enough to strike a member of the reigning family. soon, kabebe was so fascinated by wantowin's flowing green whiskers she forgot all about pinching jellia. by this time the strange and still faintly cheering procession had reached strut's royal canopy. waving away his giggling blowmen, strut lifted jellia to one of the splendid star thrones. to kabebe king strut spoke impatiently. "don't you remember you were to see about the guest canopies?" kabebe dared not object but looked quite displeased. "just tell bittsywittle to bring us a tray of air-ades and a wind pudding," ordered strut, giving the queen a jovial shove to help her on her way. "you'd like an air-ade wouldn't you, little lady?" poor jellia shook her head no and then quickly changed it to yes. the furnishings of the royal pavilion were so rich and dazzling and the star throne so high and grand that she felt completely bewildered. as kabebe shuffled away, jellia smiled nervously at nick and the soldier. at strut's invitation they had seated themselves cross legged on bright blue air cushions, and looked as uncomfortable as they felt. "well, what do you think of stratovania by now?" inquired strut, settling back complacently. "i believe you will all enjoy high life as much as we do, once you are used to it." nick chopper was on the point of saying they had no intention of getting used to it, or of staying one single moment longer than was positively necessary, when he caught jellia's worried expression and muttered instead. "beautiful--very beautiful." "but where are the houses?" asked the soldier with green whiskers, bluntly. "these tent tops are all right for a war, or for field sports, but i should think you'd find them rather chilly for all year 'round living." "stratovania," explained strut as he crossed his long legs, "is never chilly. it is surrounded by a rim of warm air that keeps the temperature just as you find it today. no wind, no rain, no storms of any kind," he concluded, proudly. "and it's all so bright and shiny," sighed jellia jam, blinking down at the floor of the pavilion which was an inlay of sparkling glass, and then off to the countless bright canopies that dotted the airscape beyond. the surface of strut's curious skyland was of gleaming crystal, sometimes smooth as ice, sometimes rough and rocky, but always flashing with the brilliance of diamonds. "everything sparkles so," finished jellia, rather wishing she had brought her dark glasses. "that's because stratovania is formed of solid air," smiled strut, tapping one of the iridescent posts that supported the silken canopy over their heads. "and i am its high and mighty sovereign, ruler of the spikers who inhabit the strata below, and of the zoomers who inhabit the strata above, and of all the other spheres and half-spheres in this particular area. strut of the strat! consider that, little one, and be proud that you have been chosen to be our starina!" "but jellia can't stay here!" cried the soldier with green whiskers, springing indignantly to his feet. "jellia's--" "tut! tut! now do not excite yourself! here comes bittsywittle and we'll all have a glass of liquid air." as strut leaned forward to speak to his small, electric-haired page, jellia shook her head sharply at nick and the soldier, for both seemed on the point of dragging her off the throne. "wait!" jellia formed the word soundlessly, and with puzzled frowns her two friends sank back on their air cushions, accepting rather glumly the sparkling goblets of air-ade from the light-footed servitor. with the air-ade bittsywittle passed heaping saucers of wind pudding, a fluffy, cloud-like confection that made jellia's mouth positively water. "you will find the diet here light, but nourishing," strut informed them blandly. "our atmosphere is so rare and exhilarating, we need little but sun and star light to keep us going. but now, friends, i propose a toast to jellia, our new starina!" as nick and wantowin rose unwillingly to their feet, for the whole affair struck them as perfectly preposterous, strut lifted his glass and downed his air-ade. then the soldier rather sulkily drank his. nick, who never partook of food or drink of any kind, set his goblet on a small tabouret and stared sadly at jellia jam. the tin woodman feared she was seriously considering strut's proposal. jellia surmised what nick was thinking, but as there was no way of explaining that she was just trying to gain time till they could find some way to escape, she smiled wanly back at him and swallowed her own air-ade. suddenly jellia felt herself rising into the air. before she could utter a sound, her head was pressed tightly against the top of the canopy. then, dizzily, she began to float 'round and 'round like a pretty balloon just let off its string. "ho, ho!" roared strut. "our air-ade has made you light-headed, m'lass! but wait--i'll fetch you down!" he tapped the winged staff he held in his right hand sharply on the floor. instantly it spread its wings, carrying him up beside jellia. grasping her hand he drew her down to the throne. "there," he chuckled, handing her a heavy glass globe to hold, "that will weigh you down!" reflecting that one of these winged sticks might be a handy thing to have, jellia clutched the glass globe. still weak and giddy from her flight, she could not bring herself to touch the wind pudding bittsywittle had placed on the arm of the throne. the soldier with green whiskers, on account of his heavy weapons and boots, had not gone so high as jellia, but even he, instead of sitting on his air cushion, was now seated on nothing--three feet above nick chopper's head. he looked extremely unhappy, as indeed he was. "don't worry," grinned strut, who seemed highly amused by the whole affair, "you'll come down presently." he tapped his winged staff on the head as he spoke, and the staff immediately folded its wings. "tell me," he urged, turning to nick chopper who was looking anxiously from the soldier to jellia. "do you come from below or be-high?" "be-oth," answered the tin woodman, too confused by this time to know what he was saying. "taking off from the emerald city of oz, we first flew up, then over, then up and next down!" "hmm--mmmn, oz?" two very black clouds floated across strut's transparent brow. "i seem to remember your mentioning oz before! i seem to remember--" strut's voice was no longer pleasant, and watching his brow growing blacker and blacker, jellia frantically sought to open the wizard's kit bag. unless she could release some more of the cheer gas, almost anything might happen. out of the third point of his left star eye, strut saw what she was doing. "don't fidget, my dear," he snapped crossly. "it is unbecoming for our new starina of stratovania to fidget, or to unpack her own bag. here--" taking the kit bag from her he tossed it carelessly beneath his throne. jellia's heart sank. she hoped nick would say no more about claiming stratovania for ozma. but the tin woodman, already launched upon a glowing description of their famous fairy land, was working up to that very point. "one hundred and one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven feet below this airosphere," began nick, taking a long breath, "lies the great, grand and incomparable fairyland of oz. oblong in shape, it is divided into four triangular kingdoms. the northern and purple land of the gillikens is ruled by jo king; the blue, western land of the munchkins, by his majesty king cheeriobed; the eastern, yellow land of the winkies is governed by myself; the southern red land of the quadlings, by glinda the good sorceress. "but all of us are subject to the benign rule of ozma, the young fairy ruler of the whole kingdom. her capitol, the emerald city, in the exact center of oz, is one of the most beautiful cities out of the world! surrounding oz and protecting it from invasions is a deadly desert, and in ozma's possession are more jewels and treasure than you doubtless have seen in the whole of your air existence." "humph!" growled strut, looking fiercer than ever. but paying no heed to the ominous storm clouds forming on his brow, nick loftily proceeded. "not only is ozma possessed of more jewels than any other sovereign known, but in her castle are magic appliances that make her the most powerful of rulers. for instance, ozma has a magic belt with which she can transport anyone anywhere. on her wall hangs a magic picture in which she can see what is happening to her friends or foes--right while it is happening. in her safe is a magic fan to blow away her enemies, and so many other strange instruments of magic, i have not time to describe them. among her advisors is the famous wizard of oz, who spends all his time studying magic and perfecting new inventions. the ozoplane in which we made this perilous flight is his latest masterpiece. and now that you know a bit more of ozma and her famous country, i am sure you will be delighted to become a part of our happy realm and acknowledge ozma as the supreme sovereign of stratovania." "what?" screamed strut, bounding off his throne and furiously confronting the tin woodman. "how dare you suggest such a thing? this is the second time you have done so! why should i, strut of the strat, acknowledge this miserable earthlander as my supreme anything? i am a thousand times richer and more important than any belowlander below. oz! oz! indeed!" as nick backed off in some alarm, strut shook his long staff over the tin woodman's head. "why, you can't even pronounce the name of your own country!" he sneered. "it is not oz, as you say it, but ohs--the zone of ohs, to be more correct. and if ohs is in the zone of ohs it is ozone, which means air--and that makes it belong to me! so i, strut of the strat, hereby do claim ozonia for myself and my people, and you, my fine mr. funnel top, shall take me there!" chapter strut of the strat sets off for oz "don't you do it! don't you do it!" plumping down on his air cushion, for the effects of the air-ade had worn off at last, the soldier with green whiskers wildly sounded retreat on his green bugle. jellia, knowing he would run as fast as he could and perhaps wreck the ozoplane before she and nick could reach it, jumped off her throne and seized him by the coat tails. as she did so, strut gave the glass gong beside him a resounding whack. before any of the three travellers could take another step, the twenty blowmen tramped back into the royal pavilion. the cheer engendered by the cheer gas had entirely evaporated by now, and they looked very grim indeed. at a signal from strut, one seized nick, a second the soldier. a third was taking hold of jellia, when strut sternly waved him aside. "no no! not that one! she is our new starina!" he told the blowman roughly. "now you are to stay right here, jellia, my dear, and help rule over stratovania while i descend to ohs and take possession of that rich and prosperous country. and, sooner than soon, i will return, bringing you the magic treasure and jewels and the crown and scepter of this ohsma!" "oh, but you mustn't!" wailed jellia, clasping her hands desperately. "ozma is a _real_ princess and much more beautiful than i!" "in that case, i shall bring ohsma back and make her a starina also!" promised strut. "now hippenscop," he directed, shaking his finger at the odd-looking page, "you and junnenrump are to obey jellia in everything. i'll leave three blowmen here to protect our starina. the others, and all of my able-bodied fighters, shall fly with me to ohs." "the ozoplane holds only four!" cried jellia, looking desperately over at nick who was struggling angrily to free himself from the blowmen. but they had his arms pinioned behind his back, and the poor tin woodman was unable to help himself. "oh, that's all right!" answered strut, "i and this tin emperor will ride in the friend-ship, and the others will follow on their flying sticks and soon i will return with all the treasures of ohs!" as the blowmen started away, shoving nick and the soldier ahead of them, jellia felt so frightened and alone that she burst into tears. "oh, please, please--couldn't you leave the soldier to keep me company?" she sobbed, wiping her streaming eyes on her sash. "of course, if you wish!" motioning to the blowmen, they picked up wantowin as if he had been a sack of potatoes, and tossed him roughly back into the royal pavilion. he landed with a clatter at jellia's feet. "but see here! i am not sure i can find the way back to oz!" protested nick chopper as strut fell into step at his side. "i happened upon this airosphere by the merest chance, and have no idea in which direction oz now lies." "just the same--i think you will take me there!" strut grinned wickedly, tapping nick on the shoulder with his staff. he already had sent junnenrump to summon the army, and, glancing over his shoulder, nick saw a thousand young airmen strutting along behind them. as they came to the shores of half moon lake, hippenscop came panting and gasping into view. "her skyness the new starina, bade me give you this," he puffed, handing the tin woodman the small oil can the wizard had given him at the party. nick had forgotten all about his oil can and without it he was likely to rust and become perfectly helpless. taking it thankfully from the messenger, he hung it on a hook beneath his arm and headed reluctantly for the oztober. nick had no intention of flying strut to the emerald city. even if he had to wreck the plane, he would find some way to keep the greedy airman and his legions from conquering oz. then he would return and rescue jellia and the soldier. but, without a word to strut, for argument at this point would have been useless, he mounted the ladder, walked through the cozy cabin and seated himself in the pilot's chair. strut paused on the top rung of the ladder before he entered. "follow us closely, men," he commanded gruffly, "no matter how far or fast we fly." strut's young warriors raised their flying staffs to show that they understood, and with a few final directions, the stratovanian stepped over the sill, slammed the door of the oztober and walked rapidly forward, examining everything with lively interest. "so this dragon-body really flys?" he said, bending curiously over the navigator's table. "ho, what's this? i thought you told me you had no way of finding the route back?" nick chopper, much more surprised than strut, picked up the tidy map that lay on top of the buttons. it certainly had not been there when he left the plane, but here it was now, showing the complete course they had taken since leaving the emerald city. concluding this was some of the wizard's magic, nick examined the map attentively. each turn up or down, each mile east or west, was charted accurately. "all you have to do is follow this in reverse," exclaimed strut. unaccustomed as he was to flying except by staff, he was nevertheless sharp enough to realize the value of a good map when he saw one. "and remember now--no tricks!" he warned, sternly. "land me safely in ohs and you will be suitably rewarded. but land me anywhere else and you will be completely obliterated!" nick said nothing. weary of strut's threats and boasts, the woodman touched the button to inflate the oztober's balloon, and the "up," "south" and "fast" buttons. in the whirr and splutter of their take-off, the airlander's further remarks and directions were completely drowned out. chapter jellia in a frightful jam for a long time after the departure of the tin woodman and of strut and his legions, jellia sat forlornly on the star throne, trying to stem the tears that coursed slowly down her cheeks. to be stranded on this high and dangerous airosphere was bad enough, but the thought of strut flying off to destroy ozma and steal all her treasures was more frightening still. "what on airth shall we do?" questioned jellia with a rueful smile, of the soldier with green whiskers who was tramping morosely up and down the pavilion. halting in his march, wantowin shook his head dubiously. "that i cannot say!" he murmured, taking off his cap and staring gloomily inside. "i have no standing in this country at all! but you, jellia, are a starina. therefore you must decide what is to be done. and whatever your majesty's orders may be, i will carry them out to the letter. to the _letter_!" declared wantowin, standing up very straight and tall. "oh, bother 'my majesty!'" scolded jellia. "you know perfectly well i didn't _ask_ to be a starina of this terrible place!" "it is not what you want but what you are, that counts!" insisted the soldier, stubbornly. "and there's no getting round it, jellia, you _are_ a starina! so while you are deciding what is to be done, i'll just do a bit of reconnoitering. it might be well to know the lay of the air!" "wait!" cried jellia as wantowin started smartly down the steps. "whatever you do, wanny--don't run!" she implored earnestly. "you might easily run off the edge and then where'd you be? so do please be careful, and if anything frightens you run straight back here! do you promise?" "nothing ever frightens me!" said the soldier in an offended voice. marching sternly down the steps he was off at a double-quick, without even a glance over his shoulder. feeling more alone than ever, jellia sighed and folded her hands in her lap. but wantowin's words, foolish as they were, had done her good. after all she was a starina, for the time being anyway. so, straightening her crown, and drying her tears, jellia tried to think how she should act under such bewildering circumstances. how would ozma act, for instance, if she were sitting on the throne of this singular airtry? even thinking of the gentle and dignified little girl ruler of oz, steadied jellia. holding her head very high, she stepped down from the dais and began pacing slowly up and down the pavilion, switching her green skirts in such a regal manner that the two messengers who had returned quietly to their posts, stared at her with new interest and admiration. "is there anything we might bring your strajesty?" asked junnenrump, bowing from the waist and clicking his heels smartly together. at his question jellia paused and eyed the two, speculatively. "why, yes," she decided after a moment's thought. "you, junnenrump, may send some one to amuse me, and you, hippenscop, may bring me two of those winged staffs. it is neither safe nor proper for a starina and her army to be without them!" "but, your skyness!" hippenscop leaped into the air and spun round and round in an agony of embarrassment. "there are no extra staffs!" he blurted, finally coming to a stop before her. the little fellow looked so distressed, jellia was on the point of letting him off. then, remembering just in time that she was bound to be obeyed, she raised her arm. "go!" she commanded haughtily. "and do not return without two winged staffs!" junnenrump already had started, and at jellia's stern command hippenscop backed dejectedly down the steps, his eyes bulging with dismay and consternation. "if wanny and i had flying sticks, we'd at least be as well off as the rest of these airlanders," reasoned jellia, resuming her walk. "but what funny names," she mused, as the messengers disappeared in two different directions and at two different speeds. "they make me think of--" here jellia took a little run and jump, following it with a skip and a hop. "i suppose" she continued, talking conversationally to herself, "that is what their names really mean, everything is so mixed up here." regaining her throne in one long slide, jellia brought up with a slight start. this, she decided, was no way for a starina to act. smoothing down her dress, she walked sedately to strut's throne and reached underneath. the real reason she had got rid of the messengers, of course, was so she could recover the kit-bag and have a chance to examine its contents without being observed. the cheer gas had saved them on one occasion, and perhaps there was magic powerful enough to enable her and the soldier to escape from the airosphere before strut returned. the bag was still there and snatching it up in her arms, jellia climbed back on the throne. but just as she was about to zip it open, junnenrump bounded up the steps of the pavilion, dragging a lean old skylander by the hand. "his majesty's piper!" announced junnenrump, giving the piper a shove forward and seating himself expectantly on the messenger's bench. jellia was annoyed to have junnenrump return so soon. but since she had sent for someone to amuse her, she could not very well object. so, resting her chin in her hand she looked curiously at the royal piper. the old skylander was tremendously tall and thin. his tunic was short and plaited, and under his arms he carried a pair of enormous bag pipes. jellia never had cared for bag pipes, but on an airosphere she supposed wind instruments such as this naturally would be popular. the piper, however, did not immediately play on his pipes. instead he struck a few light and pleasant chords on the top buttons of his tunic. "shall i do a buck and wing, or a little skyland fling? shall i sing a little sing, for you, dear?" bawled the piper cheerfully. he looked so funny that jellia burst out laughing. thus encouraged, the piper proceeded to sing, punctuating his song with extraordinary leaps and toe tappings. "when we skylanders feel low, we just dance the stratispho; step it high, kick and fly, toss the partner up ski-high. high ho! "would you care to try it?" he asked politely, holding out his hand to jellia. "no, no! not today!" gasped the oz maid, backing as far as the star throne would allow. "but i've really enjoyed watching you very much, and your singing is lovely," she added, generously. "ah, but wait until you hear me play," puffed the piper. raising his pipes he blew forth such a hurricane of whistles, squeals and fierce thunderings that poor jellia clapped both hands to her ears. "tell him to go away," she screamed above the awful din, wildly motioning to junnenrump who was tapping his foot in time to the pipes and looking highly diverted. "tell him to come back tomorrow." the fierce music of the bag pipes had brought airlanders running from every direction. crowding round the pavilion they waved and bowed to the new starina. realizing she never would have any privacy under the imperial canopy, jellia slipped off her throne. the messenger had the piper by the tunic tails and was easing him gently down the steps. jellia waited till they reached the bottom, then, as all the airlanders began to run after the still furiously pumping piper, jellia started in the opposite direction. surely somewhere, she thought, clutching the kit-bag close to her, somewhere she could find a quiet corner or cave or clump of bushes where she could examine the contents of the wizard's bag without interruption. so anxious was jellia to be by herself, she broke into a run. failing to notice a crystal bar stretched across the path, she tripped and fell violently _up_ a tune tree. falling down is bad enough, but falling up is worse still. jellia not only had barked her shins on the crystal bar, but had bounced into the air so high she lost her breath and plunged down so abruptly among the top branches of the tune tree that she was somewhat scratched and shaken. she knew it must be a tune tree because plump black notes grew in clusters like cherries between the leaves. several, dislodged by her fall, broke into gay little arias and chords. at any other time jellia would have been quite interested, but now she was too agitated and upset to care. "such a country--or airtry!" groaned the oz maid, rubbing her left ankle and her right knee. "one can't even fall down in their own way!" parting the branches the ruffled little girl looked crossly out. it was quite a long way to the ground, but nevertheless jellia decided to climb down. but suddenly it occurred to her that the top of the tune tree was as good a place as any, to open the kit-bag. easing herself to a larger limb, she balanced the bag carefully in her lap and stretched out her hand to pull the tail. then a piercing scream and the thump of a hundred footsteps made her draw it back in a hurry. parting the branches of the tree for a second time, she saw wantowin battles running toward her like the wind. "help! help! save me!" yelled the soldier with green whiskers. and he had reason to yell for just two leaps behind him panted kabebe, waving an enormous crystal rolling-pin. after the queen pounded the three big blowmen, and after the blowmen came nearly a hundred men, women, and children. before jellia had time even to guess why they were chasing the army, wantowin tripped over the same crystal bar that had caused her upfall, and landed with a terrific grunt in the branches beside her, scattering half and quarter-notes in every direction. the airlanders stopped short and watched with breathless interest as the soldier disappeared into the thick foliage of the tune tree. "what's the matter? what happened?" whispered jellia reaching out to steady the soldier who was bouncing wildly up and down on a nearby limb. "you?" gasped wantowin, almost losing his balance at the shock of seeing her. "oh, jellia! we must leave at once! at once! as i was passing the cooking caves, kabebe rushed out and grabbed me. she has decided to blow us away most any minute now. she has persuaded the airlanders that strut is lost and never will return. oh why, why, did we ever fly to this terrible place?" "be quiet!" hissed jellia, frightened almost out of her wits at this new turn of affairs. "how can i think with you making all that noise?" "come down! come down!" bawled kabebe. "come down before i shake you down!" grasping the trunk of the tune tree she gave it a playful shake. rolling his eyes up, the soldier glanced desperately at jellia, and jellia, as desperately, glanced back. "you might as well go down," she whispered resignedly, as the queen gave the tree a tremendous shake that nearly dislodged them both. "not without you," shivered wantowin, hugging his branch for dear life. "oh, well--let's get it over with," said jellia despairingly. "blowing away may not be so bad, and i'd rather do anything than stay up here." tucking the kit-bag under one arm, jellia swung herself down by the other and dropped lightly to the ground. "what is the meaning of this outrageous behavior?" she demanded, as wantowin dropped fearfully beside her. "his majesty shall hear of this, i promise you!" kabebe, astonished to see jellia as well as the soldier with green whiskers drop out of the tree, took a hasty step backward. jellia quickly followed up her advantage. "i'm amazed!" she said sternly. "i thought you knew that i was to help you rule while king strut is away!" at this bold speech, wantowin looked at jellia in round-eyed admiration. though her cheeks were scratched and her crown slightly askew, the little waiting maid looked every inch a ruler's helper, if not a ruler. even the blowmen began to shift uneasily from one foot to the other, their mouths falling open at jellia's indignation. but kabebe raised both arms and fairly screeched at the little oz maid. "how dare you speak to me like that?" she shrieked. "king strut is lost and never will return! i am queen here--and i don't need your help! blowmen! seize this impudent pair, march them to the edge of the cliffs and blow them away." the crowd of stratovanians looked uncertainly from kabebe to jellia. "his highness left you here to _protect_ me!" jellia reminded them sternly. but even as she spoke, she knew they had decided to obey kabebe. she was flashing her star eyes so threateningly, and waving her winged stick so close to their heads, that the blowmen were afraid to defy her. "come along, now," grumbled the first blowman, taking jellia roughly by the arm. "you've made enough trouble here!" the other two blowmen seized the trembling soldier and began marching sternly toward the edge of strut's skyland. jellia pulled back with all her strength, as also did wantowin, but, hustled along by the huge skylanders, they could do little to help themselves. relentlessly, with the jeering citizens of stratovania running along after them, the unfortunate oz pair was dragged on. "just wait till your master hears about this," sobbed jellia, as the blowmen shoved them as near to the edge of the cliffs as they dared go themselves. then they stepped back to lift their horns. jellia had managed to retain her hold on the wizard's kit-bag, but even so she felt that their last moment had come. jellia gave a final sad little wave to the soldier, who really was quite brave now that his doom had arrived. the blowmen pointed their horns straight at them, but before they even could inflate their cheeks, a fierce roar and splutter from the clouds caused every head to turn upwards. "the ship--the ship! the flying ship!" cried the first blowman, letting his horn fall disregarded to the ground. "it's strut!" screamed the stratovanians, treading on one another's toes in their sudden frenzy to be out of sight of their master when he landed. "'tis the master himself!" cried the first blowman, yanking jellia and the soldier back from the edge of the skyland. pulling kabebe along with them, the blowmen ran as never before, closely followed by strut's scurrying subjects. one moment later there was not a single airbody in sight. convinced that their cruel and brilliant ruler had returned, they ran like rabbits. some even flew, helping themselves along with their winged staffs, while jellia, sinking on a large, crystal boulder, stared dazedly at the silver-bodied plane dropping rapidly toward them. "it can't be the oztober!" cried jellia, delightedly. "it couldn't have come back so soon!" "it's _not_!" cried wantowin battles, tossing up his cap and waving his arms exuberantly. "it's the other one, the ozpril, and that means--" in his extreme excitement, the soldier tripped over a balloon bush and fell seven feet into the air. "it means the wizard himself has come to help us," sputtered wantowin, blinking rapidly as he landed hard on the rock beside the young oz maid. "three cheers, jellia! the wizard of oz has saved us!" chapter the wizard in stratovania! it was indeed the ozpril, just as the soldier with green whiskers had said. even at a distance, jellia could spell out the name on the gleaming body and, as the silvery plane came swooping toward them, she could not repress a shout of joy. too exhausted by the dreadful ordeal she had just been through to run to meet the ship, she jerked off her scarf and waved it wildly over her head. about ten feet from the crystal boulder on which she had been sitting, the ozpril came to a gentle and perfect landing. scarcely had the whirr and sputter of its engine died away before the door of the cabin burst open and down climbed the little wizard of oz, followed by dorothy and the scarecrow. the cowardly lion, last of all, had difficulty fitting his paws on the rungs and, after a trembling descent, rolled over on his back, his four feet straight up in the air. the trip had not agreed with the cowardly lion at all. weak and dizzy, he made no attempt to rise. "here you are at last!" cried the wizard happily, rushing over to jellia and seizing both of her hands. "so this is where you've been! well i must say it's a fine place. why it's beautiful, beautiful!" swinging round so he could look in all directions, the wizard positively glowed with interest and enthusiasm. "what's so beautiful about it?" growled the lion without turning over. "is there any grass? are there any trees? is there anything to eat?" dorothy, on the point of embracing jellia, gave a little scream, for the tell-all-escope, which she had picked up just before leaving the plane, was making terse announcements. at this point it happened to be pointed at jellia. clearing its throat it remarked in a superior way: "you are now looking at miss jellia jam, formerly of oz, at present new starina of the strat, by edict of strutoovious the seventh. miss jellia jam, starina of stratovania! period! stop, drop or point elsewhere!" "why, _jellia_!" gasped dorothy, letting the tell-all-escope fall with a crash, "are you, really? oh my! i don't suppose you'll _ever_ want to return to oz, now. why, you must be having a wonderful time!" "humph!" sniffed jellia, with a slightly wan smile. "if being pinched, chased and nearly blown to atoms is having a wonderful time, then i guess i've been having it all right!" "tell me," requested the scarecrow, who had been walking in a slow circle around jellia. "does one prostrate oneself before a starina, or does one merely kiss her hand?" "neither," laughed jellia. jumping up she gave the scarecrow such a hug he was out of shape for hours. "but quick!--let's all hop in the ozpril and fly away before something terrible happens." "fly away?" cried the wizard, shoving back his high hat. "but, my _dear_--we've only just come! i've been flying all night and need a little rest and refreshment before we start off again. besides, i would like to see more of this interesting airland and its people, and add to my data on the strata." "that's what nick thought," observed jellia, putting both hands on her hips. "and look what happened to him!" "what _did_ happen to him?" demanded the wizard, realizing for the first time that nick was not among those present. "you tell him," sighed jellia to the soldier. sinking back on the boulder she held her aching head in both hands. all eyes turned toward the soldier with green whiskers who opened and closed his mouth several times without saying a word. the wizard, now thoroughly alarmed, began shaking him on one side and the scarecrow on the other, until finally wantowin took a tremendous swallow and gave them the whole story. when the narrator reached the part where strut had ordered nick and him blown away, the scarecrow hurried over to the balloon bush and began picking the almost ripe balloons as fast as his clumsy cotton fingers would permit. not till he had about twenty did he even pause. so light and flimsy was the straw man that the bunch of balloons on their long stems kept jerking him into the air. after each jerk he would give a little grunt of satisfaction. "these are just to keep me aloft--in case of accidents," he explained hastily to dorothy who was watching him intently. "but what of us?" asked the little girl, looking anxiously toward the canopied city which, at present, seemed absolutely deserted. "you say that this wretched strut, after naming jellia starina, forced nick to fly him to oz?" exclaimed the wizard, grasping wantowin battles by both arms and gazing into his face. "not only that," wantowin told him hoarsely, "but he's taken his blowmen and a thousand fighting men to conquer the country! he intends to bring back ozma's crown, scepter, jewels and all the treasures in our castle!" finished the soldier, dolefully. "oh, can't we do something wizard?" cried jellia determinedly. "i simply won't be starina! i won't! i won't!" "just the same--you make a very pretty one," murmured the scarecrow, patting the little oz maid consolingly on the shoulder. "but of course, we cannot allow this bounding airlander to take oz!" "if nick had not 'taken possession' of stratovania for ozma, he'd never have thought of it," groaned jellia. rising stiffly, she picked up the kit-bag from the crystal rock beside her. "ah--so you still have my magic kitty!" in spite of his anxiety the wizard smiled. "indeed i have," said jellia firmly. "it saved us from being blown away. i used some of your cheer gas, wiz, but i didn't have time to try out any of the other magic. here, you'd better take it now and do let's be starting. no telling when kabebe and those three blowmen will be coming back." "forward march! forward march!" wantowin battles started off all by himself for the ozpril. "hurry, hurry!" he called over his shoulder. "if those fearful people return they'll surely make trouble!" yelled the soldier, his voice growing more emphatic. "well, it's certainly a mix-up," said dorothy, moving closer to the wizard. "what do these people look like, jellia?" she asked curiously. "really i'd enjoy seeing a few." "they look like nothing you ever have imagined!" jellia told her with a slight shudder. "goochers! here come some now! and oh--it's those blowmen--and all the others! look, wizard! could we reach the ozpril before they reach us?" "let's not try," decided the wizard, as the blowmen broke into a run. "even if we made the plane, they might blow us to bits before i could get her started. let's stay here and reason with them till i find something in this bag to help us." "oh, woe is we! oh, woe is we!" gulped the scarecrow, taking little runs and leaps into the air, hopeful that his balloons would lift him out of the danger zone as the threatening company drew closer. the queen was marching grimly ahead of her subjects. in some way, decided jellia, she had discovered strut had not been in the silver plane. as the wizard opened his kit bag the little oz maid rushed over to the cowardly lion. "get up!" directed jellia, giving him a desperate prod with her toe. "get up! we need your growl--and listen!" she begged, as the big beast rolled over and blinked sleepily at the approaching airlanders. "do everything i tell you or we are lost, lost!" dorothy concluded jellia had been quite right about the inhabitants of stratovania. they certainly were like no one she ever had seen, and she could not help admiring the bold way jellia stepped out to meet her dangerous adversary. "just what are you doing here?" demanded jellia, folding her arms and tilting up her chin. "did i not order you to leave us strictly alone? blowmen, take this kabebe woman away!" "kabebe's our queen," muttered one of the blowmen, scowling at jellia. "at least," he corrected, glancing at his comrades, "she is our queen until strut returns." "what makes you think strut has not returned!" questioned jellia, grandly. "do you not recognize your master!" with a regal wave, jellia pointed to the cowardly lion. "do you not believe that this is strut--changed to this great beast by ozma of oz? but he is as powerful and able as ever, to rule this kingdom! strut!" imperiously jellia appealed to the cowardly lion. "am i the starina of stratovania?" the poor lion was as startled at jellia's question as the stratovanians. from sheer shock, he rose on his hind legs and let out a perfectly awful roar--which was perhaps as convincing an answer as he could have given. "there! you see?" jellia shrugged her shoulders as queen kabebe and the blowmen turned white as ghosts and began to move away. "it does sound like the master," stuttered the blowman, as the cowardly lion followed up his roar with a reverberating growl. "what are your majesty's wishes?" inquired jellia, inclining her head graciously toward the trembling lion. "take that woman away, and have our supper prepared and served at once in the royal pavilion!" directed the lion in his most commanding roar! chapter king, king-double king! the effect of the cowardly lion's speech was astonishing, indeed. the stratovanians behind the queen turned and ran for their lives. they started backing away so fast they fell up at every step, so that their progress was curious enough to watch. there were few animals on the airosphere and certainly none that talked. thoroughly convinced that the cowardly lion was strut and strut was the lion, his terrified subjects fled in all directions. "whew!" exclaimed the wizard, snatching out his green handkerchief and mopping his moist forehead. "that was quick thinking, my dear. good acting, too," he puffed, leaning down to give the lion an approving pat. "oh, wasn't he wonderful?" jellia hugged the lion so energetically he fairly gasped for breath. "not so hard for me to play king," he wheezed when he managed to escape from jellia's embrace. "after all--i am king of the forest!" "well, however that may be, jellia is certainly starina of the strat!" declared the scarecrow. "i'm beginning to think strut was right in choosing her! you've been wasting your talents in oz, my dear, and you surely have earned a crown today!" "but i don't want a crown!" asserted jellia with spirit. nevertheless she was quite pleased at such high praise. "now, look! since the cowardly lion ordered supper in the royal pavilion, perhaps we'd better go. it will be as good a place as any to rest while we plan our next move." "hi, there--is everything all right?" wantowin battles, who had hidden himself behind a crystal rock at the blowmens' approach, now peered out nervously. "for the present," called the wizard, waving his kerchief, "for the present. come along, soldier, we're going to have supper in the royal pavilion!" "not i," said the soldier, falling in step with the scarecrow. "count me out of that!" "i'm sure i'll not be able to eat a bite," sighed dorothy, picking up the tell-all-escope. "how can you even think of supper with those awful airmen flying to the emerald city. oh, why don't we go after them now?" "because i do not believe nick will take them to the emerald city," said jellia, straightening her crown. "he'll lose them somehow and then come back here for wanny and me." "my own deduction, exactly," agreed the wizard walking briskly along beside jellia. "but wherever nick is, we'll find him--same as we have found you." "how did you find us?" asked jellia, stopping short and staring up into the wizard's face. "i've been wondering about that." "well, you see," explained the little magician impressively. "on the ozpril there is a magnetic compass that shows the exact course taken by the oztober, provided both planes are in flight. by following the compass, i followed your exact route. the delay in our arrival was caused by the difference in speed!" "why, then you saw the very same things we did," cried jellia, nodding distantly to several airlanders who were bowing to the ground as the little procession passed. "the very same," said the wizard. then, as a little afterthought--"by the way, what did you see?" "oh, nothing much but clouds, fog, an icecloud, and some flying airimals with spikes," jellia told him briefly, as she started up the long steps to the royal pavilion. "the same with us," said the wizard, taking out a little book and squinting hastily at the precisely written entries, "'clouds, fogs, spiked monsters,' ah!" he closed the book with a little exclamation of admiration. "so this is the seat of government?" "i must say i prefer a castle," observed the scarecrow, jumping up the steps three at a time. "still, all these columns are very pretty. very pretty indeed!" "is my throne comfortable?" inquired the cowardly lion with a lordly sniff. "that's right," giggled jellia, "you _will_ have to sit on the throne--that is, if wanny doesn't mind?" the little maid turned mischievously to the soldier with green whiskers. "after all you are a kind of king, too!" "not on your life!" declared wantowin violently. "i wouldn't trade one button on my uniform for all the jewels in strut's crown, nor one blade of oz grass for all the rocks in stratovania!" "bravo! bravo!" applauded the scarecrow. having tied his balloons to one of the pillars, he was bouncing up and down on a blue air cushion. "try one," he invited, shoving a couple toward the wizard. instead of one, the wizard put three of the air cushions together and stretched out at full length. "you can't imagine how tired a fellow grows after sixteen hours of flying," he murmured drowsily. "hah, hoh, hum! i hope you girls will excuse me if i take a little nap?" "i wouldn't mind a nap myself," yawned dorothy. though she had dozed part of the night before, she felt extremely sleepy. without much urging from jellia, she curled up on a couch at the back of the pavilion and was asleep almost before her head touched the pillows. "best thing in the world for them," grinned the scarecrow, as jellia looked rather nervously from one sleeper to the other. "we'll probably have to fly all night--if we get away from here at all! the wiz needs a good rest before he does any more piloting." "yes," agreed jellia with a sigh, "i suppose he does. but i hope the lion's not going to sleep, too?" climbing to her throne, jellia gave him a good poke in the ribs. the lion, who was leaning back against the cushions with both eyes closed, shook his head. "i never sleep on an empty stomach," he declared firmly. "besides, a lion can go for days--if necessary--without rest or refreshment." "didn't you have anything to eat, at all?" inquired jellia. being terribly hungry herself, she could sympathize with the hungry beast. "oh," answered the lion without opening his eyes, "we did have a few square meal tablets the wizard happened to have in his pocket. but, while they fill you up, they don't seem to satisfy." "same with the food here," said jellia. "food!" the cowardly lion's nose began to twitch with eagerness. "where is any?" "if i am not mistaken, supper is approaching now!" announced the scarecrow, peering out through the side draperies of the canopy. "is this one of your many servants, my dear?" "oh, i suppose so," said jellia, as bittsywittle trudged up the crystal steps balancing a huge tray on his head. he had been warned of the change in strut, but the sight of the huge monster on the throne unnerved the little fellow and he began to tremble so violently, the dishes on the tray danced a regular jig. "just put the tray on the table," directed jellia, patiently. "and don't jump, bittsywittle! strut won't bite you." "how do you know i won't?" roared the cowardly lion, opening his eyes so wide bittsywittle set down the tray and scuttled off like a hare. without much enthusiasm, jellia noted kabebe had sent them six saucers of wind pudding and six glasses of air-ade. "don't touch it!" warned the soldier with green whiskers, as the lion slithered off the throne and ambled to the table. "it will make you feel very funny." "well, i'd rather feel funny than sad," said the lion, sniffing the pudding delicately, "and i'd rather feel funny than starve. aren't you having any, jellia?" "no, thank you!" jellia shook her head sharply and exchanged a quiet wink with wantowin. but the cowardly lion did not notice the wink. or at least, he pretended not to and hurriedly lapped up all six saucers. "why, it's delicious!" he murmured rapturously, "deli--" "hey, where you going?" the scarecrow had been watching him enviously, for the pink pudding looked so good he almost wished he found it necessary to eat. but now he spun round in alarm, for without any warning at all, the lion had swelled and puffed up like a carnival balloon and gone wafting upward to soar in dizzy circles over their heads. "oh, he's just putting on airs because he's king," teased jellia, wishing dorothy were awake to enjoy the fun. "but he might easily float off," worried the scarecrow, pursuing the luckless lion with outstretched arms. "wait--i'll save you!" he puffed, and snatching the cord from a long bell pull, he leaped on strut's throne. after several unsuccessful attempts he managed to lasso the lion and tie him fast to the arm of the throne. "how do you feel?" he called solicitously, for the lion, with closed eyes and a desperate expression, was paddling his legs like a drowning dog. "oh, take it easy!" advised jellia, relenting a little, "you'll float around all by yourself and come down presently, as light as a feather. i know 'cause i've tried it. hello--here's hippenscop! now i wonder what he wants? oh! my goodness! he's actually brought me two of those flying sticks!" "flying sticks?" exclaimed the scarecrow, sliding off strut's throne. "you don't tell me?" the messenger, by this time had reached the top step of the pavilion. after a fearful look at the people from oz, he advanced timidly toward jellia. "i have brought the flying sticks, your majesty!" explained hippenscop, holding them out with great pride and satisfaction. "i stole them from two sleeping watchmen, and managed to bring them here without kabebe seeing me." "kabebe?" said jellia, with an uncomfortable start. "why, where is kabebe?" "in star park," whispered the messenger, hoarsely. "she's got all the people worked up and excited! they're coming here presently to blow you away!" "what?" gasped jellia in an exasperated voice, "again? why she knows strut will never allow that." "but kabebe says he isn't strut!" said the messenger with an apologetic bow toward the cowardly lion, who, paying no attention to the conversation, was floating in distracted circles above the throne. "now junnenrump and i believe your majesty, and consider you the best and prettiest starina stratovania ever had! but no one else does, so first they are going to blow away the friend ship and then they are coming here to blow _you_ all away! so--while i do not presume to give orders--if i were in your majesty's place, i'd fly, this very instant and while there still is time!" "the boy is right," declared the soldier, grabbing up his blunder-buss. "company! fall in! forward march!" "wake up! wake up!" cried the scarecrow, pummeling the wizard with both hands. "the airlanders are destroying our ozoplane!" while jellia, really touched by the messenger's loyalty, gave him one of her emerald rings, wantowin battles lifted dorothy off the sofa and set her hastily on her feet. "forward! forward!" he urged, pushing her ahead of him. "kabebe's coming to blow us away!" dorothy--blinking her eyes after a look at the cowardly lion floating over the throne--concluded she still was dreaming. but the soldier kept shaking her till she finally realized she was awake and in danger. "this way!" cried jellia, as the wizard bounced off his cushions. "this way! the thing for us to do is to run to the other side of the airosphere. then, while those villains are blowing the ozpril away, we can be reaching the edge--and--" "and what?" queried dorothy, looking at jellia with round, scared eyes. jellia, for reasons of her own, did not answer. the scarecrow already had retrieved his balloons. now he pressed the cord, still attached to the cowardly lion, into wantowin's hand. "you must pull him along with you," directed the scarecrow, earnestly. "i am too light. and do let's be starting!" the angry buzz of the crowd on its way to half moon lake, already could be heard. so, without stopping to plan or reason, the travellers from oz slipped through the back curtains of the royal pavilion and began running as fast as they could toward the other side of strut's curious air realm. the wizard, grasping his kit bag in one hand and dorothy by the other, went first. next came jellia, carrying the two flying sticks; the scarecrow clutched his bunch of balloons. last of all ran wantowin, dragging the growling and disgusted lion after him through the air. fortunately stratovania is long and narrow. in less time than they had dared hope, the little cavalcade came to the edge. forbidding cliffs stretched along the whole coast and the moist, blue air seemed actually to be breaking in great waves against the rocks. as they all gazed unhappily outward, a terrific "boom" made them all shudder. "well--there goes the ozpril," mourned jellia, patting the wizard compassionately on the shoulder. the wizard, looking very angry and grim, nodded his head. "come on," puffed jellia stepping closer to the cliffs, "unless we want to go up with the ship we've got to jump! and really--it's not so bad as it sounds! i've seen the airlanders fly with these winged staffs, and these two will have to do for us all." "how do they work?" asked dorothy in a faint voice. "why, you tap them once on the ground to start, and once on the handle to stop," explained jellia breathlessly! "now, suppose dot and i and the scarecrow ride one, and wiz and the soldier, the other. and for cake's sake--don't let go our lion!" added jellia. "but suppose he deflates and pulls us all down with his weight," groaned the soldier. "why can't he float along by himself?" "because i'm not going to have it!" said jellia determinedly. "you must hold on to him and risk whatever happens! and if anything does happen, the wizard will think of something!" "i _have_ thought of something!" said the wizard, composedly. "but first we must do as jellia says. hark! isn't that kabebe calling you?" as a matter of fact, it was. the stratovanians, after witnessing the blow-off of the ozpril, had rushed back to the royal pavilion. furious at the disappearance of their victims, they now were rushing toward the crystal cliffs, the screams of kabebe rising above all the rest. "what do we do--ride 'em like broomsticks?" jabbered the scarecrow, as jellia with shaking hands held out one of the sticks to the wizard. "a good idea!" approved the little magician, watching with deep interest as the wings on the tip of the staff opened and spread. "come along, soldier, or the mob will get you yet!" with wildly beating hearts, dorothy and jellia watched the wizard and the soldier mount the flying stick and boldly leap from the cliff's edge. the cowardly lion let out a terrified howl as he was dragged after them, but jellia, dorothy and the scarecrow, without further hesitation, mounted their own staff and hurled themselves into space, just as the queen and her cohorts came panting into view. chapter the flight to oz keeping the flying sticks in a more or less level position so they would not slip off, and at the same time pointing them downward, required no little skill. the wizard, being used to magic appliances, mastered his in double quick time. but jellia, who sat in front on the other staff soared up for seventy feet and across for fifty before she learned the trick of flying it. during the first twenty minutes of their flight, not a word was spoken. each had enough to do to hold on, and the cowardly lion, hurtling through the air beside the soldier with green whiskers, looked the picture of despair and discouragement. a dozen times dorothy, after a glance downward, gave herself up for lost. but gradually the strangeness of their situation wore off. passing out of the moist, clammy strata just below strut's kingdom into a dryer and less clouded area, the spirits of the little band of adventurers rose. the wings of each flying staff, though not large, were powerful as airplane propellers, and they flapped as rhythmically as the wings of a bird. "not exactly like riding in an ozoplane!" called the wizard, waving cheerfully to jellia! "still--it's better than falling, eh?" jellia, who had maneuvered her staff to a position close to his, nodded emphatically. "what worries me, is--the--altitude!" she called back presently. "somewhere or other we lost our air helmets. will the effects of those altitude pills wear off before we're out of the strat?" "no, we'll be all right," promised the wizard. "my altitude pills condition one for the upper areas for several days at a time!" "oh! then everything's splendid!" sighed jellia, pushing back her curly locks and smiling at dorothy. "unless we meet a meteor, and then our flight will soon be o'er," quavered the scarecrow, waving his arm in a doleful circle. "now, now, don't anticipate!" advised the wizard, guiding the staff with one hand and opening his kit bag with the other. for several moments he had been anxiously regarding the cowardly lion. the buoyancy resulting from the wind pudding was at last subsiding, and the swelled and bloated appearance of the unfortunate beast was fast disappearing. at almost any time now, the lion would become a dead weight. his poundage--added to the wizard's and the soldier's--would be too much for the flying staff and they all would plunge like plummets to the earth. feeling hurriedly around in the kit-bag, the wizard pulled out a small, black bottle. uncorking it with his teeth, he turned it upside down and held it out at arm's length until not a drop of its oily contents remained. "now, don't be alarmed at a sudden bump!" he warned, as his companions watched him with surprise and curiosity! "whatever happens--hold on to your staff!" scarcely had the wizard issued his warning when the air directly beneath them froze into a solid block of blue ice on which they landed with a series of bumps, and began sliding around in great confusion. "nothing to worry about! nothing to worry about!" panted the wizard, keeping a firm hold on his flying stick and at the same time managing to extract a large envelope from the kit-bag. "hold on to that stick, jellia, and keep it down!" the cowardly lion, completely deflated by his smack against the ice, was sprawled flat as an animal skin in the center of the berg. dismounting from his own staff, the wizard scurried perilously round the edges of the rapidly falling block of ice scattering seeds from his envelope with a lavish hand. instantly, or so it seemed to dorothy, a thick green hedge sprang up, enclosing them snugly inside. "to keep us from tumbling off," explained the wizard, sliding anxiously after wantowin battles, who was galloping round and round on his flying stick like a child on a merry-go-round. "whoa, whoa!" cried ozma's chief magician, grabbing the soldier's coat-tails. "we need these sticks to act as brakes to stop our fall!" unseating the soldier, the wizard lifted the flying stick and stuck it through the top branches of the hedge. bidding the others dismount from their staff, he thrust it through the hedge on the opposite side. the wings of both staffs kept up their steady beating and, as the wizard had predicted, acted as strong brakes on the plunging cake of ice. "i was afraid we'd lose the lion," explained the wizard as the little company of adventurers gathered breathlessly round him. "i'd just as lief be lost as frozen!" sneezing plaintively, the lion pulled himself to his feet and slid over to the hedge, bracing his back against its stouter branches. "it won't be long before we strike solid earth now, old fellow," the wizard observed brightly. "strike the earth!" roared the lion. "well, good-bye, friends! i'll say it now--before i'm squashed and scattered to the four points of the compass!" "never mind, you'll make a lovely splatter!" teased the scarecrow. "better stamp your feet, girls, to keep from freezing!" "here, stand on my coat," offered the wizard, gallantly. "not you!" indignantly he pushed the soldier with green whiskers aside. "you can stand on your own coat!" "but it's against regulations for a soldier to appear without his jacket," shivered wantowin, piteously. "the manual of arms says--" "how about the manual of feet?" snorted the scarecrow, thankful he was stuffed with cotton and incapable of feeling the cold. "say, wiz, i guess this is about the oddest flying trip a band of explorers ever had?" "did those magic drops freeze the air into ice?" called dorothy. "and how'd you grow the hedge so fast?" "yes, the drops froze the air," the wizard bawled back, for the rush of air as they shot downward made it difficult to hold polite conversation, "and i just happened to have some of my instant sprouting saplings in that kit-bag." to keep up their spirits they continued to shout back and forth as they fell. "i don't suppose we'll _ever_ catch up with strut and nick chopper now," screamed jellia, hooking her arms securely through the hedge. "why not?" cried the wizard. "as soon as we land, we can fly these flying sticks straight to the emerald city, and be there before the oztober arrives. remember now, the first one up after we hit the earth is to snatch a winged staff." "and how do you suppose we will be able to rise, after striking the earth at one hundred and forty miles an hour?" roared the lion, a trifle sarcastically. "well, it won't hurt _me_!" boasted the scarecrow, holding to his hat with both hands. he had lost the balloons long ago. "and i promise to pick up the rest of you as soon as possible. is--there--anything in that kit-bag for breaks, sprains and bruises, wiz?" "oh, hold your tongue!" snapped jellia, trying to peer over the hedge. "we're not going to crash at all! we'll probably get stuck on a steeple or tower!" "how'd nick manage with his flying?" shrieked the wizard, who was anxious to change the subject. the less said about their landing the better. of course, they could take to the flying sticks and abandon the cowardly lion, but that did not seem exactly sporting. so he resolutely put the thought of it out of his mind. "grand, just grand!" answered jellia, making a megaphone of her hands. "nick had the oztober going smoothly as a swallow." "that's good!" boomed the wizard, beating his arms against his breast to keep warm. "maybe he'll get the best of strut yet and bring the oztober safely down. i'd certainly like to have one ship left to present to ozma!" "how long'll it be before we do get down?" called dorothy, as the wizard paused for breath. "seems to me we're falling faster. faster and faster!" "any minute now," predicted the wizard, popping his head over the top of the hedge. "oh! it's going to be all right!" he shouted joyfully. "we're coming down right in the middle of a great big--" splash!!! before the wizard could finish his sentence, the block of ice struck the smooth surface of a large, mountain lake, and went completely under. as it came bobbing to the top, its drenched and shivering passengers looked at one another with mingled dismay and relief. dorothy, picking up the wizard's coat, handed it back and then went slipping and sliding over to help the scarecrow, who was too water-soaked and sodden even to move. "wring me out! hang me up to dry, somebody!" gurgled the straw man dismally. "grrr--rah!" the cowardly lion, outraged at the cold plunge after all the other shocks and indignities of the day, jumped over the hedge and began to swim grimly for the shore. the soldier with green whiskers, better at carrying out orders than the others, already was pulling one of the flying sticks from the hedge. as it came loose he took a brief glance over the top, gave an agonized shriek and fell backward, stepping all over the wizard who was just behind him. "an army!" shivered wantowin, clutching his dripping beard--"thou--sands of them!" "it is an army, too!" echoed jellia, who had parted the hedge to have a look for herself. "what do they look like?" demanded the wizard, shoving past the soldier and grabbing the winged staff which was on the point of flying off by itself. "like trouble!" said jellia, reaching for dorothy's hand. "they have long bows and pointed red beards and--my goodyness--their beards are pointed straight at us!" "bearded bowmen, eh?" grunted the wizard. "well, that doesn't prove they're unfriendly." the wizard stuck his head over the hedge, barely avoiding the arrow that sped past his ear. "i suppose you'd call that friendly," sniffed jellia, flopping on her stomach and pulling dorothy down with her. the wizard had no time to answer, for wantowin battles had one of the winged staffs and was preparing to ride by himself. "drop it! drop it at once!" commanded the wizard sharply. "how dare you fly off without us? why it's plain desertion, that's what!" "i was just going to do a bit of reconnoitering," mumbled the soldier, looking terrible abashed and then diving to a place beside jellia as three more arrows came hissing over the hedge. quickly recovering the staff, the wet little wizard crouched down. "now girls!" he directed, panting from the exertion of holding down both sticks. "when i give the signal, you and the scarecrow mount one staff, and wantowin and i will mount the other, and fly high over the enemy lines!" "the higher the better," said jellia, as a perfect shower of arrows whizzed over their heads. chapter the king of the kudgers the wizard's plan worked very well, at first. he and the soldier astride one stick, dorothy and jellia, holding the poor, sodden scarecrow between them on the other, shot high into the air, across the lake and over the amazed ranks of bowmen drawn up on the bank. before the red beards had recovered from their surprise, the travellers were winging strongly toward the turretted red castle that crowned the mountain top. the cowardly lion, to escape the flying arrows, had swum under water. now, scrambling up the bank, he neatly skirted the enemy and ran swiftly beneath the two, flying staffs. "as soon as we're safely past this castle, we'll descend, rest, dry our clothes and then proceed to the emerald city," called the wizard, turning to wave encouragingly at the two girls. but at that moment a dreadful thing happened. sprawled on a huge camp chair on the sloping terrace before the castle, its huge, red-bearded owner suddenly sighted the flying sticks and their riders. seizing the long bow that lay beside him on the grass, he sent two arrows speeding upward, one right after the other. each arrow found its mark and splintered a flying stick. with spine-shattering suddenness the travellers crashed to earth. dorothy, describing it to ozma later, explained that although she never had been in a battle, she knew exactly how a warrior felt when his horse was shot from under him. except, of course, that a horseman would not have had so far to fall. the scarecrow, tumbling off first, softened the bump for both girls. the wizard and soldier plunged headlong into a red-pepper bush. while not seriously injured, they were grievously scratched and shaken. but the worst was not the blow to their pride and persons, the worst was to see the upper and winged halves of their precious sticks flying away without them. "oh! oh!" groaned the wizard, leaping out of the pepper bush and running for an anguished yard or two after the vanishing staffs. "this is awful, awful! come back! come down!" he implored, realizing even as he shouted that the sticks could neither hear nor obey. "noo then, whew are yew?" the startled red beard hoisted himself out of his camp chair. "w--itches riding on br--hoom sticks? noo then, call off yewer dog!" the cowardly lion, noting the mischief already done by the red king's bow, had seized it in his teeth and backed rapidly into the bushes. the wizard, reluctantly withdrawing his gaze from the sky, now stamped over to the astonished owner of the castle. "just see what you've done," he cried angrily. "destroyed the only winged staffs in oz. we flew them all the way from the strat and now, how are we to reach the emerald city in time to stop the airlanders? don't you realize--but how could you?" in sudden discouragement the wizard broke off and stared despondently around the rugged mountain top. "i must tell you," he began again in a hoarse and desperate voice, "that ozma and the emerald city are in great danger. strut of the strat and a host of his flying stratovanians are descending to conquer oz and carry off ozma's treasure. if we fail to warn her the city is lost--doomed--i tell you! since you have shattered our flying sticks you must quickly supply us with some other means of travel. we must reach the capital before morning!" "must!" roared the bearded bowman. "are yew shouting 'must' at me?" "be careful!" cried dorothy. for the wizard, in his earnestness, had stepped closer and closer to the red king. but her cry was too late. without any warning, the king's pointed beard, rising with his wrath, pointed straight out and struck the valiant wizard to the earth. for a whole minute he lay perfectly still, staring up at this curious phenomenon. though he had seen many a beard in his day, he had never been knocked down by one before. "whew are yew?" demanded the burly mountain monarch again. "how dare yew fly over my castle and swim in my lake without permission?" stroking his beard which gradually resumed a vertical position on his chest, he stared from one to the other of the adventurers. "no use to run," he sneered as wantowin battles began to back toward the bushes. "my bowmen will be here any moment now! but whew are yew?" "wheww!" groaned jellia, propping the bedraggled scarecrow against a rock. "a body'd hardly know, after such a welcome. whew are yew, yewerself, yew old redbeard!" "i?" roared the bowman, taken completely by surprise. "why, don't yew know? i am bustabo, king of the kudgers and red top mountain." "i don't believe it," said the wizard, leaping agilely to his feet and shaking his fist under bustabo's long nose. "a _real_ king would not treat travellers as you have done, shoot away valuable flying sticks and keep two lovely girls standing out here in the wind." "how dew yew know what a king would dew?" demanded bustabo, puckering his forehead in an uneasy frown. "because," stated the wizard, folding his arms disdainfully, "i personally know all the most important rulers in oz, and none of them would behave as you have done. if you are a king, act like a king!" "whew are yew?" repeated the ruler of red top, walking around the little group with hands clasped behind his back. "oh, for oz sake--tell him!" snarled the cowardly lion, poking his head out of the bushes. "if he asks that question again i might eat him up, pointed beard and all!" "well, this is the wizard of oz," explained dorothy, as the lion stalked grimly out of the bushes, "chief magician for ozma of oz. this--" dorothy, with a wave of her hand, indicated the trembling soldier, "this is wantowin battles, the grand army of oz. beside him is our famous, live scarecrow. i am princess dorothy of oz and this is jellia jam, first lady in waiting to ozma. coming toward you is the cowardly lion of oz." "he doesn't look very cowardly to me," muttered bustabo, putting the camp chair between himself and the approaching beast. "oh, but i am cowardly," growled the lion growlishly, "and when i'm frightened i never know what i'll do. i might even chew up the king of this mountain! whoever heard of a king pointing his beard at harmless travellers! whoever heard of a king with a beard as hard and red as yours, anyway! it's hard as iron from the looks of it." "harder!" agreed the king, evidently considering the lion's remark a compliment. "all we kudgers have red beards--not of soft hair like his--" the red king gazed contemplatively at the soldier with green whiskers, "but of hard hair like mine. i don't suppose yew've ever seen a beard like this before. the point's sharp as a dagger, too," he warned, as the lion sprang a pace closer. "oh, i'm sure it is," said dorothy nervously. "and it's dreadfully handsome, too. but could your majesty please let us dry out in your castle and then could you show us the quickest route to the emerald city? if you don't," finished dorothy, clasping her hands anxiously, "the ruler of this whole country of oz may be captured and carried to the strat." "what do i care about the ruler of oz?" sniffed bustabo, scratching his head in a most unkingly manner. "ozma never does anything for me! even if she were conquered i'd still have my mountain. why should i help yew or her or them?" his scornful wave included the whole little group. "what can yew dew for me?" he asked sullenly. "can yew sing?" his dull eye brightened momentarily as it rested inquiringly on dorothy. "well, a little," confessed dorothy, smoothing down her damp dress. clearing her throat and fixing her eye on the top of a red pine, she started in rather a choked voice: "oh, bright and gay is the land of oz we love its lakes and hills becoz--" "there, there! that will dew!" bustabo snapped his fingers impatiently, and taking out a little book scribbled hastily: "can't sing." "can yew dance?" he demanded, addressing himself to jellia. "we are short of good dancers on this mountain." jellia by this time was in such a state of cold and temper, she stamped her foot and turned her back on the unmannerly monarch. "can't dance," wrote bustabo under the first entry. "well, then--what _dew_ yew dew?" he asked, turning in exasperation to the wizard. "i?" said the wizard, twirling his water-soaked topper, "i, am a wizard. naturally i supposed a king like yourself would have everything he desired. but if that is not the case, tell me what you wish and perhaps i can help you. only be quick!" he added earnestly, "for we have no time to lose." "sooo, yew really are a wizard!" bustabo's expression became almost agreeable. "well, then," he drew himself up pompously. "the princess whom i wish to wed has unaccountably disappeared. find and return her to this castle, and i will speed yew and yewer friends to the emerald city by the safest and swiftest route!" "but that would take too much time," objected the wizard, rubbing his chin anxiously. "who is this princess? why has she gone? what is her name and what does she look like?" "if yew were a real wizard yew would know all these things without my telling yew," answered bustabo, looking suspiciously at ozma's chief magician. "i'll tell you this much, though. the princess whom i would marry is called azarine, the red. not three days ago she was in this castle, but on the morning of our wedding day she ran off into the forest, and though all my bowmen have been searching ever since, not a trace of her have they found!" "humph, the girl showed very good sense, if you ask me," sniffed the cowardly lion, shaking his mane, "what did you do? point your beard at her? come on, wiz! let's go. we're just wasting time here." "aha, but yew cannot leave! look behind yew!" bustabo, with an enormous laugh, pointed over his shoulder. silently as indians the bearded bowmen had crept up and entirely surrounded the little company on the green. standing in a circle with bows raised and beards pointed, they fairly dared anyone to take a step. "soo, then, it's all settled!" the red king clapped the wizard heartily on the back. "don't think i have not heard of yewer skill, mister weezard. even here on red top we've heard rumors of the wonderful weezard of oz. now all yew have to dew is walk into that forest, find the princess and bring her back to me. meanwhile, i shall treat these others as my guests. they shall rest and warm themselves and have all they wish to eat. if by morning yew have failed to return, i shall regretfully be forced to throw them off the mountain. if yew dew return, yew will find that bustabo will keep his word and bargain." the wizard hardly knew what to say. "if he knows so much, why does he not help himself?" demanded one of the red beards, stepping insolently out of the circle. "people who can fly through the air on icebergs and sticks do not need help from ordinary folk like us. why doesn't he fly to the emerald city if he's so smart? i'll tell you why--because he's not the wizard of oz! he's a fraud, that's what!" "if he's a fraud then you're a rascal!" cried jellia jam, remembering suddenly that she recently had been a starina. "your princess is as good as found, mister king! isn't that so, wizard?" meeting jellia's firm gaze, the wizard nodded quickly. "this young oz maid is right, your majesty! before the sun rises azarine will return to this castle!" "yes--and now bid your vassals lead us into the castle!" ordered jellia sharply. "bring us soup, meat, bread, vegetables, salad and plenty of fruit and cake!" bustabo, after a long look both at jellia and the wizard, motioned for the bowmen to lead the visitors into the castle. the cowardly lion trailed suspiciously along in the rear, keeping a sharp watch to see that no beards were pointed at his friends. the wizard accompanied them part way, conversing in earnest whispers with jellia and dorothy. wantowin battles supported the dripping and still helpless scarecrow, and each tried not to show the anxiety he felt when the wizard finally turned to leave them. "goodbye, all!" he said, lifting his dripping hat. "goodbye, jellia--_here is your bag_!" tapping the kit-bag significantly, he pressed it into jellia's cold hands. then, without a word to bustabo or his henchmen, he strode resolutely toward the dark forest that covered the sides and more than half of the top of the mountain. relenting a little, the red king sent a bowman running after him with a basket of provisions. taking the basket with a brief nod of thanks, the wizard waved again to his friends and marched straight into the gloomy and forbidding woods. chapter azarine the red the late afternoon shadows made the forest seem even gloomier. the little wizard, trudging along under the rustling red trees, hands thrust deep into his pockets, never had felt more depressed or unhappy. he had hated to leave his friends with a monarch as cruel and untrustworthy as bustabo. still, he had the utmost confidence in jellia jam. the young oz miss doubtless had some plan in her clever little head and had chosen this way for him to escape, meaning to follow with the others at the first opportunity. anyway, he reflected, dropping down on a heap of fallen leaves and resting his back against a tree, they had the kit-bag to help them, if worst came to worst. perhaps if he concentrated and thought very hard, he could recall the powerful incantation for locating missing persons and articles. but a wizard without his books and equipment, is almost as helpless as a doctor without his pills and medicine bag. try as he would, the wizard could not remember the proper combination of words to bring back the missing princess. his short nap in stratovania had rested him a little, but he still was dreadfully weary from his gruelling flight and the recent shocks and mischances. the loss of the ozpril had been the worst blow of all and now his tired brain simply refused to work. so, sitting sadly under the tree, he munched the sandwiches from the basket, drank from the bottle of cold tea and wished fervently for a fire to warm himself, for his clothes were still damp and clammy from the dive in bustabo's lake. it comforted him a little to know that the others were drying out and enjoying a good supper in the castle. but it was no comfort at all to realize that strut and his legions were winging their way toward the emerald city--the city _he_ had built and lived in so long it seemed more like home than any place he had known in america. the wizard crammed the rest of the sandwiches into the basket and started recklessly through the forest, tripping over tough vines and rocks, bumping into trees and peering desperately about for traces of a princess, or for any sign that might tell him in which direction the emerald city lay. from the slant of the ground he knew he was travelling down the mountain, and the deep, red foliage told him he was somewhere in the quadling country of oz. but with night coming on and the shadows growing deeper and darker, he probably would lose his way entirely and never get out of the forest at all. he felt uneasy at leaving his comrades behind in the red king's castle. was it better to try to save ozma and the emerald city, or to stay in this forest and help dorothy and jellia and the devoted friends who had embarked on this unexpected adventure with him? stopping short, the wizard pressed both hands to his forehead in an effort to make up his mind. night already had overtaken him and it was now so dark, it was impossible to see more than a foot or so in any direction. occasional roars, the snapping of twigs and the gleam of yellow eyes from the thicket, caused him no little anxiety. at an especially savage roar, he suddenly stopped worrying about ozma and the others and began to do considerable worrying about himself. how humbling for a wizard to be devoured by a hungry beast. backing softly away from the approaching monster, he began looking sharply about for a hollow tree, a cave or even a clump of bushes where he might conceal himself. on the tip of his tongue and ready for instant use was the magic word which would render him invisible. fortunately he did remember that. but the wizard never wasted words, magic or otherwise. resolving to wait till the last possible moment, he continued to back rapidly and cautiously. then, unexpectedly from behind him came another distraction--the clear ringing of a silver bell. at the same time the gloom was pierced by a dancing ray of light. swinging round, the wizard flung up both arms and not knowing whether to dash into the teeth of the monster in front of him, or risk the lowered horns of the huge beast behind him, the startled magician uttered the word that rendered him invisible. "brr--rah!" raged the burly, bear-like creature, rearing up on his hind legs. "where is that pesky man-creature? i saw him a moment ago, but now, though i still catch his scent, he has hidden from me. and why must you, shagomar, come horning in to spoil my supper? why cannot you mind your own business, br-rrah!" "i am minding my own business," roared the creature addressed as shagomar. "away--you entomophagus monster! haven't i told you time and again to keep away from the cave of the princess? the very next bug-bear that comes prowling 'round shall have a taste of my antlers! get on with you now, and after this--leave harmless travellers alone!" the great red stag made a short rush at the ugly beast blocking his path. large as a grizzly, half insect and half bear, it held its ground uncertainly for a moment, then shuffled off into the darkness, grunting angrily. the wizard, who had jumped hastily from between the two beasts, had listened to the stag's words with lively interest and astonishment. huge and sandy, with antlers of tremendous breadth, the huge creature now stood quiet as a statue. from one antler prong hung a flashing silver lantern. from another dangled the bell which had so startled the wizard. "well, friend! are you still there?" whispered the stag, softly. instead of answering, the wizard uttered the word that would make him visible. "come with me!" directed the stag, showing neither surprise nor curiosity at the wizard's sudden reappearance. "you will be safer with us in the cave. surely you are a stranger on red top or you would know it is dangerous to wander in this forest at night." "oh, i don't mind danger," said the wizard, striding sturdily beside the stag. "i am used to danger--and i must reach the emerald city before morning! ozma and her whole capitol are threatened by a band of ruthless airlanders, and unless i can give them some warning, the emerald city certainly will be captured by strut of the strat. i am ozma's chief magician, fallen by great misfortune into this forest." "i thought you might be a wizard," murmured shagomar, pausing to nibble at a few tender leaves. "and you say the ruler of the whole land of oz is in danger? hah, well--we all have our troubles." exhaling his breath noisily, shagomar looked off between the trees with a troubled frown. "i cannot direct you to the emerald city, but i'm sure the princess can help you." "what princess do you mean?" asked the wizard, curious to hear what shagomar would say. "azarine!" whispered the stag, looking around carefully to see that no one was listening. "azarine the red--ruler of red top mountain!" "but i thought bustabo was ruler of the mountain! i just came from his castle!" sputtered the wizard. "he certainly told me he was king of the kudgers." "king of the kudgers--pfui!" the stag shook his head as if a bee were in his ear, while his bell played a regular roundelay. "bustabo was, till a week ago, chief bowman in her majesty's guard. using his position and his men to help him, he has wickedly seized azarine's throne, insisting that azarine permit him to be the king of all the kudgers. when our little princess refused, she was locked up in the tower. but, with the assistance of a faithful servant, she managed to escape, and has been hiding in this forest ever since. i, being an old and trusted friend, have been looking out for her and will protect her with horn and hoof until her own loyal subjects unseat this miserable imposter!" "whew--so that's the way it is?" the wizard thrust his hands more deeply into his pockets. "well, that settles _that_! i won't do it--no matter what happens!" "won't do what?" questioned the stag, looking down sideways at the little man. "oh--nothing!" kicking at a stone, the wizard walked along in a depressed silence. surely no one ever had been in a worse dilemma. if he managed by a trick or by force to carry azarine back to the red castle, dorothy and his friends would be released instantly and all of them speeded on their way to the capitol. if he did not return the princess to the castle, his brave and faithful companions would be flung off the mountain, strut would conquer the emerald city and everything would be lost. lost! but when, a few minutes later, the stag pushed through a cluster of bushes that concealed the entrance to the cave, and the wizard stepped into the presence of azarine herself, he knew he never would force her surrender to the infamous bustabo. seated pensively on a rough boulder beside a small fire was the prettiest little princess the wizard had almost ever seen. her hair, long and red as glinda's, fell in satiny waves to her feet. she wore a little mesh cap of pearls and a white satin, princess dress. a long, red velvet cloak hung loosely from her shoulders. not exactly the costume for a cave, but vastly becoming. azarine's pale and flower-like face was sweet and gentle and, when she saw the wet and weary traveller with shagomar, she jumped up to welcome him as graciously as though she still were mistress of her castle. "why, it's the wizard of oz!" she cried joyfully, after a second look at the guest. "oh, we _all_ know the wizard of oz! i have a picture of you right over the grand piano in my castle. wherever did you find him, shaggy dear? has he come all this way to help us?" "it will be a great pleasure and privilege, if i may," said the wizard, sitting on a rock opposite the princess and placing his high hat between his knees. "just now, i happen to be in as much trouble as your highness. but perhaps--" the wizard looked thoughtfully at the stag standing motionless at the entrance of the cave--"can shagomar run?" "oh, yes! terribly fast!" azarine assured him, eagerly. "faster than eagles can fly, than water can fall down the mountain, faster than any creature on red top. shaggy can do anything!" jumping up, the princess ran over to lean her head against the red stag's shoulder. "he goes to the village each day and returns with food. he has brought me blankets for my bed, pillows for my head, and has kept away the fierce bug-bears and all other wild beasts that roam the red wood. i don't know what i should have done without him!" the princess added softly, "shaggy's such a dear!" "you're both dears!" agreed the wizard. "are we?" azarine twinkled her eyes at the wizard, "but shaggy's the biggest, and we've always been friends, haven't we?" the stag, looking down at azarine with his bright, steadfast eyes, nodded so vigorously that the bell on his antlers rang a veritable medley, and the rays from the silver lantern danced into every corner of the dreary cavern. "well then," the wizard rubbed his hands briskly together, "shaggy shall carry us straight to the palace of glinda, the good sorceress of the south. as red top mountain is in the quadling country, her palace must be somewhere quite near." "oh, it is! it is!" beamed azarine. "i've often seen her lights, from the towers on red top. it's just a mile or two from the base of this mountain. i never have seen glinda, but i have heard she is very good and a powerful sorceress. do you think she can force bustabo to give me back my castle and my kingdom?" "i know it!" declared the wizard, picking up his hat and clapping it on the back of his head. "but before we start for glinda's, i must go back and rescue my friends from that thieving red beard." marching forth and back before the fire, the wizard related all that had happened since he and his party had started off in the two ozoplanes. hearing the strange tale, azarine almost forgot her own troubles. when the wizard told how bustabo had broken the winged staffs on which they hoped to ride to the emerald city, and of the wicked bargain he had driven, the little princess generously offered to return to the red castle so that ozma and oz might be saved. but the wizard would not hear of such a thing. "no!" he decided--"shaggy and i will go back and manage, somehow, to release my comrades from the castle. then, we all can start for glinda's together." "wait," whistled the stag, who had been listening to the wizard's story with distended eyes and nostrils. "wait, first i will fetch dear deer." "who in oz, is dear deer?" inquired the wizard, as shagomar melted like a shadow through the dark opening of the cavern. "his wife," explained azarine with an excited skip. "and that will be just splendid, for dear deer shall carry all of your friends, and we can ride shaggy!" chapter in the red castle and now let us peek into the doings of jellia, dorothy and the others, after they mournfully watched the wizard stalk off into the forest. with bowmen ahead of them and bowmen closely following, the prisoners marched slowly into the castle. afraid not to hurry on account of the sharp-pointed beards of the guards, the little party progressed almost at a run. hurrying them through the beautiful throne room and other cheerful apartments on the first floor, the bowmen lead them to a covered stone stairway curving up from the back courtyard. up, up, and up, tramped the bowmen, and up, up, and up trudged the weary travellers. it seemed to dorothy they had climbed a thousand steps before they reached the top. both girls were frightened, but holding their backs straight and their chins high, they stepped haughtily along without even a glance at their red-bearded captors. unlocking an iron door at the head of the stair, the guards gruffly ushered them into a round, stone-walled room at the very top of the tower. relocking the door just as gruffly, they took their departure. "thank gooseness, there's a fire!" shivered jellia, running across the room to hold out her hands to the crackling blaze. "as soon as we're warm and dry we can decide what to do. pull up a couple of those benches, wantowin, and for cake's sake, don't look so glum! nobody's been hurt yet!" "ah--but what of the morning?" the soldier with green whiskers wagged his head, dismally. "that rogue of a red beard will pitch us off this mountain quick as _that_!" wantowin snapped his cold fingers. "one toss from this tower and we're done!" groaned the army, turning away from one of the barred windows with a positive shudder. glancing out the window nearest her, dorothy saw that the tower had been built at the very edge of the mountain. jagged rocks far below, and long-dead trees jutting out from the sides of the sheer precipice, made it even more formidable. "i'm going to sleep," mumbled the lion, settling himself near the fire. "what i don't see, won't make me feel more cowardly." "how true," thought dorothy. backing away from the window and resolutely keeping her mind off the precipice, she began to help jellia drape the scarecrow over a bench close to the fire. "not too close, girls," begged the straw man nervously. "fire's almost as bad for me as water. one little spark and--pouff! nothing but a bonfire of your old friend and comrade!" at this point a sharp tap on the door made them all jump, but it was only a servant carrying a large tray. at least, bustabo was keeping his promise about supper. the servant was round and jolly. he looked sympathetically at the little company, but evidently was afraid to speak to them. placing his tray on a table in the center of the room, he bowed stiffly and withdrew, locking the door carefully behind him. "not bad," said jellia, lifting cover after cover from the silver serving dishes. "not bad at all! give us a hand, wanny, and we'll pull the table over to the fire. my gooseness, this is almost as good as a party!" seating herself next to dorothy who already was busy, jellia bit rapturously into a crisp roll. "mmm--mmm! this is the first food i've tasted since we left the emerald city. draw up, liony! this roast lamb will make you forget that wind pudding. you may have _all_ the roast, and we'll manage with the vegetables, the soup, salad and dessert!" dusk was falling and the tower room was hardly cheerful, but sitting on their hard benches close to the fire, the prisoners dined almost as well as though they had been in the emerald city. now that his hunger was satisfied, even the soldier with green whiskers began to look less desperate. the scarecrow, now completely dry though a little wrinkled, was his old, witty self again. as it grew darker, jellia lit the rusty lantern on the stone mantel, and wantowin placed another log on the fire. there was a heap of blankets on one of the benches. no other beds being visible, the girls spread several on the hearth. resting their backs comfortably against the sleeping lion, they conversed in low and guarded whispers. wantowin, considering it his duty to stand guard, dragged a bench across the doorway. wrapping himself up in a blanket, he was soon snoring louder than the cowardly lion. the servant had removed the tray, and sounds from below had long since ceased. they knew it must be way past midnight, but dorothy and jellia were unable to relax. "i wonder how the wizard's getting along!" mused dorothy, pulling the blanket a little closer. "it must be awfully dark in that forest." "oh, wiz'll be all rights--depend on that!" jellia spoke with a heartiness she was far from feeling. "he'll have that princess here before sun-up. if he doesn't, we'll just light out and find him!" "light out?" inquired the scarecrow, drawing back still further from the fire. "how do you mean?" "yes," echoed dorothy, moving closer to jellia as a board creaked somewhere below. "how do you mean?" "oh, i don't just know," admitted jellia, frankly. "but there might be something in this kit-bag to help! let's have a look, anyway." dragging it from under a bench where she had stowed it on their arrival, jellia zipped it open and began feeling inside, curiously. "i never have had a chance to examine it properly," jellia said. "but that cheer gas certainly came in handy, and the freezing fluid and sapling seeds were pretty neat, too! my, whatever are these, now?" folded neatly on the very top were four suits of blue pajamas, with hoods and feet attached like those in an infant's sleeping garment. holding one near to the blaze so she could read the pink placard on the pocket, jellia gave a little gasp. "oh, listen!" she whispered, catching dorothy's sleeve. "it says: '_these falling-out suits have not been tested, but i believe they will work and prove safe and practical in case of accident.--wiz._'" "i suppose the wizard meant them for his ozoplane passengers to use, instead of parachutes," decided dorothy, fingering one rather doubtfully. "well, i should hate to be the _first_ to try one!" "oh, i don't know," jellia, her head on one side, pensively considered the blue pajamas. "i think they're real cute. i think--hark! what was that?" dropping the pajamas, she clutched dorothy as the unmistakable tread of a heavy boot came stamping up the stair. "bustabo!" shivered dorothy. "oh--he's not going to wait till morning! he's coming for us now! oh, jellia, jellia--what shall we do?" dorothy's voice, rising almost to a shriek, roused the cowardly lion. cocking one ear and arriving at exactly the same conclusion as the little girl, the lion sprang over to waken the soldier with green whiskers. the scarecrow already was hurrying from window to window, trying the bars with his flimsy, cotton fingers. at the window nearest the fireplace he gave a joyful little grunt, for some former prisoner had managed to saw through three of the iron bars. as the scarecrow pushed, they moved creakily outward. "quick! come help me!" urged the scarecrow, dragging the terrified and only half-awake soldier to the window. "on with those parachute suits, girls! we'll jump before we're tossed out!" dorothy and jellia exchanged desperate glances and then--as the steps on the stair thumped louder and nearer--each grabbed a falling-out suit and zipped herself tidily inside. "here!" panted jellia, down on her hands and knees beside the cowardly lion, "you can put your front feet in anyway--and _anything_ will be better than _nothing_, when you fall!" to her relief and surprise, she discovered that the pajamas would stretch! even the lion could wear them without too much discomfort. except for a cramp in his tail which was coiled tightly on his back, the lion fitted into his pajamas nicely. as the soldier with green whiskers was trembling too violently to help himself or anyone else, jellia jerked and pushed him into one of the falling-out suits. then, picking up the wizard's kit-bag and looking solemnly back at her anxious comrades, jellia climbed to the window sill. "i'll go first," she announced, closing her eyes so she would not see the rocks below, and her mouth, to keep her teeth from chattering. "no! let me! i insist on going first," cried the scarecrow, springing nimbly up beside jellia. "falling does not hurt me at all." "oh, hurry! hurry!" begged dorothy, glancing fearfully over her shoulder. the footsteps were now so loud and near, she expected the door to burst right open and bustabo's red face to appear. "goodbye! i'm off!" before the scarecrow could stop her, jellia was off, indeed! clutching the kit-bag to her bosom, she squeezed through the opening between the bars and dove headlong into space! next, the scarecrow, with a sad little wave to dorothy, dropped out of sight. "help me push this so-called soldier out!" puffed dorothy, as the cowardly lion signalled for her to go next. "if we leave him till last--he'll never jump at all!" "halt! about face! help! mama! papa! help! help! help!" wailed wantowin battles. but dorothy relentlessly forced him to the sill and through the opening. as his wildly thrashing legs disappeared over the edge, whoever was coming up the stairs, broke into a run. thump, thump, thumpety-thump! trembling in every muscle, dorothy climbed to the sill. spreading both arms, she launched herself into the air. she heard the grunt of the cowardly lion as he forced his way through the opening. then the fierce rush of wind past her ears as she pitched downward, drowned out all other sounds. at first she was sure the wizard's falling-out suits were failures, for the lion plunged past her, falling like a plummet. she, too, was whirling downward so fast she felt sure she would be crushed on the rocks below. closing her eyes, she tried to resign herself to whatever was coming. then, suddenly, the pajamas filled with air, ballooning out till she floated lightly as a feather. the question now was--would she _ever_ come down? there was no moon, and in the faint starlight she could make out three other, bulky shapes spinning through the air just beneath her. by kicking her legs and flapping her arms, dorothy managed to miss several jutting rocks and tree limbs. as she floated lower, the suit began gradually to deflate, finally letting her down as softly as could be, on a strip of sand at the base of the mountain. a little distance away she could see jellia, already stepping out of her falling-out suit, and the cowardly lion, waiting impatiently for someone to help him out of his. wantowin battles, very brave now that the danger was past, already had stripped off his flying suit and was shaking and patting the scarecrow into shape, for the poor straw man had been completely flattened out by his fall. "well, how did you like it?" called jellia, hurrying over to help the lion untangle himself. "after the first swoop, it wasn't bad at all. really, i quite enjoyed it!" "_enjoyed_ it!" choked the lion, looking indignantly from dorothy to jellia. "i'll never set foot in a plane again as long as i live. brrrrah! ever since we left the emerald city we've been falling--flying and blowing about like yesterday's papers. now that i'm on solid ground at last, i intend to stay there! the rest of you may do as you please, but i shall walk home if it takes a year!" "i don't blame you," said jellia, patting the lion soothingly on the nose. "but we can't start without the wizard. we'll have to hide here till morning and then try to find him." "let him find us," growled the lion, lashing his tail experimentally to see whether there was any wag left in it after the shameful way it had been cramped in the suit, "the whole trip was his idea--not mine!" "oh, hush," warned dorothy. "someone will hear you! ooooh! someone has!" and sure enough, the faint tinkle of a bell come mysteriously through the gloom. "mercy, do you suppose those red beards have started after us already?" cried jellia looking around for the kit-bag. "but how could they have come down the mountain as fast as we fell?" "they couldn't," whispered the scarecrow, picking up the bag and handing it to jellia. "but don't worry, my dears! it's probably a herd of goats or cattle. these mountaineers often put bells on their animals. just keep still and don't move and they won't notice us at all." flattening themselves against the rocks at the foot of the mountain, the five adventurers waited tensely. but when a huge, shaggy shape loomed out of the darkness and came charging straight toward them, all five screamed and started to slither sideways. "wait! don't run! don't be frightened!" begged an agitated voice. "don't you know me? it's i! it's _me_! the wizard!" chapter escape from red top as the great stag came to a sliding halt, the rays from his silver lantern cast a wavering light over the little group crouched against the rocks. "hello! how ever did you escape from the castle?" demanded ozma's little magician, sliding recklessly off the high back of his steed and embracing them jubilantly. "we were just coming to help you. girls, scarecrow, soldier, lion--may i present azarine, the real princess of this mountain, and shagomar and dear deer, her friends!" dorothy and jellia were so stunned by the unexpected appearance of the wizard, they were able only to manage a couple of breathless bows. and indeed, the lovely picture azarine made, seated demurely on the huge, red stag, was enough to render anyone speechless. shaggy himself was breath-taking, too. not only the lantern and bell hung from his antlers now, but perched unconcernedly on the tallest prong, was a lovely, white pigeon with a key in his bill. "this pigeon was going to fly up to the tower with the key to the door," explained the wizard, as his five comrades continued to gaze at him in stupefied silence. "fortunately azarine, who was imprisoned there before you, had an extra key. she said bustabo would lock you up in the tower!" exclaimed the wizard with a nod at the princess. "but since you already are out and down, we'll not need the key. tell me, how did you manage to escape? what did you do? break down the door?" "no--we just stepped out the window," the scarecrow told him with a nonchalant wave upward. "you mean, you jumped all this distance?" gasped azarine leaning forward to peer between shaggy's branching antlers, while dear deer trotted closer to nudge dorothy with her soft, moist nose. "well--sort of," explained jellia, putting an arm around the cowardly lion, who still was looking extremely sulky. "but first we put on those falling-out suits, wiz, and you'll be glad to know they really worked." "splendid! _splendid!_" beamed the wizard, with a satisfied shake of his head. "you know--i'd completely forgotten them, but i felt sure you'd find some useful magic in the kit. did bustabo keep his promises?" "well, he locked us up in the tower, and he gave us a pretty good supper," answered dorothy. "but we didn't like being prisoners, and we didn't feel safe in that castle. then, a little while ago when we heard him thumping up the stair--we just decided to leave! and so--we left!" "so we see! so we see!" the wizard grinned appreciatively, delighted by the spirit of the two girls. "but perhaps we'd better be off! no knowing when bustabo and his bowmen will be coming to look for you. shagomar and dear deer have kindly agreed to carry us to the castle of glinda the good. once there--with glinda's magic to help me, i'll find some way to deal with strut, and to force bustabo to give up azarine's throne. "now suppose you two girls and the scarecrow mount dear deer, and the soldier and i will ride with the princess." dear deer, at the wizard's words, moved over to a flat rock. without any trouble at all, jellia and dorothy climbed to places on her back. then the scarecrow vaulted up behind, clasping his arms 'round jellia to keep from slipping off. when wantowin and the wizard had mounted behind azarine, the two deer swung away from the mountain. with the cowardly lion loping easily between, they ran swiftly toward the southlands. their gait was so smooth it seemed to jellia they were flying like figures in a dream through the shadowy forest, with only the twinkle of the silver lantern to light their way. as they raced along azarine again told the story of bustabo's treachery and how shagomar had brought the wizard to her hidden cave. then the two girls amused the little princess with the story of their experiences in the strat. they told her all about their life at home in the emerald city, and of the curious celebrities who lived in the palace with ozma. azarine already was charmed with the scarecrow and the cowardly lion, and kept leaning down to have a better look at the tawny beast trotting so unconcernedly between the two deer. "i tell you," she proposed generously. "i tell you--if strut destroys the emerald city--you all can come back and live with me. that is--if glinda and the wizard can make bustabo give my castle and kingdom back?" "but i do hope we'll find some way to stop strut! how long will it take him to reach the capitol?" dorothy called across to the wizard. "well, it took us a night, and half a day to fly to stratovania," calculated the little magician, wrinkling his forehead. "so i'm afraid if strut and the tin woodman left yesterday, they'll be in the emerald city tomorrow. that is--today." "and it's almost morning now," shivered jellia, glancing off toward the east where the sky already showed the first streaks of lavender and rose. "now, don't you worry," begged the wizard, holding fast to his high hat, "as soon as we reach glinda's castle and i have some proper magic to work with, i'll find a way to make both strut and bustabo behave. the few trifles in this kit-bag are a help, but not nearly powerful enough for rascals like those. look, girls, isn't that glinda's castle now?" "oh, it is! it is!" cried dorothy, clasping dear deer around the neck she was so relieved and happy. and the silver trimmed towers and spires of glinda's lovely, red castle, shimmering through the early morning mists, were enough to make anyone happy. flashing through the beautiful gardens and parks, leaping hedges and flower beds as lightly as swallows, the stag and his mate brought the little band of adventurers to the very door of the castle. "goodbye, now," breathed the stag, as the wizard and soldier slipped off his back and the wizard lifted azarine down. "take care of my little princess!" "oh, don't go!" cried dorothy, for dear deer seemed on the point of vanishing, too. "do stay and see how it all turns out. later on, wouldn't you like to go to the emerald city and meet the famous animals who live in the capitol?" shagomar looked questioningly at dear deer, and as his pretty little wife seemed interested, he allowed himself to be persuaded. "we'll wait in the garden," he whistled softly. "houses and castles are too stuffy and shut in for deer people. if you need me, princess, just ring the silver bell." lowering his head so the princess could slip the bell from his antlers, the stag stood looking at her solemnly. "i will," promised azarine, waving her little red handkerchief as the two deer sprang away. they actually seemed to float off above the flowers, so lightly and easily did they run. chapter the wizard gets to work "please announce us to your mistress at once!" directed the wizard to the sleepy little castle-maid who presently came, in answer to his loud knock. "but her highness and princess ozma are not here!" stuttered the maid, her eyes popping at sight of visitors so early in the morning. "they left yesterday to visit prince tatters and grampa in ragbad!" "ha, well," the wizard turned to the others with a little shrug. "looks as if i shall have to manage alone. a fortunate thing ozma did not start back to the emerald city. at least _she_ will not fall into strut's hands. here, here! don't shut the door!" the wizard quickly pushed past the little serving maid. "glinda will wish us to make ourselves comfortable in her absence. now then, miss--miss--?" "greta," mumbled the girl, looking bashfully at her feet. "oho--a greta to greet, eh?" chuckled the scarecrow, taking off his hat and bowing to the ground. "well, now, my dear miss greta, will you kindly show these young ladies to suitable apartments, and tell the cook to prepare breakfast for six." "make it twelve!" growled the cowardly lion, with a little bounce toward the maid. "i could eat six all by myself!" "yes sirs! yes _sirs_!" quavered greta, running off so fast she lost one of her red slippers. "never mind," laughed dorothy. "jellia and i know this castle as well as our own. we'll show azarine about and have time for a short nap before breakfast." the hundred pretty girls who acted as glinda's maids in waiting were still asleep. in fact no one was stirring in the castle except a few servants. waving briskly to the girls as they started up the marble stairway, the wizard went striding toward the red study where the sorceress kept all her books on witchcraft, her magic potions, her phials and appliances. the exquisite palace of glinda, over which azarine was exclaiming at every step, was an old story to the cowardly lion. throwing himself down on a huge bearskin, he soon was in a doze and making up the sleep he had lost on the two, previous nights. wantowin battles had at once gone off to waken an old soldier crony of his who drilled glinda's girl guard, and the scarecrow, about to follow the wizard into the study, paused to look at the great record book. this book, fastened with golden chains to a marble table in the reception room of the castle, records each event as it happens, in the land of oz. when glinda goes on a journey, she usually locks the record book and takes the key with her. but this time, she had neglected to do so, and sentences were popping up, row after row on the open pages. as he bent over to peruse the latest entry, the scarecrow's painted blue eyes almost popped from his cotton head. "fierce airlanders from the upper strat are descending on the emerald city of oz," read the straw man, nearly losing his balance. "if measures of defense are not taken at once, the capitol will fall under the fierce attack of the invaders!" "wiz! yo, wiz!" yelled the scarecrow, taking a furious slide into the study. "hurry! hurry! for the love of oz, hurry--or strut will blow ozma's castle into the strat! the record book says so!" he panted, grabbing the wizard's arm to steady himself. the wizard, working over the delicate apparatus on a long table, looked up with an anxious frown. "now, now, you must be a little patient," he told the scarecrow, earnestly. "i'm hurrying just as fast as ever i can." "but what do you propose to do?" demanded the scarecrow, puckering his forehead into almost forty deep wrinkles. "can't you whiz these stratovanians away, or send them back where they came from?" "not without ozma's magic belt," sighed the wizard. "and you know perfectly well that the belt is back in the emerald safe in the castle!" "then can't you transport the safe here?" asked the scarecrow, playing a frantic little tune on the edge of the table. "just what i'm trying to do!" admitted the wizard, turning a lever here and a wheel there. "but this triple-edged, zentomatic transporter of glinda's does not seem to be working as it should. i'll probably be able to fix it in a little while, but meantime--i tell you what you can do. post yourself beside that record book and the minute it announces strut's arrival in the emerald city, rush straight back here to me!" before he had finished his sentence the scarecrow was gone, and for the next two hours the faithful straw man, without once lifting his eyes, bent over the great book of records, reading with tense interest and lively apprehension of the progress of the oztober and the airlanders toward the capitol of oz. chapter strut of the strat arrives in oz! for several hours after leaving stratovania, nick followed the wizard's map implicitly. with strut leaning over the back of his seat, eyes glued to both map and board, there was nothing else he could do. if he deviated from the course so much as a hair's breadth, the airlander would tap him on his tin head with his staff. the tin woodman had not expected strut to be so clever about navigating and as time passed, he grew less and less hopeful of outwitting the wily airman. if he increased the speed of the oztober in an effort to outdistance strut's flying warriors, they also increased their speed. try as he would it seemed quite impossible to lose them. but nick chopper did not despair. he was counting on the night to help him. never tiring or needing sleep, he would have the advantage of strut, then. as soon as the airlander relaxed in his seat, the tin woodman meant to fall upon him, hurl him from a window, put all the plane's lights out and speed off in the dark so swiftly the stratovanians would be unable to follow. that failing, he depended on the difference in altitude to subdue the enemy. perhaps when they reached the lower areas, strut and his airmen would faint, wilt, and become harmless. so, bolstering his spirits with these heartening hopes, nick bore as patiently as he could the long afternoon and the unpleasant taunts and company of his captor. repassing the ice crescent without meeting any spikers, the tin woodman zoomed along, not even bothering to answer strut's many questions about oz and its inhabitants. night, when it did come, was especially dark and murky. no moon and only a few stars dotted the arching skyway. the darker the better, rejoiced the tin woodman, taking quick little glances over his shoulder to see whether strut was falling asleep or showing any signs of drowsiness. if it were just dark enough, he'd rid himself of these flying pests in a hurry. but all his plans proved futile. as the oztober rushed on and on, and the hours dragged slowly by, strut grew even more alert and watchful. his star-shaped eyes twinkled and glowed with sulphurous lights and he showed no more signs of weariness than the tin woodman himself. the endurance of the airlander and his warriors was positively uncanny, and nick, maneuvering the buttons and wheel of the plane, grew increasingly discouraged and gloomy. flying at this rate they would arrive in the emerald city early in the morning, and to think that he was leading this band of savages upon the defenseless city almost broke nick chopper's heart. as it was a red plush heart, it could not really break, but it fluttered up and down in his tin bosom like a bird beating against the bars of a cage. to nick's suggestion that he rest, strut gave a contemptuous snort. "i'll rest in ohsma's palace," he sneered maliciously. "d'ye think i trust you enough to sleep? ho no! just attend to your flying, mr. funnel top, and i'll take care of the rest of this little adventure." after this, nick made no further remarks, and morning found the oztober sailing high above the hammerhead mountains in the quadling country of oz. all too soon the tin woodman made out the glittering green turrets and spires of the emerald city itself. "quite a pretty little town," observed strut condescendingly, as nick, his thoughts in a perfect tumult, tried to think of some excuse for not landing. "why are you not flying over the castle?" demanded strut sharply. "it's the castle i am most anxious to reach. there--you can come down right inside the walls. my, my! so this is the wonderful land of ohs. well, it owes me its crown jewels and treasure to pay for your insolent invasion of the strat. collecting them should prove pleasant! very pleasant indeed!" "i wouldn't be too sure of that," snapped nick, turning his head stiffly. "i suppose you realize you are in great danger? if ozma sees you before you have time to storm the castle, you and your silly flock of flyers are likely to be turned to crows or sparrows! the chances are, she has seen you," concluded nick, slanting the oztober sharply downward. at nick's warning, the few clouds flitting across the airman's forehead became positively thunderous. "pouf!" he sniffed, snapping his fingers scornfully. "do you suppose a mere girl like this ohsma of ohs can frighten me? my blowmen will soon attend to her and anyone else who stands in our way!" "that," shouted nick, raising his voice above the roar of the engine,--"remains to be seen!" as a matter of fact, the oztober and the swarm of flying warriors had been sighted almost as soon as they appeared above the green lands edging the capitol. long before they reached the emerald city itself, terrified messengers had brought word of the approaching airmen. ozma being absent, bettsy and trot, the two little mortal girls who lived with dorothy and the supreme ruler in the emerald palace, were in charge. after one glance at the flying army, they had called all the celebrities, servants and courtiers together and bade them flee for their lives. then bettsy, trot, and the patchwork girl, climbed into the red wagon. with the saw horse to pull them, they set off at a gallop to hide in the blue forests of the munchkin country till the invasion was over. tik tok, the machine man, carrying all of ozma's loose jewels and valuables, marched rapidly after them. the medicine man rode the hungry tiger and the rest of the palace inmates ran helter-skelter down the yellow brick highway from the capitol. the inhabitants of the emerald city itself, never having seen the wizard's ozoplanes and having no way of knowing that nick chopper was inside this one, were almost as afraid of the oztober as of the stratovanians. pelting into their houses and shops, they bolted windows and doors and waited in terror-stricken silence for whatever was to come. only the guardian of the gate stayed bravely at his post, waving his bunch of keys defiantly as the ozoplane and the airlanders swooped over the castle wall. "ho! no you don't!" cried strut, as nick, having brought the plane to a landing, started to run for the door. "you'll stay with me, as a hostage!" he rasped, gripping the tin woodman's arm. furious but helpless in the iron grasp of the stratovanian, nick was forced to lead him into ozma's beautiful castle. strut's warriors, after fluttering like curious birds from tree to tree and alighting in chattering groups on the wall, finally furled the wings of their staffs, formed ranks and marched, singing and shouting, up the steps after their jubilant leader. in vain nick watched for any signs of weakening among them. the airmen seemed as comfortable and carefree in this lower altitude as they had been on their own airosphere. the tin woodman's only consolation was that he had brought back the wizard's ozoplane in as good condition as when it had started away so unexpectedly. it was also a great relief to him to find the castle deserted. not a courtier, servant or celebrity was in sight--not even the glass cat or dorothy's little kitten eureka. strut and his rude army stamped through the first floor from end to end without encountering a single soul. "very good," sniffed the ruler of all the stratovanians, shooting his eyes sharply to left and right, "so this powerful fairy ohsma of ohs has run off and left us her castle, and we win the war without blowing a blow! ho, ho! i shall spend my summers in this enchanting palace," he added, with a malicious wink at the tin woodman. "but now," his grasp on nick's arm tightened. "where are these famous, magic treasures and jewels you were boasting of--this belt and fan and all the other foolishments and fripperies?" "in a safe in ozma's own apartment," nick told him, reluctantly. now that strut was in complete possession of the castle, little was to be gained by concealing the location of the treasures. "take me there at once," he commanded nick, and--because the thousand airlanders were a bit too numerous for comfort--strut ordered them out to the garden, bidding them man the walls, guard the gates and all entrances, and give the alarm should any of the ozlanders approach. then, with lowered head and dragging feet, the tin woodman led the way to ozma's private sitting room. the safe, sparkling with emeralds imbedded in metal more valuable than platinum, stood in an alcove behind a pair of silk curtains. giving little heed to the elegant appointments of the apartment itself, strut knelt before the safe, fairly panting with impatience and curiosity. "how does it open?" he asked, spinning the little knob on the door, round and round without any results whatsoever. "i am sure i cannot say." resting one elbow on the golden mantel, the tin woodman looked indifferently at the kneeling airman. "only ozma and our wizard ever open that safe." "oh, is that so!" strut straightened up angrily, "we shall see about that. all i have to do is call one of my blowmen and blow it open." "suit yourself," said nick, with a shrug of his shoulders. "only if you do, the safe probably will blow away--and all the treasures with it!" "then how in the dix shall i open it?" screamed strut, giving it a spiteful kick with his silver-shod toe. worn out by his long vigil of the night and the excitement of taking possession of the castle, he lost his temper completely, and stamped and raged up and down before ozma's jewelled strong box. but thump and bang at the door as he would, it still remained shut. "ha!" he puffed at last, "i'll call my swordsmith! he can hammer it open!" racing over to the window he yelled loudly for the swordsmith to come up. but strut's swordsmith had no more success than his master. kindling a fire in the grate, he heated a poker red hot and tried to burn a hole in the door, but the poker did not leave even a scratch on the glittering surface. "stop! stop! you witless woff. i'll do it myself," raged strut. "i'll blow it open with star powder!" "surely you wouldn't do that," protested nick, who up to this time had been watching the effort of the two airmen with quiet amusement. "if you blow up the safe you might set fire to the castle and destroy all the treasures you have won." "oh, hold your tongue!" advised strut. dragging two smouldering logs from the grate, he shoved them under the safe. then, unscrewing the end of his flying stick, he sprinkled a fine, black powder that smelled and looked like gun powder, over the logs. lighting a twisted paper, he stuck it beneath the logs and jumped back, waiting impatiently for the safe to fly apart. nick chopper waited not a moment longer. darting into the dressing room he hastily filled a pitcher with water. but before he could return, an ear-splitting explosion rocked the castle and flung him and the pitcher through the doorway of the sitting room. without stopping to recover his breath, the tin woodman jumped up and hurried across the room. the two airmen, with blackened clothes and faces, stared dazedly at the spot where the safe had been. _where it had been_--because it was no longer there! not a sign, emerald or single splinter of it! there was no hole in the ceiling, so it could not have blown up; there was no hole in the floor, so it could not have blown down. the windows were unbroken, the walls, intact. only the two logs, smoking sullenly on ozma's priceless rug, remained of the airlander's bonfire--unless we count the expression on strut's face, which simply blazed with wrath, bafflement and unadulterated fury. chapter the travellers return! "i told you not to do that," said nick, running over to strut and the swordsmith. "i warned you! now see what you've done!" "but where is it? where did it go? where did it blow?" screamed the airlander, his electric hair standing more on end than ever and crackling like summer lightning. "ask ozma! ask the wizard!" suggested nick, folding his arms and surveying the two quite calmly. "but if you take my advice, you'll hustle right out of this castle before the same thing happens to you!" "who asked for your advice?" cried strut, streaking over to the window to see whether the safe had blown into the garden, though how it could have done so without knocking a hole in the wall or ceiling, he could neither imagine nor understand. drawing aside the curtain he gave a great gasp. nick, who had hurried after him, uttered a loud shout of joy. "see! i told you!" cried nick, and unhooking his oil can the tin woodman let four drops of oil slide down his neck. "i told you!" strut made no reply. he just hung on to the curtain as if he were drowning and the flimsy portiere, a life preserver. "see!" shouted nick again. but it was what strut _didn't_ see that upset the airman! what he _didn't_ see was his entire army of nine hundred and ninety-nine splendid fighters! the garden below was as empty and quiet as a park on a rainy sunday. "calm yourself, man! calm yourself!" advised nick as strut, turning from the window and noting the disappearance of his swordsmith, began running in frenzied circles, overturning chairs and tables and tripping over rugs and foot-stools. "quick," he hissed, making a dive for the tin woodman. "fly me back to the strat. at once! at once! do you hear?" "oh, yes! i hear you--quite well!" said nick, eluding strut easily. "but i'll never fly you anywhere again! besides, don't you realize you cannot fly from magic! you'll have to stay, my good man, and face the music!" nick's words seemed to bring the airlander to his senses. remembering, even in defeat, that he was a powerful king and ruler, he straightened up proudly and, with one hand resting on an emerald-topped table, stood looking tensely from nick chopper to the door. he did not have long to wait, for in less time than it takes to count ten, nine excited ozians burst into the royal sitting room. "oh, nick! are you really safe? is everything all right?" jellia jam rushed over to the tin woodman and took both of his hands in her own. "so _that's_ the fellow i was supposed to impersonate!" roared the cowardly lion, thrusting his head between dorothy and the soldier, "well, goosengravy, girls--i'm insulted!" "and _is_ this really strut--the high and mighty stratovanian who has come to conquer us?" ozma, who was just behind the soldier, gazed so steadily and sorrowfully at the airman that he uncomfortably averted his gaze. he was, to tell the truth, astonished at the youth, beauty and regal manner of the young fairy. he cast a questioning look at the others, crowding through the doorway. he already knew the soldier with green whiskers, but the scarecrow, the cowardly lion, the small, high-hatted gentleman talking earnestly to a cheerful little girl, the little, red-cloaked princess and the tall, imposing, red-haired glinda were all new and bewildering strangers. for the first time since they had met, nick felt sorry for his discomfited foe, and as each of the celebrities approached, he called out the names. "our famous live scarecrow, his majesty the cowardly lion, glinda the good sorceress, the wonderful wizard of oz, princess dorothy of kansas and the emerald city and--" "azarine, the red," finished dorothy, helping him out. for nick, completely at sea, looked inquiringly at the pretty little princess in the red cloak. at each introduction strut bowed stiffly. if he could have reached his flying stick which he had left standing beside the mantel, he would have flown out the window--regardless of the fact that he might never find his way back to the strat. but as he could not reach the staff, he stood stonily waiting for whatever was to befall. "how'd you find jellia and the soldier? what became of the ozpril? where's the emerald safe?" questioned nick, leaving strut's side and hurrying to seize the little wizard by both lapels, for he could restrain his curiosity no longer. "quite a story--quite a story," puffed the wizard, closing one eye, "ask me again some long winter evening." jerking away from nick, he ran off to fetch his black bag of magic, from which he had been separated far too long. "i suppose you are quite anxious to return to your own country," said ozma, addressing herself to the ruler of the strat as she seated herself on a small, satin sofa. "not without my army," blustered strut, defiantly. "it is neither fair nor honest for one ruler to destroy by magic the fighting forces of another!" "your army is not destroyed," ozma told him evenly. "it already is in stratovania, transported there by this magic belt." lightly, the dark-haired fairy touched the gem-studded girdle she was wearing. "and--speaking of honesty and fairness," she went on seriously, "did you think it honest or fair to come here, take possession of my castle, and try to steal all my treasure and jewels?" strut had the grace to blush, and as there was no good answer to ozma's question, he looked haughtily over the heads of the company regarding him so accusingly. "well, have you anything to say?" inquired ozma sternly. "whether or not you return to your kingdom depends entirely upon yourself and how you treat kabebe." at mention of his queen, strut started, involuntarily. "by the way--here's that silly crown you made me wear!" said jellia, handing over the star-tipped circlet she had been wearing since her visit to the strat. "remember me to the piper when you see him and to junnenrump and hippenscop." "are you sure you'd rather not live in the strat as a starina, than stay here with us?" asked ozma, smiling mischievously, as jellia backed away from the frowning airman. "never! never! never!" cried jellia, taking a long step backward at each word. "i've had enough of kings to last me the rest of my life!" a little ripple of laughter followed jellia's blunt refusal, and taking pity on the mortified airlander, ozma touched her belt and whispered the magic word that would transport him to his own country. "but can you trust him?" worried nick chopper, as the stratovanian vanished before their eyes. "how do you know he won't blow things up as soon as he returns?" "because i've removed all power from his blowmen's horns," ozma told him quietly. "he'll be all right, and for the kind of people he rules--strut probably is the best sort of ruler they could have." "if you ask me," observed the cowardly lion, shaking his mane vigorously, "the worst punishment anyone could have would be to live on wind pudding and air-ade. wooof!" "oh, what a shame!" dorothy ran over to the mantel where the flying stick had been standing. "the winged staff's gone! i rather had hoped we could keep it for hallow'een or new year's or something!" "haven't you had enough flying?" grinned the scarecrow, settling on the green sofa beside ozma. "by the way, where's the tell-all-escope?" "oh, i'm so sorry," dorothy felt ruefully in the pocket of her coat. "i must have left it in strut's royal pavilion!" "never mind! i'll bring it back with the magic belt," smiled ozma, "and i presume it's all right to bring the safe back, too?" as glinda nodded in agreement, the ruler of oz touched her belt twice, and with two thumps--one louder than the other--the safe and tell-all-escope thumped down on the floor beside the sofa. the tell-all-escope was pointing directly at ozma, and it immediately began broadcasting her whole history. so the little fairy, with a chuckle of amusement locked it up in her desk drawer. while ozma had been meting out her gentle justice, jellia had been telling nick all that had happened since he was forced to fly strut to oz. she told him of the arrival of the ozpril, the escape of the whole party from the angry kabebe, their fall to red top mountain, their rude treatment by bustabo, their meeting with azarine and the red deer, and their final journey to glinda's castle. spellbound, nick learned how the wizard finally had mastered the intricacies of glinda's zentomatic transporter and brought the safe to her red castle just as strut was on the point of taking violent measures. with the safe in his possession, it had been an easy matter for the wizard to open it, take out the magic belt and transport both glinda and ozma from ragbad. after listening to the whole, exciting story glinda, ozma and the wizard had sent the stratovanian army back to the strat and returned to the emerald city to deal with strut, personally. "it's certainly handy to have a fairy around," sighed dorothy, slipping an arm around ozma's slim waist. "one little wave of ozma's wand and we soared right into this castle! isn't it grand to be home again? not that i didn't enjoy the trip," she added hastily, as the wizard came briskly into the room with his black bag. "oh, ozma! just wait till you see the beautiful ozoplanes our wizard has built for you!" "she'll need pretty strong glasses to see the ozpril," observed the wizard, looking rather sadly at the ceiling. "i expect it's hanging to the tip of a star by this time! and i suppose strut made hash of the oztober!" "hash!" sputtered nick chopper, indignantly, "i should say not. i've taken splendid care of your ship, wiz, and you'll find the oztober below in the garden, as bright and beautiful as the night she was launched!" "hurray for nick," shouted jellia, waving the duster she already was flipping briskly over pictures and books. "he should have a medal, your majesty! no one could have flown that plane better than the tin woodman!" "he _shall_ have a medal!" promised ozma, with a special smile for nick chopper who was one of her special favorites. "and when he needs a vacation from the winkies, he can come here and be our official pilot answerable only to me and to the wizard!" "and i hereby present your majesty with my two, splendid ozoplanes--for exploring, for pleasure, or for warfare!" announced the little wizard, extending both arms, dramatically. "but now you will have to excuse me, as the tin woodman and i are leaving at once!" "leaving!" wailed jellia, plumping down on a foot stool. "but you've only just returned!" "can't help it," panted the wizard, who seemed in a perfect phiz to be off, "i'll show you the ozoplanes later, ozma, but now--goodbye! goodbye, dorothy! goodbye jellia! take good care of azarine till i return!" "but look--where are we going?" demanded nick chopper, as the wizard seized his arm and marched him rapidly toward the door. "to find the ozpril, of course!" explained the wizard impatiently, as if that should have been clear to everybody! "to find the ozpril and bring her back to the emerald city!" "but think how high those blowmen may have blown it?" worried dorothy. "they may even have blown it to bitz!" "then we'll bring back the pieces," declared the wizard, firmly. "how about coming along?" with a wink at jellia jam, he paused beside the lion who was busy licking his front paws. "what?" roared the lion, springing up as if someone had shot him. with a thoroughly indignant glance at ozma's little magician, he bolted through the curtains and was gone. "just _not_ a flyer!" mused the wizard, shaking his head in amusement. "well, goodbye, friends! farewell--all!" with an energetic nod he stepped through the door, pulling nick along with him. "couldn't you bring the ozpril back with your magic belt?" questioned dorothy, hurrying over to the window to watch the plane's take off. "i suppose so," answered ozma, thoughtfully. "but they both are so fond of flying, they'd much rather _bring_ it back, themselves! i'm sure of it!" chapter azarine is restored to red top from the castle window, the whole party cheered wildly as the ozoplane, roaring with power, soared over the wall, over the tree tops and up, up, and up, till it vanished into the cloudless, blue sky. "my pie! i do hope nick doesn't start claiming any more countries," sighed jellia, drawing in her head reluctantly. "and for cake's sake why couldn't they have waited a few days? of course the tin woodman is never tired, but wiz certainly needed a rest after all we've been through!" "never you mind about that!" glinda patted the kind-hearted little jellia on the shoulder. "the wizard has his black bag along this time, and in that bag there is a cure for almost everything--even lack of sleep!" "look!" called dorothy, pulling jellia back to the window. "shaggy and dear deer are running races round the pond and here come all our servants and celebrities! hiah, tik tok! hello, scraps! see, azarine! that's the patch work girl! you'll simply love her! we all do! someone must have sent word that strut had been defeated!" "i did--i dispatched one of my doves," explained glinda. "and now, my dear," the tall and lovely sorceress motioned significantly to ozma, "is it not time to deal with bustabo, and restore this little lady to her castle?" "oh, not yet! please, not yet!" begged dorothy, as azarine looked expectantly from glinda to ozma. "we want azarine to stay here a long time, don't we, jellia? come on azzy, dear, i'll lend you an old dress and we'll all go for a ride before lunch! you, on shaggy--jellia and i on dear deer--bettsy and trot on the cowardly lion, and the scarecrow on the hungry tiger!" "it's all right, go ahead," ozma nodded indulgently as the little princess hung back. she did want so much to stay and meet all the interesting people in the garden, but she felt it her real duty to return to her subjects, now suffering under the cruel rule and temper of bustabo. then: "i've already turned bustabo into a red squirrel!" ozma told the princess, gravely. "in that form he still can enjoy himself, but do no harm to others. i've also sent a message saying you will be home in a few days, and placed archibald the archer in charge till you return!" "oh, how did you know archy is the one i trust most?" marveled azarine, her eyes shining with happiness and astonishment. "bustabo threw archy into a dungeon a week ago, because he tried to help me!" "ozma knows everything," confided dorothy, with an adoring glance toward the little ruler of all oz. "and everything's going to be lovely! come on, azzy! i'll beat you to the fountain in the garden!" so now, with her last worry removed, the little princess of red top skipped off with dorothy to meet all the exciting celebrities in the garden. the two deer, alarmed by the strange appearance of some of the ozlanders, had hidden themselves in a snow-ball bush. but azarine soon coaxed them out and in no time at all, they were chatting like old friends with the hungry tiger and the saw horse. jellia stayed in the garden only a short while, for jellia had other things to do. the little oz maid was determined to have a party to celebrate their home coming and soon, in deep conference with the castle chef, she was planning the most gorgeous feast the green castle ever had known. it began at noon and lasted till nightfall. even long after the tall candles had burned low, the cheery company sat around the royal table while dorothy, jellia and the scarecrow told and retold their amazing adventures in the strat and on red top mountain. so delightful did azarine and the two deer find life in the capitol, they stayed on and on. each evening, the girls and ozma, and her most important counselors, would gather in her private sitting room. there, looking at the magic screen, they followed the progress of nick and the wizard as they flew on and on through the strange highways and byways of the stratosphere. what a story they will have to tell us when they return.... what a story! the end transcriber's notes: italic text is denoted by _underscores_. chapter headings were parts of illustrations. [illustration: this book belongs to] [illustration: the emerald city of oz] [illustration] to her royal highness cynthia ii of syracuse; and to each and every one of the children whose loyal appreciation has encouraged me to write the oz books this volume is affectionately dedicated. [illustration: he led them into his queer mansion-- (_see page _)] the emerald city of oz by l. frank baum author of the road to oz, dorothy and the wizard in oz, the land of oz, etc. [illustration] illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago [illustration] copyright by l. frank baum all rights reserved [illustration] perhaps i should admit on the title page that this book is "by l. frank baum and his correspondents," for i have used many suggestions conveyed to me in letters from children. once on a time i really imagined myself "an author of fairy tales," but now i am merely an editor or private secretary for a host of youngsters whose ideas i am requested to weave into the thread of my stories. these ideas are often clever. they are also logical and interesting. so i have used them whenever i could find an opportunity, and it is but just that i acknowledge my indebtedness to my little friends. my, what imaginations these children have developed! sometimes i am fairly astounded by their daring and genius. there will be no lack of fairy-tale authors in the future, i am sure. my readers have told me what to do with dorothy, and aunt em and uncle henry, and i have obeyed their mandates. they have also given me a variety of subjects to write about in the future: enough, in fact, to keep me busy for some time. i am very proud of this alliance. children love these stories because children have helped to create them. my readers know what they want and realize that i try to please them. the result is very satisfactory to the publishers, to me, and (i am quite sure) to the children. i hope, my dears, it will be a long time before we are obliged to dissolve partnership. _coronado, _ l. frank baum. [illustration] [illustration: hum bug] list of chapters chapter page how the nome king became angry how uncle henry got into trouble how ozma granted dorothy's request how the nome king planned revenge how dorothy became a princess how guph visited the whimsies how aunt em conquered the lion how the grand gallipoot joined the nomes how the wogglebug taught athletics how the cuttenclips lived how the general met the first and foremost how they matched the fuddles how the general talked to the king how the wizard practiced sorcery how dorothy happened to get lost how dorothy visited utensia how they came to bunbury how ozma looked into the magic picture how bunnybury welcomed the strangers how dorothy lunched with a king how the king changed his mind how the wizard found dorothy how they encountered the flutterbudgets how the tin woodman told the sad news how the scarecrow displayed his wisdom how ozma refused to fight for her kingdom how the fierce warriors invaded oz how they drank at the forbidden fountain how glinda worked a magic spell how the story of oz came to an end [illustration] _how_ the nome king became angry chapter one [illustration] the nome king was in an angry mood, and at such times he was very disagreeable. every one kept away from him, even his chief steward kaliko. therefore the king stormed and raved all by himself, walking up and down in his jewel-studded cavern and getting angrier all the time. then he remembered that it was no fun being angry unless he had some one to frighten and make miserable, and he rushed to his big gong and made it clatter as loud as he could. in came the chief steward, trying not to show the nome king how frightened he was. "send the chief counselor here!" shouted the angry monarch. kaliko ran out as fast as his spindle legs could carry his fat round body, and soon the chief counselor entered the cavern. the king scowled and said to him: "i'm in great trouble over the loss of my magic belt. every little while i want to do something magical, and find i can't because the belt is gone. that makes me angry, and when i'm angry i can't have a good time. now, what do you advise?" "some people," said the chief counselor, "enjoy getting angry." "but not all the time," declared the king. "to be angry once in a while is really good fun, because it makes others so miserable. but to be angry morning, noon and night, as i am, grows monotonous and prevents my gaining any other pleasure in life. now, what do you advise?" "why, if you are angry because you want to do magical things and can't, and if you don't want to get angry at all, my advice is not to want to do magical things." hearing this, the king glared at his counselor with a furious expression and tugged at his own long white whiskers until he pulled them so hard that he yelled with pain. "you are a fool!" he exclaimed. "i share that honor with your majesty," said the chief counselor. the king roared with rage and stamped his foot. [illustration] "ho, there, my guards!" he cried. "ho" is a royal way of saying, "come here." so, when the guards had hoed, the king said to them: "take this chief counselor and throw him away." then the guards took the chief counselor, and bound him with chains to prevent his struggling, and threw him away. and the king paced up and down his cavern more angry than before. finally he rushed to his big gong and made it clatter like a fire-alarm. kaliko appeared again, trembling and white with fear. "fetch my pipe!" yelled the king. "your pipe is already here, your majesty," replied kaliko. "then get my tobacco!" roared the king. "the tobacco is in your pipe, your majesty," returned the steward. "then bring a live coal from the furnace!" commanded the king. "the tobacco is lighted, and your majesty is already smoking your pipe," answered the steward. "why, so i am!" said the king, who had forgotten this fact; "but you are very rude to remind me of it." "i am a lowborn, miserable villain," declared the chief steward, humbly. the nome king could think of nothing to say next, so he puffed away at his pipe and paced up and down the room. finally he remembered how angry he was, and cried out: "what do you mean, kaliko, by being so contented when your monarch is unhappy?" "what makes you unhappy?" asked the steward. "i've lost my magic belt. a little girl named dorothy, who was here with ozma of oz, stole my belt and carried it away with her," said the king, grinding his teeth with rage. "she captured it in a fair fight," kaliko ventured to say. "but i want it! i must have it! half my power is gone with that belt!" roared the king. "you will have to go to the land of oz to recover it, and your majesty can't get to the land of oz in any possible way," said the steward, yawning because he had been on duty ninety-six hours, and was sleepy. "why not?" asked the king. "because there is a deadly desert all around that fairy country, which no one is able to cross. you know that fact as well as i do, your majesty. never mind the lost belt. you have plenty of power left, for you rule this underground kingdom like a tyrant, and thousands of nomes obey your commands. i advise you to drink a glass of melted silver, to quiet your nerves, and then go to bed." the king grabbed a big ruby and threw it at kaliko's head. the steward ducked to escape the heavy jewel, which crashed against the door just over his left ear. "get out of my sight! vanish! go away--and send general blug here," screamed the nome king. kaliko hastily withdrew, and the nome king stamped up and down until the general of his armies appeared. this nome was known far and wide as a terrible fighter and a cruel, desperate commander. he had fifty thousand nome soldiers, all well drilled, who feared nothing but their stern master. yet general blug was a trifle uneasy when he arrived and saw how angry the nome king was. "ha! so you're here!" cried the king. "so i am," said the general. "march your army at once to the land of oz, capture and destroy the emerald city, and bring back to me my magic belt!" roared the king. "you're crazy," calmly remarked the general. "what's that? what's that? what's that?" and the nome king danced around on his pointed toes, he was so enraged. "you don't know what you're talking about," continued the general, seating himself upon a large cut diamond. "i advise you to stand in a corner and count sixty before you speak again. by that time you may be more sensible." the king looked around for something to throw at general blug, but as nothing was handy he began to consider that perhaps the man was right and he had been talking foolishly. so he merely threw himself into his glittering throne and tipped his crown over his ear and curled his feet up under him and glared wickedly at blug. "in the first place," said the general, "we cannot march across the deadly desert to the land of oz; and, if we could, the ruler of that country, princess ozma, has certain fairy powers that would render my army helpless. had you not lost your magic belt we might have some chance of defeating ozma; but the belt is gone." "i want it!" screamed the king. "i must have it." "well, then, let us try in a sensible way to get it," replied the general. "the belt was captured by a little girl named dorothy, who lives in kansas, in the united states of america." "but she left it in the emerald city, with ozma," declared the king. "how do you know that?" asked the general. "one of my spies, who is a blackbird, flew over the desert to the land of oz, and saw the magic belt in ozma's palace," replied the king with a groan. "now, that gives me an idea," said general blug, thoughtfully. "there are two ways to get to the land of oz without traveling across the sandy desert." "what are they?" demanded the king, eagerly. "one way is _over_ the desert, through the air; and the other way is _under_ the desert, through the earth." [illustration] hearing this the nome king uttered a yell of joy and leaped from his throne, to resume his wild walk up and down the cavern. "that's it, blug!" he shouted. "that's the idea, general! i'm king of the under world, and my subjects are all miners. i'll make a secret tunnel under the desert to the land of oz--yes! right up to the emerald city--and you will march your armies there and capture the whole country!" "softly, softly, your majesty. don't go too fast," warned the general. "my nomes are good fighters, but they are not strong enough to conquer the emerald city." "are you sure?" asked the king. "absolutely certain, your majesty." "then what am i to do?" "give up the idea and mind your own business," advised the general. "you have plenty to do trying to rule your underground kingdom." "but i want that magic belt--and i'm going to have it!" roared the nome king. "i'd like to see you get it," replied the general, laughing maliciously. the king was by this time so exasperated that he picked up his scepter, which had a heavy ball, made from a sapphire, at the end of it, and threw it with all his force at general blug. the sapphire hit the general upon his forehead and knocked him flat upon the ground, where he lay motionless. then the king rang his gong and told his guards to drag out the general and throw him away; which they did. this nome king was named roquat the red, and no one loved him. he was a bad man and a powerful monarch, and he had resolved to destroy the land of oz and its magnificent emerald city, to enslave princess ozma and little dorothy and all the oz people, and recover his magic belt. this same belt had once enabled roquat the red to carry out many wicked plans; but that was before ozma and her people marched to the underground cavern and captured it. the nome king could not forgive dorothy or princess ozma, and he had determined to be revenged upon them. but they, for their part, did not know they had so dangerous an enemy. indeed, ozma and dorothy had both almost forgotten that such a person as the nome king yet lived under the mountains of the land of ev--which lay just across the deadly desert to the south of the land of oz. an unsuspected enemy is doubly dangerous. [illustration] _how_ uncle henry got into trouble chapter two [illustration] dorothy gale lived on a farm in kansas, with her aunt em and her uncle henry. it was not a big farm, nor a very good one, because sometimes the rain did not come when the crops needed it, and then everything withered and dried up. once a cyclone had carried away uncle henry's house, so that he was obliged to build another; and as he was a poor man he had to mortgage his farm to get the money to pay for the new house. then his health became bad and he was too feeble to work. the doctor ordered him to take a sea voyage and he went to australia and took dorothy with him. that cost a lot of money, too. uncle henry grew poorer every year, and the crops raised on the farm only bought food for the family. therefore the mortgage could not be paid. at last the banker who had loaned him the money said that if he did not pay on a certain day, his farm would be taken away from him. this worried uncle henry a good deal, for without the farm he would have no way to earn a living. he was a good man, and worked in the fields as hard as he could; and aunt em did all the housework, with dorothy's help. yet they did not seem to get along. this little girl, dorothy, was like dozens of little girls you know. she was loving and usually sweet-tempered, and had a round rosy face and earnest eyes. life was a serious thing to dorothy, and a wonderful thing, too, for she had encountered more strange adventures in her short life than many other girls of her age. aunt em once said she thought the fairies must have marked dorothy at her birth, because she had wandered into strange places and had always been protected by some unseen power. as for uncle henry, he thought his little niece merely a dreamer, as her dead mother had been, for he could not quite believe all the curious stories dorothy told them of the land of oz, which she had several times visited. he did not think that she tried to deceive her uncle and aunt, but he imagined that she had dreamed all of those astonishing adventures, and that the dreams had been so real to her that she had come to believe them true. whatever the explanation might be, it was certain that dorothy had been absent from her kansas home for several long periods, always disappearing unexpectedly, yet always coming back safe and sound, with amazing tales of where she had been and the unusual people she had met. her uncle and aunt listened to her stories eagerly and in spite of their doubts began to feel that the little girl had gained a lot of experience and wisdom that were unaccountable in this age, when fairies are supposed no longer to exist. most of dorothy's stories were about the land of oz, with its beautiful emerald city and a lovely girl ruler named ozma, who was the most faithful friend of the little kansas girl. when dorothy told about the riches of this fairy country uncle henry would sigh, for he knew that a single one of the great emeralds that were so common there would pay all his debts and leave his farm free. but dorothy never brought any jewels home with her, so their poverty became greater every year. when the banker told uncle henry that he must pay the money in thirty days or leave the farm, the poor man was in despair, as he knew he could not possibly get the money. so he told his wife, aunt em, of his trouble, and she first cried a little and then said that they must be brave and do the best they could, and go away somewhere and try to earn an honest living. but they were getting old and feeble and she feared that they could not take care of dorothy as well as they had formerly done. probably the little girl would also be obliged to go to work. they did not tell their niece the sad news for several days, not wishing to make her unhappy; but one morning the little girl found aunt em softly crying while uncle henry tried to comfort her. then dorothy asked them to tell her what was the matter. "we must give up the farm, my dear," replied her uncle, sadly, "and wander away into the world to work for our living." the girl listened quite seriously, for she had not known before how desperately poor they were. "we don't mind for ourselves," said her aunt, stroking the little girl's head tenderly; "but we love you as if you were our own child, and we are heart-broken to think that you must also endure poverty, and work for a living before you have grown big and strong." "what could i do to earn money?" asked dorothy. "you might do housework for some one, dear, you are so handy; or perhaps you could be a nurse-maid to little children. i'm sure i don't know exactly what you _can_ do to earn money, but if your uncle and i are able to support you we will do it willingly, and send you to school. we fear, though, that we shall have much trouble in earning a living for ourselves. no one wants to employ old people who are broken down in health, as we are." [illustration] dorothy smiled. "wouldn't it be funny," she said, "for me to do housework in kansas, when i'm a princess in the land of oz?" "a princess!" they both exclaimed, astonished. "yes; ozma made me a princess some time ago, and she has often begged me to come and live always in the emerald city," said the child. her uncle and aunt looked at each other in amazement. then the man said: "do you suppose you could manage to return to your fairyland, my dear?" "oh, yes," replied dorothy; "i could do that easily." "how?" asked aunt em. "ozma sees me every day at four o'clock, in her magic picture. she can see me wherever i am, no matter what i am doing. and at that time, if i make a certain secret sign, she will send for me by means of the magic belt, which i once captured from the nome king. then, in the wink of an eye, i shall be with ozma in her palace." the elder people remained silent for some time after dorothy had spoken. finally aunt em said, with another sigh of regret: "if that is the case, dorothy, perhaps you'd better go and live in the emerald city. it will break our hearts to lose you from our lives, but you will be so much better off with your fairy friends that it seems wisest and best for you to go." "i'm not so sure about that," remarked uncle henry, shaking his gray head doubtfully. "these things all seem real to dorothy, i know; but i'm afraid our little girl won't find her fairyland just what she has dreamed it to be. it would make me very unhappy to think that she was wandering among strangers who might be unkind to her." dorothy laughed merrily at this speech, and then she became very sober again, for she could see how all this trouble was worrying her aunt and uncle, and knew that unless she found a way to help them their future lives would be quite miserable and unhappy. she knew that she _could_ help them. she had thought of a way already. yet she did not tell them at once what it was, because she must ask ozma's consent before she would be able to carry out her plans. so she only said: "if you will promise not to worry a bit about me, i'll go to the land of oz this very afternoon. and i'll make a promise, too; that you shall both see me again before the day comes when you must leave this farm." "the day isn't far away, now," her uncle sadly replied. "i did not tell you of our trouble until i was obliged to, dear dorothy, so the evil time is near at hand. but if you are quite sure your fairy friends will give you a home, it will be best for you to go to them, as your aunt says." that was why dorothy went to her little room in the attic that afternoon, taking with her a small dog named toto. the dog had curly black hair and big brown eyes and loved dorothy very dearly. the child had kissed her uncle and aunt affectionately before she went upstairs, and now she looked around her little room rather wistfully, gazing at the simple trinkets and worn calico and gingham dresses, as if they were old friends. she was tempted at first to make a bundle of them, yet she knew very well that they would be of no use to her in her future life. she sat down upon a broken-backed chair--the only one the room contained--and holding toto in her arms waited patiently until the clock struck four. then she made the secret signal that had been agreed upon between her and ozma. uncle henry and aunt em waited downstairs. they were uneasy and a good deal excited, for this is a practical humdrum world, and it seemed to them quite impossible that their little niece could vanish from her home and travel instantly to fairyland. so they watched the stairs, which seemed to be the only way that dorothy could get out of the farmhouse, and they watched them a long time. they heard the clock strike four, but there was no sound from above. half-past four came, and now they were too impatient to wait any longer. softly they crept up the stairs to the door of the little girl's room. "dorothy! dorothy!" they called. there was no answer. they opened the door and looked in. the room was empty. [illustration] _how_ ozma granted dorothy's request chapter three [illustration] i suppose you have read so much about the magnificent emerald city that there is little need for me to describe it here. it is the capital city of the land of oz, which is justly considered the most attractive and delightful fairyland in all the world. the emerald city is built all of beautiful marbles in which are set a profusion of emeralds, every one exquisitely cut and of very great size. there are other jewels used in the decorations inside the houses and palaces, such as rubies, diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and turquoises. but in the streets and upon the outside of the buildings only emeralds appear, from which circumstance the place is named the emerald city of oz. it has nine thousand, six hundred and fifty-four buildings, in which lived fifty-seven thousand three hundred and eighteen people, up to the time my story opens. all the surrounding country, extending to the borders of the desert which enclosed it upon every side, was full of pretty and comfortable farmhouses, in which resided those inhabitants of oz who preferred country to city life. altogether there were more than half a million people in the land of oz--although some of them, as you will soon learn, were not made of flesh and blood as we are--and every inhabitant of that favored country was happy and prosperous. no disease of any sort was ever known among the ozites, and so no one ever died unless he met with an accident that prevented him from living. this happened very seldom, indeed. there were no poor people in the land of oz, because there was no such thing as money, and all property of every sort belonged to the ruler. the people were her children, and she cared for them. each person was given freely by his neighbors whatever he required for his use, which is as much as any one may reasonably desire. some tilled the lands and raised great crops of grain, which was divided equally among the entire population, so that all had enough. there were many tailors and dressmakers and shoemakers and the like, who made things that any who desired them might wear. likewise there were jewelers who made ornaments for the person, which pleased and beautified the people, and these ornaments also were free to those who asked for them. each man and woman, no matter what he or she produced for the good of the community, was supplied by the neighbors with food and clothing and a house and furniture and ornaments and games. if by chance the supply ever ran short, more was taken from the great storehouses of the ruler, which were afterward filled up again when there was more of any article than the people needed. every one worked half the time and played half the time, and the people enjoyed the work as much as they did the play, because it is good to be occupied and to have something to do. there were no cruel overseers set to watch them, and no one to rebuke them or to find fault with them. so each one was proud to do all he could for his friends and neighbors, and was glad when they would accept the things he produced. you will know, by what i have here told you, that the land of oz was a remarkable country. i do not suppose such an arrangement would be practical with us, but dorothy assures me that it works finely with the oz people. oz being a fairy country, the people were, of course, fairy people; but that does not mean that all of them were very unlike the people of our own world. there were all sorts of queer characters among them, but not a single one who was evil, or who possessed a selfish or violent nature. they were peaceful, kind-hearted, loving and merry, and every inhabitant adored the beautiful girl who ruled them, and delighted to obey her every command. in spite of all i have said in a general way, there were some parts of the land of oz not quite so pleasant as the farming country and the emerald city which was its center. far away in the south country there lived in the mountains a band of strange people called hammer-heads, because they had no arms and used their flat heads to pound any one who came near them. their necks were like rubber, so that they could shoot out their heads to quite a distance, and afterward draw them back again to their shoulders. the hammer-heads were called the "wild people," but never harmed any but those who disturbed them in the mountains where they lived. in some of the dense forests there lived great beasts of every sort; yet these were for the most part harmless and even sociable, and conversed agreeably with those who visited their haunts. the kalidahs--beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers--had once been fierce and bloodthirsty, but even they were now nearly all tamed, although at times one or another of them would get cross and disagreeable. not so tame were the fighting trees, which had a forest of their own. if any one approached them these curious trees would bend down their branches, twine them around the intruders, and hurl them away. but these unpleasant things existed only in a few remote parts of the land of oz. i suppose every country has some drawbacks, so even this almost perfect fairyland could not be quite perfect. once there had been wicked witches in the land, too; but now these had all been destroyed; so, as i said, only peace and happiness reigned in oz. for some time ozma has ruled over this fair country, and never was ruler more popular or beloved. she is said to be the most beautiful girl the world has ever known, and her heart and mind are as lovely as her person. dorothy gale had several times visited the emerald city and experienced adventures in the land of oz, so that she and ozma had now become firm friends. the girl ruler had even made dorothy a princess of oz, and had often implored her to come to ozma's stately palace and live there always; but dorothy had been loyal to her aunt em and uncle henry, who had cared for her since she was a baby, and she had refused to leave them because she knew they would be lonely without her. however, dorothy now realized that things were going to be different with her uncle and aunt from this time forth, so after giving the matter deep thought she decided to ask ozma to grant her a very great favor. a few seconds after she had made the secret signal in her little bedchamber, the kansas girl was seated in a lovely room in ozma's palace in the emerald city of oz. when the first loving kisses and embraces had been exchanged, the fair ruler inquired: "what is the matter, dear? i know something unpleasant has happened to you, for your face was very sober when i saw it in my magic picture. and whenever you signal me to transport you to this safe place, where you are always welcome, i know you are in danger or in trouble." dorothy sighed. "this time, ozma, it isn't i," she replied. "but it's worse, i guess, for uncle henry and aunt em are in a heap of trouble, and there seems no way for them to get out of it--anyhow, not while they live in kansas." "tell me about it, dorothy," said ozma, with ready sympathy. "why, you see uncle henry is poor; for the farm in kansas doesn't 'mount to much, as farms go. so one day uncle henry borrowed some money, and wrote a letter saying that if he didn't pay the money back they could take his farm for pay. course he 'spected to pay by making money from the farm; but he just couldn't. an' so they're going to take the farm, and uncle henry and aunt em won't have any place to live. they're pretty old to do much hard work, ozma; so i'll have to work for them, unless--" ozma had been thoughtful during the story, but now she smiled and pressed her little friend's hand. "unless what, dear?" she asked. dorothy hesitated, because her request meant so much to them all. "well," said she, "i'd like to live here in the land of oz, where you've often 'vited me to live. but i can't, you know, unless uncle henry and aunt em could live here too." "of course not," exclaimed the ruler of oz, laughing gaily. "so, in order to get you, little friend, we must invite your uncle and aunt to live in oz, also." "oh, will you, ozma?" cried dorothy, clasping her chubby little hands eagerly. "will you bring them here with the magic belt, and give them a nice little farm in the munchkin country, or the winkie country--or some other place?" "to be sure," answered ozma, full of joy at the chance to please her little friend. "i have long been thinking of this very thing, dorothy dear, and often i have had it in my mind to propose it to you. i am sure your uncle and aunt must be good and worthy people, or you would not love them so much; and for _your_ friends, princess, there is always room in the land of oz." dorothy was delighted, yet not altogether surprised, for she had clung to the hope that ozma would be kind enough to grant her request. when, indeed, had her powerful and faithful friend refused her anything? "but you must not call me 'princess,'" she said; "for after this i shall live on the little farm with uncle henry and aunt em, and princesses ought not to live on farms." "princess dorothy will not," replied ozma, with her sweet smile. "you are going to live in your own rooms in this palace, and be my constant companion." "but uncle henry--" began dorothy. "oh, he is old, and has worked enough in his lifetime," interrupted the girl ruler; "so we must find a place for your uncle and aunt where they will be comfortable and happy and need not work more than they care to. when shall we transport them here, dorothy?" "i promised to go and see them again before they were turned out of the farmhouse," answered dorothy; "so--perhaps next saturday--" "but why wait so long?" asked ozma. "and why make the journey back to kansas again? let us surprise them, and bring them here without any warning." "i'm not sure that they believe in the land of oz," said dorothy, "though i've told 'em 'bout it lots of times." "they'll believe when they see it," declared ozma; "and if they are told they are to make a magical journey to our fairyland, it may make them nervous. i think the best way will be to use the magic belt without warning them, and when they have arrived you can explain to them whatever they do not understand." "perhaps that's best," decided dorothy. "there isn't much use in their staying at the farm until they are put out, 'cause it's much nicer here." [illustration] "then to-morrow morning they shall come here," said princess ozma. "i will order jellia jamb, who is the palace housekeeper, to have rooms all prepared for them, and after breakfast we will get the magic belt and by its aid transport your uncle and aunt to the emerald city." "thank you, ozma!" cried dorothy, kissing her friend gratefully. "and now," ozma proposed, "let us take a walk in the gardens before we dress for dinner. come, dorothy dear!" [illustration] _how_ the nome king planned revenge chapter four [illustration] the reason most people are bad is because they do not try to be good. now, the nome king had never tried to be good, so he was very bad indeed. having decided to conquer the land of oz and to destroy the emerald city and enslave all its people, king roquat the red kept planning ways to do this dreadful thing, and the more he planned the more he believed he would be able to accomplish it. about the time dorothy went to ozma the nome king called his chief steward to him and said: "kaliko, i think i shall make you the general of my armies." "i think you won't," replied kaliko, positively. "why not?" inquired the king, reaching for his scepter with the big sapphire. "because i'm your chief steward, and know nothing of warfare," said kaliko, preparing to dodge if anything were thrown at him. "i manage all the affairs of your kingdom better than you could yourself, and you'll never find another steward as good as i am. but there are a hundred nomes better fitted to command your army, and your generals get thrown away so often that i have no desire to be one of them." "ah, there is some truth in your remarks, kaliko," remarked the king, deciding not to throw the scepter. "summon my army to assemble in the great cavern." kaliko bowed and retired, and in a few minutes returned to say that the army was assembled. so the king went out upon a balcony that overlooked the great cavern, where fifty thousand nomes, all armed with swords and pikes, stood marshaled in military array. when they were not required as soldiers all these nomes were metal workers and miners, and they had hammered so much at the forges and dug so hard with pick and shovel that they had acquired great muscular strength. they were strangely formed creatures, rather round and not very tall. their toes were curly and their ears broad and flat. in time of war every nome left his forge or mine and became part of the great army of king roquat. the soldiers wore rock-colored uniforms and were excellently drilled. the king looked upon this tremendous army, which stood silently arrayed before him, and a cruel smile curled the corners of his mouth, for he saw that his legions were very powerful. then he addressed them from the balcony, saying: "i have thrown away general blug, because he did not please me. so i want another general to command this army. who is next in command?" "i am," replied colonel crinkle, a dapper-looking nome, as he stepped forward to salute his monarch. the king looked at him carefully and said: "i want you to march this army through an underground tunnel, which i am going to bore, to the emerald city of oz. when you get there i want you to conquer the oz people, destroy them and their city, and bring all their gold and silver and precious stones back to my cavern. also you are to recapture my magic belt and return it to me. will you do this, general crinkle?" "no, your majesty," replied the nome; "for it can't be done." "oh, indeed!" exclaimed the king. then he turned to his servants and said: "please take general crinkle to the torture chamber. there you will kindly slice him into thin slices. afterward you may feed him to the seven-headed dogs." "anything to oblige your majesty," replied the servants, politely, and led the condemned man away. when they had gone the king addressed the army again. "listen!" said he. "the general who is to command my armies must promise to carry out my orders. if he fails he will share the fate of poor crinkle. now, then, who will volunteer to lead my hosts to the emerald city?" for a time no one moved and all were silent. then an old nome with white whiskers so long that they were tied around his waist to prevent their tripping him up, stepped out of the ranks and saluted the king. "i'd like to ask a few questions, your majesty," he said. "go ahead," replied the king. "these oz people are quite good, are they not?" "as good as apple pie," said the king. "and they are happy, i suppose?" continued the old nome. "happy as the day is long," said the king. "and contented and prosperous?" inquired the nome. "very much so," said the king. "well, your majesty," remarked he of the white whiskers, "i think i should like to undertake the job, so i'll be your general. i hate good people; i detest happy people; i'm opposed to any one who is contented and prosperous. that is why i am so fond of your majesty. make me your general and i'll promise to conquer and destroy the oz people. if i fail i'm ready to be sliced thin and fed to the seven-headed dogs." "very good! very good, indeed! that's the way to talk!" cried roquat the red, who was greatly pleased. "what is your name, general?" [illustration] "i'm called guph, your majesty." "well, guph, come with me to my private cave and we'll talk it over." then he turned to the army. "nomes and soldiers," said he, "you are to obey the commands of general guph until he becomes dog-feed. any man who fails to obey his new general will be promptly thrown away. you are now dismissed." guph went to the king's private cave and sat down upon an amethyst chair and put his feet on the arm of the king's ruby throne. then he lighted his pipe and threw the live coal he had taken from his pocket upon the king's left foot and puffed the smoke into the king's eyes and made himself comfortable. for he was a wise old nome, and he knew that the best way to get along with roquat the red was to show that he was not afraid of him. "i'm ready for the talk, your majesty," he said. the king coughed and looked at his new general fiercely. "do you not tremble to take such liberties with your monarch?" he asked. "oh, no," said guph, calmly, and he blew a wreath of smoke that curled around the king's nose and made him sneeze. "you want to conquer the emerald city, and i'm the only nome in all your dominions who can conquer it. so you will be very careful not to hurt me until i have carried out your wishes. after that--" "well, what then?" inquired the king. "then you will be so grateful to me that you won't care to hurt me," replied the general. "that is a very good argument," said roquat. "but suppose you fail?" "then it's the slicing machine. i agree to that," announced guph. "but if you do as i tell you there will be no failure. the trouble with you, roquat, is that you don't think carefully enough. i do. you would go ahead and march through your tunnel into oz, and get defeated and driven back. i won't. and the reason i won't is because when i march i'll have all my plans made, and a host of allies to assist my nomes." [illustration] "what do you mean by that?" asked the king. "i'll explain, king roquat. you're going to attack a fairy country, and a mighty fairy country, too. they haven't much of an army in oz, but the princess who rules them has a fairy wand; and the little girl dorothy has your magic belt; and at the north of the emerald city lives a clever sorceress called glinda the good, who commands the spirits of the air. also i have heard that there is a wonderful wizard in ozma's palace, who is so skillful that people used to pay him money in america to see him perform. so you see it will be no easy thing to overcome all this magic." "we have fifty thousand soldiers!" cried the king, proudly. "yes; but they are nomes," remarked guph, taking a silk handkerchief from the king's pocket and wiping his own pointed shoes with it. "nomes are immortals, but they are not strong on magic. when you lost your famous belt the greater part of your own power was gone from you. against ozma you and your nomes would have no show at all." roquat's eyes flashed angrily. "then away you go to the slicing machine!" he cried. "not yet," said the general, filling his pipe from the king's private tobacco pouch. "what do you propose to do?" asked the monarch. "i propose to obtain the power we need," answered guph. "there are a good many evil creatures who have magic powers sufficient to destroy and conquer the land of oz. we will get them on our side, band them all together, and then take ozma and her people by surprise. it's all very simple and easy when you know how. alone we should be helpless to injure the ruler of oz, but with the aid of the evil powers we can summon we shall easily succeed." king roquat was delighted with this idea, for he realized how clever it was. "surely, guph, you are the greatest general i have ever had!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with joy. "you must go at once and make arrangements with the evil powers to assist us, and meantime i'll begin to dig the tunnel." "i thought you'd agree with me, roquat," replied the new general. "i'll start this very afternoon to visit the chief of the whimsies." [illustration] _how_ dorothy became a princess chapter five [illustration] when the people of the emerald city heard that dorothy had returned to them every one was eager to see her, for the little girl was a general favorite in the land of oz. from time to time some of the folk from the great outside world had found their way into this fairyland, but all except one had been companions of dorothy and had turned out to be very agreeable people. the exception i speak of was the wonderful wizard of oz, a sleight-of-hand performer from omaha who went up in a balloon and was carried by a current of air to the emerald city. his queer and puzzling tricks made the people of oz believe him a great wizard for a time, and he ruled over them until dorothy arrived on her first visit and showed the wizard to be a mere humbug. he was a gentle, kindly-hearted little man, and dorothy grew to like him afterward. when, after an absence, the wizard returned to the land of oz, ozma received him graciously and gave him a home in a part of the palace. in addition to the wizard two other personages from the outside world had been allowed to make their home in the emerald city. the first was a quaint shaggy man, whom ozma had made the governor of the royal storehouses, and the second a yellow hen named billina, who had a fine house in the gardens back of the palace, where she looked after a large family. both these had been old comrades of dorothy, so you see the little girl was quite an important personage in oz, and the people thought she had brought them good luck, and loved her next best to ozma. during her several visits this little girl had been the means of destroying two wicked witches who oppressed the people, and she had discovered a live scarecrow who was now one of the most popular personages in all the fairy country. with the scarecrow's help she had rescued nick chopper, a tin woodman, who had rusted in a lonely forest, and the tin man was now the emperor of the country of the winkies and much beloved because of his kind heart. no wonder the people thought dorothy had brought them good luck! yet, strange as it may seem, she had accomplished all these wonders not because she was a fairy or had any magical powers whatever, but because she was a simple, sweet and true little girl who was honest to herself and to all whom she met. in this world in which we live simplicity and kindness are the only magic wands that work wonders, and in the land of oz dorothy found these same qualities had won for her the love and admiration of the people. indeed, the little girl had made many warm friends in the fairy country, and the only real grief the ozites had ever experienced was when dorothy left them and returned to her kansas home. now she received a joyful welcome, although no one except ozma knew at first that she had finally come to stay for good and all. that evening dorothy had many callers, and among them were such important people as tiktok, a machine man who thought and spoke and moved by clockwork; her old companion the genial shaggy man; jack pumpkinhead, whose body was brush-wood and whose head was a ripe pumpkin with a face carved upon it; the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, two great beasts from the forest, who served princess ozma, and professor h. m. wogglebug, t. e. this wogglebug was a remarkable creature. he had once been a tiny little bug, crawling around in a school-room, but he was discovered and highly magnified so that he could be seen more plainly, and while in this magnified condition he had escaped. he had always remained big, and he dressed like a dandy and was so full of knowledge and information (which are distinct acquirements), that he had been made a professor and the head of the royal college. dorothy had a nice visit with these old friends, and also talked a long time with the wizard, who was little and old and withered and dried up, but as merry and active as a child. afterward she went to see billina's fast growing family of chicks. toto, dorothy's little black dog, also met with a cordial reception. toto was an especial friend of the shaggy man, and he knew every one else. being the only dog in the land of oz, he was highly respected by the people, who believed animals entitled to every consideration if they behaved themselves properly. dorothy had four lovely rooms in the palace, which were always reserved for her use and were called "dorothy's rooms." these consisted of a beautiful sitting room, a dressing room, a dainty bedchamber and a big marble bathroom. and in these rooms were everything that heart could desire, placed there with loving thoughtfulness by ozma for her little friend's use. the royal dressmakers had the little girl's measure, so they kept the closets in her dressing room filled with lovely dresses of every description and suitable for every occasion. no wonder dorothy had refrained from bringing with her her old calico and gingham dresses! here everything that was dear to a little girl's heart was supplied in profusion, and nothing so rich and beautiful could ever have been found in the biggest department stores in america. of course dorothy enjoyed all these luxuries, and the only reason she had heretofore preferred to live in kansas was because her uncle and aunt loved her and needed her with them. now, however, all was to be changed, and dorothy was really more delighted to know that her dear relatives were to share in her good fortune and enjoy the delights of the land of oz, than she was to possess such luxury for herself. next morning, at ozma's request, dorothy dressed herself in a pretty sky-blue gown of rich silk, trimmed with real pearls. the buckles of her shoes were set with pearls, too, and more of these priceless gems were on a lovely coronet which she wore upon her forehead. "for," said her friend ozma, "from this time forth, my dear, you must assume your rightful rank as a princess of oz, and being my chosen companion you must dress in a way befitting the dignity of your position." dorothy agreed to this, although she knew that neither gowns nor jewels could make her anything else than the simple, unaffected little girl she had always been. as soon as they had breakfasted--the girls eating together in ozma's pretty boudoir--the ruler of oz said: "now, dear friend, we will use the magic belt to transport your uncle and aunt from kansas to the emerald city. but i think it would be fitting, in receiving such distinguished guests, for us to sit in my throne room." "oh, they're not very 'stinguished, ozma," said dorothy. "they're just plain people, like me." "being your friends and relatives, princess dorothy, they are certainly distinguished," replied the ruler, with a smile. "they--they won't hardly know what to make of all your splendid furniture and things," protested dorothy, gravely. "it may scare 'em to see your grand throne room, an' p'raps we'd better go into the back yard, ozma, where the cabbages grow an' the chickens are playing. then it would seem more natural to uncle henry and aunt em." "no; they shall first see me in my throne room," replied ozma, decidedly; and when she spoke in that tone dorothy knew it was not wise to oppose her, for ozma was accustomed to having her own way. so together they went to the throne room, an immense domed chamber in the center of the palace. here stood the royal throne, made of solid gold and encrusted with enough precious stones to stock a dozen jewelry stores in our country. ozma, who was wearing the magic belt, seated herself in the throne, and dorothy sat at her feet. in the room were assembled many ladies and gentlemen of the court, clothed in rich apparel and wearing fine jewelry. two immense animals squatted, one on each side of the throne--the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger. in a balcony high up in the dome an orchestra played sweet music, and beneath the dome two electric fountains sent sprays of colored perfumed water shooting up nearly as high as the arched ceiling. "are you ready, dorothy?" asked the ruler. "i am," replied dorothy; "but i don't know whether aunt em and uncle henry are ready." "that won't matter," declared ozma. "the old life can have very little to interest them, and the sooner they begin the new life here the happier they will be. here they come, my dear!" as she spoke, there before the throne appeared uncle henry and aunt em, who for a moment stood motionless, glaring with white and startled faces at the scene that confronted them. if the ladies and gentlemen present had not been so polite i am sure they would have laughed at the two strangers. aunt em had her calico dress skirt "tucked up," and she wore a faded blue-checked apron. her hair was rather straggly and she had on a pair of uncle henry's old slippers. in one hand she held a dish-towel and in the other a cracked earthenware plate, which she had been engaged in wiping when so suddenly transported to the land of oz. [illustration] uncle henry, when the summons came, had been out in the barn "doin' chores." he wore a ragged and much soiled straw hat, a checked shirt without any collar and blue overalls tucked into the tops of his old cowhide boots. "by gum!" gasped uncle henry, looking around as if bewildered. "well, i swan!" gurgled aunt em, in a hoarse, frightened voice. then her eyes fell upon dorothy, and she said: "d-d-d-don't that look like our little girl--our dorothy, henry?" "hi, there--look out, em!" exclaimed the old man, as aunt em advanced a step; "take care o' the wild beastses, or you're a goner!" but now dorothy sprang forward and embraced and kissed her aunt and uncle affectionately, afterward taking their hands in her own. "don't be afraid," she said to them. "you are now in the land of oz, where you are to live always, and be comfer'ble an' happy. you'll never have to worry over anything again, 'cause there won't be anything to worry about. and you owe it all to the kindness of my friend princess ozma." here she led them before the throne and continued: "your highness, this is uncle henry. and this is aunt em. they want to thank you for bringing them here from kansas." aunt em tried to "slick" her hair, and she hid the dish-towel and dish under her apron while she bowed to the lovely ozma. uncle henry took off his straw hat and held it awkwardly in his hands. but the ruler of oz rose and came from her throne to greet her newly arrived guests, and she smiled as sweetly upon them as if they had been a king and a queen. "you are very welcome here, where i have brought you for princess dorothy's sake," she said, graciously, "and i hope you will be quite happy in your new home." then she turned to her courtiers, who were silently and gravely regarding the scene, and added: "i present to my people our princess dorothy's beloved uncle henry and aunt em, who will hereafter be subjects of our kingdom. it will please me to have you show them every kindness and honor in your power, and to join me in making them happy and contented." hearing this, all those assembled bowed low and respectfully to the old farmer and his wife, who bobbed their own heads in return. "and now," said ozma to them, "dorothy will show you the rooms prepared for you. i hope you will like them, and shall expect you to join me at luncheon." so dorothy led her relatives away, and as soon as they were out of the throne room and alone in the corridor aunt em squeezed dorothy's hand and said: "child, child! how in the world did we ever get here so quick? and is it all real? and are we to stay here, as she says? and what does it all mean, anyhow?" dorothy laughed. "why didn't you tell us what you were goin' to do?" inquired uncle henry, reproachfully. "if i'd known about it i'd 'a put on my sunday clothes." [illustration] "i'll 'splain ever'thing as soon as we get to your rooms," promised dorothy. "you're in great luck, uncle henry and aunt em; an' so am i! and oh! i'm so happy to have got you here, at last!" as he walked by the little girl's side uncle henry stroked his whiskers thoughtfully. "'pears to me, dorothy, we won't make bang-up fairies," he remarked. "an' my back hair looks like a fright!" wailed aunt em. "never mind," returned the little girl, reassuringly. "you won't have anything to do now but to look pretty, aunt em; an' uncle henry won't have to work till his back aches, that's certain." "sure?" they asked, wonderingly, and in the same breath. "course i'm sure," said dorothy. "you're in the fairyland of oz, now; an' what's more, you belong to it!" [illustration] _how_ guph visited the whimsies chapter six [illustration] the new general of the nome king's army knew perfectly well that to fail in his plans meant death for him. yet he was not at all anxious or worried. he hated every one who was good and longed to make all who were happy unhappy. therefore he had accepted this dangerous position as general quite willingly, feeling sure in his evil mind that he would be able to do a lot of mischief and finally conquer the land of oz. yet guph determined to be careful, and to lay his plans well, so as not to fail. he argued that only careless people fail in what they attempt to do. the mountains underneath which the nome king's extensive caverns were located lay grouped just north of the land of ev, which lay directly across the deadly desert to the east of the land of oz. as the mountains were also on the edge of the desert the nome king found that he had only to tunnel underneath the desert to reach ozma's dominions. he did not wish his armies to appear above ground in the country of the winkies, which was the part of the land of oz nearest to king roquat's own country, as then the people would give the alarm and enable ozma to fortify the emerald city and assemble an army. he wanted to take all the oz people by surprise; so he decided to run the tunnel clear through to the emerald city, where he and his hosts could break through the ground without warning and conquer the people before they had time to defend themselves. roquat the red began work at once upon his tunnel, setting a thousand miners at the task and building it high and broad enough for his armies to march through it with ease. the nomes were used to making tunnels, as all the kingdom in which they lived was under ground; so they made rapid progress. while this work was going on general guph started out alone to visit the chief of the whimsies. these whimsies were curious people who lived in a retired country of their own. they had large, strong bodies, but heads so small that they were no bigger than door-knobs. of course, such tiny heads could not contain any great amount of brains, and the whimsies were so ashamed of their personal appearance and lack of commonsense that they wore big heads, made of pasteboard, which they fastened over their own little heads. on these pasteboard heads they sewed sheep's wool for hair, and the wool was colored many tints--pink, green and lavender being the favorite colors. the faces of these false heads were painted in many ridiculous ways, according to the whims of the owners, and these big, burly creatures looked so whimsical and absurd in their queer masks that they were called "whimsies." they foolishly imagined that no one would suspect the little heads that were inside the imitation ones, not knowing that it is folly to try to appear otherwise than as nature has made us. the chief of the whimsies had as little wisdom as the others, and had been chosen chief merely because none among them was any wiser or more capable of ruling. the whimsies were evil spirits and could not be killed. they were hated and feared by every one and were known as terrible fighters because they were so strong and muscular and had not sense enough to know when they were defeated. general guph thought the whimsies would be a great help to the nomes in the conquest of oz, for under his leadership they could be induced to fight as long so they could stand up. so he traveled to their country and asked to see the chief, who lived in a house that had a picture of his grotesque false head painted over the doorway. the chief's false head had blue hair, a turned-up nose, and a mouth that stretched half across the face. big green eyes had been painted upon it, but in the center of the chin were two small holes made in the pasteboard, so that the chief could see through them with his own tiny eyes; for when the big head was fastened upon his shoulders the eyes in his own natural head were on a level with the false chin. said general guph to the chief of the whimsies: "we nomes are going to conquer the land of oz and capture our king's magic belt, which the oz people stole from him. then we are going to plunder and destroy the whole country. and we want the whimsies to help us." "will there be any fighting?" asked the chief. "plenty," replied guph. that must have pleased the chief, for he got up and danced around the room three times. then he seated himself again, adjusted his false head, and said: "we have no quarrel with ozma of oz." "but you whimsies love to fight, and here is a splendid chance to do so," urged guph. "wait till i sing a song," said the chief. then he lay back in his chair and sang a foolish song that did not seem to the general to mean anything, although he listened carefully. when he had finished, the chief whimsie looked at him through the holes in his chin and asked: "what reward will you give us if we help you?" the general was prepared for this question, for he had been thinking the matter over on his journey. people often do a good deed without hope of reward, but for an evil deed they always demand payment. [illustration] "when we get our magic belt," he made reply, "our king, roquat the red, will use its power to give every whimsie a natural head as big and fine as the false head he now wears. then you will no longer be ashamed because your big strong bodies have such teenty-weenty heads." "oh! will you do that?" asked the chief, eagerly. "we surely will," promised the general. "i'll talk to my people," said the chief. so he called a meeting of all the whimsies and told them of the offer made by the nomes. the creatures were delighted with the bargain, and at once agreed to fight for the nome king and help him to conquer oz. [illustration] one whimsie alone seemed to have a glimmer of sense, for he asked: "suppose we fail to capture the magic belt? what will happen then, and what good will all our fighting do?" but they threw him into the river for asking foolish questions, and laughed when the water ruined his pasteboard head before he could swim out again. so the compact was made and general guph was delighted with his success in gaining such powerful allies. but there were other people, too, just as important as the whimsies, whom the clever old nome had determined to win to his side. [illustration] _how_ aunt em conquered the lion chapter seven [illustration] "these are your rooms," said dorothy, opening a door. aunt em drew back at sight of the splendid furniture and draperies. "ain't there any place to wipe my feet?" she asked. "you will soon change your slippers for new shoes," replied dorothy. "don't be afraid, aunt em. here is where you are to live, so walk right in and make yourself at home." aunt em advanced hesitatingly. "it beats the topeka hotel!" she cried, admiringly. "but this place is too grand for us, child. can't we have some back room in the attic, that's more in our class?" "no," said dorothy. "you've got to live here, 'cause ozma says so. and all the rooms in this palace are just as fine as these, and some are better. it won't do any good to fuss, aunt em. you've got to be swell and high-toned in the land of oz, whether you want to or not; so you may as well make up your mind to it." "it's hard luck," replied her aunt, looking around with an awed expression; "but folks can get used to anything, if they try. eh, henry?" "why, as to that," said uncle henry, slowly, "i b'lieve in takin' what's pervided us, an' askin' no questions. i've traveled some, em, in my time, and you hain't; an' that makes a difference atween us." then dorothy showed them through the rooms. the first was a handsome sitting-room, with windows opening upon the rose gardens. then came separate bedrooms for aunt em and uncle henry, with a fine bathroom between them. aunt em had a pretty dressing room, besides, and dorothy opened the closets and showed several exquisite costumes that had been provided for her aunt by the royal dressmakers, who had worked all night to get them ready. everything that aunt em could possibly need was in the drawers and closets, and her dressing-table was covered with engraved gold toilet articles. uncle henry had nine suits of clothes, cut in the popular munchkin fashion, with knee-breeches, silk stockings and low shoes with jeweled buckles. the hats to match these costumes had pointed tops and wide brims with small gold bells around the edges. his shirts were of fine linen with frilled bosoms, and his vests were richly embroidered with colored silks. uncle henry decided that he would first take a bath and then dress himself in a blue satin suit that had caught his fancy. he accepted his good fortune with calm composure and refused to have a servant to assist him. but aunt em was "all of a flutter," as she said, and it took dorothy and jellia jamb, the housekeeper, and two maids a long time to dress her and do up her hair and get her "rigged like a popinjay," as she quaintly expressed it. she wanted to stop and admire everything that caught her eye, and she sighed continually and declared that such finery was too good for an old country woman, and that she never thought she would have to "put on airs" at her time of life. finally she was dressed, and when they went into the sitting-room there was uncle henry in his blue satin, walking gravely up and down the room. he had trimmed his beard and mustache and looked very dignified and respectable. "tell me, dorothy," he said; "do all the men here wear duds like these?" "yes," she replied; "all 'cept the scarecrow and the shaggy man--and of course the tin woodman and tiktok, who are made of metal. you'll find all the men at ozma's court dressed just as you are--only perhaps a little finer." "henry, you look like a play-actor," announced aunt em, looking at her husband critically. "an' you, em, look more highfalutin' than a peacock," he replied. "i guess you're right," she said, regretfully; "but we're helpless victims of high-toned royalty." dorothy was much amused. [illustration] "come with me," she said, "and i'll show you 'round the palace." she took them through the beautiful rooms and introduced them to all the people they chanced to meet. also she showed them her own pretty rooms, which were not far from their own. "so it's all true," said aunt em, wide-eyed with amazement, "and what dorothy told us of this fairy country was plain facts instead of dreams! but where are all the strange creatures you used to know here?" "yes; where's the scarecrow?" inquired uncle henry. "why, he's just now away on a visit to the tin woodman, who is emp'ror of the winkie country," answered the little girl. "you'll see him when he comes back, and you're sure to like him." "and where's the wonderful wizard?" asked aunt em. "you'll see him at ozma's luncheon, for he lives in this palace," was the reply. "and jack pumpkinhead?" "oh, he lives a little way out of town, in his own pumpkin field. we'll go there some time and see him, and we'll call on professor wogglebug, too. the shaggy man will be at the luncheon, i guess, and tiktok. and now i'll take you out to see billina, who has a house of her own." so they went into the back yard, and after walking along winding paths some distance through the beautiful gardens they came to an attractive little house where the yellow hen sat on the front porch sunning herself. "good morning, my dear mistress," called billina, fluttering down to meet them. "i was expecting you to call, for i heard you had come back and brought your uncle and aunt with you." "we're here for good and all, this time, billina," cried dorothy, joyfully. "uncle henry and aunt em belong in oz now as much as i do!" "then they are very lucky people," declared billina; "for there couldn't be a nicer place to live. but come, my dear; i must show you all my dorothys. nine are living and have grown up to be very respectable hens; but one took cold at ozma's birthday party and died of the pip, and the other two turned out to be horrid roosters, so i had to change their names from dorothy to daniel. they all had the letter 'd' engraved upon their gold lockets, you remember, with your picture inside, and 'd' stands for daniel as well as for dorothy." "did you call both the roosters daniel?" asked uncle henry. "yes, indeed. i've nine dorothys and two daniels; and the nine dorothys have eighty-six sons and daughters and over three hundred grandchildren," said billina, proudly. "what names do you give 'em all, dear?" inquired the little girl. "oh, they are all dorothys and daniels, some being juniors and some double-juniors. dorothy and daniel are two good names, and i see no object in hunting for others," declared the yellow hen. "but just think, dorothy, what a big chicken family we've grown to be, and our numbers increase nearly every day! ozma doesn't know what to do with all the eggs we lay, and we are never eaten or harmed in any way, as chickens are in your country. they give us everything to make us contented and happy, and i, my dear, am the acknowledged queen and governor of every chicken in oz, because i'm the eldest and started the whole colony." "you ought to be very proud, ma'am," said uncle henry, who was astonished to hear a hen talk so sensibly. "oh, i am," she replied. "i've the loveliest pearl necklace you ever saw. come in the house and i'll show it to you. and i've nine leg bracelets and a diamond pin for each wing. but i only wear them on state occasions." they followed the yellow hen into the house, which aunt em declared was neat as a pin. they could not sit down, because all billina's chairs were roosting-poles made of silver; so they had to stand while the hen fussily showed them her treasures. then they had to go into the back rooms occupied by billina's nine dorothys and two daniels, who were all plump yellow chickens and greeted the visitors very politely. it was easy to see that they were well bred and that billina had looked after their education. in the yards were all the children and grandchildren of these eleven elders and they were of all sizes, from well-grown hens to tiny chickens just out of the shell. about fifty fluffy yellow youngsters were at school, being taught good manners and good grammar by a young hen who wore spectacles. they sang in chorus a patriotic song of the land of oz, in honor of their visitors, and aunt em was much impressed by these talking chickens. dorothy wanted to stay and play with the young chickens for awhile, but uncle henry and aunt em had not seen the palace grounds and gardens yet and were eager to get better acquainted with the marvelous and delightful land in which they were to live. "i'll stay here, and you can go for a walk," said dorothy. "you'll be perfec'ly safe anywhere, and may do whatever you want to. when you get tired, go back to the palace and find your rooms, and i'll come to you before luncheon is ready." so uncle henry and aunt em started out alone to explore the grounds, and dorothy knew that they couldn't get lost, because all the palace grounds were enclosed by a high wall of green marble set with emeralds. it was a rare treat to these simple folk, who had lived in the country all their lives and known little enjoyment of any sort, to wear beautiful clothes and live in a palace and be treated with respect and consideration by all around them. they were very happy indeed as they strolled up the shady walks and looked upon the gorgeous flowers and shrubs, feeling that their new home was more beautiful than any tongue could describe. suddenly, as they turned a corner and walked through a gap in a high hedge, they came face to face with an enormous lion, which crouched upon the green lawn and seemed surprised by their appearance. they stopped short, uncle henry trembling with horror and aunt em too terrified to scream. next moment the poor woman clasped her husband around the neck and cried: "save me, henry, save me!" "can't even save myself, em," he returned, in a husky voice, "for the animile looks as if it could eat both of us, an' lick its chops for more! if i only had a gun--" "haven't you, henry? haven't you?" she asked anxiously. "nary gun, em. so let's die as brave an' graceful as we can. i knew our luck couldn't last!" "i won't die. i won't be eaten by a lion!" wailed aunt em, glaring upon the huge beast. then a thought struck her, and she whispered: "henry, i've heard as savage beastses can be conquered by the human eye. i'll eye that lion out o' countenance an' save our lives." "try it, em," he returned, also in a whisper. "look at him as you do at me when i'm late to dinner." aunt em turned upon the lion a determined countenance and a wild dilated eye. she glared at the immense beast steadily, and the lion, who had been quietly blinking at them, began to appear uneasy and disturbed. [illustration] "is anything the matter, ma'am?" he asked, in a mild voice. at this speech from the terrible beast aunt em and uncle henry both were startled, and then uncle henry remembered that this must be the lion they had seen in ozma's throne room. "hold on, em!" he exclaimed. "quit the eagle eye conquest an' take courage. i guess this is the same cowardly lion dorothy has told us about." "oh, is it?" she asked, much relieved. "when he spoke, i got the idea; and when he looked so 'shamed like, i was sure of it," uncle henry continued. aunt em regarded the animal with new interest. "are you the cowardly lion?" she inquired. "are you dorothy's friend?" "yes'm," answered the lion, meekly. "dorothy and i are old chums and are very fond of each other. i'm the king of beasts, you know, and the hungry tiger and i serve princess ozma as her body guards." "to be sure," said aunt em, nodding. "but the king of beasts shouldn't be cowardly." "i've heard that said before," remarked the lion, yawning till he showed his two great rows of sharp white teeth; "but that does not keep me from being frightened whenever i go into battle." "what do you do, run?" asked uncle henry. "no; that would be foolish, for the enemy would run after me," declared the lion. "so i tremble with fear and pitch in as hard as i can; and so far i have always won my fight." "ah, i begin to understand," said uncle henry. "were you scared when i looked at you just now?" inquired aunt em. "terribly scared, madam," answered the lion, "for at first i thought you were going to have a fit. then i noticed you were trying to overcome me by the power of your eye, and your glance was so fierce and penetrating that i shook with fear." this greatly pleased the lady, and she said quite cheerfully: "well, i won't hurt you, so don't be scared any more. i just wanted to see what the human eye was good for." "the human eye is a fearful weapon," remarked the lion, scratching his nose softly with his paw to hide a smile. "had i not known you were dorothy's friends i might have torn you both into shreds in order to escape your terrible gaze." aunt em shuddered at hearing this, and uncle henry said hastily: "i'm glad you knew us. good morning, mr. lion; we'll hope to see you again--by and by--some time in the future." "good morning," replied the lion, squatting down upon the lawn again. "you are likely to see a good deal of me, if you live in the land of oz." [illustration] _how_ the grand gallipoot joined the nomes chapter eight [illustration] after leaving the whimsies, guph continued on his journey and penetrated far into the northwest. he wanted to get to the country of the growleywogs, and in order to do that he must cross the ripple land, which was a hard thing to do. for the ripple land was a succession of hills and valleys, all very steep and rocky, and they changed places constantly by rippling. while guph was climbing a hill it sank down under him and became a valley, and while he was descending into a valley it rose up and carried him to the top of a hill. this was very perplexing to the traveler, and a stranger might have thought he could never cross the ripple land at all. but guph knew that if he kept steadily on he would get to the end at last; so he paid no attention to the changing hills and valleys and plodded along as calmly as if walking upon the level ground. the result of this wise persistence was that the general finally reached firmer soil and, after penetrating a dense forest, came to the dominion of the growleywogs. no sooner had he crossed the border of this domain when two guards seized him and carried him before the grand gallipoot of the growleywogs, who scowled upon him ferociously and asked him why he dared intrude upon his territory. "i'm the lord high general of the invincible army of the nomes, and my name is guph," was the reply. "all the world trembles when that name is mentioned." the growleywogs gave a shout of jeering laughter at this, and one of them caught the nome in his strong arms and tossed him high into the air. guph was considerably shaken when he fell upon the hard ground, but he appeared to take no notice of the impertinence and composed himself to speak again to the grand gallipoot. "my master, king roquat the red, has sent me here to confer with you. he wishes your assistance to conquer the land of oz." here the general paused, and the grand gallipoot scowled upon him more terribly than ever and said: "go on!" the voice of the grand gallipoot was partly a roar and partly a growl. he mumbled his words badly and guph had to listen carefully in order to understand him. these growleywogs were certainly remarkable creatures. they were of gigantic size, yet were all bone and skin and muscle, there being no meat or fat upon their bodies at all. their powerful muscles lay just underneath their skins, like bunches of tough rope, and the weakest growleywog was so strong that he could pick up an elephant and toss it seven miles away. it seems unfortunate that strong people are usually so disagreeable and overbearing that no one cares for them. in fact, to be different from your fellow creatures is always a misfortune. the growleywogs knew that they were disliked and avoided by every one, so they had become surly and unsociable even among themselves. guph knew that they hated all people, including the nomes; but he hoped to win them over, nevertheless, and knew that if he succeeded they would afford him very powerful assistance. "the land of oz is ruled by a namby-pamby girl who is disgustingly kind and good," he continued. "her people are all happy and contented and have no care or worries whatever." "go on!" growled the grand gallipoot. [illustration] "once the nome king enslaved the royal family of ev--another goody-goody lot that we detest," said the general. "but ozma interfered, although it was none of her business, and marched her army against us. with her was a kansas girl named dorothy, and a yellow hen, and they marched directly into the nome king's cavern. there they liberated our slaves from ev and stole king roquat's magic belt, which they carried away with them. so now our king is making a tunnel under the deadly desert, so we can march through it to the emerald city. when we get there we mean to conquer and destroy all the land and recapture the magic belt." again he paused, and again the grand gallipoot growled: "go on!" guph tried to think what to say next, and a happy thought soon occurred to him. "we want you to help us in this conquest," he announced, "for we need the mighty aid of the growleywogs in order to make sure that we shall not be defeated. you are the strongest people in all the world, and you hate good and happy creatures as much as we nomes do. i am sure it will be a real pleasure to you to tear down the beautiful emerald city, and in return for your valuable assistance we will allow you to bring back to your country ten thousand people of oz, to be your slaves." "twenty thousand!" growled the grand gallipoot. "all right, we promise you twenty thousand," agreed the general. the gallipoot made a signal and at once his attendants picked up general guph and carried him away to a prison, where the jailor amused himself by sticking pins in the round fat body of the old nome, to see him jump and hear him yell. but while this was going on the grand gallipoot was talking with his counselors, who were the most important officials of the growleywogs. when he had stated to them the proposition of the nome king he said: "my advice is to offer to help them. then, when we have conquered the land of oz, we will take not only our twenty thousand prisoners but all the gold and jewels we want." "let us take the magic belt, too," suggested one counselor. "and rob the nome king and make him our slave," said another. "that is a good idea," declared the grand gallipoot. "i'd like king roquat for my own slave. he could black my boots and bring me my porridge every morning while i am in bed." "there is a famous scarecrow in oz. i'll take him for my slave," said a counselor. "i'll take tiktok, the machine man," said another. "give me the tin woodman," said a third. they went on for some time, dividing up the people and the treasure of oz in advance of the conquest. for they had no doubt at all that they would be able to destroy ozma's domain. were they not the strongest people in all the world? "the deadly desert has kept us out of oz before," remarked the grand gallipoot, "but now that the nome king is building a tunnel we shall get into the emerald city very easily. so let us send the little fat general back to his king with our promise to assist him. we will not say that we intend to conquer the nomes after we have conquered oz, but we will do so, just the same." this plan being agreed upon, they all went home to dinner, leaving general guph still in prison. the nome had no idea that he had succeeded in his mission, for finding himself in prison he feared the growleywogs intended to put him to death. by this time the jailor had tired of sticking pins in the general, and was amusing himself by carefully pulling the nome's whiskers out by the roots, one at a time. this enjoyment was interrupted by the grand gallipoot sending for the prisoner. "wait a few hours," begged the jailor. "i haven't pulled out a quarter of his whiskers yet." "if you keep the grand gallipoot waiting he'll break your back," declared the messenger. "perhaps you're right," sighed the jailor. "take the prisoner away, if you will, but i advise you to kick him at every step he takes. it will be good fun, for he is as soft as a ripe peach." [illustration] so guph was led away to the royal castle, where the grand gallipoot told him that the growleywogs had decided to assist the nomes in conquering the land of oz. "whenever you are ready," he added, "send me word and i will march with eighteen thousand of my most powerful warriors to your aid." guph was so delighted that he forgot all the smarting caused by the pins and the pulling of whiskers. he did not even complain of the treatment he had received, but thanked the grand gallipoot and hurried away upon his journey. he had now secured the assistance of the whimsies and the growleywogs; but his success made him long for still more allies. his own life depended upon his conquering oz, and he said to himself: "i'll take no chances. i'll be certain of success. then, when oz is destroyed, perhaps i shall be a greater man than old roquat, and i can throw him away and be king of the nomes myself. why not? the whimsies are stronger than the nomes, and they are my friends. the growleywogs are stronger than the whimsies, and they also are my friends. there are some people still stronger than the growleywogs, and if i can but induce them to aid me i shall have nothing more to fear." _how_ the wogglebug taught athletics chapter nine [illustration] it did not take dorothy long to establish herself in her new home, for she knew the people and the manners and customs of the emerald city just as well as she knew the old kansas farm. but uncle henry and aunt em had some trouble in getting used to the finery and pomp and ceremony of ozma's palace, and felt uneasy because they were obliged to be "dressed up" all the time. yet every one was very courteous and kind to them and endeavored to make them happy. ozma, especially, made much of dorothy's relatives, for her little friend's sake, and she well knew that the awkwardness and strangeness of their new mode of life would all wear off in time. the old people were chiefly troubled by the fact that there was no work for them to do. "ev'ry day is like sunday, now," declared aunt em, solemnly, "and i can't say i like it. if they'd only let me do up the dishes after meals, or even sweep an' dust my own rooms, i'd be a deal happier. henry don't know what to do with himself either, and once when he stole out an' fed the chickens billina scolded him for letting 'em eat between meals. i never knew before what a hardship it is to be rich and have everything you want." these complaints began to worry dorothy; so she had a long talk with ozma upon the subject. "i see i must find them something to do," said the girlish ruler of oz, seriously. "i have been watching your uncle and aunt, and i believe they will be more contented if occupied with some light tasks. while i am considering this matter, dorothy, you might make a trip with them through the land of oz, visiting some of the odd corners and introducing your relatives to some of our curious people." "oh, that would be fine!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly. "i will give you an escort befitting your rank as a princess," continued ozma; "and you may go to some of the places you have not yet visited yourself, as well as some others that you know. i will mark out a plan of the trip for you and have everything in readiness for you to start to-morrow morning. take your time, dear, and be gone as long as you wish. by the time you return i shall have found some occupation for uncle henry and aunt em that will keep them from being restless and dissatisfied." dorothy thanked her good friend and kissed the lovely ruler gratefully. then she ran to tell the joyful news to her uncle and aunt. next morning, after breakfast, everything was found ready for their departure. the escort included omby amby, the captain general of ozma's army, which consisted merely of twenty-seven officers besides the captain general. once omby amby had been a private soldier--the only private in the army--but as there was never any fighting to do ozma saw no need of a private, so she made omby amby the highest officer of them all. he was very tall and slim and wore a gay uniform and a fierce mustache. yet the mustache was the only fierce thing about omby amby, whose nature was as gentle as that of a child. the wonderful wizard had asked to join the party, and with him came his friend the shaggy man, who was shaggy but not ragged, being dressed in fine silks with satin shags and bobtails. the shaggy man had shaggy whiskers and hair, but a sweet disposition and a soft, pleasant voice. there was an open wagon, with three seats for the passengers, and the wagon was drawn by the famous wooden sawhorse which had once been brought to life by ozma by means of a magic powder. the sawhorse wore golden shoes to keep his wooden legs from wearing away, and he was strong and swift. as this curious creature was ozma's own favorite steed, and very popular with all the people of the emerald city, dorothy knew that she had been highly favored by being permitted to use the sawhorse on her journey. in the front seat of the wagon sat dorothy and the wizard. uncle henry and aunt em sat in the next seat and the shaggy man and omby amby in the third seat. of course toto was with the party, curled up at dorothy's feet, and just as they were about to start billina came fluttering along the path and begged to be taken with them. dorothy readily agreed, so the yellow hen flew up and perched herself upon the dashboard. she wore her pearl necklace and three bracelets upon each leg, in honor of the occasion. dorothy kissed ozma good-bye, and all the people standing around waved their handkerchiefs, and the band in an upper balcony struck up a military march. then the wizard clucked to the sawhorse and said: "gid-dap!" and the wooden animal pranced away and drew behind him the big red wagon and all the passengers, without any effort at all. a servant threw open a gate of the palace enclosure, that they might pass out; and so, with music and shouts following them, the journey was begun. "it's almost like a circus," said aunt em, proudly. "i can't help feelin' high an' mighty in this kind of a turn-out." indeed, as they passed down the street, all the people cheered them lustily, and the shaggy man and the wizard and the captain general all took off their hats and bowed politely in acknowledgment. when they came to the great wall of the emerald city the gates were opened by the guardian who always tended them. over the gateway hung a dull-colored metal magnet shaped like a horse-shoe, placed against a shield of polished gold. "that," said the shaggy man, impressively, "is the wonderful love magnet. i brought it to the emerald city myself, and all who pass beneath this gateway are both loving and beloved." "it's a fine thing," declared aunt em, admiringly. "if we'd had it in kansas i guess the man who held a mortgage on the farm wouldn't have turned us out." "then i'm glad we didn't have it," returned uncle henry. "i like oz better than kansas, even; an' this little wood sawhorse beats all the critters i ever saw. he don't have to be curried, or fed, or watered, an' he's strong as an ox. can he talk, dorothy?" "yes, uncle," replied the child. "but the sawhorse never says much. he told me once that he can't talk and think at the same time, so he prefers to think." "which is very sensible," declared the wizard, nodding approvingly. "which way do we go, dorothy?" "straight ahead into the quadling country," she answered. "i've got a letter of interduction to miss cuttenclip." "oh!" exclaimed the wizard, much interested. "are we going there? then i'm glad i came, for i've always wanted to meet the cuttenclips." "who are they?" inquired aunt em. "wait till we get there," replied dorothy, with a laugh; "then you'll see for yourself. i've never seen the cuttenclips, you know, so i can't 'zactly 'splain 'em to you." once free of the emerald city the sawhorse dashed away at tremendous speed. indeed, he went so fast that aunt em had hard work to catch her breath, and uncle henry held fast to the seat of the red wagon. "gently--gently, my boy!" called the wizard, and at this the sawhorse slackened his speed. "what's wrong?" asked the animal, slightly turning his wooden head to look at the party with one eye, which was a knot of wood. "why, we wish to admire the scenery, that's all," answered the wizard. "some of your passengers," added the shaggy man, "have never been out of the emerald city before, and the country is all new to them." "if you go too fast you'll spoil all the fun," said dorothy. "there's no hurry." "very well; it is all the same to me," observed the sawhorse; and after that he went at a more moderate pace. uncle henry was astonished. "how can a wooden thing be so intelligent?" he asked. "why, i gave him some sawdust brains the last time i fitted his head with new ears," explained the wizard. "the sawdust was made from hard knots, and now the sawhorse is able to think out any knotty problem he meets with." "i see," said uncle henry. "i don't," remarked aunt em; but no one paid any attention to this statement. before long they came to a stately building that stood upon a green plain with handsome shade trees grouped here and there. "what is that?" asked uncle henry. "that," replied the wizard, "is the royal athletic college of oz, which is directed by professor h. m. wogglebug, t. e. "let's stop and make a call," suggested dorothy. [illustration] so the sawhorse drew up in front of the great building and they were met at the door by the learned wogglebug himself. he seemed fully as tall as the wizard, and was dressed in a red and white checked vest and a blue swallow-tailed coat, and had yellow knee breeches and purple silk stockings upon his slender legs. a tall hat was jauntily set upon his head and he wore spectacles over his big bright eyes. "welcome, dorothy," said the wogglebug; "and welcome to all your friends. we are indeed pleased to receive you at this great temple of learning." "i thought it was an athletic college," said the shaggy man. "it is, my dear sir," answered the wogglebug, proudly. "here it is that we teach the youth of our great land scientific college athletics--in all their purity." "don't you teach them anything else?" asked dorothy. "don't they get any reading, writing and 'rithmetic?" "oh, yes; of course. they get all those, and more," returned the professor. "but such things occupy little of their time. please follow me and i will show you how my scholars are usually occupied. this is a class hour and they are all busy." they followed him to a big field back of the college building, where several hundred young ozites were at their classes. in one place they played football, in another baseball. some played tennis, some golf; some were swimming in a big pool. upon a river which wound through the grounds several crews in racing boats were rowing with great enthusiasm. other groups of students played basketball and cricket, while in one place a ring was roped in to permit boxing and wrestling by the energetic youths. all the collegians seemed busy and there was much laughter and shouting. "this college," said professor wogglebug, complacently, "is a great success. it's educational value is undisputed, and we are turning out many great and valuable citizens every year." "but when do they study?" asked dorothy. "study?" said the wogglebug, looking perplexed at the question. "yes; when do they get their 'rithmetic, and jogerfy, and such things?" "oh, they take doses of those every night and morning," was the reply. "what do you mean by doses?" dorothy inquired, wonderingly. "why, we use the newly invented school pills, made by your friend the wizard. these pills we have found to be very effective, and they save a lot of time. please step this way and i will show you our laboratory of learning." he led them to a room in the building where many large bottles were standing in rows upon shelves. "these are the algebra pills," said the professor, taking down one of the bottles. "one at night, on retiring, is equal to four hours of study. here are the geography pills--one at night and one in the morning. in this next bottle are the latin pills--one three times a day. then we have the grammar pills--one before each meal--and the spelling pills, which are taken whenever needed." [illustration] "your scholars must have to take a lot of pills," remarked dorothy, thoughtfully. "how do they take 'em, in applesauce?" "no, my dear. they are sugar-coated and are quickly and easily swallowed. i believe the students would rather take the pills than study, and certainly the pills are a more effective method. you see, until these school pills were invented we wasted a lot of time in study that may now be better employed in practising athletics." "seems to me the pills are a good thing," said omby amby, who remembered how it used to make his head ache as a boy to study arithmetic. "they are, sir," declared the wogglebug, earnestly. "they give us an advantage over all other colleges, because at no loss of time our boys become thoroughly conversant with greek and latin, mathematics and geography, grammar and literature. you see they are never obliged to interrupt their games to acquire the lesser branches of learning." "it's a great invention, i'm sure," said dorothy, looking admiringly at the wizard, who blushed modestly at this praise. "we live in an age of progress," announced professor wogglebug, pompously. "it is easier to swallow knowledge than to acquire it laboriously from books. is it not so, my friends?" "some folks can swallow anything," said aunt em, "but to me this seems too much like taking medicine." "young men in college always have to take their medicine, one way or another," observed the wizard, with a smile; "and, as our professor says, these school pills have proved to be a great success. one day while i was making them i happened to drop one of them, and one of billina's chickens gobbled it up. a few minutes afterward this chick got upon a roost and recited 'the boy stood on the burning deck' without making a single mistake. then it recited 'the charge of the light brigade' and afterwards 'excelsior.' you see, the chicken had eaten an elocution pill." they now bade good bye to the professor, and thanking him for his kind reception mounted again into the red wagon and continued their journey. _how_ the cuttenclips lived chapter ten [illustration] the travelers had taken no provisions with them because they knew that they would be welcomed wherever they might go in the land of oz, and that the people would feed and lodge them with genuine hospitality. so about noon they stopped at a farm-house and were given a delicious luncheon of bread and milk, fruits and wheat cakes with maple syrup. after resting a while and strolling through the orchards with their host--a round, jolly farmer--they got into the wagon and again started the sawhorse along the pretty, winding road. there were sign-posts at all the corners, and finally they came to one which read: [illustration: (hand pointing right)] take this road to the cuttenclips there was also a hand pointing in the right direction, so they turned the sawhorse that way and found it a very good road, but seemingly little traveled. "i've never been to see the cuttenclips before," remarked dorothy. "nor i," said the captain general. "nor i," said the wizard. "nor i," said billina. "i've hardly been out of the emerald city since i arrived in this country," added the shaggy man. "why, none of us has been there, then," exclaimed the little girl. "i wonder what the cuttenclips are like." "we shall soon find out," said the wizard, with a sly laugh. "i've heard they are rather flimsy things." the farm-houses became fewer as they proceeded, and the path was at times so faint that the sawhorse had hard work to keep in the road. the wagon began to jounce, too; so they were obliged to go slowly. after a somewhat wearisome journey they came in sight of a high wall, painted blue with pink ornaments. this wall was circular, and seemed to enclose a large space. it was so high that only the tops of the trees could be seen above it. the path led up to a small door in the wall, which was closed and latched. upon the door was a sign in gold letters reading as follows: _visitors are requested to move slowly and carefully, and to avoid coughing or making any breeze or draught_ "that's strange," said the shaggy man, reading the sign aloud. "who _are_ the cuttenclips, anyhow?" "why, they're paper dolls," answered dorothy. "didn't you know that?" "paper dolls! then let's go somewhere else," said uncle henry. "we're all too old to play with dolls, dorothy." "but these are different," declared the girl. "they're alive." "alive!" gasped aunt em, in amazement. "yes. let's go in," said dorothy. so they all got out of the wagon, since the door in the wall was not big enough for them to drive the sawhorse and wagon through it. "you stay here, toto!" commanded dorothy, shaking her finger at the little dog. "you 're so careless that you might make a breeze if i let you inside." toto wagged his tail as if disappointed at being left behind; but he made no effort to follow them. the wizard unlatched the door, which opened outward, and they all looked eagerly inside. just before the entrance was drawn up a line of tiny soldiers, with uniforms brightly painted and paper guns upon their shoulders. they were exactly alike, from one end of the line to the other, and all were cut out of paper and joined together in the centers of their bodies. as the visitors entered the enclosure the wizard let the door swing back into place, and at once the line of soldiers tumbled over, fell flat upon their backs, and lay fluttering upon the ground. "hi, there!" called one of them; "what do you mean by slamming the door and blowing us over?" "i beg your pardon, i'm sure," said the wizard, regretfully. "i didn't know you were so delicate." "we're not delicate!" retorted another soldier, raising his head from the ground. "we are strong and healthy; but we can't stand draughts." "may i help you up?" asked dorothy. "if you please," replied the end soldier. "but do it gently, little girl." dorothy carefully stood up the line of soldiers, who first dusted their painted clothes and then saluted the visitors with their paper muskets. from the end it was easy to see that the entire line had been cut out of paper, although from the front the soldiers looked rather solid and imposing. "i've a letter of introduction from princess ozma to miss cuttenclip," announced dorothy. "very well," said the end soldier, and blew upon a paper whistle that hung around his neck. at once a paper soldier in a captain's uniform came out of a paper house near by and approached the group at the entrance. he was not very big, and he walked rather stiffly and uncertainly on his paper legs; but he had a pleasant face, with very red cheeks and very blue eyes, and he bowed so low to the strangers that dorothy laughed, and the breeze from her mouth nearly blew the captain over. he wavered and struggled and finally managed to remain upon his feet. "take care, miss!" he said, warningly. "you're breaking the rules, you know, by laughing." "oh, i didn't know that," she replied. "to laugh in this place is nearly as dangerous as to cough," said the captain. "you'll have to breathe very quietly, i assure you." "we'll try to," promised the girl. "may we see miss cuttenclip, please?" "you may," promptly returned the captain. "this is one of her reception days. be good enough to follow me." he turned and led the way up a path, and as they followed slowly, because the paper captain did not move very swiftly, they took the opportunity to gaze around them at this strange paper country. beside the path were paper trees, all cut out very neatly and painted a brilliant green color. and back of the trees were rows of cardboard houses, painted in various colors but most of them having green blinds. some were large and some small, and in the front yards were beds of paper flowers quite natural in appearance. over some of the porches paper vines were twined, giving them a cosy and shady look. as the visitors passed along the street a good many paper dolls came to the doors and windows of their houses to look at them curiously. these dolls were nearly all the same height, but were cut into various shapes, some being fat and some lean. the girl dolls wore many beautiful costumes of tissue paper, making them quite fluffy; but their heads and hands were no thicker than the paper of which they were made. some of the paper people were on the street, walking along or congregated in groups and talking together; but as soon as they saw the strangers they all fluttered into the houses as fast as they could go, so as to be out of danger. "excuse me if i go edgewise," remarked the captain, as they came to a slight hill. "i can get along faster that way and not flutter so much." "that's all right," said dorothy. "we don't mind how you go, i'm sure." at one side of the street was a paper pump, and a paper boy was pumping paper water into a paper pail. the yellow hen happened to brush against this boy with her wing, and he flew into the air and fell into a paper tree, where he stuck until the wizard gently pulled him out. at the same time the pail went soaring into the air, spilling the paper water, while the paper pump bent nearly double. "goodness me!" said the hen. "if i should flop my wings i believe i'd knock over the whole village!" "then don't flop them--please don't!" entreated the captain. "miss cuttenclip would be very much distressed if her village was spoiled." "oh, i'll be careful," promised billina. "are not all these paper girls and women named miss cuttenclips?" inquired omby amby. "no, indeed," answered the captain, who was walking better since he began to move edgewise. "there is but one miss cuttenclip, who is our queen, because she made us all. these girls are cuttenclips, to be sure, but their names are emily and polly and sue and betty and such things. only the queen is called miss cuttenclip." "i must say that this place beats anything i ever heard of," observed aunt em. "i used to play with paper dolls myself, an' cut 'em out; but i never thought i'd ever see such things alive." "i don't see as it's any more curious than hearing hens talk," returned uncle henry. "you're likely to see many queer things in the land of oz, sir," said the wizard. "but a fairy country is extremely interesting when you get used to being surprised." "here we are!" called the captain, stopping before a cottage. this house was made of wood, and was remarkably pretty in design. in the emerald city it would have been considered a tiny dwelling, indeed; but in the midst of this paper village it seemed immense. real flowers were in the garden and real trees grew beside it. upon the front door was a sign reading: miss cuttenclip. just as they reached the porch the front door opened and a little girl stood before them. she appeared to be about the same age as dorothy, and smiling upon her visitors she said, sweetly: "you are welcome." all the party seemed relieved to find that here was a real girl, of flesh and blood. she was very dainty and pretty as she stood there welcoming them. her hair was a golden blonde and her eyes turquoise blue. she had rosy cheeks and lovely white teeth. over her simple white lawn dress she wore an apron with pink and white checks, and in one hand she held a pair of scissors. "may we see miss cuttenclip, please?" asked dorothy. "i am miss cuttenclip," was the reply. "won't you come in?" she held the door open while they all entered a pretty sitting-room that was littered with all sorts of paper--some stiff, some thin, and some tissue. the sheets and scraps were of all colors. upon a table were paints and brushes, while several pair of scissors, of different sizes, were lying about. [illustration] "sit down, please," said miss cuttenclip, clearing the paper scraps off some of the chairs. "it is so long since i have had any visitors that i am not properly prepared to receive them. but i'm sure you will pardon my untidy room, for this is my workshop." "do you make all the paper dolls?" inquired dorothy. "yes; i cut them out with my scissors, and paint the faces and some of the costumes. it is very pleasant work, and i am happy making my paper village grow." "but how do the paper dolls happen to be alive?" asked aunt em. "the first dolls i made were not alive," said miss cuttenclip. "i used to live near the castle of a great sorceress named glinda the good, and she saw my dolls and said they were very pretty. i told her i thought i would like them better if they were alive, and the next day the sorceress brought me a lot of magic paper. 'this is live paper,' she said, 'and all the dolls you cut out of it will be alive, and able to think and to talk. when you have used it all up, come to me and i will give you more.' "of course i was delighted with this present," continued miss cuttenclip, "and at once set to work and made several paper dolls, which, as soon as they were cut out, began to walk around and talk to me. but they were so thin that i found that any breeze would blow them over and scatter them dreadfully; so glinda found this lonely place for me, where few people ever come. she built the wall to keep any wind from blowing away my people, and told me i could build a paper village here and be its queen. that is why i came here and settled down to work and started the village you now see. it was many years ago that i built the first houses, and i've kept pretty busy and made my village grow finely; and i need not tell you that i am very happy in my work." "many years ago!" exclaimed aunt em. "why, how old are you, child?" "i never keep track of the years," said miss cuttenclip, laughing. "you see, i don't grow up at all, but stay just the same as i was when first i came here. perhaps i'm older even than you are, madam; but i couldn't say for sure." they looked at the lovely little girl wonderingly, and the wizard asked: "what happens to your paper village when it rains?" "it does not rain here," replied miss cuttenclip. "glinda keeps all the rain storms away; so i never worry about my dolls getting wet. but now, if you will come with me, it will give me pleasure to show you over my paper kingdom. of course you must go slowly and carefully, and avoid making any breeze." they left the cottage and followed their guide through the various streets of the village. it was indeed an amazing place, when one considered that it was all made with scissors, and the visitors were not only greatly interested but full of admiration for the skill of little miss cuttenclip. in one place a large group of especially nice paper dolls assembled to greet their queen, whom it was easy to see they loved dearly. these dolls marched and danced before the visitors, and then they all waved their paper handkerchiefs and sang in a sweet chorus a song called "the flag of our native land." at the conclusion of the song they ran up a handsome paper flag on a tall flagpole, and all of the people of the village gathered around to cheer as loudly as they could--although, of course, their voices were not especially strong. miss cuttenclip was about to make her subjects a speech in reply to this patriotic song, when the shaggy man happened to sneeze. [illustration] he was a very loud and powerful sneezer at any time, and he had tried so hard to hold in this sneeze that when it suddenly exploded the result was terrible. the paper dolls were mowed down by dozens, and flew and fluttered in wild confusion in every direction, tumbling this way and that and getting more or less wrinkled and bent. a wail of terror and grief came from the scattered throng, and miss cuttenclip exclaimed: "dear me! dear me!" and hurried at once to the rescue of her overturned people. "oh, shaggy man! how could you?" asked dorothy, reproachfully. "i couldn't help it--really i couldn't," protested the shaggy man, looking quite ashamed. "and i had no idea it took so little to upset these paper dolls." "so little!" said dorothy. "why, it was 'most as bad as a kansas cyclone." and then she helped miss cuttenclip rescue the paper folk and stand them on their feet again. two of the cardboard houses had also tumbled over, and the little queen said she would have to repair them and paste them together before they could be lived in again. and now, fearing they might do more damage to the flimsy paper people, they decided to go away. but first they thanked miss cuttenclip very warmly for her courtesy and kindness to them. "any friend of princess ozma is always welcome here--unless he sneezes," said the queen, with a rather severe look at the shaggy man, who hung his head. "i like to have visitors admire my wonderful village, and i hope you will call again." miss cuttenclip herself led them to the door in the wall, and as they passed along the street the paper dolls peeped at them half fearfully from the doors and windows. perhaps they will never forget the shaggy man's awful sneeze, and i am sure they were all glad to see the meat people go away. [illustration] _how_ the general met the first and foremost chapter eleven [illustration] on leaving the growleywogs general guph had to recross the ripple lands, and he did not find it a pleasant thing to do. perhaps having his whiskers pulled out one by one and being used as a pin-cushion for the innocent amusement of a good natured jailor had not improved the quality of guph's temper, for the old nome raved and raged at the recollection of the wrongs he had suffered, and vowed to take vengeance upon the growleywogs after he had used them for his purposes and oz had been conquered. he went on in this furious way until he was half across the ripple land. then he became seasick, and the rest of the way this naughty nome was almost as miserable as he deserved to be. but when he reached the plains again and the ground was firm under his feet he began to feel better, and instead of going back home he turned directly west. a squirrel, perched in a tree, saw him take this road and called to him warningly: "look out!" but he paid no attention. an eagle paused in its flight through the air to look at him wonderingly and say: "look out!" but on he went. no one can say that guph was not brave, for he had determined to visit those dangerous creatures the phanfasms, who resided upon the very top of the dread mountain of phantastico. the phanfasms were erbs, and so dreaded by mortals and immortals alike that no one had been near their mountain home for several thousand years. yet general guph hoped to induce them to join in his proposed warfare against the good and happy oz people. guph knew very well that the phanfasms would be almost as dangerous to the nomes as they would to the ozites, but he thought himself so clever that he believed that he could manage these strange creatures and make them obey him. and there was no doubt at all that if he could enlist the services of the phanfasms their tremendous power, united to the strength of the growleywogs and the cunning of the whimsies would doom the land of oz to absolute destruction. so the old nome climbed the foothills and trudged along the wild mountain paths until he came to a big gully that encircled the mountain of phantastico and marked the boundary line of the dominion of the phanfasms. this gully was about a third of the way up the mountain, and it was filled to the brim with red-hot molten lava, in which swam fire-serpents and poisonous salamanders. the heat from this mass and its poisonous smell were both so unbearable that even birds hesitated to fly over the gully, but circled around it. all living things kept away from the mountain. now guph had heard, during his long lifetime, many tales of these dreaded phanfasms; so he had heard of this barrier of melted lava, and also he had been told that there was a narrow bridge that spanned it in one place. so he walked along the edge until he found the bridge. it was a single arch of gray stone, and lying flat upon this bridge was a scarlet alligator, seemingly fast asleep. when guph stumbled over the rocks in approaching the bridge the creature opened its eyes, from which tiny flames shot in all directions, and after looking at the intruder very wickedly the scarlet alligator closed its eyelids again and lay still. guph saw there was no room for him to pass the alligator on the narrow bridge, so he called out to it: "good morning, friend. i don't wish to hurry you, but please tell me if you are coming down, or going up?" "neither," snapped the alligator, clicking its cruel jaws together. the general hesitated. [illustration] "are you likely to stay there long?" he asked. "a few hundred years or so," said the alligator. guph softly rubbed the end of his nose and tried to think what to do. "do you know whether the first and foremost phanfasm of phantastico is at home or not?" he presently inquired. "i expect he is, seeing he is always at home," replied the alligator. "ah; who is that coming down the mountain?" asked the nome, gazing upward. the alligator turned to look over its shoulder, and at once guph ran to the bridge and leaped over the sentinel's back before it could turn back again. the scarlet monster made a snap at the nome's left foot, but missed it by fully an inch. "ah ha!" laughed the general, who was now on the mountain path. "i fooled you that time." "so you did; and perhaps you fooled yourself," retorted the alligator. "go up the mountain, if you dare, and find out what the first and foremost will do to you!" "i will," declared guph, boldly; and on he went up the path. at first the scene was wild enough, but gradually it grew more and more awful in appearance. all the rocks had the shapes of frightful beings and even the tree trunks were gnarled and twisted like serpents. suddenly there appeared before the nome a man with the head of an owl. his body was hairy, like that of an ape, and his only clothing was a scarlet scarf twisted around his waist. he bore a huge club in his hand and his round owl eyes blinked fiercely upon the intruder. "what are you doing here?" he demanded, threatening guph with his club. "i've come to see the first and foremost phanfasm of phantastico," replied the general, who did not like the way this creature looked at him, but still was not afraid. "ah; you shall see him!" the man said, with a sneering laugh. "the first and foremost shall decide upon the best way to punish you." "he will not punish me," returned guph, calmly, "for i have come here to do him and his people a rare favor. lead on, fellow, and take me directly to your master." the owl-man raised his club with a threatening gesture. "if you try to escape," he said, "beware--" but here the general interrupted him. "spare your threats," said he, "and do not be impertinent, or i will have you severely punished. lead on, and keep silent!" this guph was really a clever rascal, and it seems a pity he was so bad, for in a good cause he might have accomplished much. he realized that he had put himself into a dangerous position by coming to this dreadful mountain, but he also knew that if he showed fear he was lost. so he adopted a bold manner as his best defense. the wisdom of this plan was soon evident, for the phanfasm with the owl's head turned and led the way up the mountain. at the very top was a level plain, upon which were heaps of rock that at first glance seemed solid. but on looking closer guph discovered that these rock heaps were dwellings, for each had an opening. not a person was to be seen outside the rock huts. all was silent. the owl-man led the way among the groups of dwellings to one standing in the center. it seemed no better and no worse than any of the others. outside the entrance to this rock heap the guide gave a low wail that sounded like "lee-ow-ah!" suddenly there bounded from the opening another hairy man. this one wore the head of a bear. in his hand he bore a brass hoop. he glared at the stranger in evident surprise. "why have you captured this foolish wanderer and brought him here?" he demanded, addressing the owl-man. "i did not capture him," was the answer. "he passed the scarlet alligator and came here of his own free will and accord." the first and foremost looked at the general. "have you tired of life, then?" he asked. "no, indeed," answered guph. "i am a nome, and the chief general of king roquat the red's great army of nomes. i come of a long-lived race, and i may say that i expect to live a long time yet. sit down, you phanfasms--if you can find a seat in this wild haunt--and listen to what i have to say." with all his knowledge and bravery general guph did not know that the steady glare from the bear eyes was reading his inmost thoughts as surely as if they had been put into words. he did not know that these despised rock heaps of the phanfasms were merely deceptions to his own eyes, nor could he guess that he was standing in the midst of one of the most splendid and luxurious cities ever built by magic power. all that he saw was a barren waste of rock heaps, a hairy man with an owl's head and another with a bear's head. the sorcery of the phanfasms permitted him to see no more. suddenly the first and foremost swung his brass hoop and caught guph around the neck with it. the next instant, before the general could think what had happened to him, he was dragged inside the rock hut. here, his eyes still blinded to realities, he perceived only a dim light, by which the hut seemed as rough and rude inside as it was outside. yet he had a strange feeling that many bright eyes were fastened upon him and that he stood in a vast and extensive hall. [illustration] the first and foremost now laughed grimly and released his prisoner. "if you have anything to say that is interesting," he remarked, "speak out, before i strangle you." so guph spoke out. he tried not to pay any attention to a strange rustling sound that he heard, as of an unseen multitude drawing near to listen to his words. his eyes could see only the fierce bear-man, and to him he addressed his speech. first he told of his plan to conquer the land of oz and plunder the country of its riches and enslave its people, who, being fairies, could not be killed. after relating all this, and telling of the tunnel the nome king was building, he said he had come to ask the first and foremost to join the nomes, with his band of terrible warriors, and help them to defeat the oz people. the general spoke very earnestly and impressively, but when he had finished the bear-man began to laugh as if much amused, and his laughter seemed to be echoed by a chorus of merriment from an unseen multitude. then, for the first time, guph began to feel a trifle worried. "who else has promised to help you?" finally asked the first and foremost. "the whimsies," replied the general. again the bear-headed phanfasm laughed. "any others?" he inquired. "only the growleywogs," said guph. this answer set the first and foremost laughing anew. "what share of the spoils am i to have?" was the next question. "anything you like, except king roquat's magic belt," replied guph. at this the phanfasm set up a roar of laughter, which had its echo in the unseen chorus, and the bear-man seemed so amused that he actually rolled upon the ground and shouted with merriment. "oh, these blind and foolish nomes!" he said. "how big they seem to themselves and how small they really are!" suddenly he arose and seized guph's neck with one hairy paw, dragging him out of the hut into the open. here he gave a curious wailing cry, and, as if in answer, from all the rocky huts on the mountain-top came flocking a horde of phanfasms, all with hairy bodies, but wearing heads of various animals, birds and reptiles. all were ferocious and repulsive-looking to the deceived eyes of the nome, and guph could not repress a shudder of disgust as he looked upon them. the first and foremost slowly raised his arms, and in a twinkling his hairy skin fell from him and he appeared before the astonished nome as a beautiful woman, clothed in a flowing gown of pink gauze. in her dark hair flowers were entwined, and her face was noble and calm. at the same instant the entire band of phanfasms was transformed into a pack of howling wolves, running here and there as they snarled and showed their ugly yellow fangs. the woman now raised her arms, even as the man-bear had done, and in a twinkling the wolves became crawling lizards, while she herself changed into a huge butterfly. guph had only time to cry out in fear and take a step backward to avoid the lizards when another transformation occurred, and all returned instantly to the forms they had originally worn. then the first and foremost, who had resumed his hairy body and bear head, turned to the nome and asked: "do you still demand our assistance?" "more than ever," answered the general, firmly. "then tell me: what can you offer the phanfasms that they have not already?" inquired the first and foremost. guph hesitated. he really did not know what to say. the nome king's vaunted magic belt seemed a poor thing compared to the astonishing magical powers of these people. gold, jewels and slaves they might secure in any quantity without especial effort. he felt that he was dealing with powers greatly beyond him. there was but one argument that might influence the phanfasms, who were creatures of evil. "permit me to call your attention to the exquisite joy of making the happy unhappy," said he at last. "consider the pleasure of destroying innocent and harmless people." [illustration] "ah! you have answered me," cried the first and foremost. "for that reason alone we will aid you. go home, and tell your bandy-legged king that as soon as his tunnel is finished the phanfasms will be with him and lead his legions to the conquest of oz. the deadly desert alone has kept us from destroying oz long ago, and your underground tunnel is a clever thought. go home, and prepare for our coming!" guph was very glad to be permitted to go with this promise. the owl-man led him back down the mountain path and ordered the scarlet alligator to crawl away and allow the nome to cross the bridge in safety. after the visitor had gone a brilliant and gorgeous city appeared upon the mountain top, clearly visible to the eyes of the gaily dressed multitude of phanfasms that lived there. and the first and foremost, beautifully arrayed, addressed the others in these words: "it is time we went into the world and brought sorrow and dismay to its people. too long have we remained by ourselves upon this mountain top, for while we are thus secluded many nations have grown happy and prosperous, and the chief joy of the race of phanfasms is to destroy happiness. so i think it is lucky that this messenger from the nomes arrived among us just now, to remind us that the opportunity has come for us to make trouble. we will use king roquat's tunnel to conquer the land of oz. then we will destroy the whimsies, the growleywogs and the nomes, and afterward go out to ravage and annoy and grieve the whole world." the multitude of evil phanfasms eagerly applauded this plan, which they fully approved. i am told that the erbs are the most powerful and merciless of all the evil spirits, and the phanfasms of phantastico belong to the race of erbs. _how_ they matched the fuddles chapter twelve [illustration] dorothy and her fellow travelers rode away from the cuttenclip village and followed the indistinct path as far as the sign-post. here they took the main road again and proceeded pleasantly through the pretty farming country. when evening came they stopped at a dwelling and were joyfully welcomed and given plenty to eat and good beds for the night. early next morning, however, they were up and eager to start, and after a good breakfast they bade their host good-bye and climbed into the red wagon, to which the sawhorse had been hitched all night. being made of wood, this horse never got tired nor cared to lie down. dorothy was not quite sure whether he ever slept or not, but it was certain that he never did when anybody was around. the weather is always beautiful in oz, and this morning the air was cool and refreshing and the sunshine brilliant and delightful. in about an hour they came to a place where another road branched off. there was a sign-post here which read: [illustration: (hand pointing right)] this way to fuddlecumjig "oh, here is where we turn," said dorothy, observing the sign. "what! are we going to fuddlecumjig?" asked the captain general. "yes; ozma thought we would enjoy the fuddles. they are said to be very interesting," she replied. "no one would suspect it from their name," said aunt em. "who are they, anyhow? more paper things?" "i think not," answered dorothy, laughing; "but i can't say 'zactly, aunt em, what they are. we'll find out when we get there." "perhaps the wizard knows," suggested uncle henry. "no; i've never been there before," said the wizard. "but i've often heard of fuddlecumjig and the fuddles, who are said to be the most peculiar people in all the land of oz." "in what way?" asked the shaggy man. "i don't know, i'm sure," said the wizard. just then, as they rode along the pretty green lane toward fuddlecumjig, they espied a kangaroo sitting by the roadside. the poor animal had its face covered with both its front paws and was crying so bitterly that the tears coursed down its cheeks in two tiny streams and trickled across the road, where they formed a pool in a small hollow. [illustration] the sawhorse stopped short at this pitiful sight, and dorothy cried out, with ready sympathy: "what's the matter, kangaroo?" "boo-hoo! boo-hoo!" wailed the kangaroo; "i've lost my mi--mi--mi--oh, boo-hoo! boo-hoo!"-- "poor thing," said the wizard, "she's lost her mister. it's probably her husband, and he's dead." "no, no, no!" sobbed the kangaroo. "it--it isn't that. i've lost my mi--mi--oh, boo, boo-hoo!" "i know," said the shaggy man; "she's lost her mirror." "no; it's my mi--mi--mi--boo-hoo! my mi--oh, boo-hoo!" and the kangaroo cried harder than ever. "it must be her mince-pie," suggested aunt em. "or her milk-toast," proposed uncle henry. "i've lost my mi--mi--mittens!" said the kangaroo, getting it out at last. "oh!" cried the yellow hen, with a cackle of relief. "why didn't you say so before?" "boo-hoo! i--i--couldn't," answered the kangaroo. "but, see here," said dorothy, "you don't need mittens in this warm weather." "yes, indeed i do," replied the animal, stopping her sobs and removing her paws from her face to look at the little girl reproachfully. "my hands will get all sunburned and tanned without my mittens, and i've worn them so long that i'll probably catch cold without them." "nonsense!" said dorothy. "i never heard before of any kangaroo wearing mittens." "didn't you?" asked the animal, as if surprised. "never!" repeated the girl. "and you'll probably make yourself sick if you don't stop crying. where do you live?" "about two miles beyond fuddlecumjig," was the answer. "grandmother gnit made me the mittens, and she's one of the fuddles." "well, you'd better go home now, and perhaps the old lady will make you another pair," suggested dorothy. "we're on our way to fuddlecumjig, and you may hop along beside us." so they rode on, and the kangaroo hopped beside the red wagon and seemed quickly to have forgotten her loss. by and by the wizard said to the animal: "are the fuddles nice people?" "oh, very nice," answered the kangaroo; "that is, when they're properly put together. but they get dreadfully scattered and mixed up, at times, and then you can't do anything with them." "what do you mean by their getting scattered?" inquired dorothy. "why, they're made in a good many small pieces," explained the kangaroo; "and whenever any stranger comes near them they have a habit of falling apart and scattering themselves around. that's when they get so dreadfully mixed, and its a hard puzzle to put them together again." "who usually puts them together?" asked omby amby. "any one who is able to match the pieces. i sometimes put grandmother gnit together myself, because i know her so well i can tell every piece that belongs to her. then, when she's all matched, she knits for me, and that's how she made my mittens. but it took a good many days hard knitting, and i had to put grandmother together a good many times, because every time i came near she'd scatter herself." "i should think she would get used to your coming, and not be afraid," said dorothy. "it isn't that," replied the kangaroo. "they're not a bit afraid, when they're put together, and usually they're very jolly and pleasant. it's just a habit they have, to scatter themselves, and if they didn't do it they wouldn't be fuddles." the travelers thought upon this quite seriously for a time, while the sawhorse continued to carry them rapidly forward. then aunt em remarked: "i don't see much use our visitin' these fuddles. if we find them scattered, all we can do is to sweep 'em up, and then go about our business." "oh, i b'lieve we'd better go on," replied dorothy. "i'm getting hungry, and we must try to get some luncheon at fuddlecumjig. perhaps the food won't be scattered as badly as the people." "you'll find plenty to eat there," declared the kangaroo, hopping along in big bounds because the sawhorse was going so fast; "and they have a fine cook, too, if you can manage to put him together. there's the town now--just ahead of us!" they looked ahead and saw a group of very pretty houses standing in a green field a little apart from the main road. "some munchkins came here a few days ago and matched a lot of people together," said the kangaroo. "i think they are together yet, and if you go softly, without making any noise, perhaps they won't scatter." "let's try it," suggested the wizard. so they stopped the sawhorse and got out of the wagon, and, after bidding good bye to the kangaroo, who hopped away home, they entered the field and very cautiously approached the group of houses. so silently did they move that soon they saw through the windows of the houses, people moving around, while others were passing to and fro in the yards between the buildings. they seemed much like other people, from a distance, and apparently they did not notice the little party so quietly approaching. they had almost reached the nearest house when toto saw a large beetle crossing the path and barked loudly at it. instantly a wild clatter was heard from the houses and yards. dorothy thought it sounded like a sudden hailstorm, and the visitors, knowing that caution was no longer necessary, hurried forward to see what had happened. after the clatter an intense stillness reigned in the town. the strangers entered the first house they came to, which was also the largest, and found the floor strewn with pieces of the people who lived there. they looked much like fragments of wood neatly painted, and were of all sorts of curious and fantastic shapes, no two pieces being in any way alike. they picked up some of these pieces and looked at them carefully. on one which dorothy held was an eye, which looked at her pleasantly but with an interested expression, as if it wondered what she was going to do with it. quite near by she discovered and picked up a nose, and by matching the two pieces together found that they were part of a face. "if i could find the mouth," she said, "this fuddle might be able to talk, and tell us what to do next." "then let us find it," replied the wizard, and so all got down on their hands and knees and began examining the scattered pieces. "i've found it!" cried the shaggy man, and ran to dorothy with a queer-shaped piece that had a mouth on it. but when they tried to fit it to the eye and nose they found the parts wouldn't match together. "that mouth belongs to some other person," said dorothy. "you see we need a curve here and a point there, to make it fit the face." "well, it must be here some place," declared the wizard; "so if we search long enough we shall find it." dorothy fitted an ear on next, and the ear had a little patch of red hair above it. so while the others were searching for the mouth she hunted for pieces with red hair, and found several of them which, when matched to the other pieces, formed the top of a man's head. she had also found the other eye and the ear by the time omby amby in a far corner discovered the mouth. when the face was thus completed all the parts joined together with a nicety that was astonishing. "why, it's like a picture puzzle!" exclaimed the little girl. "let's find the rest of him, and get him all together." "what's the rest of him like?" asked the wizard. "here are some pieces of blue legs and green arms, but i don't know whether they are his or not." "look for a white shirt and a white apron," said the head which had been put together, speaking in a rather faint voice. "i'm the cook." [illustration: "i'm the cook".] "oh, thank you," said dorothy. "it's lucky we started you first, for i'm hungry, and you can be cooking something for us to eat while we match the other folks together." it was not so very difficult, now that they had a hint as to how the man was dressed, to find the other pieces belonging to him, and as all of them now worked on the cook, trying piece after piece to see if it would fit, they finally had the cook set up complete. when he was finished he made them a low bow and said: "i will go at once to the kitchen and prepare your dinner. you will find it something of a job to get all the fuddles together, so i advise you to begin on the lord high chigglewitz, whose first name is larry. he's a bald-headed fat man and is dressed in a blue coat with brass buttons, a pink vest and drab breeches. a piece of his left knee is missing, having been lost years ago when he scattered himself too carelessly. that makes him limp a little, but he gets along very well with half a knee. as he is the chief personage in this town of fuddlecumjig, he will be able to welcome you and assist you with the others. so it will be best to work on him while i'm getting your dinner." "we will," said the wizard; "and thank you very much, cook, for the suggestion." aunt em was the first to discover a piece of the lord high chigglewitz. "it seems to me like a fool business, this matching folks together," she remarked; "but as we haven't anything to do till dinner's ready we may as well get rid of some of this rubbish. here, henry, get busy and look for larry's bald head. i've got his pink vest, all right." they worked with eager interest, and billina proved a great help to them. the yellow hen had sharp eyes and could put her head close to the various pieces that lay scattered around. she would examine the lord high chigglewitz and see which piece of him was next needed, and then hunt around until she found it. so before an hour had passed old larry was standing complete before them. "i congratulate you, my friends," he said, speaking in a cheerful voice. "you are certainly the cleverest people who ever visited us. i was never matched together so quickly in my life. i'm considered a great puzzle, usually." "well," said dorothy, "there used to be a picture puzzle craze in kansas, and so i've had some 'sperience matching puzzles. but the pictures were flat, while you are round, and that makes you harder to figure out." "thank you, my dear," replied old larry, greatly pleased. "i feel highly complimented. were i not a really good puzzle there would be no object in my scattering myself." "why do you do it?" asked aunt em, severely. "why don't you behave yourself, and stay put together?" the lord high chigglewitz seemed annoyed by this speech; but he replied, politely: "madam, you have perhaps noticed that every person has some peculiarity. mine is to scatter myself. what your own peculiarity is i will not venture to say; but i shall never find fault with you, whatever you do." "now, you've got your diploma, em," said uncle henry, with a laugh, "and i'm glad of it. this is a queer country, and we may as well take people as we find them." "if we did, we'd leave these folks scattered," she returned, and this retort made everybody laugh good-naturedly. just then omby amby found a hand with a knitting needle in it, and they decided to put grandmother gnit together. she proved an easier puzzle than old larry, and when she was completed they found her a pleasant old lady who welcomed them cordially. dorothy told her how the kangaroo had lost her mittens, and grandmother gnit promised to set to work at once and make the poor animal another pair. then the cook came to call them to dinner, and they found an inviting meal prepared for them. the lord high chigglewitz sat at the head of the table and grandmother gnit at the foot, and the guests had a merry time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. after dinner they went out into the yard and matched several other people together, and this work was so interesting that they might have spent the entire day at fuddlecumjig had not the wizard suggested that they resume their journey. "but i don't like to leave all these poor people scattered," said dorothy, undecided what to do. [illustration] "oh, don't mind us, my dear," returned old larry. "every day or so some of the gillikins, or munchkins, or winkies come here to amuse themselves by matching us together, so there will be no harm in leaving these pieces where they are for a time. but i hope you will visit us again, and if you do you will always be welcome, i assure you." "don't you ever match each other?" she inquired. "never; for we are no puzzles to ourselves, and so there wouldn't be any fun in it." they now said goodbye to the queer fuddles and got into their wagon to continue their journey. "those are certainly strange people," remarked aunt em, thoughtfully, as they drove away from fuddlecumjig, "but i really can't see what use they are, at all." "why, they amused us all for several hours," replied the wizard. "that is being of use to us, i'm sure." "i think they're more fun than playing solitaire or mumbletypeg," declared uncle henry, soberly. "for my part, i'm glad we visited the fuddles." _how_ the general talked to the king chapter thirteen [illustration] when general guph returned to the cavern of the nome king his majesty asked: "well, what luck? will the whimsies join us?" "they will," answered the general. "they will fight for us with all their strength and cunning." "good!" exclaimed the king. "what reward did you promise them?" "your majesty is to use the magic belt to give each whimsie a large, fine head, in place of the small one he is now obliged to wear." "i agree to that," said the king. "this is good news, guph, and it makes me feel more certain of the conquest of oz." "but i have other news for you," announced the general. "good or bad?" "good, your majesty." "then i will hear it," said the king, with interest. "the growleywogs will join us." "no!" cried the astonished king. "yes, indeed," said the general. "i have their promise." "but what reward do they demand?" inquired the king, suspiciously, for he knew how greedy the growleywogs were. "they are to take a few of the oz people for their slaves," replied guph. he did not think it necessary to tell roquat that the growleywogs demanded twenty thousand slaves. it would be time enough for that when oz was conquered. "a very reasonable request, i'm sure," remarked the king. "i must congratulate you, guph, upon the wonderful success of your journey." "but that is not all," said the general, proudly. the king seemed astonished. "speak out, sir!" he commanded. "i have seen the first and foremost phanfasm of the mountain of phantastico, and he will bring his people to assist us." "what!" cried the king. "the phanfasms! you don't mean it, guph!" "it is true," declared the general, proudly. the king became thoughtful, and his brows wrinkled. "i'm afraid, guph," he said rather anxiously, "that the first and foremost may prove as dangerous to us as to the oz people. if he and his terrible band come down from the mountain they may take the notion to conquer the nomes!" "pah! that is a foolish idea," retorted guph, irritably, but he knew in his heart that the king was right. "the first and foremost is a particular friend of mine, and will do us no harm. why, when i was there, he even invited me into his house." the general neglected to tell the king how he had been jerked into the hut of the first and foremost by means of the brass hoop. so roquat the red looked at his general admiringly and said: "you are a wonderful nome, guph. i'm sorry i did not make you my general before. but what reward did the first and foremost demand?" "nothing at all," answered guph. "even the magic belt itself could not add to his powers of sorcery. all the phanfasms wish is to destroy the oz people, who are good and happy. this pleasure will amply repay them for assisting us." "when will they come?" asked roquat, half fearfully. "when the tunnel is completed," said the general. "we are nearly half way under the desert now," announced the king; "and that is fast work, because the tunnel has to be drilled through solid rock. but after we have passed the desert it will not take us long to extend the tunnel to the walls of the emerald city." "well, whenever you are ready, we shall be joined by the whimsies, the growleywogs and the phanfasms," said guph; "so the conquest of oz is assured without a doubt." again the king seemed thoughtful. "i'm almost sorry we did not undertake the conquest alone," said he. "all of these allies are dangerous people, and they may demand more than you have promised them. it might have been better to have conquered oz without any outside assistance." "we could not do it," said the general, positively. "why not, guph?" "you know very well. you have had one experience with the oz people, and they defeated you." "that was because they rolled eggs at us," replied the king, with a shudder. "my nomes cannot stand eggs, any more than i can myself. they are poison to all who live underground." "that is true enough," agreed guph. "but we might have taken the oz people by surprise, and conquered them before they had a chance to get any eggs. our former defeat was due to the fact that the girl dorothy had a yellow hen with her. i do not know what ever became of that hen, but i believe there are no hens at all in the land of oz, and so there could be no eggs there." "on the contrary," said guph, "there are now hundreds of chickens in oz, and they lay heaps of those dangerous eggs. i met a goshawk on my way home, and the bird informed me that he had lately been to oz to capture and devour some of the young chickens. but they are protected by magic, so the hawk did not get a single one of them." [illustration] "that is a very bad report," said the king, nervously. "very bad, indeed. my nomes are willing to fight, but they simply can't face hen's eggs--and i don't blame them." "they won't need to face them," replied guph. "i'm afraid of eggs myself, and don't propose to take any chances of being poisoned by them. my plan is to send the whimsies through the tunnel first, and then the growleywogs and the phanfasms. by the time we nomes get there the eggs will all be used up, and we may then pursue and capture the inhabitants at our leisure." "perhaps you are right," returned the king, with a dismal sigh. "but i want it distinctly understood that i claim ozma and dorothy as my own prisoners. they are rather nice girls, and i do not intend to let any of those dreadful creatures hurt them, or make them their slaves. when i have captured them i will bring them here and transform them into china ornaments to stand on my mantle. they will look very pretty--dorothy on one end of the mantle and ozma on the other--and i shall take great care to see they are not broken when the maids dust them." "very well, your majesty. do what you will with the girls, for all i care. now that our plans are arranged, and we have the three most powerful bands of evil spirits in the world to assist us, let us make haste to get the tunnel finished as soon as possible." "it will be ready in three days," promised the king, and hurried away to inspect the work and see that the nomes kept busy. _how_ the wizard practiced sorcery chapter fourteen [illustration] "where next?" asked the wizard, when they had left the town of fuddlecumjig and the sawhorse had started back along the road. "why, ozma laid out this trip," replied dorothy, "and she 'vised us to see the rigmaroles next, and then visit the tin woodman." "that sounds good," said the wizard. "but what road do we take to get to the rigmaroles?" "i don't know, 'zactly," returned the little girl; "but it must be somewhere just southwest from here." "then why need we go way back to the crossroads?" asked the shaggy man. "we might save a lot of time by branching off here." "there isn't any path," asserted uncle henry. "then we'd better go back to the signposts, and make sure of our way," decided dorothy. but after they had gone a short distance farther the sawhorse, who had overheard their conversation, stopped and said: "here is a path." sure enough, a dim path seemed to branch off from the road they were on, and it led across pretty green meadows and past leafy groves, straight toward the southwest. "that looks like a good path," said omby amby. "why not try it?" "all right," answered dorothy. "i'm anxious to see what the rigmaroles are like, and this path ought to take us there the quickest way." no one made any objection to the plan, so the sawhorse turned into the path, which proved to be nearly as good as the one they had taken to get to the fuddles. at first they passed a few retired farm houses, but soon these scattered dwellings were left behind and only the meadows and the trees were before them. but they rode along in cheerful contentment, and aunt em got into an argument with billina about the proper way to raise chickens. "i do not care to contradict you," said the yellow hen, with dignity, "but i have an idea i know more about chickens than human beings do." "pshaw!" replied aunt em, "i've raised chickens for nearly forty years, billina, and i know you've got to starve 'em to make 'em lay lots of eggs, and stuff 'em if you want good broilers." "broilers!" exclaimed billina, in horror. "broil my chickens!" "why, that's what they're for, ain't it?" asked aunt em, astonished. "no, aunt, not in oz," said dorothy. "people do not eat chickens here. you see, billina was the first hen that was ever seen in this country, and i brought her here myself. everybody liked her an' respected her, so the oz people wouldn't any more eat her chickens than they would eat billina." "well, i declare," gasped aunt em. "how about the eggs?" "oh, if we have more eggs than we want to hatch, we allow people to eat them," said billina. "indeed, i am very glad the oz folks like our eggs, for otherwise they would spoil." "this certainly is a queer country," sighed aunt em. "excuse me," called the sawhorse, "the path has ended and i'd like to know which way to go." they looked around and, sure enough, there was no path to be seen. "well," said dorothy, "we're going southwest, and it seems just as easy to follow that direction without a path as with one." "certainly," answered the sawhorse. "it is not hard to draw the wagon over the meadow. i only want to know where to go." "there's a forest over there across the prairie," said the wizard, "and it lies in the direction we are going. make straight for the forest, sawhorse, and you're bound to go right." so the wooden animal trotted on again and the meadow grass was so soft under the wheels that it made easy riding. but dorothy was a little uneasy at losing the path, because now there was nothing to guide them. no houses were to be seen at all, so they could not ask their way of any farmer; and although the land of oz was always beautiful, wherever one might go, this part of the country was strange to all the party. "perhaps we're lost," suggested aunt em, after they had proceeded quite a way in silence. "never mind," said the shaggy man; "i've been lost many a time--and so has dorothy--and we've always been found again." "but we may get hungry," remarked omby amby. "that is the worst of getting lost in a place where there are no houses near." "we had a good dinner at the fuddle town," said uncle henry, "and that will keep us from starving to death for a long time." "no one ever starved to death in oz," declared dorothy, positively; "but people may get pretty hungry sometimes." the wizard said nothing, and he did not seem especially anxious. the sawhorse was trotting along briskly, yet the forest seemed farther away than they had thought when they first saw it. so it was nearly sundown when they finally came to the trees; but now they found themselves in a most beautiful spot, the wide-spreading trees being covered with flowering vines and having soft mosses underneath them. "this will be a good place to camp," said the wizard, as the sawhorse stopped for further instructions. "camp!" they all echoed. "certainly," asserted the wizard. "it will be dark before very long and we cannot travel through this forest at night. so let us make a camp here, and have some supper, and sleep until daylight comes again." they all looked at the little man in astonishment, and aunt em said, with a sniff: "a pretty camp we'll have, i must say! i suppose you intend us to sleep under the wagon." "and chew grass for our supper," added the shaggy man, laughing. but dorothy seemed to have no doubts and was quite cheerful. "it's lucky we have the wonderful wizard with us," she said; "because he can do 'most anything he wants to." "oh, yes; i forgot we had a wizard," said uncle henry, looking at the little man curiously. "i didn't," chirped billina, contentedly. the wizard smiled and climbed out of the wagon, and all the others followed him. "in order to camp," said he, "the first thing we need is tents. will some one please lend me a handkerchief?" the shaggy man offered him one, and aunt em another. he took them both and laid them carefully upon the grass near to the edge of the forest. then he laid his own handkerchief down, too, and standing a little back from them he waved his left hand toward the handkerchiefs and said: "tents of canvas, white as snow, let me see how fast you grow!" then, lo and behold! the handkerchiefs became tiny tents, and as the travelers looked at them the tents grew bigger and bigger until in a few minutes each one was large enough to contain the entire party. "this," said the wizard, pointing to the first tent, "is for the accommodation of the ladies. dorothy, you and your aunt may step inside and take off your things." every one ran to look inside the tent, and they saw two pretty white beds, all ready for dorothy and aunt em, and a silver roost for billina. rugs were spread upon the grassy floor and some camp chairs and a table completed the furniture. "well, well, well! this beats anything i ever saw or heard of!" exclaimed aunt em, and she glanced at the wizard almost fearfully, as if he might be dangerous because of his great powers. "oh, mr. wizard! how did you manage to do it?" asked dorothy. "it's a trick glinda the sorceress taught me, and it is much better magic than i used to practise in omaha, or when i first came to oz," he answered. "when the good glinda found i was to live in the emerald city always, she promised to help me, because she said the wizard of oz ought really to be a clever wizard, and not a humbug. so we have been much together and i am learning so fast that i expect to be able to accomplish some really wonderful things in time." "you've done it now!" declared dorothy. "these tents are just wonderful!" "but come and see the men's tent," said the wizard. so they went to the second tent, which had shaggy edges because it had been made from the shaggy man's handkerchief, and found that completely furnished also. it contained four neat beds for uncle henry, omby amby, the shaggy man and the wizard. also there was a soft rug for toto to lie upon. "the third tent," explained the wizard, "is our dining room and kitchen." they visited that next, and found a table and dishes in the dining tent, with plenty of those things necessary to use in cooking. the wizard carried out a big kettle and set it swinging on a crossbar before the tent. while he was doing this omby amby and the shaggy man brought a supply of twigs from the forest and then they built a fire underneath the kettle. "now, dorothy," said the wizard, smiling, "i expect you to cook our supper." "but there is nothing in the kettle," she cried. "are you sure?" inquired the wizard. "i didn't see anything put in, and i'm almost sure it was empty when you brought it out," she replied. "nevertheless," said the little man, winking slyly at uncle henry, "you will do well to watch our supper, my dear, and see that it doesn't boil over." then the men took some pails and went into the forest to search for a spring of water, and while they were gone aunt em said to dorothy: "i believe the wizard is fooling us. i saw the kettle myself, and when he hung it over the fire there wasn't a thing in it but air." [illustration] "don't worry," remarked billina, confidently, as she nestled in the grass before the fire. "you'll find something in the kettle when it's taken off--and it won't be poor, innocent chickens, either." "your hen has very bad manners, dorothy," said aunt em, looking somewhat disdainfully at billina. "it seems too bad she ever learned how to talk." there might have been another unpleasant quarrel between aunt em and billina had not the men returned just then with their pails filled with clear, sparkling water. the wizard told dorothy that she was a good cook and he believed their supper was ready. so uncle henry lifted the kettle from the fire and poured its contents into a big platter which the wizard held for him. the platter was fairly heaped with a fine stew, smoking hot, with many kinds of vegetables and dumplings and a rich, delicious gravy. the wizard triumphantly placed the platter upon the table in the dining tent and then they all sat down in camp chairs to the feast. there were several other dishes on the table, all carefully covered, and when the time came to remove these covers they found bread and butter, cakes, cheese, pickles and fruits--including some of the luscious strawberries of oz. no one ventured to ask a question as to how these things came there. they contented themselves by eating heartily the good things provided, and toto and billina had their full share, you may be sure. after the meal was over aunt em whispered to dorothy: "that may have been magic food, my dear, and for that reason perhaps it won't be very nourishing; but i'm willing to say it tasted as good as anything i ever et." then she added, in a louder tone: "who's going to do the dishes?" "no one, madam," answered the wizard. "the dishes have 'done' themselves." "la sakes!" ejaculated the good lady, holding up her hands in amazement. for, sure enough, when she looked at the dishes they had a moment before left upon the table, she found them all washed and dried and piled up into neat stacks. [illustration] _how_ dorothy happened to get lost chapter fifteen [illustration] it was a beautiful evening, so they drew their camp chairs in a circle before one of the tents and began to tell stories to amuse themselves and pass away the time before they went to bed. pretty soon a zebra was seen coming out of the forest, and he trotted straight up to them and said politely: "good evening, people." the zebra was a sleek little animal and had a slender head, a stubby mane and a paint-brush tail--very like a donkey's. his neatly shaped white body was covered with regular bars of dark brown, and his hoofs were delicate as those of a deer. "good evening, friend zebra," said omby amby, in reply to the creature's greeting. "can we do anything for you?" "yes," answered the zebra. "i should like you to settle a dispute that has long been a bother to me, as to whether there is more water or land in the world." "who are you disputing with?" asked the wizard. "with a soft-shell crab," said the zebra. "he lives in a pool where i go to drink every day, and he is a very impertinent crab, i assure you. i have told him many times that the land is much greater in extent than the water, but he will not be convinced. even this very evening, when i told him he was an insignificant creature who lived in a small pool, he asserted that the water was greater and more important than the land. so, seeing your camp, i decided to ask you to settle the dispute for once and all, that i may not be further annoyed by this ignorant crab." when they had listened to this explanation dorothy inquired: "where is the soft-shell crab?" "not far away," replied the zebra. "if you will agree to judge between us i will run and get him." "run along, then," said the little girl. so the animal pranced into the forest and soon came trotting back to them. when he drew near they found a soft-shell crab clinging fast to the stiff hair of the zebra's head, where it held on by one claw. "now then, mr. crab," said the zebra, "here are the people i told you about; and they know more than you do, who live in a pool, and more than i do, who live in a forest. for they have been travelers all over the world, and know every part of it." "there's more of the world than oz," declared the crab, in a stubborn voice. "that is true," said dorothy; "but i used to live in kansas, in the united states, and i've been to california and to australia--and so has uncle henry." "for my part," added the shaggy man, "i've been to mexico and boston and many other foreign countries." "and i," said the wizard, "have been to europe and ireland." "so you see," continued the zebra, addressing the crab, "here are people of real consequence, who know what they are talking about." "then they know there's more water in the world than there is land," asserted the crab, in a shrill, petulant voice. "they know you are wrong to make such an absurd statement, and they will probably think you are a lobster instead of a crab," retorted the animal. at this taunt the crab reached out its other claw and seized the zebra's ear, and the creature gave a cry of pain and began prancing up and down, trying to shake off the crab, which clung fast. "stop pinching!" cried the zebra. "you promised not to pinch if i would carry you here!" "and you promised to treat me respectfully," said the crab, letting go the ear. "well, haven't i?" demanded the zebra. "no; you called me a lobster," said the crab. "ladies and gentlemen," continued the zebra, "please pardon my poor friend, because he is ignorant and stupid, and does not understand. also the pinch of his claw is very annoying. so pray tell him that the world contains more land than water, and when he has heard your judgment i will carry him back and dump him into his pool, where i hope he will be more modest in the future." "but we cannot tell him that," said dorothy, gravely, "because it would not be true." "what!" exclaimed the zebra, in astonishment; "do i hear you aright?" "the soft-shell crab is correct," declared the wizard. "there is considerably more water than there is land in the world." "impossible!" protested the zebra. "why, i can run for days upon the land, and find but little water." "did you ever see an ocean?" asked dorothy. "never," admitted the zebra. "there is no such thing as an ocean in the land of oz." "well, there are several oceans in the world," said dorothy, "and people sail in ships upon these oceans for weeks and weeks, and never see a bit of land at all. and the joggerfys will tell you that all the oceans put together are bigger than all the land put together." at this the crab began laughing in queer chuckles that reminded dorothy of the way billina sometimes cackled. "_now_ will you give up, mr. zebra?" it cried, jeeringly; "now will you give up?" the zebra seemed much humbled. "of course i cannot read geographys," he said. "you could take one of the wizard's school pills," suggested billina, "and that would make you learned and wise without studying." the crab began laughing again, which so provoked the zebra that he tried to shake the little creature off. this resulted in more ear-pinching, and finally dorothy told them that if they could not behave they must go back to the forest. "i'm sorry i asked you to decide this question," said the zebra, crossly. "so long as neither of us could prove we were right we quite enjoyed the dispute; but now i can never drink at that pool again without the soft-shell crab laughing at me. so i must find another drinking place." "do! do, you ignoramus!" shouted the crab, as loudly as his little voice would carry. "rile some other pool with your clumsy hoofs, and let your betters alone after this!" then the zebra trotted back to the forest, bearing the crab with him, and disappeared amid the gloom of the trees. and as it was now getting dark the travelers said good night to one another and went to bed. [illustration] dorothy awoke just as the light was beginning to get strong next morning, and not caring to sleep any later she quietly got out of bed, dressed herself, and left the tent where aunt em was yet peacefully slumbering. outside she noticed billina busily pecking around to secure bugs or other food for breakfast, but none of the men in the other tent seemed awake. so the little girl decided to take a walk in the woods and try to discover some path or road that they might follow when they again started upon their journey. she had reached the edge of the forest when the yellow hen came fluttering along and asked where she was going. "just to take a walk, billina; and maybe i'll find some path," said dorothy. "then i'll go along," decided billina, and scarcely had she spoken when toto ran up and joined them. toto and the yellow hen had become quite friendly by this time, although at first they did not get along well together. billina had been rather suspicious of dogs, and toto had had an idea that it was every dog's duty to chase a hen on sight. but dorothy had talked to them and scolded them for not being agreeable to one another until they grew better acquainted and became friends. i won't say they loved each other dearly, but at least they had stopped quarreling and now managed to get on together very well. the day was growing lighter every minute and driving the black shadows out of the forest; so dorothy found it very pleasant walking under the trees. she went some distance in one direction, but not finding a path, presently turned in a different direction. there was no path here, either, although she advanced quite a way into the forest, winding here and there among the trees and peering through the bushes in an endeavor to find some beaten track. "i think we'd better go back," suggested the yellow hen, after a time. "the people will all be up by this time and breakfast will be ready." "very well," agreed dorothy. "let's see--the camp must be over this way." she had probably made a mistake about that, for after they had gone far enough to have reached the camp they still found themselves in the thick of the woods. so the little girl stopped short and looked around her, and toto glanced up into her face with his bright little eyes and wagged his tail as if he knew something was wrong. he couldn't tell much about direction himself, because he had spent his time prowling among the bushes and running here and there; nor had billina paid much attention to where they were going, being interested in picking bugs from the moss as they passed along. the yellow hen now turned one eye up toward the little girl and asked: "have you forgotten where the camp is, dorothy?" "yes," she admitted; "have you, billina?" "i didn't try to remember," returned billina. "i'd no idea you would get lost, dorothy." "it's the thing we don't expect, billina, that usually happens," observed the girl, thoughtfully. "but it's no use standing here. let's go in that direction," pointing a finger at random. "it may be we'll get out of the forest over there." so on they went again, but this way the trees were closer together, and the vines were so tangled that often they tripped dorothy up. suddenly a voice cried sharply: "halt!" [illustration: "halt!"] at first dorothy could see nothing, although she looked around very carefully. but billina exclaimed: "well, i declare!" "what is it?" asked the little girl: for toto began barking at something, and following his gaze she discovered what it was. a row of spoons had surrounded the three, and these spoons stood straight up on their handles and carried swords and muskets. their faces were outlined in the polished bowls and they looked very stern and severe. dorothy laughed at the queer things. "who are you?" she asked. "we're the spoon brigade," said one. "in the service of his majesty king kleaver," said another. "and you are our prisoners," said a third. dorothy sat down on an old stump and looked at them, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "what would happen," she inquired, "if i should set my dog on your brigade?" "he would die," replied one of the spoons, sharply. "one shot from our deadly muskets would kill him, big as he is." "don't risk it, dorothy," advised the yellow hen. "remember this is a fairy country, yet none of us three happens to be a fairy." dorothy grew sober at this. "p'raps you're right, billina," she answered. "but how funny it is, to be captured by a lot of spoons!" "i do not see anything very funny about it," declared a spoon. "we're the regular military brigade of the kingdom." "what kingdom?" she asked. "utensia," said he. "i never heard of it before," asserted dorothy. then she added, thoughtfully, "i don't believe ozma ever heard of utensia, either. tell me, are you not subjects of ozma of oz?" "we never have heard of her," retorted a spoon. "we are subjects of king kleaver, and obey only his orders, which are to bring all prisoners to him as soon as they are captured. so step lively, my girl, and march with us, or we may be tempted to cut off a few of your toes with our swords." this threat made dorothy laugh again. she did not believe she was in any danger; but here was a new and interesting adventure, so she was willing to be taken to utensia that she might see what king kleaver's kingdom was like. [illustration] _how_ dorothy visited utensia chapter sixteen [illustration] there must have been from six to eight dozen spoons in the brigade, and they marched away in the shape of a hollow square, with dorothy, billina and toto in the center of the square. before they had gone very far toto knocked over one of the spoons by wagging his tail, and then the captain of the spoons told the little dog to be more careful, or he would be punished. so toto was careful, and the spoon brigade moved along with astonishing swiftness, while dorothy really had to walk fast to keep up with it. by and by they left the woods and entered a big clearing, in which was the kingdom of utensia. standing all around the clearing were a good many cookstoves, ranges and grills, of all sizes and shapes, and besides these there were several kitchen cabinets and cupboards and a few kitchen tables. these things were crowded with utensils of all sorts: frying pans, sauce pans, kettles, forks, knives, basting and soup spoons, nutmeg graters, sifters, colenders, meat saws, flat irons, rolling pins and many other things of a like nature. when the spoon brigade appeared with the prisoners a wild shout arose and many of the utensils hopped off their stoves or their benches and ran crowding around dorothy and the hen and the dog. "stand back!" cried the captain, sternly, and he led his captives through the curious throng until they came before a big range that stood in the center of the clearing. beside this range was a butcher's block upon which lay a great cleaver with a keen edge. it rested upon the flat of its back, its legs were crossed and it was smoking a long pipe. [illustration] "wake up, your majesty," said the captain. "here are prisoners." hearing this, king kleaver sat up and looked at dorothy sharply. "gristle and fat!" he cried. "where did this girl come from?" "i found her in the forest and brought her here a prisoner," replied the captain. "why did you do that?" inquired the king, puffing his pipe lazily. "to create some excitement," the captain answered. "it is so quiet here that we are all getting rusty for want of amusement. for my part, i prefer to see stirring times." "naturally," returned the cleaver, with a nod. "i have always said, captain, without a bit of irony, that you are a sterling officer and a solid citizen, bowled and polished to a degree. but what do you expect me to do with these prisoners?" "that is for you to decide," declared the captain. "you are the king." "to be sure; to be sure," muttered the cleaver, musingly. "as you say, we have had dull times since the steel and grindstone eloped and left us. command my counselors and the royal courtiers to attend me, as well as the high priest and the judge. we'll then decide what can be done." the captain saluted and retired and dorothy sat down on an overturned kettle and asked: "have you anything to eat in your kingdom?" "here! get up! get off from me!" cried a faint voice, at which his majesty the cleaver said: "excuse me, but you're sitting on my friend the ten-quart kettle." dorothy at once arose, and the kettle turned right side up and looked at her reproachfully. "i'm a friend of the king, so no one dares sit on me," said he. "i'd prefer a chair, anyway," she replied. "sit on that hearth," commanded the king. so dorothy sat on the hearth-shelf of the big range, and the subjects of utensia began to gather around in a large and inquisitive throng. toto lay at dorothy's feet and billina flew upon the range, which had no fire in it, and perched there as comfortably as she could. when all the counselors and courtiers had assembled--and these seemed to include most of the inhabitants of the kingdom--the king rapped on the block for order and said: "friends and fellow utensils! our worthy commander of the spoon brigade, captain dipp, has captured the three prisoners you see before you and brought them here for--for--i don't know what for. so i ask your advice how to act in this matter, and what fate i should mete out to these captives. judge sifter, stand on my right. it is your business to sift this affair to the bottom. high priest colender, stand on my left and see that no one testifies falsely in this matter." as these two officials took their places dorothy asked: "why is the colender the high priest?" "he's the holiest thing we have in the kingdom," replied king kleaver. "except me," said a sieve. "i'm the whole thing when it comes to holes." "what we need," remarked the king, rebukingly, "is a wireless sieve. i must speak to marconi about it. these old fashioned sieves talk too much. now, it is the duty of the king's counselors to counsel the king at all times of emergency, so i beg you to speak out and advise me what to do with these prisoners." "i demand that they be killed several times, until they are dead!" shouted a pepperbox, hopping around very excitedly. "compose yourself, mr. paprica," advised the king. "your remarks are piquant and highly-seasoned, but you need a scattering of commonsense. it is only necessary to kill a person once to make him dead; but i do not see that it is necessary to kill this little girl at all." "i don't, either," said dorothy. "pardon me, but you are not expected to advise me in this matter," replied king kleaver. "why not?" asked dorothy. "you might be prejudiced in your own favor, and so mislead us," he said. "now then, good subjects, who speaks next?" "i'd like to smooth this thing over, in some way," said a flatiron, earnestly. "we are supposed to be useful to mankind, you know." "but the girl isn't mankind! she's womankind!" yelled a corkscrew. "what do you know about it?" inquired the king. "i'm a lawyer," said the corkscrew, proudly. "i am accustomed to appear at the bar." "but you're crooked," retorted the king, "and that debars you. you may be a corking good lawyer, mr. popp, but i must ask you to withdraw your remarks." "very well," said the corkscrew, sadly; "i see i haven't any pull at this court." "permit me," continued the flatiron, "to press my suit, your majesty. i do not wish to gloss over any fault the prisoner may have committed, if such a fault exists; but we owe her some consideration, and that's flat!" "i'd like to hear from prince karver," said the king. at this a stately carvingknife stepped forward and bowed. "the captain was wrong to bring this girl here, and she was wrong to come," he said. "but now that the foolish deed is done let us all prove our mettle and have a slashing good time." "that's it! that's it!" screamed a fat choppingknife. "we'll make mincemeat of the girl and hash of the chicken and sausage of the dog!" there was a shout of approval at this and the king had to rap again for order. "gentlemen, gentlemen!" he said, "your remarks are somewhat cutting and rather disjointed, as might be expected from such acute intellects. but you give no reasons for your demands." "see here, kleaver; you make me tired," exclaimed a saucepan, strutting before the king very impudently. "you're about the worst king that ever reigned in utensia, and that's saying a good deal. why don't you run things yourself, instead of asking everybody's advice, like the big, clumsy idiot you are?" the king sighed. "i wish there wasn't a saucepan in my kingdom," he said. "you fellows are always stewing, over something, and every once in a while you slop over and make a mess of it. go hang yourself, sir--by the handle--and don't let me hear from you again." dorothy was much shocked by the dreadful language the utensils employed, and she thought that they must have had very little proper training. so she said, addressing the king, who seemed very unfit to rule his turbulent subjects: "i wish you'd decide my fate right away. i can't stay here all day, trying to find out what you're going to do with me." "this thing is becoming a regular broil, and it's time i took part in it," observed a big gridiron, coming forward. "what i'd like to know," said a can-opener, in a shrill voice, "is why the girl came to our forest, anyhow, and why she intruded upon captain dipp--who ought to be called dippy--and who she is, and where she came from, and where she is going, and why and wherefore and therefore and when." "i'm sorry to see, sir jabber," remarked the king to the can-opener, "that you have such a prying disposition. as a matter of fact, all the things you mention are none of our business." having said this the king relighted his pipe, which had gone out. "tell me, please, what _is_ our business?" inquired a potato-masher, winking at dorothy somewhat impertinently. "i'm fond of little girls, myself, and it seems to me she has as much right to wander in the forest as we have." "who accuses the little girl, anyway?" inquired a rolling-pin. "what has she done?" "i don't know," said the king. "what has she done, captain dipp?" "that's the trouble, your majesty. she hasn't done anything," replied the captain. "what do you want me to do?" asked dorothy. this question seemed to puzzle them all. finally a chafingdish, exclaimed, irritably: "if no one can throw any light on this subject you must excuse me if i go out." at this a big kitchen fork pricked up its ears and said in a tiny voice: "let's hear from judge sifter." "that's proper," returned the king. so judge sifter turned around slowly several times and then said: "we have nothing against the girl except the stove-hearth upon which she sits. therefore i order her instantly discharged." "discharged!" cried dorothy. "why, i never was discharged in my life, and i don't intend to be. if its all the same to you, i'll resign." "it's all the same," declared the king. "you are free--you and your companions--and may go wherever you like." "thank you," said the little girl. "but haven't you anything to eat in your kingdom? i'm hungry." "go into the woods and pick blackberries," advised the king, lying down upon his back again and preparing to go to sleep. "there isn't a morsel to eat in all utensia, that i know of." so dorothy jumped up and said: "come on, toto and billina. if we can't find the camp we may find some blackberries." the utensils drew back and allowed them to pass without protest, although captain dipp marched the spoon brigade in close order after them until they had reached the edge of the clearing. there the spoons halted; but dorothy and her companions entered the forest again and began searching diligently for a way back to the camp, that they might rejoin their party. [illustration] _how_ they came to bunbury chapter seventeen [illustration] wandering through the woods, without knowing where you are going or what adventure you are about to meet next, is not as pleasant as one might think. the woods are always beautiful and impressive, and if you are not worried or hungry you may enjoy them immensely; but dorothy was worried and hungry that morning, so she paid little attention to the beauties of the forest, and hurried along as fast as she could go. she tried to keep in one direction and not circle around, but she was not at all sure that the direction she had chosen would lead her to the camp. by and by, to her great joy, she came upon a path. it ran to the right and to the left, being lost in the trees in both directions, and just before her, upon a big oak, were fastened two signs, with arms pointing both ways. one sign read: [illustration: (hand pointing right)] take the other road to bunbury and the second sign read: [illustration: (hand pointing right)] take the other road to bunnybury "well!" exclaimed billina, eyeing the signs, "this looks as if we were getting back to civilization again." "i'm not sure about the civil'zation, dear," replied the little girl; "but it looks as if we might get _somewhere_, and that's a big relief, anyhow." "which path shall we take?" inquired the yellow hen. dorothy stared at the signs thoughtfully. "bunbury sounds like something to eat," she said. "let's go there." "it's all the same to me," replied billina. she had picked up enough bugs and insects from the moss as she went along to satisfy her own hunger, but the hen knew dorothy could not eat bugs; nor could toto. the path to bunbury seemed little traveled, but it was distinct enough and ran through the trees in a zigzag course until it finally led them to an open space filled with the queerest houses dorothy had ever seen. they were all made of crackers, laid out in tiny squares, and were of many pretty and ornamental shapes, having balconies and porches with posts of bread-sticks and roofs shingled with wafer-crackers. there were walks of bread-crusts leading from house to house and forming streets, and the place seemed to have many inhabitants. when dorothy, followed by billina and toto, entered the place, they found people walking the streets or assembled in groups talking together, or sitting upon the porches and balconies. and what funny people they were! men, women, and children were all made of buns and bread. some were thin and others fat; some were white, some light brown and some very dark of complexion. a few of the buns, which seemed to form the more important class of the people, were neatly frosted. some had raisins for eyes and currant buttons on their clothes; others had eyes of cloves and legs of stick cinnamon, and many wore hats and bonnets frosted pink and green. there was something of a commotion in bunbury when the strangers suddenly appeared among them. women caught up their children and hurried into their houses, shutting the cracker doors carefully behind them. some men ran so hastily that they tumbled over one another, while others, more brave, assembled in a group and faced the intruders defiantly. dorothy at once realized that she must act with caution in order not to frighten these shy people, who were evidently unused to the presence of strangers. there was a delightful fragrant odor of fresh bread in the town, and this made the little girl more hungry than ever. she told toto and billina to stay back while she slowly advanced toward the group that stood silently awaiting her. "you must 'scuse me for coming unexpected," she said, softly, "but i really didn't know i was coming here until i arrived. i was lost in the woods, you know, and i'm as hungry as anything." "hungry!" they murmured, in a horrified chorus. "yes; i haven't had anything to eat since last night's supper," she explained. "are there any eatables in bunbury?" they looked at one another undecidedly, and then one portly bun man, who seemed a person of consequence, stepped forward and said: "little girl, to be frank with you, we are all eatables. everything in bunbury is eatable to ravenous human creatures like you. but it is to escape being eaten and destroyed that we have secluded ourselves in this out-of-the-way place, and there is neither right nor justice in your coming here to feed upon us." dorothy looked at him longingly. "you're bread, aren't you?" she asked. "yes; bread and butter. the butter is inside me, so it won't melt and run. i do the running myself." at this joke all the others burst into a chorus of laughter, and dorothy thought they couldn't be much afraid if they could laugh like that. "couldn't i eat something besides people?" she asked. "couldn't i eat just one house, or a side-walk, or something? i wouldn't mind much what it was, you know." "this is not a public bakery, child," replied the man, sternly. "it's private property." "i know mr.--mr.--" "my name is c. bunn, esquire," said the man. "c stands for cinnamon, and this place is called after my family, which is the most aristocratic in the town." "oh, i don't know about that," objected another of the queer people. "the grahams and the browns and whites are all excellent families, and there are none better of their kind. i'm a boston brown, myself." "i admit you are all desirable citizens," said mr. bunn, rather stiffly; "but the fact remains that our town is called bunbury." "'scuse me," interrupted dorothy; "but i'm getting hungrier every minute. now, if you're polite and kind, as i'm sure you ought to be, you'll let me eat _something_. there's so much to eat here that you never will miss it." then a big, puffed-up man, of a delicate brown color, stepped forward and said: "i think it would be a shame to send this child away hungry, especially as she agrees to eat whatever we can spare and not touch our people." "so do i, pop," replied a roll who stood near. "what, then, do you suggest, mr. over?" inquired mr. bunn. "why, i'll let her eat my back fence, if she wants to. it's made of waffles, and they're very crisp and nice." "she may also eat my wheelbarrow," added a pleasant looking muffin. "it's made of nabiscos with a zuzu wheel." "very good; very good," remarked mr. bunn. "that is certainly very kind of you. go with pop over and mr. muffin, little girl, and they will feed you." "thank you very much," said dorothy, gratefully. "may i bring my dog toto, and the yellow hen? they're hungry, too." "will you make them behave?" asked the muffin. "of course," promised dorothy. "then come along," said pop over. so dorothy and billina and toto walked up the street and the people seemed no longer to be at all afraid of them. mr. muffin's house came first, and as his wheelbarrow stood in the front yard the little girl ate that first. it didn't seem very fresh, but she was so hungry that she was not particular. toto ate some, too, while billina picked up the crumbs. while the strangers were engaged in eating, many of the people came and stood in the street curiously watching them. dorothy noticed six roguish looking brown children standing all in a row, and she asked: "who are you, little ones?" "we're the graham gems," replied one; "and we're all twins." "i wonder if your mother could spare one or two of you?" asked billina, who decided that they were fresh baked; but at this dangerous question the six little gems ran away as fast as they could go. "you mustn't say such things, billina," said dorothy, reprovingly. "now let's go into pop over's back yard and get the waffles." "i sort of hate to let that fence go," remarked mr. over, nervously, as they walked toward his house. "the neighbors back of us are soda biscuits, and i don't care to mix with them." "but i'm hungry yet," declared the girl. "that wheelbarrow wasn't very big." "i've got a shortcake piano, but none of my family can play on it," he said, reflectively. "suppose you eat that." "all right," said dorothy; "i don't mind. anything to be accomodating." [illustration] so mr. over led her into the house, where she ate the piano, which was of an excellent flavor. "is there anything to drink here?" she asked. "yes; i've a milk pump and a water pump; which will you have?" he asked. "i guess i'll try 'em both," said dorothy. so mr. over called to his wife, who brought into the yard a pail made of some kind of baked dough, and dorothy pumped the pail full of cool, sweet milk and drank it eagerly. the wife of pop over was several shades darker than her husband. "aren't you overdone?" the little girl asked her. "no indeed," answered the woman. "i'm neither overdone nor done over; i'm just mrs. over, and i'm the president of the bunbury breakfast band." dorothy thanked them for their hospitality and went away. at the gate mr. cinnamon bunn met her and said he would show her around the town. "we have some very interesting inhabitants," he remarked, walking stiffly beside her on his stick-cinnamon legs; "and all of us who are in good health are well bred. if you are no longer hungry we will call upon a few of the most important citizens." toto and billina followed behind them, behaving very well, and a little way down the street they came to a handsome residence where aunt sally lunn lived. the old lady was glad to meet the little girl and gave her a slice of white bread and butter which had been used as a door-mat. it was almost fresh and tasted better than anything dorothy had eaten in the town. "where do you get the butter?" she inquired. "we dig it out of the ground, which, as you may have observed, is all flour and meal," replied mr. bunn. "there is a butter mine just at the opposite side of the village. the trees which you see here are all doughleanders and doughderas, and in the season we get quite a crop of dough-nuts off them." "i should think the flour would blow around and get into your eyes," said dorothy. "no," said he; "we are bothered with cracker dust sometimes, but never with flour." then he took her to see johnny cake, a cheerful old gentleman who lived near by. "i suppose you've heard of me," said old johnny, with an air of pride. "i'm a great favorite all over the world." "aren't you rather yellow?" asked dorothy, looking at him critically. "maybe, child. but don't think i'm bilious, for i was never in better health in my life," replied the old gentleman. "if anything ailed me, i'd willingly acknowledge the corn." "johnny's a trifle stale," said mr. bunn, as they went away; "but he's a good mixer and never gets cross-grained. i will now take you to call upon some of my own relatives." they visited the sugar bunns, the currant bunns and the spanish bunns, the latter having a decidedly foreign appearance. then they saw the french rolls, who were very polite to them, and made a brief call upon the parker h. rolls, who seemed a bit proud and overbearing. "but they're not as stuck up as the frosted jumbles," declared mr. bunn, "who are people i really can't abide. i don't like to be suspicious or talk scandal, but sometimes i think the jumbles have too much baking powder in them." just then a dreadful scream was heard, and dorothy turned hastily around to find a scene of great excitement a little way down the street. the people were crowding around toto and throwing at him everything they could find at hand. they pelted the little dog with hard-tack, crackers, and even articles of furniture which were hard baked and heavy enough for missiles. toto howled a little as the assortment of bake stuff struck him; but he stood still, with head bowed and tail between his legs, until dorothy ran up and inquired what the matter was. "matter!" cried a rye loafer, indignantly, "why the horrid beast has eaten three of our dear crumpets, and is now devouring a salt-rising biscuit!" "oh, toto! how could you?" exclaimed dorothy, much distressed. toto's mouth was full of his salt-rising victim; so he only whined and wagged his tail. but billina, who had flown to the top of a cracker house to be in a safe place, called out: "don't blame him, dorothy; the crumpets dared him to do it." "yes, and you pecked out the eyes of a raisin bunn--one of our best citizens!" shouted a bread pudding, shaking its fist at the yellow hen. "what's that! what's that?" wailed mr. cinnamon bunn, who had now joined them. "oh, what a misfortune--what a terrible misfortune!" "see here," said dorothy, determined to defend her pets, "i think we've treated you all pretty well, seeing you're eatables, an' reg'lar food for us. i've been kind to you, and eaten your old wheelbarrows and pianos and rubbish, an' not said a word. but toto and billina can't be 'spected to go hungry when the town's full of good things they like to eat, 'cause they can't understand your stingy ways as i do." "you must leave here at once!" said mr. bunn, sternly. "suppose we won't go?" asked dorothy, who was now much provoked. "then," said he, "we will put you into the great ovens where we are made, and bake you." dorothy gazed around and saw threatening looks upon the faces of all. she had not noticed any ovens in the town, but they might be there, nevertheless, for some of the inhabitants seemed very fresh. so she decided to go, and calling to toto and billina to follow her she marched up the street with as much dignity as possible, considering that she was followed by the hoots and cries of the buns and biscuits and other bake stuff. [illustration] _how_ ozma looked into the magic picture chapter eighteen [illustration] princess ozma was a very busy little ruler, for she looked carefully after the comfort and welfare of her people and tried to make them happy. if any quarrels arose she decided them justly; if any one needed counsel or advice she was ready and willing to listen to them. for a day or two after dorothy and her companions had started on their trip, ozma was occupied with the affairs of her kingdom. then she began to think of some manner of occupation for uncle henry and aunt em that would be light and easy and yet give the old people something to do. she soon decided to make uncle henry the keeper of the jewels, for some one really was needed to count and look after the bins and barrels of emeralds, diamonds, rubies and other precious stones that were in the royal storehouses. that would keep uncle henry busy enough, but it was harder to find something for aunt em to do. the palace was full of servants, so there was no detail of housework that aunt em could look after. while ozma sat in her pretty room engaged in thought she happened to glance at her magic picture. this was one of the most important treasures in all the land of oz. it was a large picture, set in a beautiful gold frame, and it hung in a prominent place upon a wall of ozma's private room. usually this picture seemed merely a country scene, but whenever ozma looked at it and wished to know what any of her friends or acquaintances were doing, the magic of this wonderful picture was straightway disclosed. for the country scene would gradually fade away and in its place would appear the likeness of the person or persons ozma might wish to see, surrounded by the actual scenes in which they were then placed. in this way the princess could view any part of the world she wished, and watch the actions of any one in whom she was interested. ozma had often seen dorothy in her kansas home by this means, and now, having a little leisure, she expressed a desire to see her little friend again. it was while the travelers were at fuddlecumjig, and ozma laughed merrily as she watched in the picture her friends trying to match the pieces of grandmother gnit. "they seem happy and are doubtless having a good time," the girl ruler said to herself; and then she began to think of the many adventures she herself had encountered with dorothy. the images of her friends now faded from the magic picture and the old landscape slowly reappeared. ozma was thinking of the time when with dorothy and her army she marched to the nome king's underground cavern, beyond the land of ev, and forced the old monarch to liberate his captives, who belonged to the royal family of ev. that was the time when the scarecrow nearly frightened the nome king into fits by throwing one of billina's eggs at him, and dorothy had captured king roquat's magic belt and brought it away with her to the land of oz. the pretty princess smiled at the recollection of this adventure, and then she wondered what had become of the nome king since then. merely because she was curious and had nothing better to do, ozma glanced at the magic picture and wished to see in it the king of the nomes. roquat the red went every day into his tunnel to see how the work was getting along and to hurry his workmen as much as possible. he was there now, and ozma saw him plainly in the magic picture. she saw the underground tunnel, reaching far underneath the deadly desert which separated the land of oz from the mountains beneath which the nome king had his extensive caverns. she saw that the tunnel was being made in the direction of the emerald city, and knew at once it was being dug so that the army of nomes could march through it and attack her own beautiful and peaceful country. "i suppose king roquat is planning revenge against us," she said, musingly, "and thinks he can surprise us and make us his captives and slaves. how sad it is that any one can have such wicked thoughts! but i must not blame king roquat too severely, for he is a nome, and his nature is not so gentle as my own." then she dismissed from her mind further thought of the tunnel, for that time, and began to wonder if aunt em would not be happy as royal mender of the stockings of the ruler of oz. ozma wore few holes in her stockings; still, they sometimes needed mending. aunt em ought to be able to do that very nicely. next day the princess watched the tunnel again in her magic picture, and every day afterward she devoted a few minutes to inspecting the work. it was not especially interesting, but she felt that it was her duty. slowly but surely the big arched hole crept through the rocks underneath the deadly desert, and day by day it drew nearer and nearer to the emerald city. _how_ bunnybury welcomed the strangers chapter nineteen [illustration] dorothy left bunbury the same way she had entered it and when they were in the forest again she said to billina: "i never thought that things good to eat could be so dis'gree'ble." "often i've eaten things that tasted good but were disagreeable afterward," returned the yellow hen. "i think, dorothy, if eatables are going to act badly, it's better before than after you eat them." "p'raps you're right," said the little girl, with a sigh. "but what shall we do now?" "let us follow the path back to the signpost," suggested billina. "that will be better than getting lost again." "why, we're lost anyhow," declared dorothy; "but i guess you're right about going back to that signpost, billina." they returned along the path to the place where they had first found it, and at once took "the other road" to bunnybury. this road was a mere narrow strip, worn hard and smooth but not wide enough for dorothy's feet to tread. still it was a guide, and the walking through the forest was not at all difficult. before long they reached a high wall of solid white marble, and the path came to an end at this wall. at first dorothy thought there was no opening at all in the marble, but on looking closely she discovered a small square door about on a level with her head, and underneath this closed door was a bell-push. near the bell-push a sign was painted in neat letters upon the marble, and the sign read: _no admittance except on business_ this did not discourage dorothy, however, and she rang the bell. pretty soon a bolt was cautiously withdrawn and the marble door swung slowly open. then she saw it was not really a door, but a window, for several brass bars were placed across it, being set fast in the marble and so close together that the little girl's fingers might barely go between them. back of the bars appeared the face of a white rabbit--a very sober and sedate face--with an eye-glass held in his left eye and attached to a cord in his button-hole. "well! what is it?" asked the rabbit, sharply. "i'm dorothy," said the girl, "and i'm lost, and--" "state your business, please," interrupted the rabbit. "my business," she replied, "is to find out where i am, and to--" "no one is allowed in bunnybury without an order or a letter of introduction from either ozma of oz or glinda the good," announced the rabbit; "so that that settles the matter," and he started to close the window. "wait a minute!" cried dorothy. "i've got a letter from ozma." "from the ruler of oz?" asked the rabbit, doubtingly. "of course. ozma's my best friend, you know; and i'm a princess myself," she announced, earnestly. "hum--ha! let me see your letter," returned the rabbit, as if he still doubted her. so she hunted in her pocket and found the letter ozma had given her. then she handed it through the bars to the rabbit, who took it in his paws and opened it. he read it aloud in a pompous voice, as if to let dorothy and billina see that he was educated and could read writing. the letter was as follows: "it will please me to have my subjects greet princess dorothy, the bearer of this royal missive, with the same courtesy and consideration they would extend to me." "ha--hum! it is signed 'ozma of oz,'" continued the rabbit, "and is sealed with the great seal of the emerald city. well, well, well! how strange! how remarkable!" "what are you going to do about it?" inquired dorothy, impatiently. "we must obey the royal mandate," replied the rabbit. "we are subjects of ozma of oz, and we live in her country. also we are under the protection of the great sorceress glinda the good, who made us promise to respect ozma's commands." "then may i come in?" she asked. "i'll open the door," said the rabbit. he shut the window and disappeared, but a moment afterward a big door in the wall opened and admitted dorothy to a small room, which seemed to be a part of the wall and built into it. here stood the rabbit she had been talking with, and now that she could see all of him she gazed at the creature in surprise. he was a good sized white rabbit with pink eyes, much like all other white rabbits. but the astonishing thing about him was the manner in which he was dressed. he wore a white satin jacket embroidered with gold, and having diamond buttons. his vest was rose-colored satin, with tourmaline buttons. his trousers were white, to correspond with the jacket, and they were baggy at the knees--like those of a zouave--being tied with knots of rose ribbons. his shoes were of white plush with diamond buckles, and his stockings were rose silk. the richness and even magnificence of the rabbit's clothing made dorothy stare at the little creature wonderingly. toto and billina had followed her into the room and when he saw them the rabbit ran to a table and sprang upon it nimbly. then he looked at the three through his monocle and said: "these companions, princess, cannot enter bunnybury with you." "why not?" asked dorothy. "in the first place they would frighten our people, who dislike dogs above all things on earth; and, secondly, the letter of the royal ozma does not mention them." "but they're my friends," persisted dorothy, "and go wherever i go." "not this time," said the rabbit, decidedly. "you, yourself, princess, are a welcome visitor, since you come so highly recommended; but unless you consent to leave the dog and the hen in this room i cannot permit you to enter the town." "never mind us, dorothy," said billina. "go inside and see what the place is like. you can tell us about it afterward, and toto and i will rest comfortably here until you return." this seemed the best thing to do, for dorothy was curious to see how the rabbit people lived and she was aware of the fact that her friends might frighten the timid little creatures. she had not forgotten how toto and billina had misbehaved in bunbury, and perhaps the rabbit was wise to insist on their staying outside the town. "very well," she said, "i'll go in alone. i s'pose you're the king of this town, aren't you?" "no," answered the rabbit, "i'm merely the keeper of the wicket, and a person of little importance, although i try to do my duty. i must now inform you, princess, that before you enter our town you must consent to reduce." "reduce what?" asked dorothy. "your size. you must become the size of the rabbits, although you may retain your own form." "wouldn't my clothes be too big for me?" she inquired. "no; they will reduce when your body does." "can _you_ make me smaller?" asked the girl. "easily," returned the rabbit. "and will you make me big again, when i'm ready to go away?" "i will," said he. "all right, then; i'm willing," she announced. the rabbit jumped from the table and ran--or rather hopped--to the further wall, where he opened a door so tiny that even toto could scarcely have crawled through it. "follow me," he said. now, almost any other little girl would have declared that she could not get through so small a door; but dorothy had already encountered so many fairy adventures that she believed nothing was impossible in the land of oz. so she quietly walked toward the door, and at every step she grew smaller and smaller until, by the time the opening was reached, she could pass through it with ease. indeed, as she stood beside the rabbit, who sat upon his hind legs and used his paws as hands, her head was just about as high as his own. then the keeper of the wicket passed through and she followed, after which the door swung shut and locked itself with a sharp click. dorothy now found herself in a city so strange and beautiful that she gave a gasp of surprise. the high marble wall extended all around the place and shut out all the rest of the world. and here were marble houses of curious forms, most of them resembling overturned kettles but with delicate slender spires and minarets running far up into the sky. the streets were paved with white marble and in front of each house was a lawn of rich green clover. everything was as neat as wax, the green and white contrasting prettily together. but the rabbit people were, after all, the most amazing things dorothy saw. the streets were full of them, and their costumes were so splendid that the rich dress of the keeper of the wicket was commonplace when compared with the others. silks and satins of delicate hues seemed always used for material, and nearly every costume sparkled with exquisite gems. [illustration] but the lady rabbits outshone the gentlemen rabbits in splendor, and the cut of their gowns was really wonderful. they wore bonnets, too, with feathers and jewels in them, and some wheeled baby carriages in which the girl could see wee bunnies. some were lying asleep while others lay sucking their paws and looking around them with big pink eyes. as dorothy was no bigger in size than the grown-up rabbits she had a chance to observe them closely before they noticed her presence. then they did not seem at all alarmed, although the little girl naturally became the center of attraction and all regarded her with great curiosity. "make way!" cried the keeper of the wicket, in a pompous voice; "make way for princess dorothy, who comes from ozma of oz." hearing this announcement, the throng of rabbits gave place to them on the walks, and as dorothy passed along they all bowed their heads respectfully. walking thus through several handsome streets they came to a square in the center of the city. in this square were some pretty trees and a statue in bronze of glinda the good, while beyond it were the portals of the royal palace--an extensive and imposing building of white marble covered with a filigree of frosted gold. _how_ dorothy lunched with a king chapter twenty [illustration] a line of rabbit soldiers was drawn up before the palace entrance, and they wore green and gold uniforms with high shakos upon their heads and held tiny spears in their hands. the captain had a sword and a white plume in his shako. "salute!" cried the keeper of the wicket. "salute princess dorothy, who comes from ozma of oz!" "salute!" yelled the captain, and all the soldiers promptly saluted. they now entered the great hall of the palace, where they met a gaily dressed attendant, from whom the keeper of the wicket inquired if the king were at leisure. "i think so," was the reply. "i heard his majesty blubbering and wailing as usual only a few minutes ago. if he doesn't stop acting like a cry-baby i'm going to resign my position here and go to work." "what's the matter with your king?" asked dorothy, surprised to hear the rabbit attendant speak so disrespectfully of his monarch. "oh, he doesn't want to be king, that's all; and he simply _has_ to," was the reply. "come!" said the keeper of the wicket, sternly; "lead us to his majesty; and do not air our troubles before strangers, i beg of you." "why, if this girl is going to see the king, he'll air his own troubles," returned the attendant. "that is his royal privilege," declared the keeper. so the attendant led them into a room all draped with cloth-of-gold and furnished with satin-covered gold furniture. there was a throne in this room, set on a dais and having a big cushioned seat, and on this seat reclined the rabbit king. he was lying on his back, with his paws in the air, and whining very like a puppy-dog. "your majesty! your majesty! get up. here's a visitor," called out the attendant. the king rolled over and looked at dorothy with one watery pink eye. then he sat up and wiped his eyes carefully with a silk handkerchief and put on his jeweled crown, which had fallen off. "excuse my grief, fair stranger," he said, in a sad voice. "you behold in me the most miserable monarch in all the world. what time is it, blinkem?" "one o'clock, your majesty," replied the attendant to whom the question was addressed. "serve luncheon at once!" commanded the king. "luncheon for two--that's for my visitor and me--and see that the human has some sort of food she's accustomed to." "yes, your majesty," answered the attendant, and went away. "tie my shoe, bristle," said the king to the keeper of the wicket. "ah, me! how unhappy i am!" "what seems to be worrying your majesty?" asked dorothy. "why, it's this king business, of course," he returned, while the keeper tied his shoe. "i didn't want to be king of bunnybury at all, and the rabbits all knew it. so they elected me--to save themselves from such a dreadful fate, i suppose--and here i am, shut up in a palace, when i might be free and happy." "seems to me," said dorothy, "it's a great thing to be a king." "were you ever a king?" inquired the monarch. "no," she answered, laughing. "then you know nothing about it," he said. "i haven't inquired who you are, but it doesn't matter. while we're at luncheon, i'll tell you all my troubles. they're a great deal more interesting than anything you can say about yourself." "perhaps they are, to you," replied dorothy. "luncheon is served!" cried blinkem, throwing open the door, and in came a dozen rabbits in livery, all bearing trays which they placed upon the table, where they arranged the dishes in an orderly manner. "now clear out--all of you!" exclaimed the king. "bristle, you may wait outside, in case i want you." when they had gone and the king was alone with dorothy he came down from his throne, tossed his crown into a corner and kicked his ermine robe under the table. "sit down," he said, "and try to be happy. it's useless for me to try, because i'm always wretched and miserable. but i'm hungry, and i hope you are." "i am," said dorothy. "i've only eaten a wheelbarrow and a piano to-day--oh, yes! and a slice of bread and butter that used to be a door-mat." "that sounds like a square meal," remarked the king, seating himself opposite her; "but perhaps it wasn't a square piano. eh?" dorothy laughed. "you don't seem so very unhappy now," she said. [illustration] "but i am," protested the king, fresh tears gathering in his eyes. "even my jokes are miserable. i'm wretched, woeful, afflicted, distressed and dismal as an individual can be. are you not sorry for me?" "no," answered dorothy, honestly, "i can't say i am. seems to me that for a rabbit you 're right in clover. this is the prettiest little city i ever saw." "oh, the city is good enough," he admitted. "glinda, the good sorceress, made it for us because she was fond of rabbits. i don't mind the city so much, although i wouldn't live here if i had my choice. it is being king that has absolutely ruined my happiness." "why wouldn't you live here by choice?" she asked. "because it is all unnatural, my dear. rabbits are out of place in such luxury. when i was young i lived in a burrow in the forest. i was surrounded by enemies and often had to run for my life. it was hard getting enough to eat, at times, and when i found a bunch of clover i had to listen and look for danger while i ate it. wolves prowled around the hole in which i lived and sometimes i didn't dare stir out for days at a time. oh, how happy and contented i was then! i was a real rabbit, as nature made me--wild and free!--and i even enjoyed listening to the startled throbbing of my own heart!" "i've often thought," said dorothy, who was busily eating, "that it would be fun to be a rabbit." "it _is_ fun--when you're the genuine article," agreed his majesty. "but look at me now! i live in a marble palace instead of a hole in the ground. i have all i want to eat, without the joy of hunting for it. every day i must dress in fine clothes and wear that horrible crown till it makes my head ache. rabbits come to me with all sorts of troubles, when my own troubles are the only ones i care about. when i walk out i can't hop and run; i must strut on my rear legs and wear an ermine robe! and the soldiers salute me and the band plays and the other rabbits laugh and clap their paws and cry out: 'hail to the king!' now let me ask you, as a friend and a young lady of good judgment: isn't all this pomp and foolishness enough to make a decent rabbit miserable?" "once," said dorothy, reflectively, "men were wild and unclothed and lived in caves and hunted for food as wild beasts do. but they got civ'lized, in time, and now they'd hate to go back to the old days." "that is an entirely different case," replied the king. "none of you humans were civilized in one lifetime. it came to you by degrees. but i have known the forest and the free life, and that is why i resent being civilized all at once, against my will, and being made a king with a crown and an ermine robe. pah!" "if you don't like it, why don't you resign?" she asked. "impossible!" wailed the rabbit, wiping his eyes again with his handkerchief. "there's a beastly law in this town that forbids it. when one is elected a king there's no getting out of it." "who made the laws?" inquired dorothy. "the same sorceress who made the town--glinda the good. she built the wall, and fixed up the city, and gave us several valuable enchantments, and made the laws. then she invited all the pink-eyed white rabbits of the forest to come here, after which she left us to our fate." "what made you 'cept the invitation, and come here?" asked the child. "i didn't know how dreadful city life was, and i'd no idea i would be elected king," said he, sobbing bitterly. "and--and--now i'm it--with a capital i--and can't escape!" "i know glinda," remarked dorothy, eating for dessert a dish of charlotte russe, "and when i see her again i'll ask her to put another king in your place." "will you? will you, indeed?" asked the king, joyfully. "i will if you want me to," she replied. "hurroo--hurray!" shouted the king; and then he jumped up from the table and danced wildly about the room, waving his napkin like a flag and laughing with glee. after a time he managed to control his delight and returned to the table. "when are you likely to see glinda?" he inquired. "oh, p'raps in a few days," said dorothy. "and you won't forget to ask her?" "of course not." "princess," said the rabbit king, earnestly, "you have relieved me of a great unhappiness, and i am very grateful. therefore i propose to entertain you, since you are my guest and i am the king, as a slight mark of my appreciation. come with me to my reception hall." he then summoned bristle and said to him: "assemble all the nobility in the great reception hall, and also tell blinkem that i want him immediately." the keeper of the wicket bowed and hurried away, and his majesty turned to dorothy and continued: "we'll have time for a walk in the gardens before the people get here." the gardens were back of the palace and were filled with beautiful flowers and fragrant shrubs, with many shade and fruit trees and marble paved walks running in every direction. as they entered this place blinkem came running to the king, who gave him several orders in a low voice. then his majesty rejoined dorothy and led her through the gardens, which she admired very much. "what lovely clothes your majesty wears!" she said, glancing at the rich blue satin costume, embroidered with pearls, in which the king was dressed. "yes," he returned, with an air of pride, "this is one of my favorite suits; but i have a good many that are even more elaborate. we have excellent tailors in bunnybury, and glinda supplies all the material. by the way, you might ask the sorceress, when you see her, to permit me to keep my wardrobe." "but if you go back to the forest you will not need clothes," she said. "n--o!" he faltered; "that may be so. but i've dressed up so long that i'm used to it, and i don't imagine i'd care to run around naked again. so perhaps the good glinda will let me keep the costumes." "i'll ask her," agreed dorothy. then they left the gardens and went into a fine big reception hall, where rich rugs were spread upon the tiled floors and the furniture was exquisitely carved and studded with jewels. the king's chair was an especially pretty piece of furniture, being in the shape of a silver lily with one leaf bent over to form the seat. the silver was everywhere thickly encrusted with diamonds and the seat was upholstered in white satin. "oh, what a splendid chair!" cried dorothy, clasping her hands admiringly. "isn't it?" answered the king, proudly. "it is my favorite seat, and i think it especially becoming to my complexion. while i think of it, i wish you'd ask glinda to let me keep this lily chair when i go away." "it wouldn't look very well in a hole in the ground, would it?" she suggested. "maybe not; but i'm used to sitting in it and i'd like to take it with me," he answered. "but here come the ladies and gentlemen of the court; so please sit beside me and be presented." [illustration] _how_ the king changed his mind chapter twenty-one [illustration] just then a rabbit band of nearly fifty pieces marched in, playing upon golden instruments and dressed in neat uniforms. following the band came the nobility of bunnybury, all richly dressed and hopping along on their rear legs. both the ladies and the gentlemen wore white gloves upon their paws, with their rings on the outside of the gloves, as this seemed to be the fashion here. some of the lady rabbits carried lorgnettes, while many of the gentlemen rabbits wore monocles in their left eyes. the courtiers and their ladies paraded past the king, who introduced princess dorothy to each couple in a very graceful manner. then the company seated themselves in chairs and on sofas and looked expectantly at their monarch. "it is our royal duty, as well as our royal pleasure," he said, "to provide fitting entertainment for our distinguished guest. we will now present the royal band of whiskered friskers." as he spoke the musicians, who had arranged themselves in a corner, struck up a dance melody while into the room pranced the whiskered friskers. they were eight pretty rabbits dressed only in gauzy purple skirts fastened around their waists with diamond bands. their whiskers were colored a rich purple, but otherwise they were pure white. after bowing before the king and dorothy the friskers began their pranks, and these were so comical that dorothy laughed with real enjoyment. they not only danced together, whirling and gyrating around the room, but they leaped over one another, stood upon their heads and hopped and skipped here and there so nimbly that it was hard work to keep track of them. finally they all made double somersaults and turned handsprings out of the room. the nobility enthusiastically applauded, and dorothy applauded with them. "they're fine!" she said to the king. "yes, the whiskered friskers are really very clever," he replied. "i shall hate to part with them when i go away, for they have often amused me when i was very miserable. i wonder if you would ask glinda--" "no, it wouldn't do at all," declared dorothy, positively. "there wouldn't be room in your hole in the ground for so many rabbits, 'spec'ly when you get the lily chair and your clothes there. don't think of such a thing, your majesty." the king sighed. then he stood up and announced to the company: "we will now behold a military drill by my picked bodyguard of royal pikemen." now the band played a march and a company of rabbit soldiers came in. they wore green and gold uniforms and marched very stiffly but in perfect time. their spears, or pikes, had slender shafts of polished silver with golden heads, and during the drill they handled these weapons with wonderful dexterity. "i should think you'd feel pretty safe with such a fine bodyguard," remarked dorothy. "i do," said the king. "they protect me from every harm. i suppose glinda wouldn't--" "no," interrupted the girl; "i'm sure she wouldn't. it's the king's own bodyguard, and when you are no longer king you can't have 'em." the king did not reply, but he looked rather sorrowful for a time. when the soldiers had marched out he said to the company: "the royal jugglers will now appear." dorothy had seen many jugglers in her lifetime, but never any so interesting as these. there were six of them, dressed in black satin embroidered with queer symbols in silver--a costume which contrasted strongly with their snow-white fur. first they pushed in a big red ball and three of the rabbit jugglers stood upon its top and made it roll. then two of them caught up a third and tossed him into the air, all vanishing, until only the two were left. then one of these tossed the other upward and remained alone of all his fellows. this last juggler now touched the red ball, which fell apart, being hollow, and the five rabbits who had disappeared in the air scrambled out of the hollow ball. next they all clung together and rolled swiftly upon the floor. when they came to a stop only one fat rabbit juggler was seen, the others seeming to be inside him. this one leaped lightly into the air and when he came down he exploded and separated into the original six. then four of them rolled themselves into round balls and the other two tossed them around and played ball with them. these were but a few of the tricks the rabbit jugglers performed, and they were so skillful that all the nobility and even the king applauded as loudly as did dorothy. "i suppose there are no rabbit jugglers in all the world to compare with these," remarked the king. "and since i may not have the whiskered friskers or my bodyguard, you might ask glinda to let me take away just two or three of these jugglers. will you?" "i'll ask her," replied dorothy, doubtfully. "thank you," said the king; "thank you very much. and now you shall listen to the winsome waggish warblers, who have often cheered me in my moments of anguish." the winsome waggish warblers proved to be a quartette of rabbit singers, two gentlemen and two lady rabbits. the gentlemen warblers wore full-dress swallow-tailed suits of white satin, with pearls for buttons, while the lady warblers were gowned in white satin dresses with long trails. the first song they sang began in this way: "when a rabbit gets a habit of living in a city and wearing clothes and furbelows and jewels rare and pretty, he scorns the bun who has to run and burrow in the ground and pities those whose watchful foes are man and gun and hound." dorothy looked at the king when she heard this song and noticed that he seemed disturbed and ill at ease. "i don't like that song," he said to the warblers. "give us something jolly and rollicking." so they sang to a joyous, tinkling melody as follows: "bunnies gay delight to play in their fairy town secure; ev'ry frisker flirts his whisker at a pink-eyed girl demure. ev'ry maid in silk arrayed at her partner shyly glances, paws are grasped, waists are clasped as they whirl in giddy dances. then together through the heather 'neath the moonlight soft they stroll; each is very blithe and merry, gamboling with laughter droll. life is fun to ev'ry one guarded by our magic charm for to dangers we are strangers, safe from any thought of harm." "you see," said dorothy to the king, when the song ended, "the rabbits all seem to like bunnybury except you. and i guess you're the only one that ever has cried or was unhappy and wanted to get back to your muddy hole in the ground." his majesty seemed thoughtful, and while the servants passed around glasses of nectar and plates of frosted cakes their king was silent and a bit nervous. [illustration: his majesty was thoughtful] when the refreshments had been enjoyed by all and the servants had retired dorothy said: "i must go now, for it's getting late and i'm lost. i've got to find the wizard and aunt em and uncle henry and all the rest sometime before night comes, if i poss'bly can." "won't you stay with us?" asked the king. "you will be very welcome." "no, thank you," she replied. "i must get back to my friends. and i want to see glinda just as soon as i can, you know." so the king dismissed his court and said he would himself walk with dorothy to the gate. he did not weep nor groan any more, but his long face was quite solemn and his big ears hung dejectedly on each side of it. he still wore his crown and his ermine and walked with a handsome gold-headed cane. when they arrived at the room in the wall the little girl found toto and billina waiting for her very patiently. they had been liberally fed by some of the attendants and were in no hurry to leave such comfortable quarters. the keeper of the wicket was by this time back in his old place, but he kept a safe distance from toto. dorothy bade good bye to the king as they stood just inside the wall. "you've been good to me," she said, "and i thank you ever so much. as soon as poss'ble i'll see glinda and ask her to put another king in your place and send you back into the wild forest. and i'll ask her to let you keep some of your clothes and the lily chair and one or two jugglers to amuse you. i'm sure she will do it, 'cause she's so kind she doesn't like any one to be unhappy." "ahem!" said the king, looking rather downcast. "i don't like to trouble you with my misery; so you needn't see glinda." "oh, yes i will," she replied. "it won't be any trouble at all." "but, my dear," continued the king, in an embarrassed way, "i've been thinking the subject over carefully, and i find there are a lot of pleasant things here in bunnybury that i would miss if i went away. so perhaps i'd better stay." dorothy laughed. then she looked grave. "it won't do for you to be a king and a cry-baby at the same time," she said. "you've been making all the other rabbits unhappy and discontented with your howls about being so miserable. so i guess it's better to have another king." "oh, no indeed!" exclaimed the king, earnestly. "if you won't say anything to glinda i'll promise to be merry and gay all the time, and never cry or wail again." "honor bright?" she asked. "on the royal word of a king i promise it!" he answered. "all right," said dorothy. "you'd be a reg'lar lunatic to want to leave bunnybury for a wild life in the forest, and i'm sure any rabbit outside the city would be glad to take your place." "forget it, my dear; forget all my foolishness," pleaded the king, earnestly. "hereafter i'll try to enjoy myself and do my duty by my subjects." so then she left him and entered through the little door into the room in the wall, where she grew gradually bigger and bigger until she had resumed her natural size. the keeper of the wicket let them out into the forest and told dorothy that she had been of great service to bunnybury because she had brought their dismal king to a realization of the pleasure of ruling so beautiful a city. "i shall start a petition to have your statue erected beside glinda's in the public square," said the keeper. "i hope you will come again, some day, and see it." "perhaps i shall," she replied. then, followed by toto and billina, she walked away from the high marble wall and started back along the narrow path toward the sign-post. [illustration] _how_ the wizard found dorothy chapter twenty-two [illustration] when they came to the signpost, there, to their joy, were the tents of the wizard pitched beside the path and the kettle bubbling merrily over a fire. the shaggy man and omby amby were gathering firewood while uncle henry and aunt em sat in their camp chairs talking with the wizard. they all ran forward to greet dorothy, as she approached, and aunt em exclaimed: "goodness gracious, child! where have you been?" "you've played hookey the whole day," added the shaggy man, reproachfully. "well, you see, i've been lost," explained the little girl, "and i've tried awful hard to find the way back to you, but just couldn't do it." "did you wander in the forest all day?" asked uncle henry. "you must be a'most starved!" said aunt em. "no," said dorothy, "i'm not hungry. i had a wheelbarrow and a piano for breakfast, and lunched with a king." "ah!" exclaimed the wizard, nodding with a bright smile. "so you've been having adventures again." "she's stark crazy!" cried aunt em. "whoever heard of eating a wheelbarrow?" "it wasn't very big," said dorothy; "and it had a zuzu wheel." "and i ate the crumbs," added billina, soberly. "sit down and tell us about it," begged the wizard. "we've hunted for you all day, and at last i noticed your footsteps in this path--and the tracks of billina. we found the path by accident, and seeing it only led to two places i decided you were at either one or the other of those places. so we made camp and waited for you to return. and now, dorothy, tell us where you have been--to bunbury or to bunnybury?" "why, i've been to both," she replied; "but first i went to utensia, which isn't on any path at all." she then sat down and related the day's adventures, and you may be sure aunt em and uncle henry were much astonished at the story. "but after seeing the cuttenclips and the fuddles," remarked her uncle, "we ought not to wonder at anything in this strange country." "seems like the only common and ordinary folks here are ourselves," rejoined aunt em, diffidently. "now that we're together again, and one reunited party," observed the shaggy man, "what are we to do next?" "have some supper and a night's rest," answered the wizard promptly, "and then proceed upon our journey." "where to?" asked the captain general. "we haven't visited the rigmaroles or the flutterbudgets yet," said dorothy. "i'd like to see them--wouldn't you?" "they don't sound very interesting," objected aunt em. "but perhaps they are." "and then," continued the little wizard, "we will call upon the tin woodman and jack pumpkinhead and our old friend the scarecrow, on our way home." "that will be nice!" cried dorothy, eagerly. "can't say _they_ sound very interesting, either," remarked aunt em. "why, they're the best friends i have!" asserted the little girl, "and you're sure to like them, aunt em, 'cause _ever_'body likes them." by this time twilight was approaching, so they ate the fine supper which the wizard magically produced from the kettle and then went to bed in the cosy tents. they were all up bright and early next morning, but dorothy didn't venture to wander from the camp again for fear of more accidents. "do you know where there's a road?" she asked the little man. "no, my dear," replied the wizard; "but i'll find one." after breakfast he waved his hand toward the tents and they became handkerchiefs again, which were at once returned to the pockets of their owners. then they all climbed into the red wagon and the sawhorse inquired: "which way?" "never mind which way," replied the wizard. "just go as you please and you're sure to be right. i've enchanted the wheels of the wagon, and they will roll in the right direction, never fear." as the sawhorse started away through the trees dorothy said: "if we had one of those new-fashioned airships we could float away over the top of the forest, and look down and find just the places we want. "airship? pah!" retorted the little man, scornfully. "i hate those things, dorothy, although they are nothing new to either you or me. i was a balloonist for many years, and once my balloon carried me to the land of oz, and once to the vegetable kingdom. and once ozma had a gump that flew all over this kingdom and had sense enough to go where it was told to--which airships won't do. the house which the cyclone brought to oz all the way from kansas, with you and toto in it--was a real airship at the time; so you see we've had plenty of experience flying with the birds." "airships are not so bad, after all," declared dorothy. "some day they'll fly all over the world, and perhaps bring people even to the land of oz." "i must speak to ozma about that," said the wizard, with a slight frown. "it wouldn't do at all, you know, for the emerald city to become a way-station on an airship line." "no," said dorothy, "i don't s'pose it would. but what can we do to prevent it?" "i'm working out a magic recipe to fuddle men's brains, so they'll never make an airship that will go where they want it to go," the wizard confided to her. "that won't keep the things from flying, now and then, but it'll keep them from flying to the land of oz." just then the sawhorse drew the wagon out of the forest and a beautiful landscape lay spread before the travelers' eyes. moreover, right before them was a good road that wound away through the hills and valleys. "now," said the wizard, with evident delight, "we are on the right track again, and there is nothing more to worry about." [illustration] "it's a foolish thing to take chances in a strange country," observed the shaggy man. "had we kept to the roads we never would have been lost. roads always leads to some place, else they wouldn't be roads." "this road," added the wizard, "leads to rigmarole town. i'm sure of that because i enchanted the wagon wheels." sure enough, after riding along the road for an hour or two they entered a pretty valley where a village was nestled among the hills. the houses were munchkin shaped, for they were all domes, with windows wider than they were high, and pretty balconies over the front doors. aunt em was greatly relieved to find this town "neither paper nor patch-work," and the only surprising thing about it was that it was so far distant from all other towns. as the sawhorse drew the wagon into the main street the travelers noticed that the place was filled with people, standing in groups and seeming to be engaged in earnest conversation. so occupied with themselves were the inhabitants that they scarcely noticed the strangers at all. so the wizard stopped a boy and asked: "is this rigmarole town?" "sir," replied the boy, "if you have traveled very much you will have noticed that every town differs from every other town in one way or another and so by observing the methods of the people and the way they live as well as the style of their dwelling places it ought not to be a difficult thing to make up your mind without the trouble of asking questions whether the town bears the appearance of the one you intended to visit or whether perhaps having taken a different road from the one you should have taken you have made an error in your way and arrived at some point where--" [illustration: so and so, and so and so, oh yes, i don't know it might be so i calculate but i don't know, intre mintry cuteycorn apple seeds and fly away jack. six sixes are not sixty-six? and we still hold to folderol de doodle all day, if i had a donkey that wouldn't go i'd buy a fiddle for fifty cents and rattle his bones over the stones it's only a beggar whom nobody owns, listen??] "land sakes!" cried aunt em, impatiently; "what's all this rigmarole about?" "that's it!" said the wizard, laughing merrily. "it's a rigmarole because the boy is a rigmarole and we've come to rigmarole town." "do they all talk like that?" asked dorothy, wonderingly. "he might have said 'yes' or 'no' and settled the question," observed uncle henry. "not here," said omby amby. "i don't believe the rigmaroles know what 'yes' or 'no' means." while the boy had been talking several other people had approached the wagon and listened intently to his speech. then they began talking to one another in long, deliberate speeches, where many words were used but little was said. but when the strangers criticised them so frankly one of the women, who had no one else to talk to, began an address to them, saying: "it is the easiest thing in the world for a person to say 'yes' or 'no' when a question that is asked for the purpose of gaining information or satisfying the curiosity of the one who has given expression to the inquiry has attracted the attention of an individual who may be competent either from personal experience or the experience of others to answer it with more or less correctness or at least an attempt to satisfy the desire for information on the part of the one who has made the inquiry by--" "dear me!" exclaimed dorothy, interrupting the speech. "i've lost all track of what you are saying." "don't let her begin over again, for goodness sake!" cried aunt em. but the woman did not begin again. she did not even stop talking, but went right on as she had begun, the words flowing from her mouth in a stream. "i'm quite sure that if we waited long enough and listened carefully, some of these people might be able to tell us something, in time," said the wizard. "don't let's wait," returned dorothy. "i've heard of the rigmaroles, and wondered what they were like; but now i know, and i'm ready to move on." "so am i," declared uncle henry; "we're wasting time here." "why, we're all ready to go," added the shaggy man, putting his fingers to his ears to shut out the monotonous babble of those around the wagon. so the wizard spoke to the sawhorse, who trotted nimbly through the village and soon gained the open country on the other side of it. dorothy looked back, as they rode away, and noticed that the woman had not yet finished her speech but was talking as glibly as ever, although no one was near to hear her. "if those people wrote books," omby amby remarked with a smile, "it would take a whole library to say the cow jumped over the moon." [illustration] "perhaps some of 'em do write books," asserted the little wizard. "i've read a few rigmaroles that might have come from this very town." "some of the college lecturers and ministers are certainly related to these people," observed the shaggy man; "and it seems to me the land of oz is a little ahead of the united states in some of its laws. for here, if one can't talk clearly, and straight to the point, they send him to rigmarole town; while uncle sam lets him roam around wild and free, to torture innocent people." dorothy was thoughtful. the rigmaroles had made a strong impression upon her. she decided that whenever she spoke, after this, she would use only enough words to express what she wanted to say. [illustration] _how_ they encountered the flutterbudgets chapter twenty-three [illustration] they were soon among the pretty hills and valleys again, and the sawhorse sped up hill and down at a fast and easy pace, the roads being hard and smooth. mile after mile was speedily covered, and before the ride had grown at all tiresome they sighted another village. the place seemed even larger than rigmarole town, but was not so attractive in appearance. "this must be flutterbudget center," declared the wizard. "you see, it's no trouble at all to find places if you keep to the right road." "what are the flutterbudgets like?" inquired dorothy. "i do not know, my dear. but ozma has given them a town all their own, and i've heard that whenever one of the people becomes a flutterbudget he is sent to this place to live." "that is true," omby amby added; "flutterbudget center and rigmarole town are called 'the defensive settlements of oz.'" the village they now approached was not built in a valley, but on top of a hill, and the road they followed wound around the hill like a corkscrew, ascending the hill easily until it came to the town. "look out!" screamed a voice. "look out, or you'll run over my child!" they gazed around and saw a woman standing upon the sidewalk nervously wringing her hands as she gazed at them appealingly. "where is your child?" asked the sawhorse. "in the house," said the woman, bursting into tears; "but if it should happen to be in the road, and you ran over it, those great wheels would crush my darling to jelly. oh, dear! oh dear! think of my darling child being crushed to jelly by those great wheels!" "gid-dap!" said the wizard, sharply, and the sawhorse started on. they had not gone far before a man ran out of a house shouting wildly: "help! help!" the sawhorse stopped short and the wizard and uncle henry and the shaggy man and omby amby jumped out of the wagon and ran to the poor man's assistance. dorothy followed them as quickly as she could. "what's the matter?" asked the wizard. "help! help!" screamed the man; "my wife has cut her finger off and she's bleeding to death!" then he turned and rushed back to the house, and all the party went with him. they found a woman in the front dooryard moaning and groaning as if in great pain. "be brave, madam!" said the wizard, consolingly. "you won't die just because you have cut off a finger, you may be sure." "but i haven't cut off a finger!" she sobbed. [illustration: "but i haven't cut off a finger," she sobbed.] "then what _has_ happened?" asked dorothy. "i--i pricked my finger with a needle while i was sewing, and--and the blood came!" she replied. "and now i'll have blood-poisoning, and the doctors will cut off my finger, and that will give me a fever and i shall die!" "pshaw!" said dorothy; "i've pricked my finger many a time, and nothing happened." "really?" asked the woman, brightening and wiping her eyes upon her apron. "why, it's nothing at all," declared the girl. "you're more scared than hurt." "ah, that's because she's a flutterbudget," said the wizard, nodding wisely. "i think i know now what these people are like." "so do i," announced dorothy. "oh, boo-hoo-hoo!" sobbed the woman, giving way to a fresh burst of grief. "what's wrong now?" asked the shaggy man. "oh, suppose i had pricked my foot!" she wailed. "then the doctors would have cut my foot off, and i'd be lamed for life!" "surely, ma'am," replied the wizard, "and if you'd pricked your nose they might cut your head off. but you see you didn't." "but i might have!" she exclaimed, and began to cry again. so they left her and drove away in their wagon. and her husband came out and began calling "help!" as he had before; but no one seemed to pay any attention to him. as the travelers turned into another street they found a man walking excitedly up and down the pavement. he appeared to be in a very nervous condition and the wizard stopped him to ask: "is anything wrong, sir?" "everything is wrong," answered the man, dismally. "i can't sleep." "why not?" inquired omby amby. "if i go to sleep i'll have to shut my eyes," he explained; "and if i shut my eyes they may grow together, and then i'd be blind for life!" "did you ever hear of any one's eyes growing together?" asked dorothy. "no," said the man, "i never did. but it would be a dreadful thing, wouldn't it? and the thought of it makes me so nervous i'm afraid to go to sleep." "there's no help for this case," declared the wizard; and they went on. at the next street corner a woman rushed up to them crying: "save my baby! oh, good, kind people, save my baby!" "is it in danger?" asked dorothy, noticing that the child was clasped in her arms and seemed sleeping peacefully. "yes, indeed," said the woman, nervously. "if i should go into the house and throw my child out of the window, it would roll way down to the bottom of the hill; and then if there were a lot of tigers and bears down there, they would tear my darling babe to pieces and eat it up!" "are there any tigers and bears in this neighborhood?" the wizard asked. "i've never heard of any," admitted the woman; "but if there were--" "have you any idea of throwing your baby out of the window?" questioned the little man. "none at all," she said; "but if--" "all your troubles are due to those 'ifs'," declared the wizard. "if you were not a flutterbudget you wouldn't worry." "there's another 'if'," replied the woman. "are you a flutterbudget, too?" "i will be, if i stay here long," exclaimed the wizard, nervously. "another 'if'!" cried the woman. but the wizard did not stop to argue with her. he made the sawhorse canter all the way down the hill, and only breathed easily when they were miles away from the village. after they had ridden in silence for a while dorothy turned to the little man and asked: "do 'ifs' really make flutterbudgets?" "i think the 'ifs' help," he answered seriously. "foolish fears, and worries over nothing, with a mixture of nerves and ifs, will soon make a flutterbudget of any one." then there was another long silence, for all the travelers were thinking over this statement, and nearly all decided it must be true. the country they were now passing through was everywhere tinted purple, the prevailing color of the gillikin country; but as the sawhorse ascended a hill they found that upon the other side everything was of a rich yellow hue. "aha!" cried the captain general; "here is the country of the winkies. we are just crossing the boundary line." "then we may be able to lunch with the tin woodman," announced the wizard, joyfully. "must we lunch on tin?" asked aunt em. "oh, no;" replied dorothy. "nick chopper knows how to feed meat people, and he will give us plenty of good things to eat, never fear. i've been to his castle before." "is nick chopper the tin woodman's name?" asked uncle henry. "yes; that's one of his names," answered the little girl; "and another of his names is 'emp'ror of the winkies.' he's the king of this country, you know, but ozma rules over all the countries of oz." "does the tin woodman keep any flutterbudgets or rigmaroles at his castle?" inquired aunt em, uneasily. "no, indeed," said dorothy, positively. "he lives in a new tin castle, all full of lovely things." "i should think it would rust," said uncle henry. "he has thousands of winkies to keep it polished for him," explained the wizard. "his people love to do anything in their power for their beloved emperor, so there isn't a particle of rust on all the big castle." "i suppose they polish their emperor, too," said aunt em. "why, some time ago he had himself nickel-plated," the wizard answered; "so he only needs rubbing up once in a while. he's the brightest man in all the world, is dear nick chopper; and the kindest-hearted." "i helped find him," said dorothy, reflectively. "once the scarecrow and i found the tin woodman in the woods, and he was just rusted still, that time, an' no mistake. but we oiled his joints, an' got 'em good and slippery, and after that he went with us to visit the wizard at the em'rald city." "was that the time the wizard scared you?" asked aunt em. "he didn't treat us well, at first," acknowledged dorothy; "for he made us go away and destroy the wicked witch. but after we found out he was only a humbug wizard we were not afraid of him." the wizard sighed and looked a little ashamed. "when we try to deceive people we always make mistakes," he said. "but i'm getting to be a real wizard now, and glinda the good's magic, that i am trying to practice, can never harm any one." "you were always a good man," declared dorothy, "even when you were a bad wizard." "he's a good wizard now," asserted aunt em, looking at the little man admiringly. "the way he made those tents grow out of handkerchiefs was just wonderful! and didn't he enchant the wagon wheels so they'd find the road?" "all the people of oz," said the captain general, "are very proud of their wizard. he once made some soap-bubbles that astonished the world." [illustration] the wizard blushed at this praise, yet it pleased him. he no longer looked sad, but seemed to have recovered his usual good humor. the country through which they now rode was thickly dotted with farmhouses, and yellow grain waved in all the fields. many of the winkies could be seen working on their farms and the wild and unsettled parts of oz were by this time left far behind. these winkies appeared to be happy, light-hearted folk, and all removed their caps and bowed low when the red wagon with its load of travelers passed by. it was not long before they saw something glittering in the sunshine far ahead. "see!" cried dorothy; "that's the tin castle, aunt em!" and the sawhorse, knowing his passengers were eager to arrive, broke into a swift trot that soon brought them to their destination. _how_ the tin woodman told the sad news chapter twenty-four [illustration] the tin woodman received princess dorothy's party with much grace and cordiality, yet the little girl decided that something must be worrying her old friend, because he was not so merry as usual. but at first she said nothing about this, for uncle henry and aunt em were fairly bubbling over with admiration for the beautiful tin castle and its polished tin owner. so her suspicion that something unpleasant had happened was for a time forgotten. "where is the scarecrow?" she asked, when they had all been ushered into the big tin drawing-room of the castle, the sawhorse being led around to the tin stable in the rear. "why, our old friend has just moved into his new mansion," explained the tin woodman. "it has been a long time in building, although my winkies and many other people from all parts of the country have been busily working upon it. at last, however, it is completed, and the scarecrow took possession of his new home just two days ago." "i hadn't heard that he wanted a home of his own," said dorothy. "why doesn't he live with ozma in the emerald city? he used to, you know; and i thought he was happy there." "it seems," said the tin woodman, "that our dear scarecrow cannot be contented with city life, however beautiful his surroundings might be. originally he was a farmer, for he passed his early life in a cornfield, where he was supposed to frighten away the crows." "i know," said dorothy, nodding. "i found him, and lifted him down from his pole." "so now, after a long residence in the emerald city, his tastes have turned to farm life again," continued the tin man. "he feels that he cannot be happy without a farm of his own, so ozma gave him some land and every one helped him build his mansion, and now he is settled there for good." "who designed his house?" asked the shaggy man. "i believe it was jack pumpkinhead, who is also a farmer," was the reply. they were now invited to enter the tin dining room, where luncheon was served. aunt em found, to her satisfaction, that dorothy's promise was more than fulfilled; for, although the tin woodman had no appetite of his own, he respected the appetites of his guests and saw that they were bountifully fed. they passed the afternoon in wandering through the beautiful gardens and grounds of the palace. the walks were all paved with sheets of tin, brightly polished, and there were tin fountains and tin statues here and there among the trees. the flowers were mostly natural flowers and grew in the regular way; but their host showed them one flower bed which was his especial pride. "you see, all common flowers fade and die in time," he explained, "and so there are seasons when the pretty blooms are scarce. therefore i decided to make one tin flower bed all of tin flowers, and my workmen have created them with rare skill. here you see tin camelias, tin marigolds, tin carnations, tin poppies and tin hollyhocks growing as naturally as if they were real." indeed, they were a pretty sight, and glistened under the sunlight like spun silver. "isn't this tin hollyhock going to seed?" asked the wizard, bending over the flowers. "why, i believe it is!" exclaimed the tin woodman, as if surprised. "i hadn't noticed that before. but i shall plant the tin seeds and raise another bed of tin hollyhocks." in one corner of the gardens nick chopper had established a fish-pond, in which they saw swimming and disporting themselves many pretty tin fishes. "would they bite on hooks?" asked aunt em, curiously. the tin woodman seemed hurt at this question. "madam," said he, "do you suppose i would allow anyone to catch my beautiful fishes, even if they were foolish enough to bite on hooks? no, indeed! every created thing is safe from harm in my domain, and i would as soon think of killing my little friend dorothy as killing one of my tin fishes." "the emperor is very kind-hearted, ma'am," explained the wizard. "if a fly happens to light upon his tin body he doesn't rudely brush it off, as some people might do; he asks it politely to find some other resting place." "what does the fly do then?" enquired aunt em. "usually it begs his pardon and goes away," said the wizard, gravely. "flies like to be treated politely as well as other creatures, and here in oz they understand what we say to them, and behave very nicely." "well," said aunt em, "the flies in kansas, where i came from, don't understand anything but a swat. you have to smash 'em to make 'em behave; and it's the same way with 'skeeters. do you have 'skeeters in oz?" "we have some very large mosquitoes here, which sing as beautifully as song birds," replied the tin woodman. "but they never bite or annoy our people, because they are well fed and taken care of. the reason they bite people in your country is because they are hungry--poor things!" "yes," agreed aunt em; "they're hungry, all right. an' they ain't very particular who they feed on. i'm glad you've got the 'skeeters educated in oz." that evening after dinner they were entertained by the emperor's tin cornet band, which played for them several sweet melodies. also the wizard did a few sleight-of-hand tricks to amuse the company; after which they all retired to their cosy tin bedrooms and slept soundly until morning. after breakfast dorothy said to the tin woodman: "if you'll tell us which way to go we'll visit the scarecrow on our way home." "i will go with you, and show you the way," replied the emperor; "for i must journey to-day to the emerald city." he looked so anxious, as he said this, that the little girl asked: "there isn't anything wrong with ozma, is there?" he shook his tin head. "not yet," said he; "but i'm afraid the time has come when i must tell you some very bad news, little friend." "oh, what is it?" cried dorothy. "do you remember the nome king?" asked the tin woodman. "i remember him very well," she replied. "the nome king has not a kind heart," said the emperor, sadly, "and he has been harboring wicked thoughts of revenge, because we once defeated him and liberated his slaves and you took away his magic belt. so he has ordered his nomes to dig a long tunnel underneath the deadly desert, so that he may march his hosts right into the emerald city. when he gets there he intends to destroy our beautiful country." dorothy was much surprised to hear this. "how did ozma find out about the tunnel?" she asked. "she saw it in her magic picture." "of course," said dorothy; "i might have known that. and what is she going to do?" "i cannot tell," was the reply. "pooh!" cried the yellow hen. "we're not afraid of the nomes. if we roll a few of our eggs down the tunnel they'll run away back home as fast as they can go." "why, that's true enough!" exclaimed dorothy. "the scarecrow once conquered all the nome king's army with some of billina's eggs." "but you do not understand all of the dreadful plot," continued the tin woodman. "the nome king is clever, and he knows his nomes would run from eggs; so he has bargained with many terrible creatures to help him. these evil spirits are not afraid of eggs or anything else, and they are very powerful. so the nome king will send them through the tunnel first, to conquer and destroy, and then the nomes will follow after to get their share of the plunder and slaves." they were all startled to hear this, and every face wore a troubled look. "is the tunnel all ready?" asked dorothy. "ozma sent me word yesterday that the tunnel was all completed except for a thin crust of earth at the end. when our enemies break through this crust they will be in the gardens of the royal palace, in the heart of the emerald city. i offered to arm all my winkies and march to ozma's assistance; but she said no." "i wonder why?" asked dorothy. "she answered that all the inhabitants of oz, gathered together, were not powerful enough to fight and overcome the evil forces of the nome king. therefore she refuses to fight at all." "but they will capture and enslave us, and plunder and ruin all our lovely land!" exclaimed the wizard, greatly disturbed by this statement. "i fear they will," said the tin woodman, sorrowfully. "and i also fear that those who are not fairies, such as the wizard, and dorothy, and her uncle and aunt, as well as toto and billina, will be speedily put to death by the conquerors." "what can be done?" asked dorothy, shuddering a little at the prospect of this awful fate. "nothing can be done!" gloomily replied the emperor of the winkies. "but since ozma refuses my army i will go myself to the emerald city. the least i may do is to perish beside my beloved ruler." [illustration] _how_ the scarecrow displayed his wisdom chapter twenty-five [illustration: probably the wisest man in all oz.] this amazing news had saddened every heart and all were now anxious to return to the emerald city and share ozma's fate. so they started without loss of time, and as the road led past the scarecrow's new mansion they determined to make a brief halt there and confer with him. "the scarecrow is probably the wisest man in all oz," remarked the tin woodman, when they had started upon their journey. "his brains are plentiful and of excellent quality, and often he has told me things i might never have thought of myself. i must say i rely a good deal upon the scarecrow's brains in this emergency." the tin woodman rode on the front seat of the wagon, where dorothy sat between him and the wizard. "has the scarecrow heard of ozma's trouble?" asked the captain general. "i do not know, sir," was the reply. "when i was a private," said omby amby, "i was an excellent army, as i fully proved in our war against the nomes. but now there is not a single private left in our army, since ozma made me the captain general, so there is no one to fight and defend our lovely ruler." "true," said the wizard. "the present army is composed only of officers, and the business of an officer is to order his men to fight. since there are no men there can be no fighting." "poor ozma!" whispered dorothy, with tears in her sweet eyes. "it's dreadful to think of all her lovely fairy country being destroyed. i wonder if we couldn't manage to escape and get back to kansas by means of the magic belt? and we might take ozma with us and all work hard to get money for her, so she wouldn't be so _very_ lonely and unhappy about the loss of her fairyland." "do you think there would be any work for _me_ in kansas?" asked the tin woodman. "if you are hollow, they might use you in a canning factory," suggested uncle henry. "but i can't see the use of your working for a living. you never eat or sleep or need a new suit of clothes." "i was not thinking of myself," replied the emperor, with dignity. "i merely wondered if i could not help to support dorothy and ozma." as they indulged in these sad plans for the future they journeyed in sight of the scarecrow's new mansion, and even though filled with care and worry over the impending fate of oz, dorothy could not help a feeling of wonder at the sight she saw. [illustration] the scarecrow's new house was shaped like an immense ear of corn. the rows of kernels were made of solid gold, and the green upon which the ear stood upright was a mass of sparkling emeralds. upon the very top of the structure was perched a figure representing the scarecrow himself, and upon his extended arms, as well as upon his head, were several crows carved out of ebony and having ruby eyes. you may imagine how big this ear of corn was when i tell you that a single gold kernel formed a window, swinging outward upon hinges, while a row of four kernels opened to make the front entrance. inside there were five stories, each story being a single room. the gardens around the mansion consisted of cornfields, and dorothy acknowledged that the place was in all respects a very appropriate home for her good friend the scarecrow. "he would have been very happy here, i'm sure," she said, "if only the nome king had left us alone. but if oz is destroyed of course this place will be destroyed too." "yes," replied the tin woodman, "and also my beautiful tin castle, that has been my joy and pride." "jack pumpkinhead's house will go too," remarked the wizard, "as well as professor wogglebug's athletic college, and ozma's royal palace, and all our other handsome buildings." "yes, oz will indeed become a desert when the nome king gets through with it," sighed omby amby. the scarecrow came out to meet them and gave them all a hearty welcome. "i hear you have decided always to live in the land of oz, after this," he said to dorothy; "and that will delight my heart, for i have greatly disliked our frequent partings. but why are you all so downcast?" "have you heard the news?" asked the tin woodman. "no news to make me sad," replied the scarecrow. then nick chopper told his friend of the nome king's tunnel, and how the evil creatures of the north had allied themselves with the underground monarch for the purpose of conquering and destroying oz. "well," said the scarecrow, "it certainly looks bad for ozma, and all of us. but i believe it is wrong to worry over anything before it happens. it is surely time enough to be sad when our country is despoiled and our people made slaves. so let us not deprive ourselves of the few happy hours remaining to us." "ah! that is real wisdom," declared the shaggy man, approvingly. "after we become really unhappy we shall regret these few hours that are left to us, unless we enjoy them to the utmost." "nevertheless," said the scarecrow, "i shall go with you to the emerald city and offer ozma my services." "she says we can do nothing to oppose our enemies," announced the tin woodman. "and doubtless she is right, sir," answered the scarecrow. "still, she will appreciate our sympathy, and it is the duty of ozma's friends to stand by her side when the final disaster occurs." he then led them into his queer mansion and showed them the beautiful rooms in all the five stories. the lower room was a grand reception hall, with a hand-organ in one corner. this instrument the scarecrow, when alone, could turn to amuse himself, as he was very fond of music. the walls were hung with white silk, upon which flocks of black crows were embroidered in black diamonds. some of the chairs were made in the shape of big crows and upholstered with cushions of corn-colored silk. the second story contained a fine banquet room, where the scarecrow might entertain his guests, and the three stories above that were bed-chambers exquisitely furnished and decorated. "from these rooms," said the scarecrow, proudly, "one may obtain fine views of the surrounding cornfields. the corn i grow is always husky, and i call the ears my regiments, because they have so many kernels. of course i cannot ride my cobs, but i really don't care shucks about that. taken altogether, my farm will stack up with any in the neighborhood." the visitors partook of some light refreshment and then hurried away to resume the road to the emerald city. the scarecrow found a seat in the wagon between omby amby and the shaggy man, and his weight did not add much to the load because he was stuffed with straw. "you will notice i have one oat-field on my property," he remarked, as they drove away. "oat-straw is, i have found, the best of all straws to re-stuff myself with when my interior gets musty or out of shape." "are you able to re-stuff yourself without help?" asked aunt em. "i should think that after the straw was taken out of you there wouldn't be anything left but your clothes." "you are almost correct, madam," he answered. "my servants do the stuffing, under my direction. for my head, in which are my excellent brains, is a bag tied at the bottom. my face is neatly painted upon one side of the bag, as you may see. my head does not need re-stuffing, as my body does, for all that it requires is to have the face touched up with fresh paint occasionally." [illustration] it was not far from the scarecrow's mansion to the farm of jack pumpkinhead, and when they arrived there both uncle henry and aunt em were much impressed. the farm was one vast pumpkin field, and some of the pumpkins were of enormous size. in one of them, which had been neatly hollowed out, jack himself lived, and he declared that it was a very comfortable residence. the reason he grew so many pumpkins was in order that he might change his head as often as it became wrinkled or threatened to spoil. the pumpkin-headed man welcomed his visitors joyfully and offered them several delicious pumpkin pies to eat. "i don't indulge in pumpkin pies myself, for two reasons," he said. "one reason is that were i to eat pumpkins i would become a cannibal, and the other reason is that i never eat, not being hollow inside." "very good reasons," agreed the scarecrow. they told jack pumpkinhead the dreadful news about the nome king, and he decided to go with them to the emerald city and help comfort ozma. "i had expected to live here in ease and comfort for many centuries," said jack, dolefully; "but of course if the nome king destroys everything in oz i shall be destroyed too. really, it seems too bad, doesn't it?" they were soon on their journey again, and so swiftly did the sawhorse draw the wagon over the smooth roads that before twilight fell that had reached the royal palace in the emerald city, and were at their journey's end. _how_ ozma refused to fight for her kingdom chapter twenty-six [illustration] ozma was in her rose garden picking a bouquet when the party arrived, and she greeted all her old and new friends as smilingly and sweetly as ever. dorothy's eyes were full of tears as she kissed the lovely ruler of oz, and she whispered to her: "oh, ozma, ozma! i'm _so_ sorry!" ozma seemed surprised. "sorry for what, dorothy?" she asked. "for all your trouble about the nome king," was the reply. ozma laughed with genuine amusement. "why, that has not troubled me a bit, dear princess," she replied. then, looking around at the sad faces of her friends, she added: "have you all been worrying about this tunnel?" "we have!" they exclaimed in a chorus. "well, perhaps it is more serious than i imagined," admitted the fair ruler; "but i haven't given the matter much thought. after dinner we will all meet together and talk it over." so they went to their rooms and prepared for dinner, and dorothy dressed herself in her prettiest gown and put on her coronet, for she thought that this might be the last time she would ever appear as a princess of oz. the scarecrow, the tin woodman and jack pumpkinhead all sat at the dinner table, although none of them was made so he could eat. usually they served to enliven the meal with their merry talk, but to-night all seemed strangely silent and uneasy. as soon as the dinner was finished ozma led the company to her own private room in which hung the magic picture. when they had seated themselves the scarecrow was the first to speak. "is the nome king's tunnel finished, ozma?" he asked. "it was completed to-day," she replied. "they have built it right under my palace grounds, and it ends in front of the forbidden fountain. nothing but a crust of earth remains to separate our enemies from us, and when they march here they will easily break through this crust and rush upon us." "who will assist the nome king?" inquired the scarecrow. [illustration] "the whimsies, the growleywogs and the phanfasms," she replied. "i watched to-day in my magic picture the messengers whom the nome king sent to all these people to summon them to assemble in his great caverns." "let us see what they are doing now," suggested the tin woodman. so ozma wished to see the nome king's cavern, and at once the landscape faded from the magic picture and was replaced by the scene then being enacted in the jeweled cavern of king roquat. a wild and startling scene it was which the oz people beheld. before the nome king stood the chief of the whimsies and the grand gallipoot of the groweywogs, surrounded by their most skillful generals. very fierce and powerful they looked, so that even the nome king and general guph, who stood beside his master, seemed a bit fearful in the presence of their allies. now a still more formidable creature entered the cavern. it was the first and foremost of the phanfasms and he proudly sat down in king roquat's own throne and demanded the right to lead his forces through the tunnel in advance of all the others. the first and foremost now appeared to all eyes in his hairy skin and the bear's head. what his real form was even roquat did not know. through the arches leading into the vast series of caverns that lay beyond the throne room of king roquat, could be seen ranks upon ranks of the invaders--thousands of phanfasms, growleywogs and whimsies standing in serried lines, while behind them were massed the thousands upon thousands of general guph's own army of nomes. "listen!" whispered ozma. "i think we can hear what they are saying." so they kept still and listened. "is all ready?" demanded the first and foremost, haughtily. "the tunnel is finally completed," replied general guph. "how long will it take us to march to the emerald city?" asked the grand gallipoot of the growleywogs. "if we start at midnight," replied the nome king, "we shall arrive at the emerald city by daybreak. then, while all the oz people are sleeping, we will capture them and make them our slaves. after that we will destroy the city itself and march through the land of oz, burning and devastating as we go." "good!" cried the first and foremost. "when we get through with oz it will be a desert wilderness. ozma shall be my slave." "she shall be _my_ slave!" shouted the grand gallipoot, angrily. "we'll decide that by and by," said king roquat, hastily. "don't let us quarrel now, friends. first let us conquer oz, and then we will divide the spoils of war in a satisfactory manner." the first and foremost smiled wickedly; but he only said: "i and my phanfasms go first, for nothing on earth can oppose our power." they all agreed to that, knowing the phanfasms to be the mightiest of the combined forces. king roquat now invited them to attend a banquet he had prepared, where they might occupy themselves in eating and drinking until midnight arrived. as they had now seen and heard all of the plot against them that they cared to, ozma allowed her magic picture to fade away. then she turned to her friends and said: "our enemies will be here sooner than i expected. what do you advise me to do?" "it is now too late to assemble our people," said the tin woodman, despondently. "if you had allowed me to arm and drill my winkies we might have put up a good fight and destroyed many of our enemies before we were conquered." "the munchkins are good fighters, too," said omby amby; "and so are the gillikins." "but i do not wish to fight," declared ozma, firmly. "no one has the right to destroy any living creatures, however evil they may be, or to hurt them or make them unhappy. i will not fight--even to save my kingdom." "the nome king is not so particular," remarked the scarecrow. "he intends to destroy us all and ruin our beautiful country." "because the nome king intends to do evil is no excuse for my doing the same," replied ozma. "self-preservation is the first law of nature," quoted the shaggy man. "true," she said, readily. "i would like to discover a plan to save ourselves without fighting." that seemed a hopeless task to them, but realizing that ozma was determined not to fight, they tried to think of some means that might promise escape. "couldn't we bribe our enemies, by giving them a lot of emeralds and gold?" asked jack pumpkinhead. "no, because they believe they are able to take everything we have," replied the ruler. "i have thought of something," said dorothy. "what is it, dear?" asked ozma. "let us use the magic belt to wish all of us in kansas. we will put some emeralds in our pockets, and can sell them in topeka for enough to pay off the mortgage on uncle henry's farm. then we can all live together and be happy." "a clever idea!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "kansas is a very good country. i've been there," said the shaggy man. "that seems to me an excellent plan," approved the tin woodman. "no!" said ozma, decidedly. "never will i desert my people and leave them to so cruel a fate. i will use the magic belt to send the rest of you to kansas, if you wish, but if my beloved country must be destroyed and my people enslaved i will remain and share their fate." "quite right," asserted the scarecrow, sighing. "i will remain with you." "and so will i," declared the tin woodman and the shaggy man and jack pumpkinhead, in turn. tiktok, the machine man, also said he intended to stand by ozma. "for," said he, "i should be of no use at all in kansas." "for my part," announced dorothy, gravely, "if the ruler of oz must not desert her people, a princess of oz has no right to run away, either. i'm willing to become a slave with the rest of you; so all we can do with the magic belt is to use it to send uncle henry and aunt em back to kansas." "i've been a slave all my life," aunt em replied, with considerable cheerfulness, "and so has henry. i guess we won't go back to kansas, anyway. i'd rather take my chances with the rest of you." ozma smiled upon them all gratefully. "there is no need to despair just yet," she said. "i'll get up early to-morrow morning and be at the forbidden fountain when the fierce warriors break through the crust of earth. i will speak to them pleasantly and perhaps they won't be so very bad, after all." "why do they call it the forbidden fountain?" asked dorothy, thoughtfully. "don't you know, dear?" returned ozma, surprised. "no," said dorothy. "of course i've seen the fountain in the palace grounds, ever since i first came to oz; and i've read the sign which says: 'all persons are forbidden to drink at this fountain.' but i never knew _why_ they were forbidden. the water seems clear and sparkling and it bubbles up in a golden basin all the time." "that water," declared ozma, gravely, "is the most dangerous thing in all the land of oz. it is the water of oblivion." "what does that mean?" asked dorothy. "whoever drinks at the forbidden fountain at once forgets everything he has ever known," ozma asserted. "it wouldn't be a bad way to forget our troubles," suggested uncle henry. "that is true; but you would forget everything else, and become as ignorant as a baby," returned ozma. "does it make one crazy?" asked dorothy. [illustration] "no; it only makes one forget," replied the girl ruler. "it is said that once--long, long ago--a wicked king ruled oz, and made himself and all his people very miserable and unhappy. so glinda, the good sorceress, placed this fountain here, and the king drank of its water and forgot all his wickedness. his mind became innocent and vacant, and when he learned the things of life again they were all good things. but the people remembered how wicked their king had been, and were still afraid of him. therefore he made them all drink of the water of oblivion and forget everything they had known, so that they became as simple and innocent as their king. after that they all grew wise together, and their wisdom was good, so that peace and happiness reigned in the land. but for fear some one might drink of the water again, and in an instant forget all he had learned, the king put that sign upon the fountain, where it has remained for many centuries up to this very day." they had all listened intently to ozma's story, and when she finished speaking there was a long period of silence while all thought upon the curious magical power of the water of oblivion. finally the scarecrow's painted face took on a broad smile that stretched the cloth as far as it would go. "how thankful i am," he said, "that i have such an excellent assortment of brains!" "i gave you the best brains i ever mixed," declared the wizard, with an air of pride. "you did, indeed!" agreed the scarecrow, "and they work so splendidly that they have found a way to save oz--to save us all!" "i'm glad to hear that," said the wizard. "we never needed saving more than we do just now." "do you mean to say you can save us from those awful phanfasms, and growleywogs and whimsies?" asked dorothy eagerly. "i'm sure of it, my dear," asserted the scarecrow, still smiling genially. "tell us how!" cried the tin woodman. [illustration] "not now," said the scarecrow. "you may all go to bed, and i advise you to forget your worries just as completely as if you had drunk of the water of oblivion in the forbidden fountain. i'm going to stay here and tell my plan to ozma alone, but if you will all be at the forbidden fountain at daybreak, you'll see how easily we will save the kingdom when our enemies break through the crust of earth and come from the tunnel." so they went away and left the scarecrow and ozma alone; but dorothy could not sleep a wink all night. "he is only a scarecrow," she said to herself, "and i'm not sure that his mixed brains are as clever as he thinks they are." but she knew that if the scarecrow's plan failed they were all lost; so she tried to have faith in him. [illustration] _how_ the fierce warriors invaded oz chapter twenty-seven [illustration] the nome king and his terrible allies sat at the banquet table until midnight. there was much quarreling between the growleywogs and phanfasms, and one of the wee-headed whimsies got angry at general guph and choked him until he nearly stopped breathing. yet no one was seriously hurt, and the nome king felt much relieved when the clock struck twelve and they all sprang up and seized their weapons. "aha!" shouted the first and foremost. "now to conquer the land of oz!" he marshaled his phanfasms in battle array and at his word of command they marched into the tunnel and began the long journey through it to the emerald city. the first and foremost intended to take all the treasures in oz for himself; to kill all who could be killed and enslave the rest; to destroy and lay waste the whole country, and afterward to conquer and enslave the nomes, the growleywogs and the whimsies. and he knew his power was sufficient to enable him to do all these things easily. next marched into the tunnel the army of gigantic growleywogs, with their grand gallipoot at their head. they were dreadful beings, indeed, and longed to get to oz that they might begin to pilfer and destroy. the grand gallipoot was a little afraid of the first and foremost, but had a cunning plan to murder or destroy that powerful being and secure the wealth of oz for himself. mighty little of the plunder would the nome king get, thought the grand gallipoot. the chief of the whimsies now marched his false-headed forces into the tunnel. in his wicked little head was a plot to destroy both the first and foremost and the grand gallipoot. he intended to let them conquer oz, since they insisted on going first; but he would afterward treacherously destroy them, as well as king roquat, and keep all the slaves and treasure of ozma's kingdom for himself. after all his dangerous allies had marched into the tunnel the nome king and general guph started to follow them, at the head of fifty thousand nomes, all fully armed. "guph," said the king, "those creatures ahead of us mean mischief. they intend to get everything for themselves and leave us nothing." "i know," replied the general; "but they are not as clever as they think they are. when you get the magic belt you must at once wish the whimsies and growleywogs and phanfasms all back into their own countries--and the belt will surely take them there." [illustration] "good!" cried the king. "an excellent plan, guph. i'll do it. while they are conquering oz i'll get the magic belt, and then only the nomes will remain to ravage the country." so you see there was only one thing that all were agreed upon--that oz should be destroyed. on, on, on the vast ranks of invaders marched, filling the tunnel from side to side. with a steady tramp, tramp, they advanced, every step taking them nearer to the beautiful emerald city. "nothing can save the land of oz!" thought the first and foremost, scowling until his bear face was as black as the tunnel. "the emerald city is as good as destroyed already!" muttered the grand gallipoot, shaking his war club fiercely. "in a few hours oz will be a desert!" said the chief of the whimsies, with an evil laugh. "my dear guph," remarked the nome king to his general, "at last my vengeance upon ozma of oz and her people is about to be accomplished." "you are right!" declared the general. "ozma is surely lost." and now the first and foremost, who was in advance and nearing the emerald city, began to cough and to sneeze. "this tunnel is terribly dusty," he growled, angrily. "i'll punish that nome king for not having it swept clean. my throat and eyes are getting full of dust and i'm as thirsty as a fish!" the grand gallipoot was coughing too, and his throat was parched and dry. "what a dusty place!" he cried. "i'll be glad when we reach oz, where we can get a drink." "who has any water?" asked the whimsie chief, gasping and choking. but none of his followers carried a drop of water, so he hastened on to get through the dusty tunnel to the land of oz. "where did all this dust come from?" demanded general guph, trying hard to swallow but finding his throat so dry he couldn't. "i don't know," answered the nome king. "i've been in the tunnel every day while it was being built, but i never noticed any dust before." "let's hurry!" cried the general. "i'd give half the gold in oz for a drink of water." the dust grew thicker and thicker, and the throats and eyes and noses of the invaders were filled with it. but not one halted or turned back. they hurried forward more fierce and vengeful than ever. _how_ they drank at the forbidden fountain chapter twenty-eight [illustration] the scarecrow had no need to sleep; neither had the tin woodman or tiktok or jack pumpkinhead. so they all wandered out into the palace grounds and stood beside the sparkling water of the forbidden fountain until daybreak. during this time they indulged in occasional conversation. "nothing could make me forget what i know," remarked the scarecrow, gazing into the fountain, "for i cannot drink the water of oblivion or water of any kind. and i am glad that this is so, for i consider my wisdom unexcelled." "you are cer-tain-ly- ve-ry wise," agreed tiktok. "for my part, i can on-ly think by ma-chin-er-y, so i do not pre-tend to know as much as you do." "my tin brains are very bright, but that is all i claim for them," said nick chopper, modestly. "yet i do not aspire to being very wise, for i have noticed that the happiest people are those who do not let their brains oppress them." "mine never worry me," jack pumpkinhead acknowledged. "there are many seeds of thought in my head, but they do not sprout easily. i am glad that it is so, for if i occupied my days in thinking i should have no time for anything else." in this cheery mood they passed the hours until the first golden streaks of dawn appeared in the sky. then ozma joined them, as fresh and lovely as ever and robed in one of her prettiest gowns. "our enemies have not yet arrived," said the scarecrow, after greeting affectionately the sweet and girlish ruler. "they will soon be here," she said, "for i have just glanced at my magic picture, and have seen them coughing and choking with the dust in the tunnel." "oh, is there dust in the tunnel?" asked the tin woodman. "yes; ozma placed it there by means of the magic belt," explained the scarecrow, with one of his broad smiles. then dorothy came to them, uncle henry and aunt em following close after her. the little girl's eyes were heavy because she had had a sleepless and anxious night. toto walked by her side, but the little dog's spirits were very much subdued. billina, who was always up by daybreak, was not long in joining the group by the fountain. the wizard and the shaggy man next arrived, and soon after appeared omby amby, dressed in his best uniform. "there lies the tunnel," said ozma, pointing to a part of the ground just before the forbidden fountain, "and in a few moments the dreadful invaders will break through the earth and swarm over the land. let us all stand on the other side of the fountain and watch to see what happens." [illustration] at once they followed her suggestion and moved around the fountain of the water of oblivion. there they stood silent and expectant until the earth beyond gave way with a sudden crash and up leaped the powerful form of the first and foremost, followed by all his grim warriors. as the leader sprang forward his gleaming eyes caught the play of the fountain and he rushed toward it and drank eagerly of the sparkling water. many of the other phanfasms drank, too, in order to clear their dry and dusty throats. then they stood around and looked at one another with simple, wondering smiles. the first and foremost saw ozma and her companions beyond the fountain, but instead of making an effort to capture her he merely stared at her in pleased admiration of her beauty--for he had forgotten where he was and why he had come there. but now the grand gallipoot arrived, rushing from the tunnel with a hoarse cry of mingled rage and thirst. he too saw the fountain and hastened to drink of its forbidden waters. the other growleywogs were not slow to follow suit, and even before they had finished drinking the chief of the whimsies and his people came to push them away, while they one and all cast off their false heads that they might slake their thirst at the fountain. when the nome king and general guph arrived they both made a dash to drink, but the general was so mad with thirst that he knocked his king over, and while roquat lay sprawling upon the ground the general drank heartily of the water of oblivion. this rude act of his general made the nome king so angry that for a moment he forgot he was thirsty and rose to his feet to glare upon the group of terrible warriors he had brought here to assist him. he saw ozma and her people, too, and yelled out: "why don't you capture them? why don't you conquer oz, you idiots? why do you stand there like a lot of dummies?" but the great warriors had become like little children. they had forgotten all their enmity against ozma and against oz. they had even forgotten who they themselves were, or why they were in this strange and beautiful country. as for the nome king, they did not recognize him, and wondered who he was. the sun came up and sent its flood of silver rays to light the faces of the invaders. the frowns and scowls and evil looks were all gone. even the most monstrous of the creatures there assembled smiled innocently and seemed light-hearted and content merely to be alive. not so with roquat, the nome king. he had not drunk from the forbidden fountain and all his former rage against ozma and dorothy now inflamed him as fiercely as ever. the sight of general guph babbling like a happy child and playing with his hands in the cool waters of the fountain astonished and maddened red roquat. seeing that his terrible allies and his own general refused to act, the nome king turned to order his great army of nomes to advance from the tunnel and seize the helpless oz people. but the scarecrow suspected what was in the king's mind and spoke a word to the tin woodman. together they ran at roquat and grabbing him up tossed him into the great basin of the fountain. the nome king's body was round as a ball, and it bobbed up and down in the water of oblivion while he spluttered and screamed with fear lest he should drown. and when he cried out his mouth filled with water, which ran down his throat, so that straightway he forgot all he had formerly known just as completely as had all the other invaders. ozma and dorothy could not refrain from laughing to see their dreaded enemies become as harmless as babes. there was no danger now that oz would be destroyed. the only question remaining to solve was how to get rid of this horde of intruders. [illustration] the shaggy man kindly pulled the nome king out of the fountain and set him upon his thin legs. roquat was dripping wet, but he chattered and laughed and wanted to drink more of the water. no thought of injuring any person was now in his mind. before he left the tunnel he had commanded his fifty thousand nomes to remain there until he ordered them to advance, as he wished to give his allies time to conquer oz before he appeared with his own army. ozma did not wish all these nomes to overrun her land, so she advanced to king roquat and taking his hand in her own said gently: "who are you? what is your name?" "i don't know," he replied, smiling at her. "who are you, my dear?" "my name is ozma," she said; "and your name is roquat." "oh, is it?" he replied, seeming pleased. "yes; you are king of the nomes," she said. "ah; i wonder what the nomes are!" returned the king, as if puzzled. "they are underground elves, and that tunnel over there is full of them," she answered. "you have a beautiful cavern at the other end of the tunnel, so you must go to your nomes and say: 'march home!' then follow after them and in time you will reach the pretty cavern where you live." the nome king was much pleased to learn this, for he had forgotten he had a cavern. so he went to the tunnel and said to his army: "march home!" at once the nomes turned and marched back through the tunnel, and the king followed after them, laughing with delight to find his orders so readily obeyed. the wizard went to general guph, who was trying to count his fingers, and told him to follow the nome king, who was his master. guph meekly obeyed, and so all the nomes quitted the land of oz forever. [illustration] but there were still the phanfasms and whimsies and growleywogs standing around in groups, and they were so many that they filled the gardens and trampled upon the flowers and grass because they did not know that the tender plants would be injured by their clumsy feet. but in all other respects they were perfectly harmless and played together like children or gazed with pleasure upon the pretty sights of the royal gardens. after counseling with the scarecrow ozma sent omby amby to the palace for the magic belt, and when the captain general returned with it the ruler of oz at once clasped the precious belt around her waist. "i wish all these strange people--the whimsies and the growleywogs and the phanfasms--safe back in their own homes!" she said. it all happened in a twinkling, for of course the wish was no sooner spoken than it was granted. all the hosts of the invaders were gone, and only the trampled grass showed that they had ever been in the land of oz. _how_ glinda worked a magic spell chapter twenty-nine [illustration] "that was better than fighting," said ozma, when all our friends were assembled in the palace after the exciting events of the morning; and each and every one agreed with her. "no one was hurt," said the wizard, delightedly. "and no one hurt us," added aunt em. "but, best of all," said dorothy, "the wicked people have all forgotten their wickedness, and will not wish to hurt any one after this." "true, princess," declared the shaggy man. "it seems to me that to have reformed all those evil characters is more important than to have saved oz." "nevertheless," remarked the scarecrow, "i am glad oz is saved. i can now go back to my new mansion and live happily." "and i am glad and grateful that my pumpkin farm is saved," said jack. "for my part," added the tin woodman, "i cannot express my joy that my lovely tin castle is not to be demolished by wicked enemies." "still," said tiktok, "o-ther en-e-mies may come to oz some day." "why do you allow your clock-work brains to interrupt our joy?" asked omby amby, frowning at the machine man. "i say what i am wound up to say," answered tiktok. "and you are right," declared ozma. "i myself have been thinking of this very idea, and it seems to me there are entirely too many ways for people to get to the land of oz. we used to think the deadly desert that surrounds us was enough protection; but that is no longer the case. the wizard and dorothy have both come here through the air, and i am told the earth people have invented airships that can fly anywhere they wish them to go." "why, sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't," asserted dorothy. "but in time the airships may cause us trouble," continued ozma, "for if the earth folk learn how to manage them we would be overrun with visitors who would ruin our lovely, secluded fairyland." "that is true enough," agreed the wizard. "also the desert fails to protect us in other ways," ozma went on, thoughtfully. "johnny dooit once made a sandboat that sailed across it, and the nome king made a tunnel under it. so i believe something ought to be done to cut us off from the rest of the world entirely, so that no one in the future will ever be able to intrude upon us." "how will you do that?" asked the scarecrow. "i do not know; but in some way i am sure it can be accomplished. to-morrow i will make a journey to the castle of glinda the good, and ask her advice." "may i go with you?" asked dorothy, eagerly. "of course, my dear princess; and also i invite any of our friends here who would like to undertake the journey." they all declared they wished to accompany their girl ruler, for this was indeed an important mission, since the future of the land of oz to a great extent depended upon it. so ozma gave orders to her servants to prepare for the journey on the morrow. that day she watched her magic picture, and when it showed her that all the nomes had returned through the tunnel to their underground caverns, ozma used the magic belt to close up the tunnel, so that the earth underneath the desert sands became as solid as it was before the nomes began to dig. early the following morning a gay cavalcade set out to visit the famous sorceress, glinda the good. ozma and dorothy rode in a chariot drawn by the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, while the sawhorse drew the red wagon in which rode the rest of the party. with hearts light and free from care they traveled merrily along through the lovely and fascinating land of oz, and in good season reached the stately castle in which resided the sorceress. glinda knew that they were coming. [illustration] "i have been reading about you in my magic book," she said, as she greeted them in her gracious way. "what is your magic book like?" inquired aunt em, curiously. "it is a record of everything that happens," replied the sorceress. "as soon as an event takes place, anywhere in the world, it is immediately found printed in my magic book. so when i read its pages i am well informed." "did it tell how our enemies drank the water of 'blivion?" asked dorothy. "yes, my dear; it told all about it. and also it told me you were all coming to my castle, and why." "then," said ozma, "i suppose you know what is in my mind, and that i am seeking a way to prevent any one in the future from discovering the land of oz." "yes; i know that. and while you were on your journey i have thought of a way to accomplish your desire. for it seems to me unwise to allow too many outside people to come here. dorothy, with her uncle and aunt, has now returned to oz to live always, and there is no reason why we should leave any way open for others to travel uninvited to our fairyland. let us make it impossible for any one ever to communicate with us in any way, after this. then we may live peacefully and contentedly." "your advice is wise," returned ozma. "i thank you, glinda, for your promise to assist me." "but how can you do it?" asked dorothy. "how can you keep every one from ever finding oz?" "by making our country invisible to all eyes but our own," replied the sorceress, smiling. "i have a magic charm powerful enough to accomplish that wonderful feat, and now that we have been warned of our danger by the nome king's invasion, i believe we must not hesitate to separate ourselves forever from all the rest of the world." "i agree with you," said the ruler of oz. "won't it make any difference to us?" asked dorothy, doubtfully. "no, my dear," glinda answered, assuringly. "we shall still be able to see each other and everything in the land of oz. it won't affect us at all; but those who fly through the air over our country will look down and see nothing at all. those who come to the edge of the desert, or try to cross it, will catch no glimpse of oz, or know in what direction it lies. no one will try to tunnel to us again because we cannot be seen and therefore cannot be found. in other words, the land of oz will entirely disappear from the knowledge of the rest of the world." "that's all right," said dorothy, cheerfully. "you may make oz invis'ble as soon as you please, for all i care." "it is already invisible," glinda stated. "i knew ozma's wishes, and performed the magic spell before you arrived." ozma seized the hand of the sorceress and pressed it gratefully. "thank you!" she said. [illustration] _how_ the story of oz came to an end chapter thirty [illustration] the writer of these oz stories has received a little note from princess dorothy of oz which, for a time, has made him feel rather discontented. the note was written on a broad white feather from a stork's wing, and it said: _"you will never hear anything more about oz, because we are now cut off forever from all the rest of the world. but toto and i will always love you and all the other children who love us._ "dorothy gale." this seemed to me too bad, at first, for oz is a very interesting fairyland. still, we have no right to feel grieved, for we have had enough of the history of the land of oz to fill six story books, and from its quaint people and their strange adventures we have been able to learn many useful and amusing things. so good luck to little dorothy and her companions. may they live long in their invisible country and be very happy! the end [illustration] * * * * * transcriber's notes: punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. simple typographical errors were corrected. chapter names are parts of their illustrations. in this ebook, they precede the indications of where those illustrations occur. the cowardly lion of oz by ruth plumly thompson _founded on and continuing the famous oz stories_ by l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago _printed in the united states of america_ copyright, _by_ the reilly & lee co. _the cowardly lion of oz_ [illustration: the cowardly lion entertains the wood cutters with his conversation _chapter _] * * * * * dear girls and boys: this is the cowardly lion's book, because it is mostly about him and the people who were hunting him. why, i do not believe there has been so much excitement in oz since the scarecrow fell down his family tree. imagine anyone daring to hunt our dear old jolly friend, just as if he were a common, man-eating creature, and imagine--! but here i go telling the whole story. read it yourself and then tell me exactly what you think of this mustafa of mudge and his blue whiskers. i hope you will like snorer. it must be convenient to have a radio ear like his. speaking of radios, if you should happen to hear any oz news over yours will you tell me? will you? if there's anything i love better than strawberries in january it's oz news in july or december or august--or any time! i've had some of the finest letters from boys and girls lately, but there is always room in my letter box for just one more. maybe there is one there now from you to dear me? i must run down and look. lots of good oz luck until the emerald clock in the royal palace strikes book time again! ruth plumly thompson. philadelphia, july of . * * * * * this book is dedicated to my sister dorothy thompson curtiss and all other lovely dorothys including dorothy of oz ruth plumly thompson * * * * * list of chapters mustafa of mudge magic at the circus at the court of mudge mustafa's mandate two cowardly lion hunters the seven doors the escape from doorways the cowardly lion's quest in search of a brave man on the isle of un a strange fishing party saved by a flyaboutabus mustafa's blue magic flying in a deluge mustafa keeps watch a fall from the sky the stone man of oz notta's last disguise in the emerald city the cowardly lion's peril oz magic triumphs a happy home in oz chapter mustafa of mudge "tazzywaller, i must have another lion," said mustafa of mudge, giving his blue whiskers a terrible tweak. "another lion, tazzywaller, at once!" "your highness already has nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine lions and a half!" said tazzywaller bowing humbly. "oh, that!" interrupted mustafa impatiently. "very careless of you, tazzywaller, to bring me half a lion--the wrong half, too! monstrous annoying to see the back legs and tail of a lion jumping about in the reservation. unnatural, i call it." "but, your highness will remember that had not a fortunate blow of my scimitar cut off the right half of the lion i would have been devoured, eaten, destroyed!" tazzywaller's eyes bulged at the unhappy recollection. "i'd have endeavored to console myself," sniffed mustafa disagreeably, "and panapee would make an excellent chamberlain. but this is wasting time. i must have another lion. a lion, i tell you, at once!" mustafa's voice rose to a roar. springing from his throne, he began stamping first one foot, then the other. the round face of poor tazzywaller grew paler at each stamp. "but there are no more lions in mudge," he pleaded. "your highness must know that. the royal hunters have tracked them all down, and even if there were more, we cannot afford another single lion. i beg of your highness to consider the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine already eating us out of our sandals. the mudgers are complaining of the lion tax--" "silence!" screamed mustafa, jumping into the air so that he could stamp both feet at the same time. "you're making most of the noise yourself," said tazzywaller sulkily. "what is all this arguing about?" demanded a sleepy voice, and through a curtain at the back of the apartment appeared the huge, turbaned head of mixtuppa, queen of mudge. "lions! your majesty," sighed the chief chamberlain, looking uneasily at mustafa's wife, who was even more unreasonable than her royal husband. "his highness desires another lion." "well, why don't you get him one? you know i can't stand this stamping," wheezed mixtuppa irritably. "neither can i," grumbled mustafa. "it hurts my royal feet." "no one asked you to stamp. why don't you stop it?" sniffed tazzywaller. "will you get me the lion?" asked mustafa, pausing with foot upraised. "i would if there were any more, but there _are_ no more lions in mudge!" wailed tazzywaller. down came mustafa's foot with a terrible stamp. "great gazupp!" screamed the monarch of mudge. "what kind of a chamberlain are you? i'll appoint panapee chamberlain in your place and you--_you_ may feed the lions!" he finished furiously. mustafa clapped his hands sharply and to the small mudger who bounced into the room he snapped, "tell panapee to appear before me at once." he paid no attention to the pleadings of tazzywaller, who was bumping his head on the floor, nor to the advice of mixtuppa, who was wagging her head through the curtain. the next moment panapee stood before the throne. he was as tall and thin as tazzywaller was round and fat. his little eyes snapped with glee at sight of the chamberlain rolling about on the floor. as purse bearer he always had to walk back of tazzywaller in royal processions, and to see his rival in disgrace was an exquisite pleasure to the envious old mudger. "your excellency sent for me?" asked panapee bowing deeply. "yes," shrilled mustafa, pushing back his turban and pointing a trembling finger at tazzywaller. "he says there are no more lions in mudge and i, mustafa, must have another lion." "your highness knows best," murmured panapee, rolling up his eyes and putting his finger tips together. "you know as well as i that there are no more lions in mudge," cried tazzywaller, springing to his feet and shaking his fist under panapee's nose. "there are other countries besides mudge," said panapee loftily. "now i presume your highness was thinking of an odd, unusual sort of lion; something bigger and better than the kind now fighting amiably in the royal reservation?" "how well you understand me," sighed mustafa, sinking back among his cushions. "that's just what i do want, panny--a strange, rare, royal sort of lion; one who will keep the rest in order and add to the honor and dignity of our court." "i have a book," confided panapee, placing his finger mysteriously beside his nose, "a book of lions, and if your highness will but excuse me i will fetch it from my tent." "are you going to get a lion out of a book?" asked mixtuppa sleepily. "how stupid of tazzywaller not to have thought of that." now, while panapee goes for his book, i must tell you that mudge is a blue and barbarous country in the southwestern part of the munchkin country of oz. it is a hot, dry, desert land and the mudgers themselves are a short-tempered, long-legged tribe of troublemakers. they live in blue, striped tents and, if it were not for their bright blue whiskers, you would take them for arabs, as they wear sweeping white robes and turbans to protect themselves from the heat and desert sands. in olden oz times the mudgers used to descend upon the helpless little countries that surrounded them and carry off everything of value. but glinda, the good sorceress of oz, put a stop to that. one night, flying over mudge in her swan chariot, she had dropped a blue book and it had fallen on the oldest mudger in the kingdom, hitting him a terrible blow on the nose. it had been a blow to them all, for in gold letters on the first page of the book stood this sentence: "from this day on, any mudger leaving the land of mudge shall lose his head. by order of ozma, ruler of all oz." there were other warnings in the blue book, but the first had changed the whole history of the country. no mudger was brave enough to venture out of mudge after that, so the thieving raids on other countries had stopped instantly, and the mudgers, deprived of the pleasure of stealing from their neighbors, stole from each other, and were always quarreling among themselves and moving their tents from place to place. the peoples of the surrounding countries would come to the borders of mudge to bargain for the dates, figs and cocoanuts for which the land was famous, but mustafa's grandfather, who was then ruler of the desert kingdom, disagreeably decided that since no mudger might leave mudge no outsider should enter his country. warnings were posted on all the borders of mudge and soon no one came near the horrid little kingdom, so that it went on growing more blue and barbarous all the time, as people are bound to do who have no friends or neighbors. when mustafa, who really was not a bad fellow at heart, assumed the throne he tried to divert the minds of his quarrelsome subjects by organizing hunts. there were many lions in the uninhabited parts of the desert, and for a time hunting lions kept the mudgers out of mischief. but soon they were quarreling over even that, and the royal hunting expeditions were more in the nature of battles than pleasure excursions. mustafa, in despair, confided to tazzywaller that he much preferred the lions to his subjects. so tazzywaller had mildly suggested that he keep a few for company. mustafa, who was terribly bored with his duties as king, was delighted with the idea and issued orders that hereafter all lions should be brought to the royal tents. at first he had kept two or three in a large enclosed cage in his garden, but as his subjects grew more unmanageable, his affection for lions increased. he insisted upon more and more lions, until, as tazzywaller had stated, there were nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine and one-half in the royal collection. mustafa pretended that he kept these lions to frighten away the enemies of mudge, and for this purpose he had a large iron enclosure erected all around the kingdom, so that no one could come in or go out without passing through the royal lion reservation. indeed, when the little munchkin boys and girls recited their lessons, they always described mudge as a country entirely surrounded by lions. but this was only an excuse. mustafa knew well enough that no one dared leave mudge, and that no one wanted to come there, but it sounded well when the people complained of the lion tax. mustafa's lions were a terrible trial to poor tazzywaller. to keep his position as chief chamberlain of mudge, he must produce a lion whenever mustafa demanded one. this was pretty often. by his orders the whole country had been combed for lions and only the week before word had been brought that there was not another lion left in the whole country. then tazzywaller himself had gone hunting, and after an exhausting trip had come upon the very last old lion of mudge. when tazzywaller tried to capture him, the beast had selfishly tried to devour the fat chamberlain. in protecting himself tazzywaller cut the old lion in two with his scimitar. before he could remedy the disaster the front, and best part, of the lion had jumped over the lion enclosure and disappeared. in the fairy kingdom of oz nothing can really be killed, so that both halves of the lion were quite unhurt and lively, but mustafa had been very angry when tazzywaller brought him the half he had managed to catch. it had almost cost him his position. "to think it was i who suggested lions in the first place," groaned poor tazzywaller. "lions! bah! mustafa has a taste for lions and lions have a taste for me!" "that's odd of them," drawled mixtuppa, rolling her blue eyes at tazzy. "poor taste i call it!" "silence!" exploded mustafa so sharply that mixtuppa hastily drew in her head. mustafa was already regretting his unkindness, but he was too proud to take back his words. yes, tazzy would have to feed the lions. he sighed mournfully; but just then panapee came whirling through the tent flap, a large book under his arm. "this book," puffed panapee proudly--but he got no further. "give it to me," commanded mustafa, snatching the volume from panapee. even tazzywaller edged nearer, and the sleepy head of mixtuppa was again thrust through the curtain. "famous lions of oz," read mustafa, and opened the dusty volume with trembling fingers. but he got no further than the second page, for there was a picture of the most splendid lion he had ever seen in his whole mudger existence, and underneath, in blue letters, stood the words "this is the famous cowardly lion of oz, king of all forest creatures." "cowardly lion?" gasped mustafa. "how singular! how rare! why, he doesn't look cowardly at all." "if your highness will but read," exulted panapee, pointing to the opposite page. breathlessly mustafa began. "the cowardly lion is one of the most unusual and celebrated lions in oz. for many years he ruled over the forest kingdoms, but in the reign of the famous wizard of oz the cowardly lion was discovered by a little kansas girl named dorothy. he became so attached to dorothy that he accompanied her on her journey to the emerald city, saving her life many times on the way, and proving so brave, in spite of his cowardice, that he won the love and admiration of all oz. since then he has spent most of his time in the capital city, sharing in all the adventures of court celebrities, and of dorothy, who has been made a royal princess. he has, by his many brave deeds, endeared himself to the whole populace and--" "panny!" burst out mustafa, without waiting to read any more, "panny, _that_ is the lion i want, the cowardly lion of oz!" "that is the lion he wants!" repeated mixtuppa, nodding her head approvingly. "and of course he shall have it," sniffed tazzywaller, relieved to think he was no longer chamberlain. "panapee, produce this cowardly lion. at once!" "it will take a little time," began the new chamberlain of mudge nervously. "an expedition must be fitted out and--" "how about the warning in the book of mudge?" asked tazzywaller sarcastically. "do you suppose anyone is going to risk his head just for the honor of catching this cowardly lion?" "it would be a great honor," said panapee, looking slyly at his rival, "a very great honor. i was about to suggest that you, dear tazzywaller, undertake the journey. even though you were to lose your head, you could still feed the lions of mudge." "me!" screamed tazzywaller, almost turning a somersault. "oh, no, my brave panapee, it would be too great an honor for me. i am only the lion feeder. i must feed them at once!" tazzywaller started on a run for the door, but mustafa called him back. "you used to give me good advice, tazzywaller," sighed the ruler of mudge. "who do you think could catch this cowardly lion of oz?" "why not panapee?" asked the former chamberlain wickedly. "he is a strong, brave man." "yes, but what would your highness do without an adviser?" quavered panapee in a tremulous tone. "he could take my advice," drawled mixtuppa, "and to begin with i'd--" what mixtuppa was about to advise will never be known, for right here fifteen mudgers burst into the royal tent. "lion!" screamed the first. "lion! lion! lion!" screamed all the others, whirling their scimitars until the confusion was terrible. "let me catch him!" cried tazzywaller, but panapee clutched at his sleeve. "no, let me!" squealed panapee, brushing past him. "i am chief chamberlain of mudge!" "perhaps it is the cowardly lion," puffed mustafa, springing rapturously from his throne, and next minute they had all rolled, run or tumbled out of the tent, screaming in a way to curdle the blood of twenty lions. under the largest palm tree in the sandy waste mustafa was pleased to call his garden stood a very lumpy and peculiar-looking lion! chapter magic at the circus it was raining outside, it was hot and stuffy inside and it was the last day of the circus in stumptown. all over the big tent people moved about restlessly on the hard seats, and grumbled when sudden splashes of rain came pelting through the tent top. mothers were thinking anxiously of the wet journey home, young ladies were worrying about their spring bonnets, and even the boys and girls were only applauding half-heartedly as old billy, the elephant, rang dinner bells in one ring and the glicko sisters swung dizzily from trapezes in the other. the chief clown ran distractedly around both rings. he stood on his head, he walked on his hands, he leaped over the elephant, he pretended he was a balky donkey. but no one laughed. they didn't even smile at his oldest jokes. "this is too terrible," gulped the clown, stepping behind a pillar. "not one real laugh the whole afternoon! what's the matter with these folks anyway?" he wiped the perspiration from his forehead, hastily powdered his nose and dashed out again. it was beginning to thunder now, and the animals in the outside tent set up a dreadful roaring. from looking bored, the people began to look frightened. something must be done. the worried clown rushed into the center ring and sprang to the back of the big elephant. "ladies and gentlemen!" shouted the clown, waving his arms to attract attention. "ladies and gentlemen, i am about to perform one of the most astonishing and amazing feats ever executed--a trick that has astounded the crowned heads of europe, asia and africa. ladies and gentlemen--" people on the back rows, who were already pushing their way toward the exits, paused. a little girl in the twenty-five-cent seats cheered faintly. thus encouraged, the clown turned a really marvelous somersault and landed on the tip of the elephant's trunk. "will some small boy kindly step forward," begged the clown, glancing hurriedly along the front rows. "for this trick i need a small, active boy. ah, there he is!" urging the elephant to the very edge of the ring, the clown snatched a small, red-headed boy from a group of solemn-eyed orphans, who had been brought to the circus for a special treat. the crowd gasped with surprise, and the orphan tried to wriggle out of his coat, but the clown held on firmly. "one toss of this boy into the air, and he will disappear; a toss of my cap and he will reappear. watch!" cried the clown, putting his fingers to his lips. "what are you trying to do?" demanded the ringmaster in a hoarse whisper. "you can't really make him disappear, you know." the clown realized this, but he was going to make that crowd laugh--or disappear himself. with a shrill whistle that made even the old elephant prick up his ears, he tossed the orphan to his shoulder and reeled off the first ridiculous rhyme that popped into his head. and this was it: "udge! budge! go to mudge! udger budger, you're a mudger!" a roar of delight went up from the crowd, and a roar of terror from the ringmaster, for the orphan had disappeared--disappeared as completely as a punctured balloon! "help!" screamed the clown, dancing frantically up and down on the elephant's head. the audience was enchanted and rocking to and fro with merriment. "that's the best trick i've ever seen," gurgled a fat man, mopping his face. "look at him pretending to be frightened. come on now, bring him back, you!" the clown cried out another verse: "udge! budge! go to mudge! udger budger, i'm a mudger!" there was a tearing rip and a clap of thunder. the crowd stared, rubbed its eyes and stared again. no clown, no orphan! why, this was tremendous! they stamped with glee and shouted their approval. but the ringmaster fell breathlessly against a post, and the owner of the circus, with popping eyes, started on a run for the dressing tent. not a bit too soon, either, for in a few seconds the crowd stopped laughing as suddenly as it had begun. umbrellas were brandished furiously, and people shouted at the ringmaster to produce the orphan at once. the ringmaster was shaking in his shiny shoes, but he resolved to save himself if he could. raising his whip for silence, he announced in his most impressive voice that the best part of the trick was to come--that the clown and orphan were at that minute standing at the circus gate to wave good-bye to the company, one of the most distinguished and delightful companies it had ever been their pleasure to entertain. he clicked his heels together, made a deep bow and the crowd, convinced that he was speaking the truth, began to stream out of the big tent. [illustration: there was a tearing rip, and the clown disappeared through the tent top] without waiting another second, the ringmaster grasped old billy by the ear and ran him toward the animal tent. in five minutes the whole circus force was dashing about in the pelting rain, dragging out cages, prodding the elephants, tugging at the big horses, pulling down the tents. "something terrible has happened; we've got to move out of here," chattered the owner of the show, rushing from group to group. by the time the indignant old gentleman who had brought the orphans to the circus had been to the gate and back, the first of the heavy circus wagons was already rattling over the hill. the few workmen, hastening the last bits of loading, shook their heads dully when he demanded the orphan and, after threatening and stamping in vain, the distracted old gentleman ran off to fetch the police, with the thirty-nine other orphans splashing delightedly behind him. police! what could police do against magic? how did the clown know that the rhyme that had popped into his head was an old oz formula? it had carried off the orphan like a skyrocket, and when the clown had frantically repeated the magic words, he too had been snatched into the air, hurled through the tent top, and flung down beside the frightened little boy in the strangest land he had ever seen. fortunately they had fallen on a soft dune of sand, and around them for miles and miles stretched a flat and silvery desert. chapter at the court of mudge neither the clown nor the boy spoke for several minutes. to tell the truth, they were breathless. then the clown sat up and looked doubtfully at the orphan. "well, here we are," he said, winking more from force of habit than because he felt particularly jolly. "yes, sir!" gulped the orphan, swallowing hard. "now don't call me sir," begged the clown, making conversation to gain time. "don't call me sir because i worked in a circus. my name is notta--notta bit more. i was the last of twelve children, and my mother and father could not agree on a name for me. every time my mother said, 'call him augustus elmer more,' my father said, 'not a bit of it.' after while, being a clown himself and a joker by trade, he began calling me 'notta bit more' and notta i've been ever since." the clown winked again. "call me notta, won't you?" "yes, sir," replied the orphan, swallowing again and trying not to cry. seeing this, notta turned a double somersault and stood on his head. "and what is _your_ name?" he asked, waving his legs cheerfully. "bobbie downs," sniffed the orphan, with another swallow. "how did you get it?" the clown dropped down beside the little boy. "i think it came with me, sir," said bobbie faintly. "well, if you don't mind, we'll change it to bob up--for that's what we've done--and bob up sounds more lively than bobbie downs, don't you think?" while notta was talking he was glancing anxiously around him. "bob," he said finally, "i think we've fallen in with another circus. see, there are the tents, and i hear lions roaring." "so do i," said bobbie beginning to look more interested than frightened. "yes, it's either a circus or a sea shore without any sea," continued the clown, running his fingers through the sand. "but anyway, here i am and here you are, and so long as you are here we'll bob up together. let's go on to the main tent and see the show." bobbie stood up and shook the water from his cap. they were both dripping wet from the storm they had passed through, but the sun and wind of this queer desert country soon dried them off and, conversing almost cheerfully, they trudged through the deep sand toward a large blue, striped tent. "i've done a heap of traveling in my time," confided notta, "but never in just this way. i've run into some strange places and walked into others; but this is the first time i ever talked myself into a country. there we were in a circus, quiet and natural like, then that rhyme pops into my head. i say it and off we go like a couple of skyrockets. we were just talked into this country, bob, my boy, and a mighty tricky business i call it. but never mind, we'll just follow the rules anyway." "what rules?" asked bob, looking curiously at some tall palm trees, waving in the distance. he had never supposed palm trees existed outside of geography books. "why," explained notta, "just four simple little rules i made up to use in case of danger or trouble. first," he pulled out his little finger, "first i disguise myself. if that fails, i'm extree-mly polite. if politeness doesn't do, i tell a joke. if the joke fails, i shout something no one can understand and run like sixty. so don't you worry, bob; stick to me and run when i run and everything will turn out right. do you know what makes me so fat?" bob shook his head. "disguises!" whispered notta triumphantly. "i use them for padding. mighty handy when i tumble about. yes, sir, in here." notta fondly patted his bulging suit. "in here i have six marvelous disguises ready to put on at a moment's notice, and in here," notta tapped his powdery forehead, "in here, i've sixty different jokes, and lots of things i don't understand myself, so you see we are prepared for everything." "yes, sir," said bobbie solemnly, for he was a very solemn little boy. living in an orphan asylum had made him that way and, as for adventures, he had never had an adventure in his life. there were lessons and meals and punishments, and once in a while a fight among the older boys, but no one in that big, busy home had time to talk to bobbie downs, nor answer his questions. so bobbie had grown quieter and more solemn each year of the seven he had spent in the dull gray asylum. notta looked at the little boy curiously as he trudged along beside him. the kindly clown decided that he was going to like bob up, and right there he decided that bob up was going to have a little fun. "i'll bet he's never laughed out loud in his whole life," thought the clown to himself, and began running over in his head the funniest jokes that he knew. he had just determined on the one about the pig and the pound of bacon, when an ear splitting screech knocked all thought of joking out of his mind. a huge figure, with bristling blue whiskers, had stepped out from behind a palm tree, taken one look at the two strangers and then disappeared in the direction of the blue tent, shouting at the top of his lungs. "is it blue beard?" quavered bob, clutching notta. "bob," said the clown, swallowing hard, "i don't know, but we'll just try rule one." fumbling in the bosom of his suit he dragged out a brown bundle, and before the little boy could wink had stepped into it and dropped on all fours. "i'm a lion," panted notta, "and if i roar loudly enough i may frighten them off. stick close to me, bob, and try to remember the rules. if i run, you run--understand?" "yes, sir!" gasped bob, his eyes as round as cookies, for notta's disguise was so real that he was almost afraid himself. scarcely had notta cleared his throat for a growl than a white robed company burst out of the blue tent, and descended upon them in a whirl of sand and scimitars. bob was as brave as any boy, but his retired life in an orphan asylum had not prepared him for anything like this. tears started to his eyes. with a scream of fright, he grasped notta's woolly mane. "you'd better stop crying and get ready to run," whispered the clown nervously and finished his sentence with such a roar that bob jumped quite three feet. but the wild white company kept right on coming and, before notta could get another growl going, a net was thrown over his head, a dozen of the blue whiskered villains were upon him and next instant he was rolling over and over in the sandy road. bob had shut his eyes tight, expecting to be snatched himself, but when nothing happened he opened them and saw with a little gasp that they were hustling notta, with pricks and prods, towards the billowing blue tent. this was bob's first adventure and he might have run away, but something inside of him, that he hadn't known about, kept him there. right in that moment, and all of a sudden, bob discovered that he was fonder of this clown whom he had known only a few moments than of anyone he had ever known before. he felt that if something terrible was going to happen to notta it might as well happen to him too. "bob up," the clown had called him. well, bob up he would. with trembling legs, he ran after the shouting company, and managed to squeeze into the royal tent unnoticed, behind the broad back of tazzywaller. for as you have all guessed long before now, it was to mudge that notta had transported himself and the little boy. notta's disguise, though somewhat askew, still held together and he was growling terribly to keep up his courage, at the same time looking anxiously around for bob. his lion head had been knocked sideways, so that he could only see out of one eye, but what he managed to see with one eye was enough to make him quake with terror. the mudgers were shouting and hopping about in front of a large blue throne, pointing at him with their flashing scimitars. then a tall, particularly thin fellow seized him by the ear. it was panapee. "lion," cried panapee haughtily, "this is your new master, mustafa of mudge. your highness, here is the lion you were just wishing for!" "an odd looking beast," puffed the ruler of mudge, tugging at his mustache. "an awful looking creature i call it," sniffed tazzywaller, who was jealous to think another lion really had been captured after he said there were no more. "maybe it's the cowardly lion," mused mustafa. "i see that his knees are trembling. are you the cowardly lion?" he demanded, pointing his scimitar at poor notta. the clown roared dismally, to prove he was no coward. how was he to know that in the land of oz all animals can and are expected to talk? why, he did not even know he was in oz, and in the hands of the mudgers. "he refuses to answer," said mustafa gloomily. "well, a dumb lion is better than no lion at all. take him away, panny, and lock him up with the other lions. i hope he's a good fighter. let me see, that makes ten thousand for you to feed, tazzywaller, if the others don't chew this one up." he rubbed his hands joyfully together. "i'll come out later on and see how they take to him. but i am not going to be satisfied until i have the cowardly lion, panny. this lion is a cowardly lion but not _the_ cowardly lion. take him away!" mustafa picked up the lion book and, waving notta out of the tent, fell to looking at the picture of the cowardly lion of oz. all during this conversation notta's hair had been prickling under his mane. ten thousand lions! sizzling sawdust! better face these wild-looking men than that. rule one had failed, it was time to try rule two. "come on," growled the mudger at his head and gave the rope around his neck a sharp tug. but before the clown had a chance to move or speak, there was a shrill scream, and out rushed bob up, almost upsetting old tazzywaller. he flung both arms around the trembling lion. "you shan't take him away," cried the little boy stormily. "it isn't a lion. it's notta!" "notta?" roared mustafa, lurching forward and looking at bobbie with astonishment. "not a lion," cried the clown, rising on his hind legs and hastily removing his lion head. chapter mustafa's mandate there was a moment of absolute silence following notta's disclosure. with his lion body and clown head he presented an amazing and ridiculous appearance. nothing like this had ever been seen in mudge, and the mudgers simply gaped with astonishment. "steady now, bob," whispered the clown, putting his lion paw around the little boy. "all we have to do is to be polite--rule two, you know!" mustafa was the first to recover. "not a lion!" cried the monarch of mudge hoarsely. "why, how dare you disappoint me like this? did you hear that, tazzywaller, panny, mixtuppa--all of you? he says he's not a lion." a sob of rage choked mustafa's voice. "i apologize for not being a lion," said notta, in a polite, slightly shaky voice. "ten thousand pardons!" "ten thousand puddings!" screamed mustafa furiously. "puddings by all means, if your highness prefers them," corrected notta hastily. "i told you there were no more lions in mudge," wheezed tazzywaller with a triumphant glance at panapee. "i knew it wasn't a lion all along." "well, what is it then?" asked mustafa angrily. "the little fellow's a boy of some kind, but this other?" he waved scornfully at the poor clown. "a wizard, your highness!" hissed panapee. "a wizard, that's what he is." "now don't call me names," begged notta, extending the front paws of his disguise. "i'm notta." "not a wizard, i suppose," said tazzywaller scornfully. "why don't you ask him how he got here?" sighed mixtuppa, reasonably enough. notta stared curiously at the large head of mixtuppa, wagging through the blue curtain. perhaps here was someone who would understand politeness. "madam, your highness, gracious and lovely lady," began the clown with a deep bow, "we fell into this charming country through no fault of our own." "well, it wasn't our fault; we have no faults here," snapped mustafa ungraciously. "how did you get past the lion enclosure?" demanded panapee. "how do you explain this being a lion one minute and a creature of another sort the next?" "well, there is something very queer about it," admitted notta, rubbing his forehead in a puzzled way. "one minute bob and i were in a circus doing a bit of a trick and--" "i knew it was a trick," exclaimed panapee triumphantly. "he admits it!" "silence!" cried mustafa, who was beginning to enjoy the recital. "you were in a circus? tazzywaller, what is a circus?" "it's a show," explained notta hastily, for he could tell by the puzzled faces of the mudgers that they had never heard of such a thing. "and we were in it. i put bob on my shoulder and shouted a silly rhyme, and in a flash he is gone. i shout it again and i'm gone too!" "gone where?" asked mustafa, rubbing his chin. "to here," replied notta, gazing about him uneasily. "funny how a little verse could carry us so far. he recited: "udge! budge! go to mudge! udger budger, i'm a mudger!" no sooner had he done so than mustafa sprang into the air and all the mudgers began roaring with fright and fury. "he's discovered the secret of mudge," shrilled mustafa, pulling out a handful of his whiskers. "how dare you use our own privately patented, particular, magic transformation formula? now you'll be wishing all sorts of people into the country!" "he's a wizard!" screamed panapee. "i told you he was a wizard! twist his tail; off with his head; throw him to the lions!" "wait, let me explain," pleaded the clown, but his voice was drowned in the angry hubbub. then all at once a gong at the back of the tent rang thunderously. mustafa, who had already seized the tail of notta's disguise, paused. so did the others. on a platform at the other end of the tent stood tazzywaller, thumping the gong with all his might. the noise was so terrible that even notta and bob, frightened though they were, had to cover their ears. not until mustafa ran to the little platform and commanded tazzywaller to stop, did the awful clangor cease. "what do you mean by this impertinence?" panted mustafa, seizing tazzy's arm. "it was the only way i could get your attention," said tazzywaller calmly. "i have something important to say. about _lions_," he finished meaningly. "well, what is it?" puffed mustafa eagerly. "be quiet!" he called to the mudgers who were again closing in on notta and bob. "that person," cried tazzywaller, with a wave toward notta, "is undoubtedly a wizard. instead of snatching off his head, which will be of no use to us, even as an ornament, why not compel him to serve us? he is a wizard, or he would not be in mudge. well then, let him go to the emerald city and bring back the cowardly lion!" mustafa stared at his former chamberlain in amazed admiration, then flinging both arms about his neck, hugged him almost to suffocation. next instant he had clapped his hands and issued a dozen orders to as many little servitors. at the first the shouting mudgers retired backward from the tent, at the second panapee also retired, leaving bob and notta alone with tazzy and their majesties. outside, the marching and countermarching of the blue guard could be heard as they surrounded the royal tent. "the rules aren't working at all well, bob," breathed notta anxiously. bob said nothing. he just clutched the clown's hand a little tighter and stared at mustafa in open-eyed wonder. "now then," chuckled the monarch of mudge, "now then, my handsome wizard, what do you call yourself?" "notta," began the clown, resolved to be polite as long as possible, "notta bit more." "notta!" coughed mustafa, opening his eyes wide. "that doesn't sound like a name. it sounds like--" "a joke," put in the clown, with one of his broad smiles, "a little joke on me. you see it is meant to be funny." "well, it doesn't amuse me at all." mustafa stared solemnly into the clown's face. "why are you so white? and why is his hair,"--mustafa jerked his thumb at bob--"so red?" "for the same reason that your majesty's whiskers are blue," replied notta promptly. mustafa did not quite like this answer. "your business?" he inquired next. "i suppose you deny being a wizard?" "oh, absolutely!" said notta. "but my business, if your majesty insists, is fun. i make people laugh and thus prolong their lives." "a funny business," sniffed mustafa, with a puzzled look at tazzywaller. "well, you will have to make me laugh to prolong your life, and the only thing that makes me laugh is lions!" "lions!" notta wrinkled up his forehead. "i'm afraid lions are not in my line at all. you see i didn't work in that part of the show." "you pretended to be a lion," interrupted mustafa sternly, "and you have proved yourself a wizard. so unless you can capture the cowardly lion of oz and bring him back to mudge, you shall be thrown into the lion reservation, whereby nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine lions will tear you to bits. do you agree?" "tear me to bits!" gulped the clown. "my father often said i'd go to the dogs, but he never dreamed i'd be thrown to the lions. say, is this cowardly lion very fierce?" instead of answering, mustafa handed him panapee's lion book, saying, "you may read that while i make preparations for your journey." smiling almost pleasantly, the monarch of mudge linked his arm through tazzywaller's and disappeared behind the blue curtain at the back of the tent. mixtuppa also drew in her head and bob up and notta were left alone. "isn't it time to run?" asked the little boy anxiously. he had never in his whole life heard so much about lions. but notta put his fingers to his lips and shook his head. "no use," whispered the clown. "the tent's surrounded. we must pretend, my boy--pretend we are going to hunt this cowardly lion. then, once out of the country, we'll take the first train home." he sat down on a huge cushion and began turning the pages of the lion book, bob up looking curiously over his shoulder. they were both quite interested in a description of the cowardly lion and princess dorothy, when mustafa came whirling back. he was followed by a small mudger servant, with three white packets upon his head. "here," said mustafa, with a wave at the packets, "are provisions for three days. travel straight north until you reach a yellow brick road and follow that road till you come to the emerald city. there you will find the cowardly lion." "but, see here," began notta, who had been doing some quick thinking, "why does not your majesty transport this lion to mudge by the magic verse?" "for a wizard," sniffed mustafa, "you are astonishingly stupid. that verse only transports people, and one must touch the person." "well then, why not send some of your valiant tribesmen to capture him? i, i am a stranger here and have never captured a lion in my life." "because it is written in the book of mudge that any mudger leaving his country will lose his head," droned mixtuppa, thrusting her turban through the curtain. "and if you take my advice you will go at once. all this arguing keeps me awake, and when i'm awake i lose my temper, and when i lose my temper other folks lose their heads, and when that--" "i'll go," sighed notta, seeing that no sense at all was to be had from this ridiculous pair. he stepped out of his lion disguise and, rolling it up into a small bundle, thrust it into his trouser leg. next he slung the three packets around his neck and, taking bob's hand, declared himself ready to go. rubbing his hands gleefully, mustafa led them out of the royal tent, through a double line of the mudger guard, to the great iron enclosure that surrounded his kingdom. the lions were snarling and quarreling among themselves, but as soon as mustafa came in sight they began calling him names and screaming for their dinner. "be quiet, my little pets," chuckled the monarch of mudge good-naturedly. "this is not dinner, only a silly wizard." "give us the boy, then," roared the largest of the lions, licking his chops. "give us the boy," roared all the other lions immediately. notta and bob up stared at mustafa's pets in horror and disbelief, for neither had in their lives ever heard a lion talk before. bob, especially, was terribly dismayed by the personal nature of their conversation. but, while they were still trembling, two heavy doors were slipped through the bars, about five feet apart, making a safe and narrow passageway through the enclosure. the gates on the inside and outside of the enclosure were unlocked and mustafa waved imperiously for them to go. this notta and bob lost no time in doing. "remember," called mustafa warningly, as they scurried through, "if you run away instead of hunting for the cowardly lion, i shall know of it. when a messenger disobeys me, my magic ring turns black. if it turns black i shall know you are deceiving me, and in that case"--mustafa held up his thumb so that notta could see his ring--"in that case i shall take it off, and if i take it off you will both turn as blue as my whiskers and find yourselves unable to move until you decide to do as i have commanded. good-bye, my chalk-faced wizard, a pleasant journey and a swift return!" notta was too shocked and astounded to answer. grasping bob up more firmly than before, he rushed out the iron gate and off through a field of blue daisies, until the dreadful roaring of the lions of mudge could no longer be heard. "and this," puffed the clown at last, sinking down under a great tree, "this is what comes of trying to be funny. never try to be funny, my boy." "no, sir," answered bob, staring anxiously over his shoulder to see whether any of mustafa's lions had followed them. chapter two cowardly lion hunters for a time notta and bob up sat quietly under the tree, each busy with his own thoughts. the clown was repeating to himself mustafa's warning, and trying to recall some mention of such a country as mudge in the geographies he had studied. the little boy was thinking that at this time yesterday he was calmly eating oatmeal and apple sauce, with nothing more exciting ahead than lessons and bed. perhaps he was asleep, and dreaming about lions and blue whiskered mudgers. he touched notta experimentally, to see if he would disappear or turn suddenly to the harsh-voiced matron of the orphan asylum. but the clown only turned a neat somersault, walked a few paces on his hands and sat down again. "bob," asked the clown, tilting his cap forward so he could scratch his ear, "do i look like a lion hunter?" bob up shook his head slowly and almost laughed. something inside tickled tremendously, but he remembered, just in time, that laughing was against the rules of the orphan home, so he swallowed instead. "we're both lion hunters," observed the clown reflectively, "and that being the case we had better start hunting at once, for it would never do for the lions to find us first. it's like a game of hide-and-seek, bob. so long as we are hunting him, this cowardly lion is it. but if we stop hunting, then we're _it_. in a game of hide-and-seek with a lion, it's your hide or his. being it, means being et, hide-and-seek and all!" notta glanced slyly at bob out of the corner of his eye to see whether he was going to smile. bob was looking uncertainly at the forest, stretching so darkly ahead, and thinking he would just as soon not play this game of hide-and-seek at all. but as notta had already started toward the forest, there was nothing for him to do but follow. the short, spring afternoon was drawing to a close and a round silver moon showed faintly over the tree tops. "things might be a lot better, and again they might be a lot worse," mused notta, as they walked along under the trees. "why, if you were in the home, you would probably be eating corn meal mush for supper and--" "what are we going to have for supper, notta?" asked bob, looking up at the clown inquiringly. "well, hurrah!" shouted the clown, turning a rapid cartwheel. "you're getting on, my lad; called me notta as natural as a brother. as to supper, that depends on mustafa. let's see what the old rascal has given us." on a flat stump that happened to be near, notta opened one of the packets and set out a regular feast. there were dozens of small meat sandwiches, there were ripe figs, a jar of honey, and a little jug full of blue tea, which they found most refreshing. after they had feasted, notta carefully packed up the rest and, feeling more cheerful, the two cowardly lion hunters stepped along through the forest. "i can't make out where we are, at all," said the clown presently, "but in a country where lions talk, and verses fling one about, it's safer to obey orders, don't you think so, bob up, my boy? so long as we travel towards this emerald city we are obeying orders and are safe from mustafa's ring. when we get there is time enough to worry about the cowardly lion. now take an emerald city, bob; did you ever hear of such a place? why, it's as strange as blue whiskers and cowardly lions. everything's strange. in fact, i think we've fallen into one of these fairy tales. i always had a kind of notion they were true!" "but the cowardly lion liked dorothy," burst out bob quite unexpectedly, "so maybe he will like us." he had been turning slowly over in his mind the few facts he had managed to read in the lion book. "why, bless my heart!" cried the clown, looking down at bob admiringly, "so he did, and furthermore, didn't that book say dorothy was from kansas?" bob up nodded solemnly. "well, then everything's clear as candy!" notta turned a somersault from pure relief. "we'll go straight to this emerald city and tell our troubles to dorothy, and when she learns that we are from the united states, surely she will help us to get back, and if we could take a couple of talking lions along our fortune would be made. why, even barnum and bailey never showed a talking lion." notta was so enthusiastic by this time that he fairly bounced along. but bob was growing sleepy. he found it harder and harder to keep pace with notta's long legs, and finally fell sprawling over the roots of a large tree. notta had him up in a minute. "lights out?" chuckled the clown, touching bob's eyelids gently. "well, then, let's go to bed. it's too dark to go on, anyway." "i don't see any beds," sighed bob, leaning wearily against the clown's knee. "neither do i," admitted the clown, "but we'll just pretend we're flowers, and sleep on the ground." in a minute the clown had raked a pile of leaves together under the tree and placed bob carefully in the center. "are there any bears in this wood?" asked bob, looking around doubtfully. it was quite dark now, and the moonlight sifting through the leaves made queer shapes out of all the shadows. "this isn't a bear forest," said notta positively. "i think it's a fairy forest, bob, and that reminds me of a song i used to know." reaching over, notta pulled the little boy into his big, comfortable lap, and with a twinkle in his eyes he put his back against the tree and began to sing: "oh the moon's a balloon on a silvery string, and the sandman holds on to it tight! 'tis a ticklish task-- what would happen, i ask, if he let it fly off some fine night? "but he knows that there are seven points to a star, that might puncture the moon; and a steeple would finish it quite! how we'd miss it at night, for the moon means so much to some people!" there was another verse to the song, and bob, leaning drowsily against notta's chest, thought he had never heard anything so perfectly beautiful. he had never sat on a real lap before, nor had a song sung especially for him. so the little boy snuggled down contentedly, his eyes straying to the moon, just visible above the tree tops. why, there was a string on it, a bright silver string, and a little, old man was holding to the end, just as notta had sung! "fast asleep," muttered the clown, holding bob a bit tighter. and so he was fast asleep and dreaming of the sandman's balloon. notta meant to keep awake, for he was not so sure there were no bears in this dark forest, but the day's experiences had so tired him that, in a short time, he was sound asleep himself. no sooner had notta's eyes closed, than a little, bent fairyman came tip-toeing from behind the tree. he held his lantern close to notta's face. [illustration: a little bent fairyman held his lantern close to notta's face] "such a beautiful voice," sighed the little fellow to himself. "it would be a shame to have it swallowed up by one of the forest creatures. and this must be a child." he held his lantern close to bob's red head. he watched them for a while in silence, then pulling his silvery beard thoughtfully, set the little red lantern beside them and pattered off into the darkness. notta had been right. it was a fairy forest. every forest in the wonderful land of oz is a fairy forest, inhabited by strange creatures and peoples. but the clown's song had so pleased the old fairyman that he determined to protect the two strangers from all harm, and though many bears and other beasts came snuffling past, they dared not approach, for the red lantern told them plainly it was "claws off." so grumbling and growling, they went searching further for their dinners. the little lantern disappeared with the first ray of sunshine and, quite unconscious of the dangers they had slept through, notta and bob awoke almost at the same minute. "well," yawned notta, winking the only eye he had open, "we're still here, i see." he rolled over and over and turned a dozen handsprings to get the kinks out of his back. "i've often wondered what made flowers so stiff and now i know. it's sleeping on the ground. i'm glad i'm not a flower, aren't you, bob?" bob nodded and hopped up quite briskly. there was a fine breeze blowing, and the day was so sunny and bright that he felt ready for anything, and just to look at notta made him feel happy. "do you think we'll find the emerald city to-day?" he asked, skipping along beside the clown, who was making for a little brook just ahead. "well, according to mustafa, it ought to take three days," answered notta. "but mustafa was never in a circus, and anyone who has been in a circus can travel three times as fast as other folks, so i shouldn't be surprised at all if we were to be eating our supper in this emerald city to-night. if i had only wished old billy along he could have carried us in style." "the elephant?" exclaimed bob, with round eyes. the clown nodded and, kneeling down on the edge of the brook, began to splash water on his face and hands. bob did the same, and had just taken off his shoes in order to paddle properly, when a cry from notta made him pause. "now i've done it," wailed the clown dolefully, jumping up and down. "what?" asked bob curiously. "washed my face." notta pointed to his face, which was quite red and shiny from the cold water. "and i haven't any powder! have you any powder, bob? oh, my! cold pie! it's hard enough to be funny with a white face, but without one i simply could not joke at all. whatever's to become of us? i'm no clown this way." bob was terribly distressed, for if notta couldn't be funny nothing would seem the same. he felt hastily in his pockets--not that he expected to find anything, but because he didn't know what else to do--and in the last one his hand closed on a bag of candy the old gentleman had bought for him at the circus. it was squashed and sticky from being slept on, but mechanically bob handed it over. "why, it's marshmallows!" cried notta in delight. "bob, you have saved the honor of my profession. we must preserve these carefully." he patted his face with a small sugary marshmallow and surveyed his reflection with pleased satisfaction. "i feel funny already," he announced cheerfully. bob was much relieved and notta did look more natural with his face whitened. "now for breakfast," said the clown, licking the sugar off his lips. it was great fun, bob thought, washing in a brook and having breakfast under the trees. after finishing off some more of mustafa's sandwiches, they started quite briskly through the forest. "i think the rules are going to work better to-day," chuckled the clown, "i will use disguise number three. number three's a bear, bob up. now, here's our program, first disguise, then politeness, then joke and run. we shall get along famously." notta sprang into the air and clicked his heels together for very light-heartedness. bob was thinking to himself that notta's last disguise had not helped them much, but he was too polite to mention such a thing, and as there seemed to be no danger in sight he trotted along contentedly, stopping now and then to pick the bright blue flowers that grew everywhere under the trees. the forest was not so large as it had seemed in the night, and in an hour they had come to the end of it and started down a narrow lane. "well, we're still going north." notta looked complacently at a large sign post that stood at the beginning of the lane. "north road to d," said the sign briefly. "wonder what d stands for?" "because it can't sit down." the sign snapped out the sentence so suddenly that notta tripped and fell over a stone, and bob simply gasped with astonishment. "they didn't paint any line for it to sit on," explained the sign post patiently. "where does this lane go to?" gulped the clown, edging over and taking bob's hand. "it doesn't go any place. it stays where it is." "see here," puffed the clown in exasperation, "i never heard of a talking sign post, but so long as you _can_ talk, you might give us a few directions." "i only give one direction and that's north. you can take it, or leave it." notta tried the post with a few more questions, but it just sniffed sulkily, and seeing no more was to be got out of it, the two hurried on. "maybe d stands for dorothy," said bob, after a little silence. "maybe," mused the clown, looking uneasily over his shoulder, "but this is a strange country, and we'll have to take it as we find it. hello, what's this?" a sudden turn brought them up short, for the lane was closed off by a gray wall, so high one could not possibly climb over and so wide that it would take days to walk 'round. and in the wall were seven heavy oak doors. "this is the kingdom of doorways," announced a large sign, posted half way up the walls. "be sure to use the right door." "but which is the right door?" gasped the clown, half expecting the sign to answer him. "there are seven," exclaimed bob, who had been counting them up on his fingers. "and only one of them right," choked the clown anxiously. the two stood perfectly still, gazing in fascination at the seven doors. "which is the right door?" repeated notta, scratching his ear doubtfully. chapter the seven doors as bob and notta came closer, they noticed that each door had a brass plate nailed on the center panel, engraved with various names and instructions. "keep out!" directed one shortly. "well, that surely cannot be the right one," exclaimed the clown, moving hastily to the next. "don't waken the baby," advised the second door. so notta and bob tiptoed carefully past. "this way to the dorms. no admittance till february," said the third door. "and it's only may now. we cannot possibly wait that long." notta took off his hat and made the door a polite bow. "besides," he explained to bob, who was slowly spelling out the words on the fourth door, "dorms stands for dormitories and dormitories stand for sleep. who wants to sleep?" "king theodore the third," said the fourth door. "whew!" whistled notta. "another king! come away, bob up, i don't trust these king chaps at all." "the queen," announced the plate on the fifth door proudly, "adora the first. no one without a title need apply." "well, we may not be earls, but we're early," chuckled notta, winking at bob. they hurried curiously to the sixth door. "push!" said the plate. "but would that be wise?" ruminated notta, rubbing his forehead anxiously. "let's try the last door, bob." "don't try me too much or i'll fall on your head," wheezed a disagreeable voice. "haven't you anything better to do than go trying poor hard-working doors?" after a talking sign, notta and bob should not have been surprised. but they were--simply astonished--and for a moment could do nothing but stare. "this door answers itself," said the plate on the seventh and strangest of all the strange doorways. "no bread, no ice, no milk; and if you're selling brushes you might as well go at once," continued the door sulkily. "we don't need any." "we're not!" interrupted notta, in a slightly choked voice. "we just want to get in." "what for?" asked the door stubbornly. "is it a door matter? have you cards of admission?" "we're hunting dorothy and the cowardly lion," volunteered bob timidly. "a likely story," sniffed the door, looking contemptuously from one to the other. "but what could one expect of people with curly ears." "we have not curly ears," cried bob, stamping his foot indignantly. "don't argue," said the door stiffly. "how's your temper--long or short?" it rolled its wooden knot eyes inquiringly at notta. "what's that got to do with our getting in?" asked the clown impatiently. "short!" muttered the door triumphantly to itself. "no, you'd better stay out, i think. her highness is very slammish to-day, and the last time i let strangers in she nearly twisted my knob off. that's the trouble around here--when anything goes wrong, everybody slams the door. sometimes i almost wish i were a sofa cushion." "i wish you were, myself," frowned the clown, "for then i'd toss you out of the way instead of wasting my breath here. are you going to let us in or not?" "not!" snapped the door, rattling its knob vindictively. "and i don't care a slam what you wish." "bob," said notta, turning his back on the door, "did you ever hear anything like that? let's try number two. i'd rather risk wakening a baby than trying to argue with a door that answers itself." "i'm not afraid of babies," said bob following manfully. the knob of number two turned easily and the door swung open with such a rush that both notta and bob fell through. at the first glimpse of that baby, notta clapped his hand over bob's mouth and, rising with quaking knees, pulled him toward the door. for you see it was a baby dragon--a snoring, roaring baby dragon as long and heavy as a freight train. it gave a shrill whistle and snort as the door slammed shut and notta and bob sat down in a weak heap. "baby," choked the clown, rubbing his eyes, which were full of dragon smoke. "well, if that's the baby, preserve me from the rest of the family!" "will it come after us?" shuddered bob, in a frightened whisper. "how did you like our little doorter?" the seventh door looked sideways at the two and chuckled wickedly. "still want to get in?" "certainly," said notta, turning a dozen cartwheels to relieve his nervousness, "but not that way." he winked reassuringly at bob. "before i do anything else i must put on my disguise. no wonder things are going so badly." "don't you think you look silly enough?" wheezed the door rudely, as the clown drew out disguise number three. notta paid no attention to this remark but, turning his back, struggled hastily into number three. even bob felt reassured, for this time notta was disguised as a bear--a huge and terrible-looking bear. grasping bob's hand he rushed at the door marked "push," with such a ferocious growl that number seven shook like a leaf. "oh, my hinges," chattered the door, "that went through me like a sword." but immediately afterward it broke into derisive laughter. for no sooner had notta and bob pushed number six, than number six pushed back, and so hard that the two went flying into a clump of blueberry bushes. "that's the door way to treat 'em, brother," roared seven, and notta picked himself up and straightened his bear skin. "now some people," muttered the clown, helping bobbie out of the brushes and shaking his paw at the door, "some people would be discouraged. but no more side shows, bob. let's try the queen's door, if we're to be thrown out it might as well be done royally." there was a silver bell on the queen's door and notta rang it quickly, before either of them had time to change their minds. for a moment nothing at all happened. then the door knob disappeared. but horrors! next instant it shot out, seized the two in a terrible clutch, and dragged them through the keyhole. yes, it really did! not only had they been pulled through the keyhole, but they _felt_ as if they had been pulled through the keyhole. even notta had nothing to say. he just lay on his back and panted. whether the keyhole had stretched as they went through or whether they had shrunk, i cannot say. i only know they went through somehow and were on the other side of the queen's door. "cards, please!" a doorman in a handsome blue satin uniform was leaning over them. "are you deaf?" he asked angrily. "are you dumb?" he thumped notta on the head with his silver card plate. "neither," groaned the clown. "what do you want?" "your titles," snapped the doorman, looking nervously over his shoulder. as he did so, a vase, three books and a pair of fire tongs struck the wall just above his head. "oh, the queen is in a fury, whatever shall i do next," he mumbled to himself, dropping the silver plate and then picking it up again. "let's run," said bob, pressing close to notta. but the clown had already recovered his spirits and was fumbling in his pockets under his bear skin. "there you are." he calmly dropped two large buttons on the doorman's plate. "just lead us to her majesty at once." "someone's been at the jam again," quavered the doorman without looking at the buttons. "oh, the queen's in a fury--a fury--a fury!" at each fury he gave a little hop. "you said that before," observed notta, looking around curiously. "a fury! a fury! a fury!" persisted the doorman, continuing to hop, and as each hop carried him farther away he was soon out of sight. "wait!" cried notta, lumbering after him, for his disguise made him clumsy. "wait!" cried bob up, running after notta. down the long hall they both ran, and, turning suddenly, found themselves in a large, impressive throne room. the entire wall space was taken up by doors of every size and shape imaginable and before each door stood a doorman similar to the one they had already seen. in the center of the room were two magnificent thrones. on the first sat a large, handsome queen and on the second a small nervous king. the king's crown was entirely made of china door knobs, mounted on gold bars, while the queen's was made of many gold door keys. the queen was looking at the buttons as bob and notta entered. "buttons!" hissed her majesty contemptuously. "what do buttons stand for?" "us, your highness!" replied notta, bowing as low as his disguise would permit, and drawing bob forward. the king twiddled his thumbs and recited: "b stands for buttons and b stands for bears, b stands for buttons and boy-- bring two chairs!" "nonsense!" thundered the queen. the doormen hastily brought two chairs and bob and notta sat down. "i think he'll appreciate rule two," whispered the clown. "he's quite polite himself." "theodore," said the queen, her face beginning to work curiously, "theodore, i believe they stole the jam. bears and little boys are always stealing jam. and what right have they here without titles? where are their titles?" "adorable queen," said the clown, half rising and pointing with his paw to the buttons, "those are the badges of our order. we belong, your highness, to the ancient and honorable order of bachelors, and are at present lords of all we survey." "do you believe that?" the queen turned and squarely faced the king. "no!" said theodore emphatically, turning to squarely face the queen. "how could i, when there is no such place. where is this all-we-survey?" he asked sternly. "is it in oz?" notta was so surprised at the sudden turn the conversation had taken that he sat down with a thump. "he's a dorm!" screeched the queen, her voice rising higher and higher. "he's a dorm--that's what he is!" "what's a dorm?" gasped bob, so surprised that he forgot to be frightened. "a dorm is an animal that lies dormant in cold weather, like a bear or a 'possum, my dear buttons," explained the king, shaking his finger at bob, "but he's got no business here now." "i see it all," panted the queen beginning to wave her arms. "he didn't come here to sleep but to steal! theodore, he has stolen the jam!" the king wagged his head from side to side as he repeated this verse: "he's come without reason and quite out of season; i agree with you, ma'am, he has stolen the jam!" "put out your tongue!" commanded the queen, waving a bunch of keys at notta. this notta was unable to do, for his bear head had no tongue. "you see!" shrilled the queen triumphantly, "he is afraid to put out his tongue. slammer," she called, turning to a huge doorman, who stood behind the throne, "what is the punishment for door jam stealing?" the doorman whisked a little book from his pocket and, after flipping over a number of pages, read in a high nasal voice, "any one caught stealing the queen's door jam shall have his knob twisted and every door in the kingdom slammed on him besides." "how fearfully unhealthy," muttered notta, rising to protest his innocence. but the queen waved him back, and banging her keys on the arm of her throne called loudly, "slammer, carry out the sentence!" slammer immediately blew a sharp whistle and every doorman in the room sprang toward the trembling notta. "stop!" cried bob, doubling up his fists. "he didn't steal your old jam. 'tisn't a bear at all, it's notta!" "notta?" gasped the king, rubbing his watery blue eyes, and leaning forward. "not a bear!" puffed the clown, hastily snatching off his bear head, just as the first of the doormen grasped him by the shoulders. chapter the escape from doorways "what do you mean by standing there and telling us you're not a bear?" puffed the king, as soon as he had got his breath. "it was a mistake, i see that now," said the clown, hastily stepping out of his disguise. "if your highness will overlook it this once, it will never occur again." "shall we overlook it?" asked the king, turning to squarely face the queen. adora was staring in amazement at the clown, and being a very curious queen she decided not to have the intruder slammed till she found out all about him. "we will overlook it for the present," she answered haughtily, waving the doormen back to their places. the king smiled and chanted this couplet: "she'll overlook it for the present; be seated, please, and both look pleasant!" bob sat down with a sigh of relief. what queer beings this king and queen were! everything was queer, but for some reason or other bob rather enjoyed it. king theodore was not nearly so fierce as mustafa, and his singular habit of breaking into verse simply fascinated the little boy. "this brings us to rule three," confided notta in a hoarse whisper. "joke and run, you know!" "when is a door not a door?" asked the queen, pointing her finger suddenly at the clown. "when it's adorable, like your majesty," replied notta with a grin. "or when it's a jar of door jam, like the one your highness has just lost!" before adora had recovered from her surprise, notta pointed his finger at the king and shouted, "why is a tomato like a book?" "because it grows on a vine," answered king theodore sulkily, "and you needn't scream at me like that!" "wrong!" said notta triumphantly. "a tomato's like a book because it's red through." "do you believe that?" asked the king, turning to squarely face the queen. "no!" said her majesty shortly, "i don't." "but a book couldn't grow on a vine," objected bob up mildly. "my books do," insisted theodore, pursing up his lips. "where were you brought up?" asked the queen, staring at bob severely. "you needn't answer if you don't want to," whispered the king, as bob squirmed uneasily around in his chair. "the main thing is, what brought you up here? "if it's a story, rise and speak. what do you want? whom do you seek?" "it _is_ a story," said notta, springing up quickly, and glad of this opportunity to tell their strange adventures and to ask a few questions about the emerald city. "a long story, your highness," continued notta. in as few words as possible he told of his former life in the circus, of their flight to mudge, of mustafa's determination to have them capture the cowardly lion. as notta paused for breath, the king said, "shall we let them pass through doorways, my love?" instead of answering the queen leaned over and whispered in theodore's ear. "her highness wishes to be amused," announced the king, straightening up. "you said in this circus it your business to make people laugh. well, if you can make us laugh you may continue your journey. you may begin now and you may have three trials." the king folded his hands on his stomach and leaned back vastly pleased with himself. notta's forehead wrinkled anxiously, for queen adora looked as if she had never laughed in her life. but with a wink at bob the clown began. first he let out an ear splitting screech that so alarmed the king his crown fell off. then he turned a complete somersault, chair and all, ran across the room on his hands and cartwheeled back so fast one could not have told whether he was a person or a pinwheel. next he bent double, seized his ankles with his hands and jumped in this singular position entirely over bob, finishing with a neat bow before the queen's throne. "do you think that's funny?" puffed the queen, turning to squarely face the king, who was mopping his brow with a silk handkerchief. "no--no!" stuttered theodore, in a slightly cracked voice. "it quite upset me, my love. slammer, where's my crown?" slammer recovered the king's crown and then both their majesties stared solemnly at notta. the clown stared back, a puzzled expression on his round jolly face. then, dragging a huge handkerchief from his pocket, he whirled it over his hand and instantly it tied itself into a foolish rag baby, which the clown clasped to his bosom, crooning: "i love my baby, 'deed i do, indeed, indeed i do! he has no hair upon his head, but neither, sir, have you! "but his will grow, it will, i know, as soon as he is big, but yours will never grow--and so you'd better buy a wig!" "wh--at!" screamed king theodore furiously, and notta, dropping the handkerchief baby, noticed for the first time that the king's head was entirely bald. bob up was holding himself together and smiling into his collar. "shocking!" coughed adora, looking at the clown through her eye glasses. "i was singing about slammer," gulped notta, noting in an instant that the chief doorman was bald too. "now just let me tell you a little joke. there was once a triangular pig, who could dance a triangular jig, and--" "do you believe that?" shrilled king theodore, again turning to face his queen. "no," snapped the queen, shutting her lips very tight. "how could i?" "then, if the clouds rolled away, would they be mist?" roared notta, before they could continue their disagreeing. he bounced four feet into the air and pointed playfully at the king. "i wouldn't miss 'em," replied the king sullenly. "do you think _that's_ funny?" again he turned to the queen, who shook her head emphatically. "well, i think it's funny!" said bob, jumping out of his chair. he looked indignantly from the king to the queen. "then why don't you laugh?" asked the king accusingly. poor bob couldn't explain that laughing was a hard matter for an orphan, so he sat down rather suddenly, while notta began looking all around as if he were hunting something. he searched on each step of the king's throne, then he looked into his majesty's lap and, finally, running around to the back peered under theodore's collar. "what's the matter?" asked his majesty irritably. "what are you looking for now?" "my joke," sighed the clown, "i'm looking for my poor little joke. it was lost on you. when i asked, 'if the clouds rolled away, would they be mist,' you should have said it's according to the way you spell 'em--see?" "no," said theodore, sternly, "i don't, "i only see you are a dunce; you haven't made us laugh, not once!" the queen nodded emphatically at this and, glaring scornfully at the two intruders, swept out of the throne room. "last rule," whispered notta, winking at bob--for out of the tail of his eye, he could see the king signaling slammer. rushing forward impetuously he flung up his hand. "could your majesty tell me a word to rhyme with toboggan?" he asked pleadingly. immediately king theodore's face lit up with pleasure. he closed his eyes and began to drum with one hand on the arm of his throne. if there was one thing he adored it was rhyming. he forgot to finish his directions to slammer and instead mumbled hurriedly under his breath, "choggin, foggin, doggon, noggin, loggin, joggin. ah, i have it--joggin!" he opened his eyes and looked around triumphantly, but the clown and bob up were nowhere to be seen. in fact they had run as soon as the king's eyes closed. for notta, while endeavoring to make their majesties laugh, had discovered that one of the doors said "out." and out they went, bowling over doormen like ten pins in their headlong flight. as the door slammed they slid down a steep dark passageway and in about two minutes shot out into the middle of a dusty road. above them on a high hill rose the grey walls of the singular kingdom of doorways. "toboggan was right," muttered the clown, rising stiffly. "this country grows odder and odder, bob. what do they call it now--oz? but never mind, we shall have lots to tell each other on stormy nights when we reach the states. lots and lots!" bob did not answer. instead he clutched notta's wide pantaloon and pointed toward a large clump of bushes. looking out from the leaves was the head of a huge, shaggy lion. a shudder ran down the clown's back. he tried to remember the procedure of bill, the old lion tamer in the circus. "subdue the creature with your eye," bill said. yes, that was what he had said. notta's knees rattled like castanets, but with a frightened gulp he stared the lion straight in the eye. for a moment nothing happened, then with a gusty sigh the lion began to speak. "what have they done with the rest of me?" it roared mournfully. "who?" stuttered notta, getting a good hold on bob and making ready to run at the lion's first move. "the mudgers," wheezed the lion, two tears rolling down its nose. with many gulps and sighs it told them how tazzywaller had cut it in two and imprisoned its back half in the lion enclosure. "you mean to say that you were cut in half and still live to tell the tale?" gasped notta in astonishment. "i don't know what you mean by telling the tail. how can i tell the tail anything when all my connections with it are cut off? oh, my poor tail, how it must miss me!" moaned the half lion. "then you only have two legs," said bob in a relieved tone and coming out from behind notta. the lion nodded gloomily. "if i had four, do you think i'd be standing propped up against these bushes. i'd have eaten you long ago." "what a blessing," murmured the clown under his breath, "that it's only half a lion." "i'd like a little sympathy," continued the lion in its mournful voice. "if the little fellow would pat me on the head i think, it would ease me a bit." "shall i?" asked bob up doubtfully. "how do we know you won't bite him?" asked notta cautiously. "i haven't the courage," replied the lion dolefully. "besides my stomach is gone and that rather takes the appetite away, you know. oh, my poor little empty stomach, how dreadfully it must feel! then, to bite a person i should have to work myself up into a rage, and that i cannot do without a tail to lash. and half my heart is missing so i--" "do everything half-heartedly," finished notta, with a wink at bob. "exactly," blubbered the half lion. two more tears rolled down its nose, and these so affected bob up that he stepped bravely over and patted its mane. "harder!" cried the half lion, closing its eyes. "harder! harder!" notta seized a stick and fell to patting the lion's head with this, but it kept roaring harder until bob up and notta were perfectly breathless. "sorry," puffed the clown at last, "but we'll have to say good-bye now. we're on our way to the emerald city." "are you?" the half lion opened its eyes and regarded them with new interest. "there's a wonderful wizard in the emerald city," it began in a more cheerful roar. "could you, would you, tell him about my sad separation? tell him i am pining for my better half and perhaps he would put me together again. promise to tell him." the poor beast was so earnest that he almost lost his balance. "why, certainly we will tell him," said notta, who was the most obliging soul imaginable. "we'll be glad to, old fellow, but i didn't think there were any more wizards." "no wizards?" coughed the lion, surveying the clown in amazement. "why, oz is full of wizards. just keep going north and you'll soon find that out. i would go along with you, but i haven't quite learned to travel on two legs, and i'm so tired of standing." "why don't you sit down," asked bob thoughtlessly. the lion groaned and looked at him reproachfully, and seeing it was going to cry again notta began to move off. "by the way," he asked, pausing suddenly, "did you come through doorways?" "yes!" sobbed the lion, sniffing with each word, "through the right door." "which door was that?" "i don't remember," sighed the half lion drearily. "i remember nothing nowadays. when i used to forget a fact all i had to do was to scratch my head with my hind leg and instantly it came back, but now--." the lion began to sob heavily. "well, good-bye!" said notta uneasily, taking bob's hand. "if we see this wizard you've mentioned we'll tell him your sad story." "good-bye," choked the lion, waving his paw feebly. "i'd like to see a real wizard, notta," said bob up, as they trudged down the dusty road. "odder and odder!" murmured the clown, shaking his head in bewilderment. "i declare, bob, if you weren't along i should think i were asleep and dreaming all this." "here's another sign," whispered bob up in a low voice so the sign would not hear him. "wonder if it talks too." "i dare say they all can if they want to," replied notta. "at any rate a sort of sign language." "north road to u," said this sign, in large blue letters. "d stood for doorways. i wonder what u stands for?" mused the little boy, staring up at the sign with both hands in his pockets. "maybe it stands for us?" chuckled the clown, turning a handspring. "you!" sneered the sign, giving itself a little shake. "why, i wouldn't stand for you a single minute. i'd rather--." what it would rather notta and bob did not wait to hear. seizing hands, they ran gaily down the road toward the unknown and curious country of u. chapter the cowardly lion's quest quite unconscious of mustafa's evil plans for his capture, the cowardly lion of oz paced to and fro on the wide veranda of the loveliest palace in oz. it was early morning in the emerald city, and ozma and her court had not yet risen, but many of the palace pets were abroad and talking sociably together in the garden. ozma's saw horse was running races with hank, betsy bobbin's small mule, the comfortable camel and doubtful dromedary were ambling down the paths in their wobbly-kneed fashion, while dorothy's little dog, toto, and the glass cat were arguing over the patchwork girl's last verses. they all seemed happy and contented and the cowardly lion, noting this, sighed heavily. "not one of them is ever afraid," he murmured sorrowfully. "i, of all creatures in oz, am the only cowardly one." "what say?" the cowardly lion jumped, as he always did at an unexpected sound, then gave a little roar of relief as the soldier with the green whiskers stepped out from behind a pillar. "what say?" repeated the soldier, putting down his gun which was never loaded, and regarding the cowardly lion inquiringly. "i was saying that i am the only cowardly person in oz." "well, you can fight, can't you?" the soldier tugged his green whiskers thoughtfully as he asked this question. "now, i am a very brave man, but i can never fight, so there you are." this was perfectly true. the soldier with the green whiskers, who was ozma's entire army, never was afraid, but he always ran at the first sign of danger. while the cowardly lion trembled terribly as enemies approached, he always fought until he overcame them. "so what's the difference," said the soldier with the green whiskers, shouldering his gun and marching down the steps. "you feel cowardly and act bravely. i feel brave and act cowardly." "it makes a great difference to me," mumbled the cowardly lion. "i want to feel brave. oh, if only once i could feel brave!" shaking his mane mournfully, he padded down the steps after the soldier with the green whiskers, and soon came upon the comfortable camel and doubtful dromedary, who were swaying idly under a tall breakfast tree. "morning," wheezed the comfortable camel, twitching his crooked nose. "handsome as ever, i see." "i doubt that, camy," said the doubtful dromedary, eying the cowardly lion solemnly. "he's always doubting things," smiled the comfortable camel, rolling his large, limpid eyes. "now, i never do." "he's right this time. i'm not handsome at all; no coward could be handsome," said the lion gruffly, flinging himself on the ground beside the strange pair. "ah, if i could only feel courageous!" "you're nice as you are, you dear cowardly old thing," snorted the camel, wagging his head affectionately. "why, if you were brave, you would be just like any other lion. it's being cowardly that makes you so interesting." "i'd rather be brave than interesting," rumbled the lion sadly. "you know perfectly well that courage is the finest thing in the world." "i doubt that," put in the dromedary, shifting a mouthful of grass from one cheek to the other, "i doubt that very much." "what's the matter?" cried the patchwork girl, bouncing out merrily from the other side of the tree. "you all sound as solemn as pokes!" the patchwork girl is a great favorite in the emerald city. she was made long ago by a magician's wife and brought to life by the powder of life. but ojo, a little munchkin boy, who happened to be present while the magician was mixing scrap's brains, put in a large portion of cleverness and curiosity while the old wizard's back was turned, so that instead of being a good and obedient servant as the wizard had intended her to be, the patchwork girl was full of fun and mischief. indeed, she refused to be a servant at all, and ran off to the emerald city, where ozma has allowed her to live ever since. the emerald city is the capital of oz and located in the exact center of that great and magic wonderland. its palace of green marble and emeralds, its flowering gardens and quaint green cottages make it the loveliest of all fairy cities, and so many strange and delightful people live there it is the most interesting place you could imagine. first in interest is ozma, the fairy ruler of oz. no one could help loving her. then there is dorothy, who has had more adventures than any little girl you have ever heard of and who prefers to be a princess in oz to returning to her old home in kansas. there is tik tok, a marvelous machine man who is bright as the copper that he is made of, and who can think, walk and work when properly wound. and there's the scarecrow, as lively and accomplished a gentleman as ever advised a queen. oh, think of a live scarecrow! there's jack pumpkinhead, made entirely of wood, excepting his pumpkin head, and there's sir hokus of pokes, a knight so many centuries old that only in oz could he be alive at all. there's the tin woodman, emperor of the winkies, who comes often to the capital to visit his old friends. there are hundreds of the gentle oz folk, who live in the little green cottages and bow politely when friends pass. there are the magnificent courtiers and palace servants, ready at a moment's notice to pass round lemonade, while the scarecrow dishes out oz-cream and cake. and last but not least there are the amusing animals who have come to live in the royal stables. no wonder everyone is anxious to visit the emerald city. if i could just find a magic umbrella or a handy cyclone i would go myself. why, it would be worth the journey just to hear the cowardly lion and comfortable camel talking together like old cronies. the comfortable camel and the doubtful dromedary were recently discovered by sir hokus of pokes and dorothy, and are comparative new comers in the emerald city, but the cowardly lion was one of the very first of the oz creatures to arrive at the capital and is a prime favorite with everyone from princess dorothy to the royal cook. [illustration: in the palace the scarecrow dishes out the oz-cream and cake] but all the time i've been telling you this, the conversation under the breakfast tree has been growing more interesting. "i thought the wizard of oz gave you a large dose of courage when you first came here," drawled the camel, looking anxiously up at the patchwork girl, who was swinging head down from the breakfast tree. "he did," mourned the cowardly lion dreamily, "but it has worn off and, though he has tried and tried, he can't seem to mix up any more." "what is courage? does it grow like potatoes in a row? don't ask me for i don't know!" shouted scraps, the patchwork girl, diving suddenly from the tree top and bouncing upon the doubtful dromedary. being stuffed with cotton made scraps very daring. "i've a hunch," began the comfortable camel, very much relieved that the patchwork girl had fallen on his friend. "where? on your back?" screamed scraps, flinging her arms about his neck. "i've a hunch," continued the camel calmly, paying no attention at all to the patchwork girl, "that courage isn't the way you feel, but the way you act. as you always act bravely, why worry about the way you feel?" "but you never felt as frightened as i feel," objected the cowardly lion. "his knees do quake, his teeth do chatter, his big old heart goes pitter patter! but what's the odds-- though stiff with fright he still can fight with mane and might!" cried scraps, sitting down with a thud. "the more mane the more might," she finished brilliantly. "so rub some tonic on your brain and just increase your might and mane!" "i doubt that," mumbled the doubtful dromedary, looking at scraps reprovingly. "there might be something in it," said the camel, chewing a wisp of grass in his slow precise fashion. "my mane _is_ a little thin," mused the cowardly lion, rubbing it thoughtfully with his paw. "if i were you," said the patchwork girl, rising unsteadily, "i should find a very brave person and then eat him up. that ought to give you a big dose of courage." "i doubt that," said the doubtful dromedary sharply. "think how uncomfortable it would be for the poor brave person," sighed the camel. "my dear, i am afraid you have no heart." "of course i have no heart," cried scraps, starting to run down the path, "but i have a marvelous head." the comfortable camel sighed and glanced uneasily at the cowardly lion. the cowardly lion had a far-away look in his eye, as if scraps' naughty suggestion had given him an idea, and it was not long before he made some excuse to get away from the two gentle creatures. he wanted to think. after all, why should he, the most famous lion in all oz, forever be called cowardly? he would tell no one, but he would go off on a long journey and perhaps--even to himself the cowardly lion did not say it, but the idea of swallowing a brave person did seem a reasonable way to acquire courage. "i need never tell little dorothy," muttered the great beast uncomfortably, "but how proud she will be when i return full of courage!" he slipped noiselessly out of the quiet, lovely garden and, avoiding the yellow brick road, struck off through a deep forest toward the munchkin country to the south. many brave woodcutters live in the munchkin forests, and the cowardly lion was resolved darkly to swallow the bravest of them, ax and all. "if only my cowardly heart does not fail me at the last moment," he groaned nervously, as he went crackling through the heavy underbrush. "i could swallow one whole, and that oughtn't to hurt much." already his kind, cowardly, comfortable old heart was beginning to quake at the thought of swallowing a woodcutter. but, arguing and rumbling to himself, he continued his race toward the south. by the time the castle clocks chimed eight, he was miles and miles away from the safe and delightful emerald city of oz. chapter in search of a brave man the cowardly lion was familiar with all the forests in oz, and though the one through which he was passing was so dense that, even in the morning, only a dim light filtered through the trees, he had no difficulty finding his way. in the center of this forest lived a small colony of woodcutters, and the cowardly lion was heading straight for this colony, roaring and growling to keep up his courage. the more he thought about devouring a brave man, the faster he ran. the thing would have to be done quickly or not at all--quickly before his heart failed him entirely. as the hollow blows of an ax came echoing through the stillness, a shiver ran down his back and, when a sudden leap brought him almost upon a tall munchkin forester, he stopped altogether. at the sound of the crackling branches, the man turned, but when he saw the new comer was a lion, he calmly went on with his work. "there's bravery for you," gulped the cowardly lion to himself. now was his chance, for the man's back was turned. but it was no use; he simply could not spring on a man brave enough to turn his back, so instead he sighed heavily and sat down. "how's the hunting?" asked the woodcutter gruffly, after he had brought down his tree. "why, not very good, thank you," replied the lion pensively. this was worse still. could one eat up a man in the middle of a conversation? "well, now that's too bad." the woodcutter mopped his brow and turned 'round slowly. "tell me," asked the lion, blinking his eyes unhappily, "are you a brave man?" "well, that," pondered the woodcutter, sitting down on a stump and wiping off his ax with a bunch of leaves, "that i hardly know." "don't you think talking to a lion is pretty brave?" asked the great beast hopefully. he gathered himself for a spring. if the man said yes, he would certainly eat him up and have an end to this disagreeable business. but instead, the woodcutter regarded him closely. "say!" he burst out, hopping to his feet and giving the cowardly lion a resounding whack on the back, "say, this is an honor. sorry i didn't recognize you at once. boys!" he raised his voice joyfully, "boys, here's the good old cowardly lion, the cowardly lion himself. come on out. we've often heard about you," explained the big man, fairly beaming upon the embarrassed lion, "but as none of us ever go to the emerald city this is the first we've seen of you. how is the scarecrow and ozma, and how's princess dorothy? you see, even though we live in the woods, we know all about you famous folks." the cowardly lion put his paw to his head and tried to think. it was upsetting to have a man you intended to devour so frightfully polite. "how did you know i was the cowardly lion?" he asked in a husky voice. "why, first i thought you were like any other lion, then i saw you were all of a tremble, and i says to myself, says i, 'wilby, my lad, you're looking straight at this famous cowardly lion of oz.' i tell you it's a proud day for me. to think i'm talking face to face with a lion who has saved his country as many times as you have. i declare now, it's a pleasure." before the cowardly lion could answer, a dozen more woodcutters came running toward them and when he had been introduced by wilby whut to each woodcutter in turn, and to the wives and children of each woodcutter, he had neither the breath nor the inclination to devour anybody. the children hastily wove him a flower chain and crowed with delight when he trotted them about on his back. the women brought out their choicest meats and dishes of honey to refresh him, while the men sat around and listened solemnly to all he had to say of doings in the emerald city. why, there had not been such a holiday in the forest since the wicked witch of the west had been destroyed by little dorothy. the cowardly lion, ashamed of the dreadful purpose that had brought him to the forest, outdid himself to entertain them. and so enchanted were the kindly woodcutters with his conversation that he could not tear himself away until late in the afternoon. "i'll never be able to eat a woodcutter," groaned the cowardly lion, trotting slowly along in the gathering dusk. "never after the way they have treated me. i'll have to find some other sort of brave person to swallow." scraps' advice was proving difficult right at the start, and very thoughtfully the cowardly lion continued his journey. it was night time when he reached the edge of the forest--night time and not a brave man in sight. but in the southern part of the munchkin country there are many great mountains and among the sturdy munchkin mountaineers surely there would be a brave man. so the lion, who did not mind at all traveling in the dark, ran steadily toward the south, through quiet little villages, through fragrant fields and meadows, even swimming the broad and turbulent munchkin river. it was rather lonely, and he wished dorothy or sir hokus of pokes were along, but he well knew that neither would approve of his plan for acquiring courage. he was not sure that he approved of it himself, but he kept on arguing in his head and shuddering in his heart, and sighing because he was so great a coward. just as the sun rose he came upon a brave man, asleep under a blue rose bush. he knew he must be brave, because he was dressed as a huntsman and beside him lay a terrible-looking gun. the cowardly lion's heart began to thump like a triphammer, for he was much afraid of guns. but it did not seem at all fair to swallow a man in his sleep and, though he trembled so violently he could scarcely stand, he determined to waken the huntsman and to ascertain at the same time whether he were brave enough for his purpose. gathering himself together as best he could, he sprang upon the sleeping huntsman. there was a crackle and snap as if he had stepped upon a pillow stuffed with twigs. then an ear splitting shriek flattened back the cowardly lion's ears and fairly curdled his blood. at the same time his tail was seized from behind, and twisted terrifically. "help! help!" screamed the huntsman, trying to rise. "ouch, stop!" roared the cowardly lion, while the person who had hold of his tail screamed in seven different keys. the cowardly lion removed his paw from the huntsman's chest. "are you a brave man?" he asked in a quavering voice. "not very," chattered the huntsman, jumping up and backing cautiously toward a tree. "well, you don't sound brave," continued the lion in a relieved voice. "a brave man would not call for help. let go of my tail, little boy. it's all a mistake. i don't want this huntsman after all." "he's not a huntsman," wailed the little boy, running over and clasping the man around the knees. "not a huntsman?" roared the cowardly lion, waving his tail very fast. "then what--" "i'm a clown, you rude monster," spluttered the man indignantly. a clown! well, i should say--and none other than our old friend notta bit more. snatching off his hat and false whiskers, he swung bob up into a tree and nimbly followed himself. when they were both seated on a branch, far above the ground, he looked anxiously through the leaves to see what the lion would do next. "never saw such a country for lions!" he puffed resentfully. the lion, with one paw shading his eyes, was looking up at them. "are you afraid?" he called pleasantly. "are you afraid? well, don't be, for being a coward myself makes me very sympathetic." at the word coward notta almost fell from the tree. "bob," whispered the clown hoarsely, "it's the cowardly lion himself! now we mustn't let him know we're going to capture him." "he's a very bad lion," interrupted bob up tearfully. "he tried to bite you!" "what say?" called the lion, who could only hear an indistinct muttering. "he says you are a very bad lion," repeated notta, looking seriously at the great creature below. "he's right," sighed the lion dolefully. "i am a bad lion. a good lion would have eaten you up by this time, but a bad lion often makes a good friend. come on down. it was all a mistake." "are you a friend of dorothy's?" asked bob, leaning far out over the branch. at mention of dorothy, the cowardly lion gave a guilty little jump. "well, i should say so. are you friends of dorothy's?" "no, but we're from the same country," said the clown, "and if you're quite sure you don't want to eat me up, we'd like to ask you a few questions." "i've never eaten a man in my life," roared the cowardly lion, rolling his eyes sadly. "then why start on me?" asked notta, scratching his ear and winking at bob up. now that the incident was over it struck him as terribly funny to be perched in a tree conversing with the cowardly lion. he wished some of his old pals in the circus could see him. he'd never expect them to believe it otherwise. so notta and bob climbed down and the three regarded each other with frank interest. the cowardly lion had never seen a clown and the clown had never seen a cowardly lion, so there was much to be explained and accounted for. first, notta told of their sudden transportation to mudge, of doorways, and everything else except mustafa's determination to have them capture the cowardly lion himself. they were on their way, explained the clown, to the emerald city to see whether or not dorothy could find a way to send them back to the united states. "ozma can do that very easily with her magic belt," said the lion, "but i will go with you, for oz is full of dangers for mortal folks like you, and dorothy would not want anything to happen to anyone from her country, i am very sure." he then told them a lot about the marvelous land of oz, with its four big countries and its many little ones. "this," roared the cowardly lion with a sweep of his paw, "is the munchkin country. to the north is the kingdom of the gillikens, to the west is the winkie country and to the south the quadling country, ruled over by the good sorceress, glinda. but all of oz is under the rule of ozma." bob's eyes grew rounder and rounder as he told them how dorothy was first blown to oz by a cyclone, of her discovery of the scarecrow, how she had lifted him down his pole and, with the cowardly lion and tin woodman, traveled to the emerald city, then ruled over by the wizard of oz. then he told how ozma, the little fairy ruler, who was the real queen of oz, had been found and placed upon the throne. then came the story of scraps and sir hokus and of tik tok, and of every other amazing person living in the amazing emerald city. when the cowardly lion paused for breath bob was jumping up and down with excitement. "oh, i do want to see dorothy and the scarecrow! let's hurry," cried the little orphan, throwing his arms 'round the cowardly lion's neck. the kind old cowardly lion blinked with pleasure. "i'm glad you did that," he rumbled in a husky voice, "for now i know that you trust me, and have forgotten all about that unfortunate mistake!" "but why did you ask if i was brave?" mused the clown, who could scarcely believe that this merry little boy hugging the cowardly lion was the same bobbie downs who had fallen into mudge. "because," the lion swallowed self-consciously, "because i am looking for the bravest man in oz." "what will you do when you find him?" asked notta, carefully folding up his huntsman suit and powdering his nose with another marshmallow. "now, don't ask me that, please." the cowardly lion raised his paw pleadingly and looked so uncomfortable notta dropped the subject at once. he felt a little uncomfortable himself, for he had determined, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, to tie up the great creature and somehow or other deliver him to mustafa. what else could he do? the clown sighed regretfully, for already he had taken a great fancy to the cowardly lion. but fancy or not, one could not risk turning blue, and he had bob up to think of. to gain the lion's confidence he decided to travel with him for a while toward the emerald city and, so long as they did that with the fixed purpose of capturing the cowardly lion, mustafa's ring could not turn black. notta said nothing of his plans to bob, for the boy was so happy at the thought of visiting the emerald city, and so delighted with this new and interesting friend, he hated to spoil a bit of his pleasure. so he merely opened another pack of mustafa's sandwiches and they all had a cheerful breakfast together. then, with bob proudly riding the lion, they started off once again toward the north. "would you mind telling me why you pretended to be a huntsman?" asked the cowardly lion. he had been looking sideways at notta for some time, trying to puzzle the thing out for himself. "not at all," chuckled the clown, chinning himself on the branch of a tree. "i disguised myself as a huntsman to frighten off any wild animals while we were asleep. i always disguise myself when there is danger in the wind--don't i, bobbie?" the little boy nodded his head solemnly. "does it help?" asked the cowardly lion in an interested voice. bob up looked thoughtful, but as the clown nodded emphatically, he said nothing. it seemed to bob that notta always picked the wrong disguise, but the clown was so confident and cheerful about it he could not bear to discourage him. so he listened politely while notta explained his rules of disguise, politeness, joke and run. when he had finished the cowardly lion shook his head. "i suppose," said he, half closing his eyes, "that you cannot help your disguises any more than i can help my cowardice." "it isn't that i am afraid," explained notta hastily, "but i can fight better when i'm not looking like myself. when i look like myself i feel funny and when i feel funny, i can't fight." "well, with me," said the cowardly lion, who like most of us enjoyed talking about himself, "the funnier i look, the harder i fight. so don't frighten me, i beg of you, for when i'm frightened i fight terrifically." "i'll remember what you say," said notta, turning a somersault, and wondering uneasily what the cowardly lion would do when he tried to capture him. but the thought of being captured never entered the lion's head. he was rather glad to have the two strangers turn up this way. it postponed that disagreeable business of eating a brave man. of course, if they should run across one on the journey, well enough, but first it was his plain duty to conduct this clown and little boy safely to the emerald city. notta was so cheerful and jolly and made so much fun out of everything that the cowardly lion felt repaid for any trouble he was taking and bob up had not been so happy since they had fallen into this bewildering country. toward noon, as the sun grew rather hot, the cowardly lion turned into a small inviting wood which he felt was a short cut to the yellow brick road. but on the very first tree, a large sign made them pause. the sign said, "twenty trees to u." "i never heard of any country called u," mumbled the cowardly lion, blinking up at the sign in surprise. "there was one just like this on the road we came down yesterday," said notta. "bob and i wondered what it stood for." "well, i don't know," mused the lion. "that's the queer thing about oz. even old residents like myself are often amazed to find new countries and peoples where we never expected to find them. according to the maps there are only scattered farms between here and the emerald city. but so long as we have to go through this wood, we might as well see what u stands for." bob was the first to discover that every now and then the trees were numbered and, following them in the order of their numbers, took them deeper and deeper into the forest. when they reached the tree numbered nineteen, they were alarmed to note that all the other numbers that had guided them had disappeared. the wood had meanwhile grown so dense that they could hardly push on and, when notta suggested that they go back, they found they had lost the way entirely. the cowardly lion was full of stickers and thorns and, while bob picked them out of his woolly mane, the clown climbed the nineteenth tree to make a little survey of the country. with a shout he came scrambling down. "there's a clearing just beyond, and i think i made out twenty on the tree in the center," puffed notta. "come on!" the clown was growing more interested in this strange country every minute. he could hardly wait to see what was going to happen next. "let me go first. my hide doesn't tear as easily as yours," said the cowardly lion, and he began pushing through the heavy thicket in the direction pointed out by notta. holding up their arms to protect their faces, the others followed and in almost no time had come out on a small clearing. as they looked the clown clutched bob, while the cowardly lion blinked with astonishment. the twentieth tree was knitting furiously, holding in its long fingers nearly a hundred gleaming needles, and bending its witchy head every once in a while to examine the great, cloudy net that flowed all around it. for some moments they watched in puzzled silence. then bob screamed, the cowardly lion roared and notta gasped with alarm. for the net suddenly swooped down and scooped them up like a school of fish. the tree gave a disagreeable little laugh, quickly knitted the top of the net together and, lifting all its branches at once, tossed the luckless travelers high over its head. miraculously, as it struck the air, the big porous bag filled out like a balloon and went sailing upward at a terrible rate--the cowardly lion, bob up and notta rolling over and over in the bottom and bumping and banging together in a most painful and unpleasant fashion. chapter on the isle of un "if you could just stop trembling," puffed the clown, trying to keep out of the cowardly lion's way, "i think it would help." "but how can i stop trembling when i am so frightened," complained the lion, clutching the swaying net with all four paws. "i'm frightened too!" wailed bob, who was rolling and bouncing first against one, then against the other. "it seems to me you're shaking about a lot yourself," said the cowardly lion reproachfully, as notta dove suddenly into his ribs. "what are you trying to do?" "my disguise!" panted the clown, clutching at his chest. "if i could only put on my disguise." "aho!" mumbled the cowardly lion, and stopped trembling long enough to grin. but just then the balloon calmed down, and changing its course sailed gently and levelly through the sky, so that the three huddled together in the bottom were fairly comfortable. "i guess u stands for up. you surely bobbed up this time, didn't you?" notta winked merrily at the little orphan, and then peered curiously through the holes in the net. "this reminds me of a balloon trip i once made for the circus. wonder where we'll land?" "are we to land at all?" sighed the cowardly lion unhappily. two of his legs had slipped through holes in the net and he was feeling uneasy and uncomfortable. "climb on me, bob, my boy. it will be a little softer. when you've been in oz as long as i have, you'll take nothing for granted." he looked mournfully at the clown who was that moment below him. "then i'll just take it oz is," laughed notta. "why, here's land now! and we're slowing down." so they were, down--down--down, until they were over a rocky island. when the net was almost resting on a little green hill, it turned completely and suddenly upside down, and shook them out with such violence that they rolled all the way to the bottom. the cowardly lion jumped up first and hurriedly placed himself in front of bob. though he was trembling even more than usual, he knew that he was a better fighter than these helpless mortals. and that there would be fighting he felt reasonably sure, for a great crowd was coming noisily toward them. notta nervously jerked bob to his feet and stood beside the cowardly lion. there was no time for disguising. "we'll just start with rule two," panted the clown, running his finger hurriedly 'round his collar. "let's be ex-tre-eemly polite. that's the way to meet strangers." "all right," agreed the cowardly lion in a rather choked voice, "you meet 'em with politeness, and if that fails, i'll meet 'em with something else." he gnashed his teeth to keep them from chattering. as the first of the company reached the foot of the hill bob gave a little scream, but notta calmly stepped forward. "ladies and gentlemen!" began the clown in his best circus manner, "let me introduce you to the most famous lion in the world, the cowardly lion of oz, as brave as he is cowardly; allow me to present bob up, the brightest little boy in the united states, and myself, a harmless clown whose tricks have astonished the crowned heads of two continents. ladies and gentlemen, let--" "two creatures and a beast," called the leader of the company, interrupting notta in the middle of a sentence. "two creatures and a beast," repeated the others, staring dully at the newcomers. the cowardly lion growled threateningly at this and notta began running over all the jokes that he knew. as for bob, he was too amazed to do anything but stare, for these were certainly the most curious beings he had ever seen in his life. to begin with, they had feathers instead of hair. these feathers were small and fine and grew smoothly back from their foreheads, becoming longer at the back and curling softly behind the ears. their eyes were perfectly round and their noses almost like bird beaks. otherwise they were the same as regular folks, except in their manner of walking, for their feet turned in so much that they had to hop, putting one foot down and then hopping over it. before notta could start a joke, the leader of these singular creatures motioned to two behind him. they immediately stepped forward, unfurling as they did so a large banner. [illustration: the featherheads of un] "unwelcome to un," said the banner in crooked yellow letters. "no use being polite then," rumbled the cowardly lion and, taking matters into his own paws, he gave such a thundering roar that the very ground trembled. "ginger poppa!" gasped the clown, almost as frightened as the featherheads. the effect on the crowd was simply breath-taking. beginning at the back of their necks, their feathers slowly rose straight on end until each head looked like a huge and quivering feather duster. the cowardly lion tried to roar again, but the best that he could manage was a chuckle. notta took one look, then fell up against a tree and laughed until the tears rolled down his cheeks. even bob giggled. "try 'em again," wheezed the cowardly lion. "i think they'll listen to you now. wiping his eyes on his sleeve, notta stepped forward and addressed the leader. "could you tell us a little about this interesting country of yours, and the quickest way out of it?" he inquired politely. slowly the feathers on the heads of the crowd began to settle. "'taint a country, it's a skyle," answered the featherhead, blinking rapidly. "a skyle?" repeated the clown, glancing doubtfully at the cowardly lion, who appeared to be as puzzled as he was. "what is a skyle?" asked notta curiously. "this is," snapped the leader disagreeably. "you're as ignorant as a fish, aren't you?" then as the cowardly lion gave a threatening growl he continued grudgingly, "a skyle is an isle in the sky, and anyone who has studied skyography ought to know that. i suppose you don't even know what an isle is?" he looked contemptuously at the three strangers. "i do. an isle is a small body of land entirely surrounded by water," cried bob, delighted to find that geography was of some use after all. "well," said the featherhead uneasily, "then i guess you'll understand when i tell you that a skyle is a small body of land entirely surrounded by air." "air!" spluttered notta. "i say, how does one get off a skyle?" "you'll soon find that out!" muttered the featherhead, and all the others began nodding and clucking for all the world like a company of hens. "what do you call yourselves?" asked the cowardly lion. now that he knew how to frighten them, he no longer felt afraid. "we're uns, we are, and nobody but uns are allowed on this skyle. we'll have to take you along to the palace and his royal skyness will decide what's to be done with you." "another king," groaned the clown. "isn't it time to run?" asked bob, tugging at notta's pantaloon, for the uns were drawing closer this time, paying no attention to the roars of the cowardly lion. "no use running, bob. we might fall off. perhaps this king is a better fellow than his subjects. "take us to your king!" cried the clown, settling his cap determinedly. hopping and muttering, the uns formed two crooked lines, and with the three travelers in the center marched away to the palace. there were many tall trees on the skyle of un and, more remarkable still, every tree had a rough boxlike structure built in its branches, like enormous bird houses. they were reached by rough ladders and the uns seemed to be as much at home on the branches as on the ground. some of the women standing on lower branches were hanging clothes on upper ones as calmly as ordinary folk string the washing up in the yard. but, as notta whispered to bob, what could one expect of featherheads? the skyle itself was rocky and barren and there seemed to be no farms, buildings nor industries of any kind. "what do you do here for a living?" asked notta, turning to the un beside him. "fish, mostly," said the un. "what for?" asked the cowardly lion, treading on notta's heels in his eagerness to hear. "birds," sniffed the un, looking over his shoulder scornfully. "what did you think we'd fish for?" "oh, but you couldn't fish for birds," objected bob up, stopping short, while notta burst into a loud roar of laughter. the un glared at all three. "the air's full of 'em," he announced sharply, and then, as the clown continued to laugh immoderately, his feathers began to ruffle with rage. "you're idiots!" he screamed, thrusting his sharp beak almost in notta's face. "idiots!" echoed all the other uns immediately. several trod on the clown's toes and, seeing that bob was rather pale, notta hastily changed the subject. not long after that they came to the palace. to bob it looked like a huge barn stuck between four trees. it was about ten feet from the ground and from the top of each tree fluttered a bright yellow flag bearing the word, un. the cowardly lion trembled a good deal as they went up the rickety green ladder, but with a little help from notta he managed it, and next instant they were in the presence of the king. "two creatures and a beast, your skyness!" announced the leader of the delegation. then stepping close to notta he shouted at the top of his voice, "his majesty, i-wish-i-was, king of un!" notta's cap fell off and he clapped his hand to his ear. the cowardly lion made a little spring at the un and had the pleasure of seeing the king's feathers rise erect upon his head and wave to and fro. "approach, creatures and beast," commanded i-wish-i-was in a slightly shaky voice. he was sitting on a high wooden perch, swinging his feet. grouped about him were a number of uns in bright green uniforms that exactly matched their feather hair. notta made a deep bow and bob and the cowardly lion moved forward together. "how did you come to come here?" asked i-wish-i-was, adjusting a pair of huge spectacles on his terrible beak. "we didn't come to come at all," said notta hastily. "we were standing under a tree, watching it knit--a very strange sight, your skyness will agree." "why shouldn't it knit?" snapped the king impatiently. "there's no law against it, is there? in fact, if it were not for that tree, we'd be in a pretty state for fishing nets." "well, we were caught in the tree's net, the net flew up and here we are," finished notta, determined not to quarrel if he could help it. "a mighty poor catch, i call you," muttered the king complainingly. he turned to his guard to see whether they agreed with him and they all nodded so hard it made bob dizzy. "are you willing to become uns?" he asked gloomily. "i'll not grow feathers for anybody," growled the cowardly lion, shaking his paw at i-wish-i-was. "wait till you've tried," answered the king loftily. "but what i mean is this: each of you must do something unish, for we are all uns here. i'm unfair--any un will tell you that. bill, there," he pointed proudly to the commander of the guard, "bill, he's ungrateful." then he waved to the un beside him. "and tom's unkind. see what i mean? we're all uns together." the king rubbed his clawlike hands gleefully. "but i never heard of such a place!" gasped notta. "of course not! un's positively unheard of," confided the king, smoothing back his feathers complacently. bob's eyes grew rounder and rounder, notta swallowed, and the cowardly lion tilted one ear forward to be sure he was hearing aright. "why, you're uns already," said i-wish-i-was, with a mean little chuckle. "you," he pointed his long thin finger at notta, "are unnatural. you," he pointed to the cowardly lion, "are unpleasant. and you," he wiggled his finger teasingly at bob, "you're uninteresting!" "thanks!" said the clown, taking off his cap. "and besides that," cried i-wish-i-was, his voice rising to a shrill squeak, "you're all uninvited." "and bound to be unlucky," gurgled bill of the guard. "and terribly unhappy," squealed another, dancing up and down. "and terrifically uncomfortable," added a third. hereupon the uns began hopping frantically about, each shouting something unish, till bob covered his ears and the cowardly lion began to lash his tail with fury. "stop! stop!" shouted the clown, stamping his foot. "i believe this is the unpleasantest island i've ever been on." loud cheers from the uns interrupted him here. "and if you will tell us the way off we'll go at once." i-wish-i-was raised his claw for silence, pulled a pad from his pocket, a long feather quill from his head and, dipping it in ink, wrote something in a great hurry. this he handed to the commander of the guard and notta looking over his shoulder read, "push them off at the first opportunity." the guard, not knowing that the clown had read the message, bowed and began whispering to his comrades, while notta scratched his ear and wondered what he should do. "could your skyness give us a bite to eat?" he asked presently. that, he reflected, would give him time to think. "certainly not," answered the king, snapping his birdlike eyes. "if you're hungry, go fish, the same as the rest of us do. bill, give them some rods." he winked wickedly at the green guardsman. notta saw him make a little push in the air. bill with a chuckle winked back; then brought three rods and reels and handed them to the clown. "oh!" cried bob up, "i'd love to go fishing!" "where do you fish around here?" asked notta, wrinkling up his forehead. "just go to the edge of the skyle and drop your line over," said the king, and nudged the un nearest him. at this all the uns began nudging and winking first one eye and then the other. "come on," whispered notta and, tucking the rods under his arm, ran toward the door. the cowardly lion, in his haste to follow, fell all the way down the ladder, but at a quick word from notta jumped up, and as bob joined them they all started on a run for a little clump of trees. "i tell you," puffed the clown, pausing at length to mop his brow, "they are bad uns, sure enough. they mean to push us off the skyle. that's why they sent us fishing." "just let 'em try it!" roared the cowardly lion, shaking his mane. he had skinned his knees in his fall down the ladder and was feeling quite ready for a battle. "but shall we go fishing or not?" asked the clown uncertainly. bob up said nothing, but he looked wistfully at the fishing rods. bob had never been fishing in his life, and even the thought of being pushed off the skyle did not seem as dreadful as being deprived of this pleasure. notta saw the look. "i'm hungry as a lion," said the clown suddenly, "and we've lost mustafa's packets somewhere between oz and un." "well, you're not as hungry as this lion," rumbled the cowardly lion, with a wink at bob. "it must be long past noon. let's risk it. you fish and i'll watch, and if any of these uns start pushing us--." the cowardly lion gave a roar and shook his paw threateningly at the palace of i-wish-i-was. chapter a strange fishing party to their surprise, none of the uns followed them, and in about an hour they had come to the edge of the skyle. the cowardly lion shuddered as he looked down into the clear blue air, and even notta had a queer feeling in the pit of his stomach as the white clouds went rolling and tumbling past them. "do you think we'll catch any birds, notta?" asked bob up, venturing so near the edge that the cowardly lion gave a roar of terror. "remember you're not a bird," he warned. "i'll fix him," said notta. cutting the line from one of the rods he doubled it many times and fastened bob securely to the tree. with what was left, he made a safety belt for himself. then, while the cowardly lion shivered with fright, they sat upon the edge of the skyle and cast their lines far into the air below. "now, bob my lad, don't expect a bite too soon," said the clown, "for fishing is a mortal slow business, but a fine one for thinking, and all of us must think of a way to get off this island before we're pushed off by the uns." the cowardly lion, with his back to the two fishermen, kept a sharp lookout for the enemy, and all three tried to think. but thinking when you're hungry is hard work. besides, there were so many things to distract one's attention. the sky, as the afternoon advanced, turned a soft and dreamy pink, and the clouds drifting by were of every shape and color imaginable--green, purple, amber and gold--and of such marvelous form that each seemed lovelier than the last. there were castles and tall masted ships, there were caravans and chariots, and once a white and wonderful princess waved to the little boy from the back of a feathery swan. so it was small wonder notta and bob forgot the uns, and even their fishing lines, blowing gently to and fro in the soft pink air waves. then, all at once, bob's line gave a jerk and had he not been tied to the tree he would certainly have been pulled off the skyle. "oh! oh!" screamed the little boy in delight, "i've caught something!" giving his rod to the cowardly lion, who was blinking dreamily at a wonderful cloud city, the clown ran to help bob, and hand over hand they pulled up the line. what do you suppose was on it? a goose--a simply enormous goose. it was smoking gently as they drew it over the edge. "why, it's cooked!" marveled notta, unfastening the line which had caught in the bird's legs. and so it was--cooked in all its feathers with its head tucked under its wing. "aha, so our goose is cooked, is it?" observed the cowardly lion, sniffing the air hungrily. "must have flown too near the sun." "well," chuckled notta, "that i don't pretend to know. fishing for birds is strange enough, but catching a cooked goose is almost too good to be true." "but it is true," exulted bob, clapping his hands, "and i caught it!" while the cowardly lion watched the two rods, and bob proudly picked his goose, notta ran off in search of water. in a few minutes he came running back with a bucket full which he had drawn from a small sky well. the bucket, one of the canvas collapsible kind used in circuses, the clown had fortunately stowed under his capacious belt. as neither meat nor drink was now lacking, they sat down under a small tree and dined quite merrily. the cowardly lion ate one half the goose, bones and all, and notta and bob finished off the rest. "it looks," said the clown, rising to take a drink of water out of the bucket, which he hung on a branch of the tree, "it looks as if the uns had forgotten us." "maybe," mused the lion, shaking his mane, "but we mustn't forget them. have you thought of anything yet?" "not a thing," confessed the clown cheerfully. he turned a dozen cartwheels, walked a few paces on his hands, and ended up with a somersault over bob. "you're a spry one," said the cowardly lion admiringly, as the clown sat down with his back against a tree, "as spry a one as i've ever met." "thank you," laughed notta. "if thinking came as easily as cartwheeling we'd be off this skyle in no time. but now that we're fed and comfortable, suppose we think again." "i'd rather fish," said bob up promptly. "can't we fish a little longer, notta?" "well, there's no harm in it," replied the clown, winking at the cowardly lion, "and as we'll probably have to spend the night here we may as well catch something for breakfast." "try to catch me something uncooked this time, won't you?" asked the cowardly lion, thumping his tail lazily on the ground. "you know i prefer my food uncooked." bob smiled a little at this and, moving his rod gently to and fro, thought about the comical adventures he was having. notta, with his back to the tree, was fishing too, and everything was very quiet. all around them the light was fading, and the clouds turned from pink to a dull gray and rushed past with an angry sort of sighing. night was coming on, and soon the stars began to twinkle above and below the little skyland. bob had never seen stars so large nor so bright, but then bob had never been so close to them before. he was thinking rather solemnly that it would be fun to catch a star, when notta, oppressed by the silence, burst into a merry song: "a little chocolate cooky man went calling on a plate. she said, 'sir, it is ten o'clock! why do you come so late?' "'because i'm made that way,' said he, 'my little china girly, i'm always choco-late, you see, so how could i come early?' "'and is it not, my darling, better chocolate than never?' the wee plate cracked a little smile. 'oh, sir,' said she, 'you're clever! "'and you may call to-morrow-- even though you're choco-late!' but pshaw! he never came, because that cooky man was ate!" bob laughed right out loud, and notta, who had been trying to make bob merry, tossed his cap triumphantly into the air. "very good," murmured the cowardly lion, waving his tail gently, "except that last line. 'was ate.' isn't that a bit ungrammatical, even for oz?" "there you go getting unish," teased notta. "i guess i can be ungrammatical in un." "notta! notta! i've got another bite," screamed bob, hopping about on one foot. that finished the argument. "hope it's a bite for me," said the cowardly lion. then he gave a little roar of surprise, for over the edge of the skyle came a dog--as dear and shaggy a little bow-wow as had ever barked at an ice man. the hook had caught neatly in its collar and, though it was a little out of breath, it was otherwise unhurt. "well," rumbled the cowardly lion, rising on his haunches, "so this is breakfast? bob, what do you mean by catching a dog for my breakfast?" "oh, please," whimpered the dog, rolling its soft eyes in terror. "you wouldn't eat a little fellow who was only out for a walk, would you?" he sat up and begged so prettily bob caught him up in his arms and hugged him. "oh, notta, may i keep him? i've never had a dog!" "well, now," said the clown, scratching his ear, "i don't see why not." "don't keep me," wailed the dog piteously, "for i belong to a little boy on another star, and he would miss me very much." "what kind of a dog are you?" gasped the clown, staring at the little creature. "what do you mean by taking a walk through the sky, and living on a star?" "i am a skye terrier," answered the little dog, looking anxiously from one to the other. "you wouldn't hurt a little fellow like me, would you?" "but how will you get home?" asked notta. "just throw me back into the air," barked the dog, and licked bob on the nose so coaxingly he couldn't bear to refuse, though his heart was heavy at the thought of losing him. "i guess that other little boy would miss you," sighed bob. so, kissing the shaggy little terrier right on the nose, he dropped him gently over the edge of the skyle, and as they watched he scampered hurriedly over a cloud and then along through the sky, as easily as if he had been on land instead of air. he paused once and looked over his shoulder, then with a joyful bark and wave of his tail ran off, vanishing like a speck in the distance. notta, seeing that bob was down-hearted at losing the little fellow, suggested that they start fishing again. "who knows what we may catch this time?" exclaimed the clown, pushing back his cap, and snapping his line energetically. almost at once both lines became taut, and when they were drawn up, two shiny silver packages fell from the slender hooks. "dreams for a little boy," said a small label on bob's package. "dreams for a big boy," said the label on notta's package. with trembling fingers they untied the silver ribbons, and had no sooner done so than bob drooped gently against notta, and the clown fell back against a tree. in another second both were fast asleep--dreaming the lovely stories they had caught in the sky. it happened so quickly that the cowardly lion was completely taken by surprise. he sniffed the silver papers. "dreams," read the cowardly lion by the light of the stars. "well, i guess they're regular sleeping powders. it's a good thing i didn't catch a dream, for somebody must stay awake and keep guard." the big beast yawned and stretched, then carefully dragging bob and notta back from the edge of the skyle, set himself to keep the watch while they slept. he was terribly sleepy himself and keeping awake was a hard fight, but the cowardly lion knew that the lives of these two mortals depended upon him, so he walked up and down, and down and up the edge of the skyland, and presently he heard a sound that made him quake with terror. footsteps in the woods! hundreds of them--coming nearer every minute! [illustration: uns about to attack the cowardly lion, notta and bob up] "the uns," choked the cowardly lion, and hesitated between waking notta and bob, or advancing to meet the enemy. before he could make up his mind, a whole party, their feathers gleaming strangely in the moonlight, burst out of the trees. "push 'em off! shove 'em off!" screamed the leader, waving on the rest. it was i-wish-i-was, and in little hops and springs they came tumbling toward him. with a roar that sounded more terrible than anything you could imagine, because it was mostly made up of terror, the cowardly lion sprang straight at them. down went i-wish-i-was and a dozen of his warriors. shaking and quaking with fear, the cowardly lion made quick springs and snatches, and when the uns with little screams of rage, drew back, his mouth was full of feathers. but they were far from giving up and after a brief parley came on again. once more the cowardly lion struck out, left and right. this time two dozen more were down, but the cowardly lion was slowly being forced toward notta and bob, and the treacherous edge of the skyle. armed with feathered sticks and screaming horribly, the uns came on a third time, and though the cowardly lion fought them with might, mane, claw, tooth and nail, he was almost smothered by the attack. something of the alarm made the clown stir in his sleep, and the triumphant shout of i-wish-i-was brought him wide awake. he sat up just in time to see the cowardly lion go down under a perfect wave of uns. "help! help!" screamed notta, but there was no one to help them. he made a little dash to the left, but the line that tied him to the tree caught him with a jerk. he made a little dash to the right, spun around and clasped his stomach in despair. just then the cowardly lion, growling like a whole menagerie, shook off the mass of uns and bounded to his side. feathers were strewn in every direction, and a hundred of the uns lay where they had fallen. the poor cowardly lion was shaking with exhaustion and fright, but never thought of giving up, and when the uns made another rush, he met them as valiantly as ever. wild screams from the featherheads in the rear made him pause and look over in alarm at notta. the clown, with staring eyes, was mumbling continuously under his breath, and touching first one and then another of the crowd swarming around him, and each time he touched an un, the un disappeared. the cowardly lion stopped fighting and sat down with a thud. the uns stopped fighting, and those in front began to tread on the toes of the ones in back, in their anxiety to get away. when twenty had vanished in as many seconds, the rest ran howling to the woods. "well," panted the cowardly lion, rolling his eyes wildly at notta. "you saved my life, old fellow," cried the clown, giving him an impulsive hug. "and you saved mine," gasped the lion, as soon as he had breath enough to gasp. "but how did you do it and where are they?" "in mudge," explained the clown, drawing his knees up to his chin and winking at the cowardly lion, "in mudge and scaring the life out of mustafa, i'll wager. remember the magic verse that brought us here? well, every time an un came near i said: "udge! budge! go to mudge! udger budger, you're a mudger!" "marvelous!" sighed the cowardly lion. "but how did you think of it so quick?" "i had to," replied notta modestly. "you see, when there's nothing else to do i think, and not thinking very often makes me do it rather well. but do you suppose the other uns will come back?" the cowardly lion shook his head. "not in an 'undred years," he yawned. "and now that they are good and frightened let's all get some sleep." the cowardly lion was bruised and ruffled, and so tired he could not keep his eyes open another minute. stretching himself beside bob, who had not even heard the battle, he fell instantly into a heavy slumber. notta, lying on the other side of the little boy, was soon enjoying the rest of the dreams in his silver package. towards morning faint cries aroused the cowardly lion. though only half awake he sprang up blinking his eyes nervously. then he gave a howl of dismay, for notta and bob were nowhere to be seen! chapter saved by a flyaboutabus groaning because he had been foolish enough to trust the uns, the cowardly lion ran up and down the edge of the skyle. there was no doubt about it, bob and notta had been pushed off while he was asleep. then a tree, jutting far over the edge, attracted his attention. it was swaying and trembling in a most unusual fashion. at the same time the faint cries that had awakened him were repeated. with a frightened gulp, the lion saw the two fishing lines tied to the tree and, winding his tail firmly around the slim trunk, began pulling up the first of the lines. it was hard work and two or three times he was almost drawn over the edge, but he never hesitated, and presently he had dragged notta safely back to land. the clown waved his hands feebly, then lay on his stomach and panted like a fish. without waiting to restore him, the cowardly lion began to pull up the other line, and presently bob, also breathless and panting, lay beside the clown. they were not only breathless, but quite wet--having fallen into a cloud. the lion, puffing a little himself, watched anxiously. notta, with a long and final gasp, sat up and gave a little sigh of relief. "that makes the second time you've saved my life," said notta faintly. "what happened?" asked the cowardly lion. "well, first," said the clown, talking in little jerks and pausing every few minutes to pat bob on the back, "first, i fell asleep, then, i fell awake. and if it hadn't been for these disguises i should have been cut in two." "the uns?" asked the lion, opening his eyes very wide. "yes," said notta, and told how the featherheads had pushed both bob and himself from the skyle and, without stopping to notice that they were tied or to touch the cowardly lion, had run off without making a sound. "it was a mighty good thing we were anchored, eh, bob, my boy? feel better?" bob shook his head uncertainly, for he was still frightened and dizzy from swinging through the air. the stars had faded out and the sun had not yet risen and in the cold gray mist of early morning the three huddled together and tried to think what to do. "first, let's get away from the edge," shuddered the cowardly lion. cutting the fishing lines that had saved their lives, notta set bob on the cowardly lion's back and they moved slowly in the half darkness toward the center of the skyle. the uns evidently had gone off to their homes, and with some matches notta had tucked under his wonderful belt they kindled a little fire and soon were dry and much more cheerful. bob immediately went to sleep, but notta and the cowardly lion kept watch. for an hour there was not a sound. then the noise of someone sawing wood came distinctly through the still air. leaving the cowardly lion on guard, notta went to investigate. he tiptoed along quietly, resolved if it were an un to wish him away to mudge. as he advanced the sawing grew louder and louder and, peering around a large tree, he saw a huge and ridiculous bird flopped over against a rock, snoring at a great rate. as notta looked the bird opened one eye, stamped its big claws fretfully, and immediately fell to snoring again. the clown took off his cap, scratched his ear and then burst into a loud peal of laughter, which he could not have helped had he died the next minute. the bird stopped snoring instantly, and opened both eyes. "what do you mean by waking me when i was sound asleep," it chirped crossly. "a great many sounds of sleep," corrected notta, winking at the singular creature. "i thought someone was sawing down a tree." "did you?" the bird looked rather proud and began to puff out its feathers. "i'm the loudest snorer in the sky," it announced, strutting about self-consciously. "that's why my beak curls in this convenient fashion." it was the bird's beak that had made notta laugh in the first place. it was long and blue, and curved so that it could fit over the comical creature's ear like a personal telephone connection. "but why does it curl?" asked notta, sitting down and staring at the bird intently. "so i can hear myself snore," replied the bird. "as soon as i snore in my own ear i wake up and stop snoring." with its claw the snorer adjusted its beak, much as one would adjust a pair of spectacles, and looked blandly at notta. "i'm unusual--don't you think?" "unusual," whistled the clown. "i'll say you are! and never have i seen such a country. why, if i could take along a few of these freaks, i'd have the finest show on earth." he rubbed his forehead thoughtfully as he thought of the mudgers, the half-lion, and now this bewildering bird. snorer was about the size of a small child, with enormous feet, short legs and pink feathers. his head was somewhat like that of a large crane, and his eyes were as blue as his beak. "why are you on the isle of un?" asked notta, as the creature continued to look solemnly at him. "because i'm unusual," said the bird with a triumphant little hop. "but why are you here?" "because i'm unlucky, i guess," sighed the clown ruefully. "won't you come along and meet my friends?" "yes, i'll come with you," said the bird calmly. it put its head on one side and looked at notta. "you're beautiful," it sighed tremulously, "beautifully beautiful. i love you!" notta had all he could do to keep from laughing, but seeing that snorer was really in earnest, he patted it awkwardly on the head, and started back, the bird hopping happily beside him. "what's this you've caught?" asked the cowardly lion, blinking suspiciously at notta's odd companion. as for bob, who had wakened a moment before, he gave a little shout of laughter. "it's because i'm so unusual," whispered snorer, putting up a claw and winking at notta. "tell them my name's nickadoodle." so notta gravely introduced nick to bob and the cowardly lion and, after nick carefully explained his queer telephone nose, the four regarded one another with deep interest. "maybe you can tell us the way to escape from un," suggested the cowardly lion in a rather choked voice, for every time he looked at nick, he felt like roaring. before snorer could answer, bob, who had been staring fixedly at the cowardly lion, burst out laughing. "what's the matter?" demanded the cowardly lion gruffly. "what's the matter?" asked notta. then he too clapped his hand to his mouth and began to rock backward and forward. "feathers!" gasped the clown, "you've a big bunch of blue feathers in your mane!" "what?" roared the cowardly lion, angrily putting his paw to his head. "oh, everyone grows feathers in un," chirped nick cheerily, hopping toward bob. "take off your cap and see." snatching off his hat bob ran his fingers hastily through his hair. horrors! right at the crown of his head were at least ten stiff red feathers. notta had as many green ones, but his hung down over his right eye when he took off his cap. the desire to laugh at snorer suddenly left them. to laugh at someone who was funny was one thing, but to be funny yourself--well, that was different! "you'll soon have as many feathers as i have," chuckled nick, regarding them with his head on one side. "i think they're quite becoming!" "becoming!" screamed the cowardly lion. "well, they'll be coming out by the roots. it's bad enough to be chicken hearted, but being feather headed, i simply will not stand!" he gave the bunch of feathers a furious tweak, but he might as well have tried to pull off his ears. "we've got to get off this skyland," blustered the poor lion, stamping around in a fury. "i'll jump off before i grow another feather." bob was thinking that his would come in mighty handy for playing indian. "i suppose we'll soon grow enough to fly off," said notta, blowing the green feathers out of his eye and pushing them back under his chap. "i say, nickadoodle, can't you tell us a way out of this?" "i'll tell you one thing," murmured the great bird, nestling close to notta. "you're beautiful, beau-ti-ful!" he rolled his eyes rapturously. "well, if you don't want my beauty broken to pieces tell us a way to escape," begged the clown, looking nervously toward the edge of the skyland. "there's only one way for you to leave," said snorer, "and that is in the royal flyaboutabus." "what is it?" choked notta. "where is it?" roared the cowardly lion. "tied to a tree near the palace. but we'll have to wait till the uns go to wish," replied nick, rubbing his head against notta's knee. and while the three listened in amazement snorer told them a bit about life on the isle of un. no one on un, explained nick gravely, ever worked, but each morning they went regularly to wish, and nothing was allowed to interrupt their wishing. for three hours they shouted their wishes as loudly as they could, and i-wish-i-was, because he could wish faster and shout louder than any of the rest, had been made king. "you'll hear them at it soon," said snorer, adjusting his nose, "and that's the best time for you to leave. afternoons they fish and evenings they fight. wish, fish and fight--that's the program here." "but how do they get anything done?" asked notta, standing on his head to settle his feathers. "they don't," replied snorer calmly. "everything is undone; and about your feathers," he pointed his claw at the cowardly lion's mane, "every time anything unish happens to you you'll grow another. first you were unwise to come here. that accounts for one; then you were uncomfortable and unsafe." "unlucky, unhappy and unfed!" spluttered the clown, turning a somersault with each word. "lead us to the flyaboutabus, old fellow, or we'll soon be as feathered as geese." "all right," chirped nickadoodle obligingly, "but step softly and do just as i tell you." "aren't there any good uns?" asked bob with a little sigh. "well, there was one," nick paused to adjust his nose, which was continually falling off its hook, "but i've forgotten his name, and the others treated him so unkindly that he's hidden himself in a cave somewhere on the skyle. but they do say if he ever becomes king, the uns will all have to reform." bob was hungry and far from rested, but as he stumbled along the rocky beach he fell to thinking about this good un and wishing he might see him before they left the skyland. but notta was so cheered at the thought of leaving un that every few seconds he sprang into the air or somersaulted over the cowardly lion. the cowardly lion was dreadfully down-hearted. the feathers preyed on his mind, his ears drooped and his tail dragged and nothing notta could say made him feel any better. "it's all very well for you and bob. you can wear hats and hide your feathers, but a lion in a hat would look as ridiculous as a lion with feathers. i shall be the laughing stock of oz," groaned the poor beast. "well, it's not so bad to make people laugh," comforted notta. "that is my business, and i know. come with me to america and your fortune will be made." but the cowardly lion only shook his head and padded sadly over the rough stones. "this is a punishment," thought the poor lion, "a punishment for my wickedness in planning to devour a brave man." and perhaps he was right. by this time they were so near the palace that nick held up his claw for silence. hiding behind a huge rock, they watched the uns climb down from their tree houses and hurry off to wish, just as sensible folk hurry off to work. "too bad i didn't send i-wish-i-was to mudge," whispered notta. "hush," said nickadoodle. "as soon as you hear an ear-full of noise run for that third juniper tree." he pointed out the tree with his claw and the three watchers waited anxiously for the signal. soon there was not an un in sight and a second later a perfect explosion of screeches rent the air. it was, as notta explained afterward, an elephant ear-full of noise, for every un on the skyle was wishing at the top of his lungs. as soon as they had recovered from the first shock, notta, bob and the cowardly lion rushed toward the juniper tree. nick had flown ahead and was already calling down directions when they reached it. from the top branch of the juniper tree the king's feathery flyaboutabus was tugging merrily at its rope. following nick's instructions, notta climbed to the top of the tree and, hanging on to the rope, managed to bring it down a bit. nick, bidding bob catch him around the neck, flew up next, and their weight brought it down still further. it was still terribly high for the cowardly lion, who could not very well climb the tree. "hurry! hurry!" croaked nick, flapping his wings warningly. "there's an un." and sure enough, a tardy featherhead was staring at them in astonishment from the door of his tree house. with an ear splitting squall, he fell down the ladder and rushed off to the wishing place to tell the others. prickling with terror, the cowardly lion made spring after spring, but each time he just missed the flyaboutabus. and every time he made an unsuccessful leap, another feather sprouted gaily in his mane. "better cut loose and leave him," whispered nick anxiously, but notta and bob hushed him up indignantly and by jumping tried to bring the bus lower. "go on and save yourselves," coughed the lion after the tenth attempt. he mopped his forehead dejectedly with his tail, and growled terribly as each feather pricked through. a shout from the clown made him turn. rushing toward them in tumbling waves of fury were the uns, led by i-wish-i-was. in a last despairing frenzy, the cowardly lion hurled himself into the air, and this time his front paws caught the feather wheels of the bus, and bob and notta, pulling together, helped him aboard. there was not a minute to lose, for the uns were already surrounding the tree. just as i-wish-i-was sprang into the lower branches, snorer cut the rope with his knifelike beak and up sailed the flyaboutabus like a balloon released from its string. up, up, up they went, till the wild screams of the uns could no longer be heard. up, up, and 'round and 'round, plunging now this way and now that, till notta, bob and the cowardly lion were too shaken and dizzy to know or care what was happening. but snorer, more used to flying than the others, kept his head and, waiting his opportunity, seized a long lever that swung loosely to and fro in the front of the bus. he had never been in the flyaboutabus before, but something told him that the lever must guide the movements of the strange vehicle. sure enough, as soon as he took hold of it, the darting about stopped and it flew quite steadily. "are we still going up?" quavered notta, without opening his eyes. the clown lay flat on his back in the bottom of the bus with bob sprawled on top of him. the cowardly lion had become wedged under a seat and was heaving and puffing unhappily. "yes, but there's some way to bring it down," chirped nick. "come have a look. i know how to fly myself, but i don't know how to fly a flyaboutabus." chapter mustafa's blue magic notta rose unsteadily and lifted bob into one of the side seats. then he staggered over to the front of the bus and, holding his head with one hand, peered down at the gear and machinery. there was a row of buttons under the steering wheel and the first button said "slower." notta hastily pushed this one and the great feather wheels on each side immediately slackened their frantic whirling, and while nick held the lever notta investigated their strange flying machine still further. it was shaped like an immense hollowed-out goose, with seats on each side and a high seat near the head. the head turned with the steering wheel and honked loudly when you pushed the button marked "blow." the tail of the goose moved from side to side, and the four powerful wheels whirled around continuously, so that the noise, when the bus flew swiftly, was terrific. now, however, it was running more quietly, and bob, no longer feeling giddy, began to look around with keen interest. notta had pressed another button marked "middle air--down," and they were slanting gently toward the earth, floating almost without movement of the great feather wheels. "isn't this fun?" cried bob, giving the clown a little hug as he sat down in the seat ahead. "well," chuckled notta, "i don't usually fly before breakfast, but i'd fly from un any time." snorer, who still held the lever, beamed over his shoulder at the clown. "didn't i manage well?" he chirped happily. "i say, when anything's to be done just leave it to old nickadoodle." "we can never thank you enough," declared notta. "but how will you get back? will you fly?" "i'm not going back," exulted snorer, flapping his wings. "i'd be unusual anywhere and i am never going to leave you, you beautiful creature." "then our fortune is made," said the clown, with a wink at bob, "for in a circus you'd be more than half the show." "i'll show them how to snore," chuckled nick. "i do that better than anything else. but i'd do anything for you, for i love you with all my heart," continued snorer calmly, "and the boy, too. and i love--" "don't you dare love me," rumbled the cowardly lion, wrathfully jerking his head from beneath the seat. "i won't allow it!" "all right," sighed nick, adjusting his nose. "i'll try not to love you, but it's going to be hard work, you're so handsome." "there! there!" interrupted the cowardly lion gruffly, but he couldn't help looking pleased. "you may like me if you wish," he added mildly. "any land in sight?" notta leaned far over the edge of the bus. "i think i see a village of some kind far down below. here, bob, you come help steer." so, while nick grasped the lever to hold the bus steady, bob sat in the high seat and turned the great goose head as notta directed, now to the left and now to the right, and in less than an hour, they were floating slowly over a quaint blue city. "we're still in the munchkin country," rumbled the cowardly lion, standing on his hind legs and looking over the side. "well, we'll just fly over this town and land in one of those fields," puffed notta uneasily. he was not sure he wouldn't impale the flyaboutabus on a steeple, or run over some of the inhabitants, if he attempted to land in the city itself. as it was they flew quite a distance before he located all the buttons necessary to make a landing. the flyaboutabus came to earth with such a bounce that they all flew up like rubber balls, while the bus continued to fly and bump around the field until notta ran after it and tied it to a tree. "and now what?" asked nick, carefully putting his troublesome nose on its hook. "breakfast!" wheezed the cowardly lion, rolling out of a huge bramble bush. "aren't you hungry, bob?" bob nodded. "but where are we going to get it?" he asked, looking rather puzzled. "one never knows in oz, but if we look carefully, we'll be sure to find something," answered the lion easily. "let's make it a game," suggested notta, patting his figure in various important places to see whether his disguises were still safe. "now then, all ready for a breakfast hunt. i'll take this field, nick can take the air and bob and the cowardly lion may have the woods." bob smiled a little to himself. hunting breakfast in the woods did seem ridiculous but, as the cowardly lion went poking his head in bushes and sniffing around trees in a businesslike manner, bob began to look too. there were plenty of flowers in the woods, and for a time bob found nothing else. at last pushing through a tangle of vines, the little boy found himself standing under a stout little tree that rattled curiously when the wind passed through its branches. there was a sign on the tree. standing on his toes bob spelled it out laboriously. then he called notta in excited little shrieks. "what is it?" panted the clown, breaking through the vines with the cowardly lion one leap behind him. "are you hurt?" "no," cried bob, "but i've won!" he pointed gleefully to the tree. "travelers' tree," read notta, "planted by the wizard wam in the year o. z. " "well, hurrah for wam!" chortled the clown, and began walking all around the tree, while the cowardly lion sat down and panted a little from his long run. the lower branches were gay with many pink cups and on the next, poised over the cups, were the sauciest little tea, cocoa and coffee pots imaginable. higher up grew clusters of covered dishes of every kind. in the very top of the tree was a large nest of some sort. snorer, who came flying back just then, declared it was full of eggs. instead of leaves, the tree flaunted many bright paper napkin blossoms. "be sure to plant your dishes when you have finished eating," directed another sign quite sternly. with a happy little chuckle, bob picked a napkin for each, and three for the cowardly lion. then notta broke a coffee cup from its stem, and no sooner had he touched the cup than the coffee pot on the next branch tilted gently and filled the cup with fragrant hot coffee. the clown was so startled that he accidentally brushed off another cup, at which a cocoa pot poured a cup full of cocoa over his head before he had time to duck. spluttering and coughing, notta drew back, but that was the only accident, and as the clown said, it saved him from washing his face. the cowardly lion drank a dozen cups of coffee, one right after the other. bob had two cups of cocoa, and snorer, holding a tea cup in one claw, sipped the beverage suspiciously, then flew off to find something more to his taste. next, notta picked five dishes of ozish stew for the cowardly lion, a plate full of meat hash for himself and a chop and baked potato for bob up. nothing could have been jollier than that breakfast. the cowardly lion forgot to worry about his feathers, bob forgot he had ever been an orphan, and notta forgot that he was lost in a strange magic country and in the power of the wicked monarch of mudge. when they could not eat another bite, snorer flew to the top of a tree and brought down dozens of eggs from the nest. strangely enough, they were hard boiled and bob filled his blouse with them, for as notta said, there was no telling where they would be by noon. the cowardly lion now dug a deep hole and they buried all the dishes, which was lots less trouble than washing them, then back they went to the flyaboutabus. bob chattered quite gaily to nickadoodle, but notta and the cowardly lion walked along in silence. notta, after the valiant way the lion had defended them from the uns, could not bear the idea of betraying this strange new friend. better a thousand times turn blue than have the kind-hearted cowardly lion fall into the merciless hands of mustafa. "perhaps the old mudger's ring will not work any way," reflected notta uncomfortably. "perhaps it was just a threat to frighten us." if they could just reach this wonderful emerald city and tell their story to dorothy, everything would turn out happily. and that, decided notta, was what he would do. the cowardly lion, on his part, was thinking how terrible it would have been had he eaten notta on that first morning of their meeting. he felt guilty every time he looked at the jolly, companionable clown. the more he thought about the patchwork girl's suggestion, the more ashamed of himself he felt. why it was perfectly unish, this idea of devouring a brave man. no wonder he had grown a larger bunch of feathers than notta and bob! if there was no other way to acquire courage, he would stay a coward forever and that was the end of that! no sooner had the cowardly lion reached this conclusion, than he, too, felt light-hearted and happy again and began to roar with appreciation at notta's funny antics and jokes. when they reached the flyaboutabus, it was jerking at its rope as if it was anxious to be off, and so were they all for that matter. "which way is the emerald city from here?" asked notta, turning to the cowardly lion. "i've lost my bearings." the cowardly lion looked first north, then south. he knew they were in the munchkin country, but their flight to un had confused him terribly. "i think it's straight ahead," he roared uncertainly. "let's run along the ground for a while till we're sure." "all right," agreed the clown and, calling to bob, started for the bus. but half way he stopped in horror. bob, though perfectly unconscious of it, had turned as blue as washday. at the same time notta caught the cowardly lion staring at him fixedly. "what's the matter?" choked notta. "am i blue, too?" "not very," faltered the lion, whose heart was in his throat at the awful change in his friends. notta looked down at his hands with a shudder. "i'm as blue as the danube," he muttered unhappily. "but that's all the better. why, a blue clown ought to be the greatest curiosity yet. wait till i reach america with my new skin and feathers." notta went on trying to make a joke of it, but his voice shook a little in spite of himself, and when he tried a light double somersault an even worse thing happened. halfway around he found himself unable to move, and there he stood on his head, powerless to straighten his arms or legs. there was no doubt about it, mustafa had taken off his magic ring. for when bob tried to run to notta's assistance he was caught with one foot in the air. "help, help!" croaked snorer, flying frantically from one to the other. his nose came off the hook and hung straight down, but he never even noticed it. "fly up a tree, can't you!" roared the cowardly lion, as snorer flapped into his face and almost blinded him with his wings. with a quick spring he reached notta's side. "better lift me down," puffed the clown, for under the blue he was turning crimson from standing so long upside down. the cowardly lion obeyed, and placed him gently on the ground, where he lay as stiff as a statue. "it's magic!" growled the lion. "blue magic!" "it's mustafa!" groaned notta, looking dismally at bob. "i guess i'll have to tell you the whole story." in short jerks and gasps, for he could barely move his lips, he told how mustafa had sent them to capture the cowardly lion and of how he had threatened them with the magic ring if they failed to obey him. "but you _did_ disobey him," breathed the lion, lashing his tail. "even when you knew what would happen, you made no attempt to capture me!" tears of gratitude rolled down his nose. "you're the bravest man in oz," he choked miserably, "but look what it has brought you to?" "weren't you looking for the bravest man in oz?" asked notta, suddenly remembering their first conversation. "that's how we happened to meet you, i think." the cowardly lion nodded gloomily, for it was now his turn to confess. with many apologies and sighs he told notta of his quest for courage and his determination to devour a brave man, the bravest man that he met. "but you didn't do it!" shouted notta triumphantly. "and many a chance you've had if you had cared to take it. cheer up, old fellow, there's some way out of it." snorer with suppressed gurgles and sobs had listened to both stories. now he held up his claw. "as i understand," croaked the bird, pushing his curly nose back of his ear, "mustafa's ring has turned black because you have not captured the cowardly lion?" "that's about it," admitted notta, trying to wink at bob, but finding it impossible to move his eyelid. "well, then," sniffled snorer with a little hop, "why not capture him? wait, i'll get a rope." he flew off to the flyaboutabus, first stopping to comfort bob up. "let us meet magic with strategy," cawed nick, flying back with a long piece of rope in his bill. "i'll never urge him a step," declared notta firmly. "not if i have to stay blue and still for the rest of my life." "you won't have to," rumbled the cowardly lion, who was beginning to look quite cheerful. "i'll run all the way to mudge and give myself up to this ridiculous mustafa." he made a little spring, but snorer with a screech barred the way. "have you no sense?" shrilled nick sharply. "i said strategy." he tied the rope hastily around the cowardly lion's neck and placed the end in notta's stiff hand. and no sooner had he done so than bob, with a little shout, ran over to notta and the clown also found himself able to move about once more. while nick and the cowardly lion watched anxiously, the offensive blue faded out, leaving notta's face white and powdery and bob's rosy and freckled. "so long as you keep hold of the rope everything will be all right," chuckled snorer strutting proudly up and down, "for while you have the rope the cowardly lion is captured." "then we'll just run double harness until we think of something else," said the cowardly lion. "tie the rope 'round your waist, notta, old boy. then you'll be sure not to lose me." rather thoughtfully notta obeyed, but he could not help thinking that being tied to a cowardly lion might prove awfully awkward at times. the cowardly lion, however, was in fine spirits, so notta, swallowing his misgivings, stepped with the others into the flyaboutabus. "and now that i'm captured," chuckled the cowardly lion mischievously, "what next?" "oh, let someone else decide that," yawned snorer. flopping down in the last seat of the bus he was soon sound asleep and snoring loudly. chapter flying in a deluge "let's find dorothy," shouted bob. it was necessary to shout, for nick's snores rattled in their ears like a series of explosions. the cowardly lion and notta looked doubtfully at each other. they were not sure that mustafa's magic ring would allow them to proceed toward the emerald city. "we'll try it," shouted notta. "which way is it?" "i don't know," roared the cowardly lion. "let's fly up and look around till i see a familiar landmark. so notta pressed all the buttons necessary to start the bus, and up they went with such a rush that bob almost lost his cap and the cowardly lion's mane waved like a flag. bob put both fingers in his ears, for with nick's snores and the whir of the feather wheels the noise was deafening. when they were about a hundred feet above ground, notta slowed the bus down and ran it gently and evenly over the pleasant blue fields and forests of the munchkins. bob, slipping into the seat beside snorer, put his nose, which had fallen off his ear, back on its hook. immediately snorer awoke and stamped his foot, but in a wink he was asleep again and bob watched in open-eyed wonder, for snoring in his own ear wakened him about every three minutes, and when he wakened he stamped, so that between snoring and stamping the noise was worse than ever. "i wish our friend was not such a loud sleeper," growled the cowardly lion. "i can't even hear my own heart beat. say, was that thunder or snorer?" "thunder," quavered notta anxiously. "see how dark it's growing! let's go down!" "it's raining," cried bob up in the same breath. notta touched the button marked "faster," and was about to press the one marked "down," when a blinding flash of lightning zig-zagged across their path. the cowardly lion, with a roar of terror, dashed under the last seat of the bus, dragging notta with him. in his clutch to save himself the clown pressed the button marked "turn," so that the flyaboutabus not only increased its speed but churned 'round and 'round till the four occupants were almost knocked senseless. to make matters worse, the rain came down in perfect torrents. snorer, awakened by the awful clamor, put his wing around bob and clutched the arm of the seat with his curling claws. even so they were shaken up and down till bob's teeth chattered and nearly drowned by the storm. notta and the cowardly lion in the bottom of the bus were faring even worse. every time the clown scrambled to his feet, the cowardly lion, terrified by a new flash of lightning, would spring in another direction and, tied to him by the stout rope, notta would be dragged along. "help! help! i'm drowning," gurgled notta after the eighth fall. a sudden flash of lightning showed snorer that the flyaboutabus was more than half full of water, and notta lying entirely immersed. "bob," cried nick, "can you hold on a minute by yourself?" bob nodded his head and with closed eyes grasped the side of the bus. he did not dare open his eyes, for flying in a circle had made him dreadfully dizzy. snorer sidled cautiously to the edge of the seat and with a little spring jumped on the cowardly lion's back. the big beast was trembling like a runaway race horse, and the beating of his heart shook snorer up and down. but holding on to his mane with one claw, he felt about in the water till his other one fastened in the belt of notta's baggy suit. then he pulled with all his might till, dripping and breathless, the poor clown lay across the cowardly lion's back. "climb on the seat," directed nick sternly. "do you want to drown the most beautiful person in oz?" with shaking legs the cowardly lion obeyed, nick holding notta safely in place, and when they were both on the seat he begged the lion, with tears in his eyes, to control himself. the cowardly lion, catching a glimpse of poor notta, and realizing for the first time what he had done, wept with embarrassment. "this is what comes of being tied to a coward," he roared dismally, "but someone clapped me on the back." "it was a thunderclap," chattered snorer. "just close your eyes and hang together, and bob and i will do the same." hastily he flew back to the little boy, who was rolling and slipping around on the wet seat. notta, wise from past experiences, fastened his arms tightly around the cowardly lion's neck. "divided we fall, together we stand," he panted weakly. "if you're going to jump give me a signal, won't you?" the cowardly lion made no answer but just dug his claws into the seat and closed his eyes tighter. the wind whistled shrilly in their ears, the rain pelted mercilessly upon their heads and the bus tumbled and tossed through the air like a rudderless ship. suddenly snorer, who was less affected by the motion of the bus than the others, felt water on his feet. "somebody bail out the boat," he shrieked in real terror, "it's sinking!" and so it was. the feather wheels, wet and draggled by the rain, moved slower and slower, and the bus was now so full of water that every time it lurched sideways the luckless voyagers were submerged. it was like flying in a very deep and dangerous tub. "i never expected to be drowned in the air," screamed notta. "shall we jump overboard?" "do you want to be dashed to pieces?" shouted nick in reply. "hold on to the sides." he called more directions, but the fury of the storm drowned even his shrill voice, and each found he had enough to do to keep from being washed over the edge. the water rose higher and higher and the bus sank lower and lower. with eyes closed, and only their heads above water, the four clung grimly to the feathery edges. when the bus finally struck the ground it did so with such force that they all let go and fell back into the water. the cowardly lion sprang out first, pulling notta along with him. then, realizing bob was still struggling in the water, he impulsively sprang back, seized the little boy in his teeth and jumped out again. a shout from snorer made him pause. notta was bumping along on the end of the rope like a big bag of clothes. "you've killed him," wailed nick angrily. but just then, with a watery sigh, the clown opened his eyes. immediately he began fumbling in his chest pocket. "what are you trying to do?" screamed snorer. "my disguise," choked the clown. "i must put on my disguise--first disguise, then joke and run, you know!" "you don't need any disguise," wailed the cowardly lion remorsefully. "you look like almost anyone." "i feel the same way," coughed the clown. "am i dashed or drowned or both?" "neither," croaked snorer sorrowfully. "only tied to a very forgetful friend." the disguises, concealed in various parts of notta's apparel, were dragged down in disfiguring lumps about his knees. there were four bumps on his forehead and one was coming on the back of his head. bob, though shivering and wet, was otherwise unhurt, so he and nick helped notta to the cowardly lion's back, and, dripping and shaken, the air-wrecked party started toward a little hut near which they had fallen. "where's the fallaboutabus?" muttered notta thickly, as the cowardly lion stumbled over the sill. "i don't care where it is," groaned the lion. "i hope it's busted. i'm against flying in all its branches." he dropped panting on the hearth, and notta did not even move from his back. the hut evidently belonged to some thrifty woodcutter. it was quite neat and comfortable and there was a fire all ready to light. bob, feeling very important, started a cheerful blaze, and though the rain still rattled on the roof, inside it was quite cozy and comfortable. notta, with bob's help, took out all of his disguises, and the three that had already been used he hung out in full view. but the clown was so down-hearted when bob started to shake out the others, and seemed to attach so much importance to keeping them secret, that snorer, without unrolling them, carried them into the next room and hung them on hooks to dry. notta was quite thin and fallen without them, but when his suit had dried and he had powdered his nose with some of the woodcutter's flour he felt quite restored, and it was not until then that he discovered his feathers were gone. with a little shout he looked at the cowardly lion and bob. "we've all shed our feathers," he cried exultantly. "they must have washed away." the cowardly lion was so pleased that he jumped for joy, and started to run and look in the woodcutter's mirror, upsetting notta as usual. "it's because you're no longer unish," explained snorer wisely, as notta scrambled to his feet and hastened to accompany the lion to the mirror. "when you both stopped planning unwise and unfair things the feathers just naturally dropped out, and bob's followed suit, for there isn't an unish bone in that boy's body," continued snorer, rolling his eyes knowingly. "and now that we've all decided to stick together everything will be as happy as possible." "we don't stick together very well," sighed the cowardly lion, hanging his head. "did i hurt you, notta, old fellow?" "not much," said the clown, "but i'll have to use more padding if you are going to be so impetuous." being tied to a cowardly lion was proving even worse than he had expected. the cowardly lion himself felt uncomfortable and ill at ease. "see here," he rumbled, as they gathered round the fire again, "i think we had better separate. i'll go on to mudge and you three go to the emerald city for help." "no," objected notta, wrinkling his poor bumped forehead, "let's stick together a bit longer, for i don't know the way to the emerald city, and the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine lions might tear you to pieces before we got back. traveling in this country is dreadfully uncertain. why, we don't even know where we are now!" "but the sun's out," cried bob, running to the window. "let's see if the flyaboutabus is still around." the cowardly lion started at once to run toward the door, but notta, with a flying leap jumped on his back and thus avoided another fall. the bus was full of water, but the feather wheels, already somewhat drier, were slowly revolving. as they drew nearer the bus began to run 'round in circles, spraying water in every direction. "i'll stop it," volunteered snorer and, swooping down over the wheel, quickly pushed the button marked "stop." then notta and the cowardly lion, shoving with all their strength, turned the huge bus over on its side so the water could run out. after this they went back to the hut to fetch the clown's disguises, and then they all sat down under a tree and waited for the bus to dry. just beyond a little fringe of trees they could see the roofs of a small city, and snorer, sensibly enough, proposed that they run the bus into the city and inquire of its inhabitants just where they were. "though as far as i can make out," finished nick, "if we move toward mudge all will be well, but if we take any other direction this beautiful person," he pointed his claw at notta, "will turn blue." "regular signals, aren't we, bob?" the clown thoughtlessly turned a handspring, but the short rope spoiled it and the cowardly lion was quite choked. "we don't twin very well, old fellow, do we?" sighed notta. "but let's see which is the way to mudge, for it seems that to mudge we must trudge." hopping on the cowardly lion's back he waved him to the left, but at the first step both notta and bob turned quite blue. "try the right," suggested the clown, pulling the lion's right ear. so the cowardly lion pranced to the right, but had not gone a dozen steps before bob and notta were bluer than ever. "back!" directed notta, swinging around and seizing the lion's tail. but their blueness only increased. "straight ahead then," cried notta, standing up and waving his arms. so the cowardly lion obligingly trotted a few paces straight ahead, and as bob and the clown promptly turned back to their natural complexions, they concluded that straight ahead was the road to mudge. bob could hardly help feeling pleased that it also led toward the strange city, for bob was very curious about oz and its singular peoples, and the little fellow was enjoying every minute of his adventures. even the wreck and the thunderstorm had given him a new kind of thrill. "we must all think of a way to outwit mustafa," said notta, as they took their places in the flyaboutabus. "but until we do i shall simply follow my usual rules." so saying, he untied, for a moment, the rope that bound him to the cowardly lion and stepped into another of his disguises. this was almost the strangest of the lot. it covered him all but the feet, and in place of their jolly companion stood a huge goggle-eyed fish. the fish skin buttoned down the front, and notta's arms protruded under the fins, but he was unable to sit down. this, however, he bore quite cheerfully and, standing up very straight and stiff, seized the wheel of the flyaboutabus, pressed the button marked "go," and away they did go in a series of bumps and bounces, for the feathery vehicle could not seem to keep its wheels on the ground. [illustration: notta disguised as a huge fish] "too bad you did not put on that rig during the storm," chuckled nick, hanging on with both claws. "then you could have swum to earth. but what good is it now?" "just you wait," promised notta confidently. "when these people, whoever they are, see a fish walking about on dry land, they will do just as i ask them to. you see!" nick looked rather nervous as he adjusted his nose, and the cowardly lion shook his head doubtfully. "but he cannot help his disguises any more than nick can help his snoring, or i, my cowardice," whispered the big beast huskily to bob. bob up said nothing, but he always felt uncomfortable when notta put on one of his queer costumes. the bus was bouncing and jerking so crazily that conversation was now impossible. as they came nearer and nearer to the strange city, it became at once apparent that it was unlike any city or town any of them had ever seen or visited. even the cowardly lion, old oz adventurer that he was and accustomed to unusual sights and places, gave a snort of surprise as the flyaboutabus rushed through the glittering glass gates. chapter mustafa keeps watch mustafa, seated on his blue throne, stared steadily at his magic ring. he had done little else since bob and notta's departure, and in consequence was beginning to squint fearfully. on his lap lay the lion book, and when he was not gazing at his ring, the blue-whiskered monarch looked longingly at the picture of the cowardly lion. in one corner of the tent, in a large cage, crouched the twenty uns notta had wished into mudge, and in the tent top were twenty blue patches where they had burst through. at first mustafa had been terribly angry and ordered the featherheads thrown to the lions. but mixtuppa, pleased by the color and brilliancy of their feathers, begged that they be saved, so she might always have fresh feathers for her turbans. then the uns, seeing that mustafa was almost as wicked and bad tempered as themselves, promised to teach him all the unish they knew--so that every hour mustafa was growing unhappier and unpleasanter. panapee stepped about breathlessly on tiptoe, for each time notta had done anything to turn mustafa's ring black the ruler of mudge had flown at his royal chamberlain and shaken him unmercifully. "he is escaping, you villain!" screamed mustafa the first time--that was when notta had determined not to betray his faithful four-footed friend. "help! ouch! does your majesty expect to stop him by pulling my beard? let go! take off your ring," spluttered the unhappy mudger, "there is no magic in my whiskers." realizing the truth of this, mustafa snatched off his ring, with what alarming consequences to bob and notta we all know. since then his watchfulness had increased, and even while he ate he held his thumb before his eyes so that no move of the clown would escape him. while mustafa kept watch, the royal jewelers worked day and night upon a gold collar, studded with sapphires, and the forger of swords and scimitars hammered early and late upon a heavy gold chain--for once the cowardly lion entered mudge, mustafa was determined he should never leave the kingdom. tazzywaller, who was still lion feeder, peering at intervals through the tent flap thanked his lucky stars he was no longer high chamberlain of mudge. "when this cowardly lion actually appears will be time enough for me to be reinstated," muttered the wily fellow to himself. "meanwhile let panny take his majesty's ill-tempered thumps and shakings!" chapter a fall from the sky "tents and trapezes!" shouted notta bit more, as he tried to keep the flyaboutabus in the center of the glass street. "i think we had better run straight through," roared the cowardly lion, beginning to tremble slightly. "i don't like the look of this at all." "well, whatever happens, try to remember you're tied to me," begged notta, straightening his fish head hastily. "then woe betide us," sighed the cowardly lion. nick put his wing around bob and all of them gazed in bewilderment at this bewildering city. "preservatory," said a large sign just beyond the glass gates, and over the whole city hung a sweet, smoky haze. the houses had glass fronts and were more like cupboards than ordinary dwellings. each had three stories, or as bob up explained later to dorothy, three shelves. and on these shelves, swinging their legs, sat the oddest individuals in oz. from head to knee they were enclosed in glass jars. their arms and legs came through especially cut places, but these were carefully soldered so as not to let in any air. and their heads, somewhat flattened by the glass lids, had a squashed and foolish look. as the flyaboutabus bounced merrily along the main street, they began to tumble off the shelves and run down the glass steps of their comical houses. they made no attempt to keep out of the way, so notta hastily stopped the bus. but even so, one managed to get under the wheels and bob shivered as the creature's jar splintered to bits on the glass paving stones. "now you've done it," groaned nick, slamming his nose back on its hook. the jarred populace evidently thought so too, for they began hopping up and down, shouting all sorts of threats and abuse. the four travelers could only hear a dull muttering, for the voices of the creatures did not carry through their lids, but the visitors could tell from the dreadful faces they were making through the glass that they were being threatened and abused. the cries of the unhappy victim under the wheels were quite distinct. "save me! save me, or i shall spoil!" he cried in heart-rending tones. notta was so moved by his evident distress that he impulsively started to jump out of the bus, forgetting the tie between himself and the cowardly lion. he therefore got a terrible wrench that twisted his fish head sideways, so he could not see at all. while bob was straightening this out, the jar-men dragged their companion from beneath the feather wheels, and a simply enormous fellow came running down the street. in one hand he had a pad and in the other a pencil. "looks like the prime pickle," chattered snorer, as the jar-man began scribbling on his pad. "you have broken the peace," read notta, as the angry official held up his pad. he was magnificently attired under his jar and was evidently a person of some importance. he had, however, been preserved by pickling and was of an unhealthy shade of green. notta leaned out of the bus and, seizing the pencil and pad, wrote back, "he broke himself, save the pieces." the rage of the preserves, as they read these words, increased to a perfect fury. one, evidently a relation of the broken man, snatched off his lid and cried shrilly, "you'll be minced for this!" the prime preserve again scratched furiously on his pad, "you are under arrest. come with me," directed the pad, when he held it up. "this is because i forgot the rules," sighed notta. "if i had been more polite this would not have happened. shall we fly or follow?" "let's follow," rumbled the cowardly lion. "we can fly any time, and i'd like to see all the preserves while i'm about it, for i think dorothy will enjoy hearing about them." notta ran the flyaboutabus slowly and carefully down the glass street after the solemn jar-men, the rest of the population following at a safe distance. bob's eyes grew larger and larger and when a preserved dog ran briskly in front of the bus he gave a shout of glee. "i think oz is the funniest place in the world, don't you, nick?" cried the little boy merrily. "well," chirruped snorer, "as i was never any place else, i can hardly say. look, look! there goes a canned cat!" and so it was, as canned a cat as you'd ever want to see. but right here their guide turned the corner and they found themselves in the presence of another queen. they knew she was a queen, for on the pad held up for their inspection the guide had written, "preserva the great." notta stopped the bus before the low glass throne and they stared in wonder at her majesty. preserva seemed as much surprised as they. "well, i'll be jellied!" wheezed the queen, taking off her lid and thrusting out a moist head. bob thought she need not have said this, for she was jellied already--her face and royal robes being a quivery and delicious pink. the prime preserve seemed very much alarmed at the queen's action and quickly wrote on his pad, "shut your lid." bob considered this dreadfully disrespectful, and snorer began to chuckle with enjoyment. preserva quite meekly obeyed, but her eyes, behind the thick glass of the jar, grew larger and larger, and finally, snatching the pad from the prime preserve, she dashed off in great excitement these words, "a tomato can would be about right for him!" holding up the pad she pointed joyfully at notta. "serves you right for coming as a fish," chortled the cowardly lion. "so we'll have to take you back in a can. well, well!" then he craned his neck to see what else the queen had written. a rapid conversation was going on between preserva and their guide. one would write a message and pass it to the other. the other would snatch the page and dash off an answer, and so quickly was it done, the four in the bus had all they could do to keep up with the conversation. "pickle the boy, can the fish, mince the lion and pot the fowl." commanded the queen. "now that's what i'd call taking pot luck," chirped nick, balancing himself on the edge of the bus. but the prime preserve replied, "why not preserve them whole for the royal museum?" while the queen was considering this suggestion, notta began feeling in the pockets under his disguise for a paper and pencil, so that he could get into the conversation, but without result. "no use being polite! let's joke and run," puffed the clown, after an unsuccessful search. leaning over the edge of the bus, he tapped the queen sharply on the jar. preserva dropped her pad and pencil and almost rolled from the throne. inside the jar, they could see her jellied figure bubbling with fright and indignation. the prime preserve also trembled in his jar, then leaning down to read the last command of her majesty, he ran off as fast as his crooked green legs would carry him. "fetch the imperial squawmos," read the cowardly lion, with an amused twinkle in his yellow eyes as notta tore off the page. "if we stay here it is plain we shall be pickled to death," scrawled the clown, "so we bid you a fond but final farewell." the queen leaned forward, the better to read notta's message and, while nick, bob and the cowardly lion fairly rocked with merriment at her discomfited expression, she suddenly unscrewed her lid. "help!" screamed preserva loudly, sticking her head out of the jar. "help! help!" then back went her head and down went the lid, only to have the whole performance repeated the next second. this she kept up at regular intervals until the whole party were simply convulsed. but it would have been wiser had they, instead of laughing, looked behind them, for presently a terrible thump on the back sent all the scales on notta's disguise to trembling. it was the imperial squawmos, followed by all the preserves in the city. while a dozen ran to calm the agitated queen, who was still quivering in her jar, the rest surrounded the flyaboutabus. most alarming of all, the imperial squawmos was not in a jar. she was, in fact, a huge and towering cookywitch with a passion for preserving. and a cookywitch, i don't mind telling you, is next in wizardry to a sorceress. she had put up the inhabitants of the entire city and was the real ruler of the preserve. "a fish!" shrilled the cookywitch, prodding notta with a fork as long as an umbrella. "ah, what an extreme pleasure. i have canned cats, dogs and people, but never a fish. and a boy," she chucked bob familiarly under the chin. "spare the jar and spoil the child," she quoted with a dreadful wink that sent snorer circling into the air, where he flew uneasily over the heads of his luckless companions. "off to the preserving kettles with you!" shrilled the squawmos, and notta, in real alarm, made a dash toward the buttons to start the bus, but the cookywitch brought down a heavy iron spoon, that she carried in one hand, and crushed the entire steering gear. the clown, seeing that escape for the time being was impossible, decided to go back to rule two and gain a little time by politeness. "imperial and imperious squawmos," began notta, speaking somewhat stuffily through the fish head, "why are you so determined to preserve us against our wills, and why have you preserved these others?" [illustration: squawmos, the cookywitch, and notta as a fish] the squawmos immediately put down her fork, for she was terribly fond of conversation, and she could not very well converse with the preserves, whose language at best was an indistinct jargon. "strangers," wheezed the squawmos, "since i am to have the pleasure of putting you up i don't mind explaining my little system. in a jar, barring breaks, you will last for years, and needing neither food nor drink will find it quite unnecessary to work. so you see, we put ourselves up here for the same reason most housewives preserve their fruit--to keep from working." "put yourselves up to keep from working," gasped notta. "but i love my work!" "then you are very different from most people," observed the squawmos, looking at the cowardly lion with great interest. "but, never mind, you will soon be a perfect preserve. and this lion--he will look perfectly handsome in a jar. let me see, shall i put him up in vinegar or preserve him in spices?" the cookywitch closed her eyes and notta, winking warningly at the cowardly lion, who was about to spring on the imperial monster, cautiously moved his hand toward the only button in the flyaboutabus that the iron spoon had not smashed--the button that said "up!" the prime preserve saw him and made indistinct gurgles of protest under his lid, but before he could warn the cookywitch or the prime preserva, notta had pressed the button, and the flyaboutabus, with a jerk that sent hundreds of the jar-men crashing to the glass pavement and knocked squawmos head over heels, rose into the air. snorer made a flying leap and caught it on the wing, so to speak, and in a flash they were hurtling toward the sky. notta, jerking off his disguise, frantically felt for all the buttons, but they were hopelessly broken. "this continual flying about makes me light-headed," groaned the lion, hanging on to the arms of the seat with both paws. "where are we going, notta?" gasped bob, edging close to snorer and peering giddily over the edge of the bus. "up as far as it takes us, and then--" notta shuddered and clung dizzily to the wheel. and up they did go, faster and faster, until they lost all track of time and place and had not even breath enough to talk. then, with a terrific crash, the flyaboutabus ran into a small day star, turned completely over and spilled out the whole company. there, caught by its feather wheel, it hung on the point of the star, while notta, bob, nick and the cowardly lion fell head over heels through the air. nick caught himself first and, flying after bob, edged himself around until the little boy was on his back. notta and the cowardly lion were falling together, first one and then the other on top, and nick had to fly rapidly to keep pace with their falling. "oh, my quills and feathers!" spluttered the faithful bird, "they'll be shattered to bits! oh, my tail and top knot! what shall i do? bob i can save, but that beautiful clown will be broken to pieces!" though falling, as notta explained afterward, did give one a sinking sensation, it was not nearly so unpleasant as he had expected and, when he looked up and saw bob safely on snorer's back, he fell more calmly, trying now and then to do the side stroke and calling encouragement to the cowardly lion. earth as it came in view was not very encouraging and snorer screamed with fright when he saw the rocky nature of the country into which his friends were tumbling. "good-bye!" roared the cowardly lion, looking up mournfully at the clown, who was at that minute a little above him. "i'll never forget you, for you are a brave man in spite of your disguises." the clown was too affected by this speech to answer and, when he glimpsed the jagged rocks below, he decided that soon he would be disguised as a pan cake. so he merely waved to the others and closed his eyes. like a flash nick darted down and set bob on a huge bowlder. then, with wings spread, he flew up and down, intending, if possible, to break notta's fall with his own feathery body. but notta and the cowardly lion never did finish their fall--for as they whizzed past a tall, craggy rock, jutting out from the side of a mountain, a stone arm reached out and miraculously caught the rope that held them together. "scrags and scrivets! what kind of birds are these?" cried a grating voice, and down from the ledge stepped a roughly hewn man of stone. swinging notta and the cowardly lion easily in one hand, he came crunching toward nick and bob. chapter the stone man of oz bob put his arm around snorer's neck, and nick, clapping his nose on its hook, prepared to fly from this new danger. dangling from his end of the rope, notta sighed mournfully to think he had not disguised himself, and the cowardly lion, after one look at the stone hand that held them, closed his eyes and began to tremble violently. the stone man was about three times the size of an ordinary man and carved out of a huge block of granite. his features, though rough hewn, were not unpleasant and notta, after a few false starts, ventured a remark. "it was very kind of you to catch us," faltered the clown. "it wasn't kindness; it was curiosity," rasped the stone man frankly. "i've been watching you fall for some time, and i must say you're the oddest looking creatures i've seen in a stone age." as he said this, the stone man placed them on a flat rock that was on a level with his nose. and as he could not sit down, he leaned up against another rock and regarded them inquisitively. "come on up here," he called gruffly to snorer, "and bring that little fellow with you." rather reluctantly, nick flew up with bob, and the four fallers tried to compose themselves and catch a bit of the breath they had lost on the trip down. the stone eyes of the stone man rested longest on the cowardly lion. "i like you best," he remarked presently. "you're better made than these others and not so likely to crumble. they look too soft to last long." he poked his stone finger experimentally into notta's ribs, and only the clown's disguises saved him from serious injury. "don't do that," growled the cowardly lion sharply. "what a lovely voice," mused the stone man almost to himself. "tell me, what are you?" "i'm a cowardly lion," roared the big beast huskily, "so don't frighten me, for if you do i'll pound you to pebbles." "i don't believe he could do it," creaked the stone man, turning to notta. "do you?" "well, he's a terrible fighter," admitted the clown, with a reassuring wink at bob, "but let's not talk of such disagreeable things. since you were kind enough to catch us perhaps you will tell us who you are." "crunch is my name," answered the stone man, picking up a rock and crumbling it to powder in his hand. "i think we'd better be going," quavered snorer tremulously. "we're late as it is." nick had no desire to fall into the stone man's clutches. "don't go," begged crunch. "i haven't talked to anyone since i was excavated." "how long ago was that?" asked notta, scratching his ear. "oh, several ages ago," replied the stone man carelessly. "but i'm much older than that, for i was hacked out by a primitive oz man to decorate his cave. but a landslide caved in the cave and i was buried for several centuries." "who dug you up," roared the cowardly lion, "and how is it you are alive?" "a wizard named wam dug me up," explained crunch in his scratchy voice, "and brought me to life with a shaker of magic powder. i tried to thank him, but he ran away before i could catch him, so i've stood around ever since trying to find out what one does with a life." "great grandfathers!" choked the clown. "fancy being alive for centuries and not knowing what to do. why, there are hundreds of things to interest you, especially in a magic country like oz. you could travel, and help other folks not so strong as yourself. you could offer your services to the queen, or even build a city!" "could i?" gasped crunch. he stared off into space as if he saw himself doing all these things, and the idea was almost too amazing to believe. then, bringing his stone heels together with a click, he announced determinedly, "i'll do it! i'll travel, i'll help people, i'll see the queen and build a city!" "hurrah!" cried notta. "that's the way to talk. and since we are traveling, why not join us?" crunch, he decided, might prove useful in a battle. "can i walk beside him?" asked the stone man, pointing at the cowardly lion. "if you're steady on your pins," rumbled the cowardly lion, "and promise not to fall on me." "where does the queen of this country live?" asked crunch, after he had promised not to fall on the cowardly lion. "in the emerald city," piped up bob, who had been listening to the stone man's conversation with deep interest. "oh, that must be over there," said crunch, waving toward the east, "for often at night, when i've climbed stone mountain, i've seen bright green lights twinkling in the darkness." "why, of course it is," roared the cowardly lion in great excitement, "though why you have never gone over to find out i cannot imagine!" "that's because you were never a stone man," sighed crunch solemnly. "then we'll soon see dorothy and the scarecrow!" cried bob, clapping his hands. "come on, let's go to the emerald city right away." nick flew off to the top of the mountain to investigate for himself. "you forget mustafa's enchantment," sighed notta, pointing sadly to the rope that still bound him to the cowardly lion. "i daresay if we took a step toward the emerald city, mustafa would ring us up again." "who is mustafa and why has he enchanted you?" demanded crunch, rubbing his stone forehead noisily. notta explained as much of their story as he thought the stone man would understand, and when he had finished crunch gave a little spring that almost knocked them from the ledge. "why, it is as clear as cobbles," he roared, bringing down his fist upon a rock and splintering it to fragments. "you are weaker than i and, as i have fully determined to help someone, let me help you. where is this mustafa of mudge? take me to him and i will pound him to powder and disperse him to the winds." before notta could answer nick came flying back to assure them that he had really seen the emerald city from the mountain top and that it lay scarcely a half day's journey away. "then it seems to me," said notta, who had been doing some quick thinking, "that the time has come for us to separate. bob, nick and i will hasten to this emerald city and appeal to ozma, dorothy and the wizard of oz. meanwhile the cowardly lion can start toward mudge and thus mustafa's ring will not betray us. but before he reaches there we will have found a way to help him." "and i will go with the cowardly lion," declared crunch promptly, "for i would rather help him than any one else." "hurrah!" cried bob up, and so it was all decided. then notta sat on the cowardly lion's back and he sprang down from the ledge. next snorer flew down with bob, and the clown untied the rope that tied him to the lion. immediately he and bob turned blue, but when the cowardly lion took a few steps south, the blue quickly faded out. notta was so relieved to be free that he turned six somersaults, stood on his head, and ran several paces on his hands, while bob and nick shouted with glee. "crush and crumble me!" rasped the stone man, eying the clown in alarm, "is that the way men get about nowdays? the men i watched in the stone age never did that and i simply could not manage it, you know." "don't try," begged notta, and nick hastened to assure him that most men walked in the usual fashion--one foot before the other. "mudge should be exactly southwest from here, so come on, old cave man, let's be moving. together we'll conquer the whole tribe of mudgers," said the lion. "you won't have to," cried notta, giving the cowardly lion an affectionate hug, "if this wizard of oz is as clever as he's said to be." crunch waited impatiently while nick and bob bade the cowardly lion good-bye. having stood around for seven centuries, he could not bear to waste another second, and when the cowardly lion at last declared himself ready to go he tramped off joyfully, each step shaking the ground like a small earthquake and enveloping the poor lion in a cloud of dust. "good-bye!" called bob up shrilly, as they turned into a narrow rocky path and disappeared behind a small mountain. "good-bye!" roared the cowardly lion, bravely waving his tail in farewell. so much had happened since their flight from un that notta had forgotten all about the time of day, but when he started up the mountain, he grew so faint, he had to sit down on a rock. bob, too, looked pale and weary, and every few hops nick would close his eyes and indulge in a tremulous snore. "great elephants!" puffed notta at last, squinting up at the sun. "it must be nearly five o'clock and we've had nothing to eat since morning. have you still got those eggs, bob up?" bob felt hurriedly in his blouse and, with a triumphant smile, produced the eggs they had picked from the travelers' tree. they were somewhat squashed, but when the shells had been removed they tasted delicious to the famished travelers. washed down with some water from a little spring, the food renewed their strength and courage for the journey ahead. "i hope nothing happens to the cowardly lion," said bob, as they started up the mountain again, "for i love him." "so do i," croaked the snorer, who was flying a little ahead, "and i shall miss him very much when we go to america to make our fortune. but, of course i could not leave _that_ beautiful person." he rolled his eyes proudly at notta, and the clown quite unconsciously sighed. life in a circus would seem terribly tame after this marvelous trip through oz. "we ought to be home to-morrow, if everything works out," he remarked soberly, with an anxious glance at bob. at the word "home" the little boy shivered slightly, for home to him meant a great, dreary institution where little boys whom nobody wanted were grudgingly sheltered and eternally shaken. in his heart he hoped the magic of this wizard of oz would not be strong enough to send them back. notta was wondering to himself whether the managers of the home would trust a little boy's future to a clown and resolving darkly that, if they wouldn't, he'd take him anyhow. but he said nothing of this to bob up, and presently broke into such a comical song bob forgot all about going back. this was the song: "a goblin's ears are very long, a goblin's nose goes wabble, but what i'd really like to know is what makes goblins gobble? "perhaps they gobble 'cause they're imps-- and dreadfully imp-olite! pshaw, all they do is squabble hobble, gobble through the night!" "speaking of night," chuckled snorer, balancing on the branch of a low tree, "we'll probably have to spend it in that forest below, for it would hardly be safe to travel in the dark and it'll be dark by the time we're down this mountain." "well," laughed notta, "it wouldn't be the first time bob and i have slept in a forest, and your snores ought to scare off any wild animals." "that's so," sighed nick, adjusting his nose, and quite satisfied he flew on ahead. the path was rough and uneven and, though notta and bob frequently slipped and slid, in another hour they were safely down the mountain. it was dusk as they stepped into the strange forest, and bob fancied the trees were peering down at him kindly. they were so tired notta paused under an immense maple tree and nick leaned up against the trunk and fell instantly to snoring and stamping, while notta began gathering branches and leaves for beds. the clown spread his old lion disguise over bob's pile and the little boy, stretching out comfortably, gazed up at the first star twinkling merrily in the evening sky and thought how strange his narrow bed at the home would seem after this. the wind sighed in the tree tops with a gentle and soothing sound, and even nick's snoring seemed comforting and pleasant to bob up. "bob," said notta, as he dropped down beside him, "this is the friendliest forest i was ever in." bob nodded, and at this a little rustle went rippling through the forest as if the trees had actually heard him, and in the same instant each tree quietly opened its trunk and drew forth a fiddle. before notta and bob had recovered from their surprise a wave of music swept through the wood, now soft, now loud, but more entrancing than any they had ever heard. and the trees, swaying and bending in the dim starlight, plied their bows with more skill than any orchestra in the mortal world. for bob and notta, you see, had come to the fiddlestick forest of oz. chapter notta's last disguise of all his adventures, bob remembered this strange concert longest. the fairylike music, that even made the moon bend down to listen, the drumlike accompaniment of nick's snores and the misty faces of the trees themselves, bending down in the dim starlight, all added to the enchantment. bob could not remember falling asleep, for all through his dreams marched the music of the fiddles--but he must have slept, for opening his eyes suddenly, he found the sun out and shining merrily. he looked around to ask notta whether he had dreamed about the fiddles or really heard them, but notta was nowhere to be seen. nick, too, had vanished. rather alarmed, bob jumped up. as he did so a large green leaf with white lines traced on it fluttered to the ground. "you may use the fiddlebow boat," said the leaf and, looking up, bob fancied the big tree was smiling at him. so he made a stiff little bow and, holding fast to the leaf, started off uneasily to find his friends. the sound of water rippling over stones took him to the left, for he was terribly thirsty and in a few seconds he had come out on a rapid little stream. the water was so clear bob could see the white stones gleaming on the bottom. throwing himself down, he took a long, satisfying drink. when he straightened up he was astonished to see a boat tied to a slim birch that leaned far out over the water's edge. "why, this must be the fiddlebow boat," cried the little boy, hastening over to examine it. it was of a smooth and satiny garnet, and exactly the shape of a huge, hollowed-out fiddle. it rode gaily at the end of its pink line, and this discovery only made bob more anxious than ever to find the clown. calling first notta and then nick, he ran back to the big tree, and just as he reached it was horrified to see a witch bending over the pile of leaves he had slept on. with a shrill scream bob turned to flee but the witch came bounding and hobbling after, calling to him in pleading tones not to run away. but the more the witch called, the faster bob ran, and he might have been running yet, had he not tripped over the roots of a tree and fallen headlong. in an instant the black hands of his pursuer jerked him to his feet. "bob! bob!" cried the witch remorsefully, "don't you know me? bob, it's notta--only old notta!" "notta?" gasped bob, for he was entirely out of breath and trembling like a leaf. "there! there!" coaxed the clown. "it's only one of my disguises." as bob continued to regard him with disfavor, he explained hurriedly, "you see we're going to this emerald city, bob up, where every other person is more or less magic. now, what attention would they pay to a silly clown? why, they might not even listen to me. but if i pretend to be a powerful witch, princess ozma and the wizard of oz, whom we've been hearing so much about, will hasten to do what i say." "you'll frighten them," said bob stubbornly, but notta shook his head. "people in fairy cities aren't frightened as easily as little boys," he chuckled knowingly. "and just look what i've found you for breakfast!" in bob's cap he had gathered nuts and berries of every kind, and bob, seeing notta was determined to go to the emerald city as a witch, said nothing more but began to eat hungrily. after a hearty breakfast, nick came flapping back and was so startled by the clown's disguise that his nose fell off the hook with a crash. but notta soon reassured him and, as bob was tingling with impatience to show them the boat, they finished the berries in great haste. "this is the friendliest forest i ever was in," repeated the clown, viewing bob's discovery with delight. "this will take us out faster than we could walk and it's much safer than the flyaboutabus. now then, all aboard for the emerald city!" [illustration: notta and bob up on their way to the emerald city, in the fiddlebow boat.] gathering up his witch skirts, notta leaped into the fiddlebow boat and, seizing the long oar, pushed it in close to the bank. snorer alighted on the end, and bob settled himself cozily among the cushions. merrily the boat went dancing down the stream, propelled by notta's strong arm. the only thing that marred bob's pleasure was the thought of notta's disguise. but he determined to tell dorothy, or the first person they met, that the clown was not a witch, but the jolliest fellow in the world. somewhat comforted by this thought, bob gave himself up to pure enjoyment. "did you hear the fiddles last night?" asked the little boy presently. "bob," sighed notta, "i did, and never heard any like it in the whole of my travels." "it must have been my snoring you heard," said nick, preening his feathers busily, for he wished to appear at his best in the emerald city. notta laughed uproariously at this and almost upset the boat. they all felt light-hearted and gay, and bob was no more like the solemn little orphan who had fallen into mudge than nick's snoring was like the music in the fiddlestick forest. "i wonder if there are any other boys and girls in the emerald city besides dorothy?" asked bob, after a little pause. "and i wonder if dorothy ever heard of un or doorways?" "you'll have plenty to tell this little girl from kansas, eh, bob up?" smiled the clown, and snorer, after adjusting his nose, related all that he knew of the emerald city, which unfortunately wasn't much, as very little news of the capital ever came to un. "i hope the cowardly lion is having as pleasant a journey as this," said notta, as they skimmed along under the branches of the trees, "and i hope crunch is behaving himself properly." "i should think he'd be a hard person to get along with," chirped nick, giving the clown a nudge so he would be sure to see the joke. "because he's made of stone, you mean?" replied notta. "well, trust the cowardly lion to manage him. hello! looks as if we were out of the woods." a turn of the rapid little stream had brought them into a broad meadow and the fiddlebow boat stopped of its own accord. "guess this is as far as it goes," puffed the clown, after vainly endeavoring to push it forward with the oar. so he guided it to the bank and they all hopped out. "but it doesn't seem right to leave it here," observed notta, scratching his ear anxiously. no sooner had he spoken than a tall tree near the edge of the water leaned down, seized the boat in its branches, and passed it along to the next tree, and in a second it was being tossed lightly from tree to tree, much to the amazement of notta and bob. with wonders happening every moment, you would expect them to be used to it, but each time they were newly astonished. when the last trace of the magic boat disappeared, they struck out across the meadow, for already over the top of a little hill they could see the sparkling green towers of the emerald city of oz. nick, hopping sidewise, paused every few minutes to see that his curly nose was safely on its hook. notta began rehearsing long speeches he meant to make to the lovely little ruler of oz, while bob skipped between the two, nearly bursting with excitement. on the other side of the meadow they came to the yellow brick road mentioned by mustafa. from the windows of the little green cottages scattered here and there, the inhabitants looked at them curiously, and several of the quaintly dressed town folk whom they met on the road, at sight of a witch, took immediately to their heels. but without waiting to explain themselves or talk to anyone, the three hurried on to the gates of the emerald city itself. bob gazed with round-eyed delight, nick began to snort with surprise, and notta, who had seen in the course of his travels every great city on two continents, was struck dumb with amazement, for the capital city of oz outshone them all in beauty and magnificence. its streets of green marble sparkled with emeralds, and the palace, rising majestically from its flowering gardens, shone with splendor in the bright morning sunshine. the guardian of the gate was breakfasting in his cottage, and nick flew over the bars and, turning the emerald key, quietly admitted bob and notta. "let us proceed to the main tent," puffed the clown a bit nervously, for he felt ill at ease among so much magnificence. he had forgotten every word of his speech and, with a sigh, resolved to stick to his old rules--disguise, politeness, joke and run. "though i see no reason why we should have to run," he muttered uneasily, settling his witch hat a bit more firmly. it was still rather early and the gardens were deserted, but all at once bob, who was a bit ahead of the others, spied a little girl in pink, sitting on the edge of a fountain, reading. "it's dorothy!" cried bob, waving excitedly. "she looks just like a picture in the lion book! come on!" immediately snorer spread his wings and flung himself into the air. notta grasped his black cloak and catching bob's hand started on a run for the fountain. the flapping of nick's wings made dorothy look up. with a little scream she jumped to her feet, for any little girl, even though she _is_ a princess of oz, cannot help being afraid of witches. "help!" cried dorothy, turning to run. but just then she caught sight of a gold bucket that always stood beside the fountain, and she remembered an experience she had had long ago with the wicked witch of the west. water had melted one witch--why not another? seizing the bucket, she filled it hastily at the fountain and, just as the witch, strange bird and little boy reached her, she flung its contents over the witch's head. "oh! oh!" screamed snorer. "you have insulted the most beautiful person in oz." notta, taken completely by surprise, could do nothing but choke and splutter. "wait!" panted bob, for dorothy was refilling the bucket. but he was too late and down splashed another bucket on notta's head, carrying away his hat and drenching his black wig. unable to speak, notta began to wave his arms, and this was anything but reassuring to dorothy. snatching a little silver whistle that hung on a ribbon on her neck, she blew on it shrilly. the next instant running feet could be heard on all the garden paths and in a twinkling bob and notta were surrounded. "what is it?" boomed sir hokus of pokes, dorothy's knight errant. he brought his mailed fist heavily down upon notta's witch shoulder. the soldier with the green whiskers, not to be outdone, grasped bob up and tik tok leaned over stiffly and seized snorer by the neck. more and more people kept arriving, and though bob tried his best to make himself heard, in the general confusion his voice was drowned out, and in disgrace they were marched to the palace. ozma was having a quiet game of checkers with the scarecrow and looked up in amazement as the company burst into the throne room. "a witch!" shrilled the patchwork girl, dancing madly at the head of the procession, "a witch, a witch, as black as pitch, has come to steal your throne and sich!" "if they would only stop screaming," thought poor bob, looking anxiously at the lovely little figure of ozma of oz. just then they did, for ozma, glancing in surprise and displeasure at the witch, raised her scepter for silence. chapter in the emerald city "who found this witch?" asked ozma anxiously, for witches of any sort distressed the kind little fairy ruler. "who found witch?" repeated scraps, waving her cotton arms wildly; but at a reproving nod from the scarecrow she subsided. before dorothy could answer, tik tok's machinery ran down and his iron hold on nick's neck relaxed, much to his relief. "villains!" squalled snorer, flapping into the air. "this is a fine way to receive friends. i've a mind to pull out your beard," he screamed angrily, beating his wings in the face of the soldier with the green whiskers. "run, bob," he cried, as the terrified soldier let go of the little orphan. everyone was so surprised at snorer's sudden outbreak and his unusual appearance that they simply gasped. but notta, realizing what a bad impression they were making, called pleadingly for snorer to take his claws out of the soldier's whiskers, and as bob up added his voice to notta's, snorer let go and retired sulkily to the top of a golden cabinet. "they're worse than uns," he muttered, stamping his foot. "i think there is no harm in the boy," whispered the scarecrow to ozma, for he noticed that bob made no attempt to escape. "why do you travel in the company of a witch?" asked ozma rather sternly. "he's not a witch!" cried bob up miserably. "he's notta!" "not a witch?" puzzled ozma, wrinkling up her brows. all the celebrities stared suspiciously at their prisoner, but as sir hokus had him firmly by one arm and the tin woodman by the other, notta could not remove his disguise. "the boy has spoken the truth," quavered the clown. "if these gentlemen will let me go for a moment i will prove that i am not a witch." "don't let go," advised the scarecrow, wrinkling his cotton forehead, "for she may bewitch us. have little dorothy tell her story." so, while bob fumed with impatience and notta groaned at the delay, dorothy told how they had come flying toward her in the garden. "but if it had been a witch, wouldn't she have melted when you threw the water on her?" asked trot, who had listened so far in silence. she liked the looks of this little boy and felt that some mistake had been made. "call the wizard of oz!" cried jack pumpkinhead. this was such a reasonable suggestion bob wondered how a pumpkinhead could have thought of it. as there seemed no way of convincing these interesting folks that the clown was not a witch, bob gave it up for the moment and began examining them with close attention. tik tok simply fascinated the little boy, and he immediately decided that, next to notta, he had never seen anyone more jolly than the scarecrow. even the knight, now that he had his visor up, no longer alarmed bob up. and when the comfortable camel thrust his long neck in through one of the windows to inquire what was the matter bob burst out laughing in spite of himself. right here the little, bald wizard of oz came bouncing into the throne room, a small black grip clutched in one hand. [illustration: the little, bald wizard of oz came bouncing into the throne room] "if this person is a witch," sighed ozma, after the scarecrow had related all that had happened, "she must be destroyed. can you discover by your magic whether or not it is a witch?" "certainly," said the sprightly little wizard, laying out his tools in a businesslike manner. snorer flew down from the cabinet in alarm. "will it hurt?" he cawed uneasily. "if she is not a witch she has nothing to fear," replied the wizard, eying snorer with amazement. the wizard, sending for a tumbler, first mixed a pink and green powder together and then added a drop of red liquid that immediately set the powder to sizzling. when it bubbled to the top he flung the contents of the tumbler directly in the witch's face. sir hokus and the tin woodman ducked and notta spluttered, but the fiery liquid trickled harmlessly off his nose. "it is _not_ a witch!" smiled the wizard of oz, turning to ozma. "then why do you pretend to be?" asked the little queen. her voice, though still stern, sounded very much relieved. taking heart, notta begged his two captors to release him. this they did, and the clown hastily tore off his wig and stepped out of the black cloak. "why, it's a clown!" cried dorothy in delight. "i told you he wasn't a witch," shrilled bob up, wriggling away from the soldier with the green whiskers and rushing over to notta bit more. "well, bless my heart!" cried the wizard of oz, bounding down the steps of the throne two at a time. "this _is_ a surprise. sir, let me embrace you!" and as notta made no objection he gave him several good hugs. "i used to work in a circus myself," beamed the little wizard, "and i tell you a clown is a sight that makes me homesick!" "as to that," said notta with a little bow to ozma, "this country surpasses any circus i was ever in!" "can you do funny tricks?" asked dorothy. "he can somersault, cartwheel, stand on his head, walk on his hands and he knows lots of songs--don't you, notta?" cried bob, dancing with excitement. "so do i," shrilled scraps jealously, "and if he thinks i cannot stand on my head, let him watch." sir hokus of pokes restrained the reckless girl, and ozma, tapping on the arm of her throne for order, begged notta to explain his presence in the emerald city and his reason for coming as a witch. "we are sorry to have treated you so rudely," said ozma gravely, "but we must blame your costume for that." "certainly," said scraps, shaking her cotton finger at notta. "if you come as a witch you must expect to be treated every witch way." notta looked rather embarrassed as he explained his rules of disguise, politeness, joke and run. "i always seem to choose the wrong disguise," sighed the clown. "don't you think it is better to be natural?" asked the scarecrow in his jolly voice. "especially when you are naturally so nice?" notta was quite flustered at this charming speech. "first be nice and then be natural. how's that for a rule?" cried scraps brilliantly, and they were all so relieved that the clown had turned out so well they laughed heartily. "ver-ry good," ticked tik tok, whom somebody had wound up. "i am natu-ral-ly bright be-cause i am nat-u-ral-ly cop-per!" "well, after this," said notta, when the merriment had subsided, "after this, i will be myself, for i guess it is better to be yourself even if you _are_ a clown." "but how did you reach oz? who is this little boy? and do introduce us to your feathered friend," begged the scarecrow, who had been glancing curiously from one to the other. "this," said notta, drawing bob close to him, "is bob up, an orphan from philadelphia, and the bravest and best little boy in america." "hello, orphan!" cried scraps genially: "orphan, orphan, howdedo, you love me and i'll love you! first you're here, then gone again, do come orphan on again!" a stern "hush" from the knight silenced her, and notta introduced nickadoodle from un. nick immediately took the floor, and carefully demonstrated his telephone nose, which he explained had been invented by uncle billy. so, everyone, including the scarecrow, came down and shook him gravely by the claw. then, as they were all anxious to hear what had brought the three travelers to the emerald city, they grouped themselves about the throne and notta started to tell the history of his amazing three days in oz. but just as he was explaining in a spirited manner their flight to mudge, a bustle in the great hall without interrupted the story, and a breathless footman came rushing in to announce the arrival of glinda, the good sorceress, who ruled over the quadling country of oz. "something must have happened!" cried ozma, jumping up in distress. "don't be so previous, my dear," begged the scarecrow, himself falling down the steps of the throne to show how collected he was. but at that instant glinda herself swept into the throne room. twelve little maidens in lovely red dresses held up her long train and bob up, looking at glinda's beautiful face and lovely flame-colored robes, thought he had never seen a more radiant fairy. the courtiers and celebrities hastily made way for glinda. hurrying up to ozma the sorceress asked anxiously, "_where_ is the cowardly lion? has anyone seen the cowardly lion?" now, strangely enough, no one in the palace had missed their big chum, but at glinda's words they all began shaking their heads and looking uneasily at one another. "why, i haven't seen him for two days," cried dorothy, with a worried little frown. "we have!" cried bob up, forgetting for a moment he was in the presence of royalty. "we saw him yesterday." "what's happened?" cried notta. "i see now we never should have left him." "why, do _you_ know the cowardly lion?" asked ozma in surprise, for notta had not yet come to their meeting, nor even told them of mustafa's determination to add the cowardly lion to his collection. so, as quickly as he could, and without stopping to describe doorways or un, the clown told his story. "ah," sighed glinda, as he finished, "that explains the entry in the magic record book. hurry up, my friends. some of us must go instantly to mudge." "what did the records say?" asked dorothy, and all the celebrities looked frightened and anxious, for the cowardly lion was a great favorite. the magic record book is one of the treasures of oz. it tells, just as they happen, all the events in that marvelous country and in every other country. "it said," began glinda in her soft voice, "that the cowardly lion is in grave danger, and unless help comes before noon he will be destroyed." "wha--aat?" shrilled notta in horrified tones, while sir hokus of pokes began sharpening his dagger on his leg and the scarecrow fell on his nose from the very shock of the thing. "where's my magic belt?" cried ozma, clapping her small hands frantically. "jellia, fetch my magic belt!" ozma, with this belt, meant to transport as many of the company as possible to mudge. but before the little serving maid returned, notta himself had accomplished that very thing. glancing around hurriedly, he began touching everyone who looked as if he might prove useful in a battle. sir hokus vanished first, for notta was very much impressed by the knight's warlike appearance, then the tin woodman, because his ax looked so sharp, then tik tok, because he was so solid and dependable, then glinda because she was a sorceress and the wizard because he was also versed in magic, then dorothy, because she was crying and bob because notta could not bear to leave him behind and then snorer, because he had proven himself so faithful. ozma, who had forgotten about the magic verse, was startled almost out of her senses by these sudden disappearances. she put up her scepter to object, but notta ran forward and touched her too and she was gone with the others. "help!" wailed scraps, tumbling out of the window, and the rest of the company began backing into corners. but the clown, now satisfied with his army of invasion, seized the yellow hand of the scarecrow and repeated his verse for the last time: "udge! budge! come to mudge! udgers budgers, we are mudgers!" in a flash they were in mudge--every single person the clown had touched. and the sight that met their eyes was simply terrifying. chapter the cowardly lion's peril to understand how the cowardly lion made the journey to mudge in one day instead of three, we must go back to the afternoon he started down the mountain with the stone man of oz. crunch, as he tramped along beside the cowardly lion, was thinking harder than in all the stone ages of his hard life. the wizard wam had given him brains of a sort, and though they had not been used before the events of the afternoon had brought them quite suddenly into action. the mountain where crunch had stood for so many centuries, while quite near the emerald city, was never visited by anyone, so that the stone man knew very little of life as it was lived in oz. notta's suggestions had aroused his curiosity, and for the cowardly lion he was developing a great fondness. as the afternoon progressed the cowardly lion grew positively embarrassed by his terms of endearment. "you are the handsomest creature in oz," insisted crunch over and over, "and if you were only of stone you would be more beautiful still." "very still," rumbled the cowardly lion, putting back his ears. "though i suppose," he added thoughtfully, "a stone lion is never afraid." to change the subject he began telling crunch about his cowardice, and how he had started out originally to find himself some courage. "would it make you happy to be afraid of nothing?" asked the stone man in his grinding voice. "perfectly happy," sighed the cowardly lion, "for though i fight when danger threatens, i suffer terribly from a desire to run away." "then if you had no desire to run away you would be perfectly happy?" asked crunch, with a stamp that threw the cowardly lion off his feet. "why, i can easily fix that!" "do you mean to say you could give me courage?" roared the cowardly lion, stopping perfectly still in his tracks. "i know a trick to fix you so that you will never again be afraid," answered the stone man, rolling his eyes from side to side. "that is one thing i can do." "who taught you magic?" rumbled the cowardly lion suspiciously. "no one," grated crunch, "but this hard little secret was in the brains wam wished into my block head. shall i change you now?" the cowardly lion sat down and scratched his ear with his hind leg. he had lived long enough in a magic country to believe anything possible, but somehow this huge, craggy giant filled him with misgivings. "i'd like to think about this a little longer, if you don't mind," he answered cautiously. "tell me more about it, can't you?" crunch shook his head solemnly. "if i told you it wouldn't work. better let me change you, old fellow." "no," wheezed the cowardly lion uneasily, "i think i'll wait a bit, i tell you," he added, brightening up, "let's not try it until this little mudge affair is over. it isn't quite right to think of ourselves when my good friend notta is in danger. help me first and change me afterward." "all right," agreed the stone man, starting stolidly forward, but several times the cowardly lion, glancing up unexpectedly, caught him moving his stiff lips and looking at him with such a stony glare that it sent a shiver of terror down his spine. "now, see here," roared the lion, planting himself determinedly in crunch's path. "you must promise me not to try that trick till i'm ready. i've been frightened all my life and i don't wish to be frightened into a courageous lion without knowing it." "oh, all right," grumbled the stone man again, "but i don't see any sense in all this delay. what if your friends do turn blue? it won't hurt them, and why should you put yourself in the clutches of this wicked old mudger?" "that is my affair," roared the cowardly lion, shocked at crunch's unfeeling words. "i suppose a person entirely composed of stone cannot help being hard and unsympathetic," he reflected to himself. aloud he called, "come along, let's hurry," and hurry they did as fast as their legs would carry them. a munchkin farmer, whose cottage they passed just at dusk, gave the cowardly lion a hearty dinner, but he shook his head doubtfully at crunch, who had propped himself up against a barn while the lion ate. "he'll break something," whispered the farmer nervously. "he's too heavy to be walking about. what's he doing alive anyway? has ozma seen him? or the scarecrow? here, here!" he called angrily, as the barn began to creak and lean to one side, "you'll have to lean against something else!" "i'll stand right here, and nothing will budge me," grumbled crunch disagreeably. at this the cowardly lion swallowed the rest of his dinner at one gulp and started to run down the road. he knew that the stone man would follow him and he did not want the poor farmer's barn demolished. "i thought you were going to help people," he roared reproachfully, as crunch overtook him. "no, i've changed my mind," announced crunch with a terrible grin, "i'm only going to help you." the cowardly lion started to lecture the stone man, but, as he paid not the slightest attention, he finally gave it up and trotted along in silence. he was growing wearier every minute, and finally on the edge of a little wood he stopped altogether. night was coming on, and after the flights and excitement of the past two days the cowardly lion felt he must snatch a little rest. "crunch, old rock, will you keep watch while i get a little sleep?" he yawned. the stone man nodded impassively. he had watched men sleep in the long ago stone age and, though he could not see any use in this strange custom, he concluded it was another tiresome habit of these creatures not brought to life by magic. with a long sigh, for he sadly missed his jolly companions, the cowardly lion stretched himself out under a tree and almost instantly fell into a heavy slumber. for a time the stone man stood perfectly still. then he began to mutter crossly to himself. the idea of waiting until they reached mudge to try his trick was not pleasing to the stony fellow, for after the change, though he had been careful not to say so, the cowardly lion would be absolutely in his power. and, with the cowardly lion, he meant to return to his lonely mountain and stand happily ever afterward. already the thought of offering his services to the queen and building a city had begun to bore him. this pounding about chipped his toes and jarred his granite. why had he ever made that ridiculous promise to the cowardly lion? but made it was, and a stone man can no sooner break his promise than his head. kicking the earth up fretfully, crunch tried to think of a way out of the difficulty. just as the twentieth star came pricking out in the heavens, he had an idea. crunch, being of stone, never tired and could therefore travel indefinitely. if this mudge business had to be got through with, then the sooner they arrived in mudge the better. he knew that he could go three times as quickly as an ordinary flesh and bone man, therefore he ought to reach mustafa's kingdom by morning. snatching into the air a startled munchkin shepherd, who was strolling along with his hands in his pockets, he asked him the way to mudge. when the lad's teeth stopped chattering long enough to tell him, he dropped him carelessly on the ground and picked up the cowardly lion. the next instant he was running with all his might toward mustafa's dreadful desert, trampling under his feet any fences or small buildings that got in the way, and jarring the whole country with his heavy strides. the cowardly lion awakened almost immediately and tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but escape from those mighty arms was an impossibility. [illustration: crunch, the stone giant, picked up the cowardly lion, who tried to wiggle from his grasp] "where are you going?" he growled angrily, the words being fairly jolted out of him. "to mudge!" shouted crunch without slackening his speed. "i promised not to change you to a courageous lion till we finished with mustafa. well, now, i am going to finish mustafa." "stop!" implored the cowardly lion, but he might as well have argued with the wind, and to continue the argument, when crunch's every step deprived him of his breath, took the whole of his strength and determination. but continue it he did, with roars, threats and rumblings. to these the stone man paid not the slightest attention, and finally the cowardly lion was too exhausted and shaken to utter another roar. "there's no use reasoning with me," crunch had insisted stubbornly, "for i am a hard mass of mineral matter. i will take you to mudge because that i promised to do, but as soon as we reach mudge you will be mine forever!" the cowardly lion had not even strength to tremble at these awful words, so he closed his eyes and tried not to think about mustafa and his nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine lions, nor crunch and his terrible threat. it would be impossible for notta and bob to reach mudge in time to help him now, so the poor cowardly lion resolved to fight as long as he could, and then bravely resign himself to whatever fate had in store for him. at every step of the stone man, he more bitterly regretted the moment he had trusted himself to the company of this treacherous giant. whether he fell asleep, or was shaken into unconsciousness, the cowardly lion never knew. the next thing he remembered was leaning up against an iron enclosure and hearing crunch calling loudly for admittance into mudge. for the stone man had run, without turning so much as an inch out of the way, directly to the land of the mudgers. the sun was high in the heavens, and winds from mustafa's desert blew hotly in their faces. the mudger guard, hearing the terrible clamor, came running to see who was hammering on the gates, and when they saw crunch and the cowardly lion they turned and flew toward their master's striped tent. mustafa, still gazing fixedly at his ring, hardly heard their terrified description of the stone giant. all that he heard was the wonderful news that a lion, undoubtedly the cowardly lion of oz, had at last been delivered into his power. calling panapee, and running so fast he lost both of his sandals, mustafa rushed out to the lion enclosure and with trembling hands unlocked the gates. fortunately the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine lions were in another part, and when he waved for crunch and the cowardly lion to enter, they did so without disturbing mustafa's ferocious pets. the cowardly lion wobbled slightly, for he was still shaken by his terrible journey, but the stone man tramped defiantly toward the blue whiskered monarch of mudge. "welcome!" wheezed mustafa, waving his scimitar. panny, with an outraged glance at the stone man, climbed the nearest palm tree. "i understand you wished to have me captured," growled the cowardly lion, trembling slightly, but resolved to go through with this disagreeable business. "don't say captured," cried mustafa slyly. "let us say that i wished to have my court honored by your cowardly and perfect presence. i understand you are a terrible fighter," he added, tugging at his whiskers joyfully. "shall i crush or crumble him?" asked crunch, interrupting mustafa's further remarks and ramblings. and then mustafa for the first time became really aware of the stone man. the more he examined, the more horribly aware of him he became. "panny!" he shrilled, looking all around for his chief chamberlain, "panny, call out the guard!" "call them out yourself," chattered the trembling chamberlain, frightened out of his usual submissiveness. "i'll not stir from this tree." crunch made a snatch at mustafa, but the cowardly lion hastily intervened. wicked though mustafa had been, the kind-hearted lion was not going to stand by and see him crushed to a crumble. he motioned for crunch to follow him a few steps aside and quite sulkily the stone man obeyed. "this is my fight," puffed the cowardly lion. "now be a good fellow and keep out of it till i need you." "how long will it take?" grated crunch, slightly mollified. to tell the truth, he wanted to think over the formula needed to change the cowardly lion. one of the magic words had slipped his stone memory. "oh, an hour or two," answered the lion uneasily, determined, if he could, to escape from both of these treacherous villains. "all right, old fellow," crunch smiled as he said this. he felt he could afford to be generous, for in a few hours the cowardly lion would belong to him for good. so he leaned stolidly against the enclosure, while the cowardly lion hurried after mustafa, who was running in a cloud of sand toward his tent. "where's that animated tombstone?" gasped mustafa, sinking down on his throne. "outside," panted the cowardly lion, too tired to notice the signal that passed between mustafa and two guardsmen in the opening of the tent. in an instant a gold collar and chain had been clapped 'round his tawny neck. "now then," exulted mustafa, "who says you're not captured." forgetting all about the stone man and his threats, he bade the two guardsmen drag the cowardly lion to the royal enclosure. as they left through an opening in another side of the tent, crunch knew nothing of their going. the cowardly lion planted all four feet and roared terribly but six more guardsmen came to help the others and ignominiously he was dragged along. "now we shall see a famous fight, and discover whether this cowardly lion is as brave as he is said to be," chuckled mustafa, shuffling along beside him. the part of the enclosure to which they were taking the lion was widened out into a regular arena. already the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine lions, with noses pressed against the bars, were watching the approach of their rival. for mustafa had talked so long and tiresomely of the cowardly lion, who was coming to fight the whole company of them, that they considered him an enemy to be destroyed upon the spot. they did not have long to wait, for while two guardsmen opened the gates of the enclosure, six more with the ends of their scimitars urged the cowardly lion forward. stars! what an array of eyes, tails and gleaming teeth! what a thunder of savage growls, roars and rumbles! before they made a spring at the cowardly lion an unexpected interruption startled them. it was sir hokus of pokes, falling down like a ton of kitchen tins beside the monarch of mudge. and before the lions had stopped blinking at that, down rattled the tin woodman and tik tok, glinda and the little wizard of oz, followed by dorothy, snorer and bob and last of all, ozma, the scarecrow and notta bit more. "help!" screeched the guards running in every direction. "it's raining royalty!" shrilled tazzywaller, who had sneaked out to witness the fight. "fly for your life!" the fat little lion feeder tugged at mustafa's robe, for he had at once recognized princess dorothy and ozma of oz. but before mustafa could flee, or the company from the emerald city had caught their breath, mustafa's lions, recovering from the shock of so many fallers, sprang with nine thousand different dreadful roars toward the cowardly lion. dorothy screamed and the scarecrow recklessly tried to squeeze himself through the bars, but before anyone from the emerald city could raise a hand, crunch, aroused by the thumps and roars, came pounding upon the scene. just as the cowardly lion crouched to meet the overwhelming rush of mustafa's lions, the stone man held up his arm and shouted seven magic words! chapter oz magic triumphs seven magic words! no sooner were they uttered than the nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine lions were turned to so many stone statues--some just as they were about to spring, some half way in the air, so that they came clattering heavily down one on top of the other, and the poor cowardly lion at the bottom of the heap! "somebody stop him!" gasped ozma who was sitting exactly as she had fallen on a small sand dune. sir hokus of pokes sprang bravely at crunch, but his sword snapped at the first thrust, and the stone man, paying no more attention to the people from the emerald city than if they had been so many flies, began bending out the iron bars of the lion enclosure. mustafa, petrified with terror, might have been a statue himself, and the mudger guards had long since taken to their heels. "what have you done?" wailed notta, trying to attract the stone man's attention. he seized an iron bar that crouch had loosened and began valiantly belaboring crunch about the shins. "oh, hello!" rasped crouch, glancing down at the clown. "back again? well, i've taken your advice, you see." "my advice!" groaned notta. "yes." crunch, who had now broken an opening for himself, stepped into the enclosure. "i've helped the cowardly lion by changing him to stone. now he will never feel cowardly again, and what's more, he belongs to me!" leaning over, he began tossing mustafa's lions aside as if they had been so many paper weights. "oh, help!" screamed snorer. "aren't there any wizards here to stop this fellow? are you going to sit like images while he runs off with the bravest lion in oz?" "i must think!" groaned the scarecrow, putting his white cotton glove to his head, while dorothy and bob ran close to the bars and looked anxiously for the first glimpse of their old friend. but glinda and the wizard of oz already had their heads together. "first," whispered the little wizard of oz, "we will let him find the cowardly lion, for those statues would be too heavy for us to lift. then, we will deprive him of all power to move." tik tok and sir hokus had followed the stone man into the enclosure, but a stone lion flung carelessly to one side, knocked tik tok head over heels, and sir hokus, deciding that flight was the better part of valor, retired to a safe distance, where he began threatening the stone man with every sort of destruction from hammering to hanging. but crunch continued calmly tossing the lions about, and at last uncovered the cowardly lion himself. he recognized him at once, for his mane, a mass of stony waves, stood straight on end. the cowardly lion, you see, had been petrified in one of his most trying moments, and, while he was preparing to fight with all his might, he could not control his mane and hence looked as natural as possible. dorothy could not help crying as crunch tucked this lifelike image of her old chum under his arm and prepared to tramp off. but he got no further than two steps, for at the second step the combined magic of glinda and the wizard of oz deprived him of all power to move. crunch dropped the cowardly lion with a crash that chipped off a piece of his mane, and with one foot raised in the air stood perfectly motionless. the stone man was no longer alive! "oh!" cried notta, frightened by the ease with which glinda had deprived the stone giant of life, "who will bring the cowardly lion to himself again?" and at once everyone ran over to the poor petrified lion, and tugging and pulling, managed to get him to his feet. "it was the only thing we could do," puffed the little wizard of oz, gazing up worriedly at the huge statue of crunch. "he did not know how to use the gift of life, and would only have brought more trouble upon us." "isn't this trouble enough?" cried dorothy, throwing her arms around the cold, still figure of the cowardly lion. "there, there, my dear! glinda will find a way out of all this," comforted the scarecrow, and notta and bob joined him in his efforts to console the little girl, while sir hokus and the tin woodman ran to help tik tok to his feet. "all this has happened because of you!" declared ozma, stamping her foot for the first time in her gentle little life, and looking sternly at mustafa. "and for a punishment," she pointed at the huge, craggy figure of crunch, "for a punishment this stone man shall stand forever in mudge, a monument to your greediness and folly." "take away his ring," whispered bob, tip-toeing up to the little fairy ruler, for he had seen mustafa slyly beginning to take it off and bob knew its dreadful power. without losing a minute, ozma commanded mustafa to hand over the ring. tremblingly, the wretched old mudger obeyed. so much had happened in the last few minutes, he was positively stunned by his misfortune. not only had he offended the ruler of all oz, lost the cowardly lion and his ring, but all of his other lions were turned to stone. jerking his turban over one eye, the miserable monarch shuffled mournfully to his tent, and no one cared enough to stop him. then, as the whole party was heartily disgusted with the hot, desert city of the mudgers, glinda, by a quick transportation phrase, wished them all safely back to the emerald city. there, for several hours glinda, the wizard of oz, and ozma worked over the cowardly lion, but all of their magic failed to undo the stone man's spell, and it looked as if the huge beast would have to spend the rest of his life as a garden ornament. twenty of the palace servants bore him down the steps and placed him gently in the center of a large flower bed, and all the inhabitants of the city came and gazed sadly at their once lively and cowardly comrade. "he is the image of himself," choked the scarecrow, hanging a wreath of daisies round his neck, which was still adorned with mustafa's gold collar. "but i don't want an image," cried princess dorothy and, climbing on the cowardly lion's stone back, she cried as if her heart would break. notta and bob were too overcome by this dreadful misfortune to think about themselves. it did not even seem right to enjoy the lovely sights in the emerald city, so the clown and little boy sat on a bench in the garden and gazed sorrowfully at the monument of their faithful old friend. [illustration: dorothy cried as she came upon the petrified figure of her friend, the cowardly lion] then, all at once bob jumped up with a little shout. "look," he cried, waving his cap joyfully. "look! he's coming alive again!" and so he was! for tears are more magic than anything else, when it comes to melting stone, and every spot where dorothy's tears fell was beginning to quiver with life. when notta ran to the palace with the news, the excitement was tremendous. everyone, from ozma down to the littlest kitchen maid, came to weep over the cowardly lion, and bring him back to life. the tin woodman cried a perfect torrent of tears and quite rusted his chain. the scarecrow and scraps had not a tear in their cotton constitutions, but snorer made up for this by crying enough for three. everybody cried, and in less than a minute the dear, old kind-hearted lion opened his eyes. shaking himself sleepily, he looked inquiringly at the weeping company and wanted to know what was the matter. all talking at once, and each trying to hug him first, they explained what had happened. the cowardly lion remembered nothing after being pushed into the lion enclosure. you can well imagine his relief when he discovered what a hard and horrible fate he had escaped. "all this comes of my foolish wish for courage," roared the cowardly lion, shaking his mane, which was quite perfect except for the piece crunch had broken off. "i would rather be a cowardly lion for five minutes than a stone lion for a century. why, a stone lion has not enough sense to be frightened." "hurrah for the cowardly lion of oz!" shouted the scarecrow, and bob up, who felt more at home among these odd and friendly people than he had ever felt anywhere in his life, climbed on the cowardly lion's back and hugged him with both arms. dorothy hopped up again too, and in triumph they all trooped back to the throne room. chapter a happy home in oz "and now," sighed the little queen of oz, sinking down among the soft cushions of her emerald throne, "let's have the whole story!" nothing could have exceeded her amazement, as notta told of their marvelous adventures in oz--of doorways and un and preserva the great, of the flyaboutabus and the fiddlebow boat. dorothy was so curious about the skyle of un that they all ran to look in ozma's magic picture, which shows any place or person one wishes to see. "show us the uns," commanded ozma breathlessly, and bob and notta almost tumbled over backwards when the magic picture showed them i-wish-i-was and his featherheads. a great battle was in progress, for i-wish-i-was was furious at the loss of the flyaboutabus. the guards and their friends on one side and the wicked ruler on the other were fighting tumultuously. sticks and feathers were flying in every direction and they were even pulling down their tree houses. ozma shook her head gravely, but bob up, who had been thinking about the only good un ever since they left the skyland, suddenly remembered his name and triumphantly whispered it to ozma. instantly ozma, with the help of glinda and the wizard, commanded the good un to come out from his hiding and sit upon the throne. the fighting ceased at once and the uns began to look at one another with puzzled expressions, as if they could not remember what they had been quarreling about. bob and notta and the cowardly lion shouted with approval, forgetting in their interest that the uns in the picture could not hear them. the good un's name was unselfish and, as glinda assured ozma that the skyle would thereafter be ruled wisely and well, they all returned to the throne room. after dorothy had hugged notta a dozen times for his devotion to the cowardly lion, and the clown had turned his best somersaults, told his best jokes and generally made himself so funny that everyone was doubled up with laughter, ozma again raised her scepter for silence. "i suppose," said the little fairy regretfully, for she had taken a great fancy to the clown and snorer and bob up, "i suppose that now you are anxious to return to america." notta took off his cap and scratched his ear, a habit he had when puzzled or embarrassed. "don't go yet!" begged dorothy, seizing the clown's arm imploringly. as for bob up, he retired behind an emerald pillar so that no one could see that he was crying. "oh, yes," cawed snorer, flapping down from the back of a tall chair where he had been enjoying a noisy little nap. "oh, yes, we must go to america and make our fortune. i am going to have my nose patented and teach the people there how to snore properly." "that's right," agreed notta soberly. "i'm a family man now and must go back and earn enough to send bob to college, and i must save up for my old age, for clowns can't be tumbling around the country forever." "why, it's nothing but fun," cried scraps, who had been quiet as long as she could contain herself. "not always," sighed notta. "making people laugh is the hardest work in the world. look how easy it is to make them cry? but come along, bob up. it's high time we were going, and if this little lady will just say the magic word we'll bid you all good-bye. i must be saving up for my old age," he repeated mournfully. when notta was sad, he always thought about his old age, and the idea of leaving the cowardly lion and all of this merry and childlike company made him sad indeed. and ozma, who is the cleverest little mind and heart reader anywhere in the world or out--ozma guessed his secret. "don't go!" cried the little queen impulsively. "stay with us and you won't have any old age. stay in oz, dear notta, and be happy forever." at this the excitement was terrific. every man, woman, child, animal, and celebrity added his or her voice to ozma's, and when the clown, with tears in his eyes, accepted the little queen's generous offer, they seized hands or paws, as the case might be, and danced merrily 'round bob, snorer and notta bit more. "you shall have the jolliest cottage in oz," promised the scarecrow, when the excitement had subsided a bit. "a tent would seem more homelike," whispered notta in the cloth ear of that charming gentleman. and a tent he did have, on the outskirts of the emerald city--a tent shared with snorer and bob, where, with the help of the charming and unusual inhabitants of oz, the clown gave the most surprising shows that had ever been seen in that magical country. bob, in his good fortune, did not forget the half a lion, and the wizard of oz reunited the unfortunate creature, after bringing both halves, with the aid of ozma's magic belt, to the emerald city. the poor beast, whose hind quarters had fortunately escaped crunch's stone spell, was so overjoyed to see his tail again that he raced round in circles for several hours after his reunion. as for mustafa, he grew amazingly rich from the sale of his stone lions, and you can see them any fine day, guarding the doors of public buildings or standing proudly in the various parks of oz. but in spite of his great wealth, he was far from happy, for his eyes, from staring so hard at his ring, had become hopelessly crossed, and cross-eyed he remained to the end of his days. bob up is friends with everyone, but most of all with button bright, a little boy who once visited sky island and who could not hear enough of the skyle of un. notta has saved up enough for bob's entire education and has gone off to confer with professor wogglebug, president of the college of art and athletic perfection, about the future of the little boy. handy mandy in oz _by_ ruth plumly thompson founded on and continuing the famous oz stories _by_ l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" _illustrated by_ john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago copyright by the reilly & lee co. all rights reserved printed in the u. s. a. [transcriber's note: extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] * * * * * _hello there!_ another spring, another book and another old wizard in oz! imagine! and with ruggedo mixed up in the story there's bound to be fun and excitement. now i do hope you like handy mandy and nox. i'm very fond of the royal ox, myself. he rather reminds me of kabumpo, while kerry is as nice a young king as i've met in an oz age. but tell me what you think. no one, not even ozma, receives as fine letters as you all write me, and i can hardly wait to hear all this year's news and those interesting ozzy suggestions. my news comes from the palace of the red jinn, today. it seems that he and kabumpo are really going to pay that long-promised visit to randy in regalia. my--y, i'll have to look into this. meanwhile, best and merriest wishes and a high old happy-go-lucky year to you! ruth plumly thompson. s. farragut terrace, west philadelphia, pa. * * * * * this book is lovingly dedicated to all the boys and girls who have written me letters! yes, here's to you and cheers to you! ruth plumly thompson april, * * * * * handy mandy in oz on many a day had handy, the goat girl of mern, pursued her goats up and down the rocky eminences of her native mountain. and never--never--in her fourteen or so years' experience had she been blown up by a mountain spring. but there comes, in every one's experience a day which is unlike every other day, and so it was with the goat girl. as she was pursuing what-a-butter, her favorite goat, there was a sudden crash, a whish, and up flew the slab of rock on which she was standing, up and away. the adventures into which she was carried by this simple though awefull beginning take a whole book to relate. how she met nox the royal ox of keretaria, how together they went in search of little king kerry, how at last they rescued him and found themselves feted guests of ozma of oz, all these things you must read for yourselves. read what the university of washington chapbooks have to say about the famous oz series. they _have taught american children to look for the elements of wonder in the life around them, to realize that even smoke and machinery may be transformed into fairy lore if only we have sufficient energy and vision to penetrate to their significance and transform them to our use.... some day we may have better fairytales but that will not be until america is a better country._ (_edward wagenknecht._) contents mandy leaves the mountain the end of the ride the king of keretaria the message in the horn out of keretaria! turn town! a horn of plenty handy mandy learns about oz! the magic hammer the king of the silver mountain down to the prisoners' pit! prisoners of the wizard in the emerald city of oz the robbery is discovered the pilgrim returns to the mountain the wizard's bargain! out of the prison pit wutz and the gnome king leave for the capital! at the bottom of the mountain! just in time! the hammer elf explains chapter mandy leaves the mountain "what-a-butter! what-a-butter!" high and clear above the peaks of mt. mern floated the voice of the goat girl calling the finest, fattest but most troublesome of her flock. all the other goats were winding obediently down toward the village that perched precariously on the edge of the mountain. but of what-a-butter there was not a single sign nor whisker. "serves me right for spoiling the contrary creature," panted mandy, pushing back her thick yellow braids with her second best hand. "always wants her own way, that goat--so she does. what-a-butter, i say what-a-butter--come down here this instant." but only the tantalizing tinkle of the goat's silver bell came to answer her, for what-a-butter was climbing up, not down, and there was nothing for mandy to do but go after her. muttering dire threats which she was much too soft hearted ever to carry out, the rosy cheeked mountain lass scrambled over crags and stones, pulling herself up steep precipices, the goat always managing to keep a few jumps ahead, till soon they were almost at the top of the mountain! here, stopping on a jutting rock to catch her breath and remove the burrs from her stockings, mandy heard a dreadful roar and felt an ominous rumbling beneath her feet. what-a-butter on a narrow ledge just above heard it too, and cocked her head anxiously on one side. perhaps she had best jump down to mandy. after all, the great silly girl did feed and pet her, and from the sound of things a storm was brewing. if there was one thing the goat feared more than another, it was a thunder-storm, so, rolling her eyes as innocently as if she had not dragged mandy all over the mountain she stretched her nose down toward her weary mistress. "bah--ah-ah-ahhhhhhhhhh!" bleated what-a-butter affectionately. "oh 'bah' yourself!" fumed mandy, making an angry snatch for the nanny goat's beard. "pets and children are all alike--never appreciate a body till they have a stomach ache, or a thunder-storm is coming. now then, m'lass, be quick with you!" holding out her strong arms, mandy made ready to catch the goat as it jumped off the ledge. but before what-a-butter could stir, there was a perfectly awful crash and explosion and up shot the slab of rock on which mandy was standing, up--up and out of sight entirely. where the mountain girl had been, a crystal column of water spurted viciously into the air, so high the bulging eyes of the goat could see no end to it. rearing up on her hind legs, what-a-butter turned round and round in a frantic effort to catch a glimpse of her vanishing mistress. then thinking suddenly what would happen should the torrent turn and fall upon her, the goat sprang off the ledge and ran madly down the mountain, bleating like a whole herd of banshees. and mandy, as you can well believe, was as frightened as what-a-butter and with twice as much reason. the first upheaval, as the rock left the earth, flung her flat on her nose. grasping the edges of the slab with all hands, mandy hung on for dear life and as a stinging shower of icy water sprayed her from head to foot, wondered what under the earth was happening to her. thorns and thistles! could the thunder-storm really have come up instead of down? certainly it was raining up, and what ever was carrying her aloft with such terrible force and relentlessness? how could the goat girl know that a turbulent spring pent up for thousands of years in the center of mt. mern had suddenly burst its way to freedom! and you have no idea of the tremendous power in a mountain spring once it uncoils and lets itself go. mandy's rock might just as well have been shot into the air by a magic cannon. first it tore upward as if it meant to knock a hole in the sky, then, still travelling at incalculable speed, began to arch and take a horizontal course over the mountains, hills and valleys west of mern. all poor mandy knew was that she was hurtling through space at break-neck speed with nothing to save or stop her. the long yellow braids of the goat girl streamed out like pennants, while her striped skirt and voluminous petticoats snapped and fluttered like banners in the wind. "what-a-butter! oh what-a-butter!" moaned mandy, gazing wildly over the edge of the rock. but pshaw, what was the use of calling? what-a-butter, even if she heard, could not fly after her through the air, and when she herself came down not even her own goat would recognize her. at this depressing thought, mandy dropped her head on her arms and began to weep bitterly, for she was quite sure she would never see her friends--her home--or her goats again. but the rough and frugal life on mt. mern had made the goat girl both brave and resourceful, so she soon dried her tears and as the rock still showed no signs of slowing up nor dashing down, she began to take heart and even a desperate sort of interest in her experience. slowly and cautiously she pulled herself to a sitting position and still clutching the edges of the rock, dared to look down at the countries and towns flashing away below. "after all," sniffed the reckless maiden, "nothing very dreadful has happened yet. i've always wanted to travel and now i am travelling. not many people have flown through the air on a rock--why it's really a rocket!" decided mandy, with a nervous giggle. "and that, i suppose, makes me the first rocket rider in the country, and the last, too," she finished soberly as she measured with her eye the distance she would plunge when her rock started earthward. "now if we'd just come down in that blue lake, below, i might have a chance. perhaps i should jump?" but by the time mandy made up her mind to jump the lake was far behind and nothing but a great desert of smoking sand stretched beneath her. chapter the end of the ride the sky, from the rosy pink of late afternoon, had faded to a depressing grey, and mandy could not help thinking longingly of the appetizing little supper she had set out for herself before going up to call the goats. who would eat it now or even know she was flying through the air like a comet? no one, she concluded drearily, for mandy was an orphan and lived all by herself in a small cottage on mt. mern, high above the village of fistikins. in a day or two, some of her friends in the village might search the cottage and find her gone, but now, now there was nothing to do but sit tight and hope for the best. mandy's next glance down was more encouraging. instead of the dangerous looking desert, she was sailing over misty blue hills and valleys dotted with many small towns and villages. high as she was, she could even hear the church bells tolling the hour, and this made mandy feel more lost and lonely than ever. all these people below were safely at home and about to eat their suppers while she was flying high and far from everything she knew and loved best. hungrily the goat girl cast her eyes over the rock she was riding, thinking to find a small sprig of mountain berries or even a blade of grass to nibble. at first glance, the rock seemed bare and barren, then sticking up out of a narrow crevice mandy spied a tiny blue flower. "poor little posy, it's as far from home as i am," murmured the goat girl, and carefully breaking the stem, she lifted the blue flower to her nose. its faint fragrance was vaguely comforting and mandy had just begun to count the petals, when the rock gave a sickening lurch and started to pitch down so fast mandy's braids snapped like jumping ropes and her skirts bellied out like a parachute in a gale. "now for it," gasped the goat girl closing her eyes and clenching her teeth. "oh! my poor little shins!" mandy's shins were both stout and sturdy, but even so we cannot blame mandy for pitying them. stouter shins than hers would have splintered at such a fall. hardly knowing what she was doing, mandy began to pull the petals from the blue flower, calling in an agonized voice as she pulled each one the names of her goats and friends. she had just come to speckle, the smallest member of her flock, when the end came. kimmeny jimmeny! was this all? opening one eye, the goat girl looked fearfully about her. she was sitting on top of a haystack, no, not a haystack, but a heap of soft blue flower petals as soft as down. opening the other eye she saw the rock, on which she had travelled so far, bump over a golden fence and fall with a satisfied splash into a shimmering lake. but what lay beyond the lake made mandy forget all her troubles and fairly moan with surprise and pleasure. "a castle!" exulted the goat girl, putting one hand above her heart. "oh! i've always wanted to see a castle and now i am." and this castle, let me tell you, was well worth anyone's seeing, a castle of lacy blue marble carved, and decorated with precious stones, in a way to astonish the eyes of a simple mountain lass. from the tallest tower, a silken pennant floated lazily in the evening breeze. "k-e-r-e-t-a-r-i-a," mandy spelled out slowly. sliding off the heap of flower petals she stood for a long delicious moment lost in admiration. then, giving herself a businesslike shake to be sure she was not broken or bent by her amazing flight and tumble, mandy turned to examine the rest of her surroundings. when she looked at the spot on which she had fallen the stack of blue petals had disappeared, but there, twinkling up cheerfully, was the blue flower as much at home as if it had grown there in the first place. thoroughly puzzled, mandy picked the little flower a second time and slipped it into the pocket of her apron. even without the mystery of the blue flower it was astonishing enough to find herself in the stately park of this gorgeous blue castle. there was a tree lined avenue and velvety lawns splashed with star shaped flower beds stretched in every direction. only the small patch of land on which she was standing was bare and uncultivated. and evidently someone was at work here, for a great white ox, with golden horns, yoked to a gold plow stood with his back to mandy, dozing cozily in the pleasant dusk. at sight of the ox, mandy gave a little sigh of relief and content. long ago an old mountain woman had given her this sensible piece of advice. "when you do not know what to do next, do the first useful piece of work that comes to hand." now here, right at hand, was a useful piece of work, and while she was trying to figure out the whole puzzle of the flying rock and strange blue flower, she might just as well be ploughing. then when the owner of the castle saw her working so industriously, he might invite her to supper. so, grasping the tail of the ancient plow, mandy clicked her tongue in a cheerful signal for the ox to start. the white ox, who had not seen nor heard the goat girl till this minute turned his head in a lordly fashion and gave her a long haughty look. not really believing what he saw, he took another look, and then, with a bellow of fright and outrage went charging across the park pulling the startled goat girl behind him. mandy might have let go, but she just did not think of it, and with pounding heart and flying braids held fast to the pitching plough as it tore through flower beds, ripped up lawns and cut fearful furrows in the pebbled paths. clouds of earth, stones and whole plants uprooted ruthlessly from their beds showered round her ears, and as they reached the palace, a hard metal object hit her squarely between the eyes. putting up a hand, mandy caught the flying missile and mechanically slipped it into her pocket, and the next instant the ox lunging through an open french window dragged her into the magnificently furnished throne room of the castle. not only into the throne room, mind you, but into the lap of royalty itself! chapter the king of keretaria the white ox in his mad dash across the throne room had run violently into a marble pillar, hurling mandy straight into the arms of a very tall, very stern, and very blue looking monarch. pages and courtiers tripped and fell left and right in a scramble to get out of the way, while the ox, snorting and trembling, looked balefully over his shoulder at the goat girl. "whu-what is--the--meaning of--this out-rageous in-trusion?" panted the king. "unhand me, woman! remove your finger from my eye and your arms--your arms! hi! hi! hi!" the king's sentence ended in three frightened squeaks. "is it a girl or an octopus?" he puffed, heaving up his chest in an endeavor to dislodge mandy. "hi! hi! hi! are you going to allow this clumping savage to insult my majesty in this--er--high-handed manner?" as the goat girl, by this time scarlet from anger and mortification, jumped off the king's lap, three very high officials of the court of keretaria darted forward. "the high qui-questioner! the imperial persuader! and the lord high upper dupper of the realm!" bawled a page. having delivered himself of this impressive announcement the page bolted back of a curtain and from there peered with astonished eyes at the visitor. everyone in the grand blue throne room looked frightened and ready to run at a moment's notice. wondering what could be the matter with them all, mandy with many misgivings watched the counselors of keretaria advance in a threatening row. "now then--not a move!" thundered the high qui-questioner, tapping her sharply on the shoulder with a golden staff shaped like a huge interrogation point. "it is my duty to question all strangers who ride, fall, fly or break into our kingdom, and you," the haughty nobleman gave mandy a cold blue stare, "you are stranger than any stranger who has ever come to keretaria." "it is my duty to persuade you to do as his majesty commands," stated the imperial persuader, raising his gold spiked club. "and it is my duty to put you in your place," sniffed the lord high upper dupper rattling a bunch of keys that hung from his belt. "well if you ask me," puffed the ox, rolling his eyes wildly round at the goat girl, "her place is in a museum and the sooner you lock her upper dupper, the better." now mandy was so astonished to hear the ox actually speaking, she gave a loud cry and flung up her hands, every single seven of them. "help! help!" yelped the courtiers, scurrying like mice into corners and corridors. only the white ox, the king and his counselors kept their places. "how dare you come into a king's presence armed in this barbarous fashion?" gasped the high qui-questioner, taking a step toward the goat girl, but too frightened to touch her. "pigs!" cried mandy, suddenly losing her temper. "can i help my seven arms? all of us on mt. mern have seven arms and hands and you with your skinny two seem far funnier than i. i am mandy, the goat girl, as anyone in his senses can see." "the girl is right," observed the ox, gazing more attentively at mandy and now speaking quite calmly, "she can no more help those seven arms than you can help those seven warts on your nose, questo. i tell you this maiden is a real curiosity and if you three hi-boys will cease rattling your teeth and your clubs, perhaps she will explain why she has come to keretaria. i myself shall call her handy mandy." "why, the beast has more sense than its masters," thought the goat girl in surprise. "well," rumbled the king ungraciously, "if you have anything to say before we lock you up, say it, but do not wave your arms about, please." swallowing nervously, clasping four of her hands behind her back and stuffing the other three into convenient pockets in her apron, mandy began to speak. "i was driving my goats home from the mountain, your majesty, when the rock on which i was standing exploded suddenly into the air, flew like a bird over hill, valley, and desert and dropped me into your garden--" "and not a bruise nor a bump to show for it," grunted the imperial persuader elevating his nose to show he was not taken in by such a tale. in spite of his suspicious glance, mandy decided to say nothing of the blue flower that had so miraculously softened her fall. "and since when have rocks flown through the air?" inquired the lord high upper dupper sarcastically. "ahem--in the garden," continued mandy undaunted by the two interruptions, "i saw this great white ox and thinking to do a bit of honest work for my supper, grasped the plough, but--" "that was a little oxident," murmured the great beast in a jovial voice, "for, catching sight of a seven-armed maiden all at once and without warning, i took to my heels and landed her in her present unpleasant predicament. is that not so, m'lass?" looking at the ox with round eyes, mandy nodded. "but she still has not explained all these arms," complained the imperial persuader. "whoever heard of a seven-handed maiden?" "i have!" asserted mandy stoutly. "and what, pray, is there to explain? this iron hand--" the goat girl raised it slowly and thoughtfully as she spoke, "i use for ironing, lifting hot pots from the stove and all horrid sort of hard work; this leather hand i keep for beating rugs, dusting, sweeping, and so on; this wooden hand i use for churning and digging in the garden; these two red rubber hands for dishwashing and scrubbing, and my two fine white hands i keep for holding and braiding my hair." with all seven hands extended before her, mandy smiled engagingly up at the king. "undoubtedly a witch," whispered the imperial persuader darkly, as the king in spite of himself gazed curiously down at his seven-armed visitor. "a dangerous character, your majesty," hissed the high qui-questioner, shaking his head disapprovingly. "to the dungeons with her!" rasped the lord high upper dupper, rattling his keys like castanets. "what?" bawled the white ox, stamping all of his gold shod feet in rapid succession. "you mean to consign this marvel of skill and efficiency to a dungeon? what a set of dunces you are! come, handy, i myself, will take you for a slave. out of my way, dolts!" swaggering a bit, and with the golden plough still clanking and bumping behind him, the ox ambled at a dignified pace toward the door. mandy, though she did not relish the idea of becoming his slave, was greatly relieved at the interest the ox was taking in her case, but before following him, she looked inquiringly up at the king. "yes, go!" commanded his majesty harshly, "i hereby give you into the care and service of nox, the royal ox of keretaria. harm one hair of his head, and you will pay for it with your life and perish, i promise you, most ignominiously." "mercy--ercy," muttered mandy tiptoeing nervously after her new master, "doesn't the fellow know any short words? how queer everything is on this side of the mountain, people with only two arms, animals talking and giving orders to kings. suppose the goats at home started bossing the villagers?" and what would the villagers think of her strange flight and reception in keretaria? well, from what she herself had seen of royalty, decided the goat girl, she much preferred her goats or even the company of this haughty white ox. stepping briskly beside him, mandy resolved to humor the creature till she saw a bit more of the country or found some safe way back to her mountain. nox swinging along at his own indolent gait paid no further attention to the goat girl, but when they reached his royal quarters, which to mandy looked more like a castle than a stable, he began bawling so fiercely for the stable boys she decided uncomfortably that being his slave might prove both unpleasant and dangerous. however, when six little boys dressed in blue overalls and aprons ran out, the royal ox addressed them quite kindly. the first, without waiting for instructions unhitched the plough and lifted the yoke from the royal shoulders. "prepare kerry's quarters for my new slave," directed nox, turning to the second and third. "you others, bring dinner for two, and mind you fetch handy mandy everything they have at the king's table." with a playful lunge nox started them smartly on their way, then moved grandly into the huge stone stable and along to his own luxurious gold-paved stall. "my--y!" exclaimed the goat girl, sinking breathlessly to a three legged stool, "how grand and elegant you are here! my--y, i wish what-a-butter could see this!" "one of your goats?" murmured nox, burying his nose in the huge marble bowl he used for a drinking trough. mandy nodded. "i wish she were here now!" she added with a rapturous little sigh. "well, i don't." deliberately the royal ox licked the water from his lips. "do you suppose i'd allow a miserable goat in my sapphire trimmed stall?" "miserable!" squealed mandy, springing off the stool. "what-a-butter's the smartest goat on the mountain; she wouldn't give two bleats and a bah for an old hoopadoop like you!" "hoopadoop!" repeated the ox in a dazed whisper. "do you mean to stand there and call the royal ox of keretaria a hoopadoop?" "yes," said mandy firmly but backing off a bit as she spoke. "what makes you think you're so much better than a goat even if you do talk, put on airs and have golden horns?" "well," and to mandy's surprise and relief, nox cleared his throat and grinned quite amiably, "after all i am the royal ox, you know, more precious to the king than all his court and subjects. everyone jumps at my least command, so why shouldn't i put on a few airs? besides do you think it's polite to call me an old hoopadoop when i've just saved you from a dungeon?" "no," admitted mandy, resuming her seat thoughtfully, "i don't suppose it is. maybe you _are_ as good as a goat," she added with a little burst of generosity. "oh, thank you! thank you very much!" through half closed eyes the royal ox looked quizzically at the goat girl. "i believe we shall get on famously, m'lass, famously. the truth is, you amuse me no end and so long as you amuse me everything will be smooth as silk. but of course, if you bore me, i will bore you. oh, positively!" lowering his head nox shook his horns playfully. "now i shouldn't try that, if i were you," advised mandy, raising her iron hand and cracking the fingers warningly. "for if you do, i might throw things!" "ha ha! i believe you would." the enormous beast, charmed by so much spirit and independence fairly beamed upon his new slave. "i take it you are pretty good at throwing things." "yes, and at catching them, too." reaching up, mandy took seven of the dozen brushes off the shelf above her head. tossing them all into the air with three of her hands, she caught them easily with the other four. then dragging her stool closer, she began brushing the coat of her royal charge so hard and vigorously he blinked with pleasure and astonishment. "will you have your tail plain, curled or plaited?" asked mandy in a businesslike voice. "er--er--plain, thank you." with admiration and some alarm, nox regarded the whirling arms of the goat girl, but the four little stable boys, appearing at that moment, stared at her in glassy eyed fright and consternation. for nox they had brought a tray heaped high with corn and oats and another with fresh sliced apples. for mandy there were two trays of gold dishes containing a sample of everything from the royal table. dropping her brushes mandy seized all the trays at once in her various hands, which so frightened the stable boys they took to their heels yelling at the tops of their voices. winking at the royal ox, mandy set his supper on the gold stand meant for that purpose, then dropping to the floor before her own two trays began her first dinner in a strange land. and what a strange land, mused mandy helping herself from the gold dishes with first one hand and then another. "well, m'lass?" inquired nox, daintily nibbling his oats and apples. "is this not better than bread and water in a dungeon cell?" too full for utterance, mandy rapturously nodded. chapter the message in the horn after the goat girl had finished her supper and the stable boys had hurried off with the trays, nox showed his new slave to her quarters. handy mandy, who had expected nothing better than a heap of straw in the corner of an empty stall, decided that for a slave, she was faring pretty well. a small but complete apartment had been built in the wing next to nox's stall, with not only a comfortable bedroom and bath, but a small sitting room as well. the bed was a huge gold four poster with blue silk sheets and comforters. never in her hard and simple life had handy dreamed of such elegance! "here, try the chairs," urged nox, trotting almost briskly into the sitting room. this, mandy was only too willing to do, and the pretty little room with its book shelves, lamps and pictures seemed to the honest goat girl much more desirable than the palace. "all belonged to kerry," mumbled the royal ox, settling himself largely on a white rug beside her. "was kerry one of your slaves?" asked mandy, rocking herself cheerfully to and fro with all her hands resting quietly in her lap. "slave!" the ox spoke sharply. "i should say not. kerry was a king! our own little king up to a few years ago, and what a lad he was--what a lad!" "was?" exclaimed mandy. "why--what happened to him?" "he disappeared," nox told her sadly. "nobody knows how--or where, just disappeared, my girl, on a hunting trip, and this blue nosed scoundrel who claims to be his uncle, came to rule over keretaria. since then," nox lowered his voice cautiously, "everything is different--and changed. the people are treated no better than dogs. dogs!" repeated the royal ox bitterly. "of course this fellow cannot interfere with me nor take any chances for there is a prophecy on the west wall of the castle that has stood for a thousand years." "what does it say?" asked mandy, leaning forward and clasping the arms of the rocker with all hands. impressively nox repeated the prophecy: "so long as the royal ox of keretaria is in good health and spirits, so long and no longer shall the present king rule over the land." "but who wrote it?" mandy's rocker stopped with a surprised squeak. "nobody knows," answered nox soberly, "but it has come true dozens and dozens of times. each time a new king is crowned in keretaria a new ox appears mysteriously at the royal coronation. if anything happens to the royal ox the king also is destroyed!" "my--y!" the goat girl now rocked very fast indeed. "so that's the reason they take such good care of you, old toggins. but tell me, where do all of you royal oxen come from in the first place? and how is it you can speak? none of the beasts on mount mern can say a word." "oh, that--" the royal ox lifted his head lazily. "keretaria is in the wonderful land of oz, my dear handy, and all oz creatures can talk, even the mice and squirrels. but what part of oz we white oxen really come from, i myself cannot rightly say. i seem to remember a great blue forest and many happy days there. then one evening a silver cloth was thrown over my head and i fell into a deep and immediate slumber. when i awakened, i was here in keretaria and on that same day little king kerry was crowned king of the realm. from the attendants and courtiers i soon learned of the strange prophecy, but the young boy king was so devoted to me--and i to him, i did not miss the forest or my former freedom. "to be near me, kerry had this apartment built in the stable and spent more than half of his time in my company. my life being easy and pleasant, i gave little thought to the past or to the future, but spent all my energies enjoying the present. once in a while just for the looks of the thing, i appeared in royal processions, and each day at sundown i was yoked for an hour to the golden plough and required to stand for an hour in the royal garden. but i never did any real work or ploughing, till you, my reckless handy, came along today." "but what about the little king?" begged the goat girl, as nox lapsed into a thoughtful silence and seemed to have forgotten all about her. "he disappeared, just as i told you." the royal ox rolled his big eyes mournfully upward. "on this day, as on many others, i carried him on my back to the edge of the wood. there, mounting his favorite steed, he rode away with the royal huntsmen for an hour's sport. as i was returning to the castle someone struck me a terrific blow that felled me to the earth, where i lay for several hours in complete unconsciousness. whoever struck me down evidently thought i was finished, for when i finally did regain my senses, i was buried beneath a heap of loose earth and leaves. still dazed and hardly knowing what i was about, i struggled out and staggered back to the courtyard. one of my horns had been bent during the encounter and my expression was so wild and distracted no one recognized me as boz, the royal ox of little king kerry. the whole castle was in an uproar, for a new king had taken possession of the throne and thinking, of course, i was the next and new royal ox, this rascally imposter named me nox. the keretarians, without daring to inquire what had become of their former ruler, crowned me with daisies and laurel and hurried to do the bidding of their new ruler." "why--the big _cowards_!" said handy mandy, clenching all of her fists, "and do you mean to tell me nothing has been heard of the little king since then?" "nothing." the royal ox moved his head drearily from side to side. "the people think the royal prophecy has been fulfilled again and what can they do? a farmer's boy brought word that boz, the royal ox, had been struck down and spirited away, so naturally they felt sure that kerry also had been destroyed or taken prisoner." "then no one suspects you are really boz and not nox?" questioned the goat girl, now on the very edge of her chair. "oh, my--y, but don't you see, if you are still the same ox who came to keretaria with king kerry and you are still all right, he must be all right, too. that is, if the prophecy means _anything_." "sh--hh!" warned nox, looking about nervously. "someone might hear you. that is what keeps me here," he went on seriously. "i felt if i stayed quietly in my place, kerry would some day return, claim his own throne and drive this miserable tyrant out of the country." "stay quietly here when the little fellow may be needing you!" cried handy aghast. "oh, why don't you go look for him, you great big ox you! come on, what are we waiting for? why i'll drag that old rascal off the throne with my own hands," promised the goat girl indignantly waving her arms. "wait! stop!" nox sprang up with surprising lightness for one usually so ponderous and slow. "do you realize that i am treasured and watched more closely than the crown jewels? at this very moment twenty guardsmen stalk round and round the stable. i have as much chance of leaving keretaria as a goldfish has of flying through a forest." as if to prove his words a tall soldier in a blue shako thrust his head suddenly through the window from the outside. "is everything in order and as you wish, your highness?" puffed the guard, looking suspiciously at the goat girl's revolving arms. "everything is lovely," murmured the ox in a sleepy voice. "my slave here is doing her exercises and when she finishes she will polish my horns." at his warning wink, handy mandy dropped all her arms at her side. "well! well! a pleasant evening to you," mumbled the soldier, withdrawing his head after another disapproving look at the goat girl. for a moment after he had disappeared neither spoke, then handy mandy, snatching a silk cover from one of the pillows fell to polishing nox's left horn for very dear life. "i can always think faster when i'm working," she observed earnestly. "think away," replied the ox, closing his eyes so as not to see the numerous hands flashing past his nose. "but be careful what you say and do. if you rouse the suspicions of old king kerr, you'll be flung into a dungeon in spite of all my influence." "now don't you be worrying about me," chortled handy with a little wink and nod. "i've been taking care of myself and a flock of goats for ten years! say, this is a bend, for sure." the goat girl ran her rubber fingers curiously along the curve in the ox's left horn and then, with one of her sudden and kind-hearted impulses, tried to straighten the quirk with a quick twist of her wrist. imagine, then, if you can, her horror and surprise when the golden horn came off in her hand. "oh my goats and my goodness!" shuddered handy hopping from one foot to the other. "what'll i do? where's some glue? oh my--igh--igh! i'm mighty sorry!" "sorry!" gulped the royal ox, glaring at the goat girl with rolling eyes and lashing tail. but before he could lunge forward as he certainly intended to do, handy gave a little scream of excitement. "oh look," she panted, pointing all thirty-five fingers at the base of nox's horn, "oh, my dear--ear, it screws on--there are regular grooves. wait--i'll have it back in a jiffy." nox, who couldn't possibly see the top of his own head, merely gave a grunt, but handy mandy, lifting the horn in her wooden hand, screamed again and then began to shake the horn violently. at her second shake, two silver balls tumbled out and rolled away into a corner. scrambling after them, with nox now as interested as she, the goat girl recovered them both and dropped breathlessly on a sofa. on closer examination handy discovered the balls would open as easily as cardboard easter eggs, and with nox's head resting heavily on her shoulder she gave the first a quick turn. it came apart at once and in the hollow center lay a small folded paper. spreading it out on her knees, handy read in a hoarse whisper: "go to the silver mountain of oz." "silver mountain? do you know where that is?" exclaimed the goat girl, looking wildly round at nox. "no, but i'll wager my head it has something to do with kerry! quick, m'lass, open the other ball." with the trembling fingers of her good white hand the goat girl obeyed. inside the second sphere lay a small silver key. after they had examined this and read the message all over again, handy carefully tucked the two articles back in the silver balls and returned the balls to the golden horn. then, hastily screwing the horn back on its base, the two began whispering earnestly together. "mean to say you never knew your horn came off?" questioned handy, clasping and unclasping her hands. "mean to say you never heard of this silver mountain?" "no to both questions," answered the ox with an anxious little sigh. "but now that we _do_ know, we must start off at once to search for it and see for ourselves whether kerry is imprisoned there by his enemies. though how we'll escape these guards or ever get away with half the kingdom watching, i cannot imagine!" "never fear, we'll manage," promised handy easily. "why with your horns and my hands it will take an army to stop us. now get your rest, ox dear, and in the morn's morning we'll be journeying." "you're right," breathed the ox, starting obediently toward his stall. "i more than half believe you." "good night, then," called the goat girl softly. "don't talk in your sleep and give our plans away." chapter out of keretaria! nox was asleep on a heap of white flower petals in the corner of his stall, asleep and dreaming of the silver mountain of oz, when a sharp tap on the shoulder rudely awakened him. "come!" whispered an urgent voice. "time to start! come, i've managed everything." lurching to his feet and still in a daze, the royal ox looked askance and with no great favor at the goat girl. "why, it's not even light!" he moaned feebly. "of course not," admitted handy mandy guardedly, "but i poked my nose out the door a moment ago and saw all the guards were a bit drowsyish, so i tapped them on the head with this." handy mandy raised her iron hand and with a little grimace beckoned for nox to hurry. "come along now, and we can be out of here before they know what's what or who." so nox, with a regretful look round his comfortable stall and a sigh for his morning bath and breakfast, moved quietly after her. while the royal creature had spent most of his time during the past two years thinking of ways to rescue his young master, now that he was actually starting out he was filled with doubt and dismay. how could they ever find this silver mountain and overcome the enemies that most certainly would beset them? the sight of the twenty guards lying in a stiff row somewhat reassured the downhearted beast and in the dim light of early morning he looked thoughtfully up at the sturdy mountain lass stepping so resolutely beside him. in each hand handy carried a different weapon, and resting on her broad shoulders was a rake, an axe, one guard's gun, another guard's sword, a spade and a long handled broom. noting his astonished glance, the goat girl grinned and with her one free hand touched her fingers to her lips. so, silently and without exchanging a word, the two crossed the stable yard, the royal park, hurried through a little wood, and came out on a dusty blue highway. "now!" said handy, looking up and down the road to make sure no one was coming, "now we can talk and decide which direction to take." "how can we do that," objected nox, panting a little from the unaccustomed exertion before breakfast, "when neither of us knows where this silver mountain is?" "well, we have tongues, haven't we? and can ask, can't we?" handy mandy rattled her weapons impatiently. "but before we worry about the silver mountain we must get out of keretaria. which is the quickest way to the border?" "oh, north," answered nox promptly. "keretaria is in the upper part of the munchkin country of oz and once we cross the northern branch of the munchkin river, we'll be entirely out of the country." "fine! then we'll go north. and what lies beyond the munchkin river?" inquired the goat girl, shifting the axe to her left shoulder. "i've never crossed myself," admitted nox, moving along in his slow and dignified manner, "but i have heard there are many mountains and if we go far enough the purple land of the gillikins." "sounds interesting," decided handy mandy, "and who knows, among all those mountains we may find the one we are looking for! by the way, am i to call you boz, nox or goldie horns? but i believe i'll call you nox, for somehow i like nox the ox best." "anything you say," yawned her companion, switching his tail negligently, "but i shall always call you, handy mandy. it suits you, m'lass, and you need no longer consider yourself a slave." "ho, ho, i never did," roared the goat girl, glancing cheerfully down at her lordly companion. "that was just a joke, wasn't it? you know, everything in this land of oz is extremely funny and peculiar. two-armed natives, animals talking, kings disappearing and mysterious messages and prophecies." "people always think a new country strange!" observed the ox philosophically. "to us it seems quite right and natural. but i daresay if i were to find myself on mt. mern i'd consider everything there very odd and upsetting; rocks flying through the air, for instance, and landing one soft and light as a daisy in a strange king's garden." "but all of our rocks don't fly, in fact i never knew one to do such a thing before. and no wonder i landed as soft as a daisy--there was a blue daisy under me or i'd have been splintered to smithereens!" "daisy?" nox licked his lips hungrily. "you never said anything about a daisy." "oh, i never tell all i know," confided handy, "especially to hi-qui-cockadoodlums like the king and his counselors. but there was a daisy--growing on the rock and i picked it. as i started to fall i began pulling off the petals, and when i landed i came down on a high, huge pile of them, a heap as high as a haystack," continued handy mandy dreamily. "so i slid off the stack and turned to look at the castle, and when i looked again, the petals were gone, but there was the daisy itself growing up as pert as you please in this strange garden. so what did i do but pick it again and here it is!" triumphantly handy pulled the blue flower from her pocket. "my, what a dear little daisy!" murmured the ox. "how delicious it would taste." "no! no!" cried handy, as nox rolled his long tongue out toward the flower. "it's too pretty to eat." "nothing's too pretty to eat," replied the ox plaintively. "funny it hasn't wilted, though." "well, i believe it's magic," stated the goat girl, with a positive little shake of her head. as she returned the daisy to her pocket, handy felt the hard metal object that had hit her in the forehead when she and nox ploughed through the king's garden. "look! what do you suppose this is?" she queried, tapping the ox sharply on the shoulder, for he was walking sleepily along with his eyes closed. "this is what we dug up when we rushed through the garden, you know." "how should i know?" grunted the ox indifferently, opening one eye. "just a silver hammer, isn't it? maybe we can trade it for a good breakfast when we cross the river." "my--y--how you talk!" scolded handy. "we're not going to trade it at all. see, there's an initial on it. a big w. now what would w stand for?" "who, what, which, where, oh why worry?" mumbled the ox, plodding resignedly along beside her. "well, anyway, it will make a splendid potato masher," concluded the goat girl, returning the hammer to her pocket. "yes, if we had any potatoes." the ox sighed heavily as he spoke, looking off into the distance with such a mournful eye handy mandy laughed a little all to herself. "oh cheer up," sniffed the goat girl, "you're not starved yet. and hurry up, too, the sun's going higher every moment and we'd better pass those farms before the people waken." it was against nox's nature to hurry, but realizing the wisdom of the goat girl's advice, he broke into an awkward gallop. in spite of his great weight, the royal creature was light as a daisy on his feet, and except for the faint rattle of handy's weapons they made little noise as they ran past the dome-shaped blue houses and barns of the munchkin farmers. "couldn't we stop for a few greens?" puffed nox, looking longingly over the fence at a field of cabbages. "not here, dear--ear!" red faced and breathless, the goat girl ran on. "wait till we cross this river--iver." "but i'm not used to this--sort--of--thing," complained nox peevishly. "running races before breakfast on an empty stomach. no bath--no brush--no rub down!" "well, here's your brush," gasped handy, picking her way through a dense thicket as the highway ended in a small wood, "and yonder's your bath, mister. my--y, what a blue river!" "everything's blue in the munchkin country of oz," nox told her sulkily, as sharp briers and thorns reached out to scratch his satiny hide. "even the royal ox of keretaria," hinted handy with a sly wink. "oh the river's blue and the houses are blue and even the wind blew--hoo hoo! come on." "don't try to be funny," with heaving sides, the ox stopped on the edge of the gleaming blue stream. "don't try to be funny, i beg." "oh, i don't have to try, i am!" laughed handy, flinging the axe, the rake, the spade, the sword, the gun and the broomstick across the river. "wait!" snorted the ox, as handy, having got rid of her load, raised all of her hands above her head and prepared to dive in. "wait, can you swim?" "i don't know, but i'll soon find out," cried handy, and before nox could prevent it, the goat girl leapt off the bank and disappeared beneath the blue waters of the munchkin river. for once, nox forgot his dignity and royal station and plunged frantically after his reckless companion. swimming around with his head under water, he finally located handy mandy and gripping her yellow plaits firmly in his teeth, dragged her to the opposite bank. the goat girl was so full of water, she had little to say and lay soggily on the grass while nox looked down at her with mingled admiration and concern. "never do such a thing again," he wheezed severely as handy finally sat up and began wringing the water from her voluminous skirts. "swimming is an art and must be learned and practiced. but for oat's sake, why didn't you flap all those arms when you hit the water?" he finished irritably. "oh, is that what you're supposed to do? this way?" before nox could step a step, the goat girl had jumped into the river again. this time instead of going down she splashed and whirled her seven arms so fast and furiously she just managed to keep her head above water. but nox, now thoroughly annoyed and without giving her a chance to get far from shore, waded in and determinedly dragged her back to dry land. "what in skyblue onions are you trying to do?" he sputtered angrily, "drown yourself?" "no, i'm trying to swim," coughed the goat girl, struggling to get away from the angry ox. "do you suppose i'm going to let this munchkin river get the best of me?" "yes, and while you are swimming or rather practicing your swimming some of these keretarians will come and capture us," gurgled nox. "are we escaping or are we swimming--quick now, make up your mind." nox's earnest words brought handy quickly to her senses and as the royal ox let go her skirts, she snatched up her weapons and without waiting to wring out her clothes started briskly across the meadows. "never mind, you'll be a fine swimmer some day," said nox, trotting more amiably beside her. the cool river water had refreshed the royal creature and handy mandy's determination and courage made him a little ashamed of his own complaints. "takes a little practice, that's all." "practice!" repeated handy, dripping water from every plait and pore. "well just wait till we come to the next river, i'll show you! but look, here are more blue houses, so we must still be in the munchkin country." "yes, but we're out of keretaria," nox reminded her cheerfully. "what's that signpost say, my girl?" hurrying forward, handy squinted up at the rough board nailed to a blue spruce and then began to clench and unclench her one free fist. "turn here!" directed the sign. "turn here and go straight back where you came from." "well, i'll be buttered!" cried the goat girl, throwing down every one of her weapons. "i'll be churned and buttered." "but what had we butter do?" muttered the royal ox, so taken aback by the saucy message that even his tongue was twisted. "why, we'll go straight on, of course," declared handy mandy, tossing her yellow plaits defiantly. "who are whoever they are to tell us our business?" and recovering her weapons one by one, the goat girl tramped down the crooked lane directly ahead of them, the royal ox with lifted nose and horns, stepping warily behind her. chapter turn town! determined as she was, handy found it impossible to go straight on, for the lane curved and twisted this way and that, ending finally in a perfect corkscrew turn. the trees on both sides were now so dense handy and the royal ox could not have left the road even had they wished to do so. "we're going round and round and getting nowhere," said nox in an abused voice. "of all the roads in oz why did we have to pick this one?" "because it dared us, i suppose. hi--yi!" exclaimed handy, leaning against a tree to rest. "i'm dizzy as a bat and hungry as a goat." "too bad you're not a goat," murmured nox, who had stopped to nibble the lower branches of a maple. "these leaves are quite tender." "well, i may come to them," sighed handy, looking at him enviously. "but shall we go on? i think one more turn will bring us out of here." handy was right for one more round brought them to the end of corkscrew lane, but only to find themselves facing a high, forbidding wall. there was a gate and turnstile in the wall, and beyond the goat girl caught a glimpse of a confused whirling village where everything seemed to be turning round or over. "it's just because i'm so dizzy," thought handy, clutching her head with her one free hand. but nox, peering over her shoulder gave a loud and indignant bellow as a house on the corner of the street nearest them turned completely over and began spinning merrily on its chimney, while the fence running round the bakery shop next door started really to run around, kicking up its posts with great glee and abandon. "hu--what kind of silly place is this?" rumbled the ox backing hastily away. but handy mandy had seen a whole row of little pies in the bakeshop window and motioning vigorously for nox to follow, stepped over the stile and through the movable gate. it was too much of a squeeze for nox, but determined not to be left behind, he jumped neatly over. a revolving sign on one of the large public buildings caught their attention at once, but as the building was going one way and the sign another, it was several minutes before they could discover what it said. "turn town!" read the goat girl in some surprise. "so that's where we are! and would you loo--ook, every house on every street is going round or over. mercy--ercy on us and where do you suppose the people are?" "turning over and over in their beds i take it, it is still quite early, you know," whispered the royal ox, speaking cautiously out of the corner of his mouth. "but come on, the streets are not turning, and perhaps if we hurry we can go through before they waken and turn on us. hurry--hurry--what are you waiting for?" "food," sighed handy wistfully. "i thought i might catch us a few pies, old toggins. here, watch my stuff and i'll bring us each some." nox looked sharply up and down the street as the goat girl set down her axe, rake, spade, gun, broom and sword, and started off toward the bakery. not only the fence but the shop itself was turning now. handy quite cleverly waited till the gate came opposite her and dashed through, but the open door of the shop kept going by so rapidly she was knocked down several times before she finally darted inside. as she disappeared nox gave an uneasy snort, but cheered up as the shop window came past and he saw handy with a pie in every hand, smile at him reassuringly. but alas, the whirling floor of the shop was too much for the goat girl and as she started out there was a clatter of broken china and falling furniture. "great gazoo, what's she done now?" moaned nox as handy leaped through the door and fell sprawling in the little garden. she still had six of the pies clutched in her various hands, but as she jumped up and raced through the garden gate, windows all up and down the street were flung open. from the right side up ones and the down side down ones kinky black heads came popping out by the hundred. "turn out! turn out! topsies turn out!" yelled the excited citizens, their voices going higher and higher. "thieves, robbers, tramps and stand-stillians!" "here," gasped the goat girl reaching nox in one bound. "eat these quick and destroy the evidence." stuffing one of the tarts into her own mouth, handy made a wry face. "ugh, turnips!" choked the goat girl, dropping the other five in huge disgust. "whoever heard of turnip turnovers?" "i'll eat them," offered nox, lapping up the little pies in his stride, "but run--hurry, here come the natives!" but before handy could snatch up her weapons, the topsies, hurling out of windows and doors, came whirling down upon them. startled though she was, the goat girl could not disguise her interest and curiosity. with one arm round nox's neck and the other six stretched stiffly before her to keep back the screeching crowd, she stared with round and fascinated eyes. and, no wonder! the topsies were about as tall as children, but where their feet should have been, they had sharp horny pegs. another peg of the same description sprung from each kinky head. with their plump hands the small black and blue men and women spun themselves along by cords attached to their round little middles and they kept reversing themselves, spinning first on one end and then another in a manner very upsetting and confusing to their visitors. the hum made by the topsies' spinning and their loud raucous cries filled the early morning air, and as handy tried to push her way through the crowd, several butted her with their sharp pegs. "ouch! stop that!" bellowed nox, who had been butted too. "keep still, m'lass, and sooner or later these little pests will run down." "turn them out! turn them in! turn them round! turn them over!" shrieked the topsies hysterically. in the midst of the dreadful confusion, a topsy taller than all the rest came zooming down the middle of the street. "look! stand-stillians!" shouted a round little spinster waving both arms. "travelers with legs instead of pegs. robbers! thieves! and tramps, your topjesty." "yes, and they have broken into my shop and stolen all my turnip turnovers," screamed the topsy baker, spinning round in indignant circles. "aha, you wait, here comes tip-topper. now you'll catch it you, you turnover snatchers, you!" "now you'll catch it!" shrilled all the rest of the topsies, spinning faster and faster till handy and nox were dizzy just from looking at them. except for his size and a flag fluttering from the peg on his head, tip-topper looked just like his subjects. "spin! spin!" he whistled angrily. "what do you mean standing still in the middle of turn town? don't you realize you are breaking every one of our rotary laws? why are you here--did you come to do us a good turn or a bad?" "turn 'em down! turn 'em out! turn 'em over! turn 'em round!" insisted the townsmen shrilly. between the revolving houses and the spinning topsies, handy mandy scarcely knew which foot she was standing on. as for nox, he gave a great groan and closing his eyes, left everything to his companion. handy put two hands over her ears and raising all the others, addressed tip-topper in a firm and reasonable manner. "tell your people to stand back," directed the goat girl calmly. "all we wish is to pass quietly through your city and never return. never!" she repeated emphatically. it was hard to speak to a person who kept going round and round, but at every third turn handy managed to catch tip-topper's eye and at last he seemed to catch her idea. "very well, then, go!" he commanded haughtily. "and at once!" but when handy, without stopping to pick up her weapons, started forward, perfect shrieks of anger rose on all sides. "not that way! not that way. turn! turn! turn!" yelled the topsies. and getting back of handy and the royal ox, they tried to push them round by main force. "stop! stop! it's no use," panted tip-topper, as nox letting out a frightful bellow, laid seven topsies by the pegs with his left hind foot, and handy with a sweep of her arms swept down ten more. "they're all made wrong. fetch the turn coat, drive them to the turning point and we'll turn them to topsies in two shakes of a tent pole." "m--mmmmm! m--mmmmm! did you hear what i heard?" nox peered desperately around at handy, who was now spinning dizzily herself, as she was flung and pushed from one group to another. "could they really turn us to topsies?" "i don't know! i don't know! oh my head, my head!" moaned the goat girl, clutching it with all hands. "it's going round and round--" "fine! fine! that's the way!" cheered the topsies heartily. "you'll be spinning circles before you know it and have beautiful wool like the rest of us." "wool!" gasped handy, who was extremely proud of her shining yellow braids. "oh, i wool not, that's just too much! stand back you little buzzards and i'll show you a turn or two myself." "go ahead," said turn uppins, who seemed next in importance to tip-topper himself. "it's your turn anyway. stand back topsies, and let this waddling whangus show us what she can do." at a signal from their leader the turn towners fell back a pace and spinning in a loud agitated circle, impatiently waited for the goat girl to take her turn. first handy shook her head to dispel the dizziness, then with a loud screech, she flung her arms and heels into the air in such a succession of hand springs that even the topsies were impressed. the seventh brought her back to the royal ox and in the center of a now cheering and admiring circle, she turned fifty more so fast that she looked like an animated cartwheel with arms and leg's for spokes. a loud buzz of applause went up as handy finally fell over from sheer exhaustion, but then they began pointing accusing fingers at nox. "look! look at the stupid gumflumox, why he hasn't turned a single hair." "how about turning on them," raged nox, "and tossing a few dozen on my horns? hop on my back, m'lass, and we'll make a run for it." "no! no! there are too many, we'll be perfectly punctured," worried handy, as seven topsies prodded the royal ox sharply in the flank. "we might run right into that turning point, too. wait! wait! i'll think of something. we don't want to spin on here forever, whatever happens! whew--hewey, what a dust the little pests kick up. i'd give my best hand for a drink, i'm choking with thirst. oh! oh! i wish i were in a river right this minute." steadying herself by holding to nox's right horn, handy faced the angry multitude. "turn! turn! take your turn!" shouted the topsies incessantly. "can't you even turn your head old four-leg!" "of course he can," shouted handy mandy, clapping six of her hands for silence. "not only his head, but his horns. watch this, my friends!" the goat girl gave the horn she was leaning on a sharp twist. "not that one. not that one!" fumed the ox anxiously. "quick, the other--it's the other one, i tell you! oh, my hide, hair, and heavens! ulp! gurgle ooooop!" and "oooop gurgle ulp!" it was with everyone, for at handy mandy's second turn, nox's horn came completely off and as the goat girl held it up for the topsies to see, out spurted a perfect torrent of water that flooded the whole city till every turner and topsy-turvy house in it was awash or afloat. in wild and astonished voices the kinky headed little citizens called out to each other as they bobbed up and down like corks on the raging tide. and just as wet and surprised as the topsies, the goat girl and nox were swept along by the impetuous flood. chapter a horn of plenty after the first awful ducking, handy, without losing a second began to practice her swimming. striking out with strength and purpose and her seven good arms she managed to keep abreast of nox, who was moving easily along in the center of the torrent. bothersome as the topsies had been, the goat girl could not help feeling sorry for the little turn towners. at first, she feared they would all go down. but they just spun round like water bugs on the surface and, while they made no progress, seemed in little danger of drowning. in fact they could no more sink than corks or kindling. so, busy with her own struggles, handy dismissed them from her mind and tried to figure out the reason for the sudden and overwhelming rush of water that had deluged the city. at any rate it was fine to be rid of the topsies, she reflected philosophically, and when the flood did recede, turn town would be good as new and twice as clean. the current was racing along so swiftly now, the last topsy had long since disappeared, leaving only herself and nox in the broad tumbling expanse of water. nox had not uttered a word since his first outcry when the flood had overtaken them, but he looked so glum and disagreeable that handy, thrashing along beside him, wondered what would be the best way to start a conversation. as it happened, the royal beast saved her the trouble by starting one himself. "well," he snorted bitterly. "i see you still have it." "what?" gulped the goat girl, forgetting to use her arms for a moment and in consequence, shipping about a bucket of water. "ulp--gulp--have what?" "my horn. horn!" gurgled nox, glaring at her angrily over a wave. "and if in the future you will keep your hands, all of them, off my horns, it will be the better for us." this seemed to handy a very unjust and unreasonable attitude for nox to take, but she was too occupied keeping afloat to stop and argue the matter. "swim closer and i'll screw it back," she offered, obligingly holding up the wooden hand in which she still clutched the right half of the royal headgear. but at this, poor nox was deluged by a robust stream that still poured from the golden horn. hastily plunging it under the surface again, handy watched her fellow adventurer emerge sputtering and furious from the depths. "well of all the stupid tricks!" gasped the ox, swimming rapidly away from her. "stop--keep off--don't you dare come near me." "but see here," panted handy, going after him in real exasperation. "after all it is your horn, and am i to blame if there is a river inside? what do you want me to do, throw it away?" "no! no!" bellowed the ox, stopping short and looking frantically over his shoulder. "if you throw it away i'll look like a fool, if you keep holding it we'll spend the rest of our lives swimming round in this torrent--if you screw it back on my head--it will probably give me water on the brain. oh--blub glub! what shall we do? think of something, can't you, before we both drown in your stupid old river?" "my river!" handy mandy was so indignant that for a moment she was perfectly speechless. "yes, your river!" roared nox, treading water angrily. "didn't you wish for a river just before you jerked off my horn. well, this is it and i hope you like it." "why nox, how clever of you to guess," bubbled the goat girl, a great light breaking over her wet head. "i remember now, i was thirsty and wished for a drink, then a whole river, and lo! a river was here." "you mean high it was here," raged nox, beginning to swim again. "but look," cried handy, beating and slapping the water exultantly with her many hands. "if that is so, all we have to do is to wish it away again. i'm still holding the horn and there's magic in it, old toddywax--magic! i here and now wish this river away." handy yelled her wish in a booming voice that almost split the ox's ear-drums and both were so sure the wish would be granted they stopped swimming, so both had a fine ducking as the river continued to rush merrily and unconcernedly over their heads. "bosh! it wasn't magic after all. my--y, if i ever get out of here, i'll never go swimming again as long as i live," sobbed handy, pushing her arms and legs wearily through the water. "oh, i think i'll just sink and be done with it," moaned the ox, churning breathlessly along beside her. "you think you'll sink!" exclaimed handy, popping her head up indignantly. "don't you dare sink and leave me here all alone. besides, we set out to find that little king and we're going to find him! where's your sporting blood?" "watered!" gurgled the royal ox in a faint voice. "goodbye, m'lass, you probably did it all for the best!" it seemed to the goat girl that nox was really sinking so, flinging out her leather hand, she grasped him firmly by his left horn. then, acting quickly, and before he could object, handy pushed his head under water and quickly screwed his right horn in place. "i wish this dumb river would go straight back where it came from," quavered handy as nox bellowing and bubbling backed indignantly away. and this time the river went. so suddenly and completely the goat girl and the ox were dropped forty feet to the bottom of a rocky gorge through which the torrent had been tumbling. for a long moment they lay where they had fallen, then stiffly they arose and peered anxiously around them. handy, thanks to her voluminous petticoats, was saved from serious injury and nox, who had landed in a patch of brush was not dangerously hurt, either. but they both were so shocked, shaken and worn out from their long swim they were perfectly content to stay where they were. "you see," sighed handy, wringing out her skirts with four hands and smoothing back her hair with the other three. "the magic is in the horn and only works when you are wearing it. as soon as i screwed it back and made the wish everything was all right." "oh, was it?" scowling round at his scratched flanks and skinned shins, the royal ox shook his head dubiously. "and just think," continued the goat girl brightly. "if your horn really is a wishing horn, as soon as we decide where we want to go, all we have to do is wish ourselves there." "no! no! absolutely no more of that," squealed nox, lashing his tail and flashing his eyes dangerously. "your last wish nearly killed me, and if any more wishing is to be done, i'll attend to it myself." "but how can you unscrew, or even touch your own horn all by yourself?" inquired handy reasonably. "you see, you need my hands, and i need your horns." throwing back her head, handy burst into a loud chuckle, thinking how comical she would look if she actually wore nox's golden headgear. "oh, why not go on the way we started?" said the ox querulously. "i'd rather travel on my feet than my horns any day, and had you noticed, handy, that these rocks are purple? your river has carried us clear into the gillikin country where there are mountains galore and even a silver one for all we know." "yes, but is there anything to eat?" asked the goat girl in a hollow voice. "if those rude little topsies had just given us some breakfast." "i expect all they eat is spinach or turnips," sniffed nox, "and you would not have cared for either. well, at any rate we're even. you certainly turned the tide on them, m'lass." nox, who was beginning to feel more cheerful, began to shake all over. "i'll wager my tail they'll be more polite to travellers in the future." "well, as it all turned out so well, let's make another wish," proposed handy mandy practically. "let's wish ourselves out of here. no use scrambling over all these rocks, when all we have to do is to wish ourselves to the spot where your little king happens to be." "m-m-mm, m-m-m!" mused nox, half closing his eyes. "nothing is as easy as that, and i cannot help feeling--" "neither can i," said handy, and stepping briskly up to the royal ox, she gave his right horn a determined twist, at the same time saying softly: "i wish myself and nox with kerry, the rightful ruler of keretaria." nox twitched his ears nervously as his horn came off in the goat girl's best white hand and handy herself, with all her arms outspread as if she were a bird about to take flight, waited in rapturous expectation for her wish to take effect. but this time nothing at all happened. neither she nor the ox moved an inch. "there you are, i told you it wouldn't work," grumbled nox, looking at her crossly. "it's probably not magic at all." "oh yes it is," insisted handy, screwing up her eye and peering down into the hollow interior. "it gave us a river when we asked for it and you can't get away from that." "we certainly had a hard enough time getting away from it," agreed her companion. "come now, be a good girl, screw back that horn and let's be starting on." "but i just cannot understand why it grants some wishes and not others," muttered handy discontentedly. "when i was thirsty and wished for a river, i got a river--a-ha! i have it. this horn gives you things but does not take you places. now let's see, what do we need the most?" "breakfast," suggested the ox in an interested voice. "oats and apples for me, eggs, rolls and coffee for you. but for goat's sake be careful how you wish, m'lass. we don't want too much even of a good thing, and one can drown in coffee or smother in oats. remember the river and be exact as to size and quantity." "my--y, this wishing is dreadfully complicated." rubbing her forehead with one hand after the other, handy mandy prepared to order breakfast. first she screwed the right horn back on the head of the ox, then pursing her lips firmly, she spoke: "i wish for nox, two measures of oats and apples, for myself, two plates of eggs and rolls and one cup of coffee." turning the horn round till it came off once more, the goat girl almost held her breath as the two breakfasts were set promptly and noiselessly down on the rock at her feet. "now you're getting the idea!" happily nox advanced upon his breakfast. "say, isn't this simply manubious?" cried handy, snapping her thirty-five fingers for sheer joy. "why, nox, your horn is a real horn of plenty!" "and plenty of trouble if you don't watch your wishes," mumbled her partner, already up to his ears in oats. "oh, i'll be careful, never fear," promised handy, screwing the horn back on its base and falling upon her breakfast with a right good will and appetite. "won't the eyes of the villagers at home stick out when i tell them about this?" "yes, provided you ever get home," observed the ox, who seemed always to take a dark view of the future. but handy mandy, popping the last of the biscuits into her mouth, scarcely heard him. now that they need no longer worry about provisions for the journey, she felt that they would safely reach the silver mountain wherever it might be, rescue the little king from his enemies and restore him to his throne. then after seeing all she wished of the marvelous country of oz, she would return to mt. mern and startle the country folk with the amazing story of her travels. "come along," she called gaily. "let's climb out of here." with some astonishment they watched the empty containers and dishes vanish away, and then saying very little but thinking a great deal, the two adventurers began to scramble up the rocky sides of the gorge. chapter handy mandy learns about oz! handy, who had climbed up and down mountains all her life, reached the top of the gorge first and with her various hands tugged nox up the last steep incline. "so--this is the gillikin country!" panted the goat girl, staring away over the heather covered highlands. "now about the natives, do they spin, bounce or tumble?" "that, i really couldn't say," gasped nox, leaning against a tree to regain his wind, "but as you can see, my girl, all the hills, trees and vegetation shade from violet to purple. lovely color, purple!" "i suppose purple would appeal to a royal ox like you." resting her hands on her hips, handy mandy squinted critically about her. "now as for me, i prefer the more cheerful colors, red, yellow or green, for instance." "then you'd like the quadling and winkie countries," murmured nox, nibbling languidly at the tops of the heather, "or the emerald city. we have all color countries in oz and a body can take his choice." "oh, we'll just take them as they come," decided the goat girl sensibly, "or at least, till we find your young master and this silver mountain. but tell me, nox, is each country in oz a different color and is there really an emerald city?" moving slowly through the heather the royal ox nodded his lordly head. "take that stick," he directed, coming to a ponderous stop, "and i'll show you how oz looks. see, on that level bit of sand there, just draw an oblong." quite interested, handy marked out an oblong with the point of the stick. "connect the corners," breathed the ox, lifting his forefoot complacently, "and what have you?" "four triangles," answered the goat girl promptly. "put a circle in the center where all the triangles meet." nox fairly radiated pride and importance as his geozophy lesson progressed. "then what?" demanded handy, the stick upraised in her rubber hand. "that's all!" tossing back his horns, the ox surveyed his pupil triumphantly. "simple, isn't it? that triangle on the west is the blue munchkin country we have just left, the triangle to the north is the purple gillikin country we are just entering. over there on the east, we have the yellow empire of the winkies and to the south the red lands of the quadlings. in the circle is the emerald city of oz, and surrounding the whole kingdom is a deadly desert of burning sand." "my--y!" marveled the goat girl, clasping all her hands but one behind her back, "the desert i crossed when i fell in keretaria?" "of course," answered nox, snapping lazily at a purple dragon fly. "mt. mern must lie to the west of oz, on the other side of the deadly desert. there are many countries beyond the desert, but i know very little about them as there are only oz maps in the castle at home." "then i suppose the king of keretaria is king of the munchkins?" said handy, looking thoughtfully down at her map. "oh, my, no!" the royal ox positively chuckled at such an idea. "keretaria is just one of the small countries of the west. cheeriobed is king of the munchkins and he lives in the sapphire city seventy leagues below our southernmost borderline. glinda, the good sorceress, rules all the small kingdoms in the quadling country, the tin woodman of oz is emperor of the winkies and jo king governs the gillikins. besides these, there are kings, queens and princes galore, but most important of all is ozma, the young fairy who lives in the emerald city, for ozma is supreme sovereign of the entire kingdom of oz." "dear--ear what a lot to remember," groaned the goat girl. "and all these other kings and queens have to do what ozma says? however does she keep track of them all? i'll bet they're worse than a flock of goats." "oh, she manages," said the ox, beginning to move slowly forward. "being a fairy and having a wizard right in her own castle, ozma knows what is going on without even turning her head." "even where we are going?" exclaimed handy mandy indignantly. "hi--yi--what a little busy-body. i just know i won't like her." "well, in that case she will just have to give up her throne and throw her crown out of the window, i suppose! better have a care, m'lass, you're speaking of a powerful fairy, you know." nox looked so stern as he went plowing through the heather, handy began to feel a little uneasy herself. "but how could a fairy in the center of oz see way off here?" she demanded scornfully. "magic, that's how!" explained nox, looking very calm and superior. "in her castle ozma has a magic picture that shows her everything she wishes to see." "i don't believe it," scoffed the goat girl, swinging all her arms recklessly, "and besides, why would she wish to see us and this particular piece of country at this particular minute?" "i'm sure i don't know," said the royal ox haughtily. "but i do say, be careful. there, what did i tell you!" framed in the woodwork of a small summer-house they were approaching was a large poster. "you are now in the land of oz," stated the poster, pleasantly enough. "be good to us and we'll be good to you. keep our laws and practice no magic, either for good or evil. by order of her imperial highness, queen ozma of oz." below was the bright green seal of oz and a picture of its pretty dark haired ruler. "why she's nothing but a little girl!" cried handy, positively aghast at such a state of affairs. "how could a little mite like that rule a whole country and be so bossy?" "oh, hush!" begged nox, rolling his eyes anxiously. "mite or not, ozma is a mighty powerful and important fairy." "well, we're pretty important ourselves," sniffed the goat girl, squinting at the poster with all her arms akimbo. "and besides," handy lifted her chin defiantly, "we've broken the law already when we used your gold horn of plenty. 'practice no magic.' hoh! what does she expect us to do with good magic right at hand--starve? but, ho ho! we can get around that, old toggins. after all, we are not practicing magic, we don't have to practice it--our magic is perfect, so put that in your pipe and smoke it miss ozma to bozma." snatching up a rock in each of her seven hands, handy flung them hilariously over a clump of prune trees. (yes, prunes already wrinkled grow in the land of oz.) there was an uncomfortable little silence after handy's rash outburst, then a perfect tempest of shrieks and screeches. "now, see what you've done," gulped the ox, switching his tail nervously. "quick, quick, jump on my back and we'll rush by. these chaps look dangerous." "why, they have hook noses!" sputtered handy, too startled to move, as a band of kilted highlanders came racing down toward them. the noses of these singular hill-men were long and thin, curving out and up far above their foreheads. on these hooks hung dangerous looking rings almost as large as barrel hoops. while handy was wondering what they could be for, the nearest hooker pulled a ring from his nose and flung it with all his might at her head. "up. up!" bellowed nox, pawing the ground in his agitation. "are you going to stand there till you are pegged like a top?" the iron ring missed handy by mere inches and grasping nox's horn she pulled herself to his back. there were about sixty of the hook noses, and swinging to the left, nox tried to skirt the war-like tribe, but they were too quick for him, and spreading out in a long line they began hurling their wicked whizzing weapons. one caught neatly on the horn of the royal ox, another hit handy a horrid blow on the knee, and as nox, snorting and furious turned to run, a dozen more came whanging down about their ears. dodging left and right, handy mandy leaned forward and began to unscrew nox's right horn. "'be good to us and we'll be good to you!' hoh! like fun you will!" muttered the goat girl, catching six of the flying missiles in her clever hands and tossing them back with all her might. "take that and these and them and those!" pulling off the ox's horn with the only hand she had left, she added desperately, "i wish a barrel of molasses over the head of each hook nose in this band. cats, bats and billy goats! they've got me!" and they had, too, for just as handy finished her wish, down flashed an iron ring pinioning her arms tightly to her sides. still grasping the precious horn, handy dug her heels into nox. "hurt?" grunted the ox, leaping forward. "not hurt, just hooked and humiliated, can't move a muscle," raged the goat girl. "but ha ha! neither can they! look!" nox, who had been bellowing too hard to hear handy's wish or miss his horn glanced back hurriedly. "why! what's come over them?" he wheezed in astonishment. "who snuffed them out with barrels and what's that sticky fluid running all around?" "molasses," handy told him with extreme satisfaction as she tried vainly to wriggle out of her ring. "i wished barrels of molasses on their heads and we'd better dash on while they're stopped and stuck with it." "then you've been breaking the law again," reproached nox, dodging in and out and around their frantic enemies. "well, as between broken heads and broken laws, i choose the laws. besides, look what they did to me!" exclaimed the goat girl indignantly. "i may never get this hoop off or be able to lift a hand again. nice people you have in oz, i must say." "if you hadn't hit them with stones, they wouldn't have hit us with hoops," nox reminded her sternly, at the same time breaking into a gallop to put as much distance as possible between himself and the troublesome gillikins. a few had managed to lift the barrels from their heads, but most of them were rolling over and over on the ground, half choked with rage and molasses. "when we stop i think i can help you," promised nox, looking anxiously at handy, who was now quite purple in the face from her struggles with the hoop. "just forget it, can't you, and think of the interesting people we are meeting. i'll wager you have no hook noses on mt. mern!" "i should say not!" sputtered the goat girl in disgust, and then realizing she was making no progress with the ring, sensibly gave up the attempt to free herself. somewhat comforted by the thought that the hook noses were probably as uncomfortable as she was, handy kept a sharp lookout for natives. if they ran into any more she wanted to be sure of seeing them first. but the rocky hills and glades were entirely deserted and at every step the way became more mountainous and lonely. nox, panting and wheezing from the long pull, slackened his pace to a walk. handy mandy with some difficulty managed to dismount, and the ox slipping his horn under the offending ring, gently forced it upward till the goat girl was able to wiggle free. then together they climbed up the flinty inclines--up and up till they came to a wide ledge and a sparkling waterfall. here they had a drink without having to wish for one, nox sticking his head right into the water and handy cupping three pairs of her hands to hold enough to satisfy her thirst. "ho hum," sighed the ox, "i wonder how much farther we'll have to go before we can find anyone who can direct us to this silver mountain? i'm sure i saw some castles when we were below." "so did i," said handy, screwing his right horn back with a businesslike flourish. "my--y, seems a long time since we started from keretaria. do you suppose they have missed us yet?" "probably," yawned the ox, scratching his back against a rock, while handy, suddenly deciding she needed another drink, stepped close to the waterfall. but instead of quenching her thirst, the goat girl spilled water all over her feet. "nox! nox!" she screamed, jerking all her thumbs in his direction. "come! look here! there's a big hollow behind this waterfall--a high wall of rock with a door in it! i can see it!" "well," sniffed the ox, rubbing his back luxuriously, "does it say 'come in'? must we try every door we come to?" "yes," handy mandy told him firmly, "we must! where there's a door there's bound to be a door-keeper or at least someone who might tell us where we are. now then, i'll jump through the waterfall first and knock on the door. there wouldn't be room for you on the ledge until the door is open." "sounds risky!" objected the royal ox, putting back his ears. "what kind of people would live behind a waterfall? ask yourself that." but the goat girl, without stopping to ask herself anything, had already plunged through the misty sheet of water, and gasping and spluttering was hammering on the door with all seven of her fists. chapter the magic hammer there was no answer to handy's loud knocks, and pausing to catch her breath and blow on her fingers, the goat girl wondered what to try next. then, in spite of nox's warning bellow, she began to shove and push the wet planks with her shoulder. but that did no good either, so she felt in her pocket for something to use as a wedge. almost at once her fingers closed on the silver hammer they had ploughed up in keretaria. while the hammer would not do for a wedge, it would at least save her knuckles, so, lifting it high above her head, handy mandy brought it down with a resounding whack. a shower of silver sparks followed the hammer blow, and nox, peering through the waterfall saw a gnarled and crooked elf with a purple beard dancing madly round the startled girl. "_i am the elf of the hammer, who must do whatever you ask me to_," sang the elf between his high leaps and prances. "then open this door," directed handy, spinning round in a circle herself to get a good look at the little fellow. "my--y, how funny oz is! magic horns, topsies, hook noses and now _you_! don't tell me a little body like you can really open this great heavy door?" "_pick up the hammer and doubt no more-- himself, the elf, will now open the door._" in a daze handy mandy picked up the hammer and put it back in her pocket, and nox, thunderstruck by the whole proceeding thrust his head through the waterfall just in time to see the knobby little gnome push the door open with one thump of his brown fist. quick as a flash handy was on the other side. "come on! come on!" she called hoarsely to nox. "can't you see it's closing? oh mercy--ercy, do you want to leave me here all alone?" "yes!" snorted nox in an exasperated voice, but jumping as he snorted. "i'd like nothing better." as he came to 'better,' he landed on the other side of the waterfall and skidded through the open door into the mountain. he had just time to tuck in his tail, when the door with an ominous creak slammed shut. "_now_, see what you've done!" gasped nox, eyeing the gloomy interior with distaste and foreboding. "i--thought--you--were going to be a help to me and all--puff--splutter--you do is get me into trouble! what sort of place is this anyway?" "a c-c-ave," quavered handy, wrapping all her arms tightly round herself. "my--y, it's so high--igh, i can hardly see the top. where's that elf?" "gone!" sighed the ox, taking a cautious step forward. "but i expect he'll come back at the first tap of that hammer. all very puzzling if you ask me." "well, shall i call him back?" asked handy uneasily. "it's kinda lonely in here and maybe himself could tell us where we are." "better wait till we need him," advised the ox. "after all, we know we are in a cave, seems to be of silver rock, too. just cast your eye at those stalactites, m'lass." "so that's what you call 'em," the goat girl glanced curiously up at the silver icicles hanging in jagged points from the ceiling. "we have caves on mt. mern, but nothing like this." she looked apprehensively round the silent cavern, from which a perfect honeycomb of passageways branched off in all directions. "a fine place to get lost, i'd call it," she shivered, moving as close as she could to her companion. "what makes this lavender light? i see no lamps." "jewels!" confided the ox in a hushed voice. "see, there are hundreds of amethysts embedded in those rocks, each glowing like--" "an eye!" finished handy nervously. "and all watching us, i dare say. my--y, do you suppose anyone lives here? but they must--" unwinding her arms, handy suddenly began snapping all thirty-five of her fingers. "nox, nox!" she cried excitedly. "i've just thought of something!" "can't you think without shouting?" asked the ox, flashing his eyes suspiciously from left to right. "no," said handy triumphantly, "for this is something to shout about. look, old toggins, if this is a silver cave, why wouldn't a silver mountain be on top? all we have to do is open that door and start climbing again." "as i remember there was a sheer precipice back of the waterfall, how could we climb that? no, no! the best thing for us to do is to travel down one of the passageways and hope it will bring us out on the side of the mountain itself." "yes, but which one?" demanded the goat girl. "there are about a hundred it seems to me." "let's try that first one to the right," proposed the ox judiciously. their voices echoed and reverberated back and forth so uncannily in the big hollow cavern that almost without realizing it they began to talk in whispers and tread as softly as thieves in the night. half-way to their destination they stopped, rigid with horror and consternation. thumping footsteps were coming toward them from the labyrinth on the left. "someone does live here, after all," said the goat girl. "someone who weighs a ton. hark to that!" "watch yourself!" warned nox, planting all four feet and making ready to charge if the cave dweller proved unfriendly. "oh, my aunt--a giant!" with a shrill scream handy flung all her arms round nox's neck and buried her face in his shoulder. poor nox, nearly strangled by the goat girl's embrace could neither move nor speak and could scarcely breathe. with rolling eyes and quaking legs he watched the monster approach. the giant's body, almost ten times the size of a grizzly bear, was encased in a tight purple uniform with bells instead of buttons that jingled whenever he moved. he wore a huge silver helmet, and his neck, almost a foot long, kept darting up and down as he shot his head in this direction and that. "ho! there you are!" he roared, suddenly catching sight of the two travellers trembling together in the center of the cavern. "how dare you enter the cave of the king of the silver mountain without invitation or permission?" "then this really is the silver mountain!" marveled handy, twisting her apron nervously in her wooden fingers. "of course!" yelled the giant, thumping the floor with an enormous silver club. "and i, snorpus the mighty, am keeper of the hidden door. i am outkeeper for this whole mountain," he boasted truculently expanding his chest and looking complacently down at the two midgets at his feet. but something in his manner began to reassure the goat girl. "i'll bet he's dumb as he's big," she confided hurriedly to nox. then raising her voice and all of her arms, she called up loudly, "then you must indeed be strong and sturdy!" "oh, i am!" bawled the giant, twirling his silver moustache and fixing handy for a moment with his glittering eye. "snorpus the door keeper is strong as an ox!" there was something very peculiar about the eye of the giant. it seemed to revolve on a moving belt, peering out as it passed through the four wide open lids set at intervals round the top of his head, so that half the time he was looking the other way. "did you ever see an ox?" inquired handy politely as the eye of snorpus again flashed by. "no, but i'd like to," admitted the giant, shooting his head out to the side. "well, this is an ox," cried handy, tapping the anxious beast at her side with a rubber hand. "and if you are strong as an ox you are strong as nox and nothing much can stop you." "how strong is he?" asked snorpus, lowering himself stiffly to one knee in order to get a look at what he had first supposed to be a small and insignificant animal. "so strong," explained the goat girl impressively, as she pointed with all hands to the side of the cave, "that if he so much as bumped into that wall yonder, this whole cavern would collapse like a pack of cards." "then i hope he'll be very careful," faltered snorpus, taking out a huge silk handkerchief to mop his forehead. "it would annoy the king frightfully if you destroyed his cavern, and i might even lose my head and position here." "oh, he'll be careful," promised handy mandy generously. "he, being an ox, and you being strong as an ox, makes us all friends, doesn't it?" "i--i suppose so," muttered snorpus, tapping his knee uncertainly with his club. "but just the same, i am still the outkeeper and must do my duty at all hazards. at all hazards!" he shouted, standing up to give himself courage and puffing out his cheeks like a porpoise. "but you have done your duty," bellowed nox in a voice even louder than the door keeper's. "if we were outside the mountain it would be your plain duty to keep us there, but since we are already inside, you have nothing more to do with us. isn't that so?" lowering his head, nox made a little lunge at the giant's shins. and backing away, snorpus gave the pair several long puzzled looks. "well, then," he decided finally, "if i have nothing more to do with you, you had best come along to the king." "that is exactly what we wish to do," answered the goat girl promptly. "my, you _are_ brave, aren't you?" the giant's eye flashed for a moment in real admiration upon handy mandy, then, picking up his club, he began clumping away to the left. "now i wonder what he meant by that?" puffed nox, for they both had to run to even keep the giant in sight. "i don't know," gasped handy, "but never mind what he means. we still have your golden horn and the silver hammer and will manage somehow. but imagine getting right inside the silver mountain and never knowing it!" "yes, and we may go out the same way," predicted the royal ox gloomily, following the giant down the wide glittering corridor. "i never did like these tunnely places or people." chapter the king of the silver mountain "i hear water," worried handy as snorpus suddenly vanished round a bend in the corridor. "oh, dear--ear, i do hope we won't have to go swimming again." "then mind your manners!" warned the royal ox, giving his horns a little shake. "remember it is safer to keep on the right side of kings and giants, and if we are to learn anything about kerry we must be extremely patient and polite." a loud gasp interrupted nox's speech, for handy mandy, well in the lead, had also stepped round the bend. hastening to catch up with her, the ox, too, gave an involuntary exclamation of wonder and astonishment. the silver corridor had brought them into a second cavern, smaller than the entrance cave, but so light and lacy, so bright and beautiful, for once handy mandy stood perfectly speechless. the silver sides of the dome-shaped grotto had been carved to show all the historical figures and characters of ancient oz. wizards, giants, knights, witches, huntsmen, robbers, kings, queens and their patient subjects marched in a splendid procession round the walls. sparkling lavender sand covered the floor and a lake of shimmering quicksilver took up the entire center, lapping the shore with its swift soundless waves. on a small island of purest amethyst in the middle of this lake the king of the silver mountain reclined at ease. his back was toward the newcomers and he seemed lost in some deep and entirely satisfactory contemplation. "a king, if i ever saw one," breathed nox moistly in handy's ear. with a wordless nod the goat girl agreed, for in this long, indolent yet majestic figure handy felt she was seeing royalty for the first time. the unusual height of the silver monarch was at once apparent and his tight-fitting suit of deepest purple, without ornament save for his jeweled belt and sword, set off his handsome figure to the best advantage. his hair, of an astonishing thickness, was as silver as his cavern. when he turned his head, as he presently did at a little cough from snorpus, handy saw that his eyes were of a clear and piercing violet. quietly and without hurry, the silver king rose and, picking up his filigreed crown, set it firmly on his head. then, retrieving a long-stemmed pipe from a crevice in the rock, he established himself in a seat carved from the amethyst and looked inquiringly across at his visitors. "so," he whistled, his eyes sparkling with lively interest as they rested for a long moment on the goat girl. "two very, very clever travellers." "why do you say that?" blurted out handy, and was instantly overcome at her own boldness in speaking to so grand a person. "the fact that you are here in this cavern proves you are clever," answered the king, leaning over to fill his pipe in the quicksilver lake. "you have opened the door in the mountain that does not open; passed the impassable guardian and keeper of that door--snorpus!!" the king's pleasant voice changed so quick and cruelly, handy almost lost her balance. "what have you to say for yourself, you lazy bozwokel?" roared his majesty, his eyes flashing flinty sparks of purple. "i'll have you potted for this, potted and reduced to a smithering smith, do you hear?" poor snorpus, who could not have helped hearing the king's booming sentence, dropped to his knees and began pleading, explaining and blubbering all in the same breath. even nox, startled as he was, tried to put in a good word for him. but the muttering monarch, paying no attention to any of them, had lifted his silver pipe to his lips and an enormous bubble was rising from the bowl. handy, with chattering teeth, watched the bubble grow larger and larger, float off the pipe and hover over the unlucky head of the giant. as snorpus tried in vain to dodge, the bubble broke with the sound like a doomsday bell, enveloping him in a cloudy mist. when it cleared away, the giant was indeed reduced, coming now scarcely to handy's shoulder. "how about it, shall we run?" whispered the goat girl as the king began to blow another bubble. "boy, do i feel a draft!" "but he's not mad at us!" answered the ox, ducking nervously as the second bubble soared over their heads. "wait! be patient, remember the little king." as nox finished speaking the bubble sailed off and away down one of the silver corridors leading away from the royal cavern. presently they heard a bell ringing in the distance as the bubble broke, and before you could say pop robinson seventy silver-jacketed little bell boys came trotting into the cave. "take this poor failure to nifflepok and see that he is potted," directed the king sternly, setting down his bubble pipe. "have timano guard the mountain door and see that i am not disturbed. important matters have come up this morning, important matters!" "yes! yes! your highness! it shall be done, your excellency!" mumbled the bell boys, pushing poor snorpus ahead of them. "watch yourselves! watch yourselves!" warned the little giant as he was rudely hustled out of the royal presence. "now," smiled the silver king, positively beaming upon his visitors, "now we can proceed with our conversation. sorry to trouble you with this small matter, but discipline, as the old army officers will tell you, discipline must be maintained." "humph!" sniffed handy mandy under her breath, looking with dislike and disillusion at the royal figure on the rocks. "the giant was right, you're a fellow who'll bear watching." fortunately her words did not carry, and lazily glancing at them through his long purple lashes the silver king continued his speech. "since you have so easily entered my mountain," he observed blandly, "i assume you have some powerful magic treasure or appliance in your possession. am i right?" at the sudden forward lurch of the royal ox and handy mandy's surprised expression, the king gave a satisfied little nod. "fine!" he chuckled, rubbing his hands together briskly. "and now, let us waste no more time. who sent you? what have you to offer? as you doubtless know, the wizard of wutz pays well for magic treasures and formulas." "wizard!" choked handy mandy, carelessly clapping her iron hand to her forehead and knocking herself over backward. "wizard!" she repeated, dazedly picking herself up. "but i thought you were a king?" "i am both!" stated the owner of the cavern proudly. "i am king of the silver mountain and also the wizard of wutz, second in importance only to glinda and the wizard of oz. and, ha! ha! it won't be long before i am the only wizard, the sole, supreme and only wizard of oz! not long! not long!" again the silver king rubbed his hands exultantly together. "i have my secret agents in every kingdom in this country and even in the emerald city of oz," he told them impressively. "i already have the record book of glinda, the good sorceress, and many more of the magic treasures of oz, and soon i will have them all--all! my agents are clever and i have trained them well." "but i thought magic was against the law!" cried nox with an outraged snort. "i understood no one was allowed to practice magic but ozma, glinda and the wizard of oz!" "then why are you here?" demanded wutz sternly. "you have been practicing magic or you could not have entered this mountain. come, now, let us stop all this nonsense and get down to silver tacks and business. what have you to offer? who sent you--three, six, nine, five or eleven?" as you can imagine, this was perfect jargon to nox and the goat girl, but handy mandy, convinced by this time that the silver king was both sly and dangerous, resolved to fall in with his little supposition and see what would come of it. "nine sent us," she answered boldly, while nox looked across at her in perfect stupefaction. "you don't say! i rather thought you came from the munchkin country," mused the wizard. "something in the way the ox talked, though you, yourself, are not a native ozian?" "no!" handy said noncommittally, and rather pleased she had chosen nine, since this number had something to do with the munchkins. "did nine say anything about the silver hammer?" asked the king, twinkling his eyes at the goat girl. "he told us nothing," stated handy quite truthfully, this time. "that's nine for you," fumed the king discontentedly. "he's the slowest and most unsatisfactory agent i have. two years searching for that hammer and no report yet. i've a good notion to kick him out and put little king kerry back on the throne. a bargain's a bargain and i've kept my part. besides, i've got to have that hammer before i can make myself supreme ruler in oz. why, it's the second most important magic in the four kingdoms!" at this surprising statement handy pricked up her ears. "what did you say about kerry?" panted nox, almost stepping into the quicksilver lake at mention of the little king. "nothing. i was talking about nine," scowled the wizard. "if that fellow does not show some action soon, i'll--i'll--" the king clenched his fists and looked so terribly angry that handy was afraid he was going to blow bubbles again. but instead he glared across the lake and demanded impatiently, "well, if you didn't bring the silver hammer, what did you bring?" "a magic flower," explained the goat girl hurriedly, and before nox could give away the fact that they did have the silver hammer. she could guess from the expression in his eye that he was about to offer the hammer in exchange for kerry. "a flower!" bawled wutz, his face turning from red to purple. "my caves are full of flowers, frosted silver lilies, long-stemmed sterling roses, daisies and violets with jeweled centers. i can grow any kind of flower i wish. how dare you take up my time with a flower! pah! go back and tell nine he had better look out--he's flirting with dismissal and destruction." "but this flower saves you from injury when you fall," stammered handy, heartily wishing she had never got herself into such a controversy. "fall!" sneered the silver king, simply bounding off his throne. "i never fall!" and had hardly finished speaking before he caught his toe on a jutting amethyst and pitched headlong to the rocks. horrified, and without waiting for the irate monarch to regain his feet, handy and nox began to run toward one of the outgoing corridors, the goat girl colliding as she ran with a plump little dignitary in a jeweled robe and high hat. "your highness! your highness!" puffed the little fat man, stopping long enough to glare at handy mandy. "at last our efforts are to be crowned with success! five has but this moment arrived with--with--" "with what?" demanded the king, springing lightly as a cat to his feet. "with a jug," exulted the little fat man, tossing his high hat into the air. "with a jug that was rug and the magic picture of queen ozma herself." "ah, splendid!" beamed the monarch, who could turn his smiles and rages on and off like electric lights. "that will be a lesson to those emerald city-ites!" then suddenly remembering handy and nox and his undignified fall, he shouted shrilly: "stop those imposters! stop them, nifflepok, and lock them up in the prison pits till i have time to demolish them. hah! we'll pot the ox's tongue, make soup of his tail, saddles and boots of his hide and use his head for a hat rack. as for that seven-armed monstrosity, she shall work in the polishing caves for the rest of her stupid life." "i'll polish your nose first!" promised handy, shaking all her fists at the king. "better come quiet," warned nifflepok, looking so worried handy felt a little sorry for him. "wutz'll blow bubbles if you make him too mad, and that'll be much worse than being locked up, you know." "oh, let's go with the little high-hat," groaned nox, blinking his eyes at handy to remind her they still had his horns and the silver hammer. "for my part, i'd like a little peace and quiet." "take 'em away! take 'em away!" ordered the king, stamping up and down his rocky island. "send in five! send in five at once!" "come along, then," said nifflepok, being careful to keep out of the way of nox's horns. "come, give me your hand, maiden. not that one! not that one!" he howled dismally as the goat girl clasped his outstretched fingers in her iron hand. "let go! let go!" "let's go! let's go!" chuckled handy mandy mischievously. and squealing with pain the little minister hurried them down a long dim passageway. chapter down to the prisoners' pit! "oh! oh! give me another hand and i'll do my best to help you," sputtered nifflepok, as handy mandy ruthlessly continued to squeeze his fingers. "we'll help ourselves, thank you," retorted the goat girl tartly. then relenting a little, she relaxed her hold, for she could not help pitying nifflepok and all the subjects of this cruel king. "where are these prison pits?" she asked impatiently, for she was anxious to be alone with nox. "if you are going to lock us up, do hurry along with it." "yes, yes, absolutely yes!" moaned nifflepok, glancing nervously over his shoulder to be sure the white ox was not going to tread on his heels. "you'll be there in no time, no time at all," he assured them earnestly. "step over here, please." moving a sliding door in the wall of the corridor, the king's assistant waved them toward a smooth wheelless silver carriage. it looked to handy a lot like an old-fashioned sleigh, and as there were seats in front and a space in back large enough for the ox, she let go nifflepok's hand and quite willingly climbed aboard. nox, grunting a little, stepped over the side and settled himself behind her. "well, goodbye," sniffed nifflepok, rubbing his bruised fingers tenderly. "you'll find everything you need below, not that you'll be needing anything," he added mournfully as he pulled out a silver switch. "goodbye, i'm sorry for you!" he shouted as the car with a lurch that almost loosened handy's teeth shot down a sliding runway to the deep pits of darkness below. now, you and i, who are used to scenic railways and have enjoyed the thrills of chute the chutes for years, would have been less startled by the wild dizzy leaps, the swoops, curves and climbs, and the sickening drops of the silver king's chariot. but neither the goat girl nor the royal ox had ever heard of a scenic railway, much less ridden in one, and the underground car of the silver monarch was more like a chute the chutes than anything else. sometimes the two travellers were in complete darkness, at other times they whirled by the narrow, well-lighted ledges of a queer cave city, where the subjects of the mountain king lived in cell-like apertures in the silver rock like the cliff dwellers of old. then without warning the car would plunge to the work caverns below, past the gloomy shafts of the silver mines, or dart up to the living quarters and grottos of the king himself, caves so lavishly furnished and glowing with jewels, handy let out little shrieks of astonishment. in the king's subterranean gardens, silver swallows bathed in the silver fountains, silver maples rustled their lacy branches in the lavender-scented breezes, silver-petalled flowers with jeweled centers grew as riotously as daisies and buttercups in the upstairs world. the mountaineers themselves, working listless with pick and shovel in the mines, or walking soberly along the ledges beside their little cliff dwellings, seemed undersized and unhappy to the goat girl. not that she caught more than a flying glimpse of them as the silver car tore by. in fact, she was so frantically busy holding on to the front rail of the car with all her various hands and catching her breath after each dizzy swoop, that her mind was in a perfect whirl. the groans and snorts of nox were far from reassuring, but afraid to look back lest she herself be flung out, handy clung desperately to the rail wondering when the wild ride would end and where under the mountain the silver car was taking them. the last words of nifflepok rang unpleasantly in her ears and as they raced by a cave marked "potters den" the goat girl positively shuddered. here, set out in vast silver pots and buried to their chins in the silver earth, were scores of the king's pale-faced prisoners. a grim-looking gardener was watering them from a milk can, and from the hungry way they lapped up the few drops that fell to them, handy concluded that this was probably their only food. "first i shot over a mountain, and now i'm shooting through one!" moaned the distracted goat girl, trying to collect her spinning thoughts and faculties. "oh, my--y, we're going to pot for sure. oh, this time we are really done for!" then all at once handy's good common sense began to assert itself. and as their strange chariot with a sudden increase of speed and power again dashed down into the darkness, she snatched the precious blue flower from her pocket and at the exact moment the silver car turned over and flung them into space, handy began pulling the petals from the flower and letting them drift down ahead of her own rapidly falling body. it was just light enough for her to see nox, with bristling horns and quivering nostrils, fall past, when she herself started to turn so many and such dizzy somersaults she lost all count of time and distance. chapter prisoners of the wizard what seemed to be hours later, though in reality it was only a few moments, the two luckless prisoners found themselves side by side on a heap of soft blue flower petals. they were in a small circular pit with one amethyst burning dimly in the grating that covered the top. the goat girl had no recollection of her final landing and gazing up at the grilled ceiling wondered dully how they had come through without being cut to pieces. "it tilted," wheezed the royal ox, answering the unspoken question in handy's eyes, "just tilted and slid us down. a fortunate thing you kept that magic flower, m'lass. ha--rumph!" weakly and still trembling in every limb, nox tried to rise, but his legs gave way beneath him and for a good fifteen minutes he and the goat girl rested on the flower petals saying never a word. the tapping of footsteps in the corridor brought handy quickly to her feet and as nox managed to heave himself upright, the blue petals vanished, leaving only a tiny flower on the floor. handy had just time to stuff it into her pocket when an invisible door in the side of the pit opened and twelve depressed workmen in silver cloth caps and overalls stepped inside. they carried brooms, mops and dust pans and stood staring in dismay at the seven-armed goat girl and angry-looking ox. "we--we were sent to brush up!" stuttered the first workman, touching his cap uneasily. "but--there--seems--" "to be nothing to brush!" finished handy sarcastically. "sorry to disappoint you. now get out!" ordered the goat girl furiously, and seizing buckets, brooms and mops from their nerveless fingers, handy pummeled them left and right with her seven hands. "get out and don't come back till christmas," she panted, as the workmen, tumbling over one another, clawed open the door and banged it to behind them. the knob was on the other side of the pit and not even the edges of the door were now visible. "what a place!" groaned handy mandy, leaning dejectedly against the side of their prison. "what a king! and he looked so nice!" grieved the goat girl, sliding down to a sitting position and holding her head in all of her hands. "never mind," said the ox, settling on the floor beside her. "he hasn't gotten the best of us yet. it was pretty clever of you to remember that flower, but what i can't understand, is why you did not tell him at once that we _did_ have this silver hammer he is so anxious to possess? then we could have traded the hammer for the release of kerry." "i don't trust him," answered the goat girl somberly. "why i wouldn't trust that wizard as far as a goat can butt. didn't you hear him say the hammer was the second most important magic in oz? didn't you hear him say he was stealing and planning to steal the best magic from all the four kingdoms to make himself supreme ruler of oz? well, now that five has brought him this jug-a-rug or whatever it is and ozma's own magic picture he's probably well on the way to realizing his ambitions. but he's not going to get our silver hammer. i found it, and i'm going to keep it, for it's far safer with me than with him. do you suppose we're going to help an old bozzywog like that? what good would it do to put kerry back on his throne if wutz is to be ruler of oz? he'd probably pot all the kings and keep everything for himself." "very probably," agreed nox, wagging his head mournfully. "but what are we to do? are we an army to fight a mountain full of silver moles and minions, are we magicians to risk our necks with this wizard? besides," nox's face grew thin and anxious, "if wutz has treated kerry the way he has treated us, the boy needs us right now and this very minute." "but didn't you hear him say he'd put kerry back on the throne if nine did not soon find the hammer?" put in handy patiently. "that proves the little king is still here, and safe. of course we must find him and get him out of this miserable mountain, but we're not going to give wutz our hammer or any help at all, and he can put that in his silver pipe and blow bubbles till he bursts," said handy vindictively. "now the thing to do is to rest and eat, and then set ourselves to find the way out of this pit and this mountain. wutz and nifflepok think we're all swept away by this time. besides, they'll be too busy talking with five to bother us. so first to eat and then to think!" proposed handy in a businesslike manner. "perhaps you're right," sighed the ox, "but i'll not have an easy moment till we're out of this magic mountain. that ride!" nox lashed his tail and rolled his eyes at the mere thought of their dash down the underground railway. "did you ever experience anything like it in your life?" "well," grinned handy, "it's one way of seeing the country, i suppose. but let's not look back, old toggins, let's look ahead. remember we still have the dwarf of the hammer on our side and when we are ready to leave he'll surely show us the way." "not before i put a few gores in that wizard's pants and plans," rumbled nox belligerently. "i'll teach him to take liberties with the royal ox of keretaria." "hi--yigh! that's the old oz spirit!" cheered handy, reaching out to touch his golden horn. "horn, dear, just serve two dinners, and no fooling." unscrewing nox's horn of plenty as she spoke, the goat girl held it quietly in her wooden hand. and there was certainly no fooling about the two splendid dinners the horn delivered in answer to handy's wish. never had she eaten a more appetizing repast and half of the prison pit was taken up by the fresh hay, fruit and grains brought to satisfy the hunger of the royal ox. so, forgetting for a time their awful danger and their disagreeable imprisonment, the two adventurers refreshed themselves, and after the dishes and containers had disappeared, settled down to evolve some plan to outwit the wizard of wutz. chapter in the emerald city of oz ten days before the goat girl left mt. mern, a weary and footsore pilgrim arrived in the emerald city. at least, he gave that impression to all who saw him shuffling with his long staff and beggar's cup along the shining streets of the capital. the man's head was clean shaven and his small cap, coarse belted robe and sandals marked him as a monk of some old and ancient order. he nodded gently to each person he passed, and seemed, in spite of his many years and wrinkles, innocent and harmless as a child. the splendor and magnificence of the capital astonished and bewildered the old gentleman and in a sort of stupefied disbelief he stared at the emerald studded streets and houses, and gazed up at the lofty peaks and spires of the royal palace. and this was not strange, for of all the fairy cities out of the world, the emerald city of oz is the most dazzling and beautiful. but its citizens are kindly and simple, for all that, and many stopped to drop emeralds in the pilgrim's cup and ask him if there was anything else that he needed. to all he mumbled in a strange and indistinguishable tongue and seeing that he was bound for the palace, and sure that ozma herself would know best how to deal with him, the emerald city-ites let him go his way unmolested. the afternoon was warm and pleasant, and ozma and some of her favorites were having a lazy game of croquet in the royal garden. the click of the gold mallets as they tapped the gold balls presently attracted the attention of the old wayfarer, who paused to peer curiously over the hedge. the simple summer dresses of the girls in the garden seemed out of all keeping with their majestic surroundings. except for ozma's frock, which was longer, the emerald crown on her dark curls, and the golden circlets worn by her three companions, they might have been any four little girls playing croquet in a garden. but all around were the unmistakable signs of rank and royalty. at ease under a lime tree stood a tall soldier with green whiskers leaning on his gun. three footmen in satin uniforms stood stiffly beside an emerald topped tea table, ready at a moment's notice to serve ozade and frosted cake. on a gold bench nearby, a straw stuffed scarecrow was quietly reading the paper, and walking arm in arm down a little path talking composedly together were an energetic little man with a bald head and a curious fellow who seemed to be constructed entirely of copper. to all who are familiar with the quaint and merry folk at ozma's court, there would be nothing odd about a live scarecrow or a mechanical man, and most of us would have recognized ozma's companions at once as dorothy, betsy and trot, three mortal girls who long ago came to live in the royal palace. it was dorothy who had discovered the scarecrow on her first visit to oz, lifting him down from his pole and traveling in his gay and carefree company all the way to the emerald city. in those days the wizard of oz had been ruler of the country, he himself having flown in a balloon from omaha. astonished by the circus tricks of this little fellow, the ozians believing him to be a real wizard, made him their sovereign, and under his wise rule and direction, built the now famous city of emeralds. the sight of dorothy had made the humbug wizard homesick, and after presenting the scarecrow with a fine set of brains, he flew off to america in a balloon of his own construction, leaving the straw man to rule in his place. afterward, when ozma was disenchanted and proved to be the rightful ruler of oz, the scarecrow had cheerfully resigned. but he still spends most of his time in the palace and is one of ozma's most trusted friends and counselors. later the wizard himself returned to oz and this time took up the study of magic with such zeal and earnestness he was soon famous from one end of the country to the other. this made him exceedingly valuable to the young fairy ruler, and he, like the scarecrow, is an old and honored member of ozma's cabinet. it was the wizard who was now talking so earnestly to tik tok. the metal man was another of dorothy's discoveries. she met tik tok on her second visit to oz and brought him to the emerald city for safe keeping. tik tok, made by the firm of smith and tinker, is a completely mechanical man and a loyal and dependable citizen when he is properly wound up and oiled. betsy and trot, like dorothy, arrived more or less by wind, wave and accident in the land of oz. they liked it so well and proved so gay and amusing, ozma begged them to stay with her and dorothy in the green castle and help rule the many merry kingdoms that make up her wonderful empire. this they were only too happy to do, so here they are, princesses in their own right and living in the most gorgeous city out of the world. besides the celebrities in the garden, there are numerous other important people at ozma's court. for instance, there is herby, the medicine man, whose chest is really a medicine chest full of pills, cures and ointments. then there is scraps, a lively girl made from a patchwork quilt by a wizard's wife, and brought to life by the wizard; and there's pigasus, a flying pig. there's a doubtful dromedary, a cowardly lion, a hungry tiger, and dorothy's little dog toto; a glass cat belonging to scraps, a wooden saw horse belonging to ozma, an iffin whom jack pumpkinhead discovered near the land of barons, and a dozen more unique and unusual characters. the old pilgrim seemed to find the group in the garden surprising enough, for he watched them closely and silently for almost ten minutes, cupping his hand behind his ear in an endeavor to catch what the wizard was saying. "it is just as i have told you," the little wizard was remarking earnestly to tik tok. "the great record book of glinda has vanished from her castle without trace or reason and even with my powerful searchlight and looking glasses i have been unable to discover any signs of it. word of the theft came yesterday by pigeon post." "some-one has sto-len it for no good pur-pose," answered the metal man solemnly. but the old man leaning over the hedge heard none of this, for the two were conversing in low and guarded tones. so after a long puzzled look at the scarecrow the pilgrim took up his staff and shuffled along the gold pebbled path to the palace itself. a pompous footman in gold and green came to answer his timid knock at the door. "what name, please, what business, and why in the wood does a fellow like you come begging at the door of a castle?" inquired the footman in a loud displeased voice. "there, there, puffup," admonished a rosy-cheeked maid in a ribboned cap and apron, peering around the wide shoulders of the footman. "don't be so shouting proud. you've frightened the old gentleman half out of his wits. can't you see he is tired and hungry and probably in need of a lunch?" at the little maid's kind speech, the pilgrim bowed at least a dozen times, nodding his head energetically to show that she was perfectly right in her conjecture. "come along with you," urged jellia jamb, giving him a friendly wink. edging nervously past the muttering footman, the old beggar followed jellia into the castle's spacious and splendid dining hall. "wait right here and i'll bring you some cake and apple sauce, an omelette and a pot of tea," promised the obliging girl. "how will that be?" jellia jamb, who was ozma's own personal maid and a privileged character around the castle, grinned cheerfully at her ancient visitor, and though the old monk pretended not to understand a word that she said, he nevertheless seated himself at the table and with round eyes watched her skip through the swinging door into the pantry. no sooner had jellia disappeared, than the old rascal sprang nimbly to his feet and began to peer eagerly all around him. passing hurriedly over a rich gold service on the sideboard, he pounced upon an earthen jug on a crystal stand and tucking it under his robe, slipped silently as a shadow out of the dining hall, up the green carpeted stairs and straight into the private sitting room of ozma of oz. once there, and without losing a moment, he walked to the west wall, took down a large gold framed picture, blew upon it with a small glass tube, till it was no larger than a cake of chocolate--and thrust it into an inner pocket. then, holding his robe high above his skinny shins and with the jug clasped tightly in his arms, he galloped down the stairs and out an open window into the garden, reaching a large clump of snowball bushes without encountering anyone. hiding himself well in the bushes, he tore off the monk's robe, turned it inside out, dragged a white wig from his sock and presently emerged as dignified and plausible an old grandmother as any one would wish to see. the other side of his monk's robe was green and made up in a style much affected by old ladies in the capital, so that now he attracted no attention whatever. the jug in a large string bag dangled carelessly from his wrist, and smiling and nodding amiably he hurried through the garden, passed rapidly down one street and another, through the high city gates, on and on, till he was far out in the country walking faster and faster and less like a monk or an old lady at every step. chapter the robbery is discovered! "prunes and peppermints!" ejaculated the scarecrow, springing up from his bench as jellia jamb, with streaming eyes and cap ribbons, came flying across the garden. "peanuts and pretzels!" dorothy, about to hit the pole and win the game, dropped her mallet at jellia's fire siren screeches, while ozma and the others swung round in amazement as the little waiting maid, sobbing and panting, rushed into their midst. "oh, that beggar! oh, that pilgrim! that old monk, or whatever he was!" wailed jellia, wiping her eyes on the corner of her apron. "he's gone and stolen the jug, i mean rug, and oz knows what will become of us!" "there, there, my girl. stop crying! begin at the beginning and tell us just what happened," begged the scarecrow, patting jellia clumsily on the shoulder. "but this is serious, very serious," muttered the wizard, who had at once realized the importance of the little maid's news. "if ruggedo is released from that jug and enchantment, he'll be up to his old tricks in no time and doing anything in his power to hurt and destroy us." "but who could have known we turned ruggedo into a jug, or where the jug was kept? and why would anyone steal an old earthenware pitcher when there are so many other rare and beautiful objects in the palace?" ozma, looking anxious and troubled, seated herself on the bench beside the scarecrow. "the same person who knew the value of glinda's record book and stole that," answered the wizard gloomily. "dark forces are at work in oz, my dear, dark forces. just how did this rascal look, jellia?" "like an old monk with a beggar's cup," said the little maid with a sorrowful sniff. "he seemed so poor and hungry i went off to get him something to eat and no sooner was my back turned than he grabbed the jug and ran off--though he shuffled slowly enough when he came into the palace." "disguised, of course," observed the scarecrow, raising one eyebrow, "and no more a monk than i am. but what was he monkeying round here for? and what could he want with that jug, even if he knew it was the old gnome king? really, you know, you shouldn't let perfect strangers into the palace, jellia." "just what i was telling her," wheezed puffup, breathlessly adding himself to the group on the lawn, "and i hopes this will be a lesson to you, miss." "if we just knew where the old villain came from," worried the wizard, tapping his fingers absently on tik tok's copper arm. "or where he was going," finished dorothy, pushing back her crown. "why not look in the ma-gic pic-ture?" proposed the machine man calmly. "the pic-ture would show us where he is now." "of course it would!" ozma rewarded tik tok with a bright smile, and jumping up, the little fairy hurried across the garden and into the palace with the others just a few steps behind her. but when they reached the small sitting room where the magic picture was hung, of course it was not there, and now in real distress and consternation they all sat down to discuss the mysterious forces working against them. "i thought ruggedo was the only enemy i had left," sighed ozma, leaning wearily back in her satin tufted arm chair. "i thought when we turned the gnome king to a jug, all our troubles would be over." "who-ev-er stole the jug knows that rug-ge-do was once the pow-er-ful me-tal mon-arch who tried a-gain and a-gain to con-quer oz," rasped tik tok in his slow and precise fashion. "right!" agreed the wizard, striding up and down with his hands clasped behind his back. "and whoever stole that jug and the magic picture plans to disenchant the gnome king and learn from him the best way to destroy us. but that will be pretty difficult," asserted the little wizard, thrusting out his chin. "that transformation was one of the best you ever made, my dear ozma, one of the best. it will take a pretty smart wizard to turn that jug back to rug again." "whoever stole the jug and ozma's magic picture was pretty smart," betsy bobbin reminded him seriously. "and without the picture how're we going to find out who it is? can't you do something, wiz dear, or do we just have to sit around and wait to be conquered?" "i shall go to my laboratory at once," decided the wizard importantly, "and there by some magic means i'll try to discover who is at the bottom of all this wretched plotting and thievery. lock up the magic treasures in your safe, ozma, especially the gnome king's magic belt, and have them guarded day and night." briskly the little wizard rushed out of the room, returning in a moment to repeat gloomily, "day and night!" "and i'll go and drill the army," declared the scarecrow, stepping recklessly out an open french window and falling flat, but undaunted, in a flower bed below. "and i'd better call tige and the cowardly lion," said dorothy, who had always found the lion a splendid fighter in spite of his cowardice, and the hungry tiger, ready at the drop of a handkerchief to protect his royal patrons with tooth and claw. "they can sit right here beside the safe and i'd just like to see anyone get by them!" "maybe it will be someone they cannot see," shivered betsy, peering out into the darkening garden. "oh, my, isn't it too exciting!" trot, bouncing up and down on a small sofa, leaned over to touch ozma on the knee. "it reminds me of the time ugu the shoemaker stole all the magic treasures in oz. remember?" ozma, looking at the space where her magic picture had hung, nodded her head sorrowfully, saddened and sobered by the thought that she still had dangerous and unscrupulous enemies in oz. chapter the pilgrim returns to the mountain travelling northward by foot and as quickly as he could, number five had come to the silver king's mountain just a few moments after nox and handy mandy. now, dressed in the silver armor and helmet worn by all the wizard's m-men, he waited in great agitation for the wizard to appear. nifflepok had at once taken five to the den where wutz carried on all his magic experiments and kept his valuable treasures, and quite sure none of the other agents had been as successful as he, five paced impatiently up and down, fancying himself already co-ruler with the wizard in oz. "so, there you are at last!" entering from an invisible door in the back of his work shop, wutz stared coldly at five. "well, what trash is that you have stolen?" was asked, finally. the wizard always pretended the discoveries of his agents were of little use and importance. and when five, completely taken aback and crestfallen, began to explain the wonderful properties of the magic picture and the fact that the old jug had once been the powerful king of the gnomes, the silver monarch cut him short. "yes, yes, but just see what seven has brought," he told him gloatingly. "seven, by a trick known only to himself, has stolen and transported to our mountain the great record book of glinda the good sorceress!" following the direction of the king's imperious finger, five gazed jealously at a huge volume chained with golden chains to its marble stand. "in that book," went on the wizard quickly, "everything that ever happened in oz is recorded, not only everything that has happened, but everything that is happening. you can see the entries appearing at this very minute on the open page." "i see, i see!" five scarcely glanced at the record book. "but this magic picture shows you any person you desire to look at. with this picture and the help of the powerful gnome king, now disguised as a jug, we can soon make ourselves rulers of oz. all we need to do is release ruggedo from his enchantment. i have been told by people in the emerald city that ruggedo is familiar with all the magic secrets of ozma and the wizard of oz, and is, besides, a skilful magician himself. once we have disenchanted him, everything will be easy." "we? we?" sneered wutz, who secretly agreed with five, but would not give him the satisfaction of knowing it. "well, put the picture there on that stand so i can examine it. show us this silly ruler of oz who sets herself above all other rulers," he ordered sharply. "where is she now and what is she doing?" then, though the wizard and five and nifflepok, who had come noiselessly into the workshop, gazed into the canvas till their eyes stung and watered, not a single figure appeared to enlighten them. "hah! a hoax!" raged the silver king, rushing at five and shaking him till his armor rattled. "how dare you fool me in this dangerous manner?" "but it's not a hoax," screamed five as soon as he could speak. "it worked perfectly well in the castle." "perhaps it was hurt when you reduced it to carry it here," put in nifflepok nervously. he was always trying to keep peace between the cruel king and his subjects. "perhaps it only obeys the commands of ozma, its rightful owner. and remember, you still have the jug and the magic record book. the record book might even explain about the picture," he suggested hopefully. "i thought so, it says here: 'the magic picture and rug, the jug, have been stolen from the castle of ozma of oz by an agent of the silver king.'" "there!" exclaimed five, brushing himself off indignantly. "i told you it was the one and only picture." "yes, but what good is it to me if it doesn't work?" scoffed the wizard. "i'll not have you potted this time, five, but next time don't bring me damaged goods and old jugs, bring something of real value." as five, red faced and furious, jerked himself out of the king's presence, wutz turned joyfully to nifflepok. "getting on, old tubbykins, we're getting on! without that magic picture ozma will not be able to trace her stolen property, and without the record book, glinda will not be able to help her. so who's to stop us from stealing everything? everything!" exulted wutz, picking up the earthen jug and waving it over his head. "but do you think it wise to treat our agents so shabbily?" sighed nifflepok. "they might betray us, you know." "oh, no, they won't," sniffed the wizard, grinning broadly at his anxious little assistant. "the way i treat them is perfectly all right, keeps them on their toes, and with each trying to outdo the other we get the best results." "well, i hope you're right," nifflepok still looked unconvinced. "but i cannot help thinking--" "out of your line, niffy; just leave the thinking to me. now fetch me my magic blower, there's a good fellow, till i see what can be done with this jug. it may take some time and doing to release this ugly little gnome. by the way, did you pulverize those meddling munchkins?" "oh, yes!" nifflepok nodded his head with a little shudder of distaste. "i shot them down into the prisoner's pit just as your majesty commanded." "that's strange." the wizard in crossing the den to fetch a glass test tube had paused for a moment beside the book of records. "it says here, 'the goat girl from mern and the royal ox are in the silver king's mountain planning to release the little king of keretaria.' so that's what brought them here?" mused the wizard softly. "now, then, nifflepok, something must have slipped up instead of down. if your prisoners were powdered or pulverized, how could they be planning and plotting?" "they must have some powerful magic to help them," muttered nifflepok, "or how could they have survived that fall?" "better find out, my dear fellow. go spy on those munchkins, and if their magic is important or worth while, come back and tell me. and in the future be more careful how you carry out my orders and instructions!" the wizard's voice was still low and pleasant, but his eyes flashed so threateningly, nifflepok rushed out of the royal work den, flung himself in the silver car and went speeding down to the prison pits at the bottom of the mountain. chapter the wizard's bargain! while nifflepok had been interviewing five, handy and nox had been having a troublesome conference of their own. each plan they devised for finding the little king and escaping from the silver king's mountain proved impractical. to summon the hammer elf to release them from the prison pit would probably rouse the underground guards and minions of the wizard, and give wutz himself an opportunity to steal the hammer. to tap the hammer lightly and ask the advice of himself had next seemed a good idea, but as nox quickly pointed out, that, too, was dangerous. "in a wizard's den like this, anything can happen," groaned the ox, looking around with a gloomy eye. "how do we know we are not being watched at this very moment? if you so much as show that hammer, somebody may pounce in here and snatch it away, which will leave us with nothing to protect ourselves with in a last emergency--except that blue flower, my horns and your hands." handy did not like the sound of "last emergency," but even handy realized they would not escape from the mountain without some sort of battle. to the free and sun-loving mountain girl every minute underground was sheer torture. she longed for a breath of the pure upper air, and the unreal light and pale faces of wutz's underground citizens and workers filled her with pity and loathing. "of course, no matter how long they leave us here, your horn of plenty will keep us from starving, but if we don't soon find some way out, i believe i'll explode!" she choked in a desperate voice. "let's look at the message in that silver ball again," suggested nox unexpectedly. "are you sure you read it all, m'lass? there might have been directions on the other side." "i don't think so," said handy, shaking her head. then, because action of any sort was a relief, she deftly twisted off nox's left horn and tilted the silver balls into one of her always handy palms. the first ball when she opened it contained nothing further than the silver key. in the center of the second lay the same folded paper, but this time when handy unfolded the paper there was a new message inside. "wait!" cautioned the little slip of paper in small blue letters. "do nothing until the wizard appears." "oh," breathed the royal ox, touching the paper gently with his nose. "someone is helping us." "then i'd better keep this silver ball in my pocket," decided the goat girl, "where i can easily get it. in a tight corner i might not have a chance to unscrew your horn. dear--ear, how puzzling it all grows! so we're to hear from the wizard again. whist! what was that?" as handy, with her wooden hand, slipped the first ball back into the horn, with her leather hand screwed the horn back on nox's head and with one of her best white hands stuffed the second ball and message into her pocket, they heard agitated footsteps pattering along the outside corridor. after a tense moment, however, they died away, and exchanging a relieved glance, nox and handy settled down to wait for the wizard. the footsteps, as you have already guessed, belonged to nifflepok. peering in at them through an invisible window, the king's messenger had been just in time to see handy shaking the silver balls from the golden horn. without waiting to see what use they would make of this curious magic, nifflepok rushed back to inform his master. "they are wizards!" he panted, bursting unceremoniously into the silver king's den. "the magic is in the ox's horn. with my own eyes i saw the seven-armed maiden shaking silver balls from his horn." "what do _i_ care about silver balls?" snarled wutz, who was in a terrible temper. "if i had them here i'd bounce you over the head with them." the den was full of sulphurous smoke, but the earthenware jug still stood unchanged on the table before him. "the magic in the emerald city is still better than mine," hissed the silver monarch, his voice quivering with anger and disappointment. "i've tried every single formula in my book of incantations, every straight and crooked pass in the magician's manual, every powder and potion on my shelves, and this ugly jug is still a jug and nothing but a jug! what are we going to do?" he yelled furiously. "think of something, you noddle-headed pig! i must have the help of this little gnome king, but how'm i going to get him out of the jug?" "perhaps, with a little more time," faltered nifflepok, twisting his high hat nervously in his hands. "time! time!" exploded the wizard. "when did time ever break an enchantment?" snatching up a pair of silver pliers he flung them wrathfully at his assistant. nifflepok, fortunately for his head, caught the dangerous missile in his hat, and darting behind a tall cabinet, looked pleadingly out at his unreasonable master. "wait! wait!" he begged earnestly as wutz with a menacing frown took up his silver bubble pipe. "i have thought of something. make these munchkins break the gnome king's enchantment. they have passed all the hazards of our mountain unharmed. undoubtedly the girl is a sorceress and the ox a powerful magician in disguise. let them do this trifling service for your majesty in return for the useless captive we are holding for number nine." "hm--mmmm!" deliberately the silver monarch put down his pipe. "that's not a bad idea, niffle, not a bad idea at all." picking up the jug, wutz brushed rudely by his trembling little minister and hurried out of his workshop. a few minutes later, he stood bowing and smiling before the two travelers in the prisoner's pit. but warned by the message in the silver ball, his entrance through the invisible door neither frightened nor impressed handy mandy or the royal ox. "so here you are at last," exclaimed the goat girl, looking the silver monarch sternly in the eye. "and about time, too. how dare you imprison us in this miserable pit for no reason at all?" "oh, yes, there is a reason," stated wutz a little surprised at handy's defiance. "you broke into my mountain without invitation or permission and as you are nothing but a pair of trespassers, you certainly deserve imprisonment and even destruction." "nonsense," snorted the royal ox, lurching forward heavily. "we came here seeking a lost boy whom you are unlawfully holding captive. as soon as you release the little king of keretaria, we will take him and leave this mountain!" "and the sooner you tell us where he is, the better!" added handy, snapping her thirty-five fingers under the silver king's nose. "ah, you think so?" sneered wutz. "well, nothing is ever given for nothing in this mountain, but i may give you a chance to earn the boy's release. here in my hand is a jug, an ordinary enough looking jug. with the magic you have in your possession, you must transform this jug to its proper shape. if you succeed, you and the ox and the boy king of keretaria may leave my mountain unharmed. if you fail, ha ha!" the heartless wizard threw back his head and laughed uproariously. "if you fail, the walls of this pit will contract until you are--well, shall we say--obliterated? to keep your part of the bargain and perform this slight service i will give you _one half_ hour. here is the jug, and in case you fail, good-bye!" "good gillikins!" whistled nox, as the wizard strode through the invisible door and left them alone. "what does that fool think we are, wizards--magicians--necromancers?" groaning and snorting, he began to gallop round and round the hot little pit. "look out! look out! you'll break the jug," warned handy, snatching it up in her arms. "and for goat's sake stop that galloping! i'm dizzy enough as it is." "but you heard what he said?" lowed the ox, coming to a trembling stop beside her. "what are we to do? we know nothing of magic or magic transformations!" in their distress and excitement, they both forgot there might be a message to help them in the silver ball, and handy, taking the jug in one of her white hands, surveyed it with horror and curiosity. "it's so old and ugly now," said the goat girl slowly, "i'll bet it was something old and ugly to begin with. didn't nifflepok mention something about a jug that was a rug? maybe it's a rug, though more likely a rogue. say, i wonder if i broke the jug whether that would not break the enchantment?" "oh, no, no, no! don't do that!" begged nox, rolling his eyes in terror. "if you break the jug, the wizard will be furious, and how do you know what will break the spell? here, let me look at it." passing the jug rapidly from one hand to another, handy started to place it on the floor under nox's nose with her seventh and last hand, when a sudden and unexpected scream from the interior, made her drop it with a loud crash to the silver stones. "ouch! oh, stop! how dare you bang me around in this hateful manner?" up from the flying fragments of earthenware at handy's feet sprang a fierce little gnome with a long ragged beard, shaking his fists and howling like a child. "oh, my--y! i've actually done it!" quavered the goat girl, falling over against nox. "look! look! didn't i tell you it would be old and ugly?" the gnome, at handy's words suddenly stopped howling. "where am i? where am i? who am i?" he mumbled in a frightened voice. "well, i don't know who you are, but i'm afraid you're in a pretty bad place," said handy, straightening up to have a better look at her handiwork. "you're in the underground caverns of the king of the silver mountain, if you must know." "caverns!" beamed the gnome, his face breaking into a wide smile. "what's the matter with caverns? i love caverns, why i used to live in one myself. and who did you say i was?" "we don't know who you are," explained nox, in a cautious voice. "a moment ago and before handy took you in hand, you were nothing but a jug." "a jug?" pondered the gnome pulling his beard thoughtfully. "you mean to say i was a jug?" "maybe 'was-a-jug's' your name," volunteered the goat girl, now quite interested in her transformation. "no, not 'was-a-jug' but something like a jug. let me think--bug, hug, chug, mug, pug, rug-rug? that's it, that's my name, _ruggedo_!" shrieked the little gnome joyfully, "and now i know who i am!" "well, who are you?" inquired the ox, stretching his royal nose down toward the whirling gnome. "i, why, _i_ am the most important king on the other side of the desert!" shouted ruggedo exultantly. "i am the one and only metal monarch and ruler of all the gnomes! my caves and caverns under the mountains of ev sparkle with jewels and precious stones, mined by my faithful workers, and my grand army of gnomes outnumbers any army in oz." proudly the ragged little king thumped himself upon the chest. "oh, my! oh, me! oh, mercy--ercy! if you're as powerful as all that, maybe you'll help us!" cried the goat girl, clasping her hands eagerly. "help you? why should i help you?" the little gnome stared scornfully at the two occupants of the cave. "because she broke your jug and enchantment, you ungrateful little wretch!" snorted nox, lowering his horns. "and you don't look like a king to me, you just look like a plain ordinary wicked little ragamuffin, a rugamuffin!" he bellowed angrily. chapter out of the prison pit nox's angry words had a strange effect on the boastful gnome king. leaning dejectedly against the side of the pit, he drew his hand wearily across his forehead. "i remember now," he told them hoarsely. "i once was the powerful metal monarch, but that was before i fell into the hands of ozma and that wicked wizard of oz." "so it was ozma who turned you to a jug!" exclaimed handy with all her hands on her hips. "yes, and before that she deprived me of my kingdom, ducked me in a truth pond, marooned me for years on a desert island, struck me dumb, and then, when she could think of nothing worse, turned me to this jug!" screamed ruggedo, kicking at the fragments of broken china at his feet. "you and ozma have been enemies for a long time, then?" observed the ox, looking at the gnome with great disfavor. "yes, yes, ever since that girl dorothy stole my magic belt and gave it to ozma," raged ruggedo, stamping furiously up and down. "and every time i try to recover my own property, or capture those wretched girls and the emerald city, something goes wrong and they conquer me! the last time ozma turned me to a jug!" cried ruggedo, his voice rising to a shrill whistle. "well, what did you expect?" inquired handy mandy sharply. "that ozma would sit calmly on her throne and allow you to conquer her? my--y such goings on!" "oh, then you are friends of ozma?" said the gnome king suspiciously. "but no, you could not be her friends or you would not have broken the jug. who are you? the ox is usual enough, except for his golden horns, but you"--ruggedo's eyes grew round and anxious as he looked at the seven-armed goat girl, "_you_ are odd, aren't you?" "no, she's not odd!" snapped the royal ox severely. he had been through so much with the sturdy mountain lass, he felt almost as if they were related. "handy is just seven times as smart and seven times as handy as most people, that's all. and since her seven hands have served you pretty well, try to keep a civil tongue in your head, will you?" "oh, all right!" ruggedo scuffing his foot, looked sulkily from one to the other. "much obliged, i'm sure. but what in rockets are we doing in this miserable hole and what are we waiting for?" "for a fellow metal monarch and wizard," answered a smooth voice, and appearing as quietly as he had vanished, wutz stood calmly before them. "come with me, ruggedo, i have surprising news for you, comrade!" and without so much as a nod or "thank you" to nox and handy mandy, he linked his arm through the gnome's and drew him through the invisible door, slamming it viciously behind him. "hi--yi!" yelled handy mandy indignantly. "come back here! come back here! a bargain's a bargain, you old cheat and villain! we've kept our part and you shall keep yours! where have you hidden the little king of keretaria? let us out! let us out, you false faced rascal!" nox, as angry as handy, charged forward, butting his head against the exact spot where the wizard had disappeared. to his astonishment and joy the whole section of wall swung outward and he and the goat girl, rushing through, found themselves in a narrow dimly lit silver tunnel. "to think, to think we could have got out any time!" gulped the royal ox in a vexed voice. "the door was invisible but not locked. imagine that, m'lass!" "oh, i've other things to do," puffed handy, peering down the long passageway to see whether she could catch a glimpse of the two kings. "no use trying to imagine anything about this mountain, it's just plain bewitched and goblinish. but that wizard made us a promise and i'm going to see that he keeps it. come on!" "no! no!" said the royal ox, leaning weakly against the side of the tunnel. "i couldn't bear to look at him again, at least, not just yet. wait! i may think of something else! wait!" bellowed nox, as handy, in spite of his pleas, started off on a run. "there now, you've dropped something out of your pocket." "that silver ball," muttered handy, scooping it up without slackening her pace. "the ball! the _ball_?" exclaimed nox, galloping breathlessly to catch up with her. "oh, what muddle heads, _what_ muddle heads! it told us to wait for the wizard. quick, see what it says now?" "well, a lot of good it did waiting for that wizard," grumbled the goat girl; but nevertheless, she stopped and opened the silver ball. taking out the folded paper, she held it up toward an amethyst gleaming dully in the side of the tunnel. "follow me." directed the paper rather mysteriously. "but who does 'me' mean?" asked handy, as nox, still breathing heavily, read the message over her shoulder. "i don't see any me, do you? beans and butternuts! if you hadn't stopped me i'd have caught those villains by this time!" "and what good would that have done?" sniffed the ox impatiently. "remember there are two of them now, and that little gnome is worse than wutz and twice as dangerous." closing his eyes in an effort to concentrate, nox repeated over the message, "follow me! follow me! follow me! why of course, it's as plain as oats!" he snorted joyfully. "'me' means that ball. put the message back in the ball, set the ball down and then see what happens." and what happened, was amazing enough, for the silver ball, once it was on the floor of the tunnel began to roll rapidly along ahead of them, faster and faster and faster, till handy and nox had all they could do to keep it in sight. "where do you suppose it's taking us?" gasped the goat girl, thankful that so far the tunnel had been more or less straight and fairly well lighted. "to kerry," said the royal ox positively. "now watch that turn, m'lass. what's ahead? it's growing so dark i can't even see my own shadow!" "it's a flight of steps," whispered handy, gazing fearfully into the deep well of a circular stairway winding down into the darkness. they could hear the chink of the silver ball as it rolled from step to step, so, taking her courage in all hands, the goat girl, herself, began to descend. nox, grunting and muttering lugubriously, came just behind her. steps were difficult enough for the ox at any time, but negotiating a flight of circular steps in pitch darkness was terrifying and dangerous in the extreme. "be careful!" warned handy, looking up anxiously. "don't slip, or you'll break my heart." "more than that, i'm afraid," quavered the royal ox, setting his front feet cautiously on the step below while he balanced his hind quarters perilously on the one above. chapter wutz and the gnome king leave for the capital! meanwhile, wutz and ruggedo had shot up in the wizard's silver car and were now in earnest conversation together. "how in suds did that girl break your enchantment?" asked wutz, dropping irritably to his silver workbench. "i was watching her every minute through an invisible window and i didn't see her do a thing but break the jug. now why couldn't i have thought of that?" "oh, what does it matter?" ruggedo settled himself with a joyful little wriggle beside the silver monarch. "what does it matter so long as i am free and able to help you? so you really think you can make yourself ruler of oz?" he went on, glancing enviously round the wizard's well stocked den, with its tables full of magic apparatus and its shelves and shelves of dusty volumes of wizard and witch works. wutz had confided his plans and intentions to ruggedo on the ride up. "say!" exclaimed the gnome king suddenly, "how did you get glinda's record book? that's the most important treasure in her castle!" "of course!" lazily the wizard reached for his silver pipe. "well, it's a long story, rug, but i don't mind telling you that i have agents working in every kingdom of the country. seven, who was assigned to the quadling country, brought in the record book, smallifying it in order to steal and carry it here, and restoring it to proper size when it arrived. six and eleven have brought me useful magic from the winkies and gillikins, but five managed to steal ozma's own magic picture, and ha ha! since he couldn't find the gnome king's belt, he brought me the gnome king himself! pretty clever of him to discover you were a jug, eh?" "re-markable!" sighed ruggedo, as wutz paused to blow a silver bubble which floated out of the work den, breaking somewhere outside with a tinkling bell-like explosion. "two glasses of melted silver," snapped the wizard to a smart looking bell boy who came in answer to this singular summons. "now," continued wutz, looking at the gnome king through half closed eyes, "before i attempt to capture the emerald city, i must have one of two things; either the silver hammer belonging to a witch of the west or the magic belt that once belonged to you. so far, none of my agents has been able to find the witch, locate the hammer, or discover where ozma now keeps your magic belt. but you, its rightful owner, must know exactly where it is hidden?" ruggedo, without saying anything, nodded briefly. "well then," said wutz, "if you will help me steal the magic belt, which i understand is the most potent and powerful magic in ev or oz, i will kick kaliko off your throne, restore your own kingdom and give you besides any one of the four oz kingdoms you may fancy." "oh, don't bother me with any of the oz kingdoms. i'm sick of the place!" frowned the gnome, wagging his beard vindictively. "all i want is my own old kingdom and my own magic belt! but i tell you what i will do. i'll help you steal this belt, for i know exactly where it is hidden, show you how it works so you can transform ozma and all her friends and counselors to rocks and rubble. but, when you are safely established as supreme wizard of oz, you must return the belt to me." "oh, naturally!" promised the wizard, chuckling to himself as he thought how quickly he would turn ruggedo to a rock once he was wearing the famous belt. taking a glass of melted silver from the tray the boy had just set down, wutz lifted it to his lips, and ruggedo, his eyes glittering with all their old spitefulness, raised his own glass to drink to the wicked bargain. "come," he sputtered, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "when do we start? what magic have you to carry us to the capital and open the emerald safe where the magic belt and other important treasures of ozma are hidden? but wait, perhaps we had better look in the magic picture and see where ozma and the wizard of oz are now?" "i am afraid we cannot do that," wutz explained regretfully. "seven spoiled the canvas in some way when he reduced it to carry it here. it doesn't show anything now and i've not had time to repair the damage." "pshaw, that's too bad," said ruggedo, going over to touch the picture, now hanging on the wizard's wall. "but the record book's still working, i suppose?" "oh, yes," said the wizard, stepping up to the marble table and glancing down at the open page. "and listen to this. it says," roared the silver king, holding his sides and simply rocking with wicked merriment, "it says: 'the two metal monarchs are plotting the downfall of the present ruler of oz.'" "what else does it say?" inquired the gnome king, who had had more experience than his companion in dealing with the magicians of the emerald city. "it says, 'ozma and her counselors have gone to the castle of glinda the good,'" wutz told him complacently closing and padlocking the big volume. "then we'd better start at once and before they return," declared ruggedo. "for as soon as we have my belt we can change them to rocks, wherever they are. the most important thing is to get that belt before they know we are after it. but how are we going to get to the emerald city and how're we going to open that safe?" "my silver blowpipe will reduce the safe to a heap of ashes without injuring the contents," answered the wizard, "and reaching the capital will be the simplest part of all!" taking a silver tube from a high shelf, wutz put it in his pocket and reaching for his bubble pipe, he began to blow an enormous quicksilver bubble round himself and the gnome king. slowly and with both kings inside, the bubble rose, passed in a silver mist out of the wizard's den, up through the honeycomb of caves, caverns and grottos, on up--and up, till it floated right out of the top of the silver king's mountain. chapter at the bottom of the mountain! at the same moment the silver bubble carrying wutz and ruggedo burst out of the top of the mountain, handy mandy and nox reached the bottom, arriving at last at the end of the winding stair. one amethyst burned dimly on the small landing, and crowded uncomfortably together the two prisoners found themselves facing a heavily barred door. private lower of the wizard of wutz. keep out! announced a surly sign. but handy and nox, their legs still quivering from the long downward climb, were in no humor to be stopped by a sign. "lower!" sniffed handy mandy disgustedly. "i should think it was, we must be at the very bottom of this miserable mountain. lower--indeed! well, i expect a lower is the opposite of a tower, come on!" picking up the silver ball, handy squinted sharply at the door, giving it a quick shove to see whether it was locked or fitted with an invisible moving panel. but there was nothing remarkable about this door, and nothing on it except a very small silver keyhole, which at once recalled to the goat girl the key she had been carrying around ever since she left keretaria. "oh, nox, i believe the key in your horn will fit!" she cried excitedly, and deftly removing the left prong of nox's headgear she shook out the ball. then, while nox fairly panting with impatience looked on, handy took the key from the ball and inserted it in the silver lock. when it turned easily and smoothly she was almost afraid to open the door. what would they find on the other side? what had the wizard done to his helpless young captive? as handy hesitated, nox rushed forward, banging the door open with his great shoulder. "kerry! kerry!" wailed the faithful ox, and falling to his knees, nox began to snort and blubber in real earnest. handy, hurrying after him into the small stuffy cell, saw a handsome boy in hunting costume standing motionless and silent as a statue in the center of a great shimmering violet bubble. without thinking or reasoning, or even stopping to consult the ox, the goat girl flung out all her arms toward the solitary figure, her iron hand puncturing the bubble with a deafening pop. "why, hello nox!" the little king stepped calmly out of the misty vapor, all that was left of the wizard's bubble. "where's your other horn? and who is this jolly looking girl?" who, indeed? there was so much to be told and explained, even with handy and nox talking as fast as they could and taking turns, it took almost an hour to tell the story of their journey from keretaria to the silver mountain and their awful experiences with the wizard of wutz. kerry himself remembered nothing since he had started out on the hunting expedition. he listened with angry exclamations and bounces as nox related the tale of king kerr's treachery and the sad state of affairs in keretaria. "and i've been shut up in this bubble for two years!" mourned the little king, looking round the dismal cell with a shudder. "why it makes my head ache just to think of it!" "mine, too," agreed handy, clapping nox's left horn in place. "but it's almost over now, my lad. if we can just find some way out of this mountain, i'll settle old king kerr and his high boys, not to speak of this woozling wizard!" placing kerry on nox's back, handy looked nervously out the door of the lower. at sight of the winding stair nox gave a great groan and shudder. "i'll never climb those steps again!" he declared, planting his feet stubbornly. "never! where's that silver hammer, m'lass? give it a tap and see what the dwarf can do for us? wutz and ruggedo are too busy with their wicked plans to bother us now." "i wouldn't be too sure of that," muttered the goat girl. nevertheless, she pulled out the hammer and tapped it lightly on the floor. "well, what's wanted?" yawned himself, appearing instantly and in the exact spot the hammer had struck. "we want to get out of here!" cried kerry, so excited and delighted with the purple bearded dwarf, he instantly forgot all his troubles. with a crooked smile at the little king, himself looked questioningly at handy, and at the goat girl's quick nod, rapped his knuckles on the north wall of the lower. at once, a small panel slipped aside, revealing an elevator, its door invitingly open. waving all her hands to thank himself, who was already beginning to disappear, handy stepped inside. nox, with kerry still perched on his back, just managed to squeeze in, when the door snapped shut and the elevator sped upward carrying its three passengers in double quicksilver time to the work den of the wizard. handy, a bit disappointed not to find herself on top of the mountain, stepped out first. as nox, with an awkward jump, followed her, the door slammed sharply and the elevator dropped like a plummet to the bottom of the mountain. "oh, this must be where wutz works all his magic transformations," breathed kerry, sliding off nox's back and gazing around with deep interest and curiosity. "i'll bet he blew a bubble round me right in this very den. wonder where he is now?" there was a slight cough at kerry's question and turning, they saw nifflepok standing uncertainly in the doorway. "ah, so we meet again!" cried handy, doubling up all her fists and walking grimly toward the silver king's fat minister. "where is that rascally master of yours? as you probably know by this time, we kept our part of the bargain, but he still has to keep his." "indeed, you are fortunate to have escaped with your lives," muttered wutz, taking off his hat and looking anxiously inside. "and i'm sorry to tell you the wizard of wutz never keeps his bargains. no matter how hard we work or try to please him, sooner or later, we are all shelved or potted!" "then why work for such a villain?" snorted the royal ox gruffly. "where is he now?" "yes, where is he now?" asked kerry, who in spite of the terrible stories he had heard, hoped to get a look at the wonderful wizard who had enchanted him. "gone!" answer nifflepok, putting on his high hat and giving it a couple of taps. "he's bubbled off with the gnome king to conquer oz, and i expect by this time they've bewitched about half the inhabitants of the emerald city." "oh, what a shame!" burst out kerry. "bubbled off? what do you mean by that?" the goat girl reached out with all her arms to pull the silver king's little minister closer. "i mean, bubbled off," repeated nifflepok, struggling to release himself from handy's clutches. "he blew a quicksilver bubble and he and ruggedo sailed away in it, if that's any plainer." "oh, then we had better go right after them," snorted the ox in an anxious voice. "show us out of this mountain, you little pudding, or i'll toss you higher than a kite." "oh, do let's do something!" begged kerry, who, being young, was quite daring and absolutely foolhardy. "we aren't going to let those dreadful kings conquer the country, are we, and not lift a hand?" "well, i'm sure i'd lift all seven if it would do any good," mused handy mandy in a depressed voice. "but how can we stop them? wutz and rug have probably stolen all the magic in ozma's palace by this time, the thieving rascals!" "but surely you have some magic?" ventured nifflepok, who had finally jerked himself free. "or you could never have disenchanted that gnome or found the wizard's lower and rescued this boy; and if you have--" he warned, backing rapidly away, "if you have, you'd better use it quick. when wutz finishes conquering oz, he's sure to remember you and turn you to rocks and rubble. he's going to turn everyone to rocks and rubble!" wailed nifflepok, dashing out of the workshop. "great gazoo, what shall we do? i don't want to be a rock," snorted nox. "and i won't be a rock!" stormed the little king. "it was bad enough being shut up in a bubble and missing two whole years--oh, you won't let him turn us to rocks, will you, handy? and do let's help poor ozma, before it's too late!" kerry looked up at her so pleadingly, handy, against all her inclinations and better judgment, pulled out the silver hammer again. "the hammer will be better than the ball," she reasoned quickly, "for the ball only seems to help keretarians. now then!" lifting the hammer in her iron hand, the goat girl brought it down sharply on the wizard's marble table. silver sparks flew up in every direction and out of the very middle of the shower stepped the yawning dwarf. "say, i'm trying to take a nap," grumbled himself, stretching his arms up sleepily. "what do you fellows want now?" "we want to go to the emerald city of oz and save ozma from wutz and the gnome king!" explained handy in one breathless sentence. "my! all that?" stifling another yawn, himself grinned mischievously at the goat girl. "then stand in line, please." so handy placed herself in front of the royal ox and kerry stepped behind him, and the dwarf, seizing the hammer, brought it down with a terrible blow just behind the little king. and what a blow it was you can readily understand, when i tell you that its force carried the three travelers clear out of the silver king's mountain and all the way to the emerald city itself. flying along for a moment beside them, himself slipped the hammer back in the goat girl's hand, and then with another tremendous yawn, disappeared. chapter just in time! in ozma's palace in the emerald city, everything was very quiet and still. not surprising when you consider that the wizard of wutz had blown his patent stupefying powder down all the chimneys before he and ruggedo dared to enter. then, mooring the silver bubble to one of the castle spires, the two conspirators had slipped through an open window and proceeded without delay or interference to the private sitting room of the absent ruler. there ruggedo with a spiteful laugh, thrust his head right into the mouths of the hungry tiger and cowardly lion. rigid and helpless they sat before ozma's safe, motionless and completely stupefied, as were all of ozma's other faithful servants and retainers. reducing the safe to a heap of green ashes was the work of but a moment, then, pulling the gnome king's belt from the sparkling heap of treasures, wutz sprang to his feet. "quick! how does it work?" he cried, clasping the belt round his thin waist. "we'll not have a second's safety till ozma, glinda, the wizard of oz and all those girl princesses are out of the way." "but first you must restore my kingdom!" insisted ruggedo, dancing up and down. "here give it to me. i'm used to it and can work faster. first i'll wish kaliko off my throne and myself back in my underground castle, then--" "oh, no, you won't!" declared wutz, holding the bouncing gnome king off with one hand. "how do i know what you will do once you reach your own kingdom? why--i might never see this belt again." "but i promise to send it back to you," hissed ruggedo, his eyes snapping real sparks. "i'd rather have the belt than the promise," said wutz, shaking his head stubbornly. "give it to me, i say, give it to me!" yelled ruggedo, now in a perfect rage. "how do i know what you will do when you know the trick of using it? why, you might even turn me to a rock to be rid of me." "what? change my dearest friend and most powerful ally to a rock?" exclaimed the wizard with pretended horror. "by the left horn of my silver cow, i promise to return this belt as soon as i am ruler of oz!" ruggedo longed to snatch his belt away from the scheming silver monarch, but as he was neither big or strong enough to do this, there was nothing for him to do but agree to the wizard's terms. "all right," he groaned dismally. "listen, then--" but as wutz bent his head and the little gnome began to whisper hoarse directions in his ear, there was a dreadful thump and clatter behind them. "stop!" commanded the goat girl, the first to recover from the shock of the landing, and dear knows handy should have been used to sudden landings by this time. "stop!" whirling round with a howl of fury, wutz sprang straight at her, but handy, who still clutched the silver hammer in her iron hand, was too quick for him and brought it down with a resounding crack on the top of his head. "take 'em away! take 'em away!" cried handy hysterically, as wutz fell over backwards, and himself, appearing exactly where the hammer had struck, leaped off the wizard's head to save himself from a fall. "but first we must have that magic belt," chuckled the hammer elf. giving ruggedo, who was struggling frantically to get his belt from around the silver king's waist, a quick push, himself unbuckled the clasps and tossed the magic girdle to the goat girl. then grabbing the howling gnome and senseless wizard, each by his neck, the efficient dwarf vanished in a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder that shook the castle to its foundations. nox dropped to his knees. kerry, still stunned by the hammer blow that had carried them to the emerald city, and handy, herself, with her arms still upraised, stared in dumb astonishment at the quivering vacuum where the two kings and himself, the elf, had been whirling a moment before. "oh, handy, handy, you've really done it!" shouted kerry, finding his voice at last. "why, you've saved the whole of ozma's kingdom and struck only one blow! but watch out--are those beasts alive or just statues?" "statues, i hope," grunted the royal ox, lurching dizzily to his feet. "well, here we are in the capital, m'lass, and i must say you have handled everything beautifully, beautifully!" "halt! who goes there! whoa! ho! halt and surrender!" piped a frightened voice. "here they are, your majesty, the robbers themselves, caught red-handed in the act of robbing our royal safe!" "red--white--and--blue handed, if you ask me!" cried the patchwork girl, blinking her shoe button eyes at the red rubber hand with which handy grasped the gnome king's belt, the white hand she had reached out to hold on to kerry, the iron hand still clutching the silver hammer. all the rest of her hands the goat girl held stiffly before her. brushing aside the soldier with the green whiskers, who promptly dived behind a sofa, scraps jerked the gnome king's belt out of handy's rubber hand and gave her a shove that sent her flying over backwards. "take that, you monster!" yelled scraps. "well," sputtered the goat girl, sprawling flat on her back, "here's gratitude for you!" "how dare you call handy a monster?" bellowed nox, charging angrily after the patchwork girl. "oh! do be careful!" called ozma with a little scream, as nox almost caught up with scraps, and kerry began to belabor the soldier with green whiskers over the head with a candlestick. "oh! oh! my poor lion! my poor tiger! my safe! why, i--just--can't believe it!" wailed the little fairy ruler, staring sorrowfully down at the goat girl, who had made no attempt to rise nor explain her embarrassing position. "then don't believe it!" cried kerry breathlessly. "for it isn't true! this brave girl and nox have got the best of wutz and the gnome king and saved your whole bally kingdom and here you've gone and had her knocked down. shame on you! get away from me, you cotton stuffed horror!" screamed the little king, as scraps, eluding the ox, made a determined jump in his direction. "quiet! quiet!" the scarecrow, who with glinda, the wizard, dorothy, betsy and trot, now came hurrying into the room, raised both arms and looked around pleadingly. the whole royal party, traveling in glinda's swan chariot, had just arrived on the balcony outside, but ozma, scraps and the soldier with green whiskers had been first on the scene of action. "the boy is right," declared glinda, crossing slowly to a green sofa. "i can see by her face and hands--" glinda smiled faintly--"that this girl is both honest and industrious." "thanks!" murmured handy, as the scarecrow, ever a gentleman, bounded forward to assist her to her feet. the flimsy straw stuffed fellow lost his balance in the attempt, but his little act of gallantry did much to relieve an awkward moment. "you see," puffed the scarecrow, seating handy with a flourish, "for the last ten days we've all been pretty much upset around here and you'll have to excuse scraps for jumping at conclusions." "please do!" ozma spoke pleasantly and seriously as she seated herself in her small arm chair, leaning over to take the gnome king's belt from scraps. "but if some of you kind people will just explain?" the little fairy looked anxiously from the stupefied tiger and lion to her pulverized safe, her eyes coming back to rest on the goat girl, the great white ox and the handsome young munchkin. chapter the hammer elf explains "go ahead and explain," said handy, closing her eyes and leaning back in her chair with all her hands hanging limply at her side. so nox, a bit haughtily and tossing his head proudly from time to time, began at the beginning and told all that had happened since handy mandy had flown from mt. mern. how the goat girl had found the magic in his horn, how they had traveled together from keretaria to the silver mountain and there, in their search for the little king, discovered wutz's plot to make himself supreme wizard of oz. and last of all he explained how handy, with the help of the silver hammer, had subdued the two wicked kings. "well, it certainly was very kind of you to take all this trouble for us--after you had already had so many worries of your own," sighed ozma, as nox, finishing his story, gazed round the room with lordly condescension. "yes, wasn't it?" handy opened her eyes and thoughtfully regarded the little ruler of oz. "still, i'm glad now that we did save you." the goat girl's round pleasant face was suddenly wreathed in smiles. "i didn't think i was going to like you, but i do," she admitted cheerfully. "i believe you're about the best ruler oz could have and besides, you're pretty as a goat." "as a goat!" gasped the wizard of oz while dorothy and the other girls had all they could do to keep from laughing right out loud. but ozma, who was a very understanding little person, smiled kindly back at handy mandy. "goats _are_ pretty," she agreed, nodding her head politely. "and since you must miss your own goats very much, perhaps you would like me to send you back to mt. mern after you've seen a bit of the capital?" "oh, handy wouldn't leave us!" snorted the royal ox, moving as close to the goat girl as he could get. "we couldn't get along without handy mandy, your majesty." "oh, please let her stay in keretaria," begged the little king adding his voice to that of his royal ox. "you will live with us in the palace, won't you handy?" "well, if i just had my goats--" considered the seven-armed maiden. "mt. mern would seem rather dull after oz," she acknowledged pensively. "but what about that old king who's still on kerry's throne--and what am i to do with this silver hammer--and what do you suppose himself has done with wutz and ruggedo?" "yes, what's to be done with wutz?" echoed the scarecrow wrinkling up his cotton forehead. and now the little sitting room began fairly to buzz with excited questions and suggestions, for there was still a lot to be explained and settled. the ozites could hardly keep their eyes off the seven-armed goat girl, the handsome young ruler of keretaria and his royal ox. dorothy longed to unscrew his horn and test its magic power for herself, but ozma, anxious to repair all the damage done by the wicked wizard, now raised her scepter for silence. clasping on the gnome king's belt, ozma first brought back her magic picture and with a quick wish returned glinda's book of records to her castle in the south. next, though she knew neither the extent nor the nature of the wizard's other thefts she caused to be restored to their rightful owners all the magic appliances in the silver king's den. the scarecrow had already reported the stupefied condition of the other occupants of the palace, so ozma's next thought was to restore them to their accustomed selves. no sooner was the cowardly lion released than he crawled under a table, but the hungry tiger rushed out on the balcony, growling and lashing his tail, as he thought of the indignity he had suffered. after a short conference with handy mandy, ozma freed all the potted prisoners of the wicked wizard, and made nifflepok king of the silver mountain. she moved the cliff dwellings of the people to the outside of the mountain so wutz's pale subjects could enjoy with the rest of the gillikins, the bright sunshine and beneficent climate of oz. the magic mountain itself, with all its dark pits and jeweled caverns, ozma sealed up tightly and forever. the wizard's agents were turned to moles, for they were already more like these boring little animals than men. after each magic wish or transformation, the little group in the royal sitting room would look in the magic picture, which ozma had immediately repaired. and in each case handy felt that the ruler of oz had used both wisdom and good judgment. nox, as they were watching the wizard's agents turn to moles, gave a snort of surprise, for the first figure shown was old king kerr, who was really number nine. as the wicked impostor changed quickly from a man to a mole and scurried off the throne and away to bury himself in the blue forest, nox and handy both heaved a sigh of relief and satisfaction. while ozma was working on the magic safe, handy, deciding to try a little of her own magic, softly tapped the silver hammer on the arm of her chair. at once, and to the delight and interest of everyone, himself, the elf, appeared astride the arm, holding a small cactus plant in each hand. "i wish you in the future to obey the summons of her majesty, ozma of oz," smiled the goat girl, placing the silver hammer as she spoke, in ozma's lap. "this young fairy is more experienced in magic than i, and will know how to use the hammer to best advantage." "oh, all right! but i rather liked working for you," grinned himself. "and say, i tried to turn these rascals to plants but this was the best i could do." setting the two pots of cactus down on a small writing desk, the hammer elf bowed first to handy and then to ozma. "wait! don't go!" begged the little fairy as himself showed unmistakable signs of disappearing. "do tell us about this silver hammer and who owned it first." "it belonged to wunchie, a witch of the west, who's lived in the munchkin mountains for about a thousand years, and used it to control as many of the munchkin kings as she could," explained the dwarf balancing himself cleverly on an ink well. "then i suppose wunchie was responsible for the prophecy in keretaria?" surmised nox, blinking his eyes at the hammer elf. the dwarf nodded cheerfully. "yes, wunchie invented that prophecy," he told them, "and placed her own white oxen in the country. each time she had trouble forcing the king to do as she wished, she tapped him and the ox on the head with her hammer. but i took rather a fancy to you," admitted himself looking fondly at nox. "so, when she ordered me to tap you off and traded little king kerry to wutz for a basket of jumping beans and put wutz's agent on the throne of keretaria, i decided to take a hand myself. so i gave you only a light tap and at the same time, i stored enough magic in your horns to help you find kerry--and with the help of this handy goat girl you did find him!" beamed the hammer elf. "i knew my magic was good. you can't work for a witch without learning good magic. but now, since everything is turning out so splendidly, i'll just go back to my tree stump. one, two--three, back--to--my--tree!" "but what became of the witch?" cried ozma catching hold of the dwarf's purple beard, for his head had already vanished. "ha, ha! she exploded and popped off!" roared a voice from the place where the elf's head had been. "i told her not to eat those jumping beans! and after that, i buried her hammer in the garden of keretaria and there it stayed till handy ploughed it up. goodbye all!" and the body of the hammer elf melted into nothing and was gone. "my--y, what a clever fellow!" chuckled handy. "so, now wutz and ruggedo are a couple of cactuses! mm--mmm! mmmm--mm! unpleasant to the last! do you suppose anyone can ever disenchant them? for goatness sake be careful!" begged handy as jellia, in answer to her mistress's ring, came to carry the plants to the conservatory. "whatever you do, don't drop 'em. and to think that the wizard is potted himself! well, i'll never have a hand in breaking his enchantment!" "i never thought anyone could ever break ruggedo's enchantment," confessed ozma. "when i changed him to a jug, i commanded him to keep that shape till he was broken by the seventh hand of a traveling mernite. and at that time i did not even know there was such a place as mt. mern or a clever goat girl like handy." "but aren't you glad there was!" shouted the little wizard of oz tossing up his hat and catching it on his nose. "aren't we all glad to know handy mandy, nox and this jolly young king?" "long live the royal ox and the little king of keretaria!" cried the cheering ozites. "long live handy mandy, the seven-armed wonder of the world and oz!" and, of course, they will live long--everyone lives long in oz. but even if handy lives to be a hundred, she will never forget the grand banquet given that evening in her honor. besides the famous people she already knew, the goat girl was presented to all the other celebrities at ozma's court, and shaking hands with them heartily and seven at a time, she had never been so flattered and fussed over in her life. nox and kerry came in for their share of honors, too. there was nothing the ozians would not have done for their three new friends and rescuers. ozma, overwhelmed by handy's generosity in giving her the silver hammer, and already indebted to her for saving the kingdom, racked her brains for some wonderful gift to reward the brave mountain lass. but it was nox who solved the difficulty by confiding to ozma that handy desired more than anything else a set of gloves for her hands. it seemed she had never had enough gloves for more than two at a time. so, smiling secretly to herself, ozma gave the goat girl seven sets of fine kid gloves and an emerald necklace that wound three times round her sturdy neck. with the necklace, a complete new outfit and her forty-nine gloves, handy mandy felt herself quite ready for high life and royal society. "though you really should wear a boxing glove on that iron hand," whispered the scarecrow, as handy blushingly resumed her seat after ozma's speech of presentation. "stay in the emerald city and we will make you a general in the army," promised the straw man earnestly. but handy shook her head with tears of merriment in her eyes. though she never quite forgave scraps for pushing her over, she and the scarecrow were already as friendly and easy as an old pair of shoes. "handy monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday, saturday and sunday," the straw man had nicknamed her because she had a hand for every day in the week. nox had insisted on himself being invited to the banquet and the clever elf added much to the pleasure and hilarity of that memorable occasion. indeed, many times afterward when she felt bored or lonely, ozma would summon himself just to amuse and cheer her up. the silver hammer was stored away with the other important magic treasures and is regarded by many as the most powerful magic in the castle. handy mandy kept the blue flower to help her on future journeys and after she and her two friends had spent a happy week in the emerald city, ozma reluctantly wished kerry and nox to keretaria and the goat girl back to mt. mern. here, for a month, handy mandy astonished the villagers with the story of her travels, then gathering up her goats she took herself and them back by a fast wishing pill the wizard had given her--to the kingdom of keretaria. as the goat girl's hands retained all of their strength and willingness, and nox's horns all their magic--even to giving wise and useful messages, these two and little kerry ruled the kingdom between them with such skill and cleverness everyone was enormously happy and prosperous! the silver princess in oz _by_ ruth plumly thompson founded on and continuing the famous oz stories _by_ l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" _illustrated by_ john r. neill * * * * * the silver princess in oz copyright by the reilly & lee co. printed in the u. s. a. [transcriber's note: extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] * * * * * _dear boys and girls:_ this book will tell you all that happened when randy and kabumpo traveled off to the castle of the red jinn. halfway there they met a princess from anuther planet and her thunder colt; later, a villain named gludwig. with a name like that, we'd know he was a villain, wouldn't we? now do tell me what interested you most in this story; any oz news you have heard lately and all about yourself! there goes the bell now! well, i'm expecting a merry message any minute from any of you! exciting, isn't it? so here i go to read my first letter! yours, with last year's love and this year's wishes! ruth plumly thompson s. farragut terrace, west philadelphia, pa. * * * * * to two little girls florence linn edsall and mary josephine ritchie this book is lovingly dedicated by their cousin ruth. * * * * * list of chapters the king rebels the elegant elephant of oz gaper's gulch out of gaper's gulch headway the other side of the desert the princess of anuther planet on to ev the box wood night in the forest the field of feathers arrival at the castle of the red jinn gludwig the glubrious the slave of the magic dinner bell nonagon island all together at last in the red jinn's castle the red jinn restored red magic king and queen of regalia chapter the king rebels in a far-away northwestern corner of the gilliken country of oz lies the rugged little kingdom of regalia, and in an airy and elegant castle, set high on the tallest mountain, lives randy, its brave young king. when the regalians are not busy celebrating one of their seventy-seven national holidays, they are busy tending their flocks of goats or looking after the vines that cover every mountain and hill, producing the largest and most luscious grapes in oz. these proud and independent mountain folk have much to recommend them, and if they consider themselves superior to any and all of the other natives in oz, we must not blame them too much. perhaps the sharp, clear air and high altitude in which they live is responsible for their top-lofty attitude. randy, it must be confessed, found the stiff and unbending manner of his subjects and their correct and formal behavior on all occasions stuffy in the extreme; and of all the stuffy occasions he had to endure the weekly court reception was the stuffiest. just as i started this story he was winding up another of these royal and boring affairs. "hail! hail! give majesty its proper due, hail randywell, king handywell of brandenburg and bompadoo! boom! boom! boom!" at each crash of the drums the young king winced and shuddered, then, pulling himself together, he nodded resignedly to his richly attired courtiers and subjects who were retiring backwards from the royal presence. as the last bowing figure swished through the double doors, randy gave a huge sigh and groan. this was his three hundred and tenth reception since ascending the throne. ahead stretched hundreds more, besides the daily courts where he acted as presiding judge to settle all disputes of the realm; countless reviewings of troops; inspections of model goat farms; and attendance at numerous celebrations for national heroes of regalia. "oh, being a king is awful," choked the youthful monarch, loosening his regal cape and letting it fall unheeded to the floor. "awful! will it always be like this, uncle?" "like what?" his uncle, the grand duke hoochafoo, who was still inclining his head mechanically in the direction of the door, caught himself abruptly in the middle of a bow. "oh, all this silly standing round and being bowed at, this 'hail! hail! and way for his majesty!' stuff. galloping gollopers, uncle, i'd like to step out by myself occasionally without twenty footmen springing to open doors and fifty pages tooting on their blasted trumpets. why, i cannot even cross the courtyard, that a dozen guardsmen do not fall in behind me!" flouncing over to the window, randy stared out over the royal terrace. "even the goats on the mountain have more fun than i do," he observed bitterly. "they can run, jump, climb and even butt one another, while i--" randy let his arms fall heavily at his sides. "i have not even anyone to fight with. if just once somebody would punch me in the nose instead of bowing." randy clenched and unclenched his fists. "hm--mm! so that's what you want!" looking quizzically at his young nephew, uncle hoochafoo crossed to the bell rope and gave it a savage tug. as randy's personal servant and valet appeared to answer the ring, he spoke sharply, "dawkins, kindly hit his majesty in the nose!" "the nose? oh, but your lordship, i couldn't do a thing like that. 'tisn't right, nor fitting--nor--" "i said hit him in the nose," commanded uncle hoochafoo, advancing grimly upon the terrified valet. "yes, yes, like this!" bringing up his fist, randy made such a splendid connection with the valet's nose, dawkins toppled over backwards. dancing from one foot to the other as the outraged servant sprang to his feet, randy prepared to defend himself. but with his hand clapped to his nose, dawkins was retiring rapidly. "thank you!" he muttered in a strangled voice, "thank you very much!" "did you hear that? he said 'thank you,'" screamed randy as dawkins disappeared with an agitated bow. "oh, this is too much; i wish i were back with nandywog in tripedalia--or anywhere but here, doing anything but this." "now, now! don't take things so hard," begged his uncle, patting him kindly on the shoulder. "hard?" randy glared at the old nobleman. "i can take things hard, uncle, but i cannot take them soft. i'll never forgive my father for getting me into this--never!" randy's father, former king of regalia, tiring of a royal life and routine, had retired to a distant cave to live the life of a hermit, and randy, after traveling all over oz to fulfil the seven difficult tests required of a regalian ruler, had succeeded to the throne. "you should not speak like that of your royal parent," chided uncle hoochafoo, tapping his spectacles absently against his teeth, "for you are very much like him, my boy, very much like him. hmm! hmm! harumph!" uncle hoochafoo cleared his throat thoughtfully. "what you need is a change, a new interest. ah, i have it! you must marry, my lad, you must marry! some pretty little princess or rich young queen, and then everything will be punjanoobious!" "is being married anything like being a king?" inquired randy suspiciously. "oh, no. no, indeed, quite the reverse." the eyes of the old duke, who had once been married, grew glazed and pensive. "once you are married, you will feel less like a king every day," he promised solemnly. "and the arguments alone will keep you occupied for hours." uncle hoochafoo raised both shoulders and eyebrows. "wait, i'll just go consult the wise men about a proper princess for you." "no! no! i do not wish to be married," announced randy, stamping his foot. "i'll not marry for years," he declared stubbornly. then, as loud outcries and tremendous thumps interrupted them, he hurried over to an open window just in time to meet a large rock that came crashing through the amethyst pane. "look out!" blustered uncle hoochafoo, jerking randy to his feet, for the rock had completely bowled him over. "well, i see you have your wish. how's that for a knock in the nose, my lad? not only the nose, but also the beginning of a beautiful black eye!" "have i really?" racing over to a mirror, randy proudly examined his injured orb. "oh, uncle, isn't this fun? who did it? what's up, d'ye s'pose--a revolution?" hurrying back to the window, randy recklessly thrust out his head to stare down into the courtyard. kayub, the gatekeeper, had his shoulder braced against the gold-studded doors in the castle wall, but even so, the doors were bulging and creaking from the thunderous blows struck from the other side. "open in the name of the law!" boomed a tremendous voice. "thump! thump! kerbang! open in the name of a prince of the realm! open this door, you unmannerly scuppernong!" "no, no, stay where you are!" panted kayub, waving desperately with one arm for the guards to come help him. "stay where you are, or go to the rear entrance! who do you think you are, hammering on the doors of his majesty's castle?" "i don't think, i know!" raged the voice from the other side of the wall. "i am a prince of pumperdink, you unspeakable clod. open up this door before i break it down!" and after even more furious thumps another shower of rocks came flying over the wall. "great gillikens! i think--i believe--why it is! kayub, kayub, open the door! it is a prince!" shouted randy, using both hands as a megaphone. "'tis nothing of the sort," grunted the gatekeeper obstinately. "i looked through me little grill but a moment ago and it's no prince at all, but a parade! a parade of one elephant, if you please, and when i orders him to the rear entrance he ups with his trunk and flings rocks over our wall!" "but this elephant is a prince," insisted randy, banging on the window ledge. "besides, he's a great friend of mine." "open the door, fool!" directed uncle hoochafoo, leaning so far out the window his crown fell to the paving stones. "the king has spoken. admit this elephant at once! at once!" "and about time," fumed an indignant voice, as kayub reluctantly drew the bolts and, swinging wide the doors, stepped back to let a magnificently caparisoned elephant swing through. "a fine welcome this is, i must say, for the elegant elephant of oz! out of my way, wart!" picking kayub up in his trunk, the visitor jammed him down hard into a golden trash barrel, trumpeted fiercely at the double line of guards who had instantly sprung to attention, and went swaying across the courtyard. now nowhere but in oz could an elephant talk, much less come hammering on the doors of a royal castle, but in oz, as we very well know, animals talk and act as sensibly as people, which makes oz about ten times as exciting as any other country on the map. but while i've been explaining all this, randy had run down the steps and was half-way across the courtyard. "kabumpo, kabumpo, is it really you? oh, at last--at last you are here!" impatiently waving aside the guards, randy led his mammoth and still muttering guest into the palace. "kaybumpo, is it?" sniffed kayub, jerking himself with great difficulty out of the trash barrel. "such goings on. well, all i say--" the gatekeeper peered carefully over his shoulder to see that the elephant was safely inside the castle, then, raising his arm for the benefit of the staring guards, he cried fiercely. "all i can say is--just let him show his snoot around here again and i'll kabump him down the mountain!" chapter the elegant elephant of oz fortunately the doors of randy's castle were high and wide, and the rooms so large and spacious, even a guest as large as this elephant could quite easily be accommodated. still irritated by the gatekeeper's insolence, kabumpo followed the young ruler to the throne room where he sank stiffly to his haunches and waited in outraged silence for randy to speak. randy, however, was so surprised and happy to see his old friend and comrade, he could not utter a word. but the elegant elephant could not long withstand the honest delight and affection beaming from the young king's eyes, and under that kindly glow his wrath melted away like fog in the sunshine. "well! well!" he rumbled testily, "how do i look?" "elegant!" breathed randy, stepping back to have a better view. "elegant as ever. you've worn your best robe and jewels, haven't you?" "always wear my best when i call on a king," said kabumpo, smoothing down his embroidered collar complacently with his trunk. "and i believe you've grown a foot," went on randy, standing on tiptoe to pat kabumpo on the shoulder. "a foot," roared the elegant elephant, throwing back his head. "oh, come now, i couldn't have grown a foot without noticing it, and i still have but four--here, count 'em! say, who in hay bales gave you that black eye?" "you did." randy fairly sputtered with mirth at kabumpo's discomfited expression. "i was just wishing someone would hit me in the nose, when along came that rock and now look at me!" "yes," put in uncle hoochafoo, regarding kabumpo severely through his monocle. "now look at him!" "well, why didn't you tell that wart of a doorkeeper i was expected?" demanded kabumpo explosively. "the king of regalia does not hold conversation with his doorkeeper," explained randy's uncle, giving the elegant elephant a very sour look. "oh, he doesn't!" kabumpo lurched grandly to his feet. "well, it's time somebody told him about the elegant elephant of oz and how he should be received and welcomed. let me tell you, sirrah--trumpets blow when i come and go in pumperdink!" "then why did you ever leave there?" inquired the duke coldly. "oh, uncle, don't you remember, we were to review the purple guard at five? you go," urged randy, fearful lest the tempery old duke would still further insult the even more tempery old elephant. "honestly, i feel a cold coming on." randy coughed plaintively, at the same time winking at kabumpo. "very well, i'll go," agreed his uncle stiffly. "but do not forget there is a dinner for the grape growers at seven, a concert of the goat herdsmen at eight, maneuvers of our highland guards in the royal barracks at nine and--" "yes, yes! all right!" randy fairly pushed his royal relative toward the door. "an ancient pest if i ever saw one," grumbled kabumpo as the grand duke disappeared with a very grim expression. "great gooselberries! do we have to do all those dumb things? why, it's six years since i've seen you, randy, and i kinda thought we'd have a cozy time all to ourselves." "i never have any time to myself," sighed the young monarch wistfully. "i do nothing but lay cornerstones and raise flags and stand around at royal courts and receptions. everybody bows and bows. why, it's got so i even bow to myself when i look in the glass, and now--" randy raised his arms indignantly. "now uncle hoochafoo says i must marry." "marry!" trumpeted kabumpo, twinkling his eyes angrily. "what nonsense! why, you are nowhere near old enough to marry. you were only about ten when i met you and that makes you sixteen now, though i must say you don't look it!" "oh, no one in oz looks his age," grinned randy, "and you know i'd been ten for about four years before i knew you, kabumpo, so that makes me twenty or so, doesn't it?" "i don't care what it makes you," rumbled kabumpo, "it makes me mad. and to think i actually helped get you into all this boring business. my ears and trunk, kingling, it's up to me to get you out of it." "how?" demanded randy, folding his arms and leaning despondently against the mantel. "how does one stop being a king, kabumpo?" "why, by stopping," announced the elegant elephant, spreading his ears to their fullest extent. "by taking a vacation, my fine young sprig. by departing and going hence for a suitable season. do you suppose i came all the way from pumperdink to hear goatherds tootling on bells and highlanders tramping round a barracks? i came to see you, my boy, and nobody else." kabumpo paused to blow his trunk explosively on a violet silk handkerchief. "and after that i thought we'd go and visit the red jinn." "oh, kabumpo, could we?" randy's face brightened and then as quickly fell. "i don't believe uncle hoochafoo will let me go," he finished dolefully. "a king does not ask whether or not he may go, he goes," stated the elegant elephant, beginning to sway like a ship under full sail. "but to avoid all arguments we'll not start till later. could you be ready by midnight, young one?" "oh, i'm ready now," declared randy, picking up his cloak from the floor and snatching a sword from its bracket on the wall. "why ever did you wait so long, kabumpo? you promised to visit me six months after i was crowned." "well, you know how it is at a court." the elegant elephant sighed and settled back on his haunches again. "if it isn't one thing it's another, but here i am at last. so--order up your dinner and a few bales of hay and a barrel of cider for me. i crave rest and refreshment." "and what about the grape growers, the goatherds and highlanders?" worried randy. "oh, them!" exclaimed kabumpo inelegantly. "here!" seizing a pen from the royal desk, he scribbled a defiant message on a handy piece of parchment. "no admittance under extreme penalty of the law. do not disturb! by special order of his majesty, king randywell handywell of brandenburg and bompadoo." "see, i remembered all your names, and i've used them all!" opening the door with his trunk, kabumpo impaled the notice on the knob, then quietly closed the door and turned the key in the lock. and only once did they open it, and then to admit ten flustered footmen with randy's dinner and kabumpo's cider and hay. to imperious raps, taps and numerous notes thrust under the door by the young king's agitated uncle, they paid no attention whatever. they were too busy talking over old times and the exciting days when they had journeyed all over oz, and with the help of jinnicky, the little red jinn, saved the royal family of pumperdink from the witch of follensby forest. pumperdink, as most of you know, is in the north central part of the gilliken country of oz, and ruled by king pompus and queen posy. their son, prince pompadore, has much to say about affairs in that kingdom, but it is to kabumpo, his elegant elephant, that pompus turned oftenest for counsel and comfort. given to the king by a celebrated blue emperor, kabumpo has proved himself so wise and sagacious, pompus depends on him for almost everything. it is kabumpo who advises his majesty when to have his hair cut and put aside his woolen underwear, when to go to the dentist, when to turn in his old four-horse chariot for a twelve-horse model, when to save money--when to spend it, how to get on with neighboring kings and how to get on without them. in fact, so heavy are the duties and responsibilities of this remarkable elephant, 'tis a wonder, even after six years, he managed this visit to randy. randy's first meeting with kabumpo had been more or less by chance. sent out disguised as a poor mountain boy to pass the seven severe tests of kingship required of regalian rulers, randy had happened to come first to the kingdom of pumperdink and had been hailed before the king as a vagrant. the elegant elephant, taking an instant fancy to the boy, had insisted that he be allowed to stay on as his own royal attendant, and in this comical capacity randy's adventures had begun. for scarcely had he been in the palace of pumperdink a week, before kettywig, the king's brother, and the witch of follensby forest, plotting to steal the crown, caused the whole royal family to disappear by some strange and fiery magic. barely missing the same fate, randy and kabumpo managed to escape. on their way through the forest they met a soothsayer who told them to seek out the red jinn. now no one in oz had ever heard of this singular personage, but after many delays and hair-raising experiences, randy and kabumpo finally arrived at his splendid red glass castle. jinnicky, it turned out, was the wizard of ev, and a merry and strange person he was. jinnicky's whole body is encased in a shiny red jar into which he can retire like a turtle at will, and the little wizard's disposition is so gay and jolly everyone around him feels the same way. not only did he welcome his visitors, but set off immediately to help the royal family of pumperdink out of their misfortunes and enchantment. once in pumperdink, randy, with the help of the red jinn's magic looking-glasses, was able to trace the lost king and his family and release them from the witch's spell. but before that, and while he was traveling here and there with kabumpo and jinnicky, the little prince was fulfilling all the tests and conditions required by the ancient laws of regalia of their kings. in other words, he had made three true friends, served a strange king, saved a queen, showed bravery in battle, overcome a fabulous monster, disenchanted a princess, and received from a wizard an important magic treasure. and now, looking back on those brave, bright days, he could not help thinking that earning his crown had been more fun than wearing it. "i wish we could do it all over again," he mused, as kabumpo, after recalling their visit to nandywog, the little giant, tossed off the last of the cider. "but think where we're going now," gurgled kabumpo, setting down the barrel with a resounding thud. "if something strange or exciting does not happen on the way there or back, or in jinnicky's castle itself, i do not know my oz and evistery. can't you just see jinnicky's face when we arrive? i wonder if alibabble is still grand advizier and if the magic dinner bell is still working. yes! yes? who's there?" kabumpo raised his voice irritably as a persistent whistling came through the keyhole. "it's dawkins," explained an anxious voice from the other side of the door. "the duke says as it's high time his highness was in bed, your highness!" "oh, be off with you. go dive in the feathers yourself. his highness is going to sleep in here on the floor." kabumpo stood so close and spoke so violently through the keyhole, dawkins was blown back against the opposite wall. for a time footsteps pattered up and down the corridor, then finally deciding the young king was to have his own way at last, the footmen and courtiers and even uncle hoochafoo took themselves off. but not till everything was absolutely quiet and still and everyone in the castle asleep did kabumpo and randy venture forth. then, stepping softly as his own tremendous shadow, the elegant elephant with the young king on his back slipped through the silent halls and deserted courtyard, past the snoring sentries and keeper of the gate and on out into the foresty highlands beyond the palace wall. here in the bright white light of a smiling moon they took the highway to the north, for the castle of the red jinn lies to the north by northeast of regalia and oz. "how'll we cross the deadly desert?" murmured randy, drowsily clutching the few belongings he had tied up in an old silver table-cloth. in it he had his oldest suit, some clean underwear, his tooth brush and his trusty sword. "never cross a desert till you come to it," advised kabumpo. "and we've crossed it before, you know." "yes, i know." smiling to himself, randy dropped his head on his bundle, and lulled by the agreeable motion of his gigantic bearer, soon fell asleep, to dream pleasantly of alibabble and of ginger, slave of the red jinn's dinner bell. chapter gaper's gulch kabumpo, as happy to escape from court life as randy, moved rhythmically as a ship through the soft spring night. humming to himself and busy with his own thoughts, he scarcely noticed that the highway was growing steeper and narrower until he was brought up sharp by an impassable barrier of rock. "now, bosh and botherskites! i was sure this road ran straight to the deadly desert," he muttered, reaching back with his trunk to see that randy was still safely aboard and asleep. "beets and butternuts! do i have to turn back, or plough through all this rubble?" the elegant elephant's small eyes twinkled with irritation, and easing himself to the right off the highway, he peered crossly up at the offending mass of stone. finding no way round here, he swung over to the left and examined it closely from that side, and was just about to start resignedly through the brush when he discovered that what he had taken for an especially dark shadow was really a cleft in the rock. it was barely wide enough for him to squeeze through without scraping the jewels from his robe. "now then, shall i risk it or wait till morning?" mused kabumpo, swaying undecidedly to and fro. "it might take us straight through to the other side of the highway. on the other trunk, it might lead into a robber's cave or plunge us suddenly over a precipice!" edging closer, the elegant elephant thrust his trunk into the crevice. it seemed smooth and solid, and, resolved to try it even though little of the moonlight penetrated into the narrow opening, kabumpo stepped inside and proceeded to pick his way cautiously along the rocky corridor. for about the length of a city street it ran straight ahead, then curved sharply to the right. here kabumpo was heartened to see a lantern hanging from an iron spike, while carved on the smooth rock below was a blunt message. "this is the entrance to gaper's gulch. pause here and give three yawns and a stretch for sleeperoo, great, grand and most snorious gaper!" "snorious gaper! ho, ho! kerumph! who ever heard of such nonsense?" snorted kabumpo, squinting impatiently down at the notice. "ah, hah! hoh, hum!" at this point, and without seeming able to help it, the elegant elephant yawned so terrifically his head-piece fell over one ear, and his jaw was almost dislocated. to recover his dignity and with tears starting from his eyes, he gave himself a quick shake, then stretched up his trunk to straighten his headgear. "splen--did!" drawled a sleepy voice. "you may now proceed as before." blinking angrily about to see who had addressed him, the elegant elephant spied a round-faced and widely gaping guard standing in a little niche in the rock. strapped to his shoulders, instead of a knapsack, was a fat feather pillow, and as kabumpo came opposite the guard's eyes closed, and falling back against his cushion he began gently to snore. as kabumpo stopped in some astonishment, the guard's nap was rudely interrupted by a pailful of pebbles that cascaded merrily down over his ears. there were twenty pails operating on a moving belt above his head and at three-minute intervals they pelted him awake, as kabumpo presently discovered. the buttons on the guard's uniform were illuminated and spelled out his name, "winks." "well, do i surprise you?" inquired winks, shaking the pebbles from his shoulders and rubbing his eyes with his yellow-gloved hands. kabumpo, too amused to speak, nodded. "and you surprise me," admitted the guard, gaping three times just to prove it, "you big, enormous, impossible whatever you are--you! why, you should have been underground months ago! but that'll all be taken care of," he added smoothly. "just follow the arrows and you cannot miss--just follow the arrows--just fol--" as kabumpo, fuming from what he considered a mortal insult, lunged forward, the little soldier's eyes fell shut again. held more by curiosity than by a desire to continue the conversation, kabumpo waited for the next bucket of pebbles to shower over the guard. "'low the arrows," went on winks as calmly as if he had not been interrupted at all. "there are forty guards to point the way. forty winks," he repeated, closing one eye. "ha, ha! to point the way. ha, ha! hoh, hum! do you get the point?" as kabumpo started off with a little snort of disgust, he felt a slight prick in his left hind leg, for winks, just as he feel asleep, let fly an arrow from his old-fashioned bow. before kabumpo had reached the end of the passageway he had passed forty of the gaper guards. after his experience with the first, he did not stop for further talk, but made the best speed possible, resolved to rush through gaper's gulch when he came to it without even pausing to express his contempt. the pebble awakeners were so neatly timed, each guard had a chance to speed an arrow after the flying elephant, and by the time kabumpo reached the opening at the other end of the rocky pass, he had forty arrows pricking through his robe or stuck here and there in his ears and ankles. with his tough hide, they hurt no more than pin pricks, but vastly indignant at such treatment, the elegant elephant began jerking them out with his trunk. "what do they think i am, a pincushion? hoh!" he snorted, pulling out the last one, and relieved to note that randy had escaped the missiles entirely. indeed, the young king of regalia was sleeping as placidly as if he were home in his own castle. kabumpo, too, felt unaccountably drowsy, and as he pushed his way down into the rocky little glen his steps grew slower and slower. so far as he could see by the light of the fast waning moon, there were neither houses nor people in gaper's gulch. in the center of the valley the rough stones and brush had been cleared away and a series of flat rocks were spaced out almost like a gigantic checker-board. pausing beside the largest rock, kabumpo spelled out the name of sleeperoo the great and snorious. "what is this, a cemetery?" gulped the elegant elephant. "but that could not be, for no one in oz ever dies. ho, hum!" leaning up against a dead pine and blinking furiously to keep awake, he pondered the unpleasant situation. then, deciding that, cemetery or not, he must have some sleep, he lifted randy down from his back and rolled him in a blanket he had thoughtfully brought along. then, divesting himself of his jeweled robe and head-piece, kabumpo stretched out carefully beside his young comrade and in twenty minutes was fast asleep. how long he slumbered kabumpo never knew, but from a nightmare in which he was struggling in a bank of treacherous quicksand, he awoke with a frightful sinking feeling to find he was surrounded by forty more of the gaper guards. their buttons were also lit up and on each plump chest he could read the word "wake." the wakes were busily at work with pick and spade, and, unlike the winks, did not seem the least bit drowsy. half convinced he was still asleep and dreaming, kabumpo peered out at them through half-closed lids, then gave a tremendous grunt. great gillikens! he was sinking! the busy little wakes had dug a trench at least twenty feet deep all around him and now, careless of their own safety, were shoveling away at the mound on which he was still precariously resting. "quick, a few more to the right," directed a crisp little voice. "watch yourself there, torpy. ah, here he comes! heads up, lads!" as the chief wake spoke, kabumpo felt the mound give way and down he rolled into the pit, while the wakes scrambled frantically up the sides. "did you hear that fierce toot?" puffed the little guard addressed as torpy. "it's awake, fellows! what's wrong with those sleeping arrows--don't they work any more? i myself saw forty sticking in the big whatisit when he came pounding out of the pass. hurry, hurry! let's get him under ground!" and, seizing their picks and spades again, the gaper guards began shoveling dirt into the pit, paying no attention to kabumpo's furious blasts and bellows, which grew wilder and more anguished as he suddenly realized that randy was no longer beside him. "what have you done with the boy? halt! stop! how dare you cast dirt on an imperial prince of pumperdink or try to bury the elegant elephant of oz?" shaking the mud from his head and raising his trunk, kabumpo let out such an ear-splitting trumpet, twenty wakes fell to their knees, and the others dropped pick and shovel and stared at him in positive dismay. "but, sir, it is quite customary to bury all visitors," quavered torpy as soon as he could make himself heard. "we'll dig you up in six months and you'll be good as new. our dormitories are so very comfortable, and all gapers lie dormant for six months!" "but i'm not a gaper," screamed kabumpo, interrupting himself with a yawn both wide and gusty. "oh, but you soon will be," asserted torpy, squinting down at him earnestly. "why, you're gaping already. now lie down like a good beast. sleeping underground is lovely." "lovely!" repeated all the rest of the wakes, beginning to croon as they shoveled. kabumpo, opening his mouth to protest again, caught a bushel of earth between his tusks and, half choked and blind with rage, the elegant elephant hurled himself at the side of the pit. he could almost reach the top with his trunk and, as the wakes squealing with alarm shoveled faster and faster, he wound his trunk round an old tree stump and by main strength hauled himself up over the edge. "now!" he bellowed, spreading his ears like sails. "where have you buried the boy? quick, speak up or i'll pound you to splinters." snatching a log in his trunk, kabumpo surged forward. but the terrified wakes, instead of answering, fled for their lives, leaving kabumpo all alone in the ghostly little valley. "randy! randy, where are you? oh, my poor boy, are you suffocated?" galloping this way and that, kabumpo peered desperately about for a patch of newly turned earth. but only the wind whistling drearily through the dead branches of the pine trees came to answer him. frantic with worry, the elegant elephant began pounding with his log on the headstones of the dormant gapers, trumpeting at the same time in a way to wake the dead. chapter out of gaper's gulch now the gapers were not dead, but only sleeping, and soon the dormant natives of this strange hibernation lifted up their headstones and began blinking out indignantly to see what and who had got loose in their quiet valley. "silence! cease! desist!" shuddered sleeperoo the great and snorious, holding up his headstone with one hand and waving his other arm feebly at kabumpo. "a bit more of that racket and we'll be roused for months. who are you? and what is the meaning of all this hah hoh humbuggery?" gaping ten times in quick succession, sleeperoo stuck out his lip at the elegant elephant. kabumpo, startled by the spectacle of a hundred lifted headstones and the round dirty moonlike faces gaping up at him, said nothing for a whole minute. then, stepping over to the chief gaper, he burst out angrily: "i am a traveler whom your guards stuck full of arrows and then tried to bury. the young king who was with me has disappeared. i, the elegant elephant of oz and pumperdink, demand his release. what have you done with the king of regalia? produce him at once, or i'll stand here and trumpet till doomsday!" to show he meant what he said, kabumpo let out such a terrific blast the headstones of his listeners rocked and shivered. "oh, my head! my ears! my ears, my dears! give him what he's yelling for," sobbed sleeperoo, crouching under his headstone as kabumpo lifted his trunk for another trumpet. "is this--a--king?" called a fretful voice, and, lurching round, kabumpo saw a fat old gaper now half-way above ground. balancing his stone on his fat head, he held randy out at arm's length. "instead of digging him a proper bed, they stuck him in with me," he complained. "here, take him--he kicks like a mule and i can't abide a kicker." with a relieved grunt, kabumpo snatched randy from the gaper's damp clutches, thankful the boy still had strength enough to kick. randy's face was quite pale and covered with dirt, but after a few anxious shakes he opened his eyes and looked confusedly round him. "it's nothing," sniffed kabumpo. "it's quite all right, my boy. you've just been buried to the ears and sleeping with a ground-hog." "buried?" shivered randy, as kabumpo set him gently on his back. "not buried at all, just lying dormant as a sensible body should," corrected the old gaper, dropping out of sight with a slam of his headstone. "go away! please go away!" begged sleeperoo, as kabumpo began stepping gingerly between the stones. "you're ruining our rest, you big bullying behemoth!" "i'll not stir a step till you send a guide to lead me out of this gulch," declared kabumpo. "call a guard or i'll call one myself." "no. no! please not! torpy snorpy--i say, torpy," wheezed sleeperoo, stretching up his thin neck. "come, come all of you at once. at once!" as quickly as they had vanished, the wakes slid from behind boulders and trees and up out of rocky crevices, their buttons twinkling cheerfully in the dark. "conduct these travelers to the head of the valley," ordered sleeperoo, with a weak wave at the gaper guards. "i thought this was a gulch," yawned kabumpo, while randy began to shake the dirt from his hair and ears. "a gulch is a valley," sniffed sleeperoo, lowering himself crossly. "look it up in any pictionary. a gulch is a valley or chasm." "and gaper's gulch is a yawning chasm," mumbled kabumpo, as the chief gaper and all the others began ducking back into their holes like rabbits into warrens. "good night to you," he added, as the last stone slammed down. "now, then, you boys fetch my head-piece and robe from that pit and let's start on." kabumpo spoke so sharply ten wakes sprang to obey, and after they had brought them and both had been adjusted to kabumpo's liking, he signaled imperiously for torpy and snorpy to lead the way, and their companions took thankfully to their heels. for a while the two little wakes marched ahead in a subdued silence as the elegant elephant picked his way around rocks and tree stumps. "not mad, i hope?" torpy, most talkative of the two, looked anxiously over his shoulder. "no, no--certainly not. i don't know when i've spent a more delightful evening," kabumpo said. "being stuck full of arrows and then buried alive is such splendid entertainment." "oh, i say now, we cannot all be alike," put in snorpy, coming to the rescue of his embarrassed companion. "if those arrows had taken effect, you'd have been dead asleep before we buried you, and known nothing for six months. that's a lot of sleep to miss, mister--er--mister?" "kabumpo," chuckled randy, who was now wide awake and quite recovered from his harrowing experience. "but you see, kabumpo and i sleep every night and not all in one stretch as you do." "more trouble that way," murmured snorpy, shaking his head disapprovingly. "keeps you hopping up and down all the time. in the gulch we sleep half the year and then we are done with it." "and what do you do when you are not sleeping?" inquired kabumpo, stifling a yawn with his trunk. "we eat," grinned snorpy, his eyes twinkling brighter than his buttons. "breakfast from july first to august thirty-first; lunch from september first till october thirty-first; and dinner from november first till new year's." "you mean you eat straight through without stopping?" gasped randy, raising himself on one elbow. "all the time you're awake? don't you ever work, play or go on journeys?" "i do not know what you mean by 'work, play and going on journeys,' but whatever they are, we don't. we eat and sleep, sleep and eat and everything is perfectly gorgeous," confided the wake with a satisfied skip. "gorging is gorgeous to some people, i suppose." kabumpo tossed his head to show it was not his way. "then how is it you fellows are not sleeping along with the other gapers?" "oh, we're trained to sleep in summer and fall and to eat in winter and spring. the winks are not so clever at staying awake as we are, but they'll learn, and meanwhile the pebbles keep them fairly active." "yes, active enough to shoot at visitors," grunted kabumpo, winking back at randy. "do you shoot one another asleep or is that a special treat you reserve for travelers?" "we just shoot at travelers," admitted snorpy, quite cheerfully. "otherwise they would interfere with our customs, interrupt our sleeping and eating and wake us up out of season." "just as we did," chuckled randy. "i suppose we interrupted your dinner, this being one of the dinner months?" both guards nodded, exchanging pleased little smiles. "come on back and have a bite with us," invited snorpy generously. "we've weak fish for the first week, chops for the second--" randy, tugging at kabumpo's collar, begged him to stop, for randy was hungry as a brace of bears, but the elegant elephant, shaking his head till all his jewels rattled, declined the invitation with great firmness. "no knowing what will come of it," he whispered to his disappointed young comrade. "might put us to sleep for a century and it's about all i can do to keep my eyes open now. wait till we're out of this goopy gulch, my lad, and we'll eat and sleep like gentlemen. after all, we are gentlemen and not ground-hogs." urging his guides to greater speed, the weary beast pushed doggedly on through the brush and stubble. snorpy and torpy, insulted by the shortness with which the elegant elephant had refused their invitation, had little more to say, and in less than an hour had brought the travelers to the end of the rocky little valley. from where they stood, a crooked path wound crazily upward, and with a silent wave aloft the two wakes turned and ran. "back to their dinner," sighed randy, looking hungrily after them. but kabumpo, charmed to see the last of the ghostly gulch and its inhabitants, began to ascend the path, not even stopping for breath till he had come to the top. even after this, he traveled on for about five miles to make sure no sleepy vapors or gapers would trouble them again. the moon had waned and the stars grown faint as he stopped at last in a small patch of woodland. here, without removing his head-piece or robe, kabumpo braced his back against a mighty oak and fell asleep on his feet, and randy, soothed and rocked by his tremendous snores, soon closed his eyes and slept also. chapter headway when randy wakened, kabumpo had already started on, grumbling under his breath, because nowhere in sight was there a green bush, a tree or anything at all that an elephant or little boy might eat. "where are we?" yawned randy, sitting up and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. "great gillikens, this is as bad as gaper's gulch!" "all the countries bordering on the deadly desert are queer no-count little places," sniffed the elegant elephant, angrily jerking his robe off a cactus. "and from the feel of the air, we must be near the desert now." at mention of the deadly desert, randy lapsed into an uneasy silence, for how could they ever cross this tract of burning sand, and how could they reach ev or jinnicky's castles unless they did cross it? while this vast belt of destroying sand effectively kept enemies out of oz, it also kept the ozians in. "if we only had some of jinnicky's magic or even his silver dinner bell to bring us a good breakfast!" sighed randy, glancing round hungrily. "pretty stupid of me not to have brought along a lunch, and there's not even a brook or stream in this miserable little patch of woods where a body could quench his thirst. maybe it will rain, and that would help a little." "maybe," admitted kabumpo, squinting up at the leaden sky. "anyway, here we are out of the woods, but take a look at those rocks!" "and those heads behind the rocks," whispered randy, clutching kabumpo's collar. "there's something pretty odd about those heads, if you ask me," wheezed the elegant elephant, curling up his trunk. "odd or i'm losing my eye and ear sight." "odd!" hissed randy, tightening his hold on kabumpo's collar. "good goats and gravy! they're flying round loose like birds. why, they've got no bodies on 'em, no bodies at all!" "read the sign," directed kabumpo, uncurling his trunk and pointing to a crude warning scratched on a flat slab at the edge of the road leading to the rocky promontory above. "heads up! this road leads to headland, nobody's allowed." "humph! well, we won't make much headway without our bodies," grunted kabumpo, as randy read the message slowly to himself. "such impudence! why should we pay any attention to such stuff? bodies or not, we're going on, and how can fellows minus feet and arms hope to stop us?" "they might crash down on us with their heads," worried randy, as an angry flock of headmen circled round and round at the top of the road, "and those heads look hard." "not any harder than mine. keep your crown on, randy," advised kabumpo grimly, "the spikes will dent 'em good, and if you reach down in my left-hand pocket you'll find a short club. the club will be better than your sword; you can't cut a head off no neck and besides we don't really want to injure the pests. all ready? then here we go!" randy did not answer, for hooking his heels through kabumpo's harness, he was already delving into the capacious pocket on the left side of the elegant elephant's robe, discovering not only a club, but a quiver full of darts. jerking himself upright, the club in one hand, the darts in the other, he peered aloft with growing anxiety as foot over foot kabumpo climbed up the granite slope. the faces of the headmen were round and deeply wrinkled from the hot winds blowing off the desert; their ears, huge and fan-shaped, flapped like wings, and like wings propelled them through the air. before kabumpo reached the top, a whole bevy came whizzing toward them, screaming out indignant threats and warnings. "off, be off!" they shouted hysterically. "off with their arms, off with their legs, off with their bodies! halt! stop! begone, you miserable creepy crawly creatures. you dare not set a foot on our beautiful headland." "oh, daren't we?" kabumpo shook his trunk belligerently. "and who is to stop us, pray?" "i am," rasped the ugliest of the headmen. snatching a coil of wire from a niche in the rocks with his teeth, the ugly little mugly came flapping toward them. another of the headmen hastened to seize the opposite end of the wire in his teeth and, stretching it between them, they came rushing on. "watch out!" warned randy, dropping flat between kabumpo's ears. "they're going to trip you up." "wrong, how wrong," chattered all the headmen, bobbing up and down like balloons let off their strings. "they're going to cut off his body," confided one of the long-nosed tribesmen, zooming down to whisper this information in randy's ear. "the creature's head is welcome enough and with those enormous ears he'll have no trouble flying, but his body--oh, his body is awful and must stay behind. and your body, too, you little monster, we'll cut that off too," promised the headman in his oily voice. "what use is a body, anyway? i see you have very small ears, but they can be stretched. and just wait till you've been debodicated, you'll feel so right and light and flighty." "help! stop! help! help!" screamed randy, as the ugly mugly gave him a playful nip on the ear. "back up, kabumpo, back down. they're going to catch you in that wire and choke you." "pah! nonsense," panted the elegant elephant. and heaving himself up over the last barrier, he stepped confidently out on the rocky plateau. "heads up! heads up!" shrilled the headmen, while the two with the wire, deftly encircling kabumpo's great neck, began to fly apart in order to draw the noose tighter. kabumpo ducked, but much too late, and though his ferocious trumpeting sent swarms of headmen fluttering aloft, the two holding the wire stuck to their task, pulling and jerking with all their teeth till kabumpo's jeweled collar was pressing uncomfortably into his throat. "don't worry," he grunted gamely, "their teeth will give way before my neck does. calm yourself, my boy, ca--alm your--self." but how could randy feel calm with his best friend in such a predicament and already beginning to gasp for breath? jumping up and down on kabumpo's back, he rattled his club valiantly, but the headmen were too high up for him to reach, and when at last he flung the club with all his strength at the one on the left, it seemed to make no impression at all on the hard head of the enemy. redoubling his efforts, he drew the wire tighter and tighter in his yellow teeth. in desperation, randy suddenly remembered the darts, and drawing one from the quiver, sent it speeding upward. the first missed, but as the elegant elephant began to sway and quiver beneath him, the second found its mark, striking the headman squarely in the middle of the forehead. an expression of surprise and dismay overspread his wrinkled features, and next instant, with a terrific yawn, he dropped the wire and fell headlong to the rocks, where he rolled over and over and over. "great goopers!" exclaimed randy, hardly able to believe his luck. "why, he's not hurt at all, but has fallen asleep." "watch the others, the--others!" gulped kabumpo, shaking his head in an effort to free it from the wire. already another had flown to take his fallen comrade's place, but before he could snatch the wire, randy brought him to earth with one of his sharply pointed darts. the next who ventured he shot down too, and as the rest of the band came swarming down to see what was happening, randy sent arrow after arrow winging into their midst till the flat, smooth rock was dotted with sleepy heads, for each one hit promptly fell asleep. though his arm ached and his heart thumped uncomfortably, randy did not even pause for breath till he had sent the last arrow into the air, and then quite suddenly he realized he had won this strange and ridiculous battle. more than half of the ear-men, as he could not help calling them to himself, lay snoring on the ground; the rest with terrified shrieks and whistles were flapping off as fast as their ears would carry them. now entirely free of the wire, but still trembling and gasping, kabumpo stared angrily after them. "what i cannot understand," puffed randy, sliding to the ground to examine a group of the enemy, "is what put them to sleep? i thought your darts might hurt or head them off or puncture them like balloons, but instead--here they are asleep, and how asleep! shall i pull out the arrows? i might need them later." "they're not my arrows," kabumpo said, wrinkling his forehead in a puzzled frown. "i didn't have any arrows, but ha, ha, kerumph!" the elegant elephant began to shake all over. "they must be gaper arrows--the wakes must have stuck them in my pocket when they fetched my robe and head-piece. pretty cute of the little rascals, at that. why, these must be the same arrows the winks shot at me, randy, but my hide was too tough for them and they didn't work." "well, they certainly made short work of the headmen," said randy, turning one over gently with his foot. "goodness! i thought you'd be choked and done for, old fellow!" "who, me? nonsense! my neck would have broken their teeth in another minute or two." "well, then, shall i pull out the arrows?" asked randy, who had his own opinion about kabumpo's narrow escape. "we could use them again some time." "no, no! leave them in! so long as those arrows stick fast the little villains will sleep fast and that's the only way i can stand 'em." "but suppose the others fly back?" randy still hesitated. "pooh! don't you worry about that." kabumpo raised his trunk scornfully. "they're frightened out of their wits and probably half way to the sapphire city by this time. and when they do come back, we won't be here." "won't we?" dubiously randy began to pace across the bare and arid plateau. "i certainly don't think much of headland, do you?" "i wouldn't have it for a gift, even if they threw in a tusk brush and diamond earrings besides!" snorted kabumpo. "why, it's nothing but a humpy bumpy acre of rock without a tree, a house, a bird or even a blade of grass. i'd give the whole country for a mouthful of hay or a bucketful of water!" "we might find a spring among the rocks," proposed randy, hurrying along hopefully. "more likely a fall," predicted kabumpo, trudging gloomily behind him. but just then, randy, who had vanished behind a sizable boulder, gave an excited whoop. "hi, yi, kabumpo! we're here! we're here, right on the edge of it!" he shouted vociferously. "look!" the elegant elephant, pushing round the rock, did look, then, mopping his forehead with the tip of his robe, sank heavily to his haunches and for a moment neither said a word. for, truly enough, the jagged point of headland projected over the desert as a high cliff hangs over the sea. below, the seething sand smoked, churned and tumbled, sending up sulphurous waves of heat that made both travelers cough and splutter. "so, all we have to do is cross," gasped randy, dashing the tears brought by the smoke out of his eyes. "and a simple thing that will be," grunted the elegant elephant sarcastically, "seeing that one foot on the sand spells instant destruction. if we could just flap our ears like the headmen, we could fly across." "but as we can't," sighed randy, seating himself despondently on a boulder. "what are we to do?" "well, that remains to be seen," muttered kabumpo, who had not the faintest notion. "'never cross a deadly desert on an empty stomach,' is my motto, and i'm going to stick to it." "sticking to mottoes won't get us anywhere," randy said, skimming a stone off the edge and watching with a little shudder as it was sucked down into the whirling sand. "doesn't that desert make you thirsty? goopers, if i had a dipperful of water i'd gladly do without the breakfast." "humph! looks as if you might have that wish." feeling hurriedly in the right pocket of his robe, kabumpo dragged out a waterproof as large as a tent. "just spread this over me, will you?" he puffed anxiously. "storm coming. hear that thunder? storm coming." "coming?" cried randy, springing up to help kabumpo with the buckles. "why, it's here." he had to raise his voice to a scream to make himself heard above the gale that, arising apparently from nowhere, struck them furiously from behind. he had just fastened the last strap of the waterproof to kabumpo's left ankle when the rain swept down in perfect torrents; rain, accompanied by hailstones as big as easter eggs. there was ample room for randy beneath the elegant elephant, and standing between his front legs the young monarch lifted the waterproof, and reaching out caught a huge hailstone in his hand. touching it against his parched lips, randy gave a sigh of content, then crunching it up rapturously, stuck out his head and let the pelting downpour cool his hot and dusty face. "wonder if this will put out the desert?" he mused, ducking back as a terrible clap of thunder boomed like a cannon shot overhead. "say, it's a lucky thing you're so big, kabumpo," he called up cheerily, "or we'd be blown away. whee--listen to that wind, would you!" "have to do more than listen," howled the elegant elephant, bracing his feet and lowering his head. "ahoy! below--catch hold of something, randy! help! hi! hold on! hold on! for the love of blue--mountains! here we go! here we blow! oooomph! bloomph! ker--ahhhhh!" "oh, no, kabumpo! no!" leaping up, randy caught the elegant elephant's broad belt. "put on--the brakes! quick!" and kabumpo did try making a futile stand against the tearing wind. but the mighty gale, whistling under his waterproof filled it up and out like a balloon, and with a regular ferry-boat blast, kabumpo rose into the air and zoomed like a zeppelin over the deadly desert, while randy, hanging grimly to the strap of his belt, banged to and fro like the clapper on a bell. chapter the other side of the desert remembering the deadly and destroying nature of the sands below, randy did not dare to look down. besides, holding on took all his strength and attention, for kabumpo was borne like a leaf before the howling gale, faster and faster and faster, till he and randy were too dazed and dizzy to know or care how far they had gone or where they were blowing to. which was perhaps just as well, for, as suddenly as it had risen, the gale abated and, coasting down the last high hill of the wind, saved from a serious crash only by his faithful tarpaulin, which now acted as a parachute, kabumpo came jolting to earth. with closed eyes and trunk held stiffly before him, the elegant elephant remained perfectly motionless awaiting destruction and wondering vaguely how it would feel. he was convinced that they had come down on the desert itself. then, as no fierce blasts of heat assailed him, he ventured to open one eye. randy, shaken loose by the force of the landing, had rolled to the ground a few feet away, and now, jumping to his feet, cried joyously: "why, it's over, kabumpo--over, and so are we! ho! i never knew you could fly, old push-the-foot." "neither did i," shuddered the elegant elephant, and jerking off the waterproof he flung it as hard and as far as he could. "oh, don't do that!" randy dashed away to pick it up. "that good old coat saved our bacon and ballooned us across the desert as light as a couple of daisies." "but we're no better off on this side than on the other," grumbled kabumpo, surveying the barren countryside with positive hatred. "not a house, a field, a farm or a castle in sight." "the idea was to get away from castles, wasn't it?" randy grinned up at his huge friend and, folding the waterproof into a neat packet, tucked it back in its place. "well, there's one thing about castles," observed the elegant elephant, giving his robe a quick tug here and there. "at least, the food's regular. i could eat a royal dinner from soup to napkins." "give me a boost up that tree and i'll have a look around," proposed randy. "need a spy-glass to find anything worth looking at in this country," complained kabumpo, lifting randy into the fork of a gnarled old tree. shinning expertly up the rough trunk, randy looked carefully in all directions. "we certainly cleared the desert by a nice margin," he called down gaily. "it's at least a mile behind us, and toward the east i see a cluster of white towers that might be a castle." "and nothing between," mourned kabumpo with a hungry swallow. "no fields, orchards or melon patches?" "there are fields, but they're too far away for me to see what's growing, and there's a forest too. what country is this, kabumpo? do you know?" "depends on how we blew," answered the elegant elephant, lifting randy out of the tree and tossing him lightly over his shoulder. "if we blew straight from headland, which is certainly the northwestern tip of the gilliken country of oz, we should be in no land. if we blew slantwise, this would be ix." "then i hope we blew slantwise." randy spread himself out luxuriantly behind kabumpo's ears. "for if we are in ix, we have only one country to cross before we reach ev and jinnicky's castle." "and the sooner we start, the sooner we'll arrive," agreed kabumpo, swinging into motion. "but if i drop in my tracks, boy, don't be too surprised. i'm hollow as a drum and weak as a violet." "too bad we're not like the headmen," said randy, who felt dreadfully hollow himself. "without a body, i suppose one does not feel hungry. wonder what became of them, anyway?" "who cares?" sniffed kabumpo, picking his way crossly through the rocks and brambles. "they probably blew about for a while, but with ears like sails, what's a gale of wind or weather? ho! what's that i see yonder, a farmer?" "no, just a hat stuck on a pole to scare away the crows," randy told him after a careful squint. "but nothing grows in the field but rocks, so why do they bother?" "did you say a 'hat'?" kabumpo's small eyes began to burn and twinkle, and breaking into a run he was across the field like a flash. "kabumpo!" gasped randy, as the elegant elephant snatched the hat from the pole and took a huge bite from the brim. "surely, surely you're not going to eat that old hat?" "why not?" demanded the elegant elephant, cramming the rest of the hat into his mouth and crunching it up with great gusto. "it's straw, isn't it? a little old and tough, to be sure, but nourishing, and anyway better than nothing!" almost strangling on the crown, kabumpo glanced sharply across the field, then looked apologetically back at his young rider. "great gooselberries," he muttered contritely, "i'm sorry as a goat. why, i never saved you even an edge!" "oh, never mind," choked randy, holding his sides at the very idea of such a thing. "even if i were starving, i couldn't eat a hat. but look, old push-the-foot, isn't that a barn showing over the top of that hill?" "barn!" wheezed kabumpo, lifting his trunk joyfully. "why, so it is! ho! this is something like!" and hiccoughing excitedly, from the effects of the hat, no doubt, kabumpo went galloping over the brow of the little hill. a pleasant valley dotted with small farms stretched out below. randy was relieved to note that its inhabitants were usual-looking beings like himself. children rode gleefully on wagons piled high with hay. farmers in wide-brimmed yellow hats, rather like those worn by the winkies in oz, worked placidly in the fields. everyone seemed contented, calm and happy; that is, until kabumpo, delighted to find himself again in a land of plenty, came charging down the hill trumpeting like a whole band of music. "oh, too bad, you've frightened them nearly out of their wits," mourned randy, hanging on to kabumpo's collar to keep his balance as the elegant elephant, forgetting his elegance, made a dash for the nearest hayrick. "help hi--stop! now see what you've done!" to tell the truth, the havoc ensuing was not all kabumpo's fault. no one in this tranquil valley of ix had ever seen an elephant before, and the sight of one rushing down upon them was so unnerving and strange they fled in every direction, leaping into barns and houses, and barring and double-barring the doors against this terrifying monster. horses hitched to their hay wagons cantered madly east and west, and the air was filled with loud shrieks, neighs and the bellows of stampeding cattle. "such dummies!" panted kabumpo, coming to a complete standstill. "well," he gave a tremendous sniff, "if they don't want to meet a king, a prince and the most elegant elephant in oz, what do we care? i've invited myself to breakfast anyhow, and they can like it or kabump it. just wait till i load away one stack of this hay, my boy, and i'll find you a breakfast fit for a king and traveler." and the elegant elephant was good as his word. after tossing down a great mound of new-mown hay, he swaggered over to the nearest farmhouse. pushing in the kitchen window with his trunk, he handed up to randy everything the little farmer's wife had on her kitchen table--a bowl of milk, a pat of butter, a loaf of bread, a cold half chicken and three hard-boiled eggs. "do control yourself, madam," he advised, as the palpitating little lady flattened herself against the opposite wall. "these pearls will more than pay for your provisions." afraid to touch the lovely chain kabumpo placed on the table, the little ixey watched with round eyes as kabumpo backed away. "ho, i guess that will give her something to tell her grandchildren!" snorted the elegant elephant. randy was too busy taking rapturous bites, first of bread and then of chicken, to answer. "why is it that everything tastes so much better when you are traveling?" he remarked a bit later, as he finished off the rest of the chicken and put the bread, butter and eggs away for his lunch. "'cause we're hungrier, i suppose," smiled kabumpo, crossing another field, "and then, there's the novelty." recalling the straw hat with a little chuckle, kabumpo winked back at his young rider. "but now that we've breakfasted i think we'd better be moving. i see some of these farmers gathering up their courage and their pitchforks and i'm too full to fight." "pooh! they couldn't hurt us," boasted randy, stretching out comfortably. "i rather wish they hadn't run off, though, i'd like to ask them something about the country, and you know, kabumpo--i've never ridden on a hay wagon in all my life and i'd sorta like to try it." "that's the worst of being a king," observed kabumpo, walking carefully around a brown calf. "you miss a lot of the common and ordinary pleasures. hmm--mmn, let's see, now, all the horses have run off, but there's still a heap of hay about--so why shouldn't you have a ride?" "without any wagon?" inquired randy, looking wistfully at the largest of the haystacks. "why not?" puffed kabumpo, and lifting randy hurriedly down from his back, he rushed at the hayrick, burrowing into it with tusk, feet and trunk till he was in the exact center. then heaving up with his back and forward with his trunk, he pushed till his head stuck out the other side. "come on!" he grunted triumphantly. "you'll not only have your hay ride, but i'll have my lunch!" throwing randy to the top of the load, the elegant elephant, looking far from elegant, set off at a lumbersome gallop, carrying the haystack right along with him. at sight of his prize hayrick apparently running away by itself, the outraged owner stuck his head out of the window and screamed. but that did not bother kabumpo. the load was but a feather's weight to him, and with the young king of regalia dancing and yelling on the top, he swept merrily through the startled valley. those at the lower end who had not seen kabumpo arrive, now catching sight of a load of hay moving off by itself, simply fell against fences and barn doors, blinking and gulping with astonishment, too stunned and shocked to return the gay greetings of the nonchalant young gilliken riding the load. kabumpo, sampling stray wisps as he ran and peering out comically from under the hay, enjoyed to the utmost the sensation he was causing. "make a wish, my boy," he shouted exuberantly. "it's awfully lucky to wish on the first load of hay." "then i wish we would reach the red jinn's castle before night," decided randy. "and wouldn't jinnicky laugh if he could see us now? did you leave a pearl for the hay, kabumpo?" "certainly," retorted the elephant, speaking rather stuffily through the haystack. "we're travelers, not thieves. hi! what's ahead, my lad? this load has shifted a bit over my left eye and i can scarcely see out of my right." "a dry river bed," called randy, bouncing up and down with the keenest enjoyment. "go slow, old push-the-foot, or you'll lose your lunch." "not on your life!" puffed the elegant elephant. "i'll stop and eat it first. ho--" "hay foot, straw foot, any foot will do, down the bank and up the bank, and now, how is the view?" "elegant," breathed randy, grinning to himself at kabumpo's verses. "more fields--meadows--forests, everything!" "but even so, i smell sulphur!" kabumpo moved his trunk slowly from side to side. "something's burning, my lad, and close at hand, too." "why, it's a horse!" randy's voice cracked from the sheer shock of the thing. "and coming straight for us, too. wait! stop! hold on! no, maybe you'd better run. great gillikens, it's smoking!" "a pipe?" inquired kabumpo, trying to see through the fringe of hay that was obscuring his vision. "and what if it is? am i, the elegant elephant of oz, to run from a mere and miserable equine?" "but this horse," squealed randy, sliding head first off the haystack, "this horse is different. oh, really, really, kabumpo, i think we'd better run." "never!" pushing the hay off his forehead with his trunk, kabumpo looked fiercely out, then, with a start that dislodged half the load, he began backing off as rapidly as he could, dragging randy along by the tail of his coat. chapter the princess of anuther planet even so, kabumpo was not fast enough, and as the immense black charger with its tail and mane curling like smoke, its fiery nostrils flashing flames a foot long, came galloping upon them, randy flung himself face down on the ground to escape its burning breath. the most terrifying thing about the black steed was the complete silentness of its coming. its metal-shod feet struck the earth without making a sound, giving kabumpo such a sense of unreality he could not believe it was true, nor move another step. in consequence, as the enormous animal swirled to a halt before him, a dozen darting flames from its nostrils set fire to the load of hay on his back, enveloping him in a hot and exceedingly dangerous bonfire. now thoroughly aroused, kabumpo leapt this way and that, and randy, unmindful of his own danger, jumped up and tried to beat out the fire with his cloak. but the hay blazed and crackled and the elegant elephant would certainly have been roasted like a potato, had he not reared up on his hind legs and let the whole burning burden slide from his back. scorched and infuriated, his royal robes burned and blackened, kabumpo backed into a handy brook and sat down, from which position he glared with positive hatred at his prancing adversary. but a complete change had come over this strange and unbelievable steed; his nostrils no longer spurted flames and as randy plumped down beside kabumpo, deciding this was the safest spot for both of them, the lordly creature dropped to its knees and touched its forehead three times to the earth. "away, away! you big meddlesome menace!" panted the elegant elephant, throwing up his trunk. "begone, you good-for-nothing hay burner!" "but, kabumpo," pleaded randy, as the horse, paying no attention to the elegant elephant's angry screeches, began throwing little puffs of red smoke into the air, "he's trying to give us a message. look!" "hail and salutations!" the words floated out smoothly and ranged themselves in a neat line. "i hereby acknowledge you as my master! i can flash fire from the eye, the nose and the mouth; but you--you flash fire from the whole body! hail and salutations from thun, the thunder colt. yonder rests my mistress planetty, princess of anuther planet! who are you, great-and-much-to-be-envied spurter of fire?" "sky writing!" gasped randy. "oh, kabumpo, how're we going to answer? he did not hear your scolding. i don't believe he can hear at all. fire spurter! ho, ho! and how are you going to keep up that reputation?" "i'm not!" grunted kabumpo, but in a much less savage voice, for he was almost completely won over by the thunder colt's flattery. "hmmm-hhh, let me see, now, couldn't we signal to the silly brute? there he stands looking up in the air for an answer." "well," randy said, "with your trunk and my arms we could form any number of letters, so--" "this is kabumpo, elegant elephant of oz. i am randy, king of regalia." with infinite pains and patience the two spelled out the message. puzzled at first, then seeming to understand, thun's clear yellow eyes snapped and twinkled with interest. tossing his smoky mane, he puffed a single word into the air. "come!" then away he flashed at his noiseless gallop. "shall we?" cried randy, jumping out of the creek, for he was curious to know more about the thunder colt and to meet the princess of anuther planet. "are you cooled off? did the water put you out?" "oh, i'm put out all right," grumbled kabumpo, lurching up the bank. "very put out and in splendid shape to meet a princess, i must say." "come on, you don't look so bad," urged randy, tugging impatiently at his tusk, while kabumpo himself endeavored to wring the water out of his robe with his trunk. "even without any trappings or jewels at all, you'd stand out in any company. there's nobody bigger or handsomer than you, kabumpo! know it?" "hah!" the elegant elephant let go his robe and gave randy a quick embrace. "then what are we waiting for, little braggerwagger?" tossing the young monarch lightly over his shoulder, the elegant elephant started after the thunder colt, moving almost as smoothly and silently as thun himself. without one look behind, thun had disappeared into a green forest, and how cool and delicious it seemed to randy and kabumpo after the dry desert lands they had been traversing. flashing in and out between the tall trees, the thunder colt led them to an ancient oak, set by itself in a little clearing. here, leaning thoughtfully against the bole of the tree, stood the little princess of anuther planet. kabumpo, recognizing royalty at once when he saw it, lifted his trunk in a grave and dignified salute. randy bowed, but in such a daze of surprise and admiration he scarcely knew he was bowing. the small figure under the oak was strange and beautiful beyond description, giving an impression both of strength and delicacy. planetty was fashioned of tiny meshed links, fine as the chain mail worn by medieval knights, of a metal that resembled silver, but which at the same time was iridescent and sparkling as glass. yet the princess of anuther planet was live and soft as randy's own flesh-and-bone self. her eyes were clear and yellow like thun's; her hair, a cascade of gossamer net, sprayed out over her shoulders and fell half-way to her feet. planetty's garments, trim and shaped to her figure, were of some veil-like net, and, floating from her shoulders, was a cloak of larger meshed metal thread almost like a fisherman's net. "highnesses, highness! oh, very high highnesses!" prancing lightly before her, thun puffed his announcement importantly into the air. "here you see kabumpty, nelegant nelephant of noz, and sandy, king of segalia." "oh, my goodness! he has us all mixed up," worried randy in a whispered aside to kabumpo, whose ears had gone straight back at the dreadful name thun had fastened upon him. "never mind, i too am mixed up. everything down here is too perfectly lettling." "oh, you can speak?" leaning forward, randy gazed delightedly down at the little metal maiden. he had been afraid at first she would use the same sky-writing talk as thun. "but surely," smiled planetty, each word striking the air with the distinctness of a silver bell, so that randy was almost as interested in the tune as in the sense. "only the creature folk on anuther planet are without power of speech or sound making. they must go soft and silently. that is the lenith law." "and a good law, too," observed kabumpo, looking resentfully up at the thunder colt's fading message. "permit me to introduce myself again. your highness, i am kabumpo, elegant elephant of oz, and this is randy, king of regalia, which is also in oz." "oz?" marveled planetty, lifting her spear-like silver staff, whose tip, ending in three metal links, fascinated randy. "is this, then, the planet of oz? and what are those, and these, and this?" in rapid succession the little princess touched a cluster of violets growing round the base of the oak, a moss-covered rock and the tall tree itself. "why, flowers, rocks and a tree," laughed randy. "surely you must have flowers, trees and rocks on anuther planet." "no, no, nothing like this--all these colors and shapes. everything on my planet is flat and greyling." the metal maiden raised her hands, as she searched for the right words to explain anuther planet. "it is all so different with us," she confessed, dropping her arms to her side. "yonder, we have zonitors; not trees, but tall shafts of metal to which we fasten our nets when we sleep or rest. underfoot we have network of various sizes and thicknesses with here and there sprays of vanadium. in our vanadium springs we freshen and renew ourselves, and without them we stiffen and cease to move." with one finger pressed to his forehead, randy tried to visualize planetty's strange greyling world, but kabumpo, ever more practical, inquired sharply: "and how often must you refresh and renew yourselves, princess?" "every sonestor in the earling," answered the princess with a bright nod. thun, tiring of a conversation he could not hear, had cantered off to investigate a rabbit, and randy, sliding to the ground, came over to stand nearer to this strange little princess. "kabumpo and i do not understand all those words," he told her gently. "'sonestor--earling'--what do they mean?" "why, a sonestor," trilled planetty, throwing back her head and showing all of her tiny silver teeth, "is one dark, one light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, one dark, one light, and earling is when you waken from ret." "help!" shuddered kabumpo shaking his ears as if he had a bee in them. "i know what she means," crowed randy, snapping his fingers gleefully. "a sonestor on anuther planet is the same as a week here; all those lights and darks are days, and earling is the morning and ret is rest!" "then, do you realize," worried kabumpo, as planetty looked questioningly from one to the other, "that if this little lady and her colt are separated from their vanadium springs for a week, they will become stiff, motionless statues? and that--" the elegant elephant looked the pretty little princess first up and then down. "that would be a great pity! we must help them back to anuther planet as soon as we can, my boy." "yes, yes, that is what you must do," planetty clapped her small silvery hands and blew a kiss to the elephant. "if thun had just not jumped on that thunderbolt!" "jumped on a thunderbolt, did he?" a reluctant admiration crept into kabumpo's voice. the princess nodded so emphatically her long, lovely hair danced and shimmered round her face like a cloud shot with starlight. "you see," she went on gravely, "we were on our way to a zorodell." kabumpo and randy exchanged startled glances, but, realizing there would be many odd words in planetty's language, did not interrupt her. "and half-way there," continued planetty calmly, "a dreadful storm overtook us. a bright flash of lightning frightened thun, and though i signaled for him to stop, he sprang right up on a huge glowing thunderbolt that had fallen across the netway, and it fell and fell and fell--bringing us to where we now are." "well, that's one way of going places," commented kabumpo, swinging his trunk from side to side. "but how can we find anuther planet when none of us fly?" demanded randy anxiously. "it must be miles above this country, for think how fast and far thunderbolts fall when they fall." "now you've forgotten the red jinn," boomed kabumpo, winking meaningly at the young king, for at randy's words the little princess had covered her face with her hands and three yellow jewels had trickled through her fingers. "jinnicky can help planetty and thun go any place they wish," insisted kabumpo in his loud challenging bass. "come, princess, summon your fire-breathing steed, and we will travel on to the most powerful wizard in ev." "ev? wizard? oh, how gay it all sounds." planetty's voice rang out merrily as christmas bells. with a lively skip she tapped her staff three times on the ground, and thun, though out of sight, came instantly bounding back to his little mistress. vaulting easily upon his back, the princess of anuther planet lifted her staff, and kabumpo, picking up randy, started away like a whole conquering army. chapter on to ev "is there any way you can signal to your mount to trot ahead?" inquired kabumpo, looking down sideways at the thunder colt, whose breath was blowing hot and uncomfortable against his side. "let thun be the vanguard," he suggested craftily. "when i trumpet once, turn him left; at two, turn right; at three, he must halt." "oh, fine," approved planetty, tapping out the message with her heel on the thunder colt's flank. "that will be simply delishicus." thun evidently agreed with her, for, tossing his smoky mane, he cantered to a position just ahead of the elegant elephant, at which kabumpo heaved a huge sigh of relief. he did not wish to hurt thun's feelings, neither did he wish to catch fire again. "here travel thun, the thunder colt, planetty, princess of anuther planet; kabumpty of noz; and slandy, king of segalia! give way, all ye comers and goers, and arouse me not, for i am a seething mass of molten metal!" "is he really?" marveled randy, gazing up at the fiery message floating like a banner over their heads. planetty nodded absently, her interest so taken up with the wild flowers below, the blue sky above, and the wide-armed, lacy-leafed trees of this ancient forest she could not bear to turn her head for fear of missing something. on her own far-away metal planet, skies were grey and leaden, and the various levels of slate and silver strata arranged in stiff and net-like patterns. the gay colors of this bright new world simply delighted her, and randy and kabumpo she considered beings of rare and singular beauty. the word she used to herself when she thought of them was "netiful," which is anuther way of saying beautiful. "a wonder that high-talking thomas couldn't get a name straight once in a while!" complained kabumpo out of one corner of his mouth, as thun's sentence spiraled away in thin pink smoke. "oh, what difference does it make?" laughed randy. "i think 'kabumpty' is real cute." "cute!" raged the elegant elephant with such a fierce blast planetty promptly turned thun to the left. "now see what you've done," snickered randy, giving kabumpo's ear a mischievous tweak. "they think you want them to go left." "as a matter of fact, i do," snapped kabumpo grumpily. "we must go east through ix and then north to ev." "puzzling and more puzzling," murmured planetty, looking round at the elegant elephant. "where are all these curious places, bumpo dear? i thought all the time we were in noz. did you not tell us you were the big bumpo of noz?" randy peered rather anxiously over kabumpo's ear to see how he was taking this second nickname, but he need not have worried. the "dear bumpo," spoken in the metal maid's ringing tones, fell like a charm on kabumpo's ruffled feelings. and, fairly oozing complacency and importance, he began to explain his own and randy's real names and countries, hoping planetty would straighten them out in her own head, if not in thun's. "you are right," he started off sonorously. "randy and i both live in the land of oz, a great oblong country entirely surrounded by a desert of burning sand. but in oz there are many, many kingdoms: first of all, the four large realms, the gilliken country of the north, the quadling country of the south, the empire of the winkies in the east, and the land of the munchkins in the west. each of these kingdoms has its own sovereign; but all are under the supreme rule of ozma, a fairy princess as lovely as your own small self, and ozma lives in an emerald city in the exact center of oz." kabumpo paused impressively while planetty's eyes twinkled merrily at his delicate flattery. "now randy and i hail from the north gilliken country of oz," proceeded the elegant elephant, moving along as he spoke in a grand and leisurely manner. "i come from the kingdom of pumperdink, and randy from the regal little realm of regalia. only yesterday i arrived in regalia to visit randy, and we are now on our way to the castle of the red jinn, as i think i told you before. if we were in oz, my dear--" kabumpo rather lingered over the "dear"--"ozma and her clever assistant, the wizard of oz, would quickly transport you to anuther planet with the magic belt. but, you see, we are not in oz, for the same storm that overtook you and thun overtook us, and hurled us across the deadly desert to this kingdom of ix, where we all now find ourselves. fortunately, too, for otherwise we might never have met a princess from anuther planet." the little princess nodded in bright agreement. "so--" continued kabumpo, picking a huge tiger-lily and holding it out to her, "as it is too difficult to travel back to the emerald city of oz, we will take you with us to the wizard of ev, whose castle is on the nonestic ocean in the country adjoining ix." "and a wizard is what?" planetty turned almost completely round on her black charger, smiling teasingly over the tiger-lily at kabumpo. "why, a wizard--er--a wizard--" the elegant elephant fumbled a bit trying to find the right words to explain. "a wizard is a person who can do by magic what other people cannot do at all," finished randy neatly. "magic?" planetty still looked puzzled. "oh, never mind all the words," comforted kabumpo, flapping his ears good naturedly, "you'll soon see for yourself what they all mean, and i'm sure jinnicky will be charmed to do his best tricks for you and send you back in fine and proper style to your own planet." "yes, jinnicky can do almost anything," boasted randy, taking off his crown and setting it back very much atilt, "and he's good fun too. you'll like jinnicky." "as much as big bumpo?" planetty rolled her soft eyes fondly back at the elegant elephant, and randy, feeling an unaccountable twinge of jealousy, wished she would look at him that way. "oh, maybe not so much as kabumpo; of course, there's nobody like him--but pretty much as much," declared the young king loyally. "but i like everything down here," decided planetty, leaning forward to tickle thun's ear with the lily. "it's all so nite and netiful." "so now we know what we are," whispered randy under his breath to kabumpo. "and wait till jinnicky sees us traveling with a fire-breathing thunder colt and the princess of anuther planet. oh, don't we meet important people on our journeys, kabumpo?" "well, don't they meet us?" murmured the elegant elephant, increasing his speed a little to keep up with thun. "though i wouldn't call this colt important myself. how is he any better than an ordinary horse? his breath is hot and dangerous, and it's not much fun traveling with a deaf and dumb brute who burns everything he breathes on." "oh, he's not so dumb," observed randy. "look at the way he leaped over that fallen log just now, and think how useful he'll be at night to blaze a trail and light the camp fires." "hadn't thought of that," admitted kabumpo grudgingly. "i guess he would show up pretty well in the dark, and i suppose that does make him trail blazer and lighter of the fires for this particular expedition. ho, ho! kerumph! and between you and me and the desert, this expedition had better move pretty fast and not stop for sightseeing. suppose these two nuthers had that vanadium shower at the beginning of the week instead of the middle, that would give them only about two more days to go? great goosefeathers! i'd hate to have 'em stiffen up on us half-way to jinnicky's. i might carry the princess, but what would we do with the colt?" "let's not even think of it," begged randy with a little shudder. "great goopers! kabumpo, i hope jinnicky will be at home and his magic in good working order and powerful enough to send them back or keep them here if they decide to stay." "if they decide to stay?" kabumpo looked sharply back at his young rider. "why should they?" "well, planetty said she liked it down here, you heard her yourself a moment ago, and i thought maybe--" randy's face grew rosy with embarrassment. "ha, ha! so that's the way the wind lies!" kabumpo chuckled soundlessly. "well, i wouldn't count on it, my lad," he called up softly. "she probably has some nite planetty prince waiting for her up yonder, and will fly away without so much as a backward glance. and as for jinnicky being at home--why shouldn't he be at home? and as for his magic not being powerful enough--why shouldn't it be powerful enough? he was in fine shape and form when i saw him in the emerald city three years ago. by the way, why weren't you at that grand celebration? i understood ozma invited all the rulers of the realm." "uncle hoochafoo did not want me to leave," sighed randy. "he thinks a king's place is in his castle." "i wonder what he thinks now?" said kabumpo, trumpeting three times, for thun was racing along too far ahead of them. "probably has all the wise men and guards running in circles to find me," giggled randy, immediately restored to good humor. "and say, when i do get back, old push-the-foot, i'm going to be king and everything will be very different and gay. yes, there'll be a lot of changes in regalia," he decided, shaking his head positively. "why, all those dull receptions and reviewings would tire a visitor to tears." "ho, ho! so you're still expecting her to visit you?" waving his trunk, kabumpo called out in a louder voice. "not so fast there, princess; hold thun back a bit. we might run into danger and we should all keep together on a journey. besides," kabumpo cleared his throat apologetically, "randy and i must stop for a bite to eat." planetty's eyes widened, as they always did at strange words and customs, but she tugged obediently at thun's mane and the thunder colt came to an instant halt. randy himself tried to coax the little princess to eat something, but she was so upset and puzzled by the idea, he finally desisted and tried to share his bread and eggs with kabumpo. but the elegant elephant generously refused a morsel, knowing randy had little enough for himself, and lunched as best he could from the shoots of young trees and saplings. thun was so interested when kabumpo quenched his thirst at a small spring that he too thrust his head into the bubbling waters, but withdrew it instantly and with such an expression of pain and distress randy concluded that water hurt the thunder colt as much as fire hurt them. he was quite worried till the flames began to spurt from thun's nostrils, for he was afraid the water might have put out thun's fire and hastened the time when he should lose all power of life and motion. "do you do this often?" inquired planetty, as randy tucked what was left into one of kabumpo's small pockets. "eat?" randy laughed in spite of himself. "oh, about three times a day--or light," he corrected himself hastily, remembering planetty had so designated the daytime. "i suppose that vanadium spray or shower keeps you and thun going, the way food does kabumpo and me?" planetty nodded dreamily, then, seeing kabumpo was ready to start, she tapped thun with her silver heels and away streaked the thunder colt, kabumpo swinging along at a grand gallop behind him. "strange we have not passed any woodsmen's huts, nor seen any wild animals," called randy, jamming his crown down a little tighter to keep it from sailing off. "hi! watch out, there old push-a-foot! there's a wall ahead stretching away on all sides and going up higher than higher. what's a wall doing in a forest? perhaps it shuts in the private shooting preserve of queen zixie herself. say--ay--i'd like to meet the queen of this country, wouldn't you?" "no time, no time," puffed the elegant elephant, giving three short trumpets to warn planetty to halt thun. "great grump! whoever built this wall wanted to shut out everything, even the sky. can't even get a squint of the top, can you?" "is this the great kingdom of ev?" asked planetty, who had pulled thun up short and was looking at the wooden wall with lively interest. "no, no, we're not nearly to ev." the elegant elephant shook his head impatiently. "back of this wall lives someone who dotes on privacy, i take it, or why should he shut himself in and everyone else out? now, then, shall we cruise round or knock a hole in the wood? i don't see any door, do you, randy?" "no, i don't." standing on the elephant's back, randy examined the wall with great care. "why, it goes for miles," he groaned dolefully. "miles!" "then we'll just bump through." backing off, kabumpo lowered his head and was about to lunge forward when randy gave his ear a sharp tweak. "look!" he directed breathlessly. "look!" while they had been talking, thun had been sniffing curiously at the wooden wall and now a whole round section of it was blazing merrily. "hurray! he's burned a hole big enough for us all to go through," yelled the young king gleefully. "come on!" vexed to think the thunder colt had solved the difficulty so easily, and worried lest the whole wall should catch fire, kabumpo signaled for planetty to precede him. but he need not have worried about thun's firing the wall. the thunder colt had burned as neat a hole in the boards as a cigarette burns in paper, and while the edges glowed a bit, they soon smouldered out, leaving a huge circular opening. so, without further delay, kabumpo stepped through, only to find himself facing the most curious company he had seen in the whole course of his travels. chapter the box wood "why! why, they're all in boxes!" breathed randy, as a group with upraised and boxed fists advanced upon the newcomers. "chillywalla! chillywalla!" yelled the boxers, their voices coming muffled and strange through the hat-boxes they wore on their heads. "chillywalla, chillywalla, chillywalla!" echoed planetty, waving cheerfully at the oncoming host. "shh-hh, pss-st, princess, that may be a war cry," warned randy, drawing his sword and swinging it so swiftly round his head it whistled. thun, too astonished to move a step, stood with lowered head, his flaming breath darting harmlessly into the moist floor of the forest. "chillywalla! chillywalla! chillywalla!" roared the boxers, keeping a safe distance from kabumpo's lashing trunk. "chillywalla! chillywalla!" their voices rose loud and imploring. as randy slid off the elegant elephant's back to place himself beside planetty, a perfectly enormous boxer came clumping out of the box wood to the left. "yes! yes?" he grunted, holding on his hat-box as he ran. when he caught sight of the travelers, he stopped short, and, not satisfied with peering through the eyeholes in his hat-box, took it off altogether and stood staring at them, his square eyes almost popping from his square head. "box their ears, box their ears! box their heads and arms and rears! box their legs, their hands and chests, box that fire plug 'fore all the rest! an iron box!" screamed chillywalla, as thun, with a soundless snort, sent a shower of sparks into a candy box bush, toasting all the marshmallows in the boxes. "oh, aren't you afraid to go about in this barebacked, barefaced, unboxed condition?" he panted, "exposed to the awful dangers of the raw outer air?" chillywalla hastily clapped on his hat box, but not before randy noticed that his ears were nicely boxed, too. without waiting for an answer to his question, the boxer, with one shove of his enormous boxed fist, pushed thun under a box tree. planetty had just time to leap from his back when chillywalla shook a huge iron box loose and it came clanking down over the thunder colt. it was open at the bottom, and thun, kicking and rearing underneath, jerked it east and west. "he'll soon grow used to it," muttered chillywalla, jabbing a dozen holes in the metal with a sharp pick he had drawn from a pocket in his box coat. "now, then, who's next? ah! what a lovely lady!" chillywalla gazed rapturously at the princess from anuther planet, then clapping his hands, called sharply: "bring the jewel boxes for her ears, flower boxes for herself, a bonnet box for her head, candy boxes for her hands, slipper boxes for those tiny silver feet. bring stocking boxes, glove boxes, and hurry! hurry!" "oh, please!" randy put himself firmly between planetty and the determined chillywalla. "the outer air does not hurt us at all, mister chillywalla; in fact, we like it!" "just try to find a box big enough for me!" invited kabumpo, snatching up the little princess and setting her high on his shoulder. "i think i have a packing box that would just fit," mused the chief boxer, folding his arms and looking sideways at the elegant elephant. "pack him up, pack him off, send him packing!" chattered the other boxers, who had never seen anything like kabumpo in their lives and distrusted him highly. but chillywalla himself was quite interested in his singular visitors and inclined to be more than friendly. "better try our boxes," he urged seriously, as he took the pile of bright cardboard containers an assistant had brought him. "without bragging, i can say that they are the best boxes grown--stylish, nicely fitting and decidedly comfortable to wear." "ha, ha!" rumbled kabumpo, rocking backward and forward at the very idea. "mean to tell me you wear boxes over your other clothes and everywhere you go?" "certainly." chillywalla nodded vigorously. "do you suppose we want to stand around and disintegrate? what happens to articles after they are taken out of their boxes?" he demanded argumentatively. "tell me that." "why," said randy, thoughtfully, "they're worn, or sold, or eaten, or spoiled--" "exactly." chillywalla snapped him up quickly. "they are worn out; they lose their freshness and their newness. well, we intend to save ourselves from such a fate, and we do," he added complacently. "you're certainly fresh enough," chuckled kabumpo with a wink at randy. "but might not these boxes be fun to wear?" inquired planetty, looking rather wistfully at the bright heap the boxer chief had intended for her. "no, no and no!" rumbled kabumpo positively. "no boxes!" "as you wish." chillywalla shrugged his shoulders under his cardboard clothes box. "shall i unbox the horse?" "better not," decided randy, looking anxiously at the sparks issuing from the punctures in thun's box. "but perhaps you would show us the way through this--this--" "box wood," finished chillywalla. "yes, i will be most honored to conduct you through our forest. and you may pick as many boxes as you wish, too," he added generously. "i'd like to do something for people who are so soon to spoil and wither." "ha, ha! now, i'm sure that's very kind of you," roared kabumpo, wiping his eyes on the fringe of his robe. "and i think it best we hurry along, my good fellow. ho, whither away? it would never do to have a spoiled king and princess and a bad horse and elephant on your hands." "oh, if you'd only wear our boxes!" begged chillywalla, almost ready to cry at the prospect of his visitors spoiling on the premises. then as kabumpo shook his head again, the big boxer started off at a rapid shuffle, anxious to have them out of the woods as soon as possible. thun, during all this conversation, had been kicking and bucking under his iron box, but now planetty tapped out a reassuring message with her staff and the thunder colt quieted down. on the whole, he behaved rather well, following the signals his little mistress tapped out, and pushing the iron box along without too much discomfort or complaint, though occasional indignant and fiery protests came puffing out of his iron container. randy considered the journey through the box wood one of their gayest and most entertaining adventures. the woodmen, in their brightly decorated boxes, shuffled cheerfully along beside them, stopping now and then to point with pride to their square box-like dwellings set at regular intervals under the spreading boxwood trees. the whole forest was covered by an enormous wooden box that shut out the sky and gave everything an artificial and unreal look. it was in one side of this monster box that thun had burned the hole to admit them. randy and planetty, riding sociably together on kabumpo's back, picked boxes from branches of all the trees they could reach, and it was such fun and so exciting they paid scarcely any attention to the remarks of chillywalla. even the elegant elephant snapped off a box or two and handed them back to his royal riders. "oh, look!" exulted randy, opening a bright blue cardboard box. "this is just full of chocolate candy." "oh, throw that trash away," advised chillywalla contemptuously. "we think nothing of the stuff that grows inside, it's the boxes themselves we are after." "but this candy is good," objected randy after sampling several pieces. "and mind you, kabumpo, planetty has just picked a jewel box full of real chains, rings and bracelets." "oh, they are netiful, netiful," crooned the princess of anuther planet, hugging the velvet jewel box to her breast. "keep them if you wish," sniffed chillywalla, "but they're just rubbish to us. when we pick boxes we toss the contents away." "now, that's plain foolishness," snorted kabumpo, aghast at such a waste, as randy picked a pencil box full of neatly sharpened pencils and planetty a tidy sewing kit fitted out with scissors, needles and spools of thread. the thimble was not quite ripe, but as planetty had never stitched a stitch in her royal life, she did not notice nor care about that. indeed, before they came to the other side of the box wood, she and randy were sitting in the midst of a high heap of their treasures, and kabumpo looked as if he were making a lengthy safari, loaded up and down for the journey. randy had stuffed most of the boxes into big net bags kabumpo always brought along for emergencies, and these he tied to the elegant elephant's harness. there were bread boxes packed with tiny loaves and biscuits, cake boxes stuffed with sugar buns and cookies, stamp boxes, flower boxes, glove boxes, coat and suit boxes. last of all, randy picked a band box and it played such gay tunes when he lifted the lid, planetty clapped her silver hands, and even kabumpo began to hum under his breath. traveling through the box wood with kind-hearted chillywalla was more like a surprise party than anything else. to planetty it was all so delightful, she began to wonder how she had ever been satisfied with her life on anuther planet. "are all the countries down here as different and happy as this?" she asked, fingering the necklace she had taken from the jewel box. "all our countries are greyling and sad. no birds sing, no flowers grow, and people are all the same." "oh, just wait till you've been to oz," exclaimed randy, shutting the band box so he could talk better. "oz countries are even more surprising than this, and wait till you've seen ev and jinnicky's red glass castle!" "you'll never reach it," predicted chillywalla, shaking his hat box gloomily. "you'll spoil in a few hours now, especially the big one, loaded down with all that stuff and rubbish. throw it away," he begged again, looking so sorrowful randy was afraid he was going to burst out crying. "toss out that rubbish and wear our boxes before it is too late!" "rubbish!" randy shook his finger reprovingly at the boxer. "why, all these things are terribly nice and useful. if we go through enemy countries, we can placate the natives with cakes and cigars, and if we go through friendly countries, we'll use the suits and flowers and candy for gifts. really, you've been a great help to us, mr. chillywalla, and if you ever come to regalia, you may have anything in my castle you wish!" "are there any boxes in your castle?" chillywalla peered up at randy through the slits in his hat box. "not many," admitted randy truthfully. "you see, in my country we keep the contents and throw the boxes away." "throw the boxes away!" gasped chillywalla, jumping three times into the air. "oh, you rogues! you rascals! you--you boxibals! lefters! righters! boxers all! here! here at once! have at these box-destroying savages!" "now see what you've done," mourned kabumpo, as hundreds of the boxers, heeding chillywalla's call, darted out of their dwellings and came leaping from behind the box bushes and trees. "you've started a war! that's what!" "box them! box them good!" shrieked chillywalla, raining harmless blows on kabumpo's trunk with his boxed fists. a hundred more boxed both thun and the elegant elephant from the rear, and so loud and angry were their cries planetty covered her ears. "too bad we have to leave when everything was so pleasant," wheezed kabumpo. "but never mind, here's the other side of the box wood. flatten out, youngsters, and i'll bump through." and bump through he did, with such a splintering of boards it sounded like an explosion of cannon crackers. thun, at three taps from planetty, bumped after him, and before the boxers realized what was happening they were far away from there. "i'll soon have that box off you!" panted kabumpo. and putting his trunk under thun's iron box, he heaved it up in short order, screaming shrilly as he did, for the thunder colt's breath had made the metal uncomfortably hot. "i thank you, great and mighty master!" thun sent the words up in a perfect shower of sparks. "let us begone from these noxious boxers." "oh, they're not so bad," mused randy, as planetty signaled for thun to go left. "just peculiar. imagine keeping the boxes and throwing away all the lovely things inside. and imagine a country where everything grows in boxes!" he added, standing up to wave at chillywalla and his square-headed comrades, who were looking angrily through the break in the side of their wall. "good-bye!" he called clearly. "good-bye, chillywalla, and thanks for the presents!" "boxibals!" hissed the boxer chief and his men, shaking their fists furiously at the departing visitors. "and that makes us no better than cannibals, i suppose," grunted kabumpo, looking rather wearily at the stretch of forest ahead. he had rather hoped to find himself in open country. chapter night in the forest all afternoon the four travelers moved through the ixian forest, planetty exclaiming over the flowers, ferns and bright birds that flitted from tree to tree, thun sending up frequent high-flown sentences, kabumpo and randy looking rather anxiously for some landmark that would prove they were on the road to ev. as it grew darker the elegant elephant wisely decided to make camp, stopping in a small, tidy clearing for that purpose. as kabumpo swung to an impressive halt, randy slid to the ground, pulling the net bags with him, and began to sort out the boxes containing food. then he quickly gathered some faggots for a fire, as the night was raw and chilly, and had planetty signal thun to breathe on the wood. thun, only too happy to be of some use, quickly lighted the camp fire and he and the little princess watched curiously while randy prepared his own and kabumpo's supper, making coffee in a tin box with some water kabumpo had fetched in his collapsible canvas bucket. the elegant elephant did rather well with the contents of seven cake boxes and four bread and cereal containers, and randy found so many good things to eat among chillywalla's presents he felt sorry not to be able to share them with planetty or thun. "it would be more fun if you ate too," he observed, looking down sideways at the little princess, who was sitting on a boulder, hands clasped about her knees, while she gazed contentedly up at the stars. "would it?" planetty smiled faintly, tapping her silver heels against the rock. "this seems nite enough," she sighed, stretching up her arms luxuriantly, "but now it is time to ret." slipping off her long metal cape, the princess of anuther planet tossed one end against a white birch and the other to a tall pine. to randy's surprise the ends of the cape instantly attached themselves to the trees, making a soft flexible hammock. into this planetty climbed with utmost ease and satisfaction. "good net, randy and big bumpo, dear," she called softly. "take care of thun. i've told him to stay where he is till the earling, and he will, he will." with a smile planetty closed her bright eyes and the wind swaying her silver hammock soon rocked her to sleep. it had been a long day and randy felt very drowsy himself. walking over to the thunder colt, he turned his head so that his fiery breath would fall harmlessly on a cluster of damp rocks. he was pleased to find this steed from another planet so obedient and gentle. though formed of some live and lively black metal, thun was soft and satiny to the touch and seemed to enjoy having his ears scratched and his neck rubbed as much as an ordinary horse. "tap me twice on the shoulder if aught occurs, slandy," he signaled, blowing the words out lazily between randy's pats. "and good net to you, my nozzies! good net!" "that language is just full of foolishness," sniffed kabumpo, spreading a blanket on the ground for randy, and then stretching himself full length beneath a beech tree. "put out the fire, nozzy, my lad, the creature's breath makes light enough to frighten off any wild men or monsters." "oh, i don't believe there are any wild beasts or savages in this forest," randy said, stamping out the embers of the camp fire. "it's too quiet and peaceful. i have an idea we're almost across ix and will reach ev by morning. what do you think, kabumpo?" kabumpo made no answer, for the elegant elephant had stopped thinking and was already comfortably asnore. so, with a terrific yawn, randy wrapped himself in the blanket and, curling up close to his big and faithful comrade, fell into an instant and pleasant slumber. morning came all too soon, and randy was rudely awakened by kabumpo, who was shaking him violently by the shoulders. "come on! come on!" blustered the elegant elephant impatiently. "stir out of it, my boy, we've all been up for hours. is it proper to lie abed and let a princess light the fire?" "she didn't!" sitting bolt upright, randy saw that planetty, with thun's help, actually had lighted a fire and set water to boil in the tin box just as he had done the evening before. "oh, my goodness, goodness, planetty! you mustn't do that rough work," he exclaimed, hurrying over to take the big cake box from planetty's hands. "why not?" beamed the little princess, hugging the box close. "see, i have found the great choconut cake for big bumpo to eat--i mean neat." "ha, ha! choconut cake!" kabumpo swayed merrily from side to side. "very neat, my dear. if there's one thing i love for breakfast it's choconut cake." laughing so he could hardly keep his balance, kabumpo held out his trunk for the cake box. "what a splendid little castle keeper you'll make for some young king, netty, my child!" "netty? is that now my name?" planetty pushed back her flying cloud of hair with an interested sniff. "if you like it," said randy, his ears turning quite red at kabumpo's teasing remarks. leading the little princess to a flat rock, he sat her down with great ceremony and then began opening up boxes of crackers and fruit. "netty's a nite name," decided the princess, her head thoughtfully on one side. "i must tell thun." skipping over to the thunder colt, who with drooping head and tail was enjoying a little colt nap, she tapped out her new nickname in the strange code she used when talking to him. "no longer planetty of anuther planet!" flashed thun, awake in a twinkling and sending up his message in a shower of sparks. "but anetty of oz!" "at least he's left off the n," mumbled kabumpo, speaking thickly through the cocoanut cake which he had tossed whole into his capacious mouth. "sounds rather well, don't you think?" "wonderful!" agreed randy, who could scarcely keep his eyes off the sparkling little princess. "it's too bad she's not like us, kabumpo, then she could go back to oz and stay there always." "if she were like us, she wouldn't be so interesting," said kabumpo, shaking his head judiciously. "besides, down here the poor child is completely out of her element and liable to disintegrate or suffocate or ev knows what--" he went on, discarding a box of prunes for a carton of tea. "how was the cake?" randy changed the subject, for he could not bear to think of planetty in danger of any sort. "stale," announced kabumpo, making a wry face as he swallowed some tea leaves. "i'll certainly be glad to catch up with some regular elephant food. this eating bits out of boxes is diabolical--simply diabolical! here, give me those crackers and eat some of that other stuff. and look at little netty ann, would you, shaking out that blanket as if she'd been traveling with us for years. why, the lass is a born housewife!" "and isn't she pretty?" smiled randy, waving to planetty as he began packing the boxes in the net bags again and stamping out the fire. "i wonder what it's like up where she lives, kabumpo?" "why not ask her?" swinging up his saddle sacks, kabumpo called gaily to the little princess, who came running over, the blanket neatly folded on her arm. "thank you, netty. you are certainly a great help to us!" taking the blanket and giving her an approving pat on the shoulder, randy caught hold of kabumpo's belt strap and pulled himself easily aloft. "all ready to go?" planetty nodded cheerfully as she mounted the thunder colt. "will this lightling be as nite as the last?" she demanded, tapping thun gently with her staff. "nicer," promised randy as thun pranced merrily ahead, planetty's long cape billowing like a silver cloud behind them. "what do you do when you are at home?" called randy as kabumpo, giving two short trumpets, followed close on the heels of the thunder colt. "home?" planetty turned a frankly puzzled face. "i mean, do you have a house or a castle?" persisted randy, determined to have the matter settled in his mind once for all. "do you have brothers and sisters, and is your father a king?" "no house, no castle, no those other words," answered planetty in even greater bewilderment. "on anuther planet each is to herself or himself alone. one floats, rides, skips or drifts through the leadling heights and lowlands, hanging the cape where one happens to be." "regular gypsies," murmured kabumpo under his breath. "so nobody belongs to nobody, and nobody has anybody? sounds kind of crazy to me." "yes, if you have no families, no fathers or mothers--" randy was plainly distressed by such a country and existence--"i don't see how you came to be at all." "we rise full grown from our vanadium springs, and naturally i have my own spring. is that, then, my father?" "tell her 'yes,'" hissed kabumpo between his tusks. "why mix her all up with our way of doing things? if she wants a spring for a father, let her have it!" kabumpo waved his trunk largely. "ho, ho, kerumph! i've always thought of springs as a cure for rheumatism, but live and learn--eh, randy--live and learn." randy paid small attention to the elegant elephant's asides; he was too busy explaining life as it was lived in oz to planetty, making it all so bright and fascinating, the eyes of the little princess fairly sparkled with interest and envy. "i think i will not go with you to this wizard of ev," she announced in a small voice as the young king paused for breath. "i do not believe i shall like that old wizard or his castle." touching thun with her staff, planetty turned the thunder colt sideways and went zigzagging so rapidly through the trees they almost lost sight of her entirely. "now what?" stormed the elegant elephant, charging recklessly after her through the forest. "what's come over the little netwit? come back! come back, you foolish girl!" he trumpeted anxiously. "we'll take you to oz after you've been to ev," he added with a sudden burst of comprehension. at kabumpo's promise, planetty half turned on her charger. "but this wizard of ev will send us back to anuther planet. it is yourself that has said so." "no, no! we just said he would help you!" shouted randy, leaning forward and waving both arms for planetty to turn back. "oh, you really must see jinnicky," he begged earnestly. "without his magic you cannot live away from that vanadium spring. do you want to be stiff and still as a statue for the rest of your days?" "i'd rather be a statue down here with you and bumpo, where the birds sing and the flowers grow and the woods are green and wonderful, than to be a live princess of anuther planet!" sighed the metal maiden, hiding her face in thun's mane. "you would?" cried randy, almost falling off the elephant in his extreme joy and excitement. "then you just shall, and jinnicky will change everything so you can live down here always and come back to oz with kabumpo and me! would you like that, planetty?" "oh, that would be netiful!" clasping thun with both arms, the little princess laid her soft cheek against his neck. "netiful!" "then ride on, princess! ride on!" kabumpo spoke gruffly, for his feelings had quite overcome him. "toss me a 'kerchief, will you, randy?" he gulped desperately. "oh, boo hoo, kersniff! to think she really likes us that much! do you think she'd hear if i blew my trunk?" "no, no, she's way ahead of us now," whispered randy, handing an enormous handkerchief down to kabumpo after taking a sly wipe on it himself. "oh, isn't this a gorgeous day, kabumpo, and isn't everything turning out splendidly? and see there--we've actually come to the end of the forest." chapter the field of feathers "good gapers, everything's pink!" marveled randy as kabumpo, still muttering and snuffling, pushed his way through the last fringe of the forest. "so now we're in the pink, eh?" with a last convulsive snort, kabumpo stuffed the handkerchief into a lower pocket and trumpeted three times for thun to halt. "are those flowers, d'ye 'spose? may i see one of them, my dear?" catching up with the little princess who was already on the edge of the field, kabumpo took the long spray she had picked and passed it back to randy. "my gooseness, it's a feather! the largest and finest i've ever seen," randy said in surprise. "hey, i always thought feathers grew on birds, yet here's a whole field of feathers, kabumpo--imagine that! and taller than i am, too." "well, there's no harm in feathers," observed kabumpo jocularly. "pick a plume for your bonnet, my child. the girls in our countries adorn themselves with these pretty fripperies. i've even worn them myself at court functions," he admitted self-consciously. "but do you think you can hold the colt's head up as we go through? burnt feathers smell rather awful, and we don't wish to anger the owner or spoil his crop." a bit confused by the word "owner" and "crop," planetty nevertheless caught the idea and explained it so cleverly to thun, the thunder colt started through the field, holding his head high and handsome so that the flames spurted upward and not down. "it was rather like ploughing through a wheat field," decided randy as kabumpo, treading lightly as he could, stepped after thun. it was, though, more like a sea of waving plumes, endlessly bending, nodding and rippling in the wind. planetty gathered armfuls of these bright and newest treasures, liking them almost as much as the flowers in the forest. thun, for his part, found the whole experience irksome in the extreme. "these pink feathers give me the big pain in the neck," he puffed up indignantly as he trotted along with his head in the air. planetty, reading his message with a little smile, was astonished to hear a series of roars and explosions behind her. surely thun's remarks were not as funny as all that! turning round, she was shocked to see kabumpo swaying and stumbling in his tracks, coughing and spluttering, and torn by such gigantic guffaws he had already shaken randy from his back. the young king himself rolled and twisted on the ground, fairly gasping for breath. "it's the feathers!" he gasped weakly, as planetty, leaping off the thunder colt, ran back to investigate. "they're tickling us to death. get away quickly, netty, dear, before they get you--oh, ha, ha, hah! oh, ho, ho! quick! before it is too late. oh, hi, hi, hi! i shall die laughing!" to the startled little princess he appeared to be dying already. "no, no! please not!" she cried, dropping her armful of feathers. with surprising strength she jerked randy upright and, in spite of his continued roars and wild writhing, managed to fling him across thun's back. now kabumpo was down, kicking and rolling hysterically. it seemed to planetty that the feathers were wickedly alive and tickling them on purpose. they tossed, swayed and brushed against her and thun, too, but having no effect on the metalic skin of the nuthers, curled away in distaste. "stop! stop! i hate you!" screamed planetty, stamping on the bunch she had picked a moment before, then struggling in vain to pull kabumpo up by his trunk. "thun! thun! what shall we do?" racing back to the thunder colt, planetty tapped out all that was happening to their best and only friends, holding the convulsed and still laughing randy in place with one hand as she did so. thun, from anxious glances over his shoulder, had guessed more than half the difficulty. "search in the kabumpty's pocket for something to tie round him so i may pull him out of the feathers," flashed the thunder colt, swinging in a circle to prance and stamp on the plumes still curling down to tickle the helpless boy on his back. feeling in kabumpo's pockets as he tossed and lashed about was hard enough, but planetty, who was quick and clever, soon found a long, stout, heavily linked gold chain kabumpo twisted round and round his neck on important occasions. slipping the chain through his belt, the little princess clasped the other ends round the thunder colt's chest, making a strong and splendid harness. then, mounting quickly and holding desperately to randy, planetty gave the signal for thun to start. and away through the deadly field charged the night black steed, burning feathers left and right with his flashing breath and dragging kabumpo along as easily as if he had been a sack of potatoes instead of a two-ton elephant. the feathers bending beneath made the going soft so that the elegant elephant did not suffer so much as a scratch, and thun galloped so swiftly that in less than ten minutes they had reached the other side of the beautiful but treacherous field. going half a mile beyond, thun came to an anxious halt, the golden chain falling slack around his ankles, while planetty jumped down to see how kabumpo was doing now. the elegant elephant had stopped laughing, but his eyes still rolled and his muscles still twitched and rippled from the terrible tickling he had endured. randy, exhausted and weak, hung like a dummy stuffed with straw over the thunder colt's back. "oh, we were too late, too long!" mourned planetty, wringing her hands and running distractedly between the elegant elephant and the insensible king. "oh, my netness, they will become stiff and still as nuthers deprived of their springs," she tapped out dolefully to thun. "do not be too sure." the thunder colt puffed out his message slowly. "see, already the big kabumpty is trying to rise." and such, indeed, was the case. astonished and mortified to find himself stretched on the ground in broad daylight and still too confused to realize what had happened, the elegant elephant lurched to his feet and stood blinking uncertainly around. then, his eyes suddenly coming into proper focus, he caught sight of randy lying limply across the thunder colt. "what in oz? what in ix? what in ev is the matter here?" he panted, wobbling dizzily over to thun. "feathers!" sighed planetty, clasping both arms round kabumpo's trunk and beginning to pat and smooth its wrinkled surface. "the feathers tickled you and you fell down, my poor bumpo. randy too was almost laughed to the death. what does death mean?" planetty looked up anxiously into his eyes. "great grump! so that was it! great gillikens! i remember now, we were both nearly tickled to death and it was awful, awful! not that ozians ever do die," he explained hastily, "but, after all, we are not in oz and anything might have happened. and what i'd like to know is how in ev we ever got out of those feathers." "thun pulled you out," planetty told him proudly. "and look, look, bumpo dear, randy is going to waken, too." "randy! randy, do you hear that?" kabumpo lifted the young king down and shook him gently backward and forward. "this colt of planetty's, this thunder colt, all by himself, mind you, pulled us out of that infernal feather field! you and me, but mostly me. now tell me how did he manage to pull an elephant all that way?" randy, only half comprehending what kabumpo was saying, said nothing, but thun, guessing kabumpo's question, threw back his head and puffed quickly: "we nuthers are strong as iron, master. strong for ourselves, strong for our friends. thun, the thunder colt, will always be strong for kabumpty!" "strong! strong? why, you're marvelous," gasped the elegant elephant. placing randy on the ground, he fished jewels from his pocket with a reckless trunk till he found a band of pearls to fit thun. then carelessly risking the sparks from the thunder colt's nostrils, he fastened the pearls in place. "tell him, tell him thanks!" he blurted out breathlessly. "tell him from now on we are friends and equals, friends and warriors, together!" with a pleased nod planetty translated for thun, and the delighted colt, tossing his flying mane, raced round and round his three comrades, filling the air with high-flown and flaming sentences. "friends and warriors!" he heralded, rearing joyously. "friends and warriors!" by this time randy had recovered his breath and his memory and felt not only able but impatient to continue the journey. the field of feathers could still be seen waving pink and provokingly in the distance, but without one backward glance the four travelers set their faces to the north. a few of chillywalla's boxes had been crushed while kabumpo rolled in the feathers, and he and randy still felt weak and worn from their dreadful experience, but these were small matters when they considered the dreadful fate they had escaped through the quick action of planetty and thun. "i always thought of ix as a pleasant country," sighed randy as kabumpo moved slowly along a shady by-path. "i don't believe this is ix," stated the elegant elephant bluntly. "the air's different, smells salty, and this sandy road looks as if we might be near the sea. i think myself that we've come north by east through ix into ev and will reach the nonestic ocean by evening." kabumpo paused to peer up at a rough board nailed to a pine. "so! you got through the feathers, did you?" sneered the notice in threatening red letters. "then so much the worse for you! beware! watch out! gludwig the glubrious has his eye on you." "glubrious!" sniffed kabumpo, elevating his trunk scornfully as randy read and re-read the impertinent message. "i don't recall anyone named gludwig, do you?" "sounds rather awful, doesn't it?" whispered randy, sliding to the ground to examine the billboard from all sides. "say, look here, kabumpo, there's something on the back. it's been scratched out with red chalk, but i can still read it." "then read it," advised kabumpo briefly. "this is the land of ev! everybody welcome! take this road to the castle of the red jinn." "oh, that means we're almost there!" exulted the young king, but his joy evaporated quickly as he re-read the other side of the board. "looks as if someone had switched signs on jinnicky," he muttered, pushing back his crown with a little whistle. "do you think anything has happened to him?" "probably some mischievous country boy trying out his chalk," answered the elegant elephant, not believing one of his own words. "straight on, my dear," he called cheerfully to planetty, who had pulled in the colt and was looking questioningly back at them. "at last we are in the land of ev, and just ahead lies the castle of our wizard." "oh, bumpo, how nite!" planetty hugged herself from pure joy. "i've never seen a castle, i've never seen a wizard!" "but, kabumpo--" worried randy as the little princess of anuther planet galloped gaily ahead of them. "suppose this gludwig really has his eye on us? suppose he rushes out before we can reach jinnicky's castle?" "well, that will not be very 'nite,' will it?" the elegant elephant spoke ruefully. "but what can we do? are we going to stop for a mere sign?" "no!" declared randy, feeling about for his sword. "of course not. but i'll wager a willikin he was the fellow who planted those feathers." "very likely," agreed kabumpo, pushing grimly along through the sand. chapter arrival at the castle of the red jinn the further they traveled into ev, the more interesting the country became to planetty and thun. now wild orange and lemon trees added their spicy tang to the salty air; waving palms edged the sandy roadway, and after traversing a grove of lordly cocoanut trees the four suddenly found themselves facing the great, green, rolling nonestic. "a spring!" caroled planetty, galloping thun down to the water's edge. "oh, never have i seen so netiful a spring!" "not a spring, princess, an ocean," corrected kabumpo, ambling good naturedly after thun. "this is a salt salt sea, full of ships, sailors, shells, crabs, islands, fish and fishermen." "and will i see all of them?" slipping from thun's back planetty waded out a little way, hopping gleefully over the edges of the smaller waves. "some time," promised randy, dismounting hastily to keep her from venturing too far. "look over your shoulder, netty," he urged, drawing her back toward shore, "and then tell me what you think!" explaining this gay, wide and wonderful world to the little princess of anuther planet, randy found more fun than anything he had ever done or imagined. tense with expectation, he and kabumpo watched as planetty gazed off to the right. "why--'tis a high, high hill of red that glitters! or what? what is it?" planetty whirled thun round so he could see, too. "it's a castle, m'lass." kabumpo swaggered down the beach, as if he alone were responsible for all its splendor and magnificence. "there you see the imperial palace of the wizard of ev, built from turret to cellar of finest red glass studded with rubies, and there, this night, we will be suitably entertained by jinnicky himself." "the inside's even better than the outside," randy whispered in planetty's ear, as she tapped out this astonishing news to the thunder colt. "come on, come on, it's not more than a mile, and we can go straight along the edge of the sea shore. say, weren't we lucky not to run into gludwig?" pulling himself up on kabumpo's back, randy spoke the words softly. "it would have been too bad to have the first person outside of ourselves that planetty met turn out a villain. i believe that sign was a joke." "well, everything seems all right so far," admitted the elegant elephant guardedly. "but keep your eyes open, my boy--keep your eyes open. is that a welcome committee marching along the beach, or is it an army?" "they're still too far away to tell," answered randy. "looks to me like all jinnicky's blacks; i can see their baggy red trousers and turbans." "yes, but what's that gleaming in the sunlight?" demanded kabumpo, curling up his trunk uneasily. "only their scimiters," randy said, standing up to have a better view. "each man is carrying a scimiter over his shoulder, but that's perfectly all right, they're probably parading for our benefit." "mm-mm! sometimes things are not what they scim-iter!" sniffed kabumpo, snapping his eyes suspiciously. but randy, paying no attention to the elegant elephant's remark, was feeling round in the net bags for chillywalla's band box, and next moment the lively strains of a military march filled the air. swinging along in time to the music, kabumpo peered sharply at the oncoming host for signs of alibabble, or ginger, the slave of the bell, or some of jinnicky's other old and trusted counselors. but in all that great throng there was no one familiar face, and because he was beginning to feel more than a bit worried, kabumpo lifted his feet higher and higher. "everything looks black, very black," he muttered dubiously. "why not?" cried randy, waving his arms like a bandmaster. "they're all as black as the ace of spades. mind you, planetty, it takes all these black men to take care of jinnicky and his castle." "and will they take care of us?" planetty eyed the marchers with positive amazement and alarm. "so many," she murmured in a hushed voice, "so black. i thought everyone down here would be like you and bumpo." "my, no," randy told her complacently. "everyone is liable to be different. i believe i'll toss out some of chillywalla's boxes. visitors should come bearing presents, you know!" hastily randy began pulling out boxes of candy, boxes of cigarettes, beads, cigars and whole suits of clothing to dazzle jinnicky's subjects. but when the leader of the procession came within ten feet of the travelers he threw back his head and emitted such a blood-curdling howl, randy's hair rose on his head, and as the rest of the blacks, brandishing scimiters and yelling threats and imprecations, came leaping toward them, the desperate young king began hurling down boxes as if they were bombs. he caught the headman on the chin with the bandbox, but while it stopped the music it did not stop the gigantic evian from slashing at thun. as his scimiter fell, kabumpo gave a trumpet that felled the whole front rank of the enemy, and snatching up the villain in his trunk, he hurled him back among his men. "is this--is this taking care of us?" shuddered planetty, clasping her arms round the neck of the plunging thunder colt. "no, no! my goodness, no! is thun hurt? quick, kabumpo!" screamed randy as a second scimiter slashed down on thun's flank. then he managed to breathe again, for the razor-sharp weapon glanced harmlessly off the metal coat of planetty's coal black charger. the wielder of the scimiter, however, did not escape so easily, for a hot blast from thun's nostrils sent him reeling backward. "that's it! give it to them! give it to them!" shouted randy, forgetting in his excitement that thun could not hear, and he himself hurled chillywalla's boxes hard and viciously and one after the other. as for kabumpo, every time he raised his trunk there was a black man in it, and as fast as they came he slung them over his shoulder. but it was planetty who really turned the tide of battle. while randy, who had exhausted his supply of boxes, was digging desperately in kabumpo's pockets for some more missiles, he heard a perfect chorus of terrified screeches. popping up with an umbrella and an alarm clock, he saw the princess of anuther planet standing erect on the galloping colt's back, calmly and precisely casting her staff at the foe. each time the staff struck, the victim, in whatever attitude he happened to be, was frozen into a motionless metal figure. after each stroke the staff returned to planetty's hand. "yah, yah, mah--master!" wailed the frantic blacks who were still able to move, and tumbling over one another in their effort to escape, they fled wildly back to the red castle, leaving behind sixty of their vanquished brethren. "you--you--you'll be sorry for this!" shouted the headman, tearing off his turban and waving it as he ran. "so will you!" bellowed kabumpo fiercely. "just wait till jinnicky hears about this! how dare you treat his visitors in this violent wicked fashion?" "jinnicky! jinnicky!" jeered the headman as planetty aimed her staff threateningly at his back. "jinnicky is at the bottom of the sea!" "mm--mnnn! mnmph! i knew it, i knew it!" groaned the elegant elephant as the headman reached the palace and scittered wildly up the glass steps. "i knew something was wrong the moment i saw those scimiters." "jinnicky gone! jinnicky at the bottom of the sea? why, i just can't believe it!" randy, glancing over his shoulder at the tumbling nonestic, looked almost ready to cry. then putting back his shoulders, he declared fiercely, "well, i'm not going off and leave this old pirate in jinnicky's castle, are you? it must be gludwig's doing--all this! let's go inside and throw him out of there! we have lots of help now. thun's a regular flame thrower and planetty's worth a whole army, and best of all nothing can hurt them. why didn't you tell me you had a magic staff?" randy looked admiringly down at the resolute little princess at his side. "why, with that staff we can conquer anybody." "is that what you call the magic?" planetty regarded her staff with new interest. "it certainly is!" panted kabumpo, fanning himself with a handy palm leaf. "and we're mighty sorry to have gotten you into all this danger and trouble, my dear. looks as if we had a war on our hands instead of a pleasant vacation." "oh, that! it is nothing, nothing!" planetty shrugged her shoulders eloquently. "on our planet we too have the bad beasts and nuthers, and when they try to hit or bite us, we just subdue them with our voral staffs." "mmmn--mn! so i see." kabumpo, still fanning himself, looked thoughtfully at gludwig's petrified warriors. "there must be a goodly bit of statuary on your planet, m'lass?" "very many," answered planetty soberly, polishing her staff on the end of her cape. with a slight shudder the elegant elephant turned from the fallen slaves, resolving then and there never to offend this pretty but powerful little metal maiden. "well, have the scoundrels dispersed and gone for good?" inquired thun, sending up his question in a cloud of black smoke. restively pawing the ground, the thunder colt looked from one to the other waiting for someone to enlighten him. "tell him they've gone, but for nobody's good," wheezed kabumpo, who was still out of breath from the violence of the combat. "tell him gludwig the glubrious has destroyed the wizard of ev and that we are now going into the castle to continue the battle." "but where shall we start?" sighed randy, staring despondently up at the gay red palace where he and kabumpo had been so royally entertained on their last visit. "we'll start at the bottom of these steps," announced kabumpo grimly, "and mount on up to the top. then we'll burst into the presence of this wretched wart and fling him out of the window." "but that won't help jinnicky if he's at the bottom of the sea," mourned randy, trying to smile at planetty, who was busily tapping off instructions to thun. "hah! but don't forget, jinnicky's a wizard," sniffed kabumpo, pulling in his belt a few inches, "and nobody can keep a good wizard down. besides," kabumpo dragged his robe a bit to the left and straightened his head-piece, "once inside that castle, we can use some of the red jinn's own magic to help him." "magic? why, of course, i'd forgotten about that." randy's face cleared and brightened and seeing planetty and thun so eager and unafraid beside him, he girded on his sword and standing upright on kabumpo's back, gave the signal to start. as they trod up the hundred red glass steps they could hear windows and doors slamming, the patter of running feet and the tinkle of the hundred glass chimes in the tower. but step by step, and without a pause, thun and kabumpo mounted to the top. "beware! beware, gludwig the glubrious! here march kabumpty and thun, slandy and planetty, princess of anuther planet. friends, equals and warriors!" the thunder colt's flaming message, floating like a battle emblem in the air, alarmed the wicked occupant of jinnicky's castle even more than the invaders themselves. but still confident of his power to vanquish all comers, he waited in evil anticipation for the moment when they would force their way into his presence. did they imagine because they had frightened a company of foolish slaves they could frighten him? "ha, ha!" crouched on the red jinn's throne and laughing mirthlessly, gludwig rubbed his long hands up and down his skinny knees. chapter gludwig the glubrious "pss-sst! wait! hold on a minute!" as they reached the huge double doors of the red castle, randy tugged violently at kabumpo's left ear, for the elegant elephant, all humped together, was preparing to bump through. "let thun break down the door," directed the young king firmly. "thun is of metal and the glass will not cut him; then, as soon as there is an opening we can follow. will you tell him, planetty?" randy looked fondly down at the earnest little princess. "and as soon as we are inside," he went on hurriedly, "fling your staff at the first person i point out to you." "that i will," promised planetty with a brief nod, and giving thun his orders, she galloped the thunder colt straight at the glass doors. with a crash like the fall of a hundred trays of dishes, the glass doors shivered to bits. rushing through the flying splinters, kabumpo and thun raced together into the palace. how well randy remembered this cozy throne room, its transparent, red glass pillars and floors, its gay, red lacquered furniture, its tinkling curtains of strung rubies, and the long line of enormous red vases leading up to the throne. but instead of the jolly little jinn, encased in his own shining jar, a long, lank black man in a red wig lounged on the seat of state. he was smoking a tenuous red pipe, and, as kabumpo and thun came to an abrupt halt before him, he blinked wickedly out from under his bushy red lashes. besides the red-wigged imposter randy noted with some relief, there was not another soul in sight. "well," demanded gludwig, insolently, "what do you hope to accomplish by this unwarranted intrusion?" taking his pipe out of his mouth, he blew a cloud of villainous black smoke into the faces of his visitors. so thick and sulphurous were the fumes, randy and kabumpo were rendered speechless. while they choked and spluttered, planetty, who did not seem aware of the smoke at all, gazed in wide-eyed delight around her. so this was a castle! "how nite, how netiful!" lost in wonder and admiration, the little princess forgot all about the stern purpose of their visit. "off that throne! off that throne, you wart!" rasped kabumpo, clearing his throat with an ear-splitting trumpet. "what have you done with jinnicky? you're no more a wizard than i am! you're as false and crooked as your wig! down with him! down with him, randy! let him repent of his wickedness in uttermost disgrace and debasement!" "so my downfall is the little plan?" speaking calmly, but trembling with fury at kabumpo's taunting speech, gludwig rose. at the same instant randy, recovering his breath, called desperately. "now, planetty, your staff! throw it straight at him. oh, quickly!" thun's hot breath was already singeing gludwig's ankles, and, leaping over the throne, he crouched down like a great black panther behind it. "ha, ha!" he shouted again. "my downfall and debasement is it? well, try a bit of downfalling and debasement yourselves." just as planetty, taking careful aim, hurled her gleaming staff, gludwig pulled a tremendous lever in the wall beside him. instantly the floor on the other side of the throne dropped down, slanting kabumpo, thun and both riders into the dark, damp and long-unused cellar of the castle. "a trap door," raged the elegant elephant, coming down like a carload of bricks. "a trap floor, you mean," gasped randy, picking himself up with a painful grimace, for the jolt had sent him flying off the elephant. thun had retained his balance, and neither he nor planetty seemed to mind the force of their landing. as they gazed angrily upward, the floor of the throne room swung noiselessly back into place, leaving the four prisoners to contemplate the heavy glass beams and panels of its under side. "so that was the downfall, and this is debasement," grunted kabumpo, sitting down furiously on an overturned wash-tub. "great grump, i've never been so humiliated in my life. don't cry, planetty," he begged gruffly, "we'll have you out of here in a pig's whistle." "it's not that, bumpo, dear." planetty buried her face in thun's cloudy mane and sobbed bitterly. "it's my staff! it did not return after i flung it at the red-wigged one, and without it i have nothing, nothing!" "good gollopers!" randy clapped his hand to his forehead as he realized the awful significance of planetty's disclosure. "the floor tilted too quickly for it to return, and oh, kabumpo!" he wailed, almost forgetting he was a king and warrior. "if gludwig has that staff, what can we do? he can come down here and petrify us any time he wants." "we'll hide!" gulped kabumpo, bounding off the wash-tub. with furious concentration his small eyes roved round and round their gloomy prison. "but you're so big," declared randy, running over to comfort planetty. "i'll hide anyway!" said kabumpo, who had no intention of spending the rest of his life as an iron elephant, nor of adorning the palace of gludwig the glubrious as the mere image of himself. chapter the slave of the magic dinner bell how thankful randy and kabumpo were now for the thunder colt's fiery breath. otherwise they would have been in almost complete darkness, as scarcely any light at all trickled down through the dark red glass of the cellar windows. and there was small danger of his setting jinnicky's castle on fire, for the basement, like the rest of the palace, was constructed of thick plates of solid glass. but here below, the glass was not bright and sparkling as it was above stairs. cobwebs clung to the glass beams, dust powdered the floors, and round the walls in boxes and barrels stood the old or worn out magic appliances of the red jinn. there was no furnace in the cellar, for the castle was warmed in winter by a magic process of jinnicky's own invention; and there were no doors, not even a closet or cupboard where any of them could hide. with thun stepping ahead to act as a torch, the others marched anxiously round the great gloomy vault-like apartment. "no place to hide, no provisions, nothing to eat or drink. nothing!" exclaimed the elegant elephant, sinking down on the wash-tub. "that is, nothing to do but wait for destruction," he concluded bitterly. "well, we're not destroyed yet!" declared randy, sticking out his chin. "everything seems quiet above. maybe gludwig is not going to use planetty's staff till morning." with a discouraged sniff kabumpo began poking in the boxes behind him. finding one full of excelsior, he started to stuff the choking material into his mouth with his trunk. randy was sure the excelsior would disagree with him, but when kabumpo was in such a mood, it was quite useless to argue with him; so, beckoning for thun to light the way, he and planetty set out on a second tour of investigation. randy paused dubiously before a collection of squat bottles and jugs. he was convinced they contained liquids or vapors powerful enough to help them, but the directions on the labels were all in some strange magician's code and randy hesitated to open even one of the magic bottles. experience had taught him that a wizard's wares were dangerous, and he himself had seen the red jinn subdue whole armies by releasing incense from a blue jug. so, selecting two pocket-size jars, to use only in case everything else failed, randy moved on to the other side of the cellar. here on top of a chest he discovered a small red hand-bag. instead of the usual fastenings, two real hands formed the clasp, and when randy opened the bag it quickly jerked out of his grasp and began springing all over the cellar on its hands, pouncing gleefully on papers and bottles and stuffing them into its side pockets. it did look so comical, planetty burst into a peal of merriment. even randy could not keep back a grin. it was a relief to see the little princess more like herself again, for since the loss of her voral staff she had been unnaturally quiet and sad. "wait, i'll catch it for you," offered randy, dismissing for a moment all thought of the dreadful danger they were in. "it must be one of jinnicky's inventions. look, kabumpo, a bag that really packs itself." "watch out it doesn't pinch you!" warned kabumpo morosely. he had already begun to regret the excelsior and was rumbling with indigestion. "i was never one to hold with hand luggage, myself." "oh, yes you were!" crowed randy, falling on the bag as if it had been a football and coming up triumphantly with it clutched to his middle. "you use your trunk for a hand, kabumpo, and doesn't that make it hand luggage? hey, hey, hurray! never thought i'd make a joke in this dismal place!" "it's a pretty dismal joke, if you ask me." the elegant elephant heaved himself stiffly off the wash-tub. "keep it away from me!" he warned crossly, as randy, paying no attention to the thumps of the hand-bag, managed to get it shut again. as soon as it was closed the bag subsided and seemed absolutely unalive. "here!" puffed randy, holding it out to planetty. "this bag will pack itself, madam, and you can use it every time you go on a journey." "can i? how nite!" planetty beamed at her young companion. "well, who's going on a journey?" inquired kabumpo sarcastically, walking up and down to relieve his indigestion. "we'll probably spend the rest of our unnatural lives in this abominable basement. say something, can't you?" he shouted, glaring at poor thun. "i can hardly see where i'm going." as fast as planetty translated this rude speech, the thunder colt sent up his answer. "if i said all the words i am thinking," puffed thun temperishly, "this room would be very red bright, mister kabumpty, very red bright indeed." the thunder colt's speech and his further remarks made randy and planetty laugh again. "let's see what else we can find," proposed the young king. in spite of kabumpo's gloomy predictions, he was feeling more hopeful. "maybe this time we'll turn up something we can really use." "oh, maybe yes, maybe yes!" trilled planetty, slipping swiftly as quicksilver after randy. passing by some dusty apparatus and an old spinning wheel, they discovered a huge red drum behind a pile of old trunks. the sticks were stuck through a cord in the side and it was so heavy that the two between them could hardly carry it. but giggling and puffing they dragged it into the center of the cellar and dropped it down before kabumpo. "see what we have now!" dusting off his clothes, randy surveyed it proudly. "humph! a drum!" the elegant elephant moved his ears forward and then back. "well, what grumpy use is a drum? am i in a parade? do you expect me to beat it?" "beat the drum?" planetty looked surprised and shocked. "is that for what a drum is for, bumpo, dear?" "well, yes, in a way." a bit ashamed of himself, kabumpo drew out one of the sticks. "it goes like this," he said, raising the drumstick high in his trunk. "oh no! kabumpo, no! don't do that or you'll have gludwig down here! it would make too much noise." "what if it does?" kabumpo shrugged his great shoulders. "we may as well perish now as tomorrow. i'm perishing of hunger anyway." before randy could interfere, he brought the drumstick down with a thump that split the taut surface of the drum from edge to edge. the loud rip and bong made the rafters ring, and scarcely had they recovered from that shock before a small black boy in an enormous turban sprang out of the drum itself and began sobbing and spluttering and hugging kabumpo as if he never would let him go. "good gillikens! it's ginger!" panted randy, as planetty caught him anxiously by the sleeve. "it's the slave of the magic dinner bell. he can bring us dinners and whatever one wants when jinnicky rings for him. hi--who shut you up in that drum, boy?" "that big old red wig," sniffed ginger, drying his tears on kabumpo's robe. "oh, how can i ever thank you, mister elephant so elegant! i remember you! i remember him!" the bell boy jerked his thumb delightedly at randy. "and many times i thank you--fifty times eleven, i thank you. you see, if i am shut up in a drum, it is impossible for me to answer the master's ring if he needs me. and he needs me now, i know it, i know it!" "but how can he call you unless he has the dinner bell?" asked randy, edging closer. "did jinnicky take the bell with him when--when--" to save himself, randy could not finish the dismal sentence. "when gludwig pushed him into the sea, you mean?" ginger's brown face puckered up again, but, controlling his sobs with a great effort, he sat down on the edge of the drum and told them the whole story of jinnicky's mischance and misfortunes. "the master, as you know," explained ginger, his eyes rolling sideways as he caught sight of planetty and thun, whose like he had never seen in his entire magic existence, "the master is always kind and jolly and unsuspecting. this gludwig was the manager of our ruby mines and one of jinnicky's most trusted officers. but all the time, this viper, this snake, this villainous black snake--" ginger clenched his fists and kicked his heels angrily against the drum--"was planning to steal our red jinn's throne and magic, in addition to his own splendid mansion and fortune. one evening, seven moons ago, having trained his miners into an army of rebellion, gludwig marched upon our castle and drove everybody out." "everybody?" the elegant elephant, picking ginger up in his trunk, looked earnestly into his face. "every ev body!" repeated the little bell boy, wagging his turban sorrowfully. "alibabble, the grand advizier, all the members of the court and household were sent to the mines under the cruel rule of glubdo, gludwig's brother, and they are there now, working without rest, hope or reward. he marched the master to the head of the highest cliff and pushed him violently into the sea with his own hands!" ginger began to tremble with grief and anger at the memory of it all. "he ordered the bandsmen to seal me up in this drum, knowing a drum is the only place from which i cannot escape, and hoping i would shrivel up and perish. but i--" asserted the little black triumphantly--"i am the best part of jinnicky's magic, so he couldn't destroy me." a quick grin overspread ginger's face. "and he could not destroy my master either. of that i am sure, and now that the elephant so elegant has let me out--now--" "now what?" breathed randy, almost afraid ginger was not going to tell him. "you see, ginger, we came to visit the red jinn and were immediately captured and dumped down here ourselves. so how can we get out? and what can we do?" "i will think of something," promised the bell boy. wriggling out of kabumpo's trunk, he scurried across the cellar and disappeared beneath an overturned wheelbarrow. "so! he will think of something," sniffed kabumpo, trying not to make it sound too sarcastic. "well, of course, that settles it. and while he is thinking, i intend to take a nap. i'm completely worn out with all these vile plots and villainies." "i too will ret," decided planetty, reaching over to pat the thunder colt. the strange excitements of the day had wearied the little princess, and this last story of ginger's had still further puzzled and distressed her. "i never thought when i brought you here you'd have to sleep in a place like this," groaned randy, glancing ruefully round the dingy basement. "oh, it's not so bad," smiled the little princess. slipping off her cape, she swung it casually between two grimy pillars, and with the hand-bag tucked under her arm, climbed contentedly into her silver bed. "good net, randy and bumpo, dear!" she called softly. "i believe i shall ret for a long, long time." "now what does she mean by that?" worried the young king, as the princess blew them each a wistful kiss. "something's wrong, kabumpo, i feel it! and look there at thun! why is he acting so strangely? almost as if he could not see." "look at him! look at him!" wailed the elegant elephant. "where is he? how can i? it's dark as thunder in here now! great grump, randy, i can't see you, him or anything at all." stumbling and tripping, he somehow crossed the cellar to the spot where he remembered thun had been. then, as his trunk struck against hard cold metal, he recoiled in horror. "he's out!" moaned the elegant elephant hoarsely. "he's not even breathing. why, he's cold and stiff as a stone. oh, good grump, the colt saved my life and now what can i do for him? what'll we do, randy? i say, what'll we do?" randy had no answer at all, for, moved by a dreadful foreboding, he leaned down to touch the face of the little princess of anuther planet, only to find it still and cold. no sparkling light radiated from planetty now as, quiet and motionless as a statue, she lay wrapped in her silver nets. "ginger, where are you? ginger, come help us!" randy screamed desperately. scrambling out from under the barrow, the startled bell boy reached randy's side in a split second, for ginger could see as well in the dark as in the daytime. "did--gludwig--do--this?" he panted, his eyes rolling wildly from planetty to the frozen thunder colt. "no, no, they are far from their own country and need the powerful vanadium springs," groaned kabumpo, putting out his trunk to touch the little princess. "they cannot exist down here. and with jinnicky gone, who's to help them?" his tears fell thick and fast on planetty's silver tresses. "then why do we stay here?" shuddered ginger, tugging at randy's cloak and kabumpo's robe. "why do we stay?" as if to answer ginger's mournful cry, there was a long whistling rustle in the air, and next moment randy, ginger, kabumpo and the princess of anuther planet were wafted like feathers through the night, passing easily as mist through the narrow glass windows, up over the castle itself and out over the silvery moonlit sea. chapter nonagon island the same afternoon the four travelers arrived at the red jinn's castle, a lonely fisherman in an odd nine-sided dory pulled out from the nonagon isle. this strange small nine-sided island lies about ninety leagues from the mainland of ev. flat, barren and rocky, it affords but a meager living to the nine fishermen who are its sole inhabitants. each keeps strictly to his own side of the island, subsisting frugally on fish and the few poor vegetables he can grow in his rocky little garden. hard and unfriendly as their island itself, the nine nonagons go their own ways, exchanging brief nods on the rare occasions when they meet one another. the habit of silence had so grown upon bloff, the fisherman in the nine-sided dory, he did not even talk to the cat who shared his rough dwelling and accompanied him on all of his fishing trips. and so accustomed was poor nina to her gruff and taciturn master that she expected nothing from him but an occasional kick or fish head. never sure which would be forthcoming, she kept her green eyes watchfully upon him at all times. this afternoon she was certain it would be a fish head, and as bloff reached the spot where he had set his nets her tail began to wave gently in pleasant anticipation. bloff himself seemed a little less grim, for the net seemed quite heavy, and sure he had made a good haul, he began pulling on the lines. but when his net came wet and dripping over the side of the boat, he gave a grunt of anger. in it were only three small fish and an immense red jug. his first impulse was to toss the jug back into the sea, but reflecting grumpily that he could use it to salt down fish for the winter, he rolled it into the bottom of the boat and, kicking the disappointed cat out of the way, rowed rapidly back to the island. stamping into his nine-sided shack with the net over his shoulder, bloff banged the jug down on the hearth, cleaned and cut up the fish and popped them into a pot hung on a crane over the fire. then, lighting his one poor lamp, he sat sullenly down to wait for his supper. the fish heads he flung cruelly into the hot ashes, and whenever he dozed for a moment nina tried to pull one out with her paw, for she knew full well she could get nothing else to eat. for perhaps an hour there was not a sound in the fisherman's hut except the crackling of the drift-wood in the grate and the hoarse breathing of the fisherman himself. then suddenly nina, who had almost succeeded in dragging her supper from the flames, gave a frightened backward leap. "oh, my, mercy me! mercy, me!" came a muffled but merry voice. "where--but where am i now?" as nina and her master turned startled eyes toward the red jug, for the voice was undoubtedly coming from the jug, the lid slowly lifted and a round jolly face peered out at them. what he saw was so discouraging, jinnicky--for of course it was jinnicky--dropped back out of sight. the magic fluid with which he had sealed himself in the jug before gludwig hurled him into the sea had been melted by the warmth of the fisherman's fire, and the same warmth had restored the little red jinn to his usual vigor and liveliness. in a sort of protective stupor he had managed to survive the long months at the bottom of the ocean. a quick thinker at all times, jinnicky rapidly regained his senses and realized at once what had happened. a fortunate tide had carried him into this fisherman's net and at last he was on dry land again; and now to find and face the villain who had usurped his throne and castle. "but why--why--" groaned the little jinn dolefully, "with all the fishermen in the nonestic ocean did i have to be pulled out by this long-jawed fellow?" venturing another look, and at the same time thrusting his arms and legs out of their proper apertures in the jug, he saw that bloff had seized an oar and seemed about ready to whack it down on his head. "non, non, non! my good fellow!" puffed jinnicky, fixing his rescuer with his bright glassy eye. "put up your oar. this is no battle, and i have much to say that will interest you, but first of all i want to thank you for pulling me out of the ocean. heartily! heartily! a suitable reward will be sent you as soon as i get back--er--get back my castle." to this polite speech bloff paid no attention whatsoever, but nina, liking the pleasant voice of this curious visitor, began rubbing herself against his ankles. "i am the red jinn of ev!" announced the little wizard, keeping a wary eye on the oar. "at present banished from my castle by the treachery of a trusted officer. in fact," jinnicky tapped himself smartly on the jug, "this villain actually took everything i had and tossed me into the sea." "what's wrong with the sea?" inquired the fisherman hoarsely. never having seen anyone in his whole life but the eight other nonagon islanders, bloff did not really believe what he saw now. "i'm asleep and having a nightmare," he concluded, grasping the oar more determinedly still. and we can hardly blame him, for a fellow whose body is a huge red vase into which he can draw his arms, legs and head, at will, is pretty hard for anyone to believe. realizing he was getting nowhere and that his grim and dour rescuer cared nothing about his troubles, past or present, jinnicky decided to try another line. "perhaps you could tell me the name of this place and your own name?" he murmured politely. "i am bloff, my cat is nina, and this is the nonagon island," announced the fisherman, frowning at the little wizard. "ah, a nine-sided island!" the red jinn stretched his arms and hopped up and down to get the kinks out of his legs. "and i see you have a nine-sided cottage and a cat with nine lives." picking up poor skinny nina, who was purring for the first time in her life, jinnicky stroked her back thoughtfully as he counted the nine pieces of furniture in the rude hut, noted that it was nine o'clock and the ninth of may. "but is nine my lucky number?" he pondered wearily. could this churlish fisherman ever be persuaded to sail him back to the mainland? looking at bloff out of the side of his eye, he very much doubted it. though bloff had put down the oar, his manner was anything but cordial. "are there any other people on the island?" asked jinnicky, more to keep up the conversation than because he really wanted to know. at his question bloff put back his head and in a long singsong voice drawled, "bluff, bliff, bleef, blaff, bloff, blaaf, bleof and bluof!" "oh, my! mercy me!" at each name jinnicky gave a little jump, and as bloff came to the end of the list he seated himself gingerly on the edge of the bench and stared into the fire. what could he hope from such people? then suddenly in the midst of his worries he became aware of the fish chowder bubbling cozily on the crane and realized at the same instant his enormous and devouring hunger. after all, you know he had not eaten for seven months. "ah!" he beamed, extending both arms toward his host, "dinner!" "my dinner." the two words were spoken so gruffly, jinnicky's heart fell with a loud clunk into his boots. why, this was unbelievable! he, jinnicky, the one and only wizard of ev, to be flouted and insulted by a miserable fisherman. well, at least he could leave the fellow's miserable hut and try his luck with the other islanders. reflecting sadly that a wizard without his magic is no better off than any other man, the red jinn slid off the bench and started for the door, trying to walk in a calm and dignified manner. but half-way there a sharp grunt brought him up short. "aho, no you don't," rasped bloff, catching up with him in two strides. "where do you think you're going? stop! i need that jug to salt my fish. here, give it to me." "why, you--you miserable mollusk--don't you dare touch me!" panted the red jinn, trying to beat off the fisherman with his puny hands. "this jug--is--an--important--part of me. without my jug i cannot live at all." "and do you think i care for that?" sneered bloff. "you're just an old lobster in a pot to me. here, give me that jug!" seizing jinnicky by both arms, bloff tried to shake him out of the jug. nina, enraged at such barbarous treatment of the only one who had ever been kind to her, proved an unexpected ally. flying at the fisherman, she began to scratch and claw his face and hands so successfully bloff had to drop jinnicky to grab the cat. the force of the drop sent the red jinn rolling over and over, dislodging a small silver bell from a hidden pocket in his sleeve. as the bell fell tinkling to the flagstones, jinnicky gave a bounce of relief. his magic dinner bell, and up his sleeve all the time! how had he ever forgotten it? oh, now--now--if ginger had not been destroyed by gludwig, and just answered the bell, everything would be different. and ginger did answer the bell, and everything was different! my, yes. so different, bloff threw the cat at jinnicky and simply raced for the door. no wonder, in his small nine-sided shack were now an elephant carrying a silvery princess in his trunk, a black boy in a tall turban and a white boy in a sparkling crown. with one more terrified glance, bloff took to his heels and never stopped running till he was waist high in the nonestic ocean. chapter all together at last "kabumpo! kabumpo! randy! oh, my mercy me!" rolling to his feet, jinnicky tottered over to the hearth and, encountering ginger half-way there, clasped his faithful bell boy to his shiny glass bosom. "as soon as that bell rang i knew everything was going to be better," he puffed. "and i rather expected ginger, but you! why, my dear old gaboscis, fancy meeting you here!" "but i don't fancy it at all," grunted kabumpo, placing the sleeping princess gently down on the fisherman's bench and glancing disgustedly round the mean little hut. "how in ev did you ever happen to be in such a place, how did you get here and where in oz are we, anyway?" "oh, jinnicky, are you really all right?" grasping the little wizard by both arms, randy examined him carefully from top to toe. "kabumpo and i came to see you, and instead of you, there was gludwig in your castle. he told us you were at the bottom of the sea, and after first trying to destroy us with his army, he flung us into the castle basement. there we found ginger sealed up in a big drum and we let him out, and after awhile, in a way i cannot figure out at all, we find ourselves here. how did it happen?" "why, ginger brought you, of course." releasing the little black boy from his tight embrace, jinnicky planted a huge kiss on his ebony forehead, and with a flashing grin the slave of the bell vanished into space. "don't worry! he's always going, but he'll come back any time i ring the bell. you must all have been touching ginger when the bell rang, so naturally when ginger answered the bell he brought you right along." "nothing natural about it," fumed kabumpo, drawing his trunk wearily across his forehead. "but you haven't told us how you got here," said randy, bending over planetty to see that she had made the trip without coming to any harm. "and what is that, pray?" demanded the little jinn, eyeing the sleeping princess with round astonished eyes. "something you brought me for a present? a pretty little idol you've stolen from some heathen temple? my, mercy me! what a beauty it is! i'll mount it on a ruby pedestal and worship it all the rest of my days!" "oh, no, jinnicky, no!" randy's voice broke and he could not utter another word, try as he would. in puzzled concern the red jinn turned to kabumpo. "she's not a present, but she's an idol all right--randy's idol--and he intends to spend the rest of his life worshiping her, if i read the signals aright," said kabumpo dryly. "there you see the princess of anuther planet, old boy, and up to an hour ago she was as live and bright and happy as any of us." "but what happened to her? oh, my, mercy me, another mystery!" jinnicky clasped his hands in genuine distress. "well, you tell us what happened to you, and then we'll tell you what happened to her and us," offered kabumpo. "that is, if we don't die of hunger first." "hunger?" jinnicky swallowed four times in rapid succession. "oh, my, mercy me and us! you do not even know the meaning of the word! i have not eaten a bite for seven months! but, har, har, har! that is all over now. with my magic dinner bell right at hand, why should anyone be hungry? four dinners and at once," beamed the red jinn, ringing it smartly. "see, my dear, i've not even forgotten you." jinnicky leaned down to stroke nina, who had hidden behind the hearth brush when so many strangers came dropping into the hut. "this valiant nonagon puss fought bravely in my defense and has thereby earned herself a place in my heart and castle for all the rest of her nine natural lives." "but first you must get back your castle," said kabumpo as jinnicky began dancing up and down the room, the miserable cat hugged tightly in his arms. even randy had to smile at that. no one could be around the little jinn and stay sorrowful, and worried as he was over planetty and thun, the young king could not help feeling that now they were together everything was going to turn out right. some how and way jinnicky would help them. "isn't this like old times?" he beamed, bustling around like a busy host as ginger, with four enormous trays balanced on his head, flashed down, set an appetizing dinner before each of the company and melted away like smoke up the chimney. for nina, he had brought nine saucers of cream and some minced chicken. for kabumpo, a huge bowl of assorted nuts and another bowl of cut raw vegetables, each bowl capable of replenishing itself, so that there was enough for even an elephant. for randy and jinnicky there were the finest of roast duck dinners. so, forgetting their mean surroundings and gludwig's wickedness, the three royal wayfarers fell to and ate with an abandon and gusto that would have astonished their own castle-holds and footmen. nina, lapping up her rich and plenteous viands, seemed to grow fat and content before their very eyes. and while they dined, jinnicky explained how he had been tricked by gludwig, pulled out of the sea by bloff and then nearly shaken out of his jar by the surly fisherman, who at the same time had shaken out the bell and brought him assistance. "where is he? wait till i get my trunk on him," raged kabumpo, glancing sharply round the nine-sided shack. jinnicky, on his part, when he discovered how gludwig had treated his friends and visitors, was no less enraged and indignant. "used my very own patented trap floor on you, did he? hah! wait--i'll fix him!" beating his small hands angrily together, jinnicky's eyes burned with a bright red hatred. "yes, we were floored, all right," admitted the elegant elephant, pushing away his two bowls, for at last he had had enough, and while randy and the red jinn were finishing their suppers he told the whole story of their journey through oz and ev and ix, of their meeting with planetty and thun and the sad fate that had overtaken these loyal comrades in the red castle when they could no longer avail themselves of their own vanadium springs. "vanadium?" murmured the red jinn, resting his head in his chubby hands. "i believe i could make a substitute for that. why, in my laboratory--" "yes, but this isn't your laboratory," sighed randy, "and how ever are we to get off this nine-sided island if all the fishermen are as hateful as bloff?" "har! har! har! now that is the least of our troubles." jinnicky waved airily to the owner of the cottage whose glum face had just appeared in the window. "ginger shall carry us back, as easily as he carries the trays! first i shall ring the dinner bell, then when ginger appears, i shall hang on to his coat; you, randy, must hang on to me and kabumpo, bless his big heart, shall hang on to you, being careful to hold the princess of this other planet in his trunk. oh, my, mercy me! i'd almost forgotten the cat." scooping up nina, jinnicky waited till the elegant elephant had lifted planetty in his trunk, then, taking the silver bell from his sleeve, he gave it a cheerful tinkle. "ho, this!" puffed the little jinn, blowing a kiss to the glowering fisherman--"this is the finest place to leave i've ever left in my whole life. oh, my, mercy me! you and us! here's ginger! hold on, everybody! we're off!" and they were, sailing along as smoothly behind the little slave of the bell as if they weighed nothing at all, and leaving bloff running in frantic circles round his hut--for he was now more convinced than ever that this was a nightmare or that, worse still, he had taken entire leave of his wits and senses. chapter in the red jinn's castle while jinnicky and his friends had been having all these ups and downs and hair-raising experiences, gludwig had passed an exceedingly pleasant and profitable evening. as his enemies had dropped into the cellar of the castle, the silver staff of planetty missing him by a wide margin had fallen harmlessly at his feet. gludwig's army had had much to say of this terrible weapon, and picking it up, he turned it gloatingly over and over in his hands. it is true that he had all of jinnicky's treasures and possessions, but in his whole seven months in the castle he had not discovered a way to use any of the red jinn's magic, nor been able to cast a single spell or transformation. this had taken half the zest out of his victory. but here, he had a simple and easily managed magic weapon--or had he? frowning suddenly, gludwig wondered whether it only worked for the silver war maiden who had used it so disastrously against his men. well, he would quickly find that out. stepping to the door, he whistled for the huge hound that guarded the outer passageway. as it came bounding to his side he hurled the silver staff at its head. as the staff struck, the hound's progress was instantly arrested and instead of a live dog, he had a life-sized bronze with a look in the eyes that made even gludwig turn away. but the staff did work! as it returned to his black hand, gludwig hurried out of the throne room, rushing here and there about the castle to cast the staff again and again at his unsuspecting aids and servants. "are you mad?" hissed glubdo, coming upon his brother in the act of petrifying a small boot boy. "if you continue in this reckless fashion--who will do the work or wait upon us?" "oh, i've only tried it on a dozen or so," said gludwig, holding the staff jealously behind his back. "mind you don't overstep your authority, brother, or i might be tempted to use it on you." chuckling wickedly at glubdo's shocked expression, gludwig mounted to his own quarters and hastily throwing off his clothes, curled up in jinnicky's sumptuous ruby trimmed four poster. he was too weary to descend to the cellar and deal with his enemies, and resolving to finish them off the first thing in the morning, the miserable imposter fell asleep, planetty's magic staff clutched tightly in his hands. while he slumbered, strange things were happening below stairs, for just as the clock in the tower tolled two ginger noiselessly set his royal passengers down in the deserted throne room and vanished away with a flashing smile. snapping on a ruby lamp, the red jinn looked around him with a long sigh of content. motioning for kabumpo to place the sleeping princess on his comfortable cushioned throne, he tiptoed about, touching one after another of his possessions. "where do you suppose he is?" whispered randy, treading close behind him. "i don't suppose, i know," jinnicky whispered back. "where would he be but in my own royal bed? come along; we'll take him by surprise and the ears and throw him out of the window. careful now, boys, step softly! confound the black-hearted scoundrel! he's been using the silver staff." sorrowfully the little jinn paused before the statue of his favorite dog. "never mind," comforted randy. "when you find a way to restore planetty she'll find a way to undo this mischief, and you know you still have nina." "yes," said jinnicky, placing the nonagon cat tenderly on a red cushion. "come on, then, we'll creep up on him. nobody's around, nobody's on guard, this should be easy." stepping softly up the broad stair, kabumpo as lightly as any of them, the three made their way to jinnicky's vast bed room. "leave him to me," begged the elegant elephant in a fierce whisper. "i'll wring his neck with my own trunk." "no, wait--i'll ring my dinner bell," puffed jinnicky, "and have ginger carry him to the other side of the nonestic ocean." "even that wouldn't be far enough," muttered randy, tiptoeing over to the bed. "if we just knew where he had hidden planetty's staff we could turn him into a big brass monkey, for that's just what he looks like." "ho! i do, do i?" the unexpected interruption made them all jump. gludwig, wakened by kabumpo's first whisper, had lain silently watching from beneath his long lashes. now tossing back the silk covers, he sprang up, throwing the staff straight at randy's heart. "now let's see what you'll turn to," he panted savagely. too startled to move or act, kabumpo and jinnicky watched in fascinated horror as the staff struck. and strike it did, but instead of petrifying randy, the rod passed like a flash of lightning through the young king's body and returned to gludwig's hand, leaving randy live and lively as ever he was, lively enough in fact to leap forward, snatch the dangerous weapon and bring it down hard on his red-wigged head. with a thud that splintered jinnicky's best bed, gludwig fell back. "hah! what did i tell you?" exclaimed randy, and indeed the former holder of the castle in his petrified condition looked as much like a brass monkey as randy had said he would. "oh, my, mercy me! oh, my! oh, me!" with trembling fingers the red jinn began to feel randy all over. "with my own eyes i saw that staff go through you, lad, yet here you are--no mark--no statue. i declare i, i'm--" with tears running down his nose, jinnicky embraced randy over and over. "out of that bed with you!" screamed kabumpo, "out!" and winding his trunk round the rigid gludwig, he flung him violently out of the window. as the image fell with a resounding clunk into the vegetable garden below, the elegant elephant sank on his haunches and mopped his brow with one of the red silk bed sheets. "never--never do i hope to live through such a moment again," he groaned, blowing his trunk explosively. "i thought you were frozen and done for, my boy--done for!" rocking to and fro, kabumpo blinked the tears out of his eyes. "i don't understand yet why i wasn't," admitted randy, wriggling out of jinnicky's grasp and touching the spot where the staff had struck him. "someone or something was protecting you," declared the little jinn, nodding his head like a mandarin. "do you carry any charms or talismans against evil, my boy?" "not a one." turning out his pockets, randy displayed a collection of knives, rubber bands, coins and the other odds and ends that a man usually stores in his pockets. among the strange assortment were two small squat jars and on these jinnicky pounced with a triumphant little crow. "why, randy spandy jack a dandy, you have two bottles of my best weapon turning elixir! how did you happen to have them?" "those?" randy squinted down at the bottles in positive mystification. "oh, i must have picked them up in the cellar--of course i did, i remember distinctly now." "oh, glory be! glory me! har, har, har! am i a good wizard or am i a good wizard? and to think you should have happened on the very thing you'd be needing." jinnicky danced in exuberant circles. "sh--hush! somebody's coming." crowding all his belongings back into his pocket, randy turned in alarm. half the courtiers and servants were crowded into the doorway. and when they saw jinnicky and his friends instead of gludwig in the royal apartment they began to back away in chagrin and embarrassment. "oh, it's all right," jinnicky waved airily. "you threw in your fortunes with the wrong man, that's all! you'll find gludwig below in the cabbages. but i forgive you! i forgive you!" he added impulsively as his former mine workers began to stammer apologies and excuses. "go back to your beds now, but see that breakfast is on time and hot and appetizing." with an impatient nod of his head, jinnicky dismissed them and, looking very downcast and crest-fallen, they hurried away. it was a long time before the red jinn and his rescuers could bring themselves to retire. there was so much to talk of, to wonder over and to plan. but finally, even randy acknowledged that he was sleepy, and confident that jinnicky would find some way to help planetty and thun in the morning, he curled up on a small red sofa and fell into a peaceful slumber. as for kabumpo, he stretched out on the floor and jinnicky, not caring to occupy a bed so recently slept in by gludwig, made himself comfortable on a bear rug beside the elegant elephant, enjoying the first real rest he had had in seven long months. chapter the red jinn restored word of his return had quickly spread through the red jinn's vast dominions, and when jinnicky and his guests descended next morning a whole loyal black legion were cheering from the courtyard and lined up along the shore. after gludwig had seized the castle and enslaved the household, the rest of the natives had fled for their lives, refusing to stay or acknowledge the red-wigged imposter as their ruler. now that jinnicky was restored and safely at home again, their joy knew no bounds. appearing briefly on one of the castle balconies, the red jinn made one of his best and merriest speeches, telling of his experiences and assuring his faithful flock that gludwig was gone and would trouble them no more. to prove his statement, he pointed to the fallen figure in the cabbage patch. glubdo, fearing jinnicky's anger, had already left for an unknown destination, and now there was nothing to be done but restore the kingdom to its former cheerful status and prosperity. while the red jinn, kabumpo, randy and nina breakfasted happily on the terrace, a willing delegation marched off to the ruby mines to release alibabble, the courtiers and servants from their long servitude. the miners who had taken their place in the castle and army were only too willing to return to the mines, for with jinnicky back in power their hours were short, their wages high and each miner had his own cozy cottage and garden. the petrified miners who had served in the army that issued out to capture randy and kabumpo were stood along the highways to act as sign posts and also as warnings to all of the hard fate awaiting those who lent their ears to treachery and their arms to rebellion. randy could hardly contain himself while all these necessary matters were attended to. the young monarch spent nearly all his time arranging and rearranging the cushions on jinnicky's throne, where planetty still lay in complete beauty and insensibility. kabumpo was almost as bad, pacing anxiously between the throne and the terrace where thun had been carried by fifty interested blacks. "even if i cannot bring them back to life and activity, they are a handsome addition to any castle," puffed jinnicky, sinking down at last on one of his red lacquer sofas and fanning himself rapidly with his lid. "oh, my mercy me! don't look at me that way, my boy! of course i'll do my best and double best. but suppose my best is not good enough?" "oh, it will be," declared kabumpo, giving the red jinn a little pat on the back with his trunk. "i'll bet on your red magic any day in the year. look at the way that elixir saved randy from the magic staff. where is planetty's staff, by the way--sort of dangerous to leave it about!" "it's locked up safely in my iron cabinet," said jinnicky, closing one eye. "so you really think i'm good, old gaboscis--better even than the wizard of oz, eh?" "oh, much," asserted the elegant elephant, wagging his head positively. "all right, then, leave me--leave me," begged the red jinn, fairly pushing them out of the throne room. "i've ordered all my magic brought to me here, and here i'll stay till this pretty little princess and her charger come out of this metal trance. my, mercy me! trance--entrance--entrancing. oh, har, har, har! i've an idea there, my boys!" bouncing off the sofa, jinnicky skipped over to the princess of anuther planet. "oh, kabumpo! do you think he really has?" whispered randy, as he and the elegant elephant hurried through the door of the throne room and closed it softly behind them. chapter red magic the hours randy and kabumpo spent waiting for jinnicky to summon them to his throne room were the longest and most anxious they had ever endured. "even if he does restore them," groaned randy, pacing feverishly up and down one of the garden paths, "he'll have to send them straight back to anuther planet." rumpling up his hair, he looked wildly back at the elegant elephant, who was just behind him. "and if they go," declared the young king in a desperate voice, "i warn you, kabumpo, i shall jump on thun's back and go with them." "what? and leave me?" gasped the elegant elephant, putting back his ears, "and your kingdom and friends and all your responsibilities? no, no, randy, this won't do. besides, you'd probably perish in that outlandish metal wilderness with nothing to eat and no place to rest your head. you can't do it, my boy, and furthermore, i won't let you." snatching randy up in his trunk, he held him as tightly as if he were already running away instead of threatening to do so. in the course of this bitter argument and as the young monarch began pummeling kabumpo futilely with his fists, they were both lifted bodily into the air and set swiftly down in the red throne room. "the master has good news for you," explained ginger. "look!" with his flashing white grin the little bell boy pointed to the throne itself and then, as was his wont, inexplicably vanished. what he saw made randy rush forward and fling both arms round the red jinn's neck. "oh, you did it! you really did it!" he cried, embracing jinnicky all over again. "how can i ever thank you enough?" "where am i?" murmured the clear silvery voice that kabumpo and randy knew so well. "oh, what a netiful, netiful castle. randy! randy! and there you are, big bumpo, and thun! but how did we come out of that debasement?" without bothering to answer, randy seized planetty's hands and looked and looked at her as if he were never going to stop. "you're the same, and yet different," he mused, scarcely able to believe what he saw. "and thun is the same, yet different, too." "i am thun the thunder colt, now, then, and always!" announced thun, and gave a frightened jump, for he had actually spoken the words at the same time they went spiraling up into a sparkling sentence over his head. "oh, princess, princess!" he whinnied joyously. "do you hear? do you see? i can talk, i can hear, i can see and hear myself talking!" at each word thun gave an ecstatic bound and then began racing madly round and round the throne room, in and out between the red pillars, leaping over chairs and tables in a positively hair-raising fashion. "oh, my! oh, my mercy me!" faltered jinnicky, and scooping up the nonagon cat, he jumped up on a red tabouret. "stop him, somebody! stop him!" "whoa, there! come back here, thun, come back; we want to look at you!" running after the thunder colt, randy caught him by his plumy tail and hung on till he actually did stop. "and he doesn't make a sound when he gallops--not a sound," marveled jinnicky, edging nervously over to his throne and taking a seat beside planetty. "a sound but soundless steed! har, har, har! and do not mind his breath, randy, it cannot burn you now; it's cold fire and will not singe a thing!" "but how did you do it?" demanded kabumpo, touching planetty lightly with his trunk. "oh, partly by my red incense, partly by my red reanimating rays, and partly by an old incantation against entrancery," explained jinnicky, as randy brought thun back and handed him over to planetty. "do you feel all right now, my dear, and as beautiful as you look?" "oh, yes! oh, very yes!" answered planetty, smiling shyly round at the red jinn. "and you, i know it now, you must be the wizard so wonderful of ev?" "wonderful! wonderful? well, i should say hay hurray!" randy threw his crown up in the air and caught it. "wonderful enough to save himself and us too. oh, so many things have happened, planetty, since you and thun turned to cold metal in that awful cellar!" "i must make a note," muttered jinnicky, patting thun rather cautiously on the neck. "i must make a note to clean and cheer up that cellar. my! mercy! me! i haven't been down there for years!" "and if i never see it again, it will still be too soon," grunted kabumpo, leaning up against a red pillar. "look, jinnicky," he muttered out of a corner of his mouth as randy and planetty moved over to one of the windows and randy began to tell the little princess all that had happened on nonagon isle and thun began kicking up his heels and talking to himself just for the fun of the thing. "look, will these two have to go straight back to their own planet?" "that is what is worrying me," jinnicky said, speaking behind one hand and patting his hound, also released from its enchantment, with the other. "i managed to reawake and reanimate them, but, as you've probably noticed, they are changed. most certainly they are alive, but no longer of living metal, see? the girl's hair is no longer of fine spun metal strands, but it is real hair, still silvery in color as her skin retains its iridescent sheen, but i'm very much afraid, as things are, that the princess and her colt are unfitted for life on that far and rigorous planet of theirs. yes," jinnicky nodded his head emphatically, "i'm very much afraid they'll have to content themselves down here and live, eat and behave generally as natives of oz or ev." "what?" trumpeted kabumpo so fiercely nina jumped out of jinnicky's arms and hid under the red throne. "oh, say it again!" he begged, swallowing convulsively. "great grump, why this is the best news i've heard since you've come up out of the sea." "you mean they won't care?" exclaimed the red jinn, rubbing his palms nervously together. "care!" spluttered kabumpo, waving his trunk toward the small red sofa where randy and planetty sat in rapt and earnest conversation. "they care for nothing but each other, old fellow. right there, my dear wizard, sits the future queen of regalia, or i'm a blue-bearded nannygoat!" "oh, my, mercy me! you don't say! oh, har, har, har! how delightful! why, this calls for a celebration, a feast and a fiesta." beaming with interest and benevolence, jinnicky banged on the side of his throne with both fists and his elbows. "prepare a feast," he ordered breathlessly, as alibabble, his grand advizier, entered in a calm and dignified manner, showing no ill effects from his long months of servitude in the ruby mines. "prepare a feast, old tollywog, there's to be a wedding, with rings, bells, palms, presents and all the fruity fixings." "a wedding?" alibabble looked sternly at his master, whom he instantly suspected of being the groom, then as the red jinn, grinning wickedly, waved to the engrossed pair on the red sofa, he nodded briefly. "in that event," he remarked, backing rapidly away as he spoke, "i earnestly advise your majesty to have a hair cut." "oh, my mercy me! did you hear that?" screamed the jinn, as he turned to kabumpo, his face very red and angry. "i certainly did," roared the elegant elephant, giving jinnicky a playful little push. "hasn't changed a bit, has he? and neither have you. the last time i was in this castle he was advising the very same thing." "that's all he ever thinks of," fumed jinnicky, fingering his long locks lovingly. then as his eye rested again on the happy little princess and the prancing thunder colt, his expression grew milder. "randy! randy!" he called, jerking his thumb imperiously at his royal guest. "see here, my boy," he explained, puffing out his cheeks importantly, as randy came to stand beside the throne. "i have done my part to save your little princess and now you must do yours! unfortunately," jinnicky's face grew long and dolorous, "unfortunately, planetty and thun, from this time on, will be unable to exist on anuther planet, so now, without a home or country, what will become of them?" in mock distress the red jinn stared down at his young friend. "oh, jinnicky! how wonderful! oh, jinnicky, do you mean it? thank you! thank you! thank you!" pressing the little jinn's hands, randy went racing across the throne room. "planetty," he whispered breathlessly in the little princess' ear. "how would you like to be queen of regalia, to go back to oz with thun, kabumpo and me and live in my castle for always?" "oh, i think--" planetty's soft yellow eyes fairly danced with surprise and happiness--"i think that would be very nite. oh, randy, that would be netiful, netiful!" chapter king and queen of regalia the feast to celebrate randy's and planetty's wedding was the grandest and merriest in all the merry annals of oz and ev. it was, in fact, a double celebration. the red jinn's return and his victory over gludwig was enough to keep his subjects cheering for days and to honor his rescuers and especially the little princess of anuther planet and her royal consort, the evians outdid themselves, putting on one show after another. there were parades and pageants, fireworks and speeches and so many presents and parties it makes me jealous just to think of them. over and over again planetty and thun rejoiced in their new life and way of living, and eating the delicacies prepared by jinnicky's chef was not the least of its privileges. in the red jinn's castle eating was a pleasure as well as a necessity. but after a month's merry stay, during which every point of interest in jinnicky's vast realm was visited, the travelers bade the little jinn a hearty and affectionate adieu. mounting kabumpo and thun, and laden with gifts and good wishes, the young king and queen set out for the land of oz and their own royal castle. uncle hoochafoo had already received his instructions and as randy had predicted things were very gay, very different and very cozy in that regal and mountainous little kingdom. planetty's staff, powerful as ever, was a great help and protection to the young rulers and the small red hand bag that packed itself went on many journeys with the little queen of the country. if this story were beginning instead of ending, i could tell you a whole book of adventures they had traveling with kabumpo and thun through the great land of oz, for these days the elegant elephant spends almost as much time with randy and planetty as he does with the royal family of pumperdink, and most of it in travel. and in oz, what a gay way one travels! the other morning as i lay dreaming of them all, i got to thinking how nite it would be if the horses on milk wagons here were all soundless gallopers like thun! images of public domain material from the google books project.) transcriber notes text emphasis id denoted as _italics_ and =bold=. +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | the | | | | scarecrow of oz | | | | | | | | by | | | | l. frank baum | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ [illustration] ===== the famous oz books ===== since , when l. frank baum introduced to the children of america the wonderful wizard of oz and all the other exciting characters who inhabit the land of oz, these delightful fairy tales have stimulated the imagination of millions of young readers. these are stories which are genuine fantasy creative, funny, tender, exciting and surprising. filled with the rarest and most absurd creatures, each of the volumes which now comprise the series, has been eagerly sought out by generation after generation until to-day they are known to all except the very young or those who were never young at all. when, in a recent survey, the =new york times= polled a group of teen agers on the books they liked best when they were young, the oz books topped the list. the famous oz books ------------------- by l. frank baum: the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz chicago the reilly & lee co. _publishers_ [illustration: the scarecrow _of_ oz] dedicated to "the uplifters" of los angeles, california, in grateful appreciation of the pleasure i have derived from association with them, and in recognition of their sincere endeavor to uplift humanity through kindness, consideration and good-fellowship. they are big men all of them and all with the generous hearts of little children. l. frank baum [illustration] +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | the | | | | =scarecrow of oz= | | | | | | by | | | | l. frank baum | | | | author of | | | | the road to oz, dorothy and the wizard in oz, the emerald | | city of oz, the land of oz, ozma of oz. the patchwork girl | | of oz, tik-tok of oz | | | | | | | | [illustration] | | | | | | | | illustrated by | | john r. neill | | | | | | =the reilly & lee co= | | chicago | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ +--------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | copyright | | | | by | | | | l frank baum | | | | all | | | | rights reserved | | | +--------------------------------------------------------------+ [illustration] 'twixt you and me the army of children which besieged the postoffice, conquered the postmen and delivered to me its imperious commands, insisted that trot and cap'n bill be admitted to the land of oz, where trot could enjoy the society of dorothy, betsy bobbin and ozma, while the one-legged sailor-man might become a comrade of the tin woodman, the shaggy man, tik-tok and all the other quaint people who inhabit this wonderful fairyland. it was no easy task to obey this order and land trot and cap'n bill safely in oz, as you will discover by reading this book. indeed, it required the best efforts of our dear old friend, the scarecrow, to save them from a dreadful fate on the journey; but the story leaves them happily located in ozma's splendid palace and dorothy has promised me that button-bright and the three girls are sure to encounter, in the near future, some marvelous adventures in the land of oz, which i hope to be permitted to relate to you in the next oz book. meantime, i am deeply grateful to my little readers for their continued enthusiasm over the oz stories, as evinced in the many letters they send me, all of which are lovingly cherished. it takes more and more oz books every year to satisfy the demands of old and new readers, and there have been formed many "oz reading societies," where the oz books owned by different members are read aloud. all this is very gratifying to me and encourages me to write more oz stories. when the children have had enough of them, i hope they will let me know, and then i'll try to write something different. l. frank baum "royal historian of oz." "ozcot" at hollywood in california, . [illustration] list of chapters the great whirlpool cavern under the sea the ork daylight at last! the little old man of the island the flight of the midgets the bumpy man button-bright is lost, and found again the kingdom of jinxland pon, the gardener's boy the wicked king and googly-goo the wooden-legged grasshopper glinda the good and the scarecrow of oz the frozen heart trot meets the scarecrow pon summons the king to surrender the ork rescues button-bright the scarecrow meets an enemy the conquest of the witch queen gloria dorothy, betsy and ozma the waterfall the land of oz the royal reception [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: cap'n bill] chapter the great whirlpool "seems to me," said cap'n bill, as he sat beside trot under the big acacia tree, looking out over the blue ocean, "seems to me, trot, as how the more we know, the more we find we don't know." "i can't quite make that out, cap'n bill," answered the little girl in a serious voice, after a moment's thought, during which her eyes followed those of the old sailor-man across the glassy surface of the sea. "seems to me that all we learn is jus' so much gained." "i know; it looks that way at first sight," said the sailor, nodding his head; "but those as knows the least have a habit of thinkin' they know all there is to know, while them as knows the most admits what a turr'ble big world this is. it's the knowing ones that realize one lifetime ain't long enough to git more'n a few dips o' the oars of knowledge." trot didn't answer. she was a very little girl, with big, solemn eyes and an earnest, simple manner. cap'n bill had been her faithful companion for years and had taught her almost everything she knew. he was a wonderful man, this cap'n bill. not so very old, although his hair was grizzled--what there was of it. most of his head was bald as an egg and as shiny as oilcloth, and this made his big ears stick out in a funny way. his eyes had a gentle look and were pale blue in color, and his round face was rugged and bronzed. cap'n bill's left leg was missing, from the knee down, and that was why the sailor no longer sailed the seas. the wooden leg he wore was good enough to stump around with on land, or even to take trot out for a row or a sail on the ocean, but when it came to "runnin' up aloft" or performing active duties on shipboard, the old sailor was not equal to the task. the loss of his leg had ruined his career and the old sailor found comfort in devoting himself to the education and companionship of the little girl. [illustration: the old sailor devoted himself to the education of the little girl.] the accident to cap'n bill's leg had happened at about the time trot was born, and ever since that he had lived with trot's mother as "a star boarder," having enough money saved up to pay for his weekly "keep." he loved the baby and often held her on his lap; her first ride was on cap'n bill's shoulders, for she had no baby-carriage; and when she began to toddle around, the child and the sailor became close comrades and enjoyed many strange adventures together. it is said the fairies had been present at trot's birth and had marked her forehead with their invisible mystic signs, so that she was able to see and do many wonderful things. the acacia tree was on top of a high bluff, but a path ran down the bank in a zigzag way to the water's edge, where cap'n bill's boat was moored to a rock by means of a stout cable. it had been a hot, sultry afternoon, with scarcely a breath of air stirring, so cap'n bill and trot had been quietly sitting beneath the shade of the tree, waiting for the sun to get low enough for them to take a row. they had decided to visit one of the great caves which the waves had washed out of the rocky coast during many years of steady effort. the caves were a source of continual delight to both the girl and the sailor, who loved to explore their awesome depths. "i b'lieve, cap'n," remarked trot, at last, "that it's time for us to start." the old man cast a shrewd glance at the sky, the sea and the motionless boat. then he shook his head. "mebbe it's time, trot," he answered, "but i don't jes' like the looks o' things this afternoon." "what's wrong?" she asked wonderingly. "can't say as to that. things is too quiet to suit me, that's all. no breeze, not a ripple a-top the water, nary a gull a-flyin' anywhere, an' the end o' the hottest day o' the year. i ain't no weather-prophet, trot, but any sailor would know the signs is ominous." "there's nothing wrong that i can see," said trot. "if there was a cloud in the sky even as big as my thumb, we might worry about it; but--look, cap'n!--the sky is as clear as can be." he looked again and nodded. "p'r'aps we can make the cave, all right," he agreed, not wishing to disappoint her. "it's only a little way out, an' we'll be on the watch; so come along, trot." together they descended the winding path to the beach. it was no trouble for the girl to keep her footing on the steep way, but cap'n bill, because of his wooden leg, had to hold on to rocks and roots now and then to save himself from tumbling. on a level path he was as spry as anyone, but to climb up hill or down required some care. they reached the boat safely and while trot was untying the rope cap'n bill reached into a crevice of the rock and drew out several tallow candles and a box of wax matches, which he thrust into the capacious pockets of his "sou'wester." this sou'wester was a short coat of oilskin which the old sailor wore on all occasions--when he wore a coat at all--and the pockets always contained a variety of objects, useful and ornamental, which made even trot wonder where they all came from and why cap'n bill should treasure them. the jackknives--a big one and a little one--the bits of cord, the fishhooks, the nails: these were handy to have on certain occasions. but bits of shell, and tin boxes with unknown contents, buttons, pincers, bottles of curious stones and the like, seemed quite unnecessary to carry around. that was cap'n bill's business, however, and now that he added the candles and the matches to his collection trot made no comment, for she knew these last were to light their way through the caves. the sailor always rowed the boat, for he handled the oars with strength and skill. trot sat in the stern and steered. the place where they embarked was a little bight or circular bay, and the boat cut across a much larger bay toward a distant headland where the caves were located, right at the water's edge. they were nearly a mile from shore and about half-way across the bay when trot suddenly sat up straight and exclaimed: "what's that, cap'n?" he stopped rowing and turned half around to look. [illustration] "that, trot," he slowly replied, "looks to me mighty like a whirlpool." "what makes it, cap'n?" "a whirl in the air makes the whirl in the water. i was afraid as we'd meet with trouble, trot. things didn't look right. the air was too still." "it's coming closer," said the girl. the old man grabbed the oars and began rowing with all his strength. "'tain't comin' closer to us, trot," he gasped; "it's we that are comin' closer to the whirlpool. the thing is drawin' us to it like a magnet!" trot's sun-bronzed face was a little paler as she grasped the tiller firmly and tried to steer the boat away; but she said not a word to indicate fear. the swirl of the water as they came nearer made a roaring sound that was fearful to listen to. so fierce and powerful was the whirlpool that it drew the surface of the sea into the form of a great basin, slanting downward toward the center, where a big hole had been made in the ocean--a hole with walls of water that were kept in place by the rapid whirling of the air. the boat in which trot and cap'n bill were riding was just on the outer edge of this saucer-like slant, and the old sailor knew very well that unless he could quickly force the little craft away from the rushing current they would soon be drawn into the great black hole that yawned in the middle. so he exerted all his might and pulled as he had never pulled before. he pulled so hard that the left oar snapped in two and sent cap'n bill sprawling upon the bottom of the boat. he scrambled up quickly enough and glanced over the side. then he looked at trot, who sat quite still, with a serious, far-away look in her sweet eyes. the boat was now speeding swiftly of its own accord, following the line of the circular basin round and round and gradually drawing nearer to the great hole in the center. any further effort to escape the whirlpool was useless, and realizing this fact cap'n bill turned toward trot and put an arm around her, as if to shield her from the awful fate before them. he did not try to speak, because the roar of the waters would have drowned the sound of his voice. these two faithful comrades had faced dangers before, but nothing to equal that which now faced them. yet cap'n bill, noting the look in trot's eyes and remembering how often she had been protected by unseen powers, did not quite give way to despair. the great hole in the dark water--now growing nearer and nearer--looked very terrifying; but they were both brave enough to face it and await the result of the adventure. [illustration] chapter the cavern under the sea the circles were so much smaller at the bottom of the basin, and the boat moved so much more swiftly, that trot was beginning to get dizzy with the motion, when suddenly the boat made a leap and dived headlong into the murky depths of the hole. whirling like tops, but still clinging together, the sailor and the girl were separated from their boat and plunged down--down--down--into the farthermost recesses of the great ocean. at first their fall was swift as an arrow, but presently they seemed to be going more moderately and trot was almost sure that unseen arms were about her, supporting her and protecting her. she could see nothing, because the water filled her eyes and blurred her vision, but she clung fast to cap'n bill's sou'wester, while other arms clung fast to her, and so they gradually sank down and down until a full stop was made, when they began to ascend again. but it seemed to trot that they were not rising straight to the surface from where they had come. the water was no longer whirling them and they seemed to be drawn in a slanting direction through still, cool ocean depths. and then--in much quicker time than i have told it--up they popped to the surface and were cast at full length upon a sandy beach, where they lay choking and gasping for breath and wondering what had happened to them. trot was the first to recover. disengaging herself from cap'n bill's wet embrace and sitting up, she rubbed the water from her eyes and then looked around her. a soft, bluish-green glow lighted the place, which seemed to be a sort of cavern, for above and on either side of her were rugged rocks. they had been cast upon a beach of clear sand, which slanted upward from the pool of water at their feet--a pool which doubtless led into the big ocean that fed it. above the reach of the waves of the pool were more rocks, and still more and more, into the dim windings and recesses of which the glowing light from the water did not penetrate. the place looked grim and lonely, but trot was thankful that she was still alive and had suffered no severe injury during her trying adventure under water. at her side cap'n bill was sputtering and coughing, trying to get rid of the water he had swallowed. both of them were soaked through, yet the cavern was warm and comfortable and a wetting did not dismay the little girl in the least. she crawled up the slant of sand and gathered in her hand a bunch of dried seaweed, with which she mopped the face of cap'n bill and cleared the water from his eyes and ears. presently the old man sat up and stared at her intently. then he nodded his bald head three times and said in a gurgling voice: "mighty good, trot; mighty good! we didn't reach davy jones's locker that time, did we? though why we didn't, an' why we're here, is more'n i kin make out." "take it easy, cap'n," she replied. "we're safe enough, i guess, at least for the time being." he squeezed the water out of the bottoms of his loose trousers and felt of his wooden leg and arms and head, and finding he had brought all of his person with him he gathered courage to examine closely their surroundings. "where d'ye think we are, trot?" he presently asked. "can't say, cap'n. p'r'aps in one of our caves." he shook his head. "no," said he, "i don't think that, at all. the distance we came up didn't seem half as far as the distance we went down; an' you'll notice there ain't any outside entrance to this cavern whatever. it's a reg'lar dome over this pool o' water, and unless there's some passage at the back, up yonder, we're fast pris'ners." trot looked thoughtfully over her shoulder. "when we're rested," she said, "we will crawl up there and see if there's a way to get out." cap'n bill reached in the pocket of his oilskin coat and took out his pipe. it was still dry, for he kept it in an oilskin pouch with his tobacco. his matches were in a tight tin box, so in a few moments the old sailor was smoking contentedly. trot knew it helped him to think when he was in any difficulty. also, the pipe did much to restore the old sailor's composure, after his long ducking and his terrible fright--a fright that was more on trot's account than his own. the sand was dry where they sat, and soaked up the water that dripped from their clothing. when trot had squeezed the wet out of her hair she began to feel much like her old self again. by and by they got upon their feet and crept up the incline to the scattered boulders above. some of these were of huge size, but by passing between some and around others, they were able to reach the extreme rear of the cavern. "yes," said trot, with interest, "here's a round hole." "and it's black as night inside it," remarked cap'n bill. "just the same," answered the girl, "we ought to explore it, and see where it goes, 'cause it's the only poss'ble way we can get out of this place." cap'n bill eyed the hole doubtfully. "it may be a way out o' here, trot," he said, "but it may be a way into a far worse place than this. i'm not sure but our best plan is to stay right here." trot wasn't sure, either, when she thought of it in that light.. after awhile she made her way back to the sands again, and cap'n bill followed her. as they sat down, the child looked thoughtfully at the sailor's bulging pockets. [illustration: trot] "how much food have we got, cap'n?" she asked. "half a dozen ship's biscuits an' a hunk o' cheese," he replied. "want some now, trot?" she shook her head, saying: "that ought to keep us alive 'bout three days if we're careful of it." "longer'n that, trot," said cap'n bill, but his voice was a little troubled and unsteady. "but if we stay here we're bound to starve in time," continued the girl, "while if we go into the dark hole--" "some things are more hard to face than starvation," said the sailor-man, gravely. "we don't know what's inside that dark hole. trot, nor where it might lead us to." "there's a way to find that out," she persisted. instead of replying, cap'n bill began searching in his pockets. he soon drew out a little package of fishhooks and a long line. trot watched him join them together. then he crept a little way up the slope and turned over a big rock. two or three small crabs began scurrying away over the sands and the old sailor caught them and put one on his hook and the others in his pocket. coming back to the pool he swung the hook over his shoulder and circled it around his head and cast it nearly into the center of the water, where he allowed it to sink gradually, paying out the line as far as it would go. when the end was reached, he began drawing it in again, until the crab bait was floating on the surface. trot watched him cast the line a second time, and a third. she decided that either there were no fishes in the pool or they would not bite the crab bait. but cap'n bill was an old fisherman and not easily discouraged. when the crab got away he put another on the hook. when the crabs were all gone he climbed up the rocks and found some more. meantime trot tired of watching him and lay down upon the sands, where she fell fast asleep. during the next two hours her clothing dried completely, as did that of the old sailor. they were both so used to salt water that there was no danger of taking cold. finally the little girl was wakened by a splash beside her and a grunt of satisfaction from cap'n bill. she opened her eyes to find that the cap'n had landed a silver-scaled fish weighing about two pounds. this cheered her considerably and she hurried to scrape together a heap of seaweed, while cap'n bill cut up the fish with his jackknife and got it ready for cooking. they had cooked fish with seaweed before. cap'n bill wrapped his fish in some of the weed and dipped it in the water to dampen it. then he lighted a match and set fire to trot's heap, which speedily burned down to a glowing bed of ashes. then they laid the wrapped fish on the ashes, covered it with more seaweed, and allowed this to catch fire and burn to embers. after feeding the fire with seaweed for some time, the sailor finally decided that their supper was ready, so he scattered the ashes and drew out the bits of fish, still encased in their smoking wrappings. when these wrappings were removed, the fish was found thoroughly cooked and both trot and cap'n bill ate of it freely. it had a slight flavor of seaweed and would have been better with a sprinkling of salt. the soft glow which until now had lighted the cavern, began to grow dim, but there was a great quantity of seaweed in the place, so after they had eaten their fish they kept the fire alive for a time by giving it a handful of fuel now and then. from an inner pocket the sailor drew a small flask of battered metal and unscrewing the cap handed it to trot. she took but one swallow of the water, although she wanted more, and she noticed that cap'n bill merely wet his lips with it. "s'pose," said she, staring at the glowing seaweed fire and speaking slowly, "that we can catch all the fish we need; how 'bout the drinking-water, cap'n?" he moved uneasily but did not reply. both of them were thinking about the dark hole, but while trot had little fear of it the old man could not overcome his dislike to enter the place. he knew that trot was right, though. to remain in the cavern, where they now were, could only result in slow but sure death. it was nighttime upon the earth's surface, so the little girl became drowsy and soon fell asleep. after a time the old sailor slumbered on the sands beside her. it was very still and nothing disturbed them for hours. when at last they awoke the cavern was light again. they had divided one of the biscuits and were munching it for breakfast when they were startled by a sudden splash in the pool. looking toward it they saw emerging from the water the most curious creature either of them had ever beheld. it wasn't a fish, trot decided, nor was it a beast. it had wings, though, and queer wings they were: shaped like an inverted chopping-bowl and covered with tough skin instead of feathers. it had four legs--much like the legs of a stork, only double the number--and its head was shaped a good deal like that of a poll parrot, with a beak that curved downward in front and upward at the edges, and was half bill and half mouth. but to call it a bird was out of the question, because it had feathers whatever except a crest of wavy plumes of a scarlet color on the very top of its head. the strange creature must have weighed as much as cap'n bill, and as it floundered and struggled to get out of the water to the sandy beach it was so big and unusual that both trot and her companion stared at it in wonder--in wonder that was not unmixed with fear. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the ork the eyes that regarded them, as the creature stood dripping before them, were bright and mild in expression, and the queer addition to their party made no attempt to attack them and seemed quite as surprised by the meeting as they were. "i wonder," whispered trot, "what it is." "who, me?" exclaimed the creature in a shrill, high-pitched voice. "why, i'm an ork." "oh!" said the girl. "but what is an ork?" "i am," he repeated, a little proudly, as he shook the water from his funny wings; "and if ever an ork was glad to be out of the water and on dry land again, you can be mighty sure that i'm that especial, individual ork!" "have you been in the water long?" inquired cap'n bill, thinking it only polite to show an interest in the strange creature.. "why, this last ducking was about ten minutes, i believe, and that's about nine minutes and sixty seconds too long for comfort," was the reply. "but last night i was in an awful pickle, i assure you. the whirlpool caught me, and--" "oh, were you in the whirlpool, too?" asked trot eagerly. he gave her a glance that was somewhat reproachful. "i believe i was mentioning the fact, young lady, when your desire to talk interrupted me," said the ork. "i am not usually careless in my actions, but that whirlpool was so busy yesterday that i thought i'd see what mischief it was up to. so i flew a little too near it and the suction of the air drew me down into the depths of the ocean. water and i are natural enemies, and it would have conquered me this time had not a bevy of pretty mermaids come to my assistance and dragged me away from the whirling water and far up into a cavern, where they deserted me." "why, that's about the same thing that happened to us," cried trot. "was your cavern like this one?" "i haven't examined this one yet," answered the ork; "but if they happen to be alike i shudder at our fate, for the other one was a prison, with no outlet except by means of the water. i stayed there all night, however, and this morning i plunged into the pool, as far down as i could go, and then swam as hard and as far as i could. the rocks scraped my back, now and then, and i barely escaped the clutches of an ugly sea-monster; but by and by i came to the surface to catch my breath, and found myself here. that's the whole story, and as i see you have something to eat i entreat you to give me a share of it. the truth is, i'm half starved." with these words the ork squatted down beside them. very reluctantly cap'n bill drew another biscuit from his pocket and held it out. the ork promptly seized it in one of its front claws and began to nibble the biscuit in much the same manner a parrot might have done. "we haven't much grub," said the sailor-man, "but we're willin' to share it with a comrade in distress." "that's right," returned the ork, cocking its head sidewise in a cheerful manner, and then for a few minutes there was silence while they all ate of the biscuits. after a while trot said: "i've never seen or heard of an ork before. are there many of you?" "we are rather few and exclusive, i believe," was the reply. "in the country where i was born we are the absolute rulers of all living things, from ants to elephants." "what country is that?" asked cap'n bill. "orkland." "where does it lie?" "i don't know, exactly. you see, i have a restless nature, for some reason, while all the rest of my race are quiet and contented orks and seldom stray far from home. from childhood days i loved to fly long distances away, although father often warned me that i would get into trouble by so doing. "'it's a big world, flipper, my son,' he would say, 'and i've heard that in parts of it live queer two-legged creatures called men, who war upon all other living things and would have little respect for even an ork.' "this naturally aroused my curiosity and after i had completed my education and left school i decided to fly out into the world and try to get a glimpse of the creatures called men. so i left home without saying good-bye, an act i shall always regret. adventures were many, i found. i sighted men several times, but have never before been so close to them as now. also i had to fight my way through the air, for i met gigantic birds, with fluffy feathers all over them, which attacked me fiercely. besides, it kept me busy escaping from floating airships. in my rambling i had lost all track of distance or direction, so that when i wanted to go home i had no idea where my country was located. i've now been trying to find it for several months and it was during one of my flights over the ocean that i met the whirlpool and became its victim." trot and cap'n bill listened to this recital with much interest, and from the friendly tone and harmless appearance of the ork they judged he was not likely to prove so disagreeable a companion as at first they had feared he might be. the ork sat upon its haunches much as a cat does, but used the finger-like claws of its front legs almost as cleverly as if they were hands. perhaps the most curious thing about the creature was its tail, or what ought to have been its tail. this queer arrangement of skin, bones and muscle was shaped like the propellers used on boats and airships, having fan-like surfaces and being pivoted to its body. cap'n bill knew something of mechanics, and observing the propeller-like tail of the ork he said: "i s'pose you're a pretty swift flyer?" "yes, indeed; the orks are admitted to be kings of the air." "your wings don't seem to amount to much," remarked trot. "well, they are not very big," admitted the ork, waving the four hollow skins gently to and fro, "but they serve to support my body in the air while i speed along by means of my tail. still, taken altogether, i'm very handsomely formed, don't you think?" trot did not like to reply, but cap'n bill nodded gravely. "for an ork," said he, "you're a wonder. i've never seen one afore, but i can imagine you're as good as any." that seemed to please the creature and it began walking around the cavern, making its way easily up the slope. while it was gone, trot and cap'n bill each took another sip from the water-flask, to wash down their breakfast. "why, here's a hole--an exit--an outlet!" exclaimed the ork from above. "we know," said trot. "we found it last night." "well, then, let's be off," continued the ork, after sticking its head into the black hole and sniffing once or twice. "the air seems fresh and sweet, and it can't lead us to any worse place than this." [illustration] the girl and the sailor-man got up and climbed to the side of the ork. "we'd about decided to explore this hole before you came," explained cap'n bill; "but it's a dangerous place to navigate in the dark, so wait till i light a candle." "what is a candle?" inquired the ork. "you'll see in a minute," said trot. the old sailor drew one of the candles from his right-side pocket and the tin matchbox from his left-side pocket. when he lighted the match the ork gave a startled jump and eyed the flame suspiciously; but cap'n bill proceeded to light the candle and the action interested the ork very much. "light," it said, somewhat nervously, "is valuable in a hole of this sort. the candle is not dangerous, i hope?" "sometimes it burns your fingers," answered trot, "but that's about the worst it can do--'cept to blow out when you don't want it to." cap'n bill shielded the flame with his hand and crept into the hole. it wasn't any too big for a grown man, but after he had crawled a few feet it grew larger. trot came close behind him and then the ork followed. "seems like a reg'lar tunnel," muttered the sailor-man, who was creeping along awkwardly because of his wooden leg. the rocks, too, hurt his knees. for nearly half an hour the three moved slowly along the tunnel, which made many twists and turns and sometimes slanted downward and sometimes upward. finally cap'n bill stopped short, with an exclamation of disappointment, and held the flickering candle far ahead to light the scene. "what's wrong?' demanded trot, who could see nothing because the sailor's form completely filled the hole. "why, we've come to the end of our travels, i guess," he replied. "is the hole blocked?" inquired the ork. "no; it's wuss nor that," replied cap'n bill sadly. "i'm on the edge of a precipice. wait a minute an' i'll move along and let you see for yourselves. be careful, trot, not to fall." then he crept forward a little and moved to one side, holding the candle so that the girl could see to follow him. the ork came next and now all three knelt on a narrow ledge of rock which dropped straight away and left a huge black space which the tiny flame of the candle could not illuminate. "h-m!" said the ork, peering over the edge; "this doesn't look very promising, i'll admit. but let me take your candle, and i'll fly down and see what's below us." "aren't you afraid?" asked trot. "certainly i'm afraid," responded the ork. "but if we intend to escape we can't stay on this shelf forever. so, as i notice you poor creatures cannot fly, it is my duty to explore the place for you." cap'n bill handed the ork the candle, which had now burned to about half its length. the ork took it in one claw rather cautiously and then tipped its body forward and slipped over the edge. they heard a queer buzzing sound, as the tail revolved, and a brisk flapping of the peculiar wings, but they were more interested just then in following with their eyes the tiny speck of light which marked the location of the candle. this light first made a great circle, then dropped slowly downward and suddenly was extinguished, leaving everything before them black as ink. "hi, there! how did that happen?" cried the ork. "it blew out, i guess," shouted cap'n bill. "fetch it here." "i can't see where you are," said the ork. so cap'n bill got out another candle and lighted it, and its flame enabled the ork to fly back to them. it alighted on the edge and held out the bit of candle. "what made it stop burning?" asked the creature. "the wind," said trot. "you must be more careful, this time." "what's the place like?" inquired cap'n bill. "i don't know, yet; but there must be a bottom to it, so i'll try to find it." with this the ork started out again and this time sank downward more slowly. down, down, down it went, till the candle was a mere spark, and then it headed away to the left and trot and cap'n bill lost all sight of it. [illustration] in a few minutes, however, they saw the spark of light again, and as the sailor still held the second lighted candle the ork made straight toward them. it was only a few yards distant when suddenly it dropped the candle with a cry of pain and next moment alighted, fluttering wildly, upon the rocky ledge. "what's the matter?" asked trot. "it bit me!" wailed the ork. "i don't like your candles. the thing began to disappear slowly as soon as i took it in my claw, and it grew smaller and smaller until just now it turned and bit me--a most unfriendly thing to do. oh--oh! ouch, what a bite!" "that's the nature of candles, i'm sorry to say," explained cap'n bill, with a grin. "you have to handle 'em mighty keerful. but tell us, what did you find down there?" "i found a way to continue our journey," said the ork, nursing tenderly the claw which had been burned. "just below us is a great lake of black water, which looked so cold and wicked that it made me shudder; but away at the left there's a big tunnel, which we can easily walk through. i don't know where it leads to, of course, but we must follow it and find out." "why, we can't get to it," protested the little girl. "we can't fly, as you do, you must remember." "no, that's true," replied the ork musingly. "your bodies are built very poorly, it seems to me, since all you can do is crawl upon the earth's surface. but you may ride upon my back, and in that way t can promise you a safe journey to the tunnel." "are you strong enough to carry us?" asked cap'n bill, doubtfully. "yes, indeed; i'm strong enough to carry a dozen of you, if you could find a place to sit," was the reply; "but there's only room between my wings for one at a time, so i'll have to make two trips." "all right; i'll go first," decided cap'n bill. he lit another candle for trot to hold while they were gone and to light the ork on his return to her, and then the old sailor got upon the ork's back, where he sat with his wooden leg sticking straight out sidewise. "if you start to fall, clasp your arms around my neck," advised the creature. "if i start to fall, it's good night an' pleasant dreams," said cap'n bill. "all ready?" asked the ork. "start the buzz-tail," said cap'n bill, with a tremble in his voice. but the ork flew away so gently that the old man never even tottered in his seat. trot watched the light of cap'n bill's candle till it disappeared in the far distance. she didn't like to be left alone on this dangerous ledge, with a lake of black water hundreds of feet below her; but she was a brave little girl and waited patiently for the return of the ork. it came even sooner than she had expected and the creature said to her: "your friend is safe in the tunnel. now, then, get aboard and i'll carry you to him in a jiffy." i'm sure not many little girls would have cared to take that awful ride through the huge black cavern on the back of a skinny ork. trot didn't care for it, herself, but it just had to be done and so she did it as courageously as possible. her heart beat fast and she was so nervous she could scarcely hold the candle in her fingers as the ork sped swiftly through the darkness. it seemed like a long ride to her, yet in reality the ork covered the distance in a wonderfully brief period of time and soon trot stood safely beside cap'n bill on the level floor of a big arched tunnel. the sailor-man was very glad to greet his little comrade again and both were grateful to the ork for his assistance. "i dunno where this tunnel leads to," remarked cap'n bill, "but it surely looks more promisin' than that other hole we crept through." "when the ork is rested," said trot, "we'll travel on and see what happens." "rested!" cried the ork, as scornfully as his shrill voice would allow. "that bit of flying didn't tire me at all. i'm used to flying days at a time, without ever once stopping." "then let's move on," proposed cap'n bill. he still held in his hand one lighted candle, so trot blew out the other flame and placed her candle in the sailor's big pocket. she knew it was not wise to burn two candles at once. the tunnel was straight and smooth and very easy to walk through, so they made good progress. trot thought that the tunnel began about two miles from the cavern where they had been cast by the whirlpool, but now it was impossible to guess the miles traveled, for they walked steadily for hours and hours without any change in their surroundings. finally cap'n bill stopped to rest. "there's somethin' queer about this 'ere tunnel, i'm certain," he declared, wagging his head dolefully. "here's three candles gone a'ready, an' only three more left us, yet the tunnel's the same as it was when we started. an' how long it's goin' to keep up, no one knows." "couldn't we walk without a light?" asked trot. "the way seems safe enough." "it does right now," was the reply, "but we can't tell when we are likely to come to another gulf, or somethin' jes' as dangerous. in that case we'd be killed afore we knew it." "suppose i go ahead?" suggested the ork. "i don't fear a fall, you know, and if anything happens i'll call out and warn you." "that's a good idea," declared trot, and cap'n bill thought so, too. so the ork started off ahead, quite in the dark, and hand in hand the two followed him. when they had walked in this way for a good long time the ork halted and demanded food. cap'n bill had not mentioned food because there was so little left--only three biscuits and a lump of cheese about as big as his two fingers--but he gave the ork half of a biscuit, sighing as he did so. the creature didn't care for the cheese, so the sailor divided it between himself and trot. they lighted a candle and sat down in the tunnel while they ate. "my feet hurt me," grumbled the ork. "i'm not used to walking and this rocky passage is so uneven and lumpy that it hurts me to walk upon it." "can't you fly along?" asked trot. "no; the roof is too low," said the ork. after the meal they resumed their journey, which trot began to fear would never end. when cap'n bill noticed how tired the little girl was, he paused and lighted a match and looked at his big silver watch. "why, it's night!" he exclaimed. "we've tramped all day, an' still we're in this awful passage, which mebbe goes straight through the middle of the world, an' mebbe is a circle--in which case we can keep walkin' till doomsday. not knowin' what's before us so well as we know what's behind us, i propose we make a stop, now, an' try to sleep till mornin'." "that will suit me," asserted the ork, with a groan. "my feet are hurting me dreadfully and for the last few miles i've been limping with pain." "my foot hurts, too," said the sailor, looking for a smooth place on the rocky floor to sit down. "_your_ foot!" cried the ork. "why, you've only one to hurt you, while i have four. so i suffer four times as much as you possibly can. here; hold the candle while i look at the bottoms of my claws. i declare," he said, examining them by the flickering light, "there are bunches of pain all over them!" "p'r'aps," said trot, who was very glad to sit down beside her companions, "you've got corns." "corns? nonsense! orks never have corns," protested the creature, rubbing its sore feet tenderly. "then mebbe they're--they're--what do you call 'em, cap'n bill? something 'bout the pilgrim's progress, you know." "bunions," said cap'n bill. "oh, yes; mebbe you've got bunions." "it is possible," moaned the ork. "but whatever they are, another day of such walking on them would drive me crazy." "i'm sure they'll feel better by mornin'," said cap'n bill, encouragingly. "go to sleep an' try to forget your sore feet." the ork cast a reproachful look at the sailor-man, who didn't see it. then the creature asked plaintively: "do we eat now, or do we starve?" "there's only half a biscuit left for you," answered cap'n bill. "no one knows how long we'll have to stay in this dark tunnel, where there's nothing whatever to eat; so i advise you to save that morsel o' food till later." "give it me now!" demanded the ork. "if i'm going to starve, i'll do it all at once--not by degrees." cap'n bill produced the biscuit and the creature ate it in a trice. trot was rather hungry and whispered to cap'n bill that she'd take part of her share; but the old man secretly broke his own half-biscuit in two, saving trot's share for a time of greater need. he was beginning to be worried over the little girl's plight and long after she was asleep and the ork was snoring in a rather disagreeable manner, cap'n bill sat with his back to a rock and smoked his pipe and tried to think of some way to escape from this seemingly endless tunnel. but after a time he also slept, for hobbling on a wooden leg all day was tiresome, and there in the dark slumbered the three adventurers for many hours, until the ork roused itself and kicked the old sailor with one foot. "it must be another day," said he. [illustration] [illustration] chapter daylight at last cap'n bill rubbed his eyes, lit a match and consulted his watch. "nine o'clock. yes, i guess it's another day, sure enough. shall we go on?' he asked. "of course," replied the ork. "unless this tunnel is different from everything else in the world, and has no end, we'll find a way out of it sooner or later." the sailor gently wakened trot. she felt much rested by her long sleep and sprang to her feet eagerly. "let's start, cap'n," was all she said. they resumed the journey and had only taken a few steps when the ork cried "wow!" and made a great fluttering of its wings and whirling of its tail. the others, who were following a short distance behind, stopped abruptly. "what's the matter?" asked cap'n bill. "give us a light," was the reply. "i think we've come to the end of the tunnel." then, while cap'n bill lighted a candle, the creature added: "if that is true, we needn't have wakened so soon, for we were almost at the end of this place when we went to sleep." the sailor-man and trot came forward with a light. a wall of rock really faced the tunnel, but now they saw that the opening made a sharp turn to the left. so they followed on, by a narrower passage, and then made another sharp turn--this time to the right. "blow out the light, cap'n," said the ork, in a pleased voice. "we've struck daylight." daylight at last! a shaft of mellow light fell almost at their feet as trot and the sailor turned the corner of the passage, but it came from above, and raising their eyes they found they were at the bottom of a deep, rocky well, with the top far, far above their heads. and here the passage ended. [illustration] for a while they gazed in silence, at least two of them being filled with dismay at the sight. but the ork merely whistled softly and said cheerfully: "that was the toughest journey i ever had the misfortune to undertake, and i'm glad it's over. yet, unless i can manage to fly to the top of this pit, we are entombed here forever." "do you think there is room enough for you to fly in?" asked the little girl anxiously; and cap'n bill added: "it's a straight-up shaft, so i don't see how you'll ever manage it." "were i an ordinary bird--one of those horrid feathered things--i wouldn't even make the attempt to fly out," said the ork. "but my mechanical propeller tail can accomplish wonders, and whenever you're ready i'll show you a trick that is worth while." "oh!" exclaimed trot; "do you intend to take us up, too?" "why not?" "i thought," said cap'n bill, "as you'd go first, an' then send somebody to help us by lettin' down a rope." "ropes are dangerous," replied the ork, "and i might not be able to find one to reach all this distance. besides, it stands to reason that if i can get out myself i can also carry you two with me." "well, i'm not afraid," said trot, who longed to be on the earth's surface again. "s'pose we fall?'' suggested cap'n bill, doubtfully. "why, in that case we would all fall together," returned the ork. "get aboard, little girl; sit across my shoulders and put both your arms around my neck." trot obeyed and when she was seated on the ork, cap'n bill inquired: "how 'bout me, mr. ork?" "why, i think you'd best grab hold of my rear legs and let me carry you up in that manner," was the reply. cap'n bill looked way up at the top of the well, and then he looked at the ork's slender, skinny legs and heaved a deep sigh. "it's goin' to be some dangle, i guess; but if you don't waste too much time on the way up, i may be able to hang on," said he. "all ready, then!" cried the ork, and at once his whirling tail began to revolve. trot felt herself rising into the air; when the creature's legs left the ground cap'n bill grasped two of them firmly and held on for dear life. the ork's body was tipped straight upward, and trot had to embrace the neck very tightly to keep from sliding off. even in this position the ork had trouble in escaping the rough sides of the well. several times it exclaimed "wow!" as it bumped its back, or a wing hit against some jagged projection; but the tail kept whirling with remarkable swiftness and the daylight grew brighter and brighter. it was, indeed, a long journey from the bottom to the top, yet almost before trot realized they had come so far, they popped out of the hole into the clear air and sunshine and a moment later the ork alighted gently upon the ground. [illustration] the release was so sudden that even with the creature's care for its passengers cap'n bill struck the earth with a shock that sent him rolling heel over head; but by the time trot had slid down from her seat the old sailor-man was sitting up and looking around him with much satisfaction. "it's sort o' pretty here," said he. "earth is a beautiful place!" cried trot. "i wonder where on earth we are?' pondered the ork, turning first one bright eye and then the other to this side and that. trees there were, in plenty, and shrubs and flowers and green turf. but there were no houses; there were no paths; there was no sign of civilization whatever. "just before i settled down on the ground i thought i caught a view of the ocean," said the ork. "let's see if i was right." then he flew to a little hill, near by, and trot and cap'n bill followed him more slowly. when they stood on the top of the hill they could see the blue waves of the ocean in front of them, to the right of them, and at the left of them. behind the hill was a forest that shut out the view. "i hope it ain't an island, trot," said cap'n bill gravely. "if it is, i s'pose we're prisoners," she replied. "ezzackly so, trot." "but, even so, it's better than those terr'ble underground tunnels and caverns," declared the girl. "you are right, little one," agreed the ork. "anything above ground is better than the best that lies under ground. so let's not quarrel with our fate but be thankful we've escaped." "we are, indeed!" she replied. "but i wonder if we can find something to eat in this place?" "let's explore an' find out," proposed cap'n bill. "those trees over at the left look like cherry-trees." on the way to them the explorers had to walk through a tangle of vines and cap'n bill, who went first, stumbled and pitched forward on his face. "why, it's a melon!" cried trot delightedly, as she saw what had caused the sailor to fall. [illustration] cap'n bill rose to his foot, for he was not at all hurt, and examined the melon. then he took his big jackknife from his pocket and cut the melon open. it was quite ripe and looked delicious; but the old man tasted it before he permitted trot to eat any. deciding it was good he gave her a big slice and then offered the ork some. the creature looked at the fruit somewhat disdainfully, at first, but once he had tasted its flavor he ate of it as heartily as did the others. among the vines they discovered many other melons, and trot said gratefully: "well, there's no danger of our starving, even if this _is_ an island." "melons," remarked cap'n bill, "are both food an' water. we couldn't have struck anything better." farther on they came to the cherry-trees, where they obtained some of the fruit, and at the edge of the little forest were wild plums. the forest itself consisted entirely of nut trees--walnuts, filberts, almonds and chestnuts--so there would be plenty of wholesome food for them while they remained there. cap'n bill and trot decided to walk through the forest, to discover what was on the other side of it, but the ork's feet were still so sore and "lumpy" from walking on the rocks that the creature said he preferred to fly over the tree-tops and meet them on the other side. the forest was not large, so by walking briskly for fifteen minutes they reached its farthest edge and saw before them the shore of the ocean. "it's an island, all right," said trot, with a sigh. "yes, and a pretty island, too," said cap'n bill, trying to conceal his disappointment on trot's account. "i guess, partner, if the wuss comes to the wuss, i could build a raft--or even a boat--from those trees, so's we could sail away in it." the little girl brightened at this suggestion. "i don't see the ork anywhere," she remarked, looking around. then her eyes lighted upon something and she exclaimed: "oh, cap'n bill! isn't that a house, over there to the left?" cap'n bill, looking closely, saw a shed-like structure built at one edge of the forest. "seems like it, trot. not that i'd call it much of a house, but it's a buildin', all right. let's go over an' see if it's occypied." [illustration] [illustration] chapter the little old man of the island a few steps brought them to the shed, which was merely a roof of boughs built over a square space, with some branches of trees fastened to the sides to keep off the wind. the front was quite open and faced the sea, and as our friends came nearer they observed a little man, with a long pointed beard, sitting motionless on a stool and staring thoughtfully out over the water. "get out of the way, please," he called in a fretful voice. "can't you see you are obstructing my view?" "good morning," said cap'n bill, politely. "it isn't a good morning!" snapped the little man. "i've seen plenty of mornings better than this. do you call it a good morning when i'm pestered with such a crowd as you?" trot was astonished to hear such words from a stranger whom they had greeted quite properly, and cap'n bill grew red at the little man's rudeness. but the sailor said, in a quiet tone of voice: "are you the only one as lives on this 'ere island?" "your grammar's bad," was the reply. "but this is my own exclusive island, and i'll thank you to get off it as soon as possible." "we'd like to do that," said trot, and then she and cap'n bill turned away and walked down to the shore, to see if any other land was in sight. the little man rose and followed them, although both were now too provoked to pay any attention to him. "nothin' in sight, partner," reported cap'n bill, shading his eyes with his hand; "so we'll have to stay here for a time, anyhow. it isn't a bad place, trot, by any means." "that's all you know about it!" broke in the little man. "the trees are altogether too green and the rocks are harder than they ought to be. i find the sand very grainy and the water dreadfully wet. every breeze makes a draught and the sun shines in the daytime, when there's no need of it, and disappears just as soon as it begins to get dark. if you remain here you'll find the island very unsatisfactory." trot turned to look at him, and her sweet face was grave and curious. "i wonder who you are," she said. "my name is pessim," said he, with an air of pride. "i'm called the observer." "oh. what do you observe?" asked the little girl. "everything i see," was the reply, in a more surly tone. then pessim drew back with a startled exclamation and looked at some footprints in the sand. "why, good gracious me!' he cried in distress. "what's the matter now?' asked cap'n bill. "someone has pushed the earth in! don't you see it?" "it isn't pushed in far enough to hurt anything," said trot, examining the footprints. "everything hurts that isn't right," insisted the man. "if the earth were pushed in a mile, it would be a great calamity, wouldn't it?" "i s'pose so," admitted the little girl. "well, here it is pushed in a full inch! that's a twelfth of a foot, or a little more than a millionth part of a mile. therefore it is one-millionth part of a calamity--oh, dear! how dreadful!" said pessim in a wailing voice. "try to forget it, sir," advised cap'n bill, soothingly. "it's beginning to rain. let's get under your shed and keep dry." "raining! is it really raining?' asked pessim, beginning to weep. "it is," answered cap'n bill, as the drops began to descend, "and i don't see any way to stop it--although i'm some observer myself." "no; we can't stop it, i fear," said the man. "are you very busy just now?" "i won't be after i get to the shed," replied the sailor-man. "then do me a favor, please," begged pessim, walking briskly along behind them, for they were hastening to the shed. "depends on what it is," said cap'n bill. "i wish you would take my umbrella down to the shore and hold it over the poor fishes till it stops raining. i'm afraid they'll get wet," said pessim. trot laughed, but cap'n bill thought the little man was poking fun at him and so he scowled upon pessim in a way that showed he was angry. they reached the shed before getting very wet, although the rain was now coming down in big drops. the roof of the shed protected them and while they stood watching the rainstorm something buzzed in and circled around pessim's head. at once the observer began beating it away with his hands, crying out: "a bumblebee! a bumblebee! the queerest bumblebee i ever saw!" cap'n bill and trot both looked at it and the little girl said in surprise: "dear me! it's a wee little ork!" "that's what it is, sure enough," exclaimed cap'n bill. really, it wasn't much bigger than a big bumblebee, and when it came toward trot she allowed it to alight on her shoulder. "it's me, all right," said a very small voice in her ear; "but i'm in an awful pickle, just the same!" "what, are you _our_ ork, then?" demanded the girl, much amazed. "no, i'm my own ork. but i'm the only ork you know," replied the tiny creature. "what's happened to you?" asked the sailor, putting his head close to trot's shoulder in order to hear the reply better. pessim also put his head close, and the ork said: [illustration] "you will remember that when i left you i started to fly over the trees, and just as i got to this side of the forest i saw a bush that was loaded down with the most luscious fruit you can imagine. the fruit was about the size of a gooseberry and of a lovely lavender color. so i swooped down and picked off one in my bill and ate it. at once i began to grow small. i could feel myself shrinking, shrinking away, and it frightened me terribly, so that i alighted on the ground to think over what was happening. in a few seconds i had shrunk to the size you now see me; but there i remained, getting no smaller, indeed, but no larger. it is certainly a dreadful affliction! after i had recovered somewhat from the shock i began to search for you. it is not so easy to find one's way when a creature is so small, but fortunately i spied you here in this shed and came to you at once." cap'n bill and trot were much astonished at this story and felt grieved for the poor ork, but the little man pessim seemed to think it a good joke. he began laughing when he heard the story and laughed until he choked, after which he lay down on the ground and rolled and laughed again, while the tears of merriment coursed down his wrinkled cheeks. "oh, dear! oh, dear!" he finally gasped, sitting up and wiping his eyes. "this is too rich! it's almost too joyful to be true." "i don't see anything funny about it," remarked trot indignantly. "you would if you'd had my experience," said pessim, getting upon his feet and gradually resuming his solemn and dissatisfied expression of countenance. "the same thing happened to me." "oh, did it? and how did you happen to come to this island?" asked the girl. "i didn't come; the neighbors brought me," replied the little man, with a frown at the recollection. "they said i was quarrelsome and fault-finding and blamed me because i told them all the things that went wrong, or never were right, and because i told them how things ought to be. so they brought me here and left me all alone, saying that if i quarreled with myself, no one else would be made unhappy. absurd, wasn't it?" "seems to me," said cap'n bill, "those neighbors did the proper thing." "well," resumed pessim, "when i found myself king of this island i was obliged to live upon fruits, and i found many fruits growing here that i had never seen before. i tasted several and found them good and wholesome. but one day i ate a lavender berry--as the ork did--and immediately i grew so small that i was scarcely two inches high. it was a very unpleasant condition and like the ork i became frightened. i could not walk very well nor very far, for every lump of earth in my way seemed a mountain, every blade of grass a tree and every grain of sand a rocky boulder. for several days i stumbled around in an agony of fear. once a tree toad nearly gobbled me up, and if i ran out from the shelter of the bushes the gulls and cormorants swooped down upon me. finally i decided to eat another berry and become nothing at all, since life, to one as small as i was, had become a dreary nightmare. "at last i found a small tree that i thought bore the same fruit as that i had eaten. the berry was dark purple instead of light lavender, but otherwise it was quite similar. being unable to climb the tree, i was obliged to wait underneath it until a sharp breeze arose and shook the limbs so that a berry fell. instantly i seized it and taking a last view of the world--as i then thought--i ate the berry in a twinkling. then, to my surprise, i began to grow big again, until i became of my former stature, and so i have since remained. needless to say, i have never eaten again of the lavender fruit, nor do any of the beasts or birds that live upon this island eat it." they had all three listened eagerly to this amazing tale, and when it was finished the ork exclaimed: "do you think, then, that the deep purple berry is the antidote for the lavender one?" "i'm sure of it," answered pessim. "then lead me to the tree at once!" begged the ork, "for this tiny form i now have terrifies me greatly." pessim examined the ork closely. [illustration] "you are ugly enough as you are," said he. "were you any larger you might be dangerous." "oh, no," trot assured him; "the ork has been our good friend. please take us to the tree." then pessim consented, although rather reluctantly. he led them to the right, which was the east side of the island, and in a few minutes brought them near to the edge of the grove which faced the shore of the ocean. here stood a small tree bearing berries of a deep purple color. the fruit looked very enticing and cap'n bill reached up and selected one that seemed especially plump and ripe. the ork had remained perched upon trot's shoulder but now it flew down to the ground. it was so difficult for cap'n bill to kneel down, with his wooden leg, that the little girl took the berry from him and held it close to the ork's head. "it's too big to go into my mouth," said the little creature, looking at the fruit sidewise. "you'll have to make sev'ral mouthfuls of it, i guess," said trot; and that is what the ork did. he pecked at the soft, ripe fruit with his bill and ate it up very quickly, because it was good. even before he had finished the berry they could see the ork begin to grow. in a few minutes he had regained his natural size and was strutting before them, quite delighted with his transformation. "well, well! what do you think of me now?" he asked proudly. "you are very skinny and remarkably ugly," declared pessim. "you are a poor judge of orks," was the reply. "anyone can see that i'm much handsomer than those dreadful things called birds, which are all fluff and feathers." "their feathers make soft beds," asserted pessim. "and my skin would make excellent drumheads," retorted the ork. "nevertheless, a plucked bird or a skinned ork would be of no value to himself, so we needn't brag of our usefulness after we are dead. but for the sake of argument, friend pessim, i'd like to know what good _you_ would be, were you not alive?" "never mind that," said cap'n bill. "he isn't much good as he is." "i am king of this island, allow me to say, and you're intruding on my property," declared the little man, scowling upon them. "if you don't like me--and i'm sure you don't, for no one else does--why don't you go away and leave me to myself?" "well, the ork can fly, but we can't," explained trot, in answer. "we don't want to stay here a bit, but i don't see how we can get away." "you can go back into the hole you came from." cap'n bill shook his head; trot shuddered at the thought; the ork laughed aloud. "you may be king here," the creature said to pessim, "but we intend to run this island to suit ourselves, for we are three and you are one, and the balance of power lies with us." the little man made no reply to this, although as they walked back to the shed his face wore its fiercest scowl. cap'n bill gathered a lot of leaves and, assisted by trot, prepared two nice beds in opposite corners of the shed. pessim slept in a hammock which he swung between two trees. they required no dishes, as all their food consisted of fruits and nuts picked from the trees; they made no fire, for the weather was warm and there was nothing to cook; the shed had no furniture other than the rude stool which the little man was accustomed to sit upon. he called it his "throne" and they let him keep it. so they lived upon the island for three days, and rested and ate to their hearts' content. still, they were not at all happy in this life because of pessim. he continually found fault with them, and all that they did, and all their surroundings. he could see nothing good or admirable in all the world and trot soon came to understand why the little man's former neighbors had brought him to this island and left him there, all alone, so he could not annoy anyone. it was their misfortune that they had been led to this place by their adventures, for often they would have preferred the company of a wild beast to that of pessim. on the fourth day a happy thought came to the ork. they had all been racking their brains for a possible way to leave the island, and discussing this or that method, without finding a plan that was practical. cap'n bill had said he could make a raft of the trees, big enough to float them all, but he had no tools except those two pocketknives and it was not possible to chop down trees with such small blades. "and s'pose we got afloat on the ocean," said trot, "where would we drift to, and how long would it take us to get there?" cap'n bill was forced to admit he didn't know. the ork could fly away from the island any time it wished to, but the queer creature was loyal to his new friends and refused to leave them in such a lonely, forsaken place. it was when trot urged him to go, on this fourth morning, that the ork had his happy thought. "i will go," said he, "if you two will agree to ride upon my back." "we are too heavy; you might drop us," objected cap'n bill. "yes, you are rather heavy for a long journey," acknowledged the ork, "but you might eat of those lavender berries and become so small that i could carry you with ease." this quaint suggestion startled trot and she looked gravely at the speaker while she considered it, but cap'n bill gave a scornful snort and asked: "what would become of us afterward! we wouldn't be much good if we were some two or three inches high. no, mr. ork, i'd rather stay here, as i am, than be a hop-o'-my-thumb somewhere else." "why couldn't you take some of the dark purple berries along with you, to eat after we had reached our destination?" inquired the ork. "then you could grow big again whenever you pleased." trot clapped her hands with delight. "that's it!" she exclaimed. "let's do it, cap'n bill." the old sailor did not like the idea at first, but he thought it over carefully and the more he thought the better it seemed. "how could you manage to carry us, if we were so small?" he asked. "i could put you in a paper bag, and tie the bag around my neck." "but we haven't a paper bag," objected trot. the ork looked at her. "there's your sunbonnet," it said presently, "which is hollow in the middle and has two strings that you could tie around my neck." [illustration] trot took off her sunbonnet and regarded it critically. yes, it might easily hold both her and cap'n bill, after they had eaten the lavender berries and been reduced in size. she tied the strings around the ork's neck and the sunbonnet made a bag in which two tiny people might ride without danger of falling out. so she said: "i b'lieve we'll do it that way, cap'n." cap'n bill groaned but could make no logical objection except that the plan seemed to him quite dangerous--and dangerous in more ways than one. "i think so, myself," said trot soberly. "but nobody can stay alive without getting into danger sometimes, and danger doesn't mean getting hurt, cap'n; it only means we _might_ get hurt. so i guess we'll have to take the risk." "let's go and find the berries," said the ork. they said nothing to pessim, who was sitting on his stool and scowling dismally as he stared at the ocean, but started at once to seek the trees that bore the magic fruits. the ork remembered very well where the lavender berries grew and led his companions quickly to the spot. cap'n bill gathered two berries and placed them carefully in his pocket. then they went around to the east side of the island and found the tree that bore the dark purple berries. "i guess i'll take four of these," said the sailor-man, "so in case one doesn't make us grow big we can eat another." "better take six," advised the ork. "it's well to be on the safe side, and i'm sure these trees grow nowhere else in all the world." so cap'n bill gathered six of the purple berries and with their precious fruit they returned to the shed to bid good-bye to pessim. perhaps they would not have granted the surly little man this courtesy had they not wished to use him to tie the sunbonnet around the ork's neck. when pessim learned they were about to leave him he at first looked greatly pleased, but he suddenly recollected that nothing ought to please him and so began to grumble about being left alone. "we knew it wouldn't suit you," remarked cap'n bill. "it didn't suit you to have us here, and it won't suit you to have us go away." "that is quite true," admitted pessim. "i haven't been suited since i can remember; so it doesn't matter to me in the least whether you go or stay." he was interested in their experiment, however, and willingly agreed to assist, although he prophesied they would fall out of the sunbonnet on their way and be either drowned in the ocean or crushed upon some rocky shore. this uncheerful prospect did not daunt trot, but it made cap'n bill quite nervous. "i will eat my berry first," said trot, as she placed her sunbonnet on the ground, in such manner that they could get into it. then she ate the lavender berry and in a few seconds became so small that cap'n bill picked her up gently with his thumb and one finger and placed her in the middle of the sunbonnet. then he placed beside her the six purple berries--each one being about as big as the tiny trot's head--and all preparations being now made the old sailor ate his lavender berry and became very small--wooden leg and all! cap'n bill stumbled sadly in trying to climb over the edge of the sunbonnet and pitched in beside trot headfirst, which caused the unhappy pessim to laugh with glee. then the king of the island picked up the sunbonnet--so rudely that he shook its occupants like peas in a pod--and tied it, by means of its strings, securely around the ork's neck. "i hope, trot, you sewed those strings on tight," said cap'n bill anxiously. "why, we are not very heavy, you know," she replied, "so i think the stitches will hold. but be careful and not crush the berries, cap'n." "one is jammed already," he said, looking at them. "all ready?" asked the ork. "yes!" they cried together, and pessim came close to the sunbonnet and called out to them: "you'll be smashed or drowned, i'm sure you will! but farewell, and good riddance to you." the ork was provoked by this unkind speech, so he turned his tail toward the little man and made it revolve so fast that the rush of air tumbled pessim over backward and he rolled several times upon the ground before he could stop himself and sit up. by that time the ork was high in the air and speeding swiftly over the ocean. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the flight of the midgets cap'n bill and trot rode very comfortably in the sunbonnet. the motion was quite steady, for they weighed so little that the ork flew without effort. yet they were both somewhat nervous about their future fate and could not help wishing they were safe on land and their natural size again. "you're terr'ble small, trot," remarked cap'n bill, looking at his companion. "same to you, cap'n," she said with a laugh; "but as long as we have the purple berries we needn't worry about our size." "in a circus," mused the old man, "we'd be curiosities. but in a sunbonnet--high up in the air--sailin' over a big, unknown ocean--they ain't no word in any booktionary to describe us." "why, we're midgets, that's all," said the little girl. the ork flew silently for a long time. the slight swaying of the sunbonnet made cap'n bill drowsy, and he began to doze. trot, however, was wide awake, and after enduring the monotonous journey as long as she was able she called out: "don't you see land anywhere, mr. ork?" "not yet," he answered. "this is a big ocean and i've no idea in which direction the nearest land to that island lies; but if i keep flying in a straight line i'm sure to reach some place some time." that seemed reasonable, so the little people in the sunbonnet remained as patient as possible; that is, cap'n bill dozed and trot tried to remember her geography lessons so she could figure out what land they were likely to arrive at. for hours and hours the ork flew steadily, keeping to the straight line and searching with his eyes the horizon of the ocean for land. cap'n bill was fast asleep and snoring and trot had laid her head on his shoulder to rest it when suddenly the ork exclaimed: "there! i've caught a glimpse of land, at last." at this announcement they roused themselves. cap'n bill stood up and tried to peek over the edge of the sunbonnet. "what does it look like?" he inquired. "looks like another island," said the ork; "but i can judge it better in a minute or two." "i don't care much for islands, since we visited that other one," declared trot. soon the ork made another announcement. "it is surely an island, and a little one, too," said he. "but i won't stop, because i see a much bigger land straight ahead of it." "that's right," approved cap'n bill. "the bigger the land, the better it will suit us." "it's almost a continent," continued the ork after a brief silence, during which he did not decrease the speed of his flight. "i wonder if it can be orkland, the place i have been seeking so long?" "i hope not," whispered trot to cap'n bill--so softly that the ork could not hear her--"for i shouldn't like to be in a country where only orks live. this one ork isn't a bad companion, but a lot of him wouldn't be much fun." after a few more minutes of flying the ork called out in a sad voice: "no! this is not my country. it's a place i have never seen before, although i have wandered far and wide. it seems to be all mountains and deserts and green valleys and queer cities and lakes and rivers--mixed up in a very puzzling way." "most countries are like that," commented cap'n bill. "are you going to land?" "pretty soon," was the reply. "there is a mountain peak just ahead of me. what do you say to our landing on that?" "all right," agreed the sailor-man, for both he and trot were getting tired of riding in the sunbonnet and longed to set foot on solid ground again. so in a few minutes the ork slowed down his speed and then came to a stop so easily that they were scarcely jarred at all. then the creature squatted down until the sunbonnet rested on the ground, and began trying to unfasten with its claws the knotted strings. this proved a very clumsy task, because the strings were tied at the back of the ork's neck, just where his claws would not easily reach. after much fumbling he said: "i'm afraid i can't let you out, and there is no one near to help me." this was at first discouraging, but after a little thought cap'n bill said: "if you don't mind, trot, i can cut a slit in your sunbonnet with my knife." "do," she replied. "the slit won't matter, 'cause i can sew it up again afterward, when i am big." so cap'n bill got out his knife, which was just as small, in proportion, as he was, and after considerable trouble managed to cut a long slit in the sunbonnet. first he squeezed through the opening himself and then helped trot to get out. [illustration] when they stood on firm ground again their first act was to begin eating the dark purple berries which they had brought with them. two of these trot had guarded carefully during the long journey, by holding them in her lap, for their safety meant much to the tiny people. "i'm not very hungry," said the little girl as she handed a berry to cap'n bill, "but hunger doesn't count, in this case. it's like taking medicine to make you well, so we must manage to eat 'em, somehow or other." but the berries proved quite pleasant to taste and as cap'n bill and trot nibbled at their edges their forms began to grow in size--slowly but steadily. the bigger they grew the easier it was for them to eat the berries, which of course became smaller to them, and by the time the fruit was eaten our friends had regained their natural size. the little girl was greatly relieved when she found herself as large as she had ever been, and cap'n bill shared her satisfaction; for, although they had seen the effect of the berries on the ork, they had not been sure the magic fruit would have the same effect on human beings, or that the magic would work in any other country than that in which the berries grew. "what shall we do with the other four berries?" asked trot, as she picked up her sunbonnet, marveling that she had ever been small enough to ride in it. "they're no good to us now, are they, cap'n?" "i'm not sure as to that," he replied. "if they were eaten by one who had never eaten the lavender berries, they might have no effect at all; but then, contrarywise, they might. one of 'em has got badly jammed, so i'll throw it away, but the other three i b'lieve i'll carry with me. they're magic things, you know, and may come handy to us some time." he now searched in his big pockets and drew out a small wooden box with a sliding cover. the sailor had kept an assortment of nails, of various sizes, in this box, but those he now dumped loosely into his pocket and in the box placed the three sound purple berries. when this important matter was attended to they found time to look about them and see what sort of place the ork had landed them in. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the bumpy man the mountain on which they had alighted was not a barren waste, but had on its sides patches of green grass, some bushes, a few slender trees and here and there masses of tumbled rocks. the sides of the slope seemed rather steep, but with care one could climb up or down them with ease and safety. the view from where they now stood showed pleasant valleys and fertile hills lying below the heights. trot thought she saw some houses of queer shapes scattered about the lower landscape, and there were moving dots that might be people or animals, yet were too far away for her to see them clearly. not far from the place where they stood was the top of the mountain, which seemed to be flat, so the ork proposed to his companions that he would fly up and see what was there. "that's a good idea," said trot, "'cause it's getting toward evening and we'll have to find a place to sleep." the ork had not been gone more than a few minutes when they saw him appear on the edge of the top which was nearest them. "come on up!" he called. so trot and cap'n bill began to ascend the steep slope and it did not take them long to reach the place where the ork awaited them. their first view of the mountain-top pleased them very much. it was a level space of wider extent than they had guessed and upon it grew grass of a brilliant green color. in the very center stood a house built of stone and very neatly constructed. no one was in sight, but smoke was coming from the chimney, so with one accord all three began walking toward the house. "i wonder," said trot, "in what country we are, and if it's very far from my home in california." "can't say as to that, partner," answered cap'n bill, "but i'm mighty certain we've come a long way since we struck that whirlpool." "yes," she agreed, with a sigh, "it must be miles and miles!" "distance means nothing," said the ork. "i have flown pretty much all over the world, trying to find my home, and it is astonishing how many little countries there are, hidden away in the cracks and corners of this big globe of earth. if one travels, he may find some new country at every turn, and a good many of them have never yet been put upon the maps." "p'raps this is one of them," suggested trot. they reached the house after a brisk walk and cap'n bill knocked upon the door. it was at once opened by a rugged looking man who had "bumps all over him," as trot afterward declared. there were bumps on his head, bumps on his body and bumps on his arms and legs and hands. even his fingers had bumps on the ends of them. for dress he wore an old gray suit of fantastic design, which fitted him very badly because of the bumps it covered but could not conceal. but the bumpy man's eyes were kind and twinkling in expression and as soon as he saw his visitors he bowed low and said in a rather bumpy voice: "happy day! come in and shut the door, for it grows cool when the sun goes down. winter is now upon us." "why, it isn't cold a bit, outside," said trot, "so it can't be winter yet." "you will change your mind about that in a little while," declared the bumpy man. "my bumps always tell me the state of the weather, and they feel just now as if a snowstorm was coming this way. but make yourselves at home, strangers. supper is nearly ready and there is food enough for all." inside the house there was but one large room, simply but comfortably furnished. it had benches, a table and a fireplace, all made of stone. on the hearth a pot was bubbling and steaming, and trot thought it had a rather nice smell. the visitors seated themselves upon the benches--except the ork, which squatted by the fireplace--and the bumpy man began stirring the kettle briskly. "may i ask what country this is, sir?' inquired cap'n bill. "goodness me--fruit-cake and apple-sauce!--don't you know where you are?' asked the bumpy man, as he stopped stirring and looked at the speaker in surprise. "no," admitted cap'n bill. "we've just arrived." "lost your way?" questioned the bumpy man. "not exactly," said cap'n bill. "we didn't have any way to lose." "ah!" said the bumpy man, nodding his bumpy head. "this," he announced, in a solemn, impressive voice, "is the famous land of mo." "oh!" exclaimed the sailor and the girl, both in one breath. but, never having heard of the land of mo, they were no wiser than before. "i thought that would startle you," remarked the bumpy man, well pleased, as he resumed his stirring. the ork watched him a while in silence and then asked: "who may _you_ be?" "me?" answered the bumpy man. "haven't you heard of me? gingerbread and lemon-juice! i'm known, far and wide, as the mountain ear." they all received this information in silence at first, for they were trying to think what he could mean. finally trot mustered up courage to ask: "what is a mountain ear, please?" for answer the man turned around and faced them, waving the spoon with which he had been stirring the kettle, as he recited the following verses in a singsong tone of voice: "here's a mountain, hard of hearing, that's sad-hearted and needs cheering, so my duty is to listen to all sounds that nature makes, so the hill won't get uneasy-- get to coughing, or get sneezy-- for this monster bump, when frightened, is quite liable to quakes. "_you_ can hear a bell that's ringing; _i_ can feel some people's singing; but a mountain isn't sensible of what goes on, and so when i hear a blizzard blowing or it's raining hard, or snowing, i tell it to the mountain and the mountain seems to know. "thus i benefit all people while i'm living on this steeple, for i keep the mountain steady so my neighbors all may thrive. with my list'ning and my shouting i prevent this mount from spouting, and that makes me so important that i'm glad that i'm alive." when he had finished these lines of verse the bumpy man turned again to resume his stirring. the ork laughed softly and cap'n bill whistled to himself and trot made up her mind that the mountain ear must be a little crazy. but the bumpy man seemed satisfied that he had explained his position fully and presently he placed four stone plates upon the table and then lifted the kettle from the fire and poured some of its contents on each of the plates. cap'n bill and trot at once approached the table, for they were hungry, but when she examined her plate the little girl exclaimed: "why, it's molasses candy!" "to be sure," returned the bumpy man, with a pleasant smile. "eat it quick, while it's hot, for it cools very quickly this winter weather." with this he seized a stone spoon and began putting the hot molasses candy into his mouth, while the others watched him in astonishment. "doesn't it burn you?" asked the girl. "no indeed," said he. "why don't you eat? aren't you hungry?" "yes," she replied, "i am hungry. but we usually eat our candy when it is cold and hard. we always pull molasses candy before we eat it." "ha, ha, ha!" laughed the mountain ear. "what a funny idea! where in the world did you come from?" "california," she said. "california! pooh! there isn't any such place. i've heard of every place in the land of mo, but i never before heard of california." [illustration] "it isn't in the land of mo," she explained. "then it isn't worth talking about," declared the bumpy man, helping himself again from the steaming kettle, for he had been eating all the time he talked. "for my part," sighed cap'n bill, "i'd like a decent square meal, once more, just by way of variety. in the last place there was nothing but fruit to eat, and here it's worse, for there's nothing but candy." "molasses candy isn't so bad," said trot. "mine's nearly cool enough to pull, already. wait a bit, cap'n, and you can eat it." a little later she was able to gather the candy from the stone plate and begin to work it back and forth with her hands. the mountain ear was greatly amazed at this and watched her closely. it was really good candy and pulled beautifully, so that trot was soon ready to cut it into chunks for eating. cap'n bill condescended to eat one or two pieces and the ork ate several, but the bumpy man refused to try it. trot finished the plate of candy herself and then asked for a drink of water. "water?" said the mountain ear wonderingly. "what is that?" "something to drink. don't you have water in mo?" "none that ever i heard of," said he. "but i can give you some fresh lemonade. i caught it in a 'jar the last time it rained, which was only day before yesterday." "oh, does it rain lemonade here?" she inquired. "always; and it is very refreshing and healthful." [illustration ] with this he brought from a cupboard a stone jar and a dipper, and the girl found it very nice lemonade, indeed. cap'n bill liked it, too; but the ork would not touch it. "if there is no water in this country, i cannot stay here for long," the creature declared. "water means life to man and beast and bird." "there must be water in lemonade," said trot. "yes," answered the ork, "i suppose so; but there are other things in it, too, and they spoil the good water." the day's adventures had made our wanderers tired, so the bumpy man brought them some blankets in which they rolled themselves and then lay down before the fire, which their host kept alive with fuel all through the night. trot wakened several times and found the mountain ear always alert and listening intently for the slightest sound. but the little girl could hear no sound at all except the snores of cap'n bill. [illustration] chapter button-bright is lost and found again "wake up--wake up!" called the voice of the bumpy man. "didn't i tell you winter was coming? i could hear it coming with my left ear, and the proof is that it is now snowing hard outside." "is it?" said trot, rubbing her eyes and creeping out of her blanket. "where i live, in california, i have never seen snow, except far away on the tops of high mountains." "well, this is the top of a high mountain," returned the bumpy one, "and for that reason we get our heaviest snowfalls right here." the little girl went to the window and looked out. the air was filled with falling white flakes, so large in size and so queer in form that she was puzzled. "are you certain this is snow?" she asked. "to be sure. i must get my snow-shovel and turn out to shovel a path. would you like to come with me?" "yes," she said, and followed the bumpy man out when he opened the door. then she exclaimed: "why, it isn't cold a bit!" "of course not," replied the man. "it was cold last night, before the snowstorm; but snow, when it falls, is always crisp and warm." trot gathered a handful of it. "why, it's popcorn? she cried. "certainly; all snow is popcorn. what did you expect it to be?" "popcorn is not snow in my country." "well, it is the only snow we have in the land of mo, so you may as well make the best of it," said he, a little impatiently. "i'm not responsible for the absurd things that happen in your country, and when you're in mo you must do as the momen do. eat some of our snow, and you will find it is good. the only fault i find with our snow is that we get too much of it at times." with this the bumpy man set to work shoveling a path and he was so quick and industrious that he piled up the popcorn in great banks on either side of the trail that led to the mountain-top from the plains below. while he worked, trot ate popcorn and found it crisp and slightly warm, as well as nicely salted and buttered. presently cap'n bill came out of the house and joined her. "what's this?" he asked. "mo snow," said she. "but it isn't real snow, although it falls from the sky. it's popcorn." cap'n bill tasted it; then he sat down in the path and began to eat. the ork came out and pecked away with its bill as fast as it could. they all liked popcorn and they all were hungry this morning. meantime the flakes of "mo snow" came down so fast that the number of them almost darkened the air. the bumpy man was now shoveling quite a distance down the mountain-side, while the path behind him rapidly filled up with fresh-fallen popcorn. suddenly trot heard him call out: "goodness gracious--mince pie and pancakes!--here is some one buried in the snow." she ran toward him at once and the others followed, wading through the corn and crunching it underneath their feet. the mo snow was pretty deep where the bumpy man was shoveling and from beneath a great bank of it he had uncovered a pair of feet. "dear me! someone has been lost in the storm," said cap'n bill. "i hope he is still alive. let's pull him out and see." he took hold of one foot and the bumpy man took hold of the other. then they both pulled and out from the heap of popcorn came a little boy. he was dressed in a brown velvet jacket and knickerbockers, with brown stockings, buckled shoes and a blue shirt-waist that had frills down its front. when drawn from the heap the boy was chewing a mouthful of popcorn and both his hands were full of it. so at first he couldn't speak to his rescuers but lay quite still and eyed them calmly until he had swallowed his mouthful. then he said: "get my cap," and stuffed more popcorn into his mouth. while the bumpy man began shoveling into the corn-bank to find the boy's cap, trot was laughing joyfully and cap'n bill had a broad grin on his face. the ork looked from one to another and asked: "who is this stranger?" "why, it's button-bright, of course," answered trot. "if anyone ever finds a lost boy, he can make up his mind it's button-bright. but how he ever came to be lost in this far-away country is more'n i can make out." "where does he belong?" inquired the ork. [illustration] "his home used to be in philadelphia, i think; but i'm quite sure button-bright doesn't belong anywhere." "that's right," said the boy, nodding his head as he swallowed the second mouthful. "everyone belongs somewhere," remarked the ork. "not me," insisted button-bright. "i'm half-way 'round the world from philadelphia, and i've lost my magic umbrella, that used to carry me anywhere. stands to reason that if i can't get back i haven't any home. but i don't care much. this is a pretty good country, trot. i've had lots of fun here." by this time the mountain ear had secured the boy's cap and was listening to the conversation with much interest. "it seems you know this poor, snow-covered castaway," he said. "yes, indeed," answered trot. "we made a journey together to sky island, once, and were good friends." "well, then i'm glad i saved his life," said the bumpy man. "much obliged, mr. knobs," said button-bright, sitting up and staring at him, "but i don't believe you've saved anything except some popcorn that i might have eaten had you not disturbed me. it was nice and warm in that bank of popcorn, and there was plenty to eat. what made you dig me out? and what makes you so bumpy everywhere?" "as for the bumps," replied the man, looking at himself with much pride, "i was born with them and i suspect they were a gift from the fairies. they make me look rugged and big, like the mountain i serve." "all right," said button-bright and began eating popcorn again. it had stopped snowing, now, and great flocks of birds were gathering around the mountain-side, eating the popcorn with much eagerness and scarcely noticing the people at all. there were birds of every size and color, most of them having gorgeous feathers and plumes. "just look at them!" exclaimed the ork scornfully. "aren't they dreadful creatures, all covered with feathers?" "i think they're beautiful," said trot, and this made the ork so indignant that he went back into the house and sulked. button-bright reached out his hand and caught a big bird by the leg. at once it rose into the air and it was so strong that it nearly carried the little boy with it. he let go the leg in a hurry and the bird flew down again and began to eat of the popcorn, not being frightened in the least. this gave cap'n bill an idea. he felt in his pocket and drew out several pieces of stout string. moving very quietly, so as to not alarm the birds, he crept up to several of the biggest ones and tied cords around their legs, thus making them prisoners. the birds were so intent on their eating that they did not notice what had happened to them, and when about twenty had been captured in this manner cap'n bill tied the ends of all the strings together and fastened them to a huge stone, so they could not escape. the bumpy man watched the old sailor's actions with much curiosity. "the birds will be quiet until they've eaten up all the snow," he said, "but then they will want to fly away to their homes. tell me, sir, what will the poor things do when they find they can't fly?" "it may worry 'em a little," replied cap'n bill, "but they're not going to be hurt if they take it easy and behave themselves." our friends had all made a good breakfast of the delicious popcorn and now they walked toward the house again. button-bright walked beside trot and held her hand in his, because they were old friends and he liked the little girl very much. the boy was not so old as trot, and small as she was he was half a head shorter in height. the most remarkable thing about button-bright was that he was always quiet and composed, whatever happened, and nothing was ever able to astonish him. trot liked him because he was not rude and never tried to plague her. cap'n bill liked him because he had found the boy cheerful and brave at all times, and willing to do anything he was asked to do. when they came to the house trot sniffed the air and asked: "don't i smell perfume?'" [illustration] "i think you do," said the bumpy man. "you smell violets, and that proves there is a breeze springing up from the south. all our winds and breezes are perfumed and for that reason we are glad to have them blow in our direction. the south breeze always has a violet odor; the north breeze has the fragrance of wild roses; the east breeze is perfumed with lilies-of-the-valley and the west wind with lilac blossoms. so we need no weather-vane to tell us which way the wind is blowing. we have only to smell the perfume and it informs us at once." inside the house they found the ork, and button-bright regarded the strange, bird-like creature with curious interest. after examining it closely for a time he asked: "which way does your tail whirl?" "either way," said the ork. button-bright put out his hand and tried to spin it. "don't do that!" exclaimed the ork. "why not?' inquired the boy. "because it happens to be my tail, and i reserve the right to whirl it myself," explained the ork. "let's go out and fly somewhere," proposed button-bright. "i want to see how the tail works." "not now," said the ork. "i appreciate your interest in me, which i fully deserve; but i only fly when i am going somewhere, and if i got started i might not stop." "that reminds me," remarked cap'n bill, "to ask you, friend ork, how we are going to get away from here?" "get away!" exclaimed the bumpy man. "why don't you stay here? you won't find any nicer place than mo." "have you been anywhere else, sir?" "no; i can't say that i have," admitted the mountain ear. "then permit me to say you're no judge," declared cap'n bill. "but you haven't answered my question, friend ork. how are we to get away from this mountain?" the ork reflected a while before he answered. "i might carry one of you--the boy or the girl--upon my back," said he, "but three big people are more than i can manage, although i have carried two of you for a short distance. you ought not to have eaten those purple berries so soon." "p'r'aps we did make a mistake," cap'n bill acknowledged. "or we might have brought some of those lavender berries with us, instead of so many purple ones," suggested trot regretfully. cap'n bill made no reply to this statement, which showed he did not fully agree with the little girl; but he fell into deep thought, with wrinkled brows, and finally he said: "if those purple berries would make anything grow bigger, whether it'd eaten the lavender ones or not, i could find a way out of our troubles." they did not understand this speech and looked at the old sailor as if expecting him to explain what he meant. but just then a chorus of shrill cries rose from outside. "here! let me go--let me go!" the voices seemed to say. "why are we insulted in this way? mountain ear, come and help us!" trot ran to the window and looked out. "it's the birds you caught, cap'n," she said. "i didn't know they could talk." "oh, yes; all the birds in mo are educated to talk," said the bumpy man. then he looked at cap'n bill uneasily and added: "won't you let the poor things go?" "i'll see," replied the sailor, and walked out to where the birds were fluttering and complaining because the strings would not allow them to fly away. "listen to me!" he cried, and at once they became still. "we three people who are strangers in your land want to go to some other country, and we want three of you birds to carry us there. we know we are asking a great favor, but it's the only way we can think of--excep' walkin', an' i'm not much good at that because i've a wooden leg. besides, trot an' button-bright are too small to undertake a long and tiresome journey. now, tell me: which three of you birds will consent to carry us?" [illustration] the birds looked at one another as if greatly astonished. then one of them replied: "you must be crazy, old man. not one of us is big enough to fly with even the smallest of your party." "i'll fix the matter of size," promised cap'n bill. "if three of you will agree to carry us, i'll make you big an' strong enough to do it, so it won't worry you a bit." the birds considered this gravely. living in a magic country, they had no doubt but that the strange one-legged man could do what he said. after a little, one of them asked: "if you make us big, would we stay big always?" "i think so," replied cap'n bill. they chattered a while among themselves and then the bird that had first spoken said: "til go, for one." "so will i," said another; and after a pause a third said: "i'll go, too." perhaps more would have volunteered, for it seemed that for some reason they all longed to be bigger than they were; but three were enough for cap'n bill's purpose and so he promptly released all the others, who immediately flew away. the three that remained were cousins, and all were of the same brilliant plumage and in size about as large as eagles. when trot questioned them she found they were quite young, having only abandoned their nests a few weeks before. they were strong young birds, with clear, brave eyes, and the little girl decided they were the most beautiful of all the feathered creatures she had ever seen. [illustration] cap'n bill now took from his pocket the wooden box with the sliding cover and removed the three purple berries, which were still in good condition. "eat these," he said, and gave one to each of the birds. they obeyed, finding the fruit very pleasant to taste. in a few seconds they began to grow in size and grew so fast that trot feared they would never stop. but they finally did stop growing, and then they were much larger than the ork, and nearly the size of full-grown ostriches. cap'n bill was much pleased by this result. "you can carry us now, all right," said he. the birds strutted around with pride, highly pleased with their immense size. "i don't see, though," said trot doubtfully, "how we're going to ride on their backs without falling off." "we're not going to ride on their backs," answered cap'n bill. "i'm going to make swings for us to ride in." he then asked the bumpy man for some rope, but the man had no rope. he had, however, an old suit of gray clothes which he gladly presented to cap'n bill, who cut the cloth into strips and twisted it so that it was almost as strong as rope. with this material he attached to each bird a swing that dangled below its feet, and button-bright made a trial flight in one of them to prove that it was safe and comfortable. when all this had been arranged one of the birds asked: "where do you wish us to take you?" "why, just follow the ork," said cap'n bill. "he will be our leader, and wherever the ork flies you are to fly, and wherever the ork lands you are to land. is that satisfactory?" [illustration] the birds declared it was quite satisfactory, so cap'n bill took counsel with the ork. "on our way here," said that peculiar creature, "i noticed a broad, sandy desert at the left of me, on which was no living thing." "then we'd better keep away from it," replied the sailor. "not so," insisted the ork. "i have found, on my travels, that the most pleasant countries often lie in the midst of deserts; so i think it would be wise for us to fly over this desert and discover what lies beyond it. for in the direction we came from lies the ocean, as we well know, and beyond here is this strange land of mo, which we do not care to explore. on one side, as we can see from this mountain, is a broad expanse of plain, and on the other the desert. for my part, i vote for the desert." "what do you say, trot?" inquired cap'n bill. "it's all the same to me," she replied. no one thought of asking button-bright's opinion, so it was decided to fly over the desert. they bade good-bye to the bumpy man and thanked him for his kindness and hospitality. then they seated themselves in the swings--one for each bird--and told the ork to start away and they would follow. the whirl of the ork's tail astonished the birds at first, but after he had gone a short distance they rose in the air, carrying their passengers easily, and flew with strong, regular strokes of their great wings in the wake of their leader. [illustration] chapter the kingdom of jinxland trot rode with more comfort than she had expected, although the swing swayed so much that she had to hold on tight with both hands. cap'n bill's bird followed the ork, and trot came next, with button-bright trailing behind her. it was quite an imposing procession, but unfortunately there was no one to see it, for the ork had headed straight for the great sandy desert and in a few minutes after starting they were flying high over the broad waste, where no living thing could exist. the little girl thought this would be a bad place for the birds to lose strength, or for the cloth ropes to give way; but although she could not help feeling a trifle nervous and fidgety she had confidence in the huge and brilliantly plumaged bird that bore her, as well as in cap'n bill's knowledge of how to twist and fasten a rope so it would hold. that was a remarkably big desert. there was nothing to relieve the monotony of view and every minute seemed an hour and every hour a day. disagreeable fumes and gases rose from the sands, which would have been deadly to the travelers had they not been so high in the air. as it was, trot was beginning to feel sick, when a breath of fresher air filled her nostrils and on looking ahead she saw a great cloud of pink-tinted mist. even while she wondered what it could be, the ork plunged boldly into the mist and the other birds followed. she could see nothing for a time, nor could the bird which carried her see where the ork had gone, but it kept flying as sturdily as ever and in a few moments the mist was passed and the girl saw a most beautiful landscape spread out below her, extending as far as her eye could reach. she saw bits of forest, verdure clothed hills, fields of waving grain, fountains, rivers and lakes; and throughout the scene were scattered groups of pretty houses and a few grand castles and palaces. over all this delightful landscape--which from trot's high perch seemed like a magnificent painted picture--was a rosy glow such as we sometimes see in the west at sunset. in this case, however, it was not in the west only, but everywhere. no wonder the ork paused to circle slowly over this lovely country. the other birds followed his action, all eyeing the place with equal delight. then, as with one accord, the four formed a group and slowly sailed downward. this brought them to that part of the newly-discovered land which bordered on the desert's edge; but it was just as pretty here as anywhere, so the ork and the birds alighted and the three passengers at once got out of their swings. "oh, cap'n bill, isn't this fine an' dandy?" exclaimed trot rapturously. "how lucky we were to discover this beautiful country!" "the country seems rather high class, i'll admit, trot," replied the old sailor-man, looking around him, "but we don't know, as yet, what its people are like." "no one could live in such a country without being happy and good--i'm sure of that," she said earnestly. "don't you think so, button-bright?" "i'm not thinking, just now," answered the little boy. "it tires me to think, and i never seem to gain anything by it. when we see the people who live here we will know what they are like, and no 'mount of thinking will make them any different." "that's true enough," said the ork. "but now i want to make a proposal. while you are getting acquainted with this new country, which looks as if it contains everything to make one happy, i would like to fly along--all by myself--and see if i can find my home on the other side of the great desert. if i do, i will stay there, of course. but if i fail to find orkland i will return to you in a week, to see if i can do anything more to assist you." they were sorry to lose their queer companion, but could offer no objection to the plan; so the ork bade them good-bye and rising swiftly in the air, he flew over the country and was soon lost to view in the distance. the three birds which had carried our friends now begged permission to return by the way they had come, to their own homes, saying they were anxious to show their families how big they had become. so cap'n bill and trot and button-bright all thanked them gratefully for their assistance and soon the birds began their long flight toward the land of mo. being now left to themselves in this strange land, the three comrades selected a pretty pathway and began walking along it. they believed this path would lead them to a splendid castle which they espied in the distance, the turrets of which towered far above the tops of the trees which surrounded it. it did not seem very far away, so they sauntered on slowly, admiring the beautiful ferns and flowers that lined the pathway and listening to the singing of the birds and the soft chirping of the grasshoppers. [illustration] presently the path wound over a little hill. in a valley that lay beyond the hill was a tiny cottage surrounded by flower beds and fruit trees. on the shady porch of the cottage they saw, as they approached, a pleasant faced woman sitting amidst a group of children, to whom she was telling stories. the children quickly discovered the strangers and ran toward them with exclamations of astonishment, so that trot and her friends became the center of a curious group, all chattering excitedly. cap'n bill's wooden leg seemed to arouse the wonder of the children, as they could not understand why he had not two meat legs. this attention seemed to please the old sailor, who patted the heads of the children kindly and then, raising his hat to the woman, he inquired: "can you tell us, madam, just what country this is?" she stared hard at all three of the strangers as she replied briefly: "jinxland." "oh!" exclaimed cap'n bill, with a puzzled look. "and where is jinxland, please?" "in the quadling country," said she. "what!" cried trot, in sudden excitement. "do you mean to say this is the quadling country of the land of oz?" "to be sure i do," the woman answered. "every bit of land that is surrounded by the great desert is the land of oz, as you ought to know as well as i do; but i'm sorry to say that jinxland is separated from the rest of the quadling country by that row of high mountains you see yonder, which have such steep sides that no one can cross them. so we live here all by ourselves, and are ruled by our own king, instead of by ozma of oz." "i've been to the land of oz before," said button-bright, "but i've never been here." "did you ever hear of jinxland before?' asked trot. "no," said button-bright. "it is on the map of oz, though," asserted the woman, "and it's a fine country, i assure you. if only," she added, and then paused to look around her with a frightened expression. "if only--" here she stopped again, as if not daring to go on with her speech. "if only what, ma'am?" asked cap'n bill. the woman sent the children into the house. then she came closer to the strangers and whispered: "if only we had a different king, we would be very happy and contented." "what's the matter with your king?" asked trot, curiously. but the woman seemed frightened to have said so much. she retreated to her porch, merely saying: "the king punishes severely any treason on the part of his subjects." "what's treason?" asked button-bright. "in this case," replied cap'n bill, "treason seems to consist of knockin' the king; but i guess we know his disposition now as well as if the lady had said more." "i wonder," said trot, going up to the woman, "if you could spare us something to eat. we haven't had anything but popcorn and lemonade for a long time." "bless your heart! of course i can spare you some food," the woman answered, and entering her cottage she soon returned with a tray loaded with sandwiches, cakes and cheese. one of the children drew a bucket of clear, cold water from a spring and the three wanderers ate heartily and enjoyed the good things immensely. when button-bright could eat no more he filled the pockets of his jacket with cakes and cheese, and not even the children objected to this. indeed they all seemed pleased to see the strangers eat, so cap'n bill decided that no matter what the king of jinxland was like, the people would prove friendly and hospitable. [illustration] "whose castle is that, yonder, ma'am?" he asked, waving his hand toward the towers that rose above the trees. "it belongs to his majesty, king krewl," she said. "oh, indeed; and does he live there?" "when he is not out hunting with his fierce courtiers and war captains," she replied. "is he hunting now?" trot inquired. "i do not know, my dear. the less we know about the king's actions the safer we are." it was evident the woman did not like to talk about king krewl and so, having finished their meal, they said good-bye and continued along the pathway. "don't you think we'd better keep away from that king's castle, cap'n?" asked trot. "well," said he, "king krewl would find out, sooner or later, that we are in his country, so we may as well face the music now. perhaps he isn't quite so bad as that woman thinks he is. kings aren't always popular with their people, you know, even if they do the best they know how." "ozma is pop'lar," said button-bright. "ozma is diff'rent from any other ruler, from all i've heard," remarked trot musingly, as she walked beside the boy. "and, after all, we are really in the land of oz, where ozma rules ev'ry king and ev'rybody else. i never heard of anybody getting hurt in her dominions, did you, button-bright?" "not when she knows about it," he replied. "but those birds landed us in just the wrong place, seems to me. they might have carried us right on, over that row of mountains, to the em'rald city." "true enough," said cap'n bill; "but they didn't, an' so we must make the best of jinxland. let's try not to be afraid." "oh, i'm not very scared," said button-bright, pausing to look at a pink rabbit that popped its head out of a hole in the field near by. "nor am i," added trot. "really, cap'n, i'm so glad to be anywhere at all in the wonderful fairyland of oz that i think i'm the luckiest girl in all the world. dorothy lives in the em'rald city, you know, and so does the scarecrow and the tin woodman and tik-tok and the shaggy man--and all the rest of 'em that we've heard so much about not to mention ozma, who must be the sweetest and loveliest girl in all the world!" "take your time, trot," advised button-bright. "you don't have to say it all in one breath, you know. and you haven't mentioned half of the curious people in the em'rald city." "that 'ere em'rald city," said cap'n bill impressively, "happens to be on the other side o' those mountains, that we're told no one is able to cross. i don't want to discourage of you, trot, but we're a'most as much separated from your ozma an' dorothy as we were when we lived in californy." there was so much truth in this statement that they all walked on in silence for some time. finally they reached the grove of stately trees that bordered the grounds of the king's castle. they had gone half-way through it when the sound of sobbing, as of someone in bitter distress, reached their ears and caused them to halt abruptly. [illustration] [illustration] chapter pon, the gardener's boy it was button-bright who first discovered, lying on his face beneath a broad spreading tree near the pathway, a young man whose body shook with the force of his sobs. he was dressed in a long brown smock and had sandals on his feet, betokening one in humble life. his head was bare and showed a shock of brown, curly hair. button-bright looked down on the young man and said: "who cares, anyhow?" "i do!" cried the young man, interrupting his sobs to roll over, face upward, that he might see who had spoken. "i care, for my heart is broken!" "can't you get another one?" asked the little boy. "i don't want another!" wailed the young man. by this time trot and cap'n bill arrived at the spot and the girl leaned over and said in a sympathetic voice: "tell us your troubles and perhaps we may help you." the youth sat up, then, and bowed politely. afterward he got upon his feet, but still kept wringing his hands as he tried to choke down his sobs. trot thought he was very brave to control such awful agony so well. "my name is pon," he began. "i'm the gardener's boy." "then the gardener of the king is your father, i suppose," said trot. "not my father, but my master," was the reply. "i do the work and the gardener gives the orders. and it was not my fault, in the least, that the princess gloria fell in love with me." "did she, really?" asked the little girl. "i don't see why," remarked button-bright, staring at the youth. "and who may the princess gloria be?" inquired cap'n bill. "she is the niece of king krewl, who is her guardian. the princess lives in the castle and is the loveliest and sweetest maiden in all jinxland. she is fond of flowers and used to walk in the gardens with her attendants. at such times, if i was working at my tasks, i used to cast down my eyes as gloria passed me; but one day i glanced up and found her gazing at me with a very tender look in her eyes. the next day she dismissed her attendants and, coming to my side, began to talk with me. she said i had touched her heart as no other young man had ever done. i kissed her hand. just then the king came around a bend in the walk. he struck me with his fist and kicked me with his foot. then he seized the arm of the princess and rudely dragged her into the castle." "wasn't he awful!" gasped trot indignantly. "he is a very abrupt king," said pon, "so it was the least i could expect. up to that time i had not thought of loving princess gloria, but realizing it would be impolite not to return her love, i did so. we met at evening, now and then, and she told me the king wanted her to marry a rich courtier named googly-goo, who is old enough to be gloria's father. she has refused googly-goo thirty-nine times, but he still persists and has brought many rich presents to bribe the king. on that account king krewl has commanded his niece to marry the old man, but the princess has assured me, time and again, that she will wed only me. this morning we happened to meet in the grape arbor and as i was respectfully saluting the cheek of the princess, two of the king's guards seized me and beat me terribly before the very eyes of gloria, whom the king himself held back so she could not interfere." [illustration] "why, this king must be a monster!" cried trot. "he is far worse than that," said pon, mournfully. "but, see here," interrupted cap'n bill, who had listened carefully to pon. "this king may not be so much to blame, after all. kings are proud folks, because they're so high an' mighty, an' it isn't reasonable for a royal princess to marry a common gardener's boy." "it isn't right," declared button-bright. "a princess should marry a prince." "i'm not a common gardener's boy," protested pon. "if i had my rights i would be the king instead of krewl. as it is, i'm a prince, and as royal as any man in jinxland." "how does that come?" asked cap'n bill. "my father used to be the king and krewl was his prime minister. but one day while out hunting, king phearse--that was my father's name--had a quarrel with krewl and tapped him gently on the nose with the knuckles of his closed hand. this so provoked the wicked krewl that he tripped my father backward, so that he fell into a deep pond. at once krewl threw in a mass of heavy stones, which so weighted down my poor father that his body could not rise again to the surface. it is impossible to kill anyone in this land, as perhaps you know, but when my father was pressed down into the mud at the bottom of the deep pool and the stones held him so he could never escape, he was of no more use to himself or the world than if he had died. knowing this, krewl proclaimed himself king, taking possession of the royal castle and driving all my father's people out. i was a small boy, then, but when i grew up i became a gardener. i have served king krewl without his knowing that i am the son of the same king phearse whom he so cruelly made away with." "my, but that's a terr'bly exciting story!" said trot, drawing a long breath. "but tell us, pon, who was gloria's father?" "oh, he was the king before my father," replied pon. "father was prime minister for king kynd, who was gloria's father. she was only a baby when king kynd fell into the great gulf that lies just this side of the mountains--the same mountains that separate jinxland from the rest of the land of oz. it is said the great gulf has no bottom; but, however that may be, king kynd has never been seen again and my father became king in his place." "seems to me," said trot, "that if gloria had her rights she would be queen of jinxland." "well, her father was a king," admitted pon, "and so was my father; so we are of equal rank, although she's a great lady and i'm a humble gardener's boy. i can't see why we should not marry if we want to--except that king krewl won't let us." "it's a sort of mixed-up mess, taken altogether," remarked cap'n bill. "but we are on our way to visit king krewl, and if we get a chance, young man, we'll put in a good word for you." "do, please!" begged pon. "was it the flogging you got that broke your heart?' inquired button-bright. "why, it helped to break it, of course," said pon. "i'd get it fixed up, if i were you," advised the boy, tossing a pebble at a chipmunk in a tree. "you ought to give gloria just as good a heart as she gives you." "that's common sense," agreed cap'n bill. so they left the gardener's boy standing beside the path, and resumed their journey toward the castle. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the wicked king and googly-goo when our friends approached the great doorway of the castle they found it guarded by several soldiers dressed in splendid uniforms. they were armed with swords and lances. cap'n bill walked straight up to them and asked: "does the king happen to be at home?" "his magnificent and glorious majesty, king krewl, is at present inhabiting his royal castle," was the stiff reply. "then i guess we'll go in an' say how-d'ye-do," continued cap'n bill, attempting to enter the doorway. but a soldier barred his way with a lance. "who are you, what are your names, and where do you come from? demanded the soldier. "you wouldn't know if we told you," returned the sailor, "seein' as we're strangers in a strange land." "oh, if you are strangers you will be permitted to enter," said the soldier, lowering his lance. "his majesty is very fond of strangers." "do many strangers come here?" asked trot. "you are the first that ever came to our country," said the man. "but his majesty has often said that if strangers ever arrived in jinxland he would see that they had a very exciting time." cap'n bill scratched his chin thoughtfully. he wasn't very favorably impressed by this last remark. but he decided that as there was no way of escape from jinxland it would be wise to confront--the king boldly and try to win his favor. so they entered the castle, escorted by one of the soldiers. it was certainly a fine castle, with many large rooms, all beautifully furnished. the passages were winding and handsomely decorated, and after following several of these the soldier led them into an open court that occupied the very center of the huge building. it was surrounded on every side by high turreted walls, and contained beds of flowers, fountains and walks of many colored marbles which were matched together in quaint designs. in an open space near the middle of the court they saw a group of courtiers and their ladies, who surrounded a lean man who wore upon his head a jeweled crown. his face was hard and sullen and through the slits of his half-closed eyelids the eyes glowed like coals of fire. he was dressed in brilliant satins and velvets and was seated in a golden throne-chair. this personage was king krewl, and as soon as cap'n bill saw him the old sailor knew at once that he was not going to like the king of jinxland. "hello! who's here?" said his majesty, with a deep scowl. "strangers, sire," answered the soldier, bowing so low that his forehead touched the marble tiles. "strangers, eh? well, well; what an unexpected visit! advance, strangers, and give an account of yourselves." the king's voice was as harsh as his features. trot shuddered a little but cap'n bill calmly replied: "there ain't much for us to say, 'cept as we've arrived to look over your country an' see how we like it. judgin' from the way you speak, you don't know who we are, or you'd be jumpin' up to shake hands an' offer us seats. kings usually treat us pretty well, in the great big outside world where we come from, but in this little kingdom which don't amount to much, anyhow folks don't seem to 'a' got much culchure." the king listened with amazement to this bold speech, first with a frown and then gazing at the two children and the old sailor with evident curiosity. the courtiers were dumb with fear, for no one had ever dared speak in such a manner to their self-willed, cruel king before. his majesty, however, was somewhat frightened, for cruel people are always cowards, and he feared these mysterious strangers might possess magic powers that would destroy him unless he treated them well. so he commanded his people to give the new arrivals seats, and they obeyed with trembling haste. after being seated, cap'n bill lighted his pipe and began puffing smoke from it, a sight so strange to them that it filled them all with wonder. presently the king asked: "how did you penetrate to this hidden country? did you cross the desert or the mountains?" "desert," answered cap'n bill, as if the task were too easy to be worth talking about. "indeed! no one has ever been able to do that before," said the king. "well, it's easy enough, if you know how," asserted cap'n bill, so carelessly that it greatly impressed his hearers. the king shifted in his throne uneasily. he was more afraid of these strangers than before. "do you intend to stay long in jinxland?" was his next anxious question. "depends on how we like it," said cap'n bill. "just now i might suggest to your majesty to order some rooms got ready for us in your dinky little castle here. and a royal banquet, with some fried onions an' pickled tripe, would set easy on our stomicks an' make us a bit happier than we are now." "your wishes shall be attended to," said king krewl, but his eyes flashed from between their slits in a wicked way that made trot hope the food wouldn't be poisoned. at the king's command several of his attendants hastened away to give the proper orders to the castle servants and no sooner were they gone than a skinny old man entered the courtyard and bowed before the king. this disagreeable person was dressed in rich velvets, with many furbelows and laces. he was covered with golden chains, finely wrought rings and jeweled ornaments. he walked with mincing steps and glared at all the courtiers as if he considered himself far superior to any or all of them. [illustration] "well, well, your majesty; what news--what news?" he demanded, in a shrill, cracked voice. the king gave him a surly look. "no news, lord googly-goo, except that strangers have arrived," he said. googly-goo cast a contemptuous glance at cap'n bill and a disdainful one at trot and button-bright. then he said: "strangers do not interest me, your majesty. but the princess gloria is very interesting--very interesting, indeed! what does she say, sire? will she marry me?" "ask her," retorted the king. "i have, many times; and every time she has refused." "well?" said the king harshly. "well," said googly-goo in a jaunty tone, "a bird that _can_ sing, and _won't_ sing, must be _made_ to sing." "huh!" sneered the king. "that's easy, with a bird; but a girl is harder to manage." "still," persisted googly-goo, "we must overcome difficulties. the chief trouble is that gloria fancies she loves that miserable gardener's boy, pon. suppose we throw pon into the great gulf, your majesty?" "it would do you no good," returned the king. "she would still love him." "too bad, too bad!" sighed googly-goo. "i have laid aside more than a bushel of precious gems--each worth a king's ransom--to present to your majesty on the day i wed gloria." the king's eyes sparkled, for he loved wealth above everything; but the next moment he frowned deeply again. "it won't help us to kill pon," he muttered. "what we must do is kill gloria's love for pon." "that is better, if you can find a way to do it," agreed googly-goo. "everything would come right if you could kill gloria's love for that gardener's boy. really, sire, now that i come to think of it, there must be fully a bushel and a half of those jewels!" just then a messenger entered the court to say that the banquet was prepared for the strangers. so cap'n bill, trot and button-bright entered the castle and were taken to a room where a fine feast was spread upon the table. "i don't like that lord googly-goo," remarked trot as she was busily eating. "nor i," said cap'n bill. "but from the talk we heard i guess the gardener's boy won't get the princess." "perhaps not," returned the girl; "but i hope old googly doesn't get her, either." "the king means to sell her for all those jewels," observed button-bright, his mouth half full of cake and jam. "poor princess!" sighed trot. "i'm sorry for her, although i've never seen her. but if she says no to googly-goo, and means it, what can they do?" "don't let us worry about a strange princess," advised cap'n bill. "i've a notion we're not too safe, ourselves, with this cruel king." the two children felt the same way and all three were rather solemn during the remainder of the meal. when they had eaten, the servants escorted them to their rooms. cap'n bill's room was way to one end of the castle, very high up, and trot's room was at the opposite end, rather low down. as for button-bright, they placed him in the middle, so that all were as far apart as they could possibly be. they didn't like this arrangement very well, but all the rooms were handsomely furnished and being guests of the king they dared not complain. after the strangers had left the courtyard the king and googly-goo had a long talk together, and the king said: [illustration] "i cannot force gloria to marry you just now, because those strangers may interfere. i suspect that the wooden-legged man possesses great magical powers, or he would never have been able to carry himself and those children across the deadly desert." "i don't like him; he looks dangerous," answered googly-goo. "but perhaps you are mistaken about his being a wizard. why don't you test his powers?" "how?" asked the king. "send for the wicked witch. she will tell you in a moment whether that wooden-legged person is a common man or a magician." "ha! that's a good idea," cried the king. "why didn't i think of the wicked witch before? but the woman demands rich rewards for her services." "never mind; i will pay her," promised the wealthy googly-goo. so a servant was dispatched to summon the wicked witch, who lived but a few leagues from king krewl's castle. while they awaited her, the withered old courtier proposed that they pay a visit to princess gloria and see if she was not now in a more complaisant mood. so the two started away together and searched the castle over without finding gloria. at last googly-goo suggested she might be in the rear garden, which was a large park filled with bushes and trees and surrounded by a high wall. and what was their anger, when they turned a corner of the path, to find in a quiet nook the beautiful princess, and kneeling before her, pon, the gardener's boy! with a roar of rage the king dashed forward; but pon had scaled the wall by means of a ladder, which still stood in its place, and when he saw the king coming he ran up the ladder and made good his escape. but this left gloria confronted by her angry guardian, the king, and by old googly-goo, who was trembling with a fury he could not express in words. seizing the princess by her arm the king dragged her back to the castle. pushing her into a room on the lower floor he locked the door upon the unhappy girl. and at that moment the arrival of the wicked witch was announced. [illustration] hearing this, the king smiled, as a tiger smiles, showing his teeth. and googly-goo smiled, as a serpent smiles, for he had no teeth except a couple of fangs. and having frightened each other with these smiles the two dreadful men went away to the royal council chamber to meet the wicked witch. [illustration: queen gloria] [illustration] chapter the wooden-legged grass-hopper now it so happened that trot, from the window of her room, had witnessed the meeting of the lovers in the garden and had seen the king come and drag gloria away. the little girl's heart went out in sympathy for the poor princess, who seemed to her to be one of the sweetest and loveliest young ladies she had ever seen, so she crept along the passages and from a hidden niche saw gloria locked in her room. the key was still in the lock, so when the king had gone away, followed by googly-goo, trot stole up to the door, turned the key and entered. the princess lay prone upon a couch, sobbing bitterly. trot went up to her and smoothed her hair and tried to comfort her. "don't cry," she said. "i've unlocked the door, so you can go away any time you want to." "it isn't that," sobbed the princess. "i am unhappy because they will not let me love pon, the gardener's boy!" "well, never mind; pon isn't any great shakes, anyhow, seems to me," said trot soothingly. "there are lots of other people you can love." gloria rolled over on the couch and looked at the little girl reproachfully. "pon has won my heart, and i can't help loving him," she explained. then with sudden indignation she added: "but i'll never love googly-goo--never, as long as i live!" "i should say not!" replied trot. "pon may not be much good, but old googly is very, very bad. hunt around, and i'm sure you'll find someone worth your love. you're very pretty, you know, and almost anyone ought to love you." "you don't understand, my dear," said gloria, as she wiped the tears from her eyes with a dainty lace handkerchief bordered with pearls. "when you are older you will realize that a young lady cannot decide whom she will love, or choose the most worthy. her heart alone decides for her, and whomsoever her heart selects, she must love, whether he amounts to much or not." trot was a little puzzled by this speech, which seemed to her unreasonable; but she made no reply and presently gloria's grief softened and she began to question the little girl about herself and her adventures. trot told her how they had happened to come to jinxland, and all about cap'n bill and the ork and pessim and the bumpy man. while they were thus conversing together, getting more and more friendly as they became better acquainted, in the council chamber the king and googly-goo were talking with the wicked witch. this evil creature was old and ugly. she had lost one eye and wore a black patch over it, so the people of jinxland had named her "blinkie." of course witches are forbidden to exist in the land of oz, but jinxland was so far removed from the center of ozma's dominions, and so absolutely cut off from it by the steep mountains and the bottomless gulf, that the laws of oz were not obeyed very well in that country. so there were several witches in jinxland who were the terror of the people, but king krewl favored them and permitted them to exercise their evil sorcery. blinkie was the leader of all the other witches and therefore the most hated and feared. the king used her witchcraft at times to assist him in carrying out his cruelties and revenge, but he was always obliged to pay blinkie large sums of money or heaps of precious jewels before she would undertake an enchantment. this made him hate the old woman almost as much as his subjects did, but to-day lord googly-goo had agreed to pay the witch's price, so the king greeted her with gracious favor. "can you destroy the love of princess gloria for the gardener's boy?" inquired his majesty. the wicked witch thought about it before she replied: "that's a hard question to answer. i can do lots of clever magic, but love is a stubborn thing to conquer. when you think you've killed it, it's liable to bob up again as strong as ever. i believe love and cats have nine lives. in other words, killing love is a hard job, even for a skillful witch, but i believe i can do something that will answer your purpose just as well." "what is that?" asked the king. [illustration] "i can freeze the girl's heart. i've got a special incantation for that, and when gloria's heart is thoroughly frozen she can no longer love pon." "just the thing!" exclaimed googly-goo, and the king was likewise much pleased. they bargained a long time as to the price, but finally the old courtier agreed to pay the wicked witch's demands. it was arranged that they should take gloria to blinkie's house the next day, to have her heart frozen. then king krewl mentioned to the old hag the strangers who had that day arrived in jinxland, and said to her: "i think the two children--the boy and the girl--are unable to harm me, but i have a suspicion that the wooden-legged man is a powerful wizard." the witch's face wore a troubled look when she heard this. "if you are right," she said, "this wizard might spoil my incantation and interfere with me in other ways. so it will be best for me to meet this stranger at once and match my magic against his, to decide which is the stronger." "all right," said the king. "come with me and i will lead you to the man's room." googly-goo did not accompany them, as he was obliged to go home to get the money and jewels he had promised to pay old blinkie, so the other two climbed several flights of stairs and went through many passages until they came to the room occupied by cap'n bill. the sailor-man, finding his bed soft and inviting, and being tired with the adventures he had experienced, had decided to take a nap. when the wicked witch and the king softly opened his door and entered, cap'n bill was snoring with such vigor that he did not hear them at all. blinkie approached the bed and with her one eye anxiously stared at the sleeping stranger. "ah," she said in a soft whisper, "i believe you are right, king krewl. the man looks to me like a very powerful wizard. but by good luck i have caught him asleep, so i shall transform him before he wakes up, giving him such a form that he will be unable to oppose me." "careful!" cautioned the king, also speaking low. "if he discovers what you are doing he may destroy you, and that would annoy me because i need you to attend to gloria." but the wicked witch realized as well as he did that she must be careful. she carried over her arm a black bag, from which she now drew several packets carefully wrapped in paper. three of these she selected, replacing the others in the bag. two of the packets she mixed together and then she cautiously opened the third. "better stand back, your majesty," she advised, "for if this powder falls on you you might be transformed yourself." the king hastily retreated to the end of the room. as blinkie mixed the third powder with the others she waved her hands over it, mumbled a few words, and then backed away as quickly as she could. cap'n bill was slumbering peacefully, all unconscious of what was going on. puff! a great cloud of smoke rolled over the bed and completely hid him from view. when the smoke rolled away, both blinkie and the king saw that the body of the stranger had quite disappeared, while in his place, crouching in the middle of the bed, was a little gray grasshopper. one curious thing about this grasshopper was that the last joint of its left leg was made of wood. another curious thing--considering it was a grasshopper--was that it began talking, crying out in a tiny but sharp voice: "here--you people! what do you mean by treating me so? put me back where i belong, at once, or you'll be sorry!" [illustration] the cruel king turned pale at hearing the grasshopper's threats, but the wicked witch merely laughed in derision. then she raised her stick and aimed a vicious blow at the grasshopper, but before the stick struck the bed the tiny hopper made a marvelous jump--marvelous, indeed, when we consider that it had a wooden leg. it rose in the air and sailed across the room and passed right through the open window, where it disappeared from their view. "good!" shouted the king. "we are well rid of this desperate wizard." and then they both laughed heartily at the success of the incantation, and went away to complete their horrid plans. after trot had visited a time with princess gloria, the little girl went to button-bright's room but did not find him there. then she went to cap'n bill's room, but he was not there because the witch and the king had been there before her. so she made her way downstairs and questioned the servants. they said they had seen the little boy go out into the garden, some time ago, but the old man with the wooden leg they had not seen at all. therefore trot, not knowing what else to do, rambled through the great gardens, seeking for button-bright or cap'n bill and not finding either of them. this part of the garden, which lay before the castle, was not walled in, but extended to the roadway, and the paths were open to the edge of the forest; so, after two hours of vain search for her friends, the little girl returned to the castle. but at the doorway a soldier stopped her. "i live here," said trot, "so it's all right to let me in. the king has given me a room." "well, he has taken it back again," was the soldier's reply. "his majesty's orders are to turn you away if you attempt to enter. i am also ordered to forbid the boy, your companion, to again enter the king's castle." "how 'bout cap'n bill'?' she inquired. "why, it seems he has mysteriously disappeared," replied the soldier, shaking his head ominously. "where he has gone to, i can't make out, but i can assure you he is no longer in this castle. i'm sorry, little girl, to disappoint you. don't blame me; i must obey my master's orders." now, all her life trot had been accustomed to depend on cap'n bill, so when this good friend was suddenly taken from her she felt very miserable and forlorn indeed. she was brave enough not to cry before the soldier, or even to let him see her grief and anxiety, but after she was turned away from the castle she sought a quiet bench in the garden and for a time sobbed as if her heart would break. it was button-bright who found her, at last, just as the sun had set and the shades of evening were falling. he also had been turned away from the king's castle, when he tried to enter it, and in the park he came across trot. "never mind," said the boy. "we can find a place to sleep." "i want cap'n bill," wailed the girl. "well, so do i," was the reply. "but we haven't got him. where do you s'pose he is, trot?" "i don't s'pose anything. he's gone, an' that's all i know 'bout it." button-bright sat on the bench beside her and thrust his hands in the pockets of his knickerbockers. then he reflected somewhat gravely for him. "cap'n bill isn't around here," he said, letting his eyes wander over the dim garden, "so we must go somewhere else if we want to find him. besides, it's fast getting dark, and if we want to find a place to sleep we must get busy while we can see where to go." he rose from the bench as he said this and trot also jumped up, drying her eyes on her apron. then she walked beside him out of the grounds of the king's castle. they did not go by the main path, but passed through an opening in a hedge and found themselves in a small but well-worn roadway. following this for some distance, along a winding way, they came upon no house or building that would afford them refuge for the night. it became so dark that they could scarcely see their way, and finally trot stopped and suggested that they camp under a tree. [illustration] "all right," said button-bright, "i've often found that leaves make a good warm blanket. but--look there, trot!--isn't that a light flashing over yonder?" "it certainly is, button-bright. let's go over and see if it's a house. whoever lives there couldn't treat us worse than the king did." to reach the light they had to leave the road, so they stumbled over hillocks and brushwood, hand in hand, keeping the tiny speck of light always in sight. they were rather forlorn little waifs, outcasts in a strange country and forsaken by their only friend and guardian, cap'n bill. so they were very glad when finally they reached a small cottage and, looking in through its one window, saw pon, the gardener's boy, sitting by a fire of twigs. as trot opened the door and walked boldly in, pon sprang up to greet them. they told him of cap'n bill's disappearance and how they had been turned out of the king's castle. as they finished the story pon shook his head sadly. "king krewl is plotting mischief, i fear," said he, "for to-day he sent for old blinkie, the wicked witch, and with my own eyes i saw her come from the castle and hobble away toward her hut. she had been with the king and googly-goo, and i was afraid they were going to work some enchantment on gloria so she would no longer love me. but perhaps the witch was only called to the castle to enchant your friend, cap'n bill." "could she do that?" asked trot, horrified by the suggestion. "i suppose so, for old blinkie can do a lot of wicked magical things." "what sort of an enchantment could she put on cap'n bill?" "i don't know. but he has disappeared, so i'm pretty certain she has done something dreadful to him. but don't worry. if it has happened, it can't be helped, and if it hasn't happened we may be able to find him in the morning." with this pon went to the cupboard and brought food for them. trot was far too worried to eat, but button-bright made a good supper from the simple food and then lay down before the fire and went to sleep. the little girl and the gardener's boy, however, sat for a long time staring into the fire, busy with their thoughts. but at last trot, too, became sleepy and pon gently covered her with the one blanket he possessed. then he threw more wood on the fire and laid himself down before it, next to button-bright. soon all three were fast asleep. they were in a good deal of trouble; but they were young, and sleep was good to them because for a time it made them forget. [illustration] [illustration] chapter glinda the good and the scarecrow of oz that country south of the emerald city, in the land of oz, is known as the quadling country, and in the very southernmost part of it stands a splendid palace in which lives glinda the good. glinda is the royal sorceress of oz. she has wonderful magical powers and uses them only to benefit the subjects of ozma's kingdom. even the famous wizard of oz pays tribute to her, for glinda taught him all the real magic he knows, and she is his superior in all sorts of sorcery. everyone loves glinda, from the dainty and exquisite ruler, ozma, down to the humblest inhabitant of oz, for she is always kindly and helpful and willing to listen to their troubles, however busy she may be. no one knows her age, but all can see how beautiful and stately she is. her hair is like red gold and finer than the finest silken strands. her eyes are blue as the sky and always frank and smiling. her cheeks are the envy of peach-blows and her mouth is enticing as a rosebud. glinda is tall and wears splendid gowns that trail behind her as she walks. she wears no jewels, for her beauty would shame them. for attendants glinda has half a hundred of the loveliest girls in oz. they are gathered from all over oz, from among the winkies, the munchkins, the gillikins and the quadlings, as well as from ozma's magnificent emerald city, and it is considered a great favor to be allowed to serve the royal sorceress. among the many wonderful things in glinda's palace is the great book of records. in this book is inscribed everything that takes place in all the world, just the instant it happens; so that by referring to its pages glinda knows what is taking place far and near, in every country that exists. in this way she learns when and where she can help any in distress or danger, and although her duties are confined to assisting those who inhabit the land of oz, she is always interested in what takes place in the unprotected outside world. [illustration: the most popular man in the land of oz] so it was that on a certain evening glinda sat in her library, surrounded by a bevy of her maids, who were engaged in spinning, weaving and embroidery, when an attendant announced the arrival at the palace of the scarecrow. this personage was one of the most famous and popular in all the land of oz. his body was merely a suit of munchkin clothes stuffed with straw, but his head was a round sack filled with bran, with which the wizard of oz had mixed some magic brains of a very superior sort. the eyes, nose and mouth of the scarecrow were painted upon the front of the sack, as were his ears, and since this quaint being had been endowed with life, the expression of his face was very interesting, if somewhat comical. the scarecrow was good all through, even to his brains, and while he was naturally awkward in his movements and lacked the neat symmetry of other people, his disposition was so kind and considerate and he was so obliging and honest, that all who knew him loved him, and there were few people in oz who had not met our scarecrow and made his acquaintance. he lived part of the time in ozma's palace at the emerald city, part of the time in his own corncob castle in the winkie country, and part of the time he traveled over all oz, visiting with the people and playing with the children, whom he dearly loved. it was on one of his wandering journeys that the scarecrow had arrived at glinda's palace, and the sorceress at once made him welcome. as he sat beside her, talking of his adventures, he asked: "what's new in the way of news?" glinda opened her great book of records and read some of the last pages. "here is an item quite curious and interesting," she announced, an accent of surprise in her voice. "three people from the big outside world have arrived in jinxland." "where is jinxland?' inquired the scarecrow. "very near here, a little to the east of us," she said. "in fact, jinxland is a little slice taken off the quadling country, but separated from it by a range of high mountains, at the foot of which lies a wide, deep gulf that is supposed to be impassable." "then jinxland is really a part of the land of oz," said he. "yes," returned glinda, "but oz people know nothing of it, except what is recorded here in my book." "what does the book say about it?' asked the scarecrow. "it is ruled by a wicked man called king krewl, although he has no right to the title. most of the people are good, but they are very timid and live in constant fear of their fierce ruler. there are also several wicked witches who keep the inhabitants of jinxland in a state of terror." "do those witches have any magical powers?" inquired the scarecrow. "yes, they seem to understand witchcraft in its most evil form, for one of them has just transformed a respectable and honest old sailor--one of the strangers who arrived there--into a grasshopper. this same witch, blinkie by name, is also planning to freeze the heart of a beautiful jinxland girl named princess gloria." "why, that's a dreadful thing to do!" exclaimed the scarecrow. glinda's face was very grave. she read in her book how trot and button-bright were turned out of the king's castle, and how they found refuge in the hut of pon, the gardener's boy. "i'm afraid those helpless earth people will endure much suffering in jinxland, even if the wicked king and the witches permit them to live," said the good sorceress, thoughtfully. "i wish i might help them." "can i do anything?" asked the scarecrow, anxiously. "if so, tell me what to do, and til do it." [illustration] for a few moments glinda did not reply, but sat musing over the records. then she said: "i am going to send you to jinxland, to protect trot and button-bright and cap'n bill." "all right," answered the scarecrow in a cheerful voice. "i know button-bright already, for he has been in the land of oz before. you remember he went away from the land of oz in one of our wizard's big bubbles." "yes," said glinda, "i remember that." then she carefully instructed the scarecrow what to do and gave him certain magical things which he placed in the pockets of his ragged munchkin coat. "as you have no need to sleep," said she, "you may as well start at once." "the night is the same as day to me," he replied, "except that i cannot see my way so well in the dark." "i will furnish a light to guide you," promised the sorceress. so the scarecrow bade her good-bye and at once started on his journey. by morning he had reached the mountains that separated the quadling country from jinxland. the sides of these mountains were too steep to climb, but the scarecrow took a small rope from his pocket and tossed one end upward, into the air. the rope unwound itself for hundreds of feet, until it caught upon a peak of rock at the very top of a mountain, for it was a magic rope furnished him by glinda. the scarecrow climbed the rope and, after pulling it up, let it down on the other side of the mountain range. when he descended the rope on this side he found himself in jinxland, but at his feet yawned the great gulf, which must be crossed before he could proceed any farther. [illustration] [illustration] the scarecrow knelt down and examined the ground carefully, and in a moment he discovered a fuzzy brown spider that had rolled itself into a ball. so he took two tiny pills from his pocket and laid them beside the spider, which unrolled itself and quickly ate up the pills. then the scarecrow said in a voice of command: "spin!" and the spider obeyed instantly. [illustration] in a few moments the little creature had spun two slender but strong strands that reached way across the gulf, one being five or six feet above the other. when these were completed the scarecrow started across the tiny bridge, walking upon one strand as a person walks upon a rope, and holding to the upper strand with his hands to prevent him from losing his balance and toppling over into the gulf. the tiny threads held him safely, thanks to the strength given them by the magic pills. presently he was safe across and standing on the plains of jinxland. far away he could see the towers of the king's castle and toward this he at once began to walk. [illustration] chapter the frozen heart in the hut of pon, the gardener's boy, button-bright was the first to waken in the morning. leaving his companions still asleep, he went out into the fresh morning air and saw some blackberries growing on bushes in a field not far away. going to the bushes he found the berries ripe and sweet, so he began eating them. more bushes were scattered over the fields, so the boy wandered on, from bush to bush, without paying any heed to where he was wandering. then a butterfly fluttered by. he gave chase to it and followed it a long way. when finally he paused to look around him, button-bright could see no sign of pon's house, nor had he the slightest idea in which direction it lay. "well, i'm lost again," he remarked to himself. "but never mind; i've been lost lots of times. someone is sure to find me." trot was a little worried about button-bright when she awoke and found him gone. knowing how careless he was, she believed that he had strayed away, but felt that he would come back in time, because he had a habit of not staying lost. pon got the little girl some food for her breakfast and then together they went out of the hut and stood in the sunshine. pon's house was some distance off the road, but they could see it from where they stood and both gave a start of surprise when they discovered two soldiers walking along the roadway and escorting princess gloria between them. the poor girl had her hands bound together, to prevent her from struggling, and the soldiers rudely dragged her forward when her steps seemed to lag. behind this group came king krewl, wearing his jeweled crown and swinging in his hand a slender golden staff with a ball of clustered gems at one end. "where are they going?'' asked trot. "to the house of the wicked witch, i fear," pon replied. "come, let us follow them, for i am sure they intend to harm my dear gloria." "won't they see us?" she asked timidly. "we won't let them. i know a short cut through the trees to blinkie's house," said he. so they hurried away through the trees and reached the house of the witch ahead of the king and his soldiers. hiding themselves in the shrubbery, they watched the approach of poor gloria and her escort, all of whom passed so near to them that pon could have put out a hand and touched his sweetheart, had he dared to. blinkie's house had eight sides, with a door and a window in each side. smoke was coming out of the chimney and as the guards brought gloria to one of the doors it was opened by the old witch in person. she chuckled with evil glee and rubbed her skinny hands together to show the delight with which she greeted her victim, for blinkie was pleased to be able to perform her wicked rites on one so fair and sweet as the princess. gloria struggled to resist when they bade her enter the house, so the soldiers forced her through the doorway and even the king gave her a shove as he followed close behind. pon was so incensed at the cruelty shown gloria that he forgot all caution and rushed forward to enter the house also; but one of the soldiers prevented him, pushing the gardener's boy away with violence and slamming the door in his face. "never mind," said trot soothingly, as pon rose from where he had fallen. "you couldn't do much to help the poor princess if you were inside. how unfortunate it is that you are in love with her!" "true," he answered sadly, "it is indeed my misfortune. if i did not love her, it would be none of my business what the king did to his niece gloria; but the unlucky circumstance of my loving her makes it my duty to defend her." "i don't see how you can, duty or no duty," observed trot. "no; i am powerless, for they are stronger than i. but we might peek in through the window and see what they are doing." trot was somewhat curious, too, so they crept up to one of the windows and looked in, and it so happened that those inside the witch's house were so busy they did not notice that pon and trot were watching them. gloria had been tied to a stout post in the center of the room and the king was giving the wicked witch a quantity of money and jewels, which googly-goo had provided in payment. when this had been done the king said to her: "are you perfectly sure you can freeze this maiden's heart, so that she will no longer love that low gardener's boy?" "sure as witchcraft, your majesty," the creature replied. "then get to work," said the king. "there may be some unpleasant features about the ceremony that would annoy me, so i'll bid you good day and leave you to carry out your contract. one word, however: if you fail, i shall burn you at the stake!" then he beckoned to his soldiers to follow him, and throwing wide the door of the house walked out. this action was so sudden that king krewl almost caught trot and pon eavesdropping, but they managed to run around the house before he saw them. away he marched, up the road, followed by his men, heartlessly leaving gloria to the mercies of old blinkie. [illustration] when they again crept up to the window, trot and pon saw blinkie gloating over her victim. although nearly fainting from fear, the proud princess gazed with haughty defiance into the face of the wicked creature; but she was bound so tightly to the post that she could do no more to express her loathing. pretty soon blinkie went to a kettle that was swinging by a chain over the fire and tossed into it several magical compounds. the kettle gave three flashes, and at every flash another witch appeared in the room. these hags were very ugly but when one-eyed blinkie whispered her orders to them they grinned with joy as they began dancing around gloria. first one and then another cast something into the kettle, when to the astonishment of the watchers at the window all three of the old women were instantly transformed into maidens of exquisite beauty, dressed in the daintiest costumes imaginable. only their eyes could not be disguised, and an evil glare still shone in their depths. but if the eyes were cast down or hidden, one could not help but admire these beautiful creatures, even with the knowledge that they were mere illusions of witchcraft. trot certainly admired them, for she had never seen anything so dainty and bewitching, but her attention was quickly drawn to their deeds instead of their persons, and then horror replaced admiration. into the kettle old blinkie poured another mess from a big brass bottle she took from a chest, and this made the kettle begin to bubble and smoke violently. one by one the beautiful witches approached to stir the contents of the kettle and to mutter a magic charm. their movements were graceful and rhythmic and the wicked witch who had called them to her aid watched them with an evil grin upon her wrinkled face. finally the incantation was complete. the kettle ceased bubbling and together the witches lifted it from the fire. then blinkie brought a wooden ladle and filled it from the contents of the kettle. going with the spoon to princess gloria she cried: "love no more! magic art now will freeze your mortal heart!" with this she dashed the contents of the ladle full upon gloria's breast. trot saw the body of the princess become transparent, so that her beating heart showed plainly. but now the heart turned from a vivid red to gray, and then to white. a layer of frost formed about it and tiny icicles clung to its surface. then slowly the body of the girl became visible again and the heart was hidden from view. gloria seemed to have fainted, but now she recovered and, opening her beautiful eyes, stared coldly and without emotion at the group of witches confronting her. blinkie and the others knew by that one cold look that their charm had been successful. they burst into a chorus of wild laughter and the three beautiful ones began dancing again, while blinkie unbound the princess and set her free. trot rubbed her eyes to prove that she was wide awake and seeing clearly, for her astonishment was great when the three lovely maidens turned into ugly, crooked hags again, leaning on broomsticks and canes. they jeered at gloria, but the princess regarded them with cold disdain. being now free, she walked to a door, opened it and passed out. and the witches let her go. trot and pon had been so intent upon this scene that in their eagerness they had pressed quite hard against the window. just as gloria went out of the house the window-sash broke loose from its fastenings and fell with a crash into the room. the witches uttered a chorus of screams and then, seeing that their magical incantation had been observed, they rushed for the open window with uplifted broomsticks and canes. but pon was off like the wind, and trot followed at his heels. fear lent them strength to run, to leap across ditches, to speed up the hills and to vault the low fences as a deer would. [illustration] the band of witches had dashed through the window in pursuit; but blinkie was so old, and the others so crooked and awkward, that they soon realized they would be unable to overtake the fugitives. so the three who had been summoned by the wicked witch put their canes or broomsticks between their legs and flew away through the air, quickly disappearing against the blue sky. blinkie, however, was so enraged at pon and trot that she hobbled on in the direction they had taken, fully determined to catch them, in time, and to punish them terribly for spying upon her witchcraft. when pon and trot had run so far that they were confident they had made good their escape, they sat down near the edge of a forest to get their breath again, for both were panting hard from their exertions. trot was the first to recover speech, and she said to her companion: "my! wasn't it tenable?" "the most terrible thing i ever saw," pon agreed. "and they froze gloria's heart; so now she can't love you any more." "well, they froze her heart, to be sure," admitted pon, "but i'm in hopes i can melt it with my love." "where do you s'pose gloria is?' asked the girl, after a pause. "she left the witch's house just before we did. perhaps she has gone back to the king's castle," he said. "i'm pretty sure she started off in a different direction," declared trot. "i looked over my shoulder, as i ran, to see how close the witches were, and i'm sure i saw gloria walking slowly away toward the north." "then let us circle around that way," proposed pon, "and perhaps we shall meet her." trot agreed to this and they left the grove and began to circle around toward the north, thus drawing nearer and nearer to old blinkie's house again. the wicked witch did not suspect this change of direction, so when she came to the grove she passed through it and continued on. pon and trot had reached a place less than half a mile from the witch's house when they saw gloria walking toward them. the princess moved with great dignity and with no show of haste whatever, holding her head high and looking neither to right nor left. pon rushed forward, holding out his arms as if to embrace her and calling her sweet names. but gloria gazed upon him coldly and repelled him with a haughty gesture. at this the poor gardener's boy sank upon his knees and hid his face in his arms, weeping bitter tears; but the princess was not at all moved by his distress. passing him by, she drew her skirts aside, as if unwilling they should touch him, and then she walked up the path a way and hesitated, as if uncertain where to go next. trot was grieved by pon's sobs and indignant because gloria treated him so badly. but she remembered why. "i guess your heart is frozen, all right," she said to the princess. gloria nodded gravely, in reply, and then turned her back upon the little girl. "can't you like even me?" asked trot, half pleadingly. "no," said gloria. "your voice sounds like a refrig'rator," sighed the little girl. "i'm awful sorry for you, 'cause you were sweet an' nice to me before this happened. you can't help it, of course; but it's a dreadful thing, jus' the same." "my heart is frozen to all mortal loves," announced gloria, calmly. "i do not love even myself." [illustration] "that's too bad," said trot, "for, if you can't love anybody, you can't expect anybody to love you." "i do!" cried pon. "i shall always love her." "well, you're just a gardener's boy," replied trot, "and i didn't think you 'mounted to much, from the first. i can love the old princess gloria, with a warm heart an' nice manners, but this one gives me the shivers." "it's her icy heart, that's all," said pon. "that's enough," insisted trot. "seeing her heart isn't big enough to skate on, i can't see that she's of any use to anyone. for my part, i'm goin' to try to find button-bright an' cap'n bill." "i will go with you," decided pon. "it is evident that gloria no longer loves me and that her heart is frozen too stiff for me to melt it with my own love; therefore i may as well help you to find your friends." as trot started off, pon cast one more imploring look at the princess, who returned it with a chilly stare. so he followed after the little girl. as for the princess, she hesitated a moment and then turned in the same direction the others had taken, but going far more slowly. soon she heard footsteps pattering behind her, and up came googly-goo, a little out of breath with running. "stop, gloria!" he cried. "i have come to take you back to my mansion, where we are to be married." she looked at him wonderingly a moment, then tossed her head disdainfully and walked on. but googly-goo kept beside her. "what does this mean?" he demanded. "haven't you discovered that you no longer love that gardener's boy, who stood in my way?" "yes; i have discovered it," she replied. "my heart is frozen to all mortal loves. i cannot love you, or pon, or the cruel king my uncle, or even myself. go your way, googly-goo, for i will wed no one at all." he stopped in dismay when he heard this, but in another minute he exclaimed angrily: "you _must_ wed me, princess gloria, whether you want to or not! i paid to have your heart frozen; i also paid the king to permit our marriage. if you now refuse me it will mean that i have been robbed--robbed--robbed of my precious money and jewels!" he almost wept with despair, but she laughed a cold, bitter laugh and passed on. googly-goo caught at her arm, as if to restrain her, but she whirled and dealt him a blow that sent him reeling into a ditch beside the path. here he lay for a long time, half covered by muddy water, dazed with surprise. finally the old courtier arose, dripping, and climbed from the ditch. the princess had gone; so, muttering threats of vengeance upon her, upon the king and upon blinkie, old googly-goo hobbled back to his mansion to have the mud removed from his costly velvet clothes. [illustration] [illustration] chapter trot meets the scarecrow trot and pon covered many leagues of ground, searching through forests, in fields and in many of the little villages of jinxland, but could find no trace of either cap'n bill or button-bright. finally they paused beside a cornfield and sat upon a stile to rest. pon took some apples from his pocket and gave one to trot. then he began eating another himself, for this was their time for luncheon. when his apple was finished pon tossed the core into the field. "tchuk-tchuk!" said a strange voice. "what do you mean by hitting me in the eye with an apple-core?" then rose up the form of the scarecrow, who had hidden himself in the cornfield while he examined pon and trot and decided whether they were worthy to be helped. "excuse me," said pon. "i didn't know you were there." "how did you happen to be there, anyhow?" asked trot. the scarecrow came forward with awkward steps and stood beside them. "ah, you are the gardener's boy," he said to pon. then he turned to trot. "and you are the little girl who came to jinxland riding on a big bird, and who has had the misfortune to lose her friend, cap'n bill, and her chum, button-bright." "why, how did you know all that?" she inquired. "i know a lot of things," replied the scarecrow, winking at her comically. "my brains are the carefully-assorted, double-distilled, high-efficiency sort that the wizard of oz makes. he admits, himself, that my brains are the best he ever manufactured." "i think i've heard of you," said trot slowly, as she looked the scarecrow over with much interest; "but you used to live in the land of oz." "oh, i do now," he replied cheerfully. "i've just come over the mountains from the quadling country to see if i can be of any help to you." "who, me?" asked pon. "no, the strangers from the big world. it seems they need looking after." "i'm doing that myself," said pon, a little ungraciously. "if you will pardon me for saying so, i don't see how a scarecrow with painted eyes can look after anyone." "if you don't see that, you are more blind than the scarecrow," asserted trot. "he's a fairy man, pon, and comes from the fairyland of oz, so he can do 'most anything. i hope," she added, turning to the scarecrow, "you can find cap'n bill for me." "i will try, anyhow," he promised. "but who is that old woman who is running toward us and shaking her stick at us?" trot and pon turned around and both uttered an exclamation of fear. the next instant they took to their heels and ran fast up the path. for it was old blinkie, the wicked witch, who had at last traced them to this place. her anger was so great that she was determined not to abandon the chase of pon and trot until she had caught and punished them. the scarecrow understood at once that the old woman meant harm to his new friends, so as she drew near he stepped before her. his appearance was so sudden and unexpected that blinkie ran into him and toppled him over, but she tripped on his straw body and went rolling in the path beside him. [illustration] the scarecrow sat up and said: "i beg your pardon!" but she whacked him with her stick and knocked him flat again. then, furious with rage, the old witch sprang upon her victim and began pulling the straw out of his body. the poor scarecrow was helpless to resist and in a few moments all that was left of him was an empty suit of clothes and a heap of straw beside it. fortunately, blinkie did not harm his head, for it rolled into a little hollow and escaped her notice. fearing that pon and trot would escape her, she quickly resumed the chase and disappeared over the brow of a hill, following the direction in which she had seen them go. only a short time elapsed before a gray grasshopper with a wooden leg came hopping along and lit directly on the upturned face of the scarecrow's head. "pardon me, but you are resting yourself upon my nose," remarked the scarecrow. [illustration] "oh! are you alive?" asked the grasshopper. "that is a question i have never been able to decide," said the scarecrow's head. "when my body is properly stuffed i have animation and can move around as well as any live person. the brains in the head you are now occupying as a throne, are of very superior quality and do a lot of very clever thinking. but whether that is being alive, or not, i cannot prove to you; for one who lives is liable to death, while i am only liable to destruction." "seems to me," said the grasshopper, rubbing his nose with his front legs, "that in your case it doesn't matter--unless you're destroyed already." "i am not; all i need is re-stuffing," declared the scarecrow; "and if pon and trot escape the witch, and come back here, i am sure they will do me that favor." "tell me! are trot and pon around here?" inquired the grasshopper, its small voice trembling with excitement. the scarecrow did not answer at once, for both his eyes were staring straight upward at a beautiful face that was slightly bent over his head. it was, indeed, princess gloria, who had wandered to this spot, very much surprised when she heard the scarecrow's head talk and the tiny gray grasshopper answer it. "this," said the scarecrow, still staring at her, "must be the princess who loves pon, the gardener's boy." "oh, indeed!" exclaimed the grasshopper--who of course was cap'n bill--as he examined the young lady curiously. "no," said gloria frigidly, "i do not love pon, or anyone else, for the wicked witch has frozen my heart." "what a shame!" cried the scarecrow. "one so lovely should be able to love. but would you mind, my dear, stuffing that straw into my body again?" the dainty princess glanced at the straw and at the well-worn blue munchkin clothes and shrank back in disdain. but she was spared from refusing the scarecrow's request by the appearance of trot and pon, who had hidden in some bushes just over the brow of the hill and waited until old blinkie had passed them by. their hiding place was on the same side as the witch's blind eye, and she rushed on in the chase of the girl and the youth without being aware that they had tricked her. [illustration] trot was shocked at the scarecrow's sad condition and at once began putting the straw back into his body. pon, at sight of gloria, again appealed to her to take pity on him, but the frozen-hearted princess turned coldly away and with a sigh the gardener's boy began to assist trot. neither of them at first noticed the small grasshopper, which at their appearance had skipped off the scarecrow's nose and was now clinging to a wisp of grass beside the path, where he was not likely to be stepped upon. not until the scarecrow had been neatly restuffed and set upon his feet again when he bowed to his restorers and expressed his thanks did the grasshopper move from his perch. then he leaped lightly into the path and called out: "trot--trot! look at me. i'm cap'n bill! see what the wicked witch has done to me." the voice was small, to be sure, but it reached trot's ears and startled her greatly. she looked intently at the grasshopper, her eyes wide with fear at first; then she knelt down and, noticing the wooden leg, she began to weep sorrowfully. "oh, cap'n bill--dear cap'n bill! what a cruel thing to do!'' she sobbed. "don't cry, trot," begged the grasshopper. "it didn't hurt any, and it doesn't hurt now. but it's mighty inconvenient an' humiliatin', to say the least." "i wish," said the girl indignantly, while trying hard to restrain her tears, "that i was big 'nough an' strong 'nough to give that horrid witch a good beating. she ought to be turned into a toad for doing this to you, cap'n bill!" "never mind," urged the scarecrow, in a comforting voice, "such a transformation doesn't last always, and as a general thing there's some way to break the enchantment. i'm sure glinda could do it, in a jiffy." "who is glinda?" inquired cap'n bill. then the scarecrow told them all about glinda, not forgetting to mention her beauty and goodness and her wonderful powers of magic. he also explained how the royal sorceress had sent him to jinxland especially to help the strangers, whom she knew to be in danger because of the wiles of the cruel king and the wicked witch. [illustration] [illustration] chapter pon summons the king to surrender gloria had drawn near to the group to listen to their talk, and it seemed to interest her in spite of her frigid manner. they knew, of course, that the poor princess could not help being cold and reserved, so they tried not to blame her. "i ought to have come here a little sooner," said the scarecrow, regretfully; "but glinda sent me as soon as she discovered you were here and were likely to get into trouble. and now that we are all together--except button-bright, over whom it is useless to worry--i propose we hold a council of war, to decide what is best to be done." that seemed a wise thing to do, so they all sat down upon the grass, including gloria, and the grasshopper perched upon trot's shoulder and allowed her to stroke him gently with her hand. "in the first place," began the scarecrow, "this king krewl is a usurper and has no right to rule this kingdom of jinxland." "that is true," said pon, eagerly. "my father was king before him, and i--" "you are a gardener's boy," interrupted the scarecrow. "your father had no right to rule, either, for the rightful king of this land was the father of princess gloria, and only she is entitled to sit upon the throne of jinxland." "good!" exclaimed trot. "but what'll we do with king krewl? i s'pose he won't give up the throne unless he has to." "no, of course not," said the scarecrow. "therefore it will be our duty to _make_ him give up the throne." "how?" asked trot. "give me time to think," was the reply. "that's what my brains are for. i don't know whether you people ever think, or not, but my brains are the best that the wizard of oz ever turned out, and if i give them plenty of time to work, the result usually surprises me." "take your time, then," suggested trot. "there's no hurry." "thank you," said the straw man, and sat perfectly still for half an hour. during this interval the grasshopper whispered in trot's ear, to which he was very close, and trot whispered back to the grasshopper sitting upon her shoulder. pon cast loving glances at gloria, who paid not the slightest heed to them. finally the scarecrow laughed aloud. "brains working?" inquired trot. "yes. they seem in fine order to-day. we will conquer king krewl and put gloria upon his throne as queen of jinxland." "fine!" cried the little girl, clapping her hands together gleefully. "but how?" "leave the _how_ to me," said the scarecrow proudly. "as a conqueror i'm a wonder. we will, first of all, write a message to send to king krewl, asking him to surrender. if he refuses, then we will make him surrender." "why ask him, when we _know_ he'll refuse?" inquired pon. "why, we must be polite, whatever we do," explained the scarecrow. "it would be very rude to conquer a king without proper notice." [illustration] they found it difficult to write a message without paper, pen and ink, none of which was at hand; so it was decided to send pon as a messenger, with instructions to ask the king, politely but firmly, to surrender. pon was not anxious to be the messenger. indeed, he hinted that it might prove a dangerous mission. but the scarecrow was now the acknowledged head of the army of conquest, and he would listen to no refusal. so off pon started for the king's castle, and the others accompanied him as far as his hut, where they had decided to await the gardener's boy's return. i think it was because pon had known the scarecrow such a short time that he lacked confidence in the straw man's wisdom. it was easy to say: "we will conquer king krewl," but when pon drew near to the great castle he began to doubt the ability of a straw-stuffed man, a girl, a grasshopper and a frozen-hearted princess to do it. as for himself, he had never thought of defying the king before. that was why the gardener's boy was not very bold when he entered the castle and passed through to the enclosed court where the king was just then seated, with his favorite courtiers around him. none prevented pon's entrance, because he was known to be the gardener's boy, but when the king saw him he began to frown fiercely. he considered pon to be to blame for all his trouble with princess gloria, who since her heart had been frozen had escaped to some unknown place, instead of returning to the castle to wed googly-goo, as she had been expected to do. so the king bared his teeth angrily as he demanded: [illustration] "what have you done with princess gloria?" "nothing, your majesty! i have done nothing at all," answered pon in a faltering voice. "she does not love me any more and even refuses to speak to me." "then why are you here, you rascal?" roared the king. pon looked first one way and then another, but saw no means of escape; so he plucked up courage. "i am here to summon your majesty to surrender." "what!" shouted the king. "surrender? surrender to whom?" pon's heart sank to his boots. "to the scarecrow," he replied. some of the courtiers began to titter, but king krewl was greatly annoyed. he sprang up and began to beat poor pon with the golden staff he carried. pon howled lustily and would have run away had not two of the soldiers held him until his majesty was exhausted with punishing the boy. then they let him go and he left the castle and returned along the road, sobbing at every step because his body was so sore and aching. "well," said the scarecrow, "did the king surrender?" "no; but he gave me a good drubbing!" sobbed poor pon. trot was very sorry for pon, but gloria did not seem affected in any way by her lover's anguish. the grasshopper leaped to the scarecrow's shoulder and asked him what he was going to do next. "conquer," was the reply. "but i will go alone, this time, for beatings cannot hurt me at all; nor can lance thrusts--or sword cuts--or arrow pricks." "why is that?" inquired trot. "because i have no nerves, such as you meat people possess. even grasshoppers have nerves, but straw doesn't; so whatever they do--except just one thing--they cannot injure me. therefore i expect to conquer king krewl with ease." "what is that one thing you excepted?" asked trot. "they will never think of it, so never mind. and now, if you will kindly excuse me for a time, i'll go over to the castle and do my conquering." "you have no weapons," pon reminded him. "true," said the scarecrow. "but if i carried weapons i might injure someone--perhaps seriously--and that would make me unhappy. i will just borrow that riding-whip, which i see in the corner of your hut, if you don't mind. it isn't exactly proper to walk with a riding-whip, but i trust you will excuse the inconsistency." pon handed him the whip and the scarecrow bowed to all the party and left the hut, proceeding leisurely along the way to the king's castle. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the ork rescues button-bright i must now tell you what had become of button-bright since he wandered away in the morning and got lost. this small boy, as perhaps you have discovered, was almost as destitute of nerves as the scarecrow. nothing ever astonished him much; nothing ever worried him or made him unhappy. good fortune or bad fortune he accepted with a quiet smile, never complaining, whatever happened. this was one reason why button-bright was a favorite with all who knew him--and perhaps it was the reason why he so often got into difficulties, or found himself lost. to-day, as he wandered here and there, over hill and down dale, he missed trot and cap'n bill, of whom he was fond, but nevertheless he was not unhappy. the birds sang merrily and the wildflowers were beautiful and the breeze had a fragrance of new-mown hay. "the only bad thing about this country is its king," he reflected; "but the country isn't to blame for that." a prairie-dog stuck its round head out of a mound of earth and looked at the boy with bright eyes. "walk around my house, please," it said, "and then you won't harm it or disturb the babies." "all right," answered button-bright, and took care not to step on the mound. he went on, whistling merrily, until a petulant voice cried: "oh, stop it! please stop that noise. it gets on my nerves." button-bright saw an old gray owl sitting in the crotch of a tree, and he replied with a laugh: "all right, old fussy," and stopped whistling until he had passed out of the owl's hearing. at noon he came to a farmhouse where an aged couple lived. they gave him a good dinner and treated him kindly, but the man was deaf and the woman was dumb, so they could answer no questions to guide him on the way to port's house. when he left them he was just as much lost as he had been before. every grove of trees he saw from a distance he visited, for he remembered that the king's castle was near a grove of trees and pon's hut was near the king's castle; but always he met with disappointment. finally, passing through one of these groves, he came out into the open and found himself face to face with the ork. "hello!" said button-bright. "where did _you_ come from?" [illustration] "from orkland," was the reply. "i've found my own country, at last, and it is not far from here, either. i would have come back to you sooner, to see how you are getting along, had not my family and friends welcomed my return so royally that a great celebration was held in my honor. so i couldn't very well leave orkland again until the excitement was over." "can you find your way back home again?" asked the boy. "yes, easily; for now i know exactly where it is. but where are trot and cap'n bill?" button-bright related to the ork their adventures since it had left them in jinxland, telling of trot's fear that the king had done something wicked to cap'n bill, and of pon's love for gloria, and how trot and button-bright had been turned out of the king's castle. that was all the news that the boy had, but it made the ork anxious for the safety of his friends. "we must go to them at once, for they may need us," he said. "i don't know where to go," confessed button-bright. "i'm lost." "well, i can take you back to the hut of the gardener's boy," promised the ork, "for when i fly high in the air i can look down and easily spy the king's castle. that was how i happened to spy you, just entering the grove; so i flew down and waited until you came out." "how can you carry me?" asked the boy. "you'll have to sit straddle my shoulders and put your arms around my neck. do you think you can keep from falling off?" "til try," said button-bright. so the ork squatted down and the boy took his seat and held on tight. then the skinny creature's tail began whirling and up they went, far above all the tree-tops. after the ork had circled around once or twice, its sharp eyes located the towers of the castle and away it flew, straight toward the place. as it hovered in the air, near by the castle, button-bright pointed out pon's hut, so they landed just before it and trot came running out to greet them. gloria was introduced to the ork, who was surprised to find cap'n bill transformed into a grasshopper. "how do you like it?" asked the creature. "why, it worries me a good deal," answered cap'n bill, perched upon trot's shoulder. "i'm always afraid o' bein' stepped on, and i don't like the flavor of grass an' can't seem to get used to it. it's my nature to eat grass, you know, but i begin to suspect it's an acquired taste." "can you give molasses?" asked the ork. "i guess i'm not that kind of a grasshopper," replied cap'n bill. "but i can't say what i might do if i was squeezed--which i hope i won't be." "well," said the ork, "it's a great pity, and i'd like to meet that cruel king and his wicked witch and punish them both severely. you're awfully small, cap'n bill, but i think i would recognize you anywhere by your wooden leg." then the ork and button-bright were told all about gloria's frozen heart and how the scarecrow had come from the land of oz to help them. the ork seemed rather disturbed when it learned that the scarecrow had gone alone to conquer king krewl. "i'm afraid he'll make a fizzle of it," said the skinny creature, "and there's no telling what that terrible king might do to the poor scarecrow, who seems like a very interesting person. so i believe i'll take a hand in this conquest myself." "how?" asked trot. "wait and see," was the reply. "but, first of all, i must fly home again--back to my own country--so if you'll forgive my leaving you so soon, i'll be off at once. stand away from my tail, please, so that the wind from it, when it revolves, won't knock you over." they gave the creature plenty of room and away it went like a flash and soon disappeared in the sky. "i wonder," said button-bright, looking solemnly after the ork, "whether he'll ever come back again." "of course he will!" returned trot. "the ork's a pretty good fellow, and we can depend on him. an' mark my words, button-bright, whenever our ork does come back, there's one cruel king in jinxland that'll wish he hadn't." [illustration] [illustration] chapter the scarecrow meets an enemy the scarecrow was not a bit afraid of king krewl. indeed, he rather enjoyed the prospect of conquering the evil king and putting gloria on the throne of jinxland in his place. so he advanced boldly to the royal castle and demanded admittance. seeing that he was a stranger, the soldiers allowed him to enter. he made his way straight to the throne room, where at that time his majesty was settling the disputes among his subjects. "who are you?" demanded the king. "i'm the scarecrow of oz, and i command you to surrender yourself my prisoner." [illustration] "why should i do that?" inquired the king, much astonished at the straw man's audacity. "because i've decided you are too cruel a king to rule so beautiful a country. you must remember that jinxland is a part of oz, and therefore you owe allegiance to ozma of oz, whose friend and servant i am." now, when he heard this, king krewl was much disturbed in mind, for he knew the scarecrow spoke the truth. but no one had ever before come to jinxland from the land of oz and the king did not intend to be put out of his throne if he could help it. therefore he gave a harsh, wicked laugh of derision and said: "i'm busy, now. stand out of my way, scarecrow, and i'll talk with you by and by." but the scarecrow turned to the assembled courtiers and people and called in a loud voice: "i hereby declare, in the name of ozma of oz, that this man is no longer ruler of jinxland. from this moment princess gloria is your rightful queen, and i ask all of you to be loyal to her and to obey her commands." the people looked fearfully at the king, whom they all hated in their hearts, but likewise feared. krewl was now in a terrible rage and he raised his golden sceptre and struck the scarecrow so heavy a blow that he fell to the floor. but he was up again, in an instant, and with pon's riding-whip he switched the king so hard that the wicked monarch roared with pain as much as with rage, calling on his soldiers to capture the scarecrow. they tried to do that, and thrust their lances and swords into the straw body, but without doing any damage except to make holes in the scarecrow's clothes. however, they were many against one and finally old googly-goo brought a rope which he wound around the scarecrow, binding his legs together and his arms to his sides, and after that the fight was over. the king stormed and danced around in a dreadful fury, for he had never been so switched since he was a boy--and perhaps not then. he ordered the scarecrow thrust into the castle prison, which was no task at all because one man could carry him easily, bound as he was. even after the prisoner was removed the king could not control his anger. he tried to figure out some way to be revenged upon the straw man, but could think of nothing that could hurt him. at last, when the terrified people and the frightened courtiers had all slunk away, old googly-goo approached the king with a malicious grin upon his face. "i'll tell you what to do," said he. "build a big bonfire and burn the scarecrow up, and that will be the end of him." the king was so delighted with this suggestion that he hugged old googly-goo in his joy. "of course!" he cried. "the very thing. why did i not think of it my self?" so he summoned his soldiers and retainers and bade them prepare a great bonfire in an open space in the castle park. also he sent word to all his people to assemble and witness the destruction of the scarecrow who had dared to defy his power. before long a vast throng gathered in the park and the servants had heaped up enough fuel to make a fire that might be seen for miles away--even in the daytime. when all was prepared, the king had his throne brought out for him to sit upon and enjoy the spectacle, and then he sent his soldiers to fetch the scarecrow. [illustration] now the one thing in all the world that the straw man really feared was fire. he knew he would burn very easily and that his ashes wouldn't amount to much afterward. it wouldn't hurt him to be destroyed in such a manner, but he realized that many people in the land of oz, and especially dorothy and the royal ozma, would feel sad if they learned that their old friend the scarecrow was no longer in existence. in spite of this, the straw man was brave and faced his fiery fate like a hero. when they marched him out before the concourse of people he turned to the king with great calmness and said: "this wicked deed will cost you your throne, as well as much suffering, for my friends will avenge my destruction." "your friends are not here, nor will they know what i have done to you, when you are gone and cannot tell them," answered the king in a scornful voice. then he ordered the scarecrow bound to a stout stake that he had had driven into the ground, and the materials for the fire were heaped all around him. when this had been done, the king's brass band struck up a lively tune and old googly-goo came forward with a lighted match and set fire to the pile. [illustration] at once the flames shot up and crept closer and closer toward the scarecrow. the king and all his people were so intent upon this terrible spectacle that none of them noticed how the sky grew suddenly dark. perhaps they thought that the loud buzzing sound--like the noise of a dozen moving railway trains--came from the blazing fagots; that the rush of wind was merely a breeze. but suddenly down swept a flock of orks, half a hundred of them at the least, and the powerful currents of air caused by their revolving tails sent the bonfire scattering in every direction, so that not one burning brand ever touched the scarecrow. but that was not the only effect of this sudden tornado. king krewl was blown out of his throne and went tumbling heels over head until he landed with a bump against the stone wall of his own castle, and before he could rise a big ork sat upon him and held him pressed flat to the ground. old googly-goo shot up into the air like a rocket and landed on a tree, where he hung by the middle on a high limb, kicking the air with his feet and clawing the air with his hands, and howling for mercy like the coward he was. the people pressed back until they were jammed close together, while all the soldiers were knocked over and sent sprawling to the earth. the excitement was great for a few minutes, and every frightened inhabitant of jinxland looked with awe and amazement at the great orks whose descent had served to rescue the scarecrow and conquer king krewl at one and the same time. the ork, who was the leader of the band, soon had the scarecrow free of his bonds. then he said: "well, we were just in time to save you, which is better than being a minute too late. you are now the master here, and we are determined to see your orders obeyed." with this the ork picked up krewl's golden crown, which had fallen off his head, and placed it upon the head of the scarecrow, who in his awkward way then shuffled over to the throne and sat down in it. seeing this, a rousing cheer broke from the crowd of people, who tossed their hats and waved their handkerchiefs and hailed the scarecrow as their king. the soldiers joined the people in the cheering, for now they fully realized that their hated master was conquered and it would be wise to show their good will to the conqueror. some of them bound krewl with ropes and dragged him forward, dumping his body on the ground before the scarecrow's throne. googly-goo struggled until he finally slid off the limb of the tree and came tumbling to the ground. he then tried to sneak away and escape, but the soldiers seized and bound him beside krewl. "the tables are turned," said the scarecrow, swelling out his chest until the straw within it crackled pleasantly, for he was highly pleased; "but it was you and your people who did it, friend ork, and from this time you may count me your humble servant." [illustration] [illustration] chapter the conquest of the witch now as soon as the conquest of king krewl had taken place, one of the orks had been dispatched to pon's house with the joyful news. at once gloria and pon and trot and button-bright hastened toward the castle. they were somewhat surprised by the sight that met their eyes, for there was the scarecrow, crowned king, and all the people kneeling humbly before him. so they likewise bowed low to the new ruler and then stood beside the throne. cap'n bill, as the gray grasshopper, was still perched upon trot's shoulder, but now he hopped to the shoulder of the scarecrow and whispered into the painted ear: "i thought gloria was to be queen of jinxland." the scarecrow shook his head. "not yet," he answered. "no queen with a frozen heart is fit to rule any country." then he turned to his new friend, the ork, who was strutting about, very proud of what he had done, and said: "do you suppose you, or your followers, could find old blinkie the witch?" "where is she?" asked the ork. "somewhere in jinxland, i'm sure." "then," said the ork, "we shall certainly be able to find her." "it will give me great pleasure," declared the scarecrow. "when you have found her, bring her here to me, and i will then decide what to do with her." the ork called his followers together and spoke a few words to them in a low tone. a moment after they rose into the air--so suddenly that the scarecrow, who was very light in weight, was blown quite out of his throne and into the arms of pon, who replaced him carefully upon his seat. there was an eddy of dust and ashes, too, and the grasshopper only saved himself from being whirled into the crowd of people by jumping into a tree, from where a series of hops soon brought him back to trot's shoulder again. the orks were quite out of sight by this time, so the scarecrow made a speech to the people and presented gloria to them, whom they knew well already and were fond of. but not all of them knew of her frozen heart, and when the scarecrow related the story of the wicked witch's misdeeds, which had been encouraged and paid for by krewl and googly-goo, the people were very indignant. meantime the fifty orks had scattered all over jinxland, which is not a very big country, and their sharp eyes were peering into every valley and grove and gully. finally one of them spied a pair of heels sticking out from underneath some bushes, and with a shrill whistle to warn his comrades that the witch was found the ork flew down and dragged old blinkie from her hiding-place. then two or three of the orks seized the clothing of the wicked woman in their strong claws and, lifting her high in the air, where she struggled and screamed to no avail, they flew with her straight to the royal castle and set her down before the throne of the scarecrow. [illustration] [illustration] "good!" exclaimed the straw man, nodding his stuffed head with satisfaction. "now we can proceed to business. mistress witch, i am obliged to request, gently but firmly, that you undo all the wrongs you have done by means of your witchcraft." "pah!" cried old blinkie in a scornful voice. "i defy you all! by my magic powers i can turn you all into pigs, rooting in the mud, and i'll do it if you are not careful." "i think you are mistaken about that," said the scarecrow, and rising from his throne he walked with wobbling steps to the side of the wicked witch. "before i left the land of oz, glinda the royal sorceress gave me a box, which i was not to open except in an emergency. but i feel pretty sure that this occasion is an emergency; don't you, trot?' he asked, turning toward the little girl. "why, we've got to do _something_," replied trot seriously. "things seem in an awful muddle here, jus' now, and they'll be worse if we don't stop this witch from doing more harm to people." "that is my idea, exactly," said the scarecrow, and taking a small box from his pocket he opened the cover and tossed the contents toward blinkie. the old woman shrank back, pale and trembling, as a fine white dust settled all about her. under its influence she seemed to the eyes of all observers to shrivel and grow smaller. "oh, dear--oh, dear!" she wailed, wringing her hands in fear. "haven't you the antidote, scarecrow? didn't the great sorceress give you another box?" "she did," answered the scarecrow. "then give it me--quick!" pleaded the witch. "give it me--and i'll do anything you ask me to!" "you will do what i ask first," declared the scarecrow, firmly. the witch was shriveling and growing smaller every moment. "be quick, then!" she cried. "tell me what i must do and let me do it, or it will be too late." "you made trot's friend, cap'n bill, a grasshopper. i command you to give him back his proper form again," said the scarecrow. "where is he? where's the grasshopper? quick--quick!" she screamed. cap'n bill, who had been deeply interested in this conversation, gave a great leap from trot's shoulder and landed on that of the scarecrow. blinkie saw him alight and at once began to make magic passes and to mumble magic incantations. she was in a desperate hurry, knowing that she had no time to waste, and the grasshopper was so suddenly transformed into the old sailor-man, cap'n bill, that he had no opportunity to jump off the scarecrow's shoulder; so his great weight bore the stuffed scarecrow to the ground. no harm was done, however, and the straw man got up and brushed the dust from his clothes while trot delightedly embraced cap'n bill. "the other box! quick! give me the other box," begged blinkie, who had now shrunk to half her former size. "not yet," said the scarecrow. "you must first melt princess gloria's frozen heart." "i can't; it's an awful job to do that! i can't," asserted the witch, in an agony of fear--for still she was growing smaller. "you must!" declared the scarecrow, firmly. the witch cast a shrewd look at him and saw that he meant it; so she began dancing around gloria in a frantic manner. the princess looked coldly on, as if not at all interested in the proceedings, while blinkie tore a handful of hair from her own head and ripped a strip of cloth from the bottom of her gown. then the witch sank upon her knees, took a purple powder from her black bag and sprinkled it over the hair and cloth. "i hate to do it--i hate to do it!" she wailed, "for there is no more of this magic compound in all the world. but i must sacrifice it to save my own life. a match! give me a match, quick!" and panting from lack of breath she gazed imploringly from one to another. [illustration] cap'n bill was the only one who had a match, but he lost no time in handing it to blinkie, who quickly set fire to the hair and the cloth and the purple powder. at once a purple cloud enveloped gloria, and this gradually turned to a rosy pink color--brilliant and quite transparent. through the rosy cloud they could all see the beautiful princess, standing proud and erect. then her heart became visible, at first frosted with ice but slowly growing brighter and warmer until all the frost had disappeared and it was beating as softly and regularly as any other heart. and now the cloud dispersed and disclosed gloria, her face suffused with joy, smiling tenderly upon the friends who were grouped about her. poor pon stepped forward--timidly, fearing a repulse, but with pleading eyes and arms fondly outstretched toward his former sweetheart--and the princess saw him and her sweet face lighted with a radiant smile. without an instant's hesitation she threw herself into pon's arms and this reunion of two loving hearts was so affecting that the people turned away and lowered their eyes so as not to mar the sacred joy of the faithful lovers. but blinkie's small voice was shouting to the scarecrow for help. "the antidote!" she screamed. "give me the other box--quick!" the scarecrow looked at the witch with his quaint, painted eyes and saw that she was now no taller than his knee. so he took from his pocket the second box and scattered its contents on blinkie. she ceased to grow any smaller, but she could never regain her former size, and this the wicked old woman well knew. [illustration] she did not know, however, that the second powder had destroyed all her power to work magic, and seeking to be revenged upon the scarecrow and his friends she at once began to mumble a charm so terrible in its effect that it would have destroyed half the population of jinxland--had it worked. but it did not work at all, to the amazement of old blinkie. and by this time the scarecrow noticed what the little witch was trying to do, and said to her: "go home, blinkie, and behave yourself. you are no longer a witch, but an ordinary old woman, and since you are powerless to do more evil i advise you to try to do some good in the world. believe me, it is more fun to accomplish a good act than an evil one, as you will discover when once you have tried it." but blinkie was at that moment filled with grief and chagrin at losing her magic powers. she started away toward her home, sobbing and bewailing her fate, and not one who saw her go was at all sorry for her. [illustration] chapter queen gloria next morning the scarecrow called upon all the courtiers and the people to assemble in the throne room of the castle, where there was room enough for all that were able to attend. they found the straw man seated upon the velvet cushions of the throne, with the king's glittering crown still upon his stuffed head. on one side of the throne, in a lower chair, sat gloria, looking radiantly beautiful and fresh as a new-blown rose. on the other side sat pon, the gardener's boy, still dressed in his old smock frock and looking sad and solemn; for pon could not make himself believe that so splendid a princess would condescend to love him when she had come to her own and was seated upon a throne. trot and cap'n bill sat at the feet of the scarecrow and were much interested in the proceedings. button-bright had lost himself before breakfast, but came into the throne room before the ceremonies were over. back of the throne stood a row of the great orks, with their leader in the center, and the entrance to the palace was guarded by more orks, who were regarded with wonder and awe. when all were assembled, the scarecrow stood up and made a speech. he told how gloria's father, the good king kynd, who had once ruled them and been loved by everyone, had been destroyed by king phearse, the father of pon, and how king phearse had been destroyed by king krewl. this last king had been a bad ruler, as they knew very well, and the scarecrow declared that the only one in all jinxland who had the right to sit upon the throne was princess gloria, the daughter of king kynd. "but," he added, "it is not for me, a stranger, to say who shall rule you. you must decide for yourselves, or you will not be content. so choose now who shall be your future ruler." and they all shouted: "the scarecrow! the scarecrow shall rule us!" which proved that the stuffed man had made himself very popular by his conquest of king krewl, and the people thought they would like him for their king. but the scarecrow shook his head so vigorously that it became loose, and trot had to pin it firmly to his body again. "no," said he, "i belong in the land of oz, where i am the humble servant of the lovely girl who rules us all the royal ozma. you must choose one of your own inhabitants to rule over jinxland. who shall it be?" they hesitated for a moment, and some few cried: "pon!" but many more shouted: "gloria!" so the scarecrow took gloria's hand and led her to the throne, where he first seated her and then took the glittering crown off his own head and placed it upon that of the young lady, where it nestled prettily amongst her soft curls. the people cheered and shouted then, kneeling before their new queen; but gloria leaned down and took pon's hand in both her own and raised him to the seat beside her. "you shall have both a king and a queen to care for you and to protect you, my dear subjects," she said in a sweet voice, while her face glowed with happiness; "for pon was a king's son before he became a gardener's boy, and because i love him he is to be my royal consort." that pleased them all, especially pon, who realized that this was the most important moment of his life. trot and button-bright and cap'n bill all congratulated him on winning the beautiful gloria; but the ork sneezed twice and said that in his opinion the young lady might have done better. then the scarecrow ordered the guards to bring in the wicked krewl, king no longer, and when he appeared, loaded with chains and dressed in fustian, the people hissed him and drew back as he passed so their garments would not touch him. krewl was not haughty or overbearing any more; on the contrary he seemed very meek and in great fear of the fate his conquerors had in store for him. but gloria and pon were too happy to be revengeful and so they offered to appoint krewl to the position of gardener's boy at the castle, pon having resigned to become king. but they said he must promise to reform his wicked ways and to do his duty faithfully, and he must change his name from krewl to grewl. all this the man eagerly promised to do, and so when pon retired to a room in the castle to put on princely raiment, the old brown smock he had formerly worn was given to grewl, who then went out into the garden to water the roses. [illustration] the remainder of that famous day, which was long remembered in jinxland, was given over to feasting and merrymaking. in the evening there was a grand dance in the courtyard, where the brass band played a new piece of music called the "ork trot" which was dedicated to "our glorious gloria, the queen." while the queen and pon were leading this dance, and all the jinxland people were having a good time, the strangers were gathered in a group in the park outside the castle. cap'n bill, trot, button-bright and the scarecrow were there, and so was their old friend the ork; but of all the great flock of orks which had assisted in the conquest but three remained in jinxland, besides their leader, the others having returned to their own country as soon as gloria was crowned queen. to the young ork who had accompanied them in their adventures cap'n bill said: "you've surely been a friend in need, and we're mighty grateful to you for helping us. i might have been a grasshopper yet if it hadn't been for you, an' i might remark that bein' a grasshopper isn't much fun." "if it hadn't been for you, friend ork," said the scarecrow, "i fear i could not have conquered king krewl." "no," agreed trot, "you'd have been just a heap of ashes by this time." "and i might have been lost yet," added button-bright. "much obliged, mr. ork." "oh, that's all right," replied the ork. "friends must stand together, you know, or they wouldn't be friends. but now i must leave you and be off to my own country, where there's going to be a surprise party on my uncle, and i've promised to attend it." "dear me," said the scarecrow, regretfully. "that is very unfortunate." "why so?" asked the ork. "i hoped you would consent to carry us over those mountains, into the land of oz. my mission here is now finished and i want to get back to the emerald city." "how did you cross the mountains before?" inquired the ork. "i scaled the cliffs by means of a rope, and crossed the great gulf on a strand of spider web. of course i can return in the same manner, but it would be a hard journey and perhaps an impossible one for trot and button-bright and cap'n bill. so i thought that if you had the time you and your people would carry us over the mountains and land us all safely on the other side, in the land of oz." the ork thoughtfully considered the matter for a while. then he said: "i mustn't break my promise to be present at the surprise party; but, tell me, could you go to oz to-night?" "what, now?" exclaimed trot. "it is a fine moonlight night," said the ork, "and i've found in my experience that there's no time so good as right away. the fact is," he explained, "it's a long journey to orkland and i and my cousins here are all rather tired by our day's work. but if you will start now, and be content to allow us to carry you over the mountains and dump you on the other side, just say the word and--off we go!" cap'n bill and trot looked at one another questioningly. the little girl was eager to visit the famous fairyland of oz and the old sailor had endured such hardships in jinxland that he would be glad to be out of it. "it's rather impolite of us not to say good-bye to the new king and queen," remarked the scarecrow, "but i'm sure they're too happy to miss us, and i assure you it will be much easier to fly on the backs of the orks over those steep mountains than to climb them as i did." "all right; let's go!" trot decided. "but where's button-bright?" just at this important moment button-bright was lost again, and they all scattered in search of him. he had been standing beside them just a few minutes before, but his friends had an exciting hunt for him before they finally discovered the boy seated among the members of the band, beating the end of the bass drum with the bone of a turkey-leg that he had taken from the table in the banquet room. "hello, trot," he said, looking up at the little girl when she found him. "this is the first chance i ever had to pound a drum with a regular drum stick. and i ate all the meat off the bone myself." "come quick. we're going to the land of oz." "oh, what's the hurry?" said button-bright; but she seized his arm and dragged him away to the park, where the others were waiting. trot climbed upon the back of her old friend, the ork leader, and the others took their seats on the backs of his three cousins. as soon as all were placed and clinging to the skinny necks of the creatures, the revolving tails began to whirl and up rose the four monster orks and sailed away toward the mountains. they were so high in the air that when they passed the crest of the highest peak it seemed far below them. no sooner were they well across the barrier than the orks swooped downward and landed their passengers upon the ground. "here we are, safe in the land of oz!' cried the scarecrow joyfully. "oh, are we?" asked trot, looking around her curiously. she could see the shadows of stately trees and the outlines of rolling hills; beneath her feet was soft turf, but otherwise the subdued light of the moon disclosed nothing clearly. "seems jus' like any other country," was cap'n bill's comment. [illustration] "but it isn't," the scarecrow assured him. "you are now within the borders of the most glorious fairyland in all the world. this part of it is just a corner of the quadling country, and the least interesting portion of it. it's not very thickly settled, around here, i'll admit, but--" he was interrupted by a sudden whir and a rush of air as the four orks mounted into the sky. "good night!" called the shrill voices of the strange creatures, and although trot shouted "good night!" as loudly as she could, the little girl was almost ready to cry because the orks had not waited to be properly thanked for all their kindness to her and to cap'n bill. but the orks were gone, and thanks for good deeds do not amount to much except to prove one's politeness. "well, friends," said the scarecrow, "we mustn't stay here in the meadows all night, so let us find a pleasant place to sleep. not that it matters to me, in the least, for i never sleep; but i know that meat people like to shut their eyes and lie still during the dark hours." "i'm pretty tired," admitted trot, yawning as she followed the straw man along a tiny path, "so, if you don't find a house handy, cap'n bill and i will sleep under the trees, or even on this soft grass." but a house was not very far off, although when the scarecrow stumbled upon it there was no light in it whatever. cap'n bill knocked on the door several times, and there being no response the scarecrow boldly lifted the latch and walked in, followed by the others. and no sooner had they entered than a soft light filled the room. trot couldn't tell where it came from, for no lamp of any sort was visible, but she did not waste much time on this problem, because directly in the center of the room stood a table set for three, with lots of good food on it and several of the dishes smoking hot. [illustration] the little girl and button-bright both uttered exclamations of pleasure, but they looked in vain for any cook stove or fireplace, or for any person who might have prepared for them this delicious feast. "it's fairyland," muttered the boy, tossing his cap in a corner and seating himself at the table. "this supper smells 'most as good as that turkey-leg i had in jinxland. please pass the muffins, cap'n bill." trot thought it was strange that no people but themselves were in the house, but on the wall opposite the door was a gold frame bearing in big letters the word: "welcome." so she had no further hesitation in eating of the food so mysteriously prepared for them. "but there are only places for three!' she exclaimed. "three are quite enough," said the scarecrow. "i never eat, because i am stuffed full already, and i like my nice clean straw better than i do food." trot and the sailor-man were hungry and made a hearty meal, for not since they had left home had they tasted such good food. it was surprising that button-bright could eat so soon after his feast in jinxland, but the boy always ate whenever there was an opportunity. "if i don't eat now," he said, "the next time i'm hungry i'll wish i had." "really, cap'n," remarked trot, when she found a dish of ice-cream appear beside her plate, "i b'lieve this is fairyland, sure enough." "there's no doubt of it, trot," he answered gravely. "i've been here before," said button-bright, "so i know." after supper they discovered three tiny bedrooms adjoining the big living room of the house, and in each room was a comfortable white bed with downy pillows. you may be sure that the tired mortals were not long in bidding the scarecrow good night and creeping into their beds, where they slept soundly until morning. for the first time since they set eyes on the terrible whirlpool, trot and cap'n bill were free from anxiety and care. button-bright never worried about anything. the scarecrow, not being able to sleep, looked out of the window and tried to count the stars. [illustration] chapter dorothy, betsy and ozma i suppose many of my readers have read descriptions of the beautiful and magnificent emerald city of oz, so i need not describe it here, except to state that never has any city in any fairyland ever equalled this one in stately splendor. it lies almost exactly in the center of the land of oz, and in the center of the emerald city rises the wall of glistening emeralds that surrounds the palace of ozma. the palace is almost a city in itself and is inhabited by many of the ruler's especial friends and those who have won her confidence and favor. as for ozma herself, there are no words in any dictionary i can find that are fitted to describe this young girl's beauty of mind and person. merely to see her is to love her for her charming face and manners; to know her is to love her for her tender sympathy, her generous nature, her truth and honor. born of a long line of fairy queens, ozma is as nearly perfect as any fairy may be, and she is noted for her wisdom as well as for her other qualities. her happy subjects adore their girl ruler and each one considers her a comrade and protector. at the time of which i write, ozma's best friend and most constant companion was a little kansas girl named dorothy, a mortal who had come to the land of oz in a very curious manner and had been offered a home in ozma's palace. furthermore, dorothy had been made a princess of oz, and was as much at home in the royal palace as was the gentle ruler. she knew almost every part of the great country and almost all of its numerous inhabitants. next to ozma she was loved better than anyone in all oz, for dorothy was simple and sweet, seldom became angry and had such a friendly, chummy way that she made friends wherever she wandered. it was she who first brought the scarecrow and the tin woodman and the cowardly lion to the emerald city. dorothy had also introduced to ozma the shaggy man and the hungry tiger, as well as billina the yellow hen, eureka the pink kitten, and many other delightful characters and creatures. coming as she did from our world, dorothy was much like many other girls we know; so there were times when she was not so wise as she might have been, and other times when she was obstinate and got herself into trouble. but life in a fairyland had taught the little girl to accept all sorts of surprising things as matters-of-course, for while dorothy was no fairy--but just as mortal as we are--she had seen more wonders than most mortals ever do. another little girl from our outside world also lived in ozma's palace. this was betsy bobbin, whose strange adventures had brought her to the emerald city, where ozma had cordially welcomed her. betsy was a shy little thing and could never get used to the marvels that surrounded her, but she and dorothy were firm friends and thought themselves very fortunate in being together in this delightful country. one day dorothy and betsy were visiting ozma in the girl ruler's private apartment, and among the things that especially interested them was ozma's magic picture, set in a handsome frame and hung upon the wall of the room. this picture was a magic one because it constantly changed its scenes and showed events and adventures happening in all parts of the world. thus it was really a "moving picture" of life, and if the one who stood before it wished to know what any absent person was doing, the picture instantly showed that person, with his or her surroundings. the two girls were not wishing to see anyone in particular, on this occasion, but merely enjoyed watching the shifting scenes, some of which were exceedingly curious and remarkable. suddenly dorothy exclaimed: "why, there's button-bright!" and this drew ozma also to look at the picture, for she and dorothy knew the boy well. "who is button-bright?" asked betsy, who had never met him. "why, he's the little boy who is just getting off the back of that strange flying creature," exclaimed dorothy. then she turned to ozma and asked: "what is that thing, ozma? a bird? i've never seen anything like it before." [illustration] "it is an ork," answered ozma, for they were watching the scene where the ork and the three big birds were first landing their passengers in jinxland, after the long flight across the desert. "i wonder," added the girl ruler, musingly, "why those strangers dare venture into that unfortunate country, which is ruled by a wicked king." "that girl, and the one-legged man, seem to be mortals from the outside world," said dorothy. "the man isn't one-legged," corrected betsy; "he has one wooden leg." "it's almost as bad," declared dorothy, watching cap'n bill stump around. "they are three mortal adventurers," said ozma, "and they seem worthy and honest. but i fear they will be treated badly in jinxland, and if they meet with any misfortune there it will reflect upon me, for jinxland is a part of my dominions." "can't we help them in any way?" inquired dorothy. "that seems like a nice little girl. i'd be sorry if anything happened to her." "let us watch the picture for awhile," suggested ozma, and so they all drew chairs before the magic picture and followed the adventures of trot and cap'n bill and button-bright. presently the scene shifted and showed their friend the scarecrow crossing the mountains into jinxland, and that somewhat relieved ozma's anxiety, for she knew at once that glinda the good had sent the scarecrow to protect the strangers. the adventures in jinxland proved very interesting to the three girls in ozma's palace, who during the succeeding days spent much of their time in watching the picture. it was like a story to them. [illustration: dorothy] "that girl's a reg'lar trump!' exclaimed dorothy, referring to trot, and ozma answered: "she's a dear little thing, and i'm sure nothing very bad will happen to her. the old sailor is a fine character, too, for he has never once grumbled over being a grasshopper, as so many would have done." when the scarecrow was so nearly burned up the girls all shivered a little, and they clapped their hands in joy when the flock of orks came and saved him. so it was that when all the exciting adventures in jinxland were over and the four orks had begun their flight across the mountains to carry the mortals into the land of oz, ozma called the wizard to her and asked him to prepare a place for the strangers to sleep. the famous wizard of oz was a quaint little man who inhabited the royal palace and attended to all the magical things that ozma wanted done. he was not as powerful as glinda, to be sure, but he could do a great many wonderful things. he proved this by placing a house in the uninhabited part of the quadling country where the orks landed cap'n bill and trot and button-bright, and fitting it with all the comforts i have described in the last chapter. next morning dorothy said to ozma: "oughtn't we to go meet the strangers, so we can show them the way to the emerald city? i'm sure that little girl will feel shy in this beautiful land, and i know if 'twas me i'd like somebody to give me a welcome." ozma smiled at her little friend and answered: "you and betsy may go to meet them, if you wish, but i can not leave my palace just now, as i am to have a conference with jack pumpkinhead and professor wogglebug on important matters. you may take the sawhorse and the red wagon, and if you start soon you will be able to meet the scarecrow and the strangers at glinda's palace." "oh, thank you!" cried dorothy, and went away to tell betsy and to make preparations for the journey. [illustration: betsy] [illustration] chapter the waterfall glinda's castle was a long way from the mountains, but the scarecrow began the journey cheerfully, since time was of no great importance in the land of oz and he had recently made the trip and knew the way. it never mattered much to button-bright where he was or what he was doing; the boy was content in being alive and having good companions to share his wanderings. as for trot and cap'n bill, they now found themselves so comfortable and free from danger, in this fine fairyland, and they were so awed and amazed by the adventures they were encountering, that the journey to glinda's castle was more like a pleasure trip than a hardship, so many wonderful things were there to see. button-bright had been in oz before, but never in this part of it, so the scarecrow was the only one who knew the paths and could lead them. they had eaten a hearty breakfast, which they found already prepared for them and awaiting them on the table when they arose from their refreshing sleep, so they left the magic house in a contented mood and with hearts lighter and more happy than they had known for many a day. as they marched along through the fields, the sun shone brightly and the breeze was laden with delicious fragrance, for it carried with it the breath of millions of wildflowers. at noon, when they stopped to rest by the banks of a pretty river, trot said with a long-drawn breath that was much like a sigh: "i wish we'd brought with us some of the food that was left from our breakfast, for i'm getting hungry again." scarcely had she spoken when a table rose up before them, as if from the ground itself, and it was loaded with fruits and nuts and cakes and many other good things to eat. the little girl's eyes opened wide at this display of magic, and cap'n bill was not sure that the things were actually there and fit to eat until he had taken them in his hand and tasted them. but the scarecrow said with a laugh: "someone is looking after your welfare, that is certain, and from the looks of this table i suspect my friend the wizard has taken us in his charge. i've known him to do things like this before, and if we are in the wizard's care you need not worry about your future." "who's worrying?" inquired button-bright, already at the table and busily eating. the scarecrow looked around the place while the others were feasting, and finding many things unfamiliar to him he shook his head and remarked: "i must have taken the wrong path, back in that last valley, for on my way to jinxland i remember that i passed around the foot of this river, where there was a great waterfall." "did the river make a bend, after the waterfall?" asked cap'n bill. "no, the river disappeared. only a pool of whirling water showed what had become of the river; but i suppose it is under ground, somewhere, and will come to the surface again in another part of the country." "well," suggested trot, as she finished her luncheon, "as there is no way to cross this river, i s'pose we'll have to find that waterfall, and go around it." "exactly," replied the scarecrow; so they soon renewed their journey, following the river for a long time until the roar of the waterfall sounded in their ears. by and by they came to the waterfall itself, a sheet of silver dropping far, far down into a tiny lake which seemed to have no outlet. from the top of the fall, where they stood, the banks gradually sloped away, so that the descent by land was quite easy, while the river could do nothing but glide over an edge of rock and tumble straight down to the depths below. "you see," said the scarecrow, leaning over the brink, "this is called by our oz people the great waterfall, because it is certainly the highest one in all the land; but i think--help!" [illustration] he had lost his balance and pitched headforemost into the river. they saw a flash of straw and blue clothes, and the painted face looking upward in surprise. the next moment the scarecrow was swept over the waterfall and plunged into the basin below. the accident had happened so suddenly that for a moment they were all too horrified to speak or move. "quick! we must go to help him or he will be drowned," trot exclaimed. even while speaking she began to descend the bank to the pool below, and cap'n bill followed as swiftly as his wooden leg would let him. button-bright came more slowly, calling to the girl: "he can't drown, trot; he's a scarecrow." but she wasn't sure a scarecrow couldn't drown and never relaxed her speed until she stood on the edge of the pool, with the spray dashing in her face. cap'n bill, puffing and panting, had just voice enough to ask, as he reached her side: "see him, trot?" "not a speck of him. oh, cap'n, what do you s'pose has become of him?" "i s'pose," replied the sailor, "that he's in that water, more or less far down, and i'm 'fraid it'll make his straw pretty soggy. but as fer his bein' drowned, i agree with button-bright that it can't be done." [illustration] there was small comfort in this assurance and trot stood for some time searching with her eyes the bubbling water, in the hope that the scarecrow would finally come to the surface. presently she heard button-bright calling: "come here, trot!" and looking around she saw that the boy had crept over the wet rocks to the edge of the waterfall and seemed to be peering behind it. making her way toward him, she asked: "what do you see?" "a cave," he answered. "let's go in. perhaps we'll find the scarecrow there." she was a little doubtful of that, but the cave interested her, and so did it cap'n bill. there was just space enough at the edge of the sheet of water for them to crowd in behind it, but after that dangerous entrance they found room enough to walk upright and after a time they came to an opening in the w r all of rock. approaching this opening, they gazed within it and found a series of steps, cut so that they might easily descend into the cavern. trot turned to look inquiringly at her companions. the falling water made such din and roaring that her voice could not be heard. cap'n bill nodded his head, but before he could enter the cave, button-bright was before him, clambering down the steps without a particle of fear. so the others followed the boy. the first steps were wet with spray, and slippery, but the remainder were quite dry. a rosy light seemed to come from the interior of the cave, and this lighted their way. after the steps there was a short tunnel, high enough for them to walk erect in, and then they reached the cave itself and paused in wonder and admiration. they stood on the edge of a vast cavern, the walls and domed roof of which were lined with countless rubies, exquisitely cut and flashing sparkling rays from one to another. this caused a radiant light that permitted the entire cavern to be distinctly seen, and the effect was so marvelous that trot drew in her breath with a sort of a gasp, and stood quite still in wonder. but the walls and roof of the cavern were merely a setting for a more wonderful scene. in the center was a bubbling cauldron of water, for here the river rose again, splashing and dashing till its spray rose high in the air, where it took the ruby color of the jewels and seemed like a seething mass of flame. and while they gazed into the tumbling, tossing water, the body of the scarecrow suddenly rose in the center, struggling and kicking, and the next instant wholly disappeared from view. "my, but he's wet!" exclaimed button-bright; but none of the others heard him. trot and cap'n bill discovered that a broad ledge--covered, like the walls, with glittering rubies--ran all around the cavern; so they followed this gorgeous path to the rear and found where the water made its final dive underground, before it disappeared entirely. where it plunged into this dim abyss the river was black and dreary looking, and they stood gazing in awe until just beside them the body of the scarecrow again popped up from the water. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the land of oz the straw man's appearance on the water was so sudden that it startled trot, but cap'n bill had the presence of mind to stick his wooden leg out over the water and the scarecrow made a desperate clutch and grabbed the leg with both hands. he managed to hold on until trot and button-bright knelt down and seized his clothing, but the children would have been powerless to drag the soaked scarecrow ashore had not cap'n bill now assisted them. when they laid him on the ledge of rubies he was the most useless looking scarecrow you can imagine--his straw sodden and dripping with water, his clothing wet and crumpled, while even the sack upon which his face was painted had become so wrinkled that the old jolly expression of their stuffed friend's features was entirely gone. but he could still speak, and when trot bent down her ear she heard him say: "get me out of here as soon as you can." that seemed a wise thing to do, so cap'n bill lifted his head and shoulders, and trot and button-bright each took a leg; among them they partly carried and partly dragged the damp scarecrow out of the ruby cavern, along the tunnel, and up the flight of rock steps. it was somewhat difficult to get him past the edge of the waterfall, but they succeeded, after much effort, and a few minutes later laid their poor comrade on a grassy bank where the sun shone upon him freely and he was beyond the reach of the spray. cap'n bill now knelt down and examined the straw that the scarecrow was stuffed with. "i don't believe it'll be of much use to him, any more," said he, "for it's full of polliwogs an' fish eggs, an' the water has took all the crinkle out o' the straw an' ruined it. i guess, trot, that the best thing for us to do is to empty out all his body an' carry his head an' clothes along the road till we come to a field or a house where we can get some fresh straw." "yes, cap'n," she agreed, "there's nothing else to be done. but how shall we ever find the road to glinda's palace, without the scarecrow to guide us?" "that's easy," said the scarecrow, speaking in a rather feeble but distinct voice. "if cap'n bill will carry my head on his shoulders, eyes front, i can tell him which way to go." so they followed that plan and emptied all the old, wet straw out of the scarecrow's body. then the sailor-man wrung out the clothes and laid them in the sun till they were quite dry. trot took charge of the head and pressed the wrinkles out of the face as it dried, so that after a while the scarecrow's expression became natural again, and as jolly as before. this work consumed some time, but when it was completed they again started upon their journey, button-bright carrying the boots and hat, trot the bundle of clothes, and cap'n bill the head. the scarecrow, having regained his composure and being now in a good humor, despite his recent mishaps, beguiled their way with stories of the land of oz. [illustration] it was not until the next morning, however, that they found straw with which to restuff the scarecrow. that evening they came to the same little house they had slept in before, only now it was magically transferred to a new place. the same bountiful supper as before was found smoking hot upon the table and the same cosy beds were ready for them to sleep in. they rose early and after breakfast went out of doors, and there, lying just beside the house, was a heap of clean, crisp straw. ozma had noticed the scarecrow's accident in her magic picture and had notified the wizard to provide the straw, for she knew the adventurers were not likely to find straw in the country through which they were now traveling. they lost no time in stuffing the scarecrow anew, and he was greatly delighted at being able to walk around again and to assume the leadership of the little party. "really," said trot, "i think you're better than you were before, for you are fresh and sweet all through and rustle beautifully when you move." "thank you, my dear," he replied gratefully. "i always feel like a new man when i'm freshly stuffed. no one likes to get musty, you know, and even good straw may be spoiled by age." "it was water that spoiled you, the last time," remarked button-bright, "which proves that too much bathing is as bad as too little. but, after all, scarecrow, water is not as dangerous for you as fire." "all things are good in moderation," declared the scarecrow. "but now, let us hurry on, or we shall not reach glinda's palace by nightfall." [illustration] [illustration] chapter the royal reception at about four o'clock of that same day the red wagon drew up at the entrance to glinda's palace and dorothy and betsy jumped out. ozma's red wagon was almost a chariot, being inlaid with rubies and pearls, and it was drawn by ozma's favorite steed, the wooden sawhorse. "shall i unharness you," asked dorothy, "so you can come in and visit?" "no," replied the sawhorse. "til just stand here and think. take your time. thinking doesn't seem to bore me at all." "what will you think of?" inquired betsy. "of the acorn that grew the tree from which i was made." so they left the wooden animal and went in to see glinda, who welcomed the little girls in her most cordial manner. "i knew you were on your way," said the good sorceress when they were seated in her library, "for i learned from my record book that you intended to meet trot and button-bright on their arrival here." "is the strange little girl named trot?' asked dorothy. "yes; and her companion, the old sailor, is named cap'n bill. i think we shall like them very much, for they are just the kind of people to enjoy and appreciate our fairyland and i do not see any way, at present, for them to return again to the outside world." "well, there's room enough here for them, i'm sure," said dorothy. "betsy and i are already eager to welcome trot. it will keep us busy for a year, at least, showing her all the wonderful things in oz." glinda smiled. "i have lived here many years," said she, "and i have not seen all the wonders of oz vet." meantime the travelers were drawing near to the palace, and when they first caught sight of its towers trot realized that it was far more grand and imposing than was the king's castle in jinxland. the nearer they came, the more beautiful the palace appeared, and when finally the scarecrow led them up the great marble steps, even button-bright was filled with awe. "i don't see any soldiers to guard the place," said the little girl. "there is no need to guard glinda's palace," replied the scarecrow. "we have no wicked people in oz, that we know of, and even if there were any, glinda's magic would be powerful enough to protect her." button-bright was now standing on the top steps of the entrance, and he suddenly exclaimed: "why, there's the sawhorse and the red wagon! hip, hooray!" and next moment he was rushing down to throw his arms around the neck of the wooden horse, which good-naturedly permitted this familiarity when it recognized in the boy an old friend. button-bright's shout had been heard inside the palace, so now dorothy and betsy came running out to embrace their beloved friend, the scarecrow, and to welcome trot and cap'n bill to the land of oz. "we've been watching you for a long time, in ozma's magic picture," said dorothy, "and ozma has sent us to invite you to her own palace in the em'rald city. i don't know if you realize how lucky you are to get that invitation, but you'll understand it better after you've seen the royal palace and the em'rald city." glinda now appeared in person to lead all the party into her azure reception room. trot was a little afraid of the stately sorceress, but gained courage by holding fast to the hands of betsy and dorothy. cap'n bill had no one to help him feel at ease, so the old sailor sat stiffly on the edge of his chair and said: "yes, ma'am," or "no, ma'am," when he was spoken to, and was greatly embarrassed by so much splendor. the scarecrow had lived so much in palaces that he felt quite at home, and he chatted to glinda and the oz girls in a merry, light-hearted way. he told all about his adventures in jinxland, and at the great waterfall, and on the journey hither--most of which his hearers knew already--and then he asked dorothy and betsy what had happened in the emerald city since he had left there. they all passed the evening and the night at glinda's palace, and the sorceress was so gracious to cap'n bill that the old man by degrees regained his self-possession and began to enjoy himself. trot had already come to the conclusion that in dorothy and betsy she had found two delightful comrades, and button-bright was just as much at home here as he had been in the fields of jinxland or when he was buried in the popcorn snow of the land of mo. the next morning they arose bright and early and after breakfast bade good-bye to the kind sorceress, whom trot and cap'n bill thanked earnestly for sending the scarecrow to jinxland to rescue them. then they all climbed into the red wagon. there was room for all on the broad seats, and when all had taken their places--dorothy, trot and betsy on the rear seat and cap'n bill, button-bright and the scarecrow in front--they called "gid-dap!" to the sawhorse and the wooden steed moved briskly away, pulling the red wagon with ease. it was now that the strangers began to perceive the real beauties of the land of oz, for they were passing through a more thickly settled part of the country and the population grew more dense as they drew nearer to the emerald city. everyone they met had a cheery word or a smile for the scarecrow, dorothy and betsy bobbin, and some of them remembered button-bright and welcomed him back to their country. it was a happy party, indeed, that journeyed in the red wagon to the emerald city, and trot already began to hope that ozma would permit her and cap'n bill to live always in the land of oz. when they reached the great city they were more amazed than ever, both by the concourse of people in their quaint and picturesque costumes, and by the splendor of the city itself. but the magnificence of the royal palace quite took their breath away, until ozma received them in her own pretty apartment and by her charming manners and assuring smiles made them feel they were no longer strangers. trot was given a lovely little room next to that of dorothy, while cap'n bill had the cosiest sort of a room next to trot's and overlooking the gardens. and that evening ozma gave a grand banquet and reception in honor of the new arrivals. while trot had read of many of the people she then met, cap'n bill was less familiar with them and many of the unusual characters introduced to him that evening caused the old sailor to open his eyes wide in astonishment. [illustration] [illustration] he had thought the live scarecrow about as curious as anyone could be, but now he met the tin woodman, who was all made of tin, even to his heart, and carried a gleaming axe over his shoulder wherever he went. then there was jack pumpkinhead, whose head was a real pumpkin with the face carved upon it; and professor wogglebug, who had the shape of an enormous bug but was dressed in neat fitting garments. the professor was an interesting talker and had very polite manners, but his face was so comical that it made cap'n bill smile to look at it. a great friend of dorothy and ozma seemed to be a machine man called tik-tok, who ran down several times during the evening and had to be wound up again by someone before he could move or speak. at the reception appeared the shaggy man and his brother, both very popular in oz, as well as dorothy's uncle henry and aunt em, two happy old people who lived in a pretty cottage near the palace. but what perhaps seemed most surprising to both trot and cap'n bill was the number of peculiar animals admitted into ozma's parlors, where they not only conducted themselves quite properly but were able to talk as well as anyone. there was the cowardly lion, an immense beast with a beautiful mane; and the hungry tiger, who smiled continually; and eureka the pink kitten, who lay curled upon a cushion and had rather supercilious manners; and the wooden sawhorse; and nine tiny piglets that belonged to the wizard; and a mule named hank, who belonged to betsy bobbin. a fuzzy little terrier dog, named toto, lay at dorothy's feet but seldom took part in the conversation, although he listened to every word that was said. but the most wonderful of all to trot was a square beast with a winning smile, that squatted in a corner of the room and wagged his square head at everyone in quite a jolly way. betsy told trot that this unique beast was called the woozy, and there was no other like him in all the world. cap'n bill and trot had both looked around expectantly for the wizard of oz, but the evening was far advanced before the famous little man entered the room. but he went up to the strangers at once and said: "i know you, but you don't know me; so let's get acquainted." and they did get acquainted, in a very short time, and before the evening was over trot felt that she knew every person and animal present at the reception, and that they were all her good friends. suddenly they looked around for button-bright, but he was nowhere to be found. "dear me!" cried trot. "he's lost again." "never mind, my dear," said ozma, with her charming smile, "no one can go far astray in the land of oz, and if button-bright isn't lost occasionally, he isn't happy." [illustration] * * * * * transcriber notes all illustrations were placed so as to not split paragraphs. the color illustrations were grouped together (between pages and ) in the printed version; but have been moved to the relevent point within the story. minor typos corrected. available by internet archive (https://archive.org) note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h.zip) images of the original pages are available through internet archive. see https://archive.org/details/tiktokofoz baum transcriber's note: text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). [illustration] tik-tok of oz [illustration] tik-tok of oz by l. frank baum author of the road to oz, dorothy and the wizard in oz, the emerald city of oz, the land of oz, ozma of oz, the patchwork girl of oz [illustration] illustrated by john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago [illustration: copyright by l frank baum all rights reserved] [illustration: to louis f. gottschalk, whose sweet and dainty melodies breathe the true spirit of fairyland, this book is affectionately dedicated] [illustration] to my readers [illustration] the very marked success of my last year's fairy book, "the patchwork girl of oz," convinces me that my readers like the oz stories "best of all," as one little girl wrote me. so here, my dears, is a new oz story in which is introduced ann soforth, the queen of oogaboo, whom tik-tok assisted in conquering our old acquaintance, the nome king. it also tells of betsy bobbin and how, after many adventures, she finally reached the marvelous land of oz. there is a play called "the tik-tok man of oz," but it is not like this story of "tik-tok of oz," although some of the adventures recorded in this book, as well as those in several other oz books, are included in the play. those who have seen the play and those who have read the other oz books will find in this story a lot of strange characters and adventures that they have never heard of before. in the letters i receive from children there has been an urgent appeal for me to write a story that will take trot and cap'n bill to the land of oz, where they will meet dorothy and ozma. also they think button-bright ought to get acquainted with ojo the lucky. as you know, i am obliged to talk these matters over with dorothy by means of the "wireless," for that is the only way i can communicate with the land of oz. when i asked her about this idea, she replied: "why, haven't you heard?" i said "no." "well," came the message over the wireless, "i'll tell you all about it, by and by, and then you can make a book of that story for the children to read." so, if dorothy keeps her word and i am permitted to write another oz book, you will probably discover how all these characters came together in the famous emerald city. meantime, i want to tell all my little friends--whose numbers are increasing by many thousands every year--that i am very grateful for the favor they have shown my books and for the delightful little letters i am constantly receiving. i am almost sure that i have as many friends among the children of america as any story writer alive; and this, of course, makes me very proud and happy. l. frank baum. "ozcot" at hollywood in california, . [illustration] list of chapters chapter page --ann's army --out of oogaboo --magic mystifies the marchers --betsy braves the billows --the roses repulse the refugees --shaggy seeks his stray brother --polychrome's pitiful plight --tik-tok tackles a tough task --ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless --a terrible tumble through a tube --the famous fellowship of fairies --the lovely lady of light --the jinjin's just judgment --the long-eared hearer learns by listening --the dragon defies danger --the naughty nome --a tragic transformation --a clever conquest --king kaliko --quox quietly quits --a bashful brother --kindly kisses --ruggedo reforms --dorothy is delighted --the land of love [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] chapter ann's army "i won't!" cried ann; "i won't sweep the floor. it is beneath my dignity." "some one must sweep it," replied ann's younger sister, salye; "else we shall soon be wading in dust. and you are the eldest, and the head of the family." "i'm queen of oogaboo," said ann, proudly. "but," she added with a sigh, "my kingdom is the smallest and the poorest in all the land of oz." this was quite true. away up in the mountains, in a far corner of the beautiful fairyland of oz, lies a small valley which is named oogaboo, and in this valley lived a few people who were usually happy and contented and never cared to wander over the mountain pass into the more settled parts of the land. they knew that all of oz, including their own territory, was ruled by a beautiful princess named ozma, who lived in the splendid emerald city; yet the simple folk of oogaboo never visited ozma. they had a royal family of their own--not especially to rule over them, but just as a matter of pride. ozma permitted the various parts of her country to have their kings and queens and emperors and the like, but all were ruled over by the lovely girl queen of the emerald city. the king of oogaboo used to be a man named jol jemkiph soforth, who for many years did all the drudgery of deciding disputes and telling his people when to plant cabbages and pickle onions. but the king's wife had a sharp tongue and small respect for the king, her husband; therefore one night king jol crept over the pass into the land of oz and disappeared from oogaboo for good and all. the queen waited a few years for him to return and then started in search of him, leaving her eldest daughter, ann soforth, to act as queen. now, ann had not forgotten when her birthday came, for that meant a party and feasting and dancing, but she had quite forgotten how many years the birthdays marked. in a land where people live always, this is not considered a cause for regret, so we may justly say that queen ann of oogaboo was old enough to make jelly--and let it go at that. but she didn't make jelly, or do any more of the housework than she could help. she was an ambitious woman and constantly resented the fact that her kingdom was so tiny and her people so stupid and unenterprising. often she wondered what had become of her father and mother, out beyond the pass, in the wonderful land of oz, and the fact that they did not return to oogaboo led ann to suspect that they had found a better place to live. so, when salye refused to sweep the floor of the living room in the palace, and ann would not sweep it, either, she said to her sister: "i'm going away. this absurd kingdom of oogaboo tires me." "go, if you want to," answered salye; "but you are very foolish to leave this place." "why?" asked ann. "because in the land of oz, which is ozma's country, you will be a nobody, while here you are a queen." "oh, yes! queen over eighteen men, twenty-seven women and forty-four children!" returned ann bitterly. "well, there are certainly more people than that in the great land of oz," laughed salye. "why don't you raise an army and conquer them, and be queen of all oz?" she asked, trying to taunt ann and so to anger her. then she made a face at her sister and went into the back yard to swing in the hammock. her jeering words, however, had given queen ann an idea. she reflected that oz was reported to be a peaceful country and ozma a mere girl who ruled with gentleness to all and was obeyed because her people loved her. even in oogaboo the story was told that ozma's sole army consisted of twenty-seven fine officers, who wore beautiful uniforms but carried no weapons, because there was no one to fight. once there had been a private soldier, besides the officers, but ozma had made him a captain-general and taken away his gun for fear it might accidentally hurt some one. the more ann thought about the matter the more she was convinced it would be easy to conquer the land of oz and set herself up as ruler in ozma's place, if she but had an army to do it with. afterward she could go out into the world and conquer other lands, and then perhaps she could find a way to the moon, and conquer that. she had a warlike spirit that preferred trouble to idleness. it all depended on an army, ann decided. she carefully counted in her mind all the men of her kingdom. yes; there were exactly eighteen of them, all told. that would not make a very big army, but by surprising ozma's unarmed officers her men might easily subdue them. "gentle people are always afraid of those that bluster," ann told herself. "i don't wish to shed any blood, for that would shock my nerves and i might faint; but if we threaten and flash our weapons i am sure the people of oz will fall upon their knees before me and surrender." this argument, which she repeated to herself more than once, finally determined the queen of oogaboo to undertake the audacious venture. "whatever happens," she reflected, "can make me no more unhappy than my staying shut up in this miserable valley and sweeping floors and quarreling with sister salye; so i will venture all, and win what i may." that very day she started out to organize her army. the first man she came to was jo apple, so called because he had an apple orchard. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i want you to join my army." "don't ask me to do such a fool thing, for i must politely refuse your majesty," said jo apple. "i have no intention of asking you. i shall command you, as queen of oogaboo, to join," said ann. "in that case, i suppose i must obey," the man remarked, in a sad voice. "but i pray you to consider that i am a very important citizen, and for that reason am entitled to an office of high rank." "you shall be a general," promised ann. "with gold epaulets and a sword?" he asked. "of course," said the queen. then she went to the next man, whose name was jo bunn, as he owned an orchard where graham-buns and wheat-buns, in great variety, both hot and cold, grew on the trees. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and i command you to join my army." "impossible!" he exclaimed. "the bun crop has to be picked." "let your wife and children do the picking," said ann. "but i'm a man of great importance, your majesty," he protested. "for that reason you shall be one of my generals, and wear a cocked hat with gold braid, and curl your mustaches and clank a long sword," she promised. so he consented, although sorely against his will, and the queen walked on to the next cottage. here lived jo cone, so called because the trees in his orchard bore crops of excellent ice-cream cones. "jo," said ann, "i am going to conquer the world, and you must join my army." "excuse me, please," said jo cone. "i am a bad fighter. my good wife conquered me years ago, for she can fight better than i. take her, your majesty, instead of me, and i'll bless you for the favor." "this must be an army of men--fierce, ferocious warriors," declared ann, looking sternly upon the mild little man. "and you will leave my wife here in oogaboo?" he asked. "yes; and make you a general." "i'll go," said jo cone, and ann went on to the cottage of jo clock, who had an orchard of clock-trees. this man at first insisted that he would not join the army, but queen ann's promise to make him a general finally won his consent. "how many generals are there in your army?" he asked. "four, so far," replied ann. "and how big will the army be?" was his next question. "i intend to make every one of the eighteen men in oogaboo join it," she said. "then four generals are enough," announced jo clock. "i advise you to make the rest of them colonels." ann tried to follow his advice. the next four men she visited--who were jo plum, jo egg, jo banjo and jo cheese, named after the trees in their orchards--she made colonels of her army; but the fifth one, jo nails, said colonels and generals were getting to be altogether too common in the army of oogaboo and he preferred to be a major. so jo nails, jo cake, jo ham and jo stockings were all four made majors, while the next four--jo sandwich, jo padlocks, jo sundae and jo buttons--were appointed captains of the army. but now queen ann was in a quandary. there remained but two other men in all oogaboo, and if she made these two lieutenants, while there were four captains, four majors, four colonels and four generals, there was likely to be jealousy in her army, and perhaps mutiny and desertions. one of these men, however, was jo candy, and he would not go at all. no promises could tempt him, nor could threats move him. he said he must remain at home to harvest his crop of jackson-balls, lemon-drops, bonbons and chocolate-creams. also he had large fields of crackerjack and buttered pop corn to be mowed and threshed, and he was determined not to disappoint the children of oogaboo by going away to conquer the world and so let the candy crop spoil. finding jo candy so obstinate, queen ann let him have his own way and continued her journey to the house of the eighteenth and last man in oogaboo, who was a young fellow named jo files. this files had twelve trees which bore steel files of various sorts; but also he had nine book-trees, on which grew a choice selection of story-books. in case you have never seen books growing upon trees, i will explain that those in jo files' orchard were enclosed in broad green husks which, when fully ripe, turned to a deep red color. then the books were picked and husked and were ready to read. if they were picked too soon, the stories were found to be confused and uninteresting and the spelling bad. however, if allowed to ripen perfectly, the stories were fine reading and the spelling and grammar excellent. [illustration] files freely gave his books to all who wanted them, but the people of oogaboo cared little for books and so he had to read most of them himself, before they spoiled. for, as you probably know, as soon as the books were read the words disappeared and the leaves withered and faded--which is the worst fault of all books which grow upon trees. when queen ann spoke to this young man files, who was both intelligent and ambitious, he said he thought it would be great fun to conquer the world. but he called her attention to the fact that he was far superior to the other men of her army. therefore, he would not be one of her generals or colonels or majors or captains, but claimed the honor of being sole private. ann did not like this idea at all. "i hate to have a private soldier in my army," she said; "they're so common. i am told that princess ozma once had a private soldier, but she made him her captain-general, which is good evidence that the private was unnecessary." "ozma's army doesn't fight," returned files; "but your army must fight like fury in order to conquer the world. i have read in my books that it is always the private soldiers who do the fighting, for no officer is ever brave enough to face the foe. also, it stands to reason that your officers must have some one to command and to issue their orders to; therefore i'll be the one. i long to slash and slay the enemy and become a hero. then, when we return to oogaboo, i'll take all the marbles away from the children and melt them up and make a marble statue of myself for all to look upon and admire." ann was much pleased with private files. he seemed indeed to be such a warrior as she needed in her enterprise, and her hopes of success took a sudden bound when files told her he knew where a gun-tree grew and would go there at once and pick the ripest and biggest musket the tree bore. [illustration] [illustration] chapter out of oogaboo three days later the grand army of oogaboo assembled in the square in front of the royal palace. the sixteen officers were attired in gorgeous uniforms and carried sharp, glittering swords. the private had picked his gun and, although it was not a very big weapon, files tried to look fierce and succeeded so well that all his commanding officers were secretly afraid of him. the women were there, protesting that queen ann soforth had no right to take their husbands and fathers from them; but ann commanded them to keep silent, and that was the hardest order to obey they had ever received. [illustration: for--ward march!] the queen appeared before her army dressed in an imposing uniform of green, covered with gold braid. she wore a green soldier-cap with a purple plume in it and looked so royal and dignified that everyone in oogaboo except the army was glad she was going. the army was sorry she was not going alone. "form ranks!" she cried in her shrill voice. salye leaned out of the palace window and laughed. "i believe your army can run better than it can fight," she observed. "of course," replied general bunn, proudly. "we're not looking for trouble, you know, but for plunder. the more plunder and the less fighting we get, the better we shall like our work." "for my part," said files, "i prefer war and carnage to anything. the only way to become a hero is to conquer, and the story-books all say that the easiest way to conquer is to fight." "that's the idea, my brave man!" agreed ann. "to fight is to conquer and to conquer is to secure plunder and to secure plunder is to become a hero. with such noble determination to back me, the world is mine! good-bye, salye. when we return we shall be rich and famous. come, generals; let us march." at this the generals straightened up and threw out their chests. then they swung their glittering swords in rapid circles and cried to the colonels: "for--ward march!" then the colonels shouted to the majors: "for--ward march!" and the majors yelled to the captains: "for--ward march!" and the captains screamed to the private: "for--ward march!" so files shouldered his gun and began to march, and all the officers followed after him. queen ann came last of all, rejoicing in her noble army and wondering why she had not decided long ago to conquer the world. in this order the procession marched out of oogaboo and took the narrow mountain pass which led into the lovely fairyland of oz. [illustration] [illustration] chapter magic mystifies the marchers princess ozma was all unaware that the army of oogaboo, led by their ambitious queen, was determined to conquer her kingdom. the beautiful girl ruler of oz was busy with the welfare of her subjects and had no time to think of ann soforth and her disloyal plans. but there was one who constantly guarded the peace and happiness of the land of oz and this was the official sorceress of the kingdom, glinda the good. in her magnificent castle, which stands far north of the emerald city where ozma holds her court, glinda owns a wonderful magic record book, in which is printed every event that takes place anywhere, just as soon as it happens. the smallest things and the biggest things are all recorded in this book. if a child stamps its foot in anger, glinda reads about it; if a city burns down, glinda finds the fact noted in her book. the sorceress always reads her record book every day, and so it was she knew that ann soforth, queen of oogaboo, had foolishly assembled an army of sixteen officers and one private soldier, with which she intended to invade and conquer the land of oz. there was no danger but that ozma, supported by the magic arts of glinda the good and the powerful wizard of oz--both her firm friends--could easily defeat a far more imposing army than ann's; but it would be a shame to have the peace of oz interrupted by any sort of quarreling or fighting. so glinda did not even mention the matter to ozma, or to anyone else. she merely went into a great chamber of her castle, known as the magic room, where she performed a magical ceremony which caused the mountain pass that led from oogaboo to make several turns and twists. the result was that when ann and her army came to the end of the pass they were not in the land of oz at all, but in an adjoining territory that was quite distinct from ozma's domain and separated from oz by an invisible barrier. as the oogaboo people emerged into this country, the pass they had traversed disappeared behind them and it was not likely they would ever find their way back into the valley of oogaboo. they were greatly puzzled, indeed, by their surroundings and did not know which way to go. none of them had ever visited oz, so it took them some time to discover they were not in oz at all, but in an unknown country. "never mind," said ann, trying to conceal her disappointment; "we have started out to conquer the world, and here is part of it. in time, as we pursue our victorious journey, we will doubtless come to oz; but, until we get there, we may as well conquer whatever land we find ourselves in." "have we conquered this place, your majesty?" anxiously inquired major cake. "most certainly," said ann. "we have met no people, as yet, but when we do, we will inform them that they are our slaves." "and afterward we will plunder them of all their possessions," added general apple. "they may not possess anything," objected private files; "but i hope they will fight us, just the same. a peaceful conquest wouldn't be any fun at all." "don't worry," said the queen. "_we_ can fight, whether our foes do or not; and perhaps we would find it more comfortable to have the enemy surrender promptly." it was a barren country and not very pleasant to travel in. moreover, there was little for them to eat, and as the officers became hungry they became fretful. many would have deserted had they been able to find their way home, but as the oogaboo people were now hopelessly lost in a strange country they considered it more safe to keep together than to separate. queen ann's temper, never very agreeable, became sharp and irritable as she and her army tramped over the rocky roads without encountering either people or plunder. she scolded her officers until they became surly, and a few of them were disloyal enough to ask her to hold her tongue. others began to reproach her for leading them into difficulties and in the space of three unhappy days every man was mourning for his orchard in the pretty valley of oogaboo. files, however, proved a different sort. the more difficulties he encountered the more cheerful he became, and the sighs of the officers were answered by the merry whistle of the private. his pleasant disposition did much to encourage queen ann and before long she consulted the private soldier more often than she did his superiors. it was on the third day of their pilgrimage that they encountered their first adventure. toward evening the sky was suddenly darkened and major nails exclaimed: "a fog is coming toward us." "i do not think it is a fog," replied files, looking with interest at the approaching cloud. "it seems to me more like the breath of a rak." "what is a rak?" asked ann, looking about fearfully. "a terrible beast with a horrible appetite," answered the soldier, growing a little paler than usual. "i have never seen a rak, to be sure, but i have read of them in the story-books that grew in my orchard, and if this is indeed one of those fearful monsters, we are not likely to conquer the world." hearing this, the officers became quite worried and gathered closer about their soldier. "what is the thing like?" asked one. "the only picture of a rak that i ever saw in a book was rather blurred," said files, "because the book was not quite ripe when it was picked. but the creature can fly in the air and run like a deer and swim like a fish. inside its body is a glowing furnace of fire, and the rak breathes in air and breathes out smoke, which darkens the sky for miles around, wherever it goes. it is bigger than a hundred men and feeds on any living thing." the officers now began to groan and to tremble, but files tried to cheer them, saying: "it may not be a rak, after all, that we see approaching us, and you must not forget that we people of oogaboo, which is part of the fairyland of oz, cannot be killed." "nevertheless," said captain buttons, "if the rak catches us, and chews us up into small pieces, and swallows us--what will happen then?" "then each small piece will still be alive," declared files. "i cannot see how that would help us," wailed colonel banjo. "a hamburger steak is a hamburger steak, whether it is alive or not!" "i tell you, this may not be a rak," persisted files. "we will know, when the cloud gets nearer, whether it is the breath of a rak or not. if it has no smell at all, it is probably a fog; but if it has an odor of salt and pepper, it is a rak and we must prepare for a desperate fight." they all eyed the dark cloud fearfully. before long it reached the frightened group and began to envelop them. every nose sniffed the cloud--and every one detected in it the odor of salt and pepper. "the rak!" shouted private files, and with a howl of despair the sixteen officers fell to the ground, writhing and moaning in anguish. queen ann sat down upon a rock and faced the cloud more bravely, although her heart was beating fast. as for files, he calmly loaded his gun and stood ready to fight the foe, as a soldier should. they were now in absolute darkness, for the cloud which covered the sky and the setting sun was black as ink. then through the gloom appeared two round, glowing balls of red, and files at once decided these must be the monster's eyes. he raised his gun, took aim and fired. there were several bullets in the gun, all gathered from an excellent bullet-tree in oogaboo, and they were big and hard. they flew toward the monster and struck it, and with a wild, weird cry the rak came fluttering down and its huge body fell plump upon the forms of the sixteen officers, who thereupon screamed louder than before. "badness me!" moaned the rak. "see what you've done with that dangerous gun of yours!" "i can't see," replied files, "for the cloud formed by your breath darkens my sight!" "don't tell me it was an accident," continued the rak, reproachfully, as it still flapped its wings in a helpless manner. "don't claim you didn't know the gun was loaded, i beg of you!" "i don't intend to," replied files. "did the bullets hurt you very badly?" "one has broken my jaw, so that i can't open my mouth. you will notice that my voice sounds rather harsh and husky, because i have to talk with my teeth set close together. another bullet broke my left wing, so that i can't fly; and still another broke my right leg, so that i can't walk. it was the most careless shot i ever heard of!" "can't you manage to lift your body off from my commanding officers?" inquired files. "from their cries i'm afraid your great weight is crushing them." [illustration] "i hope it is," growled the rak. "i want to crush them, if possible, for i have a bad disposition. if only i could open my mouth, i'd eat all of you, although my appetite is poorly this warm weather." with this the rak began to roll its immense body sidewise, so as to crush the officers more easily; but in doing this it rolled completely off from them and the entire sixteen scrambled to their feet and made off as fast as they could run. private files could not see them go but he knew from the sound of their voices that they had escaped, so he ceased to worry about them. "pardon me if i now bid you good-bye," he said to the rak. "the parting is caused by our desire to continue our journey. if you die, do not blame me, for i was obliged to shoot you as a matter of self-protection." "i shall not die," answered the monster, "for i bear a charmed life. but i beg you not to leave me!" "why not?" asked files. "because my broken jaw will heal in about an hour, and then i shall be able to eat you. my wing will heal in a day and my leg will heal in a week, when i shall be as well as ever. having shot me, and so caused me all this annoyance, it is only fair and just that you remain here and allow me to eat you as soon as i can open my jaws." "i beg to differ with you," returned the soldier firmly. "i have made an engagement with queen ann of oogaboo to help her conquer the world, and i cannot break my word for the sake of being eaten by a rak." "oh; that's different," said the monster. "if you've an engagement, don't let me detain you." so files felt around in the dark and grasped the hand of the trembling queen, whom he led away from the flapping, sighing rak. they stumbled over the stones for a way but presently began to see dimly the path ahead of them, as they got farther and farther away from the dreadful spot where the wounded monster lay. by and by they reached a little hill and could see the last rays of the sun flooding a pretty valley beyond, for now they had passed beyond the cloudy breath of the rak. here were huddled the sixteen officers, still frightened and panting from their run. they had halted only because it was impossible for them to run any farther. queen ann gave them a severe scolding for their cowardice, at the same time praising files for his courage. "we are wiser than he, however," muttered general clock, "for by running away we are now able to assist your majesty in conquering the world; whereas, had files been eaten by the rak, he would have deserted your army." after a brief rest they descended into the valley, and as soon as they were out of sight of the rak the spirits of the entire party rose quickly. just at dusk they came to a brook, on the banks of which queen ann commanded them to make camp for the night. each officer carried in his pocket a tiny white tent. this, when placed upon the ground, quickly grew in size until it was large enough to permit the owner to enter it and sleep within its canvas walls. files was obliged to carry a knapsack, in which was not only his own tent but an elaborate pavilion for queen ann, besides a bed and chair and a magic table. this table, when set upon the ground in ann's pavilion, became of large size, and in a drawer of the table was contained the queen's supply of extra clothing, her manicure and toilet articles and other necessary things. the royal bed was the only one in the camp, the officers and private sleeping in hammocks attached to their tent poles. there was also in the knapsack a flag bearing the royal emblem of oogaboo, and this flag files flew upon its staff every night, to show that the country they were in had been conquered by the queen of oogaboo. so far, no one but themselves had seen the flag, but ann was pleased to see it flutter in the breeze and considered herself already a famous conqueror. [illustration] chapter betsy braves the billows the waves dashed and the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled and the ship struck a rock. betsy bobbin was running across the deck and the shock sent her flying through the air until she fell with a splash into the dark blue water. the same shock caught hank, a thin little, sad-faced mule, and tumbled him also into the sea, far from the ship's side. when betsy came up, gasping for breath because the wet plunge had surprised her, she reached out in the dark and grabbed a bunch of hair. at first she thought it was the end of a rope, but presently she heard a dismal "hee-haw!" and knew she was holding fast to the end of hank's tail. suddenly the sea was lighted up by a vivid glare. the ship, now in the far distance, caught fire, blew up and sank beneath the waves. betsy shuddered at the sight, but just then her eye caught a mass of wreckage floating near her and she let go the mule's tail and seized the rude raft, pulling herself up so that she rode upon it in safety. hank also saw the raft and swam to it, but he was so clumsy he never would have been able to climb upon it had not betsy helped him to get aboard. they had to crowd close together, for their support was only a hatch-cover torn from the ship's deck; but it floated them fairly well and both the girl and the mule knew it would keep them from drowning. the storm was not over, by any means, when the ship went down. blinding bolts of lightning shot from cloud to cloud and the clamor of deep thunderclaps echoed far over the sea. the waves tossed the little raft here and there as a child tosses a rubber ball and betsy had a solemn feeling that for hundreds of watery miles in every direction there was no living thing besides herself and the small donkey. perhaps hank had the same thought, for he gently rubbed his nose against the frightened girl and said "hee-haw!" in his softest voice, as if to comfort her. "you'll protect me, hank dear, won't you?" she cried helplessly, and the mule said "hee-haw!" again, in tones that meant a promise. on board the ship, during the days that preceded the wreck, when the sea was calm, betsy and hank had become good friends; so, while the girl might have preferred a more powerful protector in this dreadful emergency, she felt that the mule would do all in a mule's power to guard her safety. all night they floated, and when the storm had worn itself out and passed away with a few distant growls, and the waves had grown smaller and easier to ride, betsy stretched herself out on the wet raft and fell asleep. hank did not sleep a wink. perhaps he felt it his duty to guard betsy. anyhow, he crouched on the raft beside the tired sleeping girl and watched patiently until the first light of dawn swept over the sea. the light wakened betsy bobbin. she sat up, rubbed her eyes and stared across the water. "oh, hank; there's land ahead!" she exclaimed. "hee-haw!" answered hank in his plaintive voice. the raft was floating swiftly toward a very beautiful country and as they drew near betsy could see banks of lovely flowers showing brightly between leafy trees. but no people were to be seen at all. [illustration] chapter the roses repulse the refugees gently the raft grated on the sandy beach. then betsy easily waded ashore, the mule following closely behind her. the sun was now shining and the air was warm and laden with the fragrance of roses. "i'd like some breakfast, hank," remarked the girl, feeling more cheerful now that she was on dry land; "but we can't eat the flowers, although they do smell mighty good." "hee-haw!" replied hank and trotted up a little pathway to the top of the bank. betsy followed and from the eminence looked around her. a little way off stood a splendid big greenhouse, its thousands of crystal panes glittering in the sunlight. "there ought to be people somewhere 'round," observed betsy thoughtfully; "gardeners, or somebody. let's go and see, hank. i'm getting hungrier ev'ry minute." so they walked toward the great greenhouse and came to its entrance without meeting with anyone at all. a door stood ajar, so hank went in first, thinking if there was any danger he could back out and warn his companion. but betsy was close at his heels and the moment she entered was lost in amazement at the wonderful sight she saw. the greenhouse was filled with magnificent rosebushes, all growing in big pots. on the central stem of each bush bloomed a splendid rose, gorgeously colored and deliciously fragrant, and in the center of each rose was the face of a lovely girl. as betsy and hank entered, the heads of the roses were drooping and their eyelids were closed in slumber; but the mule was so amazed that he uttered a loud "hee-haw!" and at the sound of his harsh voice the rose leaves fluttered, the roses raised their heads and a hundred startled eyes were instantly fixed upon the intruders. "i--i beg your pardon!" stammered betsy, blushing and confused. "o-o-o-h!" cried the roses, in a sort of sighing chorus; and one of them added: "what a horrid noise!" "why, that was only hank," said betsy, and as if to prove the truth of her words the mule uttered another loud "hee-haw!" at this all the roses turned on their stems as far as they were able and trembled as if some one were shaking their bushes. a dainty moss rose gasped: "dear me! how dreadfully dreadful!" "it isn't dreadful at all," said betsy, somewhat indignant. "when you get used to hank's voice it will put you to sleep." the roses now looked at the mule less fearfully and one of them asked: "is that savage beast named hank?" "yes; hank's my comrade, faithful and true," answered the girl, twining her arms around the little mule's neck and hugging him tight. "aren't you, hank?" hank could only say in reply: "hee-haw!" and at his bray the roses shivered again. "please go away!" begged one. "can't you see you're frightening us out of a week's growth?" "go away!" echoed betsy. "why, we've no place to go. we've just been wrecked." "wrecked?" asked the roses in a surprised chorus. "yes; we were on a big ship and the storm came and wrecked it," explained the girl. "but hank and i caught hold of a raft and floated ashore to this place, and--we're tired and hungry. what country _is_ this, please?" [illustration] "this is the rose kingdom," replied the moss rose, haughtily, "and it is devoted to the culture of the rarest and fairest roses grown." "i believe it," said betsy, admiring the pretty blossoms. "but only roses are allowed here," continued a delicate tea rose, bending her brows in a frown; "therefore you must go away before the royal gardener finds you and casts you back into the sea." "oh! is there a royal gardener, then?" inquired betsy. "to be sure." "and is he a rose, also?" "of course not; he's a man--a wonderful man," was the reply. "well, i'm not afraid of a man," declared the girl, much relieved, and even as she spoke the royal gardener popped into the greenhouse--a spading fork in one hand and a watering pot in the other. he was a funny little man, dressed in a rose-colored costume, with ribbons at his knees and elbows, and a bunch of ribbons in his hair. his eyes were small and twinkling, his nose sharp and his face puckered and deeply lined. "o-ho!" he exclaimed, astonished to find strangers in his greenhouse, and when hank gave a loud bray the gardener threw the watering pot over the mule's head and danced around with his fork, in such agitation that presently he fell over the handle of the implement and sprawled at full length upon the ground. betsy laughed and pulled the watering pot off from hank's head. the little mule was angry at the treatment he had received and backed toward the gardener threateningly. "look out for his heels!" called betsy warningly and the gardener scrambled to his feet and hastily hid behind the roses. "you are breaking the law!" he shouted, sticking out his head to glare at the girl and the mule. "what law?" asked betsy. "the law of the rose kingdom. no strangers are allowed in these domains." "not when they're shipwrecked?" she inquired. "the law doesn't except shipwrecks," replied the royal gardener, and he was about to say more when suddenly there was a crash of glass and a man came tumbling through the roof of the greenhouse and fell plump to the ground. [illustration] chapter shaggy seeks his stray brother this sudden arrival was a queer looking man, dressed all in garments so shaggy that betsy at first thought he must be some animal. but the stranger ended his fall in a sitting position and then the girl saw it was really a man. he held an apple in his hand, which he had evidently been eating when he fell, and so little was he jarred or flustered by the accident that he continued to munch this apple as he calmly looked around him. "good gracious!" exclaimed betsy, approaching him. "who _are_ you, and where did you come from?" "me? oh, i'm shaggy man," said he, taking another bite of the apple. "just dropped in for a short call. excuse my seeming haste." "why, i s'pose you couldn't help the haste," said betsy. "no. i climbed an apple tree, outside; branch gave way and--here i am." as he spoke the shaggy man finished his apple, gave the core to hank--who ate it greedily--and then stood up to bow politely to betsy and the roses. the royal gardener had been frightened nearly into fits by the crash of glass and the fall of the shaggy stranger into the bower of roses, but now he peeped out from behind a bush and cried in his squeaky voice: "you're breaking the law! you're breaking the law!" shaggy stared at him solemnly. "is the glass the law in this country?" he asked. "breaking the glass is breaking the law," squeaked the gardener, angrily. "also, to intrude in any part of the rose kingdom is breaking the law." "how do you know?" asked shaggy. "why, it's printed in a book," said the gardener, coming forward and taking a small book from his pocket. "page thirteen. here it is: 'if any stranger enters the rose kingdom he shall at once be condemned by the ruler and put to death.' so you see, strangers," he continued triumphantly, "it's death for you all and your time has come!" but just here hank interposed. he had been stealthily backing toward the royal gardener, whom he disliked, and now the mule's heels shot out and struck the little man in the middle. he doubled up like the letter "u" and flew out of the door so swiftly--never touching the ground--that he was gone before betsy had time to wink. but the mule's attack frightened the girl. "come," she whispered, approaching the shaggy man and taking his hand; "let's go somewhere else. they'll surely kill us if we stay here!" "don't worry, my dear," replied shaggy, patting the child's head. "i'm not afraid of anything, so long as i have the love magnet." "the love magnet! why, what is that?" asked betsy. "it's a charming little enchantment that wins the heart of everyone who looks upon it," was the reply. "the love magnet used to hang over the gateway to the emerald city, in the land of oz; but when i started on this journey our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, allowed me to take it with me." "oh!" cried betsy, staring hard at him; "are you really from the wonderful land of oz?" "yes. ever been there, my dear?" "no; but i've heard about it. and do you know princess ozma?" "very well indeed." "and--and princess dorothy?" "dorothy's an old chum of mine," declared shaggy. "dear me!" exclaimed betsy. "and why did you ever leave such a beautiful land as oz?" "on an errand," said shaggy, looking sad and solemn. "i'm trying to find my dear little brother." "oh! is he lost?" questioned betsy, feeling very sorry for the poor man. "been lost these ten years," replied shaggy, taking out a handkerchief and wiping a tear from his eye. "i didn't know it until lately, when i saw it recorded in the magic record book of the sorceress glinda, in the land of oz. so now i'm trying to find him." "where was he lost?" asked the girl sympathetically. "back in colorado, where i used to live before i went to oz. brother was a miner, and dug gold out of a mine. one day he went into his mine and never came out. they searched for him, but he was not there. disappeared entirely," shaggy ended miserably. "for goodness sake! what do you s'pose became of him?" she asked. "there is only one explanation," replied shaggy, taking another apple from his pocket and eating it to relieve his misery. "the nome king probably got him." "the nome king! who is he?" "why, he's sometimes called the metal monarch, and his name is ruggedo. lives in some underground cavern. claims to own all the metals hidden in the earth. don't ask me why." "why?" "'cause i don't know. but this ruggedo gets wild with anger if anyone digs gold out of the earth, and my private opinion is that he captured brother and carried him off to his underground kingdom. no--don't ask me why. i see you're dying to ask me why. but i don't know." "but--dear me!--in that case you will never find your lost brother!" exclaimed the girl. "maybe not; but it's my duty to try," answered shaggy. "i've wandered so far without finding him, but that only proves he is not where i've been looking. what i seek now is the hidden passage to the underground cavern of the terrible metal monarch." "well," said betsy doubtfully, "it strikes me that if you ever manage to get there the metal monarch will make you, too, his prisoner." "nonsense!" answered shaggy, carelessly. "you mustn't forget the love magnet." "what about it?" she asked. "when the fierce metal monarch sees the love magnet, he will love me dearly and do anything i ask." "it must be wonderful," said betsy, with awe. "it is," the man assured her. "shall i show it to you?" "oh, do!" she cried; so shaggy searched in his shaggy pocket and drew out a small silver magnet, shaped like a horseshoe. the moment betsy saw it she began to like the shaggy man better than before. hank also saw the magnet and crept up to shaggy to rub his head lovingly against the man's knee. but they were interrupted by the royal gardener, who stuck his head into the greenhouse and shouted angrily: "you are all condemned to death! your only chance to escape is to leave here instantly." this startled little betsy, but the shaggy man merely waved the magnet toward the gardener, who, seeing it, rushed forward and threw himself at shaggy's feet, murmuring in honeyed words: "oh, you lovely, lovely man! how fond i am of you! every shag and bobtail that decorates you is dear to me--all i have is yours! but for goodness' sake get out of here before you die the death." "i'm not going to die," declared shaggy man. "you must. it's the law," exclaimed the gardener, beginning to weep real tears. "it breaks my heart to tell you this bad news, but the law says that all strangers must be condemned by the ruler to die the death." "no ruler has condemned us yet," said betsy. "of course not," added shaggy. "we haven't even seen the ruler of the rose kingdom." "well, to tell the truth," said the gardener, in a perplexed tone of voice, "we haven't any real ruler, just now. you see, all our rulers grow on bushes in the royal gardens, and the last one we had got mildewed and withered before his time. so we had to plant him, and at this time there is no one growing on the royal bushes who is ripe enough to pick." "how do you know?" asked betsy. "why, i'm the royal gardener. plenty of royalties are growing, i admit; but just now they are all green. until one ripens, i am supposed to rule the rose kingdom myself, and see that its laws are obeyed. therefore, much as i love you, shaggy, i must put you to death." "wait a minute," pleaded betsy. "i'd like to see those royal gardens before i die." "so would i," added shaggy man. "take us there, gardener." "oh, i can't do that," objected the gardener. but shaggy again showed him the love magnet and after one glance at it the gardener could no longer resist. he led shaggy, betsy and hank to the end of the great greenhouse and carefully unlocked a small door. passing through this they came into the splendid royal garden of the rose kingdom. it was all surrounded by a tall hedge and within the enclosure grew several enormous rosebushes having thick green leaves of the texture of velvet. upon these bushes grew the members of the royal family of the rose kingdom--men, women and children in all stages of maturity. they all seemed to have a light green hue, as if unripe or not fully developed, their flesh and clothing being alike green. they stood perfectly lifeless upon their branches, which swayed softly in the breeze, and their wide-open eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing and unintelligent. while examining these curious growing people, betsy passed behind a big central bush and at once uttered an exclamation of surprise and pleasure. for there, blooming in perfect color and shape, stood a royal princess, whose beauty was amazing. "why, she's ripe!" cried betsy, pushing aside some of the broad leaves to observe her more clearly. "well, perhaps so," admitted the gardener, who had come to the girl's side; "but she's a girl, and so we can't use her for a ruler." "no, indeed!" came a chorus of soft voices, and looking around betsy discovered that all the roses had followed them from the greenhouse and were now grouped before the entrance. "you see," explained the gardener, "the subjects of rose kingdom don't want a girl ruler. they want a king." [illustration] [illustration] "a king! we want a king!" repeated the chorus of roses. "isn't she royal?" inquired shaggy, admiring the lovely princess. "of course, for she grows on a royal bush. this princess is named ozga, as she is a distant cousin of ozma of oz; and, were she but a man, we would joyfully hail her as our ruler." the gardener then turned away to talk with his roses and betsy whispered to her companion: "let's pick her, shaggy." "all right," said he. "if she's royal, she has the right to rule this kingdom, and if we pick her she will surely protect us and prevent our being hurt, or driven away." so betsy and shaggy each took an arm of the beautiful rose princess and a little twist of her feet set her free of the branch upon which she grew. very gracefully she stepped down from the bush to the ground, where she bowed low to betsy and shaggy and said in a delightfully sweet voice: "i thank you." but at the sound of these words the gardener and the roses turned and discovered that the princess had been picked, and was now alive. over every face flashed an expression of resentment and anger, and one of the roses cried aloud: "audacious mortals! what have you done?" [illustration] "picked a princess for you, that's all," replied betsy, cheerfully. "but we won't have her! we want a king!" exclaimed a jacque rose, and another added with a voice of scorn: "no girl shall rule over us!" the newly-picked princess looked from one to another of her rebellious subjects in astonishment. a grieved look came over her exquisite features. "have i no welcome here, pretty subjects?" she asked gently. "have i not come from my royal bush to be your ruler?" "you were picked by mortals, without our consent," replied the moss rose, coldly; "so we refuse to allow you to rule us." "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" cried the tea rose. "just a second, please!" called shaggy, taking the love magnet from his pocket. "i guess this will win their love, princess. here--take it in your hand and let the roses see it." princess ozga took the magnet and held it poised before the eyes of her subjects; but the roses regarded it with calm disdain. "why, what's the matter?" demanded shaggy in surprise. "the magnet never failed to work before!" "i know," said betsy, nodding her head wisely. "these roses have no hearts." "that's it," agreed the gardener. "they're pretty, and sweet, and alive; but still they are roses. their stems have thorns, but no hearts." the princess sighed and handed the magnet to the shaggy man. "what shall i do?" she asked sorrowfully. "turn her out, gardener, with the others!" commanded the roses. "we will have no ruler until a man-rose--a king--is ripe enough to pick." "very well," said the gardener meekly. "you must excuse me, my dear shaggy, for opposing your wishes, but you and the others, including ozga, must get out of rose kingdom immediately, if not before." "don't you love me, gardy?" asked shaggy, carelessly displaying the magnet. "i do. i dote on thee!" answered the gardener earnestly; "but no true man will neglect his duty for the sake of love. my duty is to drive you out, so--out you go!" with this he seized a garden fork and began jabbing it at the strangers, in order to force them to leave. hank the mule was not afraid of the fork and when he got his heels near to the gardener the man fell back to avoid a kick. but now the roses crowded around the outcasts and it was soon discovered that beneath their draperies of green leaves were many sharp thorns which were more dangerous than hank's heels. neither betsy nor ozga nor shaggy nor the mule cared to brave those thorns and when they pressed away from them they found themselves slowly driven through the garden door into the greenhouse. from there they were forced out at the entrance and so through the territory of the flower-strewn rose kingdom, which was not of very great extent. the rose princess was sobbing bitterly; betsy was indignant and angry; hank uttered defiant "hee-haws" and the shaggy man whistled softly to himself. the boundary of the rose kingdom was a deep gulf, but there was a drawbridge in one place and this the royal gardener let down until the outcasts had passed over it. then he drew it up again and returned with his roses to the greenhouse, leaving the four queerly assorted comrades to wander into the bleak and unknown country that lay beyond. "i don't mind, much," remarked shaggy, as he led the way over the stony, barren ground. "i've got to search for my long-lost little brother, anyhow, so it won't matter where i go." "hank and i will help you find your brother," said betsy in her most cheerful voice. "i'm so far away from home now that i don't s'pose i'll ever find my way back; and, to tell the truth, it's more fun traveling around and having adventures than sticking at home. don't you think so, hank?" [illustration] "hee-haw!" said hank, and the shaggy man thanked them both. "for my part," said princess ozga of roseland, with a gentle sigh, "i must remain forever exiled from my kingdom. so i, too, will be glad to help the shaggy man find his lost brother." "that's very kind of you, ma'am," said shaggy. "but unless i can find the underground cavern of ruggedo,[a] the metal monarch, i shall never find poor brother." [footnote a: this king was formerly named "roquat," but after he drank of the "waters of oblivion" he forgot his own name and had to take another.] "doesn't anyone know where it is?" inquired betsy. "_some_ one must know, of course," was shaggy's reply. "but we are not the ones. the only way to succeed is for us to keep going until we find a person who can direct us to ruggedo's cavern." "we may find it ourselves, without any help," suggested betsy. "who knows?" "no one knows that, except the person who's writing this story," said shaggy. "but we won't find anything--not even supper--unless we travel on. here's a path. let's take it and see where it leads to." [illustration] chapter polychrome's pitiful plight the rain king got too much water in his basin and spilled some over the brim. that made it rain in a certain part of the country--a real hard shower, for a time--and sent the rainbow scampering to the place to show the gorgeous colors of his glorious bow as soon as the mist of rain had passed and the sky was clear. the coming of the rainbow is always a joyous event to earth folk, yet few have ever seen it close by. usually the rainbow is so far distant that you can observe its splendid hues but dimly, and that is why we seldom catch sight of the dancing daughters of the rainbow. in the barren country where the rain had just fallen there appeared to be no human beings at all; but the rainbow appeared, just the same, and dancing gayly upon its arch were the rainbow's daughters, led by the fairylike polychrome, who is so dainty and beautiful that no girl has ever quite equalled her in loveliness. polychrome was in a merry mood and danced down the arch of the bow to the ground, daring her sisters to follow her. laughing and gleeful, they also touched the ground with their twinkling feet; but all the daughters of the rainbow knew that this was a dangerous pastime, so they quickly climbed upon their bow again. all but polychrome. though the sweetest and merriest of them all, she was likewise the most reckless. moreover, it was an unusual sensation to pat the cold, damp earth with her rosy toes. before she realized it the bow had lifted and disappeared in the billowy blue sky, and here was polychrome standing helpless upon a rock, her gauzy draperies floating about her like brilliant cobwebs and not a soul--fairy or mortal--to help her regain her lost bow! "dear me!" she exclaimed, a frown passing across her pretty face, "i'm caught again. this is the second time my carelessness has left me on earth while my sisters returned to our sky palaces. the first time i enjoyed some pleasant adventures, but this is a lonely, forsaken country and i shall be very unhappy until my rainbow comes again and i can climb aboard. let me think what is best to be done." she crouched low upon the flat rock, drew her draperies about her and bowed her head. it was in this position that betsy bobbin spied polychrome as she came along the stony path, followed by hank, the princess and shaggy. at once the girl ran up to the radiant daughter of the rainbow and exclaimed: "oh, what a lovely, lovely creature!" polychrome raised her golden head. there were tears in her blue eyes. "i'm the most miserable girl in the whole world!" she sobbed. the others gathered around her. "tell us your troubles, pretty one," urged the princess. "i--i've lost my bow!" wailed polychrome. "take me, my dear," said shaggy man in a sympathetic tone, thinking she meant "beau" instead of "bow." "i don't want you!" cried polychrome, stamping her foot imperiously; "i want my _rain_bow." "oh; that's different," said shaggy. "but try to forget it. when i was young i used to cry for the rainbow myself, but i couldn't have it. looks as if _you_ couldn't have it, either; so please don't cry." polychrome looked at him reproachfully. "i don't like you," she said. "no?" replied shaggy, drawing the love magnet from his pocket; "not a little bit?--just a wee speck of a like?" "yes, yes!" said polychrome, clasping her hands in ecstasy as she gazed at the enchanted talisman; "i love you, shaggy man!" "of course you do," said he calmly; "but i don't take any credit for it. it's the love magnet's powerful charm. but you seem quite alone and friendless, little rainbow. don't you want to join our party until you find your father and sisters again?" "where are you going?" she asked. "we don't just know that," said betsy, taking her hand; "but we're trying to find shaggy's long-lost brother, who has been captured by the terrible metal monarch. won't you come with us, and help us?" polychrome looked from one to another of the queer party of travelers and a bewitching smile suddenly lighted her face. "a donkey, a mortal maid, a rose princess and a shaggy man!" she exclaimed. "surely you need help, if you intend to face ruggedo." "do you know him, then?" inquired betsy. "no, indeed. ruggedo's caverns are beneath the earth's surface, where no rainbow can ever penetrate. but i've heard of the metal monarch. he is also called the nome king, you know, and he has made trouble for a good many people--mortals and fairies--in his time," said polychrome. "do you fear him, then?" asked the princess, anxiously. "no one can harm a daughter of the rainbow," said polychrome proudly. "i'm a sky fairy." "then," said betsy, quickly, "you will be able to tell us the way to ruggedo's cavern." "no," returned polychrome, shaking her head, "that is one thing i cannot do. but i will gladly go with you and help you search for the place." this promise delighted all the wanderers and after the shaggy man had found the path again they began moving along it in a more happy mood. the rainbow's daughter danced lightly over the rocky trail, no longer sad, but with her beautiful features wreathed in smiles. shaggy came next, walking steadily and now and then supporting the rose princess, who followed him. betsy and hank brought up the rear, and if she tired with walking the girl got upon hank's back and let the stout little donkey carry her for awhile. at nightfall they came to some trees that grew beside a tiny brook and here they made camp and rested until morning. then away they tramped, finding berries and fruits here and there which satisfied the hunger of betsy, shaggy and hank, so that they were well content with their lot. it surprised betsy to see the rose princess partake of their food, for she considered her a fairy; but when she mentioned this to polychrome, the rainbow's daughter explained that when ozga was driven out of her rose kingdom she ceased to be a fairy and would never again be more than a mere mortal. polychrome, however, was a fairy wherever she happened to be, and if she sipped a few dewdrops by moonlight for refreshment no one ever saw her do it. as they continued their wandering journey, direction meant very little to them, for they were hopelessly lost in this strange country. shaggy said it would be best to go toward the mountains, as the natural entrance to ruggedo's underground cavern was likely to be hidden in some rocky, deserted place; but mountains seemed all around them except in the one direction that they had come from, which led to the rose kingdom and the sea. therefore it mattered little which way they traveled. by and by they espied a faint trail that looked like a path and after following this for some time they reached a cross-roads. here were many paths, leading in various directions, and there was a signpost so old that there were now no words upon the sign. at one side was an old well, with a chain windlass for drawing water, yet there was no house or other building anywhere in sight. while the party halted, puzzled which way to proceed, the mule approached the well and tried to look into it. "he's thirsty," said betsy. "it's a dry well," remarked shaggy. "probably there has been no water in it for many years. but, come; let us decide which way to travel." no one seemed able to decide that. they sat down in a group and tried to consider which road might be the best to take. hank, however, could not keep away from the well and finally he reared up on his hind legs, got his head over the edge and uttered a loud "hee-haw!" betsy watched her animal friend curiously. "i wonder if he sees anything down there?" she said. at this, shaggy rose and went over to the well to investigate, and betsy went with him. the princess and polychrome, who had become fast friends, linked arms and sauntered down one of the roads, to find an easy path. "really," said shaggy, "there does seem to be something at the bottom of this old well." "can't we pull it up, and see what it is?" asked the girl. there was no bucket at the end of the windlass chain, but there was a big hook that at one time was used to hold a bucket. shaggy let down this hook, dragged it around on the bottom and then pulled it up. an old hoopskirt came with it, and betsy laughed and threw it away. the thing frightened hank, who had never seen a hoopskirt before, and he kept a good distance away from it. several other objects the shaggy man captured with the hook and drew up, but none of these was important. "this well seems to have been the dump for all the old rubbish in the country," he said, letting down the hook once more. "i guess i've captured everything now. no--the hook has caught again. help me, betsy! whatever this thing is, it's heavy." she ran up and helped him turn the windlass and after much effort a confused mass of copper came in sight. "good gracious!" exclaimed shaggy. "here is a surprise, indeed!" "what is it?" inquired betsy, clinging to the windlass and panting for breath. for answer the shaggy man grasped the bundle of copper and dumped it upon the ground, free of the well. then he turned it over with his foot, spread it out, and to betsy's astonishment the thing proved to be a copper man. "just as i thought," said shaggy, looking hard at the object. "but unless there are two copper men in the world this is the most astonishing thing i ever came across." at this moment the rainbow's daughter and the rose princess approached them, and polychrome said: "what have you found, shaggy one?" "either an old friend, or a stranger," he replied. "oh, here's a sign on his back!" cried betsy, who had knelt down to examine the man. "dear me; how funny! listen to this." then she read the following words, engraved upon the copper plates of the man's body: smith & tinker's patent double-action, extra-responsive, thought-creating, perfect-talking _mechanical man_ fitted with our special clockwork attachment. thinks, speaks, acts, and does everything but live. "isn't he wonderful!" exclaimed the princess. "yes; but here's more," said betsy, reading from another engraved plate: directions for using: for thinking:--wind the clockwork man under his left arm, (marked no. ). for speaking:--wind the clockwork man under his right arm, (marked no. ). for walking and action:--wind clockwork man in the middle of his back, (marked no. ). n. b.--this mechanism is guaranteed to work perfectly for a thousand years. "if he's guaranteed for a thousand years," said polychrome, "he ought to work yet." "of course," replied shaggy. "let's wind him up." in order to do this they were obliged to set the copper man upon his feet, in an upright position, and this was no easy task. he was inclined to topple over, and had to be propped again and again. the girls assisted shaggy, and at last tik-tok seemed to be balanced and stood alone upon his broad feet. "yes," said shaggy, looking at the copper man carefully, "this must be, indeed, my old friend tik-tok, whom i left ticking merrily in the land of oz. but how he came to this lonely place, and got into that old well, is surely a mystery." "if we wind him, perhaps he will tell us," suggested betsy. "here's the key, hanging to a hook on his back. what part of him shall i wind up first?" "his thoughts, of course," said polychrome, "for it requires thought to speak or move intelligently." so betsy wound him under his left arm, and at once little flashes of light began to show in the top of his head, which was proof that he had begun to think. "now, then," said shaggy, "wind up his phonograph." "what's that?" she asked. "why, his talking-machine. his thoughts may be interesting, but they don't tell us anything." so betsy wound the copper man under his right arm, and then from the interior of his copper body came in jerky tones the words: "ma-ny thanks!" "hurrah!" cried shaggy, joyfully, and he slapped tik-tok upon the back in such a hearty manner that the copper man lost his balance and tumbled to the ground in a heap. but the clockwork that enabled him to speak had been wound up and he kept saying: "pick-me-up! pick-me-up! pick-me-up!" until they had again raised him and balanced him upon his feet, when he added politely: "ma-ny thanks!" "he won't be self-supporting until we wind up his action," remarked shaggy; so betsy wound it, as tight as she could--for the key turned rather hard--and then tik-tok lifted his feet, marched around in a circle and ended by stopping before the group and making them all a low bow. "how in the world did you happen to be in that well, when i left you safe in oz?" inquired shaggy. "it is a long sto-ry," replied tik-tok, "but i'll tell it in a few words. af-ter you had gone in search of your broth-er, oz-ma saw you wan-der-ing in strange lands when-ev-er she looked in her mag-ic pic-ture, and she also saw your broth-er in the nome king's cav-ern; so she sent me to tell you where to find your broth-er and told me to help you if i could. the sor-cer-ess, glin-da the good, trans-port-ed me to this place in the wink of an eye; but here i met the nome king himself--old rug-ge-do, who is called in these parts the met-al mon-arch. rug-ge-do knew what i had come for, and he was so an-gry that he threw me down the well. af-ter my works ran down i was help-less un-til you came a-long and pulled me out a-gain. ma-ny thanks." "this is, indeed, good news," said shaggy. "i suspected that my brother was the prisoner of ruggedo; but now i know it. tell us, tik-tok, how shall we get to the nome king's underground cavern?" "the best way is to walk," said tik-tok. "we might crawl, or jump, or roll o-ver and o-ver un-til we get there; but the best way is to walk." "i know; but which road shall we take?" "my ma-chin-er-y is-n't made to tell that," replied tik-tok. "there is more than one entrance to the underground cavern," said polychrome; "but old ruggedo has cleverly concealed every opening, so that earth dwellers can not intrude in his domain. if we find our way underground at all, it will be by chance." "then," said betsy, "let us select any road, haphazard, and see where it leads us." "that seems sensible," declared the princess. "it may require a lot of time for us to find ruggedo, but we have more time than anything else." "if you keep me wound up," said tik-tok, "i will last a thou-sand years." "then the only question to decide is which way to go," added shaggy, looking first at one road and then at another. but while they stood hesitating, a peculiar sound reached their ears--a sound like the tramping of many feet. "what's coming?" cried betsy; and then she ran to the left-hand road and glanced along the path. "why, it's an army!" she exclaimed. "what shall we do, hide or run?" "stand still," commanded shaggy. "i'm not afraid of an army. if they prove to be friendly, they can help us; if they are enemies, i'll show them the love magnet." [illustration] [illustration] chapter tik-tok tackles a tough task while shaggy and his companions stood huddled in a group at one side, the army of oogaboo was approaching along the pathway, the tramp of their feet being now and then accompanied by a dismal groan as one of the officers stepped on a sharp stone or knocked his funnybone against his neighbor's sword-handle. then out from among the trees marched private files, bearing the banner of oogaboo, which fluttered from a long pole. this pole he stuck in the ground just in front of the well and then he cried in a loud voice: "i hereby conquer this territory in the name of queen ann soforth of oogaboo, and all the inhabitants of the land i proclaim her slaves!" some of the officers now stuck their heads out of the bushes and asked: "is the coast clear, private files?" "there is no coast here," was the reply, "but all's well." "i hope there's water in it," said general cone, mustering courage to advance to the well; but just then he caught a glimpse of tik-tok and shaggy and at once fell upon his knees, trembling and frightened, and cried out: "mercy, kind enemies! mercy! spare us, and we will be your slaves forever!" the other officers, who had now advanced into the clearing, likewise fell upon their knees and begged for mercy. files turned around and, seeing the strangers for the first time, examined them with much curiosity. then, discovering that three of the party were girls, he lifted his cap and made a polite bow. "what's all this?" demanded a harsh voice, as queen ann reached the place and beheld her kneeling army. "permit us to introduce ourselves," replied shaggy, stepping forward. "this is tik-tok, the clockwork man--who works better than some meat people. and here is princess ozga of roseland, just now unfortunately exiled from her kingdom of roses. i next present polychrome, a sky fairy, who lost her bow by an accident and can't find her way home. the small girl here is betsy bobbin, from some unknown earthly paradise called oklahoma, and with her you see mr. hank, a mule with a long tail and a short temper." "puh!" said ann, scornfully; "a pretty lot of vagabonds you are, indeed; all lost or strayed, i suppose, and not worth a queen's plundering. i'm sorry i've conquered you." "but you haven't conquered us yet," called betsy indignantly. "no," agreed files, "that is a fact. but if my officers will kindly command me to conquer you, i will do so at once, after which we can stop arguing and converse more at our ease." the officers had by this time risen from their knees and brushed the dust from their trousers. to them the enemy did not look very fierce, so the generals and colonels and majors and captains gained courage to face them and began strutting in their most haughty manner. "you must understand," said ann, "that i am the queen of oogaboo, and this is my invincible army. we are busy conquering the world, and since you seem to be a part of the world, and are obstructing our journey, it is necessary for us to conquer you--unworthy though you may be of such high honor." "that's all right," replied shaggy. "conquer us as often as you like. we don't mind." "but we won't be anybody's slaves," added betsy, positively. [illustration] "we'll see about that," retorted the queen, angrily. "advance, private files, and bind the enemy hand and foot!" but private files looked at pretty betsy and fascinating polychrome and the beautiful rose princess and shook his head. "it would be impolite, and i won't do it," he asserted. "you must!" cried ann. "it is your duty to obey orders." "i haven't received any orders from my officers," objected the private. but the generals now shouted: "forward, and bind the prisoners!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command, yelling it as loud as they could. all this noise annoyed hank, who had been eyeing the army of oogaboo with strong disfavor. the mule now dashed forward and began backing upon the officers and kicking fierce and dangerous heels at them. the attack was so sudden that the officers scattered like dust in a whirlwind, dropping their swords as they ran and trying to seek refuge behind the trees and bushes. betsy laughed joyously at the comical rout of the "noble army," and polychrome danced with glee. but ann was furious at this ignoble defeat of her gallant forces by one small mule. "private files, i command you to do your duty!" she cried again, and then she herself ducked to escape the mule's heels--for hank made no distinction in favor of a lady who was an open enemy. betsy grabbed her champion by the forelock, however, and so held him fast, and when the officers saw that the mule was restrained from further attacks they crept fearfully back and picked up their discarded swords. "private files, seize and bind these prisoners!" screamed the queen. "no," said files, throwing down his gun and removing the knapsack which was strapped to his back, "i resign my position as the army of oogaboo. i enlisted to fight the enemy and become a hero, but if you want some one to bind harmless girls you will have to hire another private." then he walked over to the others and shook hands with shaggy and tik-tok. "treason!" shrieked ann, and all the officers echoed her cry. "nonsense," said files. "i've the right to resign if i want to." "indeed you haven't!" retorted the queen. "if you resign it will break up my army, and then i cannot conquer the world." she now turned to the officers and said: "i must ask you to do me a favor. i know it is undignified in officers to fight, but unless you immediately capture private files and force him to obey my orders there will be no plunder for any of us. also it is likely you will all suffer the pangs of hunger, and when we meet a powerful foe you are liable to be captured and made slaves." the prospect of this awful fate so frightened the officers that they drew their swords and rushed upon files, who stood beside shaggy, in a truly ferocious manner. the next instant, however, they halted and again fell upon their knees; for there, before them, was the glistening love magnet, held in the hand of the smiling shaggy man, and the sight of this magic talisman at once won the heart of every oogabooite. even ann saw the love magnet, and forgetting all enmity and anger threw herself upon shaggy and embraced him lovingly. quite disconcerted by this unexpected effect of the magnet, shaggy disengaged himself from the queen's encircling arms and quickly hid the talisman in his pocket. the adventurers from oogaboo were now his firm friends, and there was no more talk about conquering and binding any of his party. "if you insist on conquering anyone," said shaggy, "you may march with me to the underground kingdom of ruggedo. to conquer the world, as you have set out to do, you must conquer everyone under its surface as well as those upon its surface, and no one in all the world needs conquering so much as ruggedo." "who is he?" asked ann. [illustration] "the metal monarch, king of the nomes." "is he rich?" inquired major stockings in an anxious voice. "of course," answered shaggy. "he owns all the metal that lies underground--gold, silver, copper, brass and tin. he has an idea he also owns all the metals above ground, for he says all metal was once a part of his kingdom. so, by conquering the metal monarch, you will win all the riches in the world." "ah!" exclaimed general apple, heaving a deep sigh, "that would be plunder worth our while. let's conquer him, your majesty." the queen looked reproachfully at files, who was sitting next to the lovely princess and whispering in her ear. "alas," said ann, "i have no longer an army. i have plenty of brave officers, indeed, but no private soldier for them to command. therefore i cannot conquer ruggedo and win all his wealth." "why don't you make one of your officers the private?" asked shaggy; but at once every officer began to protest and the queen of oogaboo shook her head as she replied: "that is impossible. a private soldier must be a terrible fighter, and my officers are unable to fight. they are exceptionally brave in commanding others to fight, but could not themselves meet the enemy and conquer." "very true, your majesty," said colonel plum, eagerly. "there are many kinds of bravery and one cannot be expected to possess them all. i myself am brave as a lion in all ways until it comes to fighting, but then my nature revolts. fighting is unkind and liable to be injurious to others; so, being a gentleman, i never fight." "nor i!" shouted each of the other officers. "you see," said ann, "how helpless i am. had not private files proved himself a traitor and a deserter, i would gladly have conquered this ruggedo; but an army without a private soldier is like a bee without a stinger." "i am not a traitor, your majesty," protested files. "i resigned in a proper manner, not liking the job. but there are plenty of people to take my place. why not make shaggy man the private soldier?" "he might be killed," said ann, looking tenderly at shaggy, "for he is mortal, and able to die. if anything happened to him, it would break my heart." "it would hurt me worse than that," declared shaggy. "you must admit, your majesty, that i am commander of this expedition, for it is my brother we are seeking, rather than plunder. but i and my companions would like the assistance of your army, and if you help us to conquer ruggedo and to rescue my brother from captivity we will allow you to keep all the gold and jewels and other plunder you may find." this prospect was so tempting that the officers began whispering together and presently colonel cheese said: "your majesty, by combining our brains we have just evolved a most brilliant idea. we will make the clockwork man the private soldier!" "who? me?" asked tik-tok. "not for a sin-gle sec-ond! i can-not fight, and you must not for-get that it was rug-ge-do who threw me in the well." "at that time you had no gun," said polychrome. "but if you join the army of oogaboo you will carry the gun that mr. files used." "a sol-dier must be a-ble to run as well as to fight," protested tik-tok, "and if my works run down, as they of-ten do, i could nei-ther run nor fight." "i'll keep you wound up, tik-tok," promised betsy. "why, it isn't a bad idea," said shaggy. "tik-tok will make an ideal soldier, for nothing can injure him except a sledge hammer. and, since a private soldier seems to be necessary to this army, tik-tok is the only one of our party fitted to undertake the job." "what must i do?" asked tik-tok. "obey orders," replied ann. "when the officers command you to do anything, you must do it; that is all." "and that's enough, too," said files. "do i get a salary?" inquired tik-tok. "you get your share of the plunder," answered the queen. "yes," remarked files, "one-half of the plunder goes to queen ann, the other half is divided among the officers, and the private gets the rest." "that will be sat-is-fac-tor-y," said tik-tok, picking up the gun and examining it wonderingly, for he had never before seen such a weapon. then ann strapped the knapsack to tik-tok's copper back and said: "now we are ready to march to ruggedo's kingdom and conquer it. officers, give the command to march." "fall--in!" yelled the generals, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" cried the colonels, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" shouted the majors, drawing their swords. "fall--in!" bawled the captains, drawing their swords. tik-tok looked at them and then around him in surprise. "fall in what? the well?" he asked. "no," said queen ann, "you must fall in marching order." "can-not i march with-out fall-ing in-to it?" asked the clockwork man. "shoulder your gun and stand ready to march," advised files; so tik-tok held the gun straight and stood still. "what next?" he asked. the queen turned to shaggy. "which road leads to the metal monarch's cavern?" "we don't know, your majesty," was the reply. "but this is absurd!" said ann with a frown. "if we can't get to ruggedo, it is certain that we can't conquer him." "you are right," admitted shaggy; "but i did not say we could not get to him. we have only to discover the way, and that was the matter we were considering when you and your magnificent army arrived here." "well, then, get busy and discover it," snapped the queen. that was no easy task. they all stood looking from one road to another in perplexity. the paths radiated from the little clearing like the rays of the midday sun, and each path seemed like all the others. files and the rose princess, who had by this time become good friends, advanced a little way along one of the roads and found that it was bordered by pretty wild flowers. "why don't you ask the flowers to tell you the way?" he said to his companion. "the flowers?" returned the princess, surprised at the question. "of course," said files. "the field-flowers must be second-cousins to a rose princess, and i believe if you ask them they will tell you." she looked more closely at the flowers. there were hundreds of white daisies, golden buttercups, bluebells and daffodils growing by the roadside, and each flower-head was firmly set upon its slender but stout stem. there were even a few wild roses scattered here and there and perhaps it was the sight of these that gave the princess courage to ask the important question. she dropped to her knees, facing the flowers, and extended both her arms pleadingly toward them. "tell me, pretty cousins," she said in her sweet, gentle voice, "which way will lead us to the kingdom of ruggedo, the nome king?" at once all the stems bent gracefully to the right and the flower heads nodded once--twice--thrice in that direction. "that's it!" cried files joyfully. "now we know the way." ozga rose to her feet and looked wonderingly at the field-flowers, which had now resumed their upright position. "was it the wind, do you think?" she asked in a low whisper. "no, indeed," replied files. "there is not a breath of wind stirring. but these lovely blossoms are indeed your cousins and answered your question at once, as i knew they would." [illustration] chapter ruggedo's rage is rash and reckless the way taken by the adventurers led up hill and down dale and wound here and there in a fashion that seemed aimless. but always it drew nearer to a range of low mountains and files said more than once that he was certain the entrance to ruggedo's cavern would be found among these rugged hills. in this he was quite correct. far underneath the nearest mountain was a gorgeous chamber hollowed from the solid rock, the walls and roof of which glittered with thousands of magnificent jewels. here, on a throne of virgin gold, sat the famous nome king, dressed in splendid robes and wearing a superb crown cut from a single blood-red ruby. ruggedo, the monarch of all the metals and precious stones of the underground world, was a round little man with a flowing white beard, a red face, bright eyes and a scowl that covered all his forehead. one would think, to look at him, that he ought to be jolly; one might think, considering his enormous wealth, that he ought to be happy; but this was not the case. the metal monarch was surly and cross because mortals had dug so much treasure out of the earth and kept it above ground, where all the power of ruggedo and his nomes was unable to recover it. he hated not only the mortals but also the fairies who live upon the earth or above it, and instead of being content with the riches he still possessed he was unhappy because he did not own all the gold and jewels in the world. ruggedo had been nodding, half asleep, in his chair when suddenly he sat upright uttered a roar of rage and began pounding upon a huge gong that stood beside him. the sound filled the vast cavern and penetrated to many caverns beyond, where countless thousands of nomes were working at their unending tasks, hammering out gold and silver and other metals, or melting ores in great furnaces, or polishing glittering gems. the nomes trembled at the sound of the king's gong and whispered fearfully to one another that something unpleasant was sure to happen; but none dared pause in his task. the heavy curtains of cloth-of-gold were pushed aside and kaliko, the king's high chamberlain, entered the royal presence. "what's up, your majesty?" he asked, with a wide yawn, for he had just wakened. "up?" roared ruggedo, stamping his foot viciously. "those foolish mortals are up, that's what! and they want to come down." "down here?" inquired kaliko. "yes!" "how do you know?" continued the chamberlain, yawning again. "i feel it in my bones," said ruggedo. "i can always feel it when those hateful earth-crawlers draw near to my kingdom. i am positive, kaliko, that mortals are this very minute on their way here to annoy me--and i hate mortals more than i do catnip tea!" "well, what's to be done?" demanded the nome. "look through your spyglass, and see where the invaders are," commanded the king. so kaliko went to a tube in the wall of rock and put his eye to it. the tube ran from the cavern up to the side of the mountain and turned several curves and corners, but as it was a magic spyglass kaliko was able to see through it just as easily as if it had been straight. "ho--hum," said he. "i see 'em, your majesty." "what do they look like?" inquired the monarch. "that's a hard question to answer, for a queerer assortment of creatures i never yet beheld," replied the nome. "however, such a collection of curiosities may prove dangerous. there's a copper man, worked by machinery--" "bah! that's only tik-tok," said ruggedo. "i'm not afraid of him. why, only the other day i met the fellow and threw him down a well." "then some one must have pulled him out again," said kaliko. "and there's a little girl--" "dorothy?" asked ruggedo, jumping up in fear. "no; some other girl. in fact, there are several girls, of various sizes; but dorothy is not with them, nor is ozma." "that's good!" exclaimed the king, sighing in relief. kaliko still had his eye to the spyglass. "i see," said he, "an army of men from oogaboo. they are all officers and carry swords. and there is a shaggy man--who seems very harmless--and a little donkey with big ears." "pooh!" cried ruggedo, snapping his fingers in scorn. "i've no fear of such a mob as that. a dozen of my nomes can destroy them all in a jiffy." "i'm not so sure of that," said kaliko. "the people of oogaboo are hard to destroy, and i believe the rose princess is a fairy. as for polychrome, you know very well that the rainbow's daughter cannot be injured by a nome." "polychrome! is she among them?" asked the king. "yes; i have just recognized her." "then these people are coming here on no peaceful errand," declared ruggedo, scowling fiercely. "in fact, no one ever comes here on a peaceful errand. i hate everybody, and everybody hates me!" "very true," said kaliko. "i must in some way prevent these people from reaching my dominions. where are they now?" "just now they are crossing the rubber country, your majesty." "good! are your magnetic rubber wires in working order?" "i think so," replied kaliko. "is it your royal will that we have some fun with these invaders?" "it is," answered ruggedo. "i want to teach them a lesson they will never forget." now, shaggy had no idea that he was in a rubber country, nor had any of his companions. they noticed that everything around them was of a dull gray color and that the path upon which they walked was soft and springy, yet they had no suspicion that the rocks and trees were rubber and even the path they trod was made of rubber. presently they came to a brook where sparkling water dashed through a deep channel and rushed away between high rocks far down the mountain-side. across the brook were stepping-stones, so placed that travelers might easily leap from one to another and in that manner cross the water to the farther bank. tik-tok was marching ahead, followed by his officers and queen ann. after them came betsy bobbin and hank, polychrome and shaggy, and last of all the rose princess with files. the clockwork man saw the stream and the stepping-stones and, without making a pause, placed his foot upon the first stone. the result was astonishing. first he sank down in the soft rubber, which then rebounded and sent tik-tok soaring high in the air, where he turned a succession of flip-flops and alighted upon a rubber rock far in the rear of the party. general apple did not see tik-tok bound, so quickly had he disappeared; therefore he also stepped upon the stone (which you will guess was connected with kaliko's magnetic rubber wire) and instantly shot upward like an arrow. general cone came next and met with a like fate, but the others now noticed that something was wrong and with one accord they halted the column and looked back along the path. there was tik-tok, still bounding from one rubber rock to another, each time rising a less distance from the ground. and there was general apple, bounding away in another direction, his three-cornered hat jammed over his eyes and his long sword thumping him upon the arms and head as it swung this way and that. and there, also, appeared general cone, who had struck a rubber rock headforemost and was so crumpled up that his round body looked more like a bouncing-ball than the form of a man. betsy laughed merrily at the strange sight and polychrome echoed her laughter. but ozga was grave and wondering, while queen ann became angry at seeing the chief officers of the army of oogaboo bounding around in so undignified a manner. she shouted to them to stop, but they were unable to obey, even though they would have been glad to do so. finally, however, they all ceased bounding and managed to get upon their feet and rejoin the army. "why did you do that?" demanded ann, who seemed greatly provoked. "don't ask them why," said shaggy earnestly. "i knew you would ask them why, but you ought not to do it. the reason is plain. those stones are rubber; therefore they are not stones. those rocks around us are rubber, and therefore they are not rocks. even this path is not a path; it's rubber. unless we are very careful, your majesty, we are all likely to get the bounce, just as your poor officers and tik-tok did." [illustration] "then let's be careful," remarked files, who was full of wisdom; but polychrome wanted to test the quality of the rubber, so she began dancing. every step sent her higher and higher into the air, so that she resembled a big butterfly fluttering lightly. presently she made a great bound and bounded way across the stream, landing lightly and steadily on the other side. "there is no rubber over here," she called to them. "suppose you all try to bound over the stream, without touching the stepping-stones." ann and her officers were reluctant to undertake such a risky adventure, but betsy at once grasped the value of the suggestion and began jumping up and down until she found herself bounding almost as high as polychrome had done. then she suddenly leaned forward and the next bound took her easily across the brook, where she alighted by the side of the rainbow's daughter. "come on, hank!" called the girl, and the donkey tried to obey. he managed to bound pretty high but when he tried to bound across the stream he misjudged the distance and fell with a splash into the middle of the water. "hee-haw!" he wailed, struggling toward the far bank. betsy rushed forward to help him out, but when the mule stood safely beside her she was amazed to find he was not wet at all. "it's dry water," said polychrome, dipping her hand into the stream and showing how the water fell from it and left it perfectly dry. "in that case," returned betsy, "they can all walk through the water." she called to ozga and shaggy to wade across, assuring them the water was shallow and would not wet them. at once they followed her advice, avoiding the rubber stepping-stones, and made the crossing with ease. this encouraged the entire party to wade through the dry water, and in a few minutes all had assembled on the bank and renewed their journey along the path that led to the nome king's dominions. when kaliko again looked through his magic spyglass he exclaimed: "bad luck, your majesty! all the invaders have passed the rubber country and now are fast approaching the entrance to your caverns." ruggedo raved and stormed at the news and his anger was so great that several times, as he strode up and down his jeweled cavern, he paused to kick kaliko upon his shins, which were so sensitive that the poor nome howled with pain. finally the king said: "there's no help for it; we must drop these audacious invaders down the hollow tube." kaliko gave a jump, at this, and looked at his master wonderingly. "if you do that, your majesty," he said, "you will make tititi-hoochoo very angry." "never mind that," retorted ruggedo. "tititi-hoochoo lives on the other side of the world, so what do i care for his anger?" kaliko shuddered and uttered a little groan. "remember his terrible powers," he pleaded, "and remember that he warned you, the last time you slid people through the hollow tube, that if you did it again he would take vengeance upon you." the metal monarch walked up and down in silence, thinking deeply. "of two dangers," said he, "it is wise to choose the least. what do you suppose these invaders want?" "let the long-eared hearer listen to them," suggested kaliko. "call him here at once!" commanded ruggedo eagerly. so in a few minutes there entered the cavern a nome with enormous ears, who bowed low before the king. "strangers are approaching," said ruggedo, "and i wish to know their errand. listen carefully to their talk and tell me why they are coming here, and what for." the nome bowed again and spread out his great ears, swaying them gently up and down and back and forth. for half an hour he stood silent, in an attitude of listening, while both the king and kaliko grew impatient at the delay. at last the long-eared hearer spoke: [illustration] "shaggy man is coming here to rescue his brother from captivity," said he. "ha, the ugly one!" exclaimed ruggedo. "well, shaggy man may have his ugly brother, for all i care. he's too lazy to work and is always getting in my way. where is the ugly one now, kaliko?" "the last time your majesty stumbled over the prisoner you commanded me to send him to the metal forest, which i did. i suppose he is still there." "very good. the invaders will have a hard time finding the metal forest," said the king, with a grin of malicious delight, "for half the time i can't find it myself. yet i created the forest and made every tree, out of gold and silver, so as to keep the precious metals in a safe place and out of the reach of mortals. but tell me, hearer, do the strangers want anything else?" "yes, indeed they do!" returned the nome. "the army of oogaboo is determined to capture all the rich metals and rare jewels in your kingdom, and the officers and their queen have arranged to divide the spoils and carry them away." when he heard this ruggedo uttered a bellow of rage and began dancing up and down, rolling his eyes, clicking his teeth together and swinging his arms furiously. then, in an ecstasy of anger he seized the long ears of the hearer and pulled and twisted them cruelly; but kaliko grabbed up the king's sceptre and rapped him over the knuckles with it, so that ruggedo let go the ears and began to chase his royal chamberlain around the throne. the hearer took advantage of this opportunity to slip away from the cavern and escape, and after the king had tired himself out chasing kaliko he threw himself into his throne and panted for breath, while he glared wickedly at his defiant subject. "you'd better save your strength to fight the enemy," suggested kaliko. "there will be a terrible battle when the army of oogaboo gets here." "the army won't get here," said the king, still coughing and panting. "i'll drop 'em down the hollow tube--every man jack and every girl jill of 'em!" "and defy tititi-hoochoo?" asked kaliko. "yes. go at once to my chief magician and order him to turn the path toward the hollow tube, and to make the top of the tube invisible, so they'll all fall into it." kaliko went away shaking his head, for he thought ruggedo was making a great mistake. he found the magician and had the path twisted so that it led directly to the opening of the hollow tube, and this opening he made invisible. having obeyed the orders of his master, the royal chamberlain went to his private room and began to write letters of recommendation of himself, stating that he was an honest man, a good servant and a small eater. "pretty soon," he said to himself, "i shall have to look for another job, for it is certain that ruggedo has ruined himself by this reckless defiance of the mighty tititi-hoochoo. and in seeking a job nothing is so effective as a letter of recommendation." [illustration] [illustration] chapter a terrible tumble through a tube i suppose that polychrome, and perhaps queen ann and her army, might have been able to dispel the enchantment of ruggedo's chief magician had they known that danger lay in their pathway; for the rainbow's daughter was a fairy and as oogaboo is a part of the land of oz its inhabitants cannot easily be deceived by such common magic as the nome king could command. but no one suspected any especial danger until after they had entered ruggedo's cavern, and so they were journeying along in quite a contented manner when tik-tok, who marched ahead, suddenly disappeared. the officers thought he must have turned a corner, so they kept on their way and all of them likewise disappeared--one after another. queen ann was rather surprised at this, and in hastening forward to learn the reason she also vanished from sight. betsy bobbin had tired her feet by walking, so she was now riding upon the back of the stout little mule, facing backward and talking to shaggy and polychrome, who were just behind. suddenly hank pitched forward and began falling and betsy would have tumbled over his head had she not grabbed the mule's shaggy neck with both arms and held on for dear life. all around was darkness, and they were not falling directly downward but seemed to be sliding along a steep incline. hank's hoofs were resting upon some smooth substance over which he slid with the swiftness of the wind. once betsy's heels flew up and struck a similar substance overhead. they were, indeed, descending the "hollow tube" that led to the other side of the world. "stop, hank--stop!" cried the girl; but hank only uttered a plaintive "hee-haw!" for it was impossible for him to obey. after several minutes had passed and no harm had befallen them, betsy gained courage. she could see nothing at all, nor could she hear anything except the rush of air past her ears as they plunged downward along the tube. whether she and hank were alone, or the others were with them, she could not tell. but had some one been able to take a flash-light photograph of the tube at that time a most curious picture would have resulted. there was tik-tok, flat upon his back and sliding headforemost down the incline. and there were the officers of the army of oogaboo, all tangled up in a confused crowd, flapping their arms and trying to shield their faces from the clanking swords, which swung back and forth during the swift journey and pommeled everyone within their reach. now followed queen ann, who had struck the tube in a sitting position and went flying along with a dash and abandon that thoroughly bewildered the poor lady, who had no idea what had happened to her. then, a little distance away, but unseen by the others in the inky darkness, slid betsy and hank, while behind them were shaggy and polychrome and finally files and the princess. when first they tumbled into the tube all were too dazed to think clearly, but the trip was a long one, because the cavity led straight through the earth to a place just opposite the nome king's dominions, and long before the adventurers got to the end they had begun to recover their wits. "this is awful, hank!" cried betsy in a loud voice, and queen ann heard her and called out: "are you safe, betsy?" "mercy, no!" answered the little girl. "how could anyone be safe when she's going about sixty miles a minute?" then, after a pause, she added: "but where do you s'pose we're going to, your maj'sty?" "don't ask her that, please don't!" said shaggy, who was not too far away to overhear them. "and please don't ask me why, either." "why?" said betsy. "no one can tell where we are going until we get there," replied shaggy, and then he yelled "ouch!" for polychrome had overtaken him and was now sitting on his head. the rainbow's daughter laughed merrily, and so infectious was this joyous laugh that betsy echoed it and hank said "hee-haw!" in a mild and sympathetic tone of voice. "i'd like to know where and when we'll arrive, just the same," exclaimed the little girl. "be patient and you'll find out, my dear," said polychrome. "but isn't this an odd experience? here am i, whose home is in the skies, making a journey through the center of the earth--where i never expected to be!" "how do you know we're in the center of the earth?" asked betsy, her voice trembling a little through nervousness. "why, we can't be anywhere else," replied polychrome. "i have often heard of this passage, which was once built by a magician who was a great traveler. he thought it would save him the bother of going around the earth's surface, but he tumbled through the tube so fast that he shot out at the other end and hit a star in the sky, which at once exploded." "the star exploded?" asked betsy wonderingly. "yes; the magician hit it so hard." "and what became of the magician?" inquired the girl. "no one knows that," answered polychrome. "but i don't think it matters much." "it matters a good deal, if we also hit the stars when we come out," said queen ann, with a moan. "don't worry," advised polychrome. "i believe the magician was going the other way, and probably he went much faster than we are going." "it's fast enough to suit me," remarked shaggy, gently removing polychrome's heel from his left eye. "couldn't you manage to fall all by yourself, my dear?" "i'll try," laughed the rainbow's daughter. all this time they were swiftly falling through the tube, and it was not so easy for them to talk as you may imagine when you read their words. but although they were so helpless and altogether in the dark as to their fate, the fact that they were able to converse at all cheered them considerably. files and ozga were also conversing as they clung tightly to one another, and the young fellow bravely strove to reassure the princess, although he was terribly frightened, both on her account and on his own. an hour, under such trying circumstances, is a very long time, and for more than an hour they continued their fearful journey. then, just as they began to fear the tube would never end, tik-tok popped out into broad daylight and, after making a graceful circle in the air, fell with a splash into a great marble fountain. out came the officers, in quick succession, tumbling heels over head and striking the ground in many undignified attitudes. "for the love of sassafras!" exclaimed a peculiar person who was hoeing pink violets in a garden. "what can all this mean?" for answer, queen ann sailed up from the tube, took a ride through the air as high as the treetops, and alighted squarely on top of the peculiar person's head, smashing a jeweled crown over his eyes and tumbling him to the ground. the mule was heavier and had betsy clinging to his back, so he did not go so high up. fortunately for his little rider he struck the ground upon his four feet. betsy was jarred a trifle but not hurt and when she looked around her she saw the queen and the peculiar person struggling together upon the ground, where the man was trying to choke ann and she had both hands in his bushy hair and was pulling with all her might. some of the officers, when they got upon their feet, hastened to separate the combatants and sought to restrain the peculiar person so that he could not attack their queen again. [illustration] by this time, shaggy, polychrome, ozga and files had all arrived and were curiously examining the strange country in which they found themselves and which they knew to be exactly on the opposite side of the world from the place where they had fallen into the tube. it was a lovely place, indeed, and seemed to be the garden of some great prince, for through the vistas of trees and shrubbery could be seen the towers of an immense castle. but as yet the only inhabitant to greet them was the peculiar person just mentioned, who had shaken off the grasp of the officers without effort and was now trying to pull the battered crown from off his eyes. shaggy, who was always polite, helped him to do this and when the man was free and could see again he looked at his visitors with evident amazement. "well, well, well!" he exclaimed. "where did you come from and how did you get here?" betsy tried to answer him, for queen ann was surly and silent. "i can't say, exac'ly where we came from, 'cause i don't know the name of the place," said the girl, "but the way we got here was through the hollow tube." "don't call it a 'hollow' tube, please," exclaimed the peculiar person in an irritated tone of voice. "if it's a tube, it's sure to be hollow." "why?" asked betsy. "because all tubes are made that way. but this tube is private property and everyone is forbidden to fall into it." "we didn't do it on purpose," explained betsy, and polychrome added: "i am quite sure that ruggedo, the nome king, pushed us down that tube." "ha! ruggedo! did you say ruggedo?" cried the man, becoming much excited. "that is what she said," replied shaggy, "and i believe she is right. we were on our way to conquer the nome king when suddenly we fell into the tube." "then you are enemies of ruggedo?" inquired the peculiar person. "not exac'ly enemies," said betsy, a little puzzled by the question, "'cause we don't know him at all; but we started out to conquer him, which isn't as friendly as it might be." "true," agreed the man. he looked thoughtfully from one to another of them for a while and then he turned his head over his shoulder and said: "never mind the fire and pincers, my good brothers. it will be best to take these strangers to the private citizen." "very well, tubekins," responded a voice, deep and powerful, that seemed to come out of the air, for the speaker was invisible. all our friends gave a jump, at this. even polychrome was so startled that her gauze draperies fluttered like a banner in a breeze. shaggy shook his head and sighed; queen ann looked very unhappy; the officers clung to each other, trembling violently. but soon they gained courage to look more closely at the peculiar person. as he was a type of all the inhabitants of this extraordinary land whom they afterward met, i will try to tell you what he looked like. his face was beautiful, but lacked expression. his eyes were large and blue in color and his teeth finely formed and white as snow. his hair was black and bushy and seemed inclined to curl at the ends. so far no one could find any fault with his appearance. he wore a robe of scarlet, which did not cover his arms and extended no lower than his bare knees. on the bosom of the robe was embroidered a terrible dragon's head, as horrible to look at as the man was beautiful. his arms and legs were left bare and the skin of one arm was bright yellow and the skin of the other arm a vivid green. he had one blue leg and one pink one, while both his feet--which showed through the open sandals he wore--were jet black. betsy could not decide whether these gorgeous colors were dyes or the natural tints of the skin, but while she was thinking it over the man who had been called "tubekins" said: "follow me to the residence--all of you!" but just then a voice exclaimed: "here's another of them, tubekins, lying in the water of the fountain." [illustration] "gracious!" cried betsy; "it must be tik-tok, and he'll drown." "water is a bad thing for his clockworks, anyhow," agreed shaggy, as with one accord they all started for the fountain. but before they could reach it, invisible hands raised tik-tok from the marble basin and set him upon his feet beside it, water dripping from every joint of his copper body. "ma--ny tha--tha--tha--thanks!" he said; and then his copper jaws clicked together and he could say no more. he next made an attempt to walk but after several awkward trials found he could not move his joints. peals of jeering laughter from persons unseen greeted tik-tok's failure, and the new arrivals in this strange land found it very uncomfortable to realize that there were many creatures around them who were invisible, yet could be heard plainly. "shall i wind him up?" asked betsy, feeling very sorry for tik-tok. "i think his machinery is wound; but he needs oiling," replied shaggy. at once an oil-can appeared before him, held on a level with his eyes by some unseen hand. shaggy took the can and tried to oil tik-tok's joints. as if to assist him, a strong current of warm air was directed against the copper man, which quickly dried him. soon he was able to say "ma-ny thanks!" quite smoothly and his joints worked fairly well. "come!" commanded tubekins, and turning his back upon them he walked up the path toward the castle. "shall we go?" asked queen ann, uncertainly; but just then she received a shove that almost pitched her forward on her head; so she decided to go. the officers who hesitated received several energetic kicks, but could not see who delivered them; therefore they also decided--very wisely--to go. the others followed willingly enough, for unless they ventured upon another terrible journey through the tube they must make the best of the unknown country they were in, and the best seemed to be to obey orders. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the famous fellowship of fairies after a short walk through very beautiful gardens they came to the castle and followed tubekins through the entrance and into a great domed chamber, where he commanded them to be seated. from the crown which he wore, betsy had thought this man must be the king of the country they were in, yet after he had seated all the strangers upon benches that were ranged in a semicircle before a high throne, tubekins bowed humbly before the vacant throne and in a flash became invisible and disappeared. the hall was an immense place, but there seemed to be no one in it beside themselves. presently, however, they heard a low cough near them, and here and there was the faint rustling of a robe and a slight patter as of footsteps. then suddenly there rang out the clear tone of a bell and at the sound all was changed. gazing around the hall in bewilderment they saw that it was filled with hundreds of men and women, all with beautiful faces and staring blue eyes and all wearing scarlet robes and jeweled crowns upon their heads. in fact, these people seemed exact duplicates of tubekins and it was difficult to find any mark by which to tell them apart. "my! what a lot of kings and queens!" whispered betsy to polychrome, who sat beside her and appeared much interested in the scene but not a bit worried. "it is certainly a strange sight," was polychrome's reply; "but i cannot see how there can be more than one king, or queen, in any one country, for were these all rulers, no one could tell who was master." one of the kings who stood near and overheard this remark turned to her and said: "one who is master of himself is always a king, if only to himself. in this favored land all kings and queens are equal, and it is our privilege to bow before one supreme ruler--the private citizen." "who's he?" inquired betsy. as if to answer her, the clear tones of the bell again rang out and instantly there appeared seated in the throne the man who was lord and master of all these royal ones. this fact was evident when with one accord they fell upon their knees and touched their foreheads to the floor. the private citizen was not unlike the others, except that his eyes were black instead of blue and in the centers of the black irises glowed red sparks that seemed like coals of fire. but his features were very beautiful and dignified and his manner composed and stately. instead of the prevalent scarlet robe, he wore one of white, and the same dragon's head that decorated the others was embroidered upon its bosom. "what charge lies against these people, tubekins?" he asked in quiet, even tones. "they came through the forbidden tube, o mighty citizen," was the reply. "you see, it was this way," said betsy. "we were marching to the nome king, to conquer him and set shaggy's brother free, when on a sudden--" "who are you?" demanded the private citizen sternly. "me? oh, i'm betsy bobbin, and--" "who is the leader of this party?" asked the citizen. "sir, i am queen ann of oogaboo, and--" "then keep quiet," said the citizen. "who is the leader?" no one answered for a moment. then general bunn stood up. "sit down!" commanded the citizen. "i can see that sixteen of you are merely officers, and of no account." "but we have an army," said general clock, blusteringly, for he didn't like to be told he was of no account. "where is your army?" asked the citizen. "it's me," said tik-tok, his voice sounding a little rusty. "i'm the on-ly pri-vate sol-dier in the par-ty." hearing this, the citizen rose and bowed respectfully to the clockwork man. "pardon me for not realizing your importance before," said he. "will you oblige me by taking a seat beside me on my throne?" tik-tok rose and walked over to the throne, all the kings and queens making way for him. then with clanking steps he mounted the platform and sat on the broad seat beside the citizen. ann was greatly provoked at this mark of favor shown to the humble clockwork man, but shaggy seemed much pleased that his old friend's importance had been recognized by the ruler of this remarkable country. the citizen now began to question tik-tok, who told in his mechanical voice about shaggy's quest of his lost brother, and how ozma of oz had sent the clockwork man to assist him, and how they had fallen in with queen ann and her people from oogaboo. also he told how betsy and hank and polychrome and the rose princess had happened to join their party. "and you intended to conquer ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes?" asked the citizen. "yes. that seemed the on-ly thing for us to do," was tik-tok's reply. "but he was too clev-er for us. when we got close to his cav-ern he made our path lead to the tube, and made the op-en-ing in-vis-i-ble, so that we all fell in-to it be-fore we knew it was there. it was an eas-y way to get rid of us and now rug-ge-do is safe and we are far a-way in a strange land." the citizen was silent a moment and seemed to be thinking. then he said: "most noble private soldier, i must inform you that by the laws of our country anyone who comes through the forbidden tube must be tortured for nine days and ten nights and then thrown back into the tube. but it is wise to disregard laws when they conflict with justice, and it seems that you and your followers did not disobey our laws willingly, being forced into the tube by ruggedo. therefore the nome king is alone to blame, and he alone must be punished." "that suits me," said tik-tok. "but rug-ge-do is on the o-ther side of the world where he is a-way out of your reach." the citizen drew himself up proudly. "do you imagine anything in the world or upon it can be out of the reach of the great jinjin?" he asked. "oh! are you, then, the great jinjin?" inquired tik-tok. "i am." "then your name is ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo?" "it is." queen ann gave a scream and began to tremble. shaggy was so disturbed that he took out a handkerchief and wiped the perspiration from his brow. polychrome looked sober and uneasy for the first time, while files put his arms around the rose princess as if to protect her. as for the officers, the name of the great jinjin set them moaning and weeping at a great rate and every one fell upon his knees before the throne, begging for mercy. betsy was worried at seeing her companions so disturbed, but did not know what it was all about. only tik-tok was unmoved at the discovery. "then," said he, "if you are ti-ti-ti-hoo-choo, and think rug-ge-do is to blame, i am sure that some-thing queer will hap-pen to the king of the nomes." "i wonder what 'twill be," said betsy. the private citizen--otherwise known as tititi-hoochoo, the great jinjin--looked at the little girl steadily. "i will presently decide what is to happen to ruggedo," said he in a hard, stern voice. then, turning to the throng of kings and queens, he continued: "tik-tok has spoken truly, for his machinery will not allow him to lie, nor will it allow his thoughts to think falsely. therefore these people are not our enemies and must be treated with consideration and justice. take them to your palaces and entertain them as guests until to-morrow, when i command that they be brought again to my residence. by then i shall have formed my plans." no sooner had tititi-hoochoo spoken than he disappeared from sight. immediately after, most of the kings and queens likewise disappeared. but several of them remained visible and approached the strangers with great respect. one of the lovely queens said to betsy: "i trust you will honor me by being my guest. i am erma, queen of light." "may hank come with me?" asked the girl. "the king of animals will care for your mule," was the reply. "but do not fear for him, for he will be treated royally. all of your party will be reunited on the morrow." "i--i'd like to have _some_ one with me," said betsy, pleadingly. queen erma looked around and smiled upon polychrome. "will the rainbow's daughter be an agreeable companion?" she asked. "oh, yes!" exclaimed the girl. so polychrome and betsy became guests of the queen of light, while other beautiful kings and queens took charge of the others of the party. [illustration] the two girls followed erma out of the hall and through the gardens of the residence to a village of pretty dwellings. none of these was so large or imposing as the castle of the private citizen, but all were handsome enough to be called palaces--as, in fact, they really were. [illustration: betsy] [illustration] chapter the lovely lady of light the palace of the queen of light stood on a little eminence and was a mass of crystal windows, surmounted by a vast crystal dome. when they entered the portals erma was greeted by six lovely maidens, evidently of high degree, who at once aroused betsy's admiration. each bore a wand in her hand, tipped with an emblem of light, and their costumes were also emblematic of the lights they represented. erma introduced them to her guests and each made a graceful and courteous acknowledgment. first was sunlight, radiantly beautiful and very fair; the second was moonlight, a soft, dreamy damsel with nut-brown hair; next came starlight, equally lovely but inclined to be retiring and shy. these three were dressed in shimmering robes of silvery white. the fourth was daylight, a brilliant damsel with laughing eyes and frank manners, who wore a variety of colors. then came firelight, clothed in a fleecy flame-colored robe that wavered around her shapely form in a very attractive manner. the sixth maiden, electra, was the most beautiful of all, and betsy thought from the first that both sunlight and daylight regarded electra with envy and were a little jealous of her. but all were cordial in their greetings to the strangers and seemed to regard the queen of light with much affection, for they fluttered around her in a flashing, radiant group as she led the way to her regal drawing-room. this apartment was richly and cosily furnished, the upholstery being of many tints, and both betsy and polychrome enjoyed resting themselves upon the downy divans after their strenuous adventures of the day. the queen sat down to chat with her guests, who noticed that daylight was the only maiden now seated beside erma. the others had retired to another part of the room, where they sat modestly with entwined arms and did not intrude themselves at all. the queen told the strangers all about this beautiful land, which is one of the chief residences of fairies who minister to the needs of mankind. so many important fairies lived there that, to avoid rivalry, they had elected as their ruler the only important personage in the country who had no duties to mankind to perform and was, in effect, a private citizen. this ruler, or jinjin, as was his title, bore the name of tititi-hoochoo, and the most singular thing about him was that he had no heart. but instead of this he possessed a high degree of reason and justice and while he showed no mercy in his judgments he never punished unjustly or without reason. to wrong-doers tititi-hoochoo was as terrible as he was heartless, but those who were innocent of evil had nothing to fear from him. all the kings and queens of this fairyland paid reverence to jinjin, for as they expected to be obeyed by others they were willing to obey the one in authority over them. the inhabitants of the land of oz had heard many tales of this fearfully just jinjin, whose punishments were always equal to the faults committed. polychrome also knew of him, although this was the first time she had ever seen him face to face. but to betsy the story was all new, and she was greatly interested in tititi-hoochoo, whom she no longer feared. time sped swiftly during their talk and suddenly betsy noticed that moonlight was sitting beside the queen of light, instead of daylight. "but tell me, please," she pleaded, "why do you all wear a dragon's head embroidered on your gowns?" erma's pleasant face became grave as she answered: "the dragon, as you must know, was the first living creature ever made; therefore the dragon is the oldest and wisest of living things. by good fortune the original dragon, who still lives, is a resident of this land and supplies us with wisdom whenever we are in need of it. he is old as the world and remembers everything that has happened since the world was created." "did he ever have any children?" inquired the girl. "yes, many of them. some wandered into other lands, where men, not understanding them, made war upon them; but many still reside in this country. none, however, is as wise as the original dragon, for whom we have great respect. as he was the first resident here, we wear the emblem of the dragon's head to show that we are the favored people who alone have the right to inhabit this fairyland, which in beauty almost equal the fairyland of oz, and in power quite surpasses it." "i understand about the dragon, now," said polychrome, nodding her lovely head. betsy did not quite understand, but she was at present interested in observing the changing lights. as daylight had given way to moonlight, so now starlight sat at the right hand of erma the queen, and with her coming a spirit of peace and content seemed to fill the room. polychrome, being herself a fairy, had many questions to ask about the various kings and queens who lived in this far-away, secluded place, and before erma had finished answering them a rosy glow filled the room and firelight took her place beside the queen. betsy liked firelight, but to gaze upon her warm and glowing features made the little girl sleepy, and presently she began to nod. thereupon erma rose and took betsy's hand gently in her own. "come," said she; "the feast time has arrived and the feast is spread." "that's nice," exclaimed the small mortal. "now that i think of it, i'm awful hungry. but p'raps i can't eat your fairy food." the queen smiled and led her to a doorway. as she pushed aside a heavy drapery a flood of silvery light greeted them, and betsy saw before her a splendid banquet hall, with a table spread with snowy linen and crystal and silver. at one side was a broad, throne-like seat for erma and beside her now sat the brilliant maid electra. polychrome was placed on the queen's right hand and betsy upon her left. the other five messengers of light now waited upon them, and each person was supplied with just the food she liked best. polychrome found her dish of dewdrops, all fresh and sparkling, while betsy was so lavishly served that she decided she had never in her life eaten a dinner half so good. "i s'pose," she said to the queen, "that miss electra is the youngest of all these girls." "why do you suppose that?" inquired erma, with a smile. "'cause electric'ty is the newest light we know of. didn't mr. edison discover it?" "perhaps he was the first mortal to discover it," replied the queen. "but electricity was a part of the world from its creation, and therefore my electra is as old as daylight or moonlight, and equally beneficent to mortals and fairies alike." betsy was thoughtful for a time. then she remarked, as she looked at the six messengers of light: "we couldn't very well do without any of 'em; could we?" erma laughed softly. "_i_ couldn't, i'm sure," she replied, "and i think mortals would miss any one of my maidens, as well. daylight cannot take the place of sunlight, which gives us strength and energy. moonlight is of value when daylight, worn out with her long watch, retires to rest. if the moon in its course is hidden behind the earth's rim, and my sweet moonlight cannot cheer us, starlight takes her place, for the skies always lend her power. without firelight we should miss much of our warmth and comfort, as well as much cheer when the walls of houses encompass us. but always, when other lights forsake us, our glorious electra is ready to flood us with bright rays. as queen of light, i love all my maidens, for i know them to be faithful and true." "i love 'em, too!" declared betsy. "but sometimes, when i'm _real_ sleepy, i can get along without any light at all." "are you sleepy now?" inquired erma, for the feast had ended. "a little," admitted the girl. so electra showed her to a pretty chamber where there was a soft, white bed, and waited patiently until betsy had undressed and put on a shimmery silken nightrobe that lay beside her pillow. then the light-maid bade her good night and opened the door. when she closed it after her betsy was in darkness. in six winks the little girl was fast asleep. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the jinjin's just judgment all the adventurers were reunited next morning when they were brought from various palaces to the residence of tititi-hoochoo and ushered into the great hall of state. as before, no one was visible except our friends and their escorts until the first bell sounded. then in a flash the room was seen to be filled with the beautiful kings and queens of the land. the second bell marked the appearance in the throne of the mighty jinjin, whose handsome countenance was as composed and expressionless as ever. all bowed low to the ruler. their voices softly murmured: "we greet the private citizen, mightiest of rulers, whose word is law and whose law is just." tititi-hoochoo bowed in acknowledgment. then, looking around the brilliant assemblage, and at the little group of adventurers before him, he said: "an unusual thing has happened. inhabitants of other lands than ours, who are different from ourselves in many ways, have been thrust upon us through the forbidden tube, which one of our people foolishly made years ago and was properly punished for his folly. but these strangers had no desire to come here and were wickedly thrust into the tube by a cruel king on the other side of the world, named ruggedo. this king is an immortal, but he is not good. his magic powers hurt mankind more than they benefit them. because he had unjustly kept the shaggy man's brother a prisoner, this little band of honest people, consisting of both mortals and immortals, determined to conquer ruggedo and to punish him. fearing they might succeed in this, the nome king misled them so that they fell into the tube. "now, this same ruggedo has been warned by me, many times, that if ever he used this forbidden tube in any way he would be severely punished. i find, by referring to the fairy records, that this king's servant, a nome named kaliko, begged his master not to do such a wrong act as to drop these people into the tube and send them tumbling into our country. but ruggedo defied me and my orders. "therefore these strangers are innocent of any wrong. it is only ruggedo who deserves punishment, and i will punish him." he paused a moment and then continued in the same cold, merciless voice: "these strangers must return through the tube to their own side of the world; but i will make their fall more easy and pleasant than it was before. also i shall send with them an instrument of vengeance, who in my name will drive ruggedo from his underground caverns, take away his magic powers and make him a homeless wanderer on the face of the earth--a place he detests." there was a little murmur of horror from the kings and queens at the severity of this punishment, but no one uttered a protest, for all realized that the sentence was just. "in selecting my instrument of vengeance," went on tititi-hoochoo, "i have realized that this will be an unpleasant mission. therefore no one of us who is blameless should be forced to undertake it. in this wonderful land it is seldom one is guilty of wrong, even in the slightest degree, and on examining the records i found no king or queen had erred. nor had any among their followers or servants done any wrong. but finally i came to the dragon family, which we highly respect, and then it was that i discovered the error of quox. "quox, as you well know, is a young dragon who has not yet acquired the wisdom of his race. because of this lack, he has been disrespectful toward his most ancient ancestor, the original dragon, telling him once to mind his own business and again saying that the ancient one had grown foolish with age. we are aware that dragons are not the same as fairies and cannot be altogether guided by our laws, yet such disrespect as quox has shown should not be unnoticed by us. therefore i have selected quox as my royal instrument of vengeance and he shall go through the tube with these people and inflict upon ruggedo the punishment i have decreed." all had listened quietly to this speech and now the kings and queens bowed gravely to signify their approval of the jinjin's judgment. tititi-hoochoo turned to tubekins. "i command you," said he, "to escort these strangers to the tube and see that they all enter it." the king of the tube, who had first discovered our friends and brought them to the private citizen, stepped forward and bowed. as he did so, the jinjin and all the kings and queens suddenly disappeared and only tubekins remained visible. "all right," said betsy, with a sigh; "i don't mind going back so _very_ much, 'cause the jinjin promised to make it easy for us." indeed, queen ann and her officers were the only ones who looked solemn and seemed to fear the return journey. one thing that bothered ann was her failure to conquer this land of tititi-hoochoo. as they followed their guide through the gardens to the mouth of the tube she said to shaggy: "how can i conquer the world, if i go away and leave this rich country unconquered?" "you can't," he replied. "don't ask me why, please, for if you don't know i can't inform you." "why not?" said ann; but shaggy paid no attention to the question. this end of the tube had a silver rim and around it was a gold railing to which was attached a sign that read: "if you are out, stay there. if you are in, don't come out." on a little silver plate just inside the tube was engraved the words: "_burrowed and built by hiergargo the magician, in the year of the world_ _for his own exclusive uses_." "he was some builder, i must say," remarked betsy, when she had read the inscription; "but if he had known about that star i guess he'd have spent his time playing solitaire." "well, what are we waiting for?" inquired shaggy, who was impatient to start. "quox," replied tubekins. "but i think i hear him coming." "is the young dragon invisible?" asked ann, who had never seen a live dragon and was a little fearful of meeting one. "no, indeed," replied the king of the tube. "you'll see him in a minute; but before you part company i'm sure you'll wish he _was_ invisible." "is he dangerous, then?" questioned files. "not at all. but quox tires me dreadfully," said tubekins, "and i prefer his room to his company." at that instant a scraping sound was heard, drawing nearer and nearer until from between two big bushes appeared a huge dragon, who approached the party, nodded his head and said: "good morning." had quox been at all bashful i am sure he would have felt uncomfortable at the astonished stare of every eye in the group-except tubekins, of course, who was not astonished because he had seen quox so often. betsy had thought a "young" dragon must be a small dragon, yet here was one so enormous that the girl decided he must be full grown, if not overgrown. his body was a lovely sky-blue in color and it was thickly set with glittering silver scales, each one as big as a serving-tray. around his neck was a pink ribbon with a bow just under his left ear, and below the ribbon appeared a chain of pearls to which was attached a golden locket about as large around as the end of a bass drum. this locket was set with many large and beautiful jewels. the head and face of quox were not especially ugly, when you consider that he was a dragon; but his eyes were so large that it took him a long time to wink and his teeth seemed very sharp and terrible when they showed, which they did whenever the beast smiled. also his nostrils were quite large and wide, and those who stood near him were liable to smell brimstone--especially when he breathed out fire, as it is the nature of dragons to do. to the end of his long tail was attached a big electric light. perhaps the most singular thing about the dragon's appearance at this time was the fact that he had a row of seats attached to his back, one seat for each member of the party. these seats were double, with curved backs, so that two could sit in them, and there were twelve of these double seats, all strapped firmly around the dragon's thick body and placed one behind the other, in a row that extended from his shoulders nearly to his tail. "aha!" exclaimed tubekins; "i see that tititi-hoochoo has transformed quox into a carryall." "i'm glad of that," said betsy. "i hope, mr. dragon, you won't mind our riding on your back." "not a bit," replied quox. "i'm in disgrace just now, you know, and the only way to redeem my good name is to obey the orders of the jinjin. if he makes me a beast of burden, it is only a part of my punishment, and i must bear it like a dragon. i don't blame you people at all, and i hope you'll enjoy the ride. hop on, please. all aboard for the other side of the world!" silently they took their places. hank sat in the front seat with betsy, so that he could rest his front hoofs upon the dragon's head. behind them were shaggy and polychrome, then files and the princess, and queen ann and tik-tok. the officers rode in the rear seats. when all had mounted to their places the dragon looked very like one of those sight-seeing wagons so common in big cities--only he had legs instead of wheels. "all ready?" asked quox, and when they said they were he crawled to the mouth of the tube and put his head in. "good-bye, and good luck to you!" called tubekins; but no one thought to reply, because just then the dragon slid his great body into the tube and the journey to the other side of the world had begun. at first they went so fast that they could scarcely catch their breaths, but presently quox slowed up and said with a sort of cackling laugh: "my scales! but that is some tumble. i think i shall take it easy and fall slower, or i'm likely to get dizzy. is it very far to the other side of the world?" "haven't you ever been through this tube before?" inquired shaggy. "never. nor has anyone else in our country; at least, not since i was born." "how long ago was that?" asked betsy. "that i was born? oh, not very long ago. i'm only a mere child. if i had not been sent on this journey, i would have celebrated my three thousand and fifty-sixth birthday next thursday. mother was going to make me a birthday cake with three thousand and fifty-six candles on it; but now, of course, there will be no celebration, for i fear i shall not get home in time for it." "three thousand and fifty-six years!" cried betsy. "why, i had no idea anything could live that long!" "my respected ancestor, whom i would call a stupid old humbug if i had not reformed, is so old that i am a mere baby compared with him," said quox. "he dates from the beginning of the world, and insists on telling us stories of things that happened fifty thousand years ago, which are of no interest at all to youngsters like me. in fact, grandpa isn't up to date. he lives altogether in the past, so i can't see any good reason for his being alive to-day.... are you people able to see your way, or shall i turn on more light?' "oh, we can see very nicely, thank you; only there's nothing to see but ourselves," answered betsy. this was true. the dragon's big eyes were like headlights on an automobile and illuminated the tube far ahead of them. also he curled his tail upward so that the electric light on the end of it enabled them to see one another quite clearly. but the tube itself was only dark metal, smooth as glass but exactly the same from one of its ends to the other. therefore there was no scenery of interest to beguile the journey. they were now falling so gently that the trip was proving entirely comfortable, as the jinjin had promised it would be; but this meant a longer journey and the only way they could make time pass was to engage in conversation. the dragon seemed a willing and persistent talker and he was of so much interest to them that they encouraged him to chatter. his voice was a little gruff but not unpleasant when one became used to it. "my only fear," said he presently, "is that this constant sliding over the surface of the tube will dull my claws. you see, this hole isn't straight down, but on a steep slant, and so instead of tumbling freely through the air i must skate along the tube. fortunately, there is a file in my tool-kit, and if my claws get dull they can be sharpened again." "why do you want sharp claws?" asked betsy. "they are my natural weapons, and you must not forget that i have been sent to conquer ruggedo." "oh, you needn't mind about that," remarked queen ann, in her most haughty manner; "for when we get to ruggedo i and my invincible army can conquer him without your assistance." "very good," returned the dragon, cheerfully. "that will save me a lot of bother--if you succeed. but i think i shall file my claws, just the same." he gave a long sigh, as he said this, and a sheet of flame, several feet in length, shot from his mouth. betsy shuddered and hank said "hee-haw!" while some of the officers screamed in terror. but the dragon did not notice that he had done anything unusual. "is there fire inside of you?" asked shaggy. "of course," answered quox. "what sort of a dragon would i be if my fire went out?" "what keeps it going?" betsy inquired. "i've no idea. i only know it's there," said quox. "the fire keeps me alive and enables me to move; also to think and speak." "ah! you are ver-y much like my-self," said tik-tok. "the on-ly dif-fer-ence is that i move by clock-work, while you move by fire." "i don't see a particle of likeness between us, i must confess," retorted quox, gruffly. "you are not a live thing; you're a dummy." "but i can do things, you must ad-mit," said tik-tok. "yes, when you are wound up," sneered the dragon. "but if you run down, you are helpless." "what would happen to you, quox, if you ran out of gasoline?" inquired shaggy, who did not like this attack upon his friend. "i don't use gasoline." "well, suppose you ran out of fire." "what's the use of supposing that?" asked quox. "my great-great-great-grandfather has lived since the world began, and he has never once run out of fire to keep him going. but i will confide to you that as he gets older he shows more smoke and less fire. as for tik-tok, he's well enough in his way, but he's merely copper. and the metal monarch knows copper through and through. i wouldn't be surprised if ruggedo melted tik-tok in one of his furnaces and made copper pennies of him." "in that case, i would still keep going," remarked tik-tok, calmly. "pennies do," said betsy regretfully. "this is all nonsense," said the queen, with irritation. "tik-tok is my great army--all but the officers--and i believe he will be able to conquer ruggedo with ease. what do you think, polychrome?" "you might let him try," answered the rainbow's daughter, with her sweet ringing laugh, that sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. "and if tik-tok fails, you have still the big fire-breathing dragon to fall back on." "ah!" said the dragon, another sheet of flame gushing from his mouth and nostrils; "it's a wise little girl, this polychrome. anyone would know she is a fairy." [illustration] [illustration] chapter the long-eared hearer learns by listening during this time ruggedo, the metal monarch and king of the nomes, was trying to amuse himself in his splendid jeweled cavern. it was hard work for ruggedo to find amusement to-day, for all the nomes were behaving well and there was no one to scold or to punish. the king had thrown his sceptre at kaliko six times, without hitting him once. not that kaliko had done anything wrong. on the contrary, he had obeyed the king in every way but one: he would not stand still, when commanded to do so, and let the heavy sceptre strike him. we can hardly blame kaliko for this, and even the cruel ruggedo forgave him; for he knew very well that if he mashed his royal chamberlain he could never find another so intelligent and obedient. kaliko could make the nomes work when their king could not, for the nomes hated ruggedo and there were so many thousands of the quaint little underground people that they could easily have rebelled and defied the king had they dared to do so. sometimes, when ruggedo abused them worse than usual, they grew sullen and threw down their hammers and picks. then, however hard the king scolded or whipped them, they would not work until kaliko came and begged them to. for kaliko was one of themselves and was as much abused by the king as any nome in the vast series of caverns. but to-day all the little people were working industriously at their tasks and ruggedo, having nothing to do, was greatly bored. he sent for the long-eared hearer and asked him to listen carefully and report what was going on in the big world. "it seems," said the hearer, after listening for awhile, "that the women in america have clubs." "are there spikes in them?" asked ruggedo, yawning. "i cannot hear any spikes, your majesty," was the reply. "then their clubs are not as good as my sceptre. what else do you hear?" "there's a war." "bah! there's always a war. what else?" for a time the hearer was silent, bending forward and spreading out his big ears to catch the slightest sound. then suddenly he said: "here is an interesting thing, your majesty. these people are arguing as to who shall conquer the metal monarch, seize his treasure and drive him from his dominions." "what people?" demanded ruggedo, sitting up straight in his throne. "the ones you threw down the hollow tube." "where are they now?" "in the same tube, and coming back this way," said the hearer. ruggedo got out of his throne and began to pace up and down the cavern. "i wonder what can be done to stop them," he mused. "well," said the hearer, "if you could turn the tube upside down, they would be falling the other way, your majesty." ruggedo glared at him wickedly, for it was impossible to turn the tube upside down and he believed the hearer was slyly poking fun at him. presently he asked: "how far away are those people now?" "about nine thousand three hundred and six miles, seventeen furlongs, eight feet and four inches--as nearly as i can judge from the sound of their voices," replied the hearer. "aha! then it will be some time before they arrive," said ruggedo, "and when they get here i shall be ready to receive them." he rushed to his gong and pounded upon it so fiercely that kaliko came bounding into the cavern with one shoe off and one shoe on, for he was just dressing himself after a swim in the hot bubbling lake of the underground kingdom. "kaliko, those invaders whom we threw down the tube are coming back again!" he exclaimed. "i thought they would," said the royal chamberlain, pulling on the other shoe. "tititi-hoochoo would not allow them to remain in his kingdom, of course, and so i've been expecting them back for some time. that was a very foolish action of yours, rug." "what, to throw them down the tube?" "yes. tititi-hoochoo has forbidden us to throw even rubbish into the tube." "pooh! what do i care for the jinjin?" asked ruggedo scornfully. "he never leaves his own kingdom, which is on the other side of the world." "true; but he might send some one through the tube to punish you," suggested kaliko. "i'd like to see him do it! who could conquer my thousands of nomes?" "why, they've been conquered before, if i remember aright," answered kaliko with a grin. "once i saw you running from a little girl named dorothy, and her friends, as if you were really afraid." "well, i _was_ afraid, that time," admitted the nome king, with a deep sigh, "for dorothy had a yellow hen that laid eggs!" the king shuddered as he said "eggs," and kaliko also shuddered, and so did the long-eared hearer; for eggs are the only things that the nomes greatly dread. the reason for this is that eggs belong on the earth's surface, where birds and fowl of all sorts live, and there is something about a hen's egg, especially, that fills a nome with horror. if by chance the inside of an egg touches one of these underground people, he withers up and blows away and that is the end of him--unless he manages quickly to speak a magical word which only a few of the nomes know. therefore ruggedo and his followers had very good cause to shudder at the mere mention of eggs. "but dorothy," said the king, "is not with this band of invaders; nor is the yellow hen. as for tititi-hoochoo, he has no means of knowing that we are afraid of eggs." "you mustn't be too sure of that," kaliko warned him. "tititi-hoochoo knows a great many things, being a fairy, and his powers are far superior to any we can boast." ruggedo shrugged impatiently and turned to the hearer. "listen," said he, "and tell me if you hear any eggs coming through the tube." the long-eared one listened and then shook his head. but kaliko laughed at the king. "no one can hear an egg, your majesty," said he. "the only way to discover the truth is to look through the magic spyglass." "that's it!" cried the king. "why didn't i think of it before? look at once, kaliko!" so kaliko went to the spyglass and by uttering a mumbled charm he caused the other end of it to twist around, so that it pointed down the opening of the tube. then he put his eye to the glass and was able to gaze along all the turns and windings of the magic spyglass and then deep into the tube, to where our friends were at that time falling. "dear me!" he exclaimed. "here comes a dragon." "a big one?" asked ruggedo. "a monster. he has an electric light on the end of his tail, so i can see him very plainly. and the other people are all riding upon his back." "how about the eggs?" inquired the king. kaliko looked again. [illustration] "i can see no eggs at all," said he; "but i imagine that the dragon is as dangerous as eggs. probably tititi-hoochoo has sent him here to punish you for dropping those strangers into the forbidden tube. i warned you not to do it, your majesty." this news made the nome king anxious. for a few minutes he paced up and down, stroking his long beard and thinking with all his might. after this he turned to kaliko and said: "all the harm a dragon can do is to scratch with his claws and bite with his teeth." "that is not all, but it's quite enough," returned kaliko earnestly. "on the other hand, no one can hurt a dragon, because he's the toughest creature alive. one flop of his huge tail could smash a hundred nomes to pancakes, and with teeth and claws he could tear even you or me into small bits, so that it would be almost impossible to put us together again. once, a few hundred years ago, while wandering through some deserted caverns, i came upon a small piece of a nome lying on the rocky floor. i asked the piece of nome what had happened to it. fortunately the mouth was a part of this piece--the mouth and the left eye--so it was able to tell me that a fierce dragon was the cause. it had attacked the poor nome and scattered him in every direction, and as there was no friend near to collect his pieces and put him together, they had been separated for a great many years. so you see, your majesty, it is not in good taste to sneer at a dragon." the king had listened attentively to kaliko. said he: "it will only be necessary to chain this dragon which tititi-hoochoo has sent here, in order to prevent his reaching us with his claws and teeth." "he also breathes flames," kaliko reminded him. "my nomes are not afraid of fire, nor am i," said ruggedo. "well, how about the army of oogaboo?" "sixteen cowardly officers and tik-tok! why, i could defeat them single-handed; but i won't try to. i'll summon my army of nomes to drive the invaders out of my territory, and if we catch any of them i intend to stick needles into them until they hop with pain." "i hope you won't hurt any of the girls," said kaliko. "i'll hurt 'em all!" roared the angry metal monarch. "and that braying mule i'll make into hoof-soup, and feed it to my nomes, that it may add to their strength." "why not be good to the strangers and release your prisoner, the shaggy man's brother?" suggested kaliko. "never!" "it may save you a lot of annoyance. and you don't want the ugly one." "i don't want him; that's true. but i won't allow anybody to order me around. i'm king of the nomes and i'm the metal monarch, and i shall do as i please and what i please and when i please!" with this speech ruggedo threw his sceptre at kaliko's head, aiming it so well that the royal chamberlain had to fall flat upon the floor in order to escape it. but the hearer did not see the sceptre coming and it swept past his head so closely that it broke off the tip of one of his long ears. he gave a dreadful yell that quite startled ruggedo, and the king was sorry for the accident because those long ears of the hearer were really valuable to him. so the nome king forgot to be angry with kaliko and ordered his chamberlain to summon general guph and the army of nomes and have them properly armed. they were then to march to the mouth of the tube, where they could seize the travelers as soon as they appeared. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the dragon defies danger although the journey through the tube was longer, this time, than before, it was so much more comfortable that none of our friends minded it at all. they talked together most of the time and as they found the dragon good-natured and fond of the sound of his own voice they soon became well acquainted with him and accepted him as a companion. "you see," said shaggy, in his frank way, "quox is on our side, and therefore the dragon is a good fellow. if he happened to be an enemy, instead of a friend, i am sure i should dislike him very much, for his breath smells of brimstone, he is very conceited and he is so strong and fierce that he would prove a dangerous foe." "yes, indeed," returned quox, who had listened to this speech with pleasure; "i suppose i am about as terrible as any living thing. i am glad you find me conceited, for that proves i know my good qualities. as for my breath smelling of brimstone, i really can't help it, and i once met a man whose breath smelled of onions, which i consider far worse." "i don't," said betsy; "i love onions." "and i love brimstone," declared the dragon, "so don't let us quarrel over one another's peculiarities." saying this, he breathed a long breath and shot a flame fifty feet from his mouth. the brimstone made betsy cough, but she remembered about the onions and said nothing. they had no idea how far they had gone through the center of the earth, nor when to expect the trip to end. at one time the little girl remarked: "i wonder when we'll reach the bottom of this hole. and isn't it funny, shaggy man, that what is the bottom to us now, was the top when we fell the other way?" "what puzzles me," said files, "is that we are able to fall both ways." "that," announced tik-tok, "is be-cause the world is round." "exactly," responded shaggy. "the machinery in your head is in fine working order, tik-tok. you know, betsy, that there is such a thing as the attraction of gravitation, which draws everything toward the center of the earth. that is why we fall out of bed, and why everything clings to the surface of the earth." "then why doesn't everything go on down to the center of the earth?" inquired the little girl. "i was afraid you were going to ask me that," replied shaggy in a sad tone. "the reason, my dear, is that the earth is so solid that other solid things can't get through it. but when there's a hole, as there is in this case, we drop right down to the center of the world." "why don't we stop there?" asked betsy. "because we go so fast that we acquire speed enough to carry us right up to the other end." "i don't understand that, and it makes my head ache to try to figure it out," she said after some thought. "one thing draws us to the center and another thing pushes us away from it. but--" "don't ask me why, please," interrupted the shaggy man. "if you can't understand it, let it go at that." "do _you_ understand it?" she inquired. "all the magic isn't in fairyland," he said gravely. "there's lots of magic in all nature, and you may see it as well in the united states, where you and i once lived, as you can here." "i never did," she replied. "because you were so used to it all that you didn't realize it was magic. is anything more wonderful than to see a flower grow and blossom, or to get light out of the electricity in the air? the cows that manufacture milk for us must have machinery fully as remarkable as that in tik-tok's copper body, and perhaps you've noticed that--" and then, before shaggy could finish his speech, the strong light of day suddenly broke upon them, grew brighter, and completely enveloped them. the dragon's claws no longer scraped against the metal tube, for he shot into the open air a hundred feet or more and sailed so far away from the slanting hole that when he landed it was on the peak of a mountain and just over the entrance to the many underground caverns of the nome king. some of the officers tumbled off their seats when quox struck the ground, but most of the dragon's passengers only felt a slight jar. all were glad to be on solid earth again and they at once dismounted and began to look about them. queerly enough, as soon as they had left the dragon, the seats that were strapped to the monster's back disappeared, and this probably happened because there was no further use for them and because quox looked far more dignified in just his silver scales. of course he still wore the forty yards of ribbon around his neck, as well as the great locket, but these only made him look "dressed up," as betsy remarked. [illustration] now the army of nomes had gathered thickly around the mouth of the tube, in order to be ready to capture the band of invaders as soon as they popped out. there were, indeed, hundreds of nomes assembled, and they were led by guph, their most famous general. but they did not expect the dragon to fly so high, and he shot out of the tube so suddenly that it took them by surprise. when the nomes had rubbed the astonishment out of their eyes and regained their wits, they discovered the dragon quietly seated on the mountain-side far above their heads, while the other strangers were standing in a group and calmly looking down upon them. general guph was very angry at the escape, which was no one's fault but his own. "come down here and be captured!" he shouted, waving his sword at them. "come up here and capture us--if you dare!" replied queen ann, who was winding up the clockwork of her private soldier, so he could fight more briskly. guph's first answer was a roar of rage at the defiance; then he turned and issued a command to his nomes. these were all armed with sharp spears and with one accord they raised these spears and threw them straight at their foes, so that they rushed through the air in a perfect cloud of flying weapons. some damage might have been done had not the dragon quickly crawled before the others, his body being so big that it shielded every one of them, including hank. the spears rattled against the silver scales of quox and then fell harmlessly to the ground. they were magic spears, of course, and all straightway bounded back into the hands of those who had thrown them, but even guph could see that it was useless to repeat the attack. it was now queen ann's turn to attack, so the generals yelled "for--ward march!" and the colonels and majors and captains repeated the command and the valiant army of oogaboo, which seemed to be composed mainly of tik-tok, marched forward in single column toward the nomes, while betsy and polychrome cheered and hank gave a loud "hee-haw!" and shaggy shouted "hooray!" and queen ann screamed: "at 'em, tik-tok--at 'em!" the nomes did not await the clockwork man's attack but in a twinkling disappeared into the underground caverns. they made a great mistake in being so hasty, for tik-tok had not taken a dozen steps before he stubbed his copper toe on a rock and fell flat to the ground, where he cried: "pick me up! pick me up! pick me up!" until shaggy and files ran forward and raised him to his feet again. the dragon chuckled softly to himself as he scratched his left ear with his hind claw, but no one was paying much attention to quox just then. it was evident to ann and her officers that there could be no fighting unless the enemy was present, and in order to find the enemy they must boldly enter the underground kingdom of the nomes. so bold a step demanded a council of war. "don't you think i'd better drop in on ruggedo and obey the orders of the jinjin?" asked quox. "by no means!" returned queen ann. "we have already put the army of nomes to flight and all that yet remains is to force our way into those caverns and conquer the nome king and all his people." "that seems to me something of a job," said the dragon, closing his eyes sleepily. "but go ahead, if you like, and i'll wait here for you. don't be in any hurry on my account. to one who lives thousands of years the delay of a few days means nothing at all, and i shall probably sleep until the time comes for me to act." ann was provoked at this speech. "you may as well go back to tititi-hoochoo now," she said, "for the nome king is as good as conquered already." but quox shook his head. "no," said he; "i'll wait." [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] chapter the naughty nome shaggy man had said nothing during the conversation between queen ann and quox, for the simple reason that he did not consider the matter worth an argument. safe within his pocket reposed the love magnet, which had never failed to win every heart. the nomes, he knew, were not like the heartless roses and therefore could be won to his side as soon as he exhibited the magic talisman. shaggy's chief anxiety had been to reach ruggedo's kingdom and now that the entrance lay before him he was confident he would be able to rescue his lost brother. let ann and the dragon quarrel as to who should conquer the nomes, if they liked; shaggy would let them try, and if they failed he had the means of conquest in his own pocket. but ann was positive she could not fail, for she thought her army could do anything. so she called the officers together and told them how to act, and she also instructed tik-tok what to do and what to say. "please do not shoot your gun except as a last resort," she added, "for i do not wish to be cruel or to shed any blood--unless it is absolutely necessary." "all right," replied tik-tok; "but i do not think rug-ge-do would bleed if i filled him full of holes and put him in a ci-der press." then the officers fell in line, the four generals abreast and then the four colonels and the four majors and the four captains. they drew their glittering swords and commanded tik-tok to march, which he did. twice he fell down, being tripped by the rough rocks, but when he struck the smooth path he got along better. into the gloomy mouth of the cavern entrance he stepped without hesitation, and after him proudly pranced the officers and queen ann. the others held back a little, waiting to see what would happen. of course the nome king knew they were coming and was prepared to receive them. just within the rocky passage that led to the jeweled throne-room was a deep pit, which was usually covered. ruggedo had ordered the cover removed and it now stood open, scarcely visible in the gloom. the pit was so large around that it nearly filled the passage and there was barely room for one to walk around it by pressing close to the rock walls. this tik-tok did, for his copper eyes saw the pit clearly and he avoided it; but the officers marched straight into the hole and tumbled in a heap on the bottom. an instant later queen ann also walked into the pit, for she had her chin in the air and was careless where she placed her feet. then one of the nomes pulled a lever which replaced the cover on the pit and made the officers of oogaboo and their queen fast prisoners. as for tik-tok, he kept straight on to the cavern where ruggedo sat in his throne and there he faced the nome king and said: "i here-by con-quer you in the name of queen ann so-forth of oo-ga-boo, whose ar-my i am, and i de-clare that you are her pris-on-er!" ruggedo laughed at him. "where is this famous queen?" he asked. "she'll be here in a min-ute," said tik-tok. "per-haps she stopped to tie her shoe-string." "now, see here, tik-tok," began the nome king, in a stern voice, "i've had enough of this nonsense. your queen and her officers are all prisoners, having fallen into my power, so perhaps you'll tell me what you mean to do." [illustration] "my or-ders were to con-quer you," replied tik-tok, "and my ma-chin-er-y has done the best it knows how to car-ry out those or-ders." ruggedo pounded on his gong and kaliko appeared, followed closely by general guph. "take this copper man into the shops and set him to work hammering gold," commanded the king. "being run by machinery he ought to be a steady worker. he ought never to have been made, but since he exists i shall hereafter put him to good use." "if you try to cap-ture me," said tik-tok, "i shall fight." "don't do that!" exclaimed general guph, earnestly, "for it will be useless to resist and you might hurt some one." but tik-tok raised his gun and took aim and not knowing what damage the gun might do the nomes were afraid to face it. while he was thus defying the nome king and his high officials, betsy bobbin rode calmly into the royal cavern, seated upon the back of hank the mule. the little girl had grown tired of waiting for "something to happen" and so had come to see if ruggedo had been conquered. "nails and nuggets!" roared the king; "how dare you bring that beast here and enter my presence unannounced?" "there wasn't anybody to announce me," replied betsy. "i guess your folks were all busy. are you conquered yet?" "no!" shouted the king, almost beside himself with rage. "then please give me something to eat, for i'm awful hungry," said the girl. "you see, this conquering business is a good deal like waiting for a circus parade; it takes a long time to get around and don't amount to much anyhow." the nomes were so much astonished at this speech that for a time they could only glare at her silently, not finding words to reply. the king finally recovered the use of his tongue and said: "earth-crawler! this insolence to my majesty shall be your death-warrant. you are an ordinary mortal, and to stop a mortal from living is so easy a thing to do that i will not keep you waiting half so long as you did for my conquest." "i'd rather you wouldn't stop me from living," remarked betsy, getting off hank's back and standing beside him. "and it would be a pretty cheap king who killed a visitor while she was hungry. if you'll give me something to eat, i'll talk this killing business over with you afterward; only, i warn you now that i don't approve of it, and never will." her coolness and lack of fear impressed the nome king, although he bore an intense hatred toward all mortals. "what do you wish to eat?" he asked gruffly. "oh, a ham-sandwich would do, or perhaps a couple of hard-boiled eggs--" "eggs!" shrieked the three nomes who were present, shuddering till their teeth chattered. "what's the matter?" asked betsy wonderingly. "are eggs as high here as they are at home?" "guph," said the king in an agitated voice, turning to his general, "let us destroy this rash mortal at once! seize her and take her to the slimy cave and lock her in." guph glanced at tik-tok, whose gun was still pointed, but just then kaliko stole softly behind the copper man and kicked his knee-joints so that they suddenly bent forward and tumbled tik-tok to the floor, his gun falling from his grasp. then guph, seeing tik-tok helpless, made a grab at betsy. at the same time hank's heels shot out and caught the general just where his belt was buckled. he rose into the air swift as a cannon-ball, struck the nome king fairly and flattened his majesty against the wall of rock on the opposite side of the cavern. together they fell to the floor in a dazed and crumpled condition, seeing which kaliko whispered to betsy: "come with me--quick!--and i will save you." she looked into kaliko's face inquiringly and thought he seemed honest and good-natured, so she decided to follow him. he led her and the mule through several passages and into a small cavern very nicely and comfortably furnished. "this is my own room," said he, "but you are quite welcome to use it. wait here a minute and i'll get you something to eat." when kaliko returned he brought a tray containing some broiled mushrooms, a loaf of mineral bread and some petroleum-butter. the butter betsy could not eat, but the bread was good and the mushrooms delicious. "here's the door key," said kaliko, "and you'd better lock yourself in." "won't you let polychrome and the rose princess come here, too?" she asked. "i'll see. where are they?" "i don't know. i left them outside," said betsy. "well, if you hear three raps on the door, open it," said kaliko; "but don't let anyone in unless they give the three raps." "all right," promised betsy, and when kaliko left the cosy cavern she closed and locked the door. in the meantime ann and her officers, finding themselves prisoners in the pit, had shouted and screamed until they were tired out, but no one had come to their assistance. it was very dark and damp in the pit and they could not climb out because the walls were higher than their heads and the cover was on. the queen was first angry and then annoyed and then discouraged; but the officers were only afraid. every one of the poor fellows heartily wished he was back in oogaboo caring for his orchard, and some were so unhappy that they began to reproach ann for causing them all this trouble and danger. finally the queen sat down on the bottom of the pit and leaned her back against the wall. by good luck her sharp elbow touched a secret spring in the wall and a big flat rock swung inward. ann fell over backward, but the next instant she jumped up and cried to the others: "a passage! a passage! follow me, my brave men, and we may yet escape." then she began to crawl through the passage, which was as dark and dank as the pit, and the officers followed her in single file. they crawled, and they crawled, and they kept on crawling, for the passage was not big enough to allow them to stand upright. it turned this way and twisted that, sometimes like a corkscrew and sometimes zigzag, but seldom ran for long in a straight line. "it will never end--never!" moaned the officers, who were rubbing all the skin off their knees on the rough rocks. "it _must_ end," retorted ann courageously, "or it never would have been made. we don't know where it will lead us to, but any place is better than that loathsome pit." so she crawled on, and the officers crawled on, and while they were crawling through this awful underground passage polychrome and shaggy and files and the rose princess, who were standing outside the entrance to ruggedo's domains, were wondering what had become of them. [illustration] chapter a tragic transformation "don't let us worry," said shaggy to his companions, "for it may take the queen some time to conquer the metal monarch, as tik-tok has to do everything in his slow, mechanical way." "do you suppose they are likely to fail?" asked the rose princess. "i do, indeed," replied shaggy. "this nome king is really a powerful fellow and has a legion of nomes to assist him, whereas our bold queen commands a clockwork man and a band of faint-hearted officers." "she ought to have let quox do the conquering," said polychrome, dancing lightly upon a point of rock and fluttering her beautiful draperies. "but perhaps the dragon was wise to let her go first, for when she fails to conquer ruggedo she may become more modest in her ambitions." "where is the dragon now?" inquired ozga. "up there on the rocks," replied files. "look, my dear; you may see him from here. he said he would take a little nap while we were mixing up with ruggedo, and he added that after we had gotten into trouble he would wake up and conquer the nome king in a jiffy, as his master the jinjin has ordered him to do." "quox means well," said shaggy, "but i do not think we shall need his services; for just as soon as i am satisfied that queen ann and her army have failed to conquer ruggedo, i shall enter the caverns and show the king my love magnet. that he cannot resist; therefore the conquest will be made with ease." this speech of shaggy man's was overheard by the long-eared hearer, who was at that moment standing by ruggedo's side. for when the king and guph had recovered from hank's kick and had picked themselves up, their first act was to turn tik-tok on his back and put a heavy diamond on top of him, so that he could not get up again. then they carefully put his gun in a corner of the cavern and the king sent guph to fetch the long-eared hearer. [illustration] the hearer was still angry at ruggedo for breaking his ear, but he acknowledged the nome king to be his master and was ready to obey his commands. therefore he repeated shaggy's speech to the king, who at once realized that his kingdom was in grave danger. for ruggedo knew of the love magnet and its powers and was horrified at the thought that shaggy might show him the magic talisman and turn all the hatred in his heart into love. ruggedo was proud of his hatred and abhorred love of any sort. "really," said he, "i'd rather be conquered and lose my wealth and my kingdom than gaze at that awful love magnet. what can i do to prevent the shaggy man from taking it out of his pocket?" kaliko returned to the cavern in time to overhear this question, and being a loyal nome and eager to serve his king, he answered by saying: "if we can manage to bind the shaggy man's arms, tight to his body, he could not get the love magnet out of his pocket. "true!" cried the king in delight at this easy solution of the problem. "get at once a dozen nomes, with ropes, and place them in the passage where they can seize and bind shaggy as soon as he enters." this kaliko did, and meanwhile the watchers outside the entrance were growing more and more uneasy about their friends. "i don't worry so much about the oogaboo people," said polychrome, who had grown sober with waiting, and perhaps a little nervous, "for they could not be killed, even though ruggedo might cause them much suffering and perhaps destroy them utterly. but we should not have allowed betsy and hank to go alone into the caverns. the little girl is mortal and possesses no magic powers whatever, so if ruggedo captures her she will be wholly at his mercy." "that is indeed true," replied shaggy. "i wouldn't like to have anything happen to dear little betsy, so i believe i'll go in right away and put an end to all this worry." "we may as well go with you," asserted files, "for by means of the love magnet you can soon bring the nome king to reason." so it was decided to wait no longer. shaggy walked through the entrance first, and after him came the others. they had no thought of danger to themselves, and shaggy, who was going along with his hands thrust into his pockets, was much surprised when a rope shot out from the darkness and twined around his body, pinning down his arms so securely that he could not even withdraw his hands from the pockets. then appeared several grinning nomes, who speedily tied knots in the ropes and then led the prisoner along the passage to the cavern. no attention was paid to the others, but files and the princess followed on after shaggy, determined not to desert their friend and hoping that an opportunity might arise to rescue him. as for polychrome, as soon as she saw that trouble had overtaken shaggy she turned and ran lightly back through the passage and out of the entrance. then she easily leaped from rock to rock until she paused beside the great dragon, who lay fast asleep. "wake up, quox!" she cried. "it is time for you to act." but quox did not wake up. he lay as one in a trance, absolutely motionless, with his enormous eyes tight closed. the eyelids had big silver scales on them, like all the rest of his body. polychrome might have thought quox was dead had she not known that dragons do not die easily or had she not observed his huge body swelling as he breathed. she picked up a piece of rock and pounded against his eyelids with it, saying: "wake up, quox--wake up!" but he would not waken. "dear me, how unfortunate!" sighed the lovely rainbow's daughter. "i wonder what is the best and surest way to waken a dragon. all our friends may be captured and destroyed while this great beast lies asleep." [illustration] she walked around quox two or three times, trying to discover some tender place on his body where a thump or a punch might be felt; but he lay extended along the rocks with his chin flat upon the ground and his legs drawn underneath his body, and all that one could see was his thick sky-blue skin--thicker than that of a rhinoceros--and his silver scales. then, despairing at last of wakening the beast, and worried over the fate of her friends, polychrome again ran down to the entrance and hurried along the passage into the nome king's cavern. here she found ruggedo lolling in his throne and smoking a long pipe. beside him stood general guph and kaliko, and ranged before the king were the rose princess, files and the shaggy man. tik-tok still lay upon the floor weighted down by the big diamond. ruggedo was now in a more contented frame of mind. one by one he had met the invaders and easily captured them. the dreaded love magnet was indeed in shaggy's pocket, only a few feet away from the king, but shaggy was powerless to show it and unless ruggedo's eyes beheld the talisman it could not affect him. as for betsy bobbin and her mule, he believed kaliko had placed them in the slimy cave, while ann and her officers he thought safely imprisoned in the pit. ruggedo had no fear of files or ozga, but to be on the safe side he had ordered golden handcuffs placed upon their wrists. these did not cause them any great annoyance but prevented them from making an attack, had they been inclined to do so. the nome king, thinking himself wholly master of the situation, was laughing and jeering at his prisoners when polychrome, exquisitely beautiful and dancing like a ray of light, entered the cavern. "oho!" cried the king; "a rainbow under ground, eh?" and then he stared hard at polychrome, and still harder, and then he sat up and pulled the wrinkles out of his robe and arranged his whiskers. "on my word," said he, "you are a very captivating creature; moreover, i perceive you are a fairy." "i am polychrome, the rainbow's daughter," she said proudly. "well," replied ruggedo, "i like you. the others i hate. i hate everybody--but you! wouldn't you like to live always in this beautiful cavern, polychrome? see! the jewels that stud the walls have every tint and color of your rainbow--and they are not so elusive. i'll have fresh dewdrops gathered for your feasting every day and you shall be queen of all my nomes and pull kaliko's nose whenever you like." "no, thank you," laughed polychrome. "my home is in the sky, and i'm only on a visit to this solid, sordid earth. but tell me, ruggedo, why my friends have been wound with cords and bound with chains?" "they threatened me," answered ruggedo. "the fools did not know how powerful i am." "then, since they are now helpless, why not release them and send them back to the earth's surface?" "because i hate 'em and mean to make 'em suffer for their invasion. but i'll make a bargain with you, sweet polly. remain here and live with me and i'll set all these people free. you shall be my daughter or my wife or my aunt or grandmother--whichever you like--only stay here to brighten my gloomy kingdom and make me happy!" polychrome looked at him wonderingly. then she turned to shaggy and asked: "are you sure he hasn't seen the love magnet?" "i'm positive," answered shaggy. "but you seem to be something of a love magnet yourself, polychrome." she laughed again and said to ruggedo: "not even to rescue my friends would i live in your kingdom. nor could i endure for long the society of such a wicked monster as you." "you forget," retorted the king, scowling darkly, "that you also are in my power." "not so, ruggedo. the rainbow's daughter is beyond the reach of your spite or malice." "seize her!" suddenly shouted the king, and general guph sprang forward to obey. polychrome stood quite still, yet when guph attempted to clutch her his hands met in air, and now the rainbow's daughter was in another part of the room, as smiling and composed as before. [illustration] several times guph endeavored to capture her and ruggedo even came down from his throne to assist his general; but never could they lay hands upon the lovely sky fairy, who flitted here and there with the swiftness of light and constantly defied them with her merry laughter as she evaded their efforts. so after a time they abandoned the chase and ruggedo returned to his throne and wiped the perspiration from his face with a finely-woven handkerchief of cloth-of-gold. "well," said polychrome, "what do you intend to do now?" "i'm going to have some fun, to repay me for all my bother," replied the nome king. then he said to kaliko: "summon the executioners." kaliko at once withdrew and presently returned with a score of nomes, all of whom were nearly as evil looking as their hated master. they bore great golden pincers, and prods of silver, and clamps and chains and various wicked-looking instruments, all made of precious metals and set with diamonds and rubies. "now, pang," said ruggedo, addressing the leader of the executioners, "fetch the army of oogaboo and their queen from the pit and torture them here in my presence--as well as in the presence of their friends. it will be great sport." "i hear your majesty, and i obey your majesty," answered pang, and went with his nomes into the passage. in a few minutes he returned and bowed to ruggedo. "they're all gone," said he. "gone!" exclaimed the nome king. "gone where?" "they left no address, your majesty; but they are not in the pit." "picks and puddles!" roared the king; "who took the cover off?" "no one," said pang. "the cover was there, but the prisoners were not under it." "in that case," snarled the king, trying to control his disappointment, "go to the slimy cave and fetch hither the girl and the donkey. and while we are torturing them kaliko must take a hundred nomes and search for the escaped prisoners--the queen of oogaboo and her officers. if he does not find them, i will torture kaliko." kaliko went away looking sad and disturbed, for he knew the king was cruel and unjust enough to carry out this threat. pang and the executioners also went away, in another direction, but when they came back betsy bobbin was not with them, nor was hank. "there is no one in the slimy cave, your majesty," reported pang. "jumping jellycakes!" screamed the king. "another escape? are you sure you found the right cave?" "there is but one slimy cave, and there is no one in it," returned pang positively. ruggedo was beginning to be alarmed as well as angry. however, these disappointments but made him the more vindictive and he cast an evil look at the other prisoners and said: "never mind the girl and the donkey. here are four, at least, who cannot escape my vengeance. let me see; i believe i'll change my mind about tik-tok. have the gold crucible heated to a white, seething heat, and then we'll dump the copper man into it and melt him up." "but, your majesty," protested kaliko, who had returned to the room after sending a hundred nomes to search for the oogaboo people, "you must remember that tik-tok is a very curious and interesting machine. it would be a shame to deprive the world of such a clever contrivance." "say another word, and you'll go into the furnace with him!" roared the king. "i'm getting tired of you, kaliko, and the first thing you know i'll turn you into a potato and make saratoga-chips of you! the next to consider," he added more mildly, "is the shaggy man. as he owns the love magnet, i think i'll transform him into a dove, and then we can practice shooting at him with tik-tok's gun. now, this is a very interesting ceremony and i beg you all to watch me closely and see that i've nothing up my sleeve." he came out of his throne to stand before the shaggy man, and then he waved his hands, palms downward, in seven semicircles over his victim's head, saying in a low but clear tone of voice the magic wugwa: "adi, edi, idi, odi, udi, oo-i-oo! idu, ido, idi, ide, ida, woo!" the effect of this well-known sorcery was instantaneous. instead of the shaggy man, a pretty dove lay fluttering upon the floor, its wings confined by tiny cords wound around them. ruggedo gave an order to pang, who cut the cords with a pair of scissors. being freed, the dove quickly flew upward and alighted on the shoulder of the rose princess, who stroked it tenderly. "very good! very good!" cried ruggedo, rubbing his hands gleefully together. "one enemy is out of my way, and now for the others." (perhaps my readers should be warned not to attempt the above transformation; for, although the exact magical formula has been described, it is unlawful in all civilized countries for anyone to transform a person into a dove by muttering the words ruggedo used. there were no laws to prevent the nome king from performing this transformation, but if it should be attempted in any other country, and the magic worked, the magician would be severely punished.) when polychrome saw shaggy man transformed into a dove and realized that ruggedo was about to do something as dreadful to the princess and files, and that tik-tok would soon be melted in a crucible, she turned and ran from the cavern, through the passage and back to the place where quox lay asleep. [illustration] [illustration] chapter a clever conquest the great dragon still had his eyes closed and was even snoring in a manner that resembled distant thunder; but polychrome was now desperate, because any further delay meant the destruction of her friends. she seized the pearl necklace, to which was attached the great locket, and jerked it with all her strength. the result was encouraging. quox stopped snoring and his eyelids flickered. so polychrome jerked again--and again--till slowly the great lids raised and the dragon looked at her steadily. said he, in a sleepy tone: "what's the matter, little rainbow?" "come quick!" exclaimed polychrome. "ruggedo has captured all our friends and is about to destroy them." "well, well," said quox, "i suspected that would happen. step a little out of my path, my dear, and i'll make a rush for the nome king's cavern." she fell back a few steps and quox raised himself on his stout legs, whisked his long tail and in an instant had slid down the rocks and made a dive through the entrance. along the passage he swept, nearly filling it with his immense body, and now he poked his head into the jeweled cavern of ruggedo. but the king had long since made arrangements to capture the dragon, whenever he might appear. no sooner did quox stick his head into the room than a thick chain fell from above and encircled his neck. then the ends of the chain were drawn tight--for in an adjoining cavern a thousand nomes were pulling on them--and so the dragon could advance no further toward the king. he could not use his teeth or his claws and as his body was still in the passage he had not even room to strike his foes with his terrible tail. ruggedo was delighted with the success of his strategem. he had just transformed the rose princess into a fiddle and was about to transform files into a fiddle bow, when the dragon appeared to interrupt him. so he called out: "welcome, my dear quox, to my royal entertainment. since you are here, you shall witness some very neat magic, and after i have finished with files and tik-tok i mean to transform you into a tiny lizard--one of the chameleon sort--and you shall live in my cavern and amuse me." "pardon me for contradicting your majesty," returned quox in a quiet voice, "but i don't believe you'll perform any more magic." "eh? why not?" asked the king in surprise. "there's a reason," said quox. "do you see this ribbon around my neck?" "yes; and i'm astonished that a dignified dragon should wear such a silly thing." "do you see it plainly?" persisted the dragon, with a little chuckle of amusement. "i do," declared ruggedo. "then you no longer possess any magical powers, and are as helpless as a clam," asserted quox. "my great master, tititi-hoochoo, the jinjin, enchanted this ribbon in such a way that whenever your majesty looked upon it all knowledge of magic would desert you instantly, nor will any magical formula you can remember ever perform your bidding." "pooh! i don't believe a word of it!" cried ruggedo, half frightened, nevertheless. then he turned toward files and tried to transform him into a fiddle bow. but he could not remember the right words or the right pass of the hands and after several trials he finally gave up the attempt. by this time the nome king was so alarmed that he was secretly shaking in his shoes. "i told you not to anger tititi-hoochoo," grumbled kaliko, "and now you see the result of your disobedience." ruggedo promptly threw his sceptre at his royal chamberlain, who dodged it with his usual cleverness, and then he said with an attempt to swagger: "never mind; i don't need magic to enable me to destroy these invaders; fire and the sword will do the business and i am still king of the nomes and lord and master of my underground kingdom!" "again i beg to differ with your majesty," said quox. "the great jinjin commands you to depart instantly from this kingdom and seek the earth's surface, where you will wander for all time to come, without a home or country, without a friend or follower, and without any more riches than you can carry with you in your pockets. the great jinjin is so generous that he will allow you to fill your pockets with jewels or gold, but you must take nothing more." ruggedo now stared at the dragon in amazement. "does tititi-hoochoo condemn me to such a fate?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "he does," said quox. "and just for throwing a few strangers down the forbidden tube?" "just for that," repeated quox in a stern, gruff voice. "well, i won't do it. and your crazy old jinjin can't make me do it, either!" declared ruggedo. "i intend to remain here, king of the nomes, until the end of the world, and i defy your tititi-hoochoo and all his fairies--as well as his clumsy messenger, whom i have been obliged to chain up!" the dragon smiled again, but it was not the sort of smile that made ruggedo feel very happy. instead, there was something so cold and merciless in the dragon's expression that the condemned nome king trembled and was sick at heart. there was little comfort for ruggedo in the fact that the dragon was now chained, although he had boasted of it. he glared at the immense head of quox as if fascinated and there was fear in the old king's eyes as he watched his enemy's movements. for the dragon was now moving; not abruptly, but as if he had something to do and was about to do it. very deliberately he raised one claw, touched the catch of the great jeweled locket that was suspended around his neck, and at once it opened wide. nothing much happened at first; half a dozen hen's eggs rolled out upon the floor and then the locket closed with a sharp click. but the effect upon the nomes of this simple thing was astounding. general guph, kaliko, pang and his band of executioners were all standing close to the door that led to the vast series of underground caverns which constituted the dominions of the nomes, and as soon as they saw the eggs they raised a chorus of frantic screams and rushed through the door, slamming it in ruggedo's face and placing a heavy bronze bar across it. ruggedo, dancing with terror and uttering loud cries, now leaped upon the seat of his throne to escape the eggs, which had rolled steadily toward him. perhaps these eggs, sent by the wise and crafty tititi-hoochoo, were in some way enchanted, for they all rolled directly after ruggedo and when they reached the throne where he had taken refuge they began rolling up the legs to the seat. this was too much for the king to bear. his horror of eggs was real and absolute and he made a leap from the throne to the center of the room and then ran to a far corner. the eggs followed, rolling slowly but steadily in his direction. ruggedo threw his sceptre at them, and then his ruby crown, and then he drew off his heavy golden sandals and hurled these at the advancing eggs. but the eggs dodged every missile and continued to draw nearer. the king stood trembling, his eyes staring in terror, until they were but half a yard distant; then with an agile leap he jumped clear over them and made a rush for the passage that led to the outer entrance. of course the dragon was in his way, being chained in the passage with his head in the cavern, but when he saw the king making toward him he crouched as low as he could and dropped his chin to the floor, leaving a small space between his body and the roof of the passage. ruggedo did not hesitate an instant. impelled by fear, he leaped to the dragon's nose and then scrambled to his back, where he succeeded in squeezing himself through the opening. after the head was passed there was more room and he slid along the dragon's scales to his tail and then ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the entrance. not pausing here, so great was his fright, the king dashed on down the mountain path, but before he had gone very far he stumbled and fell. when he picked himself up he observed that no one was following him, and while he recovered his breath he happened to think of the decree of the jinjin--that he should be driven from his kingdom and made a wanderer on the face of the earth. well, here he was, driven from his cavern in truth; driven by those dreadful eggs; but he would go back and defy them; he would not submit to losing his precious kingdom and his tyrannical powers, all because tititi-hoochoo had said he must. so, although still afraid, ruggedo nerved himself to creep back along the path to the entrance, and when he arrived there he saw the six eggs lying in a row just before the arched opening. at first he paused a safe distance away to consider the case, for the eggs were now motionless. while he was wondering what could be done, he remembered there was a magical charm which would destroy eggs and render them harmless to nomes. there were nine passes to be made and six verses of incantation to be recited; but ruggedo knew them all. now that he had ample time to be exact, he carefully went through the entire ceremony. but nothing happened. the eggs did not disappear, as he had expected; so he repeated the charm a second time. when that also failed, he remembered, with a moan of despair, that his magic power had been taken away from him and in the future he could do no more than any common mortal. and there were the eggs, forever barring him from the kingdom which he had ruled so long with absolute sway! he threw rocks at them, but could not hit a single egg. he raved and scolded and tore his hair and beard, and danced in helpless passion, but that did nothing to avert the just judgment of the jinjin, which ruggedo's own evil deeds had brought upon him. from this time on he was an outcast--a wanderer upon the face of the earth--and he had even forgotten to fill his pockets with gold and jewels before he fled from his former kingdom! [illustration] [illustration] chapter king kaliko after the king had made good his escape files said to the dragon, in a said voice: "alas! why did you not come before? because you were sleeping instead of conquering, the lovely rose princess has become a fiddle without a bow, while poor shaggy sits there a cooing dove!" "don't worry," replied quox. "tititi-hoochoo knows his business, and i had my orders from the great jinjin himself. bring the fiddle here and touch it lightly to my pink ribbon." files obeyed and at the moment of contact with the ribbon the nome king's charm was broken and the rose princess herself stood before them as sweet and smiling as ever. the dove, perched on the back of the throne, had seen and heard all this, so without being told what to do it flew straight to the dragon and alighted on the ribbon. next instant shaggy was himself again and quox said to him grumblingly: "please get off my left toe, shaggy man, and be more particular where you step." "i beg your pardon!" replied shaggy, very glad to resume his natural form. then he ran to lift the heavy diamond off tik-tok's chest and to assist the clockwork man to his feet. "ma-ny thanks!" said tik-tok. "where is the wick-ed king who want-ed to melt me in a cru-ci-ble?" "he has gone, and gone for good," answered polychrome, who had managed to squeeze into the room beside the dragon and had witnessed the occurrences with much interest. "but i wonder where betsy bobbin and hank can be, and if any harm has befallen them." "we must search the cavern until we find them," declared shaggy; but when he went to the door leading to the other caverns he found it shut and barred. "i've a pretty strong push in my forehead," said quox, "and i believe i can break down that door, even though it's made of solid gold." "but you are a prisoner, and the chains that hold you are fastened in some other room, so that we cannot release you," files said anxiously. "oh, never mind that," returned the dragon. "i have remained a prisoner only because i wished to be one," and with this he stepped forward and burst the stout chains as easily as if they had been threads. but when he tried to push in the heavy metal door, even his mighty strength failed, and after several attempts he gave it up and squatted himself in a corner to think of a better way. "i'll o-pen the door," asserted tik-tok, and going to the king's big gong he pounded upon it until the noise was almost deafening. kaliko, in the next cavern, was wondering what had happened to ruggedo and if he had escaped the eggs and outwitted the dragon. but when he heard the sound of the gong, which had so often called him into the king's presence, he decided that ruggedo had been victorious; so he took away the bar, threw open the door and entered the royal cavern. great was his astonishment to find the king gone and the enchantments removed from the princess and shaggy. but the eggs were also gone and so kaliko advanced to the dragon, whom he knew to be tititi-hoochoo's messenger, and bowed humbly before the beast. "what is your will?" he inquired. [illustration] "where is betsy?" demanded the dragon. "safe in my own private room," said kaliko. "go and get her!" commanded quox. so kaliko went to betsy's room and gave three raps upon the door. the little girl had been asleep, but she heard the raps and opened the door. "you may come out now," said kaliko. "the king has fled in disgrace and your friends are asking for you." so betsy and hank returned with the royal chamberlain to the throne cavern, where she was received with great joy by her friends. they told her what had happened to ruggedo and she told them how kind kaliko had been to her. quox did not have much to say until the conversation was ended, but then he turned to kaliko and asked: "do you suppose you could rule your nomes better than ruggedo has done?" "me?" stammered the chamberlain, greatly surprised by the question. "well, i couldn't be a worse king, i'm sure." "would the nomes obey you?" inquired the dragon. "of course," said kaliko. "they like me better than ever they did ruggedo." "then hereafter you shall be the metal monarch, king of the nomes, and tititi-hoochoo expects you to rule your kingdom wisely and well," said quox. "hooray!" cried betsy; "i'm glad of that. king kaliko, i salute your majesty and wish you joy in your gloomy old kingdom!" "we all wish him joy," said polychrome; and then the others made haste to congratulate the new king. "will you release my dear brother?" asked shaggy. "the ugly one? very willingly," replied kaliko. "i begged ruggedo long ago to send him away, but he would not do so. i also offered to help your brother to escape, but he would not go." "he's so conscientious!" said shaggy, highly pleased. "all of our family have noble natures. but is my dear brother well?" he added anxiously. "he eats and sleeps very steadily," replied the new king. "i hope he doesn't work too hard," said shaggy. "he doesn't work at all. in fact, there is nothing he can do in these dominions as well as our nomes, whose numbers are so great that it worries us to keep them all busy. so your brother has only to amuse himself." "why, it's more like visiting, than being a prisoner," asserted betsy. "not exactly," returned kaliko. "a prisoner cannot go where or when he pleases, and is not his own master." "where is my brother now?" inquired shaggy. "in the metal forest." "where is that?" "the metal forest is in the great domed cavern, the largest in all our dominions," replied kaliko. "it is almost like being out of doors, it is so big, and ruggedo made the wonderful forest to amuse himself, as well as to tire out his hard-working nomes. all the trees are gold and silver and the ground is strewn with precious stones, so it is a sort of treasury." "let us go there at once and rescue my dear brother," pleaded shaggy earnestly. kaliko hesitated. "i don't believe i can find the way," said he. "ruggedo made three secret passages to the metal forest, but he changes the location of these passages every week, so that no one can get to the metal forest without his permission. however, if we look sharp, we may be able to discover one of these secret ways." "that reminds me to ask what has become of queen ann and the officers of oogaboo," said files. "i'm sure i can't say," replied kaliko. "do you suppose ruggedo destroyed them?" "oh, no; i'm quite sure he didn't. they fell into the big pit in the passage, and we put the cover on to keep them there; but when the executioners went to look for them they had all disappeared from the pit and we could find no trace of them." "that's funny," remarked betsy thoughtfully. "i don't believe ann knew any magic, or she'd have worked it before. but to disappear like that _seems_ like magic; now, doesn't it?" they agreed that it did, but no one could explain the mystery. "however," said shaggy, "they are gone, that is certain, so we cannot help them or be helped by them. and the important thing just now is to rescue my dear brother from captivity." "why do they call him the ugly one?" asked betsy. "i do not know," confessed shaggy. "i cannot remember his looks very well, it is so long since i have seen him; but all of our family are noted for their handsome faces." betsy laughed and shaggy seemed rather hurt; but polychrome relieved his embarrassment by saying softly: "one can be ugly in looks, but lovely in disposition." "our first task," said shaggy, a little comforted by this remark, "is to find one of those secret passages to the metal forest." "true," agreed kaliko. "so i think i will assemble the chief nomes of my kingdom in this throne room and tell them that i am their new king. then i can ask them to assist us in searching for the secret passages." "that's a good idea," said the dragon, who seemed to be getting sleepy again. kaliko went to the big gong and pounded on it just as ruggedo used to do; but no one answered the summons. "of course not," said he, jumping up from the throne, where he had seated himself. "that is my call, and i am still the royal chamberlain, and will be until i appoint another in my place." so he ran out of the room and found guph and told him to answer the summons of the king's gong. having returned to the royal cavern, kaliko first pounded the gong and then sat in the throne, wearing ruggedo's discarded ruby crown and holding in his hand the sceptre which ruggedo had so often thrown at his head. when guph entered he was amazed. "better get out of that throne before old ruggedo comes back," he said warningly. "he isn't coming back, and i am now the king of the nomes, in his stead," announced kaliko. "all of which is quite true," asserted the dragon, and all of those who stood around the throne bowed respectfully to the new king. seeing this, guph also bowed, for he was glad to be rid of such a hard master as ruggedo. then kaliko, in quite a kingly way, informed guph that he was appointed the royal chamberlain, and promised not to throw the sceptre at his head unless he deserved it. [illustration] all this being pleasantly arranged, the new chamberlain went away to tell the news to all the nomes of the underground kingdom, every one of whom would be delighted with the change in kings. [illustration] [illustration] chapter quox quietly quits when the chief nomes assembled before their new king they joyfully saluted him and promised to obey his commands. but, when kaliko questioned them, none knew the way to the metal forest, although all had assisted in its making. so the king instructed them to search carefully for one of the passages and to bring him the news as soon as they had found it. meantime quox had managed to back out of the rocky corridor and so regain the open air and his old station on the mountain-side, and there he lay upon the rocks, sound asleep, until the next day. the others of the party were all given as good rooms as the caverns of the nomes afforded, for king kaliko felt that he was indebted to them for his promotion and was anxious to be as hospitable as he could. much wonderment had been caused by the absolute disappearance of the sixteen officers of oogaboo and their queen. not a nome had seen them, nor were they discovered during the search for the passages leading to the metal forest. perhaps no one was unhappy over their loss, but all were curious to know what had become of them. on the next day, when our friends went to visit the dragon, quox said to them: "i must now bid you good-bye, for my mission here is finished and i must depart for the other side of the world, where i belong." "will you go through the tube again?" asked betsy. "to be sure. but it will be a lonely trip this time, with no one to talk to, and i cannot invite any of you to go with me. therefore, as soon as i slide into the hole i shall go to sleep, and when i pop out at the other end i will wake up at home." they thanked the dragon for befriending them and wished him a pleasant journey. also they sent their thanks to the great jinjin, whose just condemnation of ruggedo had served their interests so well. then quox yawned and stretched himself and ambled over to the tube, into which he slid headforemost and disappeared. they really felt as if they had lost a friend, for the dragon had been both kind and sociable during their brief acquaintance with him; but they knew it was his duty to return to his own country. so they went back to the caverns to renew the search for the hidden passages that led to the forest, but for three days all efforts to find them proved in vain. it was polychrome's custom to go every day to the mountain and watch for her father, the rainbow, for she was growing tired with wandering upon the earth and longed to rejoin her sisters in their sky palaces. and on the third day, while she sat motionless upon a point of rock, whom should she see slyly creeping up the mountain but ruggedo! the former king looked very forlorn. his clothes were soiled and torn and he had no sandals upon his feet or hat upon his head. having left his crown and sceptre behind when he fled, the old nome no longer seemed kingly, but more like a beggarman. several times had ruggedo crept up to the mouth of the caverns, only to find the six eggs still on guard. he knew quite well that he must accept his fate and become a homeless wanderer, but his chief regret now was that he had neglected to fill his pockets with gold and jewels. he was aware that a wanderer with wealth at his command would fare much better than one who was a pauper, so he still loitered around the caverns wherein he knew so much treasure was stored, hoping for a chance to fill his pockets. that was how he came to recollect the metal forest. "aha!" said he to himself, "i alone know the way to that forest, and once there i can fill my pockets with the finest jewels in all the world." he glanced at his pockets and was grieved to find them so small. perhaps they might be enlarged, so that they would hold more. he knew of a poor woman who lived in a cottage at the foot of the mountain, so he went to her and begged her to sew pockets all over his robe, paying her with the gift of a diamond ring which he had worn upon his finger. the woman was delighted to possess so valuable a ring and she sewed as many pockets on ruggedo's robe as she possibly could. then he returned up the mountain and, after gazing cautiously around to make sure he was not observed, he touched a spring in a rock and it swung slowly backward, disclosing a broad passageway. this he entered, swinging the rock in place behind him. however, ruggedo had failed to look as carefully as he might have done, for polychrome was seated only a little distance off and her clear eyes marked exactly the manner in which ruggedo had released the hidden spring. so she rose and hurried into the cavern, where she told kaliko and her friends of her discovery. "i've no doubt that that is a way to the metal forest," exclaimed shaggy. "come, let us follow ruggedo at once and rescue my poor brother!" they agreed to this and king kaliko called together a band of nomes to assist them by carrying torches to light their way. "the metal forest has a brilliant light of its own," said he, "but the passage across the valley is likely to be dark." polychrome easily found the rock and touched the spring, so in less than an hour after ruggedo had entered they were all in the passage and following swiftly after the former king. "he means to rob the forest, i'm sure," said kaliko; "but he will find he is no longer of any account in this kingdom and i will have my nomes throw him out." "then please throw him as hard as you can," said betsy, "for he deserves it. i don't mind an honest, out-an'-out enemy, who fights square; but changing girls into fiddles and ordering 'em put into slimy caves is mean and tricky, and ruggedo doesn't deserve any sympathy. but you'll have to let him take as much treasure as he can get in his pockets, kaliko." "yes, the jinjin said so; but we won't miss it much. there is more treasure in the metal forest than a million nomes could carry in their pockets." it was not difficult to walk through this passage, especially when the torches lighted the way, so they made good progress. but it proved to be a long distance and betsy had tired herself with walking and was seated upon the back of the mule when the passage made a sharp turn and a wonderful and glorious light burst upon them. the next moment they were all standing upon the edge of the marvelous metal forest. it lay under another mountain and occupied a great domed cavern, the roof of which was higher than a church steeple. in this space the industrious nomes had built, during many years of labor, the most beautiful forest in the world. the trees--trunks, branches and leaves--were all of solid gold, while the bushes and underbrush were formed of filigree silver, virgin pure. the trees towered as high as natural live oaks do and were of exquisite workmanship. on the ground were thickly strewn precious gems of every hue and size, while here and there among the trees were paths pebbled with cut diamonds of the clearest water. taken all together, more treasure was gathered in this metal forest than is contained in all the rest of the world--if we except the land of oz, where perhaps its value is equalled in the famous emerald city. our friends were so amazed at the sight that for a while they stood gazing in silent wonder. then shaggy exclaimed: "my brother! my dear lost brother! is he indeed a prisoner in this place?" [illustration] "yes," replied kaliko. "the ugly one has been here for two or three years, to my positive knowledge." "but what could he find to eat?" inquired betsy. "it's an awfully swell place to live in, but one can't breakfast on rubies and di'monds, or even gold." "one doesn't need to, my dear," kaliko assured her. "the metal forest does not fill all of this great cavern, by any means. beyond these gold and silver trees are other trees of the real sort, which bear foods very nice to eat. let us walk in that direction, for i am quite sure we will find shaggy's brother in that part of the cavern, rather than in this." so they began to tramp over the diamond-pebbled paths, and at every step they were more and more bewildered by the wondrous beauty of the golden trees with their glittering foliage. suddenly they heard a scream. jewels scattered in every direction as some one hidden among the bushes scampered away before them. then a loud voice cried: "halt!" and there was the sound of a struggle. [illustration] chapter a bashful brother with fast beating hearts they all rushed forward and, beyond a group of stately metal trees, came full upon a most astonishing scene. there was ruggedo in the hands of the officers of oogaboo, a dozen of whom were clinging to the old nome and holding him fast in spite of his efforts to escape. there also was queen ann, looking grimly upon the scene of strife; but when she observed her former companions approaching she turned away in a shamefaced manner. for ann and her officers were indeed a sight to behold. her majesty's clothing, once so rich and gorgeous, was now worn and torn into shreds by her long crawl through the tunnel, which, by the way, had led her directly into the metal forest. it was, indeed, one of the three secret passages, and by far the most difficult of the three. ann had not only torn her pretty skirt and jacket, but her crown had become bent and battered and even her shoes were so cut and slashed that they were ready to fall from her feet. the officers had fared somewhat worse than their leader, for holes were worn in the knees of their trousers, while sharp points of rock in the roof and sides of the tunnel had made rags of every inch of their once brilliant uniforms. a more tattered and woeful army never came out of a battle, than these harmless victims of the rocky passage. but it had seemed their only means of escape from the cruel nome king; so they had crawled on, regardless of their sufferings. when they reached the metal forest their eyes beheld more plunder than they had ever dreamed of; yet they were prisoners in this huge dome and could not escape with the riches heaped about them. perhaps a more unhappy and homesick lot of "conquerors" never existed than this band from oogaboo. after several days of wandering in their marvelous prison they were frightened by the discovery that ruggedo had come among them. rendered desperate by their sad condition, the officers exhibited courage for the first time since they left home and, ignorant of the fact that ruggedo was no longer king of the nomes, they threw themselves upon him and had just succeeded in capturing him when their fellow adventurers reached the spot. "goodness gracious!" cried betsy. "what has happened to you all?" ann came forward to greet them, sorrowful and indignant. "we were obliged to escape from the pit through a small tunnel, which was lined with sharp and jagged rocks," said she, "and not only was our clothing torn to rags but our flesh is so bruised and sore that we are stiff and lame in every joint. to add to our troubles we find we are still prisoners; but now that we have succeeded in capturing the wicked metal monarch we shall force him to grant us our liberty." "ruggedo is no longer metal monarch, or king of the nomes," files informed her. "he has been deposed and cast out of his kingdom by quox; but here is the new king, whose name is kaliko, and i am pleased to assure your majesty that he is our friend." "glad to meet your majesty, i'm sure," said kaliko, bowing as courteously as if the queen still wore splendid raiment. the officers, having heard this explanation, now set ruggedo free; but, as he had no place to go, he stood by and faced his former servant, who was now king in his place, in a humble and pleading manner. "what are you doing here?" asked kaliko sternly. "why, i was promised as much treasure as i could carry in my pockets," replied ruggedo; "so i came here to get it, not wishing to disturb your majesty." "you were commanded to leave the country of the nomes forever!" declared kaliko. "i know; and i'll go as soon as i have filled my pockets," said ruggedo, meekly. "then fill them, and be gone," returned the new king. ruggedo obeyed. stooping down, he began gathering up jewels by the handful and stuffing them into his many pockets. they were heavy things, these diamonds and rubies and emeralds and amethysts and the like, so before long ruggedo was staggering with the weight he bore, while the pockets were not yet filled. when he could no longer stoop over without falling, betsy and polychrome and the rose princess came to his assistance, picking up the finest gems and tucking them into his pockets. at last these were all filled and ruggedo presented a comical sight, for surely no man ever before had so many pockets, or any at all filled with such a choice collection of precious stones. he neglected to thank the young ladies for their kindness, but gave them a surly nod of farewell and staggered down the path by the way he had come. they let him depart in silence, for with all he had taken, the masses of jewels upon the ground seemed scarcely to have been disturbed, so numerous were they. also they hoped they had seen the last of the degraded king. [illustration] "i'm awful glad he's gone," said betsy, sighing deeply. "if he doesn't get reckless and spend his wealth foolishly, he's got enough to start a bank when he gets to oklahoma." "but my brother--my dear brother! where is he?" inquired shaggy anxiously. "have you seen him, queen ann?" "what does your brother look like?" asked the queen. shaggy hesitated to reply, but betsy said: "he's called the ugly one. perhaps you'll know him by that." "the only person we have seen in this cavern," said ann, "has run away from us whenever we approached him. he hides over yonder, among the trees that are not gold, and we have never been able to catch sight of his face. so i cannot tell whether he is ugly or not." "that must be my dear brother!" exclaimed shaggy. "yes, it must be," assented kaliko. "no one else inhabits this splendid dome, so there can be no mistake." "but why does he hide among those green trees, instead of enjoying all these glittery golden ones?" asked betsy. "because he finds food among the natural trees," replied kaliko, "and i remember that he has built a little house there, to sleep in. as for these glittery golden trees, i will admit they are very pretty at first sight. one cannot fail to admire them, as well as the rich jewels scattered beneath them; but if one has to look at them always, they become pretty tame." "i believe that is true," declared shaggy. "my dear brother is very wise to prefer real trees to the imitation ones. but come; let us go there and find him." shaggy started for the green grove at once, and the others followed him, being curious to witness the final rescue of his long-sought, long-lost brother. not far from the edge of the grove they came upon a small hut, cleverly made of twigs and golden branches woven together. as they approached the place they caught a glimpse of a form that darted into the hut and slammed the door tight shut after him. shaggy man ran to the door and cried aloud: "brother! brother!" "who calls," demanded a sad, hollow voice from within. "it is shaggy--your own loving brother--who has been searching for you a long time and has now come to rescue you." "too late!" replied the gloomy voice. "no one can rescue me now." "oh, but you are mistaken about that," said shaggy. "there is a new king of the nomes, named kaliko, in ruggedo's place, and he has promised you shall go free." "free! i dare not go free!" said the ugly one, in a voice of despair. "why not, brother?" asked shaggy, anxiously. "do you know what they have done to me?" came the answer through the closed door. "no. tell me, brother, what have they done?" "when ruggedo first captured me i was very handsome. don't you remember, shaggy?" "not very well, brother; you were so young when i left home. but i remember that mother thought you were beautiful." "she was right! i am sure she was right," wailed the prisoner. "but ruggedo wanted to injure me--to make me ugly in the eyes of all the world--so he performed a wicked enchantment. i went to bed beautiful--or you might say handsome--to be very modest i will merely claim that i was good-looking--and i wakened the next morning the homeliest man in all the world! i am so repulsive that when i look in a mirror i frighten myself." "poor brother!" said shaggy softly, and all the others were silent from sympathy. "i was so ashamed of my looks," continued the voice of shaggy's brother, "that i tried to hide; but the cruel king ruggedo forced me to appear before all the legion of nomes, to whom he said: 'behold the ugly one!' but when the nomes saw my face they all fell to laughing and jeering, which prevented them from working at their tasks. seeing this, ruggedo became angry and pushed me into a tunnel, closing the rock entrance so that i could not get out. i followed the length of the tunnel until i reached this huge dome, where the marvelous metal forest stands, and here i have remained ever since." "poor brother!" repeated shaggy. "but i beg you now to come forth and face us, who are your friends. none here will laugh or jeer, however unhandsome you may be." "no, indeed," they all added pleadingly. but the ugly one refused the invitation. "i cannot," said he; "indeed, i cannot face strangers, ugly as i am." shaggy man turned to the group surrounding him. "what shall i do?" he asked in sorrowful tones. "i cannot leave my dear brother here, and he refuses to come out of that house and face us." "i'll tell you," replied betsy. "let him put on a mask." "the very idea i was seeking!" exclaimed shaggy joyfully; and then he called out: "brother, put a mask over your face, and then none of us can see what your features are like." "i have no mask," answered the ugly one. "look here," said betsy; "he can use my handkerchief." shaggy looked at the little square of cloth and shook his head. "it isn't big enough," he objected; "i'm sure it isn't big enough to hide a man's face. but he can use mine." saying this he took from his pocket his own handkerchief and went to the door of the hut. "here, my brother," he called, "take this handkerchief and make a mask of it. i will also pass you my knife, so that you may cut holes for the eyes, and then you must tie it over your face." the door slowly opened, just far enough for the ugly one to thrust out his hand and take the handkerchief and the knife. then it closed again. "don't forget a hole for your nose," cried betsy. "you must breathe, you know." for a time there was silence. queen ann and her army sat down upon the ground to rest. betsy sat on hank's back. polychrome danced lightly up and down the jeweled paths while files and the princess wandered through the groves arm in arm. tik-tok, who never tired, stood motionless. by and by a noise sounded from within the hut. "are you ready?" asked shaggy. "yes, brother," came the reply, and the door was thrown open to allow the ugly one to step forth. betsy might have laughed aloud had she not remembered how sensitive to ridicule shaggy's brother was, for the handkerchief with which he had masked his features was a red one covered with big white polka dots. in this two holes had been cut--in front of the eyes--while two smaller ones before the nostrils allowed the man to breathe freely. the cloth was then tightly drawn over the ugly one's face and knotted at the back of his neck. he was dressed in clothes that had once been good, but now were sadly worn and frayed. his silk stockings had holes in them, and his shoes were stub-toed and needed blackening. "but what can you expect," whispered betsy, "when the poor man has been a prisoner for so many years?" shaggy had darted forward, and embraced his newly found brother with both his arms. the brother also embraced shaggy, who then led him forward and introduced him to all the assembled company. "this is the new nome king," he said when he came to kaliko. "he is our friend, and has granted you your freedom." "that is a kindly deed," replied ugly in a sad voice, "but i dread to go back to the world in this direful condition. unless i remain forever masked, my dreadful face would curdle all the milk and stop all the clocks." "can't the enchantment be broken in some way?" inquired betsy. shaggy looked anxiously at kaliko, who shook his head. "i am sure _i_ can't break the enchantment," he said. "ruggedo was fond of magic, and learned a good many enchantments that we nomes know nothing of." "perhaps ruggedo himself might break his own enchantment," suggested ann; "but unfortunately we have allowed the old king to escape." "never mind, my dear brother," said shaggy consolingly; "i am very happy to have found you again, although i may never see your face. so let us make the most of this joyful reunion." the ugly one was affected to tears by this tender speech, and the tears began to wet the red handkerchief; so shaggy gently wiped them away with his coat sleeve. [illustration] [illustration] chapter kindly kisses "won't you be dreadful sorry to leave this lovely place?" betsy asked the ugly one. "no, indeed," said he. "jewels and gold are cold and heartless things, and i am sure i would presently have died of loneliness had i not found this natural forest at the edge of the artificial one. anyhow, without these real trees i should soon have starved to death." betsy looked around at the quaint trees. "i don't just understand that," she admitted. "what could you find to eat here?" "the best food in the world," ugly answered. "do you see that grove at your left?" he added, pointing it out; "well, such trees as those do not grow in your country, or in any other place but this cavern. i have named them 'hotel trees,' because they bear a certain kind of table d'hote fruit called 'three-course nuts.'" "that's funny!" said betsy. "what are the 'three-course nuts' like?" "something like cocoanuts, to look at," explained the ugly one. "all you have to do is to pick one of them and then sit down and eat your dinner. you first unscrew the top part and find a cupfull of good soup. after you've eaten that, you unscrew the middle part and find a hollow filled with meat and potatoes, vegetables and a fine salad. eat that, and unscrew the next section, and you come to the dessert in the bottom of the nut. that is pie and cake, cheese and crackers, and nuts and raisins. the three-course nuts are not all exactly alike in flavor or in contents, but they are all good and in each one may be found a complete three-course dinner." "but how about breakfasts?" inquired betsy. "why, there are breakfast trees for that, which grow over there at the right. they bear nuts, like the others, only the nuts contain coffee or chocolate, instead of soup; oatmeal instead of meat-and-potatoes, and fruits instead of dessert. sad as has been my life in this wonderful prison, i must admit that no one could live more luxuriously in the best hotel in the world than i have lived here; but i will be glad to get into the open air again and see the good old sun and the silvery moon and the soft green grass and the flowers that are kissed by the morning dew. ah, how much more lovely are those blessed things than the glitter of gems or the cold gleam of gold!" "of course," said betsy. "i once knew a little boy who wanted to catch the measles, because all the little boys in his neighborhood but him had had 'em, and he was really unhappy 'cause he couldn't catch 'em, try as he would. so i'm pretty certain that the things we want, and can't have, are not good for us. isn't that true, shaggy?" "not always, my dear," he gravely replied. "if we didn't want anything, we would never get anything, good or bad. i think our longings are natural, and if we act as nature prompts us we can't go far wrong." "for my part," said queen ann, "i think the world would be a dreary place without the gold and jewels." "all things are good in their way," said shaggy; "but we may have too much of any good thing. and i have noticed that the value of anything depends upon how scarce it is, and how difficult it is to obtain." "pardon me for interrupting you," said king kaliko, coming to their side, "but now that we have rescued shaggy's brother i would like to return to my royal cavern. being the king of the nomes, it is my duty to look after my restless subjects and see that they behave themselves." so they all turned and began walking through the metal forest to the other side of the great domed cave, where they had first entered it. shaggy and his brother walked side by side and both seemed rejoiced that they were together after their long separation. betsy didn't dare look at the polka-dot handkerchief, for fear she would laugh aloud; so she walked behind the two brothers and led hank by holding fast to his left ear. when at last they reached the place where the passage led to the outer world, queen ann said, in a hesitating way that was unusual with her: "i have not conquered this nome country, nor do i expect to do so; but i would like to gather a few of these pretty jewels before i leave this place." "help yourself, ma'am," said king kaliko, and at once the officers of the army took advantage of his royal permission and began filling their pockets, while ann tied a lot of diamonds in a big handkerchief. this accomplished, they all entered the passage, the nomes going first to light the way with their torches. they had not proceeded far when betsy exclaimed: "why, there are jewels here, too!" all eyes were turned upon the ground and they found a regular trail of jewels strewn along the rock floor. "this is queer!" said kaliko, much surprised. "i must send some of my nomes to gather up these gems and replace them in the metal forest, where they belong. i wonder how they came to be here?" all the way along the passage they found this trail of jewels, but when they neared the end the mystery was explained. for there, squatted upon the floor with his back to the rock wall, sat old ruggedo, puffing and blowing as if he was all tired out. then they realized it was he who had scattered the jewels, from his many pockets, which one by one had burst with the weight of their contents as he had stumbled along the passage. "but i don't mind," said ruggedo, with a deep sigh. "i now realize that i could not have carried such a weighty load very far, even had i managed to escape from this passage with it. the woman who sewed the pockets on my robe used poor thread, for which i shall thank her." "have you any jewels left?" inquired betsy. he glanced into some of the remaining pockets. "a few," said he, "but they will be sufficient to supply my wants, and i no longer have any desire to be rich. if some of you will kindly help me to rise, i'll get out of here and leave you, for i know you all despise me and prefer my room to my company." shaggy and kaliko raised the old king to his feet, when he was confronted by shaggy's brother, whom he now noticed for the first time. the queer and unexpected appearance of the ugly one so startled ruggedo that he gave a wild cry and began to tremble, as if he had seen a ghost. "wh--wh--who is this?" he faltered. "i am that helpless prisoner whom your cruel magic transformed from a handsome man into an ugly one!" answered shaggy's brother, in a voice of stern reproach. "really, ruggedo," said betsy, "you ought to be ashamed of that mean trick." "i am, my dear," admitted ruggedo, who was now as meek and humble as formerly he had been cruel and vindictive. "then," returned the girl, "you'd better do some more magic and give the poor man his own face again." "i wish i could," answered the old king; "but you must remember that tititi-hoochoo has deprived me of all my magic powers. however, i never took the trouble to learn just how to break the charm i cast over shaggy's brother, for i intended he should always remain ugly." "every charm," remarked pretty polychrome, "has its antidote; and, if you knew this charm of ugliness, ruggedo, you must have known how to dispel it." he shook his head. [illustration] "if i did, i--i've forgotten," he stammered regretfully. "try to think!" pleaded shaggy, anxiously. "_please_ try to think!" ruggedo ruffled his hair with both hands, sighed, slapped his chest, rubbed his ear, and stared stupidly around the group. "i've a faint recollection that there _was_ one thing that would break the charm," said he; "but misfortune has so addled my brain that i can't remember what it was." "see here, ruggedo," said betsy, sharply, "we've treated you pretty well, so far, but we won't stand for any nonsense, and if you know what's good for yourself you'll think of that charm!" "why?" he demanded, turning to look wonderingly at the little girl. "because it means so much to shaggy's brother. he's dreadfully ashamed of himself, the way he is now, and you're to blame for it. fact is, ruggedo, you've done so much wickedness in your life that it won't hurt you to do a kind act now." ruggedo blinked at her, and sighed again, and then tried very hard to think. "i seem to remember, dimly," said he, "that a certain kind of a kiss will break the charm of ugliness." "what kind of a kiss?" "what kind? why, it was--it was--it was either the kiss of a mortal maid; or--or--the kiss of a mortal maid who had once been a fairy; or--or the kiss of one who is still a fairy. i can't remember which. but of course no maid, mortal or fairy, would ever consent to kiss a person so ugly--so dreadfully, fearfully, terribly ugly--as shaggy's brother." "i'm not so sure of that," said betsy, with admirable courage; "i'm a mortal maid, and if it is _my_ kiss that will break this awful charm, i--i'll do it!" "oh, you really couldn't," protested ugly. "i would be obliged to remove my mask, and when you saw my face, nothing could induce you to kiss me, generous as you are." "well, as for that," said the little girl, "i needn't see your face at all. here's my plan: you stay in this dark passage, and we'll send away the nomes with their torches. then you'll take off the handkerchief, and i--i'll kiss you." "this is awfully kind of you, betsy!" said shaggy, gratefully. "well, it surely won't kill me," she replied; "and, if it makes you and your brother happy, i'm willing to take some chances." so kaliko ordered the torch-bearers to leave the passage, which they did by going through the rock opening. queen ann and her army also went out; but the others were so interested in betsy's experiment that they remained grouped at the mouth of the passageway. when the big rock swung into place, closing tight the opening, they were left in total darkness. "now, then," called betsy in a cheerful voice, "have you got that handkerchief off your face, ugly?" "yes," he replied. "well, where are you, then?" she asked, reaching out her arms. "here," said he. "you'll have to stoop down, you know." he found her hands and clasping them in his own stooped until his face was near to that of the little girl. the others heard a clear, smacking kiss, and then betsy exclaimed: "there! i've done it, and it didn't hurt a bit!" "tell me, dear brother; is the charm broken?" asked shaggy. "i do not know," was the reply. "it may be, or it may not be. i cannot tell." "has anyone a match?" inquired betsy. "i have several," said shaggy. "then let ruggedo strike one of them and look at your brother's face, while we all turn our backs. ruggedo made your brother ugly, so i guess he can stand the horror of looking at him, if the charm isn't broken." agreeing to this, ruggedo took the match and lighted it. he gave one look and then blew out the match. "ugly as ever!" he said with a shudder. "so it wasn't the kiss of a mortal maid, after all." "let me try," proposed the rose princess, in her sweet voice. "i am a mortal maid who was once a fairy. perhaps my kiss will break the charm." files did not wholly approve of this, but he was too generous to interfere. so the rose princess felt her way through the darkness to shaggy's brother and kissed him. ruggedo struck another match, while they all turned away. "no," announced the former king; "that didn't break the charm, either. it must be the kiss of a fairy that is required--or else my memory has failed me altogether." "polly," said betsy, pleadingly, "won't _you_ try?" "of course i will!" answered polychrome, with a merry laugh. "i've never kissed a mortal man in all the thousands of years i have existed, but i'll do it to please our faithful shaggy man, whose unselfish affection for his ugly brother deserves to be rewarded." even as polychrome was speaking she tripped lightly to the side of the ugly one and quickly touched his cheek with her lips. "oh, thank you--thank you!" he fervently cried. "i've changed, this time, i know. i can feel it! i'm different. shaggy--dear shaggy--i am myself again!" files, who was near the opening, touched the spring that released the big rock and it suddenly swung backward and let in a flood of daylight. everyone stood motionless, staring hard at shaggy's brother, who, no longer masked by the polka-dot handkerchief, met their gaze with a glad smile. "well," said shaggy man, breaking the silence at last and drawing a long, deep breath of satisfaction, "you are no longer the ugly one, my dear brother; but, to be entirely frank with you, the face that belongs to you is no more handsome than it ought to be." "i think he's rather good looking," remarked betsy, gazing at the man critically. "in comparison with what he was," said king kaliko, "he is really beautiful. you, who never beheld his ugliness, may not understand that; but it was my misfortune to look at the ugly one many times, and i say again that, in comparison with what he was, the man is now beautiful." "all right," returned betsy, briskly, "we'll take your word for it, kaliko. and now let us get out of this tunnel and into the world again." [illustration] chapter ruggedo reforms it did not take them long to regain the royal cavern of the nome king, where kaliko ordered served to them the nicest refreshments the place afforded. ruggedo had come trailing along after the rest of the party and while no one paid any attention to the old king they did not offer any objection to his presence or command him to leave them. he looked fearfully to see if the eggs were still guarding the entrance, but they had now disappeared; so he crept into the cavern after the others and humbly squatted down in a corner of the room. there betsy discovered him. all of the little girl's companions were now so happy at the success of shaggy's quest for his brother, and the laughter and merriment seemed so general, that betsy's heart softened toward the friendless old man who had once been their bitter enemy, and she carried to him some of the food and drink. ruggedo's eyes filled with tears at this unexpected kindness. he took the child's hand in his own and pressed it gratefully. "look here, kaliko," said betsy, addressing the new king, "what's the use of being hard on ruggedo? all his magic power is gone, so he can't do any more harm, and i'm sure he's sorry he acted so badly to everybody." "are you?" asked kaliko, looking down at his former master. "i am," said ruggedo. "the girl speaks truly. i'm sorry and i'm harmless. i don't want to wander through the wide world, on top of the ground, for i'm a nome. no nome can ever be happy any place but underground." "that being the case," said kaliko, "i will let you stay here as long as you behave yourself; but, if you try to act badly again, i shall drive you out, as tititi-hoochoo has commanded, and you'll have to wander." "never fear. i'll behave," promised ruggedo. "it is hard work being a king, and harder still to be a good king. but now that i am a common nome i am sure i can lead a blameless life." they were all pleased to hear this and to know that ruggedo had really reformed. "i hope he'll keep his word," whispered betsy to shaggy; "but if he gets bad again we will be far away from the nome kingdom and kaliko will have to 'tend to the old nome himself." polychrome had been a little restless during the last hour or two. the lovely daughter of the rainbow knew that she had now done all in her power to assist her earth friends, and so she began to long for her sky home. "i think," she said, after listening intently, "that it is beginning to rain. the rain king is my uncle, you know, and perhaps he has read my thoughts and is going to help me. anyway, i must take a look at the sky and make sure." so she jumped up and ran through the passage to the outer entrance, and they all followed after her and grouped themselves on a ledge of the mountain-side. sure enough, dark clouds had filled the sky and a slow, drizzling rain had set in. "it can't last for long," said shaggy, looking upward, "and when it stops we shall lose the sweet little fairy we have learned to love. alas," he continued, after a moment, "the clouds are already breaking in the west, and--see!--isn't that the rainbow coming?" betsy didn't look at the sky; she looked at polychrome, whose happy, smiling face surely foretold the coming of her father to take her to the cloud palaces. a moment later a gleam of sunshine flooded the mountain and a gorgeous rainbow appeared. with a cry of gladness polychrome sprang upon a point of rock and held out her arms. straightway the rainbow descended until its end was at her very feet, when with a graceful leap she sprang upon it and was at once clasped in the arms of her radiant sisters, the daughters of the rainbow. but polychrome released herself to lean over the edge of the glowing arch and nod, and smile and throw a dozen kisses to her late comrades. "good-bye!" she called, and they all shouted "good-bye!" in return and waved their hands to their pretty friend. slowly the magnificent bow lifted and melted into the sky, until the eyes of the earnest watchers saw only fleecy clouds flitting across the blue. "i'm dreadful sorry to see polychrome go," said betsy, who felt like crying; "but i s'pose she'll be a good deal happier with her sisters in the sky palaces." "to be sure," returned shaggy, nodding gravely. "it's her home, you know, and those poor wanderers who, like ourselves, have no home, can realize what that means to her." "once," said betsy, "i, too, had a home. now, i've only--only--dear old hank!" [illustration] she twined her arms around her shaggy friend who was not human, and he said: "hee-haw!" in a tone that showed he understood her mood. and the shaggy friend who was human stroked the child's head tenderly and said: "you're wrong about that, betsy dear. i will never desert you." "nor i!" exclaimed shaggy's brother, in earnest tones. the little girl looked up at them gratefully, and her eyes smiled through their tears. "all right," she said. "it's raining again, so let's go back into the cavern." rather soberly, for all loved polychrome and would miss her, they reëntered the dominions of the nome king. [illustration] [illustration] chapter dorothy is delighted "well," said queen ann, when all were again seated in kaliko's royal cavern, "i wonder what we shall do next. if i could find my way back to oogaboo i'd take my army home at once, for i'm sick and tired of these dreadful hardships." "don't you want to conquer the world?" asked betsy. "no; i've changed my mind about that," admitted the queen. "the world is too big for one person to conquer and i was happier with my own people in oogaboo. i wish--oh, how earnestly i wish--that i was back there this minute!" "so do i!" yelled every officer in a fervent tone. now, it is time for the reader to know that in the far-away land of oz the lovely ruler, ozma, had been following the adventures of her shaggy man, and tik-tok, and all the others they had met. day by day ozma, with the wonderful wizard of oz seated beside her, had gazed upon a magic picture in a radium frame, which occupied one side of the ruler's cosy boudoir in the palace of the emerald city. the singular thing about this magic picture was that it showed whatever scene ozma wished to see, with the figures all in motion, just as it was taking place. so ozma and the wizard had watched every action of the adventurers from the time shaggy had met shipwrecked betsy and hank in the rose kingdom, at which time the rose princess, a distant cousin of ozma, had been exiled by her heartless subjects. when ann and her people so earnestly wished to return to oogaboo, ozma was sorry for them and remembered that oogaboo was a corner of the land of oz. she turned to her attendant and asked: "can not your magic take these unhappy people to their old home, wizard?" "it can, your highness," replied the little wizard. "i think the poor queen has suffered enough in her misguided effort to conquer the world," said ozma, smiling at the absurdity of the undertaking, "so no doubt she will hereafter be contented in her own little kingdom. please send her there, wizard, and with her the officers and files." "how about the rose princess?" asked the wizard. "send her to oogaboo with files," answered ozma. "they have become such good friends that i am sure it would make them unhappy to separate them." "very well," said the wizard, and without any fuss or mystery whatever he performed a magical rite that was simple and effective. therefore those seated in the nome king's cavern were both startled and amazed when all the people of oogaboo suddenly disappeared from the room, and with them the rose princess. at first they could not understand it at all; but presently shaggy suspected the truth, and believing that ozma was now taking an interest in the party he drew from his pocket a tiny instrument which he placed against his ear. ozma, observing this action in her magic picture, at once caught up a similar instrument from a table beside her and held it to her own ear. the two instruments recorded the same delicate vibrations of sound and formed a wireless telephone, an invention of the wizard. those separated by any distance were thus enabled to converse together with perfect ease and without any wire connection. "do you hear me, shaggy man?" asked ozma. "yes, your highness," he replied. "i have sent the people of oogaboo back to their own little valley," announced the ruler of oz; "so do not worry over their disappearance." "that was very kind of you," said shaggy. "but your highness must permit me to report that my own mission here is now ended. i have found my lost brother, and he is now beside me, freed from the enchantment of ugliness which ruggedo cast upon him. tik-tok has served me and my comrades faithfully, as you requested him to do, and i hope you will now transport the clockwork man back to your fairyland of oz." "i will do that," replied ozma. "but how about yourself, shaggy?" "i have been very happy in oz," he said, "but my duty to others forces me to exile myself from that delightful land. i must take care of my new-found brother, for one thing, and i have a new comrade in a dear little girl named betsy bobbin, who has no home to go to, and no other friends but me and a small donkey named hank. i have promised betsy never to desert her as long as she needs a friend, and so i must give up the delights of the land of oz forever." he said this with a sigh of regret, and ozma made no reply but laid the tiny instrument on her table, thus cutting off all further communication with the shaggy man. but the lovely ruler of oz still watched her magic picture, with a thoughtful expression upon her face, and the little wizard of oz watched ozma and smiled softly to himself. in the cavern of the nome king shaggy replaced the wireless telephone in his pocket and turning to betsy said in as cheerful a voice as he could muster: "well, little comrade, what shall we do next?" "i don't know, i'm sure," she answered with a puzzled face. "i'm kind of sorry our adventures are over, for i enjoyed them, and now that queen ann and her people are gone, and polychrome is gone, and--dear me!--where's tik-tok, shaggy?" "he also has disappeared," said shaggy, looking around the cavern and nodding wisely. "by this time he is in ozma's palace in the land of oz, which is his home." "isn't it your home, too?" asked betsy. "it used to be, my dear; but now my home is wherever you and my brother are. we are wanderers, you know, but if we stick together i am sure we shall have a good time." "then," said the girl, "let us get out of this stuffy, underground cavern and go in search of new adventures. i'm sure it has stopped raining." "i'm ready," said shaggy, and then they bade good-bye to king kaliko, and thanked him for his assistance, and went out to the mouth of the passage. the sky was now clear and a brilliant blue in color; the sun shone brightly and even this rugged, rocky country seemed delightful after their confinement underground. there were but four of them now--betsy and hank, and shaggy and his brother--and the little party made their way down the mountain and followed a faint path that led toward the southwest. during this time ozma had been holding a conference with the wizard, and later with tik-tok, whom the magic of the wizard had quickly transported to ozma's palace. tik-tok had only words of praise for betsy bobbin, "who," he said, "is al-most as nice as dor-o-thy her-self." "let us send for dorothy," said ozma, and summoning her favorite maid, who was named jellia jamb, she asked her to request princess dorothy to attend her at once. so a few moments later dorothy entered ozma's room and greeted her and the wizard and tik-tok with the same gentle smile and simple manner that had won for the little girl the love of everyone she met. "did you want to see me, ozma?" she asked. "yes, dear. i am puzzled how to act, and i want your advice." "i don't b'lieve it's worth much," replied dorothy, "but i'll do the best i can. what is it all about, ozma?" "you all know," said the girl ruler, addressing her three friends, "what a serious thing it is to admit any mortals into this fairyland of oz. it is true i have invited several mortals to make their home here, and all of them have proved true and loyal subjects. indeed, no one of you three was a native of oz. dorothy and the wizard came here from the united states, and tik-tok came from the land of ev. but of course he is not a mortal. shaggy is another american, and he is the cause of all my worry, for our dear shaggy will not return here and desert the new friends he has found in his recent adventures, because he believes they need his services." "shaggy man was always kind-hearted," remarked dorothy. "but who are these new friends he has found?" "one is his brother, who for many years has been a prisoner of the nome king, our old enemy ruggedo. this brother seems a kindly, honest fellow, but he has done nothing to entitle him to a home in the land of oz." "who else?" asked dorothy. "i have told you about betsy bobbin, the little girl who was shipwrecked--in much the same way you once were--and has since been following the shaggy man in his search for his lost brother. you remember her, do you not?" "oh, yes!" exclaimed dorothy. "i've often watched her and hank in the magic picture, you know. she's a dear little girl, and old hank is a darling! where are they now?" "look and see," replied ozma with a smile at her friend's enthusiasm. dorothy turned to the picture, which showed betsy and hank, with shaggy and his brother, trudging along the rocky paths of a barren country. "seems to me," she said, musingly, "that they're a good way from any place to sleep, or any nice things to eat." "you are right," said tik-tok. "i have been in that coun-try, and it is a wil-der-ness." "it is the country of the nomes," explained the wizard, "who are so mischievous that no one cares to live near them. i'm afraid shaggy and his friends will endure many hardships before they get out of that rocky place, unless--" he turned to ozma and smiled. "unless i ask you to transport them all here?" she asked. "yes, your highness." "could your magic do that?" inquired dorothy. "i think so," said the wizard. "well," said dorothy, "as far as betsy and hank are concerned, i'd like to have them here in oz. it would be such fun to have a girl playmate of my own age, you see. and hank is such a dear little mule!" ozma laughed at the wistful expression in the girl's eyes, and then she drew dorothy to her and kissed her. "am i not your friend and playmate?" she asked. dorothy flushed. "you know how dearly i love you, ozma!" she cried. "but you're so busy ruling all this land of oz that we can't always be together." "i know, dear. my first duty is to my subjects, and i think it would be a delight to us all to have betsy with us. there's a pretty suite of rooms just opposite your own where she can live, and i'll build a golden stall for hank in the stable where the sawhorse lives. then we'll introduce the mule to the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, and i'm sure they will soon become firm friends. but i cannot very well admit betsy and hank into oz unless i also admit shaggy's brother." "and, unless you admit shaggy's brother, you will keep out poor shaggy, whom we are all very fond of," said the wizard. "well, why not ad-mit him?" demanded tik-tok. "the land of oz is not a refuge for all mortals in distress," explained ozma. "i do not wish to be unkind to shaggy man, but his brother has no claim on me." "the land of oz isn't crowded," suggested dorothy. "then you advise me to admit shaggy's brother?" inquired ozma. "well, we can't afford to lose our shaggy man, can we?" "no, indeed!" returned ozma. "what do you say, wizard?" "i'm getting my magic ready to transport them all." "and you, tik-tok?" "shag-gy's broth-er is a good fel-low, and we can't spare shag-gy." "so, then, the question is settled," decided ozma. "perform your magic, wizard!" he did so, placing a silver plate upon a small standard and pouring upon the plate a small quantity of pink powder which was contained in a crystal vial. then he muttered a rather difficult incantation which the sorceress glinda the good had taught him, and it all ended in a puff of perfumed smoke from the silver plate. this smoke was so pungent that it made both ozma and dorothy rub their eyes for a moment. "you must pardon these disagreeable fumes," said the wizard. "i assure you the smoke is a very necessary part of my wizardry." "look!" cried dorothy, pointing to the magic picture; "they're gone! all of them are gone." indeed, the picture now showed the same rocky landscape as before, but the three people and the mule had disappeared from it. "they are gone," said the wizard, polishing the silver plate and wrapping it in a fine cloth, "because they are here." at that moment jellia jamb entered the room. "your highness," she said to ozma, "the shaggy man and another man are in the waiting room and ask to pay their respects to you. shaggy is crying like a baby, but he says they are tears of joy." [illustration] "send them here at once, jellia!" commanded ozma. "also," continued the maid, "a girl and a small-sized mule have mysteriously arrived, but they don't seem to know where they are or how they came here. shall i send them here, too?" "oh, no!" exclaimed dorothy, eagerly jumping up from her chair; "i'll go to meet betsy myself, for she'll feel awful strange in this big palace." and she ran down the stairs two at a time to greet her new friend, betsy bobbin. [illustration] [illustration] chapter the land of love "well, is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" inquired the sawhorse, as he examined hank with his knot eyes and slowly wagged the branch that served him for a tail. they were in a beautiful stable in the rear of ozma's palace, where the wooden sawhorse--very much alive--lived in a gold-paneled stall, and where there were rooms for the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, which were filled with soft cushions for them to lie upon and golden troughs for them to eat from. beside the stall of the sawhorse had been placed another for hank, the mule. this was not quite so beautiful as the other, for the sawhorse was ozma's favorite steed; but hank had a supply of cushions for a bed (which the sawhorse did not need because he never slept) and all this luxury was so strange to the little mule that he could only stand still and regard his surroundings and his queer companions with wonder and amazement. the cowardly lion, looking very dignified, was stretched out upon the marble floor of the stable, eyeing hank with a calm and critical gaze, while near by crouched the huge hungry tiger, who seemed equally interested in the new animal that had just arrived. the sawhorse, standing stiffly before hank, repeated his question: "is 'hee-haw' all you are able to say?" hank moved his ears in an embarrassed manner. "i have never said anything else, until now," he replied; and then he began to tremble with fright to hear himself talk. "i can well understand that," remarked the lion, wagging his great head with a swaying motion. "strange things happen in this land of oz, as they do everywhere else. i believe you came here from the cold, civilized, outside world, did you not?" "i did," replied hank. "one minute i was outside of oz--and the next minute i was inside! that was enough to give me a nervous shock, as you may guess; but to find myself able to talk, as betsy does, is a marvel that staggers me." "that is because you are in the land of oz," said the sawhorse. "all animals talk, in this favored country, and you must admit it is more sociable than to bray your dreadful 'hee-haw,' which nobody can understand." "mules understand it very well," declared hank. "oh, indeed! then there must be other mules in your outside world," said the tiger, yawning sleepily. "there are a great many in america," said hank. "are you the only tiger in oz?" "no," acknowledged the tiger, "i have many relatives living in the jungle country; but i am the only tiger living in the emerald city." "there are other lions, too," said the sawhorse; "but i am the only horse, of any description, in this favored land." "that is why this land is favored," said the tiger. "you must understand, friend hank, that the sawhorse puts on airs because he is shod with plates of gold, and because our beloved ruler, ozma of oz, likes to ride upon his back." "betsy rides upon _my_ back," declared hank proudly. "who is betsy?" "the dearest, sweetest girl in all the world!" the sawhorse gave an angry snort and stamped his golden feet. the tiger crouched and growled. slowly the great lion rose to his feet, his mane bristling. "friend hank," said he, "either you are mistaken in judgment or you are willfully trying to deceive us. the dearest, sweetest girl in the world is our dorothy, and i will fight anyone--animal or human--who dares to deny it!" "so will i!" snarled the tiger, showing two rows of enormous white teeth. "you are all wrong!" asserted the sawhorse in a voice of scorn. "no girl living can compare with my mistress, ozma of oz!" hank slowly turned around until his heels were toward the others. then he said stubbornly: "i am not mistaken in my statement, nor will i admit there can be a sweeter girl alive than betsy bobbin. if you want to fight, come on--i'm ready for you!" while they hesitated, eyeing hank's heels doubtfully, a merry peal of laughter startled the animals and turning their heads they beheld three lovely girls standing just within the richly carved entrance to the stable. in the center was ozma, her arms encircling the waists of dorothy and betsy, who stood on either side of her. ozma was nearly half a head taller than the two other girls, who were almost of one size. unobserved, they had listened to the talk of the animals, which was a very strange experience indeed to little betsy bobbin. "you foolish beasts!" exclaimed the ruler of oz, in a gentle but chiding tone of voice. "why should you fight to defend us, who are all three loving friends and in no sense rivals? answer me!" she continued, as they bowed their heads sheepishly. "i have the right to express my opinion, your highness," pleaded the lion. "and so have the others," replied ozma. "i am glad you and the hungry tiger love dorothy best, for she was your first friend and companion. also i am pleased that my sawhorse loves me best, for together we have endured both joy and sorrow. hank has proved his faith and loyalty by defending his own little mistress; and so you are all right in one way, but wrong in another. our land of oz is a land of love, and here friendship outranks every other quality. unless you can all be friends, you cannot retain our love." they accepted this rebuke very meekly. "all right," said the sawhorse, quite cheerfully; "shake hoofs, friend mule." hank touched his hoof to that of the wooden horse. "let us be friends and rub noses," said the tiger. so hank modestly rubbed noses with the big beast. the lion merely nodded and said, as he crouched before the mule: "any friend of a friend of our beloved ruler is a friend of the cowardly lion. that seems to cover your case. if ever you need help or advice, friend hank, call on me." "why, this is as it should be," said ozma, highly pleased to see them so fully reconciled. then she turned to her companions: "come, my dears, let us resume our walk." as they turned away betsy said wonderingly: "do all the animals in oz talk as we do?" "almost all," answered dorothy. "there's a yellow hen here, and she can talk, and so can her chickens; and there's a pink kitten upstairs in my room who talks very nicely; but i've a little fuzzy black dog, named toto, who has been with me in oz a long time, and he's never said a single word but 'bow-wow!'" "do you know why?" asked ozma. "why, he's a kansas dog; so i s'pose he's different from these fairy animals," replied dorothy. "hank isn't a fairy animal, any more than toto," said ozma, "yet as soon as he came under the spell of our fairyland he found he could talk. it was the same way with billina, the yellow hen whom you brought here at one time. the same spell has affected toto, i assure you; but he's a wise little dog and while he knows everything that is said to him he prefers not to talk." "goodness me!" exclaimed dorothy. "i never s'pected toto was fooling me all this time." then she drew a small silver whistle from her pocket and blew a shrill note upon it. a moment later there was a sound of scurrying footsteps, and a shaggy black dog came running up the path. [illustration] dorothy knelt down before him and shaking her finger just above his nose she said: "toto, haven't i always been good to you?" toto looked up at her with his bright black eyes and wagged his tail. "bow-wow!" he said, and betsy knew at once that meant yes, as well as dorothy and ozma knew it, for there was no mistaking the tone of toto's voice. "that's a dog answer," said dorothy. "how would you like it, toto, if i said nothing to you but 'bow-wow'?" toto's tail was wagging furiously now, but otherwise he was silent. "really, dorothy," said betsy, "he can talk with his bark and his tail just as well as we can. don't you understand such dog language?" "of course i do," replied dorothy. "but toto's got to be more sociable. see here, sir!" she continued, addressing the dog, "i've just learned, for the first time, that you can say words--if you want to. don't you want to, toto?" "woof!" said toto, and that meant "no." "not just one word, toto, to prove you're as good as any other animal in oz?" "woof!" "just one word, toto--and then you may run away." he looked at her steadily a moment. "all right. here i go!" he said, and darted away as swift as an arrow. dorothy clapped her hands in delight, while betsy and ozma both laughed heartily at her pleasure and the success of her experiment. arm in arm they sauntered away through the beautiful gardens of the palace, where magnificent flowers bloomed in abundance and fountains shot their silvery sprays far into the air. and by and by, as they turned a corner, they came upon shaggy man and his brother, who were seated together upon a golden bench. the two arose to bow respectfully as the ruler of oz approached them. "how are you enjoying our land of oz?" ozma asked the stranger. "i am very happy here, your highness," replied shaggy's brother. "also i am very grateful to you for permitting me to live in this delightful place." "you must thank shaggy for that," said ozma. "being his brother, i have made you welcome here." "when you know brother better," said shaggy earnestly, "you will be glad he has become one of your loyal subjects. i am just getting acquainted with him myself, and i find much in his character to admire." leaving the brothers, ozma and the girls continued their walk. presently betsy exclaimed: "shaggy's brother can't ever be as happy in oz as _i_ am. do you know, dorothy, i didn't believe any girl could ever have such a good time--_anywhere_--as i'm having now?" "i know," answered dorothy. "i've felt that way myself, lots of times." "i wish," continued betsy, dreamily, "that every little girl in the world could live in the land of oz; and every little boy, too!" ozma laughed at this. "it is quite fortunate for us, betsy, that your wish cannot be granted," said she, "for all that army of girls and boys would crowd us so that we would have to move away." "yes," agreed betsy, after a little thought, "i guess that's true." [illustration] * * * * * transcriber's note: all illustrations were placed so as to not split paragraphs. three presumed typographical errors were corrected: p. , rooks to rocks ("on the rough =rocks=."); p. , any to my ("... get off =my= left toe ..."); and p. , comma to question mark ("what could you find to eat here=?="). all usage of "every one" and "everyone" were both retained. captain salt in oz _by_ ruth plumly thompson founded on and continuing the famous oz stories _by_ l. frank baum "royal historian of oz" _illustrated by_ john r. neill the reilly & lee co. chicago copyright, by the reilly & lee co. all rights reserved printed in the u.s.a. * * * * * dear boys and girls: another year-- another book, and this time a voyage that sam salt took in that good old ship, the _crescent moon_-- steering by compass, by star and moon, to discover new countries for oz. hear! hear! he's discovered a whole new hemisphere! three cheers for sam, and his jolly crew, and three for oz and three for you, and three for me, though i don't need cheer 'cause the letters you write keep me gay all year! so keep writing to me about oz and everything, will you? and remember to put your full name and complete address on the letter. righto! and best till i hear from you! ruth plumly thompson. * * * * * this book is dedicated with my best bow and top wishes to my publisher. --_ruth plumly thompson_ * * * * * list of chapters sail ho! anchors aweigh the fire baby samuel's first specimen patrippany island a little wild man strange specimens for samuel salt maxims for monarchs sea legs for tandy the city of bridges the prince of the peaks fog the sea forest the sea unicorn! the collector is collected the storm! the old man of the jungle! a new country boglodore's revenge king tandy a voyage resumed chapter sail ho! eight miles east of pingaree lies the eight-sided island of king ato the eighth. while not so large as pingaree, the octagon isle is nevertheless one of the tidiest and most pleasing of the sea realms that dot the great green rolling expanses of the nonestic ocean. and ato himself is as pleasing as his island, enormously fat and jolly with a kind word for everyone. in his eight-sided castle, he has every modern convenience and comfort and some of which even an up-to-date country like our own cannot boast. for instance, take roger, his royal read bird. roger, besides knowing eight languages, can read aloud for hours at a time without growing hoarse or weary. so ato never has to strain his eyes poring over his eight hundred huge volumes of adventure and history, nor his arms holding a newspaper or court document, nor his jaw pronouncing the names of kings and countries in ev and oz and other curious places on the mainland west of his own island. and roger is as handsome as he is handy, his head and bill rather like a duck's, his body shaped and colored like a parrot, but much larger, while his tail opens out into an enormous fan. this is extremely fortunate, for the octagon isle is semi-tropical in climate, and on warm sultry days, roger not only reads to his majesty, but fans him as well. all in all, ato's life is decidedly luxurious and lazy. sixentwo, chief chancellor of the realm, and four'nfour, its treasurer, attend to all the business of governing, so that ato and roger have little to do but enjoy themselves. the octagon islanders, one hundred and eighty in number, are a sober and industrious lot, rarely giving any trouble. once, it is true, they sailed off and deserted the king entirely, but ato, with peter, a philadelphia boy, and samuel salt, a pirate, who landed on the island at just the right moment, immediately set out after them, using the pirate's stout ship the _crescent moon_, for the purpose. by a strange coincidence, samuel salt's men had also mutinied and sailed away, so that there were two sets of deserters to seek out and discover. after a dangerous and lively voyage, the _crescent moon_ reached the rocky shores of menankypoo on the mainland. here they learned that the octagon islanders and samuel salt's men had been enslaved by ruggedo, the former gnome king, and marched off to conquer the emerald city of oz. how peter and the pirate, ato and a poetical pig outwitted the gnome king is a long and other story. you have probably read it yourself. but ever since their hair-raising experiences with ruggedo, and their rescue by ato, the octagon islanders have been perfectly satisfied with their own ruler and country. in fact, they were so docile and devoted, so fearfully anxious to please, ato often wished they would revolt or sass him a little just to relieve the monotony and make life more interesting. to tell the truth, after serving as cook, mate and able-bodied seaman on the _crescent moon_, ato found it quite boring to settle down to a humdrum life of a monarch ashore. roger, too, missed the gay and carefree life he had led as a pirate and could not even pretend an interest in the books of adventure he still dutifully read to his master. he and ato now spent most of their time on the edge of the island--the king in a comfortable hammock swung between two palm trees, roger on a tall golden perch set close beside him. whenever the read bird paused to yawn or turn a page, ato would pull himself up to a sitting position, raise the telescope he always had with him and gaze long and wistfully out to sea. many ships passed ato's island, but never a one in the least resembling the splendid three-masted fast sailing ship belonging to the pirate. "you'll give yourself a fine squint there," warned roger one morning, as ato for about the hundredth time raised his spy glass. "and what is the use of it, pray?" inquired roger grumpily, ruffling the pages of the book of barons. "samuel salt has probably forgotten all about us and gone off by himself on a voyage of discovery." "no! no! sammy wouldn't do that," said the king, shaking his head positively. "he promised to stop by for us on the very first voyage he made as royal discoverer of oz." "ho, one of those seafaring promises!" muttered roger. "a pirate's promise. humph! his new honors have gone to his head. quite a jump from pirating to exploring. i'll wager a wing he's gone back to buccaneering and forgotten us altogether!" "now, roger, how can you say that?" heaving up his huge bulk with great difficulty, ato looked reproachfully at his royal read bird. "sammy never cared for pirating in the first place," wheezed the king earnestly, "and he was so soft-hearted about planking the captives and burning the ships, his band sailed off and left him. they only made him captain because he was clever at navigating, and you know perfectly well he spent more time looking for flora and fauna than for ships and treasure." "ah, then i suppose some wild flora or fauna has him in its clutches," observed roger sarcastically, "and a likely thing that is, seeing the poor captain weighs but two hundred and twenty pounds and stands six feet in his socks." "what a tremendous fellow he was," sighed ato, sinking dreamily back in his hammock and half closing his eyes. "i'll never forget how high and handsome he looked when queen ozma asked him to give up buccaneering, and serve her instead as royal discoverer and explorer for oz! and a fitting reward it was, too, for capturing ruggedo and saving the kingdom. aha, my lad, that was a day! and we had our share of glory, too! remember how they cheered us in the emerald city of oz?" "aye, i remember that day and a good many other days since," sniffed the read bird disagreeably. "six months from that day samuel salt was to sail into our harbor. well, king--it's been six times six months, and nary a sail nor a sign of him have we seen." "that long?" said ato, blinking unhappily. "that long and longer. three years, eleven months, twenty-six days and twelve hours, to be exact!" "dear, dear and dear! then something's happened to him," murmured ato. "he's either been shipwrecked, captured or enchanted! i'll never believe sammy would forget us or break his promise. never!" "well, whatever you believe, the results are the same." flapping open his book, roger prepared to go on with his reading. "and depend upon it," he insisted stubbornly, "we'll never see samuel salt again, so you may as well put up your telescope and put your mind on something else for a change. maybe it's your cooking that's keeping him away," finished the read bird, who felt cross and fractious and contrary as a goat. "my cooking?" roared ato, roused to honest anger at last. "i've a notion to have you plucked and roasted for that. my cooking, indeed! show me the fellow who can beat up an omelette, a cake, a batch of biscuits, faster than i; who can brown a fowl, broil a steak or toss out a pan of fried potatoes to compare with mine. i--i, why, i'm surprised at you, roger!" roger, ruffling his feathers uncomfortably, was rather surprised at himself, for the king was speaking the exact truth; a more skillful man with a skillet it would be impossible to find in any kingdom. ever since his voyage on the _crescent moon_, cooking had been ato's chief pleasure and pastime. the castle chef, though he heartily disapproved of a king in the kitchen, could do nothing to discourage him, so finally stood by in grudging envy and admiration as ato turned out his delectable puddings, pies, roasts and sauces. muttering with hurt pride and indignation, his majesty continued to frown at the read bird, and realizing he had gone too far, roger started to read as fast as he could from the book of barons. as he read on, he could see the king growing calmer and finally, pausing to turn a page, he let his gaze rove idly over the harbor. "anchors and animal crackers! what was that?" stretching up his neck, roger took another look, then, flinging the book of barons high into the air, he spread his wings and started out to sea. soothed by the droning voice of the read bird, ato had closed his eyes and the first warning he had of roger's departure was a terrific thump as the book of barons landed on his stomach. leaping out of the hammock as if he had been shot, the outraged monarch looked furiously around for his read bird. this really was too much. not satisfied with insulting him, roger must now be bombarding him with books, cocoanuts and what not. shading his eyes with his hand, ato glared up and down the beach and finally out over the rippling blue ocean. at what he saw there, the king forgot his anger as completely as roger had forgotten his manners. for, swinging jauntily into the octagon harbor was the _crescent moon_ herself! no mistaking the high-prowed, deep-waisted, powerful craft of the pirate. but a new and gayer pennant fluttered from the mizzenmast today. instead of the skull and bones, samuel was flying the green and white banner of oz, as befitted the royal discoverer and explorer of the most famous fairyland in history. "he's here! he's come!" shouted ato, running wildly up and down. "samuel! sam-u-el!" in his delight and excitement the king forgot the royal dock and began wading out into the bay. peering around his wheel, sammy saw him coming and broke into a loud cheerful greeting. "hi, king! ho, king! how are you, you son of a lubber! wait till i ease her in and i'll be ashore quicker than quick." roger had already reached the _crescent moon_ and, perched on the captain's shoulder, was chattering away at such a rate samuel could hardly keep his mind on his steering. but he was an old hand at such matters, and before ato had half recovered from the shock of seeing him, the shining three-masted vessel was made fast, and its master striding exuberantly up the wet planks of the royal dock. "ahoy! ahoy!" he boomed boisterously. "what a day for a voyage! is it really my old cook and shipmate?" "none other!" puffed ato, seizing both of the former pirate's hands. "but what have you done to yourself, sam-u-el? where's your sash and scimiter? and what's that on your head, may i ask? you don't look natural or seaman-like at all." "oh, don't mind these," grinned the pirate, touching his three-cornered hat and satin coat apologetically. "these are my shore togs for impressing the natives. can't look like pirates when we go ashore this voyage, mates. we're explorers and fine gentlemen now, and when we set the flag of oz on lofty mountains and rocky isles, when we bring savage tribes and strange races under the beneficent rule of ozma of oz, we must look like conquerors. eh, my lads?" "yes--i sup-pose--so!" puffed the king, skipping clumsily to keep up with the long strides of captain salt. "but i'm sorry this is going to be a dressy affair, sammy. how'm i to cook in a cocked hat and lace collar and swab down the deck in velvet pants?" "ho, ho! you'll not have to," exploded the pirate, giving the tail feathers of the read bird a sly tweak. "on shipboard we'll dress as we please, for the sea is my country and free as the wind and sun." "well, well, i'm glad to hear you say that. have you still got my old pirate suit and blunderbuss aboard?" inquired the king anxiously. "certain for sure, and a couple of new ones, and wait till you see your galley all fitted out with copper pots, and provisions enough below to carry us anywhere and back. wait till you cast your eyes on 'em, lubber!" "don't you call me a lubber!" chuckled ato, giving samuel a hearty poke in the ribs. "i'm as able-bodied a seaman as you, sammy, and you know it." "sir samuel, if you please!" roared the former pirate, striking himself a great blow on the chest with his clenched fist. "sir samuel salt, explorer and discoverer extraordinary to the crown of oz." "so--oooh! you've been knighted?" breathed roger, peering round into the captain's face, "ho pass the salt and ring the bell and bend the knee to sir sam-u-el!" "sir samuel salt! well, i'll be peppered!" gasped ato, sinking down on the lower step of the palace which they had reached by this time. "sir samuel!" "yes, sir!" boasted the pirate, rubbing his hands together, "but come on, step lively, boys; how long'll it take you to pack up and heave your dunnage aboard? mustn't keep a knight of oz waiting, you know!" "keep _you_ waiting?" suddenly and determinedly, ato rose to his feet and shook his finger under sammy's nose. "keep you waiting? why, we've been ready and waiting for this voyage three years, eleven months, twenty-six days and twelve hours. where've you been, you great lazy son of a sea-robber?" "four years?" choked the pirate, falling back in real consternation and dismay. "never! it's never been four years, mates. why, i've scarcely had time to sort out the shells and specimens we picked up on the last voyage, and to fit out the _crescent moon_ for the next." "where have you been?" repeated ato, wagging his finger sternly. "why, home on elbow island, of course. where else should i have been?" muttered samuel, looking distinctly worried and crestfallen. "then have you no clocks or calendars in your cave?" demanded the king accusingly. "and what would the _crescent moon_ be needing? i thought she was about perfect as she was." "ah, but wait till you see her now!" exclaimed samuel, cheering up immediately at mention of his ship. "the _crescent moon_, besides a new coat of paint, has self-hoisting sails and a mechanical steering control in case we wish to take it easy occasionally. the red jinn paid me a visit and presented us with these and several other magical contrivances and improvements. i'm minded to make this voyage with no crew but ourselves. it's cozier so, don't you think?" "yes, but am i still on bird watch and lookout duty?" demanded roger jealously. "aye, aye!" samuel salt assured him heartily. "i suppose the red jinn has supplied you with a mechanical cook in my place as well as a mechanical steering wheel," murmured ato, tugging uneasily at the cord round his waist. "in your place!" thundered the pirate. "why, shiver my timbers, mate! only over my prone and prostrate body shall another man enter my galley to shuffle my rations, sugar my duff or salt my prog!" "hooray, then let's get going!" squealed roger, bouncing up and down on sammy's shoulder. "i was only saying this very morning that you'd never forget your old friends and shipmates or go on a voyage without us!" "huh! so that's what you were saying!" grunted ato, looking fixedly at the read bird. "well, well, let it go. come along then!" "yes, yes, and hurry," screamed roger, spreading his wings to fly on ahead. "sixentwo! sevenanone! where are you?" panted the king, plunging up the steps after roger two at a time. "where is everybody? pack a bag, a chest, a couple of trunks. i'm going on a voyage of discovery!" "and don't forget the cook book!" bawled samuel salt, bounding exuberantly after the king. chapter anchors aweigh! with the help of eighteen serving men, eight courtiers, sixentwo, sevenanone, and samuel salt, who was not above carrying a sea chest or hamper, ato began stowing his belongings on the _crescent moon_. there was little court apparel or finery in the king's boxes. most of it consisted of bottles of flavoring extract, spiced sauces, cook books, minced meats, fruits in jars for pies, numerous frying pans, egg beaters, and rolling pins. "are we gypsies, pan handlers, peddlers or what?" panted samuel salt as he dumped the last load breathlessly on the main deck. "goosewing my topsails, mate, many's the fish we cleaned with a jackknife, and potato we pared with a dagger on the last voyage. mean to say an explorer needs to use all these weapons on his pork and beans?" checking off a list as his stuff was placed in the galley, ato nodded determinedly, then winking good-humoredly at the perspiring captain, ducked into the cabin to don his old sea clothes. samuel was not long following suit and soon, in short red pants, open shirts and carelessly tied head kerchiefs, the two went below to inspect the stores samuel had laid in for the voyage. roger, having nothing to bring aboard but a few books and a bottle of feather oil, was already perched in the crosstrees of the fore topgallant mast looking longingly toward the east and waiting impatiently for the ship to get under way. but the booming voice of the pirate soon drew him to the lower deck and from there he swooped down an open hatchway to the hold. this huge space, usually reserved by the pirates for captives and treasure, had been neatly divided into two sections. in one were the tinned, dried and salted meats, the groceries, vegetables and extra supplies of rope, tar and sail. in the other section there were numerous shelves, many iron cages, aquariums and sea chests. "for any strange animals or wild natives we may encounter and wish to bring home with us," explained samuel salt as roger looked curiously at the cages. "in those chests are the flags of oz we shall plant here, there and everywhere as we sail onward!" "and to think a new and mighty empire may grow from this flag planting," mused ato, opening one of the sea chests and thoughtfully fingering one of ozma's green and white silken banners. "but surely you don't expect to plant all these, samuel?" "why not?" demanded the royal discoverer of oz with a wave of the scimiter he had resumed with his old pirate pants. "the sea is broad and wide and no one's to tell us when we may start or sail home again. but look, ato, my lad--these will interest you." turning from the chests, samuel pointed to a stack of long poles lashed to the side of the ship with leather thongs. "stilts!" grinned the pirate as roger and ato stared at them in complete mystification. "fine for keeping the shins dry when we wade ashore and don't feel like lowering the jolly boat. all my own idea." samuel cleared his throat with pardonable pride. "of course, it takes a bit of practice, but we'll try 'em on the first island we come to. eh, boys?" "well, thank my lucky stars for wings!" breathed roger after a long disapproving look at samuel's stilts. "two steps and you'll smash yourself to a jellyfish, ato. stick to the boats, men. that's my advice!" "too bad he has no confidence in us!" roared samuel, giving ato a resounding slap on the back. "just wait, my saucy bird, and we'll show you how stilting is done. and now, gaze upon this corner i've set aside for my specimens; for rare marine growths, for seaweed, for curious mollusks and other crustacean denizens of the darkest deep." samuel coughed apologetically as he always did when he mentioned his collecting mania, and roger and ato, exchanging an amused grin, swung about to examine the long shelves with iron boxes clamped down to prevent them from shifting with the motion of the vessel, huge aquariums fitted into brass holders, and large trays bedded with dried moss and sand for samuel's collection of shells. "you might even bring home a mermaid in this," murmured ato, touching the side of an enormous aquarium. "no women!" snapped samuel salt, growing red in the face, for he did not like to be teased about his specimen collecting. "i'll--i'll have no women or mermaids switching their tails around my ship and turning things topsy turvy." "right," agreed ato, giving his belt a vigorous tug. "then how about shoving off, sammy? everything's shipshape, there's a good wind and the best way to begin a voyage is to start." "i'm for it!" roared the captain, swinging hand over hand up the wooden ladder. "all hands on deck! up with your master's flag, roger. cast off the mooring lines, ato, while i make sail and we'll be out of here in a pig's jiffy." "aye! aye!" croaked roger, seizing the cord that would send ato's octagon banner flying to the masthead, directly under the flag of oz. "goodbye, all you lubbers ashore! goodbye sevenanone. mind you keep the king's crown polished and don't forget to feed the silver fish." "goodbye!" called the one hundred and eighty octagon islanders drawn up on the beach and dock to see his majesty sail away. "a fine voyage to your highness!" "and neglect not to return!" shouted sixentwo, using his hands as a megaphone. "you know there is a crown council eight days and eight months from yesterday." "crown council be jigged!" sniffed ato, leaning far over the rail to wave to his cheering subjects. "i'm a cook, an explorer--and a bold bad seafaring man out to collect islands and jungles and jillycome-wiggles for samuel's shell box. crown council, indeed! don't care if i never see a castle again." "me neither!" squalled roger, flying up to his post in the foremast. "seven bells and all's well! buoy off the beam and no land in sight." "unless you look behind you," laughed samuel, grabbing the wheel with a practiced hand and squinting cheerfully up at the sun. "east by southeast it'll be this voyage, mates. there's ice in the north nonestic and i've a craving for tropical isles and the hidden rivers of some deep and mysterious jungle!" "remember snow island?" smiled ato, coming over to stand beside the wheel. "shiver my shins! do i? no more of that, me lads! but ho! isn't this like old times?" stretching up his arms exultingly, samuel salt let his hands fall heavily on the wheel, and the great ship lifting with the wind plunged her nose eagerly into the southeast swell. "m--mmm! like old times, except for the boy," agreed ato slowly. "aye, and we'll surely miss peter on this trip," sighed the captain, shaking his head regretfully. "wonder where the little lubber is now? that's the trouble with these real countries and peoples, there's no getting at them when you need them most. well, maybe we'll pick up another hand somewhere to serve as cabin boy and keep us lively on the voyage. but take a look at my sail controls, ato. we can hoist, trim and furl by just touching different buttons, nowadays; set this wheel for any course and just let her ride." "splendid!" grunted ato, rising reluctantly from a coil of rope. "but since there are no buttons on my stove, i'd best be thinking about dinner." "tar and tarpaulin, why didn't i have the red jinn fix you some?" exclaimed the pirate regretfully. "i'm sorry as a goat, mate." "ho--i'm not," laughed ato, waddling happily off toward his galley. "that would have spoiled everything. what'll it be, captain--a fried sole, a broiled steak, or a roaring huge hot peppery meat pasty?" "all of 'em!" yelled the royal explorer of oz, exhaling his breath in a mighty blast of anticipation. it seemed to roger, high in the foremast, that the ship gave an extra little skip at its captain's mighty roar, then settling easily into her usual graceful pace she ran smoothly before the wind. chapter the fire baby morning found the _crescent moon_ forging ahead with a stiff breeze, a choppy sea and the last known island far behind her. "ahoy, and this is the life, mates!" bellowed samuel salt, bracing his legs against the pitch and roll of the vessel, and waving largely to the ship's cook who sat on an overturned bucket mending his second best sea shirt. "anything can happen now!" lovingly samuel let his gaze rove over the sparkling nonestic, and ato, squinting painfully as he pushed his long needle in and out, nodded portentously. "by the way, sammy, what are your plans for this flag planting and discovery business?" inquired the portly cook somewhat later. having finished his mending, he had dragged a canvas chair and a pot of potatoes aft by the wheel. "do you look for resistance and rebellion when we start taking possession of this land and that land for the crown of oz?" "no, no, nothing like that," mused samuel, removing his pipe and blowing a cloud of smoke into the rigging. "everything's to be polite and peaceable this voyage. no guns, knives or scimiters. queen ozma particularly does not want any country taken by force or against its will." "and suppose they object to being taken at all?" said ato, beginning to pare a fat potato. "what then?" "well, then--er then--" samuel rubbed his chin reflectively, "we'll try persuasion, my lad. we'll explain all the advantages of coming under the flag and protection of a powerful country like oz. that ought to get them, don't you think?" "yes, if they don't get us first," observed ato, popping a potato dubiously into the pot. "suppose while we stand there waving flags and persuading, some of these wild fellows have at us with spears, clubs and poison arrows?" "well, that would be extremely unfortunate," admitted samuel, glancing soberly at the compass, "and in that case----" "i hope you will remember you were once a pirate and act accordingly," ato blew out his cheeks sternly as he spoke. "the one trouble with you, sammy, is that you take too long to get mad. so i shall go ashore armed as usual with my kitchen knife and blunderbuss. i don't intend to be sliced into sandwiches while you're talking through your three-cornered hat, and waving flags at a lot of ignorant savages. and i'll have roger carry the books ashore too." "ho, ho!" roared the captain of the _crescent moon_, giving his knee a great slap. "just like old times, ato. rough, bluff and relentless, mates, remember?" "aye, and i should say i do. and i remember roger had to drop a good many books on your head before you got mad enough to fight. what makes you so calm and peaceable, sammy? a big born fighting man like yourself." "sea life, i reckon," answered the former pirate, extending his brawny arms in a huge yawn. "the sea's so much bigger than a man, mate--it rather makes him realize how small and unimportant he really is. but don't fret, cook dear, no one shall tread on your toes, this voyage. but avast there--it grows warmer and the air smells a bit thunderish. had you noticed?" "'hoy, 'hoy! deck ahoy!" bawled a shrill voice from above. "island astern." both samuel and ato stared up in amazement, for roger was supposed to be resting in the cabin. but the read bird, after snatching an hour's nap, had slipped out an open port and, unnoticed, taken his position in the foremast. the read bird did not trust ato, who was supposed to be on watch. besides, he wanted to be the first to report a new island to the captain. "looks like a mountain," mumbled ato, setting down his potatoes and waddling over to the rail. "heave to, skipper, here's our first discovery." "now how in sixes did that get by me?" muttered samuel salt, hurrying to shorten sail for the zigzag course, back and in, he would have to take to reach the island at all. it showed plainly enough now, a rugged gray and purple mass of rock, with apparently no vegetation or dwellings of any kind. as the _crescent moon_ drew nearer, the sea became smooth and oily, and the air sulphurous and hot. "think likely this is an island we might well pass by," murmured ato, peering critically through his telescope. "positively deserted so far as i can see--but there might be valuable minerals in those rocks." "don't doubt it!" samuel salt curved himself all the way round the wheel in his interest. mechanical devices were well enough for the open sea, but samuel preferred to handle his own ship on occasions like this. as there was no harbor or safe place to put in, he decided to anchor off shore and land in the jolly boat. the anchor had just gone clanking and rattling over the side when a horrid hiss and boom from the center of the island made all hands look up in alarm. "k-kkk cannons!" quavered ato, dropping his bread knife with a clatter. "stand by to man the guns!" but samuel salt, instead of heeding the cook's warning, began to sniff the air. "volcano, mates," announced the captain calmly. "and in that case we may be a bit close for comfort. still, i've always wanted to observe a volcano in action. i've a theory there may be living creatures in the center." "living creatures in the center!" raged ato, tearing off his white apron and dashing it on the deck. "how long will we be living if that fire pot starts boiling? we mayn't be killed, being of magic birth, but we can be jolly well singed, fried, boiled and melted. and after that who'd care to be alive? quick, roger, heave in on that chain! anchors aweigh!" while samuel stood in rapt contemplation of the volcano, and ato began frantically winding up the anchor, a long tongue of flame leaped out of the crater and a great jet of bubbling lava shot clear over the _crescent moon_. this occurrence soon brought samuel out of his revery, and snapping into action and forgetting all about his mechanical devices, he began working like a mad man to get the ship in motion, tugging at the sheets, throwing his whole weight against the halyards, till the ship with quivering sail sped away like a frightened bird, the hot winds from the volcano whistling and rattling through her rigging. "where's roger?" yelled ato, staggering across the deck with two buckets of water. "oh, woe! is he a read bird or a just plain goose? look yonder, sammy, he's flown ashore." outlined against the sky in a sudden flare from the volcano they could see roger poised over the center of the smoking island. in his claw was a large rippling banner of oz and as they looked he lifted the banner high above his head and flung it straight into the center of the boiling crater. "we hereby take complete and absolute possession of this island and declare all its inhabitants lawful subjects of her majesty, queen ozma of oz!" screamed roger hysterically. "well, hurray, and three cheers for a real explorer!" shouted samuel salt. "he's done it all by himself, the only man among us who remembered his duty under fire. there's a bird for you, mates. not even a volcano can turn him from his duty. all we thought of was safety. poh!" rubbing the back of his hand across his eyes, which were full of smoke, samuel looked glumly across at his cook. "now, now, don't be too hard on yourself," puffed the king, setting down the fire buckets. "a captain must think of his ship, even if he is an explorer. besides, having wings gives roger an advantage of us. still and all, it was a brave and timely act." ato's further remarks were drowned out in a second tremendous explosion. sky and sea turned red, whole flaming boulders shot above the ship's spars, while great sullen waves of lava boiled over the crater's edge and rolled smoking and hissing into the sea. "missed us again," panted samuel salt, hanging desperately to his wheel as the _crescent moon_ plunged and pitched in the angry seas. "wonder what started that?" "the oz flag, probably," gasped ato, feeling around in the dense smoke for his fire buckets. "hope roger got off safely. where is that fool bird? ho, sammy! hi, sammy! quick, they've hit us amidships." hastily setting his mechanical steering gear, the former pirate rushed forward to where a glowing lump of lava was burning its way slowly but surely through the deck. "fire! fire!" shrilled roger, who had dropped down on the rail unnoticed in the smoke and confusion. "water, ato! water, you old slow poke!" "avast!" puffed samuel salt, staring down in astonishment at the glowing lump at his feet. "it's alive, mates, and lively as a grig. it's a fire baby, that's what! hah! didn't i just say there was life on a volcano? well, this proves it and i'm taking this young one along for proof." "now stop talking like a book and act like a seaman," choked ato, in his agitation tripping over a rope but still managing to keep his hold on the water buckets. "fire baby or not, can't you see it's burning a hole in the deck, you seventh son of a sea-going jackass? here, put it out! dash this water over it before it burns up the whole ship!" "avast! avast and belay!" roared samuel salt in a terrible voice as ato raised his bucket. "i'm still captain here. do you wish to destroy a rare specimen of volcanic life? fetch a shovel from the hold, roger. a shovel, i said, and don't stand there dithering." "aye aye, sir!" sputtered the read bird, half falling and half flying down the companionway. now a bird is a quick and handy fellow about a ship and in half the time it would have taken a seaman, roger was back with a long handled shovel. snatching the shovel, which he had often used on former treasure hunts, samuel scooped up the bawling fire baby and started on a run for the galley. "it's turning black, it's turning black," wailed the disconsolate collector, crooning to the ugly infant as he ran along as if he were its own mother. "aye, aye--it's going out!" "and a good thing, too," panted ato, who was close behind him. "what in tarry barrels are you fixing to do with it, sammy?" roger, sensible bird that he was, stayed long enough to douse the two buckets of water on the smoking deck, then he, too, made a bee line for the galley. he was just in time to see samuel lift the lid of the range and slide the baby down on top of the hot coals. no sooner had the squat infant touched the glowing fire than it stopped yelling at once and began to purr and sing like a teakettle set on to boil. "well, i'll be swizzled!" gulped ato, and snatching a wet dish towel from the rack, he wound it round and round his aching head. "whatever made you think of that?" "it's my scientific mind," the pirate told them blandly. "the proper place for any infant that size is bed and i naturally figured that a fire baby belonged in a fire bed, and a bed of hot coals was the nearest to it, so here it is!" winking solemnly at roger, who was regarding the little lavaland islander with fear and loathing, samuel picked up the poker and gave the baby an affectionate poke. "it'll do fine here," he predicted happily, "and prove beyond a quibble that volcanos are inhabited." "it'll do nothing of the sort!" exploded ato, bringing his fat fist down with a resounding thump on the drain board. "you may be the captain of the ship, sammy, but i'm the boss of this galley, and that fire baby will have to go. go! do you understand? how'm i to cook with the ugly little monster lolling all over the fire bed and like as not falling into the soup when my back is turned?" "hark!" interrupted roger. "more trouble! something's up, master salt, and it's not an eruption either." and samuel had to agree with him as groans, moans, shrieks and hisses came whistling after the flying ship. "ah, that'll be the rest of them!" exulted the royal discoverer, pounding out on deck. "hah! it's the lavaland islanders themselves. ho--this will be interesting!" "well, just invite them over and we'll all burn up happily together," suggested ato bitterly. hanging over the taffrail, samuel paid no attention to the king's sarcastic suggestion. indeed, he was much too interested, for just showing above the flaming circle of the volcano's crater was a row of immense and thunderous looking natives. they were of transparent rock-like structure and burned and glowed from the molten lava that coursed through their veins. with upraised arms and furious faces they were yelling over and over some strange and indistinguishable threats and phrases. one, shaking the blackened stick of the oz flag, danced and screamed louder than all the rest put together. "they do not wish to become subjects of oz, i take it," sighed samuel, undecided whether to sail back and argue the matter, or sail away and save his ship from possible destruction. "that's not it! that's not it!" cried roger, flapping his wings triumphantly. "i know what's the matter. they want that baby back. you're probably making off with the crown prince of the volcano. see that woman yelling louder than the others and holding out both arms? well, look--she has a crown on her head and is likely the queen. she wants her baby back." "and she should have it, too," stated ato, blinking his eyes at the frightful racket the lavaland islanders were making. "you can't steal people's children like this, sammy, unless you're going back to buccaneering. it's just plain piracy." "she threw it at us, didn't she?" muttered the captain, who was unwilling to part with so valuable a specimen. "it probably blew out of its cradle when the volcano erupted. give it back to her, sammy," begged ato, who was determined to get rid of the terrible infant at any cost. "after all, she's its mother." "but do you expect me to sail back there and endanger all of our lives?" samuel jerked his head angrily. "and how else can it be done?" "er--er--let roger carry it back in that old wire basket we use for clams," proposed the cook eagerly. "not on your life," protested roger in a sulky voice. "the basket would grow red hot and burn my bill. besides, i'm no stork. tell you what we could do, though, and we'd better be quick before they start throwing things." "what?" inquired the captain, gazing uneasily at the infuriated islanders. "why, simply shoot it back," roger said calmly. "stuff it in the port cannon and blaze away. you never miss your mark, master salt, and if you can't shoot that baby back into its mother's arms, i'll walk on my wings and be done with it." "why, roger, how clever! the very thing!" rejoiced ato. "i'll go fetch it with the fire tongs and you'll have to hurry, sammy, or we'll be out of range." "but it might injure the young one," objected the captain of the _crescent moon_, shifting his feet uncomfortably. "nonsense, it'll be just like a ride in a baby carriage for that little rascal. prime your gun, sammy, while i get the child." by this time the clamor from the island had become so alarming that even samuel realized something would have to be decided. so, somewhat mollified by roger's compliment on his aim, he made ready to fire the port cannon. the baby, hissing lustily, was brought without accident from the galley. ato held it gingerly before him, using the fire tongs, roger following along to hold a lighted candle under the little fellow to keep him from going out before he was shot. the baby fitted nicely into the cannon's mouth and stopped crying instantly. at the last moment samuel almost lost his courage, but urged on to action by both ato and roger, he carefully made his calculations and then shutting both eyes pulled the cord that set off the gun. the terrible explosion shocked the lavalanders into silence, and almost afraid to look, samuel opened his eyes. "yo, ho, ho! three cheers for the skipper!" squealed ato, snatching the towel from his head and waving it like a banner. "the neatest shot you ever made, mate, and a lucky shot, too." the baby and the cannon ball which would have shattered a less durable lady had struck the lava queen amidships. dropping the cannon ball carelessly into the crater, the giantess clasped her child in her arms, smiling and screaming her thanks across the tumbling waters. "well, was i right, or was i right?" chuckled roger, teetering backward and forward on the rail and preening his feathers self-consciously. "and i've another idea just as good in case you should be interested." "oh, keep it till tomorrow," grumbled samuel salt, who felt terribly depressed at the loss of his rare specimen. "but tomorrow will be too late," persisted roger, settling on the captain's shoulder. "now, while these savages are in a good humor, let me fly over and drop another oz flag on the island. maybe this time they'll let it stand and once it flies over the crater the island is ozma's." "by the tooth of a harpooned whale, you're right! i'm forgetting my duty to oz," breathed samuel, straightening up purposefully. "but our kind of flag won't stand the climate yonder." the read bird, however, had thought even of that. taking a sheet of iron from the hold, the resourceful fellow stopped in the galley long enough to burn in the word oz with the red hot poker. then, thrusting the poker itself through two slits in his iron banner, he flew jauntily back to the island. "ahoy, and there's a standard bearer for you!" rubbing his hands together, samuel strode to the rail. "bless my buttons, the boy deserves a medal for this, and shall have one, too." this time the lavaland islanders watched roger's approach with quiet interest and as he hovered uncertainly over their heads held up their hands for the iron flag. but roger, made daring by their friendliness, swooped down suddenly to the crater's edge, and jamming his banner between two smoking boulders soared aloft. "lavaland islanders!" screamed the read bird hoarsely. "you are now under the protection and rule of queen ozma of oz. lavaland islanders, you are hereby adjured to keep the peace and the law and lav one another!" his voice cracked from fright and excitement, but finishing triumphantly, he spread his wings and skimmed back to the _crescent moon_. "hung wung wah heee!" yelled the islanders all together, nodding their heads and waving their arms cheerfully. "hung wung wah heee!" chapter samuel's first specimen "what do you make of that?" puffed samuel salt as roger dropped breathlessly down on his shoulder. "well, 'hung wung wah heee!' it is. let's give them a cheer for luck." lifting his great voice, the royal discoverer for oz, helped out by his two shipmates, sent the weird call booming back across the water. an answering call came from the island, and then, with a hiss and thud, a small glowing object fell on the deck. fortunately the fire tongs were still handy and picking up the offending object before it could do any damage, ato marched sternly off to the galley. stopping long enough for another wave to the island, which was growing smaller and smaller as the _crescent moon_ sped away, samuel hastened after his cook, jotting down hurried notes in his journal as to latitude and longitude as he ran along. "there's something written on this piece of lava," announced ato, who had dropped the smoking souvenir from lavaland on the stove. peering over his shoulder, samuel could see queer raised symbols and signs on the sulphurous surface of the rock. "there's something crawling on it, too," volunteered roger, who was perched on the towel rack above the stove, and had a better view, "a golden frog or a lizard." "merciful mustard! what next?" groaned ato. "why, this--this--" samuel's voice quivered with excitement and disbelief, "this, mates, is as fine a specimen of a preoztoric monster as a scientist could hope for; a real live salamander, a fire lizard, straight from the burning depths of yonder crater. stars! tar and tarrybarrels! this is even better than the baby and will prove my point just as well." "does it have to live on my stove?" asked ato ominously, as the salamander slid merrily backward and forward over the red hot plates of the range. "home on the range!" snickered roger, winking at the pirate. "just till i can fix up a hot box for it," apologized samuel, "but don't fret, old toff, it doesn't bite and if it falls on the floor, all you have to do is scoop it up and put it back before it goes out." "not only cook, mate and swab, but now i'm nursemaid to a fire lizard." ato shuddered, and reaching for his tall cook's cap, jammed it down hard on his shiny bald head. "you can keep it in an iron pot while you cook," suggested roger practically, "and after all, king dear, it's the only salamander in captivity. here, sally, here sal--this way, my little crater critter." tilting the pot on the back of the stove, roger was delighted to find the salamander quite willing to answer to her new name. as she slid adventurously into the small cooking vessel, the read bird quickly righted the pot and clapped on the cover. "there," he exclaimed with a satisfied nod at his master, "how's that?" "well, i suppose i'll have to put up with it," sighed ato resignedly. "but in some ways pirating was easier than discovering, sammy. at least, we never kept the captives on the stove. and now--" ato waved his arms determinedly. "clear out, both of you. it's three bells and time to stir up the food. and just take that pesky rock along with you. i've meat to broil!" "when this cools, maybe i'll be able to figure out the language," exulted samuel, removing the offending piece of lava with a cake turner. "all in all, a most interesting and profitable day, eh, roger? an island, a visit from a fire baby, and a real live preoztoric monster." "not bad," agreed the read bird, transferring himself to the captain's shoulder. depositing the piece of lava on an iron hatchway to cool, samuel strode happily along the deck, stopping to light the red lamps on the port and the green lights on the starboard. roger himself had just hung a white light in the rigging when a lusty call from the galley sent him flying off to help ato serve the dinner. "what could be cozier than a life at sea?" he reflected, winging jauntily into the main cabin with a dish of roast potatoes. ato puffed cheerfully behind, bearing a huge tray. on the tray a steaming tureen of soup, a pot of coffee, seven dishes of vegetables and two of smoking meats sent up tantalizing whiffs and fragrances. later when the read bird brought in the pudding, he and sammy soberly agreed it was the tastiest feast ato had served on the voyage. the main cabin of the _crescent moon_, with its red leather couches under the ports, its easy chairs and tables clamped to the floor to keep them from shifting, with its ship's clock and ship's lanterns, was a cheery place to be when the day's work was ended. there was a huge fireplace for foggy evenings and every visible space on the wall was covered with pictures of pirate ships, ancient sailing vessels and rough maps and charts of strange and curious islands. while samuel and ato sat at their ease to finish off the pudding, roger took his upon the wing, darting in and out between bites to assure himself that all was well on deck. there was a tiny crescent moon sliding down the sky, and the slap of waves against the side of the ship and the wind creaking in the cordage made as pleasant a tune as the heart of a seaman could wish for. "now what could be better than this?" said samuel salt exhaling a cloud of smoke from his pipe and stretching his legs luxuriously under the long table. "a tidy ship, a good wind and the whole wide sea to sail on." "suits me!" grinned ato scraping up the last of the hard sauce and settling back with a grunt of sheer content. "did you mark up our volcano on the chart sammy, and what are we calling it mates? an island must have a name you know." "i know." samuel blew another cloud of smoke upward and cleared his throat. "if it's agreeable to all hands and roger, i'd like to call it salamander island after sally." "why not? there's a sally in our galley and a real nice gal is sally," warbled roger, settling on the back of samuel's chair and wagging his head in time to the music. "sing like a bird, don't ye?" muttered samuel striding over to the map of oz and surrounding countries and oceans that covered the west wall. "i am a bird," screamed roger fluttering up to his shoulder. "'bout here she would lie, master salt, sixty leagues from octagon island." as roger talked on, making numerous suggestions, the captain of the _crescent moon_ drew with red chalk a small but effective picture of salamander island showing the volcano in action and the lavaland islanders grouped around the crater's top. "taken this day without a shot or the loss of a single man," printed samuel in neat letters under his sketch. "don't forget, you shot the baby," twittered roger raising a claw argumentatively. "oh, we can't put in small details like that," sniffed the captain stepping back to admire his drawing. "seems odd for us to be discovering and taking possession of islands for a country we know so little about," mused ato, looking thoughtfully at the map on the west wall. "why, we've only been to oz once ourselves." "yes, but everybody knows about oz," samuel said putting the red chalk back in the table drawer. "our business is with wild new countries that have never been seen or heard of. besides, anyone can see that oz is overpopulated and needs new territories and sea ports. and since ozma is so clever at governing, and her subjects all so happy and prosperous, the more people who come under her rule the better!" "aye! aye!" agreed roger, peering with deep interest at the map. small wonder the read bird was interested, for oz is one of the most exciting and enchanting countries ever discovered. there are four large kingdoms in ozma's realm, the northern land of the gillikens, the eastern empire of the winkies, the southern country of the quadlings and the western domain of the munchkins. each forms a triangle in the oblong of oz. the emerald city which is the capital, is in the exact center where all these triangles meet. each of these kingdoms has its own ruler, but all four are under the sovereign rule and control of ozma, the small but powerful fairy who lives in the emerald city. on all sides, oz is surrounded by a deadly desert and beyond the desert lie the independent kingdoms of no-land, low land, ix, play, ev, the dominions of the gnome king, and many other strange and important principalities. these countries form a narrow rim around the desert, and beyond this rim lies the nonestic ocean itself, stretching in all directions and to no one knows what far and undiscovered shores. each of the four kingdoms in oz shown on samuel's map was so dotted with smaller kingdoms, cities, towns, villages and the holdings of ancient knights and barons, there was scarcely room for another castle. with young princes growing up on every hand, roger could well sympathize with the need of ozma for more territory. "won't the ozians have too long a way to come before they reach these new islands and countries we discover?" inquired the read bird, after staring at the map for some moments in silence. "not a bit of it!" samuel dismissed roger's objection with a snap of his fingers. "i hear the wizard of oz is working on a new fleet of airships, that will make crossing the desert and nonestic a real lark and enable new settlers to reach these outlying islands in a day or less. so all we have to do is to proceed with our discovering. ozma will attend to the rest. this volcanic island may not be as useful as some of the others, but one can never tell. how about picking up a few islands for you, ato, as we ride along?" the former pirate dropped his arm affectionately round the shoulders of his royal cook. "no, thanks," grunted ato, rolling cheerfully to his feet. "one's enough. what would i want with any more islands? why i'd never get off on a voyage. but pick yourself a couple, sammy, why don't you?" "who, me?" samuel salt shook his head emphatically. "a ship's all i can handle and i wouldn't trade you two buckets of sea water for all the islands in the nonestic. one ship and one crew's enough for me, and since you're my crew, you'd better turn in--we've had a hard day and another one coming. i'll take first watch, cooky, here, shall have middle, and you roger can be the early bird on morning watch." "ho hum! i'm right sleepy at that," admitted ato, starting to heap up plates. "give me a lift with the dishes, roger, will you?" "oh, throw 'em overboard," directed samuel salt recklessly. "there's plenty more in the hold and i'm agin all extry labor." "hurray!" screamed roger seizing the coffee pot and winging merrily through an open port. "avast! avast there! not my coffee pot!" pleaded ato, making after the read bird with surprising speed considering his tonnage. "stop you great gossoon! how many times must i tell you i'm boss of the galley?" catching roger by the leg just as he reached the rail, ato snatched back his precious coffee pot and hugged it protectively to his bosom. "why i've just got this contraption broken in proper," he panted indignantly. "a coffee pot's like a pipe, it's got to be sweetened and seasoned. heave over the plates and cups if you like," he went on, relenting a bit as he noted the keen disappointment on roger's face, "but save the soup tureen. i'll wager there's not another that size on the ship and the captain must have his soup. what a splendid pot of soup this would make," murmured ato looking dreamily down at the sea, "a bit salty, perhaps, but full of snapper and porgy and tender young sea shoots. why that foam's as near to whipping cream as anything i've ever gazed on." tearing himself reluctantly from the appetizing sight, the royal cook padded off to put the galley in order for the night, while roger with loud squalls of glee dropped the plates and saucers one by one over the side. in this way the dishes were soon done, the cabin tidy and shipshape, and by eight bells the king and the read bird were sleeping soundly and samuel salt had the ship to himself. first, he made a complete round of all decks, glanced at the barometer and compass, and furled the fore and mizzen topsails. then he took the cooled piece of lava down to the hold. the strange signs and symbols had hardened, and labeling it carefully with the date and name of salamander island, samuel placed it on his shelves for further study. then returning to the main deck he set a portable ship's lantern on a coil of rope and settled down to fix a hot box for the salamander. selecting from the material he had brought from the hold an iron box with a glass lid, he covered the bottom with sand and pebbles. knowing salamanders require hot water as well as hot air, he placed a tiny flat pan of water in the corner of the box to serve as a swimming pool. a burning glass in the day time and an alcohol lamp under the box at night would supply the necessary heat, and setting the whole contrivance on an iron tray in the cabin, samuel went joyfully off to fetch the fire lizard. the salamander was still in the pot on the back of the stove, and giving her an experimental poke with his finger, samuel was astonished to find her quite cool to the touch. this was surprising considering she could only live in the most intense heat. but without stopping to figure it out, the captain picked her up between thumb and forefinger, carried her to the cabin and popped her into the iron box. he had already lighted the lamp under the box so that everything was red hot and cozy for her. the small captive seemed to appreciate her new quarters, wriggling over the hot pebbles and sand, then splashing gaily in her swimming pool. "quite a girl!" sighed the pirate, resting his elbows on the table and gazing happily down at the first prize of the voyage. "you're going to be great company for me, sally." as if she really understood, the lizard gave a squeak and tapped loudly on the glass lid with her tail. the pipe almost dropped from samuel's mouth at sally's strange behavior, and lifting the lid he peered inquisitively down at her. before he had a chance to clap it shut, the salamander hurled herself upward, landing smartly on the bridge of the pirate's nose, from where she slid cleverly into the pipe itself. "well i'll be scuppered!" gasped the royal explorer looking slightly cross-eyed down the bridge of his nose as sally coiled up comfortably in the bowl of the pipe. "the little rascal wants to keep me company, and so she shall, bless my boots, so she shall! why this is plumb cute and cozy and something to write in my journal." puffing away delightedly samuel stepped out of the cabin and all during his watch, the little salamander rested contentedly in his pipe. sometimes she peered up inquisitively over the edge, but mostly she lay quietly on the smoking tobacco, looking with calm interest at the sky and the rippling sails over her head. not only did she keep his pipe from going out, but never had it drawn so well. so, filled with a vast wonder and content, samuel strode up and down the deck. not till midnight when he roused ato could he bear to put sally back in her box and only then, after he had promised her another ride in the morning. but when morning came, samuel had no time to keep his promise, for while ato was cooking breakfast and the captain himself catching forty winks in the cabin, the raucous voice of the read bird came whistling down from the foremast. "land ho! land! more land. island tuluward, captain!" chapter patrippany island "all hands on deck! come on! come _on_!" yelled samuel salt running past ato's galley dragging on his clothes as he ran. "there's an island tuluward, you lubber." "well, 'tain't a flying island is it?" ato stuck a very red face out the door. "i guess it'll stay there till i turn the bacon, won't it? no cause to burn the biscuits just 'cause an island's sighted is there?" but in spite of his pretended indifference, the ship's cook shoved all his pans on the back of the stove and hurried out on deck. "rich and jungly, this one," he observed, resting his arms comfortably on the rail, "and from what i can see a good place to grow bananas and whiskers. look, sammy, even the trees have beards." "moss," muttered samuel salt striding over to the wheel. "fly ashore roger and see whether there's a good place to put in." twittering with importance and curiosity, the read bird flung himself into the air. in ten minutes he was back to report a wide river cutting through the center of the island from end to end. the foliage was so dense, roger had not been able to discover any signs of habitation, but after viewing the mouth of the river through his glasses, the captain decided to take a chance, and sail through. "now, sammy, let's not do anything hasty," begged the ship's cook lifting his floury hands in warning, "nor try to conquer a country on an empty stomach. this may be an important island, so after we eat, let us put on our proper clothes and plant the oz flags with dignity and decorum." "spoken like a king and a seaman," approved samuel salt, "and if my eye does not deceive me, i'll have the ship in the river as soon as you have the coffee in the pot. then we'll ride in with the tide, put on our discovering togs and proceed with the business of the day." so while ato returned to his galley and the read bird to his post in the foremast, samuel swung the _crescent moon_ in toward the island. each felt a slight twinge of uneasiness as the ship left the open sea and began to slip rapidly up the broad new and unnavigated jungle stream. vine covered trees pressed close to the banks, and birds and monkeys in the branches kept up an incessant screech and chattering. a flock of greedy pelicans flopped comically after the ship and as they penetrated deeper and deeper into the jungle it almost seemed as if they were entering some dim green land of goblins. "a fine target we make for anyone who cares to shoot at us," moaned ato, as he waddled backward and forward between the cabin and galley with cups and covered dishes. "ugh!" "yes, i wouldn't be surprised to feel an arrow in my back any minute now," assented samuel salt brightly, "though i must say i'd much prefer a fried mackerel in my stomach." "come on then," shuddered ato, in no wise cheered by samuel's remarks, "breakfast's ready and we may as well eat before we die." "now never say die!" roared the royal explorer of oz, touching the buttons to furl sail and yelling to roger to let go the anchor. "never say die--say dee--dee-scovery is our aim and purpose, mates. dee-scovery with a _hi de di dide di dough_!" sang samuel vociferously to keep up his own spirits. finally with the ship motionless amidstream the three shipmates sat down to breakfast. their nerves were tense and their ears cocked for signs of approaching natives, but except for the noise of the birds and monkeys and the occasional splash of some river creature, there was no sound to indicate the ship had been sighted by the islanders. "nobody's home," concluded samuel, finishing off his third cup of coffee at one toss and hurrying off to his cabin. roger, having only oz flags and no shore togs to bother him, generously offered to clear away the dishes and amused himself by throwing scraps and the rest of the biscuits to the pelicans. he had just tossed over the last biscuit when ato appeared in a grand satin coat and breeches, long cape and three-cornered hat. the elegance of his apparel was somewhat marred by the bread board he had belted round his middle and the bread knife and blunderbuss he had stuck through his sash. "ha, hah!" roared samuel salt, giving the bread board a resounding whack. "something to stay your stomach, eh?" samuel himself was as stylishly attired as the king, his three-cornered hat at a dashing angle. under his arm he had two pairs of tremendously long stilts. "no need for us to get all grubby lowering the boat. we'll wade ashore this time," explained samuel as ato's eyes grew round and questioning. "easy as walking on crutches; just watch me, mate." now samuel, it must be confessed, had been practicing stilting on elbow island, so naturally it came easy to him. first he put his stilts over the side, then vaulting the rail, he seized the tops and settled his feet in the cross pieces at one jump and started walking calmly up and down gleefully calling for ato to follow. it all looked so simple, ato handed the basket of lunch he had packed to roger, and seizing his stilts began anxiously feeling around for the river bottom. satisfied that it was solid, he climbed boldly up on the rail. "that's it! that's it!" applauded samuel. "now grab the tops, mate, and start coming." "chee tree--tee--hee--!" screeched the monkeys derisively as ato clung precariously to the rail with one hand and maneuvered his stilts with the other. by some miracle of balance the fat king actually managed to mount and hold on to his perilous walking sticks. then with a long quivering breath he heaved one forward. he was about to take another step when a desperate scream from roger almost caused him to topple over backwards. "'gators!" croaked the read bird, beating his wings together violently. "watch out for those 'gators." "why bother him with gaiters at a time like this? they look perfectly all right to me." samuel salt frowned up at roger. "not _his_ gaiters, river 'gators, alligators, crocodiles!" wailed roger, beginning to fly in agonized circles. "crocodiles and worse." samuel, eyeing what he had supposed to be a pile of rotten logs on the river bank, saw dozens of the slimy saurians slide into the water and come savagely toward them. "back to the ship! back to the ship!" babbled the read bird, clutching ato's collar with a frantic claw. but the king was too frightened to move. the sight of the bleary-eyed river monsters made him tremble so violently his stilts twittered and swayed like trees in a hurricane. he could not for the life of him take a step in either direction. with a loud cry samuel started to help him, but a crocodile reached ato first. its jaws closed with a vicious snap on the king's left stilt and with a heart-rending shriek ato plunged into the slimy river. "there, there! now you've done it!" sobbed roger. "fed the kindest soul who ever served a ship's company to a parcel of crocodiles!" dropping the oz flags and lunch basket, he made an unsuccessful grab for his master's arm. but even if he had caught it, ato's great weight would have pulled them both under, and now only a circle of bubbles showed where the luckless explorer had disappeared. firing his blunderbuss to frighten off the rest of the crocodiles, samuel, striking left and right with his stilts, propelled himself forward, while roger pecked futilely at the monster that had felled his master. but just as samuel, after boldly driving off the dragon-like creature, prepared to dive in and save ato or perish with him, a dripping head appeared above the water. "thank you. thank you very much!" murmured a mild voice. "i haven't had as nice a present as this since i was an itty bitty baby. now what can i do for you?" neither samuel nor roger could speak a word, for where the king had gone down, a tremendous hippopotamus was coming up, the lunch basket hanging carelessly out of a corner of its mouth. for a wild moment samuel thought his enormous friend and shipmate had been transformed by some witchcraft into this ponderous beast. he even imagined he caught an expression of ato's in the monster's moist eye. but this gloomy idea was soon dispelled, for, as the creature rose higher out of the water, they could see a desperate and bedraggled figure sprawled across its slippery back. "ahoy, mate!" choked samuel, his heart thumping like a trip hammer. "is it really you? are you safe, then?" "safe!" quavered the half-drowned and mud-covered king of the octagon isle. "safe?" he peered dizzily at the churning crocodiles just a boat's length away, and his voice cracked and broke. "i never felt safer in my life. what am i riding, a whale or an elephant?" "a river horse," explained the hippopotamus, looking kindly over her shoulder. then, as the crocodiles began to hiss and roar and come rolling toward them, she gave a ferocious bellow and snort. "away with you! be off, you river scum!" she squealed viciously. "these travelers are mine. shoot your fire stick, master long legs. that will fix them." for a moment the crocodiles held their post, then, as samuel fired his gun repeatedly, they began to slide sullenly across the river to the opposite bank. "hold fast, master short legs, and i'll soon have you ashore," wheezed the hippopotamus, speaking out of the corner of her mouth so as not to drop the picnic basket. "yes, yes, but what then?" shuddered ato, trying to get a finger hold on the monster's slippery neck. "why, then, we'll both tell our stories, and after that i'll eat," snorted the river horse, paddling joyously toward the bank. "you'll eat!" groaned ato, ready to roll back into the river. "oh, my father and mother and maiden aunts!" "did you hear that?" dropping to samuel's shoulder, roger whispered fiercely. "quick now, a shot behind the ear, before it gets any further. are you going to do nothing while this ravenous monster carries off my poor master?" "sh-hh!" warned samuel, holding up his finger. "these creatures do not eat meat or men. they're herbivorous, my lad, and this one seems uncommonly kind and friendly. but what puzzles me--" the royal explorer looked intently into the face of the read bird. "what puzzles me is to find this one talking our language. to my knowledge, only animals in oz, a few in ev and you on the octagon isle have the gift of speech. and i tell you, mate, this is a valuable discovery, and a simply splendid specimen of a pachydermatous talking aquatic." whether the last few words in this sentence or a stone in the river bottom tripped up the captain, roger never knew, but without any warning samuel turned a sudden back somersault into the river, going under as completely as ato had done. "ugh--gr--ugh!" he gurgled, coming up full of mud and disgust. "how did that happen?" "stilts!" sniffed roger, whose wings had saved him from going down with samuel. "a splendid way to get ashore, master salt, so neat and tidy. and a fine discoverer you look now." sighing deeply, samuel watched his stilts floating out of reach, then shaking his head violently to get the water out of his eyes, he swam thoughtfully after the hippopotamus. as he dragged himself up on the bank, a monkey swinging by its tail from the lower branches of a tree snatched his three-cornered hat and scittered all the way to the tree top, at which all the other monkeys let out shrill hoots of mocking merriment. "ah! the welcome committee!" sniffled ato, rolling off the hippopotamus. "well, sammy, wherever it is, here we are and a nice mess you've made of the landing. clothes ruined, weapons gone," (ato felt his middle dejectedly for his bread knife and blunderbuss), then hitching up the bread board at his waist looked long and accusingly at the leader of the expedition. "now you mustn't mind a little mud," said the hippopotamus, setting down the picnic basket and gazing from one to the other with frank interest and curiosity. "mud is beautiful and so healthy." "not for me," frowned samuel salt, endeavoring to remove the thick green slime from his hair and ears with his damp silk handkerchief. "but i suppose we'll dry off in time and--" "proceed with the business of the day," finished ato sarcastically, as he squeezed the water out of his silk pantaloons and coat tails. "but i hope you don't mind my saying that a seaman should stick to his boats, samuel. if i had not fallen in with this kind and obliging hippopotamus, i'd have been a crocodile's lunch by this time." "oh, i'd have got you out somehow," muttered samuel, smoothing back his hair sulkily. "and those stilts really saved your life. suppose that animal had bitten your leg instead of your stilt? by the way, what's the name of this island, mate?" anxious to change the subject, samuel turned to ato's tremendous rescueress. "mate?" repeated the hippopotamus, wiggling her ears inquiringly, "what may that mean?" "it is what a seaman calls his crew and his friends," explained samuel, grinning in spite of himself. "seaman? mate?" mused the hippopotamus in a rapt voice. "how cozy, how beautiful!" overcome with emotion, the mighty monster leaned forward and lapped up the picnic basket, oz flags, lunch and everything. "i shall remember this as long as i live," she assured them with a gulp as one of the flags went sideways down her throat. "nikobo, little daughter of the biggenlittle river people, bids you welcome to patrippany island." "little daughter!" exclaimed ato in a smothered voice. "ha, ha! patrippany island. ho, ho! this is interesting. i knew there was a trip in it somewhere, a wet trip for us, eh, samuel?" "but what i don't understand," said the royal explorer of oz, briskly massaging his beard with his handkerchief, "is how you happen to speak our language. do all the creatures on this island talk? i don't mean that monkey chatter above." "no, none of the other creatures here speak the language of man," answered nikobo solemnly. "i never knew i could speak it myself till five moons ago last herb day." "herb day? dear, dear and dear! how confusing it all grows," sighed ato, emptying the water out of his hat which had somehow survived his river ducking. "do you suppose she means thursday? roger! roger! keep away from those monkeys. do you wish to lose all your tail feathers?" "oh, it's all very simple," nikobo rolled her eyes from side to side. "one day i eat herbs and that is herb day. one day i eat twigs and that is twig day, and one day i eat grass and that is grass day, and--" "and one day you eat lunch baskets and oz flags, and i suppose that makes it flag day," chuckled roger, coming down from a little excursion in the tree tops. "she's swallowed the oz flags, skipper, and if that doesn't make her a citizen of oz, i'll eat my feathers." "go ahead, if it will keep you any quieter," said samuel salt, who did not want this interesting conversation interrupted by roger's nonsense. "so you only began to speak our language five moons ago last herb day? what made you do that?" "a boy," confided nikobo with a ponderous wag of her head. "ah, now we're getting somewhere." feeling in his pocket, samuel pulled out a small note book and pencil, still damp but usable. "was it a native boy?" he asked eagerly. "no, no, certainly not." the hippopotamus panted a little at the very idea of such a thing. "the leopard men speak a strange roaring language i have never been able to make head or tail of. besides, to speak to them would not be safe nor desirable. the leopard men have long tusks and spears and--" "leopard men!" yelled ato, flinging both arms round the trunk of a tree. "oh! oh! and oh! i wish we were safely back at pirating, sammy. here we are marooned on this miserable monkey island, inhabited by leopard men, surrounded by crocodiles and no way of getting back to the ship." "you forget me," murmured the hippopotamus. lumbering over to ato, she gave him a gentle nudge with her moist pink snout. "nikobo, little daughter of the biggenlittle river people, will carry you anywhere you wish to go." chapter a little wild man "not yet, not yet," protested samuel salt as ato made a clumsy attempt to mount the hippopotamus. "why, we've only just come, mate. we can't go without seeing these leopard men and this strange boy who speaks our language." "oh, can't we?" drawing in his breath, ato made a flying leap at nikobo, and this time managing an ear hold, pulled himself determinedly up on her moist, slippery back. "goodbye, samuel," said the king with a firm wave of his hand. "if you bring any leopard men back to the _crescent moon_, you can discover yourself another cook. no leopard men. mind, now!" "oh, you needn't worry about that." the hippopotamus closed one eye and smiled knowingly to herself. thoroughly annoyed by the desertion of ato and the superior grin of the river horse, samuel snatched a long rapier from his belt and glowered belligerently around him. "shiver my timbers! you think i'm not strong enough nor smart enough to fight these savages? huwhere are these leopard men?" roared the former pirate in such a reverberating voice the monkeys fled silently to the tree tops, and even roger put his head under his wing. "gone, all gone!" explained nikobo as she started calmly down toward the river bank. "you mean there are no leopard men on this island now?" looking with horror and aversion at the crocodile-infested river, ato began tugging at nikobo's ear. "not so fast, my good creature! wait a moment, my buxom lass! perhaps i'll stay with sammy after all." "well, just as you say." with scarcely a pause in her stride, the hippopotamus turned round and waddled amiably back to the strip of sand where samuel salt stood staring sternly into the jungle beyond. "this is a great disappointment to me, mates," sighed the captain of the _crescent moon_ mournfully wringing out the lace ruffles of his cuffs. "to have taken a leopard man back to the court of oz would have been an achievement worth the whole voyage." "now there's where we're different," murmured ato, settling into a more comfortable position on the back of the river horse. "i myself would rather be disappointed than speared by a savage, and i don't care how many leopard men i miss seeing. rather be spared than speared, ha, ha! tee, hee, hee!" ato chuckled from sheer relief. "shall i fly back to the ship for some more oz flags?" roger flapped his wings inquiringly. "if the leopard men are really gone, then patrippany island is ours without a spear thrown." "that's so," mused samuel salt, thrusting his rapier back into its sheath and beginning to show a little interest in the island itself. "fly ahead, my hearty." "and bring back some ship's biscuit," called ato. "all this diving and mud turtling has left me weak as a fish. and while we're waiting for roger, perhaps nikobo will tell us a little about these islanders. were they little or big, black or brown?" "yellow," answered the hippopotamus gravely. "big and yellow with brown spots all over their hides. they had brown hair, mane and eyes, and rough snarling voices. they used neither huts nor shelter, but roamed like the animals through the jungle, hunting, fishing and fighting. they had hollowed out logs for use in the water and last twig day every leopard man, woman and child climbed into the long boats and paddled out to sea. shortly afterward--" nikobo's eyes grew round and shiny at the mere memory, "shortly afterward a great hurricane arose and my family and i, watching from the mouth of the biggenlittle river, saw the boats and men swept under the waves. some of the logs floated back to the islands, but the leopard men and women we never saw again." "not even one?" exclaimed samuel peevishly. "not even one," nikobo assured him solemnly. "and to tell the truth," the hippopotamus flashed a sudden and expansive sigh, "it is much better and safer without them. the one problem is the boy, and i've been feeding him myself." "oh, yes, the boy who speaks our language," mused samuel, still lost in bitter reflections of the leopard men he should never see face to face. "what've you been feeding him?" asked ato, suspiciously. "how would a hippopotamus know what to feed a boy?" "i do the best i can," said nikobo in a hurt voice. "every day i collect fresh roots, herbs and grasses for him." "roots, herbs--grasses! merciful mustard! a boy's being fed on roots, herbs and grasses, sammy. did you ever hear of anything more ridiculous in your life?" "no worse than spinach," mumbled samuel salt. "but say, look here--" the royal explorer of oz raised his arm imperiously. "what is a small boy doing on this island? how'd he get here in the first place, and where is he now?" "follow me," directed nikobo in a dignified voice. "follow me and you shall know all." as roger appeared at that moment with the oz flags and biscuits, the little procession immediately got under way, ato calmly riding behind. on her many visits to the strange boy, nikobo had worn a path through the tangled growth of vines and bush. tenuous trees dropped their branches over this path and stretched out their gnarled roots to trip the unwary traveler. several times roger let out hoarse squeals as a huge snake coiled along the limb of a tree, thrust out its ugly head. gaudy flowers from the vines that closely entwined every tree, filled the air with a damp sleepy fragrance, and samuel salt, darting his eyes left and right, held his blunderbuss ready for any savage beast that might spring upon them. but the jungle creatures, thinking the leopard men had returned, slunk further and further into the green shadows and without any mishaps or encounters, nikobo brought the explorers to a small clearing in the whispering tangle of green. here they were suddenly confronted by a stoutly built cage, its bars constructed of saplings set scarcely an inch apart. on a heap of grass in a corner of the cage crouched the lonely figure of a little boy clothed in a single leopard skin. "well, goosewing my topsails!" panted samuel salt, deceived at first by the leopard skin. "a little wild man, a leopard boy, as i'm a salt sea sailor!" "it's nothing of the kind," nikobo contradicted him sharply. "can't you see he is white and has teeth as straight as your own instead of tusks? he's not like the leopard men at all." "but who put him in this cage? what's he done, and what's he doing here?" slipping off nikobo's back, ato pressed his face close to the bars of the strange prison. "i am waiting for my people to come and rescue me," stated the boy, rising with great dignity from his bed of grass. folding his arms, he looked haughtily out at the explorers. "who are these men, nikobo?" he inquired sternly. "why have you brought them here?" "because they seemed friendly and speak your language," puffed the hippopotamus, beaming lovingly at her small charge. "because i thought they might break these bars and set you free. they have a hollow log seventy times as large as the hollowed logs of the leopard men. in this they could easily carry you over the waters and back to your own people. i've tried to break this miserable hutch dozens of times," explained nikobo, turning to samuel salt. "but the saplings are sunk so deep, i've been afraid i'd crush tandy as well as the cage if i pushed too hard." "quite likely," said samuel salt, rapping the bars with his knuckles. "we'll have to fetch an ax from the ship. but who shut you up here, little lubber, and how long have you been prisoner on this island?" "five months and a half," answered the boy after consulting one of the bars in the corner of his cage. "i've made a nick in this bar with my teeth for every day i have been here." "well, that's all over now, you poor child, you!" ato's voice shook with indignation as he looked in at the little boy whose every rib showed plainly under the skin. in fact, a heap of grass and dried roots in the cage made the kind-hearted monarch shudder with distaste and sympathy. "you shall come with us and eat like a king," he promised, nodding his head cheerfully, "and learn to be an able-bodied seaman to boot." instead of looking grateful or pleased, the boy whom the hippopotamus had called "tandy" merely stood looking between the bars of his cage. "why should i go with you?" he said finally and wearily. "you look wild and dangerous to me, and far worse than the leopard men. here, at least i have kobo to take care of me, and who knows what further perils and hardships i should suffer at sea?" "ho! ho! and how do you like that, my lads?" roger rocked backward and forward on samuel salt's shoulder. "the young one speaks truly. if you could but see yourselves, my hearties." now both ato and samuel had forgotten their plunge in the river, but with their hair and clothing still covered with mud and slime they looked the veriest rogues and rascals. and while ato regarded himself with embarrassment and discomfiture, samuel took a quick step forward. "so!" roared the great seaman angrily. "so, you don't trust us, eh? well, stay here if you wish and grow up like a monkey. you look like a little wild man already." "stop!" nikobo quivered all over with resentment. "you must not call tandy a wild man." "don't mind." the boy drew the leopard skin around him with quiet dignity. "i can bear it. i have borne far worse. i can bear anything. i am a king and the son of a king's son! tell them to go away, kobo." "now, now, now! this is nothing but nonsense." ato clapped his hands sharply. "however we look, my young squab, you are in good and royal company. my mate here, captain salt, is captain of the _crescent moon_, royal explorer of oz, and a knight, besides. i, though at present a ship's cook, am king of the octagon isle, and roger, here, is as royal a read bird as ever wagged a bill and wing. if you say you are a king, we will have to believe you, though 'tis hardly credible." ato stared with round eyes at the matted hair and dirty body of the little prisoner. "if you say you are a king we must believe you, but in return you must believe _us_, and stop all this hoity toity talk and clishmaclatter." "he speaks the plain truth." nikobo pressed her huge snout close to the bars. "even i can detect the signs of royalty in this fat and goodly person whom i just this morning helped out of the river. you must go with them, tandy, and they will carry you back to your own kingdom." "but i tell you, i'd rather stay here with you," wailed the little boy, relaxing a moment from his kingly and overbearing attitude. "roger, fetch the ax." samuel salt spoke so loud and sternly nikobo lapsed into a shocked silence and tandy hastily drew back into a far corner of his cage. "never argue with a sea-going man," whispered ato, winking solemnly as roger flew off to obey samuel's order. having settled the matter in his own mind, samuel turned his back on tandy and began to examine with deep interest the fungus growth on one of the gnarled old trees. "so you really are a king?" leaning against the huge body of nikobo, ato folded his hands comfortably on his stomach and regarded the boy in the leopard skin earnestly. "now what country do you hail from and what do they call you at home?" "i am tazander tazah of ozamaland," announced the boy proudly, "the land of the creeping bird and flying reptile. ozamaland on the long continent of tarara is my home." "ozamaland!" shouted samuel salt, swinging round like a teetotum. "so there really is such a place. i have always said so, ato, but no one would believe me. lies to the east of here, doesn't it, sonny, and is twice as large as any known land bordering on the nonestic?" somewhat impressed to find that samuel salt knew something of his homeland, the little boy nodded. "and do you suppose we could snare one of those creeping birds and flying reptiles if we managed to reach ozamaland?" grasping the bars of the cage, samuel peered anxiously into the young king's face. "do you suppose you ever could reach ozamaland?" sighed tazander, returning samuel's eager look with gloomy aloofness. "do you know that a ship has never touched our shores?" "then the _crescent moon_ shall be the first!" cried samuel salt, snapping his fingers joyfully. "why, this will be tremendous and the most momentous discovery in a thousand years! but how do you happen to be so far from ozamaland yourself?" asked samuel salt immediately afterward. "did you come by air or sea?" "that i cannot tell." tazander seated himself soberly on a log before he continued. "one night i was sleeping soundly in my tower in the white city, next thing i remember i was here in this jungle. the leopard men, wild and savage as they were, fed me when they remembered on raw fish and chunks of hard, bitter bread they made from the roots of the brima tree. but i could not understand their talk, nor they mine, and till kobo found me a month after my imprisonment i had no one to talk to at all. but she has come every day to keep me company and try to set me free, and since the leopard men were drowned she has fed me, too. see, through this little door." tazander opened a small door in the bars and stuck both hands through. "but how did you learn the language?" asked ato, turning round to gaze up into nikobo's huge face. "i don't know," said nikobo with an excited gulp. "i just started to say 'hello!' and instead of saying it in hippopotamy, there i was talking a strange language which i could understand as well as my own. and in this language tandy answered me, much to my delight and pleasure." "strange, very strange." ato shook his head in a puzzled manner. "well, all i say is, it was lucky for this small fellow that you happened along, and once we have him aboard he'll soon forget all these hardships and unpleasant experiences." "i'll never forget kobo," said the young king, backing stiffly away from the outstretched arms of ato. "and kobo'll never forget you," sniffed the hippopotamus. "the talk of the river people seems dull and stupid since i've talked to tandy. none of the herd really need me and i don't know what i'm going to do--whoo--hoo hoo whooo!" rocking from side to side, nikobo began to sob as if her heart would break, so violently in fact, samuel salt covered both ears and ato, alarmed at the enormous grief of the gigantic beast, tried to put his arms around her. "here, here!" begged the ship's cook, thumping her hard upon the back. opening the bag of biscuits roger had brought from the ship, ato handed two to tandy and began shoving the rest as fast as he could down the vast throat of the grief-stricken hippopotamus. after each biscuit, nikobo choked and sobbed to herself, but on the whole, they seemed to comfort her, and when the read bird finally returned with the ax she watched almost cheerfully as samuel salt, with well-aimed blows, demolished tandy's jungle cage. as the last side crashed down and without giving tandy time to argue any further, samuel salt seized the boy firmly in both arms and set him down on the back of the hippopotamus. then, giving ato a hand up behind him, the captain of the _crescent moon_ sternly led the way to the edge of the island. roger, waving an oz flag, flew ahead screaming defiantly to the monkeys and parrots that infested the island, "way, way! way for the royal discoverer of oz! way for the king of the octagon isle! way for nikobo, little daughter of the biggenlittle river people. way for tazander tazah, king and son of a king's son! way--ay--ayyyy!" chapter strange specimens for samuel salt with no one to challenge their going but the birds and monkeys, the little band made its way back to the sandy beach. tandy, perhaps because he had been so long pent up in the silent jungle and because he was by nature a naturally sober and solemn little boy, said nothing. not even the _crescent moon_, riding so proudly at her anchor, seemed to arouse any interest or enthusiasm in this strange young ozamalander. "well, here we are!" exclaimed ato, heartily thankful to be in sight of the ship again. "and i hope you'll not mind ferrying us out to the boat, nikobo; those crocodiles still look hungry and i've no notion of being crocked for the rest of my life." "any time you say," grunted the hippopotamus, squeaking a listless greeting to a company of her own relatives who were rolling lazily about in the muddy river water. "avast and belay and what's the hurry?" leaning his ax against a tree, samuel moistened a finger and held it up. "the wind's against us, mate, so we'll have to wait for the tide. not only that, but roger and i must survey the island and dig up some more interesting specimens to take back to the ship." after a long and rather quizzical look at tandy, samuel turned and swung along the beach, the read bird flapping joyously behind him. "run up and down a bit," advised ato, sliding down from nikobo's back. "your legs must need stretching. wonder if there's anything to eat around here or hereabouts? aha, those look like oranges, a wild orange grove, as i'm a cook and a seaman. come along, young one, and help me gather a few." "a king and son of a king's son does not come and go at another's bidding," announced tandy, stiffly, alighting from the hippopotamus. "merciful mothers! what's this?" gasped ato, blinking his eyes rapidly. "as complete a case of ingrowing royalitis as i've ever had the misfortune to encounter. well, since it's every king for himself, then i'll be leaving you, sonny and son of a king's sonny. watch out for him, kobo, he's probably real important to himself." "you should not speak like that," reproved the hippopotamus as ato disappeared into the orange grove, "after all, the big and fat one is himself a king." "pooh, king of some potty little island," sniffed tandy, leaning wearily against a palm. "break me a cocoanut, kobo, i'm thirsty." with a discouraged sigh nikobo trod on one of the cocoanuts, cracking it from end to end and then, because she was a generous and kindly creature, she cracked several more for ato when he should return. sitting back on her haunches, she anxiously watched while tandy downed the cocoanut milk, then, stretching out in the sand, fell unconcernedly asleep. thus ato found them when he emerged from the orange grove an hour later. his elegant explorer's cape was knotted to form a sack and bursting full of the small sweet fruit of the wild orange trees. "these will make us a fine mess of marmalade when i get back to the ship," panted the perspiring monarch, settling down with his back cozily to nikobo's. "how's young saucebox?" "all right." the hippopotamus nodded in tandy's direction. "he is so small and tired," she murmured worriedly, "and you must know he has been exposed in an open cage in the jungle for five long months with only a miserable hippopotamus for company." "miserable hippopotamus," snorted ato indignantly. "you're a very superior animal, my girl. i'd consider it an honor to converse with you any day. did you crack these cocoanuts for me?" as nikobo, trying bashfully to conceal her pleasure at ato's praise, admitted she had, the king took several long, satisfying draughts from the shells. "now, don't you worry about that young sprout," he advised kindly as nikobo continued to gaze mournfully at the sleeping boy. "we'll make allowances for his high and mighty littleness and set him down in his own country. that is, if we ever manage to find it, though i must say he'll not be much use nor company for us. ahoy! here comes sammy. wonder what he's found?" as a matter of fact, the royal explorer of oz looked more like a walking window box than a seaman. long vines hung from his neck and trailed from his pockets. his arms were crammed with spiked and prickly plants and on his head he balanced a package of sea shells tied up in his shore-going coat. "what you going to do, start a conservatory?" roared ato as roger helped the captain set his treasures on the ground. "rare and unusual, all of 'em," said samuel, dropping down beside ato and looking with complete satisfaction at his curious collection. "mind those yellow creepers," warned nikobo, wiggling her vast snout warningly. "those purple flowered plants in the middle are treacherous, too. they are tumbleweeds, master long legs, and 'tis from them patrippany island gets its name. when the leopard men fought, they would fling these weeds at one another, and i've seen them falling about for hours, neither side being able to advance a step or even stand up." "tumbleweeds!" breathed samuel ecstatically. "you don't say! why, these might come in real handy if we ever get in a tight place. i'll give a few to the wizard of oz and to the red jinn when we get back from this voyage. and what about the yellow creepers, mate? are they fighting plants, too?" "the creepers, if uprooted and thrown at an animal or man, will creep rapidly after him, catching him no matter how fast he runs and tying him up so tight he will not be able to move until the vine withers," explained nikobo solemnly. "i happen to know from an experience i had with one of these vines in my early youth." "creeping vines," shivered ato, moving as far away from samuel's collection as possible. "just keep them away from me, sammy. what right have such things on a ship?" "oh, they'll be harmless enough when they're potted," answered samuel easily. "and a splendid weapon they'll make for some up and coming country." "better keep them for ourselves," advised roger, fluttering down to samuel's shoulder. "exploring's a dangerous business, if you ask me, master salt." "well, you'll have to admit that it's been pretty safe and successful so far," said samuel, clasping his hands behind his head and gazing contentedly up at the waving fronds of the palm trees. "safe!" the ship's cook began to shake and quiver all over. "ho, ho! safe? especially sailing round that volcano and going swimming with the crocodiles! safe! you'll be the death of me yet, sam-u-el. have you planted your oz flags and told the wild creatures in the jungle about their new sovereign?" roger nodded his head importantly. "we've raised oz flags on the tallest trees on the east, south, west and north sides of the island. i flew across and got a bird's eye view while the captain walked clear 'round. we've discovered it's bean shaped, king dear, the exact shape of a kidney bean, and a fine fertile place for settlers and prospectors from oz." "yes, all they have to do is cut down a million trees, drain the swamps and train the wild beasts in the jungle to be as polite and considerate as nikobo here." "well, what of it? that's their problem." samuel stretched himself, luxuriously snapping each finger to see that it was still working. "and now, since our part is done, what do you say to waking this son of a king's son and getting aboard the ship? the tide'll run out in a couple of hours and carry us along." tazander had been awake for some time listening to the conversation with closed eyes. now sitting up, he calmly spoke his mind. "i'm not going with you," he stated grandly. "i'm going to stay here with kobo till my own people come for me." "hah! mutiny!" leaping to his feet, samuel glared down at the puny youngster with real anger and exasperation. "if you think i'm going to leave you on this island to be devoured by wild animals when nikobo's back is turned, you don't know your pirates. climb up on that animal. lively, now!" samuel looked so fierce and threatening, ato felt rather sorry for the stubborn little king, but he was wasting his sympathy. "i'm not going," said tandy, settling more determinedly down into the sand. "and no one can make me." "don't say that! don't say that!" blubbering with grief at the thought of losing her small charge and shivering with anxiety lest he arouse to further anger this tall sea captain, nikobo lumbered to her feet and began to whisper eagerly in tandy's ear. during this short conference samuel gathered up his specimens and ato his oranges, and when both had finished the hippopotamus edged nervously forward. "i've decided to go with you," she announced in a slightly shaken voice. "if i go, tandy'll go, so i'll just go!" "what?" roared samuel salt, dropping his shells and clapping his hand to his forehead. "well, that practically solves everything!" looking wildly from the hippopotamus to the _crescent moon_, samuel had a dreadful vision of nikobo rolling dangerously from side to side of his cherished vessel. "what'll you eat?" demanded roger, who was ever more practical than polite. "how'll we ever feed this enormous lady, cook dear? besides, she'll sink the ship." "i'll be very quiet and stay wherever you put me," murmured nikobo in a meek voice. "i'll go on a diet and eat whatever is left." "well, why couldn't she go?" proposed ato, who already had formed a great liking for tandy's devoted guardian. "why couldn't she? nice kind motherly creature that she is!" "but a hippopotamus needs fresh water and tons of food and--" then suddenly samuel brought his hands together with a resounding smack. "have you thought of something?" asked ato hopefully, shifting his oranges from one shoulder to the other. "yes," stated the former pirate solemnly, "i have." samuel was secretly delighted to have found a way to carry this superb herbivorous specimen back to oz. "i'll build her a raft and tow her along after the ship. we'll stop at all the islands we come to for fresh water and grass, and meanwhile she'll have to do with salt baths and such food as we have in the hold." "oh, kobo! did you hear that?" springing up with the first signs of life or feeling he had yet shown, tandy flung himself on his huge champion and friend. "so you're really going. then i'll go too." "can't be all bad, if he's as fond of her as all that," whispered ato in samuel's ear. "not bad, just a pest," wheezed samuel, reaching for his ax. "needs a taste of the rope, if you ask me." then, while nikobo went for a last swim in the biggenlittle river and bade goodbye to her numerous and wondering relatives, samuel felled trees, split wood, and with nails roger fetched from the ship fashioned a splendid strong raft for their new pet. round the edge he built a sturdy railing to keep nikobo from sliding off in a rough sea. ato and roger, taking thought for the evening meal, heaped one end of the raft with grass and twigs and all the jungle roots they could gather. without moving or offering to help, tandy sat watching, and just as the sun sank down behind the palms, a strange procession started out for the _crescent moon_. ahead with the keg of nails soared roger. then came the hippopotamus moving like a small dreadnought through the water. on her back sat ato, the haughty young king of ozamaland, and samuel salt. samuel rode last, holding in his hand the long cable he had attached to the raft and with which he meant to fasten it to the _crescent moon_. following his orders, nikobo swam close to the side of the ship so tandy and ato could climb the rope ladder, then she paddled round to the stern where samuel drew his cable through an iron ring in the ship's hull and made the raft fast. there was a runway at the back of the raft and the rails on that side let down so that nikobo had no trouble clambering aboard. by pulling a rope with her teeth, she could raise or lower the back of her pen and take a swim whenever she felt the need of one. after giving her a bit of advice about voyaging, and seeing her comfortably settled, samuel climbed the cable and nimbly pulled himself aboard his ship. roger had already stowed their precious specimens in the hold and rubbing his hands with brisk satisfaction, the captain of the _crescent moon_ weighed anchor and dropped with the tide down the biggenlittle river to the sea. then touching the automatic controls, he set his sails to catch the evening breeze, adjusted his steering gear for a course east by sou'east and strode happily into his cabin. the salamander chirped cheerfully as he passed her hot box and after tapping a cheerful greeting on the lid, the weary explorer stripped off his ruined and muddy shore-going outfit, took a shower and climbed thankfully back into his old sea clothes. "where's the pest?" he called out as roger flew past the open port. "well, since he was so small and important," sniffed the read bird, waving a claw, "i gave him a large cabin to himself. i didn't think you and ato would want him in here." "shiver my timbers, no." samuel looked ruefully across at the small berth the philadelphia boy occupied on their last voyage. "he'll never be the seaman peter was, nor the company either. he'd better keep out of my way, hah! or i'll give him a taste of my belt." snatching up his spyglass and looking as stern as a kind-hearted pirate well can, samuel hurried out on deck. meanwhile, in the cabin next to the captain's, tandy stood regarding himself mournfully in the small glass over his sea chest. he too had taken a shower and at roger's suggestion had donned one of peter's old pirate suits. "i am a king and the son of a king's son," muttered tandy, staring sadly at the sallow reflection in the mirror. to tell the truth, the suit was not in the least becoming to the skinny and sullen young monarch. "i am a king and son of a king's son and can bear anything," he repeated dismally. "then bear a hand with the dinner," yelled roger, who had been peeking at him through the port hole. "all who eat must work, and under the hatches with lubbers!" pretending not to hear, tandy sat resignedly on the side of his bunk, though he really was curious to look around the ship and see what kobo was doing. from the galley came the cheerful rattle of pots and pans and the huge voice of ato singing as he prepared the dinner. gulls flew in excited circles all round the _crescent moon_, calling out their hoarse challenge and farewell, and samuel salt, leaning on the taffrail, gazed dreamily back at patrippany island. the oz flags fluttering from the tall palms gave it quite a gay and festive appearance and in spite of not seeing the leopard men, samuel felt he had done a good day's discovering. "ahoy, below! how you coming?" called samuel, leaning down to look at nikobo. the hippopotamus wagged her huge head. "fine! just fine, mate," she wheezed pleasantly. "hah! good for you!" samuel's face broke into a broad grin as kobo remembered to call him "mate." "we'll make an able-bodied seawoman of you yet, my lass!" chapter maxims for monarchs when ato, banging boisterously on an iron frying pan with a wooden spoon, summoned all hands to dinner, samuel and roger responded with a rush. but tandy remained sitting gloomily on his bunk. "now what's the matter?" demanded samuel salt as roger, sent to call the young voyager, came flying back to the table. "he says i may serve his dinner in the cabin," snickered roger, popping a biscuit into his mouth and swallowing it whole. "well, don't you do it!" roared the captain, bringing his fist down with an angry thump. "no use to start such nonsense!" "but he's so thin and feeble. the poor child's just full of raw roots and jungle grass," murmured ato, beginning to heap a platter with meat and vegetables. "wait till he folds himself round some of these seafarin' rations. he'll be a different person." "and he'd better be!" rumbled the captain of the _crescent moon_, pulling in his chair. "and if you and roger want to spoil the little pest, go ahead, but he'd better keep out of my way. hah!" "i could drop the dinner on his head," suggested roger helpfully as ato handed him an appetizing tray for tandy. "how would that be?" "utterly reprehensible, and conduct unbecoming in a royal read bird and able-bodied seaman," chuckled the ship's cook, shaking his finger at roger. "why don't you try to help the little beggar and set him a good example?" now roger, in spite of his sharp tongue, was really a sociable and kind-hearted bird and the sight of tandy sitting so forlornly on his bunk made him regret his teasing speeches. after all, the little fellow was far from home and had had a hard time in the jungle. "here!" he puffed, setting down the tray and lighting the lantern. "this'll put feathers on your chest, young one, and mind you eat every scrap." "thank you," answered tandy, so drearily that roger with a shudder of distaste fled back to the cheerful company of samuel and ato. but later, when samuel had gone below to pot the precious plants from patrippany island and the ship's cook was leaning over the rail conversing cozily with the hippopotamus, roger flew back to tandy's cabin resolved to help him if he could. with calm satisfaction he noted that tandy had eaten everything on the tray. lying on his back, the young king of ozamaland was staring solemnly up at the beams over his bunk. "ahoy! and what goes on here?" cried roger, setting down on the old sea chest. "how about a turn on deck, my lad, and a bit of chatter with the crew?" "it is not seemly for a king and son of a king's son to talk with his inferiors," observed tandy coldly. "in-feer-iors!" screamed roger, forgetting all his good intentions and mad enough to nip the youngster's nose right off. "are you by any chance referring to me?" "ozamaland is a great and powerful country and i am its king," stated tandy, turning his back on the read bird. at this roger let out another screech, and then suddenly remembering the purpose of his visit, took a long breath to steady himself. when he spoke again his voice was both calm and reasonable. "ozamaland may be a great and powerful country and you may also be its king, but remember you are no longer in ozamaland," explained roger firmly. "you are on this ship by the express wish and kindness of the captain and in the company of kings and better. wait!" shaking a claw at tandy's back, roger flew off to fetch one of ato's books from the shelf above the stove. tandy was in the same position when he returned, but paying him no further attention, roger pulled the lamp nearer and opened his volume. "when a king is in the company of kings," began the read bird impressively, "he is no longer a special or royal being, but merely a man among men, and as such must maintain his honor and standing by sheer worth and ability alone." "who says that? what are you reading?" tandy sat up with sudden interest, for his whole life had been spent in study and reflection and the voice of the read bird was not unlike the voice of woodjabegoodja, his royal instructor at home. "i am reading _maxims for monarchs_," answered roger calmly, "a book of great authority and antiquity that has been used by the rulers of oz and ev and the nonestic islands these many thousand years. no great and important country would think of being without a copy of this book," he continued severely. "strange, then, that i should not have heard of it," mused tandy, looking not quite so sure of himself. "we have no _maxims for monarchs_ in ozamaland." "pooh, ozamaland!" roger dismissed the whole country with a shrug of his wing. "a country as young and unimportant as that would probably know nothing about such matters." "you mean my country is not so old nor important as oz and this two-penny island of your fat master?" shouted tandy angrily. "of course not. why, it's not even been discovered, and whoever has been there?" demanded roger disdainfully. "take you, as its king, acting in this small up-country fashion--what can a fellow think? here--" shoving the book toward the disagreeable young monarch, the read bird urged him to look for himself. with a puzzled frown tandy reread the passage roger had just quoted. "well, even though your master is a king, you're not a king and neither is samuel salt," said tandy, looking at roger with some of his former arrogance. "oh, isn't he? well, just lay to this, young fellow," roger shook his claw under tandy's upturned nose. "samuel salt is captain of this ship, a knight and the royal discoverer of oz, which makes him seventy times as important as you, king pins. he not only is boss of the _crescent moon_, but he rules the sea, discovering countries for other kings to govern, and if it were not for samuel salt and people like him, there wouldn't be any kingdoms nor people like you to run them. see? as for me, i'm a royal read bird and wouldn't be a king for a minute. i can live my own life and go and come as i please." "then while i'm on this ship i'm not a king at all," said tandy wonderingly. "then what am i? what am i supposed to do?" the little boy looked puzzled and positively frightened. "why, you're supposed to act like a person, that is, if possible," sniffed roger, reaching over for his book and looking at tandy sideways down his bill. "what are you besides a king? what can you do that is useful or interesting?" "do, do?" tandy's voice rose shrilly. "why--er--why, i can draw pictures and ride an elephant." "good!" roger put up his claw to hide the grin that, in spite of his best efforts, began to spread round his bill. "well, there isn't much call for drawing or elephant riding on a ship, but you can draw water to swab the decks and i'll teach you to ride the yards and follow the crosstrees to the main topgallant mast in the blowingest blow that ever blowed. and depend upon it, young one, you'll have more fun as a person than you ever had as a king. there's no place for having fun like a ship!" "fun!" said tandy flatly and inquiringly. "what's that?" "tar and tobaccy jack! what are you tellin' me?" roger almost toppled off the sea chest. "do you mean to sit there like a dumb image and tell me you've never had any fun? never felt so bursting full of ginger and happiness you could sing or do a sailor's horn pipe?" "it is not seemly--" began the boy in a staid voice. "it is--" "seemly! great goosefeathers, are you alive or aren't you?" gasped roger. "what in paint did you do in that cussed country of yours before you got carried off and penned up like a pig in the jungle?" considering roger's question, tandy clasped and unclasped his hands nervously. "well, you must know," he began in a very grown-up voice, "the king of ozamaland is not allowed to mingle with the common people. in all things he is alone and set apart. so it was with my father and mother before they disappeared. so it is with me. furthermore, it being prophesied that i would be carried off by an aunt in the middle years of my youth, it was deemed expedient and necessary to keep me locked away from danger in the white tower of the wise men." "hurumph!" grunted the read bird, who had not heard so many long words since the voyage began. "and what did you do in this precious tower?" "i studied," sighed tandy, reclining wearily back on his pillows, "for there are many things a king must learn. but one hour of every evening i was permitted to walk about the garden on top of the tower and look down upon my kingdom. on very great occasions i was allowed to come out and ride the white elephant in the grand processions of state." "humph!" grunted roger again, looking at tandy with round dismayed eyes. "and with whom did you play?" he asked after a little silence. "play?" again tandy's voice was politely inquiring. "the word was _play_," insisted the read bird doggedly. "with whom did you run about, play tag, checkers, pirates or go fishing?" tandy looked confused and roger shook his head sorrowfully. "never heard of such things!" he exclaimed indignantly. "well, all i can say is, whoever carried you off and shut you up in that jungle cage did you a real service. if you had not been there we never would have found you and i'm here to tell you that from now on things are going to be different. you're discovered now and aboard the grandest ship afloat. you can forget all about being a king and start right in being a person and an able-bodied seaman. i for my part mean to see you have some fun or break a wing in the attempt." "but would a king--" "king! never let me hear that terrible word again," shuddered roger, sticking his head under his wing and then popping it comically out again. "from now on, you're plain tandy and can do as you plain please so long as it does no harm to yourself or the ship. understand? and tomorrow we'll start having fun, so be ready." roger's promise sounded almost like a threat, but there was such a merry twinkle in his eye, tandy began to feel interested. "you might even begin tonight," sniffed roger, taking up the tray. "just begin by thinking of something you want to do. think about it hard and then do it." winking cheerfully over the empty plates, the read bird spread his wings and sailed through the port. for several minutes tandy lay where he was, turning roger's last injunction over and over in his stiff, precise little mind. what did he really want to do? at first he could think of nothing. then suddenly he knew. why, of course--he wanted to talk to kobo and he just plain would. there was a frosted cake left from his supper, and slipping it into his blouse, tandy stepped quietly out on deck. the ship, with only a slight roll, was moving briskly through the water, white foam falling in lacy spray from her sides, the moon-white sails spread like giant wings above his head. there was no one in sight, and almost holding his breath, tandy tiptoed aft and leaned adventurously over the taffrail. "kobo--yo kobo!" he called huskily. "hello! i thought you'd be out soon." swinging round and turning her vast smile upward, the hippopotamus gazed fondly at her young charge. "are you comfortable? did you have a good dinner?" she asked anxiously. "yes, and look what i saved for you!" as he spoke, tandy glanced over his shoulder as if he were almost afraid to have anyone see him enjoying himself. "open your mouth, kobo!" he whispered eagerly. without hesitation or question the hippopotamus stretched her jaws wide and tandy with the first real thrill of his life flung the frosted cake into that immense pink cavern. as kobo neatly caught and snapped her lips on the tempting morsel tandy let out a faint cheer and began to think there might be something in roger's suggestions after all. "i'll throw you lots of things tomorrow," he promised gaily. "good night, kobo. good night, kobo dear." humming a tuneless little song, the young king hurried almost cheerfully back to his cabin. pausing in the doorway of his tidy quarters, he looked about complacently. what did he want to do next? there was no one to tell him to go to bed, so he just plain wouldn't. he'd sit up as late as he plain pleased. rummaging through peter's sea chest, which ato had placed near his bunk, tandy found a large tablet of stiff paper, a box of paints and some crayons. settling himself cross-legged on his bunk, he began drawing, not pictures of the castles and courtiers of ozamaland, but pictures of the queer jungle beasts and leopard men he had seen on patrippany island. when roger, on first watch, called out eight bells, he saw tandy's light still burning, and flying down to investigate, found his new pupil fast asleep in the middle of his masterpieces. the whole bunk was covered with bright drawings and pictures and even to roger's inexperienced eye they seemed excellently done. so, carefully the read bird stowed them in the sea chest, then, without bothering to waken or undress the little king, he covered him with a light blanket and went quietly from the cabin. chapter sea legs for tandy "if what roger tells us is so, little sauce box yonder has had a pretty dull life," said ato as he and the captain sat finishing their breakfast next morning. "lucky for him we happened along and anyway, the hippopotamus will be good company, eh, samuel? she seems downright sensible and jolly. reminds me of pigasus and i suppose she does belong to the pig family when you come to think of it." "well, she's a pretty big pig if she does," laughed samuel salt, swallowing his coffee with gusty relish. "pretty big any way you take her. personally, i like the animal, but the king and son of a king's son! pah! reminds me of peter, he's so different, and the sooner we reach ozamaland and set him ashore, the better. meals in his own cabin. hoh!" "oh, give him time," drawled ato, helping himself a second time to fried potatoes. "if there's any good in the lad, a sea voyage will bring it out, and what chance has he had shut up in a tower for ten years and in a cage for five months? though how an aunt managed to have him carried so far and why she left him with those savages in the jungle i can't get through my head at all." "maybe it was a gi-ant," whistled roger, swooping down on ato's plump shoulder and flapping his wings cheerfully. "how far do you figure it is to ozamaland, master salt?" "well, that i couldn't just say," answered samuel in a milder voice. pushing back his chair, he stepped over to the map on the west wall. "maybe a thousand leagues or so from patrippany island, maybe more, in a line east by sou'east from ev. if that is so, we're bound to bump into it sometime, as i've set my course east by sou'east, and anyway it's all in the year's sailing." samuel bent over with pride to examine the newest island discovery he had marked on the chart the evening before. "and when we do come to it," he announced firmly, "we'll trade this useless young one for some of those flying snakes and creeping birds, eh, mates?" "if we bring any more animals aboard we might as well set up an ark and be done with it," warned ato, shaking his fork at the captain. "by the way, how's sally this morning?' "tiptopsails!" grinned samuel. "she eats nothing but hot air and water and is no more trouble than a hair in a flea's whisker. i can carry her round in my pipe when i want company. now there's a lass for you!" "well, i'll just see to nikobo, for she's the girl for me," retorted ato, rolling briskly out of his seat. "i saved all the potato peelings from last night, and that, with a dozen cans of peas, corn, carrots and beets, should stay her appetite till lunch time." "forty cans at one swallow," groaned roger, clapping a claw to his head in mock dismay. "she'll eat us out of ship and home at this rate. can't you think of something else, king dear? a nice wind pudding or a tub of sea soup sprinkled with faggots." "oh, go along with you," roared ato, and picking up his precious coffee pot, he waddled cheerfully off to his storeroom. the day was bright and breezy and the _crescent moon_ going free, breasted the waves like a white-winged sea witch. it was such a morning that even tandy, peering inquiringly from his cabin, felt an uncontrollable impulse to slide down the deck. so he did, coming up smartly by roger, who was perched on the rail. "that's it! that's it! now you're catching on," approved the read bird, hopping cheerfully from one foot to the other. "now match your step to the sea's roll, sonny, get into her rhythm. you've got to breathe with the ship to carry your rations on a voyage. watch the captain, there, and do as he does," finished roger as samuel salt left his cabin and came striding aft. "rather watch you!" exclaimed tandy, who sensed the captain's dislike. uneasily he moved a little nearer the read bird. "all right, come on then!" shouted roger, heading recklessly for the foremast. "ever climb a tree?" tandy shook his head, looking with deep misgiving into the maze of sail and rigging above. but roger was already aloft and beckoning for him to follow. "not that way, brainless!" scolded roger anxiously as tandy, gritting his teeth, made a desperate leap upward. "see those rope ladders by the rail? put your feet in the ratlins, boy, and come along hand over hand. it's easy as flying once you get the swing of it. there, that's better! come on! come on! don't stop! don't look down." so up--up and up the narrow rope ladders toiled tandy, till roger, growing impatient, seized his collar and helped him straddle the crosstree of the fore t'gallant mast. "ahoy! and isn't this better than riding an elephant?" beamed roger, winking a knowing eye. "ahoy, this is fun and no fooling." seeing tandy was too dizzy and breathless to talk for a moment, roger cheerfully set himself to teach the young ozamander a bit about ships and sailing. soon tandy was so interested he forgot the leap and plunge of the ship, the rattle and creak of the cordage and his own precarious perch in the foremast. "the _crescent moon_," began roger with an impressive jerk of his head, "is a square rigged three-masted sailing vessel. normally 'twould take from sixty to eighty men in a crew to set and make sail and bring her about in a blow. but samuel salt has magic sail controls, so we three manage quite easily, and now that you are here and the handy hippopotamus below 'twill be easier still. the mast we're riding is the foremast. the mast second from the bow, as we call the front of the ship, is the mainmast, and the mast at the back or, as we salt water birds say, the stern of the boat, is the mizzenmast. and now for the sails." roger took a deep breath. "those below, beginning from the bottom up, are the course, the topsail, the topgallant sail, the royal and the sky sail. and don't forget!" roger wagged his claw sternly. "before each sail you must put the name of the mast to which it is attached. as, for instance, this ahead of us is the fore-topgallant sail. see? and everything to the left of the ship's center we say is on the port side and anything to the right is on the starboard." "then tell me why is the water on the port side bluer than the water on the starboard?" asked tandy, who had been listening very solemnly as he tried to fix all of these strange sea terms in his head. "bravo!" cried roger. "right the first time, mate. and the water is bluer on the port side of the vessel because it is saltier. the bluer the saltier," declared roger, who, besides his first voyage with the _crescent moon_, had read all the sea books in ato's library and was simply crammed with deep sea facts and information. "and what is more," he continued, pursing his bill mysteriously, "we're sailing in a magic circle never knowing what may pop up over the edge. a ship? an island? a hurricane? or even a fabulous monster! that's what makes sea voyaging so glorious, and sailing so much fun!" tandy, staring at the empty circle of blue falling away from the ship on all sides, nodded dreamily. the white city--patrippany island--all his former life and existence seemed unreal and far away and he hoped in his heart of hearts the _crescent moon_ would not reach his native shores for many a long gay day. as roger said, being a person _was_ fun. "m--mm!" roger sniffed suddenly. "wonder what ato's cooking? smells like taffy. i'll bet a ship's biscuit we're going to have a candy pull." "a candy pull!" exclaimed tandy, taking a furious sniff himself. "what is that?" as roger started in to explain about candy pulls, a large green column shot up on the skyline, a column so surprising and shocking in appearance tandy felt positively stunned. "oh, look! look!" he screamed, grabbing roger's wing. "there's something now. oh, roger, what fun! what terrible fun!" "fun?" roger spun round like a weather cock in a gale. "fun?" he repeated, stretching out his neck as far as it would go and a few inches besides. "oh, my best bill and feathers. that's not fun--that's a sea-serpent. help! help! deck ahoy! 'hoy! 'hoy! below! king! captain! ato! sammy! samu-el!" as if calling them not only by their titles but by their names would increase the number of the ship's officers and crew, roger tugged wildly at tandy's arm. "below! below! all hands below," shrilled the read bird. "cover all ports and batten the hatches!" urged on by roger, tandy, still more interested than frightened, descended rapidly to the main deck. at roger's cries, ato had run out with a pan of bubbling molasses in one hand and his trusty bread knife in the other. right behind him stood samuel salt, his eye pressed to his largest spyglass. "well, tar and tarry barrels!" exclaimed the captain exultantly. "why, this is a sea serpent second to none, the finest example of a marine ophidian i've ever met in all my voyages!" "oh, fiddlesticks!" blustered ato, shaking him angrily by the arm. "are you a captain or a collector? quick, now, make up your mind before your ship is crunched down like a cracker and we're all swallowed up with the crumbs. quick, sammy! for the love of salt mackerel, do something!" squeezing himself between the cook and the captain, tandy saw that there were now three immense shiny curves showing above the water, and with scarcely a splash the tremendous monster was moving toward the ship. then suddenly it was upon them, and its huge horrid unbelievable head came curling far over the bow of the _crescent moon_. "avast and belay! avast and belay, you villain!" yelled samuel salt, dropping his spyglass and grasping his blunderbuss while roger beat his wings together like castanets and screamed like a fire siren. tandy, rather frightened himself, and not knowing what else to do, fell flat on his stomach and pulling a pad from his blouse, began making a quick and frantic sketch of the dreadful sea beast. its body was leagues long and yards through, the head was large as a whole elephant with a long curling silver tongue and darting green fangs. but it was the teeth that made even the stout heart of ato hammer against his ribs. each tooth of this singular sea serpent was a live white goblin brandishing a long spear. leaning far out of the yawning mouth, they screamed, hissed and yelled at the defenseless company below. the next forward thrust of the monster brought its head curling right down among them. this so startled tandy he could neither move nor scream. samuel fired his blunderbuss so fast and furiously it sounded like a dozen guns, but it was ato who really saved the day and his shipmates. with calm and deadly precision, the ship's cook flung the pan of still bubbling molasses straight into the cavernous mouth. screaming with surprise, pain and fury, the monster clamped its jaws together, and finding them stuck fast on the taffy, fell writhing back into the sea, dashing and slashing its head under water to ease the burn and setting the _crescent moon_ to dancing like a cocklebur. but the taffy, hardened by contact with the cold water, stuck faster than ever, and unable to bite and scarcely able to breathe, the discomfited sea monster backed away from the ship and went slithering and thrashing away toward the skyline. "well, there goes our candy pull!" sighed roger, falling in a limp heap to ato's shoulder. "nice work! nice work, king dear. there's a certain touch about your fighting that is well nigh irresistible." "mains'ls and tops'ls! you certainly pulled a trick that time!" puffed samuel salt, picking up his spyglass to have a last look at his lovely specimen. "you saved us and the ship, that time, mate. my bullets rattled off its hide like hailstones off a roof." "pooh! just happened to have the taffy handy," answered ato, looking rather regretfully into the empty pot. "here, child, run back and tell kobo everything's all right." the ship's cook pulled tandy quickly to his feet. "just listen to her squealing. the poor lass is probably frightened out of her skin." as tandy started aft on a run, ato picked up the sketch he had made of the monster. "ahoy and what's this?" he panted. "what did i tell you, sammy? look, the boy's drawn as lively a picture of that varmint as you'd ever hope to paste in a scrap book. here it is--tail, teeth and everything!" "mean to say he drew that while we were all standing here ready to perish and go down with the ship? hah! that's what i call bravery in action!" exclaimed samuel. "and goosewing my topsails! if the young lubber can draw like this he'll be a monstrous help to us, mates. why, i'll make him cabin boy and royal artist of the expedition with extra rations and pay." "hurray! and i'll tell him," puffed roger, spreading his wings gleefully. "hi, king! hi, tandy! ho, tandy! you've been promoted from king to cabin boy and royal drawer of animals and islands and extry rations and pay!" nikobo was as pleased as tandy at her little charge's rise to favor, and after they had both listened in rapt silence to roger's news, tandy told her how ato had routed the sea serpent. meanwhile, roger had carried all the sketches tandy had made of the leopard men and patrippany island to the main cabin. samuel's delight and enthusiasm at having such spirited and authentic records of the lost tribe and strange animals on patrippany island knew no bounds. he beamed on tandy so kindly and approvingly next time they met, the little boy felt warm and jolly all the way down to his heels. roger had already explained his new duties to him and when ato sounded the gong for dinner tandy was the first to answer. but when he started to pass the vegetables and wait on the table, the captain gruffly pushed him into a chair. "all equals here," roared samuel, slapping him affectionately on the shoulder. "you've earned your place and your salt, sonny, and we'll all help ourselves and each other." tilting back his chair and keeping time with his teacup, samuel began to sing lustily: "blow high--blow low-- 'tis a salt sea life for me-- with a good ship's crew i'll sail the blue with a good ship going free--eeeh--eeeh! with a good ship going free!" almost before he knew it, tandy was singing, too. chapter the city of bridges the days that followed always seemed to tandy the happiest he had known. he wondered now how he had ever endured his long, tedious, pent-up life in ozamaland. there was so much to see and do on a ship, the hours were not half long enough. being a full-fledged member of the crew, he took his turn on watch, his trick at the wheel, and had besides other duties on deck. after a bit of practice he could scramble aloft like a monkey and liked nothing so much as perching in the rigging looking far out to sea. the read bird had fastened a special rope to the mizzenmast so that tandy could swing out and drop down on nikobo's raft, and much of his free time was spent with the faithful hippopotamus. sea life agreed enormously with nikobo, especially since ato had solved the largest item of her diet. noting the tangled mass of seaweed often floating by on the surface of the sea, the clever cook let down the ship's nets daily. the seaweed, crisp, tender and green, was dragged on deck where roger and tandy went carefully through it, removing all crabs, small fish and sea shells which seriously disagreed with the hippopotamus. a huge hamper full was lowered to her every evening and with this plentiful supply of green food, with the bread and delicious vegetable scraps ato saved from the table, nikobo fared better than she had on the island. the largest tub on the boat served as a drinking cup and this tandy kept full by playing down the hose from the deck, giving her a daily shower of fresh water at the same time. so, lacking nothing in interest or comfort, nikobo enjoyed herself hugely and to the fullest extent. on calm mornings, with the _crescent moon_ hove to, all hands would go swimming. nikobo loved to swim and to roll over and over like a mighty porpoise, even though the salt water made her eyes sting. since tandy had given samuel the drawings of the leopard men, the ship's captain could not do enough for his young cabin boy, and among other things had made a rope harness for nikobo so tandy could hang on when he perched upon her slippery back. at first he had been satisfied to ride nikobo, but after several days he was splashing recklessly with the others and samuel had taught him all the swimming strokes he knew and had tandy diving over and under the hippopotamus in a way to make roger scream with envy and approval. swimming was the only part of a sea voyage the read bird could not really enjoy, but he was always on hand to give advice, roosting on nikobo's head so long as she stayed above water and taking hurriedly to his wings when she mischievously tried to dunk him. the hippopotamus made a really splendid raft when they tired of swimming, and ato, who did not care for water sports so much as samuel or tandy, fished for hours from her back, his feet hooked through the ropes of her harness to keep him from falling into the sea. the only thing tandy regretted was nikobo's great size and that she could not come aboard ship and join them in the cabin. on cool evenings he and ato and the captain (roger preferring to take first watch) would sit cozily round the fire listening to the stories samuel told them of the days when he had been a pirate and roamed up and down the nonestic, capturing the ships and treasure of all the powerful island monarchs. tandy never tired of these thrilling sea battles nor of watching samuel salt's pet fire lizard. sally was now so tame she would allow any one of them to pick her up. they had to be careful not to hold her against their clothing, however, for though sally did not burn the fingers, she set fire to whatever she touched. indeed, whenever they wanted a fire in the grate, they had only to place the salamander on the kindlings beneath the logs and a cheery flame would blaze up instantly. it was in the fireplace sally took most of her exercise, racing and scittering over the glowing logs or rolling happily in the red hot embers. but most of her time she spent curled up in samuel salt's pipe, and it was always a surprise to tandy to see her comical head pop up over the edge of the bowl or hear her chirping and purring to herself from her cozy bed of tobacco leaves. some evenings, when ato was trying out new recipes in the galley, tandy and samuel would descend to the hold to look over the plants from patrippany island, try to figure out the script on the piece of lava, and sort and arrange samuel's shell collection. every day after the nets were drawn up there were new specimens to classify and label. the drawing tandy had made of the sea lion and all the pictures of the leopard men and beasts on patrippany island, samuel had framed and hung above his shelves so that the hold was looking more and more like a scientific laboratory every day. "do you suppose we'll ever find anything large enough to put in those big cages and aquariums?" asked tandy one night as he pasted a pink label on a fluted conch shell. "sure's eight bells!" murmured samuel salt comfortably. "no telling what'll turn up on a voyage like this. personally i've set my heart on a roc's egg, but setting the heart on a roc's egg won't hatch one out, ho, ho! no, no! but, on the other hand, one never can tell and we've had a week of such fine and pleasant days, i look for something to happen any moment now, so you'd better put up your paste pot and turn in, my lad, so we'll all be ready for the morning." "well, what would you do with a roc's egg?" inquired tandy, reluctantly clapping the top on his bottle of glue. "aren't they terribly big and terribly scarce, captain salt?" "terribly!" admitted samuel salt, placing his tray of lamp shells back on their stand. "but a newly laid roc's egg is as rare as a mermaid's foot, and no larger than one small tar barrel. now if we could just get a newly laid roc's egg aboard and find some way to preserve it, why, well and good, if we didn't find a way and it hatched before we landed, it could easily fly off with us and the ship, for that's how big a bird a roc is. but i'll take a chance if i ever find a roc's egg and there's an island somewhere in these waters where rocs are known to nest. rock island it's called, and a roc's nest would be something to see, eh, kinglet?" "please don't call me that," begged tandy earnestly. "roger says i don't have to be a king on this ship and i like not being a king." "ha! ha! and i like you that way myself," roared samuel, tossing tandy suddenly to his shoulder. "why, since you've stopped this king and son of a kinging, you're a seaman after my own heart, and so long as the _crescent moon's_ afloat you've a berth on her! up with you! up with you! tomorrow's another day." swinging gaily to the main deck, samuel tumbled tandy into his bunk and went striding aft to take in his main and mizzen topsails. next morning, while he and ato were cutting up potatoes for nikobo, tandy was not surprised to hear a loud hail from above. something had happened just as samuel had predicted. running out with a paring knife still in his hand, he saw a strange glittering mountainous island abaft the beam. it was still a goodish sea mile away, but with the glasses ato generously pressed upon him tandy made out the most curious bit of geography the eyes of a voyager had yet gazed on. there was not a piece of level ground on the island anywhere. its high, glittering, needle-like peaks rose straight out of the sea with apparently no way of ascending or descending. of clear crystal, reflecting every color of the rainbow, the beautiful island was almost too dazzling to look at as it lay shimmering and sparkling in the bright sunshine. as they sailed nearer, tandy saw that a perfect maze of high and airy bridges ran like a gigantic spider web between the peaks. on these bridges all the island's life and activities seemed to take place. quaint fluted cottages were built in the center, and along the perilous catwalks on either side raced the mountaineers themselves, brandishing glittering poles and spears and halberds. "pikes on the peak! pikes on the peak! port your helm, sammy," roared ato. "not too close! not too near, sam-u-el. how'd you like to be pinned to the mast with a spear or flattened on the deck with a boulder?" "ah, now, they're just excited!" answered samuel salt, squinting curiously up at the bridgemen, but nikobo, with her short legs resting on the top rail of her raft, squealed out a dolorous warning. "fighters! fighters! these pikers look savager than the leopard men. best back away, master captain, while there's still time." "oh, look! look! there's a ship on the mountain," cried tandy, jerking samuel's sleeve, "right there where that torrent comes down between the bridges, a three-master, larger than the _crescent moon_." "then it's a battle!" boomed samuel, bringing his helm hard around. "stand by to man the guns. 'hoy, all hands, 'hoy!" while his shipmates sprang to attention, samuel darted from mast to mast, touching the buttons on his sail controls. "aye de aye oh lay!" the shrill unexpected cry came from the highest bridge on the island, and was immediately taken up and repeated by all the pikemen on the lower bridges. it resulted in such a mad medley of yodels that ato clapped both hands to his ears and nikobo plunged her head in her drinking tub. "not only fighters, but singers!" grunted ato, swinging the port gun into an upright position. "beef, beans and barley bread! what a rumpus!" tandy, who with roger had charge of the other gun, could not help but admire the calm way samuel salt ignored the dreadful outcry from the bridges. whether the pikes of the islanders could be flung down upon them was still a question, but as tandy looked anxiously aloft, he saw the great white-sailed ship of the mountain men sweeping toward the torrent. it paused for a breathless instant on the top and then came rushing down upon them. they were right in the path of the descending vessel which would strike them with such force both ships would surely be demolished. "i am a king's son and the son of a king's son," shuddered tandy, gritting his teeth and waiting desperately for the order to fire. "i can bear anything." "not this! not this!" chattered roger, sliding wildly up and down the shiny cannon. "it will shiver your timbers--it will shiver all of our timbers. what in salt ails the captain? why doesn't he give the order to fire and pepper these rascals before they reach us? oh, oh! oh--hh!" but the only orders that came from the captain were for nikobo. "overboard, lassie! dive off! quick, now, and swim for your life," bawled samuel salt, waving both arms frantically at the hippopotamus. as nikobo with a frightened squeal let down the back rail of her pen and slid into the sea, tandy felt a quiver and jerk through the whole length of the _crescent moon_. glancing aloft, he saw a strange change in the sails. where before they had been sturdy single stretches of canvas, they were now great swelling balloon sails, each a perfect air-filled sphere. as the ship from the mountain with an angry swish catapulted down from the torrent into the sea, the _crescent moon_ rose buoyantly into the air, allowing the enemy craft to shoot harmlessly beneath her bow. "what in monday!" gasped ato, flinging both arms round the cannon. "what in monday are you up to now? how'd we do this? stop! stop! i'm no flier. no higher! no higher! do you intend to impale us on yonder peaks?" samuel salt, hanging desperately to the wheel, made no reply and as the ship, dipping and swaying, soared higher and higher the deafening yodels of the bridgemen ceased abruptly. "wha--wha--where are you heading?" demanded roger, spreading his wings in order to keep his balance on the sloping deck. "you never told us you had balloon sails, master salt." "ahoy, but we never needed them before!" panted samuel. "look sharp below, roger. tell me whether i'm over that lake or basin. look sharp, mind you, or we'll come to grief yet." "aye, aye!" quavered the read bird, dropping obediently over the side. "it all looks sharp to me." "mean to say you're coming down in the middle of these pikes, peaks and bridges?" moaned ato, holding his head with both hands. "avast and belay, mate, i signed up for a sea voyage and not a balloon ride. the altitude's got you, sammy, that's what. you've air holes in your head. how do you expect the four of us to conquer this whole pesky peaky island? how could we even take half of them?" "by surprise," announced samuel salt grimly. "we'll take them by surprise. look, they're too surprised to even yodel. fetch up the oz flags, tandy, and all hands aft for further orders." "aft and daft!" choked ato, hanging on to the rail as he made his way toward the wheel. when tandy came hurrying up from the hold, his arms full of oz flags, the _crescent moon_ hung directly over the glittering island. roger fluttered anxiously just below calling up hoarse information as to the size, possible depth and shape of the sparkling blue lake between the peaks. listening carefully to roger's directions, samuel deflated his balloon sails so skillfully the _crescent moon_ came down lightly as a swan in the exact center of the lake. above and around the ship on all sides hung the glittering spans of a beautiful bridge city, and in stunned silence and dismay the bridgemen looked down on the flying ship and its curious crew. "ahoy and hail, men of the mountain!" challenged samuel in a ringing voice. "you are now part and parcel of the great kingdom of oz, free as before to govern yourselves, but from this day and henceforth on, an island possession and colony under the protection and puissant rule of her majesty queen ozma of oz!" "oz! ozay oz oh lay?" the cry came from the tallest and most splendid of the islanders, who was standing with folded arms on the lacy span connecting the two highest peaks on the mountain. chapter the prince of the peaks the cry, though loud, was no longer defiant, and tandy with a little gasp of relief saw the mountaineers on all the bridges bring their pikes to rest beside them and gaze aloft for further orders. "i am alberif, prince of the peaks," stated the man on the highest bridge, looking coolly down at samuel salt. "but you--you who come in this flying ship to conquer the island of peakenspire, who are you?" "ato, the eighth, king of the octagon isles, sir samuel salt, captain of the _crescent moon_ and royal explorer of oz, tazander tazah, king of ozamaland, and myself a royal read bird," shouted roger before any of the others had time to speak for themselves. the prince of the peaks, tall and splendid in his shining coat and breeches of silver cloth, his broad-brimmed hat with its quill and rosette of wild flowers, looked so much more impressive than anyone aboard the _crescent moon_, tandy half expected him to laugh at roger's boastful announcements. but instead, alberif, leaning far out over his royal bridge, looked down at them long and seriously. "two kings, a royal discoverer, a flying ship and a read bird! hi de aye de oh!" whistled the handsome monarch, shaking his head ruefully. "no wonder we were captured. what then are your terms, kings, captain, bird and conquerors?" "not conquerors, comrades," called up samuel salt in his hearty voice. "only by your own wish, agreement and consent shall ye come under the rule of oz. if your highness could but descend from yon royal bridge to this ship, everything can be arranged both peaceably and pleasantly." "'ware, alberif! 'ware, alberif!" yodeled the pikemen on the lower bridges. "once aboard that ship eeee-ip! we may never see you again eeeeee-yen!" "oh, nonsense!" blustered samuel salt impatiently. "i give you my word as a pirate and a seaman no harm shall come to you on the _crescent moon_." the prince stood lost in thought for a moment, then tapping his long alpenstock sharply he issued a high yodeled command. from the bridgehead an immense basket swooped down. the prince seated himself gravely in the basket and with three men manipulating the ropes made a swift and dizzy descent to the deck of the _crescent moon_. while samuel and roger welcomed the tall and lordly ruler of the mountain isle, ato hurried off to the galley to prepare some suitable refreshments for his entertainment. tandy, after samuel had introduced him, began making careful sketches of the handsome prince, of the lovely city of bridges and of the pikemen, who still looked with suspicion and distrust upon the ship that had taken the place of their own. "how about that basket?" whispered roger, who had come out to help ato in the galley. "how'd you like to be hoisted and lowered like a sail? and for salt's sake, king dear, dust the flour off your nose and put on your crown, or this fellow will think you're king of the cookies and doughnuts." "ha, ha! when he's tasted my plum cake he'll not think it, he'll know it!" puffed ato, bustling happily from cupboard to cupboard. "bring out the best tumblers and silver plates, fetch up a dozen bottles of my famous sea-pop from the hold and we'll have this island in our pocket before you can say oz robinson!" when ato with one tray and roger with another came out, they found the captain and the prince of the peaks striding up and down the deck in the friendliest conversation imaginable. matched in height and handsomeness, the two were discussing with lively interest everything from ships and governments to the strange limestone that formed the crystalline rocks of alberif's island. later, seated around the table with tandy and roger passing plum cake and sea-pop, the prince grew friendlier and more confidential still. "we've never been conquered before," admitted his majesty with a puzzled smile, "but really i find it both interesting and enjoyable." "just a matter of chance and luck," said samuel salt with a modest wave of his hand. "had i not had balloon sails on the _crescent moon_, your ship would have cut us clean in two before we had time to put about." "that is what i always planned would happen to an enemy craft," sighed alberif. "naturally our own ship, the _mountain lass_, would have been destroyed too, but we could easily have built another. that is what we'll have to do anyway, as we'll never be able to haul her up the torrent." "don't you do it," begged samuel salt, looking earnestly at the mountain monarch. "i'll send you a set of balloon sails as soon as i reach elbow island. the red jinn presented me with two sets and i'll be delighted to send you one. once they're set, you can fly up as easily as we did and be ready for all and sundry, even us if we come again." "come and welcome!" beamed alberif, looking in some surprise at sally, who had just lifted her head above the rim of samuel's pipe bowl. "but tell me, what am i to do now that i am conquered? surely something is required of us?" "nothing! nothing at all!" samuel spoke earnestly and admiringly. "this island and your men are in fine shape and a great credit to you, so just go on as you are, but from this time forth you'll be in contact with the famous and most modern fairyland in history, and if you are ever beset by enemies, you can call upon oz for assistance or help. in time, fruit, foodstuffs, books and merchandise will arrive from oz, and in return you may send back some of the sparkling crystals composing these mountains. you might even invite a band of settlers from oz to come and live as your loyal subjects here." "gladly! gladly!" agreed the prince, his eyes sparkling at the prospect. "we have many uninhabited peaks and spires and could easily accommodate a thousand new bridge builders. come with me, all of you, to skytop tower and we'll run up the flag of oz and sign a pledge of allegiance to her majesty queen ozma. aye de aye oh lay!" running out on deck, alberif joyously beckoned to the men who operated the traveling basket, inviting them all to enter. ato, who had no intention of trusting his two hundred and fifty pounds to this strange conveyance, shook the prince regretfully by the hand. "i'll just watch it all from here," said the ship's cook firmly. "i've pie to cook, potatoes to peel and dinner to stir up for all hands and a hippopotamus, so, if you'll kindly excuse me--" the prince looked a little disappointed, but cheered up as samuel, roger and tandy followed him into the basket. "haul away!" yelled samuel salt, winking at ato, and to the shrill tune of a ringing round of yodels their curious elevator rose from the deck, spun merrily up to the twin peaks and highest bridge of alberif's mountain. used as he was to the tall masts and lofty rigging of the _crescent moon_, tandy felt sick and giddy as the basket swooped and swung upward. but it came down safely at last and at sight of the shining spans of the lacy city spread out below, and the glittering castle rising from the royal bridge, tandy forgot all his uneasiness. with a little whistle of surprise and interest he followed samuel and alberif into the royal dwelling, while roger flew off on a little exploring expedition of his own. roger knew all about castles and was much more interested in the many windowed, fluted cottages of the yodelers. ato, watching from the deck of the _crescent moon_, presently saw the flag of oz fluttering from the top turret of the castle tower and with a little sigh of relief and pride he gathered up the empty pop bottles and padded off to his galley. soon oz flags floated from the posts on all the bridgeheads, adding much to the gaiety and beauty of alberif's city. from the royal bridge tandy and samuel had a splendid view, and of his many experiences tandy always remembered best the afternoon spent on peakenspire. alberif was a merry as well as an interesting host, explaining everything from the strange traveling baskets to the age-old customs and treasures of the islanders. in the baskets the islanders could travel from bridge to bridge and down to the sea itself when they wished to go fishing. there was little soil between the rocks, but such soil as there was, was so amazingly fertile, each family could raise all the fruit and vegetables required in one small window box. after long experimentation and culture, alberif's ancestors had perfected two curious vines. on one vegetables grew in rapid rotation, potatoes following peas, corn following potatoes, carrots following corn, beets following carrots, cabbages, lima beans and spinach after the beets. the vine never withered or died and by cutting off the top every day the islanders were assured of a continuous supply of fresh vegetables. the fruit vine was of the same variety, furnishing every known berry, fruit and melon. each family was given two of these vines and thus had very little worry about food supplies. birds, something of a cross between wild ducks and chickens, made their nests in the craggy peaks, and with their eggs and a plentiful supply of fish and other sea food the islanders fared splendidly. the bridgemen were tall, blue eyed, handsome and happy. men and women alike wore short trousers and blouses of silver cloth and carried pikes that served both as weapons and alpenstocks. the bridges, while delicate as fine lace in construction, were supple and strong as steel. the material mined from the mountains themselves was like silver and crystal combined, a new strong and glittering metal, samples of which samuel happily thrust into his pocket. "sounds like magic," said tandy, who had been listening closely to alberif's description of life on peakenspire. "it _is_ magic of a kind," answered the prince with a pleased little nod. "and the air here is so light and sparkling we never tire, grow old or have illness of any kind, so that my people are always light hearted and happy, spending most of their time in dancing and singing." "i see," murmured samuel salt, "er--and hear," he added quickly as the wild, joyous cries of alberif's yodelers made every window in the palace rattle. "i'll certainly make a note of all this and report peakenspire island to queen ozma as the most interesting discovery of the voyage." "i am highly honored!" alberif bowed stiffly. "highly honored! hi dee aye de oh--hhhhh!" jumping into the air, the prince of the peaks kicked his heels together from sheer exuberance. "wait," he told them cheerfully, "and i'll get you some fruit and vegetable vines to take back with you." tandy and samuel could not help grinning as alberif rushed off. to tell the truth, there was something so light and exhilarating about the mountain air they found it difficult to walk calmly themselves. as the prince returned samuel felt a loud and uncontrollable yodel rising in his own throat, and seizing tandy's arm, he bade alberif a hasty and hearty adieu. bidding him keep a sharp lookout for the airships from oz, and loaded down with crystals and vines, the two explorers climbed into the basket and were swung swiftly down to the deck of the _crescent moon_. roger, flying under his own power and yodeling like a native, arrived soon after. with oz flags flying from all bridges and the mountaineers calling out rousing and melodious farewells, samuel inflated his balloon sails and the ship soared gracefully aloft, circled the island three times and then dropped lightly down upon the surface of the sea. the _mountain lass_ in charge of alberif's husky crew lay just off shore and there she would have to stay till samuel sent a set of balloon sails to lift her back to the lake among the peaks. nikobo, who'd been swimming anxiously round and round, gave a bellow of relief as she spied the _crescent moon_. "i thought you'd been captured and destroyed!" wheezed the hippopotamus, scrambling hastily aboard her raft. "next time you fly off, take me aboard or give me a balloon sail too. i'm so full of salt water i'm perfectly pickled and somebody'll have to scrape the barnacles off my hide." "but we've brought you a present," called tandy, leaning far over the taffrail, "a vegetable vine that will keep you supplied with fresh vegetables as long as we're at sea. see! deeee aye dee oh!" "avast and balaydeeaye!" barked samuel salt grimly. "let's get away from here. this is no way for able-bodied seamen to talk." rushing from wheel to mast, he quickly set his sail. "ahoy! ahoy dee oy dee oh!" he yodelled, then, very red in the face, he blew three shrill blasts on his fog horn, swung his ship about and the _crescent moon_, with a spanking breeze on her quarter, went skimming away toward the southern skyline. chapter fog the evening had blown up raw and cold, and after carrying an old tarpaulin down to cover nikobo, tandy had come shivering back to the main cabin. samuel salt had close reefed his topsails and double reefed his courses, adjusted his mechanical steering gear, and now sat beside the fire examining a heap of the glittering crystals from alberif's island. "just sketch peakenspire island on the chart, there where i've made the cross," he directed, looking up with an absent smile as the little boy came over to warm himself at the cheerful blaze. "you're such a hand with a brush, even in so small a place you can give a good idea of the city of bridges." "and a good idea they are," murmured ato, who was busy mending his fishing nets on the other side of the fireplace. "in every port we learn something new, eh, mate? all mountains, no matter how high and peaked, could be lived on if they were properly bridged." "true, quite true," agreed samuel, squinting contentedly through his magnifying glass, while tandy began sketching in the latest discovery on the sea chart. "i've written it all up in my journal and put down peakenspire island as able to accommodate a thousand settlers from oz and as an especially good place for poets." "provided they are deaf," put in ato, looking comically over his specs, "aye dee aye dee oh! while you fellows were aloft i got to yodeling so fast and furious i blew all the sauce pans off their hooks." "yes, that _is_ one disadvantage," admitted samuel, glancing approvingly at tandy's picture of alberif's island, "but never mind, we don't have to live there, and think of the splendid specimens we've brought away, mates!" samuel ran his fingers lovingly through the heap of crystals and strands of metal alberif had given him. "and those fruit and vegetable vines will provision us for the whole voyage." "they're a great comfort to _me_, i assure you," muttered ato, holding up his net to the light to see whether there were any more holes. "now i know kobo will never starve. i put a vegetable vine in a box on her raft and that leaves two for us, two for ozma, and maybe tandy would like to take the other two home with him?" "home?" tandy swung round in positive dismay. "oh--we're not near ozamaland yet, are we, captain?" his voice sounded so dismal samuel salt threw down his magnifying glass with a roar of merriment. "shiver my timbers, lad, one would think you did not wish to reach ozamaland at all," he blustered teasingly. "what's the matter with that country of yours? you wouldn't keep an honest explorer from adding a creeping bird and a flying reptile to his collection, now would ye?" "no! no! of course not," answered tandy quickly. "but perhaps it is farther away than you think, master salt, and perhaps the greys have conquered the whites and then i won't be king any more." "what's this? what's this?" ato lifted his nose like an old hound that has just scented a fox, for he loved a good story even better than he loved a good meal. "who are the greys and whites, my lad? you never told us anything about this." "there's really not much to tell," sighed tandy, seating himself on a small stool before the fire. "in the first place, i suppose you know that the great continent of tarara is divided into two large long countries? ozamaland is on the east coast and amaland on the west coast." "now i'll just make a note of that," said samuel salt, leaning over to pull his journal toward him. "my country," went on tandy slowly, "is made up largely of desert and jungle, best known for its white elephants and camels and the famous white city of om, first king and ruler of the kingdom. the zamas are fierce and still wild tribesmen living in tents on the desert and in huts in the jungle. only the thousand nobles and their families who live in the white city have been taught to read and write and live under roofs. that is why the kings of ozamaland are so well guarded and never allowed out of the capital." "then i'd rather be a tribesman," sniffed ato, letting his nets drop in a heap around his feet. "but there's no choice," said tandy thoughtfully. "the nine ozamandarins who make the laws have decreed that the king shall remain in the white city." "well, what about these whites and greys?" asked samuel salt, pulling out his pipe and leaning down close to the fire so sally could light it for him. "my people, because they dress in white robes and turbans, are known as the whites, and the amas, the rough plainsmen who rove the long ranges of amaland, are the greys. the amas care for nothing but their swift grey horses and often charge over the border to make war on my countrymen. then the whites, mounted on their white elephants and camels, have all they can do to hold their own." "aha, that's what i'd call a real battle!" exclaimed ato, his eyes snapping with enthusiasm and interest. then, noting samuel's disapproving frown, he pursed up his lips, shook his head and added quickly, "all very wild and disorderly, tandy, my lad. seems as if the whites and greys should manage their affairs more peaceably." "yes," said tandy solemnly, "and i've often thought when i was grown, i'd ride over on my white elephant to visit the greys and see why they are so unfriendly." "a good idea, and if i were you, i wouldn't wait till i was grown. i'd do it as soon as i got back," advised samuel salt, taking a long pull at his pipe. "and very probably get himself cut up and captured," shuddered ato, shaking his head. "well, he's been both shut up and captured anyway, hasn't he?" said samuel mildly. "now which one of your aunts do you think had you carried off, matey, and how many aunts do you have anyway?" "three," tandy answered, counting them off solemnly on his fingers. "and they were all pretty and pleasant enough; but after the prophecy of the old man of the jungle that i would be carried off by an aunt, they were all locked up in the castle dungeon and i was locked up in the tower." and, resting his elbows on his knees, tandy gazed soberly into the fire as if he might discover there the reason for his cruel abduction and imprisonment in the jungle. "if i'd only been awake when i was carried away," he exclaimed impatiently. "they probably gave you a sleeping potion," decided ato, nodding his head portentously, "but it's such a longish distance, unless this aunt had wings or a flying eagle i'll never understand how she shipped you so far and so fast." "well, whoever it was did _us_ a real service!" boomed samuel salt, twinkling his blue eyes affectionately at tandy. "even peter was no better aboard a ship--eh, mate?" "a real artist and a seaman," agreed ato, rolling cheerfully to his feet, "and when we reach ozamaland i'll talk to these aunts like an octagon uncle, and the ozamandarins had better hold on to their turbans, too." "but they wear square hats!" roared tandy, laughing so hard he almost fell off the stool, for he just could not picture the fat king of the octagon isle berating the haughty judges of ozamaland. "what's the joke?" demanded roger, flying in through the open port and making a straight line for the fire. "brrr-rah! wet weather, boys! wet weather! oh, what a coldth and dampth and gloomth. why, i'm moister than an oyster and clammier than a clam. how about a cup of hot chocolate for the watch, cook dear? better see to your sail, master salt. fog's thicker than bean soup out there." "we'll _all_ have some chocolate," said ato as samuel hurried out to see how dense the fog really was. later, sitting by the stove sipping ato's delicious hot chocolate, tandy could not help comparing this cozy life aboard the _crescent moon_ with his dull and lonely existence in the royal city of his fathers. "i wish the greys _would_ capture the whites," he thought vindictively, as he followed roger across the slippery deck. "then i'd never have to leave this ship." the kind-hearted read bird was carrying a pail of hot chocolate down to nikobo on the raft. she could not get her great snout into the bucket, but she opened her enormous mouth and with one toss roger poured the whole pail down her throat. "that'll keep her warm till morning," chuckled roger, flying back to join tandy, "and now you'd better turn in, little fellow, for you're on morning watch and eight bells will be sounding before you know it!" all through his dreams about the whites and greys tandy heard the raucous voice of the fog horn, and when he rolled sleepily out of his bunk to relieve ato, the ship seemed to be hardly moving at all. "ahoy, captain! isn't a fog dangerous?" tandy's voice seemed more hopeful than worried, and samuel salt, peering down at the little boy buttoned to his chin in peter's old sou'easter, grinned approvingly. "just about as dangerous as a man-eating tiger," he answered cheerfully. "we're liable to ram a ship, run on the rocks, or scrape our bottom on a hidden reef or sand bar. these waters, as you know, being all unnavigated. but i've brought sally along to keep my nose warm and throw a bit more light on the subject and we'll have to take our chance--eh, matey? just step aft and see if you can make out anything astern, will you, tandy?" four o'clock, or rather eight bells, was always pretty dark and one had to depend more or less on the ship's lanterns, but this morning was the darkest tandy had ever experienced. clinging to the rail, he moved cautiously to the stern and gazed intently down into the gloom. nothing an inch beyond his nose was visible and as for the raft and nikobo, they might just as well not have been there. "kobo, kobo, are you all right?" there was no answer to tandy's call, but presently a huge and resounding snore rolled upward and, greatly comforted, tandy hurried back to the captain. samuel salt was busy lighting extra lanterns and as he straightened up, a hollow boom, followed by a splintering crash, sent them both sprawling to the deck. leaping to his feet and unmindful of the glass from the shattered lanterns, samuel seized an unbroken one and ran furiously to the rail. "ship ahoy! heave to! you blasted son of a cuttle-fish lubber! you've rammed us amidships, you blasted billygoat. where are your lights? why didn't ye sound the horn?" his lantern, held far over the rail, made no impression at all on the choking fog. jumping up and running after samuel, tandy strained his eyes for a glimpse of the ship that had hit them, for unmistakably to his ears came the scrape and rasp of wood on wood. yes, surely it was a ship. but no answer to samuel's hail came out of the fog, only the swish and murmur of the sea and the rattle of wind in the rigging. but all this creaking could not come from the _crescent moon_ alone. there _was_ a ship beyond them in the fog, but where, as samuel had demanded, were her lights and crew? wildly tandy, hardly knowing what to think or do, continued to blink into the maddening darkness. ato and roger, wakened by the horrible jolt, now came hurrying out, each waving a lantern. "let go the anchor, mates," ordered samuel in a stern voice, "we're to grips with an enemy ship, so stand by for trouble. further shortening his sail, samuel waited tensely for the first move from their invisible foe. "might be pirates," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth to tandy, who stood close beside him grasping the scimiter that had once been peter's. "jump the first man aboard." "how about a long shot in their general direction?" wheezed ato, who found the silence and suspense well nigh unbearable. "no, it is not for _us_ to start a fight," stated samuel grimly. "but hah! just let _them_ start one! fetch me my stilts, roger, and be quick about it, too!" "stilts?" choked the read bird, dropping the blunderbuss with which he had armed, or rather winged, himself. "you'll never be trying those things again--they nearly shivered our timbers last time. why take another chance?" "my stilts!" repeated samuel savagely, and roger, who knew his duty as a sailor, flew without further argument to the hold. when roger returned with a stilt in each claw, the captain grasped one and moving silently as a cat over to the port rail, he thrust the long pole experimentally out into the fog. there was an instant thud, and samuel himself got a severe jolt as the stilt struck against some firm and immovable object beyond. convinced that it was an enemy ship, samuel returned to the others and, drawn up in an anxious row, the four shipmates waited for the fog to lift or the first enemy seaman to leap aboard. "i'll wager it's a derelict, or an abandoned vessel with no crew," breathed ato, seating himself on a fire bucket to somewhat ease the long wait. the first hour tandy stood fairly well, but the second seemed interminable. the flickering lanterns, the tense quiet, the choking fog and gentle roll of the ship all made him desperately drowsy, and, much to his later disgust, he must have finally fallen asleep. the next thing he remembered was the shrill squall of the read bird and the pleasant feel of the sun on his eyelids. "the ship! the pirates! the fog!" thought tandy, springing up wildly, but neither ship nor pirates met his astonished gaze. abaft the beam lay a great whispering deep sea forest, its trees higher than the masts of the ship, springing directly out of the water and stretching their leafy branches to the sky. it was into one of these giant greenwoods the _crescent moon_ had crashed in the fog. samuel was staring at the sea forest with the rapt look of a scientist who has just made an unbelievable discovery, and ato, with his elbows resting on the rail, was gazing dreamily in the same direction. "'hoy! ahoy! why, i never knew there were forests in the sea," exclaimed tandy, running over to insinuate himself between the cook and the captain. "there aren't! it's just plain impossible!" breathed ato, moving over to make room for tandy. "but, impossible or not, there she lies. and isn't it pretty?" he mused, resting more than half of his great weight on the rail. "i suppose sammy'll want to dig up a sea tree and bring it along," he leaned over to whisper mischievously in tandy's ear. "and anyway, it's better than pirates." "look, look, there's fish in those trees," screamed roger, bouncing up and down on ato's plump shoulder. "how about some flying fish for breakfast, cook dear?" "breakfast? breakfast? can it really be time for breakfast? ho, hum! i thought i was still asleep and dreaming," grunted ato, giving himself a little shake. "well, forests or no forests, a man must eat, i suppose!" and still gazing delightedly over his shoulder, the ship's cook trod reluctantly toward the galley, while tandy hurried into the cabin for his paints. chapter the sea forest tandy had to call samuel twice before he would come to breakfast and when he finally did sit down, he was so busy preparing to explore the sea forest he ate scarcely a bite. "we'll take the jolly boat," he decided, making long notes in his journal between his sips of coffee, "the small nets and knives and baskets for cuttings and any specimens we may pick up and--" "why the jolly boat when we have a jolly sea-going hippopotamus?" inquired roger, elevating one eyebrow. "a jolly hippopotamus, i might add, who runs under her own power and saves us the trouble of rowing!" roger was much annoyed because he had failed to catch a flying fish before breakfast and instead of eating his hard-boiled eggs, kept winging over to the open port to glare at his finny rivals. tandy, like the captain, was too excited to eat, and even ato downed his omelette and fresh strawberries from the peakenspire fruit vine with rare speed and indifference. "it's a lucky thing you're so enormous, kobo," puffed the ship's cabin boy, dropping down on the raft a few minutes later. "ato's got his crab nets and fishing lines, samuel's bringing an aquarium, a couple of baskets and a box. and i have this pail, my paints and a cage in case roger does manage to catch one of those flying fish." kobo was staring fixedly at her vegetable vine as tandy dropped down beside her, and now snapping off a whole bushel of beans, she turned round and, munching contentedly, surveyed the excited boy at her side. "whatever you have can be hung to my harness," she assured him, speaking a bit thickly through the beans. "but turn the point of that scimiter up instead of down; you wouldn't want to carve old kobo, now would you? it will seem funny swimming through a forest, won't it, little king? the further we go on this voyage the queerer everything grows." "but i like it queer," stated tandy, climbing with a satisfied little sigh on nikobo's broad back. "i, too, find it most interesting and jolly," agreed the hippopotamus, fastening her eyes dreamily on the vegetable vine to see what was coming up next. "i thought i might be on short rations when i came on this voyage, tandy, but i declare to goodness i've never had such a rich and varied diet in my life. you, too, look fine and strong and much happier than when we met in the jungle. but to get back to the fare--why, today i've had a basket of biscuits, a bushel of beans--" "and that makes it bean and biscuit day, i suppose," giggled tandy, remembering kobo's strange way of dividing up her week. "but look! listen! here they come!" "ahoy below, hip hip opotomus, ahoy!" roared samuel salt jovially from above. "all ready to cast off, my lass?" "aye, aye, sir!" grinned kobo as samuel and ato came panting down the rope ladders to the raft. "move over, tandy, and make room for the cook and the captain!" it took nearly ten minutes to get all the gear and crew aboard and nikobo looked like some curious deep sea monster when she finally shoved off. two large baskets were slung from ropes across her back. the pail and bird cage slapped up and down on one hip, the aquarium on the other, and through her collar various fishing rods, nets and poles were stuck like quills on a porcupine. "now whatever you do, don't submerge," warned samuel, holding his tin box for especially fragile specimens high above his chest to keep it dry. "just slow and steady, m'lass, so we'll have time to observe and admire and make notes of any strange growths and creatures as we ride along." "creatures!" exclaimed tandy, twisting round. he was perched on nikobo's head, his paints held carefully in his lap. "would there be any wild animals in a sea forest, master salt?" "sea lions, likely," predicted samuel, peering round eagerly as nikobo paddled between two slippery barked sea trees into the murmuring forest itself. except for the fact that the floor of this curious sea wood was the blue and restless sea, it might almost have been a forest ashore. the trees, tall, straight and stately, towered up toward the sky. staring down into the clear green water, tandy saw their trunks going down, down, down as far as he could see. "rooted in the very ocean bed," marveled samuel salt, touching one lovingly as they passed. "what splendid masts these would make, mates! avast and belay, nikobo, i believe i'll just take a cutting or two." "ha, ha!" roared ato, peering over samuel's shoulder. "so now we're going to grow our own masts." samuel himself, leaning far out over nikobo's back, severed three young shoots from the sea tree and popped them happily into the aquarium. vines that were really of coral ringed the gigantic trunks like bracelets, and the leaves of the trees were long ribbons of green and silver that whipped and fluttered like banners in the morning breeze. "what's that?" puzzled ato as the hippopotamus made her way leisurely between the trees. "looks like mushrooms, sammy! wait, i'll just pick me a few and see." hooking his heels in nikobo's harness, ato began vigorously cutting from the trunk of one of the trees the colored fungus growths which sprouted in great profusion just above the water line. nikobo bravely offered to sample some, and after waiting anxiously to see whether they would have any ill effects the ship's cook decided they were harmless and joyfully filled one of the baskets. the only specimens that really interested ato were of the edible variety. while he was thus employed, tandy, an experienced climber by now, scurried up to the top of one of the sea trees, breaking off several branches so samuel could press the curious leaves in his album. high above his head tandy could see roger chasing angrily after a flying fish, muttering with anger at his unsuccessful efforts to overtake the nimble little sea bird. in our own southern waters there are large flying fish that leap out of the water of the gulf stream, but the flying fish in this nonestic sea forest were small, and where most fish have gills wore strong transparent wings. their claws, somewhat like a crab's, made it possible for them to perch jauntily in the branches of the sea trees, and these strange little fellows could swim and dive as well as fly. pulling out his pad, tandy made a lively sketch of one in the tree opposite, for it did look as if roger would never succeed in catching one. all morning nikobo paddled calmly through the dreamy sea forest; samuel making notes, tandy sketches, and ato catching in his long-handled nets plump little fish and crabs, and filling another basket with the small delicious clams that clung like barnacles to the slippery bark of the sea trees. in the shadowy center of the forest where the trees pressed closer together and great flat rocks stuck their heads out of the water, the explorers came upon several fierce sea lions. they were not smooth and shiny like the seals of our own oceans, but yellow and tawny with long yellow tusks, tufted tails and scaly manes. their front legs ended in sharp claws, their back legs were shorter and their feet were webbed for swimming. only the fact that nikobo was larger and more frightening to the sea lions than they were to her saved the party from a savage attack by these malicious-looking monsters. as it was, they retired sullenly into the deeper shadows, snarling and roaring defiance as they backed away, but not before tandy had made an effective sketch of the whole group. "'tis a lucky thing for us that you're along!" grunted ato, drawing his feet up out of the water and looking with grim disfavor after the snarling sea lions. "likely as not, if you had not made that picture, samuel would have tried to drag one along by its tail, regardless of our feelings or safety." "a wild maned sea lion would be a valuable addition to any collection," sighed samuel salt, shaking his head regretfully. "but then--" he grinned in his sudden pleasant way, "not much of a mascot at that." the only other happening of note was roger's capture of a monkey fish. unable to overtake a flying fish, the read bird had pounced on this small combination of a land and water beast as it sat quietly sunning itself on the limb of a tree. screaming and chattering, he bore it proudly down to the captain, and samuel was so pleased with the curious little creature that when nikobo suggested going back he made no serious objection. and as the hippopotamus, rather weary from her long swim, headed thankfully back for the ship tandy and samuel made ambitious plans for the monkey fish's care and comfort. thrusting it into tandy's bird cage, samuel regarded it with increasing enthusiasm and interest. "i'll rig up a wooden tree in one of the aquariums, set the aquarium in one of the large cages so it'll have both air and water, and call it 'roger' after its discoverer," beamed the former pirate with a wink at tandy. "don't you dare call that monkey fish after me," screeched the read bird, flying round to have another look at his strange prize. "why, it's uglier than a blue monkey, looks like a regular goblin, if you ask me." and to tell the truth, the monkey fish _was_ even uglier than a goblin, shaped like a monkey but scaled all over, and with unpleasant goggly eyes and three short spikes sticking out of its forehead. "it does look like a goblin," agreed tandy with an amused sniff. "but let's call it mo-fi, which is short for fish and monkey." "tip tops'ls!" approved samuel salt, taking out his note book. "wonder what it eats?" "great grandmothers, what would it eat?" moaned ato, looking blankly at samuel. "another mouth to feed and listen to! dear, dear and dear!" "oh, give it a box of animal crackers," put in roger carelessly. "no, i brought along some gold fish food for just such an emergency as this," declared samuel, making a little flourish with his pencil as he wrote busily in his journal. "gold fish food will be splendid for a monkey fish." "well, don't forget the bananas--for remember it's a monkey, too," chirped roger, settling on the captain's shoulder to read what he had written. so, laughing and joking and in the highest good humor the exploring party returned to the _crescent moon_. what with planting the slips from the sea tree, settling mo-fi in his aquarium cage, pressing the leaves from the marine forest, and making copies and further notes about the sea lions in his journal, samuel did not get his ship under way till late afternoon. ramming into the sea tree, beyond scraping off some paint, had done little damage, so singing boisterously, samuel finally heaved up his anchor. and soon, with ato stirring up a huge clam chowder, tandy painting the sea forest on the chart and roger scouring the hold for mo-fi's fish food, the _crescent moon_ again dipped adventurously into the southeast swell. chapter the sea unicorn! "ahoy! and how goes it with the able-bodied seaman?" called roger, swooping down from the foremast. tandy, polishing the brass trim on the binnacle, looked up with a welcoming grin. "tip topsails!" he answered, pausing a minute to stare off toward the skyline to see whether any islands or sea serpents were visible. "and look at that muscle, now," marveled roger, touching tandy's arm admiringly with his claw. "you're twice the lad you were, mate, and i'll wager my last feather you can lay any lubber by the heels. if anyone gets fresh-water ashore, remember you're a salt sea-going sailor and you just take a poke at him. that's my advice without any charge or obligation. but then again, a chap that's a king, the royal artist of an exploring expedition, with a sea forest named after him, might not need to take any advice at all," added roger with a long and knowing wink. "but i like you to tell me things," said tandy, looking earnestly up at the read bird. "you make everything seem so interesting and jolly." with a secret smile, for tandy was thinking how much he would enjoy taking a poke at didjabo, the chief ozamandarin, the little boy went on with his polishing. if didjabo said anything further about shutting him up in the tower, he just plain would take a poke at him. but saying nothing of all this to roger, he called up cheerfully, "how's mo-fi? has he stopped scolding and begun to eat?" roger, who was running races with himself up and down the taffrail, stopped short and held up his claw. "everything i give him," he told tandy solemnly. "and i declare to badness he's getting to know me, mate. he only pulled out three feathers instead of a fistful when i gave him breakfast just now. before long he'll be so tame he'll be riding around on your shoulder." "not my shoulder," laughed tandy, waving his bottle of polish at the read bird. "goodness, i believe you're growing fond of that monkey fish, roger." "well, why not?" retorted the read bird, puffing up his chest. "ato has me, the captain has sally, you have kobo, so why shouldn't i have a little pet if i want one?" the monkey fish seemed such a strange prickly sort of pet, tandy could hardly keep his face straight, but seeing roger was quite in earnest, he tactfully changed the subject. "do you suppose we'll make any new discoveries today?" he asked, screwing the cap on the bottle of polish. "any as important as the sea forest, i mean?" "why not call it by its proper name?" teased roger, scratching his head with his left claw. "and i think it most unlikely we'll strike anything as curious and important as tazander forest. two discoveries like that just couldn't happen two days running. still, i'll just fly up to the main truck and have a look around." "main truck?" tandy wrinkled up his brows. "i thought i knew all the parts of this ship by now. you never told me about the main truck, roger." "just the top of the main mast, brainless." giving tandy an affectionate little shove, roger soared into the rigging and tandy went joyfully off to have another look at the forest samuel had insisted on naming after him. he had taken great pains with the painting and printing when he sketched it on the map, and now with a sigh of complete satisfaction he stood regarding the sea chart. then, suddenly remembering he had promised to water samuel salt's plants, he jog trotted contentedly down to the hold. the tumbleweeds in their small red pots grew so rapidly samuel had to cut them back every day. these tandy watered very sparingly, snapping his fingers at mo-fi, who was gravely chinning himself on a branch of his artificial tree. the slips of the sea trees in their covered aquarium required no attention at all. ato had planted all the vegetable and fruit vines from peakenspire on the rail outside the galley, so that left only the creeping vines from patrippany island to care for. he had just picked up one of the small potted creepers when a sharp rap tap under his toes made tandy leap straight up in the air. someone was knocking on the bottom of the boat. "ato! captain! roger!" shrilled the little boy, scurrying up from the hold faster than he had ever done before. "su--su--somebody's knocking on the bottom of the boat." before he could explain, or tell them anything further, a perfectly terrific knock from below made the _crescent moon_ shiver from end to end. samuel and ato, leaning over the port rail, turned round so suddenly they bumped their heads smartly together. next with a scrape, screech and splintering of timber, a giant white horn came tearing up through the decks. "whale! whale!" croaked roger, falling off the main truck and coasting crazily down to the deck. "wha--what ever'n ever's that?" he quavered, pointing a trembling claw at the rigid white column between the main and mizzenmasts. samuel did not even try to explain, for at that instant the ship began to rise, to fall, to lash and plunge both up and down and east and west. hooking his arms through the rail, tandy blinked, gasped and shudderingly waited for the _crescent moon_ to fly asunder. "narwhal, mates!" panted samuel salt, throwing himself bodily upon the wheel. "horn like a--uni--corn--branch of the odontocetes and--" "oh--you--don't say--it--is!" chattered ato, who was lying on his stomach bouncing up and down like a ball at each frightful lunge of the monstrous fish. "well, it's spiked us--is that a horn or a ship's mast? oh woe, oh! what'n salt'll we do now?" samuel had not the heart to answer, for he had all he could do to hang on to the wheel as the ship, like a wounded animal, reared and plunged, thrashing the sea to a fury of foam and spray. nikobo, diving precipitously off her raft, began to squeal in high and low hippopotamy, making brave but ineffective lunges at the lashing giant beneath the ship. "su--suppose it su--submerges?" wailed ato, who had managed at last to seize a rope from the end of which he banged and slammed continuously up and down against the deck. "oh, my stars! oh, my spars! oh, my beams and--" tandy never heard ato's last anguished cry, for at that moment a savage shake of the narwhal's head sent him flying into the sea. coming up coughing and choking, tandy instinctively began to swim and for the first time became aware of the creeping vine he still had clutched tightly in one hand. and in that instant and in that whirl of danger, disaster and destruction, the little boy suddenly grew calm and purposeful. this vine--well, why would this powerful vine from patrippany island not work as well under water as on land? the chances were that it would. swimming boldly back to the ship, tandy took a quick dive, hurling the vine pot and all in the general direction of the narwhal. no sooner had the vine touched the water than it began to open, creep and grow and, spraying out a hundred strong tentacles, it seized and bound the plunging monster in a secure and inescapable cradle of leafy wood. gasping and sputtering, but with his heart pounding with joy to think he had really saved samuel's beautiful ship, tandy rose to the surface. nikobo, letting off shrill blasts of anger and fright, came paddling anxiously toward him. but giving the hippopotamus a reassuring wave, tandy seized the end of a rope ladder and pulled himself up to the deck. samuel, though battered and bruised, still clung to the wheel, and ato, almost pounded to a jelly, had rolled into the scuppers where roger was fanning him vigorously with a butter paddle. the read bird, having wings, could have left the ship at any time, but had clung bravely to his post, preferring to go down with the ship and his shipmates. now all three of them stared in dazed silence at tandy as he climbed back over the rail, for in the terrible confusion and excitement no one had seen him go overboard. "tandy! tandy! where've you been?" with outstretched arms samuel salt rushed groggily forward. "shiver my liver! why's everything so quiet? could it be that you single-handed have destroyed that ship-shaking menace?" "i don't think he's destroyed, master salt," answered tandy, limping happily to meet the captain, "but he's caught fast as a lobster in a lobster pot and can't move at all." "caught?" rasped samuel, running across the deck to peer over the rail. "by the creeping vine," explained tandy, and in short, breathless sentences he told them all that had happened after he was flung into the sea. "well, bagpipe my mizzenmain sails!" gasped samuel salt, staring at tandy with round eyes. "this is the strangest and happiest day of my life. you've saved the ship and the whole expedition, my boy, and all we have to do now is cut loose from this cavorting unicorn of the sea and sail off with the largest ivory horn in captivity. an ivory mast, blast my buckles! wait till the ozites see us sailing up the winkie river with four masts instead of three! ahoy, below! ahoy, kobo! can you dive with me beneath this ship?" "dive and stay under as long as you can," vowed the hippopotamus, shaking the water out of her eyes and looking cheerily up at the captain. "you see, i was right about those creeping vines, now wasn't i?" nikobo, having done a little investigating on her own account, was well nigh ready to burst with pride at tandy's quick action and the way in which the vines had overcome their gigantic foe. "right!" boomed samuel salt, hurrying off for his oxygen helmet and powerful diamond toothed saw. ato was too bruised and exhausted to rise, but tandy and roger, perching on the ship's rail, watched samuel in his queer diver's helmet climb down the rope ladder and clamber up on the hippopotamus. next minute nikobo had disappeared under the surface and presently from the slight shiver and shake of the boat they knew that samuel was determinedly at work cutting them loose. fortunately there was room between the ship's bottom and the whale's head for nikobo to swim about, and so splintering sharp was samuel's saw that in less than five minutes he had cut off the great column of ivory level with the ship's bottom, carefully calking the edges with material he had brought down. in its tight and live wood crate the narwhal could not stir an inch, and, while the cutting of its horn was not painful, it blubbered and spouted so terrifically that samuel and nikobo heaved tremendous sighs of relief when the dangerous operation was accomplished. backing off a few paces, nikobo began butting the crated sea beast with her head till she had driven it out from beneath the boat. roger and tandy, with little shrieks of wonder and excitement, saw the crated fish like some queer and monstrous mummy rise to the surface and go floating sullenly away toward the east. now that they had a full view of the narwhal they saw that it was three times the length of the _crescent moon_. "a great wonder sammy didn't tie it to the ship and tow it along," sighed ato, who had at last got to his feet and draped himself weakly over the rail. "some fishin'--eh, mates?" "but look at the beautiful mast we have!" cried tandy, waving to nikobo and the captain as they came cheerfully alongside. "huh! you're as bad as sammy," grunted ato, rubbing his bruises sorrowfully. "and of course a mast was just what we were needing! whale of a mast! mast of a whale! huh!" chapter the collector is collected "what are you going to call this one?" inquired tandy next morning as he and samuel squinted thoughtfully up at the gleaming ivory column between the main and mizzenmasts. "might call it the whalemast," said samuel, rubbing his chin reflectively. "and it's a lucky thing for us the point was sharp enough to cut through the decks without damaging the ship. at any rate, it's given us the biggest fish story a voyager ever had to relate. tossed on the horn of a narwhal! and the best part of the whole story is that we have the proof right along with us. hah! right here!" samuel in his glee and exuberance gave the whalemast a hearty slap. "kobo says that vine won't unwind for a couple of days, but anyway it'll be a fine rest for the whale floating around without having to swim. and i expect it can grow another horn?" "i expect so," agreed samuel, winking down at sally, who was standing on her head in the bowl of his pipe. "if this little lady would just talk, she could give us a heap of valuable information about life in lavaland, mate." "roger's taught mo-fi to say 'ship ahoy!'" observed tandy, strolling over to the rail to watch the white foam sweep past the ship's side. "and your sea tree sprays have grown an inch since yesterday, captain." "they have?" samuel blew three rings from his pipe, then walked aft to glance at the compass. "well, my boy, if the rest of the voyage is as good as the beginning, we'll sail home loaded to the gun'ls." the mention of home always made tandy wince, for the _crescent moon_ was the first real home he had known. to think that he would be put ashore in ozamaland while samuel's ship would continue its adventurous voyage of discovery without him, was a fact almost too terrible to consider. "maybe we'll never come to ozamaland at all," mused tandy as he climbed into the rigging to join roger. "maybe the captain's reckoning is wrong and ozamaland is to the north instead of the south." vastly comforted by this idea, tandy swung nimbly to the crosstree on the fore t'gallant mast. roger was staring intently through ato's telescope and as tandy squirmed along to a position beside him, the read bird let out a shrill squall, all his head feathers standing straight on end. "what do you see? what is it?" cried the little king, shading his eyes with his hands and staring in all directions. "i can't see a thing." "take the glasses," urged roger, handing them over with a frightened gulp. "take the glasses and then tell me it isn't so." tandy, scarcely knowing what to expect, screwed his eye close to the telescope, then he, too, gave a shriek of consternation. "why--it's a big hole, a hole in the sea!" he stuttered, lowering the glasses and staring at the read bird in blank dismay. "exactly!" croaked the read bird, "and whoever heard of such a thing? a hole in the ground, certainly, but a hole in the sea, why that's just plain past believing. ahoy, deck ahoy!" wagging his head, roger lifted his voice in a long warning wail. "heave to, master salt! heave to! danger on the bow!" somewhat surprised, but without stopping to question roger, in whom he had the utmost confidence, samuel hove his vessel to. and not a moment too soon, for barely a ship's length away yawned an immense and unexplainable hole in the sea. round its edges the waves frothed, tossed and bubbled, making no impression on that quiet curious vacuum of air. crowding into the bow, the ship's company stared down in complete wonder and mystification. "now, goosewing my topsails, this'll bear looking into!" puffed samuel, breaking the silence at last. "now, now, now!" ato snatched wildly at samuel's coat tails as he raced aft bellowing loudly for kobo to come alongside. "you'll not go a step off this boat. we can sail round this air hole and no damage done, but as for looking into it! help, help! avast and belay and i'll knock eight bells out of anyone who leaves this ship!" seizing an iron belaying pin, ato made a desperate rush after samuel salt, and failing to catch him before he slid down the cable to kobo's raft, he grabbed tandy firmly and angrily by the seat of the pants. "not a step!" panted the ship's cook savagely. "not a step! roger! roger! come back here this instant." but roger, with a screech of defiance, had already flown after samuel. tandy, pinned against the rail by ato's two hundred and fifty pounds, was forced to watch nikobo, with roger and samuel on her back, moving cautiously toward the edge of the air hole. over his shoulder samuel had a huge coil of rope the end of which he had attached to the capstan of the boat before he dropped over the side. "oh! oh! and oh!" wheezed the ship's cook, "if sammy goes down that cavern we're as good as lost. no one to navigate, to up sail or down sail or lay to in a storm. my, my and myland!" "well, there he goes!" cried tandy as samuel flung the rope down into the sea hole. "don't worry, ato, he's always come back before, hasn't he? let me go! let me go, i tell you!" with a sudden jerk tandy tore out of ato's grasp, climbed up on the rail and dove into the sea. swimming rapidly toward the hippopotamus, he climbed on her back and with roger fluttering in excited circles overhead nikobo swam as close to the edge of the sea hole as she dared, watching in terrified fascination as samuel calmly lowered himself into the clouded blue depths. with mingled feelings of interest and alarm, tandy saw the royal explorer of oz go down lower and lower and finally disappear altogether into the deep blue air below. now not a glimpse of samuel was visible and not a sound came up to reassure them that he was still there. "i'll just fly down and see what's up," quavered roger, and in spite of the loud shouts and threats of ato on the _crescent moon_, the read bird spread his wings and coasted slowly and bravely into the immense air shaft. nikobo, now as alarmed as the ship's cook, began swimming frantically round the edge of the misty chasm, letting out piercing blasts that sounded like nothing so much as a ferry boat whistle. tandy himself felt uneasy and frightened and ato, unable to bear the suspense any longer, climbed over the side and came swimming out to join them. after an endless fifteen minutes, during which dreadful fear and premonition gripped the watchers, the head of the read bird popped mournfully into view. "is he all right? where's sammy? what in soup's he doing? what'd you find out?" gasped ato, reaching out to clutch roger by the wing. roger, limp and bedraggled, with all the stiffness out of his feathers, said nothing for a whole minute. then, beating his wings together, he began to scream out hoarsely, "the captain's caught! the collector's collected. they have master salt forty fathom below. they've got him shut up, i mean down at the bottom of the sea like a gold fish in a bowl, only he's in a big bowl of air. they're poking little fish and crabs through a trap door in the air shaft and i cannot break or even make a dent in the transparent slide they've shot across the air hole to shut him off from us. and oh, my bill and feathers! every time they open the trap door to shove things in to him, water rushes into the vacuum. he's standing in water to his knees now and unless we can break a hole in that lid the captain's done for--done for, do you hear?" "they?" asked tandy while nikobo's eyes almost popped out of her head, "who do you mean?" "oh, oh, don't ask me!" choked the poor read bird. "they're not fish and they're not men. they're about the size of tandy, here, sort of stiff and jellied and perfectly transparent. on a shell hanging outside of one of their caves it said 'seeweegia.'" "seeweegia!" moaned ato, clutching his head in both hands. "let me see! let me see! what's to be done, boys? now quick! what's to be done?" "have roger fetch the saw we used on the whale's horn," gurgled nikobo. "and i'll climb down and saw a hole in that slide," cried tandy eagerly. "no, _i'll_ climb down," said ato firmly. "i've known sammy the longest and if he's going to come to a watery end i might as well end with him." leaving the two arguing, roger flashed back to the ship, returning in almost no time with the scintillating and powerful saw. tandy had meanwhile convinced ato that he could climb down the rope faster, being so much lighter, and now, with tears in their eyes, nikobo and the ship's cook saw tandy and roger disappear into the air shaft. tandy let himself down carefully hand over hand, roger keeping abreast of him with the saw. to slide rapidly to the bottom would have been quicker, but the resulting blisters would make it difficult to use the saw. forty fathoms, nearly two hundred and forty feet, is a long way to go hand over hand on a rope, and before he reached the glass-like slide, tandy's palms stung and his shoulders ached and burned from the strain. but at last he was down, and dropping to his hands and knees with roger mourning and muttering beside him, tandy peered fearfully through the glassy substance. for a moment everything was a green and misty blur, but gradually the figure of samuel salt standing sturdily in the middle of the air bowl became visible. although waist high in sea water, and surrounded by loathsome sea creatures and crabs the seeweegians had tossed in for him to eat, samuel was making slow and interested entries in his journal. pressed against the sides of his strange aquarium, tandy could see the round, square and triangular faces of the jellyfish men and women. brilliantly colored vines and seaweed waved and tossed in the current, the floor of the ocean was covered with bright shells, polished stones and all manner of sparkling deep sea jewels. had tandy not been so worried about samuel salt he would have liked nothing better than sketching this strange and beautiful under sea kingdom with the seeweegians flopping and swimming busily in and out of their grottos and caves, or disporting themselves in the sea weed forests. but as it was, his only thought was of quickly freeing the captain of the _crescent moon_ from his curious prison. "look, they've put up a sign," hissed roger, handing over the saw. looking in the direction indicated by roger, tandy saw an immense shell on which long wisps of sea weed had been arranged to form the words: come see the curious high air manster. admission, pearl, corals and a clam! the sight of this sign swinging from a small sea tree close to samuel's air bowl sent a wave of rage up tandy's back. rubbing his palms briskly together, the little boy seized the saw and struck it with all his might against the unyielding surface of the slide. the noise attracted samuel's attention, and looking up he began waving his arms, yelling out wild orders and commands. not being able to hear any of them and being quite sure samuel was telling them to leave the air shaft before the seeweegians shot another slide above their heads and caught them, too, tandy proceeded grimly with his task. roger helped, scraping away with both claws and bill. for five desperate minutes they worked without success, then a tiny crack split the slide from edge to edge. wedging the saw into the narrow opening, tandy began sawing away like a little wild man, for a fresh batch of snails and crabs tossed in to samuel had let in another rush of sea water. immersed to his chin, samuel started to swim round and round, dodging the end of the saw as it flashed up and down above his head. "oh!" gasped tandy, stopping a moment to blow on his fingers. "i'll never be able to make this opening large enough. look, look, roger, they're opening that trap door again. oh, oh! i can't bear it!" "help! help!" yelled the read bird, looking despairingly up the empty air shaft. "help, for the love of sea salt and sailor men!" his cry, increased by the curious nature of the compressed air in the air shaft, increased a hundredfold and fell with a hideous roar upon the anguished ears of ato and nikobo. almost instinctively and without thought of her own safety, or ato's, or the dire consequences, the hippopotamus jumped bodily into the sea hole. roger, still glaring upward, had a quick flash of an immense falling object. realizing at once what had happened, the read bird had just time to snatch tandy and drag him to the opposite side of the slide before nikobo landed--broke through the thick glass, plunged into samuel's aquarium and shot out through the side into a group of horrified seeweegians. now do not suppose for an instant that tandy, roger or samuel himself saw all this happen. indeed, after nikobo struck the slide, none of them remembered a thing, for the ocean, rushing in through the puncture the hippopotamus had made in the vacuum, rose like a tidal wave, carrying them tumultuously along. nikobo came up at a little distance from the others, with ato, completely wrapped and entangled in seaweed, clinging tenaciously to her harness and looking like some queer marine specimen himself. too shocked and stunned to swim, the five shipmates bobbed up and down like corks on the surface of the sea. then roger, spreading his wet and bedraggled wings and coughing violently from all the salt water he had swallowed, started dizzily back to the _crescent moon_. nikobo had several long gashes in her tough hide, but still managed to grin at tandy. "i--i must have lost the saw," panted the little boy, pulling himself wearily up on her back. "never mind the saw. i still have my journal, and look what i caught!" puffed samuel salt, dragging himself up on the other side of the hippopotamus. "ship ahoy, mates, a live and perfect specimen of a jellyfish boy." holding up his prize, samuel smiled blandly, all his danger and discomfort apparently forgotten. "oh, my eyes, ears and whiskers!" quavered ato, peering out of his net of seaweed. "is it for this we've been scraping our noses on the sea bottom?" nodding cheerfully, samuel plunged the squirming and transparent little water boy under the surface, holding him there, as nikobo swam slowly and painfully back to the ship. chapter the storm! tandy was so exhausted from his dreadful experiences at the bottom of the sea hole he spent the rest of the morning flat on his stomach on deck making lively sketches from memory of the city of seeweegia. of the sea hole itself not a sign nor vestige remained. the sea, tumbling through the breach made by nikobo, had closed it up forever and ever. ato had roger fetch bandages and witch hazel down to the raft and it took him two hours to bind up the cuts and hurts of the faithful hippopotamus. then climbing wearily up the rope ladder to the deck, he spent another hour rubbing himself with oil and liniment, muttering darkly about reckless collectors who got themselves and their shipmates collected. "what would we have done if you'd never got out of that air bowl?" scolded ato, waving the bottle of liniment at the captain, who was cheerfully changing into dry clothes. "_you_ know _i_ know nothing about navigation nor one sail from t'other." "ah--but what you know about sauces!" retorted samuel, rolling his eyes rapturously. "of course, i'll grant a ship cannot sail on its stomach, but if the worst had come to the worst, you could have left a note for the sails on the binnacle. 'if it comes up a blow, tie yourselves up.' ha, ha! tie yourselves up!" jamming his feet into his boots, samuel blew a kiss to his still muttering shipmate and tramped down to the hold to settle his jellyfish boy in one of the large aquariums. the water boy, about half the size of tandy, was a jolly enough looking specimen, but kept opening and shutting his mouth like a fish and staring anxiously from his captor to mo-fi in the cage opposite. whistling happily and unmindful of the cuts and bruises he had suffered, samuel filled the bottom of the aquarium with pebbles and shells, put in several seaweed plants he'd fished up in the nets, and soon had the little stranger as happy and cozy as a clam. giving him and mo-fi a wafer of fish food, the royal explorer of oz went above to have a look at the weather, for he did not like the way the ship was pitching. in spite of the desperately fatiguing morning they had had, it seemed the voyagers were in for some further excitement. the sky had grown dark and threatening. dark clouds in ever-increasing numbers scudded along from the east; the sea, rough and angry, was full of racing little whitecaps. nikobo's raft plunged and rocketed up and down like a bucking bronco, flinging the hippopotamus from side to side and bringing her with squealing protests up against the rail first on one side and then on the other. fearing for her safety, samuel with tandy's help rigged a temporary derrick to the mizzenmast, hove his vessel to, and bidding nikobo swim round to the side, cleverly hoisted her to the main deck by a hook caught through her harness. nikobo took it all quite calmly, coming down with a thankful little grunt, glad to be with her shipmates in the gale that was lashing the sea into a rolling, tossing fury of mounting gray water and foam. the wind had risen now almost to hurricane proportions, and taking in all sail and with only a tarpaulin lashed in the main rigging, samuel prepared with bared poles to ride out the storm. ato, always ready and helpful in a crisis, trudged up and down the heaving decks with pails of hot soup and coffee, and after a hasty lunch, all hands fell to closing ports, battening hatches and removing from the decks all loose gear and equipment. as it was impossible to shove nikobo through the door of the main cabin, samuel lashed her tightly to the mizzenmast and with an old sail round her shoulders the hippopotamus anxiously watched the mountainous waves breaking over the bow and running down into the scuppers. it was all so wild and new, so dangerous and exciting, tandy begged samuel to let him stay on deck. much against his better judgment, samuel finally gave his consent, tying tandy fast to nikobo and the mizzenmast. if anything happened to the ship, reflected samuel, fighting his way back to the wheel, the hippopotamus could keep tandy afloat and take care of him besides. ato and roger, not being needed on deck and not caring for storms, shut themselves up in the main cabin for a game of checkers. but checkers and board soon flew through the air, and the two had all they could do to hang on to their chairs as the _crescent moon_ pitched headlong into the cavernous hollows and struggled up the mountainous ridges of the great running seas. chapter the old man of the jungle! in the splendid white marble palace in the splendid white city of ozamaland the nine ozamandarins sat in solemn conference. "this time we have succeeded," stated didjabo, chief of the nine judges of the realm, "this time we have succeeded and our plans may now be accomplished. last time, we merely destroyed the king and queen, neglecting to do away with the royal off-spring, tazander tazah, and for that reason we failed utterly. so long as this boy survived, the natives insisted on considering him their rightful king and ruler. but, hah! that prophecy we invented about an aunt carrying him off was a clever and useful idea--eh, my fellow zamians? now as the child, with a little help on our part it must be confessed, has really been carried off and destroyed, we can blame these same silly females, and they and all the royal family can be tossed into the sea to pay for this heinous crime. ha, ha! quite an idea, a famous idea!" murmured didjabo, and the eight ozamandarins nodded their narrow heads in complete and satisfied agreement. "leaving the throne clear for us--the nine faithful servants of the people!" again the ozamandarins nodded, but didjabo, slanting his cruel little eyes up and down the long table, was already making plans to destroy the lot of them and have the whole great country for himself. "but how can we be sure the boy is destroyed and out of the way?" questioned lotho, the second ozamandarin in point of rank and power. "because," didjabo curled up his lips in a hard little smile, "the old man of the jungle has brought us proof. boglodore! boglodore! it is our wish that you appear before us." at didjabo's call there was a slight rustle and stir behind the curtains in the doorway, and an immense wrinkled old native clad only in a turban and loin cloth stepped noiselessly into the chamber of justice. without waiting for further orders, boglodore began in a high, dismal, droning voice: "following the commands of the highest among you, i, boglodore the magician, did carry off on my famous, never known or seen flying umbrellaphant the heir and small king of this country, coming down after two days, on patrippany island. not wishing to destroy the boy with my own hands, i left him to the wild beasts and savage leopard men known to inhabit this island. that, as you know, was five months and two weeks ago. having just returned from a second flight to the island where i found no trace or sign of the boy, i can safely assure you that he is no more, that he has undoubtedly been killed by the savages or the wild beasts of the jungle." there was not a trace of pity or remorse on the cruel flat faces of his listeners as boglodore finished this shameful recital. "in that case there is nothing left to do but punish the royal aunts and family, issue a proclamation of our accession to power, and divide up the kingdom," mused lotho, drumming thoughtfully on the table with his long skinny fingers. "but do not forget my reward," wheezed boglodore firmly. "for this cruel and infamous deed i was promised one tenth of ozamaland and i am here to claim as my share the entire jungle reach of this country. extending his arms, the old man of the jungle advanced threateningly toward the long table. "ha, ha! just listen to him now," sneered didjabo, gathering up his papers and looking insolently across at the angry native. "have a care what you say, fellow. too much of this and you'll go over the cliff with the royal relatives. now, then, clear out! your work is done! if you ever set foot in this city again, you shall be trampled beneath the feet of the royal elephants!" "ah--hhh!" boglodore recoiled as if he had been confronted by a poisonous reptile. "so that's to be the way of it? aha! very good! i will go. but do not think this is the end! it is but the beginning!" snapping his fingers under the long noses of the ozamandarins, the old man, not bothering with the door, leapt out the window and vanished into the garden. "do you think that was quite wise?" questioned teebo, third in rank of the ozamandarins. "this fellow and his flying elephant are dangerous and may do us a world of harm." "do not forget, anything he says will involve himself, and he'll have a hard time proving to the people that it was on my orders the young king was carried off." "oh, hush!" warned lotho, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "not another word!" shrugging his shoulders and rising to indicate that the meeting was over, didjabo started pompously for the door. "i will go now to prepare a royal proclamation explaining that as the young king has not after exhaustive search been found or located, the authority and governing power of the state shall pass to us, the nine faithful ozamandarins of the realm! we can then meet again and here in this star and barred chamber of justice divide the kingdom among us." "very well, but see that you remember it is to be divided!" staring fixedly at didjabo, lotho strode away, colliding violently at the door with a small breathless page who was entering on a veritable gallop. "your honors! your ozamandarin majesties!" shrilled the boy, wildly waving his trumpet instead of blowing upon it. "a ship--there is a ship with four masts beneath the chalk cliffs, a strange ship with full sail is riding into our harbor." "there, there, don't shout!" snapped didjabo, seizing the boy roughly by the shoulders. "go back at once and discover what flag this ship flies from her masthead. quickly now. run!" "what could it mean? where could it be from? such a thing has never happened before!" muttered the others, hastening over to the long windows. "confoundation!" raged didjabo as the page with frightened stutters turned and ran out of the hall of justice. "this ruins everything. who are these meddling foreigners? and why do they have to arrive now of all times? now! lotho! teebo! call out the camel corps and the white elephant guard. have them drawn up in war formation on the chalk cliffs. you others!" impatiently didjabo waved his arms at the six remaining ozamandarins, "see to the defense of the palace! if these meddlers set foot upon our territory they are to be trampled upon, trampled upon--do you understand?" nodding with fierce and cruel determination, the eight tall keepers of the white city set about carrying out didjabo's orders. didjabo, hurrying up to the highest tower in the castle, looked through his telescope to see what manner of ship had come sailing out of the west to spoil or postpone his well-laid plans. chapter a new country driven by the pitiless wind, pounded by the merciless sea, the _crescent moon_ rode before the gale, coming, toward morning, into quiet waters at last. the sky, now pale grey instead of black, showed a small single star in the east, and with a huge sigh of weariness and relief samuel let go the anchor and bade his crew turn in all standing. this they were only too glad to do, sleeping heavily and thankfully in their clothes, nikobo still wrapped in her sail snoring like a whole band of music beneath the mizzenmast. tandy, to whom the storm had been a thrilling adventure, was the first to waken. still stiff and bruised from the pounding he had taken as the _crescent moon_ tossed and pitched in the terrible seas, he sprang eagerly out of his bunk, curious to know where the storm had carried them. the morning mists, lifting like a shimmering veil or the curtain of a stage on some new and strange scene, showed a long white line of chalk cliffs to the east, and beyond the cliffs the dim outline of a great and splendid city. with joy and lively expectations tandy had run out on deck, but now, after a long look over the port rail, he crept silently and soberly back to his cabin, closing the door softly behind him. later, as the sun rose higher, and his shipmates awoke, the excited screams of nikobo and roger and the eager voices of samuel and ato told him that they too had seen the bright land beyond the cliffs. already samuel was clewing up his sail and above the rattle in the rigging tandy could hear the rasp of the anchor cable as it came winding over the side. but he only bent lower over the fat book in his lap, and when the read bird, loudly calling his name, came hurtling through the port-hole, he did not even look up. "land! land and moreland!" croaked roger, dancing up and down on the foot of the bunk. "none of your pesky islands this time, but a whole long new continent. what in salt's the matter, youngster, this is no time to be a-reading! come on, come on, the captain's looking for you!" as roger peered sharply down at the book in tandy's lap two tears splashed on the open page. quickly brushing two more off his nose, the ship's cabin boy unwillingly met the puzzled gaze of the read bird. "roger," demanded tandy in a smothered and unsteady voice, "which is most important, being a king or being a person?" roger, his head on one side, considered this for a moment and then spoke quickly. "well, you can't be a good king without being a good person, so i should say, being a good person is most important." "but it says here," with a furious sniff tandy put his finger on the middle paragraph of the page, "'in no circumstances and for no reason may a king forsake his country nor desert his countrymen.'" "what's that? what's this? humph! _maxims for monarchs._ well, what in topsails do we care for that musty volume?" giving the book a vicious shove, roger, forgetting how much he had formerly praised ato's fat volume, fluttered down on tandy's shoulder. "so that's it!" he burst out explosively. "this pernicious country yonder is ozamaland. well, we can't spare you and that's final. they didn't know how to treat a good king when they had one, now let 'em practice on somebody else. say the word, m'lad, and we'll put about and sail away as fast as a good ship can take us! captain! master salt! deck ahoy! all hands 'hoy!" without waiting for tandy's answer, roger skimmed through the port and winged over to the captain. "wait! wait!" sputtered tandy, hurrying aft where the officers and crew of the _crescent moon_ were now engaged in earnest conversation. "don't you remember you wanted some of those creeping birds and flying reptiles, captain? well, this is the place!" puffed the little boy, waving his arm toward the cliffs. "this is ozamaland and i've got to go ashore. it's really all right," he continued earnestly as samuel began unhappily rubbing his chin, "it's been a grand voyage and i've learned a lot, but a king has to stick to his post, hasn't he?" "not all the time," snapped ato, giving his belt an indignant jerk. "you stuck to your post and they stuck you in a tower and then in a pig pen in the jungle. so what do you owe them? nothing, say i, absolutely nothing!" but samuel salt, regretful as he was to lose this handy young artist and cabin boy, felt that tandy must decide the matter for himself. "if you're as good a king as you are a seaman, i'm not the one to hold you back," he sighed sorrowfully. "but just let these lubbers start any more nonsense and i'll give them a taste of the rope. hah! and we'll not be leaving you till everything's shipshape, and you can lay to that!" "i'm not leaving you at all," snorted nikobo, lumbering hugely over to tandy and almost flattening him against the port rail. "i'll miss this ship worse'n the river, and ato's cooking and the captain's stories and roger's jokes, but wherever tandy goes i go, and that's flat!" "just plain noddling nonsense, putting him ashore," fumed ato angrily. "he's not old enough to manage these wild tribesmen and scheming aristocrats. besides, we need him on this expedition, and you know it." samuel, sighing deeply, smiled at tandy and tandy, sighing just as deeply, smiled back. "never you mind," promised the former pirate with a wink that somehow lacked conviction, "there'll be other voyages!" and seizing the wheel, he began tacking in toward tandy's homeland. but he had lost all pleasure and interest in charting for the first time on any map the long continent of tarara and adding strange animals and plants to his ever-growing collection. losing tandy spoiled the whole expedition for him, and by taking longer and wider tacks he delayed their landing to the latest possible moment. but at last there they were in the very shadow of the chalk cliffs and with no further excuse for not going ashore. nikobo had agreed to carry them and had abruptly heaved herself overboard, sending up a fountain of spray as high as the ship itself when she struck the water, thus astonishing no end the watchers on the bank. tandy, after running down to the hold to say goodbye to mo-fi and have a last look at the jellyfish boy, regretfully joined the others at the port rail. having brought nothing aboard the _crescent moon_, he insisted on leaving in the same way, soberly waving aside all the gifts and presents ato and samuel sought to press upon him. clad only in the leopard skin he had worn on patrippany island, he swung nimbly down the rope ladder. the captain and the cook, in honor of tandy's homecoming, had donned their finest shore-going togs, and samuel, with a scimiter in his teeth, and ato, armed as usual with his bread knife and a package he refused to explain, followed him more slowly down the ladder. then they all climbed aboard the hippopotamus. roger, flying ahead with some oz flags just for luck, could not help comparing the brown, hard-muscled young seaman with the skinny, fretful boy they had taken on at patrippany island. trying to comfort himself with tandy's improved health and spirits, he looked curiously at the great company assembled on the cliffs. all of the nobles and their families in flowing white robes were present and many of the immense turbanned tribesmen who happened to be in the capital had gathered to see for themselves the first ship that had ever touched the shore of ozamaland. beyond the nobles and natives roger could see row on row of white guards mounted on enormous white elephants and snow-white camels. "trouble, trouble, nothing but trouble!" mourned the read bird drearily to himself. tandy, familiar with the whole coast, guided nikobo to the only possible spot for landing and, grunting and mumbling, the hippopotamus hauled herself up on the rocks, glancing sharply and suspiciously at the little boy's subjects. a narrow path wound and curved up through the cliffs and, puffing and panting, nikobo finally made her way to the top, where she stood uncertainly facing the milling multitude. "hail and greetings!" called samuel salt, raising his arm to attract their attention, for the crowd looked both dangerous and unfriendly. "we are here to return to you safe and sound your lost king, tazander tazah, rescued by us from the wild jungle of patrippany island." "king? king?" shrilled a dozen shrill and unbelieving voices. "where? where?" and everyone craned his neck to get a better view of nikobo and her three curious riders. "is it really our lost and stolen kinglet?" "yes!" cried tandy, springing erect. "i am tazander tazah, king's son and son of a king's son. you are my lawful subjects and ozamaland is my kingdom!" a little shiver of excitement ran through the crowd at these words. "he does in truth resemble our young ruler," murmured one noble to another, "though much stronger and more bold." drawing a long sword, he waved it imperiously above his head. "summon the ozamandarins," he called loudly. "they will decide whether this be our king or some small impostor, and death to all strangers and enemies who come in ships to lay waste our realm." "oh, hold your tongue!" advised ato, settling himself more comfortably between nikobo's shoulders. "who are you to challenge the royal explorer of oz, the king of the octagon isle--" "and his royal read bird," piped roger, flying savagely round and round the head of the speaker. "yes, who are you to challenge the rightful ruler of ozamaland?" cried tandy, folding his arms and gazing calmly out over the curious throng. "hi, is this the young slip they kept locked in the tower? hoo, hoo!" yelled an old tribesman, brandishing his long lance. "he's the salt of the sea and the sand of the desert. shame on you, zamen, not to recognize and welcome your young king. _i'm_ for you, young one, down to my last breath!" in spite of these brave words, the nobles, natives and guards made no move or motion to let nikobo pass through. then suddenly there was a break in the crowd and the nine square-hatted ozamandarins stepped rigidly forward. and nine taller, thinner, meaner-visaged rogues, decided samuel, lovingly fingering his scimiter, it had never been his misfortune to encounter. didjabo, recognizing tandy at once in spite of his new and seaman-like bearing, was the first to speak. "the blessing of the stars, moon and sun upon you!" cried the wily chief, bowing rapidly ten times in succession, "and upon these strangers who have brought you safely back to these shores! welcome, most welcome, small king and ruler of the ozamanders!" speaking calmly but with black fury in his heart to have his plans so unexpectedly thwarted, didjabo advanced rapidly toward nikobo. "and now that you are here and really safe, we must see that you are locked securely in the white tower of the wise man away from all future hurt and harm!" reaching the side of the hippopotamus, he put up his hand to help tandy dismount. "but i'm not going back to the tower!" said tandy, looking the chief ozamandarin straight in the eye. "ever! i'm riding on to the castle, so kindly order some refreshments for my friends and shipmates." "hi, yi, yi!" approved the old tribesman, pounding the cliff with his lance. "here's a king for us. what good did your tower do before, old square-hat? he was carried off in spite of it, wasn't he? well, trot along now and do as he says; he's the king, and i'm here to see he gets his rights!" shocked by the determination in tandy's voice and the evident delight of the crowd at his defiance, didjabo put up his hand for silence. "it is the law of the land that the nine ozamandarins shall guard the life and preserve the health of the country's sovereign," stated didjabo in his cold and impressive voice. "until this boy becomes of age he must be cared for and protected from his enemies. forward, guards! on to the tower! you others!" didjabo nodded disagreeably at samuel salt, ato, roger and nikobo, "you others may return to your ship, where a suitable reward will be sent out to you. we are deeply indebted to you for finding our king, but the law of ozamaland says that all foreigners landing on our shores shall instantly and without delay be flung over the cliffs. in your case we graciously permit you to leave. come, tazander!" while samuel salt could not help admiring the way the old ozamandarin was trying to keep the upper hand, he had no intention of leaving till he had assured himself that tandy was in safe and proper hands. "but surely you will wish to hear the story of how we found this boy and explain how he happened to be on that jungle island!" observed samuel mildly. "step back, my good fellow, nikobo has large feet and she just might happen to tread on you." "yes," wheezed nikobo sullenly, "i just might happen to do that very thing." slipping round to the other side of the hippopotamus, didjabo, paying no attention to either remark, tried to pull tandy to the ground. but the little boy, remembering roger's advice about lubbers gave him a fast and sudden poke in the nose that sent his hat flying off and the ozamandarin himself rolling head over heels. "hurray, hurray! avast and belay! and down with old square-hats forever!" shrilled the read bird, while ato and samuel exchanged a proud and pleased glance. while the other ozamandarins stood uncertainly, the crowd, long weary of the rigid rule of the nine judges, began to laugh and cheer. "the king is king! long live the king!" shouted the old tribesman vociferously. but didjabo pulling himself furiously to his feet, flung up his arm. "guards! guards!" he screeched venomously, "do your work! save this poor, misguided child from these unspeakable foreigners or we are all lost. can you not see they are savages, sorcerers and enemies? seize the king and over the cliff with these hippopotamic invaders!" chapter boglodore's revenge the word "hippopotamic" seemed to rouse the undecided guards to action, and samuel, as the crowd moved uneasily aside to let the elephant and camel mounted guardsmen through, heartily wished himself back on the ship. nikobo, squealing with rage and defiance, began moving cautiously back toward the path down the cliffs, but ato, who had been merely biding his time, tore open his package and began tossing right and left the tumbleweeds and creeping vines which fortunately it had contained. the first creeper caught didjabo, bound him up and laid him by the heels before he could issue another order. taking careful aim, ato threw a creeping vine at each of the other ozamandarins. the tumbleweeds, whirling beneath the feet of the elephants and camels, caused them to fall to their knees, tossing their riders over their heads, and between the yells of the guards, the squeals of the camels, and trumpeting of the elephants, confusion was terrific. the natives and nobles and all who could still move or run set off at top speed for the city without once looking behind them. muttering angrily under his breath, ato continued to hurl vines and tumbleweeds till none was left. unable to advance an inch, the white guard and their mounts rolled and groveled together in the deep sand. "now we can go on to the palace!" cried tandy, a bit breathless by the suddenness of it all. "oh, ato, how did you ever happen to bring those plants along?" "i suspected some of these subjects of yours were villains," answered ato grimly, "and the only way to meet villains is with villainy. forward march, my lass! on to the king's castle!" picking her way around the fallen men and beasts, nikobo, snorting at each step to show her superiority and contempt, set out for the royal palace. of all the people who had run out on the cliffs, besides the securely bound ozamandarins and the guard, only the old tribesman who had first cheered tandy remained. "oh, please do come with us," invited tandy earnestly as the old man stepped smilingly out of nikobo's way. "you could tell me all about the tent dwellers and help me so much if you would." "i am chunum, the sheik, head of a thousand tribes and speaking for them, i can say they all will proudly and gladly serve your brave young majesty. too long have the city dwellers ruled this great liberty-loving land." "then over the side and under the hatches with 'em," cried roger, beside himself with joy and exuberance at the neat way ato had handled tandy's subjects. "this boy's an able-bodied seaman and explorer and will stand no nonsense!" "my sea is the desert," said chunum, striding jauntily along beside nikobo, "and my ship is a camel, but i'll wager we'll understand each other well enough for all that." to tandy, conversing eagerly with chunum, the splendor of the white city of om was an old story, but to the others it seemed, with its flashing marble walks, great waving palms and towering dwellings and castle, one of the loveliest capitals they had yet visited. word of the happenings on the cliff had traveled fast. longing to welcome the young king, but fearing the strange magicians who had come with him, the nobles had barred themselves in their fine houses and the natives had fled to the hills beyond the city gates. the many-domed marble palace was absolutely deserted when nikobo pushed her way through the wide doors. not a footman, page or courtier was in sight. seeing no attention or service was to be had for some time, ato hurried away to the kitchens and was soon happily at work preparing a splendid feast to celebrate tandy's homecoming. tandy himself felt quiet and sad, examining with scant interest and enthusiasm the splendid rooms which he had never yet been allowed to live in. to tell the truth, he would have traded the whole castle for his small cabin aboard samuel's ship. samuel himself, never really happy or comfortable ashore, wandered about aimlessly, opening books on the long tables, peering out windows, and finally settling with a sigh of resignation in a huge chair beside the throne. nikobo had found a long pool and fountain in the same room and, lying at full length in this luxuriant marble bath, tranquilly waited for events to shape themselves. "why not sit on your throne?" asked roger as tandy seated himself on a small stool beside samuel salt. "oh, it's much too big for me," sighed tandy, thinking how very big and lonely the palace would seem when all his shipmates had gone. "aho, and methinks you are right! ahoy, the beginning of a beautiful idea doth at this moment start to seep through the head feathers, of which, _more_ anon!" chunum, who had never before heard a bird talk, stared at roger in amazed interest and surprise, but giving him no more satisfaction than a mischievous wink, the read bird flew off to help ato with the dinner. and now samuel proceeded to tell the old tribesman how he had found tandy in the jungle imprisoned in the wooden cage. as he finished, chunum shook his head in stern displeasure. "it has long been my conviction and belief," he stated solemnly, "that the ozamandarins are at the bottom of this. every year they usurp more and more power, and keeping the young king shut up in the tower was but an excuse to give them their own will and way. nor can i believe that the royal parents of this boy accidentally fell into the sea as they were reported to have done, or that the young aunts mentioned in the prophecy had anything at all to do with tandy's abduction. tell me, how long will the vines hold those villains prisoner, for only that long is tazander safe. we must think and act quickly," said chunum, tapping his staff thoughtfully on the floor. "the vines will not unwind for two days and before then--hah!" samuel expelled his breath in a mighty blast and sprang purposefully to his feet. "before then we shall put those fellows in a very safe place for tandy and for them too, shiver my timbers!" taking chunum by the shoulder, samuel started toward the door, and seeing the two intended to leave the castle, nikobo climbed out of the fountain and offered to carry them. tandy nodded absently as the two left the castle, his thoughts still far away on the _crescent moon_, and considering the work they had to do, samuel and chunum were well pleased to leave him behind. with surprising speed the hippopotamus made the return trip to the cliffs. the effects of the tumbleweed had evidently worn off and the guards and their mounts had fled with the rest of the inhabitants of white city to the hills. but the nine ozamandarins still lay in their curious cradles in the deep coarse sand. as samuel and chunum, in absolute agreement as to what should be done, rolled off nikobo's back, a furious bellow and screech brought them up short. nikobo, startled out of her usual calm, fell back on her haunches and after one horrified look upward buried her head in the sand. "it can't be!" cried samuel, clutching chunum's sleeve. "it can't be, but it is!" "an elephant, a flying elephant!" panted chunum, dragging samuel from under the immense shadow. "flatten yourself in the sand, seaman, and we may yet be spared." as samuel, more amazed than scared at so strange and curious a specimen, and even vaguely hopeful of capturing the unwieldy creature, made no move, chunum dragged him down by main force. the elephant meanwhile lighted like some gigantic butterfly on the edge of the cliff. fairly bleating with fright and terror, the nine ozamandarins watched him swooping toward them with a sinister and soundless speed. just behind his ear perched boglodore, the old man of the jungle, looking cruel and ugly as the genie of all evil. "revenge! revenge!" shrilled the turbaned native, clenching his fists. "now shall boglodore have his reward!" addressing himself to chunum and samuel salt, the old man of the jungle began screaming out the story of his wrongs. "for these scheming rascals i carried away on umbo, my great and useful umbrellaphant, the young king of this country. for this i was to receive one-tenth of the kingdom, the ozamandarins themselves to divide the rest of the country among them. but hah! what happened?" dancing up and down on the elephant's head, boglodore again clenched his fists, his face distorted with rage and fury. "what happened? why, these miserable cheats refused to pay me, intending to keep the whole country for themselves. but hearken well, you and you!" jerking his thumb contemptuously toward his rigid and helpless enemies, the old man continued his story. "all along i have suspected these thieving zamans; all along i intended to fool them and return the little king to his castle, keeping only the jungle for my own. that is why i built the boy his cage in the jungle and set nikobo, the great hippopotamus, to watch over him, giving her the power of speech and the desire to seek out and protect this unfortunate child of an unfortunate country. i am a magician and could well bring about these things. you, whoever you are, who found and brought him back to ozamaland did no more than i myself intended to do and intend to do now. after restoring tandy to his throne, i meant to deal with his enemies, and now as they are so neatly bound up and ready, i shall reward them well for their pains and treachery." "stop! stop! avast there and belay!" shouted samuel salt as the umbrellaphant, obeying an order from the terrible old man, picked up didjabo in his trunk and flew swiftly toward the cliff's edge. but chunum, again dragging samuel down, whispered fiercely in his ear. "it is justice, seaman, and only what we ourselves planned to do. the vines will keep these rogues afloat for two days, then haply they will sink--not to die, as death comes not to the people of my country, but to lie for long forgotten ages at the bottom of the sea, harmless and sodden, and unable to do any more harm to the country they have so dishonorably served and betrayed!" shuddering and in a tense silence, samuel and the sheik watched the umbrellaphant toss the wretched ozamandarins one after the other into the sea. the immense zooming monster fascinated the captain of the _crescent moon_. not wings, but a balloon-like structure of its own tough skin billowing over its back like a howdah, enabled umbo to navigate in the air. samuel was anxious for further talk with the old man of the jungle, but as the last ozamandarin fell over the cliff the umbrellaphant, with a trumpet of defiance, headed rapidly for the open sea. "look! look! it's getting away!" cried samuel, rushing to the cliff's edge and almost tumbling over. "do you realize that there goes the only umbrellaphant in captivity?" "well, well, and what if it is?" muttered chunum, again pulling samuel back to safety. "i expect boglodore does not find this country healthy after the pretty story he has just told us, and come, come, master seaman, what would you do with a flying elephant aboard your ship?" "i'd tie it to the mast and carry it back to oz," explained samuel, staring gloomily after the disappearing prize. "why, it would be the most rare and amazing specimen ever brought back from anywhere, and now--now--i've lost it--" samuel's arms dropped heavily to his sides and turning away from the cliff, he began walking slowly back toward nikobo, who had at last ventured to lift her head from the sand. surprised enough was the hippopotamus to learn that she had been given her power of speech by the ugly little magician on the umbrellaphant, and frightened lest she forget tandy's language, she began talking rapidly to herself. "but you forget what all this means!" panted chunum, catching up with the explorer and shaking him energetically by the shoulder. "why, this clears up the whole mystery. not an aunt but an elephant carried tazander to patrippany island. we must return quickly to the castle and release his innocent relatives. i myself will call back tandy's frightened subjects and tell them of the great good fortune that has befallen, that we are rid of nine rogues and have a brave young king to rule ozamaland. come, come, do not stand here dreaming about lost elephants; there is much to be accomplished and done." "goosewing my topsails, you're right!" breathed samuel salt, coming completely out of his reverie. "round up the citizens, comrade, and i'll carry the good news to the castle." chapter king tandy when samuel reached the castle, he found ato and roger had set a small cozy table in the throne room, and tandy was anxiously looking out of one of the gold-framed windows for his return. the whiffs from the covered dishes were so appetizing the royal explorer of oz was almost inclined to let his news wait till afterward. but thinking better of it, he blurted out the whole story of what had happened to the ozamandarins. "then they're all gone and done for," sniffed ato, seating himself at the head of the table. "well, a couple of hundred years at the bottom of the sea should soak all the sin and wickedness out of 'em! and you say it was an umbrellaphant that carried tandy off? my! and my! dear, dear and dear! just pour me a cup of coffee, roger. i'm feeling weaker than soup!" "well, how do you suppose _i_ feel," grumbled samuel salt, throwing his hat up on a bronze figure, "to lose an elegant specimen like that? why, i'll wager we'll never see another creature like it!" "there! there! always talking about the elephant that got away instead of appreciating your good fortune!" scolded ato, throwing a corn muffin down to nikobo and lifting the gold cover off the roast fowl. "yes, and you'd better listen to our news, master salt!" roger said, pouring a cup of coffee for all hands. "news? news? has anything happened here?" samuel looked more anxious than interested. "oh, yes!" cried tandy, running round to his side of the table and pressing eagerly against samuel's knee. "roger has a wonderful plan and i as king of ozamaland have agreed to it, and oh, samuel, samuel!" forgetting he usually called the tremendous seaman "captain," tandy flung both arms round his neck and almost squeezed the breath out of him. "i'm going straight back on the _crescent moon_, and i'm not coming ashore for years and years. i'm going with you to ev, oz, elbow island and everywhere!" "what?" spluttered samuel salt, disentangling himself with great difficulty and holding tandy off at arm's length. "are you joking? are you crazy? have you abdicated or what? why, this is too good to be true!" "but it _is_ true!" insisted roger, strutting up and down the table and illy concealing his pride and satisfaction. "oh, tell him, tell him," begged tandy, too happy to speak for himself. "well," said roger, spreading his wings self-consciously, for the plan was his and he felt prouder of it every minute, "we are placing ozamaland under the general rule and protection of oz and leaving as ruler in tandy's place that long-legged son of the desert, chunum. now there's a fellow who can handle these scary nobles and natives and wild elephant and camel riders. a king must complete his education before he starts ruling, you know." roger paused to scratch his head and wink gaily at samuel salt. "and if this king chooses to finish his education on our ship, that is his own affair." "oh, quite! quite!" samuel began to rock backward and forward and roar with merriment. "roger, you rascal, you've done as good a job of reasoning as a whole flock of wise men! fall to, mates, now we can enjoy our victuals and i give you a toast to king tandy, cabin boy, explorer and artist extraordinary to this expedition!" "tandy! tandy!" echoed ato and roger, lifting their coffee cups. "tandy! tandy!" mumbled nikobo, who was lunching largely and luxuriantly on the flowers in a low window box. "when do we sail?" chapter a voyage resumed anxious as tandy was to return to the _crescent moon_ and continue the voyage, it was a whole week before they finally shoved off. chunum, true to his word, had rounded up the frightened citizens of the capital and explained to them the wicked plots of the ozamandarins and their punishment by boglodore, the old man of the jungle. then tandy, addressing them from the castle balcony, called upon them to consider chunum as their king until he himself should have completed his education in foreign parts and aboard the _crescent moon_, during which time he promised to keep them always in mind and have their welfare always at heart. next, tandy explained how ozamaland was now a province and under the general rule and protection of ozma of oz, how settlers from that famous fairyland would soon arrive to help them build new cities and towns, tame the wild jungles of the interior and repel the dangerous invasions of the greys. here chunum rose to declare he himself would be responsible for peace along the border between amaland and ozamaland, that the greys had long desired to be friends with the whites, but trouble had been stirred up by the ozamandarins so they might have the credit of protecting the country. then tandy spoke again of all the advantages that would be enjoyed from their association with the kingdom of oz. it was a long and splendid speech, roger and tandy having spent the whole morning in its preparation, and delighted and surprised by the energy and ambition of their young ruler, tandy's subjects cheered him long and vociferously, greeting each new plan and proposal with loud acclaim and enthusiasm. the royal aunts and relatives, already released from the castle dungeons and restored to their royal dwellings, could not speak highly enough of their young relative's bravery and cleverness and the bravery and cleverness of all of his new friends. they quite wore nikobo out with their questions and petting and the hippopotamus sighed hugely for the time when they would all be at sea. "was i right or was i wrong?" questioned roger on the third afternoon as tandy, resplendent in his court suit of white velvet, reviewed the vast parade of loyal nobles and natives, and the long lines of elephants and camels went sweeping by the palace. "they love you just as much for going away as they would if you stayed. and chunum is a man in a million." "right!" tandy nodded, waving happily to the crowds that in a high holiday mood thronged the walks and parks of the beautiful white city. chunum had taken samuel salt and ato on an expedition into the jungle so that the royal explorer of oz could procure a creeping bird and flying reptile for his collection. nikobo, old jungaleer that she was, had gone along to see that no harm came to them. to tandy a snake with feathers and a bird with scales and fangs was no novelty, but samuel, returning with a pair of each, considered them the most peculiar and precious of his queer specimens. he carried their cages everywhere he went and spent long rapt hours watching the snakes fly and the birds creep about their new cages. ato had discovered a new and rare fruit and had brought along several slips to plant in the rail boxes he had outside the galley. nikobo had swum to her heart's content in a green and muddy jungle stream and all three were now quite ready and anxious to continue the voyage. aboard the _crescent moon_ one of the guards had been established to feed the monkey fish and water boy and tend to the plants in the hold and serve as watchman. and early one bright morning, just a week after they had landed, the members of the royal exploration party of oz set forth from the palace. oz flags fluttered and snapped in the fresh morning breeze, mingling with the white banners of ozamaland, and the streets and avenues were lined with tandy's cheering and now quite cheerful subjects. riding nikobo, accompanied by chunum on a white elephant and the entire camel corps and elephant guard, the party made their way down to the water's edge, feeling exactly, as ato whispered in a laughing undertone to roger, like a whole circus and a zoo. besides roger, tandy, samuel salt and ato, nikobo carried two large cages and two small cages. in the small cages were the flying reptiles and creeping birds. in the large cages a baby white camel and a baby white elephant. "you'll sink, my lass," worried samuel salt, as nikobo, having safely made her way down the rocky cliff road, waded confidently out into the sea. "not me," murmured the hippopotamus comfortably. "you may get wet, but i'll get you safely out to the ship. trust me." "goodbye! goodbye, all!" cried tandy, standing up on her back to wave to the crowds collected on the cliffs. now that he was leaving, he felt a strange fondness for them. "goodbye, chunum! i'll be back, never fear!" "goodbye, little fellow! goodbye, little king! a fair and far-away voyage to you," called the tall old desert chief, standing up in his stirrups to wave his long lance. "to the sun--the moon--the stars i commend you! go in happiness and return in health and live long to rule over ozamaland." "you take care of the country and we'll take care of the king," shouted samuel. "goodbye! goodbye! be watching, all of you, for the ships from oz!" "goodbye! goodbye!" called the nobles, the natives, the guards; even the elephants and camels raised their shrill voices in farewell as nikobo swam strongly away from the shore and toward the _crescent moon_. the guard left in charge of the ship thankfully turned the vessel over to its rightful owners and, shaking tandy feelingly by the hand, climbed down the ladder and dropped nervously on the back of the hippopotamus, who was to carry him to shore. "here, brainless, lend a hand with the freight," yelled roger as tandy stood gazing rather thoughtfully toward the cliffs. "the king's ashore! long live his cabin boy! i'll carry these pesky reptilia if you take the camel." roger winked at tandy as samuel salt, bent double under the baby elephant's cage, started carefully down to the hold. the baby camel and its cage were so small tandy could manage them quite easily, and with a little laugh he hurried after samuel and roger. by the time they had finished nikobo had returned from her shore trip and climbed thankfully back on her raft. "all hands stand by to heave up the anchor," bellowed samuel, stepping cheerfully over to his sail controls. "anchors aweigh! and away we go, boys, and the hippopotamus take the hindmost!" "ho, ho! well, she's built for it," roared ato, bending his weight to the cable as sail after sail rattled up the masts and bellied out from the yards. "where to now, sam-u-el? oz?" "oz, i should say not! we've a lot of geography to discover before we go back to oz. we'll need a roc's egg before we go there, eh, tandy? a roc's egg and sixty more islands for ozma's christmas stocking." "oh! will we really spend christmas in oz?" cried tandy, skipping up and down the deck, and forgetting all about his subjects waving from the cliffs. "why not?" demanded samuel salt, letting his hands fall happily upon the wheel. "oz is as merry a place as any to spend christmas, eh, roger?" "merry as eight bells!" cried roger, flying joyfully into the rigging. "ahoy! ahoy! nothing but sea t'seaward!" and when the _crescent moon_ flies over ev and drops down the winkie river on christmas morning with its chart full of islands and curious continents and its hold full of strange beasts, plants and treasure, i for one should like to be there, shouldn't you? the end * * * * * _a word about the oz books_ since , when l. frank baum introduced to the children of america, the wonderful wizard of oz and all the other exciting characters who inhabit the land of oz, these delightful fairy tales have stimulated the imagination of millions of young readers. these are stories which are genuine fantasy--creative, funny, tender, exciting and surprising. filled with the rarest and most absurd creatures, each of the volumes which now comprise the series, has been eagerly sought out by generation after generation until today they are known to all except the very young or those who were never young at all. when, in a recent survey, _the new york times_ polled a group of teen agers on the books they liked best when they were young, the oz books topped the list. * * * * * captain salt in oz a voyage on the famous nonestic ocean! what could be more thrilling than that? we--many of us--have taken trips on the prosaic atlantic or even pacific, but have we found a sea forest with flying fish and swimming birds? have we been pursued by a real sea serpent, or had our ship transfixed by the immense ivory tusk of a narwhal? have we come upon the glittering island of peakenspire, or made friends with a charming talking hippopotamus? yet all these things and more befall captain salt, one time pirate and now royal explorer of oz, and his merry crew. they come back with their hold bursting with unique and fascinating specimens, with their chart crowded with new islands, claimed for ozma, and drawn so realistically by the delightful little boy tandy, cabin boy and artist of the expedition. * * * * * the oz books wizard of oz visitors from oz . the land of oz . ozma of oz . dorothy and the wizard . the road to oz . the emerald city of oz . the patchwork girl of oz . tik-tok of oz . the scarecrow of oz . rinkitink in oz . the lost princess of oz . the tin woodman of oz . the magic of oz . glinda of oz . the royal book of oz . kabumpo in oz . the cowardly lion of oz . grandpa in oz . the lost king of oz . the hungry tiger of oz . the gnome king of oz . the giant horse of oz . jack pumpkinhead of oz . the yellow knight of oz . pirates in oz . the purple prince of oz . ojo in oz . speedy in oz . the wishing horse of oz . captain salt in oz . handy mandy in oz . the silver princess in oz . ozoplaning with the wizard of oz . wonder city of oz . scalawagons of oz . lucky bucky in oz . magical mimics in oz . the shaggy man of oz . the hidden valley of oz _the shaggy man of oz_ by jack snow, founded on and continuing the famous oz stories by l. frank baum illustrated by frank kramer the reilly & lee co. chicago * * * * * the shaggy man of oz copyright by the reilly & lee co. printed in the u. s. a. [transcriber's note: extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] * * * * * _to the children_ during the past few years, several readers have written me asking: "what ever happened to the nome king's tunnel under the deadly desert?" the answer will be found in this book. everyone who has read the oz books knows and loves shaggy. he first met dorothy in "the road to oz," and from that time on had a number of adventures in which he discovered such famous oz personages as the patchwork girl, ojo, unk nunkie, the glass cat, betsy bobbin and her mule hank, and many others. so, it is about time that the shaggy man had an oz book all his own--and here it is--faithfully recorded from the latest messages received from the land of oz. incidentally, you will recall that after glinda laid down her barrier of invisibility, the only manner of communication between oz and the great outside world was by radio. well, now, your author of the oz books has succeeded in tuning in the emerald city on a specially built television set--his "magic picture." this has helped a great deal in the writing of this book--but not nearly so much as your own letters. so don't forget to write and tell me all your thoughts about the land of oz and the equally interesting countries surrounding it. just now, important things are happening there which i hope to tell you about in another oz book. _jack snow_ * * * * * _this book is dedicated to my father john alonzo snow_ santa claus was good to me-- gave me lots of things wrapped in dainty parcels and tied with ribbon-strings. i can't recall what lovely gifts within there chanced to be-- the wrappers and the ribbons were what are dear to me. they breathe of sweet remembrance, of love and kindly thought-- the things about my presents that never could be bought. and so, although i'm far away, love's message spans the space and our two hearts are linked anew through dear old santa's grace. _by l. frank baum a hitherto unpublished poem written to his sister, mary louise brewster_ * * * * * list _of_ chapters . the twins look in . on the isle of conjo . omby amby bears bad news . ozma uses the magic belt . the castle of conjo . the magic airmobile . into hightown . the lord high mayor . the valley of romance . lady cue . what happened to shaggy . a midnight adventure . tom goes to the rescue . the valley of love . the king of the fairy beavers . in beaver land . the tunnel under the desert . the flame folk . the barrier of invisibility . at the end of the tunnel . the wizard is excited . conjo in control . twiffle says goodbye . twink and tom in oz . the black bag of magic tools . twink and tom home again chapter the twins look in "it just isn't fair," declared tom, staring unhappily through the window at the heavy rain pelting the lawn and garden about the house. "well, there's nothing we can do about it so we might as well make the best of it," replied twink philosophically. "but i wanted to go outdoors and play this afternoon--you know we have only a few more weeks until school starts. besides, i'm sick and tired of this old house and of every single thing we have to play with." almost as if he understood tom's words, twoffle, the children's wooden clown, tumbled over on his face in the corner where he had been standing neglected. "now look what you've done! you've hurt twoffle's feelings," accused twink reprovingly as she hastened to stand the funny little clown erect again in his corner of the room. twink was especially fond of twoffle. the little wooden clown, with his hinged joints and gaudily painted features and clothing, had been a part of their lives almost as long as twink could remember. he had taken part in many of their games, and being constructed of a fine grade of durable wood, he had outlasted many other more fragile toys that had come and gone. twink and tom were twins. they lived in a large, comfortable house in the city of buffalo, new york, with their mother and father and rosie the cook. this afternoon the house was very quiet. twink's and tom's father, professor jones, was at work at the university, where he taught young people all about electrons, atoms, molecules, and other mysterious matters. mrs. jones was attending a meeting of her club of lady voters. rosie, the cook, dozed in her warm kitchen, nodding over the latest issue of a fashion magazine. so it was no wonder the twins were a bit lonesome. the rain streamed down the window monotonously and it seemed the afternoon would drag on forever. twink glanced at the clock on the mantle. it was a little dutch cottage clock and the hands indicated it was almost three o'clock. twink was struck with a sudden idea. "come on, tom!" she called. "look at the time. if we don't hurry we'll miss chapter four of buffalo bill rides again!" tom came to life immediately, and in an instant both children were dashing down the broad stairway and into the library. here was the solution to their dull afternoon--a television set that professor jones had built himself and installed in the library. it was a very special set with a large "projection screen." the glass tube of the television set enlarged the picture on the screen. at three o'clock each afternoon twink and tom could see another chapter in the exciting moving picture serial of the wild west. the children were sure, of course, that buffalo bill had been named after their own city, and this made the picture all the more interesting. tom was busily turning knobs and dials and making adjustments. in a few seconds the big screen lighted up with a bluish-green glare and a moment later the pictures appeared. buffalo bill was ambushed by a wildly howling mob of redskins who were on the war-path. there was no doubt in twink's and tom's minds that the famous scout would emerge unharmed while the indians would take to noisy flight. but just as buffalo bill brought his rifle to his shoulder and was sighting the nearest redskin, something happened. the flickering motion picture vanished from the television screen, and in its place appeared a picture that made the children gasp. it was one of the most beautiful scenes they could imagine: a peaceful, rolling meadowland, bright with all kinds of wild-flowers on which the sun shown down from a blue sky dotted with white, baby clouds. in the distance rose the spires and minarets of a great castle, glittering and glistening in the sunlight. but it was not the castle or the sunny meadowland that held the children's attention. twink and tom stared unbelievingly at a figure that stood in the center of the television picture looking out at them with the most familiar of smiles. it was twoffle, their wooden clown. chapter on the isle of conjo "good afternoon, children," said the clown quite clearly and calmly. "g-g-g-good afternoon!" stammered twink and tom. the little clown suddenly doubled up with merriment and then gasped: "if you could only see yourselves! you're all eyes--positively bug-eyed if i ever saw anyone who was!" "but what are you doing in the television picture?" asked twink, regaining a little of her composure. the clown disregarded her question and was suddenly serious. "come on," he ordered. "conjo can hold this picture only a few minutes and you just have time to walk through." "walk through?" echoed tom. "what do you mean?" "start walking toward the television screen and you'll find out," answered the clown. "or perhaps," he added, "you would rather stay there where it is raining and you can't go outdoors." "but you're only a picture," objected twink. "will you please do as i tell you and start walking toward the television screen?" asked the clown sternly. twink and tom looked at each other questioningly. tom smiled and shrugged. "might as well try it--can't do any harm," he said. "that's the spirit!" exclaimed the little clown, smiling again. "just join hands and walk straight toward me." tom took twink's hand and the two children slowly advanced toward the television screen. the screen was nearly five feet high--several inches taller than the children--and almost six feet wide. so vivid and real was the picture that twink imagined she could really walk right into it. just as the children were about to take the last step that would bring them directly in front of the television screen, a sudden powerful gust of wind hit their backs and sent them tumbling forward. "this is where we'll catch it," thought tom, sure that the wind must have blown them into the screen. he sat up, fully expecting to see the expensive screen torn to shreds. instead he saw an expanse of rolling meadowland, and he felt the warm sun beating down on his head. twink was sitting beside him on the green grass, staring about in utter bewilderment. before them stood the clown, smiling broadly. "it's magic," breathed twink, "pure magic." "well, it's magic, all right," answered the clown, "but i wouldn't say how pure it is." "but what has become of our library, and how did we get here, and how can this be real, and why is it you're not upstairs in my room?" the questions tumbled out almost faster than twink could ask them. "one question at a time, please," said the clown, "and i'll try to answer. your library is right where it always is. this can be real because it _is_ real. and i am not in your room because i belong here." "but, twoffle," protested tom, "we left you in twink's room not fifteen minutes ago." "you didn't leave me there, and don't call me twoffle," objected the clown. by this time twink and tom were standing up and brushing off their clothes. "but you _are_ our twoffle, you know," stated the girl. "we have had you for years and years." "i am not your twoffle--of all the silly names," said the clown with some irritation. "i am my own twiffle." "then how is it you look so much like our twoffle?" asked tom, who noted the clown was the same size as twoffle and looked like his double. "i was about to tell you," explained the clown, "that my name is twiffle, and twoffle is my third cousin." "oh, so then you know twoffle?" asked twink curiously. "know him?" replied twiffle. "of course i know him. and i also know you two very well. many nights twoffle and i have sat in your rooms with the moonlight streaming through the window and talked by the hour while you children slept." twink and tom said nothing. they were busy thinking. all this was so strange and had happened so unexpectedly and suddenly that they were still bewildered. tom's eyes were puzzled as he asked: "just before we came through the screen, you said something about conjo being able to 'hold the picture for only a few minutes.' who is conjo?" twiffle was suddenly alert. "that reminds me," he said, "that we must be on our way at once. conjo is expecting you and we mustn't keep him waiting." without another word, twiffle started walking across the grass. the children followed. "but who is this conjo, and where does he live?" asked twink. "and what does he want with us?" added tom. without pausing to look at the children, twiffle answered: "conjo is a wizard--the sole ruler of this island, the isle of conjo. he lives in the castle you can see in the distance. what he wants with you, he will undoubtedly tell you himself." with this, the little clown flashed twink and tom a bright smile and then walked steadily on toward the glittering castle. twink found that she had no trouble at all in keeping up with twiffle, because his legs were so short and his stride so small. she had plenty of time to pause occasionally and gather the colorful wild flowers that dotted the green meadowland. chapter omby amby bears bad news "ozma! where is ozma? i must see her at once--immediately!" the soldier with the green whiskers had run all the way from the gates of the emerald city of oz to the royal palace with his whiskers streaming at least six feet behind him. now that he had arrived at the palace, he was panting and wild-eyed with excitement. "whatever is the matter with you, omby amby?" asked jellia jamb, ozma's dainty little maid, eyeing the distraught guardian of the gates with undisguised curiosity. omby amby groaned. "something terrible has happened. i must report it to ozma at once." "can't you give me just an inkling of what it is?" coaxed jellia. "no," replied omby amby firmly. the soldier, who was ozma's royal army, was rapidly regaining his composure--and his breath--after his wild dash through the emerald-studded streets of the city. "well, then come along," replied jellia jamb with a sigh. "i suppose i shall have to wait for ozma to tell me what has upset you so terribly." the little maid led the way down the corridors of the royal palace until she came to a large double door. here she knocked and a moment later ozma's voice answered: "come in." jellia jamb opened the door and the soldier with the green whiskers followed her into the room. this was ozma's library, where the shelves that rose from the floor to the ceiling were filled with magic books of records. the little ruler of oz was seated at a table, deep in the study of one of the books. she looked up questioningly as omby amby stood before her. jellia jamb silently departed, closing the door behind her. "your highness," began omby amby, "it is my painful duty to report a most regrettable misfortune." "what is it, omby amby," asked ozma with a kindly smile. "what has happened?" "it's the love magnet, your highness," gulped the soldier. "it's been broken!" "broken!" exclaimed ozma, rising from her chair. "how could that ever have happened?" "it was the nail," explained omby amby miserably. "if your highness will recall the love magnet has been hanging from a nail over the gates of the emerald city for many years--in fact, ever since the shaggy man came to live in the land of oz." "yes, i know," said ozma. "well," went on the soldier, "the nail must have rusted and this morning it snapped. the love magnet fell to the bricks of the yellow road and broke into two pieces." ozma's face was grave. "you brought the pieces with you?" she asked. "yes, your highness, i did," replied omby amby. delving into one of his pockets, he handed ozma the two pieces of the love magnet, a small bit of metal, shaped like a horseshoe when it was whole. ozma held the broken love magnet in her hand, regarding it sadly. "it is too bad," she said, "that so wonderful a charm should be broken." "do you mean it can't be repaired, your highness?" asked omby amby. "of that i am not sure," replied ozma. "perhaps the first thing we should do is ask the shaggy man to come here and explain to him how the love magnet came to be broken, since it does, after all, really belong to him." "i will go for him immediately," said the soldier, turning to the door. "you will find him in the garden with dorothy and jack pumpkinhead, who is trying on a new head," said ozma, as omby amby made a low bow and closed the door behind him. by luck, ozma reflected, the shaggy man was in the emerald city. she knew that shaggy was fond of making long trips about the land of oz, exploring the little-known corners and regions of this most famous of all fairylands. now he had just returned from a visit with his brother who was in the gillikin country. while she waited, ozma recalled how the shaggy man had befriended dorothy in the great outside world and had found his way to the land of oz in the company of little dorothy. with him he had brought the love magnet, a curious magical talisman, which caused whoever carried it to be loved by all he met. shaggy had gratefully accepted ozma's invitation to make his home in the land of oz, and since he had no further need for the love magnet, ozma had caused it to be hung over the gates of the emerald city so that all who entered might be loving and loved. before she had done this, however, ozma had wisely altered the powers of the love magnet so that the talisman did not automatically cause the person who carried it to be loved by all he met, but must be _displayed_ by its carrier before the eyes of the person or persons whose love he wished to win. thus, control of the powers of the magnet were given to its owner. all this had happened so long ago that it was now duly written down in professor wogglebug's chronicles of the land of oz. ozma's reflections were ended by the appearance of omby amby and the shaggy man who had no idea that anything was the matter. "dorothy said to tell you, your highness, that it's one of the best heads jack ever had," the shaggy man announced with satisfaction, as he entered the room. "dorothy's fitting it on jack's body now." "won't you sit down, please, shaggy man?" invited ozma. the little ruler's expression was so serious that the shaggy man asked with concern, "what is it, ozma? what's wrong?" ozma answered silently by extending her palm on which lay the halves of the broken love magnet. the shaggy man's eyes clouded. "oh, that _is_ too bad. i was very fond of the love magnet. it always made me feel happy whenever i entered or left the emerald city. how did it come to be broken?" ozma explained in a few words what had happened. "but can't the love magnet be repaired?" asked the shaggy man. "i should think it would be an easy matter for you or the wizard or glinda to put it together again as good as new." "no," ozma shook her head. "it isn't as simple as that. a long time ago i looked up the history of the love magnet in my magic record books and i found that, if broken, it could be made whole only by one person--the person who created it." "and who," asked the shaggy man with deep interest, "is that?" "it has been so long ago," admitted ozma, "that i have forgotten who it was. but i can look it up in a few seconds." ozma moved to the far side of the library, where she selected one of the magic record books and opened it on a table. after turning the pages until she found the one containing the love magnet's history, ozma ran her finger down the finely printed column. "here it is," she announced. "the man who made the love magnet, and the only person who can repair it, is a wizard named conjo, who lives on a tiny island in the middle of the nonestic ocean." chapter ozma uses the magic belt omby amby had returned to his post at the gates of the emerald city and ozma and the shaggy man had retired to the chamber of magic. here were kept many of the most valuable magical instruments in all the land of oz. "there is only one thing to be done," the shaggy man was saying. "i must take the broken love magnet to this conjo and ask him to repair it." "i am not sure at all that conjo will agree to repair the love magnet for you," ozma replied with a troubled expression. "you see, we know very little about this conjo. he lives alone on this tiny island in the middle of the nonestic ocean and practices magic. there is no record of his actually misusing his magical powers. nor, so far as we know, has he caused trouble for anyone. however, we have reason to believe he is rather selfish and thoughtless and that he might cause harm, without really meaning to, just to satisfy his vanity. also, it might not suit his whim to mend the love magnet." "what is the name of the island on which conjo lives?" asked the shaggy man musingly. "it is called the isle of conjo, and since it is many miles from the land of oz, i have no power over the wizard at all. in fact," concluded ozma, "that is the reason we here in the land of oz know so little about conjo." "nevertheless," maintained the shaggy man, "i think i should go as soon as possible to this island and do everything i can to persuade conjo to make the love magnet whole." "even after you crossed the deadly desert, you would have several days' journey through the land of ev, and then you would only be on the shores of the nonestic ocean. so, i think it would be best, since you are determined to make the journey, for me to use the magic belt to transport you directly to the isle of conjo." the shaggy man willingly agreed to this plan, stating that he was ready to leave at once. "first," said ozma, "let us have a look at the isle of conjo in the magic picture." the girl ruler swept aside the velvet curtain that hung over the magic picture when it was not in use. the picture appeared to be a peaceful, country farmland scene with purple hills rising in the distance. "show us the isle of conjo in the nonestic ocean," said ozma. immediately the picture shifted and changed. it now reflected a gently rolling meadowland with a great castle in the distance. approaching the castle were a young girl and a boy, accompanied by the figure of a little wooden clown. ozma gasped in surprise. "those are human children, shaggy man! what can they be doing there when my magic record books state that conjo is the only human being on the island? we can see that the clown accompanying them is a puppet, evidently brought to life by conjo." "perhaps they are lost," ventured the shaggy man. "but how would they get to the island? it is surrounded by miles and miles of ocean." "i don't know," admitted the shaggy man, "but it is one more good reason for me to go there as quickly as possible--those children may be in need of help." "i agree with you," said ozma quickly. "you must find out what the children are doing on the island and see that they are returned to their homes. if you cannot do that, then you must bring them with you to the land of oz." "will you use the magic belt to transport us back to the land of oz?" asked the shaggy man. "that will be impossible," stated ozma, "since i must leave this afternoon to visit glinda the good. we are working on some extremely important magic charms in which the powers of the magic belt are needed. i am not sure how long i will be gone--perhaps for several weeks. "however," ozma went on, as she stepped to a heavy wooden chest, opened one of its drawers, and withdrew a small object, "i want you to take this with you. it will enable you to return to the land of oz anytime you wish." "what is it?" asked the shaggy man curiously. "it is a magic compass," explained ozma. "you will notice that it is not round in shape like ordinary compasses, but is formed like a rectangle, as is the land of oz." shaggy looked at the magic compass and found that instead of being marked, north, south, east, and west as is the usual compass, it bore the words, gillikin, quadling, winkie, and munchkin, which are the four countries making up the land of oz. "should you wish to return to any one of the four countries," ozma went on, "just set the compass needle to the one to which you wish to journey. if you want to come directly to the emerald city, you have only to spin the needle of the compass, and you will be here as quickly as the magic belt could bring you." the shaggy man inspected the magic compass more closely and found that the pivot on which the needle rested, rose from a spot of green in the very center of the compass. this green spot, he knew, represented the emerald city. "but what about the children?" the shaggy man asked. "if i can find no way to send them home, i cannot simply leave them on the island." "of course not," replied ozma. "if you think it necessary to bring them to oz with you, just have them put their arms in yours; then spin the compass needle, and all three of you will be transported to the emerald city." the shaggy man placed the magic compass carefully in his pocket and said: "perhaps it would be well for me to be on my way. there's no telling what will happen on that island and those two children may need help." ozma slipped on the magic belt. "goodbye, dear friend," she said, smiling fondly at the shaggy man. "return as quickly as you can." then she made the magic signal, and the shaggy man was no longer in the chamber of magic. chapter the castle of conjo "hello!" twink, tom, and twiffle stopped in their tracks. from out of nowhere had suddenly appeared a man of medium height with rosy cheeks, twinkling blue eyes, shaggy hair and clothing that, while it was composed of the finest silks and satins, was nevertheless a mass of shags and bobtails. twiffle was so surprised he found it impossible to speak. twink was regarding the stranger seriously. suddenly recognition lighted up her eyes. "oh, it can't be!" the little girl cried. "you just can't be the famous shaggy man of oz!" the shaggy man smiled. "don't know about the famous part, but i am known as the shaggy man, and until a few seconds ago i was in the land of oz." "oh! seeing you here made me think maybe this was a part of the land of oz," said twink, who had begun to hope since the moment she had recognized the shaggy man. tom was regarding the new arrival curiously. "yes," he said, "you certainly do look just like your pictures in the books. how did you get here so fast?--magic? i suppose the land of oz is quite a distance." "right, both times!" replied the shaggy man. "ozma sent me here with her magic belt, and the land of oz is many miles away from here." "why did ozma send you?" asked twink. "oh, i have a little business with this conjo fellow," answered the shaggy man. "you have business with conjo?" twiffle had recovered from his astonishment. "then you must forgive me for not greeting you more properly. it is so seldom that we have visitors on the island." "looks like you already have two visitors," observed the shaggy man, staring at twink and tom. "yes, but they were expected--and invited," pointed out twiffle primly. "however, since you have business with conjo, and we are on our way to see him, there is no reason you should not accompany us." "no reason whatever," agreed the shaggy man. "i hope this conjo has plenty of big red apples." "why?" asked tom. "they happen to be my favorite food, that's all," explained the shaggy man. led by twiffle, the shaggy man and the two children were advancing over the meadow toward the castle of conjo. the sun was now setting, burnishing the spires and turrets of the castle with rich hues of gold and copper. the shaggy man judged they had less than a half a mile to travel to the castle doors. "don't you children think introductions are in order?" asked the shaggy man, "since you seem to know me already." "well," twink began, "this is twiffle who is a third cousin of twoffle." twiffle bowed briefly and the shaggy man nodded. "and this is tom, and i am twink. we live in buffalo." "wait a minute," interrupted the shaggy man. "how did you happen to get a name like twink?" "twink and tom are not our real names," explained tom. "our parents named us abbadiah and zebbidiah." "why did they do that?" asked the shaggy man indignantly. "well," tom went on, "they didn't expect twins--we are twins, you know--and they couldn't make up their minds what to name us. so they just picked names at the beginning and end of the alphabet. that's how we came to be named from a to z." the shaggy man sighed. "and then," twink carried on, "i began to toddle when i was supposed to be still crawling, and everyone called me twink, because i got from one place to another in a twinkle. tom got his nickname in a funny way, too." "i have always been interested in everything mechanical and electrical," explained tom, "so when i was only two years old and took my toy phonograph apart to see where the little men and women who made the talking and music were, my father said: 'why, you're a regular little tom edison.' and so ever since then i have been tom." "at least they are better than those other names," said the shaggy man. conjo's castle loomed even larger, casting lengthening shadows, as the sun lowered behind it. in a few more minutes twiffle had led them to a large door that was evidently the entrance of the castle. hanging on the door was a sign which twink, tom, and the shaggy man read. castle of conjo working wizard "this way, please," said twiffle. the door opened at his touch, and they entered. all they could see was a vast corridor with doors on each side. at the end of the corridor was a handsome marble staircase that wound to the upper floors. twiffle's little wooden feet pattered busily down the polished marble floor of the corridor, until he came to an arch-shaped doorway upon which hung the sign: quiet! wizard at work as they paused before this door with its strange admonition, the shaggy man and his friends heard a sound that reminded them of a buzz-saw. "i wonder," ventured twink, "if conjo is building some new magical machine?" twiffle disregarded the little girl's question and proceeded to push the door which opened as easily as had the door of the castle. inside they found a vast, domed room. all around the sides of the room was a series of tables, work-benches, and tall cabinets. the tables and benches were filled with every kind of chemical instrument imaginable--beakers, retorts, test tubes, hundreds of bottles of different kinds of colored liquids, crucibles, and a series of burners over which simmered vials and pots of chemical mixtures. from these rose vari-colored vapors, filling the room with a pungent haze. the cabinet shelves were crowded and jumbled with thousands of containers of various powders, ointments, and mixtures used by wizards in working their magic spells. one cabinet contained nothing but books of magic recipes and formulas--everything from changing people into door-knobs to curing headaches. the shaggy man and the children had scarcely glanced at all this array of tools and materials for working magic, when their attention was drawn to a huge divan that rested in the very middle of the marble floor of the great chamber. this luxurious divan was covered with the softest and most expensive of rich velvet robes and comforts. curled up in a ball in the midst of the blankets and downy, satin-covered cushions was a little man. he was snoring. twink almost laughed aloud. so this was conjo, the working wizard! she realized now it was conjo's snoring they had mistaken for the sound of a buzz-saw. twiffle seemed neither surprised nor disturbed to find his master sound asleep. the little clown trotted over to the handsome divan and, seizing conjo by the shoulders, shook him vigorously. the shaggy man was grinning broadly, and tom was holding a hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter. sputtering and yawning, conjo sat up on the divan. since he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his knuckles, he did not see his guests for several seconds. then he blinked, yawned widely, and smiling a little foolishly said: "well, wiz my wand if it isn't twink and tom." "you already know us?" asked twink. "oh, goodness yes," replied conjo, stretching lazily. "twiffle has been telling me about you for years--ever since you were mere babies. i let twiffle visit your friend twoffle in your home, you know. send him there by my magic," explained conjo proudly. conjo was coming more awake every minute. "jumping june bugs!" he exclaimed as his eyes fell on the shaggy man. "i didn't tell twiffle to bring your father along--or is this person your grandfather?" "neither one," said the shaggy man with an amused smile. "your magic had nothing to do with my coming here, conjo. i came of my own accord." "came from where?" demanded conjo, and then went on before the shaggy man had a chance to answer: "you were shipwrecked--that must be it, of course--you are a poor, forlorn castaway--a helpless victim of the deep and mighty ocean." "no," contradicted the shaggy man, "i was not shipwrecked. i came here from the land of oz." conjo started. "the land of oz!" he exclaimed incredulously. "you mean the emerald city--ozma--dorothy--the scarecrow--the tin woodman--scraps--toto----" and then because he was out of breath the wizard concluded weakly "and all of that?" "i see you have heard of the land of oz," said the shaggy man, "so perhaps you will know why i am here." conjo, who was a fat, bald little man, not much taller than twink or tom, with a fringe of white hair about his pink head, closed his little eyes, placed a forefinger on his cherry-like nose, and thought hard. "you will just have to tell me," he said, opening his eyes and staring appealingly at the shaggy man. "i don't have a single idea. it usually takes several hours after i wake up before i get any ideas--and it is so seldom that we have shipwrecks." "i told you," the shaggy man reminded conjo patiently, "that i was not shipwrecked. i came here from the land of oz to ask you to do me a favor." "a favor?" said conjo, thinking hard. "why, that is strange indeed! the last shipwrecked person who was here wanted me to do him a favor, too. he stayed several months and then wanted to return to his home. he asked me to make a boat for him. that was an easy trick. and because the fellow wasn't a bad sort at all, i made him a present--i gave him one of my newest creations--the love magnet." "the love magnet," gasped the shaggy man. "don't interrupt, please," went on conjo. "not polite, you know. this shipwrecked person tied the love magnet onto the mast of his boat and set sail. last i ever saw of him. understand he encountered a whale, who, upon seeing the man and the love magnet, became so fond of the fellow that he ate him." conjo wiped a tear from his eye. the shaggy man wasn't sure whether the wizard was serious or was poking fun at him. he decided to pretend, at any rate, that he accepted conjo's absurd story, saying, "well, apparently the unfortunate man's boat was blown ashore and an eskimo found the love magnet, for it was an eskimo who gave it to me, and i took it to the land of oz." "my love magnet in the land of oz!" exclaimed conjo. "no," replied the shaggy man, "not _your_ love magnet, since you gave it away. it now belongs to all the people of the land of oz. that is why i am here now. the love magnet has been broken. the favor i ask you is to repair it, since you, its creator, are the only person who can do that." twink and tom had been listening with deep interest to this conversation. they had read about the love magnet and they were surprised to learn that it had been broken. "of course, of course, my dear shaggy man, for i perceive that is indeed who you are--a quite famous personage of the land of oz," conjo was wide awake now. "i shall be most happy to mend the love magnet if it can be mended. but surely you don't expect me to do so important and difficult a feat of magic without--a--er--let us say--a reward?" chapter the magic airmobile "yes, that's it," said conjo, nodding his round head so violently that his three chins rippled like the steps of an escalator. "you have asked me to do you a favor--a very great favor--so it is only just that i should claim a reward. that's fair, isn't it?" conjo was regarding the shaggy man with eyes from which was gone the somewhat foolish innocence. the shaggy man considered uneasily. he was beginning to remember ozma's warning that conjo was not to be trusted entirely. "what kind of a reward could i give you?" the shaggy man asked. conjo's finger shot out, pointing toward the shaggy man. "that," he said. "that in your pocket will be my reward!" involuntarily the shaggy man's hand went to his pocket in which rested the magic compass ozma had given him. "you must be joking," said the shaggy man incredulously. "the magic compass belongs to ozma. and if i did give it to you how would i return to the land of oz? no, what you ask is impossible." conjo's voice was wheedling. "surely you don't think ozma expected me to repair the love magnet for nothing, do you? i can assure you that ozma will regard the trading of the magic compass for the repair of the love magnet an excellent bargain. actually the magic compass is, by ozma's standards, a minor bit of magic." the shaggy man was perplexed. perhaps conjo was right. "supposing i do give you the magic compass--then how will i get back to oz?" conjo's eyes glowed. "nothing to it!" he declared. "you can return to oz anytime you like--just as soon as i repair the love magnet, if you wish. of course i would be happy should you care to remain my guest for a time, but the decision is entirely up to you." "how do you propose that i return to oz?" asked the shaggy man. "i can't walk across the deadly desert, you know." "ha, ha--ho, ho, ho!" conjo laughed. "walk across the deadly desert! certainly not! he, he, he! you shall sail high across it--swiftly and safely! come with me! i have something to show you." conjo wriggled about until his fat little body emerged from the cushions and silken coverings of the divan. as he stood up, the shaggy man and his friends saw that the little man was dressed in a loose robe of rich purple on which were embroidered stars, crescents, black cats, and the signs of the zodiac. all these designs were in the brightest colors, while the robe flowed about him, secured by a golden cord tied about his middle. on his feet were sandals woven of silver thread, with toes that curled up like question marks. "come with me," repeated the fat little wizard as he waddled to the door, "and i will show you how you can sail away in a jiffy." the shaggy man and the two children followed conjo, while twiffle remained behind, busily arranging and straightening the royal cushions and comforters of the regal divan. in the great corridor, conjo paused before a small door that opened at his touch, revealing a cage-like little room. "step in," the wizard invited his guests. "this is an elevator that will whisk us to the roof of the tallest tower of the castle--an improvement over the stairway, up which i find it difficult to whisk myself in my present state of, shall we say--stoutness? ho, ho, ho, ho, he, he, he!" conjo beamed good humor and friendliness as the elevator shot noiselessly upward. in a few seconds the door clicked, slid open, and conjo led his guests to the roof of the great tower. from this height they could see that the isle of conjo was small indeed, for the blue waters of the nonestic ocean were visible in any direction they looked. the sun was a great red ball of fire in the west, but it would still be several minutes before actual twilight set in. "and here," said conjo, leading them across the roof, "is the means by which i propose you return to the land of oz." the shaggy man and the children saw before them a most curious object. it might have been the body of an automobile, except that it seemed to have neither front nor back. both ends of it curled up like a gondola. nor did it have wheels. the flat bottom rested solidly on the roof. to all appearances it had no means of locomotion. conjo was regarding the strange object proudly. "behold!" he said, "one of my most ingenious creations--the airmobile!" "you mean to say," the shaggy man sighed, "that this thing is actually supposed to fly through the air?" conjo looked hurt. "you see before you," he said resentfully, "the most perfect means of air travel yet invented." tom broke in: "but how can it fly? it has no wings, no propeller, no jets--nothing but places to sit down!" conjo regarded the boy pityingly. "do you suppose i would rely upon such clumsy and inefficient means of flying as propellers, wings, and jets? the airmobile is the perfect flying machine. it repels gravity." "it does what?" asked the shaggy man. conjo stepped to the machine and opened one of the doors. "look," he said. "see these metal plates on the floor of the ship? they are gravity resistor plates. you must know," he went on patiently, "that it's the force of gravity pulling objects to the earth that causes things to have weight. well, my gravity resistor plates overcome gravity when exposed. hence the ship has no weight whatever." "yes," said tom, "i can understand that. but what makes it move?--backward and forward and upward, i mean." "oh, that," sniffed conjo. "these are gravity _resistor_ plates. they not only overcome gravity, but _resist_ it. the power of resistance forces the machine upward. the more surface of the plates you expose, the higher you will go. and you will notice," conjo continued, reaching inside the ship and pressing a button, "that the metal plates are mounted on rods through their middle so that they may be operated like flaps or fins--and they rotate. thus, if you tilt them in one direction, the resistance to gravity forces you ahead in one way; tilt them in the other direction and you travel in the opposite way. rotate them, and you can veer to right or left." "if it works, it is wonderful," said the shaggy man doubtfully. "oh, it works to perfection," assured conjo. "if it were not so late in the day, i would propose a little trip. as it is, i suggest that we go downstairs for dinner. then i will have to leave you to examine the love magnet. we will all arise early in the morning, at which time you will have the pleasure of a journey over the island in my airmobile." twink guessed that conjo's dinner must have been prepared and served by magic, for there were no servants in the grand dining room into which their round little host ushered them. but the food was quite as elaborate and rich as the dining room itself. the shaggy man and the children were hungry and they ate heartily. even so, they could not help noticing that conjo ate nearly twice as much as the shaggy man. shaggy was gratified to find a large bowl of rosey-cheeked apples in the center of the table, which made the meal a perfect one for him. conjo sighed with content, wiping his lips on a fine damask napkin. "inhospitable as it may seem," he apologized, "i must leave you now to see if the love magnet can be repaired. i will examine it in my laboratory and tell you tomorrow if it can be fixed. please give me the love magnet." this the shaggy man did and conjo waddled to the door, pausing to say, "twiffle will show you to your rooms. i hope you sleep well. i know i shall, after i finish this work." conjo was already yawning as he left the dining room. a few seconds later twiffle appeared in the doorway and invited shaggy and the children to follow him. the sleeping rooms to which twiffle led them up the marble stairway were on the second floor and were beautifully furnished with every convenience and comfort. twink and tom's room contained two inviting beds, and twink noticed that pajamas of just the right size had been carefully laid out. conjo seemed to think of everything. "see you children in the morning," said the shaggy man as he entered his room which adjoined that of twink and tom. the shaggy man found his bed soft and luxurious, so he slipped off his shaggy clothes, carefully arranging them on a chair so that not one frill or furbelow was out of place, put on the pajamas which conjo had also provided for him, and slipped into bed. instantly the light faded from the room. more magic, thought the shaggy man a bit uneasily, for it had appeared to him that the light was an ordinary electric one which he might switch on and off at will. but moonlight was beginning to fall through the window, so the shaggy man sighed with content and in a minute was sound asleep. it was several hours later when the shaggy man stirred, and then sat up, wide awake. what had awakened him? he was sure he had heard a clicking sound--like the door of his bedchamber closing. the moonlight revealed that the door was closed just as he had left it. shaggy glanced at his clothes on the chair. he leaped from bed and searched through the pockets of his clothing. he gave a gasp of dismay. the magic compass was gone! what was this? in another pocket, shaggy found a hard metallic object, the love magnet, perfectly repaired with no trace of its ever having been broken. the shaggy man sat down on his bed and thought hard. what should he do? for some reason conjo had evidently entered the room, slipped the repaired love magnet into shaggy's pocket, removed the magic compass, and left the room. it was the clicking of the door that shaggy had heard. and conjo had slightly disarranged shaggy's clothes--that had called his attention to them. what did all this mean? shaggy was sure now that conjo was not the jolly, straightforward person he pretended to be. perhaps he was not exactly evil, either, but he was so vain and scheming and selfish that he would bear watching. then a sudden thought struck shaggy and made him extremely uneasy. he had come to the isle of conjo of his own accord to seek out conjo. but it was conjo himself who had brought twink and tom there. why? were the twins in danger? what was conjo's purpose in taking them from their home? it was up to him, thought the shaggy man, to find out and protect them if conjo meant them harm or had some crazy plan that would endanger them. shaggy unhappily concluded there was nothing he could do now. in the morning he would find out if the airmobile was everything conjo claimed. then he would try to discover conjo's plans for twink and tom. perhaps twiffle could enlighten him. shaggy sighed. well, at least he did have the love magnet. the shaggy man lay down on the bed and tried to sleep. after a long time he drifted into a fitful slumber broken by dreams in which conjo sailed through the air, clutching the love magnet, and twink and tom were transformed into dolls, no larger than twiffle. in his dream the shaggy man seemed to be bound with ropes to his bed, powerless to stop any of conjo's mischief, while twiffle tugged at his bonds saying, "wake up, shaggy man, wake up!" shaggy opened his eyes and stared. there was twiffle at the side of his bed, shaking him and saying: "wake up, shaggy man, wake up!" chapter into hightown the shaggy man was awake in an instant. "what is it, twiffle, what is wrong?" "there is no time to lose," whispered twiffle. "quick, get into your clothes, and i will arouse the children." shaggy dressed as speedily as possible, but no sooner had he finished than twiffle, followed by twink and tom, now wide-eyed with excitement and fully dressed, appeared in the doorway. "come," twiffle whispered. silently shaggy and the children followed twiffle down the marble stairway to the elevator. the castle was not entirely dark, thanks to the bright moonlight flowing through the windows. they stepped into the elevator which had a dim light of its own. once more it shot up to the roof of the tower. stepping out on the roof, twiffle beckoned them after him. the clown made his way straight to the magic airmobile. he climbed in, motioning for shaggy and the children to do likewise. they all squeezed into the contraption after him. twink noted the cushioned seats in each end of the airmobile were soft and yielding--conjo certainly liked comfort. "where are we going? and why?" demanded the shaggy man. "there is no time to talk now," retorted twiffle briefly. "wait until we are well in the air." "do you know how to operate this thing?" asked tom. "i have watched conjo run it many times. i am sure i can manage it," replied twiffle. the little clown was busy with the buttons which exposed the gravity resistor plates, and almost before they realized it, the airmobile had risen gently from the roof and was moving silently through the night. "ah, that is a relief," sighed twiffle as he watched conjo's castle recede in the distance. "but where are we going?" asked twink, who was thoroughly enjoying the ride through the cool night air. "the main thing," explained twiffle, "is to get as far away from conjo as possible." "then he is a villain, as i suspected," said shaggy. twiffle nodded. "conjo is a curious man. he repaired the love magnet because he couldn't bear seeing one of his own charms broken. he is very vain. actually he doesn't care anything about the love magnet, which has no effect on him, since he made it. he doesn't love anyone and he doesn't want anyone to love him. he came to this island many years ago. he wanted to be alone, since he disliked people and desired only to work on his wizard charms and incantations. he brought me to life merely to amuse himself and to have someone to talk to when he felt like boasting. recently he has become restless. he has found that, after all, he wants someone before whom he can show off his magic tricks. but he hesitated to bring many people to the island, fearing they would steal some of his precious magic tools." twiffle paused and sighed. he went on, "i had made the mistake of telling him about you, twink and tom. those visits he permitted me to your home, while you slept, were the only kindness conjo ever showed me, so i don't feel i owe him any allegiance, even though he did bring me to life. well, yesterday conjo announced he was going to use his magic to bring you children to his island." "i see," murmured twink, "and so you have rescued us." "i hope so," replied twiffle. "after what i found out tonight i couldn't let you stay here. conjo talks in his sleep a great deal, and tonight he mumbled enough for me to learn completely for the first time what his plans are for you two children." "what do you mean 'plans'?" asked tom. "why, conjo was going to make you drink a magic potion that would wipe out all memory of your home, parents, and former lives. then you would be content to stay on the island with him." "how dreadful!" exclaimed twink, shuddering. "and i suppose he never meant for me to return to the land of oz," said the shaggy man. "oh, no," replied twiffle. "conjo wanted your magic compass badly, because it possesses a kind of magic that he knows nothing about. i believe he meant to transport you to the land of ev, where you could find your way back to oz as best you could." "but now," said twink happily, "the airmobile will take us all to the land of oz." twiffle shook his head. "no," he said, "i'm afraid it won't. conjo is a clever wizard of sorts, but he is not powerful enough to invent a machine that will fly across the deadly desert." "you mean this contraption won't carry us over the desert and back to oz?" the shaggy man asked, greatly disturbed. "no," said twiffle. "i have heard of powerful birds managing to fly high enough to cross the deadly desert, but i know of no magic that can penetrate the barrier of invisibility that glinda the good spread across the deadly waste many years ago--certainly not conjo's magic!" "then what shall we do?" asked the shaggy man. "as i said," reminded twiffle, "the most important thing was to get out of conjo's power. the airmobile will carry us to the edge of the deadly desert, but no farther." the shaggy man was silent considering. once he had managed to cross the deadly desert in a sandboat--that had been before glinda had laid down the magic barrier. but even since then, others had crossed the desert. so, the shaggy man didn't give up all hope. the airmobile was carrying them swiftly and silently through the night. below them the waters of the nonestic ocean gleamed silver in the moonlight. there was just the faintest rocking motion as the airmobile sped along. perhaps it was this and the fact that shaggy and the two children were deep in their own thoughts that made them all fall asleep before they knew it. twiffle smiled and applied himself to the operation of the airmobile. he had no need for sleep. twink was the first to awaken. the sun was well up in the sky, and the morning was bright and clear. she shook tom awake and at the same time the shaggy man aroused himself. they looked over the side of the craft and saw below them a pleasant land of hills and rolling farmlands. "the land of ev," announced the shaggy man. "we shouldn't be so very far from the deadly desert now." twiffle had looked up and was staring ahead of him in amazement. the little clown slowed down the airmobile. directly ahead of them was a cluster of little houses and buildings--a good sized village--in the sky. "what in the world can that be?" gasped twink. the airmobile was moving very slowly as they approached the sky village. directly before them, on what would have been the outskirts of the town, had it been on the earth, was a sign reading: you are now entering hightown population-- altitude--approximately , feet (but it varies) they could see people walking about among the houses, just as though they were on solid ground. the shaggy man shook his head. twink and tom were staring, fascinated. the airmobile glided silently a few feet past the sign. then it jerked several times and came to an abrupt halt. twiffle looked puzzled. he pushed one button, then another, and another. nothing happened. twiffle did it all over again, a bit frantically this time. still nothing happened. "it's no use," said twiffle. "the airmobile won't budge. we're stuck in mid-air!" chapter the lord high mayor while twiffle fussed with the controls of the magic airmobile, a crowd of curious people began to gather about the stalled aircraft. they were men, women, children, and even dogs, and they walked on the air easily and unconcernedly, as if it were the normal thing to do. these people were all very tall and exceedingly thin. the grown-ups were well over eight feet in height, while the older children averaged about six feet tall. perhaps the fact that they lived so high up had caused them to grow that way, too. their clothing was what we would consider old-fashioned, but was neat and well cared for. the women wore the brightest of colors which flashed gaily in the clear sunlight. the people chattered among themselves, pointing toward the airmobile, and several dogs barked excitedly. a loud voice exclaimed: "what is the meaning of this? what is going on here?" the crowd made way for the speaker who proved to be a sour-faced, tall individual, wearing a frock coat and a high silk hat--a stovepipe hat, the shaggy man would have called it. "pardon us," began the shaggy man, "but i am afraid we are the cause of all the excitement. you see our airship has stalled just inside your town." the tall man stared curiously at the occupants of the airmobile as he said: "of course your machine won't operate in hightown. in fact a flying machine in hightown is an utter absurdity--against all the town ordinances and rules. i must ask you to remove it immediately." "not very friendly, is he?" remarked tom. but twiffle was interested. "what do you mean, sir, that our aircraft is against your laws?" the tall man sniffed. "it should be apparent to you that the last thing in the sky we need is an airplane. here, in this favored spot, we walk on air and are not compelled to crawl across the earth like worms." "yes," said the shaggy man, "we can see all that. but tell us, your honor, do you think we would be able to walk on air as you do?" the top-hatted man was distinctly flattered by the shaggy man's mode of address. "ah," he replied, "i can see that you recognize me as a person of importance. i am the lord high mayor of hightown and my word here represents the highest law of the land. as for your being able to walk as we do on the air, i see no reason why you shouldn't since in hightown there is no gravity to pull you to the earth." "what was that you said?--no gravity?" twiffle was obviously excited. "exactly," replied the lord high mayor with great dignity. "within the boundaries of hightown, the earth does not exert the least bit of gravity--none whatsoever." "then that explains it," said twiffle. "the airmobile operates on the principle of gravity, and since there is no gravity here, the craft is useless." "what are we to do?" asked the shaggy man. "i am not sure i want to go walking around on the air, although these folks seem to take to it naturally enough." "tell me," said twiffle, addressing the lord high mayor, "is hightown of very great area?" "oh," exclaimed the lord high mayor, "it is simply enormous--no less than four square acres of the most delightful air!" "have you any idea, your honor," asked the shaggy man, "how we can get our flying machine out of hightown?" "oh, that's very simple," replied the lord high mayor. "since your craft has only just crossed the boundary into hightown, i would suggest that you get out and push the machine to the edge of the boundary--then push it a few inches more and it will be in the field of gravity again where it is equipped to operate." "of course!" exclaimed twiffle joyfully. "why didn't i think of that?" the lord high mayor smiled with smug satisfaction. "i'll adjust these gravity plates now," continued twiffle, "so the plane won't fall when it passes the boundary." after he had pressed some buttons, he and the shaggy man and twink and tom climbed out of the airmobile. the air seemed as solid under their feet as the earth. nevertheless, this walking on thin air was a most curious experience, and in spite of themselves they found they were treading gingerly, as though they were walking on eggs. the lord high mayor and the crowd of hightowners that had gathered watched curiously as the shaggy man and tom slowly pushed the airmobile toward the boundary of hightown. it was no task at all, since the airmobile had no weight. they knew the sign that had greeted them as they entered hightown marked the spot where gravity again exerted its pull, so they pushed the airmobile slowly over this invisible line. zoom! like an arrow shot from a bow the airmobile darted upward. far above their heads it continued its mad climb into the sky. so fast did it move that within a few seconds it was visible only as a tiny speck far above them. "what in the sky has happened?" gasped the shaggy man. "it is all my fault," said twiffle despondently. "i must have exposed the gravity plates too much when i adjusted them. i was so afraid the plane would fall. when the airmobile passed into the area of gravity it shot _upward_. now it is lost to us forever." twiffle looked as if he were about to weep. "cheer up, twiffle," said the shaggy man. "maybe we can get the airmobile back." shaggy turned to the lord high mayor and asked: "since we can walk on air as well as you, couldn't we just walk up there and climb into the airmobile?" "you could, if you wanted to stop breathing," said the lord high mayor cheerfully. "why do you say that?" asked the shaggy man. "because," exclaimed the lord high mayor, "we have discovered that the higher up you go, the thinner the air becomes. at the altitude now attained by your craft, the air would be so thin that it would be unbreathable." "anyway," said twink with a sigh, "the airmobile isn't there any more." they all stared upward. the girl was right. the speck that had been the airmobile had vanished completely. "wonder where it went?" said twink. the lord high mayor explained pompously. "apparently your craft attained so great a speed that it shot off into space, beyond the power of gravity. from now on there's no telling where it will go." "and astronomers will report that folks from earth are about to visit another world, i suppose," grinned the shaggy man. "too bad old conjo isn't in it," grumbled twiffle. "the question is," said tom, "what do we do now?" "right," agreed the shaggy man, as he turned to the lord high mayor and asked: "sir, can you tell us how we can leave hightown and proceed on our journey?" "you wish to leave hightown? where could you possibly wish to go?" inquired the lord high mayor. "well, eventually we hope to reach the emerald city in the land of oz," replied the shaggy man, "so we're heading for the deadly desert surrounding the land of oz. then we'll have to figure out some way to cross the desert." the lord high mayor stared at shaggy in horror. "the deadly desert!" he exclaimed. "do you mean to stand here in the sky and tell me you actually wish to go near that terrible, burning, dry waste of shifting, deadly sands, when you can stay here and enjoy the delightful perfection of the aerial climate of hightown?" "no," began the shaggy man patiently, "we don't like the desert any more than you do, but in order to get to oz we must cross the desert. i assure you the land of oz has a climate just as delightful as that of hightown." "that is impossible!" declared the lord high mayor indignantly. "hightown has the only perfect climate in the world, and now that you are here, you might as well stay and enjoy it." "wonder if he ever heard of california?" murmured tom to twink. "we would like very much to stay and enjoy your climate, your honor," replied the shaggy man, "but it is impossible. we must be on our way to the land of oz, much as we admire your high airs. so, if you will kindly tell us how we may leave your town, we will be much obliged." the lord high mayor seemed to be deep in thought. "leave our town?" he said incredulously. "i don't believe it. no one could want to leave hightown. it is the pinnacle of civilization, the highest point in high life ever reached by man. sir, i conclude that i must have misunderstood you. it is beyond comprehension that you should wish to depart from this exalted community and go crawling about the lowly earth like a worm. i simply must have misunderstood you." "there's nothing wrong with your ears," replied the shaggy man. "i said it and i'll say it again--we want to leave hightown! maybe we haven't advanced to the state where we can fully appreciate your hi-falutin' ways, and if you want to know the truth we actually like to feel the earth beneath our feet." the lord high mayor stared at the shaggy man unbelievingly. there was a suspicion of tears in his eyes. "my poor, dear fellow," he said. "how i grieve for you--to have such low tastes. the earth under one's feet--ugh! but then," he went on, brightening, "you have not been here long enough to appreciate the soaring virtues of life in hightown. once you have become accustomed to the lofty plane on which we live and the superiority we enjoy over earth-crawlers, i am sure that all the sod in the world will not tempt you to put foot upon earth again." "please," said the shaggy man in exasperation. "will you stop talking like the chamber of commerce and tell us how we can get back to earth?" the lord high mayor eyed shaggy narrowly. "well," he said, "if you insist on leaving hightown, you could walk to the boundary there, where gravity begins again, step over and fall very quickly to the earth. that is the fastest way i can think of leaving hightown, but i wouldn't recommend it." "no, no," the shaggy man assured him. "we have no desire to _fall_ to the earth." shaggy looked below him with a shudder. "we would be in no shape to continue our travels if we did that." "well, then, you see, it is all settled," said the lord high mayor with a beaming smile. "you will stay with us. everything is settled and there is not the slightest doubt that you will find hightown the garden spot of the sky. now, since i am the lord high mayor of hightown, it is my elevated privilege and honor to welcome you and make you comfortable. you will please follow me on what is the most fortunate journey of your life--for you are on your way to savoring the high and flighty life of hightown." there seemed nothing else to do, so shaggy and his friends followed the lord high mayor, stepping gingerly on what seemed to them to be the airiest space. as the mayor proceeded, the crowd of curious hightowners made way for him and the little company of adventurers. "might i inquire," asked twiffle, "where you are taking us?" "why, to my air castle, of course," answered the lord high mayor. "since you are guests, you must be treated with the greatest courtesy. later we will find a permanent dwelling for you." they had now reached the center of the small town, and here the lord high mayor paused before a dwelling that was little different from any other of the houses which were scarcely more than bungalows, except that they were all quite high and narrow to suit the shapes of the hightowners. "this is your air castle?" asked the shaggy man. "it looks no different from the other houses." "and why should it be different?" demanded the lord high mayor. "here we all live in air castles. you people who crawl around on the earth just dream of them. we are privileged to enjoy them." this last was said with an air of great pride. one thing did distinguish the lord high mayor's dwelling from the others in the town. directly in front of it there stood a handsome flower pot in which was blossoming a beautiful magnolia. the lord high mayor paused to enjoy the delightful aroma of the flower. "ah, magnolia! that means we shall have a south wind soon. you visitors are indeed fortunate to have arrived in hightown at this time." "i'm not so sure we would be fortunate to arrive here any time," grumbled twiffle. "you see," the mayor went on, disregarding twiffle's remark. "when the magnolia blossoms that means a south wind is coming. and _that_ means we shall soon have a delightful southern cloud on which to walk. i assure you there is nothing more delightful than walking on a southern cloud." "seems to me clouds of any sort would be sort of squiggy for walking purposes, no matter how pretty they are to look at," said the shaggy man. "what happens when there's a north wind coming?" asked twink curiously. "oh, then the plant blossoms with a beautiful wild thyme and we are privileged to enjoy that delightful scent. when there's an east wind on its way," the lord high mayor continued, "then the plant bears chrysanthemums. when the west wind is coming, we enjoy the blossoms and scent of wild roses." "doesn't the west wind bring rain clouds?" asked tom, remembering that it usually did in buffalo. "yes," said the mayor, "that is right." "then it _rains_ here in hightown where you have a perfect climate?" asked the boy, remembering his disgust with the rain at home. "not at all," replied the mayor. "there is no gravity to pull the raindrops earthward, so it can't rain. we just go out wading in the rain cloud." "that's quite a plant," said the shaggy man, staring at the flower pot with its beautiful blossoms. "it's much more than that," said the mayor. "certainly since we have the most perfect weather in the world in hightown, we would have the most perfect weather forecaster. that's just what the plant is." while tom was trying to puzzle out why, if hightown always had perfect weather, it needed any weather forecaster at all, the door of the mayor's home opened and they were welcomed by a tall, thin woman in a blue checked bungalow apron. she proved to be the mayor's wife. the good woman immediately served dinner, hurrying about and doing her best to make the visitors at home. she was particularly pleasant to twink and tom and was greatly amazed and a little awed by twiffle. strangely enough, the food consisted entirely of fruits, but they were all fresh and tasty. when the meal was over, the lord high mayor announced that it was time for a nap. "a nap!" exclaimed the shaggy man. "why, it is only a little past noon. we can't sleep now." "it is the custom in hightown," remarked the mayor placidly, "and you will soon come to enjoy the siesta as much as we. however, if you cannot sleep, you may sit on the front porch. but don't go off the porch and wander about, as you may come to the edge of the town and fall to the earth." with this, the lord high mayor and his wife retired to their room and the visitors were left to themselves. there seemed nothing else to do but to follow the mayor's suggestion and while away the town's hour of sleep on the front porch. here they found several chairs and a swing and soon made themselves comfortable. there was nothing interesting about the scenery, and little to talk about, and they were beginning to be a bit bored when a saucy brown wren flitted out of the sky and perched on the porch railing, regarding shaggy and his friends with bright little eyes. "strangers here, aren't you?" asked the bird. "fine place to live. you'll like it, i'm sure." "we don't like it and we don't intend to stay," said the shaggy man, a bit ill-humoredly. "well, if you don't like it, then why don't you leave right away?" asked the bird. "how?" asked shaggy. "walk to the edge of the town and fall to the earth? we can't fly like you, you know." "you don't need to fly. you can walk down through the air--or rather, swim down--using your arms to push you through the air. there's no gravity, you know." and with a flirt of its saucy tail the bird was gone. with a shout, twiffle leaped to his feet. "what fools we've been! of course there's no gravity, and we can push ourselves right down to earth! come on, let's be on our way." twiffle ran to the edge of the porch and leaped off head first. they could see the little clown below them, moving his arms like a swimmer. "should we try it?" asked the shaggy man doubtfully. tom didn't wait for an answer. he jumped from the porch just as twiffle had done. he found that by moving his arms he could force himself downward. indeed, it was no more effort than walking on a level on the air. in a short time he discovered that, since there was no gravity, he could move at will, up or down through the air. now twink was at his side, thoroughly enjoying the novel experience. the shaggy man was following close behind. twink glanced upward once and saw the spectacle of a whole town, suspended in the air above her. she could even make out the mayor's house and the flower pot in front of it. they were all swimming earthward at about the same level, when there was a flirt of small wings and the wren who had spoken to them on the porch of the lord high mayor's house, alighted on the shaggy man's shoulder. "i see you took my advice," said the wren. "yes," said the shaggy man, "and we are grateful to you for telling us about this easy way to leave hightown." "think nothing of it," replied the wren airily. "i always feel sorry for anyone who gets stuck in hightown. there isn't a stupider place in the world. those hightowners have never seen anything but their own silly little town, so they just can't imagine there's anything else in the world." "you get around quite a bit, i suppose," ventured the shaggy man. "being a bird, naturally," retorted the wren with a saucy flirt of his tail. "well, then," said shaggy, "would you mind doing your own flying and getting off my shoulder?" "that's gratitude for you," said the wren reproachfully. "i save you from a life of boredom and you refuse to let me hitchhike down to earth." but the bird didn't move from shaggy's shoulder. "where are you going--anywhere in particular?" asked twink. "oh yes, of course," the wren replied. "just below hightown there is a lovely orchard of all kinds of fruit trees. that's where the hightowners get all their food. they live on fruit. they can boast about their silly town all they like, but when they want food you can bet they hurry down to the orchard on earth for it. that's why they don't like us birds. we enjoy eating the fruit in the orchard, too. we seldom go near hightown, except when the people are asleep. they are so disagreeable they throw things at us and accuse us of stealing from their orchard. their orchard, indeed!" "tell me," said the shaggy man, "was your mother a magpie?" "of course not," replied the wren indignantly. "i thought she must have been," said the shaggy man, "because you certainly chatter like a magpie." "that's enough," declared the wren. "if you can't appreciate intelligent conversation, i shan't waste it upon you. you are far too slow for me anyway. no hard feelings, though--good luck to all of you." and with that the wren was off, darting swiftly earthward. shaggy and his friends all had a good laugh over the gossipy little bird. ten minutes more "swimming" brought them within sight of the orchard about which the bird had told them. "the hightown sign said 'altitude , feet,'" said tom. "that's almost three miles. i can't believe we've been swimming that far." "probably they boosted that figure as high as their opinion of hightown," said twiffle, "and anyway, it did say the altitude varied. varies very much, i'd say." a few minutes later they were standing on the earth in a grove of apple, plum, and cherry trees. every branch was filled with ripe, luscious fruit. twink looked for their friend, the wren, but saw nothing of him. the shaggy man began looking about the ground for apples. suddenly he laughed. "that was really stupid of me," he called to twink and tom. "of course there aren't any apples on the ground. they can't fall off the trees!" "this must be where the hightowners get their fruit," said twink. "of course," replied shaggy. "they thought they would keep us with them by not telling us how easy it is to reach the earth from hightown." "but they must have known we would see some of them coming and going to the orchard, and find out sooner or later how to escape," said tom. "well, thanks to that bird, we found out sooner," said twiffle. before they left the grove, shaggy walked in the air to the upper branches of the biggest apple tree in the orchard and filled his pockets with the largest and ruddiest of the fruit. "can't tell where we'll find our next meal," he explained. knowing the area that was freed from the force of gravity was of very small extent, shaggy and his friends walked steadily in one direction, treading several feet in the air, since that was easier than walking on the earth. as there was no difference in the appearance of the countryside, where gravity exerted itself again, they had no way of telling when they would suddenly emerge from the gravity-less land. shaggy was in the lead when he suddenly experienced that curious sensation that comes when you step unexpectedly into a hole. the result was that shaggy toppled forward and found himself sprawled on the grass. following him came twink, tom and twiffle. only tom managed to maintain his balance. what he had realized in time, was simply that the others had stepped off the air, on which they had been walking, to the earth a foot or two below them. the shaggy man sighed. "give me the earth to crawl around on any day, as our friend the lord high mayor would put it, even though it does mean an occasional tumble." chapter the valley of romance before the travelers lay one of the most beautiful valleys they had ever seen. gently sloping hills led down to green fields. through the middle of the valley flowed a stream that looked like a shimmering blue ribbon stretched out on a green carpet. on the near bank of the stream, in the very center of the valley, stood a castle. its spires, turrets, and towers were so delicately formed that they glistened like lace-filigree in the sunlight. twink's eyes glowed. "isn't it just the most beautiful sight you ever saw!" she exclaimed. "it certainly is elegant," admitted the shaggy man. "but what we want to know is, what kind of folks live in it." "oh, i'm sure they must be very happy and contented," said twink. "they just _must_ be to live in a place like that." "then we are going to visit the castle?" asked twiffle a bit doubtfully. "it seems the only thing to do," replied the shaggy man. "i admit i have no idea where we are, and there is just the possibility that whoever lives in that castle may be able to help us get to oz, or at least give us directions to the deadly desert." tom was already on his way, running happily down the green slope toward the stream and the castle. a ten-minute walk in the bright sunlight brought the little group of adventurers to the doors of the castle. so far they had seen no living persons. birds sang in the trees, and once a white rabbit had bounded across tom's path, but there were no signs of human beings. the shaggy man stepped forward and knocked boldly on the heavy door. instantly it swung silently open. as the adventurers stepped inside, twink gasped and even the shaggy man, accustomed as he was to the splendour of ozma's royal palace, was impressed with the magnificence of his surroundings. the floor and walls of the castle were of the whitest alabaster, polished so that the creamy depths of the stone mirrored the luxurious furnishings, casting a luster that enhanced the woven richness of the deep-hued draperies in the paneled walls. who had built such a castle? each of the travelers tried to picture in his own mind the kind of people who might live here. would they be friendly or unfriendly, helpful or dangerous? still there was no sign of people. the only sound that broke the stillness of the foyer in which shaggy and his friends stood was the tinkling of water as it flowed from a small fountain in the center of the room. this fountain was fashioned like an ordinary drinking fountain, the stream of water that rose from it being not more than three or four inches in height. around the rim of the alabaster fountain was a metal plate with writing inscribed upon it. her curiosity aroused, twink advanced to the fountain and read: this is a phontain. any visitors are requested to speak their messages into it. signed: rex ticket & regina curtain. "what in the world can it mean?" whispered twink. her companions had gathered about her and were reading the metal plate with wonder. "rex and regina," ventured the shaggy man, "are king and queen--that's latin. so evidently the head-folks of this castle are king ticket and queen curtain. hmmmm--certainly odd names for a king and queen." "a phontain--and we're supposed to talk into it!" sniffed twiffle with disgust. "whoever heard of such nonsense!" "well," observed the shaggy man, "i've heard of babbling brooks, so why not a talking fountain that will carry our words?" "a phoney fountain, i suppose," said tom, grinning. shaggy stooped over the phontain and spoke clearly and distinctly: "this is the shaggy man of oz speaking. in behalf of my friends, twink and tom of the united states of america, twiffle, late of the isle of conjo, and myself, i request an audience with king ticket and queen curtain." almost immediately a red neon sign lighted up over two large double doors at the opposite end of the foyer. the sign flashed the single word "entrance." "i guess this is where we go in," remarked the shaggy man as he walked to the door and pushed the large metal handle. they were in a small, brightly lighted theater containing about one hundred seats. on the stage, seated on two thrones, were a man and a woman--evidently king ticket and queen curtain. all about the king and queen on the stage there was a bustle of the most frenzied activity. there sounded the clash and clatter of hammers, the ripping of saws and the whirring of drills and bits. perhaps fifteen or twenty men were hard at work knocking together and erecting a bewildering array of scenery. calmly seated about the stage on three-cornered stools, their sewing baskets at their sides, were a number of ladies sewing on costumes. others were apparently sewing together large pieces of canvas. still other ladies were engaged in painting artistic pictures on the canvas which was then stretched on wooden frameworks to serve as backdrops for the stage. after shaggy and his friends had watched this display of industry for several minutes, they advanced down the middle aisle of the theater. the king and queen had been doing no actual work. they merely issued directions to the others who seemed not to pay them the slightest heed, but continued with their tasks. king ticket looked up. "well," he said to the shaggy man, "you certainly took your time getting here. it was at least three minutes ago that you announced yourselves on the phontain." "do you mean you really heard us through that water fountain?" asked the shaggy man. "water hath a limpid tongue with which to lave the naked ear," said king ticket in a voice which was meant to be impressive. "of course we heard you through the phontain. there are phontains in all the rooms of the castle--even in the theater, here--which repeat messages when we speak into them." twink thought this was much nicer than telephones which rudely jangling bells, although probably not as private. "you didn't think," commented queen curtain, as though she had read twink's thoughts, "that we would use ordinary means of communication, such as telephones, in the valley of romance, did you?" "oh," said the shaggy man, "is this the valley of romance?" "it is, and since you are from the land of oz," said king ticket, "you must surely have heard of the valley of romance." the shaggy man reflected. it seemed he could recall ozma mentioning something about some such valley, but he couldn't remember anything that she had said about it. "how far are we from the land of oz?" asked twiffle. "dear me!" exclaimed king ticket staring at twiffle. "for a moment i thought you were real!" "i am real," stated twiffle with dignity. "i just don't happen to be made of flesh and blood and bones, that's all." "and as for the land of oz," remarked queen curtain meditatively, "it is indeed very far away--over the stream and over the hill--far, far away to the desert, and then over that, too. in fact, it isn't even in the valley of romance, so that means it must be quite some distance off. too far even to think of," she added as though to say that closed the subject. the shaggy man shrugged. evidently these two weren't going to be of much help to the travelers in finding their way back to oz. well, they would make a lunch of the apples he carried in his pockets and then continue on their journey. shaggy and his friends made themselves comfortable in the deeply upholstered seats in the front row of the theater. shaggy divided the apples between twink, tom, and himself. he offered several to king ticket and queen curtain, who refused them rather disdainfully. shaggy and his friends ate in silence while they watched the activity on the stage. not one of the busily working men and women seemed even to be aware of the presence of the strangers. finishing his apples, the shaggy man arose and said, "looks like you folks are getting ready for quite a play. what's the name of it?" unexpectedly one of the workers on a ladder stopped his task of hammering together a bit of framework for the scenery and replied to shaggy's question: "that we won't know until the curtain goes up tonight. tonight's the first night of this new play, and i shall be in charge." the fellow added impressively, "for i am the first knight of the realm, you know." "no," replied the shaggy man, "i didn't know." shaggy was a little angry for he thought the man was making fun of him. "oh, yes," queen curtain went on placidly. "he is the first knight of the realm--in fact all these people are lords and ladies of the royal theater." "and do you always build your own scenery and make your own costumes?" asked the shaggy man. king ticket shifted uneasily on his throne. "yes, and it always seems to turn out rather badly. i suppose all we were really meant to do was to enjoy the magnificent performances on the stage. and," the king brightened, "that is all we truly have any desire to do. that is a full life for us and quite enough--to sit in the theater and watch great drama unfold. what need have we for any lives of our own, when the stage is a world in itself and therein we are content to dwell." the king's voice gently subsided to a whisper, and his eyes stared dreamily into space. queen curtain took up the story. "during the performances lord props and lady cue help the actors, although none too well, i must admit. lord props seldom gets things right: when a gun shot is called for there is very likely to be a bell ringing. once when the scene required a bowl of goldfish, lord props actually managed to cram a whole live lobster into a soup tureen. lady cue does, however, manage to do a bit better with her cues. she is seldom more than two lines behind the actors." "how long do your plays run?" asked shaggy. "night after night after glorious night for years and years and years--sometimes as long as we can remember there has been the same wonderful play for us to see on the stage at night," said the king who had awakened from his dream. "and what do you do the rest of the time?" queried the shaggy man. "nothing--nothing but sleep," answered king ticket. "why should we? we have the glorious stage for our lives." the king looked about him at the work going on. "who are your actors?" asked tom. for a moment king ticket seemed embarrassed. then he replied vaguely with a wave of his hand as if to dismiss the matter as of little importance: "oh, just actors--you know, the usual thing, leading man, leading lady, villain, comedian, and so forth." "come," said the shaggy man, "we're wasting time here. we should be on our way if we ever hope to reach the land of oz." queen curtain looked up. "you won't stay for dinner and the theater?" "no, thank you," replied shaggy. "we have a long journey ahead of us and we really must be going on our way now." with this, shaggy and his friends walked up the aisle toward the door by which they had entered the theater. king ticket had been staring intently at the shaggy man and now he whispered something in a low voice to queen curtain. the queen considered for a moment and then nodded her head. twink and tom, who were directly behind the shaggy man, stopped and stared at each other. they were only half way up the aisle. the shaggy man had been only a step ahead of them. now he was gone--vanished completely! chapter lady cue twink and tom were utterly bewildered at their friend's disappearance. they didn't know what to do next. twiffle turned to king ticket and queen curtain on the stage and demanded: "where is the shaggy man?" king ticket looked up innocently. "why, has he gone somewhere?" "certainly he has gone somewhere," said twiffle, who was becoming angry. "and you had better tell us where. don't forget that the shaggy man is an important personage of the land of oz. if anything happens to him you will be sorry." "pooh!" sniffed king ticket. "we know all about the land of oz and its silly girl ruler, ozma. but your famous shaggy man had not even heard of the valley of romance. what can anyone in oz do? they don't even know of our existence." "i wouldn't be too sure of that," declared twiffle with more courage than he felt. "anyway," continued king ticket musingly, "the land of oz is vastly over-rated. why, as far as i know, there isn't a single theater in all the country!" "and so," began queen curtain quietly, "why don't you children just make yourselves comfortable until dinner time? then you may join us for the meal and afterwards you shall be our guests in the royal box to witness the performance of our new play." twiffle was aroused now. he climbed right up on the arm of king ticket's chair. "we don't want your dinner. we don't want to see your play. all we want is the shaggy man and then we shall continue our journey." "tut, tut," admonished king ticket. "what a violent disposition the little puppet has." "i am afraid," said queen curtain, "that you really have no choice. you must stay here until we are ready for you to depart. after all, you came of your own accord, you know." twiffle was silent. he was at a loss to know what to say or do. twink and tom felt suddenly alone and a little bit frightened, now that the shaggy man was gone. even in the brief time they had known him, they had grown very fond of him, and had come to rely upon him. seeing this, twiffle returned to stand by the children and said: "never you mind. we'll find the shaggy man all right. perhaps it would be wise to remain here tonight as these people wish us to do. that will give us a chance to find out what they have done with shaggy." this was said in a whisper, to which tom answered: "well, i could enjoy a good meal. we haven't had anything to eat but fruit since yesterday." actually tom was as worried about shaggy as twink, but, being a boy, he didn't want to let the girl know. twink was indignant. "i'm surprised at you, tom! the idea of talking about food when we've just lost our best friend! but i suppose twiffle is right." "good!" said king ticket. "then that is settled and you will be with us for dinner and the theater!" "gosh!" exclaimed tom, "do you suppose he heard everything we said?" "i don't have any doubt of it," replied twiffle calmly. "therefore we might as well converse in our ordinary voices." "you were indeed fortunate to have arrived just in time for the opening night of our new play," said queen curtain pleasantly. "i am sure you will enjoy it immensely. tell me, have you children seen many plays?" "oh, yes," replied tom, "we have seen lots of our school plays, and last christmas twink and i had important parts in the christmas pageant." "well, then, you will certainly enjoy yourselves tonight," said the queen, smiling happily at the children. "we will work only about an hour more. then everything will be in readiness. that will give us plenty of time to tidy up, dress in our finest, and enjoy the dinner and the play to the utmost." the hour passed swiftly. the children apparently were engrossed in the work going on, on the stage, but actually their thoughts were busy puzzling over the mystery of what had happened to the shaggy man. "lady cue will show you to your rooms, children," announced queen curtain, rising from her throne. the lords and ladies were putting away their tools and sewing. a tall, thin, worried-looking woman, sewing basket on her arm, stepped down a short flight of stairs from the stage and smiled rather absent-mindedly at twink and tom. "you will come with me, i think?" she said hesitantly. twink and tom looked at twiffle, who nodded, and all three followed the tall lady who was proceeding uncertainly up the aisle. outside the theater, lady cue led twiffle and the children up a broad staircase leading to the second floor of the castle. here there was a long corridor, with smaller corridors leading off of it, each with many doors opening into various suites and rooms. lady cue had advanced only a short distance down the main corridor when she stopped uncertainly before a door and turned to her charges. "this is a door," she said, "but do you think it is the right one?" "i'm sure we wouldn't know, madame," replied twiffle. "after all, you live in this castle and should know all about it." lady cue sighed. "of course, of course. i forgot for the moment that you are the strangers. well, we shall have to do our best to find the right door." "haven't you been in any of these rooms?" asked tom curiously. "_in_ them?" asked lady cue vaguely. "oh, i must have since i live here, you know. once inside the rooms i am sure i would be able to find my way with no trouble. but outside them it is most confusing. how is one to know what is _inside_ when one is _outside_?" lady cue looked at them beseechingly and wandered down the corridor to another door exactly like the one she had just left. she stared at this one for several minutes, then boldly opened it a crack and peered in. "oh, goodness! i beg your pardon," she said to someone in the room, hastily closing the door. "well," she said, "that's one that isn't the one. the first knight of the realm is in there pressing his breeches for tonight's performance." "the first knight of the realm presses his own clothes?" asked twink. "he does, he does," asserted lady cue wagging her head. "i did it for him once, but somehow the creases ran zig-zag and he looked like he was corrugated. it is my opinion, though," lady cue added in a confidential whisper, "that he wears a poor quality garment." lady cue turned and started off down one of the smaller corridors. twink, tom, and twiffle followed her, at which lady cue stopped and looked at them with a puzzled expression. "did you wish to see me?" she asked. "you were taking us to our rooms," reminded twiffle. "i was?" exclaimed lady cue greatly surprised. "well, then you just show me where your rooms are and i will be glad to take you to them." "but you were supposed to show _us_ to our rooms," said tom. "i was? oh, dear, this is confusing," said lady cue. "have you no idea where our rooms are, madame?" asked twiffle. "i wouldn't say that," replied lady cue. "i did have a very good idea, but it seems i mislaid it somewhere. there are so very many rooms you know--and any one of them might be yours, if only there weren't so many other people in the castle. that's what we must be careful about, you know. you will want your very own rooms, won't you? i don't think you would want to share rooms with someone else, would you, maybe?" all the time they were wandering from corridor to corridor while lady cue became more and more unsure of her bearings. at last she stopped and said hopelessly, "you'll have to pardon me, my friends, but i am afraid i am lost. i haven't the faintest idea where we are." "what shall we do?" asked twink. "i have it," said lady cue. "i will pin my handkerchief to this door," and she indicated a door opposite them, "so that we can't get more lost. whenever we pass this door with the handkerchief on it, we will know exactly where we are." "and where will that be?" asked twiffle. "why, where the handkerchief is, of course," replied lady cue. with that lady cue reached in her pocket and pulled out a large linen napkin that bore traces of food on it. "oh, dear," she exclaimed. "i seem to have picked this up at luncheon. how thoughtless of me." she advanced to the door, and removing a large safety pin from the front of her dress, carefully pinned the napkin to the door. "whose rooms are these?" asked twiffle. "i haven't the faintest idea," replied lady cue. "why not open the door and find out?" pursued twiffle. "why not?" echoed lady cue as she turned the knob and pushed open the door. they all stepped inside. there was no sign of any occupants of the room. the closets were all empty and there were no personal articles about. the suite consisted of a large, beautifully furnished living room, with doors leading to two comfortable bedrooms with baths. "why can't we use these rooms?" asked twiffle. "what a wonderful idea," exclaimed lady cue. "then we won't have to hunt any longer for your rooms, because these will be your rooms. but are you sure it's all right? it sounds much too simple." and with a worried look the poor lady started to take down the napkin from the door. "no, no," said twiffle. "leave the napkin there. then you will be able to find us again. remember now--just look for the napkin on the door and you'll know which is our room." lady cue nodded and extracted a large, old-fashioned watch from the depths of her sewing basket. she squinted at it, and said, "you have just one-half hour to prepare for dinner. i will call for you and take you to the--the--oh yes, the dining room. that," she confided, "is where they are serving dinner tonight." with that the befuddled lady cue closed the door, only to find she was still in the room. so, she opened it, stepped outside, and then carefully closed it again. twink, tom, and twiffle, in spite of their troubles, burst out laughing. if anything went right with the play tonight they were sure it wouldn't be due to lady cue's efforts. while twiffle waited patiently, the children bathed, scrubbed their faces and hands, and reappeared much refreshed and quite ready for the dinner that had been promised them. twink was fascinated with the long rows of books on one side of the luxuriously furnished room, but she hardly had time to do more than glance at a few pictures, when there came a gentle rapping on their door. twiffle opened it. there stood lady cue. her dress was on backwards and she had forgotten to do her hair. solemnly she counted twink, tom, and twiffle--one, two, three. "is that right?" she asked them anxiously. "were there just three of you? so often when i count i have something left over. this time it seems to come out even. that's very odd." "three would be odd," muttered twiffle. fortunately lady cue didn't hear him, or she might have become even more confused. she was already on her way through the corridors, so the children and the clown followed her. after several false starts, and wandering through a number of corridors, they finally found their way to the great staircase. chapter what happened to shaggy the grand dining room of the castle was brilliantly lighted by three huge crystal chandeliers. each of the chandeliers flamed with more than a score of tapering lights which were reflected shimmeringly in the alabaster ceiling and walls. as soon as twink, tom, and twiffle entered the dining room, they were espied by queen curtain who motioned them to seat themselves at her right. queen curtain and king ticket occupied the head of the table. the lords and ladies of the castle were filing into the dining room, chattering spiritedly, and all handsomely gowned and garbed. in a few minutes all were seated. there were a few curious glances at the three strangers at the table, but for the most part the lords and ladies of the valley of romance were far too excited over the play they were to witness that evening to give more than a passing glance to the children and the little clown. the meal passed, through many delicious and elaborate courses, with no incidents. queen curtain played the charming host, occasionally tossing pleasant remarks to the children and twiffle. poor lady cue put salt in her tea instead of sugar, but she drank the entire cup without seeming to notice her mistake. "perhaps she really likes it that way," twink whispered to tom. at the end of the meal, king ticket rose and addressed the assemblage solemnly: "the moment has come for which we have prepared these many days. we will now pass into the theater for the first performance of the new play." no one spoke. this, apparently was an important moment. the only sound in the vast dining room was the rustling of the ladies' skirts and the patter of footsteps on the alabaster floor. queen curtain took twink by the hand, and tom and twiffle followed into the theater. it was brilliantly lighted as the lords and ladies settled into their seats. a few of them hurried backstage--they were the ones who worked the scenery and otherwise aided in the presentation of the play. twink, tom, and twiffle found themselves seated in the royal box with king ticket and queen curtain. the houselights dimmed, the curtains went up, and with no preliminaries the play was under way. two actors walked woodenly forward on the stage. they were dressed in what twink and tom could tell was supposed to be armor, but was obviously kitchen utensils strung together and about to fall off. from the words they were saying, the two knights seemed to be getting very angry at each other. but they looked at the audience, instead of looking at each other, and spoke their lines in a dazed, unexcited way as though they were talking in their sleep. impossible as it seemed from their lack of action, it became apparent that they were so enraged they had decided to fight out in a tournament, their quarrel over a lady. oh, yes, there she was at the side of the stage, paying no attention at all to the knights. the tournament scene came next. the knights in their pots and pans were mounted on extraordinary horses. each was made up of two men covered with tufted candlewick bedspreads. they too moved about the stage in a slow and sleepy way. the lady who had inspired the fight looked on from her box seat at the side of the stage, waving her handkerchief. but it had slipped her mind apparently that it was the tournament she was watching, and she looked straight at the audience and listlessly waved her handkerchief as if trying to attract the attention of anyone who might care to wave back at her. when the knights supposedly rushed their horses at each other and aimed their spears, the steeds ambled slowly in opposite directions, so far apart that they seemed not to be aware of each other at all. when they did finally get together, the horse of the knight who was to be winner slipped and fell down, and the bedspread slid to the floor. the horse and the knight who was to be victorious had to be re-assembled before he could triumph over his victim who had been watching him pick himself up off the floor. twink and tom had to clap their hands over their mouths to keep from bursting out with laughter. they did this because it was apparent that king ticket, queen curtain, and the lords and ladies took the play quite seriously. indeed, they were wildly enthusiastic. throughout the entire play the scenery kept toppling over, lord props provided the wrong sound effects, and stage furniture at every opportunity, and lady cue became so interested in a book of poetry that she read from this instead of giving the actors and actresses their proper lines. twink and tom thought it strange that the people on the stage should mumble their lines so badly and behave altogether as though they were only half awake and were moving by clockwork. act after act continued in this fashion. but the audience saw only the drama as it was intended. the queen and the ladies wept openly, applying delicate lace handkerchiefs to their eyes. king ticket and the lords, being men, contented themselves with brushing away a furtive tear and repeatedly blowing their noses loudly in their spotless white linen kerchiefs. "magnificent!" exclaimed king ticket. "glorious!" proclaimed queen curtain through her tears. "this play will run for years--it is one of the greatest romances we have ever staged!" "romance!" sighed king ticket. "ah, sublime romance--there is nothing in the world so touching and beautiful!" it was near the end of the last act. twink and tom were nodding. suddenly a new actor appeared upon the stage. twink's half shut eyes flew open. she grasped tom by the arms and shook him awake. twiffle leaned forward, holding on to the rail of the box. none of them said a word. for a few seconds they merely stared, unbelievingly. the new character who had come on the stage and was even then mumbling his lines in a mechanical voice was the shaggy man! chapter a midnight adventure at the sight of the shaggy man on the stage, twink couldn't contain herself. she leaned far out of the box and called "shaggy man! here we are--it's tom, twiffle, and twink!" if the shaggy man heard, he gave no indication of it. his eyes stared straight ahead of him, and he mumbled the words of his lines as though he were speaking in a dream in which he was only half awake. but king ticket and queen curtain, as well as the audience of lords and ladies heard. a wave of annoyed "sshhhhhhs" arose from the audience, while queen curtain grabbed twink by the arm, pulling her back into her seat and saying angrily: "how dare you interrupt the play! for that you shall join your precious shaggy man on the stage tomorrow night." tom started from his seat indignantly at the queen's threatening words, but twiffle, who looked worried, pulled him back. the three unwilling play-goers fell into an uneasy silence. a few moments later the curtain came down with a crash and the play was over. "dear, dear me," remarked king ticket. "there go the curtain ropes again. we shall have to repair them tomorrow." queen curtain turned to twiffle and the children. "go to your rooms immediately," she ordered sternly. "you know where they are. don't try to escape. that is impossible. all the doors leading out of the castle are securely locked. and as for you," she said, shooting twink an angry glance, "you will be taken care of tomorrow. now be gone--all of you!" twink shivered. tom took her hand, and with twiffle following, they made their way out of the theater to their rooms. they passed unnoticed through the lords and ladies who were noisily discussing the play, exclaiming over its excellence, and looking forward to the next night's performance--of the same play. as soon as they were in their rooms, twiffle quickly closed the door and silently motioned the children to his side. the little clown was plainly excited. "listen," he whispered to the children. "i believe i have figured out what has happened to the shaggy man--and all the rest of the actors and actresses, for that matter. they have been enchanted. king ticket and queen curtain have cast some kind of spell upon them so that they are only half awake. the only existence they have is their dream-like life on the stage as they go through their parts in the play." "i see," nodded twink. "i believe you're right. otherwise shaggy would surely have answered when i called to him from the box." "of course," said twiffle. "then you don't think," surmised tom, "that any of the actors and actresses are lords and ladies of the castle?" "not a bit of it," stated twiffle firmly. "it is my belief that they are people from adjoining countries, who, like ourselves, have wandered unwittingly into the castle, and have been enchanted for the pleasure of king ticket, queen curtain, and the lords and ladies who have always lived here." "you must be right," murmured twink, recalling how king ticket had brushed aside their question as to the identity of the actors and actresses. "of course, i am right," asserted twiffle. "it is the only solution that answers all the questions. what we must do now is find a way to rescue the shaggy man tonight before king ticket and queen curtain have a chance to cast their disgusting old spell on twink tomorrow." "then, let's get started," said tom. "what do we do, twiffle?" "nothing now," replied twiffle. "we must wait until everyone in the castle is asleep. only then will it be safe for us to act." twink and tom tried to be calm during the next hour, as they discussed with twiffle their chances of rescuing the shaggy man and making an escape from the castle. at last twiffle went quietly to the door and slowly opened it, peering up and down the hall corridor. the entire castle seemed to be wrapped in deep silence. there was not a sound. "come," whispered twiffle, "i believe it is safe to proceed now. everyone seems to be asleep. you must walk on your tip-toes, so your steps won't be heard." "where are we going, twiffle?" whispered tom. "to the theater, and then backstage--that is where i am almost sure we will find the shaggy man and all the rest of the unfortunate actors and actresses." the lights of the castle were dimmed to a soft glow, but this was enough for the adventurers to find their way to the theater with no trouble. here, the same soft light glowed, filling the theater with a thin, ghostly luminescence. twiffle quickly led the way down the aisle, then up the small flight of stairs to the stage. beckoning the children to follow him, twiffle darted through the wings to the back of the stage. here an amazing sight greeted them. lined up in two rows, like soldiers on a drill field, were about fifty men, women, and children. some of them twink and tom recalled having seen on the stage earlier that evening. they ranged in age from small children to elderly men and women. they stood stiffly, as though they were at attention. their eyes were tight shut. so still were these figures that twink couldn't tell whether or not they were breathing. in the front row stood the shaggy man. "every type for every part," muttered twiffle to himself. then, turning to the children, he whispered, "here they are, just as i suspected--the unfortunate victims of king ticket and queen curtain. they have no more life than mere dummies, until the curtain goes up and they walk on the stage to play their parts in that absurd drama." twiffle approached the shaggy man and studied him intently. at last he sighed and shook his head. "i am afraid there is nothing we can do just now," he admitted. "i learned a little magic from conjo, and i hoped that i might be able to release the shaggy man, but the spell that is upon him is a strange one. i have no power to break it." "there must surely be _something_ we can do," said tom, thinking of queen curtain's threatening speech to twink. "i must have time to think," said twiffle. "at least we have discovered the whereabouts of the shaggy man and we know what has happened to him and all these other poor people. there must be some way to release them, if only i can hit upon it. i suggest we return to our rooms. we certainly don't want to be discovered here." "but what about twink?" asked tom with dismay. "i am hoping i can prevent queen curtain from making good her threat," replied twiffle grimly. "oh, don't worry about me," said twink bravely. "if worst comes to worst and i don't make a better actress than the rest of these folks, i'll be awfully disappointed in myself." chapter tom goes to the rescue despite the late hour at which they had gone to bed, tom awakened bright and early in the morning, hurried into his clothes and bounded into twink's room. the bed was empty! thinking that twink might have risen before him, tom dashed into the living room. there he found twiffle alone, deep in thought. "twiffle! twiffle! twink is gone!" exclaimed tom. twiffle nodded his head gravely. "i know," he said. "i looked for her about half an hour ago and she was gone. i was afraid this would happen." "but this is terrible!" protested tom. "think of poor twink--one of those senseless dummies, just for the amusement of these wicked people." the boy was thoroughly incensed as he went on. "they call this the valley of romance! why, they must be heartless. they don't even know what real romance or love is!" twiffle let out a shout and leaped to his feet. "my boy, you've done it!" he cried. "done what?" gasped the astonished tom. "you've just given me the solution of all our problems. i now know how we can save not only twink and the shaggy man, but all the other people enslaved by king ticket and queen curtain!" "you do?" said tom wonderingly. "yes," responded twiffle. "you were wrong about only one thing--king ticket, queen curtain, and the lords and ladies are not heartless. they have hearts, all right. but you were very right when you said they don't know what real romance or love is. they don't. we're going to show them, and in the process we will rescue twink and shaggy!" twiffle excitedly unfolded his plan. as tom listened he grew more and more cheerful. when twiffle finished, tom picked up the little clown and danced exuberantly about the room with him. "twiffle," the boy shouted, "you're a wonder!" twiffle grinned from ear to ear. "it was you who gave me the idea," he reminded tom modestly. "but we must plan very carefully," he went on, becoming serious. "remember, there is only a slim chance that our plan will work. we must take that chance and hope for the best. as there is nothing we can do until tonight when the play is again presented, we should make use of this time to work out every single detail of our plan." twiffle and tom went over their plan again and again. nevertheless, the day seemed to tom one of the longest he had ever spent. the long hours of waiting were broken only three times--when lady cue brought in tom's meals. the food was quite good, but a bit mixed up. for breakfast the befuddled lady brought tom a large slice of roast beef with corn flakes and apple pie. lunch consisted of fried eggs, mashed potatoes, and doughnuts; while dinner was made up of broiled apricots, strawberry shortcake, and graham crackers. but tom was hungry and didn't mind the strange assortment of foods too much. he managed to eat everything even though lady cue brought him six spoons with each meal and no knives or forks. when lady cue appeared with the evening meal, tom was a bit worried because they had not been asked to dine with the lords and ladies in the royal dining room. could this mean they would not be invited to the play? if so, then their plan of rescue would be ruined. twiffle was not worried. he was sure they would be asked to share the king and queen's royal box, if only as a form of punishment, since they would be compelled to see twink as one of the puppets on the stage. twiffle proved to be right. early in the evening lady cue appeared in the doorway and led them again to the theater. king ticket and queen curtain were already settled in the royal box when tom and twiffle arrived. except to give them an icy stare, the monarchs paid no attention to their guests. twiffle winked at tom, but both of them were quaking lest twiffle's plan might not work. if it did not work, they would be worse off than ever. if possible the play--it was the same one--was even worse than on the previous night. the players went through their parts in a dream-like fashion, chanting their lines woodenly. scenery fell apart, the curtain came down at the wrong moments and everything possible went wrong. but king ticket and queen curtain were enchanted. along with the lords and ladies they applauded vociferously and reacted to the ridiculous performance with even more enthusiasm than they had displayed the night before. this night, tom had no trouble in keeping awake. he squirmed about in his seat with impatience, waiting until twink and the shaggy man would appear. this didn't happen until the play was well into the fourth and last act. as on the night before, the shaggy man wandered blindly onto the stage, speaking the same lines in an almost indistinguishable voice. a moment later tom tensed with excitement. a new character had been added. it was twink. her eyes stared as she moved mechanically across the stage, murmuring the words of her lines. tom took a deep breath and glanced at twiffle. the time had come to act. twiffle nodded. in the next instant tom climbed to the wide rail that encircled the royal box. poised there for a moment, he gave a leap and landed on the stage. without hesitating a moment he dashed to the shaggy man, and to the amazement of everyone in the audience except twiffle, went through the shaggy man's pockets. tom gave an exultant cry. he had found what he wanted. he held the love magnet before him, waving it first at the shaggy man and then at twink. shaggy and twink started, then rubbed their eyes and stared about them unbelievingly. meanwhile tom was busy. he didn't hesitate until he had exposed the love magnet to the gaze of each of the enchanted actors and actresses. as each one looked at the love magnet he lost his glassy stare and came to life. in a few seconds the stage was filled--not with dummies--but with human beings, bewildered, but freed from the thralldom of king ticket and queen curtain's evil spell. as they recovered, several of them threw their arms around tom, while all gazed at the boy with fondness and love in their eyes. twink suddenly realized how greatly she loved her brother, and the first thing the shaggy man said was, "a great boy, that tom!" meanwhile king ticket and queen curtain, as well as the entire audience of lords and ladies had risen to their feet. none of them spoke. the real drama suddenly being lived on the stage held them fascinated. at this very moment, tom advanced to the front center of the stage and with all eyes upon him, flashed the love magnet before the audience. a vast sigh went through the theater. and then there was a confused babel as the lords and ladies crowded into the aisle, each of them bent upon reaching the stage and embracing tom, who, they realized suddenly, was quite the most lovable person they had ever beheld. king ticket leaped from the royal box onto the stage, hurrying toward tom. "my dear boy," he exclaimed, "how could i have been so blind? isn't there something i can do for you? name it, and you shall have it! my kingdom is yours for the asking!" queen curtain was standing in the box, arms out-stretched appealingly to tom. "you darling boy!" she cried, "how wonderful it is that you have come to visit us!" twiffle was sitting quietly in the royal box, grinning broadly. "wouldn't old conjo be surprised," he thought, "if he knew how well the love magnet has done its work?--tom really is quite a boy!" chapter the valley of love that night there was a great feast in the grand dining room of the castle. tom was the guest of honor, sitting at the head of the table between king ticket and queen curtain. twink, feeling very proud of her brother, sat at the queen's right with the shaggy man and twiffle at her side. in addition to the lords and ladies of the castle, all the people who had formerly been actors and actresses were seated about the table. there were speeches, merrymaking and much laughter while everyone enjoyed course after course of the delicious food served. king ticket and queen curtain talked together during the feast, seeming to discuss something on which they finally appeared to reach a decision. king ticket arose and, banging with a silver fork against a drinking goblet, obtained the attention and silence of the merrymakers. "my dear friends," began the king, beaming on his audience, "good queen curtain and i have been discussing a proposal which we are sure will meet with your approval. you are well aware that although we did not know it, we, the people of the valley of romance, have been living in a bondage that was even greater than that which we cast over the poor unfortunates who wandered into the castle. for we lived without knowing the meaning of true romance and love. we found our only pleasure in artificial romance as we saw it on the stage. we had no love for each other--no romance among ourselves. "now all that is changed. not only do we now appreciate and know the true meaning of real love--but the people whom we enslaved are freed and happy once more. "we have one person to thank for this--tom, who, with the love magnet, brought us our present joy and happiness. queen curtain and i propose that we yield our thrones and that tom become the new king of the valley of romance." the applause was tremendous. apparently everyone in the grand dining room favored king ticket's startling plan. but tom leaped to his feet and exclaimed: "your highnesses, ladies and gentlemen--thank you for this great honor, but i cannot be your king. maybe i'll never get the chance to be a king again. but the important thing for twink and me is to find our way home. the shaggy man has promised that ozma of oz will send us home if we can only reach oz. that is the thing we want most. anyway, i have no right to be your king--i don't know anything about the job, and you should really be grateful to the love magnet for making you happy--not me. now that you folks know the meaning of real love, i'm sure king ticket will make you a fine king and queen curtain will be a real queen." again the applause resounded. at last king ticket rose again, expressing his regret that tom could not remain with them to be their king. king ticket promised that he would do his best to be a kind and loving monarch. his first move, he said, would be to grant complete freedom to the people who had wandered to the castle and had become slaves on the stage of false romance. these people, he said, might return to their own homes, or they might, if they wished, remain to dwell as lords and ladies in the castle of romance. since they would have no further use for the theater, king ticket promised to have the seats removed and the theater remodeled into a real temple of learning, where each of his subjects might learn some craft or art that would be useful or pleasing to his fellows. here they would meet each day and study and work at their arts and crafts, enjoying companionship and the satisfaction of real accomplishment and creation. "if you do manage to get to the land of oz," king ticket said to the shaggy man, "i wonder if you would ask professor wogglebug if he would like to come to our temple of learning as a visiting professor? i am sure there are many things he could teach us that would be both interesting and useful." shaggy promised to extend the invitation to the learned wogglebug, who was head of the royal college of oz. in spite of all the excitement, twink and tom were nodding by the time the feasting and speech-making were ended. everyone bade them a happy goodnight and lady cue conducted them once more to their rooms. the love magnet had wrought its change on lady cue, too. gone was her former befuddled state in which she was not at all sure of anything or anyone. now she was a charming, gracious lady with the manners of a cordial and perfect hostess. shaggy and the children were fast asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the soft pillows. twiffle passed the night looking at the pictures in the books on the living room shelves. by the middle of the following morning they were ready to begin their adventures again. they found that king ticket, queen curtain, the lords and ladies, and the former actors and actresses, many of whom had decided to make their homes in the valley of romance, were gathered in the courtyard to bid them farewell. king ticket gave them general directions for traveling to reach the deadly desert. that was the nearest he could come to directing them to the land of oz. just as they were about to leave, lady cue arrived breathlessly on the scene. she was so excited that she nearly lapsed into her old bewildered state. "i--i--i have been so busy all morning cooking this for you that i was afraid i would miss you." lady cue looked anxiously at shaggy and his friends, as though she couldn't believe they were still there. as she spoke, she handed shaggy a large lunch basket filled with deliciously prepared good things to eat. shaggy, twink, tom, and even twiffle--who didn't eat--thanked lady cue warmly for her thoughtfulness. they were glad she had not changed entirely, for they had grown fond of her. as they turned away from her and started once again on their journey, lady cue was staring after them and dabbing at her eyes with a dish-cloth. waving goodbye, the little band of adventurers followed the stream to the south as it wound through the green and peaceful valley of romance. when they were almost out of sight of the castle of romance, twink looked back and saw the delicately fashioned spires shimmering in the sun. "now," the girl said, "it is truly as beautiful a castle as it looks." chapter the king of the fairy beavers beyond the valley, the country became rugged and rolling, with outcroppings of grey rock, while the river narrowed, grew deeper, and flowed much more swiftly. it was well into the afternoon, when the shaggy man suggested that they rest under a gnarled tree near the river bank and enjoy their luncheon. they were all glad for the rest on the grass which grew high and coarse over the countryside, and the food which lady cue had packed for them was both satisfying and delicious. twink took a long look at the rather forbidding scenery about them. in the distance loomed dark mountain peaks, while trees became fewer and fewer. "doesn't look like there's a living thing within miles!" said the little girl, a bit disconsolately. "in a way that's a good sign," replied the shaggy man. "for the nearer we come to the deadly desert the more wild and desolate the country is. from the looks of things here i wouldn't be surprised if we were near the kingdom of the nomes." "have you any idea how we can get to oz, once we arrive at the deadly desert?" asked twiffle. "no," said the shaggy man, "i haven't. but one can never tell what will happen when traveling in a fairy country, and i figure the closer we are to the deadly desert, the closer we are to oz. now if i just hadn't lost ozma's magic compass--but there's no use crying over spilt milk." "did i understand you to say you are going to the land of oz?" the words were spoken in a small, clear voice. at the same time the tall grass just in front of shaggy and his friends parted, and a beaver stepped out and viewed them fearlessly. twink was amazed to see that the beaver wore a small golden crown on his head, while in his right paw he carried a slender beech rod. "yes," said the shaggy man, calmly regarding the beaver while he continued to munch a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "that is, we hope to get to the land of oz. first we must find some way to cross the deadly desert." the beaver was silent for a moment, then he said: "will you take me to oz with you?" "take you with us!" exclaimed the shaggy man. "why, we aren't at all sure we can get there ourselves. but why do you want to go to oz? i can tell by your crown that you're a king of some sort and not an ordinary beaver." "i am the king of the fairy beavers," announced the little animal, a bit proudly. "none of us are ordinary beavers, since we are fairy creatures. and as for why i want to visit oz--well, i have heard wonderful tales of that famous fairyland, and i have long dreamed of visiting it." "seems to me," observed tom, "that since you are a fairy king, your magic powers could take you to oz." "no," replied the beaver king, "my magic is mostly water magic and that would be less than useless on the fiery sands of the deadly desert. but that isn't the main reason that keeps me from visiting oz." "what is it, then?" asked shaggy. "i have not been invited," replied the beaver king simply. "i am sure that if ozma knew about that, she would fix it," said the shaggy man kindly. "do you think so?" asked the beaver. "do you really think ozma would invite me? i hoped you would say that for it gives me courage to put forth a suggestion i have in mind." "what is that?" asked shaggy. "if you, the famous shaggy man of oz, were to invite me to visit oz, then everything would be quite proper, wouldn't it?" "i suppose it would," admitted the shaggy man smiling. "but how do you propose to get to oz since we can't cross the desert?" "then you really invite me to accompany you? that is wonderful! as for the deadly desert--i have a plan which might work." "how did you know who the shaggy man was?" asked twink. "oh, everyone knows about the shaggy man of oz, and when i saw you here discussing your journey to oz, i was almost sure this could be none other than the famous shaggy man." shaggy looked modestly down at the ground. twiffle asked: "just how far are we from this deadly desert?" "quite a distance," replied the beaver king. "the desert lies just beyond our own kingdom which is in the hills and mountains you see in the distance." "and what is your plan for crossing it?" asked the shaggy man. "come to my palace where you will be comfortable," said the king, "and we will discuss my plan." "it must be a long walk," sighed twink. "and the farther we go toward the desert, the rockier and grayer the country becomes." "oh, we shan't walk. it will be much quicker to ride," declared the beaver king. with that the king of the fairy beavers walked to the edge of the stream and uttered a shrill whistle. shaggy and his friends followed the little animal. a few hundred feet below them the river curved to the left. around this bend in the stream they could now see some twenty little heads--beavers swimming swiftly upstream, and pulling after them a barge-like boat with a canopy to shut out the rays of the sun. in a few moments the boat was drawing near the shore on which they stood. twink could see that each of the little beavers wore a harness, connected to the boat by a rope of woven reeds. the boat, itself, was brightly painted and filled with soft, silken cushions. "you will be my guests on the journey down the river to my kingdom where it will give me great pleasure to welcome you to my humble abode." twink, tom, the shaggy man, and twiffle stepped into the boat. the shaggy man had to stoop a bit to miss the canopy, but once they were seated on the soft cushions there was room for all. the king of the fairy beavers hitched himself into the front of the harness with the other beavers. "i hope you'll forgive me for not riding with you," he said, "but when i have guests, i like to do my share of the work--we beavers always enjoy working together, you know, and occasions like this give me an opportunity to forget i'm a king." the boat moved swiftly down the river, pulled easily by the team of strong little animals. "well, this certainly beats walking, your majesty," said the shaggy man as he sighed with content and settled back among the cushions. chapter in beaver land tom, who was especially fond of animals, longed to hold one of the little beavers and fondle it to his heart's content. and what fun it would be, the boy thought, just to jump into the stream and swim along with the busily paddling happy-looking little animals. but tom contented himself with marveling at the ease with which the beavers pulled the boat. although the journey consumed more than an hour it did not seem nearly that long to the travelers who were kept busy watching the changing scenery as the boat sped swiftly downstream. the banks of the river grew much steeper and they could see scarcely any trees, while grey rocks jutted from the earth and forbidding mountain peaks loomed only a few miles distant. the beavers swam out of the current of the river and drew the boat into a placid pool among the rocks. at the far end of the pool there was a stairway leading from a wooden landing to a wicker door, set in the face of a cliff of grey stone that ran steeply down to the pond's edge. the fairy beavers seemed to be full of energy and untired by the journey, as they chattered among themselves, drawing the boat to the landing and making it secure. the shaggy man looked about him and observed to the king: "i always thought, your majesty, that beavers liked to live where there was plenty of wood. i've heard tell of them building whole series of dams from trees they had gnawed down--even human engineers have taken some lessons in water control from the beavers." "you're right," replied the king of the fairy beavers. "but those beavers you heard about were of the ordinary kind. not that we fairy beavers don't do a lot of engineering--we do. but we prefer this desolate region for our home since we are less likely to be disturbed here. and any trees we may need we can always fell and float downstream from the more fertile lands." as he spoke the beaver king ascended the steps to the wicker door and swung it open. the shaggy man had to stoop to enter, but once inside he found he could stand with ease. it took a few minutes for shaggy and his friends to adjust their eyes from the glare of the sun on the water to the lighting of the cave in which they stood. for that was what it was, a vast cave in the cliff. a fairy light of a silver white issued from the rock walls and dome of the cave. the cavern proved to be merely the ante-room of the beaver kingdom, which consisted of a labyrinth of large and small tunnels burrowed into the earth at the rear of the cave. sleek, well-fed beavers hurried in and out of the burrows, bent upon the tasks that made up their daily work. indeed everyone in this underground kingdom seemed to be hard at work and intently busy on one task or another. new tunnels were being constructed and reinforced with carefully hewn beams of wood, new rooms and homes were under construction, and there didn't seem to be an idle moment with all the work that was going on. the beaver king was perhaps even busier than his subjects, and while he was gracious and did everything in his power to make his guests comfortable, they got the impression that even while he was chatting with them his mind was busy with new plans and ideas for the improvement of his kingdom. the king of the fairy beavers hesitated only long enough for shaggy and his friends to glance about them, and then led his guests down one of the burrows, which was really a good-sized tunnel. a short distance down this passage the beaver king paused before a large, granite door set in the tunnel's side. just above the door was mounted a golden crown. "it is my pleasure," said the beaver king, as the heavy door swung open, "to welcome you to my royal suite where i hope you will accept my humble hospitality." there was a large reception hall, then a huge throne room that could easily accommodate an assemblage of several thousand beavers, and finally a dining room with mirrored walls and ceiling and a sumptuously laid table. shaggy and his friends were amazed at the elegance and beauty of their surroundings. the dining room table was set with the finest of china and the linens were snowy white and hand woven. the king of the fairy beavers still carried the slender beech rod, which twink had noticed in his right paw when he had first appeared among them that afternoon. after inviting his guests to be seated at the table, the beaver king waved the beech rod--which twink and tom had already guessed to be his magic wand--and at once the table was loaded with the most savory dishes imaginable. "i don't ordinarily like to employ magic, unless it is necessary," the beaver king explained. "we beavers prefer to work for what we get but magic affords the quickest manner of providing the strange foods that you human beings seem to enjoy." twiffle and the beaver king conversed while shaggy, twink, and tom enjoyed the food. they were much hungrier than they realized; the ride on the river had given them a tremendous appetite. when they had finished eating the king of the fairy beavers said: "now, my friends, would be a good time to plan our trip to the land of oz." no one said a word, but every eye was fixed with eager attention on the little animal. "we cannot fly over the deadly desert," the beaver king went on. "nor can we cross it--the devouring sands would mean quick death for all of us." "then we're just not going to oz, i guess," said tom sadly. "oh, yes, i think we are," replied the beaver king quickly. "there is one way left to cross the desert." a hush fell over the company as they waited for the beaver king's next words. "we can cross _under_ the desert," he said simply. "you have burrowed clear under the deadly desert to oz?" asked the shaggy man incredulously. "no," replied the king of the fairy beavers, "we have not, but someone else has." "and who is that?" asked twink. "the nome king," said the beaver king. chapter the tunnel under the desert the shaggy man leaped to his feet and stared at the beaver king. "what!" he exclaimed. "you discovered the nome king's tunnel under the deadly desert?" "oh, yes," replied the beaver king. "we have known for some time of its existence and location." "but this is wonderful!" gasped the shaggy man. "our troubles are all over. all we have to do is walk through the tunnel to the emerald city!" "no," said the king of the fairy beavers. "it isn't as easy as that. you must remember we still have glinda's barrier of invisibility to contend with." "hmmmmm," said the shaggy man seating himself, "that is true. but there might be some way we could get past that barrier. tell me, how did you happen to discover the nome king's tunnel?" "we stumbled onto it accidentally when one of our burrows led into it," explained the beaver king. "we followed it to the kingdom of the nomes where the tunnel opens into one of the nome king's mines. there was a company of nomes working there, and the ill-natured creatures hurled diamonds at us. in fact the nomes were so discourteous that we have never since entered that section of the tunnel." "but if you knew the tunnel led to oz in the other direction, why didn't you follow it?" asked twiffle. "because we also know ozma's wishes, and we respect them," replied the beaver king quietly. "but certainly ozma would not object to the shaggy man and his friends using the tunnel. and since the shaggy man has so kindly invited me to visit oz, i feel perfectly free to accompany him." "then you know the story of the tunnel the nome king built under the deadly desert to the emerald city?" asked the shaggy man. "our fairy powers keep us informed of important happenings not only in oz but in all other parts of the world," replied the beaver king. twink and tom knew the story, too. they had read how the nome king, seeking revenge on ozma and dorothy because they had once conquered him, set his nomes to burrowing a tunnel from the nome kingdom to the emerald city. when it was finished, roquat the red (as the nome king was known then) and a horde of evil allies marched through the tunnel, intent on conquering and laying waste all of oz. ozma refused to fight, but instead gathered all her closest friends about her in the garden near the fountain of oblivion, where the invaders were about to break through from the tunnel. the famous scarecrow of oz had given ozma the idea that had saved her from the necessity of fighting. the tunnel was hot and dry, and ozma had used her magic powers to scatter dust through the underground passage. as a result, when the nome king and his allies came bursting through the earth they were consumed with a terrible thirst. the first thing they saw was the fountain of oblivion. just as the scarecrow had planned, they all dashed to the fountain and drank. the waters of this fountain cause anyone who drinks of it to lose all memory of his former life. consequently the nome king and all his allies became as harmless as little children, having forgotten their former evil lives. ozma had sent them back by means of the magic belt to their own lands, and then closed the earth over the tunnel's entrance into her garden. soon after that glinda had laid down the magic barrier of invisibility over the deadly desert, which ozma hoped would prevent any other invaders from attacking the land of oz. "trying to get through the tunnel really seems the only thing to do," said the shaggy man thoughtfully. "that will be far better than just sitting and waiting for ozma to return to the emerald city--i have no idea how long she plans to visit with glinda. i suppose the only thing we can do is try to deal with the barrier of invisibility when we come to it. perhaps your majesty's magic could overcome it?" the beaver king was thoughtful. "perhaps," he said. "but you must remember glinda's magic is very powerful. we may discover that the desert is just as impassable underground as it is above ground. so don't let us raise our hopes too high, my friends. at any rate," he concluded, "we will undertake the journey in the morning, and then we shall know." the beaver king led his guests into his throne room where comfortable seats were provided. next a troop of beaver acrobats came running into the throne room. they wore brightly colored tights and put on a performance of such skill and daring that twink and tom were delighted. the animals were amazingly agile and some of their tumbling tricks were so droll that even twiffle laughed aloud. "i never saw anything to beat this at the circus," tom confided to twink as the twins loudly applauded. when the entertainment was over it was growing late, and, saying he had some work to do in his magic workshop, in preparation for the journey in the morning, the beaver king led his guests to a suite of beautifully furnished sleeping rooms. twink and tom were not a bit surprised that the beaver king should work while they slept. indeed, they wondered if anyone in this busy little kingdom ever took time off to rest. "as soon as you lie down on the beds," the beaver king told twink and tom, "you will be lulled to sleep by the most beautiful music in the world." with that he closed the door softly and left them. twink and tom were in their beds in no time at all, eager to hear the music the beaver king had promised them. no sooner had their heads touched the pillows than they heard it. it was like the sleepy murmuring of a thousand voices. there were no words, only a soft whisper that seemed to come from a great distance and yet was close by--was everywhere. twink closed her eyes, and the wordless music sang of green meadows under a golden sun, of mountain rills that tripped from stone to stone down to beautiful valleys, of great rivers that flowed through the hearts of vast lands--and finally of the sea itself, singing eternally of endless wonders. just before tom dropped off to sleep he said: "twink, i know what it is. the beaver king said it was the most beautiful music in the world--and it is--" "i know," said twink sleepily. "it's the music of running water." chapter the flame folk early the next morning shaggy and his friends found a steaming hot breakfast waiting for them in their rooms. no sooner had they finished than the king of the fairy beavers appeared to lead them to the nome king's tunnel. they followed the king through several miles of weaving and twisting beaver burrows, until at last they stood at the entrance of the tunnel. shaggy had noted that the king bore on his back, like a tiny knapsack, a small bundle. now he saw that the twenty young beavers, who were waiting at the tunnel's entrance to undertake the journey with them, bore similar though smaller bundles on their backs. in addition, each of the young beavers carried a pine torch to light the way through the dark tunnel. at a signal from the beaver king, the torch-bearing beavers advanced into the tunnel and the journey was on. "how far are we from the deadly desert?" inquired the shaggy man. "not more than a mile," answered the beaver king. "we will know when we reach the desert, because of the heat radiated downward by the sands. the tunnel is not far from the surface--no more than twenty feet, i would judge." the tunnel was hewn from solid rock, but the floor of it was smooth, so the travelers were able to proceed at a good rate of speed. they all noticed that the heat increased perceptibly the closer they came to the shifting sands above them. "whee-ew!" exclaimed the shaggy man. "this is no place for a pleasure trip. i can see why the nome king was thirsty when he got out of here." they were now directly under the deadly desert and the heat radiated by the shifting sands above them was intense. but twink and tom were lightly dressed, so they didn't mind the heat so much. twiffle naturally paid not the slightest attention to the temperature. the beavers who were used to underground heat moved swiftly forward. the pine torches of the young beavers cast flickering shadows on the rough stone walls about the travelers. but suddenly the light of the torches dimmed and faded in a greater brilliance. the torch-bearing beavers stopped in their tracks and were chattering excitedly among themselves, waiting for the beaver king and his party to catch up with them. the travelers hurried forward and found to their amazement that the new light came from a rift in the rock roof. sunlight was shining down into the tunnel! but no sooner had they recovered from this surprise than they were overwhelmed by another. directly ahead of them, blocking their passage through the tunnel, was a group of the strangest people they had ever seen. these beings were human in shape, yet they seemed to be made of flame. the living fire that formed their bodies varied in hue from a deep, glowing red to light orange and yellow, while their finger-tips, eyes, and features gave off blue and greenish colored flames. there were perhaps ten of the creatures, standing side by side so that the beaver king and his friends found their way completely blocked by this wall of living flame. waves of heat radiated from their flaming bodies, and twink and tom had to blink their eyes several times to become accustomed to the glare of flame and light. "halt! you can go no further. turn back at once to whence you came." one of the flame folk was speaking. he appeared to be their leader, since he was taller than his companions and his eyes glowed much more fiercely than the rest. "who are you?" asked the beaver king calmly. "we are dwellers of the desert. we live on the shifting sands on the surface. occasionally we visit the oasis just above, where there is no sand, but blue grass that glows with blue flame," the flame being answered. "an oasis on the deadly desert?" asked the shaggy man incredulously. "certainly. did you ever hear of a desert that didn't have an oasis?" replied the fire creature. "maybe not," muttered the shaggy man. "and i suppose the flame grass keeps the deadly sand from shifting into the tunnel." "exactly," replied the fire creature. "but we are not concerned with sand in the tunnel. there are other things much more objectionable--yourselves, for instance." "how did you find out about the tunnel?" asked the beaver king, ignoring the fire being's insult. "not that it is any of your business, but we were aware of the tunnel's existence while the nome king was building it. after he returned to his own silly kingdom, we burned our way down through the rocks from the oasis above." "why did you do that?" persisted the beaver king. the leader of the fire creatures hesitated for a moment then replied in an angry voice: "because we enjoy the coolness of the tunnel. by contrast it makes the fiery sands of the desert even more pleasant. now, be on your way back where you came from or we will advance upon you and blast you to cinders." "my, what a fiery tempered fellow," said shaggy. this seemed to infuriate the fire creature and he was about to leap toward shaggy when the beaver king stepped forward, holding out his beechwood wand. instantly, from the tip of the wand there came forth a spray of water that showered on the row of fire creatures. as soon as it touched their flaming bodies, the water hissed into steam. the effect on the fire beings was amazing. they uttered loud howls of pain and fright and leaped like flames from a great fire into the air and through the rift in the rock. their cries resounded as they dashed over the oasis to roll in the flaming sands of the desert. "come," urged the beaver king, "let us hurry, although i do not think there is any danger of pursuit." the young beavers went first, followed by shaggy and his friends. they hurried until they had passed out of sight of the sunlight that flowed down the rift into the tunnel. "i guess that's the first time those critters ever saw water," said the shaggy man grinning. "the water didn't hurt them," said the beaver king, "and the burning sands will soon restore whatever heat they lost. nevertheless, i don't think they will cause us any further annoyance." they walked ahead rapidly hour after hour with the young beavers lighting the way through the nome king's tunnel. chapter the barrier of invisibility suddenly shaggy stopped and stared about him. he was alone in the tunnel! he had been walking along looking at nothing in particular, when in a flash his companions had vanished. just ahead of him he could hear the excited chattering of the twenty young beavers. but there was no sign of any living thing. then shaggy looked down at himself and cried out in amazement--he wasn't there either! he could see nothing of his body, although he felt as firm as ever. "you will be kind enough to remove your wand from my eye, please!" it was twiffle's voice speaking somewhere near shaggy. "i beg your pardon, we are both invisible, so my poking my wand in your eye was entirely unintentional, i assure you," the beaver king's voice answered. "hey! stay off my foot!" tom called out. "was that your foot? i'm sure i didn't see it," twink's voice answered soothingly. "neither do i, but it's there just the same," replied tom's voice ruefully. all about them the young beavers' voices had risen, and several angry disputes were taking place. evidently some accidents had occurred among the little animals, too. the shaggy man said sadly, "well, this seems to be the barrier of invisibility, and it's most effective too. i propose we all stay just where we are until we decide what to do for we all seem to be quite invisible." "must we turn back?" asked twink anxiously. "don't you worry, twink," said tom, "even if we can't get to the land of oz, we'll find our way home." "yes, i think we must turn back," announced the beaver king. "let us retreat in the tunnel to the point where the barrier of invisibility begins. it should be only a few feet from where we are now since we just entered it." "but we have turned about and lost all sense of direction since becoming invisible," said the shaggy man. "since we cannot see the tunnel, it looks the same in every direction, so how are we to know which way to turn to go back?" "walk ten steps in one direction and if you are still invisible, then turn about and walk twenty feet in the other direction," instructed the beaver king. this they all did and after a bit of experimentation and several minor collisions, they were relieved to find themselves visible once more and standing on the edge of the barrier of invisibility. at the king's order, the young beavers had remained where they were, until the others had found their way out of the barrier. now the beaver king uttered a series of calls that quickly guided the animals beyond the barrier of invisibility. shaggy and his friends stood about in the tunnel gazing from one to another, almost despairingly, wondering what to do next. "there is still hope that we may not have to go back and may be able to use the tunnel to reach oz, my friends," began the beaver king quietly. "last night and far into the morning, while you were sleeping, i was busy in my fairy workshop, studying the problem. i believe i have solved it, although, of course, we cannot be quite sure until we make the test." with this the little animal unstrapped from his back the small bundle he had been carrying. laying it on the tunnel floor, he carefully unfolded it. the bundle seemed to consist of a number of shimmering pieces of silver cloth, so light they might have been spun from spider webs. the beaver king selected one of the folds of gossamer cloth and handed it to twink. "unfold it and put it about you, my dear," he said. "i think you will find it just your size." twink did as instructed and found the cloth fitted about her like a fairy cloak. "oh, it's lovely," she exclaimed. "it's more than that, i hope," said the beaver king. "it is a cloak of visibility." "a cloak of what?" exclaimed the shaggy man. "you have all heard and read tales of cloaks of invisibility," explained the beaver king. "cloaks that make the wearer invisible are famous in the fairy tales of all lands. well, i knew that we would become invisible today against our wishes, so i have attempted to create a cloak of visibility--a cloak that would overcome the spell of invisibility." "do you think it will work?" asked the shaggy man hopefully. "i do not know," confessed the beaver king. "i am sure it wouldn't work above ground where glinda's barrier of invisibility is full strength. underground, glinda's spell is much less intense, because the earth and sands absorb and destroy the fairy spell. glinda is a fairy just as ozma is, and fairies, you know, are creatures of the light and air, and it is there that their powers are the strongest." the beaver king then handed out cloaks of the shimmering material to all of them. there was a tiny one that fitted twiffle perfectly. the twenty young beavers opened their knapsacks and drew from them their own cloaks of visibility, which they adjusted about themselves. "now we are ready to test the power of the cloaks," said the beaver king. "they should not only make us visible, but should enable us to see the invisible." twink thought she detected the slightest tremor in the king's voice. it was no wonder, she thought, for so much depended on those cloaks he had made. once again they proceeded into the tunnel, this time holding their breaths with excitement. would the cloaks of visibility work? one--two--three--four--five steps and they found themselves watching one another to see if they were still visible. six--seven--eight--nine--ten steps--but no one breathed freely until they had counted twenty steps. they all were still visible! and they could still see the tunnel walls. the cloaks of visibility worked perfectly. eagerly the twenty young beavers took the lead again. chapter at the end of the tunnel "seems to me," remarked the shaggy man after they had progressed for some distance, "that by now we may have crossed the barrier of invisibility." "you're right," agreed the beaver king. "and that means we are now journeying underground in the land of oz. it also means that the cloaks of visibility are no longer necessary for our journey, so i propose that we discard them here and i will destroy them so that they may never be used by anyone else for reaching the land of oz." each of the traveler removed his shimmering cloak and placed it on a little pile in the center of the tunnel. when all the cloaks were there, the beaver king waved his beechwood wand over the little heap of silvery material and in a flash it had vanished. "seems a shame," murmured twink, "they were so beautiful." but twink forgot the cloaks as they journeyed on. she and tom could scarcely believe it--just over their heads was the marvelous land of oz. they began talking of all the famous people who lived in oz, and the boy and girl would probably have walked all night had not the king of the fairy beavers announced after they had been trudging steadily for more than six hours: "my fairy powers tell me it is dark in the land above. that means we have been walking all day. i propose we stop and sleep here and resume our journey in the morning. we should reach the emerald city shortly after noon." the shaggy man looked a bit ruefully at the hard stone floor of the tunnel. "well," he sighed, "in my wanderings i have slept in less comfortable places. twink can have my coat to rest her head on." the beaver king chuckled softly. "don't worry, shaggy man," he said, "i will provide beds for us. first let us enjoy a good dinner so that we will sleep the more soundly." after the dinner two small beds and a large one magically appeared for twink, tom, and shaggy. although he did not need to sleep, twiffle was provided with a little bed just his size. the beaver king curled up on a silken cushion. other cushions were provided for the young beaver torch-bearers who took turns throughout the night sleeping and standing guard. the next morning found them refreshed and eager to be on their way toward the emerald city. the tunnel was cool now and they advanced rapidly. they were all weary of the sameness of the rocky tunnel walls and eager to reach the land of oz. at last the young beavers who were leading the way came to a halt. for some distance the travelers had noticed that the tunnel had been gently sloping upward. now they had arrived at its end. just before them was a round patch of earth--a sort of "cork" of earth that ozma had set in the end of the tunnel where it emerged in her garden. the young beavers knew exactly what to do. they set to work digging and burrowing around the rim of this patch of earth. when they had loosened it sufficiently it would roll back into the tunnel, leaving free the exit for the shaggy man and his friends to emerge from the underground passage. twink and tom watched in fascinated silence while the beavers worked. they were amazingly fast and skillful. their paws fairly flew as they scooped out the earth and then brushed it from behind them with their wide, flat tails. in a few more seconds the beavers would be through the earth. the beaver king warned his comrades to step back in the tunnel, as the earth was about to come tumbling down. there was a creaking and crashing of earth and stones, and the beavers dashed to safety. suddenly loud roars of mingled anger and fright filled the tunnel. sitting on the pile of earth that had crashed down into the tunnel, and glaring at them frightfully while he roared, was an enormous beast. chapter the wizard is excited the great beast that had plunged into the tunnel suddenly stopped roaring, shook the gravel and dirt from his mane and back, and said calmly: "i'm surprised at you, shaggy man! what do you mean by digging holes in ozma's garden and leaving them open for unsuspecting folks to fall into? i might very easily have broken a leg or fractured a paw." the shaggy man was grinning broadly. "ten to one you were running away from something in an effort to work up your well-known, but careful courage to the point of fighting." the huge lion looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "you seem to know this great beast," said the beaver king, who had been regarding the sudden entrant into the tunnel with intense curiosity. "indeed, i do!" replied the shaggy man. "he's an old friend of mine and quite harmless--if he is your friend. for this, you see, is the famous cowardly lion of oz." twink and tom had been staring with fascination at the huge lion. it was the first time they had ever come face to face with so great a beast, and although they had read so much about the famous cowardly lion of oz that they recognized him, he had looked so fierce when he had fallen into the tunnel that they would surely have been frightened had it not been for shaggy's reassuring words. "i don't know what this is all about, shaggy," sighed the lion. "i was told ozma had sent you out of the country on an errand for her, and now you turn up in a hole in her garden with a group of strange people and animals." "it can all be explained," soothed the shaggy man. "meanwhile do you think you can help us out of here?" "of course," replied the cowardly lion, "any friends of yours are friends of mine. just climb on my back and you will have no difficulty in pulling yourselves to level ground. those little animals don't bite, do they?" the great lion looked anxiously at the beaver's sharp teeth. with a laugh shaggy assured him he had nothing to fear. the beavers and their king went first, followed by twink and tom, who found the lion's coat to be delightfully thick and soft, and finally by twiffle and the shaggy man. the cowardly lion leaped from the tunnel and surveyed shaggy and his friends. "children, animals, and a wooden clown--all popping up from what i now perceive is the nome king's tunnel and not just a hole in the ground as i thought when i first tumbled into it. tell me, shaggy, have you had trouble with the nome king again?" shaggy started to relate his adventures, but after a few words the cowardly lion interrupted him. "that can wait, you can tell me all about it later. the important thing is that you are here safely and--i almost forgot--there is plenty going on here!" "what do you mean?" asked the shaggy man. "well, to tell the truth, i was running because i was frightened. then the ground gave way beneath me and i fell into the tunnel." "but why were you frightened?" persisted the shaggy man. "something is going on in the royal palace that i don't understand. the wizard is very excited. he claims someone has stolen his black bag of magic tools and locked the door of the tower that leads to his magic workshop so he can't get in. i overheard him telling dorothy about it and they both seemed very upset. i decided i had better hide somewhere until i had gathered enough courage to lead an attack on the enemy." the shaggy man smiled to himself. "you come with us," he said to the lion. "first, i want you to meet my friends, twink, tom, twiffle, and the king of the fairy beavers. then we must find the wizard and dorothy and see what this is all about." the cowardly lion acknowledged the introduction so cordially that twink and tom felt as if they had been friends for years. they all walked through the beautiful gardens of ozma's royal palace until they came to a large french door leading into a study. here, by a stroke of good luck, they found princess dorothy and the wizard of oz, deep in conversation. dorothy and the wizard looked up in amazement as shaggy and his strangely assorted band of followers trailed into the study. introductions were made again, and this time twink and tom were very nearly tongue-tied as they realized they were actually in the company of a real princess of the fairyland of oz, and the one and only wizard of oz. but dorothy was so friendly and sweet that the little boy and girl felt quite at ease almost at once. shaggy told his story as briefly as possible, and then asked the wizard for an explanation of what had been happening in the palace. "i wish i could tell you more definitely," said the wizard ruefully. "but i am as mystified as anyone. here is all i know: i had ordered the royal stables to have the sawhorse saddled so that i might ride him to the college of natural history, where i wished to consult some of the books written by professor wogglebug. i had placed on the ground my black bag of magic tools which i needed for some experiments i planned to make at the college. i was about to mount the sawhorse and pick up the bag when suddenly from out of nowhere, a wild-eyed little man appeared. he gave me one stare, picked up my black bag, and dashed into the palace. i was so startled that it was several moments before i called to him to stop. then i went dashing into the palace after him. but the little man was nowhere to be seen. i hurried to dorothy's rooms and she accompanied me to the throne room. just as we entered the throne room, the little man whisked past us and was up the tower stairs that lead to my magic workroom." "did he have the black bag then?" asked shaggy. "no, that's the strange part of it, he did not," replied the wizard. "he locked the tower door securely after him, so dorothy and i couldn't follow. we have searched everywhere, but there just is not a single trace of the black bag." twink and tom listened, spellbound by the wizard's story. here they were--not only in the emerald city of oz, but in the midst of an adventure that excited even the famous wizard of oz! "i just can't understand it," said the wizard rubbing his bald head in perplexity. "well, can't we break down the door to the tower?" asked dorothy. "perhaps we could, but there are six other doors after that one before my magic workroom can be reached. and all are protected by my own magic!" groaned the wizard. "are there no other magic tools that can be used?" inquired shaggy. "none," said the wizard despondently. "ozma took dorothy's magic belt with her when she went to visit glinda, so we are helpless for the moment." twiffle had been listening with great interest. now he said: "tell me, was the little man who suddenly appeared quite fat and bald save for a fringe of white hair? and did he have blue eyes and a sort of cherry-like nose?" "why, yes, that describes him quite well, from the glimpse i had of him," said the wizard thoughtfully. "i think," twiffle went on quietly, "that if you had had the opportunity to observe him more closely, you would have seen that he wore on his wrist ozma's magic compass!" chapter conjo in control "conjo!" exclaimed the shaggy man. "of course that's who it is. he used ozma's magic compass to bring him to the emerald city and then started his mischief!" "i wonder what he wants--what his purpose is in hiding my black bag and then locking himself in the tower?" mused the wizard. "perhaps," said dorothy, "it would be a good thing if twiffle told us all he knows about this conjo, since he seems to be better acquainted with him than anyone else is." "a good idea," agreed the wizard, and they all turned to twiffle. the little clown recounted his life with conjo, telling all he could remember from the time when conjo brought him to life to his escape with shaggy and twink and tom in the airmobile. the wizard considered. "apparently the only really bad thing conjo has done is to take these children out of their home and plan to make them prisoners. outside of that he has been merely selfish, lazy, and foolishly vain. perhaps if we tried to talk with him, we could prove the folly of his latest actions. he must know that as soon as ozma returns he will be helpless before her fairy powers." the wizard led the way to ozma's grand throne room, on one side of which was the door that led to the tower and magic workroom. the young beavers and their king hurried along after the wizard and shaggy and the rest. "perhaps conjo would listen to you," the wizard suggested to twiffle, "if you asked him to come out and talk with us." twiffle walked to the tower door, knocked as loudly as he could on it, and said: "come out, conjo. it is foolish of you to hide away in there. these people want to talk with you and try to be your friends." everyone waited with hushed breath. had conjo heard? would he come out? after a few moments the door opened a crack, then slowly farther and farther, until conjo stood revealed in the doorway. the little man was quivering with excitement. "yes," conjo said with what was meant to be a smile, "i will talk to you. but don't any one of you come one step nearer this door. if you do, i will transform you all into door-mats and jumping-jacks." "what do you want?" asked the wizard quietly. "why have you hidden my black bag of magic tools and shut me off from my magic workroom?" "you should be able to figure that out," replied conjo. "i had to do that to render you helpless. without your magic you are powerless to defend yourselves. i now have at my command all of your magic as well as my own. so, i rather think you will be glad enough to do as i say." "and just what is that?" asked the wizard. "from now on," said conjo, "_i_ am the wizard of oz, and _you_," conjo pointed to the wizard, "are my assistant!" dorothy gasped at the audacity of the little man, while the shaggy man laughed aloud. the wizard could only whisper unbelievingly: "_you_ want to be _me_?" "no," said conjo, who seemed relaxed now and enjoying the consternation he had created, "i want to be the _wizard of oz_--it's only a title you know, and i deserve it just as much as you. i'm tired of being a wizard nobody knows about. now i have all your magic so who is there to say i am not the wizard of oz? ho, ho, ho--ha, ha, he, he, he!" the little man seemed vastly amused. "ozma will have something to say about this," said dorothy indignantly. "if you think she'll let you come in here and steal all the wizard's magic and then try to steal his name on top of all that you're very badly mistaken." "i'll take care of ozma when the time comes. after all, she's only a girl," said conjo easily. "and now if you'll excuse me, i think i'll go up and study the wizard's magic. please set a place for me at dinner, i shall be quite hungry. and don't bother to look for the wizard's black bag. you'll never find it. ha, ha, ha, ho, ho, he, he, he!" conjo was about to close the door, when the king of the fairy beavers raised his beechwood wand. from the tip of it came a stream of water that played directly on conjo's face. conjo gasped and sputtered, opened his mouth to cry out, and the stream of water filled his mouth. he choked and swallowed a large amount of the water. immediately the stream ceased flowing from the beaver king's wand. conjo stared at them all with innocent wonder in his eyes. "where am i?" he said. chapter twiffle says goodbye conjo wandered from the doorway of the tower toward the wizard and his friends. "do you know who i am?" he asked the wizard amiably. then the fat little man saw the young beavers. he immediately seated himself on the floor and called to the animals to play with him. "i think his majesty, the king of the fairy beavers, can explain what has happened to conjo," said the wizard. "it is very simple," replied the beaver king. "as i have told you, i am fairly proficient in water magic. so, when i saw that conjo could not be talked out of his mischievousness and that he meant further trouble, i directed a stream of water through my fairy wand toward conjo. the water came from ozma's fountain of oblivion." "then conjo has forgotten all his bad ways and all his magic powers?" asked dorothy. "yes," replied the beaver king. "he is now as harmless as a child. the water of the fountain of oblivion is truly wonderful. with ozma's gracious permission i shall take a quantity of it back to my kingdom with me when i return." "you have the permission now, your majesty," said a girlish voice. all eyes turned to the throne from which the voice came. there sat ozma, regarding them with a quiet smile. "i returned only a moment ago," ozma said. "just in time to see the outcome of conjo's ambitious schemes and to grant the request of our good friend the king of the fairy beavers. i am sure he will use the water from the fountain of oblivion wisely and well." "then you know all about our adventures?" asked the shaggy man. "yes," replied ozma. "glinda and i finished our tasks on which we have been working steadily, and only a few minutes ago we hurried to open glinda's great book of records and brought ourselves up to date on what has happened to you, shaggy and your friends, as well as the events transpiring here in the emerald city during my absence. now that we are together i am happy to greet all my friends old and new," ozma concluded, smiling at twink and tom. the wizard stepped to the side of conjo, who was still seated on the throne room floor prattling to the beavers. he reached down and unfastened from conjo's wrist ozma's magic compass. the girl ruler received the magic instrument gravely, her eyes upon conjo. "i wonder," she said, "what we should do with him. he is quite harmless now, but we don't want him to learn his old, bad ways again." here twiffle stepped forward. "your highness," the little clown began, "if i may make a suggestion. i have known conjo longer than anyone else here. he is not really a bad man. his threats are worse than his deeds. most of the time he is quite jovial and pleasant. he loves his magic and his wizardry and wants to show off. now that he has a chance to begin all over again, if he learned everything again except vanity and if he had the right guide, i believe it is possible that he might become a good wizard." "and you want to be that guide," said ozma smiling kindly at twiffle. "what do you think, wizard?" "i believe twiffle is right," said the wizard. "conjo needs someone to help him now, and twiffle seems the person to do it." "i am very fond of my old home on the island and i would like to help conjo," said twiffle simply. "for my part, twiffle is a brick," put in the shaggy man heartily. "then it is decided," replied ozma. "i will use the magic belt to send conjo and twiffle back to the isle of conjo. there, twiffle will help conjo to become a thoroughly good wizard. here, twiffle," ozma removed a small golden ring from her finger and handed it to twiffle. "keep this ring with you always. should conjo ever again cause any mischief, or should you need my help, just rub this ring and you will be transported immediately to wherever i may be." "thank you, your majesty," said twiffle, looking at ozma gratefully. twiffle then bade a fond farewell to twink and tom, the shaggy man, the king of the fairy beavers, and all his other new friends. when he had finished, ozma placed her hands on the magic belt and murmured a command. twink and tom looked about the throne room. conjo and twiffle were nowhere to be seen. the children knew they would miss the little toy clown. but perhaps he would come to their home sometimes to visit his third cousin, twoffle. chapter twink and tom in oz the remainder of the day was given over to sightseeing for twink, tom, the king of the fairy beavers, and the young beavers. dorothy and the shaggy man loaded the party into the red wagon, which was drawn by the sawhorse, and conducted their guests on a tour of the beautiful city of emeralds and the nearby countryside. when they reached the gates of the emerald city, the shaggy man ordered the sawhorse to stop while he, with the aid of omby amby, a bright new nail and a hammer, proudly restored the love magnet to its position over the entrance to the city. the company then drove out to call on miss cuttenclip and her famous village whose inhabitants were artfully cut out of magic paper and moved about and talked like living people. next they visited professor wogglebug in his college, where the students learned their lessons by swallowing sugar-coated pills. on the return journey they met the scarecrow who had been spending the day with a munchkin farmer for the purpose of being re-stuffed with fresh new straw--all except his head, of course, which was filled with the marvelous brains the wizard had given him. twink and tom were delighted with this droll personage, who took an instant liking to them. that evening there was a great dinner in honor of twink, tom, and the king of the fairy beavers. many of the most famous personages of oz were there. among these were the patchwork girl, the tin woodman who had traveled from his tin castle in the winkie country for the occasion, princess ozana, the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, ojo, button bright, betsy bobbin, trot, cap'n bill, the woozy, and many, many others. it was a wonderful dinner, and twink and tom were fascinated by all the curious and unusual personalities. the twins felt as if they were among old friends, since they had read so much about the famous people of oz and their exciting adventures. on such occasions as this, it was always the custom of the wizard to put on a display of his magic. tonight he did not. in fact the little wizard seemed silent and worried throughout the dinner. as the guests began to leave the table, the wizard approached ozma unhappily. "i can't imagine what conjo did with my black bag of magic tools," he said. "we should have questioned him before you sent him back to the isle of conjo." ozma shook her head. "that would have done no good. conjo lost all memory of his former actions when he drank of the waters of the fountain of oblivion." the only others remaining around the table now were dorothy, shaggy, twink, tom, and the beaver king. "did you look in the magic picture to see where conjo might have hidden the black bag?" ozma asked. "no," said the wizard, "we were so excited and things happened so swiftly that we never thought of the magic picture." "then let us consult the picture immediately," said ozma. the girl ruler rose and motioned the rest to follow her as she made her way to her suite of rooms and the magic picture. chapter the black bag of magic tools ozma swept the velvet drape from the magic picture. there was the familiar scene that appeared when the picture was not in use--a peaceful oz countryside with rolling fields and hills and a large tree growing in the foreground. "show us the wizard's black bag of magic tools," ozma said. there was no change in the picture. "what can be wrong?" whispered dorothy soberly. "perhaps the magic picture can only show _people_ and not _things_," suggested the shaggy man. "i don't recall our ever having asked it to show an _object_ before." ozma's face was puzzled. she was staring intently at the familiar picture. "no," she said quietly. "i think the magic picture is doing its best to show us the black bag right now." everyone looked at ozma in astonishment. there was nothing in the magic picture that looked anything like the black bag. it was merely the old familiar scene that the magic picture showed when it was not in use. "conjo was very clever in a way," said ozma. "he hid the black bag by means of his wizard powers in a place where few people would think to look. but he forgot that the magic picture is my own fairy creation, and i understand its magic better than anyone else." the little ruler paused, saying to those around her: "watch this closely now." she murmured a fairy charm so softly that none of the group could distinguish the words. something was moving in the magic picture. from behind the trunk of the tree that arose in the foreground of the picture, slipped a small black object. it grew larger and larger until it filled a quarter of the picture. then it fell out of the picture-frame to the floor. it was the wizard's black bag of magic tools! the little wizard leaped forward and gratefully seized his precious black bag. "so conjo hid it behind the tree in the magic picture!" he exclaimed. chapter twink and tom home again "it is growing quite late," ozma said, turning to twink and tom. "and i am sure you children must be tired after the strenuous adventures of the day." the little ruler paused and then added, "i know, too, that you are anxious to return home to your parents." twink nodded. "yes, your highness," she said. "we have had a wonderful time in oz, and we love you all very dearly, but we must go home as soon as we can." "twink's right," agreed tom. "we have had a great time, and i wouldn't have missed it for anything, but we belong at home in buffalo." ozma smiled her most charming smile. "very well," she said. "we will say goodbye now. then dorothy and the shaggy man will show you to your room where beds are prepared for you. while you sleep, i will use the magic belt to transport you to your beds in your own home." twink and tom bade goodnight and goodbye to ozma and the king of the fairy beavers. the little animal had accepted ozma's invitation to be her guest as long as he felt he could absent himself from his kingdom. then dorothy and the shaggy man led twink and tom to one of the most beautiful sleeping rooms the children had ever seen. the four talked together for a short time, after which dorothy and shaggy said farewell and slipped quietly from the room. it had been a long, exciting day, and twink and tom had no difficulty falling asleep, although they knew that sometime during the night they would travel magically from the land of oz to their own beds in their home in far-away buffalo. * * * * * and that was just what happened. the end the magical mimics in oz by jack snow, founded on and continuing the famous oz stories by l. frank baum illustrated by frank kramer the reilly & lee co. chicago * * * * * the magical mimics in oz copyright by the reilly & lee co. printed in the u. s. a. [transcriber's note: extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the u.s. copyright on this publication was renewed.] * * * * * to the children as long as i can remember, i have been reading oz books, and now i am very proud and happy to have been permitted to write a book about the latest happenings in the land of oz. mr. kramer has made many delightful illustrations for this book, and i know you will enjoy the fun and life that he has so skillfully put into his pictures. as for the magical mimics, i think you will agree with me that these surprising creatures made things pretty exciting for our oz friends while they were in the emerald city. nevertheless, now that the mimics are powerless, i am inclined to forgive them; since, had it not been for them, dorothy and the wizard would not have discovered winsome little ozana and her story blossom garden. i hope this story pleases you and that you will write me many letters--all of which i promise to answer as soon as possible. i am sure that your suggestions and ideas will be of great help to me in writing future oz books, and i am looking forward with much pleasure to receiving them. jack snow. january , . * * * * * _this book is dedicated to_ _my mother_ _roselyn hyde snow_ "_... to please a child is a sweet and lovely thing that warms one's heart and brings its own reward._" --l. frank baum. * * * * * list of chapters . toto carries a message . ozma and glinda go away . mount illuso . the mimics mean mischief . prisoners of the mimics . dorothy and the wizard speak strangely . in the cavern of the doomed . toto makes a discovery . mr. and mrs. hi-lo . the village of pineville . princess ozana . story blossom garden . the three swans . the mimic monarchs lock themselves in . in the chamber of magic . a web is woven . the mimics in the emerald city . the return of ozma and glinda . ozana's fairy arts . in the mirrored ballroom . the shattering of the mirrors . what the magic picture revealed . the grand banquet chapter toto carries a message "toto," called princess ozma of oz, as a small black dog trotted down the corridor past the open door of her study in the royal palace of the emerald city, "toto, will you do me a favor?" "certainly," answered the little dog, his bright eyes regarding the princess questioningly. "what can i do for your majesty?" ozma smiled. "i wonder if you would go to dorothy's rooms and ask her to join me here as soon as possible." "that'll be easy, ozma," said toto, "i was just on my way to see dorothy. it's time for our morning romp in the garden." "well," laughed ozma, "i shall keep dorothy for only a few minutes, then she can join you in the garden for your play." "thank you, ozma," replied toto as he turned and trotted down the corridor leading to dorothy's suite of rooms. as the little dog disappeared, the smile slowly faded from ozma's face, and the lovely little ruler of the world's most beautiful fairyland looked unusually serious. the truth was that ozma was thinking of events that had happened many years before in the history of the land of oz. not always had oz been a fairy realm. in those olden times oz had been nothing more than a remarkably beautiful country of rolling plains, wooded hills and rich farm lands. indeed, oz had not been so much different from our own united states, except that it was surrounded on all sides by a deadly desert. it was this desert which prevented curious men from the great outside world from finding their way to oz. for the fumes and gasses that rose from the shifting sands of the desert were deadly poison to all living things, and for a human to have set foot on the desert would have meant instant and terrible death. consequently, all living things avoided the deadly desert, and it is no wonder that oz was so entirely secluded and went unnoticed by the rest of the world for so many long years. meanwhile, the oz people were happy and contented, living their simple carefree lives without worries or troubles. the soil of oz was fertile and the people naturally industrious, so there was always an abundance of everything for everyone. hence destructive and terrible wars were unknown in oz even in the olden days. one fine day queen lurline, ruler of all the fairies in the world, chanced to be flying over the land of oz with her fairy band. she was greatly impressed with the beauty of the hidden country. the fairy queen paused, flying in wide circles over the peaceful land. here was a country so entirely beautiful and charming that it deserved to be a fairy realm. queen lurline sought out the king of this favored land and found him to be an old man with no son or daughter to whom he could pass on his crown. with great joy the old king accepted the tiny, baby fairy whom queen lurline placed in his care. when the baby fairy attained her full age of girlhood (no fairy ever appears to be older than a young girl of fourteen or fifteen) she was to be crowned princess ozma of oz. from the time of lurline's visit, oz became a fairyland, abounding in enchantments and strange happenings. indeed, several of the inhabitants of oz fell to studying the magic arts and became witches and magicians, very nearly preventing ozma from becoming the rightful ruler of the fairyland. ozma was fully aware that she was a member of queen lurline's fairy band, and she was justly proud of her immortal heritage. she knew, too, that she owed allegiance to the powerful fairy queen, and that was the reason she appeared so thoughtful this morning as she awaited princess dorothy. ozma's reverie was broken by a gentle rap on the open door. looking up, she saw dorothy standing in the doorway. "come in, my dear," said ozma, "there is something i must discuss with you." chapter ozma and glinda go away "what is it, ozma?" dorothy asked, as she sat down beside her friend. "dorothy," ozma began, thoughtfully, "you have heard me tell the story of how the good queen lurline left me here as a baby to become the ruler of the land of oz." "of course, ozma, and how you were stolen by old mombi, the witch, and--" "yes," interrupted ozma, smiling, "all that is true, but the important fact is that now the day has arrived when i must answer the summons of the great fairy queen. you see," continued the girlish ruler seriously, "every years all the members of queen lurline's fairy band gather for a grand council in the beautiful forest of burzee which lies just across the deadly desert to the south of oz." "isn't that the forest where santa claus was found as an infant and adopted by the forest nymph?" asked dorothy eagerly. "yes," replied ozma, "burzee is indeed a famous forest. for untold centuries its cool groves have been the meeting place of queen lurline and her subjects. they gather to discuss and plan the work they will do during the next two centuries. "in the old days," ozma's voice was musing and thoughtful as she continued, "when mankind was simpler and gentler of nature, it was easier for the fairies to do their good works and to aid the helpless humans. but today few humans believe in fairies." "the children do," dorothy suggested. "yes," said ozma, "but unfortunately as the children grow older and become men and women, they forget all they ever knew about fairies. i wish," she added wistfully, "that the men and women of the world would keep a bit of their childhood with them. they would find it a valuable thing." "when will you be going, ozma?" dorothy asked softly. "tomorrow morning," ozma replied. "and so important is this meeting that i have asked glinda the good to accompany me, although she is not a member of queen lurline's fairy band." "ozma," said dorothy seriously, her chin cupped in her hand, "there is one thing i have often wondered about. what did queen lurline do _after_ she left you here to become the ruler of oz?" "there is a story," ozma began with a far-away look in her eyes, "that after she made oz a fairyland, queen lurline flew away to the land of the phanfasms, that strange realm lying southeast of oz, across the deadly desert and bordering the kingdom of the nomes." "i remember the phanfasms," dorothy nodded. "they are the wicked creatures who came with the nome king through his tunnel under the deadly desert to conquer oz." "yes, and thanks to the wisdom of our famous scarecrow, we were able to render them harmless," ozma recalled with a smile. "did queen lurline go to see the phanfasms after she left oz?" asked dorothy. "no," replied ozma. "it seems that instead of going to mount phantastico, where the phanfasms dwell, queen lurline flew to the second of the twin peaks--to mount illuso, home of the dread mimics." "i don't remember hearing about the mimics before. just who are they, ozma," asked dorothy with interest. "not a great deal is known about them," replied ozma seriously, "and what we do know is so unpleasant that the mimics are avoided as a subject of conversation. they are not humans, nor are they immortals. like the phanfasms, to whom they are closely related, they belong to the ancient race of erbs--creatures who inhabited the earth long before the coming of mankind. both the mimics and the phanfasms hate all humans and immortals, for they feel that mankind, aided by the immortals, has stolen the world from them." "they don't sound very nice to me," said dorothy with a shudder. "why did queen lurline go to see such dreadful creatures?" ozma's voice was grave as she answered. "queen lurline knew that the mimics bitterly hated all that was good and happy and just in the world. the wise queen fully realized that now that oz was so beautiful and favored and its people so happy and contented a fairy folk, the mimics would lose no time in seeking to bring unhappiness to oz. it was to prevent this, that queen lurline paid her visit to mount illuso." "and did she succeed?" asked dorothy. "yes, my dear," replied ozma. "queen lurline placed a fairy spell on the mimics to make it impossible for them to attack the inhabitants of oz. but let's not discuss the unpleasant mimics any further," ozma concluded. "thanks to good queen lurline we don't even have to think about the creatures. let us return to our conversation about you." "about me?" asked dorothy. "yes," replied ozma. "can't you guess why i asked you to see me this particular morning?" "why, to tell me about the trip you and glinda are planning," said dorothy. "and something more, too," continued ozma. "who do you think will rule the emerald city and the land of oz, while both glinda and i are absent?" "i suppose either the little wizard or the scarecrow," ventured dorothy, remembering that in the past both the wizard and the scarecrow had ruled the land of oz. "no," replied ozma calmly. "you, dorothy, will be the ruler of the emerald city and the land of oz in my absence." "i?" cried dorothy. "oh, ozma, i'm only a little girl! i don't know the first thing about ruling!" "you are a princess of oz," stated ozma with dignity. "i shall appoint the wizard as your counselor and advisor. with his wisdom and your honesty of heart and sweetness of nature, i am confident the land of oz will be well ruled." dorothy was silent, considering. "come, my dear," said ozma with a smile. "i shall be gone only three short days. i am sure once you have become accustomed to the idea, you will enjoy the novel experience of being a real ruler, so do not worry." rising from the divan, ozma concluded: "i must go now to inform the courtiers and lords and ladies of my journey. i will instruct them in the regular affairs of state to be carried on in my absence, so that you will not be annoyed with these routine matters." ozma kissed dorothy on the cheek and the two girls left the room arm in arm, parting a few minutes later as ozma went about making preparations for her journey. dorothy joined toto who was waiting patiently for her in the lovely gardens of the royal palace. the little dog quickly noticed that his mistress was not nearly so carefree in her play as usual, but seemed more serious and thoughtful. he wondered if this had anything to do with her conversation with ozma, but since dorothy didn't mention the subject to him and seemed to be so busy with her own thoughts, toto, being a wise little dog, refrained from troubling her with questions. dorothy had a long talk with the wizard later in the day. the little man pointed out that dorothy's duties as a ruler would be very slight, so well-governed was oz and so well-behaved were the oz people. nevertheless, dorothy was greatly cheered and relieved when the wizard promised to help her, should any problem arise that she found troubling. ozma's time was so entirely taken up with affairs of state and the many preparations for her absence from her beloved country, that dorothy saw nothing of the girlish ruler during the remainder of the day. * * * * * the morning of ozma and glinda's departure dawned bright and clear, with the sunlight shining brilliantly on the beautiful city of emeralds. breakfast had been over for several hours when glinda the good sorceress arrived from her castle far to the south in the quadling country of the land of oz. glinda and ozma went immediately to the royal throne room where the famous oz personages waited to witness their departure. at exactly o'clock princess ozma seated herself in her emerald throne, while the stately glinda stood at her right. before them was as strange and impressive an assemblage of nobles, courtiers and old friends as ever gathered together in any fairy realm. among those present were: the famous scarecrow of oz with his highly polished companion, nick chopper, the nickel-plated tin woodman; comical jack pumpkinhead astride the wooden sawhorse who was ozma's personal steed and earliest companion; scraps, the jolly patchwork girl; sweet little trot and her faithful sailor friend, grizzled old cap'n bill; betsy bobbin and her mule, hank; the cheerful shaggy man looking shaggier than ever; the highly magnified and thoroughly educated woggle bug wearing his wisest expression for this important occasion; the stately cowardly lion who was one of dorothy's oldest friends and his companion the hungry tiger who longed to devour fat babies but never did because his conscience wouldn't permit him to; that strange creature the woozy whose eyes flashed real fire when he became angry; button bright, the boy from philadelphia who had been dorothy's companion on several wonderful adventures; ojo the lucky and his unc nunkie; dorothy's beloved aunt em and uncle henry, and of course the little wizard, and many, many others. ozma stood before her throne and raised her hand. immediately silence settled over the assemblage in the vast throne room. "as you all know," the princess said, "glinda and i are about to attend an important fairy conference in the distant forest of burzee. we shall be gone from oz for a period of three days. during that time, princess dorothy will be your sovereign and ruler." ozma removed her dainty fairy wand from the folds of her gown and lifted it into the air. for a moment she smiled on all, then, with a graceful wave of the wand and before the onlookers realized what was happening, both she and glinda had vanished. but dorothy knew that even at that moment queen lurline was greeting the lovely ozma and the stately glinda in the depths of the enchanted forest of burzee. chapter mount illuso on that far away day those many years ago, when queen lurline had left the baby ozma to become the ruler of oz, queen lurline did not pause, for she knew the most important part of her work was still to be done. if the land of oz was to be the happy fairyland she hoped it would be, she must protect it from the evil of the mimics. with this thought in mind, the good queen left oz and flew straight to the bleak land of the phanfasms. signalling to one of her fairy maidens to accompany her, queen lurline flew down to grim mount illuso, home of the dread mimics. pausing at the entrance to the great hollow mountain queen lurline bade her fairy companion await her return. then, taking the precaution to make herself invisible to the eyes of the mimics, the fairy queen stepped into the enchanted mountain. the sight that met her eyes caused even the good queen lurline to chill and falter momentarily on the rocky ledge on which she stood. above her rose the vast, cavernous walls of the hollow mountain. spread out below were the corridors burrowed into the rock by the mimics. in dark caverns deep below these corridors the monsters made their homes. all of this scene was lighted by flaming torches set at intervals in the walls of the cavern. the torches flared deep red, casting lurid, flickering shadows and adding to the weird unreality of the scene. as queen lurline gazed, the mimics were moving through the rough-hewn corridors or flying through the air. the most unusual thing about the creatures was their strange habit of constantly changing their shapes. they shifted restlessly from one form to another. since they were creatures of evil, the shapes they assumed were all forms of the blackest evil and dread. even as queen lurline watched, fascinated by the strange spectacle, the mimics shifted and changed and flitted from one loathsome shape to another. a monster bird with leathery wings and a horned head dropped to the ground, and in another second assumed the squat body of a huge toad with the head of a hyena, snarling with laughter. a crawling red lizard, all of ten feet in length, turned into a giant butterfly with black wings and the body of a serpent. a great, green bat with wicked talons alighted on a ledge not far from queen lurline and in an instant changed to a mammoth, hairy creature with the body of a huge ape and the head of an alligator. the good queen shuddered in spite of herself. what she had seen had only served to strengthen her resolution to protect the oz people for all time against the mimics. immediately she began weaving a powerful incantation. in a few minutes the enchantment was completed. queen lurline breathed a sigh of relief, for she knew that the mimics were now powerless to harm any of the fairy inhabitants of the land of oz. queen lurline was well aware that the mimics' strange habit of changing their shapes was the least of their evil characteristics. much more dreadful was the power possessed by these creatures to _steal_ the shapes of both mortals and immortals. a mimic accomplished this simply by casting himself on the shadow of his victim. instantly the mimic arose, a perfect double in outward appearance of the person whose shadow he had stolen. as for the unfortunate victim, he fell into a spell of enchantment, unable to move or speak, but conscious of all that was taking place about him. no wonder queen lurline sighed with relief when she thought that her powerful magic had made the oz people secure against the dread evil of the mimics! queen lurline slipped from the cavern through the stone portal of mount illuso. for a moment she paused, breathing deeply and gratefully of the fresh air. but she must not tarry now. she still had other important work to do here. when she returned to her fairy companion, queen lurline gave her brief instructions concerning the important part she was to play at mount illuso in the coming years. then they both spread their fairy wings and flew straight to the very summit of the hollow mount. chapter the mimics mean mischief on the same morning that ozma and glinda left the land of oz for the forest of burzee, events of equal importance were happening in mount illuso, home of the mimics. the mimics were ruled over by two sovereigns--king umb and queen ra. it is a question which was the more wicked and dangerous of this pair. king umb was bold and brutal, while his wife, queen ra, was clever and cunning. together they made a fitting combination to rule so wicked a horde as the mimics. on this particular morning king umb and queen ra secluded themselves in a hidden cavern, deep in the underground caves that honeycombed the depths of hollow mount illuso. roughly hewn from the grey rock, this cavern was circular in shape and was filled with ancient books and strange and weird implements of sorcery and enchantment. king umb possessed little skill in magic arts, but queen ra was powerful in the practice of conjuring and evil incantation. after the visit of queen lurline to mount illuso and the casting of the powerful enchantment that prevented king umb and queen ra from leading their mimic subjects in the destruction of oz, queen ra had at first raged and fumed and wildly vowed vengeance on queen lurline and princess ozma. then, as the years passed by, the evil queen spent more and more time lurking in the secret cavern, studying the ancient sorcery of the erbs, employing her black arts to follow events in the history of oz and plotting the destruction of the fairyland. of course the mimic king and queen were free to lead their hordes in attacks on people of other lands, and you may wonder why they didn't forget all about oz and content themselves with bringing misery to other countries. the reason was that the wicked king and queen of the mimics despised all that was good, and they could not endure the thought of the oz people living in peace and contentment, safe from their evil-doing. so long as the oz inhabitants remained the happiest people in all the world, king umb and queen ra could derive no satisfaction in bringing misery to other less happy lands. queen ra was well aware that princess ozma was one of the most powerful fairy rulers in existence, and that her loyal friend, glinda the good, was the mightiest and wisest of all sorceresses. nevertheless, through her own dark magic, queen ra had recently made two important discoveries that raised her hopes so high that she believed she might be able soon to defy both ozma and glinda. first, she had discovered that ozma and glinda were about to depart on a journey that would take them away from the land of oz. second, she had learned that in one of ozma's books of magic records in the royal palace of the emerald city was written the charm that would break the spell queen lurline had cast on the mimics to protect oz! this morning queen ra had assumed the shape of a huge woman--almost a giantess--with the head of a grey wolf. king umb wore the form of a black bear with an owl head. the queen held in her hands a circlet of dully gleaming metal. the red eyes of her wolf head gazed at it steadily, while she muttered an incantation. as the wolf-headed woman spoke, a wisp of grey mist appeared in the center of the metal ring. the mist expanded into a ball, growing denser in appearance. next it became milky in hue, then opalescent, finally glowing as with an inner light. slowly a scene appeared in the metal-bound ball of shimmering opal mist. while king umb and queen ra watched, the throne room of the royal palace in the emerald city grew distinct in the milky depths of the captive ball. princess ozma stood by her throne with glinda the good at her side. the lips of the little ruler were moving, forming words, although the mimic monarchs could distinguish no sound. ozma was addressing her subjects. then the girl ruler smiled and raised her wand. in an instant both ozma and glinda had vanished. the ball of glowing mist disappeared. with a clatter queen ra threw the metal circlet to the stone floor of the cave and triumphantly faced the owl-headed bear. "they have gone!" she cried. "you are positive that now is the time for us to act?" asked king umb. "absolutely," said the wolf-headed woman. "we know that one of ozma's magic record books holds the secret of the enchantment cast on us. we know that ozma and glinda will be absent from oz for three days, leaving the country and the emerald city unprotected by their magic arts. we know that those people who have in recent years come from the great outside world to live in oz, were not inhabitants of oz when lurline made it a fairyland. thus they are not protected by the enchantment she cast on us. it will be simple for us to assume the shapes of these people--of course they are mere mortals--" the queen added with a sneer, "but even so they will serve our purpose." "you have a plan then?" asked the owl-headed king. "a plan that will result in the utter destruction of oz and the enslavement of the oz people," asserted the queen with grim relish. "listen!" the wolf-headed woman commanded. "tonight you and i, with styg and ebo, will fly swiftly across the deadly desert to the land of oz. we will go directly to the emerald city. there we will seek out the two mortals from the great outside world whose shapes will admit us to every part of the royal palace. my magic arts have told me that at a certain hour tomorrow morning these two mortals will be together with no one else about to witness or interfere with our deed. after we have stolen their shapes, the helpless mortals will be seized by styg and ebo and returned here, where they will be our prisoners. then we will be free to search through ozma's magic record books. as soon as we locate the magical antidote to lurline's enchantment, we will break the spell binding our subjects. by the time ozma and glinda return, oz will be overrun by mimics, and we shall be ready to give their royal highnesses a proper reception!" queen ra smiled wickedly as she finished this recital. the owl eyes of king umb had been regarding queen ra intently as she revealed her plan. when she had finished, an evil leer spread over the king's furry features. "ra," said king umb, "you are the most wicked queen who ever ruled the mimics!" and that, by mimic standards, was the highest compliment king umb could pay his queen. * * * * * several hours after midnight, king umb and queen ra, followed by the two mimics, styg and ebo, slipped outside the entrance of the hollow mountain. immediately all four assumed the shapes of giant birds, black of plumage and with powerful wings. during the creatures' long flight over the deadly desert to oz, they changed shapes a number of times, but always to another form of powerful bird. as they mounted into the air and soared through the dark night over the peak of mount illuso, king umb cast a backward glance toward the summit of the mountain. "what about the guardian?" he asked queen ra uneasily. "bah!" the giant bird that was queen ra croaked derisively. "who cares about her? let her go on dreaming over her foolish flowers and sticks of wood--that's all she has done all these years!" chapter prisoners of the mimics high in the top of the tallest tower of the royal palace was the wizard's apartment. in this secluded spot, the little man kept his magical tools and apparatus and could work undisturbed for long hours over difficult feats of magic. the morning after ozma and glinda had left, dorothy had climbed the stair to the wizard's quarters, and she and the wizard were deep in a discussion of matters of state. two sides of the room they occupied were composed of tall french windows, rising from the floor to the ceiling and opening onto a spacious veranda. the windows were flung wide open to admit the refreshing breeze and the welcome sunlight. suddenly the air was filled with the flutter of powerful wings, and four large, black-plumed birds, settled on the veranda and stepped into the room. glancing up in surprise at this sudden interruption, the wizard exclaimed with annoyance, "here, what's the meaning of this intrusion?" (since all birds and animals in the land of oz possess the power of human speech, the wizard naturally addressed the birds as he would have spoken to human beings.) but the birds made no reply. instead, two of them stepped swiftly toward dorothy and the wizard, who had risen in surprise and were standing beside their chairs. the two birds flung themselves on the shadows cast by the girl and the man. instantly the birds vanished, and dorothy and the wizard found themselves staring in amazement at exact duplicates of themselves! sensing that he was confronted by some sort of evil magic, the wizard made an effort to reach his black bag of magic tools which rested on a nearby table, but it was too late. caught in the mimic spell, the little man was powerless to move. dorothy's plight was the same; she could not so much as lift her little finger. all this had happened in much less time than i have taken to tell it, and it was so sudden and unexpected that our friends had not even had time to cry out. now the mimic form of dorothy, speaking in dorothy's own voice, said to the two remaining birds, "seize them, ebo and styg, and see that my commands are fulfilled!" one black bird grasped the form of the helpless wizard, the other that of dorothy. then, flapping their powerful wings, the two birds passed through the windows and soared aloft, bearing their captives high into the heavens. swiftly they left the emerald city. in a few minutes it was no more than a lovely jewel set in the farmlands around it. the birds headed southeast in the direction of the deadly desert. at times in their flight, when the captives were able to exchange glances, dorothy read in the wizard's kindly eyes a mute expression of concern for his little comrade. the girl tried to reassure him, but it was difficult to look brave when she was unable to move even an eyelash--and besides, dorothy had to admit to herself, she didn't feel at all brave just now. in another minute when dorothy was gazing at the bird that was carrying her so swiftly through the air, she was startled to see the form of the creature shift and change. from a huge, eagle-like bird it changed to an enormous condor. strange birds these were, dorothy thought, which went about changing their shapes and stealing little girls and wizards. as they flew over the yellow land of the winkies, the motion of the bird's body occasionally permitted dorothy to look downward. once she glimpsed, sparkling in the sunlight, the highly polished towers and minarets of a handsome tin castle. this, she knew, was the home of her old friend nick chopper the tin woodman, emperor of the winkies. dorothy found herself wondering what the kind-hearted nick chopper would say if he could know that at this moment his dear friends were being carried high in the air over his castle, prisoners of two giant black birds! but there was no use speculating in this fashion. the tin woodman was powerless to aid them, even if he had known their plight. with a start dorothy realized that the birds had crossed the border of oz and were now flying over the deadly desert. the fact that they had left the land of oz behind them disturbed dorothy greatly. yet the little girl did not give way to fright. she had experienced so many strange and sometimes dangerous adventures in her lifetime, that she had wisely learned never to despair. the journey over the desert seemed endless. despite the great height at which the birds flew, dorothy was beginning to feel faint and ill from the evil fumes of the sands by the time they reached the border of the land of the phanfasms. however, once past the desert, she was revived by the fresh air. where were these great birds taking them? and why? as dorothy pondered, she noted a sharp mountain peak jutting suddenly out of the grey, grim land of desolate waste and stone that lay below. straight for the mountain flew the birds. in a few more minutes they descended with their victims to the entrance of the mountain. passing through the stone portal, the mimics retained their bird shapes, circling through the vast cavern of the hollow mountain. the cavern and corridors were deserted now that the sun was in the heavens, and the mimics had returned to their underground caverns to rest after the night of revelry. styg and ebo flew to a ledge of rock that jutted out from the mountain wall. ebo muttered a magic word, and a rude stone door swung open, revealing a lightless cavern. dorothy was thrust into the cave, and a moment later the wizard was deposited beside her in the darkness. until now dorothy had entertained a vague hope that in some way the wizard's magic powers would come to their rescue. but since the little man had none of his magic tools with him, and could not speak to utter an incantation, nor move to make the motions of a charm, dorothy realized that he was quite as powerless as she. chapter dorothy and the wizard speak strangely "ooomph!" puffed the scarecrow. "whooosh!" gasped the patchwork girl. colliding suddenly as they met headlong at a sharp turn in the garden path, both the scarecrow and the patchwork girl tumbled in a heap on the garden walk. a moment later they had risen to sitting positions and were regarding each other comically. the patchwork girl was a sorry sight. the high-grade cotton in her patchwork or "crazy quilt" body was bunched together in all the wrong places. after running and dancing a great deal that morning--as she always did--the patchwork girl's body had sagged and she had grown dumpy in appearance. when this happened she always lay down and rolled about until she had resumed her original plump shape. now after her abrupt meeting with the scarecrow her figure was in bad need of attention. the pointed toes of the red leather shoes sewn on her feet stood straight up. her fingers, carefully formed and fitted with gold plates for finger nails, dug into the path on which she sat. her shock of brown yarn hair hung down over her suspender button eyes and over her ears, which were made of thin plates of gold. between the two rows of pearls sewn in her mouth for teeth, her scarlet plush tongue stuck out impudently at the scarecrow. the patchwork girl's brains were slightly mixed, containing among other qualities a dash of poesy, which accounted for her habit of breaking into rhymes and jingles when it was least expected. now she was too surprised to speak. she had been brought to life in the first place by a magic powder, and since she was always jolly and good-natured, the patchwork girl was a prime favorite among the oz folks. nicknamed scraps, the queer girl laughed at dignity and liked nothing better than to dance and sing. it was impossible to be downcast for long in the company of this merry, carefree creature. "why don't you look where you're going, scraps?" said the scarecrow ruefully, as he brushed his blue munchkin farmer trousers. "now that you mention it," replied the patchwork girl reprovingly, "i don't have x-ray eyes, so i couldn't see through to the other side of the hedge where i was going." "all right," said the scarecrow, as he rose to his feet. "please accept my humble apologies." the straw man gallantly assisted the patchwork girl to stand. "there's no harm done. the spill was as much my fault as it was yours. i was thinking so deeply that i didn't see you." "what were you thinking about?" asked scraps. "dorothy," replied the scarecrow with a sigh. "tell me, scraps, have you seen her today?" "not once," answered the patchwork girl, combing her yarn hair with her fingers. "until a few minutes ago, i've spent the entire day with aunt em who sewed tight some of my stitches that were coming loose, sewed on my eyes with new thread, so i wouldn't lose 'em, and sewed on a new pair of red shoes, as i'd worn holes in my old ones. now i'm as good as new!" "well," replied the scarecrow, with his broad smile, "that may be true, but i'd say no matter in how good condition you are, you're always just sew-sew." the smile quickly faded from the straw man's painted face as he continued seriously, "scraps, i'm worried about dorothy." "don't worry about dorothy; she's able to take care of herself," said practical scraps. "you don't understand," explained the scarecrow. "you see, yesterday after ozma and glinda left for the forest of burzee, dorothy asked me to help her plan a banquet to celebrate their return. dorothy wanted me to think up some ideas for the entertainment to accompany the dinner. i agreed to set my famous brains to work on the problem and spent all last night in deep thought. this morning, bright and early, i rushed to dorothy and started to tell her the ideas i had. you can imagine my surprise when dorothy stared at me as though she hadn't the faintest idea what i was talking about, and then turned and walked away from me." the scarecrow paused, his brow wrinkled with perplexity. "i don't understand it," he continued. "it isn't like our sweet little dorothy to be rude or absent-minded. she and the wizard have been in ozma's chamber of magic all day and i tried twice to see her, but each time she said she couldn't be disturbed." "come to think of it," replied scraps quickly, "aunt em remarked that she couldn't understand why dorothy hadn't been in to see her. dorothy always visits her aunt em and uncle henry at least once a day. but maybe she's busy ruling while ozma's away." this explanation failed to satisfy the scarecrow. he was gazing in the distance down the garden path. "isn't that trot and cap'n bill sitting on that bench over there?" "whoop ti doodle who? cap'n bill and trot it is as like as not!" sang the patchwork girl, turning a handspring and dancing toward the bench. the scarecrow followed, and he and scraps were warmly greeted by little trot and old cap'n bill. the scarecrow repeated his story of the strange manner in which dorothy had been acting, but neither trot nor cap'n bill had seen dorothy that day. the old sailor was silent for a moment, considering. then he said: "you know, it's funny; but i was tellin' trot only a minute ago that the wizard had me puzzled by the curious way he was behavin'." "what do you mean?" asked the scarecrow. "well," went on cap'n bill, "fer some time past i've been workin' on a boat fer ozma an' her friends, so they could go sailin' on that lake jest outside the emerald city. i had everythin' i needed 'cept fer some tools, so the wizard lent me some o' his thet get the work done extra fast, 'cause they're magic tools. the boat's nearly finished--a handsome craft if i do say so myself. all she needs to make 'er trim is a coat o' paint. i thought it would be nice to have 'er finished as a sort of surprise fer ozma when she returns from this here fairy conclave, so i asked the wizard to lend me his magic paint bucket and brush--the bucket always stays full, no matter how much paint you use from it, an' the brush paints any color you want from the same bucket o' paint. well, the wizard jest gave me a funny sort o' look and walked away, mumblin' somethin' about bein' busy and havin' somethin' important to do. 'tain't like the wizard at all. somethin' ailin' him," concluded cap'n bill, wagging his grizzled head. "then it's the same thing that's ailing dorothy," remarked the scarecrow sagely. the four old friends were silent, each turning over the problem in his own mind. the bench on which trot and cap'n bill were sitting was in front of a high hedge--so high that none of them could see over it. on the other side of the thick hedge ran another garden path. suddenly they heard footsteps, as if several people were hurrying down the garden path which was hidden from their view. while they listened, wondering who it could be, the footsteps halted just opposite them on the other side of the hedge. before they could call out a greeting, they recognized the voice of the wizard saying: "we can talk here. there's no one about. now tell me; why are we wasting time in the garden?" "because," it was the voice of dorothy replying, "it would look suspicious if we did not leave the chamber of magic occasionally." "have you found the spell yet?" asked the wizard's voice. "not yet," replied dorothy's voice. "i've been through only half of ozma's magic record books. give me time--it's there. and i'll find it!" "time!" replied the wizard's voice, raised in excitement. "we have no time to lose! do you realize that ozma and glinda will be back in a day and a half? we must find the spell before then if we don't want ozma to wreck our plans and rob us of the chance we have waited for!" "never fear," asserted dorothy's voice. "i'll find the spell long before ozma and glinda return. we'll be ready for those two when they do come back!" gradually the voices subsided, as the two walked slowly down the garden path toward the royal palace. on the other side of the hedge, trot, cap'n bill, scraps and the scarecrow stared at one another in bewilderment. what could this mean? it was incredible that dorothy and the wizard could be plotting against their dearest friends, ozma and glinda. chapter in the cavern of the doomed neither dorothy nor the wizard could tell how long they lay in their cavern prison deep in hollow mount illuso, but it is certain that minutes seemed like hours to them. while the wizard had recognized the country to which he and dorothy had been carried as the land of the phanfasms, he was not aware of the existence of mount illuso and its mimic dwellers. he was sure, however, that the creatures who had captured dorothy and him were not phanfasms. he had seen the phanfasms when those evil creatures had once attempted to invade oz, and they bore no resemblance to the beings who had made dorothy and him captives. dorothy found some comfort in telling herself that as soon as ozma and glinda returned to the emerald city the imposters would be detected and she and the wizard speedily rescued. but what if ozma and glinda were deceived? how long would she and the wizard be kept in the cave? what wicked plot was behind all this? and just how powerful and clever were the creatures who had captured her and the wizard? suddenly something happened that banished all these puzzling questions. there was a light in the cavern! the two prisoners could see each other! true, the light was feeble, but it was increasing steadily in strength. as the light grew more brilliant, dorothy felt pleasantly warm and glowing, as though she were lying in the bright sunlight. and then to her intense joy the little girl realized that the spell cast on her was broken. the light had released her. she was free to move about as she pleased. dorothy jumped happily to her feet. the wizard, too, was freed from the spell, and a moment later was standing, smiling broadly with satisfaction. "was the light your magic, wizard?" asked dorothy eagerly. "no, my dear, i had nothing to do with the light," replied the wizard. "but i wonder who or what turned it on?" said dorothy. "could it be a trick, do you think?" she asked after a moment's hesitation. "no, i believe not," replied the wizard. "there would be no point in our captors' troubling themselves to enchant us and make us prisoners, and then releasing us from the enchantment. i believe we will find this light is a part of a greater mystery than we know anything about." "well, seems to me there's plenty of mystery about everything that's happened today," said dorothy. "what are we going to do now, wizard?" "explore our prison," answered the little man promptly. dorothy looked about her. they were entirely surrounded by the solid stone walls of the cavern, which was about one-hundred feet square. she could detect no sign of the door by which they had entered. "look, wizard," dorothy exclaimed. "see how the light shines from one small point in the far end of the cavern?" "yes," agreed the wizard, "it's almost as if someone had built a powerful flashlight into the stone wall. come, let's examine the light more closely." the two walked to the opposite side of the cavern and found that, as dorothy had observed, the flood of light originated from one small point. this point was a circular bit of stone, round and polished, and no larger than a small button. "why," exclaimed dorothy, "it looks 'zactly like the button of an electric light switch! wonder what would happen if i pressed it?" impulsively dorothy reached out and pressed the button of rock with her finger. in the deep silence that filled the cave, the two adventurers detected a far-away humming sound, like the whirring of wheels in motion. as dorothy and the wizard listened, the sound grew louder. "what do you suppose it is?" whispered dorothy. "i haven't the faintest idea," said the wizard, "but i don't think we'll have to wait long to find out." at last the whirring noise seemed to be just opposite them on the other side of the stone wall. it stopped completely and there was silence. a second later a section of the stone wall swung outward, and dorothy and the wizard found themselves staring into a small room--much like the car of an elevator. the car was painted bright blue, trimmed with red and gold, and sitting on a small stool was a curious little man. chapter toto makes a discovery "where's dorothy?" toto asked pretty little jellia jamb, ozma's maid, as he paused outside the door of dorothy's apartment early in the morning of the day after ozma and glinda departed. "she's gone up to the wizard's rooms in the tower," replied jellia jamb. "thanks," said toto. "i imagine dorothy will have her hands full while ozma is gone." with this, the little dog trotted down the corridor, philosophically seeking some other amusement. he hadn't gone very far before he was hailed by betsy bobbin, who appeared with a small wicker basket on her arm. "hello, toto!" betsy called. "want to go with hank and me? i'm going to pick wild flowers in the green fields outside the emerald city and hank's coming along. i have a nice picnic lunch packed," the girl added, indicating the basket she carried. now there were few things toto liked better than to get out in the country and frolic in the fields, so the little dog accepted the invitation gratefully. a short time later betsy, her devoted companion, hank the mule, and toto arrived at the gates of the emerald city and were greeted by omby amby, the soldier with the green whiskers. he was very tall and wore a handsome green and gold uniform with a tall plumed hat. his long, green beard fell below his waist making him look even taller. in addition to being the keeper of the gates, omby amby was also the royal army of oz, princess ozma's body-guard and the police force of the emerald city. you might suppose that, holding all these offices, omby amby was a very busy man. to the contrary, so seldom was there ever any breaking of the oz laws--which were all just and reasonable--that it had been many years since the soldier with the green whiskers had acted in any of his official capacities other than that of keeper of the gates. as omby amby unlocked the gates for them, betsy promised to bring him a bouquet of flowers for his wife, tollydiggle. outside the emerald city lay pleasant, gently rolling fields in which buttercups and daisies grew in profusion. sniffing the fresh country air, toto ran happily across the field. hank hee-hawed loudly and fell to munching the tall field grass. betsy was delighted with the hundreds of pretty flowers and gathered several large bouquets. shortly after noon the happy trio sought the shade of a large tree. nearby, a spring of cool, crystal-clear water bubbled from a mossy bank and flowed across the field as a tiny brook. betsy opened her basket and took out sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, potato salad and other picnic delicacies, which she and toto shared. betsy offered hank a peanut butter sandwich, but the mule refused disdainfully, saying, "no, thank you, betsy, i much prefer this fresh green grass." "well, don't eat too much of it," advised the girl, "or you'll get the colic." the mule winked one eye at toto and replied, "i'd be much more likely to get the colic if i ate your strange human foods." after they had eaten and refreshed themselves with the water of the spring, they rested for a time in the cool shade of the tree, and then leisurely made their way back to the emerald city. at the city's gates, omby amby welcomed them back and gratefully accepted the bouquet betsy gave him for tollydiggle. arriving at the palace, the three friends said good-bye, betsy going to her apartment, while hank made his way to the royal stables to talk with his cronies, the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger. jellia jamb tripped down the palace steps on an errand, and toto called to her, "is dorothy still busy?" "yes," answered jellia jamb, "she and the wizard have been in ozma's chamber of magic all afternoon." this did not strike the little dog as strange. he knew ozma might have left instructions for dorothy and the wizard to carry out in the chamber of magic. as it was now nearly mid-afternoon, toto decided to have a nap in the garden. curling up in the cool earth under a large rose bush, he fell asleep, telling himself that he would awaken in time for dinner, when he would surely see dorothy. toto knew that however busy dorothy and the wizard might be, they would leave the chamber of magic and appear for dinner--always a festive occasion in the grand dining room of the royal palace. promptly at seven o'clock, the inhabitants of the royal palace began to gather in the grand dining room. cap'n bill and trot took their accustomed places at the table, as did betsy bobbin, button bright, the shaggy man, aunt em and uncle henry. while the scarecrow, the patchwork girl and tik-tok the machine man were non-flesh and could not partake of the food, nevertheless they had their places at the table. for these dinners were as much occasions for the enjoyment of merry conversation, as they were for satisfying hunger and thirst. at the far end of the room was a separate table, shared by the animal companions of the oz people. at this table were set places with the proper foods for hank the mule, the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, billina the yellow hen, eureka the pink kitten, the woozy, toto and the sawhorse. although the sawhorse was made of wood and required no food and seldom took part in the conversation, nevertheless the odd steed enjoyed listening to the table talk of the others. everyone was at his place except dorothy, the wizard and toto--and of course ozma's chair at the head of the table was vacant. dorothy's place was at ozma's right, while the wizard sat at her left. a few minutes later, king umb and queen ra, having decided that it would arouse too much comment if they were absent from the dinner, entered the sumptuous dining room and took their places on either side of ozma's vacant chair. now only toto remained absent. the truth was that the little dog had overslept and had awakened from his nap to find the shadows lengthening across the garden. realizing he was late for dinner, toto hurried to the nearest palace entrance and ran as quickly as he could to the grand dining room. as he entered, the first course of the meal was being served, and a ripple of conversation rose from the two tables. the scarecrow and scraps were chatting together. betsy was telling trot about the lovely wild flowers she had found, and the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger were discussing a visit they planned to their old jungle home in the forest far to the south in the quadling country. in spite of the apparent atmosphere of gayety, this gathering was not at all like the merry company that usually assembled in the dining room for the evening meal. first of all, the absence of the radiant ozma was keenly felt by the entire gathering, and this automatically subdued the spirit of the occasion. next, no one at the table had failed to note and wonder at the fact that dorothy and the wizard--usually so cheerful and cordial--had merely nodded unsmilingly to their assembled friends as they had taken their places at the head of the table. finally, scraps, the scarecrow, trot and cap'n bill, unable to forget the strange conversation they had overheard in the garden earlier in the day, stole curious glances at dorothy and the wizard, seeking some clue to their unusual behavior. as toto trotted into the dining room, his bright little eyes immediately sought out his mistress. toto stopped short; his body became tense with excitement. he barked loudly and then growled, "where's dorothy?" in the silence that fell over the dining room at the dog's unusual actions, toto repeated his question. "where's dorothy?" he demanded. the scarecrow was staring earnestly at toto. "why, here's dorothy," the straw man answered. "right here, where she always sits." "you're wrong--all of you are wrong," growled toto ominously. the little dog was quivering with excitement. "whoever that is sitting there might fool the rest of you, but she can't deceive me. she's not dorothy at all. something's happened to dorothy!" chapter mr. and mrs. hi-lo "step right in, folks! watch your step, miss. we're on our way up--next stop the top! only two stops--bottom and top. next stop's the top!" the little man spoke with an air of importance, as he smiled at dorothy and the wizard from the stool on which he was perched in the car which the opening in the stone wall had revealed. they peered at him curiously. "shall we go in?" asked dorothy, drawing a deep breath. "to be sure," said the wizard. "anything is better than this stone prison." "ah, a philosopher, and a wise one, too," remarked the little man. as soon as dorothy and the wizard were in the elevator--for such it proved to be--the stone door swung shut. at once the little man pressed one of several buttons on the side of the car and again they heard the whirring sound which had puzzled them in the cavern. dorothy concluded it was caused by the machinery that operated the elevator. the little car was shooting upward with a speed that caused her ears to ring. "just swallow several times," advised the wizard, sensing dorothy's discomfort. "that will make equal the air pressure inside and outside your body. it's a trick i learned when i went up in my balloon to draw crowds to the circus back in omaha." dorothy did as the wizard suggested and found the ringing sensation disappeared. "who are you?" asked the wizard gazing curiously at the little man. "and where are you taking us?" "you don't know who i am?" exclaimed the little man with surprise. "after all, you know you did ring for the elevator, and since i am the elevator operator, naturally i answered. allow me to introduce myself. my name is hi-lo and i am taking you to the only other place the elevator goes except for the bottom--and that's to the top of mount illuso. i assure you it's a far better place than the bottom!" while he spoke, dorothy had been regarding the little man who called himself hi-lo. he was very short, his head coming only to dorothy's waist. he was dressed in a bright blue uniform with big, gold buttons. a red cap was perched at a jaunty angle on his head. his face was round and his cheeks as rosy as two apples. his blue eyes were very bright and friendly. but the oddest thing about him was that his clothes appeared to be a part of his body--as though they were painted on. and dorothy concluded he was most certainly made of some substance other than flesh and blood. "ah, i see i've aroused your interest," remarked the little man with satisfaction. "well, i'm proud to tell you that i am made of the finest white pine and painted with quick-drying four-hour enamel that flows easily from the brush and is guaranteed not to chip, crack, craze or peel. i'm easily washable, too; spots and stains wipe off in a jiffy with a damp cloth or sponge--no rubbing or scrubbing for me! and i suppose," hi-lo concluded vainly, "you've already admired my rich, glossy finish and beautiful rainbow colors." dorothy smiled at this speech, and the wizard asked, "tell me, hi-lo, do people live on the top of mount illuso?" "of course," hi-lo replied in his cheerful voice. "we have a thriving community of folks--pineville it's called. but we're all very happy and contented," he went on hastily. "there's not a lonesome pine among us, although there are several trails on the mountain top." "but are there no flesh and blood folks, like us?" queried the wizard. before hi-lo could answer, the elevator came to an abrupt stop. "well, here we are!" announced hi-lo cheerily. he pressed another button. the door of the elevator swung open and hi-lo called, "all out! all out! top floor--all kinds of wooden goods, the best pine to be had--pine tables, pine chairs, pine houses and pine people!" dorothy and the wizard stepped from the elevator and surveyed the scene before them. yes, this was certainly the top of mount illuso. the elevator exit was in a large stone wall, at least ten feet in height, that appeared to circle the edge of the mountain top. before them spread a dense pine forest, while a small path led from the elevator to a tiny cottage that stood nearby. the cottage was painted bright blue with trim white shutters, and smoke was rising cheerily from its red brick chimney. "right this way! just follow me, folks," said hi-lo, trotting along the path to the cottage, his little wooden legs moving with surprising speed. "mrs. hi-lo will certainly be surprised to see you. you are a real event--the very first visitors we have ever had from down below." as they approached the tiny cottage, the front door swung open, and a little woman stood in the doorway. she was even smaller than hi-lo, and like him was made of wood and painted with the same bright enamels. she wore a blue and white apron over a red polka-dot dress. on her head was a trim little lace cap. "my goodness!" she beamed. "visitors at last! do come in and make yourselves comfortable." the wizard found it necessary to bend over to get in the doorway, so small was the cottage. once inside, his head nearly touched the ceiling. the cottage was neatly and attractively furnished with comfortable pine chairs, tables and a large davenport drawn before a fireplace on which a log fire crackled cheerfully. the air was sharp on the mountain top, so the bright fire was a welcome sight to the two wanderers. all the furniture glowed with the cheerful, gaudy hues of glossy enamel. dorothy thought that the wholesome aroma of pine scent that filled the cottage was especially delightful. "great pine cones!" exclaimed mrs. hi-lo. "you must be half starved. i'll get you something to eat in no time at all. tell me, would you like a delicious cross cut of pine steak with pine-dust pudding, fresh, crisp pine-needle salad with turpentine dressing and a strawberry pine cone for dessert?" dorothy almost laughed aloud at this strange food, but the little wizard answered courteously, "you are most kind, madame, but i fear our systems would not be able to digest the delicacies you suggest. perhaps you have something that meat folks like us could eat?" "of course!" cried mrs. hi-lo. "how stupid of me! you are meat folks--too bad," she added critically. "it must be a terrible bother to take off and put on all those clothes and to keep your hair trimmed and your nails pared." "now, mother, let's not draw unkind comparisons," cautioned hi-lo diplomatically, as he settled himself into a comfortable chair. "none of us is perfect, you know. remember that spring when you sprouted a green twig on your right shoulder?" "you are right," said mrs. hi-lo with a laugh. "we all have our weak points." and with that the little lady bustled off into the kitchen. dorothy and the wizard sat down gingerly on two of the largest chairs the room contained. but small as the chairs were, they proved quite sturdy and readily supported their weight. "is there any way," asked the wizard, "that we can leave this mountain top?" hi-lo sat bolt upright in his chair and stared at the wizard in amazement. "leave the mountain top?" he repeated as if he couldn't believe his own ears. "do i understand you to say that you want to leave this delightful place--this most favored spot in the universe?" "we do," said the wizard emphatically. "our home is in the land of oz, and we desire to return there as quickly as possible." "but why?" asked hi-lo. "no place could be as delightful as this mountain top. just wait until you have become acquainted with it--our healthful, refreshing climate, our beautiful pine forest, our handsome village of pineville and its delightful people!" "have you ever been anywhere else?" asked the wizard quietly. "no, never--but--" "then permit me to say," replied the wizard, "that you are not qualified to judge. little dorothy and i have traveled in many strange lands all over the world, and we prefer the land of oz for our home." "well, everyone to his own taste, of course," muttered hi-lo, unconvinced and a trifle crestfallen. just then mrs. hi-lo re-entered the room bearing a tray laden with steaming hot foods. at her invitation dorothy and the wizard pulled their chairs up to a table, and mrs. hi-lo served the food on gleaming white enameled pine platters and dishes. there was savory vegetable soup, scrambled eggs, cheese, lettuce and tomato salad, chocolate layer cake and lemonade. the food was delicious and as dorothy and the wizard had not eaten since breakfast, and it was now nearly evening, they did full justice to the meal. mr. and mrs. hi-lo looked on with polite curiosity, marveling that the strangers could enjoy such odd food. when they had finished the wizard sighed with satisfaction and sat back in his chair. "where did you get this excellent food, if there are no human beings on the mountain top?" he asked. "oh, but there is one meat person like yourselves on mount illuso," said mrs. hi-lo. "she is our ruler, and many years ago she gave me the magic recipe for the preparation of human food. as you are the first human visitors we have ever had, this is the first time i have had occasion to use the recipe." "who is this ruler of yours?" inquired dorothy. "she is a beautiful fairy princess, named ozana," hi-lo replied. "ozana!" exclaimed dorothy. "wizard, did you hear that? ozana--doesn't that sound an awful lot like an oz name?" "it certainly does," agreed the little man. "may we see this princess ozana of yours?" he asked hi-lo. "i was about to mention," replied hi-lo, "that it was ozana's orders when she appointed me keeper of the elevator that i was to instruct any passengers i might have to seek her out at her home in pineville." "oh, let's go see her right away!" exclaimed dorothy excitedly. "not tonight," objected hi-lo. "you would never find your way through the pine forest in the dark. you may stay with us tonight and be on your way to see princess ozana early in the morning." dorothy and the wizard could offer no objection to this sensible and kindly offer of hospitality. since it was now quite dark outside, and the little cottage was cheerful and cozy with the log fire casting dancing reflections in the brightly enameled furniture, they were quite content to spend the night there. after several more questions about the ruler who called herself ozana, dorothy and the wizard decided that hi-lo and his wife knew nothing more beyond the facts that princess ozana had created the pine folks and built the village for them to live in. "have you and hi-lo always lived here alone?" dorothy asked mrs. hi-lo. the little woman's expression was sad as she answered, "no. once we had a son. he was not a very good boy and was continually getting into mischief. he was the only one of our wooden folks who ever was discontented with life here on mount illuso. he wanted to travel and see the world. we could do nothing at all with him." mrs. hi-lo sighed and continued, "one day a friendly stork paused in a long flight to rest on mount illuso, and the naughty boy persuaded the stork to carry him into the great outside world. from that time on we have never heard anything more of him. i often wonder what happened to our poor son," the little woman concluded in a sorrowful tone. "how big was your boy?" asked the wizard. "was he just a little shaver?" "oh, no," replied mrs. hi-lo. "he was almost fully grown--a young stripling, i should call him." "and was his name charlie?" inquired the wizard thoughtfully. "yes! yes, it was! oh, tell me, sir," implored mrs. hi-lo, "do you, perchance, know my son?" "not personally," replied the wizard. "but i can assure you, madame, that you have nothing to worry about where your son charlie is concerned. that friendly stork knew his business and left charlie on the right doorstep." the wizard had a small radio in his apartment in the royal palace in the emerald city, which he sometimes turned on and listened to with much curiosity. but he never listened for long, as he was subject to headaches when listening to anything but good music. "oh, thank you!" exclaimed mrs. hi-lo. "it is such a relief to know that our charlie turned out all right after all. there were times," the woman confessed, "when i had a horrible suspicion that he was made from a bad grade of pine--knotty pine, you know." "there are those who share that opinion," murmured the wizard. but mrs. hi-lo was so overjoyed to hear of her son that she paid no attention to the wizard's words. hi-lo, who seemed totally uninterested in this conversation concerning his wayward son, merely muttered, "a bad one, that youngster," and then yawned somewhat pointedly and remarked that since their beds were far too small for their guests to occupy, he and his wife would retire to their bedrooms and dorothy and the wizard could pass the night in the living room. mrs. hi-lo supplied them with warm blankets and soft pillows, and then she and hi-lo bid them a happy good night. dorothy made a snug bed on the davenport, while the wizard curled up cozily before the fire. just before dorothy dropped off to sleep she asked, "do you suppose this princess ozana has any connection with oz, wizard?" "it is possible, and then again, the name may be merely a coincidence, my dear," the little man answered sleepily, "so don't build your hopes too high." a moment later dorothy's eyes closed and she was sound asleep, dreaming that toto, in a bright blue uniform with big gold buttons and a little red cap, was operating the elevator and saying, "right this way, dorothy! step lively, please. going up--next stop, princess ozana!" chapter the village of pineville dorothy and the wizard awakened bright and early the next morning, eager to pursue their adventures. mrs. hi-lo prepared a hearty breakfast for them from her magic recipe and, as they made ready to leave the pretty little cottage, hi-lo advised them: "just follow the trail that leads through the pine forest and you will come to the village of pineville where princess ozana lives. you can't miss it, and if you walk steadily you should be there by noon." stepping from the cottage, dorothy and the wizard found the morning sun bright and warm and the air filled with the pungent aroma of pine from the forest. "good-bye!" called mrs. hi-lo from the door of the cottage. "good-bye!" called mr. hi-lo. "don't forget to remember us to the princess!" "we won't," promised dorothy. "we'll tell her how kind you've been to us." in a short time the cottage was lost to their view, and the two travelers were deep in the cool shade of the pine forest. the trail over which they walked was carpeted with pine needles, making a soft and pleasant path for their feet. once when they paused to rest for a few moments a red squirrel frisked down a nearby tree and, sitting on a stump before dorothy, asked saucily, "where to, strangers?" "we're on our way to see princess ozana," said dorothy. "oh, are you indeed!" exclaimed the squirrel with a flirt of his whiskers. "well, you are just halfway there. if you walk briskly you'll find yourselves out of the forest in another two hours." "how do you know we are just halfway there?" asked dorothy. "because i've measured the distance many times," replied the squirrel. "i should think you would prefer to live nearer the village of pineville," remarked dorothy. "it must be very lonesome here in this deep pine forest." "oho! that shows how unobserving you mortals are!" exclaimed the red squirrel. "my family and i wouldn't think of living anywhere but here, no matter how lonely it is. know why?" "no, i must say i don't," confessed the girl. "look at my tree--look at my tree!" chattered the squirrel, flirting his big bushy tail in the direction of the tree from which he had appeared. "of course!" chuckled the wizard. "it's a hickory tree!" "but i don't see--" began dorothy in perplexity. "what do squirrels like best of all, my dear?" asked the wizard, smiling with amusement. "oh, wizard, why didn't i think of that? they like nuts, of course!" "exactly!" snapped the little red squirrel. "and since pine trees do not bear nuts and hickory trees do--well, city life and fine company may be all right for some folks, but i prefer to remain here in comfort where i know my family will be well provided for." and with that the wise little creature gave a leap and a bound and darted up the trunk of the one and only nut tree in all the pine forest. dorothy and the wizard followed the pine-needle trail on through the pine forest until finally the trees thinned and they stepped out into an open meadow, bright with yellow buttercups. the sun was almost directly overhead by this time. below the two travelers, in a pretty green valley that formed the center of the mountain top, lay a small village of several hundred cottages, all similar to hi-lo's. the buildings were painted with glossy blue enamel and shone brilliantly in the sun. they were grouped in a circle about one large central cottage that differed from the others in that it was considerably larger, and, from where dorothy and the wizard stood, appeared to be surrounded by rather extensive gardens and grounds. dorothy and the wizard followed the trail over the meadow to a point where it broadened into a street that led among the houses. the two travelers set out on this street, which was wide and pleasant and paved with blocks of white pine. as dorothy and the wizard walked through the village, they saw that the cottages were occupied by wooden folks, much like hi-lo and his wife. a wooden woman was washing the windows of her cottage. a wooden man with wooden shears was trimming the hedge around his house. another was repairing the white picket fence around his cottage. tiny wooden children, almost doll-like they were so small, played in the yards. from one cottage a spotted wooden dog ran into the road and barked at the strangers. "i suppose he's made of dog-wood," observed dorothy with a smile. dorothy and the wizard aroused much curiosity among the little wooden folk, most of whom paused in their work to stare at the strangers as they passed. but none of them seemed to fear the meat people. a wooden lady approached them, walking down the street with quick, lively steps. on her arm was a market basket full of green pine cones. pausing, the wizard removed his hat and in his most polite manner addressed her. "pardon me, madame. can you tell me if this street leads to the palace of princess ozana?" "palace? what's that?" asked the woman with a puzzled expression on her face. "i don't know what a palace is, sir, but if you follow this street you will come to the cottage where our princess ozana dwells." "thank you, madame," said the wizard, and the little woman trotted busily down the street. in a few minutes more dorothy and the wizard had reached the central part of pineville. here a trim, white picket fence encircled a large area that seemed to be one huge flower garden with every sort of flower imaginable growing in it. in the exact center of this enclosure stood an attractive blue cottage, large enough to accommodate comfortably full-sized human beings. just in front of the cottage was a pond of placid blue water. in the pond grew water lilies and all sorts of flowering plants that one finds in lakes and ponds. the path that led from the entrance of the cottage divided at the pond's edge and encircled the water, meeting on the opposite side of the pond and running again as a single path to a gate in the fence before which dorothy and the wizard stood. forming a bower over the gate was a white wooden trellis covered with roses. from the center of the pretty trellis hung a blue sign with these words in white enameled letters: welcome cottage of princess ozana walk in "well, i guess that means us," said the wizard with a smile, as he read the sign and pushed open the gate. chapter princess ozana dorothy exclaimed with delight as they stepped through the garden gate. she had no idea any garden could be so beautiful. flowers of every known variety grew in profusion. save for the mossy paths that wound through the garden, there was not a spot of ground that was without blossoming plants. as for the pond, it was like a small sea of lovely blossoming water plants. at the far edge of the pond dorothy noted three graceful white swans, sleeping in the shade of a large flowering bush that grew at the edge of the pond and trailed its blossoms into the water. the air was sweet with the perfume of thousands and thousands of flowers. "oh, wizard," gasped dorothy, "did you ever see anything so lovely?" "it is indeed a beautiful sight," replied the little man admiringly. here and there, throughout the garden, a score or more of little wooden men were busily at work. some were watering plants from blue wooden pails, others were trimming blossoming bushes and hedges, some were digging out weeds, and others were building trellises for climbing vines. none of them took the slightest notice of dorothy and the wizard, so absorbed were they in their work. not far from where dorothy and the wizard stood, was a little maid, on her knees, digging with a trowel in the soft earth about a beautiful rambling rose bush that climbed above her on a blue trellis. "let's ask her where we can find princess ozana," suggested dorothy. a few steps brought them to the side of the maiden who wore a pretty blue apron with a pink petal design. on her hands were gardening gloves and her golden hair fell loosely down her back. "i wonder," began the wizard, "if you can tell us if the princess ozana is in?" the little maid looked up, regarding the strangers with friendly curiosity. dorothy saw that she was very lovely. her eyes were as soft as shy woodland violets, and of the same purple hue; her skin as delicately colored as fragile petals, and her lips were like rosebuds. "no," the maid replied with a suspicion of a smile in her voice, "princess ozana is not in her cottage at the moment." "perhaps you know where we can find her," suggested the wizard. at this the little maid gave a silvery laugh and exclaimed, "you _have_ found her--i am princess ozana!" "of course, wizard," said dorothy, "princess ozana is the only flesh and blood person on mount illuso 'cept for us, so this just must be she. besides," she added, "no one else could be so beautiful." "thank you, my dear," said ozana graciously, as she rose to her feet. "and you, sir," she continued, turning to the wizard and sweetly easing the little man's embarrassment, "could scarcely be blamed for failing to recognize a princess garbed so simply and digging in a garden." "i most humbly ask your pardon," murmured the wizard. "come," said ozana, "let us go into my cottage, where we can talk at ease. i must know all about you." as they started for the cottage, a small voice called after them, "wait! wait for me! don't leave me here! it's time for my milk!" dorothy glanced behind her and saw, scrambling from under a bush, a tiny kitten with pure white fur and china blue eyes. "oh, what a darling!" she cried. "this is felina, my pet kitten," announced ozana as she knelt and gathered the small bundle of fur into her arms. ozana led her guests to the living room of the cottage, an attractive room, fragrant with pine scent and comfortably furnished with pine chairs, divans and tables. pressing a button set in the pine-paneled wall, ozana bid her guests make themselves comfortable while she ordered lunch. a moment later a little wooden maid in a blue dress and spotless white pinafore, followed closely by a small wooden boy in a page's livery, appeared smiling in the doorway. the maid curtsied gracefully and the boy bobbed his head as ozana said, "this is dolly and poppet, my maid and page. dolly, will you and poppet please prepare sandwiches and refreshments for us--my guests have traveled far and must be quite hungry." "we are happy to serve your highness," answered the wooden girl and boy in unison. with another curtsy and bow the maid and page disappeared from the room. ozana seated herself beside dorothy and taking the little girl's hand in her own, while she smiled warmly at the wizard, the fairy princess said, "now, let us become acquainted." "well," began dorothy, "this is the famous wizard of oz, and i am--" "princess dorothy of oz," ozana finished for her. "you know us?" asked dorothy eagerly. "to be sure, i know you," replied ozana. "by my fairy arts i keep myself informed of all that goes on in the emerald city. i recall when our wizard first visited the land of oz in his balloon, and when the cyclone lifted your house into the air and carried you, dorothy, all the way from kansas to oz." "why do you say 'our' wizard?" asked the wizard. "because i consider myself very close to the land of oz. i have a great fondness for all its inhabitants and especially for the wizard who built the emerald city and united the four countries of oz," replied ozana earnestly. the wizard blushed modestly. "as for building the emerald city," he remarked, "i have said many times before that i only bossed the job--the oz people themselves did all the work." dorothy nodded. "when i first heard your name, ozana, i suspected it was connected in some way with oz." "i am called ozana," stated the violet-eyed maid simply, "because i am a member of queen lurline's fairy band and first cousin of princess ozma of oz." "wizard, did you hear that? princess ozana is ozma's cousin!" at this moment dolly and poppet reappeared bearing trays heaped with sandwiches and glasses of cool, fresh milk. dorothy was so excited over the revelation ozana had just made that she could scarcely eat. while they enjoyed their food, ozana and her guests exchanged stories. first dorothy and the wizard related their adventures. "i have no doubt at all," said ozana, "that the two strange birds who took your forms were none other than king umb and queen ra, the mimic monarchs." "did you say mimics?" exclaimed dorothy. "yes, my dear, mount illuso is the home of the dread mimics." "oh," said dorothy thoughtfully, "that explains a lot of things. why, only the day before she left the land of oz, ozma and i were discussing the mimics." the wizard, who knew nothing of the mimics, listened with interest as ozana described the creatures. "i don't understand," said the wizard when ozana had finished, "why you should be living alone on the top of this mountain in which such evil creatures as the mimics dwell." "that question is easily answered," replied ozana. "immediately after queen lurline enchanted the mimics so that they could not attack the oz inhabitants, she flew with me, her fairy companion, to the top of mount illuso. here she left me, giving me certain fairy powers over the mimics and instructing me that i was to remain here at all times as the guardian of oz to prevent the mimics from doing any harm to the oz people should the evil creatures ever succeed in lifting queen lurline's spell. i was not even permitted to leave the mountain to attend queen lurline's fairy councils in the forest of burzee." "then it must have been your fairy light that freed us from the mimic enchantment in the cavern prison," surmised dorothy. "yes, it was," ozana admitted. "you see, after queen lurline departed from mount illuso and i was left alone, the first thing i did was to place the button of light in that cavern which the mimics call their cavern of the doomed. i enchanted the light so that it would appear soon after prisoners were placed in the cave. i gave the light power to overcome the spell cast by the mimics on their victims." "then you are responsible for the elevator and hi-lo, too," said the wizard. "yes," replied ozana. "i placed the elevator in the mountain and stationed hi-lo there to operate it. i did all this by my fairy arts. of course the mimics have no knowledge of my arrangements to bring about the release of their victims. i knew the escaped prisoners would find their way to me and i could aid them if i judged them worthy. but i never expected to find inhabitants of the land of oz in the mimic cavern of the doomed!" "how is it," asked the wizard, "that the mimics were able to capture dorothy and me, despite the fact that we are inhabitants of the land of oz?" "you must remember," said ozana, "that both you and dorothy came to oz from the great outside world and neither of you was an inhabitant of oz when queen lurline cast her spell over the mimics. hence you were not protected by that spell. it was for just such an unlooked-for development as this that the wise queen lurline left me on this mountain top." "may i ask then," said the wizard, "why you knew nothing of the flight of the mimic king and queen to the emerald city?" ozana's face flushed slightly at this question, and she replied hesitatingly. "i must admit that i am fully responsible for all your troubles. but i plead with you to consider my side of the story. i have dwelt on this forsaken mountain top with no human companions for more than two hundred years. at first i amused myself by creating the little wooden people and building their pine village for them. but it was too much like playing with dolls, and i soon tired. then i busied myself with my garden, growing in it every variety of flower that exists. this occupied me for many long years. "please remember i had taken many precautions against the mimics. i believed i could rely on my fairy light to free any prisoners in the cavern of the doomed, but apparently the mimics took no captives they thought important enough to occupy the cavern of the doomed until they made you prisoners. and then my fairy light served me well. can you find it in your hearts to forgive me that i did not spend all my time keeping guard over the mimics through all those long years?" "of course. we understand, ozana," said dorothy, pressing the fairy maid's hand affectionately. "and i must confess," continued ozana with a grateful smile at dorothy, "that had i not been so completely absorbed in my garden during the last few days, i would surely have known of ozma and glinda's departure from the emerald city and your own plight." the wizard had been very thoughtful while ozana was speaking. now he asked, "just what do you believe to be the plans of the two mimics who are now masquerading as dorothy and me in the emerald city?" ozana was grave at this question. "it is evident," she replied, "that king umb and queen ra hope to take advantage of the absence of ozma and glinda to search for the counter-charm that would release the mimics from queen lurline's enchantment and permit them to overrun oz. "queen ra must have discovered by her black arts that queen lurline had given the secret of the magical antidote into ozma's keeping, knowing it would be safest with ozma. "it may be," added ozana thoughtfully, "that if king umb and queen ra have not discovered the spell by the time ozma and glinda return, they would even be so bold as to remain in the emerald city, hoping they could deceive ozma and glinda as they have the rest of the oz folks." "what do you think they will do if they find the magic spell?" asked dorothy fearfully. the violet depths of ozana's eyes darkened as she considered. "i don't like to think about that, my dear," she answered slowly. after a moment's silence princess ozana brightened. "come, now, let's not borrow trouble. the mimic monarchs have had so little time that i am sure they could not have succeeded in their search! we have nothing to fear now. however, i will spend the entire afternoon and evening in study, and by use of my fairy arts i will be able to discover just what king umb and queen ra's plot is. with that knowledge we can act wisely and quickly to defeat the mimic monarchs." "do you think we should wait that long?" asked the wizard. "it is necessary," replied ozana firmly. "i must have time to study ra and umb's actions during the past few days and to prepare myself to fight them. remember, they are powerful enemies. unless i am mistaken we shall be on our way to the emerald city in the morning, and i shall be fully armed with whatever knowledge is necessary to defeat the mimic monarchs completely. do not worry, my friends. i am confident i can bring about the downfall of king umb and queen ra before ozma and glinda return to the emerald city tomorrow." "of course you are right," assented the wizard slowly. "now," said ozana rising, "let me show you my garden of which i am quite proud. i am sure you will find it so interesting that you will regret you have only one short afternoon to spend in it. i have passed countless days in it and found it ever more fascinating." the white kitten, felina, had finished lapping up the milk from the bowl placed on the floor for her by the little wooden maid. dorothy knelt, cuddling the tiny creature in her arms. "may i take felina in the garden with us?" dorothy asked. "to be sure," replied ozana. "i shall be far too occupied this afternoon to give her my attention." as they stepped from ozana's cottage into the garden, the fairy princess said, "i believe you will find my garden different from any you have ever seen. i call it my story blossom garden." chapter story blossom garden "now i will show you why i call my garden story blossom garden," began ozana as she advanced toward a rose tree laden with lovely blooms. "you see, these are not ordinary flowers. they are fairy flowers that i created with my fairy arts. and the soil in which they grow is magic soil. take this rose, for instance." here ozana cupped a large red rose in her hands. "look into its petals, dorothy, and tell me what you see." "why, the petals form a lovely girl's face!" dorothy exclaimed in delight. "and so it is with all the blossoms in my garden," said ozana. "if you look closely into them, you will see a human face. now, dorothy, put your ear close to the rose and listen." dorothy did as she was bid and quite clearly she heard a small but melodious voice say pleadingly, "pick me, pick me, little girl, and i will tell you the sweetest story ever told--a love story." dorothy looked at the rose in awe. "what does it mean?" she asked ozana. "simply that all the flowers in my garden are story blossom flowers. pick a blossom and hold it to your ear, and it will tell you its story. when the story is done, the blossom will fade and wither." "oh, but i shouldn't like any of the beautiful flowers to die," protested dorothy, "even to hear their lovely stories." "they do not die," replied ozana. "as i said, these are no ordinary flowers. they do not grow from seeds or bulbs. instead, as soon as a blossom has told its story it fades and withers. then one of my gardeners plants it, and in a few days it blooms afresh with a new story to tell. the flowers are all eager to be picked so that they may tell their stories. just as ordinary flowers give off their perfumes freely and graciously, so my flowers love to breathe forth the fragrance of their stories. a poet once said that perfumes are the souls of flowers. i have succeeded in distilling those perfumes into words." "can't the flowers tell their stories while they are still growing?" asked dorothy. "no," replied ozana. "only when they are separated from their plants can they tell their stories." "do all the roses tell the same love story?" dorothy asked. "no indeed," said ozana. "while it is true that all the roses tell love stories--for the rose is the flower of love--all roses do not tell the _same_ love story. since no two rose blossoms are identical, no two blossoms tell the same story. it was my purpose in creating the garden to supply myself with a never-ending source of amusement as an escape from the boredom of living alone on this desolate mountain top. i was reminded of the princess in the arabian nights tales. you will recall that she told her stories for a thousand-and-one nights. my story blossoms," ozana concluded with a smile, "can tell many, many more than a thousand-and-one stories. there are many thousands of blossoms in my garden, and each blossom has a different story." "you are certainly to be congratulated on your marvelous garden," said the wizard. "it is a miraculous feat of magic," he added admiringly. "thank you," replied ozana graciously. "and now i will leave you, as i must form our plans for tomorrow. i must ask you to excuse me from the evening meal. dolly and poppet will serve you, and when you are ready they will show you to your sleeping rooms. good-bye, for the present, my friends." dorothy and the wizard bid their lovely hostess good-bye and then turned to the wonderful garden of story blossoms. putting felina on the ground to romp beside her, dorothy dropped to her knees before a cluster of pansies. as she bent her ear over one of the little flower faces, it murmured, "pick me, little girl, pick me! i'll tell you an old-fashioned story of once-upon-a-time about a wicked witch and a beautiful princess." the wizard found himself admiring the flaming beauty of a stately tiger-lily. placing his ear close to the blossom, he listened and heard the flower say in a throaty voice, "pick me, o man, and hear a thrilling story of splendid silken beasts in their sultry jungle lairs." now dorothy was listening to a purple thistle that spoke with a rich scotch burr, "pick me, little girrrl, an' ye'll make naw mistake, for i'll tell ye a tale of a highland lassie for auld lang syne." noticing a tawny blossom with gay purple spots, dorothy placed her ear close to it. this was a harlequin flower and it said, "pick me, child, and i'll tell you a wonder tale about merryland and its valley of clowns, where dwell the happy, fun-loving clowns who delight in making children laugh." dorothy remembered reading in a story book about merryland and the valley of clowns. next was a black-eyed-susan that murmured to dorothy, "pick me, and i will tell you the story of three things that men love best--black eyes and brown and blue. men love them all, but oh, black eyes--men love and die for you!" dorothy smiled and moved on to a daisy which whispered to her in halting, doubtful tones, "does he really love her? i shouldn't tell, but i know, i know--and i will tell if only you'll pick me, little girl." "and i thought daisies didn't tell," dorothy said to herself. she stopped before a rambling rose that spoke in a rapid, excited voice and wanted to relate a story of vagabond adventure in far-away places. then a bright red tulip whispered about a tale of wind-mills and holland canals and pretty dutch girls. at last the little girl came to a sunflower so tall that she had to stand on tip-toe to hear its words. "pick me," the sunflower urged, "and hear my story of sun-baked prairies and western farm homes and great winds that sweep across the plains." "i wonder," thought dorothy, "if the sunflower would tell me a story about my old home in kansas. there used to be a great many sunflowers on uncle henry's farm back there." a tiny violet growing in a mossy bed caught the girl's eye, and as she knelt to hear its words, a shrill, unpleasant voice exclaimed, "pick me! pick me! pick me immediately! i'll tell you a story that will burn your ears off! all about dick superguy--greatest detective in the world! he can't be killed--he's all-powerful!" dorothy was sure the shy little violet hadn't uttered these words. while she looked about to see where the rude voice was coming from, one of the little wooden gardeners stepped up and said apologetically, "beg your pardon, miss, it's just a weed. they're always loud and noisy, and while we don't care much for their stories, we feel they have as much right to grow as any other plants. even a magic fairy garden has its weeds." the wizard had strolled over to the pond of placid blue water, and placing his ear close to a green pad on which nestled an exquisite water lily, he heard these words, "pick me, o man, and i'll tell you a tale of a magic white ship that sails the jeweled seas and of the strange creatures that dwell in the blue depths." turning to a lotus blossom, the wizard heard a sleepy voice murmur, "pick me, pick me. i'll carry you afar to the secret islands of the never-ending nights, where the winds are music in the palm trees and the hours are woven of delights." now that they had listened to the pleading voices of so many of the blossoms, dorothy and the wizard decided to pick some of them and hear their stories. dorothy's first selection was a jack-in-the-pulpit, which proved to be an unfortunate choice as the story the blossom told was preachy and sermon-like. she decided the blossom was a trifle green. next she tried a daffodil. the story this blossom whispered to her in silver tones was about a lovely spring maiden who went dancing around the earth, and at her approach all ugliness and coldness and bitterness vanished. in the spring maiden's wake appeared a trail of anemones and violets and daffodils and tulips, and gentle winds that caused new hopes to arise in the hearts of the winter-weary people. the wizard selected a pink carnation. this spicily-scented blossom told him an exciting story of intrigue and adventure in high places. it was a romantic, dashing story, full of cleverness and surprises. then the wizard plucked a cluster of purple lilacs. each of the tiny blossoms growing on the stem joined in a chorus to sing him a story of home and love, of patience and virtue and all the common things of life in which the poorest may find riches and happiness. almost before dorothy and the wizard realized it, the shadows of evening were lengthening over the garden, and dolly and poppet appeared to inform them the evening meal was awaiting them. dorothy picked up the white kitten which had fallen asleep in the shadow of a nearby hedge, and she and the wizard followed the maid and the page back to the cheery comfort of ozana's cottage. they chatted happily over the good food served them by dolly and poppet. felina had her bowl of milk on the floor, near dorothy's chair. then, since they realized the next day was likely to be a busy and exciting one, they followed dolly and poppet to the rooms ozana had prepared for them and said good-night at their doors. the rooms were delightfully furnished with deep, soft beds and everything to make them comfortable for the night. as dorothy pulled the covers over her, and felina snuggled into a small, furry ball at the girl's feet, dolly reappeared with a poppy blossom in her hand. "here, princess dorothy," the thoughtful little maid said, "listen to the story of the poppy blossom and you'll be sure to sleep well." so dorothy listened to the soft, slumbrous voice of the poppy and was asleep almost before the tale was finished. what kind of a story did the sweet poppy tell? why, a bedtime story, of course. chapter the three swans dorothy was awakened by the sunlight streaming through the windows of her bedroom. refreshed and eager for the adventures that lay ahead, she bathed and dressed and, with felina in her arms, knocked on the door of the wizard's room. the man was already awake and in excellent spirits as he greeted dorothy. a moment later dolly and poppet came to lead them to the living room where ozana was awaiting them for breakfast. the fairy princess, radiant with loveliness, was dressed in a simple, blue dress with a circlet of roses set in her golden hair. dorothy thought this an excellent crown for the princess of story blossom garden. when the meal was finished, ozana said, "it will please you to learn that my studies which i completed late last night revealed that the mimic king and queen have accomplished no real harm in the emerald city. however, queen ra has succeeded in doing something that has surprised me. she has thrown up a magic screen about her activities which has made it impossible for me to discover whether she has found the spell that would release the mimics from queen lurline's enchantment. it is logical to believe ra has failed, since, if she had discovered the spell, she would surely have used it to permit the mimic hordes to overrun oz." "but you cannot be sure. is that it, ma'am?" asked the wizard. "yes, i am afraid so," ozana admitted, frowning slightly. "this magic screen that queen ra has devised baffles me and resists all my efforts to penetrate it. for this reason i think it would be wise for us to go as quickly as possible to the emerald city. as you know, ozma and glinda will return from the forest of burzee this morning at ten o'clock. i would like to be present to greet them and to explain what has happened. there is no use causing them undue alarm. after all, i am responsible for the mimics in regard to the land of oz," ozana concluded thoughtfully. "well," said dorothy, "i'm ready to go. how about you, wizard?" the little man's expression was grave as he answered. "the quicker we get back to oz the better. i have an uneasy feeling that we are not finished with the mimics by any means." "then it is settled," announced ozana. "come, my friends, let us make all possible haste. we have no time to lose." "may i take felina to oz with us?" asked dorothy. ozana smiled. "certainly, my dear. only let us hurry." dorothy and the wizard followed ozana to the cottage door and down the path that led to the edge of the pond. the garden was fresh and lovely in the early morning. the side of the cottage that faced the morning sun was covered with blue morning glories. dorothy regretted that there was no time for her to pick one of the delicate blossoms and listen to its story. standing at the edge of the pond, ozana uttered a soft, musical whistle. from under the low-hanging branches of a large bush that trailed into the water on the far shore of the pond, emerged the three graceful swans which dorothy and the wizard had admired the day before. the snow white birds moved swiftly across the water in answer to ozana's summons. "these are my swans which will carry us over the deadly desert to the emerald city," said ozana. "they don't look big enough to carry even you or me, let alone the wizard," said dorothy doubtfully. ozana laughed. "of course they are not large enough now, dorothy, but soon they will be." the three swans were now at the pond's edge, just at ozana's feet. the fairy princess bent, touching the head of each of the birds gently with a slender wand which she drew from the folds of her blue dress. while dorothy and the wizard watched, the birds grew steadily before their wondering eyes. in a few seconds they were nearly five times the size of ordinary swans. the fairy princess placed a dainty foot on the back of one of the swans, and then settled herself on the bird's downy back, motioning to dorothy and the wizard to do likewise. dorothy stepped gingerly to the back of the swan nearest her. she found the great bird supported her easily. holding felina in her lap, the little girl nestled comfortably among the feathers. the wizard had already mounted the third swan. seeing that the passengers were all aboard, ozana signaled the swans, and with mighty strokes of their great wings the birds soared into the air. dorothy looked behind her and saw ozana's cottage growing smaller as the birds climbed higher and higher into the heavens. in a short time, they had left mount illuso so far in the distance that it was no longer visible. the soft feathers of the bird that carried her, and the gentle motion with which it sped through the air made dorothy think of riding through the sky on a downy feather bed. "isn't it grand, wizard!" dorothy called. "it certainly beats any traveling i ever did," admitted the wizard. "it's even better than my balloon back in omaha." ozana's bird flew in advance, with the swans bearing dorothy and the wizard slightly to her rear on either side of her. they crossed the border of the land of the phanfasms and soared high over the deadly desert. the swans flew even higher over the desert than had the mimic birds. for this reason none of the travelers suffered from the poisonous fumes that rose from the shifting sands of the desert. as they approached the yellow land of the winkies, dorothy noticed that ozana cast several anxious glances at the sun which was rising higher and higher in the heavens. it seemed to the little girl that the fairy princess was disturbed and anxious. "is anything wrong, ozana?" called dorothy. "i cannot say for sure," replied ozana. "something has taken place in oz of which i was not aware. i can feel the change now that we are actually over the land of oz. i am trying to discover what has happened by means of my fairy powers. i am afraid, too, that the journey is taking longer than i expected, and we shall not be able to arrive before ozma and glinda." at a signal from their mistress the three swans quickened their already swift flight. again and again ozana consulted the sun, and her appearance became more grave and worried as they approached the emerald city. suddenly the fairy princess's expression changed. a look of anger and dismay clouded her face, and the next instant she cried out beseechingly: "forgive me, my friends! i now understand all that has happened. the mimics have cunningly outwitted me!" chapter the mimic monarchs lock themselves in back in the emerald city a great deal had been happening while dorothy and the wizard were adventuring on mount illuso. you will recall that toto had startled the oz people by trotting into the grand dining room and declaring that it was not dorothy who sat at the head of the table. you see, in some ways animals are wiser than human beings. king umb and queen ra were able to fool the oz people just by _looking_ like dorothy and the wizard, but they couldn't deceive the keen senses of the little dog so easily. toto's animal instinct warned him that this was not his beloved mistress dorothy nor his old friend the wizard. when toto made his astonishing assertion every eye in the dining room turned questioningly upon the mimic king and queen. suddenly queen ra leaped to her feet. grasping king umb by the arm and hissing, "hurry, you fool!" she pulled the mimic king after her and the two dashed from the dining room. for a moment everyone was too startled to move--except toto. he sped like an arrow after the fleeing monarchs. the quick-witted scarecrow broke the spell by leaping to his feet and following with awkward haste after the dog. instantly there rose a clamor of startled exclamations and bewildered questions from the oz people who were thrown into confusion by these strange happenings. by the time the scarecrow had reached the corridor, king umb, queen ra and toto were nowhere in sight. but the straw man could hear toto's excited barking. following in the direction of the sound, down one corridor and up another, the scarecrow arrived in the wing of the palace usually occupied by ozma, and found toto barking before a closed door. the little dog's eyes flashed angrily. when toto saw the scarecrow, he stopped barking and said, "i was just too late. they slammed the door in my face and now i suppose it is locked." the scarecrow attempted to turn the knob with his stuffed hand and found that, as toto suspected, the door was locked. "do you know what room this is?" toto asked. "of course," replied the scarecrow, "it's ozma's chamber of magic." "yes," went on the little dog, "the same room where the imitation dorothy and wizard have shut themselves in all day. why? i want to know! i tell you, scarecrow, there's something awfully funny going on here." the straw man was thoughtful. "i agree with you, toto. something is happening that we don't understand. we must find out what it is. i believe the wisest thing we can do is to return to the dining room and hold a council to talk this thing over. maybe we will be able to find an explanation." silently the little dog agreed, and a short time later a group of the best-loved companions of dorothy and the wizard was gathered in a living room adjoining the grand dining room. the scarecrow presided over the meeting. "all we really know," he began, "is that dorothy and the wizard have been acting very strangely today--the second day of the absence of ozma and glinda. toto insists that they are not dorothy and the wizard at all." "lan' sakes!" exclaimed dorothy's aunt em, "i'll admit the child ain't been herself today, but it's down-right silly to say that our dorothy's someone else. i ought to know my own niece!" "em, you're a-gittin' all mixed up," cautioned uncle henry. "you jest now said dorothy ain't been herself today--that means she must be somebody else." "but who could look so much like dorothy and the wizard?" queried betsy bobbin with a frown. "and why should anyone wish to deceive us?" asked tiny trot. now cap'n bill spoke up. "s'posin'," began the old sailor gruffly, "that we admit fer the moment that this _ain't_ the real dorothy and the wizard. then the most important thing is--where _are_ the real dorothy and the wizard?" "that's the smartest thing that's been said yet," declared toto earnestly, with an admiring glance at cap'n bill. "here we are, wasting time in talk, when something dreadful may be happening to dorothy and the wizard. let's get busy and find them quickly." "maybe they're lost," suggested button bright. "if that's the case there's nothing to worry about, 'cause i've been lost lots of times and i always got found again." but no one paid any attention to the boy. with her yarn hair dangling before her eyes, the patchwork girl danced to the front of the gathering. "the trouble with you people," she asserted, "is that you don't know how to add two and two and get four." "what do you mean by that, scraps?" asked the scarecrow. "just this," retorted the stuffed girl, saucily making a face at the scarecrow. "what did we overhear dorothy and the wizard discussing today in the garden? magic! they were talking about a magic spell which they hoped to find before ozma and glinda returned. all right. now where did dorothy and the wizard spend most of the day and where have they fled just now to lock themselves in? to ozma's chamber of _magic_!" the patchwork girl concluded triumphantly, "mark my words there's magic behind all this, and the secret is hidden in ozma's chamber of magic." with his chin in his hand, the scarecrow was regarding scraps in silent admiration. "sometimes," he said, "i almost believe your head is stuffed with the same quality of brains the wizard put in mine." "nope!" denied scraps emphatically. "it's not brains--just a little common sense." and with that the irrepressible creature leaped to the chandelier suspended from the ceiling and began chinning herself. "yes," agreed the scarecrow with a sigh as he regarded her antics, "i guess i was wrong about your brains." "but what are we going to _do_? that's what i want to know," demanded toto impatiently. "i believe," declared the scarecrow finally, "there is only one thing we _can_ do. we must go to ozma's chamber of magic and try to persuade this strange dorothy and the wizard to admit us. if they refuse, then we shall be obliged to break open the door and demand an explanation of their mysterious behavior." "good!" exclaimed toto. "let us go at once." they all filed out of the room and made their way to ozma's chamber of magic. the door was still locked. several times the scarecrow called to dorothy and the wizard to open the door and admit them, but there was no response. then cap'n bill stepped forward. he knew what was expected of him as the biggest and strongest of the group. he placed a shoulder against the door and pushed. the door creaked and yielded. again cap'n bill pushed. this time the door yielded more noticeably. upon the third trial the door suddenly gave way before the old sailor man's weight, and the scarecrow followed by scraps, trot, betsy bobbin, button bright and the rest crowded into ozma's chamber of magic. chapter in the chamber of magic when queen ra seized king umb by the arm and fled with him from the dining room, the mimic queen was alarmed. she realized it was useless to attempt to deceive toto, and she greatly feared the little dog would succeed in convincing the scarecrow and the others that something had happened to dorothy and the wizard. fear lent speed to the queen's feet as she ran down the corridor, dragging king umb after her, with toto in close pursuit. she slammed the door of the chamber of magic and locked it just in time to prevent toto's entry. then she flung herself in a chair, gasping for breath. when king umb, who was even more frightened than his queen, had got his breath and could speak, he said raspingly, "so this is the way your plan works--a miserable dog robs us of success!" "silence!" commanded queen ra angrily. "we are far from defeated. we still have time to find the magic spell. and we will! we were fools to give up the search and go to that silly dinner," she concluded bitterly. she turned to ozma's magic books and began feverishly leafing through them. for perhaps ten minutes she continued her search fruitlessly. flung carelessly on the floor at her side was a great pile of books through which she had previously looked in vain for the magic spell. only four books remained to be searched through. while king umb watched nervously, the queen continued her frantic quest. now only two books remained. the magic spell must be in one of these two volumes. suddenly queen ra leaped to her feet with a cry of triumph. "i have found it!" she announced with exultation. she tore a page from the book and cast the volume to the floor. "come," she urged, "let us return to mount illuso as speedily as possible. soon we will come again to oz. but we will not be alone!" both ra and umb laughed with wicked satisfaction. just then the scarecrow called to dorothy and the wizard to open the door and admit them. "fools!" muttered queen ra. "in a short time you will all be my slaves." pausing to pick up dorothy's magic belt, queen ra walked to a large french window that looked down on the palace court-yard. turning to king umb, she said, "these hateful shapes can serve us no longer, so let us discard them and be on our way." instantly the figures of dorothy and the wizard vanished and in their places appeared two great, black birds with huge, powerful wings. just as cap'n bill burst open the door, and the scarecrow and the rest crowded into the room, the birds flew from the window. the little group hurried to the window and looked out. high above the palace and swiftly disappearing in the night, flew two enormous bat-like birds. the night was too dark and the birds too far away for any of the oz people to see that one of the creatures clutched dorothy's magic belt. while queen ra had not yet learned how to command the many wonderful powers of the magic belt (or she would most certainly have used the belt to transport herself and umb to the mimic land in the twinkling of an eye), nevertheless she had no intention of leaving the valuable talisman behind to be used by the oz people. more bewildered than ever, the scarecrow and his companions turned from the window. "i told you so!" declared toto excitedly. "you see--those creatures were not dorothy and the wizard at all." "you are right," said the scarecrow, "those great birds must be the same beings that we thought were dorothy and the wizard." "certainly," replied toto. "you can see for yourself that dorothy and the wizard are not here." it was true enough. there was no trace of dorothy or the wizard in the chamber of magic. "but who were those creatures? and why did they want us to believe they were dorothy and the wizard? and what has happened to the real dorothy and the wizard?" the scarecrow asked helplessly. "why not look in the magic picture and find out?" asked the patchwork girl, as she danced about the room. "of course, the very thing!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "why didn't i think of that myself?" "because your brains are of an extraordinary quality," retorted scraps, "and you can't be expected to think common-sense thoughts." the magic picture which hung on a wall in ozma's boudoir was one of the rarest treasures in all oz. ordinarily the picture presented merely an attractive view of a pleasant countryside with rolling fields and a forest in the background. but when anyone stood in front of the picture and asked to see a certain person--anywhere in the world--the painted picture faded and was replaced by the moving image of the person named and his or her surroundings at that exact time. the scarecrow and his companions gathered about the magic picture and the straw man said solemnly, "i want to see dorothy and the wizard." instantly the painted scene faded and in its place appeared the interior of hi-lo's little cottage. dorothy and the wizard were just about to sit down to the food mrs. hi-lo had prepared for them. "i wonder who those two funny little people are?" murmured trot, fascinated by the quaint appearance of mr. and mrs. hi-lo. "they are not familiar to me," observed the scarecrow reflectively, "nor have i ever seen a cottage quite like that one in the land of oz." for a time the group watched in silence while dorothy and the wizard ate their food and conversed with mr. and mrs. hi-lo. but at length, as nothing of importance occurred, the scarecrow said: "even though we don't know where dorothy and the wizard are, at least the magic picture has shown us they are safe for the moment and we don't need to worry about them." "why not use dorothy's magic belt to wish dorothy and the wizard back here in the palace?" trot asked suddenly as she stared at the images in the magic picture. "an excellent suggestion!" agreed the scarecrow, his face beaming. "trot, i believe you have solved our problem," he said admiringly. the scarecrow knew that when dorothy was not wearing her magic belt on a journey, it was always kept in ozma's chamber of magic. so the straw man went there himself to get the belt. a few minutes later he returned and announced gloomily, "it's gone. the magic belt is nowhere in the chamber of magic. either ozma took it with her, or it has been stolen. the magic picture has shown us that dorothy is not wearing the belt." disappointment was reflected on everyone's face, and for a moment no one spoke. then the scarecrow declared, "my friends, there remains only one more thing for us to do." "what is that?" asked cap'n bill. "one of us must leave immediately for glinda's castle in the quadling country to consult glinda's great book of records. the book will provide us with a complete account of all that has happened to dorothy and the wizard." "a wise suggestion," agreed cap'n bill. "who will go?" "i will," volunteered dorothy's uncle henry quickly. "i want to do everything possible to bring dorothy back to us and it 'pears to me we can't do much of anything until we know what has happened to her." "good!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "you can leave at once. i will order ozma's wooden sawhorse to carry you to glinda's castle and back. but even though the sawhorse is swift and tireless, you will not be able to make the journey, consult the great book of records and return to the emerald city before ozma and glinda come back day after tomorrow. that is too bad. the disappearance of dorothy and the wizard and all this mystery will not provide a very cheerful homecoming for ozma and glinda. but at least we shall have the information contained in the great book of records, and then ozma and glinda will know best what to do." uncle henry kissed aunt em good-bye and hurried to the royal stable where the sawhorse was waiting for him. "i understand," said the queer steed, whose body and head were made from a tree trunk, "that we're going to glinda's castle in the quadling country." "that's right," nodded uncle henry. "and this is no pleasure trip, so go as fast as you can." glancing at uncle henry for a moment from one of his eyes which were knots in the wood, the sawhorse turned, as soon as uncle henry was mounted, and dashed down the stable driveway into the street leading to the gates of the emerald city. once outside the city, the sawhorse ran so swiftly that its legs, which were merely sticks of wood which ozma had caused to be shod with gold, fairly twinkled. it sped with a rolling, cradle-like motion over fields and hills, and uncle henry had to hold on for dear life. perhaps i should explain that glinda's great book of records is a marvelous book in which everything that happens, from the slightest detail to the most important event taking place anywhere in the world, is recorded the same instant that it happens. no occurrence is too trivial to appear in the book. if a naughty child stamps its foot in anger, or if a powerful ruler plunges his country into war, both events are noted in the book, as of equal importance. the huge book lies open on a great table, occupying the center of glinda's study and is bound to the table by large chains of gold. next to ozma's magic picture, glinda's great book of records is the most valuable treasure in oz. the scarecrow knew that by consulting this wonderful book, uncle henry would be able to discover exactly what had happened to dorothy and the wizard. the scarecrow and scraps, having no need for sleep, sat before the magic picture all night long conversing quietly and occasionally glancing at the images of dorothy and the wizard as the picture showed them sleeping in hi-lo's cottage. the rest of the oz people retired to their bedrooms, but none of them slept well that night. they were far too worried over the plight of dorothy and the wizard to rest easily. chapter a web is woven arriving at mount illuso early the following morning, king umb and queen ra passed the day secluded in the secret cavern where the queen was accustomed to study the dark sorcery of the erbs and practice her evil magic. this cavern was so well hidden, far in the depths of mount illuso, and its location was so closely guarded, that only a few of the most faithful subjects of the mimic king and queen were aware of its existence. while queen ra's shape was that of a woman, her body was covered with a heavy fur of a reddish-brown color, and her head was that of a fox with a long snout and sharply pointed ears. two green eyes blazed with a fierce light from her furry face. in her hand the fox-woman held a brass whistle on which she blew a shrill blast. in answer to this summons came the mimic known as ebo. ebo wore the body of a jackal with the head of a serpent. "go to the cave of the doomed and bring the two prisoners to me at once," the queen commanded. "yes, your highness," hissed ebo as he swayed his serpent head in obeisance and left the cavern. "we might as well have a little fun while we wait for midnight," grinned the fox head of the woman evilly. king umb appeared as a great, grey ape with cloven hoofs and the head of a man. from the center of his forehead projected a single horn. the man-face was covered with a shaggy, black beard which fell to the hairy chest of the ape-body. "what do you intend doing with the girl and the man?" asked the grey ape. "i shall practice transformations on the man, giving him a number of unusual shapes and then perhaps combine them all into one interesting creature. it is amazingly easy to change the shapes of humans, so it will not be much of a feat of magic. then, just before we leave for the emerald city, i shall change him into a salamander--a green salamander instead of the ordinary red kind, of course, since he is from the emerald city--and then when we are over the deadly desert i shall drop him into the sands. salamanders are the only creatures that can exist in the desert, so it will really be a merciful fate, since it will not stop him from living." "and the girl?" prompted king umb. "i think i shall keep the girl chained in my cavern to amuse me when the excitement of conquering and devastating oz is over and i am in need of diversion," said queen ra. while the queen was relating her wicked plans, ebo made his way to the cave of the doomed and was amazed and terrified to find it empty. how could there be an escape from the cave from which there was no exit save the single stone door which was always closely guarded? the jackal body of ebo trembled with fear of the punishment he knew queen ra would be quick to inflict on him. but there was nothing else for him to do but to report the mysterious disappearance of the prisoners to the mimic king and queen. queen ra received the news with a scream of rage. blowing on her brass whistle, she summoned two other mimics. pointing to ebo who cringed with fear, she cried, "carry him away and cast him into the pit of forked flames." king umb was uneasy. "i don't like this," he said. "how do we know that the two mortals will not interfere with our plans to conquer oz?" "bah! what can two weak mortals do in the face of our might?" demanded the queen derisively. knowing his wife's temper, king umb refrained from reminding ra that the mortals had somehow miraculously succeeded in escaping from the cave of the doomed. instead, he merely shrugged his ape shoulders and said, "just the same, i wish we were on our way to oz now, instead of waiting until midnight." queen ra glared at her husband. "i have told you that lurline's enchantment can be broken only at midnight. tonight at twelve, i will cast the spell which lurline foolishly left in ozma's possession. since it is the antidote to the enchantment which protects oz from the mimics, lurline knew ozma would guard it most carefully. but we succeeded in stealing it. once the spell is cast, the mimics will be free in all their power to attack oz and enslave its people. i tell you, umb, the famous land of oz is doomed. in a few short hours it will be a shambles. nothing can save it!" * * * * * a few minutes before the hour of midnight, the mimic hordes assembled in the vast domed cavern which forms that portion of hollow mount illuso that towers above the earth. in the center of the cavern on a stone dais stood king umb and queen ra. the mimic queen lifted her arms and immediately silence fell over the shifting mass of evil beings. the queen held in her hand a small box of black enameled wood. placing the box on the stone dais before her, she raised the lid and muttered an incantation. immediately there crawled from the box a scarlet spider as large as the queen's hand. at the first word of the incantation the spider began to grow. in a few seconds its body was four feet in thickness, and its hairy legs sprawled to a distance of fifteen feet from its body which was covered with a crimson fur. "now go," queen ra commanded the spider, "and weave the web that will enmesh the fairy enchantment that hangs over us!" the mimic hordes parted to make a path through their midst for the spider. the loathsome creature scuttled first to the wall of the cavern, and then climbed up the side of the wall. in a few seconds it had reached the top of the cavern. then, moving with incredible speed, it wove a monster spider web of crimson strands as thick and tough as heavy rope cables. queen ra watched silently until the fashioning of the scarlet web was completed. at that moment she cried aloud for all to hear: "so long as this web remains unbroken, the mimics are freed from the enchantment cast on them by lurline! the web is a snare and a net for lurline's fairy enchantment and holds every remnant of it caught fast in its coils." the queen spoke triumphantly, and well she might, for the magic spell she had stolen from ozma had worked perfectly. "come!" shouted queen ra. "let us tarry no longer. we have waited too many years for this hour!" with this the mimic king and queen assumed the shapes of giant birds and soared through the cavern to the stone portal. the throngs of their mimic subjects followed, beating the air with great, leathery wings as they passed from the cavern into the night. soon the sky above mount illuso was darkened with the great numbers of the mimic horde, and the light of the moon was blotted from the earth by the flapping wings. following the lead of king umb and queen ra, they headed straight for the deadly desert and the land of oz. chapter the mimics in the emerald city on the morning when the mimic hordes swept over the border of the deadly desert and the winkie country and on to the emerald city, button bright and the patchwork girl were playing leap-frog in the garden of the royal palace. cap'n bill was sitting nearby on a bench in the sun, carving on a block of wood with his big jack-knife. the old sailor man worked slowly and painstakingly, but when he finished he knew he would have a good likeness of princess ozma's lovely features carved in the wood. this he planned to mount as a figurehead on the prow of the boat he was building as a surprise for ozma. suddenly button bright, who had tumbled flat on his back, cried out: "look! look at those birds!" scraps swept her yarn hair out of her button eyes and tilted her head back. the sky was darkening with a great cloud of birds. and what beautiful creatures those birds were! "birds of a feather flock together. red, blue, green and gold match my patches, bold. "not a grey topknot in the whole lot! see the popinjay flirt its colors gay..." cried the patchwork girl, dancing about in wild excitement. "stop it, scraps!" commanded button bright who was nearly as excited as the stuffed girl. "trot, betsy, ojo, scarecrow!" the boy called. "come out and see the pretty birds!" of course this taking the forms of gorgeous plumed birds was a clever part of queen ra's cunning scheme. she knew the beauty of the birds, instead of alarming the oz people, would fascinate them. the queen hoped by this wily stratagem to take the oz inhabitants completely by surprise with no thought of danger in their minds. the scheme worked even better than queen ra dared dream. ojo the lucky, aunt em, the scarecrow, betsy bobbin, trot, jellia jamb, and all the others came hurrying from the royal palace, while from the royal stable came the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger, hank the mule, the woozy and others of the animal friends of the palace residents. gathering in the gardens and court-yard, they all stared up in wonder at the beautiful birds. outside the grounds of the royal palace, much the same thing was happening throughout the emerald city. those people who were out of doors witnessing the spectacle called to those who were indoors, urging them to hurry out and see the lovely visitors. it was no time at all until every building in the city was emptied of its curious inhabitants. this was just what the mimics wanted. with the people of the emerald city standing in the daylight, plainly casting their shadows, queen ra gave a signal and the mimic birds ceased their slow circling in the sky for the enjoyment of the oz people and dropped down to the city. king umb and queen ra led those birds which settled in the palace court-yard and gardens. a bird with brilliant scarlet and royal purple feathers and a topknot of gleaming gold alighted close to trot. the little girl stepped forward with delight to stroke the bird's lovely plumage. instantly the creature vanished and in its place stood a perfect duplicate of trot, while the real trot was frozen in her tracks, unable to move. mystified at suddenly seeing _two_ trots before him, cap'n bill rose from his bench and started toward them. but he was confronted by one of the giant birds and an instant later the old sailor man was unable to move. he could only stare with amazement at an exact double of himself--wooden leg and all. button bright was about to leap playfully on the back of another bird when he fell to the ground powerless to move. at the same moment the bird vanished and the boy's double appeared in its place. and so it went throughout the emerald city. the friendly oz people were delighted that the lovely birds should approach so near that they might be treated to a closer view of their gorgeous plumage, which, it must be admitted, was exceedingly beautiful. only the eyes of the birds betrayed their true natures. they flamed a fierce red. one or two of the oz people, upon meeting the glare of those piercing eyes, were alarmed and would have turned and fled. but it was too late. in a few minutes, all the human inhabitants of the emerald city were made captives. however, the mimics were able to steal the shapes only of human beings. the scarecrow, the patchwork girl, tik-tok, the glass cat, billina the yellow hen, the woozy, toto, hank the mule, the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger remained unchanged. fearing the mule, the lion and the tiger might prove dangerous because of their size, queen ra quickly placed a magic spell on the three beasts that caused them to fall on the court-yard lawn in a deep sleep. the scarecrow, scraps, tik-tok and the others who had escaped the magic of the mimics were completely confused by these sudden and baffling events. the stuffed girl rubbed her suspender button eyes and gazed with disbelief at _two_ button brights--which one was it she had been playing with only a few minutes before? and there were _two_ aunt ems and _two_ jellia jambs! wondering if the world had somehow suddenly become double, the bewildered patchwork girl looked about for her own twin. of all the horde of beautiful birds that had settled on the emerald city, only two remained in the royal gardens. these were king umb and queen ra. at this point the mimic king and queen cast off their bird forms. a strange man and woman suddenly appeared in the midst of the oz people and the mimic-oz-people. the woman was big, raw-boned and red-skinned. her hair was twisted on her head in a hard black knot, on which was set a small golden crown. the scarecrow started with surprise when he saw that the strange woman was wearing dorothy's magic belt. (until now the belt had been concealed by the plumage of ra's bird form.) queen ra had brought the magic belt with her because of its wonderful powers which she had been studying and which she felt would be useful in carrying out the conquest of oz. beside the woman stood a giant man with a flowing black beard and tangled black hair. his eyes were fierce and hawklike. quickly queen ra uttered a command, at which a number of the mimic-oz-people leaped forward and proceeded to bind the non-human ozites with strong ropes, which the magic of queen ra placed in their hands. to his amazement, the scarecrow found himself being made captive by cap'n bill and ojo the lucky. the straw man was wise enough to know that these twin likenesses were not really his old friends, cap'n bill and ojo, so he resisted with all his might. but the poor scarecrow's body was so light that the mimics had no difficulty in fastening the ropes about him and pinning his arms to his sides. scraps was more of a problem. it required the combined efforts of the mimic jellia jamb, aunt em, betsy bobbin and button bright to bind her. but even with these odds none of the mimics escaped without scratches on his face from scraps' gold plated finger nails. tik-tok, the woozy, the glass cat and the rest were all securely bound in a few more seconds. while our friends were being made prisoners, king umb and queen ra hastened away to the throne room of the royal palace. there the prisoners of the mimics were carried into the presence of the mimic king and queen. the scarecrow and the others were shocked and outraged at the spectacle of the harsh-looking woman brazenly occupying ozma's throne, while at her side stood the fierce-visaged man. the mimic ojo and button bright lined up the captives before the throne, while queen ra regarded them scornfully. "a pair of stuffed dummies, an animated washing machine, and a menagerie," she commented derisively. "i demand," shouted the scarecrow boldly, "that you release us immediately!" "ah! the famous scarecrow of oz!" gloatingly exclaimed queen ra. "and as brave as ever! i believe i will have your body destroyed by fire, first removing your head so that you will be able to entertain me with your wise thoughts. it would be a shame," she added with sarcasm, "if such great brains were lost to the world." now the one thing in the world the scarecrow feared was a lighted match, so it is no wonder that, brave as he was, he shrank before so terrible a fate as that proposed by the wicked queen. "you will not get a-way with this," warned tik-tok in his mechanical voice. "you will sure-ly be pun-ish-ed for your wick-ed-ness and e-vil do-ing." "and you are tik-tok the machine man," said queen ra. "as useless a pile of rubbish as was ever assembled. i shall have you carefully taken apart, piece by piece, and amuse myself in my spare time by trying to put you back together again like a jig-saw puzzle." "my ma-chin-er-y does not per-mit me to fear," replied tik-tok calmly, "e-ven when i am thor-ough-ly wound up, so you are wast-ing your threats on me." the evil queen went down the line of captives, plotting terrible fates for each of them. billina, she predicted, would soon be roasted for dinner. the patchwork girl would become a combination pin-cushion and personal slave. the glass cat would be melted down into marbles. finally she came to the last of the prisoners--the square shaped woozy--whom ra promised to have chopped into cubes for building blocks. it was at this moment that the scarecrow became aware that with the exceptions of hank the mule and the cowardly lion and the hungry tiger, who lay sleeping in the court-yard, all the animals of the royal palace were present--save the sawhorse, who was at that moment swiftly bearing uncle henry back to the emerald city from glinda's castle in the quadling country--and one other. that other was--toto! chapter the return of ozma and glinda after his first sense of joy at finding that toto had somehow escaped capture, the scarecrow reflected more soberly that even though the little dog was free there was nothing he could do to rescue his friends from their desperate plight. but the scarecrow had been in dangerous situations before, so he did not give up hope by any means. while queen ra was gloating over her prisoners, the scarecrow's famous brains were hard at work. suddenly it occurred to the straw man that ozma and glinda were to return to the emerald city at ten o'clock this morning. it was almost that time now. if only he could engage the wicked queen in conversation until ozma and glinda appeared, then the royal ruler and the good sorceress might take their enemies by surprise. the scarecrow was confident that ozma would be able to deal with these usurpers to her throne. with this plan in mind, the scarecrow cried out in a bold voice: "i demand to know what you have done with dorothy and the wizard!" when he had witnessed the peculiar manner in which the gaudily plumed birds had assumed the shapes of his human friends in the garden, the scarecrow had first suspected that these creatures were responsible for the disappearance of dorothy and the wizard. then the sight of dorothy's magic belt about the waist of the big woman had convinced him of the truth of his suspicions. queen ra answered the scarecrow with a scornful laugh. "you are quite brave, my blustering, straw-stuffed dummy, but your braveness will do you no good. as for your princess dorothy and the man who calls himself a wizard, you will never see them again. furthermore," the queen went on, "as soon as i have suitably disposed of you and the rest of these animated creatures and beasts, i will use the magic belt to transport the helpless bodies of all the oz people in the emerald city to mount illuso, where they will share the same fate as your dorothy and her wizard friend." in spite of the assurance with which she spoke, the evil queen was uneasy when she recalled the disappearance of dorothy and the wizard from the cave of the doomed. had she underestimated the wizard's powers of magic? queen ra shrugged this thought from her mind. what had she to fear from two mere mortals? what had she to fear from anyone now? the emerald city was hers and oz was as good as conquered! "do not heed the threats of this wicked woman!" the scarecrow called to his captive companions. "she is boasting too soon!" at these words queen ra turned angrily upon the scarecrow. "enough of your insolence, miserable wretch!" she cried. "i will show you who is boasting. since you dare challenge me, i will destroy you immediately!" her eyes flashing with rage, queen ra leaped from the throne and moved toward the scarecrow. when she was about six feet from him, ra paused and muttered an incantation. instantly dancing flames of fire leaped from the marble floor of the throne room, making a circle around the scarecrow. with a smile of satisfaction, queen ra resumed her place on ozma's throne to enjoy the spectacle in comfort. the dancing circle of fire moved swiftly inward. as the blazing circle grew smaller in circumference, the flames leaped ever higher and closer to the helpless scarecrow, who stood in the circle's exact center. the leaping fire had moved so close to the scarecrow that it almost scorched his stuffed clothing. the friends of the scarecrow watched in horror. prisoners themselves, there was nothing they could do to save their old comrade from this terrible fate. "whish!" there was a sudden rush of air, and in the center of the throne room stood princess ozma and glinda the good on the exact spot from which they had vanished three days before. ozma swept the throne room with a glance that instantly comprehended the scarecrow's great danger. in another moment her old friend would be reduced to a pile of smoldering ashes. quick as a flash, the little princess pointed her fairy wand at the flames that were licking the straw man's boots. while the onlookers blinked, the flames vanished. a long sigh of relief went up from the scarecrow's friends. queen ra was glaring with terrible rage at the royal ozma, who advanced calmly toward the wicked queen with an expression of stern dignity on her girlish features. "who are you, and what are you doing on my throne?" ozma asked. "_your_ throne no longer!" replied ra harshly. "for you are no longer ruler of the land of oz. instead you are my prisoner, and soon i will make it impossible for you to interfere with my plans as you have just done." the stately glinda spoke now, her voice grave and thoughtful. "i believe i know who you are," she said. "you must be the queen of the evil mimics. i have read about you in my great book of records." "if this is true," said ozma sorrowfully, "then your mimic hordes are these creatures who so closely resemble my own beloved subjects, while the true oz people are robbed of the power of motion by your evil spell." "good!" sneered ra. "i am glad you understand everything so well. you have not a friend in the emerald city to aid you. everyone of your subjects in the city is a victim of the mimic magic. soon this will be true of all the land of oz. i am sure you will agree with me," queen ra went on mockingly, "that it is only fair and just that you should share your subjects' fate. indeed i know you are so foolishly loyal that you would not escape and leave your people to suffer even if you could. so king umb and i, ourselves, will oblige you by making it possible for you to join your beloved subjects. owing to your high rank as the two most powerful persons in the land of oz, we will do you the honor of taking your shapes." concluding this triumphant speech, queen ra grinned with malicious satisfaction and said gloatingly, "at last the royal ozma and the great glinda bow to a power greater than their own! come," she called to king umb, "you take the form of glinda, i will take that of ozma." with this the mimic monarchs advanced on ozma and glinda. the little ruler and glinda the good were silent. both realized that queen ra had spoken the truth when she had declared their powers to be useless against the mimics. therefore the girl ruler and the sorceress made no effort to combat their enemies, but stood bravely and proudly awaiting their fate. at that very moment when king umb and queen ra were about to seize the shadows of ozma and glinda, a small, black form streaked with the speed of light from underneath ozma's throne straight to the menacing figures of the mimic king and queen. it was toto! with fierce growls and barks he began worrying and snapping at the ankles of the mimic monarchs. the sudden appearance of the little dog and his desperate attack took ra and umb completely by surprise. for a moment they entirely forgot ozma and glinda and devoted all their efforts to freeing themselves from the snapping jaws of the furiously snarling little dog. this respite which toto had so bravely won saved ozma and glinda from sharing the fate of their subjects. a few seconds after toto's attack, there suddenly appeared in the entrance of the throne room three figures, two of whom the scarecrow joyfully recognized as dorothy and the little wizard. they were accompanied by a maiden who was unknown to the scarecrow but whose beauty was quite evident. for an instant the trio stood in the doorway, surveying the strange scene that met their eyes in ozma's royal throne room. chapter ozana's fairy arts swiftly princess ozana--for the maiden was she--advanced to the center of the throne room. she was followed closely by the wizard and dorothy, who bore in her arms the sleeping form of a tiny, white kitten. at the appearance of dorothy, toto stopped worrying the ankles of king umb and queen ra and ran to meet the little girl. so happy was the excited little dog to see his beloved mistress that he even ignored the presence of the sleeping kitten. dorothy knelt and caressed him. meanwhile, queen ra, recognizing ozana, paled and gasped: "the guardian of oz!" "yes," admitted ozana calmly, "it is i, princess ozana." king umb was so terrified at the appearance of the little maiden that the big fellow's knees knocked together and his face turned a sickly, green hue. but it cannot be said that queen ra lacked courage. after the first shock of ozana's appearance, the queen summoned her spirits and faced the fairy maid defiantly. ra had determined not to give up her triumph without a struggle. clasping her palms to dorothy's magic belt, the mimic queen whispered a command to it. but nothing happened. ozana divined what the queen was about, but she only smiled. in a rage, queen ra tore the useless belt from her waist and flung it to the throne room floor. "you should know better," ozana gently chided the infuriated queen, "than to attempt to work such simple magic on me. even if you had succeeded in transforming me into a wooden doll, i would still have retained my fairy powers and been able to defeat you." fright and realization that she was defeated mingled in queen ra's eyes as she stared at ozana. the unhappy queen said not a word. she sat spellbound, gazing with fearful fascination at the serene features of her girlish opponent. ozana was speaking with an air of calm justice. "because i appeared absorbed in my own occupations," she addressed queen ra, "you counted me harmless. you believed i would be unaware of your evil-doing. you thought you could attack oz without my knowing it. but you were wrong. and now the time has come for me to fulfill the trust placed in me by queen lurline when she made me guardian of oz. at that time she imparted to me the same powers over the race of mimics that only she, of all fairies, possesses. i shall use those powers as queen lurline would wish me to. i shall place her enchantment once more on the mimics so that they will be powerless to steal the shapes of all who dwell in the land of oz. at the same time, the re-weaving of this fairy enchantment will release all those oz people whose shapes are now held by the mimics." as ozana completed this speech, she described a large circle in the air before her with her fairy wand. immediately that space was filled with a silvery, cloud-like radiance that glowed and shimmered. then, while ozma and the rest watched, a scene appeared in the cloud of silver mist. dorothy and the wizard recognized it as the interior of the mimic cavern inside hollow mount illuso. far in the top of the cavern they saw a scarlet spider web, in the center of which squatted a huge crimson spider. while those in the throne room watched with fascinated interest, the spider, seeming to sense that it was being observed, scuttled with a sudden, crab-like motion to the outer edge of the web. there it squatted, its eyes glowing like dull, red coals. with the tip of her wand, ozana touched the head of the image of the spider. instantly, the creature leaped into the air and trembled convulsively, as though it had received an electric shock. then it began slowly to dissolve before their eyes. first its legs wilted, grew shapeless and melted away. next its body collapsed inwardly, like an over-ripe melon, finally shriveling and disappearing altogether. now the spellbound spectators in the throne room saw a spot of silver light appear on the outermost strand of the crimson web. the light raced over every coil of the immense web, progressing swiftly to the web's center. as fast as the silver light flashed along the scarlet coils, they vanished. in a few seconds more not a trace remained of the vast web or its loathsome occupant. the point of cleansing silver light winked out; the image of the mimic cavern faded; and the silver mist vanished from the throne room. at this same instant, shouts of joy and exchanges of affectionate greetings rang through the royal palace and were echoed throughout the emerald city. the sound of these happy voices told princess ozma that her beloved subjects were no longer under the spell of the mimics. in the throne room itself, the mimic-oz people, who had bound the scarecrow and his companions and brought them before king umb and queen ra, vanished. in their places stood mimics in their variety of repulsive animal and bird shapes. while the startled oz people watched, the mimics flitted and shifted about the royal throne room, changing their forms in the manner peculiar to these creatures. but for the moment the mimics were forgotten, as all eyes were fastened with admiration and gratitude on princess ozana. ozana smiled happily. "queen ra," she said, "you are now quite powerless to harm the people of oz." queen ra, who had watched ozana's fairy magic with fascinated interest, knew she was utterly defeated. all her old arrogance and overbearing manner vanished. with bowed head, she refrained from meeting the eyes of ozana or those of any of her former victims. chapter in the mirrored ballroom now ozma stepped forward. with happy tears of gratitude sparkling in her eyes, she grasped the hands of princess ozana. "how can i ever thank you for what you have done?" ozana seemed embarrassed. "the truth is," she admitted, "had i done my duty, as queen lurline instructed, and watched the mimics more closely, the creatures would never have dared to invade oz. i owe all of you my humblest apology for this neglect of duty. the least i could do," she added soberly, "was to right the wrongs already committed." "well," said dorothy happily, "all's well that ends well, an' we think you're fine, ozana." "thank you, my dear," smiled ozana, affectionately stroking the little girl's hair. "i think we owe toto a great debt of thanks," observed the wise glinda. "had it not been for the little dog's bravery, you and i, ozma, would have undergone the unpleasant experience of becoming mimic victims." "you are right," agreed ozma, turning to the dog. "i had not forgotten your brave action, toto. nothing glinda and i can say or do will properly reward you. nevertheless i shall have made for you a handsome new collar studded with emeralds and bearing your name in gold letters as a slight token of our gratitude." "thank you, your highness," said toto shyly. "it was nothing, really. when i saw the big birds stealing the shapes of trot and betsy and button bright and all the others out in the garden, i was frightened so i ran and hid under your throne. i could peep out and see everything that was going on, and when the mimic king and queen threatened you and glinda i became so angry that i just forgot about everything else." "good dog!" said the wizard, patting toto's head. dorothy beamed proudly at her little pet. "dear me!" exclaimed ozma, gazing at the mimics in the throne room. "how are we ever to transport all these creatures to their cavern home? we can't have them here to overrun oz, even though they are now harmless," she added, shuddering with revulsion at the shifting shapes of evil assumed by the mimics. "that is simple," said ozana. "is there a room in the palace with a great many mirrors?" "yes," replied ozma, "the grand ballroom which adjoins the throne room--its walls and ceiling are composed entirely of mirrors." "then let us go to the ballroom," said ozana. ozma and glinda led ozana to the entrance of the grand ballroom. dorothy and the wizard and toto followed. ozana paused before the great door which was flung wide open. in her bell-like voice she murmured the words of a powerful fairy spell. immediately king umb and queen ra, followed by the other mimics in the throne room, advanced as though they were in a trance to the portal of the mirrored ballroom. then they passed into the room itself. ozana continued to chant her fairy spell. now came a whole procession of the mimic creatures, first from all over the royal palace and finally from every part of the emerald city. they came trooping in by the hundreds, wearing a myriad of fantastic shapes and forms. at length the very last mimic had entered the ballroom, and, huge though the room was, it seemed to the onlookers that it must surely be filled to overflowing with the mimic horde. by this time, the scarecrow, scraps, tik-tok and the rest who had been bound with ropes by the mimics were freed and they with trot, cap'n bill, betsy bobbin, button bright and the others all crowded about the entrance to look curiously into the ballroom. even the cowardly lion, the hungry tiger and hank the mule crowded into the throne room. the three beasts had awakened from the sleep cast on them by queen ra when ozana had re-woven the spell that protected the oz inhabitants. "why," rumbled the cowardly lion, "the room's empty!" in a sense the lion was right. there was no one in the grand ballroom, it was true. but dorothy and the others could plainly see the flitting, shifting shadow shapes of the mimics in the mirrors that paneled the walls and ceiling of the great room--shadow creatures caught and confined in the depths of the mirrors! "i wonder," dorothy whispered, "what will become of them." chapter the shattering of the mirrors "now we can send the mimics back to mount illuso at will," said ozana in answer to dorothy's question. "all we need to do is shatter the mirrors and the mimics will return to their gloomy realm, banished forever from oz." it was ozma who followed ozana's suggestion and brought about the breaking of the mirrors. the dainty ruler lifted her wand and murmured a fairy charm. instantly every mirror in the grand ballroom shivered and shattered with a vast, tinkling sound. not one of the scores of mirrors in the great chamber was left whole. "it would be too bad," ozana remarked, "to mar permanently the beauty of your lovely ballroom." she lifted her wand, and while the onlookers blinked the mirrors were whole again. in their gleaming depths was no trace of the mimic horde. the grand ballroom was as splendid as ever. as it was now nearing noon, ozma graciously invited ozana to join her and glinda with dorothy and the wizard, aunt em, trot, cap'n bill, betsy bobbin, button bright, the scarecrow, scraps and others of her friends for luncheon in the dining room of her own royal suite. dorothy and the wizard related their adventures on mount illuso, and then the scarecrow tried to make clear to ozma, glinda and dorothy and the wizard everything that had happened in the emerald city during their absence. scraps helped him out, and betsy bobbin reminded him of things he had forgotten, while trot chimed in, and button bright wanted to tell the story his way. there was such a chatter it was a wonder ozma and the rest understood anything. just as the meal was about to end, there was a knock on the door and uncle henry breathlessly entered the room. after aunt em and dorothy had hugged and kissed uncle henry, dorothy told him how she had got back to the emerald city. (he had read an account of the rest of her adventures in glinda's great book of records the night before.) scraps, helped out by aunt em, filled in the details of what had happened in the palace since he and the sawhorse had left. when they had finished, uncle henry exhibited several sheets of paper closely filled with writing. "here's the whole story of the mimics. i copied everything the great book of records had to say about 'em, and then i left glinda's castle last night, travelin' all night long so as to get here as early today as possible. but i guess," he concluded, gazing ruefully at the papers he carried, "these ain't much use anymore." "not one of us could have done better than you did, uncle henry," ozma consoled him. "instead of regretting your trip," she added wisely, "let us instead be grateful that there is no longer any need for us to concern ourselves with what the great book of records has to say about the mimics." glinda announced that she must return to her castle in the quadling country, from which she had been absent too long. bidding good-bye to all her friends, the great sorceress was transported in the twinkling of an eye by her magic art to her far-away castle. with glinda's departure the rest of ozma's guests began to take their leave, until finally the girl ruler was alone with only dorothy and ozana. ozma had noticed that throughout the merry luncheon, ozana had appeared quiet and subdued, as though she were deeply occupied with thoughts of her own. "tell me," ozma said gently, taking princess ozana's hand in her own, "is there something troubling you, my dear?" with a smile, ozana replied, "yes, ozma, there is. truthfully, i dread returning to lonely mount illuso. in the short time i have been privileged to enjoy the companionship of dorothy and the wizard, and the society of the oz people here in the emerald city, i have come to realize more than ever what a terribly lonely life i lead on mount illuso. and," she added, gazing affectionately at dorothy, "i have become very fond of little dorothy. i shall be very sorry indeed to leave her and all the rest of you for that forsaken mountain top." ozma laughed softly. "everyone loves our princess dorothy. but," and the little ruler's expression grew serious as she continued, "i sympathize with you, ozana. perhaps there is a way out of your predicament. is there any real reason why you should return to mount illuso? the mimics are harmless enough now. we can follow their actions in the magic picture and the great book of records. and you can use your fairy powers to control the mimics from the land of oz as easily as you could from the top of mount illuso." "you mean--?" exclaimed ozana eagerly. "that we would like nothing better than to have you make your home here in the land of oz," said ozma warmly. "furthermore it is my belief that through your long years of lonely vigil on mount illuso, and your courageous rescue of the people of oz from the mimics, you have more than earned a home in oz." "oh, ozma, thank you!" exclaimed ozana. and then she added doubtfully, "do you think queen lurline will give her consent?" "i see no reason why she should not," answered ozma. "it so happens that i am to speak with queen lurline within the hour. we made arrangements to confer this afternoon on some important happenings in the great outside world. during our conversation i will ask her about your remaining in oz." "thank you, ozma," murmured ozana. "i can't begin to tell you how grateful i am." "now if you will excuse me," said ozma, "i must prepare to establish communication with queen lurline." arm in arm, dorothy and ozana made their way to dorothy's rooms, where they spent the next hour in conversation. dorothy was well pleased with the prospect of ozana's making her home in oz, for she believed the princess would be a delightful companion. at last there came a gentle rap on the door, and princess ozma entered dorothy's room. ozana and dorothy rose to their feet and looked questioningly at ozma. "it is all settled," the girl ruler announced with her brightest smile. "queen lurline readily gave her consent. from this moment on, dear cousin, you are no longer ozana of mount illuso, but ozana, princess of oz." chapter what the magic picture revealed after the first happy excitement over ozma's news had subsided ozana grew serious and dorothy thought she detected a note of sadness in the fairy maid's voice as she said: "there is one duty i must perform, ozma, before i can begin my new existence as an inhabitant of your lovely fairyland." "what is that?" asked ozma. "i must restore the pine folk and their village to their original forms, as part of the pine forest that covers the top of mount illuso. likewise, story blossom garden must be returned to its original state, that is, ordinary wild flowers blossoming in the forest." "why must you do that?" asked dorothy. "since i am not to return to mount illuso, the pine folk and the garden are left entirely to the mercy of the mimics and other wicked creatures who dwell in the land of the phanfasms. quick transformation of the mountain top to its original state is far better than destruction of the village and the garden by creatures of evil." ozana's voice was tinged with real regret. "ozma, may i look into your magic picture to see the garden and the village just once more, before i cause them to vanish forever?" ozma made no reply other than to nod and lead the way to her boudoir where hung the magic picture. dorothy was mystified by the expression on the little ruler's face. she was sure ozma was repressing a smile and was secretly amused at something. on the way to ozma's boudoir, dorothy, who had grown fond of felina the white kitten, asked, "what about felina, ozana? did you find her on mount illuso?" "no, indeed," ozana explained. "felina accompanied me when i first went to mount illuso. she is my own pet. she is a fairy kitten and is as old as i am--and that is many hundreds of years." standing before the magic picture, ozana said quietly, "i wish to see the story blossom garden on mount illuso." instantly the magic picture's familiar country scene faded. in its place appeared, not the lovely story blossom garden, but a barren, desert waste. even the blue pond had disappeared. there was no sign of any living thing in the dreary, desert scene. "what can it mean?" dorothy cried. "ozma, do you think something's gone wrong with the magic picture?" ozana paled slightly and her eyes were troubled as she spoke again, "i wish to see the village of pineville on mount illuso." this time the magic picture shifted only slightly to show a second expanse of grey wasteland as gloomy and forbidding as the first. "they are gone," cried ozana in dismay. "the garden and the village are gone!" to the amazement of ozana and dorothy, ozma met their consternation by laughing merrily. "of course they are gone," the little ruler said, "because they are here!" "what do you mean?" asked ozana. "first of all," began ozma, "you didn't think, did you, ozana, that no matter how much we wanted you to make your home with us, we would ask you to sacrifice your lovely story blossom garden and the quaint people of your village of pineville? queen lurline and i discussed this matter seriously and agreed we could not permit the garden and the village to be destroyed. so, after i finished my conversation with queen lurline, i consulted a map of the land of oz prepared by professor woggle bug and found just what i was looking for--a small mountain in the quadling country, only a short distance to the south from the emerald city and not far from miss cuttenclip's interesting village. the top of this mountain was about the same in area as the top of mount illuso, and it was an uninhabited sandy waste. while you and dorothy talked, i worked a powerful fairy spell that transported the pine forest, the village of pineville and the story blossom garden to the oz mountain top. hereafter that mountain will be known as story blossom mountain. that is why my magic picture showed only a desert waste when you asked to see the pine village and the story blossom garden on mount illuso. the magic picture couldn't show them to you _on mount illuso_ for they are no longer there! "instead," ozma concluded, "they are here in the land of oz." turning to the magic picture, she said, "i wish to see story blossom garden on story blossom mountain." the image of the desert waste faded and in the frame of the magic picture appeared the beautiful fairy garden. the vision was so real that dorothy could almost hear the blossoms whispering among themselves. bright tears of joy and gratitude sparkled in ozana's violet eyes. "what happened to hi-lo and his elevator?" dorothy asked. "they were transported, too," replied ozma quickly. "i imagine," the girl ruler went on, "that hi-lo will be a very busy little man, carrying visitors up and down in his elevator. and you, ozana, will be able to live in your pretty cottage and work in your wonderful garden without fear of ever becoming lonely. every day will bring you visitors from the emerald city and all parts of the land of oz who will be eager to see the pine folk and their village and to enjoy story blossom garden. really, ozana, it is we who are indebted to you," ozma concluded. dorothy beamed lovingly at ozma. then, turning to ozana, the little girl said, "now i guess you understand ozana, why you're just about the luckiest person in the whole world to be invited to live in the land of oz." chapter the grand banquet the next day was given over entirely to welcoming ozana to oz. early in the morning, the sawhorse was hitched to the red wagon, and a merry company of travelers rode out of the emerald city to be the first visitors to story blossom mountain. in the front seat of the red wagon rode ozma, ozana, dorothy and trot. in the rear seat were betsy bobbin, cap'n bill, the wizard and the scarecrow. the sawhorse needed no reins to guide him, as this intelligent horse responded to spoken commands. being tireless and having no need for oats or water, he was in many ways superior to ordinary horses. as the red wagon pulled up near the entrance to hi-lo's elevator, the party was met by flaxen-haired miss cuttenclip. not far distant was a pretty little paper village of paper people, ruled over by miss cuttenclip, who had skillfully cut out the entire village and all its inhabitants from "live" paper furnished her by glinda the good. ozma had communicated with miss cuttenclip before the journey, inviting her to meet them and visit story blossom mountain and afterwards to accompany them to the emerald city for the grand banquet to be given that evening in ozana's honor. ozana and miss cuttenclip became friends at once. hi-lo greeted ozana and the rest joyfully, but it was necessary for him to make two trips to carry this large party to the mountain top. ozana showed the visitors around the village of pineville and story blossom garden. on the surface of the blue pond floated the three swans. knowing that ozana would no longer need them to carry her back to mount illuso, ozma had thoughtfully transported the swans from the court-yard of her palace to their pond when she had worked the fairy spell that had brought the story blossom garden to oz. after passing several happy hours in the story blossom garden, ozana and her guests returned to the bottom of the mountain, where the sawhorse and the red wagon waited to carry them back to the emerald city. the rest of the day was devoted to preparing for the grand banquet to be given in ozana's honor that evening in the grand dining room of the royal palace. all of ozma's old friends and companions were invited. late in the afternoon the guests began arriving. the tin woodman journeyed from his glittering tin castle in the winkie country. jack pumpkinhead left his house, a huge, hollowed-out pumpkin in the middle of a pumpkin field. the highly magnified and thoroughly educated woggle bug traveled from the royal athletic college of oz, of which he was principal. among other guests who came from great distances were glinda the good, the giant frogman, cayke the cookie cook, dr. pipt--the crooked magician who was no longer crooked nor a magician, his wife margolotte, the good witch of the north and lady aurex queen of the skeezers. dorothy transported all of these visitors to the emerald city by means of her magic belt, except glinda, who arrived by her own magic. the grand banquet proved to be one of the most brilliant and delightful occasions ever to be enjoyed in the emerald city, and was long remembered by all who were present. in addition to the delicious food, there was music and special entertainment for the guests. the scarecrow made a gallant speech of welcome to which ozana charmingly replied. the woggle bug could not be restrained from reading an "ode to ozana," which he claimed he had composed on the spur of the moment, writing it on the cuff of his shirt sleeve. a number of the guests thought the composition sounded suspiciously like an "ode to ozma," which the woggle bug had written some years before, but they were all too kind-hearted to mention this. the tin woodman sang a love song, which he had written especially for the occasion, and which he had titled "you're my tin type." while the song was only moderately good, the tin woodman sang in a metallic tenor with great feeling and the company applauded politely. then the little wizard made them all gasp with a truly wonderful display of magic. the wizard opened his show by causing a fountain of many colored flames of fire to appear in the center of the banquet table. at his command, streamers of fire of different colors--red, green, blue, rose, orange, violet--leaped out from the burning fountain to touch the unlighted candles that stood at the place of each guest. after this the fountain of fire vanished while the now-lighted candles continued to burn throughout the banquet, each shedding the light imparted to it by the colored fire. the wizard concluded his entertainment by tossing a napkin into the air above the banquet table. instantly the napkin disappeared and a storm of confetti showered down on the guests, while band after band of what appeared to be brightly colored paper ribbon fell over the party. but it didn't take button bright long to discover and announce with shouts of glee to the rest of the guests, that the confetti and the many colored paper ribbons were really the most delicious of spearmint, peppermint, clove, licorice, lime, lemon, orange and chocolate candies and mints. this, of course, provided the perfect ending for the dinner. at the table occupied by the animals, there was a great deal of talking and merry-making. toto received many compliments on his handsome new red leather collar, embellished with clusters of emeralds and his own name in solid gold letters. princess ozma, herself, had fitted the collar about the proud little dog's neck that very afternoon as a tribute to toto's loyalty and bravery. just as the happy banquet was about to end, toto, who had been so absorbed in all the excitement and the wizard's marvelous tricks, that he had scarcely tasted his food, turned to his bowl of milk. he found the tiny white kitten felina daintily lapping the last of the milk from the bowl with her little, pink tongue. toto sniffed. "i never could understand," he growled, "what it is that witches and fairies and little girls see in cats!" the end the land of oz the further adventures of a sequel to the wizard of oz by l. frank baum [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] the famous oz books since when l. frank baum introduced to the children of america the wonderful wizard of oz and all the other exciting characters who inhabit the land of oz, these delightful fairy tales have stimulated the imagination of millions of young readers. these are stories which are genuine fantasy--creative, funny, tender, exciting and surprising. filled with the rarest and most absurd creatures, each of the = = volumes which now comprise the series, has been eagerly sought out by generation after generation until today they are known to all except the very young or those who were never young at all. when, in a recent survey, =the new york times= polled a group of teenagers on the books they liked best when they were young, the oz books topped the list. _the famous oz books_ by l. frank baum: the wizard of oz the land of oz ozma of oz dorothy and the wizard in oz the road to oz the emerald city of oz the patchwork girl of oz tik-tok of oz the scarecrow of oz rinkitink in oz the lost princess of oz the tin woodman of oz the magic of oz glinda of oz chicago the reilly & lee co. _publishers_ [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the land _of_ oz ] [illustration: tip manufactures a pumpkinhead] the land of oz being an account of the further adventures of the scarecrow and tin woodman and also the strange experiences of the highly magnified woggle-bug, jack pumpkinhead, the animated saw-horse and the gump; the story being a sequel _to_ the wizard _of_ oz by l. frank baum author of father goose--his book; the wizard of oz; the magical monarch of mo; the enchanted isle of yew, the life and adventures _of_ santa claus; dot and tot of merryland etc., etc. pictured by john r. neill chicago the reilly & lee company [illustration: copyright by l. frank baum all rights reserved ] [illustration: author's note after the publication of "the wonderful wizard of oz" i began to receive letters from children, telling me of their pleasure in reading the story and asking me to "write something more" about the scarecrow and the tin woodman. at first i considered these little letters, frank and earnest though they were, in the light of pretty compliments; but the letters continued to come during succeeding months, and even years. finally i promised one little girl, who made a long journey to see me and prefer her request,--and she is a "dorothy," by the way--that when a thousand little girls had written me a thousand little letters asking for another story of the scarecrow and the tin woodman, i would write the book. either little dorothy was a fairy in disguise, and waved her magic wand, or the success of the stage production of "the wizard of oz" made new friends for the story. for the thousand letters reached their destination long since--and many more followed them. and now, although pleading guilty to a long delay, i have kept my promise in this book. l. frank baum. chicago, june, . ] [illustration: to those excellent good fellows and eminent comedians =david c. montgomery= and =fred a. stone= whose clever personations of the tin woodman and the scarecrow have delighted thousands of children throughout the land, this book is gratefully dedicated by the author ] [illustration: tip. jack mombi scarecrow tin woodman woggle-bug gump ] list of chapters page tip manufactures a pumpkinhead the marvelous powder of life the flight of the fugitives tip makes an experiment in magic the awakening of the saw-horse jack pumpkinhead's ride his majesty, the scarecrow general jinjur's army of revolt the scarecrow plans an escape the journey to the tin woodman a nickel-plated emperor mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e. a highly magnified history old mombi indulges in witchcraft the prisoners of the queen the scarecrow takes time to think the astonishing flight of the gump in the jackdaws' nest dr. nikidik's famous wishing pills the scarecrow appeals to glinda the tin woodman plucks a rose the transformation of old mombi princess ozma of oz the riches of content [illustration] [illustration: the land _of_ oz ] [illustration] [illustration: tip manufactures a pumpkinhead ] in the country of the gillikins, which is at the north of the land of oz, lived a youth called tip. there was more to his name than that, for old mombi often declared that his whole name was tippetarius; but no one was expected to say such a long word when "tip" would do just as well. this boy remembered nothing of his parents, for he had been brought when quite young to be reared by the old woman known as mombi, whose reputation, i am sorry to say, was none of the best. for the gillikin people had reason to suspect her of indulging in magical arts, and therefore hesitated to associate with her. mombi was not exactly a witch, because the good witch who ruled that part of the land of oz had forbidden any other witch to exist in her dominions. so tip's guardian, however much she might aspire to working magic, realized it was unlawful to be more than a sorceress, or at most a wizardess. [illustration] tip was made to carry wood from the forest, that the old woman might boil her pot. he also worked in the corn-fields, hoeing and husking; and he fed the pigs and milked the four-horned cow that was mombi's especial pride. but you must not suppose he worked all the time, for he felt that would be bad for him. when sent to the forest tip often climbed trees for birds' eggs or amused himself chasing the fleet white rabbits or fishing in the brooks with bent pins. then he would hastily gather his armful of wood and carry it home. and when he was supposed to be working in the corn-fields, and the tall stalks hid him from mombi's view, tip would often dig in the gopher holes, or--if the mood seized him--lie upon his back between the rows of corn and take a nap. so, by taking care not to exhaust his strength, he grew as strong and rugged as a boy may be. mombi's curious magic often frightened her neighbors, and they treated her shyly, yet respectfully, because of her weird powers. but tip frankly hated her, and took no pains to hide his feelings. indeed, he sometimes showed less respect for the old woman than he should have done, considering she was his guardian. [illustration] there were pumpkins in mombi's corn-fields, lying golden red among the rows of green stalks; and these had been planted and carefully tended that the four-horned cow might eat of them in the winter time. but one day, after the corn had all been cut and stacked, and tip was carrying the pumpkins to the stable, he took a notion to make a "jack lantern" and try to give the old woman a fright with it. so he selected a fine, big pumpkin--one with a lustrous, orange-red color--and began carving it. with the point of his knife he made two round eyes, a three-cornered nose, and a mouth shaped like a new moon. the face, when completed, could not have been considered strictly beautiful; but it wore a smile so big and broad, and was so jolly in expression, that even tip laughed as he looked admiringly at his work. the child had no playmates, so he did not know that boys often dig out the inside of a "pumpkin-jack," and in the space thus made put a lighted candle to render the face more startling; but he conceived an idea of his own that promised to be quite as effective. he decided to manufacture the form of a man, who would wear this pumpkin head, and to stand it in a place where old mombi would meet it face to face. "and then," said tip to himself, with a laugh, "she'll squeal louder than the brown pig does when i pull her tail, and shiver with fright worse than i did last year when i had the ague!" he had plenty of time to accomplish this task, for mombi had gone to a village--to buy groceries, she said--and it was a journey of at least two days. so he took his axe to the forest, and selected some stout, straight saplings, which he cut down and trimmed of all their twigs and leaves. from these he would make the arms, and legs, and feet of his man. for the body he stripped a sheet of thick bark from around a big tree, and with much labor fashioned it into a cylinder of about the right size, pinning the edges together with wooden pegs. then, whistling happily as he worked, he carefully jointed the limbs and fastened them to the body with pegs whittled into shape with his knife. by the time this feat had been accomplished it began to grow dark, and tip remembered he must milk the cow and feed the pigs. so he picked up his wooden man and carried it back to the house with him. during the evening, by the light of the fire in the kitchen, tip carefully rounded all the edges of the joints and smoothed the rough places in a neat and workmanlike manner. then he stood the figure up against the wall and admired it. it seemed remarkably tall, even for a full-grown man; but that was a good point in a small boy's eyes, and tip did not object at all to the size of his creation. next morning, when he looked at his work again, tip saw he had forgotten to give the dummy a neck, by means of which he might fasten the pumpkinhead to the body. so he went again to the forest, which was not far away, and chopped from a tree several pieces of wood with which to complete his work. when he returned he fastened a cross-piece to the upper end of the body, making a hole through the center to hold upright the neck. the bit of wood which formed this neck was also sharpened at the upper end, and when all was ready tip put on the pumpkin head, pressing it well down onto the neck, and found that it fitted very well. the head could be turned to one side or the other, as he pleased, and the hinges of the arms and legs allowed him to place the dummy in any position he desired. "now, that," declared tip, proudly, "is really a very fine man, and it ought to frighten several screeches out of old mombi! but it would be much more lifelike if it were properly dressed." to find clothing seemed no easy task; but tip boldly ransacked the great chest in which mombi kept all her keepsakes and treasures, and at the very bottom he discovered some purple trousers, a red shirt and a pink vest which was dotted with white spots. these he carried away to his man and succeeded, although the garments did not fit very well, in dressing the creature in a jaunty fashion. some knit stockings belonging to mombi and a much worn pair of his own shoes completed the man's apparel, and tip was so delighted that he danced up and down and laughed aloud in boyish ecstasy. "i must give him a name!" he cried. "so good a man as this must surely have a name. i believe," he added, after a moment's thought, "i will name the fellow 'jack pumpkinhead!'" [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the marvelous powder of life ] after considering the matter carefully, tip decided that the best place to locate jack would be at the bend in the road, a little way from the house. so he started to carry his man there, but found him heavy and rather awkward to handle. after dragging the creature a short distance tip stood him on his feet, and by first bending the joints of one leg, and then those of the other,--at the same time pushing from behind,--the boy managed to induce jack to walk to the bend in the road. it was not accomplished without a few tumbles, and tip really worked harder than he ever had in the fields or forest; but a love of mischief urged him on, and it pleased him to test the cleverness of his workmanship. "jack's all right, and works fine!" he said to himself, panting with the unusual exertion. but just then he discovered the man's left arm had fallen off in the journey; so he went back to find it, and afterward, by whittling a new and stouter pin for the shoulder-joint, he repaired the injury so successfully that the arm was stronger than before. tip also noticed that jack's pumpkin head had twisted around until it faced his back; but this was easily remedied. when, at last, the man was set up facing the turn in the path where old mombi was to appear, he looked natural enough to be a fair imitation of a gillikin farmer,--and unnatural enough to startle anyone that came on him unawares. as it was yet too early in the day to expect the old woman to return home, tip went down into the valley below the farm-house and began to gather nuts from the trees that grew there. however, old mombi returned earlier than usual. she had met a crooked wizard who resided in a lonely cave in the mountains, and had traded several important secrets of magic with him. having in this way secured three new recipes, four magical powders and a selection of herbs of wonderful power and potency, she hobbled home as fast as she could, in order to test her new sorceries. so intent was mombi on the treasures she had gained that when she turned the bend in the road and caught a glimpse of the man, she merely nodded and said: "good evening, sir." but, a moment after, noting that the person did not move or reply, she cast a shrewd glance into his face and discovered his pumpkin head--elaborately carved by tip's jack-knife. "heh!" ejaculated mombi, giving a sort of grunt; "that rascally boy has been playing tricks again! very good! ve--ry _good_! i'll beat him black-and-blue for trying to scare me in this fashion!" angrily she raised her stick to smash in the grinning pumpkin head of the dummy; but a sudden thought made her pause, the uplifted stick left motionless in the air. "why, here is a good chance to try my new powder!" said she, eagerly. "and then i can tell whether that crooked wizard has fairly traded secrets, or whether he has fooled me as wickedly as i fooled him." so she set down her basket and began fumbling in it for one of the precious powders she had obtained. while mombi was thus occupied tip strolled back, with his pockets full of nuts, and discovered the old woman standing beside his man and apparently not the least bit frightened by it. at first he was greatly disappointed; but the next moment he became curious to know what mombi was going to do. so he hid behind a hedge, where he could see without being seen, and prepared to watch. after some search the woman drew from her basket an old pepper-box, upon the faded label of which the wizard had written with a lead-pencil: "powder of life." "ah--here it is!" she cried, joyfully. "and now let us see if it is potent. the stingy wizard didn't give me much of it, but i guess there's enough for two or three doses." [illustration: "old mombi danced around him"] tip was much surprised when he overheard this speech. then he saw old mombi raise her arm and sprinkle the powder from the box over the pumpkin head of his man jack. she did this in the same way one would pepper a baked potato, and the powder sifted down from jack's head and scattered over the red shirt and pink waistcoat and purple trousers tip had dressed him in, and a portion even fell upon the patched and worn shoes. then, putting the pepper-box back into the basket, mombi lifted her left hand, with its little finger pointed upward, and said: "weaugh!" then she lifted her right hand, with the thumb pointed upward, and said: "teaugh!" then she lifted both hands, with all the fingers and thumbs spread out, and cried: "peaugh!" jack pumpkinhead stepped back a pace, at this, and said in a reproachful voice: "don't yell like that! do you think i'm deaf?" old mombi danced around him, frantic with delight. "he lives!" she screamed: "he lives! he lives!" then she threw her stick into the air and caught it as it came down; and she hugged herself with both arms, and tried to do a step of a jig; and all the time she repeated, rapturously: "he lives!--he lives!--he lives!" now you may well suppose that tip observed all this with amazement. at first he was so frightened and horrified that he wanted to run away, but his legs trembled and shook so badly that he couldn't. then it struck him as a very funny thing for jack to come to life, especially as the expression on his pumpkin face was so droll and comical it excited laughter on the instant. so, recovering from his first fear, tip began to laugh; and the merry peals reached old mombi's ears and made her hobble quickly to the hedge, where she seized tip's collar and dragged him back to where she had left her basket and the pumpkin-headed man. "you naughty, sneaking, wicked boy!" she exclaimed, furiously; "i'll teach you to spy out my secrets and to make fun of me!" "i wasn't making fun of you," protested tip. "i was laughing at old pumpkinhead! look at him! isn't he a picture, though?" "i hope you are not reflecting on my personal appearance," said jack; and it was so funny to hear his grave voice, while his face continued to wear its jolly smile, that tip again burst into a peal of laughter. even mombi was not without a curious interest in the man her magic had brought to life; for, after staring at him intently, she presently asked: [illustration: old mombi puts jack in the stable] "what do you know?" "well, that is hard to tell," replied jack. "for although i feel that i know a tremendous lot, i am not yet aware how much there is in the world to find out about. it will take me a little time to discover whether i am very wise or very foolish." "to be sure," said mombi, thoughtfully. "but what are you going to do with him, now he is alive?" asked tip, wondering. "i must think it over," answered mombi. "but we must get home at once, for it is growing dark. help the pumpkinhead to walk." "never mind me," said jack; "i can walk as well as you can. haven't i got legs and feet, and aren't they jointed?" "are they?" asked the woman, turning to tip. "of course they are; i made 'em myself," returned the boy, with pride. so they started for the house; but when they reached the farm yard old mombi led the pumpkin man to the cow stable and shut him up in an empty stall, fastening the door securely on the outside. "i've got to attend to you, first," she said, nodding her head at tip. hearing this, the boy became uneasy; for he knew mombi had a bad and revengeful heart, and would not hesitate to do any evil thing. they entered the house. it was a round, dome-shaped structure, as are nearly all the farm houses in the land of oz. mombi bade the boy light a candle, while she put her basket in a cupboard and hung her cloak on a peg. tip obeyed quickly, for he was afraid of her. after the candle had been lighted mombi ordered him to build a fire in the hearth, and while tip was thus engaged the old woman ate her supper. when the flames began to crackle the boy came to her and asked a share of the bread and cheese; but mombi refused him. "i'm hungry!" said tip, in a sulky tone. "you won't be hungry long," replied mombi, with a grim look. the boy didn't like this speech, for it sounded like a threat; but he happened to remember he had nuts in his pocket, so he cracked some of those and ate them while the woman rose, shook the crumbs from her apron, and hung above the fire a small black kettle. then she measured out equal parts of milk and vinegar and poured them into the kettle. next she produced several packets of herbs and powders and began adding a portion of each to the contents of the kettle. occasionally she would draw near the candle and read from a yellow paper the recipe of the mess she was concocting. as tip watched her his uneasiness increased. "what is that for?" he asked. "for you," returned mombi, briefly. tip wriggled around upon his stool and stared awhile at the kettle, which was beginning to bubble. then he would glance at the stern and wrinkled features of the witch and wish he were any place but in that dim and smoky kitchen, where even the shadows cast by the candle upon the wall were enough to give one the horrors. so an hour passed away, during which the silence was only broken by the bubbling of the pot and the hissing of the flames. finally, tip spoke again. "have i got to drink that stuff?" he asked, nodding toward the pot. "yes," said mombi. "what'll it do to me?" asked tip. "if it's properly made," replied mombi, "it will change or transform you into a marble statue." tip groaned, and wiped the perspiration from his forehead with his sleeve. "i don't want to be a marble statue!" he protested. "that doesn't matter; i want you to be one," said the old woman, looking at him severely. "what use'll i be then?" asked tip. "there won't be any one to work for you." "i'll make the pumpkinhead work for me," said mombi. again tip groaned. "why don't you change me into a goat, or a chicken?" he asked, anxiously. "you can't do anything with a marble statue." "oh, yes; i can," returned mombi. "i'm going to plant a flower garden, next spring, and i'll put you in the middle of it, for an ornament. i wonder i haven't thought of that before; you've been a bother to me for years." at this terrible speech tip felt the beads of perspiration starting all over his body; but he sat still and shivered and looked anxiously at the kettle. "perhaps it won't work," he muttered, in a voice that sounded weak and discouraged. "oh, i think it will," answered mombi, cheerfully. "i seldom make a mistake." again there was a period of silence--a silence so long and gloomy that when mombi finally lifted the kettle from the fire it was close to midnight. [illustration: "i don't want to be a marble statue."] "you cannot drink it until it has become quite cold," announced the old witch--for in spite of the law she had acknowledged practising witchcraft. "we must both go to bed now, and at daybreak i will call you and at once complete your transformation into a marble statue." with this she hobbled into her room, bearing the steaming kettle with her, and tip heard her close and lock the door. the boy did not go to bed, as he had been commanded to do, but still sat glaring at the embers of the dying fire. [illustration] [illustration: the flight of the fugitives ] tip reflected. "it's a hard thing, to be a marble statue," he thought, rebelliously, "and i'm not going to stand it. for years i've been a bother to her, she says; so she's going to get rid of me. well, there's an easier way than to become a statue. no boy could have any fun forever standing in the middle of a flower garden! i'll run away, that's what i'll do--and i may as well go before she makes me drink that nasty stuff in the kettle." he waited until the snores of the old witch announced she was fast asleep, and then he arose softly and went to the cupboard to find something to eat. "no use starting on a journey without food," he decided, searching upon the narrow shelves. he found some crusts of bread; but he had to look into mombi's basket to find the cheese she had brought from the village. while turning over the contents of the basket he came upon the pepper-box which contained the "powder of life." "i may as well take this with me," he thought, "or mombi'll be using it to make more mischief with." so he put the box in his pocket, together with the bread and cheese. then he cautiously left the house and latched the door behind him. outside both moon and stars shone brightly, and the night seemed peaceful and inviting after the close and ill-smelling kitchen. "i'll be glad to get away," said tip, softly; "for i never did like that old woman. i wonder how i ever came to live with her." he was walking slowly toward the road when a thought made him pause. "i don't like to leave jack pumpkinhead to the tender mercies of old mombi," he muttered. "and jack belongs to me, for i made him--even if the old witch did bring him to life." he retraced his steps to the cow-stable and opened the door of the stall where the pumpkin-headed man had been left. [illustration: "tip led him along the path."] jack was standing in the middle of the stall, and by the moonlight tip could see he was smiling just as jovially as ever. "come on!" said the boy, beckoning. "where to?" asked jack. "you'll know as soon as i do," answered tip, smiling sympathetically into the pumpkin face. "all we've got to do now is to tramp." "very well," returned jack, and walked awkwardly out of the stable and into the moonlight. tip turned toward the road and the man followed him. jack walked with a sort of limp, and occasionally one of the joints of his legs would turn backward, instead of frontwise, almost causing him to tumble. but the pumpkinhead was quick to notice this, and began to take more pains to step carefully; so that he met with few accidents. tip led him along the path without stopping an instant. they could not go very fast, but they walked steadily; and by the time the moon sank away and the sun peeped over the hills they had travelled so great a distance that the boy had no reason to fear pursuit from the old witch. moreover, he had turned first into one path, and then into another, so that should anyone follow them it would prove very difficult to guess which way they had gone, or where to seek them. [illustration] fairly satisfied that he had escaped--for a time, at least--being turned into a marble statue, the boy stopped his companion and seated himself upon a rock by the roadside. "let's have some breakfast," he said. jack pumpkinhead watched tip curiously, but refused to join in the repast. "i don't seem to be made the same way you are," he said. "i know you are not," returned tip; "for i made you." "oh! did you?" asked jack. "certainly. and put you together. and carved your eyes and nose and ears and mouth," said tip proudly. "and dressed you." jack looked at his body and limbs critically. "it strikes me you made a very good job of it," he remarked. "just so-so," replied tip, modestly; for he began to see certain defects in the construction of his man. "if i'd known we were going to travel together i might have been a little more particular." "why, then," said the pumpkinhead, in a tone that expressed surprise, "you must be my creator--my parent--my father!" "or your inventor," replied the boy with a laugh. "yes, my son; i really believe i am!" "then i owe you obedience," continued the man, "and you owe me--support." "that's it, exactly," declared tip, jumping up. "so let us be off." "where are we going?" asked jack, when they had resumed their journey. "i'm not exactly sure," said the boy; "but i believe we are headed south, and that will bring us, sooner or later, to the emerald city." "what city is that?" enquired the pumpkinhead. "why, it's the center of the land of oz, and the biggest town in all the country. i've never been there, myself, but i've heard all about its history. it was built by a mighty and wonderful wizard named oz, and everything there is of a green color--just as everything in this country of the gillikins is of a purple color." "is everything here purple?" asked jack. "of course it is. can't you see?" returned the boy. "i believe i must be color-blind," said the pumpkinhead, after staring about him. "well, the grass is purple, and the trees are purple, and the houses and fences are purple," explained tip. "even the mud in the roads is purple. but in the emerald city everything is green that is purple here. and in the country of the munchkins, over at the east, everything is blue; and in the south country of the quadlings everything is red; and in the west country of the winkies, where the tin woodman rules, everything is yellow." "oh!" said jack. then, after a pause, he asked: "did you say a tin woodman rules the winkies?" "yes; he was one of those who helped dorothy to destroy the wicked witch of the west, and the winkies were so grateful that they invited him to become their ruler,--just as the people of the emerald city invited the scarecrow to rule them." "dear me!" said jack. "i'm getting confused with all this history. who is the scarecrow?" "another friend of dorothy's," replied tip. "and who is dorothy?" "she was a girl that came here from kansas, a place in the big, outside world. she got blown to the land of oz by a cyclone, and while she was here the scarecrow and the tin woodman accompanied her on her travels." "and where is she now?" inquired the pumpkinhead. "glinda the good, who rules the quadlings, sent her home again," said the boy. "oh. and what became of the scarecrow?" "i told you. he rules the emerald city," answered tip. "i thought you said it was ruled by a wonderful wizard," objected jack, seeming more and more confused. "well, so i did. now, pay attention, and i'll explain it," said tip, speaking slowly and looking the smiling pumpkinhead squarely in the eye. "dorothy went to the emerald city to ask the wizard to send her back to kansas; and the scarecrow and the tin woodman went with her. but the wizard couldn't send her back, because he wasn't so much of a wizard as he might have been. and then they got angry at the wizard, and threatened to expose him; so the wizard made a big balloon and escaped in it, and no one has ever seen him since." "now, that is very interesting history," said jack, well pleased; "and i understand it perfectly--all but the explanation." "i'm glad you do," responded tip. "after the wizard was gone, the people of the emerald city made his majesty, the scarecrow, their king; and i have heard that he became a very popular ruler." "are we going to see this queer king?" asked jack, with interest. "i think we may as well," replied the boy; "unless you have something better to do." "oh, no, dear father," said the pumpkinhead. "i am quite willing to go wherever you please." [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: tip makes an experiment in magic ] the boy, small and rather delicate in appearance, seemed somewhat embarrassed at being called "father" by the tall, awkward, pumpkin-headed man; but to deny the relationship would involve another long and tedious explanation; so he changed the subject by asking, abruptly: "are you tired?" "of course not!" replied the other. "but," he continued, after a pause, "it is quite certain i shall wear out my wooden joints if i keep on walking." tip reflected, as they journeyed on, that this was true. he began to regret that he had not constructed the wooden limbs more carefully and substantially. yet how could he ever have guessed that the man he had made merely to scare old mombi with would be brought to life by means of a magical powder contained in an old pepper-box? so he ceased to reproach himself, and began to think how he might yet remedy the deficiencies of jack's weak joints. while thus engaged they came to the edge of a wood, and the boy sat down to rest upon an old saw-horse that some woodcutter had left there. [illustration] "why don't you sit down?" he asked the pumpkinhead. "won't it strain my joints?" inquired the other. "of course not. it'll rest them," declared the boy. so jack tried to sit down; but as soon as he bent his joints farther than usual they gave way altogether, and he came clattering to the ground with such a crash that tip feared he was entirely ruined. he rushed to the man, lifted him to his feet, straightened his arms and legs, and felt of his head to see if by chance it had become cracked. but jack seemed to be in pretty good shape, after all, and tip said to him: "i guess you'd better remain standing, hereafter. it seems the safest way." "very well, dear father; just as you say," replied the smiling jack, who had been in no wise confused by his tumble. tip sat down again. presently the pumpkinhead asked: "what is that thing you are sitting on?" "oh, this is a horse," replied the boy, carelessly. "what is a horse?" demanded jack. "a horse? why, there are two kinds of horses," returned tip, slightly puzzled how to explain. "one kind of horse is alive, and has four legs and a head and a tail. and people ride upon its back." "i understand," said jack, cheerfully. "that's the kind of horse you are now sitting on." "no, it isn't," answered tip, promptly. "why not? that one has four legs, and a head, and a tail." tip looked at the saw-horse more carefully, and found that the pumpkinhead was right. the body had been formed from a tree-trunk, and a branch had been left sticking up at one end that looked very much like a tail. in the other end were two big knots that resembled eyes, and a place had been chopped away that might easily be mistaken for the horse's mouth. as for the legs, they were four straight limbs cut from trees and stuck fast into the body, being spread wide apart so that the saw-horse would stand firmly when a log was laid across it to be sawed. "this thing resembles a real horse more than i imagined," said tip, trying to explain. "but a real horse is alive, and trots and prances and eats oats, while this is nothing more than a dead horse, made of wood, and used to saw logs upon." "if it were alive, wouldn't it trot, and prance, and eat oats?" inquired the pumpkinhead. "it would trot and prance, perhaps; but it wouldn't eat oats," replied the boy, laughing at the idea. "and of course it can't ever be alive, because it is made of wood." "so am i," answered the man. tip looked at him in surprise. "why, so you are!" he exclaimed. "and the magic powder that brought you to life is here in my pocket." [illustration: the magical powder of life] he brought out the pepper box, and eyed it curiously. "i wonder," said he, musingly, "if it would bring the saw-horse to life." "if it would," returned jack, calmly--for nothing seemed to surprise him--"i could ride on its back, and that would save my joints from wearing out." "i'll try it!" cried the boy, jumping up. "but i wonder if i can remember the words old mombi said, and the way she held her hands up." he thought it over for a minute, and as he had watched carefully from the hedge every motion of the old witch, and listened to her words, he believed he could repeat exactly what she had said and done. so he began by sprinkling some of the magic powder of life from the pepper-box upon the body of the saw-horse. then he lifted his left hand, with the little finger pointing upward, and said "weaugh!" "what does that mean, dear father?" asked jack, curiously. "i don't know," answered tip. then he lifted his right hand, with the thumb pointing upward, and said: "teaugh!" "what's that, dear father?" inquired jack. "it means you must keep quiet!" replied the boy, provoked at being interrupted at so important a moment. "how fast i am learning!" remarked the pumpkinhead, with his eternal smile. tip now lifted both hands above his head, with all the fingers and thumbs spread out, and cried in a loud voice: "peaugh!" immediately the saw-horse moved, stretched its legs, yawned with its chopped-out mouth, and shook a few grains of the powder off its back. the rest of the powder seemed to have vanished into the body of the horse. "good!" called jack, while the boy looked on in astonishment. "you are a very clever sorcerer, dear father!" [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the awakening of the saw-horse ] the saw-horse, finding himself alive, seemed even more astonished than tip. he rolled his knotty eyes from side to side, taking a first wondering view of the world in which he had now so important an existence. then he tried to look at himself; but he had, indeed, no neck to turn; so that in the endeavor to see his body he kept circling around and around, without catching even a glimpse of it. his legs were stiff and awkward, for there were no knee-joints in them; so that presently he bumped against jack pumpkinhead and sent that personage tumbling upon the moss that lined the roadside. tip became alarmed at this accident, as well as at the persistence of the saw-horse in prancing around in a circle; so he called out: "whoa! whoa, there!" the saw-horse paid no attention whatever to this command, and the next instant brought one of his wooden legs down upon tip's foot so forcibly that the boy danced away in pain to a safer distance, from where he again yelled: "whoa! whoa, i say!" jack had now managed to raise himself to a sitting position, and he looked at the saw-horse with much interest. "i don't believe the animal can hear you," he remarked. "i shout loud enough, don't i?" answered tip, angrily. "yes; but the horse has no ears," said the smiling pumpkinhead. "sure enough!" exclaimed tip, noting the fact for the first time. "how, then, am i going to stop him?" but at that instant the saw-horse stopped himself, having concluded it was impossible to see his own body. he saw tip, however, and came close to the boy to observe him more fully. it was really comical to see the creature walk; for it moved the legs on its right side together, and those on its left side together, as a pacing horse does; and that made its body rock sidewise, like a cradle. tip patted it upon the head, and said "good boy! good boy!" in a coaxing tone; and the saw-horse pranced away to examine with its bulging eyes the form of jack pumpkinhead. "i must find a halter for him," said tip; and having made a search in his pocket he produced a roll of strong cord. unwinding this, he approached the saw-horse and tied the cord around its neck, afterward fastening the other end to a large tree. the saw-horse, not understanding the action, stepped backward and snapped the string easily; but it made no attempt to run away. "he's stronger than i thought," said the boy, "and rather obstinate, too." "why don't you make him some ears?" asked jack. "then you can tell him what to do." "that's a splendid idea!" said tip. "how did you happen to think of it?" "why, i didn't think of it," answered the pumpkinhead; "i didn't need to, for it's the simplest and easiest thing to do." so tip got out his knife and fashioned some ears out of the bark of a small tree. "i mustn't make them too big," he said, as he whittled, "or our horse would become a donkey." "how is that?" inquired jack, from the roadside. "why, a horse has bigger ears than a man; and a donkey has bigger ears than a horse," explained tip. "then, if my ears were longer, would i be a horse?" asked jack. "my friend," said tip, gravely, "you'll never be anything but a pumpkinhead, no matter how big your ears are." "oh," returned jack, nodding; "i think i understand." "if you do, you're a wonder," remarked the boy; "but there's no harm in _thinking_ you understand. i guess these ears are ready now. will you hold the horse while i stick them on?" "certainly, if you'll help me up," said jack. so tip raised him to his feet, and the pumpkinhead went to the horse and held its head while the boy bored two holes in it with his knife-blade and inserted the ears. "they make him look very handsome," said jack, admiringly. but those words, spoken close to the saw-horse, and being the first sounds he had ever heard, so startled the animal that he made a bound forward and tumbled tip on one side and jack on the other. then he continued to rush forward as if frightened by the clatter of his own footsteps. "whoa!" shouted tip, picking himself up; "whoa! you idiot--whoa!" the saw-horse would probably have paid no attention to this, but just then it stepped a leg into a gopher-hole and stumbled head-over-heels to the ground, where it lay upon its back, frantically waving its four legs in the air. tip ran up to it. "you're a nice sort of a horse, i must say!" he exclaimed. "why didn't you stop when i yelled 'whoa?'" "does 'whoa' mean to stop?" asked the saw-horse, in a surprised voice, as it rolled its eyes upward to look at the boy. "of course it does," answered tip. "and a hole in the ground means to stop, also, doesn't it?" continued the horse. "to be sure; unless you step over it," said tip. "what a strange place this is," the creature exclaimed, as if amazed. "what am i doing here, anyway?" [illustration: "do keep those legs still."] "why, i've brought you to life," answered the boy; "but it won't hurt you any, if you mind me and do as i tell you." "then i will do as you tell me," replied the saw-horse, humbly. "but what happened to me, a moment ago? i don't seem to be just right, someway." "you're upside down," explained tip. "but just keep those legs still a minute and i'll set you right side up again." "how many sides have i?" asked the creature, wonderingly. "several," said tip, briefly. "but do keep those legs still." the saw-horse now became quiet, and held its legs rigid; so that tip, after several efforts, was able to roll him over and set him upright. "ah, i seem all right now," said the queer animal, with a sigh. "one of your ears is broken," tip announced, after a careful examination. "i'll have to make a new one." then he led the saw-horse back to where jack was vainly struggling to regain his feet, and after assisting the pumpkinhead to stand upright tip whittled out a new ear and fastened it to the horse's head. "now," said he, addressing his steed, "pay attention to what i'm going to tell you. 'whoa!' means to stop; 'get-up!' means to walk forward; 'trot!' means to go as fast as you can. understand?" "i believe i do," returned the horse. "very good. we are all going on a journey to the emerald city, to see his majesty, the scarecrow; and jack pumpkinhead is going to ride on your back, so he won't wear out his joints." "i don't mind," said the saw-horse. "anything that suits you suits me." then tip assisted jack to get upon the horse. "hold on tight," he cautioned, "or you may fall off and crack your pumpkin head." "that would be horrible!" said jack, with a shudder. "what shall i hold on to?" "why, hold on to his ears," replied tip, after a moment's hesitation. "don't do that!" remonstrated the saw-horse; "for then i can't hear." that seemed reasonable, so tip tried to think of something else. "i'll fix it!" said he, at length. he went into the wood and cut a short length of limb from a young, stout tree. one end of this he sharpened to a point, and then he dug a hole in the back of the saw-horse, just behind its head. next he brought a piece of rock from the road and hammered the post firmly into the animal's back. [illustration: "does it hurt?" asked the boy.] "stop! stop!" shouted the horse; "you're jarring me terribly." "does it hurt?" asked the boy. "not exactly hurt," answered the animal; "but it makes me quite nervous to be jarred." "well, it's all over now," said tip, encouragingly. "now, jack, be sure to hold fast to this post, and then you can't fall off and get smashed." so jack held on tight, and tip said to the horse: "get-up." the obedient creature at once walked forward, rocking from side to side as he raised his feet from the ground. tip walked beside the saw-horse, quite content with this addition to their party. presently he began to whistle. "what does that sound mean?" asked the horse. "don't pay any attention to it," said tip. "i'm just whistling, and that only means i'm pretty well satisfied." "i'd whistle myself, if i could push my lips together," remarked jack. "i fear, dear father, that in some respects i am sadly lacking." after journeying on for some distance the narrow path they were following turned into a broad road-way, paved with yellow brick. by the side of the road tip noticed a sign-post that read: "nine miles to the emerald city." but it was now growing dark, so he decided to camp for the night by the roadside and to resume the journey next morning by daybreak. he led the saw-horse to a grassy mound upon which grew several bushy trees, and carefully assisted the pumpkinhead to alight. "i think i'll lay you upon the ground, overnight," said the boy. "you will be safer that way." "how about me?" asked the saw-horse. "it won't hurt you to stand," replied tip; "and, as you can't sleep, you may as well watch out and see that no one comes near to disturb us." then the boy stretched himself upon the grass beside the pumpkinhead, and being greatly wearied by the journey was soon fast asleep. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: jack pumpkinhead's ride to the emerald city ] at daybreak tip was awakened by the pumpkinhead. he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, bathed in a little brook, and then ate a portion of his bread and cheese. having thus prepared for a new day the boy said: "let us start at once. nine miles is quite a distance, but we ought to reach the emerald city by noon if no accidents happen." so the pumpkinhead was again perched upon the back of the saw-horse and the journey was resumed. tip noticed that the purple tint of the grass and trees had now faded to a dull lavender, and before long this lavender appeared to take on a greenish tinge that gradually brightened as they drew nearer to the great city where the scarecrow ruled. the little party had traveled but a short two miles upon their way when the road of yellow brick was parted by a broad and swift river. tip was puzzled how to cross over; but after a time he discovered a man in a ferry-boat approaching from the other side of the stream. when the man reached the bank tip asked: "will you row us to the other side?" "yes, if you have money," returned the ferryman, whose face looked cross and disagreeable. "but i have no money," said tip. "none at all?" inquired the man. "none at all," answered the boy. "then i'll not break my back rowing you over," said the ferryman, decidedly. "what a nice man!" remarked the pumpkinhead, smilingly. the ferryman stared at him, but made no reply. tip was trying to think, for it was a great disappointment to him to find his journey so suddenly brought to an end. "i must certainly get to the emerald city," he said to the boatman; "but how can i cross the river if you do not take me?" the man laughed, and it was not a nice laugh. "that wooden horse will float," said he; "and you can ride him across. as for the pumpkin-headed loon who accompanies you, let him sink or swim--it won't matter greatly which." [illustration] "don't worry about me," said jack, smiling pleasantly upon the crabbed ferryman; "i'm sure i ought to float beautifully." tip thought the experiment was worth making, and the saw-horse, who did not know what danger meant, offered no objections whatever. so the boy led it down into the water and climbed upon its back. jack also waded in up to his knees and grasped the tail of the horse so that he might keep his pumpkin head above the water. "now," said tip, instructing the saw-horse, "if you wiggle your legs you will probably swim; and if you swim we shall probably reach the other side." the saw-horse at once began to wiggle its legs, which acted as oars and moved the adventurers slowly across the river to the opposite side. so successful was the trip that presently they were climbing, wet and dripping, up the grassy bank. tip's trouser-legs and shoes were thoroughly soaked; but the saw-horse had floated so perfectly that from his knees up the boy was entirely dry. as for the pumpkinhead, every stitch of his gorgeous clothing dripped water. "the sun will soon dry us," said tip; "and, anyhow, we are now safely across, in spite of the ferryman, and can continue our journey." "i didn't mind swimming, at all," remarked the horse. "nor did i," added jack. they soon regained the road of yellow brick, which proved to be a continuation of the road they had left on the other side, and then tip once more mounted the pumpkinhead upon the back of the saw-horse. "if you ride fast," said he, "the wind will help to dry your clothing. i will hold on to the horse's tail and run after you. in this way we all will become dry in a very short time." "then the horse must step lively," said jack. "i'll do my best," returned the saw-horse, cheerfully. tip grasped the end of the branch that served as tail to the saw-horse, and called loudly: "get-up!" the horse started at a good pace, and tip followed behind. then he decided they could go faster, so he shouted: "trot!" [illustration] now, the saw-horse remembered that this word was the command to go as fast as he could; so he began rocking along the road at a tremendous pace, and tip had hard work--running faster than he ever had before in his life--to keep his feet. soon he was out of breath, and although he wanted to call "whoa!" to the horse, he found he could not get the word out of his throat. then the end of the tail he was clutching, being nothing more than a dead branch, suddenly broke away, and the next minute the boy was rolling in the dust of the road, while the horse and its pumpkin-headed rider dashed on and quickly disappeared in the distance. by the time tip had picked himself up and cleared the dust from his throat so he could say "whoa!" there was no further need of saying it, for the horse was long since out of sight. so he did the only sensible thing he could do. he sat down and took a good rest, and afterward began walking along the road. "some time i will surely overtake them," he reflected; "for the road will end at the gates of the emerald city, and they can go no further than that." meantime jack was holding fast to the post and the saw-horse was tearing along the road like a racer. neither of them knew tip was left behind, for the pumpkinhead did not look around and the saw-horse couldn't. as he rode, jack noticed that the grass and trees had become a bright emerald-green in color, so he guessed they were nearing the emerald city even before the tall spires and domes came into sight. at length a high wall of green stone, studded thick with emeralds, loomed up before them; and fearing the saw-horse would not know enough to stop and so might smash them both against this wall, jack ventured to cry "whoa!" as loud as he could. so suddenly did the horse obey that had it not been for his post jack would have been pitched off head foremost, and his beautiful face ruined. "that was a fast ride, dear father!" he exclaimed; and then, hearing no reply, he turned around and discovered for the first time that tip was not there. this apparent desertion puzzled the pumpkinhead, and made him uneasy. and while he was wondering what had become of the boy, and what he ought to do next under such trying circumstances, the gateway in the green wall opened and a man came out. this man was short and round, with a fat face that seemed remarkably good-natured. he was clothed all in green and wore a high, peaked green hat upon his head and green spectacles over his eyes. bowing before the pumpkinhead he said: "i am the guardian of the gates of the emerald city. may i inquire who you are, and what is your business?" "my name is jack pumpkinhead," returned the other, smilingly; "but as to my business, i haven't the least idea in the world what it is." the guardian of the gates looked surprised, and shook his head as if dissatisfied with the reply. "what are you, a man or a pumpkin?" he asked, politely. "both, if you please," answered jack. "and this wooden horse--is it alive?" questioned the guardian. the horse rolled one knotty eye upward and winked at jack. then it gave a prance and brought one leg down on the guardian's toes. "ouch!" cried the man; "i'm sorry i asked that question. but the answer is most convincing. have you any errand, sir, in the emerald city?" "it seems to me that i have," replied the pumpkinhead, seriously; "but i cannot think what it is. my father knows all about it, but he is not here." "this is a strange affair--very strange!" declared the guardian. "but you seem harmless. folks do not smile so delightfully when they mean mischief." "as for that," said jack, "i cannot help my smile, for it is carved on my face with a jack-knife." "well, come with me into my room," resumed the guardian, "and i will see what can be done for you." so jack rode the saw-horse through the gate-way into a little room built into the wall. the guardian pulled a bell-cord, and presently a very tall soldier--clothed in a green uniform--entered from the opposite door. this soldier carried a long green gun over his shoulder and had lovely green whiskers that fell quite to his knees. the guardian at once addressed him, saying: "here is a strange gentleman who doesn't know why he has come to the emerald city, or what he wants. tell me, what shall we do with him?" the soldier with the green whiskers looked at jack with much care and curiosity. finally he shook his head so positively that little waves rippled down his whiskers, and then he said: "i must take him to his majesty, the scarecrow." "but what will his majesty, the scarecrow, do with him?" asked the guardian of the gates. "that is his majesty's business," returned the soldier. "i have troubles enough of my own. all outside troubles must be turned over to his majesty. so put the spectacles on this fellow, and i'll take him to the royal palace." so the guardian opened a big box of spectacles and tried to fit a pair to jack's great round eyes. "i haven't a pair in stock that will really cover those eyes up," said the little man, with a sigh; "and your head is so big that i shall be obliged to tie the spectacles on." "but why need i wear spectacles?" asked jack. "it's the fashion here," said the soldier, "and they will keep you from being blinded by the glitter and glare of the gorgeous emerald city." "oh!" exclaimed jack. "tie them on, by all means. i don't wish to be blinded." "nor i!" broke in the saw-horse; so a pair of green spectacles was quickly fastened over the bulging knots that served it for eyes. then the soldier with the green whiskers led them through the inner gate and they at once found themselves in the main street of the magnificent emerald city. sparkling green gems ornamented the fronts of the beautiful houses and the towers and turrets were all faced with emeralds. even the green marble pavement glittered with precious stones, and it was indeed a grand and marvelous sight to one who beheld it for the first time. however, the pumpkinhead and the saw-horse, knowing nothing of wealth and beauty, paid little attention to the wonderful sights they saw through their green spectacles. they calmly followed after the green soldier and scarcely noticed the crowds of green people who stared at them in surprise. when a green dog ran out and barked at them the saw-horse promptly kicked at it with its wooden leg and sent the little animal howling into one of the houses; but nothing more serious than this happened to interrupt their progress to the royal palace. the pumpkinhead wanted to ride up the green marble steps and straight into the scarecrow's presence; but the soldier would not permit that. so jack dismounted, with much difficulty, and a servant led the saw-horse around to the rear while the soldier with the green whiskers escorted the pumpkinhead into the palace, by the front entrance. the stranger was left in a handsomely furnished waiting room while the soldier went to announce him. it so happened that at this hour his majesty was at leisure and greatly bored for want of something to do, so he ordered his visitor to be shown at once into his throne room. jack felt no fear or embarrassment at meeting the ruler of this magnificent city, for he was entirely ignorant of all worldly customs. but when he entered the room and saw for the first time his majesty the scarecrow seated upon his glittering throne, he stopped short in amazement. [illustration] [illustration: his majesty the scarecrow ] i suppose every reader of this book knows what a scarecrow is; but jack pumpkinhead, never having seen such a creation, was more surprised at meeting the remarkable king of the emerald city than by any other one experience of his brief life. his majesty the scarecrow was dressed in a suit of faded blue clothes, and his head was merely a small sack stuffed with straw, upon which eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth had been rudely painted to represent a face. the clothes were also stuffed with straw, and that so unevenly or carelessly that his majesty's legs and arms seemed more bumpy than was necessary. upon his hands were gloves with long fingers, and these were padded with cotton. wisps of straw stuck out from the monarch's coat and also from his neck and boot-tops. upon his head he wore a heavy golden crown set thick with sparkling jewels, and the weight of this crown caused his brow to sag in wrinkles, giving a thoughtful expression to the painted face. indeed, the crown alone betokened majesty; in all else the scarecrow king was but a simple scarecrow--flimsy, awkward, and unsubstantial. but if the strange appearance of his majesty the scarecrow seemed startling to jack, no less wonderful was the form of the pumpkinhead to the scarecrow. the purple trousers and pink waistcoat and red shirt hung loosely over the wooden joints tip had manufactured, and the carved face on the pumpkin grinned perpetually, as if its wearer considered life the jolliest thing imaginable. at first, indeed, his majesty thought his queer visitor was laughing at him, and was inclined to resent such a liberty; but it was not without reason that the scarecrow had attained the reputation of being the wisest personage in the land of oz. he made a more careful examination of his visitor, and soon discovered that jack's features were carved into a smile and that he could not look grave if he wished to. the king was the first to speak. after regarding [illustration] jack for some minutes he said, in a tone of wonder: "where on earth did you come from, and how do you happen to be alive?" "i beg your majesty's pardon," returned the pumpkinhead; "but i do not understand you." "what don't you understand?" asked the scarecrow. "why, i don't understand your language. you see, i came from the country of the gillikins, so that i am a foreigner." "ah, to be sure!" exclaimed the scarecrow. "i myself speak the language of the munchkins, which is also the language of the emerald city. but you, i suppose, speak the language of the pumpkinheads?" "exactly so, your majesty," replied the other, bowing; "so it will be impossible for us to understand one another." "that is unfortunate, certainly," said the scarecrow, thoughtfully. "we must have an interpreter." "what is an interpreter?" asked jack. "a person who understands both my language and your own. when i say anything, the interpreter can tell you what i mean; and when you say anything the interpreter can tell me what _you_ mean. for the interpreter can speak both languages as well as understand them." "that is certainly clever," said jack, greatly pleased at finding so simple a way out of the difficulty. so the scarecrow commanded the soldier with the green whiskers to search among his people until he found one who understood the language of the gillikins as well as the language of the emerald city, and to bring that person to him at once. when the soldier had departed the scarecrow said: "won't you take a chair while we are waiting?" "your majesty forgets that i cannot understand you," replied the pumpkinhead. "if you wish me to sit down you must make a sign for me to do so." the scarecrow came down from his throne and rolled an armchair to a position behind the pumpkinhead. then he gave jack a sudden push that sent him sprawling upon the cushions in so awkward a fashion that he doubled up like a jack-knife, and had hard work to untangle himself. "did you understand that sign?" asked his majesty, politely. "perfectly," declared jack, reaching up his arms to turn his head to the front, the pumpkin having twisted around upon the stick that supported it. "you seem hastily made," remarked the scarecrow, watching jack's efforts to straighten himself. "not more so than your majesty," was the frank reply. "there is this difference between us," said the scarecrow, "that whereas i will bend, but not break, you will break, but not bend." [illustration: "he gave jack a sudden push."] at this moment the soldier returned leading a young girl by the hand. she seemed very sweet and modest, having a pretty face and beautiful green eyes and hair. a dainty green silk skirt reached to her knees, showing silk stockings embroidered with pea-pods, and green satin slippers with bunches of lettuce for decorations instead of bows or buckles. upon her silken waist clover leaves were embroidered, and she wore a jaunty little jacket trimmed with sparkling emeralds of a uniform size. "why, it's little jellia jamb!" exclaimed the scarecrow, as the green maiden bowed her pretty head before him. "do you understand the language of the gillikins, my dear?" "yes, your majesty," she answered, "for i was born in the north country." "then you shall be our interpreter," said the scarecrow, "and explain to this pumpkinhead all that i say, and also explain to me all that _he_ says. is this arrangement satisfactory?" he asked, turning toward his guest. "very satisfactory indeed," was the reply. "then ask him, to begin with," resumed the scarecrow, turning to jellia, "what brought him to the emerald city." but instead of this the girl, who had been staring at jack, said to him: "you are certainly a wonderful creature. who made you?" "a boy named tip," answered jack. "what does he say?" inquired the scarecrow. "my ears must have deceived me. what did he say?" "he says that your majesty's brains seem to have come loose," replied the girl, demurely. the scarecrow moved uneasily upon his throne, and felt of his head with his left hand. "what a fine thing it is to understand two different languages," he said, with a perplexed sigh. "ask him, my dear, if he has any objection to being put in jail for insulting the ruler of the emerald city. "i didn't insult you!" protested jack, indignantly. "tut--tut!" cautioned the scarecrow; "wait until jellia translates my speech. what have we got an interpreter for, if you break out in this rash way?" "all right, i'll wait," replied the pumpkinhead, in a surly tone--although his face smiled as genially as ever. "translate the speech, young woman." "his majesty inquires if you are hungry," said jellia. "oh, not at all!" answered jack, more pleasantly. "for it is impossible for me to eat." "it's the same way with me," remarked the scarecrow. "what did he say, jellia, my dear?" "he asked if you were aware that one of your eyes is painted larger than the other," said the girl, mischievously. "don't you believe her, your majesty," cried jack. "oh, i don't," answered the scarecrow, calmly. then, casting a sharp look at the girl, he asked: "are you quite certain you understand the languages of both the gillikins and the munchkins?" "quite certain, your majesty," said jellia jamb, trying hard not to laugh in the face of royalty. "then how is it that i seem to understand them myself?" inquired the scarecrow. "because they are one and the same!" declared the girl, now laughing merrily. "does not your majesty know that in all the land of oz but one language is spoken?" "is it indeed so?" cried the scarecrow, much relieved to hear this; "then i might easily have been my own interpreter!" "it was all my fault, your majesty," said jack, looking rather foolish, "i thought we must surely speak different languages, since we came from different countries." "this should be a warning to you never to think," returned the scarecrow, severely. "for unless one can think wisely it is better to remain a dummy--which you most certainly are." "i am!--i surely am!" agreed the pumpkinhead. "it seems to me," continued the scarecrow, more mildly, "that your manufacturer spoiled some good pies to create an indifferent man." "i assure your majesty that i did not ask to be created," answered jack. "ah! it was the same in my case," said the king, pleasantly. "and so, as we differ from all ordinary people, let us become friends." "with all my heart!" exclaimed jack. "what! have you a heart?" asked the scarecrow, surprised. "no; that was only imaginative--i might say, a figure of speech," said the other. "well, your most prominent figure seems to be a figure of wood; so i must beg you to restrain an imagination which, having no brains, you have no right to exercise," suggested the scarecrow, warningly. "to be sure!" said jack, without in the least comprehending. his majesty then dismissed jellia jamb and the soldier with the green whiskers, and when they were gone he took his new friend by the arm and led him into the courtyard to play a game of quoits. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: gen. jinjur's army of revolt ] tip was so anxious to rejoin his man jack and the saw-horse that he walked a full half the distance to the emerald city without stopping to rest. then he discovered that he was hungry and the crackers and cheese he had provided for the journey had all been eaten. while wondering what he should do in this emergency he came upon a girl sitting by the roadside. she wore a costume that struck the boy as being remarkably brilliant: her silken waist being of emerald green and her skirt of four distinct colors--blue in front, yellow at the left side, red at the back and purple at the right side. fastening the waist in front were four buttons--the top one blue, the next yellow, a third red and the last purple. [illustration] the splendor of this dress was almost barbaric; so tip was fully justified in staring at the gown for some moments before his eyes were attracted by the pretty face above it. yes, the face was pretty enough, he decided; but it wore an expression of discontent coupled to a shade of defiance or audacity. while the boy stared the girl looked upon him calmly. a lunch basket stood beside her, and she held a dainty sandwich in one hand and a hard-boiled egg in the other, eating with an evident appetite that aroused tip's sympathy. he was just about to ask a share of the luncheon when the girl stood up and brushed the crumbs from her lap. "there!" said she; "it is time for me to go. carry that basket for me and help yourself to its contents if you are hungry." tip seized the basket eagerly and began to eat, following for a time the strange girl without bothering to ask questions. she walked along before him with swift strides, and there was about her an air of decision and importance that led him to suspect she was some great personage. finally, when he had satisfied his hunger, he ran up beside her and tried to keep pace with her swift footsteps--a very difficult feat, for she was much taller than he, and evidently in a hurry. "thank you very much for the sandwiches," said tip, as he trotted along. "may i ask your name?" "i am general jinjur," was the brief reply. "oh!" said the boy, surprised. "what sort of a general?" "i command the army of revolt in this war," answered the general, with unnecessary sharpness. "oh!" he again exclaimed. "i didn't know there was a war." "you were not supposed to know it," she returned, "for we have kept it a secret; and considering that our army is composed entirely of girls," she added, with some pride, "it is surely a remarkable thing that our revolt is not yet discovered." "it is, indeed," acknowledged tip. "but where is your army?" "about a mile from here," said general jinjur. "the forces have assembled from all parts of the land of oz, at my express command. for this is the day we are to conquer his majesty the scarecrow, and wrest from him the throne. the army of revolt only awaits my coming to march upon the emerald city." "well!" declared tip, drawing a long breath, "this is certainly a surprising thing! may i ask why you wish to conquer his majesty the scarecrow?" "because the emerald city has been ruled by men long enough, for one reason," said the girl. "moreover, the city glitters with beautiful gems, which might far better be used for rings, bracelets and necklaces; and there is enough money in the king's treasury to buy every girl in our army a dozen new gowns. so we intend to conquer the city and run the government to suit ourselves." jinjur spoke these words with an eagerness and decision that proved she was in earnest. "but war is a terrible thing," said tip, thoughtfully. "this war will be pleasant," replied the girl, cheerfully. "many of you will be slain!" continued the boy, in an awed voice. "oh, no," said jinjur. "what man would oppose a girl, or dare to harm her? and there is not an ugly face in my entire army." tip laughed. "perhaps you are right," said he. "but the guardian of the gate is considered a faithful guardian, and the king's army will not let the city be conquered without a struggle." "the army is old and feeble," replied general jinjur, scornfully. "his strength has all been used to grow whiskers, and his wife has such a temper that she has already pulled more than half of them out by the roots. when the wonderful wizard reigned the soldier with the green whiskers was a very good royal army, for people feared the wizard. but no one is afraid of the scarecrow, so his royal army don't count for much in time of war." after this conversation they proceeded some distance in silence, and before long reached a large clearing in the forest where fully four hundred young women were assembled. these were laughing and talking together as gaily as if they had gathered for a picnic instead of a war of conquest. they were divided into four companies, and tip noticed that all were dressed in costumes similar to that worn by general jinjur. the only real difference was that while those girls from the munchkin country had the blue strip in front of their skirts, those from the country of the quadlings had the red strip in front; and those from the country of the winkies had the yellow strip in front, and the gillikin girls wore the purple strip in front. all had green waists, representing the emerald city they intended to conquer, and the top button on each waist indicated by its color which country the wearer came from. the uniforms were jaunty and becoming, and quite effective when massed together. tip thought this strange army bore no weapons whatever; but in this he was wrong. for each girl had stuck through the knot of her back hair two long, glittering knitting-needles. [illustration] general jinjur immediately mounted the stump of a tree and addressed her army. "friends, fellow-citizens, and girls!" she said; "we are about to begin our great revolt against the men of oz! we march to conquer the emerald city--to dethrone the scarecrow king--to acquire thousands of gorgeous gems--to rifle the royal treasury--and to obtain power over our former oppressors!" "hurrah!" said those who had listened; but tip thought most of the army was too much engaged in chattering to pay attention to the words of the general. the command to march was now given, and the girls formed themselves into four bands, or companies, and set off with eager strides toward the emerald city. [illustration] the boy followed after them, carrying several baskets and wraps and packages which various members of the army of revolt had placed in his care. it was not long before they came to the green granite walls of the city and halted before the gateway. the guardian of the gate at once came out and looked at them curiously, as if a circus had come to town. he carried a bunch of keys swung round his neck by a golden chain; his hands were thrust carelessly into his pockets, and he seemed to have no idea at all that the city was threatened by rebels. speaking pleasantly to the girls, he said: "good morning, my dears! what can i do for you?" [illustration] "surrender instantly!" answered general jinjur, standing before him and frowning as terribly as her pretty face would allow her to. "surrender!" echoed the man, astounded. "why, it's impossible. it's against the law! i never heard of such a thing in my life." "still, you must surrender!" exclaimed the general, fiercely. "we are revolting!" "you don't look it," said the guardian, gazing from one to another, admiringly. "but we are!" cried jinjur, stamping her foot, impatiently; "and we mean to conquer the emerald city!" "good gracious!" returned the surprised guardian of the gates; "what a nonsensical idea! go home to your mothers, my good girls, and milk the cows and bake the bread. don't you know it's a dangerous thing to conquer a city?" "we are not afraid!" responded the general; and she looked so determined that it made the guardian uneasy. so he rang the bell for the soldier with the green whiskers, and the next minute was sorry he had done so. for immediately he was surrounded by a crowd of girls who drew the knitting-needles from their hair and began jabbing them at the guardian with the sharp points dangerously near his fat cheeks and blinking eyes. the poor man howled loudly for mercy and made no resistance when jinjur drew the bunch of keys from around his neck. [illustration: general jinjur and her army capture the city.] followed by her army the general now rushed to the gateway, where she was confronted by the royal army of oz--which was the other name for the soldier with the green whiskers. "halt!" he cried, and pointed his long gun full in the face of the leader. some of the girls screamed and ran back, but general jinjur bravely stood her ground and said, reproachfully: "why, how now? would you shoot a poor, defenceless girl?" "no," replied the soldier; "for my gun isn't loaded." "not loaded?" "no; for fear of accidents. and i've forgotten where i hid the powder and shot to load it with. but if you'll wait a short time i'll try to hunt them up." "don't trouble yourself," said jinjur, cheerfully. then she turned to her army and cried: "girls, the gun isn't loaded!" "hooray," shrieked the rebels, delighted at this good news, and they proceeded to rush upon the soldier with the green whiskers in such a crowd that it was a wonder they didn't stick the knitting-needles into one another. but the royal army of oz was too much afraid of women to meet the onslaught. he simply turned about and ran with all his might through the gate and toward the royal palace, while general jinjur and her mob flocked into the unprotected city. in this way was the emerald city captured without a drop of blood being spilled. the army of revolt had become an army of conquerors! [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the scarecrow plans an escape ] tip slipped away from the girls and followed swiftly after the soldier with the green whiskers. the invading army entered the city more slowly, for they stopped to dig emeralds out of the walls and paving-stones with the points of their knitting-needles. so the soldier and the boy reached the palace before the news had spread that the city was conquered. the scarecrow and jack pumpkinhead were still playing at quoits in the courtyard when the game was interrupted by the abrupt entrance of the royal army of oz, who came flying in without his hat or gun, his clothes in sad disarray and his long beard floating a yard behind him as he ran. "tally one for me," said the scarecrow, calmly. "what's wrong, my man?" he added, addressing the soldier. "oh! your majesty--your majesty! the city is conquered!" gasped the royal army, who was all out of breath. "this is quite sudden," said the scarecrow. "but please go and bar all the doors and windows of the palace, while i show this pumpkinhead how to throw a quoit." the soldier hastened to do this, while tip, who had arrived at his heels, remained in the courtyard to look at the scarecrow with wondering eyes. his majesty continued to throw the quoits as coolly as if no danger threatened his throne, but the pumpkinhead, having caught sight of tip, ambled toward the boy as fast as his wooden legs would go. "good afternoon, noble parent!" he cried, delightedly. "i'm glad to see you are here. that terrible saw-horse ran away with me." "i suspected it," said tip. "did you get hurt? are you cracked at all?" "no, i arrived safely," answered jack, "and his majesty has been very kind indeed to me." at this moment the soldier with the green whiskers returned, and the scarecrow asked: "by the way, who has conquered me?" "a regiment of girls, gathered from the four corners of the land of oz," replied the soldier, still pale with fear. "but where was my standing army at the time?" inquired his majesty, looking at the soldier, gravely. "your standing army was running," answered the fellow, honestly; "for no man could face the terrible weapons of the invaders." "well," said the scarecrow, after a moment's thought, "i don't mind much the loss of my throne, for it's a tiresome job to rule over the emerald city. and this crown is so heavy that it makes my head ache. but i hope the conquerors have no intention of injuring me, just because i happen to be the king." "i heard them say," remarked tip, with some hesitation, "that they intend to make a rag carpet of your outside and stuff their sofa-cushions with your inside." "then i am really in danger," declared his majesty, positively, "and it will be wise for me to consider a means to escape." "where can you go?" asked jack pumpkinhead. "why, to my friend the tin woodman, who rules over the winkies, and calls himself their emperor," was the answer. "i am sure he will protect me." [illustration] tip was looking out of the window. "the palace is surrounded by the enemy," said he. "it is too late to escape. they would soon tear you to pieces." the scarecrow sighed. "in an emergency," he announced, "it is always a good thing to pause and reflect. please excuse me while i pause and reflect." "but we also are in danger," said the pumpkinhead, anxiously. "if any of these girls understand cooking, my end is not far off!" "nonsense!" exclaimed the scarecrow; "they're too busy to cook, even if they know how!" "but should i remain here a prisoner for any length of time," protested jack, "i'm liable to spoil." "ah! then you would not be fit to associate with," returned the scarecrow. "the matter is more serious than i suspected." "you," said the pumpkinhead, gloomily, "are liable to live for many years. my life is necessarily short. so i must take advantage of the few days that remain to me." "there, there! don't worry," answered the scarecrow, soothingly; "if you'll keep quiet long enough for me to think, i'll try to find some way for us all to escape." so the others waited in patient silence while the scarecrow walked to a corner and stood with his face to the wall for a good five minutes. at the end of that time he faced them with a more cheerful expression upon his painted face. "where is the saw-horse you rode here?" he asked the pumpkinhead. "why, i said he was a jewel, and so your man locked him up in the royal treasury," said jack. "it was the only place i could think of, your majesty," added the soldier, fearing he had made a blunder. "it pleases me very much," said the scarecrow. "has the animal been fed?" "oh, yes; i gave him a heaping peck of sawdust." "excellent!" cried the scarecrow. "bring the horse here at once." the soldier hastened away, and presently they heard the clattering of the horse's wooden legs upon the pavement as he was led into the courtyard. his majesty regarded the steed critically. "he doesn't seem especially graceful," he remarked, musingly; "but i suppose he can run?" "he can, indeed," said tip, gazing upon the saw-horse admiringly. "then, bearing us upon his back, he must make a dash through the ranks of the rebels and carry us to my friend the tin woodman," announced the scarecrow. "he can't carry four!" objected tip. "no, but he may be induced to carry three," said his majesty. "i shall therefore leave my royal army behind. for, from the ease with which he was conquered, i have little confidence in his powers." "still, he can run," declared tip, laughing. "i expected this blow," said the soldier, sulkily; "but i can bear it. i shall disguise myself by cutting off my lovely green whiskers. and, after all, it is no more dangerous to face those reckless girls than to ride this fiery, untamed wooden horse!" "perhaps you are right," observed his majesty. "but, for my part, not being a soldier, i am fond of danger. now, my boy, you must mount first. and please sit as close to the horse's neck as possible." tip climbed quickly to his place, and the soldier and the scarecrow managed to hoist the pumpkinhead to a seat just behind him. there remained so little space for the king that he was liable to fall off as soon as the horse started. "fetch a clothesline," said the king to his army, "and tie us all together. then if one falls off we will all fall off." and while the soldier was gone for the clothesline his majesty continued, "it is well for me to be careful, for my very existence is in danger." "i have to be as careful as you do," said jack. "not exactly," replied the scarecrow; "for if anything happened to me, that would be the end of me. but if anything happened to you, they could use you for seed." the soldier now returned with a long line and tied all three firmly together, also lashing them to the body of the saw-horse; so there seemed little danger of their tumbling off. "now throw open the gates," commanded the scarecrow, "and we will make a dash to liberty or to death." the courtyard in which they were standing was located in the center of the great palace, which surrounded it on all sides. but in one place a passage led to an outer gateway, which the soldier had barred by order of his sovereign. it was through this gateway his majesty proposed to escape, and the royal army now led the saw-horse along the passage and unbarred the gate, which swung backward with a loud crash. "now," said tip to the horse, "you must save us all. run as fast as you can for the gate of the city, and don't let anything stop you." "all right!" answered the saw-horse, gruffly, and dashed away so suddenly that tip had to gasp for breath and hold firmly to the post he had driven into the creature's neck. [illustration: "we will make a dash to liberty or to death."] several of the girls, who stood outside guarding the palace, were knocked over by the saw-horse's mad rush. others ran screaming out of the way, and only one or two jabbed their knitting-needles frantically at the escaping prisoners. tip got one small prick in his left arm, which smarted for an hour afterward; but the needles had no effect upon the scarecrow or jack pumpkinhead, who never even suspected they were being prodded. as for the saw-horse, he made a wonderful record, upsetting a fruit cart, overturning several meek looking men, and finally bowling over the new guardian of the gate--a fussy little fat woman appointed by general jinjur. nor did the impetuous charger stop then. once outside the walls of the emerald city he dashed along the road to the west with fast and violent leaps that shook the breath out of the boy and filled the scarecrow with wonder. jack had ridden at this mad rate once before, so he devoted every effort to holding, with both hands, his pumpkin head upon its stick, enduring meantime the dreadful jolting with the courage of a philosopher. [illustration: the wooden steed gave one final leap.] "slow him up! slow him up!" shouted the scarecrow. "my straw is all shaking down into my legs." but tip had no breath to speak, so the saw-horse continued his wild career unchecked and with unabated speed. presently they came to the banks of a wide river, and without a pause the wooden steed gave one final leap and launched them all in mid-air. a second later they were rolling, splashing and bobbing about in the water, the horse struggling frantically to find a rest for its feet and its riders being first plunged beneath the rapid current and then floating upon the surface like corks. [illustration] [illustration: the journey to the tin woodman ] tip was well soaked and dripping water from every angle of his body; but he managed to lean forward and shout in the ear of the saw-horse: "keep still, you fool! keep still!" the horse at once ceased struggling and floated calmly upon the surface, its wooden body being as buoyant as a raft. "what does that word 'fool' mean?" enquired the horse. "it is a term of reproach," answered tip, somewhat ashamed of the expression. "i only use it when i am angry." "then it pleases me to be able to call you a fool, in return," said the horse. "for i did not make the river, nor put it in our way; so only a term of reproach is fit for one who becomes angry with me for falling into the water." "that is quite evident," replied tip; "so i will acknowledge myself in the wrong." then he called out to the pumpkinhead: "are you all right, jack?" there was no reply. so the boy called to the king: "are you all right, your majesty?" the scarecrow groaned. "i'm all wrong, somehow," he said, in a weak voice. "how very wet this water is!" tip was bound so tightly by the cord that he could not turn his head to look at his companions; so he said to the saw-horse: "paddle with your legs toward the shore." the horse obeyed, and although their progress was slow they finally reached the opposite river bank at a place where it was low enough to enable the creature to scramble upon dry land. with some difficulty the boy managed to get his knife out of his pocket and cut the cords that bound the riders to one another and to the wooden horse. he heard the scarecrow fall to the ground with a mushy sound, and then he himself quickly dismounted and looked at his friend jack. the wooden body, with its gorgeous clothing, still sat upright upon the horse's back; but the pumpkin head was gone, and only the sharpened stick that served for a neck was visible. as for the scarecrow, the straw in his body had shaken down with the jolting and packed itself into his legs and the lower part of his body--which appeared very plump and round while his upper half seemed like an empty sack. upon his head the scarecrow still wore the heavy crown, which had been sewed on to prevent his losing it; but the head was now so damp and limp that the weight of the gold and jewels sagged forward and crushed the painted face into a mass of wrinkles that made him look exactly like a japanese pug dog. tip would have laughed--had he not been so anxious about his man jack. but the scarecrow, however damaged, was all there, while the pumpkin head that was so necessary to jack's existence was missing; so the boy seized a long pole that fortunately lay near at hand and anxiously turned again toward the river. far out upon the waters he sighted the golden hue of the pumpkin, which gently bobbed up and down with the motion of the waves. at that moment it was quite out of tip's reach, but after a time it floated nearer and still nearer until the boy was able to reach it with his pole and draw it to the shore. then he brought it to the top of the bank, carefully wiped the water from its pumpkin face with his handkerchief, and ran with it to jack and replaced the head upon the man's neck. [illustration: tip rescues jack's pumpkin head.] "dear me!" were jack's first words. "what a dreadful experience! i wonder if water is liable to spoil pumpkins?" tip did not think a reply was necessary, for he knew that the scarecrow also stood in need of his help. so he carefully removed the straw from the king's body and legs, and spread it out in the sun to dry. the wet clothing he hung over the body of the saw-horse. "if water spoils pumpkins," observed jack, with a deep sigh, "then my days are numbered." "i've never noticed that water spoils pumpkins," returned tip; "unless the water happens to be boiling. if your head isn't cracked, my friend, you must be in fairly good condition." "oh, my head isn't cracked in the least," declared jack, more cheerfully. "then don't worry," retorted the boy. "care once killed a cat." "then," said jack, seriously, "i am very glad indeed that i am not a cat." the sun was fast drying their clothing, and tip stirred up his majesty's straw so that the warm rays might absorb the moisture and make it as crisp and dry as ever. when this had been accomplished he stuffed the scarecrow into symmetrical shape and smoothed out his face so that he wore his usual gay and charming expression. "thank you very much," said the monarch, brightly, as he walked about and found himself to be well balanced. "there are several distinct advantages in being a scarecrow. for if one has friends near at hand to repair damages, nothing very serious can happen to you." "i wonder if hot sunshine is liable to crack pumpkins," said jack, with an anxious ring in his voice. "not at all--not at all!" replied the scarecrow, gaily. "all you need fear, my boy, is old age. when your golden youth has decayed we shall quickly part company--but you needn't look forward to it; we'll discover the fact ourselves, and notify you. but come! let us resume our journey. i am anxious to greet my friend the tin woodman." so they remounted the saw-horse, tip holding to the post, the pumpkinhead clinging to tip, and the scarecrow with both arms around the wooden form of jack. [illustration: tip stuffs the scarecrow with dry straw.] "go slowly, for now there is no danger of pursuit," said tip to his steed. "all right!" responded the creature, in a voice rather gruff. "aren't you a little hoarse?" asked the pumpkinhead, politely. the saw-horse gave an angry prance and rolled one knotty eye backward toward tip. "see here," he growled, "can't you protect me from insult?" "to be sure!" answered tip, soothingly. "i am sure jack meant no harm. and it will not do for us to quarrel, you know; we must all remain good friends." "i'll have nothing more to do with that pumpkinhead," declared the saw-horse, viciously; "he loses his head too easily to suit me." there seemed no fitting reply to this speech, so for a time they rode along in silence. after a while the scarecrow remarked: "this reminds me of old times. it was upon this grassy knoll that i once saved dorothy from the stinging bees of the wicked witch of the west." "do stinging bees injure pumpkins?" asked jack, glancing around fearfully. "they are all dead, so it doesn't matter," replied the scarecrow. "and here is where nick chopper destroyed the wicked witch's grey wolves." "who was nick chopper?" asked tip. "that is the name of my friend the tin woodman," answered his majesty. "and here is where the winged monkeys captured and bound us, and flew away with little dorothy," he continued, after they had traveled a little way farther. "do winged monkeys ever eat pumpkins?" asked jack, with a shiver of fear. "i do not know; but you have little cause to worry, for the winged monkeys are now the slaves of glinda the good, who owns the golden cap that commands their services," said the scarecrow, reflectively. then the stuffed monarch became lost in thought, recalling the days of past adventures. and the saw-horse rocked and rolled over the flower-strewn fields and carried its riders swiftly upon their way. * * * * * twilight fell, bye and bye, and then the dark shadows of night. so tip stopped the horse and they all proceeded to dismount. "i'm tired out," said the boy, yawning wearily; "and the grass is soft and cool. let us lie down here and sleep until morning." "i can't sleep," said jack. "i never do," said the scarecrow. "i do not even know what sleep is," said the saw-horse. "still, we must have consideration for this poor boy, who is made of flesh and blood and bone, and gets tired," suggested the scarecrow, in his usual thoughtful manner. "i remember it was the same way with little dorothy. we always had to sit through the night while she slept." "i'm sorry," said tip, meekly, "but i can't help it. and i'm dreadfully hungry, too!" "here is a new danger!" remarked jack, gloomily. "i hope you are not fond of eating pumpkins." "not unless they're stewed and made into pies," answered the boy, laughing. "so have no fears of me, friend jack." "what a coward that pumpkinhead is!" said the saw-horse, scornfully. "you might be a coward yourself, if you knew you were liable to spoil!" retorted jack, angrily. "there!--there!" interrupted the scarecrow; "don't let us quarrel. we all have our weaknesses, dear friends; so we must strive to be considerate of one another. and since this poor boy is hungry and has nothing whatever to eat, let us all remain quiet and allow him to sleep; for it is said that in sleep a mortal may forget even hunger." "thank you!" exclaimed tip, gratefully. "your majesty is fully as good as you are wise--and that is saying a good deal!" he then stretched himself upon the grass and, using the stuffed form of the scarecrow for a pillow, was presently fast asleep. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: a nickel-plated emperor ] tip awoke soon after dawn, but the scarecrow had already risen and plucked, with his clumsy fingers, a double-handful of ripe berries from some bushes near by. these the boy ate greedily, finding them an ample breakfast, and afterward the little party resumed its journey. after an hour's ride they reached the summit of a hill from whence they espied the city of the winkies and noted the tall domes of the emperor's palace rising from the clusters of more modest dwellings. the scarecrow became greatly animated at this sight, and exclaimed: "how delighted i shall be to see my old friend the tin woodman again! i hope that he rules his people more successfully than i have ruled mine!" "is the tin woodman the emperor of the winkies?" asked the horse. "yes, indeed. they invited him to rule over them soon after the wicked witch was destroyed; and as nick chopper has the best heart in all the world i am sure he has proved an excellent and able emperor." "i thought that 'emperor' was the title of a person who rules an empire," said tip, "and the country of the winkies is only a kingdom." "don't mention that to the tin woodman!" exclaimed the scarecrow, earnestly. "you would hurt his feelings terribly. he is a proud man, as he has every reason to be, and it pleases him to be termed emperor rather than king." "i'm sure it makes no difference to me," replied the boy. the saw-horse now ambled forward at a pace so fast that its riders had hard work to stick upon its back; so there was little further conversation until they drew up beside the palace steps. an aged winkie, dressed in a uniform of silver cloth, came forward to assist them to alight. said the scarecrow to this personage: "show us at once to your master, the emperor." the man looked from one to another of the party in an embarrassed way, and finally answered: "i fear i must ask you to wait for a time. the emperor is not receiving this morning." "how is that?" enquired the scarecrow, anxiously. "i hope nothing has happened to him." "oh, no; nothing serious," returned the man. "but this is his majesty's day for being polished, and just now his august presence is thickly smeared with putz-pomade." "oh, i see!" cried the scarecrow, greatly reassured. "my friend was ever inclined to be a dandy, and i suppose he is now more proud than ever of his personal appearance." "he is, indeed," said the man, with a polite bow. "our mighty emperor has lately caused himself to be nickel-plated." "good gracious!" the scarecrow exclaimed at hearing this. "if his wit bears the same polish, how sparkling it must be! but show us in--i'm sure the emperor will receive us, even in his present state." "the emperor's state is always magnificent," said the man. "but i will venture to tell him of your arrival, and will receive his commands concerning you." so the party followed the servant into a splendid ante-room, and the saw-horse ambled awkwardly after them, having no knowledge that a horse might be expected to remain outside. the travelers were at first somewhat awed by their surroundings, and even the scarecrow seemed impressed as he examined the rich hangings of silver cloth caught up into knots and fastened with tiny silver axes. upon a handsome center-table stood a large silver oil-can, richly engraved with scenes from the past adventures of the tin woodman, dorothy, the cowardly lion and the scarecrow: the lines of the engraving being traced upon the silver in yellow gold. on the walls hung several portraits, that of the scarecrow seeming to be the most prominent and carefully executed, while a large painting of the famous wizard of oz, in the act of presenting the tin woodman with a heart, covered almost one entire end of the room. while the visitors gazed at these things in silent admiration they suddenly heard a loud voice in the next room exclaim: "well! well! well! what a great surprise!" and then the door burst open and nick chopper rushed into their midst and caught the scarecrow in a close and loving embrace that creased him into many folds and wrinkles. "my dear old friend! my noble comrade!" cried the tin woodman, joyfully; "how delighted i am to meet you once again!" [illustration: caught the scarecrow in a close and loving embrace.] and then he released the scarecrow and held him at arms' length while he surveyed the beloved, painted features. but, alas! the face of the scarecrow and many portions of his body bore great blotches of putz-pomade; for the tin woodman, in his eagerness to welcome his friend, had quite forgotten the condition of his toilet and had rubbed the thick coating of paste from his own body to that of his comrade. "dear me!" said the scarecrow, dolefully. "what a mess i'm in!" "never mind, my friend," returned the tin woodman, "i'll send you to my imperial laundry, and you'll come out as good as new." "won't i be mangled?" asked the scarecrow. "no, indeed!" was the reply. "but tell me, how came your majesty here? and who are your companions?" the scarecrow, with great politeness, introduced tip and jack pumpkinhead, and the latter personage seemed to interest the tin woodman greatly. "you are not very substantial, i must admit," said the emperor; "but you are certainly unusual, and therefore worthy to become a member of our select society." "i thank your majesty," said jack, humbly. [illustration] "i hope you are enjoying good health?" continued the woodman. "at present, yes;" replied the pumpkinhead, with a sigh; "but i am in constant terror of the day when i shall spoil." "nonsense!" said the emperor--but in a kindly, sympathetic tone. "do not, i beg of you, dampen today's sun with the showers of tomorrow. for before your head has time to spoil you can have it canned, and in that way it may be preserved indefinitely." tip, during this conversation, was looking at the woodman with undisguised amazement, and noticed that the celebrated emperor of the winkies was composed entirely of pieces of tin, neatly soldered and riveted together into the form of a man. he rattled and clanked a little, as he moved, but in the main he seemed to be most cleverly constructed, and his appearance was only marred by the thick coating of polishing-paste that covered him from head to foot. the boy's intent gaze caused the tin woodman to remember that he was not in the most presentable condition, so he begged his friends to excuse him while he retired to his private apartment and allowed his servants to polish him. this was accomplished in a short time, and when the emperor returned his nickel-plated body shone so magnificently that the scarecrow heartily congratulated him on his improved appearance. "that nickel-plate was, i confess, a happy thought," said nick; "and it was the more necessary because i had become somewhat scratched during my adventurous experiences. you will observe this engraved star upon my left breast. it not only indicates where my excellent heart lies, but covers very neatly the patch made by the wonderful wizard when he placed that valued organ in my breast with his own skillful hands." "is your heart, then, a hand-organ?" asked the pumpkinhead, curiously. "by no means," responded the emperor, with dignity. "it is, i am convinced, a strictly orthodox heart, although somewhat larger and warmer than most people possess." then he turned to the scarecrow and asked: "are your subjects happy and contented, my dear friend?" "i cannot say," was the reply; "for the girls of oz have risen in revolt and driven me out of the emerald city." "great goodness!" cried the tin woodman. "what a calamity! they surely do not complain of your wise and gracious rule?" "no; but they say it is a poor rule that don't work both ways," answered the scarecrow; "and these females are also of the opinion that men have ruled the land long enough. so they have captured my city, robbed the treasury of all its jewels, and are running things to suit themselves." "dear me! what an extraordinary idea!" cried the emperor, who was both shocked and surprised. "and i heard some of them say," said tip, "that they intend to march here and capture the castle and city of the tin woodman." "ah! we must not give them time to do that," said the emperor, quickly; "we will go at once and recapture the emerald city and place the scarecrow again upon his throne." [illustration: renovating his majesty, the scarecrow.] "i was sure you would help me," remarked the scarecrow in a pleased voice. "how large an army can you assemble?" "we do not need an army," replied the woodman. "we four, with the aid of my gleaming axe, are enough to strike terror into the hearts of the rebels." "we five," corrected the pumpkinhead. "five?" repeated the tin woodman. "yes; the saw-horse is brave and fearless," answered jack, forgetting his recent quarrel with the quadruped. the tin woodman looked around him in a puzzled way, for the saw-horse had until now remained quietly standing in a corner, where the emperor had not noticed him. tip immediately called the odd-looking creature to them, and it approached so awkwardly that it nearly upset the beautiful center-table and the engraved oil-can. "i begin to think," remarked the tin woodman as he looked earnestly at the saw-horse, "that wonders will never cease! how came this creature alive?" "i did it with a magic powder," modestly asserted the boy; "and the saw-horse has been very useful to us." "he enabled us to escape the rebels," added the scarecrow. "then we must surely accept him as a comrade," declared the emperor. "a live saw-horse is a distinct novelty, and should prove an interesting study. does he know anything?" "well, i cannot claim any great experience in life," the saw-horse answered for himself; "but i seem to learn very quickly, and often it occurs to me that i know more than any of those around me." "perhaps you do," said the emperor; "for experience does not always mean wisdom. but time is precious just now, so let us quickly make preparations to start upon our journey." the emperor called his lord high chancellor and instructed him how to run the kingdom during his absence. meanwhile the scarecrow was taken apart and the painted sack that served him for a head was carefully laundered and restuffed with the brains originally given him by the great wizard. his clothes were also cleaned and pressed by the imperial tailors, and his crown polished and again sewed upon his head, for the tin woodman insisted he should not renounce this badge of royalty. the scarecrow now presented a very respectable appearance, and although in no way addicted to vanity he was quite pleased with himself and strutted a trifle as he walked. while this was being done tip mended the wooden limbs of jack pumpkinhead and made them stronger than before, and the saw-horse was also inspected to see if he was in good working order. then bright and early the next morning they set out upon the return journey to the emerald city, the tin woodman bearing upon his shoulder a gleaming axe and leading the way, while the pumpkinhead rode upon the saw-horse and tip and the scarecrow walked upon either side to make sure that he didn't fall off or become damaged. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e. ] now, general jinjur--who, you will remember, commanded the army of revolt--was rendered very uneasy by the escape of the scarecrow from the emerald city. she feared, and with good reason, that if his majesty and the tin woodman joined forces, it would mean danger to her and her entire army; for the people of oz had not yet forgotten the deeds of these famous heroes, who had passed successfully through so many startling adventures. so jinjur sent post-haste for old mombi, the witch, and promised her large rewards if she would come to the assistance of the rebel army. mombi was furious at the trick tip had played upon her, as well as at his escape and the theft of the precious powder of life; so she needed no urging to induce her to travel to the emerald city to assist jinjur in defeating the scarecrow and the tin woodman, who had made tip one of their friends. mombi had no sooner arrived at the royal palace than she discovered, by means of her secret magic, that the adventurers were starting upon their journey to the emerald city; so she retired to a small room high up in a tower and locked herself in while she practised such arts as she could command to prevent the return of the scarecrow and his companions. that was why the tin woodman presently stopped and said: "something very curious has happened. i ought to know by heart every step of this journey, and yet i fear we have already lost our way." "that is quite impossible!" protested the scarecrow. "why do you think, my dear friend, that we have gone astray?" "why, here before us is a great field of sunflowers--and i never saw this field before in all my life." at these words they all looked around, only to find that they were indeed surrounded by a field of tall stalks, every stalk bearing at its top a gigantic sunflower. and not only were these flowers almost blinding in their vivid hues of red and gold, but each one whirled around upon its stalk like a miniature wind-mill, completely dazzling the vision of the beholders and so mystifying them that they knew not which way to turn. "it's witchcraft!" exclaimed tip. while they paused, hesitating and wondering, the tin woodman uttered a cry of impatience and advanced with swinging axe to cut down the stalks before him. but now the sunflowers suddenly stopped their rapid whirling, and the travelers plainly saw a girl's face appear in the center of each flower. these lovely faces looked upon the astonished band with mocking smiles, and then burst into a chorus of merry laughter at the dismay their appearance caused. "stop! stop!" cried tip, seizing the woodman's arm; "they're alive! they're girls!" at that moment the flowers began whirling again, and the faces faded away and were lost in the rapid revolutions. the tin woodman dropped his axe and sat down upon the ground. "it would be heartless to chop down those pretty creatures," said he, despondently; "and yet i do not know how else we can proceed upon our way." "they looked to me strangely like the faces of the army of revolt," mused the scarecrow. "but i cannot conceive how the girls could have followed us here so quickly." "i believe it's magic," said tip, positively, "and that someone is playing a trick upon us. i've known old mombi do things like that before. probably it's nothing more than an illusion, and there are no sunflowers here at all." "then let us shut our eyes and walk forward," suggested the woodman. "excuse me," replied the scarecrow. "my eyes are not painted to shut. because you happen to have tin eyelids, you must not imagine we are all built in the same way." "and the eyes of the saw-horse are knot eyes," said jack, leaning forward to examine them. "nevertheless, you must ride quickly forward," commanded tip, "and we will follow after you and so try to escape. my eyes are already so dazzled that i can scarcely see." so the pumpkinhead rode boldly forward, and tip grasped the stub tail of the saw-horse and followed with closed eyes. the scarecrow and the tin woodman brought up the rear, and before they had gone many yards a joyful shout from jack announced that the way was clear before them. then all paused to look backward, but not a trace of the field of sunflowers remained. more cheerfully, now, they proceeded upon their journey; but old mombi had so changed the appearance of the landscape that they would surely have been lost had not the scarecrow wisely concluded to take their direction from the sun. for no witchcraft could change the course of the sun, and it was therefore a safe guide. however, other difficulties lay before them. the saw-horse stepped into a rabbit hole and fell to the ground. the pumpkinhead was pitched high into the air, and his history would probably have ended at that exact moment had not the tin woodman skillfully caught the pumpkin as it descended and saved it from injury. tip soon had it fitted to the neck again and replaced jack upon his feet. but the saw-horse did not escape so easily. for when his leg was pulled from the rabbit hole it was found to be broken short off, and must be replaced or repaired before he could go a step farther. "this is quite serious," said the tin woodman. "if there were trees near by i might soon manufacture another leg for this animal; but i cannot see even a shrub for miles around." [illustration: the tin woodman skillfully caught the pumpkin] "and there are neither fences nor houses in this part of the land of oz," added the scarecrow, disconsolately. "then what shall we do?" enquired the boy. "i suppose i must start my brains working," replied his majesty the scarecrow; "for experience has taught me that i can do anything if i but take time to think it out." "let us all think," said tip; "and perhaps we shall find a way to repair the saw-horse." so they sat in a row upon the grass and began to think, while the saw-horse occupied itself by gazing curiously upon its broken limb. "does it hurt?" asked the tin woodman, in a soft, sympathetic voice. "not in the least," returned the saw-horse; "but my pride is injured to find that my anatomy is so brittle." for a time the little group remained in silent thought. presently the tin woodman raised his head and looked over the fields. "what sort of creature is that which approaches us?" he asked, wonderingly. the others followed his gaze, and discovered coming toward them the most extraordinary object they had ever beheld. it advanced quickly and noiselessly over the soft grass and in a few minutes stood before the adventurers and regarded them with an astonishment equal to their own. the scarecrow was calm under all circumstances. "good morning!" he said, politely. the stranger removed his hat with a flourish, bowed very low, and then responded: [illustration] "good morning, one and all. i hope you are, as an aggregation, enjoying excellent health. permit me to present my card." with this courteous speech it extended a card toward the scarecrow, who accepted it, turned it over and over, and then handed it with a shake of his head to tip. the boy read aloud: "mr. h. m. woggle-bug, t. e." "dear me!" ejaculated the pumpkinhead, staring somewhat intently. "how very peculiar!" said the tin woodman. tip's eyes were round and wondering, and the saw-horse uttered a sigh and turned away its head. "are you really a woggle-bug?" enquired the scarecrow. "most certainly, my dear sir!" answered the stranger, briskly. "is not my name upon the card?" "it is," said the scarecrow. "but may i ask what 'h. m.' stands for?" "'h. m.' means highly magnified," returned the woggle-bug, proudly. "oh, i see." the scarecrow viewed the stranger critically. "and are you, in truth, highly magnified?" "sir," said the woggle-bug, "i take you for a gentleman of judgment and discernment. does it not occur to you that i am several thousand times greater than any woggle-bug you ever saw before? therefore it is plainly evident that i am highly magnified, and there is no good reason why you should doubt the fact." "pardon me," returned the scarecrow. "my brains are slightly mixed since i was last laundered. would it be improper for me to ask, also, what the 't. e.' at the end of your name stands for?" "those letters express my degree," answered the woggle-bug, with a condescending smile. "to be more explicit, the initials mean that i am thoroughly educated." "oh!" said the scarecrow, much relieved. tip had not yet taken his eyes off this wonderful personage. what he saw was a great, round, bug-like body supported upon two slender legs which ended in delicate feet--the toes curling upward. the body of the woggle-bug was rather flat, and judging from what could be seen of it was of a glistening dark brown color upon the back, while the front was striped with alternate bands of light brown and white, blending together at the edges. its arms were fully as slender as its legs, and upon a rather long neck was perched its head--not unlike the head of a man, except that its nose ended in a curling antenna, or "feeler," and its ears from the upper points bore antennæ that decorated the sides of its head like two miniature, curling pig tails. it must be admitted that the round, black eyes were rather bulging in appearance; but the expression upon the woggle-bug's face was by no means unpleasant. for dress the insect wore a dark-blue swallow-tail coat with a yellow silk lining and a flower in the button-hole; a vest of white duck that stretched tightly across the wide body; knickerbockers of fawn-colored plush, fastened at the knees with gilt buckles; and, perched upon its small head, was jauntily set a tall silk hat. standing upright before our amazed friends the woggle-bug appeared to be fully as tall as the tin woodman; and surely no bug in all the land of oz had ever before attained so enormous a size. "i confess," said the scarecrow, "that your abrupt appearance has caused me surprise, and no doubt has startled my companions. i hope, however, that this circumstance will not distress you. we shall probably get used to you in time." "do not apologize, i beg of you!" returned the woggle-bug, earnestly. "it affords me great pleasure to surprise people; for surely i cannot be classed with ordinary insects and am entitled to both curiosity and admiration from those i meet." "you are, indeed," agreed his majesty. "if you will permit me to seat myself in your august company," continued the stranger, "i will gladly relate my history, so that you will be better able to comprehend my unusual--may i say remarkable?--appearance." "you may say what you please," answered the tin woodman, briefly. so the woggle-bug sat down upon the grass, facing the little group of wanderers, and told them the following story: [illustration] [illustration: a highly magnified history ] "it is but honest that i should acknowledge at the beginning of my recital that i was born an ordinary woggle-bug," began the creature, in a frank and friendly tone. "knowing no better, i used my arms as well as my legs for walking, and crawled under the edges of stones or hid among the roots of grasses with no thought beyond finding a few insects smaller than myself to feed upon. "the chill nights rendered me stiff and motionless, for i wore no clothing, but each morning the warm rays of the sun gave me new life and restored me to activity. a horrible existence is this, but you must remember it is the regularly ordained existence of woggle-bugs, as well as of many other tiny creatures that inhabit the earth. "but destiny had singled me out, humble though i was, for a grander fate! one day i crawled near to a country school house, and my curiosity being excited by the monotonous hum of the students within, i made bold to enter and creep along a crack between two boards until i reached the far end, where, in front of a hearth of glowing embers, sat the master at his desk. "no one noticed so small a creature as a woggle-bug, and when i found that the hearth was even warmer and more comfortable than the sunshine, i resolved to establish my future home beside it. so i found a charming nest between two bricks and hid myself therein for many, many months. "professor nowitall is, doubtless, the most famous scholar in the land of oz, and after a few days i began to listen to the lectures and discourses he gave his pupils. not one of them was more attentive than the humble, unnoticed woggle-bug, and i acquired in this way a fund of knowledge that i will myself confess is simply marvelous. that is why i place 't. e.'--thoroughly educated--upon my cards; for my greatest pride lies in the fact that the world cannot produce another woggle-bug with a tenth part of my own culture and erudition." "i do not blame you," said the scarecrow. "education is a thing to be proud of. i'm educated myself. the mess of brains given me by the great wizard is considered by my friends to be unexcelled." "nevertheless," interrupted the tin woodman, "a good heart is, i believe, much more desirable than education or brains." "to me," said the saw-horse, "a good leg is more desirable than either." "could seeds be considered in the light of brains?" enquired the pumpkinhead, abruptly. "keep quiet!" commanded tip, sternly. "very well, dear father," answered the obedient jack. the woggle-bug listened patiently--even respectfully--to these remarks, and then resumed his story. "i must have lived fully three years in that secluded school-house hearth," said he, "drinking thirstily of the ever-flowing fount of limpid knowledge before me." "quite poetical," commented the scarecrow, nodding his head approvingly. [illustration: "caught me between his thumb and forefinger."] "but one day," continued the bug, "a marvelous circumstance occurred that altered my very existence and brought me to my present pinnacle of greatness. the professor discovered me in the act of crawling across the hearth, and before i could escape he had caught me between his thumb and forefinger. "'my dear children,' said he, 'i have captured a woggle-bug--a very rare and interesting specimen. do any of you know what a woggle-bug is?' "'no!' yelled the scholars, in chorus. "'then,' said the professor, 'i will get out my famous magnifying-glass and throw the insect upon a screen in a highly-magnified condition, that you may all study carefully its peculiar construction and become acquainted with its habits and manner of life.' "he then brought from a cupboard a most curious instrument, and before i could realize what had happened i found myself thrown upon a screen in a highly-magnified state--even as you now behold me. "the students stood up on their stools and craned their heads forward to get a better view of me, and two little girls jumped upon the sill of an open window where they could see more plainly. "'behold!' cried the professor, in a loud voice, 'this highly-magnified woggle-bug; one of the most curious insects in existence!' "being thoroughly educated, and knowing what is required of a cultured gentleman, at this juncture i stood upright and, placing my hand upon my bosom, made a very polite bow. my action, being unexpected, must have startled them, for one of the little girls perched upon the window-sill gave a scream and fell backward out the window, drawing her companion with her as she disappeared. [illustration: "the students stood up on their stools."] "the professor uttered a cry of horror and rushed away through the door to see if the poor children were injured by the fall. the scholars followed after him in a wild mob, and i was left alone in the school-room, still in a highly-magnified state and free to do as i pleased. "it immediately occurred to me that this was a good opportunity to escape. i was proud of my great size, and realized that now i could safely travel anywhere in the world, while my superior culture would make me a fit associate for the most learned person i might chance to meet. "so, while the professor picked the little girls--who were more frightened than hurt--off the ground, and the pupils clustered around him closely grouped, i calmly walked out of the school-house, turned a corner, and escaped unnoticed to a grove of trees that stood near." "wonderful!" exclaimed the pumpkinhead, admiringly. "it was, indeed," agreed the woggle-bug. "i have never ceased to congratulate myself for escaping while i was highly magnified; for even my excessive knowledge would have proved of little use to me had i remained a tiny, insignificant insect." [illustration] "i didn't know before," said tip, looking at the woggle-bug with a puzzled expression, "that insects wore clothes." "nor do they, in their natural state," returned the stranger. "but in the course of my wanderings i had the good fortune to save the ninth life of a tailor--tailors having, like cats, nine lives, as you probably know. the fellow was exceedingly grateful, for had he lost that ninth life it would have been the end of him; so he begged permission to furnish me with the stylish costume i now wear. it fits very nicely, does it not?" and the woggle-bug stood up and turned himself around slowly, that all might examine his person. "he must have been a good tailor," said the scarecrow, somewhat enviously. "he was a good-hearted tailor, at any rate," observed nick chopper. "but where were you going, when you met us?" tip asked the woggle-bug. "nowhere in particular," was the reply, "although it is my intention soon to visit the emerald city and arrange to give a course of lectures to select audiences on the 'advantages of magnification.'" "we are bound for the emerald city now," said the tin woodman; "so, if it pleases you to do so, you are welcome to travel in our company." the woggle-bug bowed with profound grace. "it will give me great pleasure," said he, "to accept your kind invitation; for nowhere in the land of oz could i hope to meet with so congenial a company." "that is true," acknowledged the pumpkinhead. "we are quite as congenial as flies and honey." "but--pardon me if i seem inquisitive--are you not all rather--ahem!--rather unusual?" asked the woggle-bug, looking from one to another with unconcealed interest. "not more so than yourself," answered the scarecrow. "everything in life is unusual until you get accustomed to it." "what rare philosophy!" exclaimed the woggle-bug, admiringly. "yes; my brains are working well today," admitted the scarecrow, an accent of pride in his voice. "then, if you are sufficiently rested and refreshed, let us bend our steps toward the emerald city," suggested the magnified one. "we can't," said tip. "the saw-horse has broken a leg, so he can't bend his steps. and there is no wood around to make him a new limb from. and we can't leave the horse behind because the pumpkinhead is so stiff in his joints that he has to ride." "how very unfortunate!" cried the woggle-bug. then he looked the party over carefully and said: "if the pumpkinhead is to ride, why not use one of his legs to make a leg for the horse that carries him? i judge that both are made of wood." "now, that is what i call real cleverness," said the scarecrow, approvingly. "i wonder my brains did not think of that long ago! get to work, my dear nick, and fit the pumpkinhead's leg to the saw-horse." jack was not especially pleased with this idea; but he submitted to having his left leg amputated by the tin woodman and whittled down to fit the left leg of the saw-horse. nor was the saw-horse especially pleased with the operation, either; for he growled a good deal about being "butchered," as he called it, and afterward declared that the new leg was a disgrace to a respectable saw-horse. "i beg you to be more careful in your speech," said the pumpkinhead, sharply. "remember, if you please, that it is my leg you are abusing." "i cannot forget it," retorted the saw-horse, "for it is quite as flimsy as the rest of your person." "flimsy! me flimsy!" cried jack, in a rage. "how dare you call me flimsy?" "because you are built as absurdly as a jumping-jack," sneered the horse, rolling his knotty eyes in a vicious manner. "even your head won't stay straight, and you never can tell whether you are looking backwards or forward!" "friends, i entreat you not to quarrel!" pleaded the tin woodman, anxiously. "as a matter of fact, we are none of us above criticism; so let us bear with each others' faults." "an excellent suggestion," said the woggle-bug, approvingly. "you must have an excellent heart, my metallic friend." "i have," returned nick, well pleased. "my heart is quite the best part of me. but now let us start upon our journey." they perched the one-legged pumpkinhead upon the saw-horse, and tied him to his seat with cords, so that he could not possibly fall off. and then, following the lead of the scarecrow, they all advanced in the direction of the emerald city. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: old mombi indulges in witchcraft ] they soon discovered that the saw-horse limped, for his new leg was a trifle too long. so they were obliged to halt while the tin woodman chopped it down with his axe, after which the wooden steed paced along more comfortably. but the saw-horse was not entirely satisfied, even yet. "it was a shame that i broke my other leg!" it growled. "on the contrary," airily remarked the woggle-bug, who was walking alongside, "you should consider the accident most fortunate. for a horse is never of much use until he has been broken." "i beg your pardon," said tip, rather provoked, for he felt a warm interest in both the saw-horse and his man jack; "but permit me to say that your joke is a poor one, and as old as it is poor." "still, it is a joke," declared the woggle-bug, firmly, "and a joke derived from a play upon words is considered among educated people to be eminently proper." "what does that mean?" enquired the pumpkinhead, stupidly. "it means, my dear friend," explained the woggle-bug, "that our language contains many words having a double meaning; and that to pronounce a joke that allows both meanings of a certain word, proves the joker a person of culture and refinement, who has, moreover, a thorough command of the language." "i don't believe that," said tip, plainly; "anybody can make a pun." "not so," rejoined the woggle-bug, stiffly. "it requires education of a high order. are you educated, young sir?" "not especially," admitted tip. "then you cannot judge the matter. i myself am thoroughly educated, and i say that puns display genius. for instance, were i to ride upon this saw-horse, he would not only be an animal--he would become an equipage. for he would then be a horse-and-buggy." at this the scarecrow gave a gasp and the tin woodman stopped short and looked reproachfully at the woggle-bug. at the same time the saw-horse loudly snorted his derision; and even the pumpkinhead put up his hand to hide the smile which, because it was carved upon his face, he could not change to a frown. but the woggle-bug strutted along as if he had made some brilliant remark, and the scarecrow was obliged to say: "i have heard, my dear friend, that a person can become over-educated; and although i have a high respect for brains, no matter how they may be arranged or classified, i begin to suspect that yours are slightly tangled. in any event, i must beg you to restrain your superior education while in our society." "we are not very particular," added the tin woodman; "and we are exceedingly kind hearted. but if your superior culture gets leaky again--" he did not complete the sentence, but he twirled his gleaming axe so carelessly that the woggle-bug looked frightened, and shrank away to a safe distance. the others marched on in silence, and the highly-magnified one, after a period of deep thought, said in an humble voice: "i will endeavor to restrain myself." "that is all we can expect," returned the scarecrow, pleasantly; and good nature being thus happily restored to the party, they proceeded upon their way. when they again stopped to allow tip to rest--the boy being the only one that seemed to tire--the tin woodman noticed many small, round holes in the grassy meadow. "this must be a village of the field mice," he said to the scarecrow. "i wonder if my old friend, the queen of the mice, is in this neighborhood." "if she is, she may be of great service to us," answered the scarecrow, who was impressed by a sudden thought. "see if you can call her, my dear nick." so the tin woodman blew a shrill note upon a silver whistle that hung around his neck, and presently a tiny grey mouse popped from a near-by hole and advanced fearlessly toward them. for the tin woodman had once saved her life, and the queen of the field mice knew he was to be trusted. "good day, your majesty," said nick, politely addressing the mouse; "i trust you are enjoying good health?" "thank you, i am quite well," answered the queen, demurely, as she sat up and displayed the tiny golden crown upon her head. "can i do anything to assist my old friends?" "you can, indeed," replied the scarecrow, eagerly. "let me, i intreat you, take a dozen of your subjects with me to the emerald city." "will they be injured in any way?" asked the queen, doubtfully. "i think not," replied the scarecrow. "i will carry them hidden in the straw which stuffs my body, and when i give them the signal by unbuttoning my jacket, they have only to rush out and scamper home again as fast as they can. by doing this they will assist me to regain my throne, which the army of revolt has taken from me." "in that case," said the queen, "i will not refuse your request. whenever you are ready, i will call twelve of my most intelligent subjects." "i am ready now," returned the scarecrow. then he lay flat upon the ground and unbuttoned his jacket, displaying the mass of straw with which he was stuffed. the queen uttered a little piping call, and in an instant a dozen pretty field mice had emerged from their holes and stood before their ruler, awaiting her orders. what the queen said to them none of our travelers could understand, for it was in the mouse language; but the field mice obeyed without hesitation, running one after the other to the scarecrow and hiding themselves in the straw of his breast. when all of the twelve mice had thus concealed themselves, the scarecrow buttoned his jacket securely and then arose and thanked the queen for her kindness. "one thing more you might do to serve us," suggested the tin woodman; "and that is to run ahead and show us the way to the emerald city. for some enemy is evidently trying to prevent us from reaching it." "i will do that gladly," returned the queen. "are you ready?" the tin woodman looked at tip. "i'm rested," said the boy. "let us start." then they resumed their journey, the little grey queen of the field mice running swiftly ahead and then pausing until the travelers drew near, when away she would dart again. without this unerring guide the scarecrow and his comrades might never have gained the emerald city; for many were the obstacles thrown in their way by the arts of old mombi. yet not one of the obstacles really existed--all were cleverly contrived deceptions. for when they came to the banks of a rushing river that threatened to bar their way the little queen kept steadily on, passing through the seeming flood in safety; and our travelers followed her without encountering a single drop of water. again, a high wall of granite towered high above their heads and opposed their advance. but the grey field mouse walked straight through it, and the others did the same, the wall melting into mist as they passed it. afterward, when they had stopped for a moment to allow tip to rest, they saw forty roads branching off from their feet in forty different directions; and soon these forty roads began whirling around like a mighty wheel, first in one direction and then in the other, completely bewildering their vision. but the queen called for them to follow her and darted off in a straight line; and when they had gone a few paces the whirling pathways vanished and were seen no more. mombi's last trick was most fearful of all. she sent a sheet of crackling flame rushing over the meadow to consume them; and for the first time the scarecrow became afraid and turned to fly. "if that fire reaches me i will be gone in no time!" said he, trembling until his straw rattled. "it's the most dangerous thing i ever encountered." "i'm off, too!" cried the saw-horse, turning and prancing with agitation; "for my wood is so dry it would burn like kindlings." "is fire dangerous to pumpkins?" asked jack, fearfully. [illustration] "you'll be baked like a tart--and so will i!" answered the woggle-bug, getting down on all fours so he could run the faster. but the tin woodman, having no fear of fire, averted the stampede by a few sensible words. "look at the field mouse!" he shouted. "the fire does not burn her in the least. in fact, it is no fire at all, but only a deception." indeed, to watch the little queen march calmly through the advancing flames restored courage to every member of the party, and they followed her without being even scorched. "this is surely a most extraordinary adventure," said the woggle-bug, who was greatly amazed; "for it upsets all the natural laws that i heard professor nowitall teach in the school-house." "of course it does," said the scarecrow, wisely. "all magic is unnatural, and for that reason is to be feared and avoided. but i see before us the gates of the emerald city, so i imagine we have now overcome all the magical obstacles that seemed to oppose us." indeed, the walls of the city were plainly visible, and the queen of the field mice, who had guided them so faithfully, came near to bid them good-bye. "we are very grateful to your majesty for your kind assistance," said the tin woodman, bowing before the pretty creature. "i am always pleased to be of service to my friends," answered the queen, and in a flash she had darted away upon her journey home. [illustration] [illustration: the prisoners of the queen ] approaching the gateway of the emerald city the travelers found it guarded by two girls of the army of revolt, who opposed their entrance by drawing the knitting-needles from their hair and threatening to prod the first that came near. but the tin woodman was not afraid. "at the worst they can but scratch my beautiful nickel-plate," he said. "but there will be no 'worst,' for i think i can manage to frighten these absurd soldiers very easily. follow me closely, all of you!" then, swinging his axe in a great circle to right and left before him, he advanced upon the gate, and the others followed him without hesitation. the girls, who had expected no resistance whatever, were terrified by the sweep of the glittering axe and fled screaming into the city; so that our travelers passed the gates in safety and marched down the green marble pavement of the wide street toward the royal palace. "at this rate we will soon have your majesty upon the throne again," said the tin woodman, laughing at his easy conquest of the guards. "thank you, friend nick," returned the scarecrow, gratefully. "nothing can resist your kind heart and your sharp axe." as they passed the rows of houses they saw through the open doors that men were sweeping and dusting and washing dishes, while the women sat around in groups, gossiping and laughing. "what has happened?" the scarecrow asked a sad-looking man with a bushy beard, who wore an apron and was wheeling a baby-carriage along the sidewalk. "why, we've had a revolution, your majesty--as you ought to know very well," replied the man; "and since you went away the women have been running things to suit themselves. i'm glad you have decided to come back and restore order, for doing housework and minding the children is wearing out the strength of every man in the emerald city." "hm!" said the scarecrow, thoughtfully. "if it is such hard work as you say, how did the women manage it so easily?" "i really do not know," replied the man, with a deep sigh. "perhaps the women are made of cast-iron." no movement was made, as they passed along the street, to oppose their progress. several of the women stopped their gossip long enough to cast curious looks upon our friends, but immediately they would turn away with a laugh or a sneer and resume their chatter. and when they met with several girls belonging to the army of revolt, those soldiers, instead of being alarmed or appearing surprised, merely stepped out of the way and allowed them to advance without protest. this action rendered the scarecrow uneasy. "i'm afraid we are walking into a trap," said he. "nonsense!" returned nick chopper, confidently; "the silly creatures are conquered already!" but the scarecrow shook his head in a way that expressed doubt, and tip said: "it's too easy, altogether. look out for trouble ahead." "i will," returned his majesty. [illustration: "it's too easy, altogether."] unopposed they reached the royal palace and marched up the marble steps, which had once been thickly encrusted with emeralds but were now filled with tiny holes where the jewels had been ruthlessly torn from their settings by the army of revolt. and so far not a rebel barred their way. through the arched hallways and into the magnificent throne room marched the tin woodman and his followers, and here, when the green silken curtains fell behind them, they saw a curious sight. seated within the glittering throne was general jinjur, with the scarecrow's second-best crown upon her head, and the royal sceptre in her right hand. a box of caramels, from which she was eating, rested in her lap, and the girl seemed entirely at ease in her royal surroundings. the scarecrow stepped forward and confronted her, while the tin woodman leaned upon his axe and the others formed a half-circle back of his majesty's person. "how dare you sit in my throne?" demanded the scarecrow, sternly eyeing the intruder. "don't you know you are guilty of treason, and that there is a law against treason?" "the throne belongs to whoever is able to take it," answered jinjur, as she slowly ate another caramel. "i have taken it, as you see; so just now i am the queen, and all who oppose me are guilty of treason, and must be punished by the law you have just mentioned." this view of the case puzzled the scarecrow. "how is it, friend nick?" he asked, turning to the tin woodman. "why, when it comes to law, i have nothing to say," answered that personage; "for laws were never meant to be understood, and it is foolish to make the attempt." "then what shall we do?" asked the scarecrow, in dismay. "why don't you marry the queen? and then you can both rule," suggested the woggle-bug. jinjur glared at the insect fiercely. "why don't you send her back to her mother, where she belongs?" asked jack pumpkinhead. jinjur frowned. "why don't you shut her up in a closet until she behaves herself, and promises to be good?" enquired tip. jinjur's lip curled scornfully. "or give her a good shaking!" added the saw-horse. "no," said the tin woodman, "we must treat the poor girl with gentleness. let us give her all the jewels she can carry, and send her away happy and contented." at this queen jinjur laughed aloud, and the next minute clapped her pretty hands together thrice, as if for a signal. "you are very absurd creatures," said she; "but i am tired of your nonsense and have no time to bother with you longer." while the monarch and his friends listened in amazement to this impudent speech, a startling thing happened. the tin woodman's axe was snatched from his grasp by some person behind him, and he found himself disarmed and helpless. at the same instant a shout of laughter rang in the ears of the devoted band, and turning to see whence this came they found themselves surrounded by the army of revolt, the girls bearing in either hand their glistening knitting-needles. the entire throne room seemed to be filled with the rebels, and the scarecrow and his comrades realized that they were prisoners. "you see how foolish it is to oppose a woman's wit," said jinjur, gaily; "and this event only proves that i am more fit to rule the emerald city than a scarecrow. i bear you no ill will, i assure you; but lest you should prove troublesome to me in the future i shall order you all to be destroyed. that is, all except the boy, who belongs to old mombi and must be restored to her keeping. the rest of you are not human, and therefore it will not be wicked to demolish you. the saw-horse and the pumpkinhead's body i will have chopped up for kindling-wood; and the pumpkin shall be made into tarts. the scarecrow will do nicely to start a bonfire, and the tin man can be cut into small pieces and fed to the goats. as for this immense woggle-bug--" "highly magnified, if you please!" interrupted the insect. "i think i will ask the cook to make green-turtle soup of you," continued the queen, reflectively. the woggle-bug shuddered. "or, if that won't do, we might use you for a hungarian goulash, stewed and highly spiced," she added, cruelly. this programme of extermination was so terrible that the prisoners looked upon one another in a panic of fear. the scarecrow alone did not give way to despair. he stood quietly before the queen and his brow was wrinkled in deep thought as he strove to find some means to escape. while thus engaged he felt the straw within his breast move gently. at once his expression changed from sadness to joy, and raising his hand he quickly unbuttoned the front of his jacket. [illustration] this action did not pass unnoticed by the crowd of girls clustering about him, but none of them suspected what he was doing until a tiny grey mouse leaped from his bosom to the floor and scampered away between the feet of the army of revolt. another mouse quickly followed; then another and another, in rapid succession. and suddenly such a scream of terror went up from the army that it might easily have filled the stoutest heart with consternation. the flight that ensued turned to a stampede, and the stampede to a panic. for while the startled mice rushed wildly about the room the scarecrow had only time to note a whirl of skirts and a twinkling of feet as the girls disappeared from the palace--pushing and crowding one another in their mad efforts to escape. the queen, at the first alarm, stood up on the cushions of the throne and began to dance frantically upon her tiptoes. then a mouse ran up the cushions, and with a terrified leap poor jinjur shot clear over the head of the scarecrow and escaped through an archway--never pausing in her wild career until she had reached the city gates. so, in less time than i can explain, the throne room was deserted by all save the scarecrow and his friends, and the woggle-bug heaved a deep sigh of relief as he exclaimed: "thank goodness, we are saved!" "for a time, yes;" answered the tin woodman. "but the enemy will soon return, i fear." "let us bar all the entrances to the palace!" said the scarecrow. "then we shall have time to think what is best to be done." so all except jack pumpkinhead, who was still tied fast to the saw-horse, ran to the various entrances of the royal palace and closed the heavy doors, bolting and locking them securely. then, knowing that the army of revolt could not batter down the barriers in several days, the adventurers gathered once more in the throne room for a council of war. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the scarecrow takes time to think ] "it seems to me," began the scarecrow, when all were again assembled in the throne room, "that the girl jinjur is quite right in claiming to be queen. and if she is right, then i am wrong, and we have no business to be occupying her palace." "but you were the king until she came," said the woggle-bug, strutting up and down with his hands in his pockets; "so it appears to me that she is the interloper instead of you." "especially as we have just conquered her and put her to flight," added the pumpkinhead, as he raised his hands to turn his face toward the scarecrow. "have we really conquered her?" asked the scarecrow, quietly. "look out of the window, and tell me what you see." tip ran to the window and looked out. "the palace is surrounded by a double row of girl soldiers," he announced. "i thought so," returned the scarecrow. "we are as truly their prisoners as we were before the mice frightened them from the palace." "my friend is right," said nick chopper, who had been polishing his breast with a bit of chamois-leather. "jinjur is still the queen, and we are her prisoners." "but i hope she cannot get at us," exclaimed the pumpkinhead, with a shiver of fear. "she threatened to make tarts of me, you know." "don't worry," said the tin woodman. "it cannot matter greatly. if you stay shut up here you will spoil in time, anyway. a good tart is far more admirable than a decayed intellect." "very true," agreed the scarecrow. "oh, dear!" moaned jack; "what an unhappy lot is mine! why, dear father, did you not make me out of tin--or even out of straw--so that i would keep indefinitely." "shucks!" returned tip, indignantly. "you ought to be glad that i made you at all." then he added, reflectively, "everything has to come to an end, some time." "but i beg to remind you," broke in the woggle-bug, who had a distressed look in his bulging, round eyes, "that this terrible queen jinjur suggested making a goulash of me--me! the only highly magnified and thoroughly educated woggle-bug in the wide, wide world!" "i think it was a brilliant idea," remarked the scarecrow, approvingly. "don't you imagine he would make a better soup?" asked the tin woodman, turning toward his friend. "well, perhaps," acknowledged the scarecrow. the woggle-bug groaned. "i can see, in my mind's eye," said he, mournfully, "the goats eating small pieces of my dear comrade, the tin woodman, while my soup is being cooked on a bonfire built of the saw-horse and jack pumpkinhead's body, and queen jinjur watches me boil while she feeds the flames with my friend the scarecrow!" this morbid picture cast a gloom over the entire party, making them restless and anxious. "it can't happen for some time," said the tin woodman, trying to speak cheerfully; "for we shall be able to keep jinjur out of the palace until she manages to break down the doors." "and in the meantime i am liable to starve to death, and so is the woggle-bug," announced tip. "as for me," said the woggle-bug, "i think that i could live for some time on jack pumpkinhead. not that i prefer pumpkins for food; but i believe they are somewhat nutritious, and jack's head is large and plump." "how heartless!" exclaimed the tin woodman, greatly shocked. "are we cannibals, let me ask? or are we faithful friends?" "i see very clearly that we cannot stay shut up in this palace," said the scarecrow, with decision. "so let us end this mournful talk and try to discover a means to escape." at this suggestion they all gathered eagerly around the throne, wherein was seated the scarecrow, and as tip sat down upon a stool there fell from his pocket a pepper-box, which rolled upon the floor. "what is this?" asked nick chopper, picking up the box. "be careful!" cried the boy. "that's my powder of life. don't spill it, for it is nearly gone." "and what is the powder of life?" enquired the scarecrow, as tip replaced the box carefully in his pocket. "it's some magical stuff old mombi got from a crooked sorcerer," explained the boy. "she brought jack to life with it, and afterward i used it to bring the saw-horse to life. i guess it will make anything live that is sprinkled with it; but there's only about one dose left." "then it is very precious," said the tin woodman. "indeed it is," agreed the scarecrow. "it may prove our best means of escape from our difficulties. i believe i will think for a few minutes; so i will thank you, friend tip, to get out your knife and rip this heavy crown from my forehead." tip soon cut the stitches that had fastened the crown to the scarecrow's head, and the former monarch of the emerald city removed it with a sigh of relief and hung it on a peg beside the throne. [illustration] "that is my last memento of royalty," said he; "and i'm glad to get rid of it. the former king of this city, who was named pastoria, lost the crown to the wonderful wizard, who passed it on to me. now the girl jinjur claims it, and i sincerely hope it will not give her a headache." "a kindly thought, which i greatly admire," said the tin woodman, nodding approvingly. "and now i will indulge in a quiet think," continued the scarecrow, lying back in the throne. the others remained as silent and still as possible, so as not to disturb him; for all had great confidence in the extraordinary brains of the scarecrow. and, after what seemed a very long time indeed to the anxious watchers, the thinker sat up, looked upon his friends with his most whimsical expression, and said: "my brains work beautifully today. i'm quite proud of them. now, listen! if we attempt to escape through the doors of the palace we shall surely be captured. and, as we can't escape through the ground, there is only one other thing to be done. we must escape through the air!" he paused to note the effect of these words; but all his hearers seemed puzzled and unconvinced. "the wonderful wizard escaped in a balloon," he continued. "we don't know how to make a balloon, of course; but any sort of thing that can fly through the air can carry us easily. so i suggest that my friend the tin woodman, who is a skillful mechanic, shall build some sort of a machine, with good strong wings, to carry us; and our friend tip can then bring the thing to life with his magical powder." "bravo!" cried nick chopper. "what splendid brains!" murmured jack. "really quite clever!" said the educated woggle-bug. [illustration] "i believe it can be done," declared tip; "that is, if the tin woodman is equal to making the thing." "i'll do my best," said nick, cheerily; "and, as a matter of fact, i do not often fail in what i attempt. but the thing will have to be built on the roof of the palace, so it can rise comfortably into the air." "to be sure," said the scarecrow. "then let us search through the palace," continued the tin woodman, "and carry all the material we can find to the roof, where i will begin my work." "first, however," said the pumpkinhead, "i beg you will release me from this horse, and make me another leg to walk with. for in my present condition i am of no use to myself or to anyone else." so the tin woodman knocked a mahogany center-table to pieces with his axe and fitted one of the legs, which was beautifully carved, on to the body of jack pumpkinhead, who was very proud of the acquisition. "it seems strange," said he, as he watched the tin woodman work, "that my left leg should be the most elegant and substantial part of me." "that proves you are unusual," returned the scarecrow; "and i am convinced that the only people worthy of consideration in this world are the unusual ones. for the common folks are like the leaves of a tree, and live and die unnoticed." "spoken like a philosopher!" cried the woggle-bug, as he assisted the tin woodman to set jack upon his feet. "how do you feel now?" asked tip, watching the pumpkinhead stump around to try his new leg. "as good as new," answered jack, joyfully, "and quite ready to assist you all to escape." "then let us get to work," said the scarecrow, in a business-like tone. so, glad to be doing anything that might lead to the end of their captivity, the friends separated to wander over the palace in search of fitting material to use in the construction of their aerial machine. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the astonishing flight of the gump ] when the adventurers reassembled upon the roof it was found that a remarkably queer assortment of articles had been selected by the various members of the party. no one seemed to have a very clear idea of what was required, but all had brought something. the woggle-bug had taken from its position over the mantle-piece in the great hallway the head of a gump, which was adorned with wide-spreading antlers; and this, with great care and greater difficulty, the insect had carried up the stairs to the roof. this gump resembled an elk's head, only the nose turned upward in a saucy manner and there were whiskers upon its chin, like those of a billy-goat. why the woggle-bug selected this article he could not have explained, except that it had aroused his curiosity. tip, with the aid of the saw-horse, had brought a large, upholstered sofa to the roof. it was an old-fashioned piece of furniture, with high back and ends, and it was so heavy that even by resting the greatest weight upon the back of the saw-horse, the boy found himself out of breath when at last the clumsy sofa was dumped upon the roof. the pumpkinhead had brought a broom, which was the first thing he saw. the scarecrow arrived with a coil of clotheslines and ropes which he had taken from the courtyard, and in his trip up the stairs he had become so entangled in the loose ends of the ropes that both he and his burden tumbled in a heap upon the roof and might have rolled off if tip had not rescued him. the tin woodman appeared last. he also had been to the courtyard, where he had cut four great, spreading leaves from a huge palm-tree that was the pride of all the inhabitants of the emerald city. "my dear nick!" exclaimed the scarecrow, seeing what his friend had done; "you have been guilty of the greatest crime any person can commit in the emerald city. if i remember rightly, the penalty for chopping leaves from the royal palm-tree is to be killed seven times and afterward imprisoned for life." [illustration: all brought something to the roof.] "it cannot be helped now," answered the tin woodman, throwing down the big leaves upon the roof. "but it may be one more reason why it is necessary for us to escape. and now let us see what you have found for me to work with." many were the doubtful looks cast upon the heap of miscellaneous material that now cluttered the roof, and finally the scarecrow shook his head and remarked: "well, if friend nick can manufacture, from this mess of rubbish, a thing that will fly through the air and carry us to safety, then i will acknowledge him to be a better mechanic than i suspected." but the tin woodman seemed at first by no means sure of his powers, and only after polishing his forehead vigorously with the chamois-leather did he resolve to undertake the task. "the first thing required for the machine," said he, "is a body big enough to carry the entire party. this sofa is the biggest thing we have, and might be used for a body. but, should the machine ever tip sideways, we would all slide off and fall to the ground." "why not use two sofas?" asked tip. "there's another one just like this down stairs." "that is a very sensible suggestion," exclaimed the tin woodman. "you must fetch the other sofa at once." so tip and the saw-horse managed, with much labor, to get the second sofa to the roof; and when the two were placed together, edge to edge, the backs and ends formed a protecting rampart all around the seats. "excellent!" cried the scarecrow. "we can ride within this snug nest quite at our ease." the two sofas were now bound firmly together with ropes and clotheslines, and then nick chopper fastened the gump's head to one end. "that will show which is the front end of the thing," said he, greatly pleased with the idea. "and, really, if you examine it critically, the gump looks very well as a figure-head. these great palm-leaves, for which i have endangered my life seven times, must serve us as wings." "are they strong enough?" asked the boy. "they are as strong as anything we can get," answered the woodman; "and although they are not in proportion to the thing's body, we are not in a position to be very particular." so he fastened the palm-leaves to the sofas, two on each side. said the woggle-bug, with considerable admiration: "the thing is now complete, and only needs to be brought to life." "stop a moment!" exclaimed jack. "are you not going to use my broom?" "what for?" asked the scarecrow. "why, it can be fastened to the back end for a tail," answered the pumpkinhead. "surely you would not call the thing complete without a tail." "hm!" said the tin woodman; "i do not see the use of a tail. we are not trying to copy a beast, or a fish, or a bird. all we ask of the thing is to carry us through the air." "perhaps, after the thing is brought to life, it can use a tail to steer with," suggested the scarecrow. "for if it flies through the air it will not be unlike a bird, and i've noticed that all birds have tails, which they use for a rudder while flying." "very well," answered nick, "the broom shall be used for a tail," and he fastened it firmly to the back end of the sofa body. tip took the pepper-box from his pocket. "the thing looks very big," said he, anxiously; "and i am not sure there is enough powder left to bring all of it to life. but i'll make it go as far as possible." "put most on the wings," said nick chopper; "for they must be made as strong as possible." "and don't forget the head!" exclaimed the woggle-bug. "or the tail!" added jack pumpkinhead. "do be quiet," said tip, nervously; "you must give me a chance to work the magic charm in the proper manner." very carefully he began sprinkling the thing with the precious powder. each of the four wings was first lightly covered with a layer; then the sofas were sprinkled, and the broom given a slight coating. "the head! the head! don't, i beg of you, forget the head!" cried the woggle-bug, excitedly. "there's only a little of the powder left," announced tip, looking within the box. "and it seems to me it is more important to bring the legs of the sofas to life than the head." "not so," decided the scarecrow. "every thing must have a head to direct it; and since this creature is to fly, and not walk, it is really unimportant whether its legs are alive or not." so tip abided by this decision and sprinkled the gump's head with the remainder of the powder. "now," said he, "keep silence while i work the charm!" having heard old mombi pronounce the magic words, and having also succeeded in bringing the saw-horse to life, tip did not hesitate an instant in speaking the three cabalistic words, each accompanied by the peculiar gesture of the hands. it was a grave and impressive ceremony. as he finished the incantation the thing shuddered throughout its huge bulk, the gump gave the screeching cry that is familiar to those animals, and then the four wings began flopping furiously. [illustration] tip managed to grasp a chimney, else he would have been blown off the roof by the terrible breeze raised by the wings. the scarecrow, being light in weight, was caught up bodily and borne through the air until tip luckily seized him by one leg and held him fast. the woggle-bug lay flat upon the roof and so escaped harm, and the tin woodman, whose weight of tin anchored him firmly, threw both arms around jack pumpkinhead and managed to save him. the saw-horse toppled over upon his back and lay with his legs waving helplessly above him. and now, while all were struggling to recover themselves, the thing rose slowly from the roof and mounted into the air. "here! come back!" cried tip, in a frightened voice, as he clung to the chimney with one hand and the scarecrow with the other. "come back at once, i command you!" it was now that the wisdom of the scarecrow, in bringing the head of the thing to life instead of the legs, was proved beyond a doubt. for the gump, already high in the air, turned its head at tip's command and gradually circled around until it could view the roof of the palace. "come back!" shouted the boy, again. and the gump obeyed, slowly and gracefully waving its four wings in the air until the thing had settled once more upon the roof and become still. [illustration: "come back!"] [illustration: in the jackdaws' nest ] "this," said the gump, in a squeaky voice not at all proportioned to the size of its great body, "is the most novel experience i ever heard of. the last thing i remember distinctly is walking through the forest and hearing a loud noise. something probably killed me then, and it certainly ought to have been the end of me. yet here i am, alive again, with four monstrous wings and a body which i venture to say would make any respectable animal or fowl weep with shame to own. what does it all mean? am i a gump, or am i a juggernaut?" the creature, as it spoke, wiggled its chin whiskers in a very comical manner. "you're just a thing," answered tip, "with a gump's head on it. and we have made you and brought you to life so that you may carry us through the air wherever we wish to go." "very good!" said the thing. "as i am not a gump, i cannot have a gump's pride or independent spirit. so i may as well become your servant as anything else. my only satisfaction is that i do not seem to have a very strong constitution, and am not likely to live long in a state of slavery." "don't say that, i beg of you!" cried the tin woodman, whose excellent heart was strongly affected by this sad speech. "are you not feeling well today?" "oh, as for that," returned the gump, "it is my first day of existence; so i cannot judge whether i am feeling well or ill." and it waved its broom tail to and fro in a pensive manner. "come, come!" said the scarecrow, kindly; "do try to be more cheerful and take life as you find it. we shall be kind masters, and will strive to render your existence as pleasant as possible. are you willing to carry us through the air wherever we wish to go?" "certainly," answered the gump. "i greatly prefer to navigate the air. for should i travel on the earth and meet with one of my own species, my embarrassment would be something awful!" "i can appreciate that," said the tin woodman, sympathetically. "and yet," continued the thing, "when i carefully look you over, my masters, none of you seems to be constructed much more artistically than i am." "appearances are deceitful," said the woggle-bug, earnestly. "i am both highly magnified and thoroughly educated." "indeed!" murmured the gump, indifferently. "and my brains are considered remarkably rare specimens," added the scarecrow, proudly. "how strange!" remarked the gump. "although i am of tin," said the woodman, "i own a heart altogether the warmest and most admirable in the whole world." "i'm delighted to hear it," replied the gump, with a slight cough. "my smile," said jack pumpkinhead, "is worthy your best attention. it is always the same." "_semper idem_," explained the woggle-bug, pompously; and the gump turned to stare at him. "and i," declared the saw-horse, filling in an awkward pause, "am only remarkable because i can't help it." "i am proud, indeed, to meet with such exceptional masters," said the gump, in a careless tone. "if i could but secure so complete an introduction to myself, i would be more than satisfied." "that will come in time," remarked the scarecrow. "to 'know thyself' is considered quite an accomplishment, which it has taken us, who are your elders, months to perfect. but now," he added, turning to the others, "let us get aboard and start upon our journey." "where shall we go?" asked tip, as he clambered to a seat on the sofas and assisted the pumpkinhead to follow him. "in the south country rules a very delightful queen called glinda the good, who i am sure will gladly receive us," said the scarecrow, getting into the thing clumsily. "let us go to her and ask her advice." "that is cleverly thought of," declared nick chopper, giving the woggle-bug a boost and then toppling the saw-horse into the rear end of the cushioned seats. "i know glinda the good, and believe she will prove a friend indeed." "are we all ready?" asked the boy. "yes," announced the tin woodman, seating himself beside the scarecrow. "then," said tip, addressing the gump, "be kind enough to fly with us to the southward; and do not go higher than to escape the houses and trees, for it makes me dizzy to be up so far." "all right," answered the gump, briefly. it flopped its four huge wings and rose slowly into the air; and then, while our little band of adventurers clung to the backs and sides of the sofas for support, the gump turned toward the south and soared swiftly and majestically away. "the scenic effect, from this altitude, is marvelous," commented the educated woggle-bug, as they rode along. "never mind the scenery," said the scarecrow. "hold on tight, or you may get a tumble. the thing seems to rock badly." "it will be dark soon," said tip, observing that the sun was low on the horizon. "perhaps we should have waited until morning. i wonder if the gump can fly in the night." "i've been wondering that myself," returned the gump, quietly. "you see, this is a new experience to me. i used to have legs that carried me swiftly over the ground. but now my legs feel as if they were asleep." "they are," said tip. "we didn't bring 'em to life." "you're expected to fly," explained the scarecrow; "not to walk." "we can walk ourselves," said the woggle-bug. "i begin to understand what is required of me," remarked the gump; "so i will do my best to please you," and he flew on for a time in silence. presently jack pumpkinhead became uneasy. "i wonder if riding through the air is liable to spoil pumpkins," he said. "not unless you carelessly drop your head over the side," answered the woggle-bug. "in that event your head would no longer be a pumpkin, for it would become a squash." "have i not asked you to restrain these unfeeling jokes?" demanded tip, looking at the woggle-bug with a severe expression. "you have; and i've restrained a good many of them," replied the insect. "but there are opportunities for so many excellent puns in our language that, to an educated person like myself, the temptation to express them is almost irresistible." "people with more or less education discovered those puns centuries ago," said tip. "are you sure?" asked the woggle-bug, with a startled look. "of course i am," answered the boy. "an educated woggle-bug may be a new thing; but a woggle-bug education is as old as the hills, judging from the display you make of it." the insect seemed much impressed by this remark, and for a time maintained a meek silence. the scarecrow, in shifting his seat, saw upon the cushions the pepper-box which tip had cast aside, and began to examine it. "throw it overboard," said the boy; "it's quite empty now, and there's no use keeping it." "is it really empty?" asked the scarecrow, looking curiously into the box. "of course it is," answered tip. "i shook out every grain of the powder." "then the box has two bottoms," announced the scarecrow; "for the bottom on the inside is fully an inch away from the bottom on the outside." "let me see," said the tin woodman, taking the box from his friend. "yes," he declared, after looking it over, "the thing certainly has a false bottom. now, i wonder what that is for?" "can't you get it apart, and find out?" enquired tip, now quite interested in the mystery. "why, yes; the lower bottom unscrews," said the tin woodman. "my fingers are rather stiff; please see if you can open it." he handed the pepper-box to tip, who had no difficulty in unscrewing the bottom. and in the cavity below were three silver pills, with a carefully folded paper lying underneath them. this paper the boy proceeded to unfold, taking care not to spill the pills, and found several lines clearly written in red ink. "read it aloud," said the scarecrow; so tip read as follows: "dr. nikidik's celebrated wishing pills. "_directions for use_: swallow one pill; count seventeen by twos; then make a wish.--the wish will immediately be granted. "caution: keep in a dry and dark place." "why, this is a very valuable discovery!" cried the scarecrow. "it is, indeed," replied tip, gravely. "these pills may be of great use to us. i wonder if old mombi knew they were in the bottom of the pepper-box. i remember hearing her say that she got the powder of life from this same nikidik." "he must be a powerful sorcerer!" exclaimed the tin woodman; "and since the powder proved a success we ought to have confidence in the pills." "but how," asked the scarecrow, "can anyone count seventeen by twos? seventeen is an odd number. "that is true," replied tip, greatly disappointed. "no one can possibly count seventeen by twos." "then the pills are of no use to us," wailed the pumpkinhead; "and this fact overwhelms me with grief. for i had intended wishing that my head would never spoil." "nonsense!" said the scarecrow, sharply. "if we could use the pills at all we would make far better wishes than that." "i do not see how anything could be better," protested poor jack. "if you were liable to spoil at any time you could understand my anxiety." "for my part," said the tin woodman, "i sympathize with you in every respect. but since we cannot count seventeen by twos, sympathy is all you are liable to get." by this time it had become quite dark, and the voyagers found above them a cloudy sky, through which the rays of the moon could not penetrate. the gump flew steadily on, and for some reason the huge sofa-body rocked more and more dizzily every hour. the woggle-bug declared he was sea-sick; and tip was also pale and somewhat distressed. but the others clung to the backs of the sofas and did not seem to mind the motion as long as they were not tipped out. darker and darker grew the night, and on and on sped the gump through the black heavens. the travelers could not even see one another, and an oppressive silence settled down upon them. after a long time tip, who had been thinking deeply, spoke. "how are we to know when we come to the palace of glinda the good?" he asked. "it's a long way to glinda's palace," answered the woodman; "i've traveled it." "but how are we to know how fast the gump is flying?" persisted the boy. "we cannot see a single thing down on the earth, and before morning we may be far beyond the place we want to reach." "that is all true enough," the scarecrow replied, a little uneasily. "but i do not see how we can stop just now; for we might alight in a river, or on the top of a steeple; and that would be a great disaster." so they permitted the gump to fly on, with regular flops of its great wings, and waited patiently for morning. then tip's fears were proven to be well founded; for with the first streaks of gray dawn they looked over the sides of the sofas and discovered rolling plains dotted with queer villages, where the houses, instead of being dome-shaped--as they all are in the land of oz--had slanting roofs that rose to a peak in the center. odd looking animals were also moving about upon the open plains, and the country was unfamiliar to both the tin woodman and the scarecrow, who had formerly visited glinda the good's domain and knew it well. "we are lost!" said the scarecrow, dolefully. "the gump must have carried us entirely out of the land of oz and over the sandy deserts and into the terrible outside world that dorothy told us about." "we must get back," exclaimed the tin woodman, earnestly; "we must get back as soon as possible!" "turn around!" cried tip to the gump; "turn as quickly as you can!" "if i do i shall upset," answered the gump. "i'm not at all used to flying, and the best plan would be for me to alight in some place, and then i can turn around and take a fresh start." just then, however, there seemed to be no stopping-place that would answer their purpose. they flew over a village so big that the woggle-bug declared it was a city; and then they came to a range of high mountains with many deep gorges and steep cliffs showing plainly. "now is our chance to stop," said the boy, finding they were very close to the mountain tops. then he turned to the gump and commanded: "stop at the first level place you see!" "very well," answered the gump, and settled down upon a table of rock that stood between two cliffs. but not being experienced in such matters, the gump did not judge his speed correctly; and instead of coming to a stop upon the flat rock he missed it by half the width of his body, breaking off both his right wings against the sharp edge of the rock and then tumbling over and over down the cliff. our friends held on to the sofas as long as they could, but when the gump caught on a projecting rock the thing stopped suddenly--bottom side up--and all were immediately dumped out. by good fortune they fell only a few feet; for underneath them was a monster nest, built by a colony of jackdaws in a hollow ledge of rock; so none of them--not even the pumpkinhead--was injured by the fall. for jack found his precious head resting on the soft breast of the scarecrow, which made an excellent cushion; and tip fell on a mass of leaves and papers, which saved him from injury. the woggle-bug had bumped his round head against the saw-horse, but without causing him more than a moment's inconvenience. [illustration: all were immediately dumped out.] the tin woodman was at first much alarmed; but finding he had escaped without even a scratch upon his beautiful nickel-plate he at once regained his accustomed cheerfulness and turned to address his comrades. "our journey has ended rather suddenly," said he, "and we cannot justly blame our friend the gump for our accident, because he did the best he could under the circumstances. but how we are ever to escape from this nest i must leave to someone with better brains than i possess." here he gazed at the scarecrow; who crawled to the edge of the nest and looked over. below them was a sheer precipice several hundred feet in depth. above them was a smooth cliff unbroken save by the point of rock where the wrecked body of the gump still hung suspended from the end of one of the sofas. there really seemed to be no means of escape, and as they realized their helpless plight the little band of adventurers gave way to their bewilderment. "this is a worse prison than the palace," sadly remarked the woggle-bug. "i wish we had stayed there," moaned jack. "i'm afraid the mountain air isn't good for pumpkins." "it won't be when the jackdaws come back," growled the saw-horse, which lay waving its legs in a vain endeavor to get upon its feet again. "jackdaws are especially fond of pumpkins." "do you think the birds will come here?" asked jack, much distressed. "of course they will," said tip; "for this is their nest. and there must be hundreds of them," he continued, "for see what a lot of things they have brought here!" indeed, the nest was half filled with a most curious collection of small articles for which the birds could have no use, but which the thieving jackdaws had stolen during many years from the homes of men. and as the nest was safely hidden where no human being could reach it, this lost property would never be recovered. the woggle-bug, searching among the rubbish--for the jackdaws stole useless things as well as valuable ones--turned up with his foot a beautiful diamond necklace. this was so greatly admired by the tin woodman that the woggle-bug presented it to him with a graceful speech, after which the woodman hung it around his neck with much pride, rejoicing exceedingly when the big diamonds glittered in the sun's rays. [illustration: turned up a beautiful diamond necklace.] but now they heard a great jabbering and flopping of wings, and as the sound grew nearer to them tip exclaimed: "the jackdaws are coming! and if they find us here they will surely kill us in their anger." "i was afraid of this!" moaned the pumpkinhead. "my time has come!" "and mine, also!" said the woggle-bug; "for jackdaws are the greatest enemies of my race." the others were not at all afraid; but the scarecrow at once decided to save those of the party who were liable to be injured by the angry birds. so he commanded tip to take off jack's head and lie down with it in the bottom of the nest, and when this was done he ordered the woggle-bug to lie beside tip. nick chopper, who knew from past experience just what to do, then took the scarecrow to pieces--(all except his head)--and scattered the straw over tip and the woggle-bug, completely covering their bodies. hardly had this been accomplished when the flock of jackdaws reached them. perceiving the intruders in their nest the birds flew down upon them with screams of rage. [illustration] [illustration: dr. nikidik's famous wishing pills ] the tin woodman was usually a peaceful man, but when occasion required he could fight as fiercely as a roman gladiator. so, when the jackdaws nearly knocked him down in their rush of wings, and their sharp beaks and claws threatened to damage his brilliant plating, the woodman picked up his axe and made it whirl swiftly around his head. but although many were beaten off in this way, the birds were so numerous and so brave that they continued the attack as furiously as before. some of them pecked at the eyes of the gump, which hung over the nest in a helpless condition; but the gump's eyes were of glass and could not be injured. others of the jackdaws rushed at the saw-horse; but that animal, being still upon his back, kicked out so viciously with his wooden legs that he beat off as many assailants as did the woodman's axe. finding themselves thus opposed, the birds fell upon the scarecrow's straw, which lay at the center of the nest, covering tip and the woggle-bug and jack's pumpkin head, and began tearing it away and flying off with it, only to let it drop, straw by straw into the great gulf beneath. the scarecrow's head, noting with dismay this wanton destruction of his interior, cried to the tin woodman to save him; and that good friend responded with renewed energy. his axe fairly flashed among the jackdaws, and fortunately the gump began wildly waving the two wings remaining on the left side of its body. the flutter of these great wings filled the jackdaws with terror, and when the gump by its exertions freed itself from the peg of rock on which it hung, and sank flopping into the nest, the alarm of the birds knew no bounds and they fled screaming over the mountains. when the last foe had disappeared, tip crawled from under the sofas and assisted the woggle-bug to follow him. "we are saved!" shouted the boy, delightedly. "we are, indeed!" responded the educated insect, fairly hugging the stiff head of the gump in his joy; "and we owe it all to the flopping of the thing and the good axe of the woodman!" "if i am saved, get me out of here!" called jack, whose head was still beneath the sofas; and tip managed to roll the pumpkin out and place it upon its neck again. he also set the saw-horse upright, and said to it: "we owe you many thanks for the gallant fight you made." "i really think we have escaped very nicely," remarked the tin woodman, in a tone of pride. "not so!" exclaimed a hollow voice. at this they all turned in surprise to look at the scarecrow's head, which lay at the back of the nest. [illustration] "i am completely ruined!" declared the scarecrow, as he noted their astonishment. "for where is the straw that stuffs my body?" the awful question startled them all. they gazed around the nest with horror, for not a vestige of straw remained. the jackdaws had stolen it to the last wisp and flung it all into the chasm that yawned for hundreds of feet beneath the nest. "my poor, poor friend!" said the tin woodman, taking up the scarecrow's head and caressing it tenderly; "whoever could imagine you would come to this untimely end?" "i did it to save my friends," returned the head; "and i am glad that i perished in so noble and unselfish a manner." "but why are you all so despondent?" inquired the woggle-bug. "the scarecrow's clothing is still safe." "yes," answered the tin woodman; "but our friend's clothes are useless without stuffing." "why not stuff him with money?" asked tip. "money!" they all cried, in an amazed chorus. "to be sure," said the boy. "in the bottom of the nest are thousands of dollar bills--and two-dollar bills--and five-dollar bills--and tens, and twenties, and fifties. there are enough of them to stuff a dozen scarecrows. why not use the money?" the tin woodman began to turn over the rubbish with the handle of his axe; and, sure enough, what they had first thought only worthless papers were found to be all bills of various denominations, which the mischievous jackdaws had for years been engaged in stealing from the villages and cities they visited. [illustration] there was an immense fortune lying in that inaccessible nest; and tip's suggestion was, with the scarecrow's consent, quickly acted upon. they selected all the newest and cleanest bills and assorted them into various piles. the scarecrow's left leg boot were stuffed with five-dollar bills; his right leg was stuffed with ten-dollar bills, and his body so closely filled with fifties, one-hundreds and one-thousands that he could scarcely button his jacket with comfort. "you are now," said the woggle-bug, impressively, when the task had been completed, "the most valuable member of our party; and as you are among faithful friends there is little danger of your being spent." "thank you," returned the scarecrow, gratefully. "i feel like a new man; and although at first glance i might be mistaken for a safety deposit vault, i beg you to remember that my brains are still composed of the same old material. and these are the possessions that have always made me a person to be depended upon in an emergency." "well, the emergency is here," observed tip; "and unless your brains help us out of it we shall be compelled to pass the remainder of our lives in this nest." "how about these wishing pills?" enquired the scarecrow, taking the box from his jacket pocket. "can't we use them to escape?" "not unless we can count seventeen by twos," answered the tin woodman. "but our friend the woggle-bug claims to be highly educated, so he ought easily to figure out how that can be done." "it isn't a question of education," returned the insect; "it's merely a question of mathematics. i've seen the professor work lots of sums on the black-board, and he claimed anything could be done with x's and y's and a's, and such things, by mixing them up with plenty of plusses and minuses and equals, and so forth. but he never said anything, so far as i can remember, about counting up to the odd number of seventeen by the even numbers of twos." "stop! stop!" cried the pumpkinhead. "you're making my head ache." "and mine," added the scarecrow. "your mathematics seem to me very like a bottle of mixed pickles--the more you fish for what you want the less chance you have of getting it. i am certain that if the thing can be accomplished at all, it is in a very simple manner." "yes," said tip; "old mombi couldn't use x's and minuses, for she never went to school." "why not start counting at a half of one?" asked the saw-horse, abruptly. "then anyone can count up to seventeen by twos very easily." they looked at each other in surprise, for the saw-horse was considered the most stupid of the entire party. "you make me quite ashamed of myself," said the scarecrow, bowing low to the saw-horse. "nevertheless, the creature is right," declared the woggle-bug; "for twice one-half is one, and if you get to one it is easy to count from one up to seventeen by twos." "i wonder i didn't think of that myself," said the pumpkinhead. "i don't," returned the scarecrow. "you're no wiser than the rest of us, are you? but let us make a wish at once. who will swallow the first pill?" "suppose you do it," suggested tip. "i can't," said the scarecrow. "why not? you've a mouth, haven't you?" asked the boy. "yes; but my mouth is painted on, and there's no swallow connected with it," answered the scarecrow. "in fact," he continued, looking from one to another critically, "i believe the boy and the woggle-bug are the only ones in our party that are able to swallow." observing the truth of this remark, tip said: "then i will undertake to make the first wish. give me one of the silver pills." this the scarecrow tried to do; but his padded gloves were too clumsy to clutch so small an object, and he held the box toward the boy while tip selected one of the pills and swallowed it. "count!" cried the scarecrow. "one-half, one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen, fifteen, seventeen!" counted tip. "now wish!" said the tin woodman anxiously. but just then the boy began to suffer such fearful pains that he became alarmed. "the pill has poisoned me!" he gasped; "o--h! o-o-o-o-o! ouch! murder! fire! o-o-h!" and here he rolled upon the bottom of the nest in such contortions that he frightened them all. "what can we do for you? speak, i beg!" entreated the tin woodman, tears of sympathy running down his nickel cheeks. "i--i don't know!" answered tip. "o--h! i wish i'd never swallowed that pill!" then at once the pain stopped, and the boy rose to his feet again and found the scarecrow looking with amazement at the end of the pepper-box. "what's happened?" asked the boy, a little ashamed of his recent exhibition. "why, the three pills are in the box again!" said the scarecrow. [illustration] "of course they are," the woggle-bug declared. "didn't tip wish that he'd never swallowed one of them? well, the wish came true, and he _didn't_ swallow one of them. so of course they are all three in the box." "that may be; but the pill gave me a dreadful pain, just the same," said the boy. "impossible!" declared the woggle-bug. "if you have never swallowed it, the pill can not have given you a pain. and as your wish, being granted, proves you did not swallow the pill, it is also plain that you suffered no pain." "then it was a splendid imitation of a pain," retorted tip, angrily. "suppose you try the next pill yourself. we've wasted one wish already." "oh, no, we haven't!" protested the scarecrow. "here are still three pills in the box, and each pill is good for a wish." "now you're making _my_ head ache," said tip. "i can't understand the thing at all. but i won't take another pill, i promise you!" and with this remark he retired sulkily to the back of the nest. "well," said the woggle-bug, "it remains for me to save us in my most highly magnified and thoroughly educated manner; for i seem to be the only one able and willing to make a wish. let me have one of the pills." he swallowed it without hesitation, and they all stood admiring his courage while the insect counted seventeen by twos in the same way that tip had done. and for some reason--perhaps because woggle-bugs have stronger stomachs than boys--the silver pellet caused it no pain whatever. "i wish the gump's broken wings mended, and as good as new!" said the woggle-bug, in a slow, impressive voice. all turned to look at the thing, and so quickly had the wish been granted that the gump lay before them in perfect repair, and as well able to fly through the air as when it had first been brought to life on the roof of the palace. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the scarecrow appeals to glinda the good ] "hooray!" shouted the scarecrow, gaily. "we can now leave this miserable jackdaws' nest whenever we please." "but it is nearly dark," said the tin woodman; "and unless we wait until morning to make our flight we may get into more trouble. i don't like these night trips, for one never knows what will happen." so it was decided to wait until daylight, and the adventurers amused themselves in the twilight by searching the jackdaws' nest for treasures. the woggle-bug found two handsome bracelets of wrought gold, which fitted his slender arms very well. the scarecrow took a fancy for rings, of which there were many in the nest. before long he had fitted a ring to each finger of his padded gloves, and not being content with that display he added one more to each thumb. as he carefully chose those rings set with sparkling stones, such as rubies, amethysts and sapphires, the scarecrow's hands now presented a most brilliant appearance. "this nest would be a picnic for queen jinjur," said he, musingly; "for as nearly as i can make out she and her girls conquered me merely to rob my city of its emeralds." the tin woodman was content with his diamond necklace and refused to accept any additional decorations; but tip secured a fine gold watch, which was attached to a heavy fob, and placed it in his pocket with much pride. he also pinned several jeweled brooches to jack pumpkinhead's red waistcoat, and attached a lorgnette, by means of a fine chain, to the neck of the saw-horse. "it's very pretty," said the creature, regarding the lorgnette approvingly; "but what is it for?" none of them could answer that question, however; so the saw-horse decided it was some rare decoration and became very fond of it. that none of the party might be slighted, they ended by placing several large seal rings upon the points of the gump's antlers, although that odd personage seemed by no means gratified by the attention. darkness soon fell upon them, and tip and the woggle-bug went to sleep while the others sat down to wait patiently for the day. next morning they had cause to congratulate themselves upon the useful condition of the gump; for with daylight a great flock of jackdaws approached to engage in one more battle for the possession of the nest. but our adventurers did not wait for the assault. they tumbled into the cushioned seats of the sofas as quickly as possible, and tip gave the word to the gump to start. at once it rose into the air, the great wings flopping strongly and with regular motions, and in a few moments they were so far from the nest that the chattering jackdaws took possession without any attempt at pursuit. the thing flew due north, going in the same direction from whence it had come. at least, that was the scarecrow's opinion, and the others agreed that the scarecrow was the best judge of direction. after passing over several cities and villages the gump carried them high above a broad plain where houses became more and more scattered until they disappeared altogether. next came the wide, sandy desert separating the rest of the world from the land of oz, and before noon they saw the dome-shaped houses that proved they were once more within the borders of their native land. "but the houses and fences are blue," said the tin woodman, "and that indicates we are in the land of the munchkins, and therefore a long distance from glinda the good." "what shall we do?" asked the boy, turning to their guide. "i don't know," replied the scarecrow, frankly. "if we were at the emerald city we could then move directly southward, and so reach our destination. but we dare not go to the emerald city, and the gump is probably carrying us further in the wrong direction with every flop of its wings." "then the woggle-bug must swallow another pill," said tip, decidedly, "and wish us headed in the right direction." "very well," returned the highly magnified one; "i'm willing." but when the scarecrow searched in his pocket for the pepper-box containing the two silver wishing pills, it was not to be found. filled with anxiety, the voyagers hunted throughout every inch of the thing for the precious box; but it had disappeared entirely. and still the gump flew onward, carrying them they knew not where. "i must have left the pepper-box in the jackdaws' nest," said the scarecrow, at length. "it is a great misfortune," the tin woodman declared. "but we are no worse off than before we discovered the wishing pills." "we are better off," replied tip; "for the one pill we used has enabled us to escape from that horrible nest." "yet the loss of the other two is serious, and i deserve a good scolding for my carelessness," the scarecrow rejoined, penitently. "for in such an unusual party as this accidents are liable to happen any moment, and even now we may be approaching a new danger." no one dared contradict this, and a dismal silence ensued. the gump flew steadily on. suddenly tip uttered an exclamation of surprise. "we must have reached the south country," he cried, "for below us everything is red!" [illustration] immediately they all leaned over the backs of the sofas to look--all except jack, who was too careful of his pumpkin head to risk its slipping off his neck. sure enough; the red houses and fences and trees indicated they were within the domain of glinda the good; and presently, as they glided rapidly on, the tin woodman recognized the roads and buildings they passed, and altered slightly the flight of the gump so that they might reach the palace of the celebrated sorceress. "good!" cried the scarecrow, delightedly. "we do not need the lost wishing pills now, for we have arrived at our destination." gradually the thing sank lower and nearer to the ground until at length it came to rest within the beautiful gardens of glinda, settling upon a velvety green lawn close by a fountain which sent sprays of flashing gems, instead of water, high into the air, whence they fell with a soft, tinkling sound into the carved marble basin placed to receive them. everything was very gorgeous in glinda's gardens, and while our voyagers gazed about with admiring eyes a company of soldiers silently appeared and surrounded them. but these soldiers of the great sorceress were entirely different from those of jinjur's army of revolt, although they were likewise girls. for glinda's soldiers wore neat uniforms and bore swords and spears; and they marched with a skill and precision that proved them well trained in the arts of war. the captain commanding this troop--which was glinda's private body guard--recognized the scarecrow and the tin woodman at once, and greeted them with respectful salutations. "good day!" said the scarecrow, gallantly removing his hat, while the woodman gave a soldierly salute; "we have come to request an audience with your fair ruler." "glinda is now within her palace, awaiting you," returned the captain; "for she saw you coming long before you arrived." "that is strange!" said tip, wondering. "not at all," answered the scarecrow; "for glinda the good is a mighty sorceress, and nothing that goes on in the land of oz escapes her notice. i suppose she knows why we came as well as we do ourselves." "then what was the use of our coming?" asked jack, stupidly. [illustration] "to prove you are a pumpkinhead!" retorted the scarecrow. "but, if the sorceress expects us, we must not keep her waiting." so they all clambered out of the sofas and followed the captain toward the palace--even the saw-horse taking his place in the queer procession. upon her throne of finely wrought gold sat glinda, and she could scarcely repress a smile as her peculiar visitors entered and bowed before her. both the scarecrow and the tin woodman she knew and liked; but the awkward pumpkinhead and highly magnified woggle-bug were creatures she had never seen before, and they seemed even more curious than the others. as for the saw-horse, he looked to be nothing more than an animated chunk of wood; and he bowed so stiffly that his head bumped against the floor, causing a ripple of laughter among the soldiers, in which glinda frankly joined. "i beg to announce to your glorious highness," began the scarecrow, in a solemn voice, "that my emerald city has been overrun by a crowd of impudent girls with knitting-needles, who have enslaved all the men, robbed the streets and public buildings of all their emerald jewels, and usurped my throne." "i know it," said glinda. "they also threatened to destroy me, as well as all the good friends and allies you see before you," continued the scarecrow; "and had we not managed to escape their clutches our days would long since have ended." "i know it," repeated glinda. "therefore i have come to beg your assistance," resumed the scarecrow, "for i believe you are always glad to succor the unfortunate and oppressed." "that is true," replied the sorceress, slowly. "but the emerald city is now ruled by general jinjur, who has caused herself to be proclaimed queen. what right have i to oppose her?" "why, she stole the throne from me," said the scarecrow. "and how came you to possess the throne?" asked glinda. "i got it from the wizard of oz, and by the choice of the people," returned the scarecrow, uneasy at such questioning. "and where did the wizard get it?" she continued, gravely. "i am told he took it from pastoria, the former king," said the scarecrow, becoming confused under the intent look of the sorceress. "then," declared glinda, "the throne of the emerald city belongs neither to you nor to jinjur, but to this pastoria from whom the wizard usurped it." "that is true," acknowledged the scarecrow, humbly; "but pastoria is now dead and gone, and some one must rule in his place." "pastoria had a daughter, who is the rightful heir to the throne of the emerald city. did you know that?" questioned the sorceress. "no," replied the scarecrow. "but if the girl still lives i will not stand in her way. it will satisfy me as well to have jinjur turned out, as an impostor, as to regain the throne myself. in fact, it isn't much fun to be king, especially if one has good brains. i have known for some time that i am fitted to occupy a far more exalted position. but where is this girl who owns the throne, and what is her name?" "her name is ozma," answered glinda. "but where she is i have tried in vain to discover. for the wizard of oz, when he stole the throne from ozma's father, hid the girl in some secret place; and by means of a magical trick with which i am not familiar he also managed to prevent her being discovered--even by so experienced a sorceress as myself." "that is strange," interrupted the woggle-bug, pompously. "i have been informed that the wonderful wizard of oz was nothing more than a humbug!" "nonsense!" exclaimed the scarecrow, much provoked by this speech. "didn't he give me a wonderful set of brains?" "there's no humbug about my heart," announced the tin woodman, glaring indignantly at the woggle-bug. "perhaps i was misinformed," stammered the insect, shrinking back; "i never knew the wizard personally." "well, we did," retorted the scarecrow, "and he was a very great wizard, i assure you. it is true he was guilty of some slight impostures, but unless he was a great wizard how--let me ask--could he have hidden this girl ozma so securely that no one can find her?" "i--i give it up!" replied the woggle-bug, meekly. "that is the most sensible speech you've made," said the tin woodman. "i must really make another effort to discover where this girl is hidden," resumed the sorceress, thoughtfully. "i have in my library a book in which is inscribed every action of the wizard while he was in our land of oz--or, at least, every action that could be observed by my spies. this book i will read carefully tonight, and try to single out the acts that may guide us in discovering the lost ozma. in the meantime, pray amuse yourselves in my palace and command my servants as if they were your own. i will grant you another audience tomorrow." with this gracious speech glinda dismissed the adventurers, and they wandered away through the beautiful gardens, where they passed several hours enjoying all the delightful things with which the queen of the southland had surrounded her royal palace. on the following morning they again appeared before glinda, who said to them: "i have searched carefully through the records of the wizard's actions, and among them i can find but three that appear to have been suspicious. he ate beans with a knife, made three secret visits to old mombi, and limped slightly on his left foot." "ah! that last is certainly suspicious!" exclaimed the pumpkinhead. "not necessarily," said the scarecrow; "he may have had corns. now, it seems to me his eating beans with a knife is more suspicious." "perhaps it is a polite custom in omaha, from which great country the wizard originally came," suggested the tin woodman. "it may be," admitted the scarecrow. "but why," asked glinda, "did he make three secret visits to old mombi?" "ah! why, indeed!" echoed the woggle-bug, impressively. "we know that the wizard taught the old woman many of his tricks of magic," continued glinda; "and this he would not have done had she not assisted him in some way. so we may suspect with good reason that mombi aided him to hide the girl ozma, who was the real heir to the throne of the emerald city, and a constant danger to the usurper. for, if the people knew that she lived, they would quickly make her their queen and restore her to her rightful position." "an able argument!" cried the scarecrow. "i have no doubt that mombi was mixed up in this wicked business. but how does that knowledge help us?" "we must find mombi," replied glinda, "and force her to tell where the girl is hidden." "mombi is now with queen jinjur, in the emerald city," said tip. "it was she who threw so many obstacles in our pathway, and made jinjur threaten to destroy my friends and give me back into the old witch's power." "then," decided glinda, "i will march with my army to the emerald city, and take mombi prisoner. after that we can, perhaps, force her to tell the truth about ozma." "she is a terrible old woman!" remarked tip, with a shudder at the thought of mombi's black kettle; "and obstinate, too." "i am quite obstinate myself," returned the sorceress, with a sweet smile; "so i do not fear mombi in the least. today i will make all necessary preparations, and we will march upon the emerald city at daybreak tomorrow." [illustration: "she is a terrible old woman."] [illustration: jinjur] [illustration: the tin-woodman plucks a rose ] [illustration] the army of glinda the good looked very grand and imposing when it assembled at daybreak before the palace gates. the uniforms of the girl soldiers were pretty and of gay colors, and their silver-tipped spears were bright and glistening, the long shafts being inlaid with mother-of-pearl. all the officers wore sharp, gleaming swords, and shields edged with peacock-feathers; and it really seemed that no foe could by any possibility defeat such a brilliant army. the sorceress rode in a beautiful palanquin which was like the body of a coach, having doors and windows with silken curtains; but instead of wheels, which a coach has, the palanquin rested upon two long, horizontal bars, which were borne upon the shoulders of twelve servants. the scarecrow and his comrades decided to ride in the gump, in order to keep up with the swift march of the army; so, as soon as glinda had started and her soldiers had marched away to the inspiring strains of music played by the royal band, our friends climbed into the sofas and followed. the gump flew along slowly at a point directly over the palanquin in which rode the sorceress. [illustration] "be careful," said the tin woodman to the scarecrow, who was leaning far over the side to look at the army below. "you might fall." "it wouldn't matter," remarked the educated woggle-bug; "he can't get broke so long as he is stuffed with money." "didn't i ask you--" began tip, in a reproachful voice. "you did!" said the woggle-bug, promptly. "and i beg your pardon. i will really try to restrain myself." "you'd better," declared the boy. "that is, if you wish to travel in our company." "ah! i couldn't bear to part with you now," murmured the insect, feelingly; so tip let the subject drop. the army moved steadily on, but night had fallen before they came to the walls of the emerald city. by the dim light of the new moon, however, glinda's forces silently surrounded the city and pitched their tents of scarlet silk upon the greensward. the tent of the sorceress was larger than the others, and was composed of pure white silk, with scarlet banners flying above it. a tent was also pitched for the scarecrow's party; and when these preparations had been made, with military precision and quickness, the army retired to rest. great was the amazement of queen jinjur next morning when her soldiers came running to inform her of the vast army surrounding them. she at once climbed to a high tower of the royal palace and saw banners waving in every direction and the great white tent of glinda standing directly before the gates. [illustration] "we are surely lost!" cried jinjur, in despair; "for how can our knitting-needles avail against the long spears and terrible swords of our foes?" "the best thing we can do," said one of the girls, "is to surrender as quickly as possible, before we get hurt." "not so," returned jinjur, more bravely. "the enemy is still outside the walls, so we must try to gain time by engaging them in parley. go you with a flag of truce to glinda and ask her why she has dared to invade my dominions, and what are her demands." so the girl passed through the gates, bearing a white flag to show she was on a mission of peace, and came to glinda's tent. "tell your queen," said the sorceress to the girl, "that she must deliver up to me old mombi, to be my prisoner. if this is done i will not molest her farther." now when this message was delivered to the queen it filled her with dismay, for mombi was her chief counsellor, and jinjur was terribly afraid of the old hag. but she sent for mombi, and told her what glinda had said. "i see trouble ahead for all of us," muttered the old witch, after glancing into a magic mirror she carried in her pocket. "but we may even yet escape by deceiving this sorceress, clever as she thinks herself." "don't you think it will be safer for me to deliver you into her hands?" asked jinjur, nervously. "if you do, it will cost you the throne of the emerald city!" answered the witch, positively. "but, if you will let me have my own way, i can save us both very easily." "then do as you please," replied jinjur, "for it is so aristocratic to be a queen that i do not wish to be obliged to return home again, to make beds and wash dishes for my mother." so mombi called jellia jamb to her, and performed a certain magical rite with which she was familiar. as a result of the enchantment jellia took on the form and features of mombi, while the old witch grew to resemble the girl so closely that it seemed impossible anyone could guess the deception. "now," said old mombi to the queen, "let your soldiers deliver up this girl to glinda. she will think she has the real mombi in her power, and so will return immediately to her own country in the south." [illustration] therefore jellia, hobbling along like an aged woman, was led from the city gates and taken before glinda. "here is the person you demanded," said one of the guards, "and our queen now begs you will go away, as you promised, and leave us in peace." "that i will surely do," replied glinda, much pleased; "if this is really the person she seems to be." "it is certainly old mombi," said the guard, who believed she was speaking the truth; and then jinjur's soldiers returned within the city's gates. the sorceress quickly summoned the scarecrow and his friends to her tent, and began to question the supposed mombi about the lost girl ozma. but jellia knew nothing at all of this affair, and presently she grew so nervous under the questioning that she gave way and began to weep, to glinda's great astonishment. "here is some foolish trickery!" said the sorceress, her eyes flashing with anger. "this is not mombi at all, but some other person who has been made to resemble her! tell me," she demanded, turning to the trembling girl, "what is your name?" this jellia dared not tell, having been threatened with death by the witch if she confessed the fraud. but glinda, sweet and fair though she was, understood magic better than any other person in the land of oz. so, by uttering a few potent words and making a peculiar gesture, she quickly transformed the girl into her proper shape, while at the same time old mombi, far away in jinjur's palace, suddenly resumed her own crooked form and evil features. "why, it's jellia jamb!" cried the scarecrow, recognizing in the girl one of his old friends. "it's our interpreter!" said the pumpkinhead, smiling pleasantly. then jellia was forced to tell of the trick mombi had played, and she also begged glinda's protection, which the sorceress readily granted. but glinda was now really angry, and sent word to jinjur that the fraud was discovered and she must deliver up the real mombi or suffer terrible consequences. jinjur was prepared for this message, for the witch well understood, when her natural form was thrust upon her, that glinda had discovered her trickery. but the wicked old creature had already thought up a new deception, and had made jinjur promise to carry it out. so the queen said to glinda's messenger: [illustration] "tell your mistress that i cannot find mombi anywhere; but that glinda is welcome to enter the city and search herself for the old woman. she may also bring her friends with her, if she likes; but if she does not find mombi by sundown, the sorceress must promise to go away peaceably and bother us no more." glinda agreed to these terms, well knowing that mombi was somewhere within the city walls. so jinjur caused the gates to be thrown open, and glinda marched in at the head of a company of soldiers, followed by the scarecrow and the tin woodman, while jack pumpkinhead rode astride the saw-horse, and the educated, highly magnified woggle-bug sauntered behind in a dignified manner. tip walked by the side of the sorceress, for glinda had conceived a great liking for the boy. of course old mombi had no intention of being found by glinda; so, while her enemies were marching up the street, the witch transformed herself into a red rose growing upon a bush in the garden of the palace. it was a clever idea, and a trick glinda did not suspect; so several precious hours were spent in a vain search for mombi. as sundown approached the sorceress realized she had been defeated by the superior cunning of the aged witch; so she gave the command to her people to march out of the city and back to their tents. the scarecrow and his comrades happened to be searching in the garden of the palace just then, and they turned with disappointment to obey glinda's command. but before they left the garden the tin woodman, who was fond of flowers, chanced to espy a big red rose growing upon a bush; so he plucked the flower and fastened it securely in the tin button-hole of his tin bosom. as he did this he fancied he heard a low moan proceed from the rose; but he paid no attention to the sound, and mombi was thus carried out of the city and into glinda's camp without anyone having a suspicion that they had succeeded in their quest. [illustration] [illustration: the transformation of old mombi ] the witch was at first frightened at finding herself captured by the enemy; but soon she decided that she was exactly as safe in the tin woodman's button-hole as growing upon the bush. for no one knew the rose and mombi to be one, and now that she was without the gates of the city her chances of escaping altogether from glinda were much improved. "but there is no hurry," thought mombi. "i will wait awhile and enjoy the humiliation of this sorceress when she finds i have outwitted her." so throughout the night the rose lay quietly on the woodman's bosom, and in the morning, when glinda summoned our friends to a consultation, nick chopper carried his pretty flower with him to the white silk tent. [illustration] "for some reason," said glinda, "we have failed to find this cunning old mombi; so i fear our expedition will prove a failure. and for that i am sorry, because without our assistance little ozma will never be rescued and restored to her rightful position as queen of the emerald city." "do not let us give up so easily," said the pumpkinhead. "let us do something else." "something else must really be done," replied glinda, with a smile; "yet i cannot understand how i have been defeated so easily by an old witch who knows far less of magic than i do myself." "while we are on the ground i believe it would be wise for us to conquer the emerald city for princess ozma, and find the girl afterward," said the scarecrow. "and while the girl remains hidden i will gladly rule in her place, for i understand the business of ruling much better than jinjur does." "but i have promised not to molest jinjur," objected glinda. "suppose you all return with me to my kingdom--or empire, rather," said the tin woodman, politely including the entire party in a royal wave of his arm. "it will give me great pleasure to entertain you in my castle, where there is room enough and to spare. and if any of you wish to be nickel-plated, my valet will do it free of all expense." while the woodman was speaking glinda's eyes had been noting the rose in his button-hole, and now she imagined she saw the big red leaves of the flower tremble slightly. this quickly aroused her suspicions, and in a moment more the sorceress had decided that the seeming rose was nothing else than a transformation of old mombi. at the same instant mombi knew she was discovered and must quickly plan an escape, and as transformations were easy to her she immediately took the form of a shadow and glided along the wall of the tent toward the entrance, thinking thus to disappear. but glinda had not only equal cunning, but far more experience than the witch. so the sorceress reached the opening of the tent before the shadow, and with a wave of her hand closed the entrance so securely that mombi could not find a crack big enough to creep through. the scarecrow and his friends were greatly surprised at glinda's actions; for none of them had noted the shadow. but the sorceress said to them: "remain perfectly quiet, all of you! for the old witch is even now with us in this tent, and i hope to capture her." these words so alarmed mombi that she quickly transformed herself from a shadow to a black ant, in which shape she crawled along the ground, seeking a crack or crevice in which to hide her tiny body. fortunately, the ground where the tent had been pitched, being just before the city gates, was hard and smooth; and while the ant still crawled about, glinda discovered it and ran quickly forward to effect its capture. but, just as her hand was descending, the witch, now fairly frantic with fear, made her last transformation, and in the form of a huge griffin sprang through the wall of the tent--tearing the silk asunder in her rush--and in a moment had darted away with the speed of a whirlwind. glinda did not hesitate to follow. she sprang upon the back of the saw-horse and cried: "now you shall prove that you have a right to be alive! run--run--run!" the saw-horse ran. like a flash he followed the griffin, his wooden legs moving so fast that they twinkled like the rays of a star. before our friends could recover from their surprise both the griffin and the saw-horse had dashed out of sight. "come! let us follow!" cried the scarecrow. they ran to the place where the gump was lying and quickly tumbled aboard. "fly!" commanded tip, eagerly. "where to?" asked the gump, in its calm voice. "i don't know," returned tip, who was very nervous at the delay; "but if you will mount into the air i think we can discover which way glinda has gone." [illustration] "very well," returned the gump, quietly; and it spread its great wings and mounted high into the air. far away, across the meadows, they could now see two tiny specks, speeding one after the other; and they knew these specks must be the griffin and the saw-horse. so tip called the gump's attention to them and bade the creature try to overtake the witch and the sorceress. but, swift as was the gump's flight, the pursued and pursuer moved more swiftly yet, and within a few moments were blotted out against the dim horizon. "let us continue to follow them, nevertheless," said the scarecrow; "for the land of oz is of small extent, and sooner or later they must both come to a halt." old mombi had thought herself very wise to choose the form of a griffin, for its legs were exceedingly fleet and its strength more enduring than that of other animals. but she had not reckoned on the untiring energy of the saw-horse, whose wooden limbs could run for days without slacking their speed. therefore, after an hour's hard running, the griffin's breath began to fail, and it panted and gasped painfully, and moved more slowly than before. then it reached the edge of the desert and began racing across the deep sands. but its tired feet sank far into the sand, and in a few minutes the griffin fell forward, completely exhausted, and lay still upon the desert waste. glinda came up a moment later, riding the still vigorous saw-horse; and having unwound a slender golden thread from her girdle the sorceress threw it over the head of the panting and helpless griffin, and so destroyed the magical power of mombi's transformation. for the animal, with one fierce shudder, disappeared from view, while in its place was discovered the form of the old witch, glaring savagely at the serene and beautiful face of the sorceress. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: princess ozma of oz ] "you are my prisoner, and it is useless for you to struggle any longer," said glinda, in her soft, sweet voice. "lie still a moment, and rest yourself, and then i will carry you back to my tent." "why do you seek me?" asked mombi, still scarce able to speak plainly for lack of breath. "what have i done to you, to be so persecuted?" "you have done nothing to me," answered the gentle sorceress; "but i suspect you have been guilty of several wicked actions; and if i find it is true that you have so abused your knowledge of magic, i intend to punish you severely." "i defy you!" croaked the old hag. "you dare not harm me!" just then the gump flew up to them and alighted upon the desert sands beside glinda. our friends were delighted to find that mombi had finally been captured, and after a hurried consultation it was decided they should all return to the camp in the gump. so the saw-horse was tossed aboard, and then glinda, still holding an end of the golden thread that was around mombi's neck, forced her prisoner to climb into the sofas. the others now followed, and tip gave the word to the gump to return. the journey was made in safety, mombi sitting in her place with a grim and sullen air; for the old hag was absolutely helpless so long as the magical thread encircled her throat. the army hailed glinda's return with loud cheers, and the party of friends soon gathered again in the royal tent, which had been neatly repaired during their absence. "now," said the sorceress to mombi, "i want you to tell us why the wonderful wizard of oz paid you three visits, and what became of the child, ozma, which so curiously disappeared." the witch looked at glinda defiantly, but said not a word. "answer me!" cried the sorceress. but still mombi remained silent. "perhaps she doesn't know," remarked jack. "i beg you will keep quiet," said tip. "you might spoil everything with your foolishness." "very well, dear father!" returned the pumpkinhead, meekly. "how glad i am to be a woggle-bug!" murmured the highly magnified insect, softly. "no one can expect wisdom to flow from a pumpkin." "well," said the scarecrow, "what shall we do to make mombi speak? unless she tells us what we wish to know her capture will do us no good at all." "suppose we try kindness," suggested the tin woodman. "i've heard that anyone can be conquered with kindness, no matter how ugly they may be." at this the witch turned to glare upon him so horribly that the tin woodman shrank back abashed. glinda had been carefully considering what to do, and now she turned to mombi and said: "you will gain nothing, i assure you, by thus defying us. for i am determined to learn the truth about the girl ozma, and unless you tell me all that you know, i will certainly put you to death." "oh, no! don't do that!" exclaimed the tin woodman. "it would be an awful thing to kill anyone--even old mombi!" "but it is merely a threat," returned glinda. "i shall not put mombi to death, because she will prefer to tell me the truth." "oh, i see!" said the tin man, much relieved. "suppose i tell you all that you wish to know," said mombi, speaking so suddenly that she startled them all. "what will you do with me then?" "in that case," replied glinda, "i shall merely ask you to drink a powerful draught which will cause you to forget all the magic you have ever learned." "then i would become a helpless old woman!" "but you would be alive," suggested the pumpkinhead, consolingly. "do try to keep silent!" said tip, nervously. "i'll try," responded jack; "but you will admit that it's a good thing to be alive." "especially if one happens to be thoroughly educated," added the woggle-bug, nodding approval. "you may make your choice," glinda said to old mombi, "between death if you remain silent, and the loss of your magical powers if you tell me the truth. but i think you will prefer to live." mombi cast an uneasy glance at the sorceress, and saw that she was in earnest, and not to be trifled with. so she replied, slowly: "i will answer your questions." "that is what i expected," said glinda, pleasantly. "you have chosen wisely, i assure you." she then motioned to one of her captains, who brought her a beautiful golden casket. from this the sorceress drew an immense white pearl, attached to a slender chain which she placed around her neck in such a way that the pearl rested upon her bosom, directly over her heart. "now," said she, "i will ask my first question: why did the wizard pay you three visits?" "because i would not come to him," answered mombi. "that is no answer," said glinda, sternly. "tell me the truth." "well," returned mombi, with downcast eyes, "he visited me to learn the way i make tea-biscuits." "look up!" commanded the sorceress. mombi obeyed. "what is the color of my pearl?" demanded glinda. "why--it is black!" replied the old witch, in a tone of wonder. "then you have told me a falsehood!" cried glinda, angrily. "only when the truth is spoken will my magic pearl remain a pure white in color." mombi now saw how useless it was to try to deceive the sorceress; so she said, meanwhile scowling at her defeat: "the wizard brought to me the girl ozma, who was then no more than a baby, and begged me to conceal the child." "that is what i thought," declared glinda, calmly. "what did he give you for thus serving him?" "he taught me all the magical tricks he knew. some were good tricks, and some were only frauds; but i have remained faithful to my promise." "what did you do with the girl?" asked glinda; and at this question everyone bent forward and listened eagerly for the reply. "i enchanted her," answered mombi. "in what way?" "i transformed her into--into--" "into what?" demanded glinda, as the witch hesitated. "_into a boy!_" said mombi, in a low tone. "a boy!" echoed every voice; and then, because they knew that this old woman had reared tip from childhood, all eyes were turned to where the boy stood. "yes," said the old witch, nodding her head; "that is the princess ozma--the child brought to me by the wizard who stole her father's throne. that is the rightful ruler of the emerald city!" and she pointed her long bony finger straight at the boy. "i!" cried tip, in amazement. "why, i'm no princess ozma--i'm not a girl!" glinda smiled, and going to tip she took his small brown hand within her dainty white one. [illustration: mombi pointed her long, bony finger at the boy.] "you are not a girl just now," said she, gently, "because mombi transformed you into a boy. but you were born a girl, and also a princess; so you must resume your proper form, that you may become queen of the emerald city." "oh, let jinjur be the queen!" exclaimed tip, ready to cry. "i want to stay a boy, and travel with the scarecrow and the tin woodman, and the woggle-bug, and jack--yes! and my friend the saw-horse--and the gump! i don't want to be a girl!" "never mind, old chap," said the tin woodman, soothingly; "it don't hurt to be a girl, i'm told; and we will all remain your faithful friends just the same. and, to be honest with you, i've always considered girls nicer than boys." "they're just as nice, anyway," added the scarecrow, patting tip affectionately upon the head. "and they are equally good students," proclaimed the woggle-bug. "i should like to become your tutor, when you are transformed into a girl again." "but--see here!" said jack pumpkinhead, with a gasp: "if you become a girl, you can't be my dear father any more!" "no," answered tip, laughing in spite of his anxiety; "and i shall not be sorry to escape the relationship." then he added, hesitatingly, as he turned to glinda: "i might try it for awhile,--just to see how it seems, you know. but if i don't like being a girl you must promise to change me into a boy again." [illustration] "really," said the sorceress, "that is beyond my magic. i never deal in transformations, for they are not honest, and no respectable sorceress likes to make things appear to be what they are not. only unscrupulous witches use the art, and therefore i must ask mombi to effect your release from her charm, and restore you to your proper form. it will be the last opportunity she will have to practice magic." now that the truth about princess ozma had been discovered, mombi did not care what became of tip; but she feared glinda's anger, and the boy generously promised to provide for mombi in her old age if he became the ruler of the emerald city. so the witch consented to effect the transformation, and preparations for the event were at once made. glinda ordered her own royal couch to be placed in the center of the tent. it was piled high with cushions covered with rose-colored silk, and from a golden railing above hung many folds of pink gossamer, completely concealing the interior of the couch. the first act of the witch was to make the boy drink a potion which quickly sent him into a deep and dreamless sleep. then the tin woodman and the woggle-bug bore him gently to the couch, placed him upon the soft cushions, and drew the gossamer hangings to shut him from all earthly view. the witch squatted upon the ground and kindled a tiny fire of dried herbs, which she drew from her bosom. when the blaze shot up and burned clearly old mombi scattered a handful of magical powder over the fire, which straightway gave off a rich violet vapor, filling all the tent with its fragrance and forcing the saw-horse to sneeze--although he had been warned to keep quiet. [illustration: mombi at her magical incantations.] then, while the others watched her curiously, the hag chanted a rhythmical verse in words which no one understood, and bent her lean body seven times back and forth over the fire. and now the incantation seemed complete, for the witch stood upright and cried the one word "yeowa!" in a loud voice. the vapor floated away; the atmosphere became clear again; a whiff of fresh air filled the tent, and the pink curtains of the couch trembled slightly, as if stirred from within. glinda walked to the canopy and parted the silken hangings. then she bent over the cushions, reached out her hand, and from the couch arose the form of a young girl, fresh and beautiful as a may morning. her eyes sparkled as two diamonds, and her lips were tinted like a tourmaline. all adown her back floated tresses of ruddy gold, with a slender jeweled circlet confining them at the brow. her robes of silken gauze floated around her like a cloud, and dainty satin slippers shod her feet. at this exquisite vision tip's old comrades stared in wonder for the space of a full minute, and then every head bent low in honest admiration of the lovely princess ozma. the girl herself cast one look into glinda's bright face, which glowed with pleasure and satisfaction, and then turned upon the others. speaking the words with sweet diffidence, she said: "i hope none of you will care less for me than you did before. i'm just the same tip, you know; only--only--" "only you're different!" said the pumpkinhead; and everyone thought it was the wisest speech he had ever made. [illustration] [illustration] [illustration: the riches of content ] when the wonderful tidings reached the ears of queen jinjur--how mombi the witch had been captured; how she had confessed her crime to glinda; and how the long-lost princess ozma had been discovered in no less a personage than the boy tip--she wept real tears of grief and despair. "to think," she moaned, "that after having ruled as queen, and lived in a palace, i must go back to scrubbing floors and churning butter again! it is too horrible to think of! i will never consent!" so when her soldiers, who spent most of their time making fudge in the palace kitchens, counseled jinjur to resist, she listened to their foolish prattle and sent a sharp defiance to glinda the good and the princess ozma. the result was a declaration of war, and the very next day glinda marched upon the emerald city with pennants flying and bands playing, and a forest of shining spears sparkling brightly beneath the sun's rays. but when it came to the walls this brave assembly made a sudden halt; for jinjur had closed and barred every gateway, and the walls of the emerald city were builded high and thick with many blocks of green marble. finding her advance thus baffled, glinda bent her brows in deep thought, while the woggle-bug said, in his most positive tone: "we must lay siege to the city, and starve it into submission. it is the only thing we can do." "not so," answered the scarecrow. "we still have the gump, and the gump can still fly." the sorceress turned quickly at this speech, and her face now wore a bright smile. "you are right," she exclaimed, "and certainly have reason to be proud of your brains. let us go to the gump at once!" so they passed through the ranks of the army until they came to the place, near the scarecrow's tent, where the gump lay. glinda and princess ozma mounted first, and sat upon the sofas. then the scarecrow and his friends climbed aboard, and still there was room for a captain and three soldiers, which glinda considered sufficient for a guard. [illustration] now, at a word from the princess, the queer thing they had called the gump flopped its palm-leaf wings and rose into the air, carrying the party of adventurers high above the walls. they hovered over the palace, and soon perceived jinjur reclining in a hammock in the courtyard, where she was comfortably reading a novel with a green cover and eating green chocolates, confident that the walls would protect her from her enemies. obeying a quick command, the gump alighted safely in this very courtyard, and before jinjur had time to do more than scream, the captain and three soldiers leaped out and made the former queen a prisoner, locking strong chains upon both her wrists. that act really ended the war; for the army of revolt submitted as soon as they knew jinjur to be a captive, and the captain marched in safety through the streets and up to the gates of the city, which she threw wide open. then the bands played their most stirring music while glinda's army marched into the city, and heralds proclaimed the conquest of the audacious jinjur and the accession of the beautiful princess ozma to the throne of her royal ancestors. [illustration] at once the men of the emerald city cast off their aprons. and it is said that the women were so tired eating of their husbands' cooking that they all hailed the conquest of jinjur with joy. certain it is that, rushing one and all to the kitchens of their houses, the good wives prepared so delicious a feast for the weary men that harmony was immediately restored in every family. ozma's first act was to oblige the army of revolt to return to her every emerald or other gem stolen from the public streets and buildings; and so great was the number of precious stones picked from their settings by these vain girls, that every one of the royal jewelers worked steadily for more than a month to replace them in their settings. meantime the army of revolt was disbanded and the girls sent home to their mothers. on promise of good behavior jinjur was likewise released. ozma made the loveliest queen the emerald city had ever known; and, although she was so young and inexperienced, she ruled her people with wisdom and justice. for glinda gave her good advice on all occasions; and the woggle-bug, who was appointed to the important post of public educator, was quite helpful to ozma when her royal duties grew perplexing. the girl, in her gratitude to the gump for its services, offered the creature any reward it might name. "then," replied the gump, "please take me to pieces. i did not wish to be brought to life, and i am greatly ashamed of my conglomerate personality. once i was a monarch of the forest, as my antlers fully prove; but now, in my present upholstered condition of servitude, i am compelled to fly through the air--my legs being of no use to me whatever. therefore i beg to be dispersed." so ozma ordered the gump taken apart. the antlered head was again hung over the mantle-piece in the hall, and the sofas were untied and placed in the reception parlors. the broom tail resumed its accustomed duties in the kitchen, and finally, the scarecrow replaced all the clotheslines and ropes on the pegs from which he had taken them on the eventful day when the thing was constructed. you might think that was the end of the gump; and so it was, as a flying-machine. but the head over the mantle-piece continued to talk whenever it took a notion to do so, and it frequently startled, with its abrupt questions, the people who waited in the hall for an audience with the queen. the saw-horse, being ozma's personal property, was tenderly cared for; and often she rode the queer creature along the streets of the emerald city. she had its wooden legs shod with gold, to keep them from wearing out, and the tinkle of these golden shoes upon the pavement always filled the queen's subjects with awe as they thought upon this evidence of her magical powers. "the wonderful wizard was never so wonderful as queen ozma," the people said to one another, in whispers; "for he claimed to do many things he could not do; whereas our new queen does many things no one would ever expect her to accomplish." jack pumpkinhead remained with ozma to the end of his days; and he did not spoil as soon as he had feared, although he always remained as stupid as ever. the woggle-bug tried to teach him several arts and sciences; but jack was so poor a student that any attempt to educate him was soon abandoned. after glinda's army had marched back home, and peace was restored to the emerald city, the tin woodman announced his intention to return to his own kingdom of the winkies. "it isn't a very big kingdom," said he to ozma, "but for that very reason it is easier to rule; and i have called myself an emperor because i am an absolute monarch, and no one interferes in any way with my conduct of public or personal affairs. when i get home i shall have a new coat of nickel plate; for i have become somewhat marred and scratched lately; and then i shall be glad to have you pay me a visit." "thank you," replied ozma. "some day i may accept the invitation. but what is to become of the scarecrow?" "i shall return with my friend the tin woodman," said the stuffed one, seriously. "we have decided never to be parted in the future." "and i have made the scarecrow my royal treasurer," explained the tin woodman. "for it has occurred to me that it is a good thing to have a royal treasurer who is made of money. what do you think?" "i think," said the little queen, smiling, "that your friend must be the richest man in all the world." "i am," returned the scarecrow; "but not on account of my money. for i consider brains far superior to money, in every way. you may have noticed that if one has money without brains, he cannot use it to advantage; but if one has brains without money, they will enable him to live comfortably to the end of his days." "at the same time," declared the tin woodman, "you must acknowledge that a good heart is a thing that brains can not create, and that money can not buy. perhaps, after all, it is i who am the richest man in all the world." "you are both rich, my friends," said ozma, gently; "and your riches are the only riches worth having--the riches of content!" [illustration: the end ] the oz books by l. frank baum _the wizard of oz_ [originally published as _the wonderful wizard of oz_] it is in this book that oz is "discovered." a little kansas girl--dorothy gale--is carried in her house to oz when a cyclone whisks it through the sky. as the house lands in the munchkin country (one of the four great countries of oz) it destroys a wicked witch and sends dorothy off on her first adventure in oz. she finds the scarecrow, meets the tin woodman and the cowardly lion, melts a second wicked witch with a pail of water and finds her way home. since this book appeared a half-century ago, we have learned many marvelous things about the land of oz. _the land of oz_ [originally published as _the marvelous land of oz_] this sequel to _the wizard of oz_ deals entirely with the early history of oz. no one from the united states or any other part of the "great outside world" appears in it. it takes its readers on a series of incredible adventures with tip, a small boy who runs away from old mombi, the witch, taking with him jack pumpkinhead and the wooden saw-horse. the scarecrow is king of the emerald city until he, tip, jack, and the tin woodman are forced to flee the royal palace when it is invaded by general jinjur and her army of rebelling girls. the _land of oz_ ends with an amazing surprise, and from that moment on ozma is princess of all oz. _ozma of oz_ few of the oz books are as crowded with exciting oz happenings as this one. not only does it bring dorothy back to oz on her second visit, but it introduces dorothy to ozma, relates ozma's first important adventure, and introduces for the first time such famous oz characters as tik-tok, the mechanical man, billina the hen, the hungry tiger, and--_the nome king_! most of the adventures in this book take place outside oz, in the land of ev and the nome kingdom. scarcely a page fails to quiver with excitement, magic and adventure. _dorothy and the wizard in oz_ of course, everyone always predicted it would happen! and in this book it does--the wizard comes back to oz to stay. best of all, he comes with dorothy, who is having adventure number three that leads her to oz, this time via a california earthquake. in this book we meet dorothy's pink kitten, eureka, whose manners need adjusting badly, and two good friends who we are sorry did not remain in oz--jim the cabhorse, and zeb, dorothy's young cousin, who works on a ranch as a hired boy. _the road to oz_ we like to think of this volume as "the party book of oz." almost everyone loves a party, and when ozma has a birthday party with notables from every part of fairyland attending--well! it is just like attending ozma's party in person. you meet the famous of oz, and lots of others, such as queen zixi of ix, john dough, chick the cherub, the queen of merryland, para bruin the rubber bear and--best of all--santa claus himself! of course there are lots of adventures on that famous road to oz before the party, during which dorothy, on her way to oz for the fourth time, meets such heart-warming characters as the shaggy man, button-bright, and lovely polychrome, daughter of the rainbow. _the emerald city of oz_ here is a "double" story of oz. while dorothy, her aunt em and uncle henry experience the events that lead to their going to oz to make their home in the emerald city, the wicked nome king is plotting to conquer oz and enslave its people. later we go with dorothy and her friends in the red wagon on a grand tour of oz that is simply packed with excitement and events. while this transpires, we learn also of the nome king's elaborate preparations to conquer oz. as dorothy and her friends return to the emerald city, the nome king and his hordes of warriors are about to invade it. how oz is saved is an ending that will amaze and delight you. _the patchwork girl of oz_ here, the patchwork girl is brought to life by dr. pipt's magic powder of life. from that moment on the action never slows down in this exciting book. it tells of ojo's quest for the strange ingredients necessary to brew a magic liquid that will release his unk nunkie from a spell--the spell cast by the liquid of petrifaction, which has turned him into a marble statue. in addition to the patchwork girl, ojo and unk nunkie, this book introduces those famous oz creatures, the woozy, and bungle the glass cat. oz certainly has become a merrier, happier land since the patchwork girl came to life, and this is the book that tells how scraps came to be made, how she was brought to life, and all about her early adventures. _tik-tok of oz_ for the second time a little girl from the united states comes to oz. betsy bobbin is shipwrecked in the nonestic ocean with her friend hank the mule. the two drift to shore in the rose kingdom on a fragment of wreckage. betsy meets the shaggy man and accompanies him to the nome kingdom, where shaggy hopes to release his brother, a prisoner of the nome king. on their way to the nome kingdom, one fascinating adventure follows another. they meet queen ann soforth of oogaboo and her army, and lovely polychrome, who had lost her rainbow again; they rescue tik-tok from a well; and are dropped through a hollow tube to the other side of the world where they meet quox, the dragon. you'll find it one of the most exciting of all the oz books. _the scarecrow of oz_ this is the oz book which l. frank baum considered his best. it starts quietly enough with trot and cap'n bill rowing along a shore of the pacific ocean to visit one of the many caves near their home on the california coast. suddenly, a mighty whirlpool engulfs them. the old sailorman and the little girl are miraculously saved and regain consciousness to find themselves in a sea cavern. (to this day, trot asserts she felt mermaid arms about her during those terrible moments under water.) from here on, one perilous adventure crowds in upon another. in jinxland they meet the scarecrow who takes charge of things once cap'n bill is transformed into a tiny grasshopper with a wooden leg. an exciting royal reception greets the adventurers upon their return to the emerald city. _rinkitink in oz_ prince inga of pingaree is the boy hero of this fine story of peril-filled adventure in the islands of the nonestic ocean. king rinkitink provides comic relief, and by the time you reach the final page you will love this fat, jolly little king. bilbil the goat, with his surly disposition, provides a fine contrast to rinkitink's merriment and prince inga's bravery and courage in the face of danger. some may say that the three magic pearls are the real heroes of this story, but the pearls would have been of little use to king kitticut and queen garee if prince inga hadn't used them wisely and courageously. _the lost princess of oz_ talk about _button-bright_ getting lost--_ozma_ is almost as bad! this is actually the second time ozma has been lost. as you know, once she was "lost" for many years. but in this book she is lost for only a short time. as soon as it is discovered that the ruler of oz is lost--and with her all the important magical instruments in oz--search parties, one for each of the four countries of oz, set out to find her. we follow the adventures of the party headed by dorothy and the wizard, who explore unknown parts of the winkie country in search of ozma. how ozma is found, and where she has been, will surprise you. frogman, a new character, is introduced in this book. _the tin woodman of oz_ woot the wanderer causes this chapter of oz history to transpire. when woot wanders into the splendid tin castle of nick chopper, the tin woodman and emperor of the winkies, he meets the scarecrow, who is visiting his old friend. the tin woodman tells woot the story of how he had once been a flesh-and-blood woodman in love with a maiden named nimmie aimee. woot suggests that since the tin woodman now has a kind and loving heart, it is his duty to find nimmie aimee and make her empress of the winkies. the scarecrow agrees, so the three set off to search for the girl. no less surprising than the adventures encountered on the journey is nimmie aimee's reception of her former suitor. _the magic of oz_ old ruggedo, the former nome king, comes to oz for the second time, and makes more trouble than he did on his first visit. ruggedo never gives up the idea of conquering oz, and this time he has the advantage of being in the country without ozma's knowledge. also, he has the magic and somewhat grudging help of kiki aru, the munchkin boy who is illegally practicing the art. if you like magic, then this is a book for you. there's magic on every page, and everyone in the story eventually is transformed into something else, or bewitched in one way or another. even the wild animals in the great forest of gugu do not escape. _glinda of oz_ this is the last oz book written by l. frank baum. it is one of the best in the series, with dorothy, ozma, and glinda in an adventure that takes them to an amazing crystal-domed city on an enchanted island. this island is situated in a lake in the gillikin country. ozma and glinda are confronted by powerful magic and determined enemies. for a time dorothy and ozma are prisoners in the crystal-domed city which is able to submerge below the surface of the lake. few of the oz books equal this one in suspense and mystery--a story that is truly "out of this world." [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] [illustration] * * * * * +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | transcriber notes: | | | | p. . 'ecstacy.' changed to 'ecstasy.' | | p. . 'nickle-plate' changed to 'nickel-plate' | | p. . 'liquid of petrefaction' changed to 'liquid of petrifaction'.| | taken hypen out of pumpkinhead or pumpkinheads. | | fixed various punctuation. | | | | text surrounded by _this_ indicated italics, and text surrounded | | by =this= indicates bold. | | | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+